Thanks for the input and explanation LST.
CaptBeefheart - I think I should have paid more attention to the mod’s title as well! Logistics are harder for the Allied player too, though nowhere near as bad I gather as for the Japanese side. It is something perhaps I should have considered more closely when deciding to make a stand north of Darwin. At the moment there’s 80,000 fuel in Darwin, about 20,000 at Koepang and maybe 6,000 at Port Hedland. I intend to make Port Hedland the main fuel hub when I can expand the facilities there.
Remember, what I’m trying to achieve here is to draw in and tie up as much Japanese force in the DEI as I can, and hopefully wear it down too. For this I don’t need to actually hold Darwin (though that would be a definite bonus), just convince my opponent that this is what I’m trying to do. Similarly, any future Allied offensives in this area don’t have to be successful in advancing, they just have to be convincing enough. I think I can logistically sustain enough force in theatre to achieve this….but….well, we’ll see. If I can’t then I’ll probably put more emphasis on operations in New Guinea and the Bismarcks. Whether my opponent will be fooled by any of this is of course another matter.
As for KB’s absence - let’s imagine for a moment that my assessment of Fokko’s strategy is correct, i.e. no attempt at a 1943 auto-victory, not risking heavy losses and becoming overstretched, but rather keeping to a limited, more easily defended perimeter, possibly something similar to what the Japanese achieved historically. If this is correct, then he doesn’t really need to use KB more than he has done in covering invasions out of range of land-based air (Rabaul, Wake, Eastern New Guinea) or chasing away my carriers/heavy surface forces. Sure, he could use KB to raid my sea lanes and disrupt the buildup of Allied forces, but is it worth the risk of attritional losses to KB’s elite pilots and the possibility of an unlucky encounter with an Allied submarine just to retard my defensive buildup in places he doesn’t intend to take anyway? This could also explain the Japanese slow rate of advance. If Fokko doesn’t intend to take places like Canton Island, Fiji, New Caledonia, Port Moresby, Darwin, Calcutta etc, then what’s the hurry? Japan already has Rabaul, Palembang, Singapore, Manila and Rangoon, and will soon clear out the Philippines and take Java. Hopefully I can make Japan’s slow advance pay the price at Timor and Saumlaki, but I can see the sense in Japan’s approach. A tight, well defended perimeter with an intact KB, avoiding a Midway-type disaster and the grinding attrition of the Solomons will be a tough nut to crack, I think.
There is of course another explanation. The brilliant Allied double-strike on the Japanese build-up at Manado, the masterful way the Allies have reinforced their positions in the Pacific, and the clever way I feigned ineptitude during the Malayan campaign in order to lull Fokko into a true sense of security has rendered the Japanese situation completely hopeless.
Obviously the latter explanation is the one I prefer and if I try very hard I might be able to convince myself……
Re Intelligence: There’s no sigint on any attacks that would come as a surprise - Batavia, Soerabaja, Kendari, Wuchow. I was going to familiarise myself with the Japanese OOB, but I changed my mind - I decided to ‘role-play’ it and, apart from the Japanese Carriers, Battleships and Heavy Cruisers (which I understand the Allies would have been well aware of), I’ve relied on Sigint and contact in battle to build up a picture of Japanese forces. It was a right pain to do at first, but now it only takes a few minutes each turn and I don’t often now come across a unit I’m not already aware of. I haven’t looked at the Japanese reinforcement queue, although obviously there are some things I can’t help but know. This way I can keep a reasonable grip on what I’m likely to face, but there should still be a few nasty surprises for me to deal with.
With that caveat, 4th Div (last seen Manila), 48th Div (San Fernando) and Imperial Guards Div (Singapore) are all currently unaccounted for. First Raiding Regiment is available at Legaspi.
There is one thing I’m pretty certain about. Every so often some over-excited ferret bursts into the room babbling on about how they’ve managed to track down the Royal Thai Army HQ to somewhere in Bangkok, and then seems to expect some kind of medal……
“Yes, I know.... the Royal Thai Army HQ is in Bangkok….yes, I know that….yes….yes, I know the Royal Thai Navy HQ is in Bangkok too, yes..I know.….do close the door on your way out…….”
; Julia Child
