June 21, 1942 -
There was no Night Action again this turn. I've got subs where I see Japanese TF marks, but my subs don't see the Japanese.
Daylight brought a lot of Recon flights from both sides again, but the only bombing attack came as US and British bombers flew out of Dacca under the clouds and attacked the Airfields at Mandalay again.
The first run consisted of 12 Forts that were met by 12 Oscars. The Forts blasted past the Oscars, shooting down one, damaging another half dozen in the air, and destroying another Oscar on the ground while hitting the Air Base and Runways. Then 9 Wellingtons flew in against another 12 Oscars. Five more Oscars were damaged in the Air and two more destroyed on the Ground and the Air Base and Runways were hit again, but one Wellington Squadron was hit hard by flak.
The end result was a total of 8 Oscars destroyed, but the Allies lost a handful of Wellingtons and a few B-17s. My leading “near-Ace”, R.B Pockstader, with 4 Kills in 4Es, was killed when his B-17E was lost. So my on-and-off Bombing Campaign of Mandalay has been successful in the sense of destroying Oscars and discouraging my opponent from basing too many planes at Mandalay, but my use of Low Altitude Bombing Runs has been moderately costly.
But I'm not discouraged, and next turn the Big British Wellington Squadron that didn't take part in the Air Raids on Mandalay today is being ordered to take a run at the Japanese troops at Myikyina.
The only Japanese Air Action was a Sweep by 8 Oscars over the Chinese troops that are south of Sian. I guess that my opponent figured that I might be setting Chinese Fighters on LR CAP over the Chinese troops, but I'm still resting my Chinese Fighter Squadrons.
The End of the Day was quiet as my opponent refrained from any Ground Attacks. As I suspected, he is having some difficulties keeping his Troops in Myitkyina in Supply. And as he sends more LCUs forward he will find that problem will grow.
Last Stand at San Diego (no Richard please)
Moderators: wdolson, MOD_War-in-the-Pacific-Admirals-Edition
Troop Hunting
June 22, 1942 -
The Night Phase was quiet again, except for USS Dolphin being chased unsuccessfully by a couple of SCs near Toyohara.
Daylight brought Oscar Sweeps again over the Chinese troops on the road south from Sian. I presume that my opponent is trying to guess when I'll send Chinese Fighters back into the Air over those troops. But I'm having trouble getting the Chinese H-81s and P-43s repaired, so there isn't anything for the Oscars to find.
My opponent finally realized that I was up to something at Kolaka in the Celebes and send 48 (!) Lilies to hit the small Dutch Straggler unit that has been holed up there since it was kicked out of Kendari months and months ago. The Lilies weren't able to hit the target despite being at Low Altitude.
Then some Sallys, Lilies and Oscars flew in to hit Tennant Creek for the first time in several days. I then set up a potential Surprise for next turn in case my opponent decides to get back to his more usual daily bombing raids of Tennant Creek.
That was It for the Morning, but in the Afternoon the Wellington Squadron from Dacca flew in to hit the Japanese troops at Myikyina. Two Oscars were on High Alt LR CAP, so it took them some time to get down to the Wellingtons which were on a Low Alt Run. The Wellingtons blasted past the Oscars and hit the Japanese 33rd Division reasonably well.
Then the Japanese troops at Myitkyina attempted a Deliberate Attack. They only achieved a 1:3 result (perhaps thanks a bit to the bombing run) although the Forts were reduced from Level 1 to Level 0. The Japanese troops also took twice as many casualties as the British forces.
And Finally, a Japanese Recon Regiment easily kicked the Dutch Stragglers out of Kaloka. I suspect that the Dutch survived the attack because I had dropped off Supplies before taking out the Base Force. Now I've got that Dutch unit marching through the Jungle again towards another unoccupied base. If it makes it, I'll send in more Supplies via Sub again.
For next turn I've ordered the B-17s at Dacca to fly against the troops at Myitkyina while the Wellingtons rest. I expect my opponent to put more Fighters on LR CAP over Myitkyina and the Forts ought to hold up better.
However, I'm not ignoring Mandalay, and I've got a Surprise scheduled to fly in next turn just to see if I can shake up the Japanese Air Force a bit.
BTW – the British troops at Myitkyina rebuilt the Forts back up to Level 1 at the end of the Day, so things aren't getting any easier for the Japanese.
The Night Phase was quiet again, except for USS Dolphin being chased unsuccessfully by a couple of SCs near Toyohara.
Daylight brought Oscar Sweeps again over the Chinese troops on the road south from Sian. I presume that my opponent is trying to guess when I'll send Chinese Fighters back into the Air over those troops. But I'm having trouble getting the Chinese H-81s and P-43s repaired, so there isn't anything for the Oscars to find.
My opponent finally realized that I was up to something at Kolaka in the Celebes and send 48 (!) Lilies to hit the small Dutch Straggler unit that has been holed up there since it was kicked out of Kendari months and months ago. The Lilies weren't able to hit the target despite being at Low Altitude.
Then some Sallys, Lilies and Oscars flew in to hit Tennant Creek for the first time in several days. I then set up a potential Surprise for next turn in case my opponent decides to get back to his more usual daily bombing raids of Tennant Creek.
That was It for the Morning, but in the Afternoon the Wellington Squadron from Dacca flew in to hit the Japanese troops at Myikyina. Two Oscars were on High Alt LR CAP, so it took them some time to get down to the Wellingtons which were on a Low Alt Run. The Wellingtons blasted past the Oscars and hit the Japanese 33rd Division reasonably well.
Then the Japanese troops at Myitkyina attempted a Deliberate Attack. They only achieved a 1:3 result (perhaps thanks a bit to the bombing run) although the Forts were reduced from Level 1 to Level 0. The Japanese troops also took twice as many casualties as the British forces.
And Finally, a Japanese Recon Regiment easily kicked the Dutch Stragglers out of Kaloka. I suspect that the Dutch survived the attack because I had dropped off Supplies before taking out the Base Force. Now I've got that Dutch unit marching through the Jungle again towards another unoccupied base. If it makes it, I'll send in more Supplies via Sub again.
For next turn I've ordered the B-17s at Dacca to fly against the troops at Myitkyina while the Wellingtons rest. I expect my opponent to put more Fighters on LR CAP over Myitkyina and the Forts ought to hold up better.
However, I'm not ignoring Mandalay, and I've got a Surprise scheduled to fly in next turn just to see if I can shake up the Japanese Air Force a bit.
BTW – the British troops at Myitkyina rebuilt the Forts back up to Level 1 at the end of the Day, so things aren't getting any easier for the Japanese.
A Grumpy Turn
June 23, 1942 -
The Night Phase went back to being totally quiet again as my subs once more couldn't find any targets.
Daylight brought Japanese bombers hitting the Dutch stragglers outside of Kolaka, but no other Japanese Air Attacks flew. This meant that my “surprise” at Tennant Creek had nothing to “surprise”, and instead I lost three P-38s to Operational damage for nothing. This was the start of a “grumpy” Air Phase for me.
My other “Surprise” - a planned P-38 Hi Alt Sweep of Mandalay – didn't fly, so while I didn't lose any planes there to Ops, I didn't get to fight it out with the Japanese planes at Mandalay either.
And finally, 10 B-17Es flew from Dacca to Myitkyina and were met by 4 Oscars. The Forts flew past the Oscars but they couldn't find their target on the Ground. Since the Forts didn't take any losses or damage, and their Fatigue is still low, I'm sending them right back out again next turn. I'm also sending the Lightnings back to Mandalay and also sending out a number of Hurricane Squadrons to Sweep over various Japanese LCUs in the region, just in case my opponent is using his Fighters to fly LR CAP over other LCUs as well as those at Myitkyina.
The Ground Phase brought an unexpected back-to-back Deliberate Attack by the Japanese troops at Myitkyina. Once again the Japanese got a 1:3 result and reduced the Fortifications from Level 1 to Level 0. This time the casualties on both sides were relatively even, perhaps because the Forts missed their target. But the Brits rebuilt the Fortifications back up to Level 1, so we'll see how things go next turn.
The Night Phase went back to being totally quiet again as my subs once more couldn't find any targets.
Daylight brought Japanese bombers hitting the Dutch stragglers outside of Kolaka, but no other Japanese Air Attacks flew. This meant that my “surprise” at Tennant Creek had nothing to “surprise”, and instead I lost three P-38s to Operational damage for nothing. This was the start of a “grumpy” Air Phase for me.
My other “Surprise” - a planned P-38 Hi Alt Sweep of Mandalay – didn't fly, so while I didn't lose any planes there to Ops, I didn't get to fight it out with the Japanese planes at Mandalay either.
And finally, 10 B-17Es flew from Dacca to Myitkyina and were met by 4 Oscars. The Forts flew past the Oscars but they couldn't find their target on the Ground. Since the Forts didn't take any losses or damage, and their Fatigue is still low, I'm sending them right back out again next turn. I'm also sending the Lightnings back to Mandalay and also sending out a number of Hurricane Squadrons to Sweep over various Japanese LCUs in the region, just in case my opponent is using his Fighters to fly LR CAP over other LCUs as well as those at Myitkyina.
The Ground Phase brought an unexpected back-to-back Deliberate Attack by the Japanese troops at Myitkyina. Once again the Japanese got a 1:3 result and reduced the Fortifications from Level 1 to Level 0. This time the casualties on both sides were relatively even, perhaps because the Forts missed their target. But the Brits rebuilt the Fortifications back up to Level 1, so we'll see how things go next turn.
Air Wars Over Burma
June 24, 1942 -
There was no Night Action again this turn. I'm wondering if my sub captains have started to trade for sake with the Japanese Transport ship captains and that's why I see subs in the same hexes as Japanese TFs, but there are no attacks.
Daylight brought out the Allied Far East Air Force, but a lot of the planned action ended up to be shadow boxing. Things started out well as a full British Hurricane Squadron swept Katha and caught a lone Oscar on CAP. The Oscar was shot down and the Brits went home feeling like Heroes.
Next 9 Oscars swept in on Myitkyina and faced 5 Hurricanes that wandered in on Leaking CAP. The Oscars returned the favor for Katha and shot down one Hurricanes with no losses to themselves.
This was then followed up by a big Japanese Air Attack on Myitkyina that had 45 Sallys escorted by 18 Oscars. Only one Hurricane was on Leaking CAP and its pilot wisely ran for cover. The bombers hit the Air Fields but not the British troops, which is fine with me.
The Allies got back into actionas a squadron of Blenheims hit the Japanese Infantry Regiment that is sitting in the Jungle just across the River from Kalemyo. Strangely enough the Blenheims were escorted by soem Fulmars which chose this time to fly in from their backwater base. I'm only glad that there weren't any Oscars on CAP over that Regiment.
Then the Main Action came as 7 B-17s hit the 33rd Infantry Division in Myitkyina. There was no Japanese CAP, but the bombers had difficulty in the Rain and didn't do a lot of damage to the Japanese Troops. Then the other B-17 squadron flew in, once again with no opposition, but they weren't even able to hit their target.
At this point I was about to give up on my planned Sweeps of Mandalay when 25 P-38s flew in at Max Alt against 14 Oscars. The P-38s shot down 3 Oscars before the rest of the Japanese planes fled the scene. One P-38 was lost. Then a full Hurricane squadron flew in and faced one lone Oscar. In this case the Oscar pilot realized his situation quickly and flew off to safety.
All-in-all, the Day's Action wasn't as good as I had hoped that it might be, but in the end the Japanese lost around 10 Oscars while the Allies only lost a couple of fighters. So I'm planning to try something similar again next turn, but with the Big Bombers heading back to Mandalay, more fighters Sweeping Mandalay, and Blenheims will get the job of hitting the Japanese troops in Myitkyina.
There was one other Air Attack this turn – as luck would have it, the Japanese flew against Tennant Creek this turn, and of course, my P-38s were sitting this one out. But now I've got an Air HQ in Alice Springs, so the P-38s are being repaired more quickly and will try their luck over Tennant Creek again next turn.
BTW – there were no Ground Attacks this turn. I guess that my opponent is resting up his troops at Myitkyina.
Finally, the Upcoming Big News is that the Australian 6th Division ought to dock at Adelaide next turn.
There was no Night Action again this turn. I'm wondering if my sub captains have started to trade for sake with the Japanese Transport ship captains and that's why I see subs in the same hexes as Japanese TFs, but there are no attacks.
Daylight brought out the Allied Far East Air Force, but a lot of the planned action ended up to be shadow boxing. Things started out well as a full British Hurricane Squadron swept Katha and caught a lone Oscar on CAP. The Oscar was shot down and the Brits went home feeling like Heroes.
Next 9 Oscars swept in on Myitkyina and faced 5 Hurricanes that wandered in on Leaking CAP. The Oscars returned the favor for Katha and shot down one Hurricanes with no losses to themselves.
This was then followed up by a big Japanese Air Attack on Myitkyina that had 45 Sallys escorted by 18 Oscars. Only one Hurricane was on Leaking CAP and its pilot wisely ran for cover. The bombers hit the Air Fields but not the British troops, which is fine with me.
The Allies got back into actionas a squadron of Blenheims hit the Japanese Infantry Regiment that is sitting in the Jungle just across the River from Kalemyo. Strangely enough the Blenheims were escorted by soem Fulmars which chose this time to fly in from their backwater base. I'm only glad that there weren't any Oscars on CAP over that Regiment.
Then the Main Action came as 7 B-17s hit the 33rd Infantry Division in Myitkyina. There was no Japanese CAP, but the bombers had difficulty in the Rain and didn't do a lot of damage to the Japanese Troops. Then the other B-17 squadron flew in, once again with no opposition, but they weren't even able to hit their target.
At this point I was about to give up on my planned Sweeps of Mandalay when 25 P-38s flew in at Max Alt against 14 Oscars. The P-38s shot down 3 Oscars before the rest of the Japanese planes fled the scene. One P-38 was lost. Then a full Hurricane squadron flew in and faced one lone Oscar. In this case the Oscar pilot realized his situation quickly and flew off to safety.
All-in-all, the Day's Action wasn't as good as I had hoped that it might be, but in the end the Japanese lost around 10 Oscars while the Allies only lost a couple of fighters. So I'm planning to try something similar again next turn, but with the Big Bombers heading back to Mandalay, more fighters Sweeping Mandalay, and Blenheims will get the job of hitting the Japanese troops in Myitkyina.
There was one other Air Attack this turn – as luck would have it, the Japanese flew against Tennant Creek this turn, and of course, my P-38s were sitting this one out. But now I've got an Air HQ in Alice Springs, so the P-38s are being repaired more quickly and will try their luck over Tennant Creek again next turn.
BTW – there were no Ground Attacks this turn. I guess that my opponent is resting up his troops at Myitkyina.
Finally, the Upcoming Big News is that the Australian 6th Division ought to dock at Adelaide next turn.
Allied Air on the Attack!
June 25, 1942 -
A couple of Allied sub captains woke up a bit this turn during the Night Phase and actually saw a little action, although it wasn't successful action. First off, HMNS Truant was chased by a PB near Phuket. I only wish that the skipper of the sub had said to himself “Phuket” and at least tried a shot at the little Japanese escort ship. Then USS Seal shot off a bunch of torpedoes against a PB in a Tanker Transport TF near Singapore, but the torpedoes were duds.
Things were different during the Day Phase as Allied pilots decided that this was their day to shine, and so they did. First off the USMC Wildcats flew a Hi Alt Sweep over Mandalay. They were met by 11 Oscars and both sides lost one plane. Then 16 Hurricanes flew in on their Hi Alt Sweep and were met by only 4 Oscars. This Brit Squadron shot down an Oscar for no losses of their own.
Then 16 more Hurricanes Swept in and were met by 7 Oscars and 2 Nicks. The Hurricanes had no trouble with the Japanese planes and shot down another Oscar. The Brits weren't finished because 16 more Hurricanes flew in and met only 2 Oscars and 1 Nick, and the Brits shot down yet another Oscar. By the time that 23 P-38s flew in the sky was empty of Japanese CAP.
But the Allies weren't done with Mandalay because next a dozen B-17s flew in at Low Alt and hit the Airfields with no enemy opposition. An Oscar was destroyed on the Ground and Airbase Supply and the Runways were hit. Next 15 Blenheims flew in, again with no CAP in the air, and bombed the Airfields again, destroying 2 more Oscars on the Ground and hitting the Air Base, Air Supply and Runways again. Finally, 16 Wellingtons flew in and again hit the runways. Two more Oscars were destroyed on the Ground and once again all of the Air Facilities were hit.
And there was more to come. Sixteen Blenheims roared in at Low Alt and hit the Japanese besiegers at Myitkyina. There were two Oscars on LR CAP but the Blenheims blew past them and hit a Japanese Artillery Regiment.
But things weren't just busy in Indo/Burma. Allied planes flew in Australia too. First off 6 Forts and 6 Liberators hit the Airfields at Katherine at low altitude. There were 13 Oscars on CAP but the 4Es blew past them, shooting one down in the Air and damaging three more. And despite the CAP the Bombers found their target, destroying 2 more Oscars on the Ground and also a couple of Sallys. As a bonus the Air Base and Runways were hit nicely.
And in the Australian North East 20 Forts hit the Air Fields at Townsville. There were 8 Zeros on CAP but the 4Es blew past them and hit the Airbase, Air Base Supply and Runways and also destroyed three Zeros.
All-in-all, it was a good day in the Air for the Allies. Over thirty Japanese planes were destroyed, including 22 Oscars, with about half of the Oscars shot down and half destroyed on the Ground. Allied losses were a third of the Japanese losses.
Finally, to end the day the Japanese Troops at Myitkyina attempted another Deliberate attack, and once again they only achieved a 1:3 result. But this time the Fortifications weren't reduced.
BTW – what you need to understand is that I have a dozen Air Bases in the Indo/Burma border region, and three Air HQs spread amongst them. My main Airbases are in the Railine Bases, although I have Squadrons assigned to non-Rail bases too. So I am sending in multiple attacks from multiple bases, and moving back Air Units that get fatigued or lose morale and replacing them with fresh units. I've got my weaker Air Units in back bases to prevent Paradrops from cutting the Railines, and I've got plenty of troops at all of the bases too, just in case some Paratroops get past the CAP.
I've been building up this (Not a)-Defence-in-Depth for six months, so I have lots of options for Air Attacks. And Air Attacks are the Key here. I am not trying to stop the Enemy over my Air Fields – I am trying to destroy the Enemy over his Air Fields. And right now I am attacking one Enemy Air Field from a dozen friendly Air Fields. Sure, my opponent can attempt to send Long Range attacks from Rangoon, but I'll happily let him live with the Weather and Operational Losses. In the meanwhile I am flying most of my attacks from within “Normal” Air Range.
So, the question is – can I discourage my opponent from continuing to attack Myitkyina? Sure, if he continues to send in Units he will likely eventually overwhelm my troops, but for every unit he sends in the Supply Requirement increases, which means that it becomes harder to maintain his Troops at Full Supply and so his attacks are weaker. And if he moves bombers up to Mandalay they will suck up more supply too.
It will be interesting to see what he does. In China my opponent has pulled back from what he calls “Stalingrad” defences. Will he do the same here?
A couple of Allied sub captains woke up a bit this turn during the Night Phase and actually saw a little action, although it wasn't successful action. First off, HMNS Truant was chased by a PB near Phuket. I only wish that the skipper of the sub had said to himself “Phuket” and at least tried a shot at the little Japanese escort ship. Then USS Seal shot off a bunch of torpedoes against a PB in a Tanker Transport TF near Singapore, but the torpedoes were duds.
Things were different during the Day Phase as Allied pilots decided that this was their day to shine, and so they did. First off the USMC Wildcats flew a Hi Alt Sweep over Mandalay. They were met by 11 Oscars and both sides lost one plane. Then 16 Hurricanes flew in on their Hi Alt Sweep and were met by only 4 Oscars. This Brit Squadron shot down an Oscar for no losses of their own.
Then 16 more Hurricanes Swept in and were met by 7 Oscars and 2 Nicks. The Hurricanes had no trouble with the Japanese planes and shot down another Oscar. The Brits weren't finished because 16 more Hurricanes flew in and met only 2 Oscars and 1 Nick, and the Brits shot down yet another Oscar. By the time that 23 P-38s flew in the sky was empty of Japanese CAP.
But the Allies weren't done with Mandalay because next a dozen B-17s flew in at Low Alt and hit the Airfields with no enemy opposition. An Oscar was destroyed on the Ground and Airbase Supply and the Runways were hit. Next 15 Blenheims flew in, again with no CAP in the air, and bombed the Airfields again, destroying 2 more Oscars on the Ground and hitting the Air Base, Air Supply and Runways again. Finally, 16 Wellingtons flew in and again hit the runways. Two more Oscars were destroyed on the Ground and once again all of the Air Facilities were hit.
And there was more to come. Sixteen Blenheims roared in at Low Alt and hit the Japanese besiegers at Myitkyina. There were two Oscars on LR CAP but the Blenheims blew past them and hit a Japanese Artillery Regiment.
But things weren't just busy in Indo/Burma. Allied planes flew in Australia too. First off 6 Forts and 6 Liberators hit the Airfields at Katherine at low altitude. There were 13 Oscars on CAP but the 4Es blew past them, shooting one down in the Air and damaging three more. And despite the CAP the Bombers found their target, destroying 2 more Oscars on the Ground and also a couple of Sallys. As a bonus the Air Base and Runways were hit nicely.
And in the Australian North East 20 Forts hit the Air Fields at Townsville. There were 8 Zeros on CAP but the 4Es blew past them and hit the Airbase, Air Base Supply and Runways and also destroyed three Zeros.
All-in-all, it was a good day in the Air for the Allies. Over thirty Japanese planes were destroyed, including 22 Oscars, with about half of the Oscars shot down and half destroyed on the Ground. Allied losses were a third of the Japanese losses.
Finally, to end the day the Japanese Troops at Myitkyina attempted another Deliberate attack, and once again they only achieved a 1:3 result. But this time the Fortifications weren't reduced.
BTW – what you need to understand is that I have a dozen Air Bases in the Indo/Burma border region, and three Air HQs spread amongst them. My main Airbases are in the Railine Bases, although I have Squadrons assigned to non-Rail bases too. So I am sending in multiple attacks from multiple bases, and moving back Air Units that get fatigued or lose morale and replacing them with fresh units. I've got my weaker Air Units in back bases to prevent Paradrops from cutting the Railines, and I've got plenty of troops at all of the bases too, just in case some Paratroops get past the CAP.
I've been building up this (Not a)-Defence-in-Depth for six months, so I have lots of options for Air Attacks. And Air Attacks are the Key here. I am not trying to stop the Enemy over my Air Fields – I am trying to destroy the Enemy over his Air Fields. And right now I am attacking one Enemy Air Field from a dozen friendly Air Fields. Sure, my opponent can attempt to send Long Range attacks from Rangoon, but I'll happily let him live with the Weather and Operational Losses. In the meanwhile I am flying most of my attacks from within “Normal” Air Range.
So, the question is – can I discourage my opponent from continuing to attack Myitkyina? Sure, if he continues to send in Units he will likely eventually overwhelm my troops, but for every unit he sends in the Supply Requirement increases, which means that it becomes harder to maintain his Troops at Full Supply and so his attacks are weaker. And if he moves bombers up to Mandalay they will suck up more supply too.
It will be interesting to see what he does. In China my opponent has pulled back from what he calls “Stalingrad” defences. Will he do the same here?
More Allied Air Attacks on Mandalay
June 26, 1942 -
The Night Phase was quiet except for USS Seawolf being chased by a Japanese DD near Madjene.
Daylight brought back the continuation of the Allied Air Assault on Mandalay. The first Allied Air Squadron in consisted of 15 Hurricanes. They ran into one Oscar which was shot up a bit but appeared to get away.
Then the US P-38squadron showed up and attracted more attention. Japanese CAP consisted of 10 Oscars and 3 Nicks this time, but the P-38 pilots had a good run and scattered the Japanese planes, shooting down one of each type without losing any of their own.
Allied bombers came in next as 28 Blenheims showed up for a Low Alt attack on the Airbase at Mandalay. A couple of Oscars showed up but the Blenheims blasted through them and hit the Airbase hard. Then another 9 Blenheims showed up, blasted past two more Oscars, and again hit the Airbase.
In contrast, the planned Allied Air Attacks on Myitkyina were scrubbed because of bad weather over the base. Never-the-less, it was good to see that 6 Oscars and 2 Nicks were reported destroyed by the end of the day, with no Allied fighters lost.
No Japanese Air Attacks showed up either. The only Japanese Air Attack this turn was some Lilys hitting the Dutch Stragglers in the Celebes.
The effect of the Rain-Out of the Allied Air Attacks on Myitkyina showed up during the Ground Phase as the Japanese besiegers of the base attempted another Deliberate Attack and achieved a 1:2 result this time with roughly equal casualties on both sides. So I've re-prioritized my Air Attacks in the Region for the next turn in the hope of getting at least some Bombing Runs in on the Japanese troops at Myitkyina.
The Night Phase was quiet except for USS Seawolf being chased by a Japanese DD near Madjene.
Daylight brought back the continuation of the Allied Air Assault on Mandalay. The first Allied Air Squadron in consisted of 15 Hurricanes. They ran into one Oscar which was shot up a bit but appeared to get away.
Then the US P-38squadron showed up and attracted more attention. Japanese CAP consisted of 10 Oscars and 3 Nicks this time, but the P-38 pilots had a good run and scattered the Japanese planes, shooting down one of each type without losing any of their own.
Allied bombers came in next as 28 Blenheims showed up for a Low Alt attack on the Airbase at Mandalay. A couple of Oscars showed up but the Blenheims blasted through them and hit the Airbase hard. Then another 9 Blenheims showed up, blasted past two more Oscars, and again hit the Airbase.
In contrast, the planned Allied Air Attacks on Myitkyina were scrubbed because of bad weather over the base. Never-the-less, it was good to see that 6 Oscars and 2 Nicks were reported destroyed by the end of the day, with no Allied fighters lost.
No Japanese Air Attacks showed up either. The only Japanese Air Attack this turn was some Lilys hitting the Dutch Stragglers in the Celebes.
The effect of the Rain-Out of the Allied Air Attacks on Myitkyina showed up during the Ground Phase as the Japanese besiegers of the base attempted another Deliberate Attack and achieved a 1:2 result this time with roughly equal casualties on both sides. So I've re-prioritized my Air Attacks in the Region for the next turn in the hope of getting at least some Bombing Runs in on the Japanese troops at Myitkyina.
The Action Shifts to the Skys over Myitkyina
June 27, 1942 -
Night Action consisted solely of USS Grayling being chased unsuccessfully by an SC near Hachinohe.
Daylight brought out the Japanese China Air Force as Oscars swept the sky over the Chinese Corps which has been sitting in the woods on a road to the west of Wuchow. Eventually, after several sweeps some Japanese bombers flew in too, but they didn't cause much damage. My Chinese fighters are still sitting in various bases, waiting for Parts, so I can't do anything at this time about the Japanese resurgence in the air in China.
In the Indo/Burma Theater the emphasis shifted over to Myitkyina. The first action consisted of 16 P-38s that swept in and caught a couple of Oscars on LR CAP. The Lightnings shot down one Oscar and chased off the other. Then two Oscars swept in and were challenged by a single Hurricane, but neither side could score a kill.
Next came a big Allied bomber raid on Myitkyina. Eleven Hurricanes escorted 30 Blenheims, 9 Wellingtons, 6 Forts and 11 Mitchells. There was no Japanese LR CAP and the bombers whacked the Japanese ground troops; hitting an Artillery Regiment fairly hard. Then 35 more Blenheims and 9 more Wellingtons flew in and whacked the same Japanese Artillery Regiment again. Finally, 6 more Forts flew in and hit the 15th Army HQ unit.
But that didn't end the Air Attacks because in the Afternoon some Lilys and Oscars flew in and hit the Runways at Myitkyina again. Only 1 Hurricane was on CAP and it was chased off before it could threaten the Japanese bombers.
So it appears that my opponent is using some other Air Base for bomber and fighter support instead of Mandalay, but I haven't figured out which one yet. I am going to check out a few other possible spots next turn to see what I might find.
There was no Japanese Assault on Myitkyina this turn. Instead a Japanese Infantry Battalion and a third of a Japanese Infantry Division attempted a Deliberate Attack on the Chinese Corp that had received the Air Attacks earlier. The Air Attacks didn't soften up the Chinese troops very much, because the Japanese only achieved a 1:3 result and suffered three times the casualties as the Chinese.
Otherwise, things are quiet everywhere. My opponent has not attempted to interfere with my build-up in the Gulf of Alaska, he has not probed the South Pacific, he has not moved into northwestern Oz, and he is digging-in in the northeast of Oz, rather than moving forward. This is fine by me and I continue to be able to build up my forces at will.
Night Action consisted solely of USS Grayling being chased unsuccessfully by an SC near Hachinohe.
Daylight brought out the Japanese China Air Force as Oscars swept the sky over the Chinese Corps which has been sitting in the woods on a road to the west of Wuchow. Eventually, after several sweeps some Japanese bombers flew in too, but they didn't cause much damage. My Chinese fighters are still sitting in various bases, waiting for Parts, so I can't do anything at this time about the Japanese resurgence in the air in China.
In the Indo/Burma Theater the emphasis shifted over to Myitkyina. The first action consisted of 16 P-38s that swept in and caught a couple of Oscars on LR CAP. The Lightnings shot down one Oscar and chased off the other. Then two Oscars swept in and were challenged by a single Hurricane, but neither side could score a kill.
Next came a big Allied bomber raid on Myitkyina. Eleven Hurricanes escorted 30 Blenheims, 9 Wellingtons, 6 Forts and 11 Mitchells. There was no Japanese LR CAP and the bombers whacked the Japanese ground troops; hitting an Artillery Regiment fairly hard. Then 35 more Blenheims and 9 more Wellingtons flew in and whacked the same Japanese Artillery Regiment again. Finally, 6 more Forts flew in and hit the 15th Army HQ unit.
But that didn't end the Air Attacks because in the Afternoon some Lilys and Oscars flew in and hit the Runways at Myitkyina again. Only 1 Hurricane was on CAP and it was chased off before it could threaten the Japanese bombers.
So it appears that my opponent is using some other Air Base for bomber and fighter support instead of Mandalay, but I haven't figured out which one yet. I am going to check out a few other possible spots next turn to see what I might find.
There was no Japanese Assault on Myitkyina this turn. Instead a Japanese Infantry Battalion and a third of a Japanese Infantry Division attempted a Deliberate Attack on the Chinese Corp that had received the Air Attacks earlier. The Air Attacks didn't soften up the Chinese troops very much, because the Japanese only achieved a 1:3 result and suffered three times the casualties as the Chinese.
Otherwise, things are quiet everywhere. My opponent has not attempted to interfere with my build-up in the Gulf of Alaska, he has not probed the South Pacific, he has not moved into northwestern Oz, and he is digging-in in the northeast of Oz, rather than moving forward. This is fine by me and I continue to be able to build up my forces at will.
RE: The Action Shifts to the Skys over Myitkyina
June 28, 1942 –
The @#$%^ AI sent not one but two of my subs into the Japanese minefield at Merak this turn. I check my subs every turn and there were none that were running low on fuel during the previous turn, but every so often the AI “decides” that it is time to send a sub back to Port, and in this case it decided to send Seal and Stingray back to Colombo while they were off of Batavia.
Seal hit a couple of mines and went down like a stone. Stingray survived the mine that it hit but then as it started on the long journey back to Colombo a couple of SCs from Oosthaven came over and hit it with some depth charges. So now Stingray is a cripple and unlikely to get back.
Elsewhere, Grayling missed a PB near Ominato and Porpoise missed another PB near Muntok, so all-in-all it was a lousy night phase for the US Silent Service.
Daylight brought out the Allied Air Attacks in Burma again. First off various Hurricane Squadrons swept Mandalay. The first squadron in ran into a Tojo, but the 14 Hurricanes drove it off. Then another squadron of Hurricanes swept in to meet 3 Tojos. This time one of the 14 Hurricane pilots shot down one of the Tojos before they drove the rest off. One final full Hurricane squadron flew in but there were no more Tojos or anything else on LR CAP over Mandalay. (My opponent has pulled his aircraft out of Mandalay because of the heavy damage to the airfields and my regular bombing runs.)
Next it was Myitkyina’s turn as 43 Hurricane IIs and 16 Hurricane Is flew in against 3 Oscars on LR CAP. The Hurricane Is flew away but the Hurricane II pilots shot down an Oscar and drove off the rest. Next, in a somewhat surprising move, 6 Oscars swept in and met 7 Hurricane Is and 13 Hurricane IIs on LR CAP. The Oscars were able to shoot down one Hurricane I.
Finally, the Allied bombers started to fly in to hit the Japanese troops at Myitkyina. First 7 Blenheim IVs flew in but they missed their target. Then 22 Wellingtons and 16 more Blenheims flew in and hit the 9th Japanese Infantry Division. Finally, 12 Mitchells flew in and hit the 15th Army HQ. For some reason the B-17s didn’t fly this turn.
There were two other Japanese Air Attacks. Some Oscars swept over the Chinese troops that are west of Wuchow, but no bombers showed up. Then some Lilys hit the Dutch stragglers in the Celebes again.
I was surprised when the Japanese troops at Myitkyina attempted a Shock Attack this turn. There are now 2 Infantry Divisions, 3 Artillery Regiments, 1 Cavalry Regiment, and 1 Armored Regiment in the Japanese stack. This time the Japanese achieved a 1:1 result and reduced the Fortifications back to Zero, but they took 3 times the casualties of the British defenders.
I’m hoping that the Japanese troops will be disrupted enough for my opponent to sit them out again for another couple of turns. In the meanwhile I’ve set even more Air Attacks for Myitkyina for next turn in the hopes of wearing down the Japanese forces and also using up their supplies.
In addition I’ve started to use Air Transport to fly supplies to nearby bases in the hope of improving the trickle that is reaching Myitkyina. I don’t want try to fly Supplies directly to Myitkyina because my opponent keeps on having Oscars on LR CAP there.
The @#$%^ AI sent not one but two of my subs into the Japanese minefield at Merak this turn. I check my subs every turn and there were none that were running low on fuel during the previous turn, but every so often the AI “decides” that it is time to send a sub back to Port, and in this case it decided to send Seal and Stingray back to Colombo while they were off of Batavia.
Seal hit a couple of mines and went down like a stone. Stingray survived the mine that it hit but then as it started on the long journey back to Colombo a couple of SCs from Oosthaven came over and hit it with some depth charges. So now Stingray is a cripple and unlikely to get back.
Elsewhere, Grayling missed a PB near Ominato and Porpoise missed another PB near Muntok, so all-in-all it was a lousy night phase for the US Silent Service.
Daylight brought out the Allied Air Attacks in Burma again. First off various Hurricane Squadrons swept Mandalay. The first squadron in ran into a Tojo, but the 14 Hurricanes drove it off. Then another squadron of Hurricanes swept in to meet 3 Tojos. This time one of the 14 Hurricane pilots shot down one of the Tojos before they drove the rest off. One final full Hurricane squadron flew in but there were no more Tojos or anything else on LR CAP over Mandalay. (My opponent has pulled his aircraft out of Mandalay because of the heavy damage to the airfields and my regular bombing runs.)
Next it was Myitkyina’s turn as 43 Hurricane IIs and 16 Hurricane Is flew in against 3 Oscars on LR CAP. The Hurricane Is flew away but the Hurricane II pilots shot down an Oscar and drove off the rest. Next, in a somewhat surprising move, 6 Oscars swept in and met 7 Hurricane Is and 13 Hurricane IIs on LR CAP. The Oscars were able to shoot down one Hurricane I.
Finally, the Allied bombers started to fly in to hit the Japanese troops at Myitkyina. First 7 Blenheim IVs flew in but they missed their target. Then 22 Wellingtons and 16 more Blenheims flew in and hit the 9th Japanese Infantry Division. Finally, 12 Mitchells flew in and hit the 15th Army HQ. For some reason the B-17s didn’t fly this turn.
There were two other Japanese Air Attacks. Some Oscars swept over the Chinese troops that are west of Wuchow, but no bombers showed up. Then some Lilys hit the Dutch stragglers in the Celebes again.
I was surprised when the Japanese troops at Myitkyina attempted a Shock Attack this turn. There are now 2 Infantry Divisions, 3 Artillery Regiments, 1 Cavalry Regiment, and 1 Armored Regiment in the Japanese stack. This time the Japanese achieved a 1:1 result and reduced the Fortifications back to Zero, but they took 3 times the casualties of the British defenders.
I’m hoping that the Japanese troops will be disrupted enough for my opponent to sit them out again for another couple of turns. In the meanwhile I’ve set even more Air Attacks for Myitkyina for next turn in the hopes of wearing down the Japanese forces and also using up their supplies.
In addition I’ve started to use Air Transport to fly supplies to nearby bases in the hope of improving the trickle that is reaching Myitkyina. I don’t want try to fly Supplies directly to Myitkyina because my opponent keeps on having Oscars on LR CAP there.
One of Those Days
June 29, 1942 –
This was One of Those Turns…
The Night Phase started out with Japanese sub I-30 hitting xAK Panaman with two torpedoes off of Dutch Harbor. One of the Allied Escorts hit the Japanese sub with a depth charge, but it was too late and the freighter sank. Fortunately, this ship was empty and on a return trip, but I violated one of my normal procedures and allowed a small TF to head back to the West Coast instead of combining several small TFs into one larger TF that would be less likely to be attacked and better able to protect itself.
Next USS Trout spotted an SC near Kochi but the sub’s skipper decided not to fire a torpedo at the small target. Then Dutch sub KXIII fired four torpedoes at a CM in a big Transport TF near Phuket, but the torpedoes were duds. I think that the Japanese TF is heading back from Rangoon empty, but if it isn’t that means that my opponent is shipping more troops to Burma.
Daylight brought an Air Attack on Tennant Creek by some Sallys and Oscars. Of course, this was a turn in which I had the P-38s in Alice Springs resting. (…sigh…) Some Lilys also hit the Dutch Stragglers in the Celebes.
Then I watched lots and lots and more and more Japanese Recon flights fly all over Eastern Australia, The Indo/Burma border bases, and China.
But what I didn’t see were any Allied planes flying from the dozen or so bases in India where I had set missions. (…Huh???...)
Yep – the Japanese besiegers of Myitkyina were left totally alone. No Bombers flew in, no Fighters flew CAP, nothing got Swept in the region – the skies were clear. I didn’t even see my Recon flights flying!
Sigh… Oh well, I guess that I used up my Weather Luck over the past few turns and it was time for Impossibly Bad Luck. (None of the various and sundry reports mentioned why nothing flew.)
So this was a break for my opponent, and the Japanese besiegers were able to do yet another Shock Attack at Myitkyina without having been disrupted by Air Attacks. But the Japanese still only achieved a 1:2 result and there were equal casualties on both sides.
So I reorganized my Air Strike Forces and I’m hoping for better luck next turn.
I also caused myself some needless problems this turn because although I had moved up Air Transport units to fly Supplies into Wazrup, I had left the Air Transport Squadrons on “100% Training”, so of course, not Supplies flew. Myitkyina is on the “wrong side” of the Supply Chain since there is no road to India, so it is a real pain to get supplies into the base. I have been shipping Supplies and Fuel into India like crazy, but it takes time for them to get through and reach the “Supply Hindered” bases like Myitkyina.
So unless I get some Weather Luck I don’t expect the Brave Boys at Myitkyina to hold out much longer. Oh well, they’ve done their jobs well and the next step for the Japanese towards India will be even harder for them to achieve.
That aside, since it is the End of June I thought that I would give a little update on what is going in the Bigger Picture here in this game of “Shipyard Tycoon”. First off, a large number of Allied LCUs showed up this turn. It was almost an “Embarrassment of Riches”, except for the fact that the majority of units were Soviet Artillery Units, which I just set to “Rest”.
There were some useful LCUs in the mix. For example, the 88th Indian Brigade arrived at Madras, which allowed me to rebuild the 14th Indian Division. I’m now sending the 14th Indian Division to Calcutta to bolster the overall defenses in the Bengal region.
I also got a USMC Tank Battalion at Cape Town which I will send to Australia. I have been directing US Armor and Anti-Armor units to Cape Town for shipment to Australia for some time now because there aren’t really any other useful places for them, and I will want a strong Armored presence in Australia in 1943.
The 4th British Brigade also arrived at Aden. I will send it to India and eventually reform the British 2nd Division. I may use the British 2nd Division to relieve the remaining Australian Division in India if the Japanese don’t attempt a more serious invasion of India.
Now that the Australian 6th Division is safely in Adelaide I am sending the Australian 4th Division over to Perth in order to start to make the defenses in Western Australia more serious. Right now I only have holding forces there in the event of a “nuisance” invasion. But I intend to build up Western Australia for the rest of the year in anticipation of a move into Northwestern Oz in Force in the Spring of 1943 in order to start to put pressure on the Timor and the DEI.
I also got an interesting “1942 AA” Convoy at the US East Coast. I presume that it will allow the upgrade of existing AA guns in existing units. Two British Convoys also arrived at Cape Town that will be offloading more Tanks as well as Supplies and Fuel. More Tanks is always a Good Thing – I want to be rid of those pseudo-tanks in my Australian, Kiwi and Indian units as soon as possible.
And of course, not everything is Rosy with the Reinforcements; I received an Indian Recce unit in Madras – the 267th Armored Brigade – which came in severely under-equipped and with an Experience of 45 and Morale of 5. Oh well, at least it isn’t as bad as the Indian unit that came in early in the War that had Experience 5 and Morale 5. Never-the-less, the 267th is going to be sitting in a back water base set to “Rest” for quite some time.
BTW – the first “Salvaged” Allied LCU arrived in Perth this turn as the Celebes Base Force unloaded off of an SST. There are only a couple of Support Troops left in the unit, but I am sending it to Sydney to rebuild. Eventually it will fill in another gap in my Australian defenses.
I am also hoping to rescue an RN BF fragment from Bengalis in the next turn or two. That poor unit has been driven all over Sumatra after originally being flown out of Borneo. If I can grab it I will send it to Madras for rebuilding in India.
This was One of Those Turns…
The Night Phase started out with Japanese sub I-30 hitting xAK Panaman with two torpedoes off of Dutch Harbor. One of the Allied Escorts hit the Japanese sub with a depth charge, but it was too late and the freighter sank. Fortunately, this ship was empty and on a return trip, but I violated one of my normal procedures and allowed a small TF to head back to the West Coast instead of combining several small TFs into one larger TF that would be less likely to be attacked and better able to protect itself.
Next USS Trout spotted an SC near Kochi but the sub’s skipper decided not to fire a torpedo at the small target. Then Dutch sub KXIII fired four torpedoes at a CM in a big Transport TF near Phuket, but the torpedoes were duds. I think that the Japanese TF is heading back from Rangoon empty, but if it isn’t that means that my opponent is shipping more troops to Burma.
Daylight brought an Air Attack on Tennant Creek by some Sallys and Oscars. Of course, this was a turn in which I had the P-38s in Alice Springs resting. (…sigh…) Some Lilys also hit the Dutch Stragglers in the Celebes.
Then I watched lots and lots and more and more Japanese Recon flights fly all over Eastern Australia, The Indo/Burma border bases, and China.
But what I didn’t see were any Allied planes flying from the dozen or so bases in India where I had set missions. (…Huh???...)
Yep – the Japanese besiegers of Myitkyina were left totally alone. No Bombers flew in, no Fighters flew CAP, nothing got Swept in the region – the skies were clear. I didn’t even see my Recon flights flying!
Sigh… Oh well, I guess that I used up my Weather Luck over the past few turns and it was time for Impossibly Bad Luck. (None of the various and sundry reports mentioned why nothing flew.)
So this was a break for my opponent, and the Japanese besiegers were able to do yet another Shock Attack at Myitkyina without having been disrupted by Air Attacks. But the Japanese still only achieved a 1:2 result and there were equal casualties on both sides.
So I reorganized my Air Strike Forces and I’m hoping for better luck next turn.
I also caused myself some needless problems this turn because although I had moved up Air Transport units to fly Supplies into Wazrup, I had left the Air Transport Squadrons on “100% Training”, so of course, not Supplies flew. Myitkyina is on the “wrong side” of the Supply Chain since there is no road to India, so it is a real pain to get supplies into the base. I have been shipping Supplies and Fuel into India like crazy, but it takes time for them to get through and reach the “Supply Hindered” bases like Myitkyina.
So unless I get some Weather Luck I don’t expect the Brave Boys at Myitkyina to hold out much longer. Oh well, they’ve done their jobs well and the next step for the Japanese towards India will be even harder for them to achieve.
That aside, since it is the End of June I thought that I would give a little update on what is going in the Bigger Picture here in this game of “Shipyard Tycoon”. First off, a large number of Allied LCUs showed up this turn. It was almost an “Embarrassment of Riches”, except for the fact that the majority of units were Soviet Artillery Units, which I just set to “Rest”.
There were some useful LCUs in the mix. For example, the 88th Indian Brigade arrived at Madras, which allowed me to rebuild the 14th Indian Division. I’m now sending the 14th Indian Division to Calcutta to bolster the overall defenses in the Bengal region.
I also got a USMC Tank Battalion at Cape Town which I will send to Australia. I have been directing US Armor and Anti-Armor units to Cape Town for shipment to Australia for some time now because there aren’t really any other useful places for them, and I will want a strong Armored presence in Australia in 1943.
The 4th British Brigade also arrived at Aden. I will send it to India and eventually reform the British 2nd Division. I may use the British 2nd Division to relieve the remaining Australian Division in India if the Japanese don’t attempt a more serious invasion of India.
Now that the Australian 6th Division is safely in Adelaide I am sending the Australian 4th Division over to Perth in order to start to make the defenses in Western Australia more serious. Right now I only have holding forces there in the event of a “nuisance” invasion. But I intend to build up Western Australia for the rest of the year in anticipation of a move into Northwestern Oz in Force in the Spring of 1943 in order to start to put pressure on the Timor and the DEI.
I also got an interesting “1942 AA” Convoy at the US East Coast. I presume that it will allow the upgrade of existing AA guns in existing units. Two British Convoys also arrived at Cape Town that will be offloading more Tanks as well as Supplies and Fuel. More Tanks is always a Good Thing – I want to be rid of those pseudo-tanks in my Australian, Kiwi and Indian units as soon as possible.
And of course, not everything is Rosy with the Reinforcements; I received an Indian Recce unit in Madras – the 267th Armored Brigade – which came in severely under-equipped and with an Experience of 45 and Morale of 5. Oh well, at least it isn’t as bad as the Indian unit that came in early in the War that had Experience 5 and Morale 5. Never-the-less, the 267th is going to be sitting in a back water base set to “Rest” for quite some time.
BTW – the first “Salvaged” Allied LCU arrived in Perth this turn as the Celebes Base Force unloaded off of an SST. There are only a couple of Support Troops left in the unit, but I am sending it to Sydney to rebuild. Eventually it will fill in another gap in my Australian defenses.
I am also hoping to rescue an RN BF fragment from Bengalis in the next turn or two. That poor unit has been driven all over Sumatra after originally being flown out of Borneo. If I can grab it I will send it to Madras for rebuilding in India.
Bombing in the Rain
June 30, 1942 -
The Allied sub efforts were rewarded this turn for a change. The Night Phase started out well as RN sub Truant hit an APD in that big Japanese Troop Transport TF near Phuket. The APD likely went down and Truant got away from the Escorts.
Next USS Pompano was chased by a couple of SCs near Aogashima and USS Trout was chased by a couple more SCs near Nagoya, but both subs got away unscathed.
Finally, Dutch sub O19 hit an xAK with two torps off of Singkawang, and that ship likely went down too while O19 got away cleanly.
Daylight was Wet but a number of Air Attacks got off anyway. First off, Lilys hit the Dutch Stragglers in the Celebes again. Those troops are likely to be wiped out before they can reach safety.
Then the action at the Indo/Burma border started. The first attack was promising as 29 Blenheims and 12 B-25s, accompanied by 20 Hurricanes, flew in and attacked the 9th Infantry Division. The Hurricanes drove off the 2 Oscars on CAP and shot one down, so the Bombers got through to their target, but they only caused light damage in the Bad Weather and Rough Terrain. [:(]
Then 9 Wellingtons, 12 more Blenheims and 11 Hurricanes flew in. This time there was no Japanese CAP but the Allied planes missed their target in the Rain anyway.
The Afternoon brought out a Hi Alt Sweep by 8 Oscars that caught 2 Hurricanes from Wazrup straying over Myitkyina. One of the Hurricanes was shot down. This was followed by a bombing run by 12 Lilys and 17 Oscars. Allied CAP over Myitkyina consisted of 6 Hurricanes, but the British pilots couldn't get past the Japanese fighters and two Hurricanes were shot down without the loss of any Japanese planes. In contrast to the Allied Air Attacks, the Japanese bombers found their target and hit the Airfields at Myitkyina again, preventing the Allied forces from rebuilding the Forts. [8|]
Finally, 10 more Wellingtons, 9 Blenheims and 8 Hurricanes flew in and ran into 2 Oscars. The Hurricane pilots on Escort were sitting ducks for the Oscars and another Hurricane was shot down. Once more, the Allied Bombers missed their targets. [:@]
In a disappointing, but somewhat expected manner, the B-17s in Dacca didn't fly again, even though the British 2Es at Dacca did fly.
So I'm remixing my Orders for next turn and sending the 4Es against Mandalay in the hopes of getting them off of the ground. I've also moved a number of my Hurricane Squadrons around because the Front Line pilots are getting badly fatigued.
In other news, USS Stingray sank from its damages off the Western Coast of Java. Score that one for the AI.
And the best part of the Day was that there were no Japanese Ground Attacks. Another Japanese LCU is on its way to Myitkyina, but this is now more a War of Supply than simple brute force. The one good thing is that my Transport planes started to move supplies to Wazrup and so are helping the situation in Myitkyina too.
The Allied sub efforts were rewarded this turn for a change. The Night Phase started out well as RN sub Truant hit an APD in that big Japanese Troop Transport TF near Phuket. The APD likely went down and Truant got away from the Escorts.
Next USS Pompano was chased by a couple of SCs near Aogashima and USS Trout was chased by a couple more SCs near Nagoya, but both subs got away unscathed.
Finally, Dutch sub O19 hit an xAK with two torps off of Singkawang, and that ship likely went down too while O19 got away cleanly.
Daylight was Wet but a number of Air Attacks got off anyway. First off, Lilys hit the Dutch Stragglers in the Celebes again. Those troops are likely to be wiped out before they can reach safety.
Then the action at the Indo/Burma border started. The first attack was promising as 29 Blenheims and 12 B-25s, accompanied by 20 Hurricanes, flew in and attacked the 9th Infantry Division. The Hurricanes drove off the 2 Oscars on CAP and shot one down, so the Bombers got through to their target, but they only caused light damage in the Bad Weather and Rough Terrain. [:(]
Then 9 Wellingtons, 12 more Blenheims and 11 Hurricanes flew in. This time there was no Japanese CAP but the Allied planes missed their target in the Rain anyway.
The Afternoon brought out a Hi Alt Sweep by 8 Oscars that caught 2 Hurricanes from Wazrup straying over Myitkyina. One of the Hurricanes was shot down. This was followed by a bombing run by 12 Lilys and 17 Oscars. Allied CAP over Myitkyina consisted of 6 Hurricanes, but the British pilots couldn't get past the Japanese fighters and two Hurricanes were shot down without the loss of any Japanese planes. In contrast to the Allied Air Attacks, the Japanese bombers found their target and hit the Airfields at Myitkyina again, preventing the Allied forces from rebuilding the Forts. [8|]
Finally, 10 more Wellingtons, 9 Blenheims and 8 Hurricanes flew in and ran into 2 Oscars. The Hurricane pilots on Escort were sitting ducks for the Oscars and another Hurricane was shot down. Once more, the Allied Bombers missed their targets. [:@]
In a disappointing, but somewhat expected manner, the B-17s in Dacca didn't fly again, even though the British 2Es at Dacca did fly.
So I'm remixing my Orders for next turn and sending the 4Es against Mandalay in the hopes of getting them off of the ground. I've also moved a number of my Hurricane Squadrons around because the Front Line pilots are getting badly fatigued.
In other news, USS Stingray sank from its damages off the Western Coast of Java. Score that one for the AI.
And the best part of the Day was that there were no Japanese Ground Attacks. Another Japanese LCU is on its way to Myitkyina, but this is now more a War of Supply than simple brute force. The one good thing is that my Transport planes started to move supplies to Wazrup and so are helping the situation in Myitkyina too.
July 42 - Intel and Ship Losses
Here is the Intel screen for July 1, 1942, along with the ship loss screen for the past month. The points ratio is still just under 1.5 to 1.
June wasn't a good month for US subs.
June wasn't a good month for US subs.
- Attachments
-
- July42In..pLosses.jpg (120.89 KiB) Viewed 177 times
July 42 - Air Losses & Aircraft Pools
Here are the total Air Losses to-date. Most of my P-40E losses came before I realized that they couldn't stand up to any sort of Sweep.
The Aircraft Pools are minus the Soviet, Dutch and Philippine planes, since they don't matter at this point.
The Aircraft Pools are minus the Soviet, Dutch and Philippine planes, since they don't matter at this point.
- Attachments
-
- July42Ai..aftPool.jpg (111.8 KiB) Viewed 177 times
July 42 - Indo-Burma
Here's the current situation at the Indian-Burmese border area.
- Attachments
-
- July42IndoBurma.jpg (254.13 KiB) Viewed 177 times
July 42 - China
Here's the situation in China.
- Attachments
-
- July42China.jpg (268.94 KiB) Viewed 177 times
July 42 - Northeastern Australia
Here's the situation in Northeastern Australia.
- Attachments
-
- July42No..ustralia.jpg (172.44 KiB) Viewed 177 times
July 42 - Top Secret!
Here's the situation in my favorite backwater... [;)]
- Attachments
-
- Aleutians.jpg (83.65 KiB) Viewed 177 times
Bye-Bye Myitkyina
July 1, 1942 -
Lately my opponent has sent out more subs than usual around my bases so I decided to do something about it in southeastern Australia. Last turn I put together a Surface Combat TF consisting of 5 British DDs and 5 Dutch DDs, for a total ASW capability of 54. Sure, a Surface Combat TF isn't supposed to be as effective as an ASW TF, but 10 DDs are better than 4, regardless of the ASW setting or not.
This night phase my plan worked as the Hunter/Killer TF found sub I-170 off of the southeastern most point of Australia. The Allied DDs attacked the sub and scored a couple of hits before the sub's skipper was able to sneak off. But the sub commander must have been very aggressive because he came back to attempt an attack on the same DD TF. The Japanese torpedoes missed a Dutch DD at which point the Allied DDs came back to hit the Japanese sub another six times, before most of the DDs ran out of Depth Charges. So all-in-all it was a satisfyingly successful encounter for me.
Elsewhere during the Night, USS Tautog hit an xAK with a couple of dud torpedoes off of Utsonomiya while USS Porpoise hit a PB with a couple more dud torpedoes off near Groot Natoena. The two US subs got away without being attacked.
Daylight brought out the Lilys to attack the Dutch stragglers in the Celebes again, but this time the Japanese bombers missed their target.
The Air Action then moved to Oz where a dozen Forts hit the Airfields at Katherine. There were 9 Oscars on CAP and the B-17Es blasted past them. Five Oscars were damaged and another was destroyed on the Ground.
Then 22 more Forts hit the Airfields at Townsville. Ten Zeros met the 4Es, but the Bombers blasted past them, destroying one Zero in the Air and one on the Ground.
Next things started out in a promising manner in Burma as a 16 plane Hurricane squadron Swept in over Mandalay. Two Oscars were up on CAP and the Brits shot down one of them. Then 19 P-38s flew in on Hi Alt CAP, but this time 15 Oscars and 2 Tojos met them. One Oscar was shot down as was one P-38.
Then, as the Afternoon came, along came that Dreaded Message: Mandalay Attacks were Cancelled because of Bad Weather. But it wasn't just the Mandalay Bomber Attacks that were cancelled; none of the planned attacks on Myitkyina flew either.
So wouldn't you know it, with perfect timing my opponent picked this turn to have his besieging troops at Myitkyina attempt another Shock Attack, and this time the un-bombed Japanese troops were able to finally achieve a 2:1 result and kick the British defenders out of the no-longer fortified base. So the Battle for Myitkyina was finally over.
The defeated troops retreated to Wazrup, and I've decided to leave them there for now. I reorganized my Air Units in the region and moved most of the British bombers back to bases along the Bay of Bengal and back to Naval Search. I'm leaving the B-17s in Dacca to continue harassment raids of the Japanese bases, but I'm going to wait to see what my opponent does next before I resume a serious Air Campaign in the Region.
Lately my opponent has sent out more subs than usual around my bases so I decided to do something about it in southeastern Australia. Last turn I put together a Surface Combat TF consisting of 5 British DDs and 5 Dutch DDs, for a total ASW capability of 54. Sure, a Surface Combat TF isn't supposed to be as effective as an ASW TF, but 10 DDs are better than 4, regardless of the ASW setting or not.
This night phase my plan worked as the Hunter/Killer TF found sub I-170 off of the southeastern most point of Australia. The Allied DDs attacked the sub and scored a couple of hits before the sub's skipper was able to sneak off. But the sub commander must have been very aggressive because he came back to attempt an attack on the same DD TF. The Japanese torpedoes missed a Dutch DD at which point the Allied DDs came back to hit the Japanese sub another six times, before most of the DDs ran out of Depth Charges. So all-in-all it was a satisfyingly successful encounter for me.
Elsewhere during the Night, USS Tautog hit an xAK with a couple of dud torpedoes off of Utsonomiya while USS Porpoise hit a PB with a couple more dud torpedoes off near Groot Natoena. The two US subs got away without being attacked.
Daylight brought out the Lilys to attack the Dutch stragglers in the Celebes again, but this time the Japanese bombers missed their target.
The Air Action then moved to Oz where a dozen Forts hit the Airfields at Katherine. There were 9 Oscars on CAP and the B-17Es blasted past them. Five Oscars were damaged and another was destroyed on the Ground.
Then 22 more Forts hit the Airfields at Townsville. Ten Zeros met the 4Es, but the Bombers blasted past them, destroying one Zero in the Air and one on the Ground.
Next things started out in a promising manner in Burma as a 16 plane Hurricane squadron Swept in over Mandalay. Two Oscars were up on CAP and the Brits shot down one of them. Then 19 P-38s flew in on Hi Alt CAP, but this time 15 Oscars and 2 Tojos met them. One Oscar was shot down as was one P-38.
Then, as the Afternoon came, along came that Dreaded Message: Mandalay Attacks were Cancelled because of Bad Weather. But it wasn't just the Mandalay Bomber Attacks that were cancelled; none of the planned attacks on Myitkyina flew either.
So wouldn't you know it, with perfect timing my opponent picked this turn to have his besieging troops at Myitkyina attempt another Shock Attack, and this time the un-bombed Japanese troops were able to finally achieve a 2:1 result and kick the British defenders out of the no-longer fortified base. So the Battle for Myitkyina was finally over.
The defeated troops retreated to Wazrup, and I've decided to leave them there for now. I reorganized my Air Units in the region and moved most of the British bombers back to bases along the Bay of Bengal and back to Naval Search. I'm leaving the B-17s in Dacca to continue harassment raids of the Japanese bases, but I'm going to wait to see what my opponent does next before I resume a serious Air Campaign in the Region.
Catching Some Breath
July 2, 1942 -
This was a quiet turn, particularly in comparison with the drama of the loss of Myitkyina last turn.
The Night Phase was without action. The Day Phase started out with Lilys hitting the Dutch Stragglers in the Celebes again. Then there was a lot of “nothing”, other than Recon flights from both sides. That was as I planned for the Allies, but then I got a surprise as a B-25 Squadron flew in to hit the 15th Army HQ at Myitkyina.
I hadn't planned that, but I had also forgotten to stand down that Bomber Squadron. There were no Japanese Fighters on CAP over Myitkyina so the Mitchells only had to deal with flak.
Then at the end of the Day, USS Porpoise put a torpedo into an xAK off of Singkawang. Despite the daylight and the shallow waters the Porpoise got away undetected.
So I spent more time redistributing my Air Units around the Bay of Bengal. I've left the two B-17E Squadrons in Dacca, but I sat them down again because of Heavy Thunderstorms all around the Region. Recon told me that Japanese Fighters are back at Mandalay, so I'll resume the Air Attacks on Mandalay soon enough.
Otherwise, things were going as planned. China has been quiet for a while, and I hope that it stays that way too. I don't have enough Supply there to mount any decent defence of any of my remaining perimeter bases.
Things are also quiet in Oz as my opponent continues to build up his defences. It appears that he has two Infantry Divisions in Townsville, and assorted smaller LCUs in the other bases that he has captured. I am continuing to build up my own network of bases in preparation for Offensive Action in 1943.
And my forces continue to develop the Aleutians. I've stopped sending units to the bases until the current units settle in and build up the bases a bit. If my opponent continues to leave me in peace I ought to have a very strong series of mutually-supporting bases there before Winter comes along again.
Other than that I am continuing to upgrade my Ships and am slowly replacing obsolete planes with up-to-date planes, so things are looking fairly sound right now.
This was a quiet turn, particularly in comparison with the drama of the loss of Myitkyina last turn.
The Night Phase was without action. The Day Phase started out with Lilys hitting the Dutch Stragglers in the Celebes again. Then there was a lot of “nothing”, other than Recon flights from both sides. That was as I planned for the Allies, but then I got a surprise as a B-25 Squadron flew in to hit the 15th Army HQ at Myitkyina.
I hadn't planned that, but I had also forgotten to stand down that Bomber Squadron. There were no Japanese Fighters on CAP over Myitkyina so the Mitchells only had to deal with flak.
Then at the end of the Day, USS Porpoise put a torpedo into an xAK off of Singkawang. Despite the daylight and the shallow waters the Porpoise got away undetected.
So I spent more time redistributing my Air Units around the Bay of Bengal. I've left the two B-17E Squadrons in Dacca, but I sat them down again because of Heavy Thunderstorms all around the Region. Recon told me that Japanese Fighters are back at Mandalay, so I'll resume the Air Attacks on Mandalay soon enough.
Otherwise, things were going as planned. China has been quiet for a while, and I hope that it stays that way too. I don't have enough Supply there to mount any decent defence of any of my remaining perimeter bases.
Things are also quiet in Oz as my opponent continues to build up his defences. It appears that he has two Infantry Divisions in Townsville, and assorted smaller LCUs in the other bases that he has captured. I am continuing to build up my own network of bases in preparation for Offensive Action in 1943.
And my forces continue to develop the Aleutians. I've stopped sending units to the bases until the current units settle in and build up the bases a bit. If my opponent continues to leave me in peace I ought to have a very strong series of mutually-supporting bases there before Winter comes along again.
Other than that I am continuing to upgrade my Ships and am slowly replacing obsolete planes with up-to-date planes, so things are looking fairly sound right now.
Concrete Wars
July 3, 1942 -
This was another quiet turn. It appears that we are reaching a “concrete wars” stage in which we both build up fortifications in lieu of any offensives.
The Night Phase brought more Allied sub action as I continue to crowd the waters around Singapore with Allied subs. Dutch sub O19 took a shot at an E-class ship near Singapore but missed. The E-class ships in the little ASW TF couldn't find the Dutch sub afterwards.
Then USS Permit hit an already burning xAK off of Lingga. That freighter ought to go down this time.
Daylight brought two Lily attacks on the Dutch Stragglers in the Celebes. It looks like my opponent will wipe out the Dutch LCU before the unit can reach another empty base and some sub-borne supplies.
There were no other Air Attacks from either side this turn. Only Recon flights flew back and forth across the Fronts.
My opponent is being a bit more adventurous with his submarines. There appear to be more Japanese subs off of the Aleutians and off of Colombo now. So I'm increasing the Air ASW in both regions in order to discourage this effort.
And USS Nautilis successfully pulled out the remnants of the Base Force that was kicked all over Sumatra and finally reached Bengalis. It turned out to be a Dutch Base Force, not an RN Base Force. I guess that the RN BF that had been retreating in Sumatra finally dissapated in the jungle. Never-the-less I am more than happy to ship that Dutch fragment to Madras and let it rebuild in India.
This was another quiet turn. It appears that we are reaching a “concrete wars” stage in which we both build up fortifications in lieu of any offensives.
The Night Phase brought more Allied sub action as I continue to crowd the waters around Singapore with Allied subs. Dutch sub O19 took a shot at an E-class ship near Singapore but missed. The E-class ships in the little ASW TF couldn't find the Dutch sub afterwards.
Then USS Permit hit an already burning xAK off of Lingga. That freighter ought to go down this time.
Daylight brought two Lily attacks on the Dutch Stragglers in the Celebes. It looks like my opponent will wipe out the Dutch LCU before the unit can reach another empty base and some sub-borne supplies.
There were no other Air Attacks from either side this turn. Only Recon flights flew back and forth across the Fronts.
My opponent is being a bit more adventurous with his submarines. There appear to be more Japanese subs off of the Aleutians and off of Colombo now. So I'm increasing the Air ASW in both regions in order to discourage this effort.
And USS Nautilis successfully pulled out the remnants of the Base Force that was kicked all over Sumatra and finally reached Bengalis. It turned out to be a Dutch Base Force, not an RN Base Force. I guess that the RN BF that had been retreating in Sumatra finally dissapated in the jungle. Never-the-less I am more than happy to ship that Dutch fragment to Madras and let it rebuild in India.
Forts vs Oscars Again
July 4, 1942 -
Well, there weren't any big fireworks for the Americans this turn, but it wasn't a bad turn overall for the Allies.
The Night Phase saw USS Pompano spot an SC near Hamamatsu, but the sub's skipper decided not to fire. The USS Trout then shot a couple of duds at an xAK near Kenoya.
Japanese troops finally arrived at Puerto Princesa where there is nothing left of the Philippine Base Force but two Observation Towers. The Japanese invaders lost a couple of squads to the usual Landing Difficulties, but that won't stop them from taking the otherwise empty base next turn.
Daylight brought the usual Pacific-Wide Bad Weather. Even the Allied Recon Mission over Mandalay was washed-out.
Lilys hit the Dutch Stragglers in the Celebes again, and Japanese Fighters and Bombers hit the Chinese Corps that is sitting in the woods due west of Wuchow.
Then a Rare Occurance Happened as the weather miraculously cleared over the Central Australian Desert and the two B-17E squadrons at Alice Springs actually took off and raided Katherine. There were 4 Oscars on CAP but the 12 Forts blasted past them and hit the Airfields nicely. In the end 1 Oscar was destroyed on the Ground and four more Oscars were damaged.
Finally, there came an indication that the Chinese Forces aren't the only ones who are having a tough time with Supplies in China. The Japanese column that has been besieging the Chinese Corp that is west of Wuchow attempted a Deliberate Attack. There are an Infantry Battalion, and Armored Regiment, and a third of an Infantry Division in the Japanese column. Together they achieved a 1:7 result and ended up taking 5 times the Chinese casualties, including 30 Infantry Squads destroyed.
The Chinese Corps has the advantage of being in Rough Terrain, has 4 local Forts, is In Supply, has reasonable Experience and Morale, and has a reasonable Commander. The Japanese forces suffered from a Negative Terrain Effect, a Negative Supply Effect, and a Negative Commander Effect. Hopefully this discourges my opponent a bit more in China. [;)]
Well, there weren't any big fireworks for the Americans this turn, but it wasn't a bad turn overall for the Allies.
The Night Phase saw USS Pompano spot an SC near Hamamatsu, but the sub's skipper decided not to fire. The USS Trout then shot a couple of duds at an xAK near Kenoya.
Japanese troops finally arrived at Puerto Princesa where there is nothing left of the Philippine Base Force but two Observation Towers. The Japanese invaders lost a couple of squads to the usual Landing Difficulties, but that won't stop them from taking the otherwise empty base next turn.
Daylight brought the usual Pacific-Wide Bad Weather. Even the Allied Recon Mission over Mandalay was washed-out.
Lilys hit the Dutch Stragglers in the Celebes again, and Japanese Fighters and Bombers hit the Chinese Corps that is sitting in the woods due west of Wuchow.
Then a Rare Occurance Happened as the weather miraculously cleared over the Central Australian Desert and the two B-17E squadrons at Alice Springs actually took off and raided Katherine. There were 4 Oscars on CAP but the 12 Forts blasted past them and hit the Airfields nicely. In the end 1 Oscar was destroyed on the Ground and four more Oscars were damaged.
Finally, there came an indication that the Chinese Forces aren't the only ones who are having a tough time with Supplies in China. The Japanese column that has been besieging the Chinese Corp that is west of Wuchow attempted a Deliberate Attack. There are an Infantry Battalion, and Armored Regiment, and a third of an Infantry Division in the Japanese column. Together they achieved a 1:7 result and ended up taking 5 times the Chinese casualties, including 30 Infantry Squads destroyed.
The Chinese Corps has the advantage of being in Rough Terrain, has 4 local Forts, is In Supply, has reasonable Experience and Morale, and has a reasonable Commander. The Japanese forces suffered from a Negative Terrain Effect, a Negative Supply Effect, and a Negative Commander Effect. Hopefully this discourges my opponent a bit more in China. [;)]