August 2, 1943 –
There was no Night Action.
Daylight brought Rain most everywhere, so Air Action was limited.
PB4Y-1s hit the SNLF unit at Luganville again, DBs hit Japanese Troops at Bhamo, and P-39s hit the Japanese Infantry Regiment southeast of Akyab. Most of the 2Es in Burma didn’t fly, and those that did couldn’t find their Targets. Finally in the afternoon the 4Es hammered the Japanese Troops in Mandalay.
That was good timing, because the Indian 5th Division launched another Deliberate Attack on Mandalay afterwards. The Indian Troops did better this time, achieving a 1:1 result and reducing the Fortifications down to Level 2. I’m going to rest them again next turn while I direct even more Bombers against the Japanese Troops at Mandalay.
Last Stand at San Diego (no Richard please)
Moderators: wdolson, MOD_War-in-the-Pacific-Admirals-Edition
Buna Blues
August 3, 1943 –
There was no Night Action. (A lot of my subs are heading Back to Port for Upgrades, and I have no idea where the IJN is sitting…)
Daylight brought out Japanese Air Recon all over the map, but no Japanese Air Attacks.
Allied Air Action started in the South Pacific where the USN PB4Y-1s hit the SNLF unit at Luganville again. The Navy Libs aren’t causing much damage with most attacks, but it’s the cumulative effect that counts here.
Air Action then switched to Northern Oz where 4Es hit the Air Base at Wyndham for the first time in a while. There was no Japanese CAP and the US Bombers roughed the place up pretty good. I want to keep on discouraging my opponent from moving planes back into Wyndham.
Off in Northeast Oz, a planned Surprise Attack ended up getting Surprised, as 4Es attacked the Air Base at Buna at 6K Feet and found Barrage Balloons there. Ouch! I usually set my Bombers to 6K for attacks against Ground Troops and to 8K or 10K for City Attacks, but I forgot to check the Attack Altitude of my Bombers this time, probably because I didn’t consider Buna to be in the category of Cities like Rangoon.
And there were Japanese Fighters on CAP – 45 A6M2s and 5 Tony Ias. The Allied Attack, which consisted of 34 B-24Ds, 10 B-17Es, and 34 B-24D1s, didn’t have much trouble with the Japanese CAP, but the Balloons were nasty. Never-the-less, the 4Es got through and hit the Air Base at Buna fairly hard. Now I’m letting the Bomber Squadrons stand down for a couple of days to lick their wounds.
In Burma, DBs hit Japanese Troops at Bhamo, P-39s tried to dig out Japanese Infantry in the jungle to the southeast of Akyab, and in probably the biggest Allied Air Raid of the War so far, masses of Bombers attacked Mandalay, with the 2Es going after Japanese Troops and the 4Es going after the Air Base. I’m letting the 2Es return to Mandalay next turn, but the 4Es will be visiting the Air Base at Rangoon for the first time in a while, and at an appropriate Altitude too.
There was no Night Action. (A lot of my subs are heading Back to Port for Upgrades, and I have no idea where the IJN is sitting…)
Daylight brought out Japanese Air Recon all over the map, but no Japanese Air Attacks.
Allied Air Action started in the South Pacific where the USN PB4Y-1s hit the SNLF unit at Luganville again. The Navy Libs aren’t causing much damage with most attacks, but it’s the cumulative effect that counts here.
Air Action then switched to Northern Oz where 4Es hit the Air Base at Wyndham for the first time in a while. There was no Japanese CAP and the US Bombers roughed the place up pretty good. I want to keep on discouraging my opponent from moving planes back into Wyndham.
Off in Northeast Oz, a planned Surprise Attack ended up getting Surprised, as 4Es attacked the Air Base at Buna at 6K Feet and found Barrage Balloons there. Ouch! I usually set my Bombers to 6K for attacks against Ground Troops and to 8K or 10K for City Attacks, but I forgot to check the Attack Altitude of my Bombers this time, probably because I didn’t consider Buna to be in the category of Cities like Rangoon.
And there were Japanese Fighters on CAP – 45 A6M2s and 5 Tony Ias. The Allied Attack, which consisted of 34 B-24Ds, 10 B-17Es, and 34 B-24D1s, didn’t have much trouble with the Japanese CAP, but the Balloons were nasty. Never-the-less, the 4Es got through and hit the Air Base at Buna fairly hard. Now I’m letting the Bomber Squadrons stand down for a couple of days to lick their wounds.
In Burma, DBs hit Japanese Troops at Bhamo, P-39s tried to dig out Japanese Infantry in the jungle to the southeast of Akyab, and in probably the biggest Allied Air Raid of the War so far, masses of Bombers attacked Mandalay, with the 2Es going after Japanese Troops and the 4Es going after the Air Base. I’m letting the 2Es return to Mandalay next turn, but the 4Es will be visiting the Air Base at Rangoon for the first time in a while, and at an appropriate Altitude too.
Boetan
August 4, 1943 –
The Night Phase saw the dot base Boetan in the DEI get automatically occupied by the Japanese. Belep Island, just north of Koumac, continued to refuse to be occupied by the Allies. So I decided that I will drop some Paratroops in next turn just to get it out of the way.
Daylight brought out the PB4Y-1s in the South Pacific as they hit the SNLF at Luganville again.
Air Action then switched to Burma where DBs hit Japanese Troops at Bhamo, 2Es hit Japanese Troops at Mandalay, and the 4Es hit the Air Base at Rangoon hard, with no Japanese CAP anywhere.
Japanese Recon was all over the place as usual, and also afterwards the Air Losses Report showed a handful of Japanese Transport planes lost to Ops, which means that my opponent is flying in Supply somewhere – likely Burma.
And an Aircraft Symbol showed up at Moulmein again. Maybe those are Japanese Transport planes; or maybe my opponent is planning Air Raids in Burma again. Regardless, the 4Es will visit Moulmein again next turn.
But Most Importantly – while I was moving subs around the Burma Coast I suddenly noticed a multi-TF symbol a few hexes southwest of the Andaman Islands. When I moved the cursor over the TF Symbol, lo-and-behold, there were CVs and Planes listed.
Ah so, desu ne! Some part of the KB is sailing towards Burma. I ordered my TFs in the Region to head to Port, ordered my Subs to Swarm the Area, set my P-39s to CAP rather than Ground Attack, and prepared to see just what my opponent intends to try. Maybe he is just escorting a Transport TF, but if he intends to try some Air Attacks I will be more than happy to throw the Entire Eastern Air Force at him.
The Night Phase saw the dot base Boetan in the DEI get automatically occupied by the Japanese. Belep Island, just north of Koumac, continued to refuse to be occupied by the Allies. So I decided that I will drop some Paratroops in next turn just to get it out of the way.
Daylight brought out the PB4Y-1s in the South Pacific as they hit the SNLF at Luganville again.
Air Action then switched to Burma where DBs hit Japanese Troops at Bhamo, 2Es hit Japanese Troops at Mandalay, and the 4Es hit the Air Base at Rangoon hard, with no Japanese CAP anywhere.
Japanese Recon was all over the place as usual, and also afterwards the Air Losses Report showed a handful of Japanese Transport planes lost to Ops, which means that my opponent is flying in Supply somewhere – likely Burma.
And an Aircraft Symbol showed up at Moulmein again. Maybe those are Japanese Transport planes; or maybe my opponent is planning Air Raids in Burma again. Regardless, the 4Es will visit Moulmein again next turn.
But Most Importantly – while I was moving subs around the Burma Coast I suddenly noticed a multi-TF symbol a few hexes southwest of the Andaman Islands. When I moved the cursor over the TF Symbol, lo-and-behold, there were CVs and Planes listed.
Ah so, desu ne! Some part of the KB is sailing towards Burma. I ordered my TFs in the Region to head to Port, ordered my Subs to Swarm the Area, set my P-39s to CAP rather than Ground Attack, and prepared to see just what my opponent intends to try. Maybe he is just escorting a Transport TF, but if he intends to try some Air Attacks I will be more than happy to throw the Entire Eastern Air Force at him.
Above the Balloons
August 5, 1943 –
There was no Night Action again.
Daylight brought out enhanced Allied Naval Air Search which revealed that the Japanese TFs off of Burma are now a couple of hexes northwest of Port Blair.
Allied Air Attacks flew over Burma like usual, with DBs hitting Japanese Troops at Bhamo, 2Es hitting Japanese Troops at Mandalay, and the 4Es hitting the Air Base at Moulmein hard. There was no CAP, but the Bombers did find Japanese Recon Planes on the ground.
Air Action then moved to Oz, as 4Es hammered the Air Base at Wyndham, and others took another shot at Buna, but this time at 8K feet. The USAAF Attack consisted of 42B-24Ds, 13 B-17Es, and 45 B-24D1s. They were met by 13 Tojo IIas, 45 A6M2s, and 11 Tony Ias. The Bombers blasted through the Japanese CAP, and in particular shot up the old Zeros heavily, before hammered the Air Field. But the newer Japanese Fighters did score hits on the 4Es on the way out and a number were write-offs when they staggered home. (The Air Results for the day are pasted below.)
Afterwards, Air Recon reported that there were few Japanese planes at Buna, so I’m betting that the CAP is flying in from Lae.
Back in Burma, the Indian 5th Infantry Division attempted another Deliberate Attack on the Japanese Defenders at Mandalay. The Indians were able to lower the Fortifications down to Level 1, but they only achieved a 1:1 result, despite causing heavy Japanese casualties. So Mandalay remained in Japanese hands.
And finally, USMC Paratroops landed on Belep and captured the empty base. I doubt that it would have ever become automatically occupied by the Allies.
In any event, I’m going to discuss the Bay of Bengal situation in a follow-up post.
There was no Night Action again.
Daylight brought out enhanced Allied Naval Air Search which revealed that the Japanese TFs off of Burma are now a couple of hexes northwest of Port Blair.
Allied Air Attacks flew over Burma like usual, with DBs hitting Japanese Troops at Bhamo, 2Es hitting Japanese Troops at Mandalay, and the 4Es hitting the Air Base at Moulmein hard. There was no CAP, but the Bombers did find Japanese Recon Planes on the ground.
Air Action then moved to Oz, as 4Es hammered the Air Base at Wyndham, and others took another shot at Buna, but this time at 8K feet. The USAAF Attack consisted of 42B-24Ds, 13 B-17Es, and 45 B-24D1s. They were met by 13 Tojo IIas, 45 A6M2s, and 11 Tony Ias. The Bombers blasted through the Japanese CAP, and in particular shot up the old Zeros heavily, before hammered the Air Field. But the newer Japanese Fighters did score hits on the 4Es on the way out and a number were write-offs when they staggered home. (The Air Results for the day are pasted below.)
Afterwards, Air Recon reported that there were few Japanese planes at Buna, so I’m betting that the CAP is flying in from Lae.
Back in Burma, the Indian 5th Infantry Division attempted another Deliberate Attack on the Japanese Defenders at Mandalay. The Indians were able to lower the Fortifications down to Level 1, but they only achieved a 1:1 result, despite causing heavy Japanese casualties. So Mandalay remained in Japanese hands.
And finally, USMC Paratroops landed on Belep and captured the empty base. I doubt that it would have ever become automatically occupied by the Allies.
In any event, I’m going to discuss the Bay of Bengal situation in a follow-up post.
- Attachments
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- AirLossesAug5.jpg (46.87 KiB) Viewed 185 times
The Big Questions
August 5, 1943 – Continued:
I wanted to paste the Bay of Bengal screen capture separately, and discuss it here. When I first saw those Japanese TFs last turn I thought that my opponent was either Raiding with the KB, or else was planning to send in a Carrier-CAPPED Bombardment TF to hit one of my Coastal Bases.
But this turn I got a very different report on one of the 2 TFs that are northwest of Port Blair – Is one really an Invasion TF? Both TFs are reported to be headed to the Northeast, which means towards Akyab, Cox’s Bazaar, or Chittagong. The CV TF still indicates that it isn’t the Full KB, which is typical of when my opponent is sending in a CV Group to CAP another TF.
Look over at Moulmein – a Transport TF has shown up there. If the Japanese CV TF hadn’t shown up last turn I would have had the RN Cruisers at Akyab ready to Race in to attack a TF at Moulmein. Now the RN has been pulled back. And I can only send Subs after that Transport TF.
So if my opponent is planning an Invasion, the Big Question to me is; Why? Does he think that I’ve stripped Akyab, Cox’s Bazaar and Chittagong of Combat Troops? He’ll be pretty unhappy if he lands and finds a Full Division in each, with plenty of Support Troops, CD Units, and Level 6 Forts, along with PTs and the RN heading back.
I’ve also already moved my 4Es away from the Coast – I have been keeping them in Chittagong because it is a Rail Line Base. Now I’ve filled up the 3 Coastal Bases with planes, and all three are Level 9 Air Bases, with Air HQs and plenty of Air Support in each.
In any event, it will be interesting to see what happens next turn… take a look at the Air Power that I’ve moved in:
- Chittagong: 175F, 66 LB, 13 TB
- Cox’s Bazaar: 123 F, 64 LB
- Akyab: 108 F, 16 LB, 6 TB
All Air Units have good, aggressive leaders and plenty of experience. Can the Allies Score a Big Victory?
I wanted to paste the Bay of Bengal screen capture separately, and discuss it here. When I first saw those Japanese TFs last turn I thought that my opponent was either Raiding with the KB, or else was planning to send in a Carrier-CAPPED Bombardment TF to hit one of my Coastal Bases.
But this turn I got a very different report on one of the 2 TFs that are northwest of Port Blair – Is one really an Invasion TF? Both TFs are reported to be headed to the Northeast, which means towards Akyab, Cox’s Bazaar, or Chittagong. The CV TF still indicates that it isn’t the Full KB, which is typical of when my opponent is sending in a CV Group to CAP another TF.
Look over at Moulmein – a Transport TF has shown up there. If the Japanese CV TF hadn’t shown up last turn I would have had the RN Cruisers at Akyab ready to Race in to attack a TF at Moulmein. Now the RN has been pulled back. And I can only send Subs after that Transport TF.
So if my opponent is planning an Invasion, the Big Question to me is; Why? Does he think that I’ve stripped Akyab, Cox’s Bazaar and Chittagong of Combat Troops? He’ll be pretty unhappy if he lands and finds a Full Division in each, with plenty of Support Troops, CD Units, and Level 6 Forts, along with PTs and the RN heading back.
I’ve also already moved my 4Es away from the Coast – I have been keeping them in Chittagong because it is a Rail Line Base. Now I’ve filled up the 3 Coastal Bases with planes, and all three are Level 9 Air Bases, with Air HQs and plenty of Air Support in each.
In any event, it will be interesting to see what happens next turn… take a look at the Air Power that I’ve moved in:
- Chittagong: 175F, 66 LB, 13 TB
- Cox’s Bazaar: 123 F, 64 LB
- Akyab: 108 F, 16 LB, 6 TB
All Air Units have good, aggressive leaders and plenty of experience. Can the Allies Score a Big Victory?
- Attachments
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- BurmaAugust6.jpg (173.53 KiB) Viewed 185 times
The RAF on the Attack!
August 6, 1943 – Preliminary Report –
My opponent won't be able to get the Turn back to me until tomorrow, so he sent the Combat Replay for me to check out today.
There was no Night Action, which indicated that the Japanese TFs in the Bay of Bengal were not racing in to Bombard or Invade any Allied Coastal Bases.
Instead, Daylight brought reports that the Japanese TFs were now a handful of hexes west of the Andamans, and heading Westbound. Is my opponent planning a Raid on Ceylon, or is he just hunting Allied TFs? In any event, I haven't stripped Ceylon of Combat Forces, so any invasion there won't have any easy time.
What surprised me, and probably surprised my opponent, was that the RAF got into Action in a Big Way as Wellingtons and Liberator GR.VIIIs flew over to Moulmein and attacked the Japanese Transport Freighters at Low Altitude. There was no CAP so the Bombers did quite well:
Morning Air attack on TF, near Moulmein at 55,55
Weather in hex: Overcast
Raid detected at 56 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 21 minutes
Allied aircraft
Wellington GR.VIII x 14
Wellington B.X x 8
Allied aircraft losses
Wellington GR.VIII: 2 damaged
Wellington GR.VIII: 1 destroyed by flak
Wellington B.X: 2 damaged
Japanese Ships
xAKL Kuwayama Maru
xAKL Indus Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAKL Taisoku Maru, Bomb hits 1
xAKL Momoyama Maru
xAK Nichiren Maru
xAKL Honan Maru, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
Aircraft Attacking:
8 x Wellington B.X bombing from 100 feet *
Naval Attack: 1 x 500 lb SAP Bomb
9 x Wellington GR.VIII bombing from 100 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 lb SAP Bomb
3 x Wellington GR.VIII bombing from 100 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 lb SAP Bomb
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Moulmein at 55,55
Weather in hex: Overcast
Raid detected at 77 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 32 minutes
Allied aircraft
Wellington GR.VIII x 8
Allied aircraft losses
Wellington GR.VIII: 2 damaged
Japanese Ships
xAKL Hokuan Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAKL Kuwayama Maru, Shell hits 2, Bomb hits 1, on fire
Aircraft Attacking:
8 x Wellington GR.VIII bombing from 100 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 lb SAP Bomb
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Moulmein at 55,55
Weather in hex: Overcast
Raid detected at 32 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes
Allied aircraft
Liberator GR.III x 8
Allied aircraft losses
Liberator GR.III: 1 damaged
Japanese Ships
xAKL Ryoyu Maru #21, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAKL Indus Maru, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
Aircraft Attacking:
8 x Liberator GR.III bombing from 100 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 lb SAP Bomb
---------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Moulmein at 55,55
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid detected at 64 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 24 minutes
Allied aircraft
Wellington Ic x 11
Allied aircraft losses
Wellington Ic: 2 damaged
Japanese Ships
xAKL Kuwayama Maru, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAKL Kakuzan Maru
xAKL Hokuan Maru, Bomb hits 5, and is sunk
Aircraft Attacking:
11 x Wellington Ic bombing from 100 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 500 lb SAP Bomb
After this the British DBs attacked Japanese Troops at
Bhamo. I had my USAAF 4Es on Naval Search.
Finally, Dutch Sub KXII attempted to sneak in among the Burning Japanese Freighters at Moulmein, but it was caught twice by Japanese Escorts and will be limping home.
So, will my opponent move Fighters back to Moulmein to protect the rest of his Transport TF? Should I move the Wellingtons and Liberator GR.VIIIs to Ceylon to keep an eye on the Japanese TFs in the Bay of Bengal? I guess that I will have to wait to see how things really look once I get the actual Turn.
My opponent won't be able to get the Turn back to me until tomorrow, so he sent the Combat Replay for me to check out today.
There was no Night Action, which indicated that the Japanese TFs in the Bay of Bengal were not racing in to Bombard or Invade any Allied Coastal Bases.
Instead, Daylight brought reports that the Japanese TFs were now a handful of hexes west of the Andamans, and heading Westbound. Is my opponent planning a Raid on Ceylon, or is he just hunting Allied TFs? In any event, I haven't stripped Ceylon of Combat Forces, so any invasion there won't have any easy time.
What surprised me, and probably surprised my opponent, was that the RAF got into Action in a Big Way as Wellingtons and Liberator GR.VIIIs flew over to Moulmein and attacked the Japanese Transport Freighters at Low Altitude. There was no CAP so the Bombers did quite well:
Morning Air attack on TF, near Moulmein at 55,55
Weather in hex: Overcast
Raid detected at 56 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 21 minutes
Allied aircraft
Wellington GR.VIII x 14
Wellington B.X x 8
Allied aircraft losses
Wellington GR.VIII: 2 damaged
Wellington GR.VIII: 1 destroyed by flak
Wellington B.X: 2 damaged
Japanese Ships
xAKL Kuwayama Maru
xAKL Indus Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAKL Taisoku Maru, Bomb hits 1
xAKL Momoyama Maru
xAK Nichiren Maru
xAKL Honan Maru, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
Aircraft Attacking:
8 x Wellington B.X bombing from 100 feet *
Naval Attack: 1 x 500 lb SAP Bomb
9 x Wellington GR.VIII bombing from 100 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 lb SAP Bomb
3 x Wellington GR.VIII bombing from 100 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 lb SAP Bomb
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Moulmein at 55,55
Weather in hex: Overcast
Raid detected at 77 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 32 minutes
Allied aircraft
Wellington GR.VIII x 8
Allied aircraft losses
Wellington GR.VIII: 2 damaged
Japanese Ships
xAKL Hokuan Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAKL Kuwayama Maru, Shell hits 2, Bomb hits 1, on fire
Aircraft Attacking:
8 x Wellington GR.VIII bombing from 100 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 lb SAP Bomb
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Moulmein at 55,55
Weather in hex: Overcast
Raid detected at 32 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes
Allied aircraft
Liberator GR.III x 8
Allied aircraft losses
Liberator GR.III: 1 damaged
Japanese Ships
xAKL Ryoyu Maru #21, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAKL Indus Maru, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
Aircraft Attacking:
8 x Liberator GR.III bombing from 100 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 lb SAP Bomb
---------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Moulmein at 55,55
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid detected at 64 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 24 minutes
Allied aircraft
Wellington Ic x 11
Allied aircraft losses
Wellington Ic: 2 damaged
Japanese Ships
xAKL Kuwayama Maru, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAKL Kakuzan Maru
xAKL Hokuan Maru, Bomb hits 5, and is sunk
Aircraft Attacking:
11 x Wellington Ic bombing from 100 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 500 lb SAP Bomb
After this the British DBs attacked Japanese Troops at
Bhamo. I had my USAAF 4Es on Naval Search.
Finally, Dutch Sub KXII attempted to sneak in among the Burning Japanese Freighters at Moulmein, but it was caught twice by Japanese Escorts and will be limping home.
So, will my opponent move Fighters back to Moulmein to protect the rest of his Transport TF? Should I move the Wellingtons and Liberator GR.VIIIs to Ceylon to keep an eye on the Japanese TFs in the Bay of Bengal? I guess that I will have to wait to see how things really look once I get the actual Turn.
Bay of Bengal
The situation in the Bay of Bengal is shown below - just what is going on?
- Raid on Ceylon?
- Raid on Worm-hole bases?
- Fishing expedition?
BTW - I've now decided that the second TF is likely a Replenishment TF.
I've moved more planes to Ceylon, but I've set most of my Burma Air Units back to their normal routines of attacking Japanese Troops and Bases.
- Raid on Ceylon?
- Raid on Worm-hole bases?
- Fishing expedition?
BTW - I've now decided that the second TF is likely a Replenishment TF.
I've moved more planes to Ceylon, but I've set most of my Burma Air Units back to their normal routines of attacking Japanese Troops and Bases.
- Attachments
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- BayofBen..g71943.jpg (65.5 KiB) Viewed 185 times
30,000 Hits Wow! Thanks!
I would like to thank all the nice folks who have dropped by over the past 2 1/2 years to follow this slow, slow AAR. It may take us another 2 1/2 years to finish this match, but we are having fun, and I hope that you readers are having a bit of fun too.
Thanks - ADB
Thanks - ADB
Mandalay Is Liberated!
August 7, 1943 –
There was no Night Action.
Daylight brought reports from the Bay of Bengal that the wandering Japanese TFs were back between the Andaman Islands and Sumatra, and heading southeast. So the Japanese Fishing Trip appears to be over. At the same time, other Allied Naval Search planes reported that the Japanese Transport TF had left Moulmein and was headed south. So if the purpose of the Fishing Trip was to dissuade me from sending out the RN after those ships at Moulmein, it did its job well.
Allied Bombers then got into action in a somewhat truncated manner as Bad Weather interfered with many planned Missions. The Morning had the Worst Weather, and the only Allied Air Attacks were by the PB4Y-1s on the SNLF unit at Luganville, the British DBs in Burma hitting Japanese Troops at Bhamo, and some Allied 2Es hitting the Japanese Troops at Mandalay.
Then in the Afternoon the Big Event flew over Lae – 41 B24Ds, 14 B-17Es, and 40 B-24D1 attacked the Air Base. They were met by 2 Tony Ias, 15 A6M3as, 6 A6M2s, and 27 Tojo IIas. The 4Es blasted through the Japanese CAP, shooting down a couple of Enemy Fighters, and then hammered the Air Base at Lae hard, destroying more Enemy Planes on the Ground. As usual, the Way Out was tougher than the Way In, and the 4Es did suffer some losses. But it was well worth it to nearly close the Air Base at Lae.
Here are the End-of-Day results for the Action Over Lae:
Ki-44-IIa Tojo – 2 A-to-A, 2 Ground
A6M3a – 2 A-to-A, 1 Ground, 1 Ops
A6M2 – 1 Ops
B-24D – 1 A-to-A, 1 Ops
B-24D1 – 1 A-to-A
Then Allied Land Forces got into Action. I have been moving more good Chinese Corps to the Lashio Road in an attempt to move out the defending Japanese Guards Division, so since all of the Chinese Units were In Supply, I gave the order to General Stilwell to have his troops attack, and so they did:
Ground combat at 63,45 (near Bhamo)
Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 66623 troops, 475 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 2626
Defending force 16197 troops, 173 guns, 122 vehicles, Assault Value = 467
Allied adjusted assault: 1152
Japanese adjusted defense: 1276
Allied assault odds: 1 to 2
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
1055 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 145 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 40 disabled
Engineers: 4 destroyed, 15 disabled
Guns lost 64 (4 destroyed, 60 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
3204 casualties reported
Squads: 11 destroyed, 261 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 16 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 57 disabled
Guns lost 14 (1 destroyed, 13 disabled)
Assaulting units:
3rd New Chinese Corps
97th Chinese Corps
10th Chinese Corps
45th Chinese Corps
8th New Chinese Corps
14th Chinese Corps
7th New Chinese Corps
6th Chinese Corps
NCAC
Defending units:
2nd Guards Division
8th Area Army
18th Mountain Gun Regiment
5th Mortar Battalion
So the result wasn’t great, but considering the Chinese Units, it wasn’t a disaster either. In any event, it gives my opponent something to consider.
Then the Main Event occurred, yet another Attack by the Indian 5th Infantry Division on Mandalay. Once again, the Air Support for this Attack fell short a fair amount from what was Planned, but never-the-less, the Indians finally did the Job:
Ground combat at Mandalay (59,46)
Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 13368 troops, 300 guns, 322 vehicles, Assault Value = 424
Defending force 4020 troops, 69 guns, 246 vehicles, Assault Value = 82
Allied adjusted assault: 186
Japanese adjusted defense: 17
Allied assault odds: 10 to 1 (fort level 1)
Allied forces CAPTURE Mandalay !!!
Combat modifiers
Defender: disruption(-), preparation(-)
Attacker: leaders(+), leaders(-)
Japanese ground losses:
742 casualties reported
Squads: 9 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 186 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 55 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 50 (50 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 150 (150 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 4
Allied ground losses:
7 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!
Assaulting units:
5th Indian Division
Defending units:
55th Engineer Regiment
2nd Tank/B Division
Burma Area Army
10th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
That’s a lot of Tanks for the Japanese to replace.
So my Burma Strategy has reached its first major milestone, the Liberation of the key Bases in Northern and Central Burma. The Enemy’s Forces are in Disarray, in the Jungle, and far from Supply and Support.
There was no Night Action.
Daylight brought reports from the Bay of Bengal that the wandering Japanese TFs were back between the Andaman Islands and Sumatra, and heading southeast. So the Japanese Fishing Trip appears to be over. At the same time, other Allied Naval Search planes reported that the Japanese Transport TF had left Moulmein and was headed south. So if the purpose of the Fishing Trip was to dissuade me from sending out the RN after those ships at Moulmein, it did its job well.
Allied Bombers then got into action in a somewhat truncated manner as Bad Weather interfered with many planned Missions. The Morning had the Worst Weather, and the only Allied Air Attacks were by the PB4Y-1s on the SNLF unit at Luganville, the British DBs in Burma hitting Japanese Troops at Bhamo, and some Allied 2Es hitting the Japanese Troops at Mandalay.
Then in the Afternoon the Big Event flew over Lae – 41 B24Ds, 14 B-17Es, and 40 B-24D1 attacked the Air Base. They were met by 2 Tony Ias, 15 A6M3as, 6 A6M2s, and 27 Tojo IIas. The 4Es blasted through the Japanese CAP, shooting down a couple of Enemy Fighters, and then hammered the Air Base at Lae hard, destroying more Enemy Planes on the Ground. As usual, the Way Out was tougher than the Way In, and the 4Es did suffer some losses. But it was well worth it to nearly close the Air Base at Lae.
Here are the End-of-Day results for the Action Over Lae:
Ki-44-IIa Tojo – 2 A-to-A, 2 Ground
A6M3a – 2 A-to-A, 1 Ground, 1 Ops
A6M2 – 1 Ops
B-24D – 1 A-to-A, 1 Ops
B-24D1 – 1 A-to-A
Then Allied Land Forces got into Action. I have been moving more good Chinese Corps to the Lashio Road in an attempt to move out the defending Japanese Guards Division, so since all of the Chinese Units were In Supply, I gave the order to General Stilwell to have his troops attack, and so they did:
Ground combat at 63,45 (near Bhamo)
Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 66623 troops, 475 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 2626
Defending force 16197 troops, 173 guns, 122 vehicles, Assault Value = 467
Allied adjusted assault: 1152
Japanese adjusted defense: 1276
Allied assault odds: 1 to 2
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
1055 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 145 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 40 disabled
Engineers: 4 destroyed, 15 disabled
Guns lost 64 (4 destroyed, 60 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
3204 casualties reported
Squads: 11 destroyed, 261 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 16 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 57 disabled
Guns lost 14 (1 destroyed, 13 disabled)
Assaulting units:
3rd New Chinese Corps
97th Chinese Corps
10th Chinese Corps
45th Chinese Corps
8th New Chinese Corps
14th Chinese Corps
7th New Chinese Corps
6th Chinese Corps
NCAC
Defending units:
2nd Guards Division
8th Area Army
18th Mountain Gun Regiment
5th Mortar Battalion
So the result wasn’t great, but considering the Chinese Units, it wasn’t a disaster either. In any event, it gives my opponent something to consider.
Then the Main Event occurred, yet another Attack by the Indian 5th Infantry Division on Mandalay. Once again, the Air Support for this Attack fell short a fair amount from what was Planned, but never-the-less, the Indians finally did the Job:
Ground combat at Mandalay (59,46)
Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 13368 troops, 300 guns, 322 vehicles, Assault Value = 424
Defending force 4020 troops, 69 guns, 246 vehicles, Assault Value = 82
Allied adjusted assault: 186
Japanese adjusted defense: 17
Allied assault odds: 10 to 1 (fort level 1)
Allied forces CAPTURE Mandalay !!!
Combat modifiers
Defender: disruption(-), preparation(-)
Attacker: leaders(+), leaders(-)
Japanese ground losses:
742 casualties reported
Squads: 9 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 186 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 55 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 50 (50 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 150 (150 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 4
Allied ground losses:
7 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!
Assaulting units:
5th Indian Division
Defending units:
55th Engineer Regiment
2nd Tank/B Division
Burma Area Army
10th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
That’s a lot of Tanks for the Japanese to replace.
So my Burma Strategy has reached its first major milestone, the Liberation of the key Bases in Northern and Central Burma. The Enemy’s Forces are in Disarray, in the Jungle, and far from Supply and Support.
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DanielAnsell
- Posts: 128
- Joined: Fri May 05, 2006 9:43 am
- Location: United States
RE: Mandalay Is Liberated!
Congratulations on taking Mandalay. Looks like he was fishing with those CVs, since he's falling back again past the Andamans.
That or he is making sure you realize how ready he is to counter any amphibious actions you take in the area.
Keep up the good work!
That or he is making sure you realize how ready he is to counter any amphibious actions you take in the area.
Keep up the good work!
RE: Mandalay Is Liberated!
ORIGINAL: Carny
Congratulations on taking Mandalay. Looks like he was fishing with those CVs, since he's falling back again past the Andamans.
That or he is making sure you realize how ready he is to counter any amphibious actions you take in the area.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks!
I have no good reasons to go after the Andamans at this time. Instead I will just continue to build up Northern and Central Burma, and continue to bomb Southern Burma and Northern French Indo-China Back Into the Stone Age. So if my opponent wants to sail CVs around on Grand Tours, that's fine with me. [;)]
RE: Mandalay Is Liberated!
All japanese players live in constant fear of a landing on that coast!
It must be written in stone.............never let the allies think it is undefended by a fleet............even if the fleet is but a ghost.......
It must be written in stone.............never let the allies think it is undefended by a fleet............even if the fleet is but a ghost.......
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
RE: Mandalay Is Liberated!
ORIGINAL: 1275psi
All japanese players live in constant fear of a landing on that coast!
It must be written in stone.............never let the allies think it is undefended by a fleet............even if the fleet is but a ghost.......
Given that I don't think that I've sunk anything larger than a DD, the IJN is a bit more than a Ghost Fleet in this match... [;)]
And from my Japanese pbems, I've found that it is fairly easy to defend that coast, particularly since Singapore and other bases along the Straights of Malacca can be used quite effectively to base Naval and Air defences.
Never-the-less, you do a have a valid point in your observation, and as part of that general uneasiness that does affect Japanese players regarding the Region, in one of my Japanese pbems I am Actively Defending that Coast as far away as possible... in that case in Ceylon in late 1942... [:D]
Thanks for the comments -
Lesson Learned
August 8, 1943 –
There was no Night Action again.
Daylight brought about another USN Air Attack on Luganville, but with surprising and unpleasant results for the pilots and crews of the PB4Y-1s that attacked. I’ve had these squadrons attacking the SNLF unit at Luganville at 6K feet without any problems. But today when the Navy 4Es flew in at 6K to attack the Air Base they ran into Barrage Balloons. So I’ve learned something – Barrage Balloons protect Base Facilities but not Troops.
Then over in Burma 90 4Es hammered the Air Base at Lashio, making certain that it stays closed. There may be Japanese planes at Moulmein, so the Far East Air Force 4Es are heading back there again next turn.
Finally, 91 4Es attacked the Air Base at Lae again. This time there was no CAP, so the Bombers got some good practice in, closing the Air Fields and destroying 2 more A6M3as and another Tony on the Ground. It now looks as if the Japanese Fighters are sitting at Port Moresby, so the 4Es are heading that way next turn.
And Naval Search spotted those Japanese “Grand Tour” TFs sitting at Sabang this turn. So maybe my opponent still intends to do something useful with them.
There was no Night Action again.
Daylight brought about another USN Air Attack on Luganville, but with surprising and unpleasant results for the pilots and crews of the PB4Y-1s that attacked. I’ve had these squadrons attacking the SNLF unit at Luganville at 6K feet without any problems. But today when the Navy 4Es flew in at 6K to attack the Air Base they ran into Barrage Balloons. So I’ve learned something – Barrage Balloons protect Base Facilities but not Troops.
Then over in Burma 90 4Es hammered the Air Base at Lashio, making certain that it stays closed. There may be Japanese planes at Moulmein, so the Far East Air Force 4Es are heading back there again next turn.
Finally, 91 4Es attacked the Air Base at Lae again. This time there was no CAP, so the Bombers got some good practice in, closing the Air Fields and destroying 2 more A6M3as and another Tony on the Ground. It now looks as if the Japanese Fighters are sitting at Port Moresby, so the 4Es are heading that way next turn.
And Naval Search spotted those Japanese “Grand Tour” TFs sitting at Sabang this turn. So maybe my opponent still intends to do something useful with them.
Above the Balloons
August 9, 1943 –
There was no Night Action again. But my Fleet Subs are starting to head back out, so hopefully things will get a bit livelier at night soon.
Daylight brought out the Allied Bombing Forces across the Pacific. First off, the USN PB4Y-1s hit the Air Base at Luganville again this turn, but this time at 8K.
Next, JP Troops were hit by DBs at Bhamo, and also by P-39s southeast of Akyab.
The Far East 4Es then hit the Air Base at Moulmein again, destroying a Dinah on the Ground and closing the Runways. There was no CAP.
The British GR III Libs then hit the Air Base at Port Blair. There was no CAP, and there don’t seem to be many troops there. But the Japanese CV TFs are still sitting at Sabang.
Finally, the Australia 4E Squadrons came all together to hit the Air Base at Port Moresby. There were 36 B-24Ds, 28 B-17Es, and 62 B-24D1s. They were faced by 40 Tojo IIas and 15 A6M3as. The Bombers blasted past the CAP, shooting down 2 Tojos and 1 A6M3a, and hammered the Air Base hard. One B-24D1 was lost on the way home.
So it appears that all of the major Japanese Air Bases in PNG are now out of action. I'll have my Bombers go after secondary Air Fields now, just to keep my opponent busy.
And in the Central Pacific, Japanese Search Planes spotted a USN Cruiser/DD TF at Tabiteuea. I'll be interested in seeing if there is any response.
There was no Night Action again. But my Fleet Subs are starting to head back out, so hopefully things will get a bit livelier at night soon.
Daylight brought out the Allied Bombing Forces across the Pacific. First off, the USN PB4Y-1s hit the Air Base at Luganville again this turn, but this time at 8K.
Next, JP Troops were hit by DBs at Bhamo, and also by P-39s southeast of Akyab.
The Far East 4Es then hit the Air Base at Moulmein again, destroying a Dinah on the Ground and closing the Runways. There was no CAP.
The British GR III Libs then hit the Air Base at Port Blair. There was no CAP, and there don’t seem to be many troops there. But the Japanese CV TFs are still sitting at Sabang.
Finally, the Australia 4E Squadrons came all together to hit the Air Base at Port Moresby. There were 36 B-24Ds, 28 B-17Es, and 62 B-24D1s. They were faced by 40 Tojo IIas and 15 A6M3as. The Bombers blasted past the CAP, shooting down 2 Tojos and 1 A6M3a, and hammered the Air Base hard. One B-24D1 was lost on the way home.
So it appears that all of the major Japanese Air Bases in PNG are now out of action. I'll have my Bombers go after secondary Air Fields now, just to keep my opponent busy.
And in the Central Pacific, Japanese Search Planes spotted a USN Cruiser/DD TF at Tabiteuea. I'll be interested in seeing if there is any response.
Milne Bay's Turn
August 10, 1943 –
There was no Night Action yet again.
Daylight brought lots of reports of Air Search and Recon flights being cancelled due to Bad Weather. Never-the-less, some of the planned Allied Air Attacks did fly.
- DBs and 2Es hit Japanese Troops at Bhamo.
- 4Es hit the Port at Moulmein, causing a lot of damage and Supply Loss, and as a bonus sank an xAKL in the Port. There was no CAP.
- 4Es hit the Air Base at Milne Bay. It’s a Level 3 Air Base, so I don’t want my opponent to be able to use it, even though it appears to not have any Troops at this time.
- P-39s hit the Japanese Infantry Regiment in the Jungle 2 hexes southeast of Akyab again. This time the P-39s caused lots of casualties, which is usually indicative of a shortage of Supply for the unit under attack.
Search and Recon did spot some interesting things:
- There is what appears to be a Japanese Transport or Fast Transport TF at Finschafen. Is that TF dropping off or picking up?
- Recon over Rabaul showed no CAP, and no ships in Port.
- The Japanese CVs in the Far East showed up at Medan this turn, likely to Fill Up the Tanks.
So my opponent remains reasonably quiet. I’ll have to see if I can push him into some sort of Action over the next few turns.
There was no Night Action yet again.
Daylight brought lots of reports of Air Search and Recon flights being cancelled due to Bad Weather. Never-the-less, some of the planned Allied Air Attacks did fly.
- DBs and 2Es hit Japanese Troops at Bhamo.
- 4Es hit the Port at Moulmein, causing a lot of damage and Supply Loss, and as a bonus sank an xAKL in the Port. There was no CAP.
- 4Es hit the Air Base at Milne Bay. It’s a Level 3 Air Base, so I don’t want my opponent to be able to use it, even though it appears to not have any Troops at this time.
- P-39s hit the Japanese Infantry Regiment in the Jungle 2 hexes southeast of Akyab again. This time the P-39s caused lots of casualties, which is usually indicative of a shortage of Supply for the unit under attack.
Search and Recon did spot some interesting things:
- There is what appears to be a Japanese Transport or Fast Transport TF at Finschafen. Is that TF dropping off or picking up?
- Recon over Rabaul showed no CAP, and no ships in Port.
- The Japanese CVs in the Far East showed up at Medan this turn, likely to Fill Up the Tanks.
So my opponent remains reasonably quiet. I’ll have to see if I can push him into some sort of Action over the next few turns.
Tabiteuea
August 11, 1943 –
The Night Phase finally had some action as an Allied Amphibious TF started to land Troops at Tabiteuea in the south-central Pacific, south of Tarawa. The Cruisers and DDs in the Amphibious TF pounded the Japanese Troops on shore, but there was little Japanese counter-fire, and none of it was effective. The only Japanese LCU present was a JNAF unit.
Daylight brought out Allied Bombers again:
- PB4Y-1s attacked the SNLF at Luganville
- DBs and 2Es attacked Japanese Troops at Bhamo
- The Air Base at Port Blair was attacked again by 4 Lib GR IIIs, but this time they were met by 7 Nick Ics and 5 Oscar IIbs. The Brit Bombers were distracted by the Japanese CAP and didn’t hit their target, but they did shoot down one Oscar.
- The USAAF 4Es in Burma hit the Port at Moulmein again, causing lots of damage in the absence of any CAP
- The USAAF 4Es in Oz attacked the Air Base at Buna again. There was no CAP so the 4Es had a Field Day, destroying 19 A6M2s and 3 Tony Ias on the Ground.
Finally, the US Landing Force attacked at Tabiteuea and easily captured the Base. To my surprise, the Japanese Base Force wasn’t destroyed. Afterwards, I realized that Tabiteuea is a Large Atoll and it has a Troop Capacity of 60K, not the usual 6K of a Small Atoll.
That impacts things a fair amount, because Tabiteuea is a Level 1(3) Air Field and now I can bring in a LOT of Engineers to build it up even further. There are also several nearby DOT Bases that are 30K Medium Atolls and have (0)2 Air Bases, which means that they will be receiving Seabees very quickly too. The entire outlook for the Region has suddenly Changed for the Better for me.
BTW – I invaded Tabiteuea with the 1st Special Service Force – a very experienced and tough unit, but one that is due to be recalled in another 3 weeks. That’s why I sent it out for an Invasion – it was a Use It or Lose It situation. So I have already ordered a very tough Marine Defense Unit to load up and ship to Tabiteuea right away to make certain that my opponent doesn’t retake the base with a Raid once the Special Forces Troops disappear.
But the most interesting part of the whole Action was that NO Netties showed up. Has my opponent pulled out of the Gilberts? Obviously, I also need to get an Air Base up to Tabiteuea right away to supplement the Naval Search and Recon that I have flying out of Baker Island and Canton Island.
BTW II – I’ve started to move USAAF squadrons in Large Numbers into the South Pacific, particularly P-47s and B-25s. My intention is to make the entire Region a Bigger and Better version of the Death From the Skies that I have in Burma.
The Night Phase finally had some action as an Allied Amphibious TF started to land Troops at Tabiteuea in the south-central Pacific, south of Tarawa. The Cruisers and DDs in the Amphibious TF pounded the Japanese Troops on shore, but there was little Japanese counter-fire, and none of it was effective. The only Japanese LCU present was a JNAF unit.
Daylight brought out Allied Bombers again:
- PB4Y-1s attacked the SNLF at Luganville
- DBs and 2Es attacked Japanese Troops at Bhamo
- The Air Base at Port Blair was attacked again by 4 Lib GR IIIs, but this time they were met by 7 Nick Ics and 5 Oscar IIbs. The Brit Bombers were distracted by the Japanese CAP and didn’t hit their target, but they did shoot down one Oscar.
- The USAAF 4Es in Burma hit the Port at Moulmein again, causing lots of damage in the absence of any CAP
- The USAAF 4Es in Oz attacked the Air Base at Buna again. There was no CAP so the 4Es had a Field Day, destroying 19 A6M2s and 3 Tony Ias on the Ground.
Finally, the US Landing Force attacked at Tabiteuea and easily captured the Base. To my surprise, the Japanese Base Force wasn’t destroyed. Afterwards, I realized that Tabiteuea is a Large Atoll and it has a Troop Capacity of 60K, not the usual 6K of a Small Atoll.
That impacts things a fair amount, because Tabiteuea is a Level 1(3) Air Field and now I can bring in a LOT of Engineers to build it up even further. There are also several nearby DOT Bases that are 30K Medium Atolls and have (0)2 Air Bases, which means that they will be receiving Seabees very quickly too. The entire outlook for the Region has suddenly Changed for the Better for me.
BTW – I invaded Tabiteuea with the 1st Special Service Force – a very experienced and tough unit, but one that is due to be recalled in another 3 weeks. That’s why I sent it out for an Invasion – it was a Use It or Lose It situation. So I have already ordered a very tough Marine Defense Unit to load up and ship to Tabiteuea right away to make certain that my opponent doesn’t retake the base with a Raid once the Special Forces Troops disappear.
But the most interesting part of the whole Action was that NO Netties showed up. Has my opponent pulled out of the Gilberts? Obviously, I also need to get an Air Base up to Tabiteuea right away to supplement the Naval Search and Recon that I have flying out of Baker Island and Canton Island.
BTW II – I’ve started to move USAAF squadrons in Large Numbers into the South Pacific, particularly P-47s and B-25s. My intention is to make the entire Region a Bigger and Better version of the Death From the Skies that I have in Burma.
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- Tabiteuea.jpg (55.89 KiB) Viewed 185 times
Unsuccessful Service
August 12, 1943 -
The Night Phase started out with the Skipper of USS Thresher deciding not to fire any torpedoes at a PB that was escorting a very large Transport TF near Tanegashima. The PB skipper returned the favour and didn't fire any depth charges either. I must have forgotten to give Thresher an Aggressive Skipper.
Then a USN Cruiser/Destroyer TF Bombarded the JNAF unit at Tabiteuea, softening up nicely the remains of the Japanese unit prior to the US Troop attack later in the Day.
Daylight brought some of the usual Allied Bombing Raids, but a number were also Rained Out in various places:
- The PB4Y-1s hit the SNLF unit at Luganville again
- DBs and 2Es hit Japanese Troops at Bhamo
- P-39s hit the Japanese Infantry Regiment southeast of Akyab again
- 4Es in Oz hit the undefended Air Base at Lae. They hammered the Base hard and also destroyed a Tojo on the Ground. Now an Air Symbol has shown up, along with Troops, at Madang.
None of the 4Es in Burma flew. Recon later reported that Japanese planes are back in Toungou and Rangoon, so the 4Es were given a different Target for next turn.
BTW – it turns out that there are Japanese Troops at Milne Bay.
At the end of the day, USS Sturgeon shot 4 torpedoes at CM Tokiwa near Lihir, but missed. So the Silent Service's Return to Action was something of a letdown.
And Finally, the US Troops at Tabiteuea put the JNAF stragglers out of their misery. Once again there were no Japanese Air Attacks on the US TFs at or near Tabiteuea, although more Japanese Search planes did show up.
The Night Phase started out with the Skipper of USS Thresher deciding not to fire any torpedoes at a PB that was escorting a very large Transport TF near Tanegashima. The PB skipper returned the favour and didn't fire any depth charges either. I must have forgotten to give Thresher an Aggressive Skipper.
Then a USN Cruiser/Destroyer TF Bombarded the JNAF unit at Tabiteuea, softening up nicely the remains of the Japanese unit prior to the US Troop attack later in the Day.
Daylight brought some of the usual Allied Bombing Raids, but a number were also Rained Out in various places:
- The PB4Y-1s hit the SNLF unit at Luganville again
- DBs and 2Es hit Japanese Troops at Bhamo
- P-39s hit the Japanese Infantry Regiment southeast of Akyab again
- 4Es in Oz hit the undefended Air Base at Lae. They hammered the Base hard and also destroyed a Tojo on the Ground. Now an Air Symbol has shown up, along with Troops, at Madang.
None of the 4Es in Burma flew. Recon later reported that Japanese planes are back in Toungou and Rangoon, so the 4Es were given a different Target for next turn.
BTW – it turns out that there are Japanese Troops at Milne Bay.
At the end of the day, USS Sturgeon shot 4 torpedoes at CM Tokiwa near Lihir, but missed. So the Silent Service's Return to Action was something of a letdown.
And Finally, the US Troops at Tabiteuea put the JNAF stragglers out of their misery. Once again there were no Japanese Air Attacks on the US TFs at or near Tabiteuea, although more Japanese Search planes did show up.
Busy Beavers
August 13, 1943 –
There was no Night Action this turn.
Daylight came with Rain over much of the map. The PB4Y-1s did fly and hit the SNLF at Luganville, and the 2Es hit the Japanese Troops at Bhamo. The DBs couldn’t find the target at Bhamo, and neither could the 125+ P-39s that tried to attack the Japanese Infantry Regiment southeast of Akyab.
The planned Air Attacks on Toungoo did fly in the afternoon, but they came in piecemeal. Fortunately, there was no CAP, so the 4Es were able to hammer the Air Base back into the Stone Age without disturbance.
The USAAF 4Es in northeaster Oz were completely Rained Out.
Things continue to be very, very quiet in the south-central Pacific. Even my Recon Flights can’t spot any signs of life at Tarawa. Who knows, maybe my opponent pulled back much faster than I expected.
So I continue to ship forces around, and in particular, I’m starting to move even more Engineering Units to the South Pacific. And that’s with dozens of them already there being busy as beavers.
There was no Night Action this turn.
Daylight came with Rain over much of the map. The PB4Y-1s did fly and hit the SNLF at Luganville, and the 2Es hit the Japanese Troops at Bhamo. The DBs couldn’t find the target at Bhamo, and neither could the 125+ P-39s that tried to attack the Japanese Infantry Regiment southeast of Akyab.
The planned Air Attacks on Toungoo did fly in the afternoon, but they came in piecemeal. Fortunately, there was no CAP, so the 4Es were able to hammer the Air Base back into the Stone Age without disturbance.
The USAAF 4Es in northeaster Oz were completely Rained Out.
Things continue to be very, very quiet in the south-central Pacific. Even my Recon Flights can’t spot any signs of life at Tarawa. Who knows, maybe my opponent pulled back much faster than I expected.
So I continue to ship forces around, and in particular, I’m starting to move even more Engineering Units to the South Pacific. And that’s with dozens of them already there being busy as beavers.
Silly Service
August 14, 1943 –
The Night Phase saw the Silent Service earn its name the wrong way again as USS Sculpin hit a Tanker with a dud torpedo off of Balikpapan. Once again there was no satisfying Boom.
Daylight brought more rain over most of the map, but I have so many Air Missions planned every turn that a few of them are bound to escape the Wrath of the Weather Dice:
- DBs and 2Es hit the Japanese Troops at Bhamo
- 9 Lib GR IIIs flew over Port Blair and ran into 11 Nick Ics and 5 Oscar IIbs. The Brits were roughed up but they still were able to knock down one Oscar in the Air and destroy a Nick on the Ground. But this job will obviously need a Bigger Hammer, so we will see if the Weather Dice allow it to hit Port Blair next turn.
- Speaking of the Bigger Hammer – the USAAF 4Es hammered the Air Base at Rangoon this turn, with no Japanese CAP in sight.
- And the P-39s found the Target this turn, albeit without causing much damage when you consider how many planes attacked.
Meanwhile, the South Pacific and Oz were Rained Out again.
In other news, the Allies got a LOT of ships this turn, including many DDs and DEs.
And in a funny SIGINT Report – it was revealed that a Japanese Para-Raiding unit is planning to attack Noumea. I would love to see that.
The Night Phase saw the Silent Service earn its name the wrong way again as USS Sculpin hit a Tanker with a dud torpedo off of Balikpapan. Once again there was no satisfying Boom.
Daylight brought more rain over most of the map, but I have so many Air Missions planned every turn that a few of them are bound to escape the Wrath of the Weather Dice:
- DBs and 2Es hit the Japanese Troops at Bhamo
- 9 Lib GR IIIs flew over Port Blair and ran into 11 Nick Ics and 5 Oscar IIbs. The Brits were roughed up but they still were able to knock down one Oscar in the Air and destroy a Nick on the Ground. But this job will obviously need a Bigger Hammer, so we will see if the Weather Dice allow it to hit Port Blair next turn.
- Speaking of the Bigger Hammer – the USAAF 4Es hammered the Air Base at Rangoon this turn, with no Japanese CAP in sight.
- And the P-39s found the Target this turn, albeit without causing much damage when you consider how many planes attacked.
Meanwhile, the South Pacific and Oz were Rained Out again.
In other news, the Allies got a LOT of ships this turn, including many DDs and DEs.
And in a funny SIGINT Report – it was revealed that a Japanese Para-Raiding unit is planning to attack Noumea. I would love to see that.