Matrix Games Forums

June 8, 1942

Sameo Sameo

Another day much like yesterday. A lot of prep work and upgrades are going on in the background, but they're boring and some I don't want to discuss yet.

1) Subs reach all the way down the Malaccan Strait past Singers just to make sure Japan knows that landing TFs sent for Sabang will be seen. ASW work does not damage the Dutch. USS Pompano bounces two more Mk14s off a fat, fat xAK near Iba. A lot less surface gun action in this game than I'm used to.

2) A night Manpower raid I missed on cancelling hits Rangoon for 385 Fires. An undefended Chengchow is hit for a third day by Wellingtons for 6689 Fires. They are not being put out overnight and are building. I have raids ordered for Port Author and Shanghai, but they do not fly/get lost. I'd think having Port A. set on fire in the Summer of '42 would get any Japanese player's attention. China holding Lanchow securely is a knife in the guts.

3) Port Blair has 60 P-40Es arrive and take up CAP duty. Japan flies multiple lightly escorted bombing raids and pays for it. Eight Nells are destroyed, one Betty, and three Oscars as well. Allies lose four aircraft aloft and on the ground. These are new P-40 units form CONUS and don't have great pilots yet. But they're rested.

4)Light Hudsons hit Djambi AF for light damage and two downed. The 4Es shift to Medan and score 10 Oil and 1 Refinery hits.

5) Construction: Toungoo Forts to 3. Important in this supply-starved forward bastion.

I have hundreds of ships in upgrade right now, mostly merchants. I'm scraping the barrel on the WC to find hulls for NorPac lift. I am building the Aleutians much faster and bigger than I had planned this summer as the defenses in the Kuriles appear weak. I want Sakhalin I. as soon as possible. A half-squadron of S-boats is operating out of Dutch already, exclusively patrolling the water outside the Sea of Japan but inside the Kurile arc.

I am also positioning/readying some ops in Mid-Pac to dislocate and harass. If I can get a read on the KB there might be some deep, deep strikes intended to change early 1943 priorities for Japan. Letting me live in the PI and re-occupy Rabaul after I had emptied it last December might be big mistakes for Japan. Multi-division Aussie forces are already there or on the way. As I said long ago: Wake and Rabaul make a nice set of earrings.

THE FOX????

Pray do de-obfuscate that for us?

ORIGINAL: Nemo121

THE FOX????

Pray do de-obfuscate that for us?

The run is several pages back. But Alfred came to Minneapolis a couple of weeks ago for a visit, some dinners, some cocktails, and a ML baseball game. Our meeting code phrase was "The Fox hunts at night." He's quite a character, here and in person.

He is monitoring the forum from his current location.

HI ALFRED!!!!!!

The rest of us can only pretend to know how this game works. Alfred lives it.

However, in the Moose's favor, one little thing I've never considered until now is depth charge replacement. So, my escorts won't replenish unless they're at a Level 6 or better port (or AKE, of course)? I had never checked or even considered that, always blissfully assuming the replenishment would happen. It certainly explains sub-par ASW performance (no pun intended) in the Bay of Bengal prior to Calcutta and Chittagong being built up.

The one chance I had to meet a forumite it was Obvert out at Incheon Airport. Unfortunately, that's pretty far for a fella in Seoul to travel, especially on a school night (or vice-versa with his early flight out). I expect it would be great to hoist a few cold ones with a lot of you guys (and gal).

Cheers,
CC

ORIGINAL: Commander Cody

The rest of us can only pretend to know how this game works. Alfred lives it.

However, in the Moose's favor, one little thing I've never considered until now is depth charge replacement. So, my escorts won't replenish unless they're at a Level 6 or better port (or AKE, of course)? I had never checked or even considered that, always blissfully assuming the replenishment would happen. It certainly explains sub-par ASW performance (no pun intended) in the Bay of Bengal prior to Calcutta and Chittagong being built up.

The one chance I had to meet a forumite it was Obvert out at Incheon Airport. Unfortunately, that's pretty far for a fella in Seoul to travel, especially on a school night (or vice-versa with his early flight out). I expect it would be great to hoist a few cold ones with a lot of you guys (and gal).

Cheers,
CC

The DC rearm issue is hard for me. I picture smallish devices, self-contained, that could be manhandled onboard by a couple of guys. Rigging them down to magazines on DDs is harder of course. But they're orders of magnitude easier to load than torpedoes. The port size reqs on DCs seem high to me. Like you I often don't think about the Appendix table and the need for naval support or an AKE until I realize I don't have one.

I did find an AKE in the theater I could spare, and it's south of Viz now heading for Calcutta, with is also at 82% of a port level upgrade. Meanwhile Foxhound sits at the pier, with no DCs.

June 9, 1942

Oopsie!

Mike is coming out of Hell Week at work, and with the 4th coming this week we may get some turns in. Hope so. I have some things cooking at a low boil which need a stir.

Generally a peanut-pushing turn, but there was one significant event I'll do last. Got to keep you guys reading through the air raids!

1) The best news comes at the end of the turn.

CV Wasp arrives at Balboa
BB North Carolina arrives at Balboa
CLAA San Juan arrives at Balboa
DD Lang arrives at Balboa
DD Stack arrives at Balboa
DD Sterett arrives at Balboa
DD Wilson arrives at Balboa

2) Strat bombing experiments with the Dutch Fat Boys (night, Djambi, nothing), and night 12,000ft Rangoon LI (nothing.) On the 4th daytime Manpower attack on Chengchow Japan has moved some CAP in. 18 Nates. They get the job done, downing a Wellington and turning the raid away. 15 4Es hit Medan Oil for 1 point of damage.

3) Tactical bombing of the 47th Naval Guard at Benkoelen takes 22 casualties. With the 32nd ID partly offloaded at Oosthaven (heavy gear) and the squads coming on-map now I am making plans to clean up southern Sumatra. I'd like to take the rubble formerly known as Djambi, and swing over onto Padang to take back the best approach route to PBang.

4) Thresher duds on a fat TF in mid-South China Sea. Daily event it seems. Mk14s . . .

5) And to the oopsie. This takes a bit of set up.

North of Tsuyung. A yellow road comes in from the east at an angle. Due north of the city is mountains (BIG mountains.) The yellow road exits the city at an angle, headed NW for Paoshan. I had the Big Stack on the eastern road. About three weeks ago I ordered it to move across the top of Tsuyung to the exit road. An approaching tank unit on the eastern road had cut supply from Chengtu/Chungking and I want to use the stack in southern Burma. It has been moving at 1-mile per day while being bombed daily as well.

Fearing a hexside issue I moved a Chinese corps down the western road from Paoshan to open the "conflict hex" where the Big Stack was going to meet the Tsuyung stack, which had a movement dot NW into the Big Stack's path. The lone corps got there too soon; the Japanese Shock attacked and made it surrender. BUT, then the Japanese moved back into Tsuyung rather than wait for the Big Stack. I was fine with that. The BS is very large, but has no arty or armor. If it could pass past Tsuyung unmolested I would be happy. In Tsuyung though the Japanese stack then showed a NE move dot. I figured it was heading back to China to siege Chengtu/Chungking; that was fine as well. Eventually I need Tsuyung to open the Burma Road.

OK, here's the oopsies. One mine, one his.

I play with hexes off. In my addled mind I had assigned the map north of Tsuyung as I described above: road/mountains/road. But it isn't that wide. The Japanese stack, all but two LCUs which were left to defend Tsuyung, moved into the hex with the Big Stack. It was 24 miles across, but as we all know the game gives no credit for partial transits. Japan's stack is LOADED with arty. Mike set them to bombard the Chinese BS moving west. What he planned/plans to do with that stack afterward I don't know yet.

But he forgot about that one tank unit heading west on the yellow road. Oopsie #2.

The turn email came with an alarmed message that we had a serious synch bug. There was a Shock attack when he had ordered a Bombardment. He verified the orders. Very quickly came a second email that he thought it was the tanks. There is a tiny blue stub of river bisecting the yellow road in that hex. The tank unit had picked the worst possible turn to cross the river. Shock attack. Really bad odds for Japan.

From my perspective I'm not sure the Japanese stack didn't bombard. The arty round went on and on. But all I can see is FOW casualty ratios, so I can't tell if the whole stack shocked or not. Regardless, it was a bad day for Japan. I tried to seed some opsec in my last email acking the tank unit. I said my intention was to pass by peacefully to the west; I would not have attacked his stack if left alone. He now knows exactly what's in the BS, so he might attack again. Or, his disabled squad numbers might make him pause. Gutting a big Japanese formation that far north might take some time to heal. We shall see. Here is the combat:

Ground combat at 68,45 (near Tsuyung)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 116043 troops, 1198 guns, 332 vehicles, Assault Value = 4299

Defending force 104805 troops, 588 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 3934

Japanese adjusted assault: 0

Allied adjusted defense: 6490

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 99

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

Japanese ground losses:
3076 casualties reported
Squads: 7 destroyed, 261 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 80 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 34 disabled
Guns lost 105 (4 destroyed, 101 disabled)
Vehicles lost 155 (55 destroyed, 100 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
51 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Assaulting units:
12th Tank Regiment
17th Division
9th Armored Car Co
3rd Division
13th Tank Regiment
51st Engineer Regiment
40th Division
6th Division
34th Division
116th Division
39th Division
13th Division
35th Division
51st Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion
11th Army
1st Mortar Battalion
52nd Road Const Co
2nd Ind. Engineer Regiment
14th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
2nd RF Gun Battalion
2nd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
8th Ind. Engineer Regiment
4th Mortar Battalion
21st Mortar Battalion
15th Ind.Medium Field Artillery Regiment
52nd Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion
5th RF Gun Battalion

Defending units:
90th Chinese Corps
12th Chinese Corps
98th Chinese Corps
59th Chinese Corps
7th New Chinese Corps
42nd Chinese Corps
82nd Chinese Corps
30th Chinese Corps
85th Chinese Corps
4th Chinese Cavalry Corps
83rd Chinese Corps
89th Chinese Corps
48th Chinese Corps
15th Chinese Corps
76th Chinese Corps
69th Chinese Corps
84th Chinese Corps
8th New Chinese Corps
24th Group Army
7th Group Army
33rd Group Army
Red Chinese Army
34th Group Army

Given the adjusted odds I would have expected a lot higher casualties. [X(]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Given the adjusted odds I would have expected a lot higher casualties. [X(]

Me too, which is why I think the IDs didn't shock. The Chinese have a little arty organic to the corps structures. A lot of little mortars, a few bigger gun tubes, but a lot of the TOEs are only party filled out. The Japanese squad disablements could have been counterbattery casualties. The head-scratcher for me is, with so much Japanese arty, the Chinese casualties are so low. The terrain is all I can figure. The Chinese are moving; there aren't any field-forts.

The vehicle losses do suggest the tank LCU shocked across the river.

The combat report shows the BS suffered a negative op mode modifier. At a daily travel rate of only 1 mile, the BS may as well march in combat mode rather than move mode.

Alfred

ORIGINAL: Alfred

The combat report shows the BS suffered a negative op mode modifier. At a daily travel rate of only 1 mile, the BS may as well march in combat mode rather than move mode.

Alfred

Good catch. As I said, part of the issue is my boneheaded assumption that the area up north there was three hexes wide and not two. I have been putting the stack in Move every day, because I'm stubborn, and he's been mode-knocking it back to Combat every day with bombing. For weeks. So I didn't ever have a data point on what the stack might do if left unmolested in Move. Probably either way it would round to a mile.

That the stack, or some of it, was in Move when shock attacked, and there were still only 51 Chinese casualties, attests to how bad 1 to 99 odds are.

Er, what does "BS" stand for (in this context)?

June 10, 1942

The Long Night

Perhaps the longest night phase of the war so far. Mostly stinging sub attacks and ASW.

1) Sub summary:

Allied Ships
xAK Tjikandi, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
-----------------
Japanese Ships
SS I-157

Allied Ships
SS KXV

SS KXV launches 4 torpedoes at 4,000 yards (miss)
------------------

Allied Ships
xAK La Pampa, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
-------------------
ASW attack near Brisbane at 98,160

Japanese Ships
SS I-27, hits 2 (1 penetrating)

Allied Ships
AVD William B. Preston
-------------------
Sub attack near Koggala at 30,51

Japanese Ships
SS I-155, hits 12, heavy damage (1 penetrating)

Allied Ships
DD Witte de With
DD Hotspur
-------------------
Allied Ships
xAK Koomilya, Shell hits 4, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
------------------
ASW attack near Port Blair at 46,58

Japanese Ships
SS I-166, hits 10

Allied Ships
PG Hindustan
--------------------

2) Strat bombing:

Rangoon fails. Loyang 280 Fires. Kunming 1 HI hit in daylight. Chengchow Nates drive off Wellingtons with no losses to either. Medan Oil 8 hits, Refineries 2 hits.

3) Increased recon all over mid-PAC. Picture emerging of light Japanese garrisons, low AF builds, and very little surface force except at Truk, which has almost 60 ships in port in latest read. Allies have been slipping forces into Baker and Canton Islands. Canton is over-stacked 2000 due to civilian construction force (John Wayne on Island X in "Fighting Seabees".) It withdraws in about three weeks, so I have been shuttling it over to Baker to do a bit of fort building before it poofs home. Also building supplies on Baker where all three Marine Raider LCUs sit; they will be used in SNAGGLEPUSS and need to be fed.

IJN raiders come to call at Baker. Two stiff little battles, inconclusive, but give Japan a read on what's going on there.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Baker Island at 149,136, Range 6,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Kuroshio
DD Oyashio
DD Yukikaze
DD Okikaze
DD Shiokaze
DD Hokaze, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
DD Gridley, Shell hits 1
DD Benham, Shell hits 4, on fire
xAP Lurline, Shell hits 1
xAK West Notus, Shell hits 3, on fire
-------------------------------------

Night Time Surface Combat, near Baker Island at 149,136, Range 3,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Kuroshio
DD Oyashio
DD Yukikaze, Shell hits 1
DD Okikaze
DD Shiokaze
DD Hokaze

Allied Ships
APD Chew
APD Schley, Shell hits 2
APD Waters, Shell hits 1
APD Dent, Shell hits 3, on fire

Allied ground losses:
8 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

4) Large air battles over Pt. Blair. Site of the only substantial Allied CAP.

8 Zeroes destroyed, 2 Nells damaged, 1 Betty destroyed, 2 damaged, 1 Oscar destroyed, 6 P-40s destroyed, 8 damaged, 1 B-25C destroyed, 1 damaged. AF lightly damaged.

5) Big Stack bombed, then bombarded as it heads west as before.

Ground combat at 68,45 (near Tsuyung)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 112486 troops, 1195 guns, 188 vehicles, Assault Value = 3965

Defending force 104711 troops, 588 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 3923

Allied ground losses:
61 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Er, what does "BS" stand for (in this context)?

The Big Stack. Chinese mega-stack moving through the northern mountains, on to history.

Okay. My first guess was Battle Star, which perhaps is a synonym.

June 11, 1941

Japan Wants China

1) ASW games in the Malaccan Straits. SS KX avoids twin PBs. O23 sinks SC CHa-9 with a torpedo.

2) Large attritional air battles over Pt. Blair. Couple of P-40s downed and one Zero, but ops losses on way home should be higher. Bombers total over 60, rough up the air field. No sign this is prologue to a landing. Just harassment, as so much of what Japan is doing in this war era seems to be. No moves on Java, minimal effort on Sumatra, PI status quo.

3) Normal bombing near Rahaeng. Three Chinese corps now going in three different directions. Minor bombing at Chungking, Sabang, and Bataan. Subs have delivered first supply loads to both Bataan and Cebu. Cebu continues to pull in isolated PI units from nearby islands.

4) Allies continue troop bombing at Benkoelen and Lautem. Strat bombing at Kunming (2 HI), Chengchow (2067 Fires), and Medan (Oil 11, Refineries 1).

5) Huge Japanese deliberate attack on Chengtu. Forts at 5+, decent supply.

Ground combat at Chengtu (75,41)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 109249 troops, 877 guns, 863 vehicles, Assault Value = 3964

Defending force 37720 troops, 184 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1276

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 4

Japanese adjusted assault: 2731

Allied adjusted defense: 2309

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

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 4

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

Japanese ground losses:
3593 casualties reported
Squads: 16 destroyed, 440 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 57 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 49 disabled
Vehicles lost 49 (1 destroyed, 48 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
4677 casualties reported
Squads: 61 destroyed, 209 disabled
Non Combat: 42 destroyed, 116 disabled
Engineers: 41 destroyed, 39 disabled
Guns lost 25 (3 destroyed, 22 disabled)

Assaulting units:
23rd Tank Regiment
37th Division
11th Indpt Infantry Regiment
9th Tank Regiment
36th Division
3rd Ind.Mixed Brigade
11th Tank Regiment
28th Engineer Regiment
3rd Tank Regiment
10th Tank Regiment
60th Division
24th Division
4th Ind.Mixed Brigade
9th Ind.Mixed Brigade
2nd Ind.Mixed Regiment
20th Recon Regiment
12th Indpt Infantry Regiment
70th Division
26th Engineer Regiment
58th Division
41st Division
22nd/C Division
5th Army
1st Army
11th Field Artillery Regiment

Defending units:
39th Chinese Corps
1st Construction Regiment
40th Chinese Corps
7th Chinese Corps
3rd Construction Regiment
3rd Chinese Corps
16th Chinese Corps
2nd Construction Regiment
1st War Area
21st Group Army
13th Group Army
5th Chinese Base Force
10th Chinese Base Force

This, combined with the movement of the Tsuyung defenders in what still looks like an eastward retrograde might mean Japan intends to try to finish off China by sieging Chungking. Which would be fine. It would take months and does Japan absolutely no good if they intend to win the war or game.

6) Allies probe bombard stack at Sabang. Find 4th ID and 8th Tank Regiment. Sabang has 10k supply, Forts 3, but AV of less than 200. Will hold one round at least I think if no engineers appear. RN carriers available are sortied from Colombo to stand off and watch from the west.

VPs since the data dump. Running in place.

June 12, 1942

Vamping For Time

A slow period in the game as the Allies do minimal active ops, but a lot of prep work in the background while waiting for huge, block upgrades to finish. Boring to watch, boring to write about. So I won't.

1) Several ASW interactions, one with penetrating hits on I-boat near Ceylon. IJN sub gets xAK West Notus near Canton Island. It had 30+ Fires and extensive damage from the fight near Baker two days ago.

2) Japan really has a thing for Pt. Blair, with huge air attacks again. Over 25 P-40s are damaged and repairing very slowly; I'll disband tomorrow to send them to the pools rather than have them destroyed. Through all this the damaged RN BB sitting right there is ignored day after day. Royal Sov. has had two set-backs already, with repaired minor flooding and system damage reappearing. She is nowhere near seaworthy to make for any better port.

3) Flyable planes are moved from Chengtu into Chungking. Sian takes 3 Oil hits.

4) Benkoelen has every flyable plane at PBang work over the 2000-man garrison. About 180 casualties. My intent is to clean up the southern, western side of Sumatra. Up north, Sabang is deliberately attacked. It holds the one round I predicted, and might a second.

Ground combat at Sabang (44,70)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 13614 troops, 114 guns, 144 vehicles, Assault Value = 479

Defending force 6885 troops, 120 guns, 35 vehicles, Assault Value = 214

Japanese adjusted assault: 339

Allied adjusted defense: 107

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

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 2

Combat modifiers
Defender: forts(+), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
349 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 26 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Vehicles lost 25 (3 destroyed, 22 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
838 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 120 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Vehicles lost 2 (1 destroyed, 1 disabled)

5) Chinese bombard at Chengtu. Take no casualties, dish out 19.

We may get in a couple of turns today. Already sent back June 13.

June 13, 1942

Was This a Friday? I Call BS!!

I've had better days.

First the good stuff.

1) DD Foxhound, alone but with DCs again, corners I-30 near Cox's Bazar. Six penetrating hits, forced to surface, bang bang, you're dead. SS Trusty sinks SC Ch 22 near Langsa. CM Abdidel lays a decent mine field at Sabang at the last possible moment.

2) Japan tries again at Bataan. Nope.

Ground combat at Bataan (78,77)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 61091 troops, 591 guns, 446 vehicles, Assault Value = 2085

Defending force 45622 troops, 536 guns, 601 vehicles, Assault Value = 1214

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1

Japanese adjusted assault: 1238

Allied adjusted defense: 765

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

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
6721 casualties reported
Squads: 26 destroyed, 503 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 89 disabled
Engineers: 3 destroyed, 102 disabled
Guns lost 39 (6 destroyed, 33 disabled)
Vehicles lost 77 (8 destroyed, 69 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
3091 casualties reported
Squads: 30 destroyed, 116 disabled
Non Combat: 6 destroyed, 157 disabled
Engineers: 5 destroyed, 32 disabled
Guns lost 61 (4 destroyed, 57 disabled)
Vehicles lost 31 (1 destroyed, 30 disabled)

3) Japan tries again at Chengtu. Nope.

Ground combat at Chengtu (75,41)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 12979 troops, 150 guns, 69 vehicles, Assault Value = 3520

Defending force 34675 troops, 181 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1078

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 3

Japanese adjusted assault: 136

Allied adjusted defense: 6925

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 50 (fort level 3)

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

Japanese ground losses:
1141 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 89 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 6 disabled

Allied ground losses:
48 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Now the bad news.

4) Sabang falls. The Dutch surrender wholesale.

Ground combat at Sabang (44,70)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 13378 troops, 114 guns, 141 vehicles, Assault Value = 445

Defending force 6177 troops, 121 guns, 34 vehicles, Assault Value = 132

Japanese adjusted assault: 338

Allied adjusted defense: 50

Japanese assault odds: 6 to 1 (fort level 2)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Sabang !!!

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

Japanese ground losses:
237 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 14 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 3 disabled
Vehicles lost 34 (3 destroyed, 31 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
6495 casualties reported
Squads: 285 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 438 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 26 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 120 (120 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 42 (42 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 6

5) And this one. Are you kidding me?! Seven lumbering Mavis, no escorts, daylight, against a battleship and multiple cruisers? Are you freakin' kidding me?

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Nikunau at 142,134

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 20 minutes

Japanese aircraft
H6K4 Mavis x 7

Japanese aircraft losses
H6K4 Mavis: 7 damaged

Allied Ships
BB New Mexico, Torpedo hits 6, and is sunk

Aircraft Attacking:
7 x H6K4 Mavis launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 18in Type 91 Torpedo

6) West of the travesty above, some kind of light carrier TF appears. Don't know where based; Truk, Kwaj, Ponape are clean. Maybe all the way back to the Marianas or Babel-de-bob? Don't know. There were no squadron IDs on any of the planes.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Nikunau at 142,134

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 36 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
B5N1 Kate x 14
B5N2 Kate x 5
D3A1 Val x 4

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
CA Vincennes
CA Salt Lake City, Bomb hits 2, heavy damage

And then the Magic Mavises have time to reload and come back. This time they miss.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Nikunau at 142,134

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 20 minutes

Japanese aircraft
H6K4 Mavis x 6

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
CL Raleigh
CA Vincennes

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x H6K4 Mavis bombing from 7000 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
----------------------------

This does tell me that Japan, for some reason, very much values the Canton/Baker region. An Air HQ? I want those two islands as staging bases for SNAGGLEPUSS, but there are other options. I have an AKE and fuel inbound to Canton. These are probably not tenable now without air cover I don't have to spare. I still don't know where the KB is, but at least some carrier help is available in mid-Pac in the near future.

I suppose the one advantage a slow, massive plane has is stability, so if it actually manages to launch a torpedo, it should be pretty accurate.

Aw, who am I trying to kid? Thats bollocks

Unbelievably unlucky there