Islands of Destiny: RA 5.0 Japanese Side

[John 3rd]

July 12, 1942

We're playing some serious games right now in the IO. Junyo pulls back from the combat area without issue. The Mini-KB heads towards Singapore for the moment.

A TF of 2 CL (Oi and Kitakami) plus 8 DD find serious game engaging CA Pensacola and 4 DDs at Ramree. Both of the Training Cruisers (they are NOT TT Cruisers in RA) get clobbered fairly well but should get home. They pummel Pensacola with 10 hits that penetrate her sides and cause some serious damage. Sinking sounds were heard so perhaps she and another seriously damaged DD or two went down? Would be nice if this happened. The same TF also tangled with CL Achilles and two DDs without any real result.

Up north a small TF of DD Selfridge and an AK try to unload at Cold Bay but are easily sunk by Vals. NICE!

TF headed to pick-up the SNLF Brigades at both Dutch Harbor and Akutan. They are now prepping for Cold Bay (4 Units, no supply, and about 4,000 troops) along with NE Area Fleet. Those two units (and Kawafuto Brigade) will land there in about a month. Plan to pull out 7th ID and bring it back to the Kuriles. BB Yamato heads home with 2 CA to meet up with her sister in about 25 days...

CARDIV1 and CARDIV5 are about 3 days from Home!

[John 3rd]

Everything in the next couple of Posts is dated July 13, 1942

The Aleutians are going to stay semi-active.

Decisions:
Naval
1. CarDiv2 departs for the Home Islands, Singapore, and then the IO.
2. Yamato, several CAs, and a few DDs left a couple of days ago headed for Kobe.

Future OPs
This will leave two BBs and a decent amount of escorts to move on to Cold Bay. A crapload of shipping is up here so I can move 7th ID back to Attu and prepare to assault Cold Bay using 2 SNLF Assault Brigades and the Kawafuto Brigade. Kawafuto is already at 100% prep. The others will need about 10 days to get over 50%. The NE Pacific Command is also prepping for the assault. They will be moved into range to boost the assault value of the attack. Once that base is acquired, the SNLF and Kawafuto will remain in the Aleutians to be the prime garrison troops for the area.

Airpower
The same air units remain: 2 Daitai of Zero, 2 Daitai of Vals, 2 Daitai of Kates, and 18 Emily for search.

[John 3rd]

Herein lay the Gilberts.

Naval Commitment: 2 CVL, 4 BC, 5 CA, 4 CL, 17 DD

Airpower: 3 Daitai of Zero, 2 Daitai of Betty, 1 Daitai of Vals, Daitai of Kates, and 24 Emily.

Ground:
Makin Invasion---6th Inf Div (60%) and 1st Maizuru SNLF Brigade (74%)

Tarawa Invasion---14th Inf Div (67%), 56th Inf Div (56%) and 14th Naval Guard (57%)

Abemama Invasion---1st Para SNLF Brigade (80%)

Makin and Tarawa have been bombarded and attacked from the air EVERYDAY since the landing. There has been little to no chance for building Forts and little AA fire. Supplies are very low and I want to land on these atolls much sooner then later. Dan will be back and I want these places before that EVENT!

[John 3rd]

Thought it might be a good idea to show Japanese Warship Construction up through November 1, 1942. I've got all Imperial Warships here with the exception of I-Boats:

[John 3rd]

Here are the remaining Capital Ships for the war:

[John 3rd]

July 13, 1942

Dan has lost his opportunity to take Burma cheaply. How he has waited for 6-8 weeks having a major army sitting in the jungle AND NOT DONE ANYTHING defies my imagination. It was his for the taking. NOT NOW. OK. I will go through the current dispositions and reinforcements that are arriving (almost daily):

Up NORTH:
We've got a Brigade and a TK Regiment up in Myitkyina Area.

CENTRAL Irrawaddy
The Mandalay--Swebo--Magwe area has LOTS of AF and Fort Construction going on. More and more Base Forces are arriving as well as Engineers.

33rd ID sits in Mandalay. 12th ID advances north into the jungle above Swebo. 4th ID advances north into the jungle NW of Magwe. A TK Reg sits on the west side of the Irrawaddy watching for troops.

SOUTHERN Irrawaddy
Rangoon and Moulmein have the big HQs and lots of Support Troops. The 21st ID just unloaded with the 25th Army HQ. It shall move to Prome and advance on Ramree. The 48th ID is just off the screen following the coast headed for Rangoon. It will advance on Ramree as well. A Raider Reg is moving to Toungoo.

Three TK Regiments sit in Rangoon waiting for the arrival of the remaining elements of the 2nd TK Div. Those elements just left Shanghai two days ago.

Up at Ramree sits a TK Reg. An Inf Reg is at Prome.

Should note that the Imperial Guards ID is sitting at Pt Blair.

Naval
You can see the damaged ships approaching Rangoon from the last couple of surface encounters.

There are ships at the edge of my Kate--Zero range near Port Blair. An Air Flotilla is headed there to provide some teeth to the bombers.

Damaged Junyo is creeping along the coast at cruise speed heading for Singers. Mini-KB just reached Singapore.

[FDRLincoln]

I'd get some engineers to Toongoo and start building up the forts in that hex. It is a key rail junction and excellent fallback position for defense in depth if he kicks you out of the clear hexes.

[John 3rd]

Agreed. Just unloaded three engineering units with 25th Army HQ and 21st ID. Two go to Toungoo and one to Pegu. You'll notice units nearly everywhere moving south and they are DIGGING!

[FDRLincoln]

I am in a similar position in my PBEM game. I took Burma against weak opposition early, but my forces there were VERY thin since I threw almost everything I had into China. I've successfully knocked the Nationalists (almost) out of the war (it is now late January 1943, I have Chungking surrounded and have broken his army everywhere else but the far west of China), but Burma has heated up. He threw me out of the clear hexes, but I have managed to stall my opponent in the jungles and around Toungoo.

[FDRLincoln]

Having defenses prepped at Toungoo and Prome plus usage of the jungle has saved my bacon. It sounds like you have the same idea.

CR is a very tough opponent by all accounts.

[John 3rd]

THAT is what I am thinking. This is also why I am doing the same thing from Pt Blair around the tip and western side of Sumatra. No FREEBIES!

[John 3rd]

Decided to check the last turn and saw something marvelous. Guess who is coming to dinner as of July 13, 1942?

MISTER TOJO! BANZAI!!!

[FDRLincoln]

Yeah, always have to beware of flanking maneuvers. Moulmen and along the coast all the way to Singers, plus Sumatra, needs to be prepped, at least with forts to retreat to. Anything that can threaten the flow of oil has to be guarded against. But you know that.

Do you hold Christmas IO and/or Cocos Island?

[John 3rd]

I've got both with a full ID holding Cocos.

[FDRLincoln]

Excellent. You should be able to see him coming if he tries a sneak landing somewhere in the DEI. But you know that too.

[SqzMyLemon]

What's your plan for Ramree? I'd be pretty concerned with that Allied lodgement this early.

[John 3rd]

I have blasted the Lvl-1 AF. It isn't operational at the moment.

PLANS? Hmm...

Going to keep hammering the AF. Got to bring in more Base Forces for AFs. Want to surprise him with the Tojo so I will pull back 3 Sentai to upgrade and then deploy them all at once. Maximum bang for the deployment buck.

Will move 21st ID into the hex and see what is there. Have two more IDs traveling to Rangoon presently from the Philippines. Add those to the others and we'll see just how hard it might be to re-take.

MUST stop his shipping. This is the problem. I've got 4 CV about to be taken out of action for a full six weeks. Perhaps CarDiv2, Hiyo, 4 CVL, and 3 CVE will be enough to grab temporary control of the Bay of Bengal? If I was Dan I would move the CVs over here and fully concentrate everything. Lordy. Maybe I'll stop the upgrade (they are 2 days from the Home Islands) and commit EVERYTHING to the IO? Could field over 700 Aircraft from the CVs if I do...THAT might be a worthy SURPRISE!


Man...I'll take any suggestions...

[janh]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd
If I was Dan I would move the CVs over here and fully concentrate everything.

Which is what I would expect. Eastern OZ is so close, it just makes sense. Maybe even WASP is heading there (after the witthdrawal of CarDiv 2 are you taking any special measures against a sudden show of her in the Aleutian theater, btw?). The Marshalls are evidently a side show binding several major assets for weeks and months, assets that would otherwise be pushing and grabbing more terrain. I am wondering whether this was a smart move, but it would seem it gained him at least 1-2 months respite.

ORIGINAL: John 3rd
Maybe I'll stop the upgrade (they are 2 days from the Home Islands) and commit EVERYTHING to the IO? Could field over 700 Aircraft from the CVs if I do...THAT might be a worthy SURPRISE!

Upgrades especially of AAA and radar are worthy, though I don't now how this is with RA. Probably even more so? However, I tend to agree, the clock is ticking and things are rather "in the balance" in the IO since you let this theater be a side show for so long. There must be some ripe fruits, and for 1942 a (successful) carrier clash would be what is missing to really gain time. Not upgrading now is a risk I'd take at this point, especially with 3 more 3 CV due in early 43 (in case the clash goes bad...). Maybe upgrade just one carrier at a time?

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd
Maybe I'll stop the upgrade (they are 2 days from the Home Islands) and commit EVERYTHING to the IO? Could field over 700 Aircraft from the CVs if I do...THAT might be a worthy SURPRISE!

I vote no. "Ping-ponging" your heavy CV assets around the map is not a judicious use of this resource, IMO. Improve them (upgrade) and figure another less fuel-intensive asset to interdict his shipping in the IO. Subs? Fast raiding Cl SCTFs? Netties? Low-nav trained IJAAF assets? All of the above?

[Kitakami]

I agree with Chickenboy. Those upgrades are a must. You could do them 1 CarDiv at a time, if you want, but they are definitely a must.