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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition >> After Action Reports >> Mines

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Mines - 3/13/2011 1:29:24 AM

ADB123

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October 15, 1942 �

The Night Phase brought an unpleasant surprise as USS Grayling hit a mine while travelling past Fusan. Grayling is pretty heavily damaged, but the sub ought to make it home as long as it doesn�t get attacked along the way. I have a vague memory of mines being in those straights between Korea and Japan before, but I didn�t think of that when I ordered Grayling to move west a couple of turns ago. Oh well, I�ll just have to send my subs from the south instead of from the north.

Daylight brought Rain and Recon once more and also brought out the Kiwi Hudsons again. I had forgotten to stand them down after their last unsuccessful attack on Luganville, so they went off on their own this turn. This time the 8 Bombers actually found the Air Fields and hit them with a few small bombs. There wasn�t much damage, but at least it will get my opponent�s attention a bit.

What got my attention this turn was finding out that there are still some Japanese units in Cookville and to the north of Cairns. And there are still Fighters and miscellaneous planes in Cookville. So I�ve stopped my impromptu advance and instead will go back to my original plan of setting up bases and Bombing the Japanese units Back Into the Stone Age.

An Australian Mechanized Cavalry unit reached Bowen this turn, so they will capture the empty base next turn. This will open up the coastal railroad for me which will make movement to the northeast easier.

In Other News, USS Pennsylvania finally came out of the Repair Yard at Mare Island, just over 10 months after the Pearl Harbor attack. However, the old BB is due for a major upgrade, so I�ve left it in the Mare Island Yards and it will stay there for the next four months during the Upgrade. I wonder if the ship will ever see War Duty.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 421

Bowen is Liberated! - 3/13/2011 7:17:36 PM

ADB123

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October 16, 1942 �

The Night Phase saw US submarines back in action. First off, the skipper of the USS Sea Dragon spotted an SC near Izu Oshima but decided not to fire. The SC, along with another SC in the small ASW TF attempted to find the US sub but couldn�t.

Then the skipper of the USS Sunfish decided to take full advantage of the opportunity provided by an unescorted xAK near Kobe. The sub surfaced and fired some torpedoes, but as usual those were duds. So the sub�s crew opened fire with the Deck Guns while the sub manoeuvred to allow more torpedoes to be fired from the Rear Tubes. This time two of the torpedoes were good and the xAK went down in the night.

Daylight brought skies that were crowded with Recon Flights. I was quite surprised to find Japanese Recon Planes flying over Carunna Downs in northwestern Australia. My opponent didn�t bother to capture that base when he invaded northern Australia, so it is interesting that he is checking it out now. I do intend to move into Carunna Downs later on, but for now I am too busy building up stepping-stone bases to consider taking such a long leap to an isolated base.

The Big News this turn was that the 4th Australian Cavalry Brigade liberated Bowen.

Thus, the seaside Railway is now open between Rockhampton and Townsville. I was surprised to find Bowen still banged-up a bit. I guess that my opponent didn�t bother to try to repair any damage after he captured it.

So now I am preparing my troops to move on Cairns. There aren�t any Japanese troops in Cairns, but there are a couple of enemy units of some sort just to the north of the base, and there still are a couple of Japanese units in Cooktown, along with some fighters and miscellaneous planes. I�m still baffled by my opponent�s reluctance to go all the way with his pull-out. This keeps me thinking that there may be some sort of Trap involved with the final two enemy-occupied bases. So I am continuing to prepare Overwhelming Force for the attack. As such, I have my troops at Townsville busy repairing Base Damage. I also moved the first 4E squadron to Charters Towers. The B-17Es can fly Search and Recon all the way to Port Moresby from there. However, my first priority, once I get an Air HQ to Charters Towers, will be to close the Air Fields at Cooktown.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 422

The Sound of Falling Leaves - 3/14/2011 1:36:08 AM

ADB123

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October 17, 1942 �

There was no action during the Night Phase this turn.

Daylight brought the usual busy skies full of Recon planes. A Glen showed up over Tahiti once again, but its sub wasn�t spotted.

The Big News was a rather successful long range 4E bombing attack on the Air Fields at Rangoon. The coordinated Allied attack consisted of 16 B-17Es, 16 B-17Fs, and 11 B-24Ds. Facing them were 7 Zeros and 26 Nicks, which happened to be on a Training Mission that was disrupted. The Allied Bombers got through the CAP quite well, although 1 B-17E and 1 B-17F were shot down. Never-the-less, the Bombers hit their target hard and caught 1 Tojo, 4 Bettys and a Sally on the ground as well as doing some heavy damage to all of the Facilities and the Air Fields. At the end-of-the-day Intel reported that 8 Bettys were destroyed on the ground. Two more 4Es were lost due to operational damage on the long flight, but all-in-all it was a good run and will keep my opponent on his toes in the region.

In other interesting SIGINT news, a Japanese Raiding Regiment is on board a ship and on its way to Luganville. I wonder if the unit is being sent to protect Luganville or to be eventually used to Paradrop on one of my bases in the Region.

And a couple of Japanese subs were hanging off of the coast of Ceylon again this turn, so I sent some British DDs out after them.

Meanwhile in Oz my troops continue to get into position for the next stage of my recovery of the Northeast. BTW � the Air Units that showed up in Noumea and Pago Pago reached Australia this turn. They will be of much more use there then on isolated island bases.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 423

Floatation Repairs - 3/15/2011 1:44:06 AM

ADB123

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October 18, 1942 �

There was no Action during the Night Phase, but there was an unexpected message from USS Wahoo that the sub�s floatation repairs had given out a bit. I didn�t even remember the Wahoo being seriously damaged, and sure enough, when I checked the sub afterwards the System and Floatation damage levels were still in single digits. So this was a very odd message. Fortunately, Wahoo is only a few days� sail from Pearl, so the sub ought to get into port without much more trouble.

Daylight also showed no action with the exception of intense Japanese Recon efforts over most Fronts, other than northeastern Oz. My opponent also has a LOT of Naval Search capability in the region between Timor and the northern coast of Australia. I�ve got RN Trusty cruising around there and no matter where Trusty goes some Japanese planes spot it. Oh well, come January I expect to turn the northern Australia Bases that are under Japanese control into piles of rubble, so things will clear up a bit in time for activities in the New Year.

There are Japanese subs back around the Aleutians again, so my LBA is getting practice chasing the subs, and a Japanese sub has shown up around Noumea again. I can�t be bothered trying to chase that sub, and I�ve got better things for the Kiwi Hudson squadron to do at Noumea, such as fly Recon over Luganville again. Next turn I�ll switch the Hudsons over to Air Base Attack again. As long as there aren�t any Japanese Fighters or Flak over Luganville I can Train my Hudson pilots there.

And speaking of Japanese Fighters, a pile of Japanese Fighters showed up at Rangoon again, and the Bombers have moved off. I guess that my opponent doesn�t want to take a chance on another 4E raid catching his pilots on the Ground.

BTW � I gave orders for my Troops to start their move on Cairns. If Cairns remains empty of Enemy Troops I will let the same two armoured units capture it that captured Townsville and Charters Towers, just to keep my opponent in the dark a bit longer.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 424

SC Wars - 3/16/2011 2:04:09 AM

ADB123

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October 19, 1942 �

The Night Phase brought out some aggressive SC commanders off of Japan. First off a couple of SCs found and attacked USS Gato near Wakkanai. Gato was damaged by a couple of near misses and is now on its way home. Then USS Permit shot some torpedoes at an SC near Wakayama but missed. The SCs there chased Permit away but didn�t get any hits.

Daylight found the Japanese Army Air Corp up and awake for a change in China. First off Sian was swept by Oscars, which were then followed by a fairly heavy Bomber attack on the Air Fields. There was a reasonable amount of damage, particularly to the Runways, but I�m not trying to use that Air Field so it doesn�t matter.

Then Liuchow was hit by two Bomber raids. Little damage was done here. In the past my opponent has not sent out consecutive Bombing raids so I�m going to assume that he will stick to form and so I won�t send any Fighters to the region.

SIGINT gave me some interesting info this turn � a Japanese LCU is preparing to attack Kweilin. So there may be a multi-target advance by the Japanese in China in the future.

A Japanese TF showed up at Luganville this turn. INTEL suggests that it is a combat TF instead of a transport TF. I�ve ordered the Hudsons at Noumea to bomb Luganville again. Maybe they will bring back better info.

And my Recon in northeastern Oz suggests that the last Japanese Aircraft have been pulled from Cooktown and there is only one LCU left there. That�s fine by me; I�m more than happy to re-take the Northeastern Australian towns without a fight. I want to spend time and effort building those bases up rather than fighting for them.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 425

Jumped! - 3/17/2011 3:21:05 AM

ADB123

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October 20, 1942 �

The Night Phase saw more SC Wars. First off USS Sargo was chased unsuccessfully by a couple of SCs near Hachijo-Jima. Then USS Silversides fired 6 torpedoes at an SC near Izu Oshima. The one torpedo that hit the small escort was a dud. Silversides got away unscathed.

Daylight brought a continuation of the Japanese Air Assault on China. This time Japanese bombers hit Hengyang first in a change of pace. Even if I had brought Chinese Fighters forward I would never have Capped that base. Fortunately, little damage was done.

Next came more Air Attacks on Sian. This time the attacks were fairly destructive and there was substantial damage at the Air Base and to some of the troops at the base.

I guess that I could attempt to discourage this by flying some 4Es into Chungking, but I really don�t have enough 4Es in the Far East at this time to be able to threaten Burma and China simultaneously. Also, there is too high of a chance of having my bombers trapped in China for me to really want to send them there at this time.

But the real surprise this turn happened to my Kiwi Hudsons when they attempted to fly a bombing run over Luganville again. They were caught by 3 Zeros, 3 Jakes and 2 Petes on CAP! The Hudsons got shot up pretty well and I eventually lost three of them, although I only lost one pilot. The surprise CAP distracted the Bombers and so they didn�t hit their target.

So either my opponent has a Base Force in Luganville and he flew some Zeros in, or else that Combat TF in the Harbor has a small CVE with it. I�m sending in more Recon flights next turn to try to determine what the real situation is.

It�s only too bad that I don�t have any CVs in the Region at this time, otherwise I would send out a Raid.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 426

More SC Wars - 3/18/2011 1:17:56 AM

ADB123

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October 21, 1942 �

The Night Phase brought more SC vs. SS action at the Japanese Home Islands. First off USS Peto spotted an SC near Uruppu-jima, but the sub�s skipper elected not to fire torpedoes. The SCs in the little ASW TF attempted to find Peto but couldn�t. That�s the first time I�ve seen an ASW TF in the Kuriles.

Next USS Pickerel was chased unsuccessfully by an SC near Ominato. But when the SC left the area the skipper of the Pickerel found an unescorted xAKL in his periscope sights and fired torpedoes. Two of the torpedoes hit and exploded, and the xAKL was now sailing downwards.

Daylight brought out Japanese Army Air Attacks in China again. A number of small Oscar Sweeps flew over Sian, but the Japanese bombers flew against the large column of Chinese troops that is dug in along the road to the south of Sian. Two Japanese Bomber flights hit the Chinese troops, but the Chinese suffered few casualties.

The Liuchow was hit again with a fairly sizable Air Attack. The Japanese caused some damage but nothing critical.

Then the Skies over much of the Pacific were darkened by the wings of countless Recon flights flying from both sides. My opponent must have been quite suspicious after the 6th or 7th Recon flight flew over Luganville, and also at the sudden appearance of 4Es on Recon over bases all around PNG.

The Recon over Luganville cleared things up a bit. My opponent has a small number of Fighters at the base; along with what are likely some Search or Recon planes. The TF that has been sitting may be steaming to the southwest, which is the direction of Noumea. Just in case I�ve ordered a Surface Combat TF to sail towards Noumea too.

My Armoured Units ought to enter Cairns tomorrow. My Recon reported that there are suddenly a fair number of Fighters back at Cooktown. I�m not sure what my opponent is doing, but it sure smells like some sort of trap to me. In any event, I�m not sending out Bombers at this time; instead I�ll let my Troops move on Cairns and see what the Japanese reaction is like.

I�m getting close to being ready to wage a serious Air Campaign in the Region, but I need a little more time to get things set up as I want them to be. So for now I�ll just let my Troops get the Glory and save the Air Force for better opportunities.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 427

Training Squadrons - 3/19/2011 2:25:30 AM

ADB123

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October 22, 1942 �

There was no night action this turn.

Daylight brought lots of Recon flights but no Air Attacks anywhere. The most interesting Japanese Recon Flight was over Koumac in New Caledonia. Is my opponent just trying to keep an eye on my activities or is he considering some sort of movement towards New Caledonia?

Speaking of movement, the Japanese TF that had been at Luganville for the past few days and started to move southwest last turn turned about and is now sailing northwest towards the Solomons. But my Search Planes brought MUCH more interesting news in the region as they spotted TF a little ways to the north of Espirito Santo. And for once SIGINT gave me some good information � CV Hiyo is in that TF!

So, it appears that my opponent sent a CV TF to shadow the TF that he sent to Luganville, just in case I attempted a raid. Given these two pieces of information I ordered the Surface Combat TF that was headed to Noumea to go back to Port.

BTW � SIGINT also did one of its more typical things when it reported that a Japanese Infantry Regiment was preparing for an invasion of Donggala. However, the SIGINT boys were scooped by a report that the Japanese Infantry Regiment was already landing at Donggala at the end of the day.

So another empty Allied DEI base will become Japanese. Much more importantly, my three armoured units entered Cairns today and found it empty. So they will liberate it next turn. The enemy units that had been spotted a just to the north of Cairns a while back are nowhere to be seen. Recon reports that there is only one small Japanese unit in Cooktown, and given that there are Japanese Fighters and miscellaneous planes there, I am assuming that the unit is a Base Force.

So once Cairns is in my hands again I will move more troops forward to garrison it and build it up, but I�m not going to bother sending planes against Cooktown. Instead I�ll just send my Armoured forces forward. There is no reason to take Air Losses when I have plenty of Ground troops available to capture enemy Air Bases.

In other news, a couple of Japanese subs continue to hang around the Aleutians, so I increased my Air ASW in the Region and also sent out some good ASW DDs this turn.

And finally, a third US Replenishment CVE showed up this turn. I am using the Air Groups on the Replenishment CVEs as Training Squadrons. I�ve also swapped out their modern planes for older models. Rookies can train in any old p.o.s. � they don�t need Front Line planes.

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Post #: 428

Cairns is Liberated! - 3/19/2011 5:16:44 PM

ADB123

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October 23, 1942 �

The Night Phase saw Japanese troops continue to land at the empty base of Donggala in the Celebes. Then ASW action started.

First off, the DE in a small empty returning US Transport TF near Adak Island spotted Japanese sub I-5 and attacked. The DE hit the sub hard with a couple of depth charges, and so I-5 ought to be limping home now.

Then the Japanese TF that had been at Luganville ran over USS Sailfish just north of Ndeni. The Japanese Escorts were sharp and hit Sailfish three times. Sailfish will also be limping home.

I�m still confused about the purpose of that Japanese TF because of its composition. Sailfish spotted the following ships: 1 CA, 1 CL, 2 PB, 2 AMC, 1 AV and 4 DD. That jives with what Aerial Recon told me earlier. That seems to be a very heavily armed TF just to land some troops at a base that is already occupied.

BTW � the Japanese CV TF disappeared, so I suspect that it is heading back to port. However, Japanese interest in New Caledonia has increased as various Japanese Recon planes flew over Noumea this turn.

The partial Japanese Infantry Regiment captured Donggala this turn. SIGINT also reported that a Japanese Raiding unit is headed to Singapore. I don�t think that there are any move unoccupied bases in that region, so I don�t know why the unit would be going there unless it is to recover from Malarial disruption.

The Big News this turn was that Cairns was Liberated by the 754th Tank Bn, the 637th TD Bn, and the 2/6th Armoured Rgt.

Control of the Base went to the Americans again. The damage to Cairns was very slight. Now only Cooktown remains in Enemy hands in the Northeast of Australia.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 429

Strange ASW Replay - 3/19/2011 10:46:29 PM

ADB123

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October 24, 1942 �

The Night Phase started out with a small but encouraging sign � Palm Island was occupied by the Allies automatically. This is the first time this has happened in this game.

The something rather odd occurred. Japanese submarine I-3 was reported to be trying to escape from an attack at Ulak Island. The Combat Replay showed the sub �hitting the bottom�, but no Allied ASW ship was shown. The only thing that I can think of is that maybe the sub was spotted by some PT Boats, but since the PTs don�t have any anti-submarine weapons they weren�t shown in the Replay.

But I-3 wasn�t in the clear yet. A little while later the sub was attacked by a DE near Kiska. Once again the sub got away, but hopefully it used up a fair amount of fuel running and diving. BTW � later on in the Day Phase the sub was likely chased again by Airborne ASW.

Daylight not only brought out Aerial ASW and the usual hordes of Recon flights, but it also brought out a massed attack by Japanese Army Bombers on the Air Fields at Sian. There were sixty-three bombers in the coordinated attack and they hit the Air Base hard. They even destroyed one of the damaged Chinese Fighters that has been sitting on the ground for lack of parts.

In other news, the Air Base at Luganville reached Level 2 this turn. This means that my opponent can now base anti-ship LBA there.

And finally, after way too much time, my BIG Transport TF finally docked in Australia. It will now take several days to unload the ships, and then a week or more to send the troops onwards to their objectives. But at least this is done and over with, and I can now prepare for my January 1943 Offensive.

Before I forget � my B-17 Recon flights keep on telling me that there are no Japanese Fighters at Port Moresby. Therefore I�ve ordered my B-17s to drop bombs next time instead of taking photos.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 430

4Es on the Attack! - 3/20/2011 7:53:59 PM

ADB123

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October 25, 1942 �

The Night Phase saw USS Tautog hit an SC with a dud torpedo near Hamamatsu. The number of targets around Japan appears to be increasing a bit, so I�m going to try to be a little more aggressive with my subs and send some into ports that currently have Japanese TFs in them, such as Paramushiro-jima. We�ll see how this goes.

BTW � that TF at Paramushiro-jima is likely a Transport TF. Air Recon reported that the number of troops at the base appear to have increased.

Daylight brought Japanese Fighter Sweeps of Sian, but no Japanese Bomber action. However, the USAAF made up for this a bit.

First off, 12 Forts and 3 Liberators hit the Air Fields at Katherine. A dozen Zeros flew up to intercept the 4Es. One B-17 and 1 Liberator were lost to enemy action, but the planes still delivered their bombs accurately and hit the Air Base well, destroying some Zeros on the ground too.

Then the rest of the attack, 9 more Liberators, flew in and faced 6 Zeros. This time the 4Es shot down one of the Zeros. The 4Es hit their target again, causing more Air Base and Runway damage.

Next 39 B-17s hit Port Moresby. They were met by 8 Nicks and 15 Zeros. One Zero was shot down, as were two B-17s. The B-17s hit their target hard and caused a lot of damage to the Air Base and Air Fields.

At the end of the day both sides had roughly equal losses thanks to Operational losses. It appears that some of the Japanese planes that were flying CAP over Port Moresby flew in from other Japanese bases in PNG.

So my opponent now knows that I can hit the Air Fields at Port Moresby at my pleasure. I�m not going to do it again until the Air Fields at Charters Towers increase in size some more, but the message is still there.

And my reinforcements continue to unload in Australia. These are mainly Support Troops and they will help speed up the construction of the Infrastructure that I want to have in place by January 1, 1943.

SIGINT provided a very strange report to me this turn. There was a radio report of the call signals of a Japanese ACM that came from 173, 59 which is in the North Pacific, about a dozen hexes south-south-east of Dutch Harbor. There is no sign of any enemy ships there, and I don�t have any ships there either, so I�m not sure what to make of this.

It could be yet another bit of SIGINT Science Fiction, but on the other hand it could be a Japanese submarine, or even a Japanese Raider TF. I�ve increased my Aerial Search in the region and put all of my Combat Aircraft on Combat Alert. I�ve also re-directed my TFs that are near that area. And I�m going to send a Raider TF of my own into the Region, just in case there is something there that needs a few bombs or torpedoes shot at it.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 431

Obliteration - 3/21/2011 9:53:25 PM

ADB123

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October 26, 1942 �

This was quite the night for US Subs vs. Japanese ASW. First off, USS Perch fired at an SC near Ominato but missed. Next, S-47 was spotted by a PB at Paramushiro-jima, but got away. Then USS Tautog hit an SC with a live torpedo near Hamamatsu. The SC was reported to be �obliterated�.

Finally, USS Pompano fired some duds at and SC near Izu Oshima.

In comparison, Daylight brought quiet, with the exception of Recon and Search Flights. It appears that the Radio report last turn from south of Dutch Harbor was simply an erroneously identified submarine. This turn US Search planes reported a submarine wake in the region.

This turn took a long time to set up because of all of the Units that I am moving around in anticipation of upcoming Advances. I also continue to �fine tune� my Air Units as far as planes and pilots go.

And I also took the time to set up an attempt at a �Big Nasty Surprise� for my opponent next turn. We�ll see how the Weather Gods cooperate.

In other news I received my fourth Bogue-class CVE this turn. Once again I swapped out the modern planes in the Replenishment squadrons on board for second-line planes. At least now I am building some decent pools of decent US Navy planes. Now if I would only get more US Army bombers.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 432

Sub Wars in the Pacific - 3/22/2011 2:01:25 AM

ADB123

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October 27, 1942 �

�Sub Wars� took on a whole new meaning this turn as Allied submarines were extra busy:

- The skipper of the USS Silversides decided not to fire any torpedoes at an SC near Kanoya, and then had to sneak away from the ASW ship.

- USS Amberjack hit an SC with a dud torpedo at Shikuka

- S-34 hit an xAK with a dud torpedo at Paramushiro-jima. The sub was received a glancing blow from a depth charge from the PB that was escorting the freighter.

- USS Seawolf hit a DD with a dud torpedo at Rabaul, and actually got away to report it.

- Dutch sub KXIII was chased by a PB near Langsa

- And finally, USS Perch hit an SC with a live torpedo near Hakodate and obliterated the little ASW ship.

And in something of a surprise that shouldn�t have been a surprise, Japanese troops started to land at Ndeni. It makes sense to have that base as a stepping stone to support the Japanese base at Luganville. I�ve ordered a sub over to see if that sub�s skipper can be as useful as his colleagues who up around Japan.

BTW � my �Big Surprise� was no surprise as it failed to get off the ground altogether. In fact, it was such a failure of a surprise that it didn�t even give anything away to the Japanese. Oh well, we�ll try again next turn.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 433

More Sub Wars in the Pacific - 3/23/2011 1:15:23 AM

ADB123

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October 28, 1942 �

The Night Phase saw Japanese troops continue to unload at Ndeni. USS Spearfish tried to interfere with the landing by firing torpedoes at a Japanese APD, but the torpedoes missed. The Escorts in the Invasion TF caught Spearfish, hit it a couple of times with glancing blows, and chased the US sub off. Spearfish is now on its way home, but another US sub is coming in to take its place.

Submarine action continued into the Daylight Hours. First off USS Perch was buzzed a couple of times by Japanese LBASW. One of the Japanese planes eventually hit Perch with a bomb, so the sub is now limping home.

Down south at Rabaul USS Seawolf tried again to attack the Japanese TF that has been sitting at that base. Seawolf hit a Japanese DD with a dud torpedo, and was then hit three times with glancing blows and chased out of the area. So Seawolf is going home too.

And finally, S-34 put a live torpedo into an xAK at Paramushiro-jima. The Escorts in the Japanese TF couldn�t catch the US sub. Later reports said that the Japanese freighter sank.

Daylight also brought lots of Recon Flights, but no Bombing Runs. So my �surprise� failed for a second day in a row. Oh well, I�ll just send more Recon out to see if there are any more interesting targets.

Finally, Ndeni was captured by the small piece of a Japanese Naval Guard unit that landed there.

In interesting INTEL news, a Japanese AS has been reported in Lunga Harbour.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 434

Not Yet Ready for Broadway - 3/24/2011 3:46:23 AM

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October 29, 1942 �

The Night Phase saw continued submarine action, although not as much as the previous night. First off USS Finback hit an xAKL off of Kanazawa with a dud torpedo. Finback got away safely from the freighter�s escort. Then S-45 got caught in shallow water at Paramushiro-jima by a couple of SCs on ASW duty. The Japanese ships got five near misses on S-45 which resulted in the sub having to go home.

The Day Phase brought an example of how some Bright Ideas can be attempted at a non-optimal time. My �Big Surprise� that didn�t go off the past couple of turns was quite simple � I had moved two B-24D squadrons to Chungking with the intention of bombing some Japanese ships in one of the Chinese coastal ports. In order to confirm the presence of ships in those ports I moved my two Chinese Hudson squadrons forward to a couple of the Rail Line bases. I also moved the best Chinese Fighter squadrons to those bases in order to provide some Air Support in case of a Japanese attack.

Well, not only didn�t my B-24s fly, but the Chinese Hudsons didn�t find any ships in any of the major ports. Once again my opponent continues to play smart and continues to not leave any �freebies� for me. And another example of his smart play is that he did send planes against one of the Rail Line bases where I put the Chinese planes, and he did so in a Very Big Way.

So the morning started off with 26 Sallys and 36 Oscars flying in to hit the Air Base at Hengyang. The incoming Japanese were met by 10 Lancers and 12 H81As. The Japanese lost 1 Sally and 3 Oscars, but the rest of the bombers got through to hit the Air Fields.

Next a big Sweep of 45 Oscars flew in and faced 5 Lancers and 6 H81As. This time 1 H81A was shot down. This was followed by an attack of 18 more Sallys and 19 more Oscars. They were met by 2 Lancers, of which 1 was shot down. The Japanese Bombers hit the Air Base again.

Then 19 more Oscars Swept in but this time they found empty skies. Yet another Japanese Bombing run came right afterwards consisting of 19 more Oscars and 11 Sonias. The Air Base was hit again. Finally, one last Sweep of 19 Oscars flew in and looked around at the empty sky and the devastation below.

So if it weren�t for the fact that the Japanese attacks came in separated the cost to the Chinese Air Force could have been much, much worse. As it is, the End of Day statistics showed a slight edge for the Chinese as the Japanese lost 6 Oscars, 4 of them to AtoA, while the Chinese lost 3 Lancers, 1 to AtoA, and 2 H81s, again 1 to AtoA. In any event, it is obvious that the Chinese Air Force is not yet ready to take on the Japanese, based solely on the number of planes that can be put into the air at one time by both sides. So I moved the Chinese planes back to the relative safety of Chungking and sent the B-24s back to India where they can provide a more viable threat.

In other news, USS Sculpin reported a loss in the temporary floatation repairs. Sculpin is only a little ways from Port, so hopefully it will make it safely.

And the INTEL folks reported yet another case of Japanese Radio signals being assigned to a Japanese ACM, but one that is located at 188, 64. That�s really in the Middle of Nowhere in the Eastern Pacific. I have no TFs anywhere near that location, and I rarely do. So I�m not diverting any TFs this time. I wonder what causes that report � a lost Japanese Raider TF or sub, or a drunken INTEL Radio operator?

And Most Importantly, those two Japanese LCUs that had been seen north of Cairns a while back but which had vanished have shown up again, but this time 1 hex south of Cooktown along the Coast. Those two units must have been given �Move to Cooktown� orders and so they did, but they took the Slow route along the Coast. I know what that route is like, so that is why I have ordered the Troops for my Attacks to follow the Inland road. I�ve also ordered a TF of Cruisers and DDs to move northwards under LR CAP, just in case they get the chance to bombard either those two LCUs or Cooktown itself. Just to make certain I�ve ordered some Recon over those two LCUs in addition to my daily Recon over Cooktown.

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Post #: 435

Super Sub Wars! - 3/25/2011 2:42:23 AM

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October 30, 1942 �

The Night Phase was rather amazing. The beginning was somewhat unexpected although mundane, as the dot base of Umboi Island off of New Britain was automatically occupied. Then Super Sub Wars started.

First, USS Permit hit an xAK off of Kanoya with a dud torpedo.

Next, USS Trout hit an SC with a dud off of Fukue-jima.

Next, I-166 shot torpedoes at RN DD Decoy off of Colombo but missed. Decoy and the other Brit DDs in this dedicated ASW TF then proceeded to chase the Japanese sub and eventually scored 5 minor hits on it.

Next, I-3 hit S-31 with two torpedoes off of Buldir Island. S-31 sank like a stone.

Next, I-166 attempted to hit one of the British DDs in that ASW TF, this time DD Electra, but missed again. This time the British DDs hammered the Japanese sub with depth charges, forced it up to the surface, and sank it with gun fire.

Next, USS Barb hit a PB with a live torpedo at Rabaul. The PB eventually sank and Barb got away clean.

Next, USS Saury hit an APD with a dud at Ndeni. Barb received three hits in return from the Japanese Escorts in the TF and is now on its way back to Port.

Finally, USS Silversides hit an SC with a dud off of Kanoya.

The Day Phase was almost anticlimactic as the only action consisted of multiple Japanese Army Air Attacks at the now undefended Air Base at Hengyang. It�s a very good thing that I pulled all of my planes out, because the following happened:

- 18 Oscars did a High Altitude Sweep
- 29 Sallys, escorted by 24 Oscars, hit the Air Base
- 22 Lilies and 3 Sonias hit the Air Base
- 3 Oscars Swept
- 20 Sallys, escorted by 20 Oscars, hit the Air Base
- 6 Sonias hit the Air Base
- 6 Lilies, escorted by 8 Oscars hit the Air Base

Afterwards I was rather surprised to find that the Air Fields were still open, likely thanks to the large quantity of Chinese Engineers in the LCUs at the Base.

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Post #: 436

Smaller Sub Wars - 3/27/2011 1:29:23 AM

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October 31, 1942 �

The Night Phase brought some sub action, but not on the scale that we�ve seen lately. First off Dutch sub O19 was chased in the Singapore hex by three Japanese PBs, but got away. O19 was there to drop off mines and did its job well.

Then as O19 started to leave it got a shot at Japanese CL Oi. The Dutch sub shot of four torpedoes but missed. Once again the sub got away from the escorts. Oi was in quite a big Transport TF that contained a number of TKs, AKs, and various escorts.

Finally, USS Barb took a shot at a Japanese DD at Rabaul, but missed. The Japanese ASW ships then hit Barb twice, sending the sub back to port.

Daylight brought a lot of Recon Flights, but no other action.

The November 1, 1942 turn arrived, and with it come an update of stats and positions. Below is the Intel Screen. The ratio of Japanese to Allied points continues to decline ever so slowly. I�ll be following this post with a few more posts that illustrated more of the current situation.

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November 1, 1942 - Air Stats - 3/27/2011 1:32:15 AM

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Here are two charts of Air Stats for November 1, 1942. The first shows total losses for both sides. Those B-17Es lost really hurt, but there isn't much that can be done about it because 4Es are my most effective weapon at this time.

Below that is a chart of the available US bombers... It's a sad, sad sight.

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November 1, 1942 - Ship Stats - 3/27/2011 1:33:44 AM

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Here is a comparison of Ships Lost on both sides. Notice that the Japanese haven't lost any major combat ships.

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November 1, 1942 - Sub Stats - 3/27/2011 1:34:39 AM

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Here is a comparison of Subs Lost on both sides:

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Post #: 440

November 1, 1942 - NE Oz - 3/27/2011 1:36:17 AM

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The general situation in most areas of the Map hasn't changed in the past few months, except in Oz. So I'm going to post a couple of Oz maps to show where the action is, and will be. First off, Northeastern Oz:

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< Message edited by ADB123 -- 3/27/2011 1:38:19 AM >

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November 1, 1942 - NW Oz - 3/27/2011 1:37:17 AM

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And here is the current situation in NW Oz. Things will liven up there soon enough...

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Post #: 442

Mine Misfortunes - 3/27/2011 4:00:22 AM

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November 1, 1942 �

The Night Phase saw one of those unfortunate incidents that was due to bad luck, bad memory or smart enemy planning as S-36 hit a mine at Port Blair. The sub was set to patrol around near Port Blair, but not to specifically go to that base. And I had forgotten if Port Blair was mined or not. Sure enough, my opponent had mined it, and there was at least one mine left there for S-36 to hit. So the sub is in very bad shape and likely will not reach safety. Oh well, I�ll just have to try to remember all of the places where my opponent has placed defensive mines.

Daylight brought out lots of Recon again but no other action. However, afterwards the results of the Recon and Search Flights were significant.

First off, those two Japanese LCUs that were spotted just south of Cooktown made it into the base this turn. My Recon insists that the total number of troops is small, but I don�t necessarily believe that and I will make certain that I hit the base hard with plenty of good troops when I do attack it. What makes me particularly suspicious is that my opponent has increased the number of Fighters at the base again.

At the same time my Recon over Katherine once again reports that there aren�t any enemy planes there. However, the last time I believed that I lost several 4Es against Enemy Fighters during a Bombing Run.

And once again SIGINT reported that there is an enemy AR in Port at Buna. That seems a bit strange because Buna is only a Size 2 Port at this time, but I�ve decided to test out the accuracy of the INTEL by sending some 4Es to hit the Port. Maybe I�ll get lucky � on the other hand maybe I�ll run into a Ton of Fighters like I did at Port Moresby.

But Most Importantly, my Search Planes spotted a couple of Big Japanese TFs to the northwest of Samoa. The Search Planes reported that the Japanese TFs are headed Southeast. One of the TFs appears to be the same sort of medium-sized Air Combat TF that showed up north of Luganville when Japanese reinforcements were brought there.

I�ve never built up Samoa beyond the original units, so I�m not in a position to stop any serious assault. I pulled out the lone Minesweeper that has been hanging around in port at Pago Pago, and flew out the Catalinas. If it is just a Raid I�ll send them back in afterwards. If it�s an invasion then I�ll keep an eye on the situation in case I can stage some sort of ambush.

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Post #: 443

Naval Bombardments, Aerial Bombardments - 3/27/2011 10:26:23 PM

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November 2, 1942 �

The usually unreliable night time coast watcher reports flooded in like always, with a slight added twist. This time there was a report of an AS in the Port at Buna. Was this more science fiction or were there going to be some good targets for my Bombers once the sun came up?

Beyond reports, the Night also brought a Japanese Naval Bombardment of Pago Pago:

Night Naval bombardment of Pago Pago at 148,161 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!

18 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
BB Hiei
BB Haruna
CA Nachi
CA Haguro

Allied ground losses:
35 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 8
Port hits 1
Port supply hits 2

BB Hiei firing at 8th Marine Defense Battalion
8th Marine Defense Battalion firing at BB Hiei
BB Haruna firing at Pago Pago
CA Nachi firing at Pago Pago
CA Haguro firing at 8th Marine Defense Battalion
8th Marine Defense Battalion firing at CA Haguro

Afterwards the two Japanese TFs were spotted moving westwards, so this looks like it was only a Nuisance Raid and not the prelude to an invasion. The damage was minor and will be repaired reasonably quickly. However, what this told me was that my 5� and 6� Coastal Guns can�t hit the Japanese BBs and CAs if the ships stay far offshore to do their bombardments.

Daylight brought the USAAF back into action in two Fronts that are very far apart.

First came the attack on the two Japanese Infantry Regiments that are sitting in the Jungle one hex due east of Akyab. I�m not sure why my opponent has left those two LCUs sitting there. Perhaps he has them set �1 mile� from Akyab and is waiting for me to move in some troops before he sends them in to contest the base. Maybe he doesn�t want me to use them for Target Practice for Naval Bombardments. In any event, sitting in the jungle didn�t protect the two Infantry units from Air Attacks.

A P-38F Squadron swept in first and found 4 Oscars and 1 A6M3 on CAP. The Lightnings made swift work of the Japanese Fighters, shooting down one of each with no losses to the US planes.

Next came in 16 B-17Fs and 12 B-24Ds. There was 1 Oscar on CAP and the big 4Es blew past it and hit the Japanese troops on the ground hard.

Then 16 B-17Es flew in and found 2 more Oscars on CAP. The Bombers shot down one Oscar and hit their target again.

Finally, 12 more B-24Ds flew in blew past the single Oscar that was on CAP. Once again the 4Es found their target.

Afterwards, the P-38E squadron finally flew its Sweep over the hex and found one last Oscar on CAP. The Oscar had no chance and was shot down easily.

So this turned into a near perfect attack as all of the Bombers hit their target, a number of enemy Fighters were shot down, there were no losses of Bombers or Fighters on the USAAF side, and there were very few damaged planes.

However...

The Long Range Attack on the Port at Buna was a different story. Sure enough, my opponent is using Buna as a major Air Base, and the attack could have turned out even more costly for the 4Es if it weren�t for the fact that a number of Japanese Fighter units were on Training missions.

First in were 15 B-17Es that ran into 10 Nicks and 26 A6M2s. The bombers fought their way past the CAP but only got 1 hit on the Port. Four B-17s were damaged.

Then a second squadron of 15 more B-17Es flew in and faced 26 Zeros and 9 Nicks. This time 1 Zero was shot down, 1 B-17 was shot down, and 5 B-17s were damaged. The US Bombers didn�t hit their target.

Finally a last squadron of 11 B-17Es flew in and faced 10 Zeros and 3 Nicks. One Zero was shot down and 4 B-17s were damaged, and once again the Bombers couldn�t hit their target.

At the end of the day the overall results from the two Bombing Attacks were as follows:

9 A6M2 lost, 5 A-to-A
6 Oscars lost, 6 A-to-A
2 Nicks lost
1 A6M3 lost, 1 A-to-A

9 B-17Es lost, 7 A-to-A

All of the B-17s were lost on the Buna raid. What that tells me is that I should focus on doing short-range raids at this time.

However, despite the cost of the Buna Raid, I did get the satisfaction of seeing afterwards that my opponent has formed a TF at Buna and is likely sending the ships that were there to safety further away.

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Post #: 444

500 Oscars - 3/28/2011 4:37:58 AM

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November 3, 1942 �

The Night Phase started out with Japanese sub I-6 shooting 4 torpedoes at an APD near Sanak Island, but missing. The APD, along with two more APDs in the TF, returned the favour by attacking the sub but missing.

Next, S-36 finally lost the fight against the damage it had sustained from the mine at Port Blair and sank in the dark.

Then USS Gar caught an xAKL alone on the surface and attacked with surface guns in the middle of the East China Sea off of Shanghai. The sub got in 6 hits but then the little freighter hit the sub with a shell that penetrated the hull, so the Gar�s skipper submerged and started the long journey home.

Daylight brought a series of Japanese Air Raids along the Indo-Burmese border. First off 26 Oscars swept Imphal where they ran into 21 Hurricanes on CAP. One Hurricane was lost. Then 27 Oscars swept Ledo where they ran into 16 Hurricanes. Again, one Hurricane was lost.

This was followed by 3 more Oscars that ran into 2 remaining Hurricanes over Ledo. Again 1 Hurricane was shot down. Finally, 24 Lilies, accompanied by 20 Oscars, hit some of the troops at Ledo.

At the end of the day the losses were:

8 Oscars � 4 A-to-A
7 Hurricanes � 5 A-to-A

No British pilots were lost.

This result saw the 500th Oscar lost. I�m not certain if I�ve even had a total of 500 Fighters so far�

In other, and rather important, news, a Japanese TF has shown up at Cooktown. It appears that my opponent is attempting to pull out some of his troops ahead of the arrival of my Land Forces at Cooktown. Fortunately for me, I�ve got a number of surprises that I will throw at the Japanese TF next turn. It will be interesting to see what happens.

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Post #: 445

Owning the Sky Over Cooktown - 3/29/2011 3:07:45 AM

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November 4, 1942 �

The Night Phase saw another Surface Sub Attack as USS Trout caught a lone xAK on the surface near Fukue-jima. The gun crew of the Trout hit the freighter with 17 shots while the torpedo crew put two live torpedoes into the hapless ship. The crew of the Trout headed back to port with empty torpedo tubes and a Job Well Done.

Unfortunately, that couldn�t be said for my Naval Forces down in the northeast corner of Australia as the Japanese Fast Transport TFs got away clean with most of the Japanese troops that were at Cooktown. My TFs found no trace of the Japanese ships, and neither did my subs in the region. Once Daylight came even my Search Planes couldn�t find the Japanese ships.

But while the Navy didn�t do their job, the Army Air Corps did theirs very well once Daylight came. I had the right forces in the right place at the right time, and the result was near perfect.

First off 22 P-38Es swept in on Cooktown and found 12 Zeros on CAP. The Lightnings blasted the Zeros and shot down 4 while damaging or driving away the rest. Next came in 25 P-38Fs, but there were no more Japanese planes in the sky.

This allowed the Main Performance, 11 B24Ds, 36 B-17Es and 16 P-40Ks, to fly in unopposed and hit the Air Base, Air Supply and Runways at Cooktown very hard. There were lots of hits on all of the facilities and 7 Zeros were reported destroyed on the ground.

At the end of the day the Final Tally was 23 Zeros destroyed � 8 A-to-A and 15 on the ground. Recon showed that my opponent pulled out most of whatever was left. The US Army will be rolling in to town in a couple of days, so that will close out this portion of the Japanese Australian Adventure of 1942. Now I�ll start to focus on recovering Northern Australia.

BTW � I�m getting the feeling that my opponent is pulling back some of his troops away from the Front Lines in China. I�m suspicious that he is using them to back up his forces in Burma.

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Post #: 446

Back to Quiet Times - 3/30/2011 1:52:57 AM

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November 5, 1942 �

There was a return to No Action this turn, both in the Night Phase and in the Day Phase. Even Recon was subdued. The only major change was that more Japanese subs than normal showed up in the Aleutians. So I sent out more ASW TFs than usual.

My opponent is pleased with how good a job his Fast Transports did at pulling out his troops from Cooktown last turn. I�m still a bit ticked off that none of my submarines, nor any of my Air Search squadrons, found any sign of the Japanese TFs. There are still a few bits-and-pieces of Japanese equipment and wrecked planes at Cooktown. My Armoured units should arrive next turn and re-capture the base the following turn.

In the meanwhile I am turning my attention on Northern Australia, and I�m getting the feeling that my opponent has pulled most of his forces out of there too. Oh well, I�ll continue along with my plans and build up my Base Infrastructure ahead of any major moves forward.

So things ought to be fairly quiet for the rest of 1942. I�ll see if I can lull my opponent into making a few mistakes.

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Post #: 447

DEs vs Subs - 3/31/2011 2:04:29 AM

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November 6, 1942 �

The Night Phase saw IJN sub I-6 take a shot at a US DE near Nagai Island in the Aleutians. The torpedoes missed, which then gave the 4 DEs in the ASW TF a shot at the Japanese sub. Eventually the DEs scored 8 hits on the sub, so I-6 ought to be heading home for a while.

But this isn�t discouraging the IJN submarine fleet as my Search Planes and Intel spotted four more Japanese subs in the region, including a group of three in one hex. They are all reported to be travelling eastwards. The subs are sailing south of my main Shipping Routes in the region, probably because I am sending TFs from Prince Rupert to the Aleutians rather than from Seattle or other West Coast US Ports.

Still and all, I�m surprised and a little perplexed at this because there have been hardly any Japanese subs reported off of the West Coast in half a year. Maybe the subs are carrying mines. Or maybe they are ferrying mini-subs.

On the other hand, maybe the subs are being sent out in advance of an IJN Raid into the region. My opponent has been Raiding in the South Pacific, so I�m really surprised that he hasn�t Raided into the northeast Pacific. (For example, SIGNINT and my Naval Search planes reported a Japanese TF in the Southern Gilberts this turn. I don�t yet know where it is going so I�ve pulled back a little TF that I have in the region.)

Just in case he is planning such a thing I moved more Air Units northwards to my bases in the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Those units were going to move to the Aleutians eventually anyway, so starting them now is not a problem.

In other news, Daylight brought a return to intensive Aerial Reconnaissance from both sides. My opponent finally flew some Recon over Cairns for the first time since I re-captured it. It would be nice for my Fighter Pilots if my opponent would send some Bombers too, but I don�t think that he will make that sort of rookie mistake.

And the US Army Armoured Units reached Cooktown this turn. There are only �leftovers� in the base as far as Japanese forces go, so the Tankers ought to capture the base easily next turn.

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Post #: 448

Cooktown Liberated! - 4/1/2011 9:31:46 PM

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November 7, 1942 �

The Night Phase saw I-3, one of the Japanese subs in the Aleutians, take a shot at a US SC near Umnak. It was the Lucky Night of that SC as the torpedo that hit it was a dud. The SCs in the ASW TF then chased I-3 and eventually got a couple of hits on the sub.

Daylight brought out the Allied Air Force over Burma as another Air Attack took place on the Japanese Infantry Regiments at Kalemyo. First off P-38s and Hurricanes swept in. But this time there was no �leaking� CAP and the Allied fighters found empty skies. This was fine with the pilots of the 4Es who followed with 16 B-17Fs, 16 B-17Es and 24 B-24Ds, along with Hurricanes on Escort. The Bombing Run went perfectly and the Japanese troops were hit hard.

Then came the Big Event of the Day as US armoured units rolled into Cooktown and re-captured it easily. There were only non-portable fragments of two JNAF AF Base Forces left at the base, along with a very nice catch of damaged Zeros.

Afterwards the Air Losses table listed those losses as 2 �air-to-air� and 20 �operational�. That is Fog of War in a Big Way.

So now I�ve got to get up Support troops to repair the base and prepare it for future action. There are also Japanese mines at the base so I�m sending up some Minesweepers to clear the port.

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Post #: 449

More Sub Hunting - 4/2/2011 3:33:51 AM

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November 8, 1942 �

The Night Phase saw more Allied ASW in action. First off a 4-DE ASW TF caught Japanese sub I-23 near Nagai Island and chased it away, although they didn�t get any hits on the sub. Then I-175 shot at and missed an AVD near Canton Island. One of the DEs that was with the AVD didn�t miss and the sub was sent home limping.

Daylight brought plenty of Air Recon but no other action.

Canton Island is Back in Business again after a Seabee unit cleaned up the mess left by the Japanese Naval Bombardment a while back. So I moved a Catalina squadron back and set them to watch the waters in the region again. BTW � Pago Pago was fixed up within a couple of days of receiving a Japanese Naval Bombardment, so those nuisance bombardments did nothing more than use up Japanese fuel.

So things are likely to be fairly slow for a while. It will be several weeks before my LCUs reach their next objectives in Oz, and even longer before those objectives are built up enough to support the next phase of advances. So my January 1, 1943 timetable still looks realistic.

BTW � if you are wondering, I have no intention of attempting any Amphibious Assaults in the next few months. I much prefer to continue setting up land-based stepping stones.

Elsewhere, things continue to be quiet in China. I can�t do anything, and my opponent isn�t doing anything, so that�s fine with me at this time.

And it�s Winter in the Aleutians, so I�m not going to be doing anything but chasing enemy subs until Spring.

Finally, I�m still a bit concerned about the Indo-Burma region. My opponent now has at least 200 Fighters at various bases in Burma, and I can�t match those numbers at this time. What I don�t want to do is to get into a battle of attrition because I can�t focus overwhelming Air Power anywhere at this time. So I have to continue to �wave� the threat of my 4Es while not wasting them against Fighter and Flak traps.

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Post #: 450