April 29, 1943 - Final Report -
When I checked my 2Es in Burma I was puzzled to see that they were all set to do Ground Attacks on Japanese Troops in Shwebo, when I was certain that I had them targeting Troops in the plains nearby. Then I realized that the Japanese Division that they had been attacking had moved into Shwebo and that the 2Es just "followed" their previous target. So I re-set the 2Es to bomb the Japanese Infantry Regiment that is still in the open hex and I set the 4Es to hammer the Japanese troops at Shwebo. My opponent is probably expecting me to send the 4Es against another Air Base again because that is what I usually do.
My Forces in Northern Oz had another quiet day as the Japanese appear to have stopped trying to interfere with my reinforcement TFs. My opponent may well regret this once I move 4Es into Corunna Downs.
The Japanese also continue to be very quiet in the South Pacific, other than sending in the occasional sub. I now have 4Es in the bigger bases in the region but I'm not starting a Bombing Campaign until I get more Troops into the Region. I want those Bases to get even Bigger.
And things continue to be quiet in the Far North. They will stay that way until I get all of my CVs filled with Hellcats, then I will try a Little Raid again. One thing that I confirmed in another one of my pbems is that Surface Combat TFs sent in to an enemy Port to engage an Enemy TF don't engage any CD guns at the base, even though they would if they sailed past the base. My opponent keeps on moving large TFs full of small ships and I am very tempted to send in a Cruiser/DD TF - Capped by CV Fighters - to tangle with one of those TFs somewhere in Far Northern Japan.
Last Stand at San Diego (no Richard please)
Moderators: wdolson, MOD_War-in-the-Pacific-Admirals-Edition
AMs vs Subs
April 30, 1943 –
The Night Phase saw a couple of US AMs chase a Japanese sub just off of Suva but miss it. The AMs then attacked another Japanese sub off of Nadi, but they missed it again. Then on their way back to Port the AMs ran into the first Japanese sub again and this time hit it once.
Daylight brought out the Allied Air Forces in Burma again in a BIG way:
British DBs hit the Japanese troops at Warazup repeatedly. The Brit pilots finally seem to have found the right way to do it.
Then Allied 2Es repeated hammered a Japanese Infantry Regiment that was in the Clear outside of Shwebo. And as a bonus, some 2Es hit Japanese LCUs in Myitkyina.
Finally, the Allied 4Es came in and REALLY HAMMERED the Japanese Infantry Division at Shwebo. I’ve never seen such a result before:
Morning Air attack on 20th Division, at 59,45 (Shwebo)
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid spotted at 24 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes
Allied aircraft
Liberator II x 10
B-17E Fortress x 14
B-17F Fortress x 16
B-24D1 Liberator x 49
P-38G Lightning x 17
Allied aircraft losses
Liberator II: 1 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 1 damaged
B-17F Fortress: 1 damaged
B-24D1 Liberator: 1 damaged
Japanese ground losses:
1201 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 48 disabled
Non Combat: 6 destroyed, 107 disabled
Engineers: 5 destroyed, 14 disabled
Guns lost 25 (3 destroyed, 22 disabled)
And this was followed by a small straggler attack that caused more casualties.
There were no Japanese Air Attacks again this turn.
My opponent appears to be attempting to move as many of his LCUs as he can out of the Clear and into the Woods. That Infantry Regiment that was hammered in the Clear this turn was still able to make it to the Woods. But there are still plenty of Japanese LCUs in Clear locations.
So next turn the Allied 2Es have been ordered to hit the Japanese troops in Shwebo, but the 4Es have been ordered to hit the Air Base at Lashio because an “aircraft” symbol has shown up there. I’m not sure what my opponent has decided to move forward, but I intend to “discourage” this immediately. [;)]
Below is the May 1, 1943 Intel Report. There isn’t much change since the April 1 report. I’ll post the Maps in additional posts.
The Night Phase saw a couple of US AMs chase a Japanese sub just off of Suva but miss it. The AMs then attacked another Japanese sub off of Nadi, but they missed it again. Then on their way back to Port the AMs ran into the first Japanese sub again and this time hit it once.
Daylight brought out the Allied Air Forces in Burma again in a BIG way:
British DBs hit the Japanese troops at Warazup repeatedly. The Brit pilots finally seem to have found the right way to do it.
Then Allied 2Es repeated hammered a Japanese Infantry Regiment that was in the Clear outside of Shwebo. And as a bonus, some 2Es hit Japanese LCUs in Myitkyina.
Finally, the Allied 4Es came in and REALLY HAMMERED the Japanese Infantry Division at Shwebo. I’ve never seen such a result before:
Morning Air attack on 20th Division, at 59,45 (Shwebo)
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid spotted at 24 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes
Allied aircraft
Liberator II x 10
B-17E Fortress x 14
B-17F Fortress x 16
B-24D1 Liberator x 49
P-38G Lightning x 17
Allied aircraft losses
Liberator II: 1 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 1 damaged
B-17F Fortress: 1 damaged
B-24D1 Liberator: 1 damaged
Japanese ground losses:
1201 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 48 disabled
Non Combat: 6 destroyed, 107 disabled
Engineers: 5 destroyed, 14 disabled
Guns lost 25 (3 destroyed, 22 disabled)
And this was followed by a small straggler attack that caused more casualties.
There were no Japanese Air Attacks again this turn.
My opponent appears to be attempting to move as many of his LCUs as he can out of the Clear and into the Woods. That Infantry Regiment that was hammered in the Clear this turn was still able to make it to the Woods. But there are still plenty of Japanese LCUs in Clear locations.
So next turn the Allied 2Es have been ordered to hit the Japanese troops in Shwebo, but the 4Es have been ordered to hit the Air Base at Lashio because an “aircraft” symbol has shown up there. I’m not sure what my opponent has decided to move forward, but I intend to “discourage” this immediately. [;)]
Below is the May 1, 1943 Intel Report. There isn’t much change since the April 1 report. I’ll post the Maps in additional posts.
- Attachments
-
- May11943Intel.jpg (62.64 KiB) Viewed 163 times
May 1943 - China
Here's China - my opponent has been slowly pulling back LCUs from various places along the Front.
- Attachments
-
- May11943China.jpg (243.76 KiB) Viewed 163 times
May 1943 - Indo Burma
Here's the Indo Burma Front. My opponent keeps on bringing more and more LCUs to this area.
- Attachments
-
- May11943..doBurma.jpg (194.2 KiB) Viewed 163 times
May 1943 - Norther Oz
Here's northern Australia. My opponent is leaving me alone, so my build-up is going faster and faster.
- Attachments
-
- May11943..thernOz.jpg (142.88 KiB) Viewed 163 times
May 1943 - South Pac
Here is my build-up area in the South Pacific. Other than subs, there is no Japanese interference.
- Attachments
-
- May11943SouthPac.jpg (66.6 KiB) Viewed 163 times
May 1943 - Far NE Japan
Here's the situation in the Far northeast of Japan. My opponent has done a fair amount of build-up, but he has left holes.
- Attachments
-
- May11943..NEJapan.jpg (105.78 KiB) Viewed 163 times
A New Front
May 1, 1943 -
There was no Night Action.
Daylight brought Bad Weather throughout Burma, grounding all 2E and DB Missions.
The Weather didn't stop Recon Missions (I don't think that it ever does) and there were plenty, including repeated Japanese Recon Flights over Ichang. This is the second or third turn in a row where Ichang has received extra inspection from the Japanese. I wonder if my opponent is going to test his luck at Ichang – he has definitely pulled back troops from Sian and I assume that he will move them somewhere in China.
The Afternoon brought the 4Es out and they hit Lashio repeatedly and hard. Despite the good, unimpeded Bombing Runs, resulting in plenty of Air Base and Runway Damage, no enemy planes were caught on the Ground. However, my own Recon Flights insisted that there were a fair number of Japanese Fighters on the Ground, along with unidentified planes, so I am sending back the 4Es next turn, just to make certain that the Air Base will be good-and-closed for some time.
I have also set all of my 2Es to Recon Flights because I smell a CAP Trap being developed by my opponent.
Finally, a New Front was officially opened up this turn as 4Es from Brisbane hammered the Air Base at Noumea. There were Japanese Recon Planes in the base, but the 4Es didn't appear to catch any on the Ground. I am resting the 4Es after this first run because it is at the range-limit of the Bombers, but the 4Es will be back, with help from the East in the near future.
There was no Night Action.
Daylight brought Bad Weather throughout Burma, grounding all 2E and DB Missions.
The Weather didn't stop Recon Missions (I don't think that it ever does) and there were plenty, including repeated Japanese Recon Flights over Ichang. This is the second or third turn in a row where Ichang has received extra inspection from the Japanese. I wonder if my opponent is going to test his luck at Ichang – he has definitely pulled back troops from Sian and I assume that he will move them somewhere in China.
The Afternoon brought the 4Es out and they hit Lashio repeatedly and hard. Despite the good, unimpeded Bombing Runs, resulting in plenty of Air Base and Runway Damage, no enemy planes were caught on the Ground. However, my own Recon Flights insisted that there were a fair number of Japanese Fighters on the Ground, along with unidentified planes, so I am sending back the 4Es next turn, just to make certain that the Air Base will be good-and-closed for some time.
I have also set all of my 2Es to Recon Flights because I smell a CAP Trap being developed by my opponent.
Finally, a New Front was officially opened up this turn as 4Es from Brisbane hammered the Air Base at Noumea. There were Japanese Recon Planes in the base, but the 4Es didn't appear to catch any on the Ground. I am resting the 4Es after this first run because it is at the range-limit of the Bombers, but the 4Es will be back, with help from the East in the near future.
Oscar IIs over Warazup
May 2, 1943 -
The Night Phase saw USS Peto take a shot at a PB some ways off of Iwaki but miss. The PB attempted to find Peto but couldn't since Peto was in deep water. The Japanese TF was a very heavily escorted Transport TF.
Daylight brought about what I expected from last turn – Japanese Fighters attemped to fly LR CAP over Warazup with 21 Oscar IIas showing up. But the British DBs were escorted by 22 Hurricane IIcs and 11 Hurricane IIds. The British Fighters fought well, keeping the more modern Japanese Fighters occupied and shooting down 3 for the lost of 2 Hurricane IIcs and 1 Hurricane IId. The DBs continued on to hit their target and they escaped cleanly from the couple of Oscar IIs that were still around after the Bombing Run.
Bad Weather then came into play and even seemed to affect some of the planned Allied Recon Flights. But most of the 4Es took off and hit the Air Base and Air Fields at Lashio again. Once again the Bombers struck hard, but they didn't find any enemy planes on the Ground.
Finally, at the end of the day USS Hake tried to sneak by the Escort Ships at Darwin but was chased off. There is a Japanese Transport TF at Darwin that contains 3 TKs as well as multiple AKs. That surprised me because I don't see why my opponent would bother risking TKs at Darwin – what would need that much fuel? I would think that he would be better off basing any Combat Ships at Timor.
The End-of-Day Report was rather encouraging:
Ki-43-IIa Oscar – 7 A-to-A
Hurricane IIc Trop – 3 A-to-A
Hurricane IId Trop – 1 A-to-A
Recon reported that there were no longer any traces of enemy planes at Lashio, so I'm guessing that the Oscar IIs flew in to Warazup from Toungoo. That's a long haul, even with Wing Tanks, so the Japanese pilots were likely fatigued, which would explain the success of the Brits with their Hurricanes. I can only wait and hope until I start to get decent British Fighters later in the year.
The Night Phase saw USS Peto take a shot at a PB some ways off of Iwaki but miss. The PB attempted to find Peto but couldn't since Peto was in deep water. The Japanese TF was a very heavily escorted Transport TF.
Daylight brought about what I expected from last turn – Japanese Fighters attemped to fly LR CAP over Warazup with 21 Oscar IIas showing up. But the British DBs were escorted by 22 Hurricane IIcs and 11 Hurricane IIds. The British Fighters fought well, keeping the more modern Japanese Fighters occupied and shooting down 3 for the lost of 2 Hurricane IIcs and 1 Hurricane IId. The DBs continued on to hit their target and they escaped cleanly from the couple of Oscar IIs that were still around after the Bombing Run.
Bad Weather then came into play and even seemed to affect some of the planned Allied Recon Flights. But most of the 4Es took off and hit the Air Base and Air Fields at Lashio again. Once again the Bombers struck hard, but they didn't find any enemy planes on the Ground.
Finally, at the end of the day USS Hake tried to sneak by the Escort Ships at Darwin but was chased off. There is a Japanese Transport TF at Darwin that contains 3 TKs as well as multiple AKs. That surprised me because I don't see why my opponent would bother risking TKs at Darwin – what would need that much fuel? I would think that he would be better off basing any Combat Ships at Timor.
The End-of-Day Report was rather encouraging:
Ki-43-IIa Oscar – 7 A-to-A
Hurricane IIc Trop – 3 A-to-A
Hurricane IId Trop – 1 A-to-A
Recon reported that there were no longer any traces of enemy planes at Lashio, so I'm guessing that the Oscar IIs flew in to Warazup from Toungoo. That's a long haul, even with Wing Tanks, so the Japanese pilots were likely fatigued, which would explain the success of the Brits with their Hurricanes. I can only wait and hope until I start to get decent British Fighters later in the year.
Upgrade Pains
May 3, 1943 –
The Night Phase saw a lot of persistence from the Skipper of USS Hake. The US sub was chased away twice by Escorts in the Japanese AK/TK TF at Darwin, but the Skipper brought the sub back for a third time and finally put a torpedo into an xAK. And to add to the success, Hake got away a third time from the Escorts.
Daylight brought out Rain in many areas, but Recon and Search Flights flew as usual. Quiet a few Betties flew over an Allied Transport TF at Broome, but with P-40Ks flying LR CAP over the TF none of the Betties attempted attacks. While the Japanese are flying around Broome, they are not noticing all of the Allied TFs that are going in-and-out of the Allied Ports that are further to the West.
British Dive Bombers attacked Japanese Troops at Warazup again this turn. This time there was no Japanese LR CAP present. The Allied 2Es in Burma continued to fly Recon Missions, while the 4Es hammered the Air Base at Taung Gyi. There were no enemy planes at Taung Gyi, but I just wanted to keep the Air Fields closed and to keep my opponent looking over his shoulder at all times in Burma.
Then, just to keep my opponent even busier, US 4Es flew in from two directions to hammer the Air Base at Noumea again. This now fully Throws Down the Gloves in the South Pacific. What will my opponent do – let me bomb his Island Bases into the Stone Age, or will he attempt to interfere with my Build-Up?
At the End of the Day the Japanese troops at Warazup attempted an Artillery Bombardment of my besieging troops. The Bombardment had no effect, and I suspect that it was done solely to find out just what troops I have there, but it had a nice side effect for me because I got to see that the Japanese Armoured Division has now moved into Warazup. That means even move targets for my Bombers, and even more Troops for my opponent to try to Supply.
On a side note – an old irritation showed up this turn as I received a notice that the “Peasants Are Revolting” in Hyderabad and that I lost a Victory Point because I had insufficient Garrison Strength. I checked out Hyderabad and the Indian Combat Unit that I’ve had there for the past 15 or more months had suddenly transformed itself into a “Cavalry Engineering Regiment” that has some Support and Mechanized Support troops, but no Combat Troops.
That “upgrade” must have occurred upon the departure of the latest British Convoy last turn. The Unit’s T.O.E. says that it will eventually have some up-to-date tanks, but that doesn’t help me at this point. So I had to order a reserve unit from Madras to Railroad over there.
Oh well, at least this unit wasn’t in a Combat position.
The Night Phase saw a lot of persistence from the Skipper of USS Hake. The US sub was chased away twice by Escorts in the Japanese AK/TK TF at Darwin, but the Skipper brought the sub back for a third time and finally put a torpedo into an xAK. And to add to the success, Hake got away a third time from the Escorts.
Daylight brought out Rain in many areas, but Recon and Search Flights flew as usual. Quiet a few Betties flew over an Allied Transport TF at Broome, but with P-40Ks flying LR CAP over the TF none of the Betties attempted attacks. While the Japanese are flying around Broome, they are not noticing all of the Allied TFs that are going in-and-out of the Allied Ports that are further to the West.
British Dive Bombers attacked Japanese Troops at Warazup again this turn. This time there was no Japanese LR CAP present. The Allied 2Es in Burma continued to fly Recon Missions, while the 4Es hammered the Air Base at Taung Gyi. There were no enemy planes at Taung Gyi, but I just wanted to keep the Air Fields closed and to keep my opponent looking over his shoulder at all times in Burma.
Then, just to keep my opponent even busier, US 4Es flew in from two directions to hammer the Air Base at Noumea again. This now fully Throws Down the Gloves in the South Pacific. What will my opponent do – let me bomb his Island Bases into the Stone Age, or will he attempt to interfere with my Build-Up?
At the End of the Day the Japanese troops at Warazup attempted an Artillery Bombardment of my besieging troops. The Bombardment had no effect, and I suspect that it was done solely to find out just what troops I have there, but it had a nice side effect for me because I got to see that the Japanese Armoured Division has now moved into Warazup. That means even move targets for my Bombers, and even more Troops for my opponent to try to Supply.
On a side note – an old irritation showed up this turn as I received a notice that the “Peasants Are Revolting” in Hyderabad and that I lost a Victory Point because I had insufficient Garrison Strength. I checked out Hyderabad and the Indian Combat Unit that I’ve had there for the past 15 or more months had suddenly transformed itself into a “Cavalry Engineering Regiment” that has some Support and Mechanized Support troops, but no Combat Troops.
That “upgrade” must have occurred upon the departure of the latest British Convoy last turn. The Unit’s T.O.E. says that it will eventually have some up-to-date tanks, but that doesn’t help me at this point. So I had to order a reserve unit from Madras to Railroad over there.
Oh well, at least this unit wasn’t in a Combat position.
A Quiet Turn
May 4, 1943 –
There was no Night Action.
Daylight brought out plenty of Recon from both sides, but little action. The British DBs were unmolested again as they attacked the Japanese Troops at Warazup, but the Pilots still couldn’t find their target.
Then at the end-of-the-day the Japanese Troops at Warazup fired off their Artillery, but they had very little effect. Weather permitting; Allied Bombers will fly Bombing Missions over Burma again next turn.
And on the North Coast of Australia Bettys continued to scout around the Allied Transport TF at Broome, but there were no attacks. The Port at Broome ought to be fully repaired next turn which will speed up unloading of Troops and Supplies.
So all-in-all, it was a quiet turn as I continue to position my Forces for future Offensives.
There was no Night Action.
Daylight brought out plenty of Recon from both sides, but little action. The British DBs were unmolested again as they attacked the Japanese Troops at Warazup, but the Pilots still couldn’t find their target.
Then at the end-of-the-day the Japanese Troops at Warazup fired off their Artillery, but they had very little effect. Weather permitting; Allied Bombers will fly Bombing Missions over Burma again next turn.
And on the North Coast of Australia Bettys continued to scout around the Allied Transport TF at Broome, but there were no attacks. The Port at Broome ought to be fully repaired next turn which will speed up unloading of Troops and Supplies.
So all-in-all, it was a quiet turn as I continue to position my Forces for future Offensives.
Clearing the Clear Zones
May 5, 1943 –
There was no Night Action again.
Daylight brought out lots of Japanese Recon, including Recon/Search Flights over Port Hedland for the first time in a while. There is plenty of Allied CAP there so the Transport TFs that are unloading there are quite safe.
The only Air Combat Action was in Burma where the Allied 2Es joined the British DBs in attacking the Japanese troops at Warazup. For once the 2Es found their targets and caused some damage, although nowhere near as much as they did on the Japanese troops that they caught out in the Clear.
Then the 4Es hit the Japanese Troops at Magwe, roughing up a JAAF BF very nicely. It now appears that my opponent is moving more troops out of Magwe. He seems to be setting up a Defensive Line in the Jungle and leaving most of the Clear region in Burma fairly empty of troops. That makes the idea of Paratroop Drops tempting, but the problem will be to get support in after the Drops occur. I have more Forces moving into the Region so we’ll see what sorts of opportunities arise.
It appears that my opponent only has Patrol Planes in the New Caledonia Region, so I am increasing my Long Range Bombing efforts starting next turn. I am also starting to prepare some serious Combat Forces for Action in the Region. It will be some time before everyone is in place, but once they are I should be able to make multiple moves simultaneously and cut off all of the Japanese Bases at the same time.
There was no Night Action again.
Daylight brought out lots of Japanese Recon, including Recon/Search Flights over Port Hedland for the first time in a while. There is plenty of Allied CAP there so the Transport TFs that are unloading there are quite safe.
The only Air Combat Action was in Burma where the Allied 2Es joined the British DBs in attacking the Japanese troops at Warazup. For once the 2Es found their targets and caused some damage, although nowhere near as much as they did on the Japanese troops that they caught out in the Clear.
Then the 4Es hit the Japanese Troops at Magwe, roughing up a JAAF BF very nicely. It now appears that my opponent is moving more troops out of Magwe. He seems to be setting up a Defensive Line in the Jungle and leaving most of the Clear region in Burma fairly empty of troops. That makes the idea of Paratroop Drops tempting, but the problem will be to get support in after the Drops occur. I have more Forces moving into the Region so we’ll see what sorts of opportunities arise.
It appears that my opponent only has Patrol Planes in the New Caledonia Region, so I am increasing my Long Range Bombing efforts starting next turn. I am also starting to prepare some serious Combat Forces for Action in the Region. It will be some time before everyone is in place, but once they are I should be able to make multiple moves simultaneously and cut off all of the Japanese Bases at the same time.
Adventures in the South Pacific
May 6, 1943 –
There was no Night Action again this turn. I’ve got lots of subs out on Patrol around Japan proper and throughout the DEI, but I’m not finding Japanese Transport TFs. I wonder where they are… [&:]
Daylight brought out Allied Bombers in Burma again. The Japanese troops at Warazup were hit by DBs and 2Es once again, and once again with minor success. For some reason Warazup provides lots of cover for Japanese troops.
The 4Es then came in and hammered the Air Base at Warazup. I want to keep it damaged so that my opponent can’t rebuild the Fortifications at the Base. With the additional Japanese troops in Warazup it is taking more effort to keep the Air Base reasonably damaged.
My opponent didn’t send out any CAP to deter my Air Attacks, but Recon reported that there are now something like 190 Fighters at Toungoo, and another 120 at Rangoon, so my opponent may be planning something. In any event I ordered the 4Es to hit the Air Base at Mandalay again, just to keep things under control.
Off in the South Pacific USAAF Liberators flew out of Brisbane to hammer the Air Base at Noumea again. There is no sign that my opponent intends to defend Noumea in any serious manner at this time. And a squadron of USN PB4Y-1s hit the Port at Louganville this turn. The Navy Liberators didn’t hit any of the Japanese ships in Port, but they did cause some Port damage, and afterwards Recon reported that the Japanese ships at Louganville are now in TFs and sailing away. I’ve ordered another USN Liberator Squadron to join the attack, but next turn they will be going after the Air Base at Louganville instead of the now empty Port.
Otherwise, things are going along as planned. The Allied TF at Broome is taking its sweet time unloading Mechanized Support elements of an Engineering unit, but the P-40K CAP is keeping the Bettys away. I’ll start to expand the Port Facilities as soon as the Forts at Broome reach an acceptable level.
And Baker Island is now at a “1,1,1” level. It’s wonderfully satisfying how US Engineering Units can build up pretty much anything very quickly. That will be exceedingly useful when I start to move in the Central Pacific.
There was no Night Action again this turn. I’ve got lots of subs out on Patrol around Japan proper and throughout the DEI, but I’m not finding Japanese Transport TFs. I wonder where they are… [&:]
Daylight brought out Allied Bombers in Burma again. The Japanese troops at Warazup were hit by DBs and 2Es once again, and once again with minor success. For some reason Warazup provides lots of cover for Japanese troops.
The 4Es then came in and hammered the Air Base at Warazup. I want to keep it damaged so that my opponent can’t rebuild the Fortifications at the Base. With the additional Japanese troops in Warazup it is taking more effort to keep the Air Base reasonably damaged.
My opponent didn’t send out any CAP to deter my Air Attacks, but Recon reported that there are now something like 190 Fighters at Toungoo, and another 120 at Rangoon, so my opponent may be planning something. In any event I ordered the 4Es to hit the Air Base at Mandalay again, just to keep things under control.
Off in the South Pacific USAAF Liberators flew out of Brisbane to hammer the Air Base at Noumea again. There is no sign that my opponent intends to defend Noumea in any serious manner at this time. And a squadron of USN PB4Y-1s hit the Port at Louganville this turn. The Navy Liberators didn’t hit any of the Japanese ships in Port, but they did cause some Port damage, and afterwards Recon reported that the Japanese ships at Louganville are now in TFs and sailing away. I’ve ordered another USN Liberator Squadron to join the attack, but next turn they will be going after the Air Base at Louganville instead of the now empty Port.
Otherwise, things are going along as planned. The Allied TF at Broome is taking its sweet time unloading Mechanized Support elements of an Engineering unit, but the P-40K CAP is keeping the Bettys away. I’ll start to expand the Port Facilities as soon as the Forts at Broome reach an acceptable level.
And Baker Island is now at a “1,1,1” level. It’s wonderfully satisfying how US Engineering Units can build up pretty much anything very quickly. That will be exceedingly useful when I start to move in the Central Pacific.
A6M3as on the Prowl
May 7, 1943 – Initial Report –
My opponent only had time to send the Combat Replay this evening.
There was no Night Action.
Daylight brought a High Alt Sweep over Broome by A6M3as based at Wyndham. The Japanese Fighters caught 4 P-40Ks on mid-level LR CAP over the Transport Ships that are unloading at Broome. The P-40Ks were chased out of the area, with at least 1 shot down. But the LR CAP presence still kept Long Range Japanese Bombers from attacking the Allied ships in the Port.
Then another Land-Based A6M3a squadron showed up over Luganville as 16 PB4Y-1s showed up to attack the Air Base. Recon from the previous day had failed to show the Japanese Fighters. The advanced Zeros did quite well and shot down 2 Navy Liberators while damaging a few others. But the rest of the Bombers got through to hit the Air Base fairly hard.
The Action then shifted to Burma where wave after wave of Allied 2Es and DBs attacked the Japanese Troops at Warazup, but none of the Bombers could find the mark. At the same time a couple of other Allied 2E units were able to find and successfully attack a Japanese LCU in the Jungle south of Kalemyo. I can’t figure out why Warazup provides such good cover for the troops that are there. And the Allied 4Es didn’t fly this turn, likely because of Weather.
Finally, USAAF Liberators flew from Brisbane and hit the Air Base at Noumea again fairly hard. There was no Japanese CAP there.
My opponent only had time to send the Combat Replay this evening.
There was no Night Action.
Daylight brought a High Alt Sweep over Broome by A6M3as based at Wyndham. The Japanese Fighters caught 4 P-40Ks on mid-level LR CAP over the Transport Ships that are unloading at Broome. The P-40Ks were chased out of the area, with at least 1 shot down. But the LR CAP presence still kept Long Range Japanese Bombers from attacking the Allied ships in the Port.
Then another Land-Based A6M3a squadron showed up over Luganville as 16 PB4Y-1s showed up to attack the Air Base. Recon from the previous day had failed to show the Japanese Fighters. The advanced Zeros did quite well and shot down 2 Navy Liberators while damaging a few others. But the rest of the Bombers got through to hit the Air Base fairly hard.
The Action then shifted to Burma where wave after wave of Allied 2Es and DBs attacked the Japanese Troops at Warazup, but none of the Bombers could find the mark. At the same time a couple of other Allied 2E units were able to find and successfully attack a Japanese LCU in the Jungle south of Kalemyo. I can’t figure out why Warazup provides such good cover for the troops that are there. And the Allied 4Es didn’t fly this turn, likely because of Weather.
Finally, USAAF Liberators flew from Brisbane and hit the Air Base at Noumea again fairly hard. There was no Japanese CAP there.
May 8 1943 Interim Report
May 8, 1943 – Interim Report –
My opponent was only able to run the Combat Replay again this evening, and he will be busy for several more days, so this will be it for a while.
I didn’t bother doing a Final Report for May 7 1943 because there wasn’t much notable in the actual turn, other than the fact that Essex is a week away from showing up.
In this turn there was no Night Action again.
Daylight Action once again consisted of Allied Bomber Attacks in Burma, and the usual Japanese Air Recon and Search activities all around Burma and Northern Oz.
Once again large numbers of Allied 2Es and DBs attacked the Japanese Troops at Warazup, and once again the great majority of attacks missed their target. Only the last attack, by a single small British 2E squadron, actually caused some casualties.
The Allied 4Es had no such problem at Mandalay as the two Air Attacks really hammered the Air Base and Air Fields.
And once again Japanese Long Range Bombers and Naval Search Planes buzzed the Transport Ships at Broome, but with the P-40Ks present the Japanese planes did nothing other than fly-bys.
My opponent was only able to run the Combat Replay again this evening, and he will be busy for several more days, so this will be it for a while.
I didn’t bother doing a Final Report for May 7 1943 because there wasn’t much notable in the actual turn, other than the fact that Essex is a week away from showing up.
In this turn there was no Night Action again.
Daylight Action once again consisted of Allied Bomber Attacks in Burma, and the usual Japanese Air Recon and Search activities all around Burma and Northern Oz.
Once again large numbers of Allied 2Es and DBs attacked the Japanese Troops at Warazup, and once again the great majority of attacks missed their target. Only the last attack, by a single small British 2E squadron, actually caused some casualties.
The Allied 4Es had no such problem at Mandalay as the two Air Attacks really hammered the Air Base and Air Fields.
And once again Japanese Long Range Bombers and Naval Search Planes buzzed the Transport Ships at Broome, but with the P-40Ks present the Japanese planes did nothing other than fly-bys.
RE: May 8 1943 Final Report
May 8, 1943 – Final Report –
The Big News this turn is that the first 3 P-47 squadrons showed up at the Eastern US and they were full of planes. The pilot experience isn’t great in the squadrons, but there will be time to train them since they won’t get replacements until July 1943.
I’m attaching a map of the New Caledonia to New Hebrides region of the South Pacific. Recon and Intel are reporting that there aren’t any Japanese troops at Tanna and Efate. However, there are fair numbers of Japanese troops at Luganville and Noumea. So if things continue this way I’ll grab Tanna and Efate and develop them to provide bases from which to close the Japanese Bases at Noumea and Luganville.
Otherwise, it’s Business As Usual.
The Big News this turn is that the first 3 P-47 squadrons showed up at the Eastern US and they were full of planes. The pilot experience isn’t great in the squadrons, but there will be time to train them since they won’t get replacements until July 1943.
I’m attaching a map of the New Caledonia to New Hebrides region of the South Pacific. Recon and Intel are reporting that there aren’t any Japanese troops at Tanna and Efate. However, there are fair numbers of Japanese troops at Luganville and Noumea. So if things continue this way I’ll grab Tanna and Efate and develop them to provide bases from which to close the Japanese Bases at Noumea and Luganville.
Otherwise, it’s Business As Usual.
- Attachments
-
- May81943SouthPac.jpg (73.96 KiB) Viewed 163 times
Another Preliminary Report
May 9, 1943 – Initial Report –
Once again my opponent only had time to run the Combat Replay this evening, and I will be unable to do any turns for the next few days, so this match will continue along at its usual glacial pace.
The Night Phase saw USS Trout hit a big Japanese TK with a dud off of Fukue-jima. Trout received a hit from the Japanese escort ships for its trouble.
Daylight brought Bad Weather most everywhere. The 4Es in Burma were rained out, but various Allied 2E attacks did fly in the region.
Warazup received the usual futile attention from Allied 2Es and DBs, with the exception of a squadron of Wellington GR VIIIs that actually found their target. Maybe I should switch to having the GR VIIIs be the main bomber against enemy troops in Warazup.
However at Mandalay all of the Allied 2Es that attacked the Japanese troops there hit their target. It’s too bad that my opponent isn’t leaving more of his troops in Clear Terrain.
And Japanese Recon continued to fly over the Allied bases in northern Australia and in the South Pacific, but it doesn’t appear that my opponent is planning to send in any Raids in the immediate future; so my build-ups in both regions will continue unabated.
Once again my opponent only had time to run the Combat Replay this evening, and I will be unable to do any turns for the next few days, so this match will continue along at its usual glacial pace.
The Night Phase saw USS Trout hit a big Japanese TK with a dud off of Fukue-jima. Trout received a hit from the Japanese escort ships for its trouble.
Daylight brought Bad Weather most everywhere. The 4Es in Burma were rained out, but various Allied 2E attacks did fly in the region.
Warazup received the usual futile attention from Allied 2Es and DBs, with the exception of a squadron of Wellington GR VIIIs that actually found their target. Maybe I should switch to having the GR VIIIs be the main bomber against enemy troops in Warazup.
However at Mandalay all of the Allied 2Es that attacked the Japanese troops there hit their target. It’s too bad that my opponent isn’t leaving more of his troops in Clear Terrain.
And Japanese Recon continued to fly over the Allied bases in northern Australia and in the South Pacific, but it doesn’t appear that my opponent is planning to send in any Raids in the immediate future; so my build-ups in both regions will continue unabated.
4Es in Widespread Action
May 10, 1943 -
My opponent was busy with Real Life/Work again this evening so he was only able to send the Combat Replay.
This was the same case last turn, and when I finally got the actual May 9 turn I spent a fair amount of time changing things around as well as upgrading a number of Air Units. I've been suspicious of my opponent's moves in Burma, so I set my 2Es to Recon so that I could get a better idea of the current disposition of Japanese forces in the Region. I left the 4Es with their previous orders to attack the Air Base at Lashio.
In Australia I gave the 4Es in northeastern Oz orders to attack PNG and gave the 4Es in Brisbane orders to attack New Caledonia. I'm avoiding Luganville at this time because of the Japanese Fighter units there – it's better to grind down the undefended enemy bases in the region before my opponent decides to move fighters into them too.
So the Turn started out with a bit of a surprise as a Japanese sub that was northeast of Auckland was spotted and attacked by a US DD in a returning TF. The DD reported 3 hits on the sub.
Daylight then brought reports of Bad Weather in Burma which even caused the cancellation of some Allied Recon flights. The British Dive Bombers did fly against the Japanese troops at Warazup despite the weather, and actually got some hits on their targets this time.
Then the 4Es hit the Air Base at Lashio. The first wave consisted of 60 B-24D1s and 12 Liberator IIs. They were faced by an unexpected bit of enemy CAP – 2 Tojos. The 4Es blasted past the Japanese fighters and hammered the Air Base hard. This was followed by a second wave consisting of 16 B-17Fs and 15 B-17Es. Once again the 4Es were faced by a couple of Tojos and once again the Big Bombers blew past the CAP and hit the Air Base hard again.
Next 12 B-24D1s and 12 B-17Es flew to Port Moresby. My Recon has been reporting Japanese Fighters in bases across the Mountains, but not in PM, however 12 Tojos, 12 A6M2 Zeros and 3 Tonys showed up to challenge the 4Es. The Bomber pilots got past the Japanese fighters and hit the Air Base nicely, however, the Japanese Fighters jumped the Bombers as they headed home, shooting down 1 of each while losing a Zero.
Then a squadron of B-17Es hit the Air Base at Milne Bay. There was no enemy CAP and the Bombers hit the base nicely.
It was then the turn of New Caledonia as three waves of 4Es hit the Air Base at Koumac. There was no CAP and the base was damaged nicely.
Finally, a second Japanese sub attempted to sneak up on the US TF that was northeast of Auckland. This time the enemy sub got off a torpedo against a DD, but it was a dud and once again the Japanese sub was attacked by US DDs. The Escorts reported that they also got three hits on this second sub.
My opponent was busy with Real Life/Work again this evening so he was only able to send the Combat Replay.
This was the same case last turn, and when I finally got the actual May 9 turn I spent a fair amount of time changing things around as well as upgrading a number of Air Units. I've been suspicious of my opponent's moves in Burma, so I set my 2Es to Recon so that I could get a better idea of the current disposition of Japanese forces in the Region. I left the 4Es with their previous orders to attack the Air Base at Lashio.
In Australia I gave the 4Es in northeastern Oz orders to attack PNG and gave the 4Es in Brisbane orders to attack New Caledonia. I'm avoiding Luganville at this time because of the Japanese Fighter units there – it's better to grind down the undefended enemy bases in the region before my opponent decides to move fighters into them too.
So the Turn started out with a bit of a surprise as a Japanese sub that was northeast of Auckland was spotted and attacked by a US DD in a returning TF. The DD reported 3 hits on the sub.
Daylight then brought reports of Bad Weather in Burma which even caused the cancellation of some Allied Recon flights. The British Dive Bombers did fly against the Japanese troops at Warazup despite the weather, and actually got some hits on their targets this time.
Then the 4Es hit the Air Base at Lashio. The first wave consisted of 60 B-24D1s and 12 Liberator IIs. They were faced by an unexpected bit of enemy CAP – 2 Tojos. The 4Es blasted past the Japanese fighters and hammered the Air Base hard. This was followed by a second wave consisting of 16 B-17Fs and 15 B-17Es. Once again the 4Es were faced by a couple of Tojos and once again the Big Bombers blew past the CAP and hit the Air Base hard again.
Next 12 B-24D1s and 12 B-17Es flew to Port Moresby. My Recon has been reporting Japanese Fighters in bases across the Mountains, but not in PM, however 12 Tojos, 12 A6M2 Zeros and 3 Tonys showed up to challenge the 4Es. The Bomber pilots got past the Japanese fighters and hit the Air Base nicely, however, the Japanese Fighters jumped the Bombers as they headed home, shooting down 1 of each while losing a Zero.
Then a squadron of B-17Es hit the Air Base at Milne Bay. There was no enemy CAP and the Bombers hit the base nicely.
It was then the turn of New Caledonia as three waves of 4Es hit the Air Base at Koumac. There was no CAP and the base was damaged nicely.
Finally, a second Japanese sub attempted to sneak up on the US TF that was northeast of Auckland. This time the enemy sub got off a torpedo against a DD, but it was a dud and once again the Japanese sub was attacked by US DDs. The Escorts reported that they also got three hits on this second sub.
May 10 1943 - Final Comments
I received the turn from my opponent and checked things out.
The attack on Port Moresby cost the Japanese a couple of A6M2s, and one of my bomber pilots now has 4 kills. (That ought to be a team kill I guess, until WitP AE 2020 has aircrew members too... [;)] )
I'm turning the 2Es back to bombing in Burma next turn because I've identified some potential "easier" targets to go after. I've also ordered the 4Es to rough-up the Air Base at Warazup again - my opponent apparently has plenty of Engineers there and they keep on repairing the Air Fields.
I've also ordered more British troops forward from India to Burma. I see a gap that I want to try to exploit, and even if I can't, I'll make my opponent move in and spread out more troops this way.
Meanwhile, my Convoys continue to bring more Troops and Supplies to Northern Oz. Right now I'm mainly bringing Engineers so that I can build up the bases even faster (and also rebuild them faster in case my opponent sends back the Bombardment TFs.)
And in the South Pacific there is no sign of Japanese activity other than the occasional submarine, so my Build-Up convoys continue to sail in-and-out. It all takes time, but its great to see those 4E-sized bases get built up.
The attack on Port Moresby cost the Japanese a couple of A6M2s, and one of my bomber pilots now has 4 kills. (That ought to be a team kill I guess, until WitP AE 2020 has aircrew members too... [;)] )
I'm turning the 2Es back to bombing in Burma next turn because I've identified some potential "easier" targets to go after. I've also ordered the 4Es to rough-up the Air Base at Warazup again - my opponent apparently has plenty of Engineers there and they keep on repairing the Air Fields.
I've also ordered more British troops forward from India to Burma. I see a gap that I want to try to exploit, and even if I can't, I'll make my opponent move in and spread out more troops this way.
Meanwhile, my Convoys continue to bring more Troops and Supplies to Northern Oz. Right now I'm mainly bringing Engineers so that I can build up the bases even faster (and also rebuild them faster in case my opponent sends back the Bombardment TFs.)
And in the South Pacific there is no sign of Japanese activity other than the occasional submarine, so my Build-Up convoys continue to sail in-and-out. It all takes time, but its great to see those 4E-sized bases get built up.
Scramble Over Shwebo
May 11, 1943 -
The Night Phase started with USS Pompano shooting at and missing a Japanese DD just south of Iwo Jima. The Japanese escorts couldn't find Pompano so the US sub got away safely. It was unfortunate that Pompano didn't get past the Escorts because the Japanese TF contained APs and AKs, along with the more common xAKs. That makes me think that the TF was transporting Troops somewhere.
Next a Japanese sub was chased away by Dutch DDs off of Perth. It's still useful to have those old Dutch subs around for backwater ASW work.
Finally, USS Snook hit an xAK with a torpedo just off of Balikpapan. The xAK was in a TF full of xAKs. SIGINT later reported that the Japanese Transport ship went down.
Daylight brought a couple of sizeable Sweeps over the skies over Broome by A6M3as that are based in Wyndham. There were no Allied Fighters on CAP because they were LR Capping another Transport TF that was going to Broome. You can't Sweep enemy planes that are on LR CAP, so my Fighters remain unbothered and my ships remain safe.
For some reason a few Chinese Bombers hit the Japanese troops at Nanning. I'm not sure why because I didn't remember setting them to do so. But even worse, I only remembered about it at this moment while I went over my notes, and I didn't remember to set down those Bombers in the actual turn before I sent it off. So if my opponent sets some CAP over Nanning I could be in trouble. (Ah, the joys of starting a turn in the morning, leaving it, and getting back to it in the evening...)
The Allied Main Event then started in Burma as British Dive Bombers flew their Daily Run against the Japanese troops at Warazup, and as happens most days, the DB pilots missed their target.
Then came the Allied 2E Attack on Shwebo, but this time the Bombers were met by 16 Tojo IIas and 6 Oscar IIas. The Allied attack consisted of 12 Beaufort Is, 12 Blenheim IVs, and 12 Blenheim VDs which were escorted by 11 Hurricane IIcs, 15 P-38Fs and 12 P-38Gs. The Japanese Fighters tangled with the Allied Escorts, losing 2 Oscars and 3 Tojos while shooting down 1 Hurricane, but they couldn't get past to the Bombers. So the Attack hit the troops at Shwebo reasonably well.
Other Allied 2Es attacked the Japanese troops at Myitkyina but couldn't find the Target.
Finally, the 4Es flew in and hammered the Air Base at Warazup. It's getting harder to keep the Air Fields there closed because the number of Japanese Troops there keeps on increasing. But I may well be able to do something about that soon enough.
There was one other Allied Air Attack as 11 B-17Es flew out of Townsville and hit the Air Base at Rossel Island. It appears that Rossel is empty.
And my opponent decided to test out his increased number of Troops at Warazup by ordering an Artillery Bombardment this turn. The Japanese have 2 Infantry Regiments, 1 Tank Division and 1 Mortar Battalion at Warazup. They faced an Allied Besieging Force of 2 Infantry Brigades, 1 Armoured Brigade, 1 Armoured Regiment, and 5 Artillery Regiments (along with an AA Regiment that is there to help discourage Japanese Air Attacks.)
The Japanese Gunners were heavily outnumbered and the Counter-Fire caused 20 Japanese casualties while the Allies didn't suffer any. I've got Transport Planes dropping Supplies, so once all of my Troops are in the “Black” I will order an Artillery Bombardment of my own.
The End-of-the-Day Air Combat Report provided a very pleasant surprise – a lot more Japanese Fighters didn't make it Home from the Scramble Over Shwebo:
K-44-IIa Tojo : 6 A-to-A, 1 Ops
Ki-43-IIa Oscar : 4 A-to-A
Hurricane IIc Trop : 1 A-to-A, 1 Ops
Those Brits in the old Hurricanes are still holding up their end quite well. I can't wait until they start to get Spitfires in the Fall.
So I changed things up again for the next turn. The 2Es that attacked Shwebo are back on Recon again, while the 4Es are sitting out a day. I've ordered an unrestricted Chinese LCU to cut the Rail Road Line into Myitkyina, so that ought to stir up the Hornet's Nest very nicely. And I've got numerous other units coming into the region that will allow me to tie up even more Japanese Troops, and maybe even get something of a breakthrough.
BTW – My opponent is massing his Fighters more-and-more in Burma, Northern Oz, PNG and the Kuriles. This means that he is light on Fighters in other regions. I will have to keep on probing and see just where the most promising weaknesses are located.
The Night Phase started with USS Pompano shooting at and missing a Japanese DD just south of Iwo Jima. The Japanese escorts couldn't find Pompano so the US sub got away safely. It was unfortunate that Pompano didn't get past the Escorts because the Japanese TF contained APs and AKs, along with the more common xAKs. That makes me think that the TF was transporting Troops somewhere.
Next a Japanese sub was chased away by Dutch DDs off of Perth. It's still useful to have those old Dutch subs around for backwater ASW work.
Finally, USS Snook hit an xAK with a torpedo just off of Balikpapan. The xAK was in a TF full of xAKs. SIGINT later reported that the Japanese Transport ship went down.
Daylight brought a couple of sizeable Sweeps over the skies over Broome by A6M3as that are based in Wyndham. There were no Allied Fighters on CAP because they were LR Capping another Transport TF that was going to Broome. You can't Sweep enemy planes that are on LR CAP, so my Fighters remain unbothered and my ships remain safe.
For some reason a few Chinese Bombers hit the Japanese troops at Nanning. I'm not sure why because I didn't remember setting them to do so. But even worse, I only remembered about it at this moment while I went over my notes, and I didn't remember to set down those Bombers in the actual turn before I sent it off. So if my opponent sets some CAP over Nanning I could be in trouble. (Ah, the joys of starting a turn in the morning, leaving it, and getting back to it in the evening...)
The Allied Main Event then started in Burma as British Dive Bombers flew their Daily Run against the Japanese troops at Warazup, and as happens most days, the DB pilots missed their target.
Then came the Allied 2E Attack on Shwebo, but this time the Bombers were met by 16 Tojo IIas and 6 Oscar IIas. The Allied attack consisted of 12 Beaufort Is, 12 Blenheim IVs, and 12 Blenheim VDs which were escorted by 11 Hurricane IIcs, 15 P-38Fs and 12 P-38Gs. The Japanese Fighters tangled with the Allied Escorts, losing 2 Oscars and 3 Tojos while shooting down 1 Hurricane, but they couldn't get past to the Bombers. So the Attack hit the troops at Shwebo reasonably well.
Other Allied 2Es attacked the Japanese troops at Myitkyina but couldn't find the Target.
Finally, the 4Es flew in and hammered the Air Base at Warazup. It's getting harder to keep the Air Fields there closed because the number of Japanese Troops there keeps on increasing. But I may well be able to do something about that soon enough.
There was one other Allied Air Attack as 11 B-17Es flew out of Townsville and hit the Air Base at Rossel Island. It appears that Rossel is empty.
And my opponent decided to test out his increased number of Troops at Warazup by ordering an Artillery Bombardment this turn. The Japanese have 2 Infantry Regiments, 1 Tank Division and 1 Mortar Battalion at Warazup. They faced an Allied Besieging Force of 2 Infantry Brigades, 1 Armoured Brigade, 1 Armoured Regiment, and 5 Artillery Regiments (along with an AA Regiment that is there to help discourage Japanese Air Attacks.)
The Japanese Gunners were heavily outnumbered and the Counter-Fire caused 20 Japanese casualties while the Allies didn't suffer any. I've got Transport Planes dropping Supplies, so once all of my Troops are in the “Black” I will order an Artillery Bombardment of my own.
The End-of-the-Day Air Combat Report provided a very pleasant surprise – a lot more Japanese Fighters didn't make it Home from the Scramble Over Shwebo:
K-44-IIa Tojo : 6 A-to-A, 1 Ops
Ki-43-IIa Oscar : 4 A-to-A
Hurricane IIc Trop : 1 A-to-A, 1 Ops
Those Brits in the old Hurricanes are still holding up their end quite well. I can't wait until they start to get Spitfires in the Fall.
So I changed things up again for the next turn. The 2Es that attacked Shwebo are back on Recon again, while the 4Es are sitting out a day. I've ordered an unrestricted Chinese LCU to cut the Rail Road Line into Myitkyina, so that ought to stir up the Hornet's Nest very nicely. And I've got numerous other units coming into the region that will allow me to tie up even more Japanese Troops, and maybe even get something of a breakthrough.
BTW – My opponent is massing his Fighters more-and-more in Burma, Northern Oz, PNG and the Kuriles. This means that he is light on Fighters in other regions. I will have to keep on probing and see just where the most promising weaknesses are located.