Avian aggression leads to murder most fowl - Sqz(A) vs. Chickenboy(J)

[SqzMyLemon]

Sept. 7/42:

India:

D+9

Japanese bombers target U.K. 150th RAC Regiment again followed by a shock attack from the defenders at Tezpur. AAR's follow:

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Morning Air attack on 150th RAC Regiment, at 60,36 (Tezpur)

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 78
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 9

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 26 damaged
Ki-48-Ib Lily: 2 damaged

Allied ground losses:
24 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 16 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 24 (16 destroyed, 8 disabled)

Aircraft Attacking:
21 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
24 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
9 x Ki-48-Ib Lily bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 100 kg GP Bomb
9 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
24 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb

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Ground combat at Tezpur (60,36)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 2065 troops, 12 guns, 96 vehicles, Assault Value = 103

Defending force 95 troops, 0 guns, 51 vehicles, Assault Value = 18

Japanese adjusted assault: 65

Allied adjusted defense: 1

Japanese assault odds: 65 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: leaders(+), disruption(-), preparation(-), fatigue(-)
Attacker: shock(+), fatigue(-)

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

Allied ground losses:
12 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 23 (23 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 1

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
2nd Tank Regiment
86th Naval Guard Unit

Defending units:
150th RAC Regiment

The air attacks against the 150th may destroy the unit, but this suits me fine. Their sacrifice is allowing my main forces at Darjeeling and Rangpur to consolidate their positions unmolested. Six Allied divisions have arrived safely at Rangpur. The march to Tezpur will begin once all units are transitioned to combat mode.

The two DD's spotted at Exmouth last turn, try their luck catching my small transport TF at Carnarvon. They run into more than they bargained for. AAR follows:

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Night Time Surface Combat, near Carnarvon at 49,132, Range 4,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Harukaze, Shell hits 1
DD Matsukaze, Shell hits 4, and is sunk

Allied Ships
CA New Orleans
CA San Francisco, Shell hits 1
DD Drayton
DD Conyngham
DD Shaw
DD Cushing

Reduced sighting due to 10% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions and 10% moonlight: 5,000 yards
Range closes to 20,000 yards...
Range closes to 14,000 yards...
Range closes to 8,000 yards...
Range closes to 4,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 4,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 4,000 yards
Kuwabara, S. crosses the 'T'
CA San Francisco engages DD Matsukaze at 4,000 yards
DD Harukaze engages CA San Francisco at 4,000 yards
DD Harukaze engages DD Cushing at 4,000 yards
Range closes to 2,000 yards
DD Cushing engages DD Matsukaze at 2,000 yards
DD Harukaze engages DD Cushing at 2,000 yards
DD Cushing engages DD Matsukaze at 2,000 yards
Range increases to 3,000 yards
CA San Francisco engages DD Matsukaze at 3,000 yards
DD Harukaze engages DD Cushing at 3,000 yards
Range increases to 6,000 yards
CA San Francisco engages DD Matsukaze at 6,000 yards
CA New Orleans engages DD Matsukaze at 6,000 yards
DD Harukaze engages DD Shaw at 6,000 yards
Kuwabara, S. orders Japanese TF to disengage
Range increases to 8,000 yards
DD Matsukaze sunk by CA San Francisco at 8,000 yards
DD Shaw engages DD Harukaze at 8,000 yards
DD Harukaze engages DD Shaw at 8,000 yards
Range increases to 11,000 yards
DD Cushing engages DD Harukaze at 11,000 yards
Task forces break off...

Poor moonlight allowed the second enemy DD to get away, but I'll take the result. I'm withdrawing the SCTF back to Perth. I'm hoping to draw some Japanese naval assets to Exmouth, maybe even a CV or two will show up.

SigInt:

A significant piece of intel received today. IJA 48th Division is aboard transports heading to Noumea. This division was last reported at Truk. I'm tempted to accelerate my planned amphibious operation against New Caledonia, but the lack of KB's whereabouts makes me nervous. I still think KB is at Soerabaja and if I'm right, I definitely will strike for New Caledonia. I may have to create a diversionary amphibious operation against Port Hedland as bait.

I'll post more on this later, but Japanese base expansion in the South Pacific has been minimal. Suva and Noumea are the only two bases that have been undergoing expansion and reinforcement. Perhaps the heavy commitment to India has delayed Japanese reinforcement of the area.

[SqzMyLemon]

I might be able to get one more turn in tomorrow, providing Andre sends me one during the day. I won't have time to complete the turn if it arrives in the evening though, as I'm leaving on a trip to Houston first thing Monday morning.

I won't have access to the game while away, so this will be it until I get back Friday evening. It's too bad I didn't have more time, otherwise I'd rent a car and try to meet with Andre in San Antonio. It wasn't meant to be this trip.

[SqzMyLemon]

Sept. 8/42:

Quiet turn. Just a naval bombardment of my troops contesting Cocanada by BB Yamato and friends. I'm working on a counter to these bombardments now that I have a few coastal bases at risk.

I'm off to Houston tomorrow until the end of the week, so the game is on hold until I get back. Plenty of time for Andre to contemplate his eventual destruction. Catch y'all in a week. [8D]

[SqzMyLemon]

Sept. 9/42:

D+11

Not much to report other than the appearance of a Japanese LCU blocking the secondary rail line near Australian 6th Division. If fact, all rail lines to Rangpur are currently blocked, so Andre LCU's in position which I haven't picked up with recon. I will see how supply at Rangpur is affected before I react, but it can't be good for my plans. I will most likely commit bombers to ground assault in an effort to destroy the offending Japanese LCU.

I targeted Ranchi today with my entire bomber force to soften up the defenders, as Allied ground units move to invest the base. I was wrong identifying the defenders at the base. IJA 8th Division is present, not IJA Imperial Guards Division as first suspected. Also at the base are 20th Ind. Eng. Rgt., 17th Med. FA Rgt. and 1st RF Gun Bn. After the heavy air attacks, it looks like Andre will withdraw from Ranchi as well, since movement is now indicated to the southeast. Once Ranchi is liberated it will be on to Jamshedpur and Asanol.

[SqzMyLemon]

Sept. 10/42:

D+12

Another quiet turn. Just a few small bombing raids against Japanese ground forces near Mysore and Cocanada. No air missions were flown in support of forces near Rangpur. There were no Japanese air attacks in India.

Rangpur has reached a level 2 airbase and it open for business. Darjeeling is level 2 and runway damage is now fully repaired but service damage is still at 97%. Allied aviation support at both bases is 16 and 32 respectively. Air transport is the only method available to increase the amount of aviation support at either base until the rail lines are cleared. To that end, sweep, escort and bombing missions targeting the Japanese LCU blocking the rail line are ordered for tomorrow. I expect heavy Japanese LRCAP.

In response to Allied forces closing in on Ranchi, the Japanese are in the process of withdrawing from the base. Only one LCU remains with the others having railed out today. Ranchi will be key to providing forward fighter cover in the future. Once Ranchi is liberated, Allied ground forces will move on Asanol. Jamshedpur shows 10 Japanese LCU's present and may be too tough of a nut to crack at this time with the current forces available. How much I commit to Jamshedpur will be determined by whether Japanese forces intend to defend the base or not.

Back to Rangpur, Allied forces will cross the river to the southeast tomorrow and occupy the first of the wooded hexes. These units will then travel 92 miles and occupy the crossroads. A parachute assault is being planned to seize Silchar and cut the rail line to Dimapur.

[SqzMyLemon]

Sept. 11/42:

D+13

Allied air units target the IJA 1st Tank Rgt. blocking the direct rail line from Ghorakpur to Rangpur. The first P-38 sweep is effective and clears the way for fragmented morning raids, but unfortunately the largest bomber raid doesn't fly until the afternoon and faces a renewed Japanese CAP. Four escorting P-39's are lost, but no bombers. Despite clear skies, all the bomber raids perform poorly and light loss is inflicted on IJA 1st Tank.

On the other hand, over 100 Japanese bombers hit Australian 7th Division in clear terrain west of Darjeeling and inflict substantial disruption and loss. AAR follows:

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Morning Air attack on 7th Australian Division, at 57,32 , near Rangpur

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 108
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 29

No Japanese losses

Allied ground losses:
324 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 20 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 61 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 8 (3 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Vehicles lost 19 (4 destroyed, 15 disabled)

Aircraft Attacking:
25 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
29 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
29 x Ki-48-Ib Lily bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 100 kg GP Bomb
25 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
29 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb

I'm going to LRCAP the Australians tomorrow and try to limit further damage of this nature.

Off the coast of Australia near Exmouth, a Japanese carrier sighting is recorded. I'm not sure what to think, as the report is rather sparse and indicates only two ships carrying four aircraft. Perhaps a CVE? Tomorrow should tell me more and I have a number of submarines in the area that could get an attack in.

Not much else to report. Allied dispositions in India will become clearer in the next few days as units complete their current orders. I'm short of engineers in India to consolidate the recent gains and will have to reorganize aviation support to take advantage of forward airbases. One thing of note, even with the rail lines to Rangpur blocked, supply increased from 6k+ to 7k+ today. Supply is still arriving and stockpiling. Whew!

[tiemanjw]

Just read your AAR up to this point. I like what I see in India - especially suspending operations in Southern India to focus on the east.

A few questions though:
Why are you pushing so hard to Dimapur and Ledo? Since he is trying to pull back out of Calcutta to set up further back, have you thought about turning west from Tezpur and driving on Dacca and Comilla? Both can be built to large airbases, and can provide cover over Calcutta. If you can get air superiority over Calcutta quickly, you have a chance to trap a good portion of the IJA. (And remember, USA, British, and I think Indian units can do strat move over roads - so take that road junction across the Brahmaputra from Tezpur)

What is the point of taking Ceylon? Without India, Ceylon becomes very exposed, and I would guess he would evacuate most of his forces, and you can take the place at your leisure sometime in early '43. Until then press in the east!

[SqzMyLemon]

ORIGINAL: tiemanj

A few questions though:
Why are you pushing so hard to Dimapur and Ledo? Since he is trying to pull back out of Calcutta to set up further back, have you thought about turning west from Tezpur and driving on Dacca and Comilla? Both can be built to large airbases, and can provide cover over Calcutta. If you can get air superiority over Calcutta quickly, you have a chance to trap a good portion of the IJA. (And remember, USA, British, and I think Indian units can do strat move over roads - so take that road junction across the Brahmaputra from Tezpur)

What is the point of taking Ceylon? Without India, Ceylon becomes very exposed, and I would guess he would evacuate most of his forces, and you can take the place at your leisure sometime in early '43. Until then press in the east!

Hi tiemanj, great to see you following along.

The primary reason for Ledo as an objective is to open the air bridge to China and get some supply into the country. However, I also see the possibility of opening the Burma front far sooner than I had thought possible months ago. It's imperative I push here before Andre recovers and establishes a stronger defence.

I'm avoiding an early move on Calcutta for a number of reasons, the first being lack of air cover. An Allied push on Comilla and Dacca will leave my forces in open terrain, far from air support. I wouldn't rule out Andre committing a major counterattack against my forces, which would be successful in my opinion. Even if I was to capture Comilla and Dacca as you suggest, it would be sometime until I could establish air superiority over Calcutta. In the meantime, there would be nothing stopping withdrawal of all Japanese forces from Calcutta by sea. These units would most likely be sent to bolster the Burma/Indian border making it all but impossible to move quickly there. I don't want that to happen. Another issue is supply. The rail network near Dacca would be tenuous at best. Keeping all my units supplied and withdrawing damaged airframes would be difficult, if not impossible. Nope, it's just not an operation I see myself coming out on top just yet. I want Andre to face the hard choices and there's no reason to put myself at a disadvantage at the moment.

The priority for me right now is recover lost territory and put myself in a position to make more substantial moves in early 43. Taking Darwin and Ceylon before the end of 42 allows me to get the Allied naval forces back into the war. I need to recover my mobility. Getting the Royal Navy back into the IO is a big deal. Colombo allows me much more flexibility than relying on Bombay or Karachi.

Hopefully, this explanation answers your questions. As much as India is going well, there's still much to be done to put me into a position to conduct major operations in 43 that will begin to stretch and put pressure on Japan's perimeter.

Thanks for your post, and it has made me aware of some other options, but I think I'm on the right course here and have committed my forces in such a way that it's not prudent to deviate from the original plan right now. I'll see how things evolve, but keep my options open at the same time. [8D]

[tiemanjw]

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

ORIGINAL: tiemanj

A few questions though:
Why are you pushing so hard to Dimapur and Ledo? Since he is trying to pull back out of Calcutta to set up further back, have you thought about turning west from Tezpur and driving on Dacca and Comilla? Both can be built to large airbases, and can provide cover over Calcutta. If you can get air superiority over Calcutta quickly, you have a chance to trap a good portion of the IJA. (And remember, USA, British, and I think Indian units can do strat move over roads - so take that road junction across the Brahmaputra from Tezpur)

What is the point of taking Ceylon? Without India, Ceylon becomes very exposed, and I would guess he would evacuate most of his forces, and you can take the place at your leisure sometime in early '43. Until then press in the east!

Hi tiemanj, great to see you following along.

The primary reason for Ledo as an objective is to open the air bridge to China and get some supply into the country. However, I also see the possibility of opening the Burma front far sooner than I had thought possible months ago. It's imperative I push here before Andre recovers and establishes a stronger defence.

I'm avoiding an early move on Calcutta for a number of reasons, the first being lack of air cover. An Allied push on Comilla and Dacca will leave my forces in open terrain, far from air support. I wouldn't rule out Andre committing a major counterattack against my forces, which would be successful in my opinion. Even if I was to capture Comilla and Dacca as you suggest, it would be sometime until I could establish air superiority over Calcutta. In the meantime, there would be nothing stopping withdrawal of all Japanese forces from Calcutta by sea. These units would most likely be sent to bolster the Burma/Indian border making it all but impossible to move quickly there. I don't want that to happen. Another issue is supply. The rail network near Dacca would be tenuous at best. Keeping all my units supplied and withdrawing damaged airframes would be difficult, if not impossible. Nope, it's just not an operation I see myself coming out on top just yet. I want Andre to face the hard choices and there's no reason to put myself at a disadvantage at the moment.

The priority for me right now is recover lost territory and put myself in a position to make more substantial moves in early 43. Taking Darwin and Ceylon before the end of 42 allows me to get the Allied naval forces back into the war. I need to recover my mobility. Getting the Royal Navy back into the IO is a big deal. Colombo allows me much more flexibility than relying on Bombay or Karachi.

Hopefully, this explanation answers your questions. As much as India is going well, there's still much to be done to put me into a position to conduct major operations in 43 that will begin to stretch and put pressure on Japan's perimeter.

Thanks for your post, and it has made me aware of some other options, but I think I'm on the right course here and have committed my forces in such a way that it's not prudent to deviate from the original plan right now. I'll see how things evolve, but keep my options open at the same time. [8D]

You definitely don't want to drive him into an area you plan to attack. Though I think you underestimate you chances in a drive toward (not into on on) Calcutta. Sallys, Marys, Anns, etc are not B24s or even B25s. A strike similar to your Rangpur operation with paras or tanks on Comilla followed up by driving in AA, Eng, and a few divisions could put a real thorn in his side. Further, a counter attack would be difficult as there are no roads between there and Calcutta - and lots of open terrain to bomb him in should he try. It would, of course, require cleaning out Tezpur and the road junction to the southwest. You could still drive on Ledo - it is isolated so I doubt he has too much backed into that corner.
I'm not sure I've even found an offensive I don't like, but be careful with an early Burma expedition. I don't think there is much risk, but it will be VERY slow going. Supply flows very slow into the likes of Imphal and Dimapur - and even slower out to troops in the field. It will take you far longer than him, as he can pull from Calcutta (and Ceylon) to Rangoon, then back up into Burma. Plus you won't be able to maneuver until you get to Mandalay (no roads), but he can.

As to air superiority over Calcutta - you could consider an all out raid. You have a lot of B17s / B24s in theater (not to mention the 2Es). Bring the kitchen sink in at 7k (lower if he hasn't given you reason to respect his AA) behind everything you have on sweep and escort. Anything you miss on the ground will be an ops loss at the end of the turn, and whatever few survivors there are will have shattered moral and slow repairs (attacking AFs hurts moral, and base damage slows moral recovery and airframe repair). If you pull that off, its open season on the port and shipping.

If you have plans to project naval power into the IO, than I agree Ceylon is critical.

[SqzMyLemon]

All good points. I'll keep my options open as stated earlier. I agree about the slow pace once I reach Dimapur and Imphal, that's why I want to get there sooner than later. I'm also concerned about a counteroffensive and don't want to commit too heavily to Ledo and become trapped myself.

[SqzMyLemon]

Sept. 12/42:

Interesting development at Exmouth in Australia. The Japanese conducted an amphibious landing at Exmouth with what I guess to be a Naval Guard Unit. There is only a U.S. Naval Construction Unit present so the base will fall easily. Two Japanese BB's and three DD's are present in a SCTF which SS S-36 identified after launching torpedoes at one of the DD's, all miss. I think Carnarvon will be paid a visit tomorrow.

[SqzMyLemon]

Sept. 12/42: continued...

D+14

Allied sweeps of P-39's and P-40's tangle with Japanese LRCAP protecting IJA 1st Tank Rgt. near Patna. In two separate sweeps, the Allied fighters perform just OK. On the day, 2 P-39's and 5 P-40's against 2 Nick's and 3 Tojo's. The P-40's performed poorly considering they had the dive on 2/3's of the defenders, but they are simply outclassed by the Tojo. The P-39's performed much better, even at a lower altitude of 16k against the higher CAP. I will be more aggressive with my P-40E's over the next few weeks to take advantage of a surplus in my replacement pool. I just upgraded my first squadron to the new P-40K.

In an unexpected move, Japanese bombers target Indian troops at Vizagapatnam and inflict serious losses on 1st Indian Light AA Rgt. Nine support squads, six guns and 13 vehicles were destroyed and the unit is now combat ineffective. Ouch.

Progress with "Risky Business" seems to have stalled somewhat, but that will change over the next few days. I'm now across the river and moving to block the crossroads near Tezpur. Allied forces will begin the march along the main road from Rangpur to Tezpur soon. I'm not too concerned with the IJA armour that is blocking the rail lines at the moment. I don't need any more troops railed to Rangpur or Darjeeling and I've been able to fly in more aviation support to both bases. I have just deployed two P-40 squadrons to Rangpur to provide direct CAP. The big worry was supply not getting through, but that hasn't been an issue as first feared. Rangpur added almost 2k supply last turn bringing it's stockpile to 9k+. At Darjeeling, I set the supply draw to max and now have of 82k+ of supply on hand. The IJA Tank Rgt.'s blocking the rail lines are not preventing supply from reaching either base. They are both now self sufficient.

Moving forward, I will target the Japanese armoured formations with bombers to a limited extent. If Andre wants to sacrifice these units I'll oblige by destroying them over time with air attack, but they will not delay my moving forward. It's time to seriously push on Tezpur and get to Dimapur quickly.

[BBfanboy]

Were the Japanese flying above the range of that AA unit? Seems unusual to have an AA unit bombed so effectively.

[SqzMyLemon]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Were the Japanese flying above the range of that AA unit? Seems unusual to have an AA unit bombed so effectively.

Andre likes to bomb troops at 6k. Over 130 bombers were involved so perhaps the AA was just overwhelmed. Surprisingly, 20th Indian Division located in the same hex was hardly touched and suffered little disruption.

[tiemanjw]

Are all his bombers flying from Calcutta?

[SqzMyLemon]

ORIGINAL: tiemanj

Are all his bombers flying from Calcutta?

Yes. He's also got 200+ fighters at the base.

[SqzMyLemon]

Sept. 13/42:

Australia:

Japanese BB's do not hit Carnarvon as expected, instead a lone DD is sent in to start clearing out Allied PT Boats. DD Yamakaze sinks four PT's in total from three separate TF's. Not good. The Japanese BB SCTF then withdraws northeast without bombarding.

Off the coast of Exmouth, Dutch SS KXII hits a Japanese PB. The PB does not sink.

Allied B-25's target Japanese 43rd and 48th Naval Guard Units at Exmouth. 200+ casualties including a few destroyed squads and 20+ disablements. The base is then lost to shock attack and 1st USN Naval Construction Bn. retreats.

At Lord Howe Island, two Japanese DD's sink a small re-supply TF unloading at the base. Two AM's and four xAKL's are sunk. Two small Japanese CV TF's are spotted halfway between Lord Howe and Noumea. I wonder if they were to strike at Lord Howe Island if something more than an Allied supply TF was found. I don't believe it was KB, but rather some CVL's.

India:

D+15

Allied bombers concentrate on IJA armoured units today. Some serious losses recorded. AAR's follow:

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Morning Air attack on 4th Tank Regiment, at 56,33 , near Rangpur

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 25
B-17F Fortress x 11
B-24D Liberator x 21
B-25C Mitchell x 17
P-39D Airacobra x 18

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
Vehicles lost 117 (11 destroyed, 106 disabled)

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Morning Air attack on 2nd Tank Regiment, at 60,36 (Tezpur)

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 34

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
Vehicles lost 46 (8 destroyed, 38 disabled)

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Morning Air attack on 2nd Tank Regiment, at 60,36 (Tezpur)

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 3 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 0 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 7

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
Vehicles lost 8 (2 destroyed, 6 disabled)

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Morning Air attack on 4th Tank Regiment, at 56,33 , near Rangpur

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 10 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 2 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 11

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
Vehicles lost 11 (7 destroyed, 4 disabled)

Allied forces then try to liberate Cocanada, but can't dislodge IJA 7th Tank Rgt. AAR follows:

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Ground combat at Cocanada (41,37)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 8898 troops, 104 guns, 230 vehicles, Assault Value = 336

Defending force 512 troops, 0 guns, 90 vehicles, Assault Value = 51

Allied engineers reduce fortifications to 2

Allied adjusted assault: 140

Japanese adjusted defense: 41

Allied assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 2)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 2

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

Japanese ground losses:
Vehicles lost 22 (1 destroyed, 21 disabled)

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

Assaulting units:
20th Indian Division
16th Light Cavalry Regiment
1st Indian Light AA Regiment

Defending units:
7th Tank Regiment

Supply is too low to launch another assault tomorrow. 20th Indian Division will rest one day and try again on the 15th.

[SqzMyLemon]

Sept. 14/42:

Australia:

Allied bombers target Japanese forces at Exmouth again. Some Zero's on LRCAP appear and look where they are from. AAR follows:

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Morning Air attack on 43rd Naval Guard Unit, at 50,129 (Exmouth)

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 3

Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 15
B-17E Fortress x 12
P-38F Lightning x 15

No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
176 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 10 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 14 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

CAP engaged:
Taiyo-1 with A6M2 Zero (3 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Raid is overhead

The P-38's flying LRCAP do not engage.

India:

D+16

More attacks against Japanese armour. AAR's follow:

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Morning Air attack on 4th Tank Regiment, at 56,33 , near Rangpur

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 28
B-17F Fortress x 10
B-24D Liberator x 16
B-25C Mitchell x 28
P-39D Airacobra x 18

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
Vehicles lost 44 (40 destroyed, 4 disabled)

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Morning Air attack on 2nd Tank Regiment, at 60,36 (Tezpur)

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 42 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 34

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
Vehicles lost 51 (17 destroyed, 34 disabled)

Ranchi is liberated as the base auto turns back to Allied control. Engineer and support units will rail to the base and repair damage.

Allied troops now close in on Asanol.

Recon indicates the Japanese withdrawal from Calcutta is underway. Six large transport TF's are spotted. Well, six 10 ship TF's are spotted at least. I've never liked the change to showing a maximum of only ten ships in a spotted TF. I assume there are probably closer to 100 ships currently at Calcutta.

With 200+ Japanese fighters at Calcutta, I will not attempt to target any shipping. I can't prevent the withdrawal and I'd just lose aircraft for no gain. The fact that I've forced an early withdrawal from Calcutta is a win for me. The race is on to prevent Japanese reinforcement of Dimpaur and Ledo, providing that is what Andre may do. There's no guarantee he'll do as I expect.

The bombers are fatigued, but I've ordered one more day of heavy raids against the Japanese armour for tomorrow. I'd like to seize both Tezpur and Silchar within days so I can rail in my blocking forces, hopefully ahead of any attempt to send reinforcements from Chittagong.

[SqzMyLemon]

A pre-update vent.

Why is the AI in this game so mental at times? I just lost 10 B-24's due to 'Commander Decision' which sends unescorted bombers over Calcutta when it's primary ground target was destroyed prior to it's own mission. Live or die by the AI decisions in this game, but could it pick something other than the most heavily air defended base on the map please.

[BBfanboy]

Agree with your vent - and there are others like the reaction that sends subs into a (known) mined harbour, or plots a route through the hex (like Singapore) when the intention is to go around, or the retreat path for units being in the worst direction. We could start a thread on "the war room" for people to rant about things that really frost them at times. [:@] [:)]