Don Quijote against the Japanese Windmills. Seydlitz (J) against traskott (A). Allied side AAR

[traskott]

20/8/1942

Ships and troops begin to be shuffled to a new operation..

Moulmein has been bombarded this night by two british TFs...pfff..not so much results...

Over Kendari my new arrived P-39 destroyed 8 Nells [:)] , later, the Havoc based there attacked an amphibious japanese task force: AMC KIYOSUMI MARU ( 1 bomb hit, on fire ), AMC HOKUKI MARU ( 1 bomb hit ), AMC SAIGUN MARU ( 1 bomb hit ).

At MOULMEIN my two units ( 17th Ind. Division and BFF Brigade made a shock attack, droping fortis to cero. They found only four base forces units, 1 art. rgt, 1 art bon, and no more... Tomorrow MOULMEIN will be mine !!!.

At Rangoon I have now two RAF BF, so AF is now open and two AKLs are bringing supplies from Calcuta. [8D]

CHINA: HWAINAN drop forts to zero. Tomorrow is the day...

[traskott]

22/08/42

[>:][>:][>:]

Not so much....

[traskott]

23/08/42

What the ??

Australian Industry has spent all the fuel I have move there ? [&:][&:] No more than 30.000 tons all over the island...I will have to move all my naval assets to Tasmania to have any kind of fuel ( I did a reserve there thinking on this situation, but its...weird ).

Several convoys have sail from all over the map to OZ with as much fuel as they can carry. Another one medium size convoy has departured to P.H. too...

Soon the 7th Air Force will began a new air campaign...

[traskott]

INTEL - MARSHALLs:

 KWAJELEIN: 4 LCUs, 1820 troops, 41 guns.

 MALOELAP: 3 LCUs, 1500 troops, 9 guns.

 MIRI: 1 LCU, 820 troops, 30 guns.

 MAJURO: 1 LCU. 1460 troops. 8 guns.

[traskott]

24/8/42

PB KAIKEI MARU attacks SS S-40. 4 hits. Time to drydock.

Night bombing over Horn Island. Little effect.

SS RO-64 fails a launch against PG YARRA.

SS I-29 sinks xAK HUNAN near ANDAMAN ISLAND. Here goes my fast run of supply.

Sweep over P.M. THere is nobody home. Later, my 4E got AF hits 5, F suply hits 2 and Runway hits 35.

3 Port hits at Balikpapan by my B-25s.

 MOULMEIN FALLs !!! [&o][&o] Time to stop. and fortify. The spear point is just one division, the BFF brigade which help it is 90% disabled. So, it's fortify time, baby....

 TAIYUAN is free of chinese troops...

[traskott]

25/08/42

Several convoys from Malasia to Java, my units didn't take off...grrr....

At Balikpapan my B-25s got 1  Port fuel hits, 3 port hits, and 1 supply hits.

Tarawa hits LEVEL3 of Airfield.

RECCE:

MAJURO: 1 LCU, 1360 troops, 8 guns.
MILI: 1 LCU, 1120 troops, 43 guns.
JALUIT: 2 LCU, 1480 troops, 19 guns

[traskott]

Well, 27th August...soon September, and, with it, lot of "9/42 upgrades".I'm currently moving a LOT of troops and ships, all around, in order to prepare a huge step. Perhaps Seydlitz can live without Palembang, but the KB not, so I will began several offensives (some feints included ) all over the map, to force him to move around his ships.

2 of my carriers are still reffiting, but the others are at 100%, and new Task Forces will be formed in a few days.

The CR of today have one thing good: 112th Inf. Rgmt is repulsed of Bassein, and is now isolated at the jungle. The IV Indian Corps race towards Toungoo to punish the 33rd jap division ( isolated too ).

At Moulmein, the Burma Corps stand.

The SS RO-62 has been attacked by PG YARRA. Several hits reported.

SS TROUT launch four torpedos at CL TENRY (and fail).

2 Helens destroyed over Hwainan by my chinese H81...

xAK MANILA MARU and xAK KINKASAN MARU hit both by torpedos, at Oosthaven.

50 4E over Port Moresby, put more dmg on the airfield. ( AF1, AF sup1, RUN18).

Jaluit is bombed by 4 LB-30. Just one port hit BUT a bomb is placed at SS I-25 too. [:D].

SS FINBACK sinks ?? [X(][X(][&:][&:] How ?? Pufff... Japan air asw is powerful. I'll probably redeploy my SS to less threatened areas...

And thats all folks.

[CaptBeefheart]

If you're still worried about fuel, I heard the new beta patch allows you to shut off HI in Oz (i.e. it allows Allies to shut down HI anywhere).

Well done on taking Moulmein this early and applying pressure all over.

Cheers,
CC

[traskott]

Thanks CC, trouble is Seydlitz don't want install any "beta" patch, so we'll have to wait to an official patch to apply the improvement ( it is a really improvement !!! OZ expend more than 30.000 fuel per month !!!! )

Currently game is on hold as the japanese is making something in RL, related with tanks, he say.... [:-]

[traskott]

28/8/42

xAK MOGAMIKAWA MARU torpedoed by Cats at Oosthaven.
xAK NISSYU MARU, same as above.

Another raid at Port Moresby.

Eniwetok is empty.... .[8|]

WUHU falls to chinese troops [&o][&o]

Sinyang and Palembang hits level 6 of fortification !!!

Hwainan got forts down to 1.

29/8/42

CAs MYOKO, MAYA and ATAGO bombard KENDARI ( screened by just one DD ). Some dmg reported.

xAK ULOOLOO and xAK MUNDALLA sunk  by those three CAs, the same night.

xAK TOSAN MARU and xAK KORYU MARU sunk at Oosthaven. Enemy losses: 29 guns, 27 tanks, all destroyed.

Seydlitz is losing like 1 xAK every two days at Oosthaven. My SS are superlative.

Horn Island bombed by 12 B-25.

Dutchs B-25s put one bomb at DMS W-13.

HWAINAN holds !! . I need more troops here !!!

Tabiteua hits AF LVL3.

Intel reports two more art. bons heading to Oosthaven. More targets for my cats !!!

[traskott]

30/8/42

[>:][>:]

Currently moving Lightnings and 4E to Palembang. It could be interesting check how many USAAF units can I put there [:D][:D]

[traskott]

1/9/42

HWAINAN FALLs !!! HANGCHOW UNDER ATTACK !!!

All hail the mighty chinese empire [&o][&o]

On the minus side, ANOTHER SS reported hit by ASW air assets.... Pfff...[:@]

[traskott]

The first days of september have been...interesting...

a) B-17s and P-38s operating from Palembang... The japanese has landed 39 LCUs to storm my base.

b) Ambon is under attack !!! The 4th Inf. Division has landed. My aerial search has been....ineffective, at least [:(].

c) Lot of fuel convoys have departed from W.C. OZ is empty and the SLOC is low on fuel, too...

d) Enemy AO sank south of Dutch Harbour !!!! ANOTHER RAID ??? [&:][&:][&:] . Zafarrancho de combateeeee !!!!

e) Milne Bay retaken, no japanese troops present there...

[traskott]

No, this AAR is not dead...but the japanese is close to commit seppuku !!!

28/9/1942

ENIWETOK is taken by the U.S.A. Forces ( well, tomorrow, but it's empty ).

KWAJELEIN ISLAND has been taken by the 9th and 21th USMC Regiments, suported by one TD Bon and one art. bon. Seebees and Base Forces on their way.

JALUIT...is japanese xDDD my attack was a fiasco... xDD The poor 22nd USMC regiment comes back to Pearl Harbour for rest and refit.

Another base ( sorry I don't remember the name [:(]) is about to be taken by the 32nd USA Division. One more attack and it will be mine.

At NEW GUINEA, MILNE BAY has now 500 allied A.V. ( 8th Australian Division plus 41th USA Division ). Yamato and friends come here and sank a lot of xAKLs, but yesterday the Anzac fleet ( the CAs, CLs and some DDs from Australia and NZ ) clashes with a mini KB ( 2 CVs, 1 CVL, 2 CAs and 4/5 DDs ), and sank 1 DD and put two hits at CV HUNYO. One of them reported as FUEL STORAGE EXPLOSION !!! .

Well, now, I'll began to develop the Marshalls, in order to my new target: Marianas.

[traskott]

October 1942

Not even in my sexiests dream would I have dreamed this situation:

 a) All my CVs in action.

 b) Marshalls taken. The islands currently in japanese hands lacks AF (except one with Lvl3) , so air superiority should be mine ( except KB ). Very interesting and valuable lessons learned from all those amphibious actions.

c) SLOC secured. Several IJN SS spotted and attack my convoys but is manageable.

d) Australia is safe, and I have retaken MILNE BAY. I'm currently fortifing (sp?) this dot, will transfer all I Aus Corps here, and, will be able to advance with 40, 37 USA Divisions, plus the South Pacific Marines ( currently at Noumea ).

e) India is safe. The Burma Corps has taken Tavoy, the Imperial Guards division is downed to 70 A.V. and the 33rd Division is at the jungle... Bangkok is near !!!! Besides, all his troops are at

f) PALEMBANG: Currently holding 1100 AV of allied troops, at level 6 of fortis, and with 120.000 supplies on hand, is commited with 1200 japanese A.V.....And of course, think about all that oil and fuel the japanese is not getting xDDDD

[traskott]

14/10/1942

Big naval battles, all over the map.

 Currently:

   I'm advancing at Thailand.

   Palembang holds. Have 120k supplies.

   At China I'm fighting at Sinyang against his main army.

   At OZ, I'm at Milne Bay, a CV TF has been spotted: CVL SHOHO hit by 1 torpedo by SS S-34.

   Marshalls are mine !!! : Eniwetock, Roi Namur, Kwajelein and two more island are now in my hands. LCUs of seebees and BF are replacing the combat units, which are currently moving to Pearl Harbour.

  Japanese SSs I-35, I-164 and I-II reported severe damage (sank?)

  Japanese CV TF puts one torpedo at CV INDOMITABLE. Fleeing at flank speed.

  Amphibious japanese TF has landed at Diego Garcia !!! Royal Navy in night combat: The four R against BB KONGO, KIRISHIMA, HIEI, HARUNA plus CAs SUZUYA and KUMANO.  BBs REVENGE and RAMILLIES sank. DDs JUPITER and TJERK HIDDES sank. The BB KIRISHIMA got THREE torpedos, and the nearest good port is Singapore... We'll see... Now, RN is fleeing to Cape Town, to the shipyard....

  My CVs are moving in order to supress PONAPE, and allow one amphibious T.F. secure another island SW of Marshalls...

 Lot of action !!!

[traskott]

15/10/1942

All hail INDOMITABLE: Struck by another two torpedoes, it's still afloat...

ABDA Fleet sank by CA AOBA and MIKUMA. Well, the dutch CLs are bad, but it's.....2 CL and 4 DDs sank with just one hit in one japanese DD....

1/2 KB with the Yamato is between Milne Bay and Australia... Lot of 2E and 4E ready for naval actions....

Ponape attacked by my carriers, IJN cargo TF destroyed. Marshalls secured.

I'm next to bangkok. I'm making numbers to see if it's posible took that city...We'll see...

[traskott]

The japanese carriers have made a tactical withdrawal all over the map. It's a bless, cause they could do a lot of dmg. Perhaps Seydlitz should have been more agresive.

[seydlitz_slith]

Great read Traskott! I am sad that you had to end the game due to RL committments.

It is interesting to see your perspective on the game. Now a few comments from my side:

1. I lost only CV Soryu during the game, plus BB Fuso off Java and BB Kirishima after the night action off Diego Garcia
2. I wasn't playing for auto-victory or even for VPs at all during the game, and I didn't worry too much about standard timelines.
3. The marshalls were a give away. Instead I was heavily building my defense ring along the north coast of NG, the Marianas, and the north end of the Solomans chain.
4. I was in excellent shape in terms of air frames and pilots the entire time. KB did not take near the pilot losses you thought.
5. I had a very bad time with resources pooling at Hakodate. I had a lot of shipping tied up for several months just trying to bring resources back.
6. I did run low on fuel starting about July '42 and that hurt both my HI and my naval operations.
7. You were kicking my butt in China and for a while in Burma, but I had plans in both areas.
8. Your fortification of Palembang ultimately led to my decision to bomb out the refinery to shut down your supply generation. This was difficult but the correct thing to do.
9. I realy enjoyed the sub war that we had going. I didn't lose anywhere near the number of subs that you thought, but I did have several damaged at different times.
10. I was enjoying the "spread" of action across the whole theater during September-October '42.

Post game analysis by me says that I must suck at ground combat. I need to work on that.
I also made some mistakes in not going for the fuel fast enough.
I have no regrets about not having aggressive expansion plans. I mean, who wants Australia anyways. After all, it was nothing more than a penal colony [:D]

I did enjoy the game a lot.

Regards,
Seydlitz

[traskott]

Thanks for the notes, Seydlitz !!!!

The only "but" I can see here is that even a "conservative" japanese player MUST be aggresive the first three months. Allied in the first months need not troops but TIME, and a cautious approach give him (me) more than enough. [:)]