Cribtop
Posts: 3890
Joined: 8/10/2008 From: Lone Star Nation Status: offline
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January 20, 1942 Subs Lurking in the Makassar Strait along with four other subs is RO-33. She is DC’d by what appears to be an ASW TF and then by escorts of either an SCTF or a CV TF. Unfortunately she doesn’t get off a shot and no other subs make contact. By day, the enemy ships are all gone again. As part of an emerging operation to be detailed in full later, these subs now take up “scissor patrol” patterns in the areas where the enemy TFs have “popped up” in the straits. It is the first element of a trap. 5th Fleet Semisopochnoi Island occupied. And I thought I hated spelling Dutch names. 4th Fleet We unload the 4th Fleet HQ at Kwaj and begin loading 6th Fleet for transfer to Truk. 6th Fleet’s move is in turn intended to cover for the movement of SE Fleet HQ to Rabaul. At Tokyo, base forces, engineers and an Air HQ depart for the front. Many of these forces are destined for the Gilberts with the balance headed for the Solomons. SE Fleet The Lae invasion enters the target hex. We unload tomorrow covered by LRCAP and a cruiser force. Tulagi will also be attacked tomorrow and Munda the day after that. Elsewhere, we load an invasion force for Buna. Intention is to seize the base and then land 33rd Division for a march over the Owen Stanleys to Port Moresby. Cribtop HQ has decided that Buin will host the 9th Air Fleet HQ. This will torpedo enable all bases on Bougainville and even Munda due to the Air HQ’s 5 hex range. On the docks at Truk, the last passenger to board Battlecruiser Ishitaki pauses to survey his new command, which includes Battlecruiser Kongo and several modern destroyers, with more to come. His orders are to catch up to KB and provide a fast moving surface combat task force to support the carriers with slashing attacks on shipping and bombardments as needed. The passenger’s name is Rear Admiral Tanaka Raizo. 14th Army BA Bataan finds little in the way of enemy AS despite the presence of 9 LCUs. DA tomorrow. 16th Army The reformed KB steams toward a unique RV with a force of “Aggie Oilers” – high endurance merchants that will top off the DDs of each main TF in anticipation of a speed run into a spot in the DEI. Intention is to get as close as possible without entering the known enemy air search umbrella. Then we will move the Manado Invasion TF back into range on purpose, anticipating a similar reaction from Michael. KB will surge to range for an 8 hex strike on the position he likes to take up the next day, while the invasion TF again retires. We will also switch orders for our Netties from nav search to nav attack. Will it work? Maybe. Odds aren’t great, but it’s worth a shot. We continue to fly in troops to Kolaka and will march on Kendari in a few days. Recon confirms only 2 small LCUs present. 25th Army The IJAAF moves into Johore Bahru and will soon begin hitting the base from short range to reduce Ops losses. In an Op similar to the Kolaka move, today we load up a paratroop unit and 21st Mixed Brigade at Saigon. They will unload at Kuantan, which is now emptying of the fighters formerly guarding attacks on Singapore (they are moving to Johore Bahru). We will then fly in a large number of transports and seize empty Djambi by air assault, with air transport of 21st Brigade as the follow on. This will threaten Palembang and may even be enough to take the base. If not, KB will escort 38th Division to Oosthaven to finish the job. Batu Pahat falls to a tank unit on cleanup duty. 15th Army Bassein falls. The enemy force abandons Toungoo before we can gain supplies for another attack. The base will fall tomorrow and we will continue pursuit towards Mandalay. China DA 83, 44 gets a 1:1, casualties 1927(75) vs 619(19). The casualty count here is swinging rapidly in our favor, and enemy disablements from ground, air and arty attacks are quickly causing his AS to plummet. We should take this hex very soon. DA 86, 43 finishes off two stragglers on suicide respawn missions with casualties 1554(180) vs nil. I’m not a fan of killing wrecked KMT units in general, but in this case the location was strategic and Michael could simply continue to shock attack until the units died anyway.
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