Turnaround? Lowpe (J) vs Tiemanj (A) Stock

[Lowpe]

Not many IJN ships on the recently sunk page. Now, we will see if the Tone can get away safely, after a stop at Akyab first of course![:D]

[Lokasenna]

You're doing a great job with this game. I also think your opponent is squandering assets and it's going to delay his offensive, so your late start may not end up hurting you at all.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna
You're doing a great job with this game. I also think your opponent is squandering assets and it's going to delay his offensive, so your late start may not end up hurting you at all.

Many thanks!

I don't understand a lot of his moves, but sometimes his aggressiveness pays off, plus he is really lucky with the weather!

[Lowpe]

October 19, 1942

The month is slipping by and several major actions have yet occur this month.

In the Kuriles, once again a night time engagement starts in the predawn darkness...Heavy Cruisers slide to bombard and divert to take on a destroyer...

[Lowpe]

But all hearts and minds are fervently hoping for the Tone to make good her escape. A second Zero squadron has been put on alert to fly protective cover for the cruiser come the morning, after bombarding Akyab...but the Tone has other plans:

Enemy ships sighted, Engage!

[Lowpe]

And off Karachi, I-32 bags another tanker.

[Lowpe]

And for the first time in the Burma theater, the IJAAF flies an aggressive sweep of Akyab. Designed to help the Tone, the Tojo IIas go screaming in as the Sun rises at the moderate altitude of 20,000 feet to engage the waiting Allied planes...

And the squadron comes away satisfied with their performance, but they really wanted to mix it up with the hated Lightnings.

[Lowpe]

And now we return our attention to the Kuriles, almost the Aluetians, as the KB finds some targets but land based air is flying CAP over them. Hmm.., something I would do.[:D]

[Lowpe]

CAP Trap plus screen....and it ends up working well as two splinters of Kates fly unescorted into them getting chewed up a bit...but more destroyers get damaged and one most likely sunk.

[Lowpe]

Kweiyang. China. The attackers have been trapped! The spearhead of the IJA advance gets surrounded, and then attacked!

The relief column is two days away from entering the the hex, and the IJAAF is flying in supplies but they can't keep up with the divisions needs for ammunition....will the Chinese attack again on the morrow?

Or can this perhaps be a clever ploy designed to trap the Chinese...meanwhile to the east IJA units race to cut off over 40 Chinese units.

China, as always, is a mess.[:)]

[Lowpe]

And back in the radio room of the Tone the signals are sent...cancelled bombardment of Akyab...return to port for rearming. Ammunition dangerously low...taking the coastal route back to Sabang. Undetected.

Just another day in the war...

[Lowpe]

October 20, 1942

Again major bombing raids on Magwe at night and this time two squadrons of Zeroes challenge them along with the improved AA units. Not a single hit is scored, but 8 zeroes are lost in air to air but a half dozen or more heavy bombers go down. Will put the Nicks on duty for tonight.

No major engagements anywhere, in China the Kweiyang pocket is quiet and the relief column will punch thru to relieve the besieged troops on the morrow.

Refreshed troops march back into Soerabaja and a deliberate attack is ordered. This should be the final one, the defenders are down to 120 AV while the IJA musters over 1800 with a huge horde of ART. Can't wait to move on to the next siege at Batavia. Sweepers are ready for the port, and transports are staging as some of the troops will be heading to Buna instead of Batavia.

Troops will start loading onto transports for the big amphibious invasion in the Kuriles....only one LSD will participate the other didn't repair fast enough. This will be a huge Armada and represents a concentration of IJN forces, and long range naval search shows up two battleships and several destroyers east of Tarawa...will the Allies attack elsewhere while the IJN is focused on the Kuriles?

[Lowpe]

Here are the air losses for the day. Notice the much improved Flak losses. [:)]

I guess the Allies didn't like the sweep of Akyab the previous day, but I think Magwe is pretty well protected now and the fighter losses were made up with planes from the pool. Unfortunately, other bases are barely protected, but it is getting better each day as more Tojo IIas filter down to the front line units and to a lesser extent Nicks arrive.

With the Tone safely escaped from the Akyab area, there is no reason to sweep again as I am trying to conserve my air force and use it very judiciously.

Every day the allies are losing transport planes, flying into China I suspect.

This turn: Soerabaja should fall, 5 Chinese Corps should be trashed, and another 3 heavily damaged. The surrounded divisions in Kweiyang should be relieved and more bombardments of the Yanks in the Kuriles, while I expect the KB will sink a few more destroyers.

Counter invasion of the Kuriles is starting, and soon the fleet will sortie from Truk -- the mini KB, BBs, CAs,and DDs to counter threats in the Marshalls or Ocean Island. The mini KB pilots have had a solid month of much needed training, they might even hit something now.

[Lowpe]

Breaking the mountain line. Focused attack...exploit with Armor, that unfortunately is moving two to four miles per day through the nasty terrain. But wait until they get to the roads and then it is off to the races!

Chinese are too focused on surrounding my spearhead at Kweiyang, that they neglect rushing a second line here...where the real danger is coming from.

Chinese troops on the offense in 1942 are really weak...but they can fight in good terrain with supply on defense. I couldn't do much about the terrain, but I have been systematically attacking his supply creation since day 1. And soon my tanks will be in the plains.

Looking really good here -- especially with so many units isolated, and the prize 50 units around Changsha!

[Lowpe]

One of the goals I have for this game is to experiment with lots of planes. I figured that when I took over the game -- really, what did I have to lose?

So, here is my first flight of the Judy-C recon plane. They will have to train for a while, and then I should be able to transfer them onto the KB where they will fly naval search and perhaps even some recon.

I won't have another group until March of 43, but I plan on using these guys...

[Lowpe]

Kweiyang. The Allies have spent a lot of time maneuvering here, which I have let them pretty much. I just don't really fear the Chinese on offense's ability to win a fast fight against dug in IJA troopers.

I only have one more road to cutoff and the Changsha pocket will be complete. They will wither, while IJA forces flow around and the main thrust from the east cascades into the lightly held central plains of China.

The AVG, about 40 fighters, is in Changsha and hasn't flown that I know of for quite a while. Maybe they are CAP over Changsha, but I don't bomb or sweep there.

[Lowpe]

October 21, 1942

Kweiyang pocket relieved. Several Chinese Corps all but destroyed to the east.

DEI: In the five or six days since the last attack the busy little engineers in Soerabaja managed to get forts to level 3, IJA gets a 3-1 on the attack, but drops the forts 2 points. Will attack again and knock on wood that will be it. Winning without air dominance always takes longer.

Kuriles: Normal bombardment there. Troops start loading today for the invasion.

Oz: Subs hit two xAKs, with fuel explosions, off Perth. I suspect the Allies really lack escorts.

[Lowpe]

Mines claim another casualty. The sweeper sinks.

[Mike McCreery]

Does the count include the one that sunk him? ;]

[Lowpe]

Tabiteuea:

IJN long range recon flights identify several nice task forces here. The Yankees are definitely up to something other than just sending in supplies.

IJN forces also have seen more American recon flights mostly focused in the Marshalls and sometimes Ocean Island but especially Kusaie Island which stands at 9/10 detection level.

Could the Americans aim for this Island next? That would be bold, exposing forces to attack from both the south and the Marshalls. Presently Kusaie only has about 60 AV of troops behind level 3 forts, but one unit is the 31st Special Base Force with coastal guns.

IJN has sortied the CA Chokai, the CL Yura, and about 12 destroyers to assemble west of Nauru out of known Allied naval search patterns. If the Americans stick around, a high speed night run into his port is being planned out with fighter coverage from Ocean Island (Rufes) and Nauru (Zeroes, Oscars).

The BBs Nagato and Mutsu will move up from Truk, as will the mini KB to stand ready to defend the area as well as additional land based air units. A fair number of the submarines operating in this area are either at port repairing, siphoned off to the Kuriles, or further east patrolling but we will endeavor to increase the submarine coverage here, too.