North Pacific
The I-28 helps avenge the Yamashiro by putting a single torpedo into the St Louis. Coupled with the damage done to the American crusier, it may well have finished her off.
Elsewhere, the usual nusiance USAAF medium bomber raids on Adak and Amchitka. Zero's will make a fight over Adak next turn to hopefully down a few more.
Central Pacific
Calm, as per usual. Fuel shipment is nearly at Kawajalen, so submarine operations should resume promptly.
South-West Pacific
The Maya and a gaggle of destroyers stop short of Koumac with a IJA Raiding Regiment. Then, search planes report a USN amphibious task force unloading troops at Noumea. The Pensacola and Louisville bombarded Noumea, so are out of ammo and out of the fight.
Better still, the Maya and company are undetected, so they've been ordered not to bother unloading troops and to make a quick run down the coast to hopefully take the ships unloading troops. It's a risk, but naval search shows no other USN surface forces in the area. Hopefully the IJA troops on the decks of the ships will get a good show.
Remember the Yamashiro!
The KB is about four days out. Hopefully the crusier raid will provoke the American carriers out from Sydney and in to the arms of the KB.
Reinforcement of Noumea makes the already shakey position of the Guards Mixed Brigade completely undefendable, so they'll withdraw back up New Caledonia and be withdrawn, probably to Port Moresby. As much as I'd love to have New Caledonia, it's too far forward, and with the Americans dug in far too deeply on Luganville, completely undefendable.
Austrailia
Another strange occurance west of Broome. IJN torpedo bombers strike and sink some troopships in the middle of the ocean in the AM phase, and run in to a British carrier in the PM phase. The thin British CAP makes enough of an impact to prevent any hits.
Imperial General Headquarters is confused. Possibly a bid to force troops and supplies through to Darwin. The Mini-KB is up by Southern Sumatra, and will head south to investigate. The possibility of the British carrier being bait to a trap is likely, so IJN search efforts will increase so as to rumble the Allies. More IJN torpedo bombers and escorting fighters have been moved in - if the Allies intend to move within range, they'll have a great many planes to deal with.
A light crusier TF consisting of Sendai and Naka and escorting destroyers will move into the area to at least threaten the British carriers.
Burma
More toys for the IJA arrive. Still short on ground troops. Ideally, another division or two would set this theater up for most of 1942. Artillery and troops start to concentrate for the IJA push towards Akyab while skirmishing with the Chinese continues.
The IJAAF plots a raid for Akyab aerodrome tomorrow. The British have stayed on the ground, so hopefully this will drag them from the deck.
China
Bombardments at Chungking continue to be a bloody affair for both sides. Chengtu is occupied with no resistance. 7 Tojo's and some Nates are flown in to defend against any British bombing raids from Ledo.
Philippines
No more flak bursts over Bataan, so the IJA bombers are ordered to go in lower, and more are given over to plastering the American troops. A deliberate attack will go in within the week.
Question to the Gallery
What's the best way to place Command and Air HQ's? I think the best use of Air Flottila's (1 hex range) is to enable single or binary base complexes and the bigger Air Fleet's/Flotilla's are to enable larger areas.
My question is what is the best geographic location for these units? Seeing as Command HQ's can provide torpedos, is it a good idea to swap the 4th Fleet (Command HQ, Truk) with the 6th Fleet (Naval HQ, Kawajalein)?
Is the 5th Fleet better served at a large port to assist naval operations, or smack bang in the middle of the Kuriles to enable all bases to carry torpedos?
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A formidable opponent, as the Yamashiro discovered, but now severely damaged if not sunk.[/center]
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