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John 3rd -> March 28-31, 1944 (11/24/2008 5:56:10 PM)
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Combat Report
March 28-31, 1944
I am going to divide this four-day report by Theatres of Operation.
North Pacific
No activity of consequence. The Americans continue to bomb my remaining Aleutian bases and Paramushiro Jima everyday. I cannot run small supply convoys in now so these troops are on their own. The good news here is that there are few troops on the Aleutian bases and a reasonably strong pair of garrisions in the Kuriles (Paramushuiro Jima and the base due north of Hokkaido).
Central Pacific
I expect the Americans to make a move into this are sometime soon. This would be an invasion that is long overdue in fact. Wake and the Marianas would be the most logical place for a landing.
Truk
A Japanese CV Task Force has arrived at this base. Four CV and 2 CVL with a meager escort of 6 DD arrive here on March 31st. These ships will be joined in about a week by 2 CA, 1 CL, and 6 DD that have completed repairs at Nagasaki. I will use this CV TF to raid American supply lines.
South Pacific
There has been no significant Allied activity here whatsoever. New Caledonia, Guadalcanal, Port Moresby, and Rabual are still held by decent forces with reasonable supplies that will contest any Allied landing. My aerial contingent is concentrated at Suva, Tonga, and the Society Islands for Operation Phantom Wind.
Operation Phantom Wind
On March 31st the Invasion Force reaches Tonga and takes on its final landing disposition. Nearly 40,000 troops and 12,000 supply make-up the assault. They consist of an Inf Div, 2 Naval Guard units, an Aviation Regiment, and 2 small Construction Battalions. The troops are at 70% prep for the landing. The landing is now scheduled for April 7th.
FINAL Naval dispositions are:
Rarotonga Close Escort Force 3 CL and 2 DD
CV TF 1 1 CV, 2 CVL, 1 CA, 5 DD
F DB TB
CV Unryu 3 54 9
CVL Zuiho 9 24
Chitose 9 19
21 78 28
CV TF 2 4 CVE, 1 CL, 5 DD
F DB TB
CVE Taiyo 27
Chuyo 27
Shinyo 27 9
Kaiyo 9 16
54 36 25
Total Complement 75F, 114 DB, 53 TB
I have shuffled most of my attack planes to the CV/CVL due to their higher sortie capacity and placed the majority of my Fighters on the CVE so it doesn’t cost them their limited number of sorties.
This isn’t much of a force but it will have to do…
I have been flying an average of 100 out of 145 Betty Bombers against Rarotonga everyday. A portion of my planes have been hitting the AF and causing an average of 50-80 Casualties each day as well as slowly building up the damage to the field itself. As of the 31st the AF was at 70% damage. Another major element of bombers has been on land attack and it has been averaging 80-125 Casualties, a gun or two, and a vehicle or two every day. They always attack the 52nd Base Force. I have to believe that this is the strongest unit (of the 3 there) present.
Plan of Operations Invasion Date set for April 7, 1944
D-3 All Rarotonga Betty will shift to land attack and work to disrupt the defense.
D-2 The same
D-1 The Attack Planes on the Unryu, Chitose, and Zuiho will add their weight to the attack.
D-Day We’ll see if all this planning amounts to anything!
Appraisal
This attack really won’t matter very much but if it succeeds then I will capture about 8,000 Allied troops and draw Dan’s attention to an unimportant theatre. He will have no idea that I plan to immediately life these troops off the island and re-deploy them towards the center of operations. If the attack fails then I will still do the same.
DEI
American SS are appearing in greater numbers throughout the region. I am moving more ASW TF into the area to try and counter this.
A convoy departs Jesselton on March 29th carrying 75,000 Oil and 25,000 Resources.
Another smaller convoy departed Balikpapan with small amounts of oil and resources for Manila, Cebu, and Davao. I might run some oil into Singapore as well to help keep production their for whatever time the base has left.
I haven’t divided the DEI up by regions since April of 1942!
Eastern DEI
Katherine, Australia
This base falls on the 29th.
My withdrawal from Darwin, Australia is completed on March 29th. At the end of the evacuation Dan’s 4EB were hitting AP and AK pretty hard. I’ve lost a few ships and had about a dozen seriously damaged. My troops are digging in throughout Timor, Amboina, Kendari, and Makassar.
Central DEI
Java will receive all of the ground units I evacuate from Indochina. They will be able to reconstitute themselves and build-up the defense of this vital island. I have a significant aerial presense here as well.
Western DEI
I need to augment the troops in Northern Borneo and Palembang.
Malaya
The battle for Malaya is HUGE! At the northern edge is the Allied landing and capture of Georgetown, in the middle is the Japanese containing the previous Allied landing at Malacca, and in the south is where the Japanese are finishing off the Indian/Chinese troops landed at Johore Bharu. What a mess…
Georgetown
The Allies begin landing at Georgetown on the 27th and the base falls on the 30th. The Landing included 6 Infantry Divisions (mostly Chinese), 4 American Armor units, an Engineering unit, and large Base Force. The 2 Japanese Brigades hold for two days worth of attacks but finally are driven from the hex on 30th.
They SHOULD withdraw southwards but instead choose the worst possible choice of moving east to Alor Star. What a terrible move by the AI! I order them to withdraw down the eastern side of Malaya towards Kuantan but stand a real chance of losing them due to the slowly movement along that side of the peninsula.
Malacca
Japanese forces continue to contain the Allied troops here. IF Dan moves south from Georgetown then these troops will be freed up pretty quickly. I MUST get troops up here from Johore Bharu ASAP.
Johore Bharu
I attack the two Infantry Divisions here with mass number of bombers on the 28th--30th. Over 200 bombers attack while protected by 150 Fighters. There is an average of 10 P-38 flying CAP here from Bankha.
On the 30th I launch a Deliberate Attack that yields a 76-1 result with the 29th Regional Army Division of China surrendering (4,000 POW). The 31st sees a 246-1 result with NO SURRENDER from the Indian troops there.
Thinking
Once I capture these troops at Johore Bharu this will free up nearly 1,000 Assault Points of troops that SHOULD enable me to hold Malacca against the combined Allied Forces in Malaya. If I can link-up with my main force at Malacca then I will be gin a measured evacuation of my most damaged ground forces. These troops will then re-deploy to Java for R&R.
I have over 200 fighters flying out of Singapore with another 100+ at Palembang so they SHOULD be able to protect shipping moving back and forth through Singapore.
Indochina
Haiphong
The Japanese troops trapped here finally end their resistance on March 31st. I lose about 39,000 soldiers in the final three days. This is my first major troop loss of the war.
The good news is that I pulled decent-sized fragments out of Haiphong over the last two weeks. I manage to grab about 12,000 troops from their perimeter using barges and transfer them to Samah. These soldiers will be redeployed to Java as well.
Cam Rahn Bay
The surrender of the Haiphong garrision means that EIGHTEEN enemy units will be freed up to attack southern Indochina. CRB sits with Forts at 7 and an Assault Strength of 750. It will not hold against what is now available for Dan.
Saigon
I still control the air over Saigon with nearly 150 Fighters. The evacuation begins on the 31st with the battered remains of two Infantry Divisions being loaded for Java.
Bangkok Area
I am withdrawing from Pisanluke, Thailand towards Bangkok. There are 4 units holding the Allied column (Jap—Inf Div, Inf Brig, Tk Div, and Tk Reg vs. 3 Chinese Inf Div, 2 Ind Brig, a Base Force, and a Tk Reg) blocking hex 29,38 west of Bangkok. My biggest concern is three Japanese units who are cutoff from the lines due west of Tavoy. They are withdrawing cross-country and I have a real chance of losing them when I pull back towards Saigon.
Home Islands
I am trying to figure out how dangerous the Allied bomber attack is right now on the Home Islands. Sakhalin’s two bases are at 6 and 7 (650 possible planes) and Iwo Jima is at Lvl-5 (another 250). So far my Fighter defense has been pretty decent unless he hit a base where I have little protection.
Sendai
This base is attacked from Sakhalin on the 29th. I put up 88 Fighters to fight 48 P-38 124 4EB. I lose 22 Fighters (12 pilots) and 43 Resources in exchange for 14 P-38 and 9 4EB with another 48 4EB damaged.
Tokyo
On the 30th, the Americans at Iwo Jima attack Tokyo for the first time. The Japanese put up 75 Naval Fighters (George and Zekes) against 126 4EB. The Navy Fighters do pretty well. I lose 4 Fighters in exchange for 14 4EB w/66 damaged! Only 31 Liberators drop their bombs over Tokyo Bay. The bombers hit 8 ships in the port and manage to sink an Ro-SS that was being repaired there.
End-of-the-Month
Dan gets hit with his second 2,600 PP penalty in a row for not withdrawing a CV and 2 DD. I cannot imagine that he has very many PP available for unit transfers. This could be very important when it comes to him trying to attack my eastern DEI positions from NW Australia.
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