To the Death - Buttsworth versus Son of Heaven

[matt.buttsworth]

May 20th

Furious air battles rage as Pedro sends Japanese convoys both to Merak and Pinrang. Four battleships are seen in the convoy to Pinrang and one is hit by a torpedo. Allied battle ships are ordered not to intercept unless more damage occurs. The whole allied fleet has only one battleship as others were lost in the terrible battles at Canton Island and Makassar.
The fear is that the fleet will head straight to Makassar but if it does the losses will be terrible and every allied battlefleet has been ordered to stand its ground.
The US marines begin to disembark to cheering crowds.
A whisper however goes through as they fear the massed Japanese forces outside the city. Where are the rest? There are so few of them.
Will they land before the Japanese strike.
The convoy of forces to Makassar and Kendari gathers pace.
If the Japanese do not attack within four turns the Makassar will be safe.

[matt.buttsworth]

22nd May

The bombing war continues.
More troops land at Makassar.
The Japanese battleships seem to have retreated. An interception fleet is sent to Pinrang.
Hopefully the intelligence is accurate!

[matt.buttsworth]

23rd of May

Balikapan is slowly shut down.
Cheering crowds watch more marines disembark.
Soon the Japanese will be on the run.
In the North the failed Chinese attack is changed to bombardment.
In Burma more troops are marched towards the Bangkok. The aim is to pressure the Japanese from the North and the South.
Intelligence reports rumours that Pedro is about to attack.
Where will he strike?
He is mad enough to attack anywhere!
Reinforcements in the Pacific may be needed but without carrier support any attack will be dangerous.
Secret analyst meetings are held.
The more Pedro attacks elsewhere the more rapid will be the protest in the Dutch East Indies.
Let him attack!
But where?

[matt.buttsworth]

23rd of May

Little action. Balikpapan airport is destroyed.
Marines unload at Makassar. A new accent is heard as the 11th Australian brigade begins to unload.
The base is now declared safe from Japanese attack.
He cannot force land units across the tracks fast enough to match the Allied build up.
In the North the Allied pressure on Bangkok is gradually built up although bad tracks makes it difficult.
The build up is slow and cautious as it is unknown if Pedro is wild enough to start an attack on India.
A planning meeting is held.
Once the battle for Java is over a seaborne invasion of Sumatra will begin.
To avoid air strikes it will be over the Sumatra straits supported by battle ships.
At least two divisions are needed for the landing but strength will be gradually built up.
The airpower destruction of Japanese shipping has proved very effective.
The next step is a landing of a base force at Bandjermasin which will allow the strangulation of Balikpapen and Pinrang to be intensified.
As soon as enough political points have been raised an Australian led invasion of Menado will be launched, followed quickly by the invasion Tarakan.
The Japanese forces at Pinrang and Balikpapen will then be totally trapped with no way of getting ship born supplies.
That is the limit of the invasions that can be launched until more troops arrive from the US.
Once the Australian division from Darwin has been sent into the attack more air power will be sent from San Francisco, where political points must be used to free them for active duty.
The aim is to use massive air power to destroy all approaching Japanese fleets and thus enable the attack on Sumatra and Borneo. Once the Sumatra attack is under way with the aim of capturing Pelambang all troops in India will be sent by land to capture Bangkok, cut of the Malay peninsula and open the way for the invasion of Cambodia and Vietnam.
It will take time to destroy the Japanese forces at Merak but their casualties are mounting and once they are destroyed the invasion of Sumatra begins.

[matt.buttsworth]

24th of May

Little fighting.
The marines, tanks and an Australian brigade are ordered to march out of Makassar and attack the besieging Japanese. Soon we will see how short of food they are.
Ships are reordered.
Plans are laid for an attack on a secret destination.
No details are to be revealed.

Matthew

[matt.buttsworth]

25th of May

The bombers at Benjarsmin take their first toll on blockading the Celebes/Borneo strait, blockading Pinrang and Balikpapan. Allied infantry is ordered to march on Pinrang but it will take a long time. The destruction of the Japanese forces at Merak continues with thousands of Japanese being killed per turn. They cannot survive too many more turns. I estimate 6.
if the Japanese are killed before the Australian division from Darwin or the 2nd Marines arrives it will be used to destroy the Japanese at Menado.
There is a chronic shortage of transports at Aden and San Francisco with units waiting at Aden to be shipped.
Gradually order will be restored but a similar pile up looms at SF. Too many ships have been sent to Darwin as transports.
At least the fuel shortage at Darwin is easing.
Another carrier fleet is going there to refuel.
A carrier fleet and a surface fleet have been ordered to do a raid on Balikapapen.
That will give pedro a surprise.
Given the constant bombing of the base I doubt any bombers will fly. If they do it is a worry as one carrier per fleet does not produce much air cover.
At suva three squadrons from teh formidable have been unloaded to be shipped to Australia.
The formidable is going to Pearl Harbour for repairs.
4 carriers and one cvl sunk to only two carriers damaged is a good result.
Where can Pedro attack without carrier support.
At Kendari after months of only having one weak dutch unit defending the base an Australian brigade is about to land.
The high command is relieved.
The Makassar battalion is being sent from Benjarsmin to protect the base forces there. At the moment there are no ground units protecting the base at all.
In India more armoured units and command units are beign sent to Burma.
The Southwest Pacific HQ is being marched from Adelaide to Darwin. (I forgot it). The south Pacific HQ is being picked up and will be sent to Kendari in preparation for the invasion of Menado.
Everything takes time but gradually the pieces are falling in place.

[matt.buttsworth]

25th May

A late night strategy meeting is held by the tired planners.
The present plan is too head on and risks being mired into evenly matched infantry struggles.
Instead a new plan is drafted.
It consists of four actions:
Operation Strangle.
Operation Surprise
Operation Oil
And Operation massed landing.
Operation 3 and 4 is an either or choice that will be made when more intelligence is available.
Operation strangle will commence in a few turns as soon as the ships have been assembled.
The plan is secret so that Pedro will be as surprised as the readers.
More will be revealed at the required time.

[matt.buttsworth]

26th May

The Japanese have launched a massive airattack from Pelembang to Batavia. 60 zeros and more betties.
Any allied carrier fleet within range of this would risk being slaughtered.
The invasion of Sumatra is therefore temporarily postponed.
Instead operation Eastern surprise will soon be launched.
Destination secret.
Not even the troops know where they will be sent.

Matthew

[matt.buttsworth]

29th of May

The air war continues. Batavia is being bombed every turn but more losses are being inflicted on the attacker than being lost by the defender.
B17s from Soerbaya are ordered to bomb Pelembang to close it down. The Wellington bombardment of Balikpapan continues. Nothing is flying from that airfield.
On the ground the Japanese extermination campaign at Merak continues. Only one Japanese division and a base force are left alive as the NLF units have been destroyed.
At Makassar, Darwin and other ports the troops are alive with anticipation as the Marines and other units are loaded onto waiting ships and bombardment and carrier fleets are readied for the attack.
The first phase of Operation Strangle is underway. But what is the destination. No one knows.
The plan is top secret.
Ground units have discovered that the Japanese division near Makassar is seroiusly under strength. A second Japanese extermination campaign is being contemplated.
Soon the ships will leave port!

Intelligence reports that Commander Pedro has announced a new attack is underway. But no troop ship convoys have been discovered.
The Central Pacific, the line islands, India, another charge at the DEI. Where will Pedro attack.
Intelligence is warned frantically to find out while all naval search planes are on maximum alert.

[matt.buttsworth]

31st of May

The Marine invasion is about to begin. Soon the destination will be revealed.
The carriers and battleships are ready.
Fuel is again very short.
Battles at Merak but for some strange reason a transport fleet to Pinrang was barely hit by a bomber from Benjasmin, Makassar or Kendari. Or by carrier planes at Makassar!
Very strange.
Soon the tide will turn.

[matt.buttsworth]

2nd June

The fighting goes on.
The Japanese north of Makassar have been thrown back their resistance poor. It appears lack of supplies have left them with little fight.
An immediate advance on Pinrang by two Australian divisions is ordered.
If Pinrang can be captured then a second Japanese extermination campaign can begin!
At Merak the bloody extermination of the Japanese continues. They continue to fight with no hope of victory inflicting casualties on the allies every day. But they have no guns and no food and will be wiped out.
A surprise air raid from Balikpapan is launched catching two carriers in the port at Makassar. It is surprising because it was thought the constant bombing had closed Balipapan down. Fortunately neither carrier is damaged but it is a fright as 9 betties did break through the fighter CAP.
The secret landing is cancelled and the invasion fleet ordered south so that the carriers can reunite.
The troops and captains are confused but they will see combat soon!
At Darwin cripping fuel shortages continue.
Four more tankers are filled with fuel in SF to reinforce the invasion fleets.
It is good but SF is a long way away.
More fuel is being sent from Aden but that too takes time.
The campaign will be hampered by fuel shortages.
But success will be achieved.

[matt.buttsworth]

5th of June

The Merak battles continue.
Troops are marching towards Pinrang.
The unfortunate taskforce which was sent to the wrong destination by mistake is now heading to the right destination. Details will be revealed as soon as it reaches it.
Japanese bombers attack the battle fleets as they withdraw from a raid on Tarakan during which a tanker fleet was attacked severely damaging one tanker.
Battle will be joined very soon.
Some of the battles could be decisive.

[matt.buttsworth]

6th of June

A surprise Japanese attack! A Japanese invasion fleet with carrier support is heading south from Singapore. Four carriers are being sent.
The American invasion fleet is nearing its secret destination.
Despite lack of fuel all carriers are sent to Batavia to fight the Japanese invasion.
By the time they get there the carrier fleet should have lost a lot of its planes.
Battle will be joined.
At Merak the Japanese troops are surrounded and destroyed. No survivors.
The british division is diverted to Batavia so that the Merak troops are not isolated.
The Allied command is confident of a victory!

[matt.buttsworth]

7th of June

Fierce battles near Batavia. Wave after wave of Allied bombers attack the Japanese carrier fleet. The CVE Hoshu is sunk. Other carriers wait north.
The Japanese invasion fleet nears Merak. Dauntlesses attack again and again leaving waves of smoke from the APs.
Fighter bombers are sent north to join the attack.
How many Japanese will survive to land at Merak?
The allied carrier fleets south of Kendari regroup to join the battle in the North of Java.
Sink the carriers is the triumphant cry!

[matt.buttsworth]

9th of June
After losing a CVE the Japanese carriers have disappeared from sight.
The Japanese at Makassar have launched an attack on the troops advancing at Pinrang.
They will be repulse but the tank units at Pinrang may be in severe trouble.
If the Japanese land division is repulsed then a division may be sent after it to pin it down.
Fuel is very short.

[matt.buttsworth]

10th of June
The Japanese attack near Makassar shows they are starving and have little ability to fight.
An attack was launched with huge superiority but the Japanese did not retreat. The Japanese attack at Pinrang was not able to force the allies out so the troops there may be able to hold on until reinforcements arrive.
All Japanese troops - 4 divisions - on the island will now be exterminated.
Allied troops landed at Menado in the first stage of operation strangle. More troops will land next turn and it is hoped the city will fall soon.
Then onto the next stage of the operation.
Pedro has said he will now go on the defensive and I believe him.
He does not have the carriers to attack.
In Thailand the Japanese forces near Bangkok were thrown back and the two indian brigades have been ordered to advance on Bangkok.
It has now been decided the Japanese will not invade india.
Except for skeloton forces all allied units in India and Burma have been ordered to advance on Thailand to capture the Malay Peninsula and Vietnam.
It will take months for the land forces to march overland to Thailand but the orders have been given.
The Japanese empire does not have long to last!

[matt.buttsworth]

June 11th
A frustrating turn.
The Japanese forces at Menado through out the marines and new zealanders landing at their base.
More are landing this turn.
if they are thrown out again the attack will be called off.
The Japanese also through out the armoured brigade at Pinrang.
They will survive. But the Japanese division near Pinrang has been thrown back into Pinrang and now all units have been ordered to advance on the city. It will be a bloody conflict.

[matt.buttsworth]

June 12th

The Allied invasion of Menado is a bloody disaster.
Once again the Japanese have thrown the landing units into the jungle and bombers from three bases attack.
Carrier support is needed.
The invasion is called off so that the troops can be reassembled, reinforced and then relaunched.
A lesson has been learned.
Pelembang will now be bombed into the dust by b17s from Soerbaya.

[matt.buttsworth]

15th of June
The bombing of Pelembang and Batavia continues.
As no further invasions of Java are expected the dauntlesses are withdrawn and hudsons and blenheims are sent to Batavia.
Getting oil from Pelembang will now be very difficult.
In the north the victorious 14th Army will now invade Bangkok.
Once that is done land supplies to Malaya will be cut and bombing of ships south of Vietnam and Thailand can begin.
At Kendari the fleets are gathered for the repeated attack on Menado.
the 1st Marine division and an Australian division will join the second marine division plus brigades to capture the port.
Nothing is being left to chance.

Pedro knows his position is hopeless but sportingly continues to play.
It enables me to learn how to mount an offensive.
Very sporting of him.

[matt.buttsworth]

June 16th

The bombing war continues. Pelembang and Balikpapen are hit.
The wounded second Marine division is unloaded at Kendari.
Soon the Australian and first Marine divisions will join them.
The offensive will soon resume.
An attack is ordered on Bangkok.
If it fails more troops will soon join the attack!