Lambs to the slaughter (Lowpe (J) vs Jocke; BillBrown (A)) Finished

[Lowpe]

Allies land at Hilo, take some destroyed units so they aren't waiting for prep. Ground units consolidating in Pearl thru the use of barges.

Yank sub sinks a PB off China.

I have setup my first fully trained ASW CVE escort fleet. I always had a tough time getting something like this to work in the past, but I am willing to try again.

[Lowpe]

Traveling today and tomorrow, and I got the turn away to Jocke.

Really not doing too much aggressively this turn...one bombing run and a protective sweep.

Looking forward to next month and getting the Oscar IV. After they come then it will be slew of different Tony models coming active on the same month.

Frank R and A6M8 are all accelerating very nicely as they both have the engine bonus. Jacks and Georges are accelerating nicely too, but there isn't any squadrons available yet. I have small pools of both planes.

Dispatched a re-formed infantry division to Guam, where it will finish rebuilding. SL makes defending these islands both easier and more complicated.

[Lowpe]

July 18, 1943

Hilo falls to 2 Divisions and a Tank Brigade. Well, it was defended by a JNAF unit! Subs nails two barges close to Pearl.

Over in Burma the big Allied stack attacks...but what is this? Just in time reinforcements.[8D] The 18th B Splinter arrives in Reserve mode and isn't even needed for the defense.


Ground combat at 55,48 (near Ramree Island)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 16855 troops, 262 guns, 431 vehicles, Assault Value = 920

Defending force 22115 troops, 285 guns, 105 vehicles, Assault Value = 606

Allied adjusted assault: 252

Japanese adjusted defense: 2770

Allied assault odds: 1 to 10

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

Japanese ground losses:
405 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 18 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled
Vehicles lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
738 casualties reported
Squads: 38 destroyed, 11 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 40 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 5 disabled
Vehicles lost 106 (9 destroyed, 97 disabled)

Assaulting units:
254th Armoured Brigade
18th British Division
1st Marine/A Division
1st Marine/B Division
1st Marine/C Division

Defending units:
56th Division
18th/B Division
18th/C Division
10th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
21st Air Defense AA Regiment
2nd RF Gun Battalion
3rd Mortar Battalion

[Lowpe]

We will pull the big Division off the line and put them in Reserve no pursuit mode and hope they can repair some of their disablements.

I follow a very rough guide of trying to have 1/3rd the AV in reserve mode no pursuit. Normally I pick the most disrupted or disabled units.

[Lowpe]

I am listening to Yo Yo Ma unaccompanied Cello suite, the number 1 in G major, so nothing really bothers me right now. I would not mind a Guiness though.





This is the kind of report that ends up in a circular file bin at Tokyo. The IJN doesn't do bad news well.[:D]

[Lowpe]

Finished the turn and sending three destroyers into the devil's den west of Buin. My hope is for them to draw an enemy surface fleet out, survive, and then my bombers will get a shot at the enemy surface fleet without a ton of CAP over them.

That, or they draw a bunch of enemy bombers to them.

I will take either.[;)]

[Lowpe]

I am about half way done reconverting my Adens and Lima from troop transports back to cargo hauling beauties.

I tasked another returning Division for the Marianas, but I am out of PP point to purchase them. They are resting, prepping, but reinforcements are turned off till I accumulate some.

[Lowpe]

July 18, 1943

Trap springs shut...downed some good divebombers and also a search float plane.

Might have been better off sending them to Buna...a resupply convoy goes there escorted by a horde of PT boats.

Also, while enroute the destroyers scored a solid type 2 DC hit on a Yank sub....so good trip if we can make it back without incident.

[Lowpe]

On the Shwebo Katha road...

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 31857 troops, 477 guns, 494 vehicles, Assault Value = 1034

Defending force 43301 troops, 466 guns, 193 vehicles, Assault Value = 1278

Allied adjusted assault: 409

Japanese adjusted defense: 2819

Allied assault odds: 1 to 6

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
853 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 75 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Guns lost 18 (1 destroyed, 17 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
1365 casualties reported
Squads: 30 destroyed, 156 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 60 disabled
Engineers: 4 destroyed, 10 disabled
Guns lost 21 (5 destroyed, 16 disabled)
Vehicles lost 122 (6 destroyed, 116 disabled)

Assaulting units:
50th Tank Brigade
77th LRP Brigade
7th Australian Division
9th Australian Division

Defending units:
24th Division
17th Indpt Guards Regiment
143rd Infantry Regiment
3rd RTA/A Division
14th Tank Regiment
19th Division
4th RTA/B Division
57th Field AA Battalion
2nd Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
51st Field AA Battalion
1st RF Gun Battalion
15th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
55th Const Co

[Lowpe]

It is a convention![:D]

[Lowpe]

super quiet today...

KB approaching Soerabaja for fueling.

Allies marching west from Kona.

Quiet in Burma.

All quiet.

Before the storm.

[Lowpe]

July 21, 1943

Allies have discovered the joy of PT boat hordes. Oh, goody. The IJN sinks one.

[Lowpe]

July 22, 1943

Another day, more PT boats.

[obvert]

He's handing you time in Burma attacking with those odds. No way he'd push through.

I like the small stuff going on. Lots of little battles every day. Fun game.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: obvert

He's handing you time in Burma attacking with those odds. No way he'd push through.

I like the small stuff going on. Lots of little battles every day. Fun game.

I don't really understand his movements in Burma, truth be told. I have taken China...and with sl limits I just don't see what he thinks he can accomplish in the slog that is Burma. Generally, I am holding him with less than he has sent with the exception of near Katha where I look to deliver a serious setback to him.

Today he bombed, massively, the troops east of Ramree. I have AA, forts, terrain and losses are next to nothing, disruption high in one division, but the 1/3rd of a division are untouched and all that is needed to really hold the hex. Plus, I have troops moving in open...which by rights should be seriously attacked.

We have had a few dogfights over them, which he has won since I lack radar and am flying Lrcap.

I think I have a real good chance of savaging his troops near Katha...to the point that it will buy a year or more in this theater forcing him to think of invasion as the only route forward.

While the pt boat fight went on, his lsi stopped unloading and retreated, and two IJN CLs dropped a bucketfull of mines. Unfortunately, he did sweep my LRCAP with over 100 Lightnings and Tojo IIb just don't fight fighters well.

Tried something in the air against his PT boats, but of course it failed. Will try a different tactic tomorrow.

[Lowpe]

June 23, 1943

Bad weather cuts this raid in half...and the Oscars didn't fly, which would have been true carnage I think. Only lost one Zero to operational damage.

[Lowpe]

Allies swept Umboi with over 100 P38s...nobody home.

But our freshly dropped minefield proves somewhat dangerous.

[Lowpe]

Big attack...river crossing supported by three divisions already present.

[Lowpe]

Some of these Allied movement bumps have been going on forever. But, look at that, one actually pops out into the open. A unit all by it's lonesome and by the dark hue it looks to be a division.

There will be a lot of aerial fighting over that guy I bet.

The Guards Tank Division makes it across the clear ground north of Shwebo and into the jungle. Fighting will start there soon too.

[Lowpe]

Fresh out of the yard...