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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]

Me too! Do you have an ETA on the landing?

[Erkki]

Me too! Do you have an ETA on the landing?

20-ish days, it'll take some time to get the carriers and Yamato to the area. The sail from Singapore to Ceylon will however be short and will take 8 days at max with the fast transports and cargo ships I've reserved. So the landings will happen at some point in the end of the month.

Before that we'll have the Efate operation... Amphibious TF joins Kido Butai near Ontong Java tomorrow. Bombardment group and surface units have been reloaded, just need to give the amphib. TF more escorts(currently just 1 mine layer) and refuel the bombardment group. Landings in 6 days!

[Erkki]

March 5, 1942


China: 2 Chinese corps retreated, one near Changsha and the other far in the north for ~100 destroyed squads.

Burma: silent, but Imperial Guard's third reaches the hex where 1st Burma Division retreated to. Shock attack ordered for tomorrow! IJAAF bombers attempted to keep their heads down today so they may not be able to escape.

DEI: IJN bombers hit the northern end of Java. I'm attempting to make the Allies think there will be a landing here in the near future. Deliberate attack by the 144th Inf. Reg. at Tarakan fails for the Nth time... They've been trying to take the place for 2 months now. I guess I need to let the defenders run out of supplies.

Timor Sea: IJNAF strikes Darwin's port and destroys some small coastal minesweepers and a larger AR repair ship. No enemy fighters. 

South Pacific:A large enemy force with warships and another with merchants arrives to Noumea. They bring more air search to the area and some IJN subs are revealed.

12 B-17s strike Port Moresby and 5 with 2 B-25s Luganville. Defending Zeros and anti-aircraft fire(mass of it, for the Japanese any way, stationed at Port Moresby because I expected it to become a bomber magnet, and it did!) manage to destroy 2 B-25s and 5 B-17s to no loss! Just a handful of runway craters that are patched quick.

Submarines: An IJN sub penetrates enemy escorts and manages to fire 6 torpedoes at CVL Hermes near Perth... But despite Hermes being a slow ship they all miss!!! As an icing on the cake, another IJN sub attacks a very large unescorted xAP on its way to Ceylon but also misses! Whats wrong with the Japanese submarines in this war?!?

[Chosrau]

Why is he still hitting Port Moresby with bombers? Seems kind of pointless to just throw them away like that.

[Erkki]

Why is he still hitting Port Moresby with bombers? Seems kind of pointless to just throw them away like that.

I dont know. Maybe hes very worried about Port Moresby as an airbase for some reason, and is overestimating the damage his bombers do? Maybe he thinks the defending Zeros use some other base... He hit Saumlaki to the north once so I think thats got to be the reason?

[Sheb]

I be the 's thinking that so many AA guns must means they are targets of great values there.

[Erkki]

I be the 's thinking that so many AA guns must means they are targets of great values there.

There will be soon!

The Efate operation begins tomorrow. Only the bombardment group needs refueling and units are in position.

I'll also try something different with the subs... Apparently there are little to no mines at Noumea and looks like less than a handful of escorts. IJN submarines will try to catch some of those ships there.

edit: regarding Java during the Ceylon operation... I need to make sure the Allies cant reinforce it while the Imperial Navy is elsewhere. I'm grabbing islands around for air bases it and will select some volunteering small ships for a picket line. I will need to move the BBs back as soon as the action starts on and around Ceylon though to safe them against carrier raids.

[Duuvian]

I'm looking forward to seeing Yamato in action.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_battleship_Yamato

Are those submarines that are failing so hard for you the midget sub type or are they bigger types?

In addition, can you attack moored fleets in harbor with submarines? If I remember correctly some of the most successful and heavily decorated attacks by German U-boats on large warships were on moored fleets after they carefully infiltrated a harbor.

[Erkki]

In addition, can you attack moored fleets in harbor with submarines? If I remember correctly some of the most successful and heavily decorated attacks by German U-boats on large warships were on moored fleets after they carefully infiltrated a harbor.

You are probably thinking about HMS Royal Oak. Yes you can, with the midget submarines. Some of the subs can carry the midgets to or near their targets. I have now 21 midget submarines of 1 is active, guarding Kwajalein. They cant be refueled and are vulnerable, so they are basically one-shot weapons. In my first PBEM I used them once to attack Pearl and they managed to sink DD Sims. Usually they are lost in an attack but its possible for one to get in and out of the target port/harbor to be carried back home by the mothership sub.


March 6, 1942

China: a new Ki-21 Sentai starts operating from Canton, and there are lots of bombing sorties today. IJA force on the road to Ankang reaches the Chinese again - attack ordered for tomorrow! Bombardment near Sian goes pretty well without a Japanese loss - I seem to be consuming their supplies, as planned.

Burma: A6M3 debuts as a wing of them sweeps Akyab, but Allied fighters dont fly. IJAAF hits the withdrawing British on the Prome-Akyab road. Imperial guards attacks them but despite all the negative modifiers the defenders had and the casualties they suffered week ago, the odds are only 1:2 and they hold.  Bad luck with the dice I think...

DEI: yesterday the Dutch finally moved their submarines out of Soerabaja's port, so I canceled the bomber raid. However I figured they would fly their fighters in hopes of catching the bombers so I flew the 3rd Ku S' Zeros instead. 9 enemy fighters shot down for 1 Zero(pilot wounded). IJN bombers also hit Darwin again but this time all the ships had left the port. I wonder why.   

South Pacific: a small enemy task force with 2 ships appears West of Luganville. Pickets I suppose. Noumea has about 40 enemy ships...

The operation to take Efate begins.

Submarines: A Dutch submarine sinks a tiny converted ASW boat near Singapore. IJN subs attack Noumea en masse but dont achieve anything - just one attack on an escorting destroyer that fails. Near Hawaii, enemy ASW force with 4 Clemsons attack I-17 that is badly hurt and may become the first casualty of the submarine fleet. 11 system damage and 56 flotation.

Ships: CLs Tenryu and Tatsuta begin their conversion to CLAAs at Hong Kong.

SigInt: For the 2nd time theres any use of it, as Sydney's detection level is risen to 2. See the screenshots.

[Erkki]

And here are the Imperial flying aces as of March 6.

[10ebbor10]

Bit of an unrelated question, but how much has the US to say about when and which ships arrive?

[Erkki]

Bit of an unrelated question, but how much has the US to say about when and which ships arrive?

They dont, other than getting to rename some, 5 or 6, of the Essex carriers. At least the ones that were named after the CVs sunk in 1942, Yorktown II, Wasp II and so forth.

[Erkki]

On the Chitose fighter group: we may need to start writing some stories to fill the time gap since the last update. Still at Rabaul, in operational reserve. I'm planning to move our heroes to either Buna or Port Moresby soon though, as I want to load troops now at PM and use them to invade Horn Island. Transports will need fighter cover.

But if that doesnt happen, I think I will at some point draw the detachment now at PM back, merge the units, divide into 3 squadrons of 12 planes each and then upgrade to the A6M3 and M3b.

I will not garrison Efate but just destroy the Allied units there and immediately pull back. Its way too exposed so any units left there would IMHO become destroyed too easily.

[Mephansteras]

Interesting developments! I hope the attack on Ceylon goes well.

[Erkki]

Me too. 

Next update will be on Friday or Saturday as my opponent is busy.