Castles in the Sand - Spidery(J) vs MrKane(A) no MrKane please

[Spidery]

Japanese ships lost in January 1942

[Spidery]

Allied ship losses in January 1942. This is probably fairly accurate and there may be another CL sunk.

[Spidery]

China Situation and Plans

A. If these three hexes can be taken it cuts Sian off from the Plains. There are about 75 Chinese units around Sian representing half the army and Sian won't be enough to keep them in supply.

B. Moving to take this hex to make it harder for the Chinese to move forces through the woods.

C. Try and push up to Kweiyang and then turn to take Kunming. Kweiyang shows 2 units with 16 more just North of it. Kunming shows 4 units.

D. This will probably be enough to trigger a Chinese retreat back to Chungking.

E. An attack around the back on Lanchow will cut supply to the Sian pocket.

[JocMeister]

You look very strong in China. Well done!

[Spidery]

February 1st 1942

Air Losses: 12 Japanese, 10 Allied, 8 Pilots
Japanese occupy: Taung Gyi, Gorontolo (air drop)
Japanese land at: Hollandia

China

I manage to guess right and do sweeps over Sian with no bombing runs and encounter the AVG. Losses are about even but it weakens the AVG.

Changteh has been abandoned without a fight[:)]. I had moved a single brigade into this so there was no chance of taking it. I just don't see the wisdom of the Chinese giving up supply sources for nothing.

Philippines

No flak still at Manila - I think I will give this a week with air, land, and naval bombardments before trying an attack.

DEI

A BB bombardment run against Batavia is okay. Will have forces ready to attack this again in about a week.

[Spidery]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

You look very strong in China. Well done!

Does look good - may just be the consequence of not having to pay PP to move troops from Manchuko.

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: Spidery

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

You look very strong in China. Well done!

Does look good - may just be the consequence of not having to pay PP to move troops from Manchuko.

Ah, missed that part! [:)]

[Spidery]

February 2nd 1942

Air Losses: 1 Japanese, 2 Allied, 0 Pilots
Japanese occupy: Hollandia, Torokina(auto), Changteh
Japanese land at: Port Moresby

China

Reach the mountain pass North of Ankang to find allied force already present[&:], it wasn't visible yesterday.

1 day before crossing the river between Yenen and Sian an Allied unit appears on the far side[:@].

Recon on the plains shows Chinese forces digging in behind the rivers.

Philippines

A good bombardment at Manila, Allied AV is down to 1710.

Australia

Cruisers bombard Darwin, the hit on the Maya is of no effect.

Allied aircraft losses
Hudson I: 8 damaged

19 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
CA Suzuya
CA Maya, Shell hits 1
CA Takao
CL Yura
CL Natori
CL Isuzu

Allied ground losses:
150 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 4 disabled

Airbase hits 7
Runway hits 11
Port supply hits 1

New Guinea

Cruisers bombard Port Moresby

Allied aircraft losses
Catalina I: 4 damaged

Japanese Ships
CA Kako
CA Aoba
CA Myoko

Allied ground losses:
94 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 7 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 9 (2 destroyed, 7 disabled)
Vehicles lost 6 (4 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Followed by the invasion which gets everyone ashore with ample supplies.

SigInt

Radio transmissions detected at Amoy (83,61).

Must be spies[8|]!

[Spidery]

February 3rd 1942

Air Losses: 0 Japanese, 9 Allied, 0 Pilots
Japanese occupy: Port Moresby, Tacloban, Myitkyina(auto)
Japanese land at: Derby

Allied air losses consist mostly of Catalinas lost on the ground at Port Moresby.

New Guinea

Port Moresby is taken, Allies retreat towards Buna.

Australia

Another bombardment at Darwin damages Hudsons. A single Nav guard lands at Derby to take it.

Philippines

A very good BB bombardment at Manila

Allied ground losses:
973 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 27 destroyed, 53 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Guns lost 15 (3 destroyed, 12 disabled)
Vehicles lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Cut off forces at Tacloban are eliminated.

China

Just movement

DEI

A CA bombardment of Benkoelen fails to target the troops at all. There are little forces left all over Sumatra that are proving difficult to finish off.

[Spidery]

Base control showing progress

[Spidery]

February 4th 1942

Air Losses: 2 Japanese, 0 Allied, 2 Pilots
Japanese occupy: Derby, Salajar(auto)
Japanese land at:

China

No supply has reached Ankang yet along the road despite there being piles at Hankow. I begin to doubt it can flow through enemy hexes.

Allies try an attack in the mountain passes. It reveals the strength of Chinese there. Tomorrow 2 armour units arrive and the day after another 2. I hope he attacks again[;)]!

Ground combat at 81,40 (near Ankang)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 6614 troops, 66 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 188

Defending force 347 troops, 2 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 22

Allied adjusted assault: 81

Japanese adjusted defense: 115

Allied assault odds: 1 to 2

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+)
Attacker: leaders(-)

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

Allied ground losses:
165 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 10 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Assaulting units:
3rd Chinese Cavalry Corps

Defending units:
1st Raiding Rgt /1

Australia

Derby is taken.

A convoy, looks like a troop convoy, is seen approaching Sydney but will probably get there without being attacked

Philippines

The defense of Manila goes up by 170 AV and 26 guns - Looks like the 102nd PA infantry division has arrived as a reinforcement. I wonder when it will be reasonable to attack?

Engineering

Liuchow airfield expands to 2.
Djambi airfiled expands to 2 - allowing to fix the oil there without supply spoilage

Reinforcements

DD Kazegumo arrives

[Spidery]

February 5rd 1942

Air Losses: 0 Japanese, 2 Allied, 0 Pilots
Japanese occupy: Probolinggo, Vella Lavella(auto), Kangean(air drop)
Japanese land at: Broome, Lautern

China

Allies attack again near Ankang and the defense doesn't do as well as I hoped. The paras, reinforced by tanks, hold but inflict only light damage[:(] and the paras are now low on supply.

Still no supply reaching Ankang[:(].

There is a movement arrow showing Chinese forces moving North from Sian, looks like he will be reinforcing the pass.

Australia

SS I-8 takes two shots at the convoy near Sydney, one at a CL and one at an xAK, both miss.

Landing at Broome goes okay.

CA bombardment of Darwin destroys 2 Hudsons on the ground.

Philippines

An attack at Butuan on Mindanao goes wrong and many squads are disabled.

DEI

When Probolinggo is taken 2 HDML are scuttled to avoid capture.

[Spidery]

February 6th 1942

Air Losses: 3 Japanese, 1 Allied, 1 Pilots
Japanese occupy: Broome, Bandjermasin, Lautern, Roti(auto), Togian-eilanden(air drop)
Japanese land at: Buna

China

Target airfields today hitting Sian hard and also getting supply hits at Chihkiang and Tuyun.

DEI

Batavia attack launched:

Attacking force 78944 troops, 702 guns, 203 vehicles, Assault Value = 2367

Defending force 37353 troops, 420 guns, 166 vehicles, Assault Value = 621

Japanese adjusted assault: 1307

Allied adjusted defense: 627

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

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 0

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

Japanese ground losses:
3464 casualties reported
Squads: 6 destroyed, 193 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 26 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 27 disabled
Guns lost 21 (1 destroyed, 20 disabled)
Vehicles lost 2 (1 destroyed, 1 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
1809 casualties reported
Squads: 20 destroyed, 102 disabled
Non Combat: 19 destroyed, 71 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 10 disabled
Guns lost 47 (5 destroyed, 42 disabled)
Vehicles lost 76 (59 destroyed, 17 disabled)

Will attack again tomorrow. BB bombarded before the attack but mostly hit the industry rather than the troops.

Australia

Glens are now reporting BB in a task force at Sydney - seems unlikely. Also spotting many ASW task forces in area so will move back to safety.

CAs on way to bombard Darwin encounter and sink an AM, then hit Darwin again.

Sighting Report

There is a sighting report of 10 Allied ships near Iwo Jima. I have nothing in the vicinity to get a false report off but it seems an unlikely place for Allied forces.

R&D

Mitsubishi Ha-43 accelerated to 8/45

Reinforcements

SS I-28

[Spidery]

February 7th 1942

Air Losses: 1 Japanese, 1 Allied, 0 Pilots
Japanese occupy: Buna (auto)
Japanese land at: Hansa Bay

Australia

I-8 sinks AO Neches, carrying fuel, near Sydney.

China

Armour fails to punch through the Chinese in the key mountain pass North West of Ankang but inflicts 27 disabled squads. The armour is lightly disrupted but is now just low in supplies. I have started air-dropping some supplies into the hex.

The Chinese are thrown back from the mountain hex NW from IChang. This opens a long supply route clear of Chinese forces from IChang to Ankang.

DEI

Another attack at Batavia fails but inflicts heavy casaulties on the defense. The attackers have up to 40 points of disruption and fatigue and will have to wait before attacking again.

Philippines

Still wearing down the Manila defense.

Engineering

Rabaul airfield expands to 4

[Spidery]

February 8th 1942

Air Losses: 2 Japanese, 0 Allied, 1 Pilots
Japanese occupy: Hansa Bay, Loemadjang, Warazup (auto)
Japanese land at:

Australia

I-172 sinks a PC near Lord Howe Island.

China

Armour again fails an attack and the units are now at 50% supply despite air dropped supply. However, an infantry division arrives in 2 days.

DEI

Pushing back survivors.

SigInt

Heavy volume of traffic at Sydney
Heavy volume of traffic at 88, 172: at sea South West from Sydney

Coupled with sub successes the last two days near Sydney suggests a lot of activity here.

[Spidery]

Supply

Daily global supply is dropping by about 3000 (coincidentally the amount that oil refineries would produce in a scenario 1 game).

At the moment I produce 25000 supply per day.

5000 is about what is needed for all the LCU
9000 is typical for R&D
5000 for expanding Ha-34 and Ha-35 engines
2000 for fixing oil at Miri and Djambi (latter will be fixed in a few days)
1000 for increasing production of the Oscar
I have about 4000 aircraft total so if all on training that would be 1400 or so.
2100 manpower were expended last day and presumably went on replacements that took equivalent amount of supply.

So that suggests about 2500 per day being spent on offensive operations.

How do I enconomise to balance the books and when do I need to? Any thoughts?

[Spidery]

February 9th 1942

Air Losses: 0 Japanese, 1 Allied, 0 Pilots
Japanese occupy: Choiseul Bay(auto), Sampit(air drop), Babar(air drop)
Japanese land at: Noumea

Australia

I-123 sinks AO Brazos (carrying fuel) near the Bass Strait.

The CA bombarding Darwin find and sink 11 PT boats and carry on to bombard the defenses.

China

Chinese forces retreat in the woods between Sian and Ankang just before I attack them, this opens a supply route from Ankang to Nanyang of length 51.

Chinese forces are spotted moving on the mountain pass hex. They will likely take 6 days to arrive and my reinforcements should arrive tomorrow and be able to take the hex before then.

A brigade has made its way through the woods to the road West from Patung. I wonder if it will be enough to trigger a retreat from Chihkiang.

Pacific

CD guns at Noumea score a total of 3 hits on cruisers and 1 on an xAK landing. No significant damage. Enough supply is ashore should be able to take this base tomorrow.

Philippines

Manila is bombarded again

[Spidery]

February 10th 1942

Air Losses: 1 Japanese, 1 Allied, 1 Pilots
Japanese occupy: Kaimana(auto), Sepandjang(air drop), Noumea, Batavia [8D][8D]
Japanese land at:

A teaser:

xAP Queen Elizabeth, Bomb hits 2, on fire
xAP Queen Elizabeth, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage

Philippines

A DD hits a mine during the bombardment attack against Manila. It survives and is docked at Batangas with 63 float damage.

Manila AV has been reduced to 1780.

China

A bombardment attack at Tuyun shows good odds for launching an attack tomorrow.

Again fail to dislodge the Chinese from the mountains.

DEI

Batavia falls[&o]. Only 1 point of HI and 1 of LI survives[:(]. Of the 6 divisions present 3 are immediately combat ready and 3 need R&R, but only one of those needs replacements.

Supply jumps by 16000 on Java for the day so that was useful captured supplies[:)].

New Caledonia

Noumea is easily taken and the French defenders surrender. No damage to facilities.

The KB had moved SW to near Norfolk Island and it lucked out and found a convoy of xAP (empty) some 120 miles away and inflicted, AM:

Allied Ships
xAP Mungana, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
xAP Limerick, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
xAP Rangitata, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 4, and is sunk
xAP Mildura, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Ormiston, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
xAP Montoro, Bomb hits 6, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Queen Elizabeth, Bomb hits 2, on fire
PG Moresby, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
xAP Sarpedonia
xAP Duntroon, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires
xAP Murada, Bomb hits 6, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
PC Warrego
xAP Rangitiki, Torpedo hits 6, and is sunk

PM:

Allied Ships
xAP Duntroon, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
xAP Queen Elizabeth, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Sarpedonia, Bomb hits 5, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
PC Warrego, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk

There were additional sinking noises and after the end of turn no task forces is visible on the map so it may be a clean sweep[8D]. Noticeable during the attack is that about a dozen Kates targeted the Queen Elizabeth but all torpedoes missed. This is a nice hall of VP and a cramp in the Allied ability to move troops in 1942.

Australia

I-123 attacks the xAP Macdhui in the Bass Strait, puts a torpedo in it, and may have sunk it - too many ships sinking to know what exactly sunk[8|].

Glens spot a number of task forces heading into Melbourne.

Engineering

Muroran port expands to 5 which should be enough to start lowering resource stocks on Hokkaido.

Loyang airfield expands to size 2. Giving another base to attack Sian from.


Victory Points

VP ratio leaps to 2.36:1 on the back of taking 2 high Allied VP bases (Noumea and Batavia), a 1000 LCU VP gained and the ships sunk.

Planning

The three divisions at Batavia need to be re-allocated. One is prepping for Darwin so will head for that. Not sure what to do with the others. Bases still needing invading are Horn Island and Cocos Islands. I have no recon on either of them.

Also, I would like to send 2 divisions into China from Burma to take Paoshan and threaten Kunming from that direction.

Otherwise, Manila is a possibility or just starting on setting up defenses.

[Spidery]

February 11th 1942

Air Losses: 0 Japanese, 1 Allied, 0 Pilots
Japanese occupy: Mussau Island(auto), Dili
Japanese land at:

China

Attack at Tuyun reduces forts and achieves a 1:1 result, light damage to attackers so will attack again.

An infantry division and 2 artillery units have arrived at the key mountain pass North of Ankang and will attack again.

A cut off Chinese corps in the North is eliminated freeing 2 armoured units to head for Urumchi.

Supplies have made it into Ankang.

SigInt

Heavy Volume of transmissions detected at Suva

Pacific

No further action and no sighting of ships from the convoy attacked yesterday. Still not clear whether the Queen Elizabeth survived. If it did then the Allies may have a problem as the nearest place it can be fixed is Pearl Harbour and it may need fixing before it can be withdrawn. VP totals suggest it was not sunk.

KB is spotted by a single plane. Detection on it is down to 5/9.

Burma

Chinese are pulling out of Lashio.

Engineering

Siangtan airfield to 2, Changteh airfield to 3, Liuchow airfield to 3, Nanyang airfield to 3, these may be useful forward bases but are also 20 VP for each increase.

Allies expand Suva airfield to 4.

[Spidery]

February 12th 1942

Air Losses: 4 Japanese, 1 Allied, 2 Pilots
Japanese occupy: Arawe(auto), Pantar(air drop)
Japanese land at: Milne Bay

China

Attacks at Tuyun and in the mountain pass continue to make progress but fail to drive the Chinese back.

Sian is subject to heavy air attack of both the air field and the the heavy industry.

Philippines

Manila continues to be bombarded.

India

A sub is attacked by a British DD near Karachi.

Elsewhere

[>:]