Tristanjohn vs ChezDaJez: Lemur's Scen 15

[Tristanjohn]

Next to be attacked was a supply convoy in the Indian Ocean in transit for Australia. The air demons this time descended from out of the sky off a raider task force situated somewhere to the northeast. Damage was heavy. In the same action, surface warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy caught four unfortunate stragglers within range of their guns and regrettably sent each one to the bottom.

[Tristanjohn]

In London, Winston Churchill, prime minsister, was asked what his government intends to do about this situation. Losses along the convoy routes linking India with Burma and Australia have become increasingly and unbearably high, and the public asks, where are the warships to protect these vulnerable lifelines?

In response, Mr. Chruchill replied, "We have not yet begun to fight!" at which curious comment a number of the attending press personnel were observed to scratch their heads.

[Tristanjohn]

5 May 1942

The Japanese raider force which attacked the Allied convoy to Australia on 4 May continued to harras these ships yesterday.

[Tristanjohn]

In Burma, Allied bombers out of Chandpur once again pounded the lead elements of the Japanese effort to overthrow the defense at Akyab.

[Tristanjohn]

Meanwhile, Swordfish torpedo bombers out of the Andaman Islands found and damaged the battleship Ise off Victoria Point. In total, three hits were reported on this enemy vessel.

[Tristanjohn]

6 May 1942

The enemy kept the pressure up in the skies over Akyab yesterday, as Japanese fighters swept over the airfield to do battle with the defenders. Losses by the Allies were reportedly light.

[Tristanjohn]

Westfield, Alabama -- UPI

A crowd of astonished parents yesterday watched 11-year-old baseball phenom Willie Mays lead his Westfield Plumpjacks Junior League team to a 23-6 win over the visiting Moonlight Casabas. The young Mays totaled seven hits, including three doubles and two home runs, and made one spectacular catch in the outfield, to lead his nine to its crushing victory.

"I just wanted to do well for my team, and especially for my parents on my birthday," Mays said afterward.

[Tristanjohn]

7 May 1942

Allied bombers resumed their attacks on the Japanese cross-country advance toward the port city of Akyab. In a related story, Tokyo Rose was heard to say on her regular broadcast that there is no truth to the rumors that these heroic soldiers refuse to march under such harsh conditions.

[Tristanjohn]

Over Akyab, another incursion of Japanese fighters was beaten off yesterday, this time with what were reported to be serious losses to the Japanese. Allied casualties were negligible.

[Tristanjohn]

Hudson bombers out of Darwin attacked and damaged enemy shipping off the port of Bulla yesterday. The Japanese transport Taigen Maru was said to have been struck three times.

[Tristanjohn]

8 May 1942

Allied fighters roared down to treetop level over the countryside southeast of Akyab to take shots at the Japanese force advancing there. They were opposed by enemy fighters and gave as good as they got.

[Tristanjohn]

10 May 1942

Authorities reported yesterday that a Japanese submarine was attacked and sunk some 100 miles southwest of Port Moresby.

[Tristanjohn]

11 May 1942

As it stands now the Allies are in pretty good shape all things considered. Our strategy to date might be characterized as being somewhat fabian of nature. We more or less just surrendered the Southern Resource Area, offering nothing better than token resistance, meanwhile we consolidated what early assets were available to us from out of this region into northern Australia, where, running west to east, the ports of Broome, Derby, Wyndham and Darwin present a staunch barrier to any intentions the Japanese might entertain about moving farther south than Timor Island.

In Papua new Guinea the line has been drawn at Port Moresby, which is stoutly defended both on the land, on the sea and in the air. A token force garrisons Milne Bay on the tip of the bird's tail. The Japanese have made only one serious overture in this direction, and they were spanked hard for their effort. I expect to see more aggressive moves by the enemy in this sector, but for the past two weeks this front has been mainly quiet, which has in turn allowed the Allies to build up its defenses and develop these two bases further still.

Townsville and Brisbane on the Australian eastern shore are heavily defended, with a strong presence of both air and land forces defending each. Cairns to the north is being developed rapidly while inland at Charter Towers another air base stands ready to aid in any crisis.

In New Caledonia, the port of Noumea is fully developed and stocked with all the necessaries of war. To the northeast, Luganville in the New Hebrides is being rapidly developed into a major airfield.

The central Pacific has been quiet. The Allies stand firm at their westernmost base on Baker Island. which serves as a lookout in the region and which might be used later as a linchpin for any offensive moves in this area. This base was attacked once by the Japanese but this invasion was easily repulsed. To the east, and forming a protective arc for Pearl Harbor, stand the lookouts of Midway Island to the north, Johnston Island to the west and Palmyra Atoll to the south.

Alaska is occupied by strong forces. The defense runs from Kiska Island on the western tip of the Aleutian Island chain all the way back to Anchorage. With bombers and PBYs prowling the skies here, an all-encompassing air umbrella of around-the-clock reconnaissance has been effectively established from the far north, through the central and south Pacific regions, and from there on into Australian waters. Formed in conjunction with a comprehensive line of submarine pickets, this line of "seeing eyes" ensures the Allies will have ample early warning of any enemy transgression of this far-reaching front.

Losses in shipping, however, have been heavy. To date the Allies have lost 111 merchants, nine troops ships and two tankers to hostile action. Four submarines (two American S-boats, two Dutch) have slipped beneath the waves. Fourteen destroyers are gone, eight light cruisers will never sail again, one heavy cruiser has been struck off the list, and one battlecruiser along with two battleships are no more. Thankfully, the Allied merchant marine can afford to sustain its losses, and it is felt our warship casualties have not been excessive to this juncture.

Japanese losses in merchant shipping have been a disappointment. (Allied submarine doctrine is toggled on.) Only 13 troop ships and two merchants have been accounted for to date, with the majority of this tonnage lost to 500-lb bombs flown from our bases in northern Australia. One Japanese attack transport was netted in the abortive attempt to storm Baker Island, this ship being ripped open by a Mark 16 mine, and another was chalked up at Koepang when an Allied raiding force caught the Japanese unloading in port (this maru ate a 21" Mark VIIc torpedo from a British cruiser).

On the positive side, a total of 17 Japanese submarines have been sunk, including 13 I-class boats. Also, the Imperial Navy has suffered the loss of 12 destroyers, four light cruisers a heavy cruiser, one battleship and an APD.

In all, the Allies feel confident that the day of reckoning for the Imperial Japanese is not far around the corner. Meanwhile, we hold on.

[jwilkerson]

Looks like you've come through the "storm" pretty well off. Just watch your VP levels ( that is if you're playing a game in which your opponent might accept a VP victory ) you're sitting at about 2.5 : 1 ... but your opponent has to get this up to 4-1 by 1943 ( end of 1942 ) in order to get an "automatic" victory. And given that his "fun time" is almost over - that won't be easy. By August anyway, you should be in the drivers seat ... you'll have the TBFs on the carriers and lots of 4E bombers to control whatever areas they can reach. So your opponent has not quite 2 months to try to approach the 4-1 level ... and then try to hold it until the end of the year. And those are tall orders. So look like this one is probably "in the bag" !

[Tristanjohn]

ORIGINAL: jwilkerson

Looks like you've come through the "storm" pretty well off. Just watch your VP levels ( that is if you're playing a game in which your opponent might accept a VP victory ) you're sitting at about 2.5 : 1 ... but your opponent has to get this up to 4-1 by 1943 ( end of 1942 ) in order to get an "automatic" victory. And given that his "fun time" is almost over - that won't be easy. By August anyway, you should be in the drivers seat ... you'll have the TBFs on the carriers and lots of 4E bombers to control whatever areas they can reach. So your opponent has not quite 2 months to try to approach the 4-1 level ... and then try to hold it until the end of the year. And those are tall orders. So look like this one is probably "in the bag" !

I'm not sure what Steve would do in the event he had a 4:1 VP ratio come the end of 1942. For my part, I couldn't care care less about the "points" but instead only concern myself with the situation on the map vis-a-vis my OOB and supply.

I agree with your assessment that Allies at this moment look to be home free. However, there is no telling what might happen in China and India. From what I've read those theatrers are wide open to Japanese aggression due to Gary's design, so in terms of game "points" there's still a ways to go here.

I'd change a few things next time around as the Allies now that I've played the game once up to this date, but by and large I've merely reacted to what the Japanese side has done while concentrating on several key points for my defense, all with the long-term view of being able to strike back one day. And strike back we shall! [:D]

[Tristanjohn]

13 May 1942

A series of bomber runs out of Derby and Darwin yesterday laid ruin to the airfield on Koepang, with "destruction as far as the eye could see" as one of the pilots put it. First the Dutch Martins and Australian Hudsons roared in to soften them up.

[Tristanjohn]

Next it was the turn for the B-17s out of Darwin, who unleashed hell on the enemy below.

[Tristanjohn]

And at end of day they had only left destruction in their path.

[Tristanjohn]

After lunch, Hudsons based on Espiritu Santu went after enemy shipping spotted off Lunga Roads on Guadacanal Island in the Solomons, this time finding and damaging the tanker Nissyo Maru. With their victim burning and helpless behind them, these valiant warriors safely and gladly returned home.

[Tristanjohn]

Hi, Folks! We'd like to thank you all for visiting our movie house tonight. And as a final treat, we thought you might enjoy a short we've put together of Japanese highlights for the past week.