I just sent him Turn 2. What a headache.
China
In the north, I'm reinforcing the "line" at Loyang. The random troops in the plain are split between those who can make it back to the line and those who will converge on the dotbase to the east where they will make a last stand. In central China, the plan is to hold the forest hexes outside of Changsha for as long as possible. I don't want to make the same mistake in this game that I made in my game against TexasD where I allowed him to flank south of Changsha. I think I have enough troops headed to Ichang to take it without problems, and I've ordered a few units to try to cut off his retreat if possible. In southern China, almost everyone is being evacuated WNW toward the railway. I may leave a few units behind to cause problems on the coast.
Burma
I have a lot of troops coming here by sea, so I left a lot of the garrisons in place to protect against paratroopers. I will attempt a stiff resistance here in the hopes of using the monsoon seas to slow any advance. I may even try to make him fight for Moulmein if I can get enough troops ashore in time. Unrestricted Indian troops might also join the fray.
India
I sent almost all the ENGs to Karachi where they will combine forces and move along the coast building up each port. I'm paying special attention to the Bombay area. I will, of course, build up the Chittagong Defense Line as well. Colombo will serve as the supply connection with Cape Town, and Karachi will be the main fuel intake. Trincomalee will serve as the Admiralty's Eastern Command. The various island bases, including Port Blair, will receive reinforcements as soon as they come available.
DEI
All of southern Sumatra is rushing to Palembang, though they won't amount to much. I don't plan on any major defense here, though I will try to sneak out a load of fuel. In Borneo, the only thing I did was order the nearby troops to assemble in Singkawang for the welcome party. In Java, there is a general southeastern movement toward Soerabaja and nearby bases. The idea is to airlift these units to Timor via an intermediary base. That may be a bit ambitious, but even if I can't do it, my forces will be concentrated on the south end of the island. As for Timor, I have started airlifting out of SE Borneo, Ternate, and NW New Guinea. Koepang will be the main focus, but obviously Dili and the other bases will need strong garrisons. I will have to save up for a few days before I can even think about buying Australian or Dutch CDs.
Australia
In general, I am sacrificing defenses around Melbourne and Sydney to fortify the Perth area a bit better. Most of the US troops will be moved to those areas when they arrive anyway. Engineers will soon begin work on the Alice Springs airbase as well as the NE coastal airbases. Supplies are already en route to Horn Island and Port Moresby. Cruisers are headed for the party at Rabaul, and I have begun airlifting units out of that port.
Pacific
His oilers are almost directly north of the French Frigate Shoals. This seems pretty far east. In addition, there is some sort of fleet NW of Midway. Mouseover says that it contains transports. My suspicion is that he plans to make an early landing in Midway, or perhaps Adak. There isn't much I can do about it if that is the case. There is the
possibility that Enterprise might be able to make a suicide run at his oilers, but that will depend on what we see next turn. Christmas Island is building up its airfield and will serve as a stop in the 4EB train to Australia. Troops bound for Adak Island will begin loading in the next day or so. Kodiak will be almost undefended for a week or so.
West Coast
Prince Rupert will service NOPAC. Seattle will service Hawaii. Los Angeles and the Bay area will be almost exclusively for repair work. San Diego is obviously the fleet headquarters. Saratoga and Lexington are already bound for Balboa thence to Cape Town, as are a myriad of transports and tankers. Troops bound for Australia are on trains for the East Coast. Most of the V Bomber Command is already headed for CT.
Miscellany
- The most damaged ship at Pearl is the BB Nevada which will require 10 months for repair. I believe the next longest repair time is 100 days. It almost isn't worth it to move the BBs to the WC for repair. As slow as they are, by the time they get there they could already be ready for sea again!
- The Enterprise is in a real bind. She is headed for Wake to get those Marines, but there are two other options available: 1) to make a suicide run to the NE to hit his oilers and 2) swing a little wider to the north to bomb what I suspect is a Midway invasion fleet. In either case, the KB will be on her before the week ends. Even just going to Wake poses a problem. I've never taken a carrier very close to Truk, but I'd thought about running her down that way to Australia and around into the IO.
- Any suggestions as to the most efficient way to fortify Timor?
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