The Italian Job 2- Gen.Hoepner(J)-vs.-Mc3744

[Gen.Hoepner]

Seems to be working, yes, but i do not know how and why. The fatigue levels are still acceptable ( around 35) and the supplies are in red, but not so much. Consider that the China HQ is marching with the troops( think can help a lot in draining supplies.

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/07/42

A VERY BUSY DAY!

Where to start?
Ok, firstly Oz
At darwin a sub unloaded a kamikaze commando in order to scout my defences. This isn't the fairest move he could have done but i'll take it and live with it. It's war above all.....
Now he know my defences here are weak...and in fact he has already sent his troops towards Daily waters. For the moment 2 tank regiment have been spotted and recognized but i'm fairly sure many more units are comming.
The threat to my positions in Australia is now reality. I have to do something, remembering that the Oz adventure had been ordered just to delay his advance in the DEI.
So the defensive plan is the following:
the 14th army at Daily, composed of 2 Divisions,1 Mix Brigade, 3 tank regiments and 3 Artillery units, will create a defensive perimeter in order to stop and delay his advance towards Darwin. 1 Division, with 2 regiments of the other one will be holding the city( forts level 9), while the immediate flanks of my central positions will be held by the mix bde and the other one by one regiment of the 56th Division. The tanks will move on a more open route, trying to flank him as soon as he gets deep inside Daily( a kind of Cannae tactic, with the tanks acting like the cartaginian cavalry).
At the same time the units that were moving towards Java will be redirected at Darwin. The 2nd Army will be composed of 1 Division,1 Mix Bde and 1 tank regiment, plus 2 Arty units.
Bombers are fighters have been ordered to move at Darwin asap.
It's gonna be hard....i know, but i will have to try to delay him as long as possible at Daily. The flanks will be the key!

Christmas Isl. became level 2 AF....wow! It's growing fast!

In China i managed to repulse those bastards that were threating the north of Canton. Now my 2 armies have been ordered to move and fill the gap, occupying the contested hexes north-west of Canton ( the railway). This will create some problems to his line of communications...at least i hope.

The usual night bombings. 13 planes lost.

Getting quite anxious about Frag op. will his CVs get in?

What else?
Yes, i want a night fighter[:@][:@][:@][:@]

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Coastal Guns at Darwin, 36,84, firing at TF 1032
TF 1032 troops unloading over beach at Darwin, 36,84[X(][:o][:o][:o]


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Night Air attack on Daly Waters , at 35,90

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 36
LB-30 Liberator x 11

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 1 destroyed


Japanese ground losses:
46 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 9

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x LB-30 Liberator bombing at 6000 feet
9 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
4 x LB-30 Liberator bombing at 6000 feet
8 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
15 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
3 x LB-30 Liberator bombing at 6000 feet
4 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
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Night Air attack on Rangoon , at 29,33

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 36
LB-30 Liberator x 33

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 5 destroyed
Ki-27 Nate: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 1 damaged
LB-30 Liberator: 3 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
204 casualties reported
Guns lost 8

Airbase hits 4
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 11

Aircraft Attacking:
20 x LB-30 Liberator bombing at 6000 feet
27 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
9 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
4 x LB-30 Liberator bombing at 6000 feet
9 x LB-30 Liberator bombing at 6000 feet
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Ground combat at 44,40 This is the battle for canton

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 31415 troops, 389 guns, 7 vehicles

Defending force 20212 troops, 128 guns, 0 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 10 to 1


Japanese ground losses:
347 casualties reported
Guns lost 24

Allied ground losses:
246 casualties reported
Guns lost 9


Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

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Ground combat at Darwin

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 11948 troops, 156 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 42 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles[:@]



Allied ground losses:
23 casualties reported

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/08/42

Yes, it's confirmed: the allies are advancing en masse towards Daily Waters. Today spotted the 4th Aus Div and the 25 American Division. For sure many more units are comming. How many APs can he master by now in Oz?
BTW i know i have a strong central position that can be held easily. The real point is to avoid any encirclement. Unfortunately the terrain in the area is flat and it's hard to dig in and resist.
I count a lot on the action of my bombers at Darwin. As the Chinese camp has stated, the ground support role of the bombers can be decisive, rather to stop an enemy attack or to puzzle the defences before our attack.
...getting nervous. The 16th Amry ( and not the second as stated before ) is comming, but those damned trasports are so slowwwwwwwww!!!!!!!

Ok, let's get calm again.
At Christmas Isl there are a LOT of ships commin and going.
5000 men spotted there and more 25000 at Palmyra.
Yes, he will be scared to see my invasion TFs[:D]

At Luzon things are going very very slow. Supplies are gone dry again and another big cargho is now comming from Japan. My bombers are unable to destroy his LCUs and i do not feel confortable enough yet to attack....

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/09/42

While south of Daily waters the evil allied divisions are marching with fast pace, in Burma the IJN fought over the skies of Mandalay. One daitai of Zeros found itself overnumbered by a massive strike allied raid. The brits are gaining back their historical pride and begins to come out in the daylight.
Losses were heavy. 5 zeros destroyed against only 7 allied fighters. Some more planes cought on the ground.
At Rangoon the usual night bombing destroyed 13 more planes today.
With Akyab ready to fall in allied's hands i really do not know what to do in this theatre to keep my presence alive. His fighters are gaining experience with nightime training, while my zeros are flown by rooky pilots. The oscars, as we all know are useless.
My only hope is for China. If i would only manage to get Chungking the whole Chinese front could be open and i could move in Burma some divisions and air units......but these are only dreams at the moment.

Australia is becomming a big headache. How can i hold the ground in these conditions? I'd need many more men, many more supplies( at the moment 120,000 between Darwin and Daily waters), many more tanks....much more of everything-_-[:(]

But that's the war with the japanese, gotta live with it
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Night Air attack on Rangoon , at 29,33

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27 Nate x 3
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 9

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 36
LB-30 Liberator x 33

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-27 Nate: 1 damaged
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 2 destroyed, 5 damaged
A6M2 Zero: 3 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 3 damaged
LB-30 Liberator: 2 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
113 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 12

Aircraft Attacking:
27 x LB-30 Liberator bombing at 6000 feet
24 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
12 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
6 x LB-30 Liberator bombing at 6000 feet
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Day Air attack on Mandalay , at 33,29

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 18

Allied aircraft
Blenheim I x 5
Blenheim IV x 28
Wellington III x 71
P-40B Tomahawk x 17
P-40E Warhawk x 19

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 7 destroyed, 5 damaged
Ki-46-II Dinah: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged
Wellington III: 9 damaged
P-40B Tomahawk: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 5 destroyed, 2 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
60 casualties reported
Guns lost 4

Airbase hits 6
Airbase supply hits 9
Runway hits 57

Mandalay AF is now closed. Will try to LRCAP tomorrow, hoping to keep it open for some more weeks

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/10/42

Another bloody day over Mandalay. Today the odds were slightly better, but the AF remains closed anyway.Simply too many bombers to fight with.
The A2A losses are 20 for the allies, while only 4 for us. The problem is, as always the grounded planes. 15 more today.

In China a deliberate attack to slodge the chinese from the railway north of Canton didn't achieve any significant result. Need some rest now, but at least the railine is interrupted and more pressure is pushing on his southern chinese flank.

The FRaG operation goes on slowly. My CVs are approaching Tarawa. It will takes probably 10 days to be spotted by allied catalinas based at Palmyra.





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Day Air attack on Mandalay , at 33,29

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 33 All of these fighters are on LRCAP

Allied aircraft
Blenheim I x 4
Blenheim IV x 25
Wellington III x 80
P-40B Tomahawk x 18
P-40E Warhawk x 2

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 4 destroyed, 11 damaged
Ki-46-II Dinah: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 6 destroyed, 2 damaged
Wellington III: 7 destroyed, 17 damaged
P-40B Tomahawk: 7 destroyed, 1 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed

Japanese ground losses:
257 casualties reported
Guns lost 3

Airbase hits 12
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 63

Aircraft Attacking:
7 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
6 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
8 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
6 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
7 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
1 x Blenheim IV bombing at 10000 feet
6 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
9 x Blenheim IV bombing at 20000 feet
6 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
3 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
2 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
1 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
3 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
3 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
2 x Blenheim IV bombing at 10000 feet
2 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
3 x Blenheim IV bombing at 20000 feet
3 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
3 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
2 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
2 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
2 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
4 x Blenheim IV bombing at 10000 feet
1 x Wellington III bombing at 5000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Ground combat at 43,40

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 44544 troops, 482 guns, 7 vehicles

Defending force 72937 troops, 387 guns, 0 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1


Japanese ground losses:
1638 casualties reported[:o][:(]
Guns lost 20
Vehicles lost 2

Allied ground losses:
351 casualties reported
Guns lost 6

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/11/42

Ok, today i lost 35 planes vs his 5. How can i hold on with ratios like that!?!?!?!?!
Look at the night raids and their effects....it's depressing, really[:(]

BTW, my CVs are 60 miles north of Tarawa. Everything goes smooth. No sign of US CVs yet.
No dailight raids today on burma.
4 allied tank units are just 4 hexes away from Daily Waters. My defences are moving to cover the flanks, while the 16th Army is still at sea, moving very slowly towards Darwin. 1 Betty and 1 Nell daitai will start tomorrow to bomb his advancing troops taking off from Darwin...hope to slow him a bit. Daily waters AF must be kept open at all costs. No cares for losses. Supplies are comming at Darwin from everywhere.
The 2nd division is unloading at Naga. As soon as it will be stationed at Manila we'll start the final attack. Need some more supplies that are on route from Japan.
The 56th Bde is 5 days far from Suva. Some Glens recon planned for tomorrow....let's hope not to find any stiff opposition here

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Night Air attack on Daly Waters , at 35,90

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 15

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 44
LB-30 Liberator x 39

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 5 destroyed, 5 damaged
A6M2 Zero: 4 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 2 damaged
LB-30 Liberator: 1 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
18 casualties reported
Guns lost 2

Airbase hits 7
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 15

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x LB-30 Liberator bombing at 6000 feet
6 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
9 x LB-30 Liberator bombing at 6000 feet
9 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
20 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
9 x LB-30 Liberator bombing at 6000 feet
9 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
15 x LB-30 Liberator bombing at 6000 feet
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Night Air attack on Rangoon , at 29,33

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27 Nate x 3
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 11

Allied aircraft
LB-30 Liberator x 15

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-27 Nate: 1 destroyed
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 5 damaged
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
H6K2-L Mavis: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
LB-30 Liberator: 2 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
35 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 4

Aircraft Attacking:
15 x LB-30 Liberator bombing at 6000 feet

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/12/42

Probably the worst day since the beginning of the war.
Several air bombing raids striked in Burma and Oz, destroying a total of 85 jap planes.....my entire air defence in Burma is crumbling down and i simpy cannot stop this vicious trend.
After the first , usual , night raid over Daily, that destroyed a fist of planes, in the morning it came directly from hell a massive air strike against Rangoon. Very few planes took of, altough all of them were at 90 % CAP. Not a single chance to get through that compact mass of steel. The result is depressing.
Another big air raid over Meiktlia ruined the rest of my day.
I moved in 3 more zero daitais and one more Oscar Sentai in this damned meatgrinder, but i do not expect much...not at all....
Any ideas guys?

The 16th army will be completely downloaded at Darwin in not less than 12 days. Too much! For sure by that time the allied troops will be upon our front positions....



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Night Air attack on Daly Waters , at 35,90

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 37
LB-30 Liberator x 29

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 4 destroyed
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 3 damaged
LB-30 Liberator: 1 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
47 casualties reported

Airbase hits 3
Runway hits 11

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x LB-30 Liberator bombing at 6000 feet
6 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
6 x LB-30 Liberator bombing at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
22 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
3 x LB-30 Liberator bombing at 6000 feet
6 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
11 x LB-30 Liberator bombing at 6000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Rangoon , at 29,33

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 25
Ki-27 Nate x 4

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 53
LB-30 Liberator x 25

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 9 destroyed, 7 damaged
Ki-27 Nate: 3 destroyed
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 14 destroyed
Ki-46-II Dinah: 2 destroyed
H6K2-L Mavis: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 8 destroyed, 36 damaged
LB-30 Liberator: 2 destroyed, 6 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
610 casualties reported
Guns lost 14

Airbase hits 9
Airbase supply hits 8
Runway hits 102

Aircraft Attacking:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Meiktila , at 32,31

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 27

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 18
Wellington III x 76
P-40B Tomahawk x 16

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 7 destroyed, 14 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 1 destroyed
Wellington III: 2 destroyed, 3 damaged
P-40B Tomahawk: 4 destroyed

Japanese ground losses:
8 casualties reported

Airbase hits 4
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 34

Aircraft Attacking:

[WiTP_Dude]

ORIGINAL: Gen.Hoepner

I moved in 3 more zero daitais and one more Oscar Sentai in this damned meatgrinder, but i do not expect much...not at all....
Any ideas guys?

I had the same problem against Kaiser73. What I did was pull back out of bomber range and start to train up the fighter groups away from the action. You can then come back later when you have a number of groups and are able to put a large CAP over the airfield.

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/13/42

Thanks Witp_dude, i'd be the same, but the problem here is that whenever i come back in forces, he switches to nightbombing again, and with this procedure, up to 4 days of constant bombing( losing an aaverage of 15/20 planes destroyed on the ground each night), my daitais will be almost depleted anyway, both of pilots and planes, and the results of the nextcomming daylight bombing would be exactly like the one of my last post....a disaster:-(

Ok, today some important things happened.
My defensive screen at Daily is almost completed. I've already spotted 10 different upcomming allied units, but i bet there are a lot more! In the map that you'll find down here, you can see everything. The actual strenght of my forces around Daily is 1500/1600 Assault points. I'll leave 900 of these at Daily, moving on the flanks the rest. When the 16th Army will arrive in support of these troops i'll have 1000 more Assault points to deploy to cover my rearguard. For the moment, however, the priority will be to defend my flanks from a flanking manouver.

At Chungking.....[:(] I made a mistake. I forgot to stop the advance of my only tank unit and the result is that the surprise is gone. Now he can see me, cause it moved in the hex right north of Chungking. However, the movement of these troops in one month on these terrains has something miracolous! The air bridge, and the presence of the Chinese HQ Army probably made the difference!

In Luzon, the ? division is moving from Naga to Manila.The bombers based at S.Marcelino will start to hit only the troops, in order to smash them and free the way for the final assault. Now i'll only wait for some more supplies and the fate of Manila will be doomed....hopefully

[WiTP_Dude]

ORIGINAL: Gen.Hoepner

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/13/42

Thanks Witp_dude, i'd be the same, but the problem here is that whenever i come back in forces, he switches to nightbombing again, and with this procedure, up to 4 days of constant bombing( losing an aaverage of 15/20 planes destroyed on the ground each night), my daitais will be almost depleted anyway, both of pilots and planes, and the results of the nextcomming daylight bombing would be exactly like the one of my last post....a disaster:-(

Tough situation. You may have to bring in some of your carriers to provide air cover so you can fix your airfields and deliver supplies. I feel your pain. [:D]

[PzB74]

Night bombing of air fields is over efficient. Level bombers during WWII could barely find a city at night...
I wouldn't start another game without having strict house rules that regulates night bombing.
Non-night flying capable ac can only perform city attacks during the night.

The Allies will overwhelm the Japs soon enough anyway and don't need an extra 'uber weapon'.

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/16/42

Cannot agree more PzB. It seems to me that the only tweakening they've made to the night bombing regards the 2E bombers, and not the 4Es!!!

Anyhow, i've lost one combat report, but i'll try to summerize here what happened in these 2 long days of war.

In the South Pacific the 56th Bde arrived at Nandi, on the Fiji island, and landed unopposed. Only one base force holds the other base at Fiji. The conquest of this key arcipelago won't give me any trouble. Subs and Mavis are scouting the area just in case he decides to strike back here. One SNLF unit and one base force are on route to form the Fiji advanced garrison.
The CVs are advancing. Frag operation goes on. Now we're approaching Canton Island. In one week everything will be decided...or not[&:] It depends if he comes in with his CVs....

In Northern Oz the 2nd division is finally ready at Darwin. Its conditions are not so good but it doesn't matter. at least 15 units for 150,000 men are approaching Daily!!!! My defences aren't ready yet but i hope i can hold for a while, untill the rest of the 2nd army will be ready to guard my rearguard.

At Luzon the 16th Division is slowly marching towards Manila. 140 bombers at S.Marcelino are pounding heach day the Manila garrison. It should not last for long once i begin with the final attack.

In China...oh well...my god...what a theatre!
The Blue Heart operation was a complete success!! ( see map below) Now i have 290,000 men 60 miles from Chungking,held only by 55,000 chinese. The problem is that i cannot cross the river and enter in the city cause it will lead me to a shock attack and i want to avoid this option. the 1st army, with 6 divisions , 2 eng rgts and 2 HA units will cross the river with direction South east, closing the gate that takes to Ichang. The other army will move SW. The problem is that the fatigue levels are high and my guys are moving very slow now. Supplies are a problem but i know its are worst! He's reacting however, as predicted. Everything he has is moving towards Chungking. From Ichang he's moving back some units, and so from the western China. To counter react to this movement, i keep at high levels the pressure on his souther perimeter. From Canton 2 army corps have occupied the railway and soon they'll attack.
In the Changsha area i managed to push back in a fierce fight 6 of his 8 units that were guarding the easter access to the industrial city. Tomorrow we'll keep on pushing, throwing back the other 2, then we'll move in Changsha. After that we'll attack with 2 divisions the hex NE of changsha, actually contested by 6 of his units.
It's a rush against time...i know it's gonna be a damned risky gamble...but this was the only way to force him to move the front!

In Burma yesterday he managed to close one more AF. lost 30 planes and some 12 zero pilots....discouraging!




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Ground combat at 46,37

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 43918 troops, 660 guns, 2 vehicles

Defending force 44022 troops, 144 guns, 0 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1


Japanese ground losses:
1597 casualties reported
Guns lost 28
Vehicles lost 1

Allied ground losses:
635 casualties reported
Guns lost 4


Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

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Ground combat at Nandi

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 6996 troops, 51 guns, 10 vehicles

Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1

Japanese assault odds: 177 to 1 (fort level 1)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Nandi base !!!

[Gen.Hoepner]

Ok, i made some calculations. I should not be able to cross the Chungking river in time to sorround the city before his reinforcement units can arrive in place. The question now is: what will be my "B" plan?
I really think that the key in the actual battle in China is the number of troops he can master in the front lines. At the moment Ichang is his stronger position. I only have 2000 assault points around there and i'd need many many more to destroy 150,000 chinese. But with the communication lines cut, with some Jap units in Chungking just to stop the supply production and with some more 2,000 APs that can come from the rear, i think it can be done!
But ok...it's too early to say anything. Gotta see what he does to defend Chungking. I'll keep the pressure high both at Wuchow,Changsha and Ichang, probably risking something, but it's worth the price!

I think that by the end of may we can start the final assault on Manila. With those precious divisions and Bdes that will be then free i can think to something new for the summer....i'd like to give him another blow in the southern pacific, but it all depends of how it will end the Fake Raid and Go operation which is now taking place.
The risks i'm taking with this gamble are high. Even if he calls in his CVs he can be smart enough to keep them in reserve, behind hordes of LBAs from Palmyra.....but i must try and go for a decisive battle. Cannot risk to leave 6 CVs intact in 1942!!!

In Northern Oz my Dinahs spotted the Australian HQ which is leading the advance over Daily! This means that everything he had in Australia is now directed towards my positions!...you know what? If only i could stop and pinn him there...how cool would be to use the Manila Divisions, once finished the PI campaign, to conquer the east Australian coast!!![:D]
No , ok, stop dreaming. Better to remain calm and think about the short-term period!

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/17/42

mmmm...my troops involved in the Blue heart operation in China are really struggling now.
Move only 1 or 2 miles each day:-(
However, he's pulling back many many units from Ichang, Changsha and Wochow!
Today we open the eastern gate of Changsha and started the march that will lead us to the city.
In 2/3 days more chinese positions around Changsha will be attacked!
From Kumming he's organizing an air bridge, surely to bring in some new troops. 35 fighters and 60 transports are spotted there.
I'm organizing a double offensive against it. 45 zeros and 80 bombers are being transfered to Hanoi. In 3 days we'll try to raid Kumming and close the AF.
At the same time from Sian 130 bombers will hit the Chungking AF, trying to close it as defenetly as possible.

In Burma no raids today...very strange. Gotta pay attention and defend Rangoon and Mouleim as better as i can!

In Northern Oz the enemy is moving again after 3 days where probably they regrupped themself. I'm concentrating on the flanks and am more confident
now that the 2nd division is on its way from Darwin, along with the HQ of the 16th Army.

Another mistake. I forgot to check one AP with some Naval squads...it went right at Palmyra where 16 mitchells sunk it:-(
Idiot!
Now the CVs are 120 miles north of Canton Island. 3/4 days and we'll get spotted...then everything will be moving!

MC says that i surprised him in China. I hoped so, but now i need some results!




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Day Air attack on TF at 108,90


Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 14


No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
AP Nekka Maru, Bomb hits 9, on fire, heavy damage

Japanese ground losses:
286 casualties reported
Guns lost 4

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 6000 feet
4 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 6000 feet
4 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 6000 feet
4 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 6000 feet




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at 46,37

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 42087 troops, 617 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 5540 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 78 to 1


Japanese ground losses:
17 casualties reported

Allied ground losses:
273 casualties reported


Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

[kaiser73]

how many supplies you have for your units marching towards Chunking? and are they decreasing over time or not?

When units get to 0 supplies, they move so slow it will take 2 months to move out of a trail hex (and by your map it seems you can' get supplies by any base). so the only supply will come from your planes.

Personally i would never try such plan as it relies on enemy mistakes to succeeed (not using the ZOC map) and makes you lose the main advantage of Japan in China (mobility on rails). Now you have your bulk army in trails and possibly out of supply.
if he manages to move 100k chinese in the trail hex where your troops are before you invade chunking, he will stop you forever, and it will take you 6 months to get back to Sian and then troops will be weak.

You can try to supply units using all you lilies and sallies. 400 LB should move some supplies.

No idea, about supplies: he should have supply problems (did you bomb his resource in changsha and other cities?).

[kaiser73]

ORIGINAL: WiTP_Dude

ORIGINAL: Gen.Hoepner

I moved in 3 more zero daitais and one more Oscar Sentai in this damned meatgrinder, but i do not expect much...not at all....
Any ideas guys?

I had the same problem against Kaiser73. What I did was pull back out of bomber range and start to train up the fighter groups away from the action. You can then come back later when you have a number of groups and are able to put a large CAP over the airfield.

That's also what i adviced him to do long ago. Move all out, train, and then concentrate on one base (rangoon). you can't stop 200 4e bombers unless you put huge trained cap of good planes.

When i play Japan, i totally ignore Burma for air defence. I take Burma just for this reason: to let Allies bomb it (if i donm't take it they can reach malaya from rangoon).
But losing pilots defending Mandalay....not worth.


If he uses mass night bombing, there is nothing you can do. Move out all aircrafts. if he bombs burma, he doesn't use his bombers elsewhere [:D]

[Gen.Hoepner]

mmmm....ok guys, you have my approval![:D]
No, seriously. I checked the status of my zero daitais.....almost all of them are below 70 exp!
Cannot go on like that. So i moved back everything above the reaghen line and will soo start to train them back in China, even if some of them will stay guarding Saigon and Hanoi. I fear this isn't the best solution, cause i can see the danger of having The whole burma transformed in a giant training camp for the RAF , but cannot do anything but this at the moment.

2 days in a row now

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/18/42

I layed some mines at PH...if his CVs will move in few days it could be interesting to see one of them hitting a mine leaving the port:-)
The DDs hunted my wolfpack but didn't find anything[8D]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack at 111,72

Japanese Ships
SS I-121

Allied Ships
DD Russell
DD Mustin
DD Hammann
DD Anderson
DD Hughes
DD Sims

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At Daily the usual night bombing. It's a pain but i gotta hold the skyes during the day, so i must stay there!

Night Air attack on Daly Waters , at 35,90

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 49
LB-30 Liberator x 35

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 4 destroyed
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 3 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 3 damaged
LB-30 Liberator: 1 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
50 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 3
Runway hits 7

Aircraft Attacking:



And this is a little payback. The advancing 2nd Aus Tank Regiment heavily bombed by my long range naval bombers based at Darwin

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 2nd Australian Tank Regiment, at 35,94

Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 30
G4M1 Betty x 15

No Japanese losses


Allied ground losses:
128 casualties reported
Vehicles lost 14

Aircraft Attacking:
11 x G3M Nell bombing at 6000 feet
19 x G3M Nell bombing at 6000 feet
15 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 6000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 3rd Australian Tank Regiment, at 35,94

Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 15

No Japanese losses


Allied ground losses:
61 casualties reported
Vehicles lost 7

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x G3M Nell bombing at 6000 feet
3 x G3M Nell bombing at 6000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/19/42

Ok, now that my fighters and bombers are back from Burma i'm starting a brand new aerial campaign. Kumming the target. 120 bombers and 100 fighters will hit this base tomorrow taking off from Hanoi.

the first squads of the 18th Division are unloading at Darwin, while fragments of the 16th Army are already moving towards Daily waters along with the 2nd division.
Today my bombers bombed the advancing 25th US division ( 3 hexes from Daily).

In China now i know that the plan for Chungking cannot be a success. My guys have their fatigue levels at 60/70 even if the supply situation isn't that bad (ok, in red, but not that low as one could think. My transports are doing a great job!)
We bombed Chungking AF today and tomorrow we'll do the same.
In 3 days we'll start another serial attack around Changsha and Wochow, supported by 400 between fighters and bombers.

In Manila everything is ready...almost. Waiting for a new Eng unit comming from Seul. 15 days i'd say. Not more.

Now, the key-point. FRaG operation.
As you can see my CVs are 1 day far from the range of his catalinas at Palmyra. I have 20 subs scouting the waters between PH and Palmyra and since today the CAP level of my carrier zeros has been raised till 60%.
Let's see if he get scared enough to bring in his precious CVs in defence of Christmas Island and his garrison...



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Air attack on Daly Waters , at 35,90

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 10
LB-30 Liberator x 36

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 2 destroyed
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 2 damaged
LB-30 Liberator: 2 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
61 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 8

Aircraft Attacking:

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/20/42

Nothing special today.
It's the 4th day in a row that his heaviests only appear in Oz and not in Burma...not a good signal!
Same bombing and same devastation at Daily waters.
He's now just 2 hexes away from Daily.......[:o] The day of the truth is close!
My CVs weren't spotted yet. One more day i hope.
in China things are going pretty bad at Chungking, while near Changsha there seem to be the opportunity to make a hole in his wall. Tomorrow i'll attack two different hexes and see what i can do!
I raided Kumming today. Damages weren't fantastic, so i'll keep this process up to tomorrow.
More CAP ordered over Hanoi.
The evacuation of the Burma AFs is nearly completed. Already 3 daitais moved to China and start their training program.
...what else?
Oh, yeah...Akyab finally fell. No surprise. I had already evacuated most of its garrison with the precious Mavis-L. Now another big AF will grow closer an closer to Malaya[:@]

It's all for the moment

stay tuned

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Kunming , at 38,32

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 6
G3M Nell x 23
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 27
Ki-21 Sally x 76
Ki-49 Helen x 23
Ki-15 Babs x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21 Sally: 1 destroyed, 6 damaged
Ki-49 Helen: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged


Allied ground losses:
252 casualties reported
Guns lost 3
Vehicles lost 1

Airbase hits 35
Airbase supply hits 7
Runway hits 120

Aircraft Attacking:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Akyab

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 28642 troops, 213 guns, 510 vehicles

Defending force 2662 troops, 36 guns, 0 vehicles

Allied assault odds: 28 to 1 (fort level 0)

Allied forces CAPTURE Akyab base !!!


Japanese ground losses:
1465 casualties reported
Guns lost 24

Allied ground losses:
64 casualties reported
Guns lost 4


Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/21/42

Ok guys, it's sure that my men won't cross the Chungking river before his reinforcements come in. No way.( as you can see in the map below). The fastest unit is only at 22 miles out of 60.....[:(] However the threat on his Capital forced him to move back many units and the pressure i'm making on his souther flank is givin' me some results.
Today we attacked the two flanks of Changsha with good result. The souther positions have been demolished and now i'm free to advance and cut the railline that connects Changsha to Wochow. In the north of Changsha my 3 divisions( + 1 Arty unit) obtained good odds, but managed to push back only 1 out of 5 enemy units. Tomorrow another attempt will be made to throw back those bastards!
Always in China, another Japanese raid at Kumming, unopposed. Shutting down this AF will be important.

In Oz, he's advancing, as always. I feel more confident now. The 2nd division arrived and positioned itself 60 miles north of Daily, in order to form, with the 16th Army a mobile reserve if one of my flank collapses. In two days my flanks will have 400 and 300 assault points each. 3 artillery units, with the 18th Division and the 16th Army HQ are moving from Darwin in these hours to get on frontline positions.

In Burma he has now free hands. Ok, gotta accept it.

In Souther pacific my invasion fleet directed towards Christmas Isl. hasn't been spotted yet....strange[:(]

In Manila nothing new today. Aerial and ground bombardments keep pinned the defenders that should be now out of supply...i hope[&:]


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Kunming , at 38,32

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 20
G3M Nell x 22
Ki-21 Sally x 32
Ki-15 Babs x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M Nell: 1 damaged
Ki-21 Sally: 3 damaged
Ki-15 Babs: 1 destroyed


Allied ground losses:
25 casualties reported

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 56

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Chungking , at 43,32

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 9
Ki-21 Sally x 115
Ki-49 Helen x 53
Ki-46-II Dinah x 11
Ki-15 Babs x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21 Sally: 1 damaged
Ki-49 Helen: 4 damaged
Ki-46-II Dinah: 1 damaged
Ki-15 Babs: 1 damaged


Allied ground losses:
194 casualties reported
Guns lost 9

Airbase hits 35
Airbase supply hits 6
Runway hits 184

Aircraft Attacking:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at 46,36

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 61807 troops, 739 guns, 14 vehicles

Defending force 27299 troops, 98 guns, 0 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1


Japanese ground losses:
679 casualties reported
Guns lost 38
Vehicles lost 8

Allied ground losses:
607 casualties reported
Guns lost 7


Defeated Allied Units Retreating!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at 46,38

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 15429 troops, 172 guns, 7 vehicles

Defending force 5844 troops, 1 guns, 0 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 124 to 1


Japanese ground losses:
28 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Allied ground losses:
118 casualties reported
Guns lost 1


Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/22/42

Let's make some order.

CHINA:- strange results of today battle. My 3 divisions attacked north of Changsha 5 enemy units. Obtained a 2-1, but none of the chinese retreated towards Changsha. This is a problem cause today 3 units of mine entered in the city hex, while 3 more are comming and 2 regiments are flanking it southwards. It's ok anyway. Tomorrow another attack with the support of 130 bombers should make it.
He occupied the destination hexes beyond the river at Chungking. Now, as i feared, it will be damned hard to cross the river[:@]
More bombings at Kumming today. None scheldued for tomorrow.

BURMA: He's the master of the area now. Bombed the resources centers at Mandalay and more AF badly hit by hundreds of planes.

LUZON: My 25th Army is almost ready for the final assault. Would like to wait few more days cause i wanna wait for another eng.regiment. Constant air bombings from S.Marcelino,Clark Field and Legaspi.

North-AUSTRALIA: Here the situation is dramatically tense. He's advancing under a the costant interest of my Naval bombers. 2 hexes away from Daily now. The 2nd Army is slowly taking shape in my rearguard, but its conditions aren't the best i could hope. Anyway i'll have to take it and live with this situation.
My flanks should be strong enough at the moment. he would need a lot of firepower to get a 2-1 odds. Daily should be safe enough with 9 forts and 800 APs.
Anyhow, i have to consider the loss, so i'm setting up an exiting plan from OZ. The second army will be the key not to let Daily being sorrounded. I need to keep the rail path open and to do so i need as much assault power as i can master here. My tanks will try to disturb his communication lines with Alice Spring,while my main army will retreat.
Gotta pay attention,cause i cannot efford to lose 4 divisions![:o]
Any advice?

S-Pacific:

[:@] He does not spot me! How in the hell is this possible!?!?!?!? 200 ships at 9 hexes from Palmyra and not a single catalina!?!?!?!?!? grgrgrgrgr....ok, 3 more hexes tomorrow....let's hope!



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Air attack on Daly Waters , at 35,90

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 52
LB-30 Liberator x 33

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 3 destroyed
Ki-46-II Dinah: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 5 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
81 casualties reported
Guns lost 2

Airbase hits 6
Runway hits 13

Aircraft Attacking:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at 46,36

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 59990 troops, 689 guns, 4 vehicles

Defending force 22199 troops, 81 guns, 0 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1 [X(]


Japanese ground losses:
396 casualties reported
Guns lost 14

Allied ground losses:
73 casualties reported[&:][&:][&:]
Guns lost 1

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/23/42

Hordes of bombers on Burma. Now Akyab is an allied AF and soon the threat will be directed towards Hanoi and Saigon[:@] The only way to save Burma now is to win in China....oh god!

Speaking of China.... The flanks of Chungking are now occupied. Hope the 59miles won't afflict me now...i know that if your destination hex that before was empty now is occupied and you're already on march it can happen....if it is i'm lost[:o]
BTW, 4 more units driven back north of Changsha. Now only one enemy unit is resisting. Tomorrow we'll clean this problem and will start another massive attack southeast of Wochow. If he wants to save chunking he must abbandon the souther China! This must be the message!

In N.Oz my daylight bombings are answering to his nightraids at Daily. Now his units are only 120 miles away....my defences are not ready yet[:@][:@][:@]

Incredibly my CVs that are 5 hexes from Christmas Isl. aren't been spotted yet[&:][&:] How is it possible?! However the Alfs mounted on my CSs should reveal my position....I'm losing confidence. Seems that this operation was born under a black moon[:(]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Air attack on Daly Waters , at 35,90

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 14
LB-30 Liberator x 32

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 2 destroyed
Ki-46-II Dinah: 1 destroyed


Japanese ground losses:
53 casualties reported
Guns lost 3

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 11

Aircraft Attacking:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Rangoon , at 29,33

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
PBY Catalina x 4
Wellington III x 75

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 2 destroyed
Ki-46-II Dinah: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Wellington III: 6 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
424 casualties reported[:o]
Guns lost 10

Airbase hits 13
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 79[:@]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 3rd Australian Brigade, at 35,93

Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 51
G4M1 Betty x 15

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M Nell: 3 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 1 damaged


Allied ground losses:
129 casualties reported[:D]
Guns lost 5

Aircraft Attacking:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at 46,36

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 59421 troops, 668 guns, 4 vehicles

Defending force 21905 troops, 75 guns, 0 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 5 to 1


Japanese ground losses:
376 casualties reported
Guns lost 25

Allied ground losses:
262 casualties reported
Guns lost 2


Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Only 6000 chinese are still fighting in this hex