Matrix Games Forums

Nov 19,1943


Bad weather stops most air attacks on Hainan and Hanoi...but good results at Hanoi and a rest day at Hainan. The eastern road is opened up for the armor to race into Lang Son today.


Ground combat at Hanoi (68,56)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 26619 troops, 496 guns, 1732 vehicles, Assault Value = 1633

Defending force 20303 troops, 274 guns, 429 vehicles, Assault Value = 728

Allied adjusted assault: 774

Japanese adjusted defense: 847

Allied assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 4)

Combat modifiers
Defender: preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
2037 casualties reported
Squads: 7 destroyed, 186 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 3 destroyed, 7 disabled
Guns lost 12 (1 destroyed, 11 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
641 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 71 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 33 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled
Vehicles lost 74 (7 destroyed, 67 disabled)

Assaulting units:
50th Tank Brigade
3rd USMC Tank Battalion
2/9th Armoured Regiment
254th Armoured Brigade
1st Marine Division
766th Tank Battalion
7th Infantry Division
767th Tank Battalion
627th Tank Destroyer Battalion
1st Army Tank Regiment
255th Armoured Brigade
4th USMC Tank Battalion
3rd Cavalry Regiment
15th Marine Defense Battalion
97th Field Artillery Battalion
2/1st Med Regiment
55th Coastal Artillery Battalion
14th Marine Defense Battalion
2nd Medium Regiment
33rd Medium Regiment
2nd USMC Field Artillery Battalion
131st Field Artillery Battalion
I Aus Corps Engineer Battalion
134th Field Artillery Battalion
145th Field Artillery Battalion
3rd (Special Force) Division

Defending units:
34th Division
17th Ind.Mixed Brigade
2nd Tank Division
17th Division
36th JAAF AF Bn /1
22nd JAAF AF Bn
15th Ind.Medium Field Artillery Regiment
94th JAAF AF Bn /1

BB, how is today's update? I covered all your points, but the Chinese at Pakhoi...currently 2 Corp rebuilding, and one leaving at 900+AV. Meanwhile Japan keeps building up Nanning. Up to 90k supply at Pakhoi now.

This is quite the fracas.

How have you been faring in other theaters?

Well, you did not ask me but I always enjoy your updates. Yours is the first AAR update that I like to read if there are more than one updated AAR. Please keep up the good work.

Thanks for the update on Hanoi and the general situation in SW China. 900 AV in one Chinese corps tells me the supply and pools are good and Japan is going to be in big trouble soon! That many soldiers could dig anti-tank trenches all the way around his tank units (if only the game modeled that!).

Cheesesteak wrote: Thu Dec 21, 2023 12:46 am This is quite the fracas.

How have you been faring in other theaters?

Still building up for the taking of Singers...Smaller brigades and regiments are starting to filter down to the front for the conquest of the SRA, while division sized forces focus on Singers and soon to be Formosa. Thank goodness I converted 100 liberty ships to troop transports...and I am still hamstrung by the lack of transports.

Nov 20, 1943

Setting up success in China....Lang Son secured, now to cut off two of Japans most valuable armored units...the dreaded tank divisions.

Formosa invasion is setting up...will try to do it right with all the support the Allies can muster.

Pakhoi jumps to AF9 and now just short aviation support.

Paras to hit Haiphong again today hopefully with better success than last times complicated plan to cut retreats and accelerate our armor into Hanoi. Haiphong has been pretty wrecked by constant bombardments. Last nights:

Night Naval bombardment of Haiphong at 68,57

Allied Ships
BB Indiana
BB South Dakota
CL Columbia
CL Cleveland
CL Phoenix

Japanese ground losses:
529 casualties reported
Squads: 8 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 25 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 7 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 6 (5 destroyed, 1 disabled)

Resources hits 2
Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 22
Port hits 10
Port supply hits 2

BB Indiana firing at 38th JAAF AF Bn
OS2U-3 Kingfisher acting as spotter for BB South Dakota
BB South Dakota firing at Haiphong
CL Columbia firing at Haiphong
CL Cleveland firing at Haiphong
CL Phoenix firing at Haiphong

Ground combat at Lang Son (70,56)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 210 troops, 18 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 701

Defending force 22665 troops, 240 guns, 398 vehicles, Assault Value = 745

Assaulting units:
32nd Infantry Division
Guides Cavalry Regiment
111th LRP Brigade
2/8th Armoured Regiment
19th Infantry Regiment
640th Tank Destroyer Battalion
2nd Chinese Cavalry Corps
23rd LRP Brigade
68th Chinese/C Corps
24th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
307th Base Group /3

Defending units:
1st Tank Division
28th Division

Good luck with the formisa invadion.

Having converted 100 liberty, are u lacking supply?

Well, sure , that is 400,000K supply just one trip!

Nov 21, 1943

Hanoi will be ours shortly....the IJA is getting wrecked.


Ground combat at Hanoi (68,56)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 38564 troops, 696 guns, 1830 vehicles, Assault Value = 1556

Defending force 18120 troops, 270 guns, 428 vehicles, Assault Value = 528

Allied engineers reduce fortifications to 3

Allied adjusted assault: 1127

Japanese adjusted defense: 324

Allied assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 3)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 3

Combat modifiers
Defender: disruption(-), preparation(-), fatigue(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
3376 casualties reported
Squads: 140 destroyed, 91 disabled
Non Combat: 20 destroyed, 47 disabled
Engineers: 3 destroyed, 16 disabled
Guns lost 40 (19 destroyed, 21 disabled)
Vehicles lost 14 (4 destroyed, 10 disabled)
Units destroyed 2

Allied ground losses:
148 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 17 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 19 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Vehicles lost 55 (4 destroyed, 51 disabled)

Assaulting units:
766th Tank Battalion
3rd USMC Tank Battalion
50th Tank Brigade
I Aus Corps Engineer Battalion
627th Tank Destroyer Battalion
2/9th Armoured Regiment
255th Armoured Brigade
7th Infantry Division
1st Army Tank Regiment
767th Tank Battalion
254th Armoured Brigade
4th USMC Tank Battalion
1st Marine Division
3rd Cavalry Regiment
14th Marine Defense Battalion
15th Marine Defense Battalion
97th Field Artillery Battalion
2nd USMC Field Artillery Battalion
55th Coastal Artillery Battalion
134th Field Artillery Battalion
2nd Medium Regiment
33rd Medium Regiment
131st Field Artillery Battalion
2/1st Med Regiment
145th Field Artillery Battalion
3rd (Special Force) Division

Defending units:
17th Ind.Mixed Brigade
34th Division
2nd Tank Division
36th JAAF AF Bn /1
15th Ind.Medium Field Artillery Regiment
22nd JAAF AF Bn
17th Division
94th JAAF AF Bn /1

Mixed news....don't have control of the road hex to the NW of Lang Son, but I suspect we can reinforce and take it faster than Japan can hold it. Here is hoping.

Haiphong taken very easily. The base is wrecked...landing engineers today.

Hanoi can probably only hold on for another day or two I suspect.

Ended up shooting down a dozen Emily flying boats today....they have been a pain flying long ranges and dropping 2 torpedoes into my supply line. Using 2nd or 3rd string fighters to cover the areas and set up traps for them. Corsairs were simply transiting the area....and were woefully high.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Manus at 101,119

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 5,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes

Japanese aircraft
H8K1 Emily x 2
H8K2 Emily x 2

Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk IV x 17
F4U-1 Corsair x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
H8K1 Emily: 1 destroyed
H8K2 Emily: 1 destroyed

No Allied losses

CAP engaged:
VMF-311 with F4U-1 Corsair (2 airborne, 4 on standby, 0 scrambling)
2 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 36000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 27 minutes
No.82 Sqn RAAF with Kittyhawk IV (3 airborne, 8 on standby, 0 scrambling)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 5000 , scrambling fighters between 6000 and 31000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 29 minutes
No.119 Sqn RAAF with Kittyhawk IV (2 airborne, 4 on standby, 0 scrambling)
2 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 1000 , scrambling fighters to 4000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 21 minutes

Several PT boat skirmishes here....they didn't do to well, no hits, but they were fighting against IJN destroyers. Japan has a 130 fighters putting up traps....I didn't challenge him in the air.

I have thirty warships at Tarakan....they could put up a fight should I elect to. Or wait for the subs to score some more hits.

You might as well wait

I am surprised he's just not putting the afterburners on and just piling everything through to be honest

Happy Holidays everyone....back on track for the war!

Nov 22, 1943

Maya hit....lost one PT boat in a daytime skirmish. Several other ships damaged by torpedoes...including one with troops.

Sub attack near Donggala at 67,98

Japanese Ships
CA Maya, Torpedo hits 1
DD Satsukaze
DD Suresushio

Allied Ships
SS Thresher

SS Thresher launches 4 torpedoes at CA Maya

A Japanese win....I guess. Didn't watch the replay, I think the Wildcats didn't intercept or only just barely.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Puerto Princesa at 73,82

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 76 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 22 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-IV Oscar x 25
Ki-48-IIc Lily x 24

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 9

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-IV Oscar: 3 destroyed
Ki-48-IIc Lily: 4 damaged

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
DD Ringgold, Bomb hits 1
DD McKee, Bomb hits 2

Aircraft Attacking:
5 x Ki-48-IIc Lily releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 2 x 100 kg SAP Bomb
15 x Ki-48-IIc Lily releasing from 1000'
Naval Attack: 2 x 100 kg SAP Bomb
4 x Ki-48-IIc Lily releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 2 x 100 kg SAP Bomb

CAP engaged:
VRF-5F with F4F-4 Wildcat (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 9 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception i22 minutes

Some Bettys actually got thru....but they really needed to be Francis. Plus no torpedoes.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Tarakan at 67,91

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 14 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 22

Allied aircraft
Martlet IV x 4
Beaufighter VIc x 2
P-38H Lightning x 10
P-40N5 Warhawk x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 7 destroyed, 5 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 4 destroyed by flak

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
CA Louisville
CA Australia

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 3000 feet *
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb

CAP engaged:
No.896 Sqn FAA with Martlet IV (1 airborne, 3 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters to 34000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 34 minutes
No.30 Sqn RAAF with Beaufighter VIc (2 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
2 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 5000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 5000.
Raid is overhead
312th BG/389th BS with P-40N5 Warhawk (1 airborne, 3 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 6000 , scrambling fighters to 1000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 11 minutes
475th FG/432nd FS with P-38H Lightning (3 airborne, 7 on standby, 0 scrambling)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 5000 , scrambling fighters between 4000 and 8000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 16 minutes

The hex to the north west of Lang Son, needs to be taken, to cut off 3 IJA divisions and 2 IJA Tank Divisions from Supplies.

Not sure what Japan has there....but just one unit.

2 IJA Tank Divisions at Nanning, too.

I hope that you had some nice holiday time.

A suggestion for Samah and any other ports that you are going to capture but not invade, wait to clear any mines until after the base is captured. The minefield will start to deteriorate, you won't have to worry about enemy CD guns, plus AMcs can be placed into the port and they should clear the mines without being in a TF that can be targeted.