Bullwinkle58
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Joined: 2/24/2009
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April 28, 1942
Beginnings
Saturday night. Quick and dirty.
Overall, this turn felt frantic, as if Japan is releasing months-long pent-up energy. Thrusts toward Sumatra, north for Burma, running around Borneo. The Allies tried something new, some of which worked. One more day at Rangoon was paid for in blood.
1) Japan deliberate attacked at Rangoon with the whole stack, got half the odds as before, did a lot of damage, but did not destroy the landing force. Viper Force began marching for Rangoon to open the hexside, but it will be at least three days. Japan may attack again, figuring to finish it off and then patch up. The 3-stack SW of Toungoo was ordered to march toward Pegu in an attempt to make Japan at least think about splititng the Rangon stack. Faiint hope, but it's a hope.
Ground combat at Rangoon (54,53)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 87926 troops, 1072 guns, 878 vehicles, Assault Value = 2823
Defending force 4510 troops, 180 guns, 299 vehicles, Assault Value = 201
Japanese adjusted assault: 1108
Allied adjusted defense: 107
Japanese assault odds: 10 to 1
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-), fatigue(-), experience(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
746 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 86 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 15 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 4 disabled
Allied ground losses:
832 casualties reported
Squads: 12 destroyed, 79 disabled
Non Combat: 25 destroyed, 18 disabled
Engineers: 19 destroyed, 14 disabled
Guns lost 36 (16 destroyed, 20 disabled)
Vehicles lost 94 (58 destroyed, 36 disabled)
Units destroyed 1
2) Very strong sweeps all over the region. Palembang, Port Blair a couple each, then ground bombing at Toungoo (LRCAPed; bombers ate it), Palembang (light), Sabang by the passing MKB (HDML sunk). Allied losses worst at Port Blair, 6 Hurricanes. Sabang later strongly LBA bombed. I think Japan is testing the efficacy of transiting the Strait with a landing force aimed at Medan/Sabang. It's good fuel, close to Singers.
3) The IJN appears to be moving strongly up into the coastal region at least to Moulmein. Possibly there is a thought to neutralizing P. Blair, then moving farther in order to stop supply inflows to Ramree, Akyab, and Chittagong, all of which are feeding the Mandalay group and Lashio. I certainly would prefer naval units not come up here, but there are various ways to respond. The RN was hurt in the FUDD battles, but not knocked out. Mostly lost were CLs which would have withdrawn. The CA damages are light, about 10 system at worst; the BBs are either unhurt or have no more than 30 damage in any category. Arizona is inbound, as is another RN carrier. Three USN fleet boats are coming, more will follow. Once the Pearl fleet completes the April upgrades I may send a strong chunk of surface power through the Canal. That's about a six week trip.
4) At sea, the subs in the Strait of Malacca all (but one) had max DL after the last turn, so I re-zoned them north to patrol the wider mouth in deep water. The Dutch aren't hitting anything, but I want the IJN to have some pucker factor transiting north and south. Once the fleet boats arrive I can set up better rotation schedules. I'm going to get almost 400 submarines in this war; they're going to work every day. No days off.
For some reason Japan sends a lone PB out in the open water NE of Batavia, and a lone DD on barrier patrol engages.
Day Time Surface Combat, near Billiton at 53,95, Range 12,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
PB Eiko Maru, Shell hits 13, heavy fires, heavy damage (should sink from animaiton mesages.)
Allied Ships
DD Express, Shell hits 1, on fire
SS KXI is hit for three minor in the Strait of Maalcca by a 2-DD TF. With five subs at max DL he knows he needs ASW. I'm hoping they can dodge the searchers a bit and get reestablished tomorrow in new zones.
5) The Allies try a new tactic, night Manpower bombing. Two-thirds of the raids ordered do not fly, but a few do.
Night Air attack on Makassar , at 65,106
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid spotted at 31 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes
Allied aircraft
B-26 Marauder x 5
Allied aircraft losses
B-26 Marauder: 1 damaged
Manpower hits 6
Fires 2950
Night Air attack on Singapore , at 50,84
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid spotted at 34 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes
Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 5
No Allied losses
Manpower hits 16
Fires 8040
A third flies on Changsha, a huge HI/LI center, but hits nothing in heavy rain.
Before any JFBs whine that this makes Japan's life hard let me say this:
1) Night CAP. The AI does it, humans can too. If that makes 100-Oscar sweeps impossible in daylight . . . whah.
2) Spread the AA out.
3) Don't like it? Push me out of range.
I'm going to do this, but I'm not going to do it every night, and I'm not going to hit the same cities every time. If Fires take out Resources and not HI I can live with that.
Just to show I'm not a night exclusionist daylight raids hit the Oil fields on both Boela (1 hit) and Babo (2 hits).
An aside, Singers looks like it got a bit trashed in the take-down. The shipyard has almost 20 damage, and both HI and LI had big chunks missing. This is what gave me the idea to mix in some Fire while I can.
6) Lots of bombing in China on the Big Stack and the AF at Chengtu. This is not affecting this base. It has not missed a day of fort-building that I recall, and it is sending a steady supply of Resources down to Chungking where supply grows several hundred per day. A new Chinese corps just reported there and filled out to full green supply from zero in one day. The Big Stack lost 28 men today in strikes which consumed 70 sorties and one damaged Sally.
7) Three strong units take Urumchi from the lone Chinese defender. It retreats north. This base has a tiny trickle of petroleum.
Ground combat at Urumchi (79,11)
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 8695 troops, 78 guns, 100 vehicles, Assault Value = 297
Defending force 1902 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 82
Japanese adjusted assault: 452
Allied adjusted defense: 29
Japanese assault odds: 15 to 1 (fort level 1)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Urumchi !!!
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(-), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(+), supply(-)
Japanese ground losses:
664 casualties reported
Squads: 8 destroyed, 59 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Allied ground losses:
879 casualties reported
Squads: 32 destroyed, 52 disabled
Non Combat: 14 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 7 destroyed, 0 disabled
Units retreated 1
Assaulting units:
1st Cavalry Brigade
4th Cavalry Brigade
2nd Ind.Mixed Brigade
Defending units:
303rd Brigade
8) An unseen landing also takes Sampit on Borneo's south coast. 1st Raiding Rgt /1 takes the isolated, empty base.
9) Wake Island Forts go to 5. Johnson I. goes to 2. Chiang Mai AF goes to 4. Would like to knock this one over.
< Message edited by Bullwinkle58 -- 4/28/2013 1:40:02 AM >
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