Thinz2 vs Zuluhour

[zuluhour]

July 17th 1942
Bataan Falls!!
China: movement, but quiet.
Burma: IJA movement but quiet.
SoPac: All CVs are finished refitting. Shipping returning to ports in the southern depot areas. Port Morseby hit by a BBTF in the morning and major air raids by KB. The place is smoking. Very few fighters remain operational but as the field is "closed" it is a moot point. Mining TF and SCTF are at Townsville waiting for a lull. I will try and get it rebuilt and defend it. Four full and trained groups are prepared to stage in to relieve the groups at the field given a chance.
Indian Ocean: Little KV Hollycock may have holed I-155 off Columbo.

Japs double score today.

[zuluhour]

July 18th 1942

SoPac: KB hits Port Morseby again, the mobile force is SSE of Port Morseby and NNE of Townsville. Two old BBs will try an intercept with escorts, the force is rich in tankers and Cvs. 100 fighters on CAP at Townsville, they are all experienced.
China: He is getting ready for Ichang and Kukong. I am ready to fight at both. I will post map soon there.
Burma: watching his Division move in the Akyab. I have three reinforced divisions there under solid leadership and well supplied.

[zuluhour]

July 19th
Burma: bombings on IJA 21st Div ordered in the Akyab.
China: 20th Army Group ordered to advance on the southern Yangtze front.
SoPac: KB sends zero sweeps to Cairnes and Townsville. BBTF ordered to intercept. The orders are worded more strongly. I can only watch in this theater now.

[zuluhour]

July 20th 1942
SoPac: Kb loiters offshore SE of Townsville while Port Morseby hit by large bombing raids. CnCPac believes invasion iminent. Radio traffic, IJN posturing and large air raids have all but confirmed it. Two surface groups try to close with KB while carriers make for calmer seas.

[zuluhour]

July 21st 1942

For the first time since 1941 there is no ground combat or bombardment anywhere.

Burma: air skirmishes.
China: ground movement with some air raids.
SoPac: KB still in mid Coral Sea. SCTF ordered to close. Perhaps all the TF Adm's are reluctant to engage. It suits me. Heavy LBA raid on Port Morseby. I expect this to continue unabated not unlike the daily 7 months of continous raids on Bataan. I will attempt to put 100 Mines in the harbor in 48 hours. Offensive sub mining to commence also.

[zuluhour]

July 22nd 1942
SoPac: KB still posturing in the Coral Sea. Three SCTFs are now in the area. Mining TF will attempt to slip into Port Morseby as well as a solid flak unit in ten days. Two new SubDiv's form at Pearl. SubDiv VII is loaded with mines and ordered to the northern Solomons. SubDiv VIII will replace fleet boats patroling off Baker Island and Gardner Island.

Burma: night raid called on Mandalay. Recon shows lots of birds under clear skies and 78% moonlight.

China: CAF leader changed with an eye to improving Chinese pilot training. My PPs back above 1500 so I may try and get a Brittish Division under Alexander in Burma where the IJA 21st Division appears to have taken up defensive positions.

[zuluhour]

July 24th 1942

China: 20th Army Group completes march to the rough terrain SE of Kukong and again routes japs there. Casulties were high but the Empire sacrifices far more. 66th Corp is moving to the area. The Chinese air force is mustering north of Chungking.

Burma: Bombers stray and can't find targets for the third or fourth day so Eastern HQ orders a low level raid on the leading IJA units in Alexanders sector of IV corp.

SoPac: KB moved to within 80nm SE of Rabaul. We have two carrier TFs in theater now with some extra CAP from a CVE. I have transports heading to embarkation points for engineers to be used at either of two current forward bases to bring Rabaul into Flying Fortress range.

[zuluhour]

Ground combat at 80,58 (near Kukong) 20th Army Groups 2nd successful ground operation
Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 66454 troops, 308 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 2470

Defending force 7490 troops, 124 guns, 42 vehicles, Assault Value = 188

Allied adjusted assault: 1493

Japanese adjusted defense: 352

Allied assault odds: 4 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), fatigue(-), experience(-)
supply(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
3299 casualties reported
Squads: 138 destroyed, 60 disabled
Non Combat: 89 destroyed, 53 disabled
Engineers: 13 destroyed, 19 disabled
Guns lost 67 (22 destroyed, 45 disabled)
Vehicles lost 18 (8 destroyed, 10 disabled)
Units retreated 5


Allied ground losses:
1464 casualties reported
Squads: 7 destroyed, 170 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 14 disabled


Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
53rd Chinese Corps
18th Chinese Corps
8th Chinese Corps
87th Chinese Corps
73rd Chinese Corps
94th Chinese Corps
20th Group Army

Defending units:
115th Infantry Regiment
51st Recon Regiment
102nd Infantry Regiment
51st Engineer Regiment
21st Mortar Battalion

[zuluhour]

Sub attack near Koggala at 27,51

Japanese Ships
SS I-162, hits 3

Allied Ships
KV Hollyhock
Two days ago reports show Hollycock deep sixed I-155. The DD Norman will follow up the KVs attack later that night with two more hits.

[zuluhour]

SoPac: front line news

[zuluhour]

July 29th orders out.

[zuluhour]

We also risk another squadron transfer into Port Morseby. Its a meat grinder for both sides. China: the bombing intensifies, he may be bringing up assets from the DEI and PI. We sit tight in Burma, no news is good news here.

[zuluhour]

Today we get 2 spreads by subs at IJN CVLs heading SSW from Truk but all are duds. Pearl recalls carriers from the Coral Sea in the face of a possible KB presence. IJA LBA test the defenses in India for the first time. China is quiet; IJA air power has been trying to bleed 20th Army Group. In over three hundred sorties they have killed about twenty RA Chinese. Port Morseby recovers very quickly with the added engineers and is almost 100%. resupply and more triple A on the way. I may send an additional brigade there. I forgot to check, but I believe the PP situation may be ripe for a big west coast purchase or a better coordinated and led India. More upgraded triple A leaves Ceylon for the mainland destined for AF defense on the Burma frontier.

[zuluhour]

July 30th 1942

SoPac: USS Grampus misses Shoho off Rabaul, 40nm SW USS Grenadier launches duds at large IJN tanker in same TF. IJAF puts 44 night raiders over Port Morseby, they must be vets, they hit with accuracy. We do damage half a dozen or more.

CenPac: DD Mugford forces I-16 to the surface and finishes her. That makes eleven IJN fleet boats deep sixed according to Allied HQ. B17 raid over Tulagi nets a Zeke in A2A with no loss and one runway hit.

China: 100 IJAF sorties over 20th Army Group cause 11 reported casualties.

[zuluhour]

July 31st 1942

China: 20th AG returns to the railhead at KuKong. IJAF puts many more sorties over the army and kill one Chinese fella. 66th Corp makes railhead tomorrow at Hengyang. CAF 42nd FG staging to southern Yangtze base to catch some unescorted IJAF bombers.

Burma: yesterday the IJAF night raids hit Dacca, Calcutta and Imphal.

Sopac: Lexington makes the turn to starboard at Christmas Island while Saratoga sets sail from Pearl. The rest of the CVs rendevous at Suva. Port Morseby absorbs last nights raids with no discernable damage. HQ believes elements of the Kido Butai are riding anchor at Rabaul. Two days ago we got a intel the IJN has 111 ships at Truk.

[zuluhour]

August 1st 1942
China: IJA movement around Kukong.
Burma: quiet
SoPac: night raids on Port Morseby. DD Morris got two hits on I-18 off Brisbane, one severe according to the hydrophones. 208th AA boards for Port Morseby.

Logistics: I have barely an understanding of this at this date in the game. As I mentioned previously, Australia has had an ongoing fuel shortage for over three months. I now have over 125000 pts unloading or within days of delivery. Less ship usage, how do I tell how much I need per month etc. to keep industry etc. at full capacity?

[zuluhour]

Augut 2nd 1942

SoPac: Port Moresby hit hard by IJN cruiser TF. I will not post a "night CAP" as they are o for 5 on intercepts. The SCTF missed all 97 mines. Looking for a solid CD unit now. USTF 160nm SSW of Port Morseby fails to intercept also. We will look at the TF commander tomorrow. Several ASW actions-no results today. China quiet a well as Burma.

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: zuluhour

August 1st 1942
China: IJA movement around Kukong.
Burma: quiet
SoPac: night raids on Port Morseby. DD Morris got two hits on I-18 off Brisbane, one severe according to the hydrophones. 208th AA boards for Port Morseby.

Logistics: I have barely an understanding of this at this date in the game. As I mentioned previously, Australia has had an ongoing fuel shortage for over three months. I now have over 125000 pts unloading or within days of delivery. Less ship usage, how do I tell how much I need per month etc. to keep industry etc. at full capacity?

I'd just keep dumping it there. For industry, you'll need 2 points fuel (+ 2 resources) per HI per day. Basically, you're converting fuel into supply because it produces 2 supply per turn. I'd just turn the HI off and send the supply and fuel you need for the troops.

[n01487477]

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

ORIGINAL: zuluhour

August 1st 1942
China: IJA movement around Kukong.
Burma: quiet
SoPac: night raids on Port Morseby. DD Morris got two hits on I-18 off Brisbane, one severe according to the hydrophones. 208th AA boards for Port Morseby.

Logistics: I have barely an understanding of this at this date in the game. As I mentioned previously, Australia has had an ongoing fuel shortage for over three months. I now have over 125000 pts unloading or within days of delivery. Less ship usage, how do I tell how much I need per month etc. to keep industry etc. at full capacity?

I'd just keep dumping it there. For industry, you'll need 2 points fuel (+ 2 resources) per HI per day. Basically, you're converting fuel into supply because it produces 2 supply per turn. I'd just turn the HI off and send the supply and fuel you need for the troops.

I think Mike made a typo, it's 20 resource + 2 fuel to keep HI running (2 supply) or 15 Res for LI (1 supply).
In Australia, you have:
10 OilC *10 = 100 Oil
55 Oil Ref: needs 550 Oil/d and gives 55 supply & 495 fuel
So you need to import 450 Oil/d to make this run.
--------------
3210 ResC *20= 64200 Res/d
2770 LI, which needs (*15) 41550 Res to create 2770 Supply.
A surplus of 22650 Res (without HI use)
--------------
1120 HI needs 2240 fuel & 22400 Res/d
Still a small surplus of 250 Res/d.
But 495fuel - 2240 fuel need = -1745 fuel/d
-------------
So, should you run Australian Oil Ind? I think a majority don't cause it is in the too hard basket compared to just dumping a load of fuel and supply from the US. This fuel however will be used at -1745/d (unless you turn off HI plants).

[zuluhour]

Thank you both! Thats far more than I realized. I have to go back to the drawing board with this. 1745 a day!

todays turn: IJAF mounts a pretty good raid on Ndeni. Not much there to do for them but target practice. B17s staged to the mainland several days ago. An ACM to tend the minefield at Port Moresby will arrive over night, sip some fuel and be off. In Burma an IJA Div? moves towards China. If he moves 40 more miles I will cut off its retreat and remove it like a cancer. The RN is scheduled to hit lead elements of the 21st Div loitering along the coast of the Akyab tomorrow night.