The Leader Bug strikes - BigB 1.5 Japanese version

[Rainer79]

March 22nd, 1942:

Again not much to report.

Singkep Island and Pamakasan saw air attacks. Both bases will be used as opportunity targets for training but they will be taken out soonish. "Real" pilot training will happen in China.

A ground attack mission against Daily Waters cost us 2 Betties (flak) but failed to score any damage. A follow-up deliberate attack came off at 0:1 against 1 forts. Our adjusted AV got butchered again as it was reduced to ~25%. More troops and supplies are on the way...

The IJA will test the defenses of Lashio tomorrow.

[Rainer79]

March 23rd + 24th, 1942:

The Allies have been flying more troops into Adak. In addition to the Canadian brigade elements of a US regiment have begun to show up. Allied AV is growing by about 10 points per day but LRCAP made this at least a bit costly by shooting down 6 PBYs. Despite daily recon flights another bombardment hit anything but the island. Kates have also begun to bomb the airstrip.

Near Kwajalein an ASW TF dispatched the previously damaged SS Permit. Upon their return SS Perch attacked these ships but no damage was scored by either side.

A probing attack at Lashio came off at 0:1. Forts stayed at 2 and both sides lost about 2k troops. The enemy has 15 operational guns left divided across 13 units...

[Rainer79]

March 25th, 1942:

In what was probably the worst possible moment for us at least 2 American CVs appear near Umnak Island. Recon flights only noticed ships heading EAST before and the appearance of multiple task forces so close to Adak is a rude surprise. A transport flotilla carrying a big brigade which was covered by BB Ise reached Adak during the night but for some reason did not unload anything during the day. [:(] Unloading was allowed so that was not the problem.

Anyway, during the day ~100 US carrier bombers attack the ships off Adak. Ise is hit by several 1000 lbs bombs which knock out several AA mounts and start moderate fires. Several transports are also in a bad shape but they have been ordered to stay there and unload. I am quite prepared to loose the entire 20 ship convoy if they can get the troops ashore. Trying to run away from the CVs would have been futile anyway.

Luckily for Daniel CarDivs 1 and 2 are currently on the way back to Tokyo to refuel. If the attack had come a day earlier or later it would not have been nearly a big a problem.

The Americans have also moved planes to Adak again although a Kate strike managed to evade the CAP and torched some PBYs on the ground.

Now excuse me, I need to attend to some Mavis pilots...

[Rainer79]

March 26th, 1942:

The convoy at Adak finally decided to unload and got nearly all of the troops ashore. A few ships will stay behind to unload the last fragments and additional supply. So far 1 MSW has sunk but likely an additional 5 ships won't make it either.

During the day bad weather shut down all air operations in the region again. There was no sign of the allied carriers again although 2 new TFs were spotted. One was a FT squadron heading east from Attu - ending its move within easy Kate range [:(] - which according to my estimates either brought engineers or supplies to that island. The other was a 10 ship group of APs and AKs 3 hexes southeast of Adak and heading northwest. If the allies get significant ground reinforcements there I am not sure if I can take the base.

[Rainer79]

March 27th + 28th, 1942:

2 different ASW groups found and engaged the SS Perch while it was sitting in Kwajalein's harbor. Over the course of two days the sub receives lots of near misses and several direct hits and is sunk.

Chinese bombers flew air attacks against the troops besieging Lashio. Oscars on LRCAP did cause some losses and found some C-60 transports as well. Bombardment attacks have been achieving good results but the time has come to kick the defenders into the jungle.

In China a large number of units moved into Changsha. The IJA has 3600 AV against 3300 AV of nationalist defenders and will settle in for a long siege. The focus here is to stop the supply production and keep a large part of the mobile Chinese forces pinned.

In the north the enemy FT group moved closer to Kiska ([&:]) and was promptly engaged by about 80 Vals and Kates. 5 APDs sank immediately while a 6th received a single torpedo hit and was dispatched a day later.

On the 28th the Kates flew a strike against Adak's airfield and the Zeroes quickly removed a weak CAP of P-40Es and P-39s. Over 50 allied planes were destroyed, a mixture of the previously mentioned planes and PBYs.

The enemy transport convoy that has been spotted SE of the island has moved towards Cold Harbor instead. I expect yet another unit fragment to show up on Adak soon.

A small brigade has also landed at Attu. 3 units were spotted defending the island (a US regiment, part of an engineer unit and a base force). On the ground the Allies have 127 AV holding Attu (vs. 133 AV for the IJA) and 215 AV on Adak (vs. 521). Reinforcements to both locations are on the way.

[Rainer79]

March 29th, 1942:

SS Sturgeon hit the AK Erie Maru with a single torpedo near Lunga. The damage is negligible though and the sub received a near miss in return.

Singkep Island was the target of another air raid while a SNLF was landed nearly unmolested.

In Northern Australia the enemy continues to hold at Daly Waters though now the tank regiment present there has been pulled back and moved into the desert to cut the allied supply path.

Also the Burma campaign is drawing to a close. A shock attack at Lashio was a huge success. The combat engineers reduced the forts by 2 levels to zero and the IJA soldiers than got a solid 2:1 result. Many Chinese soldiers will continue to be cut off from the limitless Indian supply depots. [:D]

[Rainer79]

March 30th, 1942:

3 CAs and 6 DDs shelled Adak again during the night and achieved satisfactory results. Not having any CD guns present really hurts the US - no that I am complaining.

3 CLs also bombarded Singkep in preparation for an upcoming ground assault. During the day Lilies also dropped a few bombs on the defending dutch battalion. Thanks to this support the SNLF achieved a 2:1 result on the first try and overran the island's 2000 defenders.

Here is also an industry screenshot. The HI pool is growing nicely as is the armament one. Vehicles are still in somewhat short supply though the reinforcement of the starting tank regiments is almost complete. Naval shipyards have a slight surplus (halted Shinano, accelerated 2 DDs) while the idle merchant yards have been put to work on accelerating multiple TKs and 2 CVEs. These are the only ship class where there really could be a shortage. APs and AKs are plentiful.

In shipbuilding I am a firm believer of accelerating ships between 10x and 30x durability as it is more cost-effective than pushing for the completion of <10x durability ones.

[Rainer79]

March 31st, 1942:

Another day, another bombardment of Adak. Hyuga's aim was a bit off though. 2 DDs tried to engage SS Grayling but could not locate the sub. After the smoke had cleared a transport flotilla started to unload the "C" regiment of the 20th Infantry Division over the beach. The 3 sub-units will soon be united again. The AV rating is looking a bit more favorable now though the mountainous terrain remains a concern (207 vs. 668).

Otherwise the day was very quiet. DDs Crosby and Dent attacked I-27 near Dutch Harbor and scored one real hit. The sub will retire but should have no problem making Tokyo Bay.

On the ground the Australians have mostly evacuated Daily Waters one day before the tank regiment would have cut them off. Too bad. There might be another chance at the next base though.

[Rainer79]

April 1st + 2nd, 1942:

Attu Island was shelled again for minor damage and on the 2nd a fresh Infantry Division has begun to unload there. In about 10 days I'll have enough PPs to buy out another Infantry Division from the Kwantung Army and if necessary it will also be used in this theater.

I-174 was caught by 6 American DDs near Midway and immediately sunk. Sometimes I wish the IJN escorts had the same efficiency...

In China 100 bombers attacked Hengchow to discourage the CAF from flying ground attack missions against the troops at Changsha. Scoring a few supply hits was a nice bonus.

The Australians fleeing Daily Waters were almost quick enough to fully disengage but a Cavalry Brigade was caught in the town. The unit was pretty much demolished by the 3 attacking IJA Infantry Divisions and should be out of the war for a long time. The race for Tennant Creek is on. Recon shows a fresh infantry brigade currently holding the base.

[Rainer79]

April 3rd - 5th, 1942:

Weather currently seems to be the most powerful enemy as the northern third of the map is covered with thunderstorms. That basically halts all offensive air operations at the moment.

Dutch bombers out of Tennant Creek have started to fly atg attacks against the divisions at Daily Waters. Zero LRCAP has not proved very effective so far.

Two Australian units (survivors from PM) came out of the jungle at Salamaua where a NLF was waiting for them. A base force fragment surrendered during the first attack while an infantry battalion still resists.

In the Aleutians I-16 found 2 US destroyers and hit DD Dent with a torpedo amidships. The ship immediately went under after the magazine exploded. A trio of AVDs near Dutch Harbor came also under fire. 2 torpedo salvos missed their targets but AVD Hulbert at least hit a mine.

A probing attack at Adak revealed 2 forts and ended in a 0:1 result. The IJA AV got reduced to a third while the US AV was adjusted from ~200 to over 1100. More bombardments (and air attacks if the weather ever clears up) have been ordered. [:(]

The combat at Attu went better with the first assault achieving a 1:1 and reducing forts to zero.

Current naval losses:
Allies: BB Tennessee, 1 CA, 2 CL, 8 DD, 1 DMS, 5 AVD, 6 APD, 21 MSW, 4 ML, 1 PG, 1 PC, 11 SS, 18 PT, 1 AO, 14 AP, 34 AK, 3 TK, 1 AD
Japan: 1 DD, 4 MSW, 1 ML, 1 PG, 1 PC, 3 SS, 12 AP, 3 AK

[Rainer79]

April 6th - 8th, 1942:

Bombardments of Attu Island continued. A Kate strike did cause damage to the engineer regiment there. A follow-up ground attack got a solid 1:1 (550 vs. 301) result. If only the Kates had targeted the RCT instead...

The enemy AV at Adak has also dropped by 40 points but then stabilized there. The IJA probably won't be able to take the island just yet but every bit helps. The reduction is a bit much for PBYs evacuating cadres but could have been caused by a FT mission.

In Hengchow was the target of a bombing campaign to destroy several I-153c and SB-2c squadrons based there. Quite a few of these planes were torched on the ground and the ground attack missions against Changsha have ceased so I am quite content.

At Salamaua the Aussie infantry battalion was wiped out by attrition after being exposed to several days of deliberate attacks by a NLF.

In Burma the former defenders of Lashio have been caught by 3 pursuing divisions. Ever mindful to assist the poor lost Brits and Chinese the IJA helped them find their way home. After two forced retreats and enduring a probably very poor supply situation it should take a while before these units become combat-ready again. Also 8 units are currently trapped between Lashio and Myitkynia. I am sure that they will be just as overjoyed to be shown a way through the Himalaya. [:D]

[Rainer79]

April 9th, 1942:

I-7 encountered a group of DMs south-west of Pearl and received a couple of near misses. The boat will have to head back to Kwajalein with 20 sys damage. At the same time near Singapore a group of APDs found SS Trusty and scored 8 near misses during 2 attacks.

In the north 27 B-17Es escorted by 30 P-38E/Fs flew a ground attack mission from Cold Bay. The 7th Mixed Brigade at Adak nearly lost a hundred men. [:(]

In Northern Australia the advancing IJA troops caught the Cav Brigade again and forced another retreat. I wonder if anything is left of this unit when the troops arrive at Tennant Creek.

The best news was however the capture of Attu. Despite the fact that neither the planned bombardment mission nor the promised air supported materialized the 28 000 Japanese soldiers overran the defensive positions (774 vs. 220 adjusted AV) and wiped out parts of a base force, the 19th Engineer Regiment and the 4th US Regiment. Over 5 000 US servicemen were captured.

[Rainer79]

April 10th - 12th, 1942:

A second air attack on the 7th Mixed Brigade at Adak caused another 63 casualties but also cost the US 5 planes due to ops losses (3 P-38, 2 B-17s). Perhaps flying through all these thunderstorms is not so great after all. The ground attacks have at least stopped for now.

A nighttime naval bombardment of Adak by 3 CAs and 7 DDs led to 500 Allied losses and nice damage to the base facilities. 2 Infantry Divisions are getting ready to reinforce the beachhead. One will be moved in from Attu while the other has been just bought out from the Kwantung Army.

Australian Beauforts have started attacking the units near Tennant Creek again for little effect. Zeroes are intermittently flying LRCAP and shot down a couple of planes. The wrecked cavalry brigade in the area had also to suffer another forced retreat.

The IJAAF pilots abandoned their sake break and decided to strike Hengchow where they torched 13 planes on the ground. Although these Chinese planes are completely obsolete, in the end every allied loss helps.

[Rainer79]

April 13th + 14th, 1942:

Another 10 planes destroyed at Hengchow finally convinced the Allies to withdraw their planes. 4 new Infantry Divisions were formed in China and they are heading towards their new posts. Supply in southern China is getting a bit low but a convoy from Japan should soon remedy that.

In Australia Beauforts continue to attack the advancing troops. While Zero LRCAP can exact a price, it cannot completely stop these attacks. High fatigue gain for the fighter pilots is also a concern.

Both sides continue to fly ground attack missions against the troops at Adak. Adak's airfield itself is not occupied at the moment. Near Dutch Harbor I-26 attacked a group of 5 DMS for no effect. The sub will have to head home with moderate damage while the DMS cleared a few of the sub-laid mines at the base afterwards.

[Rainer79]

April 15th - 18th, 1942:

The turns go really fast at the moment.

On the construction front the RO-100 class subs start to consume naval shipbuilding points in increasing numbers. A couple of them have been halted for now as they are not cheap (25 points per boat). They will eventually be completed later on and then shipped off to theaters where the low endurance won't be much of a handicap (probably SRA or Solomons).

SS Truant put a torpedo into TK Rikko Maru at Palembang. Thankfully the big tanker was empty and the damage seems to be survivable. Despite sitting under two ASW groups the sub initially escaped although on the 18th a group of 6 DDs found it again. They scored 2 direct hits with Type 91 DCs which caused heavy damage. It is a long way to Ceylon so hopefully the boat won't survive the journey.

Near Adak SS Grayling launched a salvo at CL Kinu but the torps failed to detonate. This action though lead to a very anemic bombardment of the island later on (10 ships including a BB and 2 cruisers --> 55 casualties). An evacuation of allied personnel has also been noted here as non-combat units are flown out.

The DMS group at Dutch Harbor had no problems with ASW and damaged another sub. I-5 will head home with moderate damage.

In Northern Australia recon detected 14 units at Tennant Creek. [X(]
3 Infantry Divisions plus several tank, engineer and artillery regiments are heading south but just in case 2 more Infantry Divisions have been redirected to Darwin. They should arrive within 10 days or so. While the Allies might keep Alice Springs, I don't intend to let them keep a forward base without a serious fight.

[Rainer79]

April 19th - 21st, 1942:

As expected SS Truant did not make it to a friendly port and sank near Mundok. At the same time SS Drum appears to live a charmed life. The boat was attacked during 5 different engagements east of Truk but escaped with barely having any paint scratched.

I-28 is the third boat to be sent to the yards by the Allied DMS group in the Aleutians but at least hit DMS Trevor with a torpedo first. It would be nice if Daniel continued to risk these highly valuable ships in the region.

LRCAP efforts near Tennant Creek have been abandoned for now. It just isn't worth it to be constantly bounced by the allied escorts flying some 3-5k feet lower. A sweep of the allied airfield was more successful with 3 Brewsters and 3 Kittyhawks going down in exchange for a single Zero.

A new division had been unloaded at Adak during the last 2 days which significantly strengthened the ground forces present there. Kongo and Haruna also paid another vist to the defenders and together with a Kate ground attack achieved decent results. While the enemy PBYs continued to fly out troops the IJA was finally strong enough to capture the island. Nearly 10 000 Allied soldiers couldn't be evacuated and marched into captivity.

[Rainer79]

April 22nd, 1942:

SS Drum was attacked yet again during the night although this time a direct Type 95 DC hit was scored. Since the sub was not reported to be on fire, it could have been FOW though.

DMS Trevor also slipped beneath the waves. This is the 2nd DMS sunk so far which makes me quite happy. DMS are a valuable ship type that the Allies do not have a limitless supply of.

A sweep of Tennant Creek by 40 Zeroes did not quite happen as planned. They met 15 Kittyhawks on CAP and again got bounced endlessly by the allied fighters. End result was a 4:4. Beauforts and Marauders escorted by 16 more Kittyhawks continued to harass the advancing troops.

B-17Es on naval attack also put a bomb into a transport at Adak. I am not sure yet if the AP will survive.

[Rainer79]

April 23rd, 1942:

The Dutch defenders of Pamakasan have been selected as training targets for the Zero flying school for the last days. About 60 fighter pilots attack the airfield daily. There are no naval bomber crews currently in training as the squadrons are filled up (or very nearly so) but with the arrival of CV Junyo's understrength air groups that will change. As stated earlier Pamakasan will be cleared out within a few months and further advanced training will take place in China.

IJA bomber sentais also struck targets in the open country north of Canton. That is not a training program per se as the IJA pilot pool still has roughly 100 pilots left. Though with the low replacement rate (20 for the IJA compared to 10 for the IJN) that probably soon will change.

Otherwise the ground attacks against the advancing IJA spearheads near Tennant Creek continue. Tank regiments have been moved off the railway to encircle the base.

Here I also noticed a very strange sight. A B-17E has started to fly recon from the lvl. 1 airbase at Cloncurry. I did not know that the game allowed that. At the end of the turn the base went up to lvl. 2 while Alice Springs has been built up to lvl. 5.

[Rainer79]

April 24th + 25th, 1942:

Twice I-4 attacked the US DMS group near Cold Bay but the torpedoes all missed. During the second attack the destroyers scored a depth charge hit and later a PBY on naval search added another one. With 94 flotation damage I doubt that the boat can make a friendly port.

Sweeps over Tennant Creek yielded decent results. On the 23rd 4 Kittyhawks were shot down for no loss while the ratio was a bit worse at 6:3 on the 24th. The Allied bombers have started to work over the encircling tank regiments but there is not much I can do about that. If the Allies don't withdraw immediately their supply line will be cut though.

In China 2 Infantry Divisions failed to shift 2 Warlord Corps in the clear terrain north of Canton. A 0:1 shock attack will lead to the immediate replacement of the commanders involved. An adjusted AV of 89 (!) for two divisions is just too embarrassing. The Chinese adjusted AV was 119 so clearly this task should have not been too difficult.

[Rainer79]

April 26th + 27th, 1942:

Near Dutch Harbor another confrontation between IJN subs and the American DMS group occurred. I-20 hit DMS Perry with a torpedo but received a direct hit in return. Yet another boat has to head back to Japan for repairs. At the moment only 1 operational sub remains in the area.

A sweep over Tennant Creek cost the Aussies 5 Kittyhawks. In return they bombed the poor defenseless tank regiments again. 3 enemy units have now left the base to protect the supply path. One more day and the tanks would have completed the encirclement...