IdahoNYer
Posts: 2616
Joined: 9/6/2009 From: NYer living in Boise, ID Status: offline
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20-21 Nov 43 Highlights – IJA attack on Chungking makes progress, but at high cost; Babar holds attack Jpn ships sunk: DD: 3 (Nowaki, Murakumo, Asagiri - all related to Babar - mines, collision and DD gunfire) xAK: 2 Allied ships sunk: DD: 1 (Strong) Air loss: Jpn: 39 Allied: 15 Subwar: Jpn: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit Allies: 4 Attacks, 4 ship hit (xAK sunk, 3xAK dam) Jpn Amph Inv: None Allied Amph: None Bases lost: None Bases Liberated: Hollandia (SOPAC) SIGINT/Intel: KB sighted at Ambon…Same two CV TFs, but a bit light on fighters. West Coast/Admin: NSTR. In NOPAC, NSTR. In CENPAC, CV Bunker Hill TF moving toward the Philippines, without any contact. Don’t think the CV TF has been sighted either. Will continue to “fish” in the Philippine Sea for a bit for convoys and then pull back. Intent is to disrupt and recon, not get into a furball. Ponape AF reaches level 4 and I bring in the Navy Heavies to raid Truk. Otherwise, limited assault shipping still ferrying engineers to Ponape. Once complete, will focus on Jaluit amphib with one Bde. All other combat troops have already started prepping for operations in the Marianas which is a long ways away. In SOPAC, Hollandia taken on the second assault! Level 3 forts helped, but not enough. About 3300 Jpn troop casualties from three Naval Guard units and part of the 71st ID (apparently evac’d from Rabaul?) for a cost of only 300 troops. Jpn remnants fall back into the jungle towards Sarmi. Hollandia facilities will need some work, but engineers already on site repairing the level 2AF. Question is where should I plan the 4th Mar Div to go next? Yap/Ulithi, Babeldaob or further west on the northern New Guinea drive? Good decisions to have! Along those lines, the Sarmi Amph will move from Vamino to Sarmi with CVEs and the BB Wash TF in support. Only 1000 troops anticipated at Sarmi for the Bde sized Amphib; don’t anticipate any problems with the KB confirmed at Ambon and a heavy IJA push going on at Babar. Once Sarmi is secure, focus will be taking Manus, and Heavies will start prepping beginning with the 43rd Bomb Group, newly equipped with factory fresh B-24Js - one squadron retaining the last few B-17Fs in the Pacific. I need Manus’ port and ground troops need more prep time for further operations in NW New Guinea area - plus the KB needs to go elsewhere for those landings to proceed. In SWPAC, the focus remains Babar and the action is heating up! Two IJN bombardment TFs (2CA, 3CL, DDs / 3BB, 2CA, 2CL, DDs) roll in, the CA TF brushing aside PTs without loss to either side, then sinking crippling one of the two DDs sent in to “disrupt” operations. Both TFs bombard, the BB TF doing well causing over 240 casualties. Troops are also offloaded by DDs which weren’t engaged. But mines continue to do their job, two more DDs (Shimakaze, Mikazuki) hitting mines. No Japanese air activity, and the KB was sighted throughout at Ambon. Allied air consisted LRCAP supporting a mixed heavy bomb group hitting ground targets with minimal effect. On the ground, the first IJA attack managed 1-2 odds and was held, but casualties were heavy, 1400 IJA loss to 500 Allied, but level 3 forts weren’t reduced. Will start flying in the USMC Para Bn as an immediate reinforcement, but more will be needed if Babar is to be held. While troops are available, bringing them in by sea will require the KB and much of the IJN to depart - and with events about to unfold in Sabang, L_S_T will have some decisions here shortly. In China, major attack goes in at Chungking, and unfortunately it goes in on both days - a very successful, although expensive attack. Attack reduces forts from level 5 to 2. Casualties are heavy for both sides, in the first with 2-1 odds, 16,000 IJA to 5400 Chinese are lost and the second, 1-1 odds get 8500 IJA lost to another 5000 Chinese. This is the attack that L_S_T has been working towards. Even with the heavy losses, Chungking will finally fall - the forts can not be rebuilt with the constant bombing, and the troops can not be reinforced or replaced, while the IJA can shift fresh troops in. In Burma, more progress against the 65th Bde near Paoshan, another 700 less defenders. In the air, Victoria Point hit with good effect by the 307th BG out of Prome, shutting down the AF, although few planes were destroyed. In the IO, the Sabang Support Troops convoy begins unloading at Trinkat, and so far no reaction from IJA LBA. With Vicky Point neutralized, the Brit CA TF will instead bombard Sabang where a squadron of Franks were spotted. Guess that will also recon any minefield density before the Amphib TFs arrive. At Deigo Garcia, the Allied CV TFs take on fuel and combine into a single TF (6CV, 3CVL, 2BB, 2CA, 2CL, DDs) and a BB TF (2BB, 2CA, 3CL, DDs) which will follow, and hopefully be able to swap ships with full AA ammo after the CV TF is attacked. These US TFs along with DDs on ASW, will begin heading toward Sabang to support the landings next turn. CV Sara (w/4DD) will follow after she arrives next turn and takes on fuel at Diego Garcia. CVL Cowpens still a few days out. The Amph TFs and their support will make their turn due east to head towards Sabang next turn. quote:
Ground combat at Chungking (76,45) Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 135200 troops, 1445 guns, 1696 vehicles, Assault Value = 4136 Defending force 123784 troops, 353 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 2486 Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 3 Japanese adjusted assault: 6137 Allied adjusted defense: 2647 Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 3) Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 3 Combat modifiers Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), leaders(+), experience(-), supply(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 16090 casualties reported Squads: 30 destroyed, 401 disabled Non Combat: 57 destroyed, 327 disabled Engineers: 96 destroyed, 266 disabled Guns lost 60 (4 destroyed, 56 disabled) Vehicles lost 170 (14 destroyed, 156 disabled) Allied ground losses: 5446 casualties reported Squads: 62 destroyed, 329 disabled Non Combat: 28 destroyed, 134 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled Guns lost 25 (4 destroyed, 21 disabled) Units destroyed 2 quote:
Ground combat at Chungking (76,45) Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 124627 troops, 1443 guns, 1692 vehicles, Assault Value = 3307 Defending force 118956 troops, 349 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 2113 Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 2 Japanese adjusted assault: 3348 Allied adjusted defense: 3023 Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 2) Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 2 Combat modifiers Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), experience(-), supply(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 8752 casualties reported Squads: 15 destroyed, 388 disabled Non Combat: 146 destroyed, 154 disabled Engineers: 191 destroyed, 61 disabled Guns lost 44 (5 destroyed, 39 disabled) Vehicles lost 195 (74 destroyed, 121 disabled) Units destroyed 1 Allied ground losses: 4923 casualties reported Squads: 32 destroyed, 328 disabled Non Combat: 50 destroyed, 95 disabled Engineers: 2 destroyed, 5 disabled Guns lost 25 (5 destroyed, 20 disabled) Units destroyed 4
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