Tokyo Rose was a Hussy! Chez (J) vs. Canoe (A)

[Canoerebel]

7/27/42

CenPac: The KB retired toward Kwajalein, which takes the heat off a variety of transports and supply ships south of Tarawa. One TF, carrying a Sea Bee unit originally slated for Makin Island, is going to divert to Ndeni. A big TF carrying another Sea Bee unit plus a Marine RCT to Makin is closing from near Christmas Island.

NoPac: The ships are making their final adjustments to follow orders as they await arrival of the final transport TF, which will reach the rendezvous point in two days. The ships will go in to Paramushiro in four or five days. The Allies should have three land-based fighter squadrons to help with CAP, plus Wasp's fighters if needed. (Wasp will stand to the rear, mainly to provide strike capability if an opportunity or need arises). I think Japan might have two cruisers up here of the four originally posted. One of those four, Haguro, was just sighted near Balikpan five days ago. I don't know if there are any carrires up here, but the most I'd expect would be a CS or CVE.

SoPac: The Allies are beginning to run low on supply at Pago Pago. I will have to attend to this in a more systematic way than I have over the past few weeks.

DEI: BC Repulse and CA Portland are about to depart Cocos Island for Oosthaven. BB North Carolina and CAs Pensacola and New Orleans leave Melbourne for Perth tonight. BB Warspite is near Hobart on its way to Perth. Another RN R-Class BB is ready to go at Colombo and will accompany Ent and York on their return trip tomorrow. In seven days, the Allies will have four BB and one BC on station in the DEI. The APD TF made an uneventful run to Toabali on Banka Island. Tonight they try the same thing running to Billiton Island. IJ patrols caught a whiff of the APDs, I think. I wonder if Steve will sniff out what's going on? The first units slated to go to Toabali and Billiton by APD will arrive at Oosthaven in less than a week.

Burma: The IJ Army is finally on the move towards Meiktila. I don't know yet whether I'll stand or retire. The Allies should have about 550 to 600 AV and might be facing two divisions. But if I retire, there's really nowhere better to fight short of the Ledo - Kohima line through the jungles, so I probably need to stay and fight (unless I become satisfied that the number are too one sided).

China: The cursor now shows 13 IJ units at Nanchang, rather than 2. I wont' risk a crossing against what may be three to five well-entrenched divisions (I know 15th is there), so my guys shall retire to Changsha.

[Canoerebel]

7/28/42

NoPac: Patrols from Paramushiro report a Japanese TF including a CL just east of Ketoi Jima. This is interesting given the Allies shipping around Bering Island. Wasp and the two combat TFs will move a few hexes south tonight, exiting the Berring Sea and taking station just south of Berring Island. The troop and supply TFs are a bit to the northwest, awaiting arrival of the last of the TFs, which will be on station by tomorrow. If the enemy TF doesn't appear to be a threat - IE, if it doesn't seem to have carriers - the Allied ships will proceed to Para. If the enemy Tf appears to have carriers or stout combat ships present, Wasp can react. In fact, it's possible the two sides could meet in battle tomorrow if the Japanese TF steams hard on a NE course. I'm nearly positive the Japanese don't have any big carriers up this way, so I'm willing to await developments rather than fleeing.

CenPac: An IJ cruiser TF arrived at Tarawa, but didn't find any prey. I've moved a small SBD unit there. An advance and lonely xAP carrying part of a Sea Bee unit will arrive at Ndeni in two or three days. This is a bit of a scouting mission. My hope is that it will remain undetected. If sighted, the element of surprise will be lost and the entire operation will have to be scrubbed. The Allies can't afford to send good ships into distant waters that the enemy can control if the enemy wishes to. But I think there's a decent chance of obtaining surprise, getting some troops and engineers ashore at Ndeni and Vanua Lava, and then building forts for awhile (not builing airfields until later, as doing so would attract attention at a point where I don't want attention).

SoPac: Enemy carrier TF SW of Pago Pago (probably the Hiyo/Junyo group that was here a few weeks ago).

DEI: The APD TF made a supply run to Billiton Island without incident. This is good work for these handy ships, and it's great that they can make the run and return to Oosthaven in one evening. I'm wondering if Steve pulled Yamato and some other ships from the Pago Pago campaign, since she wasn't present when Hyuga and Yamashiro made their last visit a week ago). I know Kirishima is in the Java vicinity. Steve is patroling these waters heavily, and a sub just nosed its way into Oosthaven's harbor, getting a good look at my combat ships there. BC Renown and CA Portland will arrive tomorrow or the next day. I wouldn't be surprised if Steve tries another combat ship attack here soon.

[zuluhour]

Does the act of building an AF raise a DL?

[Smeulders]

ORIGINAL: zuluhour

Does the act of building an AF raise a DL?

It turns up in the operations report.

[Canoerebel]

Smeulders is right. Base building generates reports (via Ops and also by cursor) that should tip an alert player to activity.

Thinking further, though, I can't afford to sit and just build forts. The supply limit at a dot hex is just 5,000, which is a real problem. Better to build the port and airfield several levels, if possible, to allow more supply to come in.

Ordinarily, I wouldn't be targeting the Santa Cruz Islands at this point in the game. They are pretty far forward and not within supporting distance of my other bases. That means they are subject to being blockaded, isolated, and reduced.

Why do it then? Because Steve's navy has been heavily attrited in the game to date. Right now, the Japanese navy is needed in the Bay of Bengal (to escort ships to Rangoon), the DEI, Pago Pago, the Tarawa region, and NoPac. Creating a new hot spot will further stretch the IJN and further stress Steve (because it is right on his LOC to Pago Pago, which he clearly puts alot of emphasis on).

[Canoerebel]

7/29/42

NoPac: The Japanese TF turned out to be destroyers and perhaps an APD or two on a run to Amchitka Island (I think). Patrols out of Attu sighted the enemty TF and then SBDs from Wasp sortied at a range of seven, putting a single 1,000-pounder into DD Matsukaze. This "blows Wasp's cover," but it also means if any enemy shipping is sighted approaching the area, we can trust that it's something powerful enough that Steve wants to take on the Allied TF. Wasp and two combat TFs will continue south, taking station six or eight hexes NE of Para. All the supply/reinforcements TFs will head into Para, though it should take two days. A Wildcat squadron and a P-39 squadron made the jump from Attu to Para, thus creating a fighter presence between the enemy bases and Wasp.

CenPac: KB is up around Majuro. Tenyru combat TF seems to still be at Tarawa, but the Allied SBD unit at Tabituea didn't sortie. I've moved it plus another squadron from Canton up to Tarawa. A lone-wolf Allied xAP carrying part of a Sea Bee unit will arrive at Ndeni tonight. No signs of detection.

SoPac: Japanese-held Savaii Island airfield goes to level three.

DEI: Another run by APDs taking supply to Billiton Island. The Repulse TF arrived at Oosthaven. The Valiant TF will arrive at Cocos tonight, merge with the Portland TF, and report to Oosthaven. At that point, the Allies will have three decent combat TFs at Oost plus a destroyer TF. A TF led by CA Vincennes departs Colombo tonight to take over the station at Cocos Island. Ent and York made it out of Colombo without incident and should reach the station near Cocos in five or six days.

[Canoerebel]

7/30/42

NoPac: The Allied force moves closer to Paramushiro without incident. Most of the transports will arrive tonight in the company of a combat TF flagged by BB Pennsylvania and CL Phoenix. Wasp will remain behind - about ten hexes NE of the size-three enemy airfield at Ketoi Jima. Three land-based fighter squadrons are deployed at Paramushiro. To the south, off the coast of Honshu, Guardfish put single torps into a TB and an xAK, and damaged two xAKL by guns. That's unusually aggressive behavior for an Allied sub in my experience.

CenPac: Two SBD units at Tarawa missed the unprotected CL Tenyru TF at Tarawa in a display of particularly poor skills. The xAP arrived at Ndeni and unloaded some engineers without incident. Three xAKs carrying most of the unit will arrive in about two days. No signs of detection, which is what I had hoped for. I think Ndeni is in a non-patrolled sector, so only by an enemy TF happening upon the activity will Steve be alerted. That's good! KB still up around Majuro.

SoPac: Lots of enemy shipping between Fiji and Savaii. If the Allies succeed in getting Ndeni's airfield and port built over the next few weeks, Steve is really going to have a cow when he finds the enemy entrenching at the base of his very long LOC to the Fiji/Pago Pago areas.

DEI: Allied destroyers hammer and probably sink I-166 at Oosthaven. The APDs continue to do great work pre-positioning supply at Billiton and Toabali. A single APD fresh from Colombo delivered supply to the Marine raiders at Siberot, and stayed right there during the daylight hours. APDs on Fast Transport duty aren't supposed to remain at exposed bases during daylight hours, but it happens all the time, and usually with very bad consequences. However, this one got away with it. The small Allied army late from Sibolga has nearly reached Padang now, where the Allies will have 450 AV behind three forts in this jungle hex. I intend to fight for this base. The advance enemy force includes at least one division (21st). SigInt over the past few days includes reports of troops prepping for Palembang and Oosthaven. The latter unit is 6th Guards Division, most recently seen at Semereng, Java, a month ago. That makes sense that it's prepping for Sumatra, but its very, very late. We've entered the phase now where the Allies are transitioning from pure defensive posture in Sumatra to offensive preparations.

Burma: 4th Guards plus one other division are advancing on Meitila.

[Cribtop]

He's coming overland, then, eh? Great defensive terrain.

[Canoerebel]

He's coming overland to at least sniff out Pagang. I'll fight him there. He might be bringing more, but that will take a long time, the roads are bad, and the defensive terrain is good. He could possibly make things very hard on the Allies if he brings ten divisions overland from western Sumatra, but he wouldn't be in a position to fight until September or later. That's too late.

Another anomoly that's been developing lately is that he's finally attending to Malaybalay, where the Allies have 450 AV in a rough, jungle hex with 3k supply. It would have been fun to take advantage of this "Alamo" on Mindanao (Nemo did in his game vs. One-Eyed-Jacks), but it's awfully late for Steve to be attending to major "mop up" targets. He still has to attend to Darwin, Port Moresby, and Port Blair, and the Allies hope to string things out long enough that he can't do so.

[Canoerebel]

7/31/42

NoPac: SBDs from Wasp sortie and damage or sink three DDs that were about eight hexes east of Para; I can only guess these were scouting ships. All but one of the supply and troop transports reached Para, but too late in the day to permit unloading to begin. These ships will need about two days to get the bulk of their cargo ashore. The Pennsylvania TF will remain on station to protect. I've also transferred Wasps F4Fs here, while Wasp moves to the NE just in case Steve has something in the works. At the moment everything looks good here.

CenPac: The KB remains on station near Maloelap. More engineers are ashore at Ndeni with no signs of detection. A big reinforcement covoy carrying a Marine regiment and Sea Bee unit to Makin is nearing theater on a course that will bring it up for the south. There's danger nearby, so I have to be careful. Another TF is arriving in theater carrying stout infantry reinforcements and an EAB to Ndeni. Another TF, this one carrying inantry and Sea Bees to Vanua Lava, just departed Pearl Harbor.

SoPac: Finback tangles with a combat TF including BB Hyuga near Pago Pago. Yamashiro has been part of this TF, but I don't know whether she's still present.

DEI: A TF carrying 182nd RCT is about three days out of Oosthaven. Another carrying 22nd East African is about seven days out. The APDs continue making runs to preposition supply at Billiton (where 182nd will go) and Toabali (where 22nd will go). Valiant will arrive at Oosthaven tonight. North Carolina will arrive at Perth in two days; Warpsite in three. All Allied units that retired from Sibolga have arrived at Padang. I think Steve will besiege Padang using 21st Division, with two armored units perhaps moving to cut the roads leading east. Allied armored units will move that way to be in supporting distance.

Burma: It appears that part of the IJ army will move cross country to strike at Magwe rather than moving directly to invest Meiktila. The Allies will counter by shifting some forces around and by air-transporting an Indian brigade to Magwe from Chittagong.

China: The Chinese army is on the road back to Changsha. I'm looking for another opportunity.

Strategic Situation: I think Steve is mulling over things and planning an attack of some kind of Sumatra (I think it will include BBs Yamato and Kirshima), but I think right now he's more focused on Tarawa and Pago Pago, with lots of power committed in both theaters. These Allied bases are well garrisoned. I don't want to lose either of them, but of the two, Tarawa is the more important. I'm not sure yet what impression the Allied moves in the Kuriles will make on Steve, but I'd err on the side of guessing he'll want to strike at Wasp and try to take control of the sea lanes, even if he doesn't immediately address the Allied bases. Overall, Steve has divided his attention when he should (IMO) be focues almost solely on the DEI, or NoPac and the DEI in close sequence.

[Canoerebel]

Tip (or reminder): I had a Mohawk squadron at Adak that I wanted to upgrade to Warhawks to support the Paramushiro effort. So I moved it to Anchorage (via Cold Bay and Kodiak), which is a level six airfield where I upgraded other units. But the upgrade button was greyed out. So I next moved it down to Seattle (with hops to Juneau and an airfield in Canada). Low and behold, the upgrade option is still greyed out. What the hey, I'm thinkin'. Then I rembered I left part of the squadron back at Adak (disabled planes at the time the squadron left). I disbanded that fragment, and the upgrade option was enabled.

Most of you know this requirement for upgrading, but it had completely slipped my mind. As a result, a squadron I was counting on to help is now a good five or six days from being available.

[Canoerebel]

NoPac on 8/1/42. CAP at Paramushiro is provided by 75 fighters based at the airfield.

[Canoerebel]

The KB has been hanging around this area for days. Allied patrols have had her under observation for much of the past few weeks. If you want to give your opponent a feeling of security, let him keep tabs on your carrier force for extended periods of time.

[Canoerebel]

The Japanese have major force concentrations around Mili/Maloelap to the north, and around Fiji/Savaii Island to the south. In the middle and to the west, the Allies are just beginning to occupy and build Ndeni, with Vanua Lava to follow in about a week.

As anticipated, the Santa Cruz Islands seem to be a "hole in the donut" of Japanese patrol activity and operations. Eventually, something will happen to alert Steve to what's going on - a combat TF heading to Tarawa from Rabaul; a supply TF bound from Lunga to Fiji; etc. But given two weeks of quiet, Steve will find a major Allied operation underway right on his extended LOC from the Solomons to Fiji, Savaii Island, and even New Caledonia.

[Canoerebel]

Japan has invested a great deal of ships, men, and time in the Samoa Campaign. What's Steve going to do when he finds a major Allied build-up occuring way back along his LOC at the Santa Cruz Island? (Assuming the Allied operation there remains undetected for a few weeks.)

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Japan has invested a great deal of ships, men, and time in the Samoa Campaign. What's Steve going to do when he finds a major Allied build-up occuring way back along his LOC at the Santa Cruz Island? (Assuming the Allied operation there remains undetected for a few weeks.)

Won't mean a thing if Japan intends to capture Tarawa and Tabitauae (sp).

Alfred

[Canoerebel]

This is still the theater where the war will be (has been?) won or lost.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: Alfred
Won't mean a thing if Japan intends to capture Tarawa and Tabitauae (sp).
Alfred

Yes, I know.

[princep01]

Well, Albert might not find it worrisome to have the Allies building a major base a 1000 miles behind him and his other bases to the west, but as a Japanese player I sure would. Tarawa is a rather meaningless outpost if the Allies do not allow the IJN to force commitment of the Allied navy to hold it while the IJN is still relatively strong. Similarly Fiji and the other unspellable island mentioned. Yes, there could be a loss of valuable troops at Pago and Tarawa.

But, given time to build a defensible base at Ndeni and expand to Vanuta Lava and say Loganville (don't know if it is occupied), then a secondary offensive axis Loganville, Ndeni, Guadacanal, New Britain, Phillipines makes Fiji, Tarawa, Somoa a nice prison colony faster than you can say "Palembang is full of oil".

August is here and the Allies are starting to act offensively. The counter-puching days are at an end and the great, now awakened, giant takes the battle to the brash sons of the rising son. Nice.

[Canoerebel]

Alfred's point is valid, but obvious. Japan still has the "oomph" to select a point and overwhelm the Allies. If Japan really wants to, it can reclaim Paramushiro, Tarawa, Pago Pago, Ndeni, or Port Blair (but no longer eastern Sumatra, in my opinion; that is beyond Japan's grasp to impose its will unilaterally, now). The point is that Japan can't handle all of these, so the more "hot spots" added to Japan's list of high-priority problems, the better.

What the Allies are trying to accomplish is to take low risk/high reward gambles that add to the pressure on Japan. Creating a complex of bases in the Santa Cruz Islands will do that, just as reinforcing and resupplying Paramushiro (and later Onnekotan) will.