Somewhat better than I feared. For one, Toungoo has been abandoned by Japan. Heavy infantry, enginners, and HQ are either there or two days away. Shake and bake AF. The BBs are hurt and very vulnerable, but if they can remain un-torped this turn they might make Colombo. LRCAP and escorts assigned.
Best news is, on extreme magnification, it looks like the hexsides to Bassein as well as west of Rangoon, are Allied. Or at least not red on either side. I am unable to march anything out of the Rangoon hex in any direction. They're going to have to retreat. For now they stand.
If the Allies take (or pose a serious threat to) Pegu, then Rangoon's fate is almost certainly sealed. Most IJ commanders aren't going to take a chance on getting a vast army isolated at Rangoon. You may have won this campaign already by maneuver. Like Sherman in north Georgia in 1864, you may suffer at Rangoon a repulse (like Kennesaw Mountain), but you're outmaneuvering the enemy and taking lots of real estate.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
The stack at Rangoon now reads as 92,279 men, 503 AFV and 570 Guns.
The yellow stack SE of Toungoo on the road is two Chinese corps and a Cav corps. I could get them to the corner and turn left on the gray road for Pegu. They can't do much against the Rangoon stack, but they might force him to split it to occupy Pegu and give my guys at Rangoon a chance.
Viper Force will be at Bassein tomorrow with 8 (!) squads. I plan to take the base if it's empty, then send Viper at Rangoon to affirmatively open a side. If I get that time. A Chinese corps at Prome is also coming to stiffen Bassein until more of the northern marchers can get there.
The next turn is mostly about saving as many at-sea refugees as possible. It could be another carnage-fest.
The Chiang Mai duo, with one more trailing, keep coming. I hope he's not paying them much attention.
This seems like a good spot to review FUDD and see what's gotten done and what has not.
"Overview
Operation FUDD is a multi-phase operation aimed at re-taking Rangoon and selected associated targets in mid-1942. It will employ forces from the British, Australian, Indian, and Chinese military establishments. Following each phase an examination of enemy reaction will be mounted and adjustemnts, postponement, or cancellation of follow-on phases will occur.
Strategic and Tactical Objectives
1) Consolidate Oil/Fuel denial in Burma So far so good.
2) Achieve roughly 1500 VP swing in the Allies' favor No
3) Deny Japan theater industrial assets of Rangoon Not yet.Bombing may accomplish this in the weeks to come. Removing the LI from Rangoon would pressure the occupation.
4) Make the sub-region a no-go area for the IJN by use of Pt. Blair and the linked air fields at Rangoon and nearby. Not yet. Pt. Blair has TBs.
5) Enable armored thrusts down the Burmese coast from Pegu to potentially cut the Bangkok-to-Singapore supply line and force any resource flows toward Korea onto the water. Longer-term. Armor losses in the landings will delay this.
Phases
1) Phase 1 will be an opposed amphibious landing at Rangoon by combined arms forces led by Indian Army units, launching from Madras and Calcutta. Escort and CAP will be provided by RN heavy units from Colombo, accompanied by minesweepers. Done
2) Phase 1.5 will be a para-assault on Bassein from Pt. Blair. Impossible. Viper Force non-base landing substituted.
3) Phase 2 will be a ground assault on Prome by Chinese infantry with an objective, at minimum, of pinning the RTA division there. Exceeded. Prome taken, is building.
4) Phase 3 will be second-wave landings at Rangoon by more division-sized infantry, as well as substantial armor sourced from theater reserves as well as India garrisons released by re-location of Chinese Army units to India. Done, but damaged.
5) Phase 4 will be capture of Pegu by forces from Rangoon. Undone. If will be done will be by alternate route from Toungoo region.
6) Phase X, depending on enemy reactions and solid intel gains from previous phases, will be movement forward in force from the Mandalay sector to either take Toungoo if abandoned, or to invest the garrison there if not, after its supply lines are cut by the taking of Pegu. Air support from Mandalay group bases. Toungoo taken without a fight today.
7) Phase Y, investment of Chiang Mai by three Chinese corps moving overland. FUDD will not be delayed while these units reach position. This phase is considered a "nice to do" portion of the operation. These units are considered expendable and are intended mainly as a prod to draw a response to this supply line threat and reduce combat forces available to react to the north for the time needed to consolidate the landings and initial supply of Rangoon. In progress. Two corps ahead of third. Cross-river assault on Chiang Mai may be reassessed. These deep penetration units may be re-targeted to threaten different supply lines.
8) Phase Z, feint toward Ramree I. by lone Chinese corps, overland, underway for several weeks now in plain sight. Ramree I. is valuable if Rangoon is not held, but is exposed unless total air superiority is achieved, doubtful at this stage of the war. It is also a dot base, and engineering assets will be better used at the other targets. Ramree I. is intended to draw off Japanese air assets." Exceeded. Ramree taken, held by corps+ force. Building AF and supply base.
====================================================================================================
The day has some wins and losses, but overall it could have been much worse. The Allies readjust myriad things in light of new realities. This will continue for awhile due to redeployment speeds and damage, but the first day is the most important to retreat what can and save the saveable.
1) Japan continues a go-slow approach to the landing forces at Rangoon. From their perspective the stack is trapped, so no hurry. This is somewhat true (trapped, today), but it's also what the Allies want. The Japanese stack is over-kill, and some of it could profitably be released by Japan to fortify Pegu, move to deal with the Chiang Mai sector, preempt Bassein's fall, attack Prome, etc. Instead Japan snipes with air power and another bombardment. The stack has some AA along and Idas do not have much durability.
Morning Air attack on B Sqn 3rd Hussars Regiment, at 54,53 (Rangoon)
Weather in hex: Heavy rain
Raid spotted at 37 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 17 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 15
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 3
Ki-36 Ida x 25
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 9
Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 1
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 1 damaged
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 1 destroyed by flak
Ki-36 Ida: 3 damaged
Ki-36 Ida: 1 destroyed by flak
No Allied losses
Morning Air attack on RAF 222 Group Base Force, at 54,53 (Rangoon)
Weather in hex: Heavy rain
Raid spotted at 32 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes
Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 12
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 12
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 3 damaged
Allied ground losses:
Guns lost 7 (3 destroyed, 4 disabled)
Vehicles lost 4 (2 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Morning Air attack on 8th Medium Regiment, at 54,53 (Rangoon)
Weather in hex: Heavy rain
Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes
Japanese aircraft
Ki-30 Ann x 5
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 4
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-30 Ann: 1 destroyed by flak
Ground combat at Rangoon (54,53)
Japanese Bombardment attack
Attacking force 51414 troops, 647 guns, 231 vehicles, Assault Value = 2171
Defending force 5673 troops, 205 guns, 321 vehicles, Assault Value = 287
2) At sea near the landing zone the retreat is broad and deep. Some escorts break and re-form with charges more in need of help. Waypoints are used to make targetting harder. Some cripples are sent to interim ports to patch and fight fires. Overall the losses are very light compared to yesterday's fears. The BBs in particular are untouched.
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Port Blair at 48,57
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid spotted at 3 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 1 minutes
Allied Ships
xAP Lancashire xAK Lulworth Hill, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Port Blair at 48,57
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid spotted at 6 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 2 minutes
Japanese aircraft
G3M2 Nell x 13
Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIa Trop x 7
Hurricane IIb Trop x 6 (LRCAP works!)
Japanese aircraft losses G3M2 Nell: 9 destroyed
No Allied losses
In addition, xAP Duntroon sinks from flooding and fires caused yesterday. Two Rangoon ships lost today is very, very light.
3) As noted above, Toungoo falls without a shot. Base force and HQ should arrive tomorrow. Will be interesting to see what Japan built in the interim, if anything.
4) At Palembang, now the true front line, several xAKs which had been in residence to carry supplies to Singers are ordered to take on fuel for Perth in a one-way. Bombers hit the port, sinking xAK Wo Sang. This fuel route is now probably closed. Oosthaven, although the port is small, might continue to ship fuel south for a time. CAP will need to be moved back to Palembang to allow fort-building to continue. It remains to be seen how much bomber force will stay on Palembang and how much will be shifted to Burma.
5) Japan also sinks xAK Tak Sang SE of Soerbaja. She had been doing similar fuel duty for Darwin. With oil pressure probably rising on Japan's to-do list Soerbaja might be attacked soon. Force Z has left for Cocos I. and Sumatra duty. Soerbaja is a lower priority than Palembang.
6) Bataan is bombed as normal. The supply snuck in did not run into the AA units, so there is no flak. Some of the infantry units are in supply though. I'd like Japan to attack here sooner than later.
7) The Allies hit back by bombing Chiang Mai four times with 2E and 4E, and Makassar AF. 4Es are moved to Darwin and Oil missions are ordered on the B-brothers, but they do not fly. Probably transit fatigue. At Boela O-21 shoots at unloading Japanese forces and misses.
8) ASW occurs near Balikpapan, where a strong sub cordon is in the strait.
Also off San Francisco where an I-boat is prosecuted three times for no hits. BB West Virginia is approaching with 54 Float damage and light escort. I'd like the transit lane to be clean. If an I-boat finds her she's gone. I had originally sent her toward Seattle, but 52 Float became 60 in transit, so she was redirected to SF. It's a toss up.
At Pearl BB Warspite is back in drydock to try to knock 78 Float down enough to get her to the WC and withdraw in 1943.
9) Of interest, some sort of MKB is operating one hex SW of Singers already. Its Kates strike at the ships at Palembang, but miss. My hope is it forces the Strait. I still have a sub in Singers harbor (the mines are still green), and live smaller fields in the Strait, plus five subs. I'd love to get a shot or two at mini-carriers headed for Rangoon to "help."
Bassein was empty; will fall today I think. Toungoo in Allied hands. Chiang Mai force moves along the road. The retreat at sea continues. The stack at Moulmein reads as 17 LCUs.
I call FUDD a success. And if you can hold what you got in Burma (save for Bassein, which seems impossible) then I would count it as a major success.
I have Chinese corps strat moving to Bassein from Prome; need three days after I get the base tomorrow. More coming by road.
Can any land war experts explain to me why I can't march anything out of the Rangoon hex in any direction in Combat mode? I have yellow hexsides in three directions, and the recieving hex is neutral in two. Is this something basic I'm missing? Or something deep in the rules?
You shouldn't have any hexsides (well, I'm actually not sure - perhaps an amphibious invasion takes the hexside it crosses, but I don't know). When you enter an enemy hex via an adjacent hex (by ground), you take only the hexside you cross. The opponent controls all other hexsides (even if you have troops in adjacent hexes). To open up additional hexisides, you'll have to enter Rangoon from outside the city.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
You shouldn't have any hexsides (well, I'm actually not sure - perhaps an amphibious invasion takes the hexside it crosses, but I don't know). When you enter an enemy hex via an adjacent hex (by ground), you take only the hexside you cross. The opponent controls all other hexsides (even if you have troops in adjacent hexes). To open up additional hexisides, you'll have to enter Rangoon from outside the city.
I have yellow sides on the hexes I'm talking about. No 'A' or 'J' letters either. He's never been in them or crossed to them. I'll try to get a screenshot.
Edit: never mind. They became red since yesterday.
Yeah, but whatever the color, when you enter a hex, you don't get any hexside except that which you cross (an amphibious invasion doesn't count, since obviously you can't "take" a water hexside). So your Rangoon army is marooned unles: (a) it takes the hex, in which case it controls all the hexsides (on the inside) or (b) any troops that enter the hex from adjacent hexes opens up that/those partciular hexes (or hex as the case may be).
Am I stating something so patently obvious that I should just crawl into a recliner and read fiction for the rest of the day?
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Yellow?? Red=Japan and Green=Allies. Make sure that you have some far off hex selected so the white does not drown out the other colors, then take a screen pic with the 'w' key toggled on. We'll have a look.
Of course yellow could be the aliens. If you see any bright lights just run like hell and don't look back.
Yeah, but whatever the color, when you enter a hex, you don't get any hexside except that which you cross (an amphibious invasion doesn't count, since obviously you can't "take" a water hexside). So your Rangoon army is marooned unles: (a) it takes the hex, in which case it controls all the hexsides (on the inside) or (b) any troops that enter the hex from adjacent hexes opens up that/those partciular hexes (or hex as the case may be).
Am I stating something so patently obvious that I should just crawl into a recliner and read fiction for the rest of the day?
No, you are correct. It's just that yesterday I was looking at the hexsides, even in extreme magnification in Paint, and only the one facing Rangoon was red; the other five were yellow on both sides, except Bassein, which was red/yellow. Now all six are red on both sides. I've never invaded Rangoon from sea in an AI game and to tell the truth in those games I never did a lot of hexside alchemy since you don't need to in order to win.
My hope is to pass Viper Force from Bassein to Rangoon if I get time. This was just weird as the sides changed by themsleves between days, after the landings. I looked in my screenshot folder and I did not save one with five yellows. I looked at them, but I didn't save them. So, play on!
Yellow?? Red=Japan and Green=Allies. Make sure that you have some far off hex selected so the white does not drown out the other colors, then take a screen pic with the 'w' key toggled on. We'll have a look.
Of course yellow could be the aliens. If you see any bright lights just run like hell and don't look back.
Ah, crap. The idiot light just went on. Yep, I still had one last supply TF unloading in Rangoon harbor, it had "focus" and the yellow course trail back to its homeport was lit. That overwhelms the 'w' ownership colors. I never noticed that before. This ranks right up there with CR's "jsigint" caper. [:'(]
OK, now we REALLY play on. Nothing to see, folks. Idiot at play.
This makes me feel much better about my little "jsignt" versus "asignt" episode last week.....
My defense is it went over 70 degrees here for the first time since last September. Windows open and I could not take the rush of oxygen. Had to intervene with the cat. She had my credit card and was on Amazon ordering up a case of catnip to celebrate.
Why do folks endure living in a region where it's dadgum cold most of the time? I realize it's dadgum hot here for 90 days during the summer, but....I just don't get immense cold and short days for months at a time.
In 2013, I made my second-ever visit to Minnesota. We were on our "Last Great Family Vacation" trip across America. We stopped at Pipestone National Monument, which we loved. The next morning - it was June 10 - it was raining hard and in the low 50s. If that can happen in mid June, there's no hope!
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Why do folks endure living in a region where it's dadgum cold most of the time? I realize it's dadgum hot here for 90 days during the summer, but....I just don't get immense cold and short days for months at a time.
In 2013, I made my second-ever visit to Minnesota. We were on our "Last Great Family Vacation" trip across America. We stopped at Pipestone National Monument, which we loved. The next morning - it was June 10 - it was raining hard and in the low 50s. If that can happen in mid June, there's no hope!
Well, few snakes. [:)]
We have very short days in winter, but our mid-summer days are longer than yours. It's light after 10 PM here.
We have lots and lots and lots of blondes with "large tracts of land."
The accent is far superior.
There are moose runing loose, outside zoos.
We have a very large mall.
Clothing is not taxed, at least for a few more weeks.
We have IMO the nicest major leauge ballpark in the nation.
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area. As much as you like hiking you REALLY need to google this.
Skyways all over downtown. Walk AND eat for square miles without getting cold.
Al Franken and Jesse Ventura.
The headwaters of the Mississippi. (Photos available on request. I walked across the river last summer. Got wet up to my ankles.)
As for the other reasons I left the South, never to return, I would have to discuss politics, and that doesn't go well for me around here. [:)]
I dispute that. Minnesota is the one place world-wide where English is spoken without any accent whatsoever.
It should be noted that although the Moose is correct about the temperature today, in most yards there are still snow patches in the shady spots, at least on my side of town. A few parking lots still have piles of snow taller than I am. (OK, I'm only 5'4", but still...) We like to say this builds character.
Minnesotans do have accents. We have the nicest lady at our church who lived in Minnesota until she was in her 30s. She has an accent, which is striking (but by no means unpleasant) to our ears. Ever since we made her acquaintance, we've been able to identify folks from Minnesota whenever we hear one speak, whether we happen to be in Maine or California or here in Georgia.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
I dispute that. Minnesota is the one place world-wide where English is spoken without any accent whatsoever.
I take it this is a joke.
It should be noted that although the Moose is correct about the temperature today, in most yards there are still snow patches in the shady spots, at least on my side of town. A few parking lots still have piles of snow taller than I am. (OK, I'm only 5'4", but still...) We like to say this builds character.
Our yard is about 30% covered. Out to get the mail barefoot in shorts and T. Happens every year. Just not this late.
