Tocaff vs bigred

[bigred]

6-14-43: Last night was a sad evening for the allies as the Sangamon slipped under the waves just southwest of Monda. She had been heavily damaged by continued IJA air strikes from Rabaul. Then I22 put 4 torpedoes into her over another full day.

In other news, 35 B17's having rested for over a month, were redeployed to PM and seem to be having great success dropping 1000lb'ers from 15000 ft. at Kavieg. This base was thought to be the last safe location for IJN shipping with their 120 fighter garrison. At least 10 ships were counted burning in port.

[bigred]

I presume that all allied players have the same weapons available to them at this time in the game. Todd is a seasoned commander and I expect him to continue to scratch and bite.

[bigred]

Goodby Sangamon

[tocaff]

June 16, 1943

Our favorite lt. now finds himself with a rifle at Gasmata ans an small Allied recon force thought that they could make a grab for the island.  To their surprise a naval garrison was arriving at the same time. 

The situation is bleaker than bleak and I have no hope of hiding anywhere except for Truk.  The VP spread is shrinking rapidly.  The only good news is that BR still must come to me if he wants a win and the only bases that can give him the VPs that he needs are Lunga, Tulagi and Lae unless he wants Rabul or Shortlands too.  The little, lightly defended bases have done their jobs by diluting his efforts and resources.  With 6 months to go things are tough on both of us.

[bigred]

VP spread=3700
Spitefire and P47 just moved to Cairns. The sqn commanders thought Gasmata would make a good forward base of operations. Too bad the japs reacted, not much left to shoot at.

[tocaff]

Even BR's night attacks on my ports are killing what's left of the IJN.

A small force landed on Tulagi and bugged out before getting crushed.  Now BR knows that no small force will take the base that he needs there.

Blood, space & time....only a little over 8 months to go.  By then I'll have nothing left.

[tocaff]

I think that as we enter 6/43 and my ex newbie opponent BR continues having his fun I'm going to start a thread in the general area of the UV forum about the rookie errors he has and continues to make.  That is if BR will allow me to do this.  I think that it could be a usefull tool to help new players to get a better grasp on PBEM and how it differs from the AI.

I'll just wait for BR to give the OK to me for this.  It could take some time as he's busy trying to crush me.

I'll be back tonight or tomorrow with a report from Imperial HQ on the situation.  In the meantime I can say that our favorite IJN lt. has joined his new command (barge) and is weighing anchor at Gasmata as I type.  It'll be interesting to see if the 1st voyage is survivable.

[bigred]

An unexpected situation developed in the abortive tulagi campaigne. About 25% of the 2nd marine reg was loaded onto LCVP/LCI with a command to folow the minesweeper tf to tulagi. The minesweeper fleet made it to Tassaferonga in route to Tulagi. The invasion fleet did follow the minesweeper TF, but unloaded at Tassaferonga in the middle of the move to Tulagi. So I had to spend a turn at tassaferonga reloading this unit for the move to Tulagi.
Moving on to Tulagi, we hit a major mine field and started taking large barge losses.
16 of the 32 point attack force was casualties on the first day. The invasion fleet retired to Russell and then the IJA attacked the landing force after understanding the situation.
So a hasty evacuation was called and again the invasion fleet had to move into a major mine field to extract the unit. In the future a anti mine TF will have to clear the hex several days before an invasion

[tocaff]

You mean you let a little 'ole mine field slow down your plans?  Like I said blood, time and space...........

[bigred]

6-27-43: point spread=+3200 japan
2nd marines were sent from the Tulagi disaster immiediatly to Lambetta for an amphib attack. Reinforced w/ the 147th inf regiment and the 752 tank bat, Task force Lambetta made the invasion a quick 2 day event attacking one snlf force in a level 7 fort. A mine warfare TF was used to clear the path. The Snlf unit retreated into an adjacent hex, to be starved out of it's existance.



Sporatic naval air out of Rabaul continuies to attrit US naval transport shipping. "We never know when they will fly". Cpt. Thanos, 35th fighter(p38) Sqn, 15 kills, makes a personal note, "I haven't seen any Betty's, Kate's or Val's lately. Japs must not have anything left for me to kill."
In other news, SWPAC reports progress as 2 Div's move over the hump to Buna. Gen. Walter Kruger, denied command of US Army troops in Europe because of his german parents, looks forward to proving his ability against the IJA.

[tocaff]

Meanwhile our favorite IJN lt. has made a successful supply run in his barge and gotten new orders to report to HQs in Rabul.  Upon his arrival there he was order to Truk on the 1st available aircraft.  It was and interesting and scary ride for him as they just evaded an air raid by the Allied forces.  What lies ahead for him is anybody's guess. 

The Allied commanders are looking good as they don't have to worry about anything lately except what to hit next and with what forces.

Attrition is the name of the game now and life on Tulagi & Guadalcanal has become a forlon and hungry one.

[tocaff]

July 1, 1943

Tojo's office has sent a messenger to pick up the following report from IJHQs.

The Allied push is unrelenting.  Tulagi & Guadalcanal are cut off and awaiting the inevitable assault while getting attacked daily by air raids. 
New Britain is still ours as probes have been repulsed and again air raids occur all to often.
In PNG Buna is expecting a large attack force to be in position shortly.  There is nothing to do but wait and duck the bombs.
The Allies are estimated to have lost the following.

CV   6
CVE  1
BB   1
CA   8
CL   5
DD  56
PG   4
APD 10
AV   1
DMS  3
DM   3
MSW 14
AO   7
SS  18
PT  49
SC  21
TK   2
LST  6
LCI 15
AP & AK  66

Aircraft of all types 3609

VPs  15442/12249

With the time growing short BR is sure to pick up the pace and start hitting some of my larger bases.

Our favorite IJN lt. has arrived in Truk and is awaiting his next assignment.  He wants to serve on a warship and there are many of them sitting at anchor here and in Tokyo Bay.

[bigred]

Remaints of the SNLF force at Lambetta are being chased thru the jungle by fresh troops from the 43rd Div.  P47's and Spitefires are now on daily sweep missions over Rabaul.  Not sure about Buna attack.  The jungle really fatigued the troops crossing the hump.  Tokyo Rose keeps talking about the IJN riding into the sunset with all guns blazing. 

[tocaff]

Our favorite IJN lt., OK he has a name-Gyou Sato and he's from Tochigi, cools his heels in the hurry up and wait world of the Japanes military machine.  He spends his time writing letters to his family and longs for home.  What he doesn't know is that a certain ex commander of his hasn't forgotten him and has failed to get Gyou posted to Kiska. 

The war is going poorly for Japan now as the new aircraft type rolling out of America's factories are clearly superior to the Japanese planes and have made the skies and seas an unsafe place to be.  Allied ships have replaced those lost earlier in the war and are more capable of fighting today's war while the IJN plods along with little to augment her fleet.  Plan 123143 is still in effect though stalled as Allied gains continue to erode Japanese holdings.

As of July 8, 1943 the VP gap has closed to exactly 3K and is dwindling. 

I must sign off and learn how to pull a rabbit out of my hat.

[bigred]

9 july 43: 4e lrb's from Vila and Munda will make the first run over Rabaul today. The allied attack at Buna has stalled. 100 B25j make the 2 a day trip at 100ft to buna in support of ground ops. Noted 165 japs kia from the attack.
Allies are disappointed in the performance of the p47 and Spit8. Expected better results in a convoy cap at Kiwiwanda. Had to send a F4u sqn as backup. Lost 6 AK.

Bases available to be taken include lunga, tulagi, shortland, buin, buka, rabaul, kavieg, buna, dobadura, and all the vacinity of Lae. Expecty to close another 1000 points by end of July. VP count was exactly 3000 on 8 july43. Ike if you see this send me an email how to copy screen.

[bigred]

"All the bombs in the world and you'll still need inf to root me out." quote from Tocaff.
The thoughts of a veteran UV player.

[bigred]

10july43: first 200+ raid at Rabaul showed a 49% airfield damage report. Sopac has been ordered to divert forces to support Swpac. This is no longer a secret as the troops are poised to land in PNG and Tocaff has seen it coming. The early loss of allied lift capacity limits landings to one at a time.
I can now see how to develop a 2 front invasion lift capacity, but allied shipping must be protected early.

[tocaff]

July 13, 1943

Buna is hanging on by a thread and is about to fall.  This means that our troops adjacent to it will be next and then Lae would follow in the progression.

Lt. Sato has been issued orders to report to the 48th Barge Squadron HQ, pending further orders to be issued from Tokyo.  The officers at Truk HQs seem to think that he has friends is high places, but we know otherwise.  So lazing in the sun and writing letters may come to an end very soon for our unlucky slob.

[tocaff]

July 16, 1943

Buna has fallen.  The news out of Japan is about the glorious victory repulsing the Allied invasion.

Lt. Sato has gotten orders to report aboard CL Oyodo, commanded by Capt. K Fujimutsu.  It seems that a certain officer used to be assigned to Imperial HQs and is now in the Aleutians because an Admiral with a long memory asked about Lt. Sato.  Gyou now wonders what his assignment will be.  His staff experience will do him no good now and he hopes that his skills at a restaraunt, prewar occupation, will remain unknown.

Stay tuned UV fans as we watch the VP gap shrink to smaller & smaller differences.  If only the Zero was 1/2 as good as everybody thought.

[bigred]

6-10-43: Buna has fallen. With the help of the sopac 43rd Div and the 503rd Para regiment doing a mass tactical parachute assault.