Tokyo Times on Ike99-n-Miller

[tocaff]

Irau was heavily defended by a rgt, fort level?  Mines are a PIA, but have never stopped an attack.  No shore batteries to hurt the MSW ops?

[Ike99]

Irau was heavily defended by a rgt, fort level? Mines are a PIA, but have never stopped an attack. No shore batteries to hurt the MSW ops?

Well we do have to keep this in perspective tocaff. Irau is just a stock (0)port (1)airfield. There are only so many Rgts and shore batteries to go around and Irau ranks pretty low on the list compared to Lae, Port Moresby, Dobadura, Lunga...places like this. I can think of much better places to sit 40,000 men, 100 shore batteries and 500 assault points than on Irau.

[Ike99]

Going into a week fighting over Irau.

[tocaff]

I meant that a rgt was a large force for Irau and wanted to know the fortification level there.

[Ike99]

I meant that a rgt was a large force for Irau and wanted to know the fortification level there.

Hi Todd, I had to classify the fortification level because of my current game with borner and I didn´t want him to know. He is also contemplating an attack on Irau and following the same lines as Miller in his game.

Irau day/night 6

[Ike99]

Hi Todd, hmmmm I don´t know if 1 Rgt was a lot or a little. I thought it was little because in Millers AAR when he was Japan he says...

On the ground my troops on Nevea (assault value of around 600) hit Dan's troops with a shock attack and forced half his force to surrender

I was thinking it was little but I want the resistance to grow as he keeps coming north so the toughest ground are in the rear with a mobile reserve. It`s a layered defense meant to give him attrition as he comes up. Bend but don´t break...I hope. [:D]

This Rgt that is there just got there. I had to take the other one out to rotate the ground units. 6 months on Irau with the Malaria effect takes a toll so that Rgt is completely fresh.

It´s a hassle to rotate even the ground units but I have to to keep up my combat abilities as much as possible.

[Ike99]

Me and Miller are into day 8 of savage action on Irau.

He won´t give up trying to take my base and I´m not ready to
give it to him.

The units I have identified...

1st Marine Rgt
5th Marine Rgt
1st Marine Tank Bn.
14th Aus Engr Bn
32nd Div HQ
125th RCT
127th RCT
128th RCT

Who they are fighting....

144th Rgt
141st Rgt
10th Ind Engr Rgt

various other small partial units

Casulties in the ground fighting have been heavy. I guess
around 2,000 men for him in 8 days land fighting. Probably
around half that for me. His engineer is trying to beat down
my fortification level but my engineer is trying to build it
back up at the same time. The airfield is back in service.


My long term strategic outlook on this fight is the same as always. I can´t win but don´t let him win either.

Right now combat odds are jumping around 1 to 1.

Thats perfect for me.

I have no desire to get all crazy and throw down 40,000 men on Irau even though I probably could and overwelm him. Wipe him out in a week. Most players would probably do this I`m thinking but in my opinion it`s wasteful. There are many more fights ahead.

I have plenty of supply. I´m fortified. I just have to keep the
combat odds close and let malaria and the supply situation
do the rest and his force should break itself before mine does. I hope.

He puts 2 more Rgt´s on there I`ll put one. He puts 4 more
Rgts on there I`ll put 2 . So on and so forth to keep attrition
going on his combat strength. As long as the supply situation is good, and it is, (Very Good) they can keep fighting. His bombing did nothing to my supplies.

Typical of the fighting....

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 10/25/42

Air attack on TF, near Irau

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 566
---------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Irau

Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 310

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 907
------------------------------------------------------------



AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 10/26/42
-----------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Irau

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 208
---------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Irau

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 78
--------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on 127th Regimental Combat Team

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 13
-------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Irau

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 284
------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Irau

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 316
-------------------------------------------------------

[Canoerebel]

Scenario 17 or Scenario 19, if the Japanese don't win on auto-victory, they will not win.  The only exception would be if the Allied player was a newbie.  Miller isn't.  He knows the routine.  If the Japanese can't achieve auto-victory now, this game is really already decided.  
 
I glanced through this AAR and noted there was a CV battle with equal losses (2 CVs each?).  That and the fact that Miller already has the Santa Cruz Islands and is now working on Irau confirms that the Japs are actually in much worse shape than you'd think.
 
It's fun playing this game all the way through and seeing how well you can do (whether Allies or Japanese), but the Allies can always come back no matter how badly punished.
 
 

[Miller]

Hi Dan, thanks for the praise.

I must take my hat off to Ike, he is putting up a stiff challenge. I expected to take heavy losses going for Irau, and I am no means certain of taking it as things stand at the moment. I don't think my plan has been a bad one, rather the performance of my surface fleets has let me down. The long lance torpedo simply kicks ass[&o]

At first Ike stated he would not put up much of a fight for the place but it is clear he is throwing everything he has into its defence. If Irau falls he knows its game over in the Solomons area[:-]

[Ike99]

Hi Dan, thanks for the praise.

I must take my hat off to Ike, he is putting up a stiff challenge.

Hi Miller....well thanks. Sorry but I do have to keep up the propaganda to break your morale though. You understand.

- Allied ground unit squad, vehicle or gun - 1 VP for every 3 items destroyed
- Japanese ground unit squad, vehicle or gun - 1 VP for every 6 items destroyed

[Ike99]

And so on....

[Ike99]

Day 11 of the fight for Irau...the body count is climbing rapidly.

Meanwhile I-168 hits the mark...



BIG TIME!!!

[Ike99]

The men of the Imperial Army are fighting cave to bunker and from bunker to pillbox to shell hole. Winning a glorious victory on Irau.

Two Rgts are destroying the 32nd Allied division and a Marine division.

This is Miller in the Japanese ¨MeatGrinder.¨

[Ike99]

Day 13 on Irau.

After sustaining Hundreds of bombing sorties and an initial assault the Japanese troops on Irau are moving over to the offensive and starting to take control of the battlefield. Miller continues to bomb over and over but my troops are underground. There is no supply problem.

Miller is doing his best I think but he is going to have to come up with something new this game. I don´t think the bombers are going to work as effective as he thought. I´m doing my best to minimize this Allied power.

As far as this Irau fight...I really think he needs to consider some sort of Dunkirk operation. If these two Divisions collapse it will be around 4,000 points for Japan. That will give me 9,000 points.

We´ll see what he does.

Interesting game going on here.

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 11/01/42
Ground combat at Irau

Japanese Deliberate attack

Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 152

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 322

¨Japan can´t win with points on Scenario 17 or 19¨

[Ike99]

Hmmmm...

[Ike99]

There is more fighting happening on San Cristol besides Irau...

[Miller]

As Ike has stated, October saw me invade Irau. It has been very costly for me in terms of ships lost. 1 BB, half a dozen cruisers and about a dozen destroyers have gone down as well as an entire invasion fleet of about 15 transports[X(]

I estimate Ike has lost 4 or 5 cruisers and about 15 destroyers. He has been rushing troops to Irau via FT fleets as despite what he says he knows losing I rau will be a disaster. Wasp ate a couple of sub torps, leaving me with only one operational carrier compared to his 4 or 5 CV/CVL.

Do not believe Ike's propaganda about having plenty of supply. My bombers from Gavigamana and Nevea are hitting the port daily. This struggle will go on for several more weeks yet. There is only one winner in a battle of attrition.......

[vonCommander]

These markers and soldiers looks like stuff from A&A Pacific. Good idea to use them for this AAR.
I like this one very much because of this funny style of propagan....... aehm reporting for the homefront [:D]

[Ike99]

Do not believe Ike's propaganda about having plenty of supply. My bombers from Gavigamana and Nevea are hitting the port daily. This struggle will go on for several more weeks yet. There is only one winner in a battle of attrition.......

Hi Paul...great battle we are having.

Everyone else...I don´t have supply problem on Irau. He does. I have attacked all week. He is sitting. I´m killing 2-1 every attack. My last attack his 2 divisions could not even muster up 100 assault points. My 2 rgts are destroying 2 divisions. Allied aircraft losses have been ugly. Nine B17`s just bombed Rabaul. Seven were lost.

Paul is correct about a battle of attrition going on, but it is one he is losing, not me. The bomber is not going to save his divisions. They are cut off and will die on the vine.

[Ike99]

I estimate Ike has lost 4 or 5 cruisers and about 15 destroyers.

3 cruisers 7 destroyes. I did just lose another DD today because I did something stupid.[:D]

3 cruisers 8 dd´s