RADM Yamaguchi's Diary (Pls no affins or cheesesteak)

[jdsrae]

Those defenders at Zamboanga and Suva start there.
You’ll mop up Zambo in no time.
8th NZ Bde is a decent one to destroy. I think it’s the only regular Kiwi Bde in game for a while, the others being militia.

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

Thanks jdsrae. I guess that's an early reinforcemnet NZ Bde.

Nice to have Fiji done. I've got a lot of units headed to Pago Pago but i've seen a couple CVs and i might suspend everything to go after them. Not sure

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

In the real war:

WORLD WAR II DAY-BY-DAY - Day 900 February 16, 1942
--------------------------------------------------------
In 71 days, Japanese have captured Hong Kong, advanced down the Malay peninsula and captured Singapore, invaded Southern Burma and threaten Rangoon, occupied most Philippines island and compressed the American defenders into the Southern Bataan peninsula, captured Borneo and several minor islands in the Dutch East Indies (although Sumatra and Java are still in Allied hands), captured Wake Island and occupied other outlying islands in the middle of the Pacific.

The island of Timor is important to ABDA as a staging post for flights from Australia to Java, Dutch East Indies. A troop convoy (4 transport ships carrying a battalion of Australian infantry, 1 anti-aircraft battery and US 147th/148th Field Artillery, escorted by US cruiser USS Houston & destroyer USS Peary plus Australian sloops HMAS Swan & HMAS Warrego but with no air cover) departed yesterday from Darwin, Australia to reinforce defenses on Timor. In the morning, the convoy is attacked in the middle of the Timor Sea by 36 Japanese bombers and 10 seaplanes flying from Kendari, Celebes. The convoy scatters and anti-aircraft fire from USS Houston keeps the bombers at a distance. Near misses damage US troop transport Miegs and US freighter Mauna Loa (2 killed, 18 wounded). Fearing further attack from Japanese aircraft carriers known to be in the vicinity, the convoy turns back to Darwin.

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

In my little PBEM War:

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Feb 16, 42
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack near Belep Islands at 112,153

Japanese Ships
AK Akagi Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DD Makigumo

Allied Ships
SS S-27

Japanese ground losses:
4 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
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Pre-Invasion action off Darwin (76,124) - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force

134 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
BB Hyuga, Shell hits 8
BB Ise, Shell hits 1
BB Yamashiro
BB Fuso, Shell hits 2
CL Kashima, Shell hits 3
DD Fuyo
DD Asagao, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Sanae
DD Kuretake
xAK Sydney Maru, Shell hits 2, on fire
xAK Arima Maru, Shell hits 2
xAK Awazisan Maru
SC Ch 9
SC Ch 8
SC Ch 7
SC Ch 3
SC Ch 2
xAK Atutasan Maru
E Ishinui

Japanese ground losses:
46 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
515 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 11 disabled
Non Combat: 12 destroyed, 33 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Guns lost 15 (1 destroyed, 14 disabled)
Castor troy in his PBEM added some CLs and DDs to an invasion TF at Ambon and they got shot up. I posted that i didn't add naval vessels with my merchants in amphibious TFs and was told i should include BBs if there were large CD guns so i added 4BBs at the last minute. Guess it was the right thing to do. I'll figure out who said that and thank them.
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Ground combat at 85,43 (near Loyang)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 24752 troops, 254 guns, 74 vehicles, Assault Value = 878

Defending force 7292 troops, 16 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 247

Japanese adjusted assault: 673

Allied adjusted defense: 223

Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
2000 casualties reported
Squads: 6 destroyed, 164 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 17 disabled
Guns lost 9 (1 destroyed, 8 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
2056 casualties reported
Squads: 122 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 157 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 2 (1 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Units retreated 1
pushing forward towards Sian.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Derby (64,127)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 715 troops, 10 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 8

Defending force 290 troops, 2 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 4

Japanese adjusted assault: 6

Allied adjusted defense: 7

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 0)

Combat modifiers
Defender: leaders(+), fatigue(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
18 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Allied ground losses:
7 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Assaulting units:
8th JAAF AF Bn

Defending units:
Derby RAN Base Force
might need more here.
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107th RN Base Force Wiped Out at Tarakan by attrition!!!
i think this was suicide. The unit moved into Tarakan from the jungle.

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

it was Paxmondo that said to use the BBs to absorb so thank you Pax.

[PaxMondo]

No Worries RADM. That's what the peanut gallery here is for. [;)]

Nice job forcing that landing at Darwin … with that amount of damage your forces should do well.

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

No Worries RADM. That's what the peanut gallery here is for. [;)]

Nice job forcing that landing at Darwin … with that amount of damage your forces should do well.

Hey Pax, you were right. see below.

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

in real life

Day 901 February 17, 1942
At 4.30 AM, Warrant Flying Officer Nobuo Fujita flies a two-seater Yokosuka E14Y floatplane from Japanese submarine I-25 over Sydney Harbour for reconnaissance of the airfield. By 7.30 AM, the floatplane is stowed and I-25 heads South towards Melbourne.

Dutch East Indies. At 8 AM, 9 Japanese troop transports depart Ambon for Timor, escorted by cruiser Jintsu and 8 destroyers.

In the Bangka Strait 67 miles West of Billiton Island, Dutch destroyer HMNS Van Nes, escorting Dutch troopship Sloet van Beele carrying troops from Billiton to Batavia (Jakarta), is sunk by Japanese bombers from aircraft carrier Ryujo (69 killed, 60 survivors).

Singapore. 3000 British civilians are sent to Changi prison while 50,000 British and Australian troops march to nearby Selarang Barracks to be interned as POWs (10,298 British and 7777 Australian POWs will die in Japanese work camps, many building the Burma Railway from Rangoon, Burma, to Bangkok, Thailand). Indian POWs are taken to playing fields at Farrer Park and addressed by Captain Mohan Singh who is collaborating with the Japanese. Thousands are persuaded to rebel against British rule and join the Japanese, leading to the formation of the Indian National Army (40,000 will join by the end of 1942).

Burma. Japanese cross Bilin River in strength and begin to encircle Indian 17th Infantry Division.

180 miles West of the Japanese island of Kyūshū, US submarine USS Triton sinks Japanese freighter Shinyo Maru No.5 and damages another.

Frequent bad weather at Kendari, Celebes, has frustrated Japanese bombing of Java causing them to seek alternative airfields on the island of Bali. Capture of Bali would also prevent air reinforcements to Java from Australia but an invasion fleet is vulnerable to attack due to proximity to ABDA air and sea forces on Java. Overnight, Japanese transports Sasego Maru and Sagami Maru escorted by cruiser Nagara and 7 destroyers depart Makassar, Celebes.

meanwhile in my little PBEM game:

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Feb 17, 42
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Naval bombardment of Lord Howe Island at 100,169

Allied Ships
CA Australia
CA Louisville
CL Perth
DD Parrott
DD Paul Jones
DD Tucker
DD Flusser

Japanese ground losses:
11 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
trying to get my forces in position to engage
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Night Naval bombardment of Darwin at 76,124 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!

9 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
CA Kako
CA Furutaka
CA Kinugasa
CA Aoba

Allied ground losses:
17 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)
landing at Darwin. Looking for every advantage i can get for the assualt.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Carnarvon at 48,132

Japanese Ships
SS I-158

Allied Ships
CA Minneapolis
DD Farragut
DD Le Triomphant
DD Worden
DD MacDonough
DD Hull
this is the northwest corner of Australia. Strange to run into this group there. I wonder what's up.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 7th Mil. District , at 76,124 (Darwin)

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 6 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 2 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 23
B5N2 Kate x 6
E7K2 Alf x 1

No Japanese losses

Allied ground losses:
17 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
more darwin prep
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Morning Air attack on 19th Australian Battalion, at 76,124 (Darwin)

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 39 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 22
E7K2 Alf x 1
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 33
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 41

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 2 damaged

Allied ground losses:
59 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)
darwin prep
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 7th Mil. District , at 76,124 (Darwin)

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 10
E7K2 Alf x 1
G4M1 Betty x 31

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 2 damaged

Allied ground losses:
64 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 16 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)
darwin prep...... yes more
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Darwin (76,124)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 22806 troops, 230 guns, 32 vehicles, Assault Value = 704

Defending force 2927 troops, 44 guns, 9 vehicles, Assault Value = 47

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 2

Japanese adjusted assault: 158

Allied adjusted defense: 11

Japanese assault odds: 14 to 1 (fort level 2)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Darwin !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: disruption(-), experience(-)
Attacker: disruption(-), fatigue(-)

Japanese ground losses:
53 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Allied ground losses:
1415 casualties reported
Squads: 80 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 75 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 22 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 44 (43 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Vehicles lost 5 (5 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 4
Units destroyed 1

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
4th Division
21st Division

Defending units:
19th Australian Battalion
Emery Point Fortress
2nd RAN Base Force
7th Mil. District
Darwin RAAF Base Force
Success! may have overdone it but oh well.

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

i was hoping to start rufe production in march but i'm not sure now.

it's february 18th. i've got 3x30 fully repaired factories and over 500 engines but the rufe has only advanced 16% from its 4-42 arrival. I have several more 30 size factories that are close to complete but i can't seem to do the math to figure it out. i'm not sure the dice rolls if any have been favorable. i really like to base those rufes on small b-17 targets if you know what i mean.

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

one thing i didn't list on my after action reports is the number of subs i have lost to mines. 4! can you believe it? i'm such an idiot. i thought it was good to have really aggressive captains for subs. I set them to react and left them 1 hex outside the main ports in australia with the intention of isolating it. You know and i know that most of these main harbors are mined. But my ss captains obviously didn't. they reacted right into the mines i can't believe i was such an idiot.

otherwise, my subs have done pretty well. no thanks to me. I think they have gotten:

CA chicago
CA louisville
CA Houston
CA Portland
CL Trenton
CL Perth

3 TK, 2 AP, 9 AK and a few others.

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

the other thing i have totally blown is the number of army bombers i have lost.

200 sallys and 100 Lilys. Just a whole series of dumb moves like forgetting to reset altitude before flying into heavy flak. or sending escorts from different fields that don't meet up. or escorts to tired or lazy.

hope it doesn't kill me.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: RADM.Yamaguchi

one thing i didn't list on my after action reports is the number of subs i have lost to mines. 4! can you believe it? i'm such an idiot. i thought it was good to have really aggressive captains for subs. I set them to react and left them 1 hex outside the main ports in australia with the intention of isolating it. You know and i know that most of these main harbors are mined. But my ss captains obviously didn't. they reacted right into the mines i can't believe i was such an idiot.

otherwise, my subs have done pretty well. no thanks to me. I think they have gotten:

CA chicago
CA louisville
CA Houston
CA Portland
CL Trenton
CL Perth

3 TK, 2 AP, 9 AK and a few others.

That's a better haul than I get for a whole game in terms of capital ships. GREAT job!

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: RADM.Yamaguchi

the other thing i have totally blown is the number of army bombers i have lost.

200 sallys and 100 Lilys. Just a whole series of dumb moves like forgetting to reset altitude before flying into heavy flak. or sending escorts from different fields that don't meet up. or escorts to tired or lazy.

hope it doesn't kill me.

planes are fairly replaceable, but the pilots take more work.

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

ORIGINAL: RADM.Yamaguchi

one thing i didn't list on my after action reports is the number of subs i have lost to mines. 4! can you believe it? i'm such an idiot. i thought it was good to have really aggressive captains for subs. I set them to react and left them 1 hex outside the main ports in australia with the intention of isolating it. You know and i know that most of these main harbors are mined. But my ss captains obviously didn't. they reacted right into the mines i can't believe i was such an idiot.

otherwise, my subs have done pretty well. no thanks to me. I think they have gotten:

CA chicago
CA louisville
CA Houston
CA Portland
CL Trenton
CL Perth

3 TK, 2 AP, 9 AK and a few others.

That's a better haul than I get for a whole game in terms of capital ships. GREAT job!

thanks pax. as they say i'd rather be lucky than smart. It's just embarassing to have them hit all those mines. That's 4 sunk, i forget how many were damaged.

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

ORIGINAL: RADM.Yamaguchi

the other thing i have totally blown is the number of army bombers i have lost.

200 sallys and 100 Lilys. Just a whole series of dumb moves like forgetting to reset altitude before flying into heavy flak. or sending escorts from different fields that don't meet up. or escorts to tired or lazy.

hope it doesn't kill me.

planes are fairly replaceable, but the pilots take more work.

i was hoping it was something like that. my pilot training has been pretty good so far i think.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: RADM.Yamaguchi

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

ORIGINAL: RADM.Yamaguchi

the other thing i have totally blown is the number of army bombers i have lost.

200 sallys and 100 Lilys. Just a whole series of dumb moves like forgetting to reset altitude before flying into heavy flak. or sending escorts from different fields that don't meet up. or escorts to tired or lazy.

hope it doesn't kill me.

planes are fairly replaceable, but the pilots take more work.

i was hoping it was something like that. my pilot training has been pretty good so far i think.

Well, don't think it too easy. 200 2E's is about 50% of your total monthly aircraft production in Feb '42. So it is going to take you quite a few months to replace those airframes. [:(]

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

On this day in the real war:

Day 902 February 18, 1942

Dutch East Indies. Allied air reconnaissance spots Japanese troop convoys on the move towards Bali and Timor. ABDA Naval forces are scattered around Indonesia following their sortie into the Bangka Strait 3 days ago, so Dutch Admiral Karel Doorman orders them to converge in the Java Sea. Japanese bombers attack Surabaya harbor, Java. Dutch WWI-era coastal defense ship Surabaya (a pantserschip sporting a 75mm mortar and 2 Krupp 11-inch guns) is sunk in shallow water but will be raised by the Japanese and used as a floating battery. Dutch submarine K7 is submerged as protection from the bombs (unfortunately this does not work, K7 is destroyed with all 13 hands lost).

Burma. General Hutton, GOC Burma Command, visits the rapidly disintegrating defenses of Indian 17th Infantry Division along the Bilin River. He gives 17th Division’s commander General Smyth permission to fall back 30 miles to better defenses on the Sittang River.

in my PBEM game:

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Feb 18, 42
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Night Air attack on TF, near Suva at 132,160

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 37 NM, estimated altitude 21,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 4 damaged

Allied Ships
BB Colorado
BB Mississippi
some big boys came to bombard Suva and my night betties missed - see i forget all kinds of things - altitude 21,000 ft? oh what could have been?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Naval bombardment of Suva at 132,160

Allied Ships
BB Warspite
BB Mississippi
BB Colorado
DD Cushing
DD Shaw
DD Ellet
DD Benham

Japanese ground losses:
35 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Airbase hits 6
Airbase supply hits 7
Runway hits 28
Port hits 10
Port supply hits 1
bb bombardments are so much better than cas
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Morning Air attack on 91st Naval Guard Unit, at 100,169 (Lord Howe Island)

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 3

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
12 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
lord howe they keep on bombing. 2 aa units but no hits, rufes are still a ways away
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Ground combat at Temuloh (50,78)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 8256 troops, 48 guns, 103 vehicles, Assault Value = 335

Defending force 9228 troops, 73 guns, 32 vehicles, Assault Value = 254

Japanese adjusted assault: 183

Allied adjusted defense: 115

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 2)

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(-), preparation(-), morale(-)
experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
417 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 39 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
508 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 24 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 17 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled

Assaulting units:
1st Tank Regiment
112th Infantry Regiment
55th Cavalry Regiment
41st Infantry Regiment

Defending units:
11th Indian Division
1st Hyderabad Battalion
8th Indian Brigade
22nd Indian Brigade
FMSV Brigade
3rd HK&S Light AA Regiment
110th RAF Base Force
2nd ISF Base Force
1st ISF Base Force
109th RAF Base Force
109th RN Base Force
trying to clean up the last stand in malaya. i'll bomb em with sallies next time.
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Ground combat at Medan (46,76)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 940 troops, 39 guns, 94 vehicles, Assault Value = 101

Defending force 2214 troops, 15 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 75

Japanese adjusted assault: 22

Allied adjusted defense: 15

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 1)

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 0

Combat modifiers
Defender: preparation(-), morale(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Allied ground losses:
150 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 15 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Assaulting units:
4th Tank Regiment
7th Tank Regiment
2nd Mortar Battalion

Defending units:
Medan Coastal Gun Battalion
Medan Garrison Battalion
Van Aaran Garrison Battalion
Langsa Base Force
Medan Base Force
clean up on sumatra

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

On this day in the real war:

Day 904 February 20, 1942
Battle of Badung Strait continues. At 1.30 AM, Dutch cruiser HNLMS Tromp and 4 US destroyers USS John D. Edwards, Parrott, Pillsbury, and Stewart arrive in Badung Strait. In another an exchange of torpedoes and gunfire, USS Stewart is temporarily immobilised and HNLMS Tromp is badly damaged by 11 5-inch shells (10 killed, 30 wounded), while Japanese destroyers Asashio (4 killed) and Oshio (7 killed) are both hit. At 2.20 AM, 2 Japanese destroyers Arashio and Michisio join the fray. Michisio is pummeled by shells from all 4 US destroyers (13 dead, 83 wounded), which then retire to get away from the danger and confusion, allowing Michisio to be towed to safety.

Dutch East Indies. At dawn, Japanese troops land at Dili in Portuguese Timor and Koepang in Dutch Timor. The small Allied garrison at Dili is overrun but Koepang remains in Allied hands. At 10.45AM, 323 Japanese paratroops land near Koepang airfield but they are badly dispersed and Australian defenders kill 245. At Balikpapan, Borneo, Japanese are still angry over destruction of oil facilities by the Dutch, despite prior dire warnings to leave them intact. As threatened, they massacre all Dutch POWs (72 including 8 wounded men removed from the hospital). 2 civil administrators are beheaded first on the beach then the rest are forced into the sea and shot.

American aircraft carrier USS Lexington, en route to launch airstrikes on Rabaul escorted by 4 cruisers and 10 destroyers, is sighted by Japanese reconnaissance flying boats 450 miles East of Rabaul. At 4PM, 18 Japanese bombers from Rabaul attack but 16 are shot down by fighters from USS Lexington (Lieutenant Edward “Butch” O'Hare wins the Medal of Honor for destroying 3 bombers and damaging 2 more).

Burma. Indian 17th Division is harassed along the 30 mile retreat to the Sittang River (and in danger of being cut off) by Japanese troops who had moved past them during the brief stand on the Bilin River.

In the Indian Ocean, 30 miles North of the Maldive Islands, Japanese submarine I-65 sinks British merchant Bhima (all 68 crew and 2 passengers rescued).

In my PBEM game it was the quietest turn in the war so far:

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Feb 20, 42
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Temuloh (50,78)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 7142 troops, 48 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 292

Defending force 8488 troops, 71 guns, 31 vehicles, Assault Value = 173

Japanese adjusted assault: 87

Allied adjusted defense: 100

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 0)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(-), preparation(-), fatigue(-)
morale(-), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
156 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 17 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
247 casualties reported
Squads: 9 destroyed, 23 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 3 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Assaulting units:
1st Tank Regiment
55th Cavalry Regiment
112th Infantry Regiment
41st Infantry Regiment

Defending units:
8th Indian Brigade
1st Hyderabad Battalion
11th Indian Division
22nd Indian Brigade
1st ISF Base Force
110th RAF Base Force
3rd HK&S Light AA Regiment
109th RAF Base Force
FMSV Brigade
2nd ISF Base Force
109th RN Base Force
these guys are holed up in the jungle of malaya and i'm trying to root them out
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Nanning (72,55)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 15362 troops, 156 guns, 16 vehicles, Assault Value = 473

Defending force 17086 troops, 128 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 448

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1

Japanese adjusted assault: 211

Allied adjusted defense: 459

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 1)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
1370 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 92 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 25 disabled

Allied ground losses:
338 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 38 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 13 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled

Assaulting units:
5th Guards Engineer Regiment
14th Guards Regiment
5th Amphibious Brigade
17th Indpt Guards Regiment
2nd Militia Regiment

Defending units:
31st Chinese Corps
52nd Chinese Corps
64th Chinese Corps
35th Group Army
9th Chinese Base Force
i'm trying to press ahead all over china but it's too slow to interest me much.

[RangerJoe]

That Kiwi brigade at Suva started with two battalions there and one battalion at the base next door.

If those Commonwealth troops are at the last base in Malaya, just bomb and bombard them for awhile. When you start seeing more destroyed devices, then attack.

If you can bring armor to China, use it in the open. Also, make a thrust to Nanyang and thence towards Sian as well as cutting off those units at the bases to the NE. If there is NO possibility of enemy fighters in the area even Idas will work to increase enemy disruption and supply usage - 10% increase per attack per turn. Those little armored car companies can upgrade to light tanks and are useful to surround Chinese units or at least help direct their retreats.

Once you have Nanyang, you can have Zeros sweep Chungking occasionally. You can have paratroopers there to capture that little base to the west of Sian and one farther up towards the mountains. The base two hexes west of Sian I believe has a level 2 airfield.

An armored regiment (independent, not going into an armored division) along with a light tank unit can clear out the desert all the way to the Soviet border, capturing the oil and production there (unless reinforced) but more important is the denial of the fuel for the Chinese heavy industry. Small but decent units can be used for garrison purposes if you want. Send a division towards the mountains to capture the oil production and refinery there as well, but it can't take the base in the mountains that has light industry unless reinforced.

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

Hey Ranger Joe, Good to see you back in action.

you are so on target. I'm bombing those troops in malaya but i get impatient sometimes (all the time). I have a stack of 9 armored units right next to nanyang. i've got every nate, ida, sonia i have hitting them every day. Thanks for the idea about the oil up there. i didnt' know about it.