Forlorn Hopes: John III vs. Canoerebel

[Canoerebel]

10/25/44 to 10/27/44
 
Stop breathin' on my tail!:   This is a Bugs Bunny line in my favorite cartoon ("Bully for Bugs") and is to counterattack the title in John's AAR, something like, "Shhhhh, hunting wabbits..."
 
China:  The Allies are shuffling forces around.  The Amoy prepped troops are loaded on transports at Hong Kong, and loading on transports at Haiphong.  This invasion could be ready to go in three days.  The Allies have been sniffing around to see if there might be any other easy targets.  Pescadores was my first choice, but it's held by two units (too many for a paratroop assault, but light enough that I may attend to it pretty soon).  Bataan Island is apparently vacant, so 50th Indian Paratroops are scheduled to hit tomorrow.  The Allied army at Canton will also attack tomorrow, following up on yesterday's 1:1 attack that dropped forts to 7 (Allies suffered 11k casualties to 2k for the Japs).  Canton will fall in less than a month.
 
Japan:  Despite the forecast for thunderstorms over Japan, I've ordered a raid on Osaka/Kobe tomorrow.  The targets will be Frank factory and resources.  Tori's fighters will fly a sweep first.
 
CenPac:  To keep the deck shuffled and to try to avoid becoming to predictable, the American carriers will sortie in big numbers from Iwo tomorrow.  This armada will include combat ships and transports.  But they'll be coming back home shortly.  The time for the "real thing" is approaching, however...
 
 

[Canoerebel]

10/28/44
 
I swear the situation is growing dire for the Japanese, but I may be overconfident like the Allies at Arnhem on December 10, 1944...
 
Bataan Islands:  A small detachment of 50th Indian paratroops takes this 1/1 base by para-assault.  There were two fragment engineer units on the island that didn't put up a fight.  Now the Allies will air transport a large Chinese unit (from Hong Kong) and a small Indian base force (from Wuchow).  This is a key base for future Allied operations - it be built up to assist with offensive operations against Formosa, Japan, and Luzon, and it also offers a "port in a storm" when the American carriers and transports move this way for Operation Neptune.  John has to "throw the bucket" at this base, in my opinion, but sometime it seems as if he doesn't perceive the scope and threat of the Allied operations in this area.
 
China:  Most of my surprise at the Japanese reaction to Operation Shooting Star is due to the weakness of the Japanese position in Coastal China.  Amoy only has two units, and I think Foochow has three.  Both are difficult places for him to defend because they only have yellow roads, so garrisons are threatened with isolation.  Yet he cannot afford to lose these bases.  The Allied troops prepping for Amoy are all loaded on transports now.  The Hong Kong continengent is awaiting arrival of the Haiphong contingent, which will arrive there in two days; then the combined fleets will sail.  D-Day Amoy is probably November 1.  Should the Allies take Amoy and nearby Foochow, the invasion of Formosa will be on; I think this will take place before the end of November.  At Canton, a deliberate attack dropped forts to 6, the Allies suffering 5k to 1.5k for the Japanese.
 
SEAC:  In the back of my mind I always contemplate (and worry over) a Japanese "Battle of the Bulge" offensive in this region.  John could slip the KB and troop transports into many rear areas without much trouble (unless I get lucky with a sighting by a sub to give forewarning).  I can't guard all rear areas heavily, however, without crippling my ability to mount offensives; but I do have pockets of heavy resistance:  3,500 AV at Singapore is the main base.  Saigon, Johore Bahru, Padang, and Colombo also have stout garrisons.  Many other cities have 50 to 100 AV provided by single units - Alor Star, Georgetown, Port Blair, Sabang, Phnom Penh, and Bangkok fall into this category.
 
Japan:  The big raid against Osake/Kobe came off like clockwork.  A fighter sweep by 73 P-47Ds from Tori Shima faced 68 Frank, 5 George, and 45 Jack, the Allies losing 14 against 3 G, 19 J, and 49 F.  Two waves of bombers followed - 222 B-29s from Shikuka (of which two were lost) and 124 from Changsha (none lost, and they shot down four fighters).  These bombers focused on Frank factory [now 2(61)], George factory [now 3(26)], and Resources [now 118(183)].
 
CenPac:  The American carriers and mock invasion force will continue SW one more day (ending the second day four hexes SW of Iwo).  They will then return to base.
 
Points:  (A) 78,076 (J) 56,925; Ratio:  1.37 to 1; Strategic Points:  14,560

[bigbaba]

thanks for the allied pilots hit list. and congratulation to the new succesfull raid over osaka. i can imagine that johns ability to replace his loses is on a stress test right now.

[Canoerebel]

10/29/44
 
Bataan Islands:  Ah, the seizure of this island by the Allies has provoked a strong response from the Japanese.  John sent bombers to hit the airfield, and posted LRCAP that intercepted the air transports.  But I think this is a case of closing the henhouse door after the fox is already inside.  I've transferred two fighter squadrons to the field (Spit VIIIs from China, and P-47Ds from Iwo Jima).  The air transport missions will continue.  The Allies already have 100 AV there, so John would have to mount a major drive into an area that will become increasingly dominated by the Allies.

China:  The Amoy invasion TFs should leave Hong Kong tomorrow or the day after.  Still two Jap units at Amoy.  John has advanced an army out of Nanchang to confront the adjacent Allied army.  Thus far four Jap units 80k strong have advanced, but he only has seven units remaining at Nanchang.  The Nanchang-prepped troops that have been on the road from Malaya for weeks have begun arriving at Changsha and are moving forward.  So the Allied threat to Nanchang will grow over the next week.

P.S. 50th Indian Paratroops have become THE Allied unit of distinction in the game. They've thus far taken Kompong Song, Kiungshan, Ichang, and Bataan Islands. All these bases were vacant, so there was no element of "glorious victory against the odds," but each base was strategically vital and played an important role in permitting the Allies to begin or continue key offensives.

[String]

BTW, LRCAP and CAP don't mix and don't fight eachother. To defeat enemy LRCAP over a hex you have to send in a sweep.

[USSAmerica]

Dan, I don't know how many men are in the 50th Indian Paras, but you should line every one of them up and hand out lots of medals.  [:D]
 
You're progress is just amazing.  [8D]

[Canoerebel]

10/30/44
 
Thanks, guys, for the nice notes and suggestions.  String, I didn't know that, so I appreciate the tip.  I may have found one other way to deal with his LRCAP, as you'll see in a moment.

Bataan Islands:  Reinforcements continued to arrive via air transport; with 150 AV present and a base force capable of handling 30 aircraft, the situation has stabalized here, at least for the moment.  One of the bases John used to attack the airfield was Taichu on Formosa, so Changsha's B-29s targeted it today, destroying 33 aircraft on the ground and persuading John to temporarily abandon that base.  Today's air attacks against Bataan Island were much weaker, consequently.

China:  The Amoy Invasion force weighs anchor tonight and will proceed three hexes north.  D-Day is November 2.  Another deliberate attack at Canton scheduled tonight.

SEAC:  Singapore's B-29s hit Brunei's oil facilities three times over about five days, knocking out more than 40 units.  John beefed up the CAP, but the B-29s haven't been fazed. 

Japan:  Big strike targeting Tokyo tomorrow.

CenPac:  The American carriers and mock invasion TFs returned to Iwo and disbanded.  Once Amoy falls, the Allies will have that air base plus fields at Swatow, Hong Kong, and Bataan Islands in close proximity to Formosa.  I may also move on Foochow.  But whether I have Foochow or not, the Allies should be able to claim air supremacy over Formosa using LBA.  That should make the invasion of Formosa (Operation Neptune) much more sturdy.  The ground troops have been resting at Iwo for several weeks.  All are in top shape - this period of R&R probably increased the net AV by 1,000 points.

[Canoerebel]

10/31/44
 
Amoy:  The invasion TFs steamed within 120 miles of Amoy today; D-Day is tomorrow.  LRCAP will be provided mianly by fighters at Swatow, with one P-38L squadron at Hong Kong chipping in.  The transports are accompanied by a combat TF and a stout bombardment TF.  If the port is heavily mined, though, I'm going to get a bloody nose.

Canton:  3:1 attack lowers forts to five with the Japs suffering 1k and the Allies 5.1 k.  The next attack may be a shock attack and has a chance at taking the base.  Once I have the base, I may designate about 1,500 AV to sit there and pick at the surviving Japs while the other 6,000 AV head off for new targets.  It can take forever to extinquish a Jap garrison in an urban hex; I think the game is reaching the penultimate moment and that the majority of these troops will be put to better use hitting Nanchang (or possibly used in amphibious operations).
 
Tokyo:  The Shikuka-based B-29s fail to make the raid.  173 4EB from Toyohara come in accompanied by about 20 fighters from Iwo Jima; the Japs losing 14 aircraft and the Allies ten; the bombers take care of Okha production (John keeps building it back up), the undamaged Frank factory, some resources, and some heavy industry.  A fighter sweep later knocks down 14 Tojho, 39 Frank, and a Randy at a cost of 14 P-47Ds.
 
Score:  (A) 78,653 (J) 57,035; Ratio:  1.38 to 1; Strategic Points:  14,702.

[Canoerebel]

11/01/44
 
My dear general, you are thoroughly outdone:  In 1864 during the U.S. Civil War, Confederate General Braxton Bragg was outmaneuvered and outsmarted by Union General William Rosecrans.  As a result of Bragg's failure to fully grasp the situation and to act with the needed resolve, he lost Middle Tennessee - a vital food, transportion, and manpower region for the Confederacy - almost without losing a man.  During his awkard and ill-advised retreat, a Confederate chaplain encountered Bragg and blunty said, "My dear general, you are thoroughly outdone."  That reminds me very much of this game - while the Allies are advancing rapidly in China, there is no Japanese resistance to speak of.  Where is the Imperial Japanese Airforce?  Where are the IJN combat ships?  Where is the KB?  Since I have two British battleships and other combat ships out front and exposed so that a massive Japanese attack would probably ovewhelm any Allied CAP, I'm glad John hasn't contested the Allied maneuvers to this point.  I just don't understand what he's thinking - has he convinced himself that the real threat is to the DEI or is he stubbornly determined to employ the KB only when he gets a shot against Allied carriers?  I know this:  In the real war, the Japanese would have hurled their forces against any such major move so close to the Japanese homeland.
 
Amoy:  D-Day went smoothly as 900 AV, including Chinese, Indian, and American troops, came ashore.  There were no mines, and stiff combat TF bombardments punctuated the landings.  The defense is 2/3rds of 116th Division and some change.  The Allies will try a shock attack tomorrow (my troops are about 15% prepped, but John's are probably just as bad off).  Just to the south of this hex, a West African unit booted two weak engineer units into a roadless-interior hex.  The West Africans will move on to Amoy while prepping for Foochow.
 
Canton:  The Allied army will rest at least two more days before renewing the attack.  I tihnk Canton will fall in a week or less.  This will all but islolate a large Japanese army.
 
Nanchang:  The Jap recon-in-force army is pulling back into this city.  I don't know if the Allies have enough to pose a legit threat here at this point although the army includes three strong Indian divisions.  I may have to wait until some of the Canton army can lend a hand.
 
Bataan Islands:  Secure it seems.  The next step will be to get engineers here to work on the 1/1 port and airfield.
 
Next:  As soon as Amoy falls, the Allies want to move on Foochow; I'm also evaluating the merits of a move on Pescadores.  Hong Kong and Swatow now have big base forces, so LRCAP coverage is adequate or better for this entire region.
 
Japan:  A P-47D fighter sweep over Tokyo found just three Randy fighters, two of which were downed.  Then 111 B-29s hit resources, knocking out 43.
 
NoPac:  The last resistance at Cold Bay ended several days ago.  Three Army divisions that were active in the Aleutians mop-up campaign are now free to R&R and prepare for their next action.  All three are preppping for Shanghai.
 
SWPac:  The last resistance at Luganville ended today.  The Allies will sniff around the Solomons and other points to determine if there are any other weakly guarded outposts to pick off.
 
Points:  (A) 78,737 (J) 57,032; Ratio:  1.38 to 1; Strategic:  14,754.
 
China Map:  To follow in next post.

[Canoerebel]

China Map: 11/01/44

[Alikchi2]

Nice map! Very handy. I like your coastal strategy - it seems to be working extremely well.

[Canoerebel]

11/02/44
 
The nice quiet period has passed as there are Jap ships all over the IO and Bay of Bengal.  As with any sudden crisis, the surprise and overload of information leads to some confusion for the Allies - might I overreact? Might I underreact?  I'm going to play some hunches and try to hedge my bets, and this indeed should be the penultimate point of the game.
 
Indian Ocean:  Over the past week there have been several Jap subs sniffing around the IO and Bay of Bengal.  These subs have damaged and sunk a few merchantmen and one even missed a chance at BB King George V.  This was the only forewarning I had (and mostly dismissed) because neither recon from Sabang nor my picket line of subs south of Sumatra sighted any surface ships.  The first notice I had that something big was up was when Judy dive bombers suddenly appeared at Trivandrum and Pangim, and then all heck broke loose in the area.
 
Allied Sea Matters:  The Allies had a number of merchant convoys moving between Aden and Colombo, and Colombo and SEAC.  By my count, the Jap carrier strike aircraft sank six AKs and damaged perhaps another half-dozen merchant ships.  But in a bit of ill-timed luck for the Allies (and nice luck for the Japs), BB Ramilles had just arrived at Bombay, had moved to Trivandrum, and was about to head for Colombo.  She was broadsided by sixe torpedoes and went under.  Congrats to John on this victory.
 
Japanese Sea Matters:  There are Jap carrier TFs all over the place!  I'll post a map in a little while (but I'm sure John has one on his AAR).  Eight different TFs have been sighted including (1) TF with 4 CVs 300 miles SE Colombo; (2) TF with 7 CVs 240 miles SW Trivandrum; and (3) TF with 2 CVs and lots of BBS 300 miles W of Pangim.  John has landed troops on Addu Atoll and there is a big force of APs 180 miles west of Trivandrum.
 
Allied Troop Matters:  Every base on India's coast has a base force (I think), but few have any ground troops to speak of.  Bombay and Karachi have one decent infantry unit apiece, plus nine forts.  Ceylon is well-guarded - Colombo has over 500 AV and Trincomalee has something like 150.  There are nine forts everywhere.  (All these garrisons were augmented a few months ago when I wondered whether John might try something like this).  The next troop concentration, weak as it may be, is Diamond Harbor with two small units.  After that I have to rely on air transport to move troops from more forward posts like Singapore or Saigon, and hope that Allied LBA can lend a big hand if John lands in force.
 
Allied Air Matters:  The Allies have a pretty fair number of base forces spread throughout India, and Ceylon has more than enough.  I've already begun moving some fighters, Liberator IIIs, and PBY Liberators to Ceylon and Diamond Harbor.  If the threat continues to grow, air power can be rapidly augmented.  I've even begun the shuttle - moving high quality fighters from Iwo Jima to Chentu, China; those were replaced by P-47s from Paramushiro; those, in turn, were replaced by Corsairs from the western Aleutians; which were replaced by fighters from Kodiak and Anchorage, which have been replaced by fighters from Canada.  The Allies can put alot of top-notch bombers and fighters in India in a short time.
 
Jap Land Matters:  Is John really invading India?  Without a doubt, he can seize one or more ports and advance far inland against the weakly defended Sub-Continent.  As he goes, however, Allied bombers should become deadly.  Moreover, I have plenty of time to put together a serious counter-force should the need arise.  So I am worried about India, but I am not panicking.
 
Jap Air Matters:  John has alot of carriers, but I doubt he wants to face P-47Ds in large numbers.  So I'll try to get these in the area as quickly as possible.  John may be able to rule on the ground for a month, but I think he'll have a very tough time in the air. 
 
My Hunch:  My guess is that this is an elaborate hoax; that John doesn't actually want to fight an air and ground battle in India.  I'm heding my bets by moving "spare" (but very high quality) aircraft to India, and I have also shifted around some transport aircraft to begin an airlift if necessary.  While this threat is potentially a major concern, it also alerts the Allies to the location of the Jap carriers.  That gives me much more freedom to continue the hop-scotching invasions along the China coast, and I will also proceed with the invasion of Formosa.  Most of my assets are in place at Iwo, but I'm awaiting reinforcements (ships, supplies, fuel, and men) that will soon set sail from Midway.  Since the KB is way off in the IO, the only real threat will be Jap LBA, and the growing number of Allied bases in this area should help manage that. 
 
Bottom Line:  I'm worried, but I want to take advantage of new opportunities.
 
Amoy/China:  The Allies took this base on a 43:1 shock attack on the 2nd.  The beleaugered defenders pulled back to Foochow.  The Allies will load up troops and hit Foochow, or possibly even Wenchow, within days (I had previously considered stopping at Amoy for awhile out of fear that I had stuck out my neck pretty far so that the KB might pounce).   The Allies will also immediately move on Pescadores (well, as soon as a transport convoy at Hong Kong unloads).  The Allies will also shock attack at Canton tomorrow.
 
Formosa/Operation Neptune:  The three Jap bases on this island each have about 10 units/60k troops.  The Americans have about 3000 AV 100% prepped for the southern city.  That and the ability to strike from the air from the new, nearby air bases, should be enough to do the job even if it isn't easy or short.  What happens to John when/if Japan is completely cutoff from the rest of the empire?  The Allies would hold Coastal China/part of Formosa/Iwo/Tori Shima/Sikhalin Island.  What does the KB do then? How does a country function if it's cutoff?

[Canoerebel]

How would you like to be the Allied CinC and wake up one morning to find this outside your window?

P.S. Two years ago, my darkest and most dismal days in this game began with John seizing Exmouth on the coast of Australia; soon thereafter he sent an email boasting that he had begun "Operation Southern Cross." Now John seizes Addu Atoll, another out-of-the-way base, and sends an email with this message: "Furyouka-Go: Operation Downfall". I hope this ends on a happy note for the Allies, and that there aren't dark and dismall days ahead.

P.P.S. This is why we play the game!

P.P.P.S. John has had a real fixation on the IO in this game; to this point it has worked to his detriment. May that continue.

[Canoerebel]

11/03/44
 
India:  The Japs are landing at Trivandrum, which has a garrison with an AV of 102 behind 9 forts.  I've transferred about 50 4EB there, but I'll have to move them in a day or two, as John appears to be quite serious.  India is not heavily guarded.  Madras, Mangalore, and Pangim have AVs 70 or lower; Bombay has 91; Karachi has 199.  I've begun organizing the airlift conveyor-belt that will bring reinforcements from SEAC.  Fortunately, Ceylon is heavily guarded - Colombo has 529 AV and 9 forts; Trincomalee has 135 AV and 9 forts.

The Jap TFs remain all over the place, and I'm trying to get a better picture of what's going on.  It will suit me perfectly well if John doesn't invade anywhere else, but he has Glens checking out all the bases on the southern half of the landmass.

[Oops, have to run an errand.  Will post this now and edit later.]

The Japs landed engineers and a big base force on Addu Atoll. John will have to build a field and port, but that shouldn't be hard. It will give him a remote and safe place to replenish his ships and carrier aircraft.

Jap bombers hit the port of Colombo, moderately damaging BC Repulse. I had about 25 mixed fighters (Mosquitoes and Kittyhawks) that downed some bombers, but not enough. The Japs will face a much tougher opponent should they return tomorrow. Colombo now has 118 fighters, 99 fighter bombers, 63 bombers, and 12 patrol aircraft (thank goodness I have more than enough base support to handle up to the 300 aircraft allowed at this base). These fighters include Spitfire VIII and P-38Ls. Trincomalee has 31 bombers and 16 patrol aircraft; Madras has 39 bombers, Mangalore has 12 bobmers and 17 patrol; Pangim has 8 patrol; Bombay has 26 fighters and 22 bombers, and Karachi has 12 bombers. But the top guns (P-47Ds and more P-38s) are still a couple of days away.

Although the Allied air power was much weaker today, PBY Liberators from Trincomalee sortied and hit CVE Shimane Maru twice. She is part of the carrier TF in the mid-Bay of Bengal. She'll have to limp home.

Jap carriers are primarily concentrated near Trivandrum and I've seen many famous names - Akagi, Kaga, etc. No question this is most of his fighting force, which leaves me much more free to move elsewhere.

The Allies do have carriers that will move toward the Bay of Bengal. This will include the RN carriers and two US fleet carriers. It will be awhile before they can reach the area and sniff around. (When my carriers moved from Australia to Port Blair a few weeks ago, imagine if they had blundered into the KB....)

I have no idea yet how much John brought with him to India. Assuming he brought a heck of alot, he's going to take a good bit of the country; but what about the KB? There's not much sea room to retreat were the Allis to place carriers south of Sumatra; I don't plan to do that, yet, because I prefer to first use my carriers to handle the Formosa invasion.

China: The shock attack at Canton came off at 3:1 and dropped forts from 5 to 2. I'll rest a few days and try again. Transports at Hong Kong and Amoy are already loading troops for the invasion of Pescadores; and I'll work on Foochow as soon as possible. John appears to be suddenly abandoning the outposts in and around Singyang; in fact, his defense in SE China may be collapsing so that he'll be pulling back toward Shanghai or some of the adjacent bases. The Japs were in big trouble in China already, but now that I'm aware that the KB is absent I am much more at ease about moving expeditiously.

Operation Neptune (Invasion of Formosa): The reinforcement and supply ships leave Midway tonight. They should arrive at Iwo in seven to ten days. When they arrive, the Neptune troops will be loaded and ready to go. With the KB out of the way, and with Allied LRCAP from Swatow, Amoy, Hong Kong, and possibly Pescadores and Foochow, I don't think it's too great a risk to move into hostile water so close to the Jap homeland (not only do these offer the Allies important air bases, it also means that they aren't available to the Japs. Where once Formosa was ringed by big and potentially very potent Jap airbases, now the Allies may be able to control the air with LBA alone).

Nagoya: Big raid ordered to hit the Frank factories here tomorrow. With the KB out of the way, I may employ some of the fleet carriers on a raid against the Home Islands while waiting for the Midway reinforcements.

[Canoerebel]

For those following this AAR, I edited to complete the prior post (after finishing my Real Life errand).

[paullus99]

If he's committed to an Indian Invasion (and the sighting of mass carriers seems to point in this direction), you can prevent him from ever returning to home waters. He's lined up a shooting gallery for you & hitting him with everything you can send (LBA) - you should be able to cripple a significant portion of his carrier force.

The more I think about it - this is an ideal strategic position for you. He's shown his hand & won't be able to react to your current & imminent future invasions in his own backyard. You should be able to bomb his fleet with impunity (well, chop his fighters up pretty good & sneak in a bomb or two while his CAP levels are still high) & shut his exit hatch with LBA & carrier support from Singapore.

I don't believe the rest of your plans need change at all - give the reserves you can fly in & everything else, you're the steamroller being hit with a flyswatter. Keep burning down the Home Islands with B29s & cut him off completely.

Good job & happy hunting.

[Heeward]

This is your opportunity to defeat the IJN strike arm. John has run his fleet into a corner of the map with only way out. This is just like when the Japanese take India, and the Commonwealth Fleet / shipping has to retreat to Australia.
 
Send more then enough land based air power to mangle anything in range. Dispatch the entire USN strike forces at best speed to seal of his retreat and to hunt the remnants of the IJN down. You now know where it is and, what routes it has to take to leave. Until he takes bases he will not be able to operate land based air power in support of his fleet.
 
For John to repair damaged ships / replace aircraft he has to take a base and stock it with supplies. Said base will be within land based air range, which means targets in port.

[JeffroK]

Now why did he want you to stop B29 Naval search?????

[tocaff]

The KB can be brought to battle by your CVs in your back yard.  He gets damaged and will sink on the long ride home with you hunting him the entire way.  This should seal the final defeat of Japan in a grand fashion.  An invasion of India is futile because without supplies what good is an army?

Send in the USN to do their job and let the LBA secure your invasions elsewhere.

[Canoerebel]

I'll be posting in more detail later this morning, but a few items of general interest to me:

In an email several weeks ago after Singapore fell, back when John was tongue-lashing me a bit for failing to "deliver the knockout punch" and touting his own success at extracting his million man army from SEAC, he wrote something like: "Now you're going to have to come after me" - implying that my next step in the game would be a large invasion that would face massive peril from Jap air, land, and sea power.

That didn't happen because my next move was mainly by land against China. So, ironically, it was JOHN whose next move would be a massive invasion.

Secondly, John accused me of having foreknowledge of his invasion last night. At first I thought it was just a joke, but when he apologized later I saw that he was serious. He did sincerely apologize, and no hard feelings. He says this India invasion idea occurred to him about 10 weeks ago. Sometime about five or eight months ago (game time), I mentioned in this AAR my concern about India. As I recall it, a few responeded by poo-pooing any possibility of such an event at this point in the game. I wasn't positive, though, so over the next several months I detailed some reinforcing LCU that entered at Aden to Karachi, Bombay, Colombo, and Trincomalee.

The unit in Trivandrum is there purely by serendipity. It was loaded on four AKs at Aden a week ago and was on its way to Colombo. It was just west of Trivandrum when the entire Jap navy showed up. The transports were caught between all those Jap carriers, so in the general dispersal of all surviving Allied ships in harm's way, I detailed these AKs to go to Trivandrum and unload. It was only about two hexes, and they arrived the same day a Jap bombardment TF (consisting of a BB and CA) arrived, and most or all of them were sunk. I didn't even realize any of the troops made it ashore before the transports went down (these are West Africans that were on the way to China).

If you guys detect any hint in John's AAR that he still harbors suspicions about these matters, he can send turn files going back as far as possible to somebody like Q-Ball or NYGiants and I can give them my password. They'll be able to confirm that, except for those West Africans, the defenses (such as they are) of India have been in place a long, long, long time.