Nanshin! or the ramblings of Local Yokel

[Chimaera]

Great AAR, love the detail and use of combat reports only when necessary [;)]
 
Also, grats on sinking Big E, anti-climactic though it was.

[hades1001]

I love your pics

Could you please tell how make one like this?


[/quote]

[Local Yokel]

Welcome to two new contributors; glad you're enjoying!

For the graphics I started out with nothing other than MS Paint, but recently I've started to do some of the work using Paint.NET, which I think was drawn to my attention by ctangus. It's a free download; go here for more details. The feature I've found most useful so far is the ability to bend lines, as these are basically Bezier curves, I believe.

The maps themselves are the hex-free maps you can download for CHS, but since the overall map is broken down into a number of separate files which seldom correspond to the area you want, you will need to do some 'copy and paste' work to create a new map file for the area you want to display. Obviously you want to leave the original map files intact - they should get installed to <WitP root directory>\ART\Maps_Modified_v6X or something similar.

Hope that gives some idea of my approach - I'll try to amplify if necessary.

[hades1001]

Thanks Yokel[:D]

[BigBadWolf]

CV Enterprise, Bomb hits 45, on fire, heavy damage

[X(]

Well, that should teach him not to poke his nose into Imperial waters again [;)]

Too bad about Sa-GO Hoku. Will you linger about and wait for the weather to clear or is it too much of a risk?

[ctangus]

ORIGINAL: Local Yokel

Note the 2 step-downs in oil output at about the 180- and 200-day marks. None of my oil centres suffered any damage at these times, so the reason for the production drop is something of a mystery. Can anyone supply an explanation?

I'm not sure if this is the case in your game, but I've noticed that resources & oil centers seem to stop producing once they've stored 100 days worth of production. E.g. Medan - 50 oil centers x 6/day x 100 days = 30,000. It won't produce anymore once it has that much in its tanks. Perhaps a couple of your bases have reached their threshold.

And congrats on the Enterprise! Surely the Imperialists will never recover from such a devastating blow! [;)]

You've established an impressive perimeter. I'm curious - do you plan more expansion at this point? Dig in? Combination of both?

[Local Yokel]

It's interesting to analyse the composition of the Japanese carrier strikes.

Strike 1 is of comparable size to each of the Pearl Harbor attack waves, and consistent with a full deckload spot for all 6 carriers.
Strikes 2 + 3 look like another full deckload spot that got broken down into two elements, one attack plane-heavy, the other carrier bomber-heavy.

Strike 3 is BS: 280 aircraft is way above a deckload spot and would involve a large portion of the strike orbiting the carriers whilst the remainder were ranged on deck, warmed up and launched: an operation that would have taken 30-60 minutes IRL. I'm confident the Japanese would have stuck to doctrine and launched two more deckloads of about 140 aircraft apiece.

FWIW, I'm strongly opposed to any range penalty being imposed on Japanese carrier aircraft BUT I would like to see their strikes limited to the equivalent of full deckloads. And the purist in me says that attack planes launching from CVL's should not carry torpedoes, whilst CV's Hiyo and Junyo should only launch up to 6 torpedo-armed attack planes, again as IRL. In the early years at least the Japanese had a range advantage and they should be allowed to exploit it if they choose.

Sa-GO Hoku was indeed a disappointment, given the target-rich environment. I could probably have got away with lingering another day, but force conservation is paramount, and there will be other opportunities in less exposed waters. Also, bunker levels soon go critical after a high speed run, and I have to retain a fuel margin to meet contingencies whilst I'm en route to the rendezvous with my oilers. So, I'm taking a leaf out of Frank Jack Fletcher's book and 2nd Mobile Force is currently beating a retreat (and has been observed in so doing by search a/c out of Adak).

Sorry about that.

[Local Yokel]

ORIGINAL: ctangus

ORIGINAL: Local Yokel

Note the 2 step-downs in oil output at about the 180- and 200-day marks. None of my oil centres suffered any damage at these times, so the reason for the production drop is something of a mystery. Can anyone supply an explanation?

I'm not sure if this is the case in your game, but I've noticed that resources & oil centers seem to stop producing once they've stored 100 days worth of production. E.g. Medan - 50 oil centers x 6/day x 100 days = 30,000. It won't produce anymore once it has that much in its tanks. Perhaps a couple of your bases have reached their threshold.

And congrats on the Enterprise! Surely the Imperialists will never recover from such a devastating blow! [;)]

You've established an impressive perimeter. I'm curious - do you plan more expansion at this point? Dig in? Combination of both?

That's a really interesting point about storage capacity that I must check.

One problem I have noticed is my 'embarrassment of riches' resulting from the intact capture of Palembang, with about 500,000 units of oil. I've been trying to disperse that accumulation using a shuttle of 6000 capacity TK's to move part of the stockpile east to Brunei initially, in addition to long haul oil movements to the HI. What I'm finding is that is that there are simply not enough tankers to make serious inroads into the oil stored at Palembang, which keeps churning more of the damn stuff out - no sign of storage capacity being a limiting factor there, so far as I can tell.

Incidentally I may have stumbled on a good solution for getting best use out of the whale factory ships in CHS: confine them to the Brunei-HI run. This way they can join up with a convoy of 10000 capacity TK's homeward-bound from Palembang, and get the extra loading time they need without delaying the smaller tankers that load closer to the perimeter.

It was very unfair of me to get a 6 to 1 advantage in carriers against Enterprise - I'm so disappointed with myself [:-]

I've been assiduously digging in round the perimeter for some time already: e.g. one base in the Marshalls already has max forts and another will do so any day now.

As for further expansion, I'm very much in two minds. My conservative instincts tell me I've got a good distribution of forces that can hold critical locations long enough to be relieved and mount a counter-attack. OTOH, logically I should pursue my offensive strategy to its conclusion by establishing air bases in N Zealand as the only effective way to sever the US-Australia SLOC. If I don't do that then it's arguable that I have no business being in Noumea (except to torpedo enemy CV's, hehe). But an amphibious operation against NZ is a big roll of the dice: it's putting a lot of troops and ships in harm's way and involves a big outlay in fuel and a large and continuing supply commitment. I've actually got some units prepping for such an operation, but putting the necessary logistics in place will take some time yet. This may mean that my window of opportunity for such an op may close before I can launch it anyway.

Any thoughts?

[ctangus]

ORIGINAL: Local Yokel

Incidentally I may have stumbled on a good solution for getting best use out of the whale factory ships in CHS: confine them to the Brunei-HI run. This way they can join up with a convoy of 10000 capacity TK's homeward-bound from Palembang, and get the extra loading time they need without delaying the smaller tankers that load closer to the perimeter.

Ooh - good idea... If you don't mind, I'll copy...

It was very unfair of me to get a 6 to 1 advantage in carriers against Enterprise - I'm so disappointed with myself [:-]

You gamer! [:D]

In truth I'd say you played that extremely well. Your opponent was taking a risk using a CV independently like that. I've done the same (and have paid for it!) You had a well-conceived plan. While it didn't work out exactly like you expected, I'd still say you did a good job there.

As for further expansion, I'm very much in two minds. My conservative instincts tell me I've got a good distribution of forces that can hold critical locations long enough to be relieved and mount a counter-attack. OTOH, logically I should pursue my offensive strategy to its conclusion by establishing air bases in N Zealand as the only effective way to sever the US-Australia SLOC. If I don't do that then it's arguable that I have no business being in Noumea (except to torpedo enemy CV's, hehe). But an amphibious operation against NZ is a big roll of the dice: it's putting a lot of troops and ships in harm's way and involves a big outlay in fuel and a large and continuing supply commitment. I've actually got some units prepping for such an operation, but putting the necessary logistics in place will take some time yet. This may mean that my window of opportunity for such an op may close before I can launch it anyway.

Any thoughts?

Boy, I'm debating many of the same things myself currently. I can provide some thoughts, but I don't know how good they'll be.

July '42 seems a little too late for me to conduct major offensive operations. Some players, better than me, have done so successfully. But it'd be risky. Even this early the Allied LBA has significant teeth...

Minor offensive operations could still be easily achieved. For one thing I believe you don't have the Ellice Islands yet & they would help you out - they keep you a little further from allied fighter range.

An offensive op against NZ? If successful it would certainly be very beneficial. But it also seems too risky to me. I don't think the risk is worth the reward - with your current position I'd say you're in very good shape. You should already be able to delay the evil imperialists for many, many months. If you took NZ it would delay them a little bit more, but it would probably require you risking much of the Combined Fleet...

Risk/reward ratio doesn't seem to be worth it to me. I think you'd be better off saving your strength to vigorously counter-attack and/or reinforce the first allied offensives.

I'm not sure how good they are, but those are my thoughts...

[Local Yokel]

ORIGINAL: ctangus

Boy, I'm debating many of the same things myself currently. I can provide some thoughts, but I don't know how good they'll be.

July '42 seems a little too late for me to conduct major offensive operations. Some players, better than me, have done so successfully. But it'd be risky. Even this early the Allied LBA has significant teeth...

Minor offensive operations could still be easily achieved. For one thing I believe you don't have the Ellice Islands yet & they would help you out - they keep you a little further from allied fighter range.

An offensive op against NZ? If successful it would certainly be very beneficial. But it also seems too risky to me. I don't think the risk is worth the reward - with your current position I'd say you're in very good shape. You should already be able to delay the evil imperialists for many, many months. If you took NZ it would delay them a little bit more, but it would probably require you risking much of the Combined Fleet...

Risk/reward ratio doesn't seem to be worth it to me. I think you'd be better off saving your strength to vigorously counter-attack and/or reinforce the first allied offensives.

I'm not sure how good they are, but those are my thoughts...

Actually, they're thoughts very similar to my own.

Let's take the analysis of a New Zealand oparation a bit further, and let's take it as read that even now I can bring enough force to bear to ensure capture of, say, North Island. The immediate effect should be to create a barrier across US-Australia sea communications; the size 6 air base facilities at Auckland should see to that.

In principle Australia can still be reinforced/re-supplied via Aden, but I think it's reasonable to assume that the Allies would see re-establishment of an open sea route to Australia as a desirable preliminary to later offensives. Indeed, operations to open that route hold attractions for the Allies inasmuch as they involve a strike against an extended chain of bases that form the barrier. Maintenance of that barrier requires the Japanese not only to sustain a respectable garrison of North Island, but also mandates equally strong garrisons of the intervening links in the chain, in the Lower Solomons, New Hebrides and New Caledonia. That requires a major force commitment and still carries the risk that rupture of the barrier isolates the units beyond the breach and exposes them to destruction in detail. Thus, rather than being able to dictate the choice of battleground to its own advantage, Japan yields that choice to its enemy and immediately commits itself to fighting the defensive battle at a disadvantage.

So I conclude that New Zealand can only be regarded as a defensible objective if its capture forms part of bigger operations aimed at giving greater breadth to the barrier, i.e. by the capture in addition of Fiji at least. All of which merely enlarges Japan's force allocation at a single, non-productive point on the periphery, which doesn't strike me as a sound policy to be adopting.

Damn! I think I just invalidated my own strategy!

No, I think you're right to think in terms of conserving strength for the counterattack. Not only does this preserve the opportunity to cripple some of his high quality assault troops, but it also gives strength and depth to the defence.

Psychologically, I believe I have an opponent who may be too keen to go over to the attack. I think he may be provoked into mounting further offensives prematurely. In any event, I believe he may well have to mount any such offensives at places where I have a positional advantage, and in that case I may have the chance to make him pay disproportionately for his gains. Perhaps I should try to panic him by hinting at the growing fort levels he will have to face - Wake just went to 9.

[Local Yokel]

By way of a taster, here is a map showing the Aleutians situation on 24 July 42. I had just completed this when the next turn arrived, so I'll post a further update after I've been able to get something back to my worthy foe.

[Local Yokel]

Action off Attu, July 1942

Prelude: Hittokappu Bay, 18 July 1942

Almost eight months have passed since the heavy carriers of 1st Air Fleet disappeared into the November twilight off Etorofu-jima, bound for their appointment at Pearl Harbor, and following their departure Hittokappu Wan reverted to being a backwater of little consequence.

Today, however, Hittokappu has once again been transformed into a scene of frantic activity. During the night the carriers of 2nd Mobile Force came gliding into the anchorage after their fruitless foray to Dutch Harbor, the northern component in Japan’s Sakurajima Sakusen. The sortie has stretched the force to the limit of its endurance, and base force personnel swarm over the ships to connect fuelling hoses to their near-empty bunkers.

Later in the day the gathering is swelled by the arrival of the main body of 1st Fleet: battleships Ise and Hyuga with their supporting cruisers and escorts. Combined Fleet has ordered these heavy units out from Maizuru in anticipation of a new operation in northern waters, details of which are delivered to the participating commanders by the C-in-C personally that afternoon, the flying boat bearing Yamamoto having alighted in the bustling anchorage shortly before lunchtime.

Since no co-ordination of forces at opposite ends of the Pacific is involved, this is Combined Fleet’s show. It is one prompted by the bombardment by US cruisers of Japanese positions on Attu Island on 7 July, and a subsequent feint towards the island by another surface force on 13 July. Combined Fleet believes that the US command at Dutch Harbor intends to mount a further raid against the island and plans to meet it with an ambush. By way of encouragement, a convoy with reinforcements for Attu is en route from Yokosuka, and it is hoped that the arrival of its transports off Attu will serve as bait to the Americans.

In fact, the defences at Attu are also to be augmented substantially by a major mine laying operation, and in view of the presence of the obligatory submarine patrol offshore (in this case a US ‘S’ boat), the minelayers and the reinforcement group will be preceded into Attu waters by 5th Escort Force, which will endeavour to suppress, if not sink, the marauder.

Meanwhile, the heavy units from 1st Fleet, reconstituted under R Adm Onishi as Attu Guard Force, will escort the transports to a point 100 miles west of Attu, where the Guard Force will loiter undetected to await sighting of an American raiding force approaching from the east. If this occurs, the transports unloading at Attu will retire to the south-west and their place will speedily be taken by Onishi’s ships, which it is hoped will be able to surprise the raiders with overwhelming firepower.

Combined Fleet is aiming for a clean sweep, and to achieve this has planned for Yamada’s carriers to patrol some 50 miles northwest of the Kommandorskis. As soon as an approaching US task force is detected, Yamada will make a 400-mile dash on an ESE course, designed to put him within torpedo striking range of the retiring survivors of the engagement with Onishi, but outside the range of an effective counter-strike from bombers based on Adak. If the situation warrants Onishi may also detach light forces in pursuit of the fleeing foe.

The plan is, of course, dependent upon timely sighting of the incoming US surface group, but past experience gives the Japanese confidence this can be accomplished. By way of insurance, however, search assets are enhanced by redeployment of the P7 Yokosuka Chutai’s Type 2 flying boats from Etorofu to Paramushiro, and intensification of search activity by submarine-borne floatplanes off Dutch Harbor.

Given that on at least one previous occasion a threatened Allied raid has turned out to be no more than a feint, there is one remaining element in the Combined Fleet’s plan. Lt Cdr Kishigami’s I-124, heavily laden with mines, will lurk to the NE of Dutch Harbor, hopefully clear of the traffic pattern, to await news of a sortie towards Attu. Thereupon Kishigami will proceed at high speed to Dutch Harbor and lay his offensive minefield in its approaches. It is hoped that this will either catch a returning Allied warship if the sortie proves to be a feint, or a survivor of any engagement with Onishi off Attu.

[Local Yokel]

Action off Attu, July 1942

Toccata: Waters east of Attu Island, night time, 24-25 July 1942

In the late hours of 23 July R Adm Yoshitomi’s 5th Escort Group makes landfall at Attu, and is almost immediately in contact with the US Sugar boat that is stalking the island’s approaches. Patrol Boat 31 makes what seems to be an accurate attack on the submarine, but with hindsight the damage appears to have been less than is initially hoped, and almost certainly the submarine gets a contact report off to the Allied command for the North Pacific. The ‘S’ boat bears away westward, and the Japanese, confident that the way is clear to land their reinforcements, order Takeda’s group of transports to enter harbour, followed by Cdr Sanami’s minelayers.

On the following day, an Army Ki-46 reconnaissance plane sights a force of Allied warships about 350 miles due east of Attu. The observer reports them as three heavy cruisers and one light cruiser, and his report is judged to be the sighting of an oncoming bombardment group, expected to include CA Chester and CL Trenton, both of which participated in the previous bombardment of Attu on 7 July.

For once events are proceeding exactly in accordance with the Japanese script, and Combined Fleet’s ambush plan is immediately put into operation. The transports hurriedly quit the vicinity of the island, the plan being for Sanami’s minelayers to follow after laying their cargoes. This exercise miscarries, as the minelayers do not receive the necessary order to lay, but it matters little for they remain undetected. Yoshitomi’s escort group heads out to sit on top of the Sugar boat, keeping it down whilst Onishi’s Guard Force rushes in from the west at top speed, ready to confront the expected US bombardment group that is approaching from the east. Meanwhile Yamada’s carriers begin their run from Kommandorski Island to the predicted launch point against the survivors of the night-time clash. Location of these is to be assisted by the eight Type 0 seaplanes embarked in Kimikawa Maru, which also begins a high-speed advance to a point NE of Attu.

For a change the seas around the Western Aleutians are not wracked by storms, but instead the opposing navies must contend with that other staple of Aleutian weather: dense fogbanks that drift aimlessly across the warships’ path, impenetrable to the Japanese lookouts’ superb 12 cm binoculars, but no obstacle to the radars that now adorn the masts of their opponents. So it is that the oncoming Americans get wind of the Japanese presence well before the starboard lookout on Onishi’s van destroyer, Oshio, first glimpses the sparkle of destroyer Smith’s bow wave as the American force breaks free from the confines of the fogbank that has cloaked it to a point not 4000 yards distant from the Guard Force.

There, however, the American advantage ends, for although the radar’s warning alerted American commander Shock to his enemy’s proximity, his jaw must have dropped as the parting fogbanks reveal the presence, not of Yoshitomi’s expected anti-submarine ships, but the towering pagodas of Onishi’s two 14” battleships. These are accompanied by three cruisers and a half-dozen destroyers, all of whom are frantically training their torpedo mounts in the direction of the Americans and cranking in a hastily computed firing solution.

Possibly because the sudden appearance of the Americans has taken them by surprise, the aim of the Japanese destroyer men is not good – with one notable exception. Lieutenant Sugiyura has drilled his crews well, and the second weapon fired from Hibiki’s forward torpedo mount finds its mark in the starboard quarter of CL Trenton, in way of the cruiser’s torpedo storage. Immediately Trenton is in desperate straits: the hull’s structural integrity has been seriously compromised and propulsion off the starboard engine is lost at once for reasons which, in view of the events that shortly follow, will never be known. Additionally, one of the ship’s SOC seaplanes is now blazing fiercely, and serving as a convenient aiming mark for the Japanese gunners. Possibly it is due to this that shortly thereafter Ise succeeds in landing three, perhaps four 14” rounds on Trenton, one of which ignites the forward magazine and thereby ensures the ship’s complete destruction.

There follows a brief but violent melee in which Hibiki, concentrating her fire upon Trenton, receives two damaging hits from Smith. Smith in turn takes an 8” round from Takao, whilst Hyuga manages to land a 14” hit upon destroyer Hughes. Vanguard destroyer Oshio pours further fire upon Hughes until the latter likewise succumbs to a magazine explosion. Meanwhile Hyuga’s secondary batteries dish out punishment to both Hughes and Clark before the two surviving US destroyers succeed in ducking into the cover of a fogbank.

Both of the American ships are now well alight, however, and the glow from their fires flickering within the fog serves to lead the Japanese to them, so that it is not long before the Guard Force acquires and re-engages its quarry, this time at an opening range of 9000 yards.

And this time the traffic is almost exclusively one way. Though she too is alight, Onishi cannot refuse Hibiki’s request that she be allowed to close survivor Clark, and her guns pound the US destroyer mercilessly, landing no less than fifteen 5” hits and leaving her opponent a useless hulk. Meanwhile Hyuga and Takao concentrate on Smith, so as to leave her, too, a flaming wreck by the time the Japanese break off the action.

Comes the dawn, and the two limping US survivors are located 60 miles south-east of Attu, presumably making a forlorn bid for the haven at Adak that is still more than 300 miles distant. The intervention of Yamada’s aviators is almost certainly superfluous, and it is ironic that the US force has been so severely handled that its remnants are unable to retreat far enough to come within torpedo strike range from Yamada’s carriers. Regardless, the primary strike of 32 bomb-laden attack planes goes in and despatches the wrecked American warships with four further hits apiece. When the follow-up strikes by Junyo’s dive bombers arrive on the scene they find nothing amid the fog patches but long slicks of oil and floating debris: the detritus of defeat.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Attu Island at 91,35

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
SOC-3 Seagull: 1 destroyed

Japanese Ships
BB Ise, Shell hits 3
BB Hyuga, Shell hits 3
CA Takao, Shell hits 4
CA Atago, Shell hits 1
CL Kiso
DD Makinami
DD Oshio, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Yamagumo
DD Hibiki, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Ayanami
DD Asagiri

Allied Ships
CL Trenton, Shell hits 13, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD Hughes, Shell hits 16, and is sunk
DD Smith, Shell hits 4, on fire
DD Clark, Shell hits 2, on fire

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Attu Island at 91,35

Japanese Ships
BB Ise, Shell hits 1
BB Hyuga
CA Takao
CA Atago
CL Kiso, Shell hits 1
DD Makinami
DD Oshio, on fire
DD Yamagumo
DD Hibiki, on fire
DD Ayanami
DD Asagiri

Allied Ships
DD Smith, Shell hits 16, on fire, heavy damage
DD Clark, Shell hits 26, on fire, heavy damage

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 92,36

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 23
B5N2 Kate x 32

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
DD Smith, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
DD Clark, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x B5N2 Kate bombing at 18000 feet
1 x B5N2 Kate bombing at 18000 feet
6 x B5N2 Kate bombing at 18000 feet
5 x B5N2 Kate bombing at 18000 feet
5 x B5N2 Kate bombing at 18000 feet
9 x B5N2 Kate bombing at 18000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 92,36

Japanese aircraft
B5N2 Kate x 4

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
DD Clark, on fire, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x B5N2 Kate bombing at 18000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 92,36

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 3
D3A2 Val x 7

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
DD Clark, on fire, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
7 x D3A2 Val bombing at 2000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 92,36

Japanese aircraft
D3A2 Val x 5

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
DD Clark, on fire, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
5 x D3A2 Val bombing at 2000 feet

[Local Yokel]

End-of-month reports for July, beginning with Aircraft Production/stockpiles and Economy Summary:



Ki-44 Shoki production begun and ramped up, with 85 produced in the month - no deliveries to squadrons as yet; I'm hoping to roll 'em out en masse. Production of the Ki-61 Hien begins tomorrow!

[Local Yokel]

Next, the updated stockpiles graph. Fuel stocks picking up again after extensive replenishment of bunkers, both warship and merchant. Oil and resource stocks look low, but there's lots at sea at the moment.

[Local Yokel]

The Intelligence Summary screen. Allied aircraft losses 'distorted' by the loss of Enterprise's airgroup, apparently in its entirety.

[Local Yokel]

I followed up on ctangus' very helpful suggestion that there may be a ceiling on a base's oil storage capacity. At Brunei I had accumulated oil stocks more than 200% in excess of daily production X 100, and it appeared that this had stopped oil production at Brunei dead in its tracks. I took urgent action to shift some of the excess out of Brunei, and it looks as though this may have cured the problem:

[Local Yokel]

End of Month Summary for July 1942

A comparatively quiet month, but a highly satisfactory one for Japan at sea, all at the expense of the USN, which suffered the loss of a fleet carrier and two Omaha class light cruisers during its course.

The emphasis has been on building the defences throughout Japan’s conquests. Early in the month Truk received major reinforcements and additional supplies, and in the last week a substantial troop and supply convoy has delivered its cargo to Rangoon, with a subsidiary re-supply operation boosting the defences in the Andamans.

Having recently taken delivery of six mine laying support tenders, the Imperial Navy has been busily engaged in distributing its minelayers throughout the Empire to lay fields first in principal traffic centres and thereafter in the outposts judged to be at greatest threat. In the case of Attu this has been combined with a re-supply operation that should leave this Aleutian outpost impregnable to anything but a major multi-divisional effort.

In the submarine war, the month has seen the loss to the Allies of two modern boats: Trigger and Grayling. An I-boat or two has received some damage, but none likely to lead to a sinking. Our styles of undersea warfare couldn’t be more different: those of my boats tasked with anti-merchantman operations stay well away from surveillance by patrol aircraft, whilst my opponent is content to station his boats in the immediate vicinity of my bases, accepting the risk that operations in shallow water entails. I’m not convinced this is his best tactic, but he is, of course, having to operate under considerable handicaps so far as transit times are concerned, as well as the difficulty of reaching my main SLOC’s without risking passage of such dangerous waters as the Malacca Straits. Furthermore, any convoy of note that he encounters is invariably accompanied by an ASW group, and my sub chasers and patrol craft are now starting to rack up more respectable experience levels. For my part, I’ve had a couple of successes against the Seattle-Dutch Harbor run, having located and sunk two large tankers during the month. Even my two auxiliary cruisers Aikoku Maru and Hokoku Maru had a notable success on 7 July, catching freighter Dakotan sailing independently 650 miles due east of Auckland and sinking her together with her cargo of Tomahawk fighters.

7 July was a particularly good day for the Japanese, as it also saw the fall of Wenchow and eradication of the last Chinese resistance east of Nanchang. But most of the action in China – and indeed the entire war – has been taking place in the south of China.

A month or so ago powerful Chinese forces began to move south-east from Wuchow along the left bank of the Pearl River. Not wishing to be overwhelmed by superior Chinese manpower, the Japanese manning the blocking positions outside Canton fell back inside the city’s defences, to be followed by the Chinese. The Chinese forces also established a blocking position of their own to the NW of Canton, no doubt intended to frustrate any Japanese attempt to get athwart their supply axis from Wuchow. The Chinese move has, of course, has shut down industrial activity in Canton; not a critical loss, but one the Japanese lacked the muscle to prevent with the bulk of CEA committed elsewhere.

Way back in the war’s early days Chinese forces had staged a brief incursion into Indochina. Presumably they didn’t rate their chances against what were then the modest defences of Hanoi/Haiphong, and retreated into the forests SW of Nanning, there to establish yet another blocking position. The Japanese enjoyed the bonus activation of four Viet Minh militia divisions, two of which established a blocking position of their own in the same forest, assisted by 31 Infantry Division, whilst the defences of Hanoi and Haiphong were built up.

Rather than slugging it out with the Chinese defenders in the forest, the Japanese plan has been to bypass them by a movement along the clear coastal terrain to Pakhoi, and for this purpose the Japanese brought in forces of significant strength from the Philippines and beyond, under the control of 14th Army. The object has been to secure, by the capture of Pakhoi, a substantial forward logistics base from which a further offensive into the interior via Nanning can be sustained, thus capitalising on Japan’s control of the sea. Not only should this permit the development of an effective offensive against Nanning, but, if that prospers, the threat of a thrust either in the direction of Tuyun, or along the right bank of the Pearl River with a crossing south of Wuchow that would isolate the Chinese forces investing Canton.

The first assault at Pakhoi went in on 21 July:

Ground combat at Pakhoi

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 83066 troops, 499 guns, 168 vehicles, Assault Value = 1587

Defending force 15175 troops, 63 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 477

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 3

Japanese max assault: 1401 - adjusted assault: 1378

Allied max defense: 514 - adjusted defense: 597

Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 3)

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 3

Japanese ground losses:
345 casualties reported
Guns lost 9
Vehicles lost 2

Allied ground losses:
852 casualties reported
Guns lost 20

One more attack was required, and it was mounted on 26 July after a respite for the attackers to recover and restock:

Ground combat at Pakhoi

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 83127 troops, 494 guns, 168 vehicles, Assault Value = 1584

Defending force 14135 troops, 39 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 425

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 2

Japanese max assault: 1445 - adjusted assault: 2334

Allied max defense: 457 - adjusted defense: 566

Japanese assault odds: 4 to 1 (fort level 2)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Pakhoi base !!!

Japanese ground losses:
355 casualties reported
Guns lost 13

Allied ground losses:
748 casualties reported
Guns lost 18

Defeated Allied Units Retreating! (into Nanning)

The Chinese clearly regarded this as the writing on the wall, as they began (probably immediately) to withdraw from their blocking position in the forest SW of Nanning. Observing, on 29 July, that only one rearguard unit remained to man the block, the Japanese ordered an assault upon it for the following day, but the rearguard slipped away during the night, and the 31st Division and its militia comrades must now pursue as best they may.

[Local Yokel]

End-of-month reports for August 1942, starting as usual with the state of the economy and aircraft production/pools:

[Local Yokel]

The stockpiles graph: