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

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 11/26/42

I know String...i know[:(]...but it's an all or out mission. He has the means to jump, island after island, from Fijii to Tarawa and Kwalajein. If i do not try to stop him now that he still hasn't the Essexs, in the future will be simply impossible.
Operation S.S. on its way.
Tomorrow we'll attack Chungking again. His bombers have been quite for 2 days in a row now in Burma, despite a very good weather....he's probably planning a strike against my bases in China. CAP has been set at 90% everywhere.

Nothing else to report.

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 11/27/42

Yes. Finally a good news. Chungking Fell today! BANZAIIIIII 150,000 Chinese plus some British troops that fought from Burma to Chungking during the last 12 months are eliminated. Everyone has been beheaded, british included. Now my Army will rest a bit, then it will march to liberate Ichang and then again Lanchow, while my air force is moving northwards towards the last 2 major chinese bases in the north ( Lanchow and Sining).

The day started with some 30 Wellingtons trying to interdict my troops at Chungking. The 10 Tonies that were on LRCAP managed to shoot down 5 of them, badly damaging many others. Then we bombed Chungking with everything i had. The base was hit along with some 3 chinese corps.

In the pacific he's ready to unload at Wallis Island, near Pago Pago...

My betties from Munda put a pair of torps into two trasnports at Lungaville.

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

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 3
Ki-61 KAIc Tony x 31
Ki-21 Sally x 198
Ki-49 Helen x 128
Ki-46-II Dinah x 19
Ki-15 Babs x 1

No Japanese losses


Allied ground losses:
232 casualties reported

Airbase hits 14
Airbase supply hits 11
Runway hits 265

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 36th Division, at 43,32

Japanese aircraft
Ki-61 KAIc Tony x 8

Allied aircraft
Wellington III x 20
IL-4c x 3

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-61 KAIc Tony: 3 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Wellington III: 3 destroyed, 4 damaged[;)]

Japanese ground losses:
51 casualties reported
Guns lost 2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 26th Division, at 43,32

Japanese aircraft
Ki-61 KAIc Tony x 8

Allied aircraft
Wellington III x 4
IL-4c x 1

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-61 KAIc Tony: 2 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Wellington III: 2 destroyed[8D]

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 14th Chinese Corps, at 43,32 *Chungking*

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 2
A6M3 Zero x 3
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 6
Ki-51 Sonia x 6
Ki-21 Sally x 10
Ki-46-II Dinah x 1

No Japanese losses


Allied ground losses:
36 casualties reported
Guns lost 2


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 25th Chinese Corps, at 43,32 *Chungking*

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 4
A6M3 Zero x 12
A6M3a Zero x 3
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 28
Ki-61 KAIc Tony x 2
Ki-51 Sonia x 24
Ki-21 Sally x 20
Ki-46-II Dinah x 3

No Japanese losses


Allied ground losses:
47 casualties reported

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 27th Chinese Corps, at 43,32 *Chungking*

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 3
A6M3 Zero x 4
A6M3a Zero x 3
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 14
Ki-51 Sonia x 12
Ki-21 Sally x 20
Ki-46-II Dinah x 3

No Japanese losses


Allied ground losses:
117 casualties reported
Guns lost 2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 90th Chinese Corps, at 43,32 *Chungking*

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 3
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 6
Ki-51 Sonia x 3
Ki-21 Sally x 12
Ki-46-II Dinah x 1

No Japanese losses


Allied ground losses:
38 casualties reported
Guns lost 1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF, near Luganville at 71,111

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 6

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 9

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 2 damaged

Allied Ships
AK Demodocus, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
AK American, Torpedo hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Chungking

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 460313 troops, 4712 guns, 188 vehicles

Defending force 102485 troops, 237 guns, 21 vehicles

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 0

Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Chungking base !!!


Japanese ground losses:
10537 casualties reported
Guns lost 287
Vehicles lost 22

Allied ground losses:
142129 casualties reported
Guns lost 232
Vehicles lost 13


I did not expect such a good result so early...means that my costant bombings were succesfull in burning the supplies brought in by the B-17s....




In the picture you can see the victorious Japanese troops marching towards the city center

[Gen.Hoepner]

Forgot to say that now a pair of divisions will be changin' HQ and sent to Bankok, while some Eng will be sent overseas to build up my bases in the Pacific.

Gotta say that after 12 months of war in China i'm very pleased. The result achieved today is something that pays back all the efforts made in this Theatre, where MC fought really well and gave me more than one headhaches during the first 5 months of war. The fact that the result of the last attack has been a complete surprise for me makes even sweeter this victory

[Gen.Hoepner]

comments directly on the screen shots..

[Gen.Hoepner]

.......

[Gen.Hoepner]

Not again...please!!!![:@][:@]

Chungking is screwed UP!

After the conquest of the city, yesterday, there were no chinese units left. 140,000 POWs as you've seen. And there were no icons of chinese and pressing "W" the chungking hex was not contested.
Now it allowed me to use the "deliberate attack" button at Chungking...i tought: strange. But i simply let it go....
Today i run the turn and at Chungking i had this result:

Ground combat at Chungking

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 434045 troops, 4278 guns, 164 vehicles

Defending force 123315 troops, 579 guns, 23 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 0 to 1


Japanese ground losses:
6704 casualties reported
Guns lost 148
Vehicles lost 4

Allied ground losses:
4122 casualties reported
Guns lost 53

But again, no chinese troops are visible and on the "land combat window" not a single chinse unit appears
What the hell does this mean!?!?!?!?!?

And above all...Chungking base is not repairing. Yesterday it was at 65 dmg AF and 100 Service Dmg...today the same, altough i have 2000 Engeneers there....something that must be explained ....

At the moment we're stuck.

Any help will be appreciated

[Gen.Hoepner]

As you can see from this map (29th Nov) we have a problem

[String]

ORIGINAL: Gen.Hoepner

Not again...please!!!![:@][:@]

Chungking is screwed UP!

After the conquest of the city, yesterday, there were no chinese units left. 140,000 POWs as you've seen. And there were no icons of chinese and pressing "W" the chungking hex was not contested.
Now it allowed me to use the "deliberate attack" button at Chungking...i tought: strange. But i simply let it go....
Today i run the turn and at Chungking i had this result:

Ground combat at Chungking

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 434045 troops, 4278 guns, 164 vehicles

Defending force 123315 troops, 579 guns, 23 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 0 to 1


Japanese ground losses:
6704 casualties reported
Guns lost 148
Vehicles lost 4

Allied ground losses:
4122 casualties reported
Guns lost 53

But again, no chinese troops are visible and on the "land combat window" not a single chinse unit appears
What the hell does this mean!?!?!?!?!?

And above all...Chungking base is not repairing. Yesterday it was at 65 dmg AF and 100 Service Dmg...today the same, altough i have 2000 Engeneers there....something that must be explained ....

At the moment we're stuck.

Any help will be appreciated

Oh yea, that bug

I encountered it too when I took chungking. Don't worry, it's just the result of the chinese unit regeneration code. In thrity days, those units will enter a chinese city or karachi (if they are under seac HQ) and you'll be free to move around Chungking again. Other than that, just consider it an AJ hex and act accordingly, don't attack, it's useless

[Gen.Hoepner]

Ah...but if it's so why the base isn't repairing nor draining supplies? seems strange to say the least

[jwilkerson]

I had this happen to me.

Just stop fighting - and the ghosts will stop fighting as well ( I finally tried this after a week ).

However, at least in my game, Chungking has always been a "strange" place to try to get out of. I always have to plot a unit inside the city to move to one of my bases - then wait for it to leave - the replot to where it really wants to go. Chungking is kind of "semi-prison" for its capturer.

As to repairs - my CHungking repaired - though not sure about the first turn. But stop fighting and wait a couple of turns and you should see repairing.

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 11/29/42

Daily was heavily bombed today. hundreds of 4Es appeared all of a sudden in the skies of Daily. Only 40 A6M3s and 27 Tonies took off to fight those monsters. We were outnumbered and those B-17s managed to shoot down many japanese planes, but my pilots fought bravely and with a HUGE courage the hordes of enemies. 40 enemy bombers were shot down in exchange of 11 japanese fighters...so a good ratio, but we lost 12 zeros and 6 tonies on the ground[:@]. The base is now badly damaged and if tomorrow he's coming again it will be closed[:(]. To defend a base against these numbers of allied bombers you need at least a ratio of 1 fighter every 2 bombers...which is almost impossible considering that he has more 400/500 4Es in Burma ( that also today bombed the hell out of my poor undefended troops )and probably some 500 more in CENTPAC....[:@]

He landed with a big force at Savaii, near pago Pago ( Samoa). That place can be built up to level 5 AF and from there he can attack with his 4Es Canton Island. I'll be ready to evacuate any important unit there, being ready to counterattack when and if he'll decide to invade Canton Is.

At Chungking the base is eventually repairing...but TOOOOOO slowly considering 2000 engeneers present!! and it keeps not draining supplies[:(]


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

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 40
Ki-61 KAIc Tony x 27

Allied aircraft
Hudson I x 5
B-17E Fortress x 77
LB-30 Liberator x 24
B-24D Liberator x 96

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3 Zero: 12 destroyed, 16 damaged
Ki-61 KAIc Tony: 8 destroyed, 12 damaged
Ki-46-II Dinah: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Hudson I: 1 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 9 destroyed, 38 damaged
LB-30 Liberator: 3 destroyed, 8 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 19 destroyed, 36 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
224 casualties reported
Guns lost 8

Airbase hits 35
Airbase supply hits 11
Runway hits 96

[Gen.Hoepner]

...

[jwilkerson]

At Chungking the base is eventually repairing...but TOOOOOO slowly considering 2000 engeneers present!! and it keeps not draining supplies

Everyone says only first 250 engineers are effective ... I can't personally swear to this .. but that is what I am told ...

"draining supplies" you mean the supplies that you captured in Chungking aren't flowing out ? Chungking may be a supply "magnet" rather than a source at least until it reaches a large level ... I think it is sitting at around 41k in my game though this is months after the capture .. I haven't paid much attention as I seemed to have what I needed elsewhere most of the time.

[Gen.Hoepner]

No, i mean that the last day i attacked my army was fully supplied. Now with the Exp.Ch. Army HQ in Chungking has 16k supplies, while my army need at least 60,000!...and the supplies aren't rising...
However....this doens't change much the things if ...IF the problem will be solved in the next 30 days...if not...oh ...yes, i'll have a problem

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 12/01/42

It's depressing. Look how many 4Es he's sending over Daily, after the harsh battle of 2 days ago where he lost 40 heavistes and more 100 were badly damaged....

350...and probably 50/70 more are being repaired...so what should i do? put 300 fighters at Daily? And what will defend PM,Tarawa, Shortland, Bankok, China, Hanoi and so on!?!??!

Under these conditions how can i have a hope to fight? Everything that's below the range of 13/14 hexes is already damned to be destroyed. KB is paralized and he will jump island after island being always under the umbrella of these monsters.... this is the real DS, not the carriers!


In the meanwhile he landed with 25,000 men at Samoa Islands...[:o]

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

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
Hudson I x 6
B-17E Fortress x 161
LB-30 Liberator x 39
B-24D Liberator x 152

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3 Zero: 9 destroyed
Ki-61 KAIc Tony: 7 destroyed
Ki-46-II Dinah: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 1 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 4 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
198 casualties reported
Guns lost 6

Airbase hits 46
Airbase supply hits 9
Runway hits 280

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 65th Brigade, at 36,28


Allied aircraft
Wellington III x 30
B-17E Fortress x 63


No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
143 casualties reported
Guns lost 8

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 12/03/42

The massive bombing campaign at Daily and in Burma goes on, while he keeps advancing unmatched in CENTPAC


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


Allied aircraft
Hudson I x 5
B-17E Fortress x 107
LB-30 Liberator x 27
B-24D Liberator x 119


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

Japanese ground losses:
127 casualties reported
Guns lost 5

Airbase hits 19
Airbase supply hits 9
Runway hits 311

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


Allied aircraft
PBY Catalina x 1
B-24D Liberator x 19


Allied aircraft losses
B-24D Liberator: 1 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
21 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Runway hits 25

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Myitkyina , at 36,28


Allied aircraft
Wirraway x 28
Kittyhawk I x 16
I-153c x 48


No Allied losses

Runway hits 13

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 65th Brigade, at 36,28


Allied aircraft
Wellington III x 69
P-38G Lightning x 3
B-17E Fortress x 78
SB-2c x 50


No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
246 casualties reported
Guns lost 6

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Magwe , at 31,29


Allied aircraft
Beaufort I x 35
Beaufort V-IX x 14


No Allied losses

Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 11




There's nothing much to say: i'm stuck on the defence. I do not see how i can hold the ground at the moment.
He's advancing at an extremely fast pace everywhere. In CENTPAC he's already reconning Nanoumea Atoll and soon i know Canton Island will be bombed back to stoneage.
I'm transfering some IJAF sentais to the marshalls, but i've already seen at Daily Waters and in Burma how the clash will end:
my fighters can hold for one day...maybe two...but he has so many 4Es that he can easily bomb any place he likes with 300 4Es the first day, then rotate them with more 300 for the second day, while i'll have a strip damaged, to say the least, and my strenght in the air will be halfed...and that means base closed in 3 days:-(

In Burma i'm so vulnerable that i do not understand why he's not attacking. He told me all his chinese units are now respawning at Karachi...this rule is silly...he's going to have in the next 30 days some more 200.000 men at Karachi!
If he attacks in Burma or in Sumatra i won't have any means to stop his advance. His 1000 4Es can destroy a crack jap division in 2 days. I could move my IJAF air force from China to Burma but i will lose it in a week. His fighters have been training since april and they will surely be above 80 exp.
My Sallies, even in masses, cannot hope to stand a chance against p-38s,Spitfires etc. and considering that i cannot even ambush him because of the allied ability to foesee any jap air movement one turn before, i do not see a chance...my bases would be bombed and my entire IJAF destroyed.

Do not know...with this use of PDUs everybody complains about Jap ability to have hordes of Tonies...but even the hordes of tonies do not stand a chance against hordes of 4Es...

This war will probably end very soon. I'll have to retreat and DEI and SRA will be directly threatened very soon( by the beginning of 43 i guess).
I'll probably decide, in the next 2 or 3 months, to move everything back and form a new defensive line at Mariannas ( for what concerns the pacific) and at Manila for the DEI and SRA...diggin in, turning off most of my industry and make a last great fight in these areas. it's sad, but i do not see any chance of doing otherwise

[Gen.Hoepner]

Ok, i've made up my mind.

The strategy will completely change.
It's a pity because we're not going to see anything interesting for the next months but the goal is to survive as long as i can and that's what i want to do.
I want this game lasting for at least another year, so i'll start to get back my assets and dig in far back.
Daily waters and Darwin will be evacuated. The 16th Army will be brought to Mindanao along with the base forces and engeneers present at Timor and Mollucche.
Java and Sumatra will be the next places to be evacuated. Everything will be brought back to Luzon. Then Burma and Malaya. The new defensive line will run from Hanoi to Brunei, then Tarakan and Menado.
At the same time Rabaul and Bouganville garrisons will be moved back to Truk and Palau, leaving in NG and solomons only small SNLF units to act dalaying actions. The 17th Army will be moved to Mariannas. One division for each Islands. I'll leave some forces at Tarawa for dalaying pourposes.
Many Chinese divisions will start to get converted to other HQs and will be sent to Mariannas. All my Air units will start a HUGE training program in order to be ready when the time will come.
I'll selectively stop my industries, saving as much rew materials as possible.
With this strategy i hope to gain at least one 6/7 months...then i'll be forced to fight the final battles...

[String]

ORIGINAL: Gen.Hoepner

Ok, i've made up my mind.

The strategy will completely change.
It's a pity because we're not going to see anything interesting for the next months but the goal is to survive as long as i can and that's what i want to do.
I want this game lasting for at least another year, so i'll start to get back my assets and dig in far back.
Daily waters and Darwin will be evacuated. The 16th Army will be brought to Mindanao along with the base forces and engeneers present at Timor and Mollucche.
Java and Sumatra will be the next places to be evacuated. Everything will be brought back to Luzon. Then Burma and Malaya. The new defensive line will run from Hanoi to Brunei, then Tarakan and Menado.
At the same time Rabaul and Bouganville garrisons will be moved back to Truk and Palau, leaving in NG and solomons only small SNLF units to act dalaying actions. The 17th Army will be moved to Mariannas. One division for each Islands. I'll leave some forces at Tarawa for dalaying pourposes.
Many Chinese divisions will start to get converted to other HQs and will be sent to Mariannas. All my Air units will start a HUGE training program in order to be ready when the time will come.
I'll selectively stop my industries, saving as much rew materials as possible.
With this strategy i hope to gain at least one 6/7 months...then i'll be forced to fight the final battles...

Hmm.. I would suggest against moving out of DEI. Exploit those oil fields for as long as you can. But that's just me. If you leave the oilfields then you only have enough HI to run your aircraft production, ship and amraments production will most likely be down to 10% of the original. But then again, why produce ships when they only get sunk by the enemy eh? [:D]

[jwilkerson]

I want this game lasting for at least another year, so i'll start to get back my assets and dig in far back.

One "intagible" I've noticed in all my PBEM games ( Japanese ) is the effect of "smoke and mirrors" ... or the "illusion of strength" .. all my opponents to one degree or another are dazzled by their own imagination of my strength. And it is possible with the mobile assets to concentrate enough power to do damage in a given area. But pulling back, to the extent that it can be detected ( and lack of large troop concentrations can be detected) may actually hasten the end of the war rather than increasing it. We all have to play against our opponents and you know your man better than the rest of us. So you have to do what you think will work - just pointing out in my games - the opposite seems to be working better.

[Gen.Hoepner]

AAR 12/5/1942

Ok guys, it was too strange that MC didn't attack in Burma. He's coming right now always from the same direction. I've ordered my all my units north or Rangoon to move back to Mouleim. Operation Killing me softly has begun!
Already 3 divisions and 2 Bdes are moving on Transports from Singa to Manila. More units are coming down from Bankok, while Sebang will be evacuated within a week.
the first 2 units left Sosarbaja Today. In 15 days everyone will be out of Java.
The problem will be Daily and Darwin. He will surely see my units moving back from the front...so i'll probably have to sacrifice a unit to hold the bastards at Daily for a month...at least...to let the 16th Army retreat to Darwin and here load up on APs...destination Mindanao.
Canton Island is being evacuated. Naval units going to Tarawa and Kwelejein ( sp!?)

I'll use the KB to cover these operation, but i'll soon send 2 CVs and 4 BBs to Japan to get their upgrades.

Started to turn off all the ships in the arriving list. Naval and Merchant Shipyards have been officially closed today.
Tomorrow some air industries will be locked.