Behind Every Blade of Grass... (no Jwolf Please)

[Malagant]

Hello again everyone!

We're up to May 4th, 1942! Some small action here and there, and some fun potentially brewing in the cold Aleutian waters!


China

After bombing and bombardments for weeks, Nanyang was finally captured! I feel like I'm about 6 months behind where I should be in China, but things are rolling now and I'm causing massive casualties so I'm hopeful that things will accelerate!

I've got forces starting up the roads towards Sian; two more divisions from Manhucko have been pulled out, heading south to Shanghai where they'll hopefully help get things moving in the Wenchow/Chuhsien area.

Since the very successful Sweeps by the 15k alt Oscars several weeks ago, there has been no sign of the AVG or Chinese Fighters, but he's transfered the bombers towards the coast where they've set up Naval Search. I don't like him having eyes on my shipping to/from the SRA! Since Nanyan is done and over, I'll be shifting my Chinese Air Force down to Shanghai and see if I can shut down those airfields!

Burma

One division is divided in Rangoon resting, while the other is unable to combine...one of the Inf Regiments started the game assigned to another HQ. I'm not sure if it's worth the ~500 PP to change its HQ to combine the Division. Should I?

I'm slowly pushing up the road with the unformed Division, hoping to get back in to Mandalay region soon.

I swept Akyab and put down a few Hurricanes and Buffaloes, but they've not returned. 1e Bombers here are standing down pending enough supplies for replacements!

Malaysia/Sumatra

As I'd mentioned, I ran Singapore out of Supplies. I suck. I picked up 88k from Formosa, all on nice Kyushu I'll be using to haul things out of Singapore. They're nice and fast, with DD escort so should reach Singapore in just 2 days.

30k supply left Sumatra for Rangoon to keep things going up there. They're escorted by DMS which will clear the harbor before the Aden pull in to unload.

I've got two 2e bomber groups from 3rd Air in Singapore and Palembang training ASW. A third that's already got decent ASW (~50s) will go to work in Soerbaja after Australian operations are done. SC groups are on hand to start patrols. TK and xAK from home are on the way, but shipping won't start just yet...things are still a little hot in the area and I've lost too many ships due to impatience already!

Java/DEI

4 and 21st Brigade/Reg are unloading at Denpasar and Koepang...the two bases in the area that have airfields. West Fleet BBs are covering the Denpasar landing along with LBA from Soerbaja; MKB (minus Shoho that's still a few days from Singapore) is covering Koepang. 3rd Air HQa and ~100 Av Support are already embarked ready to go to Koepang, which is in range of Darwin...

I had another PB/xAKL group sunk but small CL/DD fleet operating around Ambon. I have one SNLF on the ground there but he doesn't have quite enough ooomph to take the base. I have a second on a meaty FT with two CA, two CL, and four DD. I'm hoping the CL group comes out to play, but I'm doubtful!

He has AV operating patrol planes out of Taberfane, after the troops are dropped at Ambon this will switch to Bombard and go hit that base and hope to shut it down. That should then be the last of the airfields north of Australia for him to use, and I can move on to the invasion of Australia!

25th Army divisions are still resting with a ton of disabled devices. These are intended to be the heavy hitters of my American invasion (5th Division in particular with 91 experience!). I need to reread the manual to find why these devices are repairing so slowly!

I have yet to identify which forces I'll be using to garrison Java. Naval Guard will be sent here, but I need a 'real' force on hand too.

PNG/Solomons

14th Army is deployed, with a division in Port Moresby, a division in Tulagi, a Brigade and Tank Regiment in Rabaul. I have two big Sentai of Zero, a big Sentai of Oscars, and two Sentai of Betty here, along with some smaller chutai of Vals. I only have one HQa here for torpedoes, at Tulagi, not sure how else to arrange things.

I blew up AVP Huron that was operating PBY out of Luganville with a Betty raid. No sign that Luganville has been built up at all...I'm considering taking it just to throw off his planning and keep some more attention down here, like I did Ndeni. Speaking of that an AV with Jakes will be pulling in there within a day or two to get me some more Naval Search in the area.

I think the buildup he has in the area is at Noumea and Fiji. No sign of any offensive here yet...I'm getting closer to feeling confident that I can hold here if he comes in!

SoPac

After taking the Cook Islands I wanted a short standdown for KB...Sys damage has been accumulating, some getting in to the mid teens. AR and AG are still a week out, but I thought a week of pierside would do wonders for the fleet.

Despite taking the Cook Islands, there is still DL on Christmas. I've got a Fast Transport group with a Naval Garrison on the way to Caroline and Flint islands. An AV and 20 Jakes are ready to roll to Caroline after it's taken, giving me coverage down to Marquessas...the farther south I can make him go the happier I am!

I have a small surface force in Kwaj waiting...this group is going to stage down this way along with CS Chitose (maybe) to try to intercept some convoys going way down south...with only one AO handy to join them I don't know what kind of legs they'll have, but any contact will hopefully drive him to be more cautious

I'd intended to let the KB finish their week-long standown then patrol up the California coast again, making their presence known and using the threat of their patrols to isolate western USA. Interestingly though developments up north have taken precedence and the standdown has been cancelled!!

Alaska

After my Nells bombed the crap out of him I've not seen his combat forces for several days. Sweeps of Cold Bay met no resistance. Nells bombed the port, then the airfield, of Cold Bay but hit nothing. Recon says between 15-20k troops there. Might be as much as two divisions on the ground there. I suspect it's one division with Base, some Armor and Artillery support. Bombing will continue and will reveal much, I hope

I make a lot of critical errors, and my Bethel plan was one of them. I thought how great it would be if I took Bethel and built up that airbase just enough to get Transport planes going. I have 2nd Raiding Regiment and plenty of Transport Planes standing by...from here they could hit anywhere in Alaska!

My error was forgetting the B-17s. A Fast Transport dropped the Second Raiding Regiment at Bethel, the defending company surrendered, and within a few days the B-17s had completely destroyed the regiment! Gone! For whatever reason, it only cost 1 PP to bring the regiment back, but wow! I hadn't seen the B-17s really hit things like that before, and it was awesome and terrible!

So I have Bethel, but it's empty now. I sent the Fast TF back to pick them up, but before they got there the unit was destroyed...at least they didn't get bombed in port!

But the real highlight of the last few days, Nells from Umnak spotted an enemy fleet about 11 hexes out of Umnak...and was shot down by CAP!

It would appear the CVs from Pearl have come here to escalate things, and I may have opportunity to deliver a blow!

I have about 75 Nells here, and over a hundred Fighters, 45 Zeroes and 3 Sentai of Oscars.

In addition, what I'm thinking of as KB-2 is one day from Adak...Kaga, Junyo, Hiyo with about 180 planes; Nagato, Haguro, Mikuma, Suzuya, and 8 good DD round out the fleet.

And KB is set to sortie from Christmas Island in 1 more day (3 days wait to get from Pierside)

I've shifted all the fighters to CAP, and the Nells all to Search. I'm not going to hit him yet. I want to pull him in a little closer and give KB-2 chance to take on fuel at Adak.

KB-2 will then head south, and east to get south of Umnak. If I can work it right, I can start hitting with Nells, which will probably motivate him to pull back, which will put him in range of KB-2. KB-2 shouldn't engage until some of his Fighters are thinned out a little bit by either Nells with Escorts or him hitting my CAP.

KB-2 should then have a decent chance to put some serious hurt on his fleet.

While all that is happening, KB is going to try to move undetected between his CV fleet and Pearl, and crush them as they fall back.

I don't expect Nells & KB-2 to finish the job, just do enough to motivate him to retreat to Pearl, where KB will be waiting!

I have two AO groups already set up for this; one of them has already left Christmas, and will hopefully be in position east of Hilo (aiming to be 32 hexes from Christmas to allow refuel after two days of Full Speed). The faster AO group will follow along and be ready to refuel KB on its way back as needed.

Keeping KB undetected is paramount. If he sees them coming he'll no doubt withdraw his CVs to west coast instead of Pearl, and I won't have the fuel for the chase.

The Full Speed runs will probably do enough Sys and Eng damage to KB that they'll have to withdraw to somewhere with Shipyards to get fixed up. Conveniently, the timing may work out well to coincide with Upgrades...Shokaku and Zuikaku coming up in June, pretty much all the others in July...almost like it was meant to be!