SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - War in the Pacific AAR Thread

Molon Labe · 12-14-21, 07:07 PM

31 August 1942
KB confirmed closing on Canton Island invasion, British forces at Singapore making last stand, S-19 on eternal patrol

Philippines
We had Dutch subs attacked off the southern Phillipines as well as the western approach, both in shallow waters. They escaped damage, but I'm concerned about possible attrition due to the shallow water routes.

Thailand and Burma
Another bad day for the enemy in the air. 6 Zeroes down with no losses here. In fact, no Allied aircraft would be shot down or destroyed on the field anywhere today. Except maybe over Germany.

Sumatra
No enemy fighters escorting their bombers today. We got a single Mohawk in the air and shot down a Sally with it. Flak got two more

CENTPAC
PBYs picked up the KB (technically, they reported at least 2 CVs and 2 BBs) headed east south of the Gilberts - closer than we expected. If they move at flank speed they can be on the east side of Canton Island by day's end tomorrow. Halsey bombed Canton one last time and began moving out of the area automatically, I supplemented that with manual orders. I'm a little nervous because I didn't pay close attention to my CVBG's fuel state. It's not critical but I'd like to have more if we're going to get into an extended chase.

I'm evacuating Pago Pago since it's close enough to Canton that it could potentially be the target. Not likely, but still possible.

Solomons
The S-19 was bombed near Rennel Island, sustaining catastrophic damage. The sub sank almost immediately.

Malaya
As of this moment, we are all dead. We go into battle to reclaim our lives.
The most capable and best equipped of the British garrison at Singapore has crossed the channel and entered Johore Baru. The good news is they weren't immediately wiped out, we secured a perimeter on the other side, and casualties were "only"1193 to 598 favoring the enemy. Also, the enemy appears to only have a single regiment of actual infantry here, consistent with prior intel, so at least before the battle started, our combat power was over four times theirs. The bad news is that the fortifications are Level 4, which should mean we need about 5-to-1 odds to overcome them outright, and our attack didn't knock any of that down at all, and the supply situation has rendered one of our brigades combat ineffective already.

I'll need a day or two to rest and reorganize before I can try again. Assuming our supplies are sufficient to allow another attempt, the next attack should be significantly stronger because I don't have the channel crossing to deal with. But the numbers just don't look good. At least the enemy regiment is probably not going to get reinforced--their most likely source of help would have been the guys that sallied out of Bangkok. They'd need to march back for a few days, and then pack for a few days, before being able to rail back to Johore.

12-14-21, 07:07 PM	#369
Molon Labe Silent Hunter Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Along the Watchtower Posts: 3,810 Downloads: 27 Uploads: 5	31 August 1942 KB confirmed closing on Canton Island invasion, British forces at Singapore making last stand, S-19 on eternal patrol Philippines We had Dutch subs attacked off the southern Phillipines as well as the western approach, both in shallow waters. They escaped damage, but I'm concerned about possible attrition due to the shallow water routes. Thailand and Burma Another bad day for the enemy in the air. 6 Zeroes down with no losses here. In fact, no Allied aircraft would be shot down or destroyed on the field anywhere today. Except maybe over Germany. Sumatra No enemy fighters escorting their bombers today. We got a single Mohawk in the air and shot down a Sally with it. Flak got two more CENTPAC PBYs picked up the KB (technically, they reported at least 2 CVs and 2 BBs) headed east south of the Gilberts - closer than we expected. If they move at flank speed they can be on the east side of Canton Island by day's end tomorrow. Halsey bombed Canton one last time and began moving out of the area automatically, I supplemented that with manual orders. I'm a little nervous because I didn't pay close attention to my CVBG's fuel state. It's not critical but I'd like to have more if we're going to get into an extended chase. I'm evacuating Pago Pago since it's close enough to Canton that it could potentially be the target. Not likely, but still possible. Solomons The S-19 was bombed near Rennel Island, sustaining catastrophic damage. The sub sank almost immediately. Malaya As of this moment, we are all dead. We go into battle to reclaim our lives. The most capable and best equipped of the British garrison at Singapore has crossed the channel and entered Johore Baru. The good news is they weren't immediately wiped out, we secured a perimeter on the other side, and casualties were "only"1193 to 598 favoring the enemy. Also, the enemy appears to only have a single regiment of actual infantry here, consistent with prior intel, so at least before the battle started, our combat power was over four times theirs. The bad news is that the fortifications are Level 4, which should mean we need about 5-to-1 odds to overcome them outright, and our attack didn't knock any of that down at all, and the supply situation has rendered one of our brigades combat ineffective already. I'll need a day or two to rest and reorganize before I can try again. Assuming our supplies are sufficient to allow another attempt, the next attack should be significantly stronger because I don't have the channel crossing to deal with. But the numbers just don't look good. At least the enemy regiment is probably not going to get reinforced--their most likely source of help would have been the guys that sallied out of Bangkok. They'd need to march back for a few days, and then pack for a few days, before being able to rail back to Johore. __________________ Last edited by Molon Labe; 12-15-21 at 10:46 AM.