A Good Place to Start - Matthew (A) v Fokko (J) - Bottlenecks Mod

[M Peaston]

13th February 1942




CHINA

At Laiwu a Shock attack by the Chinese 51st and 89th armies sent the Japanese 77th Inf Rgt scurrying away with heavy casualties. 51st Army will attempt to break out southwest of Tsinan while 89th Army and 11th War Area HQ will remain and hold out as long as possible.

The Red Chinese at Shuozhou had some good fortune, with the 3rd Red Guerrilla Corps on the verge of collapse the Japanese chose to bombard rather than assault.

Farther south, a substantial Japanese assault by 3 infantry Brigades, 2 Ind Mixed Brigades and an armoured car coy is held off by 50th Chinese Army.

Meanwhile the AVG continues its Contactless Patrols over Wuchow…sigh…



ABDA

With Allied Intelligence believing that significant parts of the Japanese fleet deployed at Rabaul and Singapore, and with the Makassar Strait still seemingly open to the Allies, there may be an opportunity to strike back at the Japanese in the centre. Force Z was covering the evacuation of Kendari, but with only the Kendari BF remaining to be shipped out and no apparent threat emerging there, Force Z has been tasked with slipping through the Makassar Strait and bombing Manado from the north. A squadron of P40Es has been ordered from Makassar to Balikpapan to provide air cover. I think the Japanese still intend to use Manado as a forward base for any southern move, based on the port and airfield size at Manado and the amount of shipping seen there, so disrupting any preparations there wouldn’t go amiss.

CLs Boise and Durban also intend to transit the Makassar strait, then head north and try to break into the South China Sea with a view to disrupting shipping and/or attacking Miri. If the Japanese have to improve their guard on their sea communications then it means less forces for their offensives.

I’ll also use the opportunity to try and slip a small supply convoy into Bataan.

Enterprise was ordered north to be on hand to assist Force Z if necessary but somehow the orders got garbled and the Enterprise TF remained at Port Hedland.



SWPAC/SOPAC

Sinking sounds were heard during the replay which may be the Japanese xAP torpedoed off Rabaul the previous day.

Rabaul was bombed again by 129 Vals from KB - I’m quite happy for KB to be used to try and winkle out an understrength Australian Battalion, but those on the receiving end may not share this view. Lark Bn still managed to hold off 144th Rgt’s assault. Methinks the Japanese feel the need to get a move on in the Bismarcks/Solomons.

[M Peaston]

An insignificant place, many would say. Insignificant? To whom? Surely every place is of significance to someone. The small community of Lampeter, Pennsylvania almost took its place in the history books during the dark days of February 1942 when, within the red limestone walls of the Henry Miller House, a secret conference of Allied leaders took place. Almost took its place in history - almost, but not quite, as history makes little mention of this meeting - it was, after all, secret.

Why Lampeter was chosen we shall never know, but by piecing together the few extant records it is possible to throw some light on the discussions that took place - strategy, its relationship to that dreadful new buzzword ‘logistics’ that seems to be gaining such traction amongst military commanders, and the pressing need to appoint a Generalissimo for the Pacific war to cut across competing priorities (and competing egos).

Now, at this point it may aid understanding to quote, without the kind permission of LST (I have this contrary streak in me), from the ‘Bottlenecks’ Design Philosophy notes:

“I have attempted to force a more ‘historical’ gameplay by slowing down the ops tempo through applying brakes and limits on production and the logistical infrastructure as well as creating higher demand for shipping while decreasing the shipping availability…..In theory there should be a supply and shipping bottleneck from the beginning which grows worse for Japan but eases for the Allies as the war drags on”

Bearing the above in mind, what is the overall Japanese strategy, and how should the Allies respond? Allied thinking [and I may have mentioned this before] is that Japan is aiming to seize a defendable perimeter and hold out for as long as possible, as opposed to a swift expansion aimed at knocking India or Australia out of the war and achieving victory in 1943. Such a strategy would fit in with the logistical challenges of the scenario, and is consistent with Japan’s approach which seems to be one of a slow, methodical advance where minimising losses is prioritised over speed.

One thing Allied analysts originally puzzled over was Japan’s failure to swiftly take the major oil producing centres of Tarakan and Balikpapan when they had the opportunity to do so, but they have come up with a possible answer. The Allies can shut down the refineries, but not the oil wells. Delaying seizing these areas enables the Japanese to push the Allies out of bomber range first, whilst at the same time a ready-made oil reserve is building up, as the Allies do not have sufficient tankers to ship the oil out. Such a reserve may be very useful if the oil centre is damaged while being captured.

Turning to logistics.

Supply - things are fine at the moment in India and Australia, but the decision to push as much supply into Singapore as possible to withstand a lengthy siege backfired with Singapore’s early surrender and a loss of a supply stockpile of over 80,000. This leaves the DEI with supply that could best be described as sufficient for its present needs, but not exactly flush. I should point out that in this mod refineries do not produce supply.

Fuel - India and Ceylon, with their proximity to Abadan, have no problems. Elsewhere there was a bit of a wobble when NZ almost ran out of fuel; I transferred some in from Australia and switched some naval operations from Aukland to Brisbane, but then Sydney started to run low and I couldn’t get any fuel to flow up to Brisbane…..

That’s all pretty much sorting itself out now. Supply routes are being adjusted slightly; LA will concentrate on fuelling/suppling NZ and the South Pacific area while Australia will be suppled from San Francisco. A convoy refuelling operation is up and running at Bora Bora; only a proportion of convoys can be refuelled at present but operations are expanding. Fuel reaching Australia/NZ is now sufficient for present needs.

Naval operations in the DEI/Northern Australia are being run off fuel from Palembang/Oosthaven. Obviously this won’t be able to continue for much longer. There is a small stockpile of fuel at Darwin, about 40,000, maybe 20,000 at Koepang and a few thousand more at Port Hedland.

How should Allied strategy respond to the war’s events so far? If, if the Japanese are looking to a defensible perimeter and don’t intend to expand any farther, then this suggests the Allies should defend as far forward as possible to try and retain a lodgement within Japan’s perimeter.

I’m already looking to fight in Timor, Saumlaki, Babar and Northern Australia, but only with a few to encouraging the Japanese to commit more forces to these areas - I don’t realistically expect I’ll be able to retain them unless the Japanese allow me to. I don’t want to commit much to defending Burma; securing India from a possible invasion is my main priority here, although I do want to try and retain Akyab. SW Pacific may be more promising - I think I’ve a reasonable chance of holding on to Port Moresby, and Tulagi is still up for grabs.

In the longer term, my thinking is that the Allies should go on the offensive at the earliest opportunity in order to minimise the amount of time the Japanese have to organise their defences and dig in. That doesn’t mean recklessly early, but does mean it should be sooner rather than later. Current Allied strategy is based on the idea of significant diversionary and attritional warfare in the southern DEI as a prelude to the main Allied advance in the Central Pacific. Everything I’m learning of logistics in this war so far suggest that it is going to take along time to build up the necessary infrastructure to support major operations in this area, especially if I have to reconquer northern Australia first, probably too long, if I want to start moving sooner. I need to look elsewhere.

Again, SW Pacific may be more promising - easier to reinforce and supply, and more easily supported by LBA (I’m assuming that the Japanese retain aircraft carrier superiority at least well into 1943). The downside is that on this front the Japanese may be more inclined to cede territory than take losses than they would be in the DEI. I’ll still carry out diversionary operations in the DEI to try and keep the Japanese guessing (and defending Koepang and Saumlaki form part of the impression I’m trying to create), the difference in strategy now is that much greater emphasis will be placed on operations in the Solomons, Bismarcks and New Guinea than was previously envisaged.

Strategy will of course be kept under review, and particularly if:

The Japanese invade India and/or Australia, or otherwise try to expand farther than anticipated.
The Torres strait remains open to Allied shipping (making operations in the Southern DEI more viable)
The Japanese lose their carrier superiority sooner than expected (opening up earlier possibilities in the Central Pacific)

So, in the shorter term, and in the longer term, much more attention will be focused on the Coral Sea/Solomons/Bismarcks/New Guinea area. MacArthur will be pleased!

[M Peaston]

Unfortunately, by the time the discussion moved on to the appointment of a Generalissimo the wine had been flowing freely, and the spirits even more so.

MacArthur felt he would be the logical choice, and maybe he was right to think so, but as he wasn’t invited to this meeting his opinion didn’t count.

Roosevelt knew the sort of person he wanted; someone with military experience, both of command and of fighting in battle personally. Intelligent, a good grasp of strategy, a good team player - selfless, driven by the needs of keeping the alliance together and defeating Japan rather than his own self-promotion. Someone with personality, charm, tact, very diplomatic - yes, must be a good diplomat. Someone that could throw a good party would be beneficial. Oh, and must be an American.

Roosevelt was initially taken aback by Churchill’s suggested candidate, but, after a few more pints of martini, Roosevelt began to see how that he might have the necessary qualities, despite being English rather than American, and that having royal connections will bring even more gravitas to the role. The new Generalissimo will need a team to support his work, but there is plenty of time to get some names together before we sober up……

[RangerJoe]

Unfortunately, by the time the discussion moved on to the appointment of a Generalissimo the wine had been flowing freely, and the spirits even more so.

MacArthur felt he would be the logical choice, and maybe he was right to think so, but as he wasn’t invited to this meeting his opinion didn’t count.

Roosevelt knew the sort of person he wanted; someone with military experience, both of command and of fighting in battle personally. Intelligent, a good grasp of strategy, a good team player - selfless, driven by the needs of keeping the alliance together and defeating Japan rather than his own self-promotion. Someone with personality, charm, tact, very diplomatic - yes, must be a good diplomat. Someone that could throw a good party would be beneficial. Oh, and must be an American.
Halsey would be PERFECT!

Roosevelt was initially taken aback by Churchill’s suggested candidate, but, after a few more pints of martini, Roosevelt began to see how that he might have the necessary qualities, despite being English rather than American, and that having royal connections will bring even more gravitas to the role. The new Generalissimo will need a team to support his work, but there is plenty of time to get some names together before we sober up……
Why would Churchill be drinking martinis? I thought that he was much more of a Scotch and Brandy drinker!

If you really want someplace to push early, take the Kuriles except for the far northern one which will activate the invasion reinforcements. Then you would have bases to strike Hokkaido and Sakhalain, reduce the resources there and they probably won't get rebuilt. A short hop for your S-Boat subs with their working torpedoes. Then you get to threaten the rest of the Home Islands as well. If you invade Sakhalain, then you could threaten Korea and Manchuria with invasion and not just bombing them. This could and should make it easier to push in the South to cut off the DEI.

[M Peaston]

Churchill, of course, was on the scotch. I have in my head somewhere that Roosevelt liked a martini - although I might just be making it up.

There was a lot of alcohol drunk at this meeting.....

[RangerJoe]

Churchill, of course, was on the scotch. I have in my head somewhere that Roosevelt liked a martini - although I might just be making it up.

There was a lot of alcohol drunk at this meeting.....

Rooseveldt did not like A martini, he liked to swill about 6 of them!

[BBfanboy]

MPeaston: he might have the necessary qualities, despite being English rather than American, and that having royal connections will bring even more gravitas to the role

Good lord! I hope you are not considering Mountbottom! He managed to get DD he commanded (HMS Kelly) sunk, although his first two efforts were stymied by good damage control and nearby dockyards! He was consigned to Special Ops (Commandos) which did well in spite of him rather than because of him. An excellent existing staff did all the idea generating and planning.

[M Peaston]

Ahhh.....sorry BB Fanboy, but I did think my 'royal connections' reference would catch somebody out

I'll have some time in a week or so to introduce the Generalissimo and his staff.

[M Peaston]

14th February 1942



CHINA

There was relief at Shuozhou when again the Japanese bombarded rather than assaulted. It can only be a temporary reprieve.

At Huangshan near Hangchow the 50th Chinese Army continues to hold off the Japanese assaults - for now. 50th Army is tasked with holding off the Japanese until the 21st and 25th armies behind it at Jingdezhen have had a chance to recover from he fighting at Poyang farther west. I do wonder about the wisdom of getting one army smashed up just to allow two others to recover; the trouble is I have never really worked out a good way of disengaging a force from combat in good order in this game. I understand that putting a unit into ‘Move’ mode puts it at a disadvantage (rightly so). I have also read that ordering a unit to march, even if remaining in combat mode, means the unit loses the benefit of any fortification in the hex. Unfortunately I can’t remember where I saw this (it wasn’t the manual) and I have no idea if this is true or not.

At Liuchow I’ve stood down one of the AVG squadrons and returned it to Kunming, the other will remain. If the Japanese come back to Wuchow, so will the AVG.



INDIA/BURMA

Lieutenant Cochrane took his gunboat “Tarantula” out of Rangoon across to Moulmein to bombard the Japanese positions there, something he has done several time in the past week - it’s almost routine now. Tonight however, he and his crew got the fright of their lives as huge gun flashes suddenly lit up the sky behind them. It turns out BB Royal Sovereign had the same mission; Royal Sovereign knew that Tarantula was in the area, but it seems no-one remembered to tell Cochrane.

It also came as something as a surprise to the Japanese (no-one thought to tell them either). They had rather got used to Tarantula’s ineffective raids. It also left the Japanese with something of a puzzle - just how did the British manage to get that rusty bathtub to throw 15” shells at them without the gunboat completely shattering at the first recoil?



ABDA

The Japanese bomb Cagayan on Mindanao for the first time. There’s five unidentified Japanese units at Cagayan, but so far they have not attacked.

xAK Nirvana is loading supplies at Darwin with orders to try and slip though the Makassar strait and reach Bataan. I’m not confident she’ll make it, but I think it’s worth a try.

The Japanese bomb the airfield at Palembang again.



SWPAC/SOPAC

The Australians at Rabaul must wonder what they’ve done to deserve this. At night they’re hammered by the battleships Kirishima and Hiei; the next morning it’s 100 + screaming dive-bombers, followed up by an infantry assault by 144th Rgt. Fair play to the Aussies though - they still hold Rabaul.

It was a busy night for Kirishima, which managed to sink SS-S18 after depth-charges brought her to the surface.

Dusk, 40nm outside Rabaul. Three PT boats are waiting for darkness to fall before entering Rabaul harbour to attack Japanese shipping when the commander, Lieutenant Townsend, receives the message. At least four Japanese fleet carriers are believed to be operating east of the Fenni Islands, just 80 miles from Townsend’s flotilla. This is it! This is the moment he, and the Allies have been waiting for. A chance to have a crack at the Japanese fleet carriers. And the chance falls to Lt Townsend. This is his moment; his chance of enduring fame.

…Four Japanse fleet carriers

…Three PT boats

…Three torpedoes

…Poorly charted islands to conceal their approach

…and no moon.


This is it! Surely the allied PT boats will never get a better opportunity than this. This could change the course of the war. This is Lt Townsend’s chance to go down in history!

Oh, he’ll go down in history all right. He’ll go down in history as the fool who forgot to refuel at Gasmata.


…Four Japanse fleet carriers

…Three PT boats

…Three torpedoes

…No moon

…and no fuel.

Lt Townsend, “The fule who forgot to refuel”

PT boats.png (1.42 MiB) Viewed 938 times

[M Peaston]

CENPAC


Word spreads quickly among the fleet; the next commander who runs out of fuel will find himself in charge of a coracle - on the North Pacific Patrol. This has some rather unintended consequences, as soon become apparent.



From: Rear Admiral Spruance
To: HQ, US Pacific Fleet.

Destroyers down to only 78% fuel.
Saratoga and Yorktown each have just 98% remaining.
Am returning Pearl to replenish.


WHAT!!

Spruance is told, in rather less than polite terms, to turn his carriers around again.

For once I thought the stars were aligned. Spruance had already set out to hit the Marshalls, then KB showed up at Rabaul, tying itself to supporting the invasion.

I can only think of one word - it begins with ‘B’……..and ends with ‘locks’…….

With reluctance, the ‘Coracle’ order is rescinded.




Spruance’s daring ‘Marshalls Raid’……

Saratoga group returning.png (823.28 KiB) Viewed 936 times

[BBfanboy]

The replenishment required could be carrier sorties - bombs and avgas!

[M Peaston]

Sorties and ammunition both at 100%; Saratoga and Yorktown are yet to see action.

I think it might be something to do with the patrol settings (I prefer using patrol rather than remain on station, but in this case it could have been a mistake).

I’m thinking that perhaps if the game engine calculates that a TF doesn’t have enough fuel to reach the next point of the patrol and and then return to base, plus presumably a certain margin, then the TF will return to replenish at this point.

It’s very frustrating to have the carriers return to Pearl Harbor to refuel after just two days at sea, but I can see the funny side too!

The reason why, as a new player, I wanted to play the Allies was that the Allies have the room to make these kind of mistakes and learn from them. Playing against a more experienced Japanese player I think balances things out a little.

I hope to get the chance to take the Japanese side in a PBEM one day. That day may be a long way off yet.

[RangerJoe]

Here are a few solutions for the CV TF problem.

Replace the home port of Pearl Harbor with a home port closer to the raiding point or on the other side of the raiding point. You can have fuel heading that way or not, adding an AE or AKE won't hurt if you were to do this. But you can change the home port back to Pearl Harbor after the raid without sending any replenishment to the CV TF, that is up to you.

Check your routing controls, they may be too cautious for the mission.

If you just want a quick in and out, instead of a patrol pattern with endpoints set up a mission where the CV TF goes to a destination with up to 3 way points which you can modify as needed, with replenishment or not as desired.

You can have a replenishment TF following the CV TF, refueling the CV TF every day or so as needed but then detaching the refueling TF before the CV TF makes a mad dash in to attack in the target area, then have the CV TF return at a more leisurely speed. It could even catch up to the replenishment TF and refuel as needed. During the Doolittle raid, the destroyers and AOs were left behind while the CVs and cruisers sailed to where the bombers were launched, after launching the bombers they returned to the DDs and AOs.

[M Peaston]

Thanks once again Ranger Joe, some good suggestions to think about as always.

I've got some AOs and escorts southeast of Johnston Island that are now way ahead of the CVs. In this instance I think setting the carrier TF’s home port to Johnston, and switching back to Pearl later should work fine.

Interesting you mention the Doolittle raid; this mod has a squadron of carrier-capable B25s for just such an event. I’ll need to start planning for this soon, so it’s useful to know the USN’s refuelling arrangements. It'll be a good opportunity to put what I'm learning here into practice.

Apologies for the late reply, I’m away at the moment. Hopefully turns will be resuming soon.

[RangerJoe]

Thanks once again Ranger Joe, some good suggestions to think about as always.

I've got some AOs and escorts southeast of Johnston Island that are now way ahead of the CVs. In this instance I think setting the carrier TF’s home port to Johnston, and switching back to Pearl later should work fine.

Interesting you mention the Doolittle raid; this mod has a squadron of carrier-capable B25s for just such an event. I’ll need to start planning for this soon, so it’s useful to know the USN’s refuelling arrangements. It'll be a good opportunity to put what I'm learning here into practice.

Apologies for the late reply, I’m away at the moment. Hopefully turns will be resuming soon.

You are welcome and it is not a problem with the lateness of your reply, I know that people have other things going on in their lives.

I suggest that you don't let the refueling TF get to far ahead, it is better if they were following in the same hex to refuel the carrier TF but then break them off if the carrier TF is going to sprint into the enemy air coverage to attack.

[M Peaston]

15th February 1942


CHINA

The Japanese 12th Ind. Infantry Rgt has joined 37th Div at Ningsia. I’m looking out for where the 3rd and 9th Tank Rgts, retreating along the Hami road, are going - my suspicion is they’ll go to Ningsia too.

50th Army held off another attack at Huangshan, and somehow the communists survived a Deliberate Attack at Shuozhou.



ABDA

The Japanese land at Palembang:

5th Div
5th Tank Rgt
2nd Recon Rgt
5th Ind. Engineer Rgt
18th Medium Field Art Rgt
21st Medium Field Art Bn.

Palembang is only lightly held so it will fall quickly - probably tomorrow.

About 30 Dutch bombers attacked the invasion fleet; I don’t know what happened to the escorts but most of the bombers made it past the CAP anyway, damaging an xAP and losing 4 bombers.

Allied Intelligence estimates that the Japanese have 4xCL and 12xDD at Palembang plus 7 CAs/BBs sitting offshore. The Allied cruiser squadron off Batavia (3xCL, 3xDD) is ordered not to intervene - I think it would be on a hiding to nothing.

Force Z has reached the narrow point of the Makassar strait and is seemingly undetected, although Boise and Durban nearby have been spotted. We’ll see how this pans out.



SWPAC/SOPAC

Rabaul falls to the Japanese, with a few dazed Australian survivors retreating into the hinterland. RAAF Catalinas from Port Moresby have been ordered to pick them up if possible.

KB moves into the Solomon Sea, and in true David v Goliath fashion AGP Niagara takes on the might of Japanese naval aviation. Goliath wins this one hands down…. YO-21 is also sunk near Gasmata.

Of concern is where KB is heading next. It is already within range of Port Moresby, and by tomorrow could be within range of Townsville/Charters Towers. I’ve got a reinforcement convoy in the Tasman Sea and a supply convoy north of NZ both heading for Sydney. If KB moves south into the Coral Sea I’ll divert these to Melbourne. 1st Marine Rgt has just left Sydney bound now for Tulagi; I’ve routed them south of New Caledonia and they’ll proceed to Tulagi only when reasonably safe to do so.



CENPAC

10th Port Maintenance Bn and 22nd Marine Air Group HQ are loading at San Francisco bound for Midway.



SUBMARINE WARFARE

The USN find some working torpedoes from somewhere:

Grayling sinks xAKL Kinesaki off Chiba, Japan.
S-23 torpedoes and damages xAK Dakar Maru at Kavieng
Cachalot sinks xAKL Tateyama Maru at Nauru Island.

[M Peaston]

16th February 1942



There was a lot happening this day, but there’s only one place to start.

MacArthur’s been kidnapped! He’s completely disappeared from Townsville! What manner of Japanese skulduggery is at play here? What was KB’s real mission on the edge of the Coral Sea? Roosevelt has sent accusing messages to the Japanese, but so far only protests of innocence have been received in reply. FDR has threatened serious consequences for Japan if MacArthur is not returned.

But was it the Japanese? Rumours are starting to swirl around Washington that the new Generalissimo-to-be was somehow behind MacArthur’s disappearance, removing a potential future rival. Roosevelt hasn’t met the new man himself yet, he’s still crossing the Atlantic, but Churchill assures him he wouldn’t do anything like that - he’s far too honourable, or something. Churchill’s exact words were “I don’t think he’s clever enough to have dreamt up a scheme like that by himself.”

Working alongside the US Military Police on MacArthur’s disappearance is Inspector Forbes of the Commonwealth Investigation Branch. Forbes notes that one of the witnesses said that MacArthur seemed to just “disperse”. Wasn’t the same word used to describe President Quezon’s disappearance? That also happened in Queensland. Maybe Queensland is slipping into some kind of Twilight Zone. And there was those girls that mysteriously vanished from Hanging Rock - that incident is still well within living memory. Okay, Hanging Rock isn’t exactly in Queensland, and the novel hasn’t even been published yet, but one shouldn’t allow facts to stand in the way of a good theory.

I’m not too perturbed at losing MacArthur per se; more troubling is the loss of the Command HQ at Townsville - it was preparing for Port Moresby. I’m reasonably confident I can hold Port Moresby, but any bonuses from the Command HQ would have been nice.



CHINA

Japanese forces capture Huangshan, forcing the 50th Army to retreat.



INDIA/BURMA

I send a squadron of Hurricanes to sweep Chiang Mai, partly to test their effectiveness, to gain experience (theirs and mine), and to keep the Japanese on their toes. It didn’t go particularly well. Initially 4 Oscars were claimed downed for the loss of 4 Hurricanes, but after everyone had gone home 2 straggling Hurricanes turned up and were promptly shot down.



ABDA

Wave after wave of Dutch 139WH-3’s attacked the Japanese invasion force at Palembang, and got slaughtered; 28 lost in total. Even the Japanese signalled their admiration for their courage. What happened to the escorts? It seems no-one authorised them to operate at extended range. Someone must pay for this blunder. Heads will roll! Or, at the very least, someone will have some very snotty comments written in their personnel file….

The Dutch sacrifices were in vain; no ships were damaged and Palembang fell to the Japanese.

There are still over a dozen bombers at Batavia and Bandoeng, and surprisingly morale is still holding up. Indomitable will be within range of Palembang tomorrow. It’s all set up for a strike at the oil facilities. Except - the Dutch Government-in-Exile won’t allow it. Their bombers have been ordered not to damage the oil facilities, and Churchill has agreed to similar orders for Indomitable. It seems the Dutch have hopes that the Allies will recapture Palembang soon enough and the Dutch really need the foreign currency provided by the oil exports. It’s frustrating but what can I do? The strikes will go ahead tomorrow but targeting only the shipping.

Now, I thought a bombardment TF was supposed to stand off the target until night, then run in at full speed, bombard, and then run out again. However, Force Z is now sitting just 40 miles off Manado waiting for nightfall. Yes, it does mean maximum amount of time for getting away afterwards, but it does rather flag up my intentions to the Japanese. “Oh, hello - just to let you know we’re going to be bombarding Manado tonight, so you might want to move anything valuable out of the way, and make sure your defences are in order”. Okay, 10 out of 10 for common courtesy, but….c’mon man, this is war!

I realise now that just because I've read the manual, it doesn't mean that my TF commanders have also read it.

On the positive side, Boise and Durban are now just off North Borneo and are apparently undetected. Hopefully Fokko might assume the TF he detected yesterday was Force Z, and won’t realise I have 2 TFs in the area.



SWPAC/SOPAC

xAKLs Mirani and Indian Star are bombed and sunk by KB dive-bombers while trying to deliver supplies to Tulagi. They didn’t get the warning that KB was operating in the area - Allied High Command overlooked them because their icon didn’t stand out on the map where the word ‘Guadalcanal’ was printed. How fickle fate can be.

KB is now east of Rosell Island. 1st Marine Rgt and all other shipping in the area heading into or out of Sydney are being diverted south of the line Sydney-Lord Howe Island-Norfolk Island. 29th Australian Bde, having just loaded at Townsville bound for Port Moresby, is diverting to Rockhampton.



SUBMARINE WARFARE

I-26 sinks xAP Nairana west of Fiji.
Truant takes some minor hits from DDs near Davao.


All in all it's not been a great day for the Allies.


THE TECHNICAL BIT

Palembang doesn’t show up as a target for a city attack. I have some vague recollection of reading (I can’t remember where) that this can be caused by editing the industries at a particular location and leaving the 1st Weapon slot (where the industries are) blank. I had a look in the editor and, sure enough, in the industry column weapon slot 1 has ‘None’.

Not being able to bomb Palembang is something I can live with (although naturally I don’t want my opponent to discover its invulnerability). I was, although, very concerned that if we got into late war I might find that I couldn’t target Japanese industries - that would be a real problem. However, if the blank no.1 slot in the editor is the cause then I imagine it is easily fixable - perhaps LST could weigh in on this.

MacArthur’s disappearance is down to the fragility of units with very few devices (I think there was only one or two) - even if out of combat and in non-malarial zones.

[M Peaston]

Here's why I believe I can't 'City Bomb' at Palembang.

If this is the cause then I think it is fixable.

There's also the same problem with Bangkok.

Palembang.png (249.55 KiB) Viewed 685 times

[M Peaston]

KB.png (1.32 MiB) Viewed 684 times

Force Z and Boise.png (1.82 MiB) Viewed 684 times

[M Peaston]

Enterprise.png (1.4 MiB) Viewed 681 times