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Top Aces...Chinese are getting close to their first Ace:

Norfolk Island should be pretty isolated now, so take your time and bombard it from the sea - and try the 25 pounders to see what happens. Chances are the Japanese did not bring in bigger, longer ranged guns so the ones you have will win the arty duels.

You got a lot of supply hits at Nauru - does that mean there is more supply there or that your DL there was that much better than Norfolk?

Love how you assess the strengths and weaknesses of various aircraft models and devise ways to use them to best effect! Awesome results in those sweeps.

Our DL on Noumea did fall...but they have been pummeled for over a month -- so supply most likely gone there.

Just starting up again on Nauru and I know there was a lot of supply ships headed there in the past month....

Lowpe wrote: Wed May 25, 2022 1:38 pm Was it worth losing 130+ fighters over two days to trash this brigade...since it had no disablements prior to the attack today the actual destroyed devices is very small and the important guns all survived.

Hah, I was not aware combat report can be so far off WRT your actual losses (which logically you should be well aware of). Probably because this same report is mailed to the opponent side with FOW included.
Another thing is how the winning opponent can wildly overestimate inflicted losses in terms of bodycount/guns/vehicles when those are verifiable right there on the field (well, some bodies can be carried off by the retreating guys, ok)

Dec 16th, 1942

Embarrassing.

Submarine attack near Marcus Island at 123,85

Japanese Ships
SSX Ha-21

Allied Ships
xAP Dundula, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

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

xAP Dundula is sighted by SSX Ha-21
SSX Ha-21 launches 2 torpedoes at xAP Dundula

Tried to sweep IJ fighters in Burma but only got one Nick by a Lancer. Japanese not contesting the air anymore...for a while at least.

Dec 17, 1942

Burma and China...

IJA Division attacks south of Akyab, trying to breakout....Humbers on the defense!

Ground combat at 55,46 (near Akyab)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 12683 troops, 106 guns, 14 vehicles, Assault Value = 359

Defending force 9471 troops, 86 guns, 250 vehicles, Assault Value = 199

Japanese adjusted assault: 64

Allied adjusted defense: 451

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 7

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

Japanese ground losses:
607 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 44 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 4 (1 destroyed, 3 disabled)

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

Assaulting units:
4th Division

Defending units:
3rd Cavalry Regiment
18th British/A Division
IV Indian Corps
XXXIII Indian Corps
1st Sweep of the day over Magwe:

Morning Air attack on Magwe , at 57,47

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 27 NM, estimated altitude 36,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 6
A6M5 Zero x 29
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 42
Ki-43-IIb Oscar x 6
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 6
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 2

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIc Trop x 12

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zero: 1 destroyed
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Hurricane IIc Trop: 3 destroyed

Dec 19, 1942

Hit but no explosion:

Sub attack near Boela at 80,110

Japanese Ships
AO Iro
SC Ch 17
AO Hayamoto
TK Terukawa Maru
TK Kanze Maru
PB Takuna Maru #7
PB Yokae Maru
PB Hakata Maru #2

Allied Ships
SS Tarpon

SS Tarpon launches 4 torpedoes at AO Iro
Tarpon bottoming out ....

Swing and a miss:

Sub attack near Singkep at 50,88

Japanese Ships
TK Meizan Maru
TK Okuni Maru
TK Kinrei Maru
TK Hakko Maru
PB Ikuta Maru

Allied Ships
SS Gunnel

SS Gunnel launches 2 torpedoes at TK Meizan Maru
Gunnel bottoming out ....

Perth Theatre:

We have got two big bombardment groups, so we will keep at it...

China

Solomons....
Lost a junky destroyer a couple of days ago...ran into a mine at Tulagi and then got hit by torpedoes 6 hexes back towards Ndeni.

Dec 20, 1942

Broome taken, size 3 runway and port 1.

New Caledonia....

Terrain makes for slow movement in Burma...ID another Division....Japan evacuating Akyab by sea...

Dec 22, 1942

Esperance is taken against no resistance. Supply convoy and troop convoy inbound with a US Port Maintenance unit...

15 miles into our march into Kalgoorlie...which has only one unit versus a complete joint Corp group. More forces are embarked on trains at Port Augusta ready for the long trip to Kalgoorlie. Our Humber recon unit is still mostly alive cutting the rail line to Perth. All good here.

Taking advantage of the moon, a Desron consisting of a Farragut, Clemson and Beham, raid Tulagi. They encounter an Iboat on approach, avoid the minefield, and sink two sub chasers....(which as a JFB I really like those guys, hope they had the deepwater depthcharges), and most likely scare the supply convoy away from Tulagi...sadly we are low on fuel but still have our full contingent of torpedoes.

Luckily there is another Desron at Ndeni ready to surge forward again.

P38s are providing air coverage...love those legs!

1-1 trades with Hurricanes sweeping Akyab...while Wellingtons bombed runways at night scoring a few kills.

The light cruiser Birmingham and Tribal class Destroyer Arunta are running all over, kind of skirmishing, looking to disrupt enemy convoys...while Japan sends a strong contingent of warships to Akyab. I am content to attack obliquely, with night bombing runways (HR no more than 50 planes assigned per night & I really only use twin engine bombers, normally British in this role). Sweeps to keep pressure on the fighter defenses of Japan, today it was just Hurricanes and they traded 1-1 roughly, while our troops are surging into the Magwe plains....more kind of disposable support troops headed in to get reactions. No unit sweeps two days in a row unless by fouled up orders, and I really try to catch bleeding cap and or LRcap where I can really trade favorably.

Our Akyab siege is reduced to 1 dug in Australian Division, four or five artillery units and two coastal defense guns while our divisions are now moving forward. Ramree is very tempting for a quick grab, but the IJN warships need to retire. Akyab is a port 0 by the way....

2nd British Division is close to breaking into the Magwe plains near Shwebo...

Moving forward, pressuring Japan....I had hoped to see a mass retreat back to the Toungoo/TuangGyi line.....but it seems like Japan wants to fight in the plains. Fine by me.

Progress down the Akyab coastal road has been stopped by the arrival of a fresh IJ divsion....I need our infantry to catch up with our tank spearheads in this terrain or cut over to the plains with the armor.
The Yamahuku Maru was a Husimi class merchant....I think In normally convert all that class to a funny.

China! A rare Chinese counter attack!!!!

Butchers bill:

This is the defense of Akyab....will turn off our bombardments because I am trying to tempt Japan into attacking here. Perhaps they will bombard with their warships and then attack!

Ground combat at Akyab (54,45)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 5224 troops, 131 guns, 124 vehicles, Assault Value = 425

Defending force 37255 troops, 347 guns, 307 vehicles, Assault Value = 721

Allied ground losses:
Guns lost 4 (1 destroyed, 3 disabled)

Assaulting units:
6th Australian Division
2/1st Med Regiment
205th Field Artillery Battalion
103rd RN Base Force
2/9th Field Regiment
2/11th Field Regiment
111th RN Base Force

Defending units:
15th Guards Regiment
16th Infantry Regiment
6th Guards Division
2nd Tank Regiment
112th Infantry Regiment
38th Div /17
14th Tank Regiment
16th Engr Rgt /1
1st Hvy.Artillery Regiment
1st RF Gun Battalion
4th Naval Construction Battalion
5th Mortar Battalion
55th Mountain Gun Regiment
36th JNAF AF Unit
94th JAAF AF Bn
3rd Mortar Battalion
92nd JAAF AF Bn
16th Army
15th Army
17th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
82nd JAAF AF Bn
91st JAAF AF Bn
43rd Const Co
7th Ind.Tank Bde /1