The 'A Rising Sun Always Sets' AAR - Allies Campaign

[gwgardner]

1 Feb 42

US status:

Guadalcanal has fallen. Both the garrison and the bomber group were taken. It was an unsustainable position, since my convoys always failed.

[I think historical hindsight led me to put troops there before I was ready to hold it. It's only Feb 42. I have to be more cautious.]

That leaves one mech division in Australia, 3 mech div in Hawaii, and the rest of my army and navy is on the West Coast licking its wounds or in training.

By the way, my sub fleet is down to one sub. I'm building more, but the first will be available in 18 weeks.

Last turn I invested 150PPs in sub tech. The rest of my PPs since the beginning of the game have gone to repairs and reinforcements/upgrades, three subs, 1 strat move point, and some transports. With War Economy at only 50% right now, the US is no juggernaut ... yet. That darned Europe First strategy is just not right!

[gwgardner]

UK: Recon shows no major Japanese naval presence near India, so I sortied the British fleet out of Colombo into the Bay of Bengal. From there the Hermes launched air strikes against a small enemy task force in the Andaman Sea. Hits against two Japanese cruisers.

Farther south, at least one Japanese carrier is lurking south of Sumatra. I'm just hoping it's not laying in wait for just such an opportunity as I've presented by sending the Hermes out to sea. On the other hand, if the Japanese want to move into Indian waters, the Royal Air Force is waiting, even at reduced strength.

Meanwhile, the position holds in Singapore, notwithstanding a failure of supply convoys to make it through the Java Sea. In Burma, if I can hold out another few turns, I'll have enough infantry reinforcements to stabilize the situation. I think.

[gwgardner]

9 Feb 42

The Japanese offensives in China have yielded huge chunks of territory to the enemy, but relatively little in the way of PPs. Now finally, I am starting to stabalize a front, in Shanxi and Sichuan provinces.

Without the unrest in the Japanese held parts of China, however, there would be no hope. Huge numbers of Japanese troops are relegated to the role of garrison forces.

[gwgardner]

In Burma, a joint Siamese and Japanese offensive has broken through my thin defenses north of Rangoon. But that city will not fall without a protracted fight. Farther north I have a strong line in defense of the Mandalay region, and given one more week, I will be able to bring in newly arrived troops off ships from the Suez, to shore up defenses along the coast.

[gwgardner]

Throughout Dutch East India, and in Malaya, my forces continue to hold off the enemy. However heavy fighting on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur completely shattered the garrison there, and I am forced to pull units from farther north into direct defense of the city. The movement leaves the issue in doubt, and it is expected that the city will be taken by the Japanese within the week.

[gwgardner]

Mid March 42

The Enterprise and Yorktown, with their own escort, are covering for troop transports to the Aleutians. After spotting a Japanese Task Force to the south, reported to have at least one carrier with it, orders were given to do a long-range strike. Yorktown pilots reported two hits against a carrier they identified as the Shoho.

All hands are preparing for the expected counter-strike.

[gwgardner]

Late March

As I feared, the enemy rushed more carriers into range of my TF in the Aleutians, but I only took a couple of hits on my carriers. Before high-tailing out of there, we struck back and did 3 hits on the Zuikaku and one on the Akagi. We have ended the turn with a division on Attu, and my carriers back on the North Coast of the US. Will the enemy follow us back, now that he knows where we are?

If he starts lurking around up north, I'll have to send a heavy patrol up to the Aleutians to try to take out his subs, and it would give my hapless air force something to do besides guard the West Coast.

The US is still only at 60% War Economy, so the gears are ratcheted up yet. I still have not built a single air unit or naval unit other than transports and subs. I have invested twice in naval tech, once in sub tech, and once in air tech. I can't see ever investing in armor.

[gwgardner]

In Burma the Japanese parachuted into Mandalay, forcing HQ to order a general fall back. There's a chance I can retake the city.

Trouble is, the enemy has brought up an incredibly powerful level 2 infantry corps that can smash any line I set up at will. That corps is currently involved in the taking of Rangoon, but is expected up north in the following weeks.

The UK has no resources to research infantry tech, and practically begging the US for more lend-lease, but nothing is forthcoming for the Pacific theater.

[gwgardner]

April 24 42

I decided to try my hand at raiding, now that the Hornet has joined the Pacific Fleet. With all three carriers, a seaplane tender, and multiple escorts , I headed out to the Cook Islands where I spotted a lone Japanese CA raider.

I hit it, one hit from three carriers.

Of course that alerted the Japanese, and as I figured, they had a patrol out. The Chitose and Mizuho struck at my TF, doing three hits damage on my carriers.

Before parting these waters, I made a parting shot at that CA - one more hit, but two sorties were intercepted by the waiting Japanese carriers (which were too far away for me to target), and my carrier aircraft took two more hits.

End result over two weeks of air-sea battles? I took 5 hits damage, and dealt 2.

[gwgardner]

Mid May 42

US: In repair mode, getting the fleet back up to 100%. Two bomber groups are in Australia, and succeeded in driving away a light Japanese patrol TF that had been lurking in the Coral Sea. I have two carriers now being built up, along with a steady stream of new subs that will start to enter the fleet in 3 weeks, about one new sub every week after that. And two bomber groups.

UK: Singapore finally surrendered in late April. The line in Burma holds, against a relentless hammering by two strong Japanese corps. The enemy has enough strength to disrupt the line, but not to completely break it right now. The RN is patrolling the Bay of Bengal, and the Japanese have withdrawn the light patrol they had established in the Andaman Sea. That's something of a mystery, since the Hermes is only a light carrier. If the IJN sends in even one carrier, the RN will be in danger.

[I think the game needs an off-map haven for the RN. As it is now, the Japanese can completely wipe the RN out.]

Australia: An attempt to invest Townsville failed due to a weak supply line north from Brisbane. So the Japanese still hold out there. Their position does little overt good for them, other than denying the Australians a base for air ops.

RoC: Much the same story as with the British in Burma. The Japanese are pushing, pushing, relentless, all along the front. One major success - combined Yunnan and RoC force laid siege to the steel center in Yunnan, which the Japanese had taken and held with a lone division that drove north from Siam. Taking that steel center from the enemy cost him a 10% loss of War Economy.

[gwgardner]

June 9 42

The Battle of the Line Islands!

A US carrier raid worked out well for a change. After getting the Hornet into the Pacific Fleet, and repairing and refitting all ships, my 3 carrier TF headed out to Hawaiian waters. We spotted a Japanese sub with long-range recon. Each of the carriers sent out precision attack planes, to no avail. The sub slipped away.

Having given away our position, we expected one of the Japanese carrier patrols - that seems to be Razz's tactic, posting small TFs across the oceans, waiting for me - to pounce. Sure enough, the Kaga group steamed near to the Line Islands, and launched an attack which made hits on the Yorktown and 4 escort ships.

My entire carrier fleet counter-attacked, with the following result!

[gwgardner]

While waiting for production and deployment of more forces, the few remaining US assets have been dispatched to Australia, where US bombers comprise the entirety of the Aussie air defense. As a result, Japanese patrols have fled the Coral Sea.

I can't position a bomber group near Darwin because of supply issues. I'm unwilling to run a convoy to Darwin, being certain that the enemy will hit it hard all along the way.

[gwgardner]

Few remaining US assets, indeed, but look what is in the pipeline:

[gwgardner]

Research however still nags me. It's going achingly slowly. I'm still reluctant however to invest more, until the next level is reached. I think right now I need to concentrate on quantity, not quality.

But what if I'm wrong?

[gwgardner]

Now the bad news:

The IJN finally got smart and hit the Royal Navy hard. My patrol in the Bay of Bengal was a sitting duck. two patrol groups lost, and many hits on other ships, including the Hermes.

My counter-attack failed, when recon from the Hermes failed to spot any Japanese ships.

[gwgardner]

July 24 42

Battle of the South Pacific

In a bold move of the entire US carrier force to a new base of operations in Australia, an engagement in the South Pacific with the Japanese carrier Chiyoda took place.

More training is obviously required, and more experience, because air strikes from all four US carriers were repeatedly intercepted and turned back, with loss, by the Chiyoda. The enemy carrier only took two hits during the extended engagement. US losses 4, Japanese 2.

The US is basing bomber and naval forces in both the northern and southern extremeties of the Japanese reach. Two bomber groups are stationed in the Aleutians, where they have been in repeated engagements against enemy subs. Another bomber group stationed in New Zealand is attempting to deny those waters to Japanese raiders.

In Burma and China, the Japanese have made incremental progress, but are a long way from having enough strength to completely break Allied lines. However, the RoC has flown its entire, ravaged, air force out of the hinterland into safe bases in northern India, hoping to have time to rebuild strength.

The Royal Air Force and Navy are having little success, and taking losses. The RN is down to 2 battle groups, 4 patrol groups, and 1 light carrier.

[gwgardner]

Aug 1 42

Battle of the South Pacific continued

I'm beginning to devine Razz's tactic. Unfortunately all my learning has been the hard way. He has posted his carriers individually in separate sea zones. When I show up and strike one of them, he has four or five in range to swarm against me.

This is what happened in the second round of the Battle of the South Pacific, in which five of his carriers counter-attacked, sinking several US ships, including the Hornet. My other three carriers are at less than half strength and are limping into Sidney harbor, hoping not to be spotted till they get there.

Every one of my interception attempts was a failure, as was my own land-based counter-attack out of New Georgia.

It must be a factor of tech level, because his carriers are much more powerful than mine. And my land-based bombers never hit anything.