European battle for the Pacific - No Sebastian!

[terje439]

December 27th 1941

Invasions
No invasions occur today.

Bases lost
Japan takes Cagayan, Kuala Lumpur, Taiping and johure Bahru. All these bases were empty by design.

Hong Kong
It seems the Japanese forces are worn down, as they only make a bombardment attack this turn. Our unadjusted Av in the base is now down to 24.

Darwin
The enemy does not pursue our ships in the Darwin area, so they all move closer to Sydney and safety.

Singapore
The enemy launches all available aircraft in the vicinity against eh AF at Singapore. They do not achieve much, and our AA shoot down a few bombers, so I will be glad if this is kept up. After all, those pilots the Japanese lose now are highly experienced, and the replacements that are needed has to be trained from scratch.

Lack of screenshot
Nothing worth taking a screenshot of today. If there are any requests, do not hesitate to ask.

[terje439]

December 28th 1941

Invasions
Coast watchers report enemy ships off Finschafen today.

Bases lost
The enemy seizes Hwaiyin (sp?) in China.

Japanese aerial raids
Japanese aircrafts appear over Darwin, Singapore, Hong Kong and Port Moresby today.

Hong Kong
Hehe, our engineers once more rebuild the defences, making the garrison live yet another day.

Concern
WHAT is the TF below?

[terje439]

December 29th 1941

Invasions
Enemy troops are reported to land at Finschafen, Iloilo, Tulagi and Shortlands.

Bases lost
The enemy takes control over Polillo qand Finschafen today.

Japanese aerial raids
Japan sends aircrafts to Batavia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Hong Kong
Once more our defenders hold against the Japanese assault. Good job lads!

KB/Baby-KB
Baby-KB is SW of Soerebaja trying to stop more ships from escaping the DEI, but none are left (save some PTs). KB is off Port Moresby where she intercepted a convoy bound for Sydney. Once more my greed sees the end of several ships. Our carriers have been told to get the H*** out of there and head for Auckland.

Mistakes made
Once more the desire to get as much as possible out of DEI results in more ships lost than was actually needed.

[khyberbill]

Main concern
A letter has been sent to Washington and London where the map below was posted. We try to explain to the politicians the need for the following;
1. Fighters, and not outdated ones, but frontline fighters.
2. Ships with an ASW rating of atleast 4.
3. More medium level bombers with decent range for ASW.
4. More B17s for raiding/harassing enemy bases.
5. More PPs to better adjust our defences.

I am sure Congress will consider your requests as soon as they settle the terms of the Milk Compact for the Northeast. Butter before guns.

[khyberbill]

We are also using some of the Dutch search planes to extract isolated units. If possible we will try to ship some Dutch base forces to Oz.

I am sorry to jump in so late. Here are some thoughts.

If you still have the time, I would also consider moving your Dutch forces to Coco Islands. Or some of the British/Indian forces slated for Singapore. Build up the forts, get about 300AV of Dutch/Indians here and it is tough for the Japanese to take and protects your flank as you move fuel from Abadan to Perth.

Also, send some supply to Rangoon and ship it to China before the Burma road closes. One can move about 1500-2000 units a day. Makes a big difference in China. You will need the AVG and planes from Singapore to protect against IJ attacking the convoys.

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: khyberbill

Main concern
A letter has been sent to Washington and London where the map below was posted. We try to explain to the politicians the need for the following;
1. Fighters, and not outdated ones, but frontline fighters.
2. Ships with an ASW rating of atleast 4.
3. More medium level bombers with decent range for ASW.
4. More B17s for raiding/harassing enemy bases.
5. More PPs to better adjust our defences.

I am sure Congress will consider your requests as soon as they settle the terms of the Milk Compact for the Northeast. Butter before guns.

Hi, and welcome to this AAR.
So it would seem. Sadly #5 is more and more important as I am running out of "free" units to redeploy...


Terje

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: khyberbill

We are also using some of the Dutch search planes to extract isolated units. If possible we will try to ship some Dutch base forces to Oz.

I am sorry to jump in so late. Here are some thoughts.

1. If you still have the time, I would also consider moving your Dutch forces to Coco Islands. Or some of the British/Indian forces slated for Singapore. Build up the forts, get about 300AV of Dutch/Indians here and it is tough for the Japanese to take and protects your flank as you move fuel from Abadan to Perth.

2. Also, send some supply to Rangoon and ship it to China before the Burma road closes. One can move about 1500-2000 units a day. Makes a big difference in China. You will need the AVG and planes from Singapore to protect against IJ attacking the convoys.

I actually have more time for #1 than for #2. The enemy is seen closing in on Rangoon, so before I could get those ships there to offload, the city will have fallen I am afraid.
Troops have now been diverted to Cocos Island, good point, and one I have not paid attention to before. This unfortunately reduces my defences at Colombo for the time being. Scary [:D]

Terje

[terje439]

December 30th 1941

Invasions
We get reports on Japanese forces landing at Iloilo, Tulagi and Port Moresby today. Only Iloilo has any troops, maybe we can delay them for some days at least.

Bases lost
Japan captures Lubang, Shortlands and Tulagi. Then reports arrive that the forces at Iloilo surrenders at the first encounter with the Japanese. Seems our PHI troops are not made for war. The heaviest blow to morale however is the news that Hong Kong finally surrenders to the Japanese. Still, our forces there fought off overwhelming odds for much longer than anticipated.

Japanese aerial raids
Japan raids Batavia, Singapore and Soerebaja today. They do not score any troubling hits, and since the raid on Soerebaja is made by Baby-KB, I take it that the 3 downed AC were piloted by high exp pilots. Let us hope they keep this up.

KB
KB has split in two, supposedly covering the invasion at Port Moresby, but as they realize that they have nothing to fear, they give chase to the rag tag TFs caught between Port Moresby and Darwin. We will try to utilize this (see below).

Baby-KB
South of Soerebaja, raiding Soerebaja. We tried to mass all our Dutch bomb-carrying planes for an attack, but the Dutch decided that small groups of AC going in one after another was a better way to do it. Not a wise decision, and no hits are scored. I guess the IJN is still laughing at our attempts.

Charge of the Light Brigade all over?
With KB occupied with sinking the ships caught between her and Darwin, there is a small window of oppertunity. We will try to hunt down some IJN invasion forces and try to inflict some damage before running like mad. (see below).

[khyberbill]

I usually put about 350AV in Coco Islands, all Dutch. I move those two large Dutch Air support units to Oz and the rest of the Base Forces and Inf to Coco Islands, depending on what my foe does.

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: khyberbill

I usually put about 350AV in Coco Islands, all Dutch. I move those two large Dutch Air support units to Oz and the rest of the Base Forces and Inf to Coco Islands, depending on what my foe does.

The large Air support units have arrived at Darwin, but I also shipped some Dutch combat troops to Darwin. Guess I need to fond a garrison for Coco Islands elsewhere (read as British).

Terje

[terje439]

December 31st 1941

Invasions
No reports arrive about new Japanese invasions today, but reports claim that more troops do land at Port Moresby.

Bases lost
Japan conquers (cannot wait for being able to write "we take") Siquor(sp?), Moulmein, Samarinda and Port Moresby.

Japanese aerial raids
Enemy aircrafts attack targets at Singapore and Clark Airfield, as well as sweeping the skies over Soerebaja.

KB
Kido Butai tries to finish of the ships they did not sink yesterday, another bad day to be an Allied sailor.

Baby-KB
Seems to be withdrawing towards the PHI. Guess she is off to refuel and rearm. Too bad, always nice to know the location of the Japanese flattops...

Sub warfare
The IJN submarines off San Fransisco realises that the Canadian KVs are better at fighting back than the USN DDs as our Canadian friends score 3 hits on a submarine today.
The IJN submarines off PH is still scaring me from sending my battleships from PH to the WC though.

[khyberbill]

The IJN submarines off PH is still scaring me from sending my battleships from PH to the WC though.

It is wise to be patient for this move. Meanwhile, Sys damage will be coming down. I set every bomber at PH at ASW, 2000 to keep their heads down and find out their patrol pattern and then send them all at once with strong escort plus a few ASW TF's plowing the way. I have never lost a BB going to WC with this process.

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: khyberbill

The IJN submarines off PH is still scaring me from sending my battleships from PH to the WC though.

It is wise to be patient for this move. Meanwhile, Sys damage will be coming down. I set every bomber at PH at ASW, 2000 to keep their heads down and find out their patrol pattern and then send them all at once with strong escort plus a few ASW TF's plowing the way. I have never lost a BB going to WC with this process.

Pretty much the same as I do, I fly them at 6k however. Problem is ofc that my pilots are around 30 ASW xp which I think means they will drop their bombs on a pack of whales and claim that they killed 5 IJN subs [:D]


Terje

[terje439]

January 1st 1942

Invasions
There are no reports of Japanese troops landing anywhere today. Although this is a good thing, it is also a slight concern. Are the Japanese gathering troops and ship for something big, or are they simply gathering their breath?

Bases lost
The only base lost to Japan today is Dumanquilas. I am happy to allow Japan to spend time on taking unimportant bases. Allows me more time to gather PPs and buying out units to defend more important bases.

Japanese aerial raids
The Japanese airforce attack Singapore, Horn Island, Darwin and Yenan as well as sweeping Soerebaja once more.

KB
The KB seems to merge again. She is hugging the OZ coast while she continue to sink the ships she has been targeted the past two days.

Baby-KB
Hmm Baby-KB has turned back, and is now off Darwin.

Slight concerns
There are alot of Japanese TFs north of Darwin. Are these alot of minor invasion forces targeting Dutch bases, or am I looking at an invasion of Oz?

Allied "phase"
We are now at the phase where we are slowed down by the lack of APs and PPs. All I can do is shuffle forces around as best I can. For now the main focus has to be Pago Pago, Suva and the Islands in the Indian Ocean. The most avaited convoy for the time being is a convoy shipping US fighters to Oz. Unfortunately this convoy is still a week away from Oz.

[terje439]

January 2nd 1942

Invasions
Enemy invasions are reported at Gasmata and Buna. That is not very shocking, so it is no cause for concern.

Bases lost
We lose control over Tagbilaran(sp?) and Sambas today.

Japanese aerial attacks
Japan launches aerial raids on Singapore, Changsha and Yenan today. As "usual" some Zeroes and Oscars appear over Soerebaja as well, shooting down one Dutch fighter before pulling back.

KB
Between Australia and Port Moresby. No more ships for her to sink. Will she chase our CVs?

Baby-KB
Still north of Australia.

USN CVs
Not finding any IJN shipping our CVs will head back to the WC where they are safe from KB. Nothing major to risk losing them for at the moment, so better to keep them safe.

Disclaimer
Well, I am no artist, that is for sure. So sorry about the rather congested screenshot, hope it makes sense.

[terje439]

January 3rd 1942

Invasions
Reports claim that Japan has landed troops at Gasmata, Pontianak, Horn Island, Buna and Madang today.

Bases lost
Japan captures Oroquieta, Horn Island, Buna, Gasmata, Watampone and Roxas today.

Japanese aerial raids
Japanese aircrafts launch attacks on Singapore, Clark Airfield, Yenan, Nanyang and Kanshien today, they also conducted their daily sweep at Soerebaja, but failed to shoot down any Dutch fighters today. The Dutch failed at shooting down any Japanese plane as well.

KB/Baby-KB
Lost contact with both, still ordering my CVs to flee the scene though. Nothing to be won by lingering in the area where KB was last spotted, but alot to lose.

Current actions
It is mostly a waiting game now, waiting for PPs to accumulate, waiting for convoys to arrive, waiting for ships to finish repairs etc. We have ordered an AMPH convoy to load at SF and head for PP today, that is pretty much all.

Thoughts
It seems Sebastian is going for an all out attack in China. Not much to do about that. The attack on Horn Island might suggest an attempt on Oz as well. If that happens I will have to allow him to take/hold northern Oz, as that is not easy to hold if KB shows up.

[terje439]

January 4th 1942

Invasions
Japanese troops wade ashore at Madang, Pontianak and Sandakan.

Bases lost
We lose Dumaguete(Sp?), Chusien, Kolaka, Madang and Pontianak today. The increased speed of the Japanese assault is not really surprising as we do not have any proper forces in those locations. But every day Japan uses to take the Dutch bases is a Godsent, as it means more time to fortify Pago Pago and Suva.

Japanese aerial raids
Japanese bombers appear over Chengchow, Kanshien, Singapore and Soerebaja today. The Dutch fighters once more fail at shooting down any Japanese aircrafts.

KB
Shows up between Papua New Guinea and Darwin. Might be going to help with the invasion of DEI, but that is pure guesswork.

[terje439]

January 5th 1942

Disclaimer
Messed up and lost the screenshot. Nothing of real interest anyway hehe.

Invasions
Coast watchers report Japanese troops landing at Salamaua today.

Bases lost
Calapan, kanshien, Benkoelen and Sandokan all fell to the Japanese.

Japanese aerial raids
Japan bombs Nanyang, Kanshien, Singapore and Chengchow, while sweeping Soerebaja. Today the Dutch lose 6 aircrafts while downing none, so they have ordered their fighters to stand down for a while, allowing the squadrons time to rest and refit. They are also contemplating adjusting their CAP altitude.

KB
No intel about her.

Baby-KB
Located off Normanton where she sinks two hiding transports.

[terje439]

January 6th 1942

Invasions
Japanese troops land at Salamaua and Manus.

Bases lost
We lose control over Tioman Island, Salamaua and Georgetown.

Japanese aerial raids
Japan bombs Chengchow and Singapore today. There is also the daily sweep at Soerebaja, but this time the Japanese met no Dutch fighters as the pilots are resting.

KB
Off Port Moresby seems to be heading east.

Baby-KB
North of Normanton. Launched a raid on Normanton to sink the remaining damaged AS that is located there, they did not succeed, which probably means another attack tomorrow.

Allied actions
Nothing more than adjusting the movement of a few TFs. This is the great waiting period for the Allies. We cannot even upgrade those outdated USN fighters at the moment. Not enough are available in the pool.

[terje439]

January 7th 1942

Invasions
Lae and Tandjoengpinang are invaded by Japanese troops.

Bases lost
Japan captures Babayan and Manus.

Japanese air raids
Japan bombs Chengchow, Singapore and Soerebaja today. Had hoped Sebastian would not bomb Soerebaja today in fear of me making a trap, but he did, and I lost a submarine as a result. The Dutch pilots are ordered airborne again, but the CAP altitude has been increased to 20.000 feet.

KB
Between PNG and Oz.

Baby-KB
She has disappeared.

Bataan
A Japanese AMc (probably) set to mine sweep Manilla makes a fatal detour.