Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

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Schlussel
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by Schlussel »

Week 79: June 9th – June 15th 1943

North Pacific:

Base building continues at Amchitka, Umnak and Attu. No IJN activity.




Central Pacific:
The Kusaie invasion goes off without a hitch. Troops were fully prepped and they hit the beaches with minimal disablements/casualties. On D+1 the base flips to Allied control.

Ponape was a different beast entirely…before the amphibs even reached the enemy base, they were attacked by a small IJN surface force (2-CL/2-DD). My CA/DD screen effectively fought them off, but not after an intense night battle which saw the Long Lance make its presence felt. 1 Allied CA had severe damage, and three DDs received a couple hits. While my amphibs continued on, they now lacked any pre-invasion bombardment…and the guns of Ponape made me pay for that. In the next few days,12 xAK’s were sunk while offloading supplies, most were not sunk outright, but eventually sunk after a few days. The weakness of the coastal merchant was exposed…their slow unloading rate made them sitting ducks for the Japanese coastal guns. The good news was that I kept all my troops in APA’s, LST’s and LCI’s, and they were able to get in and get out without any damage. After two days consolidating on the beaches, the Allied force attacked and captured Ponape. This invasion provided a good lesson on the xAK, they will be relegated to base supply for the rest of the war (probably what they were built to do anyway).




Southern Pacific:
4EB squadrons stand down this week. A group of Corsair’s sweep Tarawa and it results in an even exchange of Tojo’s/Zeroes.




New Guinea/Solomons:
Months of bitter fighting at Rabaul comes to an end as over 10K enemy troops are destroyed…Hurrah! The rest of the enemy force (25-30K) retreat to the South-West into the jungle, where Allied 4EB begin doing a little target practice. Troops at Rabaul get a little rest and begin prepping for targets on the Marianas.

On the northern coast of New Guinea, the Allies make good use of the coastal road and keep up the pressure on the retreating Japanese. On the last day of the week, the Allies liberate Hansa Bay and push the 5K remaining Japanese into the swamps to the North-West. The Allies halt their pursuit and allow 2/4 EB to pummel the enemy in their new location. Swamps provide no cover, and the Allied troops are content to let the Airforce finish the job.

SS Muskallunge puts a torpedo into CV Kaga 3 hexes north of Truk, but all Intel suggests she was alone. The KB is still MIA.
The continued absence of the KB means the Allies are ready for next assault in New Guinea…Hollandia. All troops are prepped and loading at Manus for the relatively short boat ride to the New Guinea coast. Once the Allied carriers covering the Ponape invasion return (2-3 days), the amphibs will begin their journey to Hollandia. Intel shows a small IJN surface component (1-BB/1-CA/2-DD) in the area, so this operation will have the services of 4 BBs (2 are of the non-ancient variety) 3 CA’s, and a host of DD’s for screening against surface and sub threats. Oh and of course…no xAK’s for this one.[:D]




DEI/Philippines:
In the Philippines, all my base are belong to Japan.

In the DEI, no Japanese activity.




SE Asia/China:
The Allied advance in Burma is nearing its goal, the city of Rangoon. In about 3 days the first 500AV will arrive and begin bombarding to assess the Japanese defenses. About a week later the Allied AV in Rangoon should triple and the assaults should commence soon afterwards.

In central Burma, the 254th Armored vaporizes the Japanese 54th Division at Myitkyina after a few days of deliberate assaults. The enemy force was battered and out of supply, so the result was not surprising. With that threat removed, the Allied effort in central Burma turns to Pegu and Taung Gyi. Pegu has a large fighter presence, and Taung Gyi has at least a division of ground troops. Both will present their own challenges. My current plan is to push to Pegu and screen the enemy force at Taung Gyi…while simultaneously using the Chindits to interdict Taung Gyi’s supply.

In China, troops are in a defensive posture, eagerly awaiting the re-opening of the Burma Road.




IJN Watch:

- 6/9: 2-CL/2-DD spotted near Ponape.
- 6/12: 1-CV and 3 more ships spotted north of Pearl Harbor.
- 6/13: 1-CV (Kaga) hit by a torpedo north of Truk.
- 6/8: BB Musashi/CA Oyodo/2-DD spotted North-West of Hollandia.


Notable Base Captures:
-Toungoo [Burma] captured by the Allies (6/9)
-Rabaul [New Britain] captured by the Allies (6/11)
-Kusaie [Central Pacific] captured by the Allies (6/13)
-Ponape [Central Pacific] captured by the Allies (6/14)
-Hansa Bay [New Guinea] captured by the Allies (6/15)


Campaign Overview:
Aircraft Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 4,950 [+80]
Biggest Losses (#): Hurricane IIc (357), SBD-3 Dauntless (347), F4F-4 Wildcat (302)

Japanese: 13,624 [+267]
Biggest Losses (#): G4M1 Betty (3,648), Ki-48 Lily (1,804), Ki-27b Nate (1,073)

Ship Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 536 [+14]
Notables: CV Enterprise, CV Victorious, CVE Copahee, CVE Nassau, CA Astoria, CA Portland, CA Adelaide, CL Durban, CL Sumatra, CL Java

Japanese: 1,116 [+11]
Notables: CV Soryu, CVL Shoho, CVL Zuiho, CVE Taiyo, CVE Hosho, BB Kongo, BB Fuso, BB Mutsu, CA Mogami, CA Mikuma, CA Suzya, CA Adoba.


Army Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 10,147 [+103]
Japanese: 6,753 [+396]
A/J Ratio: 1.50 to 1



VP Totals [change]:
Allies: 41,455 [+903]
Japanese: 28,868 [+262]
A/J Ratio: 1.44 to 1


Operation Tropic Thunder:
Phase 1A - LAZARUS:
-Capture Finschafen – COMPLETE
-Capture Umboi Island – COMPLETE
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hansa Bay - COMPLETE [Allied Forces have captured Hansa Bay.]

Phase 1B – FOUR LEAF:
-Capture Namatanai – COMPLETE
-Capture Kavieng – COMPLETE
-Capture Mussau Island – COMPLETE
-Capture Manus – COMPLETE

Phase 2 – TIGER BALM:
-Capture/Neutralize Rabaul – COMPLETE [Rabaul captured. Base damage: Port:79/Service:100/Runway:100]
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hollandia – IN PROCESS [Forces loading at Manus]



Operation Forbearance:
Phase 1A: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Establish naval blockade of Truk using DD’s and submarines. - IN PROCESS
-Knock out Truk airfield - IN PROCESS

Phase 1B: [May 1943 to July 1943]
-Assault & capture Kusaie – COMPLETE.
-Assault & capture Ponape – COMPLETE.
-Assault & capture Eniwetok.

Phase 1C: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Assault & capture Woleai [Recon sights 1 unit/1.9K troops/20 guns].
-Assault & capture Ulithi.
-Assault & capture Yap.
-Assault & capture Babeldaoab.


Other Notes:
-While Hollandia is still enemy-occupied, Operation Tropic Thunder (for all intents & purposes) is complete. The operation closed with the fall of Rabaul and the end of the Japanese presence in New Guinea/Solomon island area. Taking Rabaul was never essential (I would have accepted neutralizing its airfield), but the opportunity presented itself, and the fighting, while bitter, gave the allied divisions there some much needed experience. Plus, having multiple Level 7 ports (Rabaul/Manus) close to the front lines will prove useful going forward.

-The first ARD has had its destination changed from Noumea to Rabaul. The ARD has reached Canton Island and should reach the new Allied base in about a month.

-The Allied steamroller is gaining momentum. Mop-up operations will continue in New Guinea while the Allies set their sights on the Marianas and the Eastern DEI/Southern Philippines areas. KB is still out there somewhere, which somewhat limits the boldness of Allied operations in the near future.
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That means we can attack in any direction.
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Schlussel
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by Schlussel »

Week 80: June 16th – June 22nd 1943

North Pacific:

Base building continues at Amchitka, Umnak and Attu. A 2 CV task force appears late in the week and sinks 2 xAKs unloading supply at Adak.



Central Pacific:
CVE Corregidor, fresh out of the Tacoma shipyards, joins a few escorting DDs and heads south west towards Pearl. About 20 hexes west of Eureka, 2 Japanese CVs surprise and overwhelm the Allied task force. Torpedo bombers put two fish into Corregidor…and she sank soon afterwards. Hats off to the AI for that bold move, I never thought I would see Japanese carriers that close to the US West Coast. Last week I had a report of a lone enemy carrier north of Pearl Harbor, but it disappeared the following day, and I assumed it was heading towards the Aleutians (as they had done in the past). Following assumptions and hunches can pay off, but they can also come back to bite you. Luckily CVE Anzio was nearby and was able to recover some of the displaced fighters before making a hasty retreat to Pearl Harbor, so it wasn’t a complete loss. No other ships were hit and early indications are that the enemy is heading back north west …good thing, because I have only a few surface ships in the area to protect my vital supply line. I have new CVEs arriving every few weeks now, so I will be sure to assign some to supply line defense (and patrolling of the dead zone between Midway and the Aleutians).




Southern Pacific:
4EB squadrons stand down again, as recon shows the Japanese have over 90 fighters at Tarawa. Gonna do some more fighter sweeps before sending in the heavies.




New Guinea/Solomons:
BB Musashi and friends (1-CL/2-DD) move aggressively to the southeast and engage a few screening Allied CLs near Wewak. The huge Japanese battleship singlehandedly sinks one Allied cruiser and mortally wounds another. The Allied cruisers get in their own shots, hitting Musashi 13 times, but none of these smaller shells penetrated the armor belt. TBFs and SBDs from Manus score another 8 bomb hits on the enemy battleship, but all it causes are some fires…but they can cause their own kind of damage.

Plans to turn Rabaul into my main forward fleet base and repair facility are fully underway. On the 16th, Allied engineers complete all base repairs (damage was 79-Port/100-Service/55-Runway less than a week earlier). Saratoga and Lexington get the honor of being the first ships to dock in Rabaul harbor, they will refuel and head northeast to investigate the IJN surface TF that sunk two Allied Cruisers near Wewak…they are now reported north of Manus. Neutralizing this force will clear a path for the upcoming amphib assault on Hollandia (scheduled for next week).

On the northern coast of New Guinea, the Allied ground forces pause at Hansa Bay, watching as 2/4EB blast the Japanese in the swamp to the northwest. With no cover or supply, the enemy is losing over 10 squads a day to air attacks. No supply means no AA fire…which also means it’s a nice training ground for newly arrived bomber squadrons.




DEI/Philippines:
In the Philippines, all my base are belong to Japan.

In the DEI, no Japanese activity.




SE Asia/China:
The first Allied troops (508 AV) reach Rangoon and the enemy promptly rebases all his able aircraft elsewhere (likely at Moulmein). Bombardments indicate only about 200 Japanese AV present, however the enemy has occupied the city for over a year, so I’m sure the forts are pretty high. I’m in no hurry, so no attacks will be launched yet. I have about additional 900 AV set to reach Rangoon in a few days and the city’s defenses will be tested soon afterwards.

In another surprise move, the Japanese 29th Division advances from Rangoon and ejects my recon force from Bassein (now I know why the Rangoon garrison was so small). The enemy had impeccable timing, as I had two British brigades set to arrive from the north east the following day. Despite knowing the river crossing will trigger a shock attack, I go ahead and let the Brits continue their advance. The idea is to tie this enemy force down until Rangoon can be properly liberated. Then I can defeat the 29th in detail. Losses in the Allied shock attack on Bassein were moderate, but all were disablements.

In central Burma, the Allied advance reaches Pegu. Force strength for each side is around 300 AV, so like Rangoon, I will wait to bring up reinforcements. The nice thing is the siege of Pegu should prevent enemy troops from retreating eastward out of Rangoon when it eventually falls.

In China, troops are in a defensive posture, eagerly awaiting the re-opening of the Burma Road.




IJN Watch:
- 6/16 & 6/17: BB Musashi/CA Oyodo/2-DD spotted North-West of Hollandia.
- 6/19: 2-CV/2-DD spotted off West Coast near Eureka.
- 6/20: 1-CA Oyodo + 3 other ships spotted North of Manus.
- 6/21: 2-CV and 3 more ships spotted South of Adak.




Notable Base Captures:
-Bassein [Burma] captured by the Japanese (6/16)




Campaign Overview:
Aircraft Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 5,078 [+128]
Biggest Losses (#): Hurricane IIc (370), SBD-3 Dauntless (350), F4F-4 Wildcat (317)

Japanese: 13,935 [+311]
Biggest Losses (#): G4M1 Betty (4,053), Ki-48 Lily (1,566), Ki-27b Nate (1,462)

Ship Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 540 [+4]
Notables: CV Enterprise, CV Victorious, CVE Copahee, CVE Nassau, CVE Corregidor, CA Astoria, CA Portland, CA Adelaide, CL Durban, CL Sumatra, CL Java

Japanese: 1,132 [+16]
Notables: CV Soryu, CVL Shoho, CVL Zuiho, CVE Taiyo, CVE Hosho, BB Kongo, BB Fuso, BB Mutsu, CA Mogami, CA Mikuma, CA Suzya, CA Adoba.


Army Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 10,178 [+31]
Japanese: 6,753 [+396]
A/J Ratio: 1.49 to 1


VP Totals [change]:
Allies: 42,000 [+545]
Japanese: 29,183 [+315]
A/J Ratio: 1.44 to 1




Operation Tropic Thunder:
Phase 1A - LAZARUS:
-Capture Finschafen – COMPLETE
-Capture Umboi Island – COMPLETE
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hansa Bay - COMPLETE

Phase 1B – FOUR LEAF:
-Capture Namatanai – COMPLETE
-Capture Kavieng – COMPLETE
-Capture Mussau Island – COMPLETE
-Capture Manus – COMPLETE

Phase 2 – TIGER BALM:
-Capture/Neutralize Rabaul – COMPLETE [Rabaul captured. Base fully repaired]
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hollandia – IN PROCESS [Forces loaded at Manus]




Operation Forbearance:
Phase 1A: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Establish naval blockade of Truk using DD’s and submarines. - IN PROCESS
-Knock out Truk airfield - IN PROCESS

Phase 1B: [May 1943 to July 1943]
-Assault & capture Kusaie – COMPLETE.
-Assault & capture Ponape – COMPLETE.
-Assault & capture Eniwetok.

Phase 1C: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Assault & capture Woleai [Recon sights 1 unit/1.9K troops/20 guns].
-Assault & capture Ulithi.
-Assault & capture Yap.
-Assault & capture Babeldaoab.




Other Notes:
-Between the hit on my CVE and the assault on Bassein, the AI has shown it still has a sting…its definitely not just hunkering down…a welcome sign that the game will continue to be competitive, but not so much for the crew of the Corregidor.
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That means we can attack in any direction.
Taxcutter
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by Taxcutter »

Be glad you aren't facing Ironman with his endless supply of Oscars and decent pilots. Offensives without air superiority is a tough proposition.
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Schlussel
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by Schlussel »

I 100% agree TC. I thought I had it tough at Akyab with the Japanese throwing endless Oscar-escorted bomber raids at me, but I see you are having to face an even more intense air offensive in your Ironman game. It can be a bit disheartening when your fighters fight off a few air attacks, only to be overwhelmed by a 3rd, 4th and 5th raid. As the saying goes "Quantity has a quality all its own". One good thing is soon your pilots will be highly experienced and that will help a little...as long as they have undamaged air frames to fly in. I guess we can both be thankful that the AI doesn't know how to sweep with his fighters. [:D]
You say we're surrounded?
Excellent!
That means we can attack in any direction.
jwolf
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by jwolf »

Congratulations on a great game and AAR! As a fellow Allied player against the AI, I enjoyed reading your account very much. My game is almost at the same point, now early July 43. But you have been much faster and more aggressive than I in the CenPac, although I did reconquer Burma much earlier (from Nov 42 to Feb 43, more or less). Some comments:

1. You mentioned that the AI doesn't sweep; I found that to be true and some vets here confirmed it. This was a huge relief, as especially in the early war period the Japanese sweeps are an utter nightmare for the Allied player. On the other hand, since the AI won't use them, I decided out of a sporting spirit that I would refrain as well. It made some bombing campaigns a bit rough -- at Rangoon, for example -- but the air war against the AI is so lopsided that IMHO this was appropriate.

2. In my experience, intermittent bombing of a major enemy airfield doesn't really accomplish anything. Essentially, go big or go home, and once you start then keep it up to make sure the enemy can no longer use the field, ever. So at Tarawa, for example, I recommend waiting until you have a lot of bombers at Tabby and then hit hard, with a night surface bombardment and then a merciless daytime run of at least 50 heavy bombers, preferably more like 75. Once the heavies have done the hard work, the "ordinary" bombers like the Mitchells can keep the field closed and allow some rest for the big guys. Your surface force should be able to go from Tabby to Tarawa and back at full speed. I'm actually getting close to performing this op in my own game, so I'm curious to see if you can do it so my guys get the benefit of your hard earned experience! [8D]

3. Once you have Burma reconquered, you do get better supply in China, though at least in my experience it does not appear to be a revolutionary game changer. It is a bit frustrating because I have some 400K supply in Rangoon, and other Burmese bases are generally in good shape, but the amount going into China (except the automatic 500 points at Chungking) seems to be tiny. So I think you still need the massive airlift from Ledo.

4. I was discouraged to see Rabaul was at level 8 fort in your game, as I am about to invade there. I kind of suspected that was going to be the case, as I already saw level 8 at Rangoon before that. Almost all enemy bases have had forts at least level 4, and 6 is common. Bombing just doesn't seem to hurt the enemy much, if at all, under such high forts. But naval bombardments have really done the job. The only bad news is that the base is then completely demolished once you finally take it!

Good luck as you continue your campaign, and please keep going with the AAR! It's a great read!
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Schlussel
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by Schlussel »

ORIGINAL: jwolf

Congratulations on a great game and AAR! As a fellow Allied player against the AI, I enjoyed reading your account very much. My game is almost at the same point, now early July 43. But you have been much faster and more aggressive than I in the CenPac, although I did reconquer Burma much earlier (from Nov 42 to Feb 43, more or less). Some comments:

1. You mentioned that the AI doesn't sweep; I found that to be true and some vets here confirmed it. This was a huge relief, as especially in the early war period the Japanese sweeps are an utter nightmare for the Allied player. On the other hand, since the AI won't use them, I decided out of a sporting spirit that I would refrain as well. It made some bombing campaigns a bit rough -- at Rangoon, for example -- but the air war against the AI is so lopsided that IMHO this was appropriate.

2. In my experience, intermittent bombing of a major enemy airfield doesn't really accomplish anything. Essentially, go big or go home, and once you start then keep it up to make sure the enemy can no longer use the field, ever. So at Tarawa, for example, I recommend waiting until you have a lot of bombers at Tabby and then hit hard, with a night surface bombardment and then a merciless daytime run of at least 50 heavy bombers, preferably more like 75. Once the heavies have done the hard work, the "ordinary" bombers like the Mitchells can keep the field closed and allow some rest for the big guys. Your surface force should be able to go from Tabby to Tarawa and back at full speed. I'm actually getting close to performing this op in my own game, so I'm curious to see if you can do it so my guys get the benefit of your hard earned experience! [8D]

3. Once you have Burma reconquered, you do get better supply in China, though at least in my experience it does not appear to be a revolutionary game changer. It is a bit frustrating because I have some 400K supply in Rangoon, and other Burmese bases are generally in good shape, but the amount going into China (except the automatic 500 points at Chungking) seems to be tiny. So I think you still need the massive airlift from Ledo.

4. I was discouraged to see Rabaul was at level 8 fort in your game, as I am about to invade there. I kind of suspected that was going to be the case, as I already saw level 8 at Rangoon before that. Almost all enemy bases have had forts at least level 4, and 6 is common. Bombing just doesn't seem to hurt the enemy much, if at all, under such high forts. But naval bombardments have really done the job. The only bad news is that the base is then completely demolished once you finally take it!

Good luck as you continue your campaign, and please keep going with the AAR! It's a great read!

Thank you for the kind words jwolf. I have been fortunate to have great advice from some forum veterans and it has really aided my play, yet I have still made my share of mistakes. However the mistakes have been somewhat of a blessing, as they forced me to examine my tactics (along with the game manual) and adjust my play accordingly. Some comments on your comments:

1. Agreed, the lack of sweeps by the AI was a pleasant surprise. I still sweep with my fighters, but I feel its a fair trade since I play on Hard (VHard one day every week) and thus the AI gets a little supply advantage it wouldn't normally get. This has allowed the AI to keep some islands in supply that would normally be cut off (see Rabaul blurb below), so I feel the trade-off is fair, though I like your rule as well.

2. Good point about bombing tactics. My Rabaul bombing campaign was very successful because of the points you make. Shutting down the enemy AF is paramount, and using a little combined arms (4EB and bombardment TFs) work well at this. I have yet to try a surface bombardment, because I don't yet trust my fighters to handle the inevitable betty raids.I have some cruisers en route to Tabiteuea, so I might try some bombardment runs on Tarawa, I'll let you know how it goes.[:D]

3. Didn't know that about supply, I was hoping the flood gates would open once the Burma road was back in Allied hands. I have a bunch of air transports flying supply into Burma. Once my AV support reaches Lashio, I plan to transfer the bulk of my air transport squadrons there and beginning a large scale airlift to Kunming.

4. Yes the forts were daunting, but I found two things aided my success (it took me awhile to figure it out):

-Keep Rabaul from being re-supplied. This is kind of difficult when playing on hard, as Rabaul seems to get free supply no matter what you do. Nevertheless, keeping enemy resupply TFs away will work wonders for your ground assault, as the enemy will not be able to effectively repair diablements. I found having roving Fletcher TFs (with aggressive commanders and a reaction range enabled) worked very well in the 'supply TF-hunting' role.

-Rest your troops between assaults to make each attack count. Initially I thought continually attacking and wearing down the enemy was the key (and this may have worked if the forts were lower). However, I found that this strategy failed to reduce fort levels, which is the key to success at Rabaul. Once I realized this, was able to reduce the forts quickly by allowing my forces (and especially engineers, which seem to take the lions share of the assault damage) to recover and be in a great position to lower forts on the subsequent attack. Once the forts got low enough (around 3) I was able to attack on successive days, only resting those units that had excessive fatigued and/or disruption.

Base damage was an issue as you noted;however, Allied engineers had Rabaul fully repaired in about a week, so it wasn't too much of a hindrance.

Real life has really cut into my playing time the past few weeks, but the foreseeable future looks promising, and I should have another update in the next few days.

Thanks again for taking the time to follow and comment on my AAR.
You say we're surrounded?
Excellent!
That means we can attack in any direction.
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Schlussel
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by Schlussel »

Week 81: June 23rd – June 29th 1943

North Pacific:

Base building continues at Amchitka, Umnak and Attu. Japanese CV’s exit the area heading west.




Central Pacific:
Japanese CV’s retreat towards Marcus Island. This force is separate from the 2 CV force that appeared in the Aleutians last week, so that means there are at least 4 enemy flattops in the area. This presents an interesting opportunity.




Southern Pacific:
Supported by 3 CVE’s, the Allies land a small detachment at Nauru Island and quickly capture the base. Nauru provides a nice location to keep an eye on Tarawa, and moves the Allies closer to isolating the Gilberts.
4EB squadrons stand down again, this time to wait for additional bomber squadrons to arrive.




New Guinea/Solomons:
The Musashi battlegroup retires back towards Truk, and the Allies take the opportunity to assault the former home of the KB in Northern New Guinea. Four infantry regiments plus artillery and support troops unload on the beaches of Hollandia. Saratoga and Lexington provide CAP while the bulk of the troops unload on the first day (ain’t APA’s great?). Intel indicated most of the garrison was support troops, so on D+2, the Allies attack. Forts are at 5, so even though the Allies get a 4:1, the Japanese hold on. After two days of attacks, the Japanese forts are down to 3, so one or two more attacks should do it.

Farther down the northern coast of New Guinea, Allied 2 and 4EB enjoy target practice on the ousted defenders of Hansa Bay.




DEI/Philippines:
In the Philippines, all my base are belong to Japan.

In the DEI, no Japanese activity.




SE Asia/China:
The Japanese garrison at Rangoon begins the week at an AV of 141 with level 8 fortifications. Daily Allied attacks (1,400 AV) drop the fort level by one each day thereafter. By the last day of the week, forts are at level 3 and Japanese AV is down to 18 (while the Allies has climbed to over 2,000). The final attack succeeds in ousting the defenders and securing the base along with its 2,500+ victory points…oh and the 1.4 million fuel and 330K supply is nice too. Now the focus is on base repair (Port:22/Service:42/Runway:4) and neutralizing Japanese airbases to the south (Moulmein and Tavoy) so that supply convoys can make the transit to Rangoon unmolested.

In Bassein, the British are holding on. Early in the week, the Japanese division shock attacked and got repulsed with lots of disablements. They then went back to bombarding for the rest of the week. With the fall of Rangoon, their supply situation looks pretty dire. Bombardments and a visit by Wellingtons/Mitchells are planned next week to intensify the enemy’s supply problems.

In central Burma, the Allied force at Pegu bombards, waiting for reinforcements to arrive. On the last day of the week, an Indian Infantry brigade and tank brigade arrive and a hasty deliberate assault is ordered. Despite a large AV advantage, the Allies only manage a 1:2 result and lose over 50 squads to disablements (no vehicle losses though). Fatigue s high, so the force will rest up and resume assaults in a few days.

In China, troops are in a defensive posture, hopefully the opening of the Burma road will allow supply to stockpile…although from what I hear from advisors, I won’t expect much.




IJN Watch:
- No capital ships sighted this week




Notable Base Captures:
-Ningsia [China] occupied by the Japanese (6/23)
-Nauru Island [Southern Pacific] captured by the Allies (6/24)
-Rangoon [Burma] captured by the Allies (6/29)




Campaign Overview:
Aircraft Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 5,180 [+102]
Biggest Losses (#): Hurricane IIc (376), SBD-3 Dauntless (350), F4F-4 Wildcat (317)

Japanese: 14,272 [+337]
Biggest Losses (#): G4M1 Betty (2,474), Ki-48 Lily (1,848), Ki-27b Nate (1,585)


Ship Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 544 [+4]
Notables: CV Enterprise, CV Victorious, CVE Copahee, CVE Nassau, CVE Corregidor, CA Astoria, CA Portland, CA Adelaide, CL Durban, CL Sumatra, CL Java

Japanese: 1,139 [+7]
Notables: CV Soryu, CVL Shoho, CVL Zuiho, CVE Taiyo, CVE Hosho, BB Kongo, BB Fuso, BB Mutsu, CA Mogami, CA Mikuma, CA Suzya, CA Adoba.


Army Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 10,200 [+22]
Japanese: 6,950 [+139]
A/J Ratio: 1.47 to 1


VP Totals [change]:
Allies: 45,180 [+3,180]
Japanese: 28,837 [-346]
A/J Ratio: 1.57 to 1




Operation Forbearance:
Phase 1A: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Establish naval blockade of Truk using DD’s and submarines. - IN PROCESS
-Knock out Truk airfield - IN PROCESS

Phase 1B: [May 1943 to July 1943]
-Assault & capture Kusaie – COMPLETE.
-Assault & capture Ponape – COMPLETE.
-Assault & capture Eniwetok.

Phase 1C: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Assault & capture Woleai [Recon sights 1 unit/1.9K troops/20 guns].
-Assault & capture Ulithi.
-Assault & capture Yap.
-Assault & capture Babeldaoab.




Other Notes:
-The capture of Rangoon spurs a 3,500 VP swing this week in favor of the Allies. The operation began with the Chindits leading a recon-in-force, and ended in the re-opening of the Burma Road. Quite a nice haul in a secondary theater without any real Allied naval assets available. Post-Rangoon, the importance of SE Asia will take even more of a backseat, with the Allied advances toward the DEI/Philippines taking the focus in the near future.
You say we're surrounded?
Excellent!
That means we can attack in any direction.
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by Macclan5 »

ORIGINAL: Schlussel

-The capture of Rangoon spurs a 3,500 VP swing this week in favor of the Allies. The operation began with the Chindits leading a recon-in-force, and ended in the re-opening of the Burma Road. Quite a nice haul in a secondary theater without any real Allied naval assets available. Post-Rangoon, the importance of SE Asia will take even more of a backseat, with the Allied advances toward the DEI/Philippines taking the focus in the near future.

Congrats.

Well executed.

The Land Combat loss ratio would seem to indicate that you have successfully destroyed some very valuable Imperial Units in Burma. These are prime units such as "the guards" as I recall and this is no small feat.

Supply through the Burma road is less than advertised in my opinion; perhaps its rookie perception between us. [8D]

Gather up as many low endurance xAK in Madras / Calcutta (6000 endurance) that seem to float around India. Pair them up with a spare KV you likely have sitting dockside in Columbo (for ASW) and string them in one after another into Rangoon / Ramee Island. Also helps with TOE upgrades if your HQs are nearly forward i.e. HQ RAF221 or HQ Eastern Army / XV Corps / III Corps (if you bought any or some of those out from the fall of Singapore)

--

I am curious why the shift to backseat though ?

I guess I fully appreciate you need to rest these troops / move forward supporting ENG and HQ etc. Get TOE upgrades if you can as above.

Moulemain is a real tough nut to crack in my experience. You need to get independent brigades (Chindits to the rescue) to slow march and surround it; and sustain bombing to chew through supply / disruption.

However if you have any Catalina's (saved from the Phillipines or British) - get them on Recon. My best guestimate would be that Chaing Mai / Rahaeng / Ayuthia are "empty" and potentially only requires the patience to march overland to them....and Tavoy is full of empty fragments... easy to push down that great once Moulemain is done.

In a few months with pressure you may be able to cut the 'magic supply highway' assuming the AI actually is able to utilize it (??)
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by Taxcutter »

Great AAR. I always look for this one.

Wish my computer would run all your graphics and assist apps but Windows 10 damaged my WitP so it won't even run unles I strip off all the nice little things. It's slow enough as is. two hours to give orders. I've been at PCs since Carter was in office and still can't fathom some of the stuff MicroSoft does.

FWIW, before this game i ran a complete game against normal AI until Japan surrendered in Nov. '44. Mostly a "Plan Orange" strategy through the Marshalls and Marianas, but with a drive through the eastern DEI from Darwin and a sideshow driving down the Kuriles. Didn't fight in the Solomons/NG beyond holding PM and taking Lunga.

I'm going back to the Solomons against Ironman. The "Plan Orange" strat does not give you enough "points of contact" to wear down Japanese air assets. It took me a long time to wear the standard AI down.

I fought fairly aggressively in China but even after re-opening the Burma Road, about the best I could do in China was to clear southern China up to the Yangtze River. Never re-took Canton/Hong Kong although i had a British corps poised to attack Hong Kong as the game ended. I wouldn't have been as aggressive against Ironman except he is so careless of his flanks. I can punch out isolated units and advance. All the same if I can drive him away from Nanning, I don't think I'll waste time and supply trying to move far north. Given where you are, you might consider the same - just get the chinese onto good defensive terrain and don't worry about them too much.

jmalter is right. Once you have Rangoon in hand and the Burma Road open, it is waste of resources going any further. By time I marched overland to Saigon (ignoring Malaya)the war was over.

I ignored the PI and took Formosa instead. Had the same effect in that all the Southern Resource Area was utterly isolated. Formosa was a much easier battle and required less in the way of amphibious assets.
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by Schlussel »

Thanks Guys! Appreciate the comments and suggestions, I always find plenty of valuable 'advice nuggets' every time I am on the forum.

Taxcutter, I agree with your sentiments on the SE Asia theater...the urgency is gone now that the Burma road is open. As for your PC...I had a bit of trouble getting Windows 7 to run the game, but it wasn't too difficult once I found some posts from other forumites who had the same problem. Windows 10 is a different animal though. I hope you work out your windows troubles.

MacClan: Good call on the Catalina's. I have been reconning Chiang Mai already (its empty) and have a recon unit set to snatch it up, but I'll add the others to the hit list. Also, I probably should have clarified my backseat comment. Offensive operations should continue at their current pace, but I plan to move some units (tankers/infantry/air units) to other theaters. Once Moulmein is cracked, the bulk of the enemy resistance in SE Asia will be gone, I can maintain my advance with fewer units. I could try leapfrogging down the coast, but I don't have any CV assets in the theater. From here forward, Allied units in SE Asia will focus on threatening Singapore from the north by hoofing it down the peninsula.

You say we're surrounded?
Excellent!
That means we can attack in any direction.
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by jmalter »

ORIGINAL: Taxcutter
Great AAR. I always look for this one.
I agree. Me too.
jmalter is right. Once you have Rangoon in hand and the Burma Road open, it is waste of resources going any further.
I don't think I've ever advocated this strategy. Instead, I apply strict conservation of Chinese resources - an iron hand on supply use & careful husbandry of replacement/upgrade devices/airframes. Meanwhile, British/Indian LCUs fight hard for re-conquest east/south of Pegu, the Royal Navy fights hard for attrition, & whatever air assets are available struggle to hold the line - I don't fight them so har as to bring the fighter pools down to poverty, but I've found that the bomber replacement rates aren't at all what our friends would wish for us.
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by jmalter »

ORIGINAL: Macclan5
Supply through the Burma road is less than advertised in my opinion; perhaps its rookie perception between us. [8D]
Since my last orders-phase was the end of the month (30 Mar 44), I took the opportunity to check on the Burma Road. All the China Airbridge transports (destination Tsuyung) took a training holiday while getting their replacement airframes. Tsuyung was set to stockpile supplies (no LCU are present or nearby). After running my 2-day turn, supply at Tsuyung increased from 770 to 1770 - so the Burma Road was working as advertised at 500/day.

Notes on the airbridge, where I'm trying to keep operational losses down:
- end of month, check air-support LCUs for morale & fatigue, the worst-rated at each base are placed on Rest.
- end of month, each airgroup gets replacement airframes, but only 3 in reserve
- groups fly supply to Tsuyung at 60% Rest
- when an airgroup uses all its reserve airframes, it's taken off-line & Trains for the rest of the month.
In my previous game, I used similar protocols, but the transports flew at 50% rest & were given 4 reserve airframes each month. This proved unsustainable over the long term, as airframe replacement rates were unable to cope w/ losses & new group req'ments until the C-46D became available in 11/44. In my current game, I traded a 20% reduction in supply transport rate for what turned out to be a substantial reduction in operational losses.

The Burma Road gives 500 supply/day, & my airbridge provides 500-650 supply/day. This is 20-25% of the total daily supply increase in China - which is to say that the majority of China supply is provided by its indigenous production & 'automatic daily supply'.
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by Schlussel »

Thanks for the thoughts jmalter.

I have very little experience with the Burma road, so its nice to hear what you have done.

As for the air transports to China, I have been working to reduce OPS losses as well, I will try what has been working for you, Thanks! In addition, I have noticed EXP also effects OPS losses, I've been training to about 50 EXP before putting squadrons on supply transport duty, and it seems to favorably effect OPS losses (to the point where they don't exceed replacement rates). Does this align with your strategy?
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by jwolf »

In Burma, I found that taking Moulmein (added to Rangoon and Pegu) gives a nice compact set of bases with good airfields that are close to each other for mutual defense. Eventually I did move down the coast to take Tavoy and Mergui ... it's easy to do that, but the catch is you can't or shouldn't take anything whose airspace you can't defend, and for that I needed more fighters. You do get them, or can transfer some over, but it takes time. Also at this point you should be able to take Port Blair, if you haven't already, and that removes a nasty Japanese thorn in the side. Be warned that the Japanese AI is not at all shy about bringing really major surface forces into the Andaman Sea, presumably from Singapore. Make sure you have air and/or surface units -- preferably both -- that can stand against them.
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by Schlussel »

Good stuff, thanks jwolf! The SE Asia theater definitely has some options, but some of those are limited by the lack of carrier support. Case in point, I've had my eye on Port Blair for awhile now, but I have been gun shy since it is still in range of a few big Japanese bases (these Betty's still pack a punch). Once Moulmein and Tavoy are neutralized by the infantry, I think I'll feel safe pulling the trigger on an amphib assault of Port Blair.
You say we're surrounded?
Excellent!
That means we can attack in any direction.
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by Schlussel »

Situation Report – July 1st 1943

Image




Central/North Pacific:

Capital Ships: 1-CV {Essex], 1-BB (@Pearl Harbor)
Fuel Reserves: 2,365K @ Pearl Harbor
Near-Term Plans: Continue developing bases in Aleutians. Advance on Paramushiro-Jima.
Long Term Plans: Operation to secure critical bases in Marshalls/Gilberts. 27th, 43rd, and 7th Inf. Divisions are prepping for Tarawa, Kwajalein, and Roi Namur respectively.





New Guinea/Solomons:
*Special thanks to MakeeLearn and his Bellum Pacifica Map. Another instance of a forumite putting in their own time to make this game even more enjoyable. Well done sir![&o]

Image

Capital Ships: 5-CV, 6-CVE, 2-CVL, 12-BB
Fuel Reserves:
1,322K @ Noumea
304K @ Milne Bay
209K @ Shortlands
Near-Term Plans: Advance up the New Guinea Coast towards Philippines. Isolate Truk.
Long Term Plans: Develop bases to be used as launch points for Marianas/Philippines Invasions.




SE Asia/China
Image

Capital Ships: 4-BB (@Colombo)
Fuel Reserves:
1,517K @ Colombo
1,413K @ Rangoon
Near-Term Plans: Advance down Burma coast towards Moulmein. Chindit Raid in Central Thailand.
Long Term Plans: Advance down Malaya Peninsula, threaten Singapore from the north.




Base Supply/Construction Status:
Akyab:
Port Size: 4.00 (MAX)
Airfield Size: 8.50 (+0.10)
Supplies: 132K (50 Weeks of normal operations)

Attu:
Port Size: 3.29 (+0.18)
Airfield Size: 3.47 (+0.18)
Supplies: 3K (30 Weeks of normal operations)

Hollandia:
Port Size: 6.00 (MAX)
Airfield Size: 8.00 (MAX)
Supplies: 4K (2 Weeks of normal operations)

Kavieng:
Port Size: 4.57 (+ 0.56)
Airfield Size: 6.85 (+0.83)
Supplies: 111K (50+ Weeks of normal operations)

Milne Bay:
Port Size: 5.94 (+0.20)
Airfield Size: 7.08 (+0.16)
Supplies: 161K (50+ Weeks of normal operations)

Manus:
Port Size: 6.36 (+3.04)
Airfield Size: 6.92 (+4.02)
Supplies: 67K (30+ Weeks of normal operations)

Mussau:
Port Size: 4.00 (MAX)
Airfield Size: 6.67 (+0.49)
Supplies: 15K (4 Weeks of normal operations)

Pago-Pago:
Port Size: 3.78 (+0.12)
Airfield Size: 6.25 (+0.08)
Supplies: 4K (4 Weeks of normal operations)

Ramree Island:
Port Size: 2.35 (+0.43)
Airfield Size: 5.27 (+0.71)
Supplies: 93K (30+ Weeks of normal operations)

Rabaul:
Port Size: 7.00 (MAX)
Airfield Size: 9.00 (MAX)
Supplies: 323K (100+ Weeks of normal operations)

Rangoon:
Port Size: 9.00 (MAX)
Airfield Size: 9.00 (MAX)
Supplies: 97K (15 Weeks of normal operations)

Umnak:
Port Size: 3.00 (MAX)
Airfield Size: 7.99 (+0.21)
Supplies: 3K (10 Weeks of normal operations)
You say we're surrounded?
Excellent!
That means we can attack in any direction.
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by Schlussel »

Week 82: June 30th – July 6th 1943
North Pacific:

Base building continues at Amchitka, Umnak and Attu. No IJN activity.




Central Pacific:
Japanese CV’s retreat from the area, heading toward the home islands, no other Japanese activity noted.

A small amphibs group (supported by CV’s) leaves Lunga bound for Satawal. The idea is to grab the undefended base and use it to allow better aerial recon of the Forbearance targets to the north and west. [Phase 1C].




Southern Pacific:
Nauru Island is developing nicely. The port and airfield are both at level 2, with the airfield set to reach level 3 in two days. There is over 110 aviation support present. Supporting 2 patrol, 1 fighter, and 1 dive bomber squadron. Patrols from Nauru, Kusaie, and Ponape begin collecting valuable recon info on the Marshalls/Northern Gilberts.




New Guinea/Solomons:
Hollandia succumbs to the Allies on the 30th. Base is heavily damaged [RWY:78/SRV:54/PORT:69] so priority is given to getting engineers offloaded so they can work their magic.

4EB work over the recently-isolated Japanese bases of Vanimo, Ataipe, and Wewak on the Northern NG coast. Two BB bombardment groups (four slow BB’s each) join in on the fun as well. A party-pooper (IJN sub) surprises one group and puts three fish into BB Mississippi. She is moderately damaged [27SYS/34FLT] and limps back to Manus by the end of the week. Good news is ASW patrol catch and sink said party-pooper. A nice consolation, but I will miss the Mississippi’s services in the near future.



DEI/Philippines:
In the Philippines, all my base are belong to Japan.

In the DEI, no Japanese activity.
Allied troops begin preparing for the next big OP, slated to begin in this region in late ’43.




SE Asia/China:
Allied engineers waste no time, and by the end of the week, they have Rangoon fully repaired. The IJAF tried to slow the process with bomber raids, but those efforts fizzled once I got some CAP in place. I currently have 66 fighters (1/2 Spitfires/Warhawks) patrolling the skies above Rangoon and Pegu.

Speaking of Pegu, the bulk of Allied reinforcements reach the city and perform a few deliberates. By the end of the week, the outnumbered Japanese beat a hasty retreat towards Moulmein. The Allies will rest up for a few days and then continue the pursuit.

In Bassein, the Japanese supply issues have allowed British bombardments to even the AV tally. The Japanese are surrounded, so we can take our time here.

There is a similar situation in Taung Gyi, where the Japanese AV is dropping like a rock (Ohhhh like a rock!)…so much so, that I order a deliberate attack at the end of the week. The results are 1:2, with an equal number of disablements on both sides. We’ll rest up and try again in a few days…meanwhile the Japanese can expect to enjoy daily 4EB/2EB bomber raids.

In China, troops are in a defensive posture, hopefully allowing the supply situation to improve enough to allow a small scale offensive.




IJN Watch:
- No capital ships sighted this week




Notable Base Captures:
-Hollandia [New Guinea] captured by the Allies (6/30)
-Pegu [Burma] captured by the Allies (7/6)




Campaign Overview:
Aircraft Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 5,255 [+75]
Biggest Losses (#): Hurricane IIc (386), SBD-3 Dauntless (351), F4F-4 Wildcat (317)

Japanese: 14,480 [+202]
Biggest Losses (#): G4M1 Betty (3,468), Ki-48 Lily (1,407), Ki-27b Nate (1,195)


Ship Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 546 [+2]
Notables: CV Enterprise, CV Victorious, CVE Copahee, CVE Nassau, CVE Corregidor, CA Astoria, CA Portland, CA Adelaide, CL Durban, CL Sumatra, CL Java

Japanese: 1,149 [+10]
Notables: CV Soryu, CVL Shoho, CVL Zuiho, CVE Taiyo, CVE Hosho, BB Kongo, BB Fuso, BB Mutsu, CA Mogami, CA Mikuma, CA Suzya, CA Adoba.


Army Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 10,222 [+22]
Japanese: 7,228 [+278]
A/J Ratio: 1.41 to 1


VP Totals [change]:
Allies: 45,834 [+654]
Japanese: 28,884 [+47]
A/J Ratio: 1.59 to 1




Operation Forbearance:
Phase 1A: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Establish naval blockade of Truk using DD’s and submarines. - IN PROCESS
-Knock out Truk airfield - IN PROCESS

Phase 1B: [May 1943 to July 1943]

-Assault & capture Kusaie – COMPLETE.
-Assault & capture Ponape – COMPLETE.
-Assault & capture Eniwetok. – IN PROGRESS [Troops loading at Shortlands]

Phase 1C: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Assault & capture Woleai [Recon sights 1 unit/4.2K troops/29 guns].
-Assault & capture Ulithi.
-Assault & capture Yap.
-Assault & capture Babeldaoab.




Other Notes:
-P-47’s begin rolling off the assembly lines at 56/month. In addition, there are already 3 squadrons formed and they are on their way to the south pacific. Excitement/anticipation builds.
You say we're surrounded?
Excellent!
That means we can attack in any direction.
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by Schlussel »

Week 83: July 7th – July 13th 1943
North Pacific:

Base building continues at Amchitka, Umnak and Attu. No IJN activity.




Central Pacific:
The Satawal invasion force is nearing the beaches (landfall should happen tomorrow). The base has been under constant recon for over 2 weeks and all signs point to no garrison present. Once the island is secured, work will commence on a small airfield to allow recon of Ulithi, Yap, and Babeldaoab.

With the Japanese carriers out of position near the home islands, a second invasion force (with CV escort) begins the long journey from Shortlands Island to Eniwetok. This will be my first Atoll invasion that has a sizeable garrison (4 LCU’s and at least 1K troops). I’m going combined arms (3 INF regiments, 2 tank battalions, 2 ART, 1 Combat ENG). Also, to make sure the first wave gets enough supply, I have some LST’s loaded out with only supply.




Southern Pacific:

Nauru Island is developing nicely. The airfield is now at level 3, with the port set to reach level 3 tomorrow. PBYs are prowling in an arc that goes from Tarawa to Kwajalein and have even reported putting torps into 3 enemy AKs this week. The idea is to drain the enemy’s supply here to make the inevitable assaults a little bit easier.




New Guinea/Solomons:
Talasea, on the norther shore of New Britain, falls to an Allied paratroop assault. Now we begin tightening the noose around the starved Japanese forces south of Rabaul. The force is reported to be 50K strong, but it consists of rejects from the Rabaul assault, and it’s been out of supply for over a month.

An ARD arrives at Rabaul and immediately starts repairing some FLT damage on CVE Suwanee. The CVE should be back in action in about 2 weeks.




DEI/Philippines:
In the Philippines, all my base are belong to Japan.

In the DEI, no Japanese activity.
Allied troops begin preparing for the next big OP, slated to being in this region in late ’43.




SE Asia/China:
Allied fighters finally have air superiority over Rangoon/Pegu. The AI has realized this and has stopped trying to hit the two Allied airfields, instead focusing on the Allied armies marching towards Moulmein.

Speaking of that, the Allied army overwhelms the enemy in the hex NE of Moulmein. Now they pause to recover from disruption/fatigue before making the jump over the river.

Enemy pockets of resistance at Bassein and Taung Gyi are being reduced methodically. The defenders at both locations still show a lot of fight, so it could be another month before these are neutralized.

In China, troops are in a defensive posture, hopefully allowing the supply situation to improve enough to allow a small scale offensive.




IJN Watch:
- 3 BB/2CV (58F/96B) spotted at Truk (7/12) however recon fails to locate them the rest of the week…so this could be a false ID.




Notable Base Captures:
-Talasea [New Britain] captured by the Allies (7/10)




Campaign Overview:
Aircraft Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 5,334 [+79]
Biggest Losses (#): Hurricane IIc (395), SBD-3 Dauntless (351), F4F-4 Wildcat (323)

Japanese: 14,816 [+336]
Biggest Losses (#): G4M1 Betty (3,509), Ki-48 Lily (1,765), Ki-27b Nate (1,350)


Ship Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 548 [+2]
Notables: CV Enterprise, CV Victorious, CVE Copahee, CVE Nassau, CVE Corregidor, CA Astoria, CA Portland, CA Adelaide, CL Durban, CL Sumatra, CL Java

Japanese: 1,155 [+6]
Notables: CV Soryu, CVL Shoho, CVL Zuiho, CVE Taiyo, CVE Hosho, BB Kongo, BB Fuso, BB Mutsu, CA Mogami, CA Mikuma, CA Suzya, CA Adoba.


Army Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 10,247 [+23]
Japanese: 7,335 [+107]
A/J Ratio: 1.40 to 1


VP Totals [change]:
Allies: 46,336 [+502]
Japanese: 28,931 [+47]
A/J Ratio: 1.60 to 1




Operation Forbearance:
Phase 1A: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Establish naval blockade of Truk using DD’s and submarines. - IN PROCESS [subs in place, DD waiting for AF to be knocked out]
-Knock out Truk airfield - IN PROCESS [4EBs prepping at Manus and Mussau]

Phase 1B: [May 1943 to July 1943]
-Assault & capture Kusaie – COMPLETE.
-Assault & capture Ponape – COMPLETE.
-Assault & capture Eniwetok. – IN PROGRESS [Troops en route]

Phase 1C: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Assault & capture Woleai [Recon sights 1 unit/4.7K troops/23 guns].
-Assault & capture Ulithi.
-Assault & capture Yap.
-Assault & capture Babeldaoab.




Other Notes:
-Allied subs are plentiful and are prowling the sea lanes south of the Home islands, taking advantage of the new forward bases. All 6 Japanese ship losses this week are AK’s lost to sub attacks.


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You say we're surrounded?
Excellent!
That means we can attack in any direction.
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by Taxcutter »

Nabbing Eniwetok and by-passing Kwaj and Ponape?

Beaucoup guts, but if you can get a decent base built up Kwaj become untenable.

I can't imagine you getting too much of a baser on Satawal but getting eyes on Truk and Woleai is worth a shot.

Has Rabaul been worth the bloodbath?
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RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition

Post by BBfanboy »

ORIGINAL: Taxcutter

Nabbing Eniwetok and by-passing Kwaj and Ponape?

Beaucoup guts, but if you can get a decent base built up Kwaj become untenable.

I can't imagine you getting too much of a baser on Satawal but getting eyes on Truk and Woleai is worth a shot.

Has Rabaul been worth the bloodbath?
He has Ponape - 10 hexes from Truk. Good range for MBs.
Satawal is 8 From Truk, Potential 0f 3/3 or 4/4. Good for fighter Sweeps & Escort.
HB Range from Truk - Kavieng, Mussau Is., Guam, Woleai and more.
No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth
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