ADavidB
Posts: 2464
Joined: 9/17/2001
From: Toronto, Canada
Status: offline
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October 30 -
For the first time in quite a while Tophat's forces had opportunities to go after Allied forces other than in China. But at least nowadays my forces are no longer simply "road kill" and they have something of a chance. For example, now that my US fleet submarines have AA upgrades and radar, they are getting away from the ubiquitous Japanese aerial ASW attacks and even shooting back sometimes. Of course, their torpedoes still don't work, so as with the case this turn where the Grunion and the Japanese ML Saishu "danced" on the route to Wake Island, my subs still haven't sunk anything, but it is reassuring that they may well be able to do something once the Game reaches January 1943.
Tophat has also sent out his subs again, such as with the I-123 that was run over by a mine laying TF off of Akyab:
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ASW attack at 29, 29
Japanese Ships
SS I-123, hits 2, on fire
Allied Ships
DD Encounter
DD Electra
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Hopefully I-123 is limping home now instead of bothering my ships. Tophat was able to confirm the identity of that TF thanks to his naval LBA in the region and he even got a long range attack off:
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Day Air attack on TF, near Akyab at 30, 29
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 13
G3M Nell x 14
G4M1 Betty x 3
Allied aircraft
Spitfire Vb x 21
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 3 destroyed, 1 damaged
G3M Nell: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Spitfire Vb: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
Allied Ships
ML Prins van Oranje, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
ML Gouden Leeuw
ML Pro Patria
ML Krakatau
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I had my CAP reduced a bit over Akyab because I wanted to rest them. I had expected that the ML TF would just drop its mines and leave, but I goofed up the instructions and had the TF set to stay at Akyab. So no mines were laid and the TF got hit. Never-the-less, the Spits did a good job, particularly considering that those are post v1.50 Bettys and Nells.
The ML TF may have also saved my RN fast BB TF from being hit this turn since it was spotted by Tophat's naval air search. Tophat is wondering if the TF is going is a bombardment TF or is the Invasion Force that he has been awaiting in Burma for quite some time. But since the airbase at Rangoon is still fairly well wrecked and there are very few damaged planes there, I've redirected the bombardment TF to hit Moulmein instead, which has at least a Daitai of Tonys or Tojos there, and probably other planes too.
Tophat has been busily moving troops to Rangoon in the expectation of an imminent British invasion. But I have no intention of "slugging it out" at Tophat's strongholds. My objective is to keep the air bases closed at Mandalay, Rangoon and Moulmein so that there aren't any nearby air fields from which Tophat can interfere with my build-up of Akyab. Akyab is already a level 3 airfield and has level 6 fortifications. All I need to do is to increase the port size to 1 and to increase the airfield size to 4 and I will be positioned to use Akyab as a forward base for twin engine bombers from which I can keep the Japanese bases in Burma suppressed.
At that point I will start to build up the Andaman Islands so I will be in a position to go after my main interests; the smaller, isolated bases on Sumatra that will allow me to gain control of the air and the seas in the region. I intend to close down Tophat's oil production in 1943 by means of LBA, and I will use the West Coast of Sumatra to provide me with the bases to do that. There are even three unoccupied "dot" bases off the Coast of Sumatra which will allow me to start "no-cost" toeholds. Remember, the Allies have more Engineering groups than they know what to do with - moving those Engineers to Sumatra will cause the Japanese no end of trouble, particularly when those Engineers are backed up by the RN, RAF and the British Army.
What is "neat" about this strategy is that Tophat has focussed the vast majority of his forces in the Timor region and is building up bases there like crazy. But he has pretty much ignored Sumatra. By the time that he realizes what I am doing it will be too late, and I will also have some US carriers in the region to interfere with any attempts to redeploy those forces that are now near Australia.
Long term strategy aside, I have also ordered my long range bombers to hit both Mandalay and Rangoon again next turn. The weather forecast is calling for thunderstorms everywhere in the region, but who knows; maybe one of the two attacks will go off. And if the T-storms are too intense maybe Tophat's long range bombers won't get into the air either. (Yeah sure; I only wish.) But the RN ought to be able to hit Moulmein regardless of the weather. (I hope!)
Anyway, enough talk about things that are going well. Let's look at the situation in China. Hengchow, Sian and Chungking were hammered again from the air. My Chinese planes got off a couple of small attacks on the Japanese besiegers of Kungchang. Now that I've given up hope of anything sensible happening in Hengchow, my latest surprise/frustration is that the two units that I've had in Lanchow are into "crawl" mode for no particularly understandable reason. The road between Lanchow and Kungchang doesn't usually take a long time to travel. And these two units are holding up my withdrawal from Kungchang. But hey, when did anything in the ground war in China make any sense.
Just to make certain that Tophat doesn't make things too bad in Sian before I get the chance to abandon Kungchang I've ordered my best Chinese infantry unit in Kungchang to march to Sian. I don't want to send any more troops from Chungking to Sian, so this will reinforce my position in Sian while not reducing my ability in Kungchang very much.
For whatever reason Tophat did another deliberate attack on Hengchow this turn, reducing the fortifications down to 2 and giving pretty much even losses on both sides. So Tophat ought to be able to defeat my troops with his next assault. But he hasn't "closed the door" door yet, so if he does attack again my troops ought to be pushed out into the countryside and the chance to escape. But one never knows what bizarre results will come out of ground combat.
In one other odd move, Tophat attempted to sweep Canton Island with his Zeros from Baker Island. They got lost in the clouds, which was probably pretty good for Tophat because I not only have a Marine Wildcat squadron there but also an Army P-40B Group. Canton is just about up to a level 5 airbase. Once it reaches that mark I'll start a serious air campaign to reduce the airfield at Baker Island to rubble.
Dave Baranyi
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RE: ... - 
Early on in the game I decided to not try to contest Noumea until I was strong enough to be able to hold it against a serious Japanese assault. Instead I focussed my efforts on building up the Hawaiian Islands and vacinity, including the Line Islands. I also sent some SWPAC forces to Auckland in order to protect against what I considered a more dangerous gambit by Tophat; an invasion of New Zealand. So I left an AVD and a Catalina squadron in Noumean along with that French high speed destroyer. The tracking by the Catalinas, along with the way that the French harassed any Japanese subs that came by convinced Tophat that I had serious forces there. 
) I have a good SWPAC division on the way to Noumea from New Zealand along with several base forces and Seabee units. I never built up the port or airbase, but the fortifications were already at level six. So as soon as my troops arrive I'll immediately start to build up the fortifications all the way. I'm also bringing in lots of supplies and fuel to keep me going. And I've got more Seabees on the way to other bases in the area to start to build them up too. And I've got hundreds and hundreds of planes in the South Pacific, spread out among more than a dozen mutually-supporting bases. 
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