Gen.Hoepner vs. Hawker, Mare Nostrum

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 04/21/42

Today he bombed my positions at Medioen both from air and by land. My defensive capabilities are reduced daily. No way to hold that long....[:(]



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Day Air attack on 254th Indian Tank Brigade, at 22,65

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 3
Ki-21 Sally x 28
Ki-48 Lily x 10
Ki-49 Helen x 10
Ki-46-II Dinah x 2

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21 Sally: 5 damaged
Ki-48 Lily: 1 damaged


Allied ground losses:
118 casualties reported
Vehicles lost 6

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Day Air attack on 18th UK Division, at 22,65

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 26
Ki-21 Sally x 133
Ki-48 Lily x 43
Ki-49 Helen x 20
Ki-46-II Dinah x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21 Sally: 4 damaged
Ki-48 Lily: 1 damaged
Ki-49 Helen: 1 damaged


Allied ground losses:
266 casualties reported
Guns lost 2

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Ground combat at Madioen

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 249338 troops, 2470 guns, 49 vehicles

Defending force 88004 troops, 795 guns, 481 vehicles



Allied ground losses:
390 casualties reported
Guns lost 1









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Ground combat at 44,39

Finally against the 2 Jap Bdes kill ratios are starting to get better....

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 45045 troops, 280 guns, 74 vehicles

Defending force 10166 troops, 43 guns, 0 vehicles

Allied assault odds: 89 to 1


Japanese ground losses:
333 casualties reported
Guns lost 5

Allied ground losses:
177 casualties reported
Guns lost 12
Vehicles lost 1

[Tom Hunter]

It's always good to use Chinese to kill Japanese, equal casualties get you twice as many VP.

[Gen.Hoepner]

Yes Tom, in fact China is the place where i'm doing best. If i manage to keep China in the actual statlemate, then by mid summer i should be able to launch some stiff attacks from my aifields....

What i need now is to hold Java untill the 10th of May arrives...If Russian theatres starts before Java has collapsed, then Japan will have some problems holding on so many different theatres...

[Tom Hunter]

There is no question that Japan has a limited amount of time to act. I used the long siege of Manila in my Lunacy game as an example on the other side of this thread and I mention it here too.

Normally I would not do that, but this is not news to either of you.

Good luck slowing him down in Java. It is difficult but not impossible, maybe you will pull it off.

Though I will say that the successful defenses of Java that I have seen all happened because the Japanese did not send enough stuff to take it. Hawker seems to go in force, but you sent a lot of stuff to Java as well.

One of you miscalculated, I wonder which one?

[Gen.Hoepner]

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AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 04/23/42

YES, YES, YES![:D]

What a great surprise!!!
Was a boring turn this one...nothing special happened.
Then it came the phase of day naval activities....

In the afternoon SS Greenling found an enemy TF North west of Okinawa.
A CV TF.... 6 salvos were shot against the Hiryu, one of which penetrated the flank of the big ship, causing a critical damage[8D][:D]

Oh man...i was nearly having an erection[:D][:D][:D][:D]

Now 2 japanese CVs have to stay docked in the yards[:)]

Anyway there's also something more: we had lost contact with the KB few days ago. Now we know where it is. Japan!
He may use it against Russia or for some raids in the pacific ocean...gotta be carefull from now on...



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Sub attack at 52,44

Japanese Ships
CV Hiryu, Torpedo hits 1
DD Fuyo
DD Sawakaze

Allied Ships
SS Greenling

[Gen.Hoepner]

One of you miscalculated, I wonder which one?

Tom, it's clear that with 90,000 men i won't be able to hold Java. He simply has too many troops. The question is: how much time will it take him to conquer Sosarbaja.
If i can hold untill the 10th of May i consider the "EAGLE" operation a victory.
If not, it will be a terrible defeat

[Tom Hunter]

I understand completely, when I saay one of you miscalculated I'm reffering to two mental calculations.


Hoepner: How much stuff do I send to slow down Hawker? Am I sending enough?

Hawker: ??? number of men is enough to take Java in a month. Therefore I will send ??? men.

I doubt Hawker would miscalculate the number of men needed to take Java if he was fighting the Dutch. I will also give him enough credit to assume that he sent some extra troops in case you sent troops of your own.

But we cannot know if he sent enough troops to quickly defeat your forces there. Or if you sent enough to drag out the fight. Only time will tell.

The other interesting thing that I have noticed when Japan fights the Dutch (and the Chinese) is that the low troop quality gives the Japanese an advantage at the start, but if the Japanese don't win fast the Dutch quality goes from 40 to 60 quite rapidly. That makes the Dutch fight about 50% harder, which also throws the Japanese calculations off.

Good luck holding the castle.

[Gen.Hoepner]

Yes, Ducth troops have a real bad experience level, but with the aid of the brits and some NZ men they can maybe hold the line for enough time to see that exp rising up.

In China, if i was him, i'd be very scared. My situation is everywhere more than stable. Even at Sian, where he has 200k men, i don't see how he can win, with forts reaching level 8 and some 3500 APs present there with exp somewhere around 55.
Supply situation is also acceptable in China. The air bridge with Burma goes well and the Burma road is still open.
I don't see how he can change the actual situation without bringing in new fresh troops from other theatres....and with Russia activated i really do not imagine some Kwantung units will be sent to china.

My real mistake so far, for which i got only myself to blame, is the loss of so many cruisers during the battle of Java. I really went overconfident there, hoping in some lucky hist on the Combined Fleet. But dices werent on my side and the Kb have completely annihilated my surface forces.

[Tom Hunter]

The design of the game makes it very difficult to catch CVs with surface warships. That is why I don't try what you did in the Java Sea. The only exception is crippled CVs on their way home, sometimes you can catch and sink them.

I hope the cruisers you lost were American and Australian, at least those come back.

All these battles do make for a dramatic game. Post a map of China sometime.

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 04/25/42


Another good day for the western powers.
A japanese deliberate attack, supported by hundreds of Bombers, at Medoen managed to achieve only a 0-1 ratio[:D]. Forts went down from 6 to 5, but this result let me breath for some more days....

In China we managed to encircle 13 japanese units in the swamps north-east of Changsha. He will surely move down from Hankow the divisions he placed there to create an exit door from the pocket....but then i'll be able to advance from Ichang![;)]...he's gonna have lots of headhaces in this theatre[:)].

My B-17s managed to hit 7 resources at Henkow , taking off from Changhsa. Nothing serious...but some exp points gained and some more problems for Hawker to be solved[:D]

In the Aleutinas my BBs are gaining experience, hitting some empty japanese islands and so giving him a clear message: YOU ARE NOT ALONE HERE IN THE DEEP NORTH[:D]



Tom...here's the map you were asking for..


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Naval bombardment of Kiska Island, at 93,37

Allied Ships
DD Waters
DD Morris
DD Mustin
CA Pensacola
BB New Mexico

Port hits 1
Port supply hits 3

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Day Air attack on Hankow , at 48,35


Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 39


Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed, 4 damaged

Resources hits 7


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Day Air attack on 18th UK Division, at 22,65 AT MEDIOEN!

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 41
Ki-21 Sally x 152
Ki-48 Lily x 67
Ki-49 Helen x 31
Ki-46-II Dinah x 10

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21 Sally: 6 damaged
Ki-48 Lily: 2 damaged
Ki-49 Helen: 1 damaged


Allied ground losses:
136 casualties reported
Guns lost 3


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Ground combat at Madioen

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 281771 troops, 2584 guns, 620 vehicles

Defending force 83155 troops, 778 guns, 477 vehicles

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 5

Japanese assault odds: 0 to 1 (fort level 5) [:D][:)][:D][;)][8D]


Japanese ground losses:
5711 casualties reported
Guns lost 132
Vehicles lost 30

Allied ground losses:
1979 casualties reported
Guns lost 108
Vehicles lost 19

[Arstavidios]

Your naval attacks in Java were rash but it may have got Hawker over confident too. With Russia activated he can't afford to get bogged down. The Russians have lots of reinforcenments and if he does not kill them fast he'll be in trouble.

Let's see how it turns out.

[Tom Hunter]

In Java I suspect 2 things will be key, your supply and how much shore bombardment Hawker uses.

The casualty ratio is moving in your favor as one would expect. 80-90,000 men is the same number I had in Manila but Mogami could not shore bombard because of the CD guns. Also I think Hawkers strategy of hitting you often will probably work a little faster than Mogami's strategy of waiting until his units were fully rested.

But the key is shore bombardment, if the Japanese don't support with BBs you ought to do pretty well.

[Gen.Hoepner]

I decided to build up my last defence at Medioen because its a land base, so his BBs won't be able to reach it.
I have something like 230,000 supplies between Sosarbaja and Medioen. At Sosarbaja i have more 600 APs with 4 CD guns units and many base forces with 120 mm CD guns. He's going to win, but i really hope to be able to stand for some more time

[Tom Hunter]

Good move, I play the standard map so I did not realize it was inland on the map your playing.

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 04/26-27/42

Hawker caught me lazy and with my pants down. He's been reconing Timor for months now and i should have understood that he was planning something. But i was too concentrated on Java that i didn't realize that untill now...that's too late already.

At Koepang i had 110 planes. Most of them were australian beauforts ( plus some ducth torpedo and recon planes with 1 wirraways group).
His "Topsies" arrived late in the day, supported by some 40 zeros that blew away those brave 3 wirraways that were atrolling the skies. 3 Yokasuka Bdes have been paradropped... 1800 men in less than one day...simply too much to handle for my little base force.
BAse fell and with it my 110 planes[:(][:(].

I say: Good move by hawker and bad habit of mine that i do not pay attention.

In the Aleutinas my b-25s shunk 3 more APs ( apparently empty), while my two bombardment groups keep on training on his empty islands. Soon...i know...soon his CVs will come lurking here for some easy targets...[:D]

Ih China he trie to sweep with 30 zeros Changhsa from Canton, but found nobody who dared to fight[:)]

Medioen, despite the heavy bombings, keeps on holding. His BBs are coming close. That can mean a bombardment run against Sosarbaja...let's see what he'll be able to do.



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Day Air attack on TF, near Adak Island at 97,38


Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 6


No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
AP Shirashika Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AP Shinai Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 6000 feet
4 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 6000 feet


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Ground combat at Koepang

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 1788 troops, 17 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 1418 troops, 7 guns, 1 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 9 to 1 (fort level 2)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Koepang base !!!



Allied aircraft
no flights


Allied aircraft losses
T.IVa: 6 destroyed
Catalina I: 1 destroyed
CW-22 Falcon: 4 destroyed
Beaufort V-IX: 28 destroyed
Hudson I: 7 destroyed
Wirraway: 7 destroyed

Japanese ground losses:
19 casualties reported

Allied ground losses:
22 casualties reported
Guns lost 2

[jwilkerson]

Medioen, despite the heavy bombings, keeps on holding

What fort level is Medioen ( if not too classified to tell us ! ) ??

[Gen.Hoepner]

No secrets J.
Medioen is now at level 4...my combat strenght is going down very quickly against 300,000 yellow monsters![:@]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 04/28-29/42

10 days and Russia will be invaded...wow...[X(]


Yesterday another deliberate attack at Medioen brought down the forts to level 4...my strenght is barely at 1000 APs...probably i'll be able to last one or 2 more attacks...nothing more.
He's moving down his BBs and some MSWs...closing in to Sosarbaja...
Today my Flak at Sosarbaja prooved to be still a bad friend for Hawker: 21 enemy bombers shot down! Not that bad for a dying base!!

However the news of today is that one of those 2 Ind. Japanese Bdes have been knocked out of the war[8D]. The 12th Ind. Bde will no longer bother me in china[:D]. Now it's the turn of the 13th....not that bad for the chinese eh!?[;)]

My BBs in the Alutinas keep bombing his empty islands. Soon he's gonna come here with the KB...hope to be ready[;)][8D]

mmmm--..what else?

Well, apart from Russia i think that to see any real strategic changing we have to wait the fall of Sosarbaja...

You can see the VPs situation in the screenshot.




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Ground combat at 44,39

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 52517 troops, 311 guns, 67 vehicles

Defending force 8296 troops, 10 guns, 0 vehicles

Allied assault odds: 217 to 1


Japanese ground losses:
4797 casualties reported[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]
Guns lost 30

Allied ground losses:
213 casualties reported
Guns lost 3
Vehicles lost 1

[Gen.Hoepner]

...AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 04/30/42

While the zero bonus is fading away with the end of April, the Japanese BB bonus isn't!
Hawker sent his BBs to bomb the hell out of Sosarebaja...what a massacre!!!!!!![:(]
My CD guns, fully supplied, and supported, didn't fired a single bullet...200 APs lost in one single round and 50,000 supplies destroyed[:@][:(]............no surprise if i'm gonna lose Java in the next week[:-]





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Naval bombardment of Soerabaja, at 23,66

Japanese Ships
DD Yugiri
DD Asagiri
DD Isonami
DD Hibiki
DD Natsugumo
DD Michishio
DD Tanikaze
DD Hagikaze
DD Urakaze
DD Akigumo
CL Kuma
CL Natori
CA Mogami
CA Atago
CA Chikuma
CA Tone
BB Hyuga
BB Ise
BB Yamashiro
BB Fuso
BB Nagato
BB Kirishima
BB Hiei
BB Haruna
BB Kongo


Allied ground losses:
6016 casualties reported
Guns lost 97
Vehicles lost 11

Airbase hits 10
Airbase supply hits 5
Runway hits 99
Port hits 95
Port fuel hits 8
Port supply hits 5

[Tom Hunter]

Holding Java until May is not half bad.

I think the only clear mistake you made is the one you already acknoledged, hunting for KB with cruisers and R class BBs.

Hawker sent a ton of stuff to Java and it is still in action. Tieing him up is good, the clock is ticking, Japan does not have much time before the Allies can start to launch some limited counter attacks of their own.

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/01/42

Back from a very sweet week end in the SudTirol Alps...obviously in very lovely company[:D]

My opponent is chasing my positions at Java with stiff determination. He finally managed to obtain a 1-1 ratio at Medioen, and my forts are now at 3....probably tomorrow my positions will be overunned...so only Sosarbaja will remain...and with those nasty BBs around will be absolutely impossible to hold.
However, what i find a good result is to have pinned down those 500,000 japanese for so long time. Now the zero bonus is gone and my british A/C groups can be upgraded. Without those divisions he wasn't able to conquer Burma and i gained enough time to reinforce places like Noumea,Palmyra, Canton, Johston, Midway etc in the Pacific. This is a good thing.
At the same time those divs won't be able to join the Russian adventure ( -7 days!!!!!) in time for the first wave...and so Moses's strategy won't be usable. Same for those BBs...

In few weeks i'll be able to start a bombing campaign both in southern Burma and in the Southern DEI, and if he doesn't conquer Russia so fast, even from Siberia i'll be able to threaten his industries in Northern Japan...

so not that bad.



Naval bombardment of Soerabaja, at 23,66 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!

29 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
DD Yugiri
DD Asagiri
DD Isonami
DD Hibiki, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Natsugumo
DD Michishio
DD Tanikaze
DD Hagikaze
DD Urakaze
DD Akigumo
CL Kuma
CL Natori
CA Mogami
CA Atago
CA Chikuma
CA Tone
BB Hyuga
BB Ise
BB Yamashiro
BB Fuso
BB Nagato
BB Kirishima
BB Hiei
BB Haruna
BB Kongo


Allied ground losses:
868 casualties reported
Guns lost 23
Vehicles lost 1

Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 63
Port hits 16
Port fuel hits 5
Port supply hits 6


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Day Air attack on Wuchow , at 42,39

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 54

Allied aircraft
I-16c x 17

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed[:D][8D]

Allied aircraft losses
I-16c: 11 destroyed

For these useless chinese groups this isn't a terrible result...
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Day Air attack on 55th Division, at 30,34

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 7

Allied aircraft
Lysander I x 11
Wirraway x 8
Hurricane II x 14
Vildebeest IV x 12

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 2 destroyed[:D]


Japanese ground losses:
58 casualties reported
Guns lost 6
Vehicles lost 1

His oscars are no match for my British Hurricanes


Ground combat at Madioen

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 291751 troops, 2420 guns, 604 vehicles

Defending force 65470 troops, 492 guns, 435 vehicles

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 3[:(]

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 3) [:(]

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 3


Japanese ground losses:
5596 casualties reported
Guns lost 157
Vehicles lost 9

Allied ground losses:
2089 casualties reported
Guns lost 76
Vehicles lost 12

Simply too many men beyond the barricades[:o]
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