Gensui jdsrae (J) vs SolInvictus (A). IJ War Council room

[jdsrae]

Revenge!



AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Jul 10, 44
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submarine attack near Cochin at 28,40
SSX Ha-46 – no mother ship to return to and out of ammo. LT Hashii has some tough decisions to make about what to do next…
Allied Ships
KV Thyme, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
KV Thyme is sighted by SSX Ha-46
SSX Ha-46 launches 2 torpedoes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near San Francisco at 206,94
SS I-45
Allied Ships
DD Allen – should still be out of depth charges from previous contacts.
SS I-45 launches 2 torpedoes at DD Allen
I-45 diving deep ....
Sub escapes detection

OPERATIONAL REPORT FOR Jul 10, 44
D4Y4 Judy from K-102 Hikotai attacking an Allied SS at 125,45 near Shikuka
a Grampus class SS is reported HIT
SS I-6 sighted by Allied Aircraft at 167,51 near Chuginadak Island – moving to scout the Canadian Pacific coast, especially around Prince Rupert
F-5A Lightning sighted over 3rd Raiding Regiment
19 x Ki-49-II KAI Helen transporting 1st Raiding Regiment to Chiang Mai
25 x H8K2-L Emily transporting Southeast Area Fleet from Rabaul
6 x H6K4-L Mavis transporting 24th Air Flotilla from Ponape
Taung Gyi expands airfield to size 3
T-11 Hikotai on CVE Taiyo converting to size 27 from 18 – this recon unit is allowed to resize, but most others can’t. I’ve upped it to 27 so I can split it into 3x 9 plane squadrons. I’ve assigned it to 14th Air Fleet so it will move south to Ponape/Kusaie to get some eyes back on the Marshalls.
Hirippin JNAF Base Force - some devices have been upgraded at Clark Field
Nampo Shoto JNAF Base Force - some devices have been upgraded at Tokyo
4th Tank/B Division - some devices have been upgraded at Tokyo
4th Tank/C Division - some devices have been upgraded at Tokyo
40th JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Manila
108th JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Sp.AF 43 Bn at Hansa Bay
KV Thyme is reported to have been sunk near Cochin on Jul 10, 1944
66th Ind.Mixed Brigade arrives at Tokyo – Eastern Army (restricted), so will move to Ominato in reserve for the defence of Hokkaido.
111th Division arrives at Keijo – Korea Army (restricted) will move to Yenki to join the other 110s Divs, fill out and train.
64th Ind.Mixed Brigade arrives at Hiroshima/Kure – 32nd Army so will move to Wakkanai on Hokkaido.
62nd Ind.Mixed Brigade arrives at Nanking – 13th Army (restricted), so will move to Fusan, plan for the defence of Sapporo, but only be bought out if the Allies move towards NEAF.
31st Ind.Mixed Regiment arrives at Canton – 23rd Army (restricted) will move to help defend Hong Kong.
112th Division arrives at Mishan – 3rd Army (restricted) will move to Yenki to join most of 3rd Army there, and the new 111th Div.
59th Ind.Mixed Brigade arrives at Kanazawa – Southern Army, will move to Malaybalay on Mindanao. It won’t rush south, staying in Japan for at least a few weeks to see whether the Allies make a move somewhere.
60th Ind.Mixed Brigade arrives at Utsonomiya – Southern Army, will move to Kushiro on Hokkaido
40th Ind.Garrison Battalion arrives at Osaka/Kyoto – 37th Army (Borneo Garrison) so will move to Miri
41st Ind.Garrison Battalion arrives at Osaka/Kyoto – 37th Army, will move to Brunei
65th Ind.Mixed Brigade arrives at Tokyo – 4th Fleet, withdraws in 315 days. Will move to Muroran on Hokkaido.

[jdsrae]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Jul 11, 44
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ASW attack near Puerto Princesa at 72,82
E Shimushu
AMC Kinryu Maru
TK Asashio Maru
TK Toa Maru
E Ishigaki
Allied Ships
SS Jack
SS Jack launches 2 torpedoes at E Shimushu – two misses
Jack diving deep ....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack near Toyohara at 125,48
SC CHa-57
SC CHa-59
Captain of SS Trepang elects not to launch torpedoes at this target
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack near San Francisco at 206,93 – the running battle with USS Allen continues. She is spotted in a task force with one other ship, probably the damaged AK from a few days ago, heading NE towards SanFran. I-45 is ordered to patrol between two hexes along that path to SF to try and get another shot at either the DD (empty depth charges) or the AK.
SS I-45
Allied Ships
DD Allen
SS I-45 launches 2 torpedoes at DD Allen
I-45 diving deep ....
Sub escapes detection

OPERATIONAL REPORT FOR Jul 11, 44
SS I-6 reports having been sighted by the enemy at 167 , 51
SS I-34 resumes patrol, enroute to 32 , 153 near Busselton – it’s been very quiet off the West Australian coast for the last few months, but there are still IJN subs scouting down there.
SS I-9 sights Allied Recon at 162,54 near Adak Island
F-5A Lightning sighted over Rangoon
19 x Ki-49-II KAI Helen transporting 1st Raiding Regiment to Chiang Mai
5 x H6K4-L Mavis transporting 24th Air Flotilla from Ponape
Repairs completed on DD Hakaze at Manila, ship returned to service
Repairs completed on DD Yukaze at Manila, ship returned to service
Tokyo expands fortifications to size 9 – construction engineers will move from Tokyo to build up other bases. Next priority is Yamagata airfield as it is an inland air base that will be immune from USN Battleship/Cruiser/Fletcher bombardments. It will be the HQ base for 52 Air Division when it arrives 20 Feb 45.
Nanyo Cho JNAF Base Force - some devices have been upgraded at Tokyo
Previous report of sinking of CA New Orleans incorrect. Intelligence reports ship is still in service
112th/B Division takes replacements from Kukong – not important, but this is a strange message as 112th Div is at Mishan in Manchukuo, taking replacements from Kukong in China which is 42 hexes away. There isn’t anything special about Kukong, it is a size 9 airfield with 10k supply. Both Nanking and Shanghai have more supply and are closer.
112th/C Division takes replacements from Kukong
Loss of AKE Bandoeng Maru on May 24, 1944 is admitted

[jdsrae]

Valuable intelligence provided by LT Hashii in SSX Ha-46.
He must have a HF radio on board his SSX, so great work setting up an antenna and getting this contact report back to HQ 2nd Fleet at Victoria Point!

APD, AP and AK hint at regular crews and amphibious task forces, so APA and AKA probably aren’t far away.

[jdsrae]

LT Hashii and his SSX were destroyed by HMAS Vendetta.
I-6 was sunk by USN DDs in NORPAC.
USS Allen was hit by I-45 and reported sunk.
A US sub found a mine at Etorofu.

108th Fd Arty was bought out and will move to Manila to form 108th Div.

HMAS Vendetta was part of a UN task force with BB Richelieu, RN BC and CAs, and an ABDA DD division.

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Jul 12, 44
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ASW attack near Cochin at 28,40
SSX Ha-46, hits 8, heavy damage, sunk
Allied Ships
BB Richelieu - the French make an appearance
BC Renown
CA Cumberland
CA Dorsetshire
DD Downes
DD Smith
DD Stronghold
DD Van Nes
DD Banckert
DD Vendetta
SSX Ha-46 is sighted by escort
DD Vendetta attacking submerged sub ....
Debris floats to surface in area of attack!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TF 196 encounters mine field at Etorofu (128,52)
SS Seadragon, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submarine attack near Cold Bay at 174,49
SS I-6, hits 25, on fire, heavy damage, sunk
Allied Ships
DD Boyd
DD Bennett
DD Bell
SS I-6 is sighted by escort
DD Bennett attacking submerged sub ....
DD Boyd attacking submerged sub ....
SS I-6 forced to surface!
DD Boyd firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Bennett firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Bell firing on surfaced sub ....
Sub slips beneath the waves
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near San Francisco at 207,92
SS I-45
Allied Ships
DD Allen, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
SS I-45 launches 2 torpedoes at DD Allen

OPERATIONAL REPORT FOR Jul 12, 44
Repairs completed on SS I-46 at Hakodate, ship returned to service
G4M2 Betty from K-708 Hikotai has spotted xAKL Coloradan at 153,49
xAKL Coloradan is reported HIT
F-5A Lightning sighted over Bhamo - there is an IM Bde at Bhamo so it should be secure against para drops.
H8K1 Emily from 851 Ku T-1 has spotted a Basset class AMc at 31,47
a Merbaboe class AMc is reported HIT
D4Y4 Judy from K-102 Hikotai attacking SS Tambor at 124,48
SS Tambor is reported HIT
F-5A Lightning sighted over Taung Gyi
F-7A Liberator sighted over Moulmein
F-5E Lightning sighted over 15th Army
5 x H6K4-L Mavis transporting 24th Air Flotilla from Ponape
Shimizu expands fortifications to size 2
E Shonan arrives at Tokyo
Loss of SS I-6 on Jul 12, 1944 is admitted
DD Allen is reported to have been sunk near San Francisco on Jul 12, 1944
Loss of SSX Ha-46 on Jul 12, 1944 is admitted
MTB G-879 arrives at Shimonoseki
ML G-323 arrives at Yokohama/Yokosuka
108th Field Artillery Regiment arrives at Changchun

[jdsrae]

No combat to report.
About 40 reinforcement units arrived, mostly engineers.
You can never have too many engineers!

OPERATIONAL REPORT FOR Jul 13, 44
D4Y4 Judy from K-102 Hikotai attacking SS Tambor at 125,47
SS Tambor is reported HIT
26 x H8K2-L Emily transporting 41st Division from Port Moresby
5 x H6K4-L Mavis transporting 24th Air Flotilla from Ponape
Attu Island expands airfield to size 4
Cotabato expands fortifications to size 1
Ace pilot Higashiyama C. of 1st Sentai is promoted to CPT
LST T-136 arrives at Shimonoseki
36th Army arrives at Tokyo – stays there
11th Air Division arrives at Osaka/Kyoto – stays there
12th Air Division arrives at Fukuoka – stays there
249th Infantry Regiment arrives at Taihoku – allows 66th Div to form. It must have a non-standard TOE but it doesn’t have any combat engineers so is effectively a C-grade garrison Division. It will stay at Taihoku, take replacements to fill out and train.
82nd Field AA Battalion arrives at Takao - stays
83rd Field AA Battalion arrives at Takao - stays
17th RF Gun Battalion arrives at Shanghai - stays
86th Field AA Battalion arrives at Tientsin - stays
85th Field AA Battalion arrives at Changchun – to Yenki
88th Field AA Battalion arrives at Changchun – to Mutankiang
2nd Raiding Force arrives at Takao – will move south. I think I set it to plan for Broome or similar just to give Allied SigInt something to think about if they spot it.
18th RF Gun Battalion arrives at Tokyo – 14th Area Army so the AT gun Bns will move to Luzon
19th RF Gun Battalion arrives at Tokyo – as above
20th RF Gun Battalion arrives at Tokyo – as above
89th Field AA Battalion arrives at Tokyo – can’t remember…
100th Ind.Hvy.Art Battalion arrives at Naha - stays
204th Naval Construction Battalion arrives at Yokohama/Yokosuka – some of these NCBs arrive with a base in the Pacific set to give a hint as to where they were sent historically. Those locations are already built up, so they will move to various bases in Japan to finish building forts to level 6, then they might move somewhere outside of Japan.
205th Naval Construction Battalion arrives at Hiroshima/Kure
206th Naval Construction Battalion arrives at Hiroshima/Kure
216th Naval Construction Battalion arrives at Hiroshima/Kure
217th Naval Construction Battalion arrives at Hiroshima/Kure
218th Naval Construction Battalion arrives at Hiroshima/Kure
227th Naval Construction Battalion arrives at Hiroshima/Kure
42nd JAAF AF Bn arrives at Osaka/Kyoto – these Bns will reinforce 11th Air Division bases that have a JAAF named Base Force at them, at and near Osaka/Kyoto, like Kobe, Gifu and Hamamatsu.
61st JAAF AF Bn arrives at Osaka/Kyoto
64th JAAF AF Bn arrives at Fukuoka – the units that arrive at Fukuoka will reinforce 12th Air Div bases, like Fukuoka, Nagasaki and a few others nearby on Kyushu. They are all set to rest and upgrade on to let the TOE upgrade happen, but they aren’t yet set to take replacements as that will be more mouths for the supply to feed.
65th JAAF AF Bn arrives at Fukuoka
142nd JAAF AF Bn arrives at Fukuoka
143rd JAAF AF Bn arrives at Osaka/Kyoto
146th JAAF AF Bn arrives at Fukuoka
162nd JAAF AF Bn arrives at Fukuoka
163rd JAAF AF Bn arrives at Osaka/Kyoto
172nd JAAF AF Bn arrives at Fukuoka
173rd JAAF AF Bn arrives at Fukuoka
174th JAAF AF Bn arrives at Fukuoka
189th JAAF AF Bn arrives at Osaka/Kyoto
190th JAAF AF Bn arrives at Osaka/Kyoto
193rd JAAF AF Bn arrives at Fukuoka
194th JAAF AF Bn arrives at Fukuoka
246th JAAF AF Bn arrives at Osaka/Kyoto
248th JAAF AF Bn arrives at Fukuoka

[Q-Ball]

ORIGINAL: jdsrae
No combat to report.
About 40 reinforcement units arrived, mostly engineers.
You can never have too many engineers!

No question, playing the Empire that is just about the most important limitation, especially if you play DDB-C like I do (with engineering cut in half). Totally different than the Allies who literally do not have a useful purpose for all the construction troops....

[jdsrae]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

ORIGINAL: jdsrae
No combat to report.
About 40 reinforcement units arrived, mostly engineers.
You can never have too many engineers!

No question, playing the Empire that is just about the most important limitation, especially if you play DDB-C like I do (with engineering cut in half). Totally different than the Allies who literally do not have a useful purpose for all the construction troops....

One of the books near the top of the growing stack waiting for me to read is “Engineers of Victory”.

[jdsrae]

The only action was USS Jack sinking a tanker full of fuel near Pt. Princesa.
1st IF Chutai arrived with two six packs, or half a case, of Stellas.

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Jul 14, 44
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Sub attack near Balabac at 71,82
TK Marifu Maru, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage, sunk
E Yanagi
Allied Ships
SS Jack
SS Jack launches 4 torpedoes at TK Marifu Maru

OPERATIONAL REPORT FOR Jul 14, 44
F-7A Liberator sighted over Mergui – Allied recon is starting to take an interest in the South Burma coast again, also visiting other bases nearby. Each base is defended by an IJA Division and reasonable plus increasing forts.
F-5A Lightning sighted over Bassein
25 x H8K2-L Emily transporting 41st Division from Port Moresby
5 x H6K4-L Mavis transporting 24th Air Flotilla from Ponape
TK Marifu Maru sinks at sea
Maizuru expands fortifications to size 3
Adak Island expands airfield to size 7
Toungoo expands fortifications to size 4
Samarinda expands fortifications to size 2
Aircraft A7M2 Sam advances R&D – to 11/44 and closing fast. Sam production should start in early August, probably before the 10th of August.
Ace pilot Sasaki, Y. of Zuikaku-1 is promoted to CPO
Ace pilot Kubota B. of Chiyoda-1 is promoted to PO1
Ace pilot Okajima F. of 77th Sentai is promoted to MAJ
Previous report of sinking of DD Quilliam incorrect. Intelligence reports ship is still in service
Previous report of sinking of SS Sterlet incorrect. Intelligence reports ship is still in service
Group Withdrawals: 4 due today (152 Daily PP)
Groups for today: all were withdrawn
34th Sentai
35th Sentai
77th Sentai
248th Sentai
Unit '11th Air Defense' changes name to '121st' – all these name changes will help to guide where these units end up. The 110s AA Regts will eventually move back to near Tokyo. The 120s AA Regts will move to near Osaka, and the 130s AA Regts will help to defend from Hiroshima to Kyushu.
Unit '12th Air Defense' changes name to '122nd'
Unit '15th Air Defense' changes name to '125th'
Unit '21st Air Defense' changes name to '131st'
Unit '22nd Air Defense' changes name to '132nd'
Unit '23rd Air Defense' changes name to '133rd'
Unit '25th Air Defense' changes name to '134th'
Unit '2nd Air Defense' changes name to '112th'
Unit '3rd Air Defense' changes name to '113th'
Unit '4th Air Defense' changes name to '114th'
Unit '5th Air Defense' changes name to '115th'
Unit '6th Air Defense' changes name to '116th'
Unit '7th Air Defense' changes name to '117th'
Unit '41st Air Defense' changes name to '151st' – 150s AA Regts are in Korea
Unit '42nd Air Defense' changes name to '152nd'
Unit '1st Garrison Unit' changes name to '101st Garrison Unit'
Unit '26th Air Defense' changes name to '26th'
Unit '24th Air Defense' changes name to '134th' – there are now 2x 134th AA Regt, so probably a database typo.
E W-41 arrives at Tokyo
SC CHa-86 arrives at Ominato
1st I.F.Chutai arrives at Nagoya
19th I.F.Chutai arrives at Tokyo




1st IF Chutai will not keep the Stella and won’t upgrade to the Ka-1.
It costs 120 PP to convert to a FB unit, so I’ve replaced the CO and converted it to Nick-C.

I saved the turn first to test if it is possible to upsize the unit on a CV and that is possible, but the FB conversion options disappear when the unit is on the CV.
It might be possible to upsize it on a CV first, then send it back ashore to convert to FB, but that would then cost 10x the increased size of the unit in PP to change to FB. That would get expensive for a size 81 FB unit!

I didn't want to waste any more time on it, so 1st IF Chutai will stay the same size and move to the Philippines as part of the 7th Air Div.
It will run Strafe training courses until it is needed as an auxiliary night fighter unit.

[jdsrae]

A US sub fired two torps at the Fubuki III ASW division near Sabang but missed.

I’ve moved a few more IJAAF fighter units from front line service back to training, and withdrawal of a few 40s Divs from SEAF continues.
70s Divs at Truk and Babeldoab will also move back to Japan to add a few more Divs to the home reserve.


AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Jul 15, 44
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack near Sabang at 45,67
DD Inazuma
Allied Ships
SS Sturdy
SS Sturdy launches 2 torpedoes at DD Inazuma

OPERATIONAL REPORT FOR Jul 15, 44
F-7A Liberator sighted over Pegu
F-7A Liberator sighted over Moulmein
24 x H8K2-L Emily transporting 41st Division from Port Moresby
4 x H6K4-L Mavis transporting 24th Air Flotilla from Ponape
Tsingtao expands airfield to size 6
Woleai expands fortifications to size 5
Amchitka Island expands airfield to size 6
Kiska Island expands airfield to size 3
Ace pilot Kubota B. of Taiho-1 is promoted to CPO
Ace pilot Bunkichi I. of 55th Sentai is promoted to 2LT
Previous report of sinking of SS Balao incorrect. Intelligence reports ship is still in service
121st AA Regiment's TOE was upgraded to IJA 12cm AA Regiment at Manila – lots of 12cm AA gun Regt upgrades. HQ Southern Army will visit Miri, Palembang and Soerabaja shortly to allow the rest to upgrade.
125th AA Regiment's TOE was upgraded to IJA 12cm AA Regiment at Manila
131st AA Regiment's TOE was upgraded to IJA 12cm AA Regiment at Clark Field
132nd AA Regiment's TOE was upgraded to IJA 12cm AA Regiment at Kalemyo
116th AA Regiment's TOE was upgraded to IJA 12cm AA Regiment at Manus
42nd JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Osaka/Kyoto
61st JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Osaka/Kyoto
64th JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Fukuoka
65th JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Fukuoka
142nd JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Fukuoka
143rd JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Osaka/Kyoto
146th JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Fukuoka
162nd JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Fukuoka
163rd JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Osaka/Kyoto
172nd JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Fukuoka
173rd JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Fukuoka
174th JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Fukuoka
189th JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Osaka/Kyoto
190th JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Osaka/Kyoto
193rd JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Fukuoka
194th JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Fukuoka
246th JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Osaka/Kyoto
248th JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Fukuoka

[jdsrae]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Jul 16, 44
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Sabang at 45,70
DD Akatsuki
DD Inazuma
Allied Ships
SS Hammerhead, hits 3
SS Hammerhead is located by DD Akatsuki
DD Inazuma attacking submerged sub ....

OPERATIONAL REPORT FOR Jul 16, 44
xAK Yahiko Maru collides with xAK Tamahoko Maru at 65 , 84
F-7A Liberator sighted over Tavoy
24 x H8K2-L Emily transporting 41st Division from Port Moresby
4 x H6K4-L Mavis transporting 24th Air Flotilla from Ponape
Repairs completed on CVE Taiyo at Yokohama/Yokosuka, ship returned to service
Ketoi-jima expands fortifications to size 3
Koepang expands fortifications to size 5
Mergui expands airfield to size 4
Ace pilot Shibata O. of Junyo-1 is promoted to PO1
Ace pilot Kira H. of 9th Sentai is promoted to 2LT
Ace pilot Kuwabara, Y. of 63rd Sentai is promoted to LTC
17th RF Gun Battalion - some devices have been upgraded at Shanghai
SS I-47 arrives at Nagasaki/Sasebo – assigned to NEAF
ML G-324 arrives at Hakodate




To form 115th Div, one of the two Bdes has to change command.
85th Bde costs 763 PP while 86th Bde costs 438 PP as it is smaller. They both change command underneath the same Command HQ so the cost is only 25%.
That makes the cost either 191 or 110 PP.
With 115th Div shown here as part of 12th Army that is probably the historically correct option, but it is the more expensive choice.
As the plan is to use the 110s Divs to defend the Yenki-Mutankiang sector of the Soviet border, I will go for the cheaper option.
It actually cost 109 PP, so in this instance the fraction was not rounded up to 110.

On combining the two Bdes, the 115th Div is shown as a C-grade Division that is already over 100% TOE.
86th Infantry Bde wasn’t itself at full TOE, so I went back to the save file I made just before doing this.
I will let 86th Bde fill out before forming 115th Div. It will then be “over-sized” when the two Bdes combine with excess Infantry squads.
That might make it a little bit more of a speed bump when the Soviets finally arrive.

[jdsrae]

No combat reports, but the SigInt section got two pings from the Canadian Pacific coast today.

OPERATIONAL REPORT FOR Jul 17, 44
F-5A Lightning sighted over Taung Gyi
F-7A Liberator sighted over Mergui
ACM Shinko Maru #5 followed by Allied Aircraft at 54,53 near Rangoon
24 x H8K2-L Emily transporting 41st Division from Port Moresby
5 x H6K4-L Mavis transporting 24th Air Flotilla from Ponape
Repairs completed on DD Shiokaze at Manila, ship returned to service
Repairs completed on DD Tachikaze at Manus, ship returned to service
Muroran expands airfield to size 6
Taichu expands airfield to size 6
Adak Island expands port to size 8
Anchorage expands port to size 4
PB Magane Maru beginning refit in shipyard at Hakodate – there are still a few Ansyu PB that haven’t paused for long enough to take their 4/44 token AA upgrade.
94th JAAF AF Bn 's TOE was upgraded to JAAF Airfield 43 Bn at Prome – there are about 10 TOE upgrades outstanding with either units moving along jungle tracks to safety before they rest up, or waiting for HQ Southern Army to move to them.
E No.21 arrives at Tokyo

[jdsrae]

77th Sentai was withdrawn permanently a few days ago with a total score of 388 for 153 against.
The air-to-air ratio was a decent 4:1.
Every pilot in this unit had at least 1 kill.

It might be a database error, but the 77th Sentai A and B dets do not have a withdrawal date, and I never recombined 77th Sentai, so they will stay on the map.

MAJ Okajima was just promoted on the final unit parade.
All pilots with strafe skill <70 will be moved to a Strafe training course that will help bump up their defensive skills as well.
The pilots with 70+ strafe skill will spend some time in the reserve pool and await orders to join front line fighter units.

[jdsrae]

US sub hit a big empty TK near Pt Princesa but it only has 20 points of float damage.
Dangerous waters, but there aren’t many variations for the Miri-Manila convoy route…
Allies subs are patrolling either side of that island and the FPs based there are having trouble spotting them.

Allied CIC has noted the lack of combat action, but I’m busy moving troops behind the scenes.
I have no doubt he is doing the same.
It’s been about 100 days of game time since he took over so any unit preparation should now be ready for him to launch invasions.
Most theatres are enjoying the “phoney war”, but the tension is building back at IGHQ as we wait for the inevitable hammer to fall.

[jdsrae]

On the way to mine Prince Rupert.
I always wondered what the “reported hit” messages meant in terms of damage.
This is what a PB4Y-1 Liberator dropped 500lb bomb does to an IJN sub.
Back to port for repairs she goes, after a diversion south to try and avoid another bomb hit that would probably send her under.

I need to set waypoints to avoid getting too close to the Aleutians when I try this again.

[jdsrae]

Something big and hairy is moving in the Gulf of Alaska.

[jdsrae]

Well worth taking this TOE upgrade to get some more CD and DP guns on the map.
Just noticed it also grows to include a SNLF Infantry Brigade of 108 assault value.
I might move this unit to Bataan as those guns will probably be wasted at Soerabaja.
HQ Southern Army is at Miri inspecting the oil wells, so this unit will upgrade tomorrow.

[jdsrae]

100th Div forms at Batangas from 75th and 76th Infantry Bdes.
MGEN Takahashi has mediocre stats. Compared to his peers his 52 Land rating is well below average.
Based on the generals.dk website, at this point in the war he was actually the Chief of Military Administration Section, 51st Depot Division.

[jdsrae]

103rd Div forms from 79th and 80th Bdes.
While it says it is a C-type garrison Div, it can take a bonus of what I’d call a Tank Squadron of 10x Mdm and 2x Light Tanks.
Those Mdm Tanks will be Type 3s after a few days of upgrades.
MGEN Araki was the historical commander of 79th Bde so he will keep command for now.

105th Div also forms at Clark Field from 81st and 82nd Bdes. It has the same TOE with a bonus Tank Sqn.

[Q-Ball]

Interesting on those new divisions....I've never played the Empire long enough to really get to know the 1944 situation, other than I know you get alot more low-quality ground troops. Obviously you have to really look for the CD guns within Special Base Force units and others, because IIRC there are only a couple dedicated CD units.....

[jdsrae]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

Interesting on those new divisions....I've never played the Empire long enough to really get to know the 1944 situation, other than I know you get alot more low-quality ground troops. Obviously you have to really look for the CD guns within Special Base Force units and others, because IIRC there are only a couple dedicated CD units.....

The Independent Mixed Bdes are still arriving with about 50 experience but the Divisions that arrive from here generally have 35 experience and low starting morale.
If it takes about 100 days to get prep to 100, I will try to keep an eye on how long it takes for those Divisions to train up from 35 to 50 experience.
I keep a save turn from the first of each month so I can go back and look at long term trends like that.
I’m guessing 4-6 months after arrival on the map, unless they find themselves being shot at before that.

I might not buy out many more Divisions from this point forward.
The new low quality Divs will most likely be sent to a defensive position to train up.