Nanshin! or the ramblings of Local Yokel

[Local Yokel]

Battle beneath the Pole Star – The air action

On the day following Hosogaya’s bombardment, the Japanese learn to their cost the penalty for insufficient weight of fire to suppress fully Adak’s air groups. It’s maximum effort by the defending fighters, but, damage notwithstanding, the B-25’s get through and secure hits on two of the transports unloading in Massacre Bay.

Day Air attack on Attu Island , at 91,35

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 21
N1K Rex x 5
Ki-61-Ib Tony x 11

Allied aircraft
PBY Catalina x 1
P-38G Lightning x 13

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3 Zero: 1 damaged
N1K Rex: 2 damaged
Ki-61-Ib Tony: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
PBY Catalina: 1 damaged
P-38G Lightning: 7 damaged


Day Air attack on TF, near Attu Island at 91,35

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 21
N1K Rex x 5
Ki-61-Ib Tony x 10

Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 21

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-61-Ib Tony: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 8 damaged

Japanese Ships
PG Zuiko Maru
AK Isuzu Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AK Canton Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AK Ryuko Maru
AK Bunzan Maru
AK Yamabato Maru

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 8000 feet
4 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 8000 feet
4 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 8000 feet
3 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 8000 feet
3 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 8000 feet
3 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 8000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Attu Island , at 91,35

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 17
N1K Rex x 4
Ki-61-Ib Tony x 7

Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk I x 11
P-39D Airacobra x 14
P-40E Warhawk x 17

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3 Zero: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
N1K Rex: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Kittyhawk I: 2 damaged
P-39D Airacobra: 2 destroyed, 8 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 2 destroyed, 10 damaged
Day Air attack on TF, near Attu Island at 91,35

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 16
N1K Rex x 4
Ki-61-Ib Tony x 7

Allied aircraft
B-26B Marauder x 3

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-26B Marauder: 3 damaged

Japanese Ships
AK Jinmu Maru

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x B-26B Marauder bombing at 8000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF, near Attu Island at 91,35

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 16
N1K Rex x 4
Ki-61-Ib Tony x 7

Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-61-Ib Tony: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
APD Patrol Boat No. 35
DD Asagao

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 8000 feet
3 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 8000 feet

The Japanese mount a minor strike on Amchitka at low level. It catches no aircraft on the ground, but provides the opportunity for a low level pass by a command reconnaissance plane. Interestingly, the strike is unopposed:

Day Air attack on Amchitka Island , at 94,37

Japanese aircraft
Ki-61-Ib Tony x 6
Ki-49 Helen x 7
Ki-46-II Dinah x 1

Allied aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-49 Helen: 7 damaged
Ki-46-II Dinah: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses


Allied ground losses:
10 casualties reported

Runway hits 3

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x Ki-49 Helen attacking at 100 feet
4 x Ki-49 Helen attacking at 100 feet

By the afternoon of 7 March Hosogaya’s and Onishi’s ships stand 350 miles south of Adak: they are back at the point of departure for their attack run. And now comes a surprising development. A Type 0 Reconnaissance Seaplane from Mogami, attached to Yamaguchi’s carrier group, locates two Allied ships a mere 60 miles west of the returning strike forces – the opposing naval groups must have passed within a few miles of each other on opposite courses during the night! Possibly a fundamental error was made in response to the sighting of the strike forces on the previous day, and that this was interpreted as a submarine sighting the Americans now seek to counter by despatch of an ASW group. Or perhaps they are merely regarded as expendable.

Whatever the explanation, Yamaguchi orders his strike aircraft aloft. Junyo’s and Ryujo’s Type 97’s fly torpedo strike against the sighting, followed up by Junyo’s Suisei on their first combat mission – in vain, as it turns out, because the Type 97’s have left them without a target:

Day Air attack on TF at 96,44

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 43
B5N2 Kate x 36

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 8 damaged

Allied Ships
PG Charleston, Torpedo hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
PG Haida, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
1 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 96,44

Japanese aircraft
D4Y Judy x 17
A6M3a Zero x 9

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
PG Haida, on fire, heavy damage
PG Charleston, on fire, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
8 x D4Y Judy bombing at 2000 feet
9 x D4Y Judy bombing at 2000 feet

[Local Yokel]

Battle beneath the Pole Star – postscript.

During the night of 7 March 1943 the Americans mount a vigorous torpedo boat attack upon Japanese shipping at Attu, though not before two of the attackers are lost to the island’s defensive minefields. Fortunately for the Japanese, the PT boats only find Yanagigawa, but the US naval force makes no mistake in securing her demise by sinking three torpedoes into her side:

03/07/43
Night Time Surface Combat, near Attu Island at 91,35
Japanese Ships
AK Yanagigawa, Shell hits 8, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
Allied Ships
PT PT-44
PT PT-45
PT PT-46
PT PT-47
PT PT-48
PT PT-59

Notwithstanding Hosgaya’s failure to suppress the enemy airfields on Adak, the Japanese fighters defending the Attu airspace generally give a good account of themselves and take some of the sting out of Allied attacks on the Japanese ships discharging cargo in Massacre Bay. Nevertheless, on 7 March the smoke rising from Canton Maru, struck during the previous day’s attack, serves as a magnet for the attacking bombers. She receives a further hit, but the enemy’s real fury is vented on patrol boat Zuiko Maru, the sole escort for the slow Attu relief convoy. Zuiko Maru takes six bombs: more than enough to send her beneath the bay’s cold waters:

03/07/43
Day Air attack on TF, near Attu Island at 91,35
Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 18
N1K Rex x 5
Ki-61-Ib Tony x 9
Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 9
B-26B Marauder x 3
B-24D Liberator x 5
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3 Zero: 3 damaged
N1K Rex: 1 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 2 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged
Japanese Ships
AK Canton Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
PG Zuiko Maru, Bomb hits 6, on fire, heavy damage
AK Ryuko Maru
Aircraft Attacking:
4 x B-24D Liberator bombing at 12000 feet
3 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 8000 feet
3 x B-26B Marauder bombing at 8000 feet
3 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 8000 feet
3 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 8000 feet

Half the Allied attackers split away to bomb R Adm Imamura’s ASW group, but the escort ships are too nimble, and destroyer Asagao evades all bombs lobbed at her. The bombers return the following day. Once again Imamura’s vessels are the targets, and once again they successfully evade:

03/08/43
Day Air attack on TF, near Attu Island at 91,35
Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 16
N1K Rex x 4
Ki-61-Ib Tony x 10
Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 9
B-26B Marauder x 4
B-24D Liberator x 3
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3 Zero: 1 damaged
Ki-61-Ib Tony: 2 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 2 damaged
B-26B Marauder: 2 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 3 damaged
Japanese Ships
APD Patrol Boat No. 35
DD Asagao
PG Chokai Maru
Aircraft Attacking:
3 x B-24D Liberator bombing at 12000 feet
3 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 8000 feet
4 x B-26B Marauder bombing at 8000 feet
2 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 8000 feet
2 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 8000 feet
2 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 8000 feet

By midday on 8 March the lighter-loaded ships in the Attu slow relief convoy have already quit the anchorage, and the ships that remain have either discharged the bulk of their cargoes or lie at the bottom of the bay. With minimal stores remaining aboard, those ships still able to do so weigh anchor and steam westwards towards refuge at Paramushiro. Not a moment too soon, for the US North Pacific command has ordered submarine Herring into an intercept position that evening off Cape Wrangell, Attu’s westernmost extremity. Here, during the night of 10 March, the US boat encounters the second part of Matsurika-1-Go: a convoy of half a dozen fast and lightly laden freighters configured to unload in under a day and beat a hasty retreat. Taga Maru takes dud Mark XIV from Herring amidships. The warhead fails to detonate and the engine room watch work frantically to plug the sprung seam in her shell plating before offering up a prayer of thanks to G & J Weir & Co of Glasgow, whose bilge pumps kept the inrush of water at bay.

Later that night Herring will also have an innocuous brush with Japanese destroyers Wakaba and Kisaragi, but this only after the Japanese ships have been involved in the principal action for the night, for they are members of R.Adm. Kono’s Amchitka Raiding Group and have a pressing engagement further east.

Combined Fleet has been looking for an opportunity for Kono to do some harm, and reconnaissance reports on 9 March of Allied ships unloading at Amchitka are all the justification it needs to insert his force into Constantine Harbor.

Inbound along the island’s north shore, the Raiding Group is initially missed by the three sub-chasers deployed as a picket against such intruders. Aboard flagship Yubari, Captain Ban’s pilot intently scans the shoreline until he is confident he has identified Kirilof Point in the fitful light of a frequently obscured quarter moon. Beyond this the interior of the Harbor should become visible, with any ships it may be sheltering.

The Japanese fail to observe transport Dorothy Philips tied up and discharging at Kirilof Wharf, and they also miss Flower Class corvette HMCS Timmins, at anchor further in. Not so with guard ship SC-700, however. In answer to her challenge Wakaba quickly finds the range and sinks the sub-chaser with a single straddle.

Further to the east the Raiding Group finds Canadian ships Fort La Maune and Igonish. Once again the real damage is done by Wakaba, this time with a Type 93 torpedo launch against the freighter, before the force’s guns are turned upon the minesweeper.

The commotion brings the picket line of sub-chasers scurrying to the scene from the west, but they are no match for the firepower of the returning Japanese. Yubari accounts for one, and Wakaba (obviously in fine form) for a second. The survivor, SC-701, will meet her end on the morrow in a strike by Attu’s small force of Type 100 Army bombers. Their attack complete, Kono’s ships hasten west to a (fortuitous) rendezvous with the ships of the Attu fast relief convoy that are making their best speed towards Paramushiro after overnight discharge of their light loads. At a cost of one freighter sunk and two damaged, plus one destroyed patrol craft, Attu’s supply levels have been almost doubled from a figure of just over 8000 tons, and Matsurika-1-Go is done.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Amchitka Island at 94,37 (10 March 1943)

Japanese Ships
CL Yubari
DD Wakaba
DD Kisaragi

Allied Ships
SC Timmins
SC SC-700, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
AK Dorothy Philips

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Amchitka Island at 94,37

Japanese Ships
CL Yubari
DD Wakaba
DD Kisaragi

Allied Ships
MSW Igonish, Shell hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Fort La Maune, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Amchitka Island at 94,37

Japanese Ships
CL Yubari
DD Wakaba
DD Kisaragi

Allied Ships
SC SC-630, Shell hits 4, and is sunk
SC SC-647, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
SC SC-701

(Not sure about Kono’s antecedents: There was a R Adm. Konno Nobuo, Etajima 48th Class, who seems to have been something of a torpedo and mine specialist before a spell as XO aboard Nagato in mid-1942. He was KIA in 1944 and only then promoted R. Adm. There was also a Kono Rokuro, also promoted Engineer R. Adm when KIA, and a paymaster admiral Konno who survived the war but scarcely appears well qualified for a fighting command. Whatever, the WitP Kono comes with quite good stats, so he got the job!)

[Local Yokel]

Mayhem at Makin, 16 March 1943

For several days in mid-March 1943 Japanese ships have been anchored off Makin and offloading stores urgently required for the island’s swelling defences. Whilst so engaged the ships have come under repeated attacks from a persistent submarine, USS Steelhead, one of which succeeds in damaging Tokyo Maru and compelling her retreat to the more sheltered waters of Jaluit Atoll, there to attend her wounds.

The Japanese attempt to counter and suppress Steelhead by means of the two escort groups present, one under R Adm Yoshitomi Setsuzo comprising the three 2nd class destroyers Fuyo, Hayate and Minazuki, the other something of a mixed bag under command of Cpt Tachibana Masao. Try as they may, they are unable to prosecute a lethal attack against slippery Steelhead, but they apparently succeed in frustrating most of her attempts to approach the supply ships.

However, preoccupied with the submarine, the Japanese have failed to pay sufficient regard to the fact that the re-supply exercise has also been made the subject of increasing scrutiny by photo reconnaissance aircraft out of Baker Island. For this inattention they are about to pay.

During the night of 16 March a five-strong group of American destroyers make a rapid approach to Makin that remains wholly undetected until Tachibana’s escort group is taken under fire at an opening range of 8000 yards – a range the attackers show no great inclination to reduce. There follows a two-round brawl between Tachibana’s ships and the American interlopers, the latter considerably aided by their SG radars. During the first of these engagements Mochizuki and gunboat Eifuku Maru have already taken damage (and Mochizuki has landed a hit upon Ralph Talbot to no effect) when Caldwell puts a 5” round into Nissho Maru that starts a serious blaze. This is the signal for both Caldwell and Ralph Talbot to concentrate their fire on the hapless gunboat, and thereafter both she and Mochizuki are repeatedly pummelled in this and in the subsequent engagement.

Drawn by the commotion of Tachibana’s battles, Yoshitomi hastens to the scene with his three elderly destroyers, and actually succeeds in making an undetected approach such that he takes the American destroyers by surprise. It profits him nothing, however, for the Americans react with commendable speed, and their fire is soon falling accurately around the Japanese ships, its brunt being borne by Minazuki. Both sides expend the majority of their torpedoes, but for once neither the Type 93’s aboard the Mutsukis or the smaller 21” weapons aboard Hayate and Fuyo are the equalizers the Japanese hope them to be. American torpedo attacks are equally ineffective, and presently the US destroyers speed away unscathed into the darkness, leaving behind them several Japanese warships aboard which serious fires are merrily crackling.

Nissho Maru is beyond saving, and is scuttled early the following day. The remaining damaged ships in dribs and drabs head away towards refuge at Jaluit. Yoshitomi and Tachibana have the small consolation that by their efforts they frustrated an attack upon the transports, but the Japanese have been served notice that Makin, like Attu, must now be treated as being in the front line, and ways must be sought for improving search coverage against attacks of this nature.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Makin at 84,93

Japanese Ships
DD Mochizuki, Shell hits 3, on fire
APD Patrol Boat No. 38
PG Eifuku Maru, Shell hits 1
PG Nishho Maru

Allied Ships
DD O'Bannon
DD Duncan
DD Lansdowne
DD Caldwell, Shell hits 1
DD Ralph Talbot, Shell hits 1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Makin at 84,93

Japanese Ships
DD Mochizuki, Shell hits 8, on fire, heavy damage
APD Patrol Boat No. 38, Shell hits 1
PG Eifuku Maru, Shell hits 2, on fire
PG Nishho Maru, Shell hits 16, on fire, heavy damage

Allied Ships
DD O'Bannon
DD Duncan
DD Lansdowne
DD Caldwell
DD Ralph Talbot

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Makin at 84,93

Japanese Ships
DD Minazuki, Shell hits 6, on fire, heavy damage
DD Hayate, Shell hits 2
DD Fuyo, Shell hits 2, on fire

Allied Ships
DD O'Bannon
DD Duncan
DD Lansdowne
DD Caldwell
DD Ralph Talbot

(Commentary:

These TF’s lingered too long at Makin and thus brought this raid upon themselves. I need to find ways of reducing the length of such TFs’ exposure, even if it means standing off every other day to confuse the enemy’s reconnaissance effort.

The approaches to the island were, I had thought, already under pretty good surveillance, but obviously I was wrong. I’ve done what I can to improve the density of search aircraft where raids like this are a danger.

Having decent commanders might have been some help: Yoshitomi, though commanding nothing better than an ASW group, definitely got the drop on the Americans, but it did him no good because they apparently fired back during the gunfire round in which he achieved surprise. The Japanese were clearly outmatched, but this should be no surprise, as their best ships – the two Mutsukis – were what I regard as 2nd class destroyers.

Later that day I had some small payback when my Rikkos from Lunga put five torpedoes into three American transports landing forces on Vanikoro in the Santa Cruz group [:D])

[Local Yokel]

Every turncoat dog has his day

Some time ago I gave some attention to my Japanese submarine force and concluded that the Kaidai Type 7’s were about the best of the bunch. To give it a decent chance I hand picked the best available commander for one of the boats in this class, only to find that in the following turn some no-hoper from one of the Allied armies had been substituted in his place. Ah well, thought I, the leader bug strikes again, and it’s a one-off that probably won’t recur. So when I-180 puts into Shortlands I have no great worries about assigning another IJN hotshot to command her, and the boat goes merrily on her way to a new patrol in the following turn.

Trouble is, when the turn comes back I find that once again the hotshot has been ousted, this time by a certain Major V.Hubble, whose leadership value is respectable, but whose naval skill sucks worse than a Devonport sl… well I’m sure you get my drift.

By now I was getting tired of spending precious pp’s on new commanders to no purpose, so I decided to let friend Hubble stay in post. After all, I reckoned his life expectancy wasn’t going to outlast the next occasion I-180 ran across an Allied ASW group, so easy come, easy go.

Comes 17 March 1943 and I-180 is within sprint distance of Vanikoro, where the Americans are putting ashore a Seebee battalion in the teeth of my torpedo bombers’ attacks. I’d forgotten who had ended up in command of this boat, so I simply directed her to the island at full throttle, not really expecting any good to come of it…

Sub attack near Vanikoro at 73,107

Japanese Ships
SS I-180

Allied Ships
AK Needwood, Torpedo hits 1, on fire

Allied ground losses:
22 casualties reported
Vehicles lost 1

Hehe, how wrong can you be! And I-180 picked up another experience point into the bargain. You can’t beat a good gaijin in command of an I-boat! [:D]

[BigBadWolf]

Good to see this thread still alive. Just to give it a little bump before I start catching up. 

[Local Yokel]

Haven't taken a look in here for some time, BBW, but glad to see you're still following.

Although our game date is now 28 March 1943, it appears my opponent is away for a week, so that my usual end-of-month update will be somewhat delayed.

Having been surprised by US destroyers at Makin, I have done my utmost to save the precious destroyers damaged in that encounter. Fuyo and Hayate escorted the Makin re-supply ships back to Truk and are now licking their wounds there. Fuyo has 24 Sys damage, Hayate 11. Mochizuki and Minazuki, the two more severely damaged Mutsukis, successfully braved submarine attacks en route to Jaluit. Two repair ships were ordered from Truk to Jaluit 'with all despatch', and are now helping attempts to save the destroyers. Mochizuki stands at 83/39/0 and Minazuki at 77/40/0 - damage has come down but is still not fully under control, it seems, as the flotation damage is still in a state of flux.

I previously mentioned an Allied landing at Vanikoro in the Santa Cruz group. This forms part of a pattern in my opponent's operations, in which he lands small Sea Bee forces on such islands to re-capture them. Banks Island in the New Hebrides was recaptured by this means on 15 March, and Vanikoro on the following day. In the case of Vanikoro, however, there was a price to be paid, as his ships suffered at the hands of both submarine and torpedo bomber.

Both of these islands, if developed, would put Lunga just within P-38 range. Banks Island lies too close for comfort to Allied airfields on Espiritu Santo, but Vanikoro looked sufficiently exposed to warrant the risks of a counter-landing. In the long run he'll get it back, and may choose to develop it with an eye to mounting sweeps against the Lower Solomons, but in the short term I thought it worthwhile to provide some deterrent to shoestring invasions such as these.

To this end, elements of 67th Naval Guard were airlifted into Shortlands and there embarked into warships under command of R Adm Tanaka. This 'rat transport', to use the Japanese description, sortied on 21 March with the bulk of the naval infantry embarked in cruisers Aoba and Kinugasa, whilst Kuma and a quartet of destroyers carried a suitable load of victuals and ammunition for the assault.

From an undetected position some 350 miles north of Vanikoro Tanaka commenced his run in to the island on 24 March, landing his force and beating a hasty retreat towards Nauru that same day. At no time were his ships located by Allied search aircraft - prompting my opponent to speculate that the raiders had been landed by submarine! On the following day the Japanese naval infantry attack went in against a Sea Bee force debilitated by the losses they had suffered from attacks during their own landing:

Ground combat at Vanikoro

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 832 troops, 9 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 49

Defending force 692 troops, 0 guns, 11 vehicles, Assault Value = 2

Japanese max assault: 72 - adjusted assault: 72

Allied max defense: 1 - adjusted defense: 1

Japanese assault odds: 72 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Vanikoro base !!!

Allied ground losses:
892 casualties reported
Vehicles lost 5

The Allied command seems to have been so taken aback by a counter-landing within eight days that it was not until a day after the island's recapture by the Japanese that an air strike was first mounted against 67th NGU. By this time the seas around the island were bursting with Japanese submarines engaged in picking up the counter-landing force, and two of these suffered non-fatal damage in the course of repeated attacks by Allied search planes. The submarine-borne evacuation has accounted for all but a small rump of disabled squads on Vanikoro, and I expect to be able to lift these out to Tulagi in the next day or so by Navy Type 97 transport flying boat.

Just another minor flurry of activity in the South Seas, and one that amounts to very little, really. I'm told that loading is afoot for a major operation, against which Vanikoro operations will, no doubt, shortly look like very small beer. I hope, however, that I have given notice that the Allies conduct such opportunist landings at their peril and that I have the means and the will to lash back if the opportunity offers. If so, my opponent may feel obliged to dedicate larger forces to such operations, thereby diminishing the number of troops he can bring to bear at his Schwerpunkt.

[Local Yokel]

End of month reports for March 1943

Checking my Tracker turn record I found that our game entered the month of March 1943 on April 11: almost exactly three months ago! However, at long last we have reached the final day of March '43, so I will post my usual set of reports, beginning with state of the economy and aircraft production.



<edit - a bit of commentary> All the carrier-borne bomber and attack groups have now re-equipped with Suisei and Tenzan, and additional stocks of these aircraft are being used to upgrade corresponding land-based airgroups. In time, Type 97 attack planes and Type 99 bombers will only be required for operational training in China.

The factories didn't quite manage to churn out their full monthly quota of Raiden, but a respectable number of the new interceptors have nonetheless been deployed at the front. In conjunction with covering the Vanikoro counter-landing, 1 Kido Butai accompanied Taiyo and Chuyo to a point just north of Santa Isabel, whence two daitai of Raiden made the short hop from the escort carriers to Tulagi and Lunga, hoping to ambush the B-24 groups that had been raiding Lunga at an altitude unattainable by the defending Reisen. In vain! - the very day the Raiden flew in the high level raids ceased. I suspect that this was due to the carriers being spotted north of the Solomons by search aircraft out of Espiritu Santo: a bit unfortunate at that range. Perhaps the B-24's were re-assigned to naval strike, so that only recce Lightnings overflew Guadalcanal that day. Naturally, the P-38's encounter with the newly arrived Raiden would have tipped my hand. Pity.

Production of the G4M2 Rikko is set to start on April Fools day. Comparing the stats for this machine against those for the preceding G4M1 variant suggests that there may be little to gain from producing any more than the minimum required to equip those air groups that arrive with this aircraft. Two such daitai appear within a week of each other, so availability of no more than 54 machines at most would be required to equip both. Because Yokosuka NAD's Ginga is so much more capable a land attack plane, I may well produce a very small quantity of G4M2s before stopping manufacture until their factories convert to Ginga production in October 1943, at which time I shall want a production surge to get the new bomber into the line as quickly as possible.

[Local Yokel]

Now for the usual Tracker graphical view of the economy.

[Local Yokel]

Next, I'll take advantage of the latest version of Tracker to show the state of pilot supply and experience. This shows that experience levels are respectable, with the exception of the transport pilots. This is a consequence of my failure to realise at the start of the game you can fill out the units that are below strength in pilots without depleting the pool. Some time during February 1943 I decided to deal with this as regards IJN pilots by emptying the Navy pilot pool (by then getting quite low: about 20 - 30 pilots left, I think), and filling out most understrength units with greenhorns who could then be trained up. Since this isn't so easy for transport pilots, the rookies in JNAF transport daitai have remained at relatively low experience levels, and this has dragged the average experience level in this category down. The time will doubtless come when I have to carry out the same exercise for JAAF pilots, but not yet, as there still remain more than 100 in the pool.

[Local Yokel]

Now for shipping losses sustained during the month. March was a good deal more bloody than February, with surface raiding groups active off Adak and Amchitka in the Aleutians, and a USN raiding force penetrating the Gilberts at Makin. In addition, Lunga's Rikkos made small scale Allied landings at Banks Island at Vanikoro costly.

Though not having so good a month as February, the Japanese still managed to sink two more Sugar boats and a couple of fleet submarines. Yes, these are almost certainly all kills by JAAF Donryus, and yes, I'm sure this is highly unrealistic. Just as unrealistic, in fact, as the notion that you would send out torpedo-armed land attack planes on A/S missions. [8|]

[Local Yokel]

In post #216 I mentioned the attempt I planned to make to find a good balance between maintaining adequate generation of supply and arresting the rate of resource depletion. I wasn't optimistic then, but so far the results obtained have been better than I expected, and are illustrated in the image below that draws in data from both Decoder and Tracker.

The extract from the Tracker tables on the right shows the extent to which I have shut down heavy industry in metropolitan Japan. The HI in Tokyo and Osaka must be kept running, so great a contribution do they make to HI output, but there seems to be scope for shutting down many of the small HI producers in order to economise in resource consumption. The approach I adopted was to stop the smallest HI plants, with the exception of some near central Honshu. It's no more than a guess, but I thought it likely that large HI plants would be more efficient than small, and that concentrating HI production near the centre of Japan might help to reduce wastage of resources during the distribution process.

The results of selectively shutting down HI factories are shown in the two Decoder graphs.

Before 6 Feb 1943 resource consumption exceeded the amount being generated every day, with the inevitable long term depletion of reserves. Meanwhile supply generation fluctuated between net gain and loss day by day: acceptable because the overall supply level did not diminish significantly.

The changes made by stopping HI production (with tweaks over the course of about a fortnight to get the level of stoppages right) reveal themselves in the graphs for the period after 6 February. Now it's resources that fluctuate daily between gain and loss, but the long term fall in resource levels seems to have been arrested so that these are, for the time being, in a steady state. Better still, supply generation now exceeds consumption every day - the surplus may not be enormous but it's always there.

This is a much better outcome than I dared hope to achieve.

[n01487477]

Local Yokel,
your economy is one of the best I have ever seen in Witp, bravo for the planning and implementation. Even if you turned off all your HI, you have a staggering 90+ days of surplus. You have more supplies than are available at the start of the game iirc.[X(]

I was wondering why you bothered trying to fix the res problem given that HI 13051-12431 = only an additional 620 Res needed per day would have you at full capacity. Given your surplus in this area 1.1 million Res / 620 = 1778 days worth of resources. Either way it makes little difference, cause 620 additional supplies or HI are not going to make a load of difference... This is not a criticism or critique, just a point of interest for me.

In CHS, is there little need for Veh points, you seem awefully low compared to the huge surpluses you have elsewhere ?

Lastly, out of interest why have no Oscar II's ever been used ?

Regards
--Damian--

[Local Yokel]

Now for the monthly Intelligence Summary screen. One addition I've made to this is the operational losses expressed as a percentage of sorties. Recently this has risen slightly, I think, due to intensified operational training in China.

I still find it hard to understand why the Japanese daily sortie rate continues to exceed that of the Allies by between 500 - 1000 sorties. The only explanation that has so far occurred to me is that there is a mass of Allied aircraft incapable of being brought into action because they lack the range to reach any Japanese targets. This is fine by me, but I imagine I shall get a big shock when Allied forces get a toehold somewhere in New Guinea, the Solomons or the Central Pacific.

A certain M Bonaparte once said that you should never interrupt your enemy whilst he's making a mistake. I think that at present my opponent is making a few mistakes I shall be happy for him to continue. The most obvious of these is the lack of concentration of his air effort at Myitkyina. When he first arrived here with a respectable force he was able to knock the fortification level back by one, at the cost of most of his Indian engineer rgt. Since then I have persevered with fortification of the base, getting it up to level 8 whilst he repeatedly bombed my ground forces. Obviously this caused some attrition, but it's been no real problem as I can easily rotate damaged units back to Rangoon over the excellent road/rail net, something he cannot emulate over the trails leading down from Ledo. Recently he again began to bomb the airfields at Myitkyina, and for a time this stopped my fortification work whilst the airfield damage was repaired. Now, however, he has switched his attack to targets at Mandalay that have received negligible reconnaissance (unlike Myitkyina). Not only are the results at Mandalay unspectacular, probably through lack of reconnaissance, but Myitkyina is once again getting a breather so that fortification work can again go ahead. At current force levels he seems unlikely to be able to take this base by direct attack, but I see no sign of him reinforcing the attackers or developing an alternative line of attack. Furthermore, I'm getting to the point where the defenders are so well dug in that I can consider thinning them out, and perhaps redeploying additional units to Malaya and the Kra isthmus - these are covered, but not as fully as I'd like.

Myitkyina isn't the only place where this is happening, but it is a good example of Allied behaviour that comes across as a reluctance to commit decisively to a course of action that will land me in trouble. Surely by now he has accumulated enough goodies to begin a full-blooded attack somewhere on the Japanese perimeter? Or did I intimidate or damage him more than I thought with the losses I inflicted during the big fight around Efate during October?

[Local Yokel]

ORIGINAL: n01487477

Local Yokel,
your economy is one of the best I have ever seen in Witp, bravo for the planning and implementation. Even if you turned off all your HI, you have a staggering 90+ days of surplus. You have more supplies than are available at the start of the game iirc.[X(]

[:o] Damian, it's very kind of you to say so, but also a bit embarrassing, because I'm sure that a good deal of what has gone right with my economy is down to the exceptional good fortune I enjoyed when taking the SRA. Some excellent utilities, including your own Tracker, have also been a big help in understanding what is going on.

Palembang in particular was captured with oil and resources wholly intact, and the only real disappointment was Soerabaja, where all resources were damaged (incidentally 385 out 500 resource points there have now been repaired; needed a good shuttle of required supplies from Toboali/Billiton, but this is now starting to pay off). For giggles, I have kept up the Excel spreadsheet and graph to give some trend indications in the game, and show its present state below. Supplies do indeed seem to be greater than those in at the start, but I had assumed that was essential because of the demands made for additional supply by arriving reinforcements.

I was wondering why you bothered trying to fix the res problem given that HI 13051-12431 = only an additional 620 Res needed per day would have you at full capacity. Given your surplus in this area 1.1 million Res / 620 = 1778 days worth of resources. Either way it makes little difference, cause 620 additional supplies or HI are not going to make a load of difference... This is not a criticism or critique, just a point of interest for me.

I actually hadn't thought about it this way: in 1778 days the war is going to be over anyway, implying that I could accept the rate of resource depletion at which I'd been running and resources could still outlast the conflict. So there's clearly a case for maintaining maximum HI production whilst there are resources there to sustain it - I need to think a bit more about this!

Actually, there is another consideration: the rate at which HI consumes resources in metro Japan is such that I am constantly aware of having in hand sufficient stocks for a few days only. Currently the home islands (excluding Hokkaido - I treat that as a separate case) have to hand resources that will last only 24 days. A big convoy is en route, but the problem lies not in the shipping but in the rate of generation in the SRA, which just doesn't seem to be fast enough to meet demand.

In CHS, is there little need for Veh points, you seem awefully low compared to the huge surpluses you have elsewhere ?

You should have seen the enormous Veh surplus on 30 March! That day I set 1st Tank Div in Manchukuo to accept replacements and overnight it gobbled 4572 points upgrading the rubbishy old Type 89s and 95s to Types 1 and 2! To my suprise, the upgrade also triggered the production of an additional 177 Type 3 Chi-Nu tanks that have gone straight into the pool, so manipulation of armoured units' replacements on/off status can have interesting side effects on AFV production. Now I shall need to rebuild the reserve of Veh points again in readiness for 2nd Tank Div's arrival in 460 days time - right now I have vehicle plants running at only one location.

There is definitely a need for Veh points in CHS; my ultimate aim is to get all armoured units upgraded to use the Chi-Nu.

Lastly, out of interest why have no Oscar II's ever been used ?

Regards
--Damian--

Really the only reason is because all the Oscar models have such anaemic gun power: a brace of half inch calibre machine guns merely taps politely on the door. The Type 2 Shoki and Type 3 Hien aren't a lot better, but at least with their four guns you stand some chance of knocking down a few Allied aircraft. Again, I have sufficient of the later Oscars in the pool to cover airgroups that arrive with this a/c, but the earlier version is good enough for use in China. Against the quality a/c the Japanese face elsewhere, my priority is to give the sentais a fighter that stands some prospect of shooting down its opponents, rather than provide them with a dubious fighter bomber for CAS use.

[Local Yokel]

April 1943: The Threat in Burma Revealed

Six month’s hindsight of events prompts the Imperial GHQ to conclude that the battles around Efate in October 1942 can be regarded as a significant defensive victory for Japan. During the half year that has since passed, the Japanese have suffered no noteworthy territorial loss other than New Caledonia and the base at Noumea (which they effectively abandoned), and the Allied powers have launched no other amphibious operations of note. The Australians’ advance into Northern Territory has been repulsed with the loss of a division, whilst North China Area Army has made steady if not spectacular progress in the middle reaches of the Hwang Ho.

In Burma, the British 18th Division and its supporting units have been unable to make headway at Myitkyina against the heavily entrenched Japanese positions, and Kawabe, as GOC Burma Area Army, reports confidently his ability to hold this position indefinitely, provided no threat to his flank emerges by sea or land.

Unfortunately for the Japanese, just such a threat materialises during the third week in April 1943, and it takes precisely the form anticipated in their worst fears. Supplementing 1st Gurkha Rifles and 3rd Carabineers, the two units sent forward by the British as a screen along the right bank of the Chindwin, a great mass of additional units is detected by the Japanese moving south from Imphal towards the river crossings north of Mandalay. Simultaneously, Chinese units are observed moving north-west towards crossings of the Irrawaddy from a staging point east of Lashio.

Both of these movements threaten to place enemy units astride the Japanese line of communication between Mandalay and Myitkyina. Theoretically the Japanese could sustain their forces at Myitkyina by air, but the substantial number of heavy bombers deployed in Bengal and Assam would make such an exercise practically impossible. Another solution to the crisis must be found.

The Japanese will not contemplate the isolation and destruction of the Myitkyina garrison; its premier units comprising 33rd Infantry Division and two regiments of 55th Division. Consequently, almost as soon as the Allied movement is detected the Japanese begin their withdrawal towards Mandalay, with 33rd Division and the two infantry regiments acting as rearguard, whilst the regiments of 21st Mixed Brigade cover the river crossings adjacent to the route.

The Japanese withdrawal is very quickly detected, and encourages the British command to order an assault against the rearguard positions at Myitkyina on 23rd April. But the Japanese defence works are extensive and secure, and the attack is repulsed:

Ground combat at Myitkyina
Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 45811 troops, 305 guns, 265 vehicles, Assault Value = 923
Defending force 26349 troops, 109 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 634
Allied engineers reduce fortifications to 7
Allied max assault: 927 - adjusted assault: 1293
Japanese max defense: 570 - adjusted defense: 3023
Allied assault odds: 0 to 1 (fort level 7)

Japanese ground losses:
515 casualties reported
Guns lost 10

Allied ground losses:
1449 casualties reported
Guns lost 36
Vehicles lost 2

Meanwhile, a great mass of Japanese engineering units descend upon Mandalay to bolster the defences there. The Japanese positions have been made the subject of improvement works ever since their arrival in the town, but by dint of the formidable engineering effort injected as the Japanese begin their withdrawal southward these positions are finally raised to the highest possible level of fortification on April 24th.

Whilst they would have preferred to defend the forested areas around Myitkyina, the Japanese calculate that the better going around Mandalay should avail the British forces little against so heavily fortified an area, the more so since the defenders will no longer be under imminent threat of outflanking and isolation. Furthermore, even with the heavily damaged airfield at Myitkyina brought back into commission, the British are still going to have substantial logistical hurdles to surmount in order to pursue a southwards advance from the trails of northern Burma. The fall back from Myitkyina will, it is supposed, assist the flow of supply to China, but the Japanese have in mind an alternative point at which they can interdict this once their redeployment is accomplished.

Thus the Japanese face these unwelcome developments with a degree of composure.

[Local Yokel]

Campaigns in China 1943

The watchword of the Japanese armies in China since the outbreak of wider hostilities in December 1941 has been ‘economy’: all operations are to be conducted in such a way as to minimise casualties, and all operations are to be subordinated to the needs of the wider war, for China is seen as the storehouse and the school in which are nurtured the air and ground forces required to withstand the onslaught of the vengeful occidentals.

Thus, after ridding the great river deltas in East China of roving guerrilla bands and securing the coast opposite Hainan, Japan was prepared to let her armies adopt a static role until Chiang Kai-Shek’s apparent taste for offensive action against Kaifeng presented opportunities for a counter-offensive that would carry Japan past Honan and onwards up the Hwang Ho towards Sian and Yenan. Simultaneously, forces under the command of China Expeditionary Army pushed up the West River as far as Liuchow before being held by dug in defenders against whose strength the Japanese foresaw themselves suffering needless loss.

In fact, Nippon has set itself some limited strategic objectives in China, foremost of which is the denial of airfields from which any significant air attack can be mounted, either against the Home Islands or by way of interdiction of merchant shipping moving north from the Indies. Ideally, this objective should be accomplished by ejection of Chinese forces from Hengchow, Changsha and, in particular, the critical transport junction at Liuchow where north-south and east-west highways cross. The mass of Chinese forces at Liuchow is a powerful disincentive to frontal assault, and the Japanese therefore look for some other means to lever the defenders out of this position.

If the Japanese main effort is not to be made at Liuchow, they must find their solution further north on the middle reaches of the Yangtse, but although substantial forces are available to Japan at Hankow their concentration is not so great as to permit irresistible force being brought to bear. For this reason the Japanese hope to find ways of freeing forces from North China Area Army’s zone of operations. Ultimately this will involve a blocking force outside Sian whilst Honan’s defences are built up following its capture, and the expulsion of Chinese forces from Yenan, which will release a modest additional contingent of units for the drive on the middle Yangtse.

With Yenan largely isolated from the remainder of China, the Japanese have engaged in a protracted campaign of wearing down the city’s defenders that is complicated by the besiegers only receiving sufficient supplies for an assault at weekly intervals. For a time attacks by a single brigade suffice to reduce the fortification levels, but inexplicably a point is reached at which the defence seems to stiffen, and no further progress against the fortifications is being made by single unit assaults. Unsure of the force ratio they enjoy, the Japanese attempt a deliberate attack by all their forces against the city in mid-April 1943. Casualty levels are acceptable and it seems that a single shock assault may suffice to send Mao Tse-tung and his communist forces packing on a second, involuntary long march into the deserts to the north. Such an assault must, however, await the weekly supply cycle before the Japanese can attempt it.

A little to the south, the Japanese advance towards Sian has isolated the Chinese base at Nanyang, whose defenders retire northwards towards Sian, no doubt hoping to catch Japanese troops investing Sian and cut them off from their supplies coming up from Honan. To pre-empt that possibility the Japanese withdraw from Sian to the junction of the Nanyang road with the main Honan-Sian highway. Some of Nanyang’s erstwhile defenders force their way past the Japanese roadblock and regain the Chinese lines at Sian; others are pinned in place by Japanese artillery fire. In due course Japanese forces advancing west will come into contact with the Chinese units remaining on the Nanyang road, the plan being for the Chinese to be forced off the road system and into the mountains to the north-west of Nanyang. That will release an additional brigade from its current garrison duty in the town.

However, the real focus of the Japanese effort is upon the swampy area around Wuchang that lies across the Yangtse from the Japanese main base at Hankow. The Chinese have moved two infantry corps, 28th and 72nd, into this naturally strong defensive position, where they are confronted by the Japanese 40th Infantry Division, also operating in a defensive role. In the forests bordering the river immediately to the west (hex 47, 36) Japanese aerial reconnaissance detects a weak guerrilla unit apparently attempting to give an impression of depth to the Chinese defence.

The Japanese are not fooled. They are confident that the guerrillas will be dislodged by a whiff of shot from a unit of Japanese regulars, and 20th Mixed Brigade is despatched on an approach march north-west from Kiukang through the untracked and undefended intervening forest (hex 47, 37). 3rd Tank Division is given like orders, but this is a mistake: the armour’s rate of advance through the woods is agonisingly slow. The Hankow SNLF is ordered west from the same area with a view to positioning it in rear of the considerable Chinese force (10 units of some 86000 men) that confronts a 3-division force of Japanese just west of Nanchang.

Meanwhile, a weak Japanese force feints along the road from Hankow in the direction of Ichang, whilst the 70th Division advances into the swamps due west of Hankow. This is intended to be seen as flank protection for the ‘thrust’ towards Ichang, but in reality 70th Division’s mission is to isolate the Chinese defenders of Wuchang and to leave them with no line of retreat once the guerrillas in their rear are put to flight.

20th Mixed Brigade completes its advance to contact with the guerrillas on 14 April 1943 and attacks them immediately:

Ground combat at 47,36
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 7738 troops, 23 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 202
Defending force 688 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 29
Japanese max assault: 184 - adjusted assault: 92
Allied max defense: 19 - adjusted defense: 1
Japanese assault odds: 92 to 1
Allied ground losses:
87 casualties reported
Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

As expected, the irregular troops are no match for the Japanese formation and they retreat westwards in the direction of Changsha. Now the two Chinese corps at Wuchang are completely surrounded, and the full weight of the Japanese air units undergoing operational training in China is turned upon them, for they are about to be hit by the Japanese main body advancing across the river from Hankow. Since this must be treated as an assault crossing under the fire of the Chinese guns, the Japanese are at pains to disrupt the defenders as much as possible: it is critical to minimise losses to the forces that have been husbanded for this offensive.

Again the Japanese progress across the river is painfully slow, but a concerted crossing of four divisions and two brigades is accomplished on 22 April. Although it appears to be a bloody business, the casualties prove to be acceptable, and seem to consist mainly of disablements resulting from the disruption the crossing has induced:

Ground combat at 48,36
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 126869 troops, 619 guns, 6 vehicles, Assault Value = 2871
Defending force 16497 troops, 30 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 553
Japanese max assault: 2310 - adjusted assault: 1433
Allied max defense: 308 - adjusted defense: 49
Japanese assault odds: 29 to 1
Japanese ground losses:
1585 casualties reported
Guns lost 20
Allied ground losses:
330 casualties reported
Guns lost 8

Resistance from the surrounded Chinese is apparently feeble, but their losses are small and there is no surrender of the pocketed units despite the weight of force brought to bear against them.

At this juncture the Japanese have no option but to reduce the pocket. It is vital that they open the route west from Hankow along the track of the Peiping-Canton Railway in order to assure their supplies to sustain the offensive. As at 25 April 1943 the Japanese 3rd Tank Division is about 10 days’ march distant from the woods where the guerrillas were routed, whilst 20th Mixed is still impetuously moving west in pursuit of those guerrillas and may need to be reined in. However, with Wuchang cleared and the supply line opened a number of interesting possibilities will open up for the Japanese:

1) An advance into Changsha will isolate the substantial Chinese force in the forest west of Nanchang. If compelled to retreat, they will only be able to do so in the direction of Kanhsien and effectively rendered hors de combat.

2) By re-crossing the Yangtse directly north of Changsha (hex 45,36) the Japanese will threaten an advance in the direction of Kweiyang. The practical effect should be to isolate Changsha and potentially also Hengchow from their supplies. In the longer term this will bring pressure to bear on the Chinese bastion at Liuchow, particularly if the Chinese command perceives a real threat to Kweiyang and potential loss of the supply route south to Liuchow.

Probably the Japanese lack the strength on the middle Yangtse to bring all these plans to fruition. Already one high quality division (32nd) has had to be diverted to Shanghai for shipment south to meet the developing crisis in Burma and the Bay of Bengal (of which there is more to come). Still, the situation looks good for the Japanese, and seems to offer them plenty of opportunity for emasculating the Chinese strength from Changsha eastwards and achieving in part their strategic aims.

[Local Yokel]

As mentioned in the previous post, things are hotting up in a big way in the Bay of Bengal. By our standards the pace of exchanging turns is fairly fast and furious, so to begin with there's something of a preponderance of combat reports. I will try to supply some graphics as time permits. Sorry.

Amphibious Action in the Bay of Bengal, April 1943

Mid afternoon, 18th April 1943: 6000 feet above the Bay of Bengal, a Type 0 Reconnaissance Floatplane is flying the Number 4 leg of the 901st Independent Chutai’s search fan out of Port Blair. Though he will never know it, the wakes of eastbound Allied transport ships twice pass unnoticed though the binocular sweep of the bored observer before, belatedly, their presence registers and he announces his discovery through the voice tube connecting him to the pilot in the front seat ahead. Obediently, the Sui-tei banks towards the detected enemy as it crew prepares to transmit their sighting report. So the Japanese receive their first inkling of a major amphibious operation set in motion against Sumatra and the islands to its north.

In the days that follow it becomes apparent that the enemy is directing his amphibious forces against two objectives: the Andaman Islands and Sabang on Northern Sumatra. Such a move does not come as a complete surprise to the Japanese, whose dispositions have taken the possibility of such an attack into account.

The Andamans have received the benefit of an exceptional mining effort, and in addition enjoy the protection of one half of 9th Coastal Gun Rgt to supplement the primary garrison of 91st NGU, 138th IJN Base Force and 5th Engineer Btn. These units have enlarged the fixed defences to a level just short of their maximum potential.

Sabang’s garrison consists principally of 16th NGU, the Ikaiei SNLF and 128th IJA Base Force. No specialist coastal artillery protects the base, and it is rather less heavily mined than Port Blair. However, the immediate defence forces are backed by the availability of 22nd Independent Mixed Bde at Kuala, some 100 miles to the south, and the extent of fortifications is as great as in the Andamans.

To repel any invasion in this area the Japanese can bring to bear substantial numbers of Army bombers and Navy land attack aircraft based at airfields at Penang and northwards up the Kra Isthmus. Aircraft from Rangoon and Bangkok can also lend a hand. This is as well, since the main strength of the Imperial Navy does not lie close to hand, although such units as are available sortie in the direction of the approaching Allied task forces as soon as their likely objectives become apparent. Additional units of combat aircraft simultaneously begin to gravitate upon Singapore so as to ensure that forces are available to rotate with units initially engaged as the latter’s casualty and fatigue levels rise.

In command terms, JAAF HQ units in the Rangoon-Moulmein area are already in place to direct and support the air effort out of Siam and Southern Burma. Further south, the somewhat ineffectual commander of 13th Air Fleet at Penang is replaced by the more capable V.Adm Takasu Shiro. His first order is for the Air Fleet’s staff to decamp to Singora, the better to co-ordinate air attacks upon the invaders from both Victoria Point and the airfields in the Penang/Georgetown area. (Entirely coincidentally, IRL Takasu actually did take command of 13th Air Fleet a few months after the time covered by this account)

20th April 1943

The first exchange of ordnance occurs during the night of 20th April when B(1) Type I-boat I-32 encounters the RN carrier task group supporting the Andaman invasion force some 180 miles to the west of the islands. I-32 gets Formidable in her sights but regrettably her torpedo salvo misses. Astonishingly, she survives the screen’s two counter-attacks, but suffers damage sufficient to compel retreat to Penang.

On the same day SEAC launches a massive raid of 110+ Liberators against Port Blair’s airfield. The chutai of defending Raiden can make no impact on this, and the field is extensively damaged but not closed.

Daybreak sees the invasion task forces within 120 miles of the islands and they come under torpedo attack from Tavoy-based Rikko’s that succeed in striking AK’s Empire Driver, AK Empire Flamingo and AK Empire Avocet. Formidable, with Repulse in company again comes under attack but evades all torpedoes launched against her.

[Local Yokel]

21st April 1943

This is the day the Allied invasion task forces make their landfall off both Port Blair and Sabang. The Sabang invasion is preceded by a minesweeping group that suffers heavily at the hands of Penang’s Rikko’s and Type 100 Army bombers:

Day Air attack on TF, near Sabang at 19,41
Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 18
G4M1 Betty x 16
Ki-49 Helen x 24
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
MSW Behar, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
MSW Karachi, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
MSW Baroda, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
MSW Cochin, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
MSW Lahore
Aircraft Attacking:
4 x Ki-49 Helen bombing at 10000 feet
…
=============================================
Day Air attack on TF, near Sabang at 19,41
Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 17
Ki-49 Helen x 18
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
MSW Behar, on fire, heavy damage
MSW Baroda, on fire, heavy damage
MSW Cochin, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
Aircraft Attacking:
2 x Ki-49 Helen bombing at 10000 feet
…

Apparently something goes awry with the Allied minesweeping effort off Port Blair. The transports come in without such support and impale themselves upon the minefields and coast defence guns:

TF 1025 encounters mine field at Port Blair (23,34)
TF 1025 troops unloading over beach at Port Blair, 23,34
Allied Ships
AP Manoora, Mine hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
AP Le Maire, Mine hits 1, heavy damage
AP Narkunda, Mine hits 1
Allied ground losses:
106 casualties reported
Guns lost 2
Coastal Guns at Port Blair, 23,34, firing at TF 1025
167 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied Ships
AP Manoora, on fire, heavy damage
AP Empire Tamar, Shell hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
AP Empire Chivalry, Shell hits 2
AP Narkunda, Shell hits 4, on fire
Allied ground losses:
510 casualties reported
Guns lost 5
=============================================
TF 1025 encounters mine field at Port Blair (23,34)
TF 1025 troops unloading over beach at Port Blair, 23,34
Allied Ships
AP Le Maire, Mine hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AP Empire Chivalry, Mine hits 1, on fire
AP Arawa, Mine hits 1, on fire
Allied ground losses:
74 casualties reported
Coastal Guns at Port Blair, 23,34, firing at TF 1025
215 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied Ships
AP Manoora, Shell hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AP Empire Chivalry, on fire
AP Narkunda, Shell hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AP Arawa, Shell hits 1, on fire
Allied ground losses:
438 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
=============================================
TF 1027 encounters mine field at Port Blair (23,34)
Allied Ships
AK Empire Banner, Mine hits 1, on fire
AK Auckland Star, Mine hits 1, on fire
AK Aronda, Mine hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
Allied ground losses:
118 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
=============================================
TF 1072 encounters mine field at Port Blair (23,34)
Allied Ships
AK Coquina, Mine hits 1
Allied ground losses:
23 casualties reported
=============================================
TF 1194 encounters mine field at Port Blair (23,34)
Allied Ships
DD Laforey
DD Pakenham, Mine hits 1

Tavoy’s Rikkos require a day to recuperate; their place is taken by the G1 Daitai of the Takao Ku, recently arrived at Bangkok after transfer from operational training at Peiping:

Day Air attack on TF, near Port Blair at 23,34
Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 13
G4M1 Betty x 18
Allied aircraft
Martlet x 5
Wildcat VI x 2
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 1 destroyed
G4M1 Betty: 1 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Martlet: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
Wildcat VI : 1 damaged
Allied Ships
AK Aronda, on fire, heavy damage
AK Empire Wildebeeste, Torpedo hits 2, on fire
AK Eidsvold, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK West Cawthon
Allied ground losses:
94 casualties reported

Meanwhile, Victoria Point’s contingent of Army bombers assault Formidable and her cover group, which have closely approached the invasion site. They secure a single hit upon Repulse that starts a small fire, but achieves little else.

At sunset a bombardment group led by Prince of Wales is taken on by Port Blair’s coastal guns. The battleship’s consorts are successfully taken under fire, but the Prince itself escapes their attention. The defending guns seem to have drawn some of the bombardment group’s sting:

Naval bombardment of Port Blair, at 23,34 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
22 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied Ships
CLAA Jacob Van Heemskerck, Shell hits 4
CL Ceres
CL Dauntless, Shell hits 1
CL Java, Shell hits 2
CA Frobisher, Shell hits 5
BB Prince of Wales
Japanese ground losses:
273 casualties reported
Guns lost 6
Runway hits 1
Port supply hits 2

[Local Yokel]

22nd April 1943 – Port Blair

It’s stern work at Port Blair throughout the day. Once again the minefields and coastal artillery take a hand:

TF 1025 encounters mine field at Port Blair (23,34)
TF 1025 troops unloading over beach at Port Blair, 23,34
Allied Ships
AP Narkunda, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AP Empire Tamar, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Allied ground losses:
34 casualties reported
Guns lost 2
Coastal Guns at Port Blair, 23,34, firing at TF 1025
3 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied ground losses:
225 casualties reported
=============================================
TF 1027 encounters mine field at Port Blair (23,34)
TF 1027 troops unloading over beach at Port Blair, 23,34
Allied Ships
AK West Cawthon, Mine hits 1, on fire
AK Eidsvold, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Ekma, Mine hits 1, on fire
AK Honolulan, Mine hits 1, heavy damage
Allied ground losses:
136 casualties reported
Guns lost 2
Coastal Guns at Port Blair, 23,34, firing at TF 1027
119 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied Ships
AK Eidsvold, Shell hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Auckland Star, Shell hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
Allied ground losses:
664 casualties reported
=============================================
TF 1072 encounters mine field at Port Blair (23,34)
TF 1072 troops unloading over beach at Port Blair, 23,34
Allied Ships
AK Orestes, Mine hits 1, on fire
Allied ground losses:
17 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
Coastal Guns at Port Blair, 23,34, firing at TF 1072
Allied ground losses:
177 casualties reported
=============================================

At last the Allied naval command brings its minesweepers into action, but they too suffer at the hands of 9th Coastal Gun Rgt’s pieces:

TF 1187 encounters mine field at Port Blair (23,34) - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
18 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied Ships
MSW Agra
MSW Oudh
MSW Bihar
MSW Romney, Shell hits 1, on fire
MSW Poole, Shell hits 2, on fire
MSW Cromer, Shell hits 1
=============================================
TF 1025 encounters mine field at Port Blair (23,34)
TF 1025 troops unloading over beach at Port Blair, 23,34
Allied Ships
AP Empire Chivalry, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Allied ground losses:
12 casualties reported
Coastal Guns at Port Blair, 23,34, firing at TF 1025
33 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied Ships
AP Empire Tamar, Shell hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AP Empire Chivalry, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Allied ground losses:
234 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
=============================================
TF 1027 encounters mine field at Port Blair (23,34)
TF 1027 troops unloading over beach at Port Blair, 23,34
Allied Ships
AK Aronda, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Beatrice, Mine hits 2, on fire
AK Ekma, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Allied ground losses:
119 casualties reported
Guns lost 3
Vehicles lost 1
Coastal Guns at Port Blair, 23,34, firing at TF 1027
76 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied Ships
AK Ekma, Shell hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Oklahoman, Shell hits 1
AK Honolulan, Shell hits 1, heavy damage
AK Empire Wildebeeste, Shell hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Empire Nightingale
AK Empire Banner
Allied ground losses:
489 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
=============================================
TF 1072 encounters mine field at Port Blair (23,34)
TF 1072 troops unloading over beach at Port Blair, 23,34
Allied Ships
AK Fairfield City, Mine hits 1, on fire
Allied ground losses:
37 casualties reported
Coastal Guns at Port Blair, 23,34, firing at TF 1072
Allied Ships
AK Coquina
Allied ground losses:
23 casualties reported
=============================================

Again the minesweepers are hit:

TF 1187 encounters mine field at Port Blair (23,34) - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
26 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied Ships
MSW Agra
MSW Oudh, Shell hits 6, on fire, heavy damage
MSW Bihar, Shell hits 2, on fire
MSW Romney, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
MSW Cromer, Shell hits 3, on fire, heavy damage

The defending Raiden can make little impact upon the attacking Liberators:

Day Air attack on Port Blair , at 23,34
Japanese aircraft
J2M Jack x 3
Allied aircraft
Liberator III x 10
Japanese aircraft losses
J2M Jack: 1 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Liberator III: 1 damaged
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 6
Aircraft Attacking:
6 x Liberator III bombing at 10000 feet
…
=============================================
Day Air attack on Port Blair , at 23,34
Japanese aircraft
J2M Jack x 3
Allied aircraft
Liberator III x 43
B-24D Liberator x 36
Japanese aircraft losses
J2M Jack: 1 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
Liberator III: 3 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 2 damaged
Japanese ground losses:
11 casualties reported
Airbase hits 6
Airbase supply hits 6
Runway hits 42
Aircraft Attacking:
6 x B-24D Liberator bombing at 5000 feet
…
=============================================

And back come the Japanese bombers:

Day Air attack on TF, near Port Blair at 23,34
Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 20
G3M Nell x 13
G4M1 Betty x 9
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
AP Empire Chivalry, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AP Arawa, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AP Narkunda, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Allied ground losses:
86 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
=============================================
Day Air attack on TF, near Port Blair at 23,34
Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 4
Ki-49 Helen x 23
Ki-48-II Lily x 7
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
AK Kalani, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Aronda, on fire, heavy damage
AK Honolulan, heavy damage
AK Empire Nightingale
AK Oklahoman
Aircraft Attacking:
3 x Ki-49 Helen bombing at 8000 feet
…
=============================================
Day Air attack on TF, near Port Blair at 23,34
Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 4
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
AK Eidsvold, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
=============================================
Day Air attack on TF, near Port Blair at 23,34
Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 12
Japanese aircraft losses
G3M Nell: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged
Allied Ships
AK Orestes, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Fairfield City, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
=============================================
Day Air attack on TF, near Port Blair at 23,34
Japanese aircraft
Ki-49 Helen x 9
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
AK Empire Avocet
AK Empire Clive
AK Empire Flamingo, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
Allied ground losses:
22 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

[Local Yokel]

22nd April 1943 – Sabang

At Sabang, the day’s activities open with a battering from a bombardment group built around Revenge:

Naval bombardment of Sabang, at 19,41
Japanese aircraft
no flights
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-48-II Lily: 1 destroyed
Ki-57-II Topsy: 1 destroyed
Allied Ships
DD Electra
DD Vendetta
DD Vampire
CL Danae
CL Enterprise
CL Tromp
CA Hawkins
BB Revenge
Japanese ground losses:
183 casualties reported
Guns lost 2
Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 26
=============================================

Demolition of the minesweepers on the previous day has probably helped to conserve the efficacy of the minefields:

TF 1020 encounters mine field at Sabang (19,41)
TF 1020 troops unloading over beach at Sabang, 19,41
Allied Ships
AP Corfu, Mine hits 1
AP Montoro, Mine hits 2, on fire
AP Neptuna, Mine hits 1, on fire
AP Worcestershire, Mine hits 1, on fire
Allied ground losses:
90 casualties reported
Coastal Guns at Sabang, 19,41, firing at TF 1020
21 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied ground losses:
854 casualties reported
=============================================
TF 1020 encounters mine field at Sabang (19,41)
TF 1020 troops unloading over beach at Sabang, 19,41
Allied Ships
AP Empress of Japan, Mine hits 1, on fire
AP Worcestershire, Mine hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AP Corfu, Mine hits 1, on fire
Allied ground losses:
96 casualties reported
Coastal Guns at Sabang, 19,41, firing at TF 1020
Allied ground losses:
669 casualties reported
=============================================
TF 1120 encounters mine field at Sabang (19,41)
TF 1120 troops unloading over beach at Sabang, 19,41
Allied Ships
AK City of Canterbury, Mine hits 1, on fire
AK Annalock, Mine hits 1, on fire
Allied ground losses:
62 casualties reported
Coastal Guns at Sabang, 19,41, firing at TF 1120
Allied ground losses:
394 casualties reported
=============================================

Today the Japanese begin to see the composition of the invasion forces with which they have to deal: