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Canoerebel -> RE: Notes from a Small Island (9/2/2017 10:53:30 AM)
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3/16/44
Sit Rep: There's a lot going on behind the scenes. The most effective way to show you would be to post the Strategic Map, adding notes here and there. But I can't. If I did, you'd see all kinds of green blips. I'm not ready to go into detail nor to answer questions for clever and intuitive forumites. So I'm puzzling over how to present an interesting AAR - setting the table for what's to come without spilling too much. I don't have an answer yet, so instead I'll just mention little things here and there that mean little individually but that mean a lot to me, in the context of the bigger picture:
Burma: Allied 4EB conducted a low-altitude night raid over Pisanonoluke, one of Erik's two major bomber bases. The strike was effective and built on another that took place three or four days back.
Meanwhile, the Allies are shifting down the coast road towards Bassein, which I now hold, as though threatening Prome. Erik is responding in like measure and has strongly reinforced Prome and vicinity. He's working sweeps and bombing missions that thus far have drilled dry holes. I'm leaving defense to oranic AA in ground units, which is somewhat effective, especially in the jungle.
Supply is an real issue and will continue to be into the medium term. Lots of small TFs are delivering, but the Allies have a massive army in Burma to feed. This is all good - my objective here is to keep Erik focused...or, if he should eventually decide to withdraw, to follow closely and work any opportunities.
1st Cavalry Division: The fragment at Wake was retrieved and returned to Pearl Harbor, where it joined the other fragment. This was an important tiny op to me, since this allows the battered division to rebuild and upgrade.
Gilberts: The Allies just invade and easily took Abemama. Eric has tiny garrisons in this area, so I'm taking them via "catcher's indifference" (a baseball term). Nothing to get excited about here, but mopping up here is important in creating a better LOC and eliminating a pocket from which Erik could base patrol aircraft, subs or small raiding TFs. Tarawa and Naura will come soon. Ocean, Mili, Roi, Kwaj and Eniwetok later. Erik will consider deploying a raider TF probably (John III would).
SoPac: Joseph (SqzMyLemon) did a great job of moving troops and supply forward in the Solomons/New Georgia/Admiralties region. But that does create some logistics problems. Having 2,000 AV at, say, Rabaul means loading later under enemy supervision. I prefer to begin ops from further back, away from prying enemy eyes. So from the start of the game (for me, 3/1), tremendous work has been going on getting ships forward, loading units, and pulling them back to marshalling areas. This is going well and will continue probably for another month.
Diego Garcia: East African brigade arrived to garrison this important outpost.
Subs: Eric's air ASW sank a Dutch sub near Saipan yesterday. But by and large he isn't using nav search or air ASW. So my guys have spread out to get information more than anything. A sub did nab an xAK near the Mariannas two days back.
SigInt: Still not a single report of an enemy division (nor, I think, even a mixed brigade) outside of Home Islands, Korea, China. Now, I'm nearly positive there are many in Burma, so I'm not drawing any conclusions yet. The info may be wildly inaccurate thus far. But I am getting a better feel for where Eric is concentrating.
Long Term: The plans have been made, for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.
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