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Yet another war in the Pacific!

Our new game is under 1.5 with CHS (which I am very impressed by; kudos to the CHS guys). We're doing one-day turns this round, with sub doctrines off.

House Rules
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No HQ changes until 1st Jan 1942.
No Kwantung Area Army LCUs in China.
No China Command LCUs in Burma.
No Japanese surface ships to move adjacent to the "grey areas" around Middle East/Panama.
No Allied air units to be air transferred out of Middle East/Panama, they must go by sea.

===========

Here we go!

12/7/41

India/Burma: A self-imposed house rule - I moved no units here on the first day, and of course there was no action. My main goals for this theatre at the moment are building up bases, evacuating oil from Sumatra, and airlifting my Chinese hordes to India. One Squadron of the AVG has moved to Chungking from Mandalay, where the other two will stay for now.

Malaya: Immediately I begin pulling back from Kota Bharu to more defensible areas - I plan to make stands at Kuala Lumpur, Kuantan, Johore Bahru, Mersing, and finally Singapore. I'll also try to save at least fragments of units towards the end of the campaign if I can.

The RAF hits nothing today and has a lot of planes damaged, but Cruft's Nells do not raid Singapore, which is good for me. My bombers are set to bomb at high altitudes right now. After their XP jumps a bit, I'll bring them down to 7000 feet.

PoW and the main part of Force Z are still in harbor, but Repulse and her two destroyers have turned south, heading for Soerabaja. I want to see what kind of mischief I can do in the DEI before he gets his LBA network set up.

China/Hong Kong: No movement in China yet - I will start issuing orders this coming turn. I plan to consolidate my Chinese, abandoning exposed cities if necessary.

Hong Kong was raided by Sallies, who did pretty well and hit DDs Thanet and Thracian, a PT boat and an AK with bombs. It's going to be even more difficult to sneak these guys out now.

PI: Clark Field is hammered, as usual. The P-40Es at Manila are itching for a fight.
Once January 1st rolls around, I'll begin evacuating what's left of my airgroups into the DEI. The B-17s at Davao actually hit something with their bombs, though unfortunately it was not Ryujo - instead they hit a MSW with a 500 pound bomb. Hey, a victory is a victory, right?

I haven't released the subs at Manila yet - will do tomorrow. (The reason I haven't done a few things is to simulate the initial shock of the war and give Japan a slight headstart.) A few of the Filipino AKs in the outlying islands are busy sucking them dry of supplies to take to Manila. Most of the shipping hasn't moved yet, however - I bet he'll try and take out as many fleeing ships as he can in the first week or so of the war. I'll run them out after he's left.

Ground forces-wise, I'm pulling back to Clark Field and San Marcelino, where I'll try and fight the main battle before ending things at Manila. Forts are building. He's landed at Aparri, Vigan, and Legaspi, as per usual.

DEI: No air action or early landings, which is nice. Shifted some air units around but not many - moved some Martins into Palembang, that's about it. Bracing, bracing..

All my naval forces in the area are heading for Soerabaja - including Marblehead, Boise, Houston, and the US ships. Hopefully I can hurt him a little when I throw Force Z into the mix. I also have Australian and French ships (A CA, 2 CLs and 2 DDs) heading for Darwin, then Amboina. I'll probably pull them out rather quickly though.

I'm very interested in evacuating oil from here to Australia (more supply for me!) so I've been shuttling around AKs as well. I'm especially interested in draining Palembang dry.

Ground forces-wise, no movement yet.

SWPAC: Nothing yet.

SOPAC: Again, nothing - I've marked my bases, though.

CENTPAC: Pearl Harbor went alright for me, I think! Every BB is damaged, but none have been sunk, and all are repairable. I don't know if he'll stick around for a second day or not, but if he doesn't, I'll have come out of this pretty well.

Other than this, no changes until next turn, except for some sub re-arranging.

Other Theatres: No action.

======

I just got the next turn in my mail. Here are some screenshots real quick!

12/8/41

India/Burma: Loaded up the 3rd Carabineers in Karachi and sent it off to Burma. I have lots of tanks but not much good infantry.. Can't wait for the 18th UK Div.

Shuffled some units around in Burma and started working on forts. I'm going to abandon Rangoon, as usual, once the IJA gets close.

No real action here this turn, though.

Malaya: Looks like most of the Japanese 18th division has landed - we're leaving Kota Bharu. My Blenheims and Hudsons are still ineffective.

China/Hong Kong: I issued my initial orders in China, and units are moving all over the place. My initial objective in this game is to hold Chungking, if I can. (We'll see about that.) No combat here, yet.

In Hong Kong, IJA 38th Division arrives and begins bombardments. Hong Kong's fort level in CHS is 50 (!) so it should last a while.

The Phillipines: All my subs leave Manila harbor. I think I've chosen some pretty good patrol lines - lets see how they do.

I've put the P-40Es in Manila on Naval Attack, so hopefully they can rack up experience and do damage strafing ships.

He captures Legaspi, Vigan, and Appari this turn - 48th Div and an SNLF participate. Hopefully I can get into position before he gets too far.

Navally, I have two groups of AKs + misc ships heading to Batavia via Palembang, and the four US destroyers that start at Manila heading by the same route. It seems safer going across the northern edge of Borneo than south.

The two mostly complete B-17 groups in Mindanao have split up, one going to Darwin, the other north to Clark..

Finally, Betties from Formosa and Kates from Ryujo participate in the sinking or damaging of about 4 AKs. The first of the many!

DEI: Not much change - beginning an intensive minelaying campaign. Which can't continue until Soerabaja reaches a higher port level, or I bring in an MLE (I am attempting both). Palembang, Batavia, Kragen, Tarakan, Tarakan, and Bali are on the list of targets.

One thing I have done in previous games is pull 1 NEIAF Aviation back from Batavia to Bandoeng, and stage aircraft from there. Bandoeng is inland and thus safe from bombardments, while Batavia is totally exposed. I'll leave my ground troops in Batavia for the most part, though - it's still better to try and fight it out at the beachhead.

SWPAC: No action.

SOPAC: No action.

CENTPAC: Guam and Wake fall, argh. Wake I was hoping would hold out, but it was not to be. Coastal guns at Wake did good damage to two IJN DDs, though.

I also lost an AK near Pearl to an I-boat - four torpedoes ripped into it and sent it to the bottom quickly. The Kido Butai vanished, but it could be nearby - I'm not sending out any ASW ships until I'm sure the KB is gone.\

Oh yes, my two CVs should be in range of Wake by next turn. We'll hit them a little bit, then head back to the West Coast, skirting Pearl to avoid his subs.

Gah! Cruft already has five times as many views! What am I doing wrong, people? [;)][:D]

Yet another day with no signiifcant damage inflicted on the crafty Jap..

12/9/41

India/Burma: No real change.

China/Hong Kong: Again, no combat for China. Bombardments in Hong Kong continue - IJA 38th division is reinforced by several artillery units.

Malaya: Everything but the FMSV Brigade makes it out of Kota Bharu before IJA 18th Division, with 20,000 men unloaded, deliberate attacks and captures the base. FMSV Brigade is forced to retreat, but all other units are on their way to Kuantan with minimal disruption and okay morale. FMSV will follow.

Blenheims and Hudsons still can't hit anything.

Prince of Wales and other remaining combat ships at Singapore headed south for Soerabaja this turn, while other ships headed north for Ceylon and India. I don't trust the Buffalo CAP to protect what I have there. (I get some LCVPs in CHS.. what should I do with them?) I've left enough ships to carry an AIF brigade to Palembang.

The Philippines: He catches another batch of AKs - two run straight into a small surface force at Cagayan and are promptly sunk, while others are attacked by Ryujo's Kates or Petes and Jakes from CS Mizuho.

My P-40Es at Manila don't hit anything today, but at least they're trying, right?

The 4th Marines Regiment will join an AIF brigade from Malaya at Palembang. I want to destroy as much of the oil I can in the fighting. Or at least force him to commit more to Sumatra than usual.

DEI: Still no action.. the ABDA flotilla still assembling at Soerabaja. Oh, I have Gull Force and an independent company of Aussies heading north to Amboina. Minelaying efforts are also going smoothly.

SWPAC: No movement, no action - going to bring some Wirraways into Port Moresby in lieu of any good fighters right now. Oh, I have an EAB on the west coast earmarked for PM. It's going to be a long trip - I'm sending the transports through Panama in order to avoid his subs, at least until January or so, when I feel safe enough to put out some ASW.

SOPAC: Nuffin'.

CENTPAC: An AD sunk at Pearl today, argh - valuable ships. I still haven't spotted the Kido Butai, which worries me a lot. Nobody's moving until then.

For some reason my CVs didn't attack at Wake. Oh well - I suppose it's better in the long run if their location remains a mystery to him. They're heading straight from the vicinity of Wake to San Francisco. I'm not going to risk my CVs like last game, at least not until April or so.. unless he does something really drastic.

NORTHPAC: Main base in this theatre will be Dutch Harbor. I'm building up the airbase there - an EAB is on the way from Anchorage, and a squad of Tomahawks is being shipped from Seattle.

If Cruft allows me I'll establish a submarine base at Attu or Kiska later in the game, but that's the extent of my planned action here.

======

Here's a screenshot of the PI situation. The noted task force is Ryujo and sundry.



Amusing side note. I forgot about the AP President Harrison in CHS, and look how far it got without even being spotted!

A quiet day - the weather kept most of our AC stuck on the ground.

12/10/42

India/Burma: No action.. another tank unit on its way to Chandpur from Karachi.

Malaya: He bombards Kuantan to no effect but other than that no action. Oh, the 27th Brigade AIF has boarded its transports and is now on its way to Palembang.

China/Hong Kong: In China I move my air units forward and set some bombers to attack missions.. still no ground combat yet. Except for Hong Kong, where he deliberate attacks and takes down a fort level after a peppering by Sallies.

The ships in Hong Kong harbor are scattering all over the place, heading for Borneo, then Java - probably I'll lose some to Nells next turn, but they're split up so much and taking different routes that at least some will get through.

The MTBs at Hong Kong, however, don't have the range to make it to Borneo, so they popped up at Pescadores today. It looked like a nice target, but unfortunately one of them hit a mine, which caused the whole group to retreat. Oh well - they probably would have gotten slaughtered, anyways. I'll try again later.

The Philippines: No air action, again due to the weather. Which means no sunk ships for me - it looks like all the surface ships will make it out. 4th Marines is halfway to Manila.

I have the B-17s at Clark (about 8 total, with 2 or 3 each in 3 seperate squadrons) set to attack his airbase at.. is it Vigan? Anyways, an airfield icon popped up, so we'll give it a try.

Oh yes, and there are like 30 sub attacks by Glens, Nells, et al this turn, as they deploy. No hits.

DEI: Uhm.. nothing here.. shuffled around a few more air units - we detected a sub north of Batavia, so I moved some ASW into that base. Gull Force is unloading at Amboina. Not sure if I want to commit Sparrow Force anywhere. Maybe I'll bring it up to Amboina too.

SWPAC: No action.

SOPAC: No action.

CENTPAC: No action.. I sent out Coast Artillery and AA regiments out from the West Coast this turn, though, heading for Christmas and Palmyra Islands. The air units at Pearl are slowly rebuilding.

NORTHPAC: Nope, nothing, sorry!

======

All in all, not much happened. Tomorrow the war will probably restart in earnest.

Finally a CHS AAR!!! Looking forward to it!!! [:)]

Thanks Tanaka! Hope I'm doing well..

12/11/41

Another quiet, quiet day.

India/Burma: Nothing nothing.

Malaya: More fish killed by Hudsons and Blenheims. I'm setting some of them on ASW for a nice break. An air raid on Alor Star airfield, which has already been abandoned.

China/Hong Kong: He bombards Pakhoi with two destroyers for some reason.. I've already abandoned that particular city as it is too exposed. Forts at Hong Kong go down another level, too. Looks like HK will go under before the historical date.

The refugee-ships take several torpedoes, with ML Redstart going down immediately and an AK being forced to scuttle. However, most of them are all right and still on their way to their various destinations. I'm surprised!

The Philippines: Warhawks launch themselves at a transport convoy north of Luzon - APDs, looks like - and all miss.

4th Marines loads up onto their transports and will set out for Palembang tomorrow. I can't wait to see his surprise when he runs into Aussies and Marines there..

Oh yes, his CVL group appears to have left the Mindanao area. I'm running transports out of Naga and Davao now.

DEI: I-155 slams a torpedo into AK Kampar. I.. think I had to scuttle her, but I honestly don't remember. Kampar was on the way to Kuching to evacuate more of the base force there.

Other Theatres: Nothing, nada, zilch.

I have the next turn.. running it now.

IJN cruisers intercept shipping fleeing from Hong Kong.

12/12/41

India/Burma: 44th Indian Brigade from Diamond Harbor loads up for Trincomalee.

Malaya: Utterly nothing today.

China/Hong Kong: The Japanese bring the forts at Hong Kong to 6.

Nells from Saigon and a surface combat task force (2 CAs, 3 CLs, 5 DDs) take out 4 AKs and PG Moth this turn.

Philippines: I've decided that defending San Marcelino would have been bad. I need to concentrate my forces. I still have time to remedy the error, so they're heading to Clark.

DEI: I must not have scuttled Kampar because it takes another 3 torpedoes this turn and sinks. Poop.

Other Theatres: Maryland, Oklahoma, Arizona and West Virginia set out from Pearl for San Francisco with heavy ASW escort. All of these ships have their FLT at 0 and SYS between 40 and 20. I can get these guys repaired relatively quick.

======

Yawn. This "caution" thing sure is boring. ;p

Don't worry Cruft will find a way to make things more interesting soon.

I am waiting for a turn to play before I post to my AAR, so I am dropping by and adding useless comments. But at least you have an audience, even if I did bring rotten tomatos[:'(]

I am looking forward to this one, the CHS aspect does make it more interesting.

Thanks Tom! Even if only a few people are reading this, it's still fun for me.
I'm definitely enjoying CHS. I especially like the squadron-splitting.. tomatoes are welcome! [:D]

We can all rely on Cruft to throw in some carnage somewhere.

12/13/41

India/Burma: Sending RAF aircraft north to Rangoon, then further into Burma while I still can.. I have a pretty clear idea of how I'm going to defend with the new CHS map. More on this when he invades.

Malaya: Two Dutch subs off the coast of Malaya (near Kota Bharu) are depth-charged by what I think is a retreating bombardment group this turn. One is almost sure to sink, the other -might- make it.. both are heading towards Singapore.

China/Hong Kong: Hong Kong forts are 5 now. Sheesh..

Oh yes, more Hong Kong ships sunk by Saigon Nells.

PI: The Warhawks put a bomb into an AP today.. better than nothing. Some of my aircraft are shot down when they try to attack a TF CAPed by the Saburo, Nishizawa and Ota's Daitai. Ouch.

Also, tentative bombardment attack at Naga. My two low-experienced reserve divisions are outnumbered 2-1 by the Japanese. I send in an RCT and the Provisional Artillery to help. If something doesn't develop in northern Luzon soon, I may dispatch more to help hold here at Naga.

DEI: I-154 gets blooded this time, putting 4 torpedoes into AK Dayak, evacuating part of the RN base force from Kuching. It sinks immediately.

The Fleet has more-or-less formed in Soerabaja. I'll have one task force ready to pounce on an invasion of Kuching or southern Sumatra, while another will wait in Balikpapan for a move on Mindanao. Hopefully I can catch him in a surface battle without air cover.

All other theatres: No action.

=====

Running the next turn now!

An action-packed day!

India/Burma: One of his units is one hex from Tavoy.. I'm using it for Blenheim target practice.

China/Hong Kong: For once the Japanese are held back at Hong Kong, yay!

I sent out the MTBs again this turn, this time heading for Tainan (he put everything that was at Pescadores in port). I also put an aggressive commander in charge. Let's see how it goes.

Malaya: He continues smashing up the airfield at Georgetown with Sallies, including a night attack by 27 of them, but the most interesting thing that happened here today was his bombardment of Kuantan with Kongo and Haruna. It didn't come off too well and left him exposed to 3 wings of British aircraft. A Swordfish smacks a torpedo into Kongo, setting it on fire. It's not going to sink but yay anyways! Stringbags rock.

I-121 sank in Saigon today, too. (It was caught by British DDs a while back.) Hey, I've managed to sink something!

Also, Victoria Point falls, with no opposition on my part. C'est la vie.

The Philippines: My P-40Es and B-17s put bombs in 3 transports this turn, but several P-40Es and 2 B-17s are gunned down in the process.

As this is happening, he hits Clark again with massed Betties and Zeroes, knocking down most of the aircraft on CAP and bringing airfield and service damage to roughly 50.

Next turn I have basically every fighter their on CAP. Hopefully I can inflict some damage with 30 or so P-40Es.

DEI: No action again.. moved up some Hawks to Palembang.

CENTPAC: Kido Butai shows up about 7 hexes northeast of Canton Island and obliterates CA Louisville. One AP is sunk and another damaged, as well. The strikes came out weird - one was unescorted, and another was entirely composed of Zeroes!
Methinks Admiral Nagumo needs to work on his organization. Still sunk my ships though.

Also of note - Enterprise and Lexington will reach the West Coast in the next few turns. With KB far south of Pearl, I can at least know that they're safe. Unless they get torpedoed, which is a distinct possibility. (Glens have been spotting things off San Francisco..)

Other Theatres: No action.

Here's a quick screen to show you what I'm talking about in CHS context.

Special picture post day!!

12/15/41

India/Burma: Again, no action.. wondered what the hell to do with my Lysanders. Looking at the map, I decided to put them on Naval Search at Diamond Harbor. Maybe they'll find a sub or something. [:'(]

Oh, I mined Port Blair in the Andaman Islands.. 490 mines await Cruft's delicate transports.

China/Hong Kong: Japan bombards at Hong Kong this time, no deliberate attacks. Still no action in China.. I've given my bombers orders, but they don't seem to want to fly. Morale, whatever, I'm in no hurry.

My MTBs haven't made it there yet - they'll get there next turn.

Malaya: No action here.. although Japanese troops continue to advance towards Kuantan. My two damaged Dutch subs just might make it to Singapore.. oh yes, and I evacuated W Flight (RAF) to Mandalay with its surviving two Wirraways.

The Philippines: Good day today! My PT boats successfully hit Legaspi, sinking one APD for sure and heavily damaging another. They're already on their way back to Manila.

The B-17s and P-40Es score more bomb hits on transports, but the P-40s are much less effective. I'm putting about 2/3rds of them back on CAP over Clark. Not to say that the strikes won't continue, though.

IJA 16th Division deliberate attacks at Naga and is repulsed strongly! My reinforcements - the US RCT and Provisional Artillery - made it in time. The 194th Armored and two Philippine Scouts units (one infantry, one cavalry) are heading to reinforce.

I need to be careful not to leave Clark too weak, though. He took undefended Lingayen today with nearly 18,000 troops. Eek.

Oh yes - several new TFs appear heading south off the east coast of Luzon, and he begins reconning Davao with floatplanes from what appears to be a cruiser force. I think Davao is next. More on this in the DEI section.

DEI: Argh. Argh argh argh. I hate I-boats! They're all over the place in between Borneo and Sumatra and they are causing me great annoyance.

I-157 starts by putting a torpedo into AO Trinity early in the morning of the 17th. Then I-155 hits MLE Prome with a torpedo. Then I-166 hits Trinity with 2 MORE torpedos, causing it to sink, and I-155 hits Prome with another 2! It sinks as well.

Trinity wasn't really important, but Prome is my only MLE in the entire Pacific theatre. I've had it heading down from Columbo since the beginning of the game. Wah!

In response, I've set most of the aircraft in the area to ASW duty, and formed 3 ASW task forces at Soerabaja, heading north immediately to the hexes where the attacks were reported. Time to sink me some subs.

Nells from Saigon scored once again - this time they took out an AP and its escorting PG. They were transporting a part of the 4th Marines (a relatively small part, though).

This worries me. I could lose even more troops tomorrow.

Other big news in this theatre today is recon of Kuching by a floatplane to the north - looks like cruisers and troop transports. I think this is the invasion TF for Kuching, and I think I can pull off an interception of it if I react quickly.

I also am going to attempt to respond to what I think is the Davao invasion force. Here's the plan:

Prince of Wales and Repulse, along with a mixture of Dutch and British CLs and DDs, are on their way to Balikpapan, where they will refuel. Then they will head to a point roughly between Tarakan and Davao. If the TF spotted is indeed an invasion TF, we will sortie under cover of Brewsters from Tarakan and (possibly) P-40Es flying LRCAP from Mindanao. Hopefully we can inflict some damage.

To deal with Kuching, I've assembled a force led by CAs Houston and Exeter, along with Marblehead, Boise, and American and Dutch destroyers. They are heading north to Singkawang. Again, if the enemy TF really is heading for Kuching, we'll move to intercept, under cover of Brewsters from western Borneo.

That's the plan for now.

SWPAC: No action..

SOPAC: No action.

CENTPAC: Where'd the friggin' Kido Butai go? Agh! Panic!

I'm going to have to be extremely careful sending ships through to SWPAC/SOPAC. I have search planes (Catalinas and Coronados) at Canton and Christmas Islands, respectively. But not enough coverage at all - I didn't even get a single sighting today. Hrmph.

Other Theatres: No action.

=====

Picture: Situation in the South China Sea Area, 12/15/41



1 - Enemy task force heading towards Kuching.
2 - Allied transports carrying most of the 4th Marines to Palembang.
3 - Nells here have sunk many, many ships in the past few days.
4 - Kuala Lumpur is my main defensive position in Western Malaya.
5 - Kuantan is my main defensive position in the East. It was also the site of Haruna's torpedoing yesterday.
6 - Palembang has 12 Hawks, a group of Martins, an Australian brigade and about 500 mines now.
7 - I-Boat Alley. MLE Prome and AO Trinity were sunk here just today. At least 4 I-boats are operating in this area.
8 - Two damaged Dutch subs, limping to Singapore.
9 - Prome was torpedoed here. Her PG escort is jigging one hex to the east, hoping to catch an I-boat.

I absolutely love the look of the CHS mod , I had no idea it was this good, also the map is wonderful you can actually see the correct terrain.

One quick and probably dumb question. Is the CHS map AI friendly as I'd like to do a PBEM with this but qould prefer to play a few months vs the AI to get a handle on the changes and new/differant units.

And to whomever made the mod and/or contibuted [&o][&o] plus several 'virtual' beers

Oh by the way , nice AAR

Rob: It does indeed work with the AI! Although apparently it's inconsistent. Some people have reported problems, others that it has worked fine. IMHO, it works just as well as in the original game - which admittedly isn't saying much [;)]

Thanks for the compliment, btw!

12/16/41

India/Burma: Still no action as of yet. IJA 55th Division still almost to Tavoy.

I really need some Dakotas in this theatre so I can bring in the Chinese. I'm not going to march them overland.

China/Hong Kong: Still no action in China. Hong Kong.. messy.

The MTBs arrive at Takao and are greeted by 3 DDs and 3 PGs. I lose 3 MTBs and retreat, am intercepted by 4 more DDs and lose another MTB, get strafed and bombed by Anns and lose another MTB (bringing the total down to two) and then lose the last two to yet another DD taskforce. Geez - he really doesn't like my MTBs.. all gone now.

I did manage to put a torpedos into a DD and PG, though, so hey.

Malaya: No real action this turn.

The Philippines: He hits Clark Field again with Betties and Nells - a lot of the P-40Es I had on CAP run away (morale is in the 20s for some groups). Damage isn't as bad as the earlier raid, but still nasty.

I move the P-40Es at Manila south to Cagayan in expectation that I will need to provide air cover for PoW and Repulse. Speaking of - the task force I spoke of earlier is only a few hexes from Davao. My response will be late, but they're hurrying as fast as they can.

My B-17s and a few P-40Es still launch for naval attacks and score a few hits but I really need to defend Clark. This time I have every fighter in Luzon set to 90% CAP. They'll probably all run away or get shot down but I need Clark operational. Manila is too small and Cagayan has very little aviation support. We'll see how it goes.. hopefully I'll still have something to evacuate come January. [:'(]

DEI: His TF is definitely headed to Kuching. All bombers in range are set to Naval Attack and the Houston/Exeter force heads for Kuching at full speed.

The 4th Marines convoys are strung out only a hex to the east. I hope that they don't run into each other.. that would be a disaster.

Also, yet another AK goes to to the I-boats. Arrghh.. my ASW forces are about halfway there. It'll be interesting to see if CHS has reduced Allied uber-ASW appreciably.. but I wish they hadn't now. [;)]

SOPAC: Nauru Island falls to an NLF. I wonder why he hasn't taken Tarawa yet..

CENTPAC: I-boat off the west coast torpedoes an AK carrying parts of an AA unit to Palmyra. The majority of it is saved by the other members of the TF, though, and they continue on.

Japanese subs seem to be much more effective in CHS! This is very good.

Other Theatres: No action.

ORIGINAL: Rob Brennan UK

I absolutely love the look of the CHS mod , I had no idea it was this good, also the map is wonderful you can actually see the correct terrain.

One quick and probably dumb question. Is the CHS map AI friendly as I'd like to do a PBEM with this but qould prefer to play a few months vs the AI to get a handle on the changes and new/differant units.

And to whomever made the mod and/or contibuted [&o][&o] plus several 'virtual' beers

Oh by the way , nice AAR

Its not just the look of the CHS that makes it great but the entire scenario OOB and map details are as historically correct as possible. Also they have tried to correct most mistakes from map flaws all the way down to duplicate commanders. If people only knew how much work these guys have put into this mod everyone would be playing it!!! I would not play WITP any other way!!! I have run an AI vs AI CHS 1.5 game and the Japanese AI has captured everything it did historically and more...so I have seen no problems with the AI at all...

ORIGINAL: Tanaka
If people only knew how much work these guys have put into this mod everyone would be playing it!!! I would not play WITP any other way!!!

I'm afraid you are wrong there. While I appreciate the effort, this mod was made for people who do not think the game is already big enough. Braggin about this being a micro-manager's wet-dream is not something that is going to attract me at all. I would like a game to be historically accurate as possible. But I would also like it to be playable by people who do not want to devote their lives to it.

Cap_and_gown: It fixes problems with the original scenario, makes a few things more intuitive, and adds some details that were lacking in the original. No more than that. [:)] It's just as insanely complex as the original WitP.

In any case..

12/17/41

India/Burma: Sent off another Indian division to Akyab from Bombay. India is to be protected by divisional-equivalent groups at Madras, Diamond Harbor, and Chandpur - plus a reserve inland somewhere.

Burma is going to be hard to defend against IJA divisions.. I really have nothing there that can hold him back. Most likely I'll run a fighting retreat back to the Indian border. It depends on how much force he applies.

China/Hong Kong: Some IL-4s launch for once!

Hong Kong, surprisingly, falls. The garrison didn't seem in danger of surrender yesterday.. oh well, it had to happen sometime. At least I got rid of all the MTBs before it happened. ;p

Malaya: No action here yet. Forces in the West are retreating in good order to Kuala Lumpur.

(Has anybody else seen the Weebl animation with Kuala Lumpur in it? That's the main reason I decided to make a stand there.. [;)] )

I also moved B-17Es from Darwin to Singapore and put them on Naval Attack. They'll probably end up at Darwin again later but I might as well bomb them while I can.

DEI: The Nells from Saigon strike again! They catch tbe Exeter/Houston TF at Pontianak, putting a torpedo into Houston. Houston has about 27 sys damage but zero (!) float damage. I'm retiring to Tjilitjap - I underestimated the Nells' range once again. Kuching will in all likelihood fall next turn. Hopefully my Martins will fly. (Heavy Precipitation this turn kept all my stuff on the ground.)

Prince of Wales and Repulse should be off Davao tomorrow. It looks like his TF is heading back northeast but I'll head there anyways, under heavy CAP. If I find nothing, which I think is pretty likely, we'll head to Kendari. Lots of fuel there.

Oh yes, I-166 took two depth charges today. The first of the many. [:D]

The Philippines: Naga looks like it might actually hold for a while - 20,000 troops to his 30,000, and more of mine on the way. [:)] Oh yes, San Marcelino will fall next turn. The only reason it didn't this turn is that the PAF Base Force that is there acquired a radar that turned it into a static base force (?!), so I can't move it. Cruft is being nice and moving it for me. ;p

For some reason forts at Clark aren't building.. hrmph. I have like 80 engineers there.

Sargo, a few hexes off Japan, scores my first successful sub attack today! AK Nitti Maru sinks under heavy gunfire (cargo was fuel).

CENTPAC: No sign of the KB still. Also, I've run out of ASW escorts on the West Coast.. going to have to be verrrry careful.

Other Theatres: No action.

Reinforcements: 27th Division (US) arrives for Central Pacific soon. Palmyra is probably going to be the destination.

======

Well blah. Stupid Nells. *pout*

It's been a few days since I ran this turn, so it'll be a little rough.

12/18/41

Burma/India: No action.

China: No action.

Malaya: He took Alor Star (undefended).

The Philippines: On Luzon, San Marcelino is about to fall. At Naga he bombards pretty effectively.

South, the PoW and Repulse are very near Davao. Screenshot below.

DEI: I-157 is presumed sunk (4 depth charges) at the expense of a torpedo into DD Express. Express should be fine.

Many Martins are damaged and hit nothing attacking his cover TF at Kuching.

CENTPAC: SS Cachalot sights what appears to be the KB and her replenishment group heading for Kwajalein. See screenshot below..

Other Theatres: No action.

Sorry I'm a bit terse today. Here are some screenshots to tide you over. [:)]

I'm skipping the 19th! Nothing much happened. Here's the 20th, which was quite fun.

12/20/41

India/Burma: Nates aren't crap anywhere! He has a group on CAP over his advancing 55th division. They've been tearing up my Buffaloes and Blenheims pretty badly - morale is in the 30s. I'm putting the Blenheims off ground attack and after all their planes are repaired, pulling them back to Mandalay. Then a group of the AVG will move in. Let's see how his Nateys do then. [;)]

China: I ordered a sweep by an AVG squadron for tomorrow. I don't remember which base they're stationed at or what they're attacking, but hey! Sweep! [8|]

Malaya: I have about 250 assault points in Kuala Lumpur and around 150 in Kuantan right now, with reserves farther south in Johore Bahru, Mersing, and Singapore itself. I'm sure he'll arrive at Kuantan soon.

All in all, though, no action today, except for a raid by Hudsons on Cruft's cruiser force north of Kuching. No bomb hits, of course.

The Philippines: More bombardments at Naga on the ground.. no combat in northern Luzon today. Davao, though, was the scene of a lot of action..

Force Z arrived at night to run straight into Cruft's cover/bombardment force of cruisers (Myoko, Aoba, Kinugasa, Furutaka, and 4 DDs). For being a night battle versus the IJN, I came out of it very well! Myoko is smashed under the water by 14in fire from Prince of Wales, and Repulse gets several heavy shells into Kinugasa, heavily damaging (possibly sinking?) her. Aoba is also damaged, Furutaka is untouched, and it looks like 2 IJN DDs are in danger of sinking, as well. It's a long trip to Palau.. maybe Kinugasa will sink as well. That would be excellent.

Force Z gets in among the transports but their escort (CL Nagara + 4 DDs) performs brilliantly, hurting me more than the 4 cruisers did. We do essentially zero damage to the transports and their cargo, the 56th Brigade, unloads successfully. However, Cruft informs me that they've been landed with almost no supplies.. [:D] Not my fault, but still good. Davao's ground troops (101st Reserve Division) won't last any longer than 56th Brigade is ineffective.

Anyways, CL Tromp, DD Electra, and DD Van Ghent are destroyed by Japanese gunfire, in exchange for sinking CA Myoko, damaging 2 other CAs and a CL, and sinking 2 DDs. Pretty fair, I think.

Of course, Ryujo was nearby and launched two waves of Kates, Zeroes, and Claudes. (Too many AC for one CVL.. maybe another carrier has joined him? What does he have around there in December, Hosho? Zuiho?) The first wave sends DD Van Ghent (already heavily damaged) to the bottom. The second wave gets pretty beaten up by Force Z's flak but puts 2 torpedos into Repulse. Ouch. Repulse has about 40 float damage and can make 15 knots. She -might- be able to make it to Tarakan, maybe. I have Brewsters from Tarakan on LRCAP over her, too, so maybe that will slow him down at least (assuming he launches).

It looks like Ryujo and friends are heading northeast to try and finish Repulse off, which they very likely will do. Everyone is fleeing for Tarakan, where we will rest. Then the damaged ships go to Soerabaja and the rest head for Kendari.

My P-40Es on LRCAP were rained out today, or else they might have saved Repulse from getting hit. C'est la vie - I have them set on naval attack next turn. Maybe we can hit some of the transports.

Overall, though, a successful day - maybe, with a little luck, I can even save Repulse. It's off to Colombo for her if I can.

DEI: He bombarded Singkawang with 5 CAs + 4 DDs to little effect. Base is still fine.

Other than that, no action. I haven't spotted any subs in a few days.. pulling back some ASW groups.

Oh yes. It looks like his covering force has left Kuching. 4 American DDs are going to bombard Kuching and get out for the hell of it. Hopefully his Nells don't notice me..

Other Theatres: No action. I'm afraid to send anything else out of the West Coast with the KB still at large.. I have lots of aircraft that need to go, though. Hrmph.

Picture: Night Battle at Davao: Force Z versus IJN, December 20th, 1941