Last Stand at San Diego (no Richard please)

[ADB123]

October 5, 1943 –

There was no action again during the Night Phase.

Daylight brought a break in the weather and thus some substantial Allied Bombing attacks. First in were the 2Es in Burma that hit the Japanese Troops east of Taung Gyi. Next the British 4Es hit the Air Base at Chiang Mai.

Then the USAAF 4Es hit the Japanese Troops at Pegu, and to my surprise there were no Japanese Fighters on LR CAP. Take a look at the Combat Report below:

Morning Air attack on 19th Division, at 55,53 (Pegu)

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 20 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 12
B-24D1 Liberator x 53
B-24J Liberator x 12
P-38H Lightning x 24
P-47D2 Thunderbolt x 18

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 1 damaged
B-24D1 Liberator: 4 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
758 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 46 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 69 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Guns lost 19 (1 destroyed, 18 disabled)

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 8000 feet
Ground Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
12 x B-24D1 Liberator bombing from 8000 feet
Ground Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
12 x B-24J Liberator bombing from 8000 feet
Ground Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
12 x B-24D1 Liberator bombing from 8000 feet
Ground Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
14 x B-24D1 Liberator bombing from 8000 feet
Ground Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
10 x B-24D1 Liberator bombing from 8000 feet
Ground Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
5 x B-24D1 Liberator bombing from 8000 feet
Ground Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb

Also attacking 11th Tank Regiment ...
Also attacking 42nd Infantry Regiment ...
Also attacking 2nd RTA/B Division ...
Also attacking 19th Division ...
Also attacking 11th Tank Regiment ...
Also attacking 42nd Infantry Regiment ...
Also attacking 2nd RTA/B Division ...
Also attacking 19th Division ...
Also attacking 11th Tank Regiment ...
Also attacking 42nd Infantry Regiment ...
Also attacking 2nd RTA/B Division ...

Okay, keep that in mind because we will refer to it later.

The action then shifted to Northern Australia and the DEI as USAAF 4Es, escorted by a Squadron of P-38Gs, attacked the Air Base at Koepang on Timor. I’ve been flying Recon over Koepang for months and it hasn’t shown any Japanese planes there for as long as I can remember. However, look what the USAAF Air Raid ran into:

Morning Air attack on Koepang, at 68,116

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 67 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 23 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 36
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 40

Allied aircraft
B-24D Liberator x 20
B-24D1 Liberator x 46
B-24J Liberator x 23
P-38G Lightning x 25

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 9 damaged
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 1 destroyed on ground
Ki-46-III Dinah: 1 destroyed on ground

Allied aircraft losses
B-24D Liberator: 5 damaged
B-24D1 Liberator: 5 damaged
P-38G Lightning: 5 destroyed

Airbase hits 56
Airbase supply hits 17
Runway hits 110

Aircraft Attacking:
10 x B-24D Liberator bombing from 8000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
12 x B-24J Liberator bombing from 8000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
12 x B-24D1 Liberator bombing from 8000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
11 x B-24J Liberator bombing from 8000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
12 x B-24D1 Liberator bombing from 8000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
10 x B-24D Liberator bombing from 8000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
11 x B-24D1 Liberator bombing from 8000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
11 x B-24D1 Liberator bombing from 8000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
5th Sentai with Ki-45 KAIa Nick (0 airborne, 9 on standby, 27 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 4 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 13000, scrambling fighters between 3000 and 35200.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 36 minutes
28 planes vectored on to bombers
78th Sentai with Ki-44-IIa Tojo (0 airborne, 9 on standby, 23 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 4 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 13000, scrambling fighters between 7000 and 13000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 27 minutes
9 planes vectored on to bombers

Another half dozen P-38s were lost on the way home due to damage. So having those Lightnings on Escort was a Bad, Bad move.

Then came the Critical part of the turn – the Allied Ground Attack on Pegu:

Ground combat at Pegu (55,53)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 37347 troops, 888 guns, 1176 vehicles, Assault Value = 1338

Defending force 4116 troops, 43 guns, 8 vehicles, Assault Value = 99

Allied engineers reduce fortifications to 1

Allied adjusted assault: 1029

Japanese adjusted defense: 26

Allied assault odds: 39 to 1 (fort level 1)

Allied forces CAPTURE Pegu !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: leaders(+), disruption(-), preparation(-), morale(-)
experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
2999 casualties reported
Squads: 74 destroyed, 14 disabled
Non Combat: 78 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 58 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 33 (32 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Vehicles lost 11 (11 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 5

Allied ground losses:
75 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
26th Indian Division
3rd Carabiniers Regiment
255th Armoured Brigade
2nd British Division
5th Indian Division
85th British AT Gun Regiment
21st Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
8th Medium Regiment
25th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
20th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
IV Indian Corps
26th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment

Defending units:
42nd Infantry Regiment
2nd RTA/B Division
15th Ind. Engineer Regiment
37th Const Co
53rd Const Co

Take a look at the Japanese units that were kicked out of Pegu, and then go back to the 4E attack and take a look at the Japanese units that the 4Es were bombing. The Japanese 19th Infantry Division and 11th Tank Regiment weren’t there for the final Ground Assault. They pulled out of Pegu before the Ground Assault began. During the Combat Reply I saw a “movement arrow” on the Japanese Troops in Pegu, but I didn’t expect any troops to be able to get out after the 4E attack.

Oh well, that just made my job easier at Pegu. Now the Japanese Troops at Rangoon are pretty much trapped, although I guess that they could move or retreat into the swamp hexes to the southwest of Rangoon. But I’m in no hurry to start Assaulting Rangoon. I’ve found out in my Japanese pbems that Rangoon can be a Tough Nut to Crack and I don’t want to break any of my Assault Units in a premature attack. So I ordered the 4Es to attack the Air Base at Rangoon again next turn.

I’ll leave the Victorious Allied Troops at Pegu for the next couple of days to rest up and receive more Supplies. Then I’ll order them to begin the March to Moulmein.

BTW – I just landed a British Naval Base Force at Ramree Island to join the USA Engineers that are already there building up the Base. Currently it is a F2 AF2 P1 base, but I’ve got Lots and Lots of Engineers on the way, so it ought to get Built Up fairly quickly. I like the fact that it can be built up to a Level 8 Air Base.

BTW II – I flew the Very Experienced Marine Corsair Squadron in to Ramree Island in order to keep Japanese LBA from pestering my Amphibious TFs as they bring in more Forces.

[ADB123]

October 6, 1943 –

My opponent only had time to send the Combat Replay this evening.

There was no Action again during the Night Phase.

Daylight brought the Return of Bad Weather over much of Asia, so the 4Es stayed home in Burma. The Allied 2Es did fly against the Japanese Troops to the east of Taung Gyi, but the weather affected their attacks and they didn’t cause much damage.

In Northern Oz the USAAF 4Es turned their attention to the Air Base at Darwin this turn. An attack consisting of 31 B-24D1s, 14 B-24Ds and 23 B-24Js fought their way through 36 Ki61-Ia Tonys and 18 A6M3a Zeros to hit the base fairly well. One Liberator was lost and a number of Japanese planes were damaged or destroyed on the Ground.

But over all, these Long Range Bombing Raids aren’t doing anywhere as well as the shorter range raids in Burma. I’ve got to re-think things in this region again.

[ADB123]

October 6, 1943 – Final Comments:

Looking over the Turn brought some interesting items to light. First off, the Air Raid on Darwin worked better than initially reported – 13 Ki-46-III Dinahs, and 2 A6M3a Zeros were destroyed on the Ground. The USAAF lost 4 Liberators.

So the Libs will be off to visit the Air Base at Koepang again next turn, minus any Escorts. I'll keep on alternating until both enemy Air Bases are closed.

One thing in the Reports that is bothersome is that almost all of the Air Transport Squadrons in India will be withdrawn in 55 days. That will certainly hinder my efforts there. I definitely need to capture Rangoon before then.

And in a bit of good news, it looks as if some of the Japanese Troops that are sitting 1 hex east of Taung Gyi are pulling back. I don't care if they make the Long March back to French Indo China – I just don't want them threatening my Lines in Burma. In any event, I'll keep up the 2E Attacks in order to "encourage" them to pull Far, Far Away.

And the 4Es have their orders to Bomb the Air Base at Rangoon again. It would be nice if they flew this turn – the Damage Levels at the Air Base continue to decrease.

[ADB123]

October 7, 1943 –

The Night Phase saw USS Sculpin put a torpedo into a TF near Bara in the DEI. Sculpin got away from the escorts in the big Japanese TK Transport TF. There was no confirmation that the burning Japanese TK went down.

Daylight brought reports of Bad Weather Everywhere, but the Allied Air Missions took off for the most part anyway. In Burma the 2Es hit the Japanese Troops to the east of Taung Gyi again while the 4Es hammered the Air Base at Rangoon.

Off along the northern coast of Oz the USAAF 4Es hit the Air Base at Koepang again – minus any Escorts. Some Nicks and Tojos flew CAP but the 4Es blew past them and hit the Air Base fairly hard. Eventually 1 Tojo was shot down and 1 Nick was destroyed on the Ground.

And finally, USS Gato was chased by Escorts near Shimushiri-jima in the Kuriles. Gato got away and is still hanging around, looking for targets.

So all-in-all it was a fairly quiet turn, other than for continual Base Building. For the next turn I've got the Brit 4Es set to drop Mines at Port Blair – my opponent is using that base to refuel Submarines so I want to see if I can catch any with the air dropped mines.

[ADB123]

October 8 1943 -

There was no night action.

Then there was Rain...

Then there was more Rain everywhere...

Then Everything got Rained Out Everywhere except for the Brit 4Es which dropped their mines on Port Blair.

I've never seen a total washout of all Combat missions before...

[ADB123]

October 9, 1943 –

There was no Night Action.

Daylight brought a break in the Weather and the Allied Bombing Attacks flew as planned.

In Burma the Allied 2Es and British 4Es hammered the Air Base at Lashio. I want to make certain that my opponent doesn’t get tempted to fly in some planes in an attempt to ambush me.

Then the USAAF 4Es hammered the Japanese Troops at Rangoon. Recon and Intel report that there are something like 45K Japanese Troops at Rangoon so I want to soften them up well before I try an assault. But just to test the waters I ordered my besieging forces to do an Artillery Attack next turn.

Off in Northern Oz the USAAF 4Es attacked the Air Base at Katherine, surprising and destroying a half dozen Dinah IIIs on the Ground and damaging the Air Base quite nicely.

And a handful of B-25s hit the Japanese Troops at Ndeni again. But the Real Action in the Region will start in a few days as I prepare to do some serious Bombing in the Solomons.

[ADB123]

October 10, 1943 –

There was no Night Action, although there were reports of increased Japanese Shipping activity in the eastern Solomons.

Daylight brought out the Allied Bombers again. In Burma the Allied 2Es hit the Japanese Troops that are just to the east of Lashio, while the 4Es hammered the Japanese Troops at Rangoon.

In Northern Oz the USAAF 4Es hit the Air Base at Darwin and found no CAP. Therefore, the attack was able to hammer the Air Base quite nicely.

And 2 Mitchell Squadrons hit the Japanese Troops at Ndeni.

At the end of the day USS Trident was chased by Japanese PBs off of Singapore, but got away.

The Allied Troops besieging Rangoon then tried an Artillery Attack. The result was that the Allies suffered around 4 times the casualties as the Japanese. But I now have an idea of what I am facing at Rangoon – there are 2 Japanese Infantry Divisions there and various odds-and-ends units.

So I’ll continue to Pound the Japanese Troops there from the Air while more Allied Troops move forward.

[ADB123]

October 11, 1943 –

The Night Phase started out with USS Grayling hitting a little xAKL with 3 torpedoes just off of Shimonoseki. There were a dozen or more xAKLs in the TF. Grayling escaped the Japanese Escorts unharmed.

Then USS Grayback hit an xAK with 2 torpedoes at Tulagi. That Japanese TF had almost a dozen xAKs and xAKLs in it. Grayback also got away from the Japanese Escorts.

Daylight brought out the 2Es and British 4Es in Burma. Japanese troops east of Mandalay and east of Lashio were hammered, as was the Air Base at Lashio. The USAAF 4Es didn’t fly.

In Northern Oz the USAAF 4Es hit the Air Base at Wyndham after it was reported that Japanese Fighters had moved back in. Sure enough, the 38 B-24D1s, 16 B-24Ds, and 20 B-24Js ran into 36 Tonys. The 4Es fought past the Tonys and hammered the Air Base hard. One B-24D1 was shot down during the attack.

Next Mitchells hit the Japanese troops at Ndeni again.

Then a mistake in planning hurt me as 5 B-24D1s flew in to attack an xAK at Tulagi. I had forgotten to set that Bomber Squadron to Search instead of Naval Attack when I moved it within range of Tulagi. Sure enough, 13 N1K1-J Georges and 17 A6M3a Zeros were on CAP and they shot down 1 of the Liberators and shook up the rest enough so that the xAK got away unscathed.

[ADB123]

October 12, 1943 -

The Night Phase saw USS Grayback chased off by DDs and Es that were escorting a Transport TF at Tulagi. Grayback got away untouched.

Daylight brought out all of the Allied Bombers in Burma, but Rain scrambled the attacks by the 2Es and British 4Es on the Japanese Troops east of Tuang Gyi and east of Lashio, so there was little effect from the attacks. On-the-other-hand, the 4Es hammered the Japanese Troops in Rangoon again.

In the meanwhile my opponent continues to mass more and more Fighters at Bangkok and surrounding Air Bases. That's fine, my interest is on the Ground at this point, not in the Air.

Elsewhere, the 4Es in Northern Oz didn't fly. Some Mitchells attacked the Japanese Troops at Ndeni but couldn't find the target. And Lots of USN and USAAF 4Es flew Recon over the Eastern Solomons. It appears that my opponent is building those bases up as fast as he can.

Elsewhere it was again a matter of building my own bases. I haven't seen any sign of the KB or Combined Fleet for a while so I am taking advantage of this lull in Japanese Naval Activity to move Forces Forward.

[ADB123]

October 13, 1943 -

The Night Phase started out with USS Albacore putting two torpedoes into an xAK just off of Truk. Albacore got away from the escorts in the Transport TF.

Then USS Pollack hit a mine when it attempted to sneak into the Harbour at Bangkok. So Pollack is now limping home and the other US subs in the region will patrol outside the mine field at Bangkok.

Daylight started with Allied 2Es and Brit 4Es hitting the Japanese Troops east of Mandalay and east of Taung Gyi again. I'll keep on bombing those troops until they dissipate or move away since Japanese fighters can no longer reach that region of Burma.

Later on the 4Es hit the Japanese Troops in Rangoon again. The attacks continue to cause heavy casualties, but I know from my other pbems how tough Rangoon can be to capture so I am in no hurry to try any assaults. I am also waiting for Supply to level out in the area. Although the Allied Troops that are besieging Rangoon are fine as far as Supply goes, next door the Supply Level at Pegu remains in the Red, despite constant Air Re-Supply. I have the feeling that Supply is being used to fill-out the LCUs and that they haven't been topped-off enough yet.

Off in the South Pacific Mitchells hit the Japanese troops at Ndeni again. There are a lot of Japanese TFs in the eastern Solomons, so I've moved up some ships to provide local protection to my bases too. As long as the KB stays away I'll be able to continue to pour troops, Supply and Fuel into my ever-growing bases in the region.

And the USAAF 4Es hit the Air Base at Wyndham again, this time destroying a couple of Tonys on the ground. Those Tonys are trapped at Wyndham unless my opponent disbands their air unit, so I'll happily bomb the Air Base until they are gone. Its like shooting fish in a barrel.

[ADB123]

October 14, 1943 -

The Night Phase saw USS Trident chased off by PBs in a TK transport off of Benghalis and then USS Capelin ran into a mine at Singapore.

Daylight saw the Allied 2Es and Brit 4Es hit the Japanese troops that are east of Taung Gyi again. There was no Flak, which suggests that those troops are out of Supply. The USAAF 4Es then hit the Japanese Troops at Rangoon again, causing another good amount of enemy casualties.

Then off in Northern Oz the USAAF 4Es hit the Air Base at Wyndham again, destroying another Tony on the Ground.

Otherwise, things remained quiet. The Allies received dozens of new ships this turn, so the future continues to look bright.

[ADB123]

October 15, 1943 -

There was no Night Action.

Daylight brought out some of the Allied 2Es against the Japanese troops to the east of Mandalay and of Lashio. The rest of the Allied bombers in Burma sat out the Bad Weather.

Off in Oz the USAAF 4Es hit the Air Base at Darwin again and found no CAP. They hammered the base hard.

Otherwise, not much went on beyond Base Building and Troop, Supply and Fuel transport. Things will likely stay this way for a while as I wait for key forward bases to be built up to levels that meet my needs. There are opportunities for Raids right now, but the problem is that the Allied Forces, particularly the Naval Forces, just aren't as good as their Japanese opponents so I don't want to be on the wrong end of Battles of Attrition.

[ADB123]

October 16, 1943

There was no Night Action.

Daylight brought a change to the Burmese Theatre – the skies over Pegu were first Swept by 18 Tojos, then 145 Helens, escorted by 40 Nick Ics and 42 Oscar IIas, hit the Air Base there. I had no CAP in place, so the Japanese Bombers only had to deal with Flak. Never-the-less, the damage wasn't bad.

I was surprised that my opponent chose Pegu rather than Rangoon. I'm not trying to do much there right now. But now I've got the warning I set a number of P-47 and P-38 Squadrons on High Alt LR CAP over Rangoon, and I also set the USAAF 4Es to hit the Air Base at Pisanuloke next turn.

Allied Bombers in Burma then got into action as 2Es and Brit 4Es hit the Japanese troops to the east of Mandalay and 2Es hit the Japanese troops to the east of Lashio. Then the USAAF 4Es hit the Air Base at Rangoon again.

The Action then switched to the DEI as USAAF 4Es hit the Air Base at Roti. The 36 B-24D1s, 10 B-24Ds and 42 B-24Js found 27 Tonys on CAP. The 4Es fought their way through, shooting down a couple of Tonys and destroying another on the ground. But the Japanese pilots were able to down a B-24D1, 1 B-24 and 5 B-24Js. Fortunately most of the losses were write-offs so I didn't lose many pilots.

And some Mitchells hit the Japanese Troops at Ndeni again. My Search and Recon tells me that more and more Japanese ships are showing up at Tulagi and Lunga. I'm going to have to do something about that.

Finally, at the end of the day HMS Trespasser put a couple of torpedoes into a Tanker at Georgetown. I am sending over more subs that are in the area to see if they can also get lucky with the Tanker TF there.

[ADB123]

October 17, 1943 -

The Night Phase saw USS Grayback put a torpedo into an xAK at Tulagi. But then the Escorts hammered Grayback, and the sub is now limping home.

Daylight brought the usual Allied 2E and British 4E bombing runs on Japanese Troops near Mandalay and Lashio. The casualty count was higher then usual, so maybe those troops are finally running out of Supply.

Then the USAAF 4Es attacked the Air Base at Pisanoloke and ran into some very tough Japanese CAP. The 49 B-24D1s, 7 B-17Es and 9 B-17Js found 30 Tojos, 36 Georges, 6 Oscar Iias and 2 Oscar IIbs waiting for them. The Bombers shot down 1 George and 2 Tojos, but 4 B-24D1s were shot down too. Never-the-less the 4Es hit their target fairly hard.

And in Northern Oz the 4Es were washed out.

The Big News (Top Secret) this turn was that the Big E finally sailed away from the AR where it has been getting emergency repairs and is now starting to slowly head back to a Repair Shipyard. I flew a TB squadron onto the CV in order to provide some local Air ASW. I'll fly the DB squadrons on next turn.

[BBfanboy]

I have seen posts stating that once a unit's disabled count gets over 50%, the number of destroyed squads per attack goes up sharply. This is most apparent when you have been pounding the enemy daily for a few weeks.

[ADB123]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

I have seen posts stating that once a unit's disabled count gets over 50%, the number of destroyed squads per attack goes up sharply. This is most apparent when you have been pounding the enemy daily for a few weeks.

Well, at this point those Japanese units ought to be in sad shape - they have been pounded for weeks, many of them were defeated in battle, and they have to draw Supply across the jungle.

But given all of the dice rolls in the Game, I'm not going to go after them with troops until they appear to be good-and-dead - preferably bombed out of existence...

Thanks for the info -

[ADB123]

October 18, 1943 -

The Night Phase saw plenty of Underwater Action. First off USS Skipjack attempted to hit a DD in a big Transport TF at Bangkok, but missed. Skipjack then got away from the Escorts in the TF. However, later on Skipjack ran into a minefield and hit 2 mines in succession. Skipjack is very badly damaged and I doubt that it can stay afloat for another day. However, I've ordered it to head to a small port in Borneo that my opponent never captured, so there is always hope.

Next USS Grouper hit an xAK at Lunga, followed by USS Shad missing an xAKL at Tulagi.

Daylight came and it was hard to tell the difference from being submergered in a submarine. Rain washed out Air Missions across the Map. Only two 2E squadrons in Burma and one Mitchell squadron in the South Pacific attempted to fly, and they couldn't find their targets in the Rain.

Finally, at the end of the day USS Grouper hit an xAK with 1 torpedo and 1 deck gun shell.

Things will liven up over the next couple of days, Rain or Less Rain. (There is no “Shine” in the weather model in WitP...)

[ADB123]

October 19, 1943 –

The Night Phase saw a fair amount of activity from the USN Subs. First off USS Albacore shot at and missed a PB in a little 3-PB TF just northwest of Truk. The PBs then chased Albacore but the sub got away. Later on Albacore came back and hit one of the PBs with a torpedo, likely sinking it.

Next, USS Bowfin shot at and missed a DD in a large Transport TF at Munda. The escorts in the TF chased Bowfin but the sub got away.

Then USS Saury hit an xAK with a torpedo at Tulagi. I was surprised that there weren’t any Escorts chasing Saury afterwards.

Daylight brought out all of the main Allied Air Attacks that didn’t fly the previous day. The Allied 2Es and Brit 4Es hammered the Japanese troops to the east of Lashio, the USAAF 4Es hammered the Air Base at Rangoon, and in Northern Oz the USAAF 4Es hammered the Japanese Troops at Wyndham. I was pleasantly surprised to see the very large number of casualties there.

Finally the Chinese Army got a chance to shine as the US-lead Chinese Troops attacked the Japanese Troops on the Lashio Road to the east of Lashio:

Ground combat at 63,46 (near Lashio)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 24117 troops, 215 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1028

Defending force 3531 troops, 66 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 113

Allied adjusted assault: 664

Japanese adjusted defense: 205

Allied assault odds: 3 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), disruption(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
1416 casualties reported
Squads: 34 destroyed, 29 disabled
Non Combat: 33 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 19 (7 destroyed, 12 disabled)
Units retreated 2

Allied ground losses:
431 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 63 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
7th New Chinese Corps
3rd New Chinese Corps
5th Chinese Corps
6th Chinese Corps
NCAC

Defending units:
143rd Infantry Regiment
55th Mountain Gun Regiment

As usual, Chinese troops have trouble with even the smallest and most beaten up Japanese troops. Never-the-less, the Road to Lashio is open, and I will besiege Lashio next.

[ADB123]

October 20, 1943 –

The Night Phase saw 2 RN Bombardment TFs sneak up to Rangoon and bombard it from close range. There weren’t many Casualties, but there was a lot of base damage, including fires:

Night Naval bombardment of Rangoon at 54,53

Allied Ships
CA Frobisher
CA Cornwall
CA Dorsetshire
CL Danae
DD Redoubt
DD Racehorse
DD Jupiter

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

Light Industry hits 1
Manpower hits 1
Fires 358
Airbase hits 5
Runway hits 17
Port hits 9
Port fuel hits 1
Port supply hits 2

CA Frobisher firing at Rangoon
CA Cornwall firing at Rangoon
Walrus II acting as spotter for CA Dorsetshire
CA Dorsetshire firing at Rangoon
CL Danae firing at 32nd Division
DD Redoubt firing at 14th Division
DD Racehorse firing at 14th Division
DD Jupiter firing at 32nd Division


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Naval bombardment of Rangoon at 54,53

Allied Ships
CA Hawkins
CA Suffolk
CA Shropshire
CL Caradoc
CL Newcastle
CL Kenya
DD Rotherham
DD Relentless

Japanese ground losses:
15 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Refinery hits 1
Fires 350
Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 17
Port hits 9
Port fuel hits 2
Port supply hits 1

CA Hawkins firing at 32nd Division
CA Suffolk firing at 32nd Division
Seagull V acting as spotter for CA Shropshire
CA Shropshire firing at 14th Division
CL Caradoc firing at 14th Division
CL Newcastle firing at Rangoon
CL Kenya firing at 14th Division
DD Rotherham firing at 32nd Division
DD Relentless firing at 14th Division

This saves me from sending the 4Es on more Air Base raids and instead allows me to use them for Ground Attacks.

And sure enough, the 4Es did fly a fairly successful mission against the Troops at Rangoon, causing plenty of casualties.

Allied planes also hit the Japanese Troops at Lashio and to the east of Mandalay.

And in Northern Oz 4Es hammered the Japanese troops at Wyndham again.

[ADB123]

October 21, 1943 -

The Night Phase saw an Allied Fast Transport TF drop off a small Allied Commando unit on the dot base Utupua south east of Ndeni. I like to keep the route to an invasion clear of enemy bases, and this also acts as a trigger to possible traps. As it was, the landing went off without a hitch.

Daylight brought Allied 2Es and Brit 4Es out over the Japanese troops to the east of Mandalay again. The results weren't spectacular, but every bit counts. Other Allied 2Es attacked Japanese Troops in Lashio but couldn't find the target.

The 4Es in Burma hit the Japanese troops at Rangoon again with no opposition. My opponent has around 300 Fighters in or near Bangkok, but they aren't venturing forward and my Bombers are also staying close to base.

USAAF 4Es also hit the Japanese troops at Wyndham again. I now have Troops marching in the region so when they finally get to Wyndham there shouldn't be much opposition left. Mitchells also attempted to bomb the remaining Japanese troops at Ndeni but couldn't find the target.

An oddity occurred in the south-central Pacific as a USN Naval Bombardment TF left from Tabiteua to Bombard Tarawa, but arrived late in the day and did the bombardment in daylight. Fortunately I had P-38s on LR CAP over the Bombardment TF so no Japanese LBA ventured in to try to attack the USN ships. There aren't many Japanese Troops on Tarawa so it shouldn't be hard to capture once I go after it. But for the meanwhile I am busy building up nearby bases in order to discourage my opponent from trying too hard to interfere with an invasion.

And in another oddity, Japanese subs started to show up at Rangoon. I don't know if they are laying mines, hoping to intercept future RN Naval Bombardments, bringing in supplies, or just refuelling since I dropped tons of mines at Port Blair.