Thanks! We're being somewhat cautious due to inexperience at the High Command (1st PBEM in AE). However, Darwin is on the menu, maybe Perth if things are going well. We are considering seizing New Caledonia and the New Hebrides, more to try to get the enemy to focus on this approach and get his eye off the DEI-Timor axis than because we want to own these islands long term. We also think these targets may trigger a favorable CV battle before 1943 to thin the enemy carrier herd a bit.
PS - Grafin, saw your sig. The Fallout series is one of my all time favorites.
Jan 1, 1942
We will have to get used to typing 1942 for a while. On with the war.
Subs
I was trying to listen to Tokyo Rose blather something about the new year but was interrupted by a Dutch sub sinking xAK Rokko Maru, loaded with part of the 15th Naval Guard unit headed for Manado! [:@] Fortunately, the unit was spread out over four ships so losses aren't extreme. The bad guys were bound to get a sub sinking one of these days. Just as an experiment we unleash a midget sub on Canton Island. It becomes a hood ornament on a harbor obstruction and sinks. Cribtop HQ believes we will use our SSXs as portable harbor defenses rather than as offensive weapons for the most part. We already have mini subs gracing Wake and TB with more planned for Tarawa.
4th Fleet
Maiana is occupied. We unload supplies and load up Claudes, Petes and Alfs for upgrades at Truk.
SE Fleet
Rabaul is invaded without incident and should fall tomorrow. It looks like the Aussies have left town. Is DSwain in full Sir Robin mode? Time will tell, but we suspect he is building up at Port Moresby. We are headed there very soon. SE Fleet, a large base force and a construction unit begin to unload tomorrow. 21st Air Flotilla will move in to make the Solomons Sea very uncomfortable for the enemy's surface assets.
16th Army
Despite the loss of Rokko Maru, recon seems to confirm Manado is abandoned, so at least we won't need the drowned troops too badly.
Borneo
Operation TK troops continue loading while more surface escorts gather. We will probably send KBL into the South China Sea to cover the Kuching op. The CVLs need gas and torps at Cam Ranh Bay first, but the timing looks good to be in place well before we move on Kuching at the tail end of the op.
Malaya
As expected, Taiping falls to the first deliberate attack. What is not expected is that the Indian III Corps HQ surrenders (the remaining five units retreat)! Banzai! [:D] Casualties: 2393(733) vs 456(0). The march on Singers now begins in earnest.
China
We moved over the river into Hwaiyin yesterday with a brigade and a garrison unit. Today we shock attack the poor isolated Lusu War Area HQ (worst starting position for any unit in the game from the unit's perspective, IMHO). The HQ retreats west into the swamp, we will probably let it rot there or use it for bomber training. Casualties 686(90) to 0(0). Pretty easy to beat up the unarmed rear area personnel.
We bomb Loyang. Then the sweep comes in. Sigh. Fortunately there weren't any enemy fighters around.
Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Moderators: wdolson, MOD_War-in-the-Pacific-Admirals-Edition
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Jan 2, 1942
Subs
I-155 sinks xAKL Sagoland in the Java Sea. We're sinking a lot of unescorted merchies in places where they could be escorted. Swordfish hits no bang on an SC near Takao. This SC is escorting a convoy, dubbed Operation Anal Rententive, which is ferrying a sound detector that can't be moved by air or fast transport TF to Luzon. Hey, we all have our weaknesses. [:)]
4th Fleet
Our re-supply convoy ferries 6th Fleet HQ, Claudes and seaplanes to Truk.
SE Fleet
Rabaul is captured. Zeros and Betties move in from Truk, and the Solomons Sea is now overflown by Betties. We will need another base force here to fully support all of 21st Air Flotilla and a recon unit that is en route. We make sure that neither the Betties nor the KB's Kates will encroach on PM's airspace. We haven't reconned this base yet and don't know what's there. That will soon change. Troops move toward Truk on several convoys bringing troops for future operations. KB refuels from the oilers, the oilers retire toward Truk.
16th Army
Basilan occupied, Manado invaded and empty - this base will fall tomorrow. We recon both Balikpapan and Ternate to keep DSwain guessing. Ternate is the next target.
A few notes of interest in the air. 1) Our Betties out of Davao spot several new allied xAKLs at Cagayan. Two are reported hit by searching Betties, but no actual raid is launched. What is DSwain up to with this? Trying to sneak ships out of the PI? Pulling troop fragments? Using them as pickets to draw our bombers? Unknown [&:]. 2) 17 B-17s raid Jolo airfield, destroying 1 Babs on the ground and getting 13 runway hits for 7 B-17s damaged by two of the best AAMG gunners in the IJA apparently [;)]. DSwain has a pattern of hitting bases the day after we take them. We re-combine the Hikotai of Zeros at Davao and move them all to Jolo, set to 100% CAP at 20,000ft. If the B-17s come tomorrow they will be jumped. They appear to be coming all the way from Soerabaja. Damaged bombers trying to make that return trip may suffer from serious losses. Let's hope the enemy is up for a second round.
The Jolo invasion TF is moving back to Babel. We have KBL meet them in the Celebes Sea to use the invasion TF as poor man's oilers. [;)]
14th Army
[>:] Sieges are fun. We will move better fighters to Luzon as the first step is to wrestle air superiority away from the P40s at Clark. Laoag airfield hits lvl 4, which will help with this.
Borneo
The Operation TK fleet moves out. There are a few bits en route from Samah and Takao that will rendezvous in the middle of the South China Sea. First stop - Tarakan. Recon shows the base is abandoned. We will sweep the port with DMS before landing as I assume that DSwain can't evacuate the pre-war minefield. Composition of the fleet: Siam Sqdn as heavy cover (2 Kongo BBs, 4CA, 6DD), a strong LCTF (6CL, 10ish DDs), 1 ASW TF made up of PBs and SCs, 1 ASW TF made up of 4 DMS that will be used as MSWs later. KBL will provide distant cover once Ternate is taken.
Malaya
We move out from Taiping. 2 Oscar Sentai will sweep Kuala Lumpur. We expect a fight in the skies over this base. Temuloh will fall soon to a regt that marched down the rail line from Khota Baru. We have a distant shot at cutting off the Taiping remnants if we hurry.
Burma
33rd Div is moving on Tavoy. Mergui will fall soon. Then we close up with the enemy by marching to Moulmein.
China
Puching (which is empty) falls to the troops that took Chusien. Wenchow (also abandoned per recon) is next. We will soon have an ubroken line of troops stretching from Inner Mongolia to the coast. We weren't really trying to do this, but it is nice as the second line troops manning the line prevent flanking/guerrilla moves and serve as an early warning system without sucking up front line troops or preventing us from garrisioning cities. China is fast becoming one of my favorite AOs.
Sonias out of Shanghai bomb Lusu WA HQ and kill 5 squads. We will bomb them until they disappear. There is a mangled enemy corps nearby that an Independent Brigade will drive into the swamp as well. These two units constitute the entire Chinese Army east of a line running Chengchow - Hankow - Amoy. Good progress on the plains.
We march on Loyang and bomb again (and again the bombers go in before the sweep, but at least the Nates escort this time). DSwain appears to be at least partially abandoning Loyang, based on the little "marching symbol" some troops are retreating down the Loyang/Nanyang road. He has moved 1 corps into the Chengchow hex, but our garrison is more than ample and we refuse to stop moving on Loyang.
For several days, a few flying tigers of AVG and some Chinese bombers have visited our boys in the Sinyang area. Recon shows these planes based at Changsha. We move a sentai each of Oscar and Nate and the Tojo Chutai to Hankow. They will sweep Changsha and we will see what we catch.
Finally, we had a Bde protecting Sinyang's flank freed up when we kicked the enemy over the Yellow River. This unit has marched into Wuhan to augment this garrison in case the Chinese counterattack. The city has 1 Div, 2 Bdes, an engineer unit and lvl 4 forts going to lvl 5.
Subs
I-155 sinks xAKL Sagoland in the Java Sea. We're sinking a lot of unescorted merchies in places where they could be escorted. Swordfish hits no bang on an SC near Takao. This SC is escorting a convoy, dubbed Operation Anal Rententive, which is ferrying a sound detector that can't be moved by air or fast transport TF to Luzon. Hey, we all have our weaknesses. [:)]
4th Fleet
Our re-supply convoy ferries 6th Fleet HQ, Claudes and seaplanes to Truk.
SE Fleet
Rabaul is captured. Zeros and Betties move in from Truk, and the Solomons Sea is now overflown by Betties. We will need another base force here to fully support all of 21st Air Flotilla and a recon unit that is en route. We make sure that neither the Betties nor the KB's Kates will encroach on PM's airspace. We haven't reconned this base yet and don't know what's there. That will soon change. Troops move toward Truk on several convoys bringing troops for future operations. KB refuels from the oilers, the oilers retire toward Truk.
16th Army
Basilan occupied, Manado invaded and empty - this base will fall tomorrow. We recon both Balikpapan and Ternate to keep DSwain guessing. Ternate is the next target.
A few notes of interest in the air. 1) Our Betties out of Davao spot several new allied xAKLs at Cagayan. Two are reported hit by searching Betties, but no actual raid is launched. What is DSwain up to with this? Trying to sneak ships out of the PI? Pulling troop fragments? Using them as pickets to draw our bombers? Unknown [&:]. 2) 17 B-17s raid Jolo airfield, destroying 1 Babs on the ground and getting 13 runway hits for 7 B-17s damaged by two of the best AAMG gunners in the IJA apparently [;)]. DSwain has a pattern of hitting bases the day after we take them. We re-combine the Hikotai of Zeros at Davao and move them all to Jolo, set to 100% CAP at 20,000ft. If the B-17s come tomorrow they will be jumped. They appear to be coming all the way from Soerabaja. Damaged bombers trying to make that return trip may suffer from serious losses. Let's hope the enemy is up for a second round.
The Jolo invasion TF is moving back to Babel. We have KBL meet them in the Celebes Sea to use the invasion TF as poor man's oilers. [;)]
14th Army
[>:] Sieges are fun. We will move better fighters to Luzon as the first step is to wrestle air superiority away from the P40s at Clark. Laoag airfield hits lvl 4, which will help with this.
Borneo
The Operation TK fleet moves out. There are a few bits en route from Samah and Takao that will rendezvous in the middle of the South China Sea. First stop - Tarakan. Recon shows the base is abandoned. We will sweep the port with DMS before landing as I assume that DSwain can't evacuate the pre-war minefield. Composition of the fleet: Siam Sqdn as heavy cover (2 Kongo BBs, 4CA, 6DD), a strong LCTF (6CL, 10ish DDs), 1 ASW TF made up of PBs and SCs, 1 ASW TF made up of 4 DMS that will be used as MSWs later. KBL will provide distant cover once Ternate is taken.
Malaya
We move out from Taiping. 2 Oscar Sentai will sweep Kuala Lumpur. We expect a fight in the skies over this base. Temuloh will fall soon to a regt that marched down the rail line from Khota Baru. We have a distant shot at cutting off the Taiping remnants if we hurry.
Burma
33rd Div is moving on Tavoy. Mergui will fall soon. Then we close up with the enemy by marching to Moulmein.
China
Puching (which is empty) falls to the troops that took Chusien. Wenchow (also abandoned per recon) is next. We will soon have an ubroken line of troops stretching from Inner Mongolia to the coast. We weren't really trying to do this, but it is nice as the second line troops manning the line prevent flanking/guerrilla moves and serve as an early warning system without sucking up front line troops or preventing us from garrisioning cities. China is fast becoming one of my favorite AOs.
Sonias out of Shanghai bomb Lusu WA HQ and kill 5 squads. We will bomb them until they disappear. There is a mangled enemy corps nearby that an Independent Brigade will drive into the swamp as well. These two units constitute the entire Chinese Army east of a line running Chengchow - Hankow - Amoy. Good progress on the plains.
We march on Loyang and bomb again (and again the bombers go in before the sweep, but at least the Nates escort this time). DSwain appears to be at least partially abandoning Loyang, based on the little "marching symbol" some troops are retreating down the Loyang/Nanyang road. He has moved 1 corps into the Chengchow hex, but our garrison is more than ample and we refuse to stop moving on Loyang.
For several days, a few flying tigers of AVG and some Chinese bombers have visited our boys in the Sinyang area. Recon shows these planes based at Changsha. We move a sentai each of Oscar and Nate and the Tojo Chutai to Hankow. They will sweep Changsha and we will see what we catch.
Finally, we had a Bde protecting Sinyang's flank freed up when we kicked the enemy over the Yellow River. This unit has marched into Wuhan to augment this garrison in case the Chinese counterattack. The city has 1 Div, 2 Bdes, an engineer unit and lvl 4 forts going to lvl 5.
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Jan 3, 1942
Subs
A day of good and bad. We spotted a few Dutch merchies yesterday trying to slip toward Singapore along the Borneo coast near Kuching. Two subs in the area are vectored to intercept. I-156 finds the enemy but misses one xAKL. In a later phase our sub captain switches to guns and we believe sinks the xAKL De Haan. Near Batavia, I-166 shoots at DD Scout but misses. Scout DCs I-166, getting 1 real hit. The sub should make it but must return to Saigon. Our escorts chase the SS Perch away from the "Operation Anal" transports as they return to Takao.
4th Fleet
All quiet.
SE Fleet
Tassafaronga occupied. Will this base be as pivotal as in the real war or just a backwater? We unload supplies and support troops at Rabaul. Tomorrow the whole fleet will move back to Truk. KB will take on planes and pilots and reorganize a bit. Then it's time to hit the Papuan peninsula. Subs that had been patrolling near PH and Canton are vectored to their new home port of Rabaul to interdict convoys bound for PM from Oz.
16th Army
Often, AE is a chess match, with guess and counterguess employed as opponents try to get inside each others' heads. Today, we guess very right as 12 B-17s raid Jolo again. 43 elite A6M2s meet them. The replay shows 3 B-17 shot down outright and all the rest damaged, several multiple times! The enemy had a LONG flight home too and we doubt they all made it. The bombing raid itself achieves no hits of any type. Banzai!
Today's battle should put enough hurt on the enemy's few B-17s that they will be forced to lick their wounds for a while.
10 Hudson from Ambon and Kendari try to hit BB Fuso, covering the unloading of supplies at Manado, but no joy for the Aussie pilots. Manado falls and the fleet is ordered to Ternate. There are two enemy ships spotted moving NE towards Manado. Although recon IDs one as an xAKL, we will take precautions against Allied SCTF. KBL refuels from its "oilers" in the Jolo invasion fleet. Our forces on Mindanao are finally on the march to Cagayan.
14th Army
We are moving fighters into position to begin taking the sky over Clark Field. This whole process could take some time, but Cribtop HQ is loath to dispatch another division to Luzon.
Borneo
The Op. TK fleet assembles and will move on Tarakan soon.
Malaya
We take the offensive in the air by sweeping Taiping with all available Oscars. As our intel indicated, 2 squadrons of AVG are present. 30 Oscar take on 8 H1-A3s and blast three from the skies. In addition, the remaining five planes are damaged, with two "spins away on fire" and one "falls away trailing smoke." We could have gotten as many as 6 enemy planes! Banzai! The second sweeping Sentai finds no one home. The 17 AVG planes not on CAP sweep Taiping during the same phase, no one is there. On the ground some of our armor catches up to the Taiping defenders, but not enough to attack with. We are 1 mile from Temuloh and should take the base soon.
Burma
At Victoria Point, the troops of the 1st Raiding Regt board transports for the jump on Port Blair. As of 48 hours ago the base was not reinforced, but there are some sweaty palms about this op in Cribtop HQ.
China
Oscar, Nate and Tojo sweep Changsha, where the AVG 3rd Squadron is based. Oddly, only the Nates show up at first (Tojo and Oscar planes are present with "0" as their quantity). This does not go as planned, we lose approx 3 Nates to 2 Flying Tigers (1 of which is nailed late when the Oscars finally show). Sigh, two air battles out of three ain't all bad. Next time we'll leave the Nates at home.
On the ground, our "encirclement force" of 1 Bde and 3 tank units cuts the Loyang-Nanyang road. Things do not look good for the Chinese on this front. DSwain is in full retreat but may not get all his troops to safety. Loyang is a lost cause and Nanyang is in grave danger (see next post for a screenie).
A screenie showing today's rather pleasing results in the air. Note the position of the Manado Invasion force, KBL refueling and the enemy TF near Manado to the left of the summary screen:
Subs
A day of good and bad. We spotted a few Dutch merchies yesterday trying to slip toward Singapore along the Borneo coast near Kuching. Two subs in the area are vectored to intercept. I-156 finds the enemy but misses one xAKL. In a later phase our sub captain switches to guns and we believe sinks the xAKL De Haan. Near Batavia, I-166 shoots at DD Scout but misses. Scout DCs I-166, getting 1 real hit. The sub should make it but must return to Saigon. Our escorts chase the SS Perch away from the "Operation Anal" transports as they return to Takao.
4th Fleet
All quiet.
SE Fleet
Tassafaronga occupied. Will this base be as pivotal as in the real war or just a backwater? We unload supplies and support troops at Rabaul. Tomorrow the whole fleet will move back to Truk. KB will take on planes and pilots and reorganize a bit. Then it's time to hit the Papuan peninsula. Subs that had been patrolling near PH and Canton are vectored to their new home port of Rabaul to interdict convoys bound for PM from Oz.
16th Army
Often, AE is a chess match, with guess and counterguess employed as opponents try to get inside each others' heads. Today, we guess very right as 12 B-17s raid Jolo again. 43 elite A6M2s meet them. The replay shows 3 B-17 shot down outright and all the rest damaged, several multiple times! The enemy had a LONG flight home too and we doubt they all made it. The bombing raid itself achieves no hits of any type. Banzai!
Today's battle should put enough hurt on the enemy's few B-17s that they will be forced to lick their wounds for a while. 10 Hudson from Ambon and Kendari try to hit BB Fuso, covering the unloading of supplies at Manado, but no joy for the Aussie pilots. Manado falls and the fleet is ordered to Ternate. There are two enemy ships spotted moving NE towards Manado. Although recon IDs one as an xAKL, we will take precautions against Allied SCTF. KBL refuels from its "oilers" in the Jolo invasion fleet. Our forces on Mindanao are finally on the march to Cagayan.
14th Army
We are moving fighters into position to begin taking the sky over Clark Field. This whole process could take some time, but Cribtop HQ is loath to dispatch another division to Luzon.
Borneo
The Op. TK fleet assembles and will move on Tarakan soon.
Malaya
We take the offensive in the air by sweeping Taiping with all available Oscars. As our intel indicated, 2 squadrons of AVG are present. 30 Oscar take on 8 H1-A3s and blast three from the skies. In addition, the remaining five planes are damaged, with two "spins away on fire" and one "falls away trailing smoke." We could have gotten as many as 6 enemy planes! Banzai! The second sweeping Sentai finds no one home. The 17 AVG planes not on CAP sweep Taiping during the same phase, no one is there. On the ground some of our armor catches up to the Taiping defenders, but not enough to attack with. We are 1 mile from Temuloh and should take the base soon.
Burma
At Victoria Point, the troops of the 1st Raiding Regt board transports for the jump on Port Blair. As of 48 hours ago the base was not reinforced, but there are some sweaty palms about this op in Cribtop HQ.
China
Oscar, Nate and Tojo sweep Changsha, where the AVG 3rd Squadron is based. Oddly, only the Nates show up at first (Tojo and Oscar planes are present with "0" as their quantity). This does not go as planned, we lose approx 3 Nates to 2 Flying Tigers (1 of which is nailed late when the Oscars finally show). Sigh, two air battles out of three ain't all bad. Next time we'll leave the Nates at home.
On the ground, our "encirclement force" of 1 Bde and 3 tank units cuts the Loyang-Nanyang road. Things do not look good for the Chinese on this front. DSwain is in full retreat but may not get all his troops to safety. Loyang is a lost cause and Nanyang is in grave danger (see next post for a screenie).
A screenie showing today's rather pleasing results in the air. Note the position of the Manado Invasion force, KBL refueling and the enemy TF near Manado to the left of the summary screen:
- Attachments
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- Nemeses Trumped.jpg (157.58 KiB) Viewed 314 times
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
North China Front
A promised screenshot detailing the situation in North China:
1 - Enemy troops retreating from Chengchow and Loyang. Our main force should arrive in Loyang tomorrow.
2 - An Independent Brigade, 2 Tank Regts and an armored car unit cut the road to Nanyang and the main LoC for Loyang. This hex is trouble for the enemy.
3 - Our "swinging gate" brigades move to close the line and open the railroad to Sinyang.
4 - DSwain has abandoned this forest hex and appears to be falling back on a suddenly very threatened Nanyang.
5 - Our forces advance NW. There is only so far we can go due to the back door threats against Hankow and Wuhan, but Nanyang should be doable.
6 - Bombing on Jan. 3 destroys Lusu War Area HQ in this hex.
7 - An already defeated enemy corps that will be moved along. The adjacent unit is an armored car company that is "cleaning up" by occupying possible retreat hexes other than the swamp.
A promised screenshot detailing the situation in North China:
1 - Enemy troops retreating from Chengchow and Loyang. Our main force should arrive in Loyang tomorrow.
2 - An Independent Brigade, 2 Tank Regts and an armored car unit cut the road to Nanyang and the main LoC for Loyang. This hex is trouble for the enemy.
3 - Our "swinging gate" brigades move to close the line and open the railroad to Sinyang.
4 - DSwain has abandoned this forest hex and appears to be falling back on a suddenly very threatened Nanyang.
5 - Our forces advance NW. There is only so far we can go due to the back door threats against Hankow and Wuhan, but Nanyang should be doable.
6 - Bombing on Jan. 3 destroys Lusu War Area HQ in this hex.
7 - An already defeated enemy corps that will be moved along. The adjacent unit is an armored car company that is "cleaning up" by occupying possible retreat hexes other than the swamp.
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- N China Pl..s 010442.jpg (254.33 KiB) Viewed 314 times
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Jan 4, 1942
Subs
Seadragon twice is spotted and DC'd by escorts guarding forces moving to rendezvous with the Operation TK fleet. No hits, but no torp attacks either. I-153 guns and torps xAKL Proteus under the waves off Pamekasan.
4th Fleet
A base force loads up for TB. A fragment of Maizuru 2nd SNLF that inexplicably appeared at Kwaj about a week ago will be delivered to Wake by FT TF. What, did they forget to set their alarms? An SSX is delivered to Tarawa.
SE Fleet
KB, SE Fleet and the Rabaul invasion force retire on Truk. Two small paratroop units have unloaded at Truk and an Air HQ and 4 construction units will begin unloading tomorrow. No sign of the enemy anywhere in this AO except at PM, which was reconned for the first time today. Torokina is occupied.
16th Army
Manado falls, Ternate is invaded without incident. Bettys out of Davao report a hit on MTB 27 for the third time in two days. Either that's the toughest torpedo boat in the Royal Navy or my pilots' reporting is a little "enthusiastic." Aussie and Dutch bombers raid the empty airfield at Manado to minimal effect. If they keep coming we may CAP trap them as we need to use Manado as a seaplane/recon base as we move further into the DEI. Ambon is the next target.
14th Army
Moving fighters in to attack Clark. Bombardment there shows no material change in raw AV.
Borneo
Recon of Balikpapan for several days shows 7 enemy units and some aircraft based here. Presumably this is where the Tarakan and Samarinda garrisons (at least) went. Did DSwain move the Ternate and Manado garrisons to Ambon or Kendari?
Malaya
Air Raid, Kuala Lumpur! We sweep KL with desultory results. 30 Oscar Ib vs 21 H1-A3s nets 3 or 4 Oscars lost for none to the Allies. However, the sweep succeeds in knocking aside the CAP for our 100+ Sallys, who pound the airfield: 3 H1-A3 are destroyed or damaged on the ground, 18 airbase hits, 8 supply hits and 129 runway hits. We will come back tomorrow to try to close this base down.
Enemy Hudsons and Blenheims launch a series of small raids on our armor pursuing the enemy south of Taiping. We are pleased when a leaking CAP of Nates challenges these unescorted strikes. 3-6 Blenheim bombers are estimated to be destroyed, the raids barely scratch our tanks' armor.
Temuloh will fall today.
Burma
1st Raiding Regt jumps into Port Blair and takes the base! Banzai! [:D] The enemy base force surrenders, casualties are 161(39) vs 20(0). The rest of 1st Raiding Regt and a small base force will be flown in tomorrow. This op closes out the escape route to India for DSwain's air force in Malaya and Java. Planned ops in the eastern DEI will try to shut down the escape hatch to Oz next. We will fly in another garrison unit and fly out the paras as they will prove useful elsewhere.
China
A deliberate attack on the enemy spoiler corps in Chengchow smashes them and forces a retreat. Casualties: 1599(225) to 162(1). Our main army arrives in Loyang and will deliberate attack tomorrow. DSwain continues to try to retreat here but no one has made it out yet. The enemy has yet to challenge our blocking force and the victory at Chengchow frees up a brigade on flank guard duty to reinforce them. We march on an empty Tsiaotso (sp?) for good measure. Near Sinyang, we are moving closer to Nanyang, always watching our rear and flanks toward Ichang and Changsha. If the enemy does not withdraw soon, 8 units in the hex NE of Sinyang will be cut off and destroyed.
In the center, we slog toward Chusien.
A re-supply convoy begins unloading 50K supply at Tsingtao. No supply crimps yet, but we assume they are coming.
PS - Apologies, but I've been referring to Wuchang as Wuhan in previous posts. Oops.
Subs
Seadragon twice is spotted and DC'd by escorts guarding forces moving to rendezvous with the Operation TK fleet. No hits, but no torp attacks either. I-153 guns and torps xAKL Proteus under the waves off Pamekasan.
4th Fleet
A base force loads up for TB. A fragment of Maizuru 2nd SNLF that inexplicably appeared at Kwaj about a week ago will be delivered to Wake by FT TF. What, did they forget to set their alarms? An SSX is delivered to Tarawa.
SE Fleet
KB, SE Fleet and the Rabaul invasion force retire on Truk. Two small paratroop units have unloaded at Truk and an Air HQ and 4 construction units will begin unloading tomorrow. No sign of the enemy anywhere in this AO except at PM, which was reconned for the first time today. Torokina is occupied.
16th Army
Manado falls, Ternate is invaded without incident. Bettys out of Davao report a hit on MTB 27 for the third time in two days. Either that's the toughest torpedo boat in the Royal Navy or my pilots' reporting is a little "enthusiastic." Aussie and Dutch bombers raid the empty airfield at Manado to minimal effect. If they keep coming we may CAP trap them as we need to use Manado as a seaplane/recon base as we move further into the DEI. Ambon is the next target.
14th Army
Moving fighters in to attack Clark. Bombardment there shows no material change in raw AV.
Borneo
Recon of Balikpapan for several days shows 7 enemy units and some aircraft based here. Presumably this is where the Tarakan and Samarinda garrisons (at least) went. Did DSwain move the Ternate and Manado garrisons to Ambon or Kendari?
Malaya
Air Raid, Kuala Lumpur! We sweep KL with desultory results. 30 Oscar Ib vs 21 H1-A3s nets 3 or 4 Oscars lost for none to the Allies. However, the sweep succeeds in knocking aside the CAP for our 100+ Sallys, who pound the airfield: 3 H1-A3 are destroyed or damaged on the ground, 18 airbase hits, 8 supply hits and 129 runway hits. We will come back tomorrow to try to close this base down.
Enemy Hudsons and Blenheims launch a series of small raids on our armor pursuing the enemy south of Taiping. We are pleased when a leaking CAP of Nates challenges these unescorted strikes. 3-6 Blenheim bombers are estimated to be destroyed, the raids barely scratch our tanks' armor.
Temuloh will fall today.
Burma
1st Raiding Regt jumps into Port Blair and takes the base! Banzai! [:D] The enemy base force surrenders, casualties are 161(39) vs 20(0). The rest of 1st Raiding Regt and a small base force will be flown in tomorrow. This op closes out the escape route to India for DSwain's air force in Malaya and Java. Planned ops in the eastern DEI will try to shut down the escape hatch to Oz next. We will fly in another garrison unit and fly out the paras as they will prove useful elsewhere.
China
A deliberate attack on the enemy spoiler corps in Chengchow smashes them and forces a retreat. Casualties: 1599(225) to 162(1). Our main army arrives in Loyang and will deliberate attack tomorrow. DSwain continues to try to retreat here but no one has made it out yet. The enemy has yet to challenge our blocking force and the victory at Chengchow frees up a brigade on flank guard duty to reinforce them. We march on an empty Tsiaotso (sp?) for good measure. Near Sinyang, we are moving closer to Nanyang, always watching our rear and flanks toward Ichang and Changsha. If the enemy does not withdraw soon, 8 units in the hex NE of Sinyang will be cut off and destroyed.
In the center, we slog toward Chusien.
A re-supply convoy begins unloading 50K supply at Tsingtao. No supply crimps yet, but we assume they are coming.
PS - Apologies, but I've been referring to Wuchang as Wuhan in previous posts. Oops.
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Jan 5, 1942
A quiet day with a happy postscript.
Subs
Nothing. Zip. Nada. Weird.
4th Fleet
Ditto.
SE Fleet
Emirau Is. is occupied. Lots of ships return to Truk from the successful Solomons and Rabaul ops. This will be KB's first port of call since leaving Japan before the war began. Next stop - New Guinea. Cribtop HQ is struggling with a decision. After PM, KB will either move to the DEI or will assist with invasions of the New Hebrides & New Caledonia. DEI is the higher priority, but KB is in the SE Fleet neighborhood now, and it should be easy to take the NC/NH chains in January. Maybe not so much by Feb or March.
16th Army
Ternate falls and numerous ships return to Babel. Op. TK moves for Tarakan. Hudsons & Dutch bombers visit the airfield at Manado.
14th Army
Not a whole lot.
Malaysia
We had a big raid planned for Kuala Lumpur, but it is scotched due to weather. Recon reveals that the AF is abandoned anyway. DSwain's A/C have all pulled back to Singapore.
Burma
[Sounds of machetes and flies in the jungles near Tavoy]
China
The enemy has not begun to retreat near Sinyang. Cribtop HQ believes it is too late for them to escape the trap.
Other
CVL Shoho , which was accelerated on Dec. 7, arrives. Banzai! She will upgrade to Zeros and move to join KBL in the DEI.
A quiet day with a happy postscript.
Subs
Nothing. Zip. Nada. Weird.
4th Fleet
Ditto.
SE Fleet
Emirau Is. is occupied. Lots of ships return to Truk from the successful Solomons and Rabaul ops. This will be KB's first port of call since leaving Japan before the war began. Next stop - New Guinea. Cribtop HQ is struggling with a decision. After PM, KB will either move to the DEI or will assist with invasions of the New Hebrides & New Caledonia. DEI is the higher priority, but KB is in the SE Fleet neighborhood now, and it should be easy to take the NC/NH chains in January. Maybe not so much by Feb or March.
16th Army
Ternate falls and numerous ships return to Babel. Op. TK moves for Tarakan. Hudsons & Dutch bombers visit the airfield at Manado.
14th Army
Not a whole lot.
Malaysia
We had a big raid planned for Kuala Lumpur, but it is scotched due to weather. Recon reveals that the AF is abandoned anyway. DSwain's A/C have all pulled back to Singapore.
Burma
[Sounds of machetes and flies in the jungles near Tavoy]
China
The enemy has not begun to retreat near Sinyang. Cribtop HQ believes it is too late for them to escape the trap.
Other
CVL Shoho , which was accelerated on Dec. 7, arrives. Banzai! She will upgrade to Zeros and move to join KBL in the DEI.
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Jan 6, 1942
The opposite of Jan 5th. Action everywhere (and not all of it good for us [:(]).
Subs
The Good: I-2 guns and torps xAK Vito off the West Coast. Glug. I-1 torps and sinks AM Milimichi off the Canadian coast. Trout gets a hit but no bang on a small TK near Shikuka.
The Bad: DD Russell DCs I-21 near the W. Coast. Three minor hits that do only 9 SYS. DDs Alwyn and Monaghan attack I-26 off PH. They get one true hit and the sub will have to return to Kwaj and/or Truk.
The Ugly: SS KXI torpedoes I-156 just outside Saigon harbor! [:@] If not for being two hexes out of port, I-156 would be a goner. As it is, her crew will be booking monthlong sightseeing tours in IndoChina.
4th Fleet
We sail our BF towards TB and ponder how to come up with enough naval cover to seize Baker and Canton.
SE Fleet
Treasury Is. occupied. KB stops 2 hexes short of Truk and will arrive tomorrow. To our frustration, adding an Air HQ to a level 5 airfield does not count as a lvl 7 airfield that allows for Claude upgrading. CVE Taiyo will have to begin a shuttle service of planes to be "Jakeified" and "Zeroed" to the Home Islands. Subs take up station outside of PM. PM, Lae and Buna are being reconned. Looks like only PM is occupied.
16th Army
Small air raids on Manado and Ternate. Recon reveals 7 enemy units in Ambon. We are preparing a robust invasion for this island. After the fall of Tarakan, we will hit Samarinda, Balikpapan and Makassar. 38th Div prepares to load for invasions of Kendari and Timor. We will need some recon first, but hope to move quickly once Ambon and Tarakan are liberated.
On Mindanao, Dadjangas falls. Cotabato will fall tomorrow.
14th Army
Oscars and Tojos are in Takao. Tomorrow they jump to Laoag and we will mix it up over Clark Field.
Malaysia
The first night air raid of the war attacks our empty airfield at Temuloh. Our troops chase the enemy south of Taiping, but we will not be able to cut them off. A small recon unit will move up the trails to take Kuantan, everyone else is chanting "On to Singapore." We will make use of Kuala Lumpur's airfield for fighter sweeps over Singers. Support troops at Alor Star move into strat mode for this mission.
Burma
33rd Div is making good progress toward Tavoy. The troops move faster than their predecessors because we now own the hex.
China
The jaws of the trap close shut around 8 enemy units. Three units (1 HQ and 2 Corps) have previously been smashed, but the remaining five are fresh meat. Tsiaotso will fall soon. Loyang and Nanyang are probably close behind, as is Wenchow. Despite all of this, we are increasing our garrison strength in the Hankow region. Did I mention things are going well in China?
Screenie of the "Sinyang Kessel:"
1 - Eight enemy units are completely surrounded!
2 - 50K supply unloads to support operations in Northern China.
The opposite of Jan 5th. Action everywhere (and not all of it good for us [:(]).
Subs
The Good: I-2 guns and torps xAK Vito off the West Coast. Glug. I-1 torps and sinks AM Milimichi off the Canadian coast. Trout gets a hit but no bang on a small TK near Shikuka.
The Bad: DD Russell DCs I-21 near the W. Coast. Three minor hits that do only 9 SYS. DDs Alwyn and Monaghan attack I-26 off PH. They get one true hit and the sub will have to return to Kwaj and/or Truk.
The Ugly: SS KXI torpedoes I-156 just outside Saigon harbor! [:@] If not for being two hexes out of port, I-156 would be a goner. As it is, her crew will be booking monthlong sightseeing tours in IndoChina.
4th Fleet
We sail our BF towards TB and ponder how to come up with enough naval cover to seize Baker and Canton.
SE Fleet
Treasury Is. occupied. KB stops 2 hexes short of Truk and will arrive tomorrow. To our frustration, adding an Air HQ to a level 5 airfield does not count as a lvl 7 airfield that allows for Claude upgrading. CVE Taiyo will have to begin a shuttle service of planes to be "Jakeified" and "Zeroed" to the Home Islands. Subs take up station outside of PM. PM, Lae and Buna are being reconned. Looks like only PM is occupied.
16th Army
Small air raids on Manado and Ternate. Recon reveals 7 enemy units in Ambon. We are preparing a robust invasion for this island. After the fall of Tarakan, we will hit Samarinda, Balikpapan and Makassar. 38th Div prepares to load for invasions of Kendari and Timor. We will need some recon first, but hope to move quickly once Ambon and Tarakan are liberated.
On Mindanao, Dadjangas falls. Cotabato will fall tomorrow.
14th Army
Oscars and Tojos are in Takao. Tomorrow they jump to Laoag and we will mix it up over Clark Field.
Malaysia
The first night air raid of the war attacks our empty airfield at Temuloh. Our troops chase the enemy south of Taiping, but we will not be able to cut them off. A small recon unit will move up the trails to take Kuantan, everyone else is chanting "On to Singapore." We will make use of Kuala Lumpur's airfield for fighter sweeps over Singers. Support troops at Alor Star move into strat mode for this mission.
Burma
33rd Div is making good progress toward Tavoy. The troops move faster than their predecessors because we now own the hex.
China
The jaws of the trap close shut around 8 enemy units. Three units (1 HQ and 2 Corps) have previously been smashed, but the remaining five are fresh meat. Tsiaotso will fall soon. Loyang and Nanyang are probably close behind, as is Wenchow. Despite all of this, we are increasing our garrison strength in the Hankow region. Did I mention things are going well in China?
Screenie of the "Sinyang Kessel:"
1 - Eight enemy units are completely surrounded!
2 - 50K supply unloads to support operations in Northern China.
- Attachments
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- Sinyang Ke..l Jan 42.jpg (241.96 KiB) Viewed 316 times
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Jan 7, 1942
A turn for our forces to re-equip and re-arm.
Subs
I-122 torps and sinks TK Iris near Toboali. I-156 had only two hexes to reach Saigon. It was one hex too many. She is the first IJN sub of the war to sink from enemy action (one hit a mine earlier). Tokyo Rose says she is the last. Cribtop HQ is not so sure. [:(]
4th Fleet
[>:]
SE Fleet
KB and SE Fleet (the squadron, not the HQ), return to Truk to refuel, rearm and re-equip. Lots of Vals lost at the raid on Pearl are replaced. Not later than Jan 10, we will commence Operation LP, the conquest of the Papuan Peninsula.
16th Army
Recon indicates that Kendari is lightly defended, while Ambon is more heavily defended. Hmmm.... Bombers again visit our newly liberated airfields at Manado and Ternate. No sign of the B-17s since our victory at Jolo, however. Cotabato falls.
14th Army
Fighters are in position and are ordered to sweep Clark Field.
Malaya
We slog on toward Kuantan and Kuala Lumpur.
Burma
[>:]. We move a unit of Marys to Port Blair. Maybe we'll get lucky and hit some UK convoys moving to Rangoon.
China
Bombing at Loyang scratched by weather again. We will launch a second deliberate attack here tomorrow anyway. Troops move in for the kill in the Sinyang kessel.
A turn for our forces to re-equip and re-arm.
Subs
I-122 torps and sinks TK Iris near Toboali. I-156 had only two hexes to reach Saigon. It was one hex too many. She is the first IJN sub of the war to sink from enemy action (one hit a mine earlier). Tokyo Rose says she is the last. Cribtop HQ is not so sure. [:(]
4th Fleet
[>:]
SE Fleet
KB and SE Fleet (the squadron, not the HQ), return to Truk to refuel, rearm and re-equip. Lots of Vals lost at the raid on Pearl are replaced. Not later than Jan 10, we will commence Operation LP, the conquest of the Papuan Peninsula.
16th Army
Recon indicates that Kendari is lightly defended, while Ambon is more heavily defended. Hmmm.... Bombers again visit our newly liberated airfields at Manado and Ternate. No sign of the B-17s since our victory at Jolo, however. Cotabato falls.
14th Army
Fighters are in position and are ordered to sweep Clark Field.
Malaya
We slog on toward Kuantan and Kuala Lumpur.
Burma
[>:]. We move a unit of Marys to Port Blair. Maybe we'll get lucky and hit some UK convoys moving to Rangoon.
China
Bombing at Loyang scratched by weather again. We will launch a second deliberate attack here tomorrow anyway. Troops move in for the kill in the Sinyang kessel.
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Jan 8, 1942
Very quiet day.
Subs
I-6 sinks YP-143 near San Francisco.
SE Fleet
Rambutyo occupied. This news sends staff officers at Cribtop HQ scrambling for their maps to figure out where the hell Rambutyo is. 4 AKEs and a big AG arrive at Truk tomorrow. 1 AKE and a small AG will re-base to Kwaj. The Operation LP force begins loading tomorrow. We have moved the big Saipan BF to Truk. A smaller BF is moving from Japan to Saipan as a replacement.
16th Army
An MSW TF detaches from the Op TK fleet to make sure there are no mines in Tarakan. The invasion fleet itself moves into position 3 hexes offshore and will invade very soon.
14th Army
Today's big news was supposed to be a sweep of Clark Field by 36 Oscar Ic and 9 Tojos, but the mission is scrapped for reasons unknown.
China
We launch a deliberate attack on Loyang and get a good result. 1:2 odds, forts dropped to 0, Casualties: 2404(43) vs 1223(8). Loyang is a tougher nut than Chengchow, but should fall soon. IJAAF bombers are hitting the enemy every day. We worry about AVG showing up, but the mission is too important and is judged worth the risk.
Very quiet day.
Subs
I-6 sinks YP-143 near San Francisco.
SE Fleet
Rambutyo occupied. This news sends staff officers at Cribtop HQ scrambling for their maps to figure out where the hell Rambutyo is. 4 AKEs and a big AG arrive at Truk tomorrow. 1 AKE and a small AG will re-base to Kwaj. The Operation LP force begins loading tomorrow. We have moved the big Saipan BF to Truk. A smaller BF is moving from Japan to Saipan as a replacement.
16th Army
An MSW TF detaches from the Op TK fleet to make sure there are no mines in Tarakan. The invasion fleet itself moves into position 3 hexes offshore and will invade very soon.
14th Army
Today's big news was supposed to be a sweep of Clark Field by 36 Oscar Ic and 9 Tojos, but the mission is scrapped for reasons unknown.
China
We launch a deliberate attack on Loyang and get a good result. 1:2 odds, forts dropped to 0, Casualties: 2404(43) vs 1223(8). Loyang is a tougher nut than Chengchow, but should fall soon. IJAAF bombers are hitting the enemy every day. We worry about AVG showing up, but the mission is too important and is judged worth the risk.
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Jan 9, 1942
Subs
I-158 sinks xAKL Silindoeng near Sinkawang. When repeated, the last three words in that sentence have a nice ring to them. Cribtop HQ is considering a major re-org of sub patrols. Our initial West Coast patrols generally ran in lines or triangles from NW to SE near Seattle, SF and San Diego. However, we are beginning to believe that patrols oriented from SW to NE along major routes may be better. While this seems counterintuitive (your subs are going the wrong way!), the NW/SE alignment means that a sub moves perpindicular to anticipated convoy routes. Unless the patrol is very short (lessening the chance of guessing the convoy route correctly), you have to catch it just right to be within a hex of the convoy at the point it crosses the patrol line. Conversely, short patrol zones moving parallel to suspected convoy routes, if spread out over five hex rows, will make an intercept sooner or later so long as the convoy transits one of the five rows patrolled. We may try this out for a few weeks.
4th Fleet
A base force will begin unloading at TB tomorrow.
SE Fleet
We begin loading Op LP troops. A small secondary operation loads at Babel with two objectives: 1) Seize Wewak; and 2) put a very small BF on Ponape to allow transit of A/C from Kwaj to Truk.
16th Army
No mines are found in Tarakan harbor. We invade tomorrow. KBL has completed refueling/rearming at Babel. A CS is added to the fleet (one of the few undamaged CS in the IJN after Davao [8|]) to improve air search. CVL Shoho is en route from Japan but won't arrive for some time and KBL is needed to cover Op TK's assault on Kuching, so the fleet sails.
14th Army
The sweep of Clark Field goes in. Cribtop HQ is very pleased with the results despite the fact that 50 [X(] P-40E & B are on CAP. Results per the combat replay were 8 P-40E shot down vs. 2 Oscar Ic and 1 Tojo. Results per the daily combat summary on the Intel screen showed losses of 20 P-40E (15 Air, 5 Ops) vs. 8 Oscar and 1 Tojo. Post raid recon shows 23 enemy fighters at the base whereas yesterday's recon showed 48. Whichever set of numbers is accurate it was a good haul. We'll go back tomorrow and then start bringing in the IJAAF bombers currently cooling their heels at Takao. Banzai!
Malaya & Burma
25th Army is almost to Kuala Lumpur. 33rd Div is almost to Tavoy. Cribtop HQ is concerned by the vast numbers of enemy aircraft spotted at both Singers and Rangoon. We have the assets to deal with Singers but can't spare much for Burma other than two Nate Sentai, which probably aren't up to the task. An enemy raid on the empty AF at Chiang Mai today showed that strong elements of AVG (probably two sqdns of the three) are based at Rangoon. At least they aren't going to jump us at Loyang tomorrow!
China
Tsiaotso falls! All resources and light industry are captured intact. I think we snuck in here and DSwain only recognized the danger at the last second. However, recon shows 5 enemy units now marching on the city from the NW. We will move in an RGC unit in the next few days and put two Brigades in Strat mode to reinforce the city by rail. We need to take Loyang to free up troops, and will deliberate attack again tomorrow. A fresh independent regt arrived at Loyang and will add AV to the next effort. A good die roll could take the City but Cribtop HQ expects it to take at least one attack after tomorrow unless we get lucky.
Troops will enter the Sinyang Kessel hex tomorrow. Most of our troops wait in the hex between the Kessel and Nanyang as our read of the rules indicates that the enemy will be able to march into that hex but once defeated there will have no legal retreat and will thus surrender. A little counterintuitive but it's all about controlling hexsides in AE.
In the South, troops march on Wenchow, which is empty.
Other
We are sending more fuel to Truk. AOs at Truk, Cam Ranh Bay and Babel are all just about topped off, but this means Babel and Truk are a little low on gas (still over 100K at Truk and over 40K at Babel, but you can never have too much). We will have one TK convoy moving between Japan and each of these major bases for the forseeable future.
Subs
I-158 sinks xAKL Silindoeng near Sinkawang. When repeated, the last three words in that sentence have a nice ring to them. Cribtop HQ is considering a major re-org of sub patrols. Our initial West Coast patrols generally ran in lines or triangles from NW to SE near Seattle, SF and San Diego. However, we are beginning to believe that patrols oriented from SW to NE along major routes may be better. While this seems counterintuitive (your subs are going the wrong way!), the NW/SE alignment means that a sub moves perpindicular to anticipated convoy routes. Unless the patrol is very short (lessening the chance of guessing the convoy route correctly), you have to catch it just right to be within a hex of the convoy at the point it crosses the patrol line. Conversely, short patrol zones moving parallel to suspected convoy routes, if spread out over five hex rows, will make an intercept sooner or later so long as the convoy transits one of the five rows patrolled. We may try this out for a few weeks.
4th Fleet
A base force will begin unloading at TB tomorrow.
SE Fleet
We begin loading Op LP troops. A small secondary operation loads at Babel with two objectives: 1) Seize Wewak; and 2) put a very small BF on Ponape to allow transit of A/C from Kwaj to Truk.
16th Army
No mines are found in Tarakan harbor. We invade tomorrow. KBL has completed refueling/rearming at Babel. A CS is added to the fleet (one of the few undamaged CS in the IJN after Davao [8|]) to improve air search. CVL Shoho is en route from Japan but won't arrive for some time and KBL is needed to cover Op TK's assault on Kuching, so the fleet sails.
14th Army
The sweep of Clark Field goes in. Cribtop HQ is very pleased with the results despite the fact that 50 [X(] P-40E & B are on CAP. Results per the combat replay were 8 P-40E shot down vs. 2 Oscar Ic and 1 Tojo. Results per the daily combat summary on the Intel screen showed losses of 20 P-40E (15 Air, 5 Ops) vs. 8 Oscar and 1 Tojo. Post raid recon shows 23 enemy fighters at the base whereas yesterday's recon showed 48. Whichever set of numbers is accurate it was a good haul. We'll go back tomorrow and then start bringing in the IJAAF bombers currently cooling their heels at Takao. Banzai!
Malaya & Burma
25th Army is almost to Kuala Lumpur. 33rd Div is almost to Tavoy. Cribtop HQ is concerned by the vast numbers of enemy aircraft spotted at both Singers and Rangoon. We have the assets to deal with Singers but can't spare much for Burma other than two Nate Sentai, which probably aren't up to the task. An enemy raid on the empty AF at Chiang Mai today showed that strong elements of AVG (probably two sqdns of the three) are based at Rangoon. At least they aren't going to jump us at Loyang tomorrow!
China
Tsiaotso falls! All resources and light industry are captured intact. I think we snuck in here and DSwain only recognized the danger at the last second. However, recon shows 5 enemy units now marching on the city from the NW. We will move in an RGC unit in the next few days and put two Brigades in Strat mode to reinforce the city by rail. We need to take Loyang to free up troops, and will deliberate attack again tomorrow. A fresh independent regt arrived at Loyang and will add AV to the next effort. A good die roll could take the City but Cribtop HQ expects it to take at least one attack after tomorrow unless we get lucky.
Troops will enter the Sinyang Kessel hex tomorrow. Most of our troops wait in the hex between the Kessel and Nanyang as our read of the rules indicates that the enemy will be able to march into that hex but once defeated there will have no legal retreat and will thus surrender. A little counterintuitive but it's all about controlling hexsides in AE.
In the South, troops march on Wenchow, which is empty.
Other
We are sending more fuel to Truk. AOs at Truk, Cam Ranh Bay and Babel are all just about topped off, but this means Babel and Truk are a little low on gas (still over 100K at Truk and over 40K at Babel, but you can never have too much). We will have one TK convoy moving between Japan and each of these major bases for the forseeable future.
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Nice going [:)]
It's a soggy march towards Singapore...are you getting there in time and have your opponent withdrawn completely into the city?
Be aware that a major enemy stand at Bandoeng coupled with a siege at Bataan will take time. Consider garrisoning these bases and leave them for later if you need to use your divisions for major amph landings; After April there will be no more amph bonus and that's it for major expansion if you ask me.
It's a soggy march towards Singapore...are you getting there in time and have your opponent withdrawn completely into the city?
Be aware that a major enemy stand at Bandoeng coupled with a siege at Bataan will take time. Consider garrisoning these bases and leave them for later if you need to use your divisions for major amph landings; After April there will be no more amph bonus and that's it for major expansion if you ask me.
"The problem in defense is how far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without"
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
PzB,
The enemy is abandoning Kuala Lumpur, after it falls we'll get to Singers as fast as the troops can walk. I estimate it will fall in early Feb (probably between Feb 7th & 10th). I plan to seize Singapore and sit on Clark/Bataan. May pull the 21st Div out of Clark to help with Java. 38th Div is already heading for targets in the DEI, and I'm buying the 20th Div out of Korea - the first Regt from that unit will begin loading on ships within 48 hours. Goal is to invade Palembang and Java not later than late Feb, Darwin in March. We hope to conclude all planned ops except for the optional Perth invasion by April 1. Very pushed for time but so far still on schedule.
We will soon see invasions of: Ambon, Kendari, Makassar, Samarinda, Balikpapan, Kuching, Sinkawang, and Pontianak. Troops are already dedicated for the capture of Timor as well. Much of the stuff used in the eastern DEI invasions will then prep for Java.
The enemy is abandoning Kuala Lumpur, after it falls we'll get to Singers as fast as the troops can walk. I estimate it will fall in early Feb (probably between Feb 7th & 10th). I plan to seize Singapore and sit on Clark/Bataan. May pull the 21st Div out of Clark to help with Java. 38th Div is already heading for targets in the DEI, and I'm buying the 20th Div out of Korea - the first Regt from that unit will begin loading on ships within 48 hours. Goal is to invade Palembang and Java not later than late Feb, Darwin in March. We hope to conclude all planned ops except for the optional Perth invasion by April 1. Very pushed for time but so far still on schedule.
We will soon see invasions of: Ambon, Kendari, Makassar, Samarinda, Balikpapan, Kuching, Sinkawang, and Pontianak. Troops are already dedicated for the capture of Timor as well. Much of the stuff used in the eastern DEI invasions will then prep for Java.
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Jan 10, 1942
Subs
I-168 is DC'd near Pearl, no hits. We will spend the orders phase of Jan. 11 moving our subs to the "parallel" patrols discussed in the Jan. 9 AAR entry. In typical anal Cribtop HQ fashion, this practice is dubbed the "patrol column" doctrine. We shall see how it works. In addition, we pull our subs back a bit from the coasts of the US and PH as we are getting spotted by enemy search aircraft and attacked by ASW Patrols more often than is acceptable to us.
SE Fleet
Operation LP loads, as does the small Wewak/Ponape force at Babel (now handed off from 16th Army AO to SE Fleet).
16th Army
Tarakan is invaded without incident. The base is abandoned and should fall tomorrow along with (hopefully) 91 Oil. At Hong Kong and Takao, we load 38th Div and base forces. We will soon invade Kendari, Ambon and Macassar.
14th Army
We sweep again at Clark. Net shoot downs per the replay are 4 P40E to 1 Oscar; losses are 13 P40E to 2 Oscar per the Intel screen. Given the large number of "P40E spins away on fire" damage messages we got, I'm inclined to believe the Intel screen is more accurate. Establishing air superiority over Clark was easier than anticipated. We will sweep and send in the bombers tomorrow. This phase of the campaign should soon result in the desired endstate of pounding the enemy daily with IJAAF bombers to erode supply and AV.
Malaya
We march to close up with the enemy. Numerous ENG and BF units are in Taiping in strat mode. They will rail into Kuala Lumpur as soon as the base falls as we plan to use this airfield to launch sweeps over Singers. KL should fall soon as the enemy is abandoning it while our troops are 1 hex away. A small recon unit will be sent to seize the long abandoned base at Kuantan.
China
We bomb Loyang without enemy opposition in the air. Deliberate attack tomorrow as the troops still had a touch more disruption than we like.
For weeks we have been anticipating a counterattack elsewhere in China to try to relieve the heavy pressure on the north China plains. Today recon picks up 17 units in Kukong!
Since this is the end of a rail line toward Changsha, we assume DSwain is gathering here and will thrust toward the coast. Possible targets include Amoy, Canton or Hong Kong. We will respond as follows: 1) planned attacks on Kuangchow and Pakhoi are indefinitely postponed, the troops will bolster defenses at Canton and HK; 2) The Division and arty moving to seize abandoned Wenchow will divert towards Amoy; 3) An NCPC unit will be tasked with taking Wenchow instead; 4) Additional forces will be ready to move if needed. Should be interesting. It will take the enemy some time to march on any target. Various Sonias and Anns are ordered to bomb the enemy concentration in the hopes of catching some in strat mode.
Subs
I-168 is DC'd near Pearl, no hits. We will spend the orders phase of Jan. 11 moving our subs to the "parallel" patrols discussed in the Jan. 9 AAR entry. In typical anal Cribtop HQ fashion, this practice is dubbed the "patrol column" doctrine. We shall see how it works. In addition, we pull our subs back a bit from the coasts of the US and PH as we are getting spotted by enemy search aircraft and attacked by ASW Patrols more often than is acceptable to us.
SE Fleet
Operation LP loads, as does the small Wewak/Ponape force at Babel (now handed off from 16th Army AO to SE Fleet).
16th Army
Tarakan is invaded without incident. The base is abandoned and should fall tomorrow along with (hopefully) 91 Oil. At Hong Kong and Takao, we load 38th Div and base forces. We will soon invade Kendari, Ambon and Macassar.
14th Army
We sweep again at Clark. Net shoot downs per the replay are 4 P40E to 1 Oscar; losses are 13 P40E to 2 Oscar per the Intel screen. Given the large number of "P40E spins away on fire" damage messages we got, I'm inclined to believe the Intel screen is more accurate. Establishing air superiority over Clark was easier than anticipated. We will sweep and send in the bombers tomorrow. This phase of the campaign should soon result in the desired endstate of pounding the enemy daily with IJAAF bombers to erode supply and AV.
Malaya
We march to close up with the enemy. Numerous ENG and BF units are in Taiping in strat mode. They will rail into Kuala Lumpur as soon as the base falls as we plan to use this airfield to launch sweeps over Singers. KL should fall soon as the enemy is abandoning it while our troops are 1 hex away. A small recon unit will be sent to seize the long abandoned base at Kuantan.
China
We bomb Loyang without enemy opposition in the air. Deliberate attack tomorrow as the troops still had a touch more disruption than we like.
For weeks we have been anticipating a counterattack elsewhere in China to try to relieve the heavy pressure on the north China plains. Today recon picks up 17 units in Kukong!
Since this is the end of a rail line toward Changsha, we assume DSwain is gathering here and will thrust toward the coast. Possible targets include Amoy, Canton or Hong Kong. We will respond as follows: 1) planned attacks on Kuangchow and Pakhoi are indefinitely postponed, the troops will bolster defenses at Canton and HK; 2) The Division and arty moving to seize abandoned Wenchow will divert towards Amoy; 3) An NCPC unit will be tasked with taking Wenchow instead; 4) Additional forces will be ready to move if needed. Should be interesting. It will take the enemy some time to march on any target. Various Sonias and Anns are ordered to bomb the enemy concentration in the hopes of catching some in strat mode.RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Both DSwain and I will be out of town for the weekend, so I've been focused on churning turns rather than AAR updates. Today we will catch up to the war.
Jan 11, 1942
Subs
Shark is DC'd near Takao before she can attack elements of the Kendari invasion. A triumph for our doctrine of having ASW TFs follow convoys near Formosa (not a novel idea I'm sure, but still we're glad it worked). I-175 is awarded a commendation when she sinks both xAK Woolgar and xAKL Yara near the NE coast of Oz. This triumph announces to the enemy that the waters between Townsville and PM are no longer safe! [:D]
SE Fleet
Namatanai is occupied. We seem to occupy one base per day - no more, (usually) no less. We launch a small raid of 8 Betties (was supposed to be more but we're short air support for the moment) on the PM airfield, mostly to confirm recon showing no fighters at the base. Op LP should finish loading today.
16th Army
The Kendari Invasion fleet rendezvous west of Luzon. Sulu Sea Sqdn will meet them soon to escort them to the target. Tarakan falls. Ternate's empty airfield takes its daily pummeling from Hudsons and Dutch crates. Will have to CAP trap them soon, but we're not very concerned as the lvl 1 AF is of little use to us. The Op TK fleet heads out for its next target, Kudat. We are only landing a tiny company to clean up North Borneo. Then on to land support troops at Brunei and Miri (and to gas up on formerly British fuel, hehe) and finally invade Kuching. In an effort to perhaps convince DSwain to move his fleet out of position for Kuching, we heavily recon Samarinda and Balikpapan. Hopefully he'll think we are moving south rather than around the horn.
14th Army
Sweeps at Clark Field but no one rises to the challenge. We have obtained air superiority here. Bombers come in from Formosa and score 15 airbase, 3 supply and 45 runway hits. Cribtop HQ is looking at options for the siege on Luzon - reinforce and capture or pull out 21st Div for operations in the DEI and NW Oz.
Malaya
We bomb Kuala Lumpur and achieve 105 casualties. The enemy must not be in strat mode after all as we hoped for a better haul a la the Aussie Bde we tagged some time ago for 700 casualties. AA units, base forces and construction engineers are sitting in Taiping in strat mode now, waiting for the air and logistics battle for the KL airfield that will begin as soon as the place falls. B-17s bomb Temuloh but we don't care as we prefer the level 2 AF at KL.
We are cooking up a little surprise in this region but it is too sensitive even to post in the AAR. We may have located a weakness than can be exploited!
Burma
15th Army marches on Moulmein at last. The troops marvel at the paved British road and are thrilled to put away their dull machetes. [;)]
China
We bomb Loyang to good effect, 350ish casualties spread over the two largest enemy corps. Deliberate attack here gets 1:1 odds, again reduces forts to zero, casualties 3937(35) to 1149(17). We are pleased and expect to take the base soon, but the next attack will be delayed a bit longer than usual as we plan to rotate out two tired independent regts and replace them with two fresh brigades.
Recon and bombing attacks at Kukong reveal 22 enemy units. We are moving troops into this area to deal with any counterattack, but there is some concern at Cribtop HQ. Still, 26 units at Loyang have less than 1,000 AV so we won't panic.
Jan 11, 1942
Subs
Shark is DC'd near Takao before she can attack elements of the Kendari invasion. A triumph for our doctrine of having ASW TFs follow convoys near Formosa (not a novel idea I'm sure, but still we're glad it worked). I-175 is awarded a commendation when she sinks both xAK Woolgar and xAKL Yara near the NE coast of Oz. This triumph announces to the enemy that the waters between Townsville and PM are no longer safe! [:D]
SE Fleet
Namatanai is occupied. We seem to occupy one base per day - no more, (usually) no less. We launch a small raid of 8 Betties (was supposed to be more but we're short air support for the moment) on the PM airfield, mostly to confirm recon showing no fighters at the base. Op LP should finish loading today.
16th Army
The Kendari Invasion fleet rendezvous west of Luzon. Sulu Sea Sqdn will meet them soon to escort them to the target. Tarakan falls. Ternate's empty airfield takes its daily pummeling from Hudsons and Dutch crates. Will have to CAP trap them soon, but we're not very concerned as the lvl 1 AF is of little use to us. The Op TK fleet heads out for its next target, Kudat. We are only landing a tiny company to clean up North Borneo. Then on to land support troops at Brunei and Miri (and to gas up on formerly British fuel, hehe) and finally invade Kuching. In an effort to perhaps convince DSwain to move his fleet out of position for Kuching, we heavily recon Samarinda and Balikpapan. Hopefully he'll think we are moving south rather than around the horn.
14th Army
Sweeps at Clark Field but no one rises to the challenge. We have obtained air superiority here. Bombers come in from Formosa and score 15 airbase, 3 supply and 45 runway hits. Cribtop HQ is looking at options for the siege on Luzon - reinforce and capture or pull out 21st Div for operations in the DEI and NW Oz.
Malaya
We bomb Kuala Lumpur and achieve 105 casualties. The enemy must not be in strat mode after all as we hoped for a better haul a la the Aussie Bde we tagged some time ago for 700 casualties. AA units, base forces and construction engineers are sitting in Taiping in strat mode now, waiting for the air and logistics battle for the KL airfield that will begin as soon as the place falls. B-17s bomb Temuloh but we don't care as we prefer the level 2 AF at KL.
We are cooking up a little surprise in this region but it is too sensitive even to post in the AAR. We may have located a weakness than can be exploited!
Burma
15th Army marches on Moulmein at last. The troops marvel at the paved British road and are thrilled to put away their dull machetes. [;)]
China
We bomb Loyang to good effect, 350ish casualties spread over the two largest enemy corps. Deliberate attack here gets 1:1 odds, again reduces forts to zero, casualties 3937(35) to 1149(17). We are pleased and expect to take the base soon, but the next attack will be delayed a bit longer than usual as we plan to rotate out two tired independent regts and replace them with two fresh brigades.
Recon and bombing attacks at Kukong reveal 22 enemy units. We are moving troops into this area to deal with any counterattack, but there is some concern at Cribtop HQ. Still, 26 units at Loyang have less than 1,000 AV so we won't panic.
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Jan 12, 1942
Subs
KXVI shoots at DD Osio but thankfully misses. Those Dutch subs have live ammo after all. The sub is DC'd by another DD but to no effect.
4th Fleet
We have finished unloading a base force at TB. Already a few Mavis move in to expand our nav search umbrella. TB will be our major base in the Gilberts and construction units are en route. It will take 2-3 days to finish unloading the supplies we brought, but so far the TFs are undetected.
SE Fleet
We occupy Lunga. Such a quiet manner to take a historically vital base. What will happen on Guadalcanal in this version of the war?
Bit of a snafu in Op LP loading leaves two fragments unaccounted for [:@] - we will solve one problem by flying the fragment to Rabaul in Tinas and another by adding an APD to the TF.
16th Army
KBL, covering the northward moving Op TK fleet, sinks a lone ship, xAKL Paz, in the "gap hex" of the Makassar Strait. During the attack, the unit is identified as a minelayer. Was the enemy mining the strait in anticipation of a move on Balikpapan? Is our Maskirovka here working? Who knows. Either way, it sucks to be part of the crew of Paz .
Sigint revealed an "anchor" sign at Cagayan today, so we spun up the Betties on Nav Atk/Port Atk. An 800kg bomb finishes the long suffering MTB 27, who fled all the way from Hong Kong and has been claimed sunk three times before. This time I think we really got her. At least we didn't waste a torp.
Malaya
Enemy bombing is delaying our entry into Kuala Lumpur. We will LRCAP tomorrow.
China
A bombardment attack reveals 3 HQ units and 5 fresh corps in the Sinyang Kessel. We will begin attacks on these doomed troops soon, then take Nanyang.
Other
A new crop of ACMs is converted today in Osaka and sent out to maintain minefields. We still have a few minefields in Formosa that are not 100% ACM'd, so to speak. Unfortunately, we are out of the small xAKLs (To'sus IIRC) we've been converting. What to do?
Subs
KXVI shoots at DD Osio but thankfully misses. Those Dutch subs have live ammo after all. The sub is DC'd by another DD but to no effect.
4th Fleet
We have finished unloading a base force at TB. Already a few Mavis move in to expand our nav search umbrella. TB will be our major base in the Gilberts and construction units are en route. It will take 2-3 days to finish unloading the supplies we brought, but so far the TFs are undetected.
SE Fleet
We occupy Lunga. Such a quiet manner to take a historically vital base. What will happen on Guadalcanal in this version of the war?
Bit of a snafu in Op LP loading leaves two fragments unaccounted for [:@] - we will solve one problem by flying the fragment to Rabaul in Tinas and another by adding an APD to the TF.
16th Army
KBL, covering the northward moving Op TK fleet, sinks a lone ship, xAKL Paz, in the "gap hex" of the Makassar Strait. During the attack, the unit is identified as a minelayer. Was the enemy mining the strait in anticipation of a move on Balikpapan? Is our Maskirovka here working? Who knows. Either way, it sucks to be part of the crew of Paz .
Sigint revealed an "anchor" sign at Cagayan today, so we spun up the Betties on Nav Atk/Port Atk. An 800kg bomb finishes the long suffering MTB 27, who fled all the way from Hong Kong and has been claimed sunk three times before. This time I think we really got her. At least we didn't waste a torp.
Malaya
Enemy bombing is delaying our entry into Kuala Lumpur. We will LRCAP tomorrow.
China
A bombardment attack reveals 3 HQ units and 5 fresh corps in the Sinyang Kessel. We will begin attacks on these doomed troops soon, then take Nanyang.
Other
A new crop of ACMs is converted today in Osaka and sent out to maintain minefields. We still have a few minefields in Formosa that are not 100% ACM'd, so to speak. Unfortunately, we are out of the small xAKLs (To'sus IIRC) we've been converting. What to do?
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Jan 13, 1942
Subs
I-162 sinks xAKL Belawan near Bandjermasin (this base and Babelthingy really challenge my Western sense of spelling [:)]). I-123 is DC'd at night but rallies in the day phase to torpedo xAK African Prince near Toboali. Quite a prize. We're not sure we got her with one hit, but did hear unaccounted for "sinking sounds" in a later phase in the turn. Banzai!
SE Fleet
Analysis: Operation LP. Cribtop HQ has ordered a study of Op LP as this is the first op that has a realistic chance to be opposed by enemy fleet carriers.
Initial plans called for a standard chain invasion as follows: 1) Split off transports carrying an Air HQ, 2 paratrooper SNLF and a base force to unload at Rabaul; 2) Split off a small base force to unload at Madang; 3) Chain invasion of bases in the following order - Lae, Buna, Milne Bay, Port Moresby. At the time Milne Bay is taken, one of the paratroop units will seize Terapo. The 2nd paratroop unit and the South Seas Detachment in Rabaul will serve as an operational reserve in case the PM garrison is too much for the 4th Div (which we doubt based on recon).
However, doctrine must be flexible. The Papuan Peninsula, both in history and in WitP/AE, is a very strategic and game changing bit of terrain. The land mass divides the seas in two, creating relative "safe zones" for ships on each side of the peninsula. Conversely, rounding the tip at Milne Bay in either direction exposes task forces to attack by LBA, SCTF, and CVs. Battle of the Coral Sea, anyone? While Cribtop HQ's Intel Section does not think it overly likely DSwain will intervene this early in the war, he could. If the enemy chose to contest the invasions, early landings at Lae, Buna and Milne Bay would telegraph our intent to move on PM. Meanwhile, the safer waters on our side of the peninsula and an entire air flotilla of Zeros and Netties at Rabaul provide good protection against SCTF intruding into the Solomon Sea.
Conclusion. We will send individual TFs to Madang, Lae and Buna, timed to hit after the main force invades Milne Bay. This will reduce the warning time the enemy has to react to our move on PM and in turn reduce the likelihood of CVs trashing our transports. Final operational sequencing will thus change to: 1) Unload Rabaul troops as planned originally; 2) Invade Milne Bay and Terapo (via air insertion); 3) SE Fleet, 4th Div and KB move on and invade PM while inidividual TFs invade Lae and Buna and drop the base force at Madang.
16th Army
Kudat invaded without incident. KBL sinks xAKL Tatung near Puerto Princesa. Is DSwain trying to re-supply Bataan?
Malaya
We LRCAP our troops marching on Kuala Lumpur, shooting down at least 2 Buffalo and 1 Hudson. Daily air screen shows losses for both aircraft were higher.
Other
Numerous reinforcements arrive, including 2nd Raiding Regt (headed for the DEI) and lots of large and small SNLF. We have enough troops now to occupy Baker and Canton in 4th Fleet AO and the New Hebrides in SE Fleet. Banzai!
Subs
I-162 sinks xAKL Belawan near Bandjermasin (this base and Babelthingy really challenge my Western sense of spelling [:)]). I-123 is DC'd at night but rallies in the day phase to torpedo xAK African Prince near Toboali. Quite a prize. We're not sure we got her with one hit, but did hear unaccounted for "sinking sounds" in a later phase in the turn. Banzai!
SE Fleet
Analysis: Operation LP. Cribtop HQ has ordered a study of Op LP as this is the first op that has a realistic chance to be opposed by enemy fleet carriers.
Initial plans called for a standard chain invasion as follows: 1) Split off transports carrying an Air HQ, 2 paratrooper SNLF and a base force to unload at Rabaul; 2) Split off a small base force to unload at Madang; 3) Chain invasion of bases in the following order - Lae, Buna, Milne Bay, Port Moresby. At the time Milne Bay is taken, one of the paratroop units will seize Terapo. The 2nd paratroop unit and the South Seas Detachment in Rabaul will serve as an operational reserve in case the PM garrison is too much for the 4th Div (which we doubt based on recon).
However, doctrine must be flexible. The Papuan Peninsula, both in history and in WitP/AE, is a very strategic and game changing bit of terrain. The land mass divides the seas in two, creating relative "safe zones" for ships on each side of the peninsula. Conversely, rounding the tip at Milne Bay in either direction exposes task forces to attack by LBA, SCTF, and CVs. Battle of the Coral Sea, anyone? While Cribtop HQ's Intel Section does not think it overly likely DSwain will intervene this early in the war, he could. If the enemy chose to contest the invasions, early landings at Lae, Buna and Milne Bay would telegraph our intent to move on PM. Meanwhile, the safer waters on our side of the peninsula and an entire air flotilla of Zeros and Netties at Rabaul provide good protection against SCTF intruding into the Solomon Sea.
Conclusion. We will send individual TFs to Madang, Lae and Buna, timed to hit after the main force invades Milne Bay. This will reduce the warning time the enemy has to react to our move on PM and in turn reduce the likelihood of CVs trashing our transports. Final operational sequencing will thus change to: 1) Unload Rabaul troops as planned originally; 2) Invade Milne Bay and Terapo (via air insertion); 3) SE Fleet, 4th Div and KB move on and invade PM while inidividual TFs invade Lae and Buna and drop the base force at Madang.
16th Army
Kudat invaded without incident. KBL sinks xAKL Tatung near Puerto Princesa. Is DSwain trying to re-supply Bataan?
Malaya
We LRCAP our troops marching on Kuala Lumpur, shooting down at least 2 Buffalo and 1 Hudson. Daily air screen shows losses for both aircraft were higher.
Other
Numerous reinforcements arrive, including 2nd Raiding Regt (headed for the DEI) and lots of large and small SNLF. We have enough troops now to occupy Baker and Canton in 4th Fleet AO and the New Hebrides in SE Fleet. Banzai!
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Jan 14, 1942
Happy San Jacinto Day to Texans everywhere! Remember the Alamo!
Subs
Nothing.
4th Fleet
We have finished unloading supplies and a base force at TB. An AG and an AKE arrive at Kwaj tomorrow.
SE Fleet
Wewak invaded. Operation LP churns south toward Rabaul. IJN subs have been vectored to serve as a picket for the move around the horn toward PM.
16th Army
PGs Tulsa and Asheville bombard Manado's airfield. Not exactly terrifying, but they do get 20+ runway hits. Kudat falls and the Operation TK fleet moves on to drop support troops at Miri and Brunei. Kuching is the big prize in this op, it will be invaded soon (Cribtop HQ has officially assigned all of Borneo to 16th Army, in case you were wondering). Elsewhere, elements of 38th and 20th Divisions move towards targets elsewhere in the eastern DEI. Cribtop HQ is a little nervous that USN CVs at least theoretically could oppose these moves. We will seize Kendari first and get the Netty umbrella moved south asap. KB will have to get over to the DEI soon to provide force protection.
14th Army
Sigint reveals an airbase marker at San Jose. On the hunch that the surviving P-40s are here, Netties and Zeros from Davao are set to Nav Atk/Airfield Atk - San Jose. We pound away at Clark, but enemy AV is still slightly going up.
Malaya
We once again LRCAP our troops advancing on Kuala Lumpur and achieve a double victory. In the air, we shoot down between 3 and 8 H81-A3s of the AVG (depending on whether you believe the combat replay or the daily losses screen) and 1 Hudson. Then all of 25th Army marches into KL at last. Deliberate attack tomorrow and hopefully we can get on to Singers quickly. Kuantan is about to be cleaned up by a recon regt.
Aerial recon confirms that an enemy cruiser force is sheltering under the CAP at Singapore. If they move even one hex north (or east depending on how you view the map) we have Netties and KBL's Kates in position to pounce.
China
A deliberate attack in the Sinyang Kessel (hex 86, 46) achieves a 3:1; casualties are 2476(26) vs 1083(6). More friendly troops arrive tomorrow, this should be finished soon. Reinforcements have almost reached Loyang and we should be able to attack there soon as well. The enemy concentration at Kukong isn't doing much, somewhat to our surprise. If anything, they seem to be creating a defensive line in the area.
Analysis: We are about to cross numerous possible "redlines" for DSwain at Kuching, at Kendari and at PM in the Pacific. What will we stir up?
Happy San Jacinto Day to Texans everywhere! Remember the Alamo!
Subs
Nothing.
4th Fleet
We have finished unloading supplies and a base force at TB. An AG and an AKE arrive at Kwaj tomorrow.
SE Fleet
Wewak invaded. Operation LP churns south toward Rabaul. IJN subs have been vectored to serve as a picket for the move around the horn toward PM.
16th Army
PGs Tulsa and Asheville bombard Manado's airfield. Not exactly terrifying, but they do get 20+ runway hits. Kudat falls and the Operation TK fleet moves on to drop support troops at Miri and Brunei. Kuching is the big prize in this op, it will be invaded soon (Cribtop HQ has officially assigned all of Borneo to 16th Army, in case you were wondering). Elsewhere, elements of 38th and 20th Divisions move towards targets elsewhere in the eastern DEI. Cribtop HQ is a little nervous that USN CVs at least theoretically could oppose these moves. We will seize Kendari first and get the Netty umbrella moved south asap. KB will have to get over to the DEI soon to provide force protection.
14th Army
Sigint reveals an airbase marker at San Jose. On the hunch that the surviving P-40s are here, Netties and Zeros from Davao are set to Nav Atk/Airfield Atk - San Jose. We pound away at Clark, but enemy AV is still slightly going up.
Malaya
We once again LRCAP our troops advancing on Kuala Lumpur and achieve a double victory. In the air, we shoot down between 3 and 8 H81-A3s of the AVG (depending on whether you believe the combat replay or the daily losses screen) and 1 Hudson. Then all of 25th Army marches into KL at last. Deliberate attack tomorrow and hopefully we can get on to Singers quickly. Kuantan is about to be cleaned up by a recon regt.
Aerial recon confirms that an enemy cruiser force is sheltering under the CAP at Singapore. If they move even one hex north (or east depending on how you view the map) we have Netties and KBL's Kates in position to pounce.
China
A deliberate attack in the Sinyang Kessel (hex 86, 46) achieves a 3:1; casualties are 2476(26) vs 1083(6). More friendly troops arrive tomorrow, this should be finished soon. Reinforcements have almost reached Loyang and we should be able to attack there soon as well. The enemy concentration at Kukong isn't doing much, somewhat to our surprise. If anything, they seem to be creating a defensive line in the area.
Analysis: We are about to cross numerous possible "redlines" for DSwain at Kuching, at Kendari and at PM in the Pacific. What will we stir up?
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Jan 15, 1942
Subs
I-123 torps and sinks xAKL Sinabang near Batavia. I-153 is hunted but not DC'd near Sinkawang. I-155 spots a large SCTF moving through the straits between Billiton and Toboali towards Batavia. This is great intel as it appears the enemy crusiers from Singers are moving towards either Java or the Makassar Strait. Whether this is in response to our Maskirovka campaign in Borneo or 25th Army's advances on Singapore, the enemy is moving away from our planned invasion of Kuching.
SE Fleet
The Op LP fleet divides into three parts: 1) Rabaul reinforcements and theater reserves; 2) Chain invasion of Lae and Buna (and a small BF for Madang); 3) Invasions of Milne Bay and PM. Wewak falls to a small base force (I love the small BFs with about 9 AV, more than enough to seize an undefended base without any assistance). Rabaul makes a level 4 airfield just in time for the big op.
16th Army
Tanjoengselor occupied. Forces unload at a Brunei and Miri and our ships from Op TK are ordered to a jump off point within range to invade Kuching on the 17th. Recon spots enemy TKs at Boela, no doubt removing fuel from the DEI. The Kendari invasion force will pass Jolo today and rendezvous with the Sulu Sea Squadron. Elsewhere, we have sent DDs and APDs from Babeldoab to Davao. They wait there to move an Air HQ to Kendari ASAP once the base falls to "torp enable" the base and thus extend the Netty umbrella to all of the eastern DEI. Ambon will be next, then Makassar and Timor.
14th Army
Our hunch partially pays off as Nettys from Davao plaster San Jose airfield. No P-40s are home but we do smash enemy recon aircraft that were sheltering here. Sweeps of Bataan are not resisted, Clark gets its daily dose of airfield bombing.
25th Army
We will begin referring to the Malaya theater as 25th Army given that we are running out of Malaya to occupy. We bomb and deliberate attack Kuala Lumpur and the base falls on the first attack. Banzai! [&o] Despite the presence of the enemy's 9th and 11th Indian divisions, 44th Indian Brigade and 2 AA units, we hit the base with 8:1 odds. One of the AA units surrenders, the rest retreat with lopsided casualties of 5207(540) vs 1227(11). Numerous AA units, base forces and construction units have been sitting on rail cars in Taiping awaiting the fall of KL. All of them will rail into the newly captured base on the 16th. We order every single fighter from Alor Star and Khota Baru, 200+ Zeros, Oscars and Nates, into Kuala Lumpur (probably 60% of the entire IJAAF's fighter complement). They will be serviced by the base forces that arrive by rail tomorrow. KL will be our air superiority base in Malaya, from which our fighters will reduce the enemy's air strength in Singapore.
If DSwain sticks to his script and launches a raid on KL's airfield tomorrow, we will be more than ready.
On to Singapore!
China
Two fresh brigades arrive in the Sinyang Kessel. We shock attack tomorrow in the hopes that one or more enemy units will surrender. Nothing can save the enemy here now, and eventual surrender of 8 LCUs will in turn doom Nanyang. Two fresh brigades are about two days out of Loyang as well, we will resume deliberate attacks on that front once they arrive.
Other
Cribtop HQ converts seven To'su PBs to ACMs to cover the ACM needs outlined several posts ago.
Subs
I-123 torps and sinks xAKL Sinabang near Batavia. I-153 is hunted but not DC'd near Sinkawang. I-155 spots a large SCTF moving through the straits between Billiton and Toboali towards Batavia. This is great intel as it appears the enemy crusiers from Singers are moving towards either Java or the Makassar Strait. Whether this is in response to our Maskirovka campaign in Borneo or 25th Army's advances on Singapore, the enemy is moving away from our planned invasion of Kuching.
SE Fleet
The Op LP fleet divides into three parts: 1) Rabaul reinforcements and theater reserves; 2) Chain invasion of Lae and Buna (and a small BF for Madang); 3) Invasions of Milne Bay and PM. Wewak falls to a small base force (I love the small BFs with about 9 AV, more than enough to seize an undefended base without any assistance). Rabaul makes a level 4 airfield just in time for the big op.
16th Army
Tanjoengselor occupied. Forces unload at a Brunei and Miri and our ships from Op TK are ordered to a jump off point within range to invade Kuching on the 17th. Recon spots enemy TKs at Boela, no doubt removing fuel from the DEI. The Kendari invasion force will pass Jolo today and rendezvous with the Sulu Sea Squadron. Elsewhere, we have sent DDs and APDs from Babeldoab to Davao. They wait there to move an Air HQ to Kendari ASAP once the base falls to "torp enable" the base and thus extend the Netty umbrella to all of the eastern DEI. Ambon will be next, then Makassar and Timor.
14th Army
Our hunch partially pays off as Nettys from Davao plaster San Jose airfield. No P-40s are home but we do smash enemy recon aircraft that were sheltering here. Sweeps of Bataan are not resisted, Clark gets its daily dose of airfield bombing.
25th Army
We will begin referring to the Malaya theater as 25th Army given that we are running out of Malaya to occupy. We bomb and deliberate attack Kuala Lumpur and the base falls on the first attack. Banzai! [&o] Despite the presence of the enemy's 9th and 11th Indian divisions, 44th Indian Brigade and 2 AA units, we hit the base with 8:1 odds. One of the AA units surrenders, the rest retreat with lopsided casualties of 5207(540) vs 1227(11). Numerous AA units, base forces and construction units have been sitting on rail cars in Taiping awaiting the fall of KL. All of them will rail into the newly captured base on the 16th. We order every single fighter from Alor Star and Khota Baru, 200+ Zeros, Oscars and Nates, into Kuala Lumpur (probably 60% of the entire IJAAF's fighter complement). They will be serviced by the base forces that arrive by rail tomorrow. KL will be our air superiority base in Malaya, from which our fighters will reduce the enemy's air strength in Singapore.
If DSwain sticks to his script and launches a raid on KL's airfield tomorrow, we will be more than ready.
On to Singapore!China
Two fresh brigades arrive in the Sinyang Kessel. We shock attack tomorrow in the hopes that one or more enemy units will surrender. Nothing can save the enemy here now, and eventual surrender of 8 LCUs will in turn doom Nanyang. Two fresh brigades are about two days out of Loyang as well, we will resume deliberate attacks on that front once they arrive.
Other
Cribtop HQ converts seven To'su PBs to ACMs to cover the ACM needs outlined several posts ago.
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Jan 15, 1942 Strategic Analysis
Friendly Situation
In general, we are on schedule in most AOs, with the main exception being 14th Army, where the siege of Clark/Bataan looks to take quite some time. At present, the three squadrons of Southern Fleet and the one squadron of SE Fleet, together with KB and KBL, have proven more than adequate to the task. Availability of friendly LCUs and terrain are the main limiting factors in our advances so far. We have experienced some difficulty with upgrading search and fighter assets in the 4th Fleet, SE Fleet and 16th Army AOs due to lack of available level 7 airfields.
The economy is doing very well so far. We will need oil from the DEI but we are not yet feeling the pinch. Zeros and Oscars are rolling off the assembly lines at a good clip. Shoho was brought into service early and Junyo will arrive soon.
Enemy Situation & Intentions
In warfare, it is dangerous to assume you know what the enemy is thinking. However, so far Cribtop HQ's initial read of DSwain's intentions have proven accurate. The enemy prefers mass to penny packets, particularly in employment of air and naval assets. He is willing to sacrifice LCUs in delaying actions (see Taiping and Kuala Lumpur), but even in ground actions he seems to prefer concentration (see evacuation of bases like Tarakan and Rabaul and concentration of units at bases such as Port Moresby, Balikpapan and Ambon).
We have moved pretty aggresively to close up with the enemy on all fronts. So far, in the Pacific we have swung and hit air, while the enemy is mounting a defense that gets stronger the further West one looks on the map. For example, the only defended base in SE Fleet AO we have found so far is PM. Conversely, the enemy is concentrating as much as possible in the DEI and Malaya and appears to have reinforced Burma.
It is easy to overgeneralize, but it seems DSwain is defending the British colonies more fervently than the average Allied player while doing less in the Pacific than average. This was predicted early on by Cribtop HQ given that DSwain is English, but how far will this trend go? Sigint reveals some evidence of convoy arrivals in Pearl, Canton and Noumea, so the enemy is not literally ignoring the Pacific. However, he has committed the vast majority of observed air power and naval strength to a line that runs West of Darwin. We must assume that the defense of Australia has a relatively high priority. Is it possible that the enemy is moving substantial reinforcements the "long way" through the Eastern US/Capetown/India? Does DSwain plan to fight a war based in the British Raj? This assumption is considered too extreme by the majority of staff officers in Cribtop HQ, but at a minimum it is safe to say that the enemy's operational mass is concentrated farther West than most players.
This leads to thoughts on where the enemy's carrier forces are most likely to put in their first appearance. The realistic options are raids on the Marshalls, resistance in the Coral Sea (Cribtop HQ's preferred option), the DEI or the Indian Ocean. We really have no useful intel on this point (which is good play by DSwain as the location of Allied CVs is a vital piece of the intel puzzle), so all we can do is guess. Based on pure speculation and the enemy's observed tendencies to date, the most likely spot for the CVs, in order of likelihood, are the DEI and the Coral Sea. It is also possible that the CVs will simply loiter at PH or the US West Coast to keep them as a fleet in being. If the enemy intervenes in the DEI tomorrow, he could wreak havoc as KBL is not strong enough to stop four USN CVs and 1 UK CVL. This argues for moving KB into the DEI soon, but before or after we seize the New Hebrides?
Desired Endstate
The desired endstate remains conquest of the SRA and occupation of the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, Burma and NW Oz.
DSwain's "western-centric" Allied approach could prove interesting, but also problematic. Our war plan is predicated on a conservative Phase I and limited Phase II advances because this is my first AE PBEM. Other AARs have shown the relative weakness of the Japanese position in AE vis a vis WitP, and this has only made us more cautious. We hoped to move the enemy's interest away from the DEI/Timor axis and into the SE Fleet AO, with further hope for a favorable CV battle here in 1942. If the enemy stubbornly looks to the Indian Ocean and Oz, these plans may fail simply because the enemy refuses to dance to our jig.
For now, however, we will stay the course, as occupation of New Guinea is essential to any plan. However, this reality may cause us to re-evaluate the desirability of seizing New Caledonia and may influence our decision on where to send KB after completion of Operation LP.
Dispositions and Execution
We will carefully monitor 25th Army's advance on Singapore. If the enemy has substantially reinforced the position, we could get bogged down in a theater that we need to close out. Recon of Singapore does not reveal an abnormally large garrison in place, however, so we believe that Singers will fall on schedule.
Burma's defenses may prove too tough for just 15th Army's two divisions to handle, particularly given the minimal IJAAF assets available. We will shift Imperial Guards Div and armor currently tied up in Malaya to Burma asap after the capture of Singapore.
China is going very well indeed. We should complete the conquest of the northern plains by Feb. 15. Better yet, these conquests will have significantly eroded the fighting power of the KMT's armies. We do not underestimate the enemy's potential to counter attack in the south, but his window of opportunity is narrowing quickly at this point as significant reinforcements arrive there by the beginning of February.
Friendly Situation
In general, we are on schedule in most AOs, with the main exception being 14th Army, where the siege of Clark/Bataan looks to take quite some time. At present, the three squadrons of Southern Fleet and the one squadron of SE Fleet, together with KB and KBL, have proven more than adequate to the task. Availability of friendly LCUs and terrain are the main limiting factors in our advances so far. We have experienced some difficulty with upgrading search and fighter assets in the 4th Fleet, SE Fleet and 16th Army AOs due to lack of available level 7 airfields.
The economy is doing very well so far. We will need oil from the DEI but we are not yet feeling the pinch. Zeros and Oscars are rolling off the assembly lines at a good clip. Shoho was brought into service early and Junyo will arrive soon.
Enemy Situation & Intentions
In warfare, it is dangerous to assume you know what the enemy is thinking. However, so far Cribtop HQ's initial read of DSwain's intentions have proven accurate. The enemy prefers mass to penny packets, particularly in employment of air and naval assets. He is willing to sacrifice LCUs in delaying actions (see Taiping and Kuala Lumpur), but even in ground actions he seems to prefer concentration (see evacuation of bases like Tarakan and Rabaul and concentration of units at bases such as Port Moresby, Balikpapan and Ambon).
We have moved pretty aggresively to close up with the enemy on all fronts. So far, in the Pacific we have swung and hit air, while the enemy is mounting a defense that gets stronger the further West one looks on the map. For example, the only defended base in SE Fleet AO we have found so far is PM. Conversely, the enemy is concentrating as much as possible in the DEI and Malaya and appears to have reinforced Burma.
It is easy to overgeneralize, but it seems DSwain is defending the British colonies more fervently than the average Allied player while doing less in the Pacific than average. This was predicted early on by Cribtop HQ given that DSwain is English, but how far will this trend go? Sigint reveals some evidence of convoy arrivals in Pearl, Canton and Noumea, so the enemy is not literally ignoring the Pacific. However, he has committed the vast majority of observed air power and naval strength to a line that runs West of Darwin. We must assume that the defense of Australia has a relatively high priority. Is it possible that the enemy is moving substantial reinforcements the "long way" through the Eastern US/Capetown/India? Does DSwain plan to fight a war based in the British Raj? This assumption is considered too extreme by the majority of staff officers in Cribtop HQ, but at a minimum it is safe to say that the enemy's operational mass is concentrated farther West than most players.
This leads to thoughts on where the enemy's carrier forces are most likely to put in their first appearance. The realistic options are raids on the Marshalls, resistance in the Coral Sea (Cribtop HQ's preferred option), the DEI or the Indian Ocean. We really have no useful intel on this point (which is good play by DSwain as the location of Allied CVs is a vital piece of the intel puzzle), so all we can do is guess. Based on pure speculation and the enemy's observed tendencies to date, the most likely spot for the CVs, in order of likelihood, are the DEI and the Coral Sea. It is also possible that the CVs will simply loiter at PH or the US West Coast to keep them as a fleet in being. If the enemy intervenes in the DEI tomorrow, he could wreak havoc as KBL is not strong enough to stop four USN CVs and 1 UK CVL. This argues for moving KB into the DEI soon, but before or after we seize the New Hebrides?
Desired Endstate
The desired endstate remains conquest of the SRA and occupation of the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, Burma and NW Oz.
DSwain's "western-centric" Allied approach could prove interesting, but also problematic. Our war plan is predicated on a conservative Phase I and limited Phase II advances because this is my first AE PBEM. Other AARs have shown the relative weakness of the Japanese position in AE vis a vis WitP, and this has only made us more cautious. We hoped to move the enemy's interest away from the DEI/Timor axis and into the SE Fleet AO, with further hope for a favorable CV battle here in 1942. If the enemy stubbornly looks to the Indian Ocean and Oz, these plans may fail simply because the enemy refuses to dance to our jig.
For now, however, we will stay the course, as occupation of New Guinea is essential to any plan. However, this reality may cause us to re-evaluate the desirability of seizing New Caledonia and may influence our decision on where to send KB after completion of Operation LP.
Dispositions and Execution
We will carefully monitor 25th Army's advance on Singapore. If the enemy has substantially reinforced the position, we could get bogged down in a theater that we need to close out. Recon of Singapore does not reveal an abnormally large garrison in place, however, so we believe that Singers will fall on schedule.
Burma's defenses may prove too tough for just 15th Army's two divisions to handle, particularly given the minimal IJAAF assets available. We will shift Imperial Guards Div and armor currently tied up in Malaya to Burma asap after the capture of Singapore.
China is going very well indeed. We should complete the conquest of the northern plains by Feb. 15. Better yet, these conquests will have significantly eroded the fighting power of the KMT's armies. We do not underestimate the enemy's potential to counter attack in the south, but his window of opportunity is narrowing quickly at this point as significant reinforcements arrive there by the beginning of February.
RE: Basejumping the Learning Cliff - Cribtop(J) v DSwain(A) No DSwain Pls
Jan 16, 1942
A good day for our subs but a bad day for our air force.
Subs
Our elite sub I-155 torps xAKL Anakan and guns xAKL Compagnia Filipinas near Toboali. Both sink. I-165 sinks xAK Wing Sang near Muntok. I-24 torpedoes xAK Centaur near Cairns (sinking not immediately confirmed but we did hear unexplained "sinking noises" later in the replay). DD Scout tries to depth charge I-155, but her crack skipper evades contact and no charges are even dropped. Banzai to I-155! [&o]
SE Fleet
The Op LP fleet has unloaded reinforcements at Rabaul and divides into four TFs, one each for Madang, Lae, Buna and Milne Bay/Port Moresby. KB, Netties, SE Fleet and an ASW TF are sheparding the Milne Bay/PM invasion fleet. Milne Bay and Lae will be invaded tomorrow. This should be interesting.
16th Army
2/3rds of 38th Div will be diverted to Cotabato. They will move with other elements already on Mindanao to reduce Cagayan. Next these two brigades will seize Makassar and Koepang. Cribtop HQ doesn't want to undertake the latter Ops until KBL is back from Operation TK, leaving time to employ the troops at Cagayan. The final brigade of 38th Div continues on towards Kendari, whose capture will allow us to extend the LBA umbrella to cover Timor.
We LRCAP Manado with a Hikotai of Zeros as we are tired of the Hudsons trashing the place.
Yesterday, the Op TK fleet moved into attack position. Today we invade Kuching. We are bringing lots of toys to the party just in case DSwain's surface assets show up - Siam and China Sea Sqdns, an LCTF, an MSW TF and an ASW TF. KBL is covering from a few hexes out. Subs patrol the approches from Batavia and Singapore. Finally, our capture of Kuala Lumpur and the attack on Kuching happening nearly simultaneously mean that the enemy will either have to pick one target or divide his available air force, which is heavily concentrated at Singers.
25th Army
And now, the bad news. We struggled with the decision of whether to LRCAP Kuala Lumpur while our support troops railed in or to jump straight in and 100% CAP the base knowing the support elements wouldn't arrive until the ground movement phase. We chose the latter course and it was the wrong move. As predicted, DSwain sent 12 B-17s, escorted by AVG and Buffaloes. Out of 215 fighters in the base, only a little more than 20 are in the air. Although we savage the Buffalo escort, the bombers easily get through and destroy several fighters on the ground. The daily losses screen indicate 10 Nate and 7 Oscar killed on the field - fortunately actual losses were lower than this. Still, this round goes to the enemy. [:(]
Despite this experience, AA units, base forces and construction assets have railed into KL, and 3rd Air Division will arrive tomorrow or the next day. If DSwain comes again we will be ready. Another AE lesson learned - in WitP we would have gotten away with the unsupported fighters, but in this version of the game we do not. The AE approach is more realistic and we will adjust our doctrine accordingly. Luckily the price for this particular lesson was not too steep.
China
Shock attack in the Sinyang Kessel nets 5:1 odds, casualties 5395(304) to 724(5) in our favor. We will continue with deliberate attacks and air raids each day until the Chinese surrender. Cribtop HQ expects several enemy LCUs to begin surrendering with tomorrow's attack as the current attack reduced them to 0 AV in the replay.
Other
We grudingly convert the Ida factory to produce Babs. We hoped to get by with existing stocks and conversion of Sentai/Daitai to Dinahs, but not all Babs units can upgrade to Dinahs and we are out of Babs in the pool.
A good day for our subs but a bad day for our air force.
Subs
Our elite sub I-155 torps xAKL Anakan and guns xAKL Compagnia Filipinas near Toboali. Both sink. I-165 sinks xAK Wing Sang near Muntok. I-24 torpedoes xAK Centaur near Cairns (sinking not immediately confirmed but we did hear unexplained "sinking noises" later in the replay). DD Scout tries to depth charge I-155, but her crack skipper evades contact and no charges are even dropped. Banzai to I-155! [&o]
SE Fleet
The Op LP fleet has unloaded reinforcements at Rabaul and divides into four TFs, one each for Madang, Lae, Buna and Milne Bay/Port Moresby. KB, Netties, SE Fleet and an ASW TF are sheparding the Milne Bay/PM invasion fleet. Milne Bay and Lae will be invaded tomorrow. This should be interesting.
16th Army
2/3rds of 38th Div will be diverted to Cotabato. They will move with other elements already on Mindanao to reduce Cagayan. Next these two brigades will seize Makassar and Koepang. Cribtop HQ doesn't want to undertake the latter Ops until KBL is back from Operation TK, leaving time to employ the troops at Cagayan. The final brigade of 38th Div continues on towards Kendari, whose capture will allow us to extend the LBA umbrella to cover Timor.
We LRCAP Manado with a Hikotai of Zeros as we are tired of the Hudsons trashing the place.
Yesterday, the Op TK fleet moved into attack position. Today we invade Kuching. We are bringing lots of toys to the party just in case DSwain's surface assets show up - Siam and China Sea Sqdns, an LCTF, an MSW TF and an ASW TF. KBL is covering from a few hexes out. Subs patrol the approches from Batavia and Singapore. Finally, our capture of Kuala Lumpur and the attack on Kuching happening nearly simultaneously mean that the enemy will either have to pick one target or divide his available air force, which is heavily concentrated at Singers.
25th Army
And now, the bad news. We struggled with the decision of whether to LRCAP Kuala Lumpur while our support troops railed in or to jump straight in and 100% CAP the base knowing the support elements wouldn't arrive until the ground movement phase. We chose the latter course and it was the wrong move. As predicted, DSwain sent 12 B-17s, escorted by AVG and Buffaloes. Out of 215 fighters in the base, only a little more than 20 are in the air. Although we savage the Buffalo escort, the bombers easily get through and destroy several fighters on the ground. The daily losses screen indicate 10 Nate and 7 Oscar killed on the field - fortunately actual losses were lower than this. Still, this round goes to the enemy. [:(]
Despite this experience, AA units, base forces and construction assets have railed into KL, and 3rd Air Division will arrive tomorrow or the next day. If DSwain comes again we will be ready. Another AE lesson learned - in WitP we would have gotten away with the unsupported fighters, but in this version of the game we do not. The AE approach is more realistic and we will adjust our doctrine accordingly. Luckily the price for this particular lesson was not too steep.
China
Shock attack in the Sinyang Kessel nets 5:1 odds, casualties 5395(304) to 724(5) in our favor. We will continue with deliberate attacks and air raids each day until the Chinese surrender. Cribtop HQ expects several enemy LCUs to begin surrendering with tomorrow's attack as the current attack reduced them to 0 AV in the replay.
Other
We grudingly convert the Ida factory to produce Babs. We hoped to get by with existing stocks and conversion of Sentai/Daitai to Dinahs, but not all Babs units can upgrade to Dinahs and we are out of Babs in the pool.