Last Stand at San Diego (no Richard please)

[Erkki]

Still, the Most Useless Unit WitP:AE Award goes to the Aichi D1A. There are ZERO of them in the beginning of the game. There are ZERO in units to arrive. It has no factories. Its engine does not have a factory. There are some engines in the pool, but the planes that use it are all bad and should never be built to conserve HI. And even with PDU Off, there is absolutely no reason to start producing its engine, even less reason to produce the plane itself(especially as units cannot downgrade with PDU off [:D]). And PDU on one can just build D3As.

[ADB123]

ORIGINAL: Erkki

Still, the Most Useless Unit WitP:AE Award goes to the Aichi D1A. There are ZERO of them in the beginning of the game. There are ZERO in units to arrive. It has no factories. Its engine does not have a factory. There are some engines in the pool, but the planes that use it are all bad and should never be built to conserve HI. And even with PDU Off, there is absolutely no reason to start producing its engine, even less reason to produce the plane itself(especially as units cannot downgrade with PDU off [:D]). And PDU on one can just build D3As.

Nearly as useless is that IJN recon Babs that doesn't get replacements but you do get a couple of empty units and you have to wait a year to get the next generation plane in order to use those units. One has to wonder...

[ADB123]

July 4, 1943 –

The Night Phase saw Rakata Bay automatically occupied by the Japanese. The latest Rev must have changed the conditions under which unoccupied bases change ownership because I am seeing it a lot more frequently in my other Japanese pbems too.

The real night action started in the South Pacific where a couple of US DEs chased but couldn’t catch a Japanese sub at Tanna. But when the DE ASW TF was on its way back to base one DE was shot at and missed by another Japanese sub. The DEs then proceeded to hammer the sub multiple times. Afterwards, SIGINT reported that the sub went down, but even if it didn’t it will limping home badly damaged.

And later on in the Day Allied Air Search reported a handful more Japanese subs near Tanna, so I sent out another 4-DE ASW TF to see if it can get lucky too. I don’t need to send any more Troops to Tanna at this time so I’ll see if I can’t give my DEs some Live Practice.

And finally, up near Kobe USS Kingfish was chased unsuccessfully by a smoking Japanese PB. That PB was escorting a very large Transport TF.

Daylight brought out Helens and Oscar IIs over Meiktila. There weren’t any Allied Fighters on CAP and the Helens hit the Chindits at the base pretty hard. (I’m not bothering to try to LR CAP anywhere because my opponent is moving his Targets around too frequently.)

And of course, the Allied Air Attacks on Myitkyina did only a Fraction of the damage that the Helens did at Meiktila, despite there being around 3 times more Allied Bombers. But Allied Bombers that hit Japanese Troops in other locations in Burma had better luck and in particular hammered the Troops at Mandalay fairly hard.

There was one Ground Attack this turn:

Ground combat at 56,45 (near Akyab)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 3994 troops, 85 guns, 159 vehicles, Assault Value = 108

Defending force 3627 troops, 26 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 127

Allied adjusted assault: 168

Japanese adjusted defense: 112

Allied assault odds: 1 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
281 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 16 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
82 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 9 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled

Assaulting units:
268th Motorised Brigade
29th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment

Defending units:
114th Infantry Regiment

The Allied Troops keep on hitting the Japanese Troops fairly hard, but they just can’t get that Magic 2:1 to drive the Japanese back.

[ADB123]

July 5, 1943 –

The Night Phase saw the Philippine island Sibayan occupied automatically by the Japanese.

The USS Grunion had one of Those Nights – it fired off six torpedoes at a Japanese RO-Boat near Nagasaki, and hit with one, but that torpedo was a dud. It’s only too bad that Grunion didn’t go to the Surface and use its Deck Guns.

The Good News of the Evening was that US Forces landed at unoccupied La Foa.

Daylight brought Air Battles over Mandalay as Japanese Long Range Fighters attempted to ambush the Allied Air Attacks on the Japanese Troops at the base.

First in were 9 Wellington Ics and 12 Blenheim VDs, which were escorted by 8 Hurricane IIcs and 7 Hurricane IIbs. They were met by 6 Oscar IIas. The Oscars engaged the Hurricanes and shot down 1 IIb, but the 2Es got through to hit their target.

Next in were 12 Wellington BXs which were escorted by 8 Hurricane IIcs. This time 3 Oscar IIas showed up and engaged the Hurricanes. The Bombers got through and hit their target again, but one Wellington was downed by FLAK.

Finally 16 Wellington GR VIIIs flew in and found no CAP, so they flew through the FLAK and hit the Japanese Troops again.

Other Allied Bombers hit Japanese Troops along the Myitkyina Road and at Meiktila, and P-39s harassed Japanese Troops in the Jungles near Akyab and Kalemyo. Now Japanese Bombers flew.

Supply flowed Forward again this turn so the Allied Troops in Burma were suddenly in a position to Attack again, so I gave orders to a number of them. The most important Attack is at Meiktila where I hope to Capture the Base, but success in the other attacks will be nice too.

[ADB123]

July 6, 1943 –

Night Time saw Saidor occupied automatically by the Japanese, and La Foa occupied automatically by the US Troops that just landed there.

The Real Action began next as a Japanese Sub near Perth put a torpedo into a Dutch DD that was just returning to the Front. The stricken Dutch DD went down, but the other Dutch DD in the TF hammered the Japanese sub numerous times and the sub was later reported to have gone down.

Then at Tanna, the latest 4-DE ASW TF to hunt for Japanese subs found fresh sub-laid mines. The DEs swept several of the mines, but one DE hit a mine and eventually went down.

Finally, off of Balikpapan, USS Sculpin hit a big Japanese xAP with a dud torpedo. The escorts in the large Japanese Transport TF didn’t chase Sculpin, but the sub didn’t try any more attacks.

Daylight brought a continuation of the fierce battles in Burma. The Air Battles started by 12 Beaufighter VIfs running into 2 Oscar IIas while Sweeping over the Allied and Japanese troops that are southeast of Kalemyo. The Beaufighters handled themselves well and shot down an Oscar IIa.

Then the Allied Air Forces started their Bombing Campaign for the Day. DBs and 2Es attacked Japanese Troops at Myitkyina, and once again all of the attacks missed their marks. Meanwhile, other DBs and 2Es attacked Japanese Troops in the Jungle near to Myitkyina and hit their targets repeatedly.

Next came the 4Es which absolutely devastated the Japanese Troops at Meiktila:

Morning Air attack on 62nd JAAF AF Bn , at 58,47 (Meiktila)

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 39 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 14 minutes

Allied aircraft
Liberator II x 11
B-17E Fortress x 6
B-17F Fortress x 14
B-24D1 Liberator x 67
P-38H Lightning x 12

Allied aircraft losses
Liberator II: 3 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
1575 casualties reported
Squads: 15 destroyed, 45 disabled
Non Combat: 56 destroyed, 96 disabled
Engineers: 15 destroyed, 6 disabled
Guns lost 22 (9 destroyed, 13 disabled)

Aircraft Attacking:
11 x Liberator II bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
6 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
14 x B-24D1 Liberator bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
14 x B-17F Fortress bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
16 x B-24D1 Liberator bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
16 x B-24D1 Liberator bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
10 x B-24D1 Liberator bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
11 x B-24D1 Liberator bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb

Also attacking 47th Infantry Regiment ...
Also attacking 62nd JAAF AF Bn ...
Also attacking 47th Infantry Regiment ...
Also attacking 62nd JAAF AF Bn ...
Also attacking 47th Infantry Regiment ...
Also attacking 62nd JAAF AF Bn ...
Also attacking 47th Infantry Regiment ...
Also attacking 62nd JAAF AF Bn ...

My opponent wasn’t too pleased with the results of that attack, but then, his Helens do almost as well, so I don’t have any sympathy.

And then the P-39s flew Strafing Missions against various Japanese LCUs in the jungles near Akyab, with mixed results. However, one attack was ambushed by A6M3as. The 13 P-39Ds and 16 P-400s were attacked by 5 A6M3as, but they were able to shoot down 2 Zeros while only losing 3 each of the P-39 variants. And that was with fairly raw pilots.

Finally, Helens and Oscar IIbs attacked the British 2nd Division at Shwebo again. The Japanese planes were faced by 4 Hurricane IIcs and the Brit pilots did quite well, shooting down an Oscar and damaging several Helens.

Finally it was time for Ground Combat. Once again, results were all-over-the-map, but for the most part the Japanese continued to take the worst of the blows:

Ground combat at 55,46 (near Akyab)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 20125 troops, 229 guns, 356 vehicles, Assault Value = 830

Defending force 11258 troops, 119 guns, 109 vehicles, Assault Value = 302

Allied adjusted assault: 433

Japanese adjusted defense: 327

Allied assault odds: 1 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
712 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 45 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 15 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 6 disabled
Guns lost 7 (1 destroyed, 6 disabled)
Vehicles lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
214 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 38 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Assaulting units:
20th Indian Division
43rd Cavalry Regiment
17th Indian Division
3rd (Special Force) Division

Defending units:
32nd Division
17th Army
8th RF Gun Battalion


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

Ground combat at 58,43 (near Kalemyo)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 3825 troops, 42 guns, 418 vehicles, Assault Value = 255

Defending force 3175 troops, 40 guns, 10 vehicles, Assault Value = 75

Allied adjusted assault: 123

Japanese adjusted defense: 169

Allied assault odds: 1 to 2

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

Japanese ground losses:
410 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 33 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 5 (1 destroyed, 4 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
6 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
3rd Carabiniers Regiment
50th Tank Brigade
8th Medium Regiment

Defending units:
33rd/A Division


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

Ground combat at 63,42 (near Myitkyina)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 2773 troops, 18 guns, 281 vehicles, Assault Value = 205

Defending force 3050 troops, 20 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 108

Allied adjusted assault: 85

Japanese adjusted defense: 127

Allied assault odds: 1 to 2

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

Japanese ground losses:
559 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 60 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 4 (1 destroyed, 3 disabled)

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


Assaulting units:
255th Armoured Brigade

Defending units:
112th Infantry Regiment


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

Ground combat at Meiktila (58,47)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 15883 troops, 337 guns, 300 vehicles, Assault Value = 605

Defending force 6482 troops, 43 guns, 134 vehicles, Assault Value = 220

Allied adjusted assault: 438

Japanese adjusted defense: 71

Allied assault odds: 6 to 1 (fort level 0)

Allied forces CAPTURE Meiktila !!!

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

Japanese ground losses:
2967 casualties reported
Squads: 44 destroyed, 38 disabled
Non Combat: 139 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 43 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 24 (20 destroyed, 4 disabled)
Vehicles lost 98 (98 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 5

Allied ground losses:
578 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 46 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
18th British Division
111th Chindit Brigade

Defending units:
47th Infantry Regiment
56th Recon Regiment
4th Tank Regiment
55th Engineer Regiment
94th JAAF AF Bn


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

Ground combat at 56,45 (near Akyab)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 3971 troops, 85 guns, 159 vehicles, Assault Value = 101

Defending force 3482 troops, 26 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 114

Allied adjusted assault: 90

Japanese adjusted defense: 166

Allied assault odds: 1 to 2

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

Japanese ground losses:
187 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 15 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
81 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Guns lost 2 (1 destroyed, 1 disabled)

Assaulting units:
268th Motorised Brigade
29th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment

Defending units:
114th Infantry Regiment


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

Ground combat at 62,42 (near Katha)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 9317 troops, 100 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 330

Defending force 4255 troops, 51 guns, 16 vehicles, Assault Value = 147

Allied adjusted assault: 137

Japanese adjusted defense: 169

Allied assault odds: 1 to 2

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

Japanese ground losses:
129 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 9 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Allied ground losses:
141 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 30 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled

Assaulting units:
1st New Chinese Corps

Defending units:
20th/A Division

Of course, the key there was that Allied Forces captured Meiktila, cutting the Rail Road once again. Fortune smiled on the Allies as the Defeated Japanese Troops Retreated to Mandalay instead of going south. So more Japanese Troops are now stuck in Mandalay. The map below shows the current situation in Burma.

There was one “wild card” report this turn – a Jake was spotted flying over Akyab. Hmmm – maybe there is some sort of Japanese Combat TF near by. I put more planes on LR Search and brought another TB squadron forward. It will be interesting to see if some sort of Bombardment or Air Combat TF is near by.

[ADB123]

July 7, 1943 –

Night time saw Hansa Bay get automatically occupied by the Japanese. What a shame – all those nice empty Allied bases being grabbed for free by the Enemy. There was no other Night Action.

Daylight brought out Helens, escorted by Oscar IIs, over Meiktila where they bombed the British 18th Division. My opponent has been whining about the Allied 4Es, so I reminded him that his Helens are doing a pretty good job themselves, and a lot better than the Allied 2Es ever do.

Speaking of which, Allied DBs and 2Es attacked Japanese Troops all around Myitkyina, but not at Myitkyina itself. I’m tired of watching the Magic Shield at Myitkyina cause hundreds of bombers to miss their targets all the time.

The best Allied result came at Mandalay where the 4Es and a number of 2Es came in to blast the Japanese Troops there. For whatever reason, despite there being at least twice as many Allied planes attacking, their effect wasn’t much more than the 70 or so Helens that hit Meiktila.

And in Australia, several squadrons of 4Es hammered the Air Base at Wyndham again, both for the sake of practice, and also to keep it closed.

I just noticed that I am starting to accumulate the first generation Thunderbolts. I’m not sure where I’ll use them yet – I have a soft spot for those P-40K squadrons that have done so well for me and I almost hate to change them out.

[ADB123]

July 8, 1943 –

My opponent was only able to send the Combat Replay this evening, and he will be very busy over the next week or so with Real Life, so turns will be rather scarce for a while.

The Night Phase started out with Cape Gloucester auto-occupied by the Japanese. This is starting to fell like early 1942 all over again.

BTW – in one of my Japanese pbems, a Japanese-controlled, but un-garrisoned base that was sitting between 3 heavily garrisoned Japanese bases suddenly switched over to the Allies, despite there being no Allied forces or bases closer than the Japanese-controlled and garrisoned bases. So I’ve got a feeling that the “adjustment” to the Auto-Occupy feature in the latest Rev isn’t working quite right.

Night time action then switched to Sub Wars. First off a Japanese sub attacked but missed a US DE in a DE ASW TF just east of Tanna. The DEs then hit the sub 3 times and chased it off. But then another Japanese sub attacked the same DE ASW TF and missed again. This time the DEs hit the sub 11 times.

Next, the skipper of the USS Pollack decided not to shot at an xAKL in a rather large Japanese Transport TF off of Phuket. Pollack was chased off, and I said Phuket to the Subs Skipper.

Then off of Toyohara USS S-35 put a torpedo into a Japanese TK. S-35 escaped the Japanese Escorts, but I don’t think that the TK went done.

Finally, USS Gunard fired and reported missing a heavily damaged Japanese sub on the Surface near Torres Island. Once again, I really wish that the Gunard had gone to the surface and used its Deck Gun.

Daylight brought Lousy Weather most everywhere at the start, but the USN PB4Y-1s in the South Pacific ignored the Weather and flew way north to hit the Port at Ndeni. They found a Japanese sub in port and sank it.

The Air Wars then shifted to Burma where a large number of Helens, escorted by Oscars, attacked the British troops at Mandalay. A couple of Hurricane IIcs drifted over from other Duties and buzzed around the Oscars a bit, but the Helens didn’t notice them and hit the Brits reasonably well.

Then 25 more unescorted Helens attacked an Allied Artillery unit just to the west of Mandalay. More Hurricane IIcs attempted to wander over but they didn’t reach the area in time to catch the Helens before they dropped their bombs and left.

It was now the turn of the Allied Air Forces and once again various DB and 2E squadrons attacked various Japanese LCUs around and near Myitkyina without much success at all.

At this point the US 4Es started to Attack the Air Base at Pegu. The first raid consisted of 14 B-17Fs, 12 B-17Es and 55 B-24D1. They were met by 59 Tojos, 34 A6M3as and 9 Tonys. The 4Es blasted past the CAP, shooting down 1 A6M3a on the way by, and destroying 2 A6M3as, 3 Tojos and 10 Tonys on the Ground while hammering the Air Base.

Next in were 13 more B-24D1s which had to face 51 Tojos, 31 A6M3as and 5 Tonys. This attack also blasted past the CAP, shooting down 1 Tojo on the way in, and destroyed another Tony on the Ground.

Finally, 11 more B-24D1s attacked and slipped by the Japanese CAP to destroy another A6M3a and another Tony on the Ground.

Despite the reasonable results at Pegu, I still haven’t figured out where the Helens and Oscar IIs are located. Maybe they are at Moulmein.

But the Allied Air Efforts weren’t over in Burma as 2Es flew in to attack the Japanese Troops at Mandalay. First in were 8 Wellington Ics, 12 Blenheim VDs and 27 Wellington GR VIIIs, escorted by 22 Hurricane IIcs and 7 Hurricane IIBs. The Attack was faced by 6 Tojos on CAP. The Tojos fought well, shooting down 1 IIC, 2 IIBs and 1 VD while losing only one of their own. But the Allied Attack still got through and found their target.

Next in were 11 Wellington BXs which were escorted by 9 Corsairs. This attack was met by 1 Tojo and the Corsairs made short work of him while the Bombers hit their target again.

Various P-39 Squadrons also attempted to Strafe the Enemy at various locations, but couldn’t find the target.

And at the end of the day back in Australia, more 4Es flew and hammered the Air Base at Wyndham again.

Then came a series of Allied Ground Attacks as I attempted to put continuous pressure on the Japanese positions throughout Burma. First up were the Japanese Troops that had already been defeated just east of Akyab:

Ground combat at 55,46 (near Akyab)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 19988 troops, 229 guns, 356 vehicles, Assault Value = 804

Defending force 10931 troops, 121 guns, 111 vehicles, Assault Value = 263

Allied adjusted assault: 486

Japanese adjusted defense: 411

Allied assault odds: 1 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
881 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 90 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 17 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Guns lost 16 (1 destroyed, 15 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
291 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 37 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Guns lost 3 (2 destroyed, 1 disabled)

Assaulting units:
20th Indian Division
43rd Cavalry Regiment
17th Indian Division
3rd (Special Force) Division

Defending units:
32nd Division
17th Army
8th RF Gun Battalion

I’m happy with the loss ratio.

Next was yet another attack on the Japanese Infantry Regiment that was southwest of Kalamyo:

Ground combat at 58,43 (near Kalemyo)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 3813 troops, 42 guns, 418 vehicles, Assault Value = 260

Defending force 2965 troops, 39 guns, 10 vehicles, Assault Value = 54

Allied adjusted assault: 223

Japanese adjusted defense: 79

Allied assault odds: 2 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
411 casualties reported
Squads: 31 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 31 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 6 disabled
Guns lost 9 (8 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Vehicles lost 4 (4 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 1

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

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
3rd Carabiniers Regiment
50th Tank Brigade
8th Medium Regiment

Defending units:
33rd/A Division

So they were finally driven back!

Next was an attack on the Japanese Troops on the Myitkyina Road just to the west of the Base:

Ground combat at 63,42 (near Myitkyina)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 2723 troops, 18 guns, 281 vehicles, Assault Value = 202

Defending force 2606 troops, 20 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 63

Allied adjusted assault: 179

Japanese adjusted defense: 55

Allied assault odds: 3 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
340 casualties reported
Squads: 31 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 24 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 4 (2 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Units retreated 1

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

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
255th Armoured Brigade

Defending units:
112th Infantry Regiment

So my Bombers couldn’t find these troops, but my Armoured Unit didn’t have any problem.

Next I tried an Artillery Bombardment on the Japanese Troops that are 2 hexes to the east of Akyab:

Ground combat at 56,45 (near Akyab)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 3937 troops, 84 guns, 159 vehicles, Assault Value = 97

Defending force 3437 troops, 26 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 109

Japanese ground losses:
28 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
268th Motorised Brigade
29th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment

Defending units:
114th Infantry Regiment

That’s not a bad result, but obviously I’ll have to work harder to drive those Enemy Troops back.

And I had the Indian Division that is just east of Kalemyo try an Artillery Bombardment too:

Ground combat at 60,42 (near Kalemyo)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 9694 troops, 119 guns, 143 vehicles, Assault Value = 252

Defending force 3863 troops, 39 guns, 10 vehicles, Assault Value = 130

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

Assaulting units:
14th Indian Division

Defending units:
33rd/C Division

Once again, while the attack wasn’t bad, the Indians aren’t quite ready for Prime Time yet.

Likewise, the Chinese Troops on the Lashio Road still aren’t ready to push out the Japanse:

Ground combat at 63,45 (near Bhamo)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 46839 troops, 323 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1740

Defending force 16197 troops, 173 guns, 122 vehicles, Assault Value = 467

Allied ground losses:
9 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
10th Chinese Corps
14th Chinese Corps
45th Chinese Corps
97th Chinese Corps
NCAC

Defending units:
2nd Guards Division
8th Area Army
18th Mountain Gun Regiment
5th Mortar Battalion

The Chinese Troops on the Myitkyina Road are closer to being able to get rid of their opponent:

Ground combat at 62,42 (near Katha)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 9072 troops, 100 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 305

Defending force 4161 troops, 51 guns, 16 vehicles, Assault Value = 138

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

Assaulting units:
1st New Chinese Corps

Defending units:
20th/A Division

[ADB123]

My opponent got the Turn off to me this evening so I was able to see how things went in detail. The Air Losses chart below shows that my 4Es did quite a nice job on the Japanese planes on the Ground at Pegu. Now, if I can only find those Helens...

Equally important, more Japanese TFs were reported at Rangoon and Moulmein. It appears that my opponent is very serious about reinforcing Burma. That's fine - Japanese troops there aren't elsewhere.

SIGINT reported very heavy Radio Traffic at Shikuka. There has also been a recent increase of Japanese Recon Flights over the Western Aleutians. I wonder if my opponent is planning a Raid of some sort? (Please, Please, Please! )

In the Funny Thing of the Day category, a Catalina Squadron showed up at San Fran and I immediately got docked Political Points because the squadron was supposed to be withdrawn a couple of months before. So I withdrew it Once Again, and hopefully it will stay that way this time.

[Anonymous]

[Deleted by Admins]

[ADB123]

July 9, 1943 –

The Night Phase started out with the dot base Abemama, near Tarawa, being automatically occupied by the Japanese.

Then ASW Action took the stage as Japanese Subs attempted unsuccessfully to intercept the Allied Amphibious TF that was dropping off a Naval Support Unit at La Foa. The first Japanese sub was hit 18 times by the DEs on Escort, and a second sub was hit 20 times. Later reports indicated that the first sub went down for good. The second sub will have a tough time getting home too.

Daylight started out with plenty of Recon and Air Search by both sides over all four major Fronts – the Far North, the South Pacific, Australia and Burma. But Japanese Air Attack missions didn’t fly, leaving the stage to the Allies.

So in Burma massed Allied 2Es hammered a Japanese 1/3 Infantry Division that was in the open to the northwest of Mandalay. More 2Es have been given the same target for next turn. The Game allows LCUs in the Open to be destroyed much too easily by Air Attacks, but I didn’t design the Game that way, and my forces have suffered the same thing, so I have no qualms about enthusiastically abusing the system as much as possible. Other equally skilled Allied Bomber squadrons had much poorer success as they attempted to attack Japanese LCUs that weren’t in the Open.

Then the Main Event started as the USAAF 4Es appeared in the sky over Toungou. The Japanese sent up 37 Tojos, 10 Oscar IIas, 1 A6M3a, and 4 Oscar IIbs against 10 B-17Fs, 10 B-17Es, and 60 B-24D1s. The Bomber crews had a great time going in, shooting up and shooting down enemy fighters, and then the Bombardiers got their turn as they found plenty of Japanese planes on the Ground, including the long-searched for Helens. The Air Base and Air Fields were bombed very well, with quite satisfying results, as illustrated in the Air Losses chart below. My opponent is running out of Air Bases in Central Burma to use.

Then some 4Es in Australia flew in and really hammered some Japanese troops hard at Katherine. There was no CAP so it was pure Target Practice. I suspect that the Supply Level at Katherine is very low. All-in-all, it was a fairly satisfying turn.

[ADB123]

July 10, 1943 –

The only action during the Night Phase was the automatic Japanese occupation of a leftover Allied dot based in the Solomons called Feni Island.

Daylight brought out Japanese Air Raids against Allied Troops in Meitkila and Magwe. Helens and Oscars flew in unobstructed and did some damage at both bases. But this time I watched the red vectors and it looked as if one attack came from Moulmein and the other from Chiang Mai. So I’ve got the choice between two fresh targets next turn for my 4Es.

The Allied followed up by again sending out 2Es against the Japanese partial Infantry Division that is northwest of Mandalay. The morning attacks didn’t do much damage but the afternoon attacks went back to the more usual massive kills in the open that one comes to expect.

Then the 4Es went after the Air Base at Rangoon again. The first attack consisted of 11 B-17Fs, 8 B-17Es and 39 B-24D1s, which were met by 6 Nick Ias, 7 Tojos and 13 Tonys. The Big Bombers easily blasted past the CAP and hit the Air Base hard, shooting down on Tony on the way by. Later on a straggler attack by 21 more B-24D1s found fewer Japanese Fighters on CAP, but this time the Japanese shot down a B-24D1 while losing another Tony. The Libs still hit the Air Base.

And off in Australia 4Es hit the Air Base at Katherine again. I don’t intend to allow my opponent to try to set up a CAP Trap there any time in the near future.

Finally, USN PB4Y-1s attacked the Port at Ndeni again, but despite the presence of a “ship symbol”, they only hit the Port and Port Supply.

The End-of-Day results were as follows:

Ki-61-Ia Tony – 2 A-to-A, 1 Ops
Ki-44-IIa Tojo – 2 A-to-A, 1 Ops
Ki-49-IIa Helen – 1 Flak
Ki-43-IIa Oscar – 1 Ops

B-24D1 – 1 A-to-A, 1 Ops
B-17F – 1 Ops

In the meanwhile the Allied build-ups continue as planned .

[ADB123]

July 11, 1943 –

Little Andaman was automatically occupied by the Japanese over night.

In other Night Time News, a big US CV TF ran over a Japanese RO Sub near Anatom in the South Pacific. On the first pass the US DDs hit the Japanese sub 5 times. But this apparently wasn’t enough for the sub skipper because he came back and was then blasted to bits by the US Escorts, eventually being sunk on the surface. Fortunately, it appears that the sub didn’t spot the CVs in the TF.

And an Allied Fast Transport landed a Raider Unit on Efate during the Night. Efate is empty so it will either be automatically occupied overnight or else the Raiders will capture it next turn. Then it will be a case of “lather, rinse, and repeat” as I will send in various Support and Engineering units and start to build up the base.

Daylight brought out the Allied DBs over the Air Base at Myitkyina where they proceeded to hammer the Air Fields nicely. They can’t find the Troops at the Base but they can hit the Air Fields.

Then Allied 2Es went after the 1/3rd Japanese Infantry Division that is northwest of Myitkyina. The morning bombers didn’t do a lot of damage but the afternoon raids did. And some P-39s joined in and hit the Japanese troops too.

Elsewhere, 89 P-39s attempted to hit the Japanese Infantry unit that is southeast of Kalemyo but they all missed, even at 100 feet.

The Allied Bombing Parade was then interrupted by 6 Nells that attempted to attack the small Transport TF that was dropping off Supplies at Akyab. The Nells were jumped by 9 Corsairs and 4 P-40Ks. The Allied pilots happily shot down 4 of the hapless, unescorted Japanese Naval Bombers on the spot, and the other two bombers were reported to have gone down on the way home.

Then in the Afternoon the Main Event Occurred as 8 B-17Fs, 10 B-17Es, and 64 B24D1a attacked the Air Base at Chaing Mai. The Allied planes were met by 40 Oscar IIas, 2 A6M3as, and 35 Oscar IIbs, but the Japanese Fighters came in to attack in dribs and drabs, and the 4Es brushed them off like paper airplanes as they proceeded to rain Absolute Destruction down upon the Japanese planes at the base. The Big Bombers shot down 1 of each type of Oscar and reported destroying 46 Helens and 18 Topsys on the Ground.

Afterwards, according to my opponent, it turned out that the attack effectively wiped out 3 Sentais at the base. My opponent isn’t too happy about this, but then, as I pointed out to him, during the Actual War, particularly in late 1942 and 1943, whenever the JAAF attempted to stand up to the USAAF it was generally wiped out very quickly. So the results here really aren’t that much out of place.

In any event, the Air Losses Screen below tells the final story quite nicely. BTW – while you are scanning the columns, notice my C-47 losses. You can see very clearly the price I am paying for the Burma Campaign.

[ADB123]

July 12, 1943 – Interim Report -

My opponent only had time to run the Combat Replay this evening.

Night started out with the Japanese automatically occupying Kiriwina in the Solomons, and the Allied Raiders at Efate got to occupy that base without a fight too.

There was a fair amount of Sub Action for a change. A couple of US DMSs in a small ASW TF spotted a Japanese sub to the northeast of Pago Pago and attacked it, but they missed with their depth charges.

Then a Japanese sub attempted to sneak up on HMS CA Hawkins at Cox's Bazaar, but missed with its torpedos. The DDs escorting Hawkins chased off the sub. But a while later the sub tried again, but this time went after HMS Dorchester. The sub missed this CA too, but this time the British DDs didn't miss and hammered the sub with depth charges, eventually forcing it to the Surface and sinking it with Gunfire.

Finally, USS Pollock fired at and missed an SC in a Troop Transport TF off of Phuket. Pollock was driven off and suffered one hit.

Daylight then brought Allied Air Strikes all over the Map as the Japanese Air Force stayed on the ground other than for Recon and Search Missions.

Allied 2Es and DBs hit the Air Base and Runways at Myitkyina again quite well. The Japanese won't be staging any Surprise Aircraft Missions out of that base in the near future.

Then an SNLF at Taung Gyi was hit by British Liberator IIs, with middling results.

The Japanese partial Division in the Open northwest of Shwebo wasn't as lucky as multiple massed 2E attacks ravaged the unit throughout the day.

P-39s went out in mass again too after Japanese Troops to the southeast of Akyab and to the east of Kalemyo, with mixed results.

The Allied Bomber Attacks in Burma came to an end as 4Es hammered the Air Base at Toungoo. There was an Aircraft Symbol there and I didn't want to take any chances. There was no CAP, but lots of Flak.

And finally, 4Es hammered Japanese Troops at Wyndham, causing lots of casualties. This is exactly what happened to my Armoured Units when they attempted to grab Wyndham.

The Air Attacks were followed by a series of Allied Land Attacks in Burma. The first attack was the best as the Japanese Troops southeast of Akyab were defeated and driven back down the road with heavy casualties.

Then the British 18th Infantry Division attacked the Japanese Troops at Taung Gyi. Despite having a 12:1 advantage in numbers, and a 10:1 advantage in AV, the Brits only ended up with a 1:1 attack and were only able to reduce the Fortifications down to Level 2. But the Japanese suffered a lot of casualties so the next attack ought to achieve more.

There were two other Allied Ground Attacks on Japanese troops to the east of Akyab and to the east of Kalemyo. Again, the attacks weren't successful in dislodging the Japanese but the Japanese suffered heavy casualties in each attack.

[ADB123]

The Big Surprise of the Turn was that Noumea appears to be empty. I've suspected that for a while since none of my many and regular Recon flights were showing any troops there any longer, and the Allied Troops at La Foa didn't report any Japanese troops in Noumea either. But the base didn't revert to Allied control via "automatic occupation" so I wasn't certain until my troops arrived there on foot this turn. So Noumea ought to be Allied again starting next turn, and then I'll start to move in all of the Engineering and Support Troops that I have waiting nearby.

This also makes me think that Koumac may be empty too. That doesn't bother me because I would much rather grab empty bases whenever possible.

In other news, 4 Dutch Air Units showed up this turn in Aden - 2 Fighter squadrons and 2 Patrol squadrons. The Fighter squadrons won't be of much use because they don't appear to have any modern fighters in their upgrade paths. But more Patrol squadrons are always welcome.

So below is the current map in the New Hebrides/New Caledonia region, and on the next page I'll post an updated map of Burma.

[ADB123]

And here is the current situation in Burma:

[ADB123]

July 13, 1943 –

The Night Phase started out with another dot base near Rabaul automatically occupied by the Japanese, and as I expected, Noumea was occupied by the Allies.

Then a surprising number of Sub Encounters started to occur.

- USS Skipjack was chased off by Japanese PBs near Georgetown
- USN DMSs unsuccessfully attacked a Japanese sub off of Pago Pago
- USS Pickerel was attacked unsuccessfully by Japanese SCs near Taihoku
- A Japanese sub hit and sank USN DD Farenholt with a torpedo off of Pago Pago
- A Japanese sub was attacked by Allied Escorts off of Noumea and hit several times
- A Japanese sub was sighted and chased off by a British DD at Cox’s Harbour.

The Sub Action continued at the end of the day:

- A Japanese sub attempted to attack the British Surface Combat TF at Cox’s Harbour again, and this time the British DD hit the sub repeatedly with Depth Charges and likely sank it
- A Japanese sub put a torpedo into an APA off of Noumea and got away

Daylight Air Action was limited to the Allies again this turn. First off Allied DBs and 2Es attacked the Air Base at Myitkyina.

Then multiple massive Allied 2E strikes hammered the Japanese Infantry Division in the open to the northwest of Shwebo.

Next, the SNLF unit at Taung Gyi was hit by Liberator IIs again.

Then came the Main Event as 4Es flew over the last remaining “untouched” Japanese Air Base in the Region – Moulmein. The USAAF attack consisted of 11 B-17Fs, 9 B-17Es, and 67 B-24D1s, which were met by 19 Nick Ias, 39 Tojos and 18 Tonys. The Japanese fighters came in scattered as usual, but they generally fought harder than usual. Never-the-less, the Big Bombers got through and hammered the Air Field, catching lots of Japanese planes on the Ground. The initial reports back were as follows:

Tojo – 1 A-to-A, 1 G
Nick – 1 A-to-A, 7 G
Tony – 20 G
A6M3a – 1 G

The 4E squadrons lost 1 B-17F, 1 B-17E and 2 B-24D1s to enemy fighters. But the End-of-day report, pasted below, suggests an even greater success for the attack.

Later in Burma, 89 P-39s attacked a retreating Japanese Infantry Division southeast of Akyab, but couldn’t find the target. Then 48 more P-39s attacked a retreating Japanese Infantry Regiment east of Kalemyo and did find the target in a minor way.

And off in Australia, 4Es flew in and hammered an Japanese Infantry Regiment at Wyndham with good results.

So the Allied pressure continues at its deliberate pace. Forces, Supply and Fuel continue to move to the Front Lines. And Reinforcements continue to arrive. This turn most of the long-ago withdrawn Dutch Air Units arrived at Aden. And a large number of Base Forces arrived in the US, along with some Soviet LCUs.

[ADB123]

July 14, 1943 –

The Night Phase started off with a dot base in the Bismarks named Lihir being automatically occupied by the Japanese.

Then the USN at Pago Pago took some revenge for the Japanese sub attacks the previous night. First off a couple of USN DEs found and hammered a Japanese sub to the southeast of Pago Pago, hitting the sub 13 times. Then a couple of USN DDs found another Japanese sub nearby and sank it with gunfire after driving the sub to the surface. But there are still at least four more Japanese subs hanging around Pago Pago, so the US ASW Ships will be kept busy for a while yet.

Daylight started out with USN PB4Y-1s hammering the SNLF unit that is sitting at Luganville. I intend to use that Japanese LCU and the Base for Target Practice for quite a while before I send troops in to clean out the remains.

Air Action then shifted to Burma where Allied Bombers once again flew without enemy opposition to hammer Japanese troops at in the open near Shwebo, as well as at Taung Gyi and Mandalay, and hitting the Air Base at Myitkyina again. The USAAF 4Es took part in an “R&R” run against the Japanese troops at Mandalay, but they will be Air Base Hunting again the next turn.

The Air Action then shifted to Australia where 4Es hammered Japanese Troops at Wyndham and Katherine. The Katherine attack, in particular, caused a very nice mass of Japanese casualties.

Finally, at the end of the day the British 18th Infantry Division easily captured Taung Gyi and drove out the SNLF and Base Force while causing the Japanese units heavy casualties. Now the bulk of Japanese Forces in Central Burma are cut-off, disorganized, and being regularly bombed to bits. I’m quite happy with the way that things have turned out, particularly since over half of my Burma Attack Forces are still not fully committed to battle.

And as an added "bonus", I received a large number of ships this turn, including CV Bunker Hill, along with more air units. Things are looking up.

[ADB123]

July 15, 1943 –

The Night Phase started out with a dot base called Misool in the DEI being automatically occupied by the Japanese.

The Night Action consisted of Dutch Sub KXIII putting 2 torpedoes into an xAK that was unloading at Moulmein. The xAK went down, taking at least 1 Gun with it. There were also APs in the TF so there must be a sizable LCU unloading there. KXIII was hit several times afterwards with depth charges, so it is limping home, but I ordered a couple more Subs to Moulmein in case they can get lucky too.

Daylight brought Bad Weather to most of the map, so few Air Missions flew.

The PB4Y-1s hit the SNLF unit at Luganville again, and the Infantry Regiment at Wyndham was hammered hard again by 4Es.

In Burma the remainder of the Japanese Infantry Division northwest of Shwebo was hammered again by 2Es. It might just vanish before it reaches any safer ground. Japanese Troops in Mandalay were hammered again by 4Es, and various P-39 Squadrons tried their luck at strafing Japanese LCUs in the Jungles around Akyab and Kalemyo, with mixed results.

The important news in Burma is that the Chinese NCAC Division and a Commonwealth Armoured Regiment have reached Katha. There appears to only be a small Japanese LCU there, but I will wait to attack until the following turn so that I can fly in Supplies and bring the two Allied LCUs into the "black" before they attack. In the meanwhile, I've ordered 2Es to attack whatever is at Katha.

And the 4Es in Burma will see what they can find at Pegu again, while the Liberator IIs look further afield on Recon Duty in case there is a Build-Up that needs to be Knocked down.

[ADB123]

July 16, 1943 -

The Night Phase saw another dot base get automatically occupied by the Japanese, this time Samoe-einlander in the DEI.

Sub action picked up in the Night too. First off USS Tuna was chased off by Japanese PBs at Tulagi. Then KXII hit an E-class with a dud at Moulmein. The Dutch sub was chased off with a few near-misses by the other escorts in the Transport TF.

Then USS Grunion hit a TK off of Fukue-jima with 3 torpedoes. The TK went down in flames and Grunion snuck away safely.

Finally KXII snuck back into Moulmein Harbour and sank an AMc with a torpedo.

Daylight brought something New to the Game – Japanese Bombers started to attack Industry in China. Bombers attacked Liuchow but didn't hit anything. Then more bombers hit the Light Industry at Kweilin. Next, bombers hit the Oil and Light Industry at Sian. Finally, bombers missed their targets at Changsha and Hengyang.

Up until now neither side has attacked the other's Industry. I guess that my opponent is becoming frustrated with the collapse of the IJA in Burma and wants to distract me in China. But as I wrote to my opponent when I sent back the Turn, “two can play at this game”...

Allied Air Attacks then commenced in Burma, with the Airbase at Myitkyina being hit, along with Japanese Troops at Katha and northwest of Shwebo being hit by 2Es, and various P-39 Squadrons attempting to strafe various Japanese LCUs in the Jungle.

The 4Es in the Theater went after the Air Base at Pegu and found it empty. So they hammered it very hard in the absence of any Enemy CAP. Next turn the 4Es will hit the Air Base at Rangoon again, to make certain that it stays closed, and then I'll start an Industry Campaign there.

And in Australia 4Es hit the Japanese Troops at Wyndham and Katherine again. But Recon reported that the Air Bases in those two towns are being repaired, so I've ordered the 4Es to go Air Base Hunting in Oz again next turn.

Then it was Land Combat time, and for some reason the already out-of-supply and beaten-up Japanese troops on the Akyab Road attempted an Attack on the pursuing Allied Troops. It was a Bad Idea, as the Japanese got a 1:96 result and horrendous casualties. But just further south a fresh Japanese Infantry Regiment kicked the Indian Paratroops back to Ramree Island, so the escape path for the Japanese is now clear.

It has become obvious that my opponent is now abandoning everything in Burma. So I'll pick up the remaining bases as he pulls out. My guess is that he will attempt to defend a Line at Rangoon-Pegu-Moulmein, but that's fine, I'll just bomb all of them back into the Stone Age.

[ADB123]

July 17, 1943 – Interim Report -

My opponent is busy with Real Life again so he only had time to send the Combat Replay.

The Night Phase started out with the Japanese automatically occupying a dot base called Saresan in the DEI, while the Allies got to occupy the dot base Isle of Pines next to Noumea. I was wondering how long it would be before the Game decided to give that base to me.

Daylight brought Japanese Bombers over Siangtan where they attacked the Light Industry. My opponent implied in his email that he wasn't like to continue Bombing Industry. I presume he was considering what my 4Es could do at Rangoon and points south.

And the 4Es did attack Rangoon, but they hit the Air Base instead of Industrial Sites. There was no CAP so all the Big Bombers had to deal with was Flak, and I had them up at 10K to avoid that. So it was a nice practice run and the Air Base was hammered hard. It appears that there may still be some Japanese Planes at Moulmein, so I may send the 4Es back there again next turn.

Elsewhere in Burma, DBs attacked the Air Base at Myitkyina, 2Es hammered the remains of the 1/3 Infantry Division that is still trying to move out of the Clear to the northwest of Shwebo, Liberator IIs hit the Air Base at Lashio, just to keep things “honest” there, and various P-39 Squadrons attacked various Japanese LCUs in the Jungle, with slightly better success than normal. This appears to be a case of Practice Makes Perfect – or at least Better.

And in Australia, 4Es hit the Air Base at Katherine again.

Otherwise, things were quiet, other than Allied Bases being Built Up more and more.