Historical AE. Cantona2 (A) vs Fletcher (J)

[cantona2]

JCS General Marshall has authorised the following, initial troop movements from the West Coast:

161st Infantry Regiment from San Francisco to Christmas Island as standing garrison.
C Det USN Port Service from San Diego to Christmas Island to service the port there.
112th USA Base Force from San Francisco to Christmas Island.
111th USN Base Force from San Francisco to Christmas Island.
B Det USN Port Service from Seattle to Adak Island.
31st Pursuit Group (P-39d) from San Francisco to New Caledonia and Fiji.
804th Engineer Aviation Battalion from Pearl Harbour to Adak Island.
113th USAAF Base Force from Los Angeles to Palmyra.
205th Cst AA Regiment from Los Angeles to Christmas Island.
8th Marine Regiment from San Diego to Noumea.
2nd Marine Defence Batallion from San Diego to Pago-Pago.
I US Amphibious Corps from San Diego to Christmas Island.
101st USN Base Force from San Diego to Efate.
110th USA Base Force from San Diego to Efate.

[Grit]

ORIGINAL: cantona2

JCS General Marshall has authorised the following, initial troop movements from the West Coast:

161st Infantry Regiment from San Francisco to Christmas Island as standing garrison.
C Det USN Port Service from San Diego to Christmas Island to service the port there.
112th USA Base Force from San Francisco to Christmas Island.
111th USN Base Force from San Francisco to Christmas Island.
B Det USN Port Service from Seattle to Adak Island.
31st Pursuit Group (P-39d) from San Francisco to New Caledonia and Fiji.
804th Engineer Aviation Battalion from Pearl Harbour to Adak Island.
113th USAAF Base Force from Los Angeles to Palmyra.
205th Cst AA Regiment from Los Angeles to Christmas Island.
8th Marine Regiment from San Diego to Noumea.
2nd Marine Defence Batallion from San Diego to Pago-Pago.
I US Amphibious Corps from San Diego to Christmas Island.
101st USN Base Force from San Diego to Efate.
110th USA Base Force from San Diego to Efate.

This gives me a really good idea of what I need to concentrate on.

In my game against the computer the AI will shortly take Wake. I haven't done anything to stop them. Too scared to get involved at this point. Should I reinforce Midway or wait to see what happens?

Thanks

[CarnageINC]

Following yours and Fletchers AAR's, thanks guys for doing a double! [;)]

[cantona2]

Thanks Carnage, I hope to be as informative as possible

[cantona2]

Synopsis Turn 3

The Battle for Luzon is well and truly on with Vigan and Appari occupied by the Japanese. Clark Field was subject to intensive air attack today. Over 30 US fighters flew CAP against the intial raid and shot down a couple of A6M2s, but despite only suffering 1 loss no more CAP missions were flown as the incessant raids shot what was left of pilot morale. The Japanese will soon have air superority over Luzon. Clark was moderately damaged.

Mindanao has also come under attack with a landing at Butuan and a mass of enemy shipping spotted moving south from Leyte, heading Cagayan! The Japanese task forces were successfully attacked by the SS Permit that hit a transport off Butuan, the Japanese ship was later observed burning profusely and heading due east by Catalinas of VP-101 flying from Cagayan. Enemy light carriers were once again spotted off Jolo Island and submarines will try to intercept for a third time.

Further north, 34th PS (P-35A) tried to attack the blockading destroyers off Manila but failed to achieve any hits. The B-10s of 10th BS PAAC also attacked and missed the Japanese ships. A Catalina from VP-102 (Bataan) reported hiting a Sendai class cruiser off Vigan. Marauding Japanese surface units sunk two transports that had made thier getaway from Hong Kong.

Allied submarines were able to hit several enemy ships today. Durch submarines have stumbled upon the Japanese shipping lanes into Kota Bahru and Singora from IndoChina. The SS O-19 sunk a fuel laden transport to the south of Saigon while the SS KXIII was shadowing a convoy leaving Kota Bahru, heading East. IJN submarines were once again busy around Singapore but the ASW measures institued yesterday seem to have had some effect. The 'V' Class destroyer, Vendetta, escorting a mine layer back to Singapore after a mission to Kuching, reported attacking a submerged enemy vessel off Tandjoengpinang, while a Vildebeeste from No 100 RAF Squadron reported a bomb hit on a submarine due SW of Singpaore. SIGINT has detected shipping orders detailing movements to Brunei and Miri. A brace of Dutch submarines patrolling the South China Sea have been deployed south to try and intercept.

Around Pearl Harbour the absence of enemy carrier forces has started a hive of activity. The dry docks are awash with damaged ships. The remaining battleships are being patched up pierside before sailing back to San Francisco, while the small vessels are going to be repaired at Pearl. Light transports will respond to the calls of resupply from Midawy, Wake and Johnston Island. P-40Bs from 47th Pursuit Squadron have been crated and shipped off to Canton Island under escort. ANZAC Command reported a loss of contact with the Wren Battalion on Nauru Island. This now makes Makin, Tarawa and Nauru Island in the Central Pacific. Reinforcements are being rushed to the area in case Japanese expansion continues. The troop deployments detailed yesterday are mostly already at sea. West Coast air units are putting a maximum effort to search the sea lanes for enemy submarines.

[cantona2]

Dutch submarines inside enemy shipping lanes.

[cantona2]

The interlaced web of naval search planes off the main West Coast ports. The protection of the intial reinforcement convoys is a priority!

[cantona2]

Mindanao situation, with location of invasion task forces, Baby KB and my submarines. Well done the Perch, despite the faulty fish!

[cantona2]

Shipping losses today

[cantona2]

Is there anything in particular anyone wants to know, just ask.

[cantona2]

Synopsis Turn 4

24 hour delay due to a power supply failure on my main gaming machine but now the war is back on track.

A relatively quiet turn that is characterised by the bad aim shown by Dutch submarine captains off Singora. No less than three transports were missed but one hit was scored on the Brazil Maru, while an escort was sunk off Saigon. Rich picking grounds indeed, if only aim was better.

Enemy carriers have been spotted to the north west of Midway, on a north westerly heading. It is assumed that the main carrier force that struck Pearl on the 7th has rendevoused with its oilers, refuelled and is heading home. The Lexington has been called back from its shadowing of the enemy replenishment force and has been directed to Pearl to meet the Enterprise.

Contact has been lost with the tanker Gulfdawn to the north of Suva. She was enroute to Los Angeles to become a fuel convoy ship from the US to Australia but her absence indicates enemy submarine presence in the vicinity of the Fijian Islands. Search efforts will scour the ocean.

21st NZ Engineer Company has began to load on transports in Auckland, destination Noumea. An intial reinforcment to start fortifying this important link in the Australia-US chain. Some of the original forces intended for Suva have also been diverted to Noumea and the 7th NZ Infantry Regiment has also started to plan for a garrisoning of Noumea at a later date. In San Diego the I Amphibious Corps has also started to load up on its transport, destination Christmas Island. This island will become the first waypoint in the supply chain and the I Amphibious is to coordinate shipping and troop movements in the area. The importance of this mission is evident as the CV Saratoga has been tasked to provide air and ASW cover for the transport.

In the East China Sea, the US Pacific Sub fleet is deploying into its combat patrol areas having run the gauntlet of ASW forces to the south of Formosa. It is hoped that they can inifiltrate the commerce and shipping lanes of the Japanese Home Islands and force the enemy to deploy air and naval assets here rather than at the front!

[CarnageINC]

Hi Cantona, I have a question on your fighter morale at PI, has Fletcher been pounding your airbases still and are you flying CAP at what percent?  Thanks [;)]

[cantona2]

ORIGINAL: CarnageINC

Hi Cantona, I have a question on your fighter morale at PI, has Fletcher been pounding your airbases still and are you flying CAP at what percent?  Thanks [;)]

Hi Carnage.

I have three effective fighter squadrons left:

3rd PS at Iba, flying LRCAP 90%, range 1, morale 61 (P-40e)
20th PS at Clark, flying CAP 100%. range 0, morale 50 (P-40b)
1th PS at Bataan, resting, morale 30 (P-40e)

Fletcher has not really started punding my AF's yet though clark has been subject to a couple of heavy raids. I assume the weather over Formosa must be very bad or he has been capping his transports and not wanted to risk unescorted raids, one unescorted shipping strike cost him four Nells. he has got Appari and Vigan so i assume the attrition of my fighters will begin in earnest. The P-35s I have on naval attack and over three days have achieved the grand total of 0 hits! but i guess they'll will do a better job at that than being cannon fodder for Zeroes!

[CarnageINC]

Thanks for sharing the info [8D]

[cantona2]

Situation around Luzon, 12-12-41

[cantona2]

Focus on the Philippines.

Like in our previous game fletcher has gone in hard and early for Mindanao with a three pronged attack. Surigao, Cagayan and Davao. Support has come from a light CVL. I have evaced the B-17s. I had misread out HR's and I thought I couldnt move them but the two squadrons at Cagayan are now at Singapore and Bailkpapan respectively. He also appears to have repeated his gambit of landing to the rear of the Manila position at Mauban. For two days I ave been tracking an incoming TF and three subs lie in wait at the approaches to Mauban. In our last match he also landed at Lingayen and suffered heavily from the CD guns there, I doubt he will repeat this again but he is most welcome to try! He also made a landing at  Batangas in our last game, no indication of this happening yet.

[cantona2]

ORIGINAL: CarnageINC

Thanks for sharing the info [8D]

My pleasure

[cantona2]

Pearl Harbour raiders scurry back home!

[cantona2]

Ships sunk last turn

[cantona2]

Synopsis Turn 5

Chalk one up for the Silent Service with strikes all over the main battle areas. Shipping was once again hit in the Kota Bharu-IndoChina shipping lanes. The luckiest sub today was the SS Shark that despite faulty torpedoes hit two separate ships from the same convoy with three fish! My hunch on Mauban was correct and the SS S-39 heavily damaged a transport unloading there.

Japanese troops continue to come ahsore on Luzon, Mindanao and now on Sarawak, Borneo and Northern New Guinea with contact lost with Hollandia and Aitape.

A japanese submarine was spotted far to the north east of Pearl Harbour, raising the fear that enemy subs are in the main West Coast-Pearl shipping lanes. All Christmas Island bound task forces have thus been ordered to take a longer route via Palmyra rather than a straight hop to Pearl in the hope of avoiding any submarines. Nevertheless, 8 destroyers and small craft have been orgainsed in Pearl Harbour as an immediate fast response ASW sqaudron.

Manila port installations were hit by 50 enemy bombers. Credit to the USAAF and PAAF as they rose to meet nearly 50 A6M2s escorting. 4 enemy planes were lost for 7 of our own. Enough was done to rattle the enemy bombers however, as despite the noise and flames only two ships were hit and one bomb hit seen to explode on one of the quays. The presence of enemy troops at Mauban, however, is a more pressing and immediate worry. 51st PA Infantry Division has been ordered to move to Mauban from Lucena.

Stringbags, a deragatory term for the FAA biplanes. Stringbags they may be but they already have a kill to thier na,e. Two Vildebeestes from Hong Kong sunk a ship, later identified as the APD Hagi. Three direct bomb hits were scored and the pilots had a visual on the ship going down. This timely boost, however, was tempered by the presence of Japanese troops on the main island. Once again the AVG fought in the skies over Hong Kong downing several enemy Ki-48 type bombers.

The light carrier force in the Celebes Sea sunk a submarine service vessel that was refuelling at Tarakan. Great disappointment was expressed at the timidity shown by the Dutch fighter pilots flying CAP as they shrunk away from attacking an unescorted flight of slow, torpedo bombers.