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Hi all,

July was a mopping up month overall. Operation Snowbell Phase 3 came to end with the capture of the final few bases north of Darwin and Sorong. The main US Navy units are now on their way back to PH with the CV's almost reaching home. A 'secondary' group of 12 x CVE and a BB TF remain in Aus along with some transport assets to conduct further base hopping campaigns in the SRA.

In Sumatra both Djambi and Oosthaven were captured leaving Palembang as a 100K men Jap prison. Troops are now preparing for Malaya invasions....

August sees the arrival of a new Coronado version and PV2-Harpoons. On the Sea CV Randolph, CVE Roi, Munda and 8 x SS arrive.

-------------------------

Points:

Allies: +1,468 points
Japanese: +499 points


Bases:

Allies: +13 (+307 points)
Japanese: -13 (-231 points)


Planes:

Allies: +450 lost
Japanese: +356 lost


Troops:

Allies: +84 lost
Japanese: +185 lost


Ships:

Allies: +21 lost (+196 points. 8 x subs and the rest were transports snagged by Jap LBA during the Southern SRA Operation.)
Japanese: +65 lost (+523 points. 11 of these were due airpower tagging convoys in southern SRA. 3 were enemy subs and the rest claimed by Subs.)

-------------------------------

Sub Kills:

46 of 76 attacks were successful = 60.53% success!

Dutch Boats:

PB - 5 (1 mine)
AK - 34
TK - 10
CM - 6
DD - 4
TB - 1
DMS - 4 (1 mine)
E - 1
APD - 1
ACM - 1
AP - 1
AMC - 1

= 69 ships
-------------------------------

British Boats:

DD - 1 (1 mine)
AK - 9 (1 mine)
SC - 1
PB - 1
TK - 2 (+1)
AO - 1
SS - 3 (2 mine)

= 18 ships

-------------------------------

Fleet Boats:

AK - 274 (+21)
SC - 19 (+2)
AP - 15 (+2)
PB - 53 (+8)
TK - 67 (+2)
AKE - 1
CM - 6
ACM - 2
E - 33 (+7)
APD - 2
DD - 6
CL - 2 (Oi, Kashima)
AO - 8
PC - 1
AMC - 1
AV - 2
AM - 1 (1 mine)
SS - 1
DMS - 4 (+1)
CVE - 1 (Chuyo) (+1)

= 498 ships
--------------------------------

S-Boats:

AK - 22 (+1)
AP - 2
CM - 1
PB - 5
DMS - 1
SC - 6
TK - 4 (+1)

= 41 ships

= 626 ships = 53.92% of reported sunk ships total.

ORIGINAL: Speedy



In Sumatra both Djambi and Oosthaven were captured leaving Palembang as a 100K men Jap prison. Troops are now preparing for Malaya invasions....

Hi Speedy,

Why Malaya? apart from the VP of Singers, what is there of importance in Malaya?
Why not Borneo to make sure his last oil in DEI comes under the influence of ur air umbrella or have u bombed them? I havent seen any such info.
Or an indirect approche accomplishing the same.

Kind regards,

Rasmus

Hi Rasmus,
 
In the end the main reasons I decided on Malaya were 3 fold:
 
1.) Taking it makes lines of communication in the area much easier (if I went for Borneo I'd have to sneak everything through Oosthaven under potential threat from Malaya and Java.)
 
2.) As you say Singers is a nice base for VP's and also for it's Port/Shipyard.
 
3.) Taking Malaya will force Faber to do something in Burma. He'll either need to shift troops further south or risk being cut off in Burma if and when I advanced into Indo/China.
 
As for Borneo oil. No need to worry about it.. Now I've finished mopping up most of the threat (other than Palembang) on Sumatra B29's will be flying into Siberoet soon and they'll be levelling Balikpapan, Samarinda, Tarakan, Brunei, Miri and Soerabaya. Once they are gone there's no more major oil sources for Faber ot get from in the SRA.....

Hi all,

A short update as ships still move back to bases to get ready for the next round!

Almost all CV's are back at PH now. CV Chimera (damaged from a sub previously - 10/43/0). Is about 3 days out of PH.

Just waiting for more AP's to get to San Fran to load up more troops for the Mariana's. Whilst waiting for them I'm upgrading ships piecemeal at PH.

In SoPac my CVE's have just reached Sydney. Efate was re-taken on the 2nd August. I'm now moving transports down here to load up troops at Suva and Noumea. These will be used in SRA Operations.

The Malayan Operation update is that troops are leaving Aden and approaching Ramree Island in Burma. These will all be routed to Sumatra when the hammer will move forward.

------------------------

Submarine Warfare:

3 x dud/missed attacks.

SS Tullibee sank E No.20 with a torpedo south of Japan on 1st August.

SS Sea Devil had success off Balikpapan sinking AK Tamaki Maru with 2 torpedoes.

SS Hardhead had a record day hitting 3 ships from the same convoy throughout the 1st August. She heavily damaged AK Naniwa Maru with a torpedo near Balabac. She also heavily damaged another AK (Montreal Maru) with a torpedo and sank AK Sumanoura Maru with 3 torpedoes.

SS S-28 sank SC Ch 30 off Ominato.

On the other side SS Grouper was sank by ASW vessels west of Japan. SS Tinosa was heavily damaged by ASW vessels.

As an FYI we've just upgraded to the latest Beta Patch as well. Never having read the whole Beta thread in a lot of depth I'm not 100% sure of how this will alter things [;)]

Hi all,

Ships and troop are still moving to where they need to be (from San Fran > PH, Noumea/Fiji > Townsville and from Aden/Ramree Island > Oosthaven).

I'm looking forward to starting the next round of offensives!

The last B29 raid from Chittagong hit Bangkok's AF's. Quite successful overall as 90 x Front Line Jap fighters (Franks/Georges/Tojo/Jack) are destroyed for the loss of 9 x B29's.

The boys will be resting now for several days before heading to Siberoet to wipe out the remaining Oil centres in the SRA.....

----------------------

Submarine Warfare:

Still early days post beta patch upgrade but it seems I'm getting fewer sub contacts and more ASW attacks against them!

3 x dud/missed attacks.

SS Sea Devil sank E No.17 off Balikpapan but in return was sunk by E Mutsure.

SS Pomfret heavily damaged AO Toho Maru with a torpedo on the 7th off Balikpapan.

SS Telemachus sank AK Eli Maru near Balikpapan with 3 torpedoes.

ORIGINAL: Speedy

As an FYI we've just upgraded to the latest Beta Patch as well. Never having read the whole Beta thread in a lot of depth I'm not 100% sure of how this will alter things [;)]

We did so recently too. Can´t really say much about it yet. But fragmentation has been toned down quite a bit from the earliest BETA. Its still annoying to watch but doesn´t kill the game experience. Yet! [:D]

Hi all,

Hi JocMeister - indeed. It's a still a longer CR than under the last official patch. Don't like the fragmented raids to be honest!

------------------

I'm quite looking forward to getting the month of August over with! It's a month or ship repairs, upgrades and troop movements in preparation for the next assaults in CentPac, Southern SRA and Malaya! Each turn feels like a logistics churn with little action to note [;)]

The only action to point out is the Submarine contacts and Faber conducted a nice little Ambush over Burma on my regular milk runs. very day I bomb various bases (like Rangoon, Moulmein, Pegu) and Jap troops. Faber decided to jump my troop bombing on Jap positions SE of Toungoo on the 15th. In total I lost 60 planes (majority of which were Wellingtons, Blenheim's and Libs) vs Faber's 17 x fighters. Here's the largest action to note:

Morning Air attack on 2nd Guards Division, at 57,51 , near Toungoo

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 19 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
N1K1-J George x 12
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 29
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 24
Ki-61-Id Tony x 16
Ki-84a Frank x 19

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 32
Hurricane IIb Trop x 3
Liberator B.VI x 6
Liberator GR.VI x 12
Spitfire Vc Trop x 11
Spitfire VIII x 19
Thunderbolt I x 11
Wellington Ic x 14
P-40N5 Warhawk x 12
P-47D25 Thunderbolt x 12

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIc Tojo: 1 destroyed
Ki-61-Id Tony: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 4 destroyed, 3 damaged
Hurricane IIb Trop: 1 destroyed
Liberator B.VI: 1 damaged
Liberator GR.VI: 2 destroyed, 7 damaged
Spitfire Vc Trop: 1 destroyed
Spitfire VIII: 1 destroyed
Thunderbolt I: 1 destroyed
Wellington Ic: 1 damaged
P-40N5 Warhawk: 1 destroyed
P-47D25 Thunderbolt: 1 destroyed

Japanese ground losses:
13 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

--------------------

Submarine Warfare:

4 x dud/missed attacks.

SS Burrfish sank AKL Miyako Maru off Tawi Tawi.

SS Tantivy blew up PB Takunan Maru #5 near Taytay.

SS Escolar claimed AKL Shuko Maru SE of Swatow.

SS Skate sank AKL Momoyama Maru near Iwo Jima on the 13th.

SS Telemachus capsized AK Hokuzyu Maru with 2 torpedoes off Balikpapan.

SS Drum heavily damaged AK Amagi Maru with a torpedo north of Luzon.

SS Hake took out AKL Uga Maru on the surface SW of Japan.

SS Runner claimed the Kagero class DD Amatsukaze sank off Soerabaya on the 14th.

SS Hake was in action again on the 15th sinking AKL Chuka Maru.

On the other side SS Bream was sank by LBA north of Japan.

Seems like the RAF 2Es are destined to get pummeled in both our games! [:D]

Hi all,

Hi JocMesiter - only occasionally here as Faber is certainly on the downward spiral despite fighting valiantly.

I dished out retribution on the perpetrators though!

The Allies were stinging after this incursion by Jap air in Burma. The eagles flew the nest of the 16th recon'ing a load of likely bases that would have staged the Jap fighters. The concentration was located at Chiang Mai - 90 fighters reported. Orders were sent and 200 Allied fighters - P47D's, P51B's, P38L's, Spit's and P40N's were sent out early on the 17th to search the for the enemy and clear the skies for 100 x B29's to pound what was left.

Mission accomplished with 81 enemy top line fighters claimed for the loss of 9 friendlies. The P47D25's were the most successful:

Morning Air attack on Chiang Mai , at 58,53

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 42 NM, estimated altitude 37,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
N1K1-J George x 10
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 28
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 13
Ki-61-Id Tony x 10
Ki-84a Frank x 9

Allied aircraft
P-47D25 Thunderbolt x 21

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 3 destroyed
Ki-44-IIc Tojo: 2 destroyed
Ki-61-Id Tony: 1 destroyed
Ki-84a Frank: 2 destroyed

The airfields were then plastered by B29's. Hope that sends the message to Faber don't mess again [;)]

--------------------

Little else to note except I wanted to emphasise to players who haven't played Allies in 44 the task that some turns can be. I spent an hour this turn just going through 100's of ships at PH, Sydney and Columbo to conduct final upgrades and repairs on shipping prior to the next round of offensives.

Initial estimates are my Mariana's invasions will comprise over 700 ships!

The final troops of the 4th USMC Division left San Fran today heading to PH. Once there the invasion fleets will assemble, load troops and material and head off to destiny...........

----------------------

Submarine Warfare:

2 x dud/missed attacks.

SS Terrapin heavily damaged AK Tensho Maru with a torpedo near Balikpapan.

On the other side SS KXVII was moderately damaged near Tarakan by ASW vessels and is returning to port.

Hi all,

Once more apologies for the lack of frequent updates but the preparation time continues and I figured it wouldn't be exciting for readers to read about 100 ships moving here and 100 ships moving there with xx Division etc[;)] If it's any consolation turns have been mundane and boring for me as well as the combat ships continue to repair and upgrade and transports move to where they are needed carrying troops.

The good thing is the preparation time is coming to an end for the southern DEI Ops as the final ships leave Sydney for Townsville. Combat troops, material and planes will load up there before heading to Ambon before re-taking more enemy held territory (full report on these invasions soon I promise).

----------------------

There's little action to make you aware of other than sub attacks and milk run bombings in Burma and Sumatra/Malaya. One thing that is apparent is Ops losses have risen notably for me under the latest Beta patch. I'm running at 8-15 per day! Enemy AA is also now more effective so no more 6K bombing runs!

If there's anything you'd like to see or have any questions please let me know!

----------------------

Submarine Warfare:

6 x dud/missed attacks.

SS Croaker sank E No.3 off Kochi on the 18th. Unfortunately, Croaker was located by the ASW TF in the same area and sunk on the 19th

On the 21st SS Sawfish sank AK Sydney Maru #2 south of Hong Kong with 2 torpedoes.

SS KXVI heavily damaged AK Durban Maru with a torpedo near Cam Ranh Bay.

The 24th saw SS Gabilan sink SC CHa-68 SW of Japan.

SS Cavalla heavily damaged AK Takaoka Maru with a torpedo near Formosa.

SS Tuna blew up SC Ch 28 north of Japan.

On the side along with SS Croaker , SS Plaice was sunk south of Japan on the 22nd.

Glad to see that you two are still going at it. I know he's too busy to be popping in the forum, so please extend a cheery "Howdy!!" to the plucky penguin. [:)]

Thanks witpqs! [:)]
 
Yes it will be a climatic ending as far as I can see. Faber still has a few CV's around and about 1/2 of his BB fleet. Operations for the rest of 44 will, all being well, see me at the doorstep of Japan......

Speedy, you are doomed - Faber's big brother is coming!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/picture/2013/jun/21/hubble-galactic-space-penguin-picture

Hi all,

Hi witpqs - LOL. Amazing picture. Space and it's scale does fascinate me for sure! I always wondered what Faber's secret weapon was and now I know!

--------------------

The final week of August 1944 passes with the usual preparations work continuing = little action to note except Allied bombing runs in Burma, Sumatra, Singapore and southern DEI.

The B29's are based at Siberoet now and have started taking out Miri's Refineries and Oil production on the 28th.....

The good news for readers is the 'boredom phase' will soon be over as troops have begun boarding ships at both PH and Townsville for operations against the Mariana's and in the DEI....I'll follow up shortly with more detailed posts of these operations. Needless to say recent turns have taken an extra 30-60 mins due to forming up, moving over 1000 ships and loading oodles of material, men and planes!

-------------------------

Submarine Warfare:

1 x dud/missed attacks.

SS Tuna reported sinking DD Kisaragi near Wakkanai and in return was heavily damaged by ASW vessels.

SS Hake sank AKL Arisan Maru off Tokara Retto on the 25th.

SS Steelhead claimed DD Nenohi sunk on the 28th off Kume-jima.

SS Hake was in action again on the 28th sinking AKL Shozui Maru with 2 torpedoes.

SS Angler sank AK Aden Maru off Tsu on the 29th.

On the 29th SS Tullibee sank AK Tonegawa Maru off Aogoshima.

On the other side SS Pilotfish was sunk by ASW vessels east of Luzon.

Hey Speedy,

Viberpol and I have just moved into May 1945. It is amazing the flow of resources that come to the Allies in 45. I have just taken Formosa and Hanoi and am looking to my next big move. I pretty much have ignored the Central Pacific and choose not to invade the PI. Taking Singapore and Indo China made a move towards Manila redundant.

Hi all,

August has to be one of the most boring months of this Pacific War! [;)]

The month (from my perspective) was solely about moving ships and men around to where they needed to be in preparation for the next round of offensives. This was happening in conjunction with much overdue ship repairs and upgrades. Many Capital Ships still need upgrading but there's no time for that anymore!

September will see these invasions in action in the Mariana's and around southern DEI.

As for reinforcements, the most important in the air is the arrival of F4U1D's [:)]

On sea CV Ticonderoga, CVE Rajah, Activity, BB Wisconsin and 11 x SS are the most welcome additions!

----------------------

Points:

Allies: +765 points
Japanese: +334 points


Bases:

Allies: +2 (+151 points)
Japanese: -2 (-183 points)


Planes:

Allies: +409 lost
Japanese: +287 lost


Troops:

Allies: +7 lost
Japanese: +106 lost


Ships:

Allies: +8 lost (+101 points. 7 x subs and a TK)
Japanese: +42 lost (+357 points. All of these due to Allied subs)

-------------------------------

Sub Kills:

31 of 51 attacks were successful = 60.78% success!

Dutch Boats:

PB - 5 (1 mine)
AK - 34
TK - 11 (+1)
CM - 6
DD - 4
TB - 1
DMS - 4 (1 mine)
E - 1
APD - 1
ACM - 1
AP - 1
AMC - 1

= 70 ships
-------------------------------

British Boats:

DD - 1 (1 mine)
AK - 11 (1 mine) (+2)
SC - 1
PB - 2 (+1)
TK - 2
AO - 1
SS - 3 (2 mine)

= 21 ships

-------------------------------

Fleet Boats:

AK - 299 (+25)
SC - 20 (+1)
AP - 15
PB - 53
TK - 70 (+3)
AKE - 1
CM - 6
ACM - 2
E - 33
APD - 2
DD - 9 (+3)
CL - 1 (Oi) (-1)
AO - 9 (+1)
PC - 1
AMC - 1
AV - 2
AM - (1 mine)
SS - 1
DMS - 4
CVE - 1 (Chuyo)

= 530 ships
--------------------------------

S-Boats:

AK - 22
AP - 2
CM - 1
PB - 5
DMS - 1
SC - 7 (+1)
TK - 4

= 42 ships

= 663 ships = 55.11% of reported sunk ships total.

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Hey Speedy,

Viberpol and I have just moved into May 1945. It is amazing the flow of resources that come to the Allies in 45. I have just taken Formosa and Hanoi and am looking to my next big move. I pretty much have ignored the Central Pacific and choose not to invade the PI. Taking Singapore and Indo China made a move towards Manila redundant.

Hi crsutton,

Interesting. Due to the superiority I have in terms of numbers and equipment I'm planning to advance virtually everywhere! The aim by the end of 44 is to be on the doorstep of Japan (Formosa/Okinawa) and to have taken Malaya and Mindanao

Well, I give full credit to Viberpol. He is one tough Japanese player. We are playing scen 2 and for example, By 9/1/44 I had lost well over 22,000 aircraft to he had lost over 30,000. Plus at that stage our shipping point losses were close to being equal. The past six months are different with all of his losses scaling up due to the growth in Allied power, but it has been a tough slog for me. However, I think I have enjoyed the game all the better for the challenge.

Hi all,

I promised you an update on the pending invasions and it will come in the next post. Just trying to build tension[;)].....not boredom[;)]

--------------------

Little to report of action as my fleets either load up or move to position.

The usual air actions in Burma and Sumatra.

B29's based at Siberoet have started the final SRA oilfield destruction campaign. The past 4 days have seen Miri's Oil and Refinery production reduced by 2/3.

Faber conducted a sneak CAP surprise over Singapore on the 4th providing 40ish fighters on CAP. They lost 19 of their number to 30 Allied fighters/bombers.

----------------------

Submarine Warfare:

Not a great start to the month....

5 x dud/missed attacks.

SS Redfish heavily damaged AK Teeia Maru with a torpedo off Formosa.

In return SS Hake and Seal were moderately damaged by ASW vessels.