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[Erkki]

Are you planning to take out those Dutchmen on the southern coast of Borneo?

Yeah. Balikpapan and Samarinda have large oil fields as well. But for now I'm following the original Japanese plans of attacking deep, creating a "shield" of bases behind which to commit operations. The extreme out bases now are Kwajalein, Truk and Rabaul. Kendari in the Celebes is a big one too, and it might have been a smart idea to secure it early, but I'm going for early Tarakan & Java instead.

Historically Japanese invaded Java only February 28th and Balikpapan a week earlier.

By the way, for everyone interested, heres another AAR: http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=2324032&mpage=67&key=

PzB(IJ) vs. AndyMac(Allies). It is 9/43 in their game and the Allies suddenly counter strike in a very unexpected location... 

[Erkki]

Regarding Singapore and Burma:

Malaysian peninsula has 4 full-sized Japanese divisions, 4 armoured regiments and a Thai division. Plus naturally several divisions' worth smaller units and the support troops.

The important targets in the Dutch East Indies are Java, Timor and Port Moresby in New Guinea. I doubt I will be able to get the last target no matter how much resources I would use against it if the Allies decide to fortify it. With the current troops in Borneo, Sumatra and the Philippines being probably enough to secure rest of the islands in the following 3 months, the Malayan units are freed in a month.

Where to use them? Amphibious landings behind the Allied lines in Burma? Port Moresby after all? Speed up Dutch East Indies?

I'm leaning towards the 2 first myself.

[Mithras]

From your map of supply routes it seems that you need only Capture Srilanka and what seems to be present day Bangladesh to render the Suez canal useless (Or not depending on the size of the ports on the rest of the Indian coast) and deny a majority of supplies to the Indian army.

Of course, the east coast of Australia is tempting for similiar reasons.

[Erkki]

"Need only to capture Sri Lanka" has just one problem: its about 600 nautical miles from the closest Japanese base, and there are about 2 million Chinese, British and Indian soldiers between. 

An invasion that just bypasses them all might work, but the whole place is worthless if it cant be supplied. Just a death trap for the troops as without strike aircraft, supplies and fuel its no threat. And those 2-million men are still in Burma. I'm thinking about invasions to Diamond Harbour(Calcutta) or between Rangoon and Calcutta. Supported by paratroopers cutting the Burma Road. That'd force them to split their forces to keep the road open, and airlifting supplies in to the paratroopers, they might be able to build-up reasonable fortifications...

If aerial reconnaissance is to be trusted, Port Moresby has huge number of land units too. Probably many of them are air support units but probably divisions' worth of infantry too. If they're massing their troops there it'd be tempting to raid it with the Kido Butai, then invade later. Or just bypass the whole place.

[Erkki]

I think I have a target... Andaman & Nicobar islands, and their capital Port Blair.

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

Singapore should fall within a month, I'm hoping to have Mutsu ready again. The heavies shall escort... The operation can be combined with Kido Butai's raid to Ceylon and Calcutta. The island is in perfect location, overlooking the Gulf of Bengal, all of the shores easily within G4M1's torpedo-delivery range should the Japanese conquer them and transport in some air units... The "Netty Menace" will also prevent them from even thinking about a counter-invasion at, say, Moulmein or Tavoy.

Edit: the G3M3 arriving to production in May has even longer range than G4M. Suddenly the island group became very interesting... A major built-up naval airbase would severely hurt the Allies' supply routes to India and Burma. Also forces them to keep fighters in Ceylon and all the coastal ports.

That place just rose up in my priorities list...

[Sheb]

Sorry, I meant Ternate.

[Erkki]

Sorry, I meant Ternate.

I'm going after Ternate (then Kendari) because I'm going after big airfields, big ports and oil first. It is also important that especially airfields can be later expanded as big as possible. After the base screen is up, its easy to stop the front and do the "mopping-up" behind the lines.

[Erkki]

January 17th;

..and need to adjust plans, again!

Kido Butai surprises 2 Allied task forces evacuating Kendari - 4 big tankers are sunk, and 4 Naval (not just militarized) huge troop-carrying cruisers are hit badly (over a dozen 250kg bomb hits each) - and they probably sank during the afternoon when the weather got worse... The estimated Allied losses are over 1,000 troops aboard. Hah!

But now that the enemy is evacuating Kendari, too, the Marine reserves on Hainan island as well as aviation support battalions are immediately loaded aboard the waiting transports. Their target is Kendari.

As bonus points, a submarine torpedoes a cargo ship off Vancouver. Also Malacca and Oosthaven fall!

[Sheb]

Nice. I have no experience playing this game, so I do not know how much of this is due to the natural bonus of the Japanese in the early game and how much is due to your strategic thinking, but it sure looks good so far.

Could you attempt an attak on L.A./S.F. in the next few month, for fun and profit? Bending history so far would be awesome.

[Erkki]

Nice. I have no experience playing this game, so I do not know how much of this is due to the natural bonus of the Japanese in the early game and how much is due to your strategic thinking, but it sure looks good so far.

Could you attempt an attak on L.A./S.F. in the next few month, for fun and profit? Bending history so far would be awesome.

Its both. Japanese's advantage is that the Western Imperialist Aggressors UK and US have their interests in Europe(even US, despite only joining the war after Pearl Harbour), vastly superior training and experience of Japanese soldiers, certain technologies and innovations the Allies dont have(and some, like IR cameras and range finders for nighttime naval combat they had no equal until after the war). And then theres the surprise factor. Allied forces are spread out, optimized for colonial use, not war. Pearl Harbour and strikes on Clark Field and Manila that paralyze the US Pacific Fleet, kill submarines, wipe out almost all the modern fighters, and then there are the simultaneous, coordinated surprise invasions.

With the Allies rushing stuff to the Theater its starting to even out now, but unless I screw up something they wont have parity in both numbers and quality, in other than battleships and submarines, until early 1943. I will have to use the initiative and advance as (reasonably) far as possible while keeping all important assets, such as the carriers, alive. Every carrier, battleship and land division the Allies lost they get back up to 10 times. Every carrier the Japanese lost is replaced 1:1 - Japan only gets 8 Fleet Carriers during the war in addition to the 6 in the beginning. But only 3 of those 8 before late 1944. And every lost battleship is lost for good, as there are no new battleships other than Yamato and Musashi that will be built.

edit, yeah the other part. I have no idea why they have no air units in the area, or war ships... Looks like they're pulling a "Sir Robin" and pushing everything back ASAP and AFAP now!

[Sheb]

Still, you seem to be faring quite well. What about using the KB for raids?

[Erkki]

KB is right now doing a raid right after supporting Rabaul's invasion.

So far they have got about 30 ships, including 2 cruisers and at least 8 tankers + 5 or 6 big liners. Not even the Allies ever have enough tankers...

edit: just having actually working torpedo bombers, 3 sorts of them of 2 with an incredible range, is a huge advantage. I can in many places keep those G4M and G3Ms so far that the Allies cant bomb their fields with fighter escorts, while they appear seemingly anywhere, anytime, in huge swarms to sink important ships. The Allies dont really get working torpedo bombers, less so ones with actually working torpedoes and long endurance, until the 2nd half of the war.

[Erkki]

Damnit. My opponent is out for a week... I'll keep posting motivational posters every now and then... 

Navy Carrier Fighter Type 0 Mitsubishi Model 52s preparing to take off aboard Zuikaku.

[Zrk2]

I like the idea of a Burma invasion.

[Deadmeat1471]

Nice pic of Zuikaku's planes Erkki, keep the rape up