fcharton
Posts: 1112
Joined: 10/4/2010
From: France
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'Jeeves', I recollect saying, 'who was the fellow who on looking at something felt like somebody looking at something? I learned the passage in school, but it has escaped me.'
'I fancy the individual you have in mind, sir, is the poet Keats, who compared his emotions on first reading Chapman's Homer to those of stout Cortez when with eagles eyes he stared at the Pacific.'
'The Pacific, eh?'
'Yes, sir. And all his men looked at each other with a wild surmise, silent upon a peak in Darien.'
'Of course, it all comes back to me. Well that's how I felt this afternoon
(PG Wodehouse)
December 7th 1941, Perfidious Albion
In the early hours of December 7th, 300 miles west of the Philippine coast, an unarmed convoy of four Japanese tankers and three transports, on their way to Cam Ranh Bay for refit, were attacked by three destroyers flying the pennants of the British Navy. All tankers and two transport ships were sunk. Only the Buenos Aires Maru made it to Cam Ranh in a damaged state. All ship captains were posthumously awarded the Sailor Moon Cross, with Ramen palms.
In the face of such a blatant act of state-sponsored piracy, two carrier task forces, on their way to Saigon, were allowed to launch retaliatory strikes against the pirate port of origin (Hong Kong) and their reported destination (Manila). Several submarines, poised to attack more merchant ships, were sunk. To further protect the sea lanes, expeditionary forces landed in Batan Island, Mauban and Kota Baru.
As a result, Great Britain and the United States of America, hypocritically labeling such security measures as “overt acts of war”, declared war upon the Empire of Japan.
Japan desires peace and harmony in South East Asia, but those lofty goals run contrary to the dark motives of colonial oppressors. Their constant provocations, their unending support for terrorist groups in China, and today’s attack on merchant ships must be opposed.
Yeah, whatever, gaijin! The game is on, and the first turn was full of surprises, like all good first turns should…
Pirates of the South China Seas
Our opening strategy for this game revolved around one idea: we need to capture the DEI, the sooner and the less damaged the better.
With this in mind, a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, though historically correct, and oh so nice because you get to kill several BB in one fell swoop, seemed like a waste of time and resources. In this first week of the war, KB belongs to the South China Sea, and Nagumo has no business listening to ukulele music on the flagship radio as he closes to his objectives.
Manila it was then, and since we were in the area, we could pay Hong Kong a little visit, and take advantage of KB’s presence to land troops closer to Manila.
The Guards Mixed Brigade (freshly bought) and the 21st Division were therefore sent on a surprise attack on Mauban.
The attack on Manila went fine. Three waves of bombers attacked the port, nine submarines and two patrol ships are reported sunk, but the final toll will probably be much higher.
Allied Ships
SS Sculpin, Bomb hits 3, heavy damage
SS Sealion, Bomb hits 3, heavy damage
SS Spearfish, Bomb hits 2
DD Pope, Bomb hits 1, on fire
PG Isabel, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAKL Corregidor, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
SS Salmon, Bomb hits 4, heavy damage
SS Seawolf, Bomb hits 3, heavy damage
SS Pickerel, Bomb hits 1
xAK Si Kiang, Bomb hits 1, on fire
SS Permit, Bomb hits 4, and is sunk
SS Seal, Bomb hits 4, heavy damage
PT Q-111, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
AM Finch, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
PG Tulsa, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAK Tantalus, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Peary, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
AVD Childs, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAKL Compagnia Filipinas, Bomb hits 1
SS Sailfish, Bomb hits 2, and is sunk
SS S-38, Bomb hits 2, heavy damage
SS Pike, Bomb hits 1
SS Seadragon, Bomb hits 2
SS Tarpon, Bomb hits 3, heavy damage
PG Asheville, Bomb hits 1, on fire
SS Snapper, Bomb hits 2, and is sunk
SS Porpoise, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
PT Q-113, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
AM Bittern, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
SS Sargo, Bomb hits 1
AM Quail, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
AV Langley, Bomb hits 1, on fire
TK Gertrude Kellogg, Bomb hits 1, on fire
SS Perch, Bomb hits 1
DD Pillsbury, Bomb hits 1, on fire
SS Sturgeon, Bomb hits 1
Allied Ships
DD John D. Ford, Bomb hits 2, and is sunk
SS Seadragon, Bomb hits 2, heavy damage
SS Shark, Bomb hits 2, and is sunk
AM Quail, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
SS Swordfish, Bomb hits 1
AV Langley, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAP Rochambeau, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
PG Asheville, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Yu Sang, Bomb hits 1
DD Pillsbury, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
SS Sturgeon, Bomb hits 1
SS S-40, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
AS Otus, Bomb hits 1
SS Skipjack, Bomb hits 1
AO Trinity, Bomb hits 1, on fire
SS Sealion, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
xAK Tantalus, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAP Neptuna, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
SS Stingray, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
SS Tarpon, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
SS S-37, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
TK Mindanao, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
xAKL Sagoland, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
SS Sculpin, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
SS Sargo, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
SS Perch, Bomb hits 1
Allied Ships
AV Langley, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AVD Childs, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
TK Gertrude Kellogg, Bomb hits 1, on fire
SS Porpoise, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
SS Pike, Bomb hits 2, and is sunk
Smaller raids damaged five cargoes in Hong Kong and five in Georgetown. Airfields in northern Malaya have been badly damaged, even though bad weather grounded a number of bombers, including our missions over Rangoon, unfortunately. Overall, we lost 4 planes for 17 enemies.
In terms of damage done, this first turn is much less spectacular than your typical raid on Hawaii. We believe the better strategic disposition that results from it is worth the difference.
Warp drive’s broken, Mr Sulu
Not everything went right today, of course. In fact, quite a few things went terribly wrong. The Reluctant Admiral mod, that we are playing, provide Japan with three more “warp TF” in the Home Islands. My understanding was that this allowed us to slightly alter the disposition of forces at start, by simulating ships that would have sailed before the 7th of December.
Here is the use we had decided for those three Merchant Warp TF.
Merchant 1, starting in Tokyo, would transport the Mixed Guard Brigade (bought using the PP we have at start) to Mauban, to reinforce the 21st ID
Merchant 2, starting in Nagasaki would drop the 33rd ID in Bangkok, ready to move to Rangoon
Merchant 3, starting in Osaka, would just convoy a few tankers and transports to Cam Ranh, ready to be used in the East Indies.
All this seemed fine during the tests. In reality, though… Merchant 1 did land in Mauban, but Merchant 2, with the same orders, stayed in port.
As for Merchant 3, it managed to be intercepted by the three DD from Hong Kong. The battle was one sided and the results ugly.
Japanese Ships
TK Akatsuki Maru, Shell hits 9, heavy fires
TK Itukusima Maru, Shell hits 10, heavy fires, heavy damage
TK Nisshin Maru, Shell hits 8, heavy fires, heavy damage
TK Nisshin Maru #2, Shell hits 15, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Asama Maru, Shell hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Buenos Aires Maru, Shell hits 6, on fire
xAP Huzi Maru, Shell hits 8, heavy fires, heavy damage
Allied Ships
DD Scout
DD Thanet
DD Thracian, Shell hits 1
I have to say I don’t quite understand the rationale of this interception. Since the TF was supposed to arrive in Cam Ranh on that day, it should have been much closer to Indochina and therefore out of reach of the Hong Kong DD. Such a naval battle, off the coast of Luzon, should have happened several days before the seventh… This attack is also difficult to interpret in a historical way: it sort of looks like the Royal Navy provoked the war by attacking a merchant convoy.
There’s a silver lining, of course. This provides us with a theme. In this game, the Japanese will be a peace loving and Francophile people, and all violence and nastiness will henceforth be blamed on the British (and their colonial puppets)
I apologize in advance to any citizen the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or any of their former minions, that might chance upon this AAR. This anti-British stance is but a literary artifact, meant to provide some flavor to this altogether dull AAR. It has no historical basis whatsoever, nor does it represent the opinions and views of its author…
< Message edited by fcharton -- 10/20/2011 8:01:22 PM >
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Suave mari magno – RA as Japan, Soliinvictus202 and fch... - 
Definitely subscribed to this one... 
But alas, I lack the skill to do so.
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