The Setting Sun: Rainer79 (A) vs. guctony (J), now with quiet China

[Rainer79]

Dec. 15th, 1941:

DEI:

More troops have come ahore at Batavia and once again the CD fire damages several ships.

The ground attack was a bloody affair and I fear that the dutch will not be able to hold much longer with these casualty ratios.

Ground combat at Batavia (49,98)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 14590 troops, 112 guns, 124 vehicles, Assault Value = 578

Defending force 19065 troops, 234 guns, 80 vehicles, Assault Value = 314

Japanese adjusted assault: 136

Allied adjusted defense: 137

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 0)

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

Japanese ground losses:
534 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 21 disabled
Non Combat: 15 destroyed, 26 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 19 disabled
Guns lost 1 (0 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Vehicles lost 29 (18 destroyed, 11 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
1609 casualties reported
Squads: 15 destroyed, 49 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 78 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 2 (0 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Vehicles lost 22 (2 destroyed, 20 disabled)



Malaya:

Quiet. The Japs are seemingly content to advance slowly here. A single unit has been spotted moving down the trail to Kuantan and even Alor Star is still in British hands. According to SIGINT reinforcement convoys are on the way though. The 8th British Bde also gets regular attention from Sallies and Lilies during its slow retreat towards friendly lines.

Both sides' subs are active in the area though. O-19 scored a hit xAK Kiyozumi Maru off Khota Baru while SS I-153 sank AK Hai Lee near Singapore.


China:

As expected two RGC divisions where easily retreated. Their combat value really is not that great. In return an IJA regiment took Kweiteh. The IJA's value sadly is much higher.

[Fishbed]

isn't landing on Batavia the very first day of the war a little... Gamey?!

[guctony]

ORIGINAL: Fishbed

isn't landing on Batavia the very first day of the war a little... Gamey?!

It can be according to where you stand up.

Answer
1) Before starting the Game Both side agreed on a freedom of action in the first turn.
2) Remember this is scenario 2. When an allied player prefers Scen 2 I think He is looking for early aggresion or more fun.
3) Historically I think it would be more profitable to make a dash then squize.
4) Well to balance the gamey part I purposely choosed to attack Batavia. It is the best defended area. There were many easy plots. I decide to pay for my early agression so far I payed more then I wished for.
5) I played Pac war alot in that game in the first turn you could have batavia, dacca or calcutta, palembang, Darwin, Port moresby, Guadalcanal, Attu in the first turn Now that is gamey but perfectly possible. Which is also possible In Witp AE.
6) I can say that if you have strategy and consistent action tru the game, things become tactics not "gamey"

[rattovolante]

Well as I see it in the real war, a fleet of CAs and carrier(s) sailing through the South China Sea before war was declared would have been highly suspect. Granted, I can only see this through Rainer's report, so I don't know exactly how large your fleet was, but in general I doubt surprise would have been achieved.

Note anyway that I don't know if historical surprise was on or off in your game. If surprise is off I don't see any problem (within the current game limitations).

In any case, the attempt is very interesting (why don't you make your own aar? ), even if I still think it's quite risky and overall not worth it to invade Batavia on d-day.

[Rainer79]

I had wished to avoid this exact debate. Some people will think it is gamey, some people think it makes for an interesting game. I decided to go with it as it as it was something new.

Surprise was "on" BTW although I don't think it mattered much. The dutch airforce can't hit the broad side of a barn initially.

[Rainer79]

Dec. 16th, 1941:

A relatively quiet turn.

Hong Kong: An Japanese shock attack came off at 2:1 against 1 forts so the garrison barely held. The independent battalions holding the line are clearly spent however and even the Kowloon brigade is starting to disintegrate. Note to self: battalions should not be used for lengthy combats as they don't have any staying power.


Batavia: Batavia also saw another attack. Even despite the bad odds they hurt the dutch more than the IJA. This time I also included the units involved in combat there.

Ground combat at Batavia (49,98)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 18099 troops, 136 guns, 48 vehicles, Assault Value = 534

Defending force 17903 troops, 234 guns, 78 vehicles, Assault Value = 243

Japanese adjusted assault: 83

Allied adjusted defense: 121

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 0)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(-), preparation(-), morale(-)
experience(-)
Attacker: disruption(-)

Japanese ground losses:
1042 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 61 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 75 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 41 disabled
Guns lost 6 (1 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Vehicles lost 25 (1 destroyed, 24 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
1660 casualties reported
Squads: 20 destroyed, 39 disabled
Non Combat: 15 destroyed, 67 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Vehicles lost 7 (0 destroyed, 7 disabled)


Assaulting units:...
22nd Recon Regiment...
5th Engineer Regiment...
15th Naval Guard Unit...
Sasebo 8th SNLF...
42nd Infantry Regiment...
I./143rd Infantry Battalion...
Yokosuka 4th SNLF...
Sasebo 3rd SNLF...
1st Tank Regiment...
16th Naval Guard Unit...
8th JNAF Coy ...
5th Field AF Construction Battalion...
7th Field AF Construction Battalion...
6th JNAF Coy ...
20th AA Regiment...
84th JAAF AF Bn ...
...
Defending units:...
4th KNIL Regiment...
2nd KNIL Regiment...
1st KNIL Landstorm Battalion...
1st KNIL Regiment...
1st Regt Cavalerie ...
Batavia Coastal Gun Battalion...
4th KNIL Landstorm Battalion...
Far East Cmd (ABDA) ...
1 ML-KNIL Aviation ...
KNIL Army Command ...
1st KNIL AA Battalion...
Merak Base Force...
Batavia Base Force...

[Fishbed]

ORIGINAL: guctony

ORIGINAL: Fishbed

isn't landing on Batavia the very first day of the war a little... Gamey?!

It can be according to where you stand up.

Answer
1) Before starting the Game Both side agreed on a freedom of action in the first turn.
2) Remember this is scenario 2. When an allied player prefers Scen 2 I think He is looking for early aggresion or more fun.
3) Historically I think it would be more profitable to make a dash then squize.
4) Well to balance the gamey part I purposely choosed to attack Batavia. It is the best defended area. There were many easy plots. I decide to pay for my early agression so far I payed more then I wished for.
5) I played Pac war alot in that game in the first turn you could have batavia, dacca or calcutta, palembang, Darwin, Port moresby, Guadalcanal, Attu in the first turn Now that is gamey but perfectly possible. Which is also possible In Witp AE.
6) I can say that if you have strategy and consistent action tru the game, things become tactics not "gamey"

I mostly agree as long as it's a gentlemen's game then, thanks for explaining your action [:)]
(just thought it may be someone taking advantage of an average player, but looks like you both know what you are in for. You're adults afterall, I'll just sit and enjoy the show, now that I know it wasn't a rape, just consented love [8D])

[guctony]

ORIGINAL: rattovolante

Well as I see it in the real war, a fleet of CAs and carrier(s) sailing through the South China Sea before war was declared would have been highly suspect. Granted, I can only see this through Rainer's report, so I don't know exactly how large your fleet was, but in general I doubt surprise would have been achieved.

Note anyway that I don't know if historical surprise was on or off in your game. If surprise is off I don't see any problem (within the current game limitations).

In any case, the attempt is very interesting (why don't you make your own aar? ), even if I still think it's quite risky and overall not worth it to invade Batavia on d-day.

There were three main Reasons For Batavia

1) As Rainer suggest it will cut him in to two. It is a very good air base
2) it is a Base you can go north or south
3) The thing is if you dont make advance movements early on pysclogically you are tend to move units in to more urgent areas. And they were actually "kendari and Batavia" were good baits. I hoped that he would try to attack with his limited cruisers so I would not chase them. But Interestingly even I was the strong side in every action I think I lost more. I put in to oven 2BB,6CA,4CL,8DD but I cost me more.

That was more then 3 I think.

By the way I also wanted to notify My opponent early on of my action style.

[Rainer79]

Dec. 17th + 18th, 1941:

Pacific: Ndeni is the lastest target of the Japanese war machine here. Strangely enough Tarawa has been ignored so far.


Malaya: A reinforced infantry regiment takes an undefended Alor Star.

I tried to send some AKs into Singapore to get out some fuel but Hiryu+Soryu pasted them on their way NE. The only good thing is that the carrier aircrews also suffered some losses.


DEI: The stalemate at Batavia continues as yet another attack fails. Still, the Dutch take about twice as many losses as the IJA and their combat power is melting away. The 6th Dutch regiment and an infantry battalion have arrived but now almost the entire combat power of Java is already committed.

On the bright side KXIV hits xAK Rokko Maru with a torpedo.

Another interesting fact for some players might be that AMcs do not survive a single 60kg bomb hit.


China: The situation here has somewhat stabilized as I found some good (=bad) terrain to defend. I don't expect to hold them forever but every little bit helps. The IJA has started moving some units towards Changsha as well, in addition to attacking in the north and chasing down partisans.

Hong Kong still holds. [:D]


PI: The screenshot shows the current situation here. So far both sides are content to bombard each other at Clark Field. I haven't decided yet whether to risk another deliberate attack or not.

B-17 raids against Palau and Legaspi sadly fail to do any worthwhile damage.

[Rainer79]

Dec. 19th + 20th, 1941:

Much teeth gnashing could be heard in the Asiatic Fleet HQ as dozens of torpedoes fail to explode. [:@] SS Stingray also got into a running gunfight with xAK Kokai Maru where both vessels took several hits.

DEI: Japanese troops invaded and seized Kuching (180ish AV) and Menando (~100 AV) without too much trouble. Hiryu and Soryu have also been spotted heading back towards Batavia.


SW Pacific: Another 140 AV stormed off their landing ships at Rabaul and took that base. Fortunately enough I (barely in time) managed to get the bulk of the Lark Force battalion away.

Another invasion fleet has been sighted near Milne Bay heading SW. Recon reports also indicate that they are covered by a flattop. I wonder if the target is Milne Bay or PM directly? Sadly there is not much I can do to oppose it.


China: The IJA continues to drive towards Yenan and forced the defenders back another hex. The next defensive line will be established behind the river.

At the same time the Chinese clear the area around Ichang where they opened a supply line to the city. The 34th IJA division was forced to retreat into a swamp which is an added bonus. At least in this area the situation should be under control now.

[Rainer79]

Dec. 21st, 1941:

SW Pacific: Looks like PM is the target as a mass of TFs has taken up station one hex away from the base. The supply situation is decent but I doubt there are enough troops here to hold a determined assault. No reinforcements have been sent except for flying in most of the outlying detachments.

Just as I am happy that the Lark Battalion got away, SS RO-67 comes and sinks the xAP carrying it. To add insult to the injury, the ship sank exactly 1 hex from a friendly port...


DEI: At least the Silent Service got lucky as well an hit 2 xAKs with a single torpedo each between Bormeo and Saigon. Hudsons attacking Manado also scored bomb hits on a xAK and a xAKL.


Burma: The Japanese have been bombing Rangoon for a few turns now and intermittently ran into the AVG which resulted in fairly decent exchange rate. The situation on the ground also got more interesting as now a single unit has appeared in front of Moulmain. I guess we'll see soon enough how much force has been committed here.

[Rainer79]

Dec. 22nd + 23rd, 1941:

PM: The expected/feared invasion did not materialize although 4 BBs (Ise, Yamashiro, Fuso, Nagato) and several cruisers (5 CAs, 2 CLs) proceeded to flatten the base. The IJN has assembled a lot of firepower in the region and it is definitely too much to handle for the ANZAC cruisers on their own.

Australia does need a lot of fuel though before you can operate strong USN TFs in the area regularly.


DEI: This area has become more quiet again. Near Terempa I've snuck in some Vildebeests which sank DD Shinonome and damaged 1 AK and one 1 xAK.

S-38 also sank PC Kaki with 2 torpedo hits.


China: Hong Kong fell to a 4:1 shock attack, freeing up another division for the Southern Area Army.


Pacific: A sinlge JNAF company seized Tarawa.

Near Ndeni CL Adelaide encountered 4 transports and lightly damaged one of them. The conditions were pretty bad (25% moonlight / thunderstorms) so I won't complain too much.

-----

Looking at the sub war so far I feel that playing with "reliable USN torpedoes on" would be virtual suicide for any Japanese player. Without duds I estimate you should be able to get ~80 sinkings during the first month alone which is simply not sustainable for the IJN. Currently there are about 2-3 failed attacks per day. And this is with a first turn attack on Manila harbor.

[Rainer79]

Dec. 24th, 1941:

It is Christmas and Japan has decided to be generous.

Southwest Pacific: Finally transports went in and unloaded the 4th Division plus some support units at PM. Allied AV is around 100 so there is no real chance to hold.

At least SS Trout found and engaged the Ndeni invasion force again. A xAK and a xAKL were hit by a torpedo each and should be dead, far from a decent port.


DEI: Simultaneously the 21st Division went to Batavia, covered by Soryu and Hiryu. Now the IJA should have enough combat power (960 AV) here to subdue the defenders (320 AV). I expect/fear that Java will be lost before the end of January.

At least the dutch PTs managed to sink xAK Asuka Maru during a nighttime raid.


Burma: Things continue to heat up here. A tank regiment (?) has arrived at Moulmain but the main thrust seems to coming west from Chiang Mai. Holding at Pegu looks attractive right thanks to the forced shock attack but it also terribly risky. More reocn missions have been ordered which hopefully can shed some light on the strength of the Japanese spearhead.

[Rainer79]

Dec. 25th + 26th, 1941:

PM: As expected the base fell with the first attack and the Aussies are on their way to Buna. On the 26th the enemy carrier(s) moved SW and sank an empty AKL near Cooktown. Thankfully there is not much there when/if they move south. Too bad that there is a such shortage of fighters down under or I would have tried my luck with a massive bomber strike.


DEI: Batavia barely held but forts are down to zero again. As I've been going over the KNIL airforce squadrons in preparation of their relocation, I've noticed that virtually all of them are permanently restricted and have to die in place. I could have really used them in Australia....


Malaya: The 41st Infantry Regiment entered Georgetown. There is nothing there except for the static fortress. All in all, the IJA is advancing only slowly in this theater and I hope to keep Singapore well into February.

Also the Royal Navy finally managed to evacuate the HDMLs to India. It is not an easy journey for craft with such a low endurance. The route Singapore - Georgetown - Victory Point - Tavoy - Rangoon is doable but they cannot quite reach Chittagong from there. They might have to suffer system damage from running out of fuel and "paddling" the last few hexes (I haven't checked how much) although letting them meet one of the small dutch AOs is less gamey and my preferred option. In any case, with an ASW rating of 8 they are far to useful to let them die in place.

[Rainer79]

Dec. 27th, 1941:

A good day for submarines (sadly more so for the IJN): While SS Grayling hits xAKL Katsura Maru with a torpedo I-162 sinks the small TK Iris near Medan. Then I-25 demolishes CL Adelaide near Suva by scoring 5 hits during 2 attacks . The ship of course sinks at the end of the day.


On the ground Batavia finally falls to a shock attack and roughly 10 000 KNIL soldiers have been lost during the retreat. The airfield symbol has lit up like a christmas day so what little traffic remains is even further at risk. More than 250k of fuel fell into the wrong hands with this capture. Once the IJA mops up the DEI that total will be more than 750k. That will help their economy for a while.

Ground combat at Batavia (49,98)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 28930 troops, 230 guns, 148 vehicles, Assault Value = 849

Defending force 18248 troops, 257 guns, 64 vehicles, Assault Value = 212

Japanese adjusted assault: 288

Allied adjusted defense: 113

Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Batavia !!!

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

Japanese ground losses:
1638 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 81 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 61 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 18 disabled
Guns lost 2 (0 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Vehicles lost 6 (1 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Units pursuing 1


Allied ground losses:
10376 casualties reported
Squads: 144 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 778 destroyed, 150 disabled
Engineers: 99 destroyed, 7 disabled
Guns lost 112 (109 destroyed, 3 disabled)
Vehicles lost 70 (70 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 11
Units destroyed 3


Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:...
Sasebo 3rd SNLF...
Yokosuka 4th SNLF...
5th Engineer Regiment...
22nd Recon Regiment...
I./143rd Infantry Battalion...
21st Division...
15th Naval Guard Unit...
Sasebo 8th SNLF...
42nd Infantry Regiment...
1st Tank Regiment...
16th Naval Guard Unit...
6th JNAF Coy ...
8th JNAF Coy ...
20th AA Regiment...
7th Field AF Construction Battalion...
5th Field AF Construction Battalion...
84th JAAF AF Bn ...
...
Defending units:...
4th KNIL Regiment...
Batavia Coastal Gun Battalion...
1st Regt Cavalerie ...
1st KNIL Landstorm Battalion...
Marinier Battalion...
2nd KNIL Regiment...
1st KNIL Regiment...
6th KNIL Regiment...
1st KNIL AA Battalion...
Far East Cmd (ABDA) ...
KNIL Army Command ...
1 ML-KNIL Aviation ...
Merak Base Force...
Batavia Base Force...


Here is also one of the more funny ground combat results in China:

Ground combat at 90,39

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 360 troops, 0 guns, 32 vehicles, Assault Value = 15

Defending force 8259 troops, 67 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 104

Japanese adjusted assault: 22

Allied adjusted defense: 7

Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
Vehicles lost 2 (0 destroyed, 2 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
3401 casualties reported
Squads: 104 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 221 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 5 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 8 (8 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 2


Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:...
5th Armored Car Co ...
...
Defending units:...
35th Chinese Corps...
13th Group Army...

---

Finally here is a breakdown of the ship losses (and their causes) so far.

Allies:
4 CLs, 6 DDs, 12 SS, 1 CM, 4 AM, 8 AMc, 1 PC, 1 HDML, 5 MTB, 2 ML, 13 PTs, 1 xAP, 12 xAK, 14 xAKL, 2 AO, 5 TK, 1 AG, 4 AVP

96 ships / 488 points

61 cm Type 93 Torp: 2
53 cm Type 95 Torp: 7
53 cm Type 89 Torp: 1
18 in Type 91 Torp: 15

36 cm / 45 41YT gun: 2
20 cm / 50 3YT-II gun: 6
14 cm / 50 3YT 25 deg gun: 1
14 cm / 40 11YT gun: 1
12,7 cm / 50 3YT T.B. gun: 2
12,7 cm / 50 3YT T.A. gun: 1
12,7 cm / 40 T89 AA gun: 3
12 cm / 45 10YT gun: 1
12 cm / 45 3YT gun: 4

250 kg SAP bomb: 23
250 kg GP bomb: 22
60 kg GP bomb: 3

destroyed while building: 2


IJN:

Due to FOW the real total will of course be different.

CV Akagi (unlikely), 2 CL, 6 DD, 2 SS, 3 DMS, 2 PB, 1 PC, 1 xAP, 7 xAK, 3 xAKL

20 ships / 156 points show up on the intel screen

21 in Mk. 14 Torp: 3
21 in Mk. 10 Torp: 4
21 in Mk. IX Torp: 1
21 in Mk. 8 Torp: 2
18 in Mk. XII Torp: 1
45 cm H1 Torp: 2

6 in / 45 BL Mk. XII: 3

1000 lb SAP bomb: 3
500 lb GP bomb: 2

120 mm CD gun: 2

VH Mk. II mine: 3
Mk. 6 mine: 1

DC rack / Mk. 7 DC: 1

[Rainer79]

Dec. 28th, 1941:

South(west) Pacific: The SSD comes ashore at Buna, cutting off the retreat route of the former PM garrison. Rescuing any of them now will be ...interesting.

At Suva two more subs (identified as I-15 and I-25) team up to sink the DD La Triomphant. The area around the Fijis is getting decidedly unhealthy for surface vessels. Hopefully some planes on ASW can help with that problem.


Luzon: The Japanese continue to advance from the south and will likely reach Manila within a week. Everything that still floats should be out of the harbor by then. When planning evacuations I learned that often damaged ships need a period of 1-3 days before they become operational again so waiting for the very last day to leave could be hazardous.

S-38 also sank xAK Hokumai Maru at Takao. 2 PBs on escort duty then proceeded to rough up the boat and it is unclear yet if it can reach a friendly port.

---

Minor complaint: loading motorized support from a small port takes a LONG time. Getting the engineering unit from Anette Island onboard an amphib TF took over a week and resulted in quite a few squads lost. I know that it is supposed to be tough but loading ~20 men/day into a dedicated AP is not very fast.

[Rainer79]

Dec. 29th + 30th, 1941

The end of the year draws near...

PI: The enemy southern pincer is now 1 hex away from Manila while the IJA bombards us at Clark. ~400 casualties per day are barely acceptable as the doesn't drop noticeable. The supply situation is not as great (25k at Bataan, 10k at Clark, 2k at Manila) as fort building seems to be pretty voracious so the USAFFE troops have been ordered to conserve their ammo. No signs of enemy activity have been sighted on the other islands yet.

A nuisance B-17 raid got lucky and obliterated an AMc at Legaspi. Payback for all the AMcs the Betties killed.


Burma: The 14th Tank Regiment, 112th Infantry Regiment and 55th Cavalry Regiment crossed the river at Pegu. More units are on the way but the defenders (a reinforced 1st Burma Division) will try to hold them here. I don't know if it is the best idea but I do not want to hand over Rangoon without a fight.


China: The northern IJA army seems intent on capturing Yenan and I've decided to let them have it. I'd rather have to troops on the road to Sian than in an isolated city of little worth to the war effort.

A counterattack near Changsha was stopped in the woods by 2 IJA divisions. 3000 AV don't even get a 1:1 against 950 AV of Japanese troops though at least the casualty ratio was acceptable for once.

The answer in China really seems to be to dig in in bad terrain and wait for artillery/bombers to kill you slowly instead of fighting the IJA in the open and dying more quickly. [:(]


DEI: Or should that read DIE? The troops from Batavia are nearly cut-off at Buitenzorg. Despite an open railroad link they refuse to execute a strategic movement out of the base into safety as the IJA spearhead reaches them. One or two more turns and will be truly cut-off. Getting them out of the pocket wouldn't change anything in the long run but at least could mean more prolonged fighting in the south (and hopefully more damage to the industry there).

Also in an impressive display of marksmanship a single Val hits xAK Nicholas van Vonn with a 250 kg SAP bomb and promptly sinks the merchant vessel. I'd rather not talk about the hit rate of the dutch bombers...

[Rainer79]

Dec. 31st, 1941:

The last turn of the year saw the IJN subs continuing their rampage around Suva. 3 different boats attacked and sank 2 AKs bringing much needed supplies, including a B-26 squadron. [:@]
All in all, Allied High Command believes that a total of 12-15 enemy subs operate in this area.

Also AV Langley set sail with 26 major flotation damage and promptly sank one day out of port. I think there were nearly 20 "temporary repair fails" messages in a row.

On the ground the IJA captures Batangas and Brunei.

---

Here is also a screenshot of the Japanese advances so far. They have seized good outposts in the DEI and also conquered the Solomon area and Noumea. The forces on Luzon will soon be reduced to Clark Field and Bataan while the pace of advance in Malaya is more sedate. I think that quite a few troops scheduled for Singapore have been diverted to other ventures. Burma and northern China are likely hot spots for the next month.

[Rainer79]

Jan. 1st + 2nd, 1942:

Sub warfare: The new year begins much like the old one ended. Japanese subs at Suva sink another xAK and also put a torpedo into AP Tasker H. Bliss. That one did hurt a bit as the supply of APs is rather limited. In response a RO-boat received light damage from depth charges and also one of the PBY crews claimed a hit on a surfaced sub.

At least the Silent Service also did some good work. Porpoise sank xAK Kasagi Maru near Hong Kong while Perch got into a gun battle with xAK Nitiho Maru. Both vessels received moderate damage.


Pegu: More troops arrive in Burma. So far it looks like my opponent has committed the 55th and Imperial Guard divisions plus a tank regiment. I've also received SIGINT intercepts that the 33rd Division is planning for Rangoon so it looks like that it will also soon join the fun. Still, the objective is to buy as much time as possible here since the Japanese overland supply link can't be good.


Luzon: The daily bombardments at Clark Field continue and Manila has been evacuated. Note to self: next game don't immediately move to Clark Field. Thanks to the bad terrain there you can't easily throw out weaker IJA formations. Fighting in the clear terrain around Iba/San Fernando might yield better results.


China: The Japanese attack across the front: Yenan (will be given up), Kanhsien (slight advantage for the IJA but reinforcements are on the way) and again Ichang (looks like they might have bitten off more than they can chew here though) are the targets.


DEI: Since they refuse to rail out, the Batavia garrison will have to stand and die at Buitenzorg. 3 SNLFs meanwhile advance down the coast and seize Kalidjati. I do want to hold Soerabaja at least until the arrival of CL Sumatra in less than 3 weeks as I assume that the ship would be destroyed if the base is taken before that date. It also looks like a lot of HDMLs are under construction in Singapore which would also be free points for the empire.

[Rainer79]

Jan. 3rd, 1942:

One more intrepid sub captain got his boat a trip to the repair yard by engaging a lone transport on the surface. This time even in daylight! Both Swordfish and xAK Tenzan Maru disengaged with light damage.

But the big news is this:

Ground combat at Ichang (83,48)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 61215 troops, 349 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1642

Defending force 19690 troops, 204 guns, 8 vehicles, Assault Value = 512

Allied adjusted assault: 677

Japanese adjusted defense: 169

Allied assault odds: 4 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: disruption(-), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
10926 casualties reported
Squads: 181 destroyed, 111 disabled
Non Combat: 146 destroyed, 168 disabled
Engineers: 16 destroyed, 13 disabled
Guns lost 20 (10 destroyed, 10 disabled)
Vehicles lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 7


Allied ground losses:
392 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 45 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 22 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:...
68th Chinese Corps...
8th Chinese Corps...
32nd Chinese Corps...
45th Chinese Corps...
67th Chinese Corps...
2nd Chinese Corps...
75th Chinese Corps...
26th Group Army...
...
Defending units:...
58th Infantry Regiment...
13th Division...
11th RGC Temp. Division...
13th RGC Temp. Division...
8th Ind. Engineer Regiment...
14th Medium Field Artillery Regiment...
15th Ind.Medium Field Artillery Regiment...

Central China has just earned itself a bit of breathing room. [:D]