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[Zrk2]

xAKs are the giant transports, right? Dem subs man...

[Erkki]

xAKs are the giant transports, right? Dem subs man...

xAK(Auxiliary c(K)argo) is a "navalized" civilian cargo ship, usually with "civilian" crew(low exp). They have less guns and less boats(=amphibious unload capacity) than military transports or AK. Most transports are still xAK, though. Some are big, some are smaller though coastal cargo ships have a type of their own, xAKL. Most of the xAK types can be converted to AK but for hauling stuff between friendly ports they are as effective.



March 8th

Batavia falls! Industry and resource sites fall in Japanese hands completely intact. However, crap weather again keeps our bombers on the ground, and so all the Dutch units make it to Bandoeng intact. At least they are cut-off from supply and reinforcements. Recce planes do fly: no change whatsoever in the plane numbers at Allied fields on Java. PO1 Araki finally shoots down one of the Catalinas, over Kalidjati. 53rd Division starts unloading at Batavia tomorrow. Theres still a mine field present but the escorts should be able to deal with it, plus its not a big field any way.

In 3 days we will have 2 airfields ready in the southern Solomons: Lunga and Tulagi. Multiple Army fighter wings and groups as well as a Zero unit transfer to staging bases Truk and Rabaul to be ready to fly in. A Torpedo-enabling HQ unit will arrive at Thousand Ships Bay in 3 days, where it will be able to support the whole area. From tomorrow onwards, CVL Shoho TF covers the Solomons reinforcement convoys at least until that HQ unit has unloaded.

In the Bay of Bengal, Japanese engineer, AAA and aviation support units land at Little Andaman and Port Blair tomorrow. Port Blair's paratroopers will be loaded aboard those same ships and moved to Rangoon where they will act as my Burma theater mobile reserve.

[Erkki]

March 9th

5th, or is it 6th?, day in a streak that our bombers fail to attack Dutch air fields on Java because of crap weather. At least the sweep does fly, of course perfectly coordinated with every each Zero over the target simultaneously - with no Allied fighters in sight! []

Otherwise a silent day. It looks like the Singapore-China road is very slow so I might introduce a fuel-supply xAK CS convoy, or 5... to Palembang-Kyushu and Singapore-Kyushu routes at least. Today Home Islands' supply levels finally started climbing. Industry expansions, factory repairs as well as military convoys to especially SOPAC had eaten away a lot of it. Resource level is stable at 35 day's consumption left - but with once the new convoys from PI and Sumatra start arriving we might be able to build some resource reserves.

Java: 26 Dutch units now at Bandoeng. Those might just equal some 1500 AV, right? 53rd Inf Div arrived to Batavia today so we have 2600 combat AV on Java now and 200 more are waiting at Oosthaven to be shipped across the strait.

[Erkki]

March 10th

Java: Japanese bombers finally fly, exactly 100 of them with 50 fighters destroy CAP of 4 fighters and bomb Tilitjap: 12 AC are torched on the ground and probably all the others at least damaged. Post-attack sweep finds one more Hurricane patrolling, and shoots it down. 2 bombers are lost as OPS, enemy losses are 12 bombers and 5 fighters, Hurricanes and Buffaloes.

Philippines: Leyte invaded by a regiment size infantry unit. This small operation shouldnt take more than a few weeks.

Very silent elsewhere. I'm sending some xAKs and PBs from Saigon to Tarakan, they'll pick up 120 AV worth of infantry and Marines and proceed to invade Samarinda(I know Balikpapan has coastal defense guns so we're not going to go there directly). I'll send a cruiser squadron to escort them from Singapore, too. Zeros from Tarakan will cover and I'll probably send one of the carrier divisions to Java Sea to prevent interruption by enemy surface units.

First 2 airfields hit size 1 in the Tulagi area tomorrow. Multiple new AAA, base force, aviation support and Marine infantry units arriving to bases in this area... As soon as we hold some more of Java, Borneo and land at the Celebes we will start hauling fuel from Tarakan to Truk and Rabaul. A heavy cruiser squadron commanded by Tanaka and BB Mutsu TF are still at Rabaul and a convoy from Truk just got them refueled. As soon as we get some fighters to cover, at least Tanaka Squadron will move to Tulagi.

[inteuniso]

Man, this is entertaining to read. Probably more entertaining to read for me than it is to play

[Anvilfolk]

Yeap! Love this, and the Aurora one as well. Both complex games that are wonderful to read about! It's one of those games you wish you would have fun playing, but probably takes too long

[Erkki]

Good to know that someone reads this, lol. 

Now that we are ready for another amphibious pulse and have some free units, I'm going to keep the operational tempo as high as possible and launch another set of invasions.

The purposes of these invasions are to

A) grab more land of course
B) keep the initiative: make the Allies react to our moves and not the other way around
C) create one more forward airfield for a fighter, search and recce base and outflank Java
D) secure more important bases that need to be captured at some point any way

Spoiler: invasion plans: (click to show/hide)

Targets: Bandjermasin, Samarinda and Makassar.

Bandjermasin I'm not going to use, just grabbing it to prevent an enemy base behind our lines. I know that base to be an old seaplane base so it has the land units and infrastructure to support enemy patrol & search aircraft. It cannot be allowed to stay in enemy hands.

Samarinda: Samarinda and Balikpapan are very important bases, as they have big oil fields and Balikpapan has a refinery. However, Balikpapan also has some coastal defense guns so we will avoid them and invade the adjacent base, Samarinda, instead. Once Samarinda is secured, the troops will simply march to grab Balikpapan.

Makassar: Makassar has a usable airfield for offensive operations so holding it is a must. It is in range of nearly all of the East Indies still in Allies' hands, and it outflanks Java nicely. 16th Infantry Regiment will take the place and carry on the ground campaign on its own, while the 21st JAAF AF battalion will repair the base if needed before the fighters and bombers are flown in. Once Makassar is captured we will be able to monitor nearly all traffic in the East Indies as well as support future operations. I might also send an aviation HQ with this landing for additional aviation support and torpedoes for the Netties.

Carrier Division I with CVs Akagi, Shokaku, Zuikaku and CVL Ryujo will probably support the Makassar landings directly(and in doing so, also the other 2 landings).

[Sheb]

Nice. By the way, which year are we in? 1942?

[Erkki]

Nice. By the way, which year are we in? 1942?

Yeah we're in 1942. I'm trying to not lose the war by the end of it. 

[Zrk2]

Nice. By the way, which year are we in? 1942?

Yeah we're in 1942. I'm trying to not lose the war by the end of it. 

That's pretty much the entirety of Japanese strategy, isn't it?

[Erkki]

Nice. By the way, which year are we in? 1942?

Yeah we're in 1942. I'm trying to not lose the war by the end of it. 

That's pretty much the entirety of Japanese strategy, isn't it?

Strategy is to inflict unacceptable, unsustainable losses to the advancing Allies, turn the public opinion against the war and force them to propose a truce and recognize Burma, China, East Indies and Philippines as Japan's colonies partners of East-Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere and then re-establish diplomatic and trade relations.

Once I'll get a few more SNLF Marine units available I'll probably use them to secure the rest of the Santa Cruz islands as well as the New Hebrides. I'm not going to invade New Caledonia - its too far, and I dont watch to stretch the defenses too thin. Main line of resistance in the SOPAC will go along Horn Island-Port Moresby-Milne-Bay, then across the Solomon Sea to Tulagi and Guadalcanal area. New Hebrides and Santa Cruz islands will be only lightly garrisoned, and I will definitely not fight for them more than for a delaying...

March 11th

Its silent... Only things worth mentioning are SS USS Finback sinking a picket-xAKL between Marianas and Wake. There were no hits recorded on the submarine but it emergency dived because of damage. Hmm.... On Leyte, PI Army is retreated from Tacloban. The whole island will be ours in 5 days. On Java, a recon regiment arrives at Tilitjap, orders are to shock attack tomorrow. Theres still a lot of damaged Dutch aircraft in the base, though they could be just railed away... Lets see if Allies again leave some planes behind them.

[Hanzoku]

What does it seem to you, Erkki? Is your opponent building up somewhere out of sight for a massive hammerblow attack? He's not nearly as aggressive as your last AAR opponent on these forums, despite having a much better position in regards to not having most of his carriers and battleships sunk or heavily damaged.

[Erkki]

What does it seem to you, Erkki? Is your opponent building up somewhere out of sight for a massive hammerblow attack? He's not nearly as aggressive as your last AAR opponent on these forums, despite having a much better position in regards to not having most of his carriers and battleships sunk or heavily damaged.

Not sure yet. No sign of activity in Fiji or NE/E Australian coast so I dont think an attack from there is likely until second half of the year. However they are clearly building up Pago Pago (E of Fiji), Baker and Christmas islands. They are also active in India where Calcutta has a massive concentration of troops and aircraft and there are apparently some transports flying supply over the Himalayas from Ledo to China.

The Allies might still have CA Houston, CL Tromp and their escorts in the East Indies or nearby, say, northern coast of Australia at Darwin or Port Hedland. They also might have other surface units, but I'm pretty sure that the USN CVs were all at Sydney until 5 days ago when they (again, probably) moved to Melbourne. BC Repulse and her escorts were positively IDd near Melbourne too some 3 weeks ago, so at best they have only some old battlewagons and the British CVs in a position to do anything about the Makassar invasion in 8 days.

Its still possible that the Allies will fight for Java and Timor, actually I'd love to see them try that, but I dont think they can. Besides I think we scared them away with the Kido Butai raid...

What I'm expecting to happen any day now is massive air campaign against Magwe's oil fields as well as possible hit & run attacks in the Solomons, Gilberts and Marshalls. Once the business is settled in the East Indies I will dispatch CVL/CVE raiders deeper into Allied waters as well as float plane equipped submarines to do some probing...

[Erkki]

BTW if you guys want to claim a ship or pilot to follow(with pilots you might also get a chance to have some interaction...) you are free to do so. Available are captains of ships(everything from BBs to puny SCs and MGBs, dont be boring and dare to claim a CV or BB...!!  ), then Army and Navy pilots: fighter, strike, bomber, patrol/recon.

Fighter pilots are easiest to follow as the names of the pilots are mentioned in air combat animation so its possible to know even what types of planes they shot down, when and where. The game itself tracks status(ok, WIA, MIA or KIA), fatigue, mission count, kills, so what the kills/victories were will have to be tracked manually. Not a big deal.

Army fighter squadrons at the moment fly all the Ki-43-Ic Hayabusa/Oscar. Training units in Manchuria and Home Islands fly the Ki-27 as does one operational fighter wing in China(soon to convert to Ki-43). Within 2 months the brand new Ki-44 Shoki/Tojo will enter mass production and I'll start equipping squads with it. The heavy fighter Ki-45 enters production about the same time: It'll be used by at least 2 Groups or 90 planes divided into 12-plane squadrons to protect Magwe's oil wells and major bases like Port Moresby, Tulagi/Lunga, Rabaul and Rangoon from enemy bombers. Army fighter units will also later in 1942 get to fly the Ki-61 and later versions of the Ki-44 and Ki-43.

Navy fighter units currently fly all the A6M2 Zero. A6M3 will enter production by mid-May and will be used by land-based Zero units, and then A6M3a from mid-October onwards will gradually replace the M2 and M3, as will the A6M5 from January 1943.

By the end of the month lots of pilots, especially fighter pilots, are graduating from my operational flight schools at Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagasaki and in the Manchuria so you can claim one of those pilots as well as give his preference of his future front-line service location and/or unit.

Imperial Japanese Navy's current OOB from CVs to CLs:

Spoiler: CVs and BBs (click to show/hide)

CV Akagi, Kaga, Shokaku, Zuikaku, Soryu and Hiryu

CVL Ryujo, Zuiho and Shoho

CVE Hosho and Taiyo

BB Nagato, Mutsu, Yamashiro, Ise, Fuso, Huyga, Hiei, Kirishima, Haruna, Kongo

Spoiler: CAs and CLs (click to show/hide)

CA Tone, Chikuma, Takao, Atago, Maya, Chokai, Myoko, Haguro, Nachi, Ashigara, Mogami, Mikuma, Suzya and the 4 "least" armed(6 instead of 8 main gun barrels, some less armor): Kumano, Aoba, Kinugasa and Furutaka

CL Katori, Kashima, Kashii(3 first, training/HQ cruisers), Sendai, Naka, Jintsu, Nagara, Isuzu, Natori, Yura, Kinu, Abukuma, Kuma, Tama, Kiso and modified Kiso-class, special torpedo cruisers Kitakami and Oi

Spoiler: Submarines (click to show/hide)

I-18 to I-30, big long range subs, carry float planes or able to carry mini subs
I-121 to I-124, I-153 to I-162, I-164 to I-166, I-168 to I-175, smaller somewhat shorter range subs with equal torpedo load, no floatplanes
RO-33, RO-34, RO-60 to RO-68, smaller but still deep-diving boats, about equal to American, British, Dutch and German boats except they carry a few torpedoes less than most Western types but have equal or better range.

You may also claim a smaller warship such as a DD(destroyer, military escort, raider and general-purpose warship), TB(torpedo destroyer), DMS(mine sweeper destroyer) CM(mine layer "cruiser"), E(general escort), PC(light patrol destroyer), SC(sub chaser) or even navalized civilian vessels such as PB(patrol boat, usually used as convoy escorts).

If you do claim a ship or submarine I'm afraid I wont listen much to your preferences and suggestions  but you are of course welcome to give your opinions on how well the Combined Fleet uses or doesnt use the capabilities of you and your ship. The Combined Fleet Headquarters preserves the right to give feedback as well as fire You at any time should You be considered unsuitable to Your position given the change in Your or your vessel's performance. You may be then given a new vessel to command. (Captains as well as task force commanders can be changed, fired and reassigned to even completely different role, such as doing paperwork behind the desk in some HQ unit, say, at Tokyo...). 

[Anvilfolk]

Write me up as one of the newly trained pilots! I'll be posted where the Emperor needs me the most!

It'd be interesting to follow one pilot in the middle of this massive conflict If it's too much work, feel free to drop this at any time!