Btw, Emperor LST has received a long-distance telephone call - somebody with a heavy french accent whined 'Hey, you sank my battleship!'. The identity of the capital ship recently sunk by our air force has thus been confirmed.
I have read most of the posts in this thread and this is one of the most readable and enjoyable action reports thread I have read. The expectation of comments like the one above help retain interest. Thanks!
Thank you, your feedback is much appreciated. I shall do my best to update this thread ASAP - I can browse the forum at work and write quick comments, but writing an AAR can only be done when lunch break leaves enough time...
Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya,Hiroshima bombed - 50.000 civilians slained
Nagoya: raided by enemy CVs, numerous planes destroyed on the ground - counterattacks failed to penetrate CAP and suffered heavy losses, a few of our submarines sighted an enemy CV-TF but could not reach attack positions
Tokushima: small raid by enemy carrier planes destroyed a few planes on the ground
Formosa Strait: one of our submarines failed to report in, it probably fell victim to patrolling PBYs
Keelung: ground combat ended with the last pockets of resistance having been crushed by the enemy
Surabaya: raided by CVs
Pearl Harbor: covering the sea lanes to and from this major enemy port, one of our subs engaged a crippled CV, but failed to score ƒ¼
Air losses: 795:350, one MCS lost to submarine torpedoes
The Emperor is amazed that the battle for Keelung ended so apruptly after last week's successful defense.
04/16/45
Tokyo: bombing attack damaged GHQ, all records for this week have been lost in the resulting fire
The Emperor and the Imperial Beer Reserve luckily escaped damage.
04/23/45
Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombed day and night - even by TBFs operating from Bonin Is. - total of 88.000 civilians killed - new bomber type on Allied side identified as 'Invader'
Manila: enemy CVs attacked - 93 a/c destroyed on the ground; counterattack by a 171 of our gallant pilots - no hits, 171 planes lost
North Luzon: enemy surface TFs bombarded
Air losses 482:217, one TK sunk by subs
The Emperor has a drink on each of the 171 pilots lost at Manila.
04/30/45
Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Hiroshima bombed - 50.000 victims
Nagoya: US sub sunk off the port by patrol plane
Paramushiro bombarded by 1 BB, 1 CL and 13 DDs
Surabaya: ground attack repulsed despite support from enemy CVs
Palau: IJN torpedo bombers sank three enemy MCS venturing too close to this outpost
Panay: enemy CVs attacked Panay with 90 fighters and 75 bombers, 63 of our interceptors down 16 fighters and 45 bombers, but lose 54 of their own in the air plus 27 planes on the ground
Lingayen: bombed and bombarded by enemy CVs and surface TFs followed by invasion force consisting of 5th + 6th Marine Divs and 33rd + 96th US Army Divs - defenders from 75th + 76th Bde could not hold and base fell in enemy hands, but defence of Lingayen area continues - our air forces managed to moderately damage a CL with a Kamikaze
North Luzon: bombed by CVs and invaded by a lone Eng unit - the defenders of the crack 1st IJA Division laughed so hard at this pathetic effort that they decided to let them live for another week
Air losses 240:155
Emperor LST scolds his men in Norther Luzon for not capturing the enemy Engineers - those POWs could have been useful to repair and expand beer brewing facilities in the Home Islands
05/07/45
Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Hiroshima bombed - 34.000 civilians killed, supply depots massively damaged
North Luzon: bombed by LBA and CV, bombarded by surface TFs and invaded by 6th Canadian Division, 9th Aussie Division and a detachment of Americal Div - our defenders hold
Lingayen: ground attacks forced our troops to retreat to Clark Field - a suicide bombardment force of ten IJN coast defence vessels managed to destroy 41 enemy planes on the ground, but 7 CDs were sunk by LBA in return - night bombing from our air forces on Panay and Negros lightly damaged enemy supply depots
Manila: enemy CV raids destroyed 27 a/c on the ground
Manila - Lingayen area: a Kamikaze attack by 75 brave pilots on a supply convoy sank one MCS and damaged a DD
Surabaya: our troops continue to hold against vast enemy numbers and CV support
Bali: invaded under CV cover by 43rd US Division, 11th Aussie Division and 11th, 14th and 23rd Aussie Brigades - IJA 25th Independent Bde retreated into the interior
Hawaiian waters: one of our subs patrolling well north of Pearl Harbor encountered an unescorted enemy fleet carrier heading West - scratch one flattop [:D]
Air losses: 805:439, convoy losses 1 MCS and 1 tanker
Emperor LST hails the unbroken offensive spirit of the IJN and offers (a different kind of) spirit and beer to encourage similar exploits
05/14/45
Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kagoshima bombed - 17.000 civilians killed
Keelung: 42 frustrated fighter pilots launched unauthorized air raid from Hongkong - intercepted by 245 enemies: 8 enemy planes destroyed, one lone survivor on our side
Hengyang: massive ground attack lead by 36th CW Division and including MARS Force, Merill¡¦s Marauders and 8 Chinese Armies was stopped cold by IJA 3rd, 13th and 34th Divisions despite heavy enemy air support
North Luzon: bombed by CV air and bombarded by numerous BBs, followed by more ground troops reinforcements including 6th, 77th and 11th Airborne Divisions - our troops suffered heavy losses and had to retreat, the enemy captured the meagre base facilities - resistance continues in the surrounding hills
Clark Field: supported by heavy air attacks by LBA and carrier air, enemy troops advanced from Lingayen and started the siege of Clark Field, the most important air base in the Philippines
Lingayen 1: the few IJN surface units remaining in the SRA - damaged but sufficiently patched-up for a last glorious sortie - launched a suicide bombardment mission: CA Tone, CA Myoko, CLAA Isuzu and 12 Coastal Patrol Craft destroyed 55 aircraft on the ground - enemy LBA retaliated and sank Tone, Isuzu and 2 CDs
Lingayen 2: numerous Kamikaze attacked a convoy and sank the following enemy ships: 2 Cleveland class CLs, 2 Fletcher class DDs, 3 other DDs, 11 APAs, 2 Liberty ships and 7 other MCS; one other CL and several DDs and transports were damaged
Philippine Islands: many Kamikaze attacks against several different enemy CV-TFs in the area - no hits, heavy losses
Balikpapan, Palembang, Timor all bombed by LBA
Bali: last defenders of 25th Brigade have been eliminated
Surabaya: heavy ground attacks by 4th Aussie Division, 30th Aussie Bde and 1st, 8th and 14th Kiwi Bdes plus an US RCT - our 18th Division and 71st Independent Bde hold
Tjilatjap: raided by enemy carrier air and LBA, enemy ground units landed
Air losses 848:265, 2 MCS and 1 TK sunk in routine convoys
Holding his promise, Emperor LST dispatches spirit and beer to the survivors of brave CA Myoko and the patrol crafts, now safely anchored at a classified location
05/21/45
Tokyo, Kagoshima and Osaka bombed - 26.000 casualties
Philippines: one of our subs off Luzon failed to report in, enemy CVs raided Manila, Bataan, Legaspi and Samar, enemy surface forces bombard Bataan, LBA from Lingayen bombs Clark Field - we have lost a few APs trying to slip-in reinforcements, but our LBA managed to hit a CV, a BB and a CA, the latter was left burning - our air losses against strong enemy CAP were very heavy
Keelung: KI-32 Kamikaze bombers from Amoy managed to sink a MCS and to damage to more for 24 planes lost
Tjilatjap: supported by CV raids, enemy forces captured the base - remnants of our troops continue to resist
Everywhere else the usual rain of bombs on the bases remaining under our control
Air losses 993:309, 3 MCS lost to enemy subs
Emperor LST is angry - the sub sunk off Luzon was the one dispatched with spirit and beer for CA Myoko and company. Precious beer supplies have been wasted!
05/28/45
Tokyo, Osaka and Kagoshima bombed - 28.000 civilians died
Clark Field: CV raids, ground attack by 6th Marine Div, 33rd and 96th US Div and 5th Aussie Div repulsed
North Luzon: five enemy divisions continued mopping-up operations - distress call from one of our subs sinking after having been bombed
Legaspi: supported by CVs and surface forces, enemy landed and captured the base - intel has counted 1st, 3rd and 4th Marine Divisions, 31st and 93rd US Army Divisions and 6th Aussie Division
Lingayen: our air force at Manila raided the Lingayen air fields with 55 fighters and encountered 26 interceptors - 25 planes lost for 12 enemies downed and 18 more destroyed on the ground
Manila: four APs lost to enemy aircraft
Tjilatjap: hit repeatedly by LBA
Air losses 626:177, no losses in routine convoys
Emperor LST's mood has improved - this week the routine beer convoys have escaped damage from prowling enemy submarines
Home Islands: Tokyo and Osaka bombed: 12.000 victims
China: city of Hengyang captured by combined Chinese, CW and US forces – battle for Changsha continued
PI: CV raids and surface bombardments destroyed over 120 planes on the ground - ground combat in Notherrn Luzon continued
SRA: Batavia bombed, bombarded, invaded and occupied by US and Australian forces
Pacific Ocean: Makin Island, the last outpost of the Empire in the vast Pacific which for months had endured bombing and strafing attacks (apparently the enemy has used it to ‘blood’ new air groups) has finally been captured by Allied forces, the valiant garrison consisting of the 3rd and 4th Mai SNLF battalions managed to inflict crippling losses to the invading 111 US Rgt, but finally succumbed to US Marines sent the to rescue
For dereliction of duty, Emperor LST has severly curtailed the beer ration of the GHQ clerks in charge of tallying the weekly air losses totals and routine convoy losses.
*****
06/11/45
Home Islands: Tokyo and Osaka bombed repeatedly: 13.000 victims
China: Shanghai bombed by LBA and carrier aircraft – CV raid on Amoy destroyed 20 planes on the ground – air attacks at Nanchang continued – ground attack at Nanning by IJA forces let by LtGen Adachi routed the defenders and captured the city
PI: heavy LBA, carrier and bombardment attacks followed by heavy attacks on the ground against our positions in Northern Luzon, our observers report 10 BBs, 2 BCs, 8 CAs, 6 CLs and numerous DDs off the beach – repeated air attacks against Clark Field
SRA: Allied Air and Naval Forces attacked Tjilatjap on Java
Air losses total: 30:115, no losses in routine convoys
Emperor LST asserts that beer (more correctly the lack of beer) has a motivating effect on his file clerks.
*****
06/18/45
Home Islands: Tokyo bombed: number of victims unknown
PI: Manila captured by enemy forces advancing from Legaspi – last resistane in North Luzon crushed under heavy air, bombardment and ground attacks
SRA: Tjilatjap captured by enemy forces, remaining defenders scattered
Naval warfare: several of our submarines damaged by escorts after unsuccessful attacks against Allied BBs in PI waters
Air losses 2:77, no losses in routine convoys
Emperor LST observes that his Empire is shrinking faster than his beer supplies
*****
06/25/45
Home Islands: Tokyo, Osaka bombed: 16.000 victims
China: Shanghai bombed, air attacks on our troops at Nanshang
PI: CVs and surface forces raided Samar
Palau: after heavy preparation by LBA, carrier air and surface units, several enemy divisions descended on the lone Special Base Force defending the base and captured it swiftly
Naval warfare: we have lost contact with no less than five of our subs this weeks, one off PH and four in Formosan waters
Air losses total. 37:84, two freighters sunk by enemy subs
Emperor LST curses Allied ASW and drowns his frustration in beer.
*****
07/02/45
Home Islands: Tokyo, Osaka, Kagoshima bombed: 17.000 victims
China: Shanghai and Nanchang bombed
PI: ground attack at Clark Field involving the following units: 1., 3., 6. US Marine Divisions, 31., 33., 41., 93., 96. and 11. Airborne Divisions (USA), 5. and 6. Australian Divisions plus elements of the Australian 11. Bde and US Americal Division against the following IJA units: 12., 20., 36., 49., 54., and 94. Divisions, 50., 51., 52., 53., 75. and 76. Brigades, the 56. Rgt and several lesser elements - heavy losses on both sides but our forces hold
Air losses 0:141,no losses in routine convoys
Emperor LST hopes his troops at Clark have enough beer left to hold this important base.
Tokyo, Osaka, Kagoshima: bombed – 7.000 civilians killed
Enemy air raids on Balikpapan, , Palembang, Bangkok, Shanghai, Nanchang and Paramushiro
Zhanjiang: enemy air raided convoy, one patrol craft and seven APs sunk
Clark Field: Allied ground attack with air support, our troops hold
Panay: raided by 230+ carrier aircraft, 70 of our Kamikaze planes destroyed on the ground
Legaspi: our Kamikaze Corps attacked a convoy and covering CVs – over 100 planes lost due to CAP and AAA, one APA sunk and one CV damaged
Kuching: bombarded by heavy surface units and bombed by carrier air
Jitra: bombarded by heavy surface units
Ulithi Atoll: reported occupied unopposed by the enemy
Yap Atoll: also reported occupied unopposed by the enemy
Air losses 216:176, one MCS and one TK lost to subs
Emperor LST is disappointed with the performance of the Kamikaze Corps
*****
07/16/1945
Tokyo: bombed – 3.000 victims
Osaka: 40 enemy fighters covering 60 bombers intercepted by 88 brave fighter pilots – 17 resp. 7 enemy planes downed for 49 of our own lost
Nagoya: 192 enemy planes intercepted by 116 fighters, 66 of our planes lost for 115 enemy planes claimed – the file clerk responsible for taking notes of the combat reports must have been drunk
Air attacks on Bataan, Clark Field, Cagayan, Paramushiro, Shanghai, Nanchang, Changsa, Kweilen, Canton, Bangkok, Palembang, Balikpapan
Canton: bombarded by 30 destroyers – the Allied Naval High Command must have too many of them
Panay: CV raid, 19 planes destroyed on the ground
Cebu: CV raid
Samar I: ground attack by 4th Marine Division, our garrison consisting of 36th, 37th and 49th Independent Brigades plus 26th SBF hold
Samar II: massive Kamikaze attack against supply convoy – hundreds of planes lost for seven APA and one AV sunk, one CL and one AV damaged
Leyte: bombed by land based and carrier air, bombarded by 7 BBS, 4 CAs, 3 CLs plus DDs, and finally invaded and captured by 24th, 81st, 98th US Divisions and 7th Aussie Division against understrength 44th, 45th and 47th Independent Brigades and 28th SBF
Davao: bombarded by 4 BBs, 2 BCs, 5 CAs, 3 CLs, then invaded and captured by US 32nd and 38th Divisions – weak Kamikaze attack against invasion force butchered by enemy CAP
Jitra: bombarded by 4 BBs, 1 CA, 2 CLs and numerous DDs
Kuching: invaded and captured under CV cover – 34th Independent Brigade had no chance against 43rd US Division, 4th + 11th Aussie Division and the 14th Aussie Brigade
Air losses: 751:236, no losses in routine convoys
Emperor LST is uncertain how to improve performance of the Kamikaze Corps – should he curtail the beer rations to punish the pilots or increase it in order to motivate them?
*****
07/23/45
Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka: bombed – 18.000 victims
Air attacks on Kweilen, Changsha, Nanchang, Shanghai, Bangkok, Palembang, Balikpapan, Tarakan, Clark Field, Bataan
Foochow: bombarded by 30 DDs
Kuala Lumpur: bombarded by heavy surface units
Singapore: raided by carrier aircraft
Kuching: raided by CV aircraft and bombarded by 1 BB, 2 CL and numerous DDs
Panay: raided by carrier aircraft, 29 planes destroyed on the ground – counterattack by Kamikaze Corps resulted in heavy losses for no hits
Samar: ground attack supported by land based and carrier aircraft repulsed with heavy losses to the enemy
Leyte: bombarded by heavy surface units
Cagayan: bombed by land based and carrier aircraft and bombarded by heavy surface units
Air losses: 398:130, no losses in routine convoys
Emperor LST has decided to punish the pilots and has curtailed the beer ration – even if this does not result in higher performance of the Kamikaze Corps, at least he will have more beer for himself…
*****
07/30/45
Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka: bombed repeatedly – 24.000 civilians killed
Air attacks on the usual bases, damaging depots and harassing ground troops
Nanning: ground attacks by troops commanded by LtGen Adachi captured the town – the Chinese Armies fell into disorderly retreat
Iwo Jima:surprise carrier raid on enemy convoy unloading off the island by our brand-new CV Ibuki – unfortunately enemy CAP was strong and we lost 8 planes for two enemies splashed, no hits on enemy shipping obtained – CV Ibuki suffered medium damage when enemy fighter-bombers attacked with rockets and bombs
Bonin Islands: another surprise sortie by a lone coastal defence vessel which bombarded the enemy’s airfield and other installations – 3 men, 1 tank and two aircraft reported destroyed – the brave patrol craft then succumbed to the inevitable aerial counterattack next morning
Kuching: bombed by CV aircraft and bombarded by heavy surface units
Kuala Lumpur: CW forces invaded by sea and occupied base unopposed
Jitra: CW forces invaded by sea and occupied base unopposed
Negros: after preparation by carrier aircraft and naval bombardment, 6th US Division, Americal Division and 9th Australian Division invaded the island and quickly wrestled control from the lone SBF garrison – organized resistance ceased within a few days
Panay: same treatment as for Negros, this time the US 77th Division and the Canadian 6th Division invaded and destroyed the lone SBF guarding the base
Air losses 41:87, one freighter lost to enemy subs in routine convoys
Emperor LST is impressed by the unbroken offensive spirit of his Navy and the brave troops of LtGen Adachi – although rumour has it that the attack on Nanning had been carried out only to capture beer supplies from enemy stocks
We are doing one turn about every 10 days - too busy with other stuff, but Emperor LST will continue drinking bee... er, will continue to resist evil Strawbuk up to the bitter end.
Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya: bombed as usual – 49.000 civilians killed, AAA ineffective
Karafuto: bombarded by enemy TF consisting of 1 BB, 1 CL and 13 DDs
Iwo Jima: bombarded by one brave IJN patrol craft – no damage report received yet
Bonin Is.: CV Ibuki sunk by LBA while limping back to base
Shanghai: raided by LBA, bombarded by several dozen DDs – the enemy must have too many of them
Kuching: bombed by carrier air and bombarded by surface units – our garrison suffered slight losses
Singapore: raided by carrier air and LBA
Singora: captured unopposed
Kuantan: captured unopposed
Clark Field: heavy air and ground attacks continued the attrition of our forces
Bataan: air attacks damaged supply dumps
Samar: carrier and LBA attacks, naval bombardments and ground attacks
Leyte: local garrison suffered carrier air, LBA, naval bombardment and ground attacks, but continues to hold the base
Air attacks: enemy air attacks hit Balikpapan, Palembang, Kuching, Miri, Saigon, Changsa, our night bombers retaliated against Amami Oshima, Keelung and the Bonin Is.
Air losses: 3:93
Emperor LST issues beer rations to the long-neglected AAA crews in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka in order to improve their aim
*****
08/13/1945
Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Tokushima, Kagoshima: bombed, 26.000 civilians slained – AAA still ineffective
Nanshiung: 21st IJA Division advances from Nanning to Nanshiung but fails to capture the city
Clark Field: main force ordered to retreat to the Bataan peninsula for better defensive positions, a rearguard force tries in vain to hold off pursuing enemy ground forces – enemy aircraft harassed our forces all along the way
Leyte: CV air, LBA, naval bombardments and ground attacks continued
Cebu&Bohol: under cover of CV aircraft, LBA and naval bombardment the 77th US Division invaded and captured the islands – the 15th SBF is scattered
Cagayan: supported by carrier air and LBA, the US 32nd and 38th plus elements of the 1/1st Cav Brigade invaded the island – 40th Independent Brigade managed to hold the local base facilities
Kuching: enemy ground attack in Corps strength (several Div & Bde) supported by carrier air and naval bombardment against the lone 34th Independent Brigade gained little terrain
Singapore: raided by carrier air and LBA, supply depots damaged
Air attacks: usual rain of bombs and bullets on supply depots and base infrastructures at Palembang, Miri, Balikpapan, Shanghai, Kweilen, Changsa
Air losses: 3:80
Routine convoy losses: 3 MCS sunk
Emperor LST drops the carrot-approach and wields the stick instead – beer rations are cut for the AAA gunners. The Emperor hopes that this will motivate the gun crews to obtain results.
*****
08/20/1945
Tokyo and Nagoya: bombed at night – 27.000 civilians died, 16 enemy bombers downed – not by AAA but by (revitalized) night-fighters, equal number of interceptors lost
Kagoshima: bombarded by 30 DDs – 77 a/c destroyed on the ground - this impertinence shall be punished!
Uruppu: bombarded by same TF that had hit Karafuto two weeks ago: 1 BB, 1 CL, 13 DDs – something must be done against this pesky little bombardment force
Bataan: the motorized Allied forces advanced faster than our tired forces could march to the defensive positions on the peninsula – in a running fight, some units of our army have been destroyed, the remaining forces (12th, 20th, 36th, 49th, 54th Divisions, 50th, 51st, 52nd, 53rd Independent Brigades and the 56th Detachment) were forced into the mountains – Bataan base has been occupied by the enemy
Leyte: combat continued, our forces still hold
Cagayan: finally captured by the enemy, remnants of the garrison continue to fight in the jungle
Kuching: the vastly outnumbered defenders fighting a guerilla war in the hinterland have finally been overwhelmed by the enemy
Air losses 100+:unknown
Routine convoy losses: 2 MCS sunk
Emperor LST decides to disband AAA formations and to assign the gun crews to the Kamikaze Corps.
*****
08/27/1945
Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Kagoshima: bombed – 11.000 civilians killed, depots damaged, 49 a/c destroyed on the ground, 16 bombers shot down for 21 interceptors lost
Nagasaki 1: bombarded by a force of 30 DDs – 31 a/c destroyed on the ground
Nagasaki 2: several waves of Kamikaze (500+ sorties) from bases at Osaka, Kagoshima and Tokushima attacked the bombardment force – the Osaka strikes sank 8 DDs, the Tokushima strikes another 9 and the Kagoshima units no less than 13 DDs for a total of 30 enemy DDs sunk - BANZAI!!!
Philippine Islands: carrier raids, LBA bombing, naval bombardments and/or ground attacks continue at Samar, Leyte and Bohol&Cebu
Singapore: covered by carrier air and LBA, enemy ground forces in Corps strength crossed Johore Strait and landed on Singapore Island – unlike the British in 1942, our garrison consisting of the 1st INA Division, 62nd Division, 21st + 22nd Independent Brigades, 25th Army Eng and a detachment of the 11th SBF will fight to the death
Saigon: in a surprise move, Australian units in Corps strength covered by carrier air and naval forces landed at Saigon and quickly routed the lone SBF (the understrength 11th) which withdrew to Phnom Penh – the defenders of Bangkok and Phnom Penh are now cut off
Air losses 327:98
Emperor LST congratulates himself for his decision to transform the useless AAA gunners into Kamikaze pilots – they can’t hit planes but they can hit tin cans! For the rest of the week, loud singing and chanting could be heard from inside the Imperial beer storage, the Emperor himself gleefully intonating a new tune called 'This will teach them a lesson...'
I always do. Wait for the report on how I dealt with that pesky little bombardment force up north. IJN might be only a shadow of its former self, but it's fighting spirit is unbroken!
But are you having a little trouble with the "Caps Lock" key?
Folks, the war isn't over yet, but it surely takes it's time... Strawb and I are still in, doing about a turn per month... my fault, I'm busy with job, two kids (26 and 10 months old) and on top of it I am moving at the moment. I have several pages of AAR notes waiting for transcription into a forum post, but God knows when I will find the time. So in the meantime, please find below propagan.. er, a report from my dear opponent Strawb.
Hello to all our readers....
Yes courtesy of LST (I can't post to forum from my PC) a quick look back at
this long long war from the Allied side. A long game indeed, almost as long
as actual war! Think time included a wedding (not to each other I add)
three kids (again not any connection), two house moves etc etc .
So anyway as Op Olympic warms up (or does it? May be Shanghai to install my
non-commie puppet?) time for a look back. I started in the correct
manner , by RUNNING AWAY, with some attempts are stalling with minor land
forces and a bit of bad luck when I tried the Java sea again. Otherwise
fine, I know the plan I stick to the plan, keep my CV's together, keep them
moving around on fringes of his perimeter, build up.
But then you know late '43(?) Guadalcanal just seems to be sticking out all
alone, nice airbase, may be draw in his CVs and catch them (because, heh,
after all I now had four CVs , wow). Can you hear CincPac staff officers
rolling in their graves? Well apparently I didn't . Landed fine but
resupplying? Did not lose carriers but lost lots of CLs and CAs and
therefore removed my escorts and AA power for 18 months. That really
stuffed me. Plus many many Aussies surrendered, losing the ones I sought of
rescued from Singapore. In response the Australian government withdrew
permission fro use of any aussie troops in any more offensive actions for a
year
Lesson learnt: forget shock and awe, every island got pounded to dust as I
went route 1 to Japan. However, LST seemed to be making a habit of killing
the Royal Navy, esp CVEs: I was running a shoestring campaign off Burma,
landing at Medan , and put some RN forces into south pacific (FDR to Winston
- don't care if they are old slow and armed with one pompom as flak, can I
borrow some CLs.) RN regular got sniped at but truly shocking moment ,
and I do remember swearing at the replay, was the 70+ G4M with cheery
blossoms ambush off Malaya. Not pretty and I would not wish it on any one
A special mention to Blackforce who held out on Ambon against the IJA
occupation until liberated. And can't actually recall now when I finally
caught his CVs or if was just drip drip attrition (LST?)
My genuine stroke of genius/madness/luck, was the big lunge past
Phiilipines, Peleu, IJ, and into Taiwan. Meticulously planned, with decoy
ops elsewhere, big supply stockpiles etc it just worked, caught LST on hop
and air and subs based their finally put the strangle on LST.
So that's why, with four CV TF's cruising at will off japan, three BB/CA
bombard TFs poking the wasp's nest and B-29s hovering like a permanent
thunder cloud over Tokyo , we are heading for a draw: Too many dead bodies
my side, 80% by LST game play, 20% my stupidity. And now , Tokyo or bust?
But then you know late '43(?) Guadalcanal just seems to be sticking out all
alone, nice airbase, may be draw in his CVs and catch them (because, heh,
after all I now had four CVs , wow). Can you hear CincPac staff officers
rolling in their graves? Well apparently I didn't.
Yes, the Emperor remembers well - that was in March 1942. Four Allied divisions shattered and eight CAs sunk for negligible losses for the Empire. Those were the days...
ORIGINAL: Strawb
can't actually recall now when I finally
caught his CVs or if was just drip drip attrition (LST?)
Zuikaku and Shokaku lost in January 42 to single bomb hits near Espiritu Santo, Hiryu lost in April to a single bomb near Port Moresby, CVE Taiyo sunk by a sub near Palau in May 42, Soryu and Shoho lost in the first Marshall Islands campaign in June 43, Hosho lost in the counterattack a month later, Hiyo and Nisshin sunk in early January 44 in the second Marshall Island campaign, CVEs Kaiyo, Shinyo and Chuyo sacrificed covering the retreat of damaged fleet carriers during the campaign for Ponape in late January 44, Ryuho damaged in this action and later sunk during a carrier raid on Truk harbor, Akagi and Ruyjo sunk in late February 44 in the final phase of the Ponape campaign, Amagi lost to submarine torpedos in Philippine waters in September 44, Taiho, Chitose, Zuiho, Junyo, Unruyu and Katsuragi in the battle for Formosa in November 44. CV Ibuki sunk in an unauthorized suicide sortie against the Bonin Is. in August 45. Still operational (more or less) are Shinano, Chiyoda, Kaga and CVE Unyu.
ORIGINAL: Strawb
And now , Tokyo or bust?
Ha, we shall defend our Islands, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender - unless we run out of beer, of course...
Ha, we shall defend our Islands, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender - unless we run out of beer, of course...
Emperor LST
That is, unfortunately, a bit more of a possibility now. There has been a major fire at a warehouse in Yakima, Washington, ruining a full 4% of the U.S. crop of hops for this year.
Civil war? What does that mean? Is there any foreign war? Isn't every war fought between men, between brothers?
Home Islands:
Tokyo and Nagoya city suffered fire bombing attacks, killing 13.000 civilians – our interceptors downed 25 bombers for 28 own losses. At Kagoshima the enemy bombed supply depots and a G4M factory without opposition, and a raid from Okinawa by 126 fighters escorting 54 bombers against airfields around Osaka managed to destroy 115 of our stockpiled Kamikaze planes.
Northern Command:
Our remaining surface units launched a daring raid against enemy installations at Attu to put an end to the annoying bombing and bombardment sorties from that direction against the Kurile Islands. Vice-Admiral Nishimura took BBs Ise and Hyuga, CA Atago, CL Oyodo and 15 DDs close to shore to confuse enemy radar and managed to surprise the enemy bombardment task force as it sortied from Attu harbour. In a close-range night battle, one British ‘R’ class battleship, a Cleveland class CL, two Gearing class DDs and one Sumner class DD were left behind in sinking condition in return for some scratched paint on our ships. The remaining ten enemy DDs fled and our force continued to bombard the airbase at Attu and destroyed 16 planes. The parallel sortie of our carrier force – mighty Shinano, veteran Kaga and brand-new Kasagi – failed to make contact with the fleeing enemy and retired together with Nishimura’s victorious surface task force.
Philippine Islands: Organized resistance on Luzon ended with the destruction of our last forces on the Bataan peninsula. At Leyte, an enemy ground attack supported by LBA, carrier aircrraft and naval bombardment by 3 BBs, 2 BCs, 6 CAs and 4 CLs led to heavy losses among our troops. The enemy directed other air attacks and naval bombardments against Mindoro, Cagyayan, Cebu&Bohol and Samar. The latter was invaded by enemy troops in Corps strength, and our garrison (36th, 37th and 49th Independent Brigades plus the 26th SBF) had to yield control of the small base facilities and retreated into the interior of the island.
SRA:
Enemy air attacks have hit Palembang, Miri, Balikpapan, Singapore and Phnom Penh. Enemy ground forces advanced in the direction of Phnom Penh, where LtGen Matsuyama is preparing defensive positions with the remnants of the 15th Division and the 11th SBF. At Bangkok, the 55th and 56th Divisions are still defending the approaches of the city despite a naval bombardment by 5 BBs, 1 CA and 4 CLs. Singapore has been hit by air strikes from three different carrier task forces. The local garrison (1st INA Division, 62nd Division, 21st and 22nd Independent Brigades, 25th Army Engineers and a detachment of the 11th SBF) is bracing for the expected ground attack.
Air losses this week total 146 of our planes against 97 enemy planes downed. Routine convoys suffered no losses.
Emperor LST sends a ‘well done’ and beer to Vice-Admiral Nishimura.
*****
09/10/1945
Home Islands:
Tokyo, Nagoya and Nagasaki suffered fire bombing attacks, 46.000 civilians died. Over Nagoya, night-fighters and AAA downed 42 enemy bombers, 33 interceptors have been lost in return. Kagoshima, Tokushima and Osaka airfields have been raided repeatedly by LBA and 200 stockpiled Kamikaze planes have been destroyed.
Philippine Islands:
Enemy ground operations at Cebu&Bohol, Leyte and Cagayan continued with heavy LBA, carrier and naval support. Samar and Mindoro have been bombed by LBA.
SRA:
Bangkok has been visited by carrier aircraft and a naval bombardment force, our supply depots suffered moderate damage. Singapore was subjected to heavy LBA and carrier aircraft attacks, the losses among men and materiel are heavy.
This week we lost 283 planes to all causes, the enemy lost 156. Two tankers fell victim to enemy submarines.
Emperor LST ordered more surface actions against Attu.
*****
09/17/1945
Home Islands:
Day and Night fire bombing raids against Tokyo, Nagoya and Nagasaki have cost the lives of 52.000 innocent civilians. Raids against airfields in Osaka, Kagoshima and Tokushima provinces have destroyed about 250 planes inn the air and on the ground. Our night-fighters and AAA defending Nagoya managed to destroy 98 enemy heavy bombers for 65 fighters lost.
Philippine Islands:
Ground combat continued on Cebu&Bohol, Leyte and Cagayan, with our last defenders at Bohol being crushed by sheer numbers. Palawan has been invaded and captured by the 6th Marine Division, 32st US Division and 5th Australian Division. Likewise, Mindoro was lost when invaded by 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions plus 11th Airborne Division under cover of no less than nine BBs and six cruisers. The defending 10th SBF retreated into the jungle, but has been mauled severely.
SRA:
The defenders of Bangkok have been raided by carrier aircraft and were subjected to bombardment by five BBs, five cruisers and DDs. Ground forces at Phnom Penh suffered heavy air attacks by 180+ fighter-bombers. Depots and installations at Palembang and Balikpapan also suffered air attacks. Enemy carriers and a surface force consisting of three BBs, two BCs, six CAs, four CLs have pounded the defenders of Tarakan. Finally, Singapore suffered heavy air attacks with over 500 sorties by LBA plus attacks by two carrier task forces cruising off shore. Our ground forces and defences suffered heavily.
Air losses totalled 331:168. Enemy submarines found no victims.
Emperor LST confers with his war council in order to find the best means for a last-ditch defence.
*****
09/24/1945
Home Islands: bombs, bombs, bombs and more bombs – 25.000 civilians and a couple of POWs killed, 160 aircraft destroyed on the ground.
Philippine Islands: Ground combat (with heavy air and naval support on the Allies' side and none on our) continued on Samar, Leyte and Mindoro, resistance ended on Cagayan, and Jolo has been captured unopposed by enemy forces.
SRA: LBA and/or carrier raids against Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Singapore (37 individual raids ranging from 12 to 140 planes each), Balikpapan, Miri and HongKong continued attrition of our forces.
Air losses 168:66, three MCS sunk by enemy subs.
The war council has no suggestions to make and Emperor LST decides to confer with his beer instead.
*****
10/01/1945
Home Islands: Only weak raids against Osaka, and Nagasaki this week, 6.000 civilians killed and 49 aircraft destroyed on the ground.
China: enemy aircraft attacked resupply convoy at Tsingtao harbour and sank 15 AP, 19 MCS and one DE.
Philippine Islands:Our last defenders on Leyte and Mindoro have been eliminated, fighting continued on Samar.
SRA: Air raids on remaining strongpoints continued. A massive ground attack at Bangkok by 11th, 20th, 25th, 26th Indian Divisions, 2nd, 18th and 70th British Divisions, 11th East African Division and 50th Tank Brigade smashed through the front of the IJA 55th and 56th Divisions and captured key facilities of the city. Isolated groups of Imperial Infantry still cling to some positions.
Air losses 50:72. Four MCS sunk by enemy subs.
Emperor LST is amazed to find that while conferring with his beer, his beer actually talks back!
*****
10/08/1945
Home Islands:
LBA attacks have killed 25.000 civilians and destroyed about 80 planes on the ground. Then four large carrier task forces appeared within sighting distance off Osaka and commenced pounding air bases around Osaka, Nagoya and Nagasaki. Surprised, no fighters rose to defend the bases and numerous planes stockpiled for the expected invasion of the Home Islands have been destroyed on the ground. Furthermore, a surface force of five BBs, five cruisers and numerous DDs bombarded Kagoshima, destroying about 40 more planes and damaging ground installations.
China: ground forces clashed at Nanchang, causing light casualties on both sides.
PI / SRA: Ground combat on Samar continued. Morotai has been occupied unopposed by enemy forces. The shellshocked defenders of Singapore were unable to offer effective resistance and Commonwealth forces have occupied this once-important base.
Air losses this week 361:132. Nine MCS and one tanker sunk by subs.
Emperor LST discusses strategy with his beer and realises that he should have listened to it instead of his war council advisors.
*****
10/15/1945
Home Islands:
Enemy LBA and carrier air again concentrated on air bases in the Home Islands. While the heavies bombed factories and killed 17.000 civilians, no less than six different carrier task forces have been counted cruising off Osaka and Nagoya. This time our interceptors were ready and waiting, as was the Kamikaze Corps. But in numerous vicious air battles we suffered heavy fighter losses trying to deflect enemy strikes and heavy fighter and bomber losses when trying to hit back against enemy carriers and battleships. Even our bravest, most experienced pilots in our most modern Hayate, Shiden and Shinden fighters had no chance, the ill-trained Kamikaze Corps in their outdated planes even less. Numerous futile attacks against enemy carriers were intercepted and slaughtered by Hellcat and Corsair fighters. Only when a Kamikaze strike happened to chance upon a group of British escort carriers we got some favourable results – three Attacker class CVE have been sunk, another one heavily damaged and a CVL damaged as well. Our air groups are seriously disrupted and understrength, and replacement aircraft are even rarer than good beer.
Our submarine force, deployed to protect the Home Islands, never got a chance to attack because aggressive ASW patrols kept them away from targets. One submarine reported being attacked by a PBY before contact broke off.
PI / SRA: Air attacks have hit Samar, Miri, Palembang, Singapore, Phnom Penh, a surface bombardment has hit Menando.
Air losses from all causes this week 1464 planes for 447 enemies shot down. Six MCS and one tanker sunk by enemy subs.
Emperor LST suddenly feels a chilling breeze – and it is not coming from the Imperial beer fridge – the cold breath of doom.
At least LST has the satisfaction of having prolonged the game past the historical surrender date. Nice job off Attu -- what was a British BB doing in the Aleutians??
Civil war? What does that mean? Is there any foreign war? Isn't every war fought between men, between brothers?
A search plane has spotted CL Kiso near Kiska limping home with heavy damage. Contact was established via blinker signals because Kiso's radio equipment has been destroyed by direct hits. Therefore Admiral Shima aboard Kiso was unable to transmit details on the recent naval battles off Dutch Harbor until now.
Really?
Can it happen that a ship isn't momentarily shown on the map to simulate defective radio commmunications?
@adarbrauner - You may not have noticed that this is not the Witp-AE forum we both frequent these days but the forum of its grandfather, "Gary Grigsby's Pacific War - The Matrix Edition".
You have probably come here via the link in my signature in one of my posts in the AE forum.
Well, to answer your question, no, it can not happen that one of your own ships is not being displayed on the map due to comm failures - not in AE and not in PacWar.
This here is an AAR in "story modus", so the comm failure is "artistic license". I think I may have forgotten to mention the results of a battle the week before 01/11/42 and this trick allowed me to weave them into the story line.
Gosh, this resurrection of the AAR brings back memories! I can't believe I had the time to write all that stuff. Well, that was before I had wife&kids...
Funny, in my current AE PBEM I have lost Yamato in the Aleutians in 1942 as well - some people never seem to learn!
