Highlights – Battle of Mersing is a wild one that annihilates Force Z in three daylight naval combat rounds! Malayan Airborne landings thwarted.
Jpn ships sunk:
DD: 1 (Akatsuki)
DMS: 2
SC: 1
xAK: 1
xAKL: 1
Allied ships sunk:
BB: 1 (Prince of Wales)
BC: 1 (Repulse)
CL: 2 (Danae, Durban)
DD: 6 (Vampire, Tenedos, Electra, Encounter, Express, Isis)
xAP: 3 (one big, other PI coastal)
xAK: 1
xAKL: 2
Air loss:
Jpn: 28
Allied: 69
Subwar:
Jpn: 4 Attacks, 3 ships hit (xAKL sunk, 2TK dam)
Allies: 11 Attacks, 4 ships hit (DMS, SC sunk, CA (Suzuya), xAK dam) Allied subs are already a serious threat and IJN countermeasures are anemic. Suzuya, hit by a dutch torp, will need yard time (9/37(34)/3(1)) assuming she can get to Saigon without another sub encounter.
Jpn Amph Inv:
Mersing (Malaya)
Balabac (PI)
Davao (PI)
Digos (PI)
Guam (Central Pacific)
Jesselton (DEI)
Sorong (DEI)
Ternate (SW Pacific)
Allied Amph: None
Bases lost: None
Bases seized:
Aparri (PI)
Laoag (PI)
Cotabato (PI)
Kuching (DEI)
Singkawang (DEI)
Alor Star (Malaya-flipped)
SIGINT/Intel: Taking Boise, PoW and Repulse off the playing field is a major bonus for DEI operations, the question is how L_S_T will respond. Will he bring the US CVs there to re-balance? No contact with the CVs yet, for that matter, no contact with any warship in Pacific waters.
Japan/Industry: I’m already short quality pilots. No sense expanding squadrons other than trainers although I need to get some ASW Jake squadrons trained up and positioned to secure convoy routes from Formosa north at a minimum. That’s a priority. Also looking to get another Zero squadron deployed to replace the bloody Claudes in the Marshals. Also, have decided to send out BB Ise and Hyuga to the Eastern DEI campaign and the sole AKE will head with them to Babeldaob - along with 2 Bdes of the 4th ID in convoy.
Kuriles/Aleutians: NSTR.
Central Pacific: KB should be in range next turn to sweep and launch its first strike(s) on Wake, announcing her presence in the area - which is part of the idea. Wake Amph TF will also begin heading to Wake next turn as well. Will look to have the KB head south after supporting Wake, less two CVs which will head to Truk and then the DEI (one may still go to Japan to work airgroup resizing, especially now that Force Z is sunk)
South Pacific: CVE Taiyo has linked up with the Rabaul invasion TFs near the Marianas and takes aboard a squadron of Vals. The Manus Amph TF (PB, 2AKLs) has departed Truk and will slowly approach Manus to secure it for a seaplane anchorage.
DEI/SW Pacific: CVL Ryujo continues to disappoint - her TF (CVL, 2CA, DDs) runs into a US DD TF (4DD) which fortunately don’t successfully engage, but Ryujo’s Kates launch a single strike against them and miss as well. Ryujo will continue to loiter in the Celebes Sea providing cover to Mindanao and hunting ships departing from the PI. As the Sorong and Ternate Amphibs go in without issue, should be able to use these bases as seaplane bases once secured, getting some additional eyes out over the eastern DEI.
PI: Aparri, Loaog and Cotabato all taken without problems and troops will begin marching inland, although B-17s hit the troops at Cotabato with good effect from 2000ft. 9 Zeros are flown in to prevent a repeat. Subs also are providing a nuisance to the northern Luzon landings and have claimed two ASW TF ships and damaged an xAK. Tanaka (CL, 5DDs) off Bataan was also the focus on numerous PT attacks and even low-level torpedo laden PBYs - no damage scored to either side. He’ll pull off next turn and head to Cam Ranh Bay to replenish and reinforce the Mersing operations. The Davao and Digos landings went in without opposition as well and should secure objectives next turn. The only hiccup was the Puerto Princessa Amphib TF running into the obsolete PGs Asheville and Tulsa before the escorting TB can run interference. The US PGs succeed in damaging both the xAP and xAK enough to abort the operation, while the late arriving TB Hayabusa gains revenge later crippling both PGs - too late to rescue the operation. Also, the wayward Kendari troops are put ashore at Balabac and should secure the base next turn. Lastly, Amphib convoys are also approaching southern Luzon and Butuan on northern Mindanao which should effectively isolate Luzon.
Malaya/Burma: The Mersing landings go in with a major naval victory over Force Z! When I saw the start of the replay with Force Z reinforced (BB, BC, 4CL, 8DD) going against the Kongo TF (2BB, 2CA, CL, 6DD, DMS) in daylight I figured I had just lost the war in a single battle. I really didn’t expect to find Force Z waiting - was more concerned with air attacks, mines and subs. Well, the engagement started at 24k yds and closed to 10k yds before heading back out to 29k yds. All capital ships were repeatedly hit and I thought after the first round my ships were scrap. Then Nettys came in to tip the scales, scoring 5 torpedo hits on both Repulse and Prince of Wales, and two Brit airstrikes also come in but don’t hit a thing. Luck is getting better! At this point, I’m getting hopeful and then I’m surprised to see another round of naval combat! I don’t think I’ve ever seen an airstrike BETWEEN naval rounds before! After those torpedo strikes, I thought the IJN would just mop up, but no, the Brits were closing the range and trying to engage, even scoring hits on Kongo! But Repulse quickly sinks and damage against other Brit ships begin to build up as the TFs break off. Not done yet…IJN CA TF (4CA, 5DD) come in to finish off the PoW and remaining CL and 6DDs at minimal cost. IJN loss at this point was a single DD sunk. Most of the Kongo TF begins to head for home in two TFs by the end of the first day, and the landings start going in as the turn ends. Troops are at least coming ashore! Day two has multiple British airstrikes and fortunately the CAP is up, although all too many planes come in under the CAP to drop bombs and torps. All but one bomb and as single torp miss, only damaging two transports! Was lucky that no mines hit ships, and only one sub found its mark against Suzuya. After I got to the turn itself, I was shocked! Not only did a division plus worth of troops get ashore intact, the IJN was in damn good shape! I really thought most of the Kongo TF was in bad shape but other than Kongo being badly hurt (47/48(13)/33), two more DDs badly shot up, other damage was extremely light - Haruna (9sys) and Atago (7sys) despite numerous hits. I attribute this success to blind luck with the dice rolls and putting a solid TF leader on the bridge of the Kongo prior to the sortie. I couldn’t ask for a better result - now, if I can get Kongo and Suzuya back to port without running into a sub, I will be extremely grateful. The other aspect of the Mersing landings were the airborne landings going in at Port Dickson and Kuala Lumpur to block the rail line south. This didn’t go as well. As L_S_T had a sixth sense I was going into Mersing, he also brought troops in to secure both bases, so the paras failed to take their objectives. What I don’t know is whether having the paras in the hex without controlling the base itself will block the rail lines south? In any case, next turn will focus on getting the ships safely back to port, taking Mersing and pushing inland. Further paradrops will cease to preserve the units, although I will drop in supply and try Sallys on ground support to disrupt Allied counter attacks. Air will focus on protecting the beach head, although the majority of ships will depart - three badly damaged transports and a DMS will remain to offload. The remaining 18th ID IN Regiment at Kota Bharu will embark on transports and the IJN CA TF will prepare for another run to Mersing in the next few days. To the north, 5th ID elements will push on to Alor Star and then George Town, with the Imperial Guard Division joining the effort in the next few days. Additional Troops are enroute at sea, but they will take at least a week to join the fight.
China: NSTR.
; Julia Child
