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Scott, Saratoga is just north of Pago-Pago headed south. Would you please do me a favor and before you end the turn change her course from due south to due east. I have had second thoughts about my decision to send her to refuel at Pago-Pago. Pago-Pago is in a blind spot on my map, uncovered by patrol planes and KB may yet be lurking out there somewhere in support of the Japanese southerly advance. If so, Saratoga may be headed right into her potential doom.

Thanks,

Gary
CIC Allied Forces Eastern Pacific

Somebody snipped this out of this morning's paper...

Warning, Warning, baby KB is sighted off the coast of Tarakan.[X(][X(][X(][X(][X(]

Today's news below...

Below is the latest news from our front after a rather long sabatical. The game is still going and I'm a little behind in reports but this should update things a bit.

Recently The War Department has released some posters to help the Allied war effort.

another

last one

Scott, I see you found a picture of my mom. [:)]

Mom worked at the Douglas aircraft plant in Burbank installing fuel bladders in B-25 fuel tanks. [:D] ( I know the picture shows 4 engined bombers [:-] )
Go Mom. she was known to have a brew or two. [:D]

Go MOM

Mostly quiet. All CVs are gathering for the next round of action. Still no sign of KB.

Transports continue to be divert from Perth onwards to Pearl. Resources and Oil continue to flow from DEI towarsds Perth and onwards from there to Adelaide. Repulse and company is also taking the roundabout route to Melbourne for repairs before going back to Kens area. I am in the process of getting more troops and supplies to Lunga. Units are on there way and these specific units are Top Secret. [:-] Gili Gili is in the process of being built up. Waiting on the base to reach alevel 1 airfield. More troops are set to arrive in PM. Transplants from PI, 81st PA to be exact. [:'(]

Cable
TF 1123 Commander to TF 1153 Commander

Thanks for the escort. [:'(]

End

The latest on the boys at the front...







"I see many people die because they judge that life is not worth living. I see others paradoxically getting killed for the ideas or illusions that give them a reason for living (what is called a reason for living is also an excellent reason for dying). I therefore conclude that the meaning of life is the most urgent of questions." - Albert Camus

South Pac and Southwest Pac need fighter aircraft desperately!

Greetings from the new Southeast and China Com commander. This is my first ever AAR, so hang in there with me please.

I am including a map in this post, and it is also my first attempt. It is, I think, a bit hard to read, but to portray the major adjustments being made in China accurately, this was unavoidable

I took command of Brittish and Chinese commands two days ago (game time) and have been trying to make sense of the situation. My predecessor has left Burma in mostly good shape, other than cannibalizing the Brittish fighters and the AVG, which have been down graded. Now it is one squadron P-40E, one P-40B and one P-36. The Brittish navy is mostly still in tact.

Singapore is probably in its last week of the siege. Efforts to evacuate I am told have been mostly unsuccesful. I am ordering all Brittish CA and DD to Batavia, at full speed, to set up the Batavia evacuation express to save what I can. Also, some Cargo ships are going to try and run the straits between Malaya and Sumatra. I do not expect much success there.

China is a mess and my biggest concern. My opponent has, just prior to my assuming command, forced troops out of Homan and is marching a force of 10 Div, $ Art, 3 Armor and 2 Bde (and a partridge in a pear tree) directly at Sian. Since my army at Sian does not look any stronger than the one that lost at Homan, I do not anticipate success. Further, there is still a large army at Yenen, stalemated. Since I do not think there is time to withdraw the army in Yenen and I do not want to abandon it outright, I have decided on what I think will be a risky strategy.

I am going to split the army at Sian and move half the forces first toward Lanchow, then to Yenen. The army forced out of Homan will also make its way cross country to Yenen. Once these forces link up, I will have a very strong army in Yenen.

The other half of the Sian army will run as fast as it can to Chunking along with all other reinforcements available. My hope is that my opponents massive army will move from Sian toward Chunking. There is an indication of this becuase he has already started massive bombing of Chungking. I hope to stalemate him at Chunking.

The army at Ichang (about 5-6 Chinese Corps with HQ) will move first to Hsinyang, then north to the crossroads and cut the supply lines to his army moving on Chunking.

Once the army gathering at Yenen is together, they should have more than enough force to defeat the Japanese there (1 Div, 6 Bde and 1 Mog Div). My intention then is to move against Northern China quickly before supplies run out.

My first hope is that my opponent is fixated on trying to take Chunking. I think best case scenario is I can stalemate him in most of China while making gains in northern China, putting great pressure on his Manchurian army. Worst case is instead of marching on Chunking, he marches on yenen, isolating and destroying my northern army. The most probably case, I expect is that my opponent, realizing the threats on his supply lines and that of the northern army, breaks down his 22 unit super force and a new stalemate is reached across China.

Here is the map to accompany the above post. I should get better at this as I go.

Things are not so rosey in my sector either. It looks like baby KB or part of it may be parked at Canton Island giving air support to japanese forces which have landed there. Over 16,000 enemy troops are now opposing my 7,000. I'm not sure how much longer Canton can hold out.

As of posting this minute I'm debating whether or not to send Enterprise and Yorktown in to raid the Japanese transports and Baby KB there. My two CVs are only a few hundred miles to the Southeast, having rushed there at full speed from PH. The problem is, if I launch an attack against the enemy ships, my planes may go after the transports instead of the enemy carrier(s) which could prove disasterous. And my CAP of F4Fs may not be able to handle incoming bombers protected by Zeros.

What to do...what to do..? Should I go for the glory or play it safe? [&:]

I'll let you all know when I'm through whether or not I chose to send my CVs in against Baby KB (or what I suspect may only be Ryujo and a CS). [8D]

[center]Batten down the hatches![/center]

Here goes! I've already alerted Team Nippon (The Emporer's Champions) to "brace themselves" for the combat replay (go check out their AAR for the Japanese perspective on the following) so that everyone is ready for some action!

While Chris a/k/a niceguy2005 is trying to hold on desperately to China (see above), CV Enterprise and CV Yorktown are headed straight for the Japanese at Canton Island at full speed coming from the southeast! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they're only up against Ryujo and a CS. I've got every single one of my fighters set on CAP @ 20,000 feet and all my attack planes set on Naval Attack. That's over 50 fighters on defense and over 100 bombers on offense! I'm hoping that while my CAP will be able to hold off enemy attacks, at least some of my bombers will be able to get through the Japanese defenses and get in at least a few hits on his carrier(s). RADM R. A. Spruance is in charge of things from here on out! Below is a screen shot to whet appetites.

We've already lost Lexington to Japanese land based bombers out of Rabaul. We can't afford to loose any more carriers but we also can't afford to let Canton Island go without a fight!


[center]Tune in next time for the blow by blow replay[/center]
[center]in the following morning's news paper![/center]

[center][/center]

looking forward....[8D]