August 25, 1942 –
The Forces on both sides went back on Siesta Time this turn, as there was no action other than Recon flights.
The biggest news was that I withdrew an obsolete sub early.
Last Stand at San Diego (no Richard please)
Moderators: wdolson, MOD_War-in-the-Pacific-Admirals-Edition
Surprise Capture of Muntok
August 26, 1942 –
There was no Night Action again, and the only Day Action was the surprise capture of the empty base at Muntok by the Tanaka Detachment. No Japanese TF showed up at Muntok, so I suppose the Tanaka Detachment marched over from Toboali. That’s smart, because this way my opponent avoided any Landing Losses.
Otherwise, it was just another day where my Forces continued to move to their Forward Positions. [>:]
BTW – Additional Recon Flights over Paramushiro-Jima indicate that there are more Fighters there now, and more troops than originally spotted. I have ordered the F-4s to check the next island over to see if my opponent has started to fortify it yet.
There was no Night Action again, and the only Day Action was the surprise capture of the empty base at Muntok by the Tanaka Detachment. No Japanese TF showed up at Muntok, so I suppose the Tanaka Detachment marched over from Toboali. That’s smart, because this way my opponent avoided any Landing Losses.
Otherwise, it was just another day where my Forces continued to move to their Forward Positions. [>:]
BTW – Additional Recon Flights over Paramushiro-Jima indicate that there are more Fighters there now, and more troops than originally spotted. I have ordered the F-4s to check the next island over to see if my opponent has started to fortify it yet.
Recon Match
August 27, 1942 –
The Night Phase started with the dot base at Tagula Island in the Solomons being automatically occupied by the Japanese. Then a 4-AM ASW TF took off from Perth to try to catch a Japanese sub that has been hanging around off shore for a while.
The AMs found the sub, but once they found it they couldn’t zero in on it and so didn’t end up attacking it. That’s okay; those ships are there to harass Japanese subs, not to seriously hunt them.
Daylight brought lots of Recon Flights again from both sides, but no other action. My opponent is becoming a bit perturbed by my increased interest in the Eastern Kuriles. And well he should be; from what I can tell the Japanese presence there is fairly light, particularly when you compare it to the massive Japanese presence in the Solomons, Northern Australia, and the DEI. I’m starting to send more subs into the Kuriles in expectation that my opponent will start to try to ship in more forces.
Probably the only downside of the Recon Match was that I lost one of my precious F-4s this turn. I don’t get more, and it will be quite a while until I get any F-5s, so every one lost is a minor tragedy. Oh well, once I build up some of the Western Aleutians into Level 4 Airbases I’ll start to send 4Es on Recon flights over the Kuriles.
The Night Phase started with the dot base at Tagula Island in the Solomons being automatically occupied by the Japanese. Then a 4-AM ASW TF took off from Perth to try to catch a Japanese sub that has been hanging around off shore for a while.
The AMs found the sub, but once they found it they couldn’t zero in on it and so didn’t end up attacking it. That’s okay; those ships are there to harass Japanese subs, not to seriously hunt them.
Daylight brought lots of Recon Flights again from both sides, but no other action. My opponent is becoming a bit perturbed by my increased interest in the Eastern Kuriles. And well he should be; from what I can tell the Japanese presence there is fairly light, particularly when you compare it to the massive Japanese presence in the Solomons, Northern Australia, and the DEI. I’m starting to send more subs into the Kuriles in expectation that my opponent will start to try to ship in more forces.
Probably the only downside of the Recon Match was that I lost one of my precious F-4s this turn. I don’t get more, and it will be quite a while until I get any F-5s, so every one lost is a minor tragedy. Oh well, once I build up some of the Western Aleutians into Level 4 Airbases I’ll start to send 4Es on Recon flights over the Kuriles.
Sakhalin Subs
August 28, 1942 –
The Night Phase saw sub action around Sakhalin Island. First off USS Whale took a shot at an SC that was escorting a TK near Toyohara, but the torpedo that hit the little escort was a dud. Whale then escaped the SC. Next, USS Grayling was chased by a couple more SCs just a little ways to the south, but escaped cleanly.
But none of the ships involved were through, because at the end of the turn Whale came back and fired more torpedoes at the same SC. Once again, the torpedo that hit the SC was a dud, and once again Whale escaped the counterattack by the escort. Now that the Whale has used up more than half of its torpedoes I am sending it back for replenishment.
And even Grayling was in action again at the end of the turn as the same two SCs took another shot at finding the US sub, but once again the small Japanese ASW ships couldn’t find the range.
Daylight then brought the usual “dance” of Recon planes on both sides. My Recon told me that my opponent has modified his Air Strategy in Burma. Now, instead of putting lots of fighters in a few main bases he has split his fighters up in multiple bases, which is the mirror of what I have done over the border in India.
The only other item of note was that I withdrew another obsolete US sub a little bit early this turn. This time it was an old S-boat.
The Night Phase saw sub action around Sakhalin Island. First off USS Whale took a shot at an SC that was escorting a TK near Toyohara, but the torpedo that hit the little escort was a dud. Whale then escaped the SC. Next, USS Grayling was chased by a couple more SCs just a little ways to the south, but escaped cleanly.
But none of the ships involved were through, because at the end of the turn Whale came back and fired more torpedoes at the same SC. Once again, the torpedo that hit the SC was a dud, and once again Whale escaped the counterattack by the escort. Now that the Whale has used up more than half of its torpedoes I am sending it back for replenishment.
And even Grayling was in action again at the end of the turn as the same two SCs took another shot at finding the US sub, but once again the small Japanese ASW ships couldn’t find the range.
Daylight then brought the usual “dance” of Recon planes on both sides. My Recon told me that my opponent has modified his Air Strategy in Burma. Now, instead of putting lots of fighters in a few main bases he has split his fighters up in multiple bases, which is the mirror of what I have done over the border in India.
The only other item of note was that I withdrew another obsolete US sub a little bit early this turn. This time it was an old S-boat.
More Sakhalin Subs
August 29, 1942 –
This night phase it was the turn of USS Cachalot to be unsuccessfully chased by Japanese SCs off of Sakhalin Island. Cachalot won’t be staying On Station much longer because the sub is due to be withdrawn in the Fall and I will want to start it back to the US West Coast with plenty of time in hand.
Japanese subs appeared again in pairs off of the Western Aleutians and also around Noumea. I sent some ASW TFs out in the Aleutians to try to discourage the subs there, but I have no forces around New Caledonia other then a couple of Air Units, so the Japanese subs there will pretty much get to do whatever they want.
In two days I will receive a large quantity of fresh Land Units, and for once I am actually looking forward to all of the support-type units that I am receiving. I have a lot of expansion to do and I will need all of the support-type units that I can get.
This night phase it was the turn of USS Cachalot to be unsuccessfully chased by Japanese SCs off of Sakhalin Island. Cachalot won’t be staying On Station much longer because the sub is due to be withdrawn in the Fall and I will want to start it back to the US West Coast with plenty of time in hand.
Japanese subs appeared again in pairs off of the Western Aleutians and also around Noumea. I sent some ASW TFs out in the Aleutians to try to discourage the subs there, but I have no forces around New Caledonia other then a couple of Air Units, so the Japanese subs there will pretty much get to do whatever they want.
In two days I will receive a large quantity of fresh Land Units, and for once I am actually looking forward to all of the support-type units that I am receiving. I have a lot of expansion to do and I will need all of the support-type units that I can get.
Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!
August 30, 1942 –
There was no Night Action and no Day Action again this turn. Instead there were plenty of “Recon Games” as both sides played “I Spy” over various bases. I am going to up the ante a little next turn by sending B-17s on Recon over Rangoon. I’m not ready to re-start a Bombing Campaign in Burma, but I do want to keep my opponent on his toes.
But the important aspects of this turn were related to Bases and Troops. First off, I was pleasantly surprised as seven key bases underwent expansion this turn. My bases have been getting bigger, which slows down expansion, so there hasn’t been much “real estate” development for a while.
Then the Big Present came as the Allies received a lot of very useful LCUs in very useful places. Australia received Air Support Units, AA Units, and Engineering Units. As well, a big TF arrived and started to unload more support units and Armour. I am building up the Railroad bases that are off of the coast and setting up a large trap for the Japanese troops in Townsville. I intend to turn Townsville into a very large and uncomfortable POW camp.
India also got more units, including another armoured unit, and importantly, four fresh Base Forces. I will send the Base Forces to the Front where they will replace the Base Forces that have been worn down by Malaria. The old Base Forces will rebuild quickly enough once I get them to Temperate bases behind the lines.
And more units are on the way to Oz and the Aleutians. Things are looking up nicely. [:)]
There was no Night Action and no Day Action again this turn. Instead there were plenty of “Recon Games” as both sides played “I Spy” over various bases. I am going to up the ante a little next turn by sending B-17s on Recon over Rangoon. I’m not ready to re-start a Bombing Campaign in Burma, but I do want to keep my opponent on his toes.
But the important aspects of this turn were related to Bases and Troops. First off, I was pleasantly surprised as seven key bases underwent expansion this turn. My bases have been getting bigger, which slows down expansion, so there hasn’t been much “real estate” development for a while.
Then the Big Present came as the Allies received a lot of very useful LCUs in very useful places. Australia received Air Support Units, AA Units, and Engineering Units. As well, a big TF arrived and started to unload more support units and Armour. I am building up the Railroad bases that are off of the coast and setting up a large trap for the Japanese troops in Townsville. I intend to turn Townsville into a very large and uncomfortable POW camp.
India also got more units, including another armoured unit, and importantly, four fresh Base Forces. I will send the Base Forces to the Front where they will replace the Base Forces that have been worn down by Malaria. The old Base Forces will rebuild quickly enough once I get them to Temperate bases behind the lines.
And more units are on the way to Oz and the Aleutians. Things are looking up nicely. [:)]
Upgrade Madness
August 31, 1942 –
The Night Phase saw USS Grouper hit an SC with a dud torpedo off of Kochi. I have more and more long range subs heading towards the Home Islands, so I’ll start to get some kills sooner or later.
There was the usual flurry of Recon flights at the Fronts this turn, and there were also a lot of Japanese Air ASW flights around, particularly over the Straights of Malacca. It is getting very hard for my subs to get through the Straights safely.
My B-17 Recon of Rangoon went well. All of the planes came home safely and I got a good idea of what is there. But more importantly, I got more information on other Burmese bases, particularly Magwe. There are a fair number of Japanese bombers on the ground there, so it is a tempting target. I am having my other B-17 squadron fly over Rangoon again next turn, in the hopes of drawing more Japanese fighters back to Rangoon. Then I intend to attack Magwe with P-38 Sweeps and B-17 Airfield raids. It’s time to make things lively again for my opponent.
But the majority of time that I spent on this turn was spent setting the upgrade options for all of the September 1942 ship upgrades. This is certainly going to keep my Shipyards busy for quite some time.
The Night Phase saw USS Grouper hit an SC with a dud torpedo off of Kochi. I have more and more long range subs heading towards the Home Islands, so I’ll start to get some kills sooner or later.
There was the usual flurry of Recon flights at the Fronts this turn, and there were also a lot of Japanese Air ASW flights around, particularly over the Straights of Malacca. It is getting very hard for my subs to get through the Straights safely.
My B-17 Recon of Rangoon went well. All of the planes came home safely and I got a good idea of what is there. But more importantly, I got more information on other Burmese bases, particularly Magwe. There are a fair number of Japanese bombers on the ground there, so it is a tempting target. I am having my other B-17 squadron fly over Rangoon again next turn, in the hopes of drawing more Japanese fighters back to Rangoon. Then I intend to attack Magwe with P-38 Sweeps and B-17 Airfield raids. It’s time to make things lively again for my opponent.
But the majority of time that I spent on this turn was spent setting the upgrade options for all of the September 1942 ship upgrades. This is certainly going to keep my Shipyards busy for quite some time.
Happy Oerlikon Shareholders
September 1, 1942 –
September 1942 came in rather quietly. The only action was a Japanese PB trying to chase USS Seadragon near Singapore.
There were lots of Recon Flights, and my Recon Distraction Plan seemed to work well in Burma. My opponent has plenty of Fighters in Burma, but they are spread out, and he seems to be reacting to seeing my Heavy Bombers flying Recon over Rangoon.
In any event, despite a weather forecast of End-of-the-World Weather in the region tomorrow, I set my plan into action. I’ve got 2 P-38E squadrons in Comilla set to Sweep Magwe at Max Alt, and two B-17 squadrons at Dacca set to bomb the Airfields at Magwe. It will be interesting to see who goes in first. I like sending in B-17s when the range is reasonably short instead of having them go at the limits of their range.
The most time consuming part of watching the Combat Replay this turn was watching all of the reports of “…taken out of commission for refit…”. They must have lasted 10 minutes at a minimum. And I still have plenty of other ships that need upgrades once they reach their next Port. It will certainly be a good time to be a Shipyard Worker. And speaking of “good time”, it will be a good time to be an Oerlikon shareholder with all of those Oerlikon AA guns getting installed on everything.
Finally, I happened to notice that I suddenly have P-70 Night Fighters available. I couldn’t remember which US Fighter squadron could upgrade to the P-70, but fortunately I was able to find a thread on the topic in the Forum. So I located the 18thFG/6thFS and found that it could be upgraded even though I only had 11 P-70s in stock. So I’ll let the pilots train in their new planes and see just how many more replacement P-70s I get. Up until now my opponent hasn’t done any Night Bombing, but it is nice to be prepared just in case that he starts at some point.
September 1942 came in rather quietly. The only action was a Japanese PB trying to chase USS Seadragon near Singapore.
There were lots of Recon Flights, and my Recon Distraction Plan seemed to work well in Burma. My opponent has plenty of Fighters in Burma, but they are spread out, and he seems to be reacting to seeing my Heavy Bombers flying Recon over Rangoon.
In any event, despite a weather forecast of End-of-the-World Weather in the region tomorrow, I set my plan into action. I’ve got 2 P-38E squadrons in Comilla set to Sweep Magwe at Max Alt, and two B-17 squadrons at Dacca set to bomb the Airfields at Magwe. It will be interesting to see who goes in first. I like sending in B-17s when the range is reasonably short instead of having them go at the limits of their range.
The most time consuming part of watching the Combat Replay this turn was watching all of the reports of “…taken out of commission for refit…”. They must have lasted 10 minutes at a minimum. And I still have plenty of other ships that need upgrades once they reach their next Port. It will certainly be a good time to be a Shipyard Worker. And speaking of “good time”, it will be a good time to be an Oerlikon shareholder with all of those Oerlikon AA guns getting installed on everything.
Finally, I happened to notice that I suddenly have P-70 Night Fighters available. I couldn’t remember which US Fighter squadron could upgrade to the P-70, but fortunately I was able to find a thread on the topic in the Forum. So I located the 18thFG/6thFS and found that it could be upgraded even though I only had 11 P-70s in stock. So I’ll let the pilots train in their new planes and see just how many more replacement P-70s I get. Up until now my opponent hasn’t done any Night Bombing, but it is nice to be prepared just in case that he starts at some point.
Back in the Air
September 2, 1942 –
I see that this AAR has passed 10,000 hits. Thanks to all of the kind readers out there who have put up with so little action for such a long time. I hope to start to change that, and to an extent this turn was a move in the right direction.
The Night Phase started out with the tables being turned on an Allied ASW TF that went hunting outside of Perth. Japanese sub I-18 caught AM Punjab in the dark with two torpedoes and the little minesweeper quickly went down like a rock. The other AMs in the ASW TF attempted to attack I-18, but the sub got away.
The Day Phase finally brought some good and successful air action as my Air Attacks on Magwe flew despite the weather. First off the B-17Es flew in and met 42 Oscars on CAP. As expected, the B-17s easily flew past the Oscars with little difficulty and then hit their target hard. A Sally was destroyed on the ground, numerous other Japanese planes were damaged, there were 11 casualties on the ground, the Airbase suffered 6 damage points, the Airbase Supply suffered 4 damage points, and the Airfields suffered 44 damage points. Five B-17s were damaged.
This was followed by the usual flurry of Recon flights, and also a number of Japanese Air ASW flights over Allied subs. My opponent appears to have a LOT of Air Coverage over Malaya, Sumatra and Java.
Then the P-38E Sweeps came in to hit Magwe. The first Sweep of 24 P-38Es found 27 Oscars and 1 Nick in the air. Three Oscars were destroyed for the loss of 1 P-38E. Then the other P-38 squadron Swept in and found 10 Oscars. Three more Oscars were destroyed for no Allied losses. At the end of the day, adding in Operational Losses, the Japanese lost 16 Oscars and 2 Sallys, while the Allies lost 4 P-38Es and 1 B-17.
So I was quite pleased with the results. I have sat down the B-17Es again, and have the P-38Es back on Local Short Range CAP. I’ll let my opponent scramble his Air Units around while he waits for my next move.
In other news, more Allied ships went into Upgrade, and I disbanded a handful of obsolete US Bomber squadrons on the West Coast, after removing the decent pilots. The next big Allied Aircraft Withdrawal will be those little light British bombers in India, which will happen in December.
Otherwise, my Troop Movements continue unabated and unmolested and things are looking quite promising in Australia nowadays. [8D]
I see that this AAR has passed 10,000 hits. Thanks to all of the kind readers out there who have put up with so little action for such a long time. I hope to start to change that, and to an extent this turn was a move in the right direction.
The Night Phase started out with the tables being turned on an Allied ASW TF that went hunting outside of Perth. Japanese sub I-18 caught AM Punjab in the dark with two torpedoes and the little minesweeper quickly went down like a rock. The other AMs in the ASW TF attempted to attack I-18, but the sub got away.
The Day Phase finally brought some good and successful air action as my Air Attacks on Magwe flew despite the weather. First off the B-17Es flew in and met 42 Oscars on CAP. As expected, the B-17s easily flew past the Oscars with little difficulty and then hit their target hard. A Sally was destroyed on the ground, numerous other Japanese planes were damaged, there were 11 casualties on the ground, the Airbase suffered 6 damage points, the Airbase Supply suffered 4 damage points, and the Airfields suffered 44 damage points. Five B-17s were damaged.
This was followed by the usual flurry of Recon flights, and also a number of Japanese Air ASW flights over Allied subs. My opponent appears to have a LOT of Air Coverage over Malaya, Sumatra and Java.
Then the P-38E Sweeps came in to hit Magwe. The first Sweep of 24 P-38Es found 27 Oscars and 1 Nick in the air. Three Oscars were destroyed for the loss of 1 P-38E. Then the other P-38 squadron Swept in and found 10 Oscars. Three more Oscars were destroyed for no Allied losses. At the end of the day, adding in Operational Losses, the Japanese lost 16 Oscars and 2 Sallys, while the Allies lost 4 P-38Es and 1 B-17.
So I was quite pleased with the results. I have sat down the B-17Es again, and have the P-38Es back on Local Short Range CAP. I’ll let my opponent scramble his Air Units around while he waits for my next move.
In other news, more Allied ships went into Upgrade, and I disbanded a handful of obsolete US Bomber squadrons on the West Coast, after removing the decent pilots. The next big Allied Aircraft Withdrawal will be those little light British bombers in India, which will happen in December.
Otherwise, my Troop Movements continue unabated and unmolested and things are looking quite promising in Australia nowadays. [8D]
The Japanese Air Force Wakes Up
September 3, 1942 –
The Night Phase saw USS Grayling hit an SC with a dud torpedo off of Toyohara. The SC was escorting a TK, so it’s a shame that Grayling didn’t get a second chance at the more worthwhile target.
Daylight brought my opponent out from his lethargy as a couple of Oscars attempted to Sweep Imphal in the rain. Obviously, the Bad Weather was splitting up my opponent’s attempt at revenge for the previous day’s Allied attack on Magwe. I had a Hurricane IIb squadron on High Alt Patrol, so the 16 Brit pilots happily challenged the incoming Japanese and shot down an Oscar.
The Action then shifted to China where a number of Japanese Army Bombers, escorted by Oscars, attacked a Chinese LCU in the woods near Pakhoi. The first Japanese Air Raid missed the target but the second raid caused a few casualties. This was followed by a Sally/Oscar air raid on the Airfields at Sian. This raid caused a fair amount of damage, likely because I had most of the Troops at Sian set to Rest, so their AA guns weren’t available. I’ve now put all of the Chinese units along the Front on Combat so that they can shoot back at any more Air Raids.
Finally, another 9 Oscars came back to Imphal and fought it out with 12 Hurricane IIbs. This time one plane from each side was shot down. Afterwards, when the Operational Losses were counted up the Japanese lost 9 Oscars while the Brits lost 4 Hurricane IIbs. I pulled the Hurricane IIb squadron out of Imphal and sent them to Calcutta for fresh planes. I then brought in a rested Hurricane IIc squadron into Imphal in case my opponent decides to try the same thing again.
BTW – My B-17s and P-38s are still resting and repairing, so I won’t be sending them out again for a few more days.
And I realized at the end of the turn that I had forgotten to post the September 1, 1942 screen shots, so better-late-than-never, below is the Intel Screen for September 3, 1942, since I no longer have the September 1 turn available.
The Night Phase saw USS Grayling hit an SC with a dud torpedo off of Toyohara. The SC was escorting a TK, so it’s a shame that Grayling didn’t get a second chance at the more worthwhile target.
Daylight brought my opponent out from his lethargy as a couple of Oscars attempted to Sweep Imphal in the rain. Obviously, the Bad Weather was splitting up my opponent’s attempt at revenge for the previous day’s Allied attack on Magwe. I had a Hurricane IIb squadron on High Alt Patrol, so the 16 Brit pilots happily challenged the incoming Japanese and shot down an Oscar.
The Action then shifted to China where a number of Japanese Army Bombers, escorted by Oscars, attacked a Chinese LCU in the woods near Pakhoi. The first Japanese Air Raid missed the target but the second raid caused a few casualties. This was followed by a Sally/Oscar air raid on the Airfields at Sian. This raid caused a fair amount of damage, likely because I had most of the Troops at Sian set to Rest, so their AA guns weren’t available. I’ve now put all of the Chinese units along the Front on Combat so that they can shoot back at any more Air Raids.
Finally, another 9 Oscars came back to Imphal and fought it out with 12 Hurricane IIbs. This time one plane from each side was shot down. Afterwards, when the Operational Losses were counted up the Japanese lost 9 Oscars while the Brits lost 4 Hurricane IIbs. I pulled the Hurricane IIb squadron out of Imphal and sent them to Calcutta for fresh planes. I then brought in a rested Hurricane IIc squadron into Imphal in case my opponent decides to try the same thing again.
BTW – My B-17s and P-38s are still resting and repairing, so I won’t be sending them out again for a few more days.
And I realized at the end of the turn that I had forgotten to post the September 1, 1942 screen shots, so better-late-than-never, below is the Intel Screen for September 3, 1942, since I no longer have the September 1 turn available.
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September 42 Air Losses
Here are the Air Losses as of September 3, 1942.
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September 42 Air Replacements
And here are the September 1942 Air Replacements. I've removed the Dutch and Soviet pools because they just clutter up the listing. I'm not going to bother posting maps because the situation on the ground hasn't changed since the last time I posted maps.
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An Unpleasant Sight
September 4, 1942 –
The Night Phase started out with a sight that sends shivers of dread down every player’s spine – an enemy sub putting a torpedo into one of your CVs. In this case, it was I-24 hitting Saratoga off of Tetiaroa.
There was a sense of irony in seeing Saratoga get hit just north of Tahiti. The ship had scored some of the first blood for the USN after Pearl Harbour, had avoided the KB in the Eastern Pacific, had taken the long route across the Atlantic to Cape Town to India, sailed from India to Australia, back to Cape Town for upgrades, back to Australia again, and then after sailing from Western Australia to Tahiti, got hit by an enemy sub on the way back to Hawaii.
Saratoga’s escorts hit I-24 with a couple of depth charges and the sub disappeared. When the Combat Replay was done I immediately looked for the Saratoga to view the damage. When I found the Saratoga’s TF I had a double take – Saratoga was undamaged! The torpedo had been a dud, and Fog of War had caused me grief for no reason at all. Oh well, all’s well that ends well, and Saratoga is still nicely on its way towards Pearl.
The only other action this turn was a Sweep by Oscars over Sian. I still have no parts for my Chinese fighters there, so while there is an aircraft “mark” at the base, I have nothing there that can fly.
There was also a lot of Air Recon again, and this time I added some spice by having B-17s fly over Daly Waters and Katherine. Daly Waters is empty, and Katherine still has its small defending force.
What is more interesting to me is the situation in North-eastern Australia, so I am attaching a screen capture to give a better idea of what I mean. I have been slowly moving my forces up the East Coast of Oz along the rail lines. My opponent is huddled in Townsville, while Bowen and Charters Towers are under enemy control but empty. Winton, Conclurry and Hughenden are empty but still under Allied control. My intention is to continue to move northwards into the bases along the rail line and build them up as I go along. As my Air Bases grow bigger my 4E threat moves closer and closer to the Japanese forces in Townsville.
I intend to encircle the Japanese forces and then pound them into submission with Heavy Bombers. Since my Air Bases are inland I don’t need to fear Naval Bombardments, and I have the Fighter squadrons to deal with any Japanese bombers. Essentially, my opponent has allowed two Japanese Infantry Divisions to become trapped in Townsville, and I intend to take advantage of that situation over the next number of months. All of my rail line bases behind the Front are occupied by troops and fighter squadrons, so my opponent won’t be able to cut my lines with Paratroops. So this ought to become a very interesting killing ground as time goes on.
The Night Phase started out with a sight that sends shivers of dread down every player’s spine – an enemy sub putting a torpedo into one of your CVs. In this case, it was I-24 hitting Saratoga off of Tetiaroa.
There was a sense of irony in seeing Saratoga get hit just north of Tahiti. The ship had scored some of the first blood for the USN after Pearl Harbour, had avoided the KB in the Eastern Pacific, had taken the long route across the Atlantic to Cape Town to India, sailed from India to Australia, back to Cape Town for upgrades, back to Australia again, and then after sailing from Western Australia to Tahiti, got hit by an enemy sub on the way back to Hawaii.
Saratoga’s escorts hit I-24 with a couple of depth charges and the sub disappeared. When the Combat Replay was done I immediately looked for the Saratoga to view the damage. When I found the Saratoga’s TF I had a double take – Saratoga was undamaged! The torpedo had been a dud, and Fog of War had caused me grief for no reason at all. Oh well, all’s well that ends well, and Saratoga is still nicely on its way towards Pearl.
The only other action this turn was a Sweep by Oscars over Sian. I still have no parts for my Chinese fighters there, so while there is an aircraft “mark” at the base, I have nothing there that can fly.
There was also a lot of Air Recon again, and this time I added some spice by having B-17s fly over Daly Waters and Katherine. Daly Waters is empty, and Katherine still has its small defending force.
What is more interesting to me is the situation in North-eastern Australia, so I am attaching a screen capture to give a better idea of what I mean. I have been slowly moving my forces up the East Coast of Oz along the rail lines. My opponent is huddled in Townsville, while Bowen and Charters Towers are under enemy control but empty. Winton, Conclurry and Hughenden are empty but still under Allied control. My intention is to continue to move northwards into the bases along the rail line and build them up as I go along. As my Air Bases grow bigger my 4E threat moves closer and closer to the Japanese forces in Townsville.
I intend to encircle the Japanese forces and then pound them into submission with Heavy Bombers. Since my Air Bases are inland I don’t need to fear Naval Bombardments, and I have the Fighter squadrons to deal with any Japanese bombers. Essentially, my opponent has allowed two Japanese Infantry Divisions to become trapped in Townsville, and I intend to take advantage of that situation over the next number of months. All of my rail line bases behind the Front are occupied by troops and fighter squadrons, so my opponent won’t be able to cut my lines with Paratroops. So this ought to become a very interesting killing ground as time goes on.
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An Unintentional Break
September 5, 1942 –
A slip in communication kept my opponent and me from exchanging turns for the past two days, but we are back in business now.
The Night Phase brought USS Cachalot near Shikuku where the sub fired four torpedoes at an SC but missed. The SC then couldn’t find the US sub.
Daylight brought Japanese fighters and bombers out over Sian again. This is actually a good move on my opponent’s part because Sian is too far away from any decent Chinese bases to be defended by air, and it is constantly out of supply, so fighters can’t be based there either. So my opponent sent in an unopposed Oscar Sweep, followed by Oscars and Sonias, and finally by Oscars and Sallys. My opponent can train up pilots and only spend obsolete aircraft there on Operational Losses.
Otherwise, there were only Recon flights going around again. My opponent has pulled back his bombers from Magwe and Mandalay, so there are no worthwhile targets there at this time.
I am attaching the map of Northwestern Australia to this post in order to give an idea of my plans in that region. I intend to send troops into Meekatherra and Cue in order to build up the Air Bases and allow my 4Es to dominate the region. This is a more long-term plan than my build up in Northeastern Australia, but eventually I will move in the Western Region and start to apply pressure on the DEI in 1943.
One thing that I have learned (very painfully) over and over again in my Japanese pbems is that I should always stick with my plans and not go off on tangents just because I spot what appears to be an “opportunity”. Every time I go after “opportunities” I end up throwing away my forces for little or no gain. On the other hand, when I stick with my plans I get steady progress.
A slip in communication kept my opponent and me from exchanging turns for the past two days, but we are back in business now.
The Night Phase brought USS Cachalot near Shikuku where the sub fired four torpedoes at an SC but missed. The SC then couldn’t find the US sub.
Daylight brought Japanese fighters and bombers out over Sian again. This is actually a good move on my opponent’s part because Sian is too far away from any decent Chinese bases to be defended by air, and it is constantly out of supply, so fighters can’t be based there either. So my opponent sent in an unopposed Oscar Sweep, followed by Oscars and Sonias, and finally by Oscars and Sallys. My opponent can train up pilots and only spend obsolete aircraft there on Operational Losses.
Otherwise, there were only Recon flights going around again. My opponent has pulled back his bombers from Magwe and Mandalay, so there are no worthwhile targets there at this time.
I am attaching the map of Northwestern Australia to this post in order to give an idea of my plans in that region. I intend to send troops into Meekatherra and Cue in order to build up the Air Bases and allow my 4Es to dominate the region. This is a more long-term plan than my build up in Northeastern Australia, but eventually I will move in the Western Region and start to apply pressure on the DEI in 1943.
One thing that I have learned (very painfully) over and over again in my Japanese pbems is that I should always stick with my plans and not go off on tangents just because I spot what appears to be an “opportunity”. Every time I go after “opportunities” I end up throwing away my forces for little or no gain. On the other hand, when I stick with my plans I get steady progress.
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SIGINT Teasers
September 6, 1942 –
The Night Phase was quiet again. Just where are the Japanese Transport TFs? I have been moving more and more long range US subs into Japanese waters but other than the occasional single Tanker plus escort TFs that my subs have found near Shikuku every so often, I haven’t seen anything. My opponent must be sending oil and resources back to Japan, so my subs ought to run into larger TFs once in a while.
Daylight brought a return to Recon Wars as my opponent avoided being too predictable once again and his Air Raids over China stopped. I was quite surprised to see a Japanese Recon Flight over Cloncurry this turn. As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, Cloncurry is empty but it still is under Allied control. I’m not quite ready to move troops up there, so it will be interesting to see what my opponent does in the meanwhile.
A Glen-equipped long-range Japanese sub appeared off of Tahiti again. This time I have four spare DEs at Tahiti, so I am sending them out in an ASW TF to see if I can discourage that sub.
I was looking forward to the arrival of two more USMC Fighter and two more USMC Dive Bomber squadrons at San Diego, but it was quite the disappointment when they did arrive. There are only two planes in each of the squadrons, and the pilot experience is miserably low. So although I have enough planes in the Pools to fill out the squadrons I’m not doing so. Instead I just filled in the Pilot slots with more Rookies and set the squadrons to training. I’ll check back in a few months to see if it becomes worthwhile to give them planes too.
And I got another Mystery SIGINT report of Radio Signals coming from the Eastern Pacific, just outside of 4E Search range. I don’t know if this is from a Japanese sub on its way to the West Coast, or Raiders, but I don’t have any TFs in the region so whatever is there can spend all the fuel that they like. Never-the-less, I did move a few more 4E squadrons to the Pacific Northwest region to give me more of a chance to see if anything Japanese comes closer to shore.
The Night Phase was quiet again. Just where are the Japanese Transport TFs? I have been moving more and more long range US subs into Japanese waters but other than the occasional single Tanker plus escort TFs that my subs have found near Shikuku every so often, I haven’t seen anything. My opponent must be sending oil and resources back to Japan, so my subs ought to run into larger TFs once in a while.
Daylight brought a return to Recon Wars as my opponent avoided being too predictable once again and his Air Raids over China stopped. I was quite surprised to see a Japanese Recon Flight over Cloncurry this turn. As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, Cloncurry is empty but it still is under Allied control. I’m not quite ready to move troops up there, so it will be interesting to see what my opponent does in the meanwhile.
A Glen-equipped long-range Japanese sub appeared off of Tahiti again. This time I have four spare DEs at Tahiti, so I am sending them out in an ASW TF to see if I can discourage that sub.
I was looking forward to the arrival of two more USMC Fighter and two more USMC Dive Bomber squadrons at San Diego, but it was quite the disappointment when they did arrive. There are only two planes in each of the squadrons, and the pilot experience is miserably low. So although I have enough planes in the Pools to fill out the squadrons I’m not doing so. Instead I just filled in the Pilot slots with more Rookies and set the squadrons to training. I’ll check back in a few months to see if it becomes worthwhile to give them planes too.
And I got another Mystery SIGINT report of Radio Signals coming from the Eastern Pacific, just outside of 4E Search range. I don’t know if this is from a Japanese sub on its way to the West Coast, or Raiders, but I don’t have any TFs in the region so whatever is there can spend all the fuel that they like. Never-the-less, I did move a few more 4E squadrons to the Pacific Northwest region to give me more of a chance to see if anything Japanese comes closer to shore.
The Cruel Seas off of Perth
September 7, 1942 –
The Night Phase saw a fair amount of ASW action off of Perth, as if my opponent and I were attempting to remake “The Cruel Sea”. First off, the captain of IJN sub I-18 decided not to fire off any torpedoes against an AM that was spotted. That decision turned into a mistake as the AM found the sub and attacked it repeatedly, eventually scoring 5 hits.
Then I-25 found another of the AMs in the Australian ASW TF and this time the sub’s skipper did fire, but missed with 6 torpedoes. Once again the Australian ships attacked, but this time they didn’t hit the sub. I’m guessing that my opponent is assuming that I am shipping Troops and Supplies through Perth, but I’m not. So this way I get to train up ASW crews with little risk. [:D]
Daylight brought Recon Wars again, although the Recon Flights from both sides were affected by miserable weather over all of the Fronts. My opponent spread out his Air Recon in north-eastern Oz and checked out Emerald this time, in addition to Cluncurry. His Intel will give him a different picture at this base, because I already have a number of troops in place and more are on the way.
The Night Phase saw a fair amount of ASW action off of Perth, as if my opponent and I were attempting to remake “The Cruel Sea”. First off, the captain of IJN sub I-18 decided not to fire off any torpedoes against an AM that was spotted. That decision turned into a mistake as the AM found the sub and attacked it repeatedly, eventually scoring 5 hits.
Then I-25 found another of the AMs in the Australian ASW TF and this time the sub’s skipper did fire, but missed with 6 torpedoes. Once again the Australian ships attacked, but this time they didn’t hit the sub. I’m guessing that my opponent is assuming that I am shipping Troops and Supplies through Perth, but I’m not. So this way I get to train up ASW crews with little risk. [:D]
Daylight brought Recon Wars again, although the Recon Flights from both sides were affected by miserable weather over all of the Fronts. My opponent spread out his Air Recon in north-eastern Oz and checked out Emerald this time, in addition to Cluncurry. His Intel will give him a different picture at this base, because I already have a number of troops in place and more are on the way.
Back to Recon Wars
September 8, 1942 –
The Night Phase saw USS Gudgeon fire off some dud torpedoes at an SC near Wakkanai, then escape from the small Japanese ASW ships in the dark. My subs are finding more small ASW TFs (or the small Japanese ASW TFs are finding my subs), but I’m not spotting any major Transport TFs.
Daylight brought Recon Wars again, with an increased number of Enemy sub reports around the Aleutians. My opponent is paying a little more attention to his Closest Neighbours, but he isn’t trying anything to stop me. Of course, he is also watching my build-up in Australia, and he is still sending a lot of Recon over India.
I will “reward” his Recon flights over India next turn by sending my 4Es and P-38s over Mandalay. It’s time to do more Oscar-hunting, and if I catch some Japanese Recon planes on the Ground, so much the better.
The Night Phase saw USS Gudgeon fire off some dud torpedoes at an SC near Wakkanai, then escape from the small Japanese ASW ships in the dark. My subs are finding more small ASW TFs (or the small Japanese ASW TFs are finding my subs), but I’m not spotting any major Transport TFs.
Daylight brought Recon Wars again, with an increased number of Enemy sub reports around the Aleutians. My opponent is paying a little more attention to his Closest Neighbours, but he isn’t trying anything to stop me. Of course, he is also watching my build-up in Australia, and he is still sending a lot of Recon over India.
I will “reward” his Recon flights over India next turn by sending my 4Es and P-38s over Mandalay. It’s time to do more Oscar-hunting, and if I catch some Japanese Recon planes on the Ground, so much the better.
Oscar Hunting
September 9, 1942 –
There was no Night Action.
Daylight saw my Plan for Mandalay go into Action.
First off, despite my two P-38 squadrons being located at the same base, the P-38E squadron Swept in alone over Mandalay and found 56 Oscars scrambling to meet them. The Oscars approached in dribs and drabs, and the P-38E pilots handled them readily, eventually shooting down 3 Oscars for the loss of 1 P-38E.
Next, a rookie squadron of 16 B-17Es flew in and faced 31 Oscars. The Forts blew past the Japanese fighters, damaging a number of them, and hit the Air Base, Air Base Supply, and Runways.
This was followed by the rest of the 4Es; 12 B-17Es and 16 B-17Fs. They were met by 32 Oscars and the Heavies again shot up the Japanese fighters, eventually shooting one down before again hitting the Air Base, Air Base Supply and Runways.
Then the P-38F squadron arrived and found 29 Oscars still struggling to get on CAP. Again the Lightnings did well; shooting down 4 Oscars for the loss of only one P-38F.
At the end of the day the totals, including all the accessory losses upon landings, as well as Operational losses were as follows:
19 Oscars lost – 17 A-to-A and 2 Ops
6 P-38Es lost – 4 A-to-A and 2 Ops
3 P48Fs lost – 2 A-to-A and 1 Ops
1 B-17E lost to Ops
Most of the P-38 losses were write-offs on the ground after landing.
It was a little disappointing that my Bombers didn’t catch any Japanese planes on the Ground, but the end result was quite satisfying anyway.
BTW – there were also 4 Sallys listed as lost to Ops damage, so my opponent must be moving his bombers somewhere.
I’ve sat my bombers and P-38s down again while they rest up and I wait for another promising opportunity.
In other interesting news, a Japanese LCU has shown up just inside of the Chinese border on the road between Lashio and Paoshan. I’ve got a strong Chinese LCU blocking the road a hex to the west of Paoshan, and another strong Chinese LCU inside of Paoshan. Just in case, I’ve ordered another strong Chinese LCU to begin the march from Chungking to Paoshan.
There was no Night Action.
Daylight saw my Plan for Mandalay go into Action.
First off, despite my two P-38 squadrons being located at the same base, the P-38E squadron Swept in alone over Mandalay and found 56 Oscars scrambling to meet them. The Oscars approached in dribs and drabs, and the P-38E pilots handled them readily, eventually shooting down 3 Oscars for the loss of 1 P-38E.
Next, a rookie squadron of 16 B-17Es flew in and faced 31 Oscars. The Forts blew past the Japanese fighters, damaging a number of them, and hit the Air Base, Air Base Supply, and Runways.
This was followed by the rest of the 4Es; 12 B-17Es and 16 B-17Fs. They were met by 32 Oscars and the Heavies again shot up the Japanese fighters, eventually shooting one down before again hitting the Air Base, Air Base Supply and Runways.
Then the P-38F squadron arrived and found 29 Oscars still struggling to get on CAP. Again the Lightnings did well; shooting down 4 Oscars for the loss of only one P-38F.
At the end of the day the totals, including all the accessory losses upon landings, as well as Operational losses were as follows:
19 Oscars lost – 17 A-to-A and 2 Ops
6 P-38Es lost – 4 A-to-A and 2 Ops
3 P48Fs lost – 2 A-to-A and 1 Ops
1 B-17E lost to Ops
Most of the P-38 losses were write-offs on the ground after landing.
It was a little disappointing that my Bombers didn’t catch any Japanese planes on the Ground, but the end result was quite satisfying anyway.
BTW – there were also 4 Sallys listed as lost to Ops damage, so my opponent must be moving his bombers somewhere.
I’ve sat my bombers and P-38s down again while they rest up and I wait for another promising opportunity.
In other interesting news, a Japanese LCU has shown up just inside of the Chinese border on the road between Lashio and Paoshan. I’ve got a strong Chinese LCU blocking the road a hex to the west of Paoshan, and another strong Chinese LCU inside of Paoshan. Just in case, I’ve ordered another strong Chinese LCU to begin the march from Chungking to Paoshan.
Dudsville
September 10, 1942 –
There were two US submarine captains who weren’t happy with their luck during the Night Phase. First off, USS Albacore hit an xAK with a dud torpedo off of Agrihan (north of the Marianas). Then USS Triton hit a PB with a dud near Truk. Oh well, at least I know where a couple of small Japanese Transport TFs are sailing.
Daylight brought a Japanese attempt to “return the favour” for my Air Raid on Mandalay, as Japanese Fighters Swept Rockhampton. First off 12 Oscars flew in and faced the 12 New Zeeland Hurricane IIbs that were on CAP. This resulted in an Oscar being shot down.
Then 9 Nicks flew in and faced 6 Hurricanes, but there were no losses on either side. This was followed by 2 more Oscars which faced 3 Hurricanes, but again with no losses on either side.
Next, 2 Zeros flew in and faced 1 Hurricane, but again there were no losses on either side. Finally, a while later, 13 more Zeros flew in, but by that point the Kiwi pilots had already called it a Day and the Sky was empty of Allied fighters.
There were also some Oscar and Sally/Sonia attacks on Sian again, but the damage was minor.
At the end of the day the losses were as follows:
3 Oscars lost – 2 A-to-A and 1 Ops
2 Hurricane IIbs lost due to Ops
The lost Hurricanes were write-offs on the ground and no Allied pilots were lost.
Without any bombers to back them up the Japanese Fighter sweeps are more helpful as target practice for my Fighter Squadrons than anything else. I’ll eventually move some larger “fly swatters” into position, but for now I’ll just let my opponent take Ops losses if he tries this again.
In other news, a Japanese sub showed up off of Perth again, so I am once again sending out an AM ASW TF. This time I’ve put some better skippers in charge of the AMs in case they can catch up to the Japanese sub.
And while browsing the list of upcoming Allied Air Units I noticed that a USMC Fighter squadron and a USMC Dive Bomber squadron will show up at Pago Pago in 20 days. I have no use for them there, and I would have preferred if they showed up in the Continental US instead, but I can’t change things so I ordered a couple of AKVs to sail from the West Coast to Pago Pago to pick up the Air Units. I’ll probably send them on to Australia, although I don’t have any immediate use for them there either.
There were two US submarine captains who weren’t happy with their luck during the Night Phase. First off, USS Albacore hit an xAK with a dud torpedo off of Agrihan (north of the Marianas). Then USS Triton hit a PB with a dud near Truk. Oh well, at least I know where a couple of small Japanese Transport TFs are sailing.
Daylight brought a Japanese attempt to “return the favour” for my Air Raid on Mandalay, as Japanese Fighters Swept Rockhampton. First off 12 Oscars flew in and faced the 12 New Zeeland Hurricane IIbs that were on CAP. This resulted in an Oscar being shot down.
Then 9 Nicks flew in and faced 6 Hurricanes, but there were no losses on either side. This was followed by 2 more Oscars which faced 3 Hurricanes, but again with no losses on either side.
Next, 2 Zeros flew in and faced 1 Hurricane, but again there were no losses on either side. Finally, a while later, 13 more Zeros flew in, but by that point the Kiwi pilots had already called it a Day and the Sky was empty of Allied fighters.
There were also some Oscar and Sally/Sonia attacks on Sian again, but the damage was minor.
At the end of the day the losses were as follows:
3 Oscars lost – 2 A-to-A and 1 Ops
2 Hurricane IIbs lost due to Ops
The lost Hurricanes were write-offs on the ground and no Allied pilots were lost.
Without any bombers to back them up the Japanese Fighter sweeps are more helpful as target practice for my Fighter Squadrons than anything else. I’ll eventually move some larger “fly swatters” into position, but for now I’ll just let my opponent take Ops losses if he tries this again.
In other news, a Japanese sub showed up off of Perth again, so I am once again sending out an AM ASW TF. This time I’ve put some better skippers in charge of the AMs in case they can catch up to the Japanese sub.
And while browsing the list of upcoming Allied Air Units I noticed that a USMC Fighter squadron and a USMC Dive Bomber squadron will show up at Pago Pago in 20 days. I have no use for them there, and I would have preferred if they showed up in the Continental US instead, but I can’t change things so I ordered a couple of AKVs to sail from the West Coast to Pago Pago to pick up the Air Units. I’ll probably send them on to Australia, although I don’t have any immediate use for them there either.
Tennant Creek in the Bombsights Again
September 11, 1942 –
The only Night Action was USS Grayling being chased unsuccessfully by a Japanese PB near Toyohara. During the Combat Replay the Map showed a couple of situations where Allied subs were in the same hexes as Japanese TFs off of Japan, but the forces didn’t engage.
Daylight brought back an old “favourite” of my opponent; Sallys and Oscars attacked the troops at Tennant Creek. The Japanese bombers actually caused some casualties. Eventually I will have to send an AA unit to Tennant Creek, but for now I need them elsewhere. Otherwise, there was no Day Action.
I received a fresh P-38E squadron in Portland this turn, but the Air Unit turned out to be part of IV US Fighter Command (R) so I not only can’t move it off of the West Coast but I can’t even change its Command. So I replaced the 10 P-38s in the squadron with P-39Ds and filled the pilot ranks up with rookies. So there is yet another Training Squadron on the West Coast. But I won’t complain about getting 10 extra P-38Es.
The other news this turn was that another half dozen Allied bases grew in one manner or another. My plans continue to progress nicely.
The only Night Action was USS Grayling being chased unsuccessfully by a Japanese PB near Toyohara. During the Combat Replay the Map showed a couple of situations where Allied subs were in the same hexes as Japanese TFs off of Japan, but the forces didn’t engage.
Daylight brought back an old “favourite” of my opponent; Sallys and Oscars attacked the troops at Tennant Creek. The Japanese bombers actually caused some casualties. Eventually I will have to send an AA unit to Tennant Creek, but for now I need them elsewhere. Otherwise, there was no Day Action.
I received a fresh P-38E squadron in Portland this turn, but the Air Unit turned out to be part of IV US Fighter Command (R) so I not only can’t move it off of the West Coast but I can’t even change its Command. So I replaced the 10 P-38s in the squadron with P-39Ds and filled the pilot ranks up with rookies. So there is yet another Training Squadron on the West Coast. But I won’t complain about getting 10 extra P-38Es.
The other news this turn was that another half dozen Allied bases grew in one manner or another. My plans continue to progress nicely.