Attack Attack Attack - a Hotseat AAR

[Remington700]

Reports
Intel: Encryption master keys are created and redistributed.

Japan Builds: 1 Airfield. Replacements increased to 350 to replace naval and air losses.

[Remington700]

Allied: August 1st 1943

Burma
Heavy rain continues. P-47s arrive in Calcutta and will head to the front next turn. The whole British army was pulled off the line replaced by Indian corps. Lead elements of the UK 11th Corps arrive in Chittagong which was recently vacated by the 1st Marine Division. The airfield is finished on the coast road, 100 miles from the Irrawaddy River. Hurricanes of the 1st IAF fly in and prepare for deeper penetration into Japanese airspace.

[Remington700]

South China
The 23rd Fighter Group is grounded for training and repairs. After the beating they received in their last encounter the unit may never return to an effective fighting force. (I am growing weary of dumping PPs into replacing and upgrading the fighters. I could have produced multiple armies for what has been spent on the air unit. Up to this point it has not been worth the cost.) The Chinese 16th Army relieves the 10th Army and starts to dig-in at Kweiyang. My defense is weak.

[Remington700]

New Caledonia
The 1st US Corps lands on Malo, a small island just offshore from Espiritu Santo. With low tide the US soldiers can cross the small strait in Higgins boats. The beat-up, starved out 2nd Marines are finally resupplied. Taskforces 21 and 25 sit offshore supporting the landings. While not at full strength, they should be strong enough to hold off the Japanese Air Fleets. The CV Intrepid should arrive next turn. Land-based air will arrive in Noumea within a week. Port Vila on Efate is still under blockade and will be dealt with soon.

[Remington700]

Coral Sea
Heavy rain over New Guinea puts a temporary stop to the bombing of Port Moresby and Rabaul. Operation Tsunami, the invasion of Port Moresby is scheduled to start in September rain permitting. The Kido Butai is no longer visible on the map.

West Coast
The 3rd Marine Division and the CV Intrepid, plus the subs Wahoo and Devilfish all head to Australia.

[Remington700]

Builds
UK: No Builds.
India: No Builds.
Australia: 1 Large Corps
US: 5 AA. 2 Submarines.

Convoys
US: 100 PPs to Australia. 50 OPs to New Zealand.

COMINT: The US fails to break the Japanese code. The UK makes progress with decryption.

[Remington700]

Japan: August 15th 1943

Burma
The heavy rain continues, allowing more time to move troops south towards Rangoon. The line on the Irrawaddy River is strong. And Rangoon is well defended with plenty of support. This position should hold. The 121st Division is trapped west of the river which is at flood stage due to the recent weather. Supply is not strong, and the unit needs replacements.

The British fleet has disappeared. They may still be in port at Calcutta or they could be at sea. However without carriers and only a couple of Allied ground units in port the risk of invasion is slight. At least until the weather improves.

[Remington700]

South China
Kweiyang falls! Following preattack airstrikes, the 6th and 16th Imperial armies supported by Nell bombers assault the position. The first attack is brutal causing a Chinese loss of 5 SPs. A follow up attack does minor damage but causes the enemy to break. The Chinese 16th Army routes towards Kunming.

[Remington700]

New Hebrides Islands
The First Air Fleet with only one Fleet Carrier and five CVLs steam to Espiritu Santo to take a shot at the weakened US carriers. The enemy interdicts targeting the CV Soryu doing two SP damage. The BC Haruna puts up heavy flak attempting to screen the carrier but takes two hits amidships.

Vals and Kates locate the CV Bunker Hill but must pass through heavy AA before reaching their target. The BB Arizona takes a couple of hits but keeps up a steady rate of fire. The CV is targeted but only takes damage from a near miss. No additional air strikes are launched and once all planes are landed the Air Fleet returns to the safety of Rabaul.

[Remington700]

Reports
Japan: 1 Infantry Army. Replacements lowered to 100.

Strategy
After trading CV damage with the Allies and almost losing a fleet carrier, I realized it was a pointless risk as the islands are already lost. I need to switch to a more defensive doctrine. And only attack when the reward is well worth the risk. I plan to remove the remaining armies out of Manchuria, replacing them with divisions. Even though their experience is not great (low 40%) they can be split and retain a zone of control. And I will build more armies while it is still possible. This should provide more defensive options as too many areas have been left weak in support of offensive actions. Now is the time to change direction before the Allies can take advantage.

China is the exception. I want to keep up the pressure as there is little the Allies can do to help other than capturing Rangoon. This leaves two or three additional VP cities that can be captured before PPs become tight.

[Remington700]

Allied: August 15th 1943

China Burma India
Heavy rain continues in Burma. The British continue to move down the coast road and will soon be able to relieve the US positions.

With the fall of Kweiyang, the Chinese Army is just about split into two parts. A counterattack is an option, but with odds of 1:1 before enemy air support this will just be a waste of PPs. Better to dig in and wait for poor weather.

Last turn I made the decision to replace a dug in unit with one that had more experience and effectiveness. Kweiyang fell anyway. I imagine the outcome would be the same either way; the Chinese are not able to stop the enemy.

[Remington700]

New Hebrides Islands
The 1st Corps moves south toward Port Vila in Efate with the 2nd Marines taking their position. This clears the way for the 3rd Marines to hit the beach. After two rounds of combat the 1st Special Naval Landing Force surrenders. The island will be ours next turn.

After an airstrike from Taskforce 21 the 77th Division from Tonga hits the beach at Port Vila. The enemy surrenders and the island should be ours next turn. Taskforce 25 remains on station protecting the Marines, joined by the recently arrived CV Intrepid. Taskforce 21 steams to Fiji for repair and replacements. A-20 Havocs rebase from Tonga to Noumea and the 27th Infantry Division relocates from the Samoa Islands to Tonga.

My whole approach to this was sloppy. I still don’t understand island movement and cannot explain what is going on. I can move but cannot attack across the water. However, the plan to save the 2nd Marine Division and capture Espiritu Santo seems to be working. I choose to look at things this way...

Change
Admiral Ghromley, in charge of Naval Operations in the South Pacific Area, has let the mess at Espirito Santo get out of hand. The 2nd US Marine Division was left on their own for weeks and is nearly wiped out. A large relief attempt failed as the US 1st Corps cannot cross the strait to assault the main island. So instead of just a single division, now a full infantry corps is stuck. All with US total control of air and sea in the area.

A change is needed so Admiral Halsey is assigned to replace Ghromley. He moves quickly by sending the 77th infantry division to capture Port Vila on Efate. And pulls the 3rd Marines from supporting General MacArthur’s operation Tsunami. Mac is furious but, in the end must postpone the invasion of Port Moresby. The 3rd Marines are assigned the task to capture Espiritu Santo. Order is restored and it is time to get off the defensive.

[Remington700]

Coral Sea
Heavy rain continues over Port Moresby and New Guinea. The effects of our heavy bombing last month have probably been lost. But with the delayed arrival of the 3rd Marines, there will be time to continue to soften up the defenders before the ground offensive begins. Intelligence is weak in Rabaul so naval units are not showing on the map. It remains to be seen if the Japanese will attack the lone CV taskforce – I am not even sure if they will show on the map.

The submarines Devilfish and Wahoo arrive from the West Coast and make port at Sydney. They will be reloaded with an updated version of the Mark 14 torpedo, as will the Skipjack and the Finback. (Represented by the 1943 upgrade - the extra surface factor will increase MM damage).

Admiral Lockwood, newly appointed Commander of Submarines in the Pacific Fleet changes the use of submarines in the Pacific. The loss of the highly successful Swordfish and the refurbished Gato during a poorly planned resupply event has caused the Admiral to redirect submarine operations. They are hunters and should aggressively hunt enemy shipping. The Swordfish had confirmed kills of 6 MMs and 1 Escort, leading all other subs in the US Navy. (Out of curiosity I am tracking the missions and kills of the US submarines).

West Coast
The 4th Marines and the 6th infantry corps arrive on the west coast. They might be transported to Australia next turn. The recently arrived battleship Alabama leaves the Port of San Francisco and steams to the South Pacific. The battleship is one of the “new class” that has improved anti-air defense.

[Remington700]

Builds
UK: No Builds.
India: 1 Large Corps.
US: 8 Landing Ships. 3 Oilers. 1 Marine Division

Convoys
US: 50 OPs to NZ. 100 PPs to Australia.

[Remington700]

Japan: August 29th 1943

Burma
The rain slackens and allows the battered 121st infantry division to cross the Irrawaddy River and move to the rear. I think another half strength army is needed for the line. This will allow a full-strength army to fortify Rangoon. And will free up two or three divisions for other duty.

[Remington700]

South China
The 20th IJA advances into the vacated territory left by the Chinese Reserve Army. Units outside of Kweiyang stand down to replenish effectiveness. The attack will resume next turn.

[Remington700]

8th Army Area
General Kanda has taken command of the 8th Army Area. This includes New Guinea and islands in the Bismarck, Solomon and Coral Sea. Divisions are pulled out of New Georgia and San Cristobal. This may be a mistake however they are needed elsewhere. Two armies will be sent to this area as soon as they can be freed up from Manchuria. General Kanda believes a 20 supply island cannot be used effectively as an airbase. So, only the 60 supply islands will be contested. If the US wastes time invading non-essential locations, then it will be that much longer before another Victory Point city falls. And the IJN may get a cheap shot at an enemy carrier

[Remington700]

Reports
Japan: 1 Airfield. Replacements bumped up to 200 to finish naval repairs and replenish weaker units.

[Remington700]

Allied: August 29th 1943

Burma
Rain continues across India and Burma. No ground attacks are launched. US and British dive-bombers strike the Japanese 25th Army in the Myitkyina bulge, 100 miles south of the city. One Japanese SP is destroyed. P-47s fly to a small airstrip on the Irrawaddy River. The fighter-bombers can strike in many directions from this location. The battle-hardened British 10th Corps embarks into boxcars at the Ledo station and rails to Chittagong.

[Remington700]

Bay of Bengal
The British 12th light corps arrives in Madras and will soon head to the front. The cruiser Canberra and the CL DeRuter steam into the Indian Ocean and head towards Darwin. They will patrol the Timor Sea and annoy the port of Dili. The British Main Fleet leaves Calcutta and steams to the Andaman Islands to blockade Port Blair. During a night action Japanese torpedo boats race to intercept but are soon blown out of the water. Bettys from Bangkok were spotted in the area but did not target the fleet. At first light, bombers from the Hermes strike Port Blair doing little damage. However, the planes did raise their experience to 26%. (I am looking forward to starting a game with the Hermes having a better initial starting experience. They have come a long way from 10% - probably not worth the SPs but I am having fun watching the skill level climb.)

South China
No change in the line. The Chinese wait for the coming attack and hope for bad weather.

China Seas
The submarine SS-215 Growler arrives in the East China Sea looking for convoys. The SS-173 Pike returns to the South China Sea in search of enemy vessels. Both subs have the newest technology onboard and look forward to a higher kill rate this mission.