Islands of Destiny: RA 5.0 Japanese Side

[John 3rd]

January 25, 1943

Here is a day to be marked.

A. The Allies belatedly realize that they are trapped, cutoff , and nearly without supplies. The Australian Army begins a hasty retreat NW attempting to get out before the Japanese 12th ID, 2nd Armored, and 18th TK Reg arrive in their targeted hex. The Japanese units arrive tomorrow and will drive out the Artillery unit holding the hex then prepare for the Aussie retreat. We want to HURT them!

B. In the actual hex where the Aussies are, a bombardment is ordered. Every gun--freshly supplied with the arrival of that convoy--will open up. An additional 125 Sally and Helen fill the airfields and they--plus another 150 bombers--will POUND this army to slow its retreat and weaken it prior to the assault crossing.

C. The Chinese elect not to attack that eliminates their only chance to get Taung Gyi. A Brigade will arrive tomorrow to hold the base then we'll crush that Chinese ID.

D. At Shwebo the Allies--again--choose to open with a bombardment against two decimated Thai Regiments and two small Inf Reg being flown in. Total AV is less then 100. There is no attack and a full Brigade and TK Reg arrive tomorrow. Shwebo will hold and within days we will crush this attacking set of units.

E. At Mandalay the weak Chinese Corps present simply sits there. The Japanese Infantry Division that sits there will be fully de-trained tomorrow. We shall launch an assault the next day and clear the hex.

The dike has held and little Dutch shall be able to cry out in victory!

There will be no victory ANYWHERE along the Irrawaddy for the Allies. It shall be a defeat. PERIOD. The question is simply how big? How decisive? Will it be ENOUGH to drive the enemy away for a few months so Sumatra can be finished?

Those are questions to be seen over the 5-7 days of action.

Until then the Japanese Camp is CELEBRATING!

BANZAI! BANZAI!! BANZAI!!!

[John 3rd]

Just plain YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA baby!

Cannot believe this is going to happen. Was certain Burma was lost when we restarted the campaign.

[Capt. Harlock]

I see all the Posting over in Dan's AAR. Who is reading this? I know that the responsible readers are always careful about OPSEC I don't ask for anything just curious as to who is involved.

I haven't seen any breaking of OPSEC, but words of encouragement. To borrow once more from Civil War matters:

"... I hope it will be seen to amount to no more, in the end, than the average American's normal sympathy for the underdog in a fight."
-- Shelby Foote

[GetAssista]

I see all the Posting over in Dan's AAR. Who is reading this? I know that the responsible readers are always careful about OPSEC I don't ask for anything just curious as to who is involved.

I watch both sides with great interest, thank-both-of-you-very-much!

[John 3rd]

January 26, 1943

GOODNESS! Dan has brought in a new BIG BOY in the form of USS Indiana (3 CA, 1 CL, and 7 DDs). A series of sharp actions occur:

Night
Four Jap DDs find a Convoy of 1 DD, 12 AK, and 3 TK. DD Decoy puts up a stout resistance and the DDs withdraw much to the chagrin of their Commanding Admiral!

As soon as the Convoy moves NW away from the Jap DDs, they encounter the large American Surface TF. The DDs live to tell the tale. Two are badly hit but they manage to smack five of the American DDs. The American TF has 2-3 minor encounters with this DDs for the rest of the night. It is a nasty game of Cat-and-Mouse.

Daylight
The retreating Convoy runs smack into BB Nagato and Fuso with 7 DDs. In a delightful battle ALL 12 large AK, 3 TK, and the valiant DD Decoy are sunk.

Most importantly the BBs do NOT encounter the American STF and they begin withdrawing towards Port Blair.

Sumatra
Langsa gets the attention of three small STF that sink TEN American PT Boats and keep any minelaying at bay. Tomorrow the four Kongo's and Yamato will paste this base AGAIN!

How about that???

[John 3rd]

The air fighting is ALL OVER Burma. Six separate contested hexes where bombers and fighters mixed it up. For the fourth day in a row, Japanese air comes out in excellent shape. Nearly 30 Carrier-Based Wildcats are shot down or destroyed and LOTS of bombers.

There is a severe contest over hex 57,48 where the Allies attempt to keep Japanese bombers off of the Allied Army. They are not successful. Over 400 Allied troops are killed and their retreat CRAWLS along. There shall be no rapid march out of the killing fields if Japan can help it.

Tomorrow shall see the Chinese evicted out of Taung Gyi as well as Mandalay. The retreat hex that the Allied army is moving towards will become Japanese tomorrow as well. At that point the Inf Div and 2nd Armored shall sit and await the inevitable assault crossing by the Allied troops. The TK Reg present in the hex is now ordered to cross the Irrawaddy TOWARDS the approaching army to gain hexside control...

[Lowpe]

Bravo![&o]

[John 3rd]

Got the turn done yesterday afternoon and was so steaming mad I had to walk away until this morning.

That damned shore bombardment bug happened. I ordered 4 CA and 6 DD to hit the Allied Army one hex north of Medan and the TF decided to hang out in the target hex ALL FLIPPING DAY. They were hit by wave after wave of SBD and Avengers. My LRCAP shot down nearly 75 of them but I lost an old CA (Furutaka) and a newer one (Mogami) due to GAME MECHANICS and nto play. Damn--I hate that.

When it is my mistake or brilliant play by my opponent I can accept that but not when it is the game. I posted this over on the thread that Michael started about bombarding a non-base hex.

Still steaming... [:@]

[Lowpe]

How many planes did you down?

I am not sure it is a bug, bombardment routines are so complicated, but it sure feels like one.

When it happens to me I just rationalize it as confused orders, fog of war, the fates conspiring against me. [:)] I think I lost 3 battleships over the course of the war to it, plus several cruisers and destroyers. I think long and hard before ordering a naval bombardment now as Japan.

Don't let it get you down, your play has been really great. Don't let up now![:)]

[John 3rd]

Thanks for the thoughts. Will Post a screenshot of his losses in a bit.

I'm not letting up but it does impact my use of the Fleet...

[John 3rd]

Here is the aerial summation of the day. Nearly ALL these losses were over Sumatra. Bad weather closed down the action in Burma.

[John 3rd]

January 27, 1943

Two attacks (in RED) go off on the 27th:
1. The Chinese are blasted out of Mandalay in a 160-1 attack. Send a Brigade after the retreating enemy. The full strength 12th ID moves from Mandalay north to Shwebo to blast the troops present there.

2. Taung Gyi's attack goes reasonably well where the troops there get a 1-1. They miss 2-1 by only 4 Assault Points. CLOSE! Order bombers to hit it tomorrow and the day after. The next assault will drive the Chinese out of that threatened area.

3. Dan's armor retreats into hex 56,47 across the Irrawaddy. A Tank unit is DESTROYED. It is a 1-99 result.

Bad weather closes the AFs all through Burma. This is bad. Dan's troops get a full day in Road March mode. They are bombarded but that is it. A ground bombardment doesn't slow a retreat and force Combat Mode does it?

Four attacks are ordered for the 28th:
1. Shwebo will attempt to clear itself if possible. If not the arriving 12th ID will do that.

2. The depleted units in 57,48 will attack the retreating army. I don't expect much but it cause considerable consternation with my opponent.

3. The Artillery unit present in 56,47 (and any other retreating units that cross the Irrawaddy will be attacked this turn.

4. A weak Brigade between Mandalay and Magwe shall be driven out of its hex.

[Capt. Harlock]

How about that???

Actually, an immense disappointment to we BB surface action fans. Would have loved to see Indiana vs Nagato. But, okay, it's a definite win for the IJN.

[John 3rd]

You have THAT right! The BBs sank a nice amount of supplies and fuel and got away with NO DAMAGE. That, my friends, is a clear cut victory. Don't want to tangle with that BAD BOY!

Am really hoping my SS can put a hole into her side...

[John 3rd]

I have a true rarity today. I am home WITHOUT wife or children. There is a four hour window of time and Dan and I are already on our second turn of the day. Stand by for updates.

[John 3rd]

January 27-29, 1943
The Burma Theatre

We reach the height of anticipation as the Aussie Army attempts to withdraw from hex 57,48 in Burma. Elements begin to crossover with horrific results for the Allied player.

27th
An armored unit crosses the Irrawaddy into hex 56,47 and is destroyed. Waiting there is the veteran 21st ID, 2nd Armored Div, 8th and 18th TK Reg. The 254th TK ceases to exist losing 140 Vehicles.

Taung Gyi sees a Deliberate Attack that gets 1-1.

12th ID moving from Mandalay to Shwebo.

All AIR grounded as bad weather rolls through the area.

28th
Hex 56,47 sees all Allied unit driven out of it with a 96-1 attack. Another TK Brigade (didn't get the number) and an Artillery Regiment is crushed in the action.

In the hex that the Allies are retreating out of (57,48) the Japanese 21st Ind Mixed Brig, 16th ID, and 33rd ID launch an attack into the retreating Allied Army. Result is 1-3 but less then 1,500 troops are lost. Pause the rest and plan another attack trying to time the crossover.

Another 1-1 result at Taung Gyi. Some bombers fly attacking this Chinese Corps. Shift orders to Shock Attack for the 29th.

Nearly all air grounded AGAIN. Crap...

29th
Hex 56,47 sees three HQ units and NOTHING ELSE crossover the Irrawaddy. The attack results in a--GET THIS--1-311 result. The Japanese lose 9 Vehicles to 987 Allied troops and a crapload of disablement to those HQ. Figure the Aussies are coming next turn so we order a Deliberate Attack within the hex.

There is sharp ATA over this hex with Fighters tangling and--frustratingly--Allied bombers getting through. Note that the bombers are coming in at 1,000 Ft and lower all Zeros down to 9,000 Ft to catch them tomorrow. Tojos stay up for high cover.

Taung Gyi's Shock Attack works driving the Chinese Corps away from the base. Results are 10-1 with the Chinese taking 1,398 Cas for 129 Japanese. The 59th-C Inf unit shifts to Strategic Mode for Shwebo. It will combine to form-up the entire ID there.

A full strength Brigade enters the hex east of Mandalay. It shall attack tmorrow and drive those Chinese troops back another hex towards Lashio.

Coming Turn
Air: ALL Japanese Fighters will go over LRCAP over the contested pair of hexes. Shift Bombers around so they sit in four bases and HOPEFULLY they shall fly at the Aussies raising their disablement numbers PRIOR to crossing.

In 56,47 we have ordered a Deliberate Attack that should--hopefully--coincide with the Aussie Shock Attack over the river. Gonna be UGLY!

Hoping that maybe just a unit or two will be left in 57,48 Orders go out for those two beaten down ID and Inf Brig to attack one last time.

Order a Deliberate Attack at Shwebo. Doubt if it will drive those troops out but it will raise their disruption for the full strength 12th ID's attack the next day.

Longer Term
It is my profound HOPE to beat-up the two Aussie ID, 41st American, and 3 Brit Brigades to the point they HAVE to be pulled out. A serious defeat is all we want. I'd have loved to surrounded them but Dan's air slowed me down just ENOUGH to prevent that.

I'll have to pull back the 16th and 33rd ID to Rangoon for R&R and replacements. This will leave four ID in Theatre for operations. The 59th will advance NE towards Katha clearing the railline.

The Imperial Guards, 12th ID, 21st ID and 2nd Armored will drive the enemy back into the jungle.

Conclusion
Once this plays out over the next 2-3 turns, Japanese air shall massively redeploy back to Malaya and Sumatra for the MAIN EVENT gang!

BANZAI BABY! Who would have thought Burma would return to being Japanese and status quo. I sure didn't. Pretty amazing...

[John 3rd]

January 29, 1943
Sumatra--Malaya Theatres

The action in Sumatra and Malaya has slowed some. The departure of 200 Fighters and 200 Bombers to Burma definitely aided in that.

Have already defined the Naval Action that took place earlier so don't need to do that again.

Medan
The massed steel fist of Japan will visit Langsa again tomorrow. The 4 Kongos, Yamato, and 5 CA shall pound this base so there is no chance of Allied aircraft using it. I want them to stay confined to Sabang. Preceding this powerful group are two TF of 1 CL and 3 DDs to sweep the dratted PT Boats that Dan loves so much. Each STF has much lower numbers then the Bombardment TF so this should work pretty well.

After this operation I shall pull the CAs out and send them to the carriers. The loss of 4 CAs (two to Dan and two to the STUPID AI) forces me to place them exclusively with the air arm.

Red Lines
On the screenshot with RED lines are all the soon to be active Japanese AF that will concentrate their massed air power at Sabang. When the redeployment occurs, there will be nearly 600 Fighters to Sweep the target and then we'll add bombers to the assault. I've held off WAAAAAAY too long in doing this. Just simply fearful of the losses. Doesn't matter now. Time to do it.

Other Items
1. I've pulled three damaged ID back to Singapore where they will rebuild much more quickly. Southern Army is there to help with that.

2. We'll be taking back Phuket, Trinkat, as well as that Island just north of Georgetown.

3. Construction units dropped off today at Car Nicobar. AF construction to get going quickly. There are four Construction units present and we'll see this AF move along pretty fast.

4. The Fast TF that dropped off the Construction units returns to Moulmein to pick-up four more and they will get deposited at Great Nicobar for the same purpose.

5. At Soerabaja a Carrier TF of CVs Soryu, Shokaku, 3 CVL, 2 CL, and 9 DD raise anchor and depart. Destination Cocos Isle. After two days at sea, a similar TF of CV Akagi and 2 CVL will move out to join them from Batavia. Nine AOs carrying 80,000 fuel are already present at Cocos to handle refueling. They have a far stouter escort of 1 CL and 6 DDs. The 3 CV and 5 CVL will work on interdiction efforts...

[John 3rd]

January 30, 1943
Burma

The Aussies storm across the Irrawaddy under a hail of bombs, shells, and tank fire. This once proud army with sooooo much confidence entered Burma to rid it of Imperial Japan. IUt is a tattered, stinking, wounded group that fight for their lives as they re-cross the river trying to get home.

They make it. Through over 250 bombers they cross the river with everything they have left. The AA is horrific as nearly 20 bombers are shot down.

57,48
The Japanese Deliberate Attack and barely miss a 1-1 result against the enemy. They miss that by just 6 AV. CLOSE! The Shock Attack comes afterward (which makes no sense but...) and it yields a horrific 1-6 result. Losses are not terrible for either side: Japan 363 Cas and 180 Vehicles to the Allied 2,034, 92 Guns, and 38 Vehicles.

The troops in the vacated hex immediately head for Magwe so they can then take the train down to Rangoon for R&R. The 33rd ID still has 200 AV so it is ordered to follow the Aussies and help in the fight for 57,48.

A Brigade and 55th Tank Reg will enter this hex in 1-2 days to help.

Troops stand down from attack to lower disruption a bit prior to another attempt to drive the enemy and force a retreat into the Jungle.

Shwebo
The attack ordered there unfolds as I thought with a 1-2 result. He is attempting to withdraw there as well. The 12th ID should make it tomorrow and then we'll attack and drive the enemy from the hex.

60,46 (East of Mandalay)
The assault here is perfect and the Chinese Corps present is forced to retreat under a 9-1 assault. NICE!

Imperial Guards is on train now and heading for Magwe. If we cannot push the Allied army out of 57,48, I am fully confident--with command of the air--that these BAD BOYS will do the trick!


NOTE: Look at this screenshot and see the damage that has been done. The 41st US and four Brigades have NO AV!

[John 3rd]

February 2, 1943
Burma

All Allied troops have been cleared from Taung Gyi, Mandalay, and now--today--Shwebo:

The 12th ID arrives and immediately attacks along with elements of four other infantry units. The result is an excellent 8-1 crushing two Brigades and five other smaller units. They retreat up the railroad line towards Katha. In their retreat, they leave behind 3,610 casualties, 41 Guns, and 84 Vehicles. The 12th ID pursues.

Roughly 50 Topsy fly in and immediately begin moving an Inf Reg to Myitkyina where the Allies begin a belated drive after cutting the rail line. Only one Allied unit is moving towards the city so, with this help, it should hold while the 12th finishes off the retreating small army.

56,47
The Japanese bomb the pojees out of the Aussie Army on the 1st and 2nd. Nearly 500 casualties are inflicted each day. The 2nd sees an attack by the Japanese that comes ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh so close to a 2-1. AV results are 264 to 157 with Japan losing 1112 Cas and 20 Tanks for 937 Cas, 46 Guns, and 18 Vehicles.

Dan is desperately sending reinforcements through the jungle to help his troops. We bomb with everything possible again tomorrow and then shall launch a SHOCK ATTACK. The timing of this should allow for another Brigade and the pursuing 21st ID to aid the attack. Barring those reinforcements arriving, this SHOULD be enough to force the retreat that we so truly want.

[John 3rd]

February 4, 1943
Burma

When this match re-started between Dan and I, the situation in Burma looked horrific. Not one, not two, not three, but four armies were all advancing along various portions of Burma and the Irrawaddy Valley. Japanese High Command was forced to use Transports left and right to throw a few hundred/thousand troops into location so that they might barely hold for a few days. Troops were being shuttled furiously between sites along the railroad. In short, the situation was CHAOS incarnate. Have never seen a situation like that before.

The key to the whole situation was the clearance of the strait between contested Sumatra and Malaya. Supplies started to flow and several fresh Infantry Divisions were delivered. While touch-and-go through early-to-mid January, hope--as well as a PLAN--began to form. As stated earlier Japanese High Command broke out their histories of Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign and ATTEMPTED to channel him into the Irrawaddy Valley 1943.

That moment was defining and I can now officially proclaim this campaign won as the entire Australian Army that so threatened central Burma has now been forcibly expunged from the Valley of the Irrawaddy. A Japanese Inf Div, 2nd Armored Div, two tank Brigades, an Infantry Brigade and the hard-charging 33rd Infantry Division inflict a horrific defeat upon the Allies army.

With little-to-no supply, daily aerial attack by 200+ bombers, and no Allied aerial aid, this once powerful army is trounced by Japan's hastily thrown together troops.

Hex 56,47
A Japanese SHOCK ATTACK crushes Allied defenses BEFORE help can arrive. The assault is relentless and scores a 5-1 result. Japan loses 1,369 Troops, 39 Guns, and 104 vehicles. The vast majority of these are disabled. The Allies lose--READY??--10,443 Troops, 201 Guns, and 260 Vehicles. They are thrown back into the jungle.

Render crushed: 41st US Inf Div, 6th and 7th Aussie Inf Divs, and 4 Brigades.

BANZAI!