RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28

RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (Full Version)

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Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/1/2015 4:38:21 PM)
Mar 29, 1942 The air war over NE India hots up. Firstly, Zeroes flying from Magwe sweep Calcutta without encountering any opposition. In fact, the Allied fighters have all been set to sweep Diamond Harbour and several waves of Hurricane IIb Trop fly into the Zero CAP which finds itself outnumbered but acquits itself pretty well. Four B-17Ds then appear and manage to drop a single bomb on xAK Fushimi Maru in the harbour. Rather foolishly, I had disbanded my transports in the harbour and got off rather lightly. Those able to leave port will now get swiftly underway. Elements of the KB bomb Akyab airfield to prevent the forts from rebuilding when I next attack and the escorts bag some Blenheims that were set to CAP. Overall A2A losses today are are 8x A6M2s, 4x Blen IFs, 3x Hurri IIb, 2x B-17Ds. Forces have started to march on Calcutta and will arrive in approximately two days. It will be interesting to find out whether the Allies have decided to make a stand, or declared Calcutta an open city.At the moment 521 heavy industry, 501 LI, and a size 11 repair shipyard remain intact. In Burma, Tenasserim BAF Battalion is attacked on the trail to Katha and promptly surrenders.

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/4/2015 9:56:05 PM)
Mar 30/31, 1942 AMc Sophie Marie tries to flee past Diamond Harbour, takes 8 shell hits from the destroyer picket and is sunk. I have allowed the KB to move out into the Bay of Bengal now that the 45 Zeroes of the 3rd KuS-1 are in residence at Diamond Harbour. KB no longer has any DL on it so hopefully this will keep Roger guessing as to where it may strike over the next few turns. The 2nd Raiding Regiment fails to take Akyab against 1:2 odds. I'll have to wait for the cavalry to arrive (literally as the 55th cav rgt is in the slow process of crossing the river). II/66th Naval Guard Unit captures the small base at Terapo north of Port Moresby, cutting off the Australians retreating from Kokoda. Incidentally, we have recently marched a naval guard unit from Buna to Port Moresby over the Kokoda trail just for the hell of it!

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/4/2015 10:16:23 PM)
April 1/2, 1942 April Fools day mainly involves dropping bombs and bombardment attacks on the usual targets. On the April 2 we go in with a number of hard attacks which will be detailed below. Ground combat at Calcutta (52,37) A tougher defence here than I had anticipated and the disrupted engineer unit will have to be rotated out. I have another amph convoy sitting in the Bay of Bengal and might now have to deploy it to support the offensive against Calcutta although I was considering landing somewhere else to create a second diversionary front. quote: Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 41185 troops, 367 guns, 179 vehicles, Assault Value = 1273 Defending force 18290 troops, 69 guns, 24 vehicles, Assault Value = 416 Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 3 Japanese adjusted assault: 954 Allied adjusted defense: 489 Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 3) Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 3 Combat modifiers Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), leaders(+), preparation(-) experience(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 1403 casualties reported Squads: 4 destroyed, 125 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 24 disabled Engineers: 1 destroyed, 10 disabled Allied ground losses: 310 casualties reported Squads: 1 destroyed, 55 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 17 disabled Guns lost 13 (1 destroyed, 12 disabled) Assaulting units: Imperial Guards Division 5th Division 14th Division 15th Ind Engineer Regiment 3rd Mortar Battalion Defending units: Fort William 36th Indian Brigade Waziristan Division Eastern Command 224 Group Base Force Ground combat at Clark Field (79,76) I decided to hit Clark on the same day for good measure. I'll go back to bombarding him here for now while I rotate some fresh units in. quote: Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 34035 troops, 414 guns, 324 vehicles, Assault Value = 1044 Defending force 20121 troops, 296 guns, 143 vehicles, Assault Value = 539 Japanese adjusted assault: 495 Allied adjusted defense: 817 Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 0) Combat modifiers Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 1622 casualties reported Squads: 7 destroyed, 150 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 21 disabled Engineers: 1 destroyed, 10 disabled Vehicles lost 40 (4 destroyed, 36 disabled) Allied ground losses: 1865 casualties reported Squads: 15 destroyed, 142 disabled Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 76 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled Vehicles lost 15 (4 destroyed, 11 disabled) Meanwhile, back in Burma Katha falls but Akyab holds as the cavalry are still 2 miles short of the base.

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/7/2015 7:11:17 PM)
April 3/4, 1942 Akyab falls finally on April 3 with the 2nd Raiding Regiment supported by 55th Cavalry Regiment pushing the defending forces comprising 108th RAF Base Force and 6th Burma Rifles Battalion out of the town. Ambon is bombed heavily by Netties based at Koepang and Makassar. The base was bypassed on the way to Darwin and needs to be taken out as it is still providing the Allies with search capability in the DEI. Calcutta is subject to bombardment attack and studying the map it appears that some Allied units are moving back in from the north. Could this become the Indian Army's Stalingrad?!? Further direct attacks are planned at Calcutta tomorrow and an invasion TF is headed for Ambon. [image]local://upfiles/32198/59AD15C387D34495A7F6D2B644CDAE02.jpg[/image]

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/8/2015 8:17:04 AM)
April 5, 1942 Calcutta So, rather than pulling back, Roger is reinforcing Calcutta as several additional units show up in today's combat report. There is also now a fighter unit in place so he clearly does not fear losing the city at the next assault. Today's attack drops the forts again but the odds aren't great, and we suffer a lot more casualties and disablements than the Allies. Although the defenders probably have low experience and morale for the most part, they are flattered by defending from behind forts in heavy urban terrain. On the plus side, Calcutta has stacking limits in excess of 200k so I can keep sending in the troops. Question now is how much Roger has available in India to pull in to reinforce the city. Although I have the 18th division plus various support units landing at Diamond Harbour right now, it will take me a while to get another division or two all the way up there as everything else is fairly heavily committed in the DEI, or at Clark. So, it looks like Stalingrad might become the operative metaphor unless my next couple of pushes gain better results. One thing I have resolved is to mount a naval bombardment next turn which should prevent the forts rebuilding plus hopefully take out some fighter planes and AV. I had hoped to avoid damaging the HI etc, but more drastic measures are required now that the place won't fall into my lap as easily. Another possible silver lining would be to mount another landing to cut my opponent off if he commits too much here and leaves his flank unguarded. quote: Ground combat at Calcutta (52,37) Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 41096 troops, 367 guns, 250 vehicles, Assault Value = 1266 Defending force 25971 troops, 118 guns, 288 vehicles, Assault Value = 746 Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 2 Japanese adjusted assault: 477 Allied adjusted defense: 2405 Japanese assault odds: 1 to 5 (fort level 2) Combat modifiers Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), leaders(+), preparation(-) experience(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 2510 casualties reported Squads: 6 destroyed, 212 disabled Non Combat: 15 destroyed, 39 disabled Engineers: 26 destroyed, 18 disabled Guns lost 26 (2 destroyed, 24 disabled) Vehicles lost 18 (8 destroyed, 10 disabled) Allied ground losses: 215 casualties reported Squads: 1 destroyed, 41 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled Guns lost 9 (1 destroyed, 8 disabled) Vehicles lost 10 (1 destroyed, 9 disabled) Assaulting units: Imperial Guards Division 5th Division 15th Ind Engineer Regiment 14th Division 6th Tank Regiment 3rd Mortar Battalion Defending units: 2/15 Punjab Battalion Fort William 43rd Cavalry Regiment 36th Indian Brigade 1st Burma Division 254th Armoured Brigade Waziristan Division Eastern Command 224 Group Base Force

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/10/2015 2:07:45 PM)
April 6, 1942 A bombardment TF made up of 4x CAs and 3xCLs hits Calcutta. No mines are encountered and two small tankers are sunk on the way in. The damage is respectable rather than heavy - 17 P-35A damaged on the ground, 269 Allied casualties reported, plus airbase and port hits that should keep the forts from rebuilding. Then Hurri IIa Trop and P-35As sweep Diamond Harbour prior to a port attack by B-17s. The Zeroes of 3rd Ku- S-1 rise to meet them and no bombs manage to land on target. Air losses for the day are fairly even with the additional benefit of two precious B-17Ds being shot down. The Japanese bombardment attack at Calcutta reveals parity between the forces: this is not good news as breaking out will now take some doing. I guess I underestimated the amount of Allied units available in India at this point, as well as the relative speed with which the reinforcement of Calcutta could take place. Need to decide what the next step is. Ideally I can make another landing further West and force my opponent to pull back but this will take time to arrange. In the meantime I will need to reinforce Diamond Harbour and dig in at Calcutta to guard against counter attacks. The Japanese forces advancing in Burma have been ordered to redouble their efforts in order to bring pressure to bear from the south as well. quote: Attacking force 14495 troops, 160 guns, 68 vehicles, Assault Value = 1126 Defending force 36974 troops, 312 guns, 394 vehicles, Assault Value = 1080 Assaulting units: 4th Ind Engineer Regiment 14th Division 1st Tank Regiment 5th Division Imperial Guards Division 15th Ind Engineer Regiment 6th Tank Regiment 3rd Mortar Battalion Defending units: 254th Armoured Brigade 1st Burma Division 9th Indian Division 16th Australian Brigade 43rd Cavalry Regiment 36th Indian Brigade Fort William 2/15 Punjab Battalion Waziristan Division Eastern Command 224 Group Base Force

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/11/2015 5:18:18 PM)
April 7/8, 1942 I spoke too soon about the absence of mines at Calcutta. DD Isonami, part of a small bombardment TF encounters a minefield there causing heavy damage. The bombardment goes ahead and Isonami disbands at Diamond Harbour afterwards. With 49 float damage she might survive if I can nurse her to a port further away but if she stays here she risks being bombed in the harbour. Minesweepers are set to sweep Calcutta. Another TF then encounters a mine field at 54,54 adjacent to Rangoon. PB Sansei Maru takes 1 mine hit but makes the harbour and will survive. Sub attacks are made near Phuket on both days. Convoys are heading in both directions as outbound reinforcements and returning troopships pass by each other. Betties bomb AVP Arend at Ambon causing heavy damage. I was going to invade but have decided to divert the earmarked troops to India instead as they are already in amph mode and operations there are at a critical phase. Bombers will continue to suppress Ambon base until I can spare more units. A new bombardment attack at Clark Field reveals that my AV ratio is improving, perhaps in part because I have rotated fresh units in. I plan to launch a DA tomorrow as I need to make speedier progress so that I can redeploy the troops still tied up here. quote: Attacking force (Japan) 31953 troops, 400 guns, 172 vehicles, Assault Value = 1037 Defending force 18876 troops, 295 guns, 139 vehicles, Assault Value = 411 Our forces on Java are still stalemated in the mountain hex at Malang. A flanking move will be considered - if I can assemble the necessary force. quote: Attacking force (Japan) 22088 troops, 204 guns, 38 vehicles, Assault Value = 767 Defending force 14218 troops, 168 guns, 83 vehicles, Assault Value = 450

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/12/2015 5:10:30 PM)
April 9, 1942 Just lost the first update attempt due to timeout [8\|] After a couple of inconsequential Allied sub attacks at Boela and Port Blair, something altogether more interesting as three Allied DDs make a run into Diamond Harbour. I can only conclude that Allied naval search is exceptionally poor at the moment as I have two SCTFs guarding the port, and one wastes no time in taking big chunks out of the transgressors: quote: Day Time Surface Combat, near Diamond Harbour at 52,38, Range 3,000 Yards Japanese Ships CL Kitakami DD Hatsukaze, Shell hits 1 DD Arashi, Shell hits 1 DD Kasumi DD Murakumo, Shell hits 1 DD Uzuki DD Kikuzuki, Shell hits 2, on fire Allied Ships DD Nizam, Shell hits 8, heavy fires, heavy damage DD Electra, Shell hits 2 DD Express, Shell hits 7, heavy fires, heavy damage This incident makes it pretty clear that my opponent could not �see� the KB and its replenishment TF sitting a few hexes out in the Bay for the past week or he would not have risked his destroyers on a near-suicide mission. Did he hope to catch transports sitting in the harbour or was there some other motive? At any rate the KB is finally spotted when Kates go for the damaged Allied DDs, sinking at least one. Soon we must get back under the Klingon Cloak of Invisibility [:D] quote: Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 65 B5N2 Kate x 35 Allied Ships DD Electra DD Express, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk DD Nizam, heavy fires, heavy damage In other news today� - Hudson IIIa�s attack CA Maya near Chittagong but run into Zeroes on CAP and three bombers are shot down in the sea. - Kanhsien is bombed in preparation for the forthcoming assault. - Allied sub and Japanese transport duke it out near Boela. Where are my escorts? quote: Japanese Ships xAK Kano Maru, Shell hits 12, on fire Allied Ships SS O21, hits 4, on fire - Allied TF spotted near Duff Islands in the Solomons. Is it headed for Ndeni? - Ground combat at Clark Field as efforts continue to soften up the defenders in preparation for the final assault. quote: Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 34945 troops, 406 guns, 242 vehicles, Assault Value = 1037 Defending force 18850 troops, 295 guns, 139 vehicles, Assault Value = 408 Japanese adjusted assault: 897 Allied adjusted defense: 1045 Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 0) Combat modifiers Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), experience(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 2566 casualties reported Squads: 6 destroyed, 188 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 13 disabled Engineers: 1 destroyed, 38 disabled Guns lost 27 (2 destroyed, 25 disabled) Allied ground losses: 852 casualties reported Squads: 38 destroyed, 118 disabled Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 73 disabled Engineers: 3 destroyed, 0 disabled Guns lost 20 (4 destroyed, 16 disabled) Vehicles lost 26 (11 destroyed, 15 disabled) [image]local://upfiles/32198/5CCE73E24A654646A39C86FAC7DD360F.jpg[/image]

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/14/2015 10:28:03 AM)
April 10-12, 1942 Evaluation of Operation Open Door I've been putting off doing this but it's time to evaluate the results of Operation Open Door to date and clearly it has been a heroic failure. Diamond Harbour fell gratifyingly easily, but the three divisions I had allocated were insufficient to take Calcutta at first push, and now I face considerable AV numerical inferiority in a 4x heavy urban hex. It's tempting to portray this as Japan's 'Operation Market Garden' of the current campaign. If I had landed at Chittagong I could be rolling up the Allied flank on the Burmese border by now. If I had allocated four divisions plus some additional armour I might have captured Calcutta and broken out before my opponent was able to reinforce the city. The screenshot illustrates the current Japanese dilemma - note the recent arrival of a large Chinese unit as well. With the geography of Diamond Harbour I can't flank Calcutta very easily either. I desperately need to capture Chittagong to provide a relief port and airbase close by. I also need to get an additional division into Diamond Harbour itself asap as it is quite weakly defended and can be attacked across the river if my opponent thinks of this. The major headache will come if I am pushed back and forced to evacuate. I have high quality units in Calcutta sitting behind level 2 forts and it is urban terrain. Will my opponent become emboldened enough to risk an attack? A bigger danger might be if he can bring significant LBA to bear and wear my forces down. I have 70+ A6M2s guarding the two hexes at the moment so he will have to pay the blood price if he tries. KB will continue to guard against any Allied surface moves but there are a lot of Allied subs gathering... Right now I think my best bet is to take Chittagong asap and advance to link up with my stalemated forces from the south. I just hope that there's enough time! [image]local://upfiles/32198/8F98B53D09D449E486EAE2BCF7A1D3C6.jpg[/image]

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/14/2015 10:57:52 AM)
April 10-12, 1942 Securing the oil Langsa falls on Sumatra and ground forces will now push north to capture the strategically located airbase at Sabang. When Medan fell a few days ago the oil installations were captured intact. Barring Java, all of the significant oil production is now under Japanese control and is being shipped to designated depots prior to being hauled back the the Home Islands. Apart from Miri and Brunei all of the installations are fully intact which augers well from an economic perspective. Very few Allied subs are in place to interdict this activity currently. India I failed to notice coastal artillery arriving at Calcutta and my DMS's are now sitting out of commission at Diamond Harbour as a result. Allied to the presence of the remaining mines, this makes naval bombardment of Calcutta an increased risk, weakening another prong of my strategy for maintaining pressure on the Allies. Allied Assault Value in Calcutta on 11 Apr = 3275 Japanese Assault Value in Calcutta on 11 Apr = 1698 China Kahnsien falls easily and a nice tally of Allied squads are destroyed in the process. I intend to increase the pressure in China from now on to help to discourage further redeployment of Chinese forces to India and Burma. quote: Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 41471 troops, 371 guns, 199 vehicles, Assault Value = 1283 Defending force 16919 troops, 81 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 462 Japanese adjusted assault: 1233 Allied adjusted defense: 220 Japanese assault odds: 5 to 1 (fort level 3) Japanese forces CAPTURE Kanhsien !!! Combat modifiers Defender: forts(+), leaders(+), experience(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 272 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 33 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled Engineers: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled Allied ground losses: 6482 casualties reported Squads: 323 destroyed, 99 disabled Non Combat: 195 destroyed, 43 disabled Engineers: 18 destroyed, 4 disabled Guns lost 28 (16 destroyed, 12 disabled) Units retreated 3 Defeated Allied Units Retreating! Assaulting units: 6th Division 13th Tank Regiment 15th Division 22nd Division 4th Mortar Battalion 3rd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion Defending units: 21st Chinese Corps 25th Chinese Corps 32nd Group Army [image]local://upfiles/32198/7CCDE4F30C74441FA8D4C60124A16530.jpg[/image]

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/19/2015 9:17:09 AM)
April 13, 1942 A task force grouped around the battleships Kirishima and Hiei bombards Chittagong in preparation for landings there. Allied ground losses of 464 casualties are reported and a solitary gun destroyed. It appears that Chittagong is still fairly lightly held, although I can't guarantee that this will remain the case if Roger decides to move units south to shore up this flank. I was going to move the 18th division from Burma to land at Chittagong but I will now have to use it reinforce Diamond Harbour which is being lightly defended while the majority of my forces hold the line at Calcutta. I could pull a unit back but I will feel safer if the odds in Calcutta are not higher than 2:1 against me. In fact, today's daily Allied bombardment reveals AV 3487 vs 1715. One interesting side story is that the destroyer Electra fleeing south after an earlier action runs into my bombardment TF but still lives to tell the tale. Elsewhere, Wuchow and Clark Field are bombed, and there is pre-invasion action off Port Hedland as I move to consolidate the gains in northern Australia.

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/19/2015 9:39:48 AM)
April 14, 1942 Port Hedland falls to seaborne assault by the 1st Raiding Regiment despite the intervention of a flight of 3x B-17Ds flying in from some unspecified base. An Allied sub also noses around but both torpedoes fired miss my destroyers. The Allied assault value at Calcutta has dropped to 3064 today, indicating that some units are probably on the move south. Diamond Harbour could be threatened from the hex south east of the port, although there would be a river to cross. Another possibility is that Chittagong is about to be reinforced. Either way, the 18th division will still head to Diamond Harbour to defend the position and act as a reserve. Bombing in China switches to Kukong to keep my opponent guessing.

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/19/2015 12:26:39 PM)
April 15, 1942 SS I-1 discovers a large Allied convoy comprising APs and AVDs near Pago Pago but only manages to loose two futile torpedoes at AVD Mackinac. The rest of the day is dominated by two big events: Air assault over Diamond Harbour It appears that my opponent has found the shipping milling around in the vicinity of the port too tempting to ignore as multiple fighters and bomber attacks are staged during the day. Coordination is good, with three successive waves of Hurricane IIb and P-40E Warhawks taking their toll of my two Zero groups which still manage to give a good account of themselves. Then shipping and airfield attacks are staged by squadrons of Swordfish, P-39D Airacobras, Blenheim IVs, B-17Ds, B-17Es and Vildebeestes IIIs running into the light CAP still airborne. Many of the attacks are vectored towards cruisers and destroyers (and their AAA) so the final tally is a single APD, Tade, sunk by a torpedo dropped by a Swordfish bomber. The airbase suffers no damage that can't be repaired immediately. Air losses are slightly in the Allies favour (see below). The significance of the raid is that my opponent is clearly prepared to commit sizeable air power in the campaign to defend India. I am worried that the size 1 airfield at Diamond Harbour could be closed easily by Allied four-engined bombers. On the other hand I might be able to attrite the Allies if it comes to a battle of air power at this stage in the war. An air flotilla is in residence at Magwe already but additional forward airbases will surely help. Today's air losses: The remaining Japanese losses were caused by effective Allied CAP defending against a raid on Madioen. [image]local://upfiles/32198/EF7DD6923810490FA7E7F4430F0ED7F3.jpg[/image]

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/19/2015 12:36:05 PM)
Clark Field falls At last! Although Bataan is still to be taken the promise of much-awaited redeployment of the forces on Luzon is much welcomed. quote: Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 34149 troops, 403 guns, 243 vehicles, Assault Value = 962 Defending force 17487 troops, 289 guns, 127 vehicles, Assault Value = 288 Japanese adjusted assault: 969 Allied adjusted defense: 289 Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 0) Japanese forces CAPTURE Clark Field !!! Combat modifiers Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 1311 casualties reported Squads: 2 destroyed, 88 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 27 disabled Guns lost 10 (1 destroyed, 9 disabled) Allied ground losses: 6050 casualties reported Squads: 262 destroyed, 64 disabled Non Combat: 365 destroyed, 23 disabled Engineers: 11 destroyed, 0 disabled Guns lost 163 (144 destroyed, 19 disabled) Vehicles lost 138 (138 destroyed, 0 disabled) Units retreated 18 Units destroyed 2 Defeated Allied Units Retreating! The Allies also come off worse in the routine bombardment attack on Calcutta... quote: Allied Bombardment attack Attacking force 70835 troops, 954 guns, 753 vehicles, Assault Value = 3072 Defending force 60645 troops, 570 guns, 493 vehicles, Assault Value = 1728 Japanese ground losses: 99 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled Engineers: 1 destroyed, 4 disabled Allied ground losses: 175 casualties reported Squads: 3 destroyed, 17 disabled Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled Guns lost 3 (2 destroyed, 1 disabled) Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/19/2015 12:52:49 PM)
April 16, 1942 Allied planes return to Diamond Harbour in smaller numbers and this time the bombers precede the sweeps and a number are shot down. B-26s also make their debut on airfield attack but without escorts several don't return. A heavily damaged AK is sunk in the harbour and I decide later to scuttle a damaged DMS as it won't be able to escape to safety. The airfield remains intact and is rapidly being built to size two. A more coordinated bombing run on Madioen manages to destroy a bomber on the ground while the escorts deal with the CAP more effectively this time. AV watch at Calcutta: Allied = 2643; Japan = 1735. So no threat of frontal assault just now but I will need to stay vigilant for flanking attacks. A small force lands and takes the atoll of Ontong Java in the Solomons.

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/19/2015 12:55:49 PM)
April 17, 1942 A very quiet day with only a solitary bombing run on Bataan listed on the combat report. The Allies have ceased bombardment attacks at Calcutta for now, having been losing squads in twos and threes for the last few days. I take the opportunity to fly a fresh unit of Zeroes in to Diamond Harbour and will pull Kaga-1 out in order to prepare for when the carrier is out of the shipyard at Singapore. Here is the consolidated air loss total by type to date: [image]local://upfiles/32198/35AF31DB4DE24DC085E66879A9B2AA1E.jpg[/image]

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/22/2015 9:18:21 AM)
April 18, 1942 Last turn, I was modelling a 'what-if' to see if I could airdrop Yokosuka 3rd SNLF on to Comilla to delay the arrival by rail of Allied reinforcements to Chittagong. Lo and behold, I forgot to reset the transports and the paras made the drop, the equivalent I guess of orders being confused in real life. Defending Comilla is the solitary 7/12 Frontier Force Battalion which manages to hold the position for the time being. At least any rail reinforcements will be delayed here for a day or two. I only wish I had done this a day or two later, when my transports would be closer to Chittagong. The map shows the drop at Comilla. If you look carefully at the Allied stack adjacent to Calcutta you can see that some units appear to be moving SW, indicating that some kind of flanking move towards Diamond Harbour is in the offing. I have a division about to land there which should be enough to secure the position from behind the river line. [image]local://upfiles/32198/B0210CB523204017A83E1A3044E1ED91.jpg[/image]

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/22/2015 9:52:05 AM)
April 19, 1942 I haven't always reported it but Allied subs have been pretty active throughout the past few months. Most attacks have failed, either due to duds or else the escorts have been the targets, effectively soaking up the misses. Today however, SS Perch hits xAK Daisin Maru south of Truk, causing heavy damage. The transport was part of a larger convoy headed to Shortlands. I have been making slow but steady progress building up the defences of New Britain, PNG and the Solomons. I plan to develop four mutually-supporting defensive blocs, centred around 1) Rabaul/Kavieng; 2) Lae/Umboi Island and Finschafen; 3) Port Moresby/Kokoda/ Buna; and 4) Shortlands/Buin/Torokina. I have taken Tulagi but I'm not convinced of the value of developing the bases further south at this stage in the war. It means more to defend with scarce resources. I have committed a lot to India and more is headed that way so I need to fight a defensive war in the SW Pacific. At the moment I am relying more on the development of air assets in theatre than putting a lot of boots on the ground. As expected, Allied B-26s bomb the paras at Comilla running into the LRCAP I had set. P-40Es also make an appearance and the air losses are fairly even. I�m happy to trade at 1:1 right now as my opponent can less afford to lose the airframes at this stage while replacement rates are low . I staged a bombardment attack at Calcutta to find out how much strength has been moved out. It appears that a couple of the better British divisions have left the city, no doubt heading south� quote: Japanese Bombardment attack Attacking force 55750 troops, 611 guns, 286 vehicles, Assault Value = 1753 Defending force 88531 troops, 1037 guns, 1071 vehicles, Assault Value = 2661 Japanese ground losses: 215 casualties reported Squads: 1 destroyed, 35 disabled Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 4 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled Guns lost 10 (2 destroyed, 8 disabled) Allied ground losses: 51 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Vehicles lost 2 (1 destroyed, 1 disabled) Assaulting units: 18th Division 4th Ind Engineer Regiment 23rd Ind Engineer Regiment 15th Ind Engineer Regiment Imperial Guards Division 5th Division 1st Tank Regiment 14th Division 6th Tank Regiment 18th Medium Field Artillery Regiment 25th Army 3rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment 3rd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment 10th RF Gun Battalion 3rd Mortar Battalion 11th RF Gun Battalion Defending units: 17th Australian Brigade 25th Australian Brigade 2/15 Punjab Battalion 16th Australian Brigade 36th Indian Brigade 254th Armoured Brigade 18th Australian Brigade Fort William 7th Indian Division 3rd Carabiniers Regiment Waziristan Division 20th Indian Division 1st Burma Division 43rd Cavalry Regiment 9th Indian Division 5th Chinese Corps 2/11th Fld RAA Regiment 224 Group Base Force AHQ Bengal 2/9th Fld RAA Regiment 3rd Indian Coastal Artillery Regiment Eastern Command 85th British AT Gun Regiment 21st Light AA Regiment 43rd Construction Regiment 6th Heavy AA Regiment 25th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment 1st Bombay Construction Battalion A deliberate attack on Cox's Bazaar fails to evict the defenders. I will need to bomb and naval bombard in order to improve the odds. Comilla is reinforced. I will probably lose the unit there in a final banzai attack.

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/22/2015 10:07:08 AM)
April 20, 1942 I made a basic schoolboy error in forgetting to CAP Rangoon and paid the price today as several waves of B-17s bombed the shipping that was disbanded in the port. It could have been a whole lot worse. The destroyer Yamakaze sinks at anchor after its magazine explodes, and ten or so transports sustain damage. Fortunately, flotation damage is not especially heavy but the yard at Singapore will be tied up for some time once Kaga is recommissioned. I have put the CAP back up but won't be able to leave shipping at Rangoon safely until Calcutta falls (as it surely will!) A Japanese deliberate attack at Cox's Bazaar achieves no breakthrough and the Allies attack at Comilla. My transports are still four days out from Chittagong as the tension racks up. Damn those 12-knot vessels!

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/28/2015 12:25:03 PM)
April 21, 1942 Naval SCTFs bombard both Chittagong and Cox's Bazar, causing several hundred Allied casualties. The KB bombs Dacca airfield with its full strength. I am usually reluctant to use naval air in this way as it can suffer heavily to AAA but I know that Dacca has relatively few ground troops in situ. Unfortunately the bombers spotted there following the Rangoon raid have left, and the CAP manages to get through my escorts and down a couple of Vals and Kates. Runway damage is good by the look of it however, and the Allies do not possess any other large airfields south of Calcutta at the moment. Cox's Bazar falls to a mixed Japanese force comprising 55th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Raiding Regiment and 41st Infantry Regiment. Defending units 1st Gloucestershire Battalion and 107th RAF Base Force retreat up the jungle road. An Allied shock attack at Comilla fails to evict the tenacious Japanese paras, although they are probably doomed as the Allies build up their forces in an effort to break through the roadblock to Chittagong.

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/28/2015 12:35:52 PM)
April 22, 1942 Japanese cruisers Tone and Chikuma raid Diego Garcia. The only Allied ship present is AMc Medusa which takes 3 shell hits and sinks. The bombardment reveals that Hurricane I fighters, plus elements of 17th Indian Division are garrisoning the island. Another night naval bombardment of Chittagong is mounted, and there are multiple contacts with Allied subs in the Bay of Bengal but fortunately no torpedoes hit home. In a rare bit of action in the Aleutian Is, SS I-2 torpedoes an Allied xAK near Umnak Island, part of a small TF which may have unloaded at the island as there is no report of ground casualties. Yokosuka 3rd SNLF is destroyed by another attack at Comilla leaving the way clear for Allied reinforcements to be railroaded to Chittagong.

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/28/2015 12:45:19 PM)
April 23, 1942 Warazup falls to the 14th Tank and 144th Infantry Regiments on the 23rd. Not enough forces to push on towards Ledo right now, although I might be tempted to make a show of strength here if I can assemble a slightly larger mobile force. The Dutch fighters have disappeared so I have been bombing different airfields on Java in rotation, destroying a few transports and bombers on the ground. Every little bit helps...

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (2/28/2015 1:17:48 PM)
April 24, 1942 Air recon reveals that significant Allied reinforcements have arrived at Chittagong overnight. Probably equivalent to two divisions which I have insufficient forces to dislodge so I decide to divert my landing force to Cox's Bazar where I will build up and also backfill Akyab and repair the airfield there. It's annoying to have lost the race to Chittagong, however I am still exerting pressure on India across the Burmese frontier, not to mention the 'Calcutta salient'. I have also been reccing Viz, further along the coast, to keep Roger guessing as to where I might also land. Two items on the bad news front today: 1) Hosho hits a mine at Cox's Bazaar taking float damage in the 30s. 2) An xAP carrying elements of 38th division is torpedoed and sunk off Victoria Point. Luckily, it was one of the smaller ones and a number of troops are rescued by other ships in the TF. As Chittagong is off the menu for amph assault, the unit will now debark at Rangoon instead. My other worry is that the KB has been spending a lot of time in the Bay of Bengal providing CAP until I can build up my forward airfields and there are a lot of Allied subs out there. I have moved KB to Akyab to support the TF unloading at Cox's Bazar and have set multiple ASW TFs to patrol around the hex. Approx Allied main dispositions are displayed in the picture attached. [image]local://upfiles/32198/5F3ED8AA460D47F89085FDA08C2D868A.jpg[/image]

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (3/2/2015 1:28:50 PM)
April 25, 1942 Before the day dawns, a further naval bombardment at Chittagong reveals the valuable intel that the 18th and 70th British Divisions are now in situ. Meanwhile my surviving DMS's clear away the minefield at Cox's Bazar that Hosho pranged herself on. SS S-23 launches 2 torpedoes at DMS W-10 near Akyab, misses and sustains two hits. Several other Allied subs in the vicinity expend torpedoes at destroyer escorts to no effect.

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (3/2/2015 1:46:49 PM)
April 26, 1942 SS KXVII takes 4 hits attacking a large transport TF near Akyab but the day's main event is a sustained air attack on Diamond Harbour which my opponent would no doubt like to put out of action. Air war over India Kanoya Ku S-1 and 3rd Ku S-1 put 61 A6M2s in the air to meet the first wave of 25x P-40Es, shooting down 13 for no loss. The second wave comprises 23 P-40Es and the tally is 6 Warhawks destroyed for 1 Zero lost. There are still 47 Zeros in the skies when a third wave of 17 x B-25C Mitchells arrives escorted by 25x P-39D Airacobras. The airfield sustains limited damage and a solitary C5M2 Babs is destroyed on the ground but tow of the attackers are reported shot down. A fourth wave of 10x Blenheim I's arrives unescorted and at least 4 are destroyed. The fifth wave comprising 25x P-400 Airacobras gets the better of the 37 remaining tired Zero pilots, shooting down 7 for a loss of 2. Sixth wave: 25x P-39Ds take on 14 Zeros of which 4 are destroyed for no Allied loss. Seventh wave (the only afternoon attack): 4x B-17Ds and 14x B-17Es vs 22 Zeroes. Result: 8 bombers damaged and only 2 airbase and 2 runway hits Summary: At the end of the day, Diamond Harbour has survived - indeed the damage is all repaired by our tireless engineers during the day and the airfield continues to build towards size 3. I will need to replenish my units and bring in reserves but at the moment it appears that the Allies are sustaining a higher loss rate and will need to commit significantly more air power to be able to contest the war in the air over India. Here is the intel on overall losses. Quite a few Zeroes were lost to Ops damage after the gruelling day's events but pilot losses remain light. [image]local://upfiles/32198/625F896B1D5945E5B9CBE0B2A6931FB4.jpg[/image]

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (3/7/2015 4:28:15 PM)
Apr 27, 1942 More Allied air attacks on Diamond Harbour on the 27th but with fresh Oscar Ics of the 24th Sentai flown in the Zeroes hold their own, and several Hurricanes are shot down. A B-17 raid fails to damage the runway and there will be no further attacks for the next few days; it appears that my opponent is not up for an extended war of attrition at the moment. The respite granted is used to continue building up the airbase and forts. Cox's Bazaar and Akyab are also being repaired, and the long term plan will be to support the gradual extrication of the forces that are stalemated at Calcutta. I have already been surreptitiously airlifting some units back to Magwe, although I am not going to lift the pressure on India altogether, its just that another way in needs to be found.

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (3/7/2015 4:39:39 PM)
Apr 28, 1942 Allied sub attacks on various convoys near Truk, Rabaul, Shikuka and Batangas: no hits scored but these guys certainly get around! Night naval bombardment of Chittagong by a cruiser TF destroys several Hurricanes on the airfield and causes about 450 casualties. The two British divisions are still in situ. I have insufficient AV at Cox's Bazaar to think about pushing them out. Bombardment attack at Bataan, the last Allied outpost on Luzon, reveals 2:1 odds in my favour. I plan to bring in a couple more units for the final assault just to make sure.

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (3/8/2015 6:38:54 PM)
Apr 29/30, 1942 DEI: Having been fought to a standstill in the mountain hex at Malang SW of Soerabaja, I have re-embarked various elements and invaded at Tjepoe on the north coast instead. Unescorted Dutch bombers attack my landing force without success and several 139WH-3s and L-212s are shot down. Palembang expands airfield to size 5. A large fighter unit has been deployed there to protect against any recurrence of the Allied carrier 'tip and run' raid there a month or two ago. Netties and Mavis's are also in situ. B-17Ds bomb Daly Waters on the 30th, causing 1 runway hit. Just to keep me honest, I guess. Tjepoe falls on the same day and I set an armoured and an infantry regiment to head across to capture Madioen, so that Java will be split in two.

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (3/8/2015 6:42:50 PM)
Java [image]local://upfiles/32198/14A080B9CD9A4DD7B74ABA483FAF52E1.jpg[/image]

Walker84 -> RE: Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28 (3/8/2015 6:49:33 PM)
May 1, 1942 Bataan Approaching the end game here finally. After several bombardments a DA is attempted with reasonable results. Remembering that this game has stacking limits I can't just pile everyone available into the hex so have to be a bit more patient. quote: Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 33817 troops, 421 guns, 314 vehicles, Assault Value = 979 Defending force 32631 troops, 360 guns, 61 vehicles, Assault Value = 457 Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 2 Japanese adjusted assault: 303 Allied adjusted defense: 961 Japanese assault odds: 1 to 3 (fort level 2) Combat modifiers Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), preparation(-), experience(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 1764 casualties reported Squads: 2 destroyed, 124 disabled Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 6 disabled Engineers: 2 destroyed, 61 disabled Vehicles lost 9 (1 destroyed, 8 disabled) Allied ground losses: 1050 casualties reported Squads: 15 destroyed, 73 disabled Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 63 disabled Engineers: 2 destroyed, 35 disabled Guns lost 43 (5 destroyed, 38 disabled) Vehicles lost 9 (3 destroyed, 6 disabled) DMS W-4 is torpedoed and sinks in the Bay of Bengal. Considering the amount of Allied subs around my shipping has got off pretty lightly so far. Of course as soon as I say something like that...

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