Operation Northern Thunder. Was:2 years and counting

[buckaroo13]

2 Years and counting.

My opponent (Gebede) and I started the grand campaign last August and have just hit the 2 year mark.
This marks my first attempt at the full campaign for WitP:AE and it’s been a blast so far. Gebede has played a great game and I’ve been struggling to piece together any type of successful offensive.

A Brief history of the War to Date

Opening: The Japanese skipped out on Pearl and hit the Subs in the Philippines first.
History and current state of affairs by area….
Solomons: The Japanese made it as far as Noumea. I was able to knock him off Noumea but the entire Solomons chain is still in Japanese hands. I spent the last half of 1942 reclaiming Efayte and Luganville and lost a lot (and I mean lots) of ships in the process.

Highlights included our only big Carrier battle which put 4 of my flat tops at the bottom of the ocean. Only Enterprise and Lexington escaped. Good for the Allies was a Battleship duel that saw the USS Washington sink the Yamato with direct fire.

Currently Noumea is a big hub but heavy fighting has moved further west.

OZ And New Guinea: By mid 42 the Japanese had all of Northern OZ and Port Moresby under Control. The Japanese didn’t take Cooktown or Townsville and both have been built up into formidable bomber bases.

early ’43 saw one of the Allies worst Mis-steps. I wanted to capture the small base at Terapo in New Guinea. The Invasion fleet was hit hard on the way in and I lost most of the combat division tasked with capturing the base. Gabede hit back hard, brought in re-enforcements under the cover of the KB and wiped me out.

Overland troops captured most of Northern OZ and Darwin is now built up to a formidable forward base.
Heavy Bombers from Cooktown have pretty much leveled every airstrip in New Guinea.

Dutch East Indies:

I was easily steamrolled here; losing it all by mid ’42 Dutch remnants re-treated to the Cocos Island and have built a formable base. At the end of ’42 the defenders of Cocos have repulsed an invasion and currently run recon and the occasional bomber raid over.

India and Burma:
The Japanese didn’t focus too much here. After repeated bombing raids from Akyab the Japanese came up in force and took the base. One aborted invasion by sea and a successful one by land recaptured Akyab. Several Japanese divisions were running around Imphal but have finally been pushed out of India and back into Burma.
Calcutta is a powerhouse, India is under control and I’m getting more and more troops there but few transports to move a large invasion by sea.

Current Status

the Overall map showing the lines. Things are pretty static here, with Gebede responding to my small incursions and me not having enough Carrier Strength to take him on in open water.


Losses and points at this point


Naval losses:
The Allied navy has been hit hard, to date I’ve lost roughly

5 CVs
1 CVL
7 CVE
11! BBs
12 CA
20 CL
90 DD
36 subs
Critically I’ve lost over 100 APs of various types due to many botched invasion and resupply attempts

Japanese losses are also rough but no where near what the Allies have experienced.

1 CV
1 CVL
4 CVE
2 BB
4 CA
14 CL
50 DD
50 Subs
So the KB is still intact though they have lost a lot of aircraft and the Zuikaku and Shokaku have been hit at least one time each.

Air War: I’ve managed to keep a positive Air to Air ratio for most of the game but it’s been close. Once those N1K1 George showed up it’s been a lot tougher.

Here is a breakdown of losses by type.
I've lost a lot but the only pools that are really hurting are my P-38s (Can never get enough of them).



For fun tracking my pilots. I have a couple of 16 kill aces including Pappy and Richard Bong. Sadly I couldn't figure out how to get Pappy over to a Marine Squadron so he's had to contend himself with P-38s and P-47s


From here on out

1. So I'm still trying to decide a strategy here. I could use the Cocos as a spring board to land on the DEI, but I'm not sure I want to invest that many troops so far away from the home islands.

2. I could Push north from Darwin, up into the Philippines.

3. Push the Central Pacific. I haven't made any moves here, might be suprising

4. In India I could push towards Rangoon but I don't have the Transports to move by sea. I would need to ship a bunch from the West Coast

5. Push the Solomons Islands or New Guinea but he's got a lot of troops there that have had a lot of time to dig in. Still closer to the US Coast and I do have several large bases




So my fellow WiTP'ers any ideas or suggestions?

[Lokasenna]

I've always been a fan of a Solomons advance, at least initially. Where you go from there is somewhat open, but it secures the SLOC to Australia. You hold Noumea and Luganville, which is good. You say he's got troops there, but do you know how many? Can you overwhelm them, or force him into a meatgrinder far from home?

You appear to hold a lot of the Gilberts. Can you fortify here and push into the Marshalls? Again, that's another historical push, but Nimitz did it that way for a reason...

I don't like pushing through Wake and Marcus. There's no reason to take those bases other than to harass him; it doesn't gain you much.


Pushing through the DEI likewise appeals to me, but know that if you do so you will face much stiffer air resistance than a push through the island chains of the South Pacific. This can pose problems. I think you are better positioned for a South Pacific offensive. That doesn't mean you have to take any pressure off in other areas, though.

[Yaab]

How about the Nauru - Kusaie - Ponape axis? They are all spacious islands, and with developed airfields you can bomb both Truk and Kwajalein/Roi-Namur with heavy bombers.

[buckaroo13]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I appreciate it!

Update on the Campaign to date.

It is now April and the Allies have been busy.

I felt I finally had enough carrier and LBA strength to start making some moves.

I wanted to stage an invasion of Munda, smack in the middle of the Solomon chain.
It took me a lot longer to get everything into place as I’m critically short on APs right now.

My plan was to stage a Diversion north of Australia. I would commit a faint towards Timor with a CVE and CVL forces, A Surface fleet and a amphibious task force.

While that Diversion prepared I assembled 8 fleet carriers. A large task force with 5 battleships would cover.

The Diversion into Timor was successful, as suspected he saw it coming and my fleet faced more firepower than I expected.

Losses were heavy among my surface and amphibious task forces but I had confirmed that most of the KB was accounted for.

My Invasion of Munda launched and was successful. It’s amazing how fast 600 engineers can build up a base and soon after I had a level 6 airfield within easy reach of Rabaul.

Gebede’s first Counterattack at Munda was predictable but still devastating. He did land come combat regiments on Munda but not enough to dislodge my troops.
The KB however was very successful, My 7 fleet carriers and 3 CVLs launched an ineffective attack on the KB or attacked a small Japanese surface taskforce. The Japanese return blow managed to hit almost every one of my carriers. The Enterprise was critically damaged and would sink several days later. The other fleet carriers were still operational but had between 10-30 combined system -flooding damage. My CVLs were all trashed but none sank. I stuck around one more day as I figured the KB was low on attack craft but even being within 3 hexes of the whole Japanese Carrier fleet my attack refused to fly, fortunately his didn’t fly as well.

My Initial Attack fell on the Japanese SAG and didn’t go after his Carriers.
I smack his Surface ships pretty hard but my Avengers seem shy and don’t want to play nice.

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Morning Air attack on TF, near Green Island at 109,127

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 79 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 34 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5b Zero x 54
A6M5c Zero x 7
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 13



Allied aircraft
F4U-1A Corsair x 7
F6F-3 Hellcat x 94
SB2C-1C Helldiver x 113
TBF-1 Avenger x 16


Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5b Zero: 3 destroyed
A6M5c Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4U-1A Corsair: 1 destroyed
F6F-3 Hellcat: 8 destroyed
SB2C-1C Helldiver: 1 destroyed, 11 damaged
SB2C-1C Helldiver: 2 destroyed by flak
TBF-1 Avenger: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Kirishima, Bomb hits 3
CA Takao, Bomb hits 1
CA Furutaka, Bomb hits 7, on fire, heavy damage
CA Kako, Bomb hits 2, on fire
BB Hiei
CA Tone, Bomb hits 1
CL Tenryu, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
CL Kuma
DD Samidare
DD Umikaze
CL Oyodo
BB Haruna


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The Japanese Aircraft don’t have any problems finding my Carriers.

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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Treasury Islands at 108,133

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 118 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 39 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5b Zero x 108
A6M5c Zero x 13
B6N2 Jill x 42
B6N2a Jill x 11
D4Y3 Judy x 109



Allied aircraft
F4U-1A Corsair x 57
F6F-3 Hellcat x 126


Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5b Zero: 30 destroyed
A6M5c Zero: 4 destroyed
B6N2 Jill: 15 destroyed, 12 damaged
B6N2 Jill: 6 destroyed by flak
B6N2a Jill: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
B6N2a Jill: 1 destroyed by flak
D4Y3 Judy: 18 destroyed, 33 damaged
D4Y3 Judy: 9 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
F4U-1A Corsair: 1 destroyed
F6F-3 Hellcat: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
CV Bunker Hill, Torpedo hits 1
CV Saratoga II, Bomb hits 1
CV Intrepid
CV Enterprise, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
CV Essex, Bomb hits 2, on fire
CV Hornet II, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CV Lexington, Torpedo hits 1
CV Yorktown II
CA Indianapolis, Bomb hits 1
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My Counter attack is not effective. My pilots, despite making it through the CAP manage to hit nothing!


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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Feni Islands at 110,126

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 34 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5b Zero x 51
A6M5c Zero x 6
N1K1 Rex x 9



Allied aircraft
F4U-1A Corsair x 7
F6F-3 Hellcat x 70
SB2C-1C Helldiver x 52
TBM-1C Avenger x 16


Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5b Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4U-1A Corsair: 1 destroyed
F6F-3 Hellcat: 4 destroyed
SB2C-1C Helldiver: 18 destroyed, 17 damaged
SB2C-1C Helldiver: 1 destroyed by flak
TBM-1C Avenger: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
CV Taiho
CV Unryu
CV Amagi
CV Soryu
CV Zuikaku
CV Katsuragi
DD Okinami

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Thank goodness those Essex class ships are rock hard. The Enterprise limps out of the war zone but sink a few days later.

[buckaroo13]

3/12/44

With my Carriers limping out of the area the Japanese continue their operation with a landing on Munda in an attempt to kick me off. I expected a reaction from Gebede and he didn't disappoint.

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Pre-Invasion action off Munda (111,134)
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force

881 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
BB Yamashiro
BB Fuso
LSD Akitsu Maru
E Hashidate
xAP Kasado Maru

Japanese ground losses:
1383 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 69 disabled
Non Combat: 7 destroyed, 73 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled


Allied ground losses:
61 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 8 (1 destroyed, 7 disabled)


BB Yamashiro firing at 145th Infantry Regiment
BB Fuso firing at 132nd Infantry Regiment
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 6,000 yards
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 1,000 yards


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Pre-Invasion action off Munda (111,134)
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force

867 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
BB Hyuga
BB Ise
AK Nako Maru
AK Nissan Maru
E W-12
AK Kamogawa Maru

Japanese ground losses:
1522 casualties reported
Squads: 8 destroyed, 78 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 63 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 27 (1 destroyed, 26 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
28 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


BB Hyuga firing at 132nd Infantry Regiment
BB Ise firing at 132nd Infantry Regiment
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 5,000 yards
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 1,000 yards


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Amphibious Assault at Munda (111,134)

TF 54 troops unloading over beach at Munda, 111,134

Japanese ground losses:
1320 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 119 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 150 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 22 (0 destroyed, 22 disabled)
Vehicles lost 4 (0 destroyed, 4 disabled)



10 Support troops lost from landing craft during unload of 29th Army
Motorized Support lost overboard during unload of 29th Army
10 Support troops accidentally lost during unload of 29th Army
10 Support troops lost from landing craft during unload of 29th Army /6


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Amphibious Assault at Munda (111,134)

TF 277 troops unloading over beach at Munda, 111,134

Japanese ground losses:
1358 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 123 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 167 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 18 (0 destroyed, 18 disabled)



10 Support troops accidentally lost during unload of 64th Div /7


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It looks like he took a lot of losses unloading at Munda.
A bombardment attack shows at least some of what I'm now facing.


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Ground combat at Munda (111,134)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 9005 troops, 236 guns, 134 vehicles, Assault Value = 539

Defending force 12737 troops, 108 guns, 15 vehicles, Assault Value = 253

Japanese ground losses:
26 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled



Assaulting units:
111th(Sep) Infantry Regiment
132nd Infantry Regiment
148th Infantry Regiment
104th Combat Engineer Regiment
145th Infantry Regiment
2nd Marine Regiment
94th Coast AA Regiment
77th Coast AA Regiment
148th USA Base Force
19th USN Naval Construction Regiment
150th USA Base Force
USMC AirFMFPac
46th USN Naval Construction Battalion
73rd RAAF Wing
3rd USN Naval Construction Regiment
17th USN Naval Construction Regiment
16th USN Naval Construction Regiment
25th USN Naval Construction Battalion
93rd Coast AA Regiment
41st USN Naval Construction Battalion
5th USN Naval Construction Regiment
157th USA Base Force
45th USN Naval Construction Battalion
95th Coast AA Regiment
6th USN Naval Construction Regiment
369th Cst AA Rgt /1

Defending units:
58th Division
64th Division
29th Army


Unless something catastrophic happens tomorrow I will launch a Shock Attack on his invasion force.
I'm hoping on the fact that he didn't expect me to be at Munda at such a strength.

[buckaroo13]

3/13/14

The Japanese Invasion fleet continues to unload, while the Japanese Surface fleet roughs up the Defenders on Munda.

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Night Naval bombardment of Munda at 111,134

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
F6F-3 Hellcat: 15 damaged
F4U-1A Corsair: 15 damaged
F4U-1A Corsair: 1 destroyed on ground
PBY-5A Catalina: 5 damaged

Japanese Ships
CA Kinugasa
CA Aoba
DD Tamanami
DD Takanami


Allied ground losses:
89 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 24 disabled
Engineers: 4 destroyed, 11 disabled
Vehicles lost 4 (3 destroyed, 1 disabled)


Airbase hits 16
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 31
Port hits 8

CA Kinugasa firing at Munda
CA Aoba firing at Munda
DD Tamanami firing at 111th(Sep) Infantry Regiment
DD Takanami firing at Munda
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Night Naval bombardment of Munda at 111,134

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
PBY-5A Catalina: 2 damaged
F6F-3 Hellcat: 6 damaged
F4U-1A Corsair: 3 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Kirishima


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


Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 8

E7K2 Alf acting as spotter for BB Kirishima
BB Kirishima firing at Munda


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It's almost as if he really doesn't like me being on Munda.
The bright spot for me today is catching a supply convoy heading to Munda (Or running away, can't tell)
My battered and retreating carriers manage to launch an airstrike that takes care of the problem.
Too bad they couldn't fly like this against the KB [:D]

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Morning Air attack on TF, near Munda at 111,134

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 10



Allied aircraft
F4U-1A Corsair x 9
F6F-3 Hellcat x 35
SB2C-1C Helldiver x 55
TBF-1 Avenger x 12
TBM-1C Avenger x 13


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIc Tojo: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F6F-3 Hellcat: 1 destroyed
SB2C-1C Helldiver: 8 damaged
TBF-1 Avenger: 3 damaged

Japanese Ships
xAK Yasukawa Maru, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
xAK Dakar Maru, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
xAK Hakonesan Maru, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
xAK Maebasi Maru, Bomb hits 4, and is sunk
xAK Matsue Maru, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
xAK Matumoto Maru, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk

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Finally my shock attack goes in.
I take some heavy loses, these Japanese troops are tough.

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Ground combat at Munda (111,134)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 14792 troops, 263 guns, 148 vehicles, Assault Value = 543

Defending force 12809 troops, 108 guns, 15 vehicles, Assault Value = 257

Allied adjusted assault: 419

Japanese adjusted defense: 238

Allied assault odds: 1 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
814 casualties reported
Squads: 6 destroyed, 82 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled


Allied ground losses:
1309 casualties reported
Squads: 6 destroyed, 175 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 17 disabled
Engineers: 6 destroyed, 24 disabled
Vehicles lost 17 (2 destroyed, 15 disabled)


Assaulting units:
148th Infantry Regiment
145th Infantry Regiment
132nd Infantry Regiment
104th Combat Engineer Regiment
111th(Sep) Infantry Regiment
2nd Marine Regiment
17th USN Naval Construction Regiment
6th USN Naval Construction Regiment
94th Coast AA Regiment
45th USN Naval Construction Battalion
157th USA Base Force
77th Coast AA Regiment
25th USN Naval Construction Battalion
USMC AirFMFPac
16th USN Naval Construction Regiment
41st USN Naval Construction Battalion
93rd Coast AA Regiment
5th USN Naval Construction Regiment
3rd USN Naval Construction Regiment
95th Coast AA Regiment
148th USA Base Force
150th USA Base Force
46th USN Naval Construction Battalion
73rd RAAF Wing
19th USN Naval Construction Regiment
369th Cst AA Rgt /1

Defending units:
58th Division
64th Division
29th Army


Not sure what to do now. I could continue the attack, or just try and starve him out.
I am sure I can hold him (I'm sitting behind a level 5 forts) but I want him gone.
I don't necessarily want to bring more troops into Munda. I've got another invasion planned in about a month that will take all the free troops.

Long term plans for Munda over the next month are to expand the airfields and get as much airpower as I can onto the island.

[buckaroo13]

4/1/44

Solomons

2 weeks have past without much incident at Munda. I've kept the Japanese trapped on the island on the defensive and I've managed to build Munda up into a Port 4, Airbase 8, forts 4 base. I am regularly rotating out battleship groups to prevent any sneaky shore bombardments. Good thing I did as a Japanese Cruiser force slips past my detection and makes a run on Munda. I'm guessing in hopes of taking out my Transport runs. Instead they find a Battleship SAG.

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Night Time Surface Combat, near Munda at 111,134, Range 5,000 Yards

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
F1M2 Pete: 1 destroyed

Japanese Ships
CA Aoba, Shell hits 17, and is sunk
CL Kuma, Shell hits 3, heavy fires
DD Makigumo, Shell hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Takanami
DD Tamanami
DD Kishinami, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
DD Hamanami, Shell hits 2, heavy fires

Allied Ships
BB Colorado, Shell hits 8
CA Chicago, Shell hits 2
CL Santa Fe
DD Burns
DD Caperton, Shell hits 1
DD Charrette
DD Hale
DD Miller
DD Sims, Shell hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
DD Ellet
DD Balch
DD Paul Jones
DD Crane
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Revenge is sweet. I'm usually on the losing end of these surface actions but this time the Japanese lose a Cruiser and a destroyer outright at the cost of 1 heavily damaged US Destroyer.

With Munda stabilizing I can say that most of the Solomon chain is pretty much shut down for the Japanese.
Rabaul's airfield is shut down with regular bombing runs from Cooktown supported by fighter sweeps from Munda.

I'm already thinking ahead and prepping two separate invasions. I want to cut off The Shortlands and land at Torokino. They got a lot of troops at Shortlands that would be orphaned if I could pull it off and I could get fighters closer Kavieng and the Admiralty Islands

the second invasion is going to hit Lautem in the Timors. I looks like it will make a good size airbase and threaten Japanese shipping all the way Kendari.

INDIA/BURMA

Now where I'm really stumped is in India. I've finally chased all the Japanese out of India and finally have enough troops that I am building Akyab as a large forward base. I don't have any troops in Burma yet.
I've pretty much shut down most of his airfields in Burma all the way to Rangoon with huge bomber raids from Calcutta. Fighter Strength continues to grow.

I'm not sure if I should pursue over land. I'm worried about any large enough force I send overland getting enough supplies. I don't have enough transport to assault further up the Burma. I'd love to land troops at Moulmein or Tavoy and just cut off most of Burma.

What do you guys think? Any suggestions?

[DOCUP]

Good luck. 

[buckaroo13]

Fast forwarding here to 4/24/44

In the last few weeks I've expanded my beachhead on Munda. My Lautem invasion fleet is just about ready to sortie.

Gebede does not seem happy with my invasion of Munda. The Base has grown and I've managed to contain the Combat regiments that he had counterattack with.

Today would see a massive Battleship engagement. Larger then the one that resulted in the sinking of the Yamato in late '42

I have a one day notice via recon that he is coming but I didn't realize in such force. If Gebede is true to form his Surface group will be followed by another amphibious landing.
I've got a large surface fleet here with 6 Battleship, though they are mostly old, pre-war vintage.

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Night Time Surface Combat, near Munda at 111,134, Range 4,000 Yards

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
OS2U-3 Kingfisher: 1 destroyed

Japanese Ships
BB Musashi, Shell hits 24, heavy fires, heavy damage
BB Fuso, Shell hits 1
BB Yamashiro
BB Ise, Shell hits 3
BB Hyuga, Shell hits 2
DD Shigure
DD Harusame
DD Yamakaze, Shell hits 3, heavy fires
DD Kawakaze

Allied Ships
BB Colorado, Shell hits 10, on fire
BB West Virginia, Shell hits 7, on fire
BB Nevada, Shell hits 8, heavy fires, heavy damage
BB Arizona, Shell hits 3
BB Washington, Shell hits 2
BB Alabama, Shell hits 22, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
CA Portland
CA Chicago, Shell hits 1, on fire
CL Nashville
CL Honolulu
CL Montpelier
CL Santa Fe
CL Biloxi
DD Charles Badger
DD Cogswell
DD Dortch
DD Gatling
DD Harrison
DD Hickox
DD Hunt
DD Luce
DD O'Bannon
DD Spence, Shell hits 1
DD Waller
DD Ralph Talbot

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The Alabama goes down fighting with the Nevada is a virtual wreck. Colorado and West Virginia take some damage it's not all bad.

We put crippling damage on the Mushasi, but not much else. I guess all my ships were concentrating on that beast.

As the sun rises aircraft from Munda find the retreating Battleships. a lot of bombers can't find anything but luckily some Avengers make it through to score a couple of torpedo hits.


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Morning Air attack on TF, near Vella Lavella at 110,133

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 79 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 35 minutes


Allied aircraft
Avenger II x 8
FM-2 Wildcat x 19
F6F-3 Hellcat x 14
TBM-1C Avenger x 9


Allied aircraft losses
Avenger II: 3 damaged
Avenger II: 1 destroyed by flak
TBM-1C Avenger: 5 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Yamashiro, on fire
BB Hyuga, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
BB Fuso
BB Ise, Torpedo hits 1

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Morning Air attack on TF, near Vella Lavella at 110,133

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 54 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 24 minutes


Allied aircraft
TBM-1C Avenger x 9


Allied aircraft losses
TBM-1C Avenger: 6 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Hyuga, Bomb hits 2
BB Ise
BB Yamashiro, Bomb hits 2

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In India I'm still at an impasse. I've bombed pretty much every airfield in burma but still don't have the transports to move troops further south.

[buckaroo13]

4/25/14

My surface fleet holding at Munda took a pounding yesterday but I still had three battleships in relatively good shape.
The next night Gebede throws his remaining Battleships against Munda again.
It still looks like a pretty even fight with 3 US Battle wagons verses two IJN.

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Apr 25, 44
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Night Time Surface Combat, near Munda at 111,134, Range 7,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Fuso, Shell hits 1
BB Yamashiro, Shell hits 6, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Harusame

Allied Ships
BB Colorado
BB Arizona, Shell hits 9, heavy fires, heavy damage
BB Washington, Shell hits 2
CA Portland
CL Nashville
CL Honolulu
CL Montpelier
CL Santa Fe
CL Biloxi
DD Charles Badger
DD Bush
DD Cogswell
DD Dortch
DD Gatling
DD Harrison
DD Hickox
DD Hunt
DD Luce
DD O'Bannon
DD Spence
DD Waller
DD Ralph Talbot
DD Kennison
DD Crane, Shell hits 1


The fight is inconclusive, basically trading the Arizona for the Yamashiro.

when the sun rises the aircraft on Munda take flight to punish the Japanese stragglers that can't quite get away.

The most successful of seom a squadron of Dauntlesses. 13 planes net 9 hits with 1000lb eggs.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Shortlands at 109,131

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 31 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes


Allied aircraft
F6F-3 Hellcat x 10
SBD-5 Dauntless x 13


Allied aircraft losses
SBD-5 Dauntless: 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Yamashiro, Bomb hits 8, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Harusame, Bomb hits 1, on fire



And a very successful Torpedo attack...
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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Feni Islands at 107,127

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 67 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 31 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 13



Allied aircraft
FM-2 Wildcat x 18
F6F-3 Hellcat x 9
TBF-1 Avenger x 9
TBM-1C Avenger x 4


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIc Tojo: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
FM-2 Wildcat: 2 destroyed
TBF-1 Avenger: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Ise, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
BB Hyuga, Torpedo hits 1


We even slip a couple of torpedoes through CAP.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Feni Islands at 107,127

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 60 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 28 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 8



Allied aircraft
TBF-1 Avenger x 2


No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
BB Hyuga, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage


Other attacks go in more piecemeal and score nothing. Wither completely missing or intercepted by CAP. I'm perplexed why these guys did not have KB nearby, or if the KB was nearby I didn't see it or any Zeros on CAP.

It will probably take a few weeks to assess the outcome of this to day battle but I have a feeling that for once the US Navy will come out ahead.

[BBfanboy]

Congratulations on a hard-fought surface battle and air follow-up.
Even if results are about equal, you win because the Allies have a lot more BBs to play with.
I suspect his CAs are with his carriers which could be rebuilding airgroups.

[buckaroo13]

Thanks! and I would agree, I think that would be the only reason why they were not covering that Battleship task force with some serious air power.

I think the last month has been a watershed month as far as damage to the IJN. While his carriers remain elusive as ever I've dealt some serious damage to his surface fleet. I think this month is really the first that I've sunk significantly more ships then he has.

[buckaroo13]

05/06/44

After a week there was nothing much of note. My subs finally start hitting things and I've sunk two tankers and a couple of AKs over the last week. the Japanese have not made a return to Munda, I think the last surface action pretty much was the end of the IJN contesting my landing there.

Next up is the invasion of Torokina, just beyond the Shortland. Troops reports heavy troops in Shortlands, while Torokina not as heavily reinforced. I've got the better part of two divisions going in.

Rabaul is no longer a threat. with regular B-24 raids from Cooktown keeping the airfields at 90% damage.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Lautem at 72,115, Range 30,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
MTB G-4

Allied Ships
APD Dickerson
AO Chepachet
AP U.S. Grant
AP McCawley
AP Barnett
AP Henderson
AP President Adams
AP President Polk
APA Doyen
APA Feland
APA Ormsby
APA Sheridan
APA Sumter
APA Warren
APA Wayne
APA Bolivar
APA Custer
APA Elmore
LSD Ashland
LSD Carter Hall
LST-18
LST-19
LST-21
LST-22
LST-23
LST-24
LST-26
LST-27
LST-30
LST-31
LST-338
LST-339
LST-446
LST-447
LST-448
xAP Cape Perpetua
xAP Cape Cleare
xAP Cape Johnson
xAP Cape Mendocino
xAP Cape Meares
xAP Cape Victory
xAK Santa Monica
xAK Dellwood
xAK Santa Anna
xAK City of Yokohama
xAK Waiotapu



I have a couple of fast destroyer task forces out advanced beyond Torokina as pickets. One finds a small supply convoy. Not sure where they are going but my destroyers insure that most of them won't get there, regardless.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Lihir at 108,124, Range 10,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
E W-23, Shell hits 14, and is sunk
E W-26, Shell hits 19, and is sunk
AK Kaga Maru, Shell hits 21, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Syohei Maru, Shell hits 38, and is sunk
xAK London Maru, Shell hits 14, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Shinyubari Maru, Shell hits 11, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied Ships
DD Black
DD Boyd
DD McCord
DD Renshaw
DD Stanly, Shell hits 1, on fire


My Invasion fleet is covered by the Iowa and New Jersey, currently only 2 of 3 US battlewagons not in the yards or heading that way. The battlewagons will only engage to protect the precious Invasion force.

Of course that doesn't stop them from becoming targets for Japanese Air power. The good news is that I've got significant LRCAP in the form of 10 CVEs and over 200 fighters on Munda.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Torokina at 109,130

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 108 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 28 minutes

Japanese aircraft
D4Y1 Judy x 31
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 35



Allied aircraft
P-47D25 Thunderbolt x 10
FM-1 Wildcat x 15
FM-2 Wildcat x 5
F4U-1A Corsair x 19
F6F-3 Hellcat x 25


Japanese aircraft losses
D4Y1 Judy: 8 destroyed, 8 damaged
D4Y1 Judy: 7 destroyed by flak
Ki-44-IIc Tojo: 13 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
FM-2 Wildcat: 1 destroyed
F6F-3 Hellcat: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
CA Portland
BB Iowa
BB New Jersey
CL Santa Fe


I'm pretty sure these are land based as I haven't seen a carrier in weeks. Either way inflict heavy losses on the first wave for no damage.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Torokina at 109,130

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 77 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 25 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B6N2a Jill x 31



Allied aircraft
P-47D25 Thunderbolt x 9
FM-1 Wildcat x 9
FM-2 Wildcat x 2
F4U-1A Corsair x 15
F6F-3 Hellcat x 13


Japanese aircraft losses
B6N2a Jill: 18 destroyed

No Allied losses

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Torokina at 109,130

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 66 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 21 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B6N2a Jill x 24



Allied aircraft
P-47D25 Thunderbolt x 1
FM-1 Wildcat x 6
FM-2 Wildcat x 2
F4U-1A Corsair x 13
F6F-3 Hellcat x 11


Japanese aircraft losses
B6N2a Jill: 14 destroyed

No Allied losses



A downer for Gebede as his next few attacks come in sans fighter escorts and the Jills take it on the nose. I've been there.

Lastly the troops that have made it ashore today fire a bombardment attack, I need to see what I'm facing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Torokina (109,130)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 9423 troops, 350 guns, 258 vehicles, Assault Value = 273

Defending force 2040 troops, 19 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 11



Assaulting units:
6th Infantry Division
38th Infantry Division

Defending units:
35th JNAF AF Unit
58th JNAF AF Unit

hmmm, I may have greatly over-estimated Japanese strength at Torokina.
tomorrow we we launch a shock attack in hopes of taking the island.


INDIA/BURMA

In India not much going on except for the arrival and deployment of the first B-29 units!
One wing is on a transport and heading to Northern OZ the other is flying out of Calcutta and hits Bangkok.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Bangkok , at 56,62

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

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

Japanese aircraft
N1K1-J George x 30



Allied aircraft
B-29-1 Superfort x 35


Japanese aircraft losses
N1K1-J George: 1 damaged
Ki-57-II Topsy: 1 destroyed on ground
Ki-44-IIc Tojo: 5 destroyed on ground

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
10 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled



Airbase hits 4
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 20

not much damage but I put Gebede on notice and hopefully it will mean he will have to spread his fighters over more bases for protection.

[buckaroo13]

5/07/44

the Invasion is going well. Troops continue to unload throughout the night with minimal losses.

On sun up aircraft take to the skies.

A port attack at Shortlands finds and hits a Sub. I suspect it's one of the ones badly damaged from the Munda battles last month.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Shortlands , at 109,131

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 30 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes


Allied aircraft
SBD-5 Dauntless x 16


Allied aircraft losses
SBD-5 Dauntless: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
SS I-3, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage

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

Port hits 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


We score a hit on I-3, hopefully it will be enough.

I believe that the Japanese base at Kavieng has been supplying most of the air power for the last few days.
I send in a fighter sweep to verify and they find a swarm of Georges.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kavieng , at 106,122

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 40 NM, estimated altitude 41,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
N1K2-J George x 41



Allied aircraft
P-47D25 Thunderbolt x 15


Japanese aircraft losses
N1K2-J George: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-47D25 Thunderbolt: 1 destroyed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally we launch our shock attack at Torokina. Japanese defenders hang tough but I reduce the forts to 1. I imagine it will fall tomorrow without to much hassle.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Torokina (109,130)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 10421 troops, 370 guns, 303 vehicles, Assault Value = 282

Defending force 2045 troops, 19 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 11

Allied adjusted assault: 165

Japanese adjusted defense: 43

Allied assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 4)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
34 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Guns lost 7 (1 destroyed, 6 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
88 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 12 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled


Assaulting units:
6th Infantry Division
38th Infantry Division

Defending units:
35th JNAF AF Unit
58th JNAF AF Unit
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Northern OZ

Basing from Darwin I am about ready to launch another invasion, this time Lautem.
I step up my air attacks and move transports into place for the dash from Darwin to Lautem.

As I don't have carriers, or Battleships, to cover I am going to have to use LRCAP from Darwin for protection as well as a few CVEs.

I'm off to a good start though, as my Avengers find and inflict heavy damage on a Japanese CL.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Lautem at 72,115

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 6 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 2 minutes


Allied aircraft
TBF-1 Avenger x 17


No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
CL Kashii, Torpedo hits 4, and is sunk
CL Kashima



Aircraft Attacking:
17 x TBF-1 Avenger launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 22in Mk 13 Torpedo

Massive explosion on CL Kashii
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[buckaroo13]

5/8/44


The Solomons

The invasion of Torokina is successful today. Japanese troops retreat to Shortlands.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Torokina (109,130)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 11288 troops, 380 guns, 338 vehicles, Assault Value = 277

Defending force 1977 troops, 18 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 9

Allied adjusted assault: 156

Japanese adjusted defense: 23

Allied assault odds: 6 to 1 (fort level 1)

Allied forces CAPTURE Torokina !!!

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

Japanese ground losses:
666 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 55 destroyed, 14 disabled
Engineers: 19 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 5 (4 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Units retreated 2


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


Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
6th Infantry Division
38th Infantry Division

Defending units:
35th JNAF AF Unit
58th JNAF AF Unit
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weather rains in the air this turn so not much else happens.
With Torokina in hand I know have a forward base that can sweep enemy bases all the way up the Bismark Archipelago.

Northern OZ

My prep continues here, but Gebede catches a Destroyer squadron with a couple of punishing attacks. my feeble LRCAP doesn't do much.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Saumlaki at 78,117

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 71 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 24 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M2 Betty x 36
N1K1-J George x 29



Allied aircraft
Spitfire VIII x 5


Japanese aircraft losses
G4M2 Betty: 18 damaged
G4M2 Betty: 1 destroyed by flak
N1K1-J George: 4 destroyed

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
DD McKee, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
DD Philip
DD Colahan
DD John Rodgers
DD Wadsworth

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Saumlaki at 78,117

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 28 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M2 Betty x 18
N1K1-J George x 22



Allied aircraft
Spitfire VIII x 3


Japanese aircraft losses
G4M2 Betty: 14 damaged
G4M2 Betty: 1 destroyed by flak
N1K1-J George: 2 destroyed

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
DD Philip, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD DeHaven, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD Wadsworth
DD John Rodgers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Costly mistake on my side that costs me 3 destroyers.

[buckaroo13]

5/9/44 ...5/10/44

the Solomons

No Japanese Surface vessels have arrived to contest Torokino but Fighter sweeps arrive.
I don't think Gebede expected me to get the airfields operational so fast.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Torokina , at 109,130

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 14 NM, estimated altitude 36,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
N1K2-J George x 29



Allied aircraft
P-38J Lightning x 7
P-47D25 Thunderbolt x 21
F4U-1 Corsair x 5
F4U-1A Corsair x 35
F6F-3 Hellcat x 14


Japanese aircraft losses
N1K2-J George: 8 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-47D25 Thunderbolt: 4 destroyed
F4U-1A Corsair: 2 destroyed
F6F-3 Hellcat: 2 destroyed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Torokina , at 109,130

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 45 NM, estimated altitude 33,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
N1K2-J George x 26



Allied aircraft
P-38J Lightning x 7
P-47D25 Thunderbolt x 14
F4U-1 Corsair x 2
F4U-1A Corsair x 20
F6F-3 Hellcat x 6


Japanese aircraft losses
N1K2-J George: 6 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-38J Lightning: 1 destroyed
F4U-1A Corsair: 1 destroyed
F6F-3 Hellcat: 2 destroyed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I come out a little ahead in the exchange which I will take.
the plan is to build up Munda into a bomber base. I'd love to get a couple of B-24 squadrons up and running. I've got the supply and support and the engineers should have the airfield up pretty soon. With Torokina as a forward fighter base I hope to be able to shut down the Japanese game from the Solomons to the Admiralties.

Tomorrow we launch the Invasion at Lautem, in the Timors, our first major move north!

[buckaroo13]

5/11/14

The Invasion of Lautem!

the plan. I've got the better part of two divisions going in along with Engineers and support. They are in a single Amphibious task force.

The Landing is supported by a large surface group lead by the Prince of Wales and a couple of Heavy Cruiser.
Air support is being provided by Darwin and Saumlak. I've got 75 P-38s, 75- p-47s, 25 p-51s and about 50 Corsairs set to LRCAP my task forces.
I've also have 5 squadrons of B-24s and 4 B-25 squadrons tasked to pound any Japanese base that counters my invasion fleet.

My timing with the invasion is to follow up the Invasion of Torokina quickly. I suspect that the KB is lurking northwest of the Solomons and don't expect any/many carriers near the Timors.

Feel free to comment on my invasion plan, or lack thereof [:D]

The battle starts off on a good foot, with my surface task force clearing the way, finding a couple of Japanese Warships and taking them out.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Lautem at 72,115, Range 6,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CL Kashima, Shell hits 22, and is sunk
DD Minekaze, Shell hits 11, and is sunk

Allied Ships
BB Prince of Wales
CA Australia
CA Canberra
CL Detroit
CL Trenton
CL Helena, Shell hits 1
CL Phoenix
CL Boise
DD Izard
DD Walker
DD Hobby
DD Carmick
DD Sampson
DD Saumarez
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coastal guns fire in defense of Lautem but nothing too bad so far!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pre-Invasion action off Lautem (72,115)
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force

51 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Allied Ships
APD Dickerson
LST-22
LST-24
AO Chepachet
LST-21
LST-18


Allied ground losses:
13 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


APD Dickerson fired at enemy troops
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 6,000 yards
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 1,000 yards
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Landing troops. I get a report with a lot of casualties listed. This report isn't looking good.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amphibious Assault at Lautem (72,115)

TF 315 troops unloading over beach at Lautem, 72,115


Allied ground losses:
2476 casualties reported[&:]
Squads: 5 destroyed, 367 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 217 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 103 (0 destroyed, 103 disabled)
Vehicles lost 76 (0 destroyed, 76 disabled)


13 troops of a USA Rifle Squad accidentally lost during unload of 27th Infantry Div /2
10 Support troops lost overboard during unload of 1st Cavalry (Spec) Cav Div
13 troops of a USA Rifle Squad lost overboard during unload of 33rd Infantry Div
13 troops of a USA Rifle Squad accidentally lost during unload of 33rd Infantry Div /6
13 troops of a USA Rifle Squad lost overboard during unload of 33rd Infantry Div /9

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On sun up we encounter another major hitch. It's seems the LRCAP assigned to my surface task force does not fly.
However I don't know if this is a glitch or not as the next turns combat losses show a lot more air to air kills than can be attributed to the air war over Torokina. it's almost like my AAR is lying to me. I chalk it up to Fog of war.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Lautem at 72,115

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 28 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M2 Betty x 27



Japanese aircraft losses
G4M2 Betty: 22 damaged
G4M2 Betty: 5 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
BB Prince of Wales, Torpedo hits 1
CL Detroit
CL Boise, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
CA Canberra


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ugh, this does not bode well at all....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Lautem at 72,115

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 3,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-49-IIa Helen x 27
Ki-49-IIb Helen x 18



Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-49-IIa Helen: 19 damaged
Ki-49-IIa Helen: 4 destroyed by flak
Ki-49-IIb Helen: 11 damaged
Ki-49-IIb Helen: 4 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
BB Prince of Wales, Bomb hits 11, on fire
CA Australia
CL Trenton
CL Helena
CL Phoenix, Bomb hits 1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh dear!

He even goes after my ASW task force but these speedy destroyers are able to avoid any damage.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Babar at 76,116

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 20 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5b Zero x 48
B6N2 Jill x 9
D4Y1 Judy x 13



Japanese aircraft losses
B6N2 Jill: 2 damaged
B6N2 Jill: 2 destroyed by flak
D4Y1 Judy: 3 damaged
D4Y1 Judy: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
DD Philip
DD John Rodgers
DD Wadsworth
DD Colahan

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To add insult to injury one more attack goes in and hits the Prince of Wales again[:o]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Lautem at 72,115

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 30 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-49-IIb Helen x 9



Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-49-IIb Helen: 8 damaged

Allied Ships
BB Prince of Wales, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires



Aircraft Attacking:
9 x Ki-49-IIb Helen bombing from 1000 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally on Lautem the Japanese defenders bombard my invaders...
Nothing unexpected here and just confirms the numbers of Defenders I was expecting.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Lautem (72,115)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 3622 troops, 26 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 128

Defending force 15923 troops, 423 guns, 259 vehicles, Assault Value = 630



Assaulting units:
74th Infantry Regiment
48th Road Const Co
4th Naval Construction Battalion

Defending units:
33rd Infantry Division
25th Marine Regiment
1st Cavalry (Spec) Cavalry Division
27th Infantry Div /12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Solomons

While the invasion of Lautem raged all day the Japanese also showed up in force over Torokina.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Torokina , at 109,130

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 34 NM, estimated altitude 32,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes

Japanese aircraft
N1K2-J George x 14



Allied aircraft
P-38J Lightning x 7
P-47D25 Thunderbolt x 19
F4U-1 Corsair x 5
F4U-1A Corsair x 31
F6F-3 Hellcat x 13


Japanese aircraft losses
N1K2-J George: 3 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4U-1A Corsair: 1 destroyed
F6F-3 Hellcat: 1 destroyed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Torokina , at 109,130

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 23 NM, estimated altitude 34,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
N1K2-J George x 18



Allied aircraft
P-38J Lightning x 7
P-47D25 Thunderbolt x 19
F4U-1 Corsair x 5
F4U-1A Corsair x 27
F6F-3 Hellcat x 9


Japanese aircraft losses
N1K2-J George: 4 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-47D25 Thunderbolt: 1 destroyed
F4U-1 Corsair: 1 destroyed
F6F-3 Hellcat: 2 destroyed


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pretty much a wash over Torokina which is a win for me.

I'm a little concerned about the accuracy of my After Action Report.
In email chat with Gebede and looking at his losses in the program he lost over 100 aircraft, including attacks on my Amphibious fleet but I didn't see any of that being reported.

Has anyone seen anything like this?

[buckaroo13]

5/12/44

Invasion of Lautem.

The Battle continues with troops unloading. A few Japanese MTB make a showing but don't come close to the task force.
No Japanese Surface ships arrive ye, either.

On sun up however my LRCAP decides to sleep again.
It looks like a Japanese Carrier force is alive and active north of the Timors.
My Cruiser task force is gutted...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Lautem at 73,116

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 119 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 30 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5b Zero x 65
B6N2 Jill x 42
D4Y1 Judy x 30



Japanese aircraft losses
B6N2 Jill: 20 damaged
B6N2 Jill: 2 destroyed by flak
D4Y1 Judy: 3 damaged
D4Y1 Judy: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
CA Canberra, Torpedo hits 2
CL Trenton, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
CA Australia
CL Phoenix, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
CL Detroit, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CL Helena, Torpedo hits 1
DD Hobby, Bomb hits 1, on fire

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I shock attack at Lautem and make progress! Dropping the defenders from 6 forts to 3!
I imagine that Lautem will fall tomorrow.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Lautem (72,115)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 16073 troops, 423 guns, 259 vehicles, Assault Value = 658

Defending force 4485 troops, 32 guns, 4 vehicles, Assault Value = 125

Allied adjusted assault: 285

Japanese adjusted defense: 93

Allied assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 6)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 3

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

Japanese ground losses:
1415 casualties reported
Squads: 9 destroyed, 113 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Guns lost 20 (6 destroyed, 14 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
138 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 24 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled


Assaulting units:
25th Marine Regiment
1st Cavalry (Spec) Cavalry Division
27th Infantry Division
33rd Infantry Division

Defending units:
74th Infantry Regiment
48th Road Const Co
4th Naval Construction Battalion


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I will need to extract all my cripples. It looks like two of my American Light Cruisers are in bad shape. Both will be limping home to Darwin.



The Solomons:

the Air War continues over Torokina. I'm not sure what he's trying to gain by the sweeps. I know they are costly for him. He's buying time, but for what?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Torokina , at 109,130

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 28 NM, estimated altitude 34,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 36



Allied aircraft
P-38J Lightning x 7
P-47D25 Thunderbolt x 21
F4U-1 Corsair x 5
F4U-1A Corsair x 31
F6F-3 Hellcat x 10


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIc Tojo: 12 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-38J Lightning: 1 destroyed
F4U-1A Corsair: 3 destroyed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First really decisive air battle of Torokina to date. The KI-44s are no match.

Next a Attack squadron comes in with no fighter escort. The results are ugly and predictable.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Torokina at 109,130

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 72 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 18 minutes

Japanese aircraft
D4Y1 Judy x 35



Allied aircraft
P-38J Lightning x 7
P-47D25 Thunderbolt x 19
F4U-1 Corsair x 4
F4U-1A Corsair x 28
F6F-3 Hellcat x 9


Japanese aircraft losses
D4Y1 Judy: 22 destroyed

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
AK Pavo


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To add to the excitement I launch an assault on the orphaned Japanese on Munda. The attack does not go my way..

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Munda (111,134)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 22677 troops, 610 guns, 480 vehicles, Assault Value = 927

Defending force 12362 troops, 106 guns, 14 vehicles, Assault Value = 234

Allied adjusted assault: 460

Japanese adjusted defense: 463 [&:]

Allied assault odds: 1 to 2

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

Japanese ground losses:
545 casualties reported
Squads: 29 destroyed, 38 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 24 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled


Allied ground losses:
1192 casualties reported
Squads: 7 destroyed, 129 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 12 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Guns lost 27 (2 destroyed, 25 disabled)


Assaulting units:
182nd Infantry Regiment
111th(Sep) Infantry Regiment
32nd Infantry Division
3rd Marine Regiment
132nd Infantry Regiment
104th Combat Engineer Regiment
145th Infantry Regiment
2nd Marine Regiment
148th Infantry Rgt /4
41st USN Naval Construction Battalion
58th Aviation Base Force
39th Aviation Base Force
6th Infantry Div /2
49th Aviation Base Force /2
73rd RAAF Wing
157th USA Base Force
6th USN Naval Construction Regiment
38th Infantry Div /1
5th USN Naval Construction Regiment
369th Coast AA Regiment
46th USN Naval Construction Battalion
94th Cst AA Rgt /3
148th USA Base Force
235th USN Base Force
USMC AirFMFPac
150th USA Base Force
77th Coast AA Regiment
95th Coast AA Regiment
45th USN Naval Construction Battalion
3rd USN Naval Construction Regiment
47th Aviation Base Force
93rd Coast AA Regiment
19th USN Naval Construction Regiment
234th USN Base Force
25th USN Naval Construction Battalion
233rd USN Base Force
41st Aviation Base Force /3

Defending units:
58th Division
64th Division
29th Army


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I take a hard hit.


Lautem is looking good on the land. I expect to capture the base tomorrow. The air war is also going well. Gedebe lost about another 60+ aircraft all told. on the sea I'm hurting. my Surface Task Force in shredded and I'll need to keep Lautem supplied.

[jmalter]

Hi buckaroo,

I will suggest that your SurfTF fleet composition needs adjustment. I'm referring mostly to your post #9.

In general, a SurfTF will fare better if it's composed of similar ships, w/ similar MA & speed.

Allied Ships
BB Colorado, Shell hits 10, on fire
BB West Virginia, Shell hits 7, on fire
BB Nevada, Shell hits 8, heavy fires, heavy damage
BB Arizona, Shell hits 3
BB Washington, Shell hits 2
BB Alabama, Shell hits 22, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
CA Portland
CA Chicago, Shell hits 1, on fire
CL Nashville
CL Honolulu
CL Montpelier
CL Santa Fe
CL Biloxi
DD Charles Badger
DD Cogswell
DD Dortch
DD Gatling
DD Harrison
DD Hickox
DD Hunt
DD Luce
DD O'Bannon
DD Spence, Shell hits 1
DD Waller
DD Ralph Talbot

IMO, this SurfTF is too large, optimal size is 12-16 ships. A larger SurfTF is vulnerable to fratricidal collisions during combat. 2nd, the combination of BB/CA/CL plus escorts is problematic. The heavies have different guns, w/ different max range, I suspect that most of the CLs didn't get off many shots.

A SurfTF should consist of heavies w/ similar speed & MA, and escorts w/ similar speed & MA. It's not always possible to form a
TF of sister-ships, but a mix of 16"/14"/12"/8"/6" MA in the heavies won't be very effective. Consider a re-organization - CLs are a good AA component for CV TFs.

SurfTFs should consist of heavies w/ similar speed & MA caliber / range, their escorts should also be similar. I'm founding this advice on rec'd knowledge from Nemo, a well-respected poster to these forums. You'll want to combine this info w/ your current tactical situation & ship availability.

[buckaroo13]

ORIGINAL: jmalter


IMO, this SurfTF is too large, optimal size is 12-16 ships. A larger SurfTF is vulnerable to fratricidal collisions during combat. 2nd, the combination of BB/CA/CL plus escorts is problematic. The heavies have different guns, w/ different max range, I suspect that most of the CLs didn't get off many shots.

A SurfTF should consist of heavies w/ similar speed & MA, and escorts w/ similar speed & MA. It's not always possible to form a
TF of sister-ships, but a mix of 16"/14"/12"/8"/6" MA in the heavies won't be very effective. Consider a re-organization - CLs are a good AA component for CV TFs.

SurfTFs should consist of heavies w/ similar speed & MA caliber / range, their escorts should also be similar. I'm founding this advice on rec'd knowledge from Nemo, a well-respected poster to these forums. You'll want to combine this info w/ your current tactical situation & ship availability.

Thanks for the advice jmalter!

Just so I understand, with the hindsight that an engagement with a Japanese surface force containing
BB Musashi, BB Fuso, BB Yamashiro, BB Ise, BB Hyuga and 4 Destroyers

You'd suggest greater performance if I had split my surface force so that Colorado, West Virginia, Nevada, and Arizona were in one Task force and Washington, Alabama were in another (or some permutation along those lines)?

Thanks again for your suggestions!