Cribtop
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Joined: 8/10/2008
From: Lone Star Nation
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Jan 9, 1942
Subs
K XIII elects not to attack a PC in a leading ASW TF for Operation KS, then misses a DD in Indes Fleet that is following behind. CA Chokai is spotted by the sub, so CF knows we are moving here in strength. Near Formosa, an Ann from our ASW Daitai is reported hit by sub AA fire. Never seen that report before! The Ann makes it back home and is ok for ops on the 10th.
4th Fleet
The Nauru and Ocean Island invasion launches. Cribtop HQ approves planning for seizure of Baker and Canton.
SE Fleet
Tulagi is captured and New Hanover Island is occupied. We are pleased that KB remains unspotted. This may make CF more cautious in the DEI, but may not. Either way, we'll keep the CVs the silent watchdog in SE Fleet if at all possible. The invasion fleet departs for Munda, the next target in the chain invasion.
Small convoys leave Truk to collect two base forces and a Nav Guard unit that arrived at Saipan. These forces will be loaded and used in the invasion of the Papuan peninsula of New Guinea, which will commence as soon as the Solomons Op concludes. KB is then likely to head for the DEI to cover invasions of Java and Sumatra.
14th Army
An LCTF raids the enemy's PT hideout at Legaspi and sinks all six enemy boats for no loss. This was a mission of opportunity as this DesDiv transited from Cam Ranh Bay to Babeldoab. The enemy PT threat in the PI has not amounted to anything, and we credit the choice of Aparri as the exclusive landing site for this outcome.
Bombers hit Bataan. Starting tomorrow, the Oscar Sentai will depart for Malaya and the IJAAF will begin daily hammering of both Clark and Bataan airfields.
This move is made possible because we seize the enemy's secret airbase at Batangas with armor, odds 34:1, casualties 169(8) vs nil. Ten Philippine air force fighters are destroyed on the ground. No sign of any P-40s left in Luzon. He may have a few stashed at Cebu or some other base, but given the need in Burma and Singapore for Oscars and the paucity of resistance in the PI, we make the decision to rely on escorting Nates until we see an enemy fighter again. As planned, the 16th Recon Regt will handle cleanup in the south of Luzon.
The bulk of 14th Army will arrive at Clark Field tomorrow and begin the siege. Two LCUs got there a bit early, so we put the marching units into combat mode just in case the enemy decides to risk an attack. If he does we will catch him by surprise as our army is only two miles short of entering the Clark hex.
16th Army
All eyes are on Operation KS. The fleet transits the tight straits between the Moluccas and New Guinea and is spotted. Small air attacks by Hudsons and Dutch bombers result in no hits and about four kills for KBL Zeros. Tomorrow we invade Sorong and Boela with small forces while the main invasion moves closer to Ambon, which will come under heavy preparatory air attack. Kendari is port attacked today in a deliberate attempt to confuse CF as to the target of the invasion.
We have done everything possible, other than wait for KB, to protect this invasion. 18 Mavis have been searching out to 20 hexes and 36 Nells out to 14 from Manado. Subs patrol the waters between Ceram and Timor. We have LBA and KBL providing air support, and heavy surface forces protecting the transports. Could Force Z or the enemy CVs intervene? Perhaps, but they didn't get a lot of warning of our approach. One regret is that moving into Ambon is tough in these tight waters, so D Day will not occur until the 11th. There is nothing to do but watch and wait.
25th Army
An annoying "feature" bites us today. We had ordered ground attacks at Temuloh, but the enemy wisely evacuated by rail. This resulted in IJAAF bombers following an enemy ground unit all the way to Johore Baru and into the arms of waiting CAP. 13 Lily and 1 Sally are shot down. Ugh. We've seen this before, apparently bombers pre-select LCU targets and that overrides orders to focus on a given hex. Fortunately air losses have been so light that we can easily replace both air frames and pilots.
DA 1 hex NW of Kuala Lumpur by our advance guard of armor again thrashes the poor survivors of Taiping, odds 71:1, 5 LCUs retreated, casualties 583(181) vs nil.
15th Army
Marching on Pegu from multiple directions. We are actively reconning central Burma bases and so far the enemy appears to be standing pat with pre-war dispositions or something close thereto. Cribtop HQ is preparing for the inevitable air war and to that end withdraws 1st Sentai from Malaya to Saigon to upgrade from Nates to Oscars. This air group plus the lone Tojo Chutai will be the foundation of our fighter strength here. We anticipate brining in another Oscar Sentai once air superiority is established at Singapore.
China
Marching and bombing, trying to catch the former Loyang garrison before it reaches the forest.
5th Fleet
The Operation AA fleet closes in on its final way point before D Day. No sign of enemy activity from screening subs or our picket ship, which will take position just off Adak tomorrow.
< Message edited by Cribtop -- 5/12/2011 9:42:50 PM >
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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 
I think my point is that in many places, CF seems to be standing and fighting rather than evacuating to a single defensive position. My interpretation is that he is refusing to let himself play like many of us do in AE by denying himself the foreknowledge that defense of Malaya, Luzon, etc is a doomed endeavor. This would be consistent with the erroneous assumptions of historical commanders and politicians that these places could be held against the Japanese.
Sigh, kudos to CF for slipping the noose by the hair of his chin. 
. Bummer though about Loyang. That was a lucky break for CF. It seems to me that the Chinese force should have had to undergo an attack against your blocking force first and only if successful occupy the hex and link up with the other units. If it would have been defeated it should have had to remain in Loyang. Regardless, I've learned that hexside control makes it much more difficult to surround and destroy enemy formations than hex control alone. I'm guessing that was the intention of the design. 
. 
Odds 2:1, forts 0, Casualties a spooky 1900(666) vs 367(3). Seven LCUs retreat to Clark. We had hoped for a retreat to Batangas and oblivion. Still, CF got 7 units chopped up by trying to hold Manila. Why? Quien Sabe? 
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