"Bakayaro!" DBB-C vs LST(A) Jpn AAR: Feb 43 Summary

[IdahoNYer]

1-2 Aug 42

Highlights – Finally took down some B-17 beasts!

Jpn ships sunk: None

Allied ships sunk:
SS: 1 (Seadragon)

Allied ships un-sunk:
BB: 1 (Warspite)

Air loss:
Jpn: 11
Allied: 17

Subwar:
Jpn: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 2 Attacks, 1 ship hit (xAK dam)

Jpn Amph Inv: None

Allied Amph: None

Bases lost:
Nukufetau (Central Pacific - flipped)

Bases seized: None

SIGINT/Intel: NSTR.

Japan/Industry: A6M5c Zero R&D accelerated to 7/44.

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: NSTR.

Central Pacific: Nukufetau flips due to the loss of Funafuti. Nettys bomb Allied troops on Funafuti, inflicting a reported 46 casualties, and recon reports the atoll vacant. Mmmm? Allied transports were sighted at Wallis Is to the south, so the IJN CA TF (2CA, CL, DDs) will head south to engage and bombard – figure this is the reinforcements bound for Funafuti. Will attempt to re-take Funafuti with minimal forces in the near future.

South Pacific: A small win, but still a win over the skies of Noumea. A dozen Nicks on CAP engage a series of B-17 raids totalling 71 planes over two days. The Nicks did surprisingly well! 5 B-17s shot down for no loss and two more to either ops or Flak. AF still operational, and a Chutai of Zeros was flown in, although I figure L_S_T might try another cruiser raid instead of bombers after losing a few B-17s. Will see. Nothing major stirring near Horn Island yet, figure a reinforcement convoy will head that way once the Allied engineers get the AF operational. At Rabaul, three midget carrying subs will depart targeting Sydney – I know it’s a long shot, but it was part of the IJN warplan back then.

DEI/SW Pacific: NSTR.

PI: NSTR.

Burma/IO: The first Ki-43-IIb Oscar Sentai arrives in Burma, basing in Mandalay. Hope to swap out all the Oscar Ics before the end of the month. On the ground, the 4th and 21st IDs are still slowly advancing to contact just north of Shwebo, not clear what the opposition is. 1st Armored Div awaits replacements at Singers before shipping to Burma.

China: NSTR.

[IdahoNYer]

3-4 Aug 42

Highlights – Bandoeng is FINALLY taken!!

Jpn ships sunk:
xAK: 1

Allied ships sunk: None

Air loss:
Jpn: 23
Allied: 20

Subwar:
Jpn: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 1 Attack, 1 ship hit (xAK sunk)

Jpn Amph Inv: None

Allied Amph: None

Bases lost: None

Bases seized:
Bandoeng (DEI)

SIGINT/Intel: NSTR.

Japan/Industry: NSTR.

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: NSTR.

Central Pacific: IJN CA TF (2CA, CL, DDs) bombards Wallis Is causing only minor damage, and misses any of the reported shipping. As they retire towards Nauru, they’ll bombard Funafuti enroute.

South Pacific: NSTR.

DEI/SW Pacific: Badoeng is finally taken by the IJA’s two division attack; 25k Allied troops are marched into captivity at a cost of about 1000k IJA troops. Of the three IJA divisions remaining on Java, two, belonging to the 16th Army will remain in the DEI while the 5th ID will head to Burma.

PI: NSTR.

Burma/IO: Allied raids against ground targets north of Shwebo are preceded by heavy sweeps which clear the skies of the few Oscars on CAP. So the combat debut of the Oscar IIb is less than stellar – 8 Oscar IIbs and 8 Oscar Ics are lost against 4 Hurricanes. Will continue to focus available fighters to cover the Magwe area which will continue to expose ground troops to the raids.

China: NSTR.

[IdahoNYer]

Highlights – Some small IJN naval successes!

Jpn ships sunk:
xAK: 1

Allied ships sunk:
CA: 1 (Vincennes)
AM: 1
xAP: 2 (small)
xAK: 1

Allied ships un-sunk:
CV: 1 (Lexington – no surprise here)

Air loss:
Jpn: 07
Allied: 11

Subwar:
Jpn: 1 Attack, 1 ship hit (CA sunk)
Allies: 1 Attack, 1 ship hit (xAK sunk)

Jpn Amph Inv: None

Allied Amph: None

Bases lost: None

Bases seized: None

SIGINT/Intel: Allied focus looks to be reinforcing Horn Island with cruiser TFs sighted, but CVs do not appear to have sortied, and their location is unknown.

Japan/Industry: Ki-43-IIIa Oscar R&D accelerated to 4/44.

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: NSTR.

Central Pacific: IJN CA TF (2CA, CL, DDs) bombards Funafuti but inflicts zero ground losses – so I figure the US Marines landed have been eliminated by previous bombardments, or pulled off. Will dispatch a DD from Tabit with SNLF to retake the atoll.

South Pacific: Submarine I-8 hits CA Vincennes with a total of 4 torps in two separate attacks and makes a clean getaway. Vincennes was part of a TF consisting of BB, 3CA, 3CL, DDs heading to Horn Is. Horn looks to have fighters based there already, and will try to hit the base at night with Nettys. Off Koumac, an IJN Fast Transport resupply mission is “interrupted” by a CL TF (CL, DD, DMS) which heavily damages the supply laden AV, after most supplies were delivered. The AV and DDs will attempt to make Luganville.

DEI/SW Pacific: NSTR.

PI: NSTR.

Burma/IO: Jpn DD TF (3DD) raid Akyab and sink a few small Allied transports. Morale victory! Allied air continues to hit IJA units north of Shwebo without interference from Japanese CAP.

China: NSTR.

[IdahoNYer]

Highlights – Funafuti retaken!

Jpn ships sunk: None

Allied ships sunk:
DD: 1 (Ralph Talbot)
CMc: 1
xAK: 1

Allied ships un-sunk:
DD: 1 (Gwin)

Air loss:
Jpn: 11
Allied: 09

Subwar:
Jpn: 1 Attack, 1 ship hit (xAK sunk)
Allies: 1 Attack, 0 ships hit

Jpn Amph Inv:
Funafuti (Central Pacific)

Allied Amph: None

Bases lost: None

Bases seized:
Funafuti (Central Pacific)

SIGINT/Intel: Horn Island continues to build up; AF at level 2 with over 50 fighters. US CVs sighted off Brisbane.

Japan/Industry: CVL Ryujo finishes her refit at Yokohama and will sail for Truk next turn with 3 DDs close escort and another two provided additional escort in Japanese waters.

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: NSTR.

Central Pacific: DD Kikuzuki brings in about 100 SNLF troops from Tabit which occupy an abandoned Funafuti. Fast Transport TF is enroute with engineers to dig fortifications, but will not put too much effort into Funafuti’s defense. CA TF (4CA, CL, DDs) out of Rabaul arrived at Tabit, and will sortie SE to position NE of the Ellice Islands should the Allies respond to the Amphib.

South Pacific: Bettys hit Horn Is AF at night, destroying two Wildcats but achieving little else but without loss at least. Horn Is now at AF 2 and growing. Damaged AV Kunikawa Maru makes it to Luganville, but even after disbanding at port, is still burning and will likely burn up.

DEI/SW Pacific: NSTR.

PI: NSTR.

Burma/IO: The Allied force north of Shwebo is much larger than expected – over 50k, including Chinese troops. One Bde of the 4th ID is heavily outnumbered and probably won’t hold if attacked. 21st ID is coming up to Shwebo, but won’t be in time to support the 4th ID in jungles to the north.

China: NSTR.

[IdahoNYer]

Highlights – Funafuti reinforcement bushwacked; SSX attack on Sydney flops.

Jpn ships sunk:
DD: 1 (Mochizuki)
APD: 1 (Hagi)
CM: 1 (Tsugaru)
AV: 1 (Kunikawa Maru)
SSX: 2

Allied ships sunk:
DD: 1 (Monssen)
SS: 1 (Trigger)

Air loss:
Jpn: 10
Allied: 04

Subwar:
Jpn: 1 Attack, 0 ships hit
Allies: 5 Attacks, 1 ship hit (xAK dam)
Japanese ASW efforts continue to pay off with another 8 planes claiming to hit subs and S-47 hit by DCs off Rabaul.

Jpn Amph Inv: None

Allied Amph: None

Bases lost: None

Bases seized:
Nukufetau (Central Pacific - flipped)

SIGINT/Intel: NSTR.

Japan/Industry: NSTR.

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: NSTR.

Central Pacific: US DD TF (6DD) ambushed the Fast Transport TF (DD, APD, CM) delivering engineers and supply to Funafuti while the “covering” IJN CA TF loiters 160m to the NE. Didn’t expect such a quick response; should have. Still, the engineers and supplies were delivered. B-17s also raided Funafuti without doing much, but the LRCAP Rufes lost a plane to their effort.

South Pacific: As expected, but wanted to give it a shot, the three SSXs that attempted to penetrate Sydney Harbor was a major fail. Two hit mines, and one dispatched by an alert AM. Damaged AV Kunikawa Maru burns up in Luganville, and will need to conduct a more deliberate resupply effort to Noumea. Perhaps when Ryujo rejoins the KB as this effort will need the KB to provide cover as I think the US CVs are still in South Pacific waters.

DEI/SW Pacific: NSTR.

PI: IJA 16th ID begins coming ashore at Cebu to reinforce the 41st IN Reg already deployed there. Once the 16th ID completes offloading, will begin taking down the last US effort remaining in the PI

Burma/IO: NSTR.

China: NSTR.

[IdahoNYer]

Highlights – Noumea suffers a major naval bombardment.

Jpn ships sunk:
SSX: 1 (scuttled at Sydney)

Allied ships sunk:
SS: 1 (Grenadier)
xAP: 1 (old)
xAK: 1 (old)

Allied ships un-sunk:
SS: 1 (Grayback)

Air loss:
Jpn: 13
Allied: 05

Subwar:
Jpn: 1 Attack, 0 ships hit (I-22 heavily damaged by escorts for its effort)
Allies: 3 Attacks, 0 ships hit

Jpn Amph Inv: None

Allied Amph: None

Bases lost:
Wazurup (Burma)

Bases seized: None

SIGINT/Intel: Allied Fleet looks to have shifted from supporting Horn Is area to South Pacific and Noumea.

Japan/Industry: Nakajima Ha-45 engine R&D accelerated to 2/43. CVE Hosho taken out of oil convoy escort and replaced by CVE Chuyo. Both Chuyo and Unyo air contingent will take on a dozen A6M2 Zeros in addition to their 18 Kates to provide CAP against the potential naval air strikes out of China – hasn’t happened yet, but its certainly feasible.

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: NSTR.

Central Pacific: With Funafuti retaken, the CA TF and Fast Transport TF dispatched from Rabaul for a more extensive operation that wasn't needed will head back to Southeast Pacific waters.

South Pacific: Two US TFs (BB, 5CA, 9CL, DDs /4BB, 2CA, DDs) bombard Noumea with good effect – 1300 casualties, shut down the AF and zero out supplies – but only a single Zero destroyed on the ground. Most of these ships came from the Horn Island venture, so I’m taking that L_S_T has shifted his effort to South Pacific vs. New Guinea. Kinda surprised at that, but I’d be more surprised if he landed at Noumea – I figure he’ll grab one of the outer islands such as Tanna and build up an airbase first – and I think that date is approaching quickly. So, its about time to sortie the KB! Still would like to wait for Ryujo, but she’s still about a week out of Nauru, so that may not be possible – she may have to catch up. I also don’t have an immediate ground force available for any type of counter landing – they are still in Java/PI. So, this will be interesting….and probably not in a good way. One the New Guinea side, B-17s have made their first raid – not at Lae or Moresby, but at Buna port. Buna is still pretty undeveloped, but it did have an AV moored there which as hit by a single bomb which started fires. Will see if those B-17s venture to more heavily defended targets.

DEI/SW Pacific: Bde from the 56th ID begins offloading at Darwin, and will send a fast transport TF to land engineers at Gove to begin fortifying the base – although I’m now not convinced Horn Is will be that “springboard” for further operations.

PI: 16th ID continues to offload at Cebu.

Burma/IO: The Allied Corps size attack easily pushed back the single Bde of the 4th ID out of the jungle south toward Shwebo at a cost of 2200 IJA casualties and only 500 Allied. Will look now to center the defense on Shwebo itself with most of the 21st ID – reinforcements and additional supplies are still needed in Burma.

China: NSTR.

[IdahoNYer]

Highlights – Cocos suffers a major naval bombardment; Oscars mauled over northern Burma…again. Cebu finally secured.

Jpn ships sunk:
PB: 1
AMc: 1

Allied ships sunk:
SS: 3 (Gato, Tambor, Silversides) Jpn ASW continues to produce results, two from air, one from escorts while IJN still having some good breaks during a few US sub attacks.

Allied ships un-sunk:
BB: 1 (Mississippi)

Air loss:
Jpn: 34
Allied: 16

Subwar:
Jpn: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 5 Attacks, 0 ships hit. Sub laid mines did sink AMc clearing those mines off Batu Pahat in the Malacca Straits.

Jpn Amph Inv: None

Allied Amph: None

Bases lost: None

Bases seized:
Cebu (PI)

SIGINT/Intel: British Fleet remains in the IO, focused on Cocos for now.

Japan/Industry: A bit of aircraft R&D acceleration this turn: Ki-43-IIIa Oscar to 3/44, A6M5b Zero to 3/44, and A6M5c Zero to 6/44.

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: A bit of activity for a change! An Allied CA TF (2CA, 5DD) ventures out west of Attu to engage and sink a picket PB SW of Medny Is. I’m actually hoping this is more of a cruiser raid toward the Kuriles than just eliminating a picket. Additional subs are dispatched from Paramushiro Jima and torpedo laden Bettys readied at both Paramushiro Jima and in Hokkaido. Will see what develops!

Central Pacific: CVL Ryujo will bypass Truk and head for Nauru to join the KB.

South Pacific: B-17s limit their raids; priority seems to be Tanna, inflicting minor damage. A few fly against Noumea and do little dam as Noumea AF remains closed and supplies critically short. New Caledonia bound transports begin loading supplies and a few engineers at Rabaul. Once Ryujo joins the KB, will conduct a major sortie to bring in over 10k of supplies to New Caledonia.

DEI/SW Pacific: British Fleet (3BB, 3CA, 5CL, DDs) pound Cocos to dust, once again successfully avoiding detection from the Nells based there. Getting to be a habit!

PI: 16th ID attacks and seizes Cebu without major issue. 4000 Allied troops surrendered to only 90 IJA loss.

Burma/IO: Oscars out of Mandalay fare very poorly against sweeping Hurricanes north of Shwebo – 19 lost in exchange for only 4 Hurris. So much for armor helping to tilt the balance. Will restrict CAP to bases for the time being.

China: NSTR.

[IdahoNYer]

Highlights – Allies land troops on Tanna Is in the New Hebrides; KB will sortie in response!

Jpn ships sunk: None

Allied ships sunk:
BB: 1 (Mississippi – on the sunk list again!)

Air loss:
Jpn: 18
Allied: 05

Subwar:
Jpn: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 5 Attacks, 0 ships hit.

Jpn Amph Inv: None

Allied Amph:
Tanna (South Pacific)

Bases lost: None

Bases seized: None

SIGINT/Intel: The majority of the US Fleet looks to be gathered supporting the Tanna landings – quite the overkill! I estimate all 6 US carriers present, so figure between 500-600 carrier aircraft, depending on how many USMC squadrons are augmenting the naval flyers. So if a carrier engagement takes place, its going to be pretty even affair in terms of aircraft.

Japan/Industry: Ki-44-IIb Tojo R&D accelerated to 4/43

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: Looks like that Allied cruiser sortie was aimed at eliminating the patrolling PB; no further contacts.

Central Pacific: CVL Ryujo arrives at Nauru as the KB begins to get underway. With the Allied landings taking place at Tanna, the Fleet will sail south at Full Speed to engage! I don’t think L_S_T knows the KB is at Nauru vs. Truk, so a two day high speed run may catch him flat footed off Tanna. The Fleet is divided into two balanced striking groups, totaling 7CV, 2CVL, 5BB, 4CA, 2CS, DDs. Carrier air totals about 286F, 154D, 167T including about 120 of the new A6M5 Zeros (rest A6M2s) and the best of the best pilots. Only Akagi will miss the fight, still undergoing repairs and refit at Yokohama. At Truk, the KB Repl TF (6xAO, DDs) will depart to the SE – with the KBs full speed run, additional fuel will be needed shortly. Additional DDs will follow the KB south out of Nauru at mission speed to augment as necessary should this become a prolonged affair.

South Pacific: Tanna suffers heavy LBA and carrier airstrikes in preparation for the landings. The US put about 5000 troops ashore against elements of a fragment of Naval Guards unit and an engineer company. 8 Bettys out of Luganville made a valiant but futile attempt to strike back against the US CVs, but CAP splashed all 8. On the positive side, some Naval Guardsmen still remain and need to be dealt with next turn. As I mentioned, I don’t think L_S_T realizes the KB can strike next turn, but instead might assume a few days sailing time needed out of Truk, and a full speed approach from Truk isn’t feasible. But with the KB coming out of Nauru, they’ll be off Tanna, hopefully conducting strikes on the second day. Now, even if the KB is fortunate enough to avoid any sub encounters and arrives off Tanna as planned, chances of an engagement is no more than 50/50. With more than enough troops ashore to take Tanna, the most likely outcome is the US Fleet has pulled back and will await the engineers to get Tanna AF operational – no real reason to loiter off Tanna. However, perhaps L_S_T stays to engage Luganville or Noumea with a strike, or has the CVs providing cover over additional support troops coming ashore at Tanna? Lots of possibilities for some type of engagement – a true CV battle or the KB perhaps finding the transports or the BB TF? Fingers crossed for the Decisive Battle! BANZAI!!

At any rate, the resupply TF that was forming at Rabaul to bring engineers and supplies into New Caledonia will set sail next turn, accompanied by cruisers heading to stage at Tulagi to await developments off Tanna. IJN subs are also converging in the New Hebrides waters, 6 already in the immediate area and another half dozen to arrive in the next couple of turns.

DEI/SW Pacific: NSTR.

PI: NSTR.

Burma/IO: NSTR.

China: NSTR.

[IdahoNYer]

Highlights – Tanna falls as the KB finds only empty ocean, but CV Wasp finds a sub.

Jpn ships sunk: None

Allied ships sunk:
CV: 1 (Wasp – at least according to Tracker)
CA: 1 (Houston – old)
SS: 1 (S-42)
ACM: 1

Allied ships un-sunk:
CA: 1 (Portland)

Air loss:
Jpn: 15
Allied: 16

Subwar:
Jpn: 1 Attack, 1 ship hit (CV Wasp damaged w/1 torp hit)
Allies: 1 Attack, 0 ships hit

Jpn Amph Inv: None

Allied Amph: None

Bases lost:
Tanna (South Pacific)

Bases seized: None

SIGINT/Intel: Looks like the US Fleet headed back to base in Suva.

Japan/Industry: NSTR.

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: NSTR.

Central Pacific: NSTR.

South Pacific: Tanna falls easily to three USMC Raider Bns – the remaining 240 Jpn defenders eliminated in exchange for only 40 Marines. At sea, the Allied Fleets disengage and head back east where CV Wasp was found and torpedoed by I-154. The KB successfully reached its designated position NE of Tanna, but no US TFs were found as they had withdrawn. The KB was sighted by PBYs during the approach, but so far, has avoided any sub contacts. Two BBs w/6DD escorts are broken off and will bombard Tanna before heading back to Nauru. The KB will move north toward the Santa Cruz chain to take on fuel from the Repl TF and likely remain in the area to thwart any Allied reinforcement to Tanna. The full speed dash of course has impacted a number of ships with single digit system and engine damage – nothing critical. Not exactly sure what ground troops I’m going to use to retake Tanna, considering the 65th Bde at Rabaul if heavy lifting is necessary to a Naval Guard or SNLF if I can do this on the cheap. In any case, the New Caledonia resupply mission is enroute, so the KB is tied to remain in the area. More problematic is the appearance of an unknown force landing (sub? airborne? amph?) on Rossel Island which is currently only garrisoned by an engineer company – which was preparing positions for a Naval Guard unit. Well, that Naval Guard unit will be flown out of Rabaul next turn, along with a CA TF (4CA, CL, DDs) heading from Tulagi to bombard. So two problem sets to ponder and solve!

DEI/SW Pacific: Two Bdes of the IJA 5th division have loaded up at Batavia and will depart for Rangoon next turn.

PI: NSTR.

Burma/IO: Continued Allied pressure in the NE as a Chinese Corps begins attacking 2/3 of an RTA Div east of Lashio. The RTA is holding so far, but I doubt that will continue, so a Bde of the 21st will move to reinforce.

China: NSTR.

[IdahoNYer]

Highlights – Allied troops on Rossel Is cleared by naval bombardment while another small detachment appears at adjacent Tagula Island.

Jpn ships sunk:
xAK: 1

Allied ships sunk:
xAKL: 2

Air loss:
Jpn: 22
Allied: 20

Subwar:
Jpn: 1 Attack, 0 ships hit
Allies: 2 Attacks, 1 ship hit (xAK sunk)

Jpn Amph Inv: None

Allied Amph:
Tagula Is (South Pacific)

Bases lost: None

Bases seized: None

SIGINT/Intel: NSTR.

Japan/Industry: Ki-43-IIIa Oscar R&D accelerated to 2/44.

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: NSTR.

Central Pacific: NSTR.

South Pacific: Tanna bombarded by BB TF (2BB, DDs) inflicting 290 casualties and damaging the port facilities. Will be interesting to see if the port repairs, indicating whether or not engineers are present in addition to the USMC Raiders. The BB TF then headed back toward Nauru Is to refuel. The KB will rendezvous with the Repl TF just east of the Santa Cruz Islands next turn. Following refueling the KB will venture south toward Noumea to provide cover and assist in the removal of the Tanna incursion. Will only commit a tank company in Rabual and a Naval Guard unit to amphib Tanna to remove the Raiders, so will need some good firepower from the IJN to assist. Those ground forces are also still about a week out, best case. In the meantime, the resupply effort for both the Luganville garrison and the troops on New Caledonia is underway with the first ships arriving off Koumac to begin unloading. Will be interesting to see if L_S_T commits anything major to disrupt this effort with the KB in the general area. Biggest concern right now are the lurking US subs. On the New Guinea front, the CA TF (3CA, DDs) bombardment of the troops landed at Rossel apparently was enough to eliminate the 2/4 Ind Coy. So threat removed, just as another small landing took place at the adjacent Tagula Is. Tagula already has a Naval Guard unit in garrison, so they’ll counter attack the landing next turn, which should be enough to eliminate the threat without involving the IJN further.

DEI/SW Pacific: The Aussies seem to be stirring on the Darwin front – three unknown units are moving north to isolate the IJA troops defending Daly Waters. While I don’t want to commit massive forces to Australia, I’m not ready to give in and run away either. A Bde from the 56th ID is in Darwin, and it will move south to “restore” the situation, or if the enemy force is greater than a recon in force, to extract the Daly Waters garrison. The last Bde of the 56th ID (one at Darwin, one at Port Hedland) at Singers will load next turn for Australia. I may bring the 2nd Armored Div in next month, depending on how the situation develops – the bulk of which is in Japan waiting transport south. Aus is good tank country and so far, there hasn’t been much Allied air employed in northern or western Aus. On that note, Bettys out of Broome took advantage of that lack of air to sink two and damage two AKLs off Exmouth without loss.

PI: NSTR.

Burma/IO: IJA Ki48-IIA Lillys were used in a ground attack role for the first time in Burma, hitting the 7th Armored Bde with minimal effect north of Shwebo. At least the sweeping Oscar IIbs supporting splashed 7 P-40Es at a cost of 6 of their own.

China: In what I hope will be one of the last engagements involving the K-43-Ic Oscar, a half dozen managed a small CAP trap over the IJA’s 17th ID SW of Nanning, downing 3 Vanguards at a cost of a single Oscar in the air. The Oscar Sentai was immediately upgraded to the Oscar IIb this turn.

[IdahoNYer]

Highlights – Allied troops pulled off Tagula Island. Bettys sink APD off Tanna.

Jpn ships sunk: None

Allied ships sunk:
APD: 1 (John D. Edwards)
AMc: 1

Air loss:
Jpn: 07
Allied: 09

Subwar:
Jpn: 1 Attack, 0 ships hit
Allies: 1 Attack, 0 ships hit

Jpn Amph Inv: None

Allied Amph: None

Bases lost:
Erromango (South Pacific – adj to Tanna; flipped)

Bases seized: None

SIGINT/Intel: NSTR.

Japan/Industry: NSTR.

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: NSTR.

Central Pacific: NSTR.

South Pacific: A few US APDs arrived at Tanna, less one from a Betty strike. Not sure if they’re bringing in troops or there to pull the Raiders off. In any case, IJN CA TF (4CA, CL, DDs) will bombard Tanna next turn and clear any Allied shipping. A CL TF (CL, 4DD) will transit from Luganville to Noumea to provide cover for the resupply convoy which will arrive next turn. Offloading at Koumac should complete next turn. The KB is halfway refueled, and will complete next turn and head south to position off Tanna, hopefully avoiding subs which I think is the main threat at this point. With Wasp hit, and likely CV Lexington still in repair, I don’t see the US CVs to engage the KB. On the New Guinea side, the Allied force at Tagula has been pulled off, so another threat removed.

DEI/SW Pacific: Looks like the Battle of Daly Waters is beginning. Expect this to be prolonged effort and will attempt to hold as long as possible, but not sacrifice the force. Still not clear how much combat power the Allies have brought, but will begin with a counterattack against the “flanking” tank unit to the NW. So far, Jpn air has been more plentiful in support than Allied which is very surprising. The other Allied effort advancing from Exmouth seems to have slowed on their own accord.

PI: NSTR.

Burma/IO: NSTR.

China: NSTR.

[IdahoNYer]

Highlights – A rare, good day in the air for the Empire.

Jpn ships sunk: None

Allied ships sunk:
SS: 3 (Pike, Albacore, KVII)
APD: 2 (Paul Jones, Pope)
xAP: 1

Allied ships un-sunk:
SS: 1 (Narwhal)

Air loss:
Jpn: 28
Allied: 70

Subwar:
Jpn: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 2 Attacks, 0 ships hit

Jpn Amph Inv: None

Allied Amph: None

Bases lost: None

Bases seized: None

SIGINT/Intel: NSTR.

Japan/Industry: NSTR.

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: NSTR.

Central Pacific: NSTR.

South Pacific: A pair of APDs are sighted at Tanna, one dispatched by the CA TF prior to bombarding, and the other sunk by the KB as it was heading back toward Suva. The bombardment inflicted another 100 or so casualties to the USMC Raiders. Allied airstrikes against the resupply convoys at Noumea were remarkably unsuccessful, 26 B-25 sorties failed to hit anything, even slow xAKLs, and lost two to AA. KB continues to patrol just east of the New Hebrides, and will run west before turning south to remain north of New Caledonia, proving cover, hitting Tanna with airstrikes and hopefully avoiding subs. The resupply convoys continue to offload, and a Rufe Sentai will provide air cover next turn. The IJN Amphib TF will depart Tulagi next turn bound for Tanna, with a tank company and a Naval Guard unit aboard. A CA TF will depart Rabaul to provide cover and bombard. With such a small force embarked, success will rely on effective ground bombardments, especially from the KB.

DEI/SW Pacific: A good start to the Battle of Daly Waters as the IJA 8th Tank Reg destroyed the Aus 2/8th Armor Reg just to the north of Daly Waters, supported by a few good airstrikes. Allied forces continue to move toward Daly Waters, and it is unclear the size of the force. On the Exmouth/Port Hedland front, a large Allied armored force looks to be moving east toward Port Hedland, and will begin hitting it with airstrikes.

PI: NSTR.

Burma/IO: A rock solid day in the air over Magwe! Very surprising! Heavy Hurricane sweeps, coming in at 16 a/c at a time are met by a robust CAP initially of 42 Tojos, 9 Oscar Ic, and a pair of Nicks. Results were very good – 59 Hurricanes lost in exchange for 10 Tojos and 6 Oscars. The Oscar Ics are pulled, a Tojo Chutai is swapped to night CAP, but otherwise the defenses remain the same – hopefully if another sweep is launched, the Oscar IIb Sentai in Meiktila won’t be weathered out.

China: NSTR.

[IdahoNYer]

Highlights – IJN protects Noumea anchorage from DD raid; another good day in the skies.

Jpn ships sunk:
xAK: 1

Allied ships sunk:
DD: 1 (Kortenaer)
AVP: 1
xAKL: 1
AMc:

Air loss:
Jpn: 10
Allied: 24

Subwar:
Jpn: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 3 Attacks, 1 ship hit (xAK sunk)

Jpn Amph Inv: None

Allied Amph: None

Bases lost: None

Bases seized:
Sintang (DEI)

SIGINT/Intel: NSTR.

Japan/Industry: A6M5c Zero R&D accelerated to 5/44. A second D4Y1 Judy R&D factory finally reaches 30 – two more remaining.

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: NSTR.

Central Pacific: NSTR.

South Pacific: A small US DD TF (3DD) attempted to disrupt the supplies offloading at Noumea, but was thwarted by a CL TF (CL, 4DD). The IJN TF should have done better however - in two encounters, sinking only one DD and each side having two DDs damaged – baring sub encounters, the IJN DDs should make port. The KB hit Tanna with a single strike of 95 Kates plus escorts, inflicting only 70 casualties, but inflicting some additional port damage to forestall any fortifications. The KB will move a bit further south to hopefully elude any probing subs, and will hit Tanna again next turn. US Mediums again attempted to hit shipping and the Yura TF off Noumea, but were met by the newly arrived Rufes out of La Foa and a few freshly repaired Zeros and Nicks out of Noumea – the few that got through the CAP failed to score, and the costs were high: 12 B-25s and 5 B-26s lost to a pair of Rufes. The IJN Tanna counter landing is enroute, and will rendezvous with the supporting CA TF north of New Caledonia next turn. I don’t expect a major US naval reaction, perhaps additional DD or small CL TF raids at most, and of course subs remain the greatest threat.

DEI/SW Pacific: Was surprised to see B-17s committed to hitting IJA ground targets at Daly Waters; they were met by a small LRCAP of Zeros, losing one Beast for little to show for it. On Borneo, the last stay-behind defended base in the DEI at Sintang fell to a Naval Guard unit, with just over 1000 Dutch put in POW cages.

PI: NSTR.

Burma/IO: Fairly quiet as Allied air focused on hitting IJA forces north of Shwebo with little effect. Two Bdes of the 5th ID have landed in Rangoon and will rail to Shwebo – the 5th ID replacing the battered 4th ID in Theater. The 4th will be pulled out of Burma to refit and eventually head to Rabaul to become the reserve “counter landing” division in the Southeast Area of operations.

China: NSTR.

[IdahoNYer]

Highlights – KB hits Tanna hard; Allied air in Burma pounds IJA

Jpn ships sunk: None

Allied ships sunk:
xAK: 1

Air loss:
Jpn: 22
Allied: 22

Subwar:
Jpn: 1 Attack, 1 ship hit (xAK sunk)
Allies: 4 Attacks, 0 ships hit

Jpn Amph Inv: None

Allied Amph: None

Bases lost: None

Bases seized:
Erromango (South Pacific – flipped back)

SIGINT/Intel: NSTR.

Japan/Industry: Ki-43-IIIa Oscar R&D accelerated to 1/44.

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: NSTR.

Central Pacific: NSTR.

South Pacific: KB hits Tanna with two big 200+ plane airstrikes, inflicting a total of 400 casualties with no planes lost. The KB will move toward the east to strike again next turn, and hopefully staying away from sub concentrations around Tanna. The Tanna Amphib TF with a CA TF bombarding will head to target next turn. The last three transports should complete offloading at Noumea next turn with about 10k supplies total being delivered. No Allied air attacks against IJN off Noumea last turn.

DEI/SW Pacific: Daly Waters assaulted by a heavy armor force, and the level 3 forts didn’t do much. Two attacks go in, reducing forts to level 1 and inflicting over 600 casualties to the Ind Inf Regiment with minimal Allied loss. Japanese airstrikes did little, while the Allied B-17 raids also did little, but Zeros on LRCAP managed to down a pair of the Beasts. B-17s and B-25s also hit Port Hedland and were met by Rufes, downing a pair each while 50 troops were casualties on the ground. The Western Allied force, also tank heavy, is loitering about 120m west of Port Hedland. At least so far, Allied air and naval commitment to these two ground assaults have been minimal.

PI: NSTR.

Burma/IO: Heavy Allied airstrikes inflict about 1000 casualties on the two Bdes of the IJA 4th ID pulling back in open ground north of Shwebo. I hate to waste airframes, but I need to try at least to provide some cover, so next turn will commit a Sentai of Zeros and Tojos with a few Oscar IIb on LRCAP to see if they can assist. Maybe they’ll get lucky and catch some unescorted Blenheims. Of course, this reduces avail CAP over Magwe next turn as well.

China: NSTR.

[IdahoNYer]

The Allied Steamroller sputtered a bit in August, doing more “recon in force” operations than full scale major offenses, looking for weak spots. So far, most of these have been dealt with. The two exceptions seem to be in Burma where what I thought was a probe turned out to be a major force north of Shwebo, and a two pronged drive in Australia. Still, the defensive perimeter hasn’t been breached, and the Fleet remains intact, and its sheer presence seems to be the necessary deterrent in the South Pacific. The last Allied “stay behind” forces were eliminated in the DEI and PI, freeing up a good number of IJA divisions. The Japanese airborne ASW effort continues to do well, while IJN subs got a few licks in as well. For the month, IJN naval losses were very light: a DD, and 3SSX. For the Allies, it wasn’t an inexpensive month, mainly due to subs: CV (very doubtful), BB (perhaps), CA, DD, 8SS. In the air, action was strangely fairly balanced, with even a number of B-17s shot down: the loss ratio of 231 for Jpn to 248 Allied planes.

INTEL: L_S_T surprised me by shifting his Pacific effort to the New Hebrides and New Caledonia area instead of maintaining momentum into New Guinea. It appears as if the majority of the US Fleet is focused here, with minimal US elements elsewhere. The British Fleet has been pretty much absent since departing Australian waters for the IO, only a few raids on the Cocos.

SUBWAR: Allied subs continue to pester around shipping routes and near key bases, but the Japanese airborne ASW effort is paying off handsomely. Of the 8 subs reported sunk this month, 7 are from 250kg bombs – Sally delivered! This is balancing somewhat the continued anemic surface anti-sub capabilities of most escorts. As for the IJN subs, they had a reasonably good month sinking a CA and damaging CV Wasp. IJN subs will maintain a concentration around the New Hebrides/New Caledonia area going into Sep.

Japan/Industry. Other than the Judy’s lack luster progress in R&D, research is doing fairly well. The Ha-35 engine bonus is moving the Oscar and Zero line fairly quickly, and so far is able to be maintained – although, expansion of existing fighters with the Ha-35 has been held off to maintain that magic 500 number. The Ha-34 engine stocks are moving forward to 500 as well to get the Tojo line moving. Industry wise, the overall supply situation is actually improving, and convoys are moving as much oil and fuel as they can carry back to the Home Islands. Pilot wise, most Sentais are maxed out with reasonably good pilots and the pilot training is progressing well enough.

[IdahoNYer]

Northern Pacific/5th Fleet. NSTR for the month.

Central Pacific/4th Fleet. Funafuti was taken back on the cheap requiring only a fragment stepping ashore to retake the atoll. Other than that Allied probe, its been quiet. Using Nauru as a Fleet base seems to be working well; allowing the KB to quickly react to the Tanna landing – not quite quick enough, but well enough. Hopefully L_S_T still hasn’t figured out that is where I’m basing the KB – and so far, judging by Allied sub activity, he hasn’t.

South Pacific/Southeast Fleet. I really thought L_S_T would follow up Horn Island with a landing at Terapo – but it didn’t happen. Instead, he landed three USMC Raider Bns at Tanna which surprised me. First surprise was that he brought out what looked like the entire US Fleet in support, and second, he limited to landing only at Tanna and no Seabees were landed. A sub got lucky and pegged the Wasp, and the KB responded quick enough to isolate the landings. At the end of the month, IJN is heading to land troops to attempt to retake the island with the KB still providing support…so it ain’t quite over yet. This also did allow a break of pressure off of Noumea, which has been repaired and resupplied. Outer island defenses are still weak or non-existant, so once the KB departs, we’ll be back to square one. On the other side, of the Coral Sea, little activity since securing Horn Island, just a pair of recon landings off the Eastern tip of New Guinea that didn’t amount to anything. This pause has allowed IJA to reinforce Terapo and strengthen New Guinea defenses. I expect the pause in Allied offensive activity to continue at this point until the P-38 is deployed.

DEI/SW Pacific. On Java, Bandoeng fell easy enough, freeing up a corps worth of troops – just in time to bolster perimeter defenses! In Northwest Australia, a two pronged Allied attack has begun to press the IJA perimeter from the west and southeast. Both are supported by heavy amounts of armor, but so far, seem to lack much air or naval support. Will delay as long as possible with a division sized force, and am debating whether to commit the 2nd Armored Div when it becomes available later next month (main body still in Japan). Goal here is to delay as long as possible.

PI. Cebu fell easier than expected, which allows 14th Army to begin to deploy to defend the PI and one division moving to the Marianas.

Burma/IO. The Allied advance from the NE was much larger than I thought, and managed to roughly handle the IJA’s 4th ID north of Shwebo. That is still ongoing as the 4th will be withdrawn from Theater to recover. This will leave the 15th Army with two divisions (55th, 33rd) covering the Akyab axis and the 25th Army with 3 divisions (Imp Gd, 5th, 21st) covering the Shwebo axis. 1st Armored will deploy in Sep, and may look for another division as well, depending on Allied pressure. So far, most of the Allied air has been devoted to ground support, and the one daylight foray over Magwe was handled well by IJA fighters. Goal remains to keep Magwe producing as long as possible and preserve the force. So far, the British Fleet has not been a factor.

China. Still pretty much a “quiet China” for a bit.

[IdahoNYer]

Highlights – Troops go ashore at Tanna; Brits win small naval engagement at Port Hedland

Jpn ships sunk: None

Allied ships sunk:
xAKL: 1

Air loss:
Jpn: 62
Allied: 34

Subwar:
Jpn: 4 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 4 Attacks, 0 ships hit

Jpn Amph Inv:
Tanna (South Pacific)

Allied Amph: None

Bases lost: None

Bases seized: None

SIGINT/Intel: British keep coming back to bombard Cocos Is; while I have no indication a landing is forthcoming, I will reinforce defenses with an infantry regiment in the coming weeks – Cocos is just isolated enough, if taken, would allow bombers to venture over Palembang. US Fleet has been dead quiet since the KB moved to isolate Tanna – have to assume they are still in South Pacific though.

Japan/Industry: A6M5b Zero R&D accelerated to 2/44.

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: NSTR.

Central Pacific: The KB Repl TF (5AO, DDs) arrived back at Truk and begins to take on fuel. The current KB sortie has effectively reduced the fuel stockpiles once again!

South Pacific: 89th Naval Guards supported by a tank company land at Tanna which is now reported to only be defended by a few hundred Marines. KB didn’t fly any sorties in support, but the supporting CA TF (4CA, CL, DDs) bombardment inflicted a whopping 9 casualties! Troops landed in good order and will shock attack next turn, hopefully assisted by another naval bombardment and KB airstrikes. xAKs continue to offload the last of their supplies at Noumea, and will stick around to pick up the Air HQs there, relocating it to Tulagi. On the other side of the Theater, a US DD TF (4DD) bombarded Moresby with little effect, but they also avoided the subs. I expect more of these “recon by bombardment” raids all along the southern New Guinea coast.

DEI/SW Pacific: IJN CL TF (CL, 2DD) couldn’t cope with a single British CL (Birmingham) which ventured to Port Hedland. In two naval engagements, not a single IJN torpedo found its mark, and the British 6” guns reigned supreme – all three IJN ships are banged up enough to require yard work, with little damage inflicted on the British CL. Bettys out of Broome missed sighting the CL, and instead hit and sunk an xAKL at Exmouth. On the ground, the Daly Waters defenders surprisingly held off two attacks, but forts were reduced to zero. I expect the base to fall next turn, as a Bde from the 56ID begins to settle in at Katherine, the next line of defense.

PI: NSTR.

Burma/IO: As I feared, committing LRCAP over the withdrawing 4th ID elements was not a good idea. No Allied bombers were encountered, only P-40 sweeps, which despite not having an altitude advantage, managed about a 3-1 kill ratio; 14 Zeros, 11 Oscar IIb, and 12 Tojos shot down in exchange of only 13 P-40Es. Will stick to focusing on providing CAP over Magwe.

China: NSTR.

[IdahoNYer]

Highlights – Tanna retaken.

Jpn ships sunk:
SS: 1 (I-1)

Allied ships sunk:
TK: 1

Air loss:
Jpn: 07
Allied: 11

Subwar:
Jpn: 1 Attack, 0 ships hit (I-1 sunk by DDs off Tahiti – only the 3rd sub lost, but Allied ASW is getting better every month!
Allies: 5 Attacks, 0 ships hit

Jpn Amph Inv: None

Allied Amph: None

Bases lost: None

Bases seized:
Tanna (South Pacific)

SIGINT/Intel: NSTR.

Japan/Industry: NSTR.

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: NSTR.

Central Pacific: With the KB Repl topped off, Truk’s fuel supply dips to 10k! Not good.

South Pacific: 89th Naval Guards supported by a tank company takes an abandoned Tanna, as reinforcing engineers come ashore to begin fortifying the base. Assume the USMC Raiders were pulled out by sub and or PBYs just before the Naval Guards came ashore. Subs remain very thick around Tanna, but so far, we’ve been lucky. KB will now head on a NNE course back toward Nauru, hopefully avoiding the sub concentrations to the NW. IJN transports at Noumea completed offloading supply, but continue to loiter to pick up the air HQ for transit to Tulagi. With the KB departing the area, I can expect the US Fleet to resume bombardments and other harassing operations in the area. Goal now is to conserve fuel and build up defenses without committing fleet units if at all possible. On the New Guinea front, its fairly quiet.

DEI/SW Pacific: Unexpectedly, no Allied attacks were conducted at Daly Waters, so it remains in IJA hands, although its fall is only a matter of time. Still surprised that minimal Allied air has been committed to both the Daly Waters attack and the drive on Port Hedland. Additional land and air assets are enroute to bolster Northern Australia defenses; goal is to hold on to Australian territory through the end of the year.

PI: NSTR.

Burma/IO: The Allied forces continue to maneuver in the NE, this time bringing forces to bear against Myitkyina, defended by a lone Tank Reg – which will pull out. Not looking good for the long term in Burma!

China: NSTR.

[IdahoNYer]

Highlights – Daly Waters lost.

Jpn ships sunk:
xAK: 1

Allied ships sunk:
PC: 1
xAKL: 1

Air loss:
Jpn: 09
Allied: 07

Subwar:
Jpn: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 4 Attacks, 1 ship hit (xAK sunk)

Jpn Amph Inv: None

Allied Amph: None

Bases lost:
Daly Waters (SW Pacific)

Bases seized: None

SIGINT/Intel: I made some adjustments to get the Jill line moving. As I realized that the Ki-61-1a Tony is going to arrive in 10/42 at the earliest, there is no reason to have two factories researching the Kawasaki Ha-60 engine, also due to go into production in 10/42. So, the other engine factory is switched to the Nakajima Ha-44 for the Jill – currently due in 4/43, while the Jill itself may arrive in 3/43 or better. For the Jill R&D itself, I had only one size 14 R&D effort working it. Not enough, so I swapped out my size 30 A6M2 Sen Baku R&D and the D4Y1-C recon Judy size 2 R&D (I don’t see the need at this point to research either of these planes) swapped to Jills, and will boost both up to 30 in the coming weeks. Goal is to hopefully advance the Jill at least in line with the Ha-44 engine, and then start researching later Jill models.

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: NSTR.

Central Pacific: KB out of South Pacific waters and should reach Nauru next turn after refueling with 3xAOs enroute. Kaga flies off her A6M2 Zeros to Nauru which are upgraded to the A6M5 model. Soryu and Zuikaku with DD escorts are broken off and will head to Japan for refit.

South Pacific: With the KB departing the area, and the resupply to Noumea wrapping up, its quiet for a turn. Noumea minefield was reinforced, and the airfield is fully operational. Hopefully, L_S_T will give the defenders a few turns to increase fort levels before the beatings (I mean bombardments) resume. Tulagi remains a hotbed of Allied subs, and will move some additional naval and air assets to remedy that.

DEI/SW Pacific: Daly Waters is successfully assaulted by the Allies, 1800 IJA lost too only 50 Allied. The surviving elements of the 4th Ind Mixed Regiment will begin withdrawing north. Katherine is the next speed bump, defended by a Bde of the 56th ID. In the Gulf of Compentaria, Nells out of Darwin sink a PC escorting an xAKL near Groote Eylandt. Not sure what were doing in that area, but its likely that the Allies are looking to establish a fwd base there. On the Exmouth-Port Hedland front, the Allied force continues to slowly prod east, Japanese air hitting the columns without much effect, other than perhaps slowing them a bit.

PI: NSTR.

Burma/IO: The British Fleet (4BB, CL, DDs) returns to the Cocos for another bombardment. Somehow, 3 Nells make a torpedo attack before the AF is shut down, but all three miss the BB Ramillies.

China: NSTR.

[IdahoNYer]

Highlights – Allies test defenses with more naval bombardments.

Jpn ships sunk: None

Allied ships sunk:
xAP: 1

Allied ships un-sunk:
SS: 1 (Tambor)

Air loss:
Jpn: 15
Allied: 10

Subwar:
Jpn: 5 Attacks, 3 ships hit (xAP sunk, CA, xAK dam)
Allies: 1 Attack, 1 ship hit (AO dam) 8000 cap empty slow oiler, heavily dam, will try and make Nauru.

Jpn Amph Inv: None

Allied Amph: None

Bases lost:
Myitkyina (Burma – abandoned and then occupied)

Bases seized: None

SIGINT/Intel: NSTR.

Japan/Industry: Nakajima Ha-45 engine R&D accelerated to 1/43. CV Akagi along with the newly converted CLAAs Tenryu and Tatsuta will depart Yokohama next turn to rejoin the fleet.

Kuriles/Aleutians/North Pacific: NSTR.

Central Pacific: KB takes on fuel from three medium (8000 cap) slow oilers, and then arrives at Nauru fairly well topped off. One of the oilers is then torpedoed by a sub SSW of Nauru. CVs Zuikaku and Soryu with half a dozen DDs will begin the trek to Japan next turn to refit, the remainder of the KB will remain at Nauru to repair minor damage and let fuel stocks at Truk be replenished.

South Pacific: Activity renews on the New Guinea front as an Allied CA TF (2CA, 3CL, DDs) bombarded Moresby with reasonable effect, destroying 7 planes on the ground, but not putting the AF out of action – still, engineers will be busy repairing damage instead of increasing fortifications. A DD TF (9DD) bombarded Terapo doing little, but served well as a recon bombardment, identifying elements of the 18th ID at Terapo. Will shift some subs to thwart future bombardment runs, but that’s the extent of it.

DEI/SW Pacific: An Allied CA TF (3CA, 4CL, DDs) bombarded Port Hedland, doing little damage, and I-159 managed to hit CA Dorsetshire with a single torp – and missed CV Illustrious with a pair of torps (why only two torps against a CV??!!). The IJN BB TF (2BB, 2CA, 2CL, DDs) at Broome apparently has remained undetected, and will relocate to Koepang with a British CV TF sighted roaming around Exmouth. Daly Waters front was quiet, with Allied troops remaining in place.

PI: NSTR.

Burma/IO: NSTR.

China: NSTR.