May / June 1942 - Operation Sey-Go
The Japanese Imperial Command, in their expansion fever, ontop of still conquering undended ports and whatnot in the isles of the Pacific without facing opposition, deemed favorable to secure the Seychelles - that pesky unsinkable aircraft carrier of the Brits.
The arcipelagus was manned with an Indian TER (2-4) and the fat presence of 4 FTR2; the Japanese had already all their carriers except one in the zone, and enough shore bombing. Their marines were dispatched - alas one of them in an AMPH unescorted in a sea zone (4 movement points, a constrain of the AMPH that started the game) south of Ceylon. The other, modern TPS with 5 movement points was produced later on, and could move in the Arabian Sea, under the heavy escort of 50 ships and planes among Italians and Japanese.
The Japanese launched bombers to force the CW Fighters to take off and fight, or be bombed on the ground. Which happened and the Japanese lost 2 Carrier Planes in the process. Both the bombers - but the 2 CW FTR2 with 3 range got spent and landed back in Seycheless - unable to flee later on. (Air Combats were at 0 for both sides rolling).
Once the Marines were to land - under heavy shore bombing cover and an air umbrella, the remaining CW FTR2 scrambled to intercept the waves of bombers of Japan, sending one of their FTRs as a bomber themselves. This time the Japanese shot down the British fighter, with no meaningful losses by their side, and ultimately conquered the skies with their fighters letting the bombers get to the target except one that was forced back to carrier before the RAF was expelled from the aerial space. (Air Combat started +1 / -1 for Axis favor, turned -1 / +1 as the best Jap fighter got aborted and then the RAF fighter was aborted after their bomber got shot down the first round).
The ground attack did not went as smooth as expected, for the Japanese lost a MAR unit, the Imperial Guard (because it moves 3, meanwhile the other MAR albeit weaker, can move back and forth and seize the grounded FTR2 in the other isles).
The loss table would be MAR + 2 CVP (7 BPs) for Japan, against TERR + FTR2*3 + Pilot*2 (The ones grounded. Total 12 BPs for CW).
That hopefully can give some breathing space for when the Italians will be left without carrier air cover from Japan.
The UK did not sat entirely though, they sailed out with a cruiser task force, which found the lonely AMPH, and was going to sink it, but the cunning Japanese admiral managed to slip away with partial losses of its landing ships (The Brits nailed a X 2D result with their suprise points, the AMPH passed its save at the X, and then at the first D, turning aborted and not being eligible for the last D hit).
That raised to 9 BPs the losses for Japan (accounting the 2 BPs required to repair the AMPH).
Other Japanese Related Facts:
The
Siberia-Manchuria Front is entirely static by now, both sides lacking the effective power to push and go offensive. The Soviets started to remove planes, 1 LND4, from the sector to reinforce Europe.
Divisional assets finalized the conquest of Timor, Sarawak, Guadalcanal; and in New Guinea / Papua arrived Japanese units.
There are no Australians in Port Moresby.
