1 Month of War

1 Month of War (Full Version)

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John 3rd -> 1 Month of War (9/26/2005 6:08:09 PM)
The First month of the war is in the books! Here are some of the statistics: Japanese Ships Sunk: 26 Total for 191 Victory Points Breakdown--2 DD, 3SS, 2 PG, 1 ML, 2 TK, 8 AP, and 8 AK. Allied Ships Sunk: 88 Total for 900 Victory Points Breakdown--1 BB--Arizona, 6 CL, 14 DD, 3 SS, 3 PG, 2 AS, 10 MSW, 7 PT, 42 AP/AK The sinkings have been good. I don't have enough warships sunk for my tastes yet but I will bring him to battle sooner or later. Aircraft Points Lost: 701 for the Allies and 463 for the Japanese The only mistake I have made is that raid on Pearl (inadvertant) that cost me 40 plane. Score Allies 6927 vs. Japanese 4602 Industry Numbers Naval Ship Building 1217 (3) Merchant Ship Building 992 (4) Shipyard Repair 745 Aircraft Assembly 656 + (55-Rd) Things are looking pretty good. I have grabbed more of the Philippines then I expected. Since Wolfpack has retreated back into Clark and Manila, I will happily take this. Singapore looks good. I should have it within 2 weeks. That will be a month ahead of what the Japanese actually accomplished. The DEI is in good shape as well. I have Borneo, most of the Celebes, and am heading into Timor and Java. Will be landing in Java within the week. SE Pac I will have PM within a week. At that point I will make a quick grab for Noumea by landing at La Foa with 1 1/2 Divisions. I don't know if that will be enough to take it, but I should be able to get Koumac and La Foa within TOO much difficulty. Have Lunga and am building it up. The Pac Will be grabbing Canton Island this week. North Pac Have taken Kiska and am building it up. Will lunge for DH and Anchorage by Feb 15th. That is the situation! I will do this evey month, on-the-month, from here on out. Any thoughts???

John 3rd -> Carrier Action (9/26/2005 6:54:29 PM)
January 8, 1942 A CARRIER CLASH EAST OF PEARL HARBOR! No serious SS activity--VECTOR 7 SS to intercept crippled CV. Air Action Changsha Raids: 66Ftrs, 43Bbrs, and 52DB cause 44 Cas A small raid of 9 B-17s hit Rangoon Singapore Attacks: 21Ftrs and 64 Bbrs caus 89 Cas Ground Action Occupy Apamana Capture Russell Islands, Sol, and Zamboanga, Phil Singapore Attack: Troops crossover the Johore and cause an attack to occur--788 Jap for 483 UK. 1 Hex North of Rangoon Deliberate Attack--503 Jap for 152 Brit Changsha Bombardment causes 299 Casualties Naval Action Bombard Macassar inflicting 67 Cas Carrier Fight! CarDiv 5 (Shokaku and Zuikaku) were headed for Kwajelein when Wolfpack sorties out of PH. In a HUGE surprise, 2 US CV (Enterprise and Lexington) cover what looks to be all the damaged BB leaving PH and headed for West Coast. Nagumo reacts and the two CV throw 3 extreme range (5 Hexes--DAMMIT No TT!!) raids against this force. Raid 1--6Z, 20V, and 22K Raid 2--7Z, 16V, and 24K Raid 3(Afternoon)--10Z and 5V Results: CV Enterprise 2 Bombs ON FIRE! CV Lexington 8 Bombs Serious Damage (probably in sinking condition) 2 CAs hit by 1 Bomb each. Air-to-Air 54 Wildcats--27-3 and 27-4 [X(] rise up to meet them! My Sea Eagles shoot down 15 Wildcats... I had my CAP set on 70% and make Bombers get creamed making their runs! I lose 8Z, 23V, and 16K...[8\|][8\|] OWWWW! The BEST news here is that Lexington is crippled and I have a shot at Enterprise. I think it is worth the risk and order Nagumo to continue the fight. The 2CV still have 80 effective planes (40Z, 15V, and 25K). If I can sink two CVs in exchange for crippling two ari groups, I will TAKE IT! Even just getting Lex and damaging Ent is not a bad deal... He did not launch a single strike! I wager he didn't think I was there and his bombers are set for Search/ASW. With Enterprise damaged, he will high-tail it back to PH. If my CVs don't finish off Lexington, I am pretty certain my subs will!

WiTP_Dude -> RE: 1 Month of War (9/26/2005 6:55:26 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: John 3rd That is the situation! I will do this evey month, on-the-month, from here on out. Any thoughts??? You seem to be spreading yourself too thin. How does taking Alaska fit into your overall strategic plan for the war?

John 3rd -> RE: John III vs. Wolfpack: The Japanese Version (9/26/2005 6:58:05 PM)
I agree with your thought WITP_Dude but I also want the slower group to have some firepower. Placing Akagi and Kaga there adds a REAL punch. Figuring my CV Battle east of PH finishes decently, I will bring Sho/Zui home to refit their air groups. They can get experience while things are still relatively easy at the start of the war. Shoho is finished and headed down to join KB2. I may divert her to join KB1 until Sho/Zui are back up to speed. We'll see...

John III -> The Hawaiian Carrier Battle--"Scratch TWO Flattops!" (9/27/2005 7:43:08 PM)
January 9-10, 1942 "Scratch TWO Flattops!" The action continues with the Hawaiian Carrier Battle. I have decided, due to far-reaching implications to cover the naval battle seperately in this entry. January 8, 1942 Day 1 We left off after the first day's battle with CarDiv5--Shokaku and Zuikaku having engaged the American Lexington and Saratoga. While taking EXTREME air group losses, the Japanese Sea Eagles had managed to hit Enterprise twice and Lexington 8 times with bombs. I wrote Wolfpack why his CVs didn't counterattack and he told me they were set to '0' react. I hit from a range of 5. There you have it! I'm glad Nagumo hit from long range because the image of 60+ SBDs diving onto my 2CV, 1BB, and 5DD was arather frightening. Risking it all, I sent the TF closer to Hawaii to get another shot at the CV's. My air groups were down to a combined 80 planes (40Z, 15V, 25K). I also vector in 7 SS to try and raise havoc. January 9, 1942 Day 2 No SS action Morning CarDiv5 launch two strikes of 5Z, 17V, and 8K followed by 8Z and 17K. These strikes all attack Enterprise. Enterprise puts up 15 F4F. Once the attacks are over, my Sea Eagles leave the Enterprise in shambles! They plant 2 more Bombs and 2 TT on her. They shot down another 2 F4F. For this, my planes lose 1Z, 5V, and 10K. Enterprise counters with one strike. 2 F4f and 24 SBDs come over CarDiv5. I have 17Z to counter them and my planes do WELL! The Zeroes shot down 1 F4F and 10 SBD while all the rest are damaged by Flak and guns. Though valiant, the American pilots manage only to hit BB Haruna (I think itas Haruna--might be Kongo) twice for no real damage... I was having kittens as those SBDs nosed over... Afternoon CarDiv5 launches all that is available--11Z, 6V, and 5K attack the crippled Lexington. At a cost of only 1K, they hit Lex with 2 more bombs and 2 TT! Neither CV sinks during the end of the round and I am forced to contemplate continuing the attack. The answer MUST be YES! Janaury 10, 1942 Day 3 My SS get into the action: I-4 attacks CA Chester and puts a TT into her. For this, she is sunk. Operating against the same TF, I-5 puts 3 TT into DD Phelps and blows her out of the water! Morning I panic when my CVs don't fly a strike! My poor air groups have, understandably, poor morale. Afternoon CarDiv5 launches everything it has repaired at Enterprise--10Z, 15V, and 2K. These survivors SINK the USS Enterprise (and her Captain) after the third Bomb hits! Lose no planes--THANK GOD! Evening The USS Lexington SINKS as she slips beneath the waves taking Captain Miles Browning with her. Summation: Though I have two gutted Air Groups, this 'incredible victory' shall make the Pacific War SO much easier for the next six months. Only CV Saratoga remains to contest me in the immediate picture. HOT DAMN! I send CarDiv5 northwards to rendezvous with the tanker train and then head for Japan to refit their air groups. How about that! BANZAI! BANZAI!! BANZAI!!!

ADavidB -> RE: The Hawaiian Carrier Battle--"Scratch TWO Flattops!" (9/27/2005 7:57:31 PM)
quote: Summation: Though I have two gutted Air Groups, this 'incredible victory' shall make the Pacific War SO much easier for the next six months. Only CV Saratoga remains to contest me in the immediate picture. HOT DAMN! I send CarDiv5 northwards to rendezvous with the tanker train and then head for Japan to refit their air grou You had better hope that the "Sara" isn't steaming in from the north at this point...[;)] Anyway, gutsy play and good shooting! Congratulations - Dave Baranyi

John III -> RE: The Hawaiian Carrier Battle--"Scratch TWO Flattops!" (9/27/2005 11:45:45 PM)
Thanks Dave! I REALLY debated on pulling out and being content with hitting both CVs. Having them in port for repair for a couple months sounded Ok but I HAD to take the risk and try to finish them off! I play the Japanese, at the start, highly aggressively because if I am to do better, then I need to take those extra risks. Dangerous but worth it. Now I just have to get away. I have plenty of Zeroes there--38 of 48 possible so that is OK. I raised my CAP to 80% and am headed away!

WiTP_Dude -> RE: The Hawaiian Carrier Battle--"Scratch TWO Flattops!" (9/28/2005 5:46:23 AM)
This result should open things up for you. The Saratoga alone isn't much to prevent you from moving where you want.

John 3rd -> RE: The Hawaiian Carrier Battle--"Scratch TWO Flattops!" (9/28/2005 8:52:49 PM)
I have successfully pulled CarDiv5 out of the theatre and they are headed west. My final aur group numbers for those two Cvs are 38 of 48 Z, 18 of 48 V, and 23 of 48 K. These numbers are sad but NOT terrible. I can rebuild the bomber groups and I am VERY happy about having most of my fighter pilots still around. I should only have Saratoga to deal with for about a month. I know that Yorktown and Hornet will come in over the next couple of months. During that time, I will try to run the table... Later today I will post the last four days of action (outside of the CV battle).

John 3rd -> In other news... (10/3/2005 8:06:08 PM)
January 9, 1942 Subs SS Saury hit by LBA Air Normal Changsha Raids doing 39 Cas Singapore Raids doing 114 Cas Ground Landing at Canton Island Landing at Port Moresby Changsha Bombardment--181 Cas Singapore Bombardment--250 Cas Naval Carrier battle east of Hawaii. January 10, 1942 Subs I-4 and I-5 attack American TF approaching PH: sink DD Phelps with 3TT and damage CA Chester with 1TT. Lose I-4 to 2DC. Air Raid Changsha for 56 Cas Raid Singapore for 299 Cas Ground Landing at Canton Isle, Tulagi, Sol, take Babo, Phil, and landing at PM, NG Bombard at Changsha for 195 Cas Bombard at Singapore for 122 Cas Good combined day at Singapore! Attack at Canton and get 1-1 result--could be a problem and might have to reinforce attack. In the Philippines my one Inf Div and Inf Brigade successfully cross the river to enter Clark AF hex. Naval Operations Carrier Battle results in victory with Lexington and Enterprise sinking! [:D] An AP of his hit near Java sinks while nearing Perth, Aust. January 11, 1942 Subs SS Pickeral sinks a MSW west of Singapore and takes 1DC for the effort. Air Resting most planes this day. Am upgrading my Kuantan bombers from Lily to Helen to get better bombload. Ground War BUSY DAY! Bomb Changsha for 247 Cas Bomb Singapore for 243 Cas Take Tulagi, Sol Take Port Moresby, NG! [8D] First attack takes it. Two Brigades and 1BF retreating towards Buna, NG Attack at Samarinda, Born and reduce Forts to 1 Shock attack fails to take Canton Island. Will send another small Inf Unit. Naval News All that is left about CarDiv 5 (retreating towards fueling TKs in the north) hits two US DD and sinks DD Patterson! Lose 1V out of a strike of 10Z, 15V, and 14K. First Naval Bombardment of Batavia yields: 9 planes and 180 Cas.

John 3rd -> RE: 1 Month of War (10/3/2005 8:13:51 PM)
January 12, 1942 Subs SS Seawolf damaged by ASW Group with 1DC SS KV1 hits DD Ayanami with 1TT--she will make it Saigon and then go home for repair. Air Fighter Battle over Rangoon--he has been hitting the town with the AVG and a few bombers. I move 3 complete Daitai of Zeroes to Rangoon and surprise him: 42Z vs. 55 P-40 and 10 B-17. He losses 18 Tigers [8D] and I lose 10Z. Much damage to other planes on his side. Bombers still upgrading and resting. Ground Land at Merak, Java and take the base! I have 'bounced the Rhine!' No matter what he does, I will be in Java and keep him off-balance. Attack and Samarinda, Born and get a 1-1. Naval PT fight at Batavia--2PT sunk! PT fight at Lingayen, Phil--2 MSW and 2 AK damaged. 1AK sinks! I hate PTs! Bomb Samarinda, Born for 69 Cas

John 3rd -> RE: 1 Month of War (10/3/2005 10:19:25 PM)
January 13, 1942 No sub activity Air Raid Changsha AF and cause considerable damage. Ground Land at Noemfoor, NG. Bombard Singapore for 200 Cas Bombard Changsha for 104 Cas Shock Attack SW of Tarakan for no real result. Naval Activity Start clearing mines from Rangoon's harbor. PT Battle at Teloekbetoeng, Sum Sink 1 Dutch PT for 1 MSW Yama/Fuso Group Bombards Samarinda for 205 Cas Janaury 14, 1942 Subs S-36 hit by 3DC near Taytay, Phil Ro-66 sinks AP Manunda east of Brisbane Air Continue small strikes everyday against Manila (Harbor Attack) and Clark (Ground) Raid Changsha, lose 3 Nates, and do 32 Cas Ground Capture Samarinda, Born and Noemfoor, NG Start landings at Koepang, TI and Buna, NG Bombard Sing: 109 Cas Bombard Changsha: 152 Cas Naval Action CarDiv2 goes fishing near Canton and sinks MSW Kingfisher--18Z, 17V, and 21K plaster the poor ship for no losses. Will move them westwards towards New Caledonia. Once near there, they will head for Tulagi to refuel and rendzvous with the new Shoho to cover La Foa, New Caledonia invasion. January 15, 1942 Subs SS Stingray attacks AP on the surface hitting with 2 Gunshots and 1TT. O24 scores 1TT against an AK Air 59 Betty hit Kupang supporting attack and do 200 Cas Ground Deliberate attack at Singapore! Fort 6 0-1 result 2,600 Jap vs 1,700 UK Cas Deliberate attack at Changsha! Fort 6 0-1 result 8,500 Jap vs. 2,900 Chin [&:] Frustrating! Capture Butuan, Buna, NG, and Kupang, TI. Grabbing Kupang immediatelt helps to seal the fate of Darwin. I begin planning the invasion of that city... Naval Activity Naval Bomb of Kupang by Hyuga/Ise Group causes 662 Cas KB2 Akagi/Kaga+others are moving along the south coast of Java looking for trouble. Naval Bombard at Derby, Aust causes hits to PG Warrego

John 3rd -> RE: 1 Month of War (10/4/2005 12:59:53 AM)
January 16, 1941 Subs K XVIII hits a MSW with 1TT and sinks it Air Raid Changsha and get bounced by 27 P-40 Flying Tigers! They hit a raid of 61 Fighters (Nates and Oscars), 53B, and 47DB: a crazy aerial brawl occurs and 5 P-40s fall with 16 Damaged. I lose 12F, 2B, and 3DB. Not bad considering what I was up against! Move two Daitai of Zeros to try to add to the shot down total... Ground Land at Pinrang, Cel Changsha Bomb: 54 Cas Sing Bombard: 51 Cas Convoy departs PM with 1 1/2 Inf Div and an Engineering Regiment headed for La Foa, New Caledonia. They will split the island in half and then tackle Koumac and or Noumea. It will depend on resisitance. Transfer the 1st Mixed Inf Brigade from Kwantung to Northern Area Forces. This Brigade has been prepping for Dutch Harbor. January 17, 1942 Subs KXI hits CA Atago with a TT. DAMMIT! Air With Zeros flying CAP, I hit Changsha twice and am not met by P-40s. The raids cause 120 Cas. Singapore: I return to bombing Singapore with a vengeance! 99 Betty/Nell plus 96 Army Bombers hit the base, AF, and troops for nearly 500 Casualties! Ground Take Biak, NG and Pontianiak, Born January 18, 1942 No SS activity. Air The heavy raids continue on Singapore: 986 Cas are caused by nearly 150 Bombers. 2 PGs of mine are damaged by a bombing attack from my opponent. Changsha planes resting. Ground Deliberate Attack at Changsha get 0-1 and casualties are 8,900 to 3529...NEVER going to take this place. CHINA--Appears Wolfpack is going to try to take pressure off of Changsha by making a move up north. I spot troops moving down from Yenen heading for that crossroads. We'll see... Naval Bombard Batavia for the first time and inflict 621 Cas and destroy a plane. DD Kamo hits a mine while doing this and limps back towards Palembang.

John 3rd -> RE: 1 Month of War (10/4/2005 8:07:58 PM)
January 19, 1942 No sub activity. Air Activity Raid Changsha for 39 Cas Ground Land at Jambi, Sum Take Pagan Bomb Singapore: 154 Cas Naval Action Bombard Darwin: 235 Cas and have 2DD damaged by shore batteries. SIMPLE TURN! January 20, 1942 No Sub Activity Air Changsha Raid: 23 Cas ABDA Strike at Merak forces: 13F and 3B vs. 12Z--shoot down 2 Ftrs and damage a bunch of other. Have a PC nailed by 3 Bombs and it sinks. Ground Con't Landing at Jambi, Sum Bomb Changsha for 186 Cas Bomb Singapore for 76 Cas Naval No major developments. CarDiv2 Hiryu/Soryu now heading for Tulagi for fuel and to rendezvous with CVL Shoho. Gathering large invasion force at Kupang so I can take NW Australia. We will, appropriately, start with Darwin. January 21, 1942 No major sub activity. It does appear that he has pulled his subs out of the DEI. I number were attacked as they headed for India. Air Raid Chagnsha for 119 Cas Small raid on Singapore does 11 cas ABDA Strike at Merak, Java 15F & 9B vs. 6Z I shoot down 3Ftrs but he damages 2AK and an PG. Got to buff up the CAP there! Ground 2nd Wave of troops hit Canton, Island and TAKE it! Capture Miri, Born--729 POW Capture Jambi, Sum and Pinring, Sula Khota Bharu I finally have a Brigade, an Eng Reg, and several smaller construction units there. He has 2 Brigades and 2 BF in hex. Bombard for 17 Cas. Paratroopers from the 1st Regiment descend upon Banjarmain, Born to add to attack there. Do not take hex but do reduce Forts to 'O' CHINA UPDATE: The stalled offensive in Changsha grinds on. Bombard does 119 Cas. He is launching a counter-offensive! 7 Chinese Corps spotted at the crossroads in hex 50, 31--they push my lone Brigade out of the hex. Should I be concerned??? Hmmmm.... Naval Activity Lose an AP and AK due to earlier damage. January 22, 1942 No SS activity. Air Raid Changsha and destroy 2 P-40 as well as inflict 24 Cas ABDA Strike at Merak, Java: 12F & 4B vs. 10Z--lose 1Z for 3F an AK takes a bomb. Ground Bomb Changsha for 167 Cas Bomb Sing for 120 Cas Bomb Khota for 5 Cas More of the 1st Para Reg land at Banjarmasin, Born and help to CAPTURE it! Capture Sarmi, NG My troops are approaching Rangoon! Shock Attack at 32, 30 at 0-1--lite Cas/Allied Counter Attack 20 Jap for 132 Brits. Successfully cross the river. Naval Activity CarDiv5 (Sho & Zui) victoriously return and disband at Kwajelein. They are tired and new to refit their air groups. We'll see how long that takes... END-OF-THE-MONTH REPORT coming!

Canoerebel -> Don't Forget Your Other Opponents (10/5/2005 5:56:28 AM)
Hey, quit overdosing on War in the Pacific and get back to regular turns in your Uncommon Valor game (or games). It's been well over a month....

John 3rd -> China Action Grows (10/5/2005 8:24:17 PM)
Things are beginning to heat up in China between Wolfpack and I. He is ending troops down from Yenen to tak epressure off of Changsha. I am having to respond to him with LBA and some troop movement. Additionally, I have taken some of my heavier bombers and am flying attacks against his resoource centers. Started that tactic today. Combat Report January 23, 1942 Subs SS Triton hit by LBA near Kwajelein I-171 hit by ASW Group east of Brisbane and is sunk SS S-36 sinks from earlier damage near the Phil Airpower China: Changsha 65F and 33B hit and do 12 Resource Damage points Changsha 3F, 14B, and 42DB cause 37 Cas Chungka 24Z and 25B hit and damage 6 resource points Hex 50,31 struck by 13B and 6 Cas are caused--I pull another Sally Daitai from Manchuria and send it here in support. Raid Sing with 32F and 71B for 123 Cas Ground Bomb Changsha for 92 Cas Bomb Singapore for 47 Cas Land at Hollandia, NG and Lautem, TI Naval DD Samidare sinks from damage sustained by Darwin's CD CarDiv2 (Hiryu and Soryu) are joined by Shoho, fuel, and head towards Brisbane, Ast CarDiv5 (Sho and Zui) replace all their lost pilots from action east of Pearl Harbor. Will let them sit for a few days and then send them south. PT Fight at Merak 2Dutch PTs are sunk for 2PG--HATE those PTs! I notice a lot of shipping near Brisbane so I am going to take swing at it! New Caledonia Invasion Force is about 2 days away and has not been spotted! Bombardment Group approaching to support. Should be interesting...

John 3rd -> Noumea Abandoned??!! (10/6/2005 7:52:39 PM)
We had two busy turns yesterday. I am going to cover them and then provide some thoughts... January 24, 1942 No major SS activity. He does have several clusters of SS near Rangoon and I will send a couple of ASW TF out to 'meet' them. Air China Changsha Raids: Two raids hit Changsha. The first hit resources and damaged 9 and the second went after troops causing 29 Cas Chungking: 24Z and 17B hit that city and are met by 17 I-16--My Zeroes EAT those fighters for lunch and get 9 of them plus 1 Res hit. Crossroads (50,31): 10F and 33B hit the troops there for 94 Cas Singapore is struck repeatedly by a total of 32F and 139B causing over 400 Cas. AA is TERRIBLE there though and I lose 18 planes! [:(] Ground Land at Lautem, TI Capture Hollandia, NG Bombard Changsha for 369 Cas Bombard Singapore for 150 Cas Naval A TK hits a mine entering Rangoon Harbor 2 Dutch PT sink from earlier action at Merak New Caledonia Invasion Force is one day away and has not been spotted. I have seen NO evidence of aerial activity at all from there. Will recon it tomorrow from Lunga... January 25, 1942 SS SS Triton makes a SURFACE attack on a TK near Kwajelein and puts 7 sheels and 1TT into the ship. It will make harbor. ASW Groups prowling near Rangoon for his SS. Air China: Changsha: 67F and 47B do 18 Resources damage. Chungking: 23Z and 7B do 1 Resource damage and shoot down 4 more fighters. Lose 1Z... Raid Singapore with 32F and 88B and do 200 Cas Ground Burma Capture Taung Gyi Make a Deliberate Attack on hex 32, 20 just west of Mandalay and get a 1-1: 371J vs 251Brit Cas Land at Makale, Sula, Aitape, NG, Medan, Sum, and continue landing at Lautem, TI Bombard Changsha and do 251 Cas Bombard Sing and do 170 Cas Naval Another Dutch PT sinks off of Merak, Java CarDiv5 (Sho and Zui) after three days rest are being sent on a milk run to Suva. Got to SAFELY train those new air crews! Luckily my Fighters are still in the 70s for skill but my DB and TB are in the 50s and even high-40s. Got to work on that or they will be dead meat. New Caledonia My invasion force will land tomorrow. NO sign of enemy activity! I have an escort force to protect the APs and a Bombardment Force headed towards Noumea (5CA and DDs). Hiryu/Soryu/Shoho are covering and making a raid on Brisbane. We shall see what happens. Darwin My forces are gathering at Kupang to lunge there. All forces should be ready within 3 days for that landing.

John 3rd -> RE: 1 Month of War (10/7/2005 8:07:21 PM)
January 26, 1942 No major SS activity. Air China: Raid Changsha and damage 15 Resource points Raid Changsha and cause 129 Cas Raid Chungking and damage 2 Resource points Launch a raid from Kuantan to support Medan, Sum invasion 38B do 92 Cas Wolfpack strikes back at me west of Rangoon with a sizable number of planes: 12F, 44 Hv Bomb, 5 Light Bombers--they do 165 Cas. Will have to assign some Zeroes to cover these guys as they head for Mandalay. I move to Lunga three Recon units to start sweeping that area. Order Zeroes at Palembang to sweep airfields in Java. Ground Capture Aitape, NG and Makale, Sula Land at Medan, Sum and La Foa, NC There are NO troops at La Foa! Bombard Sing for 227 Cas Bombard Changsha for 157 Cas Naval Lose a PG damaged in one of the PT fights in Java. Naval Bomb of Noumea causes 270 Cas and there is VERY light CD fight back at my ships... CarDiv2 appraoching Brisbane. May be able to strike there tomorrow. KB2 heading for Rangoon to refuel without having spotted ANY shipping from NW Australia to Rangoon. Well---I am ashore at La Foa and will have it tomorrow. No aerial opposition, no troops...rather STRANGE!

John 3rd -> We're on New Caledonia Soil! (10/10/2005 8:09:31 PM)
January 27, 1942 No major SS activity. Air Java--I institute Zero Sweeps in an effort to knock down his fighters. Over bandoeng I shoot down 8 Fighters for no losses. My lone Sally Squadron continues raiding Manila Port every day. This day, it sinks a PT boat. In several small air strikes, ABDA hits a ML and an AP. At Medan, Sum, my 79 bombers cause 114 casualties. At the China Crossroads, 12F and 45B inflict 85 Chinese Cas Ground Lots of stuff happening! My Phase Two plans are now FULLY underway. Land at Medan, Sum, Dagau, NG, and Pomala, Sula Capture LA FOA, NC!!!! No resistance! There is nothing in Koumac and I detach the South Seas Regiment to grab that. Send 2nd Division and an Eng Regiment to Noumea. My Recon states that there are only 1,000 troops in Noumea. Can he actually be willing to LET me take the place without a major battle??!! It is the last thing I expect... My George Patton Tank cammander tries to grab Mandaly, Burma by himself and gets SMACKED back across the river by 19,000 troops! While he might have gotten into Rangoon for free, not so for Mandalay. I debate about Mandalay because I do not have enough force to take it. All I have is a division, the Tank Reg, an Eng Regiment, and some minor road construction units. We'll see...it could be bad. Bombard Singapore for 150 Cas. Have more troops getting ready to cross over the Johore. That will cause some fighting. Bombard Chang for 71 Cas Naval Sink the last of the DAMNED Dutch PT boats! They hit one DD with a TT and I sink both of them. KB1 doesnt find anything in Brisbane. I pull it back towards La Foa for refueling. CarDiv5 is approaching Suva and will do some training strikes there. I have bunches of SS deploying SW of PH and all around the east coast of Australia. KB2 is headed to Rangoon for refueling and then will do 'Bay of Bengal' Tour! [:D] January 28, 1942 No SS activity. Air Bandoeng Sweep nets another 3 ABDA Fighters for no losses. I will add another Zero Squadron to sweep Soerbaja tomorrow. The British and Americans get into the aerial game near Mandalay and hit my troops with 2- and 4-Engine Bombers doing 85 Cas Hit Medan, Sum again and inflict 145 Cas Hit China Crossraods again and inflict 53 Cas I am upgrading all my DB to Lily's and my Lily's are upgrading to Helen's and Sally's. I want MORE bombweight! This pause will enable my China AF and Kuantan AF to rest and do more casualties. Ground Land at Andaman Island in IO! Will use it for Recon and then a bomber base. 2nd Wave hits at Lautem, TI Capture Medan, Sum, Dagau, NG, and Pomala, Sula. Bombard Singapore for 141 Cas Bombard Changsha for 116 Cas I am wiping out the troops who evacuated Tarakan, Balikpapan, and Samarinda. Each day sees an attack and more Dutch dying... Naval No major developments. I have two BB Forces moving to Bombard Darwin, Aust as my Invasion Convoy approaches.

John 3rd -> RE: 1 Month of War (10/10/2005 9:52:24 PM)
I have lost my notes for January 29-30, 1942! Will look for them and do this out-of-order. To provide a brief synopsis of events. My KB2 (Akagi, Kaga, Ryuho, Hosho) returned to Rangoon to refuel and reprovision and then head towards Ceylon on a Raid. A bombardment force was sent to Diamond Harbor, India to hit any shipping there. My Recon has picked up ships there. Continued normal attacks by Air and Land Bombardment in China and Singapore. KB1--Hiryu, Soryu, and Shoho head to La Foa, NC to refuel. CarDiv5 (Shokaku/Zuikaku) at operating near Suva. January 31, 1942 No major SS activity. Air 44B hit Yemen and cause 11 Resources to be damaged. I am initiating an all-out Bombardment of Chinese Resource Centers. Raid Chungking, CH with 22Z and 50B cause 26 Resource to be Damaged. Java Sweep Badoeng and shot down 4 ABDA Fighters Sweep Soerbaja and bag 3 Fighters Betty's from Rangoon (12 total) hit Diamond Harbor and hit 3 ML with TT---One Sinks! Notice just got served that I have bombers ranging from there. Ground Capture Maumere, Flores Capture MANDALAY, Burma!!! I do not understand why but he abandoned it! I'll take a gift... Landing at Darwin, Aust CD and mines damage 4 AP Lose 2100 Casualties with the landing. Spot 2 Inf Bat, 1 Brigade, and 6 BF there--I should have PLENTY of troops to take them. Bombard Changsha for 104 cas Singapore Attack (troops crossing the Johore) 614 Jap for 54 ABDA Land at Bankha, Sum and Wewak, NG Naval Action Kongo Bombardment Group hits Diamond Harbor and further damages 2 ML and 660 Cas Darwin Bombardment inflicts 525 Cas CarDiv5 hits Nandi for 27 Cas and NO losses. Training operations have begun! KB1--arrives at La Foa, NC A replenishment Convoy arrives the same day. Nice planning... I see ships fleeing Diamond Harbor. KB2 will hit them... February 1, 1942 No major SS activity. I have a lot of SS operating around Australia, SW of Hawaii, and around Ceylon. Mine Trimcomlee Harbor with 2 minelaying SS. Air Action Java Fighting--Java Sweeps claim 4F for 1Z. BATTLE OVER CHUNGKING--the AVG makes a rude surprise and hits my raid of 22Z and 40B with 57 P-40 and 9 Hurricanes. In a 'spirited' dogfight, my Zeros do well--11 enemy fighters fall but I lose 11Z and 8B. The remaining Bombers still get through and damage 4 Resources. I must be worrying him with my resource attacks. A lot of the AVG has been shot down in the last two weeks--about 23-25 planes. Ground Capture KOUMAC, NC! No resistance at all... Capture Bankha, Sum, and Wewak, NG Land at Waingapu, Flores Bombard Singapore for 128 Cas Deliberate attack at Changsha! NOTHING! 311,696 Jap vs. 172,986 Chinese 0-1 Result at Fort 7. Casualties are large--12,928 for the Japanese vs. 6090 Chinese. I do manage to take out over 10% of his available artillery... Navy Unloading continues at Darwin, Aust--NO RESISTANCE from the air. Troops are there and bombard me to little effect. I will wait another day before attacking. Both BB Groups bombard and nearly 650 Casualties. I lose 1AP due to damage from yesterday's landings. KB2 goes into action and sinks two large AK NE of Ceylon. No losses... I send them south of Ceylon because I have spotted Royal Navy units leaving Trimcomlee and Colombo. Perhaps I can bag a few!!!

John 3rd -> TWO months of WAR! (10/10/2005 10:07:33 PM)
This is my month-end summary of the war effort to this point in time: Score Japan 6831 Allies 6934 Sinkings Japan 41 Ships No major combatants lost. I've lost 3DD and 5SS--that isn't bad. Allies 111 Ships 2CV (Lexington and Enterprise), 1BB, 6CL, 16DD, and 5SS. HAPPY for those two CV!!! Industrial Information: Supply 1,913,627 Fuel 3,849,251 Manpower (805) 193,127 Heavy Ind 13631 (47,473) Resources 16,757 (1,678,699) Oil 2346 (1,727,051) Naval Shipyard 1235 Merchant Ship 967 (6) Armament 583 (33,428) Vehicles 130 (3,448) Aircraft Engines 1,432 Aircraft Assembly 729 (82-rd) Any thoughts on these numbers?? I am still new enough to this game that I LOVE any imput to the industrial equation. General Thoughts: 1. Wolfpack is NOT fighting in many places he should! I am going to take Noumea for NO Fight! He abandoned Mandalay for no fight. Definite pattern emerging... I would not have been able to easily grab EITHER site if there were defences there. 2. Changsha is totally confusing to me. I HATE CHINA! Got the numbers, rest my troops about 10 days between attacks, bombard him every day, rotated some units back to Wuhan, and I still make no progress. 3. Singapore has been tough because he got EVERYTHING retreated into it. It shall be a major focus over February! 4. I will occupy NW Australia this month. 5. Am not sure how far to advance northwards in Burma. I have everything south of Mandalay. Any thoughts as to good targets from there? Where do I cut the Burma Road to help my China Campaign? 6. I have nearly all the resources centers at this point. This is a good thing. 7. Will start to reduce Java this month as well. That is the state-of-the-state. ANY comments would be appreciated...

scott64 -> RE: TWO months of WAR! (10/10/2005 10:22:09 PM)
Nice. I see your not the only one who has sunk two allied CVs. I sunk mine within the first weeks of the war. Check out Our Finest Hour AAR. [:'(][:D]

John 3rd -> RE: 1 Month of War (10/11/2005 12:06:58 AM)
Scott, I have been reading your AAR. It has been good to get another perspective! J

John 3rd -> RE: 1 Month of War (10/11/2005 8:15:27 PM)
February 2, 1942 SS I -159 spots British CA Cornwall running from the KB2, shots, and misses! [:@] Air Yenen is hit by 5F and 40B doing 5 Resources hits. Nearly all bombers are upgraded from DB to Lily or from Lily to Helen/Sally. I am about to recommence the air war over China and Singapore in a BIG way. We'll see... Ground Bombard Singapore for 172 Cas Bombard Changsha for 137 Cas Make first attempt at Darwin with 50% of troops unloaded: 0-1 Fort 3 23,000 J vs. 13,700 Allies I lose 533 and Wolfpack loses 285. Will shift to bombardment and then try again in two days. Capture Waingapu, FL Naval For the first time in the war, EVERY Japanese CV/CVL/CVE was active launching strikes: 1. KB2 (near Ceylon) struck at Trimcomlee and Columbo. At Trim I damage 5 AP/AK, 1PG, and shot down 3 Fighters for no losses. At Columbo, I SINK SS Tarpon but lose 7 of 23 Kates! OUCH! A pitiful counterattack is launched from Columbo in the form of 15F and 8B--63 Zero meet them! YUMMY--12F and 6B are shot down for no losses! There were no attacks made by the few survivors... 2. CarDiv2 with Shoho arrived at La Foa and is refueling. While doing that, they fling a strike at Noumea of 12Z, 28V, and 39K--no losses--and they cause 180 Cas. 3. East of there is CarDiv5 (Sho/Zui) and they nail Nandi with 6Z, 39V, and 48K--no losses. Their experience numbers are climbing rapidly. All bomber daitais are now in 50s/60s. I will let them hit Nandi again and have them rendevous with CarDiv2 to reform the KB1. All Carriers at WORK! Bombard Darwin for 176 Cas Bombard Soerabaja for 251 Cas but take some serious CD. CL Isuzu is hit pretty hard and is limping back to Balikpapan. I order the KB2 to move west of Ceylon and pursue shipping. I think the Royal Navy has run away like the COWARDS they are! I have a bombardment group approaching Trimcomlee, Cey to do more damage to those AP/AK located within.

John 3rd -> RE: 1 Month of War (10/12/2005 7:56:53 PM)
February 3, 1942 SS I have about 12-15 SS fanning out throughout the IO hunting for the British Fleet. Air Rested most of my pilots today. Made three sweeps against different places in Java and met NO opposition. Had a bomber attack hit Sain, CH and damage a couple of Resources. Ground Landing at Dili, TI Continue an endless landing at Darwin, Aust--got 30,000 troops on the ground with 35,000 to go. 2nd Division and an Reg of Engineers will enter Noumea, NC tomorrow. All intel points to about 1,500 troops there. We shall see... Bombard Sing for 269 Cas Bombard Chang for 135 Cas Navy The Indian Ocean is DESERTED! The Royal Navy has fled in fear of the KB2! Will keep hunting... CarDiv5 launches its last attack on Nandi before heading for La Foa to rendezvous to CarDiv2. Several raids have really helped to bring up aircrew experience!

John 3rd -> 2nd Month of War (10/13/2005 8:15:19 PM)
Big things are happening in the Pacific! Combat Report February 4, 1942 I have SS prowling but not fining anything. Air Changsha NAIL this town with 51F and 88B and do 45 Resources Damage Java Sweep Bandoeng and shot down 2F for 1Z Sweep Soerabaja and shot down 1F ABDA Strikes: DAMNED Dutch air! I am shooting planes down but these little strikes of 3-6 planes is damaging ships left and right. Today he hit 2AK and 1AP for light damage. Nothing really sinking but damaged ships require repair time! Release Kuantan Bombers to hit Singapore next round. Ground Capture Dili, TI: I now have all of Timor but have to eliminate his scattered forces. Land at Hansa, NG Darwin Troops are taking FOREVER to get unloaded! Bombard Sing for 175 Cas Bombard Chang for 222 Cas Naval Bombard Trimcomlee, Cey with Kongo and several CA: 315 Cas and damage 1MSW, 1PG, 3AK, 2AP. Not bad. Will have them hit it again tomorrow. KB2 cannot find anything to attack. Heads back towards the east and Ceylon. A ML damaged from the last PT battle sinks as it approaches Palembang. Construction: Lautem, TI goes to Lvl 2 AF and Kiska goes to Lvl 2 AF/Port February 5, 1942 No SS activity Air Changsha hit again by 53F and 109B doing 34 Resource damage! This might be working... Hit Singapore with 27F and 145B and cause large amounts of Port/AF damage as well as 121 Cas. Lose 10 planes though... RAID Diamond Harbor with 3 Daitai of Bettys from Rangoon. They cause alot of damage to the port, inflict 34 cas, and sink a ML with 4 800KG bombs. Ground Bombard Sing and do 499 Cas! That is a nice total... Bombard Changsha and do 80 Cas Land at Kuala, Sum A BANNER DAY! I capture Lashio, Bur, Hansa, NG and MOST IMMPORTANTLY NOUMEA, NC!!!! [:D] BANZAI! It was only garrisoned by a small BF: 1345 POWs. Navy Second Bombardment of Trimcomlee causes some damage: 132 Cas and damage to 1MSW, 1PG, 1AK, and 1AP. Unfortunately, CA Mogami hits a mine during the attack. No danger but will need some help getting to Rangoon... Order all shipping near Noumea to congregate in MY NEW HARBOR! I cannot believe that he LET me take Noumea for no fight!

John 3rd -> RE: 2nd Month of War (10/14/2005 2:21:12 AM)
I am getting ready to teach my College history class (gonna cover the Washington Conference [:D]--gotta love Charles Evans Hughes style!) and decided to add to my notes above. Wolfpack has taken an EXTREME position where he is pulling or has pulled EVERYTHING back from the lines: 1. BURMA: I have advanced with only token forces into Burma and now have Lashio, Mandalay, and everything South for next to no cost. It appears that he has withdrawn to the Indian border. I will take Akyab soon and then have to ponder what to do next. Pretty certain that I am going to cut the Burma Road so my China Offensive will be helped. Beyond that, I don't see much point. Going into India does not hold large appeal for me... 2. NEW CALEDONIA: He took everything out of there except for one small Base Force in Noumea. What is up with that? That is a HUGE VP blow to the Allies and since it cost me nothing, I am free to continue taking the nearby bases to cut-off Australia. Makes no real sense to me... 3. DARWIN: He is putting up a fight there because I hit him there before he could withdraw. I will try to cut off his forces so I can eliminate a goodly number of troops. 4. NAVY: The Royal Navy and ABDA Fleet left long ago. There has been no naval presense in the IO for at least two weeks. Same with the Americans. After sinking Lex and Ent, NOTHING... Does this strategy make sense to anyone? I would fight tooth-and-nail to hurt the Japanese so I can begin the counter-offensive sooner against a weakened opponent. That's just me though... ASIDE: Do I need to take Ledo to cut the Burma Road?

castor troy -> RE: 2nd Month of War (10/14/2005 12:39:29 PM)
John, I�m Wolfpacks opponent in a PBEM that�s now in 11/42. He�s a very sneaky but also defensive player. He won�t fight in 42 where he don�t have to fight. Noumea is such a place! If you come in force he can�t hold it but loses 1 or 2 div. + all the support + ships... and he knows that. So he simply abandons it. I attacked him with my bombers and escorts in Southern India and as his losses grew he just transfered his squadrons out of my range. Why? Because he doesn�t have to fight! The only reason would be an automatic victory, but without losing many ground troops or big ships he won�t lose by auto victory. And if he doesn�t lose that much material in 42 he will be back min half a year earlier! If you want him to come out and fight you have to attack a real target. I�ve landed in Chandpur half a month ago and took it after a hard fight. He tried to bring in his airforce but after huge losses he retreated again because he simply would have lost even more planes (British can�t afford that because they have the same problem with exp pilots like the Japs). He didn�t even bring his British ships because he knew that 100+ Nells would sink most of them. But he brought nearly all ground troops available to stall me in Chandpur. Even in that case he didn�t come out for an all out effort. And I think he doesn�t have to, except the auto victory thing. Another example would be this one: I chased with KB his 5 carriers around far south of Gili Gili. Everytime I was spotted near of his Australien ports he retreated at full speed with all his ships. After a couple of approaches over some time I decided something I didn�t really like: split the deathstar! My small, slow carriers with the CVL approach from the north to Brisbane while the big carriers, already in position south west of Brisbane cut off his way of retreat. That was my plan! First the smaller CV-TF was spotted. Great! His carriers retreated again south so I ordered my big CVs to attack. The first turn of attacks I spotted a TF with 2 of his carriers and sunk them without even a single plane over my TF. Great again I thought! My plan works just fine! Problem was, I didn�t spot the remaining three carriers and I tried to recombine the deathstar as fast as possible. It should have taken me two turns at full speed to do that. Now Wolfpacks plan started! He knew I lost quite a few Zeros so he decided to close in with his remaining carriers! He attacked me and I launched strikes against him! The small CV-TF with 200 ac on board was still far away. But I still had parity in planes against his three big carriers. I think I scored few bomb hits on two of his carriers and one or two torps on one, one carrier was untouched. Three carriers of mine were hit by 1000 lb bombs! No more attacks this turn or the next! My carriers looked still in good shape I thought! None with Sys dam above 40 and flooding in the 20s! Problem was that I was west of Brisbane and had a long way home. Result: 3 of my 72 ac carriers sunk because of the hit of a few (7 bombs together on 3 carriers) but Wolfpacks carriers were back in Brisbane the next two turns and of course none of them sunk. Long story, but what I want to tell you is what you might know already: Wolfpack will not give you a chance to destroy many of his forces! You need a good plan to make him coming out of his hole! [:D] In my case it was a fault to chase him this far away of my ports. But I can say that my game against him is one of the best I�ve ever had! Good luck to you sir for your game!

castor troy -> RE: 2nd Month of War (10/14/2005 12:43:17 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: John 3rd Does this strategy make sense to anyone? I would fight tooth-and-nail to hurt the Japanese so I can begin the counter-offensive sooner against a weakened opponent. That's just me though... If you try to take on the Japs in 42 you will most of the time lose more and will hurt yourself more than you will hurt the Japs. And an Allied player who hasn�t lost many ships, planes and especially ground troops will come back sooner than one who has put up a real fight in 42! Mid 43, 44 and 45 are the years of the Allied not 42!!

John 3rd -> RE: 2nd Month of War (10/14/2005 7:13:38 PM)
Castor, Thank you for the vaulable insight into my opponent and his style. I will consider this an intelligence success to recon the 'head' of my opponent! He has made several allusions about your campaign and the landings you made in India. They have him concerned. What do you think about the India Campaign? I think I am content with taking most of Burma but those industrial cities in western India do look somewhat tempting! Might try to win in China and then head towards India... Thanks again for the thoughts and insight! John

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