A War to be Won - DesertWolf101 (A) vs Wirraway_Ace (J)

[DesertWolf101]

June 15, 1942

Success, and still no sign of the KB - did I attack right as Wirraway was pulling it back for upgrades?

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Ground combat at Tabiteuea (137,134)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 21312 troops, 399 guns, 595 vehicles, Assault Value = 865

Defending force 2336 troops, 19 guns, 2 vehicles, Assault Value = 59

Allied engineers reduce fortifications to 2

Allied adjusted assault: 3414

Japanese adjusted defense: 7

Allied assault odds: 487 to 1 (fort level 2)

Allied forces CAPTURE Tabiteuea !!!

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
H6K4 Mavis: 1 destroyed

Combat modifiers
Defender: forts(+), preparation(-), fatigue(-), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
3457 casualties reported
Squads: 80 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 155 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 40 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 21 (21 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 3

Allied ground losses:
107 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 15 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
25th Infantry Division
754th Tank Battalion
24th Infantry Div /1
I US Amphib Corps
8th Marine Defense Battalion
2nd Marine Defense Battalion
Pacific Ocean Areas
1st USMC Air Wing Base Force
E Det USN Port Svc
A Det USN Port Svc
F Det USN Port Svc

Defending units:
61st Naval Guard Unit
34th Road Const Co
24th JNAF AF Unit

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Nearly all troops have come ashore (just some remaining from the 24th Division whose convoy was a bit slower than the rest). Since I did not bombard, the airfields are intact which has allowed me to immediately fly in three P-40E squadrons for air cover. MacArthur's troops also landed in force in New Caledonia, and will now march south to seize Noumea. The Allied carrier force will peel off and proceed to the operation's final objective.

Tabi Taken.jpg (146.6 KiB) Viewed 1407 times

[witpqs]

June 11, 1942

Operation Pegasus kicks off with a daring parachute landing by two USMC parachute battalions on Luganville. B-17 bombers from Suva plastered the Japanese defenders (A Naval Guard battalion and a component of the 21st Air Flotilla) before the arrival of the paratroopers, who promptly took the base and destroyed a squadron of 14 Mavis floatplanes, thus achieving the first objective which was to knock out Japanese naval search in the area.

Meanwhile in China I start pulling out the Changsha garrison and other Chinese forces nearby under constant harassment from massed Japanese bombers. In Burma however I successfully knock out Japanese fighters on the ground at Tuang Gyi with more B-17 strikes.

Hold on to your pants, the next week is going to be intense! Air losses for the day below:

Air Losses.jpg

Good show!

[DesertWolf101]

June 16-19, 1942

Wirraway is currently traveling so turns have slowed down a bit.

MacArthur was not far behind Nimitz with forces of the Southwest Pacific assaulting and taking Noumea on the 19th of June. In the meantime, Allied forces are on final approach to Operation Pegasus's last objective: Wake Island.

The Allied fast CV fleet made its presence known when it launched close to 200 SBD-3 dive bombers to pummel the island and its defenses. If Wirraway wants a CV clash he has a an open window of a few days to make it happen. Seizing Wake, Tabi, and New Caledonia opens up multiple different paths to continue the advance against the Japanese Empire. We shall see if this last step of the operation is as smooth as the others. In the meantime, I was pleased to note that my offensives in Burma and the Pacific are already paying off with a dramatic shift in Japanese operations in China with Imperial troops and squadrons appearing to pull out of the theatre. Could it be that Wirraway has made the choice to not push much further beyond the seizure of the Changsha plains?

Approaching Wake.jpg (103.04 KiB) Viewed 1314 times

[DesertWolf101]

June 20, 1942

Wirraway continues to try to breakthrough north of Sian but without success:

Kungchang.jpg (70.38 KiB) Viewed 1270 times

The main event of course is Wake. 6 Allied battleships pummelled the island, heavily engaging the Wake coastal defense guns in the process. Hopefully the bombardment and the CV strikes from the previous day have disrupted the island's defenses, for the Marines go in next turn.

Ominously, Wirraway has told me that the next turn promises to be an exciting one. I can only think that means the IJN is coming to crash the party, and a CV clash is about to ensue...

[Lowpe]

Good luck! Bold move.

[DesertWolf101]

All right, I have the replay/CR back but no turn just yet. There was no CV clash, so I am not entirely clear why Wirraway mentioned the exciting turn. Probably he meant just the Wake Island assault itself. In any case, still not sure where the KB is.

I do have a problem though - my Wake assault failed, and now I have to make some important decisions. First, here is the CR of the battle:

Ground combat at Wake Island (136,98)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 5326 troops, 97 guns, 73 vehicles, Assault Value = 197

Defending force 2948 troops, 85 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 99

Allied adjusted assault: 34

Japanese adjusted defense: 52

Allied assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 4)

Combat modifiers
Defender: forts(+), disruption(-), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+), disruption(-)

Japanese ground losses:
483 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 54 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled

Allied ground losses:
1022 casualties reported
Squads: 13 destroyed, 41 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 26 disabled
Engineers: 27 destroyed, 36 disabled
Vehicles lost 17 (2 destroyed, 15 disabled)

Assaulting units:
102nd Combat Engineer Regiment
7th Marine Regiment

Defending units:
63rd Naval Guard Unit
67th Nav Gd /1
5th Mortar Battalion
7th JNAF Coy
15th Const Co
Wake Coastal Gun Battalion

I think I went in with too little and the forts were too high. Wirraway also did the smart thing and flew in an extra Naval Guard unit to the fight, or at least a big portion of it. I probably could also have done more bombarding before the attack. In any case, the question is what now. I can either try to extract the forces or try to continue taking the island.

In terms of the disadvantages of the current situation:
- The KB could be very close and my CVs are starting to require refuelling
- I still have to see the turn, but my forces are undoubtedly heavily disrupted, with the combat engineer regiment in particular hard hit
- Forts are still at 4

In terms of some advantages that I have at hand:
- My forces are under the stacking limit, and the Japanese may be slightly above it
- I still have a bombardment reserve of 12 heavy cruisers
- The Japanese have also taken substantial casualties/disablements
- I have a floating reserve of a Marine Defense Battalion and a 155mm Field Artillery Battalion

My instinct is to stick it out but that may be foolish so please tell me if it is. I could unload the reserves but that would trigger another shock attack when my troops that are already on the island are undoubtedly pretty disrupted (I assume landing only supply doesn't trigger an attack?). Overall I have a lot of firepower still available but the risks are pretty big too. What should I do?

[jdsrae]

The Clash might help you decide:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjZMcWaniA4

Also, how much supply you landed compared to what you think the defenders have might help you decide.

[Lowpe]

Your troops might make the decision for you....and re-embark and evacuate. Depends upon what you local commanders figure out.

Forts 4 on an atoll is darn tough plus the Wake CDs act as a magnet for bombardments...Interesting that he put mortars there...

I think you really needed at least one maybe two USMC tank units.

[witpqs]

Your troops might make the decision for you....and re-embark and evacuate. Depends upon what you local commanders figure out.

Forts 4 on an atoll is darn tough plus the Wake CDs act as a magnet for bombardments...Interesting that he put mortars there...

I think you really needed at least one maybe two USMC tank units.

Ditto. Maybe initially it would have been better to attack with 2 regiments.

Definitely no more shock attacks. If you decide to stick it out, only land supply if needed. Let your troops rest before trying a deliberate attack with as much naval bombardment as you can spare (from watching out for surface threats, I mean).

[Lowpe]

A fortified atoll with supply and without month long bombardment takes a division and tanks and naval support. In my limited experience.

PS: A Marine Division

[Zeckke]

the best

[DesertWolf101]

Thank you all for your responses. Much to mull over! I will wait for the turn back and then see just how bad of a pickle the Marines are in.

[njp72]

A fortified atoll with supply and without month long bombardment takes a division and tanks and naval support. In my limited experience.

I can confirm this man knows what he is talking about :

He has taken some tough places off me already.

[DesertWolf101]

Finally got the turn back. Wake invasion force is definitely battered, but I decided to stick it out and see what I can do. If I lose the force, it's not the end of the world. I do however need to be mindful of the naval assets...

Wake Invasion.jpg (55.56 KiB) Viewed 1098 times

[DesertWolf101]

Central Pacific

Marines on Wake Island are still heavily disrupted/fatigued. My CVs hung around and delivered a punishing strike with more than 200 SBD-3s on Wake's Japanese garrison but I will probably have to pull back very soon.

Looks like Wirraway is going to reinforce the Marshall islands. He may even attempt a counterattack against Tabi, but I doubt he will be able to take that island back.

Burma

Breakthrough in Burma. With the help of heavy airstrikes the Australian 6th and 7th Divisions drive back the Japanese forces guarding the rough terrain leading to Ramree Island on the coastal road. I don't think Ramree Island itself will get me much at this stage but I am keen to push into Prome and beyond if possible. I suspect Wirraway is waiting for me to reach Prome's clear hex before unleashing massed bomber formations relocated from China.

Burma.jpg (307.66 KiB) Viewed 1066 times

[DesertWolf101]

Central Pacific

Decided to stick it out at Wake but the latest attack shows that I am unlikely to take the Island.

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Ground combat at Wake Island (136,98)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 3545 troops, 94 guns, 45 vehicles, Assault Value = 99

Defending force 3067 troops, 77 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 92

Allied adjusted assault: 20

Japanese adjusted defense: 69

Allied assault odds: 1 to 3 (fort level 4)

Combat modifiers
Defender: forts(+), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker: disruption(-), fatigue(-)

Japanese ground losses:
90 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled

Allied ground losses:
222 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 26 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Assaulting units:
7th Marine Regiment
102nd Combat Engineer Regiment

Defending units:
63rd Naval Guard Unit
67th Nav Gd /1
Kure 5th SNLF /1
5th Mortar Battalion
7th JNAF Coy
15th Const Co
Wake Coastal Gun Battalion

Wirraway has done a good job of defending Wake by flying in reinforcements, interfering with Zeros on LRCAP, and harassing the Marines with Nettie raids.

Burma

The Allies are doing very well in Burma which has now forced the Japanese to commit heavily to the theatre. Unfortunately I lost 30 aircraft to the enemy's 10 over the last turn when bad weather grounded my massed sweeps but did not similarly affect the bomber bases. The Japanese got a couple of nice air victories over the past several turns (the other was a nice ambush of Marauders over the Gilberts) but overall the Allies are still notably ahead in aircraft kills.

Air Losses.jpg (104.54 KiB) Viewed 1022 times

China

Thanks to Operation Pegasus and the push in Burma, I am feeling more secure in China. The Japanese are still attempting to advance in the north and are likely to take another hex soon but the Chinese have built defences in depth and should hold strong for a long while yet. A pretty poor Japanese attack this past turn:

Ground combat at 76,51 (near Chihkiang)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 13571 troops, 173 guns, 159 vehicles, Assault Value = 899

Defending force 36546 troops, 150 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1368

Japanese adjusted assault: 68

Allied adjusted defense: 3016

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 44

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

Japanese ground losses:
3601 casualties reported
Squads: 14 destroyed, 258 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 43 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 31 disabled
Guns lost 31 (1 destroyed, 30 disabled)
Vehicles lost 47 (1 destroyed, 46 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
104 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled

[DesertWolf101]

On the 27th of June, massed Allied bombers struck Japanese airfields at Toungoo in Burma. Significant damage was caused to the facilities/runways and dozens of Japanese aircraft were destroyed on the ground. On the 28th, Commonwealth forces once more drove back the enemy in Burma, securing the coastal road from Akyab to the gates of Prome.

Airfield Strike.jpg (102.63 KiB) Viewed 990 times

[DesertWolf101]

Central Pacific

Nimitz has ordered the evacuation of the Wake Invasion force. In other words, I am scrambling to find a way to pull out as many of the troops as possible. This won't be easy, especially as the fast CVs have already pulled away.

Burma

It is 100% moonlight which per our HRs allows for night bombing of airfields/ports. I took advantage and destroyed 16 Japanese fighters (mostly Zeros and Nicks) on the ground at Moulmein.

[CaptBeefheart]

I just caught up from mid-June. As Lowpe says, you need to bring more to the party. For atoll invasions, you normally need to overstack and you also need to bring in a lot of extra supplies to feed your force each day as you will lose a lot of supply from the overstacking. Finding a bunch of xAKLs and small xAKs for an invasion is not an easy thing to do in the first half of 1942.

Strategically, it appears those were sound moves in CenPac and SoPac. The KB wasn't around and as you say, pressure in China is easing.

Cheers,
CB

[DesertWolf101]

I just caught up from mid-June. As Lowpe says, you need to bring more to the party. For atoll invasions, you normally need to overstack and you also need to bring in a lot of extra supplies to feed your force each day as you will lose a lot of supply from the overstacking. Finding a bunch of xAKLs and small xAKs for an invasion is not an easy thing to do in the first half of 1942.

Strategically, it appears those were sound moves in CenPac and SoPac. The KB wasn't around and as you say, pressure in China is easing.

Cheers,
CB

Thanks CB. I am a bit allergic to surpassing stacking limits, but it's become clear as I undertake my first atoll invasions against well defended targets that this is necessary for these types of missions.