Bo...oops in the South Pacific - LST (A) vs SierraJuliet (J) Bottlenecks Mod

[LargeSlowTarget]

Jan 17, 1942

Bases lost
55ID I./143rd Inf Battalion CAPTURE Tambaya".
55ID II./143rd Inf Battalion CAPTURE Lamaing".
1st Sasebo Coy SNLF CAPTURE Calapan.
Jaquinot Bay is occupied by the Japanese.

Sub War
No contacts!

CentPac
CL Helena, freshly repaired after suffering a torpedo hit in the Dec 7 attack, has been ordered out to conduct trials and training.
Her captain, Gilbert Hoover* decided that the best training would be a bombardment of the nearest territory under Japanese occupation – Wake Island.

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 14
Port hits 11
Port supply hits 5

*I only realize it now as I write – this is an OOB error, Hoover took command of Helena in September 1942, at the time of PH until Hoover took over, Helena was skippered by Captain Robert Henry English, who starts the game as RAdm.

PI
One Sally was damaged by Peashooters over Clark Field, which suffers 15 runway hits.
A small sailing schooner named Lanikai has left Bataan with a few enterprising officers and men aboard to attempt to escape to the DEI.
The ship will try to island-hop through the PI and across the Celebes Sea to Balikpapan and on to Java.

Malaya / Burma / India
Mutual night-bombing – Allies hit Johore / Tebrau causing light damage, the Japanese hit nothing at Singers.

Johore / Tebrau is also bombarded again by the gunboats fleet:
Allied Ships
PG Grasshopper
PG Cicala
PG Kedah
PG Soerabaja
PG Herald
PG Lawrence
PG Mindanao (PR-8)
PG Luzon (PR-7)
PG Oahu (PR-6)

Japanese ground losses:
4 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 6
Port hits 3

During daylight, enemy fighter sweeps tangle with CAP again:

A6M2 Reisen: 7 destroyed
Ki-43-Ic Hayabusa: 3 destroyed

Buffalo I: 6 destroyed
B-339D: 5 destroyed
75A-7 Hawk: 1 destroyed
CW-21B Demon: 2 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 3 destroyed
Hurricane IIb Trop: 1 destroyed

10:18 - okayish bit not sustainable for long.

China
Chinese ground forces bombed at Xinfeng, Pucheng, Xianning – about 290 casualties total.

Intel
33rd Field Const Co is located at Paracel Islands. I am wondering why you want to waste precious engineering assets for this location?
It has a standard airbase and port size of 1. Stick a base force coy and a detachment of float planes on it for ASW and good.

[LargeSlowTarget]

Jan 18, 1942

Bases lost
2nd Indpt Coy CAPTURE Sarmi / Wakde.
Dinagat is occupied by the Japanese.
Port Dickson is occupied by the Allies.

Sub War
SS I-158 sinks xAP Van Riebeek near Oosthaven.
SS I-154 sinks xAKL Rasa near Muntok.
SS S-37~ torpedoed xAK Seisyo Maru near Soebi-besar.
SS Argonaut lays minefield at Izu Oshima.

CONUS
More gas-guzzlers available now:
BB Idaho arrives at CARIBSEAFRON
BB New Mexico arrives at CARIBSEAFRON
BB Mississippi arrives at CARIBSEAFRON

NoPac
Two Canadian AMCs have made a short patrol off Southern Sakhalin without encountering enemy ships or aircraft.

CentPac
BB Maryland available for service in damaged state at Pearl Harbor.
BB Pennsylvania available for service in damaged state at Pearl Harbor.
Both will go to Bremerton under heavy escort for modernization.

SoPac
The secret refueing stop in the deep South is a hub of activity as convoys with reinforcements for Samoa and the Fijis pass through.

SWPac
KB raids PM airbase. 17 runway hits, one Kate destroyed by AA.

PI
Clark Field bombed, light damage, one Sally damaged by Peashooters.

Malaya / Burma / India
Gunboats cause 75 casualties at Johore / Tebrau.
Ineffective night-bombing from both sides.
With the help of PC Kedah used as a fast transport, the Chinese Dalforce is taking stabs at the Japanese rear bases and LOC along the Malayan West Coast. Port Dickson recaptured.

China
Chinese ground units at Xinfeng and Pucheng bombed, 350 casualties.

Intel
29/21st Division is loaded on xAK Momoyama Maru #1 moving to Canton.
28/21st Division is loaded on xAK Rasin Maru moving to Canton.
Interesting – reinforcements for the push in direction of Kukong?
DD Isonami is reported to have been sunk near Subic Bay on Dec 31, 1941.

[LargeSlowTarget]

Jan 19, 1942

Bases lost
Japanese forces CAPTURE Xianning.
5th Indpt Coy CAPTURE Madang-Alexishafen.
Masbate is occupied by the Japanese.

Sub War
SS I-7^ has sunk the reefer xAK Arctic+ (the + behind the name indicates a refrigerator ship, not to be used for troop carrying) near Lahaina – morale in the fleet hits rock bottom with this loss of the monthly ice cream ration.
In an ASW attack near Menado, SS S-39~ has collected five hits and must RTB.
In an ASW attack near Kuching, SS KXIII has been hit four times and must RTB. She caught a glimpse of BB Haruna, missed DD Maikaze with two torps and then had go deep.
I-6 has been hit three times by DMS Long in an ASW attack near Johnston Island.

CONUS
BB Tennessee beginning refit in shipyard at Bremerton.

SWPac
KB has hit PM again, over 170 bombers managed but 16 runway hits and AAAA (“Four A” - Australian anti-aircraft artillery) powered by promises of "Four X" for each kill claimed 7 Vals destroyed and 28 damaged.

PI
DD Oshio has sunk xAKL Boyd near Balabac.
Cagayan bombed by three Betties which killed a squad of the 3rd PA Constabulary Regiment.

Malaya / Burma / India
Ineffective Japanese night attacks against Singers by small numbers of Sallies.
The gunboats, CL Dauntless~ and CL Enterprise~ bombarded Johore / Tebrau, 20 casualties inflicted.

Enemy fighter sweeps over Singers hit empty air as our fighters are busy elsewhere. My opponent is using strato sweeps at 29k and 30k feet altitude.
What is the best counter to this? Going up as well despite mnvr disadvantage, or staying low in best mnvr band but getting bounced?

My fighters have swept Johore / Tebrau in order to clear the way for a daylight bombing raid. They have found some leaking CAP, but the Zeros were not that great in a defensive role.

A6M2 Reisen: 8 destroyed
H81-A3: 1 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed

Then 50+5 Allied bombers – Blenheims and Hudsons – attacked the Japanese ground forces at Johore / Tebrau. One Hudson damaged - the enemy suffered not even a scratch.

China
Chinese ground forces at Xinfeng caught it again repeatedly, 190 casualties reported.
Fed-up, the Chinese left the hex – and the Japanese 11th Army (3rd Div, 39th Div, 40th Div, 58ID 18th Ind.Mix.' Brigade + tanks and arty) captured the base.

[zebrazwo]

Oh no! Not the ice cream! Cruel and unusual punishment!

[BBfanboy]

CAP that is flying too high often fails to intercept low-flying bombers which are in and out of the hex. But Sweeps against CAP has two lingering sets of aircraft. Still, I bet it is hard for aircraft at 30K to spot low flying fighters over normal terrain (as opposed to water). And if the defending fighters are low enough for their on AAA to hit at the enemy fighters they might interfere with their dive or even shoot down a few. I'll have to watch if sweep missions lose fighters to AAA.

[JanSako]

Sweeps to not lose fighters to AAA.

Two approaches to strato-sweeps:

- get above them if you have radar and you can (your planes have the ceiling). Unlikely to work well without radar because you won't have enough time between the raid being detected & the engagement.

- put a bait squadron, ideally high MVR planes on low level, then layer the rest of your CAP above them. It is important that the low squadron is the first one on your list in the base (lowest DB number).

The enemy will dive on the bait squadron, then the rest of your guys will dive on them.

There is of course a ton of variables here, weather, radar, skills, leaders, XP, morale & faigue both yours & theirs.

[LargeSlowTarget]

Thx Jansako, I will try the "bait" approach because none of my current fighter planes has a 30k ceiling.


Jan 20, 1942

Bases lost
7th Indpt Coy CAPTURED Lae.
8th Indpt Coy CAPTURED Buna.
15th Naval Guard Unit CAPTURED Sidate.
91st Naval Guard Unit CAPTURED Port Swettenham.
Xiantao is occupied by the Japanese.

Sub War
SS O21 missed DMS W-4 near Menado and collected two depth charge hits in return.
Later, O21 missed TB Otori escorting a convoy in the same area.
SS Barracuda lays minefield at Matsuma.
SS I-2 missed DMS Perry near San Francisco.
SS RO-34 missed CL Java near Donggala.
SS I-156 has sunk xAKL Raub and xAKL Circe near Muntok.

CentPac
Repairs completed on ARD YFD-2 at Pearl Harbor, ship returned to service.
That frees up some shipyard points for repairing DDs and DMS.

PI
xAPc Don Isidro has been sunk near Pandan by CA Maya and consorts.
9 Sallies damaged by CAP over Clark Field, light damage on the airbase.
7 casualties at Cagayan caused by three Betties.

Malaya / Burma / India
Gunboats caused 5 casualties bombarding Johore / Tebrau.

PG Kedah has lifted elements of the Dalforce to Utan M. / Stiawan up on the West Coast of Central Malaya, deep behind enemy lines.

Air battles over Singers:
Ki-44 Shoki: 3 destroyed
A6M2 Reisen: 4 destroyed

P-40E Warhawk: 7 destroyed
H81-A3: 1 destroyed
Buffalo I: 3 destroyed


China
Repeated bombing attacks against Chinese ground forces at Xinfeng, Yueyang and Yingde.

Intel
Spies report that Japanese minesweepers have cleared 41 mines at Izu Oshima (113,62). There goes Argonaut’s minefield…

[LargeSlowTarget]

Jan 21, 1942

Bases lost
Elements of the 124th Inf Rgt CAPTURED Sambas.
Tandag is occupied by the Japanese.

Sub War
SS I-175 wasted 4 fish on DMS Long near Johnston Island.
SS I-158 missed xAK Forafric near Batavia.
SS I-24_ missed AM Rockhampton near Brisbane".
SS I-8^ was located by AM Rockhampton near Brisbane"
Nevertheless, later that day, SS I-8^ sunk AM Geelong and YO OFL-3 off Brisbane.
Mmh, a midget sub carrier and a float plane-carrying sub off Brisbane – smells like a port attack with mini-subs.
SS Grenadier lays minefield at Kavieng.

CentPac
Loss of BB Oklahoma on Dec 07, 1941 is admitted.

PI
Sallies caused negligible damage at Clark Field.
Clark Field expands fortifications to size 4.

DEI
Betty bombers have attacked the Allied Eastern Naval Force build around CLs Boise and Java near Balikpapan. Looks like Menando airbase is now operational. Bad news.
Batavia expands airfield to size 5 and now can house B-17s without penalties (or so I think).
Float planes and transport planes start to shift “Landstorm” infantry units from Java to Sumatra.

Malaya / Burma / India
Allied gunboats caused 65 casualties and some base damage at Johore / Tebrau.
Due to the presence of enemy units at Utan M. / Stiawan, the lightly armed guerillas of the Dalforce will evacuated again by PG Kedah this coming night.

China
Yingde, Yueyang, Longnan bombed, about 60 casualties suffered.
A bombardment attack by two-thirds of the 104th IJA Div against the 83rd Chinese Army* Corps at Yingde has cost the Chinese 11 casualties and the Japanese 37.

Intel
Spies report that the minefield laid the other day at Matsuma has promptly been swept. Apparently, the enemy has the “choke points” well covered with countermeasures.

[LargeSlowTarget]

Jan 22, 1942

Bases lost
Japanese forces CAPTURED Cagayan.
Caraga is occupied by the Japanese

Sub War
SS I-158 missed xAK Marpess near Batavia.
SS I-2 sank TK Gulfpride near Channel Islands.
SS I-156 sank xAKL Bingin near Muntok.
SS Sargo~ torpedoed xAK Keihuku Maru #2 near Poulo Condore Is.

PI
14 out 27 Sallies damaged by just 3 Peashooters on CAP. Light airbase damage.

Cagayan finally fell :

Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 4589 troops, 47 guns, 69 vehicles, Assault Value = 220
Defending force 1545 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 71
Japanese adjusted assault: 195
Allied adjusted defense: 33
Japanese assault odds: 5 to 1 (fort level 1)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Cagayan !!!
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), leaders(-), experience(-)
Attacker: leaders(+)

Japanese ground losses:
54 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
1714 casualties reported
Squads: 115 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 64 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Units destroyed 1

Assaulting units:
8th Tank Regiment
16ID 33rd Infantry Regiment
32SBF Sasebo 2nd' Naval Guard Unit

Defending units:
3rd PA Constabulary Regiment

Malaya / Burma / India
Ineffective Japanese night bombing and Allied naval bombardments.

China
Xinfeng, Yueyang and Yingde bombed, 240 casualties among the Chinese.

[LargeSlowTarget]

Jan 23, 1942

Bases lost
I/66th Naval Guard Unit CAPTURED Finschhafen.
Samal is occupied by the Japanese.
Taiping is occupied by the Allies.

Sub War
SS I-162 sank xAP Kepong near Muntok. Another ship lost on the Palembang/Batavia to Singers track. Many small ships take this route to keep adding to Singer’s supply stocks.

SWPac
Japanese forces edging ever closer to PM. KB has left, but is probably just replenishing at Rabaul or Truk.

PI
A trio of Betties bombed Malaybalay, the mountain redoubt of the PI III Corps on Mindanao. The base is low on supplies, submarines can only provide a trickle of supplies from Cebu via the adjacent coastal hex.

Malaya / Burma / India
The usual gunboat bombardment of Johore / Tebrau netted a supply hit and 16 enemhy casualties.
The 14th Tank Regiment has launched a counterattack at Port Dickson and annihilated the remaining elements of the Dalforce detachment. 142 casualties reported. The larger part of the units has been able to evacuate aboard the PG Kedah and shifted to Taiping further up on the coast.

China
Xinfeng, Yueyang, Yingde remain unhealthy places without aircover. However, ground fire managed to down a Sonia bomber.
At Yingde, the entire 104th is now assembled, together with three arty units. Things start to look serious here.