Canoerebel -> RE: War and Peas - Hortlund (J) vs. Canoe (A) (4/28/2012 6:12:52 PM)
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12/21/41 Timor: A modest Japanese invasion fleet escorted by CA Nachi arrives at Timor, encounters the Aliled combat TFs, and promptly retires without landing any troops. Kates from Ambon sortie and put some 250 kilo hits on PoW and Repulse doing minor damage. No carrier strikes are launched and, as best I can tell, none of the Allied carriers are sighted (more about this in a moment). With a major concentration of Allied capital ships in place now, the Allies should be able to handle the defense of Timor for quite some time. NoPac: The KB is near Kodiak Island. I love where she is and I love knowing where she is. Japanese land on Umnak. CenPac: A sub gets a big xAP that was fleeing the Philippines for Pearl. It seems unfair to succeed in escaping the trap only to wander across the path of a sub. SoPac: The Japanese take Ocean Island. Malaya: I suspect Steve will land troops at Mersing and then march them due south to Johore Bahru in an attempt to isolate the Allied army to the west. The Allies will shift troops around a bit to counter this. Burma: A hodge-podge of Allied troops will shock attack at Meiktila tomorrow. The army is weak, poor quality, and just doesn't ooze confidence, so I don't either. If this attack doesn't succeed, the Allies may not be able to reclaim this base form the IJ paratroopers. China: The Chinese get the best of 35th Div. near Chengchow - the first successful blow struck in this area. Steve is trying some maneuvers in this part of the theater, but at this point I don't think he's going to succeed. His having one division beat up isn't going to help him. How to Spin Things: Me thinks that Steve's move on Timor was mainly trying to feel things out, risking little to either take Lautem or get good intel on how strong the Allies are in the area. Judging by his email comments, he suspects Allied carriers are present (he claims to have a sighting, but this could be a bluff). He can rightfully claim that his little expedition risked little, lost nothing, and gained some valuable intel. He might be right, but here's the thing: the Allies got much more. One more day and Japan might have taken Lautem on the cheap. Getting an airbase that far forward would have forced the Allies to pull back and probably give up on the defense of Timor and the eastern DEI. Instead, the Allies hold Timor and many other islands and Japan can't come forward now without risking an engagement with two USN fleet carriers. Moreover, my SBDs didn't waste sorties (and giving away further intel) by attacking a weak IJN amphibious force. So I think the Allies win this interesting little "non event." Air Wars: In pressing hard, Steve has committed his airforce pretty far forward and often against decent fighter opposition. Two AVG squadrons in Burma have already scored big, as have a couple of P-40 squadrons in the Philippines. Not a big deal, but its nice to get a cadre of high-quality fighter pilots.
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