Bullwinkle58
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April 26, 1942
The Day After
This seems like a good spot to review FUDD and see what's gotten done and what has not.
"Overview
Operation FUDD is a multi-phase operation aimed at re-taking Rangoon and selected associated targets in mid-1942. It will employ forces from the British, Australian, Indian, and Chinese military establishments. Following each phase an examination of enemy reaction will be mounted and adjustemnts, postponement, or cancellation of follow-on phases will occur.
Strategic and Tactical Objectives
1) Consolidate Oil/Fuel denial in Burma So far so good.
2) Achieve roughly 1500 VP swing in the Allies' favor No
3) Deny Japan theater industrial assets of Rangoon Not yet. Bombing may accomplish this in the weeks to come. Removing the LI from Rangoon would pressure the occupation.
4) Make the sub-region a no-go area for the IJN by use of Pt. Blair and the linked air fields at Rangoon and nearby. Not yet. Pt. Blair has TBs.
5) Enable armored thrusts down the Burmese coast from Pegu to potentially cut the Bangkok-to-Singapore supply line and force any resource flows toward Korea onto the water. Longer-term. Armor losses in the landings will delay this.
Phases
1) Phase 1 will be an opposed amphibious landing at Rangoon by combined arms forces led by Indian Army units, launching from Madras and Calcutta. Escort and CAP will be provided by RN heavy units from Colombo, accompanied by minesweepers. Done
2) Phase 1.5 will be a para-assault on Bassein from Pt. Blair. Impossible. Viper Force non-base landing substituted.
3) Phase 2 will be a ground assault on Prome by Chinese infantry with an objective, at minimum, of pinning the RTA division there. Exceeded. Prome taken, is building.
4) Phase 3 will be second-wave landings at Rangoon by more division-sized infantry, as well as substantial armor sourced from theater reserves as well as India garrisons released by re-location of Chinese Army units to India. Done, but damaged.
5) Phase 4 will be capture of Pegu by forces from Rangoon. Undone. If will be done will be by alternate route from Toungoo region.
6) Phase X, depending on enemy reactions and solid intel gains from previous phases, will be movement forward in force from the Mandalay sector to either take Toungoo if abandoned, or to invest the garrison there if not, after its supply lines are cut by the taking of Pegu. Air support from Mandalay group bases. Toungoo taken without a fight today.
7) Phase Y, investment of Chiang Mai by three Chinese corps moving overland. FUDD will not be delayed while these units reach position. This phase is considered a "nice to do" portion of the operation. These units are considered expendable and are intended mainly as a prod to draw a response to this supply line threat and reduce combat forces available to react to the north for the time needed to consolidate the landings and initial supply of Rangoon. In progress. Two corps ahead of third. Cross-river assault on Chiang Mai may be reassessed. These deep penetration units may be re-targeted to threaten different supply lines.
8) Phase Z, feint toward Ramree I. by lone Chinese corps, overland, underway for several weeks now in plain sight. Ramree I. is valuable if Rangoon is not held, but is exposed unless total air superiority is achieved, doubtful at this stage of the war. It is also a dot base, and engineering assets will be better used at the other targets. Ramree I. is intended to draw off Japanese air assets." Exceeded. Ramree taken, held by corps+ force. Building AF and supply base.
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The day has some wins and losses, but overall it could have been much worse. The Allies readjust myriad things in light of new realities. This will continue for awhile due to redeployment speeds and damage, but the first day is the most important to retreat what can and save the saveable.
1) Japan continues a go-slow approach to the landing forces at Rangoon. From their perspective the stack is trapped, so no hurry. This is somewhat true (trapped, today), but it's also what the Allies want. The Japanese stack is over-kill, and some of it could profitably be released by Japan to fortify Pegu, move to deal with the Chiang Mai sector, preempt Bassein's fall, attack Prome, etc. Instead Japan snipes with air power and another bombardment. The stack has some AA along and Idas do not have much durability.
Morning Air attack on B Sqn 3rd Hussars Regiment, at 54,53 (Rangoon)
Weather in hex: Heavy rain
Raid spotted at 37 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 17 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 15
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 3
Ki-36 Ida x 25
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 9
Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 1
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 1 damaged
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 1 destroyed by flak
Ki-36 Ida: 3 damaged
Ki-36 Ida: 1 destroyed by flak
No Allied losses
Morning Air attack on RAF 222 Group Base Force, at 54,53 (Rangoon)
Weather in hex: Heavy rain
Raid spotted at 32 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes
Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 12
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 12
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 3 damaged
Allied ground losses:
Guns lost 7 (3 destroyed, 4 disabled)
Vehicles lost 4 (2 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Morning Air attack on 8th Medium Regiment, at 54,53 (Rangoon)
Weather in hex: Heavy rain
Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes
Japanese aircraft
Ki-30 Ann x 5
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 4
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-30 Ann: 1 destroyed by flak
Ground combat at Rangoon (54,53)
Japanese Bombardment attack
Attacking force 51414 troops, 647 guns, 231 vehicles, Assault Value = 2171
Defending force 5673 troops, 205 guns, 321 vehicles, Assault Value = 287
Allied ground losses:
13 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Vehicles lost 4 (3 destroyed, 1 disabled)
2) At sea near the landing zone the retreat is broad and deep. Some escorts break and re-form with charges more in need of help. Waypoints are used to make targetting harder. Some cripples are sent to interim ports to patch and fight fires. Overall the losses are very light compared to yesterday's fears. The BBs in particular are untouched.
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Port Blair at 48,57
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid spotted at 3 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 1 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 15
G3M2 Nell x 15
Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIb Trop x 1
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
G3M2 Nell: 5 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Hurricane IIb Trop: 1 destroyed
Allied Ships
xAP Lancashire
xAK Lulworth Hill, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Port Blair at 48,57
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid spotted at 6 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 2 minutes
Japanese aircraft
G3M2 Nell x 13
Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIa Trop x 7
Hurricane IIb Trop x 6 (LRCAP works!)
Japanese aircraft losses
G3M2 Nell: 9 destroyed
No Allied losses
In addition, xAP Duntroon sinks from flooding and fires caused yesterday. Two Rangoon ships lost today is very, very light.
3) As noted above, Toungoo falls without a shot. Base force and HQ should arrive tomorrow. Will be interesting to see what Japan built in the interim, if anything.
4) At Palembang, now the true front line, several xAKs which had been in residence to carry supplies to Singers are ordered to take on fuel for Perth in a one-way. Bombers hit the port, sinking xAK Wo Sang. This fuel route is now probably closed. Oosthaven, although the port is small, might continue to ship fuel south for a time. CAP will need to be moved back to Palembang to allow fort-building to continue. It remains to be seen how much bomber force will stay on Palembang and how much will be shifted to Burma.
5) Japan also sinks xAK Tak Sang SE of Soerbaja. She had been doing similar fuel duty for Darwin. With oil pressure probably rising on Japan's to-do list Soerbaja might be attacked soon. Force Z has left for Cocos I. and Sumatra duty. Soerbaja is a lower priority than Palembang.
6) Bataan is bombed as normal. The supply snuck in did not run into the AA units, so there is no flak. Some of the infantry units are in supply though. I'd like Japan to attack here sooner than later.
7) The Allies hit back by bombing Chiang Mai four times with 2E and 4E, and Makassar AF. 4Es are moved to Darwin and Oil missions are ordered on the B-brothers, but they do not fly. Probably transit fatigue. At Boela O-21 shoots at unloading Japanese forces and misses.
8) ASW occurs near Balikpapan, where a strong sub cordon is in the strait.
Also off San Francisco where an I-boat is prosecuted three times for no hits. BB West Virginia is approaching with 54 Float damage and light escort. I'd like the transit lane to be clean. If an I-boat finds her she's gone. I had originally sent her toward Seattle, but 52 Float became 60 in transit, so she was redirected to SF. It's a toss up.
At Pearl BB Warspite is back in drydock to try to knock 78 Float down enough to get her to the WC and withdraw in 1943.
9) Of interest, some sort of MKB is operating one hex SW of Singers already. Its Kates strike at the ships at Palembang, but miss. My hope is it forces the Strait. I still have a sub in Singers harbor (the mines are still green), and live smaller fields in the Strait, plus five subs. I'd love to get a shot or two at mini-carriers headed for Rangoon to "help."
< Message edited by Bullwinkle58 -- 4/25/2013 3:57:17 PM >
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The Moose
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RE: Nothing Up My Sleeve: Magical Moose Tricks--Bullwin... - 
Took me 28 years to find out why I was scared to death of them until my mother told me by coincidence she had one of those as a pet when I was a toddler. She had to get rid of it as it was jelous and attacked me all the time. Even attacked my dad at times. 
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