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More reinforcements are dispatched from Brisbane to Gili Gili - Curtin was moaning again on the phone, but the High Command has reassured him that really, yes, Tasmania is unlikely to miss their coastal defence guns, and Fort Hobart would do a lot more good at Gili Gili.
The end result of Gili Gilis reinforcement is basically going to be Fort Hobart, the ENG unit at Hobart, and 2 Australian Bdes - which seems like quite a lot to me. I figure I'll have to rotate them eventually it being malarial and all, thats not so good.

Recon from Canton Island picks up an alleged transport TF at Baker Island. Those USN CVs that wandered around there are set on full speed to charge in a lightning raid - next turn they will be 4 hexes from Baker. I hope to god its not a decoy TF. *paranoia*. Still, I muttered above about wanting demonstrations of carrier presence in the Central Pacific, I guess this'll do! Should be some carrier action next turn, im holding my breath in fear/trepidation.

He's managed to put 20 Zero CAP over Rabaul somehow - can they really fly that far, from Truk? My level bombers I sent in to play with his ships got a mauling for their pains. Massive recon effort next turn on all his bases (bar Lunga - out of range) in the region to see if he's been building airfields. [:-]

In China, Kweilin is attacked, the Chinese actually surprise me - the disrupted units seem to be somewhat recovered already just a couple of days after. Wuchow is also under siege, though he doesnt attack yet. He keeps sending in Sallies without escort, and the crappy Chinese fighters rack up some experience shootin em down.

And Bataan falls and 50,000 Filipinos enter captivity.

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Day Air attack on TF, near Rabaul at 61,88

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 20

Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 12

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed, 5 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 6 destroyed, 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
CA Furutaka
CA Kinugasa

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 2000 feet
3 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 2000 feet
(Where did they come from? Truk?)
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Ground combat at Bataan

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 151480 troops, 1426 guns, 217 vehicles

Defending force 33028 troops, 264 guns, 124 vehicles

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 4

Japanese assault odds: 7 to 1 (fort level 4)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Bataan base !!!



Allied aircraft
no flights


Allied aircraft losses
PBY Catalina: 5 destroyed (All damaged, the operational ones legged it a few days ago)

Japanese ground losses:
1437 casualties reported
Guns lost 21
Vehicles lost 5

Allied ground losses:
52455 casualties reported
Guns lost 331
Vehicles lost 66


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Ground combat at Kweilin

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 19871 troops, 276 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 119804 troops, 679 guns, 0 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 0 to 1 (fort level 3)


Japanese ground losses:
325 casualties reported
Guns lost 12

Allied ground losses:
113 casualties reported
Guns lost 6
(Well, admittedly he was a -bit- outnumbered)

Oh, incidentally, a few other little changes to the rear areas - I'm not sure if people do what I am doing, moving units from backwaters like Tasmania and putting them into the fray - but I'm moving most of Perth to Darwin as well. By rail.

The US carrier strike on Jap shipping at Baker Island goes off perfectly. The 20 Zero CAP meets the Wildcats but almost all the Dauntlesses get through and 1000lb bombs start raining down. Marvellous. Every ship spotted got thoroughly hammered, no need for more strikes - those CVs are now legging it due East at full speed for a turn, and then will then return to Pearl Harbour and wait for Hornet to arrive (2 weeks + sail time) and join them - besides, their sys damage is creeping up and its refit time.

At Rabaul his blockading forces have pulled back for reasons unknown. I'm gonna go try and slip in the other half of the Aus Bde I reinforced the place with, in a single AP. The Kiwis should land at Lunga in 2 days, and I think the Aussies land in Rabaul in 2 or 3, so simultaneous landings! More by luck than by judgment.

Attacks begin in earnest in Wuchow and Kweilin. The supply situation in Kweilin is bad, bad, bad. I've ordered all the disrupted units who were retreating from Hengchow to pull back along the road, the other units have been told to stand fast. Wuchow is a little firmer, but not much.
A lone Japanese division has been spotted in the centre meanwhile, heading on the road up to Chungking. Gonna try the guerilla warfare approach, a unit in the countryside NE of that road is now headed SW, if he advances, hopefully that unit will arrive behind him and cut the road supply.
I have to confess, I havn't got a clue what I'm doing in China, but I do know that supply so scarce almost everywhere the Chinese seem buggered to me unless the other Allies can put pressure on elsewhere. 16 (32 in a month or so) Dakotas at Ledo arent going to help.

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Day Air attack on Mandalay , at 33,30


Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 14
B-17C Fortress x 13
B-17E Fortress x 15


No Allied losses

Oil hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x Blenheim IV bombing at 6000 feet
12 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
3 x B-17C Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
3 x B-17C Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
5 x Blenheim IV bombing at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
3 x B-17C Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
2 x B-17C Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
2 x B-17C Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
(They aint doing anything else so what the hell. If in doubt, strategic bombing or supply transports)
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Day Air attack on TF, near Baker Island at 94,92

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 12

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 17
SBD Dauntless x 60

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged
SBD Dauntless: 2 destroyed, 8 damaged

Japanese Ships
DD Mochizuki, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
MSW Tama Maru #5, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Kongo Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire
AK Hirokawa Maru, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
CL Tenryu, Bomb hits 6, on fire, heavy damage
DD Mutsuki, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Canton Maru, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
MSW Tama Maru #3, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
3 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
3 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
3 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
4 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
4 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
4 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
4 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
4 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
4 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
4 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
4 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
4 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
4 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
4 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
4 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
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Day Air attack on TF, near Baker Island at 94,92

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 11

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 16
SBD Dauntless x 12

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged
SBD Dauntless: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
CL Tenryu, on fire, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
4 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
4 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
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Ground combat at Kweilin

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 220518 troops, 2546 guns, 184 vehicles

Defending force 119343 troops, 664 guns, 0 vehicles

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 2

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

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 2


Japanese ground losses:
4224 casualties reported
Guns lost 118
Vehicles lost 3

Allied ground losses:
3195 casualties reported
Guns lost 78


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Ground combat at Wuchow

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 57304 troops, 688 guns, 6 vehicles

Defending force 32181 troops, 189 guns, 0 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 0 to 1 (fort level 4)


Japanese ground losses:
2095 casualties reported
Guns lost 62
Vehicles lost 3

Allied ground losses:
347 casualties reported
Guns lost 11

Payback Time!

Quiet day today. Hornet is only 6 days away not 14 like I thought. Soon CentPac will have 3 carriers at their command - better than baby KB, for sure.
All the ships are in place in Java now. A lot of victory points there for the Betties...
China continues to get ground down slowly at Kweilin, I notice he's switched to bombardments at Wuchow. Excellent.

...and look at this.

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Day Air attack on Mandalay , at 33,30


Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 12
B-17C Fortress x 15
B-17E Fortress x 9


No Allied losses

Oil hits 8

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x Blenheim IV bombing at 6000 feet
6 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
4 x B-17C Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
3 x B-17C Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
3 x B-17C Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
3 x Blenheim IV bombing at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
3 x B-17C Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
2 x B-17C Fortress bombing at 6000 feet
Ooo, thats a good un! [:D] The first of many I hope.
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Those 48 Forts I mutter about every so often mutated into 48 Liberators on the way as they unload at Colombo. Can't say I'm too happy about that, I'd rather have the range. Oops. Oh well.

Next couple of days should be tense. The Kiwi Empire will be landing at Lunga, and the day after, half an Aussie brigade will be reinforcing Rabaul.
Giving the Philippines has been more or less subjugated now I fear massive Jap reinforcements from there will soon start moving into theatre, and then Australia will have to run, run, run.

mm, look what I see on the sigint...
48th Construction Battalion is loaded on AP,Kyokusei Maru moving to Singapore.

Gonna move my sub screen up a bit to cover Singapore rather than Pontiniak, maybe we can catch that Maru.

Kweilins forts were reduced to 1 today, and Japs were seen closing upon the final base in Burma - Myritkina or however you spell it. A Chinese division is there and waiting with 72 prep points, but I think that Jap unit is the Imperial Guard, so the Chins are gonna go running back to China I suspect. Allocated some Blenheims to bomb the advancing Japs anyway.

Elsewhere, all quiet - except the South Pacific! The Kiwis were quicker than I thought, and have begun landing at Lunga. One Bde, I dont think it'll be enough - but the USMC Division is around Suva and headed for Lunga too, ETA about a week. I imagine the KB will intrude and things will get ugly but enh, assuming he invades Java without his carriers I suppose thats what I want... right? [;)]

Tomorrow Aussies will land at Rabaul. Escalation, he reinforces, I reinforce... I'm not overly bothered by the audacity here - Noumea has another ANZAC Bde defending it bear in mind, and Gili Gili has 1 Aus Bde + Fort Hobart, I don't feel I've thrown everything forward suicidally, the second line bases seem OK.

Well, got some good news, some bad news, and some interesting news. bad news first, as it hurts, a lot.

Apparently the KB is somehow still in the middle of the Coral Sea. They rudely intrude on the Kiwis unloading at Lunga, and blow their transport TF to kingdom come. About 2/3rds of the Kiwis are ashore - but they aint got no supplies. The Jap garrison appears to be equal to the Kiwis in assault strength.
Four S-boats who have just laid a fresh minefield at Rabaul are spreading out on sub patrol missions across the northern Coral Sea. After a few days of that they are going to run sub transport to keep a trickle of supplies going to the Kiwis, see if I can tide them over somewhat till the KB leaves and then I'll go for a fast transport.

The good(ish) news - Nearby Fort Hobarts transport TF is almost at Gili Gili and the Aussies at Rabaul are in the process of being reinforced. He cant be in three places at once even though all three places are quite close to one another, so it looks like the other South Pacific ops are going to be pulled off, and hopefully he'll be reluctant to pull those carriers out given all the allied activity down there.

And the interesting news. Action along the Burma/India border looks imminent! Sallies, er, Sally forth and bomb the hell out of Akyab - Hurricanes and Buffaloes succeed in inflicting reasonable attrition on him. The Buffaloes are pulled back to Dacca and rotated with more Hurricanes so two squadrons sit at Akyab. Much more interesting (and puzzling), the suspected Imperial Guard have moved off the railroad in Burma and are headed due north, along the trail to the base that separates Ledo from India proper (I'm gonna need a screenie of this but it'll have to wait till tomorrow). Wow. I got 32 Blenheims just for that unit, he's got a long way to march across that awful trail being bombed. I thought he'd bag Myritkina first, but no.

Assuming he leaves Myritkina unmolested I'll have to send the Chinese or a fraction of their div at Myritkina to cut off his supplies. But I'll wait till he fully commits himself first.

He has further reinforced Rabaul, but still not enough, the Aussies are holding firm. They are burning through 200 supplies a day though and the base has 3800 left. Not good given he has total sea superiority in the area.
Gili Gili now has 25,000 supplies and Fort Hobart and and a base force are unloading there. KB has stopped bombing the hell out of my transports at Lunga, which are now hulks on 99 sys. Glens are spotted at Noumea so I guess he's going that way, bad, as my slow old battleships are around there. Flee for Auckland Mk2 is now under way.

The promised pic of Burma is here, and I even annotated it, my god! Though not very artistically.



He bombed the hell out of Akyab this turn, and the 32 Hurricanes there became 11 Hurricanes, mostly due to the 50 Zeroes that were escorting the bombers. My reinforcement of Akyab appears to have been foolish, and supplies are low, the armour is pulling back along that trail north and has been for a few days now, though I think the mountain artillery unit (the one on the trail NW of Akyab) will continue on to act as a CD battery.
Presumably he's not sitting on the trail just for fun, I figure he must be aiming for Jorhat to cut off Ledo and thus China. Given all these Dakotas I got destined for India I'll be peeved if that happens, specially as the Chins are getting the floor wiped with them at the moment. I'm going to pull the units at Imphal and Ledo back to Jorhat, and reinforce Jorhat with a single infantry division from India. The Big Armoured Division the Brits get is on the rail from Karachi about now, and I'll move that in too. I'm loathe to move anything else though given what happened to Wobbly!
Once the situation at Myritkina is better (ie those Chinese and Burma refugees get there) I'll send that final Indian armoured unit and a Chinese division to cut off his supply route.

*grumble* the KB has a habit of turning up precisely where I don't want it. Despite his Glens noting my battleships near Noumea he went back to between Gili Gili and Cairns instead. Where my Hobart forces are unloading. It's not all bad though - a thunderstorm grounded them, so the transports were undisturbed for a day. But, looks like a sizable chunk of those ground units are about to be erased.
I've decided to play safe for a change and send the USMC and baseforces destined for Noumea, currently between Suva and Noumea, down to Auckland to wait until they have most assuredly gone. I keep trying to sneak transports around him - and I manage it too, but these little tiny ports take ages to unload at and I have grossly underestimated the time it takes for a brigade to get ashore.

Ahh well, this AAR was always going be AAR of a Numpty, so there we have it, nibbins mistakes. [:)]

I've dispatched two Chinese inf divisions from Yunan and one armour division to march to Sian. All his units are down south around Wuchow, recon suggests the north - aside from Yenen - is quite quiet. Going to see about staging a minor counteroffensive in the next month.

Fairly quiet day. Off Gili Gili CL Adelaide and a few MSWs charge the KB as a decoy to buy the troops unloading at the port another day. Adelaide absorbs a million torpedoes and sinks, by some miracle most of the MSWs survive, and the AKs at Gili Gili finish unloading. Next turn, I expect him to add another 5 AKs and an AP to the bag, but Gili Gili is now Fort Hobart!
Which is good, because Rabaul is starting to bend finally under the constant Japanese reinforcements. Another fast transport load just arrived today. With the KB further reinforcement is out of the question, it looks like they'll be marching to Gasmata very soon.

Curtin is probably having a heart attack at the antics of the Supreme Leader, but Port Moresby and Gili Gili are as solid as the Rock now pretty much. Give me a month or so of airfield building and then we'll be ready for some Aussie payback.

Today I did a thorough recon of Burma as my 4E bombers were getting tired so they could use some light duty. Looks like a division closing on Myritkina... I hope the Chinese can hold out just a few days, enough for that Indian armoured unit to arrive. Elsewhere looks like the only garrisons are at Mandalay and Lashio, Burma is mostly empty while he drives on north.

...I guess this is a good thing for me, I'd love to surround the Imperial Guard with Chinese to the south and CW/Brits to the north.

The promised strike from KB today was poor. A damaged AK in Gili Gili which was damaged ages ago in the Battle of Rabaul attracted most of the Kates and Vals, and another damaged AK in the Coral Sea absorbed the rest, so the majority if those transports miraculously got away, mission successful. CL Adelaide did not give her life in vain.
SS Porpoise had a crack at the KB, but was driven off by ASW assets. ...almost.
The KB is now NE of Gili Gili and headed NE, back to Truk to refuel for another sortie maybe? The USMC Division and some aircraft and base forces will be unloading at Noumea over the next week, I hope the KB doesn't disrupt that!
Hudsons and Fortresses at Rabaul are detailed to go from naval attack back to bombing the Jap ground forces at Rabaul.

Elsewhere, either quiet (CentPac) or developing (Burma, China). Recon in Burma now suggests 3 Japanese units on the trail to Jorhat, but one of this apparently engineers. They will be met by one Indian INF, one Indian Armour, and two Indian base forces, hope thats enough to at least delay. 19 Liberators and about 20 Fortresses are going to bring gifts to Mandalay in a daylight raid tomorrow as apparently he has a/c there now.

I said quiet, perhaps not quite around Java. He began bombing Palembang in earnest today, catching a few torpedo bombes on the ground. Also I see no less than four TFs in the area. Is this is the awaited attack? Or is it more shuffling forces around between Singapore, Borneo and the rest of his empire? The air combat TFs at Soerabaja, slowed by CVL Hermes, amble 120 miles north of Soerabaja just in case.

...ooo, all those swordfish and dauntlesses, the most dangerous weapons in the Allied arsenal! Heres hoping he's "going for it".



AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 02/12/42

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ASW attack at 55,98

Japanese Ships
DD Kasumi
DD Arare
DD Tanikaze
DD Hamakaze
DD Urakaze
DD Shiranuhi
DD Isokaze
DD Kagero
DD Akigumo
CV Hiryu

Allied Ships
SS Dolphin
(Linger and the subs will pounce!)
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Day Air attack on Palembang , at 20,55

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 11
Ki-21 Sally x 20
Ki-48 Lily x 25
Ki-46-II Dinah x 3

Allied aircraft
Wirraway x 3

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21 Sally: 2 destroyed, 11 damaged
Ki-48 Lily: 2 destroyed, 6 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Wirraway: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
Hudson I: 2 destroyed, 3 damaged
Vildebeest IV: 3 destroyed, 1 damaged
Beaufort V-IX: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged


Allied ground losses:
18 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 20

Aircraft Attacking:
15 x Ki-48 Lily bombing at 6000 feet
9 x Ki-48 Lily bombing at 6000 feet
19 x Ki-21 Sally bombing at 6000 feet
(The AVG is here but was LRCAPping a fast transport TF I was playing with. Not anymore. Also I sent a few Warhawks here so next turn a warmer welcome should be forthcoming)
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Day Air attack on 33rd Division, at 34,27


Allied aircraft
Buffalo I x 4
Blenheim IV x 21


No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
73 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x Blenheim IV bombing at 3000 feet
7 x Blenheim IV bombing at 3000 feet
5 x Blenheim IV bombing at 3000 feet
3 x Blenheim IV bombing at 3000 feet
(On the trail to Jorhat on the Burma/India border, these guys are)
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Ground combat at Rabaul

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 18945 troops, 84 guns, 6 vehicles

Defending force 4590 troops, 33 guns, 34 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 0 to 1 (fort level 3)


Japanese ground losses:
480 casualties reported
Guns lost 10
Vehicles lost 2

Allied ground losses:
64 casualties reported
Guns lost 3
Vehicles lost 1

Not much new to report... those Java carriers slink ever nearer, just 2 hexes of Batavia now. Hermes is so slow, I want to make sure they can pounce on a Sumatra invasion, but on the other hand I don't want to get so close that I get spotted.

The Kiwis at Dieppe... er, Guadalcanal... need evac, I've got four DDs and about six S-boat subs detailed to pull them out.

Cruiser TF sighted a long way east of Tarakan - baby KB maybe?

Oh, and I got Hornet today, she's headed for Pearl so CentPac has a 3 carrier TF. Then I'll go on some raids!

Bad day today, looks like its Adlertag for the Japs. [X(]

Palembang airfield is struck by what must be the biggest raid yet of the war, and is absolutely annihilated. Totalled, the place is almost cleaned out, Pearl Harbour style. The AVG that happened to be resting still are entirely crushed. Fortunately one AVG Tomahawk at Batavia was there, and the AVG promptly reconstituted itself there, which is nice. I noticed a third of their pilots are now numpty replacements though, looks bad. The Dutch and Aussie fighters meet the flood, but disgrace themselves against Oscars. Admittedly they were outnumbered 3 to 1, but still.

In Burma Zeroes at Mandalay fly CAP over his advancing ground troops and chop up the bombing Blenheims - the only RAF fighter able to escort at range is the Buffalo, and the flying coffins are chopped out of the sky.

And finally NE of Borneo a transport TF is bombed by Dutch Martins at 3000 feet, as almost always happens it seems hits are scored. (Level bombers are fine against transports if at low level). I figure thats headed for Tarakan. That cruiser force I noticed east of Borneo is staying put, which makes me definitely think its baby KB. A sub swarm is closing in on it, so we'll know soon enough. KB is just north of Rabaul, and is wiping out the subs down there.

So, actions. More fighters from Batavia are set to LRCAP over Palembang. Blenheims in Burma shift targets to maybe throw the Zeroes off. Liberators and Fortresses at Dacca/Calcutta are directed to bomb the airfield at Mandalay. The Chinese division at Myritkina -must- hold for at least a week before reinforcements (fairly massive ones too) arrive, they have 80 prep points and I gave them the best Chinese commander I could muster. If they fall, the Burma Road is cut. At Jorhat my forces assemble nicely. Surely even the Imperial Guard cannot just casually brush aside so many troops, after marching through that trail.

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 02/14/42

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Day Air attack on Palembang , at 20,55

Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 27
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 30
Ki-21 Sally x 46
Ki-48 Lily x 69
Ki-46-II Dinah x 11

Allied aircraft
Wirraway x 3
Brewster 339D x 11

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 2 destroyed
Ki-21 Sally: 5 damaged
Ki-48 Lily: 2 destroyed, 5 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Wirraway: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
Brewster 339D: 11 destroyed, 1 damaged
Vildebeest IV: 5 destroyed, 7 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 9 destroyed, 16 damaged
Hudson I: 4 destroyed, 6 damaged


Allied ground losses:
53 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 23
Airbase supply hits 8
Runway hits 168

Aircraft Attacking:
10 x Ki-48 Lily bombing at 6000 feet
15 x Ki-48 Lily bombing at 6000 feet
18 x Ki-21 Sally bombing at 6000 feet
9 x Ki-21 Sally bombing at 6000 feet
9 x Ki-48 Lily bombing at 6000 feet
18 x G3M Nell bombing at 6000 feet
8 x Ki-48 Lily bombing at 6000 feet
6 x Ki-48 Lily bombing at 6000 feet
10 x Ki-21 Sally bombing at 6000 feet
6 x Ki-21 Sally bombing at 6000 feet
3 x Ki-48 Lily bombing at 6000 feet
4 x G3M Nell bombing at 6000 feet
3 x Ki-21 Sally bombing at 6000 feet
3 x Ki-48 Lily bombing at 6000 feet
4 x Ki-48 Lily bombing at 6000 feet
3 x G3M Nell bombing at 6000 feet
2 x G3M Nell bombing at 6000 feet
2 x Ki-48 Lily bombing at 6000 feet
5 x Ki-48 Lily bombing at 6000 feet
3 x Ki-48 Lily bombing at 6000 feet
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Not a good start to the day.

Another dense stream of bombers from Singapore strikes Palembang. This time the AVG are LRCAPping from Batavia, and they manage to shoot down about a dozen aircraft. But there is only so much 10 Tomahawks could do vs 100 bombers, so Palembang is blown to the stone age again.
All the units there have morale <25 it seems, almost no aircraft is serviceable. What remains, I'm pulling back to Batavia. Meanwhile PT boats raid Singapore and find just two MSWs - recon suggests 51 ships in Singapore harbour though. The Allied carriers remain poised, ready to strike.
Elsewhere the Japs bombard Tarakan - it isnt baby KB after all, its a cruiser force. A transport force is about three days away from Tarakan now - with the Makassar Strait closed to Allied shipping due to the Betties at Amboina, there is nothing that can be done. Some subs are in the way, but thats it.

Over to the fighting for the Burma Road - at Jorhat I now have 2 Indian divisions and one Indian armour unit, plus three base forces almost there. 28,000 Japs are incoming - I'm pretty sure they will be checked at Jorhat. If needed the 7th Armoured (The Desert Rats, yay) will assist. I'm more worried about Myritkina though, one Chinese division... I gave em the best leader the Chinese have, and they got almost 100 prep points - but with ~1200 supplies and level 2 forts, and reinforcements at least a week away if not two - will they manage to hold out?

Elsewhere the Kiwis at Lunga surrender and go into the bag, a waste there. [:(]. The Supreme Commander would be being relieved about now if this was the real thing I fear. The USMC is unloading at Noumea, base forces are a few days away, and then Noumea will be another rock like Canton Island is.

Allied intentions - there isnt a whole lot I can do against air power like that in Singapore. Its up to the Navy it would seem to damage the enemy. My only plus is that he hasnt really fought the full concentration of fighters on Java yet, so I figure thats as bad as his level bombers will get. In India/Burma I plan on fighting tooth and nail along the railway at Jorhat and Ledo, I don't feel bad about using Indian units there as I can pull em back real fast. There are plenty of Chinese on the road to Myritkina, if the Chinese can garrison Myritkina and the British can hold Ledo, I'll be real happy - and from the way its turning out it would seem I have at least a fighting chance, with the Imperial Guard stuck on that trail.
In the Pacific I have only vague intentions. The first AKs of transports carrying fighter aircraft are nearing Noumea, I want to put some marine Dauntlesses and Airacobras at Gili Gili, and round out the air complement of Port Moresby - at the moment its very bomber heavy, I want some more fighters there for when Rabaul falls. Also I'm beginning to think about the defence of Timor, could use some Warhawks there.

Silence, more or less, settles across the Pacific... surely merely the calm before the storm.

The only major operations wers him bombing the hell out of Akyab with almost Palembang-like ruthlessness - his target, the Indian armoured brigade there - and his army finally coming into contact with the Chinese at Myritkina.

Orders given this turn - the medium bombers are shifted to bombing Myritkina, the AVG flies CAP over Myritkina, and a force of cruisers, all shiny and buffed up on 0 sys damage are dispatched from Pearl Harbour on the long trek to Noumea.

Another quiet day - AK torpedoed off Tarawa (yay, those subs work), but thats about it.

While the combat report was playing I noted a splotch of red in the base NE of Palembang. My PT boats are there but didnt engage, they were out of fuel. A surface TF running in to look for Dutch to kill, or my bad eyesight?

The tension is killing me, it is only with the greatest difficulty I didnt move the CVs and cruiser force closer to the enemy. "It's like the touch of god... wait... wait... wait..."

He came into contact with the Chinese at Myritkina - now he did the attack I'm 75% confident he aint getting past before the reinforcements arrive. Excellent. The heavies are hammering at Mandalay again tomorrow.

Worried about the locations of KB and baby KB. KB is probably at Truk. Baby KB could be anywhere. One of the baby KB CVs took a 500lber at Canton Island, could be that he's assiduously in dock fixing it, but it didnt look like much of a hit so I cant count on it. If either of them are near my CVs at Java thats bad news.

Incidentally Hornet is about three or so days from Pearl, when she arrives, I plan on a raid into the Central Pacific - maybe Wake, maybe Baker Island. Probably Baker, I know he's got Mavises there, and they've been spying me for too long.

Mainly it'll be a demonstration, give him reasons to keep carriers in the Central Pacific, which I have no designs on currently.

Gah, I've been trying to post for a few days but my comp refused to do so for some reason. Anyway, looks like its working again now...

The past few days are more or less quiet, but just as well this thing is working now, because all hell just broke loose today at Java. Submarines marking Singapore spot a big big convoy coming out of Singers headed SW. Elsewhere not only did he bag Tarakan but in an audacious move he's moving for the next base to the west of that on the south coast of Borneo. He bombed seven bells out of Palembang again with Lilies and Nells, the AVG got amidst them this time and put a hurting on the Oscars and bombers, excellent, as any fatigue we can apply is important given these vulnerable ships I plan on using.

All hands to battle stations!

The cruisers at Batavia nudge NE at cruising speed, with Warhawks on CAP. The AVG is resting today, tomorrow they'll be on LRCAP over these babies.

The 3.5 carriers (Lex, Enterprise, Indomitable, Hermes) head NW out of Soerabaja at full speed.

Royal Sovereign and Revenge head east out of Soerabaja for that base on the south of Borneo that he has designs on. The Makassar Strait is dangerous - 20 Warhawks and 10 Buffaloes have been moved to those bases to provide LRCAP for the battleships.

Liberators at Dacca are set for a daylight raid on Rangoon. He has 50 Betties there - past experience suggests daylight raids on this place really hurt, as he's got Zeroes there - but I want as many Betties bombed as possible before he moves them south when he realises I got 4 carriers at Java!