Attack Attack Attack - a Hotseat AAR

[Remington700]

Japan: February 13th 1944

Indochina
Moulmein is abandoned. The Japanese Southwest Army Group retreats to the east setting up a line along the Ping River. The beat-up 15th Army moves south toward Chumphon and will continue on to Malaya. A squadron of Bettys fly to Singapore and a fighter group of A6m3s relocate to Kuala Lampur. Nells bombers and land-based Judy dive-bombers fly CAP over the Gulf of Thailand and along the coast of Indochina. The defense is still too weak around Saigon and Cam Ranh. Torpedo Boats will be moved into the area to patrol just off the coast to aid the defense against unescorted enemy transports.

South China
Snow changes to heavy rain all along the front. Chinese armies are pushing the border of Indochina and force the withdrawal from Lao Cai. This leaves a 100-mile gap in the line from Haiphong to the Mekong River. Kweiyang has been abandoned to straighten the line from the agriculture facilities to Nanning. This will free up units that can be used elsewhere.

It is hard to give up the ground that was so costly to capture. In retrospect, I should have halted the offensive much earlier. Taking Kweiyang was not worth the price – it provides no strategic value unless you can take Kunming or Chungking. I think you either go all in or stop early in this theater. I did neither – lesson learned.

[Remington700]

New Guinea
With the 19th Army pushed out of Jayapura into the hills to the south, they are now in danger of being cutoff and starved out. The 3rd SNLF is digging in at Wewak to slow the advance of the allied invaders. This is the only chance to send the Combined Fleet into battle for New Guinea, however the decision is made to leave the fleet in port. Even without the US air cover, it is not worth the risk. The CVs are needed to defend the Philippines and to keep the enemy carriers in one group. The goal will be to delay the enemy for as long as possible with the knowledge this area cannot be held.

[Remington700]

Reports
Japan: 1 Infantry Army.

Convoys
Japan: 86 PPs to Thailand.

[Remington700]

Allied: February 13th 1944

Burma
With Japan’s pullback Allied forces capture Moulmein and carefully move forward. Supply is a major concern as we must remain in supply to avoid a damaging counterattack. The British Main Fleet heads down the Malayan peninsula to launch an air attack on Chumphon. G3M Nells jump the fleet but are driven off by P-47 Thunderbolts from Rangoon. Three Nell SPs were shot down with a loss of a single SP. The airstrike on Chumphon was good practice for the CV strike force raising carrier plane experience to 40%.

I am unsure what will happen with the capture of Moulmein. I have read in the forums about odd supply issues in Indochina. My hope is Rangoon will become a supply source opening the railroad to level 9 supply. Which should open the Burma Road for operation. We shall see what happens.

[Remington700]

South China
Heavy rain continues across China. Troops from the 3rd War Area continue their push into Indochina. The goal is to drive a wedge between the large enemy force to the south and their armies in China. Cutting off Haiphon from the rest of Indochina is a good start. (Again, I need to be careful as I am unclear on what will happen to supply if this plan is successful.)

Convoy Attacks
In the South China Sea P-47s out of Rangoon sink a cargo ship. The Finback, Wahoo and Devilfish are not so fortunate. No targets were spotted. In the East China Sea the Pike and Skipjack are also unsuccessful. However the bonefish spots a freighter easily sinking her before escorting destroyers can respond.

Borneo
Not much happening in Borneo. Heavy rain over land along the Java Sea stops the bombing of DEI resources so air operations will be limited to convoy attacks during the turn change. Patrols from the 32nd and 7th infantry divisions continue to clear the area along the coast in South Borneo. The island should be fully controlled in a couple of weeks.

[Remington700]

New Guinea
B-24 liberators pound positions of the Japanese 3rd SNLF at Wewak. Carrier based airstrikes follow further reducing the effectiveness of the enemy. The US 7th Corps hits the position hard doing 4 SPs in damage with little loss. The enemy holds so a second assault is launched with better results. After losing two more SPs the chewed-up 3rd SNLF retreats to the hills in the south. The US 5th Corps exploits the position and secures Wewak. This will greatly improve supply and allow air units to move into the area. Lae can now be hit with multiple land-based airstrikes.

The 5th Marine Division arrives in Rock Hampton on the northeast coast of Australia. Farther north the US 8th Corps disembarks in Mackay. These units will possibly be used for Operation Cartwheel, the capture of Rabaul. Or help with the conquest of Lae.

The submarine blockade of Milne Bay is lifted to deal with a problem in Pago Pago - INJ torpedo boats have shut down shipping to the island. The enemy at Milne Bay is not a threat due to supply issues along the Owen Stanley range. However this does provide them an opportunity to evacuate the position which was something I was trying to delay.

[Remington700]

Builds
UK: No builds.
India: 1 Large Corps.
USSR: 1 HQ – 2nd Far East Front
USA: 2 Marine Divisions. 2 Oilers. 2 Supply units. 1 Intel unit.

Convoys
USA: 10 OPs to India
USA: 80 OPs to UK
UK: 20 PPs to USA

[Remington700]

Japan: February 27th 1944

Burma
MTBs arrive in the Gulf of Thailand and offshore of Saigon. They will be used to detour unescorted landing craft from taking a cheap shot along the Thailand and Indochina coast. Fighters remain grounded for now as they save oil and rebuild effectiveness. Supply is a concern as there are eight armies and three divisions defending in the area. The initiative has been lost so now it comes down to “build a defense and see what happens”. Not something I am happy about.

[Remington700]

South China
The reduction in force continues as the 6th and 20th armies make their way to the coast. Haiphong, on the China border needs to be better defended. Currently there is not much enemy pressure but that can change fast. More units need to be moved into this area.

[Remington700]

Malayan Peninsula
The 13th Army is digging in at Singapore. And the 30th Army is securing Kuala Lumpur as this is key to Allied supply in Malaya – I think. General Adachi sets up his Malayan Army Area HQ south of the Pahang River. He has taken command of the Malayan Peninsula and the Dutch East Indies. The defense is getting stronger, but a few coastal defenses are needed in the area.

[Remington700]

New Guinea
The starving 19th Army continues to make their way southeast along the Bismarck ridge line. The terrain is tough and they remain out of supply. Further to the east the severely damaged 3rd SNLF has reached the Ramu River and will soon be resupplied. They will continue to make their way down river to aid in the defense of Lae.
With the departure of the blockading British submarines the 5th Special Naval Landing Force embarks on transports and escapes the trap at Milne Bay. They head to Rabaul to replace the 7th SNLF that moved to Kavieng. This secures the perimeter islands around Rabaul and the 8th Army Area HQ. However New Georgia and Guadalcanal are left undefended and can easily be converted to airbases by the enemy. While scattered replacements still trickle in General Kanda understands there is no help on the way. The IJN will remain in the Philippines so the 8th Army Area is on their own.

[Remington700]

Reports
Japan: 1 Intel unit.
Thailand: 1 Division.

[Remington700]

Allied: February 27th 1944

Indochina
With the capture of Rangoon and Moulmein the Burma Road is reopened. The US 4th Army under command of General Patch slowly pushes south toward the Malayan Peninsula. This will allow them to either continue south or break to the east and push Bangkok. Following reports of enemy naval activity in the Gulf of Thailand, SBD dive-bombers and P-47 fighter bombers attempt to locate targets but return to base unsuccessful. Indian and British infantry corps close in on the enemy positions in the Ping River line. There are a couple of months left before the monsoon rains hit which is enough time to capture Bangkok however Saigon will probably have to wait until October.

Armies in the 3rd Chinese War Area continue to push south to drive a wedge between Haiphong and the rest of Indochina. The 1st Long Range Penetration group holds the breach in the enemy line. The Japanese 21st Division is caught in a pocket north of the Hong River with the Chinese 14th Army to the south, just outside Haiphong. The Indian 4th Corps is just a hundred miles to the west and the Allies may be able to link up next turn.

[Remington700]

China
Continued poor weather has caused Japanese forces to leave a gap in the line around the Yangtze River. The 1st Chinese Army launches a probing attack and meeting no resistance push east along the river creating a breach in the line. The enemy is in no shape to counterattack so this attack may be exploited.

Convoy Attacks
Due to the increase in enemy convoys to Thailand, 15 separate attacks were completed resulting in the loss of 10 merchant marine and 3 destroyer escorts. The cost was high as the Wahoo was damaged and the Growler was sunk.

Something seems to be off. As mentioned before there is record of escorts being sunk but according to the combat log and Japan’s Convoy / Builds tabs the escorts appear to be usable. I did a separate post on this to try and figure out which tab is correct. I can always remove the escorts from the convoy lanes if needed.

[Remington700]

New Guinea
Operation Postern – the capture of Lae is launched. The US 5th Corps mops up the remnants of the 3rd SNLF and moves down the coast road towards Lae. The 7th Corps is to their rear guarding the supply line from Wewak. Stragglers from the Japanese 19th Army are still in the hills along the Bismarck Range. This could pose a threat to supply but will become less of a problem as the enemy continues to dissipate.

The US 5th Fleet steams to Huon Gulf just offshore of Lae. The port is blockaded and supply is now cut to all enemy forces on New Guinea. A squadron of P-47 Thunderbolts fly to Wewak and another to the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland. The fighters along with carrier-based planes will attempt to shutdown enemy resupply by air. The light cruiser USS Boise has been modified for resupply greatly increasing the amount of equipment that can be landed ashore. The ship leads Task Force 61, breaking away from the main fleet to resupply Wewak and units in the general area.

[Remington700]

Builds
UK: 2 Landing ships. 1 Intel unit.
India: No builds.
USA: 1 Large Corps. 1 HQ.

Convoys
USA: 10 OPs to India
USA: 80 OPs to UK
UK: 20 PPs to USA

[John B.]

Will Bangkok give the allies a level 5 port? I wonder if the Kudo Butai should make a sortie to see if it can discombobulate things as it appears that Japan is increasingly on the ropes.

[Remington700]

I was thinking thinking the same thing. Japan has to do something.

***Spoiler Alert*** Last night during Japan's March 26th turn I took a stab at forcing an interdiction with the British Fleet that shows up off the western coast of the Malayan Peninsula. It is a one leg move to be in range. The question then became - should the IJN stick around?

[Remington700]

Japan: March 12th 1944

Indochina
MTBs patrol the bay around Bangkok and the mouth of the Ping River. The line continues to dig in to the south and pulls back 50 miles in the north to link up with friendly forces in China. To the north, the 27th Division pulls back from the Hong River pocket. The 6th Army arrives at the outskirts of Haiphong and will soon be joined by the 20th Army embarking transports in Haikou. The 19th Division from Shanghai disembarks in Vinh and will prepare for movement next turn. The defense in this area is not yet complete but each week it is improving. The Saigon area still needs attention and then things will be set.

[Remington700]

Philippines

The armored deck CV Taiho arrives in Manila Bay. This brings the Combined Fleet up to nine carriers however only two of them are fleet CVs. A beat-up fighter unit has left the DEI in route to Legaspi for replacements. It will stay in the area supporting the two Naval Air wings in the zone. An MTB arrives from Truk to patrol the east coast of the southern Luzon shoreline. The 29th Division arrives from the Solomon Islands to reinforce Davao. And the 7th SNLF lands in Legaspi to defend the port. General Yamada is moving his command post north towards central Luzon. A lot of resources are pouring into the Islands as the Philippines must be held into mid-1945.