Up and at 'em. Mundy vs hjones6464@yahoo.co.uk

[Aurorus]

I see now that he did take Balikapan. Can you run Dutch CL groups, or even the PoW up to bombard the oil and refineries? As the allies, I would trade the whole of Australia for the DEI.

[Mundy]

ORIGINAL: Aurorus

This is one strange plan by Japan. Has he taken Palembang yet? Balikpapan? Malaysia? Miri? If not, I would get all the oil and fuel out of the DEI that you can, while he is focused on Australia. Fill all the oil bases with engineers, especially Palembang, to try to sabotage the oil. I am not sure that your opponent quite understands the nature of the Japanese position. Without that oil, they will run out of fuel for their industry by August or September 42. I would try to attack his economy from the start and deny him fuel if he is not going to make a concerted effort to get it.

Has he bothered with Luzon at all? With much of his navy around Australia, you might be able to get a small supply convoy into Luzon from Palembang or Singapore. You may also be able to get some supply convoys into Singapore. The Japanese are short search planes in the west to start the war, and he may not have covered this blind spot. You could even move some British units down to Sumatra and really try to make life difficult for him at Palembang.
...
I see now that he did take Balikpapan. Can you run Dutch CL groups, or even the PoW up to bombard the oil and refineries? As the allies, I would trade the whole of Australia for the DEI.

A little late now. Everyone's departed Perth now, heading for Sydney. I didn't report it yet, due to my Combat Reporter issue, but he has a CVE and CVL off of Soerabaja. Dutch bombers tried hitting them to no effect. Too dangerous to try anything bold now. If I had behaved smartly, I could have had my two USN carriers rampaging through the area.

He holds Manila on Luzon. He appears to be in no great hurry to get to Bataan, so I have time to move my troops in the NE there yet.

Japanese haven't touched Sumatra or Java yet. He's giving me all the time in the world to beef up Burma.

[Aurorus]

As some others have pointed out, Palembang is the most important space on the map. I would get Dutch troops there in numbers. You can airlift 15 AV a day there, and build up the forts. It is a x3 defense hex. Get engineers there too to sabotage the oil. A channel crossing from Batavia to Oosthaven should not be too much trouble. Those CVEs aren't much to worry about. At most they may have 10 or 15 bombers.

As I say, try to get supplies to Luzon and Singapore. You are not going to miss a few AKs if you fail, but 20 or 25K supply in Luzon and/or Singapore will buy you 2 months in either location. With good supply, with the whole of the army in Malaysia defending the city, and with the AVG covering Singapore, you can base B-17s there and slowly waste away the little oil the he has taken. At the very least get your dud-firing U.S. subs to India and use them to smuggle supply to either Singapore or Luzon.

[Mundy]

At best, the Fortress Palembang thing is nothing more than a speedbump. I've tried it in the past and they still get crushed quickly. I've been shipping all the free-able Dutch up to Rangoon. Burma Command is part of ABDA, so I can flip them over cheaply.

Bataan has been set to stockpile from the start, and I set their demand high. I still have only about 30k there though. Even at zero, they'll still hold out long enough.

As mentioned, I don't think he's heading west, so maybe an offensive down Malaya is feasible at some point. Just not now...

[GetAssista]

Dutch base forses are useful in India/Burma if saved, with their pretty generous aviation support.
Infantry though is not worth PPs. I think Aurorus meant mainly those guys for Palembang

[Aurorus]

ORIGINAL: Mundy

At best, the Fortress Palembang thing is nothing more than a speedbump. I've tried it in the past and they still get crushed quickly. I've been shipping all the free-able Dutch up to Rangoon. Burma Command is part of ABDA, so I can flip them over cheaply.

Bataan has been set to stockpile from the start, and I set their demand high. I still have only about 30k there though. Even at zero, they'll still hold out long enough.

As mentioned, I don't think he's heading west, so maybe an offensive down Malaya is feasible at some point. Just not now...

If the Japanese do not take Palembang by January 1 1942, and the allies make a concerted effort to defend it and remove the oil, The war is over... period.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Aurorus

ORIGINAL: Mundy

At best, the Fortress Palembang thing is nothing more than a speedbump. I've tried it in the past and they still get crushed quickly. I've been shipping all the free-able Dutch up to Rangoon. Burma Command is part of ABDA, so I can flip them over cheaply.

Bataan has been set to stockpile from the start, and I set their demand high. I still have only about 30k there though. Even at zero, they'll still hold out long enough.

As mentioned, I don't think he's heading west, so maybe an offensive down Malaya is feasible at some point. Just not now...

If the Japanese do not take Palembang by January 1 1942, and the allies make a concerted effort to defend it and remove the oil, The war is over... period.

[&:]

I guess if the Empire allows the Allies to set up a REAL fortress type defense things are bad.

[Aurorus]

Yes. It is more than just the fortress though. It is the fuel that has already accumulated there. In this game, the entire Japanese surface and naval air fleet is running around the coast of Australia, with a couple CVEs covering the DEI. The only thing that he has covering Palembang could be, maybe, Nells or Betties, but from where? Has he taken Singkawang?

I would not be fleeing the DEI, I would be reinforcing it, and every Dutch tanker and DD would be headed to Oosthaven and Palembang to pick up fuel and carry it it India. With elements of the AVG flying cap over Oosthaven and Palembang, good luck to the Japanese getting at those tankers with a handful of A5M4s and some Jeans flying off the Zuiho.

[Mundy]

It's a little late to deal with that now. If my carriers had gone there instead of Rabaul, I could have thrown his entire operation into disarray. Hindsight is 20/20 and at the time, I had no idea where he was focused. As it is, keeping Noumea will probably be problematic. Lack of transports are the bottleneck right now.

06 January 1942

I think I have my Combat Reporter issues dealt with. The display order of the dates is funny which is how I probably missed some.

By Pegu, a single IJA unit is next door to the SE apparently moving NE. I'm moving some units form Rangoon to Toungoo, to be sure nothing happens there.

In Australia, a single Japanese unit now appears in the hex directly west of Townsville. I'm getting what I can up there without compromising everywhere else.

I've got this warning:

1942-01-05 7th Tank Regiment - - is planning for an attack on Port Augusta -

As soon as my PPs build up, I may start moving New Zealand troops over, as they can react quickest.

List of base losses:

Daily Waters
Hollandia
Russel Islands
Vella La Vella
Corunna Downs

Landings at Aoba Island

He's also finally ashore on Java and taken Tjepoe.

VMF-211 has departed Wake. The ground units should be out in a day or two. Neither TF has been sighted, which is good. They're probably safe, as KB is near Noumea now, hitting my ships unloading supplies. Fortunately, the troops are all off.

Yorktown is now at Pearl.

[Mundy]

07 January 1942

New landing this turn. Isle of Pines. Really...??? Isle of effing pines??? You can't build s**t there. For those who rightfully never heard of the place, it's the dot-base one hex SE of Noumea.

Aoba Island fell this turn. Gotta grab every island in New Hebrides, I guess.

I've withdrawn the Dutch Air Force now. They'll most likely respawn in India in two months time, and they're intact enough where they'll be useful there.

I've piled up enough shipping at Colombo where I was able to send about 50 xAKs to Cape Town. I need to start the supply conveyor belt to India.

I forgot to look at Wake to see if they left or not. They probably will by next turn. The VMF ship is probably a good part of the way back already.

I also forgot to look at China this turn. I got knocked out of two hexes. I'm pretty much building up strong points (1000+ AV) along the main east-west rail line. I'm pretty strong in many spots and I'm trying to gather up all my strays from the south. I don't think I'll completely fold like I did against KenchiSulla in the other game. I learned from that game that you just can't go abandoning all your cities, otherwise supply will really take a nosedive. If I can gather up some spare troops I may make a foray into Vietnam. I've always been able to push the AI around good there, and it may be a place that my opponent neglects.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Mundy

07 January 1942

New landing this turn. Isle of Pines. Really...??? Isle of effing pines??? You can't build s**t there. For those who rightfully never heard of the place, it's the dot-base one hex SE of Noumea.

Sounds like a resort location. Might be nice after the war?

[Lovejoy]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: Mundy

07 January 1942

New landing this turn. Isle of Pines. Really...??? Isle of effing pines??? You can't build s**t there. For those who rightfully never heard of the place, it's the dot-base one hex SE of Noumea.

Sounds like a resort location. Might be nice after the war?

Must be secretly planning to build a massive hotel on the Island to increase Japan's market share of tourism so that they can secretly subjugate the post-war Australian economy

[Mundy]

08 January 1942

New landings at Billiton (52,93), Probolinggo (56,105), Panggoe (111,133) and Lakatoro (119,151).

That at Probolinggo pretty much starts the countdown clock on Soerabaja, being only a few hexes away. I'm recalling all the Dutch subs back there for refueling before passing them on to either Brisbane or Midway, depending on range. The Japanese ran into some of my minesweepers, showing me what's there.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Pamekasan at 57,105, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Nagato
BB Mutsu
CA Takao
CA Chokai
CA Haguro
CL Yura
CL Kinu
DD Maikaze
DD Hagikaze
DD Oshio
DD Shikinami
DD Nagatsuki
PC Kaki
APD Tade
xAK Canberra Maru
xAK Yamaura Maru
xAK Yamagiri Maru
xAK Huzikawa Maru
xAK Shinanogawa Maru
xAK Shinryu Maru
xAK Tenryu Maru
xAK Kikukawa Maru
xAK Toei Maru
xAK Senko Maru
xAK Ikushima Maru
xAK Kasuga Maru #2
xAK Daido Maru
xAK Kanko Maru
xAK Hino Maru #3
xAK Kozan Maru
xAK Hankow Maru
xAK Shanghai Maru
xAK Tateisi Maru
xAK Amagi Maru
xAK Zuiko Maru
xAK Tokiwa Maru
xAK Toyama Maru
xAK Asuka Maru
xAK Atlas Maru
xAK Syoan Maru
xAK Akagane Maru
xAK Chitose Maru #2
xAK Hirota Maru
xAK Nanrei Maru
xAK Sinko Maru
xAK Taiko Maru
xAP Asama Maru
xAP Kitano Maru

Allied Ships
AMc Lawoe
AMc Djampea

Improved night sighting under 75% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions and 75% moonlight: 12,000 yards
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 11,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 11,000 yards
Both TF attempt to withdraw!
Range increases to 12,000 yards...
Range increases to 12,000 yards...
Both Task Forces evade combat


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

Night Time Surface Combat, near Pamekasan at 57,105, Range 10,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CVL Zuiho
CVE Hosho
CVE Taiyo
CS Chitose
CS Chiyoda
BB Yamashiro
CA Atago
DD Usugumo
DD Uranami
DD Ushio

Allied Ships
AMc Lawoe
AMc Djampea

Improved night sighting under 75% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions and 75% moonlight: 12,000 yards
Range closes to 9,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 9,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 9,000 yards
Both TF attempt to withdraw!
Range increases to 12,000 yards...
Range increases to 12,000 yards...
Both Task Forces evade combat

Ships are almost done loading up the Wake garrison. Basically four 5"/51 guns to load and I'm done. Hopefully they can do it in a day. Devereux and Cunningham will be more useful in this war. Nobody's been spotted, so they'll probably be fine.

The troops from Darwin are nearly all dead now. One base unit left, trying to get through.

6 BBs are at Mare and Alameda. They'll take anywhere between 200 and 500 days to repair. Nevada's still enroute, making a paltry 6 kts.

Some base units departed Pearl for Pago Pago. That's my backstop base and once beefed up, I'll reinforce Suva. Once I can spare people, I want Christmas Is built up also. My gut's telling me he'll probably stop at Noumea, but I'm not taking any chances.

Force Z is about 2.5 days from Sydney.

[Aurorus]

You are trying to get in front of a runaway freight train that is on the wrong track and headed for a wall.

I can't believe half the ships in that oversized, monstrosity of an amphibious TF did not collide with one another in their attempts to avoid your 2 minesweepers. Would have been funny to watch Nagato and Mutsu mash some AKs. How does anyone even load so many AKs at a port?

[zuluhour]

I beg to differ, some of my amphibious TFs will comprise 600 ships in groups of 50-100. (as allied of course), backing up the LSTs delivering supply only on D-Day might be 100 xAK unloading bulk. Never know if you have to high tail. You do not want leave a large landing force sans supplies, ever.

[Mundy]

10 January 1942

Interesting intel:

1942-01-09 Maizuru 2nd SNLF - - is planning for an attack on Wake Island -

A day late and a dollar short. The LCUs on Wake left the previous turn. That turn, they were showing a detection level of 1/0, which probably doesn't give much away. Surface forces and my two carriers will meet them half way to escort them back. They're currently unspotted.

Today's landings:

Gorong (81,112)
Mare' (117,160)
Pentecost Island (120,151)
Sarmi (91,114)
Tagula Island (104,137)

Fallen Bases:

Gorong (81,112)
Madioen (54,104)

Despite his move in Java, I should have enough time to recover all my subs and get them to Australia.

He's been moving into the far north of China, taking Kiuchuan, moving towards Ansi. He abandoned the former and I'm about to re-take it. I may have enough troops at the latter to fend him off. I can't let him mess with me here, otherwise I'll never be able to ferry the I-16 rats and other short range fighters out of the northern base.

He has about a million troops next to Singapore, but does not appear to be moving towards that base. I don't have much there to defend, thanks to the Mersing gambit. Same for Bataan. He isn't cleaning up much at all in the Philippines.

Troops are approaching Townsville, and I'm railing more in from Brisbane. I'll be bombing those troops next turn to slow them down. My first USAAF P-40 squadron arrived in Brisbane -- all disassembled, of course, so it'll be about 3 days before I can really use them. Experience of 30 doesn't help things either. Another 3-4 squadrons should arrive in the next few days.

Two USMC Defense Battalions will reach Suva in about two days. I'll put one on each base. Japanese seem to prefer hitting the west base, so I'm tempted to put both there.

[Mundy]

11 January 1942

Landings
Exmouth
Lautem
Makin
Munda
Saumlaki (78,117)

Losses:
Pentecost Island (120,151)
Sarmi (91,114)
Tagula Island (104,137)
Winton (86,147)

A regular geography lesson...

Transports from Wake are well clear and should reach the halfway point to Pearl by next turn or so.

KB looks to be sitting halfway between Townsville and Port Moresby. A-24s from Moresby tried hitting them, but failed with minimal losses.

Some Dutch troops are unloading at Rangoon, and a bunch more will arrive in a few days. Anything to bolster that area. I think it will take a seriously major move to dislodge them at this point. The 18th Division's artillery is still trying to unload at Pegu

Chinese troops will be assembling at Nanning before too long. From there I'll push into Vietnam. Any action done on my initiative can only help, even in some small way.

I've kept neglecting dealing with the Russians. I need to get everyone training and all troops set up reinforce and upgrade.

[Mundy]

12 January 1942

Landings
Efate
Kaimana (83,113)
Siargao (82,88)

Losses
Exmouth
Lautem
Malang
Saumlaki

Two more P-40 squadrons arrive at Brisbane and should be ready in about 2 days. The first Squadron should be good to go next turn, and I'll send them north to help out. I don't think he has more than 1-2 squadrons of fighters on the Continent.

Force Z arrives in Sydney and most should be repaired within a week. Repulse will need further work elsewhere as some of her armament, including a 15" gun suffered damaged. She 5 ton's over the dry-dock limit, so I'll probably pack her off to Pearl.

VMF-211 is a day away from Pearl and should be able to reunite with her det soon.

Japanese west of Townsville are heading SE, appearing to be heading for Charter Towers. I'll have to watch that I don't get surrounded.

More Dutch arriving at Rangoon.

[Mundy]

13 January 1943

Landings
Carnarvon
Lifou (116,159)
Tandjoengpinang

Losses
Efate

He took a shot at Noumea, but I fended him off.

Ground combat at Noumea (115,160)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 15624 troops, 141 guns, 49 vehicles, Assault Value = 553

Defending force 7090 troops, 67 guns, 23 vehicles, Assault Value = 298

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 0

Japanese adjusted assault: 353

Allied adjusted defense: 238

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 0

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), preparation(-), fatigue(-)
experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
527 casualties reported
Squads: 8 destroyed, 50 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 9 (2 destroyed, 7 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
451 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 88 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Assaulting units:
52nd Naval Guard Unit
53rd Naval Guard Unit
16th Infantry Regiment
1st Ind. Engineer Regiment
146th Infantry Regiment
2nd Engineer Regiment
51st Naval Guard Unit
61st Naval Guard Unit
16th Army
17th Medium Field Artillery Regiment

Defending units:
4th Australian Division
3rd Motor Brigade
New Caledonia Det

I've recalled the A-24s at Port Moresby to Townsville to help with attacking troops in Oz. A unit is at Charter Towers, and that will probably fall next turn.

Otherwise fairly quiet this turn. I'm sending more xAPs to Aden, as a bunch of Australian troops are arriving there. Two Hurricane squadrons showed with about 16 extra planes each, which I've sent back to the pool. The Aussies will eventually recombine and make their way to Burma. If it keeps staying quiet there, I may take the offensive, pending I get lots more troops in. Two big supply convoys are enroute to Rangoon now. Two militarized APs were at Colombo, so they're off to Cape Town and eventually Pearl.

[Lowpe]

Dutch at Rangoon! You are a riot![:D]