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

[Crackaces]

If I could ask what is the victory total at this point? Maybe post this information as the new year comes upon us ..

[Cribtop]

I both agree and disagree with Princep. If you think you can take Vicky Point and Chumphon with acceptable losses, it is an objective worth taking. If not, pull out now. You are winning without VP and Chumphon. So not taking them isn't fatal. Taking then is useful, however, so do it if you can.

Do or do not do. There is no try.

[Canoerebel]

12/17/42
 
Victoria Point:  I would stay and fight, mainly because this battle has drawn Steve's attention, which I think helps keep his focus away from the eastern DEI.  However, the issue has been decided decisevly.  A strong IJN CL/DD TF stopped the incoming Allied transports, sinking two xAK and two xAK, and then the Japanese force reclaimed the base via shock attack.  So I lose the base plus the two RAF squadrons posted there.  A stinging repulse!

Port Blair:  To add insult to injury, that same IJN combat TF then visited Port Blair and roughed up several more combat TFs afer first blowing through the escorts, led by CL Birmingham and several DD in a small combat TF.  Here I lost a nice AMC and several more transports, plus the troops they were carrying.  The Allies did claim a single IJN DD.  The main Allied TFs, including the carriers and the transports carrying 26th Indian Division, weren't involved in the battle.

Victoria Point by Christmas!  Easy come, easy go.  We came, we saw, we conquered, we left involuntarily.  Steve is ratcheting up his attention on Malaya and Burma.  I think the IJ troops at VP were originally slated for Moulmein, so perhaps this little show will aid the Allied cause there.  In three days the Allies can launch a much stronger attack here unless Japan reinforces in the meantime.  Way up at Magwe, the isolated IJ army is bleeding AV rapidly as lack of supply and daily bombings are doing the job.  It won't be too much longer before the Allies will try a probing deliberate attack.

Where to from here?  With Malaya closed off, I'll try to keep Steve uncertain as to what will happen in the western DEI - I'll continue to bomb Kuching, send combat TFs to Singkep (and probably Singapore), and generally make some noise.  While this is going on, the Allies will occupy Sampit (still an Allied base).  Troops have been prepping for Balikpan for weeks now, so that could be the next major operation.  But the best opportunity right now is in the eastern DEI, where lack of IJ attention is allowing the Allies to occupy bases.  This window of opporutnity will close - probably sooner than later - but for several days now all PP have been used to buy out restricted Aussie and Kiwi troops.  Merauke, Taberfane, Saumlaki and Boela have been occupied; troops are currently enroute to Sorong and Morotia; and I'm preparing the force that will occupy Babo.

NoPac: Quiet here today.  I need PP to buy some restricted units to beef up the garrisons at Paramushiro and Onnekotan.  Right now, the eastern DEI has highest priority, but NoPac has moved up to number two.

[Capt. Harlock]

A strong IJN CL/DD TF stopped the incoming Allied transports, sinking two xAK and two xAK, and then the Japanese force reclaimed the base via shock attack. So I lose the base plus the two RAF squadrons posted there. A stinging repulse!

Port Blair: To add insult to injury, that same IJN combat TF then visited Port Blair and roughed up several more combat TFs afer first blowing through the escorts, led by CL Birmingham and several DD in a small combat TF. Here I lost a nice AMC and several more transports, plus the troops they were carrying. The Allies did claim a single IJN DD.

Yowch.[X(] Well, at least Chez can't claim the game has gone entirely your way.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
Where to from here? 

Fill-A-Peans, dood!

[Canoerebel]

That's the direction I'm heading, if you use a ruler and draw a line through Taberfane, Boela, and Morotai. 

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
Way up at Magwe, the isolated IJ army is bleeding AV rapidly as lack of supply and daily bombings are doing the job. It won't be too much longer before the Allies will try a probing deliberate attack.

I hope you supplied your troops with surgical gloves for that invasion ...[;)]

[Cribtop]

Yikes! Then again, asi es la vida. No big loss.

In retrospect, perhaps you should go in hard at first rather than go in with the FT TF first? Perhaps you lose surprise with only a small force on the ground on D-Day?

[Canoerebel]

Ordinarily I'd say that was the case. But under the circumstances, I don't think that would've worked either. I think sending the carriers forward with the big transports would've been like sticking my head into a hornet's nest. Japan had a decent amount of seapower in theater, by chance, so that it would have been hard to get my troops ashore. And all the time my carriers would have been subject to massed attacks from some big airfields.

Here's my email to Steve today and his response:

Dan: "A stinging repulse at Victoria Point!"

Steve: "I just happened to have enough pieces in the area to do something for once.
And dodged a bullet in return..."

My biggest problem was that I had no idea Japan had such a strong combat TF patroling those waters. Had my feint worked at Kuching, or had I drawn Steve's attention more fully to Singapore rather than letting him concentrate on Moulmein, where I think his troops were heading when he diverted them to VP), I might not have faced concentrated power.

Now the challenge in the western DEI is fourfold: take Moulmein by land; work on Rangoon; begin isolating Singapore by sea and air; and begin to build up Sampit.

All of this to (hopefully) keep Steve focused here so that he remains totally oblivious in the estern DEI. And, behind the scenese, the Allies will continue to gather the troops that will move on Banjermasin and Balikpan.

[vettim89]

Dan,

Your AAR seems to keep reminding me of movies. This one is obvious

"Well, as you know, I always felt we tried to go a bridge too far" - LT Gen Frederick Browning

(You probably don't like that one either)

[JeffroK]

Be ready to dodge and weave, you have his interest off Burma, keep building up in East DEI. If/when he moves that way, hit him in the Bay of Bengal.

All the time have SS on the routes he has to traverse.

He may be thinking he must react to you, it might be a good time to set up a trap for him.

Dont set up a feint which may have him within reaction range of your main attacks.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: vettim89

Dan,

Your AAR seems to keep reminding me of movies. This one is obvious

"Well, as you know, I always felt we tried to go a bridge too far" - LT Gen Frederick Browning

Vettim, you mean like: "Hey, we had no idea a Panzer divisions was regrouping in our drop zone!"

Yup, that's what happened here. I "dropped" my "paratroopers" amidst a Panzer division of combat and fast transport vessels. Mine was a case of "a day to near." Had I had one more day to get my act together at Victoria Point, the Allies would have won the engagement. I can but grimace and move on.

[Canoerebel]

For months the Alllies have had two IJ armies isolated at Padang, Sumatra, and Magwe, Burma.  Both iJ armies consist of two divisions plus other units.  Both armies actually outnumber the Allied troops in raw AV.  Both bases are controlled by the Allies.  The Allies have been actively bombing Magwe, but only sporadically bombing Padang.  With both IJ armies out of supply, here's the trend for raw Japanese AV over the past 15 days:

Padang - 889 AV to 852 AV - a decline of 4.2% at a rate of about 2.5 AV/day.
Magwe - 1288 AV to 1092 AV - a decline of 15.22% at a rate of about 13 AV /day.

The Allies won't attack at Padang any time soon due to the the significantly larger size of the Japanese army. But at Magwe, I plan to attack as soon as the Allies achieve numerical superiority in raw AV.  At present, Japan has 1092 and the Allies have 972, a difference of 120 AV.  At the current rate, the Allies should attain numerical superiority in about ten days.

[vettim89]

Regarding VP, the only good thing is this is AE vs WitP; ergo, you can buy back the two fighter squadrons.

Regarding the two isolated garrisons, I believe it was posted recently that adjusted AS is only 25% of raw AS if the troops have no supplies. So the IJA Divisions are likely paper armies

[ny59giants]

Once an unit has have over 1/2 disablement, any negative combat results in increase destruction of devices/squads. The first attack may not be great, but each one after that should show better results.

[Canoerebel]

12/18/42
 
Singapore:  The Royal Navy makes its first visit to Singapore.  A TF flagged by CA Hawkins and CLs Hobart and Leander sprint in from Singkawang and tangle with three mixed transport TFs, seriously damaging or sinking 2 DD, 2 TB, 3 PB, 2 ACM and 5 xAK.  DD Vampire takes moderate damage in the exchanges, the only Allied ship to incur more than minor hits.

Sampit:  The Allies begin the airlift to vacant (and still Allied-controlled) Sampit.  Part of a USA parachute regiment and part of a Sea Bee unit are in place now.

West of Padang:  The Japanese continue to target massed waves of bombers against an Aussie brigade and a USA tank regiment trying to shove aside weak opposition in the jungles two hexes east of Sibolga.  The constant attention from Japanese strike aircraft has seriously disrupted the Allied units, but Japan used more than 100 Betties (plus plenty of Nells and Sallies) in the process. 

Burma:  7th Hussars got 2:1 odds at Moulmein and dropped forts to zero, but didn't take the base.  They'll shock attack tomorrow (unlikely to succeed due to Japanese bombers disrupting them, but worth a try).  A Chinese division will arrive in three or four days.  The CL Birmingham TF will visit the port tonight (from Port Blair) to try to interdict any IJ reinforcement efforts by sea.  There's a decent chance the Allies will taken Moulmein before Japan can reinforce.

SWPac:  Things still look good in the eastern DEI as three Allied transport TFs are about to pass the frontier as they move to Morotai and Sorong.

[Canoerebel]

12/19/42
 
Burma:  Japan reinforce Moulmein successfully - the units are weak and might have come by air or sea (CL Birmingham only moved one hex closer to Moulmein rather than going into the hex, for reasons unkown).  A Chinese division will cross the river and attack tomorrow, so there's a chance the Allies can take the base.  Liberators out of Port Blair will try to soften the target.  Up at Pegu, the Allied army extinguished a Japanese regiment.  The Allies will try the first probing deliberate attack at Magwe tomorrow.
 
Singapore:  I think Steve is withdrawing the horde or transports formerly stationed at Singapore.  Avengers out of Singkawang messed up eight of them.  Steve is realizing, I think, that he's got a major problem with Singers. 
 
Borneo:  The Valiant BB will patrol at Kuching tonight and I think the BB Hiei TF might visit.  Ketapang airfield goes to level four.  Air transport of engineers and infantry to Sampit continues.
 
SWPac:  Two TFs bound for Morotai and Sorong have passed Ceram and are entering Indian country without signs of detection.

[Canoerebel]

12/20/42
 
Burma:  The Allied attack at Magwe failed, but the adjusted AV was so low that I think I didn't set "all units" to attack.  I'll try again with the bulk of the troops tomorrow.  At Moulmein, the Chinese unit crossed the river but didn't auto attack, apparently because I already had enough in the hex to avoid that feature.  So the Chinese are set to shock attack tomorrow.  The CL Birmingham TF hammered a handful of merchants at Moulmein.  The remaining two APDs, both at Port Blair, will load a force and head for Phuket - part of the effort to keep Steve a little off balance in the western DEI.  We want him focused here.
 
Sumatra:  Aussie infantry and US tanks brush aside the week opposition two hexes east of Sibolga.  The tanks will move forward to gauge enemy strength a hex closer to that base.
 
Borneo:  Quiet today.  Still thinking we might get a surface clash at Kuching if the Hiei TF tries to make its way into the port.  A sub up near Soc Trang got a sighting on Atago - first time I've seen her in a long time.
 
Eastern DEI:  Supply TF arrived undetected at Sorong.  Garrison TF bound for Morotai will arrive tomorrow or the day after (also undetected).
 
NoPac:  By the end of winter, I project Para to have level four port, level six airfield, and level six or seven forts.  The balance of 41st Div. is loading at Dutch Harbor to make the trip to Para - upon its safe arrival the AV will rise to 760.  My objective is to get this base to 1,000 to 1,500.  Tomorrow, two Canadian battalions at Victoria begin loading for the trip to Onnekotan.  By the end of winter, that base should have ports two, airfields three, and forts four or five, with AV of 400 or so. Tonight, the CL Mauritius TF will make a raid from Para to Shimishura - the first time I've tried this.

[Canoerebel]

Current disposition of Allied capital ships:
 
NoPac:  BBs Tennessee, Maryland and Idaho, CV Wasp, three CVEs and CAs Quincy and Houston form the core of a fairly powerful force tasked to protect the Allied bases in the Kuriles.
 
CenPac: BB Arizona and two CVE are on station near Christmas Island.
 
DEI:  BBs Valiant, Royal Sovereign and Ramilles are on station with BC Repulse pumping out water prior to making the trip to the yards at Colombo (she has damage on the light-moderate side).  Also present are CAs Hawkins, Penscola, San Francisco, Dorsetshire, Cornwall and Canberra.  BB Indiana is perhaps five days out of Oosthaven.  CA Wichita is just about to depart Capetown for Oosthaven.
 
Indian Ocean:  Four American CVs are on patrol with CAs New Orleans, Vincennes and Chester.  CV Lexington is ten days away from duty at Colombo.  CA Frobisher is currently at Port Blair.
 
Also at Colombo: BBs South Dakota and Warspite and CAs Chicago, Portland and Devonshire are upgrading or repairing.  All but SD will be ready in days.  SD is about 45 days away from duty.
 
Wishing She was at Colombo:  Heavily damaged CA Salt Lake City is at Cocos Island.  Every time she leaves, she leaks like a sieve, so she might be stuck here until an ARD arrives in a year or so.  [:(]
 
At Capetown:   BB North Carolina is three months from being available.  Revenge will arrive in a couple of days and needs a good six months of work.

[jeffk3510]

Dan- Will you still be able to play this one as much, and keep the AAR up to date with your new game as well?

Hope so.