PBEM from May 42: Mogami-san VS Capt. Ron

[Ron Saueracker]

OK. Mog has been wondering where the AAR I said I was going to start for our Stock Scen 15 match is. I'll start it now (we are at the end of April 42) since I have a new mouse and can now post pics. This will be practice for me so that the CHS test match we do won't look pathetic.[:D]

[mogami]

Hi, You have to make up your mind. I can't play 2 PBEM with you since we send turns back so fast.

[Ron Saueracker]

ORIGINAL: Mogami

Hi, You have to make up your mind. I can't play 2 PBEM with you since we send turns back so fast.

What? Don't want to play two games? [:D] That would only make like what...9 games going for you? [X(] We are into May/42 with the stock puppy....don't want to end this as we can go far and see what kinda trouble we can get into regarding any anomalies.

The other game is so different that we should not get confused. I can do a turn with one while waiting on the other.[;)] The fact that we are flying and your knowledge of Japan's OOB beg for us to run the Alpha as well.

[mogami]

Hi, I use the time in between your turns to do my other PBEM games. Just between you and Brady I do 8-10 turns per day and Lee and Ker and Svient and Bosun and Dadman all send at least 1 turn per day. There would be no time in between turns for me to do anything but play you (you greedy hound)
I can start a new game or I can keep going in this game but I can't do both. I really don't want to start over (because I hate phase I)
It's your call.

[ADavidB]

I can start a new game or I can keep going in this game but I can't do both. I really don't want to start over (because I hate phase I)

Why don't you guys do a later war match so the rest of us who are still slogging through phase 1 games can see what it looks like? [:D]

Dave Baranyi

[Ron Saueracker]

Well. It would seem to be a waste to kill off a game five months into it so I guess Mogami and I will continue this one. Give us a chance to progress deeper into the game and see what gremlins lurk. I'll find another volunteer to test the CHS as the Japanese (hoping Andrey "Subchaser" has the time). I have no experience as Japan so not much point me testing as the Japanese. Anyway, we have some unfinished business from UV days.[;)]

[Ron Saueracker]

It is currently May 2/42 in our match. This is a stock scenario 15 started originally to help slay the leader bug.

HAWAII, DEC 7, 1941
Pearl Harbor was a disappointment for Mogami I bet, as only the BB West Virginia and Bagley class DD Blue were lost aside from the massive hit the AAF took in aircraft losses.

PHILIPPINES
Luzon collapsed early, late December/early January due to a combination of massive Japanese concentration of force (how many divisions Mogami!?![:D]) and the current retreat/supply/ZOC restrictions. Mogami wasted little time in investing Luzon...in record time I might add.[&o] Basically, the doughboys and dog eaters were split at Manila and Clark by units present in their hexes negating movement between friendly bases (Grrrr...this aspect of ZOC is draconian[:)]) and were destroyed piecemiel. Rest of PI fell in the standard fashion. The one ray of sunlight during the whole dark period however was the surprising escape of over 90% of the shipping in Manila. Basically lost a few civilian tankers and AKs.

MALAYA
In Malaya, the campaign was much more slogging, with Mogami being held in a slow advance until he landed overwhelming strength at Kuantan in late March/42. The Dominion forces held out until overwhelmed at Johore and Singapore itself, both succumbing to one turn shock attacks with no less than six Japanese divisions vs size 7 fortifications. (fortifications don't help if the units defending them are emaciated after four months of relentless jungle fighting. Cadres of the heroic units have been formed far to the rear and will slowly become viable units in a year or so...

BURMA
In Burma, not much happening due to Mogamis troop requirements in Malaya and the outstanding performance of the Malaya Army in holding the strategic hub of Singapore a few days shy of May. 42. Japanese advance stalled at Tavoy and Rahaeng. A few major fur balls over Rangoon and Tavoy however. The AVG is the equal of Japanese pilots due to combat experience and success.

DEI
The Dutch East Indies have been slow going for Mogami up to this point. Borneo is approximately 50% Japanese, with only the four bases along the western coast across from Java still Dutch. A brave but misguided attempt by a Dutch TF to interdict a Japanese surface force at Balikpapan resulted in the cruiser Java and two Dutch destroyers being crushed like boots taken to puppies by Japanese battleships, whose identity was unfortunately mistaken for lesser cruisers.

The Celebes finally fell in April, despite an unfortunately bold move by the USS Boise reacting to the Japanese appearance off Menado. Boise sank a few ships but was caught by torpedo bombers next day while withdrawing...had I not left her orders on react she would have escaped but it takes two years to build a ship, two hundred to build a tradition.

The early move into Amboina was the only really risky operation for Mogami but he weathered it well. An ABDA cruiser TF and later Force Z had the opportunity to respond as they were in the area and reacted to the Japanese move, with a series of night battles resulting over a couple of evenings. The ABDA did well in these battles, only to yet again be caught by naval and land based air while withdrawing during the daylight hours. Strewn along the floor of the Banda Sea lie the wrecks of the British BC Repulse, the American cruisers Houston and Marblehead, and a number of old four stackers. Japan lost the same number of destroyers, thankfully some modern, the CA Kinugasa (the Prince of Wales delivered the coup de gras) and CL Kashii. The invasion force was left unscathed, with Amboina falling and the efforts of the ABDA having little effect.

Sumatra. Still controlled by the Dutch.

Remainder of the Malay Barrier remains in ABDA control but Mogami has been very conservative and intelligent regarding the use of his assets. A point of note...the bases at Amboina, Kendari, Macassar and Balikpapan have been rendered near useless by a rotating series of airstrikes by LBA in Northern OZ and Java. Very little japanese air presence there as yet.

New Guinea

Japanese have been conducting a slow and methodical advance SE along the north coast.

New Britain/New Ireland/Solomons

Japanese captured Rabaul and surrounding area in April, 42. Tulagi and Guadalcanal are currently being invaded. Rabaul was basically uncontested, with the Town class cruiser Adelaide detaching from her charge of two empty AKs to intercept a small invasion force off Buna/Lae, damaging a few lesser escorts which subsequently sank days later as their crews were too busy effing around with kendo matches rather than shoring up bulkheads and stuffing mattresses and wooden plugs into shell holes.[8|] (I sence a FRAGmentation grenade coming...[;)])

Remainder of Pacific Theatre Aside from the standard moves against Wake (captured Dec/41) and the Gilberts (captured in Jan/42), nothing special. KB, or portions of, seen near DEI but nothing in the Central Pacific.

CHINA
China is interesting as Mogami is treating me to his self professed restraint when faced with a game design oversite which could be gamed in most cases. He is basically restraining himself from crossing the rail line along the Wuchow-Homan axis. Basically a static bombardment>attack>bombardment meat grinder with some LBA ground attack thrown in for good measure. Yenen is a cesspool of dead hordes of little wee soldiers...approx half a million diminutive men are facing off here.

Submarine Campaign
The Allied submarine campaign has been generally dismal as per the historical counterpart but with one major difference. The loss of eleven subs, all to Japanese surface ASW has been quite brutal. Many have been damaged are in repair yard.

The Japanese subs have pretty much stayed within range of their LBA, which is wise as this point in the war as they can hunt fleeing vessels from threatened areas while remaining safe from any dedicated Allied ASW. Four Iboats have been lost, two off the west coast of US and two attempting to lay mines in the Indian Ocean area.

I'll start a more regular posting now that we are organized and heading into less travelled periods of the game to date. Opening months were getting to be dull as restart after restart prohibitted progress.

[Ron Saueracker]

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Page 8.....Phweewww[>:]

[Ron Saueracker]

After five months this is relatively light losses. Aside from the Amboina and Balikpapan engagements most have been single ship losses.

Here is the overview of other losses...

[Ron Saueracker]

Location: SECRET
Date: May 2, 1942

1200 LCdr Thomas Wogan takes command upon arrival of Tarpon from 2nd war patrol. Relief crew arrives from tender USS Otus AS 20. USS Black Hawk AD 9 and HMAS Vendetta alongside in next berth.
...D.D. Rivers, Lieut, USN.

[Ron Saueracker]

USS Otus

[Ron Saueracker]

After a dismal two patrols, Cdr Lew Wallace was relieved of command, with the aggressive LCdr Thomas Wogan getting the green light. Perhaps a change at that top can tip the balance in favour of the prewar Asiatic sub crew.

[Ron Saueracker]

Mogami has been running a fair amount of bombardment TFs against Banderjasman lately and it now seems he is becoming more earnest in his prosecution of his plans to capture the base in preparation for a leap across to Java. Managed to hit Nagato with a 500 pounder as he is just outside of my torpedo hefting limit.....boing!

His northern amphibious forces have been getting a spanking from LBA as he failed to provide the little buggers with CAP. A few more APs and escorts damaged. (Scored a hit on one of his ML escorts and destroyed his mine racks...too bad these are not programmed to explode like magazines!)

On another note, Lunga has been captured with the Aussie defenders forced to retreat to Tassaforanga.


*Mogami remains silent....[8D] Hmmmmmm......[X(]