Against all odds - szmike (J) vs DesertWolf101 (A)

[RangerJoe]

For mine sweeping, the Ansyu PB can take a mine hit then disband into the port. They will slowly clear the minefield but you should not lose any ships. You need to have one real mine sweeper in the hex to put the Ansyu PBs into it but the real minesweepers do not need to go into the mine sweeping TF.

If the To'su were to convert to the CMc first, do so and then lay the mines when an ACM gets there. Then the To'su can convert to something else.

For your supply and troop convoys, make a Fast Transport convoy first and put your escorts into that, then load supplies. Then put then into the supply and troop convoy. It may not be many supplies nor efficient in fuel to move supplies that way, but it is more efficient than having empty ships sailing. The Ansyu PBs can carry 1000 supplies and may survive a torpedo hit.

[szmike]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

For mine sweeping, the Ansyu PB can take a mine hit then disband into the port. They will slowly clear the minefield but you should not lose any ships. You need to have one real mine sweeper in the hex to put the Ansyu PBs into it but the real minesweepers do not need to go into the mine sweeping TF.

That seems like really inefficient way to clear mines. I have plethora of AMc which should do the job. Ansyu are fast enough to run with convoys, not that they can do much against subs anyway, but do fine suppression in amphibious TF if no CDs present.

If the To'su were to convert to the CMc first, do so and then lay the mines when an ACM gets there. Then the To'su can convert to something else.

ACMs have small mine load anyway

For your supply and troop convoys, make a Fast Transport convoy first and put your escorts into that, then load supplies. Then put then into the supply and troop convoy. It may not be many supplies nor efficient in fuel to move supplies that way, but it is more efficient than having empty ships sailing. The Ansyu PBs can carry 1000 supplies and may survive a torpedo hit.

That could be useful, if micro intensive.

[RangerJoe]

Those CMcs get FREE mines when they convert. ACMs do not come with mines unless that are loaded on to them.

Those loaded escorts also will work with your invasion convoys as well.

Yes, the Ansyu PBs are slower but you don't have to clear each mine, just a decent path to render the minefield ineffective. Besides, when you capture the base, since there are no enemy ACMs in the port, the minefield starts to degrade anyway. Also, until you capture enough resources to haul back to the HI, you don't need the Ansyu PBs for convoy escorts. Singapore, when captured, will be able to repair a mine damaged Ansyu PB quickly and if you capture Singapore before Java and Sumatra with those resources, what convoys are they escorting?

[szmike]

December 7th 1941

The war started with good results. First 3 RN destroyers were found and promptly sunk almost without a shot. I spent small fortune of PPs on changing non-suitable skippers of all warships, starting from carriers ending with destroyers and I hope it pays off.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Kwangchowan at 74,64, Range 19,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Fubuki
DD Usugumo, Shell hits 1
DD Shirakumo, Shell hits 1
DD Isonami
DD Murakumo
DD Uranami

Allied Ships
DD Scout, Shell hits 20, and is sunk
DD Thanet, Shell hits 13, and is sunk
DM Thracian, Shell hits 20, and is sunk

Then Pearl Harbour was struck with OK result - West Wirginia had magazine explosion.

Morning Air attack on Pearl Harbor , at 180,107

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 118 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 44 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 66
B5N2 Kate x 144
D3A1 Val x 135

Allied aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 9 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 6 destroyed by flak
D3A1 Val: 27 damaged
D3A1 Val: 4 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
PBY-5 Catalina: 110 damaged
PBY-5 Catalina: 4 destroyed on ground
SBD-1 Dauntless: 30 damaged
SBD-1 Dauntless: 2 destroyed on ground
B-18A Bolo: 19 damaged
B-18A Bolo: 2 destroyed on ground
B-17E Fortress: 17 damaged
P-40B Warhawk: 33 damaged
P-40B Warhawk: 2 destroyed on ground
B-17D Fortress: 26 damaged
B-17D Fortress: 2 destroyed on ground
A-20A Havoc: 11 damaged
A-20A Havoc: 1 destroyed on ground
P-36A Mohawk: 22 damaged
P-36A Mohawk: 1 destroyed on ground
O-47A: 7 damaged
O-47A: 1 destroyed on ground
F4F-3 Wildcat: 3 damaged
F4F-3 Wildcat: 1 destroyed on ground
R3D-2: 3 damaged
C-33: 1 damaged
OS2U-3 Kingfisher: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
BB Pennsylvania, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 1
DD Farragut, Bomb hits 1, on fire
BB Arizona, Bomb hits 6, Torpedo hits 1
BB West Virginia, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
BB Maryland, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
BB California, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
BB Oklahoma, Bomb hits 6, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
BB Nevada, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
BB Tennessee, Bomb hits 7, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
DD Shaw, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CA New Orleans, Torpedo hits 2, heavy damage
DD Case, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CL Phoenix, Bomb hits 1
CL Detroit, Bomb hits 1
AE Mauna Loa, Bomb hits 1, on fire

Allied ground losses:
10 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Repair Shipyard hits 6
Airbase hits 32
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 76
Port hits 8
Port fuel hits 4

Magazine explodes on BB West Virginia

Singapore port was attacked and bombers caused some damage, but lost couple of their own.

Morning Air attack on Singapore , at 50,84

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 33 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 18
G3M2 Nell x 72
G4M1 Betty x 27

Allied aircraft
Buffalo I x 11

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M2 Nell: 2 destroyed, 13 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 5 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Buffalo I: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
xAP Klang, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAP Matang, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Dominion Monarch, Bomb hits 1
TK Spirilla, Bomb hits 2, on fire
xAK Neleus, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires
xAP Hong Kheng, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
DM Stronghold, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
CL Mauritius, Bomb hits 9
CM Kung Wo, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Demodocus, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires
ML No. 310, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
AMC Manoora, Bomb hits 2
AMC Kanimlba, Bomb hits 3, on fire
DD Isis, Bomb hits 1
AG Vyner Brooke, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
TK Pleiodon, Bomb hits 2
DD Jupiter, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Encounter, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DD Vendetta, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
AG Ban Hong Liong, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AM Ballarat, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAK Zannis Cambanis, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAK Silverbeech, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAK Wulin, Bomb hits 1, on fire
PG Herald, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
HDML 1062, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
AM Toowoomba, Bomb hits 1, on fire

Repair Shipyard hits 6
Port hits 4
Port supply hits 1

And the same happened in Manilla raid. I hoped for better effects, submarines will be quickly repaired in Manilla/Surabaya shipyards. We plan further strikes.

Clark Field was also bombed by IJA bombers, and B17s were damaged and couldn't strike back, while the base is damaged and won't be used against us.

Morning Air attack on Manila , at 79,77

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 34 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 18
G3M2 Nell x 36
G4M1 Betty x 81

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M2 Nell: 7 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 7 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
SS S-41, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
SS Stingray, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
AM Bittern, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AV Langley, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Pope, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAKL Dos Hermanos, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
SS Shark, Bomb hits 2, heavy damage
SS Seadragon, Bomb hits 4
SS Porpoise, Bomb hits 3, heavy damage
SS Pike, Bomb hits 2, heavy damage
DD Peary, Bomb hits 2, on fire
SS Sturgeon, Bomb hits 1
SS Tarpon, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
SS Snapper, Bomb hits 1
SS Sealion, Bomb hits 2, heavy damage
SS Spearfish, Bomb hits 2, heavy damage
SS Swordfish, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
SS Seawolf, Bomb hits 1
AS Holland, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
SS Saury, Bomb hits 2, heavy damage
SS S-40, Bomb hits 2, heavy damage
SS Sculpin, Bomb hits 4, heavy damage
AM Lark, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Capillo, Bomb hits 1
SS Perch, Bomb hits 1
xAKL Corregidor, Bomb hits 1
SS Sargo, Bomb hits 1
PT-33, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
xAK Tantalus, Bomb hits 1
SS Salmon, Bomb hits 3, heavy damage
SS Skipjack, Bomb hits 2, heavy damage
AO Pecos, Bomb hits 1
PT-32, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
xAK Ethel Edwards, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAKL Compagnia Filipinas, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage

Port hits 8
Port fuel hits 6
Port supply hits 2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Clark Field , at 79,76

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 26 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 18
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 18
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 27

Allied aircraft
P-40B Warhawk x 1

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-48-Ib Lily: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-40B Warhawk: 1 damaged
P-40B Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground
O-47A: 2 destroyed on ground

Allied ground losses:
30 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Airbase hits 22
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 41

Meanwhile Midway was bombarded, invaded and captured. But the base is wrecked as much by our action as by American garrison destroying facilities.

Naval bombardment of Midway Island at 158,91 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
PBY-4 Catalina: 7 damaged

4 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
CA Chikuma
CA Tone
DD Ushio
DD Sazanami

Allied ground losses:
231 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 21 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 6 (2 destroyed, 4 disabled)
Vehicles lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Airbase hits 8
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 26
Port hits 3

CA Chikuma firing at Midway Island
CA Tone firing at Midway Island
DD Ushio firing at 6th Marine Defense Battalion
6th Marine Defense Battalion firing at DD Ushio
DD Sazanami firing at Midway Island

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pre-Invasion action off Midway Island (158,91) - Coastal Guns Fire Back!

28 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
xAK Taifuku Maru, Shell hits 1
xAKL Kosho Maru, Shell hits 4, heavy fires
DD Hayashio
DD Oyashio
xAK Macassar Maru, Shell hits 1
xAK Nittai Maru
xAK Shinsei Maru

Allied ground losses:
34 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

6th Marine Defense Battalion firing at xAK Taifuku Maru
5in Mk 15 CD Gun Battery engaging xAKL Kosho Maru at 7,000 yards
DD Oyashio firing to suppress enemy battery at 7,000 yards
5in Mk 15 CD Gun Battery engaging xAKL Kosho Maru at 7,000 yards
DD Oyashio firing to suppress enemy battery at 7,000 yards
5in Mk 15 CD Gun Battery engaging xAK Macassar Maru at 7,000 yards
DD Oyashio firing to suppress enemy battery at 7,000 yards
xAK Taifuku Maru fired at enemy troops
xAK Macassar Maru fired at enemy guns
xAK Nittai Maru fired at enemy guns
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 4,000 yards
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 2,000 yards


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amphibious Assault at Midway Island (158,91)

TF 13 troops unloading over beach at Midway Island, 158,91

Japanese ground losses:
48 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

17 troops of a SNLF Inf Squad 41 accidentally lost during unload of 9th JNAF Coy
17 troops of a SNLF Inf Squad 41 lost in surf during unload of Kure 2nd SNLF
15 Support troops lost from landing craft during unload of Kure 2nd SNLF /3

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Midway Island (158,91)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 2438 troops, 19 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 71

Defending force 1774 troops, 38 guns, 9 vehicles, Assault Value = 36

Japanese adjusted assault: 31

Allied adjusted defense: 6

Japanese assault odds: 5 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Midway Island !!!

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
PBY-4 Catalina: 8 destroyed

Combat modifiers
Defender: disruption(-), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+), supply(-)

Japanese ground losses:
452 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 31 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Allied ground losses:
2214 casualties reported
Squads: 30 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 87 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 5 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 48 (48 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 9 (9 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 2

Assaulting units:
Kure 2nd SNLF
9th JNAF Coy

Defending units:
6th Marine Defense Battalion
116th Base Group

Bases in Malaya are also bombed and some Allied planes damaged.
Forces are landing in Kota Bharu, Patani, Signora in Malaya, Mirri, Brunei, Jesselton on Borneo, Laoag and Aparri on Luzon, also on Guam.

Full combat report attached.

[szmike]

December 8th 1941

Boise affair... [X(] [&o]
we have to give her credit, she single-handedly caused much wreck in our plans and severly damaged whatever ships were in her path. We lost a destroyer - single salvo caused 50+ damage in all categories, also fires... we had to scuttle her after battle.

Houston was also involved, but That don't impress me much.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Dinagat at 82,87, Range 8,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Maya, Shell hits 1
CA Ashigara, Shell hits 3
CL Natori
DD Yamagumo
DD Satsuki
DD Minazuki
DD Fumizuki
DD Nagatsuki

Allied Ships
CL Boise, Shell hits 1

Improved night sighting under 85% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Overcast Conditions and 85% moonlight: 8,000 yards
Range closes to 10,000 yards...
Range closes to 8,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 8,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 8,000 yards
Moran, E. crosses the 'T'

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Night Time Surface Combat, near Dinagat at 82,87, Range 8,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
PB Aso Maru #3
PB Kiso Maru, Shell hits 5, heavy fires
xAK Imizu Maru
xAK Asahisan Maru
xAK Seian Maru
xAK Tamashima Maru
xAK Maebasi Maru
xAK Seikai Maru, Shell hits 1
xAK Yomei Maru
xAP Kokuryu Maru

Allied Ships
CL Boise

Japanese ground losses:
11 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Improved night sighting under 85% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Overcast Conditions and 85% moonlight: 8,000 yards
Range closes to 11,000 yards...
Range closes to 10,000 yards...
Range closes to 9,000 yards...
Range closes to 8,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 8,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 8,000 yards
Moran, E. crosses the 'T'

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Day Time Surface Combat, near Dinagat at 81,87, Range 19,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Maya, Shell hits 2
CA Ashigara, Shell hits 2, on fire
CL Natori
DD Yamagumo, Shell hits 3, heavy fires
DD Satsuki
DD Minazuki
DD Fumizuki, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Nagatsuki

Allied Ships
CL Boise, Shell hits 9, on fire

Maximum visibility in Overcast Conditions: 20,000 yards
Range closes to 19,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 19,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 19,000 yards
Moran, E. crosses the 'T'

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Day Time Surface Combat, near Siargao at 83,88, Range 19,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Myoko
CA Nachi
CL Nagara
DD Kuroshio
DD Hatsukaze
DD Natsushio, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Amatsukaze
DD Tokitsukaze

Allied Ships
CL Boise, Shell hits 20, heavy fires, heavy damage

Maximum visibility in Overcast Conditions: 20,000 yards
Range closes to 19,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 19,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 19,000 yards
Kiyota, Takahiko* crosses the 'T'

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Day Time Surface Combat, near Siargao at 84,88, Range 20,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Myoko, Shell hits 2, on fire
CA Nachi
CL Nagara, Shell hits 2, heavy fires
DD Kuroshio
DD Hatsukaze
DD Natsushio, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Amatsukaze
DD Tokitsukaze

Allied Ships
CA Houston, Shell hits 12, heavy fires, heavy damage

Maximum visibility in Overcast Conditions: 20,000 yards
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 20,000 yards
Japanese launch Long Lance torpedoes at 20,000 yards before allies detect Japanese presence

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Time Surface Combat, near Siargao at 84,88, Range 20,000 Yards

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
SOC-1 Seagull: 3 destroyed

Japanese Ships
CA Maya
CA Ashigara, on fire
CL Natori
DD Satsuki
DD Minazuki
DD Nagatsuki

Allied Ships
CL Boise, Shell hits 27, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Time Surface Combat, near Siargao at 83,89, Range 16,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Maya
CA Ashigara, heavy fires
CL Natori
DD Satsuki
DD Minazuki
DD Nagatsuki

Allied Ships
CA Houston, Shell hits 26, heavy fires, heavy damage

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Time Surface Combat, near Siargao at 83,89, Range 18,000 Yards

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
SOC-1 Seagull: 3 destroyed

Japanese Ships
CA Maya
CL Natori
DD Satsuki
DD Minazuki
DD Nagatsuki

Allied Ships
CA Houston, and is sunk

I bet if she had more ammo, she would wreak even greater havoc.
As a result of whole action both american cruisers are sunk for a cost of DD Natsushio and 3 cruisers in yards when we need them most. Also our Mindanao invasion forces retreated halfway to Babeldaob. I consider it Allied victory.

Allies also try several low level naval attacks and have some success [8|] ...more bomb hits than planes flying

Morning Air attack on TF, near Brunei at 65,87

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 7 NM, estimated altitude 5,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Allied aircraft
OS2U-3 Kingfisher x 3

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
xAK Igasa Maru, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x OS2U-3 Kingfisher bombing from 1000 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 lb GP Bomb

...while we sink some cargo ships near Hongkong

Morning Air attack on TF, near Hong Kong at 77,61

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 29 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 9

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
xAK Ming Sang, Torpedo hits 1
xAK Nanning, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Hong Kong at 77,61

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 30 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 6
G3M2 Nell x 9

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
xAK Fatshan, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
xAK Hanyang, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x G3M2 Nell launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Hong Kong at 77,61

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 59 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 18 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B5M1 Mabel x 5

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
xAK Ming Sang, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
xAK Hai Lee, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk

Aircraft Attacking:
5 x B5M1 Mabel launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp

At Midway Argonaut attacks ships unloading supply.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submarine attack near Midway Island at 158,91

Japanese Ships
xAK Taifuku Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

Allied Ships
SS Argonaut

xAK Taifuku Maru is sighted by SS Argonaut
SS Argonaut launches 2 torpedoes at xAK Taifuku Maru


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submarine attack near Midway Island at 158,91

Japanese Ships
xAK Taifuku Maru, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied Ships
SS Argonaut

xAK Taifuku Maru is sighted by SS Argonaut
SS Argonaut launches 2 torpedoes

Meanwhile in China...

... CAP traps are put by American fighters and we run into one of them. Ouch we have to be careful, no happy bombing of Chinese troops everywhere.

Morning Air attack on 62nd Chinese Corps, at 77,58 , near Canton

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 11 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-36 Ida x 21

Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 16

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-36 Ida: 14 destroyed

No Allied losses

Chinese are moving several corps to Ichang, but we move reinforcements. They also try encircling manoever on the East side, but we are ready. While the base isn't that important at this stage of war, we cannot abandon it and give it for free. The same deal about Singyang. We split all available plane groups, including Nates, and send several bombing runs just to slow down their approach.
As our forces are all over the place, we concentrate them and move garrison troops around in order to free as many divisions as possible.


At other theatres invasion sites are captured. Notably Kota Bharu is wrecked by retreating forces. We spared bombing it, so we could capture it intact, but alas...

Full combat report attched.

[szmike]

December 9th to 16th

Naval warfare

Not much happens on seas during that time, my opponent is very cautious.

Kuma is hit by 2 torpedoes from PTs in terrible weather, while covering ships unloading at Luzon. Perfect conditions for PT ambush.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Iba at 78,75, Range 1,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CL Kuma, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DD Asakaze
DD Harukaze
DD Matsukaze
DD Hatakaze

Allied Ships
PT-31, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-34
PT-35
PT-41
PT Q-111
PT Q-112

Low visibility due to Rain with 57% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Rain and 57% moonlight: 1,000 yards

My opponent is also moving in RN torpedo boats from Hongkong, but they suffer heavy losses at hands of Imperial destroyers.

We bombard Wenchow in China with Fuso in order to make port/airfield there unusable.

We invade Nauru and Ocean Islands in the Pacific and lose big cargo ship due to Lousville interference. I expected her to be close, but my cruiser division (Tatsuta, Tenryu, Yubari) arrives a day late.

On Dec 16th we capture Wake Island with help of KB.

What about enemy carriers? We briefly see CV TF North of Midway (poor detection though), KB arrives the next day, but finds no sign of enemy. They manage to escape quickly.

Problem

Where are Manilla refugees???

My subs and several SAGs are roaming Sulu Sea and Phillipine Sea to almost no effect. My forces sank about 6 small cargo ships. No sign of any other shipping. We invade Mindanao and Ternate and establish air search to no effect either.

Naval losses so far are rather light. Some information is simply false in regards to Allied losses.

[szmike]

Air warfare

It goes rather badly. Any unescorted raid is countered by fighters on LRCAP, especially in China. And I didn't know one could do this from lvl 1 airfield, shows I have some knowledge gaps to fill/remind. Also due to weather and base overstacking we suffer from poor coordination, aviation support is rather scarce and it takes much time to move it forward. I notice IJA figthters refuse to escort IJN bombers, but that may be just a bias. I studied coordination guide again and it seems my settings are OK. Bad weather also covered Singapore and Manila for several days which didn't help at all.

We are losing way too many Zeros in air-to-air combat sweeps. Where did my opponent get so good pilots this early? I don't want to load Allied side of this scenario, but it seems he put the best he got there.

Then he harasses my bases with unescorted B17s and my fighters can't do anything against them. I'm at a loss in this department. We damage them, but they still bomb anything they want to. We are losing Mirri oilfields quickly. I should have brought AA already, so that is one lesson learnt.

Any advice is appreciated.

[mind_messing]

ORIGINAL: szmike

Air warfare

It goes rather badly. Any unescorted raid is countered by fighters on LRCAP, especially in China. And I didn't know one could do this from lvl 1 airfield, shows I have some knowledge gaps to fill/remind. Also due to weather and base overstacking we suffer from poor coordination, aviation support is rather scarce and it takes much time to move it forward. I notice IJA figthters refuse to escort IJN bombers, but that may be just a bias. I studied coordination guide again and it seems my settings are OK. Bad weather also covered Singapore and Manila for several days which didn't help at all.

We are losing way too many Zeros in air-to-air combat sweeps. Where did my opponent get so good pilots this early? I don't want to load Allied side of this scenario, but it seems he put the best he got there.

Then he harasses my bases with unescorted B17s and my fighters can't do anything against them. I'm at a loss in this department. We damage them, but they still bomb anything they want to. We are losing Mirri oilfields quickly. I should have brought AA already, so that is one lesson learnt.

Any advice is appreciated.

Some thoughts:

- On the Zero sweeps, stack your advantages. Use them en-masse, the game rewards concentration of force. Make sure you're optimising their altitude for sweeps (preferably higher than the defending CAP, but not too high that they're at a manuver disadvantage. Pamper the pilots. By that, I mean to make sure they're well rested and good to go (low fatigue, high morale).

- On the Miri/B17 problem, you've already touched on some aspect that you can do to help (AA and CAP). Don't be too worried if the defending fighters (I assume Nates, Oscars or Zeros) aren't shooting them down - this is normal. B-17s have high durability, and early war IJ fighters have quite weak weapons. Even if the B-17s are not being shot down, the damage will spoil their aim and take a while to repair when they return to base. Even a strong CAP of Nates will wear down the B-17s eventually, as the damage will accumulate to the point that there are fewer and fewer planes flying. Of course, the best defence for Miri is to take all the airbases capable of supporting B-17s in range, but solve the immediate issue first before looking for a long term solution

- On the air war generally, looks like you're running a lot of unescorted raids. To my mind, this is bad practice and in effect free EXP for Allied fighters. While you CAN run unescorted raids, if doing so you need to be quite flexible with target choice, and effectively fly a different mission every turn, so there's a situation where Allied CAP is playing a lottery to see where gets bombs that turn. Even then, you'll still lose from time to time.

A better approach in my mind is to concentrate all your air power on a specific mission, to allow a combined effort. If you're bombing a base in China, have a sweep of Oscars set to go ahead of the bombers, and some Nates dedicated to escorting the bombers. The result you'll end up with is a co-ordinated attack - the Oscars will sweep the CAP away, the Nates will protect the bombers from anything that's left and the bombers will get through. Do that for a turn or two then move on to a new target.

It's much more effective than using your bombers in penny-packets and having the occasional unescorted raid get mauled. Change targets often and keep the Allies guessing.

[szmike]

Thank you for the summary. I definitely need to be more strict when it comes to air operations. I've already checked all commanders (including air HQs) and I monitor fatigue/morale on daily basis.

What do people think of splitting KB? It is somewhat tempting, but I tend to think it is bad proposition if Allied carriers are alive and kicking somewhere and will probably appear in force soon.
I kind of expect at least one of them in DEI, so reinforcing CVLs with Kaga could work better in such case. On the other hand I'm going to push Rabaul/PM and KB here would likely prevent much of Allied interference. Then 3 CVs vs 5 is a fight Allied might go for.

[Bif1961]

The American carriers have low pilot experience and skills early on and the planes, especially Devastators, are sub-par. His best plane are the SBDs and most squadrons are of the smaller size and he has to include Buff squadrons to round out his ship carrying capability. You have the advantage in everything but damage control, but even early war American damage control can fail quickly. So splitting the KB will be based on what your assumptions are on where and how many carriers he will deploy elsewhere or concentrate all 4 American ones in one place. You stated that you believe he will deploy one of the American carriers to DEI so that would leave 3 fleet carries with a compliment of 270. You have 6 CVs, 2 CVLs and 2 CVEs available so you can mix and match according to speed and designer aircraft strength to accomplish your mission and potential enemy forces. So a split of the KB maybe 5 CVs in one TF, 1 CV, 2 CVLs in another and CVEs escorting major invasion TFs. The 5 fastest CVs will give you about 350 aircraft in that TF and 2 fast BBs as bomb catches and anti-surface protection. The other TF with the slower CV, Kaga and 2 CVLs would be about 140 aircraft with 2 fast BBs to be bomb catches and anti-surface forces. So I call them KB 5 CVs and Mini-KB with 1 CV and the 2 CVLs. When the next CVL joins the fleet where you decide to send it will depend on your operational concept and the enemies possible reactions to those with his carrier forces American and RN. This should give your the balance you need for the first several months until he receives more fleet carriers. the Hornet in Feb-Mar and Wasp in Jun-Jul. that is assuming a historic TO&E mod of course.

[mind_messing]

ORIGINAL: szmike

Thank you for the summary. I definitely need to be more strict when it comes to air operations. I've already checked all commanders (including air HQs) and I monitor fatigue/morale on daily basis.

That's a good start! Being systematic about air operations helps a lot (much as it does in breaking down enemy air defence in real life too!).

What do people think of splitting KB? It is somewhat tempting, but I tend to think it is bad proposition if Allied carriers are alive and kicking somewhere and will probably appear in force soon.
I kind of expect at least one of them in DEI, so reinforcing CVLs with Kaga could work better in such case. On the other hand I'm going to push Rabaul/PM and KB here would likely prevent much of Allied interference. Then 3 CVs vs 5 is a fight Allied might go for.

I'm very much against this practice, though it does have its strengths. My objection is based around that it invites defeat in detail.

There's also the wider strategic implications of the Allied player knowing the IJ player has divided his KB.

Of less importance is the tactical aspects of IJ carrier combat - IJN CV-type ships (especially the CVL/CVEs) are really quite fragile due to the poorer IJN damage control. A combined KB will have a stronger defensive CAP and therefore reduce the chance of battle damage compared to independent operations.

[Q-Ball]

ORIGINAL: szmike

What do people think of splitting KB? It is somewhat tempting, but I tend to think it is bad proposition if Allied carriers are alive and kicking somewhere and will probably appear in force soon.
I kind of expect at least one of them in DEI, so reinforcing CVLs with Kaga could work better in such case. On the other hand I'm going to push Rabaul/PM and KB here would likely prevent much of Allied interference. Then 3 CVs vs 5 is a fight Allied might go for.

I personally think splitting KB is the BEST strategy for Japan early. But only early. It can potentially allow you to cover SW Pac, as well as cover something else.

It's Dec '41....he has 3 operational CVs at most (Lex, Ent, Sara) and Saratoga starts in San Diego, so it's going to take a bit to get anywhere useful. Those CVs are equipped with understrength air groups that include F2As and TBDs, planes that are near useless. A 3 on 3 fight with 3 KB CVs, I would take that in December '41 ANY TIME. That is a potential Allied disaster. A smart Allied player would steer clear of any piece of KB.

Therefore, splitting KB in two, you're still going to have plenty of CV power to fight off anything the US has

YORKTOWN appears in January, so by Feb 1 though you have to account for possibility of 4 CVs, and by the time he's got HORNET, you probably need to have everyone consolidated. But splitting now? No problem.

[szmike]

Thank you, good food for thought.

December 17th-20th 1941

We finally capture Hongkong on 17th, we missed the day before by 21 modified AV due to bad roll.

We caught couple previously damaged ships in Manilla port. We couldn't get a strike to launch for a week due to constant storms over there.

Morning Air attack on Manila , at 79,77

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 28 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 45
G4M1 Betty x 25

Allied aircraft
P-35A x 3
P-40B Warhawk x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-35A: 1 destroyed
P-40B Warhawk: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
AV Langley, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
SS Sculpin, Bomb hits 5, and is sunk
DD Pope, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
ARD YFD-1 Dewey, Bomb hits 6, on fire
AM Lark, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
ACM Colonel Harrison, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
AM Bittern, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage

Port hits 11
Port fuel hits 3
Port supply hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
25 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 8000 feet
Port Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb

Mirri is constantly attacked, and it doesn't look good despite fighter cover. We are bringing AA here, should be deployed soon.

And B-17E arrive too.

Afternoon Air attack on Miri , at 64,87

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27b Nate x 6

Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 6

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-17D Fortress: 4 damaged

Oil hits 6

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x B-17D Fortress bombing from 4000 feet
City Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
3 x B-17D Fortress bombing from 4000 feet
City Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Miri , at 64,87

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 16 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
Ki-27b Nate x 10

Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 3
B-17E Fortress x 14

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-17D Fortress: 2 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 2 damaged

Oil hits 20

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 4000 feet *
City Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb
3 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 4000 feet *
City Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb
4 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 4000 feet *
City Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb
3 x B-17D Fortress bombing from 4000 feet
City Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
3 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 4000 feet *
City Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
77th Sentai/C with Ki-27b Nate (2 airborne, 4 on standby, 4 scrambling)
2 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 4000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 22 minutes
Yamada Det S-2 with A6M2 Zero (2 airborne, 4 on standby, 2 scrambling)
2 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 7000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 30 minutes

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Miri , at 64,87

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 9 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 2 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 3
Ki-27b Nate x 9

Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 3
B-17E Fortress x 3

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-17D Fortress: 3 damaged


Aircraft Attacking:
3 x B-17D Fortress bombing from 4000 feet
City Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
3 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 4000 feet *
City Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
77th Sentai/C with Ki-27b Nate (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
9 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 4000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 48 minutes
Yamada Det S-2 with A6M2 Zero (2 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
2 plane(s) intercepting now.
1 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 7000 , scrambling fighters to 4000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 19 minutes



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Miri , at 64,87

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27b Nate x 9

Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 2

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-27b Nate: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-17D Fortress: 2 damaged

Oil hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x B-17D Fortress bombing from 4000 feet
City Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
77th Sentai/C with Ki-27b Nate (6 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
6 plane(s) intercepting now.
3 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 4000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 50 minutes

Bangkok industry is also attacked, fighters are as ineffective.

Morning Air attack on Bangkok , at 56,62

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 40 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27b Nate x 7

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 15

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 8 damaged

Heavy Industry hits 2

Aircraft Attacking:
15 x Blenheim IV bombing from 7000 feet
City Attack: 4 x 250 lb GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
77th Sentai/A with Ki-27b Nate (2 airborne, 5 on standby, 0 scrambling)
2 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 7000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 7 minutes

On December 20th our forces are simultaneously landing at Kuching and Singkawang.

Pre-Invasion action off Singkawang (56,88)

23 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
TB Hayabusa
TB Otori
xAP Huso Maru
E Saga

Japanese ground losses:
26 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

TB Hayabusa fired at enemy troops
TB Otori fired at enemy troops
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 5,000 yards
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 1,000 yards


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amphibious Assault at Singkawang (56,88)

TF 18 troops unloading over beach at Singkawang, 56,88

Japanese ground losses:
17 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)

15 Aviation Support troops accidentally lost during unload of 22nd Air Flotilla
15 Aviation Support troops lost from landing craft during unload of 22nd Air Flotilla
15 Aviation Support troops lost overboard during unload of 22nd Air Flotilla
17 troops of a SNLF Inf Squad 41 lost from landing craft during unload of Yokosuka 2nd SNLF
13.2mm T93 AAMG dropped into water during unload of Yokosuka 2nd SNLF


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pre-Invasion action off Singkawang (56,88)
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force

19 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
TB Kari
xAK Rokko Maru

Japanese ground losses:
8 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

TB Kari fired at enemy troops
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 5,000 yards
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 1,000 yards


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amphibious Assault at Singkawang (56,88)

TF 99 troops unloading over beach at Singkawang, 56,88

15 Support troops accidentally lost during unload of 23rd JAAF AF Bn


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pre-Invasion action off Kuching (58,88) - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force

20 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
CL Kashii
DD Yomogi
DD Tsuta
PB Heiei Maru #7
xAK Zyuyo Maru

Allied ground losses:
16 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

CL Kashii firing at 106th RN Base Force
DD Yomogi firing at Sarawak Force
Sarawak Force firing at DD Yomogi
Sarawak Force firing at DD Tsuta
DD Tsuta firing at Sarawak Force
PB Heiei Maru #7 fired at enemy troops
DD Yomogi fired at enemy troops
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 4,000 yards
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 2,000 yards


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amphibious Assault at Kuching (58,88)

TF 185 troops unloading over beach at Kuching, 58,88

Japanese ground losses:
52 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

17 troops of a SNLF Inf Squad 41 accidentally lost during unload of Yokosuka 4th SNLF
17 troops of a SNLF Inf Squad 41 lost from landing craft during unload of Yokosuka 4th SNLF
17 troops of a IJA Inf Squad lost in surf during unload of II/124th Infantry Bn

Forces in Malaya managed to cut off 2 Indian brigades and some artillery in Alor Star and we finish them off.

Ground combat at Alor Star (49,73)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 20822 troops, 196 guns, 98 vehicles, Assault Value = 636

Defending force 5184 troops, 34 guns, 32 vehicles, Assault Value = 173

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 0

Japanese adjusted assault: 388

Allied adjusted defense: 61

Japanese assault odds: 6 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Alor Star !!!

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

Japanese ground losses:
368 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 30 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 12 disabled

Allied ground losses:
5672 casualties reported
Squads: 276 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 326 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 42 (42 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 34 (34 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 4

Assaulting units:
11th Infantry Regiment
15th Ind Engineer Regiment
42nd Infantry Regiment
5th Recon Regiment
4th Ind Engineer Regiment
5th Engineer Regiment
21st Infantry Regiment
41st Infantry Regiment
18th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
25th Army
5th Field Artillery Regiment
3rd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment

Defending units:
6th Indian Brigade
15th Indian Brigade
109th RAF Adv Base Force
137/155th Field Regiment

My opponent is moving Australian brigade... North?? [&:]

[szmike]

In China American fighters are ruling the skies, so our forces are constantly harassed by Chinese bombers which is annoying, but they don't do much damage. We don't have assets to deploy at this time, so we refuse the fight. I'm not going to move anything from DEI, maybe a small Zero unit after resize is done.

Any forward deployed Chinese units are attacked and rendered ineffective, so if they move behind our lines a fire brigade will have no trouble dispatching them.

[szmike]

December 21st 1941

Invasions of Singkawang and Kuching are almost unopposed and we capture both. For once our CAP trap works nicely.

Morning Air attack on 22nd Air Flotilla , at 56,88 (Singkawang)

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 32 NM, estimated altitude 4,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 7

Allied aircraft
Blenheim I x 10

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim I: 5 destroyed, 1 damaged

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x Blenheim I bombing from 4000 feet *
Ground Attack: 2 x 250 lb GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
Yamada Det S-2 with A6M2 Zero (7 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
7 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 7000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 7000.
Raid is overhead

Also attacking Yokosuka 2nd SNLF ...

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

Ground combat at Kuching (58,88)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 3414 troops, 26 guns, 2 vehicles, Assault Value = 121

Defending force 1528 troops, 9 guns, 4 vehicles, Assault Value = 41

Japanese adjusted assault: 79

Allied adjusted defense: 7

Japanese assault odds: 11 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Kuching !!!

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
Buffalo I: 1 destroyed

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

Japanese ground losses:
55 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
888 casualties reported
Squads: 41 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 25 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 3 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 4 (3 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Vehicles lost 3 (3 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 3

Assaulting units:
II/124th Infantry Battalion
Yokosuka 4th SNLF

Defending units:
Sarawak Force
2/15 Punjab Battalion
106th RN Base Force


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

Ground combat at Singkawang (56,88)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 5115 troops, 41 guns, 14 vehicles, Assault Value = 126

Defending force 2469 troops, 20 guns, 7 vehicles, Assault Value = 50

Japanese adjusted assault: 66

Allied adjusted defense: 19

Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 1)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Singkawang !!!

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

Japanese ground losses:
64 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 14 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Allied ground losses:
935 casualties reported
Squads: 8 destroyed, 10 disabled
Non Combat: 22 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 7 (4 destroyed, 3 disabled)
Vehicles lost 7 (7 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 5

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
III/124th Infantry Battalion
Yokosuka 2nd SNLF
23rd JAAF AF Bn
22nd Air Flotilla
97th JAAF AF Bn

Defending units:
W Borneo KNIL Battalion
W Borneo Mil'ie Cdo
Singkawang ML Base Force
2e-VLG-I Sup Afd
1e-VLG-V Sup Afd

I've made a costly mistake and postponed bringing AA units to the front and now our forces are harassed wherever possible. I couldn't defend them all even if I wanted too, so I'm ammending this, if late.

[szmike]

One thing is bothering me since game start. Where is all Allied shipping? Where is starting Manilla fleet of different vessels?

I don't see anything anywhere. I have subs roaming around Java. Several small groups are patrolling around Phillipines, since the start, along with mKB and null. Nothing is spotted. This is the best avoiding tactics I've seen in game or AAR... or maybe I simply do terrible job catching them. [:(]

That said, in one of my PBEM games I brought Dewey to Pearl Harbour, so it is possible. But even then I lost a ton of other ships.

[Bif1961]

You brought Dewey to PH, what about Huey and Louie?

[821Bobo]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball


I personally think splitting KB is the BEST strategy for Japan early. But only early. It can potentially allow you to cover SW Pac, as well as cover something else.

It's Dec '41....he has 3 operational CVs at most (Lex, Ent, Sara) and Saratoga starts in San Diego, so it's going to take a bit to get anywhere useful. Those CVs are equipped with understrength air groups that include F2As and TBDs, planes that are near useless. A 3 on 3 fight with 3 KB CVs, I would take that in December '41 ANY TIME. That is a potential Allied disaster. A smart Allied player would steer clear of any piece of KB.

Therefore, splitting KB in two, you're still going to have plenty of CV power to fight off anything the US has

YORKTOWN appears in January, so by Feb 1 though you have to account for possibility of 4 CVs, and by the time he's got HORNET, you probably need to have everyone consolidated. But splitting now? No problem.

I must disagree. By the end of 41, with some micromanagement all 3 carriers can have Wildcats(+ USMC squadrons as a boost). That gives 270 planes vs IJN's 170-190. Can all turn out ugly for empire as well. Really depends on situation.