Just seemed like there are a lot of days where most if not all of the sub hunters can't find the subs, or most do find the subs. And/or most miss the subs, or most hit the subs. I know. This proves nothing. But it is something that I wondered about for many years. I'm probably just seeing certain days that reinforce my theory, but in the totality of the turns, doesn't prove anything.
I often felt the same way about sub attacks...
I wonder if you would have been able to pursue a SRA approach with strictly British, Oz & Commonwealth forces with only minor help from the US? Leaving the US the ability to leap frog in the greater Pacific?
I realize the game greatly encourages the use of mass in a pbem, but with massed US carriers posing a threat in the greater Pacific, avoiding a huge troop drain in Burma/Thailand, I think it could be doable, especially in a scenario 1 style of game. Lots of clicks though and I am not certain about the PP cost either.
Personally, I lean to favor small scale clashes with action all over the map. Spread the forces like too little butter over toast. Exciting, as you never know what the next bite will bring!
Good question Lowpe. I do think that the British and friends could have pursued an SRA approach without the US. I never considered such an approach because of timing. When I decided to pull significant forces out of Burma for Sumatra, I was lacking the shipping to do so. My requirement was that I wanted to land everything at once, including support units, using typical xAP ships. I needed to send many xAPs from all over to Ceylon, routing most through Panama. It took a lot of time.
In the mean time, the Java campaign was already in motion. I could have held off using US forces in Java, and used them elsewhere, but that wouldn't have sped up the invasion of Sumatra, and the troops used on Sumatra would have been used on Java afterwards. Or vice versa.
I had made the decision to go after the oil. Had I not done so, US troops could already be in the Mariannas, and probably beyond. I don't know if one way is better than the other. A Central Pacific push would get me a lot closer to Japan earlier, but wouldn't cut off the supply of oil. And strategic bombing from the Mariannas may not be as effective in the game as it was in real life.
As it is, the US carriers won a big carrier battle near Balikpapan, and I'm seeing the end of the war coming with the capture of much of the oil production. I'll push hard now west of Mindanao and into Luzon. I hope to be on Luzon by January '44.
I also prefer the small clashes. As time goes on, the natural tendency is for combat strength to coalesce on strong points. It's definitely happening in this game with Japanese fighter protection, at Batavia, Bangkok, Singapore and Truk. You put one fighter squadron on a base. I sweep with two. You put more fighters there.
It's to the Allied advantage to spread out the forces. The Japanese just cannot defend everywhere.
I'm already thinking about my next game, which will be a rematch against OPilot, where we will switch sides. Trying to decide what to do as the Japanese is difficult. It's just so hopeless. You have to have a different mentality, where "winning" is delaying and destroying as much as possible, losing your forces in a way that is most costly to the Allies.
ORIGINAL: apbarog
Trying to decide what to do as the Japanese is difficult. It's just so hopeless. You have to have a different mentality, where "winning" is delaying and destroying as much as possible, losing your forces in a way that is most costly to the Allies.
You could opt for auto-victory, where you plan for the long term (r&d,economy), assess after the expansion is almost finished and see if you can push for AV. When I nabbed AV for Japan it was without any major CV clash, as I managed to get destroyers into torpedo range twice damaging those Yankee CVs. We came close once, but weather in the North Pacific isn't reliable and nothing flew.
You do need to figure out a way to keep the initiative going.
This is a DBB-B mod game, so like scenario 1. We're using PDU-OFF, which I really enjoy. Still flying older aircraft and everything isn't a Frank or a P-47.
Yesterday I had taken Djambi. I thought that OPilot might go for an easy target and hit the oil there, so I'd moved 50 P-47s to Djambi. He didn't show, but he did see my fighters there. So I pulled them out. Today he sent a few fighters to clear out mine. The A-Team from Singapore. 36 Zeros, 40 Franks and 42 Oscars swept Djambi. 36 Bettys bombed the airfield, doing moderate damage. Then 32 Sallys escorted by 32 Nicks hit the airfield, doing more damage.
The enemy suicide ground units at Dili were completely destroyed. The enemy vacated Bandoeng on Java, with a retreat towards Batavia. The end is near for the enemy on Java.
At Mergui in Burma, a motorised brigade attacked 2 enemy units headed southeast out of town.
Ground combat at Mergui (53,62)
Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 3924 troops, 64 guns, 159 vehicles, Assault Value = 151
Defending force 2202 troops, 14 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 89
Allied adjusted assault: 130
Japanese adjusted defense: 81
Allied assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 2)
Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 1
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), op mode(-), morale(-), experience(-)
Attacker:
Defending units:
6th RTA/B Division
4th JAAF AF Coy
Mergui is not important. I'm stretching the line a bit here, and my line east and southeast of Moulmein is approaching enemy lines. Just applying some pressure. It won't go far, with plenty of enemy reserves at Bangkok.
Today the Allied subs were hitting their targets. There were four Allied sub engagements. Albacore elected not to fire at SC Ch 7. The others hit and sank their targets. Growler sank SC Ch 46. Seawolf sank AMC Saigon Maru with 3 torpedoes. No men noted on the ship when it went down. Trusty sank E W-8 with 2 torpedoes.
Allied troops on Java pushed a stack of enemy back into Batavia.
Ground combat at 49,99 (near Batavia)
Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 26228 troops, 461 guns, 592 vehicles, Assault Value = 849
Defending force 17991 troops, 191 guns, 145 vehicles, Assault Value = 351
Assaulting units:
Americal Infantry Division
637th Tank Destroyer Battalion
4th USMC Tank Battalion
40th Infantry Division
762nd Tank Battalion
225th Field Artillery Battalion
Sixth US Army
249th Field Artillery Battalion
602nd Field Artillery Battalion
Defending units:
4th Tank Regiment
16th Division
19th Ind Engineer Regiment
12th Division
21st Ind Engineer Regiment
1st Ind.Tank Co
19th Army
2nd Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
An Allied attack at Mergui fell short with 1 to 1 odds. 87 enemy casualties and 294 Allied. Time to rest a bit.
We'd spoken about the smaller interesting battles. There was one today. Three PT boats were ordered to patrol off of Batavia. There had been a number of smaller craft spotted at Batavia. I figured they'd be fleeing soon, and today was the day.
Day Time Surface Combat, near Batavia at 49,97, Range 11,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
ACM Wa 1, Shell hits 6
AMc Mogami Maru, Shell hits 3
Allied Ships
PT-73
PT-111
PT-112
The battle was not decisive but it was interesting. The AMc engaged the PTs but got no hits. No torpedoes were launched. The PT boats got a few 37mm hits. I noted that the 37's were added to the PT boats as an upgrade. Neither ship was badly damaged, and both will make it to a friendly port.
The same group of enemy air from Singapore flew just northwest of Palembang, in support of strikes on the 18th British Division there, which is moving towards Palembang. Clear terrain. 36 Zeros, then 40 Franks, then 42 Oscars swept. No Allied air there. 33 Bettys and 6 Kates then bombed the troops, causing 171 casualties but taking some flak losses. Then 29 Sallys bombed, causing 94 casualties. It would take a major effort to put up a decent CAP against those numbers and that quality. I may just take my lumps on the way into Palembang.
The Singapore Gang swept Padang. No CAP. Not defending Padang or Djambi with aircraft. Not important.
Enemy swept and bombed Tavoy, doing minor damage in thunderstorms.
Sub Aspro spotted a task force with 5 destroyers near Nago, southwest of Japan. Probably part of a bigger task force. Aspro missed DD Minekaze with 4 torpedoes.
On a jungle trail northeast of Chiang Mai, the 16th Light Cavalry Regiment caught up with a withdrawing enemy unit. The cavalry attacked and found that the enemy was an infantry regiment, more than anticipated.
Ground combat at 61,51 (near Chiang Mai)
Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 480 troops, 0 guns, 94 vehicles, Assault Value = 55
Defending force 3807 troops, 26 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 127
Permit hit E-boat W-24 with two torpedoes near Jesselton. The first torpedo exploded, putting a hole in the hull at the lavatory. Water rushed into the small room, but the torpedo also jammed the toilet handle on, so the incoming water was flushed out as fast as it entered. The second torpedo was a dud, but entered the hole that the first torpedo made, hit the toilet, and unjammed the toilet handle. The room then filled with water and the ship sank.
Well, it could have happened.
A bunch of LSTs unloaded supply at Ambon, where a Marine division has been for months. The Marines and support are in a standoff with an enemy division in the jungle hex. Neither can do much about the other. Both sides figure that they are tying down an enemy division.
The enemy attacks the retreating Allied cavalry regiment in the jungle near Chiang Mai.
Ground combat at 61,51 (near Chiang Mai)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 3807 troops, 26 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 127
Defending force 456 troops, 0 guns, 91 vehicles, Assault Value = 47
[:D]
The toilet facilities are called "the heads" - I presume because in sailing ship days the captain's cabin was at the stern so the sailors had to go at the far end of the ship, perhaps in a large bucket.
So you torpedoed the enemy in the heads and gave him a fatal headache! Good show!
No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth
Mines were spotted in the shallows in the approach to Balikpapan. Several YMS were on duty looking in this area. They cleared about 18 mines before PC-1077 hit one in the hex. It sank later. The YMS then continued to clear the mines and did clear the hex. Other mines were spotted in the shallow water in the strait between Borneo and Celebes. Those mines were cleared.
Swordfish hit AMc Kujirono Maru with a torpedo near Jolo, sinking the small minesweeper.
Minor bombing of Tarakan and Ternate by B-24s. Loading for Manado has begun at Kolaka and Kendari.
I-37 spotted shipping at Cocos Islands. Two torpedoes were fired at destroyer Porter but missed. AO Bishopdale was spotted. A bunch of AOs are there, unloading excess fuel after the Sumatra operation. Unloading is slow, and with the sub threat, and maybe mines being dropped, it's time to leave. Cocos Islands quickly became a backwater.
FM-1 Wildcats swept Merak, next to Batavia. Their mission was to clear the airspace for the C-47s later in the day. Most of the 1st Australian Para Battalion dropped on the undefended base, taking it. There's nowhere for the enemy to retreat when they get defeated at Batavia. First attack at Batavia will be tomorrow. Batavia is strongly defended, with its defenses and everything that retreated from everywhere else, including two divisions and a garrison unit, with tanks and lots of base support. But the Allied attack will be stronger, with four divisions and lots of tanks and artillery.
The random air attack in China fell on Kweiyang today, but I'd moved some fighters in a few days ago. 42 Oscars swept and found a P-40N squadron and an elite P-40K squadron. Then 27 Sallys arrived unescorted. Then 21 Helens, but the CAP was tired out. Total air losses were 18 Sallys and 13 Oscars for the cost of 4 P-40Ns and 3 P-40Ks. Four pilots became aces and one became a triple ace. The bombers went after industry but didn't hit anything.
US bombers hit Palembang and Batavia.
The campaign in Java isn't quite over yet, but the troops there are now earmarked for the future campaign on Luzon.
Sculpin hit medium tanker Jinei Maru with a torpedo due west of Manila, and it was loaded with fuel and burned. Swordfish hit patrol boat Nichiryo Maru with a torpedo near Bataan, sinking the ship. Bonefish sank subchaser CHa-54 near Kochi, just south of mainland Japan.
I'd noticed a drawdown in both troops and air protection in northern Thailand. Troops are slowly advancing to contact. A squadron of P-47s swept Rahaeng and did very well. 12 Tojos and 9 Oscars were shot down. One P-47 was an ops loss. I noticed that the Tojos were the "IIB" model, which, if I remember correctly, has a cannon that can't hit the broad side of a barn.
First attack at Batavia. A big battle.
Ground combat at Batavia (49,98)
Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 63185 troops, 1094 guns, 1154 vehicles, Assault Value = 1869
Defending force 28796 troops, 335 guns, 243 vehicles, Assault Value = 650
Assaulting units:
637th Tank Destroyer Battalion
40th Infantry Division
Americal Infantry Division
2/6th Armoured Regiment
1st (Spec) Cavalry Division
4th USMC Tank Battalion
37th Infantry Division
762nd Tank Battalion
33rd Infantry Division
2/9th Armoured Regiment
198th Field Artillery Battalion
249th Field Artillery Battalion
145th Field Artillery Battalion
225th Field Artillery Battalion
Sixth US Army
602nd Field Artillery Battalion
2nd RAA Jungle Field Artillery Regiment
144th RNZA Bty
Defending units:
21st Ind Engineer Regiment
16th Division
12th Division
1st Tank Regiment
12th Garrison Unit
58th Infantry Regiment
1st Ind.Tank Co
1st Medium Field Artillery Regiment
53rd JNAF AF Unit
2nd Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
30th Field AA Machinecannon Company
11th Special Base Force
19th Army
203rd Ship Eng Coy
84th JAAF AF Bn
Allied troops will attack again. They are destined for Luzon, but will need some rest before that. They'll get it. Luzon will be invaded after the 6 US carriers get back from upgrading at Colombo, and that will take about a month.
Sub Tunny spotted a big task force near Iba. At least 7 xAKs, a tanker, and lots of escorts. Torpedoes missed a patrol boat.
2 US cruisers have bombarded Ambon 3 nights in a row, coming from Kendari. A bit of misdirection for my Manado operation.
Archerfish has been patrolling south of Japan. Not sure how long the sub has been around, but it has no torpedo hits so far. It spotted 2 xAPs with 4 destroyers and an E-boat near Nagoya. One torpedo of four fired hit xAP Taizan Maru, setting it on fire and causing heavy damage. No men were spotted on the ship. Destroyers failed to find the sub. Then Archerfish attacked again, firing at destroyer Wakazuki. 4 torpedoes missed the destroyer. Wakazuki found Archerfish, hitting it quickly with 2 depth charges and getting many near misses. Archerfish surfaced to battle it out. The destroyer got a couple of gun hits on the sub, and many torpedoes missed the destroyer. The sub slipped beneath the waves. I hate losing subs. Every one hurts.
But wait! Archerfish lives! It is SYS 38/FLOT 73-27/ENG 0/FIRE 0. It is a long way from home, but it could make it, with a big difference in major and minor flotation damage, if it can repair some on the way. Fog of war strikes again! Yes, you can be affected by fog of war with your own ships in the combat replay.
Enemy planes from Sorong and Namlea swept Namlea. I had 2 squadrons of Spitfires there, but one of them was LRCAP over Ambon, looking for enemy transport aircraft. 27 Zeros swept, then 35 Bettys bombed. Then 25 Jacks swept, their first appearance of the war. The Spits took a beating.
Then about 20 Lilys flew from Manado, unescorted, striking the armada inbound from the south. They found over 130 fighters on CAP from the carriers, and every Lily was shot down. 3 naval aces were created.
The Singapore crew swept Praboemoelih, next to Palembang, finding Kittyhawks and Thunderbolts. 42 Franks swept, then 24 Tojos, then 31 Sallys bombed with 42 Oscars escorting. The defenders held their own against many more enemy.
Total air losses for the day were 20 Lilys, 13 Franks, 11 Tojos, 6 Oscars and 1 Jack for the cost of 13 Spitfires, 7 P-47s and 4 Kittyhawks.
A second attack at Batavia.
Ground combat at Batavia (49,98)
Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 62353 troops, 1110 guns, 1159 vehicles, Assault Value = 1728
Defending force 26556 troops, 333 guns, 232 vehicles, Assault Value = 531
Assaulting units:
762nd Tank Battalion
4th USMC Tank Battalion
37th Infantry Division
40th Infantry Division
637th Tank Destroyer Battalion
33rd Infantry Division
Americal Infantry Division
1st (Spec) Cavalry Division
2/6th Armoured Regiment
2/9th Armoured Regiment
198th Field Artillery Battalion
145th Field Artillery Battalion
249th Field Artillery Battalion
226th Field Artillery Battalion
2nd RAA Jungle Field Artillery Regiment
Sixth US Army
602nd Field Artillery Battalion
225th Field Artillery Battalion
144th RNZA Bty
Defending units:
58th Infantry Regiment
1st Tank Regiment
12th Division
16th Division
12th Garrison Unit
1st Ind.Tank Co
30th Field AA Machinecannon Company
19th Army
203rd Ship Eng Coy
53rd JNAF AF Unit
11th Special Base Force
1st Medium Field Artillery Regiment
2nd Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
84th JAAF AF Bn
Allied troops will rest a day at Batavia, allowing the artillery to bombard. Then the attack will continue.
Sidate, next to Manado on Celebes, will be invaded.
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RO-101 hit a mine at Namlea. That minefield has been productive. At least 3 enemy subs have hit mines there. It's rare to get more than one ship per minefield, but OPilot has kept trying to get to Ambon, and doing so through Namlea.
Stingray got a rare torpedo hit against a destroyer, Hatsuzuki, south of Japan. Destroyers and xAPs spotted.
DMS Dorsey and DMS Southard sped to Manado to sweep mines. No landing will occur at Manado, but this will look like it might. The ships find just tiny AMc Fumi Maru #5. 6 shells sink the minesweeper. Lots of mines swept at Manado, as expected. One reason I'm landing at Sidate instead.
Enemy at Batavia were bombed heavily. Artillery bombarded. Deliberate attack next.
Hellcats from Kolaka swept Manado, finding Jacks. 5 Jacks were downed, while 6 Hellcats were lost. Over 350 Hellcats in the pools. They aren't great sweepers but they need to see more use. B-24s then bombed. 1 Jack and 2 Bettys, and 5 transport Helens were destroyed on the ground.
East of Mindanao, Tarpon hit xAP Buenos Aires Maru with a torpedo. No men seen aboard.
Sidate was invaded. The bulk of the armada was supposed to move one hex from Sidate, allowing for ranged CAP from the carriers. I neglected to order my CVE task force to the hex, and I had lots of task forces following the CVEs. So the carriers and follow-up task forces stayed to the south, 5 hexes from Sidate. So, no air cover today over Sidate. But it didn't matter. There were no enemy planes.
At Rahaeng, east of Rangoon, Allied forces make a river crossing. Enemy forces had been reduced here recently. But not enough, apparently.
Ground combat at Rahaeng (58,56)
Allied Shock attack
Attacking force 30083 troops, 272 guns, 343 vehicles, Assault Value = 1147
Defending force 20413 troops, 181 guns, 75 vehicles, Assault Value = 638
Assaulting units:
50th Tank Brigade
5th Chinese Corps
2/9th Fld RAA Regiment
85th British AT Gun Regiment
209th Field Artillery Battalion
XV Indian Corps
2/4th Light AA Regiment
3rd West African AA Regiment
In China, I opened up a limited offensive in the north. It didn't go well, with surprise being lost a few days ago. And that was with a supply modifier for the Japanese.
Ground combat at 83,40 (near Sian)
Allied Shock attack
Attacking force 29357 troops, 141 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1023
Defending force 27252 troops, 222 guns, 117 vehicles, Assault Value = 889
Assaulting units:
33rd Chinese Corps
61st Chinese Corps
93rd Chinese Corps
2nd Group Army
Defending units:
15th Tank Regiment
35th Division
26th Division
The Chinese will try to survive long enough to pull back across the river. One corp is completely disabled. High disruption for all. They'll probably get kicked back across the river with a counter attack today.
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Saury hit xAKL Konsan Maru with 2 torpedoes near Babeldaob, probably sinking the ship. There were 10 Petes reported lost "on the ground", so the ship could have been loaded. Or some other ship previously damaged sank.
2 US DMS continued to sweep mines at Manado, even though there won't be a landing there. It would open up the opportunity for some slow battleship bombardments. There are 4 slow battleships traveling with the armada.
OPilot tried some night attacks against shipping at Sidate. Over 30 Bettys attacked, some with torpedoes, some with bombs. All missed. They went after the multi-national combat task force there, targeting mostly cruisers. Lots of troops landed at Sidate, but most ships arrived late in the day, so most are still partially loaded. 2 US divisions start to march from Sidate to Manado, as parts of the divisions continue to unload.
P-47s from Rangoon again swept Rahaeng, but this time the base was defended by 35 Oscars and 36 Franks. The Thunderbolts did well. Bombers followed, unescorted, but the fighters never caught up to them.
I had P-38s fly LRCAP over the Chinese that had the terrible river crossing yesterday. Oscars swept the hex, and escorted bombers bombed. The P-38s did well until they tired out. The Japanese army then counter attacked, as expected.
Ground combat at 83,40 (near Sian)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 14478 troops, 122 guns, 42 vehicles, Assault Value = 840
Defending force 25820 troops, 137 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 642
Assaulting units:
4th USMC Tank Battalion
637th Tank Destroyer Battalion
2/6th Armoured Regiment
40th Infantry Division
37th Infantry Division
1st (Spec) Cavalry Division
762nd Tank Battalion
Americal Infantry Division
33rd Infantry Division
2/9th Armoured Regiment
225th Field Artillery Battalion
Sixth US Army
145th Field Artillery Battalion
602nd Field Artillery Battalion
2nd RAA Jungle Field Artillery Regiment
198th Field Artillery Battalion
226th Field Artillery Battalion
249th Field Artillery Battalion
144th RNZA Bty
Defending units:
12th Garrison Unit
12th Division
58th Infantry Regiment
1st Tank Regiment
16th Division
1st Ind.Tank Co
203rd Ship Eng Coy
11th Special Base Force
19th Army
2nd Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
30th Field AA Machinecannon Company
1st Medium Field Artillery Regiment
53rd JNAF AF Unit
84th JAAF AF Bn
Allied troops will rest a day while the artillery bombards. I don't need the enemy troops to be cleared out right away, but I do want the attacking troops to start resting up for the Luzon invasion. I could leave enough to hold Batavia and move the rest out to recuperate. Or just finish off the enemy at whatever cost. Not sure yet.
Another big battle, this one at Palembang. Doesn't go as well for the home team. 2 divisions crossed a river into Palembang. I'm not sure if they participated in the shock attack or not. They crossed a hexside that had not been crossed before, so I expected a shock attack, and ordered the troops already in Palembang to shock attack also.
[EDIT: Taking another look at the units, 3 of the 4 divisions were obviously affected by the shock attack. One was not. But two divisions crossed the river, so I can conclude that all divisions did participate.]
I did make a miscalculation. Palembang has a 40,000 stacking limit, and I'm over 70,000. I will move out 2 divisions, and rotate divisions in and out as I reduce the enemy. The US division that took an unoccupied Oosthaven is ordered north to join the fight at Palembang.
Ground combat at Palembang (48,91)
Allied Shock attack
Attacking force 42317 troops, 663 guns, 465 vehicles, Assault Value = 1931
Defending force 18149 troops, 182 guns, 47 vehicles, Assault Value = 458
Assaulting units:
43rd Infantry Division
18th British Division
254th Armoured Brigade
2nd British Division
XV Corps Engineer Battalion
5th Indian Division
77th Heavy AA Regiment
221 Group Base Force
Defending units:
11th Division
4th Ship Engineer Regiment
40th Field AA Battalion
14th JAAF AF Bn
32nd Port Unit
35th Field AA Battalion
91st JAAF AF Bn
7th Field Construction Battalion
3rd Ship Engineer Regiment
23rd JAAF AF Bn
108th JAAF AF Bn /1
Total air losses for the day were 19 Oscars and 12 Franks for the cost of 6 P-38s and 4 P-47s. And the 10 Petes that went down on a ship somewhere.
The Manado operation is occurring now. Next up will be taking Zamboanga on Mindanao, and the islands to the west. Then Luzon, using troops that are finishing up on Java. The question is, what to do with the troops on Sumatra after Palembang is taken? I have 1 US, 2 British and 2 Indian divisions there.
I'm contemplating either a landing at Mersing to take Singapore, or a move from Luzon to Formosa. There is good and bad for both. Singapore would be a great base to have, but it would be difficult. 2 divisions would be needed just to hold Mersing and the hex to the west, to keep the peninsula cut off. That leaves 3 divisions to take Singapore, without a lot of artillery or armor support. But Singapore is becoming less and less important, with almost all of the oil centers taken or about to be. It can be bypassed. Landing there would also open up the possibility of a big enemy reinforcement with troops currently in Thailand. It could be a tough battle. Formosa, I think, would be doable after the Luzon landing. It would truly cut naval movement from Japan. And it would be a good springboard into China itself.
I'll have 5 divisions available. Time to plan what to do with them.
Enemy mines were completely swept at Manado. Now I'll send in four slow US battleships to bombard. They'll rearm at Kendari and be back to support upcoming attacks at Manado.
Halibut hit xAK Tamagawa Maru with two torpedoes near Groot Natoena, north of Borneo. Audio says that the ship sank, and it was carrying troops. Trigger sank subchaser Ch 42 near Naha. US subs are in the shallows in the Philippines, and the enemy is looking for them.
Palembang was heavily bombed by B-24s.
Near Sian in China, the enemy tried again to push the Chinese back across the river. With the enemy armor unit spent and headed to Sian, they couldn't do the job.
Ground combat at 83,40 (near Sian)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 14101 troops, 122 guns, 42 vehicles, Assault Value = 802
Defending force 25459 troops, 137 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 600
