Last Stand at San Diego (no Richard please)

[ADB123]

Here is the situation in Northern Australia

[ADB123]

Here is the situation in the South Pacific:

[ADB123]

December 1, 1943 –

The Night Phase saw some USN sub action as USS Sculpin attacked and sank an xAKL on the Surface at Endeh. Sculpin received some damage in return and so is now heading back to base. Then USS Greenling shot at and missed an SC in a large Troop Transport TF near Taihoku. Greenling got away without any damage.

Daylight brought A6M5s sweeping again over the Chinese troops that are to the southwest of Chengchow. The multiple Japanese Bomber attacks hit the troops. Never-the-less, the Chinese Troops did get to move to the East and continue to distract Japanese efforts in China.

In Burma Allied 2Es and DBs hit the various Japanese Troops columns that are in the jungle to the east of Mandalay and Taung Gyi. The USAAF 4Es in Burma didn’t fly because their target was rained out.

In Northern Oz the USAAF 4Es hammered the Japanese Troops at Wyndham again while the Mitchells hit the Japanese Troops at Fenton. The Allied troops ought to be in a position launch assaults within a couple of days.

Land Combat was a different matter as bad dice rolls, worse INTEL Reports, and the Game Design from Idiotville caused me much irritation. The Allied Troops southwest of Rangoon fired off an Artillery Attack again, and once again the ragtag Japanese Troops gave as well as they received. This makes no sense, considering that up until the last turn the Allied Artillery Attacks were causing significant damage. So I ordered the Allied Troops to sit back for now and wait for the final escape route for the Japanese to be closed in another day or two.

Off in China I received the first of two major INTEL Failures as a Chinese Corps marched into Yenen and found a strong Japanese Infantry Unit sitting there when an Artillery Bombardment was fired off to see what was really there. Now it will be a case of “sitzkrieg”.

And the Biggest Irritation came as a Marine Raider Unit was sent by Fast Transport to Ocean Island where All of my Recon and INTEL has been telling me for months that the base was empty. Instead there was a fragment of a Naval Guard unit there.

And of course, Thanks to the TOTALLY MORONIC 100 DAYS rule, my troops were totally disrupted and hammered by a couple of hundred mediocre Japanese troops. So I am pulling the Raiders out. At times like this I realize that playing this game for the past 3+ years hasn’t been the smartest use of my time.

[ADB123]

December 2, 1943 –

The Night Phase saw USS Greening chased off by an E-Class escort in a small Transport TF off of Taihoku. Greenling received some minor damage.

Then a USN CL/DD TF fired off a Naval Bombardment at Tarawa. The Base was messed up quite well, but none of the Japanese Troops on the island were hit.

Daylight saw Japanese Bombers in increasing numbers hammer the Chinese Corps that is now to the southeast of Chengchow. Given how the Game works, that Chinese unit will be done for in a couple of days. For some unknown reason, the usual End-of-the-World Storms that interfere so consistently with Allied Air Bombardments aren't hampering the Japanese at all.

In any event, it appears that my opponent has too many Troops in Reserve in China for my Break-Out plan to work. Even as I have moved more Chinese Troops forward and attempted to do End-Arounds my opponent has maintained his Front Line Troops in Position while bringing up other troops to cut off my Troops. So it does not look like I can break the Japanese Front in China at this time.

In Burma Allied DBs and 2Es attacked the Japanese Troops that are trying to retire away from the hex to the east of Taung Gyi while Allied 2Es attacked the Japanese Troops that are just to the northeast that are trying to join their compatriots. And the USAAF 4Es flew a late mission and hit the Japanese Troops to the east of Pegu.

In Northern Oz Mitchells hit the Japanese Troops at Fenton again while the USAAF 4Es hit the Japanese Troops at Wyndham again. I've ordered my Troops to attack at Fenton, but I'm holding off at Wyndham because I currently only have Armoured Units besieging the Base.

And in the South Pacific USN and USAAF 4Es hit the Air Base at Tulagi again, destroying another Japanese Fighter that was stuck on the Ground.

The only Ground Action was an Artillery Bombardment by the Japanese Troops at Yenan that caused some minor casualties.

[ADB123]

December 3, 1943 –

The Night Phase saw USS Greenling back into action near Taihoku as the sub shot a half dozen torpedoes at an E-class escort and miss. Greenling was then chased off by the escorts of the small Transport TF.

Daylight started with the Japanese bombing-to-bits the Chinese LCU that is southeast of Chengchow. A bunch of Japanese LCUs have moved into the hex and so that Chinese unit will get hammered even more next turn. There haven’t been any Fighter Sweeps over those Chinese Troops the past few days as my opponent realized that I can’t or won’t LR CAP that unit. One notable thing from this turn – Francis Bombers got into the action for the first time.

The Allied Air Campaign started out with the USN and USAAF 4Es bombing the Air Base at Tulagi again. This time it ought to be closed for quite some time. Next turn the 4Es will go after the Air Base at Lunga again. I remembered this time to set them up a 8000 feet to avoid the Barrage Balloons.

In Northern Australia the Mitchells hammered the retreated Japanese Troops at Fenton again. Then the 4Es hit the Japanese Troops at Wyndham.

In Burma Bad Weather delayed or washed out many planned Allied Air Attacks and watered-down the effects of those missions that did fly. So the 4Es hit the Japanese Troops that are southeast of Pegu, but caused little damage. Likewise, some 2Es hit the Japanese Troops that are east of Taung Gyi, but the DBs that attacked missed. And the massed 2Es that were supposed to hit the Japanese troops that are southeast of Mandalay didn’t fly at all.

The Ground Combat Phase started with the Japanese Troops at Yenan firing off another Artillery Bombardment. Once again it caused some Chinese casualties.

Next the Allied Forces at Fenton launched a deliberate attack on the Japanese Troops there:

Ground combat at Fenton (76,126)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 20375 troops, 301 guns, 1004 vehicles, Assault Value = 933

Defending force 7189 troops, 87 guns, 53 vehicles, Assault Value = 85

Allied engineers reduce fortifications to 1

Allied adjusted assault: 537

Japanese adjusted defense: 6

Allied assault odds: 89 to 1 (fort level 1)

Allied forces CAPTURE Fenton !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: disruption(-), preparation(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
3236 casualties reported
Squads: 99 destroyed, 16 disabled
Non Combat: 157 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 111 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 60 (53 destroyed, 7 disabled)
Vehicles lost 45 (45 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 4
Units destroyed 1

Allied ground losses:
8 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
1st Army Tank Regiment
2/9th Armoured Regiment
763rd Tank Battalion
6th Australian Division
3rd USMC Tank Battalion
2/7th Armoured Regiment
3rd Motor Brigade
Northern Territory

Defending units:
1st Ind. Engineer Regiment
21st Division
Yokosuka 4th SNLF
16th Army
11th RF Gun Battalion

So the Crawlkrieg continues and now it’s on to Darwin.

Then in Burma the Chinese units that kicked the Japanese out of Lashio launched a Deliberate Attack against those same defeated Japanese troops which have been bombed almost daily since their defeat (except for this turn):

Ground combat at 60,47 (near Mandalay)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 18758 troops, 171 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 729

Defending force 7507 troops, 144 guns, 9 vehicles, Assault Value = 201

Allied adjusted assault: 282

Japanese adjusted defense: 358

Allied assault odds: 1 to 2

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), op mode(-), disruption(-), experience(-)
Attacker: fatigue(-)

Japanese ground losses:
457 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 47 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Allied ground losses:
863 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 92 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 9 disabled

Assaulting units:
1st New Chinese Corps
5th Chinese Corps

Defending units:
11th Infantry Regiment
143rd Infantry Regiment
33rd/B Division
3rd Mortar Battalion
55th Mountain Gun Regiment

BTW – the “Fatigue” levels for the attacker were in the teens… so what we had here was yet another Dice Roll from Moronville…

Finally, I dropped some USMC Paratroops on Bathurst Island, just offshore of Darwin, and captured it to help close the door on the Japanese.

[ADB123]

My opponent and I have agreed to end this match after more than 3 years of play. We have both found that the game has become tedious rather than fun. We both have many other things that we would prefer to do in the time that we have been spending on this match.

I would like to thank everyone who has dropped by to look at the AAR over the past 3+ years and especially those nice folks who provided encouragement and support to me in the AAR and elsewhere in the Forum.

ADB

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: ADB123

My opponent and I have agreed to end this match after more than 3 years of play. We have both found that the game has become tedious rather than fun. We both have many other things that we would prefer to do in the time that we have been spending on this match.

I would like to thank everyone who has dropped by to look at the AAR over the past 3+ years and especially those nice folks who provided encouragement and support to me in the AAR and elsewhere in the Forum.

ADB

Our thanks to you for taking the time to post the AAR for our entertainment and sometimes education too!
I am a little disappointed that it is ending early - would love to see a tooth-and-nail defence by the IJA/IJN in 1944-45.