Spanking Lowpe (NJP72 vs Lowpe (A))

[Lowpe]

Japan returns the favor with this:

ASW attack near Sarmi at 90,112

Japanese Ships
SS I-1, hits 5

Allied Ships
BB Maryland, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
DD Bailey
DD Farenholt
DD Voyager

SS I-1 launches 4 torpedoes at BB Maryland
I-1 bottoming out ....
DD Voyager attacking submerged sub ....
DD Voyager cannot reach attack position over SS I-1
SS I-1 eludes DD Voyager by hugging bottom
DD Voyager attacking submerged sub ....
DD Voyager fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Voyager attacking submerged sub ....
DD Voyager is out of ASW ammo
DD Voyager is out of ASW ammo
DD Voyager is out of ASW ammo
DD Voyager attacking submerged sub ....
DD Voyager is out of ASW ammo
DD Voyager is out of ASW ammo
DD Voyager is out of ASW ammo
DD Voyager is out of ASW ammo
Escort abandons search for sub

[Lowpe]

So Japan flees to the NW, sweeps Morotai and manages to intercept some flying boats transporting troops there....

but no major naval clash...

Beasts bomb Japanese at Darwin for the first time...it looks like Japan is evacuating from Sorong to Darwin...I think there is 1000 AV at Darwin for Japan left stranded...plus two other bases.

Dagua expands port to size 2
Mussau Island expands airfield to size 2
Sansapor expands airfield to size 2
Olga expands airfield to size 7
Raoul Island expands airfield to size 3

Escort TF 354 (2 ships) formed from TF 632 and routed to Biak
Surface Combat TF 632 aborts mission and returns to Biak

3 x PB2Y-3 Coronado transporting 503rd Parachute Regiment to Morotai
8 x PBY-5A Catalina transporting 1st Air Advn Base Force to Morotai
PBY-5A Catalina transport flying to Morotai intercepted

[Lowpe]

Japan pulls back to Morotai....we have 10 AV and 10 air suppport there...

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[Lowpe]

June 11, 1943

Steady progress...

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[Lowpe]

June 12, 1943\

Fletchers let loose:

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[Lowpe]

Damaged Nagato at Manado...

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[Warofthe2ndWorld]

Wait, Lowpe, what happens if you lose Chungking? Does that mean NJP has free reign over China?

[RangerJoe]

It means that until he liberates Chengtu or Chungkink, then there will be few or no more Chinese units entering the war. The only additional Chinese units that he would receive would be IF they were to come in at an Allied owned base. But since the Allies have northern Burma, supplies and units can come that way as well as being flown in. It will also mean that all of those units will be free to attack other places in China unless they were bought out. Either way, a lot of them will need supplies, devices, plus time to heal.

[Encircled]

Pretty much everyone loses Chungking these days!

[Lowpe]

My plan for China was never holding Chungking, with stacking limits that is a mistake.....I am keeping just the pop limit there. All of the best Chinese unit are holding the mountain passes.

Japan has told me they have never failed to take China....so I think I am doing well there. Japan has allocated all the tank divisions plus it seems the entire IJAAF bomber force is present too.

[Lowpe]

Interesting find:

Australian twin engine torpedo bombers can do night search... I might have known this and forgot it.

P47s arrive at Tabby...

Up to 24 Liberty ship to transport conversions...

about 150 USAAF assault bombers in play...

[Lowpe]

June 13th, 1943

Another good turn...some likely great drops for some paratroopers. Moving troops and we savaged three Iboats.

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[Lowpe]

June 14th, 1943

Another good day...

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[Lowpe]

Losses:

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[Lowpe]

Gone slow here at Darwin...but will now accelerate our offensive here...

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[Lowpe]

What is next you ask?

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[Lowpe]

I just spent some time culling the intel reports, and I am not finding substantial defenses anywhere in the SRA that I haven't already bypassed.

Java looks weakly held...as does Luzon/Mindanao.

Japan has not repaired any damaged oil...

Marianas are held strongly...regiments on the Jimas.

There is a school of thought, that Japan really only needs to hold a perimeter about 22 hexes from the Home Islands. I wonder if Japan is pursuing this? It certainly seems to me that Allied forces will be in North Borneo & Leyte Gulf & Java in a month -- July 1943. That puts all the SRA oil into question a full year earlier then my goal as a JFB.

But this is scenario 2, and Japan hasn't wasted supplies on repairing the oil...so we might run right into a wall 22 hexes away from Honshu? I am not seeing it though....

[RangerJoe]

That maybe true but if you can land in Indochina or China itself with a lot of armored units and air power, you can then bomb Manchurian and Korean industries. While you won't get any VPs for that, you will reduce his production. Then you can also move to those places and capture them. If he is still in the mountains in China with his main forces, he will either have to pull back or be isolated. Also, you won't then need the Marianas to bomb Japan, you can do so from Mainland China as you also attack into Manchuria and then Korea. Along with a Northern Pacific push or even a feint, you could then double envelope Japan.

But be wary of any small garrisons in your rear along your logistical routes. Jakes can sink cargo ships and could also make nice kamikazes if he were so inclined to do so.

[Lowpe]

I have been thinking on what to do once I reach North Borneo...establishing something on the China coast makes a lot of sense...and Saigon to Vinh too. Cut the magic highway -- spells doom for the Japanese in Burma eventually.

Saving Chungking would be nice, but I don't think it is doable.

Angling Northeast to the Japanese Islands is also a choice.

Rotating to attack Hokkaido would simply take too long.

[BBfanboy]

What is next you ask?

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Hoary Crap! Talk about poking holes in the dike! Has he expressed any consternation at the way you are keeping him reacting to your shotgun invasions?