Defenseless: Between the Storms Japan

[RangerJoe]

You only need to dump the fuel and oil on the Malay peninsula if Jahore Bahru (next to Singapore) is stockpiling those. Resources as well. Then those items will flow to Indochina where you can load it there until the "Magic Highway" starts operating. I have even made Urumchi oil flow to Port Arthur!

[PaxMondo]

My John is thinking about trying Bow Hunting. I recommended try muzzleloaders but he wants to go fully primitive.

2 things about bow:

- A LOT safer. Bow hunters don't drink and hunt. Not saying you do, but there are plenty of others who do and those are the ones you have to watch out for ... had to go in and pack out far too many "accidental" shootings in my day.

- Nicer weather. Bow season is earlier, at least in Colorado and Wyoming it used to be. Weather better, game is higher elevations, much prettier. But of course, a LOT more hiking/riding to get there. I would ride up, pitch camp / picket the horses, hunt, and then had pack horses to bring the game out ... usually went for 4 - 5 days, kinda hard to go for less. And that's me living up there, only 1 - 2 hours from the trailhead. Full day in (or more), 1 - 2 days hunt, full day out (or more). 4 days minimum. With weather, can stretch to 6 days or more in a hurry.

But I love elk jerky. Used to have it in the house year around ....

[PaxMondo]

Hi Gang!

The hunting trip went well. Both of the boys got their first deer ... My eldest was floating when he came in with the news that he got his first deer. He did all the work on the carcass and took it to be processed and is even PAYING for it. Very exciting.

Got yourself some good kids there John. Enjoy your PDM!!


* PDM -> Proud Dad Moment!!

** related to, but not the same as PDS -> Proud Dad Syndrome which is when there is a continuing string of PDM's ...

***My age is really going to show here now ... never knew about: "to be processed" is nor what it would cost. Hunting knives and a "special" (only special because it wasn't used for anything else) hack saw were our tools. Since I put up most of it to jerky, cut everything into long, thin strips and put it on the smoking racks ... dogs ate well for several days on all the scraps.

[John 3rd]

Greatly appreciate the thoughts and comments Pax! Yaaa...have had a few PDMs over the last couple of weeks.

My 19 year-old--Christopher--is a Sophomore at Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat. While in HS he completed nearly 40 college credits in his Junior and Senior year. He told us that he will be graduating THIS May with a BA(S?) in Business with an Emphasis in Culinary and Restaurant Management. Only TWO years for his Bachelors. NICE! Already planning on forming a Catering Company with his Best Friend up and hope to get going in the summer....very ambitious.

Michael knows him and kid really has his act together. Not too much of a people person but very smart and highly motivated.

[John 3rd]

More action that I will detail in Posts later today.

12-29-41.png (1.34 MiB) Viewed 358 times

[John 3rd]

Combat Report
December 29, 1941

Australia
Action continues off of NW Australia as our little KB finishes its sweep.

Action:
CA Ashigara (working to join back up with the CV TF sinks an AG then joins up.

Air Strikes:
Morning
6 Z 2 DB sink an AKL
10 Z 6 TB sink an AVP
4 Z 5 DB sink a PB
12 Z 5 DB sink AMc and AKL
Afternoon
39 Z 31 TB hit BB Prins Hendrik with a TT, CL Dauntless with 2 B, an AK and sink a big AP at Geraldton

Am now out of TT and running low on sorties. Time to head back to Kendari.

New Caledonia
Kido Butai refuels and heads south. Nothing is spotted close so a strike flies in the afternoon: 68 Z and 78 TB hit LaFoa port and sink a damaged AP. Order KB east towards Suva. Have TFs unloading at Koumac and Noumea next turn.

SS Operations
I-156 SINKS AMC Cornwallis with 2 TT off Colombo

Ground Action:
Tavoy Falls

Moulmein Falls as the Burma Campaign Opens. Have the 21st and Imperial Guards ID heading for Rangoon.

Malaybalay Falls closing out the Mindanao Campaign. Now have 2 ID and 2 Brigades moving up to Cagayan to be picked up for future Operations.

Kuala Lumpur falls. Troops now drive north wiping out the two Indian Divisions trapped up here.

Singapore gets a Deliberate Attack that drops Forts to ZERO. Will rest a day and then, hopefully, take Singers on the next attack.

[PaxMondo]

Greatly appreciate the thoughts and comments Pax! Yaaa...have had a few PDMs over the last couple of weeks.

My 19 year-old--Christopher--is a Sophomore at Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat. While in HS he completed nearly 40 college credits in his Junior and Senior year. He told us that he will be graduating THIS May with a BA(S?) in Business with an Emphasis in Culinary and Restaurant Management. Only TWO years for his Bachelors. NICE! Already planning on forming a Catering Company with his Best Friend up and hope to get going in the summer....very ambitious.

Michael knows him and kid really has his act together. Not too much of a people person but very smart and highly motivated.

Steamboat would be a good area for him to start a catering business. Not too far from where you'll be ... could work out real nice ... best wishes!!!

[John 3rd]

I am bored! My opponent has evidently gotten pinned under a tree and cannot get up...

No turn Sun, no turn Mon, no turn Tues, and--so far--no turn Wed...

[RangerJoe]

I am bored! My opponent has evidently gotten pinned under a tree and cannot get up...

No turn Sun, no turn Mon, no turn Tues, and--so far--no turn Wed...

Post a picture of a tree with a description. Maybe you will get 6 pages of posts to freak out your opponent!

[John 3rd]

Holy cow---I have a turn. Gonna breath deep and stay calm as I run it...

[PaxMondo]

Holy cow---I have a turn. Gonna breath deep and stay calm as I run it...

Ok, 3 days is enough reflection ...

[John 3rd]

Sorry Pax. We got a 'bonus weekend' at the cabin. Not often we can get up to 8500Ft in mid-November and NOT see any snow at all. Not good for snow pack but excellent for three extra days of R&R.

[John 3rd]

Combat Report
December 30-31, 1941

We close the books on 1941 with a decent pair of turns.

NoPac
Convoys moving out from Paramushiro Jima to supply bases in the Aleutians. Invasion Force sets out for Attu.

CenPac
CarDiv1 is two days from Kure Island where Akagi, Kaga, Karasu will join up with CVL Zuiho and Shoho and 4 DD. This force will then immediately head out and interdict Allied Forces trying to Supply Hawaii.

Hawaiian Invasion Forces are scheduled for landing in Mid-January.

Tarawa falls on the 30th.

SoPac
Kido Butai strikes LaFoa both afternoons with 70-80 Kates damaging the Port and keeping Forts from being built.

Reinforcements and supplies are unloading at Koumac and Noumea starting the 30th. An Air Flotilla, 2 AA units, and 2 Engineers land at Noumeas while just supplies land at Koumac.

Kido Butai swings east towards Suva on the 30th and then south on the 31st. The 31st sees an American TF spotted and a massed afternoon strike of 58 Zero and 60 Val pulverize a STF. CA Portland and DDs Craven and Gridley are sunk with the DD Benham getting hit once. NICE!

The carriers move slightly north so they can refuel tomorrow. Sorties are at about 50% and three CVs still have full loads of TTs.

Philippines
Subic Bay
The 38th ID and 2 Artillery units begin landing here. Base will fall tomorrow. Cannot tell yet which hex my opponent will defend. Most Allied units are in Clark... Batangas below Manila will fall tomorrow and then that ID and 3 Artillery units will move north to invest Manila.

Cagayan
Two ID and two Brigades are waiting to be picked up after finishing ALL of Mindanao off four days ago. One ID moves to aid the Luzon Campaign. The remaining troops will slam their way through the Central DEI taking Tarakan and Balikpapan before jumping on Java.

Malaya
Singapore
The 3 Japanese ID strike with a Deliberate Attack and miss 2-1 by 15 measly assault points. CRAP! Will shock attack on January 1st and FINISH the resistance.

Troops drive north into Central Malaya. This shouldn't take too long...

DEI
Brunei falls on the 31st.

Australia
The CVL/CVE TF work to evade a STF of the Allies. Sorties are out or nearly out and fuel is scary low. The 30th sees 7 DB put two bombs into the CL Phoenix and the 31st sees 6 DB and 3 TP sink a pair of AK hugging the Aussie Coast near Exmouth. Have 2 BC, 1 CA, and 3 DDs heading down to join the carriers and help with some badly needed fuel.


NOTES:
My opponent says that we will go back to at least 1 turn a day. That should help!

We are done with cabin trips and apartment building trips for a month so that will help calm things at home as well.

12-31-41 SoPac.png (383.61 KiB) Viewed 164 times

[John 3rd]

OK. Time to gear up for the supreme roll of the dice...

On the 30th, BatDiv1 of the Imperial Navy lifted anchors at Cam Rahn Bay and head east towards Wake Island. This powerful squadron of four Battleships will join the other, older BBs who are already at Midway. Nagato, Mutsu, Tosa, and Kaga with 2 CL and 8 DDs begin their transfer east...

Two complete Infantry Divisions are three days from Wake. They will offload and then combat load into AKs waiting there for them. Each ID will land at a separate target in the Hawaiian Ilses. Three SNLF Assault Brigades will tackle a total of two targets. Accompanying each TF will be 1-3 Engineering units for AF expansion.

Current assault list is: Lihue, Kona, Hilo, and Lahaina.

Lessons learned from an earlier venture:
1. Grab more bases then the Americans can easily bombard.
2. Bring Minelayers for each target to immediately make it dangerous to bombard.
3. Bring Engineers and Base Forces for each target so repairs go quickly and aircraft can be brought in ASAP.

[John 3rd]

Landings:

Hawaii Landings.png (72.97 KiB) Viewed 130 times

[PaxMondo]

Sorry Pax. We got a 'bonus weekend' at the cabin. Not often we can get up to 8500Ft in mid-November and NOT see any snow at all. Not good for snow pack but excellent for three extra days of R&R.

All is forgiven ... mountain air is important ... but, yeah, sorry to hear no snow at 8500' ... not a good sign for the west slope.

[PaxMondo]

Singapore
The 3 Japanese ID strike with a Deliberate Attack and miss 2-1 by 15 measly assault points. CRAP! Will shock attack on January 1st and FINISH the resistance.

Ach, that's just GG ... he loves his random rolls ... and we just live with'em!!

[PaxMondo]

OK. Time to gear up for the supreme roll of the dice...

Whoo-Hoo!!! Go get'em!!!

Current assault list is: Lihue, Kona, Hilo, and Lahaina.

Lessons learned from an earlier venture:
1. Grab more bases then the Americans can easily bombard.
2. Bring Minelayers for each target to immediately make it dangerous to bombard.
3. Bring Engineers and Base Forces for each target so repairs go quickly and aircraft can be brought in ASAP.

Suggest you add MTB's to this. Yes, you don't have many, but they can really interfere with NavBombardments and are trickier to deal with as compared to mines ... may as well use them here. I like flotilla's of 6, but even 4 can be a pain ...

[John 3rd]

OK. Time to gear up for the supreme roll of the dice...

Whoo-Hoo!!! Go get'em!!!

Current assault list is: Lihue, Kona, Hilo, and Lahaina.

Lessons learned from an earlier venture:
1. Grab more bases then the Americans can easily bombard.
2. Bring Minelayers for each target to immediately make it dangerous to bombard.
3. Bring Engineers and Base Forces for each target so repairs go quickly and aircraft can be brought in ASAP.

Suggest you add MTB's to this. Yes, you don't have many, but they can really interfere with NavBombardments and are trickier to deal with as compared to mines ... may as well use them here. I like flotilla's of 6, but even 4 can be a pain ...

That is a capital idea. LIKE IT! Long way to move them though...

[PaxMondo]

You can build them there when you take the base ... pretty sure Lahaina will be big enough.