Spanking Lowpe (NJP72 vs Lowpe (A))

[Lowpe]

The Gilberts have been retaken! The Marines start fortifying the base....

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Strike that....will turn off all base development for 5 days to simulate the damage the base should have suffered.

[Lowpe]

Nov 7, 1942

I don't like sticking around a second day for invasions...so a general retirement back to the fighter coverage and defenses of Abemama. Task Force Carpenter retired to Tabby, and ran into an Iboat. The destroyers and DMs shielded the two slow battleships nicely:

ASW attack near Nonouti at 136,132

Japanese Ships
SS I-171

Allied Ships
DD Gilmer
DM Montgomery
DM Tracy
DD Fox
DD John D. Edwards

SS I-171 launches 2 torpedoes at DD Gilmer
I-171 diving deep ....

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[Lowpe]

Americans are getting lots of land units and getting them forward is the difficult part...the 147th Regiment (US Army) is only 27 points prepped for PagoPago but it doesn't look like they face much of a defense. Lot of Japanese VPs here, although I am in no fear of a IJ autovictory...currently it is 2.01 Japan ratio.

Funny, given all the American troops flooding in, the shortages are quite annoying: fast transport, recon, landing ships, patrol ships, mines. We have plenty of troops prepped for the Marianas, but lack the naval firepower (fleet carriers!) to take control of the seas. The KB is truly the only counter that I fear....everything else is a nuisance even the super battleships.

Given shipping logistics, it might make more sense to simply head down the Kuriles to Hokkaido once the fleet carriers start showing up.

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[witpqs]

Early reconquest - good job!

[Lowpe]

The Steel Inventor finally goes down...hit with 4 torpedoes over three attacks in the last two week or so. I could have scuttled her prior to this attack as she was so heavily damaged and a long way from safety...but I elected not to since an Iboat was in her hex already and I figured lets get the Iboat to use up more ammunition. Cost me the Captain, but he was only a 35 naval skill. Still the Steel Inventor did her job in getting an AA unit to Wake Island before being torpedoed three times on her return trip.

Sub attack near Wake Island at 147,101

Japanese Ships
SS I-176

Allied Ships
xAK Steel Inventor, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
YMS-98

SS I-176 launches 2 torpedoes at xAK Steel Inventor

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[ushakov]

Thought that I recognized the name 'Steel Inventor' from somewhere - looked her up and found that IRL she had a long and industrious career, during which she even sank a destroyer... just not in the way that an AFB would wish.

[Lowpe]

Great story! I love looking up the records of ships that are often forgotten...but Steel Inventor was infamous. I wonder what happened to the Captain?

[Lowpe]

Nov 8th, 1942

Might invade Pago Pago tomorrow. Idaho has destroyed all the enemy there I think....9/10 DL and no troops left. Our prep is only 28. Moving on Noumea area next...

Was going to pull off a minor raid on Marcus and the IJN ships there...small stuff pretty much, but some destroyers that are worth sinking...now we will high tail it instead!

Sub attack near Wake Island at 138,90

Japanese Ships
SS I-35

Allied Ships
CV Saratoga
CA Quincy
CA Astoria
DD Gillespie
DD Cassin
DD Flusser

SS I-35 launches 2 torpedoes at CV Saratoga

[Lowpe]

Nov 9th, 1942

Tarawa invasion today. Very small, no anticipated resistance.

Recon on Suva shows 3 units, less than 2k troops, and very few guns. Will invade at Nadi in several days and then march on Suva. Bombardment Group Idaho and Yorktown and Wasp are present along with their supporting ships.

Still holding east of Kienko in China...but it can't last. 254th Armor is now at Chengtu hoping to upgrade their Vickers to Valentines, the East African Bde is marching south from Chengtu to their holding position in the x3 terrain SW of Chungking. The 77th LRP is withdrawing from the front lines east of Kienko...hopefully they can make it back to Chungking...the other large Corps and US TOE troops are headed for Chungking...pretty much everything else can fight and die up here slowing the Japanese down.

Less than two months away from getting the 43 infantry squads for Chinese troopers...a 2 point improvement in soft attack.

My escort carrier ASW task forces are in position and hunting an Iboat...their pilots are naval search experts but weak on ASW.

Ground combat at 79,41 (near Kienko)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 27763 troops, 262 guns, 369 vehicles, Assault Value = 819

Defending force 22090 troops, 125 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 338

Japanese adjusted assault: 427

Allied adjusted defense: 397

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
277 casualties reported
Squads: 9 destroyed, 46 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 5 (1 destroyed, 4 disabled)
Vehicles lost 21 (1 destroyed, 20 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
1652 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 80 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 13 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 12 disabled

Assaulting units:
23rd Tank Regiment
110th Division
51st Recon Regiment
18th Tank Regiment
3rd Tank Regiment
19th Tank Regiment
9th Tank Regiment
15th Tank Regiment
40th Division
12th Tank Regiment
11th Tank Regiment
13th Army
1st Mortar Battalion
51st Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion

Defending units:
92nd Chinese Corps
77th LRP Brigade
55th Chinese Corps
72nd Chinese Corps
95th Chinese Corps
7th Artillery Regiment
26th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
12th Chinese Base Force

[Lowpe]

Nov 10th, 1942

In the process of distributing supplies, building bases, and getting my high value ships back into safe areas. To date I have lost only 1 AK (Titania at Marcus) and 0 AP..

Not sure what the CL task forces is doing....whether it is bait for a CAP trap or an attempt to rush into Tarawa, or what....If I understand my rules correctly, the SBDs might have planted a 500# SAP on the destroyer or two but not the full sized load of a 1000#er.

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[Lowpe]

Looking to make a quick operation at Fiji so I can move into the New Herbides...already in the Santa Cruz Islands. Next goal is flying boat base in the Solomons....Japan is pretty much not defending anywhere here...except for maybe a surprise attack? I think all the naval search assets have been pulled back to Noumea and Luganville now.

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[Lowpe]

18th British Division is getting reinforced by the 268th Motorized and 99 Indian Brigade while the 26th Indian pushes south down the road towards Ramree. 130+ enemy fighters at Akyab and 180+ at Magwe. Two very weak Naval Guard units have entered the hex with the 18th British Division from the east, and there seems to be an attempted river crossing from Akyab. Meanwhile 2 Australian Divisions and 5 ART units are sieging Akyab with more troops flowing down into Burma. Cox's is already a size 3 AF...

A solid jump to 18.8K supplies in Burma today...holding at around 12k in China.

West of Katha the IJA 4th Guards Division and two Regiment have been cut off by the 1st Burma /B. Will attempt some heavy bombing of the IJ troopers in an attempt to slow them down to win the foot race and close off the hex...or at least to give me intel on what is moving SE. Lashio has roughly equal forces around 800 AV each...and at Bhamo we are destroying the IJA 47th and 20th Infantry Regiments and the 2nd Field Artillery.

In China still holding east of Kienko and no sign of the IJA Tank Divisions.

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[Lowpe]

Nov 11, 1942

Slugfest in Burma....our troops are maneuvering to cut off more IJA units with the support of our combined Air Forces.

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[Lowpe]

Several big attacks in China...east of Kienko we hold on thru a shock attack of tank regiments, this hex has been an absolute meat grinder:

Ground combat at 79,41 (near Kienko)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 27500 troops, 258 guns, 386 vehicles, Assault Value = 812

Defending force 21048 troops, 88 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 455

Japanese adjusted assault: 544

Allied adjusted defense: 478

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
1127 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 75 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 72 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled
Vehicles lost 141 (6 destroyed, 135 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
2288 casualties reported
Squads: 23 destroyed, 221 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 23 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 16 (1 destroyed, 15 disabled)

Assaulting units:
12th Tank Regiment
9th Tank Regiment
110th Division
19th Tank Regiment
3rd Tank Regiment
15th Tank Regiment
40th Division
18th Tank Regiment
23rd Tank Regiment
11th Tank Regiment
13th Army
1st Mortar Battalion
51st Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion

Defending units:
99th Chinese/A Corps
72nd Chinese Corps
55th Chinese Corps
99th Chinese/B Corps
95th Chinese Corps
99th Chinese/C Corps
26th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
7th Artillery Regiment

[Capt. Harlock]

Nov 11, 1942

Slugfest in Burma....our troops are maneuvering to cut off more IJA units with the support of our combined Air Forces.

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Hmm. I don't often think of the Airacobra as a sweep fighter -- but nicely done!

[Lowpe]

I have found a strange kind of synergy using multiple air frames & missions in the same hex if you can get the timing right.

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[Lowpe]

Pago Pago will be ours today...

Launching the invasions of Nadi today...and taking other bases from the Imperial Japanese. Quite a bit of victory points here.

Want to have isolated Noumea by December and strong in the Solomons.

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[Lowpe]

Set up my first P38G squadron today in Pearl Harbor...slated for the Makin area. However, look at the cruise speed delta between the beast and the devil. This opens up the possibility of using the twin tailed devils in an escort mode to achieve the sweeping ahead tactic.

Lots of aerial tactics to explore with the Allies...a quick check and the Lancer makes for a decent sweep ahead fighter, while the P40s can't do it. Hurricane IIa is also a possibility.

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[Lowpe]

Nov 12, 1942

Airacobras!

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[Lowpe]

Japan forces a river crossing to open up the besieged units....a solid performance by the Chinese and a total lack of support from the besieged Japanese!

Ground combat at 76,51 (near Chihkiang)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 1719 troops, 44 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 620

Defending force 28564 troops, 23 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 877

Japanese adjusted assault: 0

Allied adjusted defense: 1201

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 99

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
1342 casualties reported
Squads: 61 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 30 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 5 (3 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Assaulting units:
12th Ind.Mixed Brigade
51st Infantry Brigade
69th Ind.Infantry Battalion
55th Infantry Brigade
2nd Ind.Mixed Regiment
23rd Army
21st Mortar Battalion

Defending units:
32nd Chinese Corps
27th Chinese Corps
74th Chinese/B Corps
74th Chinese/C Corps
9th War Area