Cribtop
Posts: 3890
Joined: 8/10/2008
From: Lone Star Nation
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January 1942
Hello? Is this thing still on? Many apologies to you all for my long absence from the boards. I had a lot of family stuff around the holidays sandwiched between two big work deadlines, one before Christmas, one after. However, the main detriment to posting has simply been the challenge of keeping up with two simultaneous games. I’ve never done that before, and it’s taking some getting used to, but it’s very important for my continued participation in this wonderful game. Why? By nature I’m a perfectionist type player, quite capable of spending 3 hours on a single turn even when I don’t have a big Op going. I’ve read of other players flipping seven turns in a day with amazement. I took two games on purpose, knowing that if I can’t force myself to move through a turn faster, I simply won’t have the time to play anymore. It’s been very difficult to keep up, but in both games I’ve gone in deep enough that I know mostly where things are and I’m starting to feel more confident making thing go a bit faster.
So, with all that, let’s catch up the happenings during January 1942, which John and I have just wrapped up.
NOPAC
As you may recall, we just missed swiping the invasion force heading for Umnak and Dutch Harbor, then were kept at bay by an IJN light carrier. Dutch Harbor fell after a short fight before we could reinforce it (again due to the air threat). Thus, we built up Kodiak and Anchorage and brought together all the 11th Air Force (2 Fighter and 4 bomber squadrons) plus a unit of Canadian P-40s. The region is reasonably secure and we hope to initiate an air campaign against the newly conquered Japanese bases soon. Counteroffensive action other than naval and air stuff will have to wait, however.
CENTPAC
The enemy has secured the Line Islands, Canton, Baker and Midway. In past games where Japan does this it has been difficult for the Allies to retake the Line Islands and generate a direct move on the Marshalls. We have focused on securing Johnston Island with two Marine Defense Battalions, a base force and a combat engineer unit. Subs and Cats provide some early warning and minimal naval defense. We currently are putting out a picket line to screen a cruiser force that will bombard Midway. John likes to use Midway as a sub base and we hope to catch a few in the barn.
SOPAC
A real mess here. John had what appeared to be a CVL group and several powerful surface groups running around looking for prey. I hid the French ships and the 3 President class APs in dot bases while QE with elements of a Marine regiment loitered to the East. After two days of no sightings, I tried to have the APs flee to Panama and to slip QE into Tahiti. Disaster struck and John returned with KB-1, KB-2 and several surface units, sinking the APs (ugh – hate that they start in SOPAC) and slowly finishing off QE and her Marine cargo despite several heroic escapes from surface combat. Losing that ship and those troops was a black day and a testament to a truly dumb move on my part. Still getting used to being Allies – it’s easy to say “I can’t impose air or sea superiority anywhere Japan chooses to concentrate,” but it’s hard to really alter your moves until the cold reality is brought home to you. Lesson learned.
On the bright side, the French cruiser squadron escaped and the other SOPAC merchant ships waited until the IJN was gone and slipped to New Zealand by using the southern map edge.
Japan has moved to seize Penryhn and an island near Suva (Hoorne Island or something similar) but no moves on Fiji proper or Pago Pago yet.
John tried a quickie invasion of Tahiti with a small SNLF unit but the heroic resistance of the local base force’s cooks and signals troops have turned him back. He can get Tahiti if he wants it but we plan to slip in a few small Aussie commando units by FT TF (using converted Clemsons) to ensure the SNLF at least won’t be enough.
No moves against Nomea or the New Hebrides other than a large surface force that tangled with an Allied SCTF based around Canberra, Chicago and Houston. We intercepted in the hope we were hitting a big FT TF but no such luck. Canberra and two Clemsons were lost in exchange for significant damage to several IJN CLs and CAs, on the whole a Japanese tactical victory. The survivors are repairing at Sydney. Boise and Dallas lie in wait near Efate in case John returns.
SWPAC
The bastions at Sydney and Melbourne are as secure as possible. All the troops we can muster plus a large polyglot air force at Melbourne. Force Z and a Dutch cruiser force are near Brisbane waiting to contest an invasion if Oz is the main target.
Operation Southern Lifeline. The probable fall of Tahiti brings into play the question of how to supply Australia. We’ve ordered a large number of fast xAKs and TKs to make for Cape Town. They will be joined by the CAVs and BB Warspite (recently repaired in Washington) to serve as escorts. The idea is to secure the convoy against any threat short of KB. To protect against KB, we will use a robust line of picket subs and ships watching the approaches to the convoy route’s Australian terminus. There is some risk, and we considered a larger number of smaller convoys, but when you consider the length of the route and the logistical needs of Oz, we’d have a sea lane full of small, easily destroyed targets. Better to go with a big, well escorted convoy and have the pickets give plenty of warning if KB noses about.
Rabaul, the Solomons, Milne Bay, Lae and Port Moresby have all fallen as expected. John seized Horn Island and landed what appears to be a division at Normanton, supported by a small unit capturing Portland Roads in far NE Oz. Whether this move is a feint or the big move is yet to be determined, but I lean toward the former. IMHO John is either feinting here before a big move elsewhere or he is trying to suck troops up to NE Oz before jumping in to the south near Brisbane. I actually hope he’s coming hard for Oz as we are fully prepared defensively here and won’t be moved out of the bastions.
ABDA
Singapore got to forts 3 and that, combined with some good die rolls, saw the base hold out until the 30th. A very nice result and John is a little frustrated at it as he did nothing wrong but got delayed by 2 weeks in his timetable per his e-mails. Another bonus was that the initial shock attack on the crossing and two further SAs he attempted trying to finish the base caused pretty heavy casualties in the assaulting divisions. Hopefully that throws a monkey wrench into his plans as well.
Where will he go? He claims his SOPAC adventures are opportunistic, and evidence seems to support that. So, Oz or India? We’ve had almost zero SigInt to help out other than two pings that 12th Division (I think) is prepping for Vizgapatnum. While that screams India, it’s one data point and I think the division involved is restricted. Time will tell.
Edit: Forgot to mention that the enemy pushed on from Palembang and Sinkawang (captured very early) to invade Java at Semarang. The Dutch navy was out of position after intercepts near Kendari and the PTs boats had no luck. Mines and subs claimed (we believe) two enemy transports. We had fantastic luck with the crappy Dutch bombers, nailing 3-5 transports and a big fat tanker before overwhelming Japanese air power closed us down.
Burma
We ran away, halting at Kalemyo and Imphal. Irritatingly, John hasn’t moved past Toungoo so we keep getting low garrison VP losses at Magwe, Mandalay, etc. I’m going to fly in some trash to keep this from happening but really would prefer that the enemy just take these empty bases. Is this slow play in Burma a feint that also points to India? Maybe. John doesn’t seem to like going for India other than Calcutta but perhaps he wants to try something different. At this point I’m going to cease reporting on Burma and roll it into the India AO.
India
Karachi is a solid bastion already and building daily. Bombay is coming together as a secondary fortress. Otherwise all quiet for now.
China
Enemy attacks along the road to Sian and trying to eliminate the Lusu War Area have generally led to frustration for Japan. However, John is mounting a big push in the north, taking Yenan despite stout resistance at the base and in the nearby 3X hex on the approach. He took Loyang and Chengchow against token resistance and also took a more heavily defended Tsiatoso (sp?). He is trying to flank the defenses based on the nearby mountain hex and get to Sian from the East. We are moving reserves to the region but have some concerns they won’t arrive in time.
< Message edited by Cribtop -- 1/20/2015 9:06:22 PM >
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