The Setting Sun: Rainer79 (A) vs. guctony (J), now with quiet China

[Rainer79]

This AAR covers a scen 2 non-historical start between the two aforementioned players.
Tony is a veteran PacWar player but hasn't had much experience with WitP yet while I would call myself an intermediate level player.

The initial turn proved to me that you can still do audacious opening attacks in AE and that you aren't always forced into a (boring and formulaic) historical straightjacket.

House rules are fairly simply and basically boil down to: don't do gamey stuff and use PPs to buy out units from restricted commands.

The scenario itself gives Japan a slight boost compared to the historical scen 1. The IJN gains a few additional CLs and DDs in the build queue and the Shinano is completed as a cheaper Taiho class CV and thus may actually be worthy of building. More of a concern (at least initially) is that the IJA gains a lot of additional troops early for their push. I would guess that this amounts to about 3 div. equivalents during the first 6 months which could make any follow-up attack a lot more feasible.

[Rainer79]

CenPac: The central pacific is a calm and quiet place. The crewmen on the battleships of the Pacific Fleet are only slightly disturbed when an unknown object hits a mine. PBY scouting reports indicate that Hawaii is ringed by Japanese submarines though. So, where is the KB?


PI:The answer is - northwest of Manila. At least 3 carriers hit Manila Bay together with land-based Betties and thoroughly trash the Asiatic Fleet. At the end of the day only 5 SS, a single DD and several PTs are still deemed combat-worthy. IJN fighters and bombers also hit Iba and Clark Field and cause additional casualties there.


Malaya: IJA troops land at Singora and Khota Baru. The Pattani landings seems to have been canceled though. Force Z was attacked at sea but it got off lightly IMO. PoW received a single 60 kg bomb hit which knocked out a forward AA battery while Repulse was hit with multiple torpedoes. Hopefully she can make it to Singapore where the water can be pumped out.


DEI: The most aggressive and surprising news came from the DEI though. A single SNLF landed at Kendari covered by a cruiser TF and a single CVL.

The more important news is that an infantry, tank and a engineer regiment (plus base forces and support) landed at Batavia. The minefield and CD defenses acquitted themselves well - 5 DDs are claimed to have struck mines and multiple transports received 120 mm CD gun hits - and forced one of the amphib TFs to abort. Still, ~250 AV worth of troops are ashore and two SAGs cover the entire operation and pummeled Batavia's airfield.

This is certainly not a boring start....

[Q-Ball]

That Batavia gambit is certainly interesting, and I'll be following the AAR. That had to be troops otherwise ticketed for Malaya. I hope Tony tested that against the AI, because I am skeptical there is enough there to push off the defenders, but you never know. Maybe I'll run that and see.....

It's particularly risky given that Force Z lives.

[Rainer79]

The most important thing for me is to prevent the immediate capture of Batavia. With an airbase there and at Kendari the entire DEI area would be shut down. The KB which is lurking near Manila also complicates things as I suspect that the carriers will now move west to support the Batavia op. But that also means that I should have a few precious turns where I have air superiority...

On the ground the raw AV for both sides is about equal though the Dutch troops have not great experience and morale values. I've evacuated Batavia's airfield just in case - there are enough other decent bases in the vicinity and set several bomber wings on ground attack. The ABDA ships in the vicinity will also try to make an appearance though they are somewhat dispersed. PoW will also head south. I am essentially throwing in the kitchen sink here but I feel it has to be done.


The Asiatic Fleet is pretty much finished but the remains will set sail. No Japanese transports have been sighted here yet. The 5 subs (1 S-boat among them) will hopefully find some nice targets...


In CenPac the CVs have been ordered to try and interdict any landing attempts at Wake or Tarawa. I might also try to resupply Wake. Judging from the numbers of Kates during the Manila attack a carrier division potentially could be missing and heading into CenPac so I don't want to totally discount their appearance in this area.

It is nice to have the old BBs intact but I am not sure what I should do with them initially. They certainly use a lot of fuel which is not available (yet). Not having PH's airfield smashed is far nicer as a lot more planes than usual are now available. ASW TFs will try to clear the approaches while the first supply convoys are starting to get organized.


In China and India I am mostly shuffling around forces. I don't have any definitive plans yet for these theatres although I have found that you can buy out the 5th Chinese Corps. That unit might help in upper Burma and/or India depending on the speed of the Japanese advance. Otherwise the Chinese will try and shorten their frontline. It seems that Sian must be held at all costs to protect the oil supply.

[Rainer79]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

That Batavia gambit is certainly interesting, and I'll be following the AAR. That had to be troops otherwise ticketed for Malaya. I hope Tony tested that against the AI, because I am skeptical there is enough there to push off the defenders, but you never know. Maybe I'll run that and see.....

It's particularly risky given that Force Z lives.

Thanks. I guess I'll have to start counting hexes on how far KB can move on full speed. PoW can't reach Batavia in a single turn either and IJN CAs are not push-overs either.

The assault at Khota Baru will reliably push out the defenders at essentially 1:1 odds so I am not sure on how the Dutch will hold out.

I guess he used the troops slated for Pattani initially as the Khota landing is full strength and Singora is crawling with IJA troops.

[Rainer79]

While I am waiting on how much of the ABDA surface forces I've managed to lose, here are my € 0,02 on the various theatres.

Aleutians:

There is not much force to work with here initially. I do have found one unrestricted RCT and some engineers that can be moved out. Once Colorado and Warspite are repaired they will probably head up here to provide some firepower.

Kodiak is a very good base but the Dutch Harbor/Umnak combo is far less attractive than in stock IMO. Building up Umnak will be a problem with the new amphib rules. Getting supplies into that base for a prolonged bombing campaign will be hard.

That makes Adak look like the real prize of the region with a port size of 2(5) and an AF of 0(4).

[Rainer79]

Central Pacific:

Things are looking fairly secure here with the KB's absence. Most of the important islands already have a Marine Defense Battalion in place which should provide some early security.

Canton and Christmas Islands however do not have them and trying to beef up their defenses will be my first priority. There is also a notable lack of supplies on many islands.

My own CVs - in addition to hopefully waylay some unsuspecting invasion convoys - will also be used to transfer USMC dive bomber squadrons to the more endangered islands and to rescue Wake's Wildcats.

The big artillery + base force convoy will probably head to the Fijis.

[Rainer79]

Southwest Pacific + Australia:

So far there has been no sign of the IJN here. It may be of interest of some that at PM there are two detachments of transport planes which can be used to shuffle around some of the initial deployments. Still, it probably won't be enough to stop a determined assault and the SSD can easily overwhelm any garrison. This is one theatre where I am willing to cede lots of ground although I would like to stop the Japs someplace before Noumea and the Fijis.

BTW Tulagi has a small fuel stockpile (1700) at the start which can hopefully be used for some creative actions by the ANZAC task forces.

Australia itself is fairly strong IMO but needs to be supplied with lots of fuel. Perth also needs a strong garrison ASAP so that the Japs cannot easily interdict supply and troop convoys from Cape Town. I am thinking about (at least) one of the AIF divs.

Darwin will be hard to hold with the quick advance into the DEI and will not get significant reinforcements. If Tony wants it, he can have it.

[Rainer79]

China:

Simply a mess. The most important thing here IMO is to turn off industry repairs immediately. 1000 supply per repair is something you cannot afford with the bad supply situation. The only thing that potentially could be worth it is oil centers if the Japs start strategic bombing.

On the ground the situation is confusing. The Chinese units have bad experience and morale (and also typically not enough supplies) so any early offensives will be unlikely to succeed. Once morale (through resting) and experience (through letting planning points accumulate) have gone up attacks might look more feasible. A big problem also is the fact that you need 250000+ supplies at a base to be able to build forts higher than level 6. In China that is almost impossible and will make defending very hard. Therefore actions in bad terrain outside of bases will become more important.

My only true offensive in the beginning will be a movement into Ichang. If the IJA withdraws from the city, it will be great, if it doesn't then at least they will need quite a few LCUs to hold the supply line open. In any event these units won't be available for offensives in other parts of the country. Also a number of very weak corps will be sent into the IJA's rear to cut supply lines and make a nuisance of themselves. If they can tie up some units chasing them their sacrifice will be worth it.

In the south I am quite willing to give up ground. There is not much here worth fighting for and both sides are relatively weak. We'll see how things will develop here.

In the middle section of the front the main focus will lay on evacuating the men from the east and defending Changsha. While loosing Changsha would hurt, the greatest danger can be found somewhere also though.

The main focus and the location where most of the reserves will be allocated will be the north though. Any Japanese advance beyond Sian is potentially deadly as it would cut the delivery of fuel to the HI centers. If the IJA can do that, the already meager supply situation will further deteriorate (1/3 of the total supply here would be lost).

The main defensive line here will therefore run from Sian to Ankang though it is my hope to stop the attack in the bad terrain in front of the cities.

Also of interest is the fact that near Burma there is a number of divisions (collectively making up the 5th Chinese Corps) that can be bought out. I will attempt to do so as a corps built up with British supply should be pretty formidable.

[Rainer79]

PI:

Only air attacks and no landings have occurred here so far. Even Bataan Island has been left alone. With the decimation of the Asiatic Fleet there is not much left to stop any advance though with if the attacks on the airfields keep up.

So far the planning is to defend Clark and Bataan in force, while a smaller detachment holds at Manila (until the fall of Clark seems imminent). The final stand will happen at Bataan, since the CD battery will stop any bombardment. Manila doesn't have the same protection and the defensive terrain is equal at both sites.

Some of the PBYs will be tasked with evacuating the outlaying islands as the troops there would simply starve and they will strengthen the defenses on Luzon. The only place where the troops will be left is at Cebu as both resources and LI are present there. There the Japs might be surprised by the strength of the defenders once the division is built up.

On Mindanao Cagayan will be built up into the main fortress on the island.

[Rainer79]

Malaya:

While the initial landings here might be a bit weaker than usual, it will still be hard to defend here. The plan is to slowly withdraw to the south, hopefully without getting cut off. I do not want the IJA to sit in their comfortable trains during the entire trip but rather to deploy their forces and slowly march. I guess we'll see how successful that idea will be.

Does anybody know why Singapore's harbor starts at 50% damage? It will take a few days until it is repaired and any day counts when trying to build a few forts.

Regarding reinforcements, I may send the British brigades in the first convoy here (depending on how the battle for Batavia turns out) but certainly not the 18th Div.

[Rainer79]

Burma + India:

Lots of small battalions are running around here that will have to be moved towards the coast to garrison possible landing sites and to satisfy garrison requirements in the cities.

The Indian divs and armor units are only shells of themselves but with a bit of time they should become pretty formidable.

The most important thing here initially is to start moving the merchant marine to places where they can do good. The TKs go to Abadan while the xAPs go Cape Town and Aden. Quite a few of the dutch ships are also heading to these places. More or less I've divided them into two camps. The smaller, shorter ranged ones go the Aden as the distances involved are not as long. The big ones go to Cape Town.

I've also started to move fuel from Abadan to Aden (and am thinking about opening a East Coast - Cape Town lane as well) as it seems possible that continued traffic could cause both places to run dry. Certainly something to think about.

In Burma I am waiting for the inevitable advance but I don't want to overcommit here. The planned reinforcement convoys will be sent but nothing more (except for possibly the Chinese). 18th UK div will likely go to Ceylon. With two divisions in total the island should be a tough nut to crack.

[Rainer79]

DEI:

I've already mentioned most of the developments here in the Dec. 7th update which pretty much trashed my defensive plans. Of interest to other players could be the base of Semarang on Java with a port size of 5(2) and an AF of 1(7). I think that it could a popular spot for more conventional invasions as it lacks the heavy CD defenses of Batavia and Soerabaja. In any case there are now 3 big ports (and 3 level 1 ports) to defend as likely invasion targets.

The dutch transport plane unit at Madioen is also very useful since you can airlift troops of restricted commands between their bases. In my case I've started to bring in the Barisan regiment to Java and am thinking about some of the more isolated garrison battalions later on.

Since I've already shown a picture of Batavia, here is one of Kendari with the invasion convoy and the CVL standing guard.

[Rainer79]

Dec. 8th, 1941:

DEI:

Lots of action here. The IJN stayed at Batavia to unload more troops and a number of surface engagements ensued:

-) CL Java and 2 DDs roughed up a transport convoy, sinking DMS W-1 and
DD Yudachi. 2 more DDs and 2 AKs were also set on fire.
-) CL De Ruyter and 5 DDs tangled with a strong SAG built around CLs Naka and Natori. DD Witte de With was lost and 2 more DDs sustained damage. 3 Japanese DDs may have been hit in return.
-) CA Chokai and DD Sagiri then stumbled upon two fleeing TKs and sank them.
-) Shortly afterwards the CLs Dragon and Durban found these two ships. CA Chokai's 20 cm main battery quickly found the range and turned Dragon into a blazing wreck. The light cruiser sank later during the day. Chokai also sustained 14 hits but not of these were penetrating. At least both the CA and DD (3 hits) were left burning.

I am also very much pleased with the performance of the CD guns. While so far no ship seems to have been outright sunk, many have been damaged by 120 and 75mm gun fire (including AV Kamikawa Maru and several DDs).

The dutch airforce still has trouble hitting stationary targets though. Despite a large number of sorties only the Vildebeests did any damage. CL Naka received 3 penetrating 500 lbs bomb hits and was left heavily damaged.

On the ground Kendari fell to the Sasebo 1st SNLF despite fairly effective ground attack missions. THe airfield symbol has lit up although no AV support unit has been sighted yet.

Much more important is the fact that Batavia held. [&o]

Ground combat at Batavia (49,98)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 5168 troops, 26 guns, 102 vehicles, Assault Value = 276

Defending force 17618 troops, 171 guns, 81 vehicles, Assault Value = 268

Japanese adjusted assault: 120

Allied adjusted defense: 261

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 1)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), disruption(-), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
310 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 14 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 43 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 34 (5 destroyed, 29 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
368 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 25 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 20 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 1 (0 destroyed, 1 disabled)

Hopefully reinforcements will can the city before the attackers are recovered. The Falcon light bombers will continue to harass the invaders.


Burma:
AVG vs. a small unescorted Betty strike = fun [:D]

Against Zeroes they fared a bit worse but it seems so far that the various P-40 variants are currently the only allied fighter than can somewhat compete with them.


Malaya:

Khota Baru fell to the first attack, no surprise here. The allied adjusted AV value was extremely disappointing though (138 --> 8). The FMSV brigade surrendered while the two other units have been pushed out.

I've also stopped contesting the airspace over northern Malaya. Even the Nates show better performance than the Buffalos.


PI:

Interestingly enough the KB stayed around to finish off Manila's port. I've managed to gather some 40 Warhawks to defend it and they acquitted themselves reasonably well. Losses were high on both sides but at least quite the KB lost a few elite pilots today including some precious Kates. In the long run the PI airforce cannot stand up to the KB AND the land based squadrons though.


The best part of the turn was however the following:

Sub attack near Laoag at 79,71

Japanese Ships
CV Akagi, Torpedo hits 1
BB Hiei
DD Hamakaze
DD Kasumi
DD Arare

Allied Ships
SS Porpoise

and

Sub attack near Laoag at 79,71

Japanese Ships
CV Akagi, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
BB Hiei
DD Hamakaze
DD Kasumi
DD Arare

Allied Ships
SS Porpoise

So much for defective torpedoes. [:D]

While Akagi showed up in the sunk ship list I seriously doubt the entry. Akagi only showed heavy damage after the second hit and there are enough Japanese ports around to pump her out. She should spend a few months in the body and fender shop though. [&o]

I definitely would recommend going the list of sub captains and firing anyone with low naval skill and/or aggressiveness before sending them out on patrol - at 3 PPs / sub a very good investment IMO. Then again, the choice was made a lot easier by the fact that not many subs were left alive in Manila after the initial strike.

[Rainer79]

PI:

The first landings here have begun. 65th Bde landed at Aparri while the 2nd Tank Regiment (+2nd Base Force) unloaded at Lingayen.

Otherwise the KB has split into two formations who are hunting down the escapees from Hong Kong. Interestingly enough so IJA unit has entered HK so far.


DEI:

As the title already says, thunderstorms grounded most of the aircraft around Batavia. Only the trusty Vildebeests managed to take off and put 3 torps into xAK Tamaki Maru (sunk). They really are the best anti-shipping unit you have in the area initially.

Again a few surface actions happened during the night:
-) PoW and 3 DDs encountered CL Natori and 10 DDs. 2 allied DDs received light damage while 3 IJN vessels may have been hit. Not very impressive but at least none of the long lances hit either.
-) CLs de Ruyter and Tromp plus 2 DDs engaged the same TF next. DD Kortenaer and CL Natori received a single hit each before the two squadrons disengaged.

I'd say the Batavia CD guns did more damage this turn than the ABDA ships.

After yesterday's failed assault the IJA tries a shock attack today. Batavia barely held but I do wonder about tomorrow. Airfield and port are still damaged by the bombardment missions so no fort-building will be possible for while. And it would be nice if the attacker would also be penalized for disruption (especially right after a failed attack)...

Ground combat at Batavia (49,98)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 8453 troops, 50 guns, 97 vehicles, Assault Value = 248

Defending force 17421 troops, 171 guns, 81 vehicles, Assault Value = 257

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 0

Japanese adjusted assault: 149

Allied adjusted defense: 99

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 0

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), disruption(-), preparation(-), morale(-)
experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
406 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Non Combat: 16 destroyed, 26 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 12 disabled
Vehicles lost 36 (22 destroyed, 14 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
847 casualties reported
Squads: 11 destroyed, 49 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 43 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 1 (0 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Vehicles lost 8 (1 destroyed, 7 disabled)

Most of the Jap task forces seem to be fleeing the area but Kongo has been identified 9 hexes out steaming SW. [:(]

[Rainer79]

I wrote a nice, more detailed update which the forum software promptly ate. Here is a somewhat condensed version. [:(]

Dec 10th - 12th, 1942:

DEI:

IJA troops landed and took Miri and Boela with ease. The KB and Mini-KB have split up into divisions and are sinking fleeing ships all over the place (total body count: 64 vessels and rising). The ABDA airforce sadly can't hit the broad side of a barn - at least as long as the IJN avoids/suppresses any airfields with torpedo supplies. And there not many of those around.

On the sea the result was not much better. CLs Boise and Durban were lost to Kongo and Haruna near Batavia. Haruna at least ate a torpedo but that engagement was very one-sided otherwise. PoW should have gone in first but sadly failed to engage.

At least another ground attack at Batavia was stopped at 1:2. Another dutch regiment was railed in to bolster the defenses though another troop convoy has also been sighted.

Also I just found out that Soerabaja's drydock is not big enough to repair Houston (which had been bombed by some Betties). Off to Colombo then.


PI:

The landings have finally begun. A nighttime PT boat attack at San Fernando traded Q-111 for a DMS but otherwise the convoys arrived unmolested. Roughly 800 - 900 AV are ashore on northern Luzon (65th Bde, 3 tank and 2 engineer regiments + various smaller units) while a single SNLF has been sighted at Legaspi. 2 PI divisions were not quick enough to leave for Clark Field and were kicked out forcibly. Note to self: rail them out ASAP during the next game. "Move" is not fast enough.


China:

The first two attacks at Hong Kong yielded a 1:1 each and dropped forts to 1. I am not very confident here.

I also encountered the first "nice" ground combat result here. A IMB kicked 2 Chinese corps out of a clear hex and inflicted 7 000 (!) casualties in the process. I am guessing that for a proper defensive line you need at least 2:1 raw AV superiority with good terrain and/or forts.

The bright spot in this theater is Ichang where a single RGC corps just impaled itself on 1 800 AV worth of Chinese with a 1:25 attack. Hopefully the base can be taken quickly before better troops arrive.


Pacific:

Here the bold moves by the IJN continue - even when its CVs are far away. Tulagi has been invaded in the SW area while another invasion convoy was bound for Canton Island. Thankfully CV Enterprise was nearby and sank that one. 2 xAKs and 3 escorts should not be coming home and hopefully took a Nav Guard battalion to a watery grave. [&o]

[Rainer79]

Dec. 13th, 1941:

SW Pacific: More invasions are on the way here. Tulagi was seized this turn and further landings were conducted at Finschhafen and Lunga.

Also a big TF showed up at Noumea. CLs Leander and Achilles tried to intervene but quickly ran away when they were confronted by an escort of 3 CLs and 5 DDs. Most of the Maizura 2nd SNLF is ashore and I doubt the French can hold them for long.


Luzon:: A IJA unit showed up a Clark Field. It is probably a tank regiment that had been set to pursue. The PI army will show them the door.

A further 500 AV also capture Legaspi. At least it should take them a while to get to Manila.


China: A Japanese ID crosses the river at Chengchow and the resulting shock attack captures the city. 8414 out of 13640 defenders are killed. [X(]

At least the attack at Ichang was a success. The 13th RGC Temp. Division was kicked out easily. The whole operation gave the Chinese units involved a massive amount of 1 - 2 XP points.

Artillery and AT regiments from Chungking are sent to Sian, Ankang and Changsha to strengthen the defenses there.

[Rainer79]

Dec. 14th, 1941:

SWPAc:

The remainder of the SNLF was unloaded at Noumea. The 6" CD guns got a couple of good hits on AMC Kinryu Maru which might be in trouble. CLs Leander and Achilles went in again and this time claim to have sunk CL Yubari in exchange for light damage. Yubari received 3 penetrating 6" and 1 torpedo hit so I am not totally convinced.

CL Adelaide also sank 2 xAKLs at Finschhafen with the bulk of a JNAF company still inside.

On the ground Guam, Finschhafen and Lunga were taken while yet another TF unloaded at Luganville. The ground assault in Noumea came off at 3:1 and the french were kicked out.

SIGINT reports that the 4th Division is on the way to Truk so the fun in this area has just started. At PM the outlying garrisons will be pulled in but no further reinforcements are planned for now. The 8th Marines (and whatever else I can scrape up) are headed to Fiji where I will at least try to make a stand.


Luzon:

Nightly PT attacks sank the large, fast xAP Terukuni Maru off the coast while 3 boats were lost. The deliberate attack at Clark yielded only a weak 1:1 as 2 more Jap units entered the hex (2 tank and 1 infantry regiment). Further attacks have been canceled for now.

There was also quite a bit of sub action in the area. 3 subs will have to head back to Manila or Singapore to be repaired but S-39 retaliated a hit on PB Busho Maru near Legaspi. S-36 also sank xAK Karachi Maru near Hengchun.


DEI:

The Jap reinforcement convoy unloaded at Batavia while the ABDA airforce impaled itself on the Zero LRCAP. Over 40 planes have been lost during the last two days which make the attacks too costly too continue. *sigh* I can get the bombers through the CAP of a single carrier division but once over their target they just cannot hit anything.

CD fire was better and heavily damaged APD Hagi. Unsuppressed CD guns will make an invasion costly in AE, a fact I will hopefully not forget until '43.

On the ground the IJA now has 440 AV while the dutch have 310.


China:

Yet another 1:1 attack at Hong Kong. Losses in this campaign are fairly one sided in favor of the IJA but every day of delay here is good.

I also appear to be in a position to hurt another two RGC divisions. At least those as just as bad as my Chinese units so there could be some nice results ahead.

[Fishbed]

That double hit on Akagi was an horrible sight. So much for striking Manilla, your opponent was rewarded for his bad manners [:'(]

[Rainer79]

So far there are still some 30 ships in Manila harbor that might disagree. I wonder on how many of them will be seaworthy by the time the southern force enters the city.

All in all, I still think that as an allied player I'd rather have KB strike Manila instead of Pearl. At least now I have some more planes in CenPac to play with.

Here is also a list of all the allied ships sunk so far.