The War of the Training Cruisers: Kitakami (J) vs. Falken (A) - RA 4.5

[Kitakami]

I am going to start following the example of some rather fine AARs, and will be posting my comments by region in the following order (roughly counterclockwise): China, Burma, Malaya, DEI, Philippines, South Seas, Central Pacific, The North.

This turn was much more combat intensive than the previous one. Air losses, for one, jumped to unexpectedly high levels. I lost about 20 planes or so, while Allied losses are estimated at 2-3 times that. I'd rather not have too many turns with air losses that high, as my trained pilot pool would attrite too quickly, but there was one good thing in all of this: around 30 Allied fighters lost, for about 10 of mine. A 3-1 fighter loss ratio is something I would not mind keeping up!

China

There is a LOT of possitioning needed in China, and most of it is still going on (and will be for most of December), but there are a few units that can start attacking early. I am trying to do the most with what I have available. Clearing Hong Kong is, of course, a priority, both on land and at sea.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Hong Kong at 77,62, Range 9,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CL Naka
DD Natsugumo
DD Minegumo
DD Asagumo
DD Murasame
DD Harusame
DD Yudachi
DD Samidare

Allied Ships
DD Scout, Shell hits 1, on fire
DM Thracian

Plenty of numerical superiority, enough ammo, and the only result is the Scout being hit once. At least it is on fire.

Now onto the air war:

Morning Air attack on Chuhsien , at 88,56

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27b Nate x 7
Ki-30 Ann x 6

No Japanese losses

Runway hits 4

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x Ki-30 Ann bombing from 2000 feet
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb

Morning Air attack on Hong Kong , at 77,61

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 30 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-Ic Sally x 3
Ki-27b Nate x 6
Ki-30 Ann x 20
Ki-32 Mary x 13

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-30 Ann: 2 damaged

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 10

Aircraft Attacking:
20 x Ki-30 Ann bombing from 6000 feet
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
13 x Ki-32 Mary bombing from 6000 feet
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
3 x Ki-21-Ic Sally bombing from 2000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb

Morning Air attack on Changsha , at 82,52

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 28 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27b Nate x 8
Ki-30 Ann x 3

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-30 Ann: 1 damaged
Ki-30 Ann: 1 destroyed by flak

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x Ki-30 Ann bombing from 2000 feet
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb

Afternoon Air attack on Hong Kong , at 77,61

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 24 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 13

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-48-Ib Lily: 3 damaged

Airbase hits 4
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 4

Aircraft Attacking:
13 x Ki-48-Ib Lily bombing from 6000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 2 x 100 kg GP Bomb

Morning Air attack on Pakhoi , at 72,58

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 13 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-51 Sonia x 21

No Japanese losses

Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 11

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x Ki-51 Sonia bombing from 6000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 2 x 50 kg GP Bomb
9 x Ki-51 Sonia bombing from 6000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 2 x 50 kg GP Bomb

I have restarted Ki-32 Mary production, and it will be my main light bomber for the time being. I prefer its 250 Kg bomb to the bombs carried by the Ki-48 or the Ki-51. Also, 2000 feet may be a bit too low, even in China, if there are any AAA units present (like in Changsha).

As for the gound pounders:

Ground combat at 83,51 (near Wuchang)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 35014 troops, 328 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1102

Defending force 7112 troops, 38 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 159

Japanese adjusted assault: 1962

Allied adjusted defense: 3

Japanese assault odds: 654 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: leaders(+), disruption(-), morale(-), experience(-)
supply(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

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

Allied ground losses:
3543 casualties reported
Squads: 369 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 106 destroyed, 29 disabled
Engineers: 33 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 32 (32 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 1

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
6th Division
3rd Division
40th Division

Defending units:
20th Chinese Corps

A good blow in number of squads destroyed, and it clears a hex. Now to see if these troops can continue advancing or not.

Ground combat at Hong Kong (77,61)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 28688 troops, 381 guns, 244 vehicles, Assault Value = 910

Defending force 7285 troops, 130 guns, 78 vehicles, Assault Value = 238

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

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

Assaulting units:
104th Division
38th Division
10th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
3rd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
2nd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
20th Ind. Engineer Regiment
2nd RF Gun Battalion
1st Hvy.Artillery Regiment
5th RF Gun Battalion
19th Ind. Engineer Regiment
2nd Mortar Battalion
20th Ind. Mtn Gun Battalion

Defending units:
Winnipeg Grenadiers Battalion
Rifles of Canada Battalion
1st Middlesex Battalion
Kowloon Brigade
102nd RN Base Force
Hong Kong Fortress

Hong Kong is always a mistery to me in the sense that I don't always know when to switch from bombardment to deliberate attacks. Will have to think about switching soon, though, as both 38th and 104th divisions have future engagements they need to attend to.

Ground combat at 88,45 (near Kaifeng)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 11088 troops, 94 guns, 32 vehicles, Assault Value = 372

Defending force 1540 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 46

Japanese adjusted assault: 157

Allied adjusted defense: 4

Japanese assault odds: 39 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
188 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 6 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled

Allied ground losses:
589 casualties reported
Squads: 21 destroyed, 29 disabled
Non Combat: 30 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Units retreated 1

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
35th Division

Defending units:
8th New Chinese Corps

Will I be able to surround and reduce Kaifeng? I do not know, but at least the first step has been taken. Time will tell.

All in all, I can't complain about China. I need to attack more in that theater, before Chinese defenses are set up, but garrison requirements make it a bit difficult (as they should). Still, I will do my best to keep my esteemed opponent off balance for as long as I can.

Burma

All is quiet here... at least for now.

Malaya

And now we come to the reason why Burma is quiet! I need to be swift here, if I want a chance to do... interesting things... before Allies achieve material parity or advantage overall.

Allied minesweepers sweep Singapore, clearing 41 mines. That is all the naval action in this theater.

The air war:

Morning Air attack on Georgetown , at 49,74

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 40
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 21
Ki-44-Ia Tojo x 3

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IF x 3
Buffalo I x 8

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 1 destroyed, 4 damaged
Ki-44-Ia Tojo: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IF: 1 damaged
Buffalo I: 1 destroyed, 5 damaged

Airbase hits 9
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 17

Aircraft Attacking:
14 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 6000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb
24 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 6000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb
2 x Ki-44-Ia Tojo sweeping at 20000 feet
9 x Ki-43-Ib Oscar sweeping at 20000 feet
12 x Ki-43-Ib Oscar sweeping at 20000 feet

CAP engaged:
No.21 Sqn RAAF with Buffalo I (8 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
8 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Raid is overhead
No.27 Sqn RAF with Blenheim IF (3 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Raid is overhead

Lost a Tojo there, and can't replace it before June, I think. But I will use any non-Nate fighters I can, so them be the breaks.

Morning Air attack on 108th/2 Base Force, at 51,66 (Victoria Point)

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 32 NM, estimated altitude 5,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-30 Ann x 24

No Japanese losses

Aircraft Attacking:
24 x Ki-30 Ann bombing from 2000 feet *
Ground Attack: 1 x 100 kg GP Bomb

Trying to cause some disruption for the coming ground assault, but at extended range, bomb load is laughable!

Morning Air attack on Alor Star , at 49,73

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 17

Allied aircraft
no flights

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim I: 1 destroyed on ground

Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 2

Aircraft Attacking:
17 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 6000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb

Morning Air attack on Alor Star , at 49,73

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 29
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 51

Allied aircraft
no flights

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim I: 3 damaged
Blenheim I: 1 destroyed on ground

Airbase hits 7
Airbase supply hits 8
Runway hits 16

Aircraft Attacking:
23 x Ki-48-Ib Lily bombing from 2000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 100 kg GP Bomb
28 x Ki-48-Ib Lily bombing from 2000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 100 kg GP Bomb
29 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 2000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb

Need to keep pressure of some sort in one of my next targets. The destroyed Blenheims are just a bonus.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Kota Bharu at 51,75

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
F1M2 Pete x 5
Ki-27b Nate x 1
Ki-44-Ia Tojo x 2

Allied aircraft
Blenheim I x 3
Blenheim IV x 7
Hudson I x 4

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim I: 1 damaged
Blenheim IV: 1 destroyed
Hudson I: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
CA Atago
BB Fuso
xAK Ayatosan Maru

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x Hudson I bombing from 6000 feet *
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 lb SAP Bomb
3 x Blenheim I bombing from 6000 feet
Naval Attack: 4 x 250 lb SAP Bomb
7 x Blenheim IV bombing from 6000 feet
Naval Attack: 4 x 250 lb SAP Bomb

CAP engaged:
11th Sentai with Ki-27b Nate (1 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(1 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Raid is overhead
47th I.F.Chutai with Ki-44-Ia Tojo (2 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(2 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
2 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 20000
Raid is overhead
Fuso-1 with F1M2 Pete (2 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
2 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 20000
Raid is overhead
Yamashiro-1 with F1M2 Pete (1 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 20000
Raid is overhead
Takao-2 with F1M2 Pete (1 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 20000
Raid is overhead
Atago-2 with F1M2 Pete (1 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 20000
Raid is overhead

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Kota Bharu at 51,75

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 10 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Japanese aircraft
F1M2 Pete x 5

Allied aircraft
Blenheim I x 3
Hudson I x 3

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim I: 1 damaged
Hudson I: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Fuso
xAK Koryu Maru

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x Hudson I bombing from 6000 feet *
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 lb SAP Bomb
3 x Blenheim I bombing from 6000 feet
Naval Attack: 4 x 250 lb SAP Bomb

CAP engaged:
Fuso-1 with F1M2 Pete (2 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
2 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 20000
Raid is overhead
Yamashiro-1 with F1M2 Pete (1 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 20000
Raid is overhead
Takao-2 with F1M2 Pete (1 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 20000
Raid is overhead
Atago-2 with F1M2 Pete (1 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 20000
Raid is overhead

The IJN is still lucky: no bomb hits on any ships in Kota Bharu. Still, I get nervous every time I see one of these attacks. And kudos to Master Pete! I knew I could count on him, when other, flashier, fighters are resting and drinking sake!

Morning Air attack on Nakhon Si Thammarat , at 51,70

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 42 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 14 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27b Nate x 1

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IF x 4

No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Aircraft Attacking:
1 x Blenheim IF sweeping at 15000 feet

CAP engaged:
1st Sentai with Ki-27b Nate (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(1 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 1 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 6 minutes

Interesting to see Allied sweeps in this place. Hmm...

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Georgetown at 49,74

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 13
G4M1 Betty x 9

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IF x 3
Buffalo I x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Buffalo I: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
HDML Panglima, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
HDML Panji, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
HDML Pennigat

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 18in Type 91 Torpedo

CAP engaged:
No.21 Sqn RAAF with Buffalo I (4 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
4 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Raid is overhead
No.27 Sqn RAF with Blenheim IF (3 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Raid is overhead

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Georgetown at 49,74

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 28 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G3M2 Nell x 13

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IF x 1

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M2 Nell: 1 damaged

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
HDML Pahalwan
HDML Pennigat

Aircraft Attacking:
13 x G3M2 Nell launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 18in Type 91 Torpedo

CAP engaged:
No.27 Sqn RAF with Blenheim IF (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters to 5000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 27 minutes

Trying to get the HDMLs out. I'd have done the same. At least Miss Betty has hit SOMETHING after sinking the PoW and the R. Same can't be said of Miss Nellie, though, and I hate to loose a Zero.

Now the mud-sluggers:

Ground combat at Kota Bharu (51,75)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 14862 troops, 236 guns, 97 vehicles, Assault Value = 468

Defending force 4274 troops, 44 guns, 1 vehicles, Assault Value = 110

Japanese adjusted assault: 530

Allied adjusted defense: 19

Japanese assault odds: 27 to 1 (fort level 2)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Kota Bharu !!!

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

Japanese ground losses:
260 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 17 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled


Allied ground losses:
2583 casualties reported
Squads: 136 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 104 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 27 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 45 (45 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 2
Units destroyed 1

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
18th Division
23rd Ind. Engineer Regiment
3rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
11th Shipping Engineer Regiment
5th JAAF AF Coy
15th Ind. Engineer Regiment
26th Fld AA Gun Co
35th Fld AA Gun Co
3rd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
1st RF Gun Battalion
18th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
4th Ind. Engineer Regiment
5th FA Rgt /3

Defending units:
FMSV Brigade
8th Indian Brigade
3rd ISF Base Force

A reconstituted 18th Division, plus auxiliary troops take Kota Bharu. It will make a good airfield for sweeps into the southern Malaya peninsula. Engineers are already in place to make that happen.Allied losses were heavy, and one unit surrendered. Can't complain about that. Now, to push forward.

Ground combat at Victoria Point (51,66)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 851 troops, 8 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 37

Defending force 514 troops, 12 guns, 1 vehicles, Assault Value = 3

Japanese adjusted assault: 31

Allied adjusted defense: 3

Japanese assault odds: 10 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Victoria Point !!!

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

Allied ground losses:
104 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 18 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 3 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 7 (7 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 1

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
1st Raiding Regiment
1st Raiding Rgt /2

Defending units:
108th/2 Base Force

It was about time! Now to start conquering the bases to the north of this.

The Dutch East Indies

I must not tarry here. If I want to keep the strategic initiative for long, I need to conquer this swiftly... and without too much damage to the oil heads. Sadly, there are other theaters that require use of the big units (Malaya) and the big guns (Bataan), so I have to do my best with what is not assigned to other places. Anyway...

ASW attack near Miri at 65,84

Japanese Ships
CL Kitakami
xAK Eihuku Maru
DD Yugao

Allied Ships
SS KXIV

SS KXIV launches 4 torpedoes at CL Kitakami
DD Yugao fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Yugao fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Yugao fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Yugao attacking submerged sub ....
DD Yugao is out of ASW ammo
DD Yugao fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

A rather slow cruiser escapes an ignominious death dealt by a rather excellent sub.

Submarine attack near Muntok at 50,89

Japanese Ships
SS I-160

Allied Ships
TK Semiramis, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage

TK Semiramis is sighted by SS I-160
SS I-160 launches 4 torpedoes at TK Semiramis

Submarine attack near Oosthaven at 46,97

Japanese Ships
SS I-155

Allied Ships
xAP Poelau Bras, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 5, on fire, heavy damage

xAP Poelau Bras is sighted by SS I-155
SS I-155 attacking xAP Poelau Bras on the surface

Submarine attack near Pamekasan at 58,106

Japanese Ships
SS I-153

Allied Ships
xAK Tjikarang, Torpedo hits 2, heavy damage

xAK Tjikarang is sighted by SS I-153
SS I-153 launches 2 torpedoes at xAK Tjikarang

Submarine attack near Muntok at 50,89

Japanese Ships
SS I-160

Allied Ships
TK Iris, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 7, heavy fires, heavy damage

TK Iris is sighted by SS I-160
SS I-160 attacking on the surface

Sub attack near Balikpapan at 64,99

Japanese Ships
SS I-154

Allied Ships
CA Houston, Torpedo hits 1

SS I-154 launches 6 torpedoes
Sub escapes detection

As if in response, Japanese subs scores hits on 2x TK, 1x AK and 1x AP... and the Houston! Good form! I wish they had fired smaller salvoes in some cases, or that more torps would have hit (the Houston got off easy with only one fish). But I can't complain, really!

And in the ground:

Amphibious Assault at Beaufort (66,87)

TF 105 troops unloading over beach at Beaufort, 66,87

The Philippines

The Allies cleared 3 mines from Bataan.

Here I'd rather sink fewer, but more important ships, than the many xAKs and xAKLs that flee from these islands. I am happy to have at least damaged the Houston, and somewhat worried that I have not seen that CL which shall not be named. Yet, this turn I get to sink a few secondary objectives that, on the long run, I'd rather see sunk. Let's see...

Naval Actions:

Sub attack near San Fernando at 79,73

Japanese Ships
xAK Maya Maru
PB Choun Maru #18
xAK Pacific Maru
xAK Shinyubari Maru
xAK Hokuan Maru
xAK Tatukami Maru
PB Kyo Maru #13
PB Kyo Maru #12
PB Taiko Maru

Allied Ships
SS Skipjack

SS Skipjack launches 2 torpedoes at xAK Maya Maru
Skipjack diving deep ....
PB Kyo Maru #13 fails to find sub, continues to search...
PB Kyo Maru #12 fails to find sub and abandons search
PB Taiko Maru fails to find sub and abandons search
PB Kyo Maru #13 fails to find sub, continues to search...
PB Kyo Maru #13 fails to find sub, continues to search...
PB Kyo Maru #13 fails to find sub, continues to search...
PB Kyo Maru #13 fails to find sub, continues to search...
PB Kyo Maru #13 fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

Right place to be for that sub. Thankfully, no damage done.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Jolo at 73,91, Range 20,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CVL Ryujo
CVL Shoho
CVL Zuiho
CA Myoko
CA Haguro
CA Nachi
DD Kuroshio
DD Oyashio
DD Hatsukaze
DD Natsushio
DD Hayashio
DD Amatsukaze

Allied Ships
xAKL Kanlaon II
xAKL Latouche, Shell hits 1

Poor visibility due to Rain
Maximum visibility in Rain: 15,000 yards
Range increases to 26,000 yards...
Range closes to 25,000 yards...
Range increases to 27,000 yards...
Range increases to 30,000 yards...
Range closes to 29,000 yards...
Range closes to 28,000 yards...
Range increases to 29,000 yards...
Range closes to 28,000 yards...
Range closes to 27,000 yards...
Range increases to 30,000 yards...
Range closes to 29,000 yards...
Range closes to 25,000 yards...
Range closes to 24,000 yards...
Range closes to 23,000 yards...
Range closes to 19,000 yards...
Range closes to 18,000 yards...
Range closes to 17,000 yards...
Range closes to 16,000 yards...
Range closes to 14,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 14,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 14,000 yards
Both TF attempt to withdraw!
Range increases to 20,000 yards...
CA Haguro engages xAKL Latouche at 20,000 yards
Range increases to 28,000 yards
Task forces break off...

I guess this is what happens when cruisers and carriers sail together. Better to sail them in different TFs, I guess.

The Air War:

It gets much more interesting here...

Morning Air attack on Manila , at 79,77

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 36 NM, estimated altitude 25,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 27

Allied aircraft
P-26A x 3
P-40B Warhawk x 1
P-40E Warhawk x 29

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-26A: 1 destroyed
P-40B Warhawk: 1 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 7 destroyed

Aircraft Attacking:
7 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 20000 feet

CAP engaged:
35th PG/34th PS with P-40E Warhawk (12 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(12 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
12 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Raid is overhead
6th PS PAAC with P-26A (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(3 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 3 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 1 minutes
24th PG/Hq Sqn with P-40B Warhawk (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(1 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 1 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 4 minutes
24th PG/3rd PS with P-40E Warhawk (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 1 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 4 minutes
35th PG/21st PS with P-40E Warhawk (16 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
16 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Raid is overhead

Morning Air attack on Manila , at 79,77

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 37 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 9
G4M1 Betty x 28

Allied aircraft
P-26A x 1
P-40E Warhawk x 3

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 3 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-40E Warhawk: 3 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground

Airbase hits 7
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 10

Aircraft Attacking:
28 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 6000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
24th PG/3rd PS with P-40E Warhawk (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters to 11000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 11 minutes
35th PG/21st PS with P-40E Warhawk (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters to 18000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 126 minutes
6th PS PAAC with P-26A (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters to 13000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 34 minutes

Morning Air attack on Manila , at 79,77

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 54 NM, estimated altitude 24,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 17 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 1

Allied aircraft
P-26A x 1
P-40E Warhawk x 3

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed

CAP engaged:
24th PG/3rd PS with P-40E Warhawk (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 1 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 8 minutes
35th PG/21st PS with P-40E Warhawk (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 2 scrambling)
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters to 22000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 15 minutes
6th PS PAAC with P-26A (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters to 6000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 19 minutes

Watching the replay of this, I must say that I was lucky. Almost all my zeroes arrived together, while the Allied fighters had to climb up and meet them. This must be one of my best sweeps ever. After that, the bombers got in easy.

Morning Air attack on Clark Field , at 79,76

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 38 NM, estimated altitude 21,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 27

No Japanese losses

Aircraft Attacking:
27 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 20000 feet

Morning Air attack on Clark Field , at 79,76

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 52 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 18 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 9
G4M1 Betty x 42

Allied aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 8 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
O-47A: 1 damaged
O-47A: 1 destroyed on ground
B-17D Fortress: 2 damaged
P-40B Warhawk: 6 damaged
P-40B Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground

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

Airbase hits 21
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 39

Aircraft Attacking:
21 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 6000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb
21 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 6000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb

Morning Air attack on Clark Field , at 79,76

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 105 NM, estimated altitude 24,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 34 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 3

No Japanese losses

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 20000 feet

To send 27 Zeros on a sweep, and find the airspace empty almost feels like a waste. But I cannot play dice... I must systematically make sure I gain complete air superiority. Besides, the Betties did pound the airfield rather hard.

Morning Air attack on Iba , at 78,75

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 6
G4M1 Betty x 21

Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 1

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
P-40E Warhawk: 1 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground

Airbase hits 5
Airbase supply hits 8
Runway hits 7

Aircraft Attacking:
21 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 6000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
24th PG/3rd PS with P-40E Warhawk (1 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(1 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Raid is overhead

Morning Air attack on Iba , at 78,75

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 25,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 10

Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 1

No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Aircraft Attacking:
7 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 20000 feet

CAP engaged:
24th PG/3rd PS with P-40E Warhawk (1 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Raid is overhead

I wonder why those Zeros insist on sweeping after the bombers do their job? I will have to take a look at the unit's commander, to see if he should be sacked.

Morning Air attack on San Fernando , at 80,74

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
F1M2 Pete x 2

Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 12

Japanese aircraft losses
F1M2 Pete: 1 destroyed

No Allied losses

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x P-40E Warhawk sweeping at 15000 feet

CAP engaged:
Maya-2 with F1M2 Pete (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 1 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 20000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 35 minutes
Ashigara-2 with F1M2 Pete (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 1 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 20000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 1 minutes

Now, this I did not expect. Poor Pete, it had no chance. Will have to do something about this, yes... Now, if this is the reason there were no fighters over Clark Field, they will have a harder time to fly tomorrow, with the damage to their field. Hmm...

Morning Air attack on 86th PS Coastal Artillery Battalion, at 79,75 (Lingayen)

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-Ic Sally x 27
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 23

No Japanese losses

Allied ground losses:
36 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Aircraft Attacking:
23 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 2000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
27 x Ki-21-Ic Sally bombing from 2000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb

A little softening up on my next land target. I am aiming for disruption here. The LCUs will do the killing.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Tawi Tawi at 72,89

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 22
B5N2 Kate x 17

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
AS Otus, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
AS Holland, Torpedo hits 4, and is sunk
AV Langley, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DD Pope, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
17 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 18in Type 91 Torpedo

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Tawi Tawi at 72,89

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 14 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 7
B5N2 Kate x 2

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
AV Langley, heavy fires, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 18in Type 91 Torpedo

This is the attack that made my day. If I bag all 4 before any escape, I will be a VERY happy admiral.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Zamboanga at 74,86

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 9
B5N2 Kate x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
xAK Tantalus, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
xAK Yu Sang, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 18in Type 91 Torpedo

Probably both are down for the count.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Taytay at 75,83

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 11 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 24
B5N2 Kate x 11

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
DD John D. Ford
xAP Rochambeau

Aircraft Attacking:
11 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 18in Type 91 Torpedo

This is one target I'd rather not see escape. We'll see if I can catch it. Not that sure, though.

The South Seas:

Nothing to report... except:

Amphibious Assault at Tarawa (136,128)

TF 116 troops unloading over beach at Tarawa, 136,128

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

17 troops of a SNLF Squad lost from landing craft during unload of 53rd Nav Gd
17 troops of a SNLF Squad lost from landing craft during unload of 53rd Nav Gd
12 Support troops lost in surf during unload of 53rd Nav Gd

Ground combat at Tarawa (136,128)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 1573 troops, 12 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 58

Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 0

Japanese adjusted assault: 27

Allied adjusted defense: 1

Japanese assault odds: 27 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Tarawa !!!

Combat modifiers
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(-)

Assaulting units:
53rd Naval Guard Unit

The Central Pacific and the Western Coast

Naval actions:

Basically sub and ASW action here. It seems the American CVs decided not to come and play with Kido Butai in Midway.

ASW attack near Lihue at 179,104

Japanese Ships
SS I-9

Allied Ships
DD Chew

SS I-9 launches 2 torpedoes at DD Chew
I-9 diving deep ....
DD Chew fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Chew attacking submerged sub ....
SS I-9 eludes DD Chew by diving deep
DD Chew loses contact with SS I-9
DD Chew cannot reach attack position over SS I-9
SS I-9 eludes ASW attack from DD Chew
SS I-9 eludes DD Chew by diving deep
DD Chew fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Chew fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Chew attacking submerged sub ....
DD Chew cannot reach attack position over SS I-9
DD Chew loses contact with SS I-9
Escort abandons search for sub

ASW attack near San Francisco at 215,69

Japanese Ships
SS I-4

Allied Ships
xAP President Buchanan
DD Lawrence

SS I-4 is sighted by escort
I-4 diving deep ....
DD Lawrence fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Lawrence fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Lawrence fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Lawrence fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Lawrence fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

Sub attack near Lihue at 179,104

Japanese Ships
SS I-9

Allied Ships
DD Chew

SS I-9 launches 6 torpedoes at DD Chew
I-9 diving deep ....
DD Chew fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Chew fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Chew fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Chew fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Chew fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

ASW attack near Lihue at 177,107

Japanese Ships
SS I-25

Allied Ships
DD Dale

SS I-25 is located by DD Dale
I-25 diving deep ....
DD Dale fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Dale fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Dale fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Dale fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Dale fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

Sub attack near Lihue at 178,107

Japanese Ships
SS I-25

Allied Ships
DD Allen

SS I-25 launches 2 torpedoes at DD Allen
I-25 diving deep ....
DD Allen fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Allen attacking submerged sub ....
DD Allen cannot reach attack position over SS I-25
DD Allen loses contact with SS I-25
DD Allen cannot reach attack position over SS I-25
DD Allen fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Allen fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Allen fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

ASW attack near Eureka at 215,68

Japanese Ships
SS I-4

Allied Ships
DD Lawrence

SS I-4 is sighted by escort
DD Lawrence fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Lawrence fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Lawrence fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Lawrence fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Lawrence fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

Sub attack near Lanai at 181,110

Japanese Ships
SS I-17

Allied Ships
DD Schley
DD Ward

SS I-17 launches 2 torpedoes at DD Schley
I-17 diving deep ....
DD Ward fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Ward fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Ward fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Ward fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Ward fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

ASW attack near Eureka at 214,67

Japanese Ships
SS I-4

Allied Ships
DD Lawrence

SS I-4 launches 2 torpedoes at DD Lawrence
DD Lawrence fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Lawrence fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Lawrence attacking submerged sub ....
DD Lawrence cannot establish contact with SS I-4
DD Lawrence cannot reach attack position over SS I-4
SS I-4 eludes DD Lawrence by diving deep
DD Lawrence fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Lawrence fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

Sub attack near Lanai at 181,110

Japanese Ships
SS I-17

Allied Ships
DD Ward

SS I-17 launches 6 torpedoes at DD Ward
DD Ward attacking submerged sub ....
DD Ward cannot reach attack position over SS I-17
DD Ward loses contact with SS I-17
DD Ward loses contact with SS I-17
SS I-17 eludes ASW attack from DD Ward
DD Ward loses contact with SS I-17
DD Ward loses contact with SS I-17
DD Ward attacking submerged sub ....
DD Ward loses contact with SS I-17
SS I-17 eludes ASW attack from DD Ward
SS I-17 eludes ASW attack from DD Ward
DD Ward fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Ward fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Ward fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

The air war:

Only one attack here, one that is to be expected.

Afternoon Air attack on Wake Island , at 136,98

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 5,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 20

Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-3 Wildcat: 1 damaged
F4F-3 Wildcat: 1 destroyed on ground

Airbase hits 12
Runway hits 8

Aircraft Attacking:
20 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 2000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
VMF-211 Det with F4F-3 Wildcat (5 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
5 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 20000
Raid is overhead

Note the patrol altitude versus the attack altitude. It is a rock/paper/scissors game sometimes.

Well, that was it. With time I will learn to be more succinct in my reports, and maybe even post a screenshot or two. Need the time, though, which I don't always have.

[Falken]

Well, checked out the replay file. Hhhmm,, I think my opponent has shown me that the Allies might actually still be sleeping....

The enemy definitely has the fighters, the ships, and obviously, the smarts at this point. Very disappointed that my AS ships didn't survive. That was a big mistake that will affect me later. It safe to say that my cunning opponent will be having fun against my forces for a while.

Another thing, my pilots in Malaya can't seem to hit anything... very disappointing.... I think I'll be using the word "Disappointing" quite a bit over the next few days/months.....

Subs... oh yeah... can't hit anything either... course, if my American Engineers would actually create torpedoes that actually ,,, ummm,,, detonated,,, it would have gone better.

Good job Kitakami so far

[Kitakami]

@Falken,

The many merchantmen in the Philippines are not that crucial to me. The ships that really matter to me are the 4x DD, 3x AS, 2x AO, 3x TK, 3x AP, plus the Houston and the CL-that-shall-not-be-named-lest-all-you-torpedoes-start-hiting-my-ships. If I bag half of those, I am happy. Don't think I will do that good, but I am definitely trying.

Regarding Malaya, I have learned to throw as many fighters as I can, including Petes (yes, not fighters, but they are always there, even if they can't hit a barn), to make targeting for your bombers more difficult. Yet, you still have your torpedo bombers and fighters in Singapore, and those could do a lot of damage given the opportunity.

As for mistakes, I have not seen you make any yet. Your carriers seem to have avoided my efforts to hunt them, no BBs were sunk in Pearl, and time is on your side... you can't ask for much more than that

We'll se what next turn brings!

[Falken]

Thanks Kitakami,

You make good points, and thanks for the kinds words. I am learning a lot so far, and this PBEM has definitely given me great fun so far.

For those playing this game as Allies, and RA in particular, and to those that are new to PBEM, please note that although I'm not happy with the performance of my forces yet, but really, we are not suppose to be. This is early '41. The goal for me is basically to survive until my replacements start gearing up at a later stage. I have made a few mistakes already, but in all in all, they haven't affected me too much (other than the losses of the 2 AS ships...). As mentioned earlier, I also made early incorrect assumptions (based on the fact that I assumed DBB placements vs RA), and I've also missed some TF destination headings, and forgotten to reset some A/C missions.

The fun of PBEM so far is the unknown. Unlike the AI, Kitakami has his own plans, which will change and adjust, and he is really is trying to find my CVs )

Kitakami is absolutely right, time is on our side. We, as allies, have to be aggressive in some areas, but we can't simply throw away our forces. The Japanese are stronger, in greater numbers, and more skilled at this stage of the war. If I can survive December without losing any CVs, or at most, 1 CV, i'll be extremely happy. Do I need to use them, yes, but if the KB finds them, my CV chances of survival will be slim. It really is a cat and mouse game.

I'm having tremendous fun playing against my opponent for several reasons which I won't get into here, but suffice to say that we want people to learn from our good fortune, or our mistakes. This is a really good scenario, and it should be tried by all. I really like the fact that the Allies, in this scenario, have less of everything. It really demonstrates the fact that the Allies in '41, '42 needed time to ramp-up, and attempt to minimize loses. Will I lose plenty of ships and A/C? Absolutely. Will Kitakami dominate the game in the early stages? If he continues his very good play, absolutely.

The question for me is, will I be ready, and able, to return the favour in late '42, early '43? That depends. It depends if my early work pays off, if my early planning was adequate, and if I don't make huge, long lasting, mistakes. For me, the fun is in the learning. If Kitakami happens to beat me at this game, then I will have learned "what" areas of the game that I need to improve, and go from there. It' still fun, even if you lose.

Ok, i'm rambling now, but just wanted to make sure that Newbies of the game, or PBEM, understand that what is important, is to learn from what is happening. As I go through the replay, I always ask myself, "Could I have done something different to save this ship, or that base, or that A/C?" If my CVs survive on the current turn, I ask myself "Where was he looking, and do I need to adjust my strategy to stay undetected and/or afloat?", and I always ask myself, "Did something bad happen because I forgot to do something?".

Anyway, on to the game.... It's going to be interesting to see where my opponent goes next. Ok...before I go, one more rant... I had planned some really aggressive Sub action against his forces in the first few days, but thanks to duds (arrghhh), it didn't pay off. I was hoping to hit a few of his ships early on, but as seen by the replay, no hits..... I even positioned a sub right on target for his light carriers that attacked my ASs near Jolo, but my sub captain must of been asleep, and my AS's paid the price.... You can plan, plan, plan, but sometimes, things just don't go in your favour.......

there's always tomorrow.....

[Kitakami]

Ok... turn has been sent to my esteemed opponent. The ball is now on the Allied side of the court!

[Falken]

There are decisions points of this game that will dictate if the rest of the "game" month" will be easier, or much, much more difficult than normal.

This turn is that for the Allies. I'm not talking about Carriers but other ships that are required to survive in order to make the rest of the war a little easier (or at very least, the next few months). Now, because this is a shared AAR, I cannot discuss it here, but it's safe to say that my opponent will notice it if he gets lucky in this next turn.

[Kitakami]

Ok... turn received and combat ran. Although I can't complain, I lost too many planes, which is not good... not good at all.
I will post the results of the turn either later on tonight or tomorrow, but here is one morsel: it seems that the-CL-that-shall-not-be-named is an underwater palace for clown fishes now

[Kitakami]

DEC 10, 1941

Ok... not that bad a turn, except for one item: I lost over 30 planes today, while the Allies lost about half. I will have to check not only missions, but also fatigue. Now, besides that...

China:
Although my attacks in China have not been many, they have been decently effective so far. I see my enemy is already abandoning some of his forward positions, and that is exactly what I would do. So all I have left is setup garrisons and chose a few avenues of attack.

Morning Air attack on Hong Kong , at 77,61
Weather in hex: Light rain

Japanese aircraft
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 24

Allied aircraft
no flights
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-48-Ib Lily: 6 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Walrus II: 1 damaged
Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 9

The Ki-48-Ib is not the most effective of bombers, as can be seen here.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Hong Kong at 77,62
Weather in hex: Light cloud

Allied aircraft
Vildebeest III x 3

No Allied losses
Japanese Ships
DD Samidare

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Hong Kong at 77,62
Weather in hex: Light rain

Allied aircraft
Vildebeest III x 3
No Allied losses
Japanese Ships
DD Minegumo

At least those Vildebeests did not hit anything, but I will have to do something about this.

Afternoon Air attack on Hong Kong , at 77,61
Weather in hex: Light rain

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-Ic Sally x 4
Ki-30 Ann x 15
Ki-32 Mary x 9
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-Ic Sally: 1 damaged
Ki-32 Mary: 1 destroyed by flak
Airbase hits 4
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 8

Few runway hits on Honk Kong this turn, but at least they keep the engineers busy.

Afternoon Air attack on 88th Chinese Corps, at 90,56 , near Hangchow
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Japanese aircraft
Ki-32 Mary x 9
No Japanese losses
Allied ground losses:
24 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Bombers training in China.

Ground combat at Hong Kong (77,61)
Japanese Bombardment attack
Attacking force 29070 troops, 420 guns, 244 vehicles, Assault Value = 912
Defending force 7282 troops, 129 guns, 78 vehicles, Assault Value = 234

Allied ground losses:
24 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Assaulting units:
104th Division
38th Division
2nd RF Gun Battalion
2nd Mortar Battalion
21st Mortar Battalion
2nd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
5th RF Gun Battalion
1st Hvy.Artillery Regiment
3rd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
20th Ind. Engineer Regiment
10th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
19th Ind. Engineer Regiment
20th Ind. Mtn Gun Battalion
Defending units:
Rifles of Canada Battalion
Winnipeg Grenadiers Battalion
1st Middlesex Battalion
Kowloon Brigade
102nd RN Base Force
Hong Kong Fortress

I have to decide when to make the first Deliberate Attack. Should I do it next turn or not? I do not think that aerial bombardments are increasing the enemy disruption too much.

Ground combat at 89,39 (near Taiyuan)
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 11855 troops, 112 guns, 69 vehicles, Assault Value = 389
Defending force 5383 troops, 43 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 127

Japanese adjusted assault: 255
Allied adjusted defense: 43
Japanese assault odds: 5 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
349 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 33 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Allied ground losses:
2918 casualties reported
Squads: 68 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 137 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 7 (6 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Units retreated 2
Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
37th Division
Defending units:
19th Chinese Corps
6th Group Army

I have to destroy as many Chinese squads as possible before the front stabilizes.

Burma:
Nothing to report at the moment.

Malaya:
Since land units take time to move, this is the calm before the storm. But there will be plenty of action soon. It is just a question of having the LCUs get to their destinations.

Morning Air attack on Georgetown , at 49,74
Weather in hex: Light cloud

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 45
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 29
Ki-44-Ia Tojo x 3
Allied aircraft
Blenheim IF x 6
Buffalo I x 8
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 2 destroyed, 7 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IF: 6 damaged
Buffalo I: 4 damaged
Buffalo I: 1 destroyed on ground

Airbase hits 4
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 20

At least I am keeping the pressure up. Losing those 2 bombers even though I had such a large escort did not sit well with me, though.

Morning Air attack on Alor Star , at 49,73
Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 17
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 45
No Japanese losses
Allied ground losses:
8 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Airbase hits 9
Airbase supply hits 6
Runway hits 22

At least I am keeping the runway damaged.

Morning Air attack on Alor Star , at 49,73
Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 29
No Japanese losses

Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 7

Morning Air attack on TF, near Kota Bharu at 51,75
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Japanese aircraft
F1M2 Pete x 4
Ki-27b Nate x 2
Ki-44-Ia Tojo x 1
Allied aircraft
Blenheim I x 3
Blenheim IV x 7
Hudson I x 5
No Japanese losses
Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 4 damaged
Hudson I: 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Fuso
CA Takao
xAK Ayatosan Maru

And the Allied bombers keep coming...

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Kota Bharu at 51,75
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Japanese aircraft
F1M2 Pete x 4
Ki-27b Nate x 1
Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 7
No Japanese losses
Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 5 damaged
Japanese Ships
DD Michishio
AK Sakura Maru

Thankfully, the bombers from Singapore did not hit anything this turn either.

Dutch East Indies
A lot of what will happen here I can't comment on, since this is a shared AAR, but there are things going on. They just take time. I find it a littla ahistorical to use the warp-speed task forces to attack the periphery before closer targets. Not as efficient from a gaming point of view, but I seem to share a taste for what was historically possible with my esteemed opponent. It will make for a more enjoyable game for the both of us.

Sub attack near Pamekasan at 58,106
Japanese Ships
SS I-153
Allied Ships
AM Abraham Crijnssen
AM Eland Dubois

Submarine attack near Pamekasan at 58,106
Japanese Ships
SS I-153
Allied Ships
xAP Van Neck, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

A small AP, but I never complain when a sub hits an AP. Those pesky ships tend to coma back and haunt me later.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Tawi Tawi at 71,91, Range 12,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CVL Ryujo
CVL Shoho
CVL Zuiho
DD Kuroshio
DD Oyashio
DD Hatsukaze
Allied Ships
xAKL Kanlaon II
xAKL Latouche

Day Time Surface Combat, near Tandjoengselor at 69,95, Range 14,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CA Myoko
CA Haguro
CA Nachi
DD Natsushio
DD Hayashio
DD Amatsukaze
Allied Ships
xAKL Kanlaon II, Shell hits 9, and is sunk
xAKL Latouche, Shell hits 5, and is sunk

It seems that splitting the task force into an air combat and a surface combat component but keeping them in the same hex worked.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Madjene at 63,101
Weather in hex: Light cloud

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 14
B5N2 Kate x 2
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 1 damaged
Allied Ships
DD John D. Edwards

Morning Air attack on TF, near Madjene at 63,101
Weather in hex: Light cloud

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 9
B5N2 Kate x 2
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
CL Boise, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Madjene at 63,101
Weather in hex: Clear sky

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 14
B5N2 Kate x 6
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
DD Edsall
DD Alden
CL Boise, heavy damage

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Madjene at 63,101
Weather in hex: Clear sky

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 9
B5N2 Kate x 5
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
CL Boise, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring CL Boise

Now, the CL-that-shall-not-be-named is reported as sunk. But even if it isn't, it is out of the equation for a number of months, I am sure. With Houston swallowing one fish, this cruiser swallowing two plus two bombs, and Force Z sunk, my attacks into the DEI will be a lot easier. I just need to remember that there are 72 Banshees wailing in the region. I can't move forward without a fighter umbrella over my ships. Also, I must not forget that the Pensacola starts in the region. A Houston (once repared) - Pensacola duo could give me quite a few headaches.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Tawau at 69,91
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Japanese aircraft
B5N2 Kate x 5
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
DD Pope, heavy fires, heavy damage
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring an Allied CL

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Tawau at 69,91
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Japanese aircraft
B5N2 Kate x 3
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
DD Pope, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk

Can't really complain with these results.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Tarakan at 67,91
Weather in hex: Clear sky

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
B5N2 Kate x 7
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
TK British Sailor, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
AO TAN 1, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
AVP Valk, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring AVP Valk

If those ships were loading fuel or oil, they will burn. The British Sailor is an 8K-ton tanker. Sinking it would give me much pleasure.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Donggala at 68,98
Weather in hex: Severe storms

Japanese aircraft
B5N2 Kate x 6
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
xAKL Lepus, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
xAKL Legazpi

Another gift horse.

Submarine attack near Tawi Tawi at 72,89

Japanese Ships
SS RO-33
Allied Ships
AV Langley, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

AV Langley is sighted by SS RO-33
SS RO-33 launches 2 torpedoes at AV Langley

This, plus the damage from last turn, probably spelled doom for the Langley

Ground combat at Beaufort (66,87)
Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 552 troops, 3 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 44
Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 0
Japanese adjusted assault: 12
Allied adjusted defense: 1
Japanese assault odds: 12 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Beaufort !!!

Combat modifiers
Attacker:

Assaulting units:
I/81st Naval Guard Unit
III/81st Naval Guard Unit

Cleaning up Northern Borneo, and flanking Brunei, forcing the troops there to retreat to the jungle if/when they are forced to.

The naval side of things is going well, I just wish I had more troop transports to make the land side of things go faster. But I am not unhappy with results so far.

The Philippines:
This turn would have been (almost) perfect, were it not for the heavy air losses sustained by me, and this theater takes a large part of the blame. Yet, I am advancing in good shape, so I guess it is the price to pay.

Morning Air attack on Iba , at 78,75
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 6
G4M1 Betty x 21
Allied aircraft
P-26A x 1
P-40B Warhawk x 7
Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
P-26A: 1 destroyed
Runway hits 2

Afternoon Air attack on Iba , at 78,75
Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
No Japanese losses

Too little damage for my taste... and the sweeps keep getting there after the bombers.

Morning Air attack on Clark Field , at 79,76
Weather in hex: Light rain

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 12
G4M1 Betty x 21
Allied aircraft
P-40B Warhawk x 12
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 3 destroyed
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed, 12 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
P-40B Warhawk: 3 destroyed, 1 damaged
O-47A: 1 destroyed on ground
Allied ground losses:
14 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Airbase hits 4
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 15

Afternoon Air attack on Clark Field , at 79,76
Weather in hex: Light rain

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 20
Allied aircraft
P-40B Warhawk x 11
No Japanese losses
Allied aircraft losses
P-40B Warhawk: 3 destroyed

More damage than at Iba, but losing 3 Zeroes in one attack at this early stage is something I'd rather not see too often. I am sure that would have been avoided if the sweep had arrived before the bomb run, and not after!

Morning Air attack on 86th PS Coastal Artillery Battalion, at 79,75 (Lingayen)
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-Ic Sally x 27
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 23
Allied aircraft
P-26A x 2
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-Ic Sally: 1 damaged
No Allied losses
Allied ground losses:
142 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 10 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 18 (12 destroyed, 6 disabled)
Vehicles lost 5 (4 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Also attacking 21st PA Infantry Division ...
Also attacking 11th PA Infantry Division ...
Also attacking 21st PA Infantry Division ...
Also attacking 86th PS Coastal Artillery Battalion ...
Also attacking 21st PA Infantry Division ...
Also attacking 11th PA Infantry Division ...
Also attacking 86th PS Coastal Artillery Battalion ...

Who says air bombardments can't destroy ground squads? And with thunderstorms too! I am very happy with this attack.

Amphibious Assault at Naga (81,81)
TF 89 troops unloading over beach at Naga, 81,81

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

19 troops of a IJA Infantry Squad lost overboard during unload of Kimura Det
19 troops of a IJA Infantry Squad lost from landing craft during unload of Kimura Det
7.7mm T99 AAMG dropped into water during unload of Kimura Det

And the invasion of Southern Luzon begins...

Ground combat at Vigan (80,73)
Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 630 troops, 0 guns, 94 vehicles, Assault Value = 53
Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 0
Japanese adjusted assault: 17
Allied adjusted defense: 1

Japanese assault odds: 17 to 1 (fort level 0)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Vigan !!!

Combat modifiers
Attacker: op mode(-), leaders(+), leaders(-)
Assaulting units:
4th Tank Regiment

Someone has to take the northern bases in Luzon... and hunt a certain PA Inf Bn.

The South Seas
Not much action here yet, but there is some at least.

Pre-Invasion action off Kavieng (106,122)
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force

5 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
xAKL Kaijo Maru #2
xAKL Tateyama Maru

xAKL Kaijo Maru #2 firing at 2/1st Ind Coy
xAKL Kaijo Maru #2 fired at enemy troops
xAKL Tateyama Maru fired at enemy troops
xAKL Kaijo Maru #2 fired at enemy troops

Amphibious Assault at Kavieng (106,122)
TF 111 troops unloading over beach at Kavieng, 106,122

Invasion Support action off Kavieng (106,122)
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force
2 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
xAKL Kaijo Maru #2
xAKL Tateyama Maru

xAKL Kaijo Maru #2 fired at enemy troops
xAKL Tateyama Maru fired at enemy troops

Morning Air attack on TF, near Kavieng at 106,122
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Allied aircraft
Hudson I x 2
No Allied losses
Japanese Ships
xAKL Kaijo Maru #2

Invasion Support action off Kavieng (106,122)
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force
3 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
xAKL Kaijo Maru #2
xAKL Tateyama Maru

xAKL Kaijo Maru #2 fired at enemy troops
xAKL Tateyama Maru fired at enemy troops

I have to be careful here. My initital landings have to take enemy air power and surface units into account. There are targets I'd like to take sonner rather than later, but I cannot risk heavy losses to do so.

Central Pacific and West Coast
Allied ASW activity against my subs near Pearl. As for Japanese activity, this is what can be seen:

Sub attack near Pearl Harbor at 181,104

Japanese Ships
SS I-9
Allied Ships
DD Litchfield
DD Chew

ASW attack near Pearl Harbor at 179,110

Japanese Ships
SS I-17
Allied Ships
DD Schley
DD Ward

SS I-17 is located by DD Schley
I-17 diving deep ....

Sub attack near Pearl Harbor at 179,110

Japanese Ships
SS I-17
Allied Ships
DD Schley

SS I-17 launches 2 torpedoes at DD Schley
I-17 diving deep ....

Some action, but no results for either side.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Agrihan at 113,82, Range 15,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
xAK Hokkai Maru
Allied Ships
AM Penguin

An interesting encounter. Not much either of ths ships could do, but to report the other's coordinates to combat units.

Morning Air attack on Wake Island , at 136,98
Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 25
Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 4
Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 5 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
F4F-3 Wildcat: 2 damaged
Airbase hits 9
Runway hits 11

And the pounding of Wake continues. Those airbase and runway hits will keep the Marine Engineers busy until the japanese troops arrive.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Midway Island at 157,100
Weather in hex: Clear sky

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 10
B5N2 Kate x 8
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
xAKL Regulus, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk

The question here is: where were those planes launched from?

Ground combat at Guam (106,95)
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 675 troops, 0 guns, 102 vehicles, Assault Value = 57
Defending force 864 troops, 0 guns, 32 vehicles, Assault Value = 10

Japanese adjusted assault: 22
Allied adjusted defense: 15
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 1)
Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 0

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

Japanese ground losses:
Vehicles lost 6 (1 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
130 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 13 disabled
Vehicles lost 7 (1 destroyed, 6 disabled)
Assaulting units:
2nd Tank Regiment
Defending units:
Guam USN Base Force

Slow going for the tankers... next time I will send another unit to do the job.

The turn would have been a great turn, were it not for the fact of Japanese air losses. Tracker reports the day's losses as follows:

P-40B Warhawk Fighter 9
A6M2 Zero Fighter 8
G4M1 Betty Level Bomber 7
Ki-21-IIa Sally Level Bomber 5
Ki-48-Ib Lily Level Bomber 3
Ki-15-II Babs Recon 2
Blenheim I Level Bomber 1
Blenheim IV Level Bomber 1
Buffalo I Fighter 1
O-47A Recon 1
P-26A Fighter 1
PBY-4 Catalina Patrol 1
E13A1 Jake Float Plane 1
H6K4 Mavis Patrol 1
L3Y2 Tina Transport 1
Ki-21-Ic Sally Level Bomber 1
Ki-32 Mary Level Bomber 1
Ki-43-Ib Oscar Fighter 1

Fighters were bad, but not terrible: 11 Allied for 9 Japanese, but bombers were horrible: 17 Japanese bombers lost in a day! That is an attrition rate I can't keep up for too long.

All in all, I have to thank my esteemed opponent for a very enjoyable game, especially for his patience when a turn does not appear in his inbox for a few days...

And thanks to all those who read this AAR!

[Kitakami]

Ok... turn sent to Falken.

[Falken]

Dec 11th turn completed.

Basically, my whole DEI strategy has been changed due to the recent appearance of 3 IJN CVLs near Balikpapan. My cunning opponent showed up in that area sooner than I expected. Good move actually, since it forced me to rethink by plans in that area. Unfortunately, a valiant CL is about to go under due to my short sightedness, and the valiant crew will pay the price.

So far, i've kept my CVs out of danger, but then again, it's only the 4th full day of the war...

[Kitakami]

Turn run... and the CL that shall not be named is still alive (at least I did not sink it).
I will post results tomorrow morning.

[Kitakami]

My DSL router started sweating water ( O.O ) and died. No phone, no internet at home... and work at the office... I have sent the Dec 12th '41 turn to Falken, but AAR posts will have to wait.
Still, the war continues!

[Falken]

Was able to send the Dec 12th turn. You should see 2 days of AARs soon from my opponent.
From an Allies perspective, I was finally able to finish all of my setup for all countries today. I usually do the main battlegrounds first, and extend outward. This way, I don't have to finish everything on the first day. From now on, I should be able to process some turns quicker, unless there is a lot of activity that I have to investigate.

[Falken]

Well, the 13th and 14th turns have been run. Basically, my cunning opponent has been able to anticipate my moves at every turn. He even circled around Ceram with the mini KB to catch my PI fleeing TFs going to OZ.
Sometimes, I feel that Kitakami can read my mind..... And this is basically, the main difference as compared to my previous games with the AI. The constant adjustments on both sides to try to anticipate, and react to, each other's moves. I'm glad that I've tried PBEM, but I’m also glad that I was able to find a good and patient opponent, who understands that turns every day is not possible.

This game has been very enjoyable so far, even though that outside of Dec.14th, I have not been able to hit one IJN ship, never mind sinking one. My cunning opponent has been able to stay away from my attack plans, all the while, sinking most ships trying to escape PI and Malaya.

For others PBEM newbies playing RA, and I’ve mentioned this before, is that this scenario does not give the allies a lot of anything at the beginning of the war. No fuel, supplies, ships, etc. that enables any kind of real aggressive defensive actions. Survival is the basic goal for a while.

I'm always impressed with other PBEM veterans, playing RA, that can seem to be able to play aggressively at the beginning of the war. Shows the experience and high level planning abilities of those AE players, and something to strive to try to learn from.....

[Kitakami]

Falken, the game has indeed been very enjoyable. Thanks for your patience too, as there are weeks in which 1-2 turns is all I can manage.

I will try to make some time and post to this AAR today, even in condensed form. Time constraints have been... complicated.

[Kitakami]

Dec 11-14, 1941

Sorry for not posting before, but RL has its... quirks. Anyway, this is what has transpired in the last 4 days of game time:

China

After daily bombardment of its airfield and port, and daily determined attacks by Japanese land combat units, Hong Kong capitulated on Dec. 14th. The new Japanese governor, Kaigun Chujo Niimi Masaichi, has stated that non-military personnel that wishes to leave the colony is free to do so, and has provided a written safe-conduct. Sadly, he said, soldiers that fought against the glorious forces of Nihon cannot be offered more than a prisoner camp for the duration of the hostilities.

Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 28246 troops, 420 guns, 243 vehicles, Assault Value = 816
Defending force 6012 troops, 118 guns, 77 vehicles, Assault Value = 113
Japanese adjusted assault: 914
Allied adjusted defense: 285
Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 0)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Hong Kong !!!

Allied aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft losses
Walrus II: 5 destroyed
Vildebeest III: 2 destroyed

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

Japanese ground losses:
762 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 66 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Allied ground losses:
6000 casualties reported
Squads: 187 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 466 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 25 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 152 (152 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 103 (103 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 6
Assaulting units:
104th Division
38th Division
2nd RF Gun Battalion
19th Ind. Engineer Regiment
2nd Mortar Battalion
21st Mortar Battalion
2nd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
3rd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
20th Ind. Engineer Regiment
10th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
1st Hvy.Artillery Regiment
5th RF Gun Battalion
20th Ind. Mtn Gun Battalion
Defending units:
Winnipeg Grenadiers Battalion
Kowloon Brigade
1st Middlesex Battalion
102nd RN Base Force
Rifles of Canada Battalion
Hong Kong Fortress

There have also been several combats around Taiyuan, Chengting, Kweiteh, Wuchang, and Sinyang (Ichang was evacuated a few days ago). The result of those attacks has been Chinese losses in the order of 238 combat squads, 223 non-combat squads, 6 engineer squads, and 14 pieces of artillery destroyed. The one sour note is that Sinyang may fall, although it will be retaken!

A sizeable force of Japanese land combat units has reached the outskirts of Changsha on the 14th. Combats in the next few days will decide the fate of the city, but Rikugun Chujo Watanabe Masao has been quoted saying that he expects that the over 50,000 Japanese troops commited to taking the city will clear it as quickly as Hong Kong was taken by forces of the 23rd Army.

An Imperial Division is now withing 50 miles of Yenan, pushing disorganized Chinese troops back, hoping to take the city before year's end.

Finally, there are two Chinese limitary units in the outskirts of Paotow, with a third one on the way. The glorious Northern China Imperial Army HQ has decreed that they shall be utterly destroyed for the offense!

So far, only light bombers have been seen bombing enemy installations and positions in China, but unconfirmed sources confide that it may soon change.

Burma:

All is quiet in the Burmese front.

Malaya

Besides the landings in Kota Bharu and Singora, no new landings have been attempted, with the exception of an air assault of Port Blair, which is still ongoing.

Japanese planes have been continuously attacking Alor Star and Georgetown, and one misguided attempt at sinking ships in Singapore Harbor was a minor disaster:

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Singapore at 50,84
Weather in hex: Light cloud
Raid detected at 38 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 14 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
G3M2 Nell x 18
Allied aircraft
Buffalo I x 14
Hurricane IIb Trop x 6
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
G3M2 Nell: 5 destroyed, 5 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Buffalo I: 2 destroyed
Allied Ships
DD Scout
DM Thracian

Aircraft Attacking:
11 x G3M2 Nell bombing from 6000 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb

Scout dead in the water ...
Thracian dead in the water ...

The local commanders have been ordered NOT to attempt such foolishness again!

Dutch East Indies

Several (number undisclosed for security reasons) carriers of the Kaigun have been operating around the Celebes, sinking many enemy ships fleeing from the Philippines. Although several important surface combatants have been sunk or damaged, it is the sunk troops carriers and fleet auxiliaries that have Kaigun Chujo Nagumo Chuichi smiling, as he fully knows their strategic value.

The Philippines

With the first wave of out mighty soldiers already unloaded and advancing, we are already in control of Batan Island, Calayan, Lingayen, San Fernando, Vigan, Laoag, Naga, Legaspi and Mindanao. The second wave of troops is already either debarking (as in Oroquieta), on the way, or prepping for transport.

There is absolute control over the skies of the Philippine islands, and Rikugun Chujo Honmma Masaharu, commander of the 14th Imperial Army, is very optimistic in the time it will take him to control all the islands.

The South Seas

The only naval action worth noting in the past few days was a naval bombardment of Rabaul:

Night Naval bombardment of Rabaul at 106,125 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
10 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
CA Kako
CA Furutaka
CA Kinugasa
CA Aoba
DD Yuzuki
DD Kikuzuki
DD Uzuki
DD Oboro
Allied ground losses:
32 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 5 (1 destroyed, 4 disabled)

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 7
Port hits 2
Port supply hits 1

But there have also been amphibious assaults of several Allied bases, all of which have been taken: Hollandia, Aitape, Wewak, Madang, Manus, and Kavieng.

Central Pacific and West Coast
Although not as full of action as other theaters, there have been some interesting developments here:

Guam was finally conquered:

Ground combat at Guam (106,95)
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 675 troops, 0 guns, 101 vehicles, Assault Value = 54
Defending force 772 troops, 0 guns, 31 vehicles, Assault Value = 7
Japanese adjusted assault: 41
Allied adjusted defense: 5
Japanese assault odds: 8 to 1 (fort level 0)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Guam !!!

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

Allied ground losses:
455 casualties reported
Squads: 8 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 72 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 19 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 24 (24 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 1
Assaulting units:
2nd Tank Regiment
Defending units:
Guam USN Base Force

And so was Wake Island:

Ground combat at Wake Island (136,98)
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 5097 troops, 96 guns, 12 vehicles, Assault Value = 188
Defending force 1772 troops, 53 guns, 10 vehicles, Assault Value = 28
Japanese adjusted assault: 280
Allied adjusted defense: 18
Japanese assault odds: 15 to 1 (fort level 2)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Wake Island !!!
Allied aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft losses
F4F-3 Wildcat: 7 destroyed
Combat modifiers
Defender: disruption(-), fatigue(-), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
182 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 15 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 11 (1 destroyed, 10 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
1666 casualties reported
Squads: 29 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 131 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 22 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 63 (63 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 11 (11 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 2
Assaulting units:
1st Maizuru Assault Division
Defending units:
Wake USN CPNAB
1st Marine Defense Battalion

Finally, the US sent a small bombarding force to probe Midway's defenses... and found... zilch! What is going on? What am I planning? Wouldn't Falken like to know ;P

Night Naval bombardment of Midway Island at 158,91
Allied Ships
DD Downes
DD Cassin
DD Tucker
DD Reid

DD Downes firing at Midway Island
DD Cassin firing at Midway Island
DD Tucker firing at Midway Island
DD Reid firing at Midway Island

[Kitakami]

Strategic Musings

After one week of continuous combat, losses have been... interesting.

Air:





As you can see, air losses have been almost the same in total numbers, with a slight advantage for the Japanese. I have lost a large number of bombers, so I now know why Betties we called Flying Zippoes. Man! I can't take that attrition rate for long!

@ John 3rd Did you tweak the G4M? It is more fragile than I remember it... but it may be just me...

There is one area in which I have not done THAT bad, at least. 119-40 fighter losses is almost 3-1 in my favor. If I can keep that up for a while, I will be one very happy Imperial aide

Sea:




Taking Fog of War into account, still I am not doing that bad. I think it is not the Houston that was sunk, but rather the CL-that-shall-not-be-named, and there is at least one xAP that I hope I also sank. The other AS from the Philippines and the AVD have also been damaged, though not sunk.

If only I had done half as well in PH...

This is the strategic intel situation, as seen from the Japanese point of view:


I can't really complain with the military side of things. It is going well. It is the Japanese economy that has me worried. I need to conquer a LOT of stuff, and I need it INTACT. Otherwise, it will be a very difficult war.

Please feel free to comment, either here for both players to read, or by PM, if you only want one player to read it.

And thanks to those who take the time to read this!

[Falken]

Dec 18th...

From an Allied side, things are going as expected over that last few turns. My cunning opponent has now been able to control the skies over PI. Although the Allies are trying their best to hold on, it will simply be a matter of time. May take a while, but it will happen.

As for Malaya, this area has been interested. My opponent is only now starting to make inroads (hhmm,, me think he has busy elsewhere..... hmmm...). Finally took Alor Star this past turn, and his zeros are starting to beat down my Buffalo's in Singapore. However, he has given me a lot of time to prepare for the eventual attacks. Should be interesting to see how long it takes.

Wake, Guam, HK, and now Port Blair are finally his. Java seas are basically under his control, however, I do have some surprises waiting for him. This area could be interesting soon.

Although my Allies have been quiet over the last week in view of attacks, it's mostly due to my opponent ability to figure out where to be,,, and where not to be.... He's done a good job of hitting and sinking most things he finds. Doesn't help that none of my PI, Malaya, and DEI pilots seem to hit absolutely anything. This part of the war has been very disappointing to me, as I was hoping for some damage, even if it would been a few small ships.

I have been able to make some dents on his pilots, especially, his bomber pilots. Although this is only Dec, i'm hoping that some of my efforts will prove fruitful later on. The more pilots I can kill now, the better for me later.

I have been able to keep my CVs out of the way for now, but that could easily change. His CVs basically are able to do anything they want. Not much competition for them. It's more like target practice for the IJN CV pilots.

Honestly, this early part of the war has been very entertaining. It is definitely a cat and mouse game, the the Allies mouse has been able to stay away from trouble most of the time....

[Kitakami]

I humbly apologize to all that follow this AAR. My health has not been the best, and posting one-eyed is something I tried to do... and failed. Hopefully in a few days I will be able to!

[Falken]

Well, It's Dec 20th, and the IJN have started taking some of the smaller bases in DEI. Looks like the Japanese will take the East side of DEI before approaching Java. Better to take the smaller bases first and get a foothold before going to Java or Sumatra.

On the Allied side, Supply is finally starting to accumulate in some places, but it is taking a while. Really slows the game down for the Allies, which is a good thing.

For my opponent, here is what the Allies sees in the fog of War: