AEHGP2 Traskott (A) vs. Seydlitz (J) Japanese side AAR

[seydlitz_slith]

part 2. These are sinkings only. I also track damaging attacks but chose not to display them this time around.

I must be hurting his troop transport and tanker capacity.

[seydlitz_slith]

ORIGINAL: offenseman

Your sub campaign reminds me of the German "Happy Time" when the U-Boats returned to port with a lot of fuel but no torps. Excellent work.

That is how I feel about it also. I keep wanting to call it "Operation Drumbeat" but that is decidely un-oriental.

Coincidentally, this is the same time that Drumbeat was going on on the Atlantic coast. Had Japan been this successful off the California coast at the same time, FDR would have been fit to be tied.

Funny thing is that I haven't seen any of the Canadian Corvettes after my little sweep with the Kido Butai. I don't know what he did with them but they were the only effective escorts that he seemed to have at this point.

[offenseman]

Paukenschlag indeed.   

I think you are right.  Two coasts with a lot of shipping going down would have hurt the war effort a lot; the east coast was on the edge regardless. The Germans were doing the IJN a favor had they only recognized it, they might have been able to capitalize. Well that and the sub doctrine they operated under. 

[janh]

Indeed, one can only be impressed by your skillful use of subs and raiders.  Your opponent must be pulling out his hairs by now.  These losses will probably hurt him in the mid-run badly and delay the Allied counter-invasions.

[DTurtle]

What does the situation in the SRA look like?

[seydlitz_slith]

I will try to post a screenie of the SRA in my next update.

I am about to enter Singapore. I could have entered already but I held my troops up for several turns in Johore so that I could consolidate the two large forces into one. He has already pulled his planes out and is preparing for his last stand.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: janh

You really perform naval warfare "in depth".  If your opponent doesn't start moving ASW and covering forces back to his home waters, he will keep loosing ships at a quick rate.  And any ships and planes he moves to defend his backwaters won't be involved in frontline actions...  He must be faced with a dilemma at this point in war...

Yeah, the Allies just do not have enough assets to cover everything for the first half of 1942. You just have to protect the most valuable and take your lumps with the lesser stuff. However, he won't lose the war by losing some AK and AP to subs. Warships and tankers need protection. After June when SCs start to arrive things get better.

[Rob Brennan UK]

EEK ! ..

[seydlitz_slith]

Double post

[seydlitz_slith]

Turn 77 21 February, 1942

A force of ANZAC cruisers turned up out of nowhere and shelled Tarawa in the middle of the night. Why? I have no idea. I am sure that it was impressive reading on the front page of the Australian newspapers the next morning, but the attack did essentially nothing. My total damage as 1 port hit and 9 casualties. These casualties occurred when one of the first salvos hit the base latrine, and the occupants got the sh[:-]t blown out of them.

Other than that, I am sure that he burned a lot of fuel and ammo conducting this raid for nothing.

In the meantime, Kaga and Akagi began their attacks on Perth harbor, sinking or damaging several ships including the cruiser Houston, AV Lagley, AR Castor, AD Blackhawk, and AS Platypus. No planes were lost.

[seydlitz_slith]

Turn 78 22 February, 1942

The only thing significant this turn was that the Kaga and Akagi continued to strike Perth and escaping shipping in the immediate area.

However, I did promise a screenie of the SRA, so here it is. There is a huge stack of units in Johore that are moving into Singapore. They should arrive in about 10 turns since they are moving in combat mode.

[seydlitz_slith]

Turn 79 23 February, 1942

Another quiet turn. The main action being my continued carrier air attacks on Perth and now including Geraldstown.

[seydlitz_slith]

Turn 80 24 February, 1942

Another turn where the only real action was my continued air attacks on Perth. My replenishment task force has successfully rounded Tasmania and is well into the southern ocean. I must now decide whether I want to continue up the western Australian coast, maybe hitting Java on the way out, or if I want to exit via the Bass Strait, hitting Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane on my way out. I still have a good number of bomb sorties left on both carriers and it has crossed my mind that if I bomb the repair yards on my trip out that it might hurt him for quite a while by reducing his ability to repair damaged ships in theater.

[DTurtle]

When does the invasion of Java/Sumatra start?

[seydlitz_slith]

ORIGINAL: DTurtle

When does the invasion of Java/Sumatra start?

Probably late March to early April. I am a patient and conservative player.

[seydlitz_slith]

Turn 81 25 February, 1942

My carriers continued to bomb Perth this turn, putting a few more bombs into the Cruiser Houston.

[seydlitz_slith]

Off Soerbaja, I-155 shelled the small freighter Latouche, setting her ablaze from stem to stern.

[seydlitz_slith]

Northeast of Oahu, I-23 put three torpedoes into the large freighter Forbes Hauptmann, sinking her.

[seydlitz_slith]

Turn 82 26 February, 1942

My ground forces finally crossed over into Singapore city and the struggle for that great port has now began.
We inflicted more casualties than we took, but the fort level is at 4 so the combat crossing has left my ground forces both fatigued and disrupted. With a beach head established in the city, I shall have the artillery bombard while my troops recover fatigue and disruption from the crossing.

[seydlitz_slith]

Off the California coast, I-28 puts a fish into the Canadian corvette New Westminster, sinking her.
This is great because the corvettes are his best ASW units.