YueJin -> RE: January 17th/February 14th 1943 (9/18/2021 1:17:36 PM)
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Allies-March 14th/April 11th, 1943 In a surprising move, the IJN strikes the destroyer groups blockading Manus, sinking two of them. The US Navy is slightly out of position to counterstrike as we didn't expect the Japanese to be so bold as to risk their last naval power here. Land based fighters from Rabaul and Kavieng clear a lot of the carriers air wing out of the way to allow our carriers to try and catch the Japanese on the retreat. The battle turns out much more evenly than expected with the CVL Ryujo and CA Furutaka being sunk caught and sunk by dive bombers but tragically, a single torpedo from a weak Japanese counterstrike finds the CV Wasp and she is scuttled later that day. Still, even the inconclusive nature of this engagement is a good outcome for the Allies. This turn an additional two CV's, a CVL and a BB arrived at Los Angeles (one of which has been hastily rechristened Wasp II) to allow two full carrier groups to operate in the Pacific now and the damage to Japanese air wings, battleships and infantry forces cannot be repaired easily. [image]https://i.imgur.com/gfs8Are.jpeg[/image] Anglo-Indian forces are largely exhausted, at the end of a long supply line and with the monsoon season soon arriving in Burma, may have to wait for landing craft to arrive to continue the push into South-East Asia. In better news though, the Chinese army has recaptured the island of Hainan taking control of the coal mines from the Japanese further weakening their production capability. The weather will soon clear in Central China allowing for a renewed offensive by Communist and Nationalist forces across the country. [image]https://i.imgur.com/O6zuDDQ.jpeg[/image]
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