The Shipwreck of Our Hopes: Japanese Side

[John 3rd]

Some people would argue that I have already done that! 
 
If I can get another turn of movement for the KB then I have a real chance of catching some things at sea.  If I get two turns without being seen then I MAY plan a surprise Port Strike against Sydney or Melbourne.  That might be really fun!
 

[John 3rd]

The Americans must be stunned to see the Japanese BB Yamato and Musashi appear at Johnston Island on New Year's Eve 1941. This powerful STF had hit Palmyra just two days ago and then suddenly appears off this next island protecting the perimeter of Pearl Harbor. A small ASW TF is spotted and the 3 PC and 1 DMS are quickly dispatched. Though the Japanese Admiral thinks about pressing on to Midway and hitting whatever might be there, he prudently decides to retire to Kwajalein for fuel and ammunition after sinking 2 DD, 3 PC, 1 DMS, and an AKL.

Meanwhile the KB is NOT spotted as it slides SW of Noumea. Several Jake Recon planes make their presense known to the area but no one spots the actual TFs. Tomorrow the planes onboard will have the following changes made: Zeros 50% CAP and 50% Escort, Vals on Naval Attack, and Kates on Port Attack--Sydney. We'll see what a surprise attack may net...

Milne Bay falls and the PM Invasion Force is 2/3 through the Coral Sea and shall round the eastern tip tomorrow before setting course for PM. Moresby itself is Swept by Zeros, the AF is hit by Nells, and a unit is bombed by newly arrived Sallys. Detection Level is 9 of 10 over the base and all we see are 3 units estimated to be around 7,500 men.

[bklooste]

WHat was the good news ?

[John 3rd]

That would involve my partner UPDATING HIS side of the war.    General Benoit? 

[Q-Ball]

The India idea isn't a bad one. Although I think a full-out conquest of India is impossible in AE, a tactical landing around Calcutta (Northeast India on an actual map, so that's what I'll call it), is a good idea.

It's almost better to pretend to be stalled in Burma before you do it, because if he commits a bunch of units to Burma, they will be cut-off from this landing. The Indian Army is very weak in the early going, so Calcutta itself should be takeable.

I see the following benefits:

1. Cut off and destroy units, particularly those committed to Burma.
2. Weaken the Indian Army. This is important, because they are a real threat to Burma later on.
3. You can use the industry in NE India for awhile

Holding it is basically impossible; as soon as the Indian Army is strong enough, later in 1942, they will be able to push you back. You can't take it with the idea of holding it.

The Burma Army could withdraw to China; this would prevent it's destruction, but it wouldn't be an offensive force, as there are no supplies (and if you take NE India, no flying supplies over the "Hump".)

[John 3rd]

The New Years dawns with great hopes for the Empire of Japan.

In the first screenshot, we see the Port Moresby Invasion Force approaching its target. Landing should be on the 3rd/4th. The 3 BBs will move in and bombard the target on the 3rd. We've managed to keep the AF damaged for over two weeks so I don't expect much in the way of Forts yet. There continue to be 3 units located there with estimated strength of 7,500. The 4th ID lands there with two SNLF to back them up if needed.

[John 3rd]

While the PM Invasion Force (which hasn't been spotted) moves towards its destination, the KB approaches its target of Sydney. The Fleet will hit the Port with ALL of its Kates. This should be approximately 125 of the Torpedo Planes. Zeros are set at 40% CAP so that should put about 50 over the Fleet and 80 as Escort. All Vals are set for Naval Attack in case anything is at sea when we reach the area.

Here is the movement:

[ny59giants]

Dec 28 & 29: A find myself behind in keeping the readers informed on what is happening in my areas.

ASW/Subs:
RO-34 is run over by 2CL, 5DD 4 hexes ESE of Soerabaja. No damage done.

Carriers:
KB 2 - [>:]
Mini-KB still operating near Kendari.

Malaya/Burma:
Georgetown - Nate and Tojo escort in Sally and Sonia to both AF and port. Val go after shipping.

Allied Ships
xAP Pijnacker Hordijk, Bomb hits 5, and is sunk
xAKL Schouten, Bomb hits 4, and is sunk
xAKL Parigi, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage

On the 29th,

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 13166 troops, 135 guns, 66 vehicles, Assault Value = 510

Defending force 4753 troops, 25 guns, 28 vehicles, Assault Value = 107

Japanese adjusted assault: 209

Allied adjusted defense: 57

Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 1)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Georgetown !!!

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
No Allied losses

Combat modifiers
Defender: preparation(-), fatigue(-), morale(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
21 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
2696 casualties reported
Squads: 24 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 245 destroyed, 21 disabled
Engineers: 43 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 22 (22 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 14 (13 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Units retreated 8
Units destroyed 1

Assaulting units:
Imperial Guards Division
12th Engineer Regiment
3rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
20th AA Regiment

Defending units:
3rd SSVF Battalion
6th Indian Brigade
Penang Fortress
28th Gurkha Brigade
223 Group RAF
2nd ISF Base Force
110th RAF Base Force
109th RN Base Force
11 Battery/3 HAA
137/155th Field Regiment

The base is pretty well trashed!

Singapore - Oscar escort in Lily. Zero escort in the afternoon attack of Nell and Betty.

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 27570 troops, 385 guns, 135 vehicles, Assault Value = 916

Defending force 24660 troops, 325 guns, 204 vehicles, Assault Value = 499

Japanese adjusted assault: 1210

Allied adjusted defense: 749

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

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
1397 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 29 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 87 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Guns lost 3 (0 destroyed, 3 disabled)
Vehicles lost 7 (1 destroyed, 6 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
996 casualties reported
Squads: 37 destroyed, 54 disabled
Non Combat: 37 destroyed, 143 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Guns lost 2 (0 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Vehicles lost 19 (0 destroyed, 19 disabled)

Assaulting units:
5th Division
33rd Division
18th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
25th Army
5th Mortar Battalion
3rd Mortar Battalion
3rd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
14th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion

Defending units:
2nd Malay Battalion
27th Australian Brigade
2/17 Dogra Battalion
2nd Loyal Battalion
3rd Cavalry Regiment
3/16th Punjab Battalion
SSVF Brigade
Singapore Fortress
1st Manchester Battalion
1st Malay Battalion
22nd Australian Brigade
2nd Gordons Battalion
5/2nd Punjab Battalion
1st Indian Heavy AA Regiment
III Indian Corps
2nd HK&S Heavy AA Regiment
Singapore Base Force
Malayan Air Wing
224 Group RAF
29 Battery/3 HAA
22nd Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
Malaya Army
AHQ Far East
1st HK&S Heavy AA Regiment

On the 29th, the Nell and Betty from Sangkawang are taken off attacking this AF in afternoon as losses are starting to add up and the pilots are too valuable in Naval Attacks.

Kuala Lumpur - This empty base is captured.

Borneo: [>:]

Philippines:
Bataan - Zero escort in Mabel, Sally, and Lily to bomb AF and prevent fort building. The afternoon attacks from Takao have Zero escorting in Betty.

SRA (East):
Ternate - landings commence
On the 29th, the empty transports are on their way back to Babeldoab when....

Japanese Ships
APD Hagi, Shell hits 20, and is sunk
TB Hayabusa, Shell hits 9, and is sunk
xAK Atago Maru, Shell hits 20, and is sunk
xAK Meiyo Maru, Shell hits 14, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Santos Maru, Shell hits 11, on fire
xAK Zyuyo Maru, Shell hits 9, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAKL Hidaka Maru, Shell hits 16, and is sunk
xAKL Raizan Maru, Shell hits 10, and is sunk

Allied Ships
CL Glasgow
DD Vampire
DD Vendetta
DD Tenedos

On the 29th, Ternate falls.

Plans/Notes:
The results at Singapore show that once the 38th Division marches from Mersing here, it should be a short siege along with 2/3 of 2nd Division.

The Allied SC TF are still on the loose in the SRA. KB2 had moved into Sula Sea and having found nothing moves further south to "hopefully" find this SC TF that killed my empty transport TF.

[ny59giants]

Dec 30 & 31: More invasions

ASW/Subs:
S-39 misses a transport TF 2 hexes NE of Ambon.
KXV is one hex due east of Camranh Bay and survives an attack by 2 PB & 2 SC.
The 31st is not a good day for this ASW TF as...

Japanese Ships
SC Ch 8, Shell hits 4, and is sunk
SC Ch 9, Shell hits 1, on fire
PB Fuji Maru #3, Shell hits 1, on fire
PB Fuji Maru #4, Shell hits 7, and is sunk

Allied Ships
CL De Ruyter

Off Wakkanai, Snapper misses my transports. It is a morale victory just to have my PBs do enough to avoid a transport getting sunk. [;)]

Carriers:
KB2 sends out a CV worth of Vals to sink AMc Merbabo while in the Celebes Sea.
Mini-KB is moving to just south of Ambon.

Malaya/Burma:
Zero escort in Val from Alor Star to push past 2(1) Buffalo to sink xAKL Sipirok with 4 bomb hits.

Singapore - Oscar are the escorts for 22 Sally and 43 Lily to keep the AF damaged and forts at level 1.

Taiping - The 28th Gurkha Brigade is the new target now that Georgetown has fallen. Tojo escort in 79 Sally and 20 Sonia.

On 31st, lead elements arrived at Temuloh

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 3369 troops, 26 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 244

Defending force 5208 troops, 50 guns, 36 vehicles, Assault Value = 190

Japanese adjusted assault: 57

Allied adjusted defense: 175

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 3 (fort level 1)

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

Japanese ground losses:
496 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 31 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 21 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
182 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 18 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 15 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 3 (0 destroyed, 3 disabled)

Assaulting units:
55th Infantry Regiment
56th Infantry Regiment

Defending units:
FMSV Brigade
22nd Indian Brigade
8th Indian Brigade
1st Mysore Battalion
1st Hyderabad Battalion
2nd Argylls Battalion
3rd HK&S Light AA Regiment
5th Field Regiment

Borneo/Java:
The 31st finds the landing at Miri and Brunei taking place...or were planned to happen.
Brunei - this results in the SC TF and following Amphib TF to head back for Camranh Bay. [:@]

Japanese Ships
CL Mogami
CL Mikuma
CA Kaimon
DD Satsuki
DD Minazuki
DD Fuyo
DD Yugao, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
DD Electra, Shell hits 1
DD Express

17 Nell/Betty are unable to put a killing torpedo into either DD Electra or DD Express.
The other 50 Nell/Betty at Sangkawang decide to visit Batavia

Allied Ships
xAP President Madison, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
AMc Endeh, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
ML No. 310, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
AMc Lawoe, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk

Philippines:
Bataan - Zero escort in Mabel to hit AF. Sally and Lily then come in from San Fernando. The usual afternoon group of Zero and Betty from Takao come in.

SRA (east):
9 Betty from Ambon find CL Glasgow and get 1 torpedo hit 8 hexes SE from this base.

Manado - landings commence

Notes/Plans:
KB2 will be close enough to send Kates to Soerabaja tomorrow before heading east to support landings on Timor.

[ny59giants]

OK, since I'm responsible for the economy to date (John will be "forced" to learn soon enough either here or in our PBEM game once his mod is done).

GLOBAL:

[ny59giants]

OVERVIEW:

[ny59giants]

AIR:

[ny59giants]

ENGINES:

[ny59giants]

NAVAL:

[ny59giants]

SHIPS SUNK:

[FatR]

A bold shipyard expansion! You'll need to expand HI quite a bit eventually, considering new aircraft factories coming online and the pilot training program expansion in 1943.

One thing I don't understand though, is the reason to expand Nate's production. It's a suicide box. It's not even a good suicide box, because its bombload is too small for a proper kamikaze plane to throw into the Allied grinder later in the war. The only reason to produce it is using up the pile of engines you have at the start.

Also, I was surprised to see the surplus of Jakes. Even without expanding various small shore units, Jake seems to be in high demand as a ship-based search and ASW plane. They take large ops losses too.

[ny59giants]

Jan 1: The lone Dutch CL....
Night Time Surface Combat, 1 hex due east of Cam Ranh Bay... (heading for Hong Kong as the BB and CLAA need a large Repair Shipyard to complete repairs)

Japanese Ships
BB Hyuga, heavy damage
CLAA Naka, Shell hits 2
CL Otonase
DD Akatsuki
DD Hibiki
DD Asagiri
DD Minekaze
DD Kuri

Allied Ships
CL De Ruyter, Shell hits 10, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk

ASW/Subs:
S-41 is patrolling NE of Ambon and the empty transports from Kendari encounter her as they are returning to Babeldoab. CM Itsukushima gets hit with a torpedo [damage is 23-49(37)-13(12)-0]. I have been using multiple waypoints to change paths for my transports in this area, but....[:(]

Carriers:
KB2 hit Soerabaja and will now head east
Mini-KB still just SW of Ambon

Malaya:
Taiping - the 28th Gurkha Brigade is again targeted by Nates escorting in Sally and Sonia.

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 13165 troops, 135 guns, 66 vehicles, Assault Value = 461

Defending force 3618 troops, 12 guns, 10 vehicles, Assault Value = 94

Japanese adjusted assault: 45

Allied adjusted defense: 27

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

Singapore - Oscar escort in 42 Lily to hit AF - Airbase hits 1, Airbase supply hits 2, Runway hits 11.

Borneo/Java:
Miri - Landings continue

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 2657 troops, 14 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 93

Defending force 112 troops, 4 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1

Japanese adjusted assault: 57

Allied adjusted defense: 1

Japanese assault odds: 57 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Miri !!!

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

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

Allied ground losses:
119 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 15 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Units retreated 1

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
I./4th Infantry Battalion
II./4th Infantry Battalion
21th JNAF AF Unit /42
4th JNAF Coy
4th Naval Construction Battalion
25th JNAF AF Unit /42

Defending units:
100th RN Base Force

Brunei - Landings commence

Batavia - Zero escort in 46 Nell and 20 Betty to get 5 bomb hits on xAP President Madison.

Soerabaja -

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 11
B5N2 Kate x 58

Allied aircraft
Sea Hurricane Ib x 11
B-339D x 8

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 4 destroyed, 7 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Sea Hurricane Ib: 1 destroyed
B-339D: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
SS Seal, Bomb hits 2
AVP Heron, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage

Philippines:
Bataan - Zeros with Mabel followed by Sally and Lily. The afternoon finds Zero and betty from Takao.
Almost 950 Assault Value are marching from Clark with over 200 in an Infantry Group on transports from Japan are in route.

SRA (East):
Manado - Landings continue
A CV worth of Vals from KB2 sink AMc Merapi near Makassar.

Notes/Plans:
Keeping any ships in a Java port is hazardous.

38th Division is at Johore Bahru and will "move" to Singapore

[ny59giants]

SRA - Overview

KB2 will meet Mini-KB
Lautem, and Koepang invasion TF are just NE of Ambon and will move to Mini-KBs location.
2 SC TF (Manado and Kendari) based around 2 BBs will meet Mini-KB
Darwin invasion TF is one day out of Babeldoab headed towards Ambon.

Now, I'm caught up. [8D]

[ny59giants]

One thing I don't understand though, is the reason to expand Nate's production. It's a suicide box. It's not even a good suicide box, because its bombload is too small for a proper kamikaze plane to throw into the Allied grinder later in the war. The only reason to produce it is using up the pile of engines you have at the start.

I didn't expand them. This is what they start with. One of the factories will be changed over to produce 30 Tojo in a few months. Right now, I'm using the engines until they are gone.

[bklooste]

Could have done Singapore without the 38th
 
That pilot pool hurts ..