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We will see what happens here. Perhaps Japan had a division with prep on Marcus Island which shows foresight. My guess, though, is the force has 50 or less prep, and Japan is going to rely upon heavy bombardments and some aerial bombing.

Lets see how we stand up to it...

Forts are level 1 only.

October 6 - 7, 1942

We are stopping the IJA Tank Divisions in the south, thanks to good terrain, and Indian Mountain Guns of all things...but IJA tank regiments are making headway around Tienshui.


Ground combat at 78,51 (near Chihkiang)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 18022 troops, 364 guns, 1312 vehicles, Assault Value = 827

Defending force 40334 troops, 186 guns, 29 vehicles, Assault Value = 943

Japanese adjusted assault: 666

Allied adjusted defense: 1999

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 3

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), supply(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
1009 casualties reported
Squads: 10 destroyed, 52 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 39 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 20 disabled
Vehicles lost 65 (5 destroyed, 60 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
310 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 17 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
2nd Tank Division
17th Tank Regiment
1st Tank Division
Guards Tank Division
12th Army
6th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion

Defending units:
5th Chinese Cavalry Corps
20th Chinese Corps
50th Chinese Corps
43rd Cavalry Regiment
94th Chinese Corps
86th Chinese Corps
4th Chinese/A Corps
20th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
24th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
23rd Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
20th Artillery Regiment

Ground combat at 80,40 (near Tienshui)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 15724 troops, 154 guns, 628 vehicles, Assault Value = 662

Defending force 15261 troops, 68 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 281

Japanese adjusted assault: 337

Allied adjusted defense: 151

Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
35 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 16 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 23 (1 destroyed, 22 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
3929 casualties reported
Squads: 162 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 175 destroyed, 17 disabled
Engineers: 5 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 15 (12 destroyed, 3 disabled)
Units retreated 2

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
19th Tank Regiment
23rd Tank Regiment
110th Division
18th Tank Regiment
51st Recon Regiment
8th Ind.Mixed Brigade
9th Tank Regiment
3rd Tank Regiment
12th Tank Regiment
15th Tank Regiment
13th Tank Regiment
11th Tank Regiment
1st Mortar Battalion
51st Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion

Defending units:
55th Chinese Corps
91st Chinese Corps

I believe I have sunk two Iboats over the last two days, one forced to surface yesterday, and another crippled previously caught today! Don't see this every day:
This sub was crippled up near Karachi...and we set up traps for it all the way down the coast.

Recent intel reports on ships lost:

Allies really don't have a lot of units yet...so I am trying to be careful in my attacks. I want to avoid an attack where one of my divisions gets heavily disabled. Constant grinding pressure and attrition that wears down Japan.
That is the 21st Division was heavily bombed by twin engine Allied bombers today....as you can see from the disruption malus in the combat report.

A closer look on the successful hunt for I-158. Below is one of the ASW hunter killer groups put together to find and sink I-158 as it limped back to Ceylon.

Of note, I spent a PP or 3 to assign an aggressive TF commander and some of the individual ship captains...Captain Craven in the Mustin has a Naval Skill of 74 but an Aggression skill of 34.

A while back on the forum there was a lot of people that didn't believe ASW task forces ever reacted....in the past I have used subs to lure ASW task forces to ambush zones.

Well done Commander Collinson in Hunter Killer TF#1!

Lowpe wrote: Fri Mar 04, 2022 12:01 pm I believe I have sunk two Iboats over the last two days, one forced to surface yesterday, and another crippled previously caught today! Don't see this every day:

a.jpg

This sub was crippled up near Karachi...and we set up traps for it all the way down the coast.

Diligence and persistence pays off in this game! First time I have ever seen a surface ship torpedo a sub!

Lowpe wrote: Fri Mar 04, 2022 2:06 pm A closer look on the successful hunt for I-158. Below is one of the ASW hunter killer groups put together to find and sink I-158 as it limped back to Ceylon.

Of note, I spent a PP or 3 to assign an aggressive TF commander and some of the individual ship captains...Captain Craven in the Mustin has a Naval Skill of 74 but an Aggression skill of 34.

A while back on the forum there was a lot of people that didn't believe ASW task forces ever reacted....in the past I have used subs to lure ASW task forces to ambush zones.

Well done Commander Collinson in Hunter Killer TF#1!

a.jpg

If that "DE" Starling was the British one (a Sloop, to the RN), it was one of the ASW vessels that ASW expert Captain "Johnnie" Walker commanded. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_John_Walker

I just noticed Starling's ironic pennant number: U66!

October 8, 1942

Gamely holding in China...doing much better versus the IJA Tank Divisions than I originally thought we would...I am now sending forward Chinese and Commonwealth AT guns here. Will arrive in a couple of days.

In the north, though, things are bleak as I can't get reinforcements and supplies north and Lanchow will be cut off shortly. Am desperately reinforcing to hold the IJA Tank Regiments so they don't break out into the central Chungking plains....

Have high hopes on this submarine trap...probably more so than the concentration around Marcus which is detected. The Wolfpack outside Truk is not detected except for the Cachalot that missed their approach on Fuso.

Cachalot is three hexes northeast of Truk. Been thinking about mine the shallow water patch...

Marcus Island

Our search is starting to fail here...supplies short in base stockpile from bombardments, 400 supplies being unloaded from submarines, troops still well supplied but our engineers are probably suffering. Will check Tracker on that...

I suspect Japan is rushing an invasion in, which might be a grave mistake, and is now maneuvering to approach from a less heavily sub patrolled vector. Or thinking about invading Kure/Midway?

The last thing I want to do here is have my bomber force blunder into a huge cap trap....lots of highly skilled enemy fighters here, plus there have been about 100 fighters back at Rangoon too. But the 21st Division is really hurting...and forcing a retreat would capture their guns most likely.

My normal method would be to heavily bomb the 21st while it moves for two days and then attack....but I fear those fighters. Might just attack again with everything this time....

Have to hold this hex and prevent a breakout into the Chungking plains...supply is the enemy, but a major airlift operation is ongoing here.

Indian Mountain guns are at Kienko moving east....pretty much the only AT guns around....but the 77th LRP is railroading to Ledo, and from their a two stage airlift to Kienko, and they have Piats... Chungkings' last hope.

We are keeping enough supplies flowing in to keep the engineers fixing things...would love to get forts to 3 prior to any assault. Probably a pipedream.

BBfanboy wrote: Fri Mar 04, 2022 5:13 pm I just noticed Starling's ironic pennant number: U66!

Thanks for the link...great reading.

I have tried sub traps many times and my experience was that more than two sub TFs in the same hex reduces their odds of attacking the enemy, or even detecting them. It shouldn't be that way, but I guess that the game engine cannot decide amongst the multiple TFs which one should take action if there are multiple contacts so it just freezes up and skips the hex.

I still use sub traps, but no more than two TFs per hex, and often put them in an extended line along the approach to an enemy port because the AI plots straight courses along a line of hexes (horizontal or sloped) after initially zig-zagging to reach the direct line. Lazy players might let that happen too!

Took you advice and thinned out the wolfpack...

October 9th, 1942

Nail another Iboat...forced to surface and destroyed.

Our raid on Nauru goes wrong...the good light cruisers and destroyers don't show, but dither and our CLAA meant to be cleanup hang around....
Day Time Surface Combat, near Nauru Island at 127,128, Range 20,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Mikuma, Shell hits 3
CL Kinu
DD Naganami
DD Kagero, Shell hits 1, heavy fires
DD Kuroshio
DD Susuki, Shell hits 1, on fire

Allied Ships
CLAA Atlanta, Shell hits 4, on fire
CLAA San Diego, Shell hits 1
CLAA San Juan, Shell hits 1
DD Henley
DD Patterson
DD Stack, Shell hits 3, heavy fires

Maximum visibility in Overcast Conditions: 20,000 yards