June 24, 1942
Impending Doom?
1) Very busy turn. Have the next in the house already. Screen shot below is from it. I didn't mark it up (have a wedding to go to real soon today), but the important enemy TF is captioned. To the NW is the 32nd ID TF escorted by the RN carriers. It is making for Benkoelen; Oosthaven is off the table. Things didn't go well at Benk. today. More below. That IJN TF has the potential to take out the 32nd ID. I am very unsure of what to do--split off heavy escorts and move to fight, run away, land farther north and cut the 32nd off from its heavy gear already at PBang? I have to make the decision as soon as I get done here. Adding to the fun is that I think that TF contains Kaga; the Vals which attacked DD Tenedos (below) came from the Batavia vicinity by red vector line.
The TF with the hex trail west is CL Perth and CA Pensacola, running for the map edge. Pensie has 33 flooding damage, but it's at Mission speed taking the hit and making 21 kts.
Up north the TF off Benkoelen is a CL and 2 DDs which has bombarded the East Africans twice. Combined with three massive Helen/Sally attacks on the Africans they succeeded in ruining the Shock attack. I doubt I can take Benk. this turn either, which means 32nd has to do a combat landing. Unfortunately I think (have to check) they're in Strat mode. Seemed like a good idea when Oosthaven was the landing. There is enough escort in the Allied TF to mess up a CL and 2 DDs, so them hanging around makes me think Mike may not know what the escort situation is. He saw the TF with Glens out in the IO, but . . .
The next two turns will be decisive here. I doubt I'm going to run. My best recon shows the IJN carriers down at the tip of Java. The TF north of Java is BBs heading, I think, for Singers to reload.
2) The amount of sub action on both sides, all over the map, is insane right now. I won't detail it all because it's not been decisive. Allied boats get off multiple attacks, especially the Dutch, but nothing is hit. Lots of accumulated damage and Soerbaja is now in a position where the yards are unsafe. One Dutch O-boat took five rounds of increased flooding and probably won't make it.
RO-33 near Enggano sinks xAK Harmonides which was carrying the motorized support scraps for a heavy AA unit already at Pbang.
3) The Lone PT at Soerbaja ventures out again and attacks BBs and CAs. No hits, but she survives. 14 Vals try to sink a retreating DD Tenedos but all miss.
4) Soerbaja AF is swept and bombed again. So far the fort building is progressing. Probably won't make Level 6, but it will be close. The CAP is hanging on by its toenails.
5) In China the retreating forces from Chengtu are twice road bombed for 300 casualties. I'll remember this when it's time for payback. [:)] The stack advancing on Pegu is also hit hard for about 100. Pt. Blair is being left alone again.
6) Cats quietly begin lifting parts of 3rd Marine Raiders onto Makin. Japan never took this early target. This will just be a green square behind his advanced chain bases, but he will have to investigate. He can probably bomb them out, but he'll have to do that. The SSTs are moving to their first targets. More parachutists are landed on Eniwetok. A small surface TF is seen at Roi Namur; it will probably head to Eniwetok tomorrow. There is an EAB inbound from Wake and three USN DDs available to interdict a raid, but if he comes I'll lose ships. Heavier reinforcements are on the water, but days away. Carriers are also . . . not at Pearl Harbor. [8D]
7) The trailing Chinese corps moving through jungle towards Moulmein is caught and attacked from behind. They lose, but they take some Japanese with them. This is the kind of harassment these three are there for. If they die they go to Chungking. Any damage and distress they can cause ties down troops that can't go to Pegu/Rangoon.
Ground combat at 58,55 (near Rahaeng)
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 38284 troops, 360 guns, 153 vehicles, Assault Value = 1232
Defending force 5524 troops, 43 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 234
Japanese adjusted assault: 1344
Allied adjusted defense: 29
Japanese assault odds: 46 to 1
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker: shock(+)
Japanese ground losses:
389 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 54 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Allied ground losses:
2856 casualties reported
Squads: 40 destroyed, 213 disabled
Non Combat: 25 destroyed, 29 disabled
Engineers: 9 destroyed, 16 disabled
Guns lost 29 (7 destroyed, 22 disabled)
Units retreated 1
Defeated Allied Units Retreating!
Assaulting units:
12th Division
15th Division
57th Division
Defending units:
77th Chinese Corps
8) The failed attack at Benkoelen
Ground combat at Benkoelen (45,91)
Allied Shock attack
Attacking force 3900 troops, 88 guns, 48 vehicles, Assault Value = 105
Defending force 990 troops, 12 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 23
Allied adjusted assault: 5
Japanese adjusted defense: 7
Allied assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 0)
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), preparation(-), fatigue(-)
experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(+), disruption(-), supply(-)
Japanese ground losses:
29 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Allied ground losses:
119 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Assaulting units:
22nd (East African) Brigade
Defending units:
47th Naval Guard Unit