Rook749 vs Janushm -- Third Time is the Charm.....

[RangerJoe]

Also, bomb Miri's OIL. Cost to repair: 1k supply per point gone. Don't bother the refineries, he has excess capacity.

[rook749]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Also, bomb Miri's OIL. Cost to repair: 1k supply per point gone. Don't bother the refineries, he has excess capacity.

I am working to arrange more damage but this is it so far...

Night Naval bombardment of Miri at 64,87 on the 16th of December.

Allied Ships
CL Boise
CL Tromp
CL De Ruyter
CL Java
DD Banckert
DD Van Nes
DD Witte de With
DD Evertsen
DD Piet Hein

Oil hits 2
Refinery hits 1
Airbase hits 16
Airbase supply hits 7
Runway hits 24
Port hits 13
Port fuel hits 3
Port supply hits 2

CL Boise firing at Miri
CL Tromp firing at Miri
CL De Ruyter firing at Miri
CL Java firing at Miri
DD Banckert firing at Miri
DD Van Nes firing at Miri
DD Witte de With firing at Miri
DD Evertsen firing at Miri
DD Piet Hein firing at Miri

[rook749]

15 & 16 December 1941 Executive Summary

Building to a night surface action off of Feni Island which does not go my way, but did get Janushm's attention.

------
Raiding (only those that have an impact)
Submarine attack near Patani at 51,73 :: Japanese Ships xAKL Yoshinogawa Maru, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
Submarine attack near Patani at 52,73 :: Japanese Ships xAK Teiyo Maru, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
Submarine attack near Patani at 52,73 :: Japanese Ships xAK Arima Maru, Torpedo hits 1
Submarine attack near Batavia at 50,96 :: Allied Ships xAK Fatshan, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
Submarine attack near Lahaina at 184,105 :: Allied Ships xAKL Malama, Shell hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
Submarine attack near Toboali at 51,93 :: Allied Ships xAKL Meroendoeng, Shell hits 3, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied Naval Forces
US Carries USN CAR DIV 1 (Enterprise), USN CAR DIV 2 (Lexington) and USN CAR DIV 3 (Saratoga) are en route to support the South Pacific.

KB and Mini-KB
KB location is unknown. Suspect it is at Truk.
Mini-KB Location around the Admiralty Islands.

China
Forces moving to Ichang to attack.

Japanese Amphibious Landings:
Amphibious Assault at Brunei (65,87)
Amphibious Assault at Davao (79,91)

Japan Conquerors the Following Bases:
Japanese forces CAPTURE Kuching !!!
Japanese forces CAPTURE Tuguegarao !!!
Japanese forces CAPTURE Naga !!!
Japanese forces CAPTURE Victoria Point !!!

Allies Amphibious Landings:
None.

Allies Conquerors the Following Bases:
None.

[rook749]

The Battle off of Feni Islands

It did not work, but this was a deliberate attempt to sink a carrier in a night action on my part. The air attack in the day does minor damage to the C Leander during daylight.

======
Night Time Surface Combat, near Feni Islands at 110,126, Range 1,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CVL Ryujo
CA Myoko
CA Haguro, Shell hits 1
CA Nachi
DD Kuroshio
DD Oyashio, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
DD Hatsukaze
DD Natsushio
DD Hayashio
DD Amatsukaze

Allied Ships
CA Louisville, Shell hits 8, heavy fires
CA Canberra
CL Leander
CL Perth
CL Adelaide
DD Voyager, Shell hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Le Triomphant, Shell hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk

Reduced sighting due to 3% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Overcast Conditions and 3% moonlight: 1,000 yards
CONTACT: Allies radar detects Japanese task force at 5,000 yards

Japanese Task Force Manages to Escape
Task forces break off...

[rook749]

17 & 18 December 1941 Executive Summary

And the KB appears........ Trying to be clever with my starting surface forces in the Southwest Pacific all I did was place myself between the Mini-KB and the KB.

------
Raiding (only those that have an impact)
ASW attack near Christmas Island at 175,140 :: Allied Ships CM Oglala, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

Allied Naval Forces
US Carries USN CAR DIV 1 (Enterprise), USN CAR DIV 2 (Lexington) and USN CAR DIV 3 (Saratoga) are en route to support the South Pacific.

KB and Mini-KB
KB location is off the Solomon Islands.
Mini-KB Location south of the Admiralty Islands.

China
Forces moving to Ichang to attack.

Japanese Amphibious Landings:
Amphibious Assault at Lae (99,126)
Amphibious Assault at Beaufort (66,87)

Japan Conquerors the Following Bases:
Japanese forces CAPTURE Brunei !!!

Allies Amphibious Landings:
None.

Allies Conquerors the Following Bases:
None.

[rook749]

How not to Find the KB....

Day Time Surface Combat, near Panggoe at 112,133, Range 21,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CV Kaga
CV Hiryu
CV Soryu
CV Shokaku
CV Zuikaku
CV Akagi
BB Hiei
BB Kirishima
CA Tone
CA Chikuma
CL Abukuma
DD Akigumo
DD Kagero
DD Isokaze
DD Shiranui
DD Urakaze
DD Hamakaze
DD Tanikaze
DD Arare
DD Kasumi

Allied Ships
CA Louisville, Shell hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage

Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions: 28,000 yards
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 21,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 21,000 yards
CA Louisville engages CV Akagi at 21,000 yards[X(]

[rook749]

And the KB in Daylight.....

Two DDs, a CA, and a CL for a single DD.

======
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Buin at 109,131

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 1
B5N2 Kate x 27

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
DD Stuart, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

======
Morning Air attack on TF, near Buin at 107,131

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 9
B5N2 Kate x 18
D3A1 Val x 25

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A1 Val: 8 damaged
D3A1 Val: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
CA Canberra, Bomb hits 1
CL Perth
CL Adelaide
CL Leander, Bomb hits 1

======
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Buin at 107,131

Weather in hex: Partial cloud (where did my rain go?)

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 17
B5N2 Kate x 5
D3A1 Val x 38

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A1 Val: 2 damaged

Allied Ships
CA Canberra, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
CL Adelaide, Bomb hits 6, on fire
CL Perth, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
CL Leander, Bomb hits 1, on fire

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x D3A1 Val releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
12 x D3A1 Val releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
5 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp
12 x D3A1 Val releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
12 x D3A1 Val releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb

Heavy smoke from fires obscuring CA Canberra
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring CL Perth
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring CL Adelaide

======
Morning Air attack on TF, near Green Island at 109,127

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 4
D3A1 Val x 13

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
DD Voyager, Bomb hits 2, and is sunk

======
Morning Air attack on TF, near Panggoe at 111,133

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 1
B5N2 Kate x 18

Allied aircraft
no flights

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
SOC-1 Seagull: 3 destroyed

Allied Ships
CA Louisville, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk

======
Morning Air attack on TF, near Rabaul at 106,125

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 8
B5N1 Kate x 11

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
CL Achilles, Bomb hits 5, on fire

Aircraft Attacking:
11 x B5N1 Kate bombing from 5000 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb

Heavy smoke from fires obscuring CL Achilles

======
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Rabaul at 106,125

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 8
B5N1 Kate x 11

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
CL Achilles, Bomb hits 9, heavy fires, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
11 x B5N1 Kate bombing from 5000 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb

Heavy smoke from fires obscuring CL Achilles

[RangerJoe]

A suggestion, make sure that you keep track of the KB. Avoid it if possible.

Put a US Marine fighter unit on each US carrier. Maybe even have some fly lower CAP to attack any torpedo planes while Buffaloes fly higher to get the bounce on Japanese fighters.

It may be better to have a lot of smaller task forces with low aggression than a few larger ones on normal or high aggression. When equipped with radar, have each TF with at least one ship with radar. Fewer surprises that way.

Make damned sure that Halsey is not a Carrier Task Force commander, he is too aggressive!

[rook749]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

A suggestion, make sure that you keep track of the KB. Avoid it if possible.

Put a US Marine fighter unit on each US carrier. Maybe even have some fly lower CAP to attack any torpedo planes while Buffaloes fly higher to get the bounce on Japanese fighters.

It may be better to have a lot of smaller task forces with low aggression than a few larger ones on normal or high aggression. When equipped with radar, have each TF with at least one ship with radar. Fewer surprises that way.

Make damned sure that Halsey is not a Carrier Task Force commander, he is too aggressive!

RangerJoe,

I like to split a Marine Fighter unit and place 1/3 of each on a carrier. I also like to pull off on the Devastators and replace them with a Marine DB. I am still working on sorting this all out but I will have this complete before the end of December.

I am all in agreement with the smaller task forces, centered around radar-equipped ships.

[RangerJoe]

Put the entire Marine fighter unit on one ship, don't break them up. They should fit. Right now, you need the defense more than the offense.

The Devastators can perform ASW mission while they also train to do so. They sometime see and "attack" ships when doing so. If you come upon one or more BBs, you will need their torpedoes to make holes in the BB hulls, the thousand pound bombs may not be enough.

[rook749]

Let's Talk About Singapore.

My defense of Singapore is neither unique nor complicated.

1) Fall Back as quickly as possible to Singapore.
2) Place all Infantry Units on rest, with division divided. Recombine and split each turn every division.
3) Send one supply ship per turn from Batavia.
4) Hold the fighters over Singapore, range 1. Use them to allow the forts to be built. Use them until the exchange rate is no longer worth it and then withdraw them.

[rook749]

Let's Talk the Philippines.

Given we are playing with Stacking Limits and the extended map we are going to execute the triangle defense.

1) Manila has 100 Light Industry and 40 Resources.
-- Stockpile Resouces Day 1.
-- Iba has 20 Resouces that will go overland.
-- Atimonan has 40 Resouces that will go overland.
-- I assume Manila is Urban?
-- Send one Transport each turn with supplies from the NEI until this is cut off by Japan.
-- Build Forts.

2) Battan is my Fallback from Clark Field. This allows for a second battle and makes the Japanese march one more hex and buy time.
-- Stockpile Supplies Day 1.
-- Set base to 28K supplies.
-- Build Forts.

3) Clark Field is 3x Terrian.
-- Well it seems he understood this and the forts are level 1 and will no grow due to the damage from his airforce.

All Infantry units will rest, divided until the enemy is at the gates. Leaders were replaced for the Philippines units.

[RangerJoe]

Infantry units that have engineers should not rest, use the engineers while you still have them.

At Singapore, be ready to pull out any units that you don't need for defensive purposes like the base forces where the air support can come in handy later in the DEI and/or Western Australia.

[rook749]

Closing the Door at Ichang.

Ground combat at 84,48 (near Ichang)

Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 25604 troops, 161 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 732
Defending force 2676 troops, 12 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 95

Allied adjusted assault: 267
Japanese adjusted defense: 33
Allied assault odds: 8 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), morale(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
1836 casualties reported
Squads: 62 destroyed, 18 disabled
Non Combat: 56 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Units retreated 1

Allied ground losses:
128 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 14 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
55th Chinese Corps
59th Chinese Corps
77th Chinese Corps
33rd Group Army

Defending units:
11th RGC Temp. Division

[rook749]

19 & 20 December 1941 Executive Summary

Ichang Falls....

------
Raiding (only those that have an impact)
ASW attack near Lahaina at 184,103 :: Japanese Ships SS I-2, hits 1
ASW attack near Lahaina at 184,103 :: Japanese Ships SS I-2, hits 2
ASW attack near Lahaina at 184,103 :: Japanese Ships SS I-2, hits 1, heavy damage
ASW attack near Soerabaja at 56,103 :: Japanese Ships SS I-165, hits 2

Allied Naval Forces
US Carries USN CAR DIV 1 (Enterprise), USN CAR DIV 2 (Lexington) and USN CAR DIV 3 (Saratoga) are en route to support the South Pacific.

KB and Mini-KB
KB location is off the Solomon Islands.
Mini-KB Location south of the Admiralty Islands.

China
Forces moving to Ichang to attack.

Japanese Amphibious Landings:
Amphibious Assault at Attu Island (153,49)
Amphibious Assault at Sambas (57,88)

Japan Conquerors the Following Bases:
Japanese forces CAPTURE Beaufort !!!

Allies Amphibious Landings:
None.

Allies Conquerors the Following Bases:
Allied forces CAPTURE Ichang !!!

[rook749]

Ground combat at Ichang (83,48)

Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 70939 troops, 388 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1572
Defending force 14271 troops, 116 guns, 24 vehicles, Assault Value = 333

Allied adjusted assault: 1237
Japanese adjusted defense: 173

Allied assault odds: 7 to 1 (fort level 2)
Allied forces CAPTURE Ichang !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: forts(+), leaders(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
2633 casualties reported
Squads: 155 destroyed, 43 disabled
Non Combat: 150 destroyed, 15 disabled
Engineers: 32 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 58 (52 destroyed, 6 disabled)
Vehicles lost 22 (22 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 2

Allied ground losses:
975 casualties reported
Squads: 9 destroyed, 163 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 15 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Guns lost 6 (1 destroyed, 5 disabled)

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
68th Chinese Corps
32nd Chinese Corps
8th Chinese Corps
45th Chinese Corps
75th Chinese Corps
2nd Chinese Corps
67th Chinese Corps
94th Chinese Corps
26th Group Army

Defending units:
34th Division
13th RGC Temp. Division

[rook749]

How do we defend the South Pacific: Taveuni Island.

We sent the three 19 Speed xAPs on the west coast. We are sending on Port Maintenance Bn and One Marine Parachute Bn. It is not much but the goal is to prevent any free invasions.

50 Hexes to go...

[rook749]

How do we defend the South Pacific: Fiji.

We sent the five 17 Speed xAPs and one 16 Speed xAP from the west coast. We are sending the 8th Marine Regiment, one MAG HQa, and one Aviation Eng Bn. This will allow us to define one hex with a New Zeland Brigade, one Inf Bn, and two Art Bns. The other hex will be held with the 8th Marine Rgt, one Inf Bn, and two Art Bns.

46 Hexes to go...

[RangerJoe]

You may be defending too far forward. Wait and see the axis of the Japanese attacks.

[rook749]

How do we defend the South Pacific: Pago Pago.

1) We sent grabbed everything that was speed 15 - 17 we could find and sent this off to Pago Pago. One Construction Rgt, 34th Infantry Rgt, Coastal Gun, and one AA Rgt, FA Bn. These forces are 63 hexes from Pago Pago.

2) We also sent Five tankers with 65K of Fuel has 53 Hexes to go...

3) We sent the ComFleet Air West HQa to Pago Page, 65 hexes to go...

4) Ten Speed 10 xAK - 32K of Supply, 66 hexes to go...

5) Mix of 24 Ships --- Speed 12. 49K of Supply. Two Marine Fighter Squadrons, two Marine Bomber Squadrons, Three USA Fighter Units. Seventy-three hexes to go....