Day of Infamy AAR - Feinder vs. Ngineer (no Ngineers allowed)

[Feinder]

02-05-1942

Dutch East Indies

Our invasion forces approach Java. D-Day is next turn.

[Feinder]

02-05-1942

Burma

Burmese colonial defenders East of Rangoon are subjected to heavy bombing, and then a massive assault by our Infantry and Armor formations. The defenders are overrun, and Rangoon is surrounded. IJN naval units are deployed to interdict any reinforcements from arriving in Rangoon.

[Feinder]

02-05-1942

Strategic Map

Hot-spots indicated

[Feinder]

02-25-1942

China

Supported by Heavy Artillery, several Chinese Inf-Armies attack Wuhan. Our heavily entrenched defenders hold, inflicting modest casualties on the attackers. Our counter-attack however inflicts heavy losses on one Inf-Amry, forcing it to retreat, and a second Inf-Army is heavily mauled.

Our forces begin to advance towards "Secondary Supply" on the coast. I went ahead and pushed up the Garrison, to see if he would attack it.
a. If he attacks it, and drives it back for no damage, it's not a big deal.
b. If he attacks it, and he takes an SP of damage = Good.
b. If he doesn't attack it, it will be an additional unit that can either help reduce his supply by proximity, or move in if my assault units exhaust their movement points in attacks.

[Feinder]

02-25-1942

South Pacific

SNLF troops land at Guadalcanal unopposed, and secure the island. The Solomons surrender. Amphibious forces advance towards Rabaul; and our escorts are deployed to Coral Sea to block any further landing of troops at Rabaul.

[Feinder]

02-25-1942

Philippines

Clark field is bombarded by 2x BBs, and Yamato. 2x Tac-Bmbrs and then Inf-Army and SNLF attack, finally destroying the defenders at Clark field. As my planes were not intercepted, it appears that his fighters were withdrawn from Corregidor. Our SNLF forces also land SE of Manila, and advance of the peninsula. I'm hoping that Manila will fall next turn.

[Feinder]

02-25-1942

Dutch East Indies

SNLF forces land in Java, quickly securing the port of Bandoeng. Our second assault wave with Batavia as objective, suffers heavy landing casualties (-6 SP, ouch!). Our forces are attack the city, but are unable to breach it's defenses. We'll bring up our unit from Bandoeng, and have another SNLF-Div in reserve in Singapore. IJN forces blockade the waters around Java, hoping to catch the fleeing Dutch Navy.

[Feinder]

02-25-1942

Burma (and Strategic Map)

IJA forces assault Rangoon and quickly dispatch the cities defenders. Burma surrenders. Lead elements of our Tank-Div turn north, and make contact with a Brigade of Nepalese conscripts. We'll deal with them next turn. I pushed my submarine to near the Indian coast, in case he tries to use transports to push units into Calcutta or Chittagong. I don't know that Ngineer will, but he's more likely to hug the coast, than to push units in the open water due the thread of my Navy.

Added the Strategic Map here, since I'm only allowed 4x pics in the next post. Rangoon and Guad secured. Manila, Batavia, and Rabaul still in progress.

[Feinder]

02-25-1942

Losses, Builds, Research, Economy

Losses - The Philippine Inf-Corps, and Garrisons in Burma. Nothing major.

Builds - Built a CVL, due to arrive in August.

Research - You can see I'm researching Infantry Weapons, Fighters, Nav-Weaps, Nav-Con, and Production.

Economy - Adding more colonies is good... The -25 modifier is for building the Burma Army.

[Feinder]

For those in awe of the beautiful icons, they are "Spires Counter Mod" (I love them!). They can be found here:
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 3#p5179433

03-17-1942

Central Pacific

Well this was interesting.

After prowling the waters off Hawaii, I-19 had escorted Kido Butai as far as Wake; stopping to upgrade to use the new Type-93 "Long Lance" torpedoes. She is then ordered South to Tarawa to refuel, and then on to pillage the shipping lanes between the US and Australia. However, a few hundred miles north of Tarawa, I-19 stumbles upon an Allied Destroyer squadron, and is driven under.

With a positive contact report, Flying Boats from Ron-Namur sortie to attack the USN Destroyers. They are unaware that the DDs are part of a larger task-force, that includes a USN Aircraft Carrier and Heavy Cruiser. CAP from the Allied Carrier shoot down several of the flying boats. The flying boats are only able to damage a USN destroyer, but their primary accomplishment is to have spotted the presence of the USN task-force.

So as to not stay in the same place (as we are now likely targets of a counter-strike from the CV), the Flying Boats are re-located to Kwajalein (which also protects the NM objective). The SNLF-Div at Wake (also newly upgraded), are hastily loaded onto Transports and landed at Tarawa.

I'm unsure if this is
a. A "Reconnaissance in Force" into Marshalls/Gilberts.
b. Does he have Marines behind that TF with intent to invade either the Marshalls or Gilberts (yes, Ngineer is that audacious).
c. A transit of that TF to Australia.

He's come too close to simply be in-transit to Australia. My guess is, he's RiF on his way to Oz. But, if he does have a Marine-Div behind it, I don't want him getting any freebies.

[Feinder]

03-17-1942

South Pacific

Landings at Rabaul are able to quickly secure the facilities, and New Britian surrenders. The two CLs in the area are put into port, and our squadron of destroyers turns north towards the Home Islands for repairs.

I expect he's going to try to gather forces at Oz, to possibly check anything vs. Port Moresby. It also puts him a position where initial counter-assaults vs. Solomons and New Britain can be supported by Australia. At least that's the conventional move; and Ngineer is anything but conventional. "Unpredictability, is predictable." You take my meaning. He is certainly very capable of pulling off "Where the f_ck did that come from?!". So we'll see.

Presuming that his CV is heading to Oz (at least eventually), I have to 2x CLs, and 1x CA and 1x BB at Truk; along with some Medium Bombers. My CVs are all in Home Islands taking repair/refits, but he doesn't know that.

[Feinder]

03-17-1942

The Philippines

Now attacking from 3-sides, including many strikes by Tactical Bombers, the defenders of Manila are finally destroyed. I pushed the Inf-Army thru Manila, to gain the extra hex towards Corregidor. The Philippines surrender.

[Feinder]

03-17-1942

The Dutch East Indies

Ships of the Royal Dutch Navy sortie, but are intercepted at points along the blockade in the Java Sea.
RDN submarines are driven under north of Oosthaven. A squadron of fleeing destroyers is intercepted off Semarang, and sunk; and the Light Cruiser De Reuter is damaged and seeks refuge at Soerbaja.

Meanwhile, SNLF-Divisions launch an all-out attack on Batavia; the Dutch defenders finally surrender after a gallant defense. The Dutch East Indies surrenders.

[Feinder]

03-17-1942

Burma

Our ground forces continue the advance north into Burma. The IJA 1st Armored-Div destroys a Nepalese garrison/block unit, and continues to push towards Mandalay. Our advance reveals a squadron of Chinese Tac-Bmbrs.

Our own Med-Bmbrs from Rangoon sortie and attempt to hit the Chinese Bombers while on the ground, but RAF fighters out of Chittagong intercept the attack. Our own escorts tangle with the Allied CAP, and heavy losses are inflicted on both fighter formations. Our bombers hit the Chinese Tac-Bmbrs and return to base.

Note that a Chinese Inf-Army has been pushed south as well. I'm guessing there is a Chinese HQ behind it at Mandalay. That's ok. With both Dutch East Indies and Philippines fallen, we're able to now bring up heavier forces of our own.

[Feinder]

03-17-1942

China

Nationalist Chinese forces in the Center, retreat Wuhan, back into their prepared positions. After reinforcing, we'll move up to keep them away from the city proper (so that they don't reduce it as a supply source).

Our forces assault the town of "Secondary Supply" on China's coast, including a drop by paratroopers and an IJA Inf-Army. The Chinese forces hold, but only tenuously. Cut off, and now out of supply, they should fall next turn.

In the South, two Inf-Armies move out of Hechi and Liuzhou, and advance to the outskirts of Nanning. As our reserve troops for DEI are no longer needed, I pulled the SNLF-Div and Yamashita from Singapore, and advanced them to secure the right flank. Also, IJA Inf-Army in Malaya also sent by rail to secure the left flank. It's a bit of a heavy stack, but it should deter him. I wanted Yamishita and Inf-Army there anyway, he just sped up the deployment by a turn or three. Once he's beaten back, I'll pull the SNLF-Div for use elsewhere.

[Feinder]

03-17-1942

Strat Map

With the spotting of the USN Carrier TF, I thought I post a "what I have, and (generally) where".

[Feinder]

02-25-1942

Losses, Builds, Research, Economy

Losses - Units are from Philippines (under USA), Dutch (under Australia), and Nepalese (under Commonwealth).

Builds - Built a CV, due to arrive in June 43.

Research - You can see I'm researching Infantry Weapons, Fighters, Nav-Weaps, Nav-Con, and Production. Progress is never fast enough.

Economy - More colonies = More MPPs. The -25 modifier is for building the Burma Army.

[Feinder]

New sig test...

Tried the side-by-side, but I like the RNFB by itself better.

[Feinder]

Capt. Shogo Narahara of the IJN submarine I-19, glances around at the mix of ratings standing around him in the Control Room. Each is busy at his assigned task. Secretly, he is proud of all of them. His crew is one of the finest in the Japanese Navy, all of them now are seasoned veterans of the war with America that has now lasted 5 months.

“Bring me to periscope depth.” The order is echoed around the room, and promptly executed. In a moment, there are familiar popping noises as compressed air is forced into the ballast tanks. He can feel his feet pressing slightly into the deck plates as the boat begins to rise.

Glancing at his watch, Narahara is already in a foul mood. His steward, Petty Officer Ito, had just delivered his tea. It tastes as if laced with old coffee grounds and cigarette ash. His boat had been in constant service since November; first off the coast of Hawaii, and then ordered south towards the Allied shipping lanes past the Gilbert Islands.

With a grimace, he downs the cup of foul tea anyway. Tonight, I will call a drill for General Quarters, and Crash Dive. And even better, at 2am Local. Narahara imagined Petty Officer Ito being suddenly awoken by the loud klaxon, and then rolled out of his bunk and dumped onto the deck as the submarine takes a steep angle into the ocean’s depths. Inwardly, a slight smile creases only his soul; to the rest on the bridge, his face was a mask of marble.

“Up scope.” Peering thru the lens, a gray spray obscured the horizon. With a barely audible sigh, Narahara thought, It’s raining. In the North Pacific. Again. Captain Narahara leaned into the eye-piece, the all too familiar sight revealed in circumference as he steps slowly in a circle. Rain, and more rain.

Their patrol into the South Pacific, had been abruptly cut short. On his way to the shipping lanes, I-19 had run into what he thought was an Allied destroyer squadron, east of Kwajalein. He fired a spread of torpedoes into the formation, with a single large geyser erupting from one of the destroyers. His victim was observed listing heavily to port. But the hunter quickly became the prey. The other destroyers of the squadron quickly swarmed his position, driving him under. I-19 had been subjected to a furious depth-charge attack by the other three destroyers, lasting for almost 3 hours. Several depth charges had exploded dangerously close, including one near the bow. The doors to his forward torpedo tubes had buckled in the explosion. Fortunately, the torpedoes themselves had not detonated, although all six had been sealed in their mangled tubes like coffins. They had returned to port at Roi-Namur for to remove the volatile torpedoes and for emergency repairs.

The talk at Roi-Namur however, was that I-19 had actually stumbled upon a much larger American Task Force, having additional Cruisers and an Aircraft Carrier. Massive H8K "Emily" flying boats from the nearby airfield had attacked the Americans, but were driven off by CAP from the carrier. Everyone at the base was expecting the American carrier to launch a counter-strike, and the enemy planes might appear over-head at any moment. Having received orders to return to Japan for full repairs, Captain Narahara returned to the docks to “motivate” the repair crews so that he could get under way before the enemy bombers arrived. Make-shift plates now covered his boat’s crumpled bow, preserving its integrity, but rendering the vessel impotent to attack the Americans. The journey back to the Home Islands would be nothing more than a shuttle mission, recalling Narahara and his crew home for some much needed rest.

Their return northwards from the Gilbert Islands was long, and monotonous. Japan had dominated the first few months of the war, and the transit back to Japan was well within the perimeter of their conquests. Day after day, watch after watch, I-19 tread the hours closer to home. Narahara was rightly concerned, that such routine would dull their senses. And so he had ordered periodic drills to keep the crew alert.

Drawing nearer to Japan, the weather in the North Pacific is notoriously bad. His boat could make nearly 9 knots submerged. And thus Captain Narahara would run beneath the worst of weather, instead of fighting against the constant thrashing that would occur on the surface.

The weather seems to be clearing. Captain Narahara continued his gentle steps in a tight circle as scanned the horizon. Wait. There is something…

Narahara's jaw, made a slow almost imperceptible circular motion, as he ground his teeth. His doctor had chastised him that, grinding his teeth was bad. But it was Narahara's natural response to irritation and he didn't care anyway. He had been presented with the perfect target, but his torpedo tubes had been plated over.

Through the periscope, Captain Narahara can see the gray outlines of several escorting destroyers turning directly towards him. Narahara turned to Executive Officer, “Lieutenant. Send contact report. One American CV with escorts. Yorktown class. Our position. Heading is 315 at 31 knots. Launching 2-engine bombers. Sound General Quarters, and dive the boat.”

It was 2am Local. And Petty Officer Ito was startled awake by the loud klaxon, and unceremoniously dumped from his bunk onto the deck.

[Feinder]

04-06-1942

North Pacific

See fan-fiction from previous post. Anyway, I-19, the same sub that spotted the American TF off Kwajalein, was "cruise" back to Japan for repairs. It stumbled upon the USN carrier Enterprise, on the Doolittle Mission. However on cruise, no torpedo attack. So I thought fan-fiction would be a good explanation.

My first thought was "Sweet! An American carrier! Let's kill it!". On the plus side, I had all four CVs in ports along the Japanese coast. But... And as Tyrian Lannister said most eloquently, "Nothing said in front of the word "but", actually matters." But...

Only one of them, the Kaga was actually in range of the enemy carrier; which was ID'd as "Enterprise" by I-19 being adjacent. Of course, I had to take the strike. So went ahead and set Kaga to "mixed" and launched the strike. The results were "meh", I lost plenty of planes and only did one damage to the enemy carrier. My strike did however, reveal the position of a USN Heavy Cruiser, which DID happen to be in range of 2 of my other CVs (Akagi, Shokaku). I launched my second strike from Kaga continuing as mixed against Enterprise (you can't change after a strike), doing another 1-damage to Enterprise; but Kaga's air-groups were REALLY mauled at that point (having lost like 9? steps).

Suffice to say, Akagi and Shokaku made short work of the American Heavy Cruiser. My fourth carrier Zuikaku was coming from Nagasaki(?) on the far west port of Japan. So I cruised her up to join the rest of Kido Butai set to "Intercept", in case the Enterprise launched a counter-strike.

So thus the turn ended in the North Pacific. I was disappointed that I had not killed the American CV. But I took consolation in having at least sunk the escorting Heavy Cruiser, and probably made Ngineer soil his undies when watching the replay. I did NOT stop the Doolittle Raid, but it was really a one-in-a-hundred that I actually spotted the thing in the first place.

The other bit of very useful intel came from I-19 being parked next to Enterprise, he's already got tech Fighters-2. So that's good to know.