Schlussel
Posts: 384
Joined: 5/21/2007 From: Sacramento, California Status: offline
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Week 108: December 29th – January 4th 1944 North Pacific: No IJN activity. Central Pacific: Allied occupation of Tinian is now complete. The base is fully repaired, enemy resistance has been eliminated, and the airfield is in use. Currently it supports 3 squadrons of liberators and two squadrons of P-47s (all giving their undivided attention to the enemy garrison on Saipan). More support units are inbound to allow additional bomber squadrons to fly in and operate. Guam is also up and running, supporting 75 fighters, 28 1E Bombers, 128 4E bombers, and 36 patrol aircraft. Allied bomber and sea bombardments continue to hit Saipan, where the Allies enjoy a 659:339 raw AV advantage prior to the deliberate attack on the 4th. This attack was satisfactory, with both sides losing about 45 squads (25% of those were destroyed). Since the Japanese have no real hope of reinforcement/resupply, this kind of attrition is welcomed. Even more encouraging was that the forts dropped another level (now at 7). We’ll keep grinding. Marcus invasion troops took a beating on that initial auto shock on D-Day, and have mostly recovered. The daily Allied bombardments have proved fruitful, so I have been in no rush to order up a deliberate attack. AV is at 75:4 in favor of the good guys, so all signs are pointing to a general attack this week. Taongi is coming along nicely. The airfield should be operational in about a week. But that’s just Level 1 (defensive missions only). I have a few CB units and a base force heading in from Eniwetok, which should help speed things along. Morotai falls on the 29th, and the airfield is down to 12% damage (from 100%). The Japanese resistance had about 25 AV and lost 85 squads on the last attack. The end is near. Southern Pacific: No IJN activity. South-West Pacific: The enemy force holed up in Dagua continues to receive daily 1 & 2 engine bomber visits, along with some fighter strafing missions. An Allied brigade is 2 days from Dagua, and will hopefully make short work of the enemy. B-24 Liberator squadrons remaining on Manus and Mussau keep the pressure on Truk. Still getting a few enemy aircraft destroyed on the field, so AF attacks will continue. The liberation of Mindano is progressing. The Allied force besieging Cagayan knocked the forts down to 3 and now enjoys a 62:3 raw AV advantage. The force southwest of Davao has finally dislodged the enemy division and in a surprising move, the enemy retreated to the southwest (Dadjangas). This introduces an unexpected wrinkle…in response, the Allies send a regiment southwest to pin the enemy down, while the 33rd Infantry division continues northeast to take Davao. The Jolo operation kicks off, and after a deliberate attack, the AV is 550:450 in favor of the allies. The Allies had over 660 AV before the assault but suffered over 140 disabled squads while assaulting the level 6 forts. Wave 2 of the invasion is en route. In the meantime, the island will receive the usual bomber and bombardment treatment from units based at nearby Talaud-Eilanden. Talaud was initially a target of opportunity but has proven very useful, both in the current Mindano operations, and the future endeavors in the Celebes. In the DEI, no IJN activity noted. SE Asia/China: The going remains slow on the Malayan peninsula, but progress is being made. The main Allied stack moved to the hex NE of Surat Thani and is currently 40 miles from the base. Chumphon is already a level 3 airfield and houses 46 fighters 41 bombers, and 12 patrol aircraft. At Victoria Point, the Japanese are evicted and flee southwest into the jungle, with two Chindit brigades in hot pursuit. In Thailand, the northern Allied force captures Haiphong rather easily during the auto shock attack. The Chinese/British force pursues the fleeing Japanese garrison eastward. While additional Chinese units at LangSon and Pakhoi maneuver to cut off a retreat path. In a surprise move, a small Japanese force counter invades Vinh and captures it without a fight. British troops had left the base ungarrisoned to assist in the capture of Hanoi/Haiphong. With those bases now in Allied hands, a few brigades have been detached to retake Vinh. Intel shows the enemy consists of a single infantry unit, most likely an understrength brigade. In southern Thailand/Indochina, the enemy presence has been cornered in Cam Ranh Bay. Raw AV for the Japanese is around 12 and there are a reported 10 units present…most likely all support units. In China, a small scale Allied offensive is brewing in the south. Current goals are to occupy the critical crossroads to isolate the coastal cities. Once complete, probing assaults will be carried out on the weakly garrisoned coastal bases. IJN Watch: -2 CAs sighted in the Makassar Strait (near Balikpapan) midweek. An Allied SCTF moved to investigate, but the enemy was long gone. Patrols have been set up to deny this waterway from the enemy…or at the least it will make its use very costly. Notable Base Captures: - Morotai [Moluccas] captured by the Allies (12/29) - Haiphong [Indochina] captured by the Allies (12/30) - Vinh [Indochina] captured by the Japanese (12/30) - Tourane [Indochina] captured by the Allies (1/1) - Siquijor [Philippines] occupied by the Allies (1/3) - Dumaguette [Philippines] occupied by the Allies (1/4) - Victoria Point [Malaya] captured by the Allies (1/4) Campaign Overview: Aircraft Losses to date [change]: Allies: 8,558 [+92] Japanese: 25,021 [+295] Ship Losses to date [change]: Allies: 659 [+6] Notables: CV Enterprise, CV Victorious, CVE Copahee, CVE Corregidor, CVE Nassau, CVE St.Lo, 5 CA, 14 CL, 27 DD Japanese: 1,434 [+17] Notables: CV Akagi, CV Kaga, CV Hiryu, CV Hiyo, CV Junyo, CV Soryu, CV Shokaku, CV Zuikaku, CVL Shoho, CVL Ryuho, CVL Ryujo, CVL Zuiho, CVE Hosho, CVE Taiyo, BB Fuso, BB Haruna, BB Hiei, BB Kirishima, BB Kongo, BB Mutsu, BB Nagato, BB Yamato, 18 CA, 22 CL, 50 DD Army Losses to date [change]: Allies: 11,038 [+24] Japanese: 11,265 [+399] A/J Ratio: 0.98 to 1 VP Totals [change]: Allies: 68,076 [+987] Japanese: 33,837 [+219] A/J Ratio: 2.01 to 1 Operation Aperture: Phase 1: -Assault & Capture Guam [COMPLETE] -Assault & Capture Tinian [COMPLETE] -Assault & Capture Saipan [IN PROGRESS. AV 659:339 Advantage Allies, Forts at 7] Phase 2: -Assault & Capture Marcus [IN PROGRESS. 1st wave lands, AV 75:4 Advantage Allies, Forts at 2] Operation Chimera: Phase 1A: -Assault & Capture Cotabato [COMPLETE] -Secure Mindano [IN PROGRESS - 33rd Inf. Division marching on Davao] Phase 1B: -Assault & Capture Balikpapan -Assault & Capture Jolo [IN PROGRESS, Aphibs SW of Talaud-Eilanden] -Reinforce Brunei Phase 1C: -Assault & Capture Watampone -Assault & Capture Kolaka -Assault & Capture Makassar -Assault & Capture Kendari Other Notes: -The Allies achieve two milestones to kick off the New Year: 1. Allies reach parity in ground losses. During darkest days of 1942, the Allied army losses were 6,000 more than the Japanese, the Allies have come a long way to equalize at 11K apiece. 2. Allies reach 2:1 in victory points. In a little over a year, the Allies have stretched their lead from 1:1 to 2:1. Now they set their sights on 3:1 by the end of ’44.
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< Message edited by Schlussel -- 11/11/2018 1:57:07 AM >
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You say we're surrounded? Excellent! That means we can attack in any direction.
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