The Calimari War - Cuttlefish Gets Charbroiled

[bklooste]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: Cuttlefish


The interesting thing is, no one is sure exactly where that phrase comes from. Are red-headed stepchildren beaten? If so, why?

They're gingers. 'nuff said.

Blueys ?

[wpurdom]

Step-children are well-documented throughout history and today to suffer a high level of child abuse and much higher mortality rates than children with birth parents.

Here's a few comments from Answers.com including a somewhat plausible but undocumented theory of origins relating to the Vikings:

"Beating you like a red-headed stepchild" refers to a terrible beating. It is a variation of "beating you like a rented mule."
Etymology (the origin of words and phrases) is notoriously hard to pin down. The etymology of this one obviously has something to do with child abuse. Some clues to the origin of its specifics:
A stepchild is often presumed to be less favored than biological children. If a parent was abusive, a stepchild might get the worst of it. (Similarly, a rented mule would be less valuable than one you own.)
A child having red hair might be an indication that they have a different father, thereby reinforcing that they are a stepchild.
Red hair is often associated with a fiery personality. (Similarly, a mule is considered an especially stubborn animal.) . . .



I believe that it is linked to the Viking invasions experienced in Britain and Ireland in the 11th century. The Vikings came down from their area, pillaged and raped and left a few red-headed children. Being so obviously different from the rest of the children in the area, they were subject to discrimination by parents knowing their origin was from an invading source. I can imagine that these children would have suffered the wrath of the local population who could obviously identify them as products of the Vikings violent influence on their culture. They were an easy target to vent the frustration of this phenomenon of force.

[Capt. Harlock]

They attacked the Allied force and did some damage: POW took two torpedoes and light cruisers Durban and Boise each took a couple of bomb hits that penetrated their deck armor.

A rousing start for the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere! The damage to Boise makes up for the escape of Houston; that CL has been known to do considerable damage to IJN convoys.

Speaking of Japanese strategy and victory prospects, if you have some spare time I recommend looking into the AAR's of Nemo121. He has "broken the will" of virtually every opponent he's played, and though he prefers the Japanese side he's equally dangerous playing the Allies.

I still say, the only realistic route to Japanese victory is not to do the Pearl Harbor raid. Unfortunately no game I'm aware of properly simulates the enormous political effects. American industry and manpower could not have been mobilized with either the speed or completeness that Roosevelt was able to do. (During WWII the U.S. was essentially a socialist, command-based economy. And astonishingly, the standard of living was actually a bit higher in 1945 than it had been in 1941.) More, the U.S. would have been much more willing to accept a negotiated settlement, instead of pushing for unconditional surrender regardless of the large casualties of the later Pacific campaign. Scenario mod, anyone?

[Kwik E Mart]

ORIGINAL: wpurdom

Step-children are well-documented throughout history and today to suffer a high level of child abuse and much higher mortality rates than children with birth parents.

Here's a few comments from Answers.com including a somewhat plausible but undocumented theory of origins relating to the Vikings:

"Beating you like a red-headed stepchild" refers to a terrible beating. It is a variation of "beating you like a rented mule."
Etymology (the origin of words and phrases) is notoriously hard to pin down. The etymology of this one obviously has something to do with child abuse. Some clues to the origin of its specifics:
A stepchild is often presumed to be less favored than biological children. If a parent was abusive, a stepchild might get the worst of it. (Similarly, a rented mule would be less valuable than one you own.)
A child having red hair might be an indication that they have a different father, thereby reinforcing that they are a stepchild.
Red hair is often associated with a fiery personality. (Similarly, a mule is considered an especially stubborn animal.) . . .



I believe that it is linked to the Viking invasions experienced in Britain and Ireland in the 11th century. The Vikings came down from their area, pillaged and raped and left a few red-headed children. Being so obviously different from the rest of the children in the area, they were subject to discrimination by parents knowing their origin was from an invading source. I can imagine that these children would have suffered the wrath of the local population who could obviously identify them as products of the Vikings violent influence on their culture. They were an easy target to vent the frustration of this phenomenon of force.

OMG! i'm red haired and my favorite football team is the vikings! did rod serling just enter the room?

PS - didn't need to be a step-child in my house to get beaten...spare the rod and spoil the child and all that...

sorry CF...please continue

[Cuttlefish]

December 16, 1941 – December 17, 1941

There is nothing too dramatic to report as the Japanese advance continues to unfold. Most Allied ships from Hong Kong and Philippines have either been sunk or escaped by now. Aggressive forward use of Japanese air and surface forces has limited Allied response to occasional and ineffective air attacks against Japanese shipping by Hudsons and B-17s.

On 16 December a Japanese cruiser force paid a visit to Port Moresby with the idea of perhaps catching some Allied shipping there. What they found was CL Adelaide all by its lonesome. The Allied cruiser was sunk.

On 17 December Allied submarines made their presence felt. They hit four ships in the Luzon Strait and South China Sea, sinking an xAK and two xAPs.

Malaya: my recon reports four enemy units at Alor Star with about 10,000 troops. Three Japanese regiments have cut the road below them awhile the Imperial Guards advance upon the base. I think that Charbroiled is probably sacrificing these units to slow the Japanese advance down the peninsula. If this is true it will work; time will tell if this is a good gambit on his part or not.

Philippines: The Kanno Detachment and a tank regiment evicted a small unit from Tuguegarao and captured the base. On the western side of Luzon the 21st Division is ashore and driving towards Lingayen, while in the south two regiments captured Lucena after a short fight. These units will now advance upon Batangas, just south of Manila.

It looks as though Allied forces are concentrating at Clark Field and Bataan, though it is not too late for them to shift their dispositions. Lingayen has not been evacuated; as in Malaya Allied forces are not in wholesale retreat but are instead standing and fighting. The only Allied fighters encountered in the last Japanese sweep were five P-26s based at Batangas; the other fighters are either gone or have been withdrawn.

DEI: Japanese forces continue to occupy the west coast of Borneo, Miri, Brunei, Jesselton, etc. The Tarakan invasion will kick off soon. On the other side of Borneo Jolo now hosts a group of Nells and an invasion force is en route to Ternate.

There will be a short pause in this area as Japanese surface forces, many of whom have virtually exhausted their main gun ammo, fall back to replenish. Ryujo and Zuiho also need to pick up a fresh load of torpedoes. Once they do Japanese forces will capture the bases along the Makassar Strait in preperation for the assault on Java.

China: Chinese forces are pulling back and consolidating in the south, harassed by a couple of Japanese divisions. In the center Japanese forces are clearing the rail lines, moving along them like snowplows, while in the north Japanese units are starting to mass for an assault on Chengchow and Loyang.

Pacific: Tarawa was captured. Japanese forces are congregating at Truk. KB will come down and visit the Coral Sea, as previously mentioned, but large-scale movements in this area will wait until enough PPs are accumulated to bring down an infantry division from Honshu.

[Cuttlefish]

December 18, 141 – December 24, 1941

Japanese forces continue to spread the virtues of the Co-Prosperity Sphere across Asia and the Pacific. Local populations watch with joy as the colonialist powers are driven relentlessly back. It’s a new era for all Asia as Britain and America are revealed to be mere paper tigers, no match for the righteous fury of Japan.

Or something like that.

Malaya: Allied forces continue to stand. This is a bit different than my previous experience of pursuing fleeing Commonwealth troops pell-mell down the peninsula. Alor Star fell to the Imperial Guards on 21 December; since Japanese troops had already cut the road south the defenders, including the 6th and 15th Indian Brigades, retreated to the middle of the peninsula, where they are cut off. The reconstituted Japanese 2nd Division is moving up to finish them off.

Meanwhile, Japanese forces are about to attack Taiping, which is still garrisoned, and are also moving on Georgetown.

Luzon: here Allied forces are not only holding fast, they’ve tried to advance. The 21st Division is currently attacking Lingayen, which should fall in the next day or two. At Lucena a Filipino division advanced from Batangas to contest the Japanese move up from Altimonen. It was promptly driven back. South from Altimonen Japanese forces have cleared the peninsula all the way to Lingayen.

DEI: Kongo, Haruna, and friends paid a surprise visit to Darwin. There they found an AVP and six tankers. The tankers were fuel-laden and the bonfire that ensued was impressive. Further north Japanese destroyers have been pursuing PT boats. Nine have been sunk but there are still some left.

Japanese landings proceed apace. Ternate and various small bases in the PI and around Borneo have been occupied. Jolo and Ternate now base fighters and recon planes.

Here and There: Hong Kong fell on 21 December. The 38th Division will now cross the South China Sea to join the attack on Luzon. KB has refueled and taken on a full load of torpedoes and is en route from Truk to the Coral Sea. The 33rd Division is at Pisanuloke, heading to Moulmein. This division, sadly, is about 20% under strength due to the loss of two transports en route. Those were sunk by aircraft, as previously related, but Allied subs have been active, sinking half a dozen transports and freighters in recent days.

In the air Allied air forces have pretty much disappeared except for occasional B-17 attacks against ships in and around the Philippines. Japanese bombers roam the front at will, attacking ground targets. Aparri and Khota Bharu are now major air bases.

[Alikchi2]

Things are looking good, sir. You're making excellent use of your surface forces. How's Hibiki?

[Cuttlefish]

ORIGINAL: Alikchi

Things are looking good, sir. You're making excellent use of your surface forces. How's Hibiki?

Hibiki is fine so far. Captain Ishii and crew participated in the attack on Darwin and performed with distinction.

[Cribtop]

Nice move at Darwin. Were you on bombard or SCTF orders?

[Cuttlefish]

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

Nice move at Darwin. Were you on bombard or SCTF orders?

SCTF. They were hunting ships. I thought there was a chance that my opponent wouldn't expect the move and that there might be some worthwhile targets there.

[Cuttlefish]

December 24, 1941 – December 26, 1941

The last few days of the war bring nothing terribly exciting to report. Having forced the Allies out of Lingayen Japanese forces are preparing to advance on Clark Field, which appears well-defended. Elsewhere things continue to go as planned. No major battles have occurred and the only ship to go down was an xAK sunk by a Japanese submarine off Exmouth. KB should appear midway between Cooktown and Port Moresby within the next turn or two. That might prove interesting.

Java 2.0: I have spent some time lately contemplating Java. In real life the Japanese moved swiftly and efficiently to isolate Java from the east and west. They won the battle of the Java Sea and invaded at the end of February; the Dutch surrendered on March 8.

In my previous games, and in most other AARs I have read, Java usually doesn’t completely fall until around May ’42. What causes this disparity between the game and history? And why is this important to the Japanese player?

I think the big differences are in the realm of things the game cannot properly simulate; the morale of the human player and the desire not to inflict useless suffering on doomed troops and civilians. There is no penalty, and in fact there are big rewards, for an Allied player who fights for Java to the bitter end. And no game can put the Allied player in the mindset of the Dutch, who were gallant but overwhelmed. They weren’t playing for time or for the later stages of a war they could clearly foresee; they saw that all was lost and felt only hopelessness.

As to why this matters to the Japanese player, it is a matter of geography and time. Java has to be taken. It is a major part of any defense of the DEI and contains not only valuable amounts of oil and fuel but an important naval base, Soerabaja. Not taking it is simply not an option.

But Java contains excellent defensive terrain, including mountain and light urban bases, and taking it requires a considerable investment of forces. This is where time pressure comes in. Taking Java efficiently requires the use of several divisions. The earlier these divisions can be freed for use elsewhere the better for Japan. The question, then, is this: how can the Japanese player hasten the fall of Java?

This is one of those cases where I can see the problem but am less clear about a solution. One thing I don’t know is how important a couple of extra months are to the Dutch forces as far as training and experience goes. Are they significantly weaker in February than they are in April? The same question applies to fortification levels. How quickly can the Dutch dig in and how much does getting there faster help Japan?

The problem is that what I said about history versus the game in Java applies to the rest of the DEI as well. The risks in moving straight on Java are that most Allied players will be much more organized and aggressive than the Allies were in real life. Force Z is often not at the bottom of the ocean. Allied carriers may be employed (both Q-Ball and Erstad tried that against me). The ML-KNIL may not be very good at anti-shipping attacks but even a blind squirrel finds the occasional acorn. Transport forces caught by even small SCTFs are in a world of trouble.

How quickly can Java be taken? How quickly should it be taken? Stay tuned as I make this one of the themes of the Japanese advance.

[aprezto]

I am currently on the receiving end of a very capable compromise due to that whiley fox: PzB.

First a question: what is your objective?

PzB's objective was: take Soerbaja and Batavia
Secondary objective: take out forces where the opposition gives him the opportunity to do so quickly and with comparitively low loss of strength.
Tertiary objective: Reduce Java to either a zero or impotent allied presence.

The situation:
Soerbaja and Batavia are still only 'light' urban. The best defensive terrain is actually the mountain hex, or hex/bases. Of these there are only really two that suit and that's Bandoeng and Malang (I think that's the name, haven't got a map available) to the south west of Soerbaja.
He does not have enough native troops to defend both primary objectives strongly enough to stop you, so if he wants to delay your objective (assuming he realises it), he should therefore concentrate on one, which falls into achieving one of the secondary objectives, as the other one will be lightly held, if held at all.
His final choice might be to move everything to the mountain bases. This is the best approach for a protracted presence on Java, but it leaves the primary and tertiary objectives within easy grasp, although will not achieve the secondary objective.

The solution:
Recon. Know which choice the allies make. Recognise that the allies really don't have the option of attacking. The Dutch troops are just so poor, that even if he congregates all his troops into a mountain hex that you can effectively bottle the lot with a couple of regiments (since you also will obtain the mountain defensive benefit).
So, you recon Batavia, Soerbaja and the two mountain hexes. If he congregates in the mountain hexes you've achieved the primary PzB objective, if he doesn't, he has probably congregated in one of the two large ports. You then take the other bases around the map that can accommodate bombers, bring in at least a division and a couple of regiments against the congregated base, but make use of the fact they are ports, and setup bombardment runs (with AE support from other conquested bases) and supply sapping bombing raids, and pummel the defenders. In the light urban hexes of batavia and Soerbaja I have not seen the Dutch defenders manage to hold out.

If he moves on the mountain hexes, don't even bother about killing the troops. leave them there to wither, bombing them every day or so, and maybe putting a couple of arty units there to keep on whittling away at them. As I said, the dutch are very poor troops and will not be able to attack your defending regiments, and dutch training does not really start until mid-march (they are set to about 40 at start) and will be offset by fort levels as your regiments dig in.
In the future you may have to reassess, but there is only so much supply they can hold, and the bombing will reduce it to starvation levels in about 3 months. Then you can choose to kill them off if you fear a break out upon an allied counter invasion.

[Cuttlefish]

ORIGINAL: aprezto

I am currently on the receiving end of a very capable compromise due to that whiley fox: PzB.

First a question: what is your objective?

PzB's objective was: take Soerbaja and Batavia
Secondary objective: take out forces where the opposition gives him the opportunity to do so quickly and with comparitively low loss of strength.
Tertiary objective: Reduce Java to either a zero or impotent allied presence.

The situation:
Soerbaja and Batavia are still only 'light' urban. The best defensive terrain is actually the mountain hex, or hex/bases. Of these there are only really two that suit and that's Bandoeng and Malang (I think that's the name, haven't got a map available) to the south west of Soerbaja.
He does not have enough native troops to defend both primary objectives strongly enough to stop you, so if he wants to delay your objective (assuming he realises it), he should therefore concentrate on one, which falls into achieving one of the secondary objectives, as the other one will be lightly held, if held at all.
His final choice might be to move everything to the mountain bases. This is the best approach for a protracted presence on Java, but it leaves the primary and tertiary objectives within easy grasp, although will not achieve the secondary objective.

The solution:
Recon. Know which choice the allies make. Recognise that the allies really don't have the option of attacking. The Dutch troops are just so poor, that even if he congregates all his troops into a mountain hex that you can effectively bottle the lot with a couple of regiments (since you also will obtain the mountain defensive benefit).
So, you recon Batavia, Soerbaja and the two mountain hexes. If he congregates in the mountain hexes you've achieved the primary PzB objective, if he doesn't, he has probably congregated in one of the two large ports. You then take the other bases around the map that can accommodate bombers, bring in at least a division and a couple of regiments against the congregated base, but make use of the fact they are ports, and setup bombardment runs (with AE support from other conquested bases) and supply sapping bombing raids, and pummel the defenders. In the light urban hexes of batavia and Soerbaja I have not seen the Dutch defenders manage to hold out.

If he moves on the mountain hexes, don't even bother about killing the troops. leave them there to wither, bombing them every day or so, and maybe putting a couple of arty units there to keep on whittling away at them. As I said, the dutch are very poor troops and will not be able to attack your defending regiments, and dutch training does not really start until mid-march (they are set to about 40 at start) and will be offset by fort levels as your regiments dig in.
In the future you may have to reassess, but there is only so much supply they can hold, and the bombing will reduce it to starvation levels in about 3 months. Then you can choose to kill them off if you fear a break out upon an allied counter invasion.

Hm, you make a very good point here about bottling up the Dutch on one of their mountain bases. Given that the two reasons I want Java are to 1) secure the oil, fuel and port centers of Batavia and Soerabaja, and 2) to use it as a defensive bulwark in the DEI, having Dutch troops slowly dying on a mountainside doesn't really interfere with either one. They could in fact just be left to rot while the Japanese divisions I would use to beseige them move on to other operations.

[Q-Ball]

Exactly. Don't sweat starving Dutch on a mountain; you can bottle them up with a Nav Gd or something, and move on.

In fact, in order to move faster, I advocate bypassing Allied troops. You can't bypass the Oil centers, Singapore, and major ports, but other than that pretty much everything you can skip for later.

[aprezto]

Hmm, not sure a naval guard unit would suffice for the Java contingent. They are weak but quite numerous and numbers would tell. Certainly a couple of stand-alone regiments will do the job.

[Speedysteve]

Hi CF,
 
Time for me to get on board as well!
 
Firslty, good luck.
 
Secondly, you mention ultimately an occupation of Fuji amnd Northern Aus. Obviously, these plans may well be affected with how and what happens in the first few months of war but do you have any bigger ultimate objectives in terms of knocking the Allies out of the war? India invasion? All of Aus? Hawaii etc? I know in AE it's VERY hard to get any of these right, if at all, but just curious.
 
Regarding Java - my 2p. In my ongoing game vs Faber my Dutch boys help up the Japanese until the end of April 1942 after they'd invaded at the end of January 1942 IIRC! This has to be one of the earliest invasions of Java I've seen.
 
At the time I thought it was too early and that he couldn't have enough force to take it with being engaged in Malaya and PI. I was right in that he couldn't take it with what he bought. On the flip side I couldn't eject the couple of Rgt's he bought and so straight away he had a foothold, small BF and a Zero contingent on Java to slowly dominate the area.
 
Another hugely beneficial aspect of an early Java invasion (as has bene mentioned above) is it denies the Dutch another 2 months training and also (if done very quickly) squadrons of P40'E and B25's.
 
Like anything in AE, though, it's a Pros and cons thing. The pro was the prevention of the Dutch building up strength so it made it easier in due course to nullify Dutch threat (although I managed to hold out in Buitenzorg for 2.5 months until the end of April). The con was that the Japanese foothold can be tenuous and exposed since, naturally, the main Japanese bases and forces are far to the N/NE. Faber for example lost 5-10 ships in the invasion including CVL Zuiho and a BB due ot Vildebeast I'd moved down from Singapore.
 
In a nutshell though I think an early invasion of Java is better than a late one [;)]

[Capt. Harlock]

I have spent some time lately contemplating Java. In real life the Japanese moved swiftly and efficiently to isolate Java from the east and west. They won the battle of the Java Sea and invaded at the end of February; the Dutch surrendered on March 8.

In my previous games, and in most other AARs I have read, Java usually doesn’t completely fall until around May ’42. What causes this disparity between the game and history?

There is one major factor that, like it or not, is impossible to fix. The Battle of the java Sea was decisive, and it was more than anything else due to the Japanese Long Lance and the Allies' ignorance of its lethality. No half-way competent Allied player shares this ignorance. The naval campaign cannot help but unfold differently, and that in turn makes a difference on the land.

If supplies and reinforcements are coming in to Java, the Dutch troops can be expected to put up more of a fight. It's surprising what only a little time can accomplish, both in game terms and in real life. Example: historically, a shipment of P-40's was sent in crates aboard a merchant ship to Java. By the time they got there, the Japanese were so close it was decided to heave the crates into the harbor. What might the Dutch pilots have accomplished with only two or three more days' time to assemble their new toys?

[Canoerebel]

Intersting fact, Capt. Harlock.  That's the kind of interesting historical nugget that a good author (*nudge*, *nudge* Cuttlefish) could make something from!

[Cuttlefish]

ORIGINAL: Speedy

Hi CF,

Time for me to get on board as well!

Firslty, good luck.

Secondly, you mention ultimately an occupation of Fuji amnd Northern Aus. Obviously, these plans may well be affected with how and what happens in the first few months of war but do you have any bigger ultimate objectives in terms of knocking the Allies out of the war? India invasion? All of Aus? Hawaii etc? I know in AE it's VERY hard to get any of these right, if at all, but just curious.

Regarding Java - my 2p. In my ongoing game vs Faber my Dutch boys help up the Japanese until the end of April 1942 after they'd invaded at the end of January 1942 IIRC! This has to be one of the earliest invasions of Java I've seen.

At the time I thought it was too early and that he couldn't have enough force to take it with being engaged in Malaya and PI. I was right in that he couldn't take it with what he bought. On the flip side I couldn't eject the couple of Rgt's he bought and so straight away he had a foothold, small BF and a Zero contingent on Java to slowly dominate the area.

Another hugely beneficial aspect of an early Java invasion (as has bene mentioned above) is it denies the Dutch another 2 months training and also (if done very quickly) squadrons of P40'E and B25's.

Like anything in AE, though, it's a Pros and cons thing. The pro was the prevention of the Dutch building up strength so it made it easier in due course to nullify Dutch threat (although I managed to hold out in Buitenzorg for 2.5 months until the end of April). The con was that the Japanese foothold can be tenuous and exposed since, naturally, the main Japanese bases and forces are far to the N/NE. Faber for example lost 5-10 ships in the invasion including CVL Zuiho and a BB due ot Vildebeast I'd moved down from Singapore.

In a nutshell though I think an early invasion of Java is better than a late one [;)]

As far as wider objectives, I am not contemplating anything as ambitious as an invasion of Hawaii or most of India. I am a conservative player by nature and have a horror of overextending myself and suffering reverses that will cost me too many ships or troops. But I am trying to be more aggressive this time around and while I have no wish to conquer territory just to be conquering territory I do want to keep trying to force my opponent into battle on my terms, with luck well into 1943 at least. I want him thinking about where I will come at him next, not how he can come at me. To this end I am prepared to be opportunistic. Landings at Ceylon or in northern India (Cox's Bazaar/Diamond Harbor area), for example, are not out of the question depending on how the overall situation develops.

As for Java, I pretty much agree that there are pros and cons to an early attack there but that overall the pros win. This is one case where I may have to accept losses to keep my tempo of operations in high gear.

[Cuttlefish]

December 27, 1941 – December 28, 1941

The ever-victorious forces of the Japanese Empire continue their advance on all fronts. The early stages of the war continue to go very smoothly; Japanese losses in planes, troops, and ships have been light while heavy damage has been inflicted on the enemy. This is how one expects December ’41 to go for Japan, though in my experience the “insignificant losses” thing is easier on paper than it is in practice. But so far at least my plans to keep Allied forces off-balance seem to have been successful.

Malaya: Allies Hold Their Ground. Charbroiled’s British, Australian, and Indian troops on the peninsula seem to have missed the memo that all Allied players are supposed to send their troops rushing pell-mell for Singapore as soon as the opening bell rings. See the screen shot below. This has in fact delayed my advance; my troops are stalled at Taiping right now when usually they would be approaching Kuala Lumpur.

The question is, how much will these tactics hasten the fall of Singapore once the siege begins? Standing and fighting is costing the Allies heavily in terms of units cut off or mangled by being forced to retreat. It also makes attempting a landing at Mersing a more attractive prospect. I haven’t seen an RAF bomber or warship anywhere near Malaya in the past week, and I have about two divisions worth of troops at Singora. I don’t usually like to land at Mersing but in this case I am thinking about it.

Right now I have at Malaya the Imperial Guards (advancing to help clear Taiping) and the 2nd Division, (advancing to clear the units trapped near Alor Star). The following divisions have all their components already in Malaya and will be reconstituted: the 5th, 55th, and 18th).

Luzon: The Target is Clark Field. Allied air presence here is now down to B-17s (based in Mindanao) and recon planes. Aparri is already a level 4 airfield and IJA bombers based there are hitting Clark daily in preparation for the Japanese attack. Recon shows about 12 enemy units at Clark, a similar number at Bataan, and about 6 at Manila.

Japanese divisions on Luzon are the 21st, the 38th (currently disembarking) and the 48th.

DEI: The Borneo Identity. The Kuching invasion force has departed Cam Rahn Bay and will arrive in a couple of days. Ahead of it is a heavy cruiser force to cover the landings and a battleship bombardment force.

On the other side of the big island Manado is expected to fall tomorrow to Japanese troops which landed at the dot hex below the base and marched into Manado overland. An invasion force in en route to Davao.

Pacific: A Visit to the Coral Sea. Kido Butai hit a trip wire of sorts nearing the Coral Sea in the person of xAP Lycaon. It was found and sunk at Tagula Island, a dot hex off Milne Bay. The transport was loaded with troops (all non-combat types, so perhaps a base force or something like that) so it was a nice catch but on the downside Charbroiled now knows where KB is. I imagine any shipping in the area is scattering to the four winds. Still, KB will continue on into the Coral Sea to look for the slow, the lame, and the unlucky.

China: First Offensive. The Japanese have finally mustered a force of seven divisions plus a bit of artillery and an Army HQ near Chengchow and are beginning to advance on the city. Loyang will be next if this is successful and then a drive towards Nanyang. In the south a Japanese division will attempt to capture Chuhsien.

Submarine Warfare: Undersea Volcanoes. A Japanese submarine sank AEs Pyro and Lassen on the same turn off Palmyra. No Japanese ships have been lost to submarines during this period. I have a lot of ASW patrols now off Indochina, where I have lost most of my ships, and while they have not come close to sinking a submarine they do seem to be forcing the Allied subs to keep their heads down a bit.


The situation at Malaya, 28 December: