Attack Attack Attack - a Hotseat AAR

[Remington700]

New Hebrides Islands
The New Hebrides Islands have been liberated. Port Vila is occupied by the US 1st Corps. The 77th Division is still on the beach waiting for orders to move inland. The harbor on Espiritu Santo is captured by the 2nd Marines. In honor of all they have been through, the high command felt it would be appropriate for the unit to take the port.

The Canadian submarine off the coast of Efate heads to Auckland for resupply. The British submarine Venus stays offshore of New Caledonia protecting the supply line into the Noumea harbor. The battleship Alabama and Task Force 25 head to Fiji to join the main US fleet. All will repair and resupply as needed before their next mission.

[Remington700]

Coral Sea
Heavy rain hits the northeast coast of Australia. Planes are grounded for offensive action. The bombing of Port Moresby will have to wait for another turn to resume. The invasion is pushed farther out. Which is unfortunate as the ultimate objective is the capture of Jayapura and it may now be postponed for months. The Gilberts and Marshalls are starting to look like a better option for offensive action.

[Remington700]

Builds
UK: 4 Landing Ships
India: No Builds.
US: 2 Supply units.

Convoys
US: 50 Ops to NZ.

COMINT: Both the UK and the US build intelligence units.

Operating Plans
Plans are finalized for many possible amphibious operations. Naval intelligence and enemy dispositions will determine the next step.
- Operation Tsunami – Port Moresby
- Operation Galvanic – Tarawa
- Operation Flintlock - Kwajalein
- Operation Catchpole – Eniwetok
- Operation Forager – Saipan and Guam
- Operation Stalemate – Palau and Yap
- Operation Musketeer – Philippines
- Operation Oboe six – Borneo

[Remington700]

Japan: September 12th 1943

Burma
The 22nd Army lands at Rangoon. The Irrawaddy line continues to grow stronger. Bettys and Vals target the British Main Fleet blockading Port Blair. CAP from the HMS Hermes is ineffectual shooting down three Betty SPs while being totally wiped out. This leaves the enemy ships unprotected and one last sortie by Val dive-bombers hit the BB Ramillies causing two SPs in damage. The BC Repulse was hit during the action suffering minor damage.

[Remington700]

South China
Two airstrikes from Nell bombers at Changsha soften up the Chinese 10th Army north of Kweiyang. Following the bombardment, the Japanese 13th Army assaults the rail bridge on the enemy’s right flank while the 11th Army cross the river to hit their left. Enemy losses at the bridge are heavy (6 SPs) while the 11th loses two SPs crossing the river. Nell bombers provided ground support for the operation. The attack fails and is called off after three attempts to take the position.

[Remington700]

Bismarck Sea
Task Force 11 leaves Rabaul with three light carriers, four battleships and two cruisers to catch the British Fleet in the Andaman Sea. (TF 11's current location is in the Java Sea, 26 hexes from the enemy. This is within one leg of the enemy, which should cause an interception and allow for one carrier strike next turn).

[Remington700]

Reports

Japan: No builds.

Victory points continue to grow. With a 330 VP difference I think things continue to point towards a Japanese win. Allied forces need to do something positive as the attempt to take Rangoon has slowed down. Playing the Allies I want to go all in with the US carriers but am trying to be patient as their loss would seal the deal for the Japanese. Carriers must be used in two large groups to retain tactical advantage.

[Remington700]

Manchuria
Looking at Manchuria, there are now 16 units within 10 hexes of Harbin. This means the Japanese armies have been pulled out and redistributed across the map. They could be anywhere, including one hex islands.

[Remington700]

South China
Chinese forces remain on the defensive. There is some movement of reserves to shift an army from the north. Priority replacements and supply are sent to 10th Army along with a group of assault guns. The unit has received orders to hold their ground and are ready face another attack. To the south of Kweiyang, the 7th Army also receives an attachment of assault guns. The line must hold for another month as the weather is due to turn wet for the winter.

China Sea
In the East China Sea the Growler sinks a merchant vessel but is caught by escorting destroyers. After diving deep, they take depth charge damage (1 SP) so head back to Sydney for repairs. The Tang stays on station and two more subs arrive in the area.

In the South China Sea the Pike spots a cargo ship but cannot line up for a good shot. Escorting destroyers take away their angle so the Pike will have to wait for another day. The hunt is joined by the Devilfish and expectations are high.

[Remington700]

New Hebrides Islands
Task Force 25 returning from operations off Espiritu Santo joins the 5th fleet in Fiji. They will take on replacements and supply to be ready for operations in a turn. The 7th Division moves to set up defensive positions at Port Vila.

[Remington700]

Coral Sea
Rain continues over Rabaul and New Guinea. B-17s from the Cairns airbase bomb Rabaul doing no damage but provide excellent recon. Three Japanese CVLs and assorted battleships are no longer in port and may be heading towards either the Andaman Sea or the Marshall Islands. The Canadian submarine is sent to Gilberts to reconnoiter the area.

Five airstrikes are launched against Port Moresby losing five fighter SPs shooting six A6m3 SPs. This should be causing a loss in effectiveness as well as PPs for air replacements. However, it does tip off the enemy that Port Moresby may well be an invasion target soon. Or it could be a misdirection. (Playing hotseat forces you to have multiple plans and act when a mistake is made. With perfect knowledge the enemy can react very fast. I do try to limit attacks to what I can see – such as avoiding lightly defended areas like Truk – unless I can see the status – then its fair game.)

West Coast
The 7th infantry corps arrives in San Francisco. The 4th Marine Division and a HQ unit head to Australia.

[Remington700]

Builds
UK: 1 Airfield.
India: No builds.
US: 1 Strategic (B-24) Naval Air unit.

Convoys
UK: 19 PPs to India.
US: 50 OPs to UK.

COMINT: 1 US signals intelligence unit.

[Remington700]

Japan: September 26th 1943

Burma
Rain continues but is expected to clear up next turn. The defense is set, and air units stand down to build effectiveness. This area will be active soon.

South China
Nell bombers again pound the Chinese 10th Army north of Kweiyang doing a SP in damage. Another frontal assault across the rail bridge is easily repulsed. The enemy has been reinforced by assault guns which are used with great effectiveness. (The odds worsened to 1:1 with the actual attack.) The 6th Army replaces the 13th Army in Kweiyang. Poor weather is expected for next few months so offensive operations could well grind to a halt.

[Remington700]

Bismarck Sea
Task Force 11 returns to Rabaul from their mission as the British Main Fleet has disappeared. The BC Hiei has been raised from the bottom of the bay and is now patched up and operationally functional. The shot up A6m3s are grounded for repair and replacements. CAP is flown by the Zeros from Kavieng airbase.

The 7th Special Naval Landing Force relocates from Rabaul to Manus in the Admiralty Islands. And the 2nd Army detachment lands in Wewak on the way to Rabaul.

[Remington700]

Reports
Japan Builds: 1 Infantry Army

Compared to last turn, not much has changed other than less air SPs for both the US and Japan.

[Remington700]

Allied: September 26th 1943

Burma
Rain continues through the end of September. Fairey and SBD dive-bombers continue to strike the Japanese 25th Army in the Myitkyina pocket. However the wet weather keeps ground combat at bay. P-47s from the south Irrawaddy air base target the airfield at Moulmein but do no damage. Boston bombers of the IAF arrive at Calcutta. They will be heading to the front to provide close support.

[Remington700]

South China
The Chinese 10th Army is resupplied and receives replacements. They have been under constant attack but have been holding their ground. With bad weather on the way there is hope the line can be held.

China Sea
In the East China Sea the Tang, Finback, Wahoo and Skipjack fail to sink a ship. No damage to any of the submarines allows them to stay on station. However the Skipjack does head to the South China Sea. In the South China Sea the Pike and the Devilfish are unsuccessful but remain in the area hunting targets.

[Remington700]

Greater Australian Area
Rain continues along the north coast of Australia as the US builds up troops for an invasion. The location of which remains top secret. (Playing hotseat with the War Plan engine, I develop two or three options that can be originated from the same point. Then at D-Day I chose the best option based on what I can see during the attacker's turn. This limits the effect of perfect knowledge. The enemy cannot stack the LZ at the last minute but the attacker is limited by what they can see. War Plan has the best engine for hotseat play that I have seen.)

Japanese spotters from Lae are unable to locate the 4th Marine Division before they disembark from transports in Cairns. The 1st Marine Division arrives from India. They disembark in Darwin and await further orders. The Australian 3rd infantry division, supported by the Canberra and De Ruter, land on Timor and will launch an assault on Dili. The US 7th Division relocates to Derby on the northwest coast of Australia and the 32nd Division moves to the port at Normanton.

A total of seven air missions are flown against Port Moresby. This must be softening them up. B-17s bomb the Japanese fleet at Rabaul getting tore up in the process. The enemy shoots down 8 SPs with little loss to their own. However the recon does show all nine Japanese carriers are in the port. The B-17s are grounded for repair and replacements.

The Growler arrives in Sydney for repairs. Admiral Lockwood, commander of Submarine Force Pacific Fleet, is unhappy with the off-mission time of his fleet. He is pushing for the capture of a port closer to the Japanese convoy routes. Complete with repair and supply facilities. (This is simulated in game by a level 5 port or higher.)

[Remington700]

Builds
UK: No builds.
India: No builds.
Canada: 2 Landing Ships.
USSR: 1 Mech. 3 Infantry Army. 4 Attack subs.
US: 1 Transport. 8 Landing Ships.

Convoys
UK: 19 PPs to India.
US: 50 OPs to UK.

[Remington700]

Japan: October 10th 1943

Burma
Rain continues for now. The defense is set. No movement this turn except for relocating a couple of divisions around Moulmein. The 25th Army anchors the line in northern Burma at the Myitkyina pocket. Rangoon is heavily defended and will be hard to take amphibiously.