Last Stand at San Diego (no Richard please)

[ADB123]

June 2, 1943 -

There was no Night Action.

Daylight started out with a big Japanese Fighter Sweep over the Brit 2nd Infantry Division in Burma west of Shwebo. One lone Hurricane wandered over and was shot down. This was then followed by an attack by Helens and their escorts. As the Attack hit the Brits I noticed that Toungoo, from where the Air Attacks were originating, was covered with Clouds. I immediately got a Very Bad Feeling about my planned Air Raid on the Air Base at Toungou.

Another smaller Straggler Japanese Helen and Nick attack followed and this time they were met by a half dozen Hurricanes. The Hurricanes got by the Nicks and were able to shoot down one Helen. All-in-all the Japanese Air Attacks were hard, but not critical.

The Allied 2Es and DBs then got into action and hit a Japanese Tank Division on the Road northeast of Katha. The Allied planes got in reasonable hits, considering that the Terrain isn't Clear.

At this point the Air Action switched to Northeastern Australia where I had moved in 4Es and ordered them to hit the Japanese Air Base at Buna. But I was horrified as I saw the Attack set up – the Beaufighters that I had set at the Allied Base on CAP were escorting the 4Es! I hadn't intended this and I didn't realize that the Beaufighters would go so far – their Bomber versions don't have that range!

Sure enough, Luck Was Not On My Side, and the Japanese CAP was Heavy – 45 A6M2s, 16 Tojos and 3 Tonys met the Allied Attackers and shot up the helpless Beaufighters. The 4Es, of course, held their own well and hit the Air Base hard, shooting down some enemy planes as a bonus. But the wasteful loss of those Beaufighters stuck in my gut.

The Action then moved to Northern Australia as 4Es hammered the Air Base at Wyndham again, catching some Japanese planes on the Ground. I suspect that those planes were damaged and couldn't be pulled out. There was no Japanese CAP and the Allied Air Attack worked like clockwork.

There was still no sign of the Big Raid on Toungoo, and I was getting more and more ticked-off, when I suddenly received multiple reports of Japanese Naval Planes over Northwestern Australia. Sure enough, the KB had appeared to the north of Exmouth unannounced, despite the Allied submarines and Naval Air Patrols in the region.

The KB's planes first went after a small and empty Transport TF off of Port Hedland, sinking a small xAP. None of my shore-based CAP attempted to intercept the Japanese Planes. Then another small and empty Transport TF off of Exmouth came under attack by 17 Zeros and 20 Kates, but this time 9 Corsairs and 8 Spitfires showed up on CAP. The Allied Fighters shot down 5 A6M3as and 2 B5N2 Kates, but the remaining Kates got through and sank another small xAP and a small xAK.

Of course, thanks to the Wonderful Design Decision to make LBA attacks against CVs impossible unless there are at least twice as many planes escorting the LBA as there are on CAP over the CVs, none of my well-trained anti-ship LBA units flew.

The Day was Finishing, and I grew slowly more upset with the wash-out of the Toungoo Air Mission when suddenly 24 P-38Es showed up over Toungoo and tangled with 23 Tojos and 42 Oscar IIs. The battle was fairly evenly matched, with 1 Oscar II, 1 Tojo and 1 P-38E shot down.

Then 24 P-38Gs flew in and this time 51 Oscar IIs and 15 Tojos. This time 1 Oscar II and 1 Tojo were shot down without any P-38G losses.

Did this mean that my other Fighter Sweeps and the 4E Mass Attack were on their way?

No, of course not. Yet again I did not get any luck from the Mission Dice Rolls. I get tired of this at times. [8|]

The End-of-Day Air Combat Results were as follows:

K-44-IIa Tojo – 4 A-to-A, 8 Ground
A6M3a Zero – 10 A-to-A, 1 Ground, 1 Ops
B5N2 Kate – 4 A-to-A, 1 Ops
A6M2 Zero – 4 A-to-A, 1 Ops
Ki-61-Ia Tony – 4 Ground
Ki-43-IIa Oscar – 3 A-to-A
Ki-45-KAIa Nick – 2 Ground
Ki-49-IIa Helen – 1 A-to-A

Beaufighter VIc – 10 A-to-A
B-24D1 – 4 A-to-A, 3 Ops
B-24D – 3 A-to-A, 1 Ops
P-38G – 2 A-to-A

[ADB123]

June 3, 1943 -

The Night Phase saw a Japanese sub take a look at an AM that was on its way to Port Hedland, but the sub didn't take a shot. The AM couldn't find the Japanese sub in return.

Daylight brought out a number of Bettys snooping around the Allied TFs at Broome, but none attempted any attacks thanks to the presence of P-38s on CAP. There was no sign of the KB in the region this turn.

The Action then shifted to Burma. First off the mark were the Allied 2Es and DBs which went after the Japanese Armoured unit northeast of Katha repeatedly. Lots of planes attacked; few hit their target.

Then the Allied 4Es got off the ground and headed off to Toungoo. As I watched the map I noticed that the Allied Fighter Bases were Socked In, so there weren't going to be any Fighter Sweeps before the Big Bombers arrived.

First in were 13 B-17Fs, 7 Liberator GRIIIs, 10 Liberator IIs, 14 B-17Es, and 9 B-24Ds. Facing them were 39 Tojos, 43 Oscar IIs, and 11 Tonys. Of course, with the Air Combat Engine at work, the Japanese Fighters struggled to make it into the fight and ended up coming at the 4Es in dribs-and-drabs instead of a cloud of 90 or so Fighters.

Thus the Bomber Crews had a relatively easy time blasting through the Japanese Fighters and hammering the Air Base. Dozens of Japanese planes were damaged or destroyed on the ground and others shot down by the guns of the 4Es.

Next in were 40 B-24D1s. They were met by 35 Tojos, 33 Oscar IIs, and 6 Tonys. Once again the Japanese Fighters struggled to get into position to attack and most were driven off or never found their prey. Never-the-less, this time 1 B-24D1 did get shot down. However, the 4Es once again hammered the Air Base and caught plenty of Japanese planes on the ground.

Then another 20 B-24D1s arrived and were faced by 31 Tojos, 32 Oscar IIs and 3 Tonys. This time very few Japanese Fighters reached the USAAF Bombers and the Air Base was hammered again. However, 1 more B-24D1 was shot down.

Later on, with the Air Base full of craters and wrecked Japanese planes, the Tardy Allied Long Range Fighters finally showed up to perform their Sweep Mission. First in were 10 Corsairs which faced 8 Tojos, 10 Oscar IIs and 2 Tonys. The Marines shot down 1 Oscar II and 2 Tojos. Then 16 P-38Fs showed up, facing 1 Tojo, 3 Oscar IIs and 2 Tony. The Army Air Corp pilots shot down another Oscar II and went home happy.

Finally, way off in the South Pacific, a rookie B-24D Squadron flew a Live Training Mission over Koumac and hit their target nicely. I like Training Rookies on Helpless Targets.

At Days End the Allied Troops at Warazup tried out an Artillery Bombardment. They caused some Japanese casualties, but more importantly, they discovered that Warazup is now only defended by 2 Japanese Infantry Regiments and 1 Mortar Batallion. It looks as if it is time for another assault.

And the 4 Chinese Corps that are besieging the Japanese 2nd Guard Division on the Lashio Road also attempted an Artillery Bombardment. This one didn't work as well as both sides received casualties. I'll have to hold off and think this through some more.

BTW – my opponent only sent the Combat Replay. He is very ticked-off at the success of my 4Es and unhappy with his inability to do anything significant to stop them. I replied that I “understood his pain” because I am also playing 2 Japanese pbems, and I know first hand how it feels to have bases blasted into sub-atomic particles by waves of 4Es.

But, as so many folks have told me and others who have questioned the AE Air Combat Model, “that's how things go”...

[ADB123]

June 3, 1943 – Final Report

My opponent has been Really Busy with Real Life, so it took him until this evening to find the time to do the turn. He is still grumbling about having lots of damaged planes, but as I pointed out to him, I've had that happen to me at isolated bases where I didn't have railroads to remove damaged Air Units.

The End-of-Day Air Combat results thus aren't terrible for my opponent, and fortunately not for me either, primarily because my 4Es weren't flying very far. Distance is the Most Dangerous Opponent in this Game.

K-44-IIa Tojo – 6 A-to-A, 20 Ground
Ki-43-IIa Oscar – 3 A-to-A, 12 Ground, 2 Ops
Ki-61-Ia Tony – 1 A-to-A

Liberator GR III – 1 A-to-A, 1 Ops
B24D – 1 Ops
B-17E – 1 Ops
Liberator II – 1 Ops

Toungoo is no where near being closed, and my Bomber Squadrons are in quite good shape, so I left their orders the same for the next turn. The change for the next turn is that I've ordered more Fighters to fly Sweeps.

Elsewhere, the KB vanished into the Indian Ocean. I'm keeping my TFs Close to Base, my Fighters on Full Alert, and my Bombers on LR Search. We'll see if my opponent risks more Naval Air against my LBA.

Otherwise its more Logistics Wars in the South Pacific, but I should be able to make a move forward soon enough.

[ADB123]

June 4, 1943 -

There was no Night Action.

Daylight saw some Secondary Air Action as Chinese bombers attempted and failed to hit the Japanese Guard Division on the Lashio Road, Allied 2Es and DBs attacked but for the most part failed to hit a Japanese Tank Division on the road northeast of Katha, and Bettys and Nells buzzed around the Allied TFs at Broome but didn't attack thanks to the presence of P-38s on CAP.

The Real Action was over Toungoo again as my opponent decided to Stick Around and Fight It Out.

One thing to keep in mind is that the quantities of Fighters on CAP that I list below come from the Combat Replay summary for each encounter. As such, those are totals and not how many Fighters met the Allied Planes at one time. In every case the Japanese planes flew in to attack in dribs and drabs, which made the Allied job much easier. Another thing to keep in mind is that the Flak at Toungoo is actually pretty heavy right now, even with my Bombers flying in at 8K feet. My opponent has obviously thrown a number of AA units into the fray.

The one thing that my opponent hasn't realized, I think, is that I'm not bothering to send Escorts with the 4Es. Instead my Fighter Squadrons are strictly going in on High Alt Sweeps. This means that I not only don't care about coordination, but in fact I like to see as many separate attacks as possible because each later one has fewer Enemy Fighters to face.

And in the end, what is Really Important is that my Air Attacks are tying up the Japanese Air Force over Toungoo while my LCUs move forward unmolested. At the same time, this also means that the Allied 2Es and DBs get Free Shots at Enemy LCUs. So it doesn't really matter that my opponent has 400 or so planes in the region, he isn't using them Offensively, which is what I want.

Okay, on to the Day's Attacks on Toungoo, which went pretty much as I had hoped. BTW – I have my Corsairs and P-38Fs at the closest base, my P-38Es and Fs at the next closest base, and my 4Es at the third closest base. But all three bases are withing Normal Attack Range for the planes that are there, so this optimizes the effectiveness of the attacks.

First in were 17 F-38Fs which found themselves flying over 44 Tojos and 56 Oscar IIs. The Lightnings got to dive down and attack small clusters of Enemy Fighters, then zoom away. The Lightnings shot down 1 Oscar and 1 Tojo for the loss of 1 P-38F.

Next in were 8 Corsairs that found 33 Tojos and 42 Oscar IIs buzzing around. The Marines repeated the attack of their USAAF collegues but this time shot down 3 Oscars and 1 Tojo for the loss of 1 Corsair.

Then the first 4E attack flew in – 29 B-24D1s, 4 Liberator GRIIIs, 7 Liberator IIs and 14 B-17Fs. They were faced by 20 Tojos and 28 Oscar IIs. The 4Es blasted through the Japanese Fighters, shooting down a Tojo, damaging many more, and then hammering the Air Base where they destroyed 4 Oscars and 2 Tojos on the Ground, and damaging many more. Only 1 B-24D1 was lost.

This was followed by 4 more waves of single squadrons of 4Es: 11 B-17Es which were followed by 10 B-24D1s, which were followed by 15 more B-24D1s, which were followed by 9 more B-24D1s. In each case the quantity of Japanese Fighter on CAP went down and the Bombers were able to hit their target with more and more ease. More Japanese planes were shot down or destroyed and damaged on the Ground.

The last Bomber Attack was followed by 2 P-38Fs which flew in on a Straggler's Attack. They found 4 Tojos and 3 Oscars in the Air and shot down 1 Tojo. Then 21 P-38Es Swept in and found 11 Nicks and 6 Tojos on CAP. The Nicks must have flown over from a neighboring base. The P-38E pilots feasted on the Nicks, shooting down 3 in quick succession while 1 P-38E was shot down by a Tojo.

Finally, 23 P-38Gs flew in and found only 1 Nick and 3 Tojos on CAP. The Gs jumped the Japanese planes, shooting down the Nick and one Tojo with no losses to the USAAF pilots.

Unfortunately, my opponent is busy with Real Life again this evening, so he couldn't send the Turn along with the Combat Replay. So I'll have to wait another day before I see the End-of-Day Totals and decide if I send my Forces for a third consecutive day after Toungoo.

[ADB123]

June 4, 1943 – Final Report -

The End-of-Day Air Combat Table was the first thing I looked at when I opened the turn. The results were quite encouraging:

Ki-43-IIa Oscar – 9 A-to-A, 12 Ground, 5 Ops
Ki-44-IIa Tojo – 13 A-to-A, 6 Ground, 1 Ops
Ki-45 KAIa Nick – 6 A-to-A, 2 Ops

P-38F – 1 A-to-A, 2 Ops
B-24D1 – 2 Flak, 1 Ops
F4U-1 – 1 A-to-A, 1 Ops
P-38E – 2 A-to-A
B-17E – 1 Ops
Liberator GRIII – 1 Ops

What this doesn't tell is the story of the damaged planes. About half of my Air Attack Force is damaged right now, so I decided to take a break and rest the Bombers and Fighters. All of the Japanese Air Bases in Southern Burma are damaged – some heavily – so I don't expect a Counter-Attack next turn. And if there is, the Brits can handle that.

The Big News this turn is that the Brit 2nd Infantry Division is at Shwebo right now. There are 4 Japanese LCUs there – I will find out what sort of units via Air Recon and Bombing by Allied 2Es.

In other Interesting News – there are now only 2 Japanese LCUs at Warazup, so my opponent continues to pull out bit-by-bit. So I set most of my Air Transports in the region to drop supplies to the Allied Troops at Warazup. As soon as those Troops have their Supply back into the White I'll have them attack again. In the meanwhile I ordered the DBs and some 2Es to attack the Japanese Troops at Warazup again.

In Other News – the KB continued to be absent near Northwestern Oz. The only things I have sailing in the Region are Submarine TFs, so I'm not too concerned at this time if the KB has headed home or if it is still in the area.

And SIGINT reported a very Odd Radio Signal, supposedly of some Japanese xAK, but coming a half dozen hexes south-west of San Diego. Is there a Japanese Sub or some sort of Combat TF hanging around the Wormhole south of San Diego? Just In Case, I ordered the Air Units in Southern California on Full Alert. We'll see if they can spot anything. I also disbanded the Fuel Transport TF that I was about to send to Hawaii. I'll wait to see what is up before they venture out.

[ADB123]

June 5, 1943 -

There was no Night Action, which is very good from my p.o.v. because once again it meant that there were no Japanese Fast TFs interfering with my various Transport TFs at the Fronts.

Daylight brought the DBs out over Warazup, where in a rare occurrence most actually found their Target. The DBs were followed by 2Es which also for the most part, found their Target. Afterwards Air Recon and SIGINT reported that there is now only 1 Japanese LCU left at Warazup. So definitely – once the Supply Levels are White again the Troops are going to Attack.

BTW – in something of an experiment, I had a Squadron of Hurricane IId Fighter Bombers attempt to Strafe the Troops at Warazup. The IIds didn't hit anything. Although I am giving them a Second Chance next Turn, I suspect that I will eventually set them back on Back-Water CAP.

While the Air Attack on the Japanese Troops at Warazup was encouraging, the 2E Air Attacks on the Japanese Troops at Shwebo were absolutely amazing. The Attacks caused very high casualty rates including many Destroyed Squads. Those Japanese LCUs must be very low on Supplies. The Brit 2nd Infantry is actually well in the White for Supply, but I am going to wait a while until I attack. I want my Bombers to weaken the Japanese Troops even more.

And while the Japanese were waiting for The Other Shoe to Drop, the Allied 4Es Squadrons rested while their Planes were getting repaired. I'm hoping to lull my opponent into sending more Planes into the Danger Zone before I send out the 4Es again.

Elsewhere, things were generally quiet, other than Bettys buzzing over the Allied TFs at and near Broome. The P-38 CAP shot down one of the Bettys on LR Search, so that ought to help discourage the activity a bit.

Otherwise, it continues to be a matter of Build and Prepare. What I intend to do is an early-1942-type Japanese-style multi-Front move so that my opponent can't concentrate overwhelming Force in any single location. The Big Difference will be that the Advance will be accompanied by Very Large Numbers of Engineers.

We shall see.

[ADB123]

June 6, 1943 – Interim Report –

My opponent is tied-up with Real Life again so he was only able to send the Combat Replay this evening.

The Night Phase saw a USN ASW Hunter-Killer TF run into a Japanese RO-boat southwest of Nadi. The Japanese sub got off 4 torpedoes first, but they all missed and then it was the turn of the DDs. The USN Destroyers hammered the Japanese sub, claiming 8 hits. That sub is likely to be limping home if it doesn’t go down.

Daylight started out with PB4Y-1s hitting the Japanese Troops at Noumea. It appears that there is only a Naval Guard unit there along with a Base Force of some sort. B-24Ds also hit the Air Base at Koumac.

Action then shifted to China where Japanese Army Bombers hit the Air Base at Hengyang. A number of Japanese Fighter Squadrons also flew Sweeps over the Base, but I don’t have any CAP there. I’m not sure what my opponent hopes to gain from this sort of occasional attack, other than a bit of Experience for his Pilots.

It was then time for the Allied Air Attacks in Burma. Dive Bombers hit the Japanese Infantry Regiment at Warazup again this turn, while 2Es once again really hammered the Japanese LCUs at Shwebo. The Hurricane IIds also attempted another Strafing Run at Warazup, but it was as useless as the last time. So those Fighter Bombers are going back on CAP next turn.

At the end of the day the Japanese LCUs at Shwebo attempted an Artillery Bombardment on the British 2nd Infantry Division:

Ground combat at Shwebo (59,45)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 10844 troops, 145 guns, 50 vehicles, Assault Value = 373

Defending force 10636 troops, 304 guns, 302 vehicles, Assault Value = 346

Japanese ground losses:
34 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


Allied ground losses:
5 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


Assaulting units:
112th Infantry Regiment
55th Cavalry Regiment
20th/B Division
20th/C Division
3rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
10th JAAF AF Coy

Defending units:
2nd British Division

What the details from the Combat Report don’t tell is that those Japanese units are all fragments with low AVs. They are likely badly disrupted and low on Supply. They will get even more disrupted as the Allied Bombers continue to hit them and their Supply situation will get even worse once the other Allied LCUs in the Region start to cut the Rail Line.

[ADB123]

June 7, 1943 – Interim Report -

I didn't write a Final Report for June 6 because I didn't find anything I didn't already expect in the Turn. This evening my opponent once again only had time to send the Combat Replay.

The June 7 Night Phase brought Good News from Luganville as USS Rasher put a torpedo into IJN CA Atago. Rasher was subsequently hit a few times by the Japanese DDs that were there with Atago, but I don't think that the damage to the sub is bad.

Atago was accompanied by CA Takao, CL Yuri and 3 DDs. Just what were they doing there – Fast Transporting in Supplies, Fast Transporting out Troops, or staging for a Raid towards Suva? In any event, Rasher's torpedo ought to interfere nicely with whatever the Japanese were planning. Just in case I'll set my Navy 4Es on Low Alt Naval Attack next turn, just in case they can find an Interesting Target.

Daylight brought Rain all over Burma. Allied 2Es and DBs attempted to attack the Japanese Infantry Regiment at Warazup, but all of the attacks missed except for the final DB Squadron. None of the other Planned Attacks flew, including the continuation of the Shwebo Air Campaign.

The Japanese Troops at Shwebo attempted another Artillery Bombardment this turn. Things turned out even worse this time for the Japanese as the British Counter-Battery Fire caused a large number of casualties among the Japanese Troops while the Japanese bombardment caused minimal casualties for the Brits.

[ADB123]

June 8, 1943 –

The Night saw USS Haddock put another torpedo into IJN Atago as the cruiser attempted to depart from Luganville. Haddock got away from the Japanese escorts and came back a little to while to launch more torpedoes at the damaged CA but missed. Again Haddock got away from the Escorts and it appeared that Atago sailed off into the night. That is a very tough ship.

Daylight started out with the Chinese Air Force attempted to bomb a Japanese Artillery Regiment on the Lashio Road, but missing.

Action then moved to Warazup where British Vengeance DBs hammered the Japanese Infantry Regiment there, but British 2Es missed the target.

Then the Big Air Attack came as 2Es and 4Es hammered the Japanese Troops at Shwebo twice, causing huge numbers of casualties.

But the Japanese Air Force came back to hit an Indian Artillery Regiment that is out in the open to the west of Mandalay. The Indian Unit is now blocking some of the Rail Road lines, but the Main Line is still open.

For the next turn I’ve kept the 2Es set to hit Shwebo, but I’ve got the 4Es Airbase-hunting again. This time they will hit Pegu because I suspect that my opponent has moved some of his Air Force there.

I’m taking a bit of a risk next time as I’ve sat down most of my Fighter units in the Indo-Burma region. The pilots, particularly the Brits, have been building up Fatigue and they need to rest for a bit. It will be interesting to see how long I get away with this.

Elsewhere, the Allied Bases in Northern Oz are being regularly Reconned by the Japanese, but there is no sign of Japanese offensive action at this time in the region. And in the South Pacific it appears that the Japanese are pulling out of Luganville. In any event, I ought to be able to start to move forward in that region within a week.

And in Other News, dozens and dozens of US subs came back from Upgrades and are now heading out to swarm the Kuriles, the Japanese Home Islands, the Central Pacific, and the DEI. We’ll see if other subs can be as lucky as the Rasher and the Haddock.

[ADB123]

June 9, 1943 -

There was no Night Action this turn. IJN Atago either escaped from the hordes of subs that I ordered to the area around its last reported position, or else SIGINT actually told the truth last time when it reported the CA sunk. Somehow, I suspect that Atago got away.

Daylight brought an unusual occurrence – all of the British Vengence DBs attacked the Japanese Infantry Regiment at Warazup simultaneously, and they actually found the Target! Then several 2E squadrons flew in and one of them found the Target too.

Then came the confirmation of my guess last turn as the Allied 4Es flew in to hit Pegu and found Japanese planes on CAP and on the Ground.

First in were 26 B-24D1s and 16 B-17Fs. They were met by 1 Oscar IIa, 36 A6M3as, and 43 Tojos. The Japanese fighters straggled in to the battle with a number of them only engaging the 4Es on the way out. The 4Es fought well, shooting down 1 Zero and 1 Oscar and destroying 3 more Oscars and a Tojo on the Ground.

Next in were 24 more B-24D1s. They faced 36 Tojos and 29 A6M3as. Once again the 4Es shot up the Japanese fighters and hit the Air Base well, shooting down a Zero and a Tojo and destroying another Tojo and 2 more Oscars on the Ground. However, 2 B-24D1s were shot down on the way out.

Another 16 B-24D1s followed and faced 9 Zeros and 18 Tojos. This bomber squadron shot down a Zero on the way in and destroyed another on the Ground and also a Tojo.

Finally, 11 more B-24D1s flew in against 9 Tojos and 4 A6M3as. A Zero and a Tojo were shot down and one more of each were destroyed on the Ground.

The End-of-Day Report was very satisfying:

Ki-44-IIa Tojo – 6 A-to-A, 8 Ground, 2 Ops
Ki-43-IIa Oscar – 1 A-to-A, 12 Ground
A6M3a Zero – 5 A-to-A, 1 Ground, 1 Ops

B-24D1 – 5 A-to-A, 2 Ops

A couple of Helens and a Sally were also lost to Ops this turn, likely due to flying them out of Burma. And a US sub actually shot down a Betty near Japan.

There were no Japanese Air Attacks this turn. I had guessed this would happen so I didn't fly LR CAP over the Allied Troops in Burma this turn. The Fighter Squadrons in Burma are making good use of their Rest Period and I don't want to wear them down more if I don't need to do so.

Elsewhere, Japanese Long Range Bombers and Recon planes flew over the Allied-controlled bases in Northern Oz again. A small TF off of Exmouth reported seeing a Japanese “Dive Bomber”, which might mean that the KB has come back, but I doubt it. Usually when an Allied TF is spotted by a KB plane the KB's Air Units come in for an attack immediately afterwards.

And finally, the Allied Troops at Warazup are fully supplied again so I have ordered them to attempt a Shock Attack next turn to see if they can kick out that remaining Japanese Infantry Regiment.

BTW – the Chinese NCAC Division ought to cut the Rail Line northeast of Katha next turn. That ought to stir an even bigger hornets nest in Burma.

[ADB123]

June 10, 1943 -

There was no Night Action.

Daylight brought out Japanese Fighters on Long Range Sweeps over the British 2nd Division at Shwebo. There was no CAP since I was resting my Fighters. The Sweeps were followed by several Japanese 2E attacks on the Brits. The attacks didn't appear to cause too much damage so I wasn't concerned about them.

The Allied Warazup Air Attacks were then Rained-Out. That was frustratingly Bad Luck for me since I had set the Allied troops at Warazup to do a Shock Attack this turn and I wanted the Japanese Infantry Regiment at the base to have as much Disruption as possible.

At this point the Unescorted Allied 2Es flew in to attack the Japanese troops at Shwebo. Sure enough, a dozen Tojos showed up on LR CAP. The Wellingtons and B-25s fought off the Tojos well, but one Blenheim VD squadron got caught by the Japanese fighters and was decimated, despite there being several other 2E squadrons flying in on the same attack. It was as if the Blenheim VD squadron had fallen behind the rest and was pounced upon by the Japanese fighters.

Despite the Japanese Fighter attacks, the 2E attacks got through and hit the Japanese troops at Shwebo repeatedly, albeit without the devastating effect seen in the previous two turns.

At this point the Air Effort was complete with little else happening except for Japanese LR Bombers flying over the Northern Australian bases.

Then came the Land Combat, and first up was a Japanese Shock Attack at Shwebo. I was pretty confident because the Japanese troops had been hammered so often and so hard, and also the Japanese AVs shown during the Combat Replay were quite low. So I was shocked and really ticked off when the Japanese achieved a 4:1 result and kicked the Brits out of Shwebo, inflicting heavy casualties.

Afterwards the Combat Report showed that the Brits defence was reduced due to Disruption and Fatigue. (They hadn't shown much fatigue before or after.) But the Japanese troops also showed reduced offensive capability due to Disruption, Fatigue and Low Supplies. But the Boost that they got from the Shock Attack, combined with the Penalties that the Brits suffered during the Attack, were enough to overcome all of the Japanese shortfalls.

So, likely thanks to my decisions to:

a – sit down my Fighters

and

b – not send out the 4Es

my opponent got a great dice roll.

What a P.I.T.A.

It was then the turn of the Allied Troops at Warazup. They also got a 4:1 result, but because the Forts at Warazup were still at Level 4, the Attack only reduced the Forts to Level 0 and the Japanese Infantry Regiment held on to control of the base.

I can't help but wonder if another good Air Attack like last turn would have weakened the Japanese Troops enough to push the Attack to 5:1. But that was just another Bad Dice Roll for me.

So my troops at Warazup now will have to wait around to have more Supplies flown in before they can attack once more. Fortunately, the Allied losses at Warazup were minimal.

In the meantime, the Brit 2nd Div is going to play Guerilla Force in Central Burma.

And the Chinese NCAC Division finally made it and cut the Rail Line northeast of Katha. Japanese Troops are on their way to engage the Chinese, but the Chinese are in rough terrain which should help them hold on until more Allied Forces can get through the Jungle and Mountains to the Central Plains.

And All of the Allied Fighter Squadrons are back on Patrol again, and as well the 4Es are flying next turn too.

In other news, Japanese TFs have been spotted at Luganville again. I have 4 submarines there, but none of the subs spotted any of the Japanese TFs.

Finally, SIGINT reported a Radio Signal down at 19, 171. It looks as if the KB is hunting around the “Gary Grigsby Line” in search of Transport TFs. [8|]

[ADB123]

June 11, 1943 -

There was no Night Action this turn.

Daylight started out Dark as Bad Weather rained out most Allied Bombing Missions. The only planes that flew were the DBs and 2Es that were sent out to hit the Japanese Infantry Regiment at Warazup. And for a change they actually did hit their target. Of course, this was a day late.

So the rest of the Japanese Targets in Burma were given a day to rest. I left the Orders in place for the next turn.

An Indian Artillery Regiment decided to retreat on its own without coming in contact with the Enemy. But its retreat took it into a base hex that contains an enemy unit. There were 5 other directions that the Indian unit could have gone, and none of those had been previously occupied by any enemy troops, but one wouldn't expect the AI to do anything rational in this situation.

Elsewhere, multiple enemy TFs continue to hang around Luganville. The 4 US submarines at the Port continue to be unable to spot any of those enemy TFs, despite constant and effective US Air Recon of the base.

[ADB123]

June 12, 1943 –

There was no Night Action again.

Daylight saw 23 A6M3s Sweep over the skies of Broome at High Altitude. The 24 P-38G pilots on CAP over Broome collectively shrugged their shoulders, armed their guns, flew up to meet the now somewhat out-of-date A6M3s, and proceeded to shoot up the Japanese fighters, claiming 3 kills versus one P-38G lost. Interestingly enough, this attack was not followed up by a Japanese Bomber attack. Perhaps my opponent was only hoping to “open a hole” into which his anti-ship LBA could eventually fly against the Allied TFs at Broome.

Later on in the Afternoon however, the morning Japanese Air Attack on Broome was paid back by a visit by US Liberators over the skies of Wyndham, where 15 B24D1s and 8 B-24Ds flew in and faced 6 A6M3as and 26 A6M3s. The US Heavies blasted past the Japanese Fighters, shooting down 1 A6M3a, and destroying 3 more on the ground while hammering the Air Base. Only 1 US bomber was lost.

Things didn’t go as well in Burma where 2Es and DBs hit the Japanese troops at Warazup, and Allied 2Es hit the Japanese troops at Shwebo very hard, but once again the 4Es and Long Range Fighter sweeps didn’t fly. So I’ve given up on the previous Target and I ordered the 4Es and Lightnings to hit Rangoon again.

Never-the-less, the End-of-Day results were much better than the previous day:

A6M3 – 5 A-to-A, 3 Ops
A6M3a – 1 A-to-A, 4 ground

P-38G – 1 A-to-A
B-24D1 – 1 A-to-A
B-24D – 1 Ops

The Japanese also lost a couple of Tojos to Ops, so my opponent must be moving Fighter squadrons around again.

So Burma continues to be jumbled up with Allied and Japanese LCUs maneuvering for position all along the Front. The Indian Artillery unit that Retreated into Trouble last turn retreated again this turn, but this time into a fairly safe spot where they are disrupting Japanese lines, so I’m reasonably satisfied. And at Warazup the Supply Situation is slowly improving, so I hope to be able to stage another Assault within a few more days.

And in the South Pacific, my first move was set into motion…

[ADB123]

June 13, 1943 -

There was no Night Action again this turn.

Daylight brought out the Allied Air Attacks on Rangoon, and the results were quite bloody.

First in were 25 P38Es who were faced by 9 Tonys, 42 Oscar IIs, 32 A6M3as, and 49 Tojos. The USAAF pilots held their own against the Enemy planes, shooting down 1 Tony, 2 Oscars and 2 Tojos, while 4 Lightnings were shot down.

Next in were 25 P-38Gs who faced 6 Tonys, 31 Oscar IIs, 30 A6M3as, and 35 Tojos. The Japanese Fighters were more ready this time and shot down 3 Lightnings while losing none of their own.

The 4Es started to come in next. The first wave saw 3 B-17Fs, 12 Liberator IIs and 64 B-24D1s blast through 5 Tonys, 29 Oscar IIs, 27 A6M3as and 32 Tojos. The Bomber crews shot down 1 Oscar, 1 Zero and 1 Tojo while hammering the Air Base and destroying 2 Dinahs on the Ground.

This was followed by 11 more B-17Fs which faced 1 Tony, 18 Oscars, 18 M6M3as, and 29 Tojos. The Forts blasted through, shooting down 1 A6M3a and hitting the Air Base hard again.

Then 8 more B-24D1s flew in and faced 1 Tony, 9 Oscars, 8 A6M3as, and 19 Tojos. The Liberators hit the Air Base hard but one was shot down on the way out.

Finally, much later on 12 more B-24D1s flew in and faced 1 Tony, 8 Oscar IIs, 3 A6M3as, and 13 Tojos. The Liberators shot down 1 Tojo on the way in and hit the Air Base again.

Elsewhere in Burma, DBs and 2Es hit the Japanese Troops at Warazup, and 2Es hammered the Japanese troops at Shwebo. The Japanese Air Force was tied-up with the Rangoon Raids and there were no Japanese Air presence anywhere else in Burma.

The Action then moved to Northern Australia where 4Es attacked Wyndham again from the South and from the West.

First in were 23 B-24D1s and 27 B-17Es. They faced 28 A6M3as. The Bombers blasted through to hit the Air Base hard, destroying 3 A6M3as and 4 A6M3s on the Ground.

Then 6 More B-17Es flew in and blasted past 9 A6M3as. This attack destroyed another A6M3a on the Ground.

This was followed by 11 B-24D1s and 11 B-24Ds which blasted past 5 A6M3as, destroying 1 on the ground along with 1 A6M3.

The final attack was by 7 B-24Ds which found only 2 A6M3as in the Air to face them. The Liberators destroyed another A6M3 on the Ground.

After all that Air Action, a couple of Japanese Armoured units attempted an Artillery Attack on the NCAC Corps on the road to Myitkyina. There was no effect and neither side took any loses.

The End-of-Day results weren't as good as they might have been because of the strong showing by the Japanese Air Force against the Lightnings over Rangoon. But the Objective of stopping the JAAF from interfering with Allied Operations in Burma and Northern Oz was achieved:

A6M3a – 2 A-to-A, 8 Ground, 4 Ops
A6M3 – 8 Ground
Tojo – 5 A-to-A, 1 Ground
Oscar IIa – 5 A-to-A
Tony – 1 A-to-A, 2 Ops
Dinah – 4 Ground

P-38G – 7 A-to-A, 1 Ops
P-38E – 7 A-to-A, 1 Ops
B-24D1 – 2 A-to-A, 2 Ops
B-17F – 3 A-to-A, 1 Ops
B-17E – 2 A-to-A

I've had to sit down the two Lightning Squadrons, but the 4Es will be going out again next turn.

[ADB123]

June 14, 1943 –

The Night brought something new to the War – an Allied Fast Transport TF landed some troops on the empty island of Tanna. There are a number of empty or near-empty Japanese occupied bases in the South Pacific, and I intend to start to take them back and build them up with the hordes of Engineers that I have.

Daylight brought out the Chinese Bombers over the Japanese troops on the Lashio Road, but it also brought out 13 Tojos on LR CAP. There were 10 P-43A-1s on Escort which took the brunt of the Japanese Fighter Attack. Most of the Chinese Bombers got through, but they missed their target. From now on I am going to use them for Recon since they can’t be counted upon for real combat roles.

Next came DB and 2E attacks on Warazup, and Tojos showed up there too. British Hurricanes were on Escort Duty so they kept the Japanese Fighters away from the Bombers, but again at a cost.

Allied 2Es continued to Raid across Burma, attacking the Japanese Armoured units that are engaged with the NCAC Corps on the Myitkyina Road without any Japanese CAP interfering. But Oscar IIs showed up over the Indian Artillery Regiment to the west of Mandalay and fought it out with the Hurricane Escorts. Once again the Bombers got through.

Finally the 4Es attacked the Air Base at Rangoon again. Several Waves of Big Bombers flew in against a mix of Japanese Fighters. The Bombers kept on getting through to hit the Air Base hard – destroying Japanese planes in the Air and on the Ground.

One interesting result of the presence of Japanese Fighters on LR CAP is that one of the many Air Transport Squadrons that has been dropping Supplies to the Allied Troops at Warazup was intercepted and driven off by some residual Japanese CAP.

Then the Air Action turned to Australia where two waves of 4Es flew in and hammered the Air Base at Wyndham. This time there was no Japanese CAP so the Big Bombers had a Field Day destroying Japanese planes on the Ground.

The End-of-Day Air Combat Results were as follows:

A6M3a – 1 A-to-A, 31 Ground
Ki-44-IIa Tojo – 9 A-to-A, 7 Ops
Ki-43-IIa Oscar – 8 A-to-A, 6 Ops
Ki-46-II Dinah – 3 Ground, 1 Ops
A6M3 – 2 Ground

Hurricane IIc – 9 A-to-A, 5 Ops
P-43A-1 Lancer – 8 A-to-A
B-24D1 – 4 A-to-A, 3 Ops
SB-III – 2 A-to-A, 1 Ops
B-17E – 1 Ops
Hurricane FRIIb – 1 A-to-A

I’m attaching a picture of the Air Loss Totals ranked by total losses. It is an interesting picture.

The end of the Air Phase saw the Indian Artillery Unit kicked out of its position west of Mandalay by a Japanese Armoured Recon LCU. Then the Japanese Armoured units on the Myitkyina Road attempted another Artillery Bombardment of the NCAC Corps but once again there was no result.

My feeling is that the LR CAP Tojos in Burma were flying from Lashio, so I am trying to get the 4Es to hit the Air Base at Lashio next turn. For some reason it is hard to get them to fly there.

[ADB123]

June 15, 1943 -

There was no Night action.

Daylight brought out Allied Bombers all over Burma, but the Japanese Air Force stayed home.

The Japanese Infantry Regiment at Warazup was hit by DBs and 2Es. The Japanese Armoured Units that a facing the NCAC Corps on the Myitkyina Road were hit by 2Es. The Japanese Recon Unit heading towards Mandalay was hit by 2Es. And the Air Base at Lashio was hammered by 4Es, but there were no Japanese planes there to catch on the Ground.

Afterwards, Air Recon and SIGINT reported that most Japanese bases in Burma were devoid of Enemy planes, but I doubt that condition will stay that way for very long.

In Australia 4Es hit the Air Base at Wyndham again and destroyed another couple of A6M3as and an A6M3 on the Ground. There was no Enemy CAP. And for a change of pace, other 4Es hit the Air Base at Katherine. There was no Enemy CAP there either.

At the end of the day USS S-40 put a torpedo into an xAK off of Port Blair. The xAK was in a fairly sizable Transport TF that appears to be headed for Rangoon, likely full of Supplies. The xAK didn't go down and is now attempting to reach one of the Coastal Bases off of Southern Burma.

And the 1st Fiji Commandos captured Tanna this turn. I'll FT in a Port Services Unit next, and after that bring in a SeaBee unit. It will be interesting to see if my opponent attempts to oppose my moves in the South Pacific.

[ADB123]

June 16, 1943 –

The Night Phase saw USS Skipjack chased by a Japanese SC near Singapore. Skipjack was hit once and slightly damaged.

Daylight brought Air Patrol Reports of Enemy Ships off of Perth. Sure enough, a Japanese TF was offshore between Perth and Geraldton – it looked like Japanese CVs had returned.

But to my Great Amazement (!!!) Allied LBA took off and attacked the Japanese TF:

Morning Air attack on TF, near Perth at 46,145

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 40 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 9
A6M3a Zero x 39
F1M2 Pete x 12

Allied aircraft
Beaufort VIII x 4
Kittyhawk III x 22

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 1 destroyed
F1M2 Pete: 3 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Beaufort VIII: 2 destroyed
Kittyhawk III: 5 destroyed

And what was even more amazing, no Japanese Air Attacks flew from that CV TF, despite there being a couple of slow Allied Transport TFs up to the north.

The action then moved to Burma where Allied DBs and 2Es hit the Japanese Infantry Regiment at Warazup again, Allied 2Es hit Japanese Armour on the Myitkyina Road and the Recon unit near Mandalay, and 4Es hammered the Air Base at Myitkyina. No Japanese CAP showed up anywhere, and Air Recon and SIGINT couldn’t find any signs of Japanese planes anywhere in Burma. (Yeah, sure…)

And as a bonus, P-38s flying over Broome shot down an Irving.

At the end of the turn a third of a Japanese Infantry Division attempted an Artillery Attack on an Allied Tank Brigade and an Artillery Regiment southwest of Kalemyo, but there was no effect.

The End-of-Day Air Combat Results were as follows:

F1M2 Pete – 7 A-to-A, 1 Ops
A6M3a Zero – 1 A-to-A

Kittyhawk III – 8 A-to-A
Beafort VIII – 4 A-to-A

So with the Japanese CV TF sticking around close to shore I moved a LOT of LBA to Geraldton, where I have a Level 9 Air Base, Lots of Air Support, and an Air HQ. If those Japanese ships don’t move offshore I may finally get a chance to do some damage to the IJN.

[ADB123]

June 17, 1943 –

The Night Phase started in an ordinary manner as USS Perch was chased by a Japanese SC near Singapore. Perch was slightly damaged by the attack.

Then the Big Surprise came:

Night Naval bombardment of Perth at 49,147 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
Beaufort VIII: 2 destroyed on ground

465 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
BB Hyuga, Shell hits 32, on fire
BB Ise, Shell hits 4
BB Yamashiro
BB Mutsu
CA Kako
CA Furutaka
CA Kinugasa
CA Aoba, Shell hits 3, on fire
CA Tone, Shell hits 1
CL Kinu, Shell hits 3

Allied ground losses:
248 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Non Combat: 6 destroyed, 28 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 10 disabled
Guns lost 9 (1 destroyed, 8 disabled)

Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 18
Port hits 1

Freemantle Fortress firing at BB Hyuga
BB Hyuga firing at Freemantle Fortress
Freemantle Fortress firing at BB Ise
BB Ise firing at Freemantle Fortress
BB Yamashiro firing at Perth
BB Mutsu firing at 9th Australian Division
CA Kako firing at 9th Australian Division
Freemantle Fortress firing at CA Furutaka
CA Furutaka firing at Freemantle Fortress
CA Kinugasa firing at 9th Australian Division
CA Aoba firing at Freemantle Fortress
Freemantle Fortress firing at CA Aoba
Freemantle Fortress firing at CA Tone
CA Tone firing at Freemantle Fortress
CL Kinu firing at Freemantle Fortress
Freemantle Fortress firing at CL Kinu


Somehow my opponent had brought a Naval Bombardment TF down to hit Perth. I had been occupied by the presence of the CV TF offshore last turn, but I definitely did not see or receive any reports about a Bombardment TF tagging along. Fortunately, Freemantle Fortress fought back well; several of the attacking ships will be spending Port Time in Soerabaja or Singapore. Also, my opponent forgot to set some Float Planes to Night Recon – perhaps they were on CAP.

I’m still kicking myself a bit – I’ve got plenty of PTs in the region, but I never expected my opponent to Bombard Perth. Perth isn’t even my main base in the Region – Geraldton fills that roll. I also didn’t have any mines in place, but then, that’s a Design Decision, so there wasn’t much I could do even if I wanted to lay some at Perth. So few mines, so many bases.

To make things a little more irritating, the following happened right afterwards:

Sub attack near Perth at 46,145

Japanese Ships
CV Zuikaku
CA Chokai
CA Chikuma
CL Sendai
CS Chitose
DD Yukikaze
DD Ayanami
DD Uranami

Allied Ships
SS Hake

SS Hake launches 6 torpedoes at CV Zuikaku
DD Ayanami fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Uranami fails to find sub and abandons search
Escort abandons search for sub


Hake hit Zuikaku with a dud. However, this sighting, combined with the lack of Air Action from the Japanese CVs last turn makes me suspect that the CVs were only along to provide LR CAP over the Bombardment TF.

Daylight showed the Japanese TFs retiring to the West under Rain Clouds; they were already far enough away that there was no repeat of yesterday’s LBA strike, despite the increased numbers of Allied Fighters and Bombers in the area. So the Action returned to Burma again.

The IJAAF finally showed up again as 101 Helens, escorted by 32 Oscar IIas flew in to attack the NCAC Corps on the Myitkyina Road. The Japanese planes were met by 10 Hurricane IIcs on CAP. The Oscars kept the Hurricanes away from the Japanese Bombers but the overall effect of the Raid was fairly minimal. Now Fighter losses were reported for either side.

This was followed by 27 more Helens, this time escorted by 22 Oscar IIbs. The Japanese planes were met by 8 Hurricanes. An Oscar IIb was shot down and the Bomber attack had a minimal effect again.

Next came the Allied Air Attacks. The Japanese Infantry Regiment at Warazup was hammered repeatedly by Dive Bombers and 2Es, as were the Japanese Armoured units that were engaged with the NCAC Corp. And once again the Japanese Recon unit received its share of Bombs as it attempts to regain the relative safety of Mandalay.

BTW – for those folks who believe that Japanese LCUs are helpless in the face of Air Attacks and don’t have any effective AA, take a glance at the following:

Afternoon Air attack on 3rd Tank Division, at 62,42

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 45 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 16
Hurricane IIb Trop x 21
Wellington Ic x 24
Wellington GR.VIII x 25

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
Wellington Ic: 4 damaged
Wellington GR.VIII: 1 destroyed, 8 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
11 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Aircraft Attacking:
16 x Blenheim IV bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 lb GP Bomb
14 x Wellington GR.VIII bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 250 lb GP Bomb
13 x Wellington Ic bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
11 x Wellington GR.VIII bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 250 lb GP Bomb
11 x Wellington Ic bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb

Also attacking 2nd Tank/C Division ...
Also attacking 20th/A Division ...
Also attacking 9th Division ...
Also attacking 2nd Tank/C Division ...
Also attacking 3rd Tank Division ...
Also attacking 2nd Tank/C Division ...
Also attacking 20th/A Division ...
Also attacking 9th Division ...
Also attacking 2nd Tank/C Division ...
Also attacking 3rd Tank Division ...
Also attacking 2nd Tank/C Division ...
Also attacking 20th/A Division ...
Also attacking 9th Division ...
Also attacking 2nd Tank/C Division ...
Also attacking 20th/A Division ...
Also attacking 9th Division ...
Also attacking 2nd Tank/C Division ...
Also attacking 3rd Tank Division ..


My 2Es are taking Flak losses every time they attack that Japanese Armoured Stack along the Myitkyina Road…

Then the 4Es flew, and it appears that I guessed right this time in sending them to Toungoo. The first attack consisted of 50 B-24D1s and 16 B-17Fs. They were met by 37 Tojos and 24 Oscar IIbs. The Bombers blasted through, shooting down an Oscar on the way in, and hammered the Air Base, destroying 2 Oscars and 1 Helen on the Ground.

The next attack saw 12 more B-24D1s fly in and face 28 Tojos and 17 Oscar IIbs. Once again the 4Es blasted through and hit the Air Base hard.

Finally, 16 more B-24D1s flew in, facing 21 Tojos and 16 Oscar IIbs. The Bombers got past the Fighters and hit the Air Base once more, destroying another Helen on the Ground.

At this point I received the following string of messages from way out in the South Pacific:

PB4Y-1 Liberator sighting report: 4 Japanese ships at 120,143 near Ndeni , Speed unknown
3 x PB4Y-1 Liberator unable to locate target due to range or weather
6 x PB4Y-1 Liberator VB-136 turning back !!!

I have a half dozen PB4Y-1 Squadrons on Naval Search/Naval Attack in the South Pacific, and I have yet to see them actually try to attack an Enemy TF in the Region. If I set the PB4Y-1s on Bombing Missions they will hammer their target happily, but Naval Attack is another thing, despite the units being Trained on Low Naval Attack for months.

We then entered the Land Combat Phase, and as I expected after having seen the Helens come in against the NCAC unit, the Japanese LCUs attempted an attack:

Ground combat at 62,42

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 27975 troops, 344 guns, 872 vehicles, Assault Value = 1096

Defending force 12683 troops, 99 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 484

Japanese adjusted assault: 581

Allied adjusted defense: 371

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), disruption(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
523 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 42 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 55 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 6 disabled

Allied ground losses:
627 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 23 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 44 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled

Assaulting units:
9th Division
2nd Tank/C Division
3rd Tank Division
20th/A Division

Defending units:
1st New Chinese Corps


So I got a break on the Dice Roll this time. I suspect that those Japanese LCUs are short on Supply.

For some reason last turn, all of my LCUs in Burma were Topped-Off with Supplies, after having been mainly starving for most of their time on the Front. So with the Allied besiegers of Warazup sitting with Supplies in the White, I gave the order for a Shock Attack:


Ground combat at Warazup (63,41)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 12131 troops, 222 guns, 517 vehicles, Assault Value = 510

Defending force 2627 troops, 26 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 67

Allied adjusted assault: 1150

Japanese adjusted defense: 1

Allied assault odds: 1150 to 1 (fort level 0)

Allied forces CAPTURE Warazup !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), disruption(-), preparation(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
2141 casualties reported
Squads: 87 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 43 destroyed, 30 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 12 (11 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Units retreated 1

Allied ground losses:
58 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 8 (1 destroyed, 7 disabled)

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
Kowloon Brigade
44th Cavalry Regiment
255th Armoured Brigade
22nd (East African) Brigade
24th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
6th Medium Regiment
X' Force
26th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
25th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
3rd West African AA Regiment

Defending units:
11th Infantry Regiment


So the Allies have finally recaptured Warazup! Next is Myitkyina.

And now my opponent is away yachting for the rest of the week so it will be the weekend before I get the actual turn.

[ADB123]

June 17, 1943 – Final Report -

My opponent returned to Dry Land and sent out the Turn this evening. The situation was pretty much what I expected. First off, here are the End-of-Day Air Combat Results:

Ki-43-IIb Oscar – 2 A-to-A, 2 Ground, 2 Ops
Ki-49-IIa Helen – 2 Ground, 1 Ops
Ki-44-IIa Tojo – 2 Ops
Ki-43-IIa Oscar – 1 A-to-A, 1 Ops

Beaufort VIII – 3 Ground, 1 Ops
B-24D1 – 1 A-to-A, 2 Ops
Blenheim IV – 1 Flak, 1 Ops
Wellington GRVIII – 1 Flak

Most of the 4E Bomber Squadrons are still in very good shape so I ordered them to go after Toungoo again next turn. The one B-24D1 Squadron that is a big banged up has been ordered to fly Recon over Toungoo.

Now, with Warazup under Allied Control again I've ordered the British DBs and 2Es to start to pound the troops at Myitkyina. The Air Base and Air Field there is totally closed, so I will focus on the Troops. I've also continuing the Air Attacks against the Japanese Troops that are trying to push the Chinese off of the Rail Line. I'm flying Supply in to the Chinese troops, and I am also flying some fresh P-38Hs on Hi Alt LR CAP over the Chinese. My Air Recon is still reporting Japanese Bombers at Toungoo so I want to try to stop or slow down any that attempt to attack the Chinese again.

Meanwhile, off the West Coast of Australia, the Japanese BB and CV TFs are moving westwards. My opponent must have figured out some way to use Waypoints to get his TFs to retire in that direction, otherwise if they had retired towards the DEI they would have ended up in front of my Massed LBA at Geraldton. I've got to figure out how to do that too – Naval Bombardments are always tricky and goofing up any part of the set-up can cause Great Pain, as I found out in my first Japanese PBEM.

And Recon/SIGINT are reporting that there may be a Japanese CV TF up at Ndeni. I've moved some Cats into Tanna so I should get a better idea of what is going on next turn. The Port Services unit is already building up the Base and a SeaBee unit is getting loaded onto a relatively fast Amphibious TF for transport to Tanna next. If it turns out that a “manageable”-sized Japanese CV TF is at Ndeni I may well challenge it. I'm also swarming the area with Subs, just in case one gets lucky.

[ADB123]

June 18, 1943 –

There was no Night Action this turn.

Daylight saw the Allied Air Might show up all over Burma without any reply by the Japanese. I knew that things would go well when at the Break of Dawn Hurricanes and P-38Hs Flew over the NCAC Corps on the Myitkyina Road and found no Japanese Planes present.

So Allied Dive Bombers and 2Es hit the Japanese Troops at Myitkyina, and 2Es hit the Japanese Troops engaged with the NCAC Corps as well as at Katha, and there was no reply from the Japanese.

Then the 4Es hammered the Air Base at Toungoo again. There was no Enemy CAP, and no Enemy Planes on the Ground, but the Big Bombers got in some good practice and closed the Runways.

At that point I was able to spring something of a Surprise as 4Es flew over Koepang and attacked the Air Base there. My opponent has been using Koepang as a “rest stop” for his Air Force in Northern Oz, and I wanted to remind him that there is No Rest for the Japanese if 4Es can reach a base.

So 25 B-24D1s and 27 B-17Es flew in and blasted past 42 Ki-45-KAIa Nicks and 13 Ki-44-IIa Tojos. The Raid reported back that 1 Tojo and 5 Bettys were destroyed on the Ground and that the Air Base was hammered pretty good.

Then B-24D1s and B-24Ds hammered the Air Base at Wyndham again. There was no CAP and the Raid destroyed 2 A6M3as and 1 A6M3 on the Ground.

And at the End of the Day the good news came that the NCAC Corps escaped attack from the Japanese this turn, giving it more time to recover from the previous day’s attack.

The End-of-Day Air Combat Report was encouraging:

G4M1 Betty – 11 Ground
Ki-44-IIa Tojo – 1 Ground, 1 Ops
A6M3a – 2 Ground
A6M3 – 1 Ground

B-24D1 – 2 Ops
B-17E – 2 A-to-A

Air Recon and SIGINT reported that all Japanese Air Units in Burma had been pulled back to Rangoon and Pegu, so I ordered the 4Es to go after Pegu next turn. There are more Japanese TFs showing up at Rangoon, and more on the way, so my opponent is obviously attempting to bring in Supplies.

Meanwhile in the South Pacific the ever-widening net of Allied Naval Air Search reported a small Japanese TF northeast of Koumac. (See the map below). Just what is that TF?

- A Fast Transport on its way to Koumac?
- A Naval Bombardment or Surface Combat TF heading to Tanna?
- A CV TF looking to ambush something?

In any event I ordered the Amphibious TF that is carrying SeaBees (to the east of Tanna) to head away from the region for now, and I increased Air Search and Naval Air Attack in the Region. I am also giving the USN yet another opportunity to demonstrate that it is useful for something other than just transporting US Army Forces from Place to Place. Next turn may well answer that question.