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1/10/42
 
Cocos Aftermath:  Yeah, the garrison troops weren't elite.  The backbone - a UK brigade from 18th Div. - was just 40 experience.  I think I may end up being very glad that RA Mod doesn't give Japan the extra divisions of Scenario Two.
 
NoPac:  The Allied carriers moved WNW "blind."  I don't know what's out there, though my strongest guess is no more than the NoPac Mini KB that began the war crusing the Aleutians and then moved to Midway.  I don't like moving so blind, but feel that the odds are stacked in my favor.  (I need to add that I'm not even sure the Mini KB is up this far; it's just a possibility.) 
 
CenPac: QE is moving fast, due east of Pearl Harbor at the moment.
 
SWPac:  SigInt that an IJ Assault Division is on a maru bound for Carnavon.  Force Z and an American cruiser TF are patrolling those waters.  I know the DEI KB is up near Dem Passar, so I feel relatively comfortable.
 
DEI/PI:  John has some work to do to clean up this region.  A shock attack at Clark Field two days ago bloodied his army badly (John makes extravagant use of shock attacks - occasionally with good success [Cocos] but more often to get bloodied badly).  It's going to take him some time to attend to Clark, Singapore, and the remainder of the DEI.  I really hope he will attend to those to wipe some time off the clock.  I need some space to help Oz and India.

What, has peace premanently broken out in this game too?

1/11/42 to 1/15/42
 
Under the Weather:  Been feeling "puny" since Monday, keeping me from submitting my usual pithy, informative, and vibrantly entertaining AAR reports.  I'm feeling much better now.
 
The Calm Before the Sickness:  A week ago today, I took a day off to ramble through the mountains.  The day was typically gray and cold, and I didn't see another soul on a nine-mile hike on Pigeon Mountain. There were still two hours of daylight when I finished, so I drove the short distance to Chickamauga Battlefield, where I took black-and-white photos in the rain - part of a story I've been workin on for awhile.  Now that was the way to spend a day "at work"!
 
NoPac:  Under cover provided by the four American fleet carriers, two transport TFs unloaded reinforcements at Kodiak.  I half expected something to develop - like the lurking Mini KB sighted near Midway several times - but things have remained quiet.  I don't even think John has patrol aircraft at his Aleutians bases.  It does not seem that NoPac will be a major threat vector in this game.
 
CenPac:  No further signs of enemy carriers anywhere in the Pacific.  I know that the Mini KB, last sighted near Midway about a week ago, is somewhere close by.  The Pearl KB is totally unknown.  Last sighted moving north from Luganville weeks ago, this force could be anywhere now.
 
SoPac:  Quiet.
 
SWPac:  A fair amount of IJ activity around Rabaul with two combat TFs occasionally sortying towards Oz without effect thus far.
 
Oz:  A small IJN carrier force covering a landing at Carnovon caught sight of Prince of Wales and friends.  A few week strikes by Kates and Vals scored no hits.  I'm wagering that John will commit his carriers in force to take on the RN.  QE carrying part of 27th/A USA Div. is west of Tahiti now, bound for Melbourne.
 
DEI:  No further enemy landings of note.  The Allies made a brief stand at Johore Bharu before being pushed back into Singapore.
 
India:  This region is quiet and possibly will remain quiet unitl Singapore is vanquished (not a given, but a probability).  Americal Division will come this way via Capetown (two RCT are already en route).
 
China:  John has tried a couple more highly unsuccessful deliberate attacks.  I get the feeling that he isn't sure of himself in China.  When he suffers a bloody repulse, he waits for awhile and then attacks again under identical circumstances with identical results.  The Chinese MLR looks pretty good at the moment. 

Japanese Tsunami:  It may be a good tiem to address the Japanese tsunami.  A good Japanese player can pretty much overwhelm the Allies at any one point (or several points) early in the game.  The Allied player will do well to slow it, where possible and to get important assets the heck out of the way. It's important to identify where the tsunami is heading as early as possible to avoid getting overrun.  In my match with PzH, the main tsunami hit the Aluetians and coastal Alaska.  In this game, it came south into the DEI and then all the way to Cocos Island and environs.  I was doing a pretty decent job at getting things configured at Cocos, but did a poor job of detecing just how quick John was moving.  As a result, I lost most of 18th UK Division and a heckuva lot of small Dutch ships.  My feeble attempts to slow the tsunami failed - all I was doing was putting assets in harms' way with little chance of accomplishing anything.  John did a good job of not telegraphing his intent (like putting a bunch of subs there to start the game) to come for Cocos hard. 
 
I think the tsunami has now crested and is receding, though secondary waves will no doubt ensue.  There are a variety of ways for Japan to cobble together a credible AV threat.  Right now, I feel good about things in China.  There is no credible threat to North America or Hawaii at present.  Thus, India and Oz, the two traditional targets, appear most likely.  Right now, the Allies are vulnerable at both places.  It will be weeks before meaningful reinforcements can be brought to paly.  Thus, if John makes a big move early, the Allied response might be to counter with some major moves in the Aleutians.  Once we reach March, things will begin to change.  But for the next four to six weeks, that's my working plan.

Funny, I was about to suggest that if John is quiet in NOPAC, you should consider making some noise there. Even as a diversion, your play history means John will take any Allied moves in NOPAC seriously. OTOH, I think your main focus should be IDing John's "Phase II" target and marshaling reserves to meet that threat when it comes.

1/16/42 to 1/21/42
 
NoPac:  The Kodiak reinforcement mission went off without a hitch.  The American carriers have retired and will reach Seattle tomorrow.  (I don't think John knows there whereabouts; he might have some suspicions about this area, but I think he also believes they are perhaps in SoPac.)  American troops and ships are concentrating at Seattle.  This is in keeping with the plan to move into the Aluetians in response to any enemy move against Oz or India.
 
CenPac:  Quiet.
 
SoPac: The enemy is landing at Lunga and has combat TFs further to the SE.  Triomphant tangled with two IJN cruisers at Tabituea and actually got the better of them (I think they must have been part of a FT convoy).
 
SWPac:  The enemy has taken Milne Bay.
 
Oz:  A KB divisions showed up off Oz's SW Cape.  I was expecting that, though, so the area was clear.  SigInt that 12th IJN Div. is prepping for Newcastle.  That would be a silly expenditure of prep points, so it's probably a fake or a fake-fake. 
 
DEI:  Three IJN divisions were roughed up badly in crossing the causeway to Singapore on the 21st.  It's going to take Japan some time to handle this city, in part due to the extra supply the Allies were able to bring in at the opening of the war.
 
India:  Nothing major yet.  A IJN BB TF bombarded Sabang two days ago - the first real move into the Bay of Bengal area.
 
China:  The Japanese are having real problems getting untracked against the Chinese MLR.  As stated previously, I don't think John is strong at ground combat.  He's a navy man.

FYI, do you know the origin of the phrase "untracked?" That cliche always drove my fantasy football commissioner crazy (he would rant about it when announcers used it in a broadcast). We searched but couldn't find where the phrase came from.

On a more relevant note, in my experience you are right. John isn't thrilled with the China war, tries to achieve a few modest goals, then shuts down there. Given that conquest of China is all the rage in JFB circles these days, if you can hold a sustainable MLR there you will reduce the enemy's strategic options and increase yours for the mid to endgame.

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

FYI, do you know the origin of the phrase "untracked?" That cliche always drove my fantasy football commissioner crazy (he would rant about it when announcers used it in a broadcast). We searched but couldn't find where the phrase came from.

On a more relevant note, in my experience you are right. John isn't thrilled with the China war, tries to achieve a few modest goals, then shuts down there. Given that conquest of China is all the rage in JFB circles these days, if you can hold a sustainable MLR there you will reduce the enemy's strategic options and increase yours for the mid to endgame.

Seems to me it would be a railway term - instead of using the dreaded "crashed and burned" they just said the train became "untracked".[8|]

ORIGINAL: Cribtop
Given that conquest of China is all the rage in JFB circles these days

Hey-with all due respect, I enjoyed liquidating Chinese before liquidating Chinese was cool, Tex. [;)]

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

FYI, do you know the origin of the phrase "untracked?" That cliche always drove my fantasy football commissioner crazy (he would rant about it when announcers used it in a broadcast). We searched but couldn't find where the phrase came from.

On a more relevant note, in my experience you are right. John isn't thrilled with the China war, tries to achieve a few modest goals, then shuts down there. Given that conquest of China is all the rage in JFB circles these days, if you can hold a sustainable MLR there you will reduce the enemy's strategic options and increase yours for the mid to endgame.

Lots of theories.

Here's some taking it back to the late 19th C. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas ... untracked/

I think it's an eggcorn myself.

You started quite the trend, CB! [;)]

And thanks Moose. After reading that, I'm not sure anyone has really gotten untracked in their efforts to explain the use of untracked.

I haven't seen many moose 'tracks', but I bet they'd be hard to miss.

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

I haven't seen many moose 'tracks', but I bet they'd be hard to miss.

We eat a lot of fiber . . .

Has this AAR become 'untracked'?

ORIGINAL: pws1225

Has this AAR become 'untracked'?

Nah, but the fiber keeps it 'unpacked'. [;)]

1/22/42 and 1/23/42
 
NoPac:  The carriers are disbanded into port at Seattle and have upgraded all SBD-2 to SBD-3.  A handful of army units have arrives also.  The Allies are thus in position to move on the Aleutians should the need or opportunity arise, which I think will happen.
 
SoPac:  The Pearl Harbor KB showed up near New Caledonia and is moving SW (possibly as the eastern pincer in a movement paired with the DEI KB, which is south of Perth).  I now know where most of the Japanese carriers are.  An S-boat put two torps in CA Furtaka northeast of Fiji.  Several other enemy combat TFs are spread throughout the region.  Enemy subs are in force near New Zealand.
 
Oz:  QE just arrived at Melbourne and unloaded 115 AV of 27th/A Div.  John may be unfolding a plan to hit or isolate Oz, though it's too early to know for certain. 
 
India:  An Oz division will arrive at Aden in coming weeks.  This unit will likely report to Karachi.
 
China:  The Japanese blasted through a little roadblack SE of Changsha, which might ultimately force me to pull back into the urban MLR rather than trying to "contest forward" a hex or two.  I'll try to keep the enemy at bay awhile longer.

[quote]ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

  An S-boat put two torps in CA Furtaka northeast of Fiji.  Several other enemy combat TFs are spread throughout the region. 


That is pretty far away from any decent port for him... think Furtaka is in a really bad situation

Furutaka showed "heavy damage," but I'd wager 99% she survives to fight again.  This is one of those "wishful thinking" scenarios for the Allies.  You secretly harbor a firm hope that the cruiser was mortally stricken, but four months later she shows up in another fight.  That's exactly what's going to happen here.  Drat.

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Furutaka showed "heavy damage," but I'd wager 99% she survives to fight again.  This is one of those "wishful thinking" scenarios for the Allies.  You secretly harbor a firm hope that the cruiser was mortally stricken, but four months later she shows up in another fight.  That's exactly what's going to happen here.  Drat.

Well anyway it's a good feeling for the allies, in Jan 42, to nail a CA with a cheap S-boat. It's consider it a wonderfull gift![:)]

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Furutaka showed "heavy damage," but I'd wager 99% she survives to fight again.  This is one of those "wishful thinking" scenarios for the Allies.  You secretly harbor a firm hope that the cruiser was mortally stricken, but four months later she shows up in another fight.  That's exactly what's going to happen here.  Drat.

Well anyway it's a good feeling for the allies, in Jan 42, to nail a CA with a cheap S-boat. It's consider it a wonderfull gift![:)]

We all hate CAs. We should start a club, make T-shirts . . .