September 12, 1942 –
The Night Phase saw US subs try and fail to sink small Japanese Escort ships. First off, USS Tautog hit an SC with a dud near Hamamatsu; then USS Pickerel hit another SC with a dud near Amami Oshima. In both cases the SCs were equally ineffectual in their roles and the US subs got away safely.
Daylight saw more Japanese Air Raids over Sian. This time the Japanese bombers hit the Air Fields, which is fine by me because I don’t intend to try to fly anything out of Sian anyway. SIGINT keeps on telling me that various Japanese units are preparing to Attack Sian, but considering that many of the units that have been reported are Chinese Militia that are fighting for the Japanese, I’m not terribly worried at this time.
The Final Results for the Day were a bit irritating because the Japanese didn’t lose any planes to Ops losses, despite buzzing Sian repeatedly, while the Allies lost three Hudsons and one Blenheim to Ops losses.
The Upcoming Air Units list is also getting a bit more irritating. Now, in addition to the USMC planes that will be showing up at Pago Pago, it turns out that some USAAF P-39s will show up in a few weeks at Noumea. So I’ll have to send an Escorted Freighter there to pick them up because I have no use for Fighters at Noumea.
And in one more bit of SIGINT, it turns out that a fragment of a Japanese Infantry Regiment is preparing to invade Taytay in the Philippines. That’s a bit unfortunate, because I have been using Taytay as a stop-over for Allied subs in the region. Fortunately, there are still a handful of other unoccupied bases in the Philippines that I will use instead.
And, most importantly, I finally set up my largest Transport TF to date. The TF is so large that I had to form its Combat Escorts up separately into a different TF because otherwise the Transport TF couldn’t dock to load its Forces. I’ll have the two TFs meet nearby and then join them up. It will be a month before this TF reaches its destination, but when it does the Balance of Power in that region will definitely shift more in the direction of the Allies.
Last Stand at San Diego (no Richard please)
Moderators: wdolson, MOD_War-in-the-Pacific-Admirals-Edition
Swiss Cheese
September 13, 1942 –
The Night Phase saw two extremes of submarine action this turn. First off was a fairly routine and unsuccessful attack by some Japanese SCs on USS Grouper near Utsonomiya. Then came an attack that was different from anything I’ve seen before.
USS Seadragon was snooping around near the south-western tip of Korea when it came upon an unescorted xAKL. The skipper of the Seadragon ordered the sub to the Surface and commenced an attack on the small Freighter with the sub’s deck guns.
Seadragon’s crew opened fire with everything that they could find.
They fired the 20mm AA guns. 
They fired the .5 inch Brownings. 
They fired the 3 inch cannon. 
And they fired, and they fired, and they fired even more. 
Eventually, after firing away almost all of the sub’s ammo, and hitting the xAKL 60 times, the skipper decided to break off the engagement and submerge the sub.
What was particularly strange about this attack was that the image of the xAKL never changed in the Replay Screen. No smoke or fires appeared, even when the Combat Report said that there was major damage to the Ship, such as blowing away the Superstructure.
What was even odder at that point was that Seadragon never tried to fire a torpedo while on the Surface.
But a little while later the Seadragon attacked the same xAKL from underwater with a spread of torpedoes, and one of the torpedoes actually hit the Freighter and exploded, causing serious damage. But once again there was no sign of damage in the Combat Replay. Only afterwards when I checked the “Sunk Ships” list did I see that the xAKL was listed as sunk.
I’m still scratching my head at that one. [&:][&:][&:]
Otherwise, things were quiet this turn except for Recon flights. I’ve now flown Recon over all of the Japanese-occupied bases in Burma and my opponent has planes at almost every one of them. Oh well, at least those planes aren’t sitting elsewhere.
The Big News of the Day was that USS Oklahoma finally returned to Service after 10 months of repairs.
The Night Phase saw two extremes of submarine action this turn. First off was a fairly routine and unsuccessful attack by some Japanese SCs on USS Grouper near Utsonomiya. Then came an attack that was different from anything I’ve seen before.
USS Seadragon was snooping around near the south-western tip of Korea when it came upon an unescorted xAKL. The skipper of the Seadragon ordered the sub to the Surface and commenced an attack on the small Freighter with the sub’s deck guns.
Seadragon’s crew opened fire with everything that they could find.
They fired the 20mm AA guns. They fired the .5 inch Brownings. They fired the 3 inch cannon. And they fired, and they fired, and they fired even more. Eventually, after firing away almost all of the sub’s ammo, and hitting the xAKL 60 times, the skipper decided to break off the engagement and submerge the sub.What was particularly strange about this attack was that the image of the xAKL never changed in the Replay Screen. No smoke or fires appeared, even when the Combat Report said that there was major damage to the Ship, such as blowing away the Superstructure.
What was even odder at that point was that Seadragon never tried to fire a torpedo while on the Surface.
But a little while later the Seadragon attacked the same xAKL from underwater with a spread of torpedoes, and one of the torpedoes actually hit the Freighter and exploded, causing serious damage. But once again there was no sign of damage in the Combat Replay. Only afterwards when I checked the “Sunk Ships” list did I see that the xAKL was listed as sunk.
I’m still scratching my head at that one. [&:][&:][&:]
Otherwise, things were quiet this turn except for Recon flights. I’ve now flown Recon over all of the Japanese-occupied bases in Burma and my opponent has planes at almost every one of them. Oh well, at least those planes aren’t sitting elsewhere.
The Big News of the Day was that USS Oklahoma finally returned to Service after 10 months of repairs.
Dud Parade
September 14, 1942 –
The Night Phase showed that I’m finally getting my subs in the right locations, but unfortunately, without the right tools.
First off, one of the pesky Japanese subs that have been hanging around the Aleutians almost became a reef as USN DE Kane spotted I-5 near Attu Island. However, the Japanese sub was able to sneak away in the bad weather. But it all worked out in the end as the Transport TF that Kane was escorting got to Attu safely.
Then came another Night of the Duds, as USS Gudgeon hit an xAK with a dud torpedo off of Oki Shoto, which was then followed up by USS Pike hitting a TK with a dud near Nago. Unfortunately, the skippers of those two US subs weren’t aggressive enough to go to the surface and take on the Japanese ships with gunfire.
Daylight brought Japanese bombers in the Air over China again as small bomber groups hit Liuchow and Ichang. These attacks are irritating, but I don’t want to have my Chinese Fighter squadrons stuck chasing hit-and-run raids, so I’ll just continue to ignore the situation. At least this time the Japanese suffered some Ops losses.
This was a busy turn as a huge number of Allied ships and subs arrived in various ports. I’ve also got a large quantity of ships going in and out of Upgrades, so it is a busy time at my backwater ports.
SIGINT has been sending an interesting message in recent turns – a number of Japanese LCUs are being shipped to Singapore. These are all Support-type troops, rather than major Combat units, but it is still odd, and I haven’t figured out the reason for it yet.
And finally, my Monster TF set sail all together today. I’ve got Battleships, Cruisers, Destroyers, DEs, Troop Transports and Cargo Transports all sailing together. It’s an impressive sight – I only hope that the KB doesn’t catch sight of it.
The Night Phase showed that I’m finally getting my subs in the right locations, but unfortunately, without the right tools.
First off, one of the pesky Japanese subs that have been hanging around the Aleutians almost became a reef as USN DE Kane spotted I-5 near Attu Island. However, the Japanese sub was able to sneak away in the bad weather. But it all worked out in the end as the Transport TF that Kane was escorting got to Attu safely.
Then came another Night of the Duds, as USS Gudgeon hit an xAK with a dud torpedo off of Oki Shoto, which was then followed up by USS Pike hitting a TK with a dud near Nago. Unfortunately, the skippers of those two US subs weren’t aggressive enough to go to the surface and take on the Japanese ships with gunfire.
Daylight brought Japanese bombers in the Air over China again as small bomber groups hit Liuchow and Ichang. These attacks are irritating, but I don’t want to have my Chinese Fighter squadrons stuck chasing hit-and-run raids, so I’ll just continue to ignore the situation. At least this time the Japanese suffered some Ops losses.
This was a busy turn as a huge number of Allied ships and subs arrived in various ports. I’ve also got a large quantity of ships going in and out of Upgrades, so it is a busy time at my backwater ports.
SIGINT has been sending an interesting message in recent turns – a number of Japanese LCUs are being shipped to Singapore. These are all Support-type troops, rather than major Combat units, but it is still odd, and I haven’t figured out the reason for it yet.
And finally, my Monster TF set sail all together today. I’ve got Battleships, Cruisers, Destroyers, DEs, Troop Transports and Cargo Transports all sailing together. It’s an impressive sight – I only hope that the KB doesn’t catch sight of it.
Air Wars Over Rockhampton
September 15, 1942 –
There was no Night Action.
Daylight brought a series of Japanese Fighter Sweeps over Rockhampton. My opponent was probably expecting to see those New Zeeland Hurricane IIbs again, but instead his fighters ran into a USAAF P-38E squadron at full strength and at max altitude.
The first Japanese Sweep consisted of 10 A6M2 Zeros which ran into the full 25 P-38s. The P-38s shot up the Zeros and shot down three of them with no losses to the US planes.
Next came 12 Oscars which found 21 P-38s on High Alt CAP. This time one plane from each side was shot down.
Then came 8 Nicks who found 14 P-38s waiting for them. The P-38s shot up the Nicks nicely and one Nick was shot down.
This was followed by 2 straggler Zeros which found 13 P-38s still in the air and turned around and tried to run.
At the End of the Day the losses were as follows:
Japanese: 9 Zeros lost – 8 to A-to-A, 5 Nicks lost – 3 to A-to-A, and 2 Oscars lost – 1 to A-to-A.
USAAF: 3 P-38s lost – 1 to A-to-A
That should discourage my opponent a little bit. In any event, I sat down the P-38s while they wait for enough Supplies to bring in replacement planes, and instead I ordered four squadrons of 4Es to fly over to hit the Airfields at Townsville. That ought to discourage my opponent even more.
HOWEVER –
When this occurs is in the air, because for some reason I can’t send the turn to my opponent this evening. My mail keeps on bouncing with a message that my opponent’s email account doesn’t exist. I sent him a PM from here in the Forum in case he checks things out here, but for now there isn’t anything else I can do.
I wonder if this has anything to do with the big Solar Flare?
There was no Night Action.
Daylight brought a series of Japanese Fighter Sweeps over Rockhampton. My opponent was probably expecting to see those New Zeeland Hurricane IIbs again, but instead his fighters ran into a USAAF P-38E squadron at full strength and at max altitude.
The first Japanese Sweep consisted of 10 A6M2 Zeros which ran into the full 25 P-38s. The P-38s shot up the Zeros and shot down three of them with no losses to the US planes.
Next came 12 Oscars which found 21 P-38s on High Alt CAP. This time one plane from each side was shot down.
Then came 8 Nicks who found 14 P-38s waiting for them. The P-38s shot up the Nicks nicely and one Nick was shot down.
This was followed by 2 straggler Zeros which found 13 P-38s still in the air and turned around and tried to run.
At the End of the Day the losses were as follows:
Japanese: 9 Zeros lost – 8 to A-to-A, 5 Nicks lost – 3 to A-to-A, and 2 Oscars lost – 1 to A-to-A.
USAAF: 3 P-38s lost – 1 to A-to-A
That should discourage my opponent a little bit. In any event, I sat down the P-38s while they wait for enough Supplies to bring in replacement planes, and instead I ordered four squadrons of 4Es to fly over to hit the Airfields at Townsville. That ought to discourage my opponent even more.
HOWEVER –
When this occurs is in the air, because for some reason I can’t send the turn to my opponent this evening. My mail keeps on bouncing with a message that my opponent’s email account doesn’t exist. I sent him a PM from here in the Forum in case he checks things out here, but for now there isn’t anything else I can do.
I wonder if this has anything to do with the big Solar Flare?
Success, Followed by a Mess
September 16, 1942 –
The Night Phase saw USS Perch spot an SC off of Chiba, but the sub’s skipper decided not to fire any torpedoes at the little escort ship. The SC then attempted to find Perch, but Perch got away unscathed.
Daylight brought the Allied Response to the Japanese Fighter Sweeps of the previous turn. The largest Allied 4E attack of the War so far flew against the Air Fields at Townsville as 33 B-17s and 12 Liberators attacked. They were met by 12 Oscars, 12 Zeros and 6 Nicks. The 4Es blasted past the Japanese CAP and hammered the Air Fields, destroying Japanese planes in the Air and on the Ground.
The Combat Report showed the following:
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed, 5 damaged
A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed on ground
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed on ground
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 3 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 2 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
Airbase hits 18
Airbase supply hits 7
Runway hits 129
Then a straggler squadron of 8 B-17s flew in late and faced 4 Zeros, 6 Oscars and 2 Nicks. Again the 4Es blasted through and hit the Airfields. This time the Combat Report showed these results:
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 1 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 5 damaged
Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 6
The End-of-Day final tally is in the image below. Note - Japanese air losses have finally moved past Allied air losses.
Afterwards my Recon informed me that there were only a couple of planes left at Townsville – my opponent had essentially pulled out his air force.
HOWEVER – I found myself unable to take advantage of the situation because somehow I pushed the wrong buttons when I set up this turn and turned Land-Based Air Squadrons to Upgrade = “On” and Replacements = “On”.
[&:] [X(]
Huh??? How in the world did I do that? I must have been in a hurry or half asleep to do something so stupid. But I did, and this was confirmed by Michael the Dev who checked the file that I sent to my opponent and saw that the LBA was all “On”.
So I spent a lot of time this turn setting up my recovery from this mistake. My Airplane Pools are now all goofed up and I have several dozen squadrons where all of the planes are “damaged” because they were swapped out. Oh well, I’ll just have to be more careful in the future.
The Night Phase saw USS Perch spot an SC off of Chiba, but the sub’s skipper decided not to fire any torpedoes at the little escort ship. The SC then attempted to find Perch, but Perch got away unscathed.
Daylight brought the Allied Response to the Japanese Fighter Sweeps of the previous turn. The largest Allied 4E attack of the War so far flew against the Air Fields at Townsville as 33 B-17s and 12 Liberators attacked. They were met by 12 Oscars, 12 Zeros and 6 Nicks. The 4Es blasted past the Japanese CAP and hammered the Air Fields, destroying Japanese planes in the Air and on the Ground.
The Combat Report showed the following:
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed, 5 damaged
A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed on ground
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed on ground
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 3 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 2 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
Airbase hits 18
Airbase supply hits 7
Runway hits 129
Then a straggler squadron of 8 B-17s flew in late and faced 4 Zeros, 6 Oscars and 2 Nicks. Again the 4Es blasted through and hit the Airfields. This time the Combat Report showed these results:
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 1 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 5 damaged
Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 6
The End-of-Day final tally is in the image below. Note - Japanese air losses have finally moved past Allied air losses.
Afterwards my Recon informed me that there were only a couple of planes left at Townsville – my opponent had essentially pulled out his air force.
HOWEVER – I found myself unable to take advantage of the situation because somehow I pushed the wrong buttons when I set up this turn and turned Land-Based Air Squadrons to Upgrade = “On” and Replacements = “On”.
[&:] [X(]
Huh??? How in the world did I do that? I must have been in a hurry or half asleep to do something so stupid. But I did, and this was confirmed by Michael the Dev who checked the file that I sent to my opponent and saw that the LBA was all “On”.
So I spent a lot of time this turn setting up my recovery from this mistake. My Airplane Pools are now all goofed up and I have several dozen squadrons where all of the planes are “damaged” because they were swapped out. Oh well, I’ll just have to be more careful in the future.
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- Sept17AirLosses.jpg (54.01 KiB) Viewed 145 times
Slowly Recovering
September 17, 1942 –
There was no Action in either the Night Phase or the Day Phase. That was good from my point of view, because I’ve got too many Front Line Air Units that are still recovering from their unplanned upgrades to be able to afford any clashes with the Enemy.
So the very first thing that I did when I opened up my turn was to check the Air Unit Lists, and thankfully, all Air Units were still as I had left them the previous turn. My Air Units are repairing at various and unpredictable rates – some are halfway there, many have only one plane repaired, and a few have no planes repaired yet at all. So I will have to be patient.
The Japanese LCU that was sitting across the border on the Burmese side of the Burma Road has started to move again towards Paoshan. I have more Chinese troops on the way, along with some planes, so once the Japanese unit crosses the border I will start to harass it.
Otherwise, things are going according to plan. With any luck I may be in a position to start some Offensive actions a couple of months early. I’ll know better in a month’s time.
There was no Action in either the Night Phase or the Day Phase. That was good from my point of view, because I’ve got too many Front Line Air Units that are still recovering from their unplanned upgrades to be able to afford any clashes with the Enemy.
So the very first thing that I did when I opened up my turn was to check the Air Unit Lists, and thankfully, all Air Units were still as I had left them the previous turn. My Air Units are repairing at various and unpredictable rates – some are halfway there, many have only one plane repaired, and a few have no planes repaired yet at all. So I will have to be patient.
The Japanese LCU that was sitting across the border on the Burmese side of the Burma Road has started to move again towards Paoshan. I have more Chinese troops on the way, along with some planes, so once the Japanese unit crosses the border I will start to harass it.
Otherwise, things are going according to plan. With any luck I may be in a position to start some Offensive actions a couple of months early. I’ll know better in a month’s time.
E-Class Attack
September 18, 1942 –
My opponent is once again actively attempting to shut down the passage around Singapore into the DEI and the South China Sea. The Night Phase saw Dutch sub O16 caught and hit by a couple of Japanese E-class ASW ships just off of Lingga. O16 was hit eight times, but survived. However, I now have to carefully send the sub for repairs.
Next, USS Pike was spotted by a PB escort in a small Transport TF near Moppo. The PB didn’t find Pike, but the sub had to sneak off anyway.
Then at the End of the Day USS Grayling put a torpedo into an xAKL near Toyohara. The PB escort in the small Transport TF attempted to find Grayling, but the US sub got away safely. My opponent does not appear to like to use Mega-Transport TFs as I do.
Other than Grayling’s attack there was no Action during the Day Phase. Plenty of Recon Flights flew from both sides. It appears that my opponent may have pulled his forces out of Luganville, but I’ll have to check things out more carefully before I accept that Intel.
And as has been common recently, I received another mediocre Air Unit this turn. This time it was a British Fighter Bomber squadron. The pilots have an Average Experience of around 24, so I immediately shipped the Unit by Rail back to Karachi for lots and lots of training. [8|]
My opponent is once again actively attempting to shut down the passage around Singapore into the DEI and the South China Sea. The Night Phase saw Dutch sub O16 caught and hit by a couple of Japanese E-class ASW ships just off of Lingga. O16 was hit eight times, but survived. However, I now have to carefully send the sub for repairs.
Next, USS Pike was spotted by a PB escort in a small Transport TF near Moppo. The PB didn’t find Pike, but the sub had to sneak off anyway.
Then at the End of the Day USS Grayling put a torpedo into an xAKL near Toyohara. The PB escort in the small Transport TF attempted to find Grayling, but the US sub got away safely. My opponent does not appear to like to use Mega-Transport TFs as I do.
Other than Grayling’s attack there was no Action during the Day Phase. Plenty of Recon Flights flew from both sides. It appears that my opponent may have pulled his forces out of Luganville, but I’ll have to check things out more carefully before I accept that Intel.
And as has been common recently, I received another mediocre Air Unit this turn. This time it was a British Fighter Bomber squadron. The pilots have an Average Experience of around 24, so I immediately shipped the Unit by Rail back to Karachi for lots and lots of training. [8|]
Hammer In Search of an Ant
September 19, 1942 –
There was no Night or Day action again this turn. Plenty of Recon Flights flew all over, and fortunately I had my usual large numbers of Search Planes in the Air, because a couple of very interesting things showed up unexpectedly.
Two Japanese TF images showed up off of north-eastern Australia. One is supposed to be a Transport TF with Combat Escorts, Transports and even AOs. This one is two hexes to the East of Cairns and heading west.
More interesting is a CV TF that is halfway between Rossel Island and Townsville, smack in the middle of the Coral Sea. Intel reported 50 or more Fighters, 130 or so Bombers, and lots of miscellaneous planes. So it appears that some significant portion of the Japanese CV Fleet has showed up.
Just what is the objective of this Hammer-in-Search-of-an-Ant? Is it there to provide LR CAP over the Transport TF? (Or is the Transport TF really a Replenishment TF that is there to support the CVs?)
Or is it there to try to Hunt P-38s?
I only have a couple of AMs on the East Coast of Oz, and they are Getting Out of Dodge as we speak, so there aren’t any good Naval Targets for the CV TF. And if my opponent wants to use Naval Air to bomb Australian Bases, he is welcome to test all of the AA that I have sitting around.
But I’m not giving any “freebies” as far as Fighter Sweeps go. I moved back my two P-38 squadrons one row of bases, and left Recon and Floatplane squadrons to give some Air Unit symbols to my forward bases. If my opponent eventually goes down as far as Sydney I might put together a 100 or so crack Fighters to test his pilots, but that isn’t a given unless I feel particularly lucky.
And, of course, I have lots of subs moving towards that region.
But the big message to me is that I can relax in the other Theaters for a while because any remaining Japanese CV power isn’t going to be enough to worry me elsewhere.
And best of all, this indicates to me that my opponent really wants to fight it out in Oz and the South Pacific, which is great, because Japanese units way down there aren’t readily available to fight where I want to attack. [;)]
There was no Night or Day action again this turn. Plenty of Recon Flights flew all over, and fortunately I had my usual large numbers of Search Planes in the Air, because a couple of very interesting things showed up unexpectedly.
Two Japanese TF images showed up off of north-eastern Australia. One is supposed to be a Transport TF with Combat Escorts, Transports and even AOs. This one is two hexes to the East of Cairns and heading west.
More interesting is a CV TF that is halfway between Rossel Island and Townsville, smack in the middle of the Coral Sea. Intel reported 50 or more Fighters, 130 or so Bombers, and lots of miscellaneous planes. So it appears that some significant portion of the Japanese CV Fleet has showed up.
Just what is the objective of this Hammer-in-Search-of-an-Ant? Is it there to provide LR CAP over the Transport TF? (Or is the Transport TF really a Replenishment TF that is there to support the CVs?)
Or is it there to try to Hunt P-38s?
I only have a couple of AMs on the East Coast of Oz, and they are Getting Out of Dodge as we speak, so there aren’t any good Naval Targets for the CV TF. And if my opponent wants to use Naval Air to bomb Australian Bases, he is welcome to test all of the AA that I have sitting around.
But I’m not giving any “freebies” as far as Fighter Sweeps go. I moved back my two P-38 squadrons one row of bases, and left Recon and Floatplane squadrons to give some Air Unit symbols to my forward bases. If my opponent eventually goes down as far as Sydney I might put together a 100 or so crack Fighters to test his pilots, but that isn’t a given unless I feel particularly lucky.
And, of course, I have lots of subs moving towards that region.
But the big message to me is that I can relax in the other Theaters for a while because any remaining Japanese CV power isn’t going to be enough to worry me elsewhere.
And best of all, this indicates to me that my opponent really wants to fight it out in Oz and the South Pacific, which is great, because Japanese units way down there aren’t readily available to fight where I want to attack. [;)]
Love Boats
September 20, 1942 –
There was no action again this turn, just plenty of Air Recon and even more Air Searching on the part of my Forces in Eastern Australia.
For a while I was thinking that the Japanese CV TF that I spotted last turn might just consist of CVLs, CVEs, and CSs, given the Plane Composition that Intel told me last turn. But this turn’s Intel painted a different picture:
117 Fighters, 187 Bombers, 140 Auxiliaries
I can “take a hint” – that’s close enough to the main KB to fully capture my attention.
The Japanese CV TF is now 8 or 9 hexes due East of Bowan, and apparently heading Southeast. Just why is my opponent having such a powerful TF do a leisurely cruise in this region? Does he think that I am planning some invasions in the area? Is he hoping to catch a big, “juicy” Transport TF in mid-ocean?
In any event, I ordered my ships in Auckland Harbour to head out of Port, and I spread out more of my Air Squadrons in Eastern Oz.
I’m just so, so glad that this Japanese TF is sailing where it is, and not along the Aleutians! [&o][&o][&o]
There was no action again this turn, just plenty of Air Recon and even more Air Searching on the part of my Forces in Eastern Australia.
For a while I was thinking that the Japanese CV TF that I spotted last turn might just consist of CVLs, CVEs, and CSs, given the Plane Composition that Intel told me last turn. But this turn’s Intel painted a different picture:
117 Fighters, 187 Bombers, 140 Auxiliaries
I can “take a hint” – that’s close enough to the main KB to fully capture my attention.
The Japanese CV TF is now 8 or 9 hexes due East of Bowan, and apparently heading Southeast. Just why is my opponent having such a powerful TF do a leisurely cruise in this region? Does he think that I am planning some invasions in the area? Is he hoping to catch a big, “juicy” Transport TF in mid-ocean?
In any event, I ordered my ships in Auckland Harbour to head out of Port, and I spread out more of my Air Squadrons in Eastern Oz.
I’m just so, so glad that this Japanese TF is sailing where it is, and not along the Aleutians! [&o][&o][&o]
The Unluckiest Sub in the Navy
September 21, 1942 –
So close, and yet so far…
The Night Phase brought Bad Dreams to the Skipper of the USS Sturgeon; not once, but twice. There was Sturgeon, a handful of hexes to the East of Bowen, when into the periscope lens field of view sailed IJN Shokoku! The Sturgeon’s skipper ordered four torpedoes fired, but they all missed. Sturgeon was then chased off by the Japanese Escorts.
But Sturgeon was given a second chance. Once again the Skipper couldn’t believe his eyes as this time IJN Zuikaku sailed into range. The Sturgeon fired four more torpedoes. This time one hit – and as luck would have it, that torpedo was a Dud. The Japanese Escorts again chased the Sturgeon, this time hitting the sub once with a glancing blow. But that was the least of the pain for the Skipper of the Sturgeon; he knows that there won’t be any caviar for him when he gets back to Port.
Daylight came with the Japanese CV TF hanging around due East of Bowen. Another Japanese TF showed up docked in Cairns Harbour. The Allied LBA flew Search and Recon missions all around the Region, but otherwise the Allies could do nothing but watch as the KB made certain that nothing could get by it.
But the KB didn’t fly any Air Attacks. Instead the only Japanese Air Attacks were on the Air Fields at Sian. Plenty of Japanese Army Bombers and Fighters flew in and scored a number of hits on the Air Base and Runways, but since I’m not trying to fly Air Missions out of Sian, that really doesn’t matter. At least the Attacks cost the Japanese a number of planes lost due to Ops Damage.
So I think that I know what is going on in Northeastern Australia. My Recon Flights over Townsville reported that the number of troops there has diminished, and there are troops moving Northwards towards Cairns. I now think that my opponent is withdrawing troops from Northeastern Oz and is using the KB to screen the operation.
It makes sense. There is no good reason for my opponent to leave a couple of Combat Divisions in Townsville to be eventually trapped and bombed back into the Stone Age at my leisure. I have too many roads that lead to Townsville, and most of them aren’t along the Coast, so my troops can’t be interdicted by Naval Bombardment. And my 4Es can trash everything in sight whenever I want. So this way my opponent can move his better units to where he can better use them while the situation is still under his control.
We’ll see if I’m right with this assessment. On-the-other-hand, my opponent could be pulling out troops to Invade somewhere else behind my lines, but I seriously doubt it, and that would end up even better for me than leaving them in Townsville, because the further my opponent moves away from his lines, the Stronger my Forces get.
And it looks as if my opponent has a new idea for mischief – Invading China from Burma. The first Japanese LCU has crossed the border into China and is facing a dug-in Chinese Infantry Corp in the next hex along the Burma Road. Recon tells me that Japanese troops are moving out of Rangoon by Land, and there are a lot more Japanese troops in Mandalay than the current situation warrants, so a campaign in the Mountains might be in the works. In any event, I’ve ordered a bunch of bombers to hit that Japanese LCU, just to remind my opponent that I can cause plenty of pain if I wish.
So close, and yet so far…
The Night Phase brought Bad Dreams to the Skipper of the USS Sturgeon; not once, but twice. There was Sturgeon, a handful of hexes to the East of Bowen, when into the periscope lens field of view sailed IJN Shokoku! The Sturgeon’s skipper ordered four torpedoes fired, but they all missed. Sturgeon was then chased off by the Japanese Escorts.
But Sturgeon was given a second chance. Once again the Skipper couldn’t believe his eyes as this time IJN Zuikaku sailed into range. The Sturgeon fired four more torpedoes. This time one hit – and as luck would have it, that torpedo was a Dud. The Japanese Escorts again chased the Sturgeon, this time hitting the sub once with a glancing blow. But that was the least of the pain for the Skipper of the Sturgeon; he knows that there won’t be any caviar for him when he gets back to Port.
Daylight came with the Japanese CV TF hanging around due East of Bowen. Another Japanese TF showed up docked in Cairns Harbour. The Allied LBA flew Search and Recon missions all around the Region, but otherwise the Allies could do nothing but watch as the KB made certain that nothing could get by it.
But the KB didn’t fly any Air Attacks. Instead the only Japanese Air Attacks were on the Air Fields at Sian. Plenty of Japanese Army Bombers and Fighters flew in and scored a number of hits on the Air Base and Runways, but since I’m not trying to fly Air Missions out of Sian, that really doesn’t matter. At least the Attacks cost the Japanese a number of planes lost due to Ops Damage.
So I think that I know what is going on in Northeastern Australia. My Recon Flights over Townsville reported that the number of troops there has diminished, and there are troops moving Northwards towards Cairns. I now think that my opponent is withdrawing troops from Northeastern Oz and is using the KB to screen the operation.
It makes sense. There is no good reason for my opponent to leave a couple of Combat Divisions in Townsville to be eventually trapped and bombed back into the Stone Age at my leisure. I have too many roads that lead to Townsville, and most of them aren’t along the Coast, so my troops can’t be interdicted by Naval Bombardment. And my 4Es can trash everything in sight whenever I want. So this way my opponent can move his better units to where he can better use them while the situation is still under his control.
We’ll see if I’m right with this assessment. On-the-other-hand, my opponent could be pulling out troops to Invade somewhere else behind my lines, but I seriously doubt it, and that would end up even better for me than leaving them in Townsville, because the further my opponent moves away from his lines, the Stronger my Forces get.
And it looks as if my opponent has a new idea for mischief – Invading China from Burma. The first Japanese LCU has crossed the border into China and is facing a dug-in Chinese Infantry Corp in the next hex along the Burma Road. Recon tells me that Japanese troops are moving out of Rangoon by Land, and there are a lot more Japanese troops in Mandalay than the current situation warrants, so a campaign in the Mountains might be in the works. In any event, I’ve ordered a bunch of bombers to hit that Japanese LCU, just to remind my opponent that I can cause plenty of pain if I wish.
Terraforming Mars
September 22, 1942 –
The Night Phase saw a couple of US DDs chase Japanese sub I-174 just south of Christmas Island (Pacific). The DDs got a couple of minor hits on the Japanese sub, but the sub did the real damage when it spotted the TF that the DDs were escorting – my Monster Transport TF.
Yes, almost all of the ships in the TF showed up - more than enough to catch my opponent’s attention in a big way. That has to look like an Invasion TF to my opponent. Oh well, I’ll keep the TF on its way, but I’ll also keep an eye out on what the KB does.
And speaking of the KB – it moved far away from the eastern Australian coast and is now in the middle of the Coral Sea, still due east of Bowen. I wonder why my opponent sent it out there – is he worried that a luckier sub will target the TF? In any event, even with the KB farther away I am not sending any TFs to try to interfere with the other Japanese TF at Cairns; I’ll just keep an eye on it and send more subs towards it.
Daylight brought Allied Air Attacks for a change as that Japanese Infantry Regiment on the Burma Road received much more attention that it deserved. First off Chinese Hudsons flew a bombing run over the unit, but the Chinese pilots, who have spent most of their time transporting supplies, missed the Japanese troops.
Then it was the turn of the US B-17s, and these battle-experienced squadrons did the job correctly. First off 26 B-17Es flew in and hit the Japanese troops, and then later on 16 B-17Fs flew in and hit the Japanese troops even harder.
There was no Japanese CAP, but I bet that my opponent will put a few of his local Fighters on LR CAP over that Infantry Unit next turn. In any event, I am resting my bombers again and will wait for more good opportunities.
In other news, Japanese troops landed at Singkep this turn. This is too bad because it will eliminate another of my good submarine way-stations. I wonder if any Japanese ships will hit the mines that my subs laid there?
And in more Australian-related news, the Airfields at Alice Springs maxed out at Level 7 this turn. That will make running 4Es out of there even easier.
And finally, with the KB busy in the South Seas I’ve got a massive fresh wave of Engineering troops on their way to join their colleagues who are already in the Aleutians. Pretty soon there will be enough US Engineers in the Region to Terraform Mars. [;)]
The Night Phase saw a couple of US DDs chase Japanese sub I-174 just south of Christmas Island (Pacific). The DDs got a couple of minor hits on the Japanese sub, but the sub did the real damage when it spotted the TF that the DDs were escorting – my Monster Transport TF.
Yes, almost all of the ships in the TF showed up - more than enough to catch my opponent’s attention in a big way. That has to look like an Invasion TF to my opponent. Oh well, I’ll keep the TF on its way, but I’ll also keep an eye out on what the KB does.
And speaking of the KB – it moved far away from the eastern Australian coast and is now in the middle of the Coral Sea, still due east of Bowen. I wonder why my opponent sent it out there – is he worried that a luckier sub will target the TF? In any event, even with the KB farther away I am not sending any TFs to try to interfere with the other Japanese TF at Cairns; I’ll just keep an eye on it and send more subs towards it.
Daylight brought Allied Air Attacks for a change as that Japanese Infantry Regiment on the Burma Road received much more attention that it deserved. First off Chinese Hudsons flew a bombing run over the unit, but the Chinese pilots, who have spent most of their time transporting supplies, missed the Japanese troops.
Then it was the turn of the US B-17s, and these battle-experienced squadrons did the job correctly. First off 26 B-17Es flew in and hit the Japanese troops, and then later on 16 B-17Fs flew in and hit the Japanese troops even harder.
There was no Japanese CAP, but I bet that my opponent will put a few of his local Fighters on LR CAP over that Infantry Unit next turn. In any event, I am resting my bombers again and will wait for more good opportunities.
In other news, Japanese troops landed at Singkep this turn. This is too bad because it will eliminate another of my good submarine way-stations. I wonder if any Japanese ships will hit the mines that my subs laid there?
And in more Australian-related news, the Airfields at Alice Springs maxed out at Level 7 this turn. That will make running 4Es out of there even easier.
And finally, with the KB busy in the South Seas I’ve got a massive fresh wave of Engineering troops on their way to join their colleagues who are already in the Aleutians. Pretty soon there will be enough US Engineers in the Region to Terraform Mars. [;)]
Slipping Away into the Night
September 23, 1942 –
One of the things about the Combat Replay is how one can see enemy TFs and one’s own subs do a “dance” around the Japanese Home Islands during much of the Night Phase, but for the most part the TFs and subs don’t seem to find each other. And I’m also surprised how my subs that are given orders to sail into Cairns can’t find the big Japanese Transport TF that is there either. The submarine routines in the Game are quite odd at times.
In addition to the “Ghost Dance” of TFs and subs, the Night Phase saw more Japanese troops landing at Singkep. Those troops eventually captured the empty base later on during the turn. Afterwards, the sub-laid mines that I had put there showed up, but I don’t think that any Japanese ships hit any of those mines.
The most interesting part of the Night Phase was also the only Action, when USS Pike took on an unescorted xAK on the Surface near Nagasaki. Pike started out by firing some dud torpedoes, but then switched to the sub’s Deck Guns which didn’t miss. But the Japanese Freighter fired back and one shell penetrated the sub’s hull and caused some serious damage. Never-the-less, the skipper of the Pike kept on fighting and even eventually fired off two “live” torpedoes to finish off the Freighter after also hitting it with 5 shells from the sub’s 4” gun. Now the Pike has to limp the long way home for repairs.
So Daylight only brought Recon Flights. My increased Recon over Northeastern Oz shows that Japanese troops continue to pull out, apparently only leaving Base Forces behind. So Bowen and Charter Towers are empty and Townsville only has a couple of small Japanese units in it.
I’m not going to challenge the Japanese withdrawal, even though the KB is now further away to the East. I’m also not going to change my current Time Table for Advancing in the Northeast. My plan is a good one, and it has already caused my opponent to withdraw without a major fight, and I’m quite happy with that. The Japanese Australian Adventure cost me almost nothing, and kept a large number of Japanese Forces tied up far away from more important regions for around six months, and that was well worth the bother to me.
Speaking of the KB, it is now around 5 hexes northwest of Espirito Santo and is still heading eastwards. I’ve increased my Naval Search in the South Pacific, and I don’t have any shipping in the pathway of the KB, so I’m happy to just monitor its movements.
And another Milestone was reached today as the USMC 3rd Division was rebuilt and is in position. That now makes three full USMC Divisions built up and ready for eventual action.
One of the things about the Combat Replay is how one can see enemy TFs and one’s own subs do a “dance” around the Japanese Home Islands during much of the Night Phase, but for the most part the TFs and subs don’t seem to find each other. And I’m also surprised how my subs that are given orders to sail into Cairns can’t find the big Japanese Transport TF that is there either. The submarine routines in the Game are quite odd at times.
In addition to the “Ghost Dance” of TFs and subs, the Night Phase saw more Japanese troops landing at Singkep. Those troops eventually captured the empty base later on during the turn. Afterwards, the sub-laid mines that I had put there showed up, but I don’t think that any Japanese ships hit any of those mines.
The most interesting part of the Night Phase was also the only Action, when USS Pike took on an unescorted xAK on the Surface near Nagasaki. Pike started out by firing some dud torpedoes, but then switched to the sub’s Deck Guns which didn’t miss. But the Japanese Freighter fired back and one shell penetrated the sub’s hull and caused some serious damage. Never-the-less, the skipper of the Pike kept on fighting and even eventually fired off two “live” torpedoes to finish off the Freighter after also hitting it with 5 shells from the sub’s 4” gun. Now the Pike has to limp the long way home for repairs.
So Daylight only brought Recon Flights. My increased Recon over Northeastern Oz shows that Japanese troops continue to pull out, apparently only leaving Base Forces behind. So Bowen and Charter Towers are empty and Townsville only has a couple of small Japanese units in it.
I’m not going to challenge the Japanese withdrawal, even though the KB is now further away to the East. I’m also not going to change my current Time Table for Advancing in the Northeast. My plan is a good one, and it has already caused my opponent to withdraw without a major fight, and I’m quite happy with that. The Japanese Australian Adventure cost me almost nothing, and kept a large number of Japanese Forces tied up far away from more important regions for around six months, and that was well worth the bother to me.
Speaking of the KB, it is now around 5 hexes northwest of Espirito Santo and is still heading eastwards. I’ve increased my Naval Search in the South Pacific, and I don’t have any shipping in the pathway of the KB, so I’m happy to just monitor its movements.
And another Milestone was reached today as the USMC 3rd Division was rebuilt and is in position. That now makes three full USMC Divisions built up and ready for eventual action.
Another Recon Day
September 24, 1942 -
The Night Phase saw USS Silversides spot a lone Japanese SC near Tsu, but the skipper of the sub decided not to bother firing a torpedo at the little ship. The SC, in turn, couldn't find Silversides, so things pretty much evened out.
Daylight brought another Recon Day, but Bad Weather hindered a number of the Allied Recon Flights. Never-the-less, the INTEL my planes brought back showed that my opponent is not only stripping Townsville bare, but also Cairns and Cookstown. At least one and maybe two Japanese TFs are sitting at Cookstown. I'm guessing that one is pulling out troops and the other is a Surface Combat TF that is sitting there in case I send a PT TF northwards.
Dutch sub KXIV finally attempted to sneak in on the big Japanese Transport TF that is pulling troops out of Cairns, but the sub was caught by a couple of Japanese DDs and hammered hard. So it's back to Sydney for KXIV and another Allied sub will try its luck next turn.
The KB went “Stealth” this turn – likely it moved northwards out of range of my Naval Search planes. I wouldn't be surprised to find it nosing around the Tahiti region in a few days. If I were running that Japanese side that's what I would do.
So northeastern Oz is emptying out quickly. There are no Japanese troops at Bowen or Charter Towers, and only Support units at Townsville and Cookstown. I'm starting to get some Australian Divisions ready to move up there and take over the empty bases, but I'm going to continue to build up my Base-Infrastructure so that my move is supported all of the way. There is no use in running into a Trap at this late stage when everything ought to fall into my hands if I am patient.
The Night Phase saw USS Silversides spot a lone Japanese SC near Tsu, but the skipper of the sub decided not to bother firing a torpedo at the little ship. The SC, in turn, couldn't find Silversides, so things pretty much evened out.
Daylight brought another Recon Day, but Bad Weather hindered a number of the Allied Recon Flights. Never-the-less, the INTEL my planes brought back showed that my opponent is not only stripping Townsville bare, but also Cairns and Cookstown. At least one and maybe two Japanese TFs are sitting at Cookstown. I'm guessing that one is pulling out troops and the other is a Surface Combat TF that is sitting there in case I send a PT TF northwards.
Dutch sub KXIV finally attempted to sneak in on the big Japanese Transport TF that is pulling troops out of Cairns, but the sub was caught by a couple of Japanese DDs and hammered hard. So it's back to Sydney for KXIV and another Allied sub will try its luck next turn.
The KB went “Stealth” this turn – likely it moved northwards out of range of my Naval Search planes. I wouldn't be surprised to find it nosing around the Tahiti region in a few days. If I were running that Japanese side that's what I would do.
So northeastern Oz is emptying out quickly. There are no Japanese troops at Bowen or Charter Towers, and only Support units at Townsville and Cookstown. I'm starting to get some Australian Divisions ready to move up there and take over the empty bases, but I'm going to continue to build up my Base-Infrastructure so that my move is supported all of the way. There is no use in running into a Trap at this late stage when everything ought to fall into my hands if I am patient.
SCs on the Attack
September 25, 1942 –
Today was an unusual day for this pbem – my opponent and I actually got in three turns!
It was just as well, because action continues to be scarce while the two of us manoeuvre around.
Night Time saw USS Whale chased unsuccessfully by a couple of SCs near Wakkanai, and later on during the Day USS Tautog was chased unsuccessfully by another SC near Hamamatsu.
There were lots of Recon Flights again during the Daylight Hours, and the Japanese Transport TF vanished from Cairns. INTEL reports based upon Radio interceptions suggested that the TF had taken off towards the northwest, which means towards the DEI. That’s probably a smart move on the part of my opponent. It still appeared that a Japanese Surface Combat TF was hanging around Cookstown, and there are still plenty of Fighters at Townsville and Cairns, but for the most part the Japanese Occupation of North-eastern Oz has been abandoned other than “place keeper” forces.
So I gave orders for a number of back-water units to prepare to move forward towards what will become the new Front in a couple of weeks. It looks as if I will be on the Offensive in Oz three months sooner than I expected.
BTW – in a very odd piece of INTEL, my SIGINT told me that a piece of the Japanese 4th Division was on board an AMC “headed” towards Cairns. My bet is that this report was actually talking about the AMC that was loading troops in Cairns, and has now left for Points Unknown.
BTW II – The KB stayed out of sight.
Today was an unusual day for this pbem – my opponent and I actually got in three turns!
It was just as well, because action continues to be scarce while the two of us manoeuvre around.
Night Time saw USS Whale chased unsuccessfully by a couple of SCs near Wakkanai, and later on during the Day USS Tautog was chased unsuccessfully by another SC near Hamamatsu.
There were lots of Recon Flights again during the Daylight Hours, and the Japanese Transport TF vanished from Cairns. INTEL reports based upon Radio interceptions suggested that the TF had taken off towards the northwest, which means towards the DEI. That’s probably a smart move on the part of my opponent. It still appeared that a Japanese Surface Combat TF was hanging around Cookstown, and there are still plenty of Fighters at Townsville and Cairns, but for the most part the Japanese Occupation of North-eastern Oz has been abandoned other than “place keeper” forces.
So I gave orders for a number of back-water units to prepare to move forward towards what will become the new Front in a couple of weeks. It looks as if I will be on the Offensive in Oz three months sooner than I expected.
BTW – in a very odd piece of INTEL, my SIGINT told me that a piece of the Japanese 4th Division was on board an AMC “headed” towards Cairns. My bet is that this report was actually talking about the AMC that was loading troops in Cairns, and has now left for Points Unknown.
BTW II – The KB stayed out of sight.
A Busy But Unproductive Night
September 26, 1942 –
This was a busy but fundamentally unproductive Night Phase for the Allied sub fleet. First off the skipper of USS Tautog finally got tired of holding back fire on SCs and actually did fire off four torpedoes at an SC near Hamamatsu. As luck would have it, the SC was hit by a Dud. Tautog was able to escape safely.
Next USS Perch was spotted by an SC near Hachijo-Jima, but escaped safely from the Enemy ship.
Finally, USS Grunion fired a half dozen torpedoes at an xAK near Fukue-Jima, but the torpedo that hit the Freighter was a Dud. Grunion was chased away by the Transport TF’s PB escort, but the sub’s skipper came back a little while later to try his luck again. This time the PB spotted the sub before the sub could fire any torpedoes and this time the Grunion’s skipper stayed away when he escaped.
And that was it for Action during the turn as the only Air Missions were Recon Flights again. Recon is telling me some very interesting stories. First of all, it appears that the last of the Japanese Troops at Townsville are pulling out to the North. I’m now caught a little flat-footed as it will still be some time before my units get into position to start to move forward and take the abandoned bases. One thing I don’t want to do is to send out Armoured units without Air Cover.
But the way, SIGINT told me that at least one part of the Japanese 4th Division is on its way to Rabaul. That’s quite good news if it is true because it means that my opponent is intending to keep plenty of troops in the South Pacific. I hope that they enjoy the Malaria, and that my opponent enjoys sending Supply TFs a Long, Long Ways to support those Troops. [;)]
Equally interesting – Recon has told me that there are at least two Japanese LCUs in the Road/Jungle hex that is across the river to the East of Akyab, although there aren’t any Japanese troops in Akyab. I wonder why he is keeping the troops in the jungle. Maybe he doesn’t want me to do Naval Bombardments on them, or else maybe he is hoping to surprise me if I were to try to capture Akyab with a Paratroop drop.
This was a busy but fundamentally unproductive Night Phase for the Allied sub fleet. First off the skipper of USS Tautog finally got tired of holding back fire on SCs and actually did fire off four torpedoes at an SC near Hamamatsu. As luck would have it, the SC was hit by a Dud. Tautog was able to escape safely.
Next USS Perch was spotted by an SC near Hachijo-Jima, but escaped safely from the Enemy ship.
Finally, USS Grunion fired a half dozen torpedoes at an xAK near Fukue-Jima, but the torpedo that hit the Freighter was a Dud. Grunion was chased away by the Transport TF’s PB escort, but the sub’s skipper came back a little while later to try his luck again. This time the PB spotted the sub before the sub could fire any torpedoes and this time the Grunion’s skipper stayed away when he escaped.
And that was it for Action during the turn as the only Air Missions were Recon Flights again. Recon is telling me some very interesting stories. First of all, it appears that the last of the Japanese Troops at Townsville are pulling out to the North. I’m now caught a little flat-footed as it will still be some time before my units get into position to start to move forward and take the abandoned bases. One thing I don’t want to do is to send out Armoured units without Air Cover.
But the way, SIGINT told me that at least one part of the Japanese 4th Division is on its way to Rabaul. That’s quite good news if it is true because it means that my opponent is intending to keep plenty of troops in the South Pacific. I hope that they enjoy the Malaria, and that my opponent enjoys sending Supply TFs a Long, Long Ways to support those Troops. [;)]
Equally interesting – Recon has told me that there are at least two Japanese LCUs in the Road/Jungle hex that is across the river to the East of Akyab, although there aren’t any Japanese troops in Akyab. I wonder why he is keeping the troops in the jungle. Maybe he doesn’t want me to do Naval Bombardments on them, or else maybe he is hoping to surprise me if I were to try to capture Akyab with a Paratroop drop.
Tojos into the Fray
September 27, 1942 –
This turn the Night Phase gave USS Thresher a turn to try its luck near Fukue-Jima. Thresher spotted an SC, fired some torpedoes, missed, was chased, and got away. That little Deep Water area just to the West of Nagasaki is getting a little too “hot” for my subs, so I’ll probably keep them away from it for a while.
My opponent isn’t keeping his subs away from Christmas Island. Right after the Thresher’s escapade IJN I-20 fired a half dozen torpedoes at a DE but missed. The two DEs in the TF then proceeded to hound the Japanese sub and actually hit it with one depth charge, so I-20 ought to be going back to Port for Repairs. This was only a small TF with two DEs escorting an empty AO back to Pearl, so my opponent no longer knows where my Monster Transport TF is headed.
Daylight brought my 4Es out from India again to hit the Japanese Infantry Regiment that is sitting just inside the Chinese border on the Burma Road. This time there was some Japanese CAP in the Air. The first round consisted of 12 B-24s and 16 B-17s against 3 Oscars and something new – 3 Tojos. The Tojos didn’t fare much better than the Oscars usually do and all of the Japanese fighters were roughed up by the Defensive guns on the 4Es. As usual, the US Bombers blew past the Japanese fighters and hit their target hard.
Then 16 more B-17s flew in and this time had to face only 1 Tojo. Again, the Tojo had the rough end of the deal and the 4Es got through to hit the Japanese Infantry again. At the end of the day a Tojo was lost due to 4E machine gun fire and the US Bombers were pretty much unscathed. As usual I’m resting my bombers for a few days before I use them again. What I don’t intend to do is spend them on the Fighter and Flak Traps that my opponent has set up at places like Mandalay and Magwe.
Instead, I may use them on the two Japanese Infantry regiments that are sitting in the bush inland from Akyab. I’ll Recon the LCUs for a few more days first, just to make certain that the target is well defined before the 4Es fly in.
Otherwise, things are still going along well. The Japanese withdrawal in north-eastern Oz continues unabated. I suspect that my opponent is planning a bit of a Fighter Trap out of Cairns, but I’m not in a hurry to move into that, so he can keep his fighters there as long as he wants – eventually he be facing Australian Ground Troops there.
And SIGINT told me that there is an unusually heavy amount of Radio Traffic at Kwajalein right now. I wonder if the KB stopped there for some fuel?
This turn the Night Phase gave USS Thresher a turn to try its luck near Fukue-Jima. Thresher spotted an SC, fired some torpedoes, missed, was chased, and got away. That little Deep Water area just to the West of Nagasaki is getting a little too “hot” for my subs, so I’ll probably keep them away from it for a while.
My opponent isn’t keeping his subs away from Christmas Island. Right after the Thresher’s escapade IJN I-20 fired a half dozen torpedoes at a DE but missed. The two DEs in the TF then proceeded to hound the Japanese sub and actually hit it with one depth charge, so I-20 ought to be going back to Port for Repairs. This was only a small TF with two DEs escorting an empty AO back to Pearl, so my opponent no longer knows where my Monster Transport TF is headed.
Daylight brought my 4Es out from India again to hit the Japanese Infantry Regiment that is sitting just inside the Chinese border on the Burma Road. This time there was some Japanese CAP in the Air. The first round consisted of 12 B-24s and 16 B-17s against 3 Oscars and something new – 3 Tojos. The Tojos didn’t fare much better than the Oscars usually do and all of the Japanese fighters were roughed up by the Defensive guns on the 4Es. As usual, the US Bombers blew past the Japanese fighters and hit their target hard.
Then 16 more B-17s flew in and this time had to face only 1 Tojo. Again, the Tojo had the rough end of the deal and the 4Es got through to hit the Japanese Infantry again. At the end of the day a Tojo was lost due to 4E machine gun fire and the US Bombers were pretty much unscathed. As usual I’m resting my bombers for a few days before I use them again. What I don’t intend to do is spend them on the Fighter and Flak Traps that my opponent has set up at places like Mandalay and Magwe.
Instead, I may use them on the two Japanese Infantry regiments that are sitting in the bush inland from Akyab. I’ll Recon the LCUs for a few more days first, just to make certain that the target is well defined before the 4Es fly in.
Otherwise, things are still going along well. The Japanese withdrawal in north-eastern Oz continues unabated. I suspect that my opponent is planning a bit of a Fighter Trap out of Cairns, but I’m not in a hurry to move into that, so he can keep his fighters there as long as he wants – eventually he be facing Australian Ground Troops there.
And SIGINT told me that there is an unusually heavy amount of Radio Traffic at Kwajalein right now. I wonder if the KB stopped there for some fuel?
Urban Renewal
September 28, 1942 –
The Night Phase saw the Automatic Occupation of Lingga by the Japanese. This is a pain because now I no longer have any Allied bases to use as safe Waypoints near Singapore.
The Skipper of USS Perch had a Really Bad Night. Perch spotted a Japanese TK off of Chiba and fired off 4 torpedoes at the Tanker. The torpedo that hit was a Dud. Perch easily got away from the Tanker’s Escort, and came back quickly to try again. But once more, the torpedo that hit the Tanker was a Dud. Fortunately for the sub, the skipper of the Japanese ASW ship was also a “dud” and so Perch got away safely again. But now the sub is on the long voyage home for replenishment.
Daylight brought out the Australian-based 4Es in one massed attack on the Airfields at Townsville. No Japanese Fighters attempted to intercept, and there was no Flak, so the Bombing run by the 42 B-17Es was as Perfect as Practice and the US Bombers hit the Target heavily. The US Bombers didn’t even suffer any Ops damage.
Unfortunately, it now looks as if Townsville has been totally abandoned by the Japanese, so the Allied Attack only created Damage that will need to be repaired once Australian troops march in and re-capture the base. Oh well, such is War.
And at the end of the Day, a small Japanese LCU appeared out of nowhere and captured the empty base of Gorontalo. So it looks as if my opponent is determined to capture all of the remaining Allied bases in the Philippines and DEI that he can get to.
The Night Phase saw the Automatic Occupation of Lingga by the Japanese. This is a pain because now I no longer have any Allied bases to use as safe Waypoints near Singapore.
The Skipper of USS Perch had a Really Bad Night. Perch spotted a Japanese TK off of Chiba and fired off 4 torpedoes at the Tanker. The torpedo that hit was a Dud. Perch easily got away from the Tanker’s Escort, and came back quickly to try again. But once more, the torpedo that hit the Tanker was a Dud. Fortunately for the sub, the skipper of the Japanese ASW ship was also a “dud” and so Perch got away safely again. But now the sub is on the long voyage home for replenishment.
Daylight brought out the Australian-based 4Es in one massed attack on the Airfields at Townsville. No Japanese Fighters attempted to intercept, and there was no Flak, so the Bombing run by the 42 B-17Es was as Perfect as Practice and the US Bombers hit the Target heavily. The US Bombers didn’t even suffer any Ops damage.
Unfortunately, it now looks as if Townsville has been totally abandoned by the Japanese, so the Allied Attack only created Damage that will need to be repaired once Australian troops march in and re-capture the base. Oh well, such is War.
And at the end of the Day, a small Japanese LCU appeared out of nowhere and captured the empty base of Gorontalo. So it looks as if my opponent is determined to capture all of the remaining Allied bases in the Philippines and DEI that he can get to.
Little Birdies
September 29, 1942 –
There was no action during the Night Phase and no action during the Day Phase again this turn, so it looked as if this was going to be yet another day of moving forces and waiting to be in position. But a little birdie turned out to be telling the truth for a change, so things could start to liven up soon.
A lot of Allied LCUs showed up this turn. And one Australian Engineering unit, the 2nd RAAF M/W Squadron Engineering unit suddenly showed up two hexes northeast of Oodnadatta. I have no idea how they got there and I don’t think that they “fell off” of a rail line, but it will take a bit of time to move them back to Oodnadatta so that I can send them to where I want them. I’m never happy when the Game makes these sorts of irritating errors.
Then I went through all of my usual routines during a turn. Things were going fine until I was moving past Canton Island and my eye was caught by the totally unexpected sight of two Japanese TF symbols that were SSW of Baker Island and WNW of Canton Island. [X(] I then remembered getting a Warning from a Naval Search plane about Japanese ships in that region, but there are so many false alarms every turn that I don’t pay attention to the so-called “sightings” any more.
Well, this isn’t “so called” any more, and when I moved my cursor over the TF marks I got a report of some Fighters, Bombers and Miscellaneous planes. So there is some sort of CV in one of the TFs.
Now, you may have guessed if you have followed my AAR closely, that my Grand Strategy in the South Pacific has been: Bluff, bluff, and bluff some more. The only place that I moved any troops was to Tahiti. When the Civilian Engineers went home from Canton Island I replaced them with an AVD and a few Catalinas.
So I flew out the Cats from Canton Island, set the AVD to “Surface Combat” mode, and set it to sail away at Full Speed. I then re-routed my other TFs that were converging on the Region, and also diverted the US subs that were passing by to head in the general direction of the Japanese TFs and where they appear to be going.
So what do we have there – a Scout TF, and Invasion TF, or part of the KB out on a Fishing Trip? This turn the Japanese TFs were sailing under “Stealth” rules so there weren’t any Japanese Search or Recon planes out, but I bet that changes next turn.
So the next turn ought to be interesting. Unfortunately, my opponent probably won’t be able to get out the next turn until Monday.
There was no action during the Night Phase and no action during the Day Phase again this turn, so it looked as if this was going to be yet another day of moving forces and waiting to be in position. But a little birdie turned out to be telling the truth for a change, so things could start to liven up soon.
A lot of Allied LCUs showed up this turn. And one Australian Engineering unit, the 2nd RAAF M/W Squadron Engineering unit suddenly showed up two hexes northeast of Oodnadatta. I have no idea how they got there and I don’t think that they “fell off” of a rail line, but it will take a bit of time to move them back to Oodnadatta so that I can send them to where I want them. I’m never happy when the Game makes these sorts of irritating errors.
Then I went through all of my usual routines during a turn. Things were going fine until I was moving past Canton Island and my eye was caught by the totally unexpected sight of two Japanese TF symbols that were SSW of Baker Island and WNW of Canton Island. [X(] I then remembered getting a Warning from a Naval Search plane about Japanese ships in that region, but there are so many false alarms every turn that I don’t pay attention to the so-called “sightings” any more.
Well, this isn’t “so called” any more, and when I moved my cursor over the TF marks I got a report of some Fighters, Bombers and Miscellaneous planes. So there is some sort of CV in one of the TFs.
Now, you may have guessed if you have followed my AAR closely, that my Grand Strategy in the South Pacific has been: Bluff, bluff, and bluff some more. The only place that I moved any troops was to Tahiti. When the Civilian Engineers went home from Canton Island I replaced them with an AVD and a few Catalinas.
So I flew out the Cats from Canton Island, set the AVD to “Surface Combat” mode, and set it to sail away at Full Speed. I then re-routed my other TFs that were converging on the Region, and also diverted the US subs that were passing by to head in the general direction of the Japanese TFs and where they appear to be going.
So what do we have there – a Scout TF, and Invasion TF, or part of the KB out on a Fishing Trip? This turn the Japanese TFs were sailing under “Stealth” rules so there weren’t any Japanese Search or Recon planes out, but I bet that changes next turn.
So the next turn ought to be interesting. Unfortunately, my opponent probably won’t be able to get out the next turn until Monday.
Ineptitude Squared
September 30, 1942 –
The Night Phase saw USS Finback send off 6 torpedoes against an SC near Sapporo. The torpedo that hit was a dud. The SC subsequently couldn’t find Finback. So the Unreliable met the Inept, and the result was Irrelevant.
Otherwise there was no Action during the turn. Even Air Recon was subdued. For some reason Japanese sub activity is very low right now. I wonder if the Japanese subs are being upgraded, or if my opponent simply keeping his subs where I don’t have Task Forces.
The Japanese TFs that were near Canton and Baker Islands last turn disappeared from sight, but that isn’t too surprising because I pulled out my Catalinas from Canton Island so there isn’t much in that area to spot the TFs other than subs. And since the Japanese TFs are operating in No Search mode, there is little chance that my subs will find them either.
The fact that neither Baker Island nor Canton Island was invaded this turn suggests strongly that the Japanese TFs are Raiders. Well, they can Raid to their Heart’s Content because there isn’t anything to raid in that region right now anyway. If they move further and end up in my Search Zones again I’ll simply move the few TFs I have around there even further away.
BTW – I’m guessing that the Japanese TFs are a CV/CS TF and a Replenishment TF.
SIGINT brought some interesting news this turn – a Japanese Artillery unit is Preparing for an attack on Imphal. That will be interesting if my opponent attempts to move further into the Jungle. I’ve got plenty of Forces at Imphal and nearby, so I’m not too worried. And of course, I’ve got my 4Es, so I’m worried even less. [;)]
BTW – I’m sending the 4Es against those two Japanese Infantry Regiments that are next to Akyab next turn.
And a lot of Ships came due for more Upgrades as of October 1. I’ve got most of those ships already in position for Safe Upgrade, so things will be busy at the Shipyards again in the month of October.
The Night Phase saw USS Finback send off 6 torpedoes against an SC near Sapporo. The torpedo that hit was a dud. The SC subsequently couldn’t find Finback. So the Unreliable met the Inept, and the result was Irrelevant.
Otherwise there was no Action during the turn. Even Air Recon was subdued. For some reason Japanese sub activity is very low right now. I wonder if the Japanese subs are being upgraded, or if my opponent simply keeping his subs where I don’t have Task Forces.
The Japanese TFs that were near Canton and Baker Islands last turn disappeared from sight, but that isn’t too surprising because I pulled out my Catalinas from Canton Island so there isn’t much in that area to spot the TFs other than subs. And since the Japanese TFs are operating in No Search mode, there is little chance that my subs will find them either.
The fact that neither Baker Island nor Canton Island was invaded this turn suggests strongly that the Japanese TFs are Raiders. Well, they can Raid to their Heart’s Content because there isn’t anything to raid in that region right now anyway. If they move further and end up in my Search Zones again I’ll simply move the few TFs I have around there even further away.
BTW – I’m guessing that the Japanese TFs are a CV/CS TF and a Replenishment TF.
SIGINT brought some interesting news this turn – a Japanese Artillery unit is Preparing for an attack on Imphal. That will be interesting if my opponent attempts to move further into the Jungle. I’ve got plenty of Forces at Imphal and nearby, so I’m not too worried. And of course, I’ve got my 4Es, so I’m worried even less. [;)]
BTW – I’m sending the 4Es against those two Japanese Infantry Regiments that are next to Akyab next turn.
And a lot of Ships came due for more Upgrades as of October 1. I’ve got most of those ships already in position for Safe Upgrade, so things will be busy at the Shipyards again in the month of October.
Yamato Makes its Debut
October 1, 1942 –
October 1 brought a busy Night Phase. First off, Pentecost Island was occupied automatically. So that tells me that there are still Japanese troops in Luganville. Then more Sub Action than usual started.
First off USS Finback was chased unsuccessfully by a PB that was escorting a TF full of xAKLs near Ominato. But the PB was persistent enough that Finback didn’t get a chance to come back and fire at any of the Freighters.
Next, USS Halibut hit an xAK with a live torpedo near Terapo. The xAK ship was one of many Transport ships in a large TF, but there were no reports of Japanese Troops or equipment lost, so maybe this TF had already dropped off its latest load from Australia.
USS Shark had the next opportunity but it hit an SC near Sendai with a Dud. Shark got away unscathed.
Finally, USS Thresher hit an xAK with a live torpedo near Saisho To. There were Tankers in the TF too, but Thresher didn’t get a chance to go after them because the Escorts in the TF chased the sub away.
And then it was the Japanese turn for Night Action as a Bombardment TF hit Canton Island. This turned out to be the Combat Debut for Yamato, as the huge BB and BB Fuso bombarded the empty base from long distance. The two BBs caused substantial Property Damage, but since I didn’t have any troops, planes or ships there it didn’t really matter.
Afterwards I was waiting for a Japanese Landing, but nothing came. I guess that this was a Raid. My opponent didn’t Fly Long Range Recon over Canton prior to this Naval Bombardment, probably because he wanted to pull off a Surprise, but the Surprise ended up on him since there was no good reason to Bombard the base at all.
I don’t like Raiding for the Sake of Raiding, so my Attack this turn was preceded by plenty of Air Recon over several consecutive days. So the Japanese Infantry Regiments that are sitting on a jungle road just to the East of Akyab got to enjoy the full effects of Allied 4E bombing.
First off 15 Forts and 11 Liberators flew in and hit the Japanese troops hard. There was no CAP and no AA, so it was great Target Practice. Then another 16 Forts flew in and hit the Japanese troops successfully too. My opponent had better spread out his CAP better or I will have my 4Es flying Target Practice all the time.
There was some Ground Action for a change this turn, as one of the Japanese Columns that is locked in with a Chinese Column near Sian attempted an Artillery Bombardment. I don’t like Artillery Bombardments so I never have my troops try them. I suspect that my opponent will soon start to think this way too, as his attack resulted in 71 Japanese casualties and no Chinese casualties.
In other important news, a Japanese Air Combat TF appeared about 5 hexes to the Northeast of Noumea this turn. It almost looked like the same TF that had been near Canton a couple of turns ago, but if it wasn’t that means that my opponent has split his CVs a bit, In any event, I flew the Hudsons out of Noumea but I left the Catalinas there. Cats tend to be relatively immune to Air Attacks and I want to keep track of this TF.
So my opponent is showing a lot more interest in the South Pacific than he has for quite some time. I wonder if this was instigated by his sub-sighting of my big Transport TF a while ago.
In other news, I am continuing to bring Troops forward in Northeastern Oz. I am taking the “back door” approach to Charter Towers instead of marching up the Coast to Bowan. My Intel told me that my opponent has an AD at Buna, which suggests that he might want to send some Fast Cruiser TFs on Bombardment missions if he sees some Allied troops along the Coast. I’ll eventually re-take the Coastal Bases, but for now I want to grab the Inland Bases first.
BTW - Since this is the Beginning of October, I'll post some update Charts and maps, starting with the Intel Screen below:
October 1 brought a busy Night Phase. First off, Pentecost Island was occupied automatically. So that tells me that there are still Japanese troops in Luganville. Then more Sub Action than usual started.
First off USS Finback was chased unsuccessfully by a PB that was escorting a TF full of xAKLs near Ominato. But the PB was persistent enough that Finback didn’t get a chance to come back and fire at any of the Freighters.
Next, USS Halibut hit an xAK with a live torpedo near Terapo. The xAK ship was one of many Transport ships in a large TF, but there were no reports of Japanese Troops or equipment lost, so maybe this TF had already dropped off its latest load from Australia.
USS Shark had the next opportunity but it hit an SC near Sendai with a Dud. Shark got away unscathed.
Finally, USS Thresher hit an xAK with a live torpedo near Saisho To. There were Tankers in the TF too, but Thresher didn’t get a chance to go after them because the Escorts in the TF chased the sub away.
And then it was the Japanese turn for Night Action as a Bombardment TF hit Canton Island. This turned out to be the Combat Debut for Yamato, as the huge BB and BB Fuso bombarded the empty base from long distance. The two BBs caused substantial Property Damage, but since I didn’t have any troops, planes or ships there it didn’t really matter.
Afterwards I was waiting for a Japanese Landing, but nothing came. I guess that this was a Raid. My opponent didn’t Fly Long Range Recon over Canton prior to this Naval Bombardment, probably because he wanted to pull off a Surprise, but the Surprise ended up on him since there was no good reason to Bombard the base at all.
I don’t like Raiding for the Sake of Raiding, so my Attack this turn was preceded by plenty of Air Recon over several consecutive days. So the Japanese Infantry Regiments that are sitting on a jungle road just to the East of Akyab got to enjoy the full effects of Allied 4E bombing.
First off 15 Forts and 11 Liberators flew in and hit the Japanese troops hard. There was no CAP and no AA, so it was great Target Practice. Then another 16 Forts flew in and hit the Japanese troops successfully too. My opponent had better spread out his CAP better or I will have my 4Es flying Target Practice all the time.
There was some Ground Action for a change this turn, as one of the Japanese Columns that is locked in with a Chinese Column near Sian attempted an Artillery Bombardment. I don’t like Artillery Bombardments so I never have my troops try them. I suspect that my opponent will soon start to think this way too, as his attack resulted in 71 Japanese casualties and no Chinese casualties.
In other important news, a Japanese Air Combat TF appeared about 5 hexes to the Northeast of Noumea this turn. It almost looked like the same TF that had been near Canton a couple of turns ago, but if it wasn’t that means that my opponent has split his CVs a bit, In any event, I flew the Hudsons out of Noumea but I left the Catalinas there. Cats tend to be relatively immune to Air Attacks and I want to keep track of this TF.
So my opponent is showing a lot more interest in the South Pacific than he has for quite some time. I wonder if this was instigated by his sub-sighting of my big Transport TF a while ago.
In other news, I am continuing to bring Troops forward in Northeastern Oz. I am taking the “back door” approach to Charter Towers instead of marching up the Coast to Bowan. My Intel told me that my opponent has an AD at Buna, which suggests that he might want to send some Fast Cruiser TFs on Bombardment missions if he sees some Allied troops along the Coast. I’ll eventually re-take the Coastal Bases, but for now I want to grab the Inland Bases first.
BTW - Since this is the Beginning of October, I'll post some update Charts and maps, starting with the Intel Screen below:
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