IN HARM'S WAY...AE VERSION: STONEAGE(IJ) VS SPRUANCE(A)

[racndoc]

3/19-3/20/42



SUBS


StoneAge discovered that I was using Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean as a gas station to park a couple BBs and disband a couple TKs for refueling.

First, SS I-155 shows up at Christmas Island and sinks DD Gwin.

Then for good measure SS I-155 puts 2 torpedoes in BB Royal Sovereign. Allied ASW gets 4 DC hits on SS I-155 but the damage has already been done.

Later, SS I-123 shows up and puts 2 more torpedoes in BB Royal Sovereign. Allied ASW this time hits SS I-123 with 14 DCs causing heavy damage. BB Sovereign has 77% flotation damage...dont think she can make Perth or Darwin so Im gonna try to sneak her into Batavia for repairs.

SS Haddock puts a torpedo in AK Sinsyu Maru near Toyohara.


SS I-174 sinks AK Lancaster near Noumea...this is the 2nd Allied ship lost in the last 2 turns off Noumea so we are going to beef up our ASW search and ASW TFs in the area.

SS I-1 fires 2 torpedoes at CV Saratoga but fortunately missed her. Sara's escorts score 2 DC hits on SS I-1 but its time to get the CVs out of there....this makes me wonder if StoneAge is following the real war IJN sub strategy.....I havent seen a sub on the convoy routes for quite some time but my warships are running into subs everywhere.



SS S-37 sinks AMc Choun Maru #7 near Kendari....not sure if this was worth the torpedo.

Last turn CA Pensacola was sunk by IJN subs and this turn BB Royal Sovereign is gravely damaged and CV Saratoga is narrowly missed.....yes StoneAge is really turning up the heat with his subs now.....





PHILIPPINES



A 1:6 deliberate attack at Clark costs each side 1000 casualties.


The end is near at Cayagan as two 1:1 attacks reduce the forts to level 1.

Japan invades at Roxas.





DEI

We continue to pound 33rd Infantry Division at Palembang every day with artillery and aerial bombardment and the AV is dropping so I think his supply level is low here.

Japan captures Beaufort, Boela, Taliaboe. Babo and Misool.


CV Akagi and CV Kaga drift to the SE and are near Babo...looks like StoneAge may be planning a raid on Darwin next turn....the port is largely evacuated.

Bettys bomb our disbanded tankers at Christmas Island at extreme range...TK Angelina and TK Talang Akar are both sunk. We had been holding the 2 BBs at Christmas Islands with TKs to keep within striking distance of Java when the big invasion comes. Now after losing 2 TKs and having BB Royal Sovereign seriously damaged this turn we need to evacuate from Christmas Island.




CHINA

Japan launches their offensive in the south as 50,000 IJA troops move into Pingsiang and begin to bombard us. Japan has brought in some firepower....1st Heavy Artillery Regiment, 2nd Independent Heavy Artillery Battalion, 4th Mortar battalion and 56th Field AA battalion.

Opposing this the Chinese have 1200 AV at Pingsiang and 1500 AV next door. Also next door are 2 Chinese heavy mortar regiments....96 tubes in all. I cant commit them to the battle yet as I am having trouble drawing supply into Pingsiang from Changsha. I have a construction engineer busy at Pingsiang now working to build a level 1 airfield.....not only will this help us to draw supply but it will allow us to fly CAP directly over Pingsiang. Lots of air action in southern China now....we are throwing 50 B-17s from Chungking and another 60-70 medium bombers at the Japanese stack at Pingsiang. Japan is flying CAP over Pingsiang and so are we. We will start sweeping Pingsiang with Hurricane IIbs next turn at high altitude. Looks like we are going to have a pretty good aerial attrition battle over China now. I actually like having a big battle here at Pingsiang as I have 2 large airfields at Hengchow and Changsha close to the battlefield. And Japan has no railroads down here so we can move almost as quickly as Japan's troops can.

[racndoc]

3/21-3/22/42




SUBS

SS S-37 attacks a transport TF near Kendari but suffers 4 DCs.

SS Seadragon puts a torpedo in AK Chuko Maru near Taliaboe.

SS RO-65 launches a spread of 6 torpedoes at CV Saratoga but misses....Sara has dodged 8 torpedoes in the last 2 turns and has used up 8 of her nine lives...Im pulling the CVs back now and I understand that StoneAge has probably been targeting my warships with subs to even the score....just got confirmation this turn that CV Soryu was sunk in the Battle of the Northern Solomons making 3 IJN CVs sunk.....but this is ridiculous. I have _EVERY_ TBD on all 3 carriers...over 40 TBDs in all on ASW and have been training them all game but they are not spotting the IJN subs and the subs are getting the first shot off every time.....its only a matter of time until my CVs start taking torpedo hits from subs.
Ive been converting most of my Clemson Class DDs over to DEs to get the ASW 8 rating and I may have to order an ASW TF of 4 DEs to follow my CVs around.




PHILIPPINES


Japan captures our last outpost on Mindanao at Cayagan....over 18,000 American/Philippino troops surrender.

Japan overruns undefended Roxas.




NEW GUINEA

Japan captures Saidor and invades at Biak,Sansapor,Sorong, Manokwari and Noemfoer.

Japan has been sweeping Port Moresby with A6M2s for the last 4 days so last turn we staged in an Aussie Kittyhawk squadron ...even flying at 28,000 ft with the A6M2s sweeping at max altitude of 32,810 ft the Kittyhawks shoot down 4 Zeros while losing 2 of their own.




DEI


IJN Bettys continue to strike the port at Christmas Island but we evacuated last turn...I think that the Bettys are flying out of Singkawang to strike Christmas Island at VERY long range,

At Palembang, the 33rd Infantry Division and the 1st Raiding Regiment launch a deliberate attack but only have a combined AV of 25 vs Dutch AV of 1366...I definitely think that lack of supply is an issue here and the attack comes in at 1:54 odds...Japan loses 936 troops here plus another 400 casualties are suffered from Allied bombardments.....fully 10% of the IJA force at Palembang is destroyed in one turn....next turn we have placed every ground level bomber in the DEI on ground attack at Palembang and we have ordered the Dutch to conduct a full scale shock attack....sayonara 33rd Infantry Division.


Japan conducts a 2:1 and then a 1:1 attack at Brunei and the forts are reduced to zero.

IJA troops storm ashore at Watampore in the Celebes.




CHINA

Japan launches their first attack in the spring offensive in the south at Pingsiang....it comes in at 1:2 and Japan suffers 2700 casualties vs 1800 Chinese. Big air battles over Pingsiang as the Allies finally get the aerial attrition battles they have been looking for. Looking at the fighter losses in A2A combat over Palembang/Port Moresby/Pingsiang we see losses of 11 A6M2s, 2 Oscars, 2 Hurricane IIb Trops, 2 Kittyhawks and one Hawk.

Things are becoming more interesting in the far north. Japan conducts a 1:4 attack at Kweisui.....1500 IJA casualties vs 1600 Chinese casualties.

It appears that Japan is attempting to outflank us at Kweisui and take the mountain pass to the north...the Chinese have plenty of reserves resting at Paotow and reinforcements are on the way.

[racndoc]

3/23-3/24/42



SUBS


SS Swordfish surfaces off Singkawang to put 2 shells into AKL Nisyo Maru but takes 3 shell hits in return.

SS S-37 takes 6 DCs from IJN ASW TF mear Kendari...time to head back to Soerabaja for repairs.

SS RO-68 sinks AK Kekurangu near Port Moresby.

SS RO-63 sinks AK Kauri near Port Moresby. Looks like StoneAge has flooded Port Moresby along woth Noumea and New Hebrides with subs.

SS I-170 sinks AM Bobolink near Efate.

SS I-160 puts a torpedo in CV Lexington. I knew this was going to happen...3 sub attacks with 10 torpedoes fired on USN CVs in 3 turns. And the disgusting thing is there are over 30 float planes and 40 TBDs on ASW layered at altitudes from 1000-6000 feet and Jap subs always get the first shot....not only that but I have over 30 DDs in the hex and not one searches or attacks the IJN sub. Thank god CV Lexington was built on a 36,000 ton BC hull....now she has 21 floatation damage and will need to make port for repairs. The US Navy is now down to 2 effective CVs in the Pacific....Hornet and Saratoga. Obviously my float planes/TBDs/DDs are not up to the task so the carriers will need to be pulled back to rear area bases as most of our DDs will be undergoing 4/42 upgrades and hopefully this will improve their ASW capabilities.




NEW GUINEA

StoneAge runs the table here....Nabire is invaded and Biak, Manokwari, Noemfoor and Sansapor are captured.



DEI

Japan captures Brunei, Obi, Terempo, Watampore and Kofiau.


The Dutch shock attack 33rd ID and 1st Raiding Regiment at Palembang...every Allied bomber in the region targets 33rd ID but I didnt appreciate the defensive bonus in the hex...we achieve only a 1:1 attack on the first day and a 1:2 attack on the 2nd day....the Dutch suffer 4000 casualties vs 1500 Japanese. Japan could not have taken Palembang for several months but in 2 attacks we destroy the Dutch AV...Palembang could fall any day now....never shock attack as the Allies in any hex but clear terain. I will remember this on Festung Java.Air battles rage over Sumatra and while Dutch level bombers melt away our fighters gain favorable attrition losses.


CV Formidable joins up with CV Indomitable in the Indian Ocean and the Allies have now reached carrier parity with either the CV Akagi/Kaga TF or the IJN CVL/CVE TF.

CVL Hermes is on the way and her torpedo airgroup which is currently rebuilding in Java will upgrade to Albacores shortly.






CHINA


Japan launches a 1:3 shock attack at Pingsiang and suffers 2600 casualties vs 2500 Chinese casualties.






SOPAC


Japan captures Panggoe in the Solomons.

With the USN CV withdrawal due to the threat of IJN subs the New Caledonia/New Hebrides have been built up to withstand the threat of an IJN CV incursion. We have 800 AV on New Caledonia and 300 AC spread over 5 mutually supporting airfields at Noumea(level 3), La Foa(level 2), Koumac (level 4), Efate( level 1) and Luganville(Level 3).

[racndoc]

3/25-3/26/42



SUBS


SS S-36 puts a fish in AK Pacific Maru near Obi.

For the first time in 4 turns no sub launched torpedoes are directed toward USN CVs...looks like we have made a clean getaway from the sub infested waters around the New Hebrides. Flotation damage on CV Lexington is holding steady at 21.




BURMA


This theatre has been quiet for a couple of weeks but is now heating up again. IJA armor invests Lashio...we have an AV here of 150 behind level 3 forts....shouldnt take too much force for Japan to dislodge us here.

Farther north, Japan captures Katha...looks like StoneAge is finally moving on Myitkina. We have 600 AV on 3x terrain at Myitkina so Japan better bring a lot to the party here.




PHILIPPINES

Another 1:2 shock attack is unleashed at Clark...this time Japan suffers 900 casualties vs 1800 Allied casualties.....the effect of Japanese artillery is really taking a toll here.




DEI

5th Recon Regiment continues it march towards Palembang from northern Sumatra by overrunning undefended Padang.

Japan captures Billiton, Waigeo Island and Gebe.




CHINA

When StoneAge sent the last turn to me he made a comment to the effect of "China is starting to crack".

StoneAge launches 6 major assaults in south central China and one in the north at Kweisui. Attacks to the south of Wuchow and Hankow push the Chinese back and break though the encirclement. Shock attacks at Hankow, Pingsiang and Kweisui cause horrific casualties for both sides but more so for Japan.....at Hankow Japan suffers 1800 casualties vs 1000 Chinese.....at Pingsiang Japan suffers 2100 casualites vs 1600 Chinese....and at Kweisui Japan suffers 1800 casualties vs 760 Chinese.

When all the dust settles from 7 major assaults it appears that Japan has suffered a total of 11,300 casualties throughout China last turn vs 6600 Chinese casualties. Yes the noose around Hankow/Wuchow has been broken but I wouldn't characterize it as China "cracking". I think this level of casualties is unsustainable for Japan if China has more AV than Japan and we still hold all of the prepared positions in our MLR that were attacked.

On the attached map below Ive highlighted all the battles in the south in orange and listed casualties for each battle for both sides.

[racndoc]

3/27-3/28/42




SUBS


SS I-3 takes 3 DC from USN ASW TF near Norfolk Island.

SS I-7 receives 3 DC from USN ASW TF near Norfolk Island.

SS I-17 sinks DMS Perry as it performs an ASW TF patrol near Norfolk Island....the ASW ships use up most or all of their DCs in one ASW attack so are often helpless when encountering more than 1 sub in a turn.

SS I-173 detected by USN ASW TF near Norfolk Island but no DC hits are scored.

SS I-19 attacked near Isle of Pines by USN ASW TF nut no DCs are landed.



Thats 6 subs spotted near Noumea....StoneAge has really flooded the area with subs and USN warships will need to be diverted from the area until some semblence of ASW normalcy is restored....more AC are placed on ASW and more DDs are on the way. I need to get some upgraded DEs over here for target practice. A surface TF of 3 BBs and a CA approaching Noumea is diverted south to Auckland. Unfortunately a 60 ship transport TF with lots of TKs, internal ASW and an attached ASW TF will be entering the sub infested waters off Noumea next turn so it should be interesting.

SS S-36 puts 2 more torpedoes in AK Pacific Maru and sinks her off of Ternate.



CHINA

At Kweisui, a 1:4 IJA attack causes another 2100 Japanese casualties vs 1600 Chinese casualties.

At Hankow, I evidently I had too many corps on "reserve" op mode and Japan score a 1:1 deliberate attack...this time its 3300 Japanese casualties vs 2000 Chinese. Another 1:1 attack on the 2nd turn causes 2300 Japanese casualties vs 2500 Chinese. Now Im putting everyone in combat mode at Hankow.

Japan suffers another 7700 casualties vs 5100 Chinese casualties this turn....how long can Japan keep up attacks like this before they trash all their divisions?




PHILIPPINES

StoneAge launches another 1:2 deliberate attack at Clark and causes 2000 Japanese casual;ties vs 2750 Allied casualties. Things seem to be falling apart here more quickly than I anticipated....Im taking everyone out of "reserve" op mode at Clark and all the units resting at Bataan will be sent as reinforcements.

Farther south, Japan captures Iloilo.



DEI

I was stunned to see Japan evacuate Palembang this turn....33rd Infantry Division moves north...maybe it the constant aerial bombardments by every level bomber in the theatre took a toll on the ground troops. Now all the Dutch troops at Palembang can be put on rest mode.

KB lite...the CVLs and CVEs.... are moving south into the Java Sea...maybe StoneAge knows about BB Royal Sovereign hiding in port at Batavia for emergency repairs and he wants to finish her off....but whatever he is thinking the CVLs/CVEs are getting a little too close to Palembang and Batavia for comfort.


With 33rd ID retreated from Palembang there isnt much for all the Dutch level bombers to do....so every plane at Palembang and Batavia will be placed on naval attack.

[racndoc]

3/29-3/30/42



SUBS


SS KXVIII sinks AKL Nisyo Maru near Bintan.

SS Grampus sinks CMc near Wakkanai.

SS Greenling puts a torpedo in AK Kunitu Maru near Buka.

SS I-3 sufaces near Noumea to engage a transport TF with 3 escorts.....SS I-3 puts a shell in PG Swan and AP Hugh Scott but takes 12 hits in return and is sunk.

SS I-170 attacks our 60 ship transport TF approaching Noumea but no hits are registered.

SS Tambor sinks AK Ikora Maru near Ominato.



PHILIPPINES


After taking heavy losses at Clark last turn we placed all of our LCUs that had been on "reserve" op mode back to "combat" op mode. When Japan attacked this turn it was a 1:2 attack and Japan suffered 2900 casualties vs 1500 Allied.


We still have over 17,000 supply at Bataan and 4000 supply at Clark.





CHINA


As we did at Clark , we switched all of our LCUs that had been on "reserve"op mode at Hankow and Pingsiang back to "combat" mode. This time Japan's attack at Hankow comes in at 1:9 and they suffer 10,000 casualties vs 1600 Chinese. At Pingsiang Japan suffers 2400 casualties vs 1450 Chinese.

I think that you need to be very careful when placing LCUs on "reserve" in the face of enemy attacks.

Altogether Japan suffers some 13,000 casualties in China this turn vs 5000 Chinese.




BURMA

Japan launches its first assault at Lashio with a deliberate 1:3 attack causing 400 casualties for each side.




SOPAC


The Allied 60 ship transport Tf from the west coast made it though "torpedo alley" without incident and anchored off Noumea.....tomorrow we will start unloading the US Army 41st Infantry Division and 150,000 fuel.

Allied airfields in the region are enlarged to level 2 at Efate, level 3 at La Foa and level 4 at Luganville.




DEI


The CVLs and CVEs of mini KB disappear north into the South China Sea....our Dutch level bombers instead target a surface TF at Singapore...no hits are scored but at least the damaged Dutch B-25s make it home to fight another day....unlike the pre-war Dutch bombers.

The ABDA naval force in the Indian Ocean....2 CVs, 3 BBs, 1 BC, 4 CAs, 17 CLs had moved north towards western Java to intercept the IJN air combat TF. With the IJN fleet gone the ABDA warships will sail to Batavia to refuel and take on AC replacements. The Netties here have been bombing ports and Dutch LCUs and severely damaged BB Royal Sovereign was able to make port at Batavia sailing at 5 knots under the nose of the IJN naval bombers. Just in case, over 50 P-40Es and B 339s are placed on CAP over Batavia.

The IJA 1st Tank Regiment overruns undefended Benkolen on its way to Palembang. Aother IJA LCU appears to be marching on Oosthaven to open the port there. If StoneAge is going to reinforce Sumatra though Oosthaven we will be able to bring the ABDA warships in to intervene.

[racndoc]

3/31-4/1/42



DEI


Looks like mini KB is retiring to Saigon to refuel.

ABDA warships make port at Batavia without incident and take on fuel and AC replacements as the Netties are busy bombing Soerabaja port.
The Netties score bomb hits on 4 subs that had been under repair at Soerabaja...I accidentally sent ALL my CAP to Batavia to cover the refueling operation. With the ABDA fleet going back out to sea tomorrow there will be plenty of CAP over Soerabaja.

Japan captures Sandakan on Borneo and invests Oosthaven.


Disrupted Dutch troops are recovering nicely at Palembang and AV is once again over 300.




PHILIPPINES

After the heavy casualties suffered at Clark the last few days Japan orders only a bombardment. Our AV that had once been 2200 at Clark is now down to 900.

Japan catures San Jose.




SOPAC

USN CVs Lexington, Saratoga and Hornet reach Canton on their way back to Pearl. SS I-10 intercepts Lexington near Canton but fortunately all 6 torpedoes miss. Sara, Lex and Hornet should reach Pearl in 6 days. ALL of the BBs and other damaged ships at Pearl Harbor are being pulled out of the yards and piers and put in readiness mode and sent to the west coast to open up Pearl's shipyards and piers for critical repairs on the CVs. CV Yorktown should reach Pearl in 12 days for repairs.


B-26s based at Port Moersby strike IJN transports off Hansa Bay but no hits are scored.






CHINA

After suffering heavy losses at Hankow and Pingsiang the last few turns Japan conducts only bombardment attacks today as both sides' exhausted troops recover.

7 Chinese corps are ordered to shock attack the IJA 6th Infantry Division tomorrow and reopen the highway to Wuchang.


IJA troops cross the river and shock attack Yenen at at 1:2 odds....Japan suffers 620 casualties vs 285 Chinese. Another Communist Red division should reach Yenen tomorrow so I think that we will be ok here.



StoneAge is posting screenshots of all the losses as of 4/1/42 and asked me to do the same. Here is the intel screen:

[racndoc]

4/1/42......THE AIR WAR


Ive got a screenshot here of Japanese plane losses. Overall, the Allies have lost 1221 AC vs 1086 Japanese AC or about 12% more.

In A2A, the Allies have lost 725 AC vs 528 Japanese AC or about a ratio of 1.3:1.

Ive been pretty happy with the air war over central China and southern Sumatra....Im finally getting the attrition battle that I had been seeking.
Not only that, but Allied airfields are in much closer proximity to both places and thats showing up in Japanese operational losses.


Notable among Japanese AC losses not on this screenshot are 12 destroyed Tojos....11 from A2A.

[racndoc]

4/1/42.......THE AIR WAR



Below is a screenshot of Allied plane losses. Ive been pretty impressed with the performance of the Hurricane IIb Trop so far.

Ive been less enthused with the performance of the P-40E vs the P-40B and the H81-A3. The only real advantage of the P-40E has been numbers.

Speaking of which, I havent suffered any A2A losses of P-39Ds or P-400s yet due to a lack of aerial combat over Australia and the southern Pacific. These are my most numerous fighters and the southern Pacific should be swarming with them by June 1942.

[racndoc]

4-1-42.....THE AIR WAR


Here is a screenshot of my top pilots. There have been 4 Allied aces so far....not surprisingly they include 3 AVG pilots and a dead Buffalo driver.

[racndoc]

4/1/42....THE AIR WAR

And finally here is a screenshot of my pilot pools. Im not too sure what to make of all this...it looks as if my graduating US Army pilots are worse than any others save the Chinese.

[racndoc]

4/1/42.......THE NAVAL WAR


Ive attached a screenshot of Allied naval losses from 1/31/42 to 4/1/42.

Not included in the screenshot are 9 AKLs(all lost in the resupply effort to Luzon),2 DMSs, 7 AMcs. 2 PTs, 1 SS, 1 CM, 1 AM and 1 HDML.

BB Maryland, BB Colorado and CL Detroit were sunk in the Carrier Battle of the Northern Solomons in Feb. 1942.

CA Pensacola was sunk by a sub in late March. 1942.

[racndoc]

4/1/42....THE NAVAL WAR


Of all the 4/1/42 screenshots...this one says it all. I just received confirmation a couple of days ago that CV Zuikaku was sunk in the Carrier Battle of the Northern Solomons.

Our USN CV ambush off of Green Island turned out like RL Midway...all 4 IJN CVs involved were sunk. Japanese naval offensive power has been crushed.

Sunk IJN ships from 2/1/42-4/1/42 not on this list include 11 PBs, 10 AKs, 8 AKLs, 2 DMSs, 1 CMc and 1 AMc.

The other thing that strikes me about this list is that 3 IJN subs are reported sunk by Allied ASW near New Caledonia over the last 5 days. I know these are not confirmed but its nice to know that our ASW is handing out some damage.




STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS


After losing 4 CVs from KB Japan will be challenged to complete its conquest of the SRA. Unfortunately the US Navy was unable to follow up their naval victory as they have 2 effective CVs left in the Pacific....CV Hornet and CV Saratoga...and neither one has a full complement of AC due to the severe shortage of AC replacements in AE.

Right now, Japan still has CV Akagi, CV Kaga, CVL Zuiho, CVL Ryujo, CVL Shoho and several CVEs supporting their offensive in the SRA. CV Junyo could arrive at any time.

Opposing these carriers are 2 RN CVs...Formidable and Indomitable and CVL Hermes all patroling in the Indian Ocean off the south coast of Java. The Allies have a good chance to effectively fight off the invasion of Java....it will probably come down to how many land based AC StoneAge can bring over the skies of Java.


In the Pacific, CV Enterprise is repairing its hull damage at the Sydney shipyard while CV Lexington and CV Yorktown are on their way to Pearl Harbor to repair all their major damage...the shipyards and piers have been cleared out at Pearl while awaiting their arrival.

I believe that Japan's offensive potential has now been blunted in the Pacific. They may overrun a few more undefended islands in the Gilberts and the Solomons but nearly anywhere else they will have to deal with Allied land based air. Even Papua New Guinea will be problematic with the Allied air buildup currently underway at Port Moresby.

As far as the Allies going on the offensive that will be determined by carrier repairs. CV Enterprise will complete its repairs by mid June, 1942.
CV Yorktown and CV Lexington Im hoping to repair by late May...we will see how much we can accelerate their repairs when they reach port. Im not going on the offensive in the Pacific with only 2 carriers and I think that the south Pacific can now defend itself...with the construction of airfields on Efate and Wallis Island our fighters and dive bombers can stage all the way from Pago Pago to New Caledonia.

With the deadly Japanese sub menace I think it is now best to do all the 2/42 and 4/42 upgrades. The 2/42 upgrade for Saratoga takes 25 days as they remove her 8" guns and add them to Oahu's coastal defenses. I will upgrade Sara and Hornet at Pearl. All of the DDs needing 4/42 upgrades will be sent to the west coast...the old pre war BBs have already been sent. Bremerton Naval Yard will be just as busy as Pearl...but the pace will not be nearly as frenetic. The CAs needing 2/42 and 4/42 upgrades will also be sent to the west coast. By the end of May Im hoping to have all the AAA and ASW upgraded on all my escorts and then Hornet, Lex, Sara and Yorktown will head back to the south Pacific to join up with Enterprise by late June. LOL...hopefully by then we will have enough replacement AC to fill our our carrier air groups.

The probable area of our 1st offensive will be the Solomons and/or Papua New Guinea. Japan is known to have at least a level 3 airfield on Shortlands and Netties if based here could threaten our SLOC to Australia.

In the interim, we will continue to build up our ground and air forces in New Caledonia/New Hebrides/Port Moreby and also our supply and fuel levels.

[racndoc]

4/2-4/3/42



SUBS


SS I-10 again intercepts the USN CVs near Palmyra and fires off another 6 torpedoes at CV Hornet only to miss. Thats 12 torpedoes in 2 attacks.


SS KXVIII puts a torpedo in TK Shoyo Maru near Cam Ranh Bay...she lights up like a roman candle so must have had a full load of fuel.



PHILIPPINES


Japan launches another bombardment attack at Clark...Allies suffer another 500 casualties. It looks like I will run out of AV here now before supply with all the Jap artillery so we will start ordering bombardment attacks next turn.




SOPAC

Japan sends Kates from Shortlands on a port attack to hit our seaplane tenders at Tulagi....AVP Thrush is sunk and AVD Ballard is heavily damaged. We will withdraw both AVD Ballard and our Catalinas from Tulagi....we sent them in there to recon the IJN CVs in Feb. prior to the Battle of the Northern Solomons.....Japans offensive threat has been greatly reduced due to the loss of 4 CVs so Tulagi is not needed for the time being.




DEI


B-25Cs from Batavia strike an IJN transport TF in the Java Sea and land 3 bombs on AK Iwashiro Maru.

Japan captures Oosthaven on Sumatra and Sandakan on Borneo.

StoneAge has been bombing the 4th Coastal CD LCU at Ambon for the last 4 days....looks like we will probably see an invasion here soon.

6 B-25Cs bomb 1st Tank Regiment on Sumatra and are intercepted by 8 A6M2s...the B-25s shoot down an A6M2...YESSS!





CHINA


The Chinese launch a 34:1 shock attack on IJA 6th Division 60 miles E of Changsha after a massive aerial bombardment....Japan suffers 6000 casualties vs 1100 Chinese...6th Division is trashed and will be out of the war for at least 6 months.


Japan orders another 1:3 deliberate attack at Pingsiang.....Japan has 3300 casualties vs 1400 Chinese.

At Yenan, Japan has 12th Tank Regiment and 6th Medium Artillery Regiment arrive for a 1:1 and then a 3:1 shock attack....the forts are reduced to zero and Japan suffers 3000 casualties vs 1900 Chinese. Yenan will probably fall next turn but China has stabilized their defense there on the road to Sian...and in fact will cut off the IJA troops at Yenan from supply next turn. Japan has another 12,000 casualties this turn vs 3000 Chinese.


Up north Japan continues to attempt to outflank us at Kweisui.

[racndoc]

4/4-4/5/42



SUBS


SS I-174 takes 4 DCs from USN ASW TF in "torpedo alley" near Noumea.

SS S-39 puts a torpedo in TK Eiyo Maru off Miri....must have taken on fuel as she turns into a floating torch.

SS I-153 stalks RN CVs in the Indian Ocean near Merak but alert, experienced Brits get the first shot and land 2 DC hits.

SS I-155 fires a spread of 8 torpedoes at CV Formidable but misses and takes 1 DC for her troubles...obviously StoneAge is seriously targeting our ABDA Fleet.

SS I-8 attempts yet another attack on USN CVs as they near Oahu...this time its the USN ASW that takes the first shot and they score 1 DC hit.
Thankfully the USN CVs will make port at Pearl next turn and thats very fortunate...just got a message that temporary flotation repairs on CV Lexington were failing and she takes on 5 more flotation damage....well thats another week or 2 in drydock.




DEI


Japan captures Labat on Sumatra and Sarasan off Borneo.

33rd Infantry Division invests Palembang again.




PHILIPPINES

Japan invades Tagbilaran, Dinagat , Masbate and Puerto Princessa.

Another 1:2 deliberate attack causes 800 Japanese casualties vs 1900 Allies...the end is drawing near here and I didnt realize how effective massed artillery would be against prepared defenses in 3x terrain....in stock WitP I always ran out of supply first but in AE I will run out of AV well before the supply runs out...I should have kept the Philippino replacements going and Id have another 100 AV here...as it stands now the Allies are down to 700 AV.




SOPAC

Japan invades at Mussau(near Kavieng), Tabor(Bismarcks) and Feni Island(north Solomons).

Green Island is captured...now Jap troops can go diving on the wrecks of their sunken CVs.

Heavily damaged AVD Ballard was attempting to make it back to port at Noumea but then I got a message "Decks awash" and then she sank ....pretty cool.




CHINA

Im starting to think that this game should be called War in China instead of WitP as the VAST MAJORITY of the land combat occurs here.

Today Japan captures Yenan in a 3:1 attack and at the same time the Chinese cut the road hex and leave them out of supply.

Farther south StoneAge reinforces his spent roops at pinsiang with at least a division and now has over 70,000 troops there...many of them fresh. The Chinese have about the same AV in 2x terrain but they have been get shelled and assaulted for weeks so this could be a problem.

Two turns ago 8 Chinese corps turned 6th Infantry Division into a brigade 40 miles east of Changsha....6th Division/brigade retreated but the 3rd Infantry Division took its place. After bombing 3rd ID with some 70 bombers last turn the 8 Chinese corps are ordered to shock attack again tomorrow. These 2 divisions had been the garrison for Wuchang but now there is only 1 LCU left there...if we can defeat 3rd ID tomorrow it might be time to assault Wuchang itself.

[racndoc]

4/6-4/7/42



DEI

Japan captures Tambelan off Borneo.

StoneAge marches overland to conduct the 1st assault on Makassar....1:4 odds.

On Sumatra, 33rd Infantry Division again attacks Palembang..this time its 1:18 odds....900 Japanese casualties vs 100 Dutch.

Japan captures Tambelan Island off Borneo and invades Great Nicobar.




PHILIPPINES


Japan captures Jolo, Masbate, Siargao, Dinagut, Tagbilaran and Puerto Princessa.


Bombardments at Clark cause 500 IJA casualties and over 1000 Allied casualties.




SOPAC

StoneAge is going wild here. Musssau, Tabar Island, Lihin and Feni Islands are captured in the Bismarcks. Woodlark Island is taken and Nadzab on Papua New Guinea is overrun.




CENTPAC

CV Lexington reaches Pearl and is put on critical priority pierside repair.....all minor damage will be repaired in 14 days(vs 24 days on normal) and then she will visit the shipyard to repair her hull damage,

CV Saratoga and Cv Hornet reach Pearl and both are taken offline for their respective 2/42 and 4/42 upgrades.

CV Yorktown should reach Pearl next turn and she will go straight to the shipyard on critical priority repair.




CHINA

What would a turn of AE be without China....


The 8 corps Chinese attack on 3rd Infantry Division 40 miles E of Changsha goes off at 11:1 odds....that means I could have probably achieved 5:1 odds with only 4 corps....and nearly 3:1 odds with only 2 corps...against a full strength IJA division in 2x terrain....I think this shows how overpowered "shock" attack is.....anyway 3rd Infantry Division suffers 6700 casualties vs 1500 Chinese.....and Japan is now left with a retreated 3rd brigade...and Wuchang looks pretty open.

Meanwhile up north with IJA troops at Yenan cut off a lot of Japanese troops are pulled out of the line in an obvious attempt to reopen the supply line...this could open up a new opportunity for the Chinese hordes.

[racndoc]

4/8-4/11/42



SUBS


SS Greenling sufaces near Mussau Island and pumps 12 shells into AKL Taiyu Maru.


SS Drum surfaces off Tabor Island and hits AK Kofuku Maru with 8 shells only to be hit 9 times by return fire....time to go back to port for repairs.




DEI


Dutch B-25s based at Batavia bomb and damage AK Kisogawa Maru near Billington. Next day they lay 4 bombs on AKL Yoshinogawa Maru
off Singkep.

33rd ID launches a 1:8 deliberate attack at Palembang causing 238 Japanese casualties vs 1100 Dutch....our troops are obviously still disrupted from their ill fated counterattack a week ago.

Japan captures Loewoek and Makassar on Celebes.




PHILIPPINES


Artillery duel continues at Clark but the Allies are definitely taking the worst of it....our troops will be lucky if they manage to hold out until the end of the month.

Tawi Tawi is captured.




CENTPAC


CV Yorktown reaches Pearl and is immediately placed in the shipyard. The estimated time for rpairs to be completed is 22 days....curiously, if I speed the repairs up to critical level the repair time is still 21 days. So far Im only seeing an advantage for critical repairs at pierside.





SOPAC


B-26s based at Port Moresby score bomb hits and reported sinkings of CMc Kurosaki and AKL Totai Maru off Rabaul.


IJA troops overrun unoccupied Cape Gloucester on New Britain and Umbio Island and Long Island near New Britain.




CHINA

Artillery duels continue at Hankow and Pingsiang.

Another 1:3 deliberate attack at Kweisui results in 700 IJA casualties vs 1100 Chinese. Japan is still trying to outflank us to the north of Kweisui.

[racndoc]

4/12-4/23/42




SUBS


SS Seawolf takes 2 DCs from IJN ASW near Singapore.

SS Saury puts a torpedo in AK Takaoka Maru off the Celebes.

An empty Allied convoy heading east back to the west coast US from Noumea runs into an IJN wolfpack SW of Fuji. First the convoy runs into SS I-19 but a USN ASW TF makes them submerge deep. Next the convoy runs into SS I-21 and both sides fire at each other but no hits are scored. Finally the convoy encounters SS I-30 and the sub lands 2 torpedoes on escort DD Selfridge sinking her. Im glad the its an empty eastbound convoy.





DEI


Japan captures Togian islands and Madjene in the Celebes. Off the northern tip of Sumatra Great Nicobar Island is occupied.

Another 1:6 deliberate attack is launched at Palembang....this time its 366 Japanese casualties vs 600 Dutch. Kind of a standoff here at Palembang....Japan apparently doesnt have enough supply to finish us off and the Allies dont have enough AV to evict the IJA troops.

Dutch B-25s put a bomb on APD Nadakaze off Borneo.

I think that Festung Java is becoming a difficult proposition for Japan that will only grow stronger as time goes on. Most of the Dutch fighter and bomber groups have upgraded to P-40Es and B-25s. Unlike the pre-war Dutch bombers, the B-25s can take some punishment and still make it back to base and their experience seems to be growing daily. We have over 1200 AV at Batavia behind level 4 forts. All the ports on the north shore have been garrisoned and the south shore ports are conspicuously empty...we are hoping for a south coast invasion so that the ABDA fleet can intervene.

CV Illustrious arrives at Capetown in 15 days and after she arrives off Java we will have 3 RN CVs and a CVL vs 2 IJN CVs and mini KB. At a minimum Japan will be forced to keep all of their CVs/CVLs/CVEs in the DEI to support the invasion of Java so we should have a free hand in the south Pacific once our carriers are repaired.

StoneAge is flying bomber missions over all the ports on Java trying to find a weakly defended port....if he picks the wrong one he will have to deal with a lot of CD guns.

I think that StoneAge is a bit cautious with Allied CD guns after the experiences at Wake and Palembang. He has been bombing the 4th CD Gun Regiment at Ambon daily for over a week so an invasion here seems imminent.

I had moved 18th UK Division to Darwin at the start of the war but with the atttrition of the IJN carriers an ampbibious assault of northern Australia is off the table....so Im thinking about moving it forward to Koepang...after we get at least 4 USN CVs back in the south Pacific I will re-evaluate a reinforcement mission to Timor.




BURMA


Looks like we have a stalemate at Lashio and Myitkina....Japan doesnt bring enough AV to capture either base and we dont have enough AV to kick them out...so we just fire our artillery at each other.

No sign for awhile of either 55th Division or the Imperial Guards Division....they may be used for the attack on Java or maybe StoneAge is planning an overland attack through the jungle to India.




INDIA


Havent said much about India this game. Originally I feared a seaborne attack on Ceylon and the small Indian Ocean islands to the south and west so we heavily reinforced Ceylon with 6th and 7th Australian Divisions and the Ghurka Brigade. With the IJN carrier losses there is no longer a seaborne threat to India or Ceylon...any attack will have to come through the jungle from Burma. We have just finished transporting 6th and 7th Aussie Divisions back to the mainland along with the Celon based III Corp brigades and the Ghurka brigade.

With the main threat now coming from the Burma jungles, we have concentrated most of our forces in NE India but especially at Calcutta...we have over 2500 AV there now. I have mostly small garrisons at Akyab, Cox's Bazaar and Chittagong...they are all malarial bases and even Dacca is malarial.

So we have a huge stack at Calcutta ...lots of supply and the divisions are all broken down so they can take on their device upgrades as available. In addition to the 2 Aussie divisions and Ceylon based III Corps LCUs we have evacuated virtually the entire Malayan based III Corps units and they are all quietly repairing disablements and taking on replacements.

StoneAge has been doing overflights of Trinkat Island and the Andaman Islands.....probably the next Japanese objectives in the area after the capture of Great Nicobar island. CL Columbo is scheduled for withdrawal in a couple months so she is detached with a DD from the ABDA Fleet off the south coast of Java and will head to the Andamans on her way back to.....Columbo. Hopefully she will find some amphibious assault TFs when she arrives in the Andamans.



SOPAC


Japan invades at Tassafaronga with 83rd Naval Guards. Im sure these guys will march overland to Lunga. I was hoping to be unopposed when I landed at Lunga in a couple months but that evidently was wishful thinking...time to start prepping some troops in Noumea. Japan is approaching the limit of their land based air cover from Shortlands....we are going to start sending some raiding forces north from New Caledonia.


B-26s from Port Moresby drop bombs on AKL Kaijo Maru and PB Tama Maru #8 at Rabaul...their accuracy is getting better.




CHINA

StoneAge continues with the WW I style frontal assaults at Pingsiang...this time the 1:2 deliberate attack causes 1700 Japanese casualties vs 3100 Chinese....these levels of losses are unsustainable. Im having trouble drawing supply into Pingsiang...but I can draw supply into the hexes that surround it. I cant retreat from Pingsiang,,,there is only clear terrain north of it to allow Japan to shock attack their way forward to cut the railroads and highways into Changsha...so I am shuttling the supplied units from adjacent hexes into Pingsiang and shuttling the unsupplied units at Pingsiang out to where they can finally draw some supply.....dont know how long I can keep that game up.

On top of the frontal assaults. StoneAge is now trying to win the battle of manuver. In the south he is bypasssing our fortified bases at Kukong and Wuchow with 4 LCUs that are infiltrating north through the forest in an attempt to cut our supply lines.

In the center, StoneAge is moving 4 LCUs SW from Kaifeng around our flank to cut the Sinyang/Chengchow road.

In the far north, StoneAge is moving 5 LCUs along the Mongolian border in an attempt to turn our flank at Kweisui...I cant get enough troops up there and even if I could I cant get supply up there.....if those LCUs are divisions or even brigades he will break out in the north...and we will have to fall back on Lanchow.

The Allied answer......attacking of course! If we just sit back Japan will pick us apart base by base. We advanced on Wuchang and 1200 Chinese AV have invested the city. Another 900 AV will shock attack the remnants of 3rd ID tomorrow adjacent to Wuchang....then they will help lay siege to the city. A bombardment is ordered at Wuchang to see what Japan has in the city..so far we know there are 3 LCUs and one is the shattered 6th ID.

[racndoc]

4/14-4/15/42



SUBS


SS Seawolf lands a fish on APD Nadakaze near Sarasan.

SS S-38 sinks AK Kuwayama Maru with 3 torpedoes by Tapul.




DEI


A 1:5 deliberate attack at Palembang causes 400 Japanese casualties vs 700 Dutch.

Dutch B-25s hit APD Fuji with a bomb near Lingga.

Japan captures Tockangbesi Island in the Banda Sea.




SOPAC


Japan captures Tassafaronga and Lae....must be fast transports as they are flying right under the nose of our B-26s.

Japan invades at Munda....looks like StoneAge will occupy/garrison most of the Solomons before we can intervene but how much will he be able to build them up.




LOGISTICS


Havent said too much about this important part of the war. The main supply depots on Australia for convoys from the west coast are Brisbane and Sydney. For Cape Town convoys its Melbourne. Currently we have 600,000 supply at Melbourne, 215,000 supply at Sydney and 265,000 supply at Brisbane. This will all be used to support furture SWPAC offensives on New Guinea. Our fuel stocks are depressingly low however even though we have shipped over 300,000 fuel to Australia already...our supply transport TFs seem to be sucking it up faster than we can drop it off.

Im currently building up Christmas Island and Pago Pago to combined airfield/port levels of 10+ so they can be used for unlimited size fuel and supply dumps. Once Christmas Island is built up I will have separate convoys run LA/Christmas and then Christmas/Sydney so the transport ships dont use all the fuel that is dropped of in OZ. Pago Pago will be the supply/fuel dump for our eventual Gilberts offensive.

Over in SOPAC we are nearly at a level 10 airfield/port at Noumea. Noumea will then be our unlimited supply/fuel dump for the Solomons. Currently SOPAC has 200,000 supply and 180,000 fuel on New Caledonia and 60,000 supply and 185,000 fuel at Auckland.

There are currently 3 large convoys in transit from the west coast to Noumea. The western most convoy....now passing Pago Pago...is carrying 52,000 troops, 250,000 supply and 75,000 fuel. About 8 days behind that convoy is a 2nd convoy carrying 20,000 troops, 85,000 supply and 120,000 fuel. Finally 10 days farther east is a 3rd convoy carrying 42,000 troops and 150,000 fuel.

The most pressing shortage the Allies have in the south Pacific that precludes an early offensive, other than a complete lack of USN CVs, is a shortage of aviation engineers. I purchased 2 base units in SF this turn and began loading them while a 3rd base force that was just formed at March AFB will be railed to SF for shipment.


Paradoxically, western and northern OZ are swimming with fuel that they cant use right now due to the fuel extraction from the DEI....currently 135,000 fuel at Perth and 60,000 supply and 80,000 fuel at darwin.


Over at SEAC our main dumps are at Colombo and Bombay. Currently we have 100,000 supply and 375,000 fuel at Colombo and 565,000 fuel at Bombay.



AUSTRALIA

Havent said too much about OZ defenses either. Mainly we reinforced the north at the start of the war...Darwin got 18th UK Division, 3 tank units, 1 AT unit, 2 additional CD units and a couple more Aussie brigades ...some 850 AV in all. Darwin now has a level 7 airfield and a level 4 port.

Wyndam received an Aussie brigade also. We are also building up the airstrips at Fenton and Katherine to support Darwin.

The majority of the US air group reinforcements for Australia are on the east and NE coasts.....building up and training for use at Port Moresby.



CHINA

Surprise...the map this turn is again focused on China.

In the south, the Japanese infiltration attack between Kukong and Wuchow reaches the road junction connecting the 2 bases....recon shows 22,000 IJA troops here....we met them with 575 Chinese AV in 3x terrain so we should be ok here.

The meatgrinder of Pingsiang only sees artillery barrages this turn.

Just ouside of Wuchang, 3 Chinese corps rout 3rd Division for the 2nd time...a 7:1 shock attack retreats the Japanese and causes 2600 IJA casualties vs 700 Chinese....3rd Division is now 3rd Regiment after being defeated twice.

China reaches its "high water mark" this turn with a bombardment of Wuchang...the bombardment reveals 40,000 IJA troops there...decimated 6th Division for sure but also untouched 49th Division and 51st brigade....too much for our 1200 AV to handle without any city prep. Its now time to pull all 2100 AV of our army around Wuchang back to both guard the east flank of Changsha and provide a mobile reserve in the Changsha rail mashalling yards....these guys can then use the rails to reinforce Kukong or Wuchow or even enter the hell that is Pingsiang.

Farther north, Japan has 4 LCUs continuing to march SW from Kaifeng around our flank. In the far north Japan again launches a 1:12 deliberate attack at Kweisui...suffering 2700 casualties vs 560 Chinese...StoneAge is desperately trying to pin us here in Kweisui while he outflanks us against the Mongolian border.

[racndoc]

4/16-419/42



SUBS


Japan is again searching for the RN CVs off the south coast of Java.

SS I-155 approaches the CV TFs but is detected by a RN ASW TF and takes 6 DCs near Merak.



SS I-23 runs into a USN ASW TF near Efate that has 4 newly upgraded DDs....14 DCs hit home and SS I-23 quickly sinks.... could this be a turning point in the Allies anti-sub war?

Here is the other side of the coin...a USN ASW TF with 4 NON-upgraded DDs is heading south from Noumea to Auckland to upgrade....they run into I-19 and the sub shoots first and sinks DD Peary....two USN ASW TFs with 4 DDs and good commanders. Two very different results.

SS Seawolf attacks TK Kanze Maru off Singapore...she lands 5 shells in a surface attack and the TK is burning brightly from stem to stern..must have had a full load of fuel.

SS Grayback puts 2 shells in AK Seattle Maru near Aogashima.




DEI


Another 1:6 deliberate attack at Palemband causes 2300 Japanese casualties vs 595 Dutch....obviously Japan is having an issue bringing in supply to their troops. That and the fact that some 40-50 Dutch level bombers(mainly B-25s) are causing massive disruption and hundreds of casualties every day as the Allies are in control of the airspace over Palembang.

Additional B-25s sink AMc Toroshima Maru off Borneo.

Bettys based at Kendari put in an impressive performance regarding accuracy....from 9000 feet they sink 5 PTs at Koepang.

Japan captures Lingga, Galeia(Moluccas) and Sorong on New Guinea.

IJA troops wade ashore at Sinabang off the NW tip of Sumatra. CL Colombo had been heading to the Andamans but is within range and is ordered to strike the IJN ampibious transports here if they linger.




PHILIPPINES


Another deliberate attack at Clark yields 2600 casualties for both sides. Our AV here is down to about 500 now.

I still have some 9000 supply between Bataan and Clark so I think that the supply will outlast the AV.



SOPAC


Japan captures Russell Islands, Thousand Ships Bay and Munda in the Solomons.

As mentioned before, most of the USN ships in SOPAC are taking turns shutleing to Auckland or Sydney for their upgrades.

The shipyard repair is kind of interesting....at Sydney CV Enterprise appears to be repairing one point of hull damage every 2 days while at Pearl CV Yorktown is repairing one point of hull damage every day...both on "normal" mode. Sydney has a larger port but a smaller shipyard. Pearl Harbor has a larger shipyard and more naval support.



CHINA


The bloody attrition war continues at Pingsiang...two consecutive deliberate attacks cause 5700 IJA casualties vs 4000 Chinese...good thing we have a half dozen corps just outside Pingsiang to rest and rotate into the battle.

The Japanese infiltration between Kukong and Wuchow is met by 2 Chinese corps in 3x terrain at the crossroads behind the 2 cities...a 1:2 shock attack leaves 2367 Japanese casualties vs 237 Chinese...looks like StoneAge is having trouble drawing supply down these secondary roads.

The flanking attack from 4 IJA LCUs moving SW from Kaifeng hits our 3 corps defending the Sinyang/Chengchow highway..we hit the IJA LCUs(30,000 troops) with some 50-60 heavy and medium bombers and a 4th Chinese corps is able to enter the hex just before the Japanese assault is launched. The resulting 1:3 shock attack causes 4100 IJA casualties vs 1450 Chinese. Recon shows the 4 IJA LCUs to be 35th Division, 13th Ind. Mixed Brigade, and SNLF and a RGC division...fortunately all our bombers hit the powerful 35th Division casusing heavy disruption. The 35th Division and the 13th Mixed Brigade are trashed now. All 4 Chinese corps(virtually zero disruption or fatigue) will be ordered to return the shock attck favor next turn(in clear terrain) on the hapless IJA formations....this of course after another aerial bombardment by 50-60 bombers while some 55 P-40Es/Hurricane IIb Trops LRCAP and sweep the hex.