Matrix Games Forums

7DEC41

Plans

Pacific
I'm going after Guam as a Phase I target. In this mod America has no bases in the PI - Guam is America's closest port to Imperial Japan. I thought about maintaining Pearl Harbor as the "Surprise" target but it just seemed to me that if I was Yamamoto I'd not want to leave America's primary port that close to our Imperial shores. Basically Guam chokes me in the Marianas and over by Peleliu; I just want to clear my path in this area of safe ports for the allies. Starting @ Guam is an American CVE and a BB; they seem a fair trade for what I normally nail down at PH.

PI
The PI has their own troops in this mod. They even have their own battleship sitting in port at the start of the game. I'm bombing the port and AF @ Manila and doing some light sweeping.

Hong Kong
I'm going after the AF and port at Hong Kong plus flying a few Naval Attack runs with TB that are in the area. Joe will start out with those British DD at Hong Kong and the last game he threw them at my PI invasion TFs.

Malaya
There was no *invasion of Kota Bharu so I reassigned another TF to hit that plus I have a para infantry division @ Kompong Trach that I'm dropping. I've got most of the 25th plus a few divisions from the Southern Army coming across to liberate Malaya.

Burma
I've assigned the 15th Army and the Royal Thai Army to the Burma Theatre. Troops are in movement. The only slow-down for the RTA is garrison requirements in Thailand. I'm also moving engineers and support to Chiang Mai as I'd like to use that as forward air support when I go after Rangoon.

Sumatra
The Italian Far East Army is over here. In this alternate reality the Italians are helping Aceh of have some kind of a military agreement with them. They are pushing down from the northern tip for Sibolga and Tandjoengbalia.

Other stuff:
- Sub patrols in the South China Sea, Sulu Sea, Java Sea, and Celebes Sea. Makassar Strait too. I've got subs patrolling Burma and India territories plus a few that'll run off the American and Canadian coastlines. I've also got a lot of subs around/between Hawaii and America's west coast. Eventually I'll use the subs as pickets to try and gain intel on what Joe's up too but for now I wanna kill what I can kill.

China starts off the usual mess - cleanup on isle 12. I have a rather large fleet if German combat ships and I've about two divisions of German troops in China.

Results
I bombarded Guam, mashing a lot of allied aircraft, and causing light damage to ground troops and the base AF. Before the bombardment I hit the AF and Port with KB plus air groups stationed in the Marianas and Babaldaob. My D3A1 drop[ed 7 bombs on the CVE Kitty Hawk and hit the BB New Mexico and CB Guam also. My WAG is that I might have scratched the paint on those two big-boys.

Kota Bharu landings went off well, along with the air drop. I got a 1:2 in action there from the air drop. Next turn should do the trick.

In China I cleared Pengu of that pesky Chinese unit that always starts there to block my rail lines. I got lucky in that they routed east into a wooded hex instead of jumping across the river and still sitting on my rail tracks.

That's about it. Troops moving, TFs moving, cargo loading, and factories building - oh to see the pride of Imperial Japan in action as I follow the valiant attempts in the immortal vein of "Pinky and the Brain."

With the RTA, I break down the farthest away from Burma into 3 RGTs and rail them into, 2 of them to other Thai bases and then I can deploy in start railroad movement full divisions from the nearer bases quicker towards Burma. Looking forward to seeing how this interesting mod is fought.

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

With the RTA, I break down the farthest away from Burma into 3 RGTs and rail them into, 2 of them to other Thai bases and then I can deploy in start railroad movement full divisions from the nearer bases quicker towards Burma. Looking forward to seeing how this interesting mod is fought.

Hi Bif1961,

So garrison requirements for Indochina and Thailand:

Phnom Penh - 10
Bangkok - 50
Nakhon Ratchasima - 20
Udom Thani - 10
Ubon - 10
Pisanuloke - 10

I've got a lot of JAAF engineer units scattered in Indochina/Thailand with 8AV plus the Bandasan SNLF (15AV), which is at Kompong Trach and will assist in garrison for Bangkok. I'll use two of the engineer units @ Pisanuloke, Ubon, and Pisanuloke. Udon Thani starts with a Thai BF with 10AV.

My intent is to drive as many of the RTF divisions up to Burma as fast as possible. One down side to this is that all of the Thai units start out at about 50% of their TOE... Still, I think they'll be effective for my initial drive as I throw almost all of the RTF plus the 15th Army plus another division of the Southern Army and then fill in with support troops for defense. I'll also try to gain air superiority within the region but Japan starts off pretty light with fighters that I want to pit against the allies. For medium bombers I'm planning to use the Sally as my standard until I have my production ramped up.

So I wanted to share a bit about this mod:





Above you can see the ground components of the Italian Far East (R ) Command. While most of the ground forces are in Sumatra,
they also have a component in China around the port of Shaohing.






Above is one of my strikes at Hong Kong.






Above is a port/AF strike from air groups out of Siapan, Tinian, and Babeldaob.






Here is a port attack from KB. You'll note that there are just fighters and dive bombers in this picture. The CVE Kitty Hawk, the Guam,
and the x start out in a TF @ Guam. I had my torpedo bombers on Naval attack as there was no way for me to know if Joe would make a run or drop the TF into the port.






So I also got in a bombardment attack at Guam. I siphoned off the BB and some support from the originally planned PH strike for this bombardment.






Above is a well-coordinated strike of Manila. I next to never get this type of coordination throughout the rest of the game…






Above is another well-coordinated attack, this time at Kota Bharu, Malaya.

Of course the title is a tease if Joe should see it. [;)]

8DEC41

Malaya
- @ Kota Bharu troops continued to land under invasion support actions from TF85. Few casualties were experienced under the amphibious operations. Transport aircraft continued day II of the para operations against the same target while experiencing heavy anti-aircraft fire. Heavy fighting started in earnest under the leadership of General Alichi. Under the combined forces of the Imperial Japan's 56th Infantry Rgt. and the 1st Para Assault Div., the allied defense quickly crumbled in a very one-sided battle:
Ground combat at Kota Bharu (51,75)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 6969 troops, 73 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 271

Defending force 4508 troops, 40 guns, 1 vehicles, Assault Value = 119

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 0

Japanese adjusted assault: 163

Allied adjusted defense: 5

Japanese assault odds: 32 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Kota Bharu !!!

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

Japanese ground losses:
179 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Allied ground losses:
2222 casualties reported
Squads: 69 destroyed, 16 disabled
Non Combat: 69 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 10 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 26 (26 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 3

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
56th Infantry Regiment
12th Engineer Regiment
1st Para Assault Div /1
5th JAAF AF Coy

Defending units:
FMSV Brigade
8th Indian Brigade
3rd ISF Base Force

Philippines
- In initial actions concerning the Philippines campaign, the undefended isle of Batan was captured with the airfields intact. Supportive air operations have already been established at Batan.
- Commonwealth forces did make an attempt to interfere with amphibious forces en route to the Philippines from Formosa but they were intercepted by fast SAGs deployed from Takao and Japanese air groups performing Naval Search and attack missions.
Night Time Surface Combat, near Batan Island at 85,70, Range 12,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CL Isuzu
DD Ikazuchi
DD Inazuma

Allied Ships
DD Scout
DD Thanet, Shell hits 2, on fire
DM Thracian

Improved night sighting under 85% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions and 85% moonlight: 12,000 yards
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 12,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 12,000 yards
DD Thanet engages DD Inazuma at 12,000 yards
DD Scout engages DD Inazuma at 12,000 yards
Range closes to 9,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DD Scout at 9,000 yards
DD Thanet engages DD Inazuma at 9,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DM Thracian at 9,000 yards
Range closes to 8,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DM Thracian at 8,000 yards
DD Inazuma engages DD Scout at 8,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DD Thanet at 8,000 yards
Range increases to 9,000 yards
DD Inazuma engages DD Thanet at 9,000 yards
DD Inazuma engages DD Thanet at 9,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DM Thracian at 9,000 yards
Range increases to 12,000 yards
DD Thanet engages DD Ikazuchi at 12,000 yards
DD Scout engages DD Ikazuchi at 12,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DD Scout at 12,000 yards
Task forces break off...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Time Surface Combat, near Batan Island at 84,70, Range 15,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CL Isuzu
DD Ikazuchi, Shell hits 1
DD Inazuma

Allied Ships
DD Scout
DD Thanet, Shell hits 1, on fire
DM Thracian

Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions: 30,000 yards
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 21,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 21,000 yards
Range closes to 15,000 yards...
CL Isuzu engages DD Scout at 15,000 yards
Range closes to 11,000 yards
DD Thanet engages DD Inazuma at 11,000 yards
DD Scout engages DD Ikazuchi at 11,000 yards
Range closes to 9,000 yards
DD Inazuma engages DD Thanet at 9,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DD Scout at 9,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DM Thracian at 9,000 yards
Range closes to 7,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DD Thanet at 7,000 yards
DD Thanet engages DD Inazuma at 7,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DM Thracian at 7,000 yards
Range increases to 8,000 yards
DD Inazuma engages DD Thanet at 8,000 yards
DD Scout engages DD Inazuma at 8,000 yards
DD Scout engages DD Ikazuchi at 8,000 yards
Range increases to 13,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DM Thracian at 13,000 yards
Range increases to 16,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DD Thanet at 16,000 yards
DD Inazuma engages DD Scout at 16,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DM Thracian at 16,000 yards
Range increases to 19,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DD Thanet at 19,000 yards
DD Inazuma engages DD Scout at 19,000 yards
Task forces break off...


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Day Time Surface Combat, near Calayan at 83,71, Range 15,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CL Isuzu
DD Ikazuchi, on fire
DD Inazuma

Allied Ships
DD Scout, Shell hits 10, heavy fires, heavy damage
DM Thracian, Shell hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage

Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions: 30,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 21,000 yards
Range closes to 15,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 15,000 yards
Kudo, Shunsaku crosses the 'T'
DD Inazuma engages DD Scout at 15,000 yards
DD Inazuma engages DM Thracian at 15,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DD Scout at 15,000 yards
Range closes to 11,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DD Scout at 11,000 yards
DD Inazuma engages DM Thracian at 11,000 yards
DD Scout engages DD Ikazuchi at 11,000 yards
Range closes to 7,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DD Scout at 7,000 yards
DD Inazuma engages DD Scout at 7,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DD Scout at 7,000 yards
Range increases to 10,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DD Scout at 10,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DM Thracian at 10,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DD Scout at 10,000 yards
Range increases to 12,000 yards
DD Inazuma engages DD Scout at 12,000 yards
DD Scout engages DD Inazuma at 12,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DD Scout at 12,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DD Scout at 12,000 yards
DD Inazuma engages DD Scout at 12,000 yards
DD Scout engages DD Ikazuchi at 12,000 yards
DD Inazuma engages DD Scout at 12,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DD Scout at 12,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DM Thracian at 12,000 yards
DD Inazuma engages DM Thracian at 12,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DD Scout at 12,000 yards
Range increases to 13,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DD Scout at 13,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DM Thracian at 13,000 yards
Range increases to 15,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DD Scout at 15,000 yards
DD Inazuma engages DD Scout at 15,000 yards
Range increases to 16,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DM Thracian at 16,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DD Scout at 16,000 yards
DD Scout engages DD Ikazuchi at 16,000 yards
DD Scout engages DD Ikazuchi at 16,000 yards
Kudo, Shunsaku orders Japanese TF to disengage
Range closes to 15,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DD Scout at 15,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DM Thracian at 15,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DD Scout at 15,000 yards
Range increases to 16,000 yards
DD Scout engages DD Inazuma at 16,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DD Scout at 16,000 yards
Range closes to 15,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DD Scout at 15,000 yards
DD Inazuma engages DD Scout at 15,000 yards
DD Ikazuchi engages DM Thracian at 15,000 yards
Lambton, H. orders Allied TF to disengage
Range increases to 21,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DD Scout at 21,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages DM Thracian at 21,000 yards
Task forces break off...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Batan Island at 84,70

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 14 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 9

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
DD Thanet, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp


Guam
- In operations in and around the American bastion of Guam, the Japan's Imperial Navy inflicted mass casualties. It's even rumored that the allies scuttled ships, including a carrier at the port of Guam.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Guam at 106,95

Japanese Ships
PB Hirotama Maru

Allied Ships
SS Seal

SS Seal is located by PB Hirotama Maru
Seal bottoming out ....
PB Hirotama Maru fails to find sub, continues to search...
PB Hirotama Maru fails to find sub, continues to search...
PB Hirotama Maru fails to find sub, continues to search...
PB Hirotama Maru fails to find sub, continues to search...
PB Hirotama Maru fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Guam at 106,95, Range 9,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
PB Fukui Maru, Shell hits 13, and is sunk
PB Hirotama Maru, Shell hits 7, and is sunk

Allied Ships
BB New Mexico
CA Louisville
CL Concord
DD John D. Ford
DD Delphy
DD Woodbury
DD S.P. Lee

Improved night sighting under 85% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions and 85% moonlight: 12,000 yards
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 9,000 yards
CA Louisville engages PB Fukui Maru at 9,000 yards
DD S.P. Lee engages PB Fukui Maru at 9,000 yards
DD Delphy engages PB Fukui Maru at 9,000 yards
Hojo, A. orders Japanese TF to disengage
Range closes to 6,000 yards
CA Louisville engages PB Fukui Maru at 6,000 yards
DD Woodbury engages PB Fukui Maru at 6,000 yards
DD Delphy engages PB Fukui Maru at 6,000 yards
DD John D. Ford engages PB Fukui Maru at 6,000 yards
Range closes to 5,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages PB Fukui Maru at 5,000 yards
DD S.P. Lee engages PB Fukui Maru at 5,000 yards
DD Delphy engages PB Fukui Maru at 5,000 yards
Range closes to 2,000 yards
PB Fukui Maru sunk by BB New Mexico at 2,000 yards
Range increases to 4,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages PB Hirotama Maru at 4,000 yards
DD John D. Ford engages PB Hirotama Maru at 4,000 yards
Range increases to 6,000 yards
DD Delphy engages PB Hirotama Maru at 6,000 yards
Range increases to 9,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages PB Hirotama Maru at 9,000 yards
DD Woodbury engages PB Hirotama Maru at 9,000 yards
DD Delphy engages PB Hirotama Maru at 9,000 yards
Hojo, A. orders Japanese TF to disengage
Range increases to 10,000 yards
CL Concord engages PB Hirotama Maru at 10,000 yards
PB Hirotama Maru sunk by CA Louisville at 10,000 yards
Combat ends with last Japanese ship sunk...

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Day Time Surface Combat, near Guam at 106,95, Range 21,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Settsu
BB Ise
BB Hyuga
CL Nagara
DD Yamakaze
DD Kawakaze
DD Umikaze
DD Suzukaze
BB Kawachi
DD Isonami

Allied Ships
PT-26
PT-27
PT-28
PT-29
PT-30
PT-42

Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions: 30,000 yards
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 21,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 21,000 yards
BB Kawachi engages PT-42 at 21,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages PT-28 at 21,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages PT-26 at 21,000 yards
Range closes to 19,000 yards
DD Umikaze engages PT-42 at 19,000 yards
DD Isonami engages PT-26 at 19,000 yards
DD Suzukaze engages PT-28 at 19,000 yards
DD Kawakaze engages PT-26 at 19,000 yards
DD Yamakaze engages PT-42 at 19,000 yards
Range increases to 21,000 yards
Range increases to 23,000 yards
Range increases to 25,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages PT-42 at 25,000 yards
BB Ise engages PT-42 at 25,000 yards
Range closes to 24,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages PT-26 at 24,000 yards
Szukalski, H.O. orders Allied TF to disengage
BB Hyuga engages PT-28 at 24,000 yards
Range increases to 28,000 yards
BB Kawachi engages PT-42 at 28,000 yards
BB Settsu engages PT-42 at 28,000 yards
Task forces break off...

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Day Time Surface Combat, near Guam at 106,95, Range 21,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Settsu
BB Ise
BB Hyuga
CL Nagara
DD Yamakaze
DD Kawakaze
DD Umikaze
DD Suzukaze
BB Kawachi
DD Isonami

Allied Ships
PT-20
PT-21
PT-22
PT-23
PT-24
PT-25

Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions: 30,000 yards
Range closes to 23,000 yards...
Range closes to 21,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 21,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 21,000 yards
BB Ise engages PT-25 at 21,000 yards
BB Settsu engages PT-25 at 21,000 yards
CL Nagara engages PT-25 at 21,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages PT-22 at 21,000 yards
Range increases to 23,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages PT-24 at 23,000 yards
BB Ise engages PT-25 at 23,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages PT-25 at 23,000 yards
BB Ise engages PT-25 at 23,000 yards
Range closes to 22,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages PT-25 at 22,000 yards
Range increases to 24,000 yards
Range increases to 25,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages PT-24 at 25,000 yards
BB Settsu engages PT-25 at 25,000 yards
Task forces break off...

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Day Time Surface Combat, near Guam at 106,95, Range 25,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Settsu, Shell hits 1, on fire
BB Ise, Shell hits 4, on fire
BB Hyuga, Shell hits 3
CL Nagara, Shell hits 3
DD Yamakaze
DD Kawakaze
DD Umikaze, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Suzukaze
BB Kawachi, Shell hits 4, on fire
DD Isonami

Allied Ships
BB New Mexico, Shell hits 26, on fire
CA Louisville, Shell hits 1
CL Concord, Shell hits 1
DD John D. Ford
DD Delphy
DD Woodbury, Shell hits 1
DD S.P. Lee

Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions: 30,000 yards
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 25,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 25,000 yards
BB Kawachi engages BB New Mexico at 25,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages CA Louisville at 25,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages CL Concord at 25,000 yards
CA Louisville engages DD Isonami at 25,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages DD John D. Ford at 25,000 yards
CL Concord engages DD Umikaze at 25,000 yards
Range closes to 20,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages BB Hyuga at 20,000 yards
CL Nagara engages CA Louisville at 20,000 yards
BB Ise engages BB New Mexico at 20,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages BB Settsu at 20,000 yards
CL Nagara engages CA Louisville at 20,000 yards
DD Suzukaze engages DD John D. Ford at 20,000 yards
DD Umikaze engages DD S.P. Lee at 20,000 yards
Range closes to 17,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages BB Kawachi at 17,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages BB Hyuga at 17,000 yards
BB Ise engages BB New Mexico at 17,000 yards
BB Ise engages DD S.P. Lee at 17,000 yards
DD Umikaze engages DD Woodbury at 17,000 yards
DD Isonami engages DD S.P. Lee at 17,000 yards
DD S.P. Lee engages DD Kawakaze at 17,000 yards
DD S.P. Lee engages DD Yamakaze at 17,000 yards
Range closes to 15,000 yards
BB Kawachi engages BB New Mexico at 15,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages BB New Mexico at 15,000 yards
CL Nagara engages CL Concord at 15,000 yards
BB Settsu engages BB New Mexico at 15,000 yards
CA Louisville engages CL Nagara at 15,000 yards
DD Isonami engages DD S.P. Lee at 15,000 yards
DD Suzukaze engages DD John D. Ford at 15,000 yards
DD Umikaze engages DD John D. Ford at 15,000 yards
DD Kawakaze engages DD John D. Ford at 15,000 yards
Range closes to 13,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages BB Kawachi at 13,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages BB New Mexico at 13,000 yards
BB Ise engages BB New Mexico at 13,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages BB Settsu at 13,000 yards
CL Nagara engages DD Woodbury at 13,000 yards
DD Isonami engages DD John D. Ford at 13,000 yards
DD Umikaze engages DD John D. Ford at 13,000 yards
DD Woodbury engages DD Umikaze at 13,000 yards
DD Woodbury engages DD Kawakaze at 13,000 yards
DD Yamakaze engages DD John D. Ford at 13,000 yards
Range closes to 9,000 yards
BB Kawachi engages BB New Mexico at 9,000 yards
CL Nagara engages CA Louisville at 9,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages BB Ise at 9,000 yards
DD S.P. Lee engages DD Umikaze at 9,000 yards
CL Concord engages CL Nagara at 9,000 yards
DD Suzukaze engages DD Delphy at 9,000 yards
DD Suzukaze engages DD S.P. Lee at 9,000 yards
DD Woodbury engages DD Umikaze at 9,000 yards
DD Yamakaze engages DD Delphy at 9,000 yards
Range increases to 13,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages BB Ise at 13,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages BB New Mexico at 13,000 yards
CL Nagara engages CL Concord at 13,000 yards
DD S.P. Lee engages DD Suzukaze at 13,000 yards
DD Isonami engages DD Woodbury at 13,000 yards
DD Umikaze engages DD Delphy at 13,000 yards
DD Suzukaze engages DD Woodbury at 13,000 yards
DD S.P. Lee engages DD Umikaze at 13,000 yards
DD Woodbury engages DD Kawakaze at 13,000 yards
DD Woodbury engages DD Yamakaze at 13,000 yards
Range increases to 16,000 yards
BB Ise engages BB New Mexico at 16,000 yards
CL Nagara engages CA Louisville at 16,000 yards
BB Ise engages BB New Mexico at 16,000 yards
DD Umikaze engages DD S.P. Lee at 16,000 yards
CL Nagara engages CA Louisville at 16,000 yards
DD Isonami engages DD Delphy at 16,000 yards
DD Suzukaze engages DD Woodbury at 16,000 yards
DD S.P. Lee engages DD Umikaze at 16,000 yards
DD Kawakaze engages DD Woodbury at 16,000 yards
DD Yamakaze engages DD John D. Ford at 16,000 yards
Range increases to 20,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages BB Kawachi at 20,000 yards
CA Louisville engages CL Nagara at 20,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages BB Ise at 20,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages BB Settsu at 20,000 yards
CL Nagara engages CL Concord at 20,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages DD Kawakaze at 20,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages DD Yamakaze at 20,000 yards
Range increases to 23,000 yards
BB Kawachi engages BB New Mexico at 23,000 yards
CA Louisville engages CL Nagara at 23,000 yards
CL Concord engages CL Nagara at 23,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages BB Settsu at 23,000 yards
CL Nagara engages CA Louisville at 23,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages DD Isonami at 23,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages DD Suzukaze at 23,000 yards
CL Concord engages DD Umikaze at 23,000 yards
CL Concord engages DD Yamakaze at 23,000 yards
Range increases to 26,000 yards
BB Kawachi engages BB New Mexico at 26,000 yards
BB New Mexico engages BB Hyuga at 26,000 yards
BB Settsu engages CL Concord at 26,000 yards
CA Louisville engages CL Nagara at 26,000 yards
BB Ise engages DD Delphy at 26,000 yards
CA Louisville engages DD Suzukaze at 26,000 yards
CA Louisville engages DD Umikaze at 26,000 yards
CA Louisville engages DD Kawakaze at 26,000 yards
Task forces break off...

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Morning Air attack on TF, near Ulithi at 100,91

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
D3A1 Val x 11

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
AM Bittern
xAP St. Mihel, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires

Aircraft Attacking:
11 x D3A1 Val bombing from 9000 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb

Heavy smoke from fires obscuring xAP St. Mihel

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Morning Air attack on TF, near Saipan at 111,98

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 10 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B5N2 Kate x 26

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
PG Asheville, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
PG Tulsa, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
TK Gertrude Kellogg, Torpedo hits 5, and is sunk
ACM Colonel Harrison, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk

Aircraft Attacking:
26 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp

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Morning Air attack on TF, near Guam at 106,95

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 102 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 43 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 11
B5N2 Kate x 13

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
xAK Si Kiang, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
xAK Cape Fairweather, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
xAP President Madison

Aircraft Attacking:
13 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp

Massive explosion on xAK Cape Fairweather

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Morning Air attack on TF, near Guam at 106,95

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 75 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 32 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B5N2 Kate x 11

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
xAK Shooting Star, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
AS Canopus, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk

Aircraft Attacking:
11 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp

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Morning Air attack on TF, near Ulithi at 100,91

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 39 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 16 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B5N1 Kate x 6

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
xAK American Leader, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
xAP David W. Branch

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x B5N1 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp

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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Guam at 107,94

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 36 NM, estimated altitude 3,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 17
D3A1 Val x 7

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A1 Val: 2 damaged

Allied Ships
BB New Mexico, on fire
DD Bulmer
DD Barker

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x D3A1 Val bombing from 1000 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
5 x D3A1 Val bombing from 1000 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Guam at 107,94

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 18 NM, estimated altitude 5,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
D3A1 Val x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A1 Val: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
PT-21

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x D3A1 Val bombing from 1000 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Guam , at 106,95

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 50 NM, estimated altitude 23,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes

Japanese aircraft
HE 100d x 7

No Japanese losses

Aircraft Attacking:
7 x HE 100d sweeping at 20000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Guam , at 106,95

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 99 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 19 minutes

Japanese aircraft
HE 100d x 6

No Japanese losses

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x HE 100d sweeping at 15000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Guam , at 106,95

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 90 NM, estimated altitude 22,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 18 minutes

Japanese aircraft
HE 100d x 4

No Japanese losses

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x HE 100d sweeping at 20000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Guam at 106,95

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 27 NM, estimated altitude 2,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B5N1 Kate x 4

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
xAP President Madison, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x B5N1 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Ulithi at 100,91

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B5N1 Kate x 6
D3A1 Val x 11

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
xAK American Leader, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
AM Penguin, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AM Finch, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP David W. Branch, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
xAP St. Mihel, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
11 x D3A1 Val bombing from 9000 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
6 x B5N1 Kate bombing from 6000 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb

Heavy smoke from fires obscuring xAK American Leader
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring AM Finch
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring xAP David W. Branch

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Guam , at 106,95

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 83 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 30 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 30
B5N2 Kate x 28
D3A1 Val x 21

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 1 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
ARD YFD-1 Dewey, Bomb hits 1, on fire

Port fuel hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
21 x D3A1 Val bombing from 9000 feet
Port Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
21 x B5N2 Kate bombing from 9000 feet
Port Attack: 1 x 800 kg AP Bomb
7 x B5N2 Kate bombing from 9000 feet
Port Attack: 1 x 800 kg AP Bomb

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Ulithi at 100,91

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 35 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B5N1 Kate x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N1 Kate: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
AM Bittern, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
xAP St. Mihel, heavy fires, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x B5N1 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Guam at 106,95

Japanese Ships
DD Umikaze
DD Suzukaze
DD Isonami

Allied Ships
SS S-41

SS S-41 launches 4 torpedoes at DD Umikaze
S-41 bottoming out ....
DD Isonami fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Isonami fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Isonami fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Isonami fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Isonami fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

- Babayun is occupied by Japan. Ocean Island and Tarawa are captured. Troops are unloading at Vigan and Aparri in the PI.
- Foong bin 81 & 45 arrive at Bangkok.
- Hoshikura C. now available for reassignment
- PT-24 is reported to have been sunk near Guam on Dec 09, 1941
- PT-25 is reported to have been sunk near Guam on Dec 09, 1941
- PT Q-114 is reported to have been sunk near Manila on Dec 07, 1941
- xAP David W. Branch is reported to have been sunk near Ulithi on Dec 09, 1941
-
- Night time Combat near Guam was basically two task forces that passed by in the night… They never got closer than 7,000 yards

Night Time Surface Combat, near Guam at 107,94, Range 12,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Myoko
CL Tama
CL Oi, Shell hits 1
DD Yugure
DD Ariake
DD Mutsuki
DD Kisaragi
DD Yayoi

Allied Ships
CA Louisville, Shell hits 2
CL Concord, Shell hits 1
DD Barker
DD Bulmer
DD John D. Ford
DD Delphy
DD Woodbury
DD S.P. Lee

Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions and 67% moonlight: 12,000 yards



- Afterwards the Myoko TF ran into six PT boats, sinking two. That ended their excitement for the turn.
-
- Also Near Guam Torpedo Bombers planted a pair if torpedoes into the flank of the BB New Mexico. Later a group of Dive Bombers dropped eggs. I'm not sure the BB is dead but I heard sinking noises so I'm hoping they audio was in relation to the BB.
-
- Near Kaifeng, China, the Japanese 35th Division punched the 8th New Chinese Corps dead in the face. 42:1 odds. The Chinese took over 1,000 casualties and had 39 squads destroyed as they retreated from the superior Imperial Japanese armed forces.
Combat modifiers
Defender: op mode(-), leaders(+), morale(-), experience(-)
Attacker: leaders(+), leaders(-)

- I'm gradually getting into action VS my primary targets (Malaya, the PI, Borneo, Burma, and China) while also working on some of the low-hanging fruit.)
Even more important - I'm getting my cargo TFs setup for transporting resources and such back to my home islands.

Itbayat Island is occupied by Japan

Joe is busy sweeping mines I laid @ Singapore.

In the Philippines: Banzai!
Japanese forces CAPTURE Aparri. Japanese forces CAPTURE Vigan.

I've got a few up-and-coming-pilots. WO Inuzuka B. of 99.Gruppo C.T. is credited with kill number 2

New units arrive on the board:
7th Close Supp.Unit arrives at Port Arthur
7th Close Supp.Unit sub-groups COMBINING at Port Arthur
3rd Tank Regiment arrives at Tokyo

I got in some good sub action this turn. I'm taking my smaller LB and flying naval attack with 50% flying search. The original intent was to increase my detection level of enemy ships. So far the results seem promising.
The I-166 puts two into the AVP Merel near Tambelan-eilanden.
The I-162 puts two into the xAK Can Maciver near Koggala.
The RO-34 puts a fish into the xAK Fatshan near Lucena





My invasion force begins landing operations @ Hollandia.

TF Mogami defends amphibious fleets unloading @ Vigan, taking out a few MTB/PT Joe sent to try and disrupt things.

I get in another bombardment with a TF lead by the BB Kaga. In truth the bombardment was nothing to write home about but the ships will get some experience and I'd rather load up with easy experience at the beginning of the war against light targets. Hopefully any edge I can gain in experience will pay dividends in any engagements against radar-assisted combat later in the war.

And here are some allied units leaving the board.
AM Tanager is reported to have been sunk near Bataan on Dec 10, 1941
PT Q-116 is reported to have been sunk near Vigan on Dec 10, 1941
AVP Merel is reported to have been sunk near Tambelan-eilanden on Dec 10, 1941
MTB 12 is reported to have been sunk near Vigan on Dec 10, 1941
TK La Estrella Caltex is reported to have been sunk near Yap on Dec 10, 1941
xAK Clan Maciver is reported to have been sunk near Koggala on Dec 10, 1941
xAK Fatshan is reported to have been sunk near Lucena on Dec 10, 1941


A forward look:
56th Infantry @ Kota Bharu is moving to 51,76 where the enemy LCU are that retreated from Kota Bharu on the 8th: FMSV Brigade, 8th Indian Brigade, 3rd ISF Base Force.

I see an enemy ship @ 51,81. My WAG is that Joe is sending something up to hit Kota Bharu? I have a pair of SCTF @ Kota Bharu on patrol and I'm sending a sub to follow the coastline from Patani to 51,81.

The 3rd RTA @ Bangkok is unpacking and will march upon Tavoy.

The 2nd RTA is en route to Mergui.

The 55th Division of the 15th Army plus the 15th Corps HQ @ Pisanuloke are unpacking before moving upon Moulmein.

The 3rd Air Division of the Southern Army is now @ Phnom Penh and prepping to use the rail system to Kota Bharu. That'll give me torpedo ammo closer to Singapore.

The 21st Division of the Southern Army @ Saigon is unpacking before moving to Phnom Penh.

I converted 6 Lima to AKE. I have a lot of BB\CB in this mod (40 on the board right now) and when they are not soaking up coastal defense guns, I plan to blast the snot out of enemy coastal bases with some good heavy bombardments. I've got enough CVE/CVL that I should be able to counter at least moderate enemy naval air attacks…

So I'm looking in Tracker on turn 4 and see five AC "Damaged on landing", and one "Crashes on landing."

Two that I see come from the same Unit. My WAG is that pilot experience is a factor in this. And I'm sure that some of the aircraft took damage during the turn and that causes a more difficult landing roll.

Short of training up my air units to increase experience, is there anything else I can do to reduce damage to aircraft during the landing phase?

Does an airfield with a larger size help reduce landing problems?

If you are feeling rather smart you can add an S to your WAG, to stand for Scientific-WAG.

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

If you are feeling rather smart you can add an S to your WAG, to stand for Scientific-WAG.

I'm intentionally playing the side with the shortest end of the stick against a person who designed the mod we are playing. I'm not feeling to smart at the moment... [:D]

11DEC41
Malaya
11th Tank Rgt @ Singora is added to the assault forces for Temuloh.

4th Tank Rgt @ Singora is unpacking to begin operations VS Alor Star

114th Infantry Rgt @ Singora is marching to assault Taiping

Sumatra
I'm still sweeping Tandjoengbalai this turn but next I'll be using bombers to go after the enemy ground components. I've got that entire based locked in with control of the surrounding hexes so I expect to destroy the enemy LCU at Tandjoengbalai.

Burma
The 15th Army Corps HQ, 55th Division, and the 4th & 7th RTA are all at Pisanulok and marching for Moulmein.

The 2nd RTA Division from Bangkok is moving to assault Mergui

The 3rd RTA Division @ Bangkok is unpacking prior to marching to assault Tavoy.

Thailand
Borneo
At Miri the I/124th Infantry Bn. Captures the base and oil fields. The base was uncontested. I've moved a fighter group over to CAP the base while I move engineers over to conduct repairs. Port (19) Air Service (2) Air Runway (17). Oil and Refinery are both at (178) x 122.

China
At 90,56 I was able to catch enemy ground units in the open with a few bomber groups. I am also hitting an enemy LCU at Hwaiyin.

At Hong Kong, Air sweeps and AF attacks continued this turn but will switch to Ground Attacks next turn.

At 87,45, near Chengchow that include rail access, my 35th Division catches the 13th Chinese Corps at 6:1 odds and routes the Chinese unit.
Japanese assault odds: 6 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: op mode(-), leaders(+), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(+), leaders(-)

Japanese ground losses:
353 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 46 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled

Allied ground losses:
3973 casualties reported
Squads: 156 destroyed, 38 disabled
Non Combat: 201 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 13 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 29 (29 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 1

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Philippines
At Sapporo I've transferred the 7th Division to the Southern army. It is now loading upon TF117 and has been assigned to the campaign in the PI.

I'm still hitting Manila AF with bombers from Formosa. I've moved fighter support to Vigan and Aparri. Shortly (as soon as I can get several fighter AG to do some sweeping) I expect to begin attacking Clark AF.

A pair of Japanese DD put four hits on the SS Cebu near Vigan

Amphibious operations begin at Laoag with Japanese forces that include the 9th and 20th Infantry Regiments.

Pacific
At Guam I'm still Sweeping and hitting the AF and Port this turn but next turn I'll switch to ground attacks.

DEI
Troops are unloading @ Hollandia. The allied forces bombard my 1st Maizuru Assault Division but the bombardment has no effect. Enemy units identified are:
Hollandia Mil'ie Cd
AP-VLG-IX Sup Afd

Naval Operations
ACTF Chitose, near Peleliu, attack and sink the YO-42 via Torpedo Bomber

Sub Operations

The forming of task force Sea Lance


12DEC41

CL Oi, currently part of TF Baby's Breath near Guam.
Captain: Nobue Morishita

Nobue sipped water from his canteen while leaning over the rail near the hatch to the bridge of his light cruiser. The task force had seen brief combat in the waters south-west of Guam on December 10th, a night-time engagement held at long range (for night combat). Nobue had hoped that Captain Yamazumi, Captain of the Myoko and task force commander, would have allowed the destroyers and the two light Cruisers Oi and Tama to surge ahead for better torpedo attack solutions but that had not happened.

Of course the Oi and Tama were a new breed of light cruiser, the Kuma Class, armed with a single broadside to port and starboard of twenty torpedo launchers as their main weapon system, backed up with four 14cm guns in single turrets. When the task force had been formed at Babeldaob Yamazumi had looked at the pair of light cruisers assigned to TF Baby's Breath with some concern, uncomfortable with the fact that the light cruisers were limited to a pair of broadside attacks before they were out of fish, forcing the Kuma Class light cruisers to rely upon their woefully light gun component.

During the December 10th engagement the two sides had basically passed by each other. The destroyers and light cruisers had fired their Long Lance torpedoes but the two sides had never gotten much closer than 7,000 meters. Each side had scored a gun hit or three against the opposing side but that had been the extent of the combat.
And now Baby's Breath was headed back to Babeldaob, the Oi without fish left in her launchers and the Tama with only a port broadside left before she too was down to her 14cm guns.

No torpedo hits against the enemy ships had been observed during the engagement.

Nobue shook himself clear of his thoughts and returned his canteen to his belt before heading down the ladder to his room and tiny desk. There was paperwork to complete and he wanted to be prepared once they had returned to Babeldaob, sure there would be questions asked about the effectiveness of Japanese warships with torpedoes as their primary weapons system…

The forming of Task Force Sea Lance


8DEC41

Trento Class Heavy Cruiser Trieste, southern end of the Yellow Sea
Captain Kaito Hidaka


Captain Kaito Hidaka peered through the portals from within the ship's conning tower at the driving rain outside, his face masked in a perpetual scowl, as Heavy Cruiser Division 1 of the Sea Lance task force left Shaohing port in Japanese-controlled China to cut across the East China Sea in route to Babeldaob, an island port SE of Mindanao. Heavy Cruiser Division 1 was made up of the Trento and her newer sister ship, the Trieste, a pair of Trento Class Heavy Cruisers purchased from Italy in 1938. Cruiser Division 1 was to be the meat of an experimental task force featuring five Kuma TT Class Light Cruisers, each sporting forty torpedo launchers providing a twenty-torpedo broadside from both their port and starboard sides.

The Trento Class were a break from the old-school heavy cruisers favored by most navies, with beams of 20 meters, and they were long, stretching out almost two hundred meters in length. Built for fast action, the Italian-made heavy cruisers were lightly armored, with a belt that was only 70mm thick amidships, an armored deck 50 mm thick, and the main conning tower sporting 70 mm armored sides. The cruisers were armed with a main battery of eight 203/50 M1924 guns in four gun turrets arranged in superfiring pairs forward and aft. Superfiring armament aligned the pair of turrets inline one behind the other, but with the second turret located above the one in front. They also boasted sixteen 13.2 mm guns split eight to port and eight to starboard. In addition to the guns, eight torpedo tubes in four deck-mounted twin launchers gave the heavy cruisers a below-the-water-line punch during any close to mid-range combat engagements. The Trento Class cruisers capped things off with a contingent of IMAM Ro. 43 seaplanes for aerial reconnaissance.

At precisely 1430 hours coffee mess arrived on the bridge. The coffee pot was small and nickel-plated, with exactly enough coffee contained in the pot to fill the accompanying green mug on the tray twice. The head cook, Romeo Azusa, had arrived with Captain Hidaka when Kaito had first taken command of the Trieste, and Romeo catered to his commanding officer's vices, for a satisfied commanding officer made for a better living experience for the ship's crew. Captain Hidaka preferred to drink coffee, not tea. No cream. No sugar. And Kaito liked it strong, hot, and black. Coffee was a habit the Captain had picked up back in 1938 while serving as part of the inspection team tasked with reviewing the Italian heavy cruisers prior to their purchase by Japan.

Soon the captain was again peering out a portal at the weather outside. Kaito raised a thick green coffee mug, a gift from his father, to his lips and sipped lightly as the first cup was always near boiling hot. The mug was a reminder of home and what they were fighting for - a strong Japan with a stronger standing amongst the world's leaders plus room for Imperial Japan to stretch out and grow.

Babeldaob Base, Naval Port
Vice Admiral Kenmi Itoh, Commanding Officer of Naval Contengent

Vice Admiral Kenmi Itoh stared at the makeup of the raiding task force laid out in paper before him and wondered who had come up with such a monstrosity. A division of two Italian-made "heavy" cruisers with light armor… If they tried to go toe-to-toe against British or American Cruisers they would quickly find themselves holding the dirty end of the stick. And two divisions of these "Kuma" Class light cruisers, armed with ten torpedo mounts, five to each side, as their primary weapons system! Torpedo mounts!!! What madness had gripped Japan's ministry of ship building?

The pencil Kenmi had been holding in his right hand snapped, a sharp crack against the raising heat of his thoughts. Kenmi stared again at his orders. He would be tasked with setting up a supply chain of torpedoes, ammo, fuel, rations and spare parts. The Vice Admiral stepped away from the table and moved to stand near a window that provided a most excellent view of Mount Ngerchelchuus, all two hundred and forty-two meters of it. It was the tallest mountain on the isle.

Already en route from Tokyo was a convoy of auxiliary ships carrying cargo and ammunitions. AKE and AD would soon arrive and it was up to Kenmi to identify locations to support this "Sea Lance" raiding force…

In the end orders were orders. Someone high up the food chain had invested in this scheme to endow light cruisers with mighty broadsides of torpedoes to throw at the enemy, and only time and opportunity would provide an answer to the effectiveness of this new wrinkle in naval warfare. In truth, to drive at one's enemy and move close enough to effectively use the torpedo launchers, was very Bushido-like in nature. The counter to the "glory" of the driving charge to launch a long "lance attack" was carrying forty torpedoes in deck-mounted quad-torpedo launchers while the enemy fired upon them. Kenmi didn't even want to think what a direct hit against one of those launchers would do to one of those light cruisers. Or a deck fire for that matter…

The Vice Admiral shook himself from that train of thought.
"Yes, sheer madness," he thought to himself as he looked out the window. "Madness."

12DEC41

In this mod the AMC Roon comes in from the far west end of the map. I forgot about her. She tried to slip past Oosthaven at night. She slipped past an allied TF with a pair of BB, four CL, and six DD. That TF gave pursuit and in a second engagement the Roon bounced two shells off the BB Hai Lung while taking a pair of shell hits in return (light stuff from a DD and CL I think). The enemy TF closes on the Roon a third time. The Roon takes three more hits and has heavy fires. I think the BB TF either shot it's ammo out or ran out of movement points. I was happy-smiles until later that day The Roon came under air attack, took several bombs, and sank. Bummer.

One of Joe's subs taps an xAK near Cam Ranh Bay returning from Malaya to Samah.

I finally sank the ARD Dewey @ Guam.

The Italian units at Tandjoengbalai capture the base. The allied forces flee south.

I'm flying supplies in to my troops @ Hong Kong plus attacking the allied ground forces there. I think I'll attack on the 14th @ Hong Kong as I work a little disruption on the allies with my bombers and try to get 2x my needed supplies for the units in that hex.

ORIGINAL: durnedwolf

So I'm looking in Tracker on turn 4 and see five AC "Damaged on landing", and one "Crashes on landing."

Two that I see come from the same Unit. My WAG is that pilot experience is a factor in this. And I'm sure that some of the aircraft took damage during the turn and that causes a more difficult landing roll.

Short of training up my air units to increase experience, is there anything else I can do to reduce damage to aircraft during the landing phase?

Does an airfield with a larger size help reduce landing problems?

I've never seen those reports!

How do you get Tracker to display aircraft lost and damaged due to crashes?

Go to data set INTEL
then tab OPERATIONS
in event category select AIRPLANE

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

Go to data set INTEL
then tab OPERATIONS
in event category select AIRPLANE

That's blown my mind.

Learn something every day, thanks very much!

I'm playing a mod that was based in part on the Reluctant Admiral mod.

what's the difference with IJA construction Sq & IJA Const Labor Sq? Can someone point me to where I can look this up?

I want to build AFs and Ports on some of my bases and I want to insure I'm moving the right types of engineers for the job at hand.

I think I found the answer after a search. Thanks DaveConn!

ORIGINAL: DaveConn

Here is my cheat sheet; I haven't checked it recently, but I think it is correct:


ALLIES
Engineers [251]: can build, can assault, can reduce forts
USA Const Eng [1113]: can build
USA Port Srvc Sq [1118]: can build, help unload
USA Amph Sup Sq [1119]: can assault, help unload
LVT-2 Amphib Trac [1197]: can assault, can reduce forts, help unload
USMC 41 Cmbt Eng Sq [1204]: can build, can assault, can reduce forts
USMC 41 Assault Eng Sq [1209]: can build, can assault, can reduce forts
USMC Pioneer Sq [1219]: can assault, help unload
USN Const Eng Sq [1220]: can build, can assault
USN Base Eng Sq [1221]: can build, help unload
USN Spec Eng Sq [1222]: can build, help unload
Chinese Constr Sqd [1300]: (dead weight; abilities subsumed in other devices in unit)
Chinese Engineer Sqd [1305]: can build, can assault, can reduce forts

JAPAN
Engineers [251]: can build, can assault, can reduce forts
IJA Shipping Eng Sq [698]: help unload
IJA Combat Eng Sq: can build, can assault, can reduce forts
IJA Const Eng Sq [702]: can build
IJA Const Labor Sq [703]: (dead weight; abilities subsumed in other devices in unit)
IJA Eng Sq [711]: can build, can assault, can reduce forts
IJN Const Eng Sq [716]: can build
IJN Const Labor Sq [717]: (dead weight; abilities subsumed in other devices in unit)