Setting Sail
My carriers at Wellington lifted anchor for Pearl, via Tarawa. Of course, their primary mission is Antiship, but they're also set to hit the island as they skirt past it. I've have them in three groups of two carriers all traveling co-hex. Each has a CLAA, which is nice. I flipped Wasp to TBFs, right before I left, so they should all be up to standards now. Most of the SBDs will hit troops while the Avengers are mostly airfield. A couple will hit the port, for completion's sake. They'll top their tanks off at Auckland on the way out. Hopefully, a good pounding will make him nervous in that area and rush unneeded reinforcements to that area.
I've had two radio intercepts of the 20th Recon Regiment plotting for Suva. As of July 4, they were still in Fuson. I'm becoming less convinced this is genuine at this point.
Diampur has been under siege. Mostly battalions are there, but I also have an air HQ and a bunch of base forces. They were intended to support a later move into Burma, but got forgotten and surrounded when CF drove north from Calcutta. I could really use them in the west at this point.
Ground combat at Dimapur (62,38)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 10432 troops, 124 guns, 97 vehicles, Assault Value = 357
Defending force 24571 troops, 199 guns, 274 vehicles, Assault Value = 329
Japanese adjusted assault: 402
Allied adjusted defense: 255
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 1)
Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 0
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-), morale(-), experience(-)
supply(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
671 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 81 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Allied ground losses:
537 casualties reported
Squads: 15 destroyed, 31 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 0 disabled
Assaulting units:
6th Tank Regiment
Yokosuka 3rd SNLF
5th/B Division
38th/A Division
25th Army
3rd Mortar Battalion
Defending units:
6/18th Royal Garwal Battalion
Railway BAF Battalion
16th Indian Brigade
44th Indian Brigade
Mandalay BMP Battalion
1st Gloucestershire Battalion
13th Burma Rifles Battalion
9th Burma Rifles Battalion
63rd Indian Brigade
104th RAF Base Force
100th RAF Base Force
1st Burma Auxiliary AA Regiment
2nd Bengal Base Force
2nd West Coast Base Force
108th RAF Base Force
77th Heavy AA Regiment
4th NW Frontier Base Force
103rd RAF Base Force
2nd Peshawar Base Force
221 Group RAF
Burma Corps
101st RAF Base Force
4th Burma Rifles Battalion
103rd RN Base Force
107th RAF Base Force
102nd RAF Base Force
21st Light AA Regiment
CF made another attempt in the hex next to Paoshan. He can't get the odds, but I'm wearing down.
Ground combat at 66,44 (near Paoshan)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 10759 troops, 137 guns, 48 vehicles, Assault Value = 278
Defending force 8541 troops, 35 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 79
Japanese adjusted assault: 190
Allied adjusted defense: 196
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), experience(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
216 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 20 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 3 disabled
Allied ground losses:
177 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 14 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Assaulting units:
5th Guards/A Division
5th Guards/B Division
21st Medium Field Artillery Battalion
1st Medium Field Artillery Regiment
21st Army
Defending units:
54th Chinese Corps
NCAC
In the hex next to and west of Wuchang, I have another three corps about a day away. I'll attack at this point, since I have a good advantage over him in open ground. Hopefully this will open the back door at Wuchang itself for the troops there. I'm considering pulling them, if I can, resting them and beefing up other areas, like Chungking.
