It is currently May 2/42 in our match. This is a stock scenario 15 started originally to help slay the leader bug.
HAWAII, DEC 7, 1941
Pearl Harbor was a disappointment for Mogami I bet, as only the BB West Virginia and Bagley class DD Blue were lost aside from the massive hit the AAF took in aircraft losses.
PHILIPPINES
Luzon collapsed early, late December/early January due to a combination of massive Japanese concentration of force (how many divisions Mogami!?![:D]) and the current retreat/supply/ZOC restrictions. Mogami wasted little time in investing Luzon...in record time I might add.[&o] Basically, the doughboys and dog eaters were split at Manila and Clark by units present in their hexes negating movement between friendly bases (Grrrr...this aspect of ZOC is draconian[:)]) and were destroyed piecemiel. Rest of PI fell in the standard fashion. The one ray of sunlight during the whole dark period however was the surprising escape of over 90% of the shipping in Manila. Basically lost a few civilian tankers and AKs.
MALAYA
In Malaya, the campaign was much more slogging, with Mogami being held in a slow advance until he landed overwhelming strength at Kuantan in late March/42. The Dominion forces held out until overwhelmed at Johore and Singapore itself, both succumbing to one turn shock attacks with no less than six Japanese divisions vs size 7 fortifications. (fortifications don't help if the units defending them are emaciated after four months of relentless jungle fighting. Cadres of the heroic units have been formed far to the rear and will slowly become viable units in a year or so...
BURMA
In Burma, not much happening due to Mogamis troop requirements in Malaya and the outstanding performance of the Malaya Army in holding the strategic hub of Singapore a few days shy of May. 42. Japanese advance stalled at Tavoy and Rahaeng. A few major fur balls over Rangoon and Tavoy however. The AVG is the equal of Japanese pilots due to combat experience and success.
DEI
The Dutch East Indies have been slow going for Mogami up to this point. Borneo is approximately 50% Japanese, with only the four bases along the western coast across from Java still Dutch. A brave but misguided attempt by a Dutch TF to interdict a Japanese surface force at Balikpapan resulted in the cruiser Java and two Dutch destroyers being crushed like boots taken to puppies by Japanese battleships, whose identity was unfortunately mistaken for lesser cruisers.
The Celebes finally fell in April, despite an unfortunately bold move by the USS Boise reacting to the Japanese appearance off Menado. Boise sank a few ships but was caught by torpedo bombers next day while withdrawing...had I not left her orders on react she would have escaped but it takes two years to build a ship, two hundred to build a tradition.
The early move into Amboina was the only really risky operation for Mogami but he weathered it well. An ABDA cruiser TF and later Force Z had the opportunity to respond as they were in the area and reacted to the Japanese move, with a series of night battles resulting over a couple of evenings. The ABDA did well in these battles, only to yet again be caught by naval and land based air while withdrawing during the daylight hours. Strewn along the floor of the Banda Sea lie the wrecks of the British BC Repulse, the American cruisers Houston and Marblehead, and a number of old four stackers. Japan lost the same number of destroyers, thankfully some modern, the CA Kinugasa (the Prince of Wales delivered the coup de gras) and CL Kashii. The invasion force was left unscathed, with Amboina falling and the efforts of the ABDA having little effect.
Sumatra. Still controlled by the Dutch.
Remainder of the Malay Barrier remains in ABDA control but Mogami has been very conservative and intelligent regarding the use of his assets. A point of note...the bases at Amboina, Kendari, Macassar and Balikpapan have been rendered near useless by a rotating series of airstrikes by LBA in Northern OZ and Java. Very little japanese air presence there as yet.
New Guinea
Japanese have been conducting a slow and methodical advance SE along the north coast.
New Britain/New Ireland/Solomons
Japanese captured Rabaul and surrounding area in April, 42. Tulagi and Guadalcanal are currently being invaded. Rabaul was basically uncontested, with the Town class cruiser Adelaide detaching from her charge of two empty AKs to intercept a small invasion force off Buna/Lae, damaging a few lesser escorts which subsequently sank days later as their crews were too busy effing around with kendo matches rather than shoring up bulkheads and stuffing mattresses and wooden plugs into shell holes.[8|] (I sence a FRAGmentation grenade coming...[;)])
Remainder of Pacific Theatre Aside from the standard moves against Wake (captured Dec/41) and the Gilberts (captured in Jan/42), nothing special. KB, or portions of, seen near DEI but nothing in the Central Pacific.
CHINA
China is interesting as Mogami is treating me to his self professed restraint when faced with a game design oversite which could be gamed in most cases. He is basically restraining himself from crossing the rail line along the Wuchow-Homan axis. Basically a static bombardment>attack>bombardment meat grinder with some LBA ground attack thrown in for good measure. Yenen is a cesspool of dead hordes of little wee soldiers...approx half a million diminutive men are facing off here.
Submarine Campaign
The Allied submarine campaign has been generally dismal as per the historical counterpart but with one major difference. The loss of eleven subs, all to Japanese surface ASW has been quite brutal. Many have been damaged are in repair yard.
The Japanese subs have pretty much stayed within range of their LBA, which is wise as this point in the war as they can hunt fleeing vessels from threatened areas while remaining safe from any dedicated Allied ASW. Four Iboats have been lost, two off the west coast of US and two attempting to lay mines in the Indian Ocean area.
I'll start a more regular posting now that we are organized and heading into less travelled periods of the game to date. Opening months were getting to be dull as restart after restart prohibitted progress.
