Subs
Lots of contacts around Rabaul, the gap between the DEI and the Philipines and ofe the sth and west of Japan. ASW forces are being allocated to deal, and are being reasonably effective in supressing their subs.
Burma
Usual on Akyab.
DEI
Resting at Bandoeng
Pacific
SCTF and a CS Tf heading in behiond the forces at Horn Is to try and cut them off then sink them...
China
1:1 Attack, 2 TK Regt will arrive in a day or two... Our strategy of hitting isolated Corps continues.
Ground combat at 81,55 (near Pingsiang)
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 21139 troops, 178 guns, 32 vehicles, Assault Value = 749
Defending force 12632 troops, 42 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 515
Japanese adjusted assault: 1140
Allied adjusted defense: 975
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), op mode(-), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)
Indicators and Warnings
Adak makes level 1 airfield. We have no intentions apart from raids in this area... at the moment
Enemy air in India is now based inland. We "own" the coast.
Subs
ASW working ASW attack near Sangi at 76,96
Japanese Ships
DD Yunagi
DD Karukaya
DD Fuyo
Allied Ships
SS O19, hits 6
ASW attack near Pamekasan at 58,105
Japanese Ships
PC Ashi
Allied Ships
SS KXVIII, hits 3
Burma
A midget carrying sub departs for Chittagong...
The CV's are out on a raid.
Otherwise quiet. A unit of Nicks has come into Rangoon to act as B-17 killers.
Their airforce has moved inland, but the bulk of the ground forces are still on the coast.
DEI
We are rested and shock attack next turn at Bandoeng.
OZ
Our SCTF misses the enemy TF by a hex at night as their forces withdraw back to Townsville. We are attacked by B-17 for no hits. We will bombard Horn Island then leave.
Pacific
Two midget carrying subs depart for Townsville...
China
The armour comes up and we attack, geting good results:
Ground combat at 81,55 (near Pingsiang)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 20961 troops, 178 guns, 126 vehicles, Assault Value = 742
Defending force 12110 troops, 42 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 479
Assaulting units:
6th Division
19th Ind.Mixed Brigade
13th Tank Regiment
9th Armored Car Co
102nd Infantry Regiment
Defending units:
100th Chinese Corps
14th Chinese Base Force
What to do about Adak...
We will soon have a 4 Div response force that we could send that way, the bulk of our CV's are in refit, which means they should come out just as our forces arrive... it is very tempting.
It all depends what indicators and warnings we get.
Indicators and Warnings
Off Sydney we detect this interesting convoy... is this the indicator of the build up of amphib ships, an essential pre-condition, or meerly normal movements... we will send another sub this way.
ASW attack near Port Kembla at 90,169
Japanese Ships
SS I-15
Allied Ships
AVD William B. Preston
AP W.A. Holbrook
xAP Nairana
xAP Macdhui
xAP Glenorchy
xAP Chaumont
xAK Bintang
AM Lark
AM Quail
Subs
Lots of detections sth of Rabaul.
ASW attack near Port Moresby at 96,131
Japanese Ships
DD Ushio
CL Tenryu
CL Abukuma
CL Nagara
DD Kuretake
Allied Ships
SS Triton, hits 1
Burma
Usual hit on Akyab. Their fighters don't fly, and they have everything back and inland. Our CV Tf is now near Diego Garcia.
DEI
Bandoeng Falls!
Ground combat at Bandoeng (50,100)
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 58679 troops, 715 guns, 529 vehicles, Assault Value = 1863
Defending force 14122 troops, 317 guns, 116 vehicles, Assault Value = 284
Subs
LOTS of contacts and reports of our experianced ASW crews hiting enemy subs around Rabaul (50+ Sally with 60+ ASW training)
Burma
A midget sub runs aground and is lost trying to get into Chittagong.
Our usual bombing of Akyab.
Once we get some more airsupport the 75 Bombers from Java will move up here.
DEI
Troops, supplies, fuel moving.
OZ
The enemy has abandoned Nookanbah, we will march in and take it over again. Supply must be a real problem for them up north, Darwin is bombed daily, and no supply ships are getting through.
We Trash Horn Is.
Afternoon Air attack on Horn Island , at 91,128
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid detected at 86 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 30 minutes
Pacific
Off the tip of PNG enemy aircraft find a CA Tf that is preparing to run in on Cairns... no hits are scored from numeraous attacks. I am hoping they think the TF will be heading for Cooktown (where we have gone before).
The attacks on the CA TF means that the B-17 don't hit PM. The longer we can keep it open and building forts the better!
China
No action of note. Troops are almost in position to hit another isolated corps.
Day Time Surface Combat, near Cairns at 92,139, Range 6,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CA Maya
CA Myoko
CA Haguro
CA Ashigara
DD Yugumo
DD Isonami
DD Murakumo
DD Ayanami
DD Oboro
DD Akebono
Allied Ships
PT-36 PT-37, Shell hits 4, and is sunk
PT-38 PT-39, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-40 PT-44, Shell hits 1, and is sunk PT-45, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-46
PT-47 PT-48, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
So we come in through the PT TF, hit Cairns, come back through the PT TF while a Naval force chases us past submarines... then during the day phase... and almost out of ammo.
Day Time Surface Combat, near Cooktown at 94,138, Range 14,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CA Maya, Shell hits 2
CA Myoko, Shell hits 5
CA Haguro
CA Ashigara, Shell hits 3
DD Yugumo, Shell hits 1
DD Isonami
DD Murakumo
DD Ayanami DD Oboro, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD Akebono
Indicators and Warnings
A large TF of CV's and escorts leaves Columbo, but appears to return after the sub strike below. Our CV's will move into an ambush location for when they come out again...
Subs
It doesn't get much better than this... unless she sinks!
Sub attack near Colombo at 28,48
Japanese Ships
SS I-4
Allied Ships CV Formidable, Torpedo hits 1
CL Mauritius
CLAA Van Heemskerck
DD Arunta
DE John D. Edwards
DE Edsall
DD Hotspur
DD Kortenaer
DD Isaac Sweers
We find the enemy TF from Cairns heading back to Townsville
OZ
They have abandoned Nookanbah, we are moving a company in to claim the base.
Pacific
Our CA Tf makes it back past a sub attack off the tip of PNG.
We are flying in a Naval Guard to PM.
China
No change.
Our CV TF is refueled just NE of Diego Garcia, it will head nth paralleling the cost, which should bring it up at about 6 hex from the Indian coast in two turns time at about the same time the enemy CV TF comes around the bulge... well thats the plan!
A few turns ago we increase industry in Singapore, and have started repairing oil at Miri. Now that we know we are in for a long war we are preparing our economy.
With the recent arrival of the two TK divs in Manchuria (which are now "bought out") our vehicle production is now very low, we have boosted it a little bit.
Supply in the HI is starting to increase again. I also realise that Palembang has over 150k in supply, I've been focusing on shipping oil, fuel and resources... now have to move supply as well! The port is chock full of shipping loading. Have drawn supply down to Oosthaven and have 2 TF shuttling supply from their to Batavia.
We now have close to 300k of fuel between Truk and PM. We can conduct sustained operations now in this part of the world. Supply is good, but will need more in a few months to build up stocks.
Air wise we are again starting to catch up with Kates. Oscars are still tight, Zeros and Helen good.
Troop Distributions
Starting to rationalise troops now that the offensive phase is largely over.
Strategic Reserve
Currently based at Sorebaya it consists of:
14th Army HQ (many units are in the SOPAC)
53rd Div (14th Army)
19th Div (14th Army)
2nd Tk Div (parts are there, rest on the water)
some 14th Army Arty units.
Burma
A mish mash but will consolidate to:
Southern Army HQ
15th Army HQ
Imperial Guards
20th Div (still in regiments)
4th Div (on the water from Java)
21st Ind Mixed Bde
65th Bde
4 TK Regts
About 5=6 Div equivelants
Sumatra
16th Army HQ (many units are in the SOPAC)
38th Div (to be broken into thirds, Oosthaven, Benkoelen, Padang)
Various SNLF forces for the north.
Java
5th Div
Garrison and BF troops
I'd like to sort out troop dispositions a bit more, but with large numbers of our troops required in the SOPAC, where they weren't historically, it is quite hard to do.
The western DEI to PNG is very space, there are a lot of garrison troops due in the coming months, they need to deploy to the DEI as a priority...
Airframes and R&D
Have you increase your Ha-45 numbers?? If so, to how many?? The George and Frank plus a lot of mid-43 and beyond airframes use those engines. I overdid the Ha-35 and had to back track and change one of those factories over to Ha-45.
It looks like your A6M3 and A6M3a will convert over to 200 A6M5. Do you have any R&D being done for A6M5??
ny59giants, here are the engine numbers. We need to expand a little more, but supply in the HI has been an issue, although it is starting to improve.
We too may have overdone the Ha-35 a liitle but I think we are about right at the moment, but we have turned off some aircraft at the moment to allow them to build up... so the numbers look better than they are.
How many were you doing?
Cheers
Rob
Attachments
194200712_Engines.jpg (127.15 KiB) Viewed 183 times
Indicators and Warnings
The Brit CV force is detected in Columbo. Our CV force is now about level with Goa.
Subs
Our sub refuses a shot, and then is depth charged.
Sub attack near Colombo at 28,48
Japanese Ships
SS I-24, hits 2
Allied Ships
ML No. 202
ML No. 194
ML No. 187
ML No. 201
A midget subs penetrate into Colombo Harbour (where the Brit CV's are, but is detected and sunk.
ASW attack on midget sub outside Colombo
Japanese Ships
SSX Ha-4, hits 10, heavy damage
Allied Ships
DD Griffin
Burma
Our CV's detect enemy ships, said to be a CA, TK and CV... this could be a damaged brit CV heading north... at about 3 hex range. Bad weather must have stopped them from launching. This is a little further north than we expected... but we should be in the money next turn, as the other Brit CV's shouldn't be able to interfere... unless the CV Tf north of us reverses course at full speed to the south.
DEI
OZ
Pacific
PM is not looking good airfield wise.
Afternoon Air attack on Port Moresby , at 98,130
Weather in hex: Light rain
Raid spotted at 30 NM, estimated altitude 19,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes
I had almost 1000 Ha-35 going and have a good size pool right now. I switched a large factory at Tokyo over to Ha-45s. With very little expansion going on in Japan in late Nov 42 (scenario 2), I have almost 10k surplus in supply daily that is used for this mistake and moving it to forward bases.
You can look to convert 1 or 2 of those Aichi-60 factories to something else. You don't need 120 of them per month across three factories. One of them would go to Ha-45, IMO. I also would steadily expand some of those very late war engines as supplies became available.
Thanks for the feedback, I think we will kick off some more engine production soon.
12 Jul 1942
Indicators and Warnings
Aussie troops detected inland, they were at Chittagong. Looks like the axis of attack is changing.
Brit CV's still at Columbo.
Subs
Burma
We hit Chittagong again, the returns aren't really worth it, although there looks to be a damaged DD still in port. Brit 18th and 70th divs detected.
Night Naval bombardment of Chittagong at 55,41 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
13 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
BB Yamato
BB Nagato
BB Kongo
CA Furutaka
CA Aoba
CA Suzuya
CA Chokai
CA Atago
Our Raiding CV's though come across not a CV Tf but a TK Tf, almost as good...
Morning Air attack on TF, near Goa at 27,22
Weather in hex: Overcast
Raid spotted at 14 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 42
B5N2 Kate x 26
D3A1 Val x 15
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
TK Thorshavn, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
TK Buccinum, Bomb hits 2 KV Freesia, Torpedo hits 4, and is sunk
TK British Venture, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage TK Vivi, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
TK British Trader, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
We will turn back. Our recon of Columbo shows the CV's tucked uo in port, under a CAP of over 100 Fighters... will giv that one a miss!
DEI
OZ
Pacific
They trash PM.
Afternoon Air attack on Port Moresby , at 98,130
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid spotted at 22 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes