Banana vs Uamaga - England vs Poland

[EUBanana]

2/16/1942

I keep skipping turns because not much is going on!

Burma/India
Shattered P-40 squadrons are being pulled back.  There is one getting ready in Calcutta, it has 17 aircraft.  Aside from that the P-40 pool is taking a battering from hell.  There are 50 odd Hurricanes in the pool - but at the usual rates of attrition thats about a weeks worth if I commit them fully.  Burma is basically being abandoned aerially for a little while at least.  A week off perhaps.
I have at least inflicted some damage here, only the air catastrophe mentioned in the last post really is making me leave.  And Tavoy is down to 30 out of 100 resources, so we really did a number on that.

DEI/Malaya
He landed a single armour unit at Palembang.  Which is not enough, as Palembang doesn't merely have engineers, it got reinforced by the Zuid garrison which was originally on the other side of Sumatra.  I almost have double his AV in fact and if it wasnt for paranoia I'd have an attack.
Usual bombardments otherwise.

SWPAC
Its gone quiet, my CVs are back at Townsville now.  That P-36 squadron is now at Darwin uncrated, for point defence, and freeing up Wirraways for elsewhere (you may laugh but I use em as divebombers primarily). 
An engineer unit has been transferred to SOPAC command in Tasmania and is now loaded on a boat headed for Luganville.
Reinforcements are continuing to come in it drips and drabs.   A P-40B squadron is now uncrated at Brisbane.  Its a SEAC unit but I might well change it to SWPAC.  Ditto a B-17 squadron.

CENTPAC
DM Pruitt sank today, that was expected, but it annoys me no end regardless.
Convoys inch across the Pacific... 

[EUBanana]

Moving house today, will be online sporadically if at all for two and a half weeks.

So this game is going into a brief hiatus!

[EUBanana]

Well, we're back.  And a couple of turns have been done!

19/2/1942

Burma/India
Quiet due to bad weather and lack of Allied aggressiveness.  Trivandrum has been built up to a rating 3 airfield.

DEI/Malaya/PI
USS Seal bombed and sunk at Manila, she was docked there badly damaged from earlier depth charges and had a slim chance of survival as the Jap airforce makes its presence felt here every day. 
At Singapore and Manila we're still holding out but supply is getting low, Singers is at 11k and Manila at 3k. 
At Palembang he has sufficient force landed now to take the place, but he chose not to attack today.  Maybe tomorrow.
Dili at Timor fell today too so the entire Timor island is his now.

Akagi and Ryujo were spotted in the Java Sea in the last two days, so his CV force remains split up.

CHINA
The Wenchow pocket finally collapsed today, 22k Chinese troops were taken prisoner there. 
Bad weather has hampered my training efforts as I stand down during thunderstorms, it doesn't seem to bother him though, he must have 200 aircraft training here.

SWPAC
An S-boat attempted to torpedo a Jap AP NW of Rabaul but missed.
Generally quiet here but Allied force is increasing.  The battleship California is at Noumea, and there is a very large cruiser and DD force at Cairns, while there are two CVBGs still on station.

CENTPAC
An RCT is now done debarking at Pago Pago.  US carriers en route to SWPAC ran into two Jap submarines on the way, but the subs were doing the defending rather than the attacking as the escorts pounced in both cases, scoring one solid hit but for limited damage.

[EUBanana]

2/22/1942

The last few days were very quiet, though the 22nd was a bit busier.

A good day for the Allied airforce today, 7 Allied a/c were lost for 17 Japs.

BURMA/INDIA
Bad weather, the usual state of affairs, but the clouds cleared and a n Allied raid hit the airfield at Tavoy quite productively, getting the majority of those 17 kills. The Allies lost two P-40s in the process, the Japs lost considerably more.
My ground forces are pretty much in position now. One Chinese understrength div at Myritkina, the rest at Mandalay digging in, the bulk of the British forces at Moulmein.

DEI/Malaya
The 8th and 22nd Indian Bdes, which were trapped in the mountains of Malaya, finally surrendered today after having held out without supply for far longer than any could have expected. Singapore and Manila remain firm, though supply on Manila is becoming critical.
Palembang has been bombed and shelled round the clock and he attacked again today but to my surprise did not capture the place, achieving only 1 to 1 odds, though the forts dropped a level.
Soerabaja has been bombed round the clock but he's not made attempts to reduce the fortress yet.

CHINA
The only ground fighting is at the Changsha road. Catalinas are now on the one Chinese port city left to me, Pakhoi, where they roam into the South China Sea.

SWPAC
A few scattered Allied Hudson raids on Jap shipping, but no success, as ever, over the last few days. The Japs have been non-aggressive here.
PM now has 12 P-40Bs, the Wirraways have been retired to Australia. PM also has a photo recon unit, which has been reconning Rabaul. He has 15 ships in the harbour.
I'm pondering an Allied carrier raid on Rabaul to try and blast the airfield and port facilities there, but we shall see. Two more US carriers are now between Pago Pago and Noumea, so it'll be a little while before I have four CVs in theatre, and then I might start sabre rattling some. The Java Sea is still packed with Jap carriers according to my Catalinas.

The fuel situation in Australia is still very dicey. There is very little fuel on Australia itself but there are quite a few replenishment TFs now ready around the Coral Sea area, so some limited naval operations are possible now.

CENTPAC
Pretty quiet here really, Jap subs are around but my ASW seems, amazingly and unusually, to be on top of the problem thus far.
I have a major convoy now 2 weeks out from Noumea - it has 18k troops, mostly support troops, and a whole bunch of fuel and such.

NORPAC
Attu Island has been abandoned as my forward base, its too risky using AVDs with Jap submarines prowling around. This isn't a huge problem because Amchitka Island has now been built up and has a baseforce ready, so the catalinas are just flying from there instead.
The battleship Warspite will remain in the frozen North. I've got baseforces in position now so aircraft are inching their way forward through the island bases, unfortunately mostly Airacobras!

[EUBanana]

2/23/1942

Well, there I was getting bored but this day was busy so it gets a writeup on its own.  Manila fell and Lunga was invaded!

Burma/India
Trivandrum is now a level 4 airfield.  There are two engineering units there that have been building it up, they move inland, to build up another airfield to level 4.  This means I'll have four airfields in the Ceylon area, one of them being inland and thus immune to bombardment. 
The 7th AIF Division is about to land at Colombo, so a division + a Bde will be ensconced there.
AA guns and supply are a couple of days out of Trivandrum, there is quite a heavy AA presence there as well, and I may yet reinforce further in that department while India is under threat of invasion.

Malaya/DEI
Manila fell today.  Not due to lack of supply really, but lack of warm bodies, caused by my earlier incompetence.
More carrier sightings in the Java Sea, Kaga, Soryu and Ryujo all confirmed there.
Palembang amazingly doesn't fall, despite his attack.  It will tomorrow I suspect.

China
Situation unchanged.  I suspect it'll be that way for quite aw hile.

SWPAC
He invaded Lunga!  No warning, no sightings of convoys, no nothing.  That caught me a bit off balance as I figured I'd get some warning at least. 
I don't intend to contest a landing at Guadalcanal (Luganville is my fighting line here, and even Luganville isn't ready yet) but I do intend to make him pay for it.  So a very large cruiser force has been dispatched from Australia and is headed over at full speed, ETA 2-3 days.  On top of that, there are two US CVs from Cairns headed over at full speed, and two more US CVs halfway between Pago Pago and Noumea headed in. 

The next couple of days will be interesting!

[EUBanana]

2/24/1942

BURMA/INDIA
Another Allied air raid on Tavoy today but this one went badly, 6 P40Es shot down for 1 Zero and 1 Oscar, the bombers missed completely.
Defences are looking fairly solid now around the Ceylon area.  I intend to write a proper OOB for India in the event of Japanese adventurism around here, but as its quite a job, I'll hold off until it happens!

CHINA
Pretty quiet now.

Malaya/DEI
He shock attacked at Soerabaja and Singapore this turn.  At Singapore he bounced off with 0 to 1 against fort level 8, but the attack did burn up 2000 odd supply out of 10k, so it hurt more than he likely realised.  At Soerabaja the attack was more successful and knocked the forts down, the place will fall within a week most likely.
Allied bombers hit Koepang from Darwin but found it mostly empty and did little damage.

SWPAC
There is a screenshot of this coming...
Hotting up.  He raided Port Moresby in force for the first time.  Few aircraft were shot down but 25 runway damage is not good.  I respond by ordering a raid for Lae, hopefully his bombers at least will be on the ground and his fighters will be fatigued, and my P-40Bs might let me strike at least once?  Kittyhawks are arriving within a few weeks, that'll help immensely.
My cruisers and carriers continue to pelt for Lunga but it looks like his force is quite small there, I wouldnt be surprised to find Shokaku covering the place tho.

[EUBanana]

This is my cruiser force caning it from Cairns to Lunga while the Japs unload there. There are CVs coming too but they are off the screen.

[EUBanana]

2/25/1942

I'm only going to comment on SWPAC, see the attached screenshot for the situation developing around Lunga.

Far as I'm concerned this is a raid, albeit one in force. The objective is to maximise losses to Japanese shipping and make him wary of advancing. Many Jap CVs are still in the Java Sea, though Shokaku was on station in CENTPAC last month so may be in the area.

I'm not quite sure what that 3 ship TF with a big ship of some sort reported is.

No Jap floatplanes have been reported from any of my taskforces so hopefully he doesn't know what I'm up to, though a Kingfisher did fly over that 3 ship TF of his so he knows something is up.



Elsewhere the airfarce at Port Moresby suffered extremely heavy losses over Lae as they ran into the Zero squadron there and failed to destroy a single Jap aircraft, either with bombs or with bullets. Pretty bad turn.

[EUBanana]

2/26/1942

Busy turn today...
Overall, the Allies lost 11 aircraft, the Japanese lost 31, of which 9 were op losses. Air-to-air combat saw 10 for 10, pretty good.

BURMA/INDIA
Big air battle over Tavoy. Hurricanes swept Tavoy first, shot up Oscars real good and in turn got shot up by Zeroes, though they did bag a couple of Zeroes. then P40s and bombers hit the place from Rangoon and did quite a good job on it, getting a few more enemy fighters killed ,on the air and on the ground.
Colombo/Trimcomalee are up to ~5000 mines apiece now. More Hurricane squadrons are being deployed to the southern tip of India - this place is about as solid as its going to get, and presuming he fights his way through Burma before he gets designs on India, and maybe reduces Port Blair, should be plenty stronger yet by summer.

DEI
Soerbajaa falls. Of the great fortresses, only Singapore is left. He shock attacked again here, and was beaten off with heavy losses.

Japanese ground losses:
4988 casualties reported
Guns lost 47
Vehicles lost 19

Allied ground losses:
1303 casualties reported
Guns lost 42

Jap reinforcements have arrived, is why. Forts have dropped to 6, and that attack achieved 1:1, so... the writing is on the wall. General Percival is about to fly in to relieve the current top man, and conduct the surrender ceremonies.

Palembang is being bombed, bombarded and artillerised aroudn the clock. He's taking his time, pulverising those engineers. He's going to get the oil pretty much intact.

SWPAC
But here is the juicy bit. Its a Jap CVBG!
The cruiser force is hit by about a hundred bombers at Lunga, which he prudently evacuated from. The bombers sink the CA Louisville but damage to other ships is pretty light actually given the firepower. CA Australia and 3 CLs are between 20-35 sys damage so will need fixing but assuming they arent hit again everything major will be making it home.
BB California, one hex from the CVBG, was not attacked at all. Go figure.

Question is what does he do now. A Jap sub sighted Dauntlesses, so he knows Allied carriers are in the area. For my part, I am concentrating my forces across my line of retreat. We've had two near misses with carriers already, in each case, I've prepared a 'line in the sand' and waited for him to move up to it, in each case he has declined to do so. We'll see tomorrow if February 1942 is any different.

[EUBanana]

2/27/1942

Bah. He backed off in the Lunga area. Yet another carrier battle that never was. I would have pursued in this case, but one of my CVTFs was in the red on fuel. I'm not in such a hurry as to commit them half asses, every month that ticks by is one less maneuverability for his Zeroes after all.

So! this turn was quiet. My damaged ships are limping away from Lunga with the CVs covering them.

Elsewhere he shock attacked Singapore again, reducing the forts to 5, and taking, and inflicting, 3000 casualties. I've pulled the Catalinas out now, General Percival stands ready to fly in, and submarines are lifting off the last few cadres that are unevacuated still.

He's also gained an interest in Pakhoi which acquired an airplane counter when I moved Catalinas from Manila to there. He bombarded it and a massive bombing raid has been aimed at it, 10 Kingfishers were trashed, not that they are all that. I've moved the Kingfishers out to Akyab, where they might actually be of some use, the Catalinas are staying put for now.

[EUBanana]

2/28/1942

Now the fun at Lunga is over, things are back to normality.  Bad weather meant that this was a limited air sorties day.

Writing on the wall at Singapore... 1200 casualties each, forts down to 4...  Percival will be flying in tomorrow I think!  Japanese casualties in the siege will be of the order of 20,000 I think, what with the initial shock attacks as he crossed the straits on top of these final assaults.

If Allied ASW is better than Japanese i'm not seeing it.  HMS Rover on a sub transport mission to Singapore was sunk in Singapore harbour by Jap APDs, while USS Thresher was badly damaged off the Home Islands after attacking a DD (hit, with dud torpedoes).

Meanwhile Japanese submarines are active in the Home Islands now, two AKs and an AP have been torpedoed so far - some of those escorted, some not.

There is a serious lack of destroyer escort because so many of them are committed to escorting my extremely valuable convoys of aircraft to the battle zones.  I don't think this is an overcommitment though given they are such high value targets.  The entire ASW force of NORPAC consists of one DD and a couple of MSWs.  Allied reinforcement schedules tell me that the Japanese happy time will be continuing for a while.  Its so bad that I dispatched some DDs from India to head over to the Pacific, mostly flush deckers but a couple of the more ASW capable and long legged British warships as well.

[EUBanana]

3/4/1942

A bit of time has passed, but now things have happened, so.

BURMA/INDIA
I committed P-40s and Hurricanes in force to Moulmein rather than drip them in squadron at a time (Moulmein has about 80 av support so this is feasible). Then bad weather grounded them until today, when I hit Tavoy with everything I could manage. About 40 bombers and 40 fighters (mostly P-40s) tangled with defending Oscars and Zeroes, and despite the concentration of force the results weren't all that good for the Allies. No Zeroes were shot down, and the overall score in the air was 11 Allied for 4 Japanese, not good (2 of the 11 were Mitchells). Results on the ground were very limited, the bombers mostly missed.
Bad weather is forecast again which is good, a lot of Allied frames are damaged after that and I could use a couple of days off.

CHINA
Pakhoi is being bombed round the clock, I anticipate a landing here. A single Div has been dispatched from Chungking to reinforce Nanning. Pretty much all the Chinese artillery is now on the Changsha road where we remain stalemated, and its starting to exact a toll on the Japanese, reliably inflicting hundreds of casualties every turn.
At Yenen a pilot training program seems to be going quite well, I got a Chinese P-43 Lancer squadron with an average experience of 60. There are two more CAF P-43 squadrons slowly basehopping their way over from India.
The AVG is pretty much a spent force.

DEI/SRA
He's started hoovering up the other bases on the southern Phillippines. He accidentally attacked Singapore with a small force, in breach of the houserules, so he gave Singapore 3 days off to make up, which expired today, probably good for me all round.

SWPAC
This looks like its going to hot up very very soon. First major Jap air raid on Port Moresby, from Lae, coinciding with supplies and/or troops apparently being unloaded at Lae. Dauntlesses scrambled and braved a Zero CAP to hit a Jap AP at Lae with two 1000lbers for heavy damage, the Japanese bombers found empty airspace (in keeping with my general policy of not contesting the airspace over my own bases) and did light-ish damage, 20 runway hits, 5 airbase hits. Jap CVTF was sighted in the area as well.

I have reinforced PM with P-40Bs but they won't last very long. The airfarce at PM is still in pretty good shape but won't be for much longer - I have a P-38 squadron of 19 P-38s at Pago Pago which is slowly heading over there, but pilot experience is only 55 average so I imagine they'll just get greased. I pin greater hopes on an antiaircraft unit which is in the process of being air transported across Australia ultimately to PM.

Fuel situation is ... well. Its critical-ish. There are TKs at Luganville and Noumea unloading fuel, and more TKs between Noumea and Brisbane. So in a week or two chances are I'll have greater freedom of movement. For now, though, the small ports (Noumea has 2, Luganville only 1) mean that unloading the fuel takes forever. It seems like half the USN is at Noumea, hungrily gulping down whatever is unloaded, but it'll be a while yet before I'm really ready to move after the sortie around Lunga.

[EUBanana]

3/5/1942

Just going to talk about SWPAC again.

Another big Japanese raid on Port Moresby, damage was fairly light, but its accumulating. He seems to be sticking to high altitude bombing, which I guess... is good.

Day Air attack on Port Moresby , at 54,93

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 21
B5N2 Kate x 13
G3M Nell x 33
G4M1 Betty x 19

Allied aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 1 damaged
G3M Nell: 3 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 2 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
A-24 Dauntless: 1 destroyed
Wirraway: 1 destroyed


Allied ground losses:
10 casualties reported

Airbase hits 1
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 25

Aircraft Attacking:
14 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 15000 feet
13 x G3M Nell bombing at 12000 feet
8 x B5N2 Kate bombing at 16000 feet
5 x B5N2 Kate bombing at 14000 feet
4 x G3M Nell bombing at 14000 feet
9 x G3M Nell bombing at 12000 feet
3 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 15000 feet
3 x G3M Nell bombing at 14000 feet
1 x G3M Nell bombing at 14000 feet
2 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 15000 feet
3 x G3M Nell bombing at 12000 feet

Allied bombers with P-40B escort attacked APs around Lae again, but got chewed up by the Japanese CAP, which was very heavy (37 Zeroes vs 8 P-40Bs!). The level bombers made it through to drop bombs but scored no hits - the Dauntlesses on the other hand, which are the main ship hitter, were mangled more badly. Only 1 was actually shot down but many were damaged and their morale is now in the toilet.

Far to the south at Noumea Allied carriers have been scrambled. They are rendezvousing with a replenishment TF in the Coral Sea and will then retire to Townsville. The battleship California is also headed for Townsville. Some TKs have been diverted to Townsville as well (they were two hexes from Brisbane) as I don't trust the AI's ability to move fuel from Brisbane to NE Australia.

The first extra antiaircraft guns are being shipped over to PM by Catalina today. Fast transports are out - CL Durban + DD escort is at Cairns atm but without fuel! Really the lack of fuel in theatre is crippling the Allied defence, its only fortunate that the tankers are now mere days away.

[EUBanana]

3/7/1942

Bad day.  Massacre in the skies.

BURMA/INDIA
I massed P-40s and Hurricanes at Moulmein, looking for a decisive blow.  Unfortunately he massed Zeroes - 79 of them!  and massed more than me!
Pretty much an entire P-40 squadron of near full strength was wiped out.  The Hurricanes did rather better but the P-40Es suffered a turkey shoot - end result for the turn, 33 Allied shot down for 5 Japanese over Tavoy.
There is no way that the Allies can keep absorbing punishment like this - that was 3 weeks worth of P40s lost in one day, for no gain, and a number of experienced pilots.  So the air campaign in Burma is over, for now, until pools replenish.  I've pulled everything that can fly back to Calcutta.

CHINA
I have a ROCAF P-43 squadron up to av exp 61 at Yenen but he's noticed this little training program, in the only part of the map where mostly unprotected Japs are within bomber range.  On the 6th he bombed Yenen.  On the 7th he tried to do so again but met Allied CAP, including 10 P-40Bs - the remains of the AVG (but crack pilots).  Results were indecisive but the experience 61 P-43s seem able to hold their own, which is good given the AVG's demise.  One Oscar shot down for no Allied loss.
I plan on contesting the airspace over Yenen.

SRA
Bali fell to him today.
Singapore suffered another attack, he has his 2:1, and the forts are now 3.  4000 Jap casualties for 2500 Allied.

SWPAC
Japanese bombing of Port Moresby continues.  I've pulled out the Allied air units to preserve their strength, as a massive number of Zeroes is now at Lae.  I still plan on contesting the place, mind.  Antiaircraft guns are being flown in by Catalina, the flak strength is up to about 50 all told now, and will be more like 75 when I'm done.  I'm hoping airfield damage is light enough that I can move fighter aircraft and Dauntlesses to PM at a moments notice.
Fuel is coming into Australia, then my fleet will have freedom of action.

[EUBanana]

3/9/1942

Singapore fell today!.  General Percival was on hand as 68k Allied soldiers were led into captivity.



However, they did hold out for more than three weeks longer than in reality, and a cadre of every unit at Singapore was evacuated successfully to Calcutta with the loss of only one submarine.

About the only success really - about 3/4 to 4/5ths of the SRA's oil has been captured intact by the Japanese.

We're now past the prologue and into the interesting bit of the game.  Now what will he do?

I don't have an open turn to hand so can't do it right now - but I plan to make a post (or posts) regarding Allied deployments in India, Burma, Australia, South and Central Pacific when I have the opportunity to do so.  These areas have only really been mentioned in passing but things have been going on here, units moved into position, airfields built, and fairly soon now these defences are going to be tested.

BURMA/INDIA
He bombed Moulmein but I've already pulled back so theres nothing to bomb.  There are still about 25 P-40Es in Calcutta but thats out of a maximum strength of 72 aircraft (3 squadrons worth) so I am dead set on not committing any P-40Es anywhere on the map for at least a month, to allow these squadrons to be rebuilt.  There are 80 Hurricanes in the pool though and they seem better than P-40Es, so I'm going to have them step up to the plate in this time in Burma, though with the proviso that I don't want the Hurricane pool to drop below 40.
For now though Burma has no Allied squadrons in it.

I'm anticipating that Burma will be his next target.

CHINA
Air fighting around Yenen continues indecisively, but the CAF is considerably stronger than it was with three P-43 Lancer squadrons there.  the problem is, only one of those is trained, so my goal atm is to train all three up to competent (average experience >60) without suffering crippling losses.  China is about the only theatre where I can run a training program though so I'm moderately hopeful.
There are 21 P-43s in the pool as well, so provided the pilots can be kept up to scratch, the CAF is actually up to the task of challenging his Chinese air assets!
I have 6 Chinese infantry squads in the pool.  Supply remains good, therefore, and my many Chinese units, now reforming after being crushed at Wenchow, will be back in the fray in a few months at this rate.
The US AA unit is halfway to Changsha, which is good, as he's bombing the place frequently at low level and I want him to pay.

North Australia
Bombers from Darwin have been raiding ineffectually for some time - sometimes Amboina's oil, sometimes shipping (at 15k feet due to HRs unfortunately).  There is Jap activity at Timor - APs have been sighted and bombed (though none hit), question is - dropping off or picking up?

SWPAC
Its gone quiet here.  Port Moresby now has flak power of around 75 with the new AA unit flown in.  He's bombing the place at high level ineffectually, I've pulled out though for now. 
My P-38F squadron is based at Cairns - 19 aircraft.  This is a precious resource indeed, these long range fighters are essentially irreplaceable until the P-38G arrives.  I plan on keeping them at Cairns, where they can LRCAP into the Coral Sea to protect TFs as needed.
I have paid PPs to release an Australian Bde on Tasmania with about 75 assault points to SWPAC command, APs are en route from Sydney and they are already prepping for Port Moresby.  Their addition will bring the garrison strength of PM to about 200, which means he'll need a multidivisional landing at least to take the place.  They will be flown in by Catalina from Cairns - about the only safe way to do it.
I need about a week to refuel every ship in the theatre, there is enough fuel though being landed to keep me going for quite a while though, so that logistical nightmare will be dealt with for now at least.
Japanese submarines very active around Noumea and his Glens can see my big buildup there.   I assume he'll go for PM before Noumea though. Two RCTs are headed there but won't land for some time.

CENTPAC
I'm splitting up one of Pearls big garrison division.  A third is going to Midway Island.  Another third will be going... probably to Johnston Island, but not sure yet, I dont have APs enough to do both at the same time.

[gladiatt]

what is the state of your defense in Fiji or New Caledonia ? these could be position for futur counter-attack, do you have something to spare to put in there and to develop the bases ?

[EUBanana]

ORIGINAL: gladiatt

what is the state of your defense in Fiji or New Caledonia ? these could be position for futur counter-attack, do you have something to spare to put in there and to develop the bases ?

Fiji just has the starting setup, ie a NZ Bde, with some patrol planes.
Noumea has a 90 av support baseforce, a 270 av support air force baseforce, and an AA battery. Unloading there soon (within a week or two) will be a regimental combat team and 178 aircraft of all types, though those aircraft will likely be dispersed all around SWPAC and they won't all end up in Noumea.
Luganville has an engineering unit there building the place up, but it'll be some time before its ready.

The Noumea <-> Pago Pago line is fairly weak at the moment. There is another RCT and Americal Division on the way to this part of the world but they are probably the best part of a month or so out still from memory.

I'll cover this area in some more detail when I go over the Allied deployments across the whole map when I get the next turn from Uamaga.

[EUBanana]

Alright, this is the first post on Allied deployments, as of the fall of Singapore on the 10th March, 1942.

Southern India first...
Obviously air units are subject to change at any time!

The defence of southern India is centred around Ceylon, Trivandrum on the southernmost tip, and Madurai, which is inland but within 4 hexes range of both ports on Ceylon. All four bases have plenty of aviation support and are now at least level 4 airfields.

CEYLON
Colombo (5000 defensive mines)
7th Division AIF
222 Group RAF HQ
Far East Fleet HQ
35th LAA Regiment
1st Indian HAA Regiment
Lots of av support
51 fighters
28 level bombers
24 torpedo bombers

Trimcomalee (5000 defensive mines)
Ceylon Infantry Bde
6th HAA regiment
16 fighters
Lots of av support

SOUTHERN INDIAN MAINLAND

Trivandrum
44th Indian Bde
43rd LAA regiment
39 fighters
10 torpedo bombers
3 level bombers
Lots of av support

Madurai
7th HAA regiment

63rd Indian Bde (on the way)
India Command HQ

Lots of av support
16 fighters (on the way but earmarked)

Madras
48th Gurkha Brigade

Mangalore
46th Indian Bde

Bombay
99th Indian Bde

Hyderabad (represents the main reserve for southern India)
18th British Division (represents the main reserve)
7th Armoured Division (on the way)


There are another 3 AA regiments on the way to southern India, which means this part of the world is absolutely bristling with antiaircraft guns.

223 Group RAF HQ arrives in Aden in 2 days and is already earmarked for Madurai. There are also two divisions arriving within the week, 2nd British and 6th AIF, which will likely be placed in this area. Only question is whether one of them should be sent to Ceylon or if they should remain on the mainland. I'm inclined to think the latter as Ceylon could be a massive trap - on the other hand I think Ceylon would be a nice target for Allied heavy bombers so I'm not entirely sure it should be defended no matter what.

Pretty much the entire RN remains anchored at Ceylon for now.

[saj42]

ORIGINAL: EUBanana

3/5/1942
<snip>
Some TKs have been diverted to Townsville as well (they were two hexes from Brisbane) as I don't trust the AI's ability to move fuel from Brisbane to NE Australia.
<snip>

Bad news for you - your AI Logistics Officer does NOT move fuel !!!!! - only supplies/oil/resources.

I don't know how much oil you get on the West Coast but send a mix of oil and fuel in TKs to Oz - it needs the oil (also produces both supplies and fuel for each oil pt spent by Oz HI) [;)]

[EUBanana]

Calcutta is my favourite base for R&R, so its where all my cadres end up. So its absolutely stuffed with fragments from the SRA, as well as the equivalent of about seven brigades. I really doubt that this will be the site of any Japanese attack, though you never know.

The Burma defence is not based around a land death star at Mandalay, I'm not sure if this is wise or not, but its a more 'realistic' deployment at least. Mandalay certainly seems to be the most defensive spot in Burma anyway. He likes his paras so I've paid attention to keeping open the line of supply to India.

Cadres are not listed.

BURMA
Port Blair (3500 supply, 300 mines)
Rangoon Force
3rd HKRSA AA (but very understrength, flak rating 5)

Moulmein
1st Burma Bde
2nd Burma Bde
16th Indian Bde
221 Group RAF HQ (in the process of relocating to Mandalay)

Rangoon
13th Indian Bde (will evac soon as Moulmein under assault)

Meiktila
1st Burma Rifles
2nd Burma Rifles
Burma Frontier Force Bde

Mandalay
5 Chinese divisions, all understrength to Bde level.
Forts currently at 4 and plenty of engineers, but airfield only 2.

Myritkina
49th Chinese division (paratrooper defence)

INDIAN/BURMESE BORDER
Calcutta
SEAC HQ
14th, 20th, 23rd and 26th Indian Divisions (all at 1/2 strength)
254th and 255th Indian Tank Bdes (very much understrength)
3rd Carabineers
9th Cavalry Tank Rgt
3rd Indian Bde
2nd Indian HAA Rgt
5th Indian LAA Rgt
All the rest of the RAF!

Imphal
1st Assam Rifles

Ledo (Transport base, for supply shipping to China and Burma)
67th HAA Rgt