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RE: Bottlenecks and Longnecks - Anomander Rake (J) vs d... - 2/26/2018 3:29:32 PM   
dwbradley

 

Posts: 197
Joined: 3/21/2004
Status: offline 		Combat report for December 19th, 1941
More of the same at Singapore, Manila, and yes, of course, at PH

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Pearl Harbor , at 180,107

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 111 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 47 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 35
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh x 70

Allied aircraft
P-40B Warhawk x 1

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh: 9 damaged

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
BB Pennsylvania, Bomb hits 7, on fire, heavy damage




I am beginning to see some sort of pattern to the attacks in China. It looks like a push to clear out the plains and then move toward Sian. If the mountain can be forced the China front could quickly become a disaster.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at 89/41 (89,41)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 21664 troops, 301 guns, 72 vehicles, Assault Value = 905

Defending force 11274 troops, 84 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 408

Japanese adjusted assault: 1178

Allied adjusted defense: 179

Japanese assault odds: 6 to 1 (fort level 1)

Japanese forces CAPTURE 89/41 !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), fatigue(-), morale(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
363 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 32 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Allied ground losses:
6759 casualties reported
Squads: 162 destroyed, 68 disabled
Non Combat: 274 destroyed, 21 disabled
Engineers: 13 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 41 (30 destroyed, 11 disabled)
Units retreated 2
Units destroyed 1

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
9th Ind.Mixed Brigade
37th Division
41st Division
5th Armored Car Co
1st Army
6th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
26ID 11th Field Artillery Regiment

Defending units:
33rd Chinese Army Corps
34th Chinese Army Corps
#Administration




Attacks in Malaya are intensifying (ground and air). There is a lot to clear out and fight to the last is the strategy for these outnumbered units.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Alor Setar (49,73)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 11937 troops, 126 guns, 140 vehicles, Assault Value = 491

Defending force 5168 troops, 50 guns, 32 vehicles, Assault Value = 216

Japanese adjusted assault: 247

Allied adjusted defense: 49

Japanese assault odds: 5 to 1 (fort level 1)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Alor Setar !!!

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim I: 1 destroyed

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
737 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 60 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 6 (1 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Vehicles lost 6 (1 destroyed, 5 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
2268 casualties reported
Squads: 107 destroyed, 25 disabled
Non Combat: 54 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 23 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 32 (27 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Vehicles lost 24 (24 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 3




Rabual falls with not much of a fight
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Rabaul (106,125)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 3274 troops, 41 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 134

Defending force 1336 troops, 4 guns, 12 vehicles, Assault Value = 12

Japanese adjusted assault: 60

Allied adjusted defense: 11

Japanese assault odds: 5 to 1 (fort level 1)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Rabaul !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker: leaders(-)

Japanese ground losses:
11 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
414 casualties reported
Squads: 14 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 35 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 3 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 16 (16 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 2
Units destroyed 2

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
55ID 144th Infantry Regiment

Defending units:
A Coy/NGVR
Rabaul Base Det.
Civilians
23IB Lark Force Bn /1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Singkawang is invaded so it will not be long before enemy air assets will be in range of Java


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Dec 20, 41


The toll continues to increase at PH
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Pearl Harbor , at 180,107

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 51 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 36
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh x 71

Allied aircraft
P-36A Mohawk x 2
P-40B Warhawk x 3
F4F-3A Wildcat x 1
F4F-3 Wildcat x 1

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero-Reisen: 1 destroyed
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh: 7 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-36A Mohawk: 1 destroyed
P-40B Warhawk: 1 destroyed
F4F-3A Wildcat: 1 destroyed
F4F-3 Wildcat: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
DM Preble, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
BB Pennsylvania, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
DM Montgomery, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
AV Tangier, Bomb hits 1
AS Pelias, Bomb hits 1, on fire
BB California, Bomb hits 2, heavy damage
DM Gamble, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAK Antares", Bomb hits 1

Allied ground losses:
6 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Port hits 5
Port supply hits 1

(in reply to dwbradley)
Post #: 31
RE: Bottlenecks and Longnecks - Anomander Rake (J) vs d... - 2/26/2018 3:32:29 PM   
dwbradley

 

Posts: 197
Joined: 3/21/2004
Status: offline 		AFTER ACTION REPORTS for December 21,1941
The attempts to sink Oahu go on, seemingly without end
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Pearl Harbor , at 180,107

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 112 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 47 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 34
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh x 72

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh: 10 damaged
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
BB Pennsylvania, Bomb hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
DM Preble, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
CL Helena, Bomb hits 3, on fire
AM Bobolink, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AD Dobbin, Bomb hits 1
CL Raleigh, Bomb hits 1, on fire
YO-43, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
PG Sacramento, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
DMS Trever, Bomb hits 1, on fire

Allied ground losses:
11 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Repair Shipyard hits 2
Port hits 3
Port fuel hits 2






Two attacks today
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Pearl Harbor , at 180,107

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 101 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 43 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 27
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh x 38

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh: 8 damaged
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
CL Helena, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DM Breese, Bomb hits 1
DMS Zane, Bomb hits 1, on fire

Port hits 2
Port fuel hits 1



Java is starting to get I-boat attention. I need to be careful in moving assets onto the island
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Pamekasan at 58,106

Japanese Ships
SS I-165, hits 1

Allied Ships
AM Goulburn

SS I-165 is sighted by escort
I-165 bottoming out ....
AM Goulburn attacking submerged sub ....
AM Goulburn fails to find sub, continues to search...
AM Goulburn fails to find sub, continues to search...
AM Goulburn fails to find sub, continues to search...
AM Goulburn fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub




After a number of air-to-ground attacks, the ground attack at Johore Bahru is sent in. With a pretty good result. He will have to get more units moved down the peninsula to threaten Singapore, which means more time to dig in.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Johore Bahru (50,83)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 8383 troops, 130 guns, 47 vehicles, Assault Value = 286

Defending force 8905 troops, 121 guns, 90 vehicles, Assault Value = 205

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1

Japanese adjusted assault: 93

Allied adjusted defense: 181

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 1)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
719 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 72 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 17 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled

Allied ground losses:
120 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 18 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled

Assaulting units:
18ID 55th Infantry Regiment
15th Ind Engineer Regiment
18ID 114th Infantry Regiment
4th Ind Engineer Regiment
23rd Ind Engineer Regiment
3rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
18th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
3rd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment

Defending units:
8th Australian Division
9ID 3/16th Punjab Battalion
9ID 5/2nd Punjab Battalion
111th RAF Adv Base Force
III Indian
9ID Det 80th AT Gun Regiment




Singkawang falls
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A para drop takes the inland air base near Samarinda
Ground combat at Melak-Samarinda II (63,95)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 509 troops, 3 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 40

Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 0

Japanese adjusted assault: 26

Allied adjusted defense: 1

Japanese assault odds: 26 to 1 (fort level 1)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Melak-Samarinda II !!!

Combat modifiers
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(-)

Assaulting units:
1st Raiding Rgt /1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Dec 22, 41

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peary and Pillsbury were almost sunk earlier but have made it this far and will get some repair at Soerabaja
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Soerabaja at 57,102

Japanese Ships
SS I-162

Allied Ships
DD Peary
DD Pillsbury

SS I-162 launches 2 torpedoes at DD Peary
I-162 bottoming out ....
DD Pillsbury fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

Various and sundry air attacks in Malaya/Singapore and the Phillipines but none at Pearl Harbor. Could the reign of terror be over?


(in reply to dwbradley)
Post #: 32
RE: Bottlenecks and Longnecks - Anomander Rake (J) vs d... - 2/26/2018 3:34:29 PM   
dwbradley

 

Posts: 197
Joined: 3/21/2004
Status: offline 		EIGHT DAY SUMMARY – December 15th-22nd, 1941

It is still early in the war, so not much can be deduced from events so far. Paul is sticking to the script for the most part. The details are a bit different here and there.

Pearl Harbor. Same song, different key. Knowing that he likes to stay and pound PH allowed me to get most major warships out of harms way, with a bit of luck on Enterprise's part. The BB force was just too banged up at the start for me to consider what else to do. Maybe in a future game I would give them a go at encountering KB at night.

Malaya and Singapore. Landing at Mersing caught me napping and that will limit the amount of forces that can retreat to Singapore, but in reality they would run the base out of supply faster. So, I am hoping that making him fight for every hex I can will slow the inevitable and produce a result not too different from me having a more cohesive force. If he has more forces to land at Mersing then that idea will get blown to hell pretty quickly.

Philippines. Paul is concentrating on Luzon with landings in the north and southeast and what looks like a rapid advance toward Clark and Manila. It still remains to be seen if he is bringing enough firepower to try and take Luzon quickly. By quickly I would think that would be before the end of February 1942 or maybe even mid-February. I am trying to build a similar defense triangle at Cagayan, Malaybalay, and Butuan. I am using PBYs to move units from places like Ilolio to Cagayan and I am hoping to get some sizable portion of the supply horde at Cebu moved over too. Progress is agonizingly slow for this project. There are many valuable ships squirreled away at various harbors in the southern ports, but with little hope of seeing a window for a dash to safety.

Sarawak, Borneo, and the Celebes. The Empire has been nipping at the edges here and there, taking Miri and the associated bases at the top of Sarawak early and the traditional early invasion of Kuching, followed by Singkawang. Manado has been captured. I am anticipating action soon ar Tarakan and then Samarinda and Balikpapan. Balikpapan will give a good base to move the Netties and Zekes forward to dominate the skies over Java. I am stuffing the slot between Borneo and the Celebes with sub patrols and I am planning to send a couple of sub minelaying TF. I will attempt to time the laying of mines in the slot with the arrival of invasion forces for Samarinda/Balikpapan.

Java. The air defenses are coming together. Two of four Buffalo squadrons are at Batavia, and two more at Palembang will join them soon. Two P40E squadrons are at Soerabaja and will be joined by a third from Cagayan soon. I will use the replacement P40Es that I have been hoarding to build them up and I intend to strip good pilots from training squadrons and from the AVG to make them as strong as I can. The Buffaloes and P40s will bolster the B339s, Hawks and Demons of the Dutch. On the sea I have the Prince of Wales/Repulse TF, a goodly number of USN DD, along with Houston and Boise, and the Dutch light cruiser and DD complements. The land forces are the most deficient at this point. I have airlifted into Java a few of the dutch defense units from outlying bases but the critical need is to get the Brit 18th and the Indian infantry brigades on the island and dug in. To the extent possible I will try to bring them in through Tjilijap. It is a level 3 port and has some decent naval support. The Java Sea is infested with I-boats right now. I want to use the “back side” of Java as much as possible to conceal this buildup for a long as I can. I will seal off this back side by mining Merak and Denpasar. Speaking of Denpasar, I have redirected the Gurkha unit to there, along with some dutch base support units and an Aussie base unit I bought out from Perth. If/when it goes bad, Denpasar can be the outlet to get units out of Java and onward to safety (Koepang or Oz). So, the 18th ID is 24 hexes from Tjilijap, the 44th and 45th Indian brigades are 14 hexes out, the 46th Bde is 33 hexes out, and finally, the 17ID 63rd Bde is 9 hexes from Colombo. I have also bought out three Aussie infantry battalions of the 6th Inf. Bde. that can be used where needed or combined if that seems best. The first is halfway from Perth to Java and the other two are awaiting transport at Perth.


Bottlenecks thoughts. It is still early days so I think I will hold off on pontificating about the mod for at least until the next eight-day report. I can report that the overall supply level is 3998K, virtually unchanged from the 3912K of the previous report. That is a little surprising but maybe just an outlier. We need to see more data points to help us understand what is going on.






Attachment (1)

(in reply to dwbradley)
Post #: 33
RE: Bottlenecks and Longnecks - Anomander Rake (J) vs d... - 3/16/2018 6:44:46 PM   
dwbradley

 

Posts: 197
Joined: 3/21/2004
Status: offline 		Ten Day Report for 12/23/41-01/02/42
I am making this report for a ten day period to include all of the wild action in the DEI and not leave the readers hanging until the next episode.

<as in previous, numerous deletions to focus on the good stuff>

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Dec 23, 41

As anticipated, moves toward the Borneo bases begin.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Tarakan at 67,91, Range 9,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Yamashiro
BB Ise
CL Jintsu
DD Kuroshio
DD Hatsukaze
DD Hayashio
DD Tokitsukaze

Allied Ships
PG Kedah, Shell hits 1, and is sunk

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Tarakan at 67,91, Range 12,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
PB Chiyo Maru #4
PB Choko Maru #2
PB Nichi Maru #1
xAK Jinshu Maru
xAK Kiso Maru #2
xAK Meigen Maru

Allied Ships
HDML P-1
HDML P-2
HDML P-3


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Naval bombardment of Tarakan at 67,91 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!

8 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
CA Ashigara
CA Haguro

Allied ground losses:
122 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 13 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Resources hits 1
Airbase hits 3
Runway hits 12
Port hits 2
Port fuel hits 4

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pre-Invasion action off Tarakan (67,91)
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force

33 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
xAK Igasa Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire
PB Eifuku Maru
TB Hayabusa
xAK Hakonesan Maru
APD PB-38 (Yomogi)

Japanese ground losses:
13 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
14 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amphibious Assault at Tarakan (67,91)

TF 109 troops unloading over beach at Tarakan, 67,91

Japanese ground losses:
29 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


<and quite a few more detail reports of the landings and actions at/near Tarakan deleted for brevity>


After some sweeps, the bombing at PH resumed. Note CAP totally suppressed at this point.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Pearl Harbor , at 180,107

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 51 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 32
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh x 63

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh: 10 damaged
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
CL Helena, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AS Pelias, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
PF Taney~, Bomb hits 1
AD Rigel, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAP Jagersfontein~, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DMS Lamberton, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DM Ramsay, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
CL Raleigh, Bomb hits 1
AV Tangier, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
AM Robin, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
AV +AH-5 Solace, Bomb hits 1
AO Neosho, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AM Tern, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage



and back in the PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Pearl Harbor , at 180,107

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 119 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 50 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 32
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh x 37

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh: 10 damaged

Allied Ships
AV +AH-5 Solace, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DM Pruitt, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
AG Argonne, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
CL Helena, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AO Neosho, Bomb hits 1, on fire
PG Sacramento, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
AV Tangier, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
DMS Boggs, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires

Allied ground losses:
6 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Port hits 2


Kwangchowan is invaded and the landings at Tarakan continue. Decent CD guns at Tarakan but not nearly enough to stop the landings.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Victoria Point is taken (overland)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Dec 24, 41

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Invasion Support (unloading) continues at Kwangchowan and Tarakan



A variety of sweeps and air attacks continue at Singapore, Malayan targets, and in the PI.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attacks (air and ground) continue in the clear terrain near Chengchow, Loyang, and Nanyang.

At Java, stuff is starting to get to the island. The Gurkhas are unloading at Dempasar, and the 44th and 45th Indian Bde are unloading at Tjilijap. All of the unloading of supply and the two brigades at Tjilijap is choking the port's capacity. And the 18th ID is right behind them. I don't like the choice (I-boat worry) but I decide to redirect the 18th to Batavia.



(in reply to dwbradley)
Post #: 34
RE: Bottlenecks and Longnecks - Anomander Rake (J) vs d... - 3/16/2018 6:53:22 PM   
dwbradley

 

Posts: 197
Joined: 3/21/2004
Status: offline 		WHAT'S MINE IS MINED. WHY IS WHAT ISN'T MINE MINED?
So, here is where things get a little crazy and not a little bit confusing.

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Dec 25, 41
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
During the combat replay I hear explosion sounds I normally associate with mines. And some sinking sounds. This is alarming since I don't think I have mined any hexes where the IJN could be operating just right now. Thoughts of harbor penetration somewhere, did he mine one of my harbors, maybe midget subs? Or are my ships running into mines? Yikes! What is going on?

The combat report has these entries from the 25th
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TF 378 encounters mine field at 68,96

Japanese Ships
DD Kawakaze, Mine hits 1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TF 131 encounters mine field at 68,96

Japanese Ships
CVL Ryujo, Mine hits 1

And then again on the 26th I hear the noises and the report has these tidbits:

TF 131 encounters mine field at 68,96

Japanese Ships
DD Okikaze, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TF 378 encounters mine field at 68,96

Japanese Ships
CA Nachi, Mine hits 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TF 378 encounters mine field at 68,96

Japanese Ships
CA Nachi, Mine hits 1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TF 378 encounters mine field at 68,96

Japanese Ships
DD Umikaze, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

Where the heck is 68,96?

Time for some detail sleuthing:

(in reply to dwbradley)
Post #: 35
RE: Bottlenecks and Longnecks - Anomander Rake (J) vs d... - 3/16/2018 6:55:45 PM   
dwbradley

 

Posts: 197
Joined: 3/21/2004
Status: offline 		The list of sunk IJN ships has added three DD. They are indicated as having succumbed to Type 93 mine detonation. Using the editor I find that this a Japanese mine? Did something go horribly wrong with a mine laying mission by my opponent? The hex 68,96 is coastal and useful for sneaking past subs avoiding the shallow waters. I had been trying to sneak small freighters along this route to get supply to Mindanao. Was he trying to interdict this and somehow forgot or ? That would be a large mistake and uncharacteristic of my opponent. To date, we have not discussed this incident. He has not mentioned it and I have been unwilling to reveal what I think I know.




Attachment (1)

(in reply to dwbradley)
Post #: 36
RE: Bottlenecks and Longnecks - Anomander Rake (J) vs d... - 3/16/2018 6:59:04 PM   
dwbradley

 

Posts: 197
Joined: 3/21/2004
Status: offline 		Note: This is being written some time after this turn was played and quite a few more turns have been played. Normally, I will write this AAR to avoid foreshadowing and spoilers, at least to the best of my limited abilities. In the case of this mine mystery I am making an exception. In order to keep this story somewhat coherent I am going to inject information that I did not have immediately after the turn was played and some of it has only become known to me as I have tried to tell the story. Because of the FOW, the sunk ships list has continued to evolve and currently (02/21/42) only lists two ships sunk due to Type 93 mines on or about this game date and location (CA Nachi and DD Kawakaze).

There is one more bit of weirdness for which I have no explanation. In the Combat Events file for 12/25/41 there is this line:
“Task Force 41 encounters enemy Task Force at 68 , 96”
Examination of the saved orders files for 12/25/41 and 12/27/41 shows no such TF. I did find this line in the Operations Report for 12/25/41:
“Escort TF 41 (1 ship) formed from TF 558 and routed to Singapore”
TF 558 was a five ship TF in Singapore harbor, consisting of YP types. And there was an attack on Singapore:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Singapore at 50,84

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 33 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty-Rikko x 6

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
YP Shun An, Bomb hits 1, on fire

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x G4M1 Betty-Rikko bombing from 10000 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb
–---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The YP Shun An was part of TF 558. I theorize that the damage was severe enough for the AI to create the Escort TF and then it would have disbanded before I would have seen it (two-day turns, right?). And sure enough the Shun An is heavily damaged, in Singapore's port for the orders phase of 12/27/41. But how the hell could it have encountered an enemy TF at 68,96 at the same phase during which IJN ships were hitting their own mines in that very hex?????? Coincidence? Sure, it could be.

Now if this all sounds like a bad History Channel production, I agree. OK, maybe they are all bad. There was one last thing I could do and that was to rerun the combat replay for that turn and see if I notice anything that I did not the first (and only) time. OK, stand by, gonna go do that and then report back here.

AHA! The mists part and I see more clearly, or maybe the fog in my brain is dissipating. There were two separate TF 41s!. Both were formed and gone within the two day turn. After the fall of Tarakan, TF 41 was formed to allow the AG Tarakan to flee south toward Soerbaja where it encountered an IJN TF in hex 68,96, where it was destroyed. TF41 goes away again.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Time Surface Combat, near Samarinda at 68,96, Range 19,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Myoko
CL Nagara
Allied Ships
AG Tarakan, Shell hits 6, and is sunk
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And it may have been that the IJN TF was pulled into the mined hex by its reaction setting. See! No weird mystery after all. Except I still don't know the story of how those mines got there. Ah well. We now return you to our regularly scheduled AAR.






Attachment (1)

(in reply to dwbradley)
Post #: 37
RE: Bottlenecks and Longnecks - Anomander Rake (J) vs d... - 3/16/2018 7:04:12 PM   
dwbradley

 

Posts: 197
Joined: 3/21/2004
Status: offline 		Resuming the combat story of the 25th of December:
As you can see from the below detail map, I have sub picket lines around the Celebes Sea and especially in the Makassar Straight. One of my subs gets a hit on a patrol boat escort what looks like another small invasion force.
ASW attack near Sangi at 78,96

Japanese Ships
APD PB-1 (Shimakaze), Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
xAK Tensyo Maru #1
PB Kyo Maru #7

Allied Ships
SS KX


Mauban and Lucena are taken on Luzon and Georgetown in Malaya.
Tarakan is captured as is Kwangchowan


Paradrops lead to the capture of undefended (civilians) bases at Tawau and Tandjoengselor

A paradrop on Djambi leads to the first loss of a base on Sumatra



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Dec 26, 41

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Nothing new is seen in the day's air attacks although the distressing amount of damage at PH seems to go on and on and on.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Pearl Harbor , at 180,107

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 117 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 49 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 20
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh x 85

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh: 11 damaged
B5N2 Kate-Kankoh: 3 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
DM Ramsay, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AM Vireo, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
AVP Swan, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
PC Reliance, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AVD Hulbert, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AD Whitney, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AK Vega, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
ARD-1, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AR Medusa, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AS Pelias, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DM Gamble, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
DMS Wasmuth, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AD Dobbin, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AVD Thornton, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
CL Helena, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
ACM #Cinchona, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Litchfield, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
DMS Hovey, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk

Repair Shipyard hits 4
Port hits 3


So, as I issued orders for the 26th of December, 1941 my attention was very much focused on the events in and near the Makassar Straight. It certainly seemed like I might see strong forces coming that way very soon. The fall of Tarakan means it could be used to provide air support for invading Samarinda and Balikpapan. And Balikpapan could project air power over Java. The Empire is drawing ever closer. I need to get stuff off the boats and into defensive positions right now! But my poor planning has stuff stacked up in the ports of Tjilijap and Batavia. I considered sending a fast SCTF up close to Samarinda/Balikpapan to try to disrupt any moves coming that way. I have the very strong Prince of Wales & Repulse force at Soerbaja but I am reluctant to play this card on a guess. I have a CL and a gaggle of DD at Denpasar. They would be fast, get in, react, get out. Hmmm. In the end, I decide to temporize by moving the CL + DDs to Makassar. I have the subs in the Straight and a couple of sub-minelaying task forces that I decide to order to drop their mines at the north end of the Makassar Straight.







Attachment (1)

(in reply to dwbradley)
Post #: 38
RE: Bottlenecks and Longnecks - Anomander Rake (J) vs d... - 3/16/2018 7:13:51 PM   
dwbradley

 

Posts: 197
Joined: 3/21/2004
Status: offline
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Dec 27, 41

The turn starts out with some very good work by a Dutch sub.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Billiton at 53,92

Japanese Ships
DD Ayanami
DD Amagiri
DD Yugiri
DD Sagiri

Allied Ships
SS KXI


Persistence by KXI pays with a big score!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack near Billiton at 53,92

Japanese Ships
CVE Taiyo, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
DD Ayanami
DD Amagiri
DD Yugiri
DD Sagiri

Allied Ships
SS KXI

I hear those beautiful sinking noises.

Saminda is invaded. Damn! I shoulda coulda woulda shoulda sent that SCTF.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pre-Invasion action off Samarinda (65,96)

8 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
PB Saiko Maru #1
xAK Shinwa Maru

PB Saiko Maru #1 fired at enemy troops
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 6,000 yards
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 2,000 yards


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amphibious Assault at Samarinda (65,96)

TF 123 troops unloading over beach at Samarinda, 65,96

10 Support troops accidentally lost during unload of 32SBF Sasebo 2nd' Nav Gd
10 Support troops lost from landing craft during unload of 32SBF Sasebo 2nd' Nav Gd
10 Support troops lost from landing craft during unload of 32SBF Sasebo 2nd' Nav Gd


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Invasion Support action off Samarinda (65,96)
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force

4 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
PB Saiko Maru #1
xAK Shinwa Maru

PB Saiko Maru #1 fired at enemy troops
75mm/L35 M1902 battery firing at xAK Shinwa Maru



And then seemingly out of nowhere carrier air forces attack shipping at Batavia
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Batavia at 49,98

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 15
B4Y1 Jean x 6
B5N1 Kate-Kankoh x 9

Allied aircraft
Buffalo I x 17
B-339D x 4
CW-21B Demon x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
B4Y1 Jean: 1 destroyed
B4Y1 Jean: 1 destroyed by flak
B5N1 Kate-Kankoh: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Buffalo I: 1 destroyed
B-339D: 1 destroyed
CW-21B Demon: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
AV +Wusueh, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
xAP Mount Vernon~
AG Vyner Brooke

The Buffaloes and Dutch fighters do some good but not enough. The xAP Mount Vernon is part of the TF unloading the 18th ID.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An another attack in the PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Batavia at 49,98

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 13
B4Y1 Jean x 4
B5N1 Kate-Kankoh x 9

Allied aircraft
Buffalo I x 13
B-339D x 3
CW-21B Demon x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero-Reisen: 1 destroyed
B4Y1 Jean: 1 destroyed
B5N1 Kate-Kankoh: 5 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Buffalo I: 1 destroyed
CW-21B Demon: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
AG Wuchang

The defenders give a better account of themselves this time.


My opponent feels confident enough to send in the attack at Johore Bahru, and well he should since he gets 2-1 odds.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Johore Bahru (50,83)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 17789 troops, 296 guns, 141 vehicles, Assault Value = 581

Defending force 8652 troops, 122 guns, 90 vehicles, Assault Value = 178

Japanese adjusted assault: 227

Allied adjusted defense: 81

Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 1)

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 0

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-), fatigue(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
523 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 76 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled

Allied ground losses:
391 casualties reported
Squads: 7 destroyed, 65 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 31 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 6 disabled
Guns lost 21 (8 destroyed, 13 disabled)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Dec 28, 41


Action continues at Samarinda
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Invasion Support action off Samarinda (65,96)
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force

2 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
xAKL Boko Maru
xAK Nittai Maru #2
xAK Shinwa Maru

xAKL Boko Maru fired at enemy troops
xAK Nittai Maru #2 fired at enemy troops
xAK Shinwa Maru fired at enemy troops




And here's the big shock

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pre-Invasion action off Kalidjati (50,99)

19 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
PB Eiko Maru
xAK Kurohime Maru #2

Japanese ground losses:
10 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
6 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

PB Eiko Maru fired at enemy troops
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 6,000 yards
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 1,000 yards


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amphibious Assault at Kalidjati (50,99)

TF 97 troops unloading over beach at Kalidjati, 50,99

15 Aviation Support troops lost in surf during unload of 96th JAAF AF Bn /1


NOOOOOOOOOOO! I am not ready. Many thoughts race through my mind. I curse myself. You fool! It is such an obvious target. Why do you have only a base support unit there?




And the assault continues at Johore Bahru. He can afford these losses far more easily than I

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Johore Bahru (50,83)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 17425 troops, 296 guns, 141 vehicles, Assault Value = 540

Defending force 8171 troops, 117 guns, 90 vehicles, Assault Value = 130

Japanese adjusted assault: 242

Allied adjusted defense: 129

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 1)

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 0

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-), morale(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
690 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 79 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled

Allied ground losses:
420 casualties reported
Squads: 35 destroyed, 11 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 22 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Guns lost 17 (5 destroyed, 12 disabled)
Vehicles lost 6 (1 destroyed, 5 disabled)

(in reply to dwbradley)
Post #: 39
RE: Bottlenecks and Longnecks - Anomander Rake (J) vs d... - 3/16/2018 7:16:11 PM   
dwbradley

 

Posts: 197
Joined: 3/21/2004
Status: offline

So, I am trying to shake off the shock of the Kalidjati landing. I consider my options. My opponent has beaten me to the punch with a bold move. But he has taken on some risk.

The positive aspects of the situation for me are:
His invasion fleet obviously has carrier air support but maybe not so much as he might like to have. KB is still at or near PH, so no help for him from that quarter. A CVE went down and there was that mine action reported about the Ryujo striking a mine. I may be able to achieve air superiority until he can take Kalidjati and move in the hordes of Zekes and Oscars. I have strong surface forces within striking range of the beachhead. I can unleash my Swordfish and Vildebeest. And I have quite a few level bombers (B-17Ds and Dutch and Brit medium types).

On the negative side:
There is only a zero assault value base support unit at Kalidjati. The two Indian brigades are still unloading at Tjilijap and the third was redirected to Batavia where it is just starting to unload. Even worse, the TF carrying the 18th ID was spooked and has run away several hexes with a goodly bit of the division still on board. It is not reasonable to think that my opponent has come with anything less than a sizeable invasion force. Once it is ashore I cannot reinforce Kalidjati soon enough with any significant force to prevent its capture. Lexington is steaming toward Sydney, two-days out so no carrier help is anywhere near.

My plans:
I decide it is now or never. I must, repeat must, wreck the invasion TFs to have any chance of making Java more than a speed bump for the Empire. From Soerabaja, two SCTFs are given bombardment orders for the beachhead. One is the PoW/Repulse group which also has 3 CL and 5 DDs. I form another SCTF led by CA Houston and including Dutch CL Tromp and five DDs. I will try to route some subs to get into the mix. Kalidjati is clear terrain so all of my level bombers are tasked with ground attack at low levels. The P40Es are moved from Soerabaja to Batavia and Bandoeng and the Swordfish and Vildebeest are queued up for torp runs. I have not nearly enough bullets in my gun but maybe, just maybe I can catch some luck.




Attachment (1)

(in reply to dwbradley)
Post #: 40
RE: Bottlenecks and Longnecks - Anomander Rake (J) vs d... - 3/16/2018 7:36:39 PM   
dwbradley

 

Posts: 197
Joined: 3/21/2004
Status: offline 		AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Dec 29, 41
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Houston-led TF is the first to engage. Oh, that's not good. Two BBS and a CA. They get chewed up and spit out, hurt pretty bad but still functional

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Kalidjati at 51,99, Range 6,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Nagato, Shell hits 1
BB Mutsu, Shell hits 1
CA Maya
CL Kitakami
CL Oi
DD Maikaze, Shell hits 1
DD Nowaki
DD Arashi
DD Hagikaze
DD Natsugumo, Shell hits 1
DD Yamagumo
DD Minegumo

Allied Ships
CA Houston
CL Tromp
DD Piet Hein, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Kortenaer, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Evertsen, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD Witte de With, Shell hits 6, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Van Nes
DD Banckert

Reduced visibility due to Rain with 82% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Rain and 82% moonlight: 6,000 yards


Which works out as they run into a small invasion TF and score very well at what is really needed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Kalidjati at 51,98, Range 6,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
PB Nako Maru #2, Shell hits 14, and is sunk
xAK Gosei Maru, Shell hits 10, and is sunk
xAKL Hinko Maru, Shell hits 4
xAK Meiten Maru, Shell hits 7, heavy fires

Allied Ships
CA Houston, Shell hits 1
CL Tromp
DD Piet Hein, on fire
DD Kortenaer, on fire
DD Van Nes

Japanese ground losses:
1064 casualties reported
Squads: 36 destroyed, 53 disabled
Non Combat: 33 destroyed, 57 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 7 (2 destroyed, 5 disabled)

Poor visibility due to Rain with 82% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Rain and 82% moonlight: 6,000 yards


PoW/Repulse are too slow to get there in the night. the day dawns with continued landings at at Samarinda and Kalidjati


Just a lot of stuff coming over the beach and nothing to stop them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amphibious Assault at Kalidjati (50,99)

TF 129 troops unloading over beach at Kalidjati, 50,99

Japanese ground losses:
177 casualties reported
Squads: 18 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled)



Houston and surviving friends are still game for action and find some CLs to mix it up with

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Time Surface Combat, near Batavia at 50,98, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CL Isuzu
CL Natori, Shell hits 2
CL Yura, Shell hits 3, on fire
CL Kinu
DD Kamikaze, Shell hits 1
DD Harukaze, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Hatakaze

Allied Ships
CA Houston, Shell hits 5
CL Tromp, Shell hits 1
DD Piet Hein, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Kortenaer
DD Van Nes



SS Sealion tries to help out but it is tough in the shallow waters
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Kalidjati at 50,99

Japanese Ships
CL Sendai
DD Arashio
DD Michishio
DD Oshio

Allied Ships
SS Sealion~

SS Sealion~ is sighted by escort
Sealion~ bottoming out ....

Finally, the big boys have at it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Time Surface Combat, near Kalidjati at 51,99, Range 15,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Nagato, Shell hits 6, heavy fires
BB Mutsu, Shell hits 4, on fire
CA Maya, Shell hits 5
CL Kitakami, Shell hits 2
CL Oi, Shell hits 4, on fire
DD Maikaze
DD Nowaki
DD Arashi
DD Hagikaze
DD Natsugumo
DD Yamagumo, Shell hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Minegumo

Allied Ships
BB Prince of Wales, Shell hits 5, on fire
BC Repulse, Shell hits 3, heavy fires
CL Java, Shell hits 4
CL De Ruyter, Shell hits 4, on fire
CL Danae~, Shell hits 1, on fire
CL Dragon~
CL Durban~, Shell hits 1
CL Boise, Shell hits 3
DD Alden, Shell hits 1
DD John D Ford, Shell hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Whipple, Shell hits 1
DD Pope, Shell hits 2
DD Vampire

Low visibility due to Rain
Maximum visibility in Rain: 15,000 yards
Range closes to 15,000 yards...
CONTACT: Allies radar detects Japanese task force at 15,000 yards

In a extended engagement, the results are mixed but that is really all that the IJN needed.


So, now it is all up to the flyboys to save the Allies' bacon

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 20th Ind Engineer Regiment, at 50,99 (Kalidjati)

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 21 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 10

Allied aircraft
139WH-3 x 9

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
139WH-3: 5 destroyed

CAP engaged:
Zuiho-1 with A6M2 Zero-Reisen (10 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(10 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
10 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Raid is overhead



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 20th Ind Engineer Regiment, at 50,99 (Kalidjati)

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 8

Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 13

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-17D Fortress: 5 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
41 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Also attacking 10th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment ...
Also attacking 20th Ind Engineer Regiment ...
Also attacking 10th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment ...


These are the only sorties in the morning. I am thinking, come on guys, come on!



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on 20th Ind Engineer Regiment, at 50,99 (Kalidjati)

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 29 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 9

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 6
139WH-3 x 16
B-339D x 10
CW-22 Falcon x 4
Hudson I x 2

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-339D: 5 destroyed

Japanese ground losses:
14 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Also attacking 1st Hvy.Artillery Regiment ...
Also attacking 2nd Mortar Battalion ...
Also attacking 38th Div /1 ...
Also attacking 2nd Mortar Battalion ...
Also attacking 38th Div /1 ...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on 20th Ind Engineer Regiment, at 50,99 (Kalidjati)

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 36 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 5

Allied aircraft
Buffalo I x 7
139WH-3 x 17
B-339D x 7
CW-21B Demon x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero-Reisen: 1 destroyed

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
38 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Also attacking 2nd Mortar Battalion ...
Also attacking 20th Ind Engineer Regiment ...



This is better, but these are pinpricks, really. And where are my torpedo bombers?

Thus ends the sea and air engagements for the 29th. This is not looking good at all.


To add to the bad news for the day, Johore Bahru is lost.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Johore Bahru (50,83)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 17127 troops, 296 guns, 141 vehicles, Assault Value = 495

Defending force 7667 troops, 113 guns, 89 vehicles, Assault Value = 99

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 0

Japanese adjusted assault: 363

Allied adjusted defense: 57

Japanese assault odds: 6 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Johore Bahru !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
418 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Non Combat: 8 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 6 destroyed, 22 disabled
Vehicles lost 3 (2 destroyed, 1 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
4045 casualties reported
Squads: 53 destroyed, 6 disabled
Non Combat: 177 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 39 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 33 (33 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 124 (124 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 3
Units destroyed 3

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!



As is Samarinda
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Samarinda (65,96)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 2610 troops, 38 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 298

Defending force 674 troops, 13 guns, 2 vehicles, Assault Value = 21

Japanese adjusted assault: 60

Allied adjusted defense: 6

Japanese assault odds: 10 to 1 (fort level 1)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Samarinda !!!

Fingers are crossed for some sort of miracle on the 30th
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Dec 30, 41

Combat modifiers
Defender: preparation(-), morale(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Allied ground losses:
497 casualties reported
Squads: 12 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 19 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 15 (14 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Vehicles lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 2

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!




The portion of the PoW/Repulse that is still effective comes across a stray IJN DD. The fact that the PoW and Repulse are no longer a part of the TF is not good. They were undoubtedly so banged up they were stuffed into an Escort TF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Kalidjati at 51,98, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Harukaze, Shell hits 10, and is sunk

Allied Ships
CL Java
CL Dragon~
CL Durban~
CL Boise
DD Alden
DD Whipple


I have been so mesmerized by the events at Java that I have neglected to properly route some ships coming into Pearl
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submarine attack near Lahaina at 189,107

Japanese Ships
SS I-19^

Allied Ships
AS Fulton, Torpedo hits 1

AS Fulton is sighted by SS I-19^
SS I-19^ launches 2 torpedoes


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submarine attack near Hilo at 182,113

Japanese Ships
SS I-8^

Allied Ships
AP William Ward Burrows, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

AP William Ward Burrows is sighted by SS I-8^
SS I-8^ launches 2 torpedoes


Sealion tries again but it is no go.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Kalidjati at 50,99

Japanese Ships
DD Asashio
CL Sendai
DD Arashio
DD Michishio
DD Oshio

Allied Ships
SS Sealion~


Meanwhile, at Pearl Harbor:
KB has departed but the I-boats are still making things difficult at PH

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Lahaina at 188,107

Japanese Ships
SS I-19^

Allied Ships
DD Crosby, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DD Kilty


Paul has his standard tactic of sweeping at work early
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Batavia , at 49,98

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 35 NM, estimated altitude 22,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 14

Allied aircraft
Buffalo I x 19
B-339D x 2
CW-21B Demon x 6
P-40E Warhawk x 12

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero-Reisen: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Buffalo I: 2 destroyed
CW-21B Demon: 1 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed

And it is working fairly well :(

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




At Java, my level bombers give it another go
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 38th Division, at 50,99 (Kalidjati)

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 27 NM, estimated altitude 5,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 4

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 5
139WH-3 x 12
B-339D x 1
CW-22 Falcon x 7
Hudson I x 4

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
139WH-3: 2 destroyed
CW-22 Falcon: 1 destroyed

Japanese ground losses:
72 casualties reported

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 38th Division, at 50,99 (Kalidjati)

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 22 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 2

Allied aircraft
139WH-3 x 13
B-339D x 5
CW-21B Demon x 6
P-40E Warhawk x 13

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero-Reisen: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
139WH-3: 1 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
82 casualties reported

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 1st Hvy.Artillery Regiment, at 50,99 (Kalidjati)

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 6

No Allied losses

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x Blenheim IV bombing from 5000 feet *
Ground Attack: 2 x 250 lb GP Bomb

Carrier support unable to supply air cover..

Finally, the torpedo bombers go into action
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Kalidjati at 51,99

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 27 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 17 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 4

Allied aircraft
Buffalo I x 7
Swordfish I x 8

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero-Reisen: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Buffalo I: 1 destroyed
Swordfish I: 2 damaged
Swordfish I: 1 destroyed by flak

Japanese Ships
CVE Hosho, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
CVL Zuiho

Aircraft Attacking:
8 x Swordfish I launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 18in Mk XII Torpedo


And back in the PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Kalidjati at 51,99

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 31 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 20 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 12

Allied aircraft
Buffalo I x 4
Swordfish I x 4
P-40E Warhawk x 12

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Swordfish I: 2 damaged
Swordfish I: 1 destroyed by flak
P-40E Warhawk: 4 destroyed

Japanese Ships
CVE Hosho, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x Swordfish I launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 18in Mk XII Torpedo

CAP engaged:
Zuiho-1 with A6M2 Zero-Reisen (2 airborne, 5 on standby, 5 scrambling)
4 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 4000 and 29070.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 21 minutes


The heavies go after the beachhead
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on 38th Division, at 50,99 (Kalidjati)

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 15 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 2

Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 13

No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
23 casualties reported

The Hosho is toast, but the Zuiho is missed with several attempts. What happened to the Vildebeest?

The answer, discovered in the next orders period is that the Vildebeest had drop tanks selected, which was negating the use of torps, even at short ranges. DOH!


(in reply to dwbradley)
Post #: 41
RE: Bottlenecks and Longnecks - Anomander Rake (J) vs d... - 3/16/2018 7:43:31 PM   
dwbradley

 

Posts: 197
Joined: 3/21/2004
Status: offline 		AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Dec 31, 41
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TF 59 encounters mine field at Merak (48,97)

Japanese Ships
SS I-164, Mine hits 2, heavy damage


Out of the survivors of the previous surface actions, I scrape together two SCTFs (1 coming from Batavia, 1 from Soerabaja) to have another go at Kalidjati.
Houston and friends reach the beachhead but it may be too little, too late
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Naval bombardment of Kalidjati at 50,99

Allied Ships
CA Houston
CL Boise
CL Durban~
CL Dragon~
CL Java

Japanese ground losses:
183 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 20 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 5 (1 destroyed, 4 disabled)
Vehicles lost 5 (2 destroyed, 3 disabled)

SOC-1 Seagull acting as spotter for CA Houston
CA Houston firing at 38th Division
CL Boise firing at 38th Division
CL Durban~ firing at 38th Division
CL Dragon~ firing at 10th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
CL Java firing at 38th Division


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Naval bombardment of Kalidjati at 50,99

Allied Ships
CL Marblehead
CL Dauntless~
DD Encounter
DD Van Ghent
DD Pillsbury
DD Parrott
DD Paul Jones
DD Stewart
DD John D Edwards
DD Edsall
DD Bulmer
DD Barker

Japanese ground losses:
74 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 12 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled


Paul has risked sending subs into the minefield at Merak
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submarine attack near Merak at 48,97

Japanese Ships
SS I-156

Allied Ships
AP Leonard Wood~

AP Leonard Wood~ is sighted by SS I-156
SS I-156 launches 2 torpedoes at AP Leonard Wood~

The level bombers are still trying to hit the newly landed troops while they are vulnerable to the Zuiho's Zekes:
They suffer minor losses but are also largely ineffective.




Finally, the Vildebeest go into action but only three sorties?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Kalidjati at 52,97

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 18 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero-Reisen x 19

Allied aircraft
Buffalo I x 17
Vildebeest III x 3
CW-21B Demon x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero-Reisen: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Buffalo I: 2 destroyed
Vildebeest III: 2 destroyed
CW-21B Demon: 1 destroyed


Paul's gamble with the subs pays off as one of the AP carrying 18th ID is hit and sunk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submarine attack near Merak at 48,97

Japanese Ships
SS I-156

Allied Ships
xAP Mount Vernon~, Torpedo hits 1, on fire

Allied ground losses:
10 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


The inevitable occurs as Kalidjati is taken easily.
Ground combat at Kalidjati (50,99)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 11740 troops, 208 guns, 141 vehicles, Assault Value = 401

Defending force 599 troops, 14 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 0

Japanese adjusted assault: 105

Allied adjusted defense: 2

Japanese assault odds: 52 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Kalidjati !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: preparation(-), fatigue(-), morale(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
23 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
321 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 25 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 7 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 15 (15 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 1

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pontianak, Donggala, and Kolaka are taken. Side note: My opponent is most assiduous in cleaning up all of the small bases as soon as possible




So, my Java strategy is in tatters. What can be salvaged? Perhaps I can extract some more pain from the invaders.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Jan 01, 42

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TF 53 encounters mine field at Merak (48,97)

Japanese Ships
SS I-156, Mine hits 1, heavy damage


An I-boat in the mine field is hit, and later sinks


Level bombing of the invasion force is mildly effective. CAP seems to have disappeared
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 38th Division, at 50,99 (Kalidjati)

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 32 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 7
139WH-3 x 22
B-339D x 3
CW-22 Falcon x 7
P-40E Warhawk x 15

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
128 casualties reported

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 20th Ind Engineer Regiment, at 50,99 (Kalidjati)

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Allied aircraft
Hudson I x 3
P-40E Warhawk x 11

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
6 casualties reported

Meanwhile, Kendari is invaded as is Panay Island (Phillippines)

(in reply to dwbradley)
Post #: 42
RE: Bottlenecks and Longnecks - Anomander Rake (J) vs d... - 3/16/2018 7:48:21 PM   
dwbradley

 

Posts: 197
Joined: 3/21/2004
Status: offline 		AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Jan 02, 42

Just as predicted and feared Kalidjati has beaucoup CAP. Attacks on the airfield are not going to be effective enough.

I decide (unwisely) to include the PoW and make one more desperate attempt to bombard Kalidjati. The previous turns attacks made it there, maybe this attempt will too. PoW is badly hurt and should have gone off with the escort Tf taking Repulse (and others) to the repair yards. I had a vision of the TF chewing up much of the Oscar contingent at Kalidjati, but this was purely wishful thinking. PoW damage was 29 SYS, 14 FLT, 5 ENG, 0 FIRE. What made my decision even worse was the fact that Batavia was not able to rearm PoW's big guns.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kalidjati , at 50,99

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 28 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 33
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 12

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 1
139WH-3 x 22
B-339D x 3
CW-22 Falcon x 7
Hudson I x 5
P-40E Warhawk x 12

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
139WH-3: 7 damaged
B-339D: 1 destroyed
CW-22 Falcon: 2 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 4 destroyed

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 11

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kalidjati , at 50,99

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 39 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 24
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 7

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 7
B-339D x 1
P-40E Warhawk x 16

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 3 destroyed, 2 damaged
B-339D: 1 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Jan 03, 42


The desperation try does not make it to the beachhead. PoW is lost.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Kalidjati at 50,99, Range 11,000 Yards

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
Walrus II: 1 destroyed

Japanese Ships
CA Takao, Shell hits 1
CA Atago, Shell hits 22, heavy fires, heavy damage
CL Sendai
CL Naka
DD Asashio
DD Oshio, Shell hits 4, on fire
DD Michishio
DD Arashio, Shell hits 2

Allied Ships
BB Prince of Wales, Shell hits 37, Torpedo hits 5, and is sunk
CA Houston, Shell hits 6, heavy fires
CL Java, Shell hits 2
CL Tromp
CL Dragon~, Shell hits 1, on fire
CL Durban~, Shell hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
CL Boise, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Alden, Shell hits 1
DD Whipple, Shell hits 1
DD Pope, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Vampire, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Kortenaer, Shell hits 12, and is sunk
DD Van Nes, Shell hits 2, heavy fires
DD Banckert, Shell hits 2, on fire

Improved night sighting under 100% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions and 100% moonlight: 12,000 yards
Range closes to 17,000 yards...

And my sub attacks are ineffective in the shallow waters.



The CAP over Kalidjati is chewing up the weaker and weaker attempts to close the airfield.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kalidjati , at 50,99

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 36 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 28
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 12

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 12
139WH-3 x 13
CW-22 Falcon x 5

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 3 destroyed, 2 damaged
139WH-3: 4 destroyed, 1 damaged
CW-22 Falcon: 3 destroyed


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kalidjati , at 50,99

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 16 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 21
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 10

Allied aircraft
B-339D x 3
Hudson I x 3
P-40E Warhawk x 12

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Hudson I: 2 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed


Meanwhile, in China:
Did not see this one coming; Paying too much attention to the fireworks at Java (true, but no excuse)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Loyang (87,43)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 39443 troops, 497 guns, 144 vehicles, Assault Value = 1702

Defending force 10852 troops, 68 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 359

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 2

Japanese adjusted assault: 1325

Allied adjusted defense: 217

Japanese assault odds: 6 to 1 (fort level 2)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Loyang !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), leaders(+), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
1599 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 163 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 19 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 13 disabled

Allied ground losses:
2203 casualties reported
Squads: 137 destroyed, 129 disabled
Non Combat: 80 destroyed, 21 disabled
Engineers: 21 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 43 (31 destroyed, 12 disabled)
Units retreated 4
Units destroyed 1



(in reply to dwbradley)
Post #: 43
RE: Bottlenecks and Longnecks - Anomander Rake (J) vs d... - 3/16/2018 7:50:35 PM   
dwbradley

 

Posts: 197
Joined: 3/21/2004
Status: offline 		10-day summary and status as of 01/04/42.
A wild and wooly 5 turns it was. And not very good for the Allied side. The Empire is advancing unchecked anywhere it pleases to do so. My one aggrressive defensive move (Java) is a failure almost before it has begen

Singapore and Malaya.
The Empire is now at the gates of Singapore. It appears that the force that took Johore Bahru is not quite enough to make the shock-attack move into Singapore itself. Best guess is that it will happen after some more clearing of the peninsula allows more units to join the stack threatening the city.

Pearl Harbor.
The pummeling is finally over. All eight BB are sunk, but few other warships were done in by the nearly 3-week attack. Biggest problem here is an almost total lack of fighters. Most of the groups located at Pearl were P40Bs, for which there are no stocks and production is zero. They mostly upgrade to P40E (PDU=OFF) but stocks of this type are also very low, having been used up building up the groups used in the Java battles. I will prioritize moving groups from the West Coast but this will take a while.

Oz.
Pretty quiet here so far. The place looks completely defenseless though. Maybe the air and naval assets from Java can change that assessment


DEI.
OK, time for a Java postmortem. There were a couple of obvious tactical and operational failures on my part. I neglected naval search (air) to prioritize airlift. And there was the grand screw-up of having the Vildebeest set to use drop tanks. But the bottom line is simply I got surprised by how soon my opponent decided to invade Java. He did so without LBA support, which is uncharacteristic for him (albeit I have limited experience playing against him). Did he suspect what I was doing and try to get ahead of me? It will be interesting to find out after the game is completed. I always knew that this was a risk and that many (or most) of the assets committed to this venture were going to be lost, no matter the outcome. The goal was to make the conquest of Java (which he must do) more expensive and time-consuming for my opponent. The LCUs are for the main part lost. So, an infantry division, three brigades, four AA units, and several smaller units They are there to stay and will have to fight to the last and get whatever delay they can out of their sacrifice. Air and naval assets will retreat, and air HQ will be airlifted. Naval scorecard is:
IJN LOSSES:
1 CA, 2 CVE, 1 SS, 1 DD (+1 CA, 1 DD own goal mine hits)
ALLIED LOSSES:
1 BB, 1 CL, 5 DD ( and a lot of damaged ships)

So, I still think the idea had merit but was poorly executed. In this instance it was a tactical and strategic defeat, though pretty close on the tactical end. If I had not thrown away PoW I might have been able to claim a tactical win. Time to start preparing the defense of Oz.


China.
So Paul is not only trying to clear the railways in the clear terrain. He is also plotting to encircle and destroy a large number of units in the area between Nanyang, Loyang, and Chenchow. This threat is real and deserves much more attention than I have been giving it. I will defer detailed reporting on this until the next chapter of this saga.

India and Burma.
Quiet times so far. Two things I have noted about the Bottlenecks version of this arena. I am beginning to notice some supply difficulties in India everywhere but most acutely in the Bengali and Burma-border region. I am trying to step up supply deliveries to India but it will take time for this to take effect. I am going to concede Burma and move out units as best as I can and try to establish a defensive perimeter roughly along the jungle barrier. The severed rail line at Amingoan does seem to be acting as a supply bottleneck and it is certainly a pain to get troops from one side to the other. I have petitioned Paul to add the bridge to our list of repairable projects and I will prioritize engineering assets to start work on this ASAP. Until that link is fixed I am going to be very wary of having many units on the Burma side of this divide. If Paul decides to invade Bengali I could find it impossible to extract them before they are cut off.


Dave Bradley




Attachment (1)

(in reply to dwbradley)
Post #: 44
RE: Bottlenecks and Longnecks - Anomander Rake (J) vs d... - 3/17/2018 2:18:54 AM   
BBfanboy


Posts: 18046
Joined: 8/4/2010
From: Winnipeg, MB
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: dwbradley

Note: This is being written some time after this turn was played and quite a few more turns have been played. Normally, I will write this AAR to avoid foreshadowing and spoilers, at least to the best of my limited abilities. In the case of this mine mystery I am making an exception. In order to keep this story somewhat coherent I am going to inject information that I did not have immediately after the turn was played and some of it has only become known to me as I have tried to tell the story. Because of the FOW, the sunk ships list has continued to evolve and currently (02/21/42) only lists two ships sunk due to Type 93 mines on or about this game date and location (CA Nachi and DD Kawakaze).

There is one more bit of weirdness for which I have no explanation. In the Combat Events file for 12/25/41 there is this line:
“Task Force 41 encounters enemy Task Force at 68 , 96”
Examination of the saved orders files for 12/25/41 and 12/27/41 shows no such TF. I did find this line in the Operations Report for 12/25/41:
“Escort TF 41 (1 ship) formed from TF 558 and routed to Singapore”
TF 558 was a five ship TF in Singapore harbor, consisting of YP types. And there was an attack on Singapore:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Singapore at 50,84

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 33 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty-Rikko x 6

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
YP Shun An, Bomb hits 1, on fire

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x G4M1 Betty-Rikko bombing from 10000 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb
–---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The YP Shun An was part of TF 558. I theorize that the damage was severe enough for the AI to create the Escort TF and then it would have disbanded before I would have seen it (two-day turns, right?). And sure enough the Shun An is heavily damaged, in Singapore's port for the orders phase of 12/27/41. But how the hell could it have encountered an enemy TF at 68,96 at the same phase during which IJN ships were hitting their own mines in that very hex?????? Coincidence? Sure, it could be.

Now if this all sounds like a bad History Channel production, I agree. OK, maybe they are all bad. There was one last thing I could do and that was to rerun the combat replay for that turn and see if I notice anything that I did not the first (and only) time. OK, stand by, gonna go do that and then report back here.

AHA! The mists part and I see more clearly, or maybe the fog in my brain is dissipating. There were two separate TF 41s!. Both were formed and gone within the two day turn. After the fall of Tarakan, TF 41 was formed to allow the AG Tarakan to flee south toward Soerbaja where it encountered an IJN TF in hex 68,96, where it was destroyed. TF41 goes away again.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Time Surface Combat, near Samarinda at 68,96, Range 19,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Myoko
CL Nagara
Allied Ships
AG Tarakan, Shell hits 6, and is sunk
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And it may have been that the IJN TF was pulled into the mined hex by its reaction setting. See! No weird mystery after all. Except I still don't know the story of how those mines got there. Ah well. We now return you to our regularly scheduled AAR.






What you and your opponent may not know, is that knowledge of friendly minelaying activities is passed on to your own forces at the end of the turn. This means that if your MLs lay the mines and your other TFs travel through the hex on the same turn, your TFs will blunder into the minefield not knowing how to avoid it. It happened to me once!

That is the only way I can see Japanese mines hitting Japanese vessels (unless you had a synch bug, which always produces happy fake news for the Allies!).

_____________________________

No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth

(in reply to dwbradley)
Post #: 45
RE: Bottlenecks and Longnecks - Anomander Rake (J) vs d... - 3/17/2018 4:22:01 PM   
dwbradley

 

Posts: 197
Joined: 3/21/2004
Status: offline 		BBfanboy,
I did not know that. Thanks. We keep learning and hope the learning is still outpacing the forgetting.

Dave Bradley

(in reply to BBfanboy)
Post #: 46
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