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I like your idea of cutting Lautern off at the source. Good luck.

ORIGINAL: anarchyintheuk

I like your idea of cutting Lautern off at the source. Good luck.

Indeed! A gamble, but a smart one! [:)]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 01/24/43

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Sub attack near Darwin at 36,84

Japanese Ships
AK Tazima Maru

Allied Ships
SS Tuna

Tuna is the only threat of the Allied Navy defending Darwin... torps missed...

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Naval bombardment of Darwin, at 36,84

Japanese Ships
BB Musashi
BB Yamato


Allied ground losses:
130 casualties reported [8|]
Guns lost 4

Yamato and Musashi carry the biggest guns on the map and their 6 inch armament alone could wreck havoc on a beach but the result is pathetic... will never figure out how those bombardments really work. The only 100% sure thing to get a nuke seems to be using two or three dozen float planes the day before, but while I´ve used them once also, I just don´t like it... [8|]

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TF 23 encounters mine field at Darwin (36,84)

TF 23 troops unloading over beach at Darwin, 36,84


Japanese Ships
AP Zinzan Maru, Mine hits 1, on fire

Japanese ground losses:
30 casualties reported

Coastal Guns at Darwin, 36,84, firing at TF 23
434 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
AK Thames Maru
AP Tatuharu Maru

Japanese ground losses:
2949 casualties reported
Guns lost 3
Vehicles lost 18

those coastal gun shots are NOT from a CD unit, those are coming from the inf units defending the beach, therefore no hits on my ships... Acceptable losses from the landing...

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Coastal Guns at Darwin, 36,84, firing at TF 23
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TF 23 encounters mine field at Darwin (36,84)

TF 23 troops unloading over beach at Darwin, 36,84


581 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
AP Palao Maru, Shell hits 8, on fire
AP Zenoa Maru
AP Tofuku Maru, Shell hits 11, on fire, heavy damage
AP Kansan Maru, Shell hits 8
AP Huso Maru

Japanese ground losses:
1670 casualties reported
Guns lost 3
Vehicles lost 13

during the day phase, there is CD gunfire. Tofuku Maru tries to make Koepang, the other two ships are fine... again, the losses from the landing are acceptable, this is totally amazing considering the fact that my troops are only 20 prepped on average...

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TF 45 encounters mine field at Darwin (36,84)

TF 45 troops unloading over beach at Darwin, 36,84


Japanese Ships
AP Taizin Maru, Mine hits 1, on fire

Japanese ground losses:
10 casualties reported

Coastal Guns at Darwin, 36,84, firing at TF 45
281 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
AP Chinko Maru
AP Ginyo Maru

Japanese ground losses:
2769 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

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TF 90 encounters mine field at Darwin (36,84)

TF 90 troops unloading over beach at Darwin, 36,84


Japanese Ships
MSW Toshi Maru #2
MSW Seki Maru
MSW Choun Maru #21
MSW Banshu Maru #18

Coastal Guns at Darwin, 36,84, firing at TF 90
266 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
AP Kikuryu Maru, Shell hits 7
AP Rakuto Maru, Shell hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
AP Shoun Maru
AP Tatuta Maru

Japanese ground losses:
2666 casualties reported
Guns lost 3

all but one TF started unloading today. Why the TF with my TK divs didn´t start to unload is beyond me but this is only a minor issue at the moment. Within the next two days all my troops should have been unloaded. Then I will have to decide if I have to throw in the second wave. Two divs are 50 prepped for Darwin but they were fighting on Dili and are at 85/100 so I would prefer not to land them on a hostile beach. And two more BIG amphibious TFs are waiting with troops 100% prepped for Derby, so if I have to throw them totally unprepped onto the invasion beachhead of Darwin this could then be a very bloody affair for my troops. When my troops from the first wave have completely unloaded we will have something like 3.500 av available. And 1.500 av will be from tank units, which are really making a difference, I´ve seen that in India already. We will see...

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Sub attack near Darwin at 36,84

Japanese Ships
AK Katuragi Maru, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

Allied Ships
SS Tuna

Japanese ground losses:
40 casualties reported
Vehicles lost 2

damn it, the AK sunk immediately...

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Day Air attack on Pamakasan , at 24,66

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 35
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 254

No Japanese losses

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 73

Aircraft Attacking:
32 x Ki-44-IIb Tojo bombing at 2000 feet
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Day Air attack on Lautem , at 33,78

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 54
Ki-49 Helen x 119
Ki-46-II Dinah x 1

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-49 Helen: 2 destroyed, 13 damaged


Allied ground losses:
40 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 30

Aircraft Attacking:
13 x Ki-49 Helen bombing at 16000 feet

16.000ft and our result is poor... but that way we´re at least minimizing our bomber losses. Tomorrow a 200 bomber strike from Kendari again, also set to 16.000 ft. In the worst case, we will have to set our bombers to 11.000ft again, I don´t want to see this airfield being operational again...

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Day Air attack on Manila , at 43,52

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 34
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 105
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 35
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 68
Ki-49 Helen x 108

No Japanese losses


Allied ground losses:
10 casualties reported

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 60
Port hits 2
Port fuel hits 1
Port supply hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
8 x Ki-49 Helen bombing at 15000 feet
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Day Air attack on Darwin , at 36,84

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 80
G3M Nell x 35
G4M1 Betty x 67
Ki-46-III Dinah x 4

Allied aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M Nell: 5 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 6 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
PBY Catalina: 1 destroyed


Allied ground losses:
30 casualties reported

Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 93

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 11000 feet

Darwin´s flak defense is obviously wrecked... [:)]

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Day Air attack on Luganville , at 72,107


Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 19
Kittyhawk I x 38
P-40E Warhawk x 81


Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 2 damaged
Kittyhawk I: 3 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 4 damaged

Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 18

Aircraft Attacking:
13 x Kittyhawk I bombing at 2000 feet
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Day Air attack on Darwin , at 36,84

Japanese aircraft
D3A Val x 96
A6M3a Zero x 3
B5N Kate x 136

Allied aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val: 3 destroyed, 31 damaged
B5N Kate: 1 destroyed, 4 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
PBY Catalina: 1 destroyed


Allied ground losses:
32 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 18
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 180

Aircraft Attacking:
23 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
24 x B5N Kate bombing at 16000 feet

absolutely bad idea to use my Vals, thought they would get away but 5 are lost to flak (4 precious pilots). No more Vals doing attacks here...

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Ground combat at Chungking

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 15845 troops, 182 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1533

Defending force 287885 troops, 1840 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 6936

hehe, Chinese troops starving big style here! [&o]

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Ground combat at Kweiyang

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 15954 troops, 202 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 3472

Defending force 196634 troops, 220 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 5450


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Ground combat at Darwin

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 27575 troops, 286 guns, 17 vehicles, Assault Value = 888

Defending force 108747 troops, 961 guns, 670 vehicles, Assault Value = 2528


Japanese ground losses:
202 casualties reported
Guns lost 5
Vehicles lost 4

Allied ground losses:
8 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

damn, the enemy already has more troops here than I´ve thought, especially the USMC division is a surprise for me. Wonder how many more troops Miller can fly in and how my troops will perform against the level 9 forts we surely will have to face. I´m hoping for my tanks. As it stands now, my troops seem to be coming ashore in very good state, they will have ample supply and we will probably outnumber the enemy 3:1 or 4:1 in assault value. If I see that the first one or two attacks have no chance, then I will throw in the next wave, but for the moment, I´m confident. If I will be able to take Darwin, then we will see how Miller will play out the land combat again! [;)]

See attached the troops that are defending Darwin and the units we´ve landed so far with more to come. While seeing the USMC division is the bad thing, there´s also a good thing: there are two enemy inf units in the lead of the enemy troop stack and they will be hit hard when we attack. This means after we have worn down those two troops, the enemy av should drop to something like 500. But that´s the base av, the adjusted av will surely look awful high in the beginning, as I guess the enemy is 100% prepped (but who knows) and there will be level 9 forts.

ORIGINAL: anarchyintheuk

I like your idea of cutting Lautern off at the source. Good luck.

I knew that there would be (far) less assault points defending each base in Northern Australia than there would be sitting at Lautern. And why taking just a slice of pizza if you can have the whole family pizza? [;)]

Miller was probably thinking the only way to attack would be to assault Lautern directly, after seeing me prepping for Broome, he probably saw a slight chance of going in there, but I guess he still saw Lautern as my primary target. Well, Lautern is my primary target and if I can take Northern Australia then Lautern is probably toast as they won´t have enough supply to last the next five or six months. This is the time scale I think I can hold Northern Australia as losing the troops there AND losing the half dozen divs with 14 or 15 support units on Lautern is surely something that is not amusing, not even for the Allied. The Allied have ample ships and aircraft, but they will always have fewer LCUs than the Japanese. Of course you need more LCUs to defend your Empire than to focus your attacks on one spot but for the moment, the initial landings make me confident.

you give miller realy something for his money, chris.[:D] briliant move.[&o]

ORIGINAL: bigbaba

you give miller realy something for his money, chris.[:D] briliant move.[&o]

thanks!

With all the comments about a good move, you should still not forget that Miller made something like a "war winning move" with his assault on Lautern. What he did not was to exploit it immediately, seems like he was to much afraid of my land based air.

But he is still sitting at Lautern and he still owns every single base on Northern Australia, the chances to make it a blood bath for the Japanese are still on his side. It all depends on how he will play it out... if he plays it out like in India, then he´s toast, but I´ve learnt one thing about him so far: never underestimate him!

Miller has quite a lot aircraft at Wyndham and an airattack is off limit for my airforce. Therefor a CA TF is in postion 6 hexes North East and my Kongo class BB TF is sitting 5 hexes East of the base. A Catalina spotted my CAs but the BBs are unspotted so I wonder if Miller is aware of the threat of a double naval bombardment of Wyndham next night. Normally when he spots my CA or BB he abandons the airfield in range immediately but in this case he could also think that the CAs are returning towards Koepang.

Who knows... if the bombardment wrecks the airfield (seems like my bombardments can´t do that anymore) and he didn´t withdraw his fighters and transports then he´s in trouble. Because according to aerial recon today, he has massed his fighters at Wyndham, while Broome and Derby only had a very small Cap. It could become a problem if he can keep his 150 C-47 flying troops to Darwin daily as the assault value would go up by at least 100+ each day I guess.

I hope the attack on Darwin ist just to draw his attention. Your real goal is the invasion of Russia, right? [8D]

with 16k AP in manschurai, when chris now says, that he only wants to defend the region and not attack, it sounds like when a politican says ."keine steuererhöhung" (no tax raise)[;)].

i think chris has a real chance to win the war as japanese. with india under control, china and russia (soon) clear, he has alot of troops and ressources for his war against the US.

ORIGINAL: Historiker

I hope the attack on Darwin ist just to draw his attention. Your real goal is the invasion of Russia, right? [8D]

Russia? Bah, another German that tries to convince me to attack the Russian... [;)]

ORIGINAL: bigbaba

with 16k AP in manschurai, when chris now says, that he only wants to defend the region and not attack, it sounds like when a politican says ."keine steuererhöhung" (no tax raise)[;)].

i think chris has a real chance to win the war as japanese. with india under control, china and russia (soon) clear, he has alot of troops and ressources for his war against the US.

as long as there is this assault on Northern Australia going on, there won´t be an attack on Russia. Why? Because I will need most of the IJAAF in Manchuria then and not on Timor and the surrounding islands. What you may also not forget is the fact that we´re in early 43 and Miller has enough carriers to mount an offensive somewhere in the Pacific, means I will need aircraft there also. Depending on the style and area of his attack, either the IJNAF can handle it alone or must be backed up by the IJAAF.

Winning the war? Impossible. This would mean I have to take the West coast completely to deny the Americans of any reinforcements. That is not possible. And even if I would attack Russia (and win there) that would still mean that I can´t take my divisions off the continent to garrisson Pacific atolls and islands because there is the political points limit and I don´t want to change command of a totally wrecked unit. I won´t spend pps on any major inf units that are below 85/100. That seems gamey to me.

ORIGINAL: castor troy

ORIGINAL: Historiker

I hope the attack on Darwin ist just to draw his attention. Your real goal is the invasion of Russia, right? [8D]

Russia? Bah, another German that tries to convince me to attack the Russian... [;)]

com'on!
In that time, you are german, too [;)] It's your duty [:D]

as long as there is this assault on Northern Australia going on, there won´t be an attack on Russia. Why? Because I will need most of the IJAAF in Manchuria then and not on Timor and the surrounding islands. What you may also not forget is the fact that we´re in early 43 and Miller has enough carriers to mount an offensive somewhere in the Pacific, means I will need aircraft there also. Depending on the style and area of his attack, either the IJNAF can handle it alone or must be backed up by the IJAAF.

one more argument to do it NOW! If you wait any longer, you don't have the chance to do it!

Winning the war? Impossible. This would mean I have to take the West coast completely to deny the Americans of any reinforcements. That is not possible. And even if I would attack Russia (and win there) that would still mean that I can´t take my divisions off the continent to garrisson Pacific atolls and islands because there is the political points limit and I don´t want to change command of a totally wrecked unit. I won´t spend pps on any major inf units that are below 85/100. That seems gamey to me.

If your CHina and Manchuria Armies defend the continent from Karachi to Vladivostok, there should be a lot of Bruma Army and Souteast Area units free for the Atolls.
Moreover, the additional ressources and industry of russia will help you to produce more fighter...

Hi, long time no update. Is this game still on? [:D]

ORIGINAL: Zond

Hi, long time no update. Is this game still on? [:D]

lol Zond [:D]

ORIGINAL: Historiker

as long as there is this assault on Northern Australia going on, there won´t be an attack on Russia. Why? Because I will need most of the IJAAF in Manchuria then and not on Timor and the surrounding islands. What you may also not forget is the fact that we´re in early 43 and Miller has enough carriers to mount an offensive somewhere in the Pacific, means I will need aircraft there also. Depending on the style and area of his attack, either the IJNAF can handle it alone or must be backed up by the IJAAF.

one more argument to do it NOW! If you wait any longer, you don't have the chance to do it!

Winning the war? Impossible. This would mean I have to take the West coast completely to deny the Americans of any reinforcements. That is not possible. And even if I would attack Russia (and win there) that would still mean that I can´t take my divisions off the continent to garrisson Pacific atolls and islands because there is the political points limit and I don´t want to change command of a totally wrecked unit. I won´t spend pps on any major inf units that are below 85/100. That seems gamey to me.

If your CHina and Manchuria Armies defend the continent from Karachi to Vladivostok, there should be a lot of Bruma Army and Souteast Area units free for the Atolls.
Moreover, the additional ressources and industry of russia will help you to produce more fighter...

the problem is that I can´t do that without the IJAAF. And I need the bomber and Tojos around Timor. I can´t attack the Russian without having any airforce there, that´s not doable. What do you think would happen if Miller would move 100 4Es to Russia? Say good bye to a lot of industry in Japan. Either I´m doing it with a sledgehammer in Russia or I won´t do it at all. That´s how I´ve done it in the past and that´s also how I´m now doing it in Northern Australia. Use force or don´t do an offensive at all has been my tactic so far.

That's one more reason to succeed in taking northern Australia, isolating Lautern : freeing up the IJAAF.[:D]

this day was bloody...

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 01/25/43

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TF 20 encounters mine field at Darwin (36,84)

TF 20 troops unloading over beach at Darwin, 36,84


Japanese Ships
MSW W.17
MSW W.7
MSW W.5

Coastal Guns at Darwin, 36,84, firing at TF 20
669 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
MSW W.17, Shell hits 5
AK Tatebu Maru, Shell hits 3, on fire
AK Dakar Maru

Japanese ground losses:
1976 casualties reported
Guns lost 5
Vehicles lost 31

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TF 23 encounters mine field at Darwin (36,84)

TF 23 troops unloading over beach at Darwin, 36,84


Japanese Ships
AK Kohuku Maru, Mine hits 1, on fire

Japanese ground losses:
11 casualties reported

Coastal Guns at Darwin, 36,84, firing at TF 23
491 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
AP Zyuyo Maru, Shell hits 12
AK Takaoka Maru

Japanese ground losses:
655 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
Vehicles lost 29

we keep unloading and all but one TF will have unloaded most of it´s troops. Unfortunately the one TF with all the tank units will need another day at least to be completely unloaded...

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TF 45 encounters mine field at Darwin (36,84)

TF 45 troops unloading over beach at Darwin, 36,84


Japanese Ships
AP Kyokusei Maru, Mine hits 1

Japanese ground losses:
11 casualties reported

Coastal Guns at Darwin, 36,84, firing at TF 45
332 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese ground losses:
1858 casualties reported
Guns lost 6

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TF 90 encounters mine field at Darwin (36,84)

TF 90 troops unloading over beach at Darwin, 36,84


Japanese Ships
MSW Toshi Maru #2
MSW Seki Maru
MSW Choun Maru #21
MSW Banshu Maru #18

Coastal Guns at Darwin, 36,84, firing at TF 90
604 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
AP Kikuryu Maru, Shell hits 25

Japanese ground losses:
1336 casualties reported
Guns lost 2

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Coastal Guns at Darwin, 36,84, firing at TF 92
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TF 92 encounters mine field at Darwin (36,84)

TF 92 troops unloading over beach at Darwin, 36,84


Japanese ground losses:
532 casualties reported

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Sub attack near Darwin at 36,84

Japanese Ships
AK Yamakaze Maru, Shell hits 10, Torpedo hits 5, on fire, heavy damage

Allied Ships
SS Trusty

Seems like subs are a major issue at the moment...

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ASW attack near Darwin at 36,84

Japanese Ships
AK Hitora Maru
AK France Maru
AK England Maru
AK Clyde Maru
MSW W.17
MSW W.7
MSW W.5

Allied Ships
SS Trusty

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Naval bombardment of Wyndham, at 30,86 [:@][:@][:@]


Allied aircraft
no flights


Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed
B-24D Liberator: 1 destroyed
F-5A Lightning: 1 destroyed
B-25C Mitchell: 1 destroyed
Blenheim IV: 1 destroyed
P-38G Lightning: 1 destroyed

Japanese Ships
BB Kirishima
BB Hiei
BB Haruna
BB Kongo

Allied Ships
AK Barwon, Shell hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Belawan, Shell hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Californian, Shell hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
AK Eldorado, Shell hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
AK American Leader, Shell hits 1


Allied ground losses:
2805 casualties reported
Guns lost 73
Vehicles lost 36

Airbase hits 4
Runway hits 13
Port hits 8
Port fuel hits 2
Port supply hits 4

God damn! Miller moved in hundreds of bombers to Wyndham today and what do my BBs target? The port with a couple of AKs in it... please, god of die rolls, let luck change sides again... [&o] This could have been a disaster for Miller but there were more instances when he had luck on his side...

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Naval bombardment of Darwin, at 36,84

Japanese Ships
CA Kinugasa
CA Mikuma
CA Mogami
CA Chokai

Allied Ships
AD Black Hawk, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage


Allied ground losses:
41 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 1
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 1

four heavy cruisers then do no damage at all at Darwin... should have sent them to Wyndham instead...

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Naval bombardment of Wyndham, at 30,86


Allied aircraft
no flights


Allied aircraft losses
Wellington III: 1 destroyed

Japanese Ships
CA Kako
CA Furutaka
CA Aoba
CA Kumano
CA Suzuya

Allied Ships
AK Belawan, Shell hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK American Leader, Shell hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
AK Californian, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Barwon, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage


Allied ground losses:
554 casualties reported
Guns lost 13
Vehicles lost 11

Runway hits 9
Port fuel hits 2
Port supply hits 5

but also my heavy cruisers there target the absolute wrong target... going after the port instead of the airfield... no doubt, the runways will be in perfect shape during the day... [8|]

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TF 20 encounters mine field at Darwin (36,84)

TF 20 troops unloading over beach at Darwin, 36,84


Japanese Ships
MSW W.17
MSW W.7
MSW W.5
AK Azuchisan Maru, Mine hits 1

Coastal Guns at Darwin, 36,84, firing at TF 20
454 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
MSW W.17, Shell hits 4

Japanese ground losses:
1646 casualties reported
Vehicles lost 27

one thing that I was pretty concerned about where the landings at Darwin as I feared quite some CD counterfire, but as it turned out, there was no reason to be concerned... the landings really have gone well...

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Coastal Guns at Darwin, 36,84, firing at TF 23
TF 23 troops unloading over beach at Darwin, 36,84


189 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
AP Zyuyo Maru, Shell hits 8

Japanese ground losses:
158 casualties reported
Vehicles lost 2

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Coastal Guns at Darwin, 36,84, firing at TF 45
TF 45 troops unloading over beach at Darwin, 36,84


97 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese ground losses:
598 casualties reported

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Coastal Guns at Darwin, 36,84, firing at TF 90
TF 90 troops unloading over beach at Darwin, 36,84


Japanese ground losses:
18 casualties reported

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Coastal Guns at Darwin, 36,84, firing at TF 92
TF 92 troops unloading over beach at Darwin, 36,84


Japanese ground losses:
563 casualties reported

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ASW attack near Darwin at 36,84

Japanese Ships
AK Panama Maru
AK Eizan Maru
AK Tokyo Maru
AK Nittai Maru
AK Nitiyu Maru
MSW W.17
MSW W.7
MSW W.5

Allied Ships
SS Trusty, hits 4, on fire

one real hit, hopefully this will make further attacks of Trusty harder...

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Sub attack at 36,83

Japanese Ships
CL Tama
DD Sawakaze
DD Minekaze
DD Yuzuki
DD Satsuki
CL Nagara

Allied Ships
SS Trigger, hits 2

Trigger missed with a salvo MK14 torps. Why only 4 DDs tried to engage is beyond me, there were far more in this TF...

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Day Air attack on Pamakasan , at 24,66

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 35
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 256

No Japanese losses

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 5
Runway hits 79

Aircraft Attacking:
32 x Ki-44-IIb Tojo bombing at 2000 feet
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Day Air attack on Lautem , at 33,78

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 27
Ki-49 Helen x 91
Ki-46-II Dinah x 3

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-49 Helen: 2 destroyed, 20 damaged


Allied ground losses:
100 casualties reported
Guns lost 3

Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 19

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x Ki-49 Helen bombing at 16000 feet
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Day Air attack on Darwin , at 36,84

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 78
G3M Nell x 35
G4M1 Betty x 114
Ki-46-III Dinah x 1

Allied aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 5 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
PBY Catalina: 1 destroyed


Allied ground losses:
22 casualties reported

Airbase hits 11
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 71

Aircraft Attacking:
11 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 10000 feet

thank god my IJNAF bomber daitais won´t have taken heavy losses when this adventure will be over... flak over Darwin is only pathetic...

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Day Air attack on Luganville , at 72,107


Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 17
Kittyhawk I x 46
P-40E Warhawk x 78


Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 1 damaged
Kittyhawk I: 2 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
4 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 4
Runway hits 49

Aircraft Attacking:
8 x Kittyhawk I bombing at 2000 feet
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Day Air attack on 1st Australian Cavalry Division, at 36,84

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 3
B5N Kate x 137

No Japanese losses


Allied ground losses:
376 casualties reported
Guns lost 8

Aircraft Attacking:
24 x B5N Kate bombing at 26000 feet

so much about bombers attacking the strongest unit in a stack. 2nd USMC division was the target I wanted to attack...

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Miller spotted a dozen TFs all around Darwin and then numerous strikes go in...


Day Air attack on TF, near Darwin at 36,84

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 94

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 5
P-38G Lightning x 2

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 2 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 5 destroyed
P-38G Lightning: 2 destroyed

this is leaking Cap from KB that took position one hex NE of Darwin. This was quite shocking as I feared an attack on KB and that could turn out to be a disaster if half the Cap flies cover for the merchants at Darwin...

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Day Air attack on TF, near Darwin at 36,84

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 94

Allied aircraft
Wellington III x 3
P-38G Lightning x 7

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 4 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Wellington III: 3 damaged
P-38G Lightning: 5 destroyed

Japanese Ships
AP Hikade Maru

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet

at this stage the Lightnings were no threat... But guess what! They are bouncing us above Darwin. And there again you can see the magic radar effects. Escorts always fly 3000ft higher than the bombers. My fighters are flying at 15.000ft. So if the enemy is at 9.000ft with his fighters, mine are at 15.000ft, how can the enemy bounce us? [8|]

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Day Air attack on TF, near Darwin at 36,84 [:(]

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 94

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 6
Wellington III x 9
P-38G Lightning x 23
B-25C Mitchell x 39
B-26B Marauder x 36
B-17E Fortress x 34
B-24D Liberator x 31

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 7 destroyed, 35 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 3 damaged
Wellington III: 9 damaged
P-38G Lightning: 6 destroyed, 11 damaged
B-25C Mitchell: 1 destroyed, 12 damaged
B-26B Marauder: 3 destroyed, 10 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 2 destroyed, 24 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 1 destroyed, 6 damaged

Japanese Ships
AP Keisyo Maru
AP Marsue Maru, Bomb hits 1
AP Burisuben Maru, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Kenkoku Maru
AP Kiko Maru
AP Chinko Maru, Bomb hits 1
AP Denmark Maru
AP Yamato Maru
AP Kyokusei Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AP Monji Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AK Tamon Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AP Chicago Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AP Keisho Maru
AP Kisogawa Maru
AK Bunzan Maru
AP Meigen Maru, Bomb hits 3, on fire
AK Hirota Maru, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AP Nichiro Maru
AK San Francisco Maru
AP Kasui Maru
AK Sasako Maru
AK Manko Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AP Koyo Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire
AP Buenos Aires Maru
AP Taizin Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AP Senkai Maru
AP Asama Maru
AK Seiki Maru
AP Buyo Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AP Daifuku Maru
AP Keiyo Maru
AP Kofuku Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AP Hakka Maru
AK Sanwa Maru
AP Miyadono Maru
AP Kiyoshima Maru
AP Koan Maru

Japanese ground losses:
56 casualties reported

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 10000 feet
4 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 6000 feet
4 x B-24D Liberator bombing at 10000 feet
1 x B-26B Marauder bombing at 6000 feet

while it didn´t matter that the small numbers of escorts bounced us, this time it was more of a problem. The 23 Lightnings bounce our fighters (once again) and this time they rip one of my daitais apart. 6 of the Zero losses were within one daitai. 94 Zeros are of course no threat at all for the enemy bombers and nearly all of them drop their loads onto one of my amphibious TFs. God how much fun would it have been if my bombardments would have done some damage during the night... the good thing about having such big TFs is the fact that the enemy bombers can´t really focus on just a couple of ships and so the bomb hits are spread over a dozen ships of which only one or two are in danger of being sunk. We nearly took no ground losses as the TF is nearly empty...

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Day Air attack on TF at 34,82


Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 15


Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
CA Nachi
CA Tone
DD Kuroshio

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 10000 feet

small strike against my heavy cruisers... a 1000lb bomb hit could wreck my day though...

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Day Air attack on TF at 34,83


Allied aircraft
Wellington III x 3


Allied aircraft losses
Wellington III: 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
CA Kumano, Bomb hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet

500lb bomb hit...

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Day Air attack on TF, near Darwin at 36,84

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 88

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 3

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 6 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 2 destroyed

Japanese Ships
AP Achou Maru

Aircraft Attacking:
1 x Blenheim IV bombing at 6000 feet

this is still the morning phase, one obsolete British bomber made it through Cap...

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Day Air attack on TF at 34,84


Allied aircraft
Wellington III x 6
P-38G Lightning x 3


Allied aircraft losses
Wellington III: 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Hiei

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet
4 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF, near Darwin at 36,84 [8|]

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 15

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 9
Wellington III x 17
P-38G Lightning x 2
B-25C Mitchell x 21
B-26B Marauder x 25
B-17E Fortress x 37
B-24D Liberator x 38

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 6 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Wellington III: 1 damaged
P-38G Lightning: 1 damaged
B-25C Mitchell: 1 damaged
B-26B Marauder: 4 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 4 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
AP Marsue Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AP Keisho Maru
AP Kasui Maru
AK Yosida Maru #1
AP Chinko Maru, Bomb hits 1
AP Nichiro Maru, Bomb hits 6, on fire, heavy damage
AP Koan Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire
AP Burisuben Maru, Bomb hits 7, on fire, heavy damage
AP Karachi Maru
AP Taizin Maru, on fire
AP Astuga Maru
AP Kiko Maru
AP Taihei Maru
AP Meiu Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AK San Francisco Maru
AP Kisogawa Maru, Bomb hits 1
AP Eihuku Maru, Bomb hits 2
AK Seiki Maru
AK Uyo Maru, Bomb hits 1
AK Houn Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AP Manila Maru
AP Hakka Maru, Bomb hits 1
AP Chowa Maru
AP Kenzan Maru
AP Kiyama Maru
AP Kizan Maru
AK Kenkoku Maru
AP Hakusika Maru
AP Kofuku Maru, Bomb hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
AP Nichiai Maru, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
AP Taigen Maru
AK Sagami Maru
AP Ayaha Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AP Miyadono Maru

Japanese ground losses:
146 casualties reported

Aircraft Attacking:
1 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet
3 x Blenheim IV bombing at 6000 feet
3 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet
1 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 10000 feet
1 x B-24D Liberator bombing at 10000 feet

now this strike does some damage, 4 of the ships are probably lost. And again I wonder why my opponent is lucky enough to see his strikes mostly going in against my merchants when there are dozens of high value BBs, CAs, CVs around... Mini KB should act as a bomber magnet but no, instead of attacking CVs, Miller´s bomber attack my merchants... lucky him...

and once again it shows that Miller doesn´t seem to have learnt quickly enough from the invasion of India. He once again goes in with his bombers too LATE. Why having them attack now? 80% or more of my troops are ashore and as it stands now he needs a hell a lot luck with his die rolls if he wants to keep Darwin. Not much longer and the majority of my ships will have withdrawn. The day when he first spotted my TFs was the day when he should have transferred his bombers back to the North but he missed that opportunity by days. As it stands now, I can´t see much of a chance that he will really wreck havoc on my high value ships. Losing two or three dozen merchants and 4 dozen more damaged would be no tragedy. The damaged ones will be repaired and the two or three dozen sunk would surely be worth it to take out Northern Australia.



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Ground combat at Chengtu

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 82602 troops, 983 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1758

Defending force 18162 troops, 108 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 357

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 8

Japanese max assault: 1651 - adjusted assault: 1108

Allied max defense: 390 - adjusted defense: 218 [:D]

Japanese assault odds: 5 to 1 (fort level 8)

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 8


Japanese ground losses:
688 casualties reported
Guns lost 24

Allied ground losses:
461 casualties reported
Guns lost 6

Miller has not been lucky with his die roll here it seems. This defending Chinese corps must be fully supplied and sits in a wooden hex behind level 9 forts and still gets a totally crap adjusted av... this base will fall...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Chungking

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 15884 troops, 183 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1535

Defending force 287586 troops, 1817 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 6936

and this base starves... [:D]

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Ground combat at Kweiyang

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 15972 troops, 202 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 3470

Defending force 196179 troops, 215 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 5446



Allied ground losses:
22 casualties reported

and this one as well...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Darwin

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 27044 troops, 273 guns, 17 vehicles, Assault Value = 882

Defending force 169533 troops, 1395 guns, 1713 vehicles, Assault Value = 3749


Japanese ground losses:
56 casualties reported

Allied ground losses:
10 casualties reported

more and more troops are coming ashore... what is missing is more supply and the rest of the tank units. Even though I´m already confident I have ordered the second wave with two divisions prepped for Darwin to go in against the hostile beach. The two big TFs with the troops prepped for Derby will stay five hexes off Darwin though. What I´m also wondering is if Miller will react with his carriers or any other naval assets. This was one of my hopes but it seems he will keep his Navy in port...

ORIGINAL: Ambassador

That's one more reason to succeed in taking northern Australia, isolating Lautern : freeing up the IJAAF.[:D]

yup, that´s exactly my plan... but you know that a plan won´t last longer than until the first contact with the enemy...

We have some nice email conversation again. Miller of course spotted that I´m bringing in A LOT of tanks and asked this:

Can I just confirm one thing.......if your troops take Darwin I trust you will limit the "pursue enemy" orders to your tank units....

I replied:

That depends on what you mean by limiting my units to pursue. I have never set any of my inf units to pursue but am doing this with the tank units as that is exactly what they are for. Break through the lines and not just follow, but in reality armored units were able to overtake retreating non motorized units and encircle them. To overtake them and encircle is not possible in WITP but the tank units should be at least be able to follow the enemy unmotorized units. If a motorized unit should be slower than an unmotorized unit then I don´t get it why. The pursue order doesn´t help you anything if you then run into two enemy divisions holding position somewhere, but that depends on how you want to fight your defensive ground war. Now Japanese tank units are surely no Waffen SS units of 1944 equipped with Panthers operating in Russia but they are probably not that much worse than PzII that blitzed through Poland and France

If – and that´s a big if - my units will be able to take Darwin and I´m not allowed to use my tank units then we have to go back 10 turns and redo the whole thing as this would make my attack plan on Northern Australia totally obsolete at this stage.

I offered Miller not to pursue his units all the way down to Brisbane but I will surely use my tank units IF I will shock attack and IF the enemy retreats. But I won´t use them to pursue them that far that my tank units will be further away than 4 hexes from my inf units. Without my tanks and the try to kill off the emey troops it would not make sense to attack at all. If the enemy can retreat at will without being harmed he can then stack his troops in one base that will be too strong.