Zuluhour vs Zigurat666: 1943

[zuluhour]

April 7,1942

NoPac: IJN subs prying at Dutch Harbor. Anchorage almost to port 3.

USA: The Houston prepares to deploy back to NorPac. 68th Patrol squadron completes training and transfers to the west coast for deployment. 90th bomb squadron deploys to the west coast for deployment to the rar area in SoPac for further training. The Lexington and Hornet complete upgrades and are upgrading and filling out their air groups.

China: Intense IJAF air campaign continues. 1400av, primarily from the 12th and 23rd army groups are 3mi outside Chihkiang and should cross our into our lines tonight.

Bay of Bengal: Brit battleships make good their escape to the west.

[zuluhour]

April 8, 1942

Soerabaja falls, the Dutch are finished on Java.

April 9, 1942

Port Morseby: While the heavies cancel operations for the day, fighters on the strips in New Guinea score on sweeping Zeros. They come in low, and they pay.

Burma: Japs rest north of Moulmein.

China: The defensive line forms. We must hold.

[zuluhour]

April 10, 1942

China: Casualties are light for the past two days and we down a few over the Yangtze.

Burma: IJA north of Moulmein square off on elements of Burma Corp. Hope they can hold for a few days more. The Brits often refuse to fly their assigned night missions.

SwPac: The IJA arrives at Port Morseby. The heavies are ordered to hit Buna port. Hope they fly tomorrow. Warspite and Australia ordered to assist in the defense.

[zuluhour]

April 11, 1942

Canada: The 111th RCAF fighter squadron is negotiated into SwPac and transfers to a port on the west coast.

West Coast: Many escorts are refitting and naval airgroups upgrading.

SwPac: An IJN carrier spotted at Rabaul. SCTFs make their way to the trouble zone. No action around Port Morseby today and bombers claim bad weather over targets.

Yemen: The 21st Australian Bde is bought out for service in southeast asia.

China: small CAP trap nets 4-5 IJAF raiders in central China.

[zuluhour]

April 12, 1942

Washington DC: Much planning. PO-2 (Pacific order #2) is close to final.

SoPac: Much needed fuel reaches Australia, New Zealand, and SoPac.

SwPac: Heavy radio traffic at Rabaul coupled with the CV spot in the harbor makes me believe Kido Butai lurks. Nine ships spotted in the Coral Sea, only 2 identified as CAs.

Burma: Burma Corp ordered into a fighting withdrawl.

China: The Chinese try another shot at cutting IJA supply. They are two weeks or so from the road junction.

[zuluhour]

April 13, 1942

West Coast: Canadians srrive on the west coast for deployment.

CenPac: Frigate Shoals CATs flying the gap between Midway and Hawaii spot a large TF twice. There is no map signature so I am skeptical, none the less, CenPac is put on alert.

SwPac: IJN CAs only move a little over a 100nm off New Guinea while the IJA receives counter battery when bombarding Port Morseby. The Australia is found on the coast of Australia by an IJN sub; it misses and the TF makes port.

Burma:Squadrons are rotated into and out of Rangoon. USAF transports arrive in India. By June over 200 USAF fighters will be present.

China: The IJA forces its way accross two river defensive positions. While beaten badly at one of them, they still keep the bridgehead. That has my
ire!




Ground combat at 82,43 (near Ankang)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 22193 troops, 177 guns, 144 vehicles, Assault Value = 656

Defending force 20400 troops, 215 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 621

Japanese adjusted assault: 536

Allied adjusted defense: 1030

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
1136 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 145 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 34 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Vehicles lost 13 (1 destroyed, 12 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
492 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 88 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 19 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 26 (1 destroyed, 25 disabled)

Assaulting units:
116th Division
12th Tank Regiment
6th Ind.Mixed Brigade
7th Ind.Mixed Brigade
North China Area Army
NCPC Army
15th AA Regiment

Defending units:
55th Chinese Corps
30th Chinese Corps
95th Chinese Corps
2nd Group Army

[zuluhour]

China: Chihkiang:

Ground combat at 78,49 (near Chihkiang)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 26088 troops, 392 guns, 111 vehicles, Assault Value = 875

Defending force 32343 troops, 190 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 972

Japanese adjusted assault: 207

Allied adjusted defense: 2686

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 12

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
6679 casualties reported
Squads: 70 destroyed, 440 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 64 disabled
Engineers: 5 destroyed, 59 disabled
Guns lost 43 (1 destroyed, 42 disabled)
Vehicles lost 16 (1 destroyed, 15 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
492 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 88 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 19 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 26 (1 destroyed, 25 disabled)

[zuluhour]

New Guinea:

[zuluhour]

April 15, 1942

NoPac: IJ lands at Attu.

SwPac: IJN moves cruiser force to Port Morseby. The patrol boat Morseby lights the Katori on fire in a breif night engagement before going down in the morning in a day light fight. I think we scored a mine hit on a DD as well.

Burma: Burma Corp is on borrowed time. The Australian 6th division is deep in the jungle in the Shan states.

China: Pressure is most at the central front NW of Changsha but IJA bonmbardments, air attacks, and movements far north threaten to unhinge the whole damn house of cards.

[zuluhour]

April 16,1942

NoPac: There are no resources to recon the extent of the Japanese landings on Attu.

CenPac: A sub division is recalled from the Marshalls to refit. The CATs returning home from Midway are replaced a day early for political gain.

SoPac: Supplies come and go. The F4s recently arrived on Pago Pago take the first pictures of Suva. Two units and two dozen plus bombers and auxillery aircraft. N Detatchment should embark on their mission tonight. Word arrives on Enterprise that Lexington now has her full complement of Wildcats and awaits her escorts finishing upgrades. She will join the Big E and Yorktown in May. Hornet will be lucky to arrive in June.

SwPac: Mac arrives in Brisbane in time to relieve Australian I Corp. I Corp transfers to SwPac. B17s and Liberators hit Buna on another port raid. Map cursor shows 14% damage. Anyone know how much supply it will take to fix? Port Moseby hit by CA and CLs; damage light.

Burma: Much shuffling of air units. It takes three days to rotate in/out fighter squadrons at Rangoon. The Brits are ordered to hit Jap fields in Thailand tonight.

China: The 2nd AVG stages into central China. IJA forces try to outflank us in the center and north.

[BBfanboy]

Repairing base facilities takes NO supply! Strange, isn't it! You don't even have to have engineers to do the repairs.
Repairing industry damage does take 1000 supply per point repaired or expanded.

[zuluhour]

ouch!!! I'm wasting my time on port strikes against Buna. I hate to waste an air asset like the B17 on infantry, but I need that division at Port Morseby hurting. I may dispatch a small element to the Owen Stanleys and try to get abreast of his supply.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: zuluhour

ouch!!! I'm wasting my time on port strikes against Buna. I hate to waste an air asset like the B17 on infantry, but I need that division at Port Morseby hurting. I may dispatch a small element to the Owen Stanleys and try to get abreast of his supply.

Careful - it is very dangerous to use a word like "abreast" on this forum unless you are trying to increase your post count from all the lurkers seeking female forms! [:D]

[zuluhour]

April 17, 1942

Washington DC: War Department: High level talks with Zulu HQ result in less boobage and more bombage. It seems George Marshall frowns upon this line of verbage. It is decided, as plans for Neptunes spear will create ample cleavage in the IJN FLT (front line trace), that we shall be more careful with our press releases.[;)]

SoPac: Force N should land on the morning of the 19th. Escorts are gathered from all over CenPac-SoPac for Neptunes Spear. (final planning stages). The OOB and shipping to be in place on or about May 1.

SwPac: The IJAF hits Port Morseby at night now. They cause some damage, but not enough to require night fighter detachments, yet. I Corp HQ flies in their advance party to the base to provide support for ground troops. The IJN cruisers are sighted returning to Rabaul. A newly formed sub division from Pearl has reached Sydney and has redeployed to the Coral Sea.

CBI: IJN cruisers are spotted off shore of Ramree. CPT Baldwin is dispatched on Dorsetshire and CPT Bisset is dispatched on Formidable, should they linger without naval air support. The 51st PG forms up at Ledo. The 2nd AVG completes its deployment to China. The 221 RAF takes up residence at Imphal. We continue to down enemy aircraft at favorable ratios, today 11:1. It has to pay off someday.

[zuluhour]

April 18,1942

China: 2nd Group Army holds their ground against a heavily supported IJA 166th division near Ankang.

West Coast: The 9th marine reg loads transports.

April 19, 1942

West Coast: Air defense units load for SoPac and deployment in Operation Neptunes Spear. 150,ooo pts of supply leave for CenPac.

CenPac: Squadrons from 5th and 19th bomb groups stage to SoPac. Col Long relieves Col Colbern as CO 34th Combat Eng. for Neptunes Spear.

SoPac: The 8th photo recon squadron overflies the Fiji s again. At Suva: 4-units, 16,060 personel, 1-3 ship TF, 32 bombers, 30 aux.

SwPac: IJAF continues night bombing at Port Morseby.


Burma: IJAF pounds the Burma Corp outside Rangoon.

China: IJAF gets close to closing forward strips. The small AVG detatchment and some Chinese pilots have bagged some Jap machines in the past month from these fields.

CenPac Extra: Note: most subs are posted in loose cordons, more for early warning than anything else. Only a very limited number are deployed forward. One scores a nice hit off Truk today.

[BBfanboy]

An exploding torpedo from a fleet boat in 1942! Rounds for all in the mess!
IIR, Seadragon comes with one of the better skippers in the sub fleet. It has done good things in a couple of my games. [:)]

[zuluhour]

Well the turns have trickled down. No word for over 48 hours. At what point do you wonder? BBfanboy are you playing a PBEM? Gee Whiz, I want to see who the skipper is on Seadragon. Started with three turns a day then 2-1/2 then 2 then 1-1/2 etc. etc. [:(]

[zuluhour]

Low and behold a turn![:)] and a nice email.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: zuluhour

Well the turns have trickled down. No word for over 48 hours. At what point do you wonder? BBfanboy are you playing a PBEM? Gee Whiz, I want to see who the skipper is on Seadragon. Started with three turns a day then 2-1/2 then 2 then 1-1/2 etc. etc. [:(]

Haven't done a PBEM yet - don't want to commit until I am sure I can meet an opponent's expectations for timeliness and regularity. I have no idea how people crank out two or three turns a day.

Playing a sandbox game [where I am both sides so I can try different things and observe results], it was taking me 15 - 16 hours to complete a turn in 1941-early 1942. I am getting into mid-1942 now and can get a turn done in about 6 hours. I micromanage everything, check progress adjust for new info, etc. I am beginning to get familiar enough with pilot training to not spend much time on it each turn.

Part of the problem may be that I have too many small groups of ships all over the map, because I know where the Japanese are and where they are going. This means constantly getting them loaded, refueled, unloaded and repaired. In a real game I would have to form more large, escorted convoys and that means some ships sit for a long time while the convoy and escorts are assembled. That would free up a lot of time. Same with offensives which I have happening all over the place, wherever the Japanese are weak. Anyhoo - when I feel I have learned what I need to, I will play a real game but for now I am "in TRACOM".

PS - here's a nugget learned during sandboxing: if you assault a city which has industry and kick the enemy out, some or all of the industry will be destroyed. If you go into the city and let him smash his troops against your defences, then patiently bomb and arty bombard until the enemy is eliminated, you take over the city by "Occupation" rather than assault and you get all the industry intact: manpower too. Haven't done a base with aircraft/vehicle/armaments factories yet.

[zuluhour]

Very nice tid bit. It is now a sticky note; I have many.[;)] Should you ever want to try a PBEM, please keep me in mind. My method of doing turns is quite easy through 80% of the war. I find it is mainly a logistical affair for long periods, supplying out posts, ferrying troops, and planning. After I review the replay:
check Signet
Check Op report
check NorPac
check east then west coast
SoPac
SwPac
Malaya
Sumatra
Java
Burma
China
as the game progresses Ops are under way and I save these for last. Tactical settings and co ordination are all done last. As far as ac training, unit prep, upgrades, and refits, every two weeks game time. I tend to flip squadrons at the two week mark to another skill, ie sweep/escort etc.. It becomes quite routine. I actually look forward to ADMIN days. There are of course the non Op related things I save for first, like I checked on the Seadragon, she is indeed skippered by a "cracker jack". LCDR Ferrall. (I also keep a spiral notebook for scrap and a daily log.) My other "firsty" today was checking in on a fighter squadron in Sydney. I have been culling pilots from the AVG and outfits seasoned in Burma to fly P38s (they are equiped with them now) and am preparing them for the first fighter sweeps in SwPac, probably not until late summer after "Neptunes Spear" affords me some suitable place to employ them.