Quisling! An AFB does Japan (No PanzerKat)

[John B.]

And, in a good day for the Emperor's submarine force, a torpedo hit a CVE an inflicted heavy damage. The Emperor is reported to have smiled at these reports.

[John B.]

There have been a couple of good turns for the IJN. My ambush worked pretty well. As you can see, in this night fight I lost a CL but I'm as positive as you can be without seeing it go down that the US is minus a BB. Five torpedo hits and 20 shell hits, heavy damage, heavy fires, and two float planes dead the next day. I'd rather lose my navy in attrition taking stuff with them then have them all bombed into nothingness in late 44/45.

[John B.]

Vicious air battles as well. I swept over Samar and then the betties and franceses went in and scored 5-6 torpedo hits on transports. Alas, in the afternoon there were no sweeps and the allied air cover reset so I lost a lot of planes. But, nice attrition on the p-38s and knocked some heavies out of the sky.

[John B.]

The next day something went wrong with the game as my carrier planes actually launched (he says, voice dripping with sarcasm). As you can see, a good loss in allied shipping.

[John B.]

And, lots of tanks. Lots and lots of tanks.[:D]

[John B.]

Vicious air battles over soerebaja. A lot of damaged bombers!

[John B.]

Well finally, finally, my CV TF caught up with the raiding DD TF near Iwo and put 4 out of the 5 of them under water. That's 40 VP in my pocket and helps dent his ships hoping to head into the S. China sea. I was very lucky that this raiding force did not bump into a transport TF that I had heading to Okinawa and carrying an entire infantry division.

In other, more serious news, the allies are heading across the river into Prome. I just put two Japanese ID's into that hex so they missed out on several turns of massive air bombardment. If I can time it right, they'll provide a nice surprise for the allies.

Scott also has landed at the very tip of Java. While my carriers were flouncing around chasine the DD TF he was sneaking up towards Java. Clearly he wants to shut off my oil as soon as he can. In good news, a two DD TF made it up close and personal with a two BB TF and put 5 torpedoes into the Mississippi and watched her sink. At the same time they only took two hits and made it back to Soerebaja. Scott damaged one in an airstrike and they are rearmed and heading back. These brave lads will die, but they are already covered in glory. This makes potentially three allied BBs (two old, one new) that have gone down this month. On the down side, the time is drawing very close when I won't be getting any more fuel or oil. Just sucking it out now as fast as I can!

[John B.]

All in all it was a pretty good turn for the Japanese. Scott has landed in Java and he had dropped an Australian para battalion next to soerebaja. I got a regiment in there which was able to shock attack him this turn captured the entire unit (and killed a few p-39s on the ground). I don't have a whole lot of combat power on Java so I don't know how long this campaign will last but this is clearly critical for keeping palembang open as long as possible. It's too bad Soerebaja is not a minor city hex. I have a fort level 4 there but nothing else terrain wise. still, it should take at least a week for Scott to get there.

[John B.]

In Burma there was more fierce fighting at Prome. I keep hoping that bad weather will ground his bombers and I keep hoping in vain (apparently bad weather only grounds japanese carrier aircraft [8|]) Self pity aside, Scott took more losses this turn from my shock attack on him and then lost 25 guns from his own counter shock attack on me. I'm moving a division from Rangoon to do with the american units attempt to cut off Prome and a Japanese tank division is also on its way down there.

[John B.]

Ooops, here is the Burma map.

[John B.]

In the central pacific, my KB chasing down his DD flotilla paid an unexpected dividend. For some reason Scott had a group of ships north of Marcus island. I found one TF and sank (I think) an AR and a DE. The other (northern) group is reported to have APs and DEs. I'm not sure if this was some surprise invasion fleet but I still have one CV in the area and it's going to try to find them and sink what it can. I took a bit of a risk and separated out a CA and DD to try to find them on the surface leaving the CV with just one DD for escort. but, I really don't think there are any US ships in the area other than those TFs.

[John B.]

Finally, in the air I was able to spring a CAP ambush on the american bombers over Soerebaja. I took out (according to reports) 15 PBY Liberators and a number of P-39s. I'm not contesting Scott in the air over Burma. He just has too much and I can't fight on every front. I'm sure the men at Prome understand.

In other book keeping news, I can't get anyone into Tarakan so i'm using my transport subs to ferry fuel from there to Manila. The subs refuel at Tarakan load up with 20 fuel points, unload at Manila and go back to Tarakan to refuel and reload. Grossly inefficient but otherwise that fuel would be of no use to me at all.

[Bif1961]

Why not drop off mines on the way back to Tarakan from your round trip subs?

[John B.]

That's an interesting idea. I'll have to see if transport subs can lay mines.

[Bif1961]

When they reach manila switch from transport to mine laying then when they drop off mines at Tarakan switch back to transport.

[John B.]

I don't think I'd do that because I don't really care too much about Tarakan. Scott has bombed the oil fields down to nothing and it's likely that he won't invade there anytime soon. I'd rather save the mines for other areas. Although thus far they have not been too successful.

[John B.]

So, it's now the start of February 1944. I'm maintaining my VP lead but Scott is pushing on all fronts.

[John B.]

A nice bonus here in the Central Pacific. Having chased down his DDs I left one CV behind to find out what the two convoys were. I posted above that I sank and AR and a DE. And, it turns out that the second convoy was full of large AKs (13 VP) filled with fuel. Given the absence of allied carriers in the area, even the zeros flew anti-shipping missions and got hits on at least two ships (AKs filled with fuel catch on first fast and hard). In the end, I think I got a DE, 4 AKs, and an SC (which took 3 torpedo hits).

[John B.]

In Burma, the situation is not as rosy. There is total allied air superiority. I did put the hurt on his divisions that crossed at Prome and now I'm pulling back the two Japanese divisions if for no other reason than to get them out of the hail of bombs they're subjected to. If I can rest a bit in the jungle I may push back in with a tank division that is heading this way and see if I can kick them out quickly. As for now, I'm in the delaying game.

[John B.]

It's the same delay in Java where, again, there is total allied air superiority. Here, however, I'm fighting back. I have several squadrons in Batavia. They rest and repair up then bounce to Soerebaja for a CAP surprise. The Soerebaja airfield is a wreck so most of my planes wind up damaged, but, I do get some of his planes this way. I don't have a whole lot on Java so my hope is to have him take as long as possible taking Soerebaja. I just have two regiments to hold that city and it's only a level 4 fort and clear terrain.

The KB just left Okinawa and it is heading to Hainan to pick up Kaga and then to Singapore to pick up Hiryu. If I can get there before Soerebaja falls Scott still won't have a major port at which to rearm and I may have some level of sea superiority when his CVs have to head back.

Quick unit question. I have a garrison regiment and it's artillery unit that, if combined, I could make into a division both in Soerebaja. But, a fragment of the artillery unit is in Vigan in the Philippines (it survived a sinking AP). So, now I can't form the division. Is there some way to disband the fragment?