The War I Adore: HMS Resolution vs. AI

[HMS Resolution]

What a fool I am! In between working on my graduate school application, dating a charming ornithologically-inclined redhead, my miserable job, and taking care of my hedgehog, I've decided to get a second job: playing AE.

I intend to write a little AAR, one of a score or so, I'm certain, chronicling the efforts of my fearless army of electrons as they do battle with the evil forces of the Empire of Japan.

Now, a few notes: I'm turning historical start off, and I'm taking the liberty of holding Repulse and Prince of Wales back from their virtually certain annihilation at the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force...at least on December 7. I'm sure I'll manage to lose them on my own schedule without any help from overzealous scenario designers.

Now then, without further ado, let us shift our gaze to Singapore. The local time is 1630 on December 7, 1941. In nine hours and eighteen minutes, the first Japanese planes will appear over Pearl Harbor.

EASTERN FLEET CONFERENCE 7/12/41
Present:
Acting Admiral T S V Phillips, C in C Eastern Fleet, once bit a dude who looked at him funny.
Rear Admiral A F E Palliser, COS Eastern Fleet
Captain J C Leach, officer commanding HMS Prince of Wales
Captain William Tennant, officer commanding HMS Repulse, former beachmaster at Dunkirk, widely regarded as one of the most able officers in the Royal Navy by his peers.

C-IN-C EF: [angrily tears a telegram flimsy to shreds] Did you see this? It's rubbish!

COS EF: [awkwardly clears throat] Ah, actually sir, nobody else saw it. It was marked "Personal, Most Secret".

C-IN-C EF: ...Ah. I see. [glowers pugnaciously for a time] Well, anyway, it's from Pound and that bloody busybody of a Prime Minister. We're not to sail north looking for the Japs, we're to head south, and "vanish into the maze of islands", whatever that means. A lot of bloody nonsense!

CO REPULSE: That might make sense, sir. We do know the Japanese have bases in Indochina.

C-IN-C EF: [angrily chewing on the scraps of the flimsy] Makes sense? It's insane! Do you know how many radars the Flagship has? It has...Leach! Tell him how many radars you have.

CO POW: Eleven, sir. Type 281 air warning, Type 284 for gunnery, four Type 285 for HA, four Type 282 for LA, and Type 273 for surface search.

C-IN-C EF: [triumphantly] That's a lot of bloody radars! Case closed.

CO REPULSE: Respectfully, sir, the climate has been giving us a devil of a time with anomalous propagation. Also, neither of the heavy ships are currently fitted for tropical operations, and temperatures belowdecks are exceeding 130 degrees.

C-IN-C EF: Declare it a casual day, then! The men love those. Case closed.

CO REPULSE: Indulge my curiousity for a moment, sir. Exactly how much prior war experience did you say you had?

C-IN-C EF: [proudly] I've been at the Admiralty since '39. Mostly writing nasty letters to Cunningham and Somerville. Got to keep those bastards in line!

CO REPULSE: ...I see.

[HMS Resolution]

[PFC Albert Jackson, late of Boulder, CO and now fresh out of boot camp, is being briefed on the most prestigious assignment of his brief military career to date.]
 
SGT Harris: ...now then private, seeing as you've managed to go an entire week without accidentally bayoneting yourself, I think it's time we gave you some real responsibility.
 
PFC Jackson: [swells visibly with pride.]
 
SGT Harris: See all these pursuit planes here? We got 'em lined up so that the Japs can't sabo...sabo...so that they can't mess with 'em.
 
PFC Jackson: Is that likely, Sergeant?
 
SGT Harris: Is that likely? Is that likely? My god Private, you're living proof the Army sure isn't what it used to be. Of course it's likely! Do you see all those ships the navy jerks have here? [waves his hand vaguely in the direction of the harbor] No way on earth the nips'll come on out here. But they're sneaky! So they might try and wreck the planes on the ground.
 
PFC Jackson: [doggedly] What if they had some sort of way to sneak a fleet all the way here so they could bomb us in our own backyard?
 
SGT Harris: Welllllll, a real idea man, aincha? Private, do me a favor and shut up and keep an eye on these P-40s. [stalks off]
 
PFC Jackson: [glowers at a loitering Hawaiian child.] I've got my eye on you, you son-of-a-bitch.
 
 

[HMS Resolution]

Smoke pours from the ruins of Wheeler Field. Wrecked B-18 parts are scattered across the length and breadth of the island. The eight battleships of the US Pacific Fleet lie crippled at anchor.

PFC Albert Jackson emerges from the rubble, soot-stained and triumphant. He extends a clenched fist to the sky.

"I CALLED IT!"

[HMS Resolution]

Present:
General Alan Brooke, CIGS
Admiral Dudley Pound, 1SL
Air Marshall Charles Portal, CAS
Winston Churchill, PM

SITUATION REPORT

PEARL HARBOR
Despite lingering for three days off of Pearl Harbour, the Japanese proved unable to sink a single American battleship at anchor, proving once again the viability of the capital ship, even in the age of the aeroplane. The aviation depot ship USS Hulbert, cargo ship USS Antares, and the small coastal minesweepers Condor and Crossbill were sunk on the 8th by Japanese aeroplanes. However, on the 9th, American MTBs made a daring nighttime sortie and attacked a group of Japanese oilers and destroyers, torpedoing Ken'yo Maru twice and setting two other oilers on fire while losing only a single MTB, PT-22. The Japanese withdrew during the day of the 9th, launching further strikes on Pearl Harbor. Their total casualties are estimated as 29 Navy 99 torpedo planes, 18 Navy 97 dive bombers, and 1 Navy 0 fighter.

WAKE ISLAND
On 9 December, the USS Lexington launched two air strikes against a Japanese invasion force off-shore, sinking the armed merchant cruisers Kinryu Maru and Kongo Maru, heavily damaging the old destroyer Kisaragi, and hitting the cruiser Tatsuta with a single bomb. The Lexington is returning to Pearl Harbor, but two of her escorting 8"-gun cruisers and destroyer support have been detached for a surface action to finish off any remaining Japanese ships. Some infantry are now ashore at Wake, but are bereft of heavy gun support as of yet.

PHILLIPINES AND HONG KONG
After heavy attack by level bombers, the local defence flotilla, consisting of HM Ships Scout, Thanet, and Thracian, proceeded towards Manilla but on 9/12/41 were diverted to the NW coast of the Phillipines to attempt an intercept of Japanese landing forces. Four American destroyers proceeded independently. Our three ships encountered a Japanese force with a light cruiser and several destroyers, and after a brief engagement wherein Scout and Thanet were lightly hit, our ships managed to damage the destroyers Samidare and Natsugumo. The latter ship's forward turret was destroyed by a direct hit as our forces withdrew. The Americans report also engaging this force, suffering engine damage to the USS Pope but causing a small internal explosion on Murasame and also hitting Natsugumo again.
On the morning of the 9th, the retiring American ships fell upon an invasion convoy, sinking the minesweeper W-18 and two patrol boats. The minesweepers W-10 and W-12 were left burning. Unfortunately the USS John D Ford and USS Pillsbury were both heavily damaged in this action.
Immediately following, our forces also made contact, and sank the minesweeper W-17, two submarine chasers, and the cargo ship Hawaii Maru. The Bunzan Maru was left heavily damaged, as were the minesweepers W-9, W-11, and W-12.
Two American submarines, the Pickerel and the Salmon, report faulty torpedoes after failed attacks on this same convoy. Regrettably, the Japanase secured a lodgement, despite our best efforts.

MALAYA AND INDIA
Efforts continue to prepare Addu Atoll for a fallback position should Admiral Richmond's worst-case estimates come true.

Prince of Wales and Repulse are now safely away from Singapore. We are contemplating how best to employ these powerful heavy units.

Kota Bharu has fallen to the Japanese. Only weak resistance has as yet been offered by our forces, but we trust the situation will stabilize.

[EUBanana]

ORIGINAL: HMS Resolution

Smoke pours from the ruins of Wheeler Field. Wrecked B-18 parts are scattered across the length and breadth of the island. The eight battleships of the US Pacific Fleet lie crippled at anchor.

PFC Albert Jackson emerges from the rubble, soot-stained and triumphant. He extends a clenched fist to the sky.

"I CALLED IT!"

[:D][:D][:D]

[HMS Resolution]

XXXX STATION HYPO DECRYPT XXXX
XXXX SECRET /  BRITISH MOST SECRET XXX
REPORT JAPANESE DD KISARAGI FOUNDERED AND SUNK PER RADIOGRAM INTERCEPT FROM CALL SIGN TSTU BELIEVED TO BE CL TATSUTA EOM

[HMS Resolution]

XXXX AIDAC SECRET XXXX
 
ZYMOTIC 13/12/41
 
PLEASED TO REPORT THAT DOORMAN FORCE ENGAGED 2 RPT 2 HEAVY CRUISERS BELIEVED TO BE NACHI AND HAGURO AND 2 RPT 2 DESTROYERS OFF N BORNEO. DUTCH FORCE JAVA DE RUYTER TROMP 6 DESTROYERS. KORTENAER LOST. NACHI HEAVILY DAMAGED BY 36 HITS 20 15CM 16 12CM UPPERWORKS RUINED BY MANY HITS AT 7000 YDS OR LESS. ONE ENEMY DESTROYER CONFIRMED SUNK.