Eyebrow on the Money witpqs (A) vs vicberg (J) {No vicberg}

[witpqs]

1942 April 19

The Empire captured:
Sawahloento

The Allies captured:
Bhamo

There were Imperial amphibious operations at:
Bacolod
Salajar

There were Allied amphibious operations at:


The same bombardments again, this time the IJA felt a bit of pain too. The unit near Paoshan turns out to be an infantry regiment.

Ground combat at 64,45 (near Paoshan)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 4077 troops, 32 guns, 1 vehicles, Assault Value = 128

Defending force 2633 troops, 1 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 118

Assaulting units:
33rd/B Division

Defending units:
22nd New Chinese Division

The wrinkle this turn is that more Imperial forces have been identified on the road astride Katha.

[JocMeister]

You seem to be holding on pretty good in China! How is the supply situation?

My own experiences with China that does seem to align with most AARs is that China is pretty much borked for the Allies. I think I could have held on to it if the supply situation wasn´t so abysmal!

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

You seem to be holding on pretty good in China! How is the supply situation?

My own experiences with China that does seem to align with most AARs is that China is pretty much borked for the Allies. I think I could have held on to it if the supply situation wasn´t so abysmal!

Supplies are terrible in China! He got the Burma road closed pretty early on and I didn't get much (if anything, I forget) shipped into Burma that could have made its way into China. In this game we are using the optional stacking limits, which definitely has an effect. Even still, in games without stacking limits I haven't yet been pushed out of the most critical areas of China. It certainly could happen, but maybe China isn't "borked", just difficult and prone to punish errors on both sides? Dunno.

• Without stacking limits the Chinese have to use their numbers or else an IJA Death Star will simply roll through them.
• Most critical, is that with or without stacking limits the Allies must use good defensive terrain in China.
• Another element is time. One player estimated that about 1/3 of all Chinese squads begin the game disabled. That sounds correct to me from what I've seen. So the Chinese Army will grow stronger just given time and a modest amount of supply.
• Defense in depth is important, and perhaps more important with stacking limits because the front line can hold fewer troops. As supply and withdrawal (and sometimes retreat) are important you must keep forces from being cut off lest they be destroyed.
• Force preservation: see previous point.
• Conserve supplies. I have figured out that you can draw some replacements in China, but you have to manage that. Most infantry units should have replacements off almost all the time. Build fortifications as needed but never try to build anything over level 6, and be prepared to shut down all but critical fort building if supplies are getting critically short.
• Recon in China is sorely lacking for the Allies. You must post units as sentries in certain places because otherwise you will be surprised by large infiltrations of Imperials and lack the time to respond adequately.
• Some places simply can not be defended against determined and concentrated Imperial efforts. Abandon them. Some places can be defended only so long as the terrain in front of them holds. Some places can be held well but mistakes can change that. Keep in mind that losing a base and the forces defending it is usually worse than just losing the base. But not always - you must judge the overall situation.
• The Empire can't be strong and advancing everywhere. Look for opportunities to smash Imperial units: overwhelm, them, trap them, counter attack after they've weakened themselves, etc.
• Doing the above can create weaknesses that the Imperial player must address, which in turn weakens his attacks elsewhere.
• Be wary of attacking fortified positions without overwhelming force. The Chinese Army, even more so early on, is poor at overcoming fortifications. You can easily "break on the rocks" an otherwise strong and useful force. Remember that fortifications include terrain!
• Train the Chinese Air Force as much as you can, but you might have to curtail training to conserve supplies.
• Train some Chinese bombers on Recon. Recon assets are massively lacking in China!
• Use the Chinese Air Force in important situations rather than keeping it on the line. The CAF can not sustain attrition so use it in some concentration and get it out of harms way as fast as possible. The same is mostly true of the AVG, as there will usually be too few supplies in China to draw replacement aircraft.
• When and where things are critical, consider replacing some Chinese LCU combat commanders with better combat leaders. This might only become an option later on when PP are somewhat more available.
• Generally speaking, do not change the preparation targets of a Chinese LCUs until it has greatly increased its experience level.

There's more that you will pick up in terms of where you might deploy forces and so on, but much of that depends on what your opponent is doing too. the opening positions provide a lot of opportunities for the Imperial player to knock about Chinese units and also for the Chinese player to recognize places that should be abandoned.

Not an expert on China but I sure am learning!

[JocMeister]

Thank you for the advice! A little to late for me but good points for the next GC! [:D]

[witpqs]

1942 April 20

The Empire captured:
Molu

The Allies captured:


There were Imperial amphibious operations at:
Bacolod
Salajar

There were Allied amphibious operations at:


Today the Empire added Light Industry air raids against Sian to its routine. The bombardment at Hengyang was particularly brutal:

Allied ground losses:
299 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 27 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

The Empire also continued bombarding the unit defending in front of Paoshan, perhaps another addition to the daily routine. Bandoeng made fortification level 3 again. Fortification building will cease there to conserve supplies. At this rate Bandoeng will hold for quite a while.

[witpqs]

1942 April 21

The Empire captured:


The Allies captured:


There were Imperial amphibious operations at:
Bacolod
Salajar

There were Allied amphibious operations at:


The same bombardments again. This time the ones around Changsha yielded much more even results overall, even though Hengyang was one-sided for the Empire. The Imperial units astride Katha are now moving up the road toward the 13th Indian Bde (which is guarding the road bend nearest the Indian border). Dutch Harbor is under recon again. No signs of Imperial carriers. Here is an overview map.

[witpqs]

1942 April 22

The Empire captured:
Kai-eilanden

The Allies captured:


There were Imperial amphibious operations at:


There were Allied amphibious operations at:


The usual bombardments all around, this time including across the river from Ichang. The shelling at Hengyang was bad, and the air raids on the troops added to the mess. According to SigInt it looks like the IJA 14th Division is going to China - on board ship and heading for Canton.

The big story is outside Paoshan where SVC has ordered at least one more unit to move up on the border guard.

[witpqs]

1942 April 23

The Empire captured:
Bacolod

The Allies captured:


There were Imperial amphibious operations at:


There were Allied amphibious operations at:


The usual bombardments were a little lighter today. In Burma the aerial collection of debris lofted by the bombing of the Imperial troop column in the north has provided evidence of the 15th Army, Imperial Guards Division, and the 33rd/C Division (a regiment).

Freed up a lot of bomber squadrons on the West Coast although there are too few planes for them anyway. At least they are now bought out before they expand size in a few months. Here is a look at the Intel screen.

[witpqs]

1942 April 24

The Empire captured:
Nonouti

The Allies captured:


There were Imperial amphibious operations at:


There were Allied amphibious operations at:


The air raids on Chinese Light Industry around the country continue. There is also some air attention being received by the defenders of Hengyang, but the bombardments from the ground today had different results.

Ground combat at Hengyang (80,53)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 80561 troops, 1049 guns, 229 vehicles, Assault Value = 1712

Defending force 114966 troops, 790 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 2601

Japanese ground losses:
87 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
152 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 14 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 6 (2 destroyed, 4 disabled)

Assaulting units:
2nd Ind.Mixed Regiment
3rd Division
39th Division
104th Division
55th Infantry Brigade
40th Division
6th Division
22nd Division
20th Ind Engineer Regiment
52nd Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion
2nd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
2nd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
5th RF Gun Battalion
13th Army
1st Mortar Battalion
2nd RF Gun Battalion
10th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
3rd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
4th Mortar Battalion
11th Army
15th Ind.Medium Field Artillery Regiment
21st Mortar Battalion
2nd Mortar Battalion
51st Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion
1st Hvy.Artillery Regiment
14th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
20th Ind. Mtn Gun Battalion

Defending units:
28th New Chinese Division
45th Chinese Corps
86th Chinese Corps
46th Chinese Corps
93rd Chinese Division
3rd New Chinese Corps
70th Chinese Corps
14th Chinese Corps
32nd Chinese Corps
55th Prov Chinese Division
18th Chinese Corps
49th Chinese Corps
67th Chinese Corps
71st Chinese/B Corps
12th Group Army
30th Group Army
25th Group Army
7th Artillery Regiment
7th War Area
1st Artillery Regiment
3rd War Area
23rd Group Army
33rd Group Army
41st AA Regiment
3rd Heavy Mortar Regiment
49th AA Regiment
56th AT Gun Regiment
4th Heavy Mortar Regiment
32nd Group Army
18th Chinese Base Force

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at 84,48 (near Ichang)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 33853 troops, 272 guns, 8 vehicles, Assault Value = 1072

Defending force 47433 troops, 188 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 973

Japanese ground losses:
12 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
41st Division
13th Division
58th Division
69th Division
12th Army

Defending units:
68th Chinese Corps
75th Chinese Corps
59th Chinese Corps
94th Chinese Corps
6th War Area

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Changsha (82,52)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 86993 troops, 707 guns, 120 vehicles, Assault Value = 2474

Defending force 92994 troops, 444 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 2297

Japanese ground losses:
180 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 18 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
40 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
13th Tank Regiment
36th Division
3rd Ind.Mixed Brigade
32nd Division
5th Armored Car Co
59th Division
34th Division
27th Division
13th Ind.Mixed Brigade
70th Division
2nd Ind.Mixed Brigade
58th Infantry Regiment
6th Medium Field Artillery Regiment

Defending units:
10th Chinese Corps
58th Chinese Corps
37th Chinese Corps
26th Chinese Corps
72nd Chinese Corps
2nd Chinese Corps
8th Chinese Corps
74th Chinese Corps
19th Group Army
27th Group Army
29th Group Army
9th War Area
17th Chinese Base Force

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at 82,53 (near Changsha)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 36256 troops, 267 guns, 40 vehicles, Assault Value = 1177

Defending force 49990 troops, 152 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1584

Japanese ground losses:
12 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
31 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
8th Ind Engineer Regiment
116th Division
68th Division
37th Division
1st Army

Defending units:
87th Chinese Corps
73rd Chinese Corps
53rd Chinese Corps
99th Chinese Corps
20th Group Army
26th Group Army

The Allies still got hurt, but so did the Empire. Various forces now have orders to redeploy from the far coast of India to the Burma border, and ultimately into Burma. So far we are not seeing large forces pushing into northern Burma or any forces at all move on the Burma coast in the areas of Akyab or Ramree Island. If SVC is intent on drawing the Allies into Burma to then make an attack into India when they are out of position, then let's get on with it! If he is intent on putting extra forces into China at the expense of Burma, then let's take advantage of it!

[witpqs]

1942 April 25

The Empire captured:
Fergusson Island

The Allies captured:


There were Imperial amphibious operations at:


There were Allied amphibious operations at:


There are now 2 brigades at Paoshan.

Ground combat at 64,45 (near Paoshan)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 4087 troops, 32 guns, 1 vehicles, Assault Value = 262

Defending force 2640 troops, 1 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 119

Assaulting units:
33rd/A Division
33rd/B Division

Defending units:
22nd New Chinese Division

Bad news - MacArthur is back. Southwest Pacific HQ has arrived at Brisbane.

A look at the Arabian Sea.

[witpqs]

1942 April 26

The Empire captured:
Kiriwina Island

The Allies captured:


There were Imperial amphibious operations at:


There were Allied amphibious operations at:


The same bombardments, with the results somewhat more even than usual today. With the quiet everywhere but China and Burma Force Z heads to Cape Town where Prince of Wales can upgrade.

[witpqs]

1942 April 27

The Empire captured:
Moa

The Allies captured:


There were Imperial amphibious operations at:


There were Allied amphibious operations at:


The bombardments were bad today. On the plus side today was the first time that bombing of Imperial troops near Katha was opposed by Zeros and our P-40s escorting came out on top 6 to 4. Ops losses for the Zeros were the key. A tanker convoy has been sighted, probably by a float plane, far east of Hawaii. The aircraft was not sighted but SigInt got its contact report. Hopefully its from a submarine, of course. So, the Empire has continued looking for our shipping lanes!

The Empire's division has reached the defensive positions of the 13th Indian Bde NW of Katha. With luck they will not attack tomorrow as the 16th Indian Bde will arrive in battle formation from Katha the day following.

[witpqs]

1942 April 28

The Empire captured:
Siaoe

The Allies captured:


There were Imperial amphibious operations at:


There were Allied amphibious operations at:


The usual ground bombardments with the usual results. Over Burma our Blenheims attempted to harry the Imperial Guards Division in two separate raids, one was escorted and one was not. Both were butchered. The good news came when the ground combat results were in.

Ground combat at 61,42 (near Katha)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 13326 troops, 104 guns, 54 vehicles, Assault Value = 424

Defending force 6272 troops, 38 guns, 2 vehicles, Assault Value = 191

Japanese adjusted assault: 159

Allied adjusted defense: 301

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), op mode(-)
Attacker: leaders(-)

Japanese ground losses:
905 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 77 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 12 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled

Allied ground losses:
47 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Assaulting units:
Imperial Guards Division

Defending units:
13th Indian Brigade
16th Indian Brigade

One brigade just made the hex, sooner than predicted, and tipped the odds strongly in our favor despite the handicap of being in road march formation when the battle began. The two brigades should be able to hold the Imperial Guards. In China:

Ground combat at 64,45 (near Paoshan)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 8281 troops, 66 guns, 3 vehicles, Assault Value = 262

Defending force 2640 troops, 1 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 119

Japanese adjusted assault: 86

Allied adjusted defense: 139

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2

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

Japanese ground losses:
345 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 40 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Allied ground losses:
269 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 34 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Assaulting units:
33rd/A Division
33rd/B Division

Defending units:
22nd New Chinese Division

The 22nd NCD will be pushed back under repeated attacks, but they are serving their purpose of weakening the Imperials before they reach the Paoshan..

The Bloody Blenheims of Burma:

[witpqs]

1942 April 29

The Empire captured:
Bhamo

The Allies captured:


There were Imperial amphibious operations at:
Salajar

There were Allied amphibious operations at:


The bombardments in China were net in our favor today. Units in India continue moving toward the Burma frontier.

The area around the Solomon Sea - lots of Allied outposts here.

[witpqs]

1942 April 30

The Empire captured:
Sangi
Salajar

The Allies captured:


There were Imperial amphibious operations at:
Salajar

There were Allied amphibious operations at:


The bombardments in China were pretty mixed and much more even than sometimes. Forces and engineers continue repositioning to the India-Burma frontier. The troops will move in at once as the engineers build up support behind them as fast as possible.

Here is an overview map.

[witpqs]

1942 May 01

The Empire captured:
Deboyne Islands

The Allies captured:


There were Imperial amphibious operations at:


There were Allied amphibious operations at:


The bombardments in China waxed bad for us again. Avengers have begun producing into the USN replacement pool. Two carriers' squadrons will be upgraded this month. The April upgrades are done but for a few support ship stragglers. The US Navy has grown stronger! There are now large numbers of tankers plying the Pacific to and from Australia. A brief shortage of fuel a few weeks ago was remedied fairly quickly and now a buildup is underway. More units targeted for Central Pacific targets are on their way to Hawaii from San Francisco. No sign of the KB; it's quite well hidden.

SVC has ordered additional units up to try an dislodge the Allies NW of Katha. Our troops will certainly arrive later, but we are moving up a lot of well-trained 2EB groups that might tip the balance. We also have numerous USA, British, Australian, and New Zealander fighter squadrons well trained and equipped. Enough to rotate them in and out of combat as needed. Additional aviation ground crews are being repositioned to support them.

[witpqs]

1942 May 02

The Empire captured:
Djailolo

The Allies captured:


There were Imperial amphibious operations at:


There were Allied amphibious operations at:


Some British 2EBs with great crews either flew alone or lost their escort and were mauled by Zeros - 9 went down. The bombardments in China were moderate today. An attack outside of Paoshan was repulsed handily.

Ground combat at 64,45 (near Paoshan)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 8182 troops, 66 guns, 3 vehicles, Assault Value = 251

Defending force 2376 troops, 1 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 88

Japanese adjusted assault: 71

Allied adjusted defense: 133

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2

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

Japanese ground losses:
589 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 33 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled

Allied ground losses:
66 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
33rd/A Division
33rd/B Division

Defending units:
22nd New Chinese Division

Four Imperial units of unknown strength have invested Liuchow.

[witpqs]

1942 May 03

The Empire captured:


The Allies captured:


There were Imperial amphibious operations at:


There were Allied amphibious operations at:


The usual bombardments in China, with in-between results. No sign of KB. Still more units moving toward Kweilin and Liuchow.

[witpqs]

1942 May 04

The Empire captured:
Goodenough Island

The Allies captured:


There were Imperial amphibious operations at:


There were Allied amphibious operations at:


During the night an IJN convoy found the two PT boats that have been stranded and hiding in the Philippines. They escaped. The bombardments in China were again in-between. Most of the Australian units being deployed to Burma have made Imphal.

Here is a look at a portion of the peaceful shipping lanes.

[witpqs]

1942 May 05

The Empire captured:
Komodo

The Allies captured:


There were Imperial amphibious operations at:


There were Allied amphibious operations at:


The bombardments were mild today. A new one at Liuchow showed that the Empire has a bit more than half the AV we have in place. No sign of the KB. Combat units continue to move toward the Burma frontier while engineers build infrastructure. Here is a look at the Intel screen.