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

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Soerabaja is Lost - 8/4/2010 3:40:17 AM

ADB123

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April 7, 1942 -

Yet another night phase without action. Both sides must be getting their Beauty Sleep...

Daylight brought numerous Japanese air raids on Bataan and Soerabaja, and single air raids on Merak, Medan, and various Chinese LCUs in the field. The situation in China continues to be ugly � everything that I try seems to just make things worse. Maybe things will change a bit once I can put the Chinese A81 squadrons into action.

BTW � almost all of the Allied Air Missions were washed out this turn, even the Recon flights. I think that the pilots are on a schedule of sleeping all day and drinking all night.

There was a Japanese Deliberate Attack on Bataan this turn. The Japanese achieved a 1:1 result and lowered the Fortifications to 0. The troops at Bataan are totally out of supply, so the Japanese ought to be able to capture the base with one more attack. However, the fight still caused twice as many Japanese casualties as Allied, so maybe my opponent will spend a few more days doing Artillery attacks before the Final Battle.

Today was the Final Battle for Soerabaja as the Japanese attackers achieved a 6:1 result with a Deliberate attack and captured the base. Three Dutch units were destroyed and the rest retreated. It appears that the Dutch Engineers didn't have much luck destroying facilities before they left town.

In Sumatra four Japanese LCUs have shown up a hex away from Medan. There is a motley assortment of Allied LCUs at Medan, so I don't expect the base to last very long.

And in a bit of good news � USS Houston has made it to the Off-Map corridor on its way to the Cape Town. Twenty-four days from now Houston will finally be able to settle into a dry dock and be repaired. It's been a long, slow escape for Houston.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 181

RE: Soerabaja is Lost - 8/8/2010 3:28:30 PM

Thayne

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I simply wish to make a note that this is one AAR I make sure to read whenever an update is posted. I thank you for your efforts.

Thayne

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 182

RE: Soerabaja is Lost - 8/8/2010 3:42:03 PM

ADB123

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Thayne

I simply wish to make a note that this is one AAR I make sure to read whenever an update is posted. I thank you for your efforts.

Thayne

Thanks for your interest!

My opponent is still on his family holiday - camping somewhere. He has several pre-teen boys and it's always great to see a family that takes the time to get away from our busy, Techie World to get some fresh air and exercise!

So it will be a while yet before I get another turn and get to post some more.

Thanks again!

(in reply to Thayne)

Post #: 183

Bataan Finally Surrenders - 8/12/2010 3:24:58 AM

ADB123

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My opponent is back to Civilization, or at least out of the woods,

so he sent a turn this evening. We should get back to a more regular pace as of this coming weekend.

April 8, 1942 -

The night phase was dead quiet. I'll have to enjoy this respite while I still can.

Daylight brought Japanese bombers out in force. Bataan was hit repeatedly. Bandoeng was hit, but there the AA caused a good number of Japanese losses. Medan also got hit, as did some of my Chinese troops out in the open in China. And Port Blair was hit for a change.

My 4Es in India flew against the airfields at Rangoon this turn, despite horrible weather. Eleven Oscars were on CAP against 7 B-17Es and 5 LB-30s. My heavy bombers flew past the Oscars and even hit the target, albeit lightly, but the combination of flak and bad weather cost one of the Liberators. I'm resting them again for a couple of turns while I wait to see if easier targets appear.

A lot of Japanese CAP flew in China. The fighters were all Oscars, so it appears that my opponent has succeeded in replacing many of his Nates with Oscars.

Cairns received multiple Japanese Recon visits, so I suspect that my opponent is seriously considering opening a Second Front in Australia in the northeast.

I received a surprising bit of bad news this turn as USS Houston reported a failure in its Temporary Floation while on the long off-map journey to Cape Town. I was under the impression that Off-Map was a sort of �safe zone�, but obviously it isn't. Houston still has 23 days to go to reach Cape Town, so I might lose the ship yet.

The Ground War started out with a Japanese column attacking a Chinese Corp in rough ground south of Changsha. Despite having 2 Infantry Brigades, an Infantry Regiment, and an Armored Regiment, the Japanese only achieved a 1:1 result from their Deliberate Attack and took twice as many casualties as the Chinese.

I set the two Chinese fighter units that are now equiped with A81s to fly LR CAP over that Chinese unit next turn. I'm hoping that catches my opponent by surprise as he attempts to fly in some bombers. I've also sent some of my Chinese bombers to Sian so that they can bomb a Japanese column that is advancing a handful of hexes to the south. China continues to be a headache, but I am also continuing to try to make China a headache for my opponent too.

Last, but definitely not least, the Japanese besiegers of Bataan finally succeeded in capturing the base with a Deliberate Attack where they gained a 2:1 result. So now my opponent has the two Infantry Divisions, along with all of the other smaller units that were in the siege, available to threaten my lines elsewhere.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 184

Retreating Artillery - 8/13/2010 3:49:23 AM

ADB123

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April 9, 1942 -

This was yet another night phase without any action. The only news were reports by Coast Watchers in northern Oz, PNG and the Solomons.

Daylight brought Japanese bombers out over Medan and Merak as usual, but also over Pamakassan for the first time. That one is pretty funny because there is only a fragment of a unit there that I couldn't fly out with Dutch Catalinas.

Japanese bombers also hit Chinese troops in the open, but my Air Ambush worked very nicely, which ought to give my opponent something to think about. The two Chinese squadrons of A81s jumped a small group of Oscars that were escorting some Idas. The Chinese blew past the Oscars, shooting down one, and then whacked the Idas hard, eventually shooting down between 5 and 7 of them. No A81s were lost, although several were damaged. Then the Chinese bombers attacked the Japanese troops on the road to Sian, but they didn't cause any damage.

With my opponent now alerted to the change in the air in China I moved my planes again and readied the bombers for another strike against a different target. I've got the A81s sitting out this next turn in order to reduce their fatigue levels.

There was only one Ground Combat battle this turn as some Japanese units attempted an artillery bombardment of one of my units in rough ground south of Changsha. The bombardment had no effect. (Those are the Japanese troops that I'll send my bombers after next turn.)

And in one of those funny and inexplicable Game Actions, a couple of Japanese Artillery units retreated spontaneously from the hex next to Soerabaja where my retreating Soerabaja defenders went after the loss of the base.

BTW � SIGINT actually informed me of a planned Japanese assault for a change. Of course, this being SIGINT, the information wasn't terribly critical. It turns out that the Japanese 55th Cavalry unit is planning to attack Prome. Prome was bypassed during the Japanese advance into Burma and it appears that my opponent only now noticed that it wasn't switching over to the Japanese side automatically.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 185

Less Air Action, More Ground Action - 8/15/2010 3:17:52 AM

ADB123

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April 10, 1942 -

The night phase brought an unpleasant surprise to me � the escorts in an incoming Transport TF found enemy mines at Christmas Island. I only found this out because I had the Transport TF stop at Christmas Island in order to pick up a couple of ships that were waiting there for escort back to Hawaii.

Fortunately, the escorts � in this case PGs � found and destroyed the mines without hitting any. But I can't do more about the mines at this time because all of my dedicated minesweepers are currently in various ports getting upgraded.

This is also bothersome because it is the first time that my opponent has paid any sort of attention to Christmas Island. Was he just hoping to catch the odd ship passing by, or is he thinking of eventually invading? And right now I can't send a Combat TF out to hover around the Base because all of my DDs are currently also in Port being upgraded.

I got some additional irritating news during the night as USS BB Oklahoma reported that its Temporary Floatation was failing while the ship is still several days off of San Francisco. We'll just have to wait and see if the old BB makes it or not.

The Air Phase was surprisingly quiet, maybe because it seemed that the Weather was bad everywhere on the Map. There were only two small Japanese air attacks on Medan, although a number of Japanese Recon Missions flew.

However, the Ground Combat Phase made up for the unusually quiet Air Phase. First off, the Japanese Imperial Guard Division, along with an Engineering Regiment, an Infantry Regiment, and a Mountain Gun Regiment attempted a Deliberate Attack on Bandoeng. The attack didn't do much, getting a 1:2 result and not reducing the Fortifications from their current level of 3. The Japanese also suffered almost twice as many casualties as the Dutch.

Then at Medan a Japanese Recon Regiment, along with an Engineering Regiment, an Infantry Regiment, and an Artillery Regiment, attempted another Deliberate Attack which was more successful, with a 2:1 result, a reduction of the Fortifications from Level 3 to Level 2, and about equal casualties on both sides.

Next, a Japanese Tank Regiment along with an SLNF unit captured the empty Katherine in northern Oz. The hike is longer to Daly Waters, so I ought to have the time to get everyone out of there before any Japanese show up. I may also try some Air Raids on Katherine, although I expect that my opponent will provide Long Range CAP over it.

Finally, a Japanese Tank Regiment captured the empty Dutch base of Kalidjati on the north shore of Java.

But my actions stopped with the end of the Combat Replay because when I loaded the actual turn the Game told me that the Turn was under a different Rev � 1.03.1102aa � which was the previous release. So I didn't go any further and instead sent off an email to my opponent asking why he saved the last turn under the old Game Version.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 186

Little Air Action, Less Ground Action - 8/16/2010 2:52:12 AM

ADB123

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April 11, 1942 -

This was another quiet night turn, other than plenty of Coast Watcher reports from PNG and the Solomons. Daylight was also relatively quiet as my opponent appears to be standing down most of his Air Force, other than Recon planes. The only Japanese air attacks this turn were on Batavia, and those attacks were fairly light.

Chinese bombers flew to attack the Japanese troops south of Changsha, but they couldn't find their target in the rough terrain. I upgraded another Chinese Fighter unit to A81s, and moved them all back to Chungking for now. Having a Threat is more important than actually flying at this point in time.

Allied Air Patrols have recently been noticing more Japanese subs off of the West Coast of North America than usual. I don't know if this is because the subs have been off for repairs or because my opponent wants to get a better idea of my TF traffic in the region. In any event, he may well be disappointed because I have few TFs in the region, and those that are around are very big, well defended, and not sailing in the usual Shipping Lanes. I also upped the Airborne ASW levels all along the West Coast � I have a LOT of planes flying ASW in that region and they are slowly starting to get good at it.

There are also a fair number of Japanese subs off of the East Coast of Australia, and I have lots of planes flying ASW there too. I also don't have any TFs sailing in that region, other than a couple of small PT TFs in the northeast. But then, subs have been pretty much constantly present along the East Coast of Oz for the past few months.

The Ground War consisted of only two Japanese attacks this turn. First, many of the Japanese troops that captured Soerabaja attacked the Dutch survivors of Soerabaja this turn at Malang. Surprisingly, the Japanese only achieved a 1:1 result with their Deliberate attack, although they reduced the Forts down to zero. So the Dutch will hold on for one more day before they are driven back again.

There was also another Japanese Deliberate Attack at Medan. The Japanese troops achieved a 1:1 result and lowered the Fortifications down to Level 1. So barring an odd dice roll the Japanese ought to capture Medan on the next attack.

Things continue to be dicey in northern Australia. There are now four Japanese units at Katherine and they have some Aircraft there, which are likely fighters. My pullback from the region continues at a snail's pace because my troops have so little in the way of Supply. I still think that I can get the bulk of my forces back to Daly Waters without having to do a fighting withdrawal, but even then I suspect that I may have to give up Daly Waters too because of the difficulty in getting supply to it.

Otherwise, things are going pretty much to plan, except for the conundrum of what to do with Canton Island. I haven't reinforced the Base, and the only unit there is still the original civilian base force. But that unit is due to be withdrawn in 2 and a half months and I am very reluctant to put reinforcements into the Base because it is so exposed to attack. But I also don't want to lose it as a Patrol Plane base. It's also already up to a Level 4 Fort, so if I were to bring in some troops they could cause some grief to an invasion. So I'm torn, and am putting off making a decision at this time.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 187

Dutch Tenacity - 8/17/2010 3:46:52 AM

ADB123

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April 12, 1942 -

This was yet another night without any action. Only Coast Watcher reports livened up the darkness.

Daylight once again brought limited Japanese bombing on Medan, Malang, and Bandoeng. The AA guns at Bandoeng fought back well again.

Otherwise, the only other planes flying were Japanese Recon flights over northern Australia, the Indo-Burmese border, and China.

Japanese subs continued to prowl the east coast of Australia and the west coast of North America, and my Patrol planes continued to get to practice on the subs.

There were three Ground Attacks this turn. First off the Japanese attempted a Deliberate Attack on Bandoeng, achieved a 1:2 result, but still reduced the Forts to Level 2. There were slightly more Japanese casualties than Dutch.

Next, there was another Deliberate Attack on Malang. Surprisingly, the result was only 1:1 and so the Dutch held again.

Then there was another Deliberate Attack on Medan. The Japanese achieved a 2:1 result and reduced the Fortifications down to zero, but the Dutch Engineers rebuilt the Forts up to Level 1 overnight.

All-in-all, I am consistantly surprised by the tenacity of the Dutch forces.

The Big News this turn was that my US submarines started to come back from their April upgrades. Now that they have Radar I am sending them back out in numbers. I intend to start an early Interdiction Campaign around Japan itself, flood the Bay of Bengal with subs, and also set up a sub picket zone in the Central Pacific.

And in a few days I will start to get back my US DDs and the first DEs, so I will be able to send out Combat TFs soon too.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 188

Coast Watcher's Delight - 8/18/2010 3:52:12 AM

ADB123

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April 13, 1942 -

The night phase was a Coast Watcher's Delight, but that may change soon as US subs get back into action.

Daylight brought heavier Japanese bombing raids on Medan and Malang, and plenty of Japanese Recon flights over northern Australia.

The Chinese bombers took off to hit the Japanese troops that are in the Clear southwest of Changsha and succeeded in whacking the Japanese unit quite well, despite the presence of a couple of Oscars on CAP. The weather man is predicting more rain tomorrow so I pulled the Chinese planes back to Chungking for rest.

Japanese troops finally captured Medan this turn, driving the Defenders out onto the southern road. Surprisingly, the Japanese troops at Malang fired off an Artillery Bombardment instead of attacking. The Dutch only took a handful of casualties from the incoming shells.

Otherwise, I remain cautiously on the Alert because I haven't heard from the KB for a while. I suspect that the KB went back to Singapore for replenishment and repairs, but I wouldn't be surprised if it turned up somewhere else soon. The only other reason for my opponent to leave it in the region would be if he wanted to use it to help soften up the Dutch forces at Batavia before a final Japanese assault.

I received a number of LCU reinforcements this turn. For the most part they are just window dressing and won't contribute a lot to my current Defensive Plans. I'm supposed to get a number of Air Units next turn, but I'm not certain how many of them are new and how many are just extra units that I withdrew a couple of months ago.

More importantly, I'll be getting back a large number of US DDs over the next couple of days, which will bring the USN back into full operational standing.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 189

Another Base Lost in Java - 8/19/2010 3:11:27 AM

ADB123

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April 14, 1942 -

Once again there was no action during the Night phase, only reports of ships moving into and out of the Japanese-held ports in PNG, the Solomons, and northern Australia. I am guessing that my opponent is building up multiple bases in a big way in the expectation of an Allied counter-offensive in the region. I'm only glad that those Japanese troops are there and not somewhere else.

The Day Phase was relatively quiet. My opponent reported that for the first time he could remember, he lost no planes at all during the turn; not even to Operational Damage. Only a few Japanese bombers flew and attacked the retreating Dutch troops in Sumatra and the already once-retreated Dutch troops in Malang.

The Japanese finally captured Malang this turn with a Deliberate Attack. So the remaining Dutch troops retreated once again to the next Base down the road. My opponent ought to be able to wrap up Java before the end of April.

Otherwise, things were quiet, other than in China where my opponent and I are playing �chess� with our LCUs. I've just brought out the Chinese bombers and H81s again to attack a Japanese column that is trying to trap a Chinese unit southwest of Changsha. We'll see how much LR CAP my opponent gets over his troops.

The Indo-Burma border region remains quiet, other than Recon flights by both sides. I don't feel like spending 4Es on toughened targets like Mandalay right now because there is little to gain from attacking. So I have my planes on Recon or Search in order to keep an eye on what the Japanese are doing.

The Eastern Pacific remains very quiet other than the occasional Japanese sub that appears along the West Coast. USS Oklahoma finally made it to San Francisco and the Shipyards this turn. The Oklahoma will now spend around six months being repaired. This leaves only Arizona in Pearl Harbor. The Arizona still has plenty of damage and is scheduled to be in Drydock for around another eight months or so.

More Allied ships came out of Upgrades this turn, including a number of DDs and also a dozen or so AKEs. I am planning for the future, even though I am not doing much at the moment.

The most worrisome Front for me right now is Australia. My troops are still pulling back very slowly from the North and I am getting ready to finally abandon Daly Waters. I will eventually probably abandon Tennant Creek too � it is just too hard to keep it supplied.

And next turn my remaining troops will take the Train out of Townsville. I am very reluctant to give up the Northeast without a fight, but I just can't bring together enough good units in order to stop a serious Japanese invasion, let alone an all-out �Let's Capture Australia� attack. If my opponent does come in to the Northeast in a big way I will pull back to the Brisbane region and make a stand there.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 190

Broken Record - 8/20/2010 3:46:45 AM

ADB123

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April 15, 1942 -

The Night Phase was a �broken record� again � no action, only a few Coast Watcher reports in PNG and the Solomons.

Daylight brought a couple of half-hearted sweeps by Zeros over Daly Waters. A few Buffalos got off the ground and both sides attempted to fight in the heavy rain. In the end one Buffalo was lost. Most of the Buffalos are already damaged or in reserve because the base has so little in the way of supplies. I've even been flying in supplies with Bombers, but that hasn't helped. The only bright side is that this British Fighter unit is due to be withdrawn soon anyway.

The only other Japanese air action was bomber raids on Bandoeng. The AA there is still firing back, so that's a good sign. Otherwise, the rest of the Japanese effort consisted of exchanging Recon missions over northern Oz.

The Chinese Air Force got into action and was fortunate enough to avoid any Japanese CAP. Chinese bombers, accompanied by A81s, hit the Japanese column on the road southwest of Changsha and actually did some damage because the Japanese are in a Clear spot. I've found that Ground Attacks are almost useless in any type of terrain other than Clear.

Ground action consisted of two Japanese attacks. In the first attack the Japanese column at Bandoeng once again achieved a 1:2 result, but they still reduced the Fortifications down to Level 1, so I expect the base to fall with the next Deliberate Attack. And a Japanese Cavalry unit captured the long-empty Prome, which had been essentially forgotten until recently.

I've been agonizing over what to do with Australia, so I took the time to do an inventory of my current Forces in India, because that's where those two strong Australian Divisions are sitting. I was considering sending one of the Aussie Divisions back to the Mother Country, but as I looked through what I have in India I became more and more discouraged. The great majority of the Indian units are small, weak, poorly trained, poorly equipped, and not suitable for much more than performing Garrison Duty.

If I keep the big British Division and the two Aussie Divisions in India I can probably hold it against a Japanese Invasion. But if I take away one of those three I am concerned that my opponent could cause me a great amount of grief. So for now I will take my chances with shortening my lines in Oz and hoping for the best.

I definitely need my opponent to do something Really Dumb, and unfortunately, he hasn't shown any tendency towards doing that, with the one exception being the misunderstanding he had about replenishing Battleships. So I will have to continue my plan of Bluff, Bluff, and Bluff Some More.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 191

Combat Replay Acting Up - 8/21/2010 4:09:00 AM

ADB123

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April 16, 1942 -

There was a strange start to this turn as the Combat Replay came up with Hexside Details �On� and then raced through the turn much faster than usual. Then when I loaded the Turn itself the only report that contained any data was the Combat Report. So I exited the turn and checked the Game settings and they had all changed from what I always have them set at. So I reset them and then re-ran the Combat Replay, which then ran like normal, with no Hexside Details, and there were all of the Reports afterwards. I didn't change any settings in before running the turn the first time, so I don't know how that happened.

The Night Phase finally saw some action as a Dutch sub attempted to put a couple of torpedoes into a Japanese DD at Oosthaven, but missed. The Japanese DDs in the TF then tried to depthcharge the Dutch sub, but they missed too.

Then there was a very brief report of the CD guns at Banjoewagi firing at something. But there were no other details and I have no idea of what tried to pass by the base. The CD unit at Banjoewagi is the same one that ambushed a Japanese TF at the other end of Java some time ago. I moved the CD unit to Banjoewagi before the Japanese invasion of Java started in the hopes of surprising an additional Japanese TF on the other end of the island. Now the �jig is up�, if my opponent was watching the reports carefully. My guess is that a Japanese sub moved through the hex, because I've seen similar reports when my subs move through an enemy-controlled base hex where there are CD guns.

In the Air War Japanese bombers hit Bandoeng again, but the main action was in China where Japanese bombers, escorted by lots of Oscars, hit my Chinese unit on the road north of Kukong. The Chinese unit was in rough terrain, but not rough enough because the Japanese bombers hit the unit repeatedly. Fortunately, I had predicted this response so my Chinese bombers and A81s were nowhere near the area.

My opponent also wrote to me that he expected to see some 4Es over Prome once he captured it, and sure enough my 4Es did fly and hit the Cavalry unit there. Two Oscars attempted to fly CAP over the base, but they only served as target practice for my Bomber Guncrews. There is a strong chance that my first Allied Ace will be a Bomber pilot. In any event, the Bombers shot down one Oscar and hit the Cavalry unit hard. But I sat them down again for this turn because I sent the message that I wanted to send and there is no particularly good reason to try the same thing again.

In Ground Action, a now very strong Japanese column easily kicked my Chinese LCU out of the road north of Kukong. I wasn't able to get that unit into rough-enough terrain to bog down the Japanese. And at Bandoeng the Japanese launched another Deliberate Attack that achieved a 1:1 result and reduced the Fortifications down to zero. This time the Dutch took twice as many casualties as the Japanese, so time is almost up for that base.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 192

Combat Replay Back to Normal - 8/21/2010 11:28:31 PM

ADB123

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April 17, 1942 -

The Combat Replay ran fine this time. My opponent told me that he hadn't changed anything, so it appeared to be a one-time glitch. (We hope.)

Japanese expansion got back into gear this turn as a small Japanese landing party started to unload at Port Hedland in the far northwestern corner of Australia. I wonder if my opponent will actually attempt to garrison all of these little bases that he is taking, or if he will just �collect� them and move on.

Otherwise, things were fairly quiet this turn. Japanese bombers hit Bandoeng again, and also surprised me by going after the retreating Chinese unit that was pushed off the Kukong road last turn. Since the Chinese unit is now in the Woods, the Japanese bombers weren't as effective as they were when the unit was in the Clear.

To be fair, the Weather was gawdawful everywhere again. Most of the Allied Recon Missions were scrubbed, and even the Japanese Air Missions were affected by bad weather.

The only Ground Action this turn was another Japanese Deliberate Attack at Bandoeng. The Japanese forces were still only able to achieve a 1:1 result, despite the Forts being at Level 0. But the Dutch took twice as many casualties, so things can't go on like this for too much longer.

The Big News this turn was actually a bit wimpy � I finally recombined the Australian 8th Division, but with those two big Infantry units lost in Singapore, the New 18th Division, consisting of only the three �Bird� Battalions, isn't very big or strong. But it is the best unit that I have in Central Australia, so I'm still happy to have it.

So the 8th Division is in Tennent Creek where I am attempting to build a Forward Position. I am still having a gawdawful time trying to get supply to Tennent Creek on a regular basis, but maybe as more units move into it the Ghost in the Machine will move more Supply to the base.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 193

Naval Bombardments in Sumatra - 8/22/2010 3:33:00 PM

ADB123

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April 18, 1942 -

Things are picking up again. The night phase started with a three-BB Japanese TF bombarding the defeated Dutch troops at Tandjoengbalai. The bombardment didn't cause a lot of casualties, probably because the remaining Dutch units are already so beat up that there isn't a lot more that can be done to them. My opponent will likely continue this regularly because Tandjoengbalai is so close to Singapore that he can sail his BBs back and forth in one turn.

The Dutch sub KXI had a clear shot at a Japanese xAKL in a TF near Boetan, but the skipper decided not to fire any torpedoes. I'm pretty ticked off at that decision, so I ordered that sub back to base and will change the skipper. (It's only too bad that there isn't a �Mutiny� button so that you could get rid of a bad skipper at sea...

)

And the Japanese invaders at Port Hedland continued to land. I'm guessing that my opponent is landing a Base Force along with the attacking unit.

Daylight brought long-range Zero sweeps over Tennant Creek. Weather broke up the first Japanese attack and only two Zeros flew in against 4 Buffalos and 12 Warhawks. But even with numerical superiority and the Zeros being at the end of their extended range, the Allied pilots couldn't shoot down any enemy planes and one of each Allied plane was shot down. Later on when the weather was a bit better the rest of the Zeros came in � 17 in all � and found only 3 Buffalos and 9 Warhawks on CAP. With the clear numerical superiority and the Ceiling advantage the Japanese were able to shoot down 3 more Warhawks.

The two Allied Fighter units at Tennant Creek weren't great units, but they weren't bad either and had been trained up as much as possible under the circumstances, but with the current Air Combat Design they had no chance. Fortunately, the Air Fields at Alice Springs finally reached Level 4, so I moved a B-17D squadron and a B-24 squadron in and set them to hit the Air Fields and Port at Darwin. My opponent has massed most of his Zeros at Katherine, so I'm hoping that my 4Es get to pull off a surprise.

Otherwise, my opponent sent more bombers in to hit the Chinese LCU in the woods south of the main Chinese Railroad, and more planes bombed Bandoeng again. Surprisingly, the AA guns at Bandoeng are still damaging some of the attacking Japanese bombers. Fortunately, my opponent has not cut the supply line to Batavia.

In Ground Action Japanese forces easily captured Loemadjang from the already twice-defeated Dutch forces. Three of the Dutch units were destroyed and the rest retreated to Banjoewagi, which is the End-of-the-Line for all of them.

Surprisingly, the Japanese besiegers of Bandoeng chose to fire off an Artillery Attack instead of trying another direct assault. The Artillery attack didn't have any effect while the Counter-battery Fire caused a handful of Japanese casualties.

And Port Hedland was captured. I was surprised to see that one of the Japanese Paratroop units was the attacking force. I wonder why my opponent didn't just Paradrop them onto the empty base instead of shipping them in.

For the second turn in a row I recieved dozens of little empty or near-empty Air Units in various West Coast Bases. Given the Allied Air Replacement Rates, these units won't likely fill out before they have to be withdrawn in July 1942, so I Withdrew the majority of them once again, other than a couple of Bomber squadrons that I could fill out by withdrawing other near-empty units at the same base. I have plenty of Air Units on the West Coast anyway, so there isn't much reason to keep dozens of near-empty units flying or even Training.

I also withdrew all of the silly 5-plane Fighter HQ units that have been arriving recently. I'd rather use the planes to support good fighter units at the Front.

And finally, I was able to upgrade the last AVG squadron to P-40Es, so that's another 27 A81s that will be available for the Chinese Air Force. The Chinese will finally have some decent quantities of Fighters available for Air Ambushes. Now, if only some Western bombers would become available to the Chinese instead of those ridiculous Soviet rejects.

Speaking of Soviet Rejects, I was finally able to upgrade my second Soviet Fighter unit from open-cockpit monoplanes to Mig-3s. It's a very good thing that my opponent hasn't decided to invade the USSR.

< Message edited by ADB123 -- 8/22/2010 8:30:51 PM >

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Post #: 194

4Es in Action - 8/22/2010 8:32:20 PM

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April 19, 1942 -

The Night Phase went back to being quiet, with the exception being a report of a Floation failure on an xAKL that is on its way to Hawaii from Tahiti. This damage was the result of a collision between a couple of freighters in a large Transport TF.

Daylight brought Zeros sweeping over Tennant Creek once more. They came in twice again, but this time the larger group came in first and beat up on the P-40s and Buffalos, shooting down three P-40Es and one Buffalo. Afterwards two more Zeros flew in, but there were no Allied planes in the air for them to shoot down.

Japanese bombers hit the Airfields at Padang for a change, and also the Dutch troops at Bandoeng.

Both of my planned 4E missions flew this turn, and both times the bombers flew in seperately. First 8 Liberators flew over Mandalay and ran into 13 Oscars. The Libs were rattled a fair amount and although none were lost they didn't hit their target. Next 6 Forts flew in and blew past the 4 Oscars on CAP. This time the Forts did find the target and got a few Runway and Airfield hits.

Then the 4Es flew against Darwin. Once again the bombers arrived seperately. First 6 Forts flew in past 9 Zeros and got a number of Runway hits, and as a bonus destroyed a Nell on the ground. Then 3 Liberators flew in, again versus 9 Zeros, but got through to hit the Port, sink a PB at anchor, and even hit the Port fuel dump.

There was no Ground Action this turn as my opponent sits and considers his options at Bandoeng.

Afterwards, while I went over the various Reports I noticed that two Japanese subs had hit Allied mines at Merak during the Night. What was particularly satisfying was that one of the subs was a Japanese mine-laying sub, I-121.

I received more empty US Bomber units this turn. There aren't any planes for them so I sent them by railcar out of San Fran and will withdraw them yet again once they reach their destination.

And finally, Enemy troops showed up at the now-empty Daly Waters this turn. They are probably an armored unit. I set my 4Es to bomb them next turn.

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Post #: 195

Wayward 4Es - 8/23/2010 4:36:22 AM

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April 20, 1942 -

The night phase started with one of those messages that no one ever likes to see � the temporary floatation on USS Houston was failing again. Houston is still 11 days away from Cape Town.

In other nighttime news, a Japanese TF started to unload troops at the unoccupied DEI island base of Endeh. My opponent has a lot of empty bases to collect, so he has his work cut out for him.

Daylight brought heavier than usual Japanese bomber raids on Bandoeng and Padang. It was nice to see that the AA at Bandoeng was still firing successfully. There doesn't appear to be any functional AA at Padang.

Then I got a big surprise as my 4Es from Alice Springs chose to fly and attack a Japanese Armoured unit that is a couple of hexes down the road from Wydham instead of attacking the Japanese unit at Daly Waters. I didn't even know that there was a Japanese unit on the road from Wyndham, although I suspected as much. A couple of Zeros flew CAP over the Armoured unit and shot up the first incoming flight of B-17s. This is the first time in quite a while I've lost a B-17 to Air Attack. Then 8 Liberators flew in and got past the Zeros without problems and were able to hit the Japanese unit, damaging a number of vehicles. The weather washed out most other Air Missions everywhere, even Recon missions.

Ground Action started at Bandoeng where the Japanese forces once again attempted a Deliberate Attack and once again only got a 1:1 result. The casualties on both sides were essentially equal, but the Japanese can stand 700+ casualties better than the Dutch can.

And finally, a Japanese Tank Regiment captured the abandoned Base at Daly Waters. So I set my 4Es to try to attack the Base again next turn. Maybe this time they will hit the right place.

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Post #: 196

Patrol Failure - 8/24/2010 2:13:18 AM

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April 21, 1942 -

The Night Phase was quiet, other than Japanese troops continuing to land at Endeh in the DEI.

The Day Phase started out anything BUT quiet as a PT TF at Perth was snooped by a Japanese plane. The report was that a �Fighter Bomber� checked out the PTs. My Patrol planes hadn't noticed any Japanese TFs, and I didn't think that my opponent had any Patrol planes in northern Oz that had long enough legs to reach Perth, so I assumed that the report had mistaken a Glen for a Fighter. As the Turn unfolded and no more Japanese planes were spotted this seemed more and more likely.

There was no question that Japanese planes were flying over Bandoeng. A large number of big Japanese Army Bomber attacks flew in and hit the base. The AA continued to do its job and a number of Japanese planes were damaged. In a change of pace, the nearly forgotten Philippine troops in Tacloban were also bombed this turn.

Then it was the Allied turn. First off a couple of Forts flew out from Alice Springs to try to hit the Japanese troops at Daly Waters. Two Zeros were on CAP and they distracted the B-17 pilots enough that the bombers missed their target. Then six Liberators flew in, faced one Zero on CAP, and shot the Zero up nicely. But the Liberators missed their target too. So chalk one up for the Japanese CAP this turn.

In Ground Action the Japanese forces at Bandoeng once again tried a Deliberate Attack and this time they finally succeeded in capturing the base. Two Dutch units surrendered and the rest retreated up the coast. And the Japanese troops at Endeh captured the base against no opposition. Interestingly, that attacking unit was one of those small Japanese JNAF units that contains a small amount of Air Support Units along with some Combat troops. So my opponent can develop a small Air Base there if he wants.

Afterwards I was going through the turn as usual and checking things out when I was Stopped Dead by a red Japanese TF �double� symbol about a half dozen hexes to the west of Perth. I moused-over the TF and it turned out to be the Mini-KB! Damn!

The Mini-KB had sailed all the way down the west coast of Oz without any of my Patrol planes, or even my subs, spotting it. It must be hunting TFs because it didn't attack the Base or even the Port. All I have in Port are a few AMc ships, but if the Japanese bombers had been set to Port Attack as an alternate then those little boats would have been quickly turned into wet splinters.

So I pulled back the Hudsons that I had on Patrol and increased their Patrol due west. I also put the P-40 unit at the base just to the east to 100% CAP at 15K feet. (I've stopped putting my planes at their maximum altitude since the Japanese can fly higher.) And I sent out the three-PT TF that I had sitting in Perth after the Japanese TF. The PTs are unlikely to find the Japanese TF, but maybe, just maybe, they will get lucky. (It can't hurt to try.) I then formed up TFs of my ships in the southwestern Australian ports and ordered them eastwards, just in case the Mini-KB goes hunting even further to the south. Next turn may be very interesting.

In other news, the Fortifications at Pearl Harbor reached Level 7. There is probably no chance at all that my opponent will attempt to invade Hawaii at this late date, but one never knows, and it isn't costing my much to continue to build up Fortress Hawaii, so I am continuing to do so.

And I received more empty Air Units, this time in China as well as at the West Coast. I withdrew the majority of them again. Someday I may have planes to put into those units, but for now, I don't want them cluttering up my bases.

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Post #: 197

Air Battle Over Perth - 8/25/2010 3:26:29 AM

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April 22, 1942 -

It was a quiet night in the Pacific. That meant right off the bat that my PT TFs off of the southwest coast of Australia didn't find the Mini-KB off of Perth.

However, Daylight showed the Mini-KB to be slightly north of its previous position, and it launched an Air Attack on the Port at Perth. The attack consisted of 16 Zeros and 23 Kates, flying in heavy rain at 13,000 feet. I had a P-40E squadron flying 100% CAP at 15,000 feet out of Cunderin. Thirteen of the P-40s flew over to Perth to intercept the Japanese attack. The results were pleasantly surprising � the P-40s shot down three Zeros and a Kate while only losing one of their own.

The Kates still got in to hit the Port, and sank three of the little AMcs that were still sitting there. I hadn't moved the AMcs because I assumed that my opponent would have his Kates on Naval attack. But after this attack I formed the remaining 3 AMcs into a TF and ordered them South. I also ordered my two 3-ship PT TFs out after the Mini-KB again, just in case my opponent sticks around. I have changed all of the skippers of the PT boats from the usual �tramp steamer� captains that they come with to rabidly aggressive Surface Combat skippers. And, just in case, I set the Hudsons at Cunderin to Naval attack, while the P-40s are now equiped with external fuel tanks. Next turn might be interesting again.

Back in the DEI, Japanese bomber attacks flew against Dutch and Philippine stragglers in Tandjoengbalai, Tacloban, Probolinggo, Buitenzorg, and Merak.

In Ground Action, Japanese troops kicked the Dutch stragglers out of Probolinggo this turn. The Dutch are now trying to reach Bandjoewangi. And the 3rd SNLF Paratroops captured the unoccupied Derby this turn.

In other news, there was yet another report of Temporary Floatation Failure on the USS Houston. Houston is still nine days away from Cape Town.

And with most of the US Cruisers coming out of upgrades today I finally started a couple of strong Combat TFs heading west away from the US West Coast. It certainly is nice to see those vastly improved ASW ratings and the much improved AA ratings. Now, the question is � what to do with those forces, other than to set traps and wait?

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Post #: 198

Zombies of the Air - 8/26/2010 2:42:04 AM

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April 23, 1942 -

The Night Phase found the island base of Maumere in the DEI occupied by the Japanese, but other than that things were quiet. Of course, this meant that once again my PT TFs didn't find the Mini-KB at night.

Daylight showed that the Mini-KB had moved a bit, but was still close enough to Perth to launch a Zero Sweep. A dozen Zeros were met by 15 P-40s. One Zero was shot down while two P-40s were lost. I was hoping that the Mini-KB might launch another Bombing Raid on Perth, but it didn't. So when a half dozen Hudson IIIs flew in against the Mini-KB in the afternoon the TF's CAP was in place and the Hudsons ran into 8 Zeros. One Hudson got through the enslaught of Japanese fighters and got a shot at CVL Zuiho, but missed with its bombs. So although I set up things as best as possible, Lady Luck was not smiling upon my Air Units in Southwestern Australia this turn.

The usual Japanese bombing raids flew against Tandjoengbalai, Buitenzorg, Tacloban, Merak, and the Dutch stragglers in the far southeastern end of Java.

I got 4E attacks off from India and Australia this turn, but the attacks were weak and ineffectual. First off 8 Forts and 5 Libs hit the Airfields at Mandalay where they were attacked by 13 Oscars and 3 Zeros. The Japanese fighters attacked well and didn't take any losses while damaging many of the 4Es. The bombers eventually found their target but they only caused a little damage to the Runways and Airfield.

Then in Australia the 4E attack was split, with 4 Forts going in first and getting shot up rather badly by 5 Zeros, losing one Fort and not hitting the target. Next 5 Libs flew in against 7 Zeros and while they weren't shot up as badly they didn't hit the target either.

In Ground Action two Japanese Infantry Regiments and an Engineering Regiment hit Tacloban with a Deliberate Attack and totally overwhelmed the starved and weakened Philippine defenders. Otherwise, things were reasonably quiet on the ground.

I got a useful piece of Info from SIGINT for the first time in a long time � the Japanese 21st Infantry Division is in Katherine. Unless the Japanese start to suffer the same pains from Empty Supply Lines that I am suffering in Northern Oz, that big Division will definitely change the balance of power in the Region, particularly if I can't get any serious bombing attacks going.

In other news, I continue to receive �Zombie Air Units� that contain no planes and few pilots, and most of the pilots who do show up are pathetically unready anyway. So I keep on Withdrawing those Air Units, although it seems as if dozens of them are still waiting in the wings to stagger in and steal my few reserve aircraft.

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Post #: 199

Overkill Time - 8/27/2010 2:21:15 AM

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April 24, 1942 -

We're back to quiet nights again. Nothing was heard but the distant cries of Coast Watchers...

Daylight brought relatively heavy Japanese Air Attacks on the Dutch stragglers in southeastern Java, the Dutch stragglers in Tandjoengbilai (a very BIG coordinated Overkill attack here), and Batavia for the first time in some while. The Flak results at Batavia were disappointing because the Japanese bombers stayed above 10,000 feet.

I was certain that I sat down my 4Es in India last turn, but wouldn't you know it � 5 Forts and 5 Liberators flew against Mandalay. They caught one Japanese Fighter group in Training, but it didn't make much difference as the Japanese fighters at Mandalay have apparently now figured out how to disrupt the Heavy Bomber attacks without taking heavy losses themselves. So my bombers flew in, got shot up a bit, and hit the Air Supplies, but once again failed to catch any Japanese planes on the ground. This time I am sure that both units are sitting out the next turn.

The Island base of Balbec was invaded this turn by the Japanese as my opponent starts to clean up all of the various little Allied bases that he left behind during his initial blitz through the Philippines and the DEI. The only other Ground Action this turn was an attack on the Dutch stragglers at Tandjoengbalai by a Japanese Overkill force of 1 Infantry Regiment, 1 Naval Guard unit, 1 Engineering Regiment and 1 Recon Regiment. The already defeated Dutch units were quickly kicked out of the base and into the Jungle. They are now marching to a base on the Indian Ocean coast of Sumatra.

As far as I can tell the Mini-KB has withdrawn from the southwestern coast of Australia. I'm leaving my planes on Patrol and I've sent out a sub on Patrol in the region too. At this point I see no reason to do anything else in the area.

In north-central Australia my units continue to retire southwards in good order. It appears that they will all get out and get a chance to build up strength in areas with better access to Supply. I'm still of two minds as to whether or not I will try to hang onto Daly Waters. We'll see how the Supply situation settles down once I've stopped marching troops all over the Outback.

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Post #: 200

A Quick Turn Before a Weekend Away - 8/27/2010 4:14:12 AM

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April 25, 1942 -

I'm going to be away for the weekend so my opponent and I did a little overtime to get an extra turn in this evening.

No one was doing much overtime during the Night Phase of this turn. Other than the continuation of the Japanese invasion of Balabac nothing happened.

Daylight brought Japanese bomber attacks on Banjoewangi and Batavia. It also brought out some Sallys which attacked a retiring RAN Base Force on the road from Daly Waters to Tennant Creek. My P-40s at Tennant Creek didn't fly cover, so I pulled them out and replaced them with the rebuilt Buffalo squadron. I wonder if my opponent will now try to send a Zero Sweep over the RAN BF in the hopes of catching some of my fighters on LR CAP?

Then the skipper of Dutch sub O23 decided that it was a good idea to try to sneak up on a Japanese SC near Endeh in daylight. Of course, it wasn't a very good idea at all, but fortunately, the Japanese crew weren't competent and O23 got away. I sent O23 back to Colombo for replenishment and a skipper-change.

Balabac was captured by a Japanese Naval Guard unit at the end of the turn.

The most interesting News this turn was that the KB turned up at Horn Island. There have been a lot of Japanese subs cruising up and down the East Coast of Australia for the past few turns, so it looks as if my opponent plans to do something soon. So I pulled back most of my planes from the region other than Catalinas � there is no point leaving Wirraways around for the KB's pilots to feast upon.

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Post #: 201

Back and At It again. - 8/30/2010 3:08:56 AM

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April 26, 1942 -

The empty base of Catbalogan was occupied overnight, which was the only activity other than a large number of Coast Watcher reports from Northern Oz, the PNG area, and the Solomons.

Daylight brought a number of scattered Japanese air attacks around the map. Weather disrupted the Japanese Air Missions and in most cases the Japanese Escorts flew in before the Bombers. There were also some Japanese Fighter sweeps, such as by a group of 15 Zeros that Swept over Tennant Creek. There were 5 British Buffalos on CAP and three of them were shot down. But no Japanese Bombers followed this raid.

Japanese bombers did hit Banjoewangi, Batavia and a Chinese unit in the woods just to the south of Changsha. There were a lot of Oscars on Escort with the Japanese bombers. But I've got the Chinese H81 units training at Chungking, so the Oscars didn't find any targets.

That Chinese unit south of Changsha then withstood the only Japanese Land attack of the turn, as a Japanese Infantry Division, along with an Infantry Regiment and a couple of other smaller units tried a Deliberate Attack. The Japanese achieved a 1:1 attack and caused a fair number of Chinese casualties, but fortunately the Chinese casualties were predominantly Disabled rather than Destroyed. I checked the General in charge of that Chinese unit and found out that he was pretty much a waste, so I changed him for a much better leader for the next turn.

Otherwise, I'm just moving Forces and Supplies to my Forward Bases. The KB disappeared from Horn Island, so I'll have to keep an eye out for its movements.

< Message edited by ADB123 -- 8/30/2010 3:15:57 AM >

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Post #: 202

Momentous Decision - 8/31/2010 2:26:27 AM

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April 27, 1942 -

One of my Dutch sub commanders paid the price of incompetence this turn as KXI shot 4 torpedoes at a big, juicy Japanese AO at Oosthaven but missed. The AO's escorts hit KXI four times, and so it looked like the sub would be heading back to the Yards for a while. But then a 4-SC ASW TF caught the KXI again, hammered it with depth charges, forcing the sub to surface, then they sank the sub with gunfire. Otherwise, the night phase was quiet.

Daylight brought Japanese bombers out in China to hit the Chinese LCU that was sitting due south of Changsha in the �rough�. A lot of bombers flew � half of them found the target and hit the Chinese hard. The other half missed the target all together. There were also plenty of Oscars on Sweep and Escort duty over the hex. Afterwards Banjoewangi and Batavia also got Bomber Attacks.

The pounding that the Chinese unit received helped out the Japanese troops on the ground and a Deliberate Attack drove the Chinese LCU back into Changsha. My opponent is slowly kicking my Chinese units out of their blocking positions. But I've got some nuisance surprises in the works for China. We'll see how they work out.

BTW � I am bringing the Chinese Air Force back into action next turn in a couple of attempts to bomb some Japanese LCUs. I've also deployed the Chinese A81 squadrons as Escorts. We'll see how things go.

SIGINT informed me that another Japanese Paratroop unit is moving to Darwin, so it looks as if my opponent is going to push quite hard in Australia. Therefore, I've made a momentous decision and have started to send the Australian 6th Division back to Australia from India. Given the horrifically and pathetically weak state of the Indian units, this is a fairly large risk because it means that the only good, strong units left in India will be the Australian 7th Division and that British Division, but I feel that the risk to Australia is too great to ignore.

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Post #: 203

4094 Miles to Lahat - 9/1/2010 3:10:27 AM

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April 28, 1942 -

There was more action than normal during the Night Phase this turn, thanks to submarines. First off, USS Salmon took a shot at a Japanese SC while passing by Oosthaven. The Salmon's torpedoes were duds, but fortunately, the Japanese ASW ships didn't find the sub.

The the Shore Guns went off at Banjoewangi, but nothing showed up. That is typical of what happens when a submarine passes a CD position.

Finally, the skipper of Dutch sub KXVIII was obviously eating lots of raw meat because he very aggressively attacked a Japanese xAK off of the northern coast of Australia, half way between Wyndham and Derby. First off the Dutch sub hit the xAK with a torpedo, but the ship's escorts hit KXVIII with a couple of depth charge hits. But that didn't deter the Dutch skipper, because soon afterwards he had his sub surface and engaged the xAK again with both torpedoes and deck guns. The xAK was finally sunk after being hit with four more torpedoes and a number of gun hits. KXVIII was hit a couple more times by return fire, but all of the damage to the sub was minor and the Japanese escorts never came back to defend the xAK. So I've ordered KXVIII back to Port to reload and to fix the damage.

Daylight brought out Air Attacks from both sides. The Japanese attacked a Chinese unit out in the rough south of Changsha, retreating Dutch units in central Sumatra, Batavia, and Banjoewangi. Chinese bombers attacked a couple of Japanese LCUs in south-central China, but missed their targets, despite no enemy opposition. The Chinese A81s also made a nice show of sweeping the empty air over the target. So the mission came up empty, but I am hoping that this helps to confuse my opponent even just a little.

After the air raids Japanese forces kicked out the Chinese unit that was south of Changsha, so my attempt to interdict Japanese supply routes took another beating. But I haven't given up yet, so my opponent will still have more Chinese units to chase.

And in central Sumatra a Japanese Armoured Recon unit kicked a Dutch straggler unit closer to the Indian Ocean coast.

The Strange News of the Turn popped up in Aden where a British Air HQ appeared as a reinforcement. But this unit was trying to move to Lahat � 4094 miles away!

The unit had already traveled 7 miles. So I canceled the Move and set the unit to Strategic Mode so I can ship it to India.

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Post #: 204

Giving in to the Dark Side - 9/2/2010 4:54:56 AM

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April 29, 1942 -

I was dozing through the Night Phase and was just about to conclude that there would be no action when USS Sturgeon shots 4 torpedoes that missed xAK Satsuma Maru off of the northwest corner of Borneo. So my US subs are starting to get into position to harass the Japanese again.

Daylight brought an unescorted attack by Sallys on Tennant Creek. The weary British Buffalo pilots were relieved to see only bombers in the sky and happily fell upon the Japanese planes. A number of Sallys were shot down and damaged, and the damage at the Tennant Creek runways was minimal. Japanese bombers then flew against Banjoewangi and Batavia.

I had forgotten to sit down one of the Chinese Bomber attacks after the last turn because those planes didn't fly then. So this turn the planes flew against some Japanese troops that are on the road to the north of Nanking. As is usual with semi-trained bomber pilots, the Chinese missed their target.

Back in Australia my 4Es didn't miss their target as they flew against the airfields at Daly Waters. This was essentially a �live training� mission because I knew that my opponent wasn't keeping any planes at Daly Waters and I bet that if there were Japanese fighters in the air they would be trying to Sweep Tennant Creek.

So seven B-17s flew in first and hit the runways and airbase nicely. Then six Liberators followed and hit the airbase, airbase supply and runways. In the absence of CAP my bombers performed perfectly. I am sitting down the bombers for the next turn, but as long as my opponent doesn't put any CAP over Daly Waters I will use it for Target Practice.

BTW � it appears that there are also no Japanese troops in Daly Waters, and that the main Japanese force is sitting back in Katherine. That's fine by me because I am still extracting my slower LCUs out of the Northern Desert and need more time before I am ready to fight any ground battles.

The successful attack at Daly Waters has encouraged me and I have set some of my bombers in India to try to raid remote Japanese bases in Burma too. I don't want my planes tangling with the Japanese CAP at Mandalay or Rangoon, so I am trying to find some cracks in the Japanese Air Defense. We'll see how it goes.

The Allies received a fair number of LCUs this turn. Most of them are Support troops, which isn't bad in itself, but I would really prefer to see some BIG Combat Divisions show up. Oh well, I'll just have to be patient.

And finally, I came to a decision that I have been avoiding � I have Gone Over to the Dark Side and I am starting to micromanage my Pilots. Yes, I am giving myself all sorts of repetitive stress injuries to my mouse-hand, and severe eye-strain, as I make millions of clicks to move pilots into and out of various units, reserves, home visits, whore houses, and everything else in between. I really didn't want to add this extra level of detail and work, but I don't have any choice if I want my air units to remain competative.

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Post #: 205

Away again... - 9/3/2010 3:17:35 AM

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I'll be off again for around 10 days, and I won't have my game-pc with me, so there won't be any turns to post about until around the 13th. My opponent intends to discover who the woman is in his living room who claims to be his wife, and I will let my arm rest from the Death of 10,000 Clicks.

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Post #: 206

Back Again - 9/14/2010 12:59:04 AM

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April 30, 1942 �

Allied subs continued to harass the Japanese this turn. USS Sailfish shot off four torpedoes against a Japanese AMc off of Milne Bay but missed. Then Dutch sub KXIV was ambushed by a Japanese PB ASW TF off of Georgetown. The Dutch sub was damaged a bit but got away and is now headed off for repairs.

Daylight brought limited Japanese air attacks on Tandjoengsilor, Banjoewangi and Batavia as Dutch troops continue to wither away slowly in a few remaining fortresses in the DEI.

Then the Allied Air Forces took to the air to harass Japanese outposts in Burma. First off some Blenheims, escorted by Hurricanes, hit the Airfields at Lashio. One Oscar was on CAP and the Japanese pilot was able to shoot down one of the Hurricanes, but the Blenheims caused a fair amount of damage despite the interruption to their attack.

Then the Indian 4Es flew in to hit the Airfields at Prome. First came 7 Liberators which were pestered by a single Zero, but still hit their target. Then 7 Fortresses flew in and were greeted by 2 Oscars and 2 Zeros. The gunners in the Forts did their jobs well and shot down an Oscar, and then the bombardiers finished the job by hitting the Airfields again. All-in-all, by Allied standards it was a good day.

At the end of the day USS Perch attempted a rare daylight attack on a DMS off of Singapore, but missed with its torpedoes. The Japanese ships didn't attempt a counterattack.

The only Ground action was just to the east of Sibola in Sumatra where a Japanese Recon unit Shock Attacked some retreating Dutch units and drove them into Sibola. I am attempting to sneak some supplies into the Indian Ocean Sumatran bases that I still hold, just in case I can make the Japanese conquest even more time consuming. We'll see what happens.

In other news, USS Marblehead and a US 4-Stack DD finally reached Cape Town, so Marblehead will start its upgrade next turn. I am going to turn the 4-Stack DD into a DE, as I have with all of the other 4-Stack DDs.

And USS Houston is now only one day out of Cape Town, it appears that the ship's multi-month odyssey in search of repairs will finally end successfully.

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Post #: 207

May 1, 42 Screen Shots - Intel - 9/14/2010 1:02:08 AM

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It's that time again for me to post a few screen shots of what is happening in the match. This first one is the Intel screen for May 1, 1942. The main difference from the April 1 screen is the increased numbers of Allied troop losses. That increase shouldn't be as big once we get to June 1.

Attachment (1)

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Post #: 208

RE: May 1, 42 Screen Shots - Northern Oz - 9/14/2010 1:03:51 AM

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I'm only going to post screen shots where things have changed significantly from April 1. So here is Northern Australia. My opponent appears to be digging in rather than trying to move south.