RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.)

RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (Full Version)

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munited18 -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/5/2004 5:30:47 PM)
Of course, my problem now that I reead the whole AAR at once, I can't wait for the next post.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/5/2004 8:57:56 PM)
Japanese SigInt is probably not worth effort to read: "Radio transmissions detected from Bataan" while there is a major battle occuring there isn't really worth a lot. Allied SigInt is better because they are considered to have historically had better code breaking. But even for them 95% of it is not helpful. "Osaka Fortress is located at Osaka". Duh! But every once in a while the Allies get something like "8th SNLF preparing for an attack on Davao" that turns out to be both useful, accurate AND current. (I've had a few like that where no attack materialized.) The only problem I see with it is that it is only LCUs that "generate" Signal Interceptions. You don't see anything about ship movements or locations, which seems a little off historically. <shrug> As for the carriers, note that I said "a portion of the enemy's carriers located". I know better than to try taking on the whole KB this early! [:'(] (And I've lost track of the Jap carriers again, but I don't think they're in the Solomons region anymore.)

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/6/2004 9:02:54 AM)
16 Feb 42 The first of the supply convoys from the US are unloading in Brisbane, just as the Australians finish moving their own HQ to the city. Another night attack on Tavoy by Blenheim IFs. The struggle east of Australia continues. The Australian minesweepers Wollongong and Whyalla spar with a Japanese sub all day, ending with the Whyalla hit by a torpedo and the sub depth charged. Additional ASW assets are enroute to Australia from Pearl and they cannot arrive soon enough. Allied subs continued their campaign against enemy shipping. The KXI near Singapore hit a freighter. The escorts tried to attack the Dutch sub but were hindered by their own damage and the sub escaped easily. Later in the day the KXI fires on but misses a transport. Near Saigon the Seadragon fired on a lone freighter but her fish were duds. Near New Hanover Island the S-23 was forced to evade a large enemy ASW group. Some hundred miles east of Singapore the O21 hits a freighter with both torpedoes and her 40mm and 88mm deck guns. The Japanese attacked Yenen again. Of the over twenty-five enemy aircraft, only three Sonias reached their target, the rest being either shot down or driven off by the Chinese. They didn't do as well at Changsha. The Chinese biplane squadron that had been suffering trying to dogfight Zeroes took on a new Japanese fighter. Intelligence is tagging it the "Tojo". Only one of the Chinese planes was lost but that is probably due more to the fact that there were only five or so enemy fighters. Undefended Hengchow was also attacked. Little damage was done to the airfield and at least one Betty was shot down by flak. The AVG is beginning to lose their rep. They are easily able to handle most of the Japanese fighters but Zeroes, or at least this one particular squadron, are still able to defeat them. Almost half of the AVG planes intercepting the raid on Rangoon were lost. The enemy bombed Bankha. Palembang was also subject to a raid. The Hawks and Brewsters defending the Dutch base did much better today, avoiding most of the enemy escorts and managed to shot down some of the Lilys without losing any of their own. Almost thirty Bettys bombed the defenders at Rabaul. Blenheims and Hudsons continued to destroy enemy aircraft on the ground at Singapore. We think more than a dozen planes were destroyed. Chinese bombers continued their attacks on enemy troops as did Rangoon Hurricanes. Damage assessment of anti-shipping strikes around Singapore is becoming ever more difficult. Today, with the exception of one minesweeper which was sunk, every ship attacked showed damage from earlier attacks. The first attack hit a freighter with six bombs. Then a destroyer was attacked but missed. Then a transport hit. A freighter missed. Another (?) freighter missed, then a destroyer and minesweeper missed. A minesweeper is hit and sunk. The same (?) destroyer is missed. The Japanese launch another attack on Bataan. Casualties are high on both sides. Manila's defenders did not do as well today and the enemy made some gains, inflicting serious losses. The attack on Rabaul destroyed the last of the pre-prepared defenses. All the Aussies are going to be able to do is drive up the cost to the enemy to take the base. There was effectively no real action outside Rangoon. More reports to follow.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/6/2004 11:58:28 PM)
17 Feb 42 Allied subs were busy and lucky, an excellent combination. The Sturgeon missed a freighter near Formosa. The O21 hit a freighter in the South China Sea with three torpedoes before evading her damaged escorts. Off the coast of Honshu the Grampus put a fish into a minesweeper. The KXVI hit a troop transport with two torpedoes and multiple rounds from her deck guns in the central SCS. Just north of Rabaul the S-18 hit an escorted freighter. Also in the SCS, the S-36 torpedoed a transport. At the northern end of the Malacca Strait the Trusty hit a freighter with a pair of torpedoes. Near Singapore the KXI missed a transport. Near Kwajalein the Nautilus shelled and torpedoed a troop carrying freighter. The gunboat Kiwi was hit by two torpedoes and sunk in the waters east of the coast between Townsville and Rockhampton. The Whyalla also sank today, as did the destroyer Mustin (part of the New Mexico/Mississippi battlegroup). Another night raid on the Tavoy airfield was productive, hitting several aircraft on the ground. A surface group based around the battleships Colorado and Maryland hit Tarawa during the night. Enemy defensive fire was light and only one destroyer suffered minor damage. The task force commander is reporting substantial damage and casualties among the enemy garrison. The Japanese attacked Changsha again. The raid was small, like the last one, barely more than a dozen planes altogether and damage was minimal. The raid on the Chinese forces at Hengchow did a little more harm, but not much considering it was some fifty Bettys plus fighter escort. Another two dozen Bettys bombed Rabaul. Singapore and Palembang traded attacks on each other's airfields. I should be worried by the lack of fighter cover over Singapore but the damage that is allowing our pilots to do is too nice to quibble over, some thirty or so enemy planes damaged or destroyed today. The Hawk and Brewster pilots at Palembang did not do well against the escort Oscars, but eventually did break thru to make a few passes at the Lily bombers. The Japanese expressed their appreciation of the artwork done by the Sinkep Island garrison by bombing it today. I'm just glad they attacked the empty airfield rather than the freighter unloading badly needed supplies. The airfield at Cebu Island in the Philippines was hit hard. Over seventy enemy aircraft, mostly bombers of various types, caused substantial damage. Also, the garrison here is almost completely out of supplies. Considering the fate of the last convoy that tried to reach the island I don't know what we can do here. Chinese bomber attacks on Japanese troops continued but were lighter than usual today. Vildebeests torpedoed a freighter in the Malacca Strait. The Borneo Martins concentrated on the string of enemy ships in the South China Sea, apparently fleeing the devastation being visited upon them at Singapore. Three transports were hit multiple times each and a fourth, already low in the water and burning, was missed. A freighter was also hit. Shelling continued at Bataan and the Japanese continued to gain ground in the ruins of Manila. The Australians lost Rabaul, unable to continue to hold against 7:1 odds. They will try to fall back to Gasmata, but its anyone's guess how long it will take them to reach it. More reports to follow.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/7/2004 3:42:39 AM)
18 Feb 42 Despite the attack on Cebu yesterday, we seem to be successful so far in defending Mindanao. But the number of troops on the island is low to continue that defense. It seems worthwhile to reinforce the island, so to that end the 13th Australian Brigade is boarding ship at Darwin heading for Davao. The extraction of resources from northern Borneo is going much better than we could have expected. All the tankers that reached Brunei have loaded and reached at least the south of the Sulu Sea, appearing to be out of immediate danger. Another pair of tankers is approaching the harbor and appears to have also evaded detection so far. In submarine operations, the Pickerel had to avoid a destroyer outside Camranh Bay which put her out of position to attack a freighter a short time later. The O21 fired on and missed a transport in the SCS. Her bad luck continued when she missed an escorted tanker. The Seadragon tried to attack a freighter near Saigon but instead suffered damage from the escorting MSW's depth charges. Fortunately the damage is minor and she is returning to base for repairs. The KXI tried an attack on a subchaser east of Singapore. She missed but the enemy wasn't able to find her afterwards. Rangoon's night flyers continued their attacks on Tavoy. Blenheims, Hudsons and B-17s hammered the Japanese airfields around Singapore. Damage Assessment places the toll at almost forty enemy aircraft destroyed and almost thirty more damaged. More B-17s bombed the recently lost base at Rabaul, trying to deny the enemy use of the airfield. Chinese bombers dropped on the IJA forces outside Wuhan. Hurricanes continued to attack outside Rangoon. The squadrons there have been able to keep over 30 planes almost continously attacking the two IJA divisions blocking the routes to the city. Martins hit a transport and a freighter in the South China Sea. But they missed a tanker. Vildebeests torpedoed a troop transport in the Malacca Strait. The enemy launched several attacks on Manila. Davao was attacked. Two small groups of Sallys attacked the freighters unloading there and succeeded in hitting one of them. The Japs launched another attack on Bataan, leading to bloody fighting and heavy casualties on both sides. But the defenders are still holding. Unfortunately Manila was not able to. After turning much of the city to ruins in defending it, the Philippine forces ran out of supplies, will and room to fight any longer. The enemy took some 16,000 prisoners. IJA forces outside Rangoon tried once again to drive the defending Commonwealth forces back into the city. Once again they were stopped in their tracks with heavy losses. Much as Gen. MacArthur may not want to admit it, there is no hope of holding Luzon. We do still have a chance at keeping Mindanao but it will depend on at least contesting control of the air. As such I am ordering the few remaining fighters left in the Philippines to Davao where they can try to cover the unloading of the Australian brigade when they arrive. Bataan is going to suffer from the resulting air attacks I am sure but I think it is better than losing all the fighters and any chance at all in the Philippines. More reports to follow.

munited18 -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/7/2004 5:17:06 AM)
dtravel, A very gutsy move, moving the Aussies up to the Phillipines. I hope it works out. However, even in the end, it will have bought you much needed time. Good luck with that. I meant no disrespect, with the carrier comment earlier. I just remember being so pissed when my TF of three carriers was reduced to 2 sunk and 1 heavily damaged, in less than 24hrs. After that, I put all my emphasis on a mini-island hopping campaign to build up my land based aircraft. There is something about using the carriers effectively, that I have failed at. It is great to sink ships with land based air power, but I guess I like the mental picture of the carrier air war. Your reports also make it sound like there is much more in depth use of subs. In UV, it was a bit more of a crap shoot. I am sorry the intel isn't better, but that is probably a very accurate remenant of the War. Keep up the good work.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/7/2004 6:02:01 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: munited18 dtravel, A very gutsy move, moving the Aussies up to the Phillipines. I hope it works out. However, even in the end, it will have bought you much needed time. Good luck with that. I meant no disrespect, with the carrier comment earlier. I just remember being so pissed when my TF of three carriers was reduced to 2 sunk and 1 heavily damaged, in less than 24hrs. After that, I put all my emphasis on a mini-island hopping campaign to build up my land based aircraft. There is something about using the carriers effectively, that I have failed at. It is great to sink ships with land based air power, but I guess I like the mental picture of the carrier air war. Your reports also make it sound like there is much more in depth use of subs. In UV, it was a bit more of a crap shoot. I am sorry the intel isn't better, but that is probably a very accurate remenant of the War. Keep up the good work. No disrespect inferred. Staff officers are expected to point out potential problems and provide alternatives. [:'(] I'd love to blow the IJN carriers away with LBA. Problem is that 1) I don't have bombers in the right places, 2) I don't have any fighters to protect them against the Zeroes, 3) I don't have any suitable large enough bases to put the bombers at, and 4) I don't have the AV support in place for the bombers. We'll have to see if the Australian brigade even makes it to Davao. I can just see Bataan falling as the convoy is a day or two out, freeing up all that enemy LBA to blow the <censored> out of them just before they reach port or as they are unloading.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/7/2004 7:35:27 AM)
19 Feb 42 Intelligence is getting some confused reports from the South China Sea. It appears that a freighter and a troop transport succumbed to damage and sank. But they are also getting indications of search and rescue efforts in a third location. The destroyer Lamson sank short of Gili Gili. She was another of the destroyers damaged when the New Mexico/Mississippi group shelled Rabaul. Japanese subs were active again. The CL Adelaide was torpedoed as she was heading north for Gili Gili. She is diverting to Townsville, the nearest port, for emergency repairs before she returns to the Sydney repair yards. And a destroyer ASW group had a contact a few hundred miles SW of the Louisiade Arch. This group is one of two formed when the Yorktown and Enterprise met up. They had an excess of escorts for a single task force, so two ASW groups were formed from the "left over" destroyers and sent to help deal with the Japanese I-boats east of Australia. The US sub Grenadier had a brief encounter with a minesweeper near Kagoshima. Japanese Sonias and Tojos attacked Changsha again. The Chinese pilots used the heavy cloud cover to avoid the fighters and jumped the bombers, shooting two of them down. We continued to hammer away at the Singapore airfields. More enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground and it looks like for once we are damaging an enemy facility faster than it can be repaired. Which reminds me, with Rangoon being spared the AVG is getting itself back into shape. While still understrength, they are getting their damaged aircraft back into shape and recovering. Replacement aircraft are being funneled in as fast as we can but their losses have outstripped production by a wide margin. The enemy hit Cagayan with a hundred plane raid. They caught some of the PBY Catalinas on the water and did serious damage to the airfield. The enemy continued to hit Hengchow. Some forty to fifty Bettys bombed the airfield, doing minor damage. The anti-shipping strikes split their attention between Singapore and Johore Bahru today. A minesweeper was hit by a Blenheim's bomb at Johore Bahru. Two freighters caught Martin delivered bombs at Singapore. Vildebeests bombed a freighter in the Malacca Strait. Shelling continued at Bataan. There was inconclusive skirmishing outside Rangoon. The Chinese cavalry caught up with the Japanese base troops. They managed to inflict a few casualties but the enemy troops slipped away. More reports to follow.

munited18 -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/7/2004 7:26:21 PM)
Of course, you realize that the Aussie move will make you either the Hero or the Goat. If they make it, they will buy you much needed time. If they are lost in the already floatsom filled waterways, then you may be in a real pickel! So goes the pressure of being the Supreme Commander. Where are they now? How many days out? How goes the Guadacanal landings? What are the plans for Wake? Is it going to become a huge naval base for the central Pacific? Why has pressure eased on Rangoon? Can you keep Singapore subdued?

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/7/2004 7:48:56 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: munited18 Of course, you realize that the Aussie move will make you either the Hero or the Goat. If they make it, they will buy you much needed time. If they are lost in the already floatsom filled waterways, then you may be in a real pickel! So goes the pressure of being the Supreme Commander. Where are they now? How many days out? How goes the Guadacanal landings? What are the plans for Wake? Is it going to become a huge naval base for the central Pacific? Why has pressure eased on Rangoon? Can you keep Singapore subdued? Loading supplies. Game doesn't give an ETA. They are still in port finishing loading supplies. Strong garrisons on Shortlands and Lunga, building frantically. Build it up and start bombing things from it. Probably not, but is being used as home port for subs. Don't know. I hope so.

munited18 -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/7/2004 7:54:00 PM)
I hate to sound like I am blowing smoke, but the Sub base is a great idea. How big can the port grow to? I hope you have enough base forces and bombers to help hold Port Moresby and Lunga. Any reinforcment news worth mentioning?

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/8/2004 8:04:37 AM)
20 Feb 42 American destroyers continued to hunt a Japanese sub south of Louisiade. The sub fired torpedoes and the destroyers dropped depth charges but neither side was able to claim any damage. Night equipped Blenheims hit Tavoy again. The O16 suffered from dud torpedoes when she fired on a tanker in the Malacca Strait. The Japanese attacked the airfields at Luang Prabang and Bankha. They also seem determined to put Cagayan's airbase out of operation, launching an attack with some 80 to 90 planes. Allied bombers continued to blast Singapore's airstrips. The damage assessment photos show fighters, why aren't they flying? A flight of B-17s attacked Rabaul. The enemy has moved in Zeroes and they flew, although I don't think they were fully prepared for the defenses of the Flying Fortress. Chinese bombers attacked Haiphong. A flight of Martins hit a minesweeper at Johore Bahru. Singapore watched Allied bombers hit six freighters and a transport. There was more heavy fighting at Bataan. The skirmishing outside Rangoon heated up some, with patrols engaging each other. More reports to follow.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/8/2004 8:05:02 AM)
21 Feb 42 Night raid on Tavoy. Would be nice if the attacks were large enough to do some serious damage. North of Aparri the Salmon tried to make an attack on a freighter but was driven off by the escorts. In the Malacca Strait the Trusty had an encounter with a pair of enemy ASW ships but escaped without harm. Near Rabaul the S-18 torpedoed a transport. After evading, she came back and torpedoed an escorting gunboat. She did suffer some damage after that from the destroyer's depth charge run but shouldn't have any problem making it back to port. Both the US destroyer groups east of Oz had contacts. One of them was able to hit "their" enemy sub. Rangoon's respite has ended. The enemy launched two attacks. The AVG pilots held their own. While neither side lost many aircraft, the numbers were roughly equal. This represents a good showing since most of the escorting fighters were Zeroes. Cagayan was also bombed. Today's attack equaled yesterdays for sheer size. Hengchow was attacked by a small force of Bettys and Zeroes. The Chinese bombed Haiphong again. Rangoon's Hurricanes continued their bombing runs outside the city. They also hit enemy troops moving to reinforce the enemy's forces outside Rangoon. Intelligence makes it to be a least one more division. As we feared, the fall of Singapore has allowed the enemy to move forces against Burma. Martins hammered a minesweeper at Singapore with multiple bombs. Vildebeests hit a gunboat at Johore Bahru. And Blenheims hit two more freighters in the harbor at Singapore. Enemy forces inflicted serious losses on the Bataan defenders and the skirmishing outside Rangoon cooled back down to inconclusive. More reports to follow.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/8/2004 8:06:50 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: munited18 I hate to sound like I am blowing smoke, but the Sub base is a great idea. How big can the port grow to? I hope you have enough base forces and bombers to help hold Port Moresby and Lunga. Any reinforcment news worth mentioning? Not big enough, but I've got a sub tender in place which does well enough. Probably not yet. Nope.

Raverdave -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/8/2004 2:27:03 PM)
I must say that I am really enjoying this AAR. Keep it up ![8D]

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/8/2004 8:21:42 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Raverdave I must say that I am really enjoying this AAR. Keep it up ![8D] Thank you.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/8/2004 11:52:09 PM)
22 Feb 42 Night raid on Tavoy. The KXVII hit and sank a minesweeper west of Formosa. She then spent the rest of the day evading the sunk ship's consort. The O21 spotted a freighter in the South China Sea but wasn't in position to attack. The Seal missed a freighter east of Legaspi. The Cuttlefish wasn't able to hit a transport south of Osaka. Near Taipei the Grayback hit a freighter with a torpedo and her 5" deck gun. The Chinese 11th Fighter Squadron continues to chew up Japanese aircraft. They claimed half-a-dozen enemy over Yenen today. I'm thinking that if that squadron of biplanes is moved to Yenen, the pilots might be able to learn enough from these veterans to survive a bit better. I will have to discuss this with the Chinese. Speaking of which, the Chinese biplanes managed to get around the Tojo escorts to attack the Sonias approaching Changsha. They were not able to do much but they at least avoiding losing any more of their own. Allied bombers claimed some twenty-five enemy aircraft destroyed and a roughly equal number damaged at Singapore. Payback for our own suffering there when the city was under seige. Sinkep's airfield was attacked. The damage should provide the (somewhat crazy) garrison plenty of opportunity to draw more targets for the enemy pilots. I would consider withdrawing them but the Dutch are adamant about keeping a presence and I'm not sure the enemy wouldn't notice the transports. There was another large raid on Cagayan. While all the attacks on Minandao recently have been by land-based air as far as we can tell, the PBY pilots there have been reporting an enemy task force in the Philippine Sea east of the island. They haven't been able to track it, finding it one day, losing it the next, but they think there is one, possibly two, carriers. A cause for concern. Chinese bombers continued their attacks on Haiphong and outside Wuhan. The British Hurricanes also continued to bomb the enemy troops threatening Rangoon. Bankha Vildebeests launched a number of strikes today. They torpedoed a freighter in the Malacca Strait. They also bombed a tanker at Kuala Lumpur. Other bombers hit a freighter, apparently loading troops, in Singapore harbor and a minesweeper at Johore Bahru. The minelayer Rigel was sunk. She had completed laying mines at Medan but hadn't yet cleared the Strait when she was attacked by two dozen bombers with an equal size fighter escort. The Gouden Leeuw seems to have made it out after laying mines to protect Bankha. Two flights of Bettys attacked a tanker near Batavia. She is part of a three ship group heading for Palembang to load oil. US destroyers claimed a hit on an enemy sub east of Australia. Japanese forces continued to attack Bataan. Casualties were again high, more so on the defenders side. The skirmishes outside Rangoon allowed Intelligence to confirm the presence of a third enemy division there. And aerial spotting reports show more enemy troops still moving up from the south. The 2nd Marine Division has returned to Pearl. The three battleships repairing here are nearing the end of work. And a large number of freighters are either already in port or going to be here in the next few days. We may be in position to launch another attack in a week or so. PBY recon flights over the Gilberts show only a weak enemy presence there. Capturing Tarawa, Makin and Apamama would make the US-Australia convoy routes much safer. While Baker Island and Nanomea are not as built up as I would like to support such an operation, three or five carriers can make up for that. I will have to consider this over the next few days. More reports to follow.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/9/2004 3:08:59 AM)
23 Feb 42 The nightly raid on Tavoy was scrubbed due to weather. The Grayling fired on a Jap destroyer near Hong Kong but wasn't able to hit. The O20 hit a freighter with a torpedo and her deck guns outside Songkhia. Near Legaspi the Gato missed a transport. The Truant scored two hits on a subchaser in the Malacca Strait. The O21 missed a transport in the South China Sea. The Swordfish put a torpedo into a freighter among the Philippine islands east of Legaspi. A group of minesweepers coming from Darwin to the eastern Australian coast encountered an enemy sub near the strait between Australia and New Guinea, but were unable to hit it. Intelligence reports intercepting a mayday signal from an I-boat somewhere south of Gili Gili, indicating that it was sinking. A minesweeper/gunboat pair scored a hit on a sub east of Townsville. The Japs bombed Changsha again, with the same half-a-dozen each of Tojos and Sonias. The I-153s managed to get around the Tojos but did little damage to the bombers. Changsha is going to have to suffer as the biplanes are now moving to Yenen for training by the squadron there. Hengchow was also hit. Some two dozen Bettys and thirty plus Zeroes bombed the airfield, destroying a few of the Chinese bombers. Unable to attack Rangoon because of foul weather, the enemy turned his attention to Pagan. Thirty Sallys and a score of Oscar and Zero escorts quickly got past the defending Buffaloes. Our own bombers continued to punish Singapore, destroying more enemy aircraft. The Chinese continued their attacks on Japanese troops. Davao was attacked. A dozen Lilys and a dozen plus Zeroes bombed the airfield despite the efforts of the few P-40s there. Cagayan was bombed heavily again, this time the enemy concentrated on the port. It seems likely the Japs are planning another landing on Mindanao. The attack on Sinkep Island went after the freighter Jalatarang, hitting her with over a dozen bombs. The ship is unlikely to even make it thru the night. Martins and Blenheims hammered a gunboat at Johore Bahru, scoring multiple bomb hits. Vildebeests torpedoed a freighter in Dead Jap Strait. More Martins hit a transport in the SCS. Another flight of Vildebeests torpedoed and sank a subchaser in the Strait, likely the consort of the ship torpedoed by the Truant. We got confirmation that the enemy naval force near Mindanao is their carriers in the form of an air attack on the Marblehead/Boise group at Menado. Despite having no escorting fighters, the bombers proved more than a match for the defending Brewsters. Land-based Betty and Nell bombers joined the Vals and Kates in hitting almost every ship in the task force. Both cruisers suffered from multiple torpedo hits as well as many bombs. The destroyer Pope's magazine exploded after she was torpedoed, breaking her back and sinking. The Boise is especially bad off. The survivors will try to reach Amboina, but the Boise is unlikely to make it even if all goes well and the Marblehead seems unlikely to survive the inevitable follow up attacks. On the other hand, with the enemy carriers just off the southern tip of Mindanao they cannot remain in port. In addition to hitting the ships docked at Menado, the carrier planes blew apart the freighter Empire Rainbow. She was the freighter lightly damaged at Davao a few days ago and was heading for Darwin, passing Menado just as she was sunk. The attack on Bataan continued. Casualties were still heavy, but lighter than on previous days. The probing and skirmishing outside Rangoon managed to confirm that there are now four enemy divisions engaged. The appearance of the enemy carriers in the southern Philippines is going to force some reactions. Fortunately, other than the ships at Menado, we appear to have few other ships at risk. There are some tankers and oilers at Balikpapen, which will have to stop loading and run for Darwin, as well as half-a-dozen subs undergoing repair by two sub tenders. Those will head for Soerabaja. The convoy carrying the 13th Aussie Brigade is currently in the Banda Sea. They will be diverted to Kendari for now to await developments. But if they continue west, that may give us a window for Operation Baker's Dozen. I need to talk to Major General Marston, see how fast his Marines can be ready. More reports to follow.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/9/2004 9:54:12 AM)
24 Feb 42 The night equipped Blenheims flew against Tavoy again. The S-23 avoided an enemy destroyer near Kavieng. Near Singapore the KXI spotted but wasn't able to attack a transport. Near Khota Bharu the Dolphin torpedoed a freighter. The KIX hit two more freighters in the Malacca Strait. Allied bombers continued bomb Singapore, destroying more enemy aircraft on the ground. Chinese SB-2c bombers continued to bomb outside Wuhan. Rangoon Hurricanes continued to attack Japanese troops, enjoying a "target rich environment". I would just as soon that they didn't have such a plethora of enemy forces to choose from. Mindanao was attacked hard again. Davao was bombed by a dozen Lilys with an equal sized escort of Zeroes. Cagayan was hit by land-based air also, but by a smaller force of half-a-dozen Anns and half that number of Nate escorts. Then the IJN carrier planes hit Davao. Thirty bombers and over a dozen Zeroes attacked the airfield, shooting down several defending P-40s and destroying several of the PBYs based in the harbor as well as damaging the airfield. Two flights of Bettys with a heavy Zero escort followed up with one more attack on Davao. There is little left of the original PI fighters. Of the four squadrons, two are down to a single fighter each and one left behind at Bataan has no aircraft at all. The remaining unit only has three planes. We will leave this last unit at Davao for now, but the two units with single aircraft have been ordered to make their way to Australia and report to SWPAC for replacements and refurbishment. The slaughter of Japanese shipping around Malaya continues. Martins hit a freighter at Johore Bahru. A joint Blenheim IV/Martin 139 attack on Singapore hit a patrol boat, subchaser and freighter. Vildebeests bombed a transport in Dead Jap Strait while a flight of Martins bombed a freighter. The Jalatarang managed to survive overnight to be bombed again today. Three more bombs hit the ship but the Sinkep Island garrison is trying to salvage as much as they can of the supplies still on board. Fifty Betty bombers attacked Hengchow, causing minor casualties. The Royal Navy had assembled all four of their Indian Ocean battleships and sent them to attack Tavoy. Those ships, along with a heavy cruiser, light cruiser, three AAA cruisers and some destroyers had just reached the vicinity of Rangoon when the enemy spotted them. Two dozen Bettys and a dozen Sallys along with escorting fighters attacked. AAA fire shot down or damaged many of the bombers, especially the Bettys, but was not enough to prevent a torpedo hit on the Royal Sovereign and two on the Ramilles. The Ramilles sank soon after but the Royal Sovereign's damage is apparently minor. Despite the death of RADM Furlong the Brits apparently are determined to complete their mission, feeling that they can reach Tavoy under cover of night. The AVG has been asked to try to cover their retreat afterwards. I don't know whether to admire their audacity or curse their stubornness. The attack on Bataan continued but casualties were lighter. There was more skirmishes outside Rangoon. Chinese troops have moved from Hanoi against the VM Militia division north of the city. Three corps have been tasked, none of them ones earmarked for the eventual attack on Haiphong. The cavalry corp is also closing in on the fleeing IJA Pakhoi garrison and should be able to attack again soon. The Chinese have also moved an infantry corp from Hengchow to help cut off the fleeing enemy troops. The HMS Dauntless completed some more repairs and has left for the British Isles. The Boise sank enroute to Amboina. The enemy carriers seem to be curving clockwise around Mindanao but there appears to be a second force heading west towards Balikpapen. More reports to follow.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/10/2004 1:40:58 AM)
25 Feb 42 Well, the weather seems to have thrown a monkey-wrench into everyone's plans in Burma. The night Blenheims were able to fly, but that was it. The Royal Navy battleships held off steaming for Tavoy and the Tavoy aircraft couldn't find the Royal Navy. Or at least we assume so since they weren't attacked and neither was Rangoon. RADM Spooner, who has taken command of the task force after RADM Furlong's death on the Ramilles, has indicated his intention to still carry out the mission and has apparently positioned his ships for a nighttime dash to Tavoy. PBY flights show at least two enemy minesweepers working on the minefield we laid at Eniwetok. Near Legaspi the Saury had her attack on a freighter foiled by dud torpedo warheads. Off the Home Islands the Cuttlefish wasn't able to fire on a transport. O16 hit a tanker with two torpedoes in Dead Jap Strait. In the SCS O21 missed a transport. The Swordfish missed a freighter between Iloilo and Legaspi The 11th CFS once again defended Yenen. The 27th CFS biplanes flew in and will begin flying with the 11th's veterans tomorrow. We still can't figure out what is going on with the Japanese fighters. We bombed Singapore, yet again without opposition, continued to inflict heavy losses on the enemy's planes on the ground. And after PBY overflights of Rabaul showed no CAP there, the Port Moresby B-17s began bombing that airfield without any fighters flying against them. The captain of the Jalatarang declined to remain at Sinkep Island any longer, so the enemy attack there concentrated on the airfield again. The Jalatarang was originally going to try to sail to Karachi but has been persuaded to stop at Batavia first for temporary repairs. Enemy troops outside Wuhan and Rangoon were bombed again. By Chinese SB-2cs and Hurricanes respectively. The attacks on shipping around Singapore weren't as successful as they have been in past. A transport at Johore Bahru was hit with two Vildebeest bombs. Another flight torpedoed a minesweeper in the Malacca Strait twice. Mindanao was socked in by bad weather also, so the enemy concentrated his attention on Bataan and other islands. A small group of some twenty or so Kates and Zeroes from the IJN carriers attacked Jolo, doing minor damage to the port. Bataan was hit by three different raids, totalling over 120 planes, causing casualties among the defenders. The Japs have been reinforcing their attack on Bataan. The fortifications around there are beginning to show the signs of the wear and damage inflicted by the continueing assault. The enemy also launched another attack outside Rangoon. While they inflicted more losses on the Commonwealth than during previous attacks, they still were stopped with what is estimated to be over 1,000 casualties of their own. Chinese cavalry attacked the Jap group northwest of Kweilin but once again were unable to pin them down. The attack on the Vietnamese militia north of Hanoi went off, driving the enemy back. The Chinese infantry are pursueing. Operation Baker's Dozen is shaping up. The battleships Maryland and Colorado are still at Nanomea. The Lexington, Saratoga and Hornet are steaming for Baker Island. The Nevada and Pennsylvania have almost completed repairs at Pearl and could be used if required. We have tapped the 2nd Marine Division, 27th Division, 71st Base Force, 4th Marine Defense Bn, 216th Coast AA Regiment and 144th Field Artillery Regiment for the operation and they have begun studying the maps and recon photos we have of Tarawa. The 45th Fighter Squadron (P-40E) and the VMSB-241 (SBD Dauntless) will be the shipped in as soon as the airfield on Tarawa is captured. All of these units, with the exception of VMSB-241, are already at Pearl. VMSB-241 is due to arrive in Seattle in a few days and transport is already enroute to await them. Sea lift for the two divisions is already at Pearl (though some of it is currently unloading supplies from the West Coast) and they will conduct the initial amphibious assault. By the time they are ready to begin loading we'll have enough additional ships to carry the 144th and an excess of supplies as well. As at Wake during Alarm Clock, the rest of the troops will be shipped in as a second wave. When they begin boarding is now dependant on exactly what the IJN carriers do over the next couple of days. More reports to follow.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/10/2004 4:58:29 AM)
26 Feb 42 The Jalatarang failed to make it to port, sinking off the coast of southern Sumatra. We also have a report of a Japanese transport sinking near Singapore. The S-23 attacked a troop transport outside Rabaul. She hit with two torpedoes and set off a massive explosion on board. The Swordfish continued to attack enemy shipping in the PI, but missed her target freighter. The Salmon attacked but missed an escorted tanker off the north end of Luzon. The Pollack set a freighter on fire with multiple hits from her deck gun about halfway between Okinawa and Tori Shima. The Rangoon based night fighters had a good run on Tavoy, catching some enemy aircraft in the open. This was followed quickly by the Royal Navy battleships, who lived up to their service's traditions. Almost makes up for losing the Ramilles. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Naval bombardment of Tavoy, at 28,37 Japanese aircraft no flights Japanese aircraft losses Ki-15 Babs: 1 destroyed A6M2 Zero: 10 destroyed, 1 damaged Ki-21 Sally: 15 destroyed, 25 damaged Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 6 destroyed, 7 damaged C5M Babs: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged L1N1 Thora: 2 destroyed, 3 damaged G4M1 Betty: 6 destroyed, 4 damaged Ki-46-II Dinah: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged Allied Ships CLAA Van Heemskerck DD Express DD Griffin DD Foxhound DD Fortune CA Dorsetshire CL Glasgow CLAA Columbo CLAA Capetown BB Resolution BB Royal Sovereign BB Prince of Wales Japanese ground losses: 487 casualties reported Airbase hits 9 Airbase supply hits 10 Runway hits 73 Port supply hits 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The enemy declined to launch an air attack on them as they left or wasn't able to. The Chinese 27th Fighter got their first lessons today. Some thirty enemy aircraft attacked Yenen. The 11th quickly shot down or chased off the escort Nates, leaving the Sonia dive bombers available as target practice. Few of them lived long enough to drop their bombs. Singapore's air assets were once again bombed. While not up to what the RN battleships did it was none the less a respectable attack. It was apparently enough to cause the few Lilys attacking Sinkep today to miss the bullseyes provided for them by the garrison. Two flights of B-17s did some minor damage to Rabaul's airfield. Chinese bombers attacked Haiphong and outside Wuhan. British Hurricanes continued to nibble away at the Japanese divisions blocking the approaches to Rangoon. The Enterprise and Yorktown, having sailed up the eastern side of the Solomon Islands, launched attacks on Rabaul. While outside range for their torpedo bombers, the Dauntless dive bombers did quite well on their own. The first attack in the morning was a full strike. In return for one SBD damaged by flak, three destroyer transports and a patrol boat were hammered with multiple bomb hits. A minesweeper was also hit once, leaving it burning. The afternoon's attack wasn't quite as good. The strike force got separated into two parts enroute and many of the bombers missed the target altogether. Still, two regular troop transports were hit, a destroyer was hit causing a magazine explosion and further damage was done to the gunboat, minesweeper and one of the destroyer conversions hit in the morning. Coastwatchers report that the gunboat and one of the DD transports sank a short time later. The carriers are now moving south and east to avoid any land-based counter strikes. The only serious bad news for the day was at Brunei. The Nips have apparently finally noticed what was happening there and attacked. The two tankers currently loading were each hit by a Betty launched torpedo. With an enemy task force apparently coming around the northeast corner of Borneo, it looks like we are going to lose both ships. Hengchow was bombed again. Fifty Betty bombers and some thirty Zeroes caused some more casualties among the Chinese troops there. Davao and Cagayan were both attacked again by land-based aircraft. Davao suffered minor damage to both the port and airfield while Cagayan only had minor damage to their port. Most of our planes attacking shipping around Malaya stood down today and the strikes that were launched failed to score any hits. The Japanese launched an all out attack at Bataan with heavy casualties on both sides. The defenses are beginning to fail here and it looks like the end will come soon. Fighting outside Rangoon has gone back to the skirmish and mortar fire level. The Chinese, feeling that Hanoi and Luang Prabang are secure, are moving most of their considerable forces out of Yunan. One corp, answering to the British SEASIA command, is moving to hold the otherwise empty base at Lashio. The others are moving to relieve units at Hanoi (SEASIA assigned) or to prepare for eventual attacks on Canton (CHINACOM units). Despite the news from Bataan and Brunei, all in all I'd have to say it was a good day. More reports to follow.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/11/2004 2:26:22 AM)
27 Feb 42 We know there is a IJN task force moving west thru the Makassar Strait and we think that the bulk of their carriers are in it. Balikpapen has already been evacuated, but this move puts Soerabaja in danger as well. All the ships there are putting to sea, trying to run for Darwin. Unfortunately the geography means that they will been in range of the enemy carriers for several days even if the IJN force turns north. Most of the vessels are submarines, which have a good chance of avoiding detection, but there are four subtenders from Soerabaja and Balikpapen as well as two cruisers and two destroyers that were repairing at Soerabaja. There is also Dutch surface group of three light cruisers and four destroyers. This group will head south, but will linger in hopes that an opportunity for an attack will appear. The PT boats will remain, hoping that the enemy will not consider them worth wasting air strikes on while also looking for an opening to attack. I have already mentioned the large movement of Chinese troops out of Yunan. They have also deceided to launch their attack on Haiphong. They had moved a squadron of SB-2c's to Hanoi and did a photo recon of the Japanese forces. They are placing the number of enemy troops at only some 500 to 600. They also spotted a troop transport in the port. Whether that ship is evacuating or reinforceing the enemy positions, now appears to be the time to attack. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Blenheim IFs hit Tavoy again during the night. The only Allied sub activity reported was the O21 evading a pair of subchasers near Singapore. East of Rockhampton the minesweeper Kingfisher was torpedoed and sunk. The two other ships in the group report multiple hits on the I-boat in return. One of my staff officers has likened the fighting off eastern Australia as "eggshells fighting each other with sledgehammers". Poor weather restricted operations around Malaya. Bombers did get thru to attack the airfields at Singapore. Chinese bombers attacked Japanese troops outside Wuhan. The Nips responded with a raid on Hengchow. The British Hurricanes attacked the 18th Division near Rangoon. A dozen Bettys attacked the tankers at Brunei again. One of them was hit by another torpedo. Dutch patrols identified the Akagi in the IJN group off the coast of northeast Borneo. That is most likely the source of the second attack on Brunei, this one attacking the airfield and port. Strangely, although some of the ships fleeing Soerabaja reported being spotted by enemy aircraft, the IJN force off southern Borneo didn't launch any attacks. Davao and Cagayan were attacked again. All the fighters have been pulled out of Mindanao to Darwin or are enroute to there. We'll rebuild them as best as we can before sending them back. The 13th Aus Brigade's convoy has been ordered out of Kendari towards Menado. If we can get enough replacement fighters readied and get the timing right, they may still be able to reach Davao. The Japanese launched another all out attack at Bataan. Casualties were high on both sides, but the enemy is making progress. There was more skirmishing outside Rangoon. An unusually quiet day. More reports to follow.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/11/2004 8:15:34 AM)
28 Feb 42 The British are continueing to move forces up to the Irrawaddy River line. They have a significant garrison in place at Pagan and more troops moving up to Mandalay. In addition, in Karachi they have reconstituted two of the RAF HQ units they lost at Singapore. They are not at full strength yet but have enough personnel to begin work, so are boarding ship for Diamond Harbor. The RAF made another night raid on Tavoy. With the success of the Royal Navy's shelling, the AVG deceided to go on the offensive. They conducted a sweep over Tavoy, some 25 P-40s against 5 Zeroes. At the end of the day each side had lost one aircraft. (By the way, the RN task force has reached Diamond Harbor and the Royal Sovereign is starting repairs.) The Grampus avoided an enemy ASW group off Shikoku. The KX torpedoed an already heavily damaged freighter near Mersing. She then came back at sunset and attacked the burning ship on the surface, scoring another torpedo hit and hitting it with her deck gun. The O21 wasn't able to set up an attack on a transport east of Singapore. Palembang and Batavia based bombers continued to hammer away at Singapore. The enemy lost some 50 aircraft on the ground. The base at Rabaul was bombed by a pair of flights of B-17s. The half-a-dozen bombers caused some minor damage. Sinkep Island was attacked. About 45 bombers and 35 fighters were involved in the attack, which did serious damage to the airfield. Chinese bombers launched a pair of raids on Japanese troops in Haiphong. UK Hurricanes continued their attacks outside Rangoon. Anti-shipping strikes around Singapore picked up. Martins hit a freighter east of the city. More Martins attacked a convoy of troop transports, hitting three out of the four ships spotted. Enemy Bettys attacked Brunei again, but missed the tankers this time. A strike from the carrier or carriers in the South China Sea caused some damage to the port. The Japanese carriers in the Makassar Strait surprised us. Instead of turning north or south when they reached the western end of the strait, they continued west, reaching just east of Lumbok. This caught the Dutch task force by surprise and they paid heavily for it. The Jap carriers launched over 200 sorties against the cruiser/destroyer force all day long. The cruisers Java, De Ruyter and destroyers Banckert, Van Nes were sunk and the surviving three ships are all heavily damaged by bomb and torpedo hits. This move also threatens a trio of convoys moving from India to Australia which are west of Java and Bali, carrying fuel and supplies. The Japanese launched a number of air attacks on the Chinese troops approaching Haiphong. About 15 Sallys bombed Bataan. One of the American destroyer groups east of Australia depth charged a sub contact. Oil and debris indicate serious damage to the I-boat. Japanese army forces continued their all out assault on Bataan. Allied casualties were very high and the defenses are quickly crumbling. Our intelligence on enemy numbers at Haiphong turned out to be seriously wrong. Enemy numbers were closer to twenty thousand, not just a few hundred. The Chinese found this out when their bridgehead across the river was the subject of a banzai charge. Fortunately the leading corp was reinforced by the 1st Chinese Tank Regiment and was well set up. They inflicted heavy losses on the enemy with only light casualties themselves. Their counter-attack succeeded in destroying some of the enemy's prepared positions and several additional corps have crossed the river. More light fighting occured outside Rangoon. More reports to follow.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/11/2004 10:54:24 PM)
01 Mar 42 Enemy ASW assets were active today. Near Legaspi the Saury attacked a freighter but suffered from dud torpedoes. In the northern Malacca Strait the Trusty was forced to dodge an ASW patrol while at the southern end the O16 evaded a pair of subchasers. This put O16 out of position when it spotted a freighter later in the day. Off the shores of the Home Islands the Grampus was attacked by another ASW group but got away undamaged. Near Camranh Bay the Sealion made a surface attack on a freighter, hitting with three torpedoes, several rounds from her deck guns and strafing it with her AAA machineguns. The KIX torpedoed a transport near Singapore, as did O21. Batavia bombers continued to bomb Singapore's airfields. The systematic destruction of enemy air assets here is almost becoming embaressing. Meanwhile the enemy continues to attack the empty Sinkep Island air base. B-17s bombed Rabaul's air base but it appears the enemy has pulled all or most of his aircraft off the island. Chinese bombers from Hanoi continued to support the attack on Haiphong. In Dead Jap Strait, Vildebeests torpedoed a freighter. A troop transport in Singapore suffered multiple bomb hits from Martins and Blenheims. The AVG made another sweep over Tavoy with similar results to yesterday. They are planning another attack tomorrow, this time with a bomb load for low altitude passes over the airstrip. Davao was attacked. About 40 bombers and 20 Zeroes damaged the runways and destroyed some supplies. There was a very light attack on Cagayan also. Japanese Bettys flew one raid against the Chinese attacking Haiphong. The enemy carriers continued west past Bali and are now 200 to 250 miles WSW of the island. This put them almost on top of Convoy 1169, twenty-two freighters carrying supplies from India to Australia. Enemy planes attacked the convoy all afternoon, sinking three ships and damaging ten more. The ships are running at full speed for Australia, as are Convoys 1207 and 1008 who are also in the area, but there is just no way for merchants to outrun combat vessels. After four days of constant all out attack, Bataan surrendered today. We lost some forty-five to fifty thousand more troops to enemy POW camps. Despite heavy resistance from the defending enemy forces Chinese troops captured Haiphong, but enemy troops are still present outside the city. Chinese cavalry caught up with the fleeing Pakhoi garrison again and once again the Japanese troops slipped away when attacked. The skirmishing outside Rangoon heated up with some losses on both sides. The Royal Navy has informed me that they intend to withdraw another light cruiser and two more destroyers from the Indian Ocean. Six more submarines as well as a new sub tender became available in San Diego. The VMSB-241 squadron showed up on time in Seattle and a squadron of Canadian Catalinas arrived in Karachi. (Insert sound of Scooby-Do going "Huh?") More reports to follow.

Ron Saueracker -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/12/2004 12:09:15 AM)
Those Canuck Cats are the ones which spotted KB approaching Ceylon. They were based initially near Trincomalee. Not an error folks.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/12/2004 3:37:46 AM)
Ron, quit spoiling my smart alec comments with facts please. Thank you. [:'(]

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/12/2004 3:38:34 AM)
02 Mar 42 The KIX was forced to evade a pair of destroyers escorting the oiler she was stalking at the south end of the Malacca Strait. She made up for it by sinking a freighter later in the day. In the Philippines the Swordfish torpedoed a heavily escorted freighter. The Saury conducted a nocturnal surface attack on another freighter, scoring a couple of shell hits. Off Camranh Bay the Sealion made a surface attack, scoring hits but was also hit herself by the freighters defense gun. No serious damage was done though and she will continue her patrol. The influx of ASW reinforcements in the seas east of Australia is apparently having an effect. One destroyer group sank an enemy sub and another group reports depth charge hits on at least one, possibly two, more. The AVG attacked Tavoy. Enemy CAP was only four Zeroes and the thirty P-40s were able to reach the airfield without difficulty, where they proceeded to strafe the base. The enemy has apparently finally realized the need for fighters at Singapore. Several Blenheims and Hudsons were lost to Zeroes flying defense over the airfield. They still did heavy damage destroying many aircraft on the ground. A flight of B-17s also bombed Rabaul. Two dozen Lilys bombed Sinkep Island. Davao was hit in the morning by only some half-dozen Lilys. Cagayan, on the other hand, was hit by almost thirty divebombers plus their escorts. In the afternoon thirty Bettys bombed Davao from high altitude. More Bettys bombed the Chinese at Haiphong. Chinese bombers continued to attack Japanese troops around Haiphong. Hurricanes made more attack runs outside Rangoon. Anti-shipping strikes did not go well. Around Malaya the bombers either were unsuccessful or, in the western South China Sea, ran into Zeroes flying CAP over the merchants. Several more Blenheims and Martins were lost and only one transport was hit. The IJN carriers do not appear to have moved far and spent the day continueing their attacks on Convoy 1169. Eight more ships were lost and the survivors are rapidly scattering as each vessel moves at its own best speed. The Japanese army forces driven out of Haiphong tried to retake the city with a full frontal attack but the Chinese were having none of that, holding their ground and inflicting serious losses on the enemy. To the east, two more Chinese corps moved against a Vietnamese Militia division that had been holding position there for some weeks. Both sides attacked and their spearheads promptly ran right into each other. The Chinese forces were better prepared, however, and succeeded in driving the enemy back. It looks like there are going to be two enemy units running around in the Chinese rear area trying to make it to their own lines around Wuhan. More light fighting outside Rangoon. If the IJA maintains their schedule, another attack should be coming there any time now. The Australians are continueing to expand their air force, commissioning a squadron of Dakota transports. For now they will move to Darwin. While nominally tasked to SEASIA, we will have to wait until the enemy carriers move before we make a decision on where to deploy them to. More reports to follow.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/12/2004 8:43:11 AM)
03 Mar 42 The Dutch light cruiser Tromp sank just short of Kendari. This pretty much removes the Dutch Navy from the picture since all they have left are some destroyers, all of which are damaged to one degree or another. The KIX was hit today at the south end of the Malacca Strait. The escorts of a freighter caught her in a depth charge attack. She is reporting serious damage and is trying to make it to Palembang to patch the hull. The Swordfish had her attack on a freighter in the Philippines aborted by more escorts. The Salmon missed a freigher off northern Luzon. Night Blenheims attacked Tavoy again. We continued the raids on Singapore's airfields. The first wave went in unopposed. The second wave, made up of B-17s, met Zeroes. The Flying Forts managed to get thru anyways. I really don't think the Japanese pilots quite know how to deal with the defensive fire a true heavy bomber's guns can put out. Davao's runway was hit by a light raid in the morning. A second, stronger, raid in the afternoon did minor damage to the port. Cagayan was also attacked. A flight of Port Morseby B-17s bombed the Rabaul air base. I think I may order them to stand down for a while. Port Morseby's facilities could use some more work and it doesn't seem to be worth the effort to bomb an empty base. Chinese bombers attacked the IJA outside of Wuhan as well as at Haiphong. Japanese bombers also bombed Haiphong. Most of the bombers that had been attacking enemy shipping around Malaya stood down. The pace of operations had worn them down and they have done enough damage already that it is not worth it to throw them against Zeroes. Sumatran Vildebeests continued to fly and made several attacks but weren't able to score any hits. The Martins on eastern Borneo continued to fly, attacking some minesweepers at the northwest entrance to the Sulu Sea. Despite being intercepted by a few Zeroes, they managed to hit one of the small ships. The enemy carriers continued to pound Convoy 1169 and we lost another four freighers. We also have a spotting report of the Akagi at the south end of the Malacca Strait and I suspect that at least one is still somewhere around northeast Borneo or the Sulu Sea (see report above). Planes from the TF1152 (the Lexington, Saratoga and Hornet) bombed Apamama, but it wasn't a full strike and there was little to damage. The only ground fighting was more skirmishes outside Rangoon. The Chinese forces at Haiphong are consolidating their positions and the Japanese forces appear to be doing likewise. The pursuits of other Japanese forces in China continued. We've spotted enemy ships in the Celebes Sea. They appear to be transports heading for Mindanao. As a result the 13th Aussie Brigade is going to have to go in now. The P-35s and few P-40s that were rebuilding at Darwin are likewise going to have to fly in before they are fully ready to try to cover them. In better news, Operation Baker's Dozen is proceeding. All the secondary ground units and the air squadrons are being transported to Baker Island. From there they can be moved in quickly to consolidate our hold on Tarawa. The 2nd Marine and 27th Divisions will load and go in from Pearl once that is done. More reports to follow.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/14/2004 4:16:18 AM)
04 Mar 42 Rangoon launched another nighttime attack on Tavoy. We have lost the S-23. She was attacked by a pair of subchasers north of Rabaul and was depth charged. She survived long enough to get off a radio report. The O16 spotted a transport in the Malacca Strait. Japanese aircraft attacked Yenen, which provided another training opportunity for the Chinese 27th Fighter. Only three of Sonias made it thru the gauntlet. Rangoon and Tavoy traded raids on each other. AVG pilots took out all four defending Zeroes before making low level bomb and strafing runs on the Japanese base. The enemy's attack lead to a large, scattered dogfight over the beseiged city. Several of the night flying Blenheims were caught and destroyed on the ground when the bombers finally got thru. Allied bombers continued their campaign against Singapore, destroying several enemy planes. There was another raid on Cagayan. Over twenty Sally bombers attacked escorted by more than a dozen Nate fighters. Light damage was reported at the airfield. The Chinese continued to bomb Japanese forces outside Haiphong. Hurricanes also attacked outside Rangoon. Japanese Bettys also bombed Haiphong, despite being intercepted by some of the Hanoi based I-16c fighters. Singkawang based Swordfish found and attacked a pair of enemy oilers to the north. It appears that they are heading for the Java Sea and almost certainly the Japanese carriers. They managed to hit one of them with a torpedo. None of the few other anti-shipping strikes launched today were successful. The carrier-based Devastators attacked Apamama again, confirming that there really isn't anything there to bomb. Australian minesweepers were fired upon by a Japanese sub. They managed to avoid the torpedoes but were not able to find the enemy I-boat. The IJN carriers are quiet, but another freighter of Convoy 1169 succombs to damage and sinks. It appears that the carrier group is heading east. Dutch patrols place it just south of Bali. We have lost track of the enemy ships spotted the day before in the Celebes Sea. Japanese troops launched another desparate attack on Haiphong. The Chinese inflict heavy losses on the enemy's charge. The Commonwealth forces appear to be doing well in the fighting outside Rangoon, causing heavier losses among the enemy than their receive. More reports to follow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 05 Mar 42 The O16 and the KXVI both had to avoid ASW patrols in the Malacca Strait, but otherwise there was no submarine activity to report. Blenheims continued night raids on Tavoy. The AVG followed up during the day. The thirty P-40s flew under the few defending Zeroes without incident but lost two planes to enemy AAA fire during their strafing runs. It appears the next wave of enemy assaults have begun. Japanese troops began unloading at Bankha. The only garrison there is a severely understrength Dutch Air Force engineer unit, so it won't take much for them to capture it. We'll fly out the Vildebeests based here, though we are running out of places to base aircraft close enough to the enemy to do any good. But with sea evacuation not possible and no overland route out I don't see any way to save the engineers. Enemy troops are also disembarking at the undefended Guiuan base on Samar in the Philippines. Singapore was bombed again. The toll on enemy aircraft seems to be slowly dropping, for any of a number of reasons that we don't know of. Three dozen B-17s hit the port and airfield at Rabaul. They also caught some shipping and a troop transport was hit by one bomb dropped on the port. The Japanese continued to bomb Sinkep, launching two air raids during the day. The raid on Davao was opposed by the recently re-arrived P-35s and P-40s. They were quickly able to get by the three escorting Zeroes to attack the thirty bombers. Several Lilys were shot down and more aborted their attack on the airfield. Another raid struck Cagayan's airbase. Both Chinese and Japanese bombers attacked each other's troops at Haiphong. I believe the Chinese are going to move their fighters from Hanoi to Haiphong to provide better protection. It doesn't hurt that Haiphong has a potentially better airfield too. Hurricanes continued attacking Japanese forces near Rangoon. Dutch Martins attacked a tanker in the northern Celebes Sea. Which makes no sense, what is a Nip tanker doing there? Another of Convoy 1169's freighters sank today. I believe that makes 17 out of the 22 ships lost. The carrier group that destroyed them is still steaming slowly east and is currently east of Lombok Island. Sub Command is setting up a gauntlet of submarines in the Makassar Strait should they try to return via that route, but can't cover the northern option in the Java Sea as well. Speaking of which, a second enemy carrier group savaged an ASW group patrolling between Borneo and Belitung. One destroyer was sunk and two more heavily damaged by planes apparently launched from just over the horizon. The two tankers that were at Brunei some time back finished loading oil and have been making their way around Borneo for the last few days. Unfortunately they were spotted in the Sulu Sea and attacked by a flight of Bettys. One was hit by a pair of torpedoes. Before abandoning Bankha, the Vildebeests launched one final day of attacks. They hit a freighter in the Malacca Strait, likely to be the last enemy shipping to be hit in what was once "Dead Jap Strait". Martins based on Borneo and southern Sumatra don't have the range to reach into the Strait itself, just the South China Sea and Singapore. Enemy forces outside Rangoon launched another attack today. They were once again stopped with heavy losses by the Commonwealth troops. The VM division that had been cut off between Luang Prabang and Hanoi managed to make its way past Luang Prabang. When pursueing Chinese forces caught up with it, they were met with an attack that drove them back despite light casualties. The Chinese cavalry once again were unable to pin down the remains of the Pakhoi garrison, this time east of Kweiyang. It appears that the survivors will make it back to enemy lines despite everything. More reports to follow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 06 Mar 42 Another of Convoy 1169's freighters sank. Intelligence is also confirming some scattered sinkings of enemy shipping in the SCS and northern Philippine Sea. US destroyers found another I-boat east of Australia. They made DC runs and report substantial oil and debris. If it wasn't sunk outright, the sub will likely not make it to an enemy port. The O16 attacked a transport in the Malacca Strait. Even though her torpedoes missed she was able to score multiple hits with her 88mm and 40mm deck guns. The Sealion fired on a destroyer outside Camranh Bay but her torpedoes failed to detonate. She managed to escape the resulting depth charge attack by the two DDs. The Nautilus was forced to evade an ASW group near Kwajalein. Our suppression of Tavoy continues. Blenheims during the night and AVG P-40s during the day hit the airfield. The continued light enemy CAP and lack of attacks on Rangoon is causing me to seriously consider having the British send their battleships in to bombard the base again or try to resupply/reinforce Rangoon by sea. Or possibly both. I will have to review what is available in the region and think about this. An enemy cruiser force caught us by surprise at Shortlands. They sank a small freighter unloading supplies for the base and caused some damage to the port with their bombardment. This may be a first move in a planned invasion of the island. We continued to bomb Singapore. But once again we were not able to catch very many enemy planes on the ground. The Port Moresby B-17s did better, bombing Rabaul again. This time it was a gunboat that caught an errant bomb instead of a transport. I'm not complaining either way. Both sides held off on their aerial attacks against Haiphong today, although the Chinese bombed troops outside Wuhan. More Hurricane strikes outside Rangoon. Changsha was bombed by a small group of Sonias and Tojos. The troop convoy carrying the Australian 13th Brigade reached Davao and began unloading. The enemy responded with a number of air attacks. The first went after the airfield with twenty-five bombers and three Zeroes. After that the enemy went after the transports. The second attack was two dozen Bettys, again with three Zeroes as escort. The defending fighters lost a couple of P-35s before making passes thru the bomber formation, but weren't able to down any of them. Next came half-a-dozen Bettys alone. The fighters claimed half of them and most of the rest were hit by flak. Then some fifteen Bettys with a ten Zero escort. We lost a few more P-35s to them. Somehow thru all of that not a single ship was hit and more than half the brigade managed to disembark. If our luck here can just hold for one more day. The Nips also bombed Cagayan, although that attack was no more than 10 planes altogether. A Jap carrier near the northwest corner of Borneo launched a strike against Singkawang, doing some damage to the airfield. In retaliation, Swordfish put another torpedo into the oiler they hit a few days ago. Operation Baker's Dozen is proceeding somewhat ahead of schedule. Additional shipping was found to be available and the 2nd Marine and 27th divisions are finishing loading supplies in Pearl right now. The secondary units are approaching Baker where they will wait aboard ship for a few days. We have also expanded the operation with a late addition. The convoy carrying the 102nd RCT stopped off at Espiritu Santo. They are now tasked with taking Nauru, either as a diversion or, if operations go well, to permanently hold. TF1075, the Maryland/Colorado battlegroup, arrived at Tarawa. The Japs launched a strike of two flights of Bettys against them but were intercepted by Wildcats from the carriers. Between the fighters and the ships' own heavy AAA fire, only one or two of the bombers made it back to base and only one even got to drop its torpedo, which missed. The task force bombarded the island, doing significant damage and we believe casualties. They will remain as long as possible shelling the island while one of the carrier groups moves into position to try to intercept any further air attacks. Dauntless divebombers attacked Makin, causing some damage to the port there. Meanwhile, the Enterprise and Yorktown in TF1006 launched Devastators against Apamama. More Japanese troops were spotted unloading at Ormoc, another undefended base in the Philippines south of Luzon. Enemy forces moved into Guiuan. The enemy broke off their attack outside Rangoon, going back to patrols and artillery fire. The first elements of the enemy's forces reached the outskirts of Bankha, probing the defenses aggressively but nothing more. More reports to follow.

dtravel -> RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) (9/15/2004 9:30:48 AM)
07 Mar 42 Blenheims continued to bomb Tavoy in the night. A unit of Dutch Torpedo Motor Boats managed to intercept the Japanese carrier group northeast of Bali. They got to within 1,000 yards without being spotted. Unfortunately they were not able to hit with their torpedoes, although I am told that one boat strafed one of the carriers with its machineguns. They managed to get out almost unscathed with only one suffering minor damage from an escort's secondary weapons. The Japs continue to send Nates and Sonias against Yenen, losing half the bombers to the Chinese pilots. Allied bombers continued to hit Singapore and the Japs continued to bomb Sinkep. Personally, I think that is a losing exchange for the enemy but he's willing to continue to cooperate I'm not going to argue. B-17s bombed Rabaul again. The coastwatchers report that three Japanese cruisers were hit by bombs dropped on the port, starting a fire on one of them. Chinese bombers attacked enemy troops outside Wuhan again. The Chinese bombers just relocated to Haiphong launched an attack against Hainan Island, bombing the garrison at the west end of the island. Bombing the Japanese just outside Haiphong was left to the long range IL-4cs based at Chungking. Borneo based Martins hit a destroyer in the South China Sea. They also attacked but missed a tanker in the Celebes Sea. The Swordfish of 4 AACU put several more torpedoes into the oiler damaged in earlier raids. For some reason, two destroyers that were on ASW patrol in the northern Banda Sea deceided to head north towards the enemy carriers. We'll never know why they did this as both ships were quickly sunk by the massive attack launched against them when they passed only some 50 miles from the enemy. Our luck held in the Philippines. Davao was socked in by bad weather most of the day and no enemy attacks were made there. The 13th Brigade has disembarked and they are now unloading additional supplies brought along. I just wish we had a real fighter unit to send there. Cagayan was not protected by the weather and the port was hit by enemy divebombers. TF1075 spent the night and day bombarding Tarawa under the cover of TF1152's Wildcats. The pilots of both carrier groups used Apamama as a live fire training range. Each task force launched a strike against the enemy garrison there. Japanese troops occupied Ormoc. The forces driven out of Haiphong launched an attack against the Chinese, losing large numbers to no effect. The fighting near Rangoon continues to be limited. The advance elements of the Jap forces at Bankha tried a stronger probe against the base but were turned back by the Dutch engineers. The British are launching their battleships against Tavoy again. They have also diverted one of the freighters headed for Diamond Harbor with supplies to Rangoon. A squadron of Dakotas has been flying in what they can from Imphal, but its not enough to meet the demands of the entire garrison. While they still have a large stockpile from the last convoy in, adding to it would be nice. More reports to follow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 08 Mar 42 Sub operations picked up again. The Pike was spotted by an enemy ASW group outside Camranh Bay but escaped. The S-28 torpedoed and shelled a freighter offshore of Honshu. To the east the Grampus torpedoed another freighter before evading the escorts. One of the destroyer groups working east of Australia is reporting two enemy subs sunk. One is confirmed and the other is a "probable" kill. Blenheims continued night attacks on Tavoy. The Chinese Air Combat School at Yenen had more target practice today. Most of the Nates ran away but about half the Sonias were shot down. (Four out of the five Allied pilots credited with 10 or more kills are flying in the 11th CFS at Yenen.) The AVG returned to Tavoy in strength with almost forty planes. They lost one plane to the four defending Zeroes before shooting up the airfield. Singapore was bombed again. Hudson and Blenheim bombers targeted the airfield again. The enemy finally deceided to defend Rabaul. The twenty-six B-17s had to fight their way thru about thirty Zeroes. Two of the Flying Forts were lost and many others damaged. But many of the Zero pilots broke off in the face of the bombers fire. More damage was scored on the port and supply dumps as well as a cruiser identified as the Mogami being hit by a pair of bombs. Some forty bombers and forty fighters attacked Cagayan, doing substantial damage to the airfield. The Hurricanes continued to blast away at the enemy forces near Rangoon. Apamama was used for more target practice by the carriers. A flight of Martins attacked a damaged destroyer in the SCS but were not able to hit. Commonwealth forces continue to get the upper hand in the low level fighting outside Rangoon. Chinese cavalry continue to harry and chase the Japanese force from Pakhoi all over China. The Dutch engineers continue to hold off the attacks of the so far small Nip landing force at Bankha. More reports to follow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 09 Mar 42 The few survivors of Convoy 1169 have finally made it Darwin and Derby. The Dutch freighter Tjisaroea only just made into port at Derby with only a couple of feet of freeboard. The harbor crews are trying to save her while the cargo wranglers try to save what they can of her cargo. Tavoy did not have a good night. First came an attack by night Blenheims. Then came the Royal Navy. First they caught two transports by surprise and quickly sank both. Then they bombarded the base inflicting heavy casualties. The in the morning the AVG pilots came in again to strafe the airstrip. The American battleships bombarded Tarawa one last time, then pulled back towards Baker to reload. Outside Butuan the S-39 torpedoed a freighter. The KXIII fired on one of the destroyers escorting the enemy carriers in the Java Strait but missed and had to evade the counter attack. US destroyers east of Australia were fired on by an enemy sub but couldn't find it afterwards. The Chinese 27th Fighter continued to get live ammo training. More Nates and Sonias littered the countryside around Yenen. We continued to bomb Singapore. Rangoon's Hurricanes continued their assaults on Japanese troops. However more enemy forces are moving north towards the Rangoon. The Chinese continued their bombing of enemy troops at Haiphong. Cagayan continued to come under heavy air attack, with two raids launched against it. The enemy also put together a strike against the Royal Navy task force withdrawing from Tavoy. Some twenty Betty and Sally bombers made runs. AAA fire damaged many of them and none of the British ships were hit. Ten Sonias bombed a freighter unloading supplies at Kuala, scoring multiple hits. The enemy is apparently not happy about the defense of Bankha as they launched two raids against the Dutch there. We had another of those strange carrier attacks. One Val escorted by over twenty Zeroes attacked a freighter loading at Toboali. The enemy carriers are still moving north thru the Java Strait but are going very slowly. Perhaps that oiler the Swordfish hit earlier was more critical than we realized. There was more bombing of Apamama. I'm not sure what it is that RADM Spruance believes is such a worthwhile target there. Enemy troops began unloading at Butuan. It looks like we got the Australians to Mindanao just in time. The 101st Philippine Division is still holding Butuan and will try to hold the base. There was more light fighting outside Rangoon. And the enemy troops at Bankha began to gain some ground against the Dutch. The Australians commissioned another squadron of Beaufort V-IX bombers and are moving it towards NE Australia and New Guinea. More reports to follow.

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