War in the Pacific as the Japanese Planned It

[herwin]

November 9/10 1942

My opponent's comment: "KB is like "El Cid", the rumour of its appearing scatters the moors of sight."

He should look behind him. A carpet of submarines is forming up. See James Schmitz, "Lion Loose".

The shipping around Kirakira, etc. departs. The three heavy American CVTFs head for Pearl Harbor and refit. The Eastern Fleet heads to Noumea to be a presence.

[herwin]

November 11/12 1942

The S-18 launches 4 torpedoes at the Kaga. Damn, missed!

He's attacking a SAG at long range. Minor splinter damage. I need to provide some air cover at Horn Island.

He pulled off a surprise attack at Kirakira.

[herwin]

November 12/13 1942

Rather that hunkering down at Prome, the IJA punches out trying to limit supply to the IA forces near Rangoon. IA reinforcements are arriving.

A whack-a-mole ASW exercise is underway off the channel leading to Rabaul.

Shock attack at Hankow not a good experience for the IJA

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1
 
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), preparation(-)
Attacker: shock(+)
 
Japanese ground losses:
      7073 casualties reported
         Squads: 312 destroyed, 356 disabled
         Non Combat: 81 destroyed, 73 disabled
         Engineers: 11 destroyed, 44 disabled
      Guns lost 68 (16 destroyed, 52 disabled)
      Units destroyed 2
 
 
Allied ground losses:
      2333 casualties reported
         Squads: 10 destroyed, 229 disabled
         Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 47 disabled
         Engineers: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled

[herwin]

November 13/14 1942

A nuclear battleship bombardment at Kirakira. (See my old sig.)

Night Naval bombardment of Kirakira at 116,140
 
Allied aircraft
      no flights
 
Allied aircraft losses
      TBF-1 Avenger: 52 damaged
      TBF-1 Avenger: 5 destroyed on ground
      F4F-3A Wildcat: 8 damaged
      F4F-3A Wildcat: 2 destroyed on ground
      SBD-3 Dauntless: 47 damaged
      SBD-3 Dauntless: 6 destroyed on ground
      F4F-4 Wildcat: 9 damaged
      F4F-4 Wildcat: 2 destroyed on ground
      PBY-5 Catalina: 2 damaged
      PBY-5 Catalina: 2 destroyed on ground
      PBY-4 Catalina: 2 damaged
 
Japanese Ships
      BB Hyuga
      BB Ise
      BB Yamato
      BB Mutsu
      BB Nagato
      CA Kako
      CA Furutaka
      CA Kinugasa
      CA Aoba
      CA Kumano
      CA Suzuya
      CA Mikuma
      CA Mogami
      CA Myoko
      CA Chikuma
      CA Tone
      DD Akebono
      DD Oboro
      DD Amagiri
      DD Yugiri
      DD Sagiri
      DD Asagiri
      DD Ayanami
      DD Shikinami
      DD Hatsuyuki
 
 
Allied ground losses:
      1098 casualties reported
         Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
         Non Combat: 23 destroyed, 71 disabled
         Engineers: 7 destroyed, 30 disabled
      Guns lost 5 (1 destroyed, 4 disabled)
      Vehicles lost 12 (3 destroyed, 9 disabled)
 
 
Airbase hits 34
Airbase supply hits 11
Runway hits 71
Port hits 42
Port supply hits 5

[herwin]

November 14/15 1942

The floating crap game and nuclear battleship bombardment moves on to Rennell Island.

Night Naval bombardment of Rennell Island at 113,140
 
Japanese Ships
      BB Hyuga
      BB Ise
      BB Yamato
      BB Mutsu
      CA Kako
      CA Kinugasa
      CA Aoba
      CA Kumano
      CA Suzuya
      CA Mikuma
      CA Mogami
      CA Myoko
      CA Chikuma
      CA Tone
      DD Akebono
      DD Ayanami
      DD Shikinami
      DD Hatsuyuki
 
 
Allied ground losses:
      30 casualties reported
         Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
         Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
         Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
 
 
Airbase hits 1
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 15
Port hits 3
Port supply hits 2

[herwin]

My opponent carpetted the way into Rabaul with ASW to allow his SAGs and CVTFs to get in safely. I need a plan B.

[herwin]

Relatively quiet.

[herwin]

November 17/18 1942

Marginal advantage to the allies in the air.

[herwin]

November 18/19 1942

The USN CVTFs enter Pearl Harbor for refit.

Allied night bombing in Burma reduces the industrial base and destroys aircraft on the ground.

[herwin]

November 19/20 1942

A few Tonies tried to cover Rangoon during my night bombing run.

I tried to sneak a regiment into Rennell Island and was hit by a large number of carrier aircraft, apparently based at Munda. What about a night bombardment?

On the other hand, I'm now able to consistently destroy four times as many Japanese aircraft as I lose. I'm not sure exactly how--they appear to be mostly ground and ops losses.

[herwin]

November 20/21 1942

Updated to latest beta patch

Japan still takes 22 air losses to my 14--lots of Tonies (13). I wonder how long this will continue before my opponent notices.

[herwin]

November 21/22 1942

The KB has come out to play again.

5 Vals lost sinking a light patrol craft at Rennell Island.

Kweilin falls.

Still shooting down more than I'm losing.

[herwin]

November 22/23 1942

If his BBs bombard Kirakira, he's in for a surprise. If he heads back, he's also in for a surprise.

His BBs do try to bombard Kirakira and my transports weren't away yet. [:(]

On the other hand, Arleigh Burke leads his destroyers into close combat with the Japanese carriers.

Wild turn...

I lose 8 aircraft and destroy 21. I wonder how long until he notices he's losing 20-30 aircraft a turn, and I'm losing about 10-15.

Very wild turn. Got confirmation that the Zuikaku was sunk. One of my destroyers managed to hit the Akagi--pity it was a 5" shell and not a torpedo. He has a heavy SAG currently at Tulagi--I had laid a large minefield at Kirakira, and he may have run into it. The KB is currently on the way back to Rabaul and is surrounded by a half dozen subs.

He's been running 20-30 aircraft losses for the last week, while I've been mostly staying in the single digits. I gave my heavy bombers in Burma a couple of days off, and they're about to start hitting Magwe at night, where most of his bombers and fighters are based. How quickly does this sort of imbalance become apparent?

[herwin]

November 23/24 1942

More attrition. A Japanese reinforcement convoy for Munda runs into a submarine wolfpack.

Five Zeros lost shooting down two F4Fs, while an ACM is attacked and sunk.

A total of 23 Japanese air losses and 12 Allied.

A few Japanese heavy ships are loitering off Tassafaronga. Last turn they were at Tulagi. I wonder why.

[herwin]

November 24/25 1942

Japanese light SAG enters Terapo Harbor. My local SAG needs to intervene, and my covering aircraft need to be prepared for Betty strikes.

More USN SS attacks are successful.

The Southern Burma Corps was forced away from Rangoon. In Pegu, will head north to Toungoo. Myitkyina is invested.

Air losses: 16 Allied, 43 Japanese

[herwin]

November 25/26 1942

The Zuikaku is alive, off Kavieng, being heavily escorted. Time for a dozen local subs to converge!

The Japanese First Panzer Army (it is a Panzer Army in strength!) overruns an Indian division near Rangoon. I bet Hitler would have liked that force attacking the Soviet Union.

Not a good day in the air. I lost 32 aircraft--he lost 19, mostly P40Ks and Hurricane IIcs in Burma. I need to turn it around.

[herwin]

November 26/27 1942

The double dating is not because we're playing two-day turns. The date on the left is in Pearl Harbor and the date on the right is in Tokyo.

My opponent's comment for this turn:

"Except for land combat, everything went wrong this turn.

I hate subs.
I hate night bombing
I have bombers without fighter escort."

My initial response:

"It sounds like my wolfpack finished off the Zuikaku. [/align] I started using the night bombing because day bombing was losing too many aircraft.[/align] [/align] I was deliberately setting up fighter traps."

I discovered the Zuikaku bypassed my wolfpack, but a night port strike hit the Hiryu. So I added:

"I see the Hiryu took a hit. During WWII, when heavy bombers started port-striking a base, warships based there moved out. The chance of being bombed when immobile meant that ships could not tie up to the pier and refit. [/align] At least the Zuikaku seems to have survived."

I need to set up a barrier search north of Truk.

Summary of events:

I ejected a regiment from Terapo

Allied Deliberate attack
 
Attacking force 10234 troops, 126 guns, 21 vehicles, Assault Value = 343
 
Defending force 4753 troops, 42 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 135
 
Allied adjusted assault: 266
 
Japanese adjusted defense: 97
 
Allied assault odds: 2 to 1
 
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), leaders(-), preparation(-)
Attacker:
 
Japanese ground losses:
      2008 casualties reported
         Squads: 36 destroyed, 44 disabled
         Non Combat: 32 destroyed, 17 disabled
         Engineers: 2 destroyed, 4 disabled
      Guns lost 21 (8 destroyed, 13 disabled)
      Units retreated 1
 
 
Allied ground losses:
      146 casualties reported
         Squads: 0 destroyed, 22 disabled
         Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
         Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
      Units pursuing 2

Shwebo attack at 1-2, but Allied forces come out ahead in the exchange.

Myitkyina attack at 1-2, but reinforcements coming.

Bombardment near Magwe to the allied advantage.

Japanese invasion of Zamboanga.

Lots of ships in Rabaul.

Defensive minefield laid at Rennell Island--let the IJN try a BB bombardment there now!

Japanese air losses: 40 (25 Betties and Nells, 7 Tonies)
Allied air losses: 27 (11 P40Ks, 9 F4Fs)

Why are the P40Ks so fragile?
[/align][/align]

[herwin]

November 27/28 1942

The Zuikaku seems to have survived or at least holed up at Truk. I will wait in a barrier patrol to the north.

Allied air 15 losses; Japanese 21.

[herwin]

November 28/29 1942

My opponent is thinking about shifting to night ops.

Zamboanga falls.

Lautem falls.

Allied air losses: 23; Japanese: 31

[herwin]

November 29/30 1942

Japanese light SAG off Terapo. My light SAG is nearby--could there be an engagement? No. I need to replace the SAG commander.

Japanese bombard Pegu. Am I out in time? Looks like it...

Allied air losses: 44; Japanese: 30. Those P40Ks are delicate beasts.