Bloody Pacific: Undercovergeek (Japan) vs. Yank (Allies)

[undercovergeek]

ORIGINAL: Smeulders

Can you tell us something about the strength of the air wings?

This is whats left:

Ship - zeros/pilots/zeros repair vals/pilots/vals repair kates/pilots/kates repair

Kaga - 14z/14p/0r 16v/19p/0r 5k/10p/2r
Hiryu - 18z/18p/1r 12v/12p/0r 5k/9p/2r
Soryu - 18z/20p/2r 13v/13p/0r 10k/13p/2r
Shokaku - 17z/17p/0r 21v/24p/1r 15k/16p/0r
Zuikaku - 10z/16p/5r 19v/23p/3r 11k/17p/1r
Akagi - 10z/16p/2r 11v/12p/0r 2k/5p/0r

The akagi has the worst of it, now i see this the vals arent as bad as i thought, but the kates are a big loss - back to tokyo eventually unless i can get Laihana up as soon as possible

[undercovergeek]

Pacific

The xAKL Hirondelle makes a dash from Pearl south south west and runs straight into the I-8, 9 shell hits and 2 torpedoes see off the transporter.

Just south of this near Kona the AR Medusa meets the I-171 also heading south west, 2 torpedoes hit the repair ship and it sinks.

And 120 miles off San Fransisco the DD Kilty takes a torpedo from the I-26, stationed here to naval search anything heading west from SF - im paranoid about the 41st marines getting to Pearl - its what hung up my first attack on Pearl in a previous attempt at this strategy. There is also a sub stationed off San Diego and Los Angeles looking for any transports heading west. Half way between Pearl and the US is a picket line of subs looking both ways for BBs heading east to the repair yards or CVs and transports heading west to Pearl. A few subs have lost their Glens over Pearl and these are been sent back to Midway to replenish - by the time they get there a rising sun will be flying over the island.

The midway invasion force is still plodding on and is tasked to meet up with the big escort there - as the escort approaches i will split it in 2 and form 2 bombardment TFs and hammer the garrison, reform and then move south to escort the 16th div into Laihana.

The KB is very slowly replenishing its Vals and Kates but needs a big airfield to do this properly - its a long trek back to Japan and then back to assist in the landings i will try and calculate how long it will take to get Laihana up to a size 7 airfield and use this instead.

Phillipines/Formosa/South China Sea/Borneo

The Ryujo TF spots a TK in the storms off Mindano, still unsure whether there is anything else out there the TF commander retreats at 30k yards. As the day breaks it is hoped the Kates will launch against the much needed tanker and sink it.

The menado invasion force rounds the coast of Mindano and is probably 3 turns from landing here, i will recon the island to check the size of the garrison.

During the morning the Ryujo spots an xAKL and the kates are released, i have lost the big TK TF heading west, and it is now under the protection of any airforce on the south of Borneo - recon is headed there next turn to see what exactly that protection is, but for now the unCAPped Ryujo will stay out in the Pacific - the xAKL Don Jose will have to do instead and it sinks after 2 torpedo hits.

The Sonias at 100ft escorted by Nates and Tojos still have no effect on the MBs at Hong Kong - i will leave the bombers at home and strafe the MBs with the escort at 100 ft.

The air above Malaya was decidedly quiet, suspisciously quiet. I suspect Yank is resting everything for one turn and then massing his fighters for one big sweep - similar to the Japanese air strategy. At Clark however the local air commander at Takao again fails to receive the radio orders to ground the Bettys until the Zero pilots have finished resting and launches the invaluable bombers who never pick up their escort from Bataan Island - 28 leave, 24 return, 8 with varying degrees of damage. The commander is warned if this happens again, only swords and pain will be in his short future. The planned sweep of Clark goes in after the Bettys which is frustrating as they are closer - destroying a P40-B for no loss.

The first attack at Hong Kong takes place - the forts reduce the odds to 1:2 for the Allies but the brave engineers still reduce the forts and the casualties are even 603 for the Japanese, and 404 for the Allies - 25k Japanese are here to take the city, only 8k are defending - even at this poor rate of attrition the garrison will lose in the end. A deliberate attack is ordered again for next turn.

Malaya

The 21st Inf reg and its support are massed around the base at Kuantan - many transports have been sunk by the vildebeests launched from here and the airfield must be seized. The indian brigade and its support put up little resistance and after 909 casualties to 69 retreats towards Johar Bharu - which will be attacked next turn. The airfield is undamaged and Nates, and the much needed Oscars are flown in immediately to provide air cover over the east coast.

The 143rd Inf reg, reformed into a single regiment easily takes Victoria Point and heads out north towards Tavoy chasing the retreating BF. Garrisons are already been shipped here to provide AV support for the attack into Burma

Summary

In short the Pacific just doesnt seem to be moving fast enough!! i know its only a week but im at the mercy of 3 CVs i dont know the location of, and any bombers Yank cares to fly to Pearl. To my knowledge he doesnt know im off Midway or heading for Johnson and Laihana, the last time this was attempted this all happened sequencially - this time i hope it all to be coordinated and happen at roughly the same time. We'll see - if hes on to me the CVs will be parked just passed Hilo waiting for the transports but out of sight of the subs - in fact i will look here next turn

[undercovergeek]

is this good/bad - never before have i seen a staggering array of numbers and not understood - do i have excess naval and merchant points to spend?

[undercovergeek]

Pacific

Now that ive left Pearl a few TFs are now present in the harbour as opposed to docked, but the ring of subs remains in case any ships dare to dash for the west coast. 3 DDs come out on ASW patrol, the Dewey, Hull and MacDonough, the I-169 launches 2 torpedoes at the Dewey, all miss and the 3 set about the sub. The I-169 suffers 3 hits leaving damage of 39/28 major - she heads back to Tokyo for repairs.

The DD Crane is now sailing alone off San Fransisco, i assume her partner sunk over night - 6 torpedoes are fired at the Crane but all miss, the Crane never finds the I-26.

The midway invasion force closes in, 14 hexes to go, the escort waits half way between the two and support ships are stationed 320 miles north of the island.

At Wake elements of the 16th div and its support/bf and construction btns are joined and made ready to sail for Laihana, other TFs are combined as the far flung elements of divisions are finally gathered in the same sea space. The original Wake invasion reboards its ships leaving room for the incoming base force and prepares for Johnson Is, some supplies and AV support are also diverted to this very important small island.

Phillipines/Formosa/South China Sea/Borneo

During the night the Ryujo TF once again closes in on a small TF and spots a sole TK steaming west towards Balikpapan, still unsure of his surroundings the meek and soon to be replaced commander backs away under the cover of darkness. It seems the Ryujo TF is in a perfect intercept spot but the escorts wont engage the TFs it encounters, presumably protecting the CVL being a priority - i may split this group so the CAs can go hunting.

During the day 10 Nells from Jolo roar over the Ryujo TF and attack a small TF west bound - 2 xAKLs, one is bombed and on fire, the other escapes.

The Ryujo TF in reply launches the Kates at a supply TF heading for Borneo, hitting all four ships, 2 xAKs and 2 xAKLs, all four are burning, 2 with heavy damage.

In a clear competition to outdo each other the Nells leave Jolo again and strike at another supply TF heading south presumably to Darwin - hitting 2 xAKs, one is burning and heavily damaged, the other taking the bomb hit with less destruction.

In reply the Kates of the Ryujo find another west bound TF and strike at the 2 xAKs, one receives 9 bomb hits and sinks, the other 4 hits, left smoking and crippled off Manado this ship wont make it throught the night.

Plans for this area include the invasion of Menado, forces and ships are been gathered to stage an invasion of Davao, Cagayan and the small islands forming Mindano - the 65th brigade at Takao may be called upon for this.

Further North elements of SNLFs are being loaded to land at Aparri after some recon has shown the northern bases to be empty.

One big show down at Clark resulted in 3 Zeros and 2 P40-Es been destroyed, I think im sweeping below the CAP here so i will increase the altitude of the attacks and see what happens.

On land the second deliberate attack at Hong Kong yields similar odds and similar casualities to last turn, 570 Japanese and 460 Allied lives are lost - the forts stay up but a larger percentage of the garrison is lost than of the attacking forces. I will try 2 or 3 turns of bombarding and will deliberate attack again.

I will cover China later, for the moment out lying army forces are been pulled to the front line and grouped into a rolling shock force that has beaten Yank in China twice - we'll see if it works again.

Malaya/Burma

As i suspected, the lack of air attacks last turn has let Yank gather his forces and rest for a day - by far the biggest attack in a single sortie leaves Singapore for Mersing - 21 Buffalo escorting 4 Vildebeest and 3 Hudsons. Heading for the unloading transports there the attack meets Oscars for the first time, Ki-43 Ias and Ibs defend the supply ships and lose one of their number in exchange for a vildebeest, however the xAK Koryu Maru is hit by a torpedo and will probably sink overnight. In the afternoon 11 Buffalo, 1 Blenheim and 3 Wirraway return, 1 fighter and 2 bombers never see Singapore again, all the untested Oscars return home undamaged.

11 Blenheims attack the unprotected ships at Kuantan, one leaves the area smoking, leaving in turn a bombed and smoking xAK off the beach.

On the ground the 42nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Tank Regiment,5th Engineer Regiment,11th Infantry Regiment, 5th Recon Regiment, 41st Infantry Regiment, 25th Army HQ, and 5th Field Artillery Regiment open the fight for Johore Bharu, an essential base to slam the door in the face of any further assistance to the beleagured troops at Singapore. The 22nd Australian Brigade, 27th Australian Brigade, 1st HK&S Heavy AA Regiment, 29 Battery/3 HAA, 30 Battery/3 HAA, III Indian Corps, and 111th RAF Base Force do their best to defend. The forts even up the odds but the attack brings them down to zero and after a 1:1 ratio the defenders take more casualties then the attackers - i expect the base to fall next turn.

The Imperial Guards move down the peninsular towards Alor Star and the paras start to land at Victoria Point in preparation for Point Blair. Bombers that have rested since the opening day or 2 will now be moved into the bigger airfields where there is enough support and the attacks on Singapores airfields will begin in earnest.

Summary

Im fairly confident Yank hasnt seen anything off Midway, tracker doesnt give me any indication that the TFs are spotted , and im also fairly sure the CVs are at least east of Pearl, therefore the landings at Johnson, Midway and Laihana should go as planned - he cant stop them all.

The Guards Brigade is bought from the HI and is brought under the command of the Southern Army, i will use its services at either Rabaul, Balikpapan or Luzon - i want to see how the Borneo landings go without any big infantry in place.

[Jonathan Pollard]

ORIGINAL: undercovergeek

is this good/bad - never before have i seen a staggering array of numbers and not understood - do i have excess naval and merchant points to spend?

It may seem like an excess of merchant points now, but by midwar you'll be running a deficit unless you expand merchants.

[SuluSea]

Looking forward to reading this . Best of luck.

[Ketza]

I will be watching this one.

[undercovergeek]

Pacific

This was a huge post Pearl Harbour attack organisation turn, logistics, supply TFs, resource and oil TFs - it took three and a half hours to finish - loved every minute of it! More on that later.

The ships at Pearl are breaking out, but not how i expected. To the best of my knowledge the BBs are still in there but Yank is steadily bringing out ASW TFs and there are a number of transport ships heading west and east. The commander of sub operations has received high praise for his efforts during the night - first the I-4 intercepted the APD Waters heading North west out of Pearl and sunk her, her escort the DD Mugford narrowly escaped 4 more torpedoes before starting a search for the sub but gave in soon after. The I-8 came to the surface with a perfect angle on the xAK Florence leaving Pearl and dashing South West towards Fiji, after 3 shell hits and 2 torpedoes she disappeared below the surface. The I-26 patrolling off San Francisco saw a huge ship - the xAP Mariposa, and fired 6 torpedoes, they missed and the troop ship disappeared into the night. The I-175 prowling on the surface near Kona came across the xAK Laida and sunk her with 2 torpedoes and 2 shell shots.

Some troops are coming west then - i may bring the KB mid way between Pearl and the West Coast to hunt these reinforcements.

In reply SS Tautog found one of the small TKs carying 1250 tonnes of fuel to Midway just off Kure island and attacked her on the surface, after 11 shots she sank, but not before hitting the Tautog 4 times causing her to submerge due to damage. Im not worried this may have alerted Yank to the Midway attack, it is too late, and it could be easy to mistake this fuel ship as part of the KBs replenishment fleet, and he knows thats here already.

Phillipines/Formosa/South China Sea/Borneo

The SS Porpoise attempted to even the sub war score by appearing in the shipping lanes just off Takao again, an ASW TF spotted her on the surface but failed to follow up the attack as the sub disappeared under the waves.

A large Zero sweep over Clark at a higher altitude than the CAP saw better results, all 20 returned home unharmed, destroying 1 P40-B and 2 P40-Es. These pilots are tired and will be rested next turn, the unloading HQ at Bataan Island has brought the AV support high enough to station all the Zeros here to surpress Luzons air force. They will rest for one turn and then recommence sweeping Clark.

Low level Sonias missed the MTBs again - just strafing Tojos will be sent next turn

Malaya

A sweep of 30 Nates from Kota Bharu hit Singapore and met 20 Buffalo and 2 Blenheims, surprisingly no casualties or damage was suffered on either side.

The 2 armies met at Johore Baru again and after the damage inflicted last turn the odds were drastically changed in Japans favour. With no forts and disruption through the army the Allies fled to Singapore - the last land route to the island shut. The battle for Singapore will begin in earnest when the Imperial Guards arrive after coming down the west side of the peninsular, artillery and all available armour is being shipped to Mersing to assist with the attack. Mersing, Kuantan and Khota Bharu's airfields are all being increased in size - fighters will sweep the skies first and then the bombers will be moved into occupy the airfields and the fighter sent East to sweep Pearl.

Summary

As well as the changes in Malaya, the main focus of this turn was to finalise the available shipping for the Home Islands. Every base with 30k resources or more that isnt in Honshu has received at least 3 20k tonne convoys put on CS to automate the delivers - any base from the west is delivering to Kobe, any base from the North is delivering to Sasebo, and any base from the east is shipping to Tokyo. Any base with 30k or more oil has also received convoys of tankers to provide the same service - after this turn i will do a count of how many hulls are actually involved in this grand undertaking - i know that Mike Solli thought it would be 200 or more. I have an excess of 750 naval yard points and have put Yamato and Musashi back on order, the Unyo has been accelerated as have all the CVEs.

I will look at planes/engines next turn. There are 20 Zeros in the pool and 25 Oscars, tracker tells me im on schedule to build 80 each a month at the moment but this is increasing.

The main news from this turn is that an Allied torpedo bomber spotted one of the subs off Hawaii, does Pearl have torpedo bombers from the start or are the CVs where i thought - waiting off the west coast? the subs have been spread out a little more to see if they can find the CVs.

[undercovergeek]

Pacific

A huge increase in sub operations as more and more ASW breaks out of Pearl, it would be carnage if the KB was still here, there are 2 ship ASW TFs everywhere. Luckily my subs seem to be getting the first shot in, theyre not hitting anything but theyre getting the first shot - after great heroics last turn, the same subs perform similar runs and routines but just cant hit a thing this turn. The I-25 misses the DD Patterson with 6 torpedoes and escapes undetected, the I-4 misses the DD Mugford and disappears without a trace, the I-5 launches 2 torpedoes at the AG Bridge and misses, the I-17 hits and sinks the AVD Ballard coming west out of Pearl. In the morning the I-25 goes for the DD Patterson again with another 6 torpedoes and fairs no better than its evening effort.

Im going to have to do a check on each sub outside Pearl, the I-25 has launched 12 torpedoes today, and just make sure that each one has enough torps on board to do the job - hopefully Midway with a support ship will prevent having to go all the way to Kwajalein - we'll see.

The Midway invasion force has met its escort and combined with the BB TF and is now sailing east - it should be 7/8 hexes away at the end of next turn, after that turn it will split out into a bombardment TF and pummel Midway to support the landing forces.

The last elements of the 16 Div are combining at Wake and will sail east to take Lahaina, there is a picket fence of 4 x DDs on point by about 6 hexes looking for the US CVs. The harbout at wake is so busy - ive been trying to get the landing forces off the island to both release some ground capacity and free up the docks but its so slow - port repairs are happening at 1 point per turn, just 37 left to go! The last stragglers are coming in now for the Pearl invasion, when that happens all the divisions will be combined into their respective TFs and then combined into one invasion TF as they approach Pearl to reduce the number of TFs to protect with the KB.

Some AV support has arrived at Hollandia, a Nell has been flown in to recon Rabaul and 9 others are flown into provide naval search to get a picture of whats happening down there.

Subs supposed to be reconning Johnson have no float planes left but i cant imagine there is much here and i dont want to recon Midway yet as the TFs around the island are undetected so far.

Phillipines/Formosa/South China Sea/Borneo

Bad weather meant any sweeps over Luzon were cancelled, and the airmen had a chance to rest and prepare for tomorrow.

The Menado invasion force is just off the coast and will land tomorrow, the base has been reconned and should provide very little resitance and provide a valuable airfield to use as a springboard into the South.

The mini KB has finally packed away its Kates, has retaken onboard its Claudes and some more from Palau and is headed to Tokyo to reinforce and upgrade where it will meet the rest of the HI CVE/Ls and will then combine with the KB after it has finished patrolling Midway and Pearl.

Nells are operating out of Jolo now and 10% are on nav search to keep an eye on Balikpapan and outlying areas.

A small invasion force has left Samah to take Aparri and another one is been prepared for Vigan.

Every piece of armour and artillery west of Takao is now being shipped to Mersing - i want to take advantage of the huge effects of bombardment on the Singapore garrison.

In Hong Kong the air commander there has been sent home after instructing his Idas instead of his Tojos to strafe the MBs, four were damaged after failing to attack, unfamiliar with their strange orders.

A mile or two from the port the Japanese army began their bombardment of the city causing 50 casualties, the majority been infantry squads. There are 2 more artillery squads in Canton, these are sent on the road South to assist their brothers in the bombardment. A second day of bombarding will go ahead tomorrow and then maybe a deliberate attack.

Malaya

The Imperial Guards and co. are now leaving Songkhia to take Alor Star but will not travel by train, so some slow marching is ahead.

A small garrison has been landed at Chumphon and will march west to provide guard duties at Victoria Point and some AV support has been landed at Chumphon as this will be the last hop for the paras as they head for Blair point. Some AV is been sent here as it will be used to recon the western bases of Burma, i want to look at landing higher than Rangoon and then marching east to cut the supplies.

In the air and pouring rain above Singapore 22 Oscars swept the skies destroying 1 buffalo for no loss. 27 Nates then destroyed 1 Buffalo for no loss sweeping 1000 ft higher than the Oscars, a last sweep of 17 Oscar 1bs came in at 2000 ft higher than the Nates only meeting 1 Buffalo but both sides caused no damage.

Then a moment of weirdness, im not really sure whats happened here. 22 Allied bombers attacked a transport TF coming into Mersing, hitting the Shinrei Maru with 1 bomb causing damage to the non combat elements on board. 3 Wirraways then attacked the same transport TF, missed but still caused 64 casualties to a non combat group, 3 Swordfish then sunk the first ship hit by the bombs, and this then sunk. Im just a little confused about the missed attack run but still causing casualties. Ill keep an eye on this TF.

[undercovergeek]

Pacific

After awarding the commander in charge of sub operations a commendation, this turn and the last have proved to be a bit hit and miss - miss been the operative word.

The evening opened with lots of ASW and sub attacks around Pearl, I-173 launched a salvo of torpedoes at DD MacDonough, all missed but the DD couldnt find the sub in the night. The I-17 attacked the DD Patterson again but missed, also disappearing into the night before any counter attack could take place. A small TF of DMS Hovey, Boggs and Trevor then came past the I-17, she launched 6 torpedoes at the Hovey, all missed but she managed to escape. The I-173 was then seen by MacDonough but the DD couldnt carry out any effective ASW and withdrew.

The midway invasion is 2 turns out, it is still steaming with the escort and all the support TFs that were holding north of the island are now heading south to arrive at the same time.

A sight to terrify naval command was seen in the afternoon, some kind of TF is reported heading northwest from Pearl towards Midway, the icon is two split ships bearing the surface combat design - is this the CVs, some not too damaged BBs and DDs come to intercept the invasion? is it reinforcements to help hold the island? the KB has been sent 2 hexes northwest of Midway to cover the invasion fleet, the bombers are on naval attack at 5-7k and the Zeros are on 50% lrcap, 50% escort - lets see who comes out of the mist next turn!

Phillipines/Formosa/South China Sea/Borneo

The sweeps over Clark continue and very slowly the Japanese are starting to exert some superiority over the area, the CAP leaving Clark is getting smaller and smaller.

The first sweep of 10 Zeros at 14k feet meets 4 P40Bs and 2 P40Es, one zero is lost, one P40B is lost. 9 Zeros then meet 1 each of the Warhawks at 15k feet, fire is exchanged but no losses are incurred on either side, 9 more Zeros meet a P40E, again fire is exchanged but no losses occur. 28 Zeros close on the base at 14k feet to shut down any further resistance and meet no opposition.

To the south 9 Nells take off from Jolo to attack a TF passing by, the xAK Munlock is seen but all bombs miss, the Nells return safely.

Across the water the Manado invasion fleet arrives, 3 Hudsons from the base attack the landing craft but miss - the invasion hits the shores and starts unloading under the cover of a small bombardment from the accompanying ships. The 16 Naval Guard emerge suffering minor casualities in the rush but soon form up and ready for the attack, a deliberate attack is ordered for the next turn.

In Hong Kong the bombardment continues causing minor casualities but nevertheless disrupting the garrison here - i will try a delibertae attack next turn and see how the odds fare.

The cruiser fleet off Singkawang is attacked from Singapore by 3 Hudsons, the CAP of 25 Zeros intercepts, destroying 1 and damaging 2, the bombers never setting eyes on the cruisers. 6 Blenheims then try the same attack, the CAP never takes off but the cruisers destroy 1 and damage 4 themselves for no damage. 3 Swordfish then drop from the clouds to attack the cruisers and 11 Zeros rise to intercept, 1 swordfish is destroyed, 2 damaged and the attack is called off, the Zeros return home unscathed. Finally 6 Blenheim IVs close on the task force but are spotted and 12 Zeros race to intercept, no losses are incurred but the bombers are destracted enough to turn for home.

Malaya

Off Mersing the xAK Kosei Maru is spotted by the SS KXI but manages to evade the 2 torpedoes launched at her starboard side, later in the day the same sub patrolling the lanes off Mersing spots the xAKL Choun Maru transporting armour to Mersing to assist with the attack on Singapore - 2 shell hits and a torpedo critcally damage the transporter but she struggles on, 1 tank is lost.

With the capture of the big airfields and the arrival of enough AV Support, there is an abundance of fighters able to sweep the skies over Singapore before the bombers go in. 28 Nates destroy 1 Buffalo on the initial sweep for no loss, 26 Oscars meet 9 Buffalo and 2 Blenheims but no losses occur, 44 Nates meet 2 Buffalo, again no losses occur, 3 Oscars attack a single Buffalo and again no losses occur.

I need to check the altitude of the defending CAP, i expected my 91 fighters to supress more than one Buffalo, either theyre not engaging or theyre too far apart.

Lastly my opponent is still adamant to attack the now almost empty supply TFs at Mersing, at last high losses occur amongst the attckers and this may deter him in the future - 14 Oscars and 6 Nates take down 1 Blenheim and 3 buffalo as they attempt to bomb the shoreline, 1 oscar is lost, and 13 Oscars and 5 Nates then intercept 7 unescorted Vildebeest - 5 are destroyed in a small repayment of the carnage these planes have caused on the Malayan east coast.

Summary

My only concern is what the TFs are heading North west to Midway, if its DDs to park at Midway to intercept the landing forces ill be happy, the KB is more than adequately equipped to deal with this, if its the US CVs i dont know what will happen. Its a very target rich enviroment, there are many TFs here and maybe, hopefully the CVs will launch against oilers, minesweepers and supply ships leaving an unmolested KB to carry out an attack with a very reduced Kate wing. Next turn cant come soon enough and my opponent is on holiday in Florida, with a laptop fortunately!!!

Im searching the available aircraft lists for Zeros, Vals and Kates to ship to Midway when it falls to restock the KB.

[PawnPower]

Shame stock is not designed with this sort of plan from the outset.

Will be following your AAR to see how you get on.

[undercovergeek]

Pacific

Dear Lord whats wrong with me..... a disturbed nights sleep worrying about the composition of the TFs heading towards Midway, the KB was readied, the SCTFs ready, the float planes searching and the guns loaded - it turned out to be 2 subs heading for Midway, its a bit late now but my guess is theyre here to lay mines. Everything and everybody is 40 miles out from Midway, the escort has split off and has orders to bombard the island - its been impossible to recon the island so i dont know how effective this will be. The invasion TF has met up with support staff and supplies and fuel, as far as im concerned we're ready to go - hopefully the forces will shock attack and the island should be mine tomorrow.

The first real bit of bad news for the Japanese came over the radio during the night - the very rare and very valuable AR repair ship Akashi was sighted off Midway by SS Pampano and hit by 1 torpedo, shes still floating and will hopefully stay afloat until the island is taken. Infuriatingly she was safe where she was last turn, i moved her after i saw the Allied TFs heading towards Midway, right into the path of the Pampano - her sister ship is safe and these 2 were planned to be stationed off Lahaina to repair any ships damaged during the taking of that island and any damaged ships after bombarding Pearl. The Pompano then returned after giving the ASW force the slip and attacked a sole TK on the surface - 12 shell hits werent enough to sink the small oiler (1250 capacity) but all the fuel is lost.

Part of the invasion force's escort found the SS Plunger to the south west of Midway and attacked but she disappeared in the night. Another part of the escort also found the SS Tautog, they attacked and hit the sub twice, this attack revealed the BB Yamashiro so i guess the game is up about my Midway intentions. After escaping the ASW TF the Plunger then was picked up trying to attack a small transporter, she fired four times but all torpedoes missed, she disappeared before the counter attack could be mounted.

Nells stationed from Hollandia picked up some traffic around Rabaul but nothing informative, ill keep them searching. I need a 'take stock' turn to look at the islands in the pacific and decide which ones to build up and fortify and start that pretty soon, i will start to create some supply TFs from the HI to Kwajalein and Truk to assist with this strategy.

The Laihana Invasion force sets off from Wake, the 16 div, 4 construction batallions and 2 base forces and a HQ escorted by a number of CAs, CLs and DDs. The Johnson Invasion force is almost ready, im just delayed by the time its taking to pull the original Wake invasion force back off the island. And the Tfs with all the elements of the divisions are sent out towards Midway, the 4th, the 56th, the 33rd, the 48th and the 2nd are all under way with support troops to assist in the Pearl landings - the 16th after it has taken Laihana will also join the invasion.

Phillipines/Formosa/South China Sea/Borneo

The Manado force completed landing and attacked today, i woefully underestimated the garrison here and didnt even consider there would be fortifications. The troop numbers are pretty much the same, 2121 for the Japanese and 2050 for the Allies (AV of 64 v 65), but the odds after modifiers were set at 1:4 and the Japanese were stalled on the beach. The Allies took more casualities but the forts are still up, emergency TFs are on the way to Badelbaob to pick up engineers and some more infantry this base is important to commence the first steps into the South.

Just north of here near Dadjangas a Japanese xAKL sailed within 12000 yards of two Allied xAKs, the two TFs considered what to do for a moment and then withdrew and continued on their path, the Japanese to the east, the Allies to the west.

The fight above the Phillipines continues, 30 Zeros swept Clark meeting 14 Warhawks at 14k feet - 2 Zeros were lost for 3 Warhawks. 20 more Zeros then followed up and met 2 more Warhawks destroying 1 for no loss - its not so much that the Japanese are struggling here its just so slow to reduce the air forces - i may call on the bombers from Formosa to commence their runs on Clark to damage the airfield and hopefully destroy any on the ground.

The SNLF heading to Aparri is about 8 hexes out and hopefully will land here unopposed and start to build up the airfield there - im prepping some JAAF Btns for the landing so that the airfield is open asap.

China

Very little has happened here so far, Yank has tried 3 or 4 attacks against the fortresses at Ichang and tries again this turn. The moves i have made so far are to pull in all the outlying divisions and brigades to try and amass a concentrated force to start at Yenan(?) and slowly rumble south, this is beginning to happen now and the airwar is starting to ramp up here and China now gets its own section!

Hudsons and Chinese bombers attack the garrison at Hankow but are turned away by Nates each time, the bombs never been dropped. 4 chinese bombers and 1 Hudson are lost for no Nate loss.

The deliberate attack goes in at Hong Kong but the forts remain the same (2) and the odds stay at 1:2 but this time the Allied losses outstrip the Japanese. They will all rest for a turn and then i will bombard for 2 or 3 days and try again.

Ichang is attacked once more by the Allies here. In previous turns the Japanese have had the forts reduced and their wounded numbers were higher than the Chinese forces - i have no idea what happens this turn but the same forces clash and the attacking AV is reduced from 2454 to 55 and the Japanese AV is adjusted from 560 to 785 - at odds of 1:14 the Chinese dont stand a chance and lose 2536 troops mainly infantry to just 35 Japanese losses.

Malaya

Another number of bloodless encounters above Singapore - 32 Nates meet 6 Buffalo for no loss, 29 Oscars meet 4 Buffalo for no loss, but 42 Nates meet 18 Buffalo and lose 2 of their number.

Above Mersing 3 Wirraways attempt to upset the new armour and artillery forces landing there but meet the CAP of 14 Oscars and 6 Nates and 2 bombers are lost and the other returns home with a full payload.

The Imperial Guards are very slowly moving west to alor Star, 5 Allied units have reappeared in Johore Bharu but 8 Japanese units are close behind them - i hope to inflict as much damage as i can here and then have the remnants retreat to Singapore. Chumphon and Victoria Point are now garrisoned and the infantry here will head towards Tavoy.

Summary

A lot of worrying for nothing with regards to the TFs approaching Midway but it has let me know im worried about the KB and its reduced wings, as soon as the landings at Midway are done i have to get new TBs and DBs here straight away to replace and replenish the KB. The Allied CVs are out there somewhere.

[undercovergeek]

Pacific

Midway

I suspect that i have left 'escorts bombard' on as every ship in the invasion TF decided to attack the coastal guns before depositing their vital cargo on the beaches. Many TBs, CMs, xAKs were sunk or damaged so badly they returned home without dropping off their supplies.

The SS Narwhal and SS Pompano attacked an AG, an xAK, and a TK only damaging the TK on the surface - its fuel caught fire and the ship exploded.

A small and then a large BB TF both attack the island causing casualties to the non combat elemnts ashore.

The invasion finally gets underway and the 144th Inf Reg, the 15th Base Force and 7th Base Force step ashore. The usual disembarking casualities occur.

The Allies fire first with a bombardment attack causing no damage to the invasion troops and suffering 62 casualities amongst their own. Then comes the shock attack, the Japanese can muster an AV of 197 and the Allies only 65, but after readjustment mainly due to the infantrys supplies burning behind them it comes out at 1:1 with 35 AV to 24 AV. The Japanese suffer 850 casualties to the Allies 66 but the forts come down and the supply ships are turned around and sent back to unload. A deliberate attack is ordered next turn - an emergency TF of 2 SNLF is a turn away if this all goes wrong. I expect the island to be Japanese tomorrow.

Elsewhere the I-174 hits and sinks an xAK heading west from Pearl, and the I-170 takes up the challenge presented by the two DDs to the North of the island - the Hull and MacDonough and misses, the I-6 hits and sinks the AVP Pelican dashing south west.

So.... all the damaged ships that arent in immediate danger of sinking are turned round and sent back to Midway, these include ships carrying approx 25k supplies and the 35 JAAF Btn, the BB TF will try a bombardment again and we will take the island next turn.

Phillipines/Formosa/South China Sea/Borneo

Disaster kind of strikes the invasion fleet at Manado - a fairly large SCTF including the scurge of the seas the Boise appears off the coast completely undetected and destroys the entire fleet - 4 xAKs 2 xAKLs and an APD, the only consolation being the invasion force had disembarked and most of their supplies too. The Nells have been alerted at Jolo and a datai of Mavis naval search planes have been landed here to help look for the Allied TF. There are a number of unescorted TFs in this area heading for Badeldaob to pick up reinforcements for Manado, hopefully the Mavis' can spot the SCTF and i can plot a route around them. The Ryujo TF is too far away now to be of any help.

41 Zeros sweep Clark, 2 P40Es meet the challenge and one is destroyed - the way seems clear at Clark and the bombers from Formosa are once again called upon next turn to attack the airfield.

The Aparri invasion should land next turn, recon shows theres noone home and has been diverted to Vigan, the next proposed landing site.

The garrisons have landed at Miri and Beaufort releasing the 124th Inf Reg and a naval guards unit to round the the north of Borneo and take Tarakan. The 2 cruiser fleets that were gurading Singkawang and Miri are tasked to follow these ships in case the Boise shows up again.

Malaya

From Kuantan and Khota Baru 75 Nates sweep Singapore destroying 1 Buffalo for 1 loss - the upper hand has now been gained here too - Nates and Oscars are shuffled around the airfields and the Lillys, Nells and Bettys are brought in to attack the airfield here.

The last of the RAF in the area gathers to attack the landing areas at Mersing - 15 Blenheims, 2 Swordfish and 2 Hudsons escorted by just 2 Buffalo attack the ships here, 4 Nates and 14 Oscars intercept and destroy or damage all but 3 Blenheims, 1 xAK takes a torpedo and sinks.

More and more Japanese troops pour into Johore Bharu and many more are unloading at Mersing to gather for the attack on Singapore, a deliberate attack is ordered on the Allied troops that have blundered into the area.

Summary

Not what i was hoping for, i expected Midway to fall and i didnt expect to lose so many ships to the coastal guns, Pearl will be hell compared to this so i need to master unloading an invasion fleet and getting the composition right - in some way it was right, the main invasion TF went straight to the shore and its escort split off to surpress the guns, but all the single ship TFs with supplies, fuel and AV support opened fire as they approached and were very badly damaged, hindering the invasion badly.





Everything to the North West and South West is badly damaged and heading for Japan or Kwajalein, it has been turned around to go back to Midway. To the immediate west is the emergency convoy with 2 SNLF on board, just in case.

[undercovergeek]

The 5 TFs heading north east away from Wake are the 5 Pearl Invasion divisions heading to Midway, the two Tfs seen to the South East near Taongi are the Lahaina invasion force (furthest east) and the Johnson Island invasion force - they are both under way

[undercovergeek]

The ultimate prize - just off map to the north east is a TF coming to Pearl im hoping a sub or two will catch it and well help to strangle any reinforcements trying to get into the island - if not the KB will have to come and patrol here.

[undercovergeek]

The rest (not much happening in Luzon, or New Guinea yet) - all the Tfs are heading west with armour or artillery, in Mersing the 21st and 38th Division has just landed and will be setting off for Johore Bharu shortly.

[undercovergeek]

Pacific

More ASW and sub attacks as more DDs and sub-hunters leave Pearl to find the Japanese subs, and allied convoy hunters surround Midway.

The SS Plunger attacks the other rare AR for the Japanese off the coast of Midway but misses with 4 torpedoes.

Off Pearl the I-8 is attacked by the DD Conyngham and is caught by one depth charge for not much damage.

At Midway the SS Narwhal launches 4 torpedoes at a small TK unloading fuel at the island but misses with all. In the afternoon she attacks an AK with 2 torpedoes but misses again. Out of torpedoes she then comes to the surface to attack an xAK unloading at Midway and causes 51 casualties, the captain, C W Wilkins, out of all ammo then submerges and disappears.

Another small tanker unloading at Midway is attacked by the SS Thresher on the surface, the ship and sub exchange shots, the sub taking 3 hits and the ship taking 14, all fuel is lost.

The AG Mamiya is hit by three topredoes fired by the SS Argonaut and sinks - all supplies on board lost. Confident in their abilities, an attack is then launched on a xAK in the harbour but misses.

The SS Trout finds a small convoy off the Kure Island and launches 4 torpedoes at a PB amongst the group - they all miss.

To round off the sub attacks a hastily thrown together ASW force to protect Midway finds the SS Cachalot but cant effectively prosecute an attack.

The large escort that covered the invasion TF commences its bombardment of Midway - 6 BBs and 4 CLs take part in the attack, receiving no hits from the island and causing 39 casualties in return, plus minor damage to the port and airfield. Amongst the carnage the invasion forces try again to take the island, and succeed - just. 12000 troops with an AV of 179 face 2715 troops with an AV of 60 - the AV is adjusted to 52 and 18 and with a ratio of 2:1 the Japanese take the island. The dreaded SS Pompano is scuttled in port! Work starts immediately on expanding the port.

To the West the Johnson invasion force (2 SNLF) and Laihana invasion force (16 Div) set off, there support troops and AV support following closely behind. The KB moves south to cover the transport TFs.

Phillipines/Formosa/South China Sea/Borneo

During the night a small Allied bombardment TF attacked the recently disembarked invasion forces at Manado, 2 CLs and 2 DDs causing 40 casualties.

The Sasebo 8th SNLF unloads at Aparri and prepares to take the unmanned airfield here.

The air war above Luzon is all but won, 20 Nells and Bettys bomb the airfield at Clark, and only 4 Warhawks oppose the attack. 23 Zeros then sweep the airfield, destroying 1 of the 2 Warhawks that rises to meet the sweep. 13 Nells follow up the sweep and seriously damage the airfield and to finalise the attacks here 31 Zeros sweep the airfield to ensure its closure.

Another SNLF is been loaded for Vigan, and all available recon based at Formosa is now snooping all the bases north of Clark. The Davao invasion force is working its way around the south east tip of Mindanao and should be there in 2-3 days - the cruiser TFs guarding the landing at Borneo have all been diverted to cover the Davao landing force and the Tarakan force incase the Boise is around again.

China

The OCD in me wants to tidy up Chinas lines before i begin the attack proper - various Divisions and brigades and artillery groups are making their way to the front lines.

In Hong Kong the Tojos finally attack at 100ft the MTB squadron off the harbour damaging 1 boat for no damage in return.

The Hong Kong bombardment causes 187 casualties and again the majority seems to be infantry squads - i will carry on with these for a day or two and then try a deliberate attack again.

Malaya

The air war above Singapore however has only just started, Yank has gathered all his fighters here and sweeps are having a very minimal effect on his air power.

Firstly 26 Oscars meet 24 Buffalo and 3 Blenheims, losing 2 of their number to 1 Buffalo.
29 Nates meet 2 Blenheims and 6 Buffalo at 20k ft and no loss is suffered on either side.
24 Nells and Bettys then attack the airfield meeting 3 Buffalo and lose 3 to the AA above the city - 3 Buffalo are damaged. 31 Nells then attack the airfield destroying 6 aircraft on the ground causing major damage to the runway below.

Malaya

27 Sallies attack the Singapore airfield unopposed causing moderate damage.

31 Nates and 29 Oscars sweep the skies above Singapore and still meet no opposition.

The Imperial Guards and all are now 25 miles from Alor Star that appears to be empty, they will take the town and sweep south to join up with the main army at Johore Bharu.

The massed forces in Johore Bharu gain odds of 114:1 over the already beaten troops from Mersing - they are crushed and retire to Singapore.

[undercovergeek]

Pacific

More sub warfare and ASW around the Hawaiian Islands -

I-6 now a legend amongst the Japanese sub fleet is seen by DD Rathburne but the destroyer fails to attack.

I-19 off San Clemente Island is spotted by DD Crane but again no attack is followed up.

The SS Narwhal most wanted of all the allied subs now the Pompano is destroyed continues its vendetta against the remaining AR but misses again. In reply an ASW force of 4 DDs finds her and attacks, hitting the sub 3 times and hopefully causing enough damage to force the sub to withdraw.

I-5 is found off Lahaina by DD Patterson but no attack is carried out.

The KB moves to meet the Lahaina invasion TF to provide air cover, and the BB TF from Midway moves to bombard Johnson and then will provide the landing cover for Lahaina in order to avoid the same disaster that befell the Midway invasion force.

The 144th Regiment is picked up again from Midway and will form part of the Johnson Inv and will then move onto Palmyra/Christmas - the plan is to take Johnson and use it for recon of the other pacific islands, and to bomb Pearl.

TFs are created in Kwajalein with 2 SNLFs and will go south to merge with the Makin and Tarawa forces to take Baker and other eastern islands. This should be the extent of the eastern perimeter, a number of bases will be chosen to increase the airfields and thus the defence will begin.

Phillipines/Formosa/South China Sea/Borneo

The 8th SNLF takes Aparri unopposed, air support is on its way, Bataan Island's air groups will move here and the rest of the air support from there will also be shipped in

14 Nells and Bettys attack the airfield at Clark, 5 Bettys are destroyed by the unexpected CAP.

25 Zeros then sweep the area and meet no opposition, 25 Nells and 4 Sallys then attack the airfield again causing moderate damage, no more resistance is put up by the CAP for another 2 sweeps. I suspect the CAP is coming from Manilla and Clark has been abandoned, I will switch the attacks and sweeps to Manilla next turn.

China

Another bombardment at Hong Kong causes 212 casualties, i would like to ship in more artillery but the MTBs are still hanging around Hong Kong.

Malaya

36 Nells and Bettys attack the Singapore airfield causing moderate damage to the airfield and destroying 2 planes on the ground, whilst damaging 14 Buffalos sent to meet them - this at a cost of 21 damaged Bettys.

28 Oscars sweep the sky above and meet no resistance, emboldened 24 Sallys attack the airfield destroying 6 aircraft on the ground and causing 23 points worth of damage to the airfield. A further sweep of 46 Oscars and Nates meets no resistance.

Summary

Looking at the route im concerned by the amount of time the Lahaina invasion force has to spend rounding Pearl as a western invasion is not viable - the TF must round Pearl and land at Lahaina - i may go south to lengthen the distance between Pearls bombers and the invasion fleet.

There are enough fighters in Malaya now to both sweep and escort over Singapore to strengthen the attacks over the city.

The Davao invasion should land next turn and the reinforcements for Manado are underway.

[undercovergeek]

Pacific

The DDs escorting the KBs replenishment fleet see the SS Trout off Kure Island but cant get into position to attack before she disappears.

The SS Argonaut fires 4 torpedoes at an AMC unloading at Midway and misses.

At Pearl the I-15 spots an ASW force and fires a salvo, of the 6 torpedoes one hits the AM Tern causing heavy damage.

An escort force gathering at Midway to accompany the amalgamated Pearl Invasion fleet spots the SS Narwhal and gives chase but never finds the sub.

The Lahaina invasion forces and Johnston Invasion forces split each with an escort that will seperate to bombard the target as it approaches. The KB reroutes to join up and follow the Lahaina inv force.

Phillipines/Formosa/South China Sea/Borneo

The 65th Brigade unload completely at Davao and wait for their accompanying Base Force and engineers to unload before attacking.

The sweeping at Clark continues - 17 Zeros destroy 2 P40Es and lose 1 in return, the Zeros have had their altitude raised to 20k ft.

20 Nells and Bettys and 9 Lillys attack the airfield again, 9 are damaged but the airfield reaches 100% damage and is closed.

25 Zeros finalise the sweeps over the base and shoot down 1 P40E for no loss. I will rest the Zeros next turn before they are shipped to Aparri - the amount of aircover required here now is minimal, some will head west to Burma some will head East to Lahaina, the bombers will rest too before been reassigned, recon shows nobody home but infantry at Clark and 2 fighters at Manilla.

Nells from Jolo see the small cruiser force that raided the Manado landings - the CLs Marblehead and Tromp, and the DDs Van Nes, and CA Houston are found at Balikpapan - 15 attack but all miss their target from 6000 ft. 12 more set off after the Dragon, De Ruyter and Houston are seen again in the afternoon, all miss again.

The 124th regiment from Brunei and Miri was split into 3 seperate groups and is approaching Tarakan, Tawau and Tandjoengselor all at the same time, the 2 smaller bases either side of Tarakan will be taken first and then Tarakan in the hope of the forces there surrendering and not retreating. 139WH-3s (old Martins?) from Balikpapan attack the landing craft at all 3 bases and miss, and the landings at the 2 minor bases commence.

China

The bombardment at Hong Kong removes another 137 casualties, i will try a deliberate attack soon.

Malaya

Numerous sweeps over Singapore secure the skies for a number of raids by Sallys, Nells and Bettys - 13 planes are destroyed on the ground and the airfield is decimated - fighters will rest here too before been reassigned, and the bombers will disrupt the ground forces for a while before also been reassigned.

[undercovergeek]

Pacific

In the morning the I-21 sinks the xAK Panaman approaching Pearl from the USA, in the afternoon she sinks the xAK Pennsylvanian passing I-6s kill rate and becoming an ace of the sea.

9 B-17Ds leave Pearl to attack a TF heading East towards the island group, and 45 Zeros meet the bombers destroying 1 and damaging 5 - a surprising turn of events for the bombers but the KBs location and direction is revealed - we'll see what comes next turn.

The Lahaina invasion force now consists of the transport group, the KB following, and they are waiting 10 hexes off the coast of Pearl for the BB TF that is on its way back from bombarding Johnson Is. I want the landings to contain the BB TF to soak up any shore battery fire and avoid the beach disaster from Midway.

The Johnson Is invasion fleet is so far unspotted, the advantage here being that once the island is taken Yank will be blind in this region other than what leaves from Pearl and the airfield will be flattened there by continued bombing runs from Lahaina.

Just northwest of Japan a large TK carrying oil from Port Arthur to the HI runs into the SS Skipjack and is hit by a torpedo, 10000 tonnes of oil goes to the bottom as does an invaluable large tanker - ASW TFs are headed to the area.

Phillipines/Formosa/South China Sea/Borneo

North of Luzon off the coast of Takao the SS Porpoise comes to the surface to attack an xAK moving to Aparri, the xAK gets the first shot in damaging the sub and the subs Captain cancels the attack and orders the dive immediately.

At Aparri itself a raiding force of 7 PTs hit the landing craft there, which fortunately are empty, an escort of 3 DMS, 2 PB, and 6 SCs defend the xAKs - 2 DMS and an xAK are hit by torpedoes and sink, and one PT is hit by a shell and sinks.

42 Zeros who missed last turns orders to rest sweep Manilla and meet the last 7 P40Es in the area - 2 are destroyed for one Zero.

At Miri the SS KXIV comes to the surface to attack a passing AK returning to Saigon and its crew are beaten to the deck guns by the AKs - the ship opens fire first hitting the sub twice and forcing it to submerge before it can open fire.

3 more 139WH-3s attempt to disrupt the landings off the Borneo coast but all miss the target at Tawau.

The Nells at Jolo spot the Boise and co. again cruising near Balikpapan and 17 attack but all miss their target again [:@]

The 65th Brigade takes Davao easily, the plan now is to leave the base force and AV support here and reload the 65th and take it round Mindanao to attack Cotabato and then Cagayan.

Tawau and Tandjoengselor also fall easily without any defense. The elements of the 124th that landed here will be instantly shipped to Tarakan and they will combine with the main group and take the largest of the 3 bases here hopefully causing a surrender.

Jessleton also falls - the Yokosuka 2nd SNLF will reboard the ships and head east for the last base on the north coast.

China

In an attempt to disrupt the ground forces at Hong Kong all available bombers attack from Canton but fail to break through the AA fire and reach the defenders.

The Tojos also leave Canton and damage 2 more MTBs stationed at Hong Kong.

A deliberate attack goes in at Hong Kong, the forts stay at 2 but the Allies take 688 casualties to 458 Japanese - i will bombard for a week and then shock attack.