Last Stand at San Diego (no Richard please)

[ADB123]

November 19, 1942 –

There was no Night Action again. Daylight started inauspiciously with reports of Japanese ships at Efate; then the IJA Air Force went all out in Burma.

First off 21 Tojos and 31 Oscars swept in over Imphal, facing 24 Hurricane IIcs. The high altitude melee resulted in 1 Oscar, 1 Tojo and 3 Hurricanes shot down.

Then 25 Helens and 6 Lilies flew in accompanied by 27 Oscars. Only 4 Hurricanes arrived to meet them, but they were able to shoot down 1 Oscar at the cost of 1 Hurricane. The Japanese bombers continued on to hit the Air Base at Imphal.

Next 48 more Oscars flew in, but there was no more Allied CAP.

This was followed by 15 more Lilies that were accompanied by 26 more Oscars. The Lilies fought their way through the Flak and hit the Air Base a few more times.

Then 26 Oscars and a Dinah flew in.

Then another 26 Oscars and a Dinah flew in.

Finally, another 26 Oscars and a Dinah flew in.

At the End-of-the-Day the losses were as follows:

9 Hurricanes lost – 5 A-to-A and 4 Ops

3 Tojos lost – 2 A-to-A and 1 Ops
2 Helens lost to Ops
2 Oscars lost to A-to-A

Only two Allied pilots were lost and neither were experienced pilots. Most of the Hurricanes lost were written off after landing.

A lot of the Japanese planes must have come from fairly far away because my Recon over Mandalay didn’t show enough planes, particularly Fighters, to account for the hordes that showed up over Imphal. All-in-all, the damage to the Air Base at Imphal was minimal. I was a bit disappointed that my AA didn’t do better, but at least it kept the Japanese bombers at higher altitudes.

My opponent is likely expecting me to send the 4Es out next turn against Mandalay, but I’m sending them elsewhere instead. I want to close more Japanese Air Fields before I work on Mandalay.

In other news, DE Fox got closer to the safety of Port this turn without being molested by any Japanese subs, and without any more Floatation Repair Failure messages.

[ADB123]

November 20, 1942 -

The Night Phase started out with an alert from USS Gunnel saying that it suddenly had a Flotation Failure. Gunnel is quite a ways from Port, so things don't look good.

Then I-168, just to the northeast of Christmas Island, had a shot at a US DD, but missed. The DDs in the US TF missed the sub too. But most fortunately, I-168 didn't get to see all of the ships in the TF.

Daylight brought a continuation of the Oscar Onslaught along the Indo-Burmese border as 19 Oscars Swept the skies over Ledo. They were met by 16 Hurricane IIcs and one plane from each side was shot down.

Then 23 Helens, 21 Lilies and 24 Oscars flew in, but there was no additional British CAP this time, and Ledo doesn't currently have any dedicated AA units in it, so the Japanese bombers were able to hit the Air Base with relative impunity. Afterwards 3 more Oscars swept in late, but again there were no British planes on CAP.

It was then the turn of the USAAF as 25 P-38Es Swept in over Myitkynia. They were met by 12 Oscars and one Oscar was shot down.

The Main Event then flew in as 16 B17Es, 16 B-17Fs and 23 B-24Ds flew in and were met by 2 Oscars. The US Bombers blasted past the Japanese defenders and hit the Air Base hard, destroying an Oscar on the ground and damaging a couple more.

Finally, 24 P-38Fs Swept in and faced 2 Oscars, shooting down one of them.

At the End-of-the-Day the results stood as follows:

8 Oscars lost – 5 A-to-A and 1 on the Ground

7 Hurricane IIcs lost – 3 A-to-A and 4 to Ops
1 P-38F lost to Ops.

The 4Es were unscathed. My Recon showed that while the Air Fields at Myitkyina were damaged, they weren't closed, and there were still a large number of Fighters there. So I decided to do something uncharacteristic and ordered my P-38s and 4Es to attack Myitkyina again next turn. I want to close those Air Fields once and for all, and then turn my attention to Mandalay.

The other Big News this turn was that the Australian 3rd Motor Brigade, Armoured, reached Daly Waters. The base is empty and the Australians will Liberate it next turn. Just-in-case, I set a squadron of P-38s on LR CAP over Daly Waters. There are no Japanese planes in Katherine, but I'm not certain of Darwin or the other northern Australian bases.

In Other News, more Japanese TFs showed up at Ndeni and Efate this turn. It looks as if my opponent intends to build up a non-trivial presence in the region. That's fine by me; this way those units won't be interfering with my operations elsewhere.

And Finally, USS Fox reached Port safely. Now it needs to be repaired enough locally to allow it to get to a Repair Yard.

[ADB123]

November 21, 1942 –

There was no Night Action again this turn.

Daylight started out with the Message that every player Fears and Hates – my planned massive air attacks on Myitkyina were cancelled due to weather…

Even now, a couple of hours after seeing that message, I still find the thought of it to be a “throw the @#$%^ PC against the wall” moment. Afterwards I did the only thing that I know that will give me a chance in the future of getting my planes in the air – I sat them all down for a turn.

My opponent didn’t face any similar difficulties in Burma, as his Massive Air Attacks on Imphal flew happily in the face of all of the Random numbers being generated by the Program.

First off, 22 Tojos Swept in at High Alt against 16 Hurricane IIcs. The Hurricanes fought hard and only one was lost.

This was followed by the Main Event as 45 Helens, 21 Lilies, escorted by 23 Oscars, flew in against 9 Hurricanes. I do have dedicated AA in Imphal so the Japanese lost a Lily, had 2 damaged, and had 5 Helens damaged.

And the Japanese Air Force was active elsewhere too as a series of Japanese Air Attacks streaked through the skies over China.

First off Chungking got a large Oscar Sweep. All of the Chinese Fighters were on the ground so there were no losses.

Then a series of large Japanese Oscar Sweeps and Bomber Raids hit Hengyang repeatedly.

Finally, the Sole Act of Defiance for the Allies flew – a B24D squadron hit the undefended Air Fields at Horn Island. Sure, it was a Pure Nuisance Raid, but it did let my opponent know that I can hit it, not that it really matters.

The End-of-Day Air Results weren’t as bad as they could have been for the Allies. The damage levels to the Air Bases at Imphal and Hengyang were unimpressive and the Air Losses actually favored the Allies:

4 Sallys Lost – Ops
3 Lilys lost – 2 A-to-A and 1 to Ops
2 Tojos lost – A-to-A
2 Oscars lost – A-to-A

2 Hurricane IIcs lost – A-to-A

There was Good News this turn as the Australian 3rd Motor Brigade Liberated Daly Waters.

But then SIGINT let me know that things won’t be so easy from now on in Northern Australia, as I received the following Chilling Report about Japanese units on ships on their way to Darwin: [X(]

1st Tank Division
A Field Artillery Regiment
16th Army

So my opponent has decided to Make A Stand.

I immediately started to order more serious LCUs, including a number of Anti-Armour units, to head towards Daly Waters.

I also ordered my B-17s to hit the Air Fields at Katherine again, despite the current lack of Japanese Aircraft there.

I should have an Air HQ at Tennant Creek within two weeks, at which point I will Darken the Skies over Darwin with 4Es.

[ADB123]

November 22, 1942 -

The Night Phase saw Dutch sub O16 get chased by a Japanese DD near the little eastern DEI island of Kai-eilander. The Dutch sub got away from the Escorts, but the skipper did see that this was a BIG Transport TF. I'm guessing that this TF is on its way to Darwin with some of the Reinforcements that were reported by SIGINT last turn. In any event, I've got a number of subs on their way to Darwin; we'll see if any of them get lucky.

Daylight brought Flying Luck for my B-17s in Northern Oz as 37 B-17Es and 6 B-17Fs hit the Air Fields at Katherine with no opposition. The bombers hammered the Air Base, Air Base Supply and Runways hard. But I'm not satisfied, so those Bombers are scheduled to fly out again next turn. It will be interesting to see if the Game Engine allows me to fly two consecutive missions.

Elsewhere things were quiet, other than intense Allied Recon over Burma. The Burma Recon will increase next turn too. I am determined that I will find good targets and also get the Conditions that I need in order to fly. In the meanwhile, if the Japanese attack again I've got more Fighters moved forward too.

So things are coming together, although it takes a Long Time to move forces around in Australia and India. But I'm still ahead of schedule so I'm not concerned.

[ADB123]

November 23, 1942 –

There was no Night Action this turn and no Day Action other than another 4E raid on Katherine. To my surprise, 33 B-17Es and 9 B-17Fs took off for a second consecutive day and hit the Air Base at Katherine hard again. There are some Japanese units there, so at least one of the units was hit too. Since it appears that my opponent isn’t giving up Katherine yet I left the 4Es set to try a third day in a row of bombing.

My Massive Recon Campaign in Burma flew for the most part, but the returning reports were pretty skimpy. If I were to believe them, most of the Japanese planes in Burma have been pulled back to Rangoon. In any event, I decided to try my Luck again and so set my Long Range Fighters and 4Es to hit the Air Base at Mandalay next turn. It will be interesting to see if my planes get into the Air.

More Japanese TFs are at or heading to Efate, so I ordered some Subs to swarm the base. We’ll see if any of them get lucky.

And for whatever reason, Japanese subs have become scarce again. Hopefully they are either in Port, or sitting someplace where my TFs aren’t sailing.

[ADB123]

November 24, 1942 -

A couple of Dutch subs got into action during the Night phase, but not the sort of action that one wants. First off KXVIII launched some torpedoes at a PB at Efate, but missed. The PB didn't miss in return and the Dutch sub is heading back to port. There were a couple of xAKs in that Japanese TF, so it's too bad that they weren't engaged first.

Then KX attempted to sneak into the Harbour at Rangoon, but hit a mine on the way in. The sub sank soon afterwards. So now I've ordered the other subs that are congregating near Rangoon to stay near, but outside of the hex.

Daylight came and the Weather Gods smiled down upon the Allied Bomber Squadrons for a change. First off, the Mandalay Attack went off, albeit in a staggered manner that was not according to Plan.

First a British 16 plane Hurricane IIc squadron Swept in, but met no opposition.

Next 25 P-38Es flew in and found 4 Oscars flying in from nearby. The Lightning pilots jumped the Oscars and shot down 2 of them with no losses to themselves.

Then 25 P-38Gs flew in and there was no more CAP.

Next the Bombers flew in – 16 B-17Fs, 16 B-17Es and 23 B-24Ds. They hammered the Air Base, Air Base Supply and Air Fields nicely. There was no CAP and surprisingly enough, little Flak.

Finally, 25 P-38Fs flew in late and found nothing to fight.

Across the Indian Ocean the 4Es in Australia flew against Katherine again, setting some sort of record for the Allied side. 12 B-17Fs and 24 B-17Es hit the Air Base, Air Base Supply and Runways hard, and later on 9 more B-17Es flew in late to hit everything again.

At the End-of-the-Day 3 Oscars were reported as shot down, and one B-24D was lost upon landing due to Ops damage.

I had lots of Recon flying again too, and this time the Recon Reports were more interesting. It was reported that Darwin now has 77 Fighters and 93 Auxiliary aircraft in place. And the report from Mandalay stated that 105 Fighters, 33 Bombers and 119 Auxiliary planes were spotted.

So it appears that my opponent is preparing to spring more traps and surprise attacks in both regions. I decided that there was no point in pressing my luck, so I sat down the Bombers in both regions, gave fresh orders to my Recon planes, and set my Fighters back to either Rest or short-range CAP. (In particular, I sat down my Fighters in Tennant Creek because I suspect that my opponent may try a Massive Sweep over the base next turn.)

Otherwise, my LCUs continue to approach their next positions and my Forward Bases continue to be built up nicely, so I'm quite happy with the progress.

[ADB123]

November 25, 1942 -

This was another busy turn for subs and ASW on both sides. First off, USS Swordfish hit an APD with a dud at Efate. The escorts in the big Japanese TF then blew Swordfish out of the water. But while they were busy sinking Swordfish Dutch sub KXIV snuck in and sank a PB in a smaller transport TF at the same base. This time the Allied sub was able to escape safely.

Meanwhile at Darwin RN Trusty was spotted by an escort in the BIG transport TF that is dropping off Japanese troops at the base. Trusty was chased off with some near misses, but not badly damaged.

Then Japanese sub I-9 shot at a US DMS near Tahiti but missed. The US ASW ships in the TF then attempted to find the Japanese sub but couldn't.

Finally, late in the day I-169 hit an xAK with a couple of torpedoes just south of Christmas Island. The AM escort in the small Transport TF hit I-169 a few times, but it wasn't clear if the sub eventually went down or not.

Daylight brought all kinds of Japanese Air Action over Ledo again. I'm not certain why my opponent continues to go after this particular base, but he seems to be very interested in it.

First off a number of Zero units attempted to fly to the base but got lost or scattered and went home. Finally 6 Zeros flew in at Escort Altitude and were jumped by 16 Hurricane IIcs. The Hurricanes shot down 2 Zeros and sent the rest home.

After this the Main Event flew in as 56 Oscars escorted 74 Helens and 23 Lilies. This time only 11 Hurricanes attacked and the Oscars overwhelmed them, shooting down 2 Hurricanes. The Japanese bombers faced a fair amount of Flak but still hit their target hard.

Afterwards my Recon reported that 53 Oscars were back at Myitkyina, along with an equal number of AUX planes. But the key report came from Taung Gyi where 80+ bombers were spotted. There are also around 100 Fighters at Rangoon, so that's where I bet those Zeros came from.

In any event, I am going to try to see if I can get my Bombers to Attack Myitkyina next turn. I wasn't successful the past few times I tried, but one never knows – maybe the Game will make a “mistake” and let an attack happen.

In any event, at the End-of-the-Day 3 Zeros had been lost, all A-to-A, and 3 Hurricanes had been lost, 2 A-to-A and 1 to Ops. The Japanese had also lost a bunch of other miscellaneous planes to Ops losses. That's a bit unusual for my opponent who usually keeps his Ops losses amazingly low.

Elsewhere, Recon in Oz reported that the number of Japanese Troops in Katherine has jumped significantly since the last turn, so I guess a Japanese Division – probably that Armoured Division – has arrived there. The Damage Level at the Air Base at Katherine doesn't appear to be decreasing, so it looks as if my opponent is planning to set a trap there in case I send forward a light attack unit. On the other hand, maybe my opponent will attempt to march on Daly Waters and recapture it. We'll know soon enough.

[ADB123]

November 26, 1942 –

The Night Phase brought an occurrence that has become increasingly rare nowadays – the empty base called Polillo in the Philippines was occupied automatically by the Japanese. I guess that my opponent has brought enough troops nearby now to trigger the auto-occupation.

The Night Phase also brought some other occurrences that are unfortunately becoming more common as a couple more of my subs had a rough time at the hands of the IJN again. First off Dutch sub KXIV shot at a CL at Efate, but missed. The escorts in the TF attacked KXIV and hit it once, driving it off. Now, with nearly empty torpedo tubes and more damage than I like, KXIV is heading back to Port for replenishment and repairs.

At Darwin things were even less fortunate for Dutch sub O23 as it was spotted by an Escort in the big Japanese Transport TF that has been parked in the Harbor for the past few turns. The escorts in the TF then took turns depth-charging O23. The sub will now be limping home with a chance of sinking due to floatation damage.

Daylight brought Rain most places, as usual, but despite this my Air Attacks on Myitkyina actually flew this turn. Of course, as luck would have it, my opponent had pulled back his good planes and had no Fighters on CAP, so my Attack faced no opposition and no opportunities to decrement the Japanese Air Force in the Region.

A P38E squadron Swept in first and found that the Way Was Clear. Then 15 B-17Fs, 16 B-17Es and 23 B-24Ds flew in and hit the Air Base, Air Base Supply, and Runways hard. The bombers caught one Dinah on the Ground.

This was followed by a Sweep by a squadron of P-38Gs and then a Sweep by a squadron of P-38Fs. The only USAAF loss of the day was a P-38E that was written off for Ops damage after a hard landing.

My Recon Flights reported that the Enemy Air Units had pulled back south of Mandalay. Will my opponent keep his planes there, or will he move some planes Forward again in an attempt to Surprise me?

In any event, I sat my planes down and will wait to see what Recon and SIGINT tell me next.

[ADB123]

November 27, 1942 -

A dot base called Utupua in the Santa Cruz Islands was occupied automatically this turn. I'll interpret that as meaning that my opponent is keeping some quantity of combat troops in Luganville.

Otherwise, there was no action in the Night Phase. Daylight did bring a huge amount of Recon Flights for both sides. I even had bombers flying Recon in China for the first time in a while. It appears that my opponent has pulled most planes out of China too, along with the troops that he is withdrawing.

At the end of the Day Phase Dutch sub O16 was spotted by an Escort as the sub attempted to sneak in on the huge Japanese Transport TF at Darwin. The Japanese Escorts chased off the sub but didn't get any hits on it.

The Reports after the Combat Replay had a couple of interesting items. First off, 4 Vals were reported as being lost to Ops damage. That one struck me as odd because my opponent almost never loses Vals to Ops damage. I wonder what he is doing – moving them a long ways? But to where?

And the SIGINT report made me stand up for a moment when I saw that the 4/3rd Ind Eng Regiment was preparing to attack Morotai. I thought it was “Molokai” at first and couldn't believe that my opponent would attempt a Hawaiian invasion so late in 1942. But then I realized that it was a base in the DEI which had been ignored up until now.

In any event, my forces continue to move into position, and my bases continue to grow, so things are going according to Plan. Next turn, Weather Permitting, I will attempt to close yet another Air Field in Burma.

[ADB123]

November 28, 1942 -

The Night Phase saw Dutch sub O16 attempt to sneak in on the big Japanese Transport TF at Darwin. The sub was able to fire off torpedoes at a DMS, but missed. Subsequently the escorts in the TF caught O16 with depth charges, forced it to the surface, and sank it. Afterwards Aerial Recon reported that the TF was gone, so the Allied subs were unsuccessful at attacking the TF during the days when it was in Port and instead suffered badly.

Daylight brought the planned Air Raid on Taung Gyi into action. First off 21 P-38Es Swept in and found themselves facing 42 Oscars and 1 Nick. The Lightnings accounted for themselves well; shooting down 2 Oscars for the loss of 1 Lightning.

Then 25 P-38Gs Swept in and this time faced 26 Oscars and 1 Nick. The “Gs” did better, shooting down 4 Oscars for the loss of only one P-38G.

Next 24 P-38Fs Swept in and faced only 7 Oscars and 1 Nick. This time 3 Oscars were shot down along with the lone Nick.

Finally the 4Es flew in and faced Open Skies. The attack consisted of 15 B-17Es, 15 B-17Fs and 24 B-24Ds. They all hit their target and the Air Base, Air Base Supply and Runways were all damaged. One Oscar was destroyed on the Ground. No Allied bombers were lost and only a handful were damaged.

So while the Japanese bombers had been pulled out of Taung Gyi before the US bombers came in the attack was never-the-less still successful and yet another Japanese Air Base in Burma is heavily damaged. BTW – the Allies got their first Ace in this battle; 1st LT N. Martin of the 23rdFG/76thFS got his Ace in a P-38F.

The End-of-the-Day results were as follows:

Oscars lost – 18 – 16 A-to-A, 1 Ground, 1 Ops
Nicks lost – 1 A-to-A

P-38Es lost – 3 – 2 A-to-A, 1 Ops
P-38Gs lost – 2 – 1 A-to-A, 1 Ops

In other action, 21 Oscars Swept over Daly Waters, but the Skies were Empty. I have no good reason to put LR CAP over Daly Waters at this time, what with around 120 enemy Fighters in Darwin and only a dozen or so enemy Bombers there. My opponent may come back with his bombers next turn, but I'm not going to react to this; I've got my own plans to follow.

The Chinese Bomber Recon Flights brought some very interesting news this turn – there is a TF in Wuchang! It appears to have a Tanker in it. There don't appear to be any Japanese Fighters anywhere in the Region, so I moved my 4 Chinese bomber units to nearby bases and set them all to Naval Attack. If this works it ought to give my opponent quite a surprise!

In other Recon News, it not only appears that there are a couple of Japanese LCUs in Broome, but an Aircraft Symbol appeared this turn.

I've been building up Meekatharra, which is southwest of Broome and at the end of the Rail Line in that part of Oz. The Air Base is now at Level 5 (and building) and I now have an Air HQ at the Base.

I've also got four B-24D squadrons there, and after one more turn of Recon Flights over the Northwestern Coast of Oz I'll send them off to bomb the Air Fields at Broome. My intention is to cause “Broome” to be renamed “Boom”. [;)]

[ADB123]

November 29, 1942 -

Night brought yet another unsuccessful Allied sub attack on a Japanese TF at Darwin as S-37 attempted to sneak in on a small Transport TF, but was spotted by a DD escort. The DD chased off the S-Boat, hitting it three times.

Daylight brought some of the biggest Japanese Air Attacks in a long while as the KB came into play for the first time in ages. Things started out favorably as 32 Zeros flew in on Tennant Creek from the North. They were met by 16 P-38Fs and 16 Spitfire Vcs on CAP. The Allied planes had a field day, shooting down 13 Zeros for no losses of their own.

Then a surprise flew out of the northeast as 27 Zeros from CVs in the Gulf of Carpenteria flew in to attack Tennant Creek. These Zeros were met by 9 P-38Fs and 6 Spitfires. This time 2 Zeros were shot down and again no Allied planes were lost.

This was followed by 3 more Zeros flying out of the north. They were met by 3 P-38Fs and 4 Spits and this time there were no losses on either side.

But then everything changed as a Full KB Strike arrived – 160 Vals, 88 Kates and 104 Zeros. This wasn't just a few CVLs offshore, this was the Full KB! [X(][X(][X(]

The Allied CAP consisted of only 3 P-38Fs and 4 Spitfires. Despite the terrible odds the Allied Pilots fought viciously, shooting down a Zero, and claiming a Kate and 3 Vals. Flak damaged dozens of other Kates and Vals. Allied losses consisted of 1 Spitfire and 1 P-38. The Japanese bombers hit the Air Base reasonably hard.

But the KB wasn't finished yet as 18 more Kates flew in, accompanied by 124 Zeros. This time there were no Allied planes in the Air. The Japanese bombers fought their way past the Flak and hit the Air Base again, destroying 1 P-38F on the Ground.

The Japanese Army Air Force wasn't about to be left out as Air Attacks flew in Indo-Burma and China.

This time it was the turn of the Air Base at Jorhat to receive the Japanese Air Attacks. I obviously haven't been playing “whack-a-mole” well enough in Burma and the Burmese Air Bases continue to be usable despite the damage that my 4Es do on their attacks.

First off 20 Tojos flew in from Myitkyina and tangled with 21 Hurricane IIbs. I had forgotten that I had left IIbs in Jorhat and a nearby base instead of moving in IIcs. The Tojos shot down 2 Hurricanes for the loss of 1 Tojo.

Then the main attack flew in – 23 Helens escorted by 54 Oscars. Only 1 Hurricane made it in the air and it was overwhelmed and shot down. In the absence of a dedicated AA unit in the base the Helens were able to hit the Air Base reasonably well.

This was followed by another Sweep of 29 Oscars that were met by 5 Hurricanes. The British lost 1 Hurricane and couldn't shoot down any Oscars.

Finally, 25 Oscars and 15 Lilies hit Jorhat and this time no Allied Fighters made it up on CAP. The Attack destroyed 1 Hurricane on the Ground.

In China, once again my Chinese bombers didn't do anything, but Japanese bombers came in from unknown bases to hit Changsha. First off 32 Oscars Swept, but I had no CAP in the Air. After a couple more Oscar Sweeps a Bomber Attack flew in consisting of 17 Lilies escorted by 22 Oscars and 7 Tojos. They hit the Air Fields but caused little damage and didn't destroy any planes on the Ground.

While the Chinese couldn't find a way to get their bombers in the Air, the Americans in Oz didn't have a similar problem as the 4Es hit the Air Fields at Katherine again. There was no CAP in the Air, but there were planes on the Ground, and the first attack by 12 B-17Fs and 33 B-17Es hammered the Air Fields hard and destroyed 2 Zeros on the Ground. This was followed by 9 more B-17Es that hit the Runways hard again. Afterwards Recon reported that all Japanese planes had been pulled back from Katherine again.

The End-of-the-Day reports were quite interesting:

40 Zeros lost – 33 A-to-A, 3 Ground, 4 Ops
6 Vals lost – 4 Flak, 2 Ops
4 Oscars lost – 1 A-to-A, 3 Ops
3 Tojo lost – 1 A-to-A, 2 Ops
1 Kate lost to Flak

8 Hurricane IIbs lost – 6 A-to-A, 1 Ground, 1 Ops
3 P-38F lost – 1 A-to-A, 1 Ground, 1 Ops

As you can imagine, afterwards I pulled back the IIbs from the Front-Line bases and replaced them with IIcs. Never-the-less, I was quite pleased with how things went. But at the same time I was so glad that I was seeing the KB go against an Inland target instead of some of my CVs. Now, if I could put P-38Gs on my CVs I might think differently, but with Wildcats on board, my CVs won't be going anywhere near the KB if I can help it.

In any event, I set my P-38s and and 4Es in India to hit the Air Fields at Mandalay again next turn. Obviously I'll have to “Whack-the-Mole” more frequently in Burma.

I pulled back my bombers in China and set them to Recon. Maybe they will fly.

In the Far South Pacific 2 US DDs collided while sailing in a TF. They will be heading to Port for repairs.

And in Portland, Oregon, my first LST arrived.

[ADB123]

November 30, 1942 –

The Night Phase saw Japanese troops landing at Morotai. One Japanese TF left Darwin and another came in, but they got by my remaining subs near the base. My opponent appears to be committed to building up Darwin in a Big Way.

Daylight brought Rain across the Indo-Burmese border, which heralded a No-Fly day for my Bombers. My P-38s eventually flew, but they didn’t find any CAP over Mandalay. Instead my opponent has several hundred Fighters back in Rangoon and nearby bases.

Japanese planes flew in China again. First off Oscars Swept the empty skies over Changsha and Changteh; then Lilies and Sallys, escorted by Oscars, hit the Air Base at Changteh. I had most of my Chinese troops at Changteh set to “Rest”, so there wasn’t much Flak to bother the incoming Japanese bombers. Never-the-less, little damage was done to the Facilities.

Air Action then shifted to Australia where the KB, still hanging around the bottom of the Gulf of Carpentaria, sent 157 Vals and 106 Kates, escorted by 56 Zeros, to hit one of the Armoured units at Daly Waters. The Japanese Naval bombers took a lot of damage from Flak, and a couple of losses, but they still hit the 3rd Motor Brigade, causing a fair number of disablements in it. But I’ve still got a large number of units moving to Daly Waters by multiple routes, so this is not a setback by any means.

Finally, B-24Ds hit the Air Base at Broome this turn for the first time. There was no CAP and the 4Es did some nice initial damage. Weather permitting they will be back for more practice next turn.

And I ordered the 4Es in India to try to hit the Air Fields at Myitkyina again next turn instead of Mandalay. Maybe I’ll catch a “mole” for a change.

[ADB123]

December 1, 1942 –

Japanese troops continued to land at Morotai. There was nothing that I could do there, but Dutch sub O19 was able to surprise a Japanese TF at Koepang. The sub put two torpedoes into an xAK and then got away from the escorts. This was the same TF that had caused the damage or sinking of so many subs at Darwin. So it appears that Koepang is being used as a major transit point for the Japanese efforts in Northern Australia.

Daylight brought Japanese Air Attacks in China and Australia. In China Oscars Swept Changsha and Changteh again, and then Sallys and Lilies hit Changteh from a high enough altitude that they avoided Flak, but they then caused little damage.

Daly Waters was Swept by A6M3s, and then Lilies and Sallys came in, escorted by Oscars, and hit one of the Armoured units at Daly Waters. The KB was by now in the middle of the Gulf of Carpentaria and heading NE, so there were no attacks from there.

On the Allied side 24 B-24Ds hit Broome again. Once more there was no CAP and the 4Es hit the target well.

In Burma the Weather mucked up the planned Air Attacks on Myitkyina, causing the P-38 squadrons to go in individually. There was no CAP in place so this wasn’t a problem. Then the 4Es came in two attacks of two squadrons each. The Bombers hit the Air Base, Air Base Supply and Runways well, but none of the handful of Japanese planes that were on the ground were hit.

The Whack-a-Mole program here isn’t working well. My opponent has too many units in each of the bases so the Japanese Engineers are able to rebuild the Air Fields faster than the Weather allows me to Bomb. So I’m going to try something a little different next turn and have the 4Es go after a Target by themselves, as I do in Australia. I want to rest the P-38 squadrons a bit and try to use them to catch Japanese Fighters.

In other news, Morotai was captured this turn. My opponent did use an Engineering unit to do that. And in a surprise move a Japanese Parachute unit was used to capture a small empty base in the DEI called Bima.

But more ominously, although not unexpectedly, Japanese paratroops landed at Koumac at the north end of New Caledonia and captured it. Several Japanese TFs are heading towards Koumac from Efate, so I presume that my opponent wants to quickly bring some Support troops in to develop the base.

But fortunately, I may be in a position to interfere seriously with those incoming TFs. And the KB may have stayed 1 day too long in the Gulf of Carpentaria to prevent me. Stay tuned.

BTW – below, please find the Intel Screen for December 2, 1942. I will be posting Map Shots in subsequent posts.

[ADB123]

Here's the current situation in Northern Oz:

[ADB123]

Here's the current situation in Northeastern Oz:

[ADB123]

Here's the current situation in the South Pacific:

[ADB123]

Here's the current situation in the Indo-Burma region:

[ADB123]

Here's the current situation in China:

[ADB123]

December 2, 1942 -

There was no Night Action this turn. That's not surprising from the Allied perspective since almost all of the US Fleet subs are in Port for upgrades. But where are the Japanese subs?

Daylight brought Lots and Lots of Rain, and the 4Es in India were Rained Out again. I let them sit with the same Target and we'll see if they fly next turn.

The Rookie 4E pilots in Western Australia weren't as picky about the Weather so they flew again against Broome. This time the B-24Ds came in two waves, with 21 bombers in the first and 6 in the second. Both attacks hit the Air Base, Air Base Supply and Runways well. This has turned out to be good practice for these pilots, but I decided to rest them this turn since an Aircraft Symbol appeared at Broome, suggesting that my opponent may have moved over some Fighters.

Speaking of Japanese Fighters, I can't get over how many he has been able to move to the Fronts. There are now around 275 Fighters showing up between Toungoo and Rangoon in Burma, and around 125 Fighters in Darwin. Yet there are still Japanese Fighters in China, various bases in the Pacific, and even in the Eastern Kuriles.

Even with my experienced 4E and P-38 squadrons I don't like the current odds, so I'm not planning on challenging any of the Japanese Mass Aerial Death formations that my opponent has gathered. Instead I'll continue to attempt to fly hit-and-run attacks and see if my opponent makes a mistake anywhere.

But my opponent stubbornly refuses to make silly mistakes. His operations around northern New Caledonia are a great example. The Mini-KB showed up near Koumac this turn, with the Transport TFs hanging back around Luganville. I have the ability to go one-on-one with the Mini-KB at this point, however, the main KB went into stealth mode over night and I now have no idea where it is located or heading. I don't want to be caught in a “hammer and anvil” trap, so I've ordered back to Base the TFs that I had racing towards Koumac.

So once again I'll ignore the immediate opportunities and instead continue with my plans.

[ADB123]

December 3, 1942 -

There was no Night Action again this turn.

Daylight brought Lousy Weather most places and many Recon Flights were rained out in the Morning.

The Afternoon brought out most of the Recon Flights and also the 4E attack on Magwe. The first wave saw 15 B-17Fs, 15 B-17Es and 11 B-24Ds hit the Air Base hard. Then 10 more B-24Ds flew in and hit the Air Base again. I can't close the Burmese Airfields, but at least I am keeping the Japanese Fighter Hordes back away from my Lines.

I decided to rest the 4Es for next turn and instead I'm sending out my own “hordes”, so to speak, of 2Es against the two Japanese Infantry Regiments that are still sitting in the Jungle near Akyab. I've got Indian Foot Slogger Hordes on the way to Cox's Harbour and I don't want the Japanese troops interfering at this point.

My aborted Naval Attacks on Koumac got away clean and it doesn't appear that my opponent even knew that I almost stumbled into the Mini-KB. He still has the Mini-KB sitting next to Koumac with various other Japanese TFs sailing around in between Koumac and Louganville. It appears that my opponent pulled out his Paratroops via Fast Transport. The whole thing still smells of Trap, but maybe I'm just being a bit paranoid.

In the meanwhile, the KB showed up again, just about to enter the zig-zag straights at the entrance to the Gulf of Carpenaria. By virtue of Blind Luck I happen to have a couple of S-boats sitting in the two transit hexes. They were on their way back to Base, but I've stopped them in their tracks, just in case one or the other Gets Lucky.

I've also got My Best Shot sitting in the Townsville area as most of the Fighters and Bombers in Australia have been moved there and set to optimal range, just in case my opponent sends the KB down to hit more Australian Air Bases. The odds are extremely low that my opponent will do something so foolish, but I can always dream.