Rumble in the Southwest witpqs-A vs Andav-J 2011-11-29 to 2017-02-08

[witpqs]

Okinawa operations. The B-29 groups will keep their Naha airfield strike orders until it is shut down.

[zuluhour]

Okinawa fleet cruising at 6-7 hexes p/day?

[RogerJNeilson]

I have my seat booked for the action here, just settling down to wait.

Roger

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: zuluhour

Okinawa fleet cruising at 6-7 hexes p/day?

It was 6/day for the first 2 days, then 5/day last turn. It will be 5/day for the turn just sent, then 4/day for the Naha force to arrive at 1 hex from target. The Nago convoys will have to jog so they might move differently on D-1.

[zuluhour]

I was trying to find when the fleet was discovered IRL. I'm guessing the same day. Hard to replicate, but there is something to be said for brute force.[;)]

[Crackaces]

Hard to replicate, but there is something to be said for brute force

In my opinion .. AFB 101 .. apply the needed judicious firepower at the IJ's most vulnerable spots ..[8D] Hey This AAR shows
an AFB can take Truk if you are willing to apply enough force (and take enough losses ! [:'(] )

I think the advantage against Atolls is you can figure out exactly what it takes and what it will cost and apply the force needed ..
If it does not work out there is always more coming as long as you keep within the 2:1 VP ratio ..because not only
does the AFB have to win .. but do it under the constraints of the victory conditions ..

Witpqs has shown us he understands this fine line very well ...

[witpqs]

Witpqs has shown us he understands this fine line very well ...

Yeah, sure! [:D]

[witpqs]

1944 October 14

The Empire captured:


The Allies captured:
Sinabang

There were Imperial amphibious or airborne operations at:


There were Allied amphibious or airborne operations at:


Imperial Naval Bombardments


Allied Naval Bombardments:



Our subs continue to tangle with ASW forces while supporting the Okinawa operation.

There were no air strikes against shipping pulling into Pakhoi. No ships unloaded but all made it to port and should unload mostly or fully during the night. Defensive mine fields are in place. The airfield is size 1 + 31%. With support troops and one amphibious Tk Bn unloading tonight, the divisions will move out. The two Australian divisions are heading for Kwangchowan. The two US Army divisions are heading two hexes straight north (NE then NW) to block the road from Lang Son. It's a 4 day march at full speed without harassment from the air (correction: it's an 8 day march at full speed), which they are sure to endure after they leave the Pakhoi base hex. See the notes below about the Lang Son assault for details on the possible encirclement of Imperials there. If the attack day after tomorrow does push the enemy out of Lang Son then these two divisions might be able to attack them in the open as they withdraw to Nanning.

With one mile to go tomorrow is certain to see the river-crossing attack into the zombie enclave in Burma. Moves down Sumatra and down Malay are crisp. Looks like 2 more days for our host to arrive at Singora; maybe 1 day for the regiment to arrive at Tanjoengbalai; less than a week for the division to arrive at Sibolga. 12 enemy fighters are found at Kuantan so a P-38 group out of Soc Trang will sweep there tomorrow.

Coming soon to a theater near you "Last Days of the Zombies!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at 61,65 (near Pakse)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 6378 troops, 114 guns, 36 vehicles, Assault Value = 356

Defending force 2092 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 38

Japanese ground losses:
26 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
754th Tank Battalion
2/11th Armoured Car Regiment
11th Airborne/A Division
11th PAVO Regiment
11th Airborne/B Division
21st Indian Mountain Gun Regiment

Defending units:
17th Ind.Mixed Brigade


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All zombie eradication units will be in place tomorrow. 23rd LRP Bde needs about 3 days to take up a blocking position SE of Long Son. The additional assault forces should arrive at Lang Son tomorrow and will attack the day after. If that attack does not dislodge the Imperial horde, then our plan to cut off their line of retreat will go into effect. 88th Chinese Div needs more 5 days (if not impeded by air strikes) to take up a position in the jungle NE of Long Son. Two USA divisions leaving Pakhoi will block the road, to be joined by armor sea lifted from Haiphong.

Movement of forces on and to Java continues. Expedition is being dispatched to Mataram; despite partial preparation minimal resistance from the abandoned troops there expected.

The escort of one of our CA bombardment TFs (tasked as Surface Combat until a bombardment run is ordered) roughed up that Imperial sub just SE of Daito Shoto throughout the day. But the sub got the last laugh, torpedoing and sinking a destroyer.

The B-29 crews went in with no escort from their carrier-borne little friends. 26 lost. Naha has only 7 fighters seen but has 28 bombers and 13 auxiliary a/c. Nago has 50F, 26B, 12A. The B-29 groups will switch targets to Nago. The B-29 pilots have a new motto "We don't need no stinking airplanes!".

I don't know how this happened except that I obviously missed it, but one TF for Naha was left behind not last turn but the turn before! It is composed of 12 knot AK plus ASW escorts and gunfire support and has a nominal speed of 3 hexes per phase. They can make 6 or maybe 7 hexes per day as no refueling will be required. There is no way they will make D-Day and probably on D+1 will land their passengers of two USMC tank battalions and one USMC amphibious tank battalion. If I had seen them last turn they probably could have caught up with the fleet considering the reduced speed of advance.

BB Wisconsin and CL Kalao are leaving Pearl Harbor for Guam.

Indochina.

[witpqs]

Malay Peninsula & Sumatra.

[witpqs]

Java Sea.

[witpqs]

Okinawa. That is an Imperial convoy with merchant types heading east just north of Okinawa and surrounding islands. It could be bait for a strong LRCAP or it could be last chance supply for Okinawa, presuming the Allies invade Daito Shoto and make further supply of Okinawa impossible. Of course we are actually invading Okinawa on this trip...

[witpqs]

The lonely convoy can be seen in the extreme lower right.

[JocMeister]

What are the Jap TFs outside Kyushu? Fleeing the Okinawas or moving to engage?

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

What are the Jap TFs outside Kyushu? Fleeing the Okinawas or moving to engage?

The two at sea are ASW TFs. The one in port is a merchant convoy. IIRC there is at least one more farther north.

But farther east, nearer to Tokyo there is one that scouts to be a bunch of DD so I peg it as warships only. At Taihoku one of those is a heavy cruiser TF. I hope that my blanket of subs will take a bite out of anyone who comes calling.

[Drakanel]

Hrm, I expected Kamikaze hell by now. Strange. Unless he really thinks you're just going for Daito Shoto.

Or unless he's waiting for your convoys to be closer to Okinawa itself...

[RangerJoe]

Someone to Stalin "Quantity is superior to quality."
Stalin "Quantity has a quality all its own!"

Something that I learned in an organization that has its own way of doing things:
"Why use a little hammer in you have a big one?"

A dirty trick (especially if you were a little more to the west) is to turn left and invade Luzon!

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Someone to Stalin "Quantity is superior to quality."
Stalin "Quantity has a quality all its own!"

Something that I learned in an organization that has its own way of doing things:
"Why use a little hammer in you have a big one?"

A dirty trick (especially if you were a little more to the west) is to turn left and invade Luzon!

Pure, unadulterated evil. I like it! [:D]

There might be some places where I could get in with little preparation, but not these units. I do have some preparation going on for Legaspi, and for the island that Iloilo is on, and for Dadjanges I think it's called, at the southern tip of Mindinao.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Drakanel

Hrm, I expected Kamikaze hell by now. Strange. Unless he really thinks you're just going for Daito Shoto.

Or unless he's waiting for your convoys to be closer to Okinawa itself...

I figure this coming turn will see lots of air action. I had hoped that the B-29 groups would put Naha and Nago out of offensive action (I doubted they could damage the bases enough to ground CAP), but at least they got the fighter pilots tired. [:'(]

[witpqs]

A couple of units added to Daito Shoto and a couple of smaller targets, but Naha and Nago SigInt indicates the same number of units at those bases.

Amami Oshima
. 1944-05-18 . 2/8th RF Gun Battalion
. 1944-05-23 . 10/21st Ind.Mixed Regiment
. 1944-05-23 . 13/21st Ind.Mixed Regiment
. 1944-05-24 . 7/21st Ind.Mixed Regiment
. 1944-05-24 . 8/21st Ind.Mixed Regiment
. 1944-06-16 . 3/21st Special Base Force
. 1944-07-04 . 8th RF Gun Battalion
. 1944-07-23 . 21st Special Base Force
. 1944-07-25 . Amami Oshima Fortress
. 1944-08-17 . 21st Ind.Mixed Regiment
. 1944-08-18 . 6th Ind. Field Artillery Battalion
. 1944-09-03 . 22nd/C Division
. 1944-09-27 . 72nd Field AA Battalion
. 1944-10-12 . 53rd Ind.Mixed Brigade

Daito Shoto
. 1944-02-07 . 3/30th Field Artillery Regiment
. 1944-03-23 . 19th JAAF AF Bn
. 1944-04-14 . 1st Ind.Tank Co
. 1944-04-24 . 1/7th Air Division
. 1944-05-30 . 30th Field Artillery Regiment
. 1944-06-05 . 36th Ind.Mixed Brigade
. 1944-07-04 . 30th Special Base Force
. 1944-08-23 . 37th Ind.Mixed Brigade
. 1944-09-06 . 16th Field Construction Battalion
. 1944-09-07 . 1st Amph.Bde Tank Battalion
. 1944-09-16 . 25th Special Base Force
. 1944-09-19 . 59th Field AA Battalion
. 1944-09-28 . 6th Tank Regiment
. 1944-10-13 . 2nd Medium Mortar Battalion

Kume-jima
. 1944-08-14 . 50th Ind.Mixed Brigade

Nago
. 1944-02-07 . 4/30th Recon Regiment
. 1944-05-17 . 9th Ind.Mixed Brigade
. 1944-05-18 . 72nd Air Flotilla
. 1944-07-08 . 102nd AA Regiment
. 1944-07-11 . 31st Army
. 1944-08-01 . Nakagusuko-wan Fortress
. 1944-08-04 . 101st AA Regiment
. 1944-09-03 . 29th Field Construction Battalion
. 1944-09-05 . 45th Ind.Mixed Brigade
. 1944-09-10 . 149th JAAF AF Bn
. 1944-10-02 . 30th Recon Regiment

Naha
. 1943-11-21 . 12/34th Ind.Mixed Brigade
. 1943-11-21 . 14/34th Ind.Mixed Brigade
. 1943-11-21 . 3/34th Ind.Mixed Brigade
. 1943-11-21 . 5/34th Ind.Mixed Brigade
. 1943-11-21 . 8/34th Ind.Mixed Brigade
. 1943-11-22 . 11/34th Ind.Mixed Brigade
. 1943-11-22 . 7/34th Ind.Mixed Brigade
. 1943-11-22 . 9/34th Ind.Mixed Brigade
. 1944-02-19 . 4/3rd Medium Mortar Battalion
. 1944-04-01 . 30th Ind.Mixed Brigade
. 1944-04-22 . 31st JAAF AF Bn
. 1944-06-19 . 81st Field AA Battalion
. 1944-07-16 . Okinawa Naval Base Force
. 1944-07-19 . 3rd Medium Mortar Battalion
. 1944-07-26 . 80th Field AA Battalion
. 1944-08-08 . 39th Field AA Machinecannon Company
. 1944-08-23 . 79th Field AA Battalion
. 1944-09-02 . 34th Ind.Mixed Brigade
. 1944-09-16 . 35th Division
. 1944-09-27 . 32nd Army
. 1944-09-28 . 15th Ind.Mixed Regiment
. 1944-10-01 . 2nd Tank Regiment

Okinoerabushima
. 1944-07-07 . 3/14th Ind.Mixed Regiment
. 1944-07-09 . 4/14th Ind.Mixed Regiment
. 1944-09-22 . 14th Ind.Mixed Regiment
. 1944-09-24 . 56th Ind.Mixed Brigade

Tokunoshima
. 1944-10-09 . 6th South Seas Det.
. 1944-10-13 . 57th Ind.Mixed Brigade

[JocMeister]

You have BFs with you to get a CAP up once you secure your first base?