Spanking Lowpe (NJP72 vs Lowpe (A))

[Lowpe]

The militia grip their Enfields in nervous hands, if they are lucky enough to have them. Japan is known to have reinforced their position at Rockhampton...but now the Matilda is on the front lines, along with flanking Stuarts...

and we hold, wave after wave of charging Japanese troopers repulsed! Our tanks in the front are disabled, but can be repaired...the Matilda is nigh on invulnerable against the Japanese!

Ground combat at Rockhampton (95,152)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 17888 troops, 115 guns, 81 vehicles, Assault Value = 682

Defending force 22919 troops, 435 guns, 432 vehicles, Assault Value = 637

Japanese adjusted assault: 135

Allied adjusted defense: 320

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2

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

Japanese ground losses:
2657 casualties reported
Squads: 32 destroyed, 212 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 21 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 12 disabled
Guns lost 32 (1 destroyed, 31 disabled)
Vehicles lost 21 (1 destroyed, 20 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
324 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 33 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 22 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 22 (3 destroyed, 19 disabled)
Vehicles lost 54 (3 destroyed, 51 disabled)

Assaulting units:
Sasebo 3rd SNLF
144th Infantry Regiment
22nd Recon Regiment
148th Infantry Regiment
2nd Recon Regiment
65th Brigade
2nd Engineer Regiment
8th Tank Regiment
4th Div /1
47th Field AA Battalion
35th JNAF AF Unit
48th Field AA Battalion
22nd Air Flotilla
45th Field AA Battalion
97th JAAF AF Bn

Defending units:
2/6th Armoured Regiment
41st Infantry Division
182nd Infantry Regiment
2/8th Armoured Regiment
2/4th Armoured Regiment
13th Australian Brigade
I Australian Corps
97th Coast AA Regiment
2nd Medium Regiment
108th Anti Tank Regiment
21/22 Field Regiment

[Lowpe]

KB spots the subs at Bundaberg, but launches no attacks....

[Lowpe]

Diego Garcia...sweet.[:)]

[Lowpe]

Ceylon falls tomorrow, but we will have several days to finish the air evacuation of the 99th BDE.

We salted the fields, used up all the fuel and oil...and stand ready to pummel the port.

[Lowpe]

India/Burma

Looks like Ledo is safe for a while!

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

With the artillery booming to the northeast, the Allied tank force launches their assault...it was thought the Japanese was a dispirited recon unit...but it is straight infantry...oh, how glorious war can be!

The road to Rockhampton is open, but is it too late?

We leave no survivors, our tanks are in pristine shape for Rockhampton!

Ground combat at 94,153 (near Rockhampton)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 1866 troops, 9 guns, 278 vehicles, Assault Value = 144

Defending force 813 troops, 8 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 15

Allied adjusted assault: 83

Japanese adjusted defense: 1

Allied assault odds: 83 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender:
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
999 casualties reported
Squads: 12 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 48 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 11 (11 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 1

Assaulting units:
2/5th Armoured Regiment
193rd Tank Battalion
754th Tank Battalion
2/11th Armoured Car Regiment
2/10th Armoured Regiment

Defending units:
Miura Det

No hexside control is showing, do you control the hexside into Rockhampton?

[Grollub]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

With the artillery booming to the northeast, the Allied tank force launches their assault...it was thought the Japanese was a dispirited recon unit...but it is straight infantry...oh, how glorious war can be!

The road to Rockhampton is open, but is it too late?

We leave no survivors, our tanks are in pristine shape for Rockhampton!

Ground combat at 94,153 (near Rockhampton)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 1866 troops, 9 guns, 278 vehicles, Assault Value = 144

Defending force 813 troops, 8 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 15

Allied adjusted assault: 83

Japanese adjusted defense: 1

Allied assault odds: 83 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender:
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
999 casualties reported
Squads: 12 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 48 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 11 (11 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 1

Assaulting units:
2/5th Armoured Regiment
193rd Tank Battalion
754th Tank Battalion
2/11th Armoured Car Regiment
2/10th Armoured Regiment

Defending units:
Miura Det

No hexside control is showing, do you control the hexside into Rockhampton?

Look at the post battle picture in post 2202.

[Alfred]

Lowpe should move quickly to get a unit to cross into Rockhampton from the SE corner. Not just to give a second escape route if necessary/another route for supply to get in, but much more importantly to significantly lengthen the enemy supply path into Bundaberg.

Alfred

[Lowpe]

April 16, 1942


PT boats go in at Rockhampton...score 1 50 caliber hit on a merchant.

[Lowpe]

Odd, I don't remember setting these guys to do this...but it works out ok I think. First sweep pictured (2 Fulmars damaged), 2nd sweep below:

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 9 NM, estimated altitude 3,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 2 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 17
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 29

Allied aircraft
Fulmar II x 10

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 1 destroyed
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Fulmar II: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged

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

Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 5

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x Fulmar II bombing from 100 feet
Airfield Attack: 1 plane(s) with no ordnance
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 lb GP Bomb
2 x Fulmar II bombing from 100 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 lb GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
11th Sentai with Ki-43-Ic Oscar (11 airborne, 16 on standby, 0 scrambling)
11 plane(s) intercepting now.
2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 36000 , scrambling fighters between 8270 and 36000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 44 minutes
260th Sentai with Ki-43-Ib Oscar (13 airborne, 4 on standby, 0 scrambling)
13 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 36000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 15 minutes

[RangerJoe]

Nice! [&o]

Did you notice the altitude of his CAP?

[CaptBeefheart]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: CaptBeefheart

I gave up on coastwatcher reports years ago. They've all got stills in operation or are growing wacky tobacco.

Has anyone gotten any utility out of the coasties?

Cheers,
CB

I think when they report a port is empty it is correct as of the report time.

I wondered about this so I checked the Japanese Ops Report which showed only two of my ports empty. But ...

- One Port had 6 ships repairing and a tanker unloading, the TK was there from the start of the turn.
- The Other Port had four ships repairing, 2 in Readiness, a TF of 4 ships loading resources and a large TF finishing unloading and still docked at turn end. All those ships were there for the whole turn.

Coastwatcher reports are occasionally accurate, but that seems very random.

Retailing tycoon John Wanamaker once said, "I know that half of my advertising doesn't work. The problem is, I don't know which half."

Cheers,
CB

[Lowpe]

A very interesting strike by mediocre Fulmar Pilots...they were set to 1000' Airfield attack 20% rest.

You can see from the prior posted combat report, that some pilots jettisoned their bombs and decided to dogfight with great results, while others made actually quite decent runway attacks inflicting a few points of damage on the base, which is nice since it keeps the port damaged.

[Lowpe]

The best runway, size 4, at Dacca has been abandoned...

[Lowpe]

Diego Garcia looking promising...will start aerial bombing and bombarding of the Japanese on the beachhead.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Diego Garcia looking promising...will start aerial bombing and bombarding of the Japanese on the beachhead.

What? He landed on DG and didn't take it?

[Lowpe]

Ceylon -- Ramillies and Resolution & friends set to bombard!

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: witpqs


What? He landed on DG and didn't take it?

In March they landed...the 44th easily broke the invasion safe behind their level 3 forts and with fire lanes fully mapped out.

Supply got iffy, but Japan never reinforced...and now the tide has turned![:)]

[Lowpe]

Bundaberg...we will attack somehow today. Perhaps all out, perhaps not. His troop convoy is too big to dock, so he is stuck loading from the beaches. Note that only one destroyer squadron is spotted.[;)] However, moonlight is 0, these are relatively poor destroyers lacking radar...but if only one squadron can close with the merchants it will be worth it.

Rockhampton we will most likely attack today, forts are two I believe. We will close the western approach to Rockhampton...

Japan has no recon on any Australian base. They are flying almost 100% blind...

[Lowpe]

Some conversations from our emails:


How good is this game

Your armour is causing a few problems- I need a few more satchel charges and some willing volunteers

I then told him it was Stuarts (American and Australian) and Matildas in the fights at Rockhampton. Although my guess is that the Allied advantage in artillery was decisive (4-1) which I didn't tell him. He responded with:

*I will have to study and work out which of the two tank types is causing me the most grief. I suspect both