The First Team: Take Two!

[Hornblower]

I wish there was the Allied AAR so we (well not John anyway) can see what the thinking behind the allies is.
I still think I am right on my earlier post.  He’s not going to fight for anything south and hope you elect a hit/run raid on Pearl and see what the air action does.    All said and done I’m thinking he swings around from midway to wake/Marcus, then south to the northern Marshalls to isolate all the SoPac.  I say July as the earlier once the WASP and the Fast BB’s arrive.  Or December when the Essex and Indy’s start to hit, along with LST’s, and the Corsair / P-38 are deployed

[John 3rd]

We just got a bonus turn in for lunch that Brad is running right now.  This means we will get a 3rd one in tonight.  The KB will be in the area north of Canton at that point so we shall have to see what is going to happen.

[Q-Ball]

I also noticed John the Thursday Is. force sailed; that should be a walkover. I didn't check, hopefully you brought along at least 1 CL in there to duel with the CD guns, right?

Just to be irritating, I wonder if we can para drop on Coen, then pick the unit up, and put an NLF on Portland Roads. Just harrassment stuff really.

[John 3rd]

I had thought about that too. But if we land at Coen with 1,000 Paras they might evacuate all the way to Brisbane! What would we do THEN MISTER??!! Don't have the power to innitiate Operation Shoestring: Southwest...

NO I didn't bring a CL along for Thursday. Didn't even think about it. Oooppps. I could recall the Landing Force and bring one up from Auckland. What do you think? Landing Force Composition: 2 Nvl Guard, 2 SNLF, and a Con Bat=6,000 men.

[John 3rd]

I almost posted this on my other AAR! Oooppsss... I am soooooo confused.

[Q-Ball]

John, I think you need to abort the Thursday Landing if we still can. That base force has 4x6in CD guns, as well as 4x4in. The invasion fleet has 2 MSW, 4 PG, and all transports. None of the transports are supply only, and most are packed to the rafters, so it will take more than one turn to unload. The transports are going to get crushed. A couple CL's would probably be enough to get everyone ashore if there are any nearby.

[John 3rd]

As long as our boys don't do a speed run into Thursday Isle, I will abort the landing and call-up reinforcements/help from Auckland.  They aren't even flying recon out of anything close so it hasn't been spotted.  Could it be 'no harm--no foul?' 

Can also pull a few more AP from nearby areas.  They are in rather short supply at the moment with the Empire stretching around 50% of the planet!

Where is our evening turn?  Thought we would get 3 in today.

EDIT: Just checked and I have a CA and a pair of CL at Auckland with plenty of DDs. Will bring a few to join the party.

[Hornblower]

I look forward to seeing Canton, and the next weeks after that... 

[John 3rd]

Here is a shot of your Island as of June 23, 1942 with the Japanese closing in for the kill:

[Hornblower]

No sign of USN?  Not even a SS?

[John 3rd]

NADA!

[John 3rd]

As the song goes "IS there anybody out there?"

[Q-Ball]

I was concerned for nothing at Thursday. 4 6in CD guns SHOULD have sunk several transports, but didn't; they hadn't run supplies there for awhile, and I suspect they were out of supplies. Very few hits on the transports, and the unit collapsed instantly, 1300 more POWs.

[John 3rd]

Getting to be somewhat exasperating...

[John 3rd]

Combat Report
June 24, 1942

I have already shown Shimakaze so don't need to do more there.

India
Karachi
We now know what is in Karachi. The answer is a CRAPLOAD of troops! Total Assault Value about 2,900. Yikes. Recommend our 'Expedition Force' that just entered the hex RUN and fallback while we fortify Malir.

Should also note that the Royal Navy appeared this turn in the form of the 3 R-Class BB, 4 CL, and 5 DD. They bombarded our troops in the hex. Nice to know they are there and vulnerable to an attack. We have 7 CVs (2 Junyo, 1 CVL, 4 CVE) sitting in Singapore at the moment ready to go!

Bombay
The Allies have 2,300 AV present here and so I guess this is the choice. We have a tad over 3,000 AV present. The AF is staying damaged at about 70% and we now command the seas around the city.

Ceylon
Time to take out this thorn behind us. Brad has nicely destroyed about 12 or so Beauforts at Trincomalee and has troops prepping for an assault landing there fairly soon. Brad can you explain your plans here?

Burma
36,29
The British troops that had been driven into this hex when they retreated from Myitkyina are inadvertently pushed back tot he hex west of Tsunyang (Sp?). A TK Regiment puched back SEVEN units with a 4-1 attack! That says something...

35,29
These Chinese heroes continue to hold though Brad has been resting our boys a bit. The area is hit by by about 80-90 planes a day.

North Pacific
Cold Bay
This is the last base we will take and it falls this day. Will re-organize the units now and set-up the long-term defence of these islands.

SS Operations
I-154 hits an AK moving towards the Aden channel with a Torp
I-6 Battle Surfaces against an AK and puts a pair of TT as well as 4 Shells into it.
Ro-64 hits an AK with 1 Torp in the Gulf of Alaska


Bombay Thoughts
We really need to get our Assault Value up if we are to make a serious attempt at grabbing this urban center. We have about 3,000 available now in the hex. This is what we might add to it:

(In India) 2 Inf Div, several Hv Gun Reg, and 2 Brigade---1,500 AV
(In Burma) 3 Brigades, 5 Artillery units, and an Eng Reg---1,000 AV
(In Korea) 1 Inf Div (will buy it tomorrow)---450 AV
(Once Ceylon Falls) Inf Div, Inf Brig, and several other units---600 AV

This totals up to about 3,600

We can realistically double the assault power present in the hex within a month of time. While waiting for that we can continue bombing the place and get ready for BB Bombardments. There should be 4-5,000 pieces of Artillery (nearly 2,000 present now) when everything is in place. Have no idea if this will even make a dent but we shall see....

What do readers think?

Brad--Your thoughts???

[Rainer79]

My € 0,02:

If your troops can't survive an attack at Karachi with its urban bonus, then they won't be able to hold at Malir if the British pursue.

As for Bombay, assuming reasonably high forts even with the reinforcements added I don't think you'd be able to take the base quickly. A multi-month siege might succeed but then you'd have to commit a lot of troops well into '43.

It could be interesting to look up the AV numbers of the Aussie defenders in the Forlorn Hopes game as a comparison.

[Canoerebel]

The Axis powers continue to advance...so where are the Allies? Good going, John and Q-Ball.

Don't you have an HR prohibiting Jap forces from coming within four hexes of the Aden and Panama City channels? That's a standard HR in every extended map game I've seen.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: Rainer79

My € 0,02:

If your troops can't survive an attack at Karachi with its urban bonus, then they won't be able to hold at Malir if the British pursue.

As for Bombay, assuming reasonably high forts even with the reinforcements added I don't think you'd be able to take the base quickly. A multi-month siege might succeed but then you'd have to commit a lot of troops well into '43.

It could be interesting to look up the AV numbers of the Aussie defenders in the Forlorn Hopes game as a comparison.

Good point, Rainer. The Allies had about 2,400 AV at Syndey, and supplies were about 50,000 when the siege began. John tried one attack there (he had something like 6 or 8 divisions?) and drew 0:1 odds and took extremely lopsided casualties. If Bombay has good supplies and can keep them, I don't see how the Japs can ever take it. Moreover, if the Japs get bogged down here and allow it to consume all their attention, the Allies may be able to pull a devastating flanking attack at some point in late '42 or early '43.

[John 3rd]

I am figuring Bombay won't fall (if at all) for months of time.

When my troops arrived at the end of the line in Australia (Forlorn Hopes), they were at the end of massively long supply line and I did not know then what I do now regarding land combat.  Made that single attack to see the odds ratio and said 'NO' because I didn't want to destroy and/or gut my army all the way over there.  Served no purpose.

Things are different here:
1.   We can pull units out of Manchuria to add to the assault.  I realistically don't think we have to worry about a counter-landing until January 1 1943.  If that is the case then we can attack through that point before making a firm decision.

2.  Control of the sea.  By the time I got to those Aussie hexes, my Fleet was already having issues with Battlewagons.  Not so here.  We have all six and they will be used!

3.  Supplies are FAR Better for us as India produces a goodly amount supplemented by what we bring in.

4.  Air Attack:  We will have 5-6 AF in range with the ENTIRE IJA fighter and bomber strength behind us.  We shoul dbe able to bomb the Port and AF to 100% and destroy supply through air attack.

5.  I only had 2-3 Engineering Regiments in Australia.  This attack will feature at least 6-8 working on the Allies Forts.

I will figure that they start with 250-300,000 supply in the hex.  It is a guess but all those AK weren't hauling stuff OUT!  They certainly weren't hauling in new troops.  Could only be supply.  That is done and over now.  What would an army with an AV of 2300 consume in supplies each day of normal operations?  They are actively bombarding so supply is being used for that too...

Are there other elements I am not thinking of?

 

[paullus99]

The only thing I can think of at this point, is that the Allied players are concentrating their forces for one LARGE offensive operation, aimed at or around the Home Islands (perhaps Hokkaido or the Kuriles) to establish a presence to start putting pressure on what really needs to be protected - everything else suddenly becoming secondary.

Who knows - of course, if they are concentrated at PH & you attack, well - could be a meat grinder extraordinaire. And not the good way.