The screenshot below, taken one turn earlier, demostrates the current situation in New Guinea-Solomons theatre. So far, there was no meaningful attempts to counter the airborne Allied advances around Lae, only a small sweep over Finschhafen. My troops are hastily fortifying their position, in case the counterattack did not happen yet only because Michael, being a careful player intents to prepare it well. Of course, I intend to demonstrate soon enough, that not counterattacking and letting Allied conquests be is not much of an option for him. For that purpose I'm preparing a new operation at New Guinea. Let's name it Operation Stronghold.
Operation Stronghold.
Look at the map above - Nadzab has an excellent airfield potential, hasn't it? Getting a lot of engineers and air support there, so I can create a 4E airfield safe from pesky naval bombardments and capable of reducing Japanese defenses across most of New Guinea, and New Britain as well is the main goal of Operation Stronghold. Of course, this requires taking Lae. I have an US Cavalry Rgt with preparation for Lae, and, combined with the withering effect of 4E ground attacks, this should be enough. The bigger question is whether my fighter airstrips all over the area can provide sufficient aircover for the invasion convoy. Attempts to run fast resupply convoys so far met no air attacks, but when a mass of Allied ships is noticed, an all-out attack can be expected. I'll delay the operation until both Finschafen and Salamaua have Size 2 AFs and can support LRCAP missions. Also, before the operation SWPac HQ and more air support will be moved to PM, and PM will be subordinated to SWPac, to make air operations go as smoothly as possible. PM also will be uses as a staging area for the invasion, in the hope that Michael will try a preemptive strike.
First of all, I must note, that there is a big celebration amond USAAF fighter crews all across the Pacific, as deliveries of the P-40K model to frontline units began in September. It features improvements in many areas, most importantly range and high-altitude maneurability and probably is the best version of Warhawk ever available. With replacement rate of 75/month, it will form the backbone of USAAF fighter force for the next year. Hopefully, its superior armament and durability can offset Tojo's speed, MVR and ceiling advantage in fighter-on-fighter combat, and as a bomber killer it is superior without doubt.
On that note, Allied aviation clearly provided far better ground support to the troops over the last month. Japanese, on the other hand, do not regularly fly bomber missions, except in China and against Allied pockets in DEI anymore. The difference in bomber survivability is very great. Less so when British bombers are concerned, as these die to Tojos reasonably easily. But American Fortresses, Liberators, Mitchells and even Marauders definitely can fly missions against heavy CAP without having entire units knocked out in a single day. Much unlike Japanese bombers, which get obliterated apart every time they come into contact with solid CAP and often take heavy losses even against small groups of Allied fighters. Against tough targets, like airfields, that require repeated raids, American bomber survivability still is not enough to win the day, particularly because there are so few of them now, and I really cannot afford major bomber losses.
However, against ships, the picture is different. Stopping a skipbombing raid before it reaches its target is very hard. And the unit responsible is likely to mostly live to fight another day. The picture might be very different against major warships with their powerful flak batteries (and of course, battleships are impenetrable to skipbombers' ordnance), but transports, APDs and so on are fish homes if they wander into skipbombers range.
Betties, of course, are more lethal when they hit, and definitely capable of easily sinking major warships. They have harder time scoring against DDs/APDs, though. And of course, they die really easily. You really don't want them to sortie against relatively low-value targets that might have fighter cover. While they are a better weapon against major enemy battlegroups or massive invasion convoys (at this point), for isolating bases on day-to-day basis and chasing off resupply TFs, I'll take Mitchells most of the time.
Of course, I might be overestimating their effectiveness. It is possible, that Japanese convoys, particularly fast transports, are slipping to Madang and Gazmata undetected by my Catalinas. We'll only know for sure later.
On the morning of 3rd of September, Japanese soldiers climbed from their trenches for the final assault. By the evening, starved Allied troops used up their last shells and the ABDA command surrendered to Gen. Yamashita:
Ground combat at Soerabaja (56,104)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 69761 troops, 861 guns, 414 vehicles, Assault Value = 2168
Defending force 34455 troops, 543 guns, 285 vehicles, Assault Value = 856
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 2
Japanese adjusted assault: 2503
Allied adjusted defense: 448
Japanese assault odds: 5 to 1 (fort level 2)
Japanese ground losses:
2455 casualties reported
Squads: 11 destroyed, 143 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 174 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Guns lost 1 (0 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Vehicles lost 7 (0 destroyed, 7 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
64284 casualties reported
Squads: 1905 destroyed, 614 disabled
Non Combat: 4841 destroyed, 1492 disabled
Engineers: 262 destroyed, 22 disabled
Guns lost 1295 (1233 destroyed, 62 disabled)
Vehicles lost 461 (422 destroyed, 39 disabled)
Units destroyed 34
Assaulting units:
66th Infantry Group
48th Division
38th Division
16th Division
56th Division
2nd Division
25th Army
2nd Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
9th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
23rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
10th RF Gun Battalion
1st Medium Field Artillery Regiment
8th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
15th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
11th RF Gun Battalion
9th Base Force
Defending units:
1st KNIL Regiment
SE Borneo KNIL Battalion
1st Regt Cavalerie
2nd KNIL Landstorm Battalion
Zuid KNIL Battalion
6th KNIL Regiment
7th Australian Division
VI KNIL Battalion
Samarinda KNIL Battalion
4th KNIL Regiment
Tjilatjap KNIL Battalion
Mobiele Eenheid Battalion
2nd KNIL Regiment
Roodenburg Battalion
Barisan KNIL Regiment
3rd KNIL Landstorm Battalion
Marinier Battalion
Afdeling Ritman
Artilleriecommando Coastal Gun Battalion
Sparrow Battalion
Semarang Base Force
Loemafjang Base Force
Banjoewangi Base Force
Djojakarta Base Force
MLD
1st KNIL AA Battalion
KNIL Army Command
ML-KNIL
Soerabaja Base Force
ABDA
Tjilitap Base Force
3rd KNIL AA Battalion
Commandement Marine
2 ML-KNIL Aviation
Madion Base Force
223 Group RAF
Batavia Base Force
Malang Base Force
As you can see, many of the units that fought all over DEI ended up surrendering in Soerabaja. I've saved a fragment from 7th Australian Division, but it might take half a year to rebuild.
First in the Japapese Waters.
Meanwhile, our small destroyer group found a big, fat convoy south of Okinawa. Unfortunately, as it happened, Michael protects his convoys rather well. Maybe it was a returning troop convoy:
Day Time Surface Combat, near Daito Shoto at 97,73, Range 14,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
PG Tatsuda
DD Hatsushima, Shell hits 1
PB Eiko Maru #2, Shell hits 5
xAK Tokati Maru, Shell hits 10, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Toyotu Maru, Shell hits 2, on fire
xAK Zyunyo Maru, Shell hits 12, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Zinzan Maru, Shell hits 2
xAK Daigen Maru
xAK Kinkasan Maru, Shell hits 4, on fire
xAK Taibun Maru, Shell hits 2
xAK Seizan Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire
xAK Ryuun Maru
xAK Ryoka Maru
DD Arashikaru, Shell hits 1
Allied Ships
DD Cushing, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Hull, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD MacDonough, Shell hits 5, on fire
DD Worden, Shell hits 5, on fire
Poor visibility due to Rain
Maximum visibility in Rain: 15,000 yards
Range closes to 24,000 yards...
CONTACT: Allies radar detects Japanese task force at 24,000 yards
Range closes to 22,000 yards...
CONTACT: Allies radar detects Japanese task force at 22,000 yards
Range closes to 20,000 yards...
Range closes to 18,000 yards...
Range closes to 16,000 yards...
Range closes to 14,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 14,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 14,000 yards
Burke, Arleigh A. crosses the 'T'
Both Japanese destroyers were brand sparking new. And despite being tied by slow transports, they gave much better than they got. While both of heavily damaged xAKs probably sank, of my ships only Cushing is likely to escape. Others had their speed reduced, formed an Escort TF and attempted to get to the Chinese coast, so they are still stuck not far from the place of battle. Any interception effort is likely to do them in.
South Pacific Troubles.
A Japanese TF based around BB Sagami visited Finschhafen and wrecked it. I need to place my sub pickets more carefully. Also, now that nearly the entire Pacific Fleet operates in SWPac, fuel levels are dropping dangerously. Thankfully, Allies still have some tankers to spare and can ramp up their fuel-hauling efforts using their surplus of long-ranged xAKs too.
Not much happened since the last post. Cushing was intercepted by an 1 BB/1 DD Japanese TF, clearly improvised for the purpose of hunting my raiders, but got away. Also, it seems, that only some units were withdrawn from Pegu, likely to be rebuilt after heavy losses. As Japanese now freed five more divisions, that will be available after a short rest, if Michael wants Burma, he is likely to have it. I'm pondering the virtues of orderly retreat towards India.
Meanwhile, let's present:
The statistics for the nine months of the war:
Note, thar air-to-air losses since the last month are about equal. A good sympthom for Allies, particularly since their aviation launched a lot of attacks during this month. Overall VPs, though, took a major hit, thanks to the loss of Soerabaja and troops there.
Note how Tojos are already even with Oscars in A2A losses, reflecting increasing intensity of air combat. Or, maybe, my opponent now uses IJAAF fighter force more boldly.
BB Tosa is revealed to be still in service. #$%@!!! I really believed that one mine, two torpedoes and over forty shell hits over three days brought her down. As a side note, Japanese mines seem rather weak in this game. I once had a DD rammming one and only having its speed reduced to 3 hexes. Allied ones are, maybe somewhat better and can reasonably kill subs or utterly cripple destroyer-size warships, but looks like they are still inefficient against anything larger.
Otherwise, not much new in the list, just a pair of Japanese subchasers and a xAK on Allied side (a sub attack in Indian Ocean). Hopefully, ships torched recently in Japanese waters will be added to it one day.
Allied ground losses:
64284 casualties reported
Squads: 1905 destroyed, 614 disabled
Non Combat: 4841 destroyed, 1492 disabled
Engineers: 262 destroyed, 22 disabled
Guns lost 1295 (1233 destroyed, 62 disabled)
Vehicles lost 461 (422 destroyed, 39 disabled)
Units destroyed 34
Funny how many more troops were casualties than were actually fighting. Still, holding out until September 1942 is impressive. Did the engineers managed to significantly damage the facilities at Soerbaja before they surrendered?
Civil war? What does that mean? Is there any foreign war? Isn't every war fought between men, between brothers?
ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock
Funny how many more troops were casualties than were actually fighting. Still, holding out until September 1942 is impressive. Did the engineers managed to significantly damage the facilities at Soerbaja before they surrendered?
Forgot to check. Finding if the facility destruction is triggered by withdrawal from hex or by surrender as well might be important.
I don't intend to storm the heart of DEI in foreseeable future. I'd prefer gradual advance under LBA cover, to compensate for fleet losses in the early game. And Michael badly needed a little break on the oil front, as all of the other major oil centers in DEI were significantly damaged.
Anyway:
September 7-12
Operation Arrow update
Daly Waters happened to be garrizoned by 2/3rds of 4th Division and brought up to level 4 forts. They repelled my armor push. A siege in this situation would be problematic, because armored units are vulnerable to aviation, and I don't have an adequate airfield from which to provide cover. I'm inclined to call off the operation.
Operation Stronghold update
Troops unloaded at Lae without meeting any resistance in the air or on the ground, but a lot of vehicles and guns were disabled in the process. Now it's the time to get out of there. Hopefully we'll be able to do so. Two turns before that my destroyers had bombarded Gazmata. I forgot to order them to retreat, so in the day phase they endured over 100 Netty sorties without taking a single torpedo hit. The damage to the airfield was slim, but Japanese planes abandoned it after that. Michael also doesn't seem to be running any airsearches over the Allied-controlled part of New Guinea now, but why I don't know.
In other news, another Chinese attempt to storm Chengchow has failed, and it looks like my destroyers stand a chance of getting away with their raid after all. Cushing ran to Wake for fuel, refueled the rest of them at sea, and now all four are on the way back to Wake.
This game still goes on, just not very actively. Not many events on the fronts as well. Allied troops took Lae against no resistance, and pursuing 112th Cavalry is about to take Nadzab. I pulled my armor from Daly Waters. A large loaded Japanese tanker was torpedoed around Batan Island. Raiding destroyers had escaped from Central Pacific safely. 5 Allied carriers are at Suva, making routine repairs in preparation for a landing at southern Gilberts. The rest accumulated significant amounts damage and are retreating to Pearl so it can be fixed. I've also recalled 3 old battleships from South Pacific to upgrade them. No offensive activity from Japanese surface assets or aviation anywhere.
Meanwhile, Chinese are about to launch a large attack in the south, with forces massing in Kukong. I don't expect much from it, though.
Those four days were marked by the heaviest air fighting over New Guinea to date. The combat replay once again decided to not have anything in common with things that actually happened, so it's hard to discern all details, but apparently the first two days of fighting, when Allied aviation was concentrated on striking airfields at Madang and Hansa Bay were a resounding Japanese defeat (at the hands of almost 90 4E bombers (most now flying from Port Moresby) and three Lightning airgroups), and the second two days, when I switched most bombers on naval attack were a draw in terms of aircraft losses.
Japanese, meanwhile, launched multiple airstrikes against Allied convoys, carrying a stream of reinforcements to Lae as a part of Operation Stronghold. Those involved large masses of fighters but few attack planes (mostly D3A2s with a bit of Nells on the last day). Allied fighters from Lae, Finschhafen, Salamaua, Buna and Port Moresby took significant losses repelling those strikes, but prevented damage to the fleet, save for one glancing bomb hit on CL Helena. Allied bombers set to naval attacks on the third and fourth days (meant to pound Japanese SCTFs if these decide to seek battle, or at least damaged stragglers after a night combat - unloading at Lae is currently covered by numerous DDs and a few CLs, so IJN must bring heavy units to interfere) sortied to Wewak and Munda. At Wewak a squadron of Dauntlesses flew without escorts and took heavy losses, but dealt fatal damage to vehicles-loaded xAK Igasa Maru (later finished by skipbombing Mitchells), while at Munda B-17s scored a single non-threatening hit on another xAK.
Overall, these were satisfying days for Allies, with strong resemblance to RL fighting in Solomons. Japanese still were able to deal some stinging blows (overall losses were around 65 aircraft for Allies and 80-85 for Japanese), but superiority of Allied strike aicraft and their airfield network around the nexes where most of the fighting took place carried the day. Pilot losses were relatively slim as well.
Even better, the concentration of forces in Lae proceeds successfully. Once the Nadzab airfield is built up, Japanese bases on the New Guinea coast up to and including Wewak will be rendered untenable. Hansa Bay and Madang are relatively well-developed, but don't seem to have enough flak and engineers to stand against massed 4E attacks even now. Soon enough I plan to have over 110 Fortresses and Liberators in SWPac. And, of course, Allied fighters will be brought to bear against them too. Wewak is underdeveloped now, with only a level 2 airfield.
China Theatre
An army of over 6000 AV is massed at Kukong, ready to march on Kanhsien, which seems to be lightly held. I won't let Michael to just forget about China and I will (again) punish Japanese troops for ceding initiative and inadequate recon. While I doubt that this offensive might have deep consequences, I hope to defeat some more units, thus contributing to attrition. And if Japanese continue leaving their aviation elsewhere (it seems to be busy training now, because there were relatively few air attacks anywhere recently), it actually might develop into a significant breakthrough
On October 4 of 1942, Michael decided to throw the towel. Since my last post, not much new happened, except new air and sea battles around Lae, which cost Allies 2 DDs and 2 large xAKs, but failed to prevent reinforcements from unloading, new Allied air raids that shut down Madang and Gazmata with ease (with over 120 4E sorties per day and fighter sweeps), and the battle of Kanhsien, where Chinese inflicted heavy casualties on Japanese and dropped the forts from 4 to 1, but failed to take the city due to exhausting their supplies.
Michael's stated reason was disastrous fuel situation that prevented a major Japanese counterattack. After looking at his side of the equation I found that yes, while Home Islands (except for Hokkaido) were still supplied with enough fuel to keep industry running and Japanese still had a stockpile of HI points, Truk and Kwajalein had piddly reserves (over 3k and over 6k, respectively), while forward bases, including Rabaul, had none. Overall fuel reserves were slightly above 1 million tons, with about 2.7 millions tons of oil. I, personally, don't think that the situation was so hopeless as to warrant a surrender, but I won't begrudge Michael for his decision. Nothing good comes from continuing the games that are no longer fun and just steamrolling Japanese that can't resist much would have been no fun for me as well.
Japanese warship losses were really, really light at this point. Only 3 CLs got sunk and overall shipping losses were mere 208 ships (by comparison, as of early March of 1942 in my Reluctant Admiral mod game, I lost 105 ships). My naval tactics clearly sucked!
I'll post more statistical data about the endgame later, if anyone is interested. For now, here is the grand map on the end of October 6:
