North Pacific:
Base building continues at Amchitka, Umnak and Attu. No IJN sub attacks or sightings in the area this week, but I’m still on the lookout.
Central Pacific:
Theater is back to being quiet.
Southern Pacific:
Theater is quiet.
New Guinea/Solomons:
The Japanese garrisons at Salamaua, , Nadzab, Wau, Manus and Kavieng continue to hold out. Allied forces are grinding them down slowly but surely.
KB is still anchored at Hollandia. Reports continue to indicate 6-9 CV’s with 100F/170B. No signs of enemy movement so far.
On the 6th (right on schedule) Tiger Balm starts off with a bang…for both sides. The Japanese get the first shot in, hitting CVE Sangamon with a torpedo (25 SYS/27 FLT) off Rabaul. While I never welcome a result like this, in this case, Sangamon took one for the team, which meant the 8 BB’s it was protecting have a clear lane to Rabaul. CVE’s will be a dime a dozen pretty soon, so I feel the trade was worth it.
That night, the Allied counterblow began with those 8 BBs bombarding Rabaul and turning its airfield into a mass of flames and destruction. Over 280 enemy planes are damaged on the field and there is a reported 44 runway hits. The next day, approximately 180 bombers raid Rabaul and add to the inferno. At the end of the first day the tally is: 116 Runway Hits, 69 Airbase Hits, and 4 Supply Hits. For enemy aircraft, we got 19/114 Fighters, 3/40 Bombers, and 14/130 Auxiliary (Destroyed/Damaged). Oh and about 500 casualties (14 destroyed/49 disabled…all were non-combat squads). Best news of all was Rabaul’s airfield was 100% damaged after the first day, and stayed that way all week. As the week went on, I transferred more bomber squadrons off airfield attack to ground attack hoping to cause disruption and sap away the defenders supply. Japanese AA fire was pretty intense and I upped raid altitudes a few thousand feet to offset this. Currently the plan is to keep up the pressure in the air for another week, then send in the troops.
DEI/Philippines:
In the Philippines, all my base are belong to Japan.
In the DEI, Japan continues their intermittent Brunei bombings, but no sign of invasion. Nothing else of note in the region.
SE Asia/China:
Continuing to grind the enemy at Akyab. I have a few reinforcements that total about 250 AV that will be arriving early next week, and I plan on launching a deliberate at that time.
In central Burma, the Chindit force continues its next “move about the left flank”, this time targeting Taung Gyi. Still no signs of enemy presence in the area.
In China, Chengchow holds amid more IJA deliberate attacks. Japanese bombardments continue at Wuchow and Nanning.
IJN Watch:
-6-9 CVs (100F/170B) and 1 BB spotted at Hollandia all week.
Notable Base Captures:
-None
Campaign Overview:
Aircraft Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 3,826 [+90]
Biggest Losses (#):SBD-3 Dauntless (331), F4F-4 Wildcat ( 277), P-40E Warhawk (256)
Japanese: 9,992 [+421]
Biggest Losses (#): G4M1 Betty (1,971), Ki-48 Lily (1,548), Ki-27b Nate (790)
Ship Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 458 [+1]
Notables: CV Enterprise, CVE Copahee, CVE Nassau, CA Astoria, CA Portland, CA Adelaide, CL Durban, CL Sumatra, CL Java
Japanese: 873 [+9]
Notables: CV Soryu, CVL Shoho, CVL Zuiho, CVE Taiyo, CVE Hosho, BB Kongo, BB Fuso, BB Mutsu, CA Mogami, CA Mikuma, CA Suzya, CA Adoba.
Army Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 9,070 [+9]
Japanese: 4,982 [+42]
A/J Ratio: 1.82 to 1
VP Totals [change]:
Allies: 33,398 [+525]
Japanese: 25,942 [+183]
A/J Ratio: 1.29 to 1
Operation Tropic Thunder
Phase 1A - LAZARUS: Nov.1942 – March 1943
-Capture Finschfen – COMPLETE
-Capture Umboi Island – COMPLETE
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hansa Bay UNDERWAY [Armed Force advancing from Lae has reached Nadzab and is doing the bombard/deliberate iteration. Current Allied AV advantage is 110:44]
Phase 1B – FOUR LEAF: Nov.1942 – March 1943
-Capture Namatanai – COMPLETE
-Capture Kavieng – UNDERWAY [Allied AV advantage is 264:130, Japanese forts still at 4]
-Capture Massau Island – COMPLETE
-Capture Manus – UNDERWAY [Allied AV advantage is 125:55, Japanese forts still at 4]
Phase 2 – TIGER BALM: March 1943 – April 1943
-Capture/Neutralize Rabaul [Most troops are at 100 prep, the exception is the 37th Inf. Div, (a late addition) which is at 76]
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hollandia
Other Notes:
-I updated dates for all phases of Operation Tropic Thunder to more closely resemble reality. I was the victim of my own wishful thinking after Operation Cumberland went so well. The targets of the current Op are better defended and its showing in my delayed timetable…basically everything has shifted two months to the right. I’m not discouraged though, as I still have the initiative and the front lines are moving the right way (toward the home islands).
