Lets see: you trashed China freeing up all those ground troops and you are complaining about lacking boots on the ground?
You are pretty cheeky.[:D]
Seriously, well done!.
Wrangling Loki - Mind_Messing (J) vs Lokasenna (A)
Moderators: wdolson, MOD_War-in-the-Pacific-Admirals-Edition
RE: The Great Milne Bay Swim
I hate night bombing
5 RAF Liberators at night shot down 5 Nicks and caused 2 more to be op losses.
Back to Nates on night cap after that
5 RAF Liberators at night shot down 5 Nicks and caused 2 more to be op losses.
Back to Nates on night cap after that
-
mind_messing
- Posts: 3394
- Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 11:59 am
RE: The Great Milne Bay Swim
ORIGINAL: Lowpe
Lets see: you trashed China freeing up all those ground troops and you are complaining about lacking boots on the ground?
You are pretty cheeky.[:D]
Seriously, well done!.
[:)]
Yeah, 5 Ind. Mixed Brigades and 5 Divisions is nothing to laugh at, granted, but there's a two month period in early 1944 when I've 8 (!!!) divisions and 9 Ind. Mixed Brigades arriving! What's more, their TOE's are better. Some of the stuff I've bought out from China is little more than a three hundred infantry squads with some 75mm guns. Sadly they're not all unrestricted, so I'll need a good PP stockpile.
Not that China Exp. Army being freed isn't an absolute blessing. I've an excellent core of troops with some absurd EXP levels on the Marianas, on Sumatra and Java and I'll probably never need to reinforce Burma.
What I need the reinforcement units for is to start to fill in the gaps. There's basically there's not a single combat unit on New Guinea north of Lae at present. There's nothing on Babeldoab, or Yap or Ulithi, nor is there anything at Ambon, Kendrai or Makassar.
Once those areas have a decent garrison, I'll need even more troops to start filling out the "last stand line": Luzon, the Bonins, Okinawa and Formosa.
My hope is to draw Lokasenna into a long, drawn out battle on my own turf. I really don't want to lose islands to the first Allied attack: I want the first wave to fail to take the island and get a bloody nose, and I want the following waves to take a beating to CD guns, mines, subs and air strikes.
ORIGINAL: Encircled
I hate night bombing
5 RAF Liberators at night shot down 5 Nicks and caused 2 more to be op losses.
Back to Nates on night cap after that
I've made a comment to Lokasenna to the effect that he needs to take the night-vision goggles off the bomber gunners and give them to his fighter pilots.
Night bombing has been a big part of this game, and something feels wrong. The only real factor that seems to influence the results is the weather: fighters on CAP, flak, barrage balloons ect don't do much even when combined, so it seems a lottery...
-
mind_messing
- Posts: 3394
- Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 11:59 am
Merauke Madness
April 1st to April 8th, 1943
The pressure builds...
North Pacific
The remainder of the 20th Division is bought out from Korea and is a few days out from being landed on Onnekotan-jima.
This will give us two divisions on the two northern-most islands in the Kuriles - if the Allies are looking for a easy landing in the Kuriles, they'll need to land closer to the big airbases on Hokkaido.
Central Pacific
Allied marines land at Onotoa (adjacent to Tabiteuea), and take the base, destroying the 10 Emily search planes operating at the base. While the loss of a months production of Emily's hurts, a recently arrived squadron of Judy recon planes should be able to step in and cover the gap till the unit is bought back.
We'll bomb the Americans off off Onotoa and re-take the base by paratroop attack, as is the custom.
DEI/SWPAC
For ease of reporting, I'll combine these two theaters.
On April 4th, the Allies drop the 503rd Parachute Regiment on to Merauke and follow that up on the 5th with a USN base force unloaded by LST's. The Japanese defenders are a SNLF behind level two forts, and they're able to shake off the first Allied attacks.
The Allies bomb Merauke with everything they have; the Japanese defenders take a beating from large numbers of Allied bombers flying from Austrailia. I respond in kind, with Helen's from Hansa Bay doing what they can to inflict damage on the Allies troops, to limited success.
At sea, however, the advantage lies firmly with the Japanese. It takes me till April 7th to furnish a naval presence west of Horn Island : a raiding force built around the light crusier Tama approaches the Torres Straits from Timor. It's mission was to smash a path through the Torres Straits, sink what shipping they could find and head for Port Moresby and the protective sheild of Japanese airbases on New Guinea.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Apr 07, 43
Night Time Surface Combat, near Horn Island at 90,129, Range 8,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CL Tama
DD Akatsuki
DD Shinonome
DD Shirakumo
DD Isonami
DD Murakumo
DD Uranami
Allied Ships
xAKL Darvel, Shell hits 2, on fire
xAKL Haiyang, Shell hits 3, on fire
xAKL Oriskany, Shell hits 7, heavy fires
xAKL Shinai
xAKL Buijskes, Shell hits 5, heavy fires
xAKL Elout
AM Eland Dubois, Shell hits 11, heavy fires, heavy damage
Day Time Surface Combat, near Horn Island at 91,129, Range 19,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CL Tama
DD Akatsuki
DD Shinonome
DD Shirakumo
DD Isonami
DD Murakumo
DD Uranami
Allied Ships
xAKL Darvel, Shell hits 26, and is sunk
xAKL Shinai, Shell hits 29, and is sunk
xAKL Elout, Shell hits 10, and is sunk
Day Time Surface Combat, near Horn Island at 91,129, Range 19,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CL Tama
DD Akatsuki
DD Shinonome
DD Shirakumo
DD Isonami
DD Murakumo
DD Uranami
Allied Ships
AM Junee, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
AM Katoomba, Shell hits 1
AM Mildura, Shell hits 2, on fire
SC-632, Shell hits 1
SC-633, Shell hits 1
AP McCawley, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
LST-19, Shell hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
LST-450, Shell hits 3, on fire
LST-451, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
LST-454, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
LST-457, Shell hits 15, heavy fires, heavy damage
LST-458, Shell hits 5, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
LST-464, Shell hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
LCI-21, Shell hits 4, and is sunk
LCI-22, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
LCI-23, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
LCI-62, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
LCI-63, Shell hits 3, and is sunk
SC PC-597, Shell hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
PC Jackson, Shell hits 2
xAP Morinda, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
The Tama force is joined by the destroyer Akikaze, which I detached from a DEI convoy to supliment the raiding force. The Akikaze runs headlong into an obvious bombardment force to the north-west of Cooktown.
Night Time Surface Combat, near Cooktown at 95,136, Range 3,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
DD Akikaze, Shell hits 2
Allied Ships
BB Pennsylvania
BB New Mexico
BB Prince of Wales, Shell hits 1
CA Pensacola
CA Salt Lake City
CA San Francisco
CA Quincy
CL St. Louis
CL Nashville
CL Boise
CL Honolulu
DD Fletcher
DD Chevalier
DD Cony
DD DeHaven
DD Nicholas
DD O'Bannon
DD Waller
The Japanese aviators have a go at the Allied ships on the 7th, but range means they can't carry the big stick they need.
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Cooktown at 95,136
Weather in hex: Light rain
Raid detected at 72 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 30 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 32
A6M5 Zero x 17
B5N2 Kate x 32
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 12 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 4 destroyed by flak
Allied Ships
BB New Mexico, Bomb hits 1
BB Pennsylvania, Bomb hits 1
BB Prince of Wales, Bomb hits 4
April 8th, however, is a good day for the Empire.
The Tama force runs into an Allied CLAA, but it's low on ammo from it's success the previous day and decides not to press it's luck.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Apr 08, 43
Night Time Surface Combat, near Horn Island at 91,129, Range 8,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CL Tama, Shell hits 1
DD Akatsuki
DD Shinonome
DD Shirakumo
DD Isonami
DD Murakumo
DD Uranami
Allied Ships
CLAA Prince Robert
KV Dawson
The Akikaze, running for the saftey of Port Moresby, blunders into the Allied bombardment force for a second time, and escapes for a second time. The Allies promptly bombard Port Moresby, doing decent damage to the troops and killing a few floatplanes on the ground.
Night Time Surface Combat, near Port Moresby at 98,130, Range 11,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
DD Akikaze, Shell hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage 60 sys damage, 30 fires. She should be alright.
Allied Ships
BB Pennsylvania
BB New Mexico, Shell hits 1
BB Prince of Wales
CA Pensacola
CA Salt Lake City
CA San Francisco
CA Quincy
CL St. Louis
CL Nashville
CL Boise
CL Honolulu
DD Fletcher
DD Chevalier
With dawn comes the Japanese retalation, flying from Buna against the Allies ships that haven't managed to put enough distance between themselves and the Japanese.
orning Air attack on TF, near Cooktown at 96,136
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid detected at 78 NM, estimated altitude 23,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 29 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 16
A6M5 Zero x 32
G3M3 Nell x 28
Japanese aircraft losses
G3M3 Nell: 9 damaged
G3M3 Nell: 1 destroyed by flak
Allied Ships
BB New Mexico, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
BB Prince of Wales, Torpedo hits 1
CL St. Louis
BB Pennsylvania
Morning Air attack on TF, near Cooktown at 96,136
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid detected at 59 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 24 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 16
A6M5 Zero x 13
B5N2 Kate x 28
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 13 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 7 destroyed by flak
Allied Ships
BB Prince of Wales, Torpedo hits 1 no obvious display of damage
BB Pennsylvania, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
CA San Francisco
CL Honolulu
DD Fletcher
BB New Mexico, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Cooktown at 96,136
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid detected at 77 NM, estimated altitude 21,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 28 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 16
G3M3 Nell x 8
Japanese aircraft losses
G3M3 Nell: 5 damaged
G3M3 Nell: 2 destroyed by flak
Allied Ships
CA Quincy
CA Salt Lake City
Air losses screen shows only 2 Kingfishers lost on the ground, so we've at least sunk one Allied battleship and another one isn't likely to make it home.
The Allies have some success of their own in the air. Taberfane is shut down by a massed 4E raid, leaving a whole host of A6M5's trapped on the runway. The light crusier Kinu and the destroyer Tsuta are both sunk in the harbour as well after the Kinu took a torpedo escorting an FT task force. This is a concern, as it's a airbase in a perfect position to support operations around Merauke.
P-40K's also have a go at Tama and her escorting destroyers, strafing and droping bombs from 100ft. They score a few hits, knocking one destroyer down to 24 knots, but only causing minor system damage on the rest of the ships.
[center]
The situation in the Horn Island area on April 9th[/center]
China-Burma-India
Quiet, no events worth reporting.
[center]
Although the Allies slow battleships are far outclassed by the modern fast battleships, sinking them is still a victory.[/center]
The pressure builds...
North Pacific
The remainder of the 20th Division is bought out from Korea and is a few days out from being landed on Onnekotan-jima.
This will give us two divisions on the two northern-most islands in the Kuriles - if the Allies are looking for a easy landing in the Kuriles, they'll need to land closer to the big airbases on Hokkaido.
Central Pacific
Allied marines land at Onotoa (adjacent to Tabiteuea), and take the base, destroying the 10 Emily search planes operating at the base. While the loss of a months production of Emily's hurts, a recently arrived squadron of Judy recon planes should be able to step in and cover the gap till the unit is bought back.
We'll bomb the Americans off off Onotoa and re-take the base by paratroop attack, as is the custom.
DEI/SWPAC
For ease of reporting, I'll combine these two theaters.
On April 4th, the Allies drop the 503rd Parachute Regiment on to Merauke and follow that up on the 5th with a USN base force unloaded by LST's. The Japanese defenders are a SNLF behind level two forts, and they're able to shake off the first Allied attacks.
The Allies bomb Merauke with everything they have; the Japanese defenders take a beating from large numbers of Allied bombers flying from Austrailia. I respond in kind, with Helen's from Hansa Bay doing what they can to inflict damage on the Allies troops, to limited success.
At sea, however, the advantage lies firmly with the Japanese. It takes me till April 7th to furnish a naval presence west of Horn Island : a raiding force built around the light crusier Tama approaches the Torres Straits from Timor. It's mission was to smash a path through the Torres Straits, sink what shipping they could find and head for Port Moresby and the protective sheild of Japanese airbases on New Guinea.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Apr 07, 43
Night Time Surface Combat, near Horn Island at 90,129, Range 8,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CL Tama
DD Akatsuki
DD Shinonome
DD Shirakumo
DD Isonami
DD Murakumo
DD Uranami
Allied Ships
xAKL Darvel, Shell hits 2, on fire
xAKL Haiyang, Shell hits 3, on fire
xAKL Oriskany, Shell hits 7, heavy fires
xAKL Shinai
xAKL Buijskes, Shell hits 5, heavy fires
xAKL Elout
AM Eland Dubois, Shell hits 11, heavy fires, heavy damage
Day Time Surface Combat, near Horn Island at 91,129, Range 19,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CL Tama
DD Akatsuki
DD Shinonome
DD Shirakumo
DD Isonami
DD Murakumo
DD Uranami
Allied Ships
xAKL Darvel, Shell hits 26, and is sunk
xAKL Shinai, Shell hits 29, and is sunk
xAKL Elout, Shell hits 10, and is sunk
Day Time Surface Combat, near Horn Island at 91,129, Range 19,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CL Tama
DD Akatsuki
DD Shinonome
DD Shirakumo
DD Isonami
DD Murakumo
DD Uranami
Allied Ships
AM Junee, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
AM Katoomba, Shell hits 1
AM Mildura, Shell hits 2, on fire
SC-632, Shell hits 1
SC-633, Shell hits 1
AP McCawley, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
LST-19, Shell hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
LST-450, Shell hits 3, on fire
LST-451, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
LST-454, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
LST-457, Shell hits 15, heavy fires, heavy damage
LST-458, Shell hits 5, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
LST-464, Shell hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
LCI-21, Shell hits 4, and is sunk
LCI-22, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
LCI-23, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
LCI-62, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
LCI-63, Shell hits 3, and is sunk
SC PC-597, Shell hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
PC Jackson, Shell hits 2
xAP Morinda, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
The Tama force is joined by the destroyer Akikaze, which I detached from a DEI convoy to supliment the raiding force. The Akikaze runs headlong into an obvious bombardment force to the north-west of Cooktown.
Night Time Surface Combat, near Cooktown at 95,136, Range 3,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
DD Akikaze, Shell hits 2
Allied Ships
BB Pennsylvania
BB New Mexico
BB Prince of Wales, Shell hits 1
CA Pensacola
CA Salt Lake City
CA San Francisco
CA Quincy
CL St. Louis
CL Nashville
CL Boise
CL Honolulu
DD Fletcher
DD Chevalier
DD Cony
DD DeHaven
DD Nicholas
DD O'Bannon
DD Waller
The Japanese aviators have a go at the Allied ships on the 7th, but range means they can't carry the big stick they need.
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Cooktown at 95,136
Weather in hex: Light rain
Raid detected at 72 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 30 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 32
A6M5 Zero x 17
B5N2 Kate x 32
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 12 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 4 destroyed by flak
Allied Ships
BB New Mexico, Bomb hits 1
BB Pennsylvania, Bomb hits 1
BB Prince of Wales, Bomb hits 4
April 8th, however, is a good day for the Empire.
The Tama force runs into an Allied CLAA, but it's low on ammo from it's success the previous day and decides not to press it's luck.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Apr 08, 43
Night Time Surface Combat, near Horn Island at 91,129, Range 8,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CL Tama, Shell hits 1
DD Akatsuki
DD Shinonome
DD Shirakumo
DD Isonami
DD Murakumo
DD Uranami
Allied Ships
CLAA Prince Robert
KV Dawson
The Akikaze, running for the saftey of Port Moresby, blunders into the Allied bombardment force for a second time, and escapes for a second time. The Allies promptly bombard Port Moresby, doing decent damage to the troops and killing a few floatplanes on the ground.
Night Time Surface Combat, near Port Moresby at 98,130, Range 11,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
DD Akikaze, Shell hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage 60 sys damage, 30 fires. She should be alright.
Allied Ships
BB Pennsylvania
BB New Mexico, Shell hits 1
BB Prince of Wales
CA Pensacola
CA Salt Lake City
CA San Francisco
CA Quincy
CL St. Louis
CL Nashville
CL Boise
CL Honolulu
DD Fletcher
DD Chevalier
With dawn comes the Japanese retalation, flying from Buna against the Allies ships that haven't managed to put enough distance between themselves and the Japanese.
orning Air attack on TF, near Cooktown at 96,136
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid detected at 78 NM, estimated altitude 23,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 29 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 16
A6M5 Zero x 32
G3M3 Nell x 28
Japanese aircraft losses
G3M3 Nell: 9 damaged
G3M3 Nell: 1 destroyed by flak
Allied Ships
BB New Mexico, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
BB Prince of Wales, Torpedo hits 1
CL St. Louis
BB Pennsylvania
Morning Air attack on TF, near Cooktown at 96,136
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid detected at 59 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 24 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 16
A6M5 Zero x 13
B5N2 Kate x 28
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 13 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 7 destroyed by flak
Allied Ships
BB Prince of Wales, Torpedo hits 1 no obvious display of damage
BB Pennsylvania, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
CA San Francisco
CL Honolulu
DD Fletcher
BB New Mexico, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Cooktown at 96,136
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid detected at 77 NM, estimated altitude 21,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 28 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 16
G3M3 Nell x 8
Japanese aircraft losses
G3M3 Nell: 5 damaged
G3M3 Nell: 2 destroyed by flak
Allied Ships
CA Quincy
CA Salt Lake City
Air losses screen shows only 2 Kingfishers lost on the ground, so we've at least sunk one Allied battleship and another one isn't likely to make it home.
The Allies have some success of their own in the air. Taberfane is shut down by a massed 4E raid, leaving a whole host of A6M5's trapped on the runway. The light crusier Kinu and the destroyer Tsuta are both sunk in the harbour as well after the Kinu took a torpedo escorting an FT task force. This is a concern, as it's a airbase in a perfect position to support operations around Merauke.
P-40K's also have a go at Tama and her escorting destroyers, strafing and droping bombs from 100ft. They score a few hits, knocking one destroyer down to 24 knots, but only causing minor system damage on the rest of the ships.
[center]
The situation in the Horn Island area on April 9th[/center]
China-Burma-India
Quiet, no events worth reporting.
[center]
Although the Allies slow battleships are far outclassed by the modern fast battleships, sinking them is still a victory.[/center]
-
mind_messing
- Posts: 3394
- Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 11:59 am
RE: The Great Milne Bay Swim
I have a vague plan developing...
The Situation
With Merauke changing hands, it puts the Allies in a strong position in the area around Horn Island. The loss of Merauke enables the Allies freedom of movement in the Gulf of Carpentaria, which in turn opens the possibility of the Allies building a chain of bases to enable supplies to reach Darwin.
The loss of Merauke, however, also present an oppertunity to fight the Allies on advantagous terms. The Allies will be hampered by the geography of the region: the Torres Straits means that any Allied naval forces will need to run the gauntlet of Japanese aircraft on New Guinea and brave the Japanese submarines that will choke the strait and Allied air power is limited to the bases on the Austrailian mainland.
The Japanese, however, will have the advantage of being close to their fuel centers in the DEI as well as being able to operate within range of several large airbases on both flanks of Merauke.
In essence, I can't allow the Allies to mount a campaign through the DEI to re-open lines to Darwin this early in the game.
The Plan
Excuse my paint skills.
[center]
[/center]
Blue: The Mini-KB will move to the hex marked to cover the landings. I'm reluctant to go any further south, as there's little sea-room as it is for large scale operations.
Red: The invasion and bombardment force.
Green: The covering forces. Destroyers, as well as light and heavy crusiers. If the Allies want to interupt the landings, they'll need to fight their way past a lot of Japanese ships.
White: Pre-landing LBA bombing campaign from Hansa Bay to keep the airbase shut and troops disrupted.
The main logistical base for this operation will be Soerabaja, with a forward base at Kendrai.
The plan will be to land a full IJA division, plus a brigade and some naval support in the first wave to retake the base. The division will then reload while the second wave lands engineers and aviation support to allow Merauke to fly CAP of it's own.
The Naval Forces
Mini-KB
CV Junyo, CV Hiyo, CVL Ryuho, CVE Taiuo, CVE Unyo and CVE Hosho with 7 destroyers as escorts.
The Bombardment Force
BB Nagato, BB Mutsu, BB Fuso with 4 destroyers as escorts.
The Invasion Force
1st Wave: CL Kiso, CL Kuma, 4 destroyers, amphibious ships and ASW escorts.
2nd Wave: CL Oi, ASW escorts and amphibious ships.
The Battleship Force
BB Ise, BB Hyuga with 4 destroyers as escorts.
The First Cover Force
CA Tako, CA Atago, CA Chokai with 4 destroyers as escorts.
The Second Cover Force
CA Furutaka, CA Kako, with 3 destroyers as escorts.
The Light Screen Force
CL Nagara, CL Isuzu, CL Natori with 3 destroyers as escorts.
The Ground Forces
The first wave
IJA 2nd Division (on Java), 463 AV.
21st Ind. Mixed Brigade (on Christmas Island IO), 137 AV
7th Shipping Engineer Regiment (at Manila), 0 AV.
The second wave
14th & 15th Naval Construction Battalions
32nd JNAF AF Unit
97th JAAF AF BN
The operation will commence when the first wave has 75% prep. The three units are all sitting between 25-33% prep, so the preliminary date for the operation is May 8th
Concerns
- The extent to which the Allies reinforce. If the Allies get a large number of troops ashore in the next few weeks, then we've a problem
- I'm mildly concerned about the Allied carriers making an appearence, but the region isn't exactly suited to carrier operations with all the chokepoints and lack of searoom.
- I've never done a invasion as Japan in 1943, so I've utterly no idea what I'm doing.
I'd love some critique.
The Situation
With Merauke changing hands, it puts the Allies in a strong position in the area around Horn Island. The loss of Merauke enables the Allies freedom of movement in the Gulf of Carpentaria, which in turn opens the possibility of the Allies building a chain of bases to enable supplies to reach Darwin.
The loss of Merauke, however, also present an oppertunity to fight the Allies on advantagous terms. The Allies will be hampered by the geography of the region: the Torres Straits means that any Allied naval forces will need to run the gauntlet of Japanese aircraft on New Guinea and brave the Japanese submarines that will choke the strait and Allied air power is limited to the bases on the Austrailian mainland.
The Japanese, however, will have the advantage of being close to their fuel centers in the DEI as well as being able to operate within range of several large airbases on both flanks of Merauke.
In essence, I can't allow the Allies to mount a campaign through the DEI to re-open lines to Darwin this early in the game.
The Plan
Excuse my paint skills.
[center]
[/center]Blue: The Mini-KB will move to the hex marked to cover the landings. I'm reluctant to go any further south, as there's little sea-room as it is for large scale operations.
Red: The invasion and bombardment force.
Green: The covering forces. Destroyers, as well as light and heavy crusiers. If the Allies want to interupt the landings, they'll need to fight their way past a lot of Japanese ships.
White: Pre-landing LBA bombing campaign from Hansa Bay to keep the airbase shut and troops disrupted.
The main logistical base for this operation will be Soerabaja, with a forward base at Kendrai.
The plan will be to land a full IJA division, plus a brigade and some naval support in the first wave to retake the base. The division will then reload while the second wave lands engineers and aviation support to allow Merauke to fly CAP of it's own.
The Naval Forces
Mini-KB
CV Junyo, CV Hiyo, CVL Ryuho, CVE Taiuo, CVE Unyo and CVE Hosho with 7 destroyers as escorts.
The Bombardment Force
BB Nagato, BB Mutsu, BB Fuso with 4 destroyers as escorts.
The Invasion Force
1st Wave: CL Kiso, CL Kuma, 4 destroyers, amphibious ships and ASW escorts.
2nd Wave: CL Oi, ASW escorts and amphibious ships.
The Battleship Force
BB Ise, BB Hyuga with 4 destroyers as escorts.
The First Cover Force
CA Tako, CA Atago, CA Chokai with 4 destroyers as escorts.
The Second Cover Force
CA Furutaka, CA Kako, with 3 destroyers as escorts.
The Light Screen Force
CL Nagara, CL Isuzu, CL Natori with 3 destroyers as escorts.
The Ground Forces
The first wave
IJA 2nd Division (on Java), 463 AV.
21st Ind. Mixed Brigade (on Christmas Island IO), 137 AV
7th Shipping Engineer Regiment (at Manila), 0 AV.
The second wave
14th & 15th Naval Construction Battalions
32nd JNAF AF Unit
97th JAAF AF BN
The operation will commence when the first wave has 75% prep. The three units are all sitting between 25-33% prep, so the preliminary date for the operation is May 8th
Concerns
- The extent to which the Allies reinforce. If the Allies get a large number of troops ashore in the next few weeks, then we've a problem
- I'm mildly concerned about the Allied carriers making an appearence, but the region isn't exactly suited to carrier operations with all the chokepoints and lack of searoom.
- I've never done a invasion as Japan in 1943, so I've utterly no idea what I'm doing.
I'd love some critique.
RE: The Great Milne Bay Swim
Go in faster. Say 50 percent prep as long as they don't reinforce. You will pummel him with bombardments, it is not an atoll, you don't have the time to waste, just take a fair amount of supply.
Lok likes to throw away his battleships doesn't he?
Lok likes to throw away his battleships doesn't he?
-
mind_messing
- Posts: 3394
- Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 11:59 am
RE: The Great Milne Bay Swim
ORIGINAL: Lowpe
Go in faster. Say 50 percent prep as long as they don't reinforce. You will pummel him with bombardments, it is not an atoll, you don't have the time to waste, just take a fair amount of supply.
Hmm, I like the idea of 50% prep. I can be at that in a little over two weeks. I'll be one week or so getting shipping into position anyways, and the sooner I get things moving the better.
I'll trade the extra disablements on landing than giving the Allies another few weeks to throw more troops into Merauke.
Lok likes to throw away his battleships doesn't he?
He's pretty flush with them at present. My PH raid didn't sink any, so even with my success in sinking them so far, I'm still behind the historic numbers.
RE: The Great Milne Bay Swim
From what you are willing to commit to the attack, I would go as soon as possible. Their prep will improve on ships while in transit. However, you really need to monitor the enemy forces closely to avoid a surprise.
Do you think the attack is really worth it?
Do you think the attack is really worth it?
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mind_messing
- Posts: 3394
- Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 11:59 am
RE: The Great Milne Bay Swim
ORIGINAL: Lowpe
From what you are willing to commit to the attack, I would go as soon as possible. Their prep will improve on ships while in transit. However, you really need to monitor the enemy forces closely to avoid a surprise.
Do you think the attack is really worth it?
Tatically, no. Strategically, I think so. If he gets Meruake, he gets Darwin. He gets Darwin, he's got a steping stone to the DEI, and he'll have a fairly secure line of bases to cover supply convoys into Darwin.
On the wider stage, I don't want Lokasenna to be able to mount an island hopping campaign through the DEI. CentPac or SWPAC, yes. The DEI is just too close to the oil.
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Bullwinkle58
- Posts: 11297
- Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2009 12:47 pm
RE: The Great Milne Bay Swim
ORIGINAL: mind_messing
Night bombing has been a big part of this game, and something feels wrong. The only real factor that seems to influence the results is the weather: fighters on CAP, flak, barrage balloons ect don't do much even when combined, so it seems a lottery...
You don't see the half to 2/3 of the missions ordered that don't take off or RTB before you defend against them.
The Moose
RE: The Great Milne Bay Swim
There is also raid spotting by LCUs. I have seen LCUs with no detection devices ( Sound Detectors, radars, observere tec.) spot raids at 47 NM in Overcast weather during night phase.
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ny59giants
- Posts: 9902
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 12:02 pm
RE: The Great Milne Bay Swim
HQs - I didn't see a Corp or Army HQ prepping for Merauke. That could add another 10% to adjusted AV. Then, there is the 'potential' 90% adjusted AV "IF" a command HQ gets a good die roll. As an Allied player, I've learned to use this pairing a lot for major invasions.
Gove & Wessel Island - After Merauke became Allies, I took these two islands easily and this allowed me to use LSTs to resupply my Allied Army laying siege to Darwin by landing massive supplies over the beach. Once that happened, Darwin was mine. Both bases can have 35k in troops. Gove can reach size 8 AF while Wessel can be size 7. Don't forget the Allies can build up bases very quickly.
Gove & Wessel Island - After Merauke became Allies, I took these two islands easily and this allowed me to use LSTs to resupply my Allied Army laying siege to Darwin by landing massive supplies over the beach. Once that happened, Darwin was mine. Both bases can have 35k in troops. Gove can reach size 8 AF while Wessel can be size 7. Don't forget the Allies can build up bases very quickly.
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mind_messing
- Posts: 3394
- Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 11:59 am
RE: The Great Milne Bay Swim
ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58
ORIGINAL: mind_messing
Night bombing has been a big part of this game, and something feels wrong. The only real factor that seems to influence the results is the weather: fighters on CAP, flak, barrage balloons ect don't do much even when combined, so it seems a lottery...
You don't see the half to 2/3 of the missions ordered that don't take off or RTB before you defend against them.
As the modern day prophets Monty Python said, I should look on the bright side of life.
ORIGINAL: Yaab
There is also raid spotting by LCUs. I have seen LCUs with no detection devices ( Sound Detectors, radars, observere tec.) spot raids at 47 NM in Overcast weather during night phase.
Skimming back over the combat reports, we're getting about 10 mins warning of a raid in good weather. The problem is that the fighters on night CAP do very little to disrupt the bombing.
ORIGINAL: ny59giants
HQs - I didn't see a Corp or Army HQ prepping for Merauke. That could add another 10% to adjusted AV. Then, there is the 'potential' 90% adjusted AV "IF" a command HQ gets a good die roll. As an Allied player, I've learned to use this pairing a lot for major invasions.
Gove & Wessel Island - After Merauke became Allies, I took these two islands easily and this allowed me to use LSTs to resupply my Allied Army laying siege to Darwin by landing massive supplies over the beach. Once that happened, Darwin was mine. Both bases can have 35k in troops. Gove can reach size 8 AF while Wessel can be size 7. Don't forget the Allies can build up bases very quickly.
The 16th Army HQ has now been added to the first wave. I can't get a Command HQ within range, so we'll need to hope for that 10% boost.
Gove & Wessel Island are surely Lokasenna's next target, and he's already taken Gove with a fragment of an Austrailian brigade. I'll need to push him off Gove with a paratrooper attack, and there's a SNLF on the way to occupy Wessel Island.
I may try to build these bases up to make getting through to Darwin that little bit more difficult, though it would be a hard task, seeing as those bases are well within escort range of Allied airbases in North-Eastern Oz.
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mind_messing
- Posts: 3394
- Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 11:59 am
RE: The Great Milne Bay Swim
April 9th to April 10th, 1943
North Pacific
The 20th Division is created on Onnekotan-jima. As an added bonus, the division upgrades to IJA 1943 Infantry squads.
Central Pacific
IJA paratroopers recapture Nanumea. The Americans have departed again by submarine.
Despite the Allies showing a keen interest farther to the south, I'm keeping a significant air presence here. Looking at the strategic map, I'm getting the "left jab, right hook" impression from the red and green dots.
South-West Pacific/DEI
We're getting things arranged for the counter-punch. Tenders, fuel and supply are all en-route to Kendrai to enable that base to operate as a forward fleet base.
The war in the air continues, with Nell's and a strong escort punching through Allied CAP offshore of Portland Roads to put a torpedo into an APD.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Apr 09, 43
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Portland Roads at 91,132
Weather in hex: Clear sky
Raid detected at 77 NM, estimated altitude 24,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 28 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 32
A6M5 Zero x 46
G3M3 Nell x 13
Allied aircraft
Spitfire Vc Trop x 10
P-38F Lightning x 13
P-40K Warhawk x 16
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 4 destroyed
A6M5 Zero: 5 destroyed
G3M3 Nell: 1 destroyed
No Allied losses
Allied Ships
APD Humphreys
APD Colhoun, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
LSI(L) Glenorchy
Allied ground losses:
238 casualties reported
Squads: 11 destroyed, 10 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Aircraft Attacking:
12 x G3M3 Nell launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Reinforcements for Horn Island or Merauke? In any case, I'm moving some IJA dive bombers into position to try to see if they can mount some night-time attacks, just to keep the Allies honest.
Then there's this interesting strike on what I assume to be Allied CVE's:
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Cooktown at 96,138
Weather in hex: Moderate rain
Raid detected at 71 NM, estimated altitude 23,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 26 minutes
Japanese aircraft
G3M3 Nell x 5
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 62
Japanese aircraft losses
G3M3 Nell: 4 destroyed
No Allied losses
CAP engaged:
VF-35 with F4F-4 Wildcat (0 airborne, 14 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 6 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 12000 , scrambling fighters between 12000 and 26000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 14 minutes
VF-37 with F4F-4 Wildcat (0 airborne, 14 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 4 being recalled, 3 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 10000 and 23000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 28 minutes
VF-60 with F4F-4 Wildcat (0 airborne, 14 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 7 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 14000 , scrambling fighters between 14000 and 24000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 12 minutes
All are CVE fighter squadrons. So we've an Allied carrier presence off North-Eastern Oz as well.
There's also a little good fortune in the naval war as well, with IJN submarines in the Torres Straits having some good luck on the 10th:
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Apr 10, 43
Sub attack near Cooktown at 94,137
Japanese Ships
SS I-177
Allied Ships
BB New Mexico, Torpedo hits 3, heavy damage - Banzai!
DD Chevalier
Sub attack near Cooktown at 92,135
Japanese Ships
SS RO-102
Allied Ships
LST-459, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AM Dubbo
AM Pirie
LST-476
LST-456
LCI-24
SC-636
AM Strahan
Allied submarines are also on the prowl around Milne Bay, where there was a shooting gallery set up for the Tama and her escorts. Thankfully, they all miss. Sadly, though, I scuttle the Akikaze, the fires on her were burning out of control.
Off Malacca, however, a bold Allied sub gives out a good beating after a PB forces it to the surface.
Submarine attack near Malacca at 48,81
Japanese Ships
xAK Sanura Maru
PB Kinsyo Maru #2
xAK Yamakisan Maru, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 3, heavy damage
xAK Yuri Maru, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
xAK Ueizuru Maru
xAK Tatuha Maru
Allied Ships
SS Seal, hits 10, heavy damage
Sinking sounds are heard, so hopefully we can scratch one Allied submarine off the list!
The SNLF at Merauke still holds on, despite the Allies owning the base. They've no supplies and little AV, but they're there. The Allied paratrooper unit seems to be sitting at around 15 AV, so I'm working on the possibility of a paratrooper counter-invasion. To that end, two IJA paratrooper regiments are being flown in to Hansa Bay to see if we can't get Merauke back on the cheap.
I'm also working on shoring up the bases that are in the Allied line of advance. I retook Darwin with a paratrooper fragment, and I intend to land a SNLF and some engineers to try to get the airbase there back up and running and moving some aviation support from Timor to Darwin to slow the Allied tempo of operations. If there's a need, I can shift a good division from Sumatra to hold Darwin.
There's an Naval Guard unit destined for Wessel Island as well, and I'm going to recon Gove to see if I can't recapture that base as well. If I can, they're prime candidates to be built up to become forward fighter bases.
In short, if I'm going to go on the offensive to recapture Merauke, I'll be making sure I've got my rear and flanks secure as well.
China-Burma-India
Our supply problems in Burma are at an end, and efforts to build Magwe up to a size 7 airbase (for the barrage balloons) has resumed. This is needed, as Allied bombers make another night-time raid on the oil at Magwe, knocking a few more points off of it.
[center]
The strategic map. China is very pretty when covered with red dots, but I don't like the single green dot on New Guinea![/center]
North Pacific
The 20th Division is created on Onnekotan-jima. As an added bonus, the division upgrades to IJA 1943 Infantry squads.
Central Pacific
IJA paratroopers recapture Nanumea. The Americans have departed again by submarine.
Despite the Allies showing a keen interest farther to the south, I'm keeping a significant air presence here. Looking at the strategic map, I'm getting the "left jab, right hook" impression from the red and green dots.
South-West Pacific/DEI
We're getting things arranged for the counter-punch. Tenders, fuel and supply are all en-route to Kendrai to enable that base to operate as a forward fleet base.
The war in the air continues, with Nell's and a strong escort punching through Allied CAP offshore of Portland Roads to put a torpedo into an APD.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Apr 09, 43
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Portland Roads at 91,132
Weather in hex: Clear sky
Raid detected at 77 NM, estimated altitude 24,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 28 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 32
A6M5 Zero x 46
G3M3 Nell x 13
Allied aircraft
Spitfire Vc Trop x 10
P-38F Lightning x 13
P-40K Warhawk x 16
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 4 destroyed
A6M5 Zero: 5 destroyed
G3M3 Nell: 1 destroyed
No Allied losses
Allied Ships
APD Humphreys
APD Colhoun, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
LSI(L) Glenorchy
Allied ground losses:
238 casualties reported
Squads: 11 destroyed, 10 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Aircraft Attacking:
12 x G3M3 Nell launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Reinforcements for Horn Island or Merauke? In any case, I'm moving some IJA dive bombers into position to try to see if they can mount some night-time attacks, just to keep the Allies honest.
Then there's this interesting strike on what I assume to be Allied CVE's:
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Cooktown at 96,138
Weather in hex: Moderate rain
Raid detected at 71 NM, estimated altitude 23,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 26 minutes
Japanese aircraft
G3M3 Nell x 5
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 62
Japanese aircraft losses
G3M3 Nell: 4 destroyed
No Allied losses
CAP engaged:
VF-35 with F4F-4 Wildcat (0 airborne, 14 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 6 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 12000 , scrambling fighters between 12000 and 26000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 14 minutes
VF-37 with F4F-4 Wildcat (0 airborne, 14 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 4 being recalled, 3 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 10000 and 23000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 28 minutes
VF-60 with F4F-4 Wildcat (0 airborne, 14 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 7 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 14000 , scrambling fighters between 14000 and 24000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 12 minutes
All are CVE fighter squadrons. So we've an Allied carrier presence off North-Eastern Oz as well.
There's also a little good fortune in the naval war as well, with IJN submarines in the Torres Straits having some good luck on the 10th:
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Apr 10, 43
Sub attack near Cooktown at 94,137
Japanese Ships
SS I-177
Allied Ships
BB New Mexico, Torpedo hits 3, heavy damage - Banzai!
DD Chevalier
Sub attack near Cooktown at 92,135
Japanese Ships
SS RO-102
Allied Ships
LST-459, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AM Dubbo
AM Pirie
LST-476
LST-456
LCI-24
SC-636
AM Strahan
Allied submarines are also on the prowl around Milne Bay, where there was a shooting gallery set up for the Tama and her escorts. Thankfully, they all miss. Sadly, though, I scuttle the Akikaze, the fires on her were burning out of control.
Off Malacca, however, a bold Allied sub gives out a good beating after a PB forces it to the surface.
Submarine attack near Malacca at 48,81
Japanese Ships
xAK Sanura Maru
PB Kinsyo Maru #2
xAK Yamakisan Maru, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 3, heavy damage
xAK Yuri Maru, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
xAK Ueizuru Maru
xAK Tatuha Maru
Allied Ships
SS Seal, hits 10, heavy damage
Sinking sounds are heard, so hopefully we can scratch one Allied submarine off the list!
The SNLF at Merauke still holds on, despite the Allies owning the base. They've no supplies and little AV, but they're there. The Allied paratrooper unit seems to be sitting at around 15 AV, so I'm working on the possibility of a paratrooper counter-invasion. To that end, two IJA paratrooper regiments are being flown in to Hansa Bay to see if we can't get Merauke back on the cheap.
I'm also working on shoring up the bases that are in the Allied line of advance. I retook Darwin with a paratrooper fragment, and I intend to land a SNLF and some engineers to try to get the airbase there back up and running and moving some aviation support from Timor to Darwin to slow the Allied tempo of operations. If there's a need, I can shift a good division from Sumatra to hold Darwin.
There's an Naval Guard unit destined for Wessel Island as well, and I'm going to recon Gove to see if I can't recapture that base as well. If I can, they're prime candidates to be built up to become forward fighter bases.
In short, if I'm going to go on the offensive to recapture Merauke, I'll be making sure I've got my rear and flanks secure as well.
China-Burma-India
Our supply problems in Burma are at an end, and efforts to build Magwe up to a size 7 airbase (for the barrage balloons) has resumed. This is needed, as Allied bombers make another night-time raid on the oil at Magwe, knocking a few more points off of it.
[center]
The strategic map. China is very pretty when covered with red dots, but I don't like the single green dot on New Guinea![/center]
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mind_messing
- Posts: 3394
- Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 11:59 am
RE: The Great Milne Bay Swim
April 11th, 1943
North Pacific
Nothing is stirring up here.
I've debated moving the Yamato's to join in the counter-attack against Merauke. The only thing that's making me pause is the fuel cost and the difficulty in replacing these two ships. While moving them to the DEI makes them less of a logistical drain, I'll be hard pressed to find replacement ships to give the IJN even a token presence in the North Pacific.
I'll wait and see.
Central Pacific
Other than some sub-chasers going after the Gato outside Truk, things here are quiet also.
I'll need to move a bunch more sub-chasers to Truk and other CentPac bases, as I really want to leave the E-class ships for duties on the frontline. Granted, the sub-chasers very rarely sink anything, but they do an exceptional job of making the Allied submarines waste torpedos on dinky 1 VP targes.
South-West Pacific
The "Happy Time" for the IJN submarine fleet continues. They've already put a damaged battleship under, motiviating them to new feats of valour!
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Apr 11, 43
SW attack near Deboyne Islands at 100,142
Japanese Ships
SS I-122
Allied Ships
DD Walke, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage Quite impressive!
DD Anderson
DD Downes
DD Perkins
DD Ellet
SS I-122 launches 4 torpedoes at DD Walke
I-122 diving deep ....
DD Downes fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Perkins fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Ellet fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub
Sub attack near Cooktown at 93,139
Japanese Ships
SS RO-60, hits 3
Allied Ships
CVE Sangamon, Torpedo hits 1 - Hardly enough to sink it, but that's one Allied carrier needing yard time.
BB Idaho
CL Perth
DD Chevalier
DD Tucker
DD Flusser
DD Reid
SS RO-60 launches 6 torpedoes at CVE Sangamon
RO-60 diving deep ....
DD Tucker fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Flusser fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Reid fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Reid fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Reid fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Reid fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Reid attacking submerged sub ....
Escort abandons search for sub
This is pretty solid proof that there's some sort of Allied carrier presence in the South-West Pacific. As to where the fleet carriers are - it's anyone's guess.
Above the waves, four Fletcher-class destroyers head for Milne Bay, sinking two converted E-class escorts that were on ASW duty off the eastern tip of Papua. The Allied ships are gone before dawn, so there's no revenge strike from Buna or Rabual.
In the air, the usual night time raids from 2000ft fly against Lunga. As usual, the Nicks on night CAP are up in force and lose a few planes with little to show for it, but thankfully the weather is "severe storms", so there's minimal damage to the airbase.
Come dawn, the IJN fighter groups on New Guinea pull off an impressive feat, co-ordinating a sweep of 89 (!!!) A5M6 to attack Horn Island. Sadly, the sweep finds nothing but empty skies - the Allies don't have any CAP up. The IJN air groups will stand down, and we'll try again once the fatigue has worn off.
On the ground, the Allies at last wipe out the last defenders of Merauke as the Yokosuka 4th SNLF ceases to exist as a fighting force. However, all is not lost, as the two IJA paratrooper regiments at Hansa Bay are dropping on Merauke tomorrow in an attempt to steal the base back before the Allies can reinforce the base force and the 503rd Parachute Regiment.
DEI
Soerabaja, up until now a backwater repair yard for submarines and escort ships, is now the jumping off point for the counter-attack against Merauke. The amphibious force and the LCU's should be ready to go within ten to fifteen days. Most of the combat ships are already in position, with the IJN slow battleships gathered east of Timor. If possible, they'll try to make a bombardment run in the next day or two to try to soften up Merauke for the paratrooper assault.
Elsewhere, shipping to move units to occupy Darwin and Wessel Island are moving in to position. I'm very eager to re-occupy Darwin with a token garrison, but even more urgent is the need to garrison Wessel Island and to recapture Gove.
China-Burma-India
All is quiet on the Burma-India frontier.
Some of the Southern Army heavy artillery park is sitting at Rangoon waiting for shipment to the Marianas. I like the notion of having some heavy IJA weapons to back up the IJA infantry units that are quite light on artillery. Most of them are destined for the islands that don't have any serious CD defences - Tinian, Rota and Pagan.
Work to bring Magwe up to a size 7 airbase is progressing well. I'm annoyed that I've not made an effort to do it before now, as having barrage balloons would probably ensure that any night bombing against is ineffective and costly. Then again, I thought that about bases elsewhere and it turned out I was wrong.
Industry
Home Island Stockpiles:
Supply - 3,040,115 - Supply over 3 million in 1943! I may even be able to have nearer to 4 million supply by the time 1944 rolls around!
Fuel - 2,445,296
Resources - 10,505,923
Oil - 1,324,506
In short, resource stockpiles in Japan are looking pretty good.
Pools
HI Total - 1,363,458 - Not great, but we seem to be on track for our goal of banking 1M HI points per year. I may start turning off some Nav and Merch Shipyards.
Armaments - 199,037 - Excellent, we'll be needing all of it in a few months, for the torrent of arriving IJA units.
Vehicles - 23,215 - I may halve production, seeing as there's only a half dozen armoured units set to arrive over the next year, and then resume production in 1945 in preparation for the rush of late-war reinforcements.
The fuel crisis that was developing in China has been solved by diverting a couple of shipments destined for the Home Islands to Shanghai.
North Pacific
Nothing is stirring up here.
I've debated moving the Yamato's to join in the counter-attack against Merauke. The only thing that's making me pause is the fuel cost and the difficulty in replacing these two ships. While moving them to the DEI makes them less of a logistical drain, I'll be hard pressed to find replacement ships to give the IJN even a token presence in the North Pacific.
I'll wait and see.
Central Pacific
Other than some sub-chasers going after the Gato outside Truk, things here are quiet also.
I'll need to move a bunch more sub-chasers to Truk and other CentPac bases, as I really want to leave the E-class ships for duties on the frontline. Granted, the sub-chasers very rarely sink anything, but they do an exceptional job of making the Allied submarines waste torpedos on dinky 1 VP targes.
South-West Pacific
The "Happy Time" for the IJN submarine fleet continues. They've already put a damaged battleship under, motiviating them to new feats of valour!
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Apr 11, 43
SW attack near Deboyne Islands at 100,142
Japanese Ships
SS I-122
Allied Ships
DD Walke, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage Quite impressive!
DD Anderson
DD Downes
DD Perkins
DD Ellet
SS I-122 launches 4 torpedoes at DD Walke
I-122 diving deep ....
DD Downes fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Perkins fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Ellet fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub
Sub attack near Cooktown at 93,139
Japanese Ships
SS RO-60, hits 3
Allied Ships
CVE Sangamon, Torpedo hits 1 - Hardly enough to sink it, but that's one Allied carrier needing yard time.
BB Idaho
CL Perth
DD Chevalier
DD Tucker
DD Flusser
DD Reid
SS RO-60 launches 6 torpedoes at CVE Sangamon
RO-60 diving deep ....
DD Tucker fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Flusser fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Reid fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Reid fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Reid fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Reid fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Reid attacking submerged sub ....
Escort abandons search for sub
This is pretty solid proof that there's some sort of Allied carrier presence in the South-West Pacific. As to where the fleet carriers are - it's anyone's guess.
Above the waves, four Fletcher-class destroyers head for Milne Bay, sinking two converted E-class escorts that were on ASW duty off the eastern tip of Papua. The Allied ships are gone before dawn, so there's no revenge strike from Buna or Rabual.
In the air, the usual night time raids from 2000ft fly against Lunga. As usual, the Nicks on night CAP are up in force and lose a few planes with little to show for it, but thankfully the weather is "severe storms", so there's minimal damage to the airbase.
Come dawn, the IJN fighter groups on New Guinea pull off an impressive feat, co-ordinating a sweep of 89 (!!!) A5M6 to attack Horn Island. Sadly, the sweep finds nothing but empty skies - the Allies don't have any CAP up. The IJN air groups will stand down, and we'll try again once the fatigue has worn off.
On the ground, the Allies at last wipe out the last defenders of Merauke as the Yokosuka 4th SNLF ceases to exist as a fighting force. However, all is not lost, as the two IJA paratrooper regiments at Hansa Bay are dropping on Merauke tomorrow in an attempt to steal the base back before the Allies can reinforce the base force and the 503rd Parachute Regiment.
DEI
Soerabaja, up until now a backwater repair yard for submarines and escort ships, is now the jumping off point for the counter-attack against Merauke. The amphibious force and the LCU's should be ready to go within ten to fifteen days. Most of the combat ships are already in position, with the IJN slow battleships gathered east of Timor. If possible, they'll try to make a bombardment run in the next day or two to try to soften up Merauke for the paratrooper assault.
Elsewhere, shipping to move units to occupy Darwin and Wessel Island are moving in to position. I'm very eager to re-occupy Darwin with a token garrison, but even more urgent is the need to garrison Wessel Island and to recapture Gove.
China-Burma-India
All is quiet on the Burma-India frontier.
Some of the Southern Army heavy artillery park is sitting at Rangoon waiting for shipment to the Marianas. I like the notion of having some heavy IJA weapons to back up the IJA infantry units that are quite light on artillery. Most of them are destined for the islands that don't have any serious CD defences - Tinian, Rota and Pagan.
Work to bring Magwe up to a size 7 airbase is progressing well. I'm annoyed that I've not made an effort to do it before now, as having barrage balloons would probably ensure that any night bombing against is ineffective and costly. Then again, I thought that about bases elsewhere and it turned out I was wrong.
Industry
Home Island Stockpiles:
Supply - 3,040,115 - Supply over 3 million in 1943! I may even be able to have nearer to 4 million supply by the time 1944 rolls around!
Fuel - 2,445,296
Resources - 10,505,923
Oil - 1,324,506
In short, resource stockpiles in Japan are looking pretty good.
Pools
HI Total - 1,363,458 - Not great, but we seem to be on track for our goal of banking 1M HI points per year. I may start turning off some Nav and Merch Shipyards.
Armaments - 199,037 - Excellent, we'll be needing all of it in a few months, for the torrent of arriving IJA units.
Vehicles - 23,215 - I may halve production, seeing as there's only a half dozen armoured units set to arrive over the next year, and then resume production in 1945 in preparation for the rush of late-war reinforcements.
The fuel crisis that was developing in China has been solved by diverting a couple of shipments destined for the Home Islands to Shanghai.
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ny59giants
- Posts: 9902
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 12:02 pm
RE: The Great Milne Bay Swim
I've debated moving the Yamato's to join in the counter-attack against Merauke. The only thing that's making me pause is the fuel cost and the difficulty in replacing these two ships. While moving them to the DEI makes them less of a logistical drain, I'll be hard pressed to find replacement ships to give the IJN even a token presence in the North Pacific.
Use them where you can hope for a surface engagement, but not where there is Allied air superiority. As an Allied player, they will be nothing but targets a year from now when the Allies have Fletchers everywhere.
Fletchers do 38 knots and can move 11 hexes. I've used them on Full Speed "hit & run" attacks. 8 of them in a SC TF can do some damage. [:D]
[center][/center]
[/center]-
mind_messing
- Posts: 3394
- Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 11:59 am
RE: The Great Milne Bay Swim
ORIGINAL: ny59giants
I've debated moving the Yamato's to join in the counter-attack against Merauke. The only thing that's making me pause is the fuel cost and the difficulty in replacing these two ships. While moving them to the DEI makes them less of a logistical drain, I'll be hard pressed to find replacement ships to give the IJN even a token presence in the North Pacific.
Use them where you can hope for a surface engagement, but not where there is Allied air superiority. As an Allied player, they will be nothing but targets a year from now when the Allies have Fletchers everywhere.
Nah, I think I'll keep the Yamato's on ice in Ominato at present. They won't burn any fuel sitting pierside, and if there's ever an Allied forray into the Kuriles, they'll be on hand. What's better is that in the event they take serious damage, I won't have to nurse a wounded battleship across half the map.
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mind_messing
- Posts: 3394
- Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 11:59 am
RE: The Great Milne Bay Swim
April 12th to April 14th
North Pacific
ZZZzzzZZZ
Central Pacific
Wake reaches level 5 forts, and with 120 AV to defend the island, I feel quite comfortable about this exposed outpost. Marcus and Eniwetok are also looking very strong bastions, with both having 170 AV behind level 4 forts. This should force the Allies to go through the full "atoll routine" of naval and air bombardment prior to any landing, or risk an assault getting cut up on the forced shock attack against a strong defence.
There's going to be another overhaul of garrisons in this sector in a month or two, as the main garrison unit on Mili is set to be reinforced to a division in 40 days and Mili isn't worth a division to me. The good news is that there's a SNLF and a Naval Guard set to arrive around the same time, so there will only be a moderate reduction of AV on Mili.
I'll be swapping units out on Tabiteuea as well. I'll pull 200 of the 400 AV off the island to redeploy to a base further in the rear (likely Ponape) and replace it with 100 AV's worth of smaller units. 300 AV behind level 5 forts seems a "just right" defence for Tabiteuea.
South-West Pacific
There's going to be garrison swapping around here as well. The 12th Ind. Mixed Brigade at Tassafaronga can now combine with reinforcements to become a division, but to leave it on Guadalcanal would be over-kill as there's a 340 AV Division sitting at Lunga. Instead, the 12th IMB is going to garrison Port Moresby, which will free up the 9th IMB as well as the Guards Mixed Brigade (which is due to become the 1st Guards Division by mid May). The 9th IMB will garrison Tassafaronga while I'll likely send the 1st Guards Division to Babeldoab.
In terms of actual fighting, the Allies mount another nusiance night-time raid against Hansa Bay with their 4E's. The moderate rain does more to spoil their aim than the Japanese fighters on night CAP, and only a half-dozen planes are lost on the ground and the damage to the airbase is repaired by dawn.
Some Fletcher's also shell Port Moresby, but there's not much here bar some Jakes.
The attempt to recapture Merauke by paratrooper has been foiled by the Allies flying in part of an Austrailian brigade. The IJA paratroopers still hang on, but the Allies have nearly twice their AV.
Ground combat at Merauke (89,124)
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 13 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 33
Defending force 4779 troops, 84 guns, 66 vehicles, Assault Value = 77
Assault collapses, survivors seek cover
Japanese ground losses:
8 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Units destroyed 1 - Only a single squad fragment
Assaulting units:
Yokosuka 1st SNLF /1 - A single squad unit dropped in.
2nd Raiding Rgt /2 - Down to 5 AV
1st Raiding Rgt /2 - Sitting at 25 AV
Defending units:
503rd Parachute Regiment
16th Australian Bde /2
224th USN Base Force
The Allied CVE force is sighted just off Brisbane, no doubt deciding that the narrow waters of the Torres Straits was being made too dangerous by IJN submarines.
The crusier Tama and her escorting destroyers managed to reach Rabaul without any trouble and recived a hero's welcome for their exploits in running the Torres Straits. The ships are headed to Truk to have their system damage knocked off before they're redeployed, likely to the Marshall Islands.
DEI
Combat shipping is forming up at Kendrai and the invasion shipping is gathering at Soerabaja, while the troops destined for Wessel and Darwin are loading up at Roti and Saumlaki.
I've sent four Shiratsuyu-class destroyers on a bombardment run of Merauke, just to keep the airbase suppressed. The slow IJN battleships are hovering off Dili, and a surface combat force built around the two Agano-class light crusiers is going to hang around near Taberfane. Currently, the Gulf of Carpentaria is devoid of Allied shipping, but if any ships do try to make a run for Merauke or to make a move on Gove or Wessel Island I want to make sure that they're met by a strong IJN presence.
China-Burma-India
There's a few garrison units due to arrive in China in the next month, so hopefully I can see about getting some more units freed up. There's a nice 210 AV IMB sitting in Wuchang that would look lovely on Yap or Peliliu.
All's quiet in Burma, our supply problems seem to be history.
There's 92 ships in Colombo on Ceylon and only 52 fighters reported defending the base. I'm more interested in the fact that some AP ships are reported. I'll recon the rest of Ceylon and Madras as well for good measure.
This has me thinking: the Burma panhandle is strongly held, but Victora Point is virtually undefended so I'm moving the Imperial Guards Division from Burma to Thailand to rail down to Victoria Point. The Andaman's are also pretty poorly held, but I've got the INA units arriving in ~80 days, so they'll do nicely as expendable garrison forces for the Andamans.
[center]
The light cruiser Tama, which along with it's escorting destroyers have became the focus of Japanese propaganda in the wake of their dash through the Torres Straits.[/center]
North Pacific
ZZZzzzZZZ
Central Pacific
Wake reaches level 5 forts, and with 120 AV to defend the island, I feel quite comfortable about this exposed outpost. Marcus and Eniwetok are also looking very strong bastions, with both having 170 AV behind level 4 forts. This should force the Allies to go through the full "atoll routine" of naval and air bombardment prior to any landing, or risk an assault getting cut up on the forced shock attack against a strong defence.
There's going to be another overhaul of garrisons in this sector in a month or two, as the main garrison unit on Mili is set to be reinforced to a division in 40 days and Mili isn't worth a division to me. The good news is that there's a SNLF and a Naval Guard set to arrive around the same time, so there will only be a moderate reduction of AV on Mili.
I'll be swapping units out on Tabiteuea as well. I'll pull 200 of the 400 AV off the island to redeploy to a base further in the rear (likely Ponape) and replace it with 100 AV's worth of smaller units. 300 AV behind level 5 forts seems a "just right" defence for Tabiteuea.
South-West Pacific
There's going to be garrison swapping around here as well. The 12th Ind. Mixed Brigade at Tassafaronga can now combine with reinforcements to become a division, but to leave it on Guadalcanal would be over-kill as there's a 340 AV Division sitting at Lunga. Instead, the 12th IMB is going to garrison Port Moresby, which will free up the 9th IMB as well as the Guards Mixed Brigade (which is due to become the 1st Guards Division by mid May). The 9th IMB will garrison Tassafaronga while I'll likely send the 1st Guards Division to Babeldoab.
In terms of actual fighting, the Allies mount another nusiance night-time raid against Hansa Bay with their 4E's. The moderate rain does more to spoil their aim than the Japanese fighters on night CAP, and only a half-dozen planes are lost on the ground and the damage to the airbase is repaired by dawn.
Some Fletcher's also shell Port Moresby, but there's not much here bar some Jakes.
The attempt to recapture Merauke by paratrooper has been foiled by the Allies flying in part of an Austrailian brigade. The IJA paratroopers still hang on, but the Allies have nearly twice their AV.
Ground combat at Merauke (89,124)
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 13 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 33
Defending force 4779 troops, 84 guns, 66 vehicles, Assault Value = 77
Assault collapses, survivors seek cover
Japanese ground losses:
8 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Units destroyed 1 - Only a single squad fragment
Assaulting units:
Yokosuka 1st SNLF /1 - A single squad unit dropped in.
2nd Raiding Rgt /2 - Down to 5 AV
1st Raiding Rgt /2 - Sitting at 25 AV
Defending units:
503rd Parachute Regiment
16th Australian Bde /2
224th USN Base Force
The Allied CVE force is sighted just off Brisbane, no doubt deciding that the narrow waters of the Torres Straits was being made too dangerous by IJN submarines.
The crusier Tama and her escorting destroyers managed to reach Rabaul without any trouble and recived a hero's welcome for their exploits in running the Torres Straits. The ships are headed to Truk to have their system damage knocked off before they're redeployed, likely to the Marshall Islands.
DEI
Combat shipping is forming up at Kendrai and the invasion shipping is gathering at Soerabaja, while the troops destined for Wessel and Darwin are loading up at Roti and Saumlaki.
I've sent four Shiratsuyu-class destroyers on a bombardment run of Merauke, just to keep the airbase suppressed. The slow IJN battleships are hovering off Dili, and a surface combat force built around the two Agano-class light crusiers is going to hang around near Taberfane. Currently, the Gulf of Carpentaria is devoid of Allied shipping, but if any ships do try to make a run for Merauke or to make a move on Gove or Wessel Island I want to make sure that they're met by a strong IJN presence.
China-Burma-India
There's a few garrison units due to arrive in China in the next month, so hopefully I can see about getting some more units freed up. There's a nice 210 AV IMB sitting in Wuchang that would look lovely on Yap or Peliliu.
All's quiet in Burma, our supply problems seem to be history.
There's 92 ships in Colombo on Ceylon and only 52 fighters reported defending the base. I'm more interested in the fact that some AP ships are reported. I'll recon the rest of Ceylon and Madras as well for good measure.
This has me thinking: the Burma panhandle is strongly held, but Victora Point is virtually undefended so I'm moving the Imperial Guards Division from Burma to Thailand to rail down to Victoria Point. The Andaman's are also pretty poorly held, but I've got the INA units arriving in ~80 days, so they'll do nicely as expendable garrison forces for the Andamans.
[center]
The light cruiser Tama, which along with it's escorting destroyers have became the focus of Japanese propaganda in the wake of their dash through the Torres Straits.[/center]
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mind_messing
- Posts: 3394
- Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 11:59 am
RE: The Great Milne Bay Swim
April 12th to April 16th, 1943
A slow few turns, as real life gets in the way for both of us.
North Pacific
Bore in the Pacific up here...
Central Pacific
A task force of 4 Fletchers mounts a night-time bombardment raid on Tabiteuea, sinking two Japanese torpedo boats and damaging the airbase slightly. I had a fragment of the Wake CD unit here, which fired off a few shots but failed to score any hits. I'm recombining the fragments of the Wake CD unit on Tabiteuea, as the 20cm guns were left on Wake in case of another Allied raid, but that's looking unlikely.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Apr 16, 43
TF 316 encounters mine field at Tabiteuea (137,134)
Allied Ships
DD Conway, Mine hits 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Naval bombardment of Tabiteuea at 137,134 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
24 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied Ships
DD Taylor
DD Strong
DD Philip
DD LaVallette
DD Jenkins
Japanese ground losses:
40 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Airbase hits 14
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 67
DD Taylor firing at Tabiteuea
DD Strong firing at Tabiteuea
DD Philip firing at Tabiteuea
DD LaVallette firing at Wake Coastal Gun Battalion
Wake Coastal Gun Battalion firing at DD LaVallette
DD Jenkins firing at Tabiteuea
This is the first real Allied surface force we've seen for several months, and I'm still not sure if it's an opertunistic raid from some destroyers or a probe in preparation for a major move in this area.
Nevertheless, I feel comfortable enough to risk sending the KB back to the Home Islands for their April '43 upgrades. I really need the extra radar sets on the ships, and there's no easy targets that the USN can hit while the KB is out for repairs.
South-West Pacific
The Allies have reinforced Horn Island to a considerable extent, with 18k men and 200 AFV's and guns.
The only real harrassment has been from IJN submarines, which have been dueling with USN destroyers for the past few turns, but have failed to hit the fast Fletchers.
In the air, things have been uneventful, as I want my air groups in prime condition for the upcoming bid to recapture Merauke. The Allies have flown fighters in to Merauke, but the airbase is at 30% damage, so the IJAAF is mounting a big raid from Hansa Bay to close the airbase prior to the commencement of operations against Merauke.
DEI
The invasion shipping is gathered in Soerabaja. The Mini-KB is stuck in Singapore for the next five turns while Junyo and Hiyo finish their April '43 upgrades (well worth the wait, as it gives the MKB two carriers with radar), and once they're back in commission, they'll move to Soerabaja in preparation to cover the counter-invasion forces.
Darwin is re-occupied by the Allies, with the 3rd Motor Brigade marching back into the hex. IJA bombers from Timor sortie against the Austrailian unit, and it looks like they're headed back south. Hopefully, we'll be able to re-take Darwin by paratrooper assault and land a SNLF to occupy Darwin. Troops should also be in a position to land on Gobe Island by April 18th.
The attempt to bombard Merauke has been foiled by a single Allied destroyer:
Day Time Surface Combat, near Merauke at 86,123, Range 19,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
DD Shiratsuyu
DD Shigure
DD Murasame
DD Samidare, Shell hits 1
Allied Ships
DD Norman, Shell hits 1
Despite minimal damage to both parties, the IJN destroyers managed to waste nearly all of their torpedos and a fair chunk of their main gun ammo, so they're headed back to Kendrai to refuel and rearm.
The Agano/Noshiro surface combat force is also moving into the area to cover the Gove Island landing, and I'll try to pull off a fast bombardment run with them as well in the next few days if they don't end up in a fight.
On the ground, the invasion force is nearly ready. The 2nd Division is at 50% prep, and the support units range between 30-40% prep. I'd rather take the extra disablement losses than have the Allies put reinforcements ashore in the time it takes to reach 100% prep.
D-Day for the counter-invasion is set for April 28th. I have 11 turns to make ready.
China-Burma-India
Calm and quiet.
[center]
IJN SNLF troops destined for Darwin. The Japanese empire had abanonded Darwin, and now it was returning to place a garrison.[/center]
A slow few turns, as real life gets in the way for both of us.
North Pacific
Bore in the Pacific up here...
Central Pacific
A task force of 4 Fletchers mounts a night-time bombardment raid on Tabiteuea, sinking two Japanese torpedo boats and damaging the airbase slightly. I had a fragment of the Wake CD unit here, which fired off a few shots but failed to score any hits. I'm recombining the fragments of the Wake CD unit on Tabiteuea, as the 20cm guns were left on Wake in case of another Allied raid, but that's looking unlikely.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Apr 16, 43
TF 316 encounters mine field at Tabiteuea (137,134)
Allied Ships
DD Conway, Mine hits 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Naval bombardment of Tabiteuea at 137,134 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
24 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied Ships
DD Taylor
DD Strong
DD Philip
DD LaVallette
DD Jenkins
Japanese ground losses:
40 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Airbase hits 14
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 67
DD Taylor firing at Tabiteuea
DD Strong firing at Tabiteuea
DD Philip firing at Tabiteuea
DD LaVallette firing at Wake Coastal Gun Battalion
Wake Coastal Gun Battalion firing at DD LaVallette
DD Jenkins firing at Tabiteuea
This is the first real Allied surface force we've seen for several months, and I'm still not sure if it's an opertunistic raid from some destroyers or a probe in preparation for a major move in this area.
Nevertheless, I feel comfortable enough to risk sending the KB back to the Home Islands for their April '43 upgrades. I really need the extra radar sets on the ships, and there's no easy targets that the USN can hit while the KB is out for repairs.
South-West Pacific
The Allies have reinforced Horn Island to a considerable extent, with 18k men and 200 AFV's and guns.
The only real harrassment has been from IJN submarines, which have been dueling with USN destroyers for the past few turns, but have failed to hit the fast Fletchers.
In the air, things have been uneventful, as I want my air groups in prime condition for the upcoming bid to recapture Merauke. The Allies have flown fighters in to Merauke, but the airbase is at 30% damage, so the IJAAF is mounting a big raid from Hansa Bay to close the airbase prior to the commencement of operations against Merauke.
DEI
The invasion shipping is gathered in Soerabaja. The Mini-KB is stuck in Singapore for the next five turns while Junyo and Hiyo finish their April '43 upgrades (well worth the wait, as it gives the MKB two carriers with radar), and once they're back in commission, they'll move to Soerabaja in preparation to cover the counter-invasion forces.
Darwin is re-occupied by the Allies, with the 3rd Motor Brigade marching back into the hex. IJA bombers from Timor sortie against the Austrailian unit, and it looks like they're headed back south. Hopefully, we'll be able to re-take Darwin by paratrooper assault and land a SNLF to occupy Darwin. Troops should also be in a position to land on Gobe Island by April 18th.
The attempt to bombard Merauke has been foiled by a single Allied destroyer:
Day Time Surface Combat, near Merauke at 86,123, Range 19,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
DD Shiratsuyu
DD Shigure
DD Murasame
DD Samidare, Shell hits 1
Allied Ships
DD Norman, Shell hits 1
Despite minimal damage to both parties, the IJN destroyers managed to waste nearly all of their torpedos and a fair chunk of their main gun ammo, so they're headed back to Kendrai to refuel and rearm.
The Agano/Noshiro surface combat force is also moving into the area to cover the Gove Island landing, and I'll try to pull off a fast bombardment run with them as well in the next few days if they don't end up in a fight.
On the ground, the invasion force is nearly ready. The 2nd Division is at 50% prep, and the support units range between 30-40% prep. I'd rather take the extra disablement losses than have the Allies put reinforcements ashore in the time it takes to reach 100% prep.
D-Day for the counter-invasion is set for April 28th. I have 11 turns to make ready.
China-Burma-India
Calm and quiet.
[center]
IJN SNLF troops destined for Darwin. The Japanese empire had abanonded Darwin, and now it was returning to place a garrison.[/center]