The Allied advance in the Pacific has slowed in the past month. The only fresh invasion was at Midway, which was captured after a brief battle in early June. The invasion was well-executed and the only Allied ship loss was an LST. The Americal Division, which spearheaded the attack, suffered heavy losses but the issue was never really in doubt.
My forces have hit back effectively a couple of times. The Allied drive in New Guinea is still stalled at Madang and in late May my opponent tried for the first time to land more troops there by sea. The invasion force hung around a turn too long and was caught by a strong Japanese surface force and destroyed. Lost were CLAA Van Heemskerck, DDs Gansevoort and Laffey, two AMs, an AK, four xAKs, and an xAP.
I also sent a modest little carrier group, CV Soryu and two CVEs, down between Midway and Wake to raid Allied shipping lanes. They got there undetected and after a couple of days caught and sunk a convoy consisting of an AM and five xAKs. It was a modest enough success for the effort but I think that it might have been worth it in terms of keeping my opponent off-balance.
The air war over Truk continues unabated. Allied 4E bombers abandoned their first effort when their numbers began to dwindle and groups began turning back at the first sight of Japanese fighters. Less than two weeks later they came back, though. This time they sustained their effort despite losing an average of four Liberators a day. I was on the verge of losing Truk as a viable airbase when suddenly my opponent changed tactics.
He sent a carrier group to join the attacks on Truk. Rather than target the air facilities, though, the carrier planes went after the dozen or so small ships still left in Truk harbor. It did not go well for the Allies. In the face of heavy Japanese fighter and flak opposition about 50 carrier planes were lost in exchange for a PB, an xAK, and two xAKLs. The carriers withdrew to lick their wounds but starting on the next turn the Liberators switched from airfield attack to port attack.
The result has been the loss of the remaining ships in port (an AV, a couple of PBs, two subs under repair, and a few small frieghters) but the Allied bomber groups are in tatters again and the air facilities have been repaired. I am reminded of the turning point in the Battle of Britain when the Germans, who had the RAF on the ropes, stopped targeting air fields and radar installations and went after civilian targets instead. Of course, the Allies are in a better position than the Luftwaffe. They have time to rest and rebuild their bomber groups and start over. But I'm grateful for the respite and it's now only a few months until the Jack and George appear.
The Allies got a little of their own back in a successful raid against Japanese shipping unloading at Hollandia. Five destroyers snuck along the coast and sank an xAK and two DDs, Hokaze and Asagao. A second xAK was sunk by 2E bombers.
There has been a little action in the DEI as well. Allied ships were spotted at Dobo, no doubt trying to establish a forward air base there. Japanese level bombers put bombs into three or four xAKs (I don't know if any of them sank) and a Japanese surface force based around Mutsu, which was stationed at Ambon, raided and sank an xAK and xAKL. I then counter-invaded with the "C" unit of the 28th Division, also stationed at Ambon. Sadly the Allies had just enough troops there to stand off my attack. I am going to commit more of the 28th and see if I can't prevent the Allies from getting an airbase established there.
There is still nothing at all to report in Burma. There is no sign of Allied troop movement and the RAF seems to be on permanent vacation. I did spot a trio of Allied ships at Great Nicobar and sent battleships Hiei and Kongo to investigate. These turned out to be an APD and two very large xAPs, Mount Vernon and West Point. All three were sunk.
In China I renewed my drive up from Nanyang towards Sian but could not make progress in the wooded terrain. I am pulling my troops back again and am going to shift them south to threaten Ichang. My hope is that the Chinese will take try to take advantage of the absence of the bulk of my army by trying to advance again. I don't know that it will work, since it was a disaster for the Chinese the last time they tried, but it's worth a shot. And changing the direction of my attack might shake things up a bit and give me a chance to catch and maul more Chinese formations.
The war beneath the sea is turning slowly but steadily against me. Japanese subs sank a pair of freighters in the period but kills are getting harder to come by and Allied ASW continues to improve. Two subs were lost in the Marshall Island area during the period.
Allied submarines, on the other hand, are becoming more and more of a problem. In the last month I have lost a tanker, with three more damaged, a pair of escort vessels, and several xAKs. Only one Allied sub was sunk, a Dutch boat that imprudently sailed right into Singapore harbor. I am spending more and more time changing convoy routes and setting ASW patrols. I am not yet to where Allied subs are really affecting my ability to ship cargo and troops to and from the Home Islands, but I can see that point from here.
Here is the points screen from the most recent turn:
