Matrix Games Forums

March 13, 1942

Right Back Atcha!

Busy day.

1) Revenge Cruise 1942 goes south as IJN takes advantage of ops points rules. OK, maybe they're just better sailors in this era. CL Marblehead TF, victors yesterday, apparently ate up so many ops points in the fight that they did not retreat afterwards. Opening the turn I was surprised to see them still sitting at the mouth of the Balikpapan channel. Marblehead had 31 Float damge from the torp; two of the DDs had low-20s system damage from gunfire. I left them on Mission speed despite the flooding, send two fleet boats into the nearest red-icon hex to eat ops points in return on ASW efforts, and put the few P-40s at Soerbaja on drop-tank LRCAP. All I could do. Still, they get caught. 14% moonlight is a killer in early 1942:

Night Time Surface Combat, near Balikpapan at 64,98, Range 9,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Yugumo
DD Amatsukaze
DD Hagikaze, Shell hits 1
TB Otori, Shell hits 1, on fire

Allied Ships
CL Marblehead, Shell hits 2
DD Paul Jones
DD Van Ghent, Shell hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD Electra, Shell hits 17, heavy fires, heavy damage (sinks as well after battle)
DD Encounter

Reduced sighting due to 14% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions and 14% moonlight: 10,000 yards

Wave after wave of Long Lances launch in this fight. Actually saw one dud on Marblehead. Almost never see that. They miss, but they don't often dud out.

Ops reports an Escort TF is formed after this, I assume Marblehead and a DD, and the other DD books for home. The final icon location I see has the Escort TF still well north in the Strait, in Betty range and outside LRCAP range. I could easily lose two more ships, and Marblehead is a gem. Force Z is to the south and has more DDs I could strip away to base at Soerbaja. May do so. But the ASW effort up-strait will only have to deal with subs for now.

The screener subs do engage several DD ASW groups. Four engagements. No hits, a bit of damage to one S-boat.

2) More altitude games with Allies taking notes.

At Palembang the Magic P-38 (this guy has nine lives) and a couple of Hurricanes sit again at 27,000. Bombers come in at 10,000 with Zeroes.

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M2 Nell: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged

No Allied losses

Runway hits 4

Palembang can repair this and also build a little. Forts are about 17% to level 4. The strategic push-pull on Japan has to be infuriating. They need to keep BOTH Singers and Palembang Fort-build supressed, and can't. If it were me I'd forget Palembang for now and finish off Singers, but so far they are splitting the effort and some building is happening most days at both.

In the afternoon a 30,000 Zero sweep gets a Huricane, but afteroon bombing costs Japan two damaged Sallys as well.

At Singers the puzzle is harder because of the MLs and supply runs. Another xAKL runs in today with a grand's worth of supply. There are now over 70,000 supply on the water between CT and Oosthaven. It will be sucked up into Palembang to relieve the pressure on dwindling Oil stocks and refinery-thrown supply. I considered an exotic logistics net to get Oil from Soerbaja to Palembang the long way, but punted in favor of just shoving in supply directly. The independent convoys into CT are leaving plenty of free supply. Normally I'd be sending it to Colombo and Perth, but those are not pressured yet. And Oosthaven has six-figures-worth of free refuel for the return trip to CT.

Singers bombing is again mixed targets. No CAP, but lots of AA.

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M2 Nell: 3 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 18 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed by flak

Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 8

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-32 Mary: 3 damaged
Ki-32 Mary: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
ML No. 362
ML No. 363

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-30 Ann: 3 damaged
Ki-30 Ann: 1 destroyed by flak

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 2 damaged

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 1

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-Ic Sally: 3 damaged


Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 3 damaged

Runway hits 1

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-32 Mary: 3 damaged

Allied Ships
ML No. 362
ML No. 363

Just a lot of raids. Won't illustrate like this much, as it's boring, but wanted to show the effort. The raids are getting smaller, but there are a lot of them.

3) As a coda to yesterday's ML e-mails, I see that four more will be delivered to Singers in two days. Most players never see them as Singers is long gone by now, but the yards are still working there. I don't have to, but I think I'll group the MLs into no more than two TFs rather then leave them singles. They will probably be hit more often, but I don't want this minor issue to become a thing.

4) Continue the B-17 experiments, taking them up to max altitude of 36,000 in Oil strikes at Balikpapan and Djambi. No oil hits, but some damaged CAP. At Balikpapan the Allies note that Zeros are at 10,000 defending "normal" City bombing altitudes, and Tojos are at 15,000. Both come up to challenge the Forts. A second Naval/Port strike of new Dutch B-25Cs comes in at 100 feet and is only lightly opposed. There are no tankers in, alas, and the Dutch aren't interested in the plethora of DDs in ASW groups.

5) Blenheims try an LI attack on Rangoon and are medium roughed up. Recon showed no planes at Rangoon yesterday. I don't have escorts with that range yet. Rangoon LI is a key supply support for the efforts up-country now I suspect. With Singers closed no sea-based supply is coming into Burma. How much can flow from Bangkok and Indo-China I'm unsure of.

6) Bataan is bombed and bombed. There is a tiny bit of organic supply left in a few units there, so a tiny bit of AA fires sometimes, and the AF bombing reports supply hits, even though there is no supply. This is the only reason I can figure he hasn't hit Bataan and finished it, getting Manila open to traffic and making the shipyard usable.

7) The garrison at Lanchow is bombed for the first time. Yesterday Chungking. Seems Japan is probing, testing for the next China phase, which will be bastion sieges. Japan takes a vacant Kunming, the southern terminus of the last railroad spur used by China. Everything north of it is garrisoned with multiple corps all the way to Lashio. No more gimmes in China. Lashio AF goes to 3, Forts are nearly at 4.

8) Landings at Balabac by piece of 124 Infantry Bn. Lots of clean up needed at unoccupied Allied bases in DEI and bonus is closing fast. Pare Pare taken by Naval Guards (overland I think.)

9) In interesting development, Tarawa is hit by 7th Indp. SNLF and taken in Shock attack unopposed. And the USN with carriers over at Christmas. Next turn Japan will know there are carriers at Christmas Island. I won't go hunting, but if there are heavy escorts with the Tarawa landing it might get interesting for him. If there are carriers with the Tarawa landing it might get interesting for me. UNDERDOG plows onward; landings either tomorrow or the next day. I judge AF supression there more important than opsec. SDBs will hit from 8 hexes. There is no bombardment group along.

10) Miscellaneous.

USS California is fully repaired at Pearl today. EC has three PH BBs in, with Arizona in single digits in all categories. Penn. and Oklahoma are 92 and 80 days out repectively. WVa and Warspite occupy the PH shipyard alone, both at zero system and engine damage, but stubbornly resisting fixing any float. WVa is at 58; if I can get to 50 I'll send her away. Warspite is at 78 and withdraws in 1943. Need to get her moving a bit. Doubt she'll leave PH until I have to risk the WC for the withdrawl. At 78 there's no chance she'd make a bigger yard now.

Johnson shows one sub. Reads as just forty fighters, still no patrol planes. Fear they're at Palmyra.

Magwe Forts go to 4. Will stop and try to suck some supply in. Still, this is a key petroleum base for Japan and it's pretty solid now without major assault. About six Chinese corps there plus support, with ten corps at Mandalay to help if needed. China is very welcome in Burma.

1st Naval Construction Batt. arrives at Port Hueneme, the fist of an avalanche of Seabees to come. I have many jobs for them already. I've seen Seabees work in real life and they are amazing builders.

The Aussie Army is fully TOE-upgraded, mostly the armor. Leaders have been upgraded where needed.

Early withdrew a bunch of air units two days ago. About 150 "free" PPs accrue, but the best news is 75 "new" P-40Es in the pools. Like a starving man at a Las Vegas casino buffet. Sent 50 of them to Sumatra and Java units to fully fill the slots. Will take a week for all to be up-checked and ready, but it's a nice bonus. And I have almost enough PPs to buy out another independant US Army regiment for island duty.

March 14, 1942

Double-Tapped

1) Like two to the forehead in a Clancy novel, today's events at Johnson Island are a spectacular improbability.

USS Haddock is transiting past en route to barrier duty between Truk and Kwajalein. S-46 is doing a racetrack zone around Johnson Island, Reaction=0.
Both boats, for whatever unknown reason, react into a minefield there. Boom. Boom. Both boats are lost. I'll get more, but losing subs has a personal element to it.

Johnson showed one sub icon during turn prep. No surface, no bombers. I'm reconning it daily, but not paying it any attention right now other than prepping for a landing.

2) I-16 has the title of Most Sighted Sub in World History, hanging around Sydney. Been there for weeks, been attacked at least six times. This turn it does battle with the French. No results. Not "Triomphant."

3) About ten Marys are damaged and a couple destroyed attacking the RN ASW TF back south of Singers. Another xAKL is half way there with supplies. It is unmolested.

4) Bombing in the normal places by Japan. Volumes are lighter than usual. Both Palembang and Singers got some fort building in yesterday. Sallys hit Chungking again. AA damages several for 10 disabled squads.

5) B-17s hit Samarinda from 18.000. Trying to mix it up. CAP is very light, possibly from Balikpapan. No Oil hits. Converted two smaller B-17 units to Liberators this turn. Have a chunk sitting there in the pools even though I don't think they're as good in this model era. Might as well use them.

6) B-26s test AF at Tavoy from Pt. Blair and find no aircraft. Keep it in mind for a landing behind the lines.

7) Dutch B-25Cs try low-level port bombing at Singkawang and target large xAK with seven planes. No hits, but at least I got the unit to launch into unknown fighter concentration. They need more training, but this is encouraging.

8) Small scale landings at Namlea. Balabac taken.

9) UNDERDOG does not land or attack the AF either. I must have miscounted the hexes. Was pretty sure I'd get one phase unloading. I ordered the carriers to trail by another hex, so that may expalin the failure to launch at Range-8. If they don't tomorrow I'm really stumped.

I think Operation Underdog may be operating under some bad mojo right now. On February 15, 2013 the co-creator of the Underdog cartoon, William Watts Biggers, passed away at age 85.

ORIGINAL: poodlebrain

I think Operation Underdog may be operating under some bad mojo right now. On February 15, 2013 the co-creator of the Underdog cartoon, William Watts Biggers, passed away at age 85.

Yeah, I posted his obit up-thread.

I had a frat brother named Poodlehead. He had a 'fro the size of a young beach ball.

Opened the turn and UD is two hexes off the eastern beach, the carriers four. Should see some action tonight. Got an extreme radio traffic intel hit at Palmyra, so who knows. I'm tired of chasing ghosts on this op. They're landing.

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

March 13, 1942

Right Back Atcha!


5) Blenheims try an LI attack on Rangoon and are medium roughed up. Recon showed no planes at Rangoon yesterday. I don't have escorts with that range yet. Rangoon LI is a key supply support for the efforts up-country now I suspect. With Singers closed no sea-based supply is coming into Burma. How much can flow from Bangkok and Indo-China I'm unsure of.

Not near enough if he has any force in Burma and there is a little combat going on. Go get that LI. If you are playing stock then the refineries and oil at Magwae (sp?) produce supply as well. (I think)

ORIGINAL: crsutton

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

March 13, 1942

Right Back Atcha!


5) Blenheims try an LI attack on Rangoon and are medium roughed up. Recon showed no planes at Rangoon yesterday. I don't have escorts with that range yet. Rangoon LI is a key supply support for the efforts up-country now I suspect. With Singers closed no sea-based supply is coming into Burma. How much can flow from Bangkok and Indo-China I'm unsure of.

Not near enough if he has any force in Burma and there is a little combat going on. Go get that LI. If you are playing stock then the refineries and oil at Magwae (sp?) produce supply as well. (I think)

We are playing stock Scen 2, so I think you're right. I'm embarassed to say I have not checked Magwe out in Tracker. I will do so. There has been some combat and his big 11-stack is in full movement back toward Tongarou (sp?) The 55th Cav. which was trying for Akyab is also in retreat SE. Burma is becoming a sitzkrieg, which suits me fine right now. The Chinese are healing up a bit form their long trek, and I have many units jumping the jungle gap from Katha to the grey/yellow road intersection up north, to be moved to the railhead and then India.

I'm building Pt. Blair AF. Hope to use it quite a bit to harass the coastal bases. Have another B-26 exploration hitting Victoria Point tonight, if they go. Rangoon is a little hairy right now to do with one small unit of bombers and no escort. But the time will come.

I also have four old RN BBs at Colombo and am itching to do something with them. But they are old and fragile, and Bettys are never far from my thoughts, so they stay home.

March 15, 1942

"Sur-prise, Sur-prise, Sur-prise!!!!"

(US readers will perhaps appreciate the "Gomer Pyle, USMC" reference.)

Two instances of apparent strategic surprise achieved today. Mike's movie-transmission e-mail said, in effect, "I know where your carriers are! (Now.)" In the other case, the early withdrawl of several P-40E units and the associated swelling of the pools let a very beefy CAP sneak into Palembang, with nice results.

1) UNDERDOG drops the shoeshine act and goes for the cape. The landing force hits during the night phase (I didn't expect this; I think I got a rounding bonus) with the cruisers hitting the defenders before landing the troops. I brought arty along but no engineers. Calculated risk. Didn't think Japan would have invested scarce engineers this far east so early, and I was right.

Pre-Invasion action off Christmas Island (174,141)

17 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Allied Ships
CA Indianapolis
CL Nashville
DD Russell
AP William Ward Burrows
DD Morris

Japanese ground losses:
18 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
3 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

CA Indianapolis firing at 51st Naval Guard Unit
CL Nashville firing at 51st Naval Guard Unit
DD Russell firing at 51st Naval Guard Unit
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 5,000 yards
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 2,000 yards

In the afternoon the carriers strike, but there is no airfield in operation. The TBs also bomb the airfield, despite having Naval-only orders and being assigned torpedoes. Gotta love an aggressive CO.

Afternoon Air attack on Christmas Island , at 174,141

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 11
SBD-3 Dauntless x 29

No Allied losses

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 9

The Japanese bombard the landing without much effect. The Shock attack takes the base. The Japanese retreat in good order. It looks as if there has been no or minimal resupply of the garrison.

Ground combat at Christmas Island (174,141)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 942 troops, 24 guns, 10 vehicles, Assault Value = 39

Defending force 1323 troops, 12 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 55

Allied adjusted assault: 30

Japanese adjusted defense: 3

Allied assault odds: 10 to 1 (fort level 0)

Allied forces CAPTURE Christmas Island !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: leaders(-), preparation(-), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
550 casualties reported
Squads: 12 destroyed, 57 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 7 (1 destroyed, 6 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
22 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
1st/102nd Infantry Battalion
2nd USMC Field Artillery Battalion

Defending units:
51st Naval Guard Unit

This is the situaiton at the beginning of the next turn.




The submarine cordon is still finishing positioning. Search at Canton Island has not gotten a peep. The one red sub to the NE is probably carrier-hunting. To the east closest is the TF carrying the base force and more supply. The first replenishment TF is farther east. The TF to the NE is a pure supply carrier. The CA in the landing TF will be split off and attached to the Air TF, which will stop following the landing and reposition, probably to the NE to strike/recon Palmyra before heading home. The search planes at Canton will be moved to Christmas as soon as the base force is ashore. The landing force has some AP/AK ships which have very nice up-conversions in 1943 to pure landing ships, but I won't risk the carriers to babysit them home. The landing troops will rest at least a turn, unload more AV, and finish the Japanese over several turns.

I don't know where the KB is.

2) The sparring at Palembang begins with a 12-Zero sweep which downs two P40s out of 38. This is followed by an unescorted bomber raid where some of the attackers turn back. The rest face this:

Morning Air attack on Palembang , at 48,91

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G3M2 Nell x 10
G4M1 Betty x 7

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIb Trop x 6
P-40E Warhawk x 19

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M2 Nell: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 4 destroyed

No Allied losses

Then this:

Morning Air attack on Palembang , at 48,91

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 19,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 9
Ki-43-Ia Oscar x 12
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 12

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIb Trop x 6
P-40E Warhawk x 17

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged

No Allied losses

A final 30-Zero sweep gets four P-40s. This chunk of fighter goodness will move around, and may fight over Singers as well.

3) Bomber attrition continues at Singers. Turned off replacements for all but the core infantry LCUs. Supply down to about 15,800 with fort building. The number of LCUs at JB has gone back to 13 today. I have sub pickets out to the east of Mersing and JB and don't see ships coming in from the PI. If they are they could be coming to KB and using the trains, but that's several more days of mode conversion time.

Singers now has two ML TFs of three vessels each. Marys attack them, get no hits, take flak damage. The MLs do defend the unloading xAKL today too.

4) Troop bombing at Lanchow. Forts there go to 4. Organic supply continues to build and replacements are on for the garrison. This will be a harder nut to crack if Japan wants the oil.

Chittagong port also goes to 5. This key supply base is sucking in supplies by the tens of thousands from Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta, and distributing into the Burma interior.

5) Rangoon is bombed by the RAF, trying to get rid of some LI. No hits. The B-26 probe at Victoria Point does not launch. I'll post a screen shot below on the situation in this region.

6) Dutch B-25Cs fly without escort on Singkawang. Recon showed tankers, xAKs, PBs, and two destoryers in port in at least four TFs. What do the Dutch target? AMcs. And miss from 1000 feet. There is a small Oscar CAP and little training, so I can't be that upset.

7) Undefended Namlea is taken; an Allied sub is in the harbor. The Rowboat Corps takes a couple of dots in the DEI.

The situation in western China and Burma.





Kunming is the last Japanese possession on the western roll. North of there everything is held by at least five Chinese corps, with HQ support. Lashio has Forts 4, Paoshan nearly 2 and building. Paoshan is getting minimal supply from Ledo. Four transport units are due in the next month at Aden and will be sent to Ledo.

A Chinese corps is heading to Bhamo to begin base building.

The three corps south of Lashio may combine and march on Chiang Mai; I haven't decided. Chiang Mai is a major air support base for all operations in the Mandalay group.

The triangle of bases in the Mandalay group are very strongly held by a total of about fifteen Chinese corps and many support units. CAP is not what I'd like, but there is some as long as the AVG lasts.

To the NW Katha is the jumping-off spot for units going across the jungle to the gray road/yellow road interface hex. They will then Move mode to Dimapur and the railroad.

On the coast roads Chittagong is heavily garrisoned and a major supply dump which is flowing inland about tri-weekly. Cox's Bazaar and Akyab have light amror in place and division-plus units on the march. To the south the lone Japanese unit is the retreating 55th Cavalry, whcih is cut off from supply and being bombed most days. Farther south, the Chinese corps just east of the river is going to cross and cut the yellow road north of Prome. There it will stay for now. I hope to reinforce with rested Chinese units form the Mandalay group and perhaps take Prome. My initial recon shows no units at Pegu or Rangoon. I'm not sure this is true, but I do think Japan went north with most of its Burma force and is now having to backtrack with the Chinese entry as well as Singers not being taken yet. The stack SW of Taung Gyi is eleven LCU, including the roughed up tanks from a month ago. I don't expect it to forge ahead until the supply routes open up after Singers falls. By then I hope Pt. Blair can harrass them as the ships go into Rangoon/Pegu.

In the afternoon the carriers strike, but there is no airfield in operation. The TBs also bomb the airfield, despite having Naval-only orders and being assigned torpedoes. Gotta love an aggressive CO.

Afternoon Air attack on Christmas Island , at 174,141

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 11
SBD-3 Dauntless x 29

No Allied losses

Last I heard, Dauntlesses did not carry torps. Did the Devastators also make a bombing run on the AF?

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

In the afternoon the carriers strike, but there is no airfield in operation. The TBs also bomb the airfield, despite having Naval-only orders and being assigned torpedoes. Gotta love an aggressive CO.

Afternoon Air attack on Christmas Island , at 174,141

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 11
SBD-3 Dauntless x 29

No Allied losses

Last I heard, Dauntlesses did not carry torps. Did the Devastators also make a bombing run on the AF?

Yeah. I just didn't post it since all they hit was dirt.

March 16, 1942

Christmas Bells

1) At Christmas I. the carriers recieve a CA from the landing force, move east, then north, then will almost complete the square east of Palmyra. SDBs put on a combo of recon, search, and strike. The TBs are left loaded for naval targets. The base force TF is accelerated and sent in from the holding area to the east. The men on the APDs are a little ready to get ashore. The replenishment TF is cheated NW to stay level with the carriers. All this to avoid the sub seen lurking near the island yesterday.

That sub comes into the harbor. Not good.

Sub attack near Christmas Island at 174,141

Japanese Ships
SS RO-67, hits 4

Allied Ships
AO Guadalupe, Torpedo hits 1
AP William Ward Burrows
AP President Hayes
AP Harris
AK Algorab
AK Betelgeuse
AK Bellatrix
DD Morris

She is a big ship; she may make it home. The RO-67 should be hurt enough to leave.

The army troops ashore rest amd let the arty bombard. The diabled Japanese from yesterday evaporate and that's all that is needed to secure the island.

Ground combat at Christmas Island (174,141)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 150 troops, 12 guns, 10 vehicles, Assault Value = 37

Defending force 827 troops, 10 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1

Japanese ground losses:
68 casualties reported
Squads: 15 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Assaulting units:
1st/102nd Infantry Battalion
2nd USMC Field Artillery Battalion

Defending units:
51st Naval Guard Unit
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

51st Naval Guard Unit Wiped Out at Christmas Island by attrition!!!

Still need to clean up and more stuff to get ashore, but it's good to have a successful landing in the books.
Double intel notification of intense activity at Kwajalein. Probably the KB, so I need to exit stage right pretty quickly.

2) Two Aussie AMs work over the I-boat off Sydney. NE of Pearl a 3-DD ASW TF with K-guns severly damages I-172 with at least two penetrating hits. In the Sea of Japan USS Tuna's fish bounce off yet another xAK in convoy.

3) A chunk of the Palembang P-40s are positioned at Singers just for the day. The air intensity picks up again. Even trade at an Oscar sweep. Excellent exchange ratio at Singers where Japan records only 7 runway hits in first bombing run. The amount of supply destruction has fallen markedly in the past weeks. Don't know why, but most AF attacks do no supply damage anymore:

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M2 Nell: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed

At Palembang a Betty for a Warhawk and a disrupted raid with zero damage. The Marys won't leave the MLs alone at Singers. Now in two larger TFs, the MLs damage and destroy a half-dozen with no hits to themsleves. If Japan tunred the Bettys onto the MLs for 2-3 days they'd be gone. AA gets another Betty and damages three more for more slight air field damage. A final raid downs another Betty and damages eight. Singers has gotten in fort building for the past four days.

Near the end of the air phase a report on transport planes intercepted is recieved, and the x,y is Singers. Is this an air drop of supplies? FOW?

4) Four different attacks on the trapped, retreating 55th Cavalry in Burma. AVG takes on small Zero CAP, downs two, then bombs and strafes. Chinese bombers, and Blenheims from two different bases try to disrupt and attrit. No damage recorded, but the training is nice.

Near the end of the air phase a report on transport planes intercepted is recieved, and the x,y is Singers. Is this an air drop of supplies? FOW?

Maybe the Japanese had their own Rudolph Hess-type emissary coming to persuade you to join the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere? Just think how quickly you could control the map together. Oh, wait .... you both already do contol the map in toto !

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Near the end of the air phase a report on transport planes intercepted is recieved, and the x,y is Singers. Is this an air drop of supplies? FOW?

Maybe the Japanese had their own Rudolph Hess-type emissary coming to persuade you to join the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere? Just think how quickly you could control the map together. Oh, wait .... you both already do contol the map in toto !

I figure it was probably air transport into JB with FOW attached. Still thaty's odd to me given he controls the whole rail network as well as MErsing port. I've been watching the air losses daily and he's had a slow trickle of Mavises lost to ops reasons. Four engines per. Ouch.

Working on the next turn. Opened to find the situation below. This shows why AE is such a great game. This is a complex tactical problem.

Background:

1) Johnson I. now shows three TFs of unknown count or misison with a low d/l.

2) USN carriers are in midst of "square" move to arrive east of Palmyra in 2 days. The CA has merged with them.

3) Two TFs are unloading in Amphib mode at Christmas. The landing force has only supply left. In it the damaged AO Guadaloupe has 30ish float damge, 18 system, and 7 fires. She can be formed into an Escort TF with a DD and sent home immediately. I'd like the rest of the supplies ashore, but about 8000 are there now and that will last. I could send this TF east to orbit; it has fuel.

The other TF is the one carrying the base force plus supply. It has escorts of APDs, which have still-loaded troops. Not much of this one unloaded overnight.

4) I don't know if Japan knows I have Search planes at Canton. He may think I'm blind except for the carrier searchers, and is counting on that.

5) The damaged R-boat is still in the harbor, feeding info back out.

Here's the screen shot. There is another USN sub under the black info box. The gaggle to the north are proceeding south into patrol zones.





So, what is this?

1) He knows there are carriers to the east. Air groups from only two have shown up in his combat report detail.

2) Is this TF really a CA /CM? Of course not. So, is it the KB, a piece, or are the carriers trailing, trolling with a CA for bait? Wanting the USN carriers to come west to engage? Or are they on an independent course and not close, but setting up to intercept if the USN carriers bolt for Hawaii?

3) Or, is he positioning a surface TF alone to come in and hit follow-on TFs after the USN carriers leave?

4) Does he know he's in a basket of subs, with many more on the way?

5) Does this suggest anything about the importance of Christmas I., maybe Palmyra, or is it just opportunistic hunting?

I love this game!

March 17, 1942

Cats and Mices

1) A set of probably the most complicated moves and counter-moves I've ever done in AE, around Christmas I. A lot of it detailed in the post above. No further good intel on what's out there, but this ASW attack muddies up the waters some more:

ASW attack near Palmyra at 164,135

Japanese Ships
CM Takashima
CMc Kurosaki
DD Hamakaze

Allied Ships
SS S-45

That looks like the TF seen by the Canton Cats, or its brother. Are they going to Palmyra? Perhaps to evacuate by Fast Transport? Or is there still a bigger hammer back in the shadows?

Whatever it is, I moved a lot of ships around. Escort TF of wounded AO, plus a DD and an already-empty large AK sent at Cruise toward San Diego. Long trip. Pulled the carriers back due east of Christmas at ten hexes. Put all aircraft back on search/attack at 4 hexes as worst case, but don't want them to be seen anywhere near the island right now. Pulled the landing TF with just supplies remaining off to the east to orbit. Split the base force TF away from its APDs. They stay and unload a fragment of the base force. The bigger chunk goes east to orbit.

In the screenshot above there is a Transport icon coming into the field from the NE. That is five APDs for Oz, plus about five xAKs full of fuel. I split four APDs off, sent them due south with a new homeport of Christmas. Good ASW ships, and they might draw fire and expose. The remnant of the Oz bunch re-routed to new waypoints to thread past Tarawa and onward alone.

Also tightened up sub zones with new info, and sent some Palmyra patrols south. The ASW hit above was one of those moving to new digs.

Also, finally, re-routed a TF I don't want to discuss right now. [:)]

I may be incredibly over-reacting and too cautious. But I have time and fuel to spare. A little.

2) Oopsie by moi, but I left the smallish P-40 group at Singers instead of pulling them back. They got chewed pretty badly by multiple sweeps and escorted stikes. Bombing at Singers very intense today; maybe building to another attack. This one below was the worst one for Japan. This level of damage can be fixed with no problem by the massed engineers there. Singers forts are steadily growing; I think it's been six days in a row now.

apanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 50
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 16

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 23 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed by flak

Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 5

3) The MLs at Singers must be really grating on Japan. Change of tactics this turn. Many Oscar strafing and bombing runs. 74 sorties sink one ML and damage three more with shell fire. The yard at Singers has accumuladed 7-8 damage, but it can fix this pretty quickly. The xAKL got in with a load of supplies. Levels were at 16,200 from memory.

4) Various other supply denial and probe bombing. Some on the Chinese bastion cites: Lanchow, Tsuyung, Minor damage. There are no planes at either. My overall impression is of a very big reliance on air power to do the job for Japan, and while it has done some damage it's just not enough to soften hardened targets. Tsuyung has medium forts already and no planes. Little supply. Ten disabled squads are repaired in 3-4 days. This bombing does not stop defense prep or keep supply out. China is getting 350 squads a month now according to Tracker; every single one is going out as produced.

5) Allies bomb Oil at Tarakan for 4 hits. Bomb Victoria Point and find no aircraft. Minor damage. Bomb the 55th Cavalry unit. The movement dot has changed again, back to NW and Akyab. That base will soon be heavily defended with divison-plus AV.

6) CL Marblehaed reached Soerbaja a day ago and is being repaired. Force Z has been shifted eastward. Still below the Timor line, but almost due south of the twin "B-bases" which have oil (Boela and that other one?) He will likely come here soon and I am considering a landing raid. Both bases report in Tracker they have max petroleum inventories each. They need to be drained and he needs gas.

7) Soerbaja goes to Forts 4. Building continues all over the region. The AI has never given me this kind of time on Java and Sumatra. It's nice.

I highly recommend that you take Ramree Island and build it up. Holding it solves the supply problem for the Allies in Burma until they take Rangoon. For some reason supplies shiped here will flow into North Burma. You will need a lot of LSTs but it works.

ORIGINAL: crsutton

I highly recommend that you take Ramree Island and build it up. Holding it solves the supply problem for the Allies in Burma until they take Rangoon. For some reason supplies shiped here will flow into North Burma. You will need a lot of LSTs but it works.

I agree. I've taken Ramree in AI games and it is a back-brekaer if it can be kept open.

But "LST"? What's that? [:)]

An Allied LST in 1942 is an AKL with its bow blown off

ORIGINAL: Encircled

An Allied LST in 1942 is an AKL with its bow blown off

Rides wet. [:)]

To document the effects of bombing at Singers on Fort building since the last ground attack on the base: