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February 18th -42 [/font]
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Starting to feel a little bit better about my 2nd line in China.
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China
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Hitting myself a bit today as I foolishly allowed myself some hope of at least hitting back a little bit on the Tankette Army.
I know this is how the game works but it still makes me furious each time it happens to me. So silly! [:@]
Ground combat at 82,38 (near Tienshui)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 3432 troops, 0 guns, 632 vehicles, Assault Value = 356
Defending force 18202 troops, 143 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 599
Japanese adjusted assault: 210
Allied adjusted defense: 1633
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 7 [8|][8|][8|]
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), experience(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
Vehicles lost 38 (2 destroyed, 36 disabled) [8|][8|][8|]
Allied ground losses:
1156 casualties reported
Squads: 10 destroyed, 123 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 29 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Guns lost 48 (1 destroyed, 47 disabled)
Assaulting units:
23rd Tank Regiment
5th Armored Car Co
12th Tank Regiment
9th Tank Regiment
3rd Tank Regiment
15th Tank Regiment
8th Armored Car Co
10th Tank Regiment
5th Tank Regiment
11th Tank Regiment
Defending units:
38th Chinese Corps
99th Chinese Corps
7th Artillery Regiment
43rd Chinese Corps
20th Artillery Regiment
56th AT Gun Regiment
All my troops had level 1 forts in a mountain hex. Best leaders I could pick. Bah! [:@] Even if I reinforce with another big Corps he will blast through here almost completely without losses in two weeks. Sucks.
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OZ
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Brisbane and Rockhampton falls to the Japanese. We continue to retreat in good order. Some good news at least...all the small things. [:)]
TF 134 encounters mine field at Maryborough (96,157)
Japanese Ships
BB Hiei, Mine hits 1
Two subs placed a small minefield here the same turn. I have 8 subs operating in the area and I´m getting some shots off including a spread against Fuso. But no luck so far.
KB is spotted heading due West three hexes East of the Santa Cruz Islands. Perhaps I actually did delay him for a bit with the CV incursion.
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Sub War
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I´m using my subs very differently then I did last time. Very little merchant hunting. The insane air ASW and the constant shooting of PBs instead of real targets makes this very ineffective IMO. So instead I´m massing subs against Japanese warships. Still hasn´t payed off but I hope it at least makes Tom feel a bit uncomfortable and I can eventually hit something important.
Right now I have 21 subs in SOPAC. Another 8 or so are moving towards the area. Two AS ships are also deployed here.
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Lack of Escorts
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Had forgotten how bad it was early days. I have loads of troops waiting in US harbors but no Escorts for them. Almost 100 xAKs are sitting idle at port. I´ve started sending smaller cargo TFs (2-4 ships) out completely unescorted. Went through the ship arrival list and this doesn´t seem to improve for quite some time. I think I was too generous with Escorts the first months. As these TFs return I will have to thin them out a bit in order to get more TFs out to sea.
Also sent some xAKs from CT to Balboa. The supply generation at CT is simply too low to support so many cargo ships. Going to start sending some TFs between EC and CT to top of supply.
Tankers from Adaban just refilled the fuel stocks at CT and Aden. They drain fast!
