The Plunder, the Blunder, and the Agony

[Chimaera]

October 22nd, 1942

Land war
A large attack by Chinese forces (about 14 units participated) against Nanchang was repulsed on October 6th. Enemy losses were over 1,700 men and 57 guns. Imperial casualties were about one-third of the enemy’s.

On October 12th, Allied troops from Davao (indigenous Philippine troops left to their own devices since the start of the war) launched a surprise offensive against Cotabato, defended by part of a base force. Cotabato was lost, and a number of Nate-equipped training units were overrun there. For failing to prevent the setback, the commanding officer of the base force R. Komachi was “permitted” to commit hara-kiri. [:-]

October 15th – 43rd Chinese Guerrilla Corps was forced to surrender west of Tsingtao.

October 17th – Imperial forces secured Davao, vacated by the enemy. On Mindanao, Japan now controls the most important bases (Cagayan and Davao). The enemy controls Dadjangas and Cotabato, but his supplies are dwindling and he is facing regular air bombardment.

Naval war
On October 7th, Bettys from Koepang sank the cargo ship Mapia north of Wyndham.

October 13th – I-166 hits cargo ship Empire Webster with a tin fish south of Ceylon but the enemy did not succumb.

October 14th – enemy sub S-33 hits one of our mines at Wake Island and sinks.

There has been little sign of major enemy ships or task forces since the sneak carrier raid against Marcus Island in mid-September. Apart from the occasional submarine contact, our various convoys freely transport raw materials back to the home islands, and shuttle troops and supplies to various points of the Empire. Our defensive perimeter grows stronger by the day.

Air war
October 15th – our fighters down five B-24Ds over Koepang for no loss.

October 17th – air battle over Hanoi. First the enemy sent a powerful P-38 fighter sweep, followed by a large heavy bomber raid against the resources there. 15 P-38Fs, 6 B-24D and 3 Liberator III were brought down, against our loss of 20 Ki-44s and some minor damage to the resources.

[Cathartes]

Reminder to all that this is a CHS 155 game with PDUs on, which is forcing the air war into sporadic, massive contests. There are fewer air to air battles but when they occur, they do so on a grand scale, at great cost. Not realistic, but the nature of the game mechanics without NikMod, house rules that allow training (hitting insignificant base targets behind lines), and the fact that Japan has pursued a strategy to contain/capture bases that keep Allies at arms length, out of range of LBA fighter cover.

Unescorted allied bombers get shredded in stock and CHS 155, and there is no way to fix this until large numbers of long-range fighters show up on the scene or the Allies take more bases in Japanese territory. Neither can be achieved for some time. P-38G production is just ramping up, but production cant' keep up with losses and the number of fighters needed to do the job against an extensive Japanese base training program that is pouring out elite pilots.

Burma is the only theater where Japan can't fully dictate the rules in the air, so we'll start there.

November 15, 1942

Burma Theater
This map has been edited, some hexes have been blocked out completely and some have been copied and shaded from another map to obscure what may or may not be in those hexes. After all, this is an open AAR. The other stuff I assume my opponent can already see, or is aware of.

Chimaera is making periodic fighter sweeps over Akyab and just today (Nov. 14) he brought 200 fighters over this base. I figured this was coming and put up about half as many fighters on LRCAP over Akyab. I got beat up losing 88 fighters, 33 of which were expercienced P-38Gs. He lost a handful of Tojos, Tonys, and A6M3As totaling 68 losses. This is a typical example of the sporadic, costly air war.

Other than the 200+ fighters that Chimaera has in Rangoon, I rule the skies around Mandalay. I can bomb his ground troops and bases at will, or as weather allows. I occasionally get ambushed and lose a number of bombers, but it's rare. The LRCAP probably suffers unacceptable OP losses, and the weather makes my bombing unreliable to intercept. Chimaera seems to be unwilling to commit air assets to any bases beyond Rangoon. He is wise. I occasionally pulverize ground troops, but he has between 35-40 LCUs spread out from Meiktila to Lashio, and they don't appear that much worse for the wear. Mandalay is a level 9 fort for me. I have ample ground forces to defend, and over 300 aircraft in and nearby. He may try to cross the river again (he was driven back in July '42), but it would costly without air superiority--tough to extend from Rangoon. Akyab, Imphal, and Mandalay are all level 6 airfields.

Rangoon is off limits to bomb. It's far too costly. I can't yet deal with 200+ of his massed, highly trained, advanced fighters. Occasional night bombing by B-24s provides meager results. Recon over Rangoon is expensive right now, but I'm always monitoring for the possibility of a daylight srike.

[Chimaera]

December 4th, 1942

SITUATION UPDATE
Land war
The main action is in Burma. On November 19th, four divisions of Chinese and British troops attacked southeast (across the river) at Mandalay into hex 34,30. Our badly outnumbered forces fought bravely but were unable to defeat the attack. Lashio was lost on November 30th. A lone Japanese unit east of Lashio is all that keeps the supply route into China severed from Burma and India.

General Kawabe (commanding all land forces in Burma) has assessed the situation and is confident that the enemy will make no further substantive gains. Our positions southwest of Mandalay (hex 33,30), Meiktila and Taung Gyi are well garrisoned and supplied, and there are significant reserves at Rangoon and Moulmein.


Japanese troops discuss the situation in Burma

Air war
No major clashes since the large battle over Akyab on November 14th. With the success in northeastern Burma, Admiral Cathartes will doubtlessly concentrate on bombarding my rather exposed positions in central and northeast Burma.

I anticipate probing attacks against the southern Dutch East Indies – especially Koepang, Lautem, Kendari and Amboina.

In Australia, Coen has been built up to a level 4 airfield and heavy attacks continue against our (weak) positions at Portland Roads and Thursday Island, taken earlier as a buffer zone for Port Moresby. Air attacks against Port Moresby itself should also be expected.

Naval war
The Kaigun's submarines sank two cargo ships and the tanker Empire Collins in November. A quiet month. There has been little sign of his carriers and/or capital ships but I believe them to be based at Pearl and/or the western USA.

Overall
To paraphrase H.P. Willmott in “The War with Japan: The Period of Balance May 1942 – October 1943”, the strategic initiative at this point of the war is like a gun lying in the street: there for either side to pick up and use.

At this juncture, the time for major offensives on Japan's part is largely over, unless my esteemed opponent gives me unexpected opportunities to profit from. [:D] The Kaigun is wholly intact, and our land/air defenses are strong, but the Allies have received many new ships in the past months, and many new air units as well as new aircraft.

It is a matter of time before the Allied counteroffensive begins. The likely targets: [X(]

The Kuriles
Marcus Island
The Marshalls/Gilberts
New Caledonia/Hebrides
New Guinea/Solomons

[Cathartes]

You forgot "Home Islands" on your likely targets list.[:'(]

I like the gun in the street analogy, except that I have plenty already.[8D]

[Chimaera]

Oh yeah, the HOME ISLANDS ... how could I possibly forget those [:'(]

December 5th

Air war
The enemy first sent P-38Gs to sweep Hanoi, followed by the main heavy bomber fleet of 100 B-24Ds. Army Ki-44s rose to the challenge, inflicting heavy losses. 8 P-38s and 13 B-24Ds were destroyed, and many more damaged. We also captured 1LT Rector E.F of the 1st AVG, one of the top Allied aces with 14 kills to his credit.

All in all, a good victory, even though resource production took a slight hit.

[Chimaera]

December 23rd, 1942

SITUATION UPDATE
Air war
Hanoi, December 10th
Our Ki-44s score a small tactical victory here, destroying 11 P-38F and 6 P-38G for 13 of our own (includes damaged planes).

Burma, December 14th.
Earlier, the 93rd Chinese Division snuck across the river at hex 32,29 (immediately west of Mandalay) but was promptly defeated and forced to withdraw. Enemy casualties were 242 men and 8 guns lost.

Akyab, December 15th and 21st
On Dec 15th, Bettys from Rangoon surprised an enemy TF, hitting three cargo ships with 2-3 torpedoes each. AK Chengtu sank immediately; AK Mauban and Tantalus were severely damaged. Another three cargo ships were struck with 1 tin fish each. The damaged ships then made port at Akyab.



After reviewing the situation, I decided to order a port strike for Dec 21st, with a large fighter escort. This time, 91 enemy fighters scrambled to defend Akyab. Our fighters succeeded in virtually obliterating this force (shooting down 44 Hurricane IIBs, 25 Seafire I/II and 15 Kittyhawk Is - a total of 84 Allied fighters). Our own losses were considerably lower.

The port strike itself however was a disappointment. AK Mauban (badly damaged earlier) was confirmed sunk, and AK Tantalus (hit by an 800kg bomb) will very likely sink too. AK Gausdal was also hit by two 800kg bombs.

Other comments
The news on other fronts is not so good. Intelligence sources indicate that the RAF is starting to receive numbers of the famous Spitfire fighter, and that a new American fighter (the Corsair) will soon arrive at the front. This latest plane apparently represents a new generation of fighter - extremely fast, maneuverable, durable and very well armed.

Still no sign of any major naval movements by Admiral Cathartes. With a mere eight days to go before the new year (1943), will he spring a late December surprise or wait for fairer winds in January?

From a global perspective, our German and Italian allies are fighting hard in North Africa and Russia, but the enemy seems to have the upper hand in both theaters, despite tremendous efforts.

[Chimaera]

January 3rd, 1943

According to reliable intelligence sources, the British and American leaders are having a strategic conference cum tea party at Casablanca. The Free French and Chinese are also in attendance, but never mind them. [;)] Stalin was also invited to attend, but he declined, on account of the severe fighting at Stalingrad.

With General Montgomery in cautious pursuit of Rommel, and the Anglo-American invasion of Northwest Africa proceeding in spite of various problems, it appears that FDR and Churchill remain committed as ever to 'Europe First'.

Over here in the Pacific, there are unconfirmed, nebulous rumors of very large Allied task forces massing 'somewhere out there', but so far there has been no real attempt to probe or punch through our defensive perimeter.

When the subject turned to the struggle against the mighty Japanese Empire, after the usual preamble about demanding our 'unconditional surrender', the conversation between the warlords probably quickly degenerated into something along these lines ... aka ribbing my esteemed opponent [:D]

[Cathartes]

January 21, 1943
This AAR has been infrequently updated due to some work with AE, but the game has steadily continued. Chimaera and I have quickly passed 1943 and both the Japanese and Allies have played a fairly conservative game. In fact, I would say conservative is the tone. At this juncture, either player is capable of a well-coordinated offensive at any time. Yet I know Chimaera is actively building his defense with a nodal network in each region that will support a rapid response/counterattack to any of my advances.

Losses have been light for both of us up to this point, and both navies are nearly entirely intact. The Japanese have not lost a single capital ship, and the Allies have only lost the CA Houston and a dozen or so CLs (mostly RN). I will try and make some regional updates in the next week or so, but first, for those in other CHS games, I'll post this update for losses and points FYI:

[Cathartes]

January 22, 1943
Early on in the war Chimaera grabbed Port Moresby, Portland Roads, and Thursday Island. Only recently was I able to retake Portland Roads, and only because most of the Japanese troops were withdrawn by sub or transport. Lots of recon and an easy para drop retook the base, and now Thursday Island remains as the last piece of Japanese occupied Australia. Allied bases have been built-up at Cooktown, Cairns, and Coen (now level 4 airfield). A naval resupply effort to Portland Roads was discovered by IJN aircraft about 5 days ago. Despite a large LRCAP effort from Coen with dozens of P-38s, Wildcats, P-40s and MkVI Beaufighters, very few of my aircraft made it to defend the TF when a large number of Bettys and fighters from Port Moresby did make it. I lost 27 fighters and the Japanese only lost 9. I was greatly outnumbered and spanked in the air. The moral of this episode is that you can't very much depend on LRCAP to show up in numbers. My air losses were bad, but only one Japanese torpedo bomber found its mark, and one transport out of 8 were sunk--ultimately the resupply/reinforcement effort was successful due to LRCAP and some bad weather that prevented my ships from being spotted and attacked earlier (weather in this game is sometimes good!)

The Japanese have massively reinforced/built-up Rabaul, Lae, Buna, and Port Moresby. If an offensive is launched in this direction it will be extremely costly for the Allies. An air campaign over Port Moresby would also come at a steep price. Right now there are a mix of over 100 A6M3s and Tonys at the base.

[Chimaera]

ORIGINAL: Cathartes
The Japanese have massively reinforced/built-up Rabaul, Lae, Buna, and Port Moresby. If an offensive is launched in this direction it will be extremely costly for the Allies. An air campaign over Port Moresby would also come at a steep price.

That is an accurate assessment of the situation [:D]

These are the air-to-air losses as of January 26th, 1943. The Ki-61 fighter especially has performed its air superiority role quite admirably since its debut in August 1942. The vast majority of the Empire's fighter losses are due to ops and on the ground (from Allied night raids).

[Chimaera]

As Admiral Cathartes has disclosed, naval losses on both sides have been rather light so far. This is a breakdown of Allied cruiser losses.



The Allies have also lost 14 destroyers, mostly American. The Kaigun has yet to suffer a naval combatant loss at this rather late date (Jan 26th, 1943). Virtually all the Allied losses were sustained from Dec 1941 to July 1942. Thereafter the naval war quietened considerably, with only submarines, transports and light craft (minesweepers, patrol craft) being lost.

Our defensive perimeter running from Kuriles-Marcus Island-Marshalls/Gilberts-Solomons-New Caledonia/New Hebrides-New Guinea is completely intact and growing steadily stronger.

On the periphery however, Admiral Cathartes has started to expand and extend his own perimeter. Allied air and naval activity is gradually hotting up on Attu Island, Baker Island, Nukufetau, Norfolk Island (southwest of Noumea) and of course Portland Roads.

This sitzkrieg could very suddenly degenerate into an all-out slugfest at any point. Stay tuned.

[Cathartes]

We are cruising into mid-February 1943 but I thought I would catch us all up a bit on China:

This map is from January 26, 1943. China has not seen any major, sustained activity all war. The Japanese have decided to invest troops in other regions but they are using China as a proving/training/beating ground for their pilots.

A significant probing attack toward Changsha was beaten back on 1/26/43 from the marshes to the northeast. It was a great defensive victory and the Japanese quickly departed after their whipping. I think they will be probing somewhere else soon enough however.

I have a lot of troops sitting in Canton but it has been a stalemate there for over a year. Nothing is happening as both sides fear the sting of attacking in an urban hex.

The one bright spot for the Chinese: Kaifeng was gloriously liberated several months ago from the Imperialist Hegemony and there is still dancing in the street with fireworks.

[Chimaera]

March 7th, 1943

Situation estimate
No big confrontations as of the last update, just a series of small-scale skirmishes. Admiral Cathartes is aggressively building up his airfields. Portland Roads is now size 6, as is Attu Island. Nukufetau is size 4. His recon aircraft grow steadily more aggressive, snooping over our bases on an almost daily basis.

Air war
On Feb 22nd, Bettys from Abemama (escorted by Zekes) struck at a DD squadron at Nukufetau. 11 F4F-4s were shot down but the enemy maneuvered his ships adroitly and no hits were scored. [:@]

Eight days later, Bettys from Kwajalein courageously fought past a Wildcat CAP to hit enemy shipping at Wake Island, sinking DM Breese for the loss of a few Bettys.

Naval war
Several enemy submarines were hit hard over the last few weeks. SS Kingfish was confirmed sunk on Feb 5th, and Porpoise (hit on Mar 5th) may well sink too. Porpoise did hit destroyer Asanagi with a tin fish before being counterattacked; Asanagi was moderately damaged but should be able to make port. Submarines Albacore, Tuna and O-24 were also badly damaged by our land-based aircraft.

On Mar 6th, the enemy sent a sneaky PT boat raid against Port Moresby, sinking a cargo ship and damaging another. One PT boat was also critically hit.

Snapshot of Marshalls/Gilberts (with some editing thrown in for good measure).

[Chimaera]

March 14th, 1943

Air war
A small victory was achieved when Zekes and Bettys from Lae struck at an enemy (probably ASW) TF off Thursday Island. Allied P-40Es covering the TF were unable to prevent Bettys from scoring three torpedo hits on HMAS Voyager. Voyager sank immediately with heavy loss of life. Our escorting fighters also did well, shooting down 8 P-40Es for the loss of only 1 A6M3a.

Snapshot of the southwest Pacific (partially edited)

[Chimaera]

May 24th, 1943

Situation update
Admiral Cathartes has been diligently preparing his ‘campaign of liberation’. A lot of shipping (mostly transports and PT boats) has been spotted at Thursday Island, Portland Roads, the Ellice Islands and even as far north as the Aleutians.

For the last few weeks, things have been fairly quiet apart from a few sporadic skirmishes here and there. The Allies landed forces at Nanumea and have built up the airfield there to level 1.

On May 15th, our aircraft from Abemama and several new Judy units from nearby carriers raided the airfield there. So far there are only a couple of enemy units (engineer/support) at Nanumea. The next day, Admiral Onoshi’s bombardment TF also struck, causing over 1,100 enemy casualties and serious damage to airfield and port facilities there.

On May 24th, our searchplanes picked up large concentrations of enemy shipping west and southwest of Port Moresby, including the USN fleet carrier Hornet. Judging by the numbers of ships involved, this could only mean the main invasion force was on its way.

From New Guinea, Bettys (including some of the new G4M2s) escorted by A6M3a fighters sortied against a cruiser force west of Port Moresby. The enemy ships were covered by a strong LRCAP, including the latest Corsair fighters. 16 enemy fighters were shot down and the Australian light cruiser Perth was struck by four torpedoes. Incredibly, CL Perth did not turn turtle immediately but her end cannot be far away.

[Chimaera]

May 25th

The battle for southern New Guinea begins.

Day 1
A small Allied cruiser force bombarded Port Moresby but damage was insignificant. CL Leander hit a mine but the damage was reportedly slight.

Allied medium and heavy bombers from Thursday Island and Portland Roads attacked our airbase at Lae. Our fighters took a fearsome toll of the enemy - 14 B-24D, 19 B-25C and 3 B-17Es destroyed – but enough planes got through to cause serious damage to the airfield.

Unfortunately, when our turn to retaliate arrived, an overzealous commander failed to properly coordinate his attack with neighboring commands and prematurely launched a relatively weak Betty strike (only 42 Bettys took part) escorted by Ki-61 fighters at the main enemy carrier force south of Port Moresby.

The carriers were protected by about 210 fighters, including 120 F4F-4s and many British types (we estimate no fewer than three British carriers participating, in addition to the American flattops – so far Hornet and Saratoga have been positively identified). Sadly, no Bettys got through this fearsome defense, but 50 enemy fighters were brought down.

[Chimaera]

May 26th

Day 2
SS Tarpon was hit twice by aerial depth charges and quickly sunk.

Another enemy raid against Lae. This raid was smaller than the previous day’s. 9 B-25Cs and 2 B-24Ds failed to make it back against our loss of 3 Zekes.

As his main invasion force reached Port Moresby, minefields and Bettys worked together to disrupt the amphibious assault. Four troop transports were sunk outright, and another twelve APs were damaged. Several enemy units including the US 32nd Division did make it ashore but in a thoroughly disrupted and shell-shocked state.

Probably daunted by heavy fighter losses, the main carrier force moved westward, leaving the transports at Port Moresby to fend for themselves.

Central Pacific
Another enemy carrier force has been sighted east of Marcus Island! Is this a diversion or yet another impending invasion??


Snapshot of the southwest Pacific, partially edited

[Chimaera]

May 27th
Air battles
Enemy land-based air took a beating this turn, with 9 B-24Ds over Saidor and 25 P-38F, 19 Beaufighters and 15 P-38Gs over Moresby. Our own losses in both battles amounted to 26 Ki-61s damaged/destroyed.

Bettys also struck at enemy transports and escorts busily unloading troops and supplies at Moresby. Two APs were sunk, and another 3 AP, 1 AK and DD Mahan also hit hard. A further 4 AP and 1 AK were damaged to some degree.

May 28th
Air battles
A heavy bomber raid against Lae proved extremely costly for the enemy. Out of 34 B-17Es and 92 B-24Ds that attacked, 13 and 31 respectively were brought down; even so, the remainder managed to cause substantial damage to an airfield still recovering from earlier attacks.

Over Moresby, heavy combat broke out between our (sweeping) fighters and his carrier-based fighters. Here too, we gained the upper hand, shooting down 7 Seafires, 7 Martlets, 19 F4F-4s and 11 Wildcat VIs.

Our fighter losses in both battles amounted to 32 Ki-61s and 1 Zeke.

May 29th
Combat summary
AP Chateau Thierry, already damaged, is hit by 2 torps from I-26 and sunk. AK Cassiopeia is also sunk.

Enemy troops made their first deliberate attack at Port Moresby. Our outnumbered defenders fought well, blunting the offensive and inflicting heavy losses - 890 casualties, 15 guns and 7 vehicles. This was despite a heavy naval bombardment by enemy cruisers. Vice-Admiral S. Moizumi (commanding Japan's defenses at Moresby) expressed optimism that his defenses remained tenable.

Enemy cruisers also hit Abemama – as they headed for home, a Betty strike succeeded in hitting CA Chicago with a torpedo but damage was not serious.

Admiral Cathartes tried a strong fighter sweep over Hanoi but our own fighters were ready. 38 P-38Gs (from the elite AVG units) and 23 P-43A were destroyed for 8 J2Ms and 41 Ki-44s.

May 30th
Enemy carriers near Moresby, having suffered heavy fighter losses, withdrew to the southwest. The Allied carriers spotted earlier east of Marcus Island have also disappeared.

Bettys sank another 2 AKs at Moresby. In view of heavy losses, Admiral Cathartes decided to temporarily halt the Port Moresby invasion and withdrew his transports. His five land units remain marooned there.

The first round in the southwest Pacific goes to Japan, but my redoubtable opponent will certainly be back before too long ... [:'(]

[Cathartes]

The Japanese Propoganda Machine is alive and well. Let's set a few lines straight...

May 27th
Air battles
Enemy land-based air took a beating this turn, with 9 B-24Ds over Saidor and 25 P-38F, 19 Beaufighters and 15 P-38Gs over Moresby. Our own losses in both battles amounted to 26 Ki-61s damaged/destroyed.

Bettys also struck at enemy transports and escorts busily unloading troops and supplies at Moresby. Two APs were sunk, and another 3 AP, 1 AK and DD Mahan hard hit. Another 4 AP and 1 AK were damaged.

Yes, but we managed to land a lot of troops, losses negligible.

May 28th
Air battles
A heavy bomber raid against Lae proved extremely costly for the enemy. Out of 34 B-17Es and 92 B-24Ds that attacked, 13 and 31 respectively were brought down; even so, the remainder managed to cause substantial damage to an airfield still recovering from earlier attacks.

You can't count my damaged planes as planes shot down [:'(]. You're worse than Tokyo Rose. hehe.

Over Moresby, heavy combat broke out between our (sweeping) fighters and his carrier-based fighters. Here too, we gained the upper hand, shooting down 7 Seafires, 7 Martlets, 19 F4F-4s and 11 Wildcat VIs.

Our fighter losses in both battles amounted to 32 Ki-61s and 1 Zeke.

Upper hand? Did you neglect to inform everyone of the 80 Tonys and 30 odd Bettys you lost a couple of turns previous as they ran into a wall of Wildcats and P-38s on LRCAP? [;)].

May 29th
Combat summary
AP Chateau Thierry, already damaged, is hit by 2 torps from I-26 and sunk. AK Cassiopeia is also sunk.

Enemy troops made their first deliberate attack at Port Moresby. Our outnumbered defenders fought well, blunting the offensive and inflicting heavy losses - 890 casualties, 15 guns and 7 vehicles. This was despite a heavy naval bombardment by enemy cruisers. Vice-Admiral S. Moizumi (commanding Japan's defenses at Moresby) expressed optimism that his defenses remained tenable.

Enemy cruisers also hit Abemama – as they headed for home, a Betty strike succeeded in hitting CA Chicago with a torpedo but damage was not serious.

Mere scratches!.

Admiral Cathartes tried a strong fighter sweep over Hanoi but our own fighters were ready. 38 P-38Gs (from the elite AVG units) and 23 P-43A were destroyed for 8 J2Ms and 41 Ki-44s.

Yeah, but I have more pilots in school than you! [:'(].

May 30th
Enemy carriers near Moresby, having suffered heavy fighter losses, withdrew to the southwest. The Allied carriers spotted earlier east of Marcus Island have also disappeared.

Bettys sank another 2 AKs at Moresby. In view of heavy losses, Admiral Cathartes decided to temporarily halt the Port Moresby invasion and withdrew his transports. His five land units remain marooned there.

They are loyal troops, they will fight to the end even if I have given up on Port Moresby... which I have... really. No kidding. Best turn your attention to the impending invasion of Hokkaido!.

The first round in the southwest Pacific goes to Japan, but my redoubtable opponent will certainly be back before too long ...

I think the judges might disagree. I have neither taken Port Moresby, nor have you kicked me out, so tactically, we're still sitting on a draw. The 400-500 planes you lost (and 200-300 pilots probably?) was not good for you. On to Hokkaido!!!!

[Chimaera]

Summary of operations, month of June 1943

In contrast to the last week of May, June was a relatively uneventful month. Admiral Cathartes decided to reinforce his position at Moresby using mostly landing craft of all types and LSTs. Regular PT boat patrols and the occasional naval bombardment were conducted.

Although many landing craft and several LSTs were sunk, my redoubtable opponent did generally succeed in bringing substantial fresh forces to Moresby, including the 34th SeaBees, 29th Australian Brigade and other support units.

June 27-28 – enemy carriers Wasp, Enterprise and CVL Princeton sighted east off Eniwetok but they withdraw soon after without engaging or launching offensive air sorties.

Air war
June 23rd – The impressive P-47 Thunderbolts make their first appearance (no combat) over Moresby. Reliable reports state the fighters zoomed over the base at very fast speeds and at a very high altitude.

June 26th – Fierce aerial tussle in the Gilberts. 25 enemy Corsairs were brought down. Our own losses were somewhat heavier.

June 28th – tactical victory scored over Buna. 7 P-38G, 1 B-24D and 14 B-25Cs shot down for only 2 Ki-61 and 1 J2M lost.

Naval war
Enemy submarines Sturgeon (sunk June 7th by AP bombs) and Snook (sunk June 25th by depth charges). Our own side lost RO-34 (scuttled June 27th).

On June 30th, DE Austin and DD Rathburne hit mines at Abemama. DE Austin quickly sank, while DD Rathburne sustained heavy damage but apparently managed to withdraw to safety.