Jpn looks to be the focus of IJN airpower for the moment.
Sorry for being thick -- can you explain what this means?
LST vs. IdahoNYer (DBB-C, A AAR) 6 yrs and done! VJ Day!
Moderators: wdolson, MOD_War-in-the-Pacific-Admirals-Edition
RE: 14-15 Aug 43
Sorry for being thick -- can you explain what this means?
RE: 14-15 Aug 43
ORIGINAL: jwolf
Jpn looks to be the focus of IJN airpower for the moment.
Sorry for being thick -- can you explain what this means?
Well....I've re-read that line and paragraph a couple of times jwolf and have to admit, I have no bloody idea.....guess I need to proof better before I post!
RE: 14-15 Aug 43
OK then I don't feel so bad. I'm sure it represents an absolutely critical part of your strategy from a fever dream. [:'(]
RE: 14-15 Aug 43
ORIGINAL: jwolf
OK then I don't feel so bad. I'm sure it represents an absolutely critical part of your strategy from a fever dream. [:'(]
Sadly, I think you may be on to something....[:D][:D]
RE: 16-17 Aug 43
16-17 Aug 43
Highlights – IJA completes encirclement of Chungking
Jpn ships sunk:
SS: 1 (RO-106)
Allied ships sunk:
SS: 1 (KXIV) air attack of course
LST: 1 - came up as scuttled...? I didn't scuttle it!! No idea how she was lost...
Air loss:
Jpn: 14
Allied: 20
Subwar:
Jpn: 2 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 1 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Jpn Amph Inv: None
Allied Amph: None
Bases lost: None
Bases Liberated: None
SIGINT/Intel: NSTR
West Coast/Admin: NSTR.
In NOPAC, NSTR.
In CENPAC, Eniwetok Amph TF arrives off Roi, and will move to Eniwetok with CVE and CA TFs. Minesweepers will head out ahead to begin clearing. No indication of any Jpn response, other than the defenders on the island. B-24s have started to pound ground troops, will be joined by Venturas next turn.
In SOPAC, 1st Mar Div completed loading at Lunga, and will move to stage at Buka with BB Washington TF supporting. Spt Troops begin loading at Rekata Bay, Vella and Buin, and will link up at Buin. Bombers hit Rabaul and Kavieng, will switch to Kavieng and Talesea on New Britain (level 3 AF) to prevent enemy air from interfering with landings at Namatanai on New Ireland. Medium bombers largely rest as do most fighters.
In SWPAC, B-25s catch a convoy in the Banda Sea north of Dili hitting 3 big xAPs with multiple bomb hits as well as strafing. Two of the three left burning with heavy fires, and all three loaded with troops. Elsewhere, two artillery battalions landed at Broome, and the Allied force will attack next turn. Assault transports arrived back in Exmouth and begin loading support troops for Broome once taken. These ships will then transit back to Darwin to support landings in the Banda Sea. Derby will be taken overland. Truscott now a level 2 airbase allows single engine fighters to range over Koepang, which is packed with bombers and about 80+ fighters. Will look at hitting Koepang in the coming turns with both fighters and bombers; need more AV support at Truscott, but this may be do-able.
In China, the IJA dislodges the Chinese forces due south of Chungking, 1200 IJA lost to the usual massacre of Chinese - 7300. Chungking surrounded with 3750 AV, fort level 5 and supply maintaining at a totally inadequate 400 or so. Trying to extricate other Chinese forces outside of Chungking towards the south between Kweiyang and Changsa. Long shot. Goal is to have some viable forces available outside of Chungking. The real question is how long Chungking can hold out.
In Burma, no major changes. US Heavies hit the main IJA force which remains in the same hex as the Allied force. Allied troops now resupplied and not fatigued too badly, so will try another attack next turn. US divisions about halfway out of the Ramree hex to mainland Burma. Still too close to call on this one. Lead Indian troops reach Lashio and will bombard to see what’s really there. Supplies surprisingly good in across the board in Burma. Troops out of Cox’s Bazaar loaded, and will move to Ramree next turn. Transports will then head to Calcutta for another lift, primarily of support troops, although another Indian Bde needs lift out of Akyab.
In the IO, it’s pretty quiet. Allied fleet remains in Ceylon recovering from operations. DDs find and cripple two subs in support of the Port Blair convoy which should dock next turn. CAP is focused to cover the transports, but I don’t think L_S_T will send LBA other than at night.
Highlights – IJA completes encirclement of Chungking
Jpn ships sunk:
SS: 1 (RO-106)
Allied ships sunk:
SS: 1 (KXIV) air attack of course
LST: 1 - came up as scuttled...? I didn't scuttle it!! No idea how she was lost...
Air loss:
Jpn: 14
Allied: 20
Subwar:
Jpn: 2 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 1 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Jpn Amph Inv: None
Allied Amph: None
Bases lost: None
Bases Liberated: None
SIGINT/Intel: NSTR
West Coast/Admin: NSTR.
In NOPAC, NSTR.
In CENPAC, Eniwetok Amph TF arrives off Roi, and will move to Eniwetok with CVE and CA TFs. Minesweepers will head out ahead to begin clearing. No indication of any Jpn response, other than the defenders on the island. B-24s have started to pound ground troops, will be joined by Venturas next turn.
In SOPAC, 1st Mar Div completed loading at Lunga, and will move to stage at Buka with BB Washington TF supporting. Spt Troops begin loading at Rekata Bay, Vella and Buin, and will link up at Buin. Bombers hit Rabaul and Kavieng, will switch to Kavieng and Talesea on New Britain (level 3 AF) to prevent enemy air from interfering with landings at Namatanai on New Ireland. Medium bombers largely rest as do most fighters.
In SWPAC, B-25s catch a convoy in the Banda Sea north of Dili hitting 3 big xAPs with multiple bomb hits as well as strafing. Two of the three left burning with heavy fires, and all three loaded with troops. Elsewhere, two artillery battalions landed at Broome, and the Allied force will attack next turn. Assault transports arrived back in Exmouth and begin loading support troops for Broome once taken. These ships will then transit back to Darwin to support landings in the Banda Sea. Derby will be taken overland. Truscott now a level 2 airbase allows single engine fighters to range over Koepang, which is packed with bombers and about 80+ fighters. Will look at hitting Koepang in the coming turns with both fighters and bombers; need more AV support at Truscott, but this may be do-able.
In China, the IJA dislodges the Chinese forces due south of Chungking, 1200 IJA lost to the usual massacre of Chinese - 7300. Chungking surrounded with 3750 AV, fort level 5 and supply maintaining at a totally inadequate 400 or so. Trying to extricate other Chinese forces outside of Chungking towards the south between Kweiyang and Changsa. Long shot. Goal is to have some viable forces available outside of Chungking. The real question is how long Chungking can hold out.
In Burma, no major changes. US Heavies hit the main IJA force which remains in the same hex as the Allied force. Allied troops now resupplied and not fatigued too badly, so will try another attack next turn. US divisions about halfway out of the Ramree hex to mainland Burma. Still too close to call on this one. Lead Indian troops reach Lashio and will bombard to see what’s really there. Supplies surprisingly good in across the board in Burma. Troops out of Cox’s Bazaar loaded, and will move to Ramree next turn. Transports will then head to Calcutta for another lift, primarily of support troops, although another Indian Bde needs lift out of Akyab.
In the IO, it’s pretty quiet. Allied fleet remains in Ceylon recovering from operations. DDs find and cripple two subs in support of the Port Blair convoy which should dock next turn. CAP is focused to cover the transports, but I don’t think L_S_T will send LBA other than at night.
18-19 Aug 43
18-19 Aug 43
Highlights – Successful attack against the retreating IJA Akyab force.
Jpn ships sunk:
SS: 1 (I-165)
Allied ships sunk:
YMS: 1
Air loss:
Jpn: 62
Allied: 16
Subwar:
Jpn: 2 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Jpn Amph Inv: None
Allied Amph: None
Bases lost: None
Bases Liberated:
Broome (SWPAC)
SIGINT/Intel: IJN TF out to sea south of Koepang; 7 ships unknown type heading to Derby perhaps?
West Coast/Admin: NSTR.
In NOPAC, NSTR.
In CENPAC, Eniwetok Amph TF arrives with CVE and CA TFs as well as minesweepers arrive off Eniwetok. No mines encountered. CVE CAP splashes 11 Emilys apparently trying to pull out troops. Nice! CA TF bombardment and troops ashore (22nd Mar Reg and support) next turn against the estimated 3200 dug in defenders. B-24s hit troops with good effect while Venturas hit the AF; all will focus on troops next turn. No indication of any counter by IJN.
In SOPAC, 1st Mar Div Amph TF links up with BB Washington TF at Buka, will proceed to target and begin amphib ops next turn. No enemy is reported in place, and there will be no initial bombardment. Once ashore, Marines will begin the trek to Kavieng, as Army troops will continue to flow in to the beachhead which of course will be built up as rapidly as possible by engineers. Spt TF (with engineers) will now assemble at Buka, standing by to proceed forward. LBA, primarily USMC delivered, will provide LRCAP. B-24s hit Talasea with good effect, closing the level 3 AF and destroying 5 Jakes on the ground; no CAP. Some Heavies will focus on Kavieng next turn as I’m attempting to reorganize the Heavy Bomber groups between SWPAC and SOPAC. Also next turn, Aussie paratroopers will land to take Terapo on the south coast of New Guinea, reportedly abandoned by the IJA Bde that had been garrisoning the base earlier in the year. Once taken, Terapo will switch to SWPAC, and be built up to a major airbase to extend LBA well into the Bismarck Sea.
In SWPAC, troops take Broome in the first assault and then begin marching overland towards Derby to join the Aussie Bde(+) already besieging the base. At sea, as the transports begin offloading support troops at Broome, air search picks up an IJN TF heading SSE out of Koepang about half way to Derby. I can only guess this is a fast transport last attempt to pick up troops at Derby. The Allied CA TF is out of main gun ammo after the Broome bombardment, and is enroute to Exmouth, so only DDs are available to potentially interdict - but they also need to protect the transports off Broome. So, an intercept is not likely. LBA at both Port Hedland and Wyndham are prepped and ready with both DB and T with fighter escorts avail. Although I’d love to disrupt the IJN evac effort, priority must be to the transports at Broome, so the DDs will remain at Broome only with react set to “perhaps” intercept. It will be up to air and subs. Broome’s AF was in pretty bad shape after capture, and it will take engineers a bit to get it operational. In the Darwin area, preparations continue to begin the Banda Sea campaign as troops are re-positioned forward in Darwin. I’m also relocating the Heavies all from all over SWPAC to Fenton where they can range to begin shutting down Jpn airbases throughout the Banda Sea area, while long range fighters, mediums and strike aircraft will operate out of Bathurst and Darwin. All preparations are on track, but assault shipping is still lacking - its still supporting Broome. May start the Banda Sea landings small with landing craft and air assaults, first on Selaroe and then Saumlaki. But first, need to see what this IJN TF out of Koepang really is.
In China, NSTR.
In Burma, with support of the bomber force, the pursuing Allied force attacks the withdrawing IJA Akyab force with reasonable success, about 2000 IJA loss for 1100 Allied. One Indian Bde is pretty beat up and drew most of the losses, and will be pulled out of the fight. Allied troops need to recover fatigue and disruption before another attack, but overall, it was a successful attack - which is still trying to pull away and escape the trap. The other side of the trap, the two US Divisions continue to move out of Ramree, and should be able to link up with an Indian Armor Bde coming out of the Central Plain and the British 2nd Division, also now available coming out of the Central Plain. Still too close to call. At Ramree, transports offload the USMC Def Bn and an Indian Bde without issue, although Bettys did attack at night, but find the CA TF instead, achieved no hits and lost 9 Bettys to AA and Hurricanes working as night fighters. Transports will head to Calcutta next turn, and begin loading up engineers. Lots of engineers.
In the IO, it stays quiet, less the Allied DDs attempting to remove the sub threat both off Ceylon and the Andamans. Transports begin loading up the British 29th Bde at Port Blair to return them back to Ceylon as well as shuttle some engineers to Little A. However, the quiet will change shortly as transports begin loading up for the Trinkat landings which will be a major effort, centered around the US 7th ID and a Canadian Infantry Bde. Based on what was on the Andamans, and with additional time available, I expect Trinkat to be held by up to two Naval Garrison units and be a tough nut to crack. Spruance will of course set sail to support as will most of the gun fleet in Colombo. The question of course is whether or not the KB comes out. For the first time, long range recon out of Port Blair will venture over Singapore to see what’s in the anchorage - my hunch is this is where the IJN fleet is. I think L_S_T may be surprised that recon can range Singapore.
Highlights – Successful attack against the retreating IJA Akyab force.
Jpn ships sunk:
SS: 1 (I-165)
Allied ships sunk:
YMS: 1
Air loss:
Jpn: 62
Allied: 16
Subwar:
Jpn: 2 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Jpn Amph Inv: None
Allied Amph: None
Bases lost: None
Bases Liberated:
Broome (SWPAC)
SIGINT/Intel: IJN TF out to sea south of Koepang; 7 ships unknown type heading to Derby perhaps?
West Coast/Admin: NSTR.
In NOPAC, NSTR.
In CENPAC, Eniwetok Amph TF arrives with CVE and CA TFs as well as minesweepers arrive off Eniwetok. No mines encountered. CVE CAP splashes 11 Emilys apparently trying to pull out troops. Nice! CA TF bombardment and troops ashore (22nd Mar Reg and support) next turn against the estimated 3200 dug in defenders. B-24s hit troops with good effect while Venturas hit the AF; all will focus on troops next turn. No indication of any counter by IJN.
In SOPAC, 1st Mar Div Amph TF links up with BB Washington TF at Buka, will proceed to target and begin amphib ops next turn. No enemy is reported in place, and there will be no initial bombardment. Once ashore, Marines will begin the trek to Kavieng, as Army troops will continue to flow in to the beachhead which of course will be built up as rapidly as possible by engineers. Spt TF (with engineers) will now assemble at Buka, standing by to proceed forward. LBA, primarily USMC delivered, will provide LRCAP. B-24s hit Talasea with good effect, closing the level 3 AF and destroying 5 Jakes on the ground; no CAP. Some Heavies will focus on Kavieng next turn as I’m attempting to reorganize the Heavy Bomber groups between SWPAC and SOPAC. Also next turn, Aussie paratroopers will land to take Terapo on the south coast of New Guinea, reportedly abandoned by the IJA Bde that had been garrisoning the base earlier in the year. Once taken, Terapo will switch to SWPAC, and be built up to a major airbase to extend LBA well into the Bismarck Sea.
In SWPAC, troops take Broome in the first assault and then begin marching overland towards Derby to join the Aussie Bde(+) already besieging the base. At sea, as the transports begin offloading support troops at Broome, air search picks up an IJN TF heading SSE out of Koepang about half way to Derby. I can only guess this is a fast transport last attempt to pick up troops at Derby. The Allied CA TF is out of main gun ammo after the Broome bombardment, and is enroute to Exmouth, so only DDs are available to potentially interdict - but they also need to protect the transports off Broome. So, an intercept is not likely. LBA at both Port Hedland and Wyndham are prepped and ready with both DB and T with fighter escorts avail. Although I’d love to disrupt the IJN evac effort, priority must be to the transports at Broome, so the DDs will remain at Broome only with react set to “perhaps” intercept. It will be up to air and subs. Broome’s AF was in pretty bad shape after capture, and it will take engineers a bit to get it operational. In the Darwin area, preparations continue to begin the Banda Sea campaign as troops are re-positioned forward in Darwin. I’m also relocating the Heavies all from all over SWPAC to Fenton where they can range to begin shutting down Jpn airbases throughout the Banda Sea area, while long range fighters, mediums and strike aircraft will operate out of Bathurst and Darwin. All preparations are on track, but assault shipping is still lacking - its still supporting Broome. May start the Banda Sea landings small with landing craft and air assaults, first on Selaroe and then Saumlaki. But first, need to see what this IJN TF out of Koepang really is.
In China, NSTR.
In Burma, with support of the bomber force, the pursuing Allied force attacks the withdrawing IJA Akyab force with reasonable success, about 2000 IJA loss for 1100 Allied. One Indian Bde is pretty beat up and drew most of the losses, and will be pulled out of the fight. Allied troops need to recover fatigue and disruption before another attack, but overall, it was a successful attack - which is still trying to pull away and escape the trap. The other side of the trap, the two US Divisions continue to move out of Ramree, and should be able to link up with an Indian Armor Bde coming out of the Central Plain and the British 2nd Division, also now available coming out of the Central Plain. Still too close to call. At Ramree, transports offload the USMC Def Bn and an Indian Bde without issue, although Bettys did attack at night, but find the CA TF instead, achieved no hits and lost 9 Bettys to AA and Hurricanes working as night fighters. Transports will head to Calcutta next turn, and begin loading up engineers. Lots of engineers.
In the IO, it stays quiet, less the Allied DDs attempting to remove the sub threat both off Ceylon and the Andamans. Transports begin loading up the British 29th Bde at Port Blair to return them back to Ceylon as well as shuttle some engineers to Little A. However, the quiet will change shortly as transports begin loading up for the Trinkat landings which will be a major effort, centered around the US 7th ID and a Canadian Infantry Bde. Based on what was on the Andamans, and with additional time available, I expect Trinkat to be held by up to two Naval Garrison units and be a tough nut to crack. Spruance will of course set sail to support as will most of the gun fleet in Colombo. The question of course is whether or not the KB comes out. For the first time, long range recon out of Port Blair will venture over Singapore to see what’s in the anchorage - my hunch is this is where the IJN fleet is. I think L_S_T may be surprised that recon can range Singapore.
RE: 18-19 Aug 43
I think L_S_T may be surprised that recon can range Singapore.
I am, too. That's a long way from Port Blair!
RE: 20-21 Aug 43
20-21 Aug 43
Highlights – Eniwetok and Terapo taken; Marines landed at defended Namatanai on New Ireland.
Jpn ships sunk:
ACM: 1
Allied ships sunk: None
Air loss:
Jpn: 28
Allied: 27
Subwar:
Jpn: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 2 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Jpn Amph Inv: None
Allied Amph/Airborne Assault:
Eniwetok (CENPAC)
Namatanai (SOPAC)
Terapo (SWPAC)
Bases lost: None
Bases Liberated:
Eniwetok (CENPAC)
Ailuk (CENPAC - flipped)
Terapo (SWPAC)
SIGINT/Intel: IJN TF w/CVEs and CAs 9 hexes off Port Hedland; KB location unknown.
West Coast/Admin: NSTR.
In NOPAC, NSTR.
In CENPAC, 22nd Mar Reg takes the fort level 4 base at Eniwetok losing 350 troops, but Jpn garrison of 3100 destroyed - 87th and 88th Naval Guard and a construction battalion. AF taken intact; support troops begin landing while assault troops re-embark. CVE and CA TF will remain until cross loading completed, then withdraw. Kwajalein likely next, more as a mop up and to allow time for the troops prepping for Kusaie, as well as operations to wind down a bit in SOPAC as additional assault shipping needed for Kusaie.
In SOPAC, 1st Mar Div Division lands at Namatanai on New Ireland and instead of finding the empty beach as reported, it is defended by a Naval Guard unit and an SNLF, so the Marines have a fight on their hands. Troops land without much issue in any case, and will attack next turn with support from BB Washington TF and all LBA bombers I can muster. Spt troops will hold until the base is secured. Although I’m a bit surprised at the recon failure, which may just be troops arriving recently, this unexpected defense should not derail the operation - as long as the Marines take the base in a turn or two. In any case, no sign of the IJN, although I do expect Manus based LBA to attack, likely at night. In New Guinea, lead troops reach Kokada, and will bombard the 13k IJA troops attempting to pull back. Will wait for the second regiment to arrive before any ground attack is made.
In SWPAC, 1st Australian Para Bn takes the undefended fort level 3 base of Terapo without issue. Will now start bringing in the engineers to build up the base. Elsewhere in SWPAC, operations are pretty much on hold as the IJN TF that I thought was heading to Derby has instead headed due west about 8 hexes off Port Hedland, just out of effective LBA strike aircraft range. This TF reportedly has CVEs and CAs, and would bet the Musashi may be there as well. Curious as to what L_S_T has in mind here? He could raid Exmouth and/or Port Hedland which would cause some grief, but with CVEs, not sure if he has sufficient strike aircraft. Now if he has more than CVEs….this could be a big problem. For now, I’m reducing some shipping, and what shipping I have moving, such as engineers to Broome, I’m keeping along the coast. Allied LBA is as ready as possible to both defend ports and strike at the IJN should they draw within range. In the Darwin area, buildup continues, but still need the assault shipping which is now under threat in the Port Hedland area.
In China, I get a welcome surprise with a IJA shock attack on Chungking - likely the IJA force coming across the river from the south to reinforce draws an unexpected shock attack which is held off with staggering IJA loss - about 9000 lost, including 339 squads destroyed, in exchange for only 186 Chinese troops! Hopefully this can delay the first REAL assault on Chungking a bit.
In Burma, the withdrawing IJA Akyab force pulls away from the pursuing Allied troops, but pulls west along the trail. This puts it in a coastal hex, and still a hex away from the advancing troops from Ramree. Allied troops will follow, Heavies will now focus on supporting the two US Divisions advancing out of Ramree and will try a naval bombardment on the IJA Akyab force as well as Mediums to keep the troops out of movement mode. So with 4 Allied divisions pursuing from the east, and potentially the two US divisions advancing from Ramree and the 2nd Brit Div with an Armored Bde coming up from the Central Plain to block, this all could work. The question is what the IJA has opposing the 2 US Divisions as they come across from Ramree and are forced to shock attack. 3 units are reported, and there were about 6000 troops reported. Hopefully, that intel still holds. Will find out shortly in any case. On the eastern side of Burma, the Royal Thai Army looks to be left defending Lashio as well as the Katha-Myitkyina area, with a division in each major base. Major supply for this force should have been cut when Shwebo and Mandalay were taken, but will still need some additional troops to pry these troops from their defenses. To that, I’m flying in another airborne LRP Bde to Mandalay to assist in taking Lashio, and the refitting Chinese troops I’ve shifted to SE Asia HQs, will begin the march slowly from Lashio to take Wazup and Myitkyina area. Going to be a long slog in the Burma jungles for the rest of ’43 to clear out the RTA. Will focus on opening up the road to Paoshan, but L_S_T probably knows this as well, and it will be a long, tough campaign.
In the IO, troops have completed loading at Colombo for Trinkat, and will depart next turn. Trinkat is going to be a major Amphib operation. A large Amphib TF, with 30k men of the US Div and Canadian Bde and support on the primary Amphib TF, plus engineers on the follow on support TF. Leaving the R Class BBs in port this time, CA TF to provide cover and bombardment. For the first time in the IO, will have a CVE TF providing cover over the landings. Spruance’s CVs will depart from Trincomalee to provide cover, and hunt the KB if it shows. CV TF still has 7 CVs and a CVL, but this time, in two more balanced TFs of four carriers each, although one has 4 CVs, the other the CVL and Victorious. A replenishment TF will also follow, with both AOs and Repl CVEs. I’m estimating two Bde sized units defending Trinkat - that’s based on L_S_T likely having reinforced the remaining Andaman Islands after Port Blair landings. While I’m sure the naval movement will be spotted, I just hoping I can avoid the sub gauntlet between Ceylon and the Andamans by heading the TFs more out towards the Indian Ocean before turning in towards the target. While the KB may come out, I’m not expecting it to sortie until the landings take place. Lastly, recon showed plenty of shipping in Singapore, but nothing to confirm or deny that the KB is located there.
Highlights – Eniwetok and Terapo taken; Marines landed at defended Namatanai on New Ireland.
Jpn ships sunk:
ACM: 1
Allied ships sunk: None
Air loss:
Jpn: 28
Allied: 27
Subwar:
Jpn: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 2 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Jpn Amph Inv: None
Allied Amph/Airborne Assault:
Eniwetok (CENPAC)
Namatanai (SOPAC)
Terapo (SWPAC)
Bases lost: None
Bases Liberated:
Eniwetok (CENPAC)
Ailuk (CENPAC - flipped)
Terapo (SWPAC)
SIGINT/Intel: IJN TF w/CVEs and CAs 9 hexes off Port Hedland; KB location unknown.
West Coast/Admin: NSTR.
In NOPAC, NSTR.
In CENPAC, 22nd Mar Reg takes the fort level 4 base at Eniwetok losing 350 troops, but Jpn garrison of 3100 destroyed - 87th and 88th Naval Guard and a construction battalion. AF taken intact; support troops begin landing while assault troops re-embark. CVE and CA TF will remain until cross loading completed, then withdraw. Kwajalein likely next, more as a mop up and to allow time for the troops prepping for Kusaie, as well as operations to wind down a bit in SOPAC as additional assault shipping needed for Kusaie.
In SOPAC, 1st Mar Div Division lands at Namatanai on New Ireland and instead of finding the empty beach as reported, it is defended by a Naval Guard unit and an SNLF, so the Marines have a fight on their hands. Troops land without much issue in any case, and will attack next turn with support from BB Washington TF and all LBA bombers I can muster. Spt troops will hold until the base is secured. Although I’m a bit surprised at the recon failure, which may just be troops arriving recently, this unexpected defense should not derail the operation - as long as the Marines take the base in a turn or two. In any case, no sign of the IJN, although I do expect Manus based LBA to attack, likely at night. In New Guinea, lead troops reach Kokada, and will bombard the 13k IJA troops attempting to pull back. Will wait for the second regiment to arrive before any ground attack is made.
In SWPAC, 1st Australian Para Bn takes the undefended fort level 3 base of Terapo without issue. Will now start bringing in the engineers to build up the base. Elsewhere in SWPAC, operations are pretty much on hold as the IJN TF that I thought was heading to Derby has instead headed due west about 8 hexes off Port Hedland, just out of effective LBA strike aircraft range. This TF reportedly has CVEs and CAs, and would bet the Musashi may be there as well. Curious as to what L_S_T has in mind here? He could raid Exmouth and/or Port Hedland which would cause some grief, but with CVEs, not sure if he has sufficient strike aircraft. Now if he has more than CVEs….this could be a big problem. For now, I’m reducing some shipping, and what shipping I have moving, such as engineers to Broome, I’m keeping along the coast. Allied LBA is as ready as possible to both defend ports and strike at the IJN should they draw within range. In the Darwin area, buildup continues, but still need the assault shipping which is now under threat in the Port Hedland area.
In China, I get a welcome surprise with a IJA shock attack on Chungking - likely the IJA force coming across the river from the south to reinforce draws an unexpected shock attack which is held off with staggering IJA loss - about 9000 lost, including 339 squads destroyed, in exchange for only 186 Chinese troops! Hopefully this can delay the first REAL assault on Chungking a bit.
In Burma, the withdrawing IJA Akyab force pulls away from the pursuing Allied troops, but pulls west along the trail. This puts it in a coastal hex, and still a hex away from the advancing troops from Ramree. Allied troops will follow, Heavies will now focus on supporting the two US Divisions advancing out of Ramree and will try a naval bombardment on the IJA Akyab force as well as Mediums to keep the troops out of movement mode. So with 4 Allied divisions pursuing from the east, and potentially the two US divisions advancing from Ramree and the 2nd Brit Div with an Armored Bde coming up from the Central Plain to block, this all could work. The question is what the IJA has opposing the 2 US Divisions as they come across from Ramree and are forced to shock attack. 3 units are reported, and there were about 6000 troops reported. Hopefully, that intel still holds. Will find out shortly in any case. On the eastern side of Burma, the Royal Thai Army looks to be left defending Lashio as well as the Katha-Myitkyina area, with a division in each major base. Major supply for this force should have been cut when Shwebo and Mandalay were taken, but will still need some additional troops to pry these troops from their defenses. To that, I’m flying in another airborne LRP Bde to Mandalay to assist in taking Lashio, and the refitting Chinese troops I’ve shifted to SE Asia HQs, will begin the march slowly from Lashio to take Wazup and Myitkyina area. Going to be a long slog in the Burma jungles for the rest of ’43 to clear out the RTA. Will focus on opening up the road to Paoshan, but L_S_T probably knows this as well, and it will be a long, tough campaign.
In the IO, troops have completed loading at Colombo for Trinkat, and will depart next turn. Trinkat is going to be a major Amphib operation. A large Amphib TF, with 30k men of the US Div and Canadian Bde and support on the primary Amphib TF, plus engineers on the follow on support TF. Leaving the R Class BBs in port this time, CA TF to provide cover and bombardment. For the first time in the IO, will have a CVE TF providing cover over the landings. Spruance’s CVs will depart from Trincomalee to provide cover, and hunt the KB if it shows. CV TF still has 7 CVs and a CVL, but this time, in two more balanced TFs of four carriers each, although one has 4 CVs, the other the CVL and Victorious. A replenishment TF will also follow, with both AOs and Repl CVEs. I’m estimating two Bde sized units defending Trinkat - that’s based on L_S_T likely having reinforced the remaining Andaman Islands after Port Blair landings. While I’m sure the naval movement will be spotted, I just hoping I can avoid the sub gauntlet between Ceylon and the Andamans by heading the TFs more out towards the Indian Ocean before turning in towards the target. While the KB may come out, I’m not expecting it to sortie until the landings take place. Lastly, recon showed plenty of shipping in Singapore, but nothing to confirm or deny that the KB is located there.
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22-23 Aug 43
22-23 Aug 43
Highlights – Sara takes a fish; Burma battles get dicey
Jpn ships sunk:
SS: 2 (I-32, I-35)
PB: 1
xAK: 1
xAKL: 1
Allied ships sunk: None
Air loss:
Jpn: 41
Allied: 24
Subwar:
Jpn: 1 Attacks, 1 ships hit (CV Sara hit and dam)
Allies: 2 Attacks, 2 ships hit (PB and xAK dam)
Jpn Amph Inv: None
Allied Amph: None
Bases lost: None
Bases Liberated:
Rongelap (CENPAC - flipped)
SIGINT/Intel: NSTR
West Coast/Admin: NSTR.
In NOPAC, NSTR.
In CENPAC, NSTR.
In SOPAC, 1st Mar Div Division fails in two assaults to take Namatanai, but succeeds in reducing forts to 1. Casualties relatively light for both sides, Jpn totaling about 900 and 225 for the Marines. Expect the base to fall next turn, but this has now caused a pretty good backlog of shipping waiting offshore to deliver the support troops. That could translate into a bit of vulnerability of the IJN should appear in force. Not expected, nor were there any air attacks, day or night against the TFs.
In SWPAC, IJN CVE and CA TFs have vanished - no idea where they went, air searches fail to find any sign of them. Regardless, I’ve decided to press on with operations and hope for the best. As troops cross from Broome to Derby overland, the air forces will concentrate on Koepang. First major strike will go in next turn, 5 fighter squadrons to provide LRCAP and sweep, Heavies to hit the airfield packed with bombers, while mediums come in to hit any shipping in the area - hopefully not the CVEs who’s Zeros could really make this a painful raid.
In China, NSTR.
In Burma, not the best turn. Both US divisions started marching out of Ramree to the mainland on the same turn, and of course, they wound up separated by 1 mile due to friction. Of course that translated into the 27th Division crossing by itself this turn, getting mauled by the defending 18th Div resulting in 2300 casualties - fortunately, very few are destroyed, most are disabled. So next turn should have the 43rd Div crossing from Ramree while an Indian Tk Bde comes in from the SE. The Brit 2nd ID is still a few turns out. And that wasn’t the only setback. This one was not totally unexpected, but the “tip of the spear” of the drive through the Burma Plain, the 268th Mot Bde was pushed out of the hex NW of Prome by 2/3 of the 48th Div after two attacks, losing 350 men to 250 Jpn. With those losses, would have hoped for them to hold. They are still in good shape and will hold their new position outside of Prome - they will not be able to prevent IJA reinforcements to enter the fight on the Ramree front however. Next turn will tell whether or not the Allied force can pocket the IJA’s Akyab force.
In the IO, the turn starts off with CV Saratoga getting drilled by a fish while exiting the Bay of Bengal. The offending sub was duly sunk, and Sara took the torp well all things considered. She’s at 3/13(12)/8/(7), and remains in formation. She’ll continue with the current mission, although she’ll eventually need yard time. Actually, repairs to Lex at Colombo have her in about the same damage level 7/14(14)/0 so the plan after the Trinkat operation is to bring both out with the fleet. Of course, that assumes Spruance doesn’t find any more subs in the way. Gotta give credit to the IJN sub drivers - plenty of ASW a/c and ASW dedicated TFs hunting subs - about 4-5 were claimed hit, damaged or sunk last turn, but they still remain the #1 threat to the fleet. At least until the KB comes back out.
Highlights – Sara takes a fish; Burma battles get dicey
Jpn ships sunk:
SS: 2 (I-32, I-35)
PB: 1
xAK: 1
xAKL: 1
Allied ships sunk: None
Air loss:
Jpn: 41
Allied: 24
Subwar:
Jpn: 1 Attacks, 1 ships hit (CV Sara hit and dam)
Allies: 2 Attacks, 2 ships hit (PB and xAK dam)
Jpn Amph Inv: None
Allied Amph: None
Bases lost: None
Bases Liberated:
Rongelap (CENPAC - flipped)
SIGINT/Intel: NSTR
West Coast/Admin: NSTR.
In NOPAC, NSTR.
In CENPAC, NSTR.
In SOPAC, 1st Mar Div Division fails in two assaults to take Namatanai, but succeeds in reducing forts to 1. Casualties relatively light for both sides, Jpn totaling about 900 and 225 for the Marines. Expect the base to fall next turn, but this has now caused a pretty good backlog of shipping waiting offshore to deliver the support troops. That could translate into a bit of vulnerability of the IJN should appear in force. Not expected, nor were there any air attacks, day or night against the TFs.
In SWPAC, IJN CVE and CA TFs have vanished - no idea where they went, air searches fail to find any sign of them. Regardless, I’ve decided to press on with operations and hope for the best. As troops cross from Broome to Derby overland, the air forces will concentrate on Koepang. First major strike will go in next turn, 5 fighter squadrons to provide LRCAP and sweep, Heavies to hit the airfield packed with bombers, while mediums come in to hit any shipping in the area - hopefully not the CVEs who’s Zeros could really make this a painful raid.
In China, NSTR.
In Burma, not the best turn. Both US divisions started marching out of Ramree to the mainland on the same turn, and of course, they wound up separated by 1 mile due to friction. Of course that translated into the 27th Division crossing by itself this turn, getting mauled by the defending 18th Div resulting in 2300 casualties - fortunately, very few are destroyed, most are disabled. So next turn should have the 43rd Div crossing from Ramree while an Indian Tk Bde comes in from the SE. The Brit 2nd ID is still a few turns out. And that wasn’t the only setback. This one was not totally unexpected, but the “tip of the spear” of the drive through the Burma Plain, the 268th Mot Bde was pushed out of the hex NW of Prome by 2/3 of the 48th Div after two attacks, losing 350 men to 250 Jpn. With those losses, would have hoped for them to hold. They are still in good shape and will hold their new position outside of Prome - they will not be able to prevent IJA reinforcements to enter the fight on the Ramree front however. Next turn will tell whether or not the Allied force can pocket the IJA’s Akyab force.
In the IO, the turn starts off with CV Saratoga getting drilled by a fish while exiting the Bay of Bengal. The offending sub was duly sunk, and Sara took the torp well all things considered. She’s at 3/13(12)/8/(7), and remains in formation. She’ll continue with the current mission, although she’ll eventually need yard time. Actually, repairs to Lex at Colombo have her in about the same damage level 7/14(14)/0 so the plan after the Trinkat operation is to bring both out with the fleet. Of course, that assumes Spruance doesn’t find any more subs in the way. Gotta give credit to the IJN sub drivers - plenty of ASW a/c and ASW dedicated TFs hunting subs - about 4-5 were claimed hit, damaged or sunk last turn, but they still remain the #1 threat to the fleet. At least until the KB comes back out.
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RE: 22-23 Aug 43
Japanese uber subs! [:@]
In 1943 they should not be able to get through an allied screen to get to the carrier as often as they do. [:(]
In 1943 they should not be able to get through an allied screen to get to the carrier as often as they do. [:(]
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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Jorge_Stanbury
- Posts: 4345
- Joined: Wed Feb 29, 2012 12:57 pm
- Location: Montreal
RE: 22-23 Aug 43
No, sub strikes makes things interesting... and ruins the most carefully planned operations [;)]
RE: 22-23 Aug 43
ORIGINAL: BBfanboy
Japanese uber subs! [:@]
In 1943 they should not be able to get through an allied screen to get to the carrier as often as they do. [:(]
I think L_S_T has torpedoed that theory a few times already! [:D]
24-25 Aug 43
24-25 Aug 43
Highlights – IJA Akyab force looks to be slipping away; Namatanai taken
Jpn ships sunk:
CL: 1 (Katori - old)
CS: 1 (Chiyoda - old)
SS: 1 (I-1)
pn ships un-sunk:
CV: 1 (Hiyo - really???)
Allied ships sunk: None
Air loss:
Jpn: 118
Allied: 55
Subwar:
Jpn: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 3 Attacks, 2 ships hit (PB and AK dam)
Jpn Amph Inv: None
Allied Amph: None
Bases lost: None
Bases Liberated:
Namatanai (SOPAC)
Wau (SOPAC - flipped)
SIGINT/Intel: NSTR
West Coast/Admin: NSTR.
In NOPAC, NSTR.
In CENPAC, 22nd Marine Reg completes re-loading to ships off Eniwetok and will head to Tarawa to prepare for future operations. Bombers continue to hit Kwajalein which will be the next landing.
In SOPAC, 1st Mar Div Division takes Namatanai, and will start heading toward Kavieng as support troops can now begin landing. US 33rd Div completes loading at Tulagi and will follow the 1st Mar Div to Kavieng. The 33rd is raw, and hopefully it can gain some experience in the coming expected siege of Kavieng. Assault transports that carried the 1st Marines will need to pick up the 32nd Div at Buna so they can prepare for future landings in SOPAC. Jpn airpower looks to be centered on Manus, and will look to start hitting Manus once Namatanai is built up to support fighter sweeps. As the ground troops advance overland across New Ireland, will look to mop up some of the outlying islands to also establish satellite airfields. On New Guinea, I get a welcome surprise as Wau flips to the Allied cause. An inland base, left unoccupied with a operational AF and at fort level 4 is a gift. I’ll fly in any unit I can get there - currently a mix of about 3 battalions within range to hold the base - which should isolate the sizable IJA force still around Kokoda-Salamaua area. If L_S_T makes an effort to re-take Wau, this could get dicey.
In SWPAC, the Koepang raid goes in with good effect. CAP provided by two Oscar Sentais were ground down by the sweeps with 53 Oscars lost in in the furball in exchange for 7 Hellcats, 4 P-47 and a pair of P-38s and only 1 B-24 lost. Bombing could have been better, but 17 a/c destroyed on the ground. So, overall, a good raid. That said, mediums found no targets at sea, and will re-hit Koepang next turn with both heavies, mediums and of course fighter sweeps. No sign of the IJN at sea, and Allied shipping is still busy bringing in troops to both Broome and Darwin. This one last trip to Broome from Port Hedland will release the transports and CA TF back towards Darwin to begin final preparations to land at Saumlaki, the first step to gain a foothold in the Banda Sea.
In China, NSTR.
In Burma, on the bright side, the US 43rd Div joined the 27th Div and Indian Tk Bde without triggering a shock attack, but, it also looks like an IJA tank division has moved out from the Akyab force to join the IJA’s 18th Div. So, the IJA’s Akyab force looks to be slipping out of the pocket - probably a bad move on my part to switch the Heavies off that force to assist the Ramree troops for two turns - allowed the Akyab force to gain ground in movement mode. Still will be interesting to see how this plays out - Heavies will return to pound the Akyab force, and the pursuing Allied troops should catch up this next turn. Still another couple of turns for the Brit 2nd Div to join the US troops “blocking”, and until that division arrives, I’m not going to attack to complete the encirclement, not with an IJA tank division there. In any case, in the air, Jpn LRCAP over the Akayb force is still proving to be dangerous, as US Mediums missed the link up with escorts and flew in before sweeps - and got chewed up by the LRCAP, losing 19 B-25s out of 4 squadrons committed. Its always the B-25s that seem to get in the CAP traps! At Ramree, the support unit transport TF arrives, and will start offloading next turn - no interference from the LBA, but still needs to be protected by CAP.
In the IO, Spruance and the Trinkat Amph TFs are 3 hexes off target, and the Amph, CA, CVE TFs and of course the minesweepers will close next turn to begin landing. Spruance’s CVs, along with the support troops TF, will remain about 3hexes out to provide cover, but I’m not using naval air to support as the KB could still come out. And no major LBA either, just a few mediums out of Port Blair and fighters out of Little A will provide support - Heavies are still tied up in Burma. So, without major air bombardment prep, I’m counting on the CA TF bombardment to provide the necessary disruption to the defenders - which may be costly if there are more than two Bdes defending. This needs to be a relatively quick base seizure, as I really don’t want to loiter the CVs too long as that will just draw subs which has not gone well in the past.
Highlights – IJA Akyab force looks to be slipping away; Namatanai taken
Jpn ships sunk:
CL: 1 (Katori - old)
CS: 1 (Chiyoda - old)
SS: 1 (I-1)
pn ships un-sunk:
CV: 1 (Hiyo - really???)
Allied ships sunk: None
Air loss:
Jpn: 118
Allied: 55
Subwar:
Jpn: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 3 Attacks, 2 ships hit (PB and AK dam)
Jpn Amph Inv: None
Allied Amph: None
Bases lost: None
Bases Liberated:
Namatanai (SOPAC)
Wau (SOPAC - flipped)
SIGINT/Intel: NSTR
West Coast/Admin: NSTR.
In NOPAC, NSTR.
In CENPAC, 22nd Marine Reg completes re-loading to ships off Eniwetok and will head to Tarawa to prepare for future operations. Bombers continue to hit Kwajalein which will be the next landing.
In SOPAC, 1st Mar Div Division takes Namatanai, and will start heading toward Kavieng as support troops can now begin landing. US 33rd Div completes loading at Tulagi and will follow the 1st Mar Div to Kavieng. The 33rd is raw, and hopefully it can gain some experience in the coming expected siege of Kavieng. Assault transports that carried the 1st Marines will need to pick up the 32nd Div at Buna so they can prepare for future landings in SOPAC. Jpn airpower looks to be centered on Manus, and will look to start hitting Manus once Namatanai is built up to support fighter sweeps. As the ground troops advance overland across New Ireland, will look to mop up some of the outlying islands to also establish satellite airfields. On New Guinea, I get a welcome surprise as Wau flips to the Allied cause. An inland base, left unoccupied with a operational AF and at fort level 4 is a gift. I’ll fly in any unit I can get there - currently a mix of about 3 battalions within range to hold the base - which should isolate the sizable IJA force still around Kokoda-Salamaua area. If L_S_T makes an effort to re-take Wau, this could get dicey.
In SWPAC, the Koepang raid goes in with good effect. CAP provided by two Oscar Sentais were ground down by the sweeps with 53 Oscars lost in in the furball in exchange for 7 Hellcats, 4 P-47 and a pair of P-38s and only 1 B-24 lost. Bombing could have been better, but 17 a/c destroyed on the ground. So, overall, a good raid. That said, mediums found no targets at sea, and will re-hit Koepang next turn with both heavies, mediums and of course fighter sweeps. No sign of the IJN at sea, and Allied shipping is still busy bringing in troops to both Broome and Darwin. This one last trip to Broome from Port Hedland will release the transports and CA TF back towards Darwin to begin final preparations to land at Saumlaki, the first step to gain a foothold in the Banda Sea.
In China, NSTR.
In Burma, on the bright side, the US 43rd Div joined the 27th Div and Indian Tk Bde without triggering a shock attack, but, it also looks like an IJA tank division has moved out from the Akyab force to join the IJA’s 18th Div. So, the IJA’s Akyab force looks to be slipping out of the pocket - probably a bad move on my part to switch the Heavies off that force to assist the Ramree troops for two turns - allowed the Akyab force to gain ground in movement mode. Still will be interesting to see how this plays out - Heavies will return to pound the Akyab force, and the pursuing Allied troops should catch up this next turn. Still another couple of turns for the Brit 2nd Div to join the US troops “blocking”, and until that division arrives, I’m not going to attack to complete the encirclement, not with an IJA tank division there. In any case, in the air, Jpn LRCAP over the Akayb force is still proving to be dangerous, as US Mediums missed the link up with escorts and flew in before sweeps - and got chewed up by the LRCAP, losing 19 B-25s out of 4 squadrons committed. Its always the B-25s that seem to get in the CAP traps! At Ramree, the support unit transport TF arrives, and will start offloading next turn - no interference from the LBA, but still needs to be protected by CAP.
In the IO, Spruance and the Trinkat Amph TFs are 3 hexes off target, and the Amph, CA, CVE TFs and of course the minesweepers will close next turn to begin landing. Spruance’s CVs, along with the support troops TF, will remain about 3hexes out to provide cover, but I’m not using naval air to support as the KB could still come out. And no major LBA either, just a few mediums out of Port Blair and fighters out of Little A will provide support - Heavies are still tied up in Burma. So, without major air bombardment prep, I’m counting on the CA TF bombardment to provide the necessary disruption to the defenders - which may be costly if there are more than two Bdes defending. This needs to be a relatively quick base seizure, as I really don’t want to loiter the CVs too long as that will just draw subs which has not gone well in the past.
RE: 24-25 Aug 43
OK....that was a fun few days....
Playing catch up. AAR is a turn or two behind the recent mayhem in the IO, that I'm sure L_S_T's AAR has been mentioning.
Will get there in a few....bottom line is that L_S_T cleaned my clock and I'm paying the price. I should know better! How many time's I've thought that in this game....I've lost count (along with the standard "it could have been worse")
So the next entry here was written PRIOR to the mayhem....I've still got to post that, and then my view of the action off Sabang...and subsequent events of the turn I just sent out.
Playing catch up. AAR is a turn or two behind the recent mayhem in the IO, that I'm sure L_S_T's AAR has been mentioning.
Will get there in a few....bottom line is that L_S_T cleaned my clock and I'm paying the price. I should know better! How many time's I've thought that in this game....I've lost count (along with the standard "it could have been worse")
So the next entry here was written PRIOR to the mayhem....I've still got to post that, and then my view of the action off Sabang...and subsequent events of the turn I just sent out.
26-27 Aug 43
26-27 Aug 43
Highlights – Troops ashore at Trinkat while CV air hits IJN warships off Sabang
Jpn ships sunk:
SS: 1 (I-182)
PB: 2
TK: 1 (small)
AMc: 1
Jpn ships un-sunk:
SS: 1 (RO-60)
Allied ships sunk: None
Air loss:
Jpn: 91
Allied: 48
Subwar:
Jpn: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit (IJN subs lay mines at Trinkat, 2 hv dam by escorts)
Allies: 3 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Jpn Amph Inv: None
Allied Amph:
Trinkat (IO)
Bases lost: None
Bases Liberated: None
SIGINT/Intel: IJN BB TF (BB Hyuga w/CAs and DDs) attacked off Sabang - is the KB out providing distant cover?
West Coast/Admin: CVL Cowpens and BB Alabama heading to IO via Aden from Balboa. Last two major warships I intend to send to the IO for a while.
In NOPAC, NSTR.
In CENPAC, NSTR.
In SOPAC, 1st Mar Div begins to move up towards Kavieng as engineers and support troops begin to flow in over the beach. Transports begin to offload the 33rd Div as well. So far, no Jpn interference, including (surprisingly) no night time air attacks. Troops from three battalions begin being airlifted into Wau while recon shows IJA troops at Salamaua appear to be heading towards Wau. Not surprised with that, and will send in BB Washington TF to bombard to slow and disrupt progress. I will also bring in an Australian Motor Bde into Terapo to slog overland to Wau - that will take a while as the only available Bde is in Wyndham. Allied troops at Kokoda will assault the withdrawing IJA 38th Div next turn although I don’t think this will go too well.
In SWPAC, another raid on Koepang finds no CAP, and bombers hit the airfield with good effect and destroy 11 a/c on the ground while SBDs find an xAP off Koepang and hit her with 12 500lb bombs leaving her afire, although not reported sunk. B-24s will hit Koepang next turn with the intent to shut the AF down while mediums and the two remaining B17E squadrons begin to hit islands in the Banda Sea as sort of a “recon by fire” to see what defenses there are and what response this will draw. At sea, transports land troops at Broome and will then head to Wyndham to pickup up the Motor Bde bound for Terapo, and then will head to Darwin to support landings. CA TF will follow just in case the IJN attempt to interdict.
In China, NSTR.
In Burma, recon shows all but one IJA division (likely the 33rd) has escaped south from the Akyab Force as Allied ground troops close up and will attack next turn. In the “corridor hex” adjacent to Ramree, the IJA force with both tank divisions and the 18th ID, plus support, attacks the two US Divs and In Tk Bde and are held with heavy IJA loss: 2000 IJA to 360 Allied. The Brit 2nd Div should enter this hex next turn from the east, so 3+ Allied Divisions should be able to hold, right? The question will be is whether the pursuing 4 Allied divisions coming from the north should enter this fray to attack when they arrive? I’m betting that L_S_T isn’t going to try and hold here, but attempt to withdraw SE toward Prome in order to hold the line outside of Rangoon. From the Allied side, will continue to pressure to take Rangoon, but will likely need to divert some force to push through Lashio toward Paoshan.
In the IO, Amph TF lands the 7th ID, Canadian Bde and support without issue, although two IJN subs come in to lay mines, and both are roughly handled by escorts, and another sub is reported sunk by escorts. I’m surprised to find out only a single Naval Guard unit defending - I expected much more, so we have somewhat overkill and I’ve turned off the CA TF naval bombardment as there’s a surface threat afoot. I’m also surprised when air search finds a surface TF just off Sabang. Spruance apparently doesn’t feel this is a worthy target at 8 hex range as only CV Long Island II launched strike a/c each day, escorted by two squadrons of Hellcats. CAP is robust, but SBDs still hit CAs Kumano and Mogami with 2 bombs each leaving them afire. BB Hyuga takes a further 13 bombs which just bounce off the armor. Air losses were 17 Tojo C, 13 A5M5c, and 13 Tony B against 16 F6F, 9 SBDs (AA and Ops) and 4 TBFs. Not sure what to make of this - curious that a significant surface TF would be off Sabang only covered by LBA. That said, I expect this TF to withdraw up the Malacca Straits, but if there is another TF nearby that remained undetected, it could sortie to Trinkat - and most of all, where is the KB? So, the Allied CA and CVE TFs will stay off Trinkat to provide cover while Spruance will head SSE towards Sabang to possibly catch this force as it withdraws - and also avoid the gathering IJN subs around Trinkat. Could get dicey if the KB is at sea unseen.
Highlights – Troops ashore at Trinkat while CV air hits IJN warships off Sabang
Jpn ships sunk:
SS: 1 (I-182)
PB: 2
TK: 1 (small)
AMc: 1
Jpn ships un-sunk:
SS: 1 (RO-60)
Allied ships sunk: None
Air loss:
Jpn: 91
Allied: 48
Subwar:
Jpn: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit (IJN subs lay mines at Trinkat, 2 hv dam by escorts)
Allies: 3 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Jpn Amph Inv: None
Allied Amph:
Trinkat (IO)
Bases lost: None
Bases Liberated: None
SIGINT/Intel: IJN BB TF (BB Hyuga w/CAs and DDs) attacked off Sabang - is the KB out providing distant cover?
West Coast/Admin: CVL Cowpens and BB Alabama heading to IO via Aden from Balboa. Last two major warships I intend to send to the IO for a while.
In NOPAC, NSTR.
In CENPAC, NSTR.
In SOPAC, 1st Mar Div begins to move up towards Kavieng as engineers and support troops begin to flow in over the beach. Transports begin to offload the 33rd Div as well. So far, no Jpn interference, including (surprisingly) no night time air attacks. Troops from three battalions begin being airlifted into Wau while recon shows IJA troops at Salamaua appear to be heading towards Wau. Not surprised with that, and will send in BB Washington TF to bombard to slow and disrupt progress. I will also bring in an Australian Motor Bde into Terapo to slog overland to Wau - that will take a while as the only available Bde is in Wyndham. Allied troops at Kokoda will assault the withdrawing IJA 38th Div next turn although I don’t think this will go too well.
In SWPAC, another raid on Koepang finds no CAP, and bombers hit the airfield with good effect and destroy 11 a/c on the ground while SBDs find an xAP off Koepang and hit her with 12 500lb bombs leaving her afire, although not reported sunk. B-24s will hit Koepang next turn with the intent to shut the AF down while mediums and the two remaining B17E squadrons begin to hit islands in the Banda Sea as sort of a “recon by fire” to see what defenses there are and what response this will draw. At sea, transports land troops at Broome and will then head to Wyndham to pickup up the Motor Bde bound for Terapo, and then will head to Darwin to support landings. CA TF will follow just in case the IJN attempt to interdict.
In China, NSTR.
In Burma, recon shows all but one IJA division (likely the 33rd) has escaped south from the Akyab Force as Allied ground troops close up and will attack next turn. In the “corridor hex” adjacent to Ramree, the IJA force with both tank divisions and the 18th ID, plus support, attacks the two US Divs and In Tk Bde and are held with heavy IJA loss: 2000 IJA to 360 Allied. The Brit 2nd Div should enter this hex next turn from the east, so 3+ Allied Divisions should be able to hold, right? The question will be is whether the pursuing 4 Allied divisions coming from the north should enter this fray to attack when they arrive? I’m betting that L_S_T isn’t going to try and hold here, but attempt to withdraw SE toward Prome in order to hold the line outside of Rangoon. From the Allied side, will continue to pressure to take Rangoon, but will likely need to divert some force to push through Lashio toward Paoshan.
In the IO, Amph TF lands the 7th ID, Canadian Bde and support without issue, although two IJN subs come in to lay mines, and both are roughly handled by escorts, and another sub is reported sunk by escorts. I’m surprised to find out only a single Naval Guard unit defending - I expected much more, so we have somewhat overkill and I’ve turned off the CA TF naval bombardment as there’s a surface threat afoot. I’m also surprised when air search finds a surface TF just off Sabang. Spruance apparently doesn’t feel this is a worthy target at 8 hex range as only CV Long Island II launched strike a/c each day, escorted by two squadrons of Hellcats. CAP is robust, but SBDs still hit CAs Kumano and Mogami with 2 bombs each leaving them afire. BB Hyuga takes a further 13 bombs which just bounce off the armor. Air losses were 17 Tojo C, 13 A5M5c, and 13 Tony B against 16 F6F, 9 SBDs (AA and Ops) and 4 TBFs. Not sure what to make of this - curious that a significant surface TF would be off Sabang only covered by LBA. That said, I expect this TF to withdraw up the Malacca Straits, but if there is another TF nearby that remained undetected, it could sortie to Trinkat - and most of all, where is the KB? So, the Allied CA and CVE TFs will stay off Trinkat to provide cover while Spruance will head SSE towards Sabang to possibly catch this force as it withdraws - and also avoid the gathering IJN subs around Trinkat. Could get dicey if the KB is at sea unseen.
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RE: 26-27 Aug 43
Could get dicey if the KB is at sea unseen.
Looks like you called it. [:'(] I'm anxious to hear your views on the next turn and how you will regroup as a result.
RE: 28-29 Aug 43
28-29 Aug 43
Highlights – Disaster off Sabang; KB mauls Spruance!
Jpn ships sunk:
PB: 1
TK: 3(sm)
Allied ships sunk:
CA: 2 (Shropshire, Sussex)
DMS: 1 (Wasmuth)
Air loss:
Jpn: 419
Allied: 284
Subwar:
Jpn: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 5 Attacks, 1 ships hit (including CV Akagi missed by 6 torps!)
Jpn Amph Inv: None
Allied Amph: None
Bases lost: None
Bases Liberated:
Trinkat (IO)
SIGINT/Intel: KB is definitely confirmed to still be in the IO!
West Coast/Admin: NSTR.
In NOPAC, NSTR.
In CENPAC, NSTR.
In SOPAC, US troops continue to push up New Ireland towards Kavieng. Namatanai AF at level 1; fighters brought in to provide CAP. 4 battalions of troops being airlifted into Wau - not sure if that will be enough, but before I fly in more, I want to see if I can supply those four.
In SWPAC, Koepang hit again and is the AF is shut down. Heavies will shift to Dili next turn. Goal remains preparing for landings at Saumlaki. The needed assault shipping is still tied up heading to Wyndham, so this amphib is still a few turns away. No sure where the BB Musashi TF is, but I’m pretty sure she’s still in the Banda Sea area - perhaps Kendari or Ambon as a fwd fleet base. In any case, it’s a reasonable bet that an Allied landing in the Banda Sea will trigger a response by the Musashi TF.
In China, NSTR.
In Burma, heavies continue to hit the escaping “Akayb force” with reasonably good effect - which tells me they’re in march mode. Will likely try a 3-4 Division attack next turn - hoping to catch some of that force still in march mode, but that could be a bloody affair. Allied supply is good - have to assume that the IJA troops are low on supply and fairly heavily disrupted from their withdrawal. Now that the “chase” is over, and the “Akyab Force” did not get firmly encircled, it will be time to reorganize the troops a bit - sort out the corps attachments and reprioritize assets. Heavies will need a rest, and the mediums need not only rest, but quite a few replacements. Fighters will gradually shift more to gain superiority over Rangoon - which began this past turn with two squadrons against a CAP of TojoCs - some 30 were shot down in exchange for about half dozen Hellcats and 4 P-38s.
In the IO, I get caught pretty flat-footed by the KB showing up - DESPITE - thinking it could show. One of those “yeah, it COULD be out there”, but “it WON’T show” thought processes I guess. Still, should have gone better, but I managed really jack things up - and that includes the re-do. In any case, US CVs headed towards just SW of Sabang as planned which proved to be a major mistake. First, this move put them out of position to provide effective support of Trinkat. And second, despite not intending to react - my goal was to keep them away from potential air threat at Victoria Point on the Burma coast - Spruance decided to react 3hexes into the Andaman Sea! This managed to separate the two CV TFs by the end of the second day which proved expensive (also expensive was “overstacking” CV Saratoga by 1 plane (104 total), so she never participated). The turn started off on a positive note at Trinkat with a the Allied CA TF (3CA, 2CL, 5DD, DMS) gaining surprise on the IJN CA TF (5CA, 10DD). That surprise was thrown away with no hits during the first round, and then the Allies got pummeled by superior IJN gunnery and two long lance hits on CA Shropshire. Two CAs and the DMS sunk for no IJN losses. On the positive side, the CA TF duly protected the anchorage, and the IJN CAs retired. That was the only good news to be had…it got progressively worse from there. Daylight brings the US CV TF striking what was probably the Hyuga TF off Phukat, which was the first indication of the KB in the area with its CAP providing cover. Then another small airstrike hit shipping off Medan, which wasn’t necessarily a bad result - 3 small TKs were sunk, for 5 SBD lost to CAP), but after those two attacks, the airpower was now a bit more fatigued for the big show. After another small US strike, next came a series of airstrikes between CV TFs, in which the Allied strikes were fragmented, while the IJN strike hit first and was well coordinated. Both sides had very heavy CAP which proved costly to incoming strikes. The first day’s strikes resulted in a single bomb hit on CV Akagi and BB Nagato taking a torp. With Saratoga’s 36 F6Fs not flying escort (1/3 of the planned escorts), Allied strikes were heavily mauled by CAP. The IJN’s first raid was met by over 150 fighters on CAP, but with over 275 strike aircraft, despite heavy losses, hits were scored on the fleet. That said, only CV Victorious took heavy blows that first strike and there was hope. US CAP was still in good shape, but AA ammo was likely by this time pretty well expended. Hope vanished the second day. Starting with raids on CVEs off Trinkat, which crippled CVE Santee, and damaged two DDs but I consider that lucky - as no transports were hit and CAP did fairly well. Was downhill from there as the two US CV TFs separated, the first IJN raid hit the primary TF and got mauled for little result, but the second raid hit the weaker CAP’d TF (Vicky, Long Island II, Wasp, Indy) - only 11 Hellcats up as CAP. Needless to say, numerous hits were scored leaving all four CVs heavily damaged, but still afloat. Now why one TF moved back to its original location? I have no idea. That split was decisive. So much for “balanced” TFs…as far as I know, the KB looked to be in two TFs as well, but neither seemed to react. Follow on US strikes just cost planes with no hits scored.
Highlights – Disaster off Sabang; KB mauls Spruance!
Jpn ships sunk:
PB: 1
TK: 3(sm)
Allied ships sunk:
CA: 2 (Shropshire, Sussex)
DMS: 1 (Wasmuth)
Air loss:
Jpn: 419
Allied: 284
Subwar:
Jpn: 0 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 5 Attacks, 1 ships hit (including CV Akagi missed by 6 torps!)
Jpn Amph Inv: None
Allied Amph: None
Bases lost: None
Bases Liberated:
Trinkat (IO)
SIGINT/Intel: KB is definitely confirmed to still be in the IO!
West Coast/Admin: NSTR.
In NOPAC, NSTR.
In CENPAC, NSTR.
In SOPAC, US troops continue to push up New Ireland towards Kavieng. Namatanai AF at level 1; fighters brought in to provide CAP. 4 battalions of troops being airlifted into Wau - not sure if that will be enough, but before I fly in more, I want to see if I can supply those four.
In SWPAC, Koepang hit again and is the AF is shut down. Heavies will shift to Dili next turn. Goal remains preparing for landings at Saumlaki. The needed assault shipping is still tied up heading to Wyndham, so this amphib is still a few turns away. No sure where the BB Musashi TF is, but I’m pretty sure she’s still in the Banda Sea area - perhaps Kendari or Ambon as a fwd fleet base. In any case, it’s a reasonable bet that an Allied landing in the Banda Sea will trigger a response by the Musashi TF.
In China, NSTR.
In Burma, heavies continue to hit the escaping “Akayb force” with reasonably good effect - which tells me they’re in march mode. Will likely try a 3-4 Division attack next turn - hoping to catch some of that force still in march mode, but that could be a bloody affair. Allied supply is good - have to assume that the IJA troops are low on supply and fairly heavily disrupted from their withdrawal. Now that the “chase” is over, and the “Akyab Force” did not get firmly encircled, it will be time to reorganize the troops a bit - sort out the corps attachments and reprioritize assets. Heavies will need a rest, and the mediums need not only rest, but quite a few replacements. Fighters will gradually shift more to gain superiority over Rangoon - which began this past turn with two squadrons against a CAP of TojoCs - some 30 were shot down in exchange for about half dozen Hellcats and 4 P-38s.
In the IO, I get caught pretty flat-footed by the KB showing up - DESPITE - thinking it could show. One of those “yeah, it COULD be out there”, but “it WON’T show” thought processes I guess. Still, should have gone better, but I managed really jack things up - and that includes the re-do. In any case, US CVs headed towards just SW of Sabang as planned which proved to be a major mistake. First, this move put them out of position to provide effective support of Trinkat. And second, despite not intending to react - my goal was to keep them away from potential air threat at Victoria Point on the Burma coast - Spruance decided to react 3hexes into the Andaman Sea! This managed to separate the two CV TFs by the end of the second day which proved expensive (also expensive was “overstacking” CV Saratoga by 1 plane (104 total), so she never participated). The turn started off on a positive note at Trinkat with a the Allied CA TF (3CA, 2CL, 5DD, DMS) gaining surprise on the IJN CA TF (5CA, 10DD). That surprise was thrown away with no hits during the first round, and then the Allies got pummeled by superior IJN gunnery and two long lance hits on CA Shropshire. Two CAs and the DMS sunk for no IJN losses. On the positive side, the CA TF duly protected the anchorage, and the IJN CAs retired. That was the only good news to be had…it got progressively worse from there. Daylight brings the US CV TF striking what was probably the Hyuga TF off Phukat, which was the first indication of the KB in the area with its CAP providing cover. Then another small airstrike hit shipping off Medan, which wasn’t necessarily a bad result - 3 small TKs were sunk, for 5 SBD lost to CAP), but after those two attacks, the airpower was now a bit more fatigued for the big show. After another small US strike, next came a series of airstrikes between CV TFs, in which the Allied strikes were fragmented, while the IJN strike hit first and was well coordinated. Both sides had very heavy CAP which proved costly to incoming strikes. The first day’s strikes resulted in a single bomb hit on CV Akagi and BB Nagato taking a torp. With Saratoga’s 36 F6Fs not flying escort (1/3 of the planned escorts), Allied strikes were heavily mauled by CAP. The IJN’s first raid was met by over 150 fighters on CAP, but with over 275 strike aircraft, despite heavy losses, hits were scored on the fleet. That said, only CV Victorious took heavy blows that first strike and there was hope. US CAP was still in good shape, but AA ammo was likely by this time pretty well expended. Hope vanished the second day. Starting with raids on CVEs off Trinkat, which crippled CVE Santee, and damaged two DDs but I consider that lucky - as no transports were hit and CAP did fairly well. Was downhill from there as the two US CV TFs separated, the first IJN raid hit the primary TF and got mauled for little result, but the second raid hit the weaker CAP’d TF (Vicky, Long Island II, Wasp, Indy) - only 11 Hellcats up as CAP. Needless to say, numerous hits were scored leaving all four CVs heavily damaged, but still afloat. Now why one TF moved back to its original location? I have no idea. That split was decisive. So much for “balanced” TFs…as far as I know, the KB looked to be in two TFs as well, but neither seemed to react. Follow on US strikes just cost planes with no hits scored.
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RE: 28-29 Aug 43
In any case, at the end of the drubbing, half the CVs were non-operational for carrier ops and both TFs are pretty much out of AA Ammo - at least 5” and 40mm. It could have been much worse of course, and this is “just a flesh wound”…..one that will buy time for L_S_T to strengthen his defenses. CV damage below…
Although I could put 4 carriers worth of aircraft back into the air (replacement SBD squadrons were readily available, and fighters are in pretty good shape), I’m electing to disengage as rapidly as possible. Flight decks of the 4 operable CVs are cleared of remnants of strike aircraft, except for a few that will remain for ASW work. Fighters are flown in from Repl CVEs and the Andamans, giving Spruance about 275 fighters available. Both TFs will move at full speed (8hexes per turn max due to damage) to the SW - hopefully L_S_T will assume I’m heading back toward Ceylon if he pursues, which is what I figure he’ll do). The 4 operational CVs will follow the damaged CVs, and I’m hoping they will stay in the same hex to provide fighter cover. No strikes will be attempted at the IJN, its all about preserving the CVs now. The CVs will head generally toward Diego Garcia, and once the IJN threat is gone will take on fuel from AOs, and then I’ll determine which CVs will head to Ceylon, and which will head toward Cape Town. Should the KB move west off Sabang and pursue, they will run into a heavy sub concentration off Sabang, which I’m not holding my breath that any sub will hit anything, but its something. Off Trinkat, the Amphib and covering forces will head back to Ceylon, hopefully staying out of range of the KB. Two transports with light escort will remain to offload a baseforce, and CVE Santee with two damaged DDs will make for Port Blair. While badly beaten, the fleet is still afloat, but that could change next turn if the KB comes charging at full speed looking for targets. While the US CV CAP may be formidable if attacked, the lack of AA ammo is worrisome. Not thrilled about pushing heavily damaged CVs at full speed either, but don’t want to crawl at 2hexes an impulse either. Best case is the fleet survives to repair and refit…worst case….not so much.
Although I could put 4 carriers worth of aircraft back into the air (replacement SBD squadrons were readily available, and fighters are in pretty good shape), I’m electing to disengage as rapidly as possible. Flight decks of the 4 operable CVs are cleared of remnants of strike aircraft, except for a few that will remain for ASW work. Fighters are flown in from Repl CVEs and the Andamans, giving Spruance about 275 fighters available. Both TFs will move at full speed (8hexes per turn max due to damage) to the SW - hopefully L_S_T will assume I’m heading back toward Ceylon if he pursues, which is what I figure he’ll do). The 4 operational CVs will follow the damaged CVs, and I’m hoping they will stay in the same hex to provide fighter cover. No strikes will be attempted at the IJN, its all about preserving the CVs now. The CVs will head generally toward Diego Garcia, and once the IJN threat is gone will take on fuel from AOs, and then I’ll determine which CVs will head to Ceylon, and which will head toward Cape Town. Should the KB move west off Sabang and pursue, they will run into a heavy sub concentration off Sabang, which I’m not holding my breath that any sub will hit anything, but its something. Off Trinkat, the Amphib and covering forces will head back to Ceylon, hopefully staying out of range of the KB. Two transports with light escort will remain to offload a baseforce, and CVE Santee with two damaged DDs will make for Port Blair. While badly beaten, the fleet is still afloat, but that could change next turn if the KB comes charging at full speed looking for targets. While the US CV CAP may be formidable if attacked, the lack of AA ammo is worrisome. Not thrilled about pushing heavily damaged CVs at full speed either, but don’t want to crawl at 2hexes an impulse either. Best case is the fleet survives to repair and refit…worst case….not so much.
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RE: 28-29 Aug 43
Should the KB move west off Sabang and pursue, they will run into a heavy sub concentration off Sabang, which I’m not holding my breath that any sub will hit anything, but it's something.
Note that this engagement -- and your sub's failed attack on Akagi -- was just before the final adjustment and repair of US torpedoes. After just one more 2-day turn, you'll no longer have any penalty on them and then maybe those subs can really make a difference.
That first big Jap strike had just super coordination. Really great performance by them.
RE: 28-29 Aug 43
Good news no carriers sun and need major to moderate yard work. The KB taught you to respect it, lesson learned.