Attack Attack Attack - a Hotseat AAR

[Remington700]

Reports
Japan: No builds. Replacements remain at 200 PPs.

With the loss of Borneo oil, supply has reduced to 40 OPs per turn. This is still more than upkeep so is yet to be a problem. As a benefit, Merchant Marine is freed up, now at a surplus of fifty-three. The key is not to lose any more oil production.

[Remington700]

Allied: November 7th 1943

Burma
Preliminary air strikes soften up the Imperial Guards Division south of Myitkyina. This is followed up by a three-pronged assault by the Indian 1st and 2nd Corps plus with surprising cooperation, a cross border raid by the Chinese 1st Cavalry. The attack is supported by SBD dive-bombers protected by IAF Hurricanes. An enemy sortie of Val bombers is soon shot up and driven off by the Hurricanes. The Japanese infantry are chewed up taking a 4 SP loss but somehow manage to hold. A second push does the job with the Imperial Guards routing after taking another 2 SP loss. 2nd Corps advances into the enemy position while the Chinese cavalry disappears into the jungle.(I prefer to think of them as a long range recon unit.) Elements of the Japanese 1st Army are now caught in a pocket and will be forced to retreat. We have the enemy on the run.

Far south on the Irrawaddy line the P47 Jugs strike the positions of the Japanese 41st infantry division. Supported by SBD dive-bombers the US 4th Corp attacks. Losses are light and the enemy holds, but their effectiveness does take a hit.

South China
The snow continues. No movement or operations take place. Learning from the prior year effectiveness will be preserved and supply will be stocked up rather than used to cover pointless movement.

[Remington700]

Battle of Sulu Sea

Before the landings commence on Kula Belait, the Japanese Air Fleet is spotted approaching south of Palawan. Task Force 55, the left wing of the US 5th Fleet breaks away from the invasion force to meet the enemy head on. In the process they are intercepted leading to a carrier shoot out.

The new Nakajima B6N “Jill” torpedo planes break through the fighter net and target the Enterprise hitting her with two fish. The carrier is heavily damaged but still in the fight. A mix of Aichi D3A and Yokosuka D4Y “Judy” dive-bombers pounce on the CVs Hornet and Enterprise doing heavy damage and sinking the nearby BB Indiana. Rushing in to assist the burning battleship the CA Houston takes two torpedo hits from late arriving Jills from the CV Hiyo. Two hundred miles away SBD dive-bombers and TBF torpedo planes target the fleet carrier Hiyo hitting her multiple times, setting her ablaze. The CVL Ryuho takes evasive action and dodges multiple torpedoes but is hit in the aft hanger by a bomb. The BB Haruna takes damage but continues to throw up a ton of flack trying to protect the remaining fleet carriers Junyo and Soryu.

Task Force 56, the right wing of the US 5th Fleet moves to the left of the battle line and launches bombers. Unable to find targes they head back to their carriers. The CV group returns to protect the invasion force with the task forces crossing to put TF 56 closer to the enemy. Approaching shore, the Cruiser Takao moves in close and drops “long lance” torpedoes before being jumped on by SBDs returning from their unsuccessful sortie. The cruiser is quickly sunk but her torpedoes do their job with two striking the CV Yorktown. The carrier goes up in flames but does not sink.

The opening round is a draw with the US sinking an enemy fleet carrier and a cruiser while three US carriers are heavily damaged, and the battleship Indiana is sunk. The Enterprise breaks away from the group and heads back to Sydney for repairs while the Hornet and Yorktown stay on station.

Operation Oboe
Oboe Three – the invasion of Kuala Belait. The 4th Marine Division hits the beach south of Kuala Belait and pushes inland. They are resupplied from small vessels offshore, guarded by SS-238 Wahoo. The 3rd Marine Division lands to the north and drives inland cutting the rail line to the tank farm. They were pre-supplied before loading in LCVPs. The Japanese 63rd Division has a perimeter set up around the port area.

Sarawak
Oboe Four – the invasion of Sarawak. The 32nd Infantry division lands on the east beach and pushes south to the coast road. The 1st Marine Division lands on the point to the west of the port and pushes inland capturing the oil tanks. The Japanese 121st Division is now surrounded in Sarawak.

[Remington700]

Maluku Islands

Oboe Five – the Australian landings in the Maluku Islands. Australian forces land unopposed and secure the port in Ambon. The assault group heading for Manando is redirected. Coastwatchers report Japanese reinforcements have arrived in strength and are digging in. Following their contingency plan the landing force heads east and hits the beach capturing the port at Kao Bay.

Oboe Six – the US capture of Sorong on the Vogelkop (Bird Head) Peninsula is underway. The 27th Division arrives late to Sorong so landings will be delayed. There does not appear to be an organized defense in the area, so the invasion is expected to be a success.

[Remington700]

Other
Flight operations in the Coral Sea are suspended due to heavy rain on the Australian north coast. A group of B-24 bombers equipped for naval air attack heads to Australia.

UK: No Builds.
India: No builds. Increased replacements to 291.
US: 1 A-20 Havoc (Medium Naval Air)

Convoys
UK: 19 PPs to India.
US: 119 PPs to India.

[John B.]

The Empire of Japan does still hold a large lead in VP but it can't be good for them for the Allies to be taking the oil and pushing towards Rangoon and it's still 1943. Plus, more US ships will keep showing up and Japan can't afford constant attrition.

[Remington700]

Japan: November 21st 1943

Burma
Elements of the 1st Army pull back from prepared positions along the Irrawaddy River to straighten the line. The 2nd Bde of the of the 21st Army move northeast to secure the far right of the line. The Japanese flank is being rolled and it is proving difficult to block the enemy advance. Help is on the way from South China but will be months before they can get into position. (Without the defensive bonus of river crossings and the jungle malus these small armies cannot stand up to multiple full-strength corps.)

South China
The 13th, 16th and 11th armies plus elements of the 20th Army head to Indochina and Burma to aid with the defense. It is unlikely Japanese troops will be able to resume offensive actions in May.

[Remington700]

Battle of Sulu Sea
The Japanese Air Fleets stay on station for one last attempt to sink the US carriers. G4M Bettys fly three sorties targeting US Task Force 55 in attempt to sink fleet carriers. No ships are hit but seven carrier air SPs are destroyed.

At first light the 1st Air Fleet begins to launch planes for another air strike. Out of the blue SBD dive-bombers swam the carriers. CAP is insufficient and bombers are caught on the flight decks. The mighty Soryu is immediately sunk with the loss of all her experienced pilots (87% experience). The Yamato takes two hits while trying to put up a wall of flak to protect the carrier. The Ryuho is the next victim, “suffering hits by three 500 lb bombs and two 5.5-inch rockets. The damage was severe: the flight deck bulged upward between the two elevators, the No. 1 boiler was punctured by a bomb fragment, the stern settled two meters into the water, and a raging fire broke out.” Tully, Anthony P. "IJN Ryuho: Tabular Record of Movement"

During the fight the Juyno and Hosho are able to launch bombers. They locate the damaged CV Yorktown and immediately sink her. The CV Wasp is hit hard and but remains under power. The battleship Nevada is damaged during the fight but continues to provide anti-air defense. The Japanese Air Fleets leave the area, landing planes along the way. Their destination is the naval repair facilities in Manila Bay.

The Naval battle was a win for the Allies sinking two Japanese fleet carriers and a CVL while losing one fleet carrier and a battleship. Tactically this was a big setback to the Imperial Navy. Strategically things are not as bad since the IJN will be reinforced by two light carriers in late December bringing their total to eight ships. Which is enough to make it risky for the Allies to split their carriers to run simultaneous operations. However, the lack of fleet carriers does put the IJN at a disadvantage in head-to-head combat.

The performance of LBA with Naval Air specialization was weak. In my experience they seem to do better when intercepting.

[Remington700]

Carriers
The status and strength of opposing carriers.


*****Edited to fix a screenshot fail*****

[Remington700]

Reports
Japan: No builds. Replacements remain at 200 PPs.

[Remington700]

ORIGINAL: John B.

The Empire of Japan does still hold a large lead in VP but it can't be good for them for the Allies to be taking the oil and pushing towards Rangoon and it's still 1943. Plus, more US ships will keep showing up and Japan can't afford constant attrition.

I agree - attrition is really hurting Japan. Many of their battleships were damaged in the last battle and will take a lot of Production Points to repair. PPs that are desperately needed in Burma.

The oil situation is interesting. It has not been a problem for Japan but once the faucet shuts off it could get serious fast.

I keep coming back to the same conclusion. Allied forces must have multiple operations happening simultaneously to overcome the VP deficit. And Japan must do everything they can to force a single, step by step Allied advance. Which means the Allied ability to split their carrier forces will probably decide the outcome of the game.

[John B.]

I'm not sure how the VP shake out, but the allied advance in Burma could be considered another front since they are so far ahead of schedule. It seems as it has had the additional benefit of lifting pressure on Japan. As always, thanks for such a great AAR![&o][&o]

[Remington700]

Allied: November 21st 1943

Burma
Four air strikes target the left side of the Japanese 1st Army at the town of Mandalay. They are dug in behind the Irrawaddy River but are exposed to attack from three directions. Two Indian and a British corps attack with heavy artillery and engineers to help with the river crossing. Val dive-bombers fly ground support for the enemy but are shot up (4 SPs) before they can do any real damage. The left side of the 1st Army collapses (loss of 5 SPs) relinquishing the position to the 3rd Indian Corps.

The attack continues as on the 1st Army’s right flank with three Indian Corps doing heavy damage (4 SPs), pushing the enemy across the Salween River. With the Burma Corps moving into the vacated area, the Japanese line is beginning to crumble in the north. The recent losses will be difficult for the enemy to replace.

Far south on the west bank of the Irrawaddy P-47s strike the beat-up Japanese 41st infantry division. The US 4th Corps assaults the position forcing the enemy to retreat south towards the Irrawaddy delta. Allied ground forces are now within 100 miles of Rangoon.

South China
No movement as the Chinese armies hunker down to wait out the winter. The enemy line is being stripped for now, however may be reinforced in the spring.

China Seas
In the South China Sea SS-215 Growler fails to sport a target. They remain on station hunting enemy shipping. In the East China Sea, the Devilfish comes up short but the Tang spots and sinks a Merchant Marine. Escorting destroyers arrive too late to be a threat.

[Remington700]

Operation Oboe
Resupplied, the 1st Marines and the 32nd Division supported with both naval and air, assault the Japanese defenders in Sarawak. The enemy is quickly overrun, and the port is taken. Three down, one to go. After leaving the 117th division at the port, the reduced strength 5th Corps marches through the Tarakan pass and joins the 3rd and the 4th Marines in the attack on Kuala Belait. The enemy is dug in around the port as is supported by Bettys from Mindanao. They hold. A second attack is more successful and the 63rd Division crumbles. The Port of Kuala Belait is secured ending the initial operation. All ports in Borneo are under Allied control.

An enemy division holds Manando and will need to be dealt with next turn. The 27th Division prepares to enter Sorong unopposed.

[Remington700]

Australia
Heavy rain continues in northern Australia. The US 5th Fleet enters the Coral Sea on their way to Sydney for repair and replacements.

West Coast
The submarines Bonefish and Mingo head to Australia. B-24s equipped for Naval Attack arrive in Australia and head to Cairns on the way to Borneo.

[Remington700]

Builds
UK: 2 Landing Ships. 3 Oilers.
India: 1 Ground Attack – close support.
US: No Builds.

Convoys
US: 15 OPs to United Kingdom.
US: 120 PPs and 10 OPs to India.

[Remington700]

ORIGINAL: John B.

I'm not sure how the VP shake out, but the allied advance in Burma could be considered another front since they are so far ahead of schedule. It seems as it has had the additional benefit of lifting pressure on Japan. As always, thanks for such a great AAR![&o][&o]

Thank you for the support! I think you are right about the Burma front. The northern part of the Japanese line does not have much left. If the Allies can keep rolling the flank Rangoon will fall early next year. Then Singapore could be next with pressure from the north and from the sea.

[Remington700]

Japan: December 5th 1943

Burma
The Japanese defense focused on digging in heavy Corps behind the Irrawaddy River. However the enemy is rolling the flank from the north where small corps are being hit in open ground without time to dig in. From Yenangyaung to the east there is not much to stop the enemy advance. At some point soon Rangoon may have to be abandoned and a new line set up behind the Salween River. (I underestimated the effect of losing the Jungle terrain advantage and am surprised by the allied success in the lower supplied hexes in the north.)

South China
The snow continues so no activity other than the 11th, 16th and 13th armies moving towards Indochina and support of Burma. However it is taking too long, and a large amount of ground may be lost before help can arrive.

[Remington700]

South China Sea
With the fall of Borneo too many areas are suddenly at risk. The Japanese do not have enough corps to defend as well as I would like. Divisions will be moved in to fill the gaps. Things are now changing from holding a defensive line to more of a fighting withdrawal doctrine.

The ports at Bangkok and Singapore are concerns due to their ability to fully supply and repair naval units. Kula Lumpur is also a concern as it is the key to capturing Singapore. Carrier losses have been a setback but not the end of the world. The allies still need to keep their fleet together for safety so operations will be limited to one at a time. And if we can tie them up at Borneo while keeping the local level 5 ports under Japanese control, the allies will be stretched thin. This is probably the best we can hope for at this point in the game.

[Remington700]

Marshall Islands
The decision is made to pull back the outer defense to an area easily traversed by the newly created Mobile Air Fleet based in Manila. The defense of the Marshall and Gilbert islands is considerably weakened. Bettys (Naval Air) stationed on Tarawa have been relocated to Guam. A squadron of Val dive-bombers (Naval Air) remain at Kwajalein for now. Without the overlapping flight ranges the door is opened for the invasion of Tarawa or Wotje islands. However the air unit will allow Kwajalein to hold out much longer.