Don Quijote against the Japanese Windmills. Seydlitz (J) against traskott (A). Allied side AAR

[traskott]

Grrr... DUD at BB NAGATO. Besides, SS PERMIT reports heavy naval activity. Looks like the IJN has began to move again. I'm currently sending several support units to Australia to create a good base to strike back at 1943.

Several USMC sqns have left W.C. and go to Hawai (and later SWPAC ) to be redeployed at Noumea. Aditional air units will be send here to create a hub to launch a future counterattack.

More assets will be send to Australia. Brisbane will be the "reserve"-base, where deploy every unit with no special mission.

7th Air Force will cover from Suva til E and NE. 5th AIF will have its main base at Australia. 13th Air Force will be deployed at New Zeland, as it needs training and a bit of planes defending NZ is always good. Later, this little A.F. will spear my advances. The idea is assign it the better pilots. We'll see...

[traskott]

21/3/42

 Today is 100% Secret Service Day:

   I-24 sank AO TAN 4.

   SS PORPOISE sank due extensive flooding. My failure doesn't put her at cruise speed. [:o]

   SS SEARAVEN spotted and hit one xAK, and another dud to the bounty. With 1 euro for dud I would be able to buy another WitpAE.

   ************************************************

STRATEGIC SITUATION:

  Singapur is at Forti2, with LOTS of supplies (60.000) but his bombers prevent me for rebuilding. 1600AV against 800....Hummm...We'll see.
 
  SUMATRA: Lot of troops here: 3 aussie brigades, from 6 and 7 AIF, Desert Rats, plus some ENG aussie units should be a nasty surprise for Seydlitz. Doesn't know what he is doing, but he must do something NOW. His window of oportunity is closing VERY fast. Palembang has now enough engineers to left only wreckage if he tries a desperate attack. And has supplies for a looong time.

 JAVA has the all-or-nothing model of the armour of WW2 battleships. Or 200+ AV or nothing. With Fort3 and so, it will take months clean D.E.I.

 INDIA: Massive work reorganizing units. No good port (3+) with less than, at least, one brigade. Major ports will be covered with, at least, one division.

  RAF Groups reorganized. Lot of movement: 221 RAF LCU will move to Burma, Imphal, and so. 224 RAF, to Chittagong and Asansol to provide suport to the 221, with the 10th USAAF (now at skeleton: 51FG with very low skills). 222 to Ceylan. 223 will cover Eastern Coast. 225 will cover West Cost. Indian units will do ASW job at major ports.

 No major movement here til Java falls. Burma is stopped now, and I'm very happy about it.

 PACIFIC: More american LCUs will arrive to Australia in a few days, to increase Air Support and build some key bases. Some armored troops will be here to build another reserve, just in case.

 Noumea is now the major base at Pacific. Will be maxed and everything of S.P. will go here.

 CHINA: [>:][>:][>:]. Both sides have suffered huge losses.

 Others: Lot of ships in route to shipyars, ready for 4/42 upgrades...My clemson will be turned at DE, improving my convoy system.. And my SS will gain radar [:)]. Good.

[Fletcher]

Today is 100% Secret Service Day:

may be "Silent Service"?

March ending with Singapore stand in you hands !? That´s great. [:)]

[traskott]

Ehemm... ehhh...well, it's the dis-information service working again [:'(]

[offenseman]

You have done a marvelous job strengthening Java and Palembang.  [&o]    I am looking forward to watching him try to get you out of those areas.  I think you are right, the window of opportunity is closing, and it is closing fast.  

[traskott]

Thank you. To be honest, I haven't do anything special. He has just given me the possibility of do it. We'll see..

Stay tuned !!

[offenseman]

Sometimes simply taking advantage of what the opponent allows you to do is brilliant in itself.

[Igel]

Well, here I am, despite my bad English.
At last I decided to "cotillear" in the house of Witpae to learn everything I can as I'm playing my first campaign in Pbem.
I like your Aar and especially the use of "empotrarse". [:D] In my town is "estozarse" or "estomizarse"
Greetings to Fletcher too, but his aar is longer than yours and it will take to me more time to read it.
I´ll read the others aars slowly.( I hope in a couple of years [:o])

Greetings

[traskott]

Don´t lose the oportuny of read Fletcher AAR. It shows you how to make a REALLY good plan of first japanese movements. [;)]

Welcome aboard, grumetillo.

[Fletcher]

Hello Igel, wellcome aboard !

Traskott thank you very much for your kind words.. very appreciated but you do exaggerate !.

Best wishes,
Ramón

[traskott]

22th and 23th of March 1942.

ACM BIRCH sank by I-5.. Grrrr...my precious Auxiliary Fleet ships....

DD Selfridge attacks RO-67 at E of Pago-Pago. If he has tracked this ship, he'll assume (correctly) my CVs are there.. Well. The must go P.H. anyway, as 4/42 is near, so I'll just re-adjust their paths to travel more near...

Incoming raid at D.E.I. : 2 TFs, one comprising several "CA" are sailing between Manado and Ternate. Perhaps it is the mighty KB ? She could be !!!! Several T.F. re-routed. I hope not missed anyone important... One of my SQNs with near withdrawal date has received the order of naval attack, and my B-17 will fly from Soerabaja to test this new enemy. I'm ready to the incoming strike. Or, at least, as much as an allied can at this point.

At India, several LCU reasigned. In less than 15 days every suitable port will be protected by, at least, one brigade, or even division. British HQ rearranged to better cover the whole country.

****Sidenote: Considering disband some small aussie LCUs to get their devices on the pool....

[traskott]

25/3/42

ROYAL NAVY CARRIERS STRIKE HARD !!!

As Seydlitz disembark SW of Mandano (sp?), at NW of Ternate, my british carrier fleet make a happy apearance and put some torps at jap cruisers...



Recce show me AT LEAST 4 BB heading south to catch my CVs...Obviously a "tactical withdrawal" is a must. Meanwhile, some air assets will be relocated to slow his fleet.

Dunno why has not put the miniKB at play to cover this landing. [&:][&:]

BTW: DD Encounter is a lucky ship, 4 torpedoes and... dud !!! [:D] Overall, a good turn.

[Fletcher]

Traskott,
Congrats for this two fishes on enemy heavy cruisers !!.... Good work with your RN assets in this stage of the war !...Out of combat for several months is the future for these cruisers.
Best wishes
Ramón

[offenseman]

Yet another victory for you.  seydlitz cannot be too happy about it.  But if I know him, he will respond somewhere, with something, very soon. 

[traskott]

@Offenseman: Yeah...I know where he go. I think. And I'm ready to hide very very deep, to avoid troubles (what a such agressive answer [:D][:D])

@Fletcher: True !!! Two less VALUABLE naval assets to the DEI strike, which by the moment, is back on schedule, I think. He has not even attack Menado, Tarakan, Amboina nor Balikpapan. Time to pull fuel of those places !!!

27/3/42

SUBMARINE WARFARE:

DD KANE attacked by I-15. Several skirmishis of an ASW TF with that SS, but no results.

I-7 torpedoed and sunk xAK Cynthia Olsen.

I-23 missed APD CRANE. The yankee skipeer, logically a bit upset, launch some good DC and got FIVE hits. One SS out of order for a while.

I-10 struck with one torp the xAK Islami. Is on fire, with a lot of DMG (fires 90, system and float 30). FULL SPEED TO PERTH !! xD 50%.

CONVOY WARFARE:

Do you remember the PG CHARLESTON? He is back on town. ANOTHER CONVOY attacked, near Japanese Coast. This time her preys were the PB SHINKO MARU#5 and xAK AYO MARU, both sank. And there are ammo on her guns, so will continue the raiding action.

OTHERs:

Everything ready for the Big Party of Upgrades (BPU) of 4/42. Only some DDs will miss the meeting, as their convoy duties were a priority.

[traskott]

28 and 29

SILENT SERVICE

Lot of action:

xAP MALAITA sank by an unidentified SS. At the Luganville port. What a such arrogance !!!
xAK EWA sank by I-22.
I-29 torpedoes xAK HURRICANE and xAK JEFFERSON MYERS. Neither sank, and will try to arrive to San Diego. Catls and Kingfishers reorganizing search arcs to get a better support of my convoys.

PG CHARLESTON strikes again !!! She sank the PB Tokuho Maru#5 and put 11 hits at xAK SINSYU MARU, sank later by SS CRAMPUS.  Excellent !!

New brigades at Aden. All will go to the Indian Frontier. Time to reinforce the zone, 33th Division is there !!!

GROUND WARFARE:

Singapore forts dropped to 1, by a deliberate attack which gets a 1to1. 4.000 japanese loses to 2.000 allied. With fort1, end is near. TIME TO RETREAT !!! I'll try to take out as much units as I can, to reinforce Palembang.

[traskott]

30/3

LadyLex and Sara ( I absolutely LOVE this carriers ) upgraded at P.H. plus several cruisers. Two more days and P.H. will be flooded with upgrades...

Singapore is now at fort 1, SSFV Brigade is being transported to Palembang. I have now earned a lot of time and, if I extract enough A.V. to Palembang, soon it takes him LOT of troops.

Several fragments about to arrive at Karachi to ensure rebuild of units... More AKs will go to Palembang to the "last hurrah!!" of resources. A couple of AOs with some TKs are extractiong fuel/oil, but, obviously are unable to get back enough cantities...

PG CHARLESTON clashes with CL YUBARI and manages VERY well: I got 4 hits ( very light damage ) for 3 hits at the japanese vessel which turn on heavy fires !!!. Hehehehehehe. Good ship. Now time to back home to Dutch Harbour.

I need Mulder and Scully: A little Japanese TF ( replenisment TF by the float planes ) has been surfing from Noumea to N.Z.  Now is at SOUTH EAST of AUCKLAND. Yeah. THERE. I really don't know what that movement meaning, but I'm going to discover it.

BTW: xAK HURRICANE took another 3 torpedoes and sank...Ains...I REALLY need more escorts...

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: traskott

I need Mulder and Scully: A little Japanese TF ( replenisment TF by the float planes ) has been surfing from Noumea to N.Z.  Now is at SOUTH EAST of AUCKLAND. Yeah. THERE. I really don't know what that movement meaning, but I'm going to discover it.

Hi Traskott - just read your AAR right through today. Congrats on your many successes already. I am a big fan of surface actions and you have had several nice raids going.

I'm no Mulder, but I did see another AAR in which the IJN player struck Sydney to catch upgrading ships - I believe it was in April 42. Could it be that your opponent is planning to raid by air or surface in Sydney, Wellington and Aukland?? Or maybe he just hopes to intercept tanker convoys and the like coming around southern NZ to stay further away from spreading IJN power near north Oz.

[traskott]

Probably. Well. If he hits Auckland, I can not do anything, but I thing is a waste of time and efforts. 4/42, Singapore at my hands and Palembang more and more secure...

By the way,...

Yesterday, the ABDA Air sqns achieved a HUGE sucess. Acording info ( good fog of war ), 30 Bettys, 26 nells and 11 Sally, plus 8 Nates went down to the cost of 5 fighters. Two british pilots became "Ace in a day".

I absolutely love my fighters groups...

[traskott]

He has said me by email that some ships had to remain quiet cause were unable to flee with the carriers, and this TF I have found come with oil to them... Well..My carriers are far away and my LBA is not developed.

4/4/42:

33rd/B repulsed of Mandalay. 1154 enemy casualties reported to 318 of allied troops. 36 combat squads destroyed, and a lot of non combat squads. BBF Brgiade and 1st Burma Division will purse him to maximize enemy casualties...

HORN ISLAND is about to fall, my garrison troops are overhelmed by 47th Nav Gd and now is matter of time.

1 Day to have the H.M.S. REPULSE back to action. She will go back to Java with 1 CL and 1 DD.

Several Dutch fighter sqn have upgraded to Hurricanes, and soon to P-40Es...Seydlitz will have some troubles here !!!!