Pathos in the Pacific - Yubari`s Humiliation

[yubari]

Welcome one, welcome all to a Japanese perspective AAR. It is a counterpoint to the Burns vs. Yubari AAR being run by Jim D Burns. We`re playing with CHS 158, which has a Soviet Navy, greatly reduced sea transport capacity, much smaller amounts of juicy oil and resources everywhere, less bloody air combat and massively increased flak. We`re trying to play according to historical limitations as much as possible.
Im an Englishman living and working in Tokyo, so of course, I have to play as Japan in game.

Lets take a look at what has happened so far.

I did a mostly historical opening, but moved some of the starting units, and changed the composition of the Pearl Harbour strike. The American battleline was devastated, Nevada suffered one magazine explosion, and Oklahoma suffering from two! Both were sunk on the first day.

As agreed in house rules, Force Z came up to play in Malaysia. It fought a massive battle against Japanese fast battleships there. For the loss of Mogami, the whole of force Z was sunk. The American battleships left Pearl for the West Coast on the 20th December. BB California was torpedoed 5 times by my subs and sunk shortly after. Arizona and West Virginia each took two torpedoes but made it to port.

The siege of Singapore started on 29th January, and that of Manila 25th Jan. Port Moresby fell on 5th February, Darwin on 27th February, and Cooktown in Northern Australia on 29th March. The first carrier battle happened on the 26th-27th March. Yorktown was crippled by numerous bomb hits on the 26th, and sunk on the 27th along with CA Minneapolis. On the 27th, Saratoga was hit by 2 bombs, but these seem to have done little damage. It subsequently withdrew to Townsville, and then presumably to Sydney. The KB is now near Port Moresby, and almost out of fuel. Both battles were fought at a range of 5 hexes precluding the Americans a strike, a tremendous piece of luck on my part.

Two divisions have been landed at Cooktown, 2 at Darwin, and the South Seas Detachment is currently at Noumea, although it is very low on supply. Singapore finally fell on the 5th of April, after the flak there chewed up around 500 of my bombers. Manila is thought to be out of supply and should fall in the next week or so. More pictures, and not many more combat report.txt files to come.

Here are the main surface units so far sunk.

[Cathartes]

Yay!  Now we can peer into the deep, dark strategic mysteries of both sides of the fight!

500 bombers lost to flak over Singapore!!! [X(]  What altitude were you bombing at?  This seems like wild overkill.

[yubari]

Ahoy there Cathartes!

I estimate 500 bombers were lost to both flak and ops losses. Flak is an absolute killer in this mod, divebombers are almost completely useless due to the murderous flak. Jim played the defense of Malaya almost perfectly, I only forced a couple of his brigades to retreat. I was going in at 12000 feet, but this proved just too costly so I started going in at 15000 and 18000 feet. Incidentally, when Singapore did fall, there were no resources, repair yards or heavy industry. Probably collateral damage from all my broken bombers[:D]

Lets take a look at the situation in Northern Australia. Its here, and in Noumea that my main efforts will be through April and May.In addition to the four divisions already in Australia, I should be able to bring a further three divisions from the Singapore Campaign, one more from the Java campaign, and two more divisions and a large brigade from the Phillipines. Its a powerful force, but how should I best deploy it?

[yubari]

A quiet turn. Bombing continued over Manila. The allied forces there have 893 assault points, and this figure is falling by about 15 points every day. A deliberate attack will go in in two days time.
In Java, the Dutch have retreated back to Soerabaja. Troops will be brought in from Singapore to assist in the final assault scheduled for the middle of April.
There is a sighting of two large fleets on the map edge to the west of Java. They are heading from India to Australia at high speed. Two or three days ago, US carriers were also sighted here, presumably the Enterprise and Lexington. With the Yorktown sunk and the Saratoga damaged, the Americans have just three carriers at the moment (Wasp, Enterprise and Lexington) and I would fancy the KB to beat such a force. Sub I-16 sinks an MSW on ASW at Noumea. Jim is bringing in lots of troops here, this looks like being the definitive battle of the early war.

Here`s a screenshot of the Japanese industrial base. Supply and fuel are both at a very healthy level, and are increasing steadily.

[yubari]

We`ve been moving on at high speed. The past three days have seen major dogfights over Rangoon. In the first battle, 30 enemy Hurricanes were shot down, and eight destroyed on the ground for the loss of 13 Japanese fighters, 9 of those Oscars and 4 Zeroes.
Todays battle saw 140 Japanese fighters go up against 24 Hurricanes. The enemy airforce was completely wiped from the skies for the loss of 3 Oscars. Aditionally, 7 more Hurricanes were destroyed on the ground. At the moment this is a battle that Japan, with pilots of average over 80 experience are winning. I expect to see the AVG back over Rangoon tomorrow.
Im particularly pleased with the performance of the Oscars in CHS mod; when flown by experienced by pilots, they can get the better of the Allied fighters of mid-1942

In Java, the 70000 strong Japanese forces have been held up for three days by a blocking unit of 94 men. [:@]

Ground combat at Madioen
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 13175 troops, 71 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 926
Defending force 94 troops, 3 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 3
Japanese max assault: 104 - adjusted assault: 163
Allied max defense: 2 - adjusted defense: 1
Japanese assault odds: 163 to 1

Meanwhile, in the Australia and Noumea theatre, things are looking less rosy. Most of the enemies heavy bombers are based at or near Townsville. One raid saw over 100 bombers, with an escort of 30 fighters. In this raid, 16 Zeroes were destroyed on the ground, although all of the pilots survived. More bases forces and engineers are about a week away from Cairns, which is now a level 4 airfield.

At Noumea, the critically low on supply South Seas Brigade is being pursued by newly arrived allied troops. An enemy attack would likely finish off my men. More troops are being brought in; a convoy from Rabaul is 5 days away, and a division from Singapore is being rushed in at full speed. It is about 2 weeks away. Many more troops are being brought in from Tokyo, but these will likely take the best part of a month to arrive. Noumea has become to us what Guadalcanal was to the real Japanese.

[yubari]

Manila;

After a deliberate attack on the 11th April getting a 1 to 1 result and causing the enemy heavy casualties, the Japanese try a shock attack on the 12th, a big mistake;

Ground combat at Manila
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 123665 troops, 547 guns, 182 vehicles, Assault Value = 1878
Defending force 36176 troops, 13 guns, 180 vehicles, Assault Value = 777
Japanese max assault: 2636 - adjusted assault: 1276
Allied max defense: 569 - adjusted defense: 1021
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 0)
Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 0

Japanese ground losses:
6818 casualties reported
Guns lost 11
Vehicles lost 6

Allied ground losses:
967 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
Vehicles lost 5

This will give the allies a minimum of two weeks respite, and will probably ensure the Phillipines survival until early May. After this result, I have to conclude that Im just not very good at ground combat.

In the north eastern Australia theatre, heavy destruction of Zero airframes led to the withdrawal of our fighters back to Port Moresby. The allies then embark upon a bombing campaign against Cairns. Even at this early stage of the war, large concentrations of enemy bombers are making it very difficult to fight. More anti-aircraft guns, troops and base forces are being brought in, but these will take time, time that the allies will use to pulverise my runways in Australia.

My Carriers are spotted by Catalinas operating from Noumea. With Jims carriers by now presumably based at Sydney, we could be having a second carrier battle very soon, a worrying proposition. Is the capture of Noumea worth the risk of the KB? Im beginning to think that it isnt.

[yubari]

The allies are continuing their bombing campaign at Cairns. We have no base forces there, and precious few spare Zero fighters, so for the moment it is a wasted effort. The allies have a large number of Hudsons at Townsville, so we have a large cruiser force approaching the airfield. It is going to move to within 5 hexes of the base, hopefully be spotted, and then quickly retreat back to Port Moresby. The purpose being to try to get the location of the allied carriers identified. Of course, it is always possible that Jim has double bluffed me, and that his carriers are already waiting around in the location, and he is using the Hudsons based at Townsville to lure me in..........

On Noumea, we have identified the Americal Division, it has started to bombard our beleaguered South Seas Detachment. We have a small landing force, and a base force to land on the north of the island in two days time, but by then I fear it could already be too late, and the South Seas Detachment could be toast. I have more empty APs coming up to lift the troops in case of disaster. We now have the added difficulties that there are base forces at Noumea, and a size four airfield. We could be facing large numbers of enemy LBA plus as many as four American CVs, if we include the damaged Saratoga.

We`re planning for a major attack in China, more details to follow.

[yubari]

Another violent day in the environs of Noumea.

The KB is escorting a transport fleet containing a base force and SNLF unit to Koumac (sp?), and is 2 hexes to the east.
Overnight, SS S-45 launches a torpedo at the CV Soryu, which fortunately fails to explode. The KB is now 5 hexes away from Noumea. In the morning, 42 Hudson bombers come in in two waves. 29 of them are shot down, and two retreat but 11 get through. None of them even aim at the Japanese carriers and they all miss.

The Japanese then launch a huge strike against an allied transport fleet in Noumea harbour. 53 Zeroes escorting 100 Kates and 66 Vals go in scoring 79 bomb hits. There is no CAP over Noumea. The Only ships confirmed sunk are DD Crosby, AP Mormachawk and AS American, but more are sure to follow. On land, the Americans launch an attack against the South Seas Detachment, and capture the dot base at La Foa.

With this show of allied strength, the invasion of New Caledonia is to be abandoned. While I think that I probably could win the battle and take Noumea if all Japanese effort were put into it, this would be exactly what the allied player would want, as ti would be a war of attrition far from friendly bases. The risk of running the KB, Japans major weapon into the ground, and losing one or more CVs is just too great.

For tomorrow, I expect the allied carriers to move to within 4 hexes of Koumac, to attack the transports that he expects will be landing, so the KB will move one further hex away, in hope of again catching the allied carriers at a range of 5 hexes.

[yubari]

The KB continues to attack shipping at Noumea. The weather stays clear all day so attacks are possible in the morning and the afternoon.

Morning strikes.

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 1
B5N2 Kate x 38
E13A1 Jake x 3

Allied aircraft
P-400 Airacobra x 3
P-39D Airacobra x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 2 destroyed, 7 damaged

Allied Ships
DD Dent
AK Boreas
AK Coldbrook
AK Kailua
AK Exceller, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
AK Liberty Glo, Torpedo hits 1
AK Kohala
AK Yukon

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 46
D3A2 Val x 84
B5N2 Kate x 87

Allied aircraft
P-400 Airacobra x 3
P-39D Airacobra x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 4 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-400 Airacobra: 2 destroyed
P-39D Airacobra: 3 destroyed

Allied Ships
TK Richmond, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
AK West Shipper, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
AK Prusa, Bomb hits 1
AK Harry Luckenbach
DD Kilty, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Challenger, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DMS Boggs, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Empire Rainbow, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Autolycus, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Mobile City, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Willimoto, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
TK Larry Doheny, Bomb hits 6, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Empire Selwyn, Bomb hits 7, on fire, heavy damage
AK Missourian, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Explorer, Bomb hits 1, on fire

This strike made me laugh.[:D]

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 1
B5N2 Kate x 1

Allied aircraft
P-400 Airacobra x 1
P-39D Airacobra x 2

No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
AK Mormacgull

Afternoon strikes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 1
D3A2 Val x 17

Allied aircraft
P-400 Airacobra x 1

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A2 Val: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
MSW Kingfisher, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
MSW Pelican, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
MSW Robin, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 30
D3A2 Val x 13

Allied aircraft
P-400 Airacobra x 1

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
P-400 Airacobra: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
AK American Press, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
AK Nevadan, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
AK Empire Ortolan, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 5
D3A2 Val x 43
B5N2 Kate x 84

Allied aircraft
P-400 Airacobra x 1

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A2 Val: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
AK Sagadahoc, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
AK Mormacland, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Californian, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DD Dent, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Empire Heath, Bomb hits 6, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Boreas, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Puerto Rican, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
AK Kailua, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
AK Exceller, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Liberty Glo, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Yukon, Bomb hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
AK Kohala
AK Port Montreal, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Dakotan, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Coldbrook, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

As can be seen below, there are huge amounts of crippled shipping at Noumea harbour. However, due to lack of fuel, the Japanese cruisers wont be able to get into the harbour, attack, and then flee out of range of the American bombers in one day. Continuous lack of fuel problems have been the cause of the Japanese strategic defeat in Noumea. Two weeks ago, my carriers were unable to stop the Americal division being transported in, and now we are unable to finish off the cripples in Noumea harbour. We shall head back to Rabaul for more Avgas and ship fuel, and then maybe come down to Noumea one final time.

[yubari]

Office Christmas parties have kept me busy over the weekend. It`s strange how free beer always gets you drunker than beer you have paid for......

Weve had a quiet week or so. The allies have continued to bomb Cooktown and Cairns and have kept the two airfields inoperational. We have continued to bomb Manila and Soerabaja, and the enemy assault values are continuing to decrease. Indeed, as can be seen, Soerabaja is probably only going to hang out for another 4 or 5 days, it currently has fort level 3.

Ground combat at Soerabaja
Japanese Bombardment attack
Attacking force 4866 troops, 62 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1464
Defending force 38893 troops, 134 guns, 8 vehicles, Assault Value = 493

Allied ground losses:
191 casualties reported
Guns lost 8

In the Noumea theatre, our Carrier force, comprising every flight deck in the IJN, save the damaged Zuikaku and hosting 480 planes closes on Noumea for what could be round three of the Great Eastern Australian Battle. It is escorting an empty transport fleet, which is scheduled to pick up the South Seas Detachment. We are currently three days from Noumea and remain, I think, undetected. Should we be detected tomorrow, then we will be 2 days away, and crucially Sydney, the probable location of the American carriers will be three days sailing away. This should give us the opportunity to bombard Noumea first, and hence not risk a battle against LBA and the American fleet simultaneously.
Anything could happen in the next five days.

The land war in China has been stagnant for the past two months or so, but I have an attack ready. The question remains whether my esteemed opponent has noticed the buildup. The target is of course Changsha, and many of the units are 100 percent prepped for there.

[yubari]

The war continues.

A deliberate attack at Soerabaja takes the forts level down to 2, and causes the Dutch defenders heavy casualties. A 2 to 1 attack ratio is achieved, and the town should fall within the next couple of days. 100 bombers fly airfield attack missions during the day to ensure that the forts are not increased.

At Noumea, 23 B-25s come in and attack the empty transport fleet. Only 3 are shot down, but 16 are damaged. 1 bomb hit is scored against a transport. Hopefully, the enemy CVs are still in dock at Sydney, and hence three days from the battle scene, which should allow us to heavily damage the Noumea airfield. The damaged transport, and the lack of casualties in the combat report should give away my evacuation plan to Jim.

Additional troops are landed at Thursday Island, and a deliberate attack is set for today. We have 140 AV compared to the enemies 23, so the island should fall within two days, and secure the route from Port Moresby to Cooktown. 4 ships, DDs Sanae and Arashi, and APs Heiyo Maru and Taizan Maru are damaged by the surprisingly effective enemy coastal defences. None of these ships are in danger of sinking.

A major SNAFU in the Chinese theatre, as we order large scale bombing attacks east of Changsha, but the main force of the army is only travelling at 7 or 15 miles an hour. This will almost certainly have given away our intentions to the enemy and give the Chinese ample time to react, and has lessened the chance of a decisive breakthrough in the Changsha area.

[yubari]

I was very nervous as I opened up this turn, the powerful but flimsy Kido Butai, already spotted, was on its most dangerous mission so far heading towards a level 4 enemy airbase packed full of planes.

At Noumea, Allied medium bombers come in repeatedly throughout the day. They suffer very heavily at the hands of the large Zero CAP. Here is a typical battle.

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 136

Allied aircraft
A-20B Boston x 3
B-25C Mitchell x 10
A-29 Hudson x 17

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 23 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
A-20B Boston: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged
B-25C Mitchell: 4 destroyed, 2 damaged
A-29 Hudson: 8 destroyed, 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Yamashiro
BB Nagato
CA Atago

Repeated such attacks come in throughout the day. In the afternoon, Kates make a high altitude, to avoid flak, run against Noumea port and airfield.

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 55
B5N2 Kate x 160

Allied aircraft
P-400 Airacobra x 5
P-39D Airacobra x 13

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 2 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 4 destroyed, 16 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-400 Airacobra: 3 destroyed
P-39D Airacobra: 13 destroyed
A-20B Boston: 1 destroyed
B-25C Mitchell: 3 destroyed
A-24 Dauntless: 1 destroyed
A-29 Hudson: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
AK Kwangtung, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Mormacland, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Exmoor, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
TK Montebello, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
TK Larry Doheny, Bomb hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
AK Coldbrook, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Georgian, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Puerto Rican, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Empire Selwyn, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Kansan, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage


Allied ground losses:
431 casualties reported
Guns lost 5
Vehicles lost 5

Airbase hits 15
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 40
Port hits 4
Port supply hits 1

The AKs Mormacland, Georgian, Coldbrook and TK Larry Doheny all sink. During todays action the allies lose close to 100 planes, the Japanese lose 6 Zeroes and 4 Kates. Not a single bomb hit is scored against the Japanese fleet.

There was more good news as a deliberate attack at Manila leads to a surprising result, certainly when compared to the shock attack of the 11th April.

Ground combat at Manila
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 126212 troops, 611 guns, 187 vehicles, Assault Value = 2001
Defending force 33108 troops, 11 guns, 161 vehicles, Assault Value = 751
Japanese max assault: 1918 - adjusted assault: 1202
Allied max defense: 627 - adjusted defense: 229
Japanese assault odds: 5 to 1 (fort level 0)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Manila base !!!

Japanese ground losses:
5743 casualties reported
Guns lost 61
Vehicles lost 16

Allied ground losses:
74021 casualties reported
Guns lost 11
Vehicles lost 105

A deliberate attack at Soerabaja leads to a similar result.

Ground combat at Soerabaja
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 82194 troops, 271 guns, 162 vehicles, Assault Value = 1417
Defending force 35783 troops, 73 guns, 9 vehicles, Assault Value = 384
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1
Japanese max assault: 1084 - adjusted assault: 882
Allied max defense: 337 - adjusted defense: 241
Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 1)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Soerabaja base !!!

Allied aircraft losses
C.XI-W: 2 destroyed

Japanese ground losses:
1754 casualties reported
Guns lost 13
Vehicles lost 4

Allied ground losses:
67587 casualties reported
Guns lost 53
Vehicles lost 3

So Japan now stands at a crossroads. I have four divisions at Manila, and three at Soerabaja, plus a division at Port Moresby that are free.
As I see it, I have four major options;

1. A landing at Geraldton or Perth on the West Coast of Australia.
Pros- Relatively close to the current locations of my free troops. Will cut the Royal Navy off in India. Likely to be few Australian troops there - they may have been transferred to the North or North Eastern Theatres.
Cons - A long way from friendly bases. US and Royal navy can combine there. Main enemy airbase at Perth. No land based aircover.

2. Pour more troops into the Cooktown and Cairns area.
Pros - Have already established a strong bridgehead there. Can be protected by KB. Close to friendly airbases. Reaching Townsville would put the next Australian base (Rockhampton) hundreds of miles away.
Cons - Enemy has a large and increasing number of heavy bombers there which can close my airfields. Likely to be a large number of Australians in theatre. Reaching Townsville would put the next target (Rockhampton) hundreds of miles away). A large allied offensive push in the Solomons would risk cutting off supplies.

3. Sri Lanka
Pros - Would likely catch enemy completely off guard, and unprepared. Would bottle the Royal Navy up at Karachi.
Cons - a very long distance away. It is already late April 1942, and attacking without land based aircover at this stage would be very risky.

4. Nothing, save the occasional bit of commerce raiding.
Pros - Little risk to myself.
Cons - Will mean the game is very boring for the next 18 or 20 months.

[okami]

I would suggest landing Manila divisions at Canton to help the deadlock in the Changsha area. It is almost 43 time to dig in in the Pacific.

[yubari]

OK, Im back in England for a Christmas holiday at the parents, and looking forward for a few days of WitP fun. I get to the computer, switch it on, get to the main desktop, only to find that my beloved parents have uninstalled WitP.[:@] 
We'll be taking a two weeks christmas break due to unforseen circumstances.
We have done a couple of turns since my last update. Roughly 30 planes taking off from Noumea were impaled on the CAP of the Kido Butai. The American CVs never showed up at all, and the South Seas Detachment was successully lifted from New Caledonia for no loss. A successful operation all in all.

Canton is an urban hex, so any landing there would likely be impractical, see the battle at Manila to see what the urban multiplier can do. However, a landing at Pakhoi (it contains only one unit) or less adventurously Hanoi, even if only for a short time would indeed force Jim to react by withdrawing units from the Changsha area. An excellent idea.
With it approaching mid-1942, a move to the stragegic defensive is probably in order.

[okami]

I did not know you had lost Canton. Do you still have Hong Kong? China is a slow grind but you can make it to the Chang Sha area and then dig in until 46.

[yubari]

I still hold Canton, and I also have Hong Kong. Jim has around 4 divisions at Canton, and even though I own the base, he still has the benefit of the 4X urban defensive multiplier bonus if I try to attack him. Him holding the base means that he has secured the whole of Southern China. I'll include a screenshot of the area when I can get back into the game.
Now a landing at Pakhoi would threaten the surrounding of his troops at Canton, and may force him to retreat from the hex. Its something I shall think about. That said, going for Australia would be fun, and maybe would get the Royal Navy out to fight, and of course their carriers dont respawn.

[yubari]

Trips to England for Christmas, to Osaka for work, and the fact that the girlfriend has moved in with me have slowed down the pace, but the war continues.
 
We have started our major offensive in China, and results have been rather dissapointing.
 
Ground combat at 47,36
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 175782 troops, 752 guns, 82 vehicles, Assault Value = 3734
Defending force 82839 troops, 303 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 2306
Japanese max assault: 2987 - adjusted assault: 1271
Allied max defense: 2113 - adjusted defense: 1947 
Japanese assault odds: 0 to 1 
 
Japanese ground losses:
3930 casualties reported
Guns lost 38
Vehicles lost 3
 
Allied ground losses:
1356 casualties reported
Guns lost 23
 
There seems to be no way through this hex. We will continue to bombard, and maybe try another deliberate attack in a week or so, but I am not hopeful of progress.
 
In the past week, the South Seas Detachment has moved back out of harms way; it should be landing at Rabaul in a couple of days. Our next moves will be to bring more base forces and AA to Cooktown and Cairns. We need those bases to be operational to have any hope of setting up a strong defensive perimeter in northern Australia. At the moment, the allies increasing numbers of heavy bombers can keep both bases shut.
 
Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk I x 13
B-17E Fortress x 34
LB-30 Liberator x 6
F-4 Lightning x 4
 
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-46-II Dinah: 1 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 2 damaged
 
Japanese ground losses:
82 casualties reported
Guns lost 2
 
Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 28
 
If we can get the bases operational, then most of the troops from the Manila siege will be taken to Northern Australia.
A large force of what were identified as CAs have been spotted at Noumea. I suspect that they are the American carriers, possibly the Saratoga heading to the West Coast for repairs.
 
 
PS. Does anyone have any advice for how to introduce the game to the missus? I fear she would leave should she discover how much time I spend on it. 

[Cathartes]

PS. Does anyone have any advice for how to introduce the game to the missus? I fear she would leave should she discover how much time I spend on it. 

1. Have children together.  All the time she spends with them one-on-one is time you can spend with WITP. [:'(]

-or-

2.  Get her hooked on the game. [8|]

Sorry, it's a life challenge and there are no REAL solutions.  Good luck!

[yubari]

The AVG appeared for the first time in 3 months yesterday to surprise one of my regular bombing runs against hex (47, 36), the site of the main battle in China. Anns are such flimsy and delicate little planes.
 
Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 7
Ki-30 Ann x 32
Ki-51 Sonia x 26
 
Allied aircraft
P-40B Tomahawk x 32
 
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged
Ki-30 Ann: 7 destroyed, 2 damaged
Ki-51 Sonia: 3 destroyed, 11 damaged
 
Its the first air victory of the war for the AVG. Early in the war, they fought at Rangoon, and got crushed by the elite Zero groups.
 
The allies continue their training runs against Daly Waters, and theres nothing we can do about it, since we dont have any base forces there. More will be dispatched post haste.
 
Day Air attack on Daly Waters , at 35,90
Allied aircraft
Hudson I x 55
 
The enemy continue to attack Cooktown airfield.
 
Day Air attack on Cooktown , at 48,100
Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk I x 13
B-17E Fortress x 30
LB-30 Liberator x 6
F-4 Lightning x 3
 
Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 2 damaged
 
Japanese ground losses:
57 casualties reported
Runway hits 12
Port supply hits 1
 
Tomorrow, we should have carrier Zeroes flying LRCAP over Cooktown. Hopefully the ops losses wont be too high. Ive lost more than twice as many Zeroes due to ops losses as all other causes put together so far. A crippling loss.
A large convoy containing two large AA units and two large Base forces should arrive in Cairns on the 8th May. The KB will be there to cover it. Lets see if we can establish Cairns as a major base at that time.

[yubari]

We`ve moved on 5 days since the last update.

In China, our attack against wooded hex (47, 36) has come to a complete halt, and around half of the troops are withdrawing. The other half will remain in situ as a blocking force. Our attack against 47, 36 has led to the Chinese moving a force into Nanchang. We still have three division there, so there should be no problems at the moment, but some of the troops from 47,36 will continue to Nanchang.
In summary, China is a total miasma, as it was in reality to Japan.

Our LRCAP of Cooktown has achieved good results. For the loss of just one Zero fighter, we have shot down around 20 Kittyhawk 1s, and a few B-25s and B-26s. A fully refuelled KB should be arriving and will be providing support for the large AA and base force convoy. It will be arriving on May 9th, the one day delay allowing the KB to get into position. If a CAP of 60 or so Zeroes could ambush one of the allied bombing runs, then we could get a lot of allied planes.

One potential risk is that the manouevre may be predictable, and we might see the USN show up. A carrier battle with my Zeroes on LRCAP would not be pretty, so lets hope my convoy isnt spotted tomorrow.

Here are the Japanese carriers. Zuikaku is undergoing repairs at Okayama after being hit by two bombs north of Java some time in February. Shokaku is heading to Japan for some refurbishment, and in preperation for July upgrades. Junyo was finished last week, and is heading to Truk. Zuiho, Taiyo and Hosho have been operating near Cooktown. All of the others are heading towards Cooktown. It can be seen that our fleet carriers are somewhat damaged, due to the amount of highspeed moving they have done over the past few months. We shall look to repair them in the next few months.