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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

[Sheb]

Oooooh, I like the sound of that. Do you have a rough idea of where they carriers are? If his fleet is on the other side of the Pacific, he might not commit it.

[Anvilfolk]

Aw man aw man aw man, this is getting exciting! It's really great to be able to accompany an operation this large from its inception!

Banzai!

[Erkki]

Oooooh, I like the sound of that. Do you have a rough idea of where they carriers are? If his fleet is on the other side of the Pacific, he might not commit it.

I'm pretty sure that the USN fleet CVs are somewhere along the Sydney-Tahiti-Christmas arc. When I last saw them, with submarine-borne E14Ys, they were 2 days South of Hawaii and heading out. But that was soon a month ago. I'm pretty sure that they are not at Pearl judging by both my submarine ops and signal intelligence reports, nor near Melbourne and definitely not in the Indian Ocean. Subs have not seen enemy aircraft there - the Allied naval air search patrols seem to be kinda front-loaded in general.

[10ebbor10]

Seems exiting. Just for fun, what would be the worst thing that could happen now?

[Erkki]

Seems exiting. Just for fun, what would be the worst thing that could happen now?

B-17s bombing Palembang at low altitude and destroying, say, 1/3 of the oil wells, is easily worse than even losing a couple of carriers. I have a couple of hundred heavy AA guns on their way there and the place already has some guns + 70 fighters, but still. Luckily, the US heavy bombers seem to be positioned in Australia.

Its still very early in the war and Allies dont have much in the way of aircraft or troops. That will change by November-December, though.

[Erkki]

February 12 1942, part 1





Sheb, back to your question on USN carrier fleet's location... What do you make of that? 

[Sheb]

They're all on target? How does that affect your plans? Will you send in the Kido Butai guns blazing rather than try to trick them into attacking a landing fleet?

[Erkki]

They're all on target? How does that affect your plans? Will you send in the Kido Butai guns blazing rather than try to trick them into attacking a landing fleet?

I havent decided yet, still playing the turn... I'm thinking about going in with 4 CVs and 2 CVLs + 2 BB for flak and bomb sponges. I could also fly more Zeros to Guadalcanal and use them to LRCAP the carriers at range to provide more cover.

[Erkki]

At least this means that the landings on Timor are a GO, without CV cover!

[Sheb]

How confident are you in the ID? I remember in one of your previous LP that a large freighter was mistaken for a carrier. Now, there is no denying that some carriers must be there, but that doesn't mean that their whole fleet is there.

BTW, Iroquois hasn't updated his LP in a month. Could you pester him or something? :p

[Erkki]

How confident are you in the ID? I remember in one of your previous LP that a large freighter was mistaken for a carrier. Now, there is no denying that some carriers must be there, but that doesn't mean that their whole fleet is there.

BTW, Iroquois hasn't updated his LP in a month. Could you pester him or something? :p

I could tell him.

Its positively CVs - aircraft spotted on the ships which doesnt happen always for CVs... But when it does, they're CVs for sure. Thats 180 aircraft sighted with only 10 ships - could be Saratoga and Lexington or Yorktown and Enterprise + escorting CAs and destroyers.

However it seems that CarDiv IV sighted a Catalina above it today... So KB has been revealed herself as well. Unless the Allies have managed to sneak closer that Catalina flew at the very extreme of its range from Luganville, 800 nautical miles... A naval search sighting as such a range is incredible luck.

[Erkki]

February 13 1942


China: the Nanyang pocket gets reduced considerably. Some of the Chinese Corps surrender!

Ground combat at 86,46 (near Nanyang)
 
Japanese Deliberate attack
 
Attacking force 65094 troops, 565 guns, 332 vehicles, Assault Value = 2162
 
Defending force 30427 troops, 214 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 195
 
Japanese adjusted assault: 1737
 
Allied adjusted defense: 19
 
Japanese assault odds: 91 to 1
 
Combat modifiers
Defender: disruption(-), morale(-), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker:
 
Japanese ground losses:
      171 casualties reported
         Squads: 0 destroyed, 27 disabled
         Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
         Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
      Guns lost 4 (1 destroyed, 3 disabled)
      Vehicles lost 10 (1 destroyed, 9 disabled)
 
Allied ground losses:
      9726 casualties reported
         Squads: 724 destroyed, 0 disabled
         Non Combat: 540 destroyed, 67 disabled
         Engineers: 13 destroyed, 14 disabled
      Guns lost 126 (29 destroyed, 97 disabled)
      Units destroyed 7
 
Assaulting units:
    12th Tank Regiment
    13th Ind.Mixed Brigade
    15th Division
    40th Division
    37th Division
    116th Division
    15th Ind.Mixed Brigade
    15th Tank Regiment
    87th Infantry Regiment
    China Expeditionary Army
    4th Mortar Battalion
 
Defending units:
    13th Chinese Corps
    29th Chinese Corps
    7th Chinese Corps
    84th Chinese Corps
    85th Chinese Corps
    3rd Group Army
    21st Group Army
    12th Chinese Corps
    48th Chinese Corps
    31st Group Army
    7th New Chinese Corps

Another deliberate attack is ordered for tomorrow. I'm expecting the rest of them to give up!

Far in the North advancing IJ routs this KMT Corps for the 2nd time:

Ground combat at 90,32 (near Paotow)
 
Japanese Shock attack
 
Attacking force 5716 troops, 66 guns, 100 vehicles, Assault Value = 159
 
Defending force 3518 troops, 40 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 83
 
Japanese adjusted assault: 112
 
Allied adjusted defense: 33
 
Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1
 
Combat modifiers
Defender: leaders(+), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)
 
Japanese ground losses:
      250 casualties reported
         Squads: 4 destroyed, 11 disabled
         Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
         Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
      Guns lost 4 (1 destroyed, 3 disabled)
 
Allied ground losses:
      1391 casualties reported
         Squads: 40 destroyed, 14 disabled
         Non Combat: 25 destroyed, 3 disabled
         Engineers: 3 destroyed, 3 disabled
      Guns lost 9 (3 destroyed, 6 disabled)
      Units retreated 1
 
Defeated Allied Units Retreating!
 
Assaulting units:
    1st Cavalry Brigade
    4th Cavalry Brigade
    11th Indpt Infantry Regiment
 
Defending units:
    81st Chinese Corps
 

Burma: Blenheims sortie to attack IJ troops near Toungoo but no Ki-43s intercept. Bassein occupied, the defenders of Pegu get routed for the 3rd time:

Ground combat at 56,49 (near Toungoo)
 
Japanese Deliberate attack
 
Attacking force 8265 troops, 116 guns, 36 vehicles, Assault Value = 214
 
Defending force 1419 troops, 18 guns, 3 vehicles, Assault Value = 10
 
Japanese adjusted assault: 173
 
Allied adjusted defense: 5
 
Japanese assault odds: 34 to 1
 
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), op mode(-), leaders(-), disruption(-)
 morale(-), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker:
 
Japanese ground losses:
      9 casualties reported
         Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
         Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
         Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
 
Allied ground losses:
      264 casualties reported
         Squads: 3 destroyed, 1 disabled
         Non Combat: 39 destroyed, 2 disabled
         Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
      Guns lost 6 (2 destroyed, 4 disabled)
      Units retreated 3
 
Defeated Allied Units Retreating!
 
Assaulting units:
    Imperial Guards/B Division
    Imperial Guards/C Division
    55th Mountain Gun Regiment
    21st Medium Field Artillery Battalion
 
Defending units:
    100th RAF Base Force
    103rd RN Base Force
    46th Indian Brigade


Malaya: -

DEI: due to the changed strategic situation(see South Pacific) the landings on Timor are a go!! IJN force with BBs Fuso and Yamashiro parked itself in the middle of the Banda Sea. 9 USAAF A-24s from Koepang and all were shot down by Zeros or flak.

South Pacific: H8K air patrols sight USN carriers North of Espiritu Santo!



The IJN will respond in force tomorrow.

[Erkki]

Instead of using Chitose Ku S-1 I'm rather moving in the similar sized 4th Ku from Truk to Lunga. They will fly LRCAP over the carriers. Heres what I have in mind. That cruiser squadron has downright horrible composition with just 1 escort ship for 5 cruisers(and even that 1 is a slow one that limits the cruisers), but hey you gotta work with whats available...




EDIT: the carriers of course have also Shoho and Zuiho with them.

[Anvilfolk]

Christ, 400 airplanes........

[Karlito]

Instead of using Chitose Ku S-1 I'm rather moving in the similar sized 4th Ku from Truk to Lunga.

Dang, I guess it's back to the bridge tables for us!