IN HARM'S WAY...AE VERSION: STONEAGE(IJ) VS SPRUANCE(A)

[Xxzard]

Ouch. I've had a similar experience in my game as well. In several old battleship vs old battleship encounters, the Allies have always got the short end of the stick by a lot.

Even with superior numbers, the US pre-war fleet just gets destroyed, even if they have double the number of Japanese ships. And if you happen to run into Yamato or Musashi, I wouldn't expect it to be pretty. I'd say experience makes a difference. A big difference.

[racndoc]

Xxzard.....I totally agree with you. All of the slow BBs have had all of the upgrades with the new surface gunnery radar and they have been at sea most of the war which is the main way to increase experience short of actual combat....Norman Scott was the TF commander. StoneAge was fortunate that it was a night action...if he planned it that way then I tip my hat to him....the Japanese have their largest surface advantage at night. Curiously, the old pre-war USN heavy cruisers seem to do better in surface combat than the slow BBs. Would be interesting if you could replicate a late 1944 Surigao Strait night action with slow USN BBs under Admiral Oldendorf's command and see if they could annihilate a 2 BB IJN surface force.

Oh well....Im sending in the pros now....a Royal Navy SAG from India centered around BB PoW and BC Repulse with Vice Admiral Sommerville in command....78 naval and 85 aggression....take that Tanaka!



2/28-3/1/43



SUBS


SS Trout sinks AK Heito Maru off Kume-jima.

SS Wahoo lands a fish on AK Bordeaux near Wakkanai.

SS Flying Fish puts a torpedo in AK Teisin Maru by Wakkanai.

SS Pogy sinks AKL Gozan Maru off Fukue-jima.

SS Flying Fish sinks AK Bordeaux Maro near Wakkanai.

SS Gunnard sinks AK Teisin Maru by Wakkanai.

SS S-30 sinks TK Kiyo Maru off Balikpappan.

SS RO-101 scores a torpedo hit on AK Admiral Nulton near Koepang.






CENTPAC


The USN CVs make it back to Pearl for R&R. CV Enterprise ties up pierside to complete her 10/42 upgrades.....now the US Navy....and the Allies....are down to a total of 3 fleet carriers for the entire Pacific.


The US 13th Air Force in the Bismarcks stands down after turning Truk into a smoking ruin....recon shows 100% airfield damage and over 80% harbor damage to the atoll.

Truk will never again be used as a major anchorage or a major airbase for the duration of the war.

[WLockard]

From the last patch notes:

62. Gameplay Change: Placed limits on glide bombing altitudes. A TD/DB/FB/F group must be at 10-20K altitude to perform glide bombing, otherwise it is a normal level bombing attack. Groups were at maximum altitude and conducting glide bombs attack, sometimes without engaging CAP or flak.

Under 10k and over 20k should be a level bomb attack.

[racndoc]

WLockyard...thanks for the explanation of setting aircraft altitudes!



3/2-3/5/43



SUBS


SS Pogy is hit by 7 DCs from IJN ASW off hanghai.

SS RO-101 sinks yet another ship.....AK Harry Luckenbach.....by Koepang.

SS Scorpion sinks AK Kiyoshima Maru near Kanoya.

SS Drum sinks TK Ryuei Maru off Naha.

SS Shad sinks TK Akebono Maru by Kanozawa.

SS Sculpin sinks AK Taibin Maru near Wenchow.

SS S-34 torpedoes SS I-21 off Bara...after losing 2 USN subs to Jap sub launched torpedoes this war we finally return the favor.



DEI


After the success of SS RO-101 at Koepang...sinking 4 Allied ships in a week in the harbor despite the presence of ASW AC and an ASW TF.....StoneAge has flooded the Timor Sea and the area around Koepang with a wolfpack of at least 7 subs spotted so far. Ive reinforced Koepang with 2 additional ASW TFs and several squadrons of experienced ASW AC including a seasoned TBF air group fragment that survived the sinking of CV Wasp. Ive also got 3 minelayers on the way to Koepang...in the early part of the war the minefields were the only effective way to keep IJN subs out of Allied harbors.

I had been reinforcing Koepang with the 9th Australian Division when all the IJN subs started showing up but now their transport convoy along with all the other transport TFs in the area are being withdrawn from the Timor Sea until after we have dealt with this IJN sub menace.

[racndoc]

3/6-3/7/43



SUBS


SS I-26 sinks DD Talbot off Koepang.

SS Truant sinks AKL Kosho Maro near Medan.

SS Tarpon sinks off Amami-Oshima from DC damage.



DEI


I sent a hunter/killer ASW TF with an expert TF commander into a hex with a spotted IJN sub just SE of Koepang....and the hunted ends up killing the hunter as DD Talbot is sunk. A CM made it into Koepang and laid a 60 mine minefield so next time Japanese subs enter Koepang port they should have a surprise....5 more DMs and CMs are on their way to Koepang along with 2 ACMs to maintain the minefields.

The Allies continue their buildup in the DEI for the planned 1944 offensive into the Celebes and Borneo...and probably also a relief attempt on Java. Unfortunately, we just lost 3 BBs trying to reinforce Batavia...the DEI is the only spot on the map where Japan controls the seas around the front lines so we have to exercise some care and caution here.

Batavia, our most exposed position, now has 1300 AV behind level 5 forts with 75,000 supplies so this will provide a beachhead for the reconquest of Java.

Ambon, our 2nd most exposed position, now has 230 AV behind level 4 forts with 13,000 supplies and several RAAF engineer units for airfield and port construction.

Koepang now has 1200 AV and 325,000 supplies and can now conduct itself as a level 10 airbase with its Air HQ. But after losing the 3 BBs at Batavia and faced with 2 powerful IJN SAGs in the Java Sea, all the remaining IJN CVLs and CVEs and an IJN sub wolfpack surrounding Timor we were forced to withdraw
the British troop convoy carrying the 9th Australian Division before it could complete offloading. The 9th Australian troop convoy will wait it out at Darwin until we can bring up another SAG to cover and also achieve some suppression of the subs. The 29th British Brigade was unloaded at Koepang...this brigade is a precursor to the 36th Indian Division.....the bulk of which will arrive at Karachi and Madras over the next 10 months, By early 1944 we will have 18th UK Division, 9th Australian Division and 36th Indian Division available on Timor for offensive operations into the DEI. We also hope to pull most of the 1st Australian Corps out of Thailand and Indochina for redeployment to the DEI by that time.

At Darwin, the Allies have some 1000 AV of Australia Command units and 350,000 supplies. We plan to accumulate over 1,000,000 supplies and 1,000,000 fuel points here prior to commencing offensive operations in the DEI. Most of the Australia Command LCUs at Darwin will be transferred into the 1st Australian Corps by spending PPs over the next year. All told....we plan on having available 18th UK, 36th Indian and 4-5 Aussie Divisions available for offensive ops in the DEI by early 1944.



SHIPYARDS


American shipyards are packed to the gills as the US Navy prepares for the upcoming Marshalls offensive.

On the west coast, Bremerton has BB Tennessee and BB Pensylvania along with CA Houston and some DDs all undergoing refits and upgrades. San Francisco is filled to capacity with upgrades to BB Nevada and BB Oklahoma along woth over a score of upgrading xAPs. All four of these old BBs in west coast ports have major refits that require some 120-150 days...so these ships will miss the Marshalls offensive but should be ready for the Marianas in the last half of 1943. Los Angeles has dozens of xAKs upgrading and the shipyards are full here also.

On Oahu, Pearl Harbor is especially overtaxed as CV Lexington is repairing her torpedo damage, CV Enterprise is upgrading, and some 20 APs are converting into APAs. Fortunately BBs Idaho, Arizona, North Carolina, South Dakota, Washington and Indiana just completed their repairs and upgrades at Pearl last week opening up both pierside and shipyard space for the CVs and APAs.

[racndoc]

3/8-3/13/43



SUBS


SS Finback puts a fish in CL Kashima by Tokara Retto.

SS Truant gets in a gun battle with AKL Fukuyu Maru landing 10 shells but is forced to retire after suffering 5 hits in return.

SS Tinosa sinks SC Ch 14 off Hakodate.

SS Peto sinks SC Cha-23 near Kanoya.

SS I-10 sinks CM Prins van Orange ofbuilt up into massive airfields...and the Bismarkf Selarce.

SS Porpoise sinks near salajar from DC damage.



SITZKRIEG IN THE PACIFIC


This is definitely the quietest time of the war to date. With the ceasefire in China nothing much is happening on the ground save continued mop up operations in Thailand and Indochina against a RTA and a Viet Minh fragment....just cant seem to kill them completely.

In the air, nothing much happening save for 3 B-25 squadrons based at Mussau Island doing their daily "milk run" against Truk to keep it over 90% damage.

At sea, its mainly the sub wars although there have been a couple of IJN naval bombardments at Batavia over the last couple weeks. The first bombardment caught me as I was transferring some heavy bombers back to Australia from SE Asia as I lost 6 4Es on the ground....but most everyone else was damaged. The last naval bombardment killed some P-38s and P-40s on the ground so I am puling all my fighters out of Batavia for the time being as I cant stop the bombardments.

Paradoxically, while this is the quietest time of the war regarding front line combat the Allied transports are working at a frenzied tempo to move the troops, supplies and fuel needed for the upcoming operations.



LOGISTICS AND OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS


Im sure that StoneAge is wondering where the next Allied blow will fall.

Invading the DEI from Koepang and Ambon has to be high on his list.....he has massed the remainder of his carrier forces here along with at least 2 IJN SAGs with BBs plus a sub wolfpack. This would be the most direct Allied route to cut off Japan from her oil and resource centers.

However from a logistics standpoint there is no way...the Allies only have 2 divisions here for offensive purposes and it will probably take the remainder of 1943 to bring in three divisions from India and 3 more from Australia along with sufficient fuel and supplies to sustain continuous offensive ops.

Right now the British merchant marine is running convoys from Abadan-Perth, Capetown-Perth and Aden-Darwin to bring in the troops, supplies and fuel. The Aussie merchant marine is running convoys from Sydney-Koepang and Sydney-Ambon to bring in construction and aviation engineers and supplies.

But there is a critical shortage of fuel in Darwin and Koepang.....in fact the USN Air Combat TF in the DEI based around 5 CVEs had to refuel in Batavia of all places when it escorted the resupply convoy there. And currently there isnt enough fuel in Darwin or Koepang to support the ASW and surface TFs there so we have had to curtail most of our ops there. Fuel is on the way to Darwin from Noumea via the US merchant marine but its a slow process.

So a major offensive from the DEI is out fo the question until 1944.

StoneAge is probably worried about an Allied offensive into the Marianas.....this is obvious as they will provide the USAAF with the massive airfields they require to firebomb Japan. StoneAge know that Mussau, Manus and Kavieng have been built up into major airfields and ports so an invasion into the Marianas would be logical but again its impossible now due to logistics.

The main US base west of Hawaii for all of 1942 was Noumea. Virtually 90% of all convoys leaving the US ended up at Noumea since the war began. At its peak Noumea had over 12 divisions, 20 base force/aviation units, 30 seabee/construction units and over 1.5 million supplies and fuel. Capturing the Solomons/Bismarcks/Admiralties and Papua New Guinea used up an enormous amount of supplies and fuel.

I found that as SOPAC invaded the Bismarks and the Admiralties the Allies had reached the end of their logistical tether....it was just too far to sail from Noumea to the combat zones any longer. The US need to acquire another major base closer to the combat zones.

Manus looked like a good candidate...it can be built up into a level 7 port and its the closest level 7 port to the Marianas......but its too exposed. The IJN BBs could race in at any time and wreak havoc with helpless transports while they were loading and unloading.

Instead...the US is building up Rabaul to become their major base west of Hawaii for 1943. Its a perfect anchorage....its protected from the open ocean by multiple islands that have all built up into massive airfields with over 1000 AC......the Bismarck Sea in now an Allied lake....I dont anticipate any IJN subs showing up here as the area is crisscrossed by naval search and ASW AC. Rabaul is perhaps the most protected anchorage for the Allies outside of Tacoma and has now been built up intoa level 6 airfield and port.

This moves the US main base about 1000 north from New Caledonia to New Britain. With the capture of the Gilberts that shaves off 2000 miles off the route each way for convoys leaving the US west coast to their front line base...or over a week each way for most convoys.

The biggest problem is moving all the troops/supplies and fuel from Noumea to Allied front line bases. The port in Noumea is full every turn with ships loading as they move 8 divisions to Rabaul, 3 USMC and 1 army divison to the Gilberts and Hawaii for the Marshalls ops, supplies to Manus for the bomber offensive on Truk, supplies to New Guinea for the SWPAC offensive, fuel to Darwin for DEI ops, and transfer of the remaining 1 million supplies and fuel northward to Rabaul.

Even with the Cebu naval base unit and several naval service detachments at Rabaul the port there is overloaded every turn as men and materiel flow in. So there is a logistical logjam at both Noumea and Rabaul that precludes any offensive ops(outside of SWPAC in New Guinea) until June 1943 at the earliest.

So that leaves the 3rd obvious choice for StoneAge to consider....invasion of the Marshalls. Its logical that the Allies would attack here after taking the Gilberts in February 1943. In fact, this is the only place where its logistically possible for the Allies to invade before June 1943. In addition to the logistical considerations, the fact that the USN has all of their CVs, fast BBs and APs at Pearl undergoing repairs and upgrades makes the Marshalls the only place possible for the Allies to attack next month.

Hawaii had been neglected for most of 1942.....StoneAge flooded the Hawaiian Sea frontier with subs so most convoys leaving the US west coast took the great southern route to Noumea....well south of any IJN sub patrols. Now the US is rapidly building up in Hawaii...moving the troops/supplies and fuel needed for both the Marshalls and the Marianas ops. And while CENTPAC is securing the Marshalls in April/May 1943, SWPAC will be building up in Rabaul for its western New Guinea/Paulaus/Carolines ops for June/July/August 1943. And then while SWPAC is conducting its offensives in June-August 1943 CENTPAC will be massing in Rabaul for its Marianas offensive in September-December 1943.

For the last half of 1943, Rabaul will be the hub for all Allied offensive operations.

[racndoc]

3/14-3/17/43



SUBS


SS Hoe sinks CS Nishin off Aogashima.

SS Swordfish sinks AK Hakodate Maru near Nakadori-jima.

SS Narwhal engages an IJN convoy on the surface by Aogashima...first Narwhal torpedoes and sinks AK Omi Maru and then she gets into a gunnery duel with SC CH 13. Narwehal lands 4 6" shells on the SC sinking her but is hit 4 times by return fire and is forced to submerge.



SWPAC


The 112th Calvary Regiment completes the SWPAC reconquest of Papua New Guinea by taking Vanima. Now SWPAC is within 40 miles of Hollandia in Dutch New Guinea.

After that, SWPAC will be advancing by amphibious assault rather than by overland.


The buildup continues at Rabaul. Here is a screenshot of the Allied ASW and naval search arcs around Rabaul:

[racndoc]

3/18-3/21/43



SUBS


SS Snook sinks AK Ikuta Maru off Shanghai.

SS Gudgeon sinks AK Nansin Maru by Laoag.

SS Tinosa is lost off the coast of Japan with all hands as she succumbs to damage from ASW AC bombs.



CENTPAC


A few days ago Marine SBD pilots flying from bases at Tarawa and Makin began to soften up Japanese defenses at Mili. The losses were unsustainable....we were losing approximately 4 SBDs per turn from 2 divebomber squadrons so divebomber flights were halted and we sent in the B-25s instead:


Morning Air attack on Mili Naval Fortress, at 136,121 (Mili)

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 33 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes


Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 15


No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
24 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled



Aircraft Attacking:
15 x B-25C Mitchell bombing from 10000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 500 lb GP Bomb


The only Japanese unit on Mili is the "Mili Naval Fortress" unit. The SBDs suffered very heavy losses bombing Truk and also what I consider to be prohibitive losses bombing the Japanese Bubba Gump shrimp wharf at Mili. I dont think that divebombers can be used in AE to attack Japanese airfields and ports as was done historically due to prohibitive losses. Their main and apparently only value is as an antiship platform as they cant stand up to land based AAA.


StoneAge sends an IJN SAG with 3 BBs to bombard the US base at Kavieng. Unlike his previous naval bombardment missions which were "shoot and scoot", this mission doesnt bombard until the last bombardment phase of the 2 day turn and suffersw repeated air attacks:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Kavieng at 109,115

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 29 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes


Allied aircraft
SBD-3 Dauntless x 13


Allied aircraft losses
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed, 11 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Haruna
BB Hiei
BB Kongo



Aircraft Attacking:
6 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
3 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
4 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 4000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Mar 21, 43

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Kavieng at 106,122

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 47 minutes


Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 15
SBD-3 Dauntless x 9


Allied aircraft losses
SBD-3 Dauntless: 4 destroyed, 5 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Hiei
BB Kongo



Aircraft Attacking:
3 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
6 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Kavieng at 106,122

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 31 minutes


Allied aircraft
Hudson III (LR) x 9
A-29 Hudson x 10
F4F-4 Wildcat x 10
F4U-1 Corsair x 3
SBD-3 Dauntless x 13


Allied aircraft losses
Hudson III (LR): 4 damaged
A-29 Hudson: 5 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed, 6 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Hiei
BB Kongo
BB Haruna, Bomb hits 1
CA Tone
CL Jintsu, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
CA Atago



Aircraft Attacking:
13 x SBD-3 Dauntless bombing from 5000 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
9 x Hudson III (LR) bombing from 5000 feet
Naval Attack: 4 x 250 lb SAP Bomb
10 x A-29 Hudson bombing from 5000 feet
Naval Attack: 4 x 250 lb SAP Bomb

Heavy smoke from fires obscuring CL Jintsu


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Kavieng at 106,122

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes


Allied aircraft
F4F-3A Wildcat x 4
SBD-3 Dauntless x 15


Allied aircraft losses
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed, 14 damaged

Japanese Ships
CA Chikuma
CA Takao
BB Hiei



Aircraft Attacking:
15 x SBD-3 Dauntless bombing from 5000 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb


Im a bit disappointed in the performance of the SBDs here.....they werent all Marine pilots. One SBD squadron was a refugee from sunken CV Wasp. When the smoke clears the US loses 22 SBDs over Kavieng.....16 from A2A.


Then the IJN bombardment TF hammers Kavieng:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naval bombardment of Kavieng at 106,122

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
PBY-5A Catalina: 2 destroyed on ground
F4F-4 Wildcat: 2 destroyed on ground
SBD-3 Dauntless: 2 destroyed on ground

Japanese Ships
BB Hiei
BB Haruna
BB Kongo
CA Chokai
CA Maya
CA Atago
CA Takao
CA Chikuma
CA Tone
CL Naka
CL Sendai


Allied ground losses:
159 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 8 destroyed, 17 disabled
Engineers: 6 destroyed, 17 disabled
Vehicles lost 11 (3 destroyed, 8 disabled)


Airbase hits 32
Airbase supply hits 5
Runway hits 314

BB Hiei firing at Kavieng
BB Haruna firing at Kavieng
BB Kongo firing at Kavieng
CA Chokai firing at Kavieng
CA Maya firing at Kavieng
CA Atago firing at Kavieng
CA Takao firing at Kavieng
CA Chikuma firing at Kavieng
CA Tone firing at Kavieng
CL Naka firing at Kavieng
CL Sendai firing at Kavieng


Kavieng airfield suffers 97% runway damage and 60% service damage......the 4 seabee units at Kavieng will very busy tomorrow. Ten Allied AC are destroyed on the ground during the bombardment.


Meanwhile, an IJN carrier TF is spotted NW of Truk.

[racndoc]

3/22-3/23/43



SUBS


SS I-31 lands a torpedo on AP Empress Asia near Koepang. AP Empress was carrying an aviation base force and made it to Koepang to unload but some casualties were suffered.



CENTPAC


The IJN bombardment TF that hit Kavieng last turn hit Mussau Island this turn without reloading and caused substantial damage:


Naval bombardment of Mussau Island at 105,120

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
B-24D1 Liberator: 5 destroyed on ground
B-24D Liberator: 3 destroyed on ground
B-25C Mitchell: 3 destroyed on ground
P-38F Lightning: 4 destroyed on ground
B-17E Fortress: 5 destroyed on ground
LB-30 Liberator: 2 destroyed on ground
PBY-5 Catalina: 2 destroyed on ground
B-17F Fortress: 2 destroyed on ground
B-25C Mitchell: 2 destroyed on ground
F4U-1 Corsair: 1 destroyed on ground
P-38G Lightning: 1 destroyed on ground
B-25D1 Mitchell: 1 destroyed on ground

Japanese Ships
BB Hiei
BB Haruna
BB Kongo
CA Chokai
CA Maya
CA Atago
CA Takao
CA Chikuma
CA Tone
CL Jintsu
CL Naka
CL Sendai
DD Kasumi
DD Arare
DD Yamagumo
DD Asashio
DD Tanikaze
DD Hamakaze
DD Isokaze
DD Oyashio
DD Kuroshio
DD Kiyonami
DD Akigumo
DD Yugumo


Allied ground losses:
178 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 12 disabled
Engineers: 3 destroyed, 11 disabled
Vehicles lost 8 (1 destroyed, 7 disabled)


Airbase hits 55
Airbase supply hits 5
Runway hits 186

BB Hiei firing at Mussau Island
BB Haruna firing at Mussau Island
BB Kongo firing at Mussau Island
CA Chokai firing at Mussau Island
CA Maya firing at Mussau Island
CA Atago firing at Mussau Island
CA Takao firing at Mussau Island
CA Chikuma firing at Mussau Island
CA Tone firing at Mussau Island
CL Jintsu firing at Mussau Island
CL Naka firing at Mussau Island
CL Sendai firing at Mussau Island
DD Kasumi firing at Mussau Island
DD Arare firing at Mussau Island
DD Yamagumo firing at Mussau Island
DD Asashio firing at Mussau Island
DD Tanikaze firing at Mussau Island
DD Hamakaze firing at Mussau Island
DD Isokaze firing at Mussau Island
DD Oyashio firing at Mussau Island
DD Kuroshio firing at Mussau Island
DD Kiyonami firing at Mussau Island
DD Akigumo firing at Mussau Island
DD Yugumo firing at Mussau Island


The Allies lose 49 AC on the ground at Mussau including 25 heavy bombers and 10 B-25s. By daybreak the IJN SAG had sailed out of range of the SBDs and TBDs and the Allied aerial response was muted:


Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Truk at 109,111

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 26 minutes


Allied aircraft
Hudson III (LR) x 4
A-29 Hudson x 3


Allied aircraft losses
Hudson III (LR): 4 damaged
A-29 Hudson: 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Haruna
BB Hiei



Aircraft Attacking:
3 x A-29 Hudson bombing from 5000 feet *
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 lb GP Bomb
4 x Hudson III (LR) bombing from 5000 feet *
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 lb SAP Bomb


This confirms my decision to make Rabaul the main port for staging LCUs and transports as the outer islands are too easily exposed to IJN naval bombardments.
Unfortunately most of my multiple torpedo squadrons had been set for trainng the previous turn when Kavieng was bombarded and the performance of my SBDs was abyssmal,

Looks like I will either have to park my fleet carriers off the Bismarcks to protect against naval bombardments or permanently station an Allied SAG with at least 3 BBs here as land based AC are not up to the challenge.......but the last time I stationed an Allied SAG with 3 BBs to protect a port against naval bombardment
(Batavia) I lost all 3 BBs to an inferior IJN force with 2 BBs that apparently didnt suffer any losses/

Even with the virtual destruction of IJN fleet carriers its difficult to defend forward bases on 3 fronts......Gilberts/Marshalls, New Guinea/Bismarcks and the DEI....in early 1943 with only 3 USN fleet carriers operational. Im thinking of moving my fast BBs (with Admiral Lee in command) to defend the Bismarcks while the slow pre-war BBs support amphibious ops in the Marshalls.

Here is a screenshot of the departing IJN bombardment TF:

[Miller]

Lol at that sighting report....one more Battleship than the IJN have in entire game.

Good to see your opponent sticking with the game despite losing it in Feb '42.

[racndoc]

3/24-4/1/43



SUBS


SS Seal sinks AK Sinko Maru off Daito Soto.

SS Sailfish sinks V Kamikawa Maru near Langsa.

SS Gar sinks AKL Shun Yuan off Pescadores.

SS Plunger sinks AK Nitti Maru by Siargo.

SS Lampon sinks AMcWa7 near Aogashima.

SS Truant surfaces off Medan to pump 30 shells into AKL Kidokawa Maru before running out of ammo.



CENTPAC


The buildup continues in the Gilberts for the upcoming Marshalls offensive. CV Yorktown, CV Saratoga and CV Hornet cover a large reinforcement/resupply op at Makin. StoneAge spots the CVs and floods the area with an IJN sub wolfpack. Over a span of 2 days , the highly trained expert ASW TBF pilots sink 3 IJN subs:
SS I-8, SS RO-35 and SS RO-60.

B-25s based at Tarawa and Makin continue to pound the defenders at Mili on a daily basis.

The shipyards and piers at Pearl Harbor are humming with activity around the clock as the yard workers feverishly convert APs to APAs and continue repairs and upgrades on CVs, CLs and DDs.

CV Enterprise completes her repairs and casts off her pierside lines to rejoin Task Group 58. The US Navy now has 4 operational carriers in the Pacific and should be ready to commence offensive operations in the Marshalls by the middle of April.

BB Massachusetts completes her transit from the Panama Canal to Oahu and joins the Pacific fleet.



BI-MONTHLY INTELLIGENCE SCREEN REPORT


StoneAge and I continue to post our ship and plane losses every 2 months. Here is the Intelligence screenshot:

[racndoc]

4/1/43



SHIP LOSSES


Allied ship losses as of 4/1/43 include

2 CV; 1 CVL; 5 BB; 3 CL; 1 CLAA; 16 DD; 3 DMS; 16 SS; 7 AP; 92 AK/AKL; 5 AO; 8 TK; 3 AVD; 3 AVP; 1 AV; 2 AMC; 1AS



Japanese ship losses as of 4/1/43 include:

8 CV; 1 CVE; 1 BB; 2 CA; 5 CL; 2 CS; 15 DD; 1 TB; 9 DMS; 36 SS; 8 SSX; 5 APD; 2 AP; 174 AK/AKL; 2 AO; 23 TK; 75 PB/SC; 2 AV; 3 AMC.


Japanese losses of both transports and their escorts has really ramped up since the effectiveness of USN torpedoes doubled in January 1943.




THE AIR WAR


Allied and Japanese air losses have really evened out at this point in the war. The Allies have lost 4851 AC to 4731 Japanese AC.

In A2A its 2105 Allied AC to 2061 Japanese AC.

Here is a screenshot of Japanese aircraft losses. For the first time in the war the number of Oscars lost has exceeded the number of A6M2s.

[racndoc]

THE AIR WAR......CONTINUED


Here is a screenshot of Allied aircraft losses. The interesting thing here is that the C-47 Skytrain losses have skyrocketed to #2 on the list...229 AC lost ALL to ops.

[racndoc]

4/1/43



THE AIR WAR......CONTINUED



Here is a screenie of the top Allied pilots....the roster hasnt changed much from 2 months ago.

[racndoc]

4/1/43



THE AIR WAR......CONTINUED


And finally here is a screenshot of Allied replacement pilots....the quality doesnt seem to be improving.

[Bradley7735]

Hey AdmSpruance,

I was looking at one of your posts from pg9. The one where you show a screen shot of PH port and ships in repair.

I'm pretty sure that ship upgrades that do not have Float/Eng damage applied can be set to pier side, instead of ship yard. I've never noticed a time difference between the ship upgrades that just have a time delay (and maybe a few points of sys) between pier and ship yard.

Save your ship yard usage for ships with Flt and eng damage. Put the regular upgrade/time delay ships to pierside to empty the ship yards.

Anyway, I could be wrong, but you might save yourself a crap load of ship yard space by manually moving ships to pier side, if they don't increase the time for upgrade.

On another topic, tough fight with the 3 old BB's. I ran a lot of fights with the AI and BB's. The Japanese AI had a habit of sending a 2 BB, 1 CA, 3 DD tf to PH every other month. I'd form a TF of 5-9 US BB's (sometimes only old BB's, sometimes with NC, WA, SD) and play out the fight with different settings.

Almost without variation, the 2 BB IJN TF would whip the crap out of my 5-9 US BB TF. They'd sink one outright, one would be very seriously damaged (and would sink later in the turn), and 1-3 would be damaged moderately. I'd sink a DD and put 1-2 penetrating hits into one IJN BB.

It happend so often, with almost mirror results that I just stopped fighting IJN BB's with anything other than torpedo planes. That's the only thing the Allies can use to sink them. I'd be hesitant to put SD, NC and WA in a fight with them in the South Pacific. I know that Nic did some good coding work with one of the last patches, but your result looks too familiar to what I always encountered.

Anyway, you know what you're doing better than I. Thanks for the good AAR.

bc

[racndoc]

Bradley7735......thanks for the suggestions. The game program generally overlaods the shipyards at Pearl every time new ships arrive that are due upgrades and I try to move as many undamaged ships(with time delay) as needed from "shipyard" repair to pierside to keep the shipyards from being overcapacity.



4/1-4/10/43



SUBS


SS Halibut sinks CMcMa4 off Torishima.

SS Albacore sinks PB Hozugawa Maru near Kochi.

SS Halibut sinks CMcMa1 off Torishima.

SS Growler sinks AK Tacoma Maru by Balabac.

SS Tautog puts a torpedo in AK Monji Maru near Toyohara.

SS S-35 is hit by 6 DCs from IJN ASW off Balikpappan.

SS Gudgeon sinks TK Amato Maru by Laoag.

SS Drum sinks AK Kaiko Maru near Jesselton.

SS Stingray sinks TK Goyo Maru off Binton.

SS S-39 sinks AK Sydney Maru by Sangihe.



CENTPAC


USAAF B-17s, B-24s and B-25s based in the Bismarcks and Admiralties continue to suppress the great Japanese base at Truk around the clock.


The massive Allied buildup continues at Rabaul. StoneAge orders a couple of small units to enter Rabaul....obviously a reconnaisance in force. Well StoneAge got to see what the Allied have at Rabaul as the entire force counterattacks:


Ground combat at Rabaul (106,125)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 94245 troops, 1738 guns, 2933 vehicles, Assault Value = 3240

Defending force 298 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 4

Allied adjusted assault: 2811

Japanese adjusted defense: 1

Allied assault odds: 2811 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
435 casualties reported
Squads: 8 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 42 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Units destroyed 2



Assaulting units:
43rd Infantry Division
147th(Sep) Infantry Regiment
1st USMC Tank Battalion
3rd USMC Tank Battalion
37th Infantry Division
41st Infantry Division
754th Tank Battalion
627th Tank Destroyer Battalion
131st Combat Engineer Regiment
34th Combat Engineer Regiment
641st Towed Tank Destroyer Battalion
58th (Sep) Infantry Regiment
27th Infantry Division
2nd USMC Tank Battalion
193rd Tank Battalion
637th Tank Destroyer Battalion
32nd Infantry Division
110th Combat Engineer Battalion
14th NZ Brigade
3rd NZ Armoured Sqn
2nd USN Naval Construction Regiment
147th Field Artillery Regiment
D Det USN Port Svc
119th USAAF Base Force
1st USMC Engineer Aviation Battalion
3rd USN Naval Construction Regiment
140th USA Base Force
808th Engineer Aviation Battalion
180th USAAF Base Force
42nd Construction Regiment
165th Field Artillery Battalion
I US Amphib Corps
131st Field Artillery Battalion
77th Coast AA Regiment
4th Field Artillery Battalion
255th USN Base Force
3rd USN Naval Construction Battalion
33rd Medium Regiment
5th USN Naval Construction Battalion
Sixth US Army
822/828 Engineer Aviation Battalion
Cebu USN Base Force
9th Marine Defense Battalion
154th FA Bn
4th USN Naval Construction Battalion
7th Marine Defense Battalion
2nd USMC Field Artillery Battalion
134th Field Artillery Battalion
1 Group RNZAF
223rd Field Artillery Battalion
118th USAAF Base Force
811th Engineer Aviation Battalion
27th USN Naval Construction Battalion
5th USN Naval Construction Regiment
1st USMC Field Artillery Battalion
209th Field Artillery Battalion
97th Field Artillery Battalion
148th Field Artillery Battalion
I US Corps
44th USN Naval Construction Battalion
205th Coast AA Regiment
10th USN Naval Construction Battalion
198th Field Artillery Battalion
5th Marine Defense Battalion
F Det USN Port Svc

Defending units:
Maizuru 1st SNLF /1
Southeast Area Fleet /3



StoneAge snooped a small Allied transport convoy unloading at Hollandia with his long range patrol planes. The transport convoy raised anchor and left Hollandia before the offloading was completed and next turn an IJN SAG with 2 BBs showed up in the neighborhood. SBDs based at Aitape attacked the IJN SAG:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Sarmi at 92,114

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 47 minutes


Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 13
F4F-3A Wildcat x 5
SBD-3 Dauntless x 21


Allied aircraft losses
SBD-3 Dauntless: 4 destroyed, 17 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Haruna
BB Kongo
CL Jintsu
CA Chokai



Aircraft Attacking:
7 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
8 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 4000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
4 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb


The SBD pilots had experience in the 60s and low level naval skill in the 60s and 70s but again they were hanmmered by the IJN AAA.


The Allied medium bombers fare no better:


Morning Air attack on TF, near Sarmi at 92,114

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 26 minutes


Allied aircraft
Hudson III (LR) x 12


Allied aircraft losses
Hudson III (LR): 1 destroyed, 9 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Haruna
BB Kongo



Aircraft Attacking:
12 x Hudson III (LR) bombing from 5000 feet *
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 lb SAP Bomb



Finally in the afternoon the SBDs find the mark:


Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Sarmi at 92,114

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 47 minutes


Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk I x 7
F4F-3A Wildcat x 5
SBD-3 Dauntless x 5


Allied aircraft losses
SBD-3 Dauntless: 5 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Kongo, Bomb hits 1
BB Hiei



Aircraft Attacking:
1 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
4 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 4000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb


The next time we reinforce Hollandia we will need to send in an Allied SAG and some CVEs for cover.


Admiral Hill"s Amphibious Assault TF 86 leaves Pearl Harbor with both the 766th and the 767th Armor Battalions embarked. They will join up with APAs carrying the 22nd USMC Regiment just east of Mili and then the entire force will assault the island in about a week.


The Marshall Islands campaign is about to begin.

[racndoc]

4/11-4/14/43



SUBS


SS Gunnard sinks AK Kogyoku Maru off Toyohara.

SS KXVIII sinks TK Palembang near Iba.

SS Peto sinks AK Azumasan by Kanoya.

SS Peto sinks AK Minryo Maru by Kanoya.

SS O24 sinks AMcWa3 off Georgetown.



CENTPAC


Amphibious Assault TF 86....escorted by the 4 carriers of TG 58 and 2 CVEs....closes in on Mili. The USMC 22nd Regiment on Tarawa begins to load for the invasion of Mili.


Meanwhile, the 3rd Marine Division completes loading on APAs/AKs/LSTs at Pearl Harbor and sails past Barbers Point on the way to the next Allied objective in the Marshalls......Maloelap.

[racndoc]

4/15-4/18/43



SUBS


SS Seawolf sinks TK Nisyo Maru off Takao.

SS Runner sinks AKL Genkai Maru near Toyohara.



CENTPAC.......MARSHALL ISLANDS OPERATIONS


Along with the Gilberts, the Marshall Islands are in a position that seriously impacts Allied supply lines. The Marshalls need to be secured/neutralized to allow a direct line of communication between Hawaii and the new Allied base that is rapidly expanding at Rabaul. In addition, once the Allies capture the Marianas, the possession of the Marshalls will allow a direct SLOC between the US west coast/Hawaii and Tinian/Guam/Saipan....and eventually the Philippines. The hundreds of B-29s that will be based in the Marianas will consume an incredible amount of supplies as they firebomb the Japanese home islands.


Currently the only Japanese airfields in the Marshalls that can conduct offendive ops are the level 4 airfields at Roi-Namur and Maloelap and the level 3 airfield at Wotje. Kwajalein, Eniwetok and Majuro have only level 1 airfields while Jaluit has no airfield.

The Allied plan for the Marshalls will be to capture the level 4 airfields at Roi-Namur and Maloelap as well as the small airfield at Mili. Mili will be enlarged into a level 5 AF/4 Port and AC based there and at Roi-Namur and Maloelap will bomb the level 3 airfield at Wotje into oblivion.

CENTPAC will also capture Kusaie and Ponape as both can be enlarged into level 6 airfields....these islands will guard our flank and Ponape especially will give us another forward bomber base to help neutralize/suppress Truk.

The Marshalls offensive gets off to an inauspicious start as one of the amphibious TFs evidently was not set to "remain on station' off Mili and it moved away.

D-Day for Mili has been pushed back to April 20th.

D-Days for Maloelap and Kusaie are set for late April.

D-Day for Ponape is set for early May.

D-Day for Roi-Namur is set for mid- May.

[racndoc]

4/19-4/22/43



SUBS


SS Guardfish sinks AK Syoka Maru off Shanghai.

SS Growler attacks a large TK convoy off Balabac and is hit by 3 DCs from the escorting SCs and EWs.

SS Cisco sinks Keiyo Maru by Saishu To.

SS RO-67 attacks an USN Air Combat TF off Mili but is spotted and sunk by the escorts.

SS Shark is hit by 2 DCs from an IJN ASW TF near Torishima.

SS O24 sinks AMcWa19 by Medan.



CENTPAC.....MARSHALL ISLANDS CAMPAIGN


Admiral Hill's Amphibious Assault TF hits Mili early in the morning on April 21st:

Pre-Invasion action off Mili

Allied Ships
CL Concord
CL Raleigh
SC-636
LST-454
AM Swallow
LST-24



CL Concord firing at Mili Naval Fortress
CL Raleigh firing at Mili Naval Fortress
SC-636 firing at enemy guns
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 6,000 yards
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 2,000 yards


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amphibious Assault at Mili

TF 86 troops unloading over beach at Mili, 136,121


Allied ground losses:
40 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 5 (0 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Vehicles lost 7 (0 destroyed, 7 disabled)




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Invasion Support action off Mili

Allied Ships
SC-636
LST-21
AM Swallow



SC-636 firing at enemy guns
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 1,000 yards


Invasion Support action off Mili
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force

2 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Allied Ships
SC-636
LST-21



SC-636 firing at enemy guns


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Mili (136,121)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 5911 troops, 100 guns, 271 vehicles, Assault Value = 258

Defending force 177 troops, 5 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1

Allied adjusted assault: 210

Japanese adjusted defense: 1

Allied assault odds: 210 to 1 (fort level 4)

Allied forces CAPTURE Mili !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: leaders(-), disruption(-), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker: shock(+), disruption(-), fatigue(-)

Japanese ground losses:
207 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 22 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 3 (3 destroyed, 0 disabled)



Assaulting units:
766th Tank Battalion
767th Tank Battalion
22nd Marine Rgt /115

Defending units:
Mili Naval Fortress


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mili Naval Fortress Wiped Out at Mili by attrition!!!


The hapless Japanese defenders are demoralized after 2 weeks of aerial bombardment and Mili is quickly overrun.


Im pretty happy with the performance of the US Army tank battalions offloaded on the beach by the LSTs. Recon now shows the presence of 8000 IJA troops on CENTPAC's next objective....Maloelap....almost rwice as many IJA troops as previously reported. The LSTs will reload the 2 Army tank battalions to reinforce 3rd Marine Division's assault on Maloelap.....now scheduled for April 25th.


SBDs from Task Group 58 spot an IJN CM off Ailinglaplap and get in some target practice:

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Ailinglaplap at 133,118

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 30 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes


Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 54
SBD-3 Dauntless x 28


Allied aircraft losses
SBD-3 Dauntless: 6 damaged

Japanese Ships
CM Tokiwa, Bomb hits 17, and is sunk



Aircraft Attacking:
6 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
7 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 4000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
15 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb

Heavy smoke from fires obscuring CM Tokiwa






DEI

CV Victorious reaches Darwin. She will join the USN CVE Air Combat TF off the northern coast of Australia to gain a little more parity with the IJN CVL/CVE Air Combat TF that has been operating in these waters.

A major resupply/reinforcement effort is on the way to Hollandia.....this will be covered by a USN SAG with the modern BBs and the USN CVE Air Combat TF.



CBI


Havent said much about this theatre for the last few weeks. Basically the Allies are consoidating and digging in .......Indochina has a big chunk of coastline to defend. Virtually all of the scattered fragments of the RTA, Viet Minh and IJA units have been mopped up save for 2 small remnants from 55th and Imperial Guards Divisions outside of Chiang Mai. I think StoneAge was using Chiang Mai to fly in supply for the isolated fragments and Chiang Mai is perhaps the most islated town in Thailand.......surrounded by jungles with very few roads. This turn C-47 transport AC dropped the 50th Indian paratroop Brigade into Chiang Mai so the Allies now hold all the bases in the area.

Eastern Army has 1400 AV in the area around Tavoy/Bangkok to protect against a Japanese landward incursion into Thailand. StoneAge has been flying a lot of recon over every coastal city in Indochina....especially Haiphong. I was going to withdraw ALL of Ist Australian Corps from the CBI and send them to the DEI but now Im a bit worried about a Japanese counterinvasion here. I will leave the 7th Australian Division in Indochina until the end of the year just in case. Every coastal base in Indochina with a port size of 2 or greater has been garrisoned with a brigade. There are about 650 Allied AV in and around Haiphong. There is an additional 1400 Allied AV around Saigon and Phnnom Penh.....most of it from the 7th Aussie and 2nd UK Divisions. Pretty much all of the troops in Indochina are on railroads and can be rapidly redeployed in case of attack.