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IJNAF elite A6M2 Zero unit Chitose Ku S-1 or its detachments or division(s)

3 (42.9%)

a IJAAF Ki-43 unit in Indochina, to be used in China/East Indies(mostly)

1 (14.3%)

a IJAAF Ki-43 unit in Burma(at least initially)

3 (42.9%)

Total Members Voted: 7

Voting closed: May 04, 2014, 08:49:03 am

[Zrk2]

B-17s struck Port Moresby again with their bullshit gunners

That seems to be a feature of every World War II flight sim. God damn B-17s.

[Erkki]

Dunno, its hard to hit anything with the guns unless the fighter is slow and in tail pursuit. Vaist gunners especially are/were more or less useless... I think they're so powerful in WitPAE because their classification apparently gives them some bonuses and because a lot of the games algorithms(such as number of guns on a plane vs. hits on attacking fighters or bombs carried vs. bomb hits on target) are more or less linear instead of curved.

I should at some point try to mod them so that instead of each gun modeled, there would be only each gunner position, with the gunner weapon's accuracy depending on the number of guns, 1 or 2. Maybe that would make the gunners have more realistic results.

[Erkki]

We're back!


March 7, 1942


China: advancing IJA inflicts more serious, serious losses to the retreating Chinese on their way to Ankang. The 4-Corps Chinese force has all but lost its combat effectiveness. They now retreated across a river(shock attack when IJA crosses it) where 4 other Chinese units waited for them. I hope they are not all full strength Corps, or this IJA push may end there...

Ground combat at 83,44 (near Ankang)
 
Japanese Deliberate attack
 
Attacking force 35852 troops, 280 guns, 263 vehicles, Assault Value = 1269
 
Defending force 15672 troops, 171 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 211
 
Japanese adjusted assault: 936
 
Allied adjusted defense: 121
 
Japanese assault odds: 7 to 1
 
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), disruption(-), experience(-)
Attacker:
 
Japanese ground losses:
      680 casualties reported
         Squads: 1 destroyed, 56 disabled
         Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
         Engineers: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled
 
Allied ground losses:
      6455 casualties reported
         Squads: 339 destroyed, 31 disabled
         Non Combat: 234 destroyed, 0 disabled
         Engineers: 8 destroyed, 8 disabled
      Guns lost 37 (27 destroyed, 10 disabled)
      Units retreated 4
 
Defeated Allied Units Retreating!
 
Assaulting units:
    116th Division
    15th Ind.Mixed Brigade
    12th Tank Regiment
    36th Division
    15th Tank Regiment
    58th Infantry Regiment
 
Defending units:
    55th Chinese Corps
    45th Chinese Corps
    59th Chinese Corps
    75th Chinese Corps

Burma: IJAAF bombs the 1st Burma Division on the road to Akyab. RAF's Blenheim bombers show up over the battlefield, but 8 get shot down by the newly arrived 11th Sentai's Ki-43s on LRCAP.

DEI: IJN bombers hit Darwin's airfield, damaging lots of Catalinas on the ground. Waters around Palembang become infested by a mass of enemy submarines.

South Pacific: all quiet today.

Submarines:A USN sub sighted and attacked near Buna, where Marine engineers and aviation support unit are unloading.

I'm pretty sure that the Efate invasion TF was sighted today. The rest of the force starts moving now...

[Erkki]

March 8, 1942


A good day!


China: bombardment attack near Sian using only the artillery units(sparing supplies here) destroys or disables over a dozen KMT squads. At this rate the artillery will destroy a regiment's worth of troops every 2 weeks. The Chinese moved more troops here today - this is good news as I'm planning to just bomb and tie these units in this hex while 2 other armies flank.

Burma: A6M3 wing sweeps over 1st Burma Div on the Akyab road and meets the AVG: 7 Hawks are shot down for 2 A6M3s and only one pilot is lost. I think this was good performance considering the numbers were 1:1 and this Zero unit wasnt particularly experienced. AVG's Hawks have now been destroyed.

DEI: Bandjermasin invasion fleet nearing its target became the target of enemy air attacks by old T.IVa float planes. LRCAP from Balikpapan dealt away with them. Lots of enemy submarines around Palembang get chased by ASW patrols and aircraft but no success today.

PI: IJA bombards the Philippine-American forces at Manila for approx. the 30th day.
 
South Pacific: Kido Butai and the rest of the fleet is easily within Catalina range from Efate and Fiji... But they dont seem to get sighted!

B-17s attack Luganville but the Zero-CAP shoots down 3 without a loss. I think the range and small size of Noumea's airfield really hurt them.

Submarines: A USN sub finds and almost destroys a lone picket ship near Japan. Another USN sub attacks the transports unloading at Buna, New Guinea, but unsurprisingly its torpedoes are duds.

Lieutenant Commander Shun Hasegawa and the crew of the submarine I-160 become the heroes of the day as they intercept and successfully attack an enemy force led by a Royal Navy battleship HMS Ramillies near the Maldives Chain in Indian Ocean. 3 hits are scored, flooding, counter flooding and heavy damage reported! I-160 avoids retaliation by Ramillies' escorts... She still has 4 torpedoes left(2 in front tubes) and so she gets ordered to pursuit Ramillies towards Colombo.

Sub attack near Addu  at 14,49
 
Japanese Ships
      SS I-160
 
Allied Ships
      BB Ramillies, Torpedo hits 3,  on fire,  heavy damage
      DD Fortune
      DD Isis
 
SS I-160 launches 6 torpedoes at BB Ramillies
DD Isis fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Isis fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub



I'll give you the South Pacific situation later.

[Anvilfolk]

Haha! A good day indeed!

[Erkki]

Heres the South Pacific.

In hindsight I perhaps should have moved KB within strike range from Efate just in case that Allied TF is carrying something there and is not on its way to Fiji - as it is KB is ordered to stay at a distance in hopes of avoiding air search again and submarines.

If that TF indeed moves to Efate and starts unloading something, I'll detach a surface force to intercept.

[Anvilfolk]

You've spotted a bunch of submarines. Is there anything you can reliably do to destroy them? Especially the ones near the Espiritu Santo port worries me.

[Erkki]

That they've been spotted in the first place is great news... But not much I can do about them. They're elusive and typically a depth charge attack doesn't do much. I'm concentrating on providing as good an aerial naval search coverage I can, as many escorts to task forces as available, using indirect routes etc. Though I will soon lay a minefield at Luganville.

The only place where I am actively trying to kill enemy submarines is near Singapore and Palembang because of the proximity of important bases and the vital oil and fuel shipping. I have already about 60 aircraft flying naval search there, lots of surface ASW patrols, some mine fields and the water is shallow so anti-submarine ops are more effective.

[Erkki]

March 9, 1942


China: a large stack of Chinese moved out of Changsha towards Nanchang today. Looks like 4 Corps. I think these were looking to attack the Japanese regiment that had pursued a single Chinese Corps and retreated it 3 or 4 times during the last month, inflicting heavy casualties. The Chinese however are late, and if they attack further they'll be meeting more units, and I'll start bombing them. Artillery attack near Sian goes well again.

Burma: Every single bomber in the area was ordered to bomb 1st Burma Division today, and finally the weather allowed all strikes to fly. 1/3 of the Imperial Guards then retreats this enemy force for the 3rd time!

Ground combat at 55,48 (near Ramree Island)
 
Japanese Deliberate attack
 
Attacking force 4188 troops, 40 guns, 16 vehicles, Assault Value = 124
 
Defending force 3311 troops, 39 guns, 20 vehicles, Assault Value = 52
 
Japanese adjusted assault: 92
 
Allied adjusted defense: 19
 
Japanese assault odds: 4 to 1
 
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(-), fatigue(-), morale(-)
 experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker:
 
Japanese ground losses:
      133 casualties reported
         Squads: 1 destroyed, 7 disabled
         Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
         Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
 
Allied ground losses:
      936 casualties reported
         Squads: 33 destroyed, 0 disabled
         Non Combat: 82 destroyed, 0 disabled
         Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
      Guns lost 3 (3 destroyed, 0 disabled)
      Vehicles lost 3 (3 destroyed, 0 disabled)
      Units retreated 3
 
Defeated Allied Units Retreating!
 
Assaulting units:
    Imperial Guards/A Division
 
Defending units:
    1st Burma Division
    221 Group RAF
    77th Heavy AA Regiment

There isnt much left of those units.



Malaya: Tandjoepinang, the island right outside of Singapore, is invaded and falls! As I thought, this was the Allies' Catalina base in the area, and several planes are destroyed on the ground.

DEI: Bandjermasin invaded and the place will probably fall tomorrow. Denpasar invasion D minus 1.

South Pacific: KB and the invasion fleet remain hidden!! Luganville's Zeros sweep Efate and meet 18 Wildcats. The score is 5-4 but with only 2 pilots lost.

Submarines: I-160 fails to find Ramillies again - perhaps she went to Addu Atoll... Lots of submarines off Palembang still, and aerial ASW claims 1 hit on an enemy sub.

[Sheb]

What's your prognostic on Ramillies?

[Erkki]

What's your prognostic on Ramillies?

50/50 or worse. She was reported to be counter flooding and that in game terms means that she suffered some extra flotation damage. If she was diverted to Addu, she can probably remain afloat but will be out of action for at least a year. Possibly through the war as she possibly cant be moved anywhere for months at least. If she tries to reach Colombo, I may catch her either with submarine or with aerial attacks during the Ceylon invasion. Very likely she suffered more damage due to high flotation and system damage after the attacks, and will suffer more if she attempts to reach Colombo. She also apparently only had 2 or 3 escorts ships so the fires may have caused damage(escorts help putting fires off).

Her sister Royal Sovereign suffered 6 torpedo hits before going down... But I think 4 or 5 would have been enough. In a previous game of mine 4 hits have been enough to sink ships of the same class, and in one case 2 hits were much smaller Type 91 aerial torpedoes delivered by G4Ms(only 40-ish % of the power of Type 95 torpedoes). Even for Pearl Harbor battleships, Pearl has a large dry dock and ships are much, much less likely to sink at ports, especially if there are naval support squads available, 4 Type 91 torp hits means sunk or out of action for a year or more.

If she went to Addu, remains there(crossing Indian Ocean would almost surely sink her) and Japan manages to conquer Ceylon, I can bomb her in the port.

[Erkki]

A small oopsie with the Efate operation: the TF that was supposed to pick up the SNLF assault division at Luganville doesnt have space for more than 2/3 of it. I forgot about amphib. TF being 25% or so less efficient in using space for troops and supplies compared to cargo and transport.

I'll pick up the 60-AV Guards unit instead...

[Anvilfolk]

Whoopsie :\ Do you think this'll have a significant chance of changing the outcome?

[Erkki]

I dont know yet. If Efate is defended better than Luganville was or if the invasion forces suffer casualties, then perhaps. I think this time though I will do several more bombardments with 3 BBs instead of 1 so the defending troops can probably be suppressed hard.

[Erkki]

March 10, 1942


China: a Chinese Corps get retreated for the 4th or 5th time in the north... Only a thousand men left out of the initial 12,000 or so.

Ground combat at 86,33 (near Ningsia)
 
Japanese Deliberate attack
 
Attacking force 3480 troops, 26 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 127
 
Defending force 834 troops, 28 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 5
 
Japanese adjusted assault: 58
 
Allied adjusted defense: 9
 
Japanese assault odds: 6 to 1
 
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), morale(-), experience(-)
Attacker: leaders(-)
 
Japanese ground losses:
      37 casualties reported
         Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
         Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
         Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
 
Allied ground losses:
      215 casualties reported
         Squads: 5 destroyed, 0 disabled
         Non Combat: 11 destroyed, 0 disabled
         Engineers: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
      Guns lost 6 (6 destroyed, 0 disabled)
      Units retreated 1
 
Defeated Allied Units Retreating!
 
Assaulting units:
    11th Indpt Infantry Regiment
 
Defending units:
    81st Chinese Corps

There are 2 more Chinese Corps on the road with an IJA Mongol army Cavalry battalion(!) but apparently the Chinese dont know how large the force there is and have not attacked for over a month now. 2 Cavalry regiments are moving to their rear and will cut them off within 3 days.

At Ankang sector 2 enemy Corps areidentified across the river - so with any luck that force too should be possible for IJA to rout right away in the river crossing shock attack. IJAAF bombers keep pinning them down and hopefully increasing fatigue and disruption.


Burma: 77th Sentai sweeps Cox's Bazar and surprisingly finds enemy CAP of Buffaloes and what are probably the last AVG Hawks. 8 enemy fighters are shot down for 1 Ki-43.

DEI: Bandjermasin falls! More Catalinas destroyed on the ground and one Dutch airbase less.

Ground combat at Bandjermasin (60,99)
 
Japanese Deliberate attack
 
Attacking force 5088 troops, 40 guns, 1 vehicles, Assault Value = 166
 
Defending force 1219 troops, 10 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 32
 
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 0
 
Japanese adjusted assault: 131
 
Allied adjusted defense: 43
 
Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 0)
 
Japanese forces CAPTURE Bandjermasin !!!
 
Allied aircraft
      no flights
 
Allied aircraft losses
      PBY-5 Catalina: 2 destroyed
 
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), fatigue(-), morale(-), experience(-)
Attacker:
 
Japanese ground losses:
      66 casualties reported
         Squads: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
         Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
         Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
 
Allied ground losses:
      485 casualties reported
         Squads: 10 destroyed, 4 disabled
         Non Combat: 13 destroyed, 1 disabled
         Engineers: 2 destroyed, 0 disabled
      Guns lost 7 (3 destroyed, 4 disabled)
      Units retreated 2
 
Assaulting units:
    54th/A Division
    1st Ind. Engineer Regiment
    9th JNAF Coy
 
Defending units:
    SE Borneo KNIL Battalion
    Bandjermasin Base Force

Also Denpasar across Java Sea invaded today, and as expected it too seems to contain a patrol plane base. Attack ordered for tomorrow.

South Pacific: Fleet approaches Efate, and a huge mass of enemy submarines are detected around it... Kido Butai is finally sighted today and Zero-CAP shoots down 2 Catalinas. Landings at Efate tomorrow!

B-17s show their ugly faces as they attack Port Moresby again, this time at a much higher altitude and using full bomb load. The damage they do is nearly repaired at the end of the day, AAA fire hits some of them and a Zero shoots down a B-17D.

Submarines: I-160 and I-124 fail to find Ramillies. I-26 on its way to Melbourne passes Sydney... And attacks CV Yorktown!!!!!  But once again Japanese torpedoes dont either hit or work at all, and once again a large Allied warship gets away unharmed, despite lacking air search and escorts to pin down IJN submarines they should expect in this area.

Sub attack near Sydney  at 91,169
 
Japanese Ships
      SS I-26
 
Allied Ships
      CV Yorktown
      CA Canberra
      CA Houston
      DD Parrott
      DD Whipple
      DD Le Triomphant
      DD Lawrence
      DD Stuart
 
SS I-26 launches 6 torpedoes at CV Yorktown

In my previous PBEM a submarine attacked and sunk CV Yorktown in this very same location. 2 hits, counter flooding and fuel storage explosion were enough.

Also notice the French DD escorting an American CV... And the old, slow Clemson class Parrott and Whipple that were last seen in the Ceram sea in the opening days of the war. I'm not convinced that this enemy task force composition is in any way optimal.