Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A)

[Olorin]

July 16, 1943

Real life:
I wasn't in any state to post updates, thanks to a mini-Odyssey I had from London to Greece and a damned woman. Thankfully, AE helps me to regain balance.

Western Oz:
No major developments. The Americal Div is now on the railroad two hexes west of Kalgoorlie, but it's pinned by a newly arrived division fragment and an independent tank brigade. All hexsides but one are mine. The enemy is bombed mercilessly.

Extensive night raids on Perth yield nothing but a few bomb hits on BB Ise (sys dmg 10). The port is emptied.

SE Fleet:
2500 tons of supplies were successfully delivered to Horn Island by sea. The airfield remains closed, but a recent CAP trap downed more than 40 allied airplanes.

Burma:
Stalemate.

China:
Stalemate.

As of today, the Esperance counter-invasion is a go. ETA is late August. The full KB and 6 divisions will be committed.

[Olorin]

17-26 July, 1943,

Not much time to update properly, but I will cover the most important events briefly.

Wester Oz:
The ground situation remains stable. A command HQ, two raiding regiments and various support units arrived at Geraldon recently.
In the air, Michael swept over my ground troops west of Kalgoorlie and downed some 40 Georges at the cost of just 4-5 of his P-47s! I stood down every unit ad seized my own raids. The good news is that Kalgoorlie airfield is now open again.

SE Fleet:
The struggle to keep Horn Island supplied continues. The minefield is gone.
I set up two LRCAP traps, one over Horn Island and the other over a minelaying TF. Both worked and over 100 allied planes were downed.

Burma:
I lost 25 Helens in one day over Shwebo, but other than that...nothing to report.

China:
I attacked Siring with 2 1/2 divs, but the lvl5 forts remained intact. The enemy's lack of supplies means their fate is sealed.

Air war:
Overall, so far I 've lost 9.5k aircraft vs 4.5k allied.

Sub war:
Difficult to judge, but I generally lose 1 transport ship per day, on average.

Economy:
I've amassed 1.5 million HI and am gaining over 5k daily. Supplies have dropped below 4 million tons in total. Everything else looks healthy enough.

[Olorin]

23 Aug, 1943

Almost a month of game time has passed without an update...you know...summer in Greece and all [:'(]
The war has been intensified with the allied attack in Burma about to begin in earnest and a new front about to open.

Burma:
Ramree ilsand was lost, a few days before 150 AV of mine moved in. Of course it was a mistake to leave it ungarrisoned, after all the attention it's gotten in various AARs. Now, it's already a level 3 airfield and growing. I 'm trying to sweep with my Tojos, with varying results. One particular day, my sweeps went in after my bombers and I lost over 100 Helens. I'm still trying to replenish their numbers.

Meanwhile, I stopped bombing Shwebo and the two allied stacks north of the river were reinforced heavily. If they try to cross the river I have no answer but to retreat.

SE Fleet:
A big allied armada has just hit the shores of Vanikoro (south of Ndeni). I was expecting an attack in this region for a long time and it has finally come. My naval search has been somewhat ineffective and I can't quite decide the composition of the allied armada. I have 3 Unryu-class CVs, 2 BBs, 4 cruisers and about 15 DDs, which I didn't commit yet and I probably won't, because Tulagi was hit by heavy bombers and the planned naval strike of 60 Nells and 60 Zeros didn't happen. So, I pulled everyone back to Shortlands.

At least I shot down a significant number of heavy bombers. Luganville was attacked too, but my CAP was effective. What I have south of Ndeni is not worth saving, just base forces and SNFL troops, 340 AV in total spread out in numerous islands.

Horn Island: The aerial resupply is going quite well, to the point of making sea resupply quite unnecessary. Supplies have grown by 3k tons in a month, even under intensive airfield raids.
I tried mining the place, but I failed and ended up with a sunk CMc and a seriously damaged CM. Two night engagements between a CL led destroyer TF of mine and 7-8 Fletcher-class DDs were relatively inconclusive. I lost an E, Michael lost a DD.

Air war:
I 've lost 10.700 aircraft so far, Michael has lost 5.300.
My pilot pools are quite healthy I believe:
IJNAF has 1050 pilots in reserve (600 of them fighter pilots). TRACOM has 43 pilots.
IJAAF has 1250 pilots in reserve (870 of them fighter pilots). TRACOM has 140 pilots.
Special KB reserve is at 400 pilots (300 of them fighter pilots), which can be doubled if I strip front air units of their veterans.
My training program will soon start producing more and more frontline-ready pilots as more units arrive.

Esperance counter invasion:
On August 18th a large portion of the IJN left Java, carrying 7 1/2 divisions (well over 3000 AV).
9 CVs, 3 CVLs, 2 CVEs, 3 CS', 9 BBs, 8 CAs, 9 CLs, 55 DDs, 41 Es, 10 subs and 150 transports and other vessels will take part in the operation. 1/5 of this force is already at Perth. That this concentration has been picked up by allied intel is almost a certainty, but I'm doing everything I can to reduce chances of detection. No TF contains more than 20 ships and the path taken is chosen to avoid the allied sub patrol zones on the west coast of Australia. That the Allies are launching an operation of their own in the SE Fleet AO is welcome.

All IJN elements will rendezvous 12 hexes west of Perth in 4 days.

[MrBlizzard]

Wow that's a huge army!! [X(]
Did you plan to land straight in Esperance or to reach it by land? How much could you prepare your troops for the target?
I admire your courage, this is a very bold and, I think, clever move, it can be a turning point for the war!!
Good luck Olorin [:)]

[Olorin]

Thanks, Mr Blizzard, I'm going to amphibiously invade Esperance. Every last unrestricted division of the strategic reserve will be committed, leaving me quite vulnerable elsewhere, so yes it's a gamble. It could turn out to be a huge blunder [:)]

[Olorin]

Aug 26

The Esperance counter invasion force rendezvous 12 hexes west of Perth as planned. Some TFs are lagging one day behind. A new rendezvous point is set 12 hexes SW of Albany. So far everything remains unspotted. There were a few radio signal pick ups along the way though, but no TF reached DL levels above 1/1.

Composition of IJA forces:

Southern Army HQ:

1st & 3rd Raiding Rgts
2nd Area Army HQ:
21st Army HQ:
- 1st & 2nd Tank Divs
- 4th, 5th & 6th Guards Divs
- 5th Amphibious Bde
19th Army HQ:
- 37th, 56th Divs

The 19th Army has an additional two divisions on land north of Albany, Guards Tank Div and 46th Div, which are ordered to advance by land to Esperance and compel the 2nd Mar Div to retreat. Gaining the NW hexside could be crucial, should the invasion go awry.
The two raiding regiments will be dropped outside Kalgoorlie to cut off the two allied divs there.

Most units are close to or at 100% preparation levels. During the Japanese early offensives, I always prepped for different targets than what I actually attacked...

Elsewhere:

Kalgoorlie airfield is attacked daily and its use could be problematic. Albany is fully open. Most of my LBA (800 aircraft) is rested at Perth.

SE Fleet:
The allied invasion goes in unmolested. I think it was wise not to intervene, since there are at least 5 carriers in support. My subs scored 3 torpedo hits against CV Lexington, BB North Carolina and a CVE. No ship is sunk however and I lost 3 subs. The Allies took Vanikoro and Vanua Lava and landed 1000 AV at Luganville, which fell easily after several BBs bombarded the place. The good news is that 41st Infantry and 3rd Marine Divs are committed here.

Burma:
Bad weather seriously impedes air ops, so the airfield at Ramree island went up to level 4 in no time. Several BBs are spotted in Calcutta. This is the risk I'm taking with the invasion of Esperance. Should the Allies decide to make a move here, even as deep as Tavoy, I'll have no credible answer in the short term. I accept the risk.

[Olorin]

Aug 27

Western Oz:
Today the IJN invasion forces moved a bit closer to Esperance, in a large hook to avoid Michael's naval search. So far it's working. Several oilers are working very had trying to refuel everyone. There is one slow TF carrying the 37th Div lagging behind, which I will send to Albany and maybe land it as a second wave. In any case, with 14 allied CVs off Luganville, I believe I've achieved strategic surprise. It's up to my tactical handle of the invasion from now on.

The goal is to land as much of my combat power, as fast as possible, in as good a condition as possible. I have to face a cr@pload of PTs (but nothing bigger), a minefield of unknown strength, 500 aircraft operating from a lvl 9 airfield, 40.000 troops, 430 guns and 400 AFVs behind strong fortifications (I'm guessing lvl 5 or 6). I intent to send everyone in during the last phase of the turn (after the PM air ops are calculated). The PTs will hopefully be neutralised by my own small PBs and Es. The minefield will hopefully be cleared before the IJN main battle line moves in to bombard the airfield late in the evening. The main invasion force will also move alongside the main battle line and will begin unloading the next day. By then, the allied airfield will hopefully be closed (at least for naval strikes) by a combination of massive air attacks and more naval bombardments (the main battle line will be replenished at Albany, a lvl 5 port where two AKEs will be based. KB will provide LRCAP and will launch its own strike in the afternoon, until Esperance is neutralised. It will then head to the east, in order to deal with any allied reinforcements effort. Most of the troops will be unloaded in a single day, but some TFs may linger for an additional night, before everyone is ashore.

That's the plan anyway.

Burma:
At last the weather improved and my rebuilt Helen force was able t attack Ramree. I lost a few planes but several Hurrcanes were destroyed on the ground and airfield expansion is disrupted. The Allies launched ground attacks against 3 militia units holding the pass from Ramree to the mainland. A para unit launched a shock attack but it was wiped out. I guess tomorrow the main allied force will cross the 'river'. Disruption is high and I don't hold much hope of holding that hex.

Note: the first allied heavy bomber unit(s) since the start of the war appeared in Burma.

I'm starting to consider stripping northern Sumatra of a division to send to Burma.

SE Fleet:
Another division is on its way to the Solomons. Now that Luganville has fallen, more pressure will be applied to Tulagi and Guadalcanal, so my main resistance point here will be Shortlands and behind.

China:
Siring will be taken soon and another Chinese corps destroyed. In the north, only one base remains in Chinese hands.

[Olorin]

Aug 29, 1943

Western Australia (D-Day -1):
At sea: The IJN invasion force is gathered 10 hexes southwest of Esperance and it still remains unspotted. Every ship has enough fuel for the final dash and the return voyage to Albany.
66 small ships are gathered at Albany, minesweepers, minelayers, a multitude of PBs, 10 Es and 2 destroyers, including the TF carrying the 37th Div, which contains only PBs and AKs. This concentration is spotted, which is welcome. It's not big enough and the ships committed only minor ones to really make Michael think a serious invasion is coming. I tried a similar concentration about two months ago and then withdrew to Perth.
At Perth, Kido Buttai 2 plus 2 BBs, 6 cruisers and 11 DDs are in full view of the allied naval search planes and will make a full speed run to meet with the rest of the IJN.

On land: the Guards Tank Division overtook the 2nd Mar Div from the north side and is heading to Esperance unhindered.

In the air: the usual allied sweeps over Kalgoorlie did not occur today...
My own airforce is divided as such:
At Perth, 63 Georges, 36 Oscars, 84 Nells and 143 Helens will raid the airfield.
At Albany, 90 Georges will sweep Esperance, 42 Tojos and 9 Rex' will be provide LRCAP to the invasion force and another 42 Tojos will CAP Albany.
At Kalgoorlie, 42 Tojos, 53 Kates and 44 Judies will raid the airfield.
At Gunderdin, 12 Nicks and 36 Kates will raid the airfield.
Kido Buttai will raid the airfield in the afternoon. Some dive bombers will attack the port.

Burma:
Several Tojo groups sweep Ramree, followed by airfield attacks. I lose 3:1 but airfield expansion is halted again. My stack two hexes NE of Ramree is hammered by LOTS of allied level bombers. A deliberate attack followed, which pushed back the 21st Ind. Bde, leaving only 90 effective AV in the hex. It will surely be lost tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Allies are trying to cross the river at Ramree island. That hex will also be lost soon. Another allied stack is moving on the trails east of the Irrawaddy river. I counter by...ordering every single unit at Magwe and Mandalay to go into strat mode. It's time to run!

SE Fleet:
The Allied carriers land another devastating ground attack against Ndeni. Against the American 40th Div, I only have SNFL troops and a small base force. It will surely fall tomorrow. So... 3 American divisions are committed in this theater (40th, 41st, 3rd Mar), which I won't have to face in Western Australia any time soon.


Edit img: the Army north of Albany is the 19th, NOT the 14th.

[MrBlizzard]

Alea iacta est! [8D]

PS check the weather forecast before attacking, if in real life the weather in SW Australia would be so rainy as in game it wouldn't be a desert over there but a garden [:D]

waiting for fight!!!

[Olorin]

Ah, your PS was prophetic, but I didn't pay heed. Weather was awful and my LBA didn't fly a single sortie. Nothing. Nada. Nilch.

Aug 30, 1943

Western Oz (D-Day):
From my end, it looks like complete strategic, operational and tactical surprise was achieved, but foul weather prevented me from truly crippling the allied airforce. Thunderstorms meant that no sweeps or airfield raids took place, apart from the afternoon KB strike, which met a strong CAP and suffered more casualties than I cared. Other than this, there was some confusion about naval bombardment orders, but nothing that could affect the operation on the whole. The allied PTs were brushed aside with ease (23 sunk, at the cost of one PB), no mines were hit, the enemy CD guns were weaker than expected and the allied airforce did not launch any naval strikes.

Dealing with the PTs:

Night Time Surface Combat, near Esperance at 55,153, Range 4,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
PB Wa 4
AM Wa 101
AM Wa 102
PB Ginyo Maru
PB Shonon Maru #11
PB Ansyu Maru
PB Hakakisan Maru
PB Kamitu Maru
PB Sensan Maru
PB Taikei Maru, Shell hits 2
PB Tenzan Maru
PB Yamadori Maru

Allied Ships
PT-111
PT-112
PT-177
PT-178
PT-179
PT-180
PT-181
PT-182
PT-183
PT-184

Reduced sighting due to 0% moonlight
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Esperance at 56,154, Range 2,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CA Maya
CA Aoba
CA Kinugasa
DD Natsushio
DD Wakaba
DD Fubuki
DD Usugumo

Allied Ships
PT-103
PT-104
PT-105
PT-106
PT-107
PT-108
PT-109, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
PT-110
PT-158
PT-159
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Time Surface Combat, near Esperance at 56,153, Range 6,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
E W-1
E W-13
E Nuwashima, Shell hits 11, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied Ships
PT-111
PT-112
PT-177
PT-178
PT-179
PT-180
PT-181
PT-182
PT-183, Shell hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
PT-184, Shell hits 1

Maximum visibility in Overcast Conditions: 10,000 yards
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Time Surface Combat, near Esperance at 56,153, Range 8,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
PB Busho Maru, Shell hits 1
PB Chosa Maru, Shell hits 4
PB Nanpo Maru, Shell hits 2
PB Santos Maru
PB Shoei Maru
PB Sozan Maru, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
PB Nishi Maru
PB Spey Maru, Shell hits 4, on fire

Allied Ships
PT-164, Shell hits 3, and is sunk
PT-165, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
PT-169, Shell hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
PT-170
PT-171, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-172
PT-173, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-174, Shell hits 3, on fire
PT-175, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-176, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Time Surface Combat, near Esperance at 57,154, Range 18,000 Yards
Japanese Ships (A somewhat scary moment. This TF is carrying the 37th Div)
PB Kyo Maru #10
PB Magan Maru
PB Nagata Maru
PB Nikkai Maru
PB Tatsumiya Maru
AK Akiura Maru
AK Asakaze Maru
AK Kazuura Maru
AK Kinugawa Maru
AK Kumagawa Maru
AK Tamon Maru
AK Teikoku Maru
AK Yamabiko Maru
AK Yamaura Maru
AK Yamakaze Maru
AK Nichiyu Maru
PB Nishimi Maru
PB Taian Maru
PB Yamabato Maru
AK Eiroku Maru

Allied Ships
PT-111
PT-112
PT-177
PT-178
PT-179
PT-180
PT-181
PT-182
PT-184

Maximum visibility in Overcast Conditions: 19,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 18,000 yards
Allied TF attempts to evade combat
Range increases to 18,000 yards...
Both Task Forces evade combat
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Time Surface Combat, near Esperance at 56,153, Range 18,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Takao
CA Atago
CL Naka
CL Jintsu
DD Shirakumo
DD Murakumo
DD Kosugiri
DD Tagonami
DD Suruyame
DD Yamanagiri

Allied Ships
PT-103, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-104, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-105, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-106, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-107, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-108
PT-110
PT-158, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-159, Shell hits 1, and is sunk

Naval bombardments:
I had 3 SC TFs with identical orders to bombard Esperance.
- Tanaka TF (Yamato, Nagato, Mutsu, 7 DDs) did not bombard, but chose to linger 8 hexes south of Esperance, when the distance it can cover at full speed is 7 hexes, which means that I'm still not sure it will bombard tomorrow.
- BatDiv3 (Fuso, Ise, 2 CLs, 6 DDs) did not bombard, but chose to linger 7 hexes west of Esperance.
- CruDiv3 (2 CAs, 2 CLs, 6 DDs) DID bombard, after having successfully dealt with the allied PTs on its path.

Naval bombardment of Esperance at 56,153
Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
PV-1 Ventura: 22 damaged
PV-1 Ventura: 2 destroyed on ground
PBY-5 Catalina: 1 damaged
Mitchell II: 29 damaged
Mitchell II: 1 destroyed on ground
Hudson III (LR): 5 damaged
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 9 damaged
P-40K Warhawk: 12 damaged
P-40K Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground
F-5A Lightning: 4 damaged
F4U-1 Corsair: 2 damaged
F4U-1 Corsair: 1 destroyed on ground
P-39N1 Airacobra: 3 damaged
P-39N1 Airacobra: 1 destroyed on ground
F6F-3 Hellcat: 5 damaged

Japanese Ships
CA Atago
CA Takao
CL Jintsu
CL Naka

Allied ground losses:
372 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 43 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 4 disabled
Guns lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Vehicles lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Airbase hits 17
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 26

In the afternoon, 58 allied fighters sweep empty air over Kalgoorlie, despite heavy rain. It just shows the surprise I achieved and the lost opportunity to crush his airforce on the ground.

Foul weather did not prevent KB from launching an airfield attack in the afternoon. My dive bombers suffered the most.

Afternoon Air attack on Esperance , at 56,153
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid detected at 159 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 41 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 13
A6M5b Zero x 175
B5N2 Kate x 45
B6N2 Jill x 172
D4Y1 Judy x 128
D4Y3 Judy x 18
E13A1 Jake x 2
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 10
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 14

Allied aircraft
Spitfire Vc Trop x 14
P-39N1 Airacobra x 19
P-40K Warhawk x 64
F4U-1 Corsair x 35

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zero: 1 destroyed
A6M5b Zero: 12 destroyed
B5N2 Kate: 11 destroyed, 2 damaged
B6N2 Jill: 21 destroyed, 4 damaged
D4Y1 Judy: 27 destroyed, 21 damaged
D4Y1 Judy: 6 destroyed by flak
D4Y3 Judy: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged
D4Y3 Judy: 1 destroyed by flak
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 1 destroyed
Ki-44-IIc Tojo: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-39N1 Airacobra: 2 destroyed
P-40K Warhawk: 5 destroyed, 2 damaged
Mitchell II: 1 destroyed on ground
PV-1 Ventura: 4 destroyed on ground
F6F-3 Hellcat: 3 destroyed on ground
Hudson III (LR): 1 destroyed on ground
PBY-5 Catalina: 1 destroyed on ground

Allied Ships
APA Hunter Liggett, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage (Nice! I wonder what it's doing here)
PT-63, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
PT-174, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
PT-62, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
PT-65, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
PT-64, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk

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

Airbase hits 21
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 38
Port hits 1
Port supply hits 1

Late in the evening, 3 of the 6 invasion TFs reach Esperance and begin unloading, something which I hadn't planned at all. The other 3 TFs end their movement one hex south of Esperance. 3 AKs are damaged by the enemy CD guns but can and will remain where they are, until they unload their contents. 1500 AV are already ashore and I ordered an artillery bombardment in order to assess enemy strength. Here is my beachhead:


Orders for tomorrow:
Naval bombardments will hopefully go in as planned. A 4th SC TF is created out of KB2 (Haruna, Kongo, 4 DDs) in order to add to the potential damage that can be delivered during the night phase, should the Tanaka TF fail to fulfill its mission for the second day in a row.
Orders to my LBA remain the same. The weather forecast is 'overcast'.
The unloading of 3 divisions will be complete. The other 4 divs will begin unloading tomorrow morning.

Burma:
Another bad day over Ramree. I lost many Helens again and I will stand down my bombers. Meanwhile, my army in and around Magwe has just finished boarding on trains and is waiting the order to go south.

SE Fleet:
Ndeni falls, as expected. The allied carriers remain two hexes SE of Ndeni. It could take 5-6 days for them to reach Esperance at full speed.

[Olorin]

Aug 31

Western Oz (D-Day +2):
I would call that a very successful day, but not perfect.
First the imperfections: Albany cannot replenish battleships, so they have to make the trip to Perth and then bombard again. An amphibious TF stops unloading and tries to return to Albany and I had to order it back to Esperance so the 6th Guards Div can finish landing. And lastly, the allied coastal artillery and PT boats performed much better this turn, sinking an xAP, an AMC and 4 AMcs and damaging 3 APDs, 8 AKs, 1 AP, 1 AMC and 1 E.

Now the good news:
My beachhead almost doubled in size (now at 2750 AV). The artillery barrage revealed only two Australian brigades (300 effective AV, along with LOTS of support troops).
The airfield is torched by a combination of naval bombardments during the night and mass air raids during the day. 270 allied aircraft were destroyed on the ground and runway damage is at 78%.
10 PT boats were sunk.

The naval bombardments:

Night Naval bombardment of Esperance at 56,153
Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
Mitchell II: 18 damaged
Mitchell II: 3 destroyed on ground
SBD-3 Dauntless: 12 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed on ground
PV-1 Ventura: 31 damaged
PV-1 Ventura: 13 destroyed on ground
PBY-5 Catalina: 15 damaged
PBY-5 Catalina: 3 destroyed on ground
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 6 damaged
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 3 destroyed on ground
F-5A Lightning: 2 damaged
F-5A Lightning: 2 destroyed on ground
P-39N1 Airacobra: 14 damaged
P-39N1 Airacobra: 1 destroyed on ground
Beaufort VIII: 9 damaged
Beaufort VIII: 4 destroyed on ground
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground
F6F-3 Hellcat: 5 damaged
F6F-3 Hellcat: 3 destroyed on ground
SBD-5 Dauntless: 10 damaged
SBD-5 Dauntless: 4 destroyed on ground
F4U-1 Corsair: 10 damaged
F4U-1 Corsair: 3 destroyed on ground
P-40K Warhawk: 19 damaged
P-40K Warhawk: 4 destroyed on ground
Hudson III (LR): 2 damaged
Spitfire Vc Trop: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Hyuga
BB Ise
CL Yura
CL Isuzu

Allied ground losses:
311 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 7 destroyed, 23 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Vehicles lost 2 (1 destroyed, 1 disabled)

Airbase hits 20
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 35
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Naval bombardment of Esperance at 56,153
Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
Mitchell II: 33 damaged
Mitchell II: 2 destroyed on ground
PV-1 Ventura: 18 damaged
PV-1 Ventura: 6 destroyed on ground
P-40K Warhawk: 26 damaged
P-40K Warhawk: 7 destroyed on ground
F4U-1 Corsair: 24 damaged
F4U-1 Corsair: 5 destroyed on ground
PBY-5 Catalina: 9 damaged
PBY-5 Catalina: 2 destroyed on ground
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 34 damaged
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 6 destroyed on ground
Beaufort VIII: 34 damaged
Beaufort VIII: 5 destroyed on ground
SBD-3 Dauntless: 25 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 4 destroyed on ground
P-39N1 Airacobra: 9 damaged
P-39N1 Airacobra: 2 destroyed on ground
Hudson III (LR): 2 damaged
Hudson III (LR): 1 destroyed on ground
PBY-5 Catalina: 1 damaged
F-5A Lightning: 7 damaged
F-5A Lightning: 1 destroyed on ground
Spitfire Vc Trop: 15 damaged
Spitfire Vc Trop: 3 destroyed on ground
F6F-3 Hellcat: 12 damaged
F6F-3 Hellcat: 3 destroyed on ground
SBD-5 Dauntless: 17 damaged
SBD-5 Dauntless: 6 destroyed on ground
P-40E Warhawk: 8 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 2 destroyed on ground

Japanese Ships
BB Yamato
BB Mutsu
BB Nagato
CL Oi
CL Kitakami

Allied ground losses:
265 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 11 destroyed, 27 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 5 disabled
Guns lost 7 (2 destroyed, 5 disabled)

Airbase hits 21
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 31
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Naval bombardment of Esperance at 56,153
Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
F4U-1 Corsair: 6 damaged
F4U-1 Corsair: 1 destroyed on ground
PV-1 Ventura: 4 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 25 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 3 destroyed on ground
P-39N1 Airacobra: 2 damaged
P-39N1 Airacobra: 2 destroyed on ground
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 14 damaged
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 2 destroyed on ground
P-40K Warhawk: 12 damaged
P-40K Warhawk: 2 destroyed on ground
SBD-5 Dauntless: 5 damaged
SBD-5 Dauntless: 1 destroyed on ground
Spitfire Vc Trop: 7 damaged
Spitfire Vc Trop: 1 destroyed on ground
Beaufort VIII: 8 damaged
Beaufort VIII: 1 destroyed on ground
PBY-5 Catalina: 6 damaged
PBY-5 Catalina: 1 destroyed on ground
F6F-3 Hellcat: 20 damaged
F6F-3 Hellcat: 2 destroyed on ground
Mitchell II: 6 damaged
Mitchell II: 1 destroyed on ground
P-40E Warhawk: 2 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground

Japanese Ships
CA Kinugasa
CA Aoba
CA Maya

Allied ground losses:
52 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 4 (2 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Airbase hits 7
Runway hits 19
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Naval bombardment of Esperance at 56,153
Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 10 damaged
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 2 destroyed on ground
P-39N1 Airacobra: 3 damaged
P-39N1 Airacobra: 1 destroyed on ground
F6F-3 Hellcat: 2 damaged
F6F-3 Hellcat: 1 destroyed on ground
P-40K Warhawk: 6 damaged
P-40K Warhawk: 4 destroyed on ground
PV-1 Ventura: 12 damaged
PV-1 Ventura: 3 destroyed on ground
SBD-3 Dauntless: 7 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed on ground
Hudson III (LR): 3 damaged
Hudson III (LR): 1 destroyed on ground
Beaufort VIII: 6 damaged
Beaufort VIII: 3 destroyed on ground
SBD-5 Dauntless: 1 damaged
SBD-5 Dauntless: 1 destroyed on ground
F4U-1 Corsair: 5 damaged
F4U-1 Corsair: 1 destroyed on ground
P-40E Warhawk: 3 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground
PBY-5 Catalina: 1 damaged
Mitchell II: 6 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Haruna
BB Kongo

Allied ground losses:
170 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 9 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 6 (2 destroyed, 4 disabled)

Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 7

Air raids- The lack of any opposition negated the fact that my LBA was scattered:

Morning Air attack on Esperance , at 56,153
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 45 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 6
A6M5b Zero x 77
E13A1 Jake x 2
G3M3 Nell x 53
N1K1 Rex x 7
N1K1-J George x 36
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 11
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 11

Allied aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M3 Nell: 6 damaged
G3M3 Nell: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
P-40E Warhawk: 9 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground
F4U-1 Corsair: 14 damaged
F4U-1 Corsair: 1 destroyed on ground
SBD-5 Dauntless: 11 damaged
SBD-5 Dauntless: 1 destroyed on ground
SBD-3 Dauntless: 8 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 2 destroyed on ground
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 14 damaged
P-40K Warhawk: 12 damaged
P-39N1 Airacobra: 6 damaged
P-39N1 Airacobra: 1 destroyed on ground
F-5A Lightning: 1 damaged
F-5A Lightning: 1 destroyed on ground
PV-1 Ventura: 2 damaged
Spitfire Vc Trop: 4 damaged
Spitfire Vc Trop: 1 destroyed on ground
F6F-3 Hellcat: 2 damaged
F6F-3 Hellcat: 1 destroyed on ground

Airbase hits 5
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 27
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Esperance , at 56,153
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid detected at 154 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 65 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 4
A6M5b Zero x 73
B5N2 Kate x 27
E13A1 Jake x 2
N1K1 Rex x 7
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 11
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 12

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 6 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
Mitchell II: 9 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 damaged
P-40K Warhawk: 2 damaged
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 4 damaged
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 1 destroyed on ground
P-40E Warhawk: 1 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground

Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Esperance , at 56,153
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid detected at 150 NM, estimated altitude 20,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 64 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5b Zero x 28
B5N2 Kate x 43
E13A1 Jake x 1
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 48

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 5 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
P-40E Warhawk: 3 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground
Mitchell II: 3 damaged
P-40K Warhawk: 8 damaged
P-40K Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground
F6F-3 Hellcat: 1 damaged
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 1 damaged
SBD-5 Dauntless: 2 damaged
F4U-1 Corsair: 2 damaged

Airbase hits 4
Runway hits 5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Esperance , at 56,153
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid detected at 158 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 40 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 2
A6M5b Zero x 28
D4Y1 Judy x 40
E13A1 Jake x 1
N1K1 Rex x 9
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 11

Japanese aircraft losses
D4Y1 Judy: 11 damaged
D4Y1 Judy: 3 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
APA Hunter Liggett, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
PT-183, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
PT-82, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk

Port hits 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Esperance , at 56,153
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid detected at 155 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 66 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 4
A6M5b Zero x 64
B5N2 Kate x 8
E13A1 Jake x 1
N1K1 Rex x 7
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 11

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 1 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
F4U-1 Corsair: 1 damaged
F4U-1 Corsair: 1 destroyed on ground

Airbase hits 1
-----------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Esperance , at 56,153
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid detected at 131 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 55 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 4
A6M5b Zero x 68
B5N2 Kate x 9
E13A1 Jake x 1

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 3 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-40K Warhawk: 1 damaged
P-40K Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 1 damaged

Runway hits 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Esperance , at 56,153
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 38 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 8
A6M5b Zero x 37
E13A1 Jake x 2
Ki-43-IIb Oscar x 36
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 11
Ki-49-IIb Helen x 112

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-49-IIb Helen: 3 damaged
Ki-49-IIb Helen: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
F4U-1 Corsair: 17 damaged
F4U-1 Corsair: 1 destroyed on ground
P-40E Warhawk: 6 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground
SBD-5 Dauntless: 2 damaged
SBD-5 Dauntless: 1 destroyed on ground
SBD-3 Dauntless: 14 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 2 destroyed on ground
Beaufort VIII: 1 destroyed on ground
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 14 damaged
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 1 destroyed on ground
Mitchell II: 3 damaged
P-40K Warhawk: 19 damaged
P-40K Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground
P-39N1 Airacobra: 2 damaged
F6F-3 Hellcat: 7 damaged
F6F-3 Hellcat: 1 destroyed on ground
F-5A Lightning: 7 damaged
PBY-5 Catalina: 1 damaged
PV-1 Ventura: 1 damaged
PV-1 Ventura: 1 destroyed on ground

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

Airbase hits 4
Runway hits 29
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Esperance , at 56,153
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid detected at 114 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 36 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 8
A6M5b Zero x 37
E13A1 Jake x 1
N1K1 Rex x 7
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 11
Ki-49-IIb Helen x 31

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-49-IIb Helen: 8 damaged
Ki-49-IIb Helen: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
F4U-1 Corsair: 15 damaged
F4U-1 Corsair: 1 destroyed on ground
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 3 damaged
Spitfire Vc Trop: 4 damaged
Mitchell II: 12 damaged
P-40K Warhawk: 1 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 2 damaged
F-5A Lightning: 1 damaged

Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 5

Artillery barrages in 4 hexes were conducted, the most important being at Esperance, the second one at Kalgorrlie and the other two in the two hexes west of Kalgoorlie, in order to slow their movement rate:

Ground combat at Esperance (56,153)
Japanese Bombardment attack
Attacking force 39411 troops, 487 guns, 886 vehicles, Assault Value = 2750
Defending force 38760 troops, 424 guns, 482 vehicles, Assault Value = 298

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

Assaulting units:
2nd Tank Division
5th Amphibious Brigade
1st Engineer Co
20th Ind Engr Rgt /1
4th Guards Division
1st Tank Division
6th Guards Div /4
37th Division
5th Guards Division
56th Div /2
2nd Area Army
13th Field Construction Battalion
23rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
1st Ind.AA Gun Co
5th RF Gun Battalion
206th Ship Eng Coy
21st Army

Defending units:
30th Australian Brigade
632nd Tank Destroyer Battalion
1st Australian/A Div /1
Southwest Pacific
1/542nd Boat&Shore Engineer Battalion
49th Base Group
32nd MAG
871st Aviation Engineer Battalion
21st Base Maint Engineer Battalion
19th Base Maint Engineer Battalion
30th USN Special Construction Battalion
603rd Coast AA Regiment
15th Marine Defense Battalion
3/542nd Boat&Shore Engineer Battalion
2/542nd Boat&Shore Engineer Battalion
30th Base Group
43rd Base Group
29th USN Special Construction Battalion
86th Coast AA Regiment
3rd RAN Base Force
31st MAG
73rd RAAF Supt Wing
81st RAAF Supt Wing
863rd Aviation Engineer Battalion
93rd Coast AA Regiment
7th RAAF M/W Sqn
7th USN Naval Construction Regiment

The allied response so far is to attack Kalgoorlie with heavy bombers based at Ceduna. Damage was very light.
Tomorrow, my fighters will provide mass LRCAP over Esperance. Land based Kates and Judies will attack allied ground troops (which btw are now trying to extricate themselves from the forming pocket). Helens will attack ground troops defending Esperance. Nells will raid the airfield again, as will Kido Buttai. Finally, a deliberate attack will be launched, despite some units being fatigued.

Burma:
The situation steadily deteriorates. My forces two hexes NE of Ramree are finally pushed back towards Magwe. One hex east of Ramree the allies launch a deliberate attack which fails, but causes many disablements. I will soon lose this hex also.

SE Fleet:
Only two allied CVs are spotted. There are many TFs heading back to Pago-Pago(?), without any CVs in them, but they are on the outer limit of my naval search patterns. I ordered 27 Nells to rebase to Numea, in order to watch any movement to the west.

[MrBlizzard]

This is a real masterwork! [&o] Congratulations to the greek STRATEGOS [;)]
Allied West Australian Army is gonna to be completely annihilated. Whith complete air control and with allied troops out of supplies it will be an easy slaughter! bombing his troops you'll halve their movements and you can try to envelope them [X(]
there are very little defences in Esperance, do you think you'll need all the troops you've brought to complete the work? Maybe you'll soon be able to pcll back something as strategic reserve to more menaced placed...
Poor NYGiants, this is a real blow, any comment from him?

[Olorin]

Cheers!

Annihilating the allied army in Western Australia (6+ divisions, plus the bulk of the allied tank force) was the primary goal of this operation. I need to cut off the rail connection to Port Augusta. I think I brought enough combat power to do the job. I haven't thought of redeploying any divisions yet, it's too early. First comment from NY59Giants was to express doubts that the operation would work, but I think this turn will change his mind!

[Olorin]

Sep 1, 1943

Western Oz (D-Day +3):
Esperance falls!!!
40.000 allied troops are made POWs! 520 guns and 430 AFVs captured, 235 aircraft destroyed on the ground!

The turn opened with the two remaining amphibious TFs unloading more soldiers and supplies. The minefield was encountered for the first time and 45 mines were cleared, but two AMs were sunk by coastal artillery. Two AKs, one APD and one CM were also sunk. In return, we got an SS, an APA and two PTs.
A bombardment of Esperance by a cruiser TF followed, destroying more aircraft.

Night Naval bombardment of Esperance at 56,153

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
SBD-3 Dauntless: 12 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed on ground
P-39N1 Airacobra: 2 damaged
SBD-5 Dauntless: 8 damaged
P-40K Warhawk: 2 damaged
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 5 damaged
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 1 destroyed on ground
PBY-5 Catalina: 1 damaged
Mitchell II: 6 damaged
F4U-1 Corsair: 11 damaged
Beaufort VIII: 7 damaged
Beaufort VIII: 1 destroyed on ground
PBY-5 Catalina: 2 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 2 damaged
F-5A Lightning: 2 damaged
F6F-3 Hellcat: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
CA Atago
CA Takao
CL Jintsu
CL Naka

Allied ground losses:
77 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 18 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Guns lost 3 (2 destroyed, 1 disabled)

Airbase hits 3
Runway hits 8
Port hits 2

During the day, the enemy airfield was attacked by KB and all available Nells. The Helens went after the ground troops. I won't quote the exact results, as it would make this a very long post. Suffice to say, all enemy divisions were attacked, which ensured putting them on combat mode, slowing down their retreat into the desert.

Ground combat at Esperance (56,153)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 80261 troops, 808 guns, 1000 vehicles, Assault Value = 2891
Defending force 39069 troops, 430 guns, 481 vehicles, Assault Value = 302

Japanese adjusted assault: 4289 ([:)]100% preparation by all units, plus a proper chain of command HQs fully prepared)
Allied adjusted defense: 180
Japanese assault odds: 23 to 1 (fort level 6)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Esperance !!!

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
Mitchell II: 9 destroyed
Hudson III (LR): 2 destroyed
SBD-3 Dauntless: 17 destroyed
F4U-1 Corsair: 21 destroyed
F6F-3 Hellcat: 11 destroyed
P-39N1 Airacobra: 8 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 5 destroyed
PBY-5 Catalina: 1 destroyed
PV-1 Ventura: 8 destroyed
P-40K Warhawk: 24 destroyed
SBD-5 Dauntless: 10 destroyed
Spitfire Vc Trop: 7 destroyed
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 9 destroyed
PBY-5 Catalina: 3 destroyed
Beaufort VIII: 5 destroyed
F-5A Lightning: 4 destroyed

Combat modifiers
Defender: forts(+), disruption(-), preparation(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
2878 casualties reported
Squads: 9 destroyed, 251 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 41 disabled
Engineers: 11 destroyed, 77 disabled
Guns lost 34 (5 destroyed, 29 disabled)
Vehicles lost 20 (1 destroyed, 19 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
40622 casualties reported
Squads: 191 destroyed, 18 disabled
Non Combat: 1205 destroyed, 40 disabled
Engineers: 420 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 537 (527 destroyed, 10 disabled)
Vehicles lost 468 (463 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Units retreated 3
Units destroyed 24

Assaulting units:
5th Guards Division
56th Division
1st Tank Division
37th Division
4th Guards Division
5th Amphibious Brigade
20th Ind Engineer Regiment
1st Engineer Co
2nd Tank Division
6th Guards Div /4
5th RF Gun Battalion
2nd Area Army
23rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
13th Field Construction Battalion
206th Ship Eng Coy
1st Ind.AA Gun Co
21st Army

Defending units:
30th Australian Brigade
632nd Tank Destroyer Battalion
1st Australian/A Div /1
2/542nd Boat&Shore Engineer Battalion
81st RAAF Supt Wing
15th Marine Defense Battalion
3/542nd Boat&Shore Engineer Battalion
49th Base Group
93rd Coast AA Regiment
3rd RAN Base Force
29th USN Special Construction Battalion
32nd MAG
7th RAAF M/W Sqn
73rd RAAF Supt Wing
31st MAG
43rd Base Group
19th Base Maint Engineer Battalion
21st Base Maint Engineer Battalion
863rd Aviation Engineer Battalion
Southwest Pacific
30th USN Special Construction Battalion
871st Aviation Engineer Battalion
1/542nd Boat&Shore Engineer Battalion
86th Coast AA Regiment
603rd Coast AA Regiment
30th Base Group
7th USN Naval Construction Regiment

My forces are disrupted and fatigued and need resting for a day. The 2nd Tank division however will begin exploiting this victory immediately. It has fatigue and disruption in the 20s (the lowest of all). Guards Tank Division is ordered to a NE direction (the road junction north of Esperance).
The facilities were captured completely destroyed (airbase and port damage at 100). It will take time to repair the damage, so fighter cover has to be provided by Albany and Kalgoorlie, as allied heavy bombers can slow down my tanks.
Meanwhile, the artillery barrage by the 14th Army in Kalgoorlie and environs continued today:

Ground combat at Kalgoorlie (56,147)
Japanese Bombardment attack
Attacking force 27451 troops, 262 guns, 154 vehicles, Assault Value = 889
Defending force 35251 troops, 633 guns, 754 vehicles, Assault Value = 1020

Japanese ground losses:
107 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 3 (2 destroyed, 1 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
Vehicles lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Assaulting units:
3rd Ind Engineer Regiment
21st Ind Engineer Regiment
48th Division
18th Division
14th Army
2nd Hvy.Artillery Regiment
3rd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
8th JAAF AF Bn
25th JNAF AF Unit
45th Field AA Battalion
21st Ind.AA Gun Co
14th JAAF AF Bn

Defending units:
2/9th Armoured Regiment
6th Australian Division
2/6th Armoured Regiment
2/7th Armoured Regiment
32nd Infantry Division
34th Cmbt Engineer Regiment
II Aus Corps Engineer Battalion
1st Medium Regiment
2nd RAA Jungle Regiment
70th Coast AA Regiment
168th Field Artillery Battalion
II Australian Corps
181st Field Artillery Battalion
2nd Medium Regiment
134th Field Artillery Battalion
1st RAA Jungle Regiment
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at 55,147 (near Kalgoorlie)
Japanese Bombardment attack
Attacking force 28661 troops, 285 guns, 190 vehicles, Assault Value = 951
Defending force 30770 troops, 585 guns, 884 vehicles, Assault Value = 1107

Allied ground losses:
46 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 4 (2 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Assaulting units:
2nd Guards Division
3rd Tank Regiment
5th Division
1st Medium Field Artillery Regiment
40th Field AA Battalion
39th Field Const Co
2nd Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
8th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
4th Field Construction Battalion
30th Fld AA Gun Co
19th Field AA Machinecannon Company

Defending units:
763rd Tank Battalion
1st Marine Division
754th Tank Battalion
4th Australian Division
637th Tank Destroyer Battalion
193rd Tank Battalion
762nd Tank Battalion
3rd NZ Armoured Sqn
97th Coast AA Regiment
216th Coast AA Regiment
217th Coast AA Regiment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at 54,147 (near Kalgoorlie)
Japanese Bombardment attack
Attacking force 14686 troops, 123 guns, 26 vehicles, Assault Value = 522
Defending force 16124 troops, 424 guns, 250 vehicles, Assault Value = 410

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

Assaulting units:
65th Brigade
20th Infantry Regiment
9th Infantry Regiment
7th Ind.Tank Brigade
9th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
23rd AA Regiment
31st Fld AA Gun Co

Defending units:
Americal Infantry Division
102nd Cmbt Engineer Regiment
64th Coast AA Regiment
98th Coast AA Regiment
251st Coast AA Regiment

Orders for tomorrow:
The majority of the IJN will retire, including KB. The Southern Army begins planning for an offensive in Burma. The 1st and 3rd raiding regiments cannot be dropped in non-base hexes (bug?) and so begin loading onto transport ships heading to Burma, along with a few other support units.
The 5th Air Div and 21st Air Flotilla will continue pounding the allied troops.

Burma:
All units in Mandalay and Magwe are on trains, ready to receive the order to head south (Toungo). Ramree is swept by 34 Tojos, I lose 2:1.

SE Fleet:
The enemy CVs appear to be near the Elice islands.
A partial withdrawal from Tulagi and Lunga has begun.
A new division (47th) arrives in theater.

[Schlemiel]

That's quite the coup at this point in the war.

[MrBlizzard]

That's a crushing victory, if you can manage to bag his fleeding army it would be an ipoteque on the war, it could pass a looong time before he can recover from these losses and mount again an offensive.[8D]
Do you plan to keep west australia indefinitevely or you think to retreat after mopping?
PS para can't no more jump in non hexes bases, it was changed in one of the last patches

[Olorin]

I WAS planning to leave Australia virtually defenseless after this battle. A division or two would still be required to delay a possible second Allied landing here. The plan WAS to take 6000 AV from Australia and redeploy them to Burma, which together with the AV already present there (4000 AV), would give me 10.000 AV available for an offensive operation. The current Burma Area Army would retreat back to Rangoon and Mulmein, creating two strong points, the former being much stronger, which would necessitate the splitting of the Allied army in two. I would then introduce the 6000 from Australia and crush the two allied Armies piece meal.

[Schlemiel]

You've certainly done a lot to guarantee the accuracy of the thread title

[Olorin]

[:D] Well, evidently yes. Most of the fighting on the ground has taken place in Australia... so far.

Regarding the Burma offensive, I wanted to delay the eventually withdrawal to Rangoon for another month or more, because ground operations in Western Australia will take another 2-4 weeks to finish. Add another 3 weeks for the massive army redeployment to Burma and you get the picture.

[JocMeister]

Had to read about what happened here as Michael hasn´t updated his AAR.

Fantastic move! Wow! [X(]