Islands of Destiny: RA 5.0 Japanese Side

[Bif1961]

Since they are headed NW and if that is a true course it seems your happy time in DEI is over.

[adarbrauner]

Can't you leave just one or 2 battalions of the tank div to support?
accordingly with the Inf Div, one rgt reinforced isn't enough?

Whre were thhe 2 units destined to garrison-guard?

What shall happen if he lands in Phillipines or Palau or MArianas?

I mean: do we have some reaction plan and the proper means allocated (we know you are VERY good. I trust you)?

[John 3rd]

March 22, 1944

It LOOKS like we have temporarily got things contained in Burma. Maybe...

[John 3rd]

March 23, 1944

The 1.0x10^6 moves a grand total of THREE hexes. LOVE IT! (93,135 to 93,138)

Got lots of time presently.

Totals from the Victory at Makassar: Japan 725 Cas for Allied 7,321 Cas (781 Squads), 127 Guns, and 47 Vehicles. Scratched off the board are: 1st Aussie ID, 1st Aust Corps, 1st USMC TK Bn, and the 9th RAAF M/W Sqn Eng Bn. The VP total jumps a little over 750 VP into Japan's column. Not too bad.

[John 3rd]

March 22, 1944

Watampone is now the total focus of the Japanese here. BC Haruna hits Watampone with the last of her Ammo and will return to Bima. During the day the troops and base are hit by 75 Fighters and 171 Bombers. Most of the Bombers concentrate on the beat-up Aussie ID. AF is now 100% damaged and Port is over 80%.


I have two AKE now at Bima that should be able to replenish Haruna's ammo. The two BBs will join her in three days and then the trio will SMACK Watampone in conjunction with an all out assault on the base. I have a Brigade present in the hex. 2nd TK will arrive tomorrow along with two more Brigades. The 19th ID is high-tailing it up from Makassar and made a good 20 miles today.

A Convoy of nearly 65 AK/AKL/AP departs Balikpapan with 35,000 supply (headed to Makassar) and is the EVAC force when the time comes for us to BUG OUT of this area!

Unlike Makassar, I shall have Forts to deal with. Dan raised the AF from 0--3 pretty fast. I am going to HOPE that he only had the engineers building the AFs and not Forts. I know that there has been no construction added for the last 14-18 days since I started working on attacking the base.

Here is a screenshot of the opposition:

[John 3rd]

Open for thoughts gents!

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: adarbrauner

Can't you leave just one or 2 battalions of the tank div to support?
accordingly with the Inf Div, one rgt reinforced isn't enough?

Whre were thhe 2 units destined to garrison-guard?

What shall happen if he lands in Phillipines or Palau or MArianas?

I mean: do we have some reaction plan and the proper means allocated (we know you are VERY good. I trust you)?

Remember that ID and Brigade I pulled out of the Aleutians a couple of weeks ago? They will arrive at Manila in 3-4 days.

Palau and Peleliu are at the limits for garrison. Ditto for the Marianas. We'll see what happens...

[John 3rd]

March 24, 1944

It does not make any sense to me but Dan's primary force moves just TWO hexes. I am sure he has a 'grand plan' but I could care less about it. This slow movement is opening the door to the chance for another ground victory in the Celebes.

Watampone is hit by just 103 bombers. The AF/Pt are both 100% damaged. The small Brigade that has been in the hex for 3 days is joined by the 2nd TK. Dan doesn't bombard--supply issues?--so he doesn't know. A full strength Brigade arrives tomorrow. We'll launch the first Deliberate Attack then. The 19th ID is probably 3-4 days away.

In the continuing effort to pull troops back, I finish loading at Tagula (SNLF Assault Brigade and 2 Base Force), Load a Naval HQ at Truk, start loading an Inf Reg and two BF at Darwin, and begin loading a Brigade at Ternate. No attempts at resistance so far...

Here is the night screenshot of one of my SS being attacked by parts of Dan's Fleet. The TFs moving up from Normanton are headed for Horn. There are maybe 10 TF already at Horn and the 1.0x10^6 is at hex 93,133.

[adarbrauner]

Gooooo---oood news from Makassar Commander.

Well done!

I wonder if so much force in Celebes is needed at this point...but I said it before already.

Whatever shall happen, those crunched units shall not come back any more (for a long long time). Much not realistic for any Allied Commander.

Banzaaaai!

[adarbrauner]

The fact he's movin soooo slowly, it signals me that he's moving something big from a totally different direction, whose end most probably is to be close to the Main Carreir Fleets, obviously, and that now he's employing deception AS ALWAYS.

My reasoning is, since he's so interested to keep you where you are and giving you time, where the H is he going to strike. Reasonably, the target should be not far from Celebes...if not that he accepted your DecoyKB as the real one.

My spider senses say: Phillippines, Borneo, Marianas (or further deeper for the latter), in the order. Some advance in the far North, enjoying of the free hand acquired southern more, isn't ruled out at all.

I concede but that three objctives are too much, actually even two is a great risk for him, therefore I am in a rebus. If you detect any amph coming from Western Australia, so Java-Sumatra become no 1 target

[John 3rd]

I have the Decoy KB on the prowl. If he came at java or Sumatra the carriers could actually attack from behind. THAT would be a surprise!

The true Kido Butai guards the North for the time being.

This leaves the Philippines as the only truly open target...

(With that in mind THAT is where he'll certainly go. RIGHT??!!
[:D]

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: adarbrauner

Gooooo---oood news from Makassar Commander.

Well done!

I wonder if so much force in Celebes is needed at this point...but I said it before already.

Whatever shall happen, those crunched units shall not come back any more (for a long long time). Much not realistic for any Allied Commander.

Banzaaaai!

Keep in mind that THAT force in the Celebes should be freed up within a week and transports are waiting. We'll be able to move pretty fast once we've got Watampone.

[adarbrauner]

Every where his next offensive shall be , it must be reasonably close to main Carrier Fleet. Unless a big surprise by his side. I don't know. Games are open.

[John 3rd]

Only got in the one turn today. My church is building a shooting range at our Pastor's farm. After a lunch pot luck at the church, I used my 'special' relationship with Union Pacific to gain access to the railyard today to get old RR ties. We pulled about 100 ties (took 3 hours) then hauled them to the farm and unloaded them (1.5 hours). We got home at 8pm and I plan to pour myself into bed knowing that I might need TRACTION in the morning to even be able to get up...

Got two bruised shins and a sunburn for the potential reward of a private shooting range. Think I'll take the short term pain for some long term FUN!

[adarbrauner]

What shall you shoot with?

[John 3rd]

We have a small armory here...

My son just entered into the 4-H Shotgun program. So that will be his direction for rest of the year.

[John 3rd]

My Father raised me to enjoy shooting and then I worked four summers running a Boy Scout Rifle/Shotgun Range. Lost a good part of my high-range hearing due to those years (they didn't require hearing protection BACK THEN!). Have always loved shooting and have taught both my sons to do that. Consider it time well spent!

[pws1225]

I took up target shooting a couple of years ago when I retired. It is a lot of fun. At what distances are you setting up your range?

By the way, I seem to remember in one of CR's prior AARs that he used a bunch of slow moving TFs as a decoy to draw attention away from his real invasion armada. I wonder if he is pulling the same trick here.

[John 3rd]

I think we will be setting up at only about 50 Yards. We have somewhat limited area for the range itself. No houses for about two miles so that helps a bunch. I enjoy the mental discipline of it.

[John 3rd]

March 25, 1944

I am hanging onto my Burma Line by my fingernails. It really helps when you have 600+ 2EB and 4EB hitting the troops everyday. Result is a 1-2 at Forts 3, Jpn 826 Cas, and Allied 724.

Here is the shot: