Too much Iron in my Diet - Mundy(A) vs KenchiSulla (J)

[Mundy]

14 May 1944

CF turned up the heat at Tarawa. In addition to the CVEs, I probably had another 70 LRCAPping from Makin. Maybe we're approaching Kamikaze season.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Tarawa at 136,128

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 70 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 26 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G3M3 Nell x 19
N1K1-J George x 55

Allied aircraft
P-38H Lightning x 9
F4U-1 Corsair x 31
F6F-3 Hellcat x 22

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M3 Nell: 1 destroyed, 18 damaged
N1K1-J George: 17 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4U-1 Corsair: 1 destroyed
F6F-3 Hellcat: 5 destroyed

Allied Ships
CL Detroit
CVE Petrof Bay, Kamikaze hits 1
CVE Shamrock Bay, Torpedo hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
19 x G3M3 Nell launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp

CAP engaged:
VF-17 with F4U-1 Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 22 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 20000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 28 minutes
VC(F)-76 with F6F-3 Hellcat (1 airborne, 4 on standby, 4 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 9000 and 10000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 22 minutes
VC(F)-94 with F6F-3 Hellcat (0 airborne, 5 on standby, 6 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 2 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 5000 and 11000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 26 minutes
VMF-321 with F4U-1 Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 9 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 32000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 32000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 19 minutes
15th FG/72nd FS with P-38H Lightning (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 9 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 25000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 25000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 9 minutes

Ammo storage explosion on CVE Petrof Bay
Ichimura M. gives his life for the Emperor by ramming CVE Petrof Bay

---------------------------------------------

Morning Air attack on TF, near Tarawa at 136,128

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 73 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 25 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 20
N1K1-J George x 17

Allied aircraft
F4U-1 Corsair x 14
F6F-3 Hellcat x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 10 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed by flak
N1K1-J George: 4 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4U-1 Corsair: 1 destroyed
F6F-3 Hellcat: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
CL Detroit
CVE Petrof Bay, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
CVE Shamrock Bay, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
DD Knapp

Aircraft Attacking:
20 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp

CAP engaged:
VF-17 with F4U-1 Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 11 scrambling)
Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters to 10000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 39 minutes
VMF-321 with F4U-1 Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 3 scrambling)
Group patrol altitude is 32000 , scrambling fighters to 14000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 34 minutes
VC(F)-76 with F6F-3 Hellcat (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 3 scrambling)
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 3000 and 13000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 26 minutes
VC(F)-94 with F6F-3 Hellcat (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 1 scrambling)
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters to 7000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 25 minutes

---------------------------------------------

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Tarawa at 136,128

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 79 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 29 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G3M3 Nell x 12
G4M1 Betty x 12
N1K1-J George x 23

Allied aircraft
P-38H Lightning x 8
F4U-1 Corsair x 18

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M3 Nell: 7 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 11 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed by flak
N1K1-J George: 3 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4U-1 Corsair: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
CVE Petrof Bay, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
CL Detroit
CVE Shamrock Bay, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
LSV Ozark
DD Luce

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x G3M3 Nell launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp
4 x N1K1-J George sweeping at 6000 feet *
10 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp
3 x N1K1-J George sweeping at 6000 feet *

CAP engaged:
VF-17 with F4U-1 Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 10 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 20000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 9 minutes
VMF-321 with F4U-1 Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 8 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 32000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 32000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 2 minutes
15th FG/72nd FS with P-38H Lightning (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 8 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 25000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 25000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 1 minutes

Shamrock Bay dead in the water ...

This is the first crash that hit. I think 2 or 3 attempted it before. Another CVE came out of Portland, so I'm making losses up.

This is a typical day the other way.

Morning Air attack on Tarawa , at 136,128

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 39 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 18 minutes

Allied aircraft
F4U-1 Corsair x 11
F6F-3 Hellcat x 6
TBF-1 Avenger x 8

No Allied losses

Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 7

Aircraft Attacking:
8 x TBF-1 Avenger bombing from 5000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 500 lb GP Bomb

---------------------------------------------

Morning Air attack on Tarawa , at 136,128

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 62 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 23 minutes

Allied aircraft
F4U-1 Corsair x 14
F6F-3 Hellcat x 5
SBD-5 Dauntless x 15

No Allied losses

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

Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 2

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x SBD-5 Dauntless releasing from 4000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 1000 lb GP Bomb
3 x SBD-5 Dauntless releasing from 3000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 1000 lb GP Bomb
8 x SBD-5 Dauntless releasing from 2000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 1000 lb GP Bomb

---------------------------------------------

Morning Air attack on 53rd Naval Guard Unit, at 136,128 (Tarawa)

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 29 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-25H Mitchell x 6
F4U-1 Corsair x 14

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
18 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x B-25H Mitchell bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 500 lb GP Bomb

Also attacking 11th RF Gun Battalion ...

---------------------------------------------

Morning Air attack on 4th Ship Engineer Regiment, at 136,128 (Tarawa)

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 34 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-25D1 Mitchell x 12
B-25G Mitchell x 3

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
24 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x B-25D1 Mitchell bombing from 8000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 500 lb GP Bomb
3 x B-25G Mitchell bombing from 8000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 500 lb GP Bomb

Also attacking 80th JAAF AF Bn ...
Also attacking 18th Garrison Unit ...
Also attacking 4th Ship Engineer Regiment ...

---------------------------------------------

Morning Air attack on 4th Ship Engineer Regiment, at 136,128 (Tarawa)

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 62 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 18 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-25G Mitchell x 12
F4U-1 Corsair x 3
F6F-3 Hellcat x 3

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
81 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 13 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x B-25G Mitchell bombing from 8000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 500 lb GP Bomb

Also attacking 18th Garrison Unit ...
Also attacking 4th Ship Engineer Regiment ...

---------------------------------------------

Morning Air attack on 18th Garrison Unit , at 136,128 (Tarawa)

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 21 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-25H Mitchell x 9
F4U-1 Corsair x 14

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
31 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x B-25H Mitchell bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 500 lb GP Bomb

Bombardments usually run like this too. I'm getting stronger while he's fading.

Ground combat at Tarawa (136,128)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 7003 troops, 221 guns, 158 vehicles, Assault Value = 181

Defending force 7698 troops, 70 guns, 21 vehicles, Assault Value = 129

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

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

Assaulting units:
4th USMC Tank Battalion
111th(Sep) Infantry Regiment
147th(Sep) Infantry Regiment
763rd Tank Battalion
251st Field Artillery Battalion
97th Field Artillery Battalion
17th Marine Defense Battalion

Defending units:
18th Garrison Unit
1st Engineer Co
53rd Naval Guard Unit
11th RF Gun Battalion
4th Ship Engineer Regiment
80th JAAF AF Bn

My reinforcements will most likely reach Ranchi tomorrow. Then I'll try to seal the deal there.

[Mundy]

A few notes.

Given the rate of transfer from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, I'm estimating about three months before I can kick off the Marshalls invasion. This isn't so bad, as I'm hoping I can re-spawn the troops in Calcutta when they eventually die. I should be able to put at least 4 CVEs per invasion, which makes 80 native fighters per amphib group. I'm planning on four landings at this point, being Roi-Namur, Kwajalein, Wotje and Maloelap. Amphib force HQs on the control ships will supervise the first two. I probably won't use any dedicated bombardment groups with this one, just adding BBs to the amphibs, along with all the rocket ships. Several hundred should die at each landing. They, plus all the ASW and mine warfare escorts, and possibly cruiser based ASuW groups will be in the same hex together until the last possible moment and then fragment apart to their final destinations. Something like 8 fleet carriers and 6 CVLs will escort these. I have four CVEs at Adak, while I was ruminating over a Kuriles invasion, but I'll bring them back. One of those regiments got withdrawn recently anyway, I believe, so I can't really think along those lines for the time being.

Addu's a little while also, as I still need prep time here and I have to accumulate some more transport, as I've shipped off most of my assault transports to the Pacific.

Looking at NE India, it appears Tezpur is unoccupied. I have an armored regiment by itself speeding to Diampur. It may make life hard for anyone that ways, supply-wise. I could cut off Chittagong and Cox's Bazaar doing this too. If they meet any real resistance, I'll bring them back. Purely a reconnaissance in force operation.

[JocMeister]

At this point wouldn´t you be better off going Wake --> Marianas? A little late for the Marshalls in mid 44 IMO?

[Sangeli]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister
At this point wouldn´t you be better off going Wake --> Marianas? A little late for the Marshalls in mid 44 IMO?

I don't think so. Historically the Marshalls were not cleared up until early 44 so Mundy isn't even that far behind historical. Furthermore, I think the Marshalls would be a very valuable learning experience for Mundy in how to conduct amphibious operations like it was to the Americans IRL. And last and probably most importantly, with the KB intact a Marianas invasion in the near future seems very risky.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Sangeli

ORIGINAL: JocMeister
At this point wouldn´t you be better off going Wake --> Marianas? A little late for the Marshalls in mid 44 IMO?

I don't think so. Historically the Marshalls were not cleared up until early 44 so Mundy isn't even that far behind historical. Furthermore, I think the Marshalls would be a very valuable learning experience for Mundy in how to conduct amphibious operations like it was to the Americans IRL. And last and probably most importantly, with the KB intact a Marianas invasion in the near future seems very risky.

Spot on. For me it was really important to sort out how to orchestrate amphibious ops.

[Mundy]

That's how I'm kinda looking at it. I'll have more divisions coming in, plus hopefully some re-spawns, so I intend to use overkill on this. I think I'll have three Amphib TF HQs to commit also.

16 May 1944

I caught a supply task force enroute to Buna the previous turn. The SBDs using external tanks were able to reach.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Buna at 100,128

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 3

Allied aircraft
F4U-1 Corsair x 18
SBD-5 Dauntless x 16

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIc Tojo: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
SBD-5 Dauntless: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
xAK Tusima Maru, Bomb hits 1
xAK Tarayasu Maru, Bomb hits 5, on fire
xAK Montreal Maru
xAK Tatuno Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire

Aircraft Attacking:
7 x SBD-5 Dauntless releasing from 4000' *
Naval Attack: 1 x 500 lb SAP Bomb
8 x SBD-5 Dauntless releasing from 3000' *
Naval Attack: 1 x 500 lb SAP Bomb
1 x SBD-5 Dauntless releasing from 2000' *
Naval Attack: 1 x 500 lb SAP Bomb

CAP engaged:
70th Sentai with Ki-44-IIc Tojo (3 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(3 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 5000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 5000.
Raid is overhead

Unfortunately when they got there, my planes flew into the teeth of his fighters.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Buna at 99,129

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 67 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 24 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 85

Allied aircraft
F6F-3 Hellcat x 36
SB2C-1C Helldiver x 2
SBD-5 Dauntless x 18

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIc Tojo: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F6F-3 Hellcat: 12 destroyed
SB2C-1C Helldiver: 1 destroyed
SBD-5 Dauntless: 7 destroyed, 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
xAK Teisin Maru
xAK Tusima Maru

Aircraft Attacking:
5 x SBD-5 Dauntless releasing from 4000' *
Naval Attack: 1 x 500 lb SAP Bomb
1 x SB2C-1C Helldiver releasing from 2000' *
Naval Attack: 1 x 500 lb SAP Bomb

CAP engaged:
70th Sentai with Ki-44-IIc Tojo (22 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(21 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
22 plane(s) intercepting now.
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 17 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 9 minutes
77th Sentai with Ki-44-IIc Tojo (21 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(25 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
21 plane(s) intercepting now.
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 16 being recalled, 9 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 10000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 30 minutes



---------------------------------------------

Morning Air attack on TF, near Buna at 99,129

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 30 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 66

Allied aircraft
F4U-1 Corsair x 17
SB2C-1C Helldiver x 16

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
SB2C-1C Helldiver: 12 destroyed

CAP engaged:
70th Sentai with Ki-44-IIc Tojo (4 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(18 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
4 plane(s) intercepting now.
24 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 10000 and 16000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 64 minutes
24 planes vectored on to bombers
77th Sentai with Ki-44-IIc Tojo (8 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(21 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
8 plane(s) intercepting now.
30 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 10000 and 18000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 153 minutes
36 planes vectored on to bombers



---------------------------------------------

Morning Air attack on TF, near Buna at 99,129

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 48 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 54

Allied aircraft
Beaufighter VIc x 24

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIc Tojo: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Beaufighter VIc: 10 destroyed

CAP engaged:
70th Sentai with Ki-44-IIc Tojo (6 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
6 plane(s) intercepting now.
15 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 10000 and 17000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 61 minutes
77th Sentai with Ki-44-IIc Tojo (13 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
13 plane(s) intercepting now.
20 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 10000 and 16000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 64 minutes

I get my attack off at Ranchi. Unfortunately, he's reinforced the garrison there.

Ground combat at Ranchi (52,32)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 37341 troops, 555 guns, 475 vehicles, Assault Value = 1149

Defending force 29268 troops, 265 guns, 127 vehicles, Assault Value = 741

Allied adjusted assault: 783

Japanese adjusted defense: 1313

Allied assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 5)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), leaders(+), disruption(-)
preparation(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
921 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 122 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Guns lost 23 (1 destroyed, 22 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
3345 casualties reported
Squads: 15 destroyed, 220 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 50 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 46 disabled
Guns lost 68 (4 destroyed, 64 disabled)
Vehicles lost 13 (1 destroyed, 12 disabled)

Assaulting units:
2nd British Division
18th Cavalry Regiment
29th British Brigade
23rd Indian Division
Waziristan Division
32nd Indian Mountain Gun Regiment

Defending units:
124th Infantry Regiment
53rd/C Division
53rd/B Division
53rd/A Division
4th Guards/A Division
4th Guards/B Division
56th Field AA Battalion
27th JAAF AF Bn
12th JAAF Base Force
46th JAAF AF Bn
32nd JAAF AF Coy

At this point, I'll settle for a stalemate. If he starts funneling more troops in after Calcutta falls, I'll start getting them out of there. My rogue armor regiment to the east is making good headway across the map.

Not sure when, but another bombardment TF is due to hit Vizagapatnam in the next day or two. Mostly the same composition as before, except I added Richelieu and the BC (CC) Renown to the mix. As before, they're unspotted. His LBA is content with pounding my troops at Calcutta.

I doubt they'll hold out much longer.

Ground combat at Calcutta (52,37)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 96313 troops, 1131 guns, 1086 vehicles, Assault Value = 2812

Defending force 49997 troops, 1058 guns, 491 vehicles, Assault Value = 939

Japanese adjusted assault: 4376

Allied adjusted defense: 169

Japanese assault odds: 25 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), disruption(-), preparation(-), supply(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
1780 casualties reported
Squads: 10 destroyed, 111 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 32 disabled
Vehicles lost 20 (2 destroyed, 18 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
1501 casualties reported
Squads: 26 destroyed, 106 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 30 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Guns lost 27 (11 destroyed, 16 disabled)
Vehicles lost 15 (9 destroyed, 6 disabled)

Assaulting units:
34th Division
6th Guards/B Division
5th Division
58th/A Division
58th/C Division
18th Division
Guards Tank Division
58th/B Division
38th Division
2nd Tank Division
21st Division
6th Guards/A Division
6th Guards/C Division
3rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
85th JAAF AF Bn
48th Field AA Battalion
29th Fld AA Gun Co
16th AA Regiment
44th Ind.AA Gun Co
8th Field Construction Battalion
62nd JAAF AF Bn
45th Field AA Battalion
Southern Army
40th Field AA Battalion
10th RF Gun Battalion
5th Mortar Battalion
15th Army
26th Air Defense AA Regiment
35th JAAF AF Bn
1st Medium Field Artillery Regiment
7th JAAF Base Force
50th Field AA Battalion
3rd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
3rd Air Division
30th Fld AA Gun Co
18th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
54th Field AA Battalion
14th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
96th JAAF AF Bn

Defending units:
Americal Infantry Division
24th Infantry Division
7th Infantry Division
33rd Infantry Division
3rd USMC Tank Battalion
3rd Marine Division
1st Marine Division
25th Infantry Division
632nd Tank Destroyer Battalion
226th Field Artillery Battalion
181st Field Artillery Battalion
205th Field Artillery Battalion
2nd USMC Tank Battalion

[zuluhour]

[X(]seven US Divisions!!
What do your pools of equipment to rebuild them look like?
Careful if it comes to that, only buy that which you can outfit.
I started reading this from the beginning again to get a feel for Herr CF, he is a slick opponent.

[Sangeli]

With the failure of the end around at Diamond Harbor, I think you might consider stopping offensive activity in India. It made sense in 43 to concentrate on India while you built up your navy but things have changed since then. There's not much strategic value in capturing India at the end of 44 which is probably how long it would take if you kept at it. Furthermore, the heavy casualties in the Indian campaign hurt you a lot more than it hurts the Japanese. Not only does each squad worth 2x the VPs for you, but also you will have difficulty replacing many of your losses (especially British) while Japan will have no issues at all funneling squad replacements indefinitely. I think its time to stop offensive activity here, reevaluate your global position and strategy, and start diverting resources from India to other more needy areas.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Mundy

A few notes.

Given the rate of transfer from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, I'm estimating about three months before I can kick off the Marshalls invasion. This isn't so bad, as I'm hoping I can re-spawn the troops in Calcutta when they eventually die. I should be able to put at least 4 CVEs per invasion, which makes 80 native fighters per amphib group. I'm planning on four landings at this point, being Roi-Namur, Kwajalein, Wotje and Maloelap. Amphib force HQs on the control ships will supervise the first two. I probably won't use any dedicated bombardment groups with this one, just adding BBs to the amphibs, along with all the rocket ships. Several hundred should die at each landing. They, plus all the ASW and mine warfare escorts, and possibly cruiser based ASuW groups will be in the same hex together until the last possible moment and then fragment apart to their final destinations. Something like 8 fleet carriers and 6 CVLs will escort these. I have four CVEs at Adak, while I was ruminating over a Kuriles invasion, but I'll bring them back. One of those regiments got withdrawn recently anyway, I believe, so I can't really think along those lines for the time being.

Addu's a little while also, as I still need prep time here and I have to accumulate some more transport, as I've shipped off most of my assault transports to the Pacific.

Looking at NE India, it appears Tezpur is unoccupied. I have an armored regiment by itself speeding to Diampur. It may make life hard for anyone that ways, supply-wise. I could cut off Chittagong and Cox's Bazaar doing this too. If they meet any real resistance, I'll bring them back. Purely a reconnaissance in force operation.

If your landings do not conquer an island immediately you will need to replace the BBs and LCI(R)s in your TFs for a second day of landings. Keep the reserve ships in the hex but not part of any transport/amphib group so you can swap them for the ones with empty magazines.

[Sangeli]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy
If your landings do not conquer an island immediately you will need to replace the BBs and LCI(R)s in your TFs for a second day of landings. Keep the reserve ships in the hex but not part of any transport/amphib group so you can swap them for the ones with empty magazines.

I understand that after a day of bombardments that BBs will run out of ammo for their main guns, but what advantage is there in removing it from the amphib group but keeping it in the same hex? Even if the BBs can only use their AA guns against the defenders that still seems better than keeping them out of the battle as they can draw fire away from the transports. Seems to me if you're going to remove a BB from an amphibious group, your best option is to get it rearmed ASAP to get their main guns firing again.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Sangeli

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy
If your landings do not conquer an island immediately you will need to replace the BBs and LCI(R)s in your TFs for a second day of landings. Keep the reserve ships in the hex but not part of any transport/amphib group so you can swap them for the ones with empty magazines.

I understand that after a day of bombardments that BBs will run out of ammo for their main guns, but what advantage is there in removing it from the amphib group but keeping it in the same hex? Even if the BBs can only use their AA guns against the defenders that still seems better than keeping them out of the battle as they can draw fire away from the transports. Seems to me if you're going to remove a BB from an amphibious group, your best option is to get it rearmed ASAP to get their main guns firing again.

I just did not bother to mention the obvious next step after the swap - to send the BBs for replenishment of ammo. The LCI(R)s might have to wait until some empty amphibs are going back to get escorted away.

[Mundy]

18 May 1944
He took another shot at Calcutta. The end is neigh. Back to bombardments this turn, but I wonder why at this point, since he has the magic 3-1 advantage.

Ground combat at Calcutta (52,37)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 95094 troops, 1131 guns, 1084 vehicles, Assault Value = 2674

Defending force 48551 troops, 1037 guns, 475 vehicles, Assault Value = 813

Japanese adjusted assault: 2962

Allied adjusted defense: 125

Japanese assault odds: 23 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), disruption(-), preparation(-), fatigue(-)
experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
1116 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 116 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 5 destroyed, 21 disabled
Guns lost 16 (2 destroyed, 14 disabled)
Vehicles lost 41 (11 destroyed, 30 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
1864 casualties reported
Squads: 20 destroyed, 133 disabled
Non Combat: 24 destroyed, 22 disabled
Engineers: 7 destroyed, 11 disabled
Guns lost 50 (22 destroyed, 28 disabled)
Vehicles lost 16 (13 destroyed, 3 disabled)

Assaulting units:
Guards Tank Division
58th/C Division
5th Division
21st Division
2nd Tank Division
18th Division
58th/A Division
6th Guards/B Division
38th Division
6th Guards/A Division
34th Division
58th/B Division
6th Guards/C Division
18th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
14th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
26th Air Defense AA Regiment
35th JAAF AF Bn
5th Mortar Battalion
45th Field AA Battalion
40th Field AA Battalion
7th JAAF Base Force
62nd JAAF AF Bn
3rd Air Division
Southern Army
10th RF Gun Battalion
16th AA Regiment
30th Fld AA Gun Co
54th Field AA Battalion
85th JAAF AF Bn
44th Ind.AA Gun Co
1st Medium Field Artillery Regiment
48th Field AA Battalion
29th Fld AA Gun Co
50th Field AA Battalion
15th Army
3rd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
3rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
8th Field Construction Battalion
96th JAAF AF Bn

Defending units:
1st Marine Division
24th Infantry Division
3rd Marine Division
Americal Infantry Division
7th Infantry Division
33rd Infantry Division
25th Infantry Division
632nd Tank Destroyer Battalion
2nd USMC Tank Battalion
181st Field Artillery Battalion
226th Field Artillery Battalion
205th Field Artillery Battalion
3rd USMC Tank Battalion

I've been suffering nightly ship bombardments from a cruiser heavy force for the last 2-3 weeks, but as of late, they've hovered around 100 casualties per night. Diminishing returns, I guess.

I've repaid him this turn at Vizagapatnam. Cocanada's tempting, but he keeps all his planes here.

Night Naval bombardment of Vizagapatnam at 42,37

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-84r Frank: 30 damaged
Ki-84r Frank: 4 destroyed on ground
N1K1-J George: 52 damaged
N1K1-J George: 2 destroyed on ground
Ki-46-III Dinah: 5 damaged
Ki-46-III Dinah: 1 destroyed on ground
A6M8 Zero: 29 damaged
A6M8 Zero: 3 destroyed on ground

Allied Ships
BB Richelieu
BC Renown
CL Mobile
CL Birmingham
CL Columbia
CL Santa Fe
CL Montpelier
CL Denver
CL Phoenix
CL Helena
DD MacDonough
DD Aylwin
DD Phelps
DD Reid
DD Cassin
DD Case
DD Mustin
DD Hutchins
DD Conner
DD Fletcher

Japanese ground losses:
213 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 13 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 4 disabled
Guns lost 14 (1 destroyed, 13 disabled)
Vehicles lost 6 (2 destroyed, 4 disabled)

Manpower hits 6
Resources hits 1
Fires 2513
Airbase hits 24
Airbase supply hits 7
Runway hits 40
Port hits 15
Port fuel hits 5
Port supply hits 4

BB Richelieu firing at Vizagapatnam
BC Renown firing at Vizagapatnam
SOC-1 Seagull acting as spotter for CL Mobile
CL Mobile firing at Vizagapatnam
CL Birmingham firing at Vizagapatnam
CL Columbia firing at Vizagapatnam
CL Santa Fe firing at Vizagapatnam
CL Montpelier firing at Vizagapatnam
CL Denver firing at Vizagapatnam
CL Phoenix firing at Vizagapatnam
CL Helena firing at Vizagapatnam
DD MacDonough firing at Vizagapatnam
DD Aylwin firing at Vizagapatnam
DD Phelps firing at Vizagapatnam
DD Reid firing at Vizagapatnam
DD Cassin firing at Vizagapatnam
DD Case firing at Vizagapatnam
DD Mustin firing at Vizagapatnam
DD Hutchins firing at Vizagapatnam
DD Conner firing at Vizagapatnam
DD Fletcher firing at Vizagapatnam

I'm shuffling some troops around in North India. I found a division up there, which I split for garrison work, as I've been dealing with discontent in some of my cities. My roving armored unit is a day from Rangpur. Once taken, I'm railing some troops from Nagpur over to sow more mayhem in that area.

Further east, I took a shot at Tarawa. I got only 1-2 odds, but I did plenty of damage, eliminating one Japanese unit. Air has been prepping them good the whole time.

Morning Air attack on 18th Garrison Unit , at 136,128 (Tarawa)

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 39 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-25H Mitchell x 9

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
61 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x B-25H Mitchell bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 500 lb GP Bomb

-------------------------

Morning Air attack on 4th Ship Engineer Regiment, at 136,128 (Tarawa)

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-25H Mitchell x 6
F4U-1 Corsair x 9

No Allied losses

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

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x B-25H Mitchell bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 500 lb GP Bomb

Also attacking 53rd Naval Guard Unit ...

-------------------------

Morning Air attack on 53rd Naval Guard Unit, at 136,128 (Tarawa)

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 65 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 18 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-25D1 Mitchell x 12
B-25G Mitchell x 6
F4U-1 Corsair x 8

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
134 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x B-25D1 Mitchell bombing from 8000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 500 lb GP Bomb
6 x B-25G Mitchell bombing from 8000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 500 lb GP Bomb

Also attacking 18th Garrison Unit ...
Also attacking 80th JAAF AF Bn ...
Also attacking 11th RF Gun Battalion ...
Also attacking 53rd Naval Guard Unit ...

---------------------------------------------

Morning Air attack on 53rd Naval Guard Unit, at 136,128 (Tarawa)

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 21 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-25G Mitchell x 9

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
65 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x B-25G Mitchell bombing from 8000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 500 lb GP Bomb

-------------------------

Morning Air attack on Tarawa , at 136,128

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 64 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 30 minutes

Allied aircraft
F6F-3 Hellcat x 9
TBF-1 Avenger x 16
TBM-1C Avenger x 8

No Allied losses

Airbase hits 5
Runway hits 25

Aircraft Attacking:
8 x TBF-1 Avenger bombing from 5000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 500 lb GP Bomb
8 x TBM-1C Avenger bombing from 5000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 500 lb GP Bomb
8 x TBF-1 Avenger bombing from 5000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 500 lb GP Bomb



---------------------------------------------

Morning Air attack on Tarawa , at 136,128

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 14 minutes

Allied aircraft
SBD-5 Dauntless x 15

Allied aircraft losses
SBD-5 Dauntless: 1 damaged

Aircraft Attacking:
8 x SBD-5 Dauntless releasing from 3000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 1000 lb GP Bomb
7 x SBD-5 Dauntless releasing from 2000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 1000 lb GP Bomb

Ground combat at Tarawa (136,128)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 7776 troops, 235 guns, 255 vehicles, Assault Value = 202

Defending force 7375 troops, 70 guns, 21 vehicles, Assault Value = 99

Allied adjusted assault: 81

Japanese adjusted defense: 153

Allied assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 4)

Combat modifiers
Defender: forts(+)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
1076 casualties reported
Squads: 15 destroyed, 38 disabled
Non Combat: 15 destroyed, 12 disabled
Engineers: 5 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 11 (2 destroyed, 9 disabled)
Units destroyed 1

Allied ground losses:
154 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 48 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 12 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 39 (3 destroyed, 36 disabled)

Assaulting units:
4th USMC Tank Battalion
147th(Sep) Infantry Regiment
111th(Sep) Infantry Regiment
763rd Tank Battalion
251st Field Artillery Battalion
97th Field Artillery Battalion
17th Marine Defense Battalion

Defending units:
1st Engineer Co
18th Garrison Unit
53rd Naval Guard Unit
11th RF Gun Battalion
4th Ship Engineer Regiment
80th JAAF AF Bn

I think this will be wrapped up sooner rather than later.

[Sangeli]

Nice! Seems you turned the tide at Tarawa even though the Japanese were committing cruisers to its defense. Also, I noticed that your Tarawa invasion force lacks any unit with engineers. That explains why you have yet to reduce the fort a level. You'll still win in the end but its going to take longer than it would have otherwise.

[Mundy]

Yeah, I threw this one together on a shoestring based on what was available at Christmas Is. Earlier, I was happy to turn Baker around, which I thought was a lost cause. Simply feeding supply while stopping his did the trick.

I'll have plenty of engineers for the Marshalls.

I'll have more Divisions to throw into this. A new USA Para division (11th, I think) recently showed up in the States and is waiting at San Francisco for transport. Another division will appear within a month or so. At this point, I'm willing to drop two per island. Lots of armor are at Pearl, training for this also.

Colombo taught me that overkill works. That was a model event thus far.

[Mundy]

21 May 1944

After a few attacks on Tarawa, I'm resting my guys a couple days. Fatigue and Disruption are edging into the 20s and 30s. I just bombarded last turn and it did massive damage, which was unusual. Air's been chipping away, too.

Ground combat at Tarawa (136,128)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 1020 troops, 139 guns, 39 vehicles, Assault Value = 82

Defending force 4661 troops, 52 guns, 21 vehicles, Assault Value = 19

Japanese ground losses:
257 casualties reported
Squads: 17 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
147th(Sep) Infantry Regiment
4th USMC Tank Battalion
111th(Sep) Infantry Regiment
763rd Tank Battalion
251st Field Artillery Battalion
97th Field Artillery Battalion
17th Marine Defense Battalion

Defending units:
53rd Naval Guard Unit
4th Ship Engineer Regiment
18th Garrison Unit
11th RF Gun Battalion
80th JAAF AF Bn

Tanks arrived at Rangpur. Hopefully supply will stop to Chittagong and Cox's. They're off towards Dimapur now to the east.

At Calcutta, I'm on my last legs. They should fall within the next turn or two. All the artillery and armor there has long since surrendered.

Ground combat at Calcutta (52,37)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 96106 troops, 1129 guns, 1083 vehicles, Assault Value = 2757

Defending force 32439 troops, 757 guns, 212 vehicles, Assault Value = 248

Japanese adjusted assault: 3489

Allied adjusted defense: 41

Japanese assault odds: 85 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), disruption(-), preparation(-), fatigue(-)
supply(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
491 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 46 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled

Allied ground losses:
1933 casualties reported
Squads: 194 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 38 disabled
Engineers: 8 destroyed, 9 disabled
Guns lost 79 (10 destroyed, 69 disabled)

Assaulting units:
58th/B Division
58th/C Division
Guards Tank Division
18th Division
6th Guards/B Division
58th/A Division
21st/B Division
38th Division
34th Division
5th Division
6th Guards/C Division
6th Guards/A Division
21st/A Division
2nd Tank Division
21st/C Division
48th Field AA Battalion
40th Field AA Battalion
15th Army
5th Mortar Battalion
3rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
3rd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
16th AA Regiment
Southern Army
30th Fld AA Gun Co
62nd JAAF AF Bn
26th Air Defense AA Regiment
54th Field AA Battalion
50th Field AA Battalion
29th Fld AA Gun Co
7th JAAF Base Force
3rd Air Division
44th Ind.AA Gun Co
18th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
45th Field AA Battalion
14th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
35th JAAF AF Bn
8th Field Construction Battalion
85th JAAF AF Bn
1st Medium Field Artillery Regiment
10th RF Gun Battalion
96th JAAF AF Bn

Defending units:
7th Infantry Division
33rd Infantry Division
Americal Infantry Division
25th Infantry Division
1st Marine Division
24th Infantry Division

Intel shows CF moving AA and a base unit towards Tinian. Prepping for the future, I guess.

[Mundy]

I forgot to mention...

CV-13, Franklin showed up in Panama the previous turn. Once assembled, I think that puts me at 9 fleet carriers, not counting CVLs. Some will need some repair work on reaching Pearl.

I have a 1/350 kit of this ship waiting in the stack. 1944 setup, not the final 1945 version. She'll be wearing Measure 32 splinter scheme, and not her final all-blue Measure 21. I'm kind of sick of all-blue ships at this point anyway.

I could probably face KB at this point. I would prefer to do it before CF (I know he's not "CF" anymore, but it's burned into my head) starts filling them with A7Ms. Zekes can be dealt with.

XX Bomber Command is now in Ceylon, which should help out the B-29s as they're attached to this command. 20 AF will be arriving in India proper pretty soon.

[Mundy]

23 May 1944
CF explains how his end of Calcutta played out. Seems obvious in hindsight.

Well, the moment I spotted the first ships I moved my reserves (already in strategic mode) towards the coast. The 10.000 was probably accurate but I used Calcutta as a logistic center so the only problem I had when your objective became clear (a few days before they landed, moving very slowly....) was troops not being prepped for the hex..... Couldn't hold DH but you allowed me to close behind you....

After the landing you should have had some troops defend the rear and try to envelop the city... That would have made my life much, much more difficult....

Tarawa finally falls...sorta.

Ground combat at Tarawa (136,128)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 7170 troops, 241 guns, 253 vehicles, Assault Value = 105

Defending force 4253 troops, 58 guns, 21 vehicles, Assault Value = 28

Allied adjusted assault: 43

Japanese adjusted defense: 9

Allied assault odds: 4 to 1 (fort level 2)

Allied forces CAPTURE Tarawa !!!

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

Japanese ground losses:
1226 casualties reported
Squads: 28 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 40 destroyed, 19 disabled
Engineers: 3 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 38 (35 destroyed, 3 disabled)
Vehicles lost 18 (18 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
167 casualties reported
Squads: 7 destroyed, 12 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Assaulting units:
147th(Sep) Infantry Regiment
111th(Sep) Infantry Regiment
4th USMC Tank Battalion
763rd Tank Battalion
97th Field Artillery Battalion
251st Field Artillery Battalion
17th Marine Defense Battalion

Defending units:
18th Garrison Unit
53rd Naval Guard Unit
4th Ship Engineer Regiment
11th RF Gun Battalion
80th JAAF AF Bn

---------------------------------------------

4th Ship Engineer Regiment Wiped Out at Tarawa by attrition!!!

---------------------------------------------

18th Garrison Unit Wiped Out at Tarawa by attrition!!!

---------------------------------------------

11th RF Gun Battalion Wiped Out at Tarawa by attrition!!!

---------------------------------------------

53rd Naval Guard Unit Wiped Out at Tarawa by attrition!!!

Allied Unit(s) surrounded at Calcutta

There's one unit left -- probably a combat unit. They should die next turn. I've about 23,000 in supply there right now, thanks to my keeping it up. Assault transports I had at Maloelap are heading over to pick everyone except the Defense Battalion up and get them out. Three CVEs are with them. The fourth is crippled and docked at Maloelap. I have a 55,000 ton ARD enroute to help with the hull damage before getting her back to Pearl. Another CVE is enroute from Portland for Pearl, too.

The XX Bomber Command is at Trincomalee. This seems odd, but I'm wondering if it's already helping heal the out of action planes there. Every B-29 squadron is suddenly at strength 6 or 7. Some of them were down to 1 or 2 before, and were going to take 14 or more days to get repaired. Every other bomber squadron is put under their command now. I can spare it, since I have over 10,000 PP in the bank. Most of them were 10th AF, so they got a discount. With range 5, every base on Ceylon is covered anyway.

More units at Calcutta surrender, leaving one left. They should be done tomorrow. My rogue armor in the north is making good headway.

[Mundy]

26 May 1944

I need to post before my thread runs off the page.

After taking Rangpur, Gardner's Horse Tank Regiment has grabbed Tezpur. They're now headed SW towards Comila. I'm under the impression that apart from Calcutta, Vizagapatnam/Cocanada and Ranchi, the Japanese are spread out rather thinly in India. I'll be grabbing everything I can that's unheld or weakly held. My 29s hit Rangoon again, leaving 33 out of the 200 refineries intact. I'm reluctant to hit Magwe again, even though he appears to have only a dozen fighter based there. Rangoon doesn't seem to be concerning my opponent right now. Maybe he's content shipping oil. There are refineries at Magwe and maybe they're doing the job. I may make a max-altitude run of Magwe to see how that works.

It's taking forever to get the combat units pulled out of Tarawa. Motorized transport seems to be the biggest culprit there.

Most of my transports from Ceylon have been reaching Panama and are proceeding to Pearl. I've moved most of my assault units for the Marshalls to Lahaina from Pearl to help with the overstacking issue there. I was over by like 120,000 and was getting the yellow exclamation mark.

Supply in India is easing up with only a couple bases in the yellow or red. Patna's having issues even though Benares is good. Another 100k convoy is on the map, with a few more enroute off-map. I've packed up another for Colombo. About one out of every five or six head there.

My fleet carrier TF from Colombo is taking a long time to reach Panama. Some of the cruisers in this group ran themselves out of fuel, so everyone's creeping and I can't reassign ships in this state. Stupid oversight on my part. I probably cut them loose after I had run out of fuel at Cape Town earlier. Since then, I've had convoys from Eastern US keep it stocked up. I'm running another out of the UK to see if that's quicker.

[Mike McCreery]

You keep putting the wrong year on your posts... LOL!!! It's making me do a double take ;]

[Mundy]

Sorry... 1943 did seem to last forever.

27 May 1944

Forgot to mention that before I hit Rangoon's refineries last turn, I did use the vaunted B-29 mining capability there. They probably dropped a thousand mines there. It took only about two days to get results.

TF 208 encounters mine field at Rangoon (54,53)

Japanese Ships
DD Kuroshio, Mine hits 1, heavy damage

1 mine cleared

I'm guessing that one mine was cleared personally.

One of the night fighter squadrons I have at Pearl has upgraded to P-61. At this point I'm wondering if they'll ever see action as very little has happened at night.

Magwe actually has 27 fighters based there. Still toying with a max altitude raid. I'll rest a few turns before deciding.