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Francois-

It is very interesting reading about your counter measures in Australia and you do a great job keeping us apprised as to events in China and the DEI.

I am relatively new, but from what I can tell, I think you are doing awesome and are unflappable.

Going to dash over and read Squeeze's latest post now.

Best Regards,

-Terry

January 16th, 1942

An eventless turn. In China, Joseph is chasing the small units that are still stranded in the central plains. The first of these defeated units will be arriving in Chungking in a few weeks. Tracker announces that they arrive at third strength, and with 40 experience and morale, which is not bad for KMT troops. I need to organize the rebuilding of these units, and begin to move forward the units I have been nursing in Chungking since the beginning of the war.

Over Pingsiang, my B17 fell into a trap set by enemy Oscars. Three B17 were shot down, I can survive this, but I need to change my objectives more often. Near Loyang, I am having a few successes with a small Chinese fighter unit.

In Australia, nothing happened, I am retreating, Joseph is sweeping empty airfields, the evacuees from Sydney made it to port, and the cavalry is on its way.

January 17th, 1942 – Storms over the good guys

As the war is moving slowly, and since I had a few successes, I tend to forget that we are in January 1942, when Japan is very strong. Several reminders came today, first in Singapore, where Joseph almost achieved 2:1 odds.

Ground combat at Singapore (50,84)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 59580 troops, 584 guns, 357 vehicles, Assault Value = 2100
Defending force 39138 troops, 454 guns, 237 vehicles, Assault Value = 529
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 2
Japanese adjusted assault: 2541
Allied adjusted defense: 1391
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 2)
Japanese ground losses:
1163 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 110 disabled
Non Combat: 20 destroyed, 52 disabled
Engineers: 27 destroyed, 46 disabled
Vehicles lost 30 (8 destroyed, 22 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
2507 casualties reported
Squads: 58 destroyed, 102 disabled
Non Combat: 6 destroyed, 59 disabled
Engineers: 11 destroyed, 17 disabled
Guns lost 48 (13 destroyed, 35 disabled)
Vehicles lost 9 (1 destroyed, 8 disabled)

If he attacks tomorrow, the lion city might fall. It will be later than I expected, but still.

Then, Balikpapan lost the last of her forts :

Ground combat at Balikpapan (64,97)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 9047 troops, 85 guns, 21 vehicles, Assault Value = 256
Defending force 4717 troops, 72 guns, 5 vehicles, Assault Value = 117
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 0
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 0)
Japanese ground losses:
273 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 17 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Allied ground losses:
96 casualties reported
Squads: 6 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 9 (6 destroyed, 3 disabled)

The end is near there too…

To try and compensate, we defeated the enemy near Rockhampton, but it seem clear that the Japanese will soon be advancing again in the East Indies.

January 18th 1942

Palembang’s next

Three squadrons for fighter swept Palembang for the third day in a row, and escorted Betties bombed the airfield, damaging a few planes. This is obviously the next invasion site. I am fine with it: Palembang is almost empty, the last units are boarding shipsin Oosthaven. I still have 70 AV behind level two forts, to ward against a lighthearted attempt, but any larger invasion will succeed.

Southern Sumatra is mostly empty. I have a few roadblocks in the north, which I might evacuate at some point, but I believe the methodical approach my opponent seems to follow gives me some time.

Balikpapan

I am proud of my Dutch defenders. A second attack on Balikpapan, fortless, failed to take the base, achieving 1:2 odds.

Ground combat at Balikpapan (64,97)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 5145 troops, 54 guns, 5 vehicles, Assault Value = 243
Defending force 4651 troops, 70 guns, 5 vehicles, Assault Value = 110
Japanese adjusted assault: 37
Allied adjusted defense: 53
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 0)
Japanese ground losses:
503 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 44 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Allied ground losses:
211 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 6 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 6 (2 destroyed, 4 disabled)

45 disabled squads means a nice reduction in enemy AV, and 1:2 odds mean disablements, and the need to wait a few more days. With Ambon still under Allied control (and the troops there probably suffering from the lack of supply), and Balikpapan only falling by the end of January, this means the conquest of the Celebes, will not happen before February, and the conquest of Java and a possible move on Darwin, will happen even later.

This is where, I believe, early aggressive moves pay dividends. They force Japan to act carefully, and move slowly. And the more the conquest of the SRA is delayed, the more the Japanese player is wary of further roadblocks, and gets more careful as a result.

Australia

The Japanese captured Bathurst, with a division and two armored regiment (one tank, one recon). The base was empty, and most of my units are now far away, either in Brisbane or on the road to Melbourne. After Sydney fell, I was expecting a quick advance on Melbourne (or Brisbane), but this failed to materialize, and Joseph is slowly expanding his perimeter.

This suits me fine: it buys time for the cavalry.

China

Pingsiang was bombarded today. Joseph has two divisions, engineers and artillery, about 750 AV, which might not be enough to dislodge my 650 AV, soon behind level three forts.

Forces seem to be concentrating in Central China, but defenses are progressing nicely too. Changsha now has level five forts, and will be level six in a month unless Joseph does something about it. Tsiaotso will soon be level four, and even Chuhsien, which I believed was doomed a week ago, seems to be nicely progressing towards level three. Morale is nicely improving, especially among front line troops, supply levels are stable, at about 145 000 tons.

And I still haven’t attacked, even once…

January 19th 1942

Bombing for fun

The key to decent ground bombing result seem to be enemy detection. In China, units sometime popup as “detected” for a day or two, with a number of troops shown when you mouse over the week. I don’t know whether this is signal intelligence, or partisans, but sending my bombers the next day seems an efficient use of my bombers in Chungking, which can reach pretty much all of the territory.

Today, a mixed brigade was attacked this way, on the railroad near Nanking. 30 squads were disabled, half of them combat.

Morning Air attack on 13th Ind.Mixed Brigade, at 89,49 , near Hwainan
Japanese ground losses:
135 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Japanese ground losses:
154 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Japanese ground losses:
11 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Australia

Port Macquarie was captured today, and troops were detected near Tamworth. This suggests an advance towards Brisbane, which strikes me as very “unstrategic”. What is the point of striking south of Brisbane, if the final goal is the Eastern coast of Australia.

All the mobilization reinforcements are now at sea, slowly sailing towards the western coast of Australia. The first troops will begin unloading in about ten days. So far, no enemy submarines of surface forces were detected in the area, and KB seems to be in Sydney (judging by the large number of Vals and Kates participating in attacks against land targets).

January 20th 1942

Not much to report today. There was another deliberate attack in Singapore, which reduced the forts and achieved 2:1 odds. We did manage to destroy a decent number of engineers and tanks, but Singapore will probably be Japanese tomorrow or the day after.

Japanese ground losses:
763 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 51 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 42 disabled
Engineers: 19 destroyed, 43 disabled
Vehicles lost 57 (17 destroyed, 40 disabled)

In Australia, B17 bombed an infantry regiment near Sydney, and the following message appeared in the combat report: “Carrier support unable to supply air cover..” This seems to indicate that KB, or at least part of it (but I doubt Joseph would split it) is in Sydney.

A task force was detected near Tarawa, either a resupply convoy or a small invasion force. A carrier squadron was sent to investigate. With a little luck…

January 21st 1942

Australia

Brisbane was swept today, by two squadrons of Zeroes and one of Oscars. I had 45 Warhawks on patrol, and lost 22 to thirteen Zero and one Oscar. This is not an excellent result, but I suspect a number of the zeroes were KB squadrons, and as the battle happened over my base, several Japanese pilots are probably missing today. I have more fighters in the area, and will go on defending for a while, but my fighter pools are very thin, and I am seriously considering disbanding some continental squadrons.

Tamworth was captured today, after a large raid by KB. The base was empty. Finally, the “carrier support unable to provide air cover” was seen again as my B17 bombed troops near Sydney.

All this seems to suggest that Joseph is marching north, along the coast. Brisbane has 400 AV behind level three forts. To capture the city, he will need to commit a significant part of his forces on the continent. There is still no sign of movement towards Melbourne.

Singapore

Much to my surprise, Joseph bombarded the city today, and achieved little. Tomorrow should be the day.

Fcharton, you know a lot about China. Hopefully, you can defend her in this game. Remember, General Dai Li and his Juntong are closely watching your progress.

January 22nd 1942

To Brisbane and beyond?

Brisbane was swept today by two squadrons (one of Zeroes, one of Oscars). I had nothing on CAP. Then a large raid, with almost a hundred Kates, escorted by another squadron of zeros, attacked the airfield, and did little damage. I will try to be back on CAP tomorrow, see if I can catch Joseph off guards.

Coff’s Harbor, two hexes south of Brisbane, was capture today by a recon regiment. Another column, with one infantry regiment, is marching inland, and captured Armidale. Nothing seems to be moving south, towards Melbourne. I am bombarding Canberra tomorrow, see what he has there.

Anyway, it looks like he is focusing on Brisbane. This makes some Napoleonic sense: he holds the central position, and should go for the weaker enemy first, and that would be Brisbane. Two regiments are obviously not enough to take the base, but once he holds the coast, he can rail the big guys in, to Coff’s Harbor or Lismore. This means Brisbane could be attacked at the end of the month. I will have about 400 AV, behind level three forts, but the terrain is not as nice as what I had in Sydney.

Brisbane will fall eventually, but I believe it will cost him troops, from damage, and the need to occupy all the conquered territory. And while he is busy up north, the cavalry is closing in.

Artillery follies

Both Singapore and Balikpapan were bombarded again, and a couple more Sallies were shot down over Singers. I don’t really understand the point: both bases will fall to the next deliberate attack, and there is no way I can complete forts until then.

China

This looks quieter every day. It seems that the Japanese have evacuated Nanyang, and there is still no attempt to take Loyang (which is almost empty). Around Changsha, there was very little troop movement. I am bombarding Pingsiang, and disabling several dozens of squads a day. Is Jospeh trying to move his troops south, and turn me ? He certainly can do it, as I am not trying to build a continuous line of defense, but leaving Sian and Changsha together with large stacks in the north, look like a dangerous gamble.

I am not complaining, of course. I am conserving my supplies, building forts where I can and have even begun taking replacements in some of my front line units, my industry is producing supplies, and the Burma road is open, I am even considering sending more supplies through Rangoon, since the enemy offensive against Burma is still nowhere to be seen. There is nothing to complain about.

@yaab: I will certainly try to defend China, and I believe this is going in the right direction, but it is still too early to get a good idea of what Joseph is up to. The early invasion of Australia seems to suggest he won't go for India, but the imminent fall of Singapore means he could invade Burma by sea, and push forward to Assam, cutting the supply for good. I think we'll have a clearer picture in a month.

This AAR is about ten days behind, I am now trying to catch up, bear with me, or read my opponent if you want the newer news…

January 23rd 1942

The pearl of the Orient

… or whatever Singapore is called when Allied military historians try to wax lyrical, fell today. It wasn’t even fun. The Japanese attacked for the fourth time, I think and the base just fell, and all the brits there surrendered. The Japanese had about 2000 AV there, and probably lost 150 in the last attack, so there should be about 1800 available for redeployment, in Sumatra, and perhaps in Burma.

Holding Singapore until the 23th of January is a nice surprise. Given his commitment to Malaysia, I had expected Joseph to take it earlier. At any rate, this means Burma will still be Japanese for a while, and I probably can deliver a little more supplies to China. VP wise, the fall of Singapore tipped the balance, and Japan now leads 1.05:1.

What now? My opponent seems to have split all his units out of China into two large stacks. One is in Australia, the other one in Singapore. There are troops elsewhere, but none of them has seen much action so far. Palembang is the next destination, no doubt about it, but what next? Will my opponent split his force, and send half to Java and the rest to Burma or India, or will he go on operating one theater at a time, finishing Java before he goes for Burma (or the other way around)?

Pyrrhus on line one

I did something stupid in Australia today: I tried to defend Brisbane. I moved a squadron of Warhawks, and had forty of them flying. I was lucky at first, as the bombers arrived before the sweeps. There were 93 Kates, escorted by 36 Zeroes, all KB most certainly. I shot down five Kates and three zeroes, for a Warkhawk, and the raid totally missed its target.

But then came the sweeps, and my Warhawks proved once again that they are no match for enemy Oscars and Zeroes. I lost 25 fighters, to three or four Japanese. I have retired my fighters, and will leave Brisbane defenseless for a while.

Air losses for today were 15 Japanese for 29 ours. Overall, we are about 450:600, nothing too dramatic, but I need to conserve my air force for a while.

Over China, my bombers had a field day over Pingsiang. I am transferring Hurricane squadrons which I don’t need in Burma right now. I am pretty sure they can do some damage, while training my pilots.

January 24th 1942

Pingsiang under attack

The Japanese, having reinforced the hex, attacked Pingsiang today. Joseph is obviously proceeding in a very methodical way, one hex after the other. I am happy with this, as it buys me time.

In Pingsiang, the forts were reduced one level, and the assault was a stalemate. 100 squads were disabled on each side, odds were below par, which means more disruption, and time to rebuild the forts.

Ground combat at Pingsiang (82,54)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 39412 troops, 460 guns, 50 vehicles, Assault Value = 1124
Defending force 24382 troops, 184 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 663
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 2
Japanese adjusted assault: 788
Allied adjusted defense: 807
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 2)
Japanese ground losses:
1075 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 61 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 22 disabled
Engineers: 3 destroyed, 18 disabled
Allied ground losses:
885 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 82 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 15 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled

Australian affairs

An empty Brisbane was swept today, and then, the airfield was bombed by a full KB contingent. A few Kates were lost in the process, I am hoping to shoot more down in the upcoming weeks.

Lismore, just south of Brisbane, was captured today. Enemy intentions are clear : rail troops from Sydney, and take Brisbane. I have 500 AV behind level three forts, and am hoping to delay them, and maybe do some damage.

Meanwhile, an infantry regiment bombarded the units the retreated from Sydney, now encamped iin the mountains inland. The enemy had 120 AV, we have more than 200, moving up, and the supply lines are open. This stack is safe for now.

The rest of Australia is quiet. My first reinforcements will arrive in Perth tomorrow.

January 25th 1942

Medan ?

For several days, Medan has been bombed. I have precious nothing there, but I did use the base a while ago to evacuate troops from Singapore. Maybe Joseph concluded I have fortified this area, and will land there once he is done with Palembang. I certainly would love this, as it would delay his already slow advance.

Balikpapan and a couple of bugs

It fell today. There is some damage to the installations, a few points, and all my troops have retreated, even those tagged as “garrison”, which as no longer static, since they have lost their “garrison” devices (those which make them static) during the battle. And so, I have one 75 mm CD gun walking through the jungle as we speak… I suspect a bug here.

Another thing I have noticed is that unit HQ sometimes become ‘unknown’ once they get rebuilt from smaller components. I have seen this happen to Australians, the 13th Brigade and the 10th LH Cav, namely.

One last glitch is that my troops in Chungking seem to lose their “plan for” and prep level from time to time. I suspect this happens when units respawn.

Rising Matilda

The 7th SA just landed in Perth, the British paras will arrive tomorrow, and then the 44th Division, and then the 7th Hussars, the 2nd Royal Tank, the Natal regiment, and assorted small units. The cavalry has arrived.

I need about two weeks to get them into position, but if Joseph goes on preparing to take Brisbane, I will probably try to raid the bases around Canberra and Sydney, and maybe even free its former defenders, now stranded in the hills. The goal would not be to take the area back, but rather to damage his units there, and try to take advantage of his overextension (from Canberra to Brisbane).

February should be fun!

January 26th 1942

A good day in the air

I have two fighter squadrons based in China, one of Warhawks, that was rebuild after being swept away in Kukong a month ago, and another one of Hurricanes, which arrived a week ago. Both of them were in Changsha today, waiting for the enemy. And the enemy came, Oscars sweeping low. We shot down a dozen, for five or ours, not a great victory, but I am happy with this. The fighters will now retire, but I hope this will make my opponent careful.

After several days over Pingsiang, my bombers focused on the road near Ichang, which is garrisoned by an RGC unit.

Closing on Brisbane)

Toowoomba was captured today. Save for a base force, it had been evacuated and its defenders are now in Brisbane. KB raided the port, damaged a number of ships, and bombed the industry. I suppose Joseph wants to collect some Strategic Bombing points. There is little I can do to prevent it.

January 27th 1942

Rockhampton again

My opponent wants the northeastern coast of Australia, and he wants it badly. The 33rd Infantry division landed in Rockhampton today. Preparation must have been bad, as more than 20 squads were destroyed in the process, but I had very little to oppose it, a few shells apparently hit Japanese cruisers from the screen. I have about 50 AV in Rockhampton, and so the base will fall tomorrow.

I have to say I don’t quite understand enemy strategy. The northeast is very lightly defended, and Joseph should know it by the time it took me to recapture Rockhampton after his first landing. Why commit a division, out of the five he landed in Australia, knowing that he needs at least two to attack Brisbane, and one more to garrison Sydney? Why open such a large front? I understand the railroad network allows for fast movement of units, but still.

But anyway this suits me fine. Reinforcements are landing in Perth, and will soon be moving towards Melbourne and the area north of it. In a couple of week, I should have enough for a small counteroffensive, while enemy troops are concentrating in the north. And once all the reinforcements are in place, capturing Melbourne will become very difficult, and the net result of the landings will have been to provide me with early reinforcements, and a lot of combat experience.

Of course, I might be missing something very obvious, but I think the invasion of Australia has failed already.

Third Pingsiang

Pingsiang was attacked today. Joseph achieved 1:1 odds and the level two forts were reduced, , but that cost him another 100 disabled or destroyed squads, and the level two forts take only two days to rebuild (and you can’t bombard a base without infrastructure, like Pingsiang…)

Ground combat at Pingsiang (82,54)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 38598 troops, 460 guns, 49 vehicles, Assault Value = 1073
Defending force 24077 troops, 185 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 600
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 1)
Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 1
Japanese ground losses:
1204 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 83 disabled
Non Combat: 6 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 13 destroyed, 4 disabled
Vehicles lost 3 (3 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
933 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 118 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled

The rest of the continent is quiet. It seems clear that Joseph has concentrated most of his forces around Changsha, and is trying to methodically eliminate all the troops I have here. I am happy with this, and I can’t wait until he tries Changsha, which should reach level six forts in a couple of weeks.

Poor Houston

… got torpedoed on its way back from a bombardment run to Ambon. She will survive, if she can escape the cruiser force that is patrolling the area. The enemy cruisers, on the other hand, will survive if they manage not to trigger the many torpedo bombers I have in Surabaya and Bali.

January 28th 1942

Japanese forces CAPTURE Rockhampton !!!

And I am sure the Emperor, up there on his chrysanthemum throne, was delighted of such a restoration of His August Face after the humiliating failure of the first landing. As Rockhampton obviously was an important target, army and navy vied for reputation during this crucial battle.

And so, KB was commited to destroy the precious industrial installations, go navy beat army…

Afternoon Air attack on Rockhampton , at 95,152
Weather in hex: Severe storms
Raid detected at 106 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 39 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 35
D3A1 Val x 117
Japanese aircraft losses
D3A1 Val: 12 damaged

Even though a few squadrons obviously made a wrong turn somewhere, and ended attacking the essential factories in Maryborough.

Afternoon Air attack on Maryborough , at 96,157
Weather in hex: Clear sky
Raid spotted at 39 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 16 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 7
B5N2 Kate x 119
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 2 damaged
Light Industry hits 3

And a few more decided to attack troops inland instead… The Kempetai will investigate this.

But the army had the last word, since they're those with the boots on the ground, and took the city later that day…

Ground combat at Rockhampton (95,152)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 11523 troops, 98 guns, 4 vehicles, Assault Value = 358
Defending force 2719 troops, 18 guns, 35 vehicles, Assault Value = 74
Japanese assault odds: 13 to 1 (fort level 0)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Rockhampton !!!
Japanese ground losses:
81 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Allied ground losses:
1379 casualties reported
Squads: 47 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 88 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 11 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 13 (12 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Vehicles lost 29 (29 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 3

As you might have noticed, I am happy with this. Anything that wastes Japanese time and supplies is good, right now.

Next in line

Kukong was attacked today, after days of reinforcement and procrastination. Raw AV ratio was 3:1, and forts were reduce, but it cost Japan another regiment in disablements. I am proud of my KMT troops, which seem to resist better than a month ago.

Ground combat at Kukong (79,57)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 51719 troops, 458 guns, 221 vehicles, Assault Value = 1562
Defending force 24469 troops, 114 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 553
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1
Japanese ground losses:
1694 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 152 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 9 disabled
Guns lost 7 (1 destroyed, 6 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
1340 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 61 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 17 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 21 (2 destroyed, 19 disabled)

January 29th 1942

And another Pingsiang

As the last attack, two days ago, had achieved 1:1 odds, Japanese forces were probably good enough to attack today. They did succeed in reducing the forts, but did not take the base, and it came at a cost.

Ground combat at Pingsiang (82,54)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 37530 troops, 460 guns, 44 vehicles, Assault Value = 1011
Defending force 23680 troops, 188 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 538
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 0
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 0)
Japanese ground losses:
1849 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 166 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 20 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 12 disabled
Allied ground losses:
452 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 63 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled

I count this as a Japanese defeat : forts are back at level one (they build in a day), and the raw odds should be slightly better now that they were yesterday. Which probably means I have a few days to get the forts back to level two.

The escape that wasn’t

Since KB was up north, supporting the troops in Rockhampton, I tried to evacuate a few ships from Brisbane (I have about thirty in port, waiting for an occasion). It didn’t quite work: there were cruisers, and submarines, and then, the KB arrived, and attacked the ships left in port. At the end of the day, I had lost eleven ships, and merely saved a pair of AKE. The rest will hide, and wait for another occasion.

And the ambushes that were

I had noticed yesterday that an unescorted squadron of Kates had attacked my troops, near Condamine. I had a few Warhawks in Brisbane, and sent them on long range CAP. The pilots were green as grass, but the Kates were unescorted, eleven of them are reported lost, with a number of pilots, probably.

The second ambush was a long planned one. Today, the enemy landed in Buna. I had Dauntless and Devastators on watch in Port Moresby, and the two APD that brought an air force company in were badly damaged. None of them is reported sunk, either they managed to escape or died on their way to Rabaul, but it is always a pleasure…

January 30th 1942

Amphib galore

My opponent seems to like amphibious landings. Today, he landed a recon regiment in Bundaberg. With Rockhampton captured, Brisbane invaded and all base in the area under Japanese control, I don’t really see the point. But then, Bundaberg was captured.

In Brisbane, the buildup is going on. I have 500 AV behind level three forts, but the city is in clear terrain, I don’t know how long it can hold.

But this is saving time for the reinforcements to arrive, so…

Port Moresby

Betties and Zeroes raided the airfield, and destroyed a lone Hudson. They are flying from Rabaul, at very long range, and my Warhawks, despite being outnumbered, had a field day. The enemy lost 15 planes yesterday, and 15 more today. I will try to bring a few more fighters to PM, it is good Zero shooting country…

Chinese routine

The wood hex next to Changsha has been contested since the beginning of the game. The 99th Chinese corps is pretty strong (432 AV today), with a good leader and decent field fortifications. The division sent to attack a month ago failed to dislodge it. It was reinforced since by two mixed brigades. They tried again today, not very successfully.

Ground combat at 82,51 (near Changsha)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 25367 troops, 174 guns, 36 vehicles, Assault Value = 780
Defending force 12206 troops, 38 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 432
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2
Japanese ground losses:
2375 casualties reported
Squads: 23 destroyed, 234 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 30 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Guns lost 9 (1 destroyed, 8 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
674 casualties reported
Squads: 7 destroyed, 102 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled

The Japanese had more success further south: Kukong fell today. Joseph is advancing on Changsha.


January 31st 1942

Still no cigar

Pingsiang was attacked again, today, forts had not reached level two, and were reduced to zero, but the base held, and the attackers lost more troops than we did.

Ground combat at Pingsiang (82,54)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 37164 troops, 463 guns, 47 vehicles, Assault Value = 917
Defending force 23261 troops, 188 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 485
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 0)
Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 0
Japanese ground losses:
876 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 69 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 4 destroyed, 8 disabled
Allied ground losses:
561 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 54 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 2 disabled

After three unsuccessful attacks this week, fatique is probably rising, and I suspect I might enjoy some pause, probably enough time to build the forts back to level two. I love Pingsiang!

Near Sinyang, the two corps that defended a wood hex were defeated today. They retreated into the plains, and will most probably be slaughtered there.

Overall, I am satisfied with the war in China. Joseph is progressing, but very slowly, and some of the battles cost him a lot of disabled squads.

Borneo at last

Tarakan was invaded today. I have very little troops there, so it should be an easy capture. On the other side of the island, a long protracted battle is being fought in Pontianak, where the 2/15 Punjab Battalion once again resisted an attack by two naval guard units. I can’t help noticing enemy advance is slow, and this must be a good thing.

This AAR is catching up with the game. The fifth of February is in my mailbox, and I am reporting on the first.

February 1st 1942

More landings

A division from Singapore (the 38th, for those of my readers who like numbers) landed in Tandjoengbalai. This is the southernmost station of the north Sumatra coastal railroad, the one that goes to Medan and Sabang. As I mentioned a few days ago, I did use Medan to evacuate units from Singapore, and Joseph probably concluded that northern Sumatra is fortified. In fact, I have very little there, but having a division committed there is good news.

The rest of the DEI is very quiet. There was no move against Palembang or Southern Sumatra, and nothing in the Celebes except the landings in Tarakan this week. Slow and methodical, I am ok with this.

KB back at sea

I have two cruiser squadrons along the northeastern coast of Australia, the Australia and Perth, of Rockhampton fame, and an American squadron around the Indianapolis, New Orleans and Minneapolis. Two days ago after signal intelligence reported a convoy on its way to Shortlands, I sent the latter to the Solomons. I must have been detected, because KB sailed north, at flank speed judging by its position, and tried to intercept.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Rennell Island at 109,140
Weather in hex: Moderate rain
Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 35
B5N2 Kate x 32
D3A1 Val x 45
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 4 damaged
D3A1 Val: 8 damaged
D3A1 Val: 1 destroyed by flak
Allied Ships
CA Indianapolis, Bomb hits 1
CA New Orleans, Bomb hits 2, on fire
CA Minneapolis
DD Henley
DD Jarvis

If cost KB six planes, and a couple of pilots, probably.

The New Orleans has 30 system, 19 float and 9 engine damage. She’s down to 25 knots, but can make flank speed. We are four hexes west of Rennel Island (near Guadalcanal), and KB is four hexes west of us. I am running east, trying to intercept a detected task force on the way. Unless KB sails east, and makes a second day at flank speed, I think they should make it.

The absence of KB opens a unique window of opportunity for the ships in Brisbane and Maryborough (which was captured today). There are a dozen of them, small transports and large cargoes. A general escape is planned for tomorrow…

The plains around Changsha

In China, since the beginning of the game, I have been trying to avoid garrisoning clear terrain. Since th cities around Changsha have garrison requirements, I split a Chinese corps into three components to keep a minimal watch over them. Today, Joseph crossed the Blue River into Hengyang, with a division that had no difficulty ousting my garrison. It will make a good bomber target tomorrow.

Capturing the plains around Changsha will turn the city and the neighboring wood hexes into a salient. It also opens the roads to Chungking, and I am moving reinforcements towards Chihkiang and Kweiyang.



February 2nd 1942

Out of harm’s way

The US cruisers made it. KB sailed south east, I was due east. They did catch a lone cargo on their way.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Rennell Island at 110,141, Range 8,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
xAK Kimishima Maru, Shell hits 12, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
Allied Ships
CA Indianapolis
CA New Orleans
CA Minneapolis
DD Henley
DD Patterson
DD Jarvis

We are now retiring to Suva.

The escape from Brisbane went fine too. KB is too far north to catch them, and there were apparently no surface forces or submarines in the area. I am getting good at this little game.

In western Australia, reinforcements have now disembarked and are boarding trains for Melbourne and its area. About 1200 AV have landed now in Australia, with a few good outfits among them.

Losses, VP and other things one checks at the beginning of a month

VP total are now 11500:10200, a little better than 1.1:1. This month saw the capture of Sydney and Singapore, but I can’t help noticing that the Japanese advance is slow. Sumatra is still mine, as are Java, Mindanao, the Celebes. Brisbane will fall this month, but Melbourne seems out of his reach, now the reinforcements are here, and while KB was busy off the Australian coast, I could reinforce New Caledonia, Fiji and the Samoa, which will be difficult to capture unless he evacuates some of his troops in Australia. Even more interestingly, Burma has seen no action at all, and I have been able to send quite a bit of supplies to China.

I might be terribly wrong, and I know that planning offensives in February 1942 as the Allies is delusional, but I can’t help believing I am in a good posture.

In the air, losses are 550:640, with Joseph losing about 70 planes over the last five days, for very little effect. KB has been operating a lot, and I am pretty certain a number of its pilots and planes are gone. Most importantly, I know precisely where it is.

Francois-

Whoa!

Those reinforcements are potent.

I do believe that you will secure Brisbane.

Can't say much as I am enjoying reading Squeeze's AAR too.

However, I am an Allied fan and hope you kick the Japanese out of Australia and all the way back to Tokyo!

Best Regards,

-Terry

One thing about emergency reinforcements to keep in mind - a good part of them are units that were in the planned reinforcement queue and the emergency just caused their immediate move up the list. This is still golden, but they are not "extra units" per se.

Hi Rio Bravo,

I believe it is too late for Brisbane, but I can recapture it later. Melbourne, on the other hand...

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy
One thing about emergency reinforcements to keep in mind - a good part of them are units that were in the planned reinforcement queue and the emergency just caused their immediate move up the list. This is still golden, but they are not "extra units" per se.

This sent me wondering, so I took a look at the reinforcement queue at the beginning of the scenario. I could not find any of those units (44th British Div, 2nd Para Brigade, 7 SA Armoured tank brigade, 27th Rhodesian, and Natal Mtd Rifles.
Those units, about 950 AV, all seem to be added to the original reinforcement plan.

I suspect this varies from one reinforcement package to the other.

Francois

With the exception of the 9th Australian division, all of the Australian invasion reinforcements are units that are not normally received.
And do not forget the extra devices that come in with the invasion mobilization TF.

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

With the exception of the 9th Australian division, all of the Australian invasion reinforcements are units that are not normally received.
And do not forget the extra devices that come in with the invasion mobilization TF.

Hmmm. That seems to be a change from info I got several years ago, so either that info was also off, or changes have been made, or the Australian reinforcements have more new units than some of the other emergency reinforcements.
Anyway, I stand corrected - thanks to you and François. [:)]

February 3rd 1942

A bad day in the air

Over the last ten days, the air war favored the Allies, with a hundred Japanese planes downed, for less than fifty on our side. This got reversed today, as a raid against a recon regiment, in the plains near Wagga Wagga, was intercepted by a squadron of zeroes. I lost 30 planes, half of them Hudsons.

Fortunately, Joseph partially compensated for those losses by sending zeroes to sweep Port Moresby. They fly from Rabaul, and after such a long trip, they become easy targets for my Warhawks. 15 japanese planes were lost today. I am sure Joseph will be back over Port Moresby, and I am planning to reinforce my fighters there. At present, such long range sweeps are my best chance at downing Zeroes or Oscars.

In China, my 4Es attacked Hengyang, and had a field day: clear terrain, units detected because they just fought, those seem to be the best possible conditions. With Chungking at level 6, my bombers fly daily. I don’t think they do a lot of damage, but I’m sure it pesters my opponent.

Looming defeats

Tarakan was bombarded and more landings took place. The base will fall on first try. I have two small cargoes in port, which I will try to save, by sending them to a neighboring base first, and then to Mindanao.

In Brisbane, the Japanese bombarded the city, and revealed our relative strength. Joseph has 1200 AV, against my 500 behind level three forts. I used to think this is enough, but I am beginning to doubt.

February 4th 1942

Brisbane

Following the bombardment yesterday, a first deliberate attack took place today, and the results are worrying. The Japanese achieved 2:1 odds, after reducing the forts one level (to level two). If the same odds can be had again, the city will fall on the next attack, and 500 AV of Australians will be lost.

Somehow, it is logical. We are in February 1942, when Japan is at its peak. On the other hand, I have to try and defend Australia, and I would have liked a little more time. But then, all the reinforcements have arrived, and the capture of Brisbane means a larger perimeter, and 120 more AV needed to garrison the area (for a current total of 500 AV, or about a quarter of the troops present in Australia).

Tarakan

Was captured today. Two infantry regiments and three SNLF units were more than enough against the token force that was left there. My troops retreated in the marsh hex next to the base, and methodical as Joseph is, I am sure he will march there to defeat them. I am fine with this…

Pingsiang

Was the good piece of news in this bleak day. Another deliberate attack found level two forts again, and reduced them one level again, and losses were once again heavier for the Japanese. I am now trying to reinforce the base with the troops retreated from Kukong. There are 250 AV on the road, which might be a nasty surprise.

Ground combat at Pingsiang (82,54)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 37267 troops, 464 guns, 49 vehicles, Assault Value = 917
Defending force 23394 troops, 190 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 462
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 1)
Japanese ground losses:
1528 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 98 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 16 disabled
Engineers: 4 destroyed, 12 disabled
Allied ground losses:
885 casualties reported
Squads: 6 destroyed, 68 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 12 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled

February 5th, 1942

A fairly eventless day.

In China, Hurricanes swept Wuchang, for little effect ( I was hoping to catch some Nates), but the infantry units that defeated two Chinese corps near Sinyang, and in open terrain, had a bad day at the hands of my bombers. A tank regiment is one hex away, I will try it tomorrow…

In Australia, the units retreating from Rockhampton were defeated near Bundaberg, and a recon regiment pursued them into a hex where I have two relatively fresh Australian units. If Joseph doesn’t notice it, he is in for a surprise tomorrow.

Nothing happened in Brisbane, the Japanese are getting ready for the final onslaught, and I’m fearing the worst.