See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28

[apbarog]

30 Apr 42

The big news for today is... it's the end of another month! Every month completed means a new month of Allied reinforcements.

On Java, the Tjepoe landing continues, and the base falls to 2 infantry and 2 armor regiments.

At Bataan, more bombings occur, and another artillery attack takes place. Supply is gone. At nearby Batangas, the Japanese are gathering ground units for shipping elsewhere. SigInt reports two of the units to be an armor unit, 56 recon, and the 9 field construction unit. A Dutch sub moves back in hoping for some shipping.

In Australia, B-17's bomb Daly Waters, doing no real damage. The base wasn't reconned. Just a nuisance raid. Maybe the enemy will move some fighters around because of it.

Near Phuket, Thailand, US sub Pickerel takes a shot at a transport force, and misses a destroyer.

In China, the enemy does an artillery attack at Wuchow. Rough odds are about 2 to 1. Movement out of Canton is seen, so more is on the way. It will fall. The Chinese will defend further north, in the woods. This doesn't seem to be a major offensive.

KB disappeared from Ramree. Detection levels show that it is nearby, maybe a bit south now. Previous SigInt showed the 55 Cav unit headed to Ramree. Now SigInt says it is headed to Rangoon. It is unknown if it is coming from the south or coming from the apparently aborted Chittagong landing.

[apbarog]

1 May 42

US sub moves into Tjepoe, on the Java coast, looking for ships unloading troops. It found a huge xAP task force, but shot at an SC, missed, and then got pummeled. Fortunately, Soerbaja is very close. It won't be safe to repair there long though.

The newly laid mines at Moulmein are completely swept.

Near Bassein, Dutch sub KXIV finds another big transport task force, fires at a DMS, and gets a hit and sinks the minewsweeper.

Dutch fighters (what's left of them) sweep Tjepoe and find Oscars. Hawks do poorly, losing a couple, and then Hurri's do well, downing 4 Oscar's. After the sweeps, 6 Dutch bombers arrive with no CAP left, but miss bombing an xAP and a CL.

Finally, the Japanese attack at Bataan. They get 1 to 3 odds, lowering the forts to 2. The report doesn't say that the defenders are out of supply, but at the least, they are very low on supply. (Probably completely out now)

Here's the losses:

Japanese ground losses:
1764 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 124 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 61 disabled
Vehicles lost 9 (1 destroyed, 8 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
1050 casualties reported
Squads: 15 destroyed, 73 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 63 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 35 disabled
Guns lost 43 (5 destroyed, 38 disabled)
Vehicles lost 9 (3 destroyed, 6 disabled)


4 days till the last US carrier is done repairing on the West Coast. 2 days until the US 27 Infantry Division can be bought out on the West Coast. It has been prepping for Noumea.

A Brit task force of 2 CL's and 4 DD's arrives at Diego Garcia. It will proceed to a point generally west of Sabang, Sumatra. If it is lucky, it could sneak east and intercept shipping between Singapore and Rangoon. If KB stays up north, west of Rangoon somewhere.

[apbarog]

2 May 42

Now I'm wondering if the thundering herd that was originally headed to Chittagong is now headed back south to Singapore...

2 US subs took shots at a huge task force by Phuket. It has huge xAP's in it, as well as AK's and many xAK's. One was hit, but with a dud. It is unknown if this task force is northbound or southbound.

Just artillery attacks at Bataan, Sabang, and Wuchow. Some Japanese units that landed west of Soerbaja headed south and have cut the island in two. I plan no real Allied reaction. I'm happy to have held Java for this long, and will fight in place till the end.

US 27th Infantry Division is purchased, and will start loading next turn.

[apbarog]

3 May 42

Same artillery attacks at Bataan and Wuchow.

KB is definitely spotted at Port Blair. Earlier, I'd gotten SigInt of a ground unit headed there. This may be the place where KB is refueling. Long ago I spotted AO's headed north from Singapore, and they weren't spotted again after that. I'm doing dedicated long range recon of Port Blair this turn.

Tracker says that CVE Hosho sank near Alor Star. What it really means is that the CVE is at or near there, and just took some additional damage. I'd gotten a similar message further north not long ago.

A small enemy carrier task force is spotted between Java and Borneo, headed southeast.

US carriers Yorktown and Enterprise are at Auckland. Carriers Indomitable and Hornet are 2 days out. My distribution of ground units makes a landing at Tulagi and Lunga possible and sooner than a Port Moresby invasion. PM requires the 2nd Marine Division, which is going to merge together at Noumea.

[apbarog]

3 May 42 - Indian Ocean

KB at Port Blair. Still about a dozen units at Diamond Harbour, the same at Calcutta (4+ divisions). Recent landings at Cox Bazar and Akyab but little movement toward Chittagong so far.

[apbarog]

3 May 42 - Java

Java recently cut in two. Small carrier task force appears north of Java.

[apbarog]

4 May 42

Java - The Japanese officially cut the island in two, taking Madioen.

China - Wuchow is lost. It was low hanging fruit, with clear terrain. Pushing north from here will be more difficult for the enemy. I don't have a lot in this area, but neither do the Japanese. Wuchow was taken with one infantry division, one tank regiment, one engineer regiment, and some artillery.

Sumatra - Sabang is attacked and almost taken. It will fall next turn.

The interesting point for this turn was in SigInt. The 9th Tank Regiment is moving to Horn Island. This regiment was reported to be moving to Singapore just 4 days ago. Horn Island is certainly not a likely spot for an armored unit. The Japanese already own the island. This is just an intermediate task force destination. I think it is most likely that the unit will go to Port Moresby. There's a lesser chance that there will be an invasion of northeastern Australia. I have subs guarding the area around Horn.

The Southwest Pacific HQ just showed up in Brisbane. And Bataan still holds! (barely)

KB is not spotted, but detection levels show that it moved away from Port Blair, either east or southeast. I got a good recon of Port Blair this turn. Empty of shipping.

[apbarog]

5 May 42

BB Haruna task force spotted by SS Triton near Sabang. 2 torpedoes miss a destroyer. Can't tell which direction it was heading. Sabang is captured by the Japanese. Just a few Dutch bases left on the west coast.

I'm sensing a change in direction by the enemy. Could be a major shift. The Japanese are still in Calcutta, in strength, but they cannot take the base. 4+ divisions are there. Diamond Harbour has a bunch of units also. All of these are stuck where they are, unless there's some kind of flanking move that threatens Calcutta, or unless they are evacuated. So far, I'm not seeing either.

I am seeing significant naval forces appear to be leaving the Indian Ocean. KB, however, is still suspected to be there, near the Tavoy area, I think. The ground units in the Cox Bazar area are not advancing. The enemy may be thinking that I'm sending the two Brit divisions south out of Chittagong to engage. I am not.

Now I've seen a possible mini-KB north of Soerbaja. Last turn I got SigInt that the 9th Tank Regiment was headed to Horn Island. It was previously headed to Singapore. This turn, I'm getting SigInt that the 1st Infantry Division is also headed to Horn Island. This unit was also reported to be headed to Singapore awhile back. I believe that this movement is real, just not with Horn Island as a final destination.

Beefing up defenses at Port Moresby? Invasion of Northeast Australia? Something else? I don't know yet. A division with armor can still land in a number of places and win, if it is prepped. My guess is that high prep is not probable, considering the apparent recent change of destinations.

But there are places in the far Northeast Australia that can be taken easily.

But I'm still thinking, what could possibly be accomplished with half of the Japanese Army tied up at Calcutta?

4 Allied carriers leave Auckland to head generally toward Port Moresby. I'm not ready to invade the Solomons yet, and even less ready to invade Port Moresby. So this is kind of a fishing expedition, seeing if transports show up around Horn Island.

The last two US carriers leave the West Coast today.


It's quite possible that my enemy thinks that the Allies are sending everything they can to the Indian theater, mainly off-map. So now they'll cause some trouble somewhere else. I haven't overreacted, though. A few units have been sent to India. A couple of independent infantry regiments are on the way. Some engineers are already there. But in general, I'm sticking to my plan of forcing the issue in the Solomons in the next few months. I will welcome battle in a place where I have at least equal airpower and bases. And all of my carriers.

It's tempting to devise a plan to isolate those infantry divisions at Calcutta. I just don't think I could pull it off, not with KB staying in the area. I could possibly do it in 6 months, but not now. And let's face it, they aren't accomplishing anything for the enemy as is. That may change, who knows.

[apbarog]

6 May 42

Padang, one of the few Dutch bases remaining on Sumatra, is bombed by Kates coming from Singapore. Interesting. I do spot a task force there, showing a CVE. That could be Hosho, though, and the Kates didn't come from there. Padang does get an artillery attack. The one Japanese unit there may not be enough to take it.

I still suspect KB to be at or near Tavoy. Very high detection levels on my subs there.

Cox Bazar and Akyab are now showing several fewer units than before, and they didn't move towards the front. It doesn't look like a ground offensive toward Chittagong is going to happen now, much less an invasion directly.

Allied Battleship Update:

3 battleships are still being repaired. All 3 of these still need their Jan '42 refits.
Oklahoma is still at Pearl Harbor with 4 SYS and 30 FLOT damage. Repairs are estimated to take 77 more days, which is fine.
Tennessee is at LA with 0 SYS and 10 FLOT damage, requiring 26 more days of repair.
California is at SF with 14 SYS and 11 FLOT damage, requiring 31 days of repair.

Battleships Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico, and Mississippi are all repaired and refits are up to date.

Maryland was lost at Pearl Harbor.

As for Brit battleships, none have been lost. Prince of Wales was repaired and refit in England, and is on the way to Panama to head to the South Pacific. All other Brit battlewagons are standing by at Cape Town. BC Repulse is repaired and is at Cape Town also.

Major Allied Ships Lost:
BB Maryland
1 Dutch DD
1 Brit DD
1 Australian DD
1 Sub (S-38)
3 Medium Tankers
2 AO's
Lots of miscellaneous shipping, most from the Philippines and the DEI. Bunches of xAK's, some xAP's, a few CM's, lots of little craft. Again, mostly very early losses.

Major Japanese Ships Lost:
CV Kaga - hit by a torpedo near Java. (I'm still not believing this, but it's been listed for 2 months)
CVE Hosho - recently hit a mine in Burma, spotted heading toward Singapore, and probably not really sunk.
6 DD's
5 DMS's
3 Subs (one reported to be I-122)
Not many other ships. An AMC, an AMc, an APD, 3 PB's, 1 SC, 3 xAK's, 2 xAKL's, and an xAP.

Very light losses for both sides after 5 months.

[jwolf]

ORIGINAL: apbarog

Very light losses for both sides after 5 months.

That does seem like a small list! Both sides have conserved their forces to an amazing degree, at least as measured in ships.

[apbarog]

I started out wanting to counter-attack early and often with the Boise, Houston, etc, in the initial phases of the war. I found that the Japanese moved slowly but deliberately, and was very good at covering his invasions. Airpower and combat ships were used. When I tried to intervene, the situations was always poor. Either I was spotted well in advance, or I could see that the invasion shipping was protected well. This forced me to be more careful. I "showed" attempts here and there, and this kept the enemy honest, and kept him in a slow and deliberate pace. I accepted that. I wasn't sinking ships, but I wasn't losing them either, and a slow Japanese pace is a long-term win for the Allies. My opinion only, but that was my decision.

Now it's May 1942. My one intervention with 3 destroyers against the Diamond Harbour invasion resulted in losing 2 of the destroyers, and sinking nothing.

So most of my strategy so far has been to delay. The Indian invasion is stymied at Calcutta. Java is just now starting to fall. And I'm building strength in the South Pacific.

Not the most exciting knock-down dragout fight, but I'm better off this way, I think.

[apbarog]

7 May 42

A little-bit-of-everything invasion task force is spotted just north of Ambon Island. Dutch sub KX fires two fish at an SC, and misses. Must be the long-awaited invasion of Ambon. Dutch units there are still in supply, although it is getting low. (The task force has 3 CL's, 3 DD's, 1 SC, 2 TB's, 1 E, 1 PC, 3 PB's, 1 DMS, 2 xAP's, 2 xAK's, and 1 xAKL.

Allied subs keep station outside of Tavoy, and still have a high detection level.

Allied carriers slide north between Australia and New Caledonia, heading for a patrol point off the northeast coast of Australia.

Lots of shipping headed to Christmas Island, Pago Pago, Suva, Noumea, and Auckland. I'm still hoping for a Solomons invasion in the next month. I did note that enemy held Buin just reached a size 3 airfield.

[apbarog]

8 May 42

Dutch sub KX follows the Ambon invasion task force into Ambon itself, fires at CL Kashii, but misses, and then takes a moderate pounding in the shallow water. Repairs are required. The invasion proceeds and finds lots of coastal guns, some large, and it's obvious that the base still has supply. Some nice hits are made, but the troops still land.

Round 1:
CL Jintsu, Shell hits 1
CL Kashima, Shell hits 2
DD Kuri, Shell hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAKL Shun Yuan, Shell hits 6, heavy fires, heavy damage

Round 2:
CL Jintsu, Shell hits 2, on fire
CL Kashii, Shell hits 8, on fire
CL Kashima, Shell hits 3
xAKL Shun Yuan, Shell hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Kuri, heavy fires, heavy damage

Round 3:
xAK Eihuku Maru, Shell hits 2, heavy fires

Near Kwajalein, SS Cachalot hits and (most surely) sinks SC Ch 29. Can't complain about the torpedo working, just too bad it worked on such a small target.

At Soerakarta, west of Soerbaja, the Japanese attack but get just a 1 to 3 against level 1 fort. The enemy has 2 infantry regiments and a tank regiment, against 2 small weak Dutch units. I suspect that 1 or 2 of the enemy just moved into the hex and wasn't involved in the attack.

[apbarog]

9 May 42

More enemy unloading at Ambon, and the Dutch coastal guns take advantage:

xAK Eihuku Maru, Shell hits 2, heavy fires
xAK Yamahagi Maru, Shell hits 1

xAK Hokusei Maru, Shell hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Sinkyo Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire

xAK Yamahagi Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire
xAK Eihuku Maru, Shell hits 6, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Hokusei Maru, Shell hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage

I had spotted enemy units gathering at Batangas, south of Manila. These troops are waiting for transport out. Dutch sub KVIII finds a big xAP task force this turn, but misses with 4 fish fired at a big xAP. It then takes a moderate pounding that will require repair. Interestingly, I still have a slightly damaged ARD hiding in a nearby port. I'll try some repairs here and see if I can get the sub back on station more quickly.

Chittagong is bombarded by 2 CA's and 1 CL. Damage is very minor this time.

Bataan is deliberately attacked. The attack is 1 to 2, barely missing a 1 to 1, with the forts staying at 2. 1397 Japanese casualties, mostly disabled but 18 engineer squads are destroyed, while the Allies lose 1960 casualties, with about 100 squads destroyed of all types. The end is near here with no supply. I'm very happy with the results though. The defenses have held into May, tying up 2+ divisions, and the enemy has taken more than half a division of disablements.

Interesting SigInt too: the enemy Southern Army HQ is at Diamond Harbour. As if there was any doubt to the commitment there, however stalemated at the moment.

[apbarog]

10 May 42

Ambon - Some xAK's are still unloading, and they continue to take punishment from the large caliber Dutch coastal guns:

xAK Hokusei Maru, Shell hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Yamahagi Maru, on fire

xAK Yamahagi Maru, Shell hits 2, heavy fires

A deliberate attack follows, going at 1 to 2 with 2 forts. Japanese casualties are 4 times the Dutch losses. It was tempting to counter-attack, but I decided not to. Dutch supply is getting low, and hanging on means that more enemy troops will have to land. And that means more targets for the big CD guns.

Horn Island - Sub S-18 engages a big transport task force just southwest of Horn Island. It is eastbound. It is, no doubt, carrying an infantry division and a tank regiment, at least, having seen this information in SigInt recently. The big question is where are they going. Anyhow, S-18 gets a hit on CM Hatsutaka, causing heavy damage. A carrier task force is spotted here also. It looks like a mini-KB.

Soerakarta - The Japanese take this base west of Soerbaja.

Off of Northwest Australia - A small Dutch ship, fleeing Java, and an APD get very high detection levels. They are too far from Port Hedland to be spotted this well from land based aircraft. Probably. I'm guessing there's great danger lurking here. KB hasn't been positively spotted in the Indian Ocean in awhile. It could be here.

Maps follow.

[apbarog]

10 May 42 - India and Burma

Eerily quiet here for over a week. And now none of my subs, from the Indian coast all the way to the east of Sabang, are getting detected. At all. KB could be gone. Still all those enemy units at Calcutta and Diamond Harbour. I guess the enemy could be flying out troops from Diamond Harbour, but with all of the divisions there, I don't think so.

Ledo, after having been evacuated after the enemy para drop behind Chittagong, is now operational again, flying supply to China.

[apbarog]

10 May 42 - Java

Japanese forces push to just east of Djokjakarta. A new task force is spotted north of Java, heading southeast. Looks like more transports. Carriers in the area recently are now near Horn Island.

[apbarog]

10 May 42 - Northwest Australia

Single Allied ships suddenly get high detection levels. An Aussie unit headed to Carnavon turns around and heads back south. If Carnavon is invaded, it won't get there in time. And supply is very bad there. Units prepare in the Perth area for what could be coming.

[apbarog]

10 May 42 - Northeast Australia

Danger here. Carriers and transports by Horn Island. US combat ships move north along the coast to get into position. 4 carriers were already heading this direction. They are about 3 days out from hitting any new landing in Australia, or Port Moresby, if needed.

[apbarog]

11 May 42

Transports that were spotted near Horn Island are now at Port Moresby. A small tanker task force is there also. The mini-KB task force is not seen. Something did move northwest from Horn Island, could have been the carriers. So no invasion of this part of Australia. I didn't think that could happen.

Unfortunately, my carrier task forces were spotted well to the southeast of Port Moresby. I could make a high speed run in toward his task forces, or get there in 2 days at normal speed. With Port Moresby already built into a sizable airfield, I decided not to attack. The enemy has won the race to Port Moresby. I have had sizable forces prepping for an eventual attack there, but with a division and tanks there, not enough to take it. I decided to change all of the units prepping for an eventual attack at Buna instead. I will isolate Port Moresby, eventually.

Argonaut mines Port Moresby, but is spotted.

My carriers head back to the southeast to rendezvous with some AO's and top off the tanks. They will hopefully escort an invasion into Tulagi and Lunga soon. That would be a week or two away.

I do get SigInt of the 3rd Tank Regiment being loaded and on the way to Darwin. A naval guard unit is on the way to Truk. Another task force is spotted north of Java southeast bound. Absolutely no activity in the Indian Ocean again. I have many subs there, but they see nothing, and are not seen.

I'm doing an artillery attack at Calcutta just to make sure that all of the enemy units that were there are still there.