Ivory Balcony, the operation in Burma to secure Swebo has completed phase I. As we stated above we captured Katha. The map below demosntrates the situaiton. We are woefully short of supplies that will curtail operations but we have accomplished much. One IJA division has been shattered and is retreating. More units are being brought to Swebo and Mandalay.
We will consolidate. Right now the IJ forces are split north and south. Next is to send a raiding force to capture Bhamo cutting off the northern east / west LOC -- Splitting the IJA up further ..
With no supply at Katha the work will be very slow in building a base here. But we have stirred the bee's nest and intel reports show lots of Heavy radio transmissions as well as troop movements from the DEI toward Burma. Now it is time to push the big bowl of jelly in a new place ...[:D]
Attachments
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"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so"
Defending units:
9th Chinese Corps
36th Chinese Corps
40th Chinese Corps
93rd Chinese Corps
80th Chinese Corps
38th Chinese Corps
47th Chinese Corps
34th Chinese Corps
15th Chinese Corps
27th Chinese Corps
43rd Chinese Corps
96th Chinese Corps
14th Group Army
4th Group Army
15th Group Army
8th Group Army
24th Group Army
36th Group Army
and ...
Ground combat at Kweiteh (90,46)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 13898 troops, 124 guns, 42 vehicles, Assault Value = 394
Defending force 20024 troops, 81 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 712
This turn was all Allies / not much .. but it shows how much we can control the skies
Over Swebowe expected much resistance from the 20 or so Zeros and another 20 or so Oscar's stationed at Mandalay no body comes up to play .. An engineering unit and the 5th Division take some heat ..
Morning Air attack on 54th Const Co , at 59,45 (Shwebo)
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes
Aircraft Attacking:
9 x Hudson IIIa bombing from 7000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 lb GP Bomb
....
Morning Air attack on 5th Division, at 59,45 (Shwebo)
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid spotted at 13 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes
Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 15
Hudson IIIa x 3
Wellington Ic x 18
And our boys from Tabiteauea take out the port at Nauru Island
Morning Air attack on Nauru Island , at 127,128
Weather in hex: Heavy rain
Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes
Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 12
B-17E Fortress x 55
No Allied losses B-17E Fortress from 11th BG/26th BS crashes on landing
Port hits 32
Port supply hits 6
Every single raid .. even if the combat animation says "No Allied loses" has a price .. thus it is imparative to weigh the cost of the operation with results and alignment with the strategic plan. In this case shut down the ability to supply Narau Island and catching a small merchant ..
The small xAK dropping off supplies left port but the Growler finds its prey ..
Sub attack near Nauru Island at 124,126
Japanese Ships
xAK Kizan Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Allied Ships
SS Growler
Ok more later as we continue to organize ..
"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so"
British Sounding voice narrating scenes of IJA units shattered and retreating .. Senior IJA officers committing Seppuku .. and Burmese IJ loyalist facing firing squads ...
September '42 brings much hope to the Allies. The German's are marching toward Stalingrad and Rommel is having his way in North Africa. Things look very bad for the good guys. Despite the RN's insistance that the boys strike south through Akyab ..The British/Indian III Corps reinforced with a division of armor, sludge through the Burmese Jungle and take Katha. Splitting the IJA forces into two halves. The North a shattered 38th Division barely 13K troops with addional elements scattered across the IJ empire .. to the South the 5th Divsion in Swebo and more support in Mandalay. The IJ have suffered a tremendous set back. But supply keeps the majisties finest from continuing the offense and the IJ will not sit back and wait.
China remains a stalemate after intial success of taking Ichang and Wunchow ... the Chineese forces facing annilation from the IJ renewed vigor. . The road to Ledo must be opened or China might simply succumb to starvation.
In the land of Oz the Sitzkreig continues with the IJ occupied Northern Austrlia A meeting between General McArthur and Australian Prime Minister John Curtin turns ugly as US forces begin restaging US forces from the North to secret training locations. The I AUS are left alone tasked to retake Daily Waters without US support. Although in a compromise, the 5th USAAF began is campaign of terror over IJ held bases.
The US face a setback in the Solomons as IJNAAF reinforce and defend raiders striking Tulgi.
The United States timidly continue to build up forces and bases while the Aussies and Brits carry the brunt of the war ...
The clock ticks for a tunning point in the war ..
"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so"
I forget to reset an airgroup from sweep and we have a big air battle over Swebo:
Morning Air attack on Shwebo , at 59,45
Weather in hex: Light rain
Raid spotted at 31 NM, estimated altitude 21,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes
Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 26
Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIb Trop x 16
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 8 destroyed
No Allied losses
Aircraft Attacking:
7 x Hurricane IIb Trop sweeping at 20000 feet
WO McNabb, R.P. of No.67 Sqn RAF is credited with kill number 2
WO Sadler, E.L. of No.67 Sqn RAF is credited with kill number 2
WO Finn, J.G. of No.67 Sqn RAF is credited with kill number 2
WCDR Milward, R.A. of No.67 Sqn RAF is credited with kill number 4
WCDR Cooper, A.A. of No.67 Sqn RAF is credited with kill number 4
PO Smith, E.B. of No.67 Sqn RAF is credited with kill number 6
The RAF No 67 squadron will have to stand down a day with 8 Oscars shot down ..[:D]
I also forgot to shut down my attack on Narau Island ..
Morning Air attack on Nauru Island , at 127,128
Weather in hex: Severe storms
Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes
Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 3
B-17E Fortress x 50
No Allied losses except for .. B-17E Fortress from 11th BG/431st BG crashes on landing
Port hits 12
Port supply hits 4
Morning Air attack on Nauru Island , at 127,128
Weather in hex: Severe storms
Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes
Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 9
No Allied losses
Port hits 2
So 14 port hits plus yesteray shuts down this port for at least one week ..
We hot Buna at night ..
Night Air attack on Buna , at 99,129
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid spotted at 13 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes
Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 6
No Allied losses
Airbase supply hits 1
Night Air attack on Buna , at 99,129
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes
The IJN go to large convoys to escort their tankers into Japan ..
Sub attack near Nagoya at 109,64
Japanese Ships
DD Oyashio
DD Kuroshio
PC Nire
DMS W-12
DMS W-7
AO Manju Maru
AO Tsurumi
APD Fumizuki
AK Yamasimo Maru
AK Amagisan Maru
AK Awazisan Maru
AK Arima Maru
TK Seiwa Maru
TK Nanrei Maru
TK Fukoku Maru
TK San Pedro Maru
xAK Kosei Maru
xAK Teiyo Maru
DD Matsukaze
E Manazuru
Allied Ships
SS Sealion
I am not sure how this will work out once my torps work ..[&:]
Ok more later ..
"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so"
This turn we have transfered aircraft to Kalemyo. This covers the 2 clear hexes next to Swebo ... things are about to get a but nasty .. I can occupy the one hext north of Swebo now and resist IJAAF ground attacks within normal range. The campaign will begin Phase II in October with the end of the Monsoon season. We shall take Swebo and then receive our IJA guest as they cross the river ...
The rest of the world remain quiet as we continnue to prepare for the stalemate of '43. We build up the Gilberts into 9 level 5 airfields that will hold the 7th USAAF.
About the time I get all this built up .. the B-17's will start withdrawing [8|] about 100 over the next month .. the only good news is that we can rearrange all the pilotsall over again. Many of these pilots will be transfered into the reserve from the active groups. Mostly high 50's exp but a couple of 60's in there too ..the static training groups have already been emptied and were training the next batch ...
The last battle over Swebo gives a glimpse of the IJ pilot training pool. Less maneuverable aircraft with good pilots are able to manhandle the forces there. One thing that I noted this battle. The Sentai failed morale checks and broke off the engagement only to be chaised down by the RAF's faster aircraft. Trops vs. Oscar 1c's] . I just cannot see the IJ letting Ivory Balcony continue into Phase II but the committment to OZ and Port Moresby has allowed this to happen. At the very elast we will have 3 months of very hot action where the Ij have little advantage except for supply .. nothing like the 90 exp pilots and terror of the KB ...
"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so"
The expected night attack comes and it cost a Betty to hit my runway ..
Night Air attack on Katha , at 61,43
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid spotted at 12 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes
Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 19
Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 1 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed by flak
Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 1
In kind I attack the troops at Swebo .. the tanks get no damage and we kill a small number of infantry while showing we have hundreds of aircraft in theater ..
Morning Air attack on 10th Tank Regiment, at 59,45 (Shwebo)
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid spotted at 15 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes
Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 16
Hurricane IIb Trop x 16
No Allied losses
Morning Air attack on 1st Tank Regiment, at 59,45 (Shwebo)
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid spotted at 5 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 1 minutes
Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 16
Hudson IIIa x 12
Kittyhawk I x 13
No Allied losses
Aircraft Attacking:
16 x Blenheim IV bombing from 9000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 lb GP Bomb
12 x Hudson IIIa bombing from 9000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 lb GP Bomb Hudson IIIa from No.353 Sqn RAF crashes on landing
Morning Air attack on 5th Division, at 59,45 (Shwebo)
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid spotted at 11 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes
Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 16
Hurricane IIc Trop x 16
Raid spotted at 30 NM, estimated altitude 25,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes
Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 20
No Allied losses
Aircraft Attacking:
20 x P-40E Warhawk sweeping at 20000 feet
---------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Shwebo , at 59,45
Weather in hex: Light cloud
Raid spotted at 25 NM, estimated altitude 22,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes
Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 20
No Allied losses
Aircraft Attacking:
20 x P-40E Warhawk sweeping at 20000 feet
---------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Shwebo , at 59,45
Weather in hex: Light cloud
Raid spotted at 28 NM, estimated altitude 24,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes
Allied aircraft
P-43A-1 Lancer x 10
No Allied losses
Aircraft Attacking:
10 x P-43A-1 Lancer sweeping at 20000 feet
---------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Shwebo , at 59,45
Weather in hex: Light cloud
Raid spotted at 42 NM, estimated altitude 25,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 14 minutes
Allied aircraft
P-40K Warhawk x 18
No Allied losses
Aircraft Attacking:
18 x P-40K Warhawk sweeping at 20000 feet
---------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Shwebo , at 59,45
Weather in hex: Light cloud
Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 22,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes
Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 20
P-40K Warhawk x 8
No Allied losses
Aircraft Attacking:
20 x P-40E Warhawk sweeping at 20000 feet
8 x P-40K Warhawk sweeping at 20000 feet
P-40K Warhawk from 23rd FG/76th FS is damaged on landing
Ok for the dumbest move of the year award .. knowing I-20 is sitting off of PH ....I did one waypoint but did not do the other to avoid this hex .. it results in her sinking Plus none of the DD's in the hex reacted [:@]
Submarine attack near Pearl Harbor at 180,108
Japanese Ships
SS I-20
Allied Ships
xAP Alcoa Pennant, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Alcoa Pennant is sighted by SS I-20
SS I-20 attacking on the surface
She has fired 10 torps and should be going home soon [8|]
Ok more later ..
"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so"
I have created a problem this turn .. there is a RAF squadron that upgrades from Blehiems to Trop IIc's ... that whole squadron has top bomber pilots .. now I have to backfill them with fighter pilots because I allowed the upgrade ..[:@]
I need bombers right now . now fighters ..[8|] Ok we move forward with the situation as it stands . I have 16 55-50 exp pilots in the reserve and we can stand down to make the exchange ..
More later ..
"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so"
I have taken the liberty to edit a quote from Cribtop and copy it into this thread. I think this is the most succint and clear description of an active defense I have come across in a long while.
Active Defense
Direct Counterattack
Commonly used in AE, this involves either landing a large reserve to re-take a captured base or to reinforce it to the point that capture by the enemy is impossible.
Indirect Counterattack
A thrust against rear area bases of the same AO in which the enemy has begun an offensive. Intention is to disrupt enemy plans and SLoCs and generally throw things into chaos from the enemy's perspective.
Spoiling Attack
An attack against enemy positions that occurs before an anticipated enemy offensive in the same AO. Intention is again to throw off the enemy's plans and take the initiative, but the element of timing is the differentiator from one of the counterattacks.
Disruptive Thrust
A large scale attack into the enemy's depth, but in an AO from which an enemy offensive is not expected. Risks include the size and exposure of the Op in general, as well as the risk that if a vital target is not chosen, the enemy may simply ignore the disruptive thrust and proceed with his offensive.
In this game I have executed the Disruptive Thrust exactly as Cribtop has described. The IJ were not expecting this attack due to a false believe that supply would constrain the operation to forces incapable of overwhelming the mobile forces in place. What I am not sure by these defintions is the thought of being able to ignore the operation. I would assume once the enemy cannot ignore the operation another word might be more appropriate.
I can say that the operation Ivory Balcony is disruptive as my intent in that it has caused the IJA to cease operations in Southern China. and according to Intel reports the IJ are moving forces from other theaters to address the issue at hand. I would also say that Ivory Balcony qualifies as a disruptive thrust because there is not the infrastructure nor the forces to conduct a true offensive operation. For example, it is not a counter attack by these defintions because I feel strongly the IJ are going to reinforce Burma and meet these boys -- eventually handing them their lunch. Thus the risks of the size and exposure of forces. I will continue to put pressure until this happends.
I do feel that enough forces are committed in Burma to disrupt operations in almost every theater in a huge ripple effect. Enough disruption that I believe in a couple of places we can conduct true offensive operations once the forces are in place. This operation could develop into a true offense once the gates open and Katy bar the door in May of '43 when a direct line from the Med into theater opens.
Time will tell .. 15 more days until the Monsoon season ends [&:] ...7 months before the first Hellcat squadrons ..[8D] 2 years before the mightly USA industrial machine kicks into gear ...[&o]
"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so"
Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes
Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 14
Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 1 damaged
Runway hits 1
We sweep Swebo with over 40 fighters ... no resistance .. so the bombers do their thing ..
It does cost us platforms and pilots ..
P-40K Warhawk from 23rd FG/76th FS crashes on landing
P-40E Warhawk from 51st FG/25th FS crashes on landing
Hurricane IIc Trop from No.615 Sqn RAF crashes on landing
Morning Air attack on 1st Raiding Regiment, at 59,45 (Shwebo)
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes
Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 45
Hudson IIIa x 11
Hurricane IIb Trop x 16
Hurricane IIc Trop x 32
B-25C Mitchell x 18
No Allied losses
Japanese ground losses:
443 casualties reported
Squads: 14 destroyed, 23 disabled
Non Combat: 12 destroyed, 19 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 9 disabled
Morning Air attack on 1st Raiding Regiment, at 59,45 (Shwebo)
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid spotted at 8 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 2 minutes
Raid spotted at 24 NM, estimated altitude 24,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes
Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 5
Allied aircraft
P-38F Lightning x 22
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed
MAJ Lynch, T.J. of 35th FG/39th FS is credited with kill number 5
2LT Wycoff, W.G. of 35th FG/39th FS is credited with kill number 4
CPT Prescott, R.W. of 35th FG/39th FS is credited with kill number 9
No Allied losses
Aircraft Attacking:
18 x P-38F Lightning sweeping at 21000 feet *
CAP engaged:
64th Sentai with Ki-43-Ic Oscar (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(14 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 5 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 36 minutes
We have some discrepencies from the pilot sitreps and the offical reports [8D] But the pilots gain experience and skill .
The IJA 7th Tank Rgt receives hell from the skies ..
Morning Air attack on 7th Tank Regiment, at 76,131 (Daly Waters)
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes
Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 8
B-17F Fortress x 27
No Allied losses
Japanese ground losses:
Vehicles lost 63 (9 destroyed, 54 disabled)
We hit the troops at Malkin
Afternoon Air attack on 51st Naval Guard Unit, at 136,125 (Makin)
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes
Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 9
B-17E Fortress x 44
We turn loose our MB's trained in low level naval attack ..
Morning Air attack on TF, near Tulagi at 114,137
Weather in hex: Clear sky
Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 4,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes
Allied aircraft
Hudson I x 6
Allied aircraft losses
Hudson I: 1 damaged
Japanese Ships
xAKL Kaijo Maru #2, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Tulagi at 114,137
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid spotted at 16 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes
Allied aircraft
B-18A Bolo x 3
No Allied losses
Japanese Ships
SC CHa-17
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Tulagi at 114,137
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid detected at 19 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes
Allied aircraft
B-26B Marauder x 4
No Allied losses
Japanese Ships
xAKL Kaijo Maru #2, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
Aircraft Attacking:
4 x B-26B Marauder bombing from 1000 feet
Naval Attack: 3 x 500 lb SAP Bomb
One little xAKL taking 2 500 pounders is not long for this world ..Plus the units gain more low level naval bombing ..
Our submarines are finding their match ..
ASW attack near Aogashima at 109,65
Japanese Ships
DMS W-12
APD Fumizuki
TK Seiwa Maru
TK Nanrei Maru
TK Fukoku Maru
TK Tatibana Maru
TK San Pedro Maru
TK San Luis Maru
TK Ogura Maru #1
xAK Kosei Maru
xAK Keisyo Maru
DD Matsukaze
PC Nire
SC CHa-36
Allied Ships
SS Sealion
Sub attack near Asahikawa at 120,49
Japanese Ships
xAKL Batavia Maru
Allied Ships
SS Whale
SS Whale launches 2 torpedoes at xAKL Batavia Maru
Sub attack near Zamboanga at 76,90
Japanese Ships
PB Hakozake Maru
PB Shosei Maru
Allied Ships
SS Pompano
SS Pompano launches 2 torpedoes at PB Hakozake Maru
In general a good turn for the Allies. I believe my adversary is very concerned that the US is engaged at this level at this date. That is from very safe distances behind well established air bases projecting power into IJ held areas. More so, the Brits threating Swebo and Mandalay in September 1942.
More later ..
"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so"
Not only is Akyab shut down .. but my CAP was drawn off protecting Cox's Bazzar ..
Morning Air attack on TF, near Cox's Bazar at 54,43
Weather in hex: Overcast
Raid detected at 50 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 17 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 19
G4M1 Betty x 18
Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 1 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed by flak
Allied Ships
xAKL Elout, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
xAKL De Haan, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
xAKL Sigli, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
So the IJ succecssfuly overwhelmed CAP shutdown Akyab. sank 3 xAKL's at a cost of a Betty, 4 Lily's and 2 Zeros. We lose 4 RAF planes ..
Our pilots report:
WO Farley S. of No.146 Sqn RAF is credited with kill number 5
WO Farley S. of No.146 Sqn RAF is credited with kill number 6
WO Viens, E.H. of No.136 Sqn RAF is credited with kill number 3
FO Whitby, A. of No.135 Sqn RAF is credited with kill number 4
SLDR DeCruyenaere, A.J. of No.136 Sqn RAF is credited with kill number 7
SLDR DeCruyenaere, A.J. of No.136 Sqn RAF is credited with kill number 8
PO Storey, W.J. of No.135 Sqn RAF is credited with kill number 4
PO Storey, W.J. of No.135 Sqn RAF is credited with kill number 5
SLDR Trenchard V. of No.135 Sqn RAF is credited with kill number 3
SLDR Trenchard V. of No.135 Sqn RAF is credited with kill number 4
In Oz:
A sweeep by an overwhelming numebr of Zeros:
Morning Air attack on Cooktown , at 92,137
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid detected at 28 NM, estimated altitude 25,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 42
No Japanese losses
Aircraft Attacking:
42 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 21000 feet
Followed by:
Morning Air attack on Cooktown , at 92,137
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid detected at 103 NM, estimated altitude 21,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 38 minutes
Japanese aircraft
G3M3 Nell x 15
Japanese aircraft losses
G3M3 Nell: 2 damaged
Makin:
Makin is a key base to devleop from the standpoint of securing the northern edge of the Gilberts. The plan is to station patrol craft and eventually fighters ..
A submarine guards the gates ..
Submarine attack near Tarawa at 137,127
Japanese Ships
SS I-174, hits 17, and is sunk
Allied Ships
DD Buchanan
DD Gilmer
DD McCall
DD Blue
The invasion:
Pre-Invasion action off Makin (136,125)
16 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied Ships
BB Mississippi
BB New Mexico
BB Idaho
DD Laffey
AP U.S. Grant
13 troops of a USA Rifle Squad lost overboard during unload of 25th Infantry Div /9
Motorized Support accidentally lost during unload of 25th Infantry Div /13
.....................
Ground combat at Makin (136,125)
Allied Shock attack
Attacking force 9976 troops, 129 guns, 265 vehicles, Assault Value = 382
Defending force 1390 troops, 18 guns, 3 vehicles, Assault Value = 21
51st Naval Guard Unit Wiped Out at Makin by attrition!!!
2nd Naval Construction Battalion Wiped Out at Makin by attrition!!!
We capture Makin and reinforce with a base force. As the smoke clears and the IJ react we develop the base to continue our pressure toward the Marshall's.
More later ..
"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so"
First a little note. It might be a few days before the next installment to this saga. Both my playing partner and I have real life committents that require attention. Mine be far more important [:D] Expect postings to begin again on Sunday. In the meantime .. a real air battle over Makin...
The intent here was to get the Zero's engaged so they would not escort the Torp Bombers .. did not work because the Nell's came calling first thing in the morning wiht all the Zeros on escort .. none on CAP.....
Morning Air attack on TF, near Makin at 136,125
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 31 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 12
G3M2 Nell x 15
Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 5
F4F-3 Wildcat x 2
F4F-4 Wildcat x 18
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
G3M2 Nell: 6 destroyed, 1 damaged
G3M2 Nell: 1 destroyed by flak
Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 2 destroyed
Allied Ships
BB Idaho, Torpedo hits 1
1LT Thanos B. of 15th FG/45th FS is credited with kill number 2
1LT Thanos B. of 15th FG/45th FS is credited with kill number 3
1LT Thanos B. of 15th FG/45th FS is credited with kill number 4
1LT Conroy U. of 15th FG/45th FS is credited with kill number 2
CPT Blair B. of 15th FG/45th FS is credited with kill number 3
CPT Blair B. of 15th FG/45th FS is credited with kill number 4
LCDR Flatley J.H. of VF-2 is credited with kill number 2
Out of 180 fighters on 40% CAP 2 hexes 20 of them show up ...The real action came from my Warhawks LRCAP'ing from Tarawa They jumped the Nell's after the Navy boys mixed it up with the Zero's....It was a great air battle in my mind trading 7 Nells for the Ol' Idaho spending 2 months or more in the Pen.
IN other news ..
PBY-5A Catalina from VP-61 attacking SS I-20 at 180,108 -- SS I-20 is reported HIT!!!
PBY-5 Catalina from VP-43 attacking SS I-20 at 180,108
More on Sunday ...
"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so"
A little note on supply to Tennant Creek. Make sure you turn off all supply pull you have set to any other base in OZ. Then fill Tennant up with airgroups and set it to maximum pull. It should fill up with supply. You can do this in Daily Waters if you take it. It works most of the time. However, overland supply flow beyond Daily Waters is nil. If the Japanese hold Darwin and points south with any sort of force, you will not be able to retake Darwin overland. The supply just does not flow.
In Burma, you must build up every base you take. This increases supply flow in to Burma from India. That undeveloped dot base just over the border from Impahl must be built up too. As you take cities supply will flow but you must be moving engineers into Burma and it takes time. For that matter, you can't move too many engineer units from the US. You will need them if you are active in SE Asia. If your recaptured Burmese bases are not built up to the max (which in itself costs supply) then you will always be hurting for supply in Burma. Once again, make sure that you have turned off all other supply pull in Indian cities.
What crsutton describes in Burma[that little dot base] is Kalemyo We are working like mad to build this base up. As you can see on the map things are progressing slowly. We have Katha also .. that build up will take longer as the IJNAAF are bombing nightly.
Great Feedback on Supply in Oz... we might just have stop at Kathrine ...[8D] That might be enough ...if we can get supply there we can stage fighters ..
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"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so"
You might be able to infiltrate a Bn accross the Salween River and cut of the japs at Myitkina.....
Hmmm How about drop some paratroopers on Bhamo [8D] The boys are being railed into postion now ..
The key comes from Alfred's post in your AAR Zuluhour. 1/2 of the LYB going to Myitkina are disabled. About 13,000 total. Cutting them off would mean they never recover along with the undisabled undisrupted forces taking a huge adjustment over time:
Unit Supply
a unit with 100% supply has its unadjusted assault value multiplied by 1
a unit with 75% supply is multiplied by 0.8
a unit with 50% supply is multiplied by 0.6
a unit with 25% supply is multiplied by 0.4
a unit with zero supply is multiplied by 0.25
Fortification Level
fort level 0 = 1x unadjusted assault value
fort level 1 = 1.1x
fort level 2 = 1.25x
fort level 3 = 1.5x
fort level 4 = 1.75x
fort level 5 = 2x
fort level 6 = 2.25x
fort level 7 = 2.5x
fort level 8 = 2.75x
fort level 9 = 3x
One thing one the forts .. my observations have been CRT odds shifts for forts rather than odds adjustments. I have gone through this AAR and I am still unsure. But I will be more careful in noting the game behavior in the future.
The Map below shows the picture. We are slowly developing Cox's Bazzar into a level 8 base. Level 6 is the "easy" build out. Well not so easy getting supply in there to build and a lot of Dutch Merchant Marines have found out they cannot swim ..But it is slowely happening. This is a real threat to the IJ because that puts my bombers within range of Rangoon and an ability to shut down the airbase/port there. With Swebo as a base we will have a fun time in '43 keeping the IJ occupied.
Then I have circled Bhamo. Drop some troops there and the road to Myitkina is cut off .. [A look at phase II of Ivory Balcony shows that was an orginal intent using ground forces to pursue. I have decided that the SF groups would be much better sacrifice for this duty as I need every ground pounder to enagage at Swebo...]
More later ..
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"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so"
What is that little dot base below Akyab on the coast? Whatever....[;)] If you take it and build it up I found you can run supply from Akyab and Chittagong with barges and LSTs. (Yes, change Diego Garcia to US control and build barges and PTs) The supply will flow out of that base to your captured bases in Burma. Those cities in the Burmese plain will pull supply from there once you have captured them and built them up. This is very useful during the monsoon season when the flow of supply into Burma is really restricted.
British and Indian engineer units are too few and two weak. Start moving American engineers to India. Seabees, construction units and some of the nice large EAB units. Not to mention some base forces and aviation regiments. I have 15 American engineer untis and another half dozen large base forces there in mid 44-and wish I had more.
What is that little dot base below Akyab on the coast? Whatever....[;)] If you take it and build it up I found you can run supply from Akyab and Chittagong with barges and LSTs. (Yes, change Diego Garcia to US control and build barges and PTs) The supply will flow out of that base to your captured bases in Burma. Those cities in the Burmese plain will pull supply from there once you have captured them and built them up. This is very useful during the monsoon season when the flow of supply into Burma is really restricted.
British and Indian engineer units are too few and two weak. Start moving American engineers to India. Seabees, construction units and some of the nice large EAB units. Not to mention some base forces and aviation regiments. I have 15 American engineer untis and another half dozen large base forces there in mid 44-and wish I had more.
I think in 1943 I could take Ramree Island, (that little dot base south of Akyab, but right now the airpower at Rangoon is way too close and powerful. Absolelty agree on the SeaBees. 3 of them are working on Imphal and Kalemyo. 2 More on the way. The other area that needs SeaBees is the Gilberts as this area required level 5 airfields to support 4E's ..In fact I have decided to transfer 2 from Southwest command to Pacfific Oceans [well not really changing commands at PP but you get the picture ..] to boost this operation .. which is falling behind schedule ..
But good advice for '43 ..
"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so"
Plus none of the DD's in the hex reacted [:@]
