[font="Times New Roman"]May 18 - 19, 1943[/font]
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SUBS: [/font] Peto gets crushed in the shallows, but with only 50 float damage should get to Perth. Trusty hits an E and sinks her in a big AO TF. Nice, but nicer would have been an oiler.
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INDIA: [/font]Big 4E strikes at Dimapur finally fly and hit a lot of A6M variants not the ground. Looks like these may be casualties from the Paoshan battles not yet repaired. That battle keeps on giving! Unfortunately on the 19th no strikes fly to get the dozen reported still in base.
Tried a DA at Silchar but even with a massive advantage in numbers and (supposed) quality we can't make a dent in the single Japanese division here. Really disappointing to get a 1:7 with greater casualties on our side. Forts are only at 3 here and don't get lowered either. Huh.
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CENT PAC: [/font] Bombing at Mili is really starting to have some effect. No flak now and lots of infantry squads disabled. Once they start being destroyed I'll hopefully be ready for another attack.
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SW PAC: [/font] The PM invasion gets to a day away when I notice an apparent CV TF to the West in the Arafura Sea. I pull it all back into the shadows and change tack. I sent CLs into Horn Island to bombard, then bombed with 4Es in case he made a big run to get to PM so there would be no LBA support. Then I stacked 100 DBs and 120 escorts into a now level 6 Portland Roads. Subs and PTs filled the gaps around Horn Is. Lots of search went to nearby bases and everything else in the area went turlte.
The IJN stayed back but a SCTF did move into the Carpenteria, just not into range. So we could have landed easily. Now I'll have to try to sneak back in. I'll give it a day or two, and hopefully the shift in focus makes him think Horn was the real target.
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CHINA: [/font] The troops at Paoshan hold well again, getting a 1:2 with about even losses.
Near Chungking our small army also does well, the AT guns seemingly having some effect with 50+ vehicles disabled.
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AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR May 18, 43
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Morning Air attack on Dimapur , at 62,38
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 14 minutes
Japanese aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft
P-43A-1 Lancer x 4
Liberator II x 12
B-17E Fortress x 12
B-17F Fortress x 9
B-24D1 Liberator x 20
P-40K Warhawk x 12
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zero: 6 destroyed on ground
A6M5c Zero: 2 destroyed on ground
Allied aircraft losses
Liberator II: 1 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 1 damaged
B-17F Fortress: 2 damaged
B-24D1 Liberator: 2 damaged
Airbase hits 4
Airbase supply hits 15
Runway hits 35
Aircraft Attacking:
12 x Liberator II bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
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Ground combat at 75,47 (near Kweiyang)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 23940 troops, 346 guns, 1209 vehicles, Assault Value = 922
Defending force 37325 troops, 136 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1135
Japanese adjusted assault: 534
Allied adjusted defense: 1372
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
713 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 24 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 29 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 15 disabled
Guns lost 8 (1 destroyed, 7 disabled)
Vehicles lost 56 (2 destroyed, 54 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
961 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 69 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 7 disabled
Guns lost 15 (1 destroyed, 14 disabled)
Assaulting units:
9th Tank Regiment
4th Tank Regiment
1st Tank Division
19th Tank Regiment
3rd Tank Regiment
39th Division
23rd Tank Regiment
7th Ind.Tank Brigade
6th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
12th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
12th Army
1st Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
Tonei Hvy Gun Regiment
4th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
2nd Hvy.Artillery Regiment
11th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
5th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
Defending units:
99th Chinese Corps
37th Chinese Corps
1st New Chinese Corps
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Ground combat at Paoshan (65,45)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 14824 troops, 214 guns, 550 vehicles, Assault Value = 570
Defending force 18620 troops, 104 guns, 99 vehicles, Assault Value = 360
Japanese adjusted assault: 444
Allied adjusted defense: 523
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 1)
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), disruption(-), preparation(-), morale(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
638 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 57 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Allied ground losses:
467 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 52 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 9 disabled
Guns lost 8 (1 destroyed, 7 disabled)
Vehicles lost 6 (1 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Assaulting units:
8th Ind.Mixed Brigade
22nd Tank Regiment
Guards Tank Division
23rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
2nd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
13th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
21st Medium Field Artillery Battalion
Defending units:
39th Indian Division
3rd Chinese Cavalry Corps
16th Indian Bde /1
103rd RN Base Force /1
34th Chinese Corps
13th Chinese Base Force
72nd Chinese Corps
10th Chinese Corps
80th Chinese Corps
32nd Chinese Corps
62nd Chinese Corps
1st Burma Auxiliary AA Regiment
56th Chinese Corps
Fourteenth USAAF
33rd Base Group
11th Group Army
104th RAF Base Force /2
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AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR May 19, 43
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Night Air attack on Mandalay , at 59,46
Weather in hex: Clear sky
Raid detected at 39 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes
Japanese aircraft
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 34
Allied aircraft
B-24D Liberator x 8
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 2 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
B-24D Liberator: 7 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 1 destroyed by flak
Aircraft Attacking:
8 x B-24D Liberator bombing from 8000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
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Night Naval bombardment of Horn Island at 91,128 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
Japanese aircraft
no flights
Japanese aircraft losses
E13A1 Jake: 3 damaged
43 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied Ships
CL Montpelier, Shell hits 2
CL Denver, Shell hits 1
CL Cleveland
Japanese ground losses:
459 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 31 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Guns lost 14 (1 destroyed, 13 disabled)
Airbase hits 9
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 50
Port hits 9
Port supply hits 6
3rd Special Base Force firing at CL Montpelier
CL Montpelier firing at 3rd Special Base Force
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Morning Air attack on Horn Island , at 91,128
Weather in hex: Light rain
Raid detected at 39 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes
Japanese aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 35
No Japanese losses
Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 1 damaged
Airbase hits 7
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 13
Aircraft Attacking:
12 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 15000 feet
Airfield Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
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Ground combat at Dimapur (62,38)
Allied Bombardment attack
Attacking force 45937 troops, 727 guns, 829 vehicles, Assault Value = 1560
Defending force 55540 troops, 609 guns, 350 vehicles, Assault Value = 1355
Japanese ground losses:
47 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Allied ground losses:
123 casualties reported
Squads: 6 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 5 (2 destroyed, 3 disabled)
Vehicles lost 9 (3 destroyed, 6 disabled)
Assaulting units:
3rd Marine Division
7th Australian Division
637th Tank Destroyer Battalion
I Aus Corps Engineer Battalion
50th Tank Brigade
9th Australian Division
6th Medium Regiment
2/1st Med Regiment
98th Field Artillery Battalion
17th Indian Light AA Regiment
183rd Field Artillery Battalion
1st West African AA Regiment
Defending units:
33rd Division
Yangtze SNLF
21st Division
55th Division
2nd RF Gun Battalion
51st Air Defense AA Regiment
1st RF Gun Battalion
18th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
51st Air Defense AA Battalion
11th JNAF AF Unit
44th Ind.AA Gun Co
52nd JNAF AF Unit
2nd Area Army
3rd Air Division
6th Air Defense AA Regiment
36th Field AA Battalion
31st Ind.AA Gun Co
12th Ind. AA Battalion
3rd JAAF AF Bn
1st Art.Mortar Regiment
8th JAAF Base Force
44th Field AA Battalion
94th JAAF AF Bn
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Ground combat at Silchar (59,39)
Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 41306 troops, 638 guns, 559 vehicles, Assault Value = 1596
Defending force 15689 troops, 237 guns, 107 vehicles, Assault Value = 455
Allied adjusted assault: 663
Japanese adjusted defense: 4851
Allied assault odds: 1 to 7 (fort level 3)
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), preparation(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
343 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 46 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 30 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Guns lost 58 (9 destroyed, 49 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
638 casualties reported
Squads: 6 destroyed, 78 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 22 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 17 disabled
Guns lost 28 (2 destroyed, 26 disabled)
Vehicles lost 9 (1 destroyed, 8 disabled)
Assaulting units:
268th Motorised Brigade
6th Australian Division
23rd Indian Division
70th British Division
26th Indian Division
1st USMC Field Artillery Battalion
56th Heavy AA Regiment
198th Field Artillery Battalion
2nd West African AA Regiment
Defending units:
48th Division
54th Field AA Battalion
35th Fld AA Gun Co
3rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
2nd Air Defense AA Regiment
34th Ind.AA Gun Co
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[font="Trebuchet MS"]Here is the scene after the 18th when I decided to switch to focus on Horn. I had hoped he'd come light and we'd get a shot, but we both waited this turn, so we'll see how the next days play out. I'll keep trying to change up looks to get him questioning the real target. [/font]
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill