Japan has an Air HQ in Marshall’s with a group of Betty. So beware with that CA.
Hmm, a bit late now, as I've sent the CA nosing forward. Gulp.
I suppose it gives the game a nice historical flavour, as the commander would not have known that danger existed and might have blundered into it. I like to make the occasional blunder to give the game that feel of historical authenticity.
However even a dud on a Japanese Carrier makes them nervous. The MK14 torpedo was billed as an American wonder weapon and it turned into a blunder weapon for the 1st two years of the war.
I remember reading about the torpedo problems in a book called The Bravest Man, by William Tuohy. It's an excellent read, and was bought for me many years before I became interested in the Pacific theatre. At the time I was a European theatre tank guy, and spent all my hours playing Battlefront's excellent Combat Mission series of games.
It was Mike who got me interested in the Pacific.
Great book. Great submarine commander. Dick O'Kane was the US sub commander with the highest total of tonnage sunk.
He and Mush Morton, who was the commander of Wahoo when O'Kane served as exec, where the "models" for the characters in the John Wayne classic Operation Pacific.
Like another of my favorite war heroes, Pappy Boyington, O'Kane spent the latter part of the war in a POW camp after a circling torpedo took out Tang.
The Bravest Man is a great read and I highly recommend it.
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Like another of my favorite war heroes, Pappy Boyington.
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Mike's book collection also includes Baa Baa Black Sheep, about Pappy Boyington. Another superb read.
I should get Mike to post a picture of his Pacific War book collection on here. It's quite a sight. Matched only by his Pacific War boardgame collection.
ORIGINAL: MichaelU
Mike's book collection also includes Baa Baa Black Sheep, about Pappy Boyington. Another superb read.
I should get Mike to post a picture of his Pacific War book collection on here. It's quite a sight. Matched only by his Pacific War boardgame collection.
Boardgame collection??? I am not the last of the Mohicans, cool! I still have a few... around 60-70 wargames left, some of them from the 70's... AH, SPI, VG... and some newer stuff too. Alas, not much Pacific War stuff, mostly Europe.
Like another of my favorite war heroes, Pappy Boyington.
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Mike's book collection also includes Baa Baa Black Sheep, about Pappy Boyington. Another superb read.
I should get Mike to post a picture of his Pacific War book collection on here. It's quite a sight. Matched only by his Pacific War boardgame collection.
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Yep, I have that one too. Greg was a very humble and self-deprecating man, never failed to refer to himself as the drunk he knew himself to be.
Was interesting that he became a wrestling referee after the war.
Not much Japanese invasion action recently. What little excitement there is takes place at Palembang, where some troop unloading is met by the fearsome Banshees. Over two turns the xAKs Syoto Maru and Seizan Maru are hit multiple times, with troop casualties reported. The Dutch bombers have a go as well, but can't even hit a transport that is pretty much dead in the water.
Major bombing raids resume against Manila, so it looks like he is building up to another attach there. The defenders have every right to feel abandoned as the Bettys and Nells pound the city to rubble. We stood down all fighters some time ago, so the only aircraft in the sky are Japanese.
We get a bloody nose at Kaoping, where the 7th Group Army is pushed out of the mountain passes it had managed to hold for several days. After a softening up, a Japanese shock attack forces the passes open.
The road to Sian is open, but we are rushing another army group up to plug the gap. The idea is that as the outlying defenses get pushed in, we'll eventually end up concentrated on Sian. But we're trying to delay that moment for as long as possible.
The major surprise battle is the defense of Tarakan. Despite substantial reinforcements and some supporting bombardments from heavy cruisers, the attack is bloodily repulsed. Not sure how much longer the Dutch can hold out, but their tenacious defense has proved invaluable in terms of delaying the Japanese march down the coast of Borneo.
The Japanese attack again the next day, and are again beaten back at 1 to 2 odds, but with the losses more even this time. The attacker's AV went from 110 to 80, showing the damage done by the failed shock attack.
I've been waiting for the Japanese to reinforce Balikpapan, with PT boats and the Renown TF ready to strike, but it seems to be taking him forever to get there. Instead we remain content using the Dutch bombers to hit the oil fields, while the B17s focus on the Palembang fields. He still doesn't have enough air cover to stop us doing whatever we want to either set of oil fields.
The Japanese must have spotted the Dutch float planes operating out of the tiny base of Ketapang, on the western coast of Borneo. Lily's make a visit and find the AVP Orion, putting a single bomb into her. She is still afloat, but with fires at 85 and flotation damage over 50, I'm not giving much for her chances. It is so useful to have these stay behind AVPs to give us eyes into places where we no longer have functioning air bases, but it is risky.
There are two mine hits over the two days, both on Japanese subs, at Soerebaja and Batavia. He is testing our defenses, and paid for it. Batavia has been pretty much abandoned by shipping -- it is withing escorted Betty range, so we can't rule out a major strike on the port.
What we're really waiting for over this quiet Christmas/New Year 1941 period is to try work out where the Japanese are going next. KB has been missing for nearly a week. Sigint has proved useless in terms of giving us a heads up to future plans -- we're not getting any of the 'planning for' or 'loaded on' notes.
The U.S. carriers popped down to Brisbane to top up their fuel and air groups, and will head up to Townsville to meet up with the carriers that had been operating in the DEI. That will give is the Lexington, Enterprise, Indomitable and all the light carriers in one place, which should be enough to threaten any gathering of Japanese light carriers.
Well well, look who has turned up in the Marshall Islands. Our brave Catalinas flying from Ocean and Nauru Islands spot some carriers, and I can't think it can be anyone other than the dreaded KB. I wonder where this lot are heading?
What I am glad about is that I decided to not make a run against the transports at Jaluit with the CA Salt Lake, because that could have ended very badly indeed.
The sighting of KB, I am greatly thankful to Mike for spotting, has livened up an otherwise dull turn. We're sort of in waiting mode, trying to see where the next blow will fall. While we're doing better than we have any right to expect in the DEI, we know it is a matter of time.
The only useful sigint we get this turn is that the 24th Regiment is loading on ships at Badelboab. Unfortunately it doesn't tell us where the 24th Regiment is heading.
Japanese bombers, based probably out of Singakawang, are working over the western side of Java, no doubt trying to shut down our bombing runs on Palembang. There is also new air opposition there, with a squadron of Nates being the latest to get roughly handled by the incredible flyers of No 232 squadron. Flight lieutenant DJC Pinckney, known to his chums in the squadron as Pinkers, gets his seventh kill in 11 missions. Pretty impressive considering this isn't the usual 'shoot down Bettys' way of racking up kills. Every one of those was an enemy fighter.
Speaking of shooting down Bettys, there are enough fighters defending western Java to make sure the airfield hits are dearly bought. Ten Bettys are downed, although we do lose a Vildebeest and a Banshee on the ground at Batavia. The non-fighter air groups are pulled further back into Java as a precaution.
Manila is taking a pounding from the air, and it looks like its final doom is on the way. The below artillery heavy battle against a cut off division a couple of hexes away makes me think the Japanese will soon be rolling in the big guns to add to the devastation caused by the aircraft. Two mortar battations, a field artillery regiment and a heavy arty battalion. Ouch.
Assaulting units:
21st Ind Com Engineer Regiment
3rd Ind Com Engineer Regiment
1st Sasebo SNLF Coy
15th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
9th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
9th Field Construction Battalion
8th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
2nd Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
3rd Construction Battalion
56th Const Co
Here is the situation in Burma. He has pushed north with two RTA divisions which bloodily handled our poor units trying to hold the river crossing. He is also threatening a crossing at Pegu, where we have 220 or so AV soon to be dug into level 2 forts.
While we have plenty of supplies and some decent troop numbers, their experience levels are appalling. The defenders of Pegu have a median experience of 25, with just one unit at 40. When 40 experience are your veterans, you know you're in trouble. So while we'd normally laugh at a few RTA divisions, I'm not actually sure how we're going to stop them.
Because Singapore fell so swiftly I didn't even bother trying to reinforce Burma. With the troops he has freed up he could easily bypass it, or do a naval landing at Rangoon.
One thing that might help is that we have recaptured Moulmein. All his troops moved forward, which meant one of our units making a dash north up the coast walked into the city unopposed. They are currently drinking a whole Japanese regiment's sake supply.
Not sure how much impact this is going to have for the units near Pegu, who will have to get supplies via jungle porters until Moulmein is recaptured.
Our brief moment of optimism around Burma is brutally shattered after just one day. No sooner do the troops of the 6th Burma Rifles start tucking into their stolen sake horde than the 3rd RTA division steams back over the river into Moulmein, teaching them a good lesson why you shouldn't drink this close to the front line. Moulmein is Japanese once more.
The diversion of half the force to the south to deal with Moulmein has not dented the ardour of the enemy, who simultaneously cross the river into the much more crunchy defenders of Pegu. We have more troops, we have forts, we have a river. But none of that matters when your troops don't know which end of the gun a bullet comes out of.
And how long is it going to take to wipe out the 1st Raiding Regiment at Port Blair? About a week of attacks at 15-1 or better odds, and two bonbardment runs, and they are still hanging on. I guess this shows the value of quality. Still, they are showing minutes for fatigue, disruption and supply, and are doing no damage to the attackers, so we'll keep on pounding.
In other action, the deadly minefield at Bataan is cleared, but not before claiming its final victim, TB Kamo. SS O16 puts a torpedo into PB Eifuku Maru off Singkawang, while SS Pompano lobs a dub into the side of a transport just south of Japan.
The 8th Indian Brigade, part of the last Indian division still on the Malayan peninsula, gets badly handled as it tries to withdraw to join the rest of its division at Kuala Lumpur.
Lastly, KB has disappeared, after a brief cameo in the Marshalls. Curses, where are those carriers. Other than a small group of CVLs or CVEs we can see just off Singapore, we are down to guessing.
Been on a business trip, which can be quite busy, so the AAR had to go on the back foot somewhat. It has been a quiet few days, but I'll go through some of the highlights.
The 1st Raiding Regiment at Port Blair is eventually wiped out -- by attrition. The defenders of Port Blair go looking out on patrol looking for the last desperate remnants. But seeing the nature of their predicament, the Japanese troops have decided to take their own lives. Or maybe they just died of boredom, because about a week's worth of attacks at massively favourable odds had done almost no damage.
A transport group pulling to Palembang is Banshee'd, with one of two xAKs taking a few bomb hits. Even a Dutch bomber manages to get a hit in, a rare and beautiful experience. They had been covered by a group of Nates, but the incredible Pinkney leads his squadron into another round of slaughter, making double ace.
The Japanese make several small attacks in China, but always at odds slight in the Allies favour, and they lose a lot more troops than they kill. Not major numbers, but always good to see the Chinese holding their own. The worst is an attack near Sinyang, where the losses are 200-1700 in China's favour.
I really thought Tarakan would have fallen by now, but despite facing much stiffer opposition, the defenders manage to hold off two Japanese attacks, and give the opposition a bloody nose in the process. Really surprised by this.
All of the last week or so is something of a sideshow, because the real action is coming soon around Ambon in the DEI. A major transport group covered by carriers is coming to take the base. We're tired of being pushed around, so we're moving to counter.
Three carrier TFs, centred on the Enterprise, Lexington and Indomitable, will be taking up position south of Ambon to hopefully ruin the Japanese plans. We've also put about 100 land-based air into the area, split equally between fighters and bombers. So in total 380 Allied planes, versus an unknown number of Japanese aircraft. If it is the light carrier group we think it is, it will be 150-180 planes.
As well as the stuff in Ambon and Kendari, we also have B17s flying naval attack from Darwin. Most of the LBA is just a distraction really -- we'd be amazed to get even a single hit from them. But hopefully repeated attacks will run his CAP ragged and make it more likely that strikes from our carriers will get through.
Some Dutch CLs that had been docked at Kendari hoping for unescorted transports will make a suicide run to the north of Ambon. If we're really lucky we'll get in among the carriers and shoot up a few. If his carriers fall back to avoid a surface combat it could leave his transports as easy pickings. Or the poor Dutch may just provide extra targets and hopefully distract a few flights that would otherwise have gone after more valuable prey.
To say Mike and I are nervous would be something of an understatement.
If you left your old TBs on your CVs, you will want to get 4 hexes away from Ambon so they go after the Amphib TF. If your opponent knows anything about the CD guns there, he will have CA or BBs in those TFs. So at least you can go after those.
It is important for the Allies to set these traps and hope to sink the mini-KB or a division of the KB detached. The worst case scenario, would be if the entire KB and mini-KB showed up to spoil your welcoming party. Pins and needles.
It is important for the Allies to set these traps and hope to sink the mini-KB or a division of the KB detached. The worst case scenario, would be if the entire KB and mini-KB showed up to spoil your welcoming party. Pins and needles.
Gee, thanks a lot. We were already whimpering with fear, and now you have put this thought in our heads. [X(]
As for the TBs, we have taken off all the Devastators and replaced them with Marine squadrons of Wildcats or Dauntlesses. We do have quite a few Swordfish on the British and ANZAC carriers.
Gah, no turn. This could mean our opponent is a) staring numbly at his screen as he contemplates the wreck of his DEI plans b) having to step up his plans as he is no longer facing any carrier opposition c) happened to be a bit busy and couldn't get to the turn.
Now we have had an email from our opponent apologising that he is a bit slow in getting this turn back, and that he understands we might be anxious. Hell yes we're anxious. I have replied begging him to please send the replay, even if he can't get the turn to us yet.
No spoilers on how the fight turned out. Is his calm a brave acceptance of terrible defeat, or a noble effort to avoid gloating?
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