Q-Ball
Posts: 7336
Joined: 6/25/2002 From: Chicago, Illinois Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock quote:
Australia: No idea if I sold this as an objective; hopefully I did. I probably won't know for sure until this game is over. This has been one of the fun parts of reading both sides of the AAR. I think you'll enjoy reading Canoerebel's comments after the game. Yeah, I'm sure YOU guys have an idea if he bought Australia or not...don't tell me. I might ask Dan pretty soon via e-mail anyway, as it's probably becoming obvious India is the target. One thing I like about taking Ceylon, is that it will be very hazardous, or lengthy, to send troops from Australia to India at this point. Combat Report, Mar 6, 1942: Sorry to leave everyone hanging, yesterday was a very busy day for me IRL! Dan was anxious too, no turns in his in-box. You're wondering: So, how did it go? Overall, it went OK; I dispersed my forces, which is good and bad. Had I landed all these forces on Colombo, it might have still been touch and go; the way I did it, I pretty much guaranteed that I would get ashore, and also guaranteed that one or two landings will get stuck. That's pretty much the result, as Jaffna figures to fall easily, while the main landings wait for the cavalry to relieve them. COLOMBO: This base was much more heavily garrisoned than I anticipated. There are 3 Indian Bdes (100,44,45), plus 2 British Bdes, and 251 Recce Bn. The 18th UK Division, basically, is on Ceylon. I estimate the AV here to be about 500 or so, no doubt behind forts. I have 3 divisions here: The 1st, 38th, and Imperial Gds, plus an Army HQ, 2 Tank Regts, and 1 Eng Regt. Probably not enough, though he can't really evacuate or move anyone either without jeopardizing the defense. I will try a couple attacks anyway, but I think I am stuck here. TRINCOMALEE: Here I face 1 British Bde from the 18th UK, plus a pile of Malayan refugee units that are probably pretty weak; 2 Ind Bdes, 22nd Aus Bde, a couple Bns. I have only one Infantry Division here, so probably not enough to dislodge on the rough terrain. Again, though, he probably can't move these guys either much. JAFFNA: Here I landed the 18th Inf Div and a Tank unit; the garrison is only a single Indian Inf Bn. This will fall tommorow, and I have sent all follow-on convoys to Jaffna, to build the airstrip up, and unload more ground troops. The troops I unload can join either Colombo or Trincomalee attacks from the rear, whichever it looks like I am closest. How quickly I can take Ceylon partially depends on evacuations; I am resigned to the fact that Dan can evacuate fragments from every unit; I hope to get all the heavy equipment and alot of the UK Inf Squads, because the British are very short of both. Assessment: was three dispersed landings the way to go? It was a risky strategy; I did that because I had no intel on what was on Ceylon, and no real way to gather intel without alerting Dan. So regardless, I had to find a piece of dry land to set up a base. I had another convoy headed to Koggla if Jaffna didn't work, but I figured he couldn't garrison EVERYTHING. So far I have lost 1 AK to CD guns, and a couple more are in danger; the Katori CLs are a bit banged up and may or may not survive another day of CD duels, but that's what those ships are for. They aren't very useful once the "Happy Times" are over. At this point, I need to set up the base at Jaffna, and use it to replenish the IJN and keep up a bombardment schedule on Colombo and Trincomalee. Shutting down those airstrips should help in terms of capturing more troops, because I know he has alot of transport units, but not a ton of flying boats. Carriers: I am assuming Dan will not try to attack with surface units only; he would be doing me a great favor doing that. The longer I loiter around, though, without LBA, the more nervous I get. Most transports will finish unloads tommorow, so we can at least send them on their way, screened by a line of picket ships. I plan to break up the returnees into smaller convoys and send different routes, so if CVs appear I'll only lose a few empties. Soerbaya: We are attacking tommorow Elsewhere: Not much; Katherine Fell, it seems the Aussies are falling back on Tennant Creek or beyond. We will chase them as far as they will run. I am unloading 2 Garrison Bdes at Luzon; they are going to releive the 4th Division, which is already prepping for Calcutta.
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