War in the Pacific AAR Thread: ML (Japan) vs. Leo (Allies)

[Ostfriese]

Do you think you are on a good way to achieve an auto-victory by the end of 1942?

[Molon Labe]

22 May 1942
USS Hornet torpedoed off Pago Pago

SOPAC
North of Pago Pago, the I-170 fired a spread of 4 torpedoes at the USS Hornet, connecting once. There were no secondary explosions and the damage did not appear to be severe. Per the surviellance by the 170 along with scoutplanes from other subs in the area, the US has 3 task forces in the area, two of which have carriers. In response, I'm backing off from Fiji a little bit so they don't hit the relatively weak Junyo CVBG or the bombardment task forces. The KB had been heading towards Sydney, but I'm turning them around to support the Junyo CVBG if its attacked.


I lost one Betty bombing Suva, but to keep them from being distracted from a possible enemy carrier assault, I'm removing this secondary tasking going forward.

[Molon Labe]

Originally Posted by Ostfriese

Do you think you are on a good way to achieve an auto-victory by the end of 1942?

Yes. I'm a little behind on reports so there are some major point swings that aren't showing here yet. As of 5/22/42 (the last posted report)I have a 2.850 to 1. I need to get that to 4 to 1 for the autovictory. As of 5/27, it's 3.636 to 1. I won't be maintaining that pace! But a few more major victory point hauls and his back will be against the wall. He really needs to truly stop me somewhere.

[Molon Labe]

23 May 1942
Rangoon captured; Hornet and US carrier forces deterred by early detection and submarine attack

Fiji
Despite the possible incoming carrier attack, I allowed the Kirishima and Hiei to perform their scheduled bombardment of Suva this morning, as they're pretty fast and should be able to clear the area before being attacked. As it turned out, the enemy carrier forces broke contact, apparently not in the mood for a fight having been spotted in advance and with one carrier already damaged.

The enemy salvaged a small victory from the situation, slipping 4 PBYs in under my CAP at Nadi, which managed to tag an AMC with a 500lb bomb, causing moderate damage.

Timed to be on the same day as the battleship bombardment, I made another deliberate attack on Suva, acheiving only 1 to 2 assault power ratio with enemy forts holding at level 3. The attempt cost us both an equal number of devices destroyed and disabled, but the enemy is showing a supply shortage, so this should start to tip in my favor soon. Still, discouraging enough to get me to start loading up reinforcements from Truk and Guadalcanal.



Coral Sea
My woes near Port Moresby continued, with the KIX torpedoing and sinking one of the DMSs I sent to try to evacuate the stricken supply convoy (which is now just one badly damaged AKL). The enemy also has moved separate B-17 groups here, so he doesn't need to alternate between day and night attacks--he can do both. Without adequate supplies, I can't replace the inevitable Zero losses from intercepting these bombers (or the occasional aircraft destroyed on the ground--there's been at least one). I've pulled another Zero detachment out of Guadalcanal to try to restore some balance here, and another supply convoy is enroute.


China
Sian held out against another of our attacks, and I'm honestly not sure how. Forts have been reduced to rubble. Our adjusted assault power ratio is 1.6 to 1; anything over 1 to 1 should be an overrun with the forts at 0. In any case, their squads destroyed were double mine, and he's in a supply crunch so he can't re-enable disabled units, while I can. This will be over soon.


Burma
Rangoon fell rather quickly, with our forces overwhelming them despite them maintaining level 2 forts. Part of the reason for the easy win might be that he had begun an partial evacuation before the battle began--we're observing some land units making a run for the coast and/or India. Today's attack cost me only 6 squads; the enemy lost 580 devices. I'll be pursuing the retreating garrison all the way to Magwe if I need to, where hopefully the enemy will find that my armor and paratroopers have already taken that base from them and will be trapped.

Speaking of cutting off retreats, I hit Lashio with an airborne assault, and failed to take it probably because of having the paratroopers on the wrong settings. I still have a decent chance of taking it in another day or two--the defending garrison is so weak I didn't even take any casualties. Lashio sits on the only road connecting Burma to China and would have been the ideal place to rail retreating units out. His prospects for getting anything out of Burma look pretty grim, IMO. He can probably save units fragments with transport flights, but that's about it.

[Molon Labe]

24 May 1942

• Burma:
  • We failed to take Magwe with a shock attack even with one of the two armored regiments having arrived to reinforce the paratroopers.
  • I've captured Lashio with paratroopers.
• China: We've captured Pingsiang, China, causing nearly 10k in casualties to the Chinese in the process. The area south of Changsha is becoming a new fluid frontline

[Molon Labe]

25 May 1942

• Fiji: Yamashiro and Fuso's turn to shell Suva. Wasn't that effective. The following land attack reduced forts to 2 with light casualties on both sides, slightly higher for the enemy as the tide starts to turn. The enemy is low on supplies.
• Coral Sea: DMSs are now evacuating the damaged AKL, a US sub attempted an attack but missed. One B-17 shot down over Port Moresby.
• I-17 sinks an APD off Penrhyn Island. The convoy included tankers and troop transports.
• Burma: The enemy is responding to Lashio's fall by bombing it with Wellingtons and B-25s, their first appearances of the war. His raids into occupied Burma so far have been with far less capable Blenheims.
• Arabian Sea: I-153 torpedoes a cargo ship off the Indian coast. I think it survived though.

[Molon Labe]

26 May 1942
Sian Captured -- 54,000 Chinese casualties

• I-172 sank a minesweeper off Busselton, Australia
• As the headline says, our deliberate attack on Sian finally caused an overrun. We lost a mere 11 squads and 3 vehicles in the final assault; the enemy lost 4,940 total devices - a loss that is sure to permanently alter the balance of power in China. We'll be following the retreating enemy all the way to Lanchow to get those oil fields. We might even be able to move on Chungking of all places--often an impossible fortress to crack. Recon says its pretty lightly defended right now, the cost of putting so much up front at Sian. More conservatively, we should be able to split off some of these forces to send south to Changsha.
• The bad news: Every production facility in Sian was disabled. I don't think it's going to be cost effective to repair any of it.

[Molon Labe]

27 May 1942
Suva captured, concluding conquest of Fiji

• Fiji: Nagato and 2 CAs shelled Suva without much effect. Damn jungles. But, it was enough to turn the tide. Our troops attacked and forced all remaining Allied forces on Fiji to surrender. There were 10 enemy units present, including 2 infantry regiments--a substantial loss for the Allies. Plus another 13 P-39s that had been disabled at the base as a nice little bonus.
• Burma: enemy bombers are being divided up by target: Blenheim Is to Magwe, Blenheim IVs, B-25s, and Wellingtons to Lashio. We shot one Blenheim down over Magwe. Getting Oscars all the way up to Lashio right now is impractical, but once Magwe falls I have aviation support standing by to move right in--Oscars based there should be able to defend Lashio to some effect. For now, our troops just have to rely on the jungles for cover. An attack on Magwe now with 2 armored regiments failed to take the base, but it did reduce all remaining fortifications to nothing. Probably the next attack will do it.

[Molon Labe]

28 May 1942

West Australia
The I-172 torpedoed and likely sank a cargo ship off Albany, and ended up sustaining substantial depth charge damage for its trouble. But we have found the new shipping lanes being used to avoid Perth.


Reinforcements
I-31 (a floatplane carrier) joined the fleet; I ordered it to the Marshalls.


29 May 1942

Bay of Bengal
The Hyuga and Ise approached Chitagong to bombard the airbase there; the destroyers spotted a sub--a Dutch sub, oddly enough for the Indian coast--and drove it off before it could take a shot at the battleships. The bombardment did moderate airbase damage with some casualties, but it appears few aircraft were actually there.


Coral Sea
The KIX scored a pair of torpedo hits on a cargo ship about to unload at Port Moresby--which somehow survived. There are enough subs causing enough of a problem for me that in addition to the floatplanes I've already moved here, I'm bringing in some Betties as well. This is going to be a problem if I can't run the occasional supply convoy into here.


Burma
A deliberate attack at Magwe failed to overrun the enemy, but caused significant enemy casualties. Soon.

[Molon Labe]

30 June 1942

West US Coast
My first successful midget sub attack since Pearl Harbor--an SSX was delivered to San Fransisco by the I-18, which penetrated the port and torpedoed a fuel-laden cargo ship. The SSX failed to find its way back out and was abandoned by the crew. A minesweeper found the I-18 waiting for the SSX, but the I-18 was able to elude it.


Burma
We splashed 3 Blenheims over Magwe. Lashio continues to endure strikes without fighter coverage.

We've captured Prome.


---
31 May 1942
Colorado finished off en route to Alameda?

EASTPAC
The I-10 intercepted an escort convoy of battleships including the Colorado, Oklahoma, and Nevada, about 2/3 of the way from Hawaii to the West Coast. Its attack hit the Colorado twice, leaving the ship crippled. The I-10 took significant depth charge damage afterwards. I'll be trying to intercept this convoy again before it arrives. I think it's likely the Colorado is doomed, though, because it had pre-existing damage and its got a long way to go.

The I-18 was being prosecuted by a corvette, but that didn't stop it from running into the same task force, where it made a failed attack on the Oklahoma. The only destroyer in the task force that we saw was out of depth charges from the prosecution of the I-10.


East Australian Coast
The KB is arriving near Sydney to try to sink subs being repaired there. We opened with a long range sweep, which shot down 9 P-39s with no Zero losses. I've noticed a rather large number of subs on patrol in the area, though, so this is a major concern. We clearly see that his priority use of subs is defending coastlines rather than interdicting my tankers, so that's something I'm going to have to consider when using carriers offensively like this.

Vals from the KB sank an AKL near the coast, probably being used as a picket.


Coral Sea
We got 3 B-26s attempting to bomb a supply convoy unloading at Port Morseby with Zeros, a fourth was shot down by AA in the port.


Burma
Took awhile, but Magwe has fallen to us. There's a blocking force on the only rail line that runs here from Rangoon, so the pre-positioned aviation support unit still can't rail into here. But I have a few companies I can fly in. So I'll be establishing a local CAP here right away, possibly with the option to fly something long-range over Lashio. As for Lashio, they held out against another Allied attack today, but I'm clearly not going to hold it. So taking Magwe when I did was a big deal; basically the enemy was never able to rail anything out through Lashio and can only use the roads, which means I can at least chase them and cause attrition as they try to reach China.

[Molon Labe]

1 June 1942

CENTPAC
East of Samoa, the RO-34 torpedoed an escorted cargo ship. Later in the day, the I-169 found the stricken ship and put two more torpedoes into her to finish her off.


Fiji
I've cleared the enemy's mines out of Suva's harbor.


East Australian Coast
An American sub was caught attempting to get past the KB's ASW screen and was forced to evade.

The KB once again swept Sydney, disposing of 9 more P-39s. Today would have been an actual strike, but that ended up being delayed as I had rerouted the KB to avoid the subs... which obviously didn't quite work. The KB helped itself to another AKL on picket duty.


Upgrades & R&D
Four PCs are having depth charges installed and will soon be decent short-ranged deep water patrol vessels. Two minelayers are also being converted to Kaibokans.

The A6M3 version of the Zero is now available, and I'm retooling a small portion of my factories to produce a limited run of them. The M3 has somewhat improved medium altitude performance, but is not carrier-capable.

The R&D plants for the Tojo are starting to come online. As the aircraft is originally expected to arrive in September, I expect the R&D to cause this plane to become available quite quickly... possibly even before the month ends.

[Molon Labe]

2 June 1942
B-17s really grinding my gears

Coral Sea
B-17s made several night raids on Port Morseby, resulting in the loss of three Zeroes thanks to their gunners. They didn't do much damage on the ground.


CENTPAC
An enemy troop transport hit one of my mines laid off the southern tip of Hawaii's big island. It'll survive.


Burma
I used a long-range CAP to try to defend Lashio from enemy bombers. I got 6 Blenheims in that exchange. This was the combat debut of the Nick fighter-bomber, they appeared in equal numbers to Oscars but were credited with 4 of the 6 bomber kills.

We've captured Prome as our advance north towards Lashio continues.



SOPAC
The KB's raid against Sydney is scrubbed by bad weather. It picks off a minesweeper near Sydney instead, at least that's some pressure off my subs.

At Luganville, an enemy sub tried to attack a troop transport loading there but was routed by a destroyer.


China
My main force at Sian is on the move west towards Lanchow. They made a shock attack crossing a river today, which wiped out the 48th Chinese Corp on the other side, which I presume was the remnants of a Sian garrison force. We destroyed about 900 enemy squads while losing only 5.

We also had a rare negative outcome in a land battle in the central region near Hanyang, suffering 96 devices destroyed to 33 killed despite attacking an enemy force less than half our strength.

[Molon Labe]

3 June 1942

Burma
Magwe sustained minor airbase damage in a night raid by Hudsons, Wellingtons and Blenheims, with 1 Oscar destroyed on the ground.

We've captured Meiktila. Mandalay has also been swapped over to our side by proximity. Which kind of sucks because it has a garrison requirement.


SOPAC
Port Morseby also took a night bombing from B-17s, with the bombers shooting down one Zero.

The KB took out 2 minesweepers outside Sydney, taking out 3 P-39s in the process. The main raid on Sydney itself targeted the port. The CAP was non-existent due to today's earlier losses and the sweeps from days prior; although we ended up losing 2 Kates and 3 Vals to flak. Sadly the port was empty, apparently those subs under repair had already departed.


Ceylon
12 Lysander bombers attacked the port in Trincomalee, causing slight damage and mostly evading the CAP.


China
Our advance in the central region proceeded with the routing of four enemy corps outside Hengyang.

[Molon Labe]

4 June 1942
The Curse of Midway strikes....KB may be flying too close to the sun...


CENTPAC
The USN has cleared the minefield I left at the Big Island.

Floatplanes flying out of the Marshalls reported 2 hits on enemy subs near Kwajelein.


Burma
The Brits made another night raid on Magwe but we were able to harass it with fighters enough for it to be ineffective.


SOPAC
Yet another 3 Zeroes felled by B-17s at night over Port Moresby.

Thanks in part to the enemy CAP being depleted yesterday, I attacked Newcastle's heavy industry to try to at least have something to show for my raid on Sydney other than P-39 and minesweeper kills. He did have a CAP up, though, and we took out just one P-39 while losing a Zero and 2 Vals. We got 13 HI hits in the raid, which netted us a surprisingly high 72 victory points. So not so bad after all.

We suffered a retaliatory raid, just 3 B-17s. Somehow 2 of them got through the CAP (41 Zeroes!), and one of them put a bomb right through the flight deck of the Zuikaku. Damage is pretty minor and she's still flight-ops capable.

A Kate reported a hit on an enemy S-boat.



Ceylon
The Lysanders came back, but they couldn't slip past the CAP this time. We splashed 9 of 10 of them.

[Molon Labe]

5 June 1942

West Coast and Aleutians

The I-18 took serious damage from a minesweeper patroling near San Francisco. It's returning to Japan for repairs.

The I-24 also took a series of damaging near misses near Adak Island and needs to RTB for repairs.


Burma
He switched to daylight raids on Magwe. A flight of Wellingtons managed to evade the Oscars and Tojos on CAP and caused subtantial airbase damage. Nothing I can't repair, but I also can't let that keep happening.


SOPAC
The small fire set on the Zuikakau by yesterday's bombing was contained without further damage. The KB is retiring before we get tagged again. Up next for them will be a raid somewhere in CENTPAC and a move on Midway.