Andy Mac v PZB This time India will Stand !!!!

[traskott]

Good luck.

BYW: Thanks for the photo [:)]

[Andy Mac]

OK the attack on PM has begun its more akin to a distraction keeping PZB's attention on SWPAC and CBI while my troops get ready for other operations
 
Major Japanese offensive underway in CBI dricving on Katha BurCorps is under severe pressure but holding...

[traskott]

If u can hold the line at CBI, while attacking to P.M. and CENPAC, soon PzB will have a huge trouble !!!

Good luck !!!

[jrcar]

Yep where posible be somewhere else, the Empire cannot be strong everywhere

Cheers
Rob

[Andy Mac]

Got to suck him out of position anyway I am now willing to risk an all out carrier battle so on my next foray if he wants a stand up knockdown he will get one.
 
7 Fleet CV's and 6 Escort CVE's
 
Total 700 carrier aircraf I am happy to go toe to toe

[Andy Mac]

OK lots happening.

In the last few days I closed PM and bombed Buna and Gili Gili heavily.

My attempt to start building up Efate and Luganville ran into a setback when KB appeared sinking most of my convoys.

A nasty bombardment of Cooktown destroyed 90 kiwi and aus bombers on the ground I had SBD's and TBF's on naval attack to cover my AF's and the heavy CD units were a day away - PZB's timing was impeccable I had PT boats on route base hopping up the East Coast of Oz but they also arrived to late....

Could have been worse if he had sit the other base he would have bagged a load of B24's

In India Bur Corps is under serious pressure on the Katha line.

The Chinese, 17th Indian and the US 32nd Div are holding well and the Brit Bdes are doing ok.

BUT 2 Indian Bdes have all but been wiped out. In one day the Japanese assault appeared to go in against 84th Indian Bde's position I watched its AV drop to nothing through the Land Phases it took alot of heat during the fire phase then basically got stomped in the assault phase in one day it went from 90/100 to 1/29 [X(][X(][X(][X(]

It go seriously mauled - 2 replacement Bdes and some armour are en route and I expect to hold but seeing one bde get wiped so low was worrying - as I have said many times before for stand up knock down fights Bdes are useless you need Divisions !!!

[Andy Mac]

ps I dont mind PZB risking his BB's on these kind of raids last time I sank 4 BB's when he tried it if he keeps it up he will run over a sub with working Torps or my PT boats will get him.

Also Hydra II phase 1 is underway 3rd marines are en route to Palmyra with support from 7 Fleet and 6 Escort Carriers, 10 Battleships etc etc

This time I don't need to turn and run if KB comes on I will deal with it

[Andy Mac]

Shot down 80+ Japanese bombers today when they walked into an ambush was fun to watch !!!

Japanese tried again to breach the Katha Line and failed

84th Indian Bde is out of the fight as is 45th Recce Rgft both are being withdrawn to katha and will ultimately be pulled to India to rebuild.

32nd US Div took the brunt of the fight today and the brunt of the casualties its down to 1/3 active devices so I am going to pull it back to India to refit 20th Indian Div will rotate in to replace it, 7th Australian Div wil take 20th Indian Divs place on the flank.

I need to keep rotating my LCU's as they get hit.

PZB could win this fight but he needs to attack several days in a row and not give me time to rotate units and dig in.

1:2's that cause 4k casualties are not bad results for an attacker

I lost 2,500 men today out of 45,000 he lost 5,000 out of 120k thats not a sustainable fight for me fortunately I have other units on the flanks.

De facto I would normally have a better ratio in this fight but with a large chunk of my AV coming fromt he Chinese Corps my firepower is low.

Andy




Ground combat at 60,43

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 119983 troops, 1385 guns, 1254 vehicles, Assault Value = 4291

Defending force 45068 troops, 844 guns, 740 vehicles, Assault Value = 1601

Japanese adjusted assault: 1480

Allied adjusted defense: 3163

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
5611 casualties reported
Squads: 22 destroyed, 328 disabled
Non Combat: 71 destroyed, 408 disabled
Engineers: 3 destroyed, 19 disabled
Vehicles lost 256 (104 destroyed, 152 disabled)
Units destroyed 1


Allied ground losses:
2418 casualties reported
Squads: 20 destroyed, 128 disabled
Non Combat: 30 destroyed, 297 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 15 disabled
Guns lost 7 (2 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Vehicles lost 163 (13 destroyed, 150 disabled)


Assaulting units:
23rd Tank Regiment
21st Infantry Regiment
21st Ind.Mixed Brigade
17th Tank Regiment
1st Mobile Infantry Regiment
55th Infantry Regiment
113th Infantry Regiment
114th Infantry Regiment
9th Tank Regiment
14th Division
20th Infantry Regiment
7th Tank Regiment
17th Infantry Regiment
38th Division
24th Infantry Regiment
6th Tank Regiment
1st Recon Battalion
1st Tank Regiment
90th Infantry Regiment
Imperial Guards Division
4th Tank Regiment
42nd Infantry Regiment
112th Infantry Regiment
14th Guards Regiment
33rd Division
7th Ind.Tank Brigade
16th Infantry Regiment
11th Division
4th Division
16th Guards Regiment
18th Mountain Gun Regiment
51st Field AA Battalion
11th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
13th Ind.Hvy.Art Battalion
4th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
Botanko Hvy Gun Regiment
3rd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
15th Army
3rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
1st Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
2nd Hvy.Artillery Regiment
3rd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
14th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
6th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
48th Field Artillery Regiment
2nd Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
1st Field Artillery Regiment
21st Army

Defending units:
32nd Infantry Division
16th British Brigade
17th Indian Division
23rd British Brigade
45th Recce Regiment
150th RAC Regiment
Kowloon Brigade
5th Chinese Corps
3rd Carabiniers Regiment
73rd Motorised Brigade
84th Indian Brigade
111th Chindit Bde /2
RAF 222 Group Base Force
6th Medium Regiment
25th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
23rd Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
Burma Corps
14th Indian Light AA Regiment

[traskott]

Just a question: Is this the scn2 (Iroman??) ?

I see a LOT of Japanese troops !!!!

[Andy Mac]

Its scen 2 but not ironman

[Andy Mac]

I have been trying to suck forces into Burma for months I want him concentrated here

[traskott]

Looks like you have really got what you want !!! [:D][:D][:D]

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

I have been trying to suck forces into Burma for months I want him concentrated here

Congratulations, you certainly have succeeded in doing so.[:)]

Alfred

[witpqs]

Is it too early to put on the popcorn? When does the trap door fly?

[Andy Mac]

The initial landings on Palmyra are about 4 days away

Assault TF's for Baker Island, Canton and then possibly Tarawa are forming just waiting on a few more LST's to arrive at Pearl

Assault TF's for Lunga, and SOPAC will form after the CENTPAC portion is complete.

Assault TF's for PM, Milne Bay will attack when the next phase is complete

Assault TF's for port Blair etc will form after that

I have Div sized LCU's prepped for all these objectives and fuel and supplies pre positioned at Pearl, Aukland and Madras sufficient to keep the pace up.

I am short of Fuel in Australia and will need to push a major Fuel convoy through from both Abadan and West Coast but thats 6 or 7 weeks away

[Andy Mac]

The great thing about the battle going on in Burma at present is I dont really care if I lose..

Keeping those Army Tojo's and big Divs away from SWPAC and CENTPAC is the key goal.

I pulled XV Corps back to India leaving Bur Corps alone in the fight if it loses it loses ces't la vie

[Andy Mac]

Another turn passes not a lot to say except KB goes haring off NW of New Cal - could it be.....I am spotted if so its 24 hours earlier than I wanted ah well....

Halsey is hitting Palmyra tomorrow to start the softening up process.

Going to hit it for two or three days straight with air power before I do anything else.

BB's will go in the night before and the night of the invasion and this time its going down.

If I take Palmyra I will basically ignore Christmas Island for a while until its a real backwater

I figure 3rd Marines will get the job done on Palmyra as soon as they do 2 Sqns of Corsairs and 4 of SBD's will take up residence and I will try to force an engagement with KB on optimal grounds.

My sub screen is in place over 30 submarines half USN modern half USN Pig Boats, RN and Dutch (with working torpedoes) with my trip wire in place and 3 replenishment sqns on Johnstone Island to keep my Sqns strength up I will go into the battle with KB if it comes to play at full strength.

I have 700 aircraft in my CAG's with another 200 on Johnson Island ready to refill my air groups all with good pilots....

[Andy Mac]

If PZB remembers my last organised offensive (Hydra from our last game) he may well deduce that I dont like single targets and probably have a long convoluted set of objectives !!!!

Personally Palmyra has achieved its goal for the Japanese its just a little to close to Pearl for my liking PZB is smart enough to know that so I am not expecting much more than mines a few CD guns and maybe a throwaway naval garrison.

If I were playing the japanese I would have evacced it down to a cadre of expendables and be ready to hold KB in or around the Gilberts - force me to come in after them if I want to make progress in 43.

Its not a good risk to force a carrier battle to close to my bases.

He has at most 500 carrier aircraft v my 700 and I am pretty assured of having a lot more escorts each of my TF's has 20+ good AA escorts including BB's in each TF to take some pressure off my carriers.

If he comes for me I will fight it out.

[Andy Mac]

ps although what I say above is logical this is PZB we are talking about....so a knife fight to the death at Palmyra is at least 70:30

He likes high risk and he may decide to go for it - if he does that works for me !!!

he likes high risk ops sometimes they come off 90 aircraft torched ont eh ground...

Sometimes they dont 3 BB's sunk in the bay of bengal

I guess PZB's pattern is ultra aggression which gives me openings

[traskott]

Good luck !!! [;)]

What is the date ?