Pacific War 3.0 (No Encircled please!)

[rader]

We're up to March 11, 1944 now and still an ongoing slog of attritional warfare.

Ramree island fell to an amphibious assault early in March with modest Japanese losses (around a regiment total, spread across 4 units) and he's now building up the airfield in record time. Expecting B-29s to arrive soon and this should extend their reach but it was hard for me to get supply to Ramree and in the end simply not worth defending in force.

Still unclear where the next major Allied offensive will be. He has at least some light carrier units (CVEs mostly) around the Marshalls, with more in the Indian ocean. The Japanese fleet is still facing off against Darwin, where the biggest Allied concentration seems to be outside Burma (where the main Japanese army units are stationed).

[rader]

Now up to March 21, 1944.

Japanese forces have invaded and retaken Selaroe. It was getting annoying to bomb it every day to keep the airfield suppressed and I noted that he just had 3 construction units and a marine defense unit defending the place (no land combat units). Thus, we sent in the better part of a division on some new Japanese LSTs to take the island back. The invasion went off mostly without a hitch, though resulted in fairly heavy air losses on both sides in a contest for air superiority.

[rader]

The battle for Selaroe resulted in a few completely indecisive PT vs PT boat actions. No hits scored on either side during any of the confrontations, not even with machine guns - which seems a bit strange.

[RangerJoe]

Maybe they were to busy water skiing . . . [;)]

[rader]

March 24, 1944.

Battles of Lautem and Sarmi.

A big Japanese fleet has been guarding Lautem in Timor recently under heavy air cover, across the Timor sea from Darwin. Today, the Allies sent in waves of destroyers and torpedo boats to try to put fish into the big Japanese battleships, including Musashi. But Japanese lookouts were primed and detected the attacks far enough out for the fleet guns to break up the attacks, resulting in no significant damage to the Japanese side and 4 DDs and half a dozen PTs sunk on the Allied side.

The Allies also invaded Sarmi along the New Guinea coast, but Japanese air fleets from Biak managed to break through CVE and LR CAP air cover to score several hits on some of the invasion craft. The Allies will likely win the land battle of Sarmi, but at least they have paid a price.

[RangerJoe]

What was the moonlight for that battle? Or what is it now? He needs to do that with the DDs and PTs in low moonlight and/or bad weather.

[rader]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

What was the moonlight for that battle? Or what is it now? He needs to do that with the DDs and PTs in low moonlight and/or bad weather.

I think it was around 50% but many of the Japanese ships also have radar by this point. Not sure how effective Japanese radar is though?

[rader]

April 1, 1944.

The KB comes in to try to attack a fleet of Allied CVEs that had been hovering around Northern New Guinea.

April Fools! They weren't there...

KB strikes did go in and sank a half dozen merchant ships, with heavy air losses all around. Around equal losses, but definitely not worth it!

[rader]

April 10, 1944.

The Air Battle of Darwin.

Waves of Japanese planes come in from Timor to attack shipping around Darwin, which is extremely heavily defended. Massive plane losses on both sides, but strongly favoring the Allies.

The Japanese fighters did alright, achieving a 1:1 loss ratio or better, but then many bombers arrived in penny packets with weak or no escorts and got slaughtered. I had hoped the CAP would be tired enough to let many bombers through, but the CAP seemed to fight all day with no ill effects or fatigue.

Also, today saw the first B-29 bombing raid, targeting ships repairing at Hong Kong. Six B-29s were met by a swarm of old A6M2s and a few Nicks. Several Japanese fighters were shot down, but not a single B-29. Not a great day in the air overall. Luckily, damage on the ships was fairly light.

[rader]

April 13, 1944

The B-29 raids have begun in earnest. Around 30 of them struck the oil centers of Medan in Sumatra. We had a few fighters there but those beasts are strong, and we only managed to knock a few out before they dealt significant damage to oil production. B-29s seem fairly unstoppable.

Night raids on the main Japanese Burma airfields at Magwe torched a number of planes in the air and on the ground, but we also managed to bring down 11 B-24s. So I'd call that about an even exchange. Those things are also hard to kill.

[rader]

We're up to May 7 1944.

Not much change in the overall situation. B-29s raids continue daily with very few losses, mostly wiping out all the industry in China and French Indochina, as well as returning to hit the oil in Medan.

Today we managed to shoot a few down over China.