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[Zrk2]

That's inevitable, you just have to push the allies back far enough that you will be able to meet them on equal footing later on.

[Erkki]

January 12th

Kido Butai kills every single ship within B5N2's range. The heavies' sweep to Port Moresby goes in vain because everything there is already dead, including the Australian cruiser... I'll attach a screenshot of confirmed kills later. What was interesting is that the ships to the South at Aussieland's coast were literally FULL of men and equipment... More evacuation ships? I'm pretty sure these are the same ships that were spotted sailing south from Torres Strait 2 days ago.

On a more interesting note, G4Ms bomb Port Moresby's airfield and spot A-24 Banshees down there. If they didnt mistake Wirraways for Banshees(or even SBDs?!?), they might try attacking Kido Butai or Rabaul tomorrow. I'm perfectly OK with Kido Butai, cum git sum!, but Rabaul has no fighters and only a fairly light AAA screen. There are also 43 ships parked in the harbour that are sitting ducks. Majority of the ships will set sail to Truk now, they should be easily out of range by tomorrow dawn. The few with still unloaded supplies will have to take their chances. I hope Port Moresby's airfield is damaged enough to not allow them to take off. Probably not.

Also an Allied transport TF, 5 large British xAKs, appeared at the northern tip of Sumatra. Wonder what they're doing there, evacuating some stuff out? Well, 4 of them just sunk! This is why I moved G3Ms to Alor Star and G4Ms to Kota Bharu.

The lone lost IJN SSX is a midget submarine that tried to penetrate into Auckland's harbor... Note that the Allied losses are all under FOW, even the ship types might be wrong, let alone names. Usually they get pretty close, though.



edit: And add to that a 12,000 ton liner I'm almost 100% sure that sank(it took 10 250kg bombs), and a smaller liner that possibly cant make it home from where it now is. Up to 5 more might sink soon or already have.

[inteuniso]

Those are some huge losses for the allies. The loss of a heavy cruiser is rather devastating to them.

[Erkki]

They'd be huge if there was a CV in them...

[Zrk2]

We can only wish...

Still no idea where the American CVs are?

[Deadmeat1471]

We can only wish...

Still no idea where the American CVs are?

hmm

[Erkki]

Jan 13th

KB moves through the Torres Strait, no new targets. Hosho links up with Zuiho at Bedeloab, they now form a mini-Kido Butai of 2 carriers, 19 fighters and 19 bombers.

In Sumatra, one more Dutch unit was wiped out. There is almost nothing in the Japanese' way to the West coast of the island, and Oosthaven in south seems to be unprotected.

[Zrk2]

Great, keep up the pressure.

[Erkki]

Jan 14th

Kido Butai is between Timor and Darwin tomorrow, and all its air groups are tasked to strike Darwin's harbor if no better targets show up. At Tarakan, 2 out of the 3 Marine units that landed there are being loaded up for invasion of Ternate - an island with an airbase south to Mindanao, across the Celebes Sea. Ryujo and Hosho will support the landings, and Kido Butai will be travelling up the strait so I doubt there will be much resistance, quite the opposite with Allies wanting to move everything out of KB's way.

A cargo ship returning from Hainan was torpedoed off Formosa. Other than that, no naval action at all. The Home Islands are running out of resources in just 25 days, so 3 convoys are formed in China and Manchuko, and smaller convoys are prepared to ship the storages out from Okinawa and the smaller islands to the north of it.

In Burma, the combined Japanese-Thai forces are off Moulmein. They will rest for a day and then move in. Bangkok's Ki-43 squadrons provide the air cover.

[Zrk2]

Great. DO you have anyhting deployed to find the sub that torpedoed that ship? It could cause a problem eventually.

[Erkki]

Not worth the burned fuel and maintenance times needed... Middle of the sea. Much, much more important things to do. There are 5 more subs off Tokyo, my ASW finds one every couple of days.

[Erkki]

Yahoo mail decided to hate me so no turn today. Confirmed message sent, but now it suddenly doesn't show up in the sent mails. Bah.

[Erkki]

Might as well tell something about the industrial decisions I've made.

Ships:
Some merchant yards in the China coast were switched to Navy yards - as they will get damaged and repairing them takes supply, I rather consume it in China, which is self-sufficient in supplies even with the million Japanese troops and war going on. The supplies in Japan I rather ship out to the island bases and invasions rather than run ships back and forth. Takes time and burns the famous 300,000 tons of fuel every 12 hours. Literally. 

CV Shinano is laid already, but construction is halted. At normal rate, she'd be ready in December 44 to get attacked by 10,000 US aircraft right out of the Yards. No thanks. CVL Shoho was accelerated a week(would be entering service in only a few days from now), CV Junyo that'd be ready May 1st is built hurriedly, estimated date of arrival now April 2nd.

BBs Yamato and Musashi will be built. Just for the sake of national pride if nothing else. Their sheer existence will also force the Allies to keep all their future amphibious operations and deep raids well protected, and make them spread their forces. Those two beasts can, literally, take on 4-5 normal BBs and win without any meaningful damage.


Navy's air production:
fighters:
Currently the factories are assembling 80 x A6M2 a month, and I already start to have a fairly good reserve of them. R&D advances first A6M3(which is better in A-A, but shorter ranged), and some of the factories will be converted to it to give the land-based Zero units a better machine to fight with from May 42 onwards. R&D will go to A6M3a, it should be available by 10/1942 after which the rest of the M2 factories switch to it together with the M3 factories. By 11/1942 there should be lots of M3a units, big reserves of M2 for the units that still operate it until the last ones convert in 3-4/1943 and some M3s for the 2 or 3 land based units I'm planning to give it. Estimated M3a production is 160/month, doubt any more are needed. Once the M5 comes available factories will gradually move to it, and Kido Butai's units will convert to it first. If I still have carriers left by then. 

N1K1 fighter, for land-based Navy fighter units, arrives 9/43. R&D tries to advance it at least to 7/43. This excellent fighter will enter mass production and many factories will convert from A6M. The Zero is only needed for the carriers later on, being the only Japanese carrier-capable fighter besides the A5M and A7M that arrives after war is over. 

As for bombers, D3A will remain in production until the D4Y arrives in early 43. Unfortunately. D3A is, really, a rather limited aircraft compared to the D4Y that is not only better in every way but also has versions that carry torpedoes. D3A production is now 22/month with very small reserves. But on the other hand only Kido Butai uses them + 3 small ASW units, of 2 in the home islands.

B5N2 remains in production too, now 54/month. The production numbers are high because it is used in almost twice the numbers and it also goes down easier, being more fragile, and as a torpedo bomber, it is also more likely caught by fighters. It will eventually be replaced by the B6N but that will not happen any time soon.

The Navy's long range bombers for now are the G3M and G4M. The flying matchboxes, cigars, one-shot-flamers, you name it. 22 and 50 a month, these are highly capable but also extremely fragile designs that emphasize range and speed over all engine, component and crew protection. G3M2's improved model, G3M3, comes available in May 42, and being even longer ranged than the G4M and having a radar(for anti-submarine work mainly) I see no reason to continue G4M production beyond small-scale to keep existing units flying, and to justify Ha-32 engine production for Army's Ki-21 and later the excellent J2M fighter.

Army:
fighters:
Currently the most used fighter is the Ki-27. Ki-43-Ic production is increased to 50/month to convert as many frontline squads as possible to a fighter that is actually worth something. Training squads are another thing.... By 6/42, Ki-44-IIa will enter mass production. Ki-43's various models will continue being produced, but only because for long range attacks the Army needs a cheap plane to be flown by crap pilots that can die for the bombers.

Ki-61 I see pretty much useless. Its not better than Ki-44 enough to justify mass production. It uses an engine no other plane uses. And its serviceability just downright sucks. However, if Ia and Ib are useless, the Ic introduces an armament of 2 12,7mm HMGs above cowling and 2 x German Mauser MG151/20mm cannons in the wings... Being first Army single-engine fighter with cannon armament, its definitely worth producing some. If just for 2-3 Elite squadrons. The 1c should start arriving from factories in 8/43.

The last and most capable of Army fighters is the mighty Ki-84 Hayate. It can take on P-51s, Spitfires and P-47s on even terms. I'm expecting to get it 1-2/44, and it will enter mass production immediately. If Ki-43 production isnt yet terminated by then, all remaining factories convert to Ki-84 immediately.

Army bombers. The production of the stunningly crap Ki-48, that actually carriers a smaller payload than good part of my single engined fighters, is already terminated. Ki-21 production remains at 22/month for now. After mid-42, it will serve with the Ki-49(also 20-ish/month), probably until mid-44 when Japanese bombers just cant survive any more. Imagine half a dozen flying one-shot-lighters being bounced by 600 Hellcats while another 600 were left home play cards and snooker in the mess. That's hard reality in early 45, possibly a year before.

The Ki-45 heavy fighter the Japanese will have to rely on as anti-bomber weapon before Ki-61 and Ki-84 arrive will come to production in mid-42. Probably at around 30/month.


Utility planes:
Ki-57, transport, remains in production at 8/month and replaces other transports until all engines now in the storage have been used. Will happen probably late-43. I can always restart engine production if Allied actually dont have total air superiority then.

H6K, H8K, 4-engined patrol and ASW planes. Remain in production at 10/month. Very useful planes, they just cant survive against fighters.

E13A, the Navy's standard float-search plane. Being more capable than its alternatives, in production now at 27/month. As the Navy at the moment has over 300 search float planes(not counting the heavies) of only 30-ish % are E13As, replacing them will take a while, and operational losses will take their toll together with the odd Allied fighter in the right place in the right time.

recon: Army's recon planes are Ki-15 and Ki-46. 46, built at 11/month, slowly replaces the Ki-15. Being a very fast plane with high ceiling it is yet to suffer a loss to enemy activity. Navy unfortunately uses a Ki-15 of its own, until the recon version of Ki-45 arrives, and as that planes pools are now 0 and many squads are understrength, I actually had to restart the Ki-15 production!!!!

trainers: Ki-27 remains in production at 10/month. Ki-43 production will free Ki-27s for training uses(I would right now need some 30 more!), and before I have around 100 of them in the reserves, it just has to remain in production. There are more than enough of crap and cheap bombers and fighters for training squads, but as Ki-36 (a single engined LEVEL bomber) uses an engine of its own I have plenty in the pools, its still in production at 36/month. I'll prolly switch that factory to Ki-49 as soon as it arrives.

Did anyone manage to read through it? 

[EuchreJack]

Yup

[Erkki]

And what the Allies will be using the first year:

USN:
F2A2 Buffalo: target drone. Slow, short-legged, underpowered,  hangar queen.

F4F Wildcat: a better fighter already, approaches A6M2's performance but still only has half it's operational range, cant double as a fighter-bomber and isnt quite as good in air combat. It can absorb more damage, though, equalling out some other areas during longer operations.

SBD Dauntless: "slow-but-deadly", the main US anti-ship weapon. While it carries a bigger payload than the D3A and can take more damage, it is also fairly short-legged. Japanese carriers can  hence launch a strike further, and win a carrier battle before the Americans even get in range.

TBD-1 Devastator: the US torpedo bomber. With a dud-rate of 80%, small bomb payload and less than impressive range its hardly a threat.

USAAF:

P-43/P-36 lancer and Hawk: 2 obsolete fighter designs, even worse than Buffalo

P-40B/H81 Warhawk: 2 obsolete fighter designs more, the early Warhawks do somewhat better. They are still hopelessly underpowered and short-legged, though

P-40E/K Warhawk: improved Hawks, these are air-to-air almost on par with A6M2. US pilot quality still leaves much to desire, and improved models of the Zero together with Ki-44 do just about everything better, apart from durability.

P-39/P-400 Airacobra: while fairly fast its so much worse than even the P-40 in other areas its hardly much trouble, the Allies will probably want to keep the P-39 squadrons out of trouble.

B-17D/E/B24D: Early B-17s are still tough and long ranged bombers. However they are short in numbers and require long runways, which will make them less usable before the blitzkrieg phase of the war ends.

B-25: a US medium bomber, we will probably start to see these from mid-42 onwards. Jack of all trades, its more vulnerable to interception than B-17 and B-24, but it triples as a tactical bomber and even an anti-ship weapon.


British/Commonwealth:

In addition to US types, they also use

Hurricane: outdated in the Europe, it will hardly do better against Zero or Shoki

Wapiti: someone forgot to scrap these in 1918

Wildebeest: state of the art war technology from early 1920s

Swordfish: Wildebeest's descendant, it will probably kill some of my best Japanese fighter pilots of laughter

Blenheim: both fighter and bomber variants, the Blenheim is already a little dated. However as its longer raneged than the biplanes above and easily more survivable, we'll probably see them used for long...

Hudson: another obsolescent design, it carries an even smaller payload than the Blenheim.

Beaufort: practically an improved and partially redesigned Blenheim with new engines, the Beaufort is already a capable torpedo bomber. We will see how many the Royal Air Force bothers to send to the so unimportant Far East.

Spitfire: state of the art fighter, at least its latest incarnation, the Mark V, is yet to show up on the Theater. High Command believes the RAF doesnt have them yet, as they surely would have been thrown to the battle. Intelligence agents suspect that the Mk. V and Spitfires in general will actually first get slaughtered by Fw 190s in Europe and Africa for at least a year before the oldest models start to get dumped against the Empire.