Timskorn

But again it begs the question, why would the US want to attack a useless, fortified island? What in-game benefit is there for either Japan to hold it, and for the US to take it? Supply isn't an issue. Both sides have plenty of places to re-supply both land and naval units in the Pacific. And technically, the war is won and lost at sea. The US doesn't even need Marines until they want to retake important places, like the DEI and Japan. Once the USN controls the skies and sea, all those IJA divisions on the islands are just sitting ducks. The USN could even technically avoid them altogether and just make sure they can't transport away back to Japan. From what I've been reading, historically the Allies took it to the Japanese at Guadacanal and Solomon Islands because the Japanese were building an airbase that would threaten Allied supplies and communications between the US and Australia, and could be a staging point for further invasions into the Pacific such as New Caledonia. So I suppose two of those three concerns aren't really in the game (supplies and communications) and aren't a factor. The last one, concerns about further Japanese expansion, aren't really a factor either unless you're worried about Australia. The islands then only become important in the game if you end up having both navies fighting in that area, as having land-based air to support your fleet is definitely important.

Everyone's threshold for how historical a game needs to be in order to be "acceptable" is different, but I imagine you'll always be able to find opponents even with house rules or mod changes. As long as it's fun, of course. Doesn't matter how historical and realistic it is if nobody else finds it fun to play!

May-Dec 1943 On May 14th, the Battle of the Coral Sea commences. IJN carrier strikes the BB Idaho, sinking it and also severely damages an Australian Cruiser. An IJN BB and DD are also in the area during the attack. The USN follows up with land-based air attack on the IJN carrier, and the Enterprise loads its tac bombers, finds their target and sinks another flattop! USN CA and BB sink the nearby destroyer, and we find out the enemy BB is the Yamato! Two USN BB’s engage the behemoth and take severe damage, yet the beast survives. The wounded Australian CA group is sent in a desperate attempt to finally sink it, and in a vicious exchange of volleys both ships go down. Eichelberger’s Marines have cleared an airfield at Rabaul and the nearby 8th Bomber group is flown in to extend USAAF airpower in the region. Marines are on their way to seal the noose around the Japanese holding Port Moresby. On May 21st, the Chinese go on an all-out offensive against the thin lines of defense the Japanese have. They may eventually get pushed back depending on what reinforcements they bring in, but we’ll capture some cities and rout some divisions in the meantime. In Burma, the impossible armor divisions plague the Brits. All they can hope for is to hold out long enough so the Japanese will pull them out to use elsewhere. The US loses two more BB’s in the Battle of the Coral Sea as they faced off against the formidable Matsuko BB, which is nearly sunk but escapes. More Marines land at Port Moresby but take a hell of a shelling coming in. The Japanese have brought in major air reinforcements to the island, but the US has also done the same. The Battle for Port Moresby is going to be long and bloody for the Marines, USAAF and USN. Battle of Coral Sea Results Japan Sunk: 1 CV, 1 DD, BB Yamato Critical: BB Matsuko USN Sunk: 3 BB’s Australia 1 CA Meanwhile, a fresh USN task force has organized and launched an attack against the Gilbert Islands, with Marines landing at Wotje. With the IJN battered it’s unlikely able to put sufficient forces against us at the Gilbert Islands and Port Moresby area, and right now the latter is shaping up to be the definitive fight for the Pacific. IJA forces have made their way through the middle of Australia, making the long forced march through the sweltering heat. So far not a threat but has been sufficient enough to get the Aussies recruiting Home Guard units. They made it as far as Melbourne where an Aussie tank division stopped an SNLF unit and chased them west, but a Japanese para group landed and took Melbourne, cutting off the armor group. A US Corp. arrived in the theater to help, but at this point the Japanese presence in Australia is doomed simply due to the long supply lines and the ongoing success of the USN and Marines to the north. But they won't go down without a fight... October 8th, 1943. Japanese armored divisions emerge from the tangled jungles of Burma to fight the British, but find allied air waiting to smash them. Japanese forces reach the end of their rope and the Brits finally begin their counterattack. Good weather and reformed divisions under Hutton move east, with bombers, fighters and tac swooping down and leaving burning hulks all along the muddy roads. The Brits have hung on long enough and broke General Terauchi and his armor divisions!

Arado, the problem is, as Japan you put air out on the islands to spot, but what are you spotting for? Your US opponent is ignoring the islands. He's building up a big force to attack Japan directly in 1943, or possibly the DEI. He has no reason to go and spend a couple years island hopping when he can send a massive force from Midway to Japan. I'm getting tired of this theorycraft. Who wants to play the Allies against me? You can try whatever strategy you want. Go straight for Japan. Go for DEI. Island-hop, whatever you want. I want a chance to prove Japan can kick some ***.

You in Beantown scott? I work up there. Bostonian is probably the least offensive of the names we could be called. Ever been to a Yankee game?!

Bill: I've fought an opponent who has defended the islands, but game-wise this may not be necessary. I think the point people are trying to make is that ultimately, the US gains dominance through the USN, not physically rooting out the Japanese on islands. And the USN can do this anywhere whether it's near Japan, the DEI or the outer islands. Defeat of the Imperial Navy is what drives the US forward. In my current game I willingly bogged down taking out Japanese defenders at Port Moresby and Rabaul. But looking back I ask, why? Once I beat the IJN back from the area there is absolutely no reason to spend time on clearing out the islands. Once I can clear the way to the Marianas with my fleet, I can amphib my troops from San Fransisco if I wanted to and land them there. They can be at zero org, supply and morale...doesn't matter because any Japanese defenders at the Mariana's will be blasted with air and sea power so my troops can walk right in. My Marines will land, regroup and have a staging point for Japan. I think land invasions would become more important if land-based aircraft posed more of a threat to fleets. For Japan, it's critical to have land-based air support in range of their carriers in order to even the odds against the US. If, at least, to have fighters soak off fighter escorts so the tac can smash the CV's. But Japan doesn't need the islands either. They can save MPP's and focus their forces in China and Burma if they have no intention to go for Australia, which is the only good reason I can think of for Japan to care about the outer islands. In the end though I think these situations need to be tested more (in multiplayer games!) before we can rightfully conclude that there isn't a single player that has figured out how to make someone pay for ignoring the islands.

Wasn't Australia threatened? I just can't imagine the US standing off for an additional year when the Japanese were a doorstep away from hitting the Aussie mainland. And I can't imagine the US would swing all the way south and bypass the outer islands in order to take the DEI, when the Japanese could operate long range bombers and subs from those locations and interdict ships and supplies. Unlike in the game the US had supply lines. And could damaged US carriers and ships get the proper repairs and upgrades in Burma or Western Australia? Replacement parts and planes, upgraded equipment and even replacement airmen and seamen would have had a long route to travel from the US to the DEI. Historically, the US had a lot of carriers out of commission in 1942 after engagements with the Japanese. Only the Enterprise was operational towards the end of the year for the entire Pacific theater. Why would the US feel confident at that point that they could just bypass all the islands?

I think of that too, but in my case I want to write "Jap" simply because it's easier than typing "Japanese" every time.

I'm not 100% sure but I think terrain also affects the supply. In the first example Kunming is actually situated in a mountain. Second example there are mountains and rivers, unless roads negate the river effect on supply?

I was only half-joking in my suggestion. Maybe the towns don't have to be zero, but ports being unable to repair ships should be explored I think. Yeah, it'll be annoying having to send damaged ships back to home waters for repair, but that means your naval engagements will be all the more important and critical. Smashing the USS Yorktown down to 1 strength, and then allowing it to repair to 8 strength in 2 turns is a little crazy. Especially with the massive MPP's the US has it costs nothing to repair. "Just a flesh wound". If I do that kind of damage to critical ship like a CV I want to at least know I'm not going to have to deal with her for a few months. As for making the islands worth something? We're talking two different languages here in these threads. On one hand, it happened historically, so we want it to be important in the game. On the other hand we're arguing that historically Japan was wrong in taking the outer islands and the US was wrong for taking them back…so Japan shouldn't have to take the islands, and the US shouldn't either in the game. Too pretty big different points of view here. The fact is the US is a juggernaut, islands or no islands, Japan is doomed. But what is being suggested here is that Japan should always focus on China, and the US should just sit and build a massive fleet and then smash Japan in one big attack. In that sense then, the game experience seems broken. The joy of wargames is having different strategies to try. If it's concluded the islands are currently worthless for both the US and Japan, then that will be the MO in multiplayer games. Is this true?

Make the island towns and port values zero. You can still take them. You can still defend them. The importance of them are up to you. Plus, the US won't be able to do major ship repairs in the middle of the Pacific. Finally, this would tilt balance slightly towards Japan's favor as any damaged US ships would need to head back home for repairs. They could buy time, at least, in damaging a CV even if they don't sink it.

Ok, let's make all the port and town values for the islands zero. Problem solved. You still want the piece of worthless rock? Go right ahead!

Was this really the sentiment of the US political and military forces early in the war, that no matter what happened that we would ultimately "win", so we'd hobnob around on little islands for a few years to make us look good? I find this difficult to believe. What if it was us that lost the Battle of Midway? It's easy to look back now and say, "We wouldn't have", but did the Admirals at the time really sit back and relax during these battles with the outcome so "certain"? Sure, we would have rebounded from a devastating loss, but it would have given the Japanese more breathing room (and time). How long could we have been at war before our coffers and public sentiment for the war were drained? And if simply starving them out would have worked better, how long would this have taken, and what would have been the appropriate strategy to knock Japan out of the war? Wait until 1945 to do anything substantial, then just nuke their cities?

I understand what you're saying Seamonkey but there is a way to still do this without keeping players completely in the dark. Player's like to make informed decisions even if the outcome is unpredictable. At least they are given a chance to do something about it. The SC2 series of games has always given advantage to those who know the scripts. This should never be necessary to know and means it could be designed into the game better, that's all. Nobody has to read the scripts of course, and can keep guessing (or simply memorize over repeatedly plays), but when playing head to head against competitive players you have to know them. Not knowing how to prevent Russian partisans from popping up, for example, gives a big advantage to your opponent and vice versa if you're playing an Axis player who does know.

I don't know, I'd like to see a repeatable, viable strategy for Japan that proves they can succeed better by ignoring the outer islands against a good US player that would move quickly against such a strategy before any final judgments are made. Is it known that Japan can do this without sacrificing something significant to the US? Allowing US forces so close to places like the DEI opens up Japanese supply ports to bombing, or even invasion. Blashy, are you saying that leaving the outer islands wide open is worth it to take China down quickly? Has this strategy been proven to work effectively against a good US player? I've unfortunately not played Japan enough to say, but the thought of leaving the outer islands open makes me worry about the entire, and crucial, underside of the empire being compromised early. If I played against a Japanese player I knew was doing this, I'd be more than happy to bring my bombers and fighters in close to hit their supply ports in the south.

Canberra is part of Japanese victory conditions, but not sure what would trigger early victory without looking at them in the game. I mean, if the US waits until 44 to do anything significant then they are basically letting the IJN do whatever they want. This includes wiping out Australia and likely the British in Burma too, as the IJN can go and sweep the floor with their navy. If you're suggesting the USN just fights the IJN and does no island-hopping until 44 when they go straight for the Home Islands, that is definitely an option. Will it work? Only one way to find out! In a head vs. head game, and as Japan yes, you should always have some sort of defense and/or way to screen any invasion to give you time to rally the defenses.

The main incentive is the projection of airpower and its ability to scout enemy naval movements. By itself, Japanese airpower based on islands is fairly ineffective when facing Allied air from either nearby carriers or ground aircraft. Bringing the USN within reach of those aircraft, along with your own navy fighters, helps give you better odds which in Japan's case...ya need all you can get! If the US wants to move in amphib troops, they'll want to make sure nearby Japanese air is either destroyed or rendered ineffective. But, if you don't plan to station aircraft out there, then yeah...there is little reason to garrison islands that the US player can essentially just bypass. Neither of you will find much reason to waste resources over something with little to no value. As either side too, you want to make sure you have ports available for how far you want to take your navy and this is especially important in delaying the US advance. They need those ports otherwise any damaged ships need to pull back farther for repairs. I've found as the US, local ports can be in short supply when trying to repair and/or upgrade multiple ships in a timely manner. And if you suspect an Allied player is "building up" to a large force and not going on the offensive until 1943, this can leave Australia wide open to a concentrated IJN attack.

I saw today a series of shows on the HC called Battle 360, and it was all about the war in the Pacific. I recorded them as I couldn't watch 'em all, but they looked good. Saw the last part on Midway, and most of the one on Guadacanal. Just a heads up!

Glad you're enjoying it. It's late 1943 right now. Lots of lessons learned, and what is nice about Op Z is that despite Japan's sort of "inevitable" ending, there are plenty of strategies on both sides to try. Udet has done a great job playing as Japan so far. Fairly cautious, but bold enough where he has needed to be. It's now getting to the point where momentum has really turned to the US, so 1944 will see how well I am on the offensive and he on the defensive. He will have a sizeable navy that will be able to put the hurt on me still, so there's no "highway to Tokyo" yet.

Jan-April 1943 1942 has been put behind us. It was mostly a year for the Japanese, with the only real victorious battles waged by the USN. The few weeks of engagements in the Solomon Sea could have gone vastly different had the IJN committed more of its carriers. The US only had two in the area and only one doing CAP duty. A stalemate at the Battle of Wake ends up going to the US as the Japanese lose one of their precious carriers. With this in mind, the US has big, early plans to continue moving against Japanese positions in the Pacific. Two landing groups were dispatched against Rabaul and Port Moresby, both of which have heavy Japanese infantry and air presence, and also an HQ. It’s clear the Japanese want the US to fight hard here, and we do, the Marines make sure of that! In March, McArthur lands with an armor and a Corp. to take on the Japanese at Port Moresby. Poor planning however created a terrible landing. McArthurs unit took heavy losses, going down to strength 5, and was destroyed from a combined land/air counterattack. The armor division landed next to Port Moresby and is able to fight the Japanese there, but the Corp. made a landing directly behind the armor and is unable to move forward until Port Moresby is taken. To the north, General Eichelberger lands with the Marines. An artillery and Marine division, Eichelberger and the reorganized Aussie Kanga Boys make a strong landing at Rabaul. The town itself is only defended by a Zero fighter wing and it is nearly destroyed with the initial assault. Rain in the area prevents USAAF and carrier support. The following week the Marines march into Rabaul and fight the remaining Japanese defenders just south of the city. The failed McArthur landing to the south needs immediate relief, and Eichelberger and his troops are tasked with landing north of Port Moresby to effectively surround Japanese resistance and bring supplies to McArthur’s divisions. The IJN showed the location of another of their carriers near the coast of Thailand, which sunk a British BB that was shelling Rangoon. In March, Japanese armor crosses the Irrawaddy and smashes the 254th Indian Tank group forcing the British to pull back again. The Brits are hard pressed to stop the Japanese tanks. The Chinese continue their battle against the Japanese, taking down another division and recapturing the mines. US air force units also arrive with General Chenault, a much needed addition to help put pressure on the Japanese in China. The Japanese have also taken Timor and launched into Australia itself with a SNLF landing at Darwin and another division marches on Perth, but Australian Home Guard units are quickly sent to the city for defense.

Sep. 1942- Jan 1943 Japanese forces have concentrated heavy armor and infantry divisions in Burma. General Stilwell was ordered to make a defensive stand behind the Irrawaddy river while Hutton reorganizes the Commonwealth forces to go on the offensive. A daunting task for Vinegar Joe, who has only a Chinese Army and British SF division to keep the tanks from crossing the river. A British fighter and tac bomber arrive soon after and a US bomber group arrives to help hit the tenuous supply lines around Rangoon. The Chinese, due to the lack of concentrated Japanese units, are able to hold their own while bringing in new reinforcements. With the recent success in Burma however, Japanese air units have entered the theater and are beginning to change the situation there rapidly. In late October, the IJN decides to move against Bougainville which has had a US tac fighter there reconnoitering the area and pestering any Japanese ships that got in range. At least 3 CA, 3 BB’s, a destroyer and an SNLF amphib unit are found moving against the island. I know there are at least 2 enemy CV’s in the area, likely 3 and possibly even 4 but I decide to make a move to check their advance anyway. In the initial engagement I commit 1 cruiser, 1 BB, 1 sub, 1 destroyer and 1 CV. In backup I have 3 more cruisers, 2 BB’s, 1 destroyer and another CV. Plus the tac bomber at Bougainville. All in all, roughly 8-10 IJN ships against 5 initial USN ships, with 7 in reserve to follow up the next turn or two. I sink 1 cruiser, damage the amphib down to 4 and critically damage another CA and 2 BB’s (all going down to about 4 strength each). This effectively cut the IJN fleet down by four ships. I committed the Enterprise which had some experience from the small skirmish months earlier when it sank a BB, and instead of sinking one ship I decided to cripple two. This is because I’ve committed my fleet earlier than I wanted to (I wasn’t able to bring them all to bear at once), and I’m positive I’m outnumbered with carriers. If I could make the IJN feel weak I hoped to make them withdraw instead. Taking out 1 ship is good, but making two relatively ineffective is better in this case. I also felt confident due to my superior naval tech and superior air tech at level 2 and 3 respectively. And finally, I had good weather as rain over the Rabaul area prevented any Japanese air cover from protecting their fleet. Up north at Wake Island I move a small fleet against it as a diversion that I had hoped to have created a couple of turns earlier, prior to the Bougainville engagement with the plan of drawing off some of his ships. This is 1 CA, 1 BB, 1 CV and an amphib unit with another 2 BB’s and DD on their way for support. In Burma, I commit the British fleet there confident the IJN will not be able to react in proper force. I hit Rangoon and its port, dive bomb an HQ and send a sub past Singapore and towards their shipping lanes, which unfortunately runs into quick trouble. The IJN has been pro-active in patrolling the supply lanes with DD’s. In Dec. the Battle of the Solomon Sea goes on as the IJN decides to stay and fight. Only 1 enemy CV is engaged, and its aircraft do little damage due to CAP from the nearby Saratoga. They sink a US cruiser, a US DD and a sub. In the counter-attack, I sink another BB, nearly destroy the Akagi (all its aircraft are gone too) and critically damage another CA. I’m worried about where the rest of his carriers are. I am hoping they’ve either been grounded due to weather, or he had moved them somewhere for another operation and is trying to get them back to the fight. I imagine they will strike next turn if the weather holds up. In either case I will be withdrawing from the fight to refit my fleet, happy with the current results. Dec 12th and the Allied fleet pulls back from the Battle of the Solomon Sea. We lose a US cruiser and an Aussie DD before withdrawing. All in all, a bloody fight for both sides but hopefully a costly one for the Japanese. A lot of aircraft losses on both sides, but no carriers sunk. The IJN kept their CV’s a safe distance away for the most part except for the Akagi. I believe we faced two enemy CV’s, so am completely in the dark where the others are. Battle of the Solomon Sea Results: IJN Sunk: 1 Cruiser. 1 Battleship. Critical: 2 Cruisers. 2 Battleships. 1 Carrier (Akagi) USN Sunk: 2 Cruisers. 1 Destroyer. 1 Sub Minor: 2 BB’s. 1 Cruiser. Australia Sunk: 1 DD. Generals Stilwell and Hutton meet again behind the Irrawaddy, as Hutton brings reinforcements. Japanese fighter and tac bomber arrive in the theater, and the concentrated armor forces here are still giving the Allies nightmares, especially since they destroyed the last Chinese army that was with Stilwell. Thankfully in China proper they are doing OK despite taking losses and have hopes of putting an armor division into the front sometime next year. Meanwhile, the small USN taskforce near Wake Island covers a Marine landing and we take the island, immediately shuttling in Corsairs to help defend our fleet. A concentrated IJN attack here with their other two carriers could cost us dearly. IJN counters at Wake Island! Their fleet gets tangled in some surprise engagements with both my BB and CA. On the following turn, the Hornet and its support ships sink the Shokaku, the Tone cruiser and a sub in a decisive one-sided battle. Japanese also had two bombers and a DD in the area that engaged our fleet but it wasn’t enough. Overall a fairly equal engagement on paper, but aggressiveness and some bad luck caught the IJN in a snare. I think he felt his bombers and nearby carrier had a view of the area around Wake and went for blood against the Hornet which was docked at the Wake port, but instead ran into the BB and CA for surprise engagements. Shortly after the Shokaku was sunk though another IJN carrier appeared with some support ships and sank the Hornet, who only had one Corsair wing at Wake for protection as the carriers fighters weren’t prepped in time. The North Carolina BB is also sunk, and both the IJN and USN retreat from the Wake area. Battle of Wake Island Results: IJN Sunk: Shokaku carrier. Tone Cruiser. Sub. Minor: 1 BB USN Sunk: North Carolina BB. Hornet carrier.

I believe you are correct. It's been awhile since I did scripting but I'm pretty sure that is how it works. The flip side to your argument is that it still is random. One game the first two may get hit many more times than another, while the bottom ones get hit more in another game. Another thing you can do to help control it better set new research goals more often, like every 6 to 8 months, flipping the order each time and/or increasing the % for the ones you want specifically for that time frame will at least help push the AI down a more specific path.

It's been a fun game so far! Next post will detail the results of the first major naval battle of the war, "Battle of the Solomon Sea" and the terrifying results of having 3 Japanese armor divisions pushing through Burma. I'll get that turn done tonight...and I have tomorrow off so I can follow up with a few more than usual.

July-Aug 1942 Heavy IJN bombardment of the Aussie Kanga Boys at Port Moresby finally softens them up enough for the SNLF to clear them out, but only one IJN flattop is seen. US fighter and bomber units continue to harass it from New Ireland. Great luck, or rather, superb Dutch scouting by a sub that snuck out of DEI and into the open ocean south of Guam picks up two more IJN carriers apparently making their way for the Port Moresby area. The sub is hunted down and sunk, but the invaluable information gave US forces closing in on Port Moresby from the east the confidence to attack as they knew only one carrier was in the immediate vicinity. The Enterprise and Saratoga, along with a few support ships, had been full steam ahead to assist the Aussies but it became clear they were outnumbered and outgunned. Do we wait for more USN ships to arrive, or assemble with the two local Aussie cruisers to harass the IJN? US bombers at Rabaul spot a lone BB to the east, separated from the rest of the IJN fleet at Port Moresby. Had I not known about the two other IJN carriers near Guam I wouldn't have decided to commit my own against this single target and with little support, but the rest of the IJN at Port Moresby would require 2 weeks to reach my fleet, giving them time to escape east if the IJN pursued. I prep and send the Enterprise and quickly sink the BB and keep the Saratoga in reserve with CAP support, as their damaged flattop could potentially reach my fleet depending on its aircraft range. Plus, I wasn't sure where his 4th flattop was which could have been around the Gilbert Islands to the north. South of Rangoon, the Yamato makes an imposing appearance and draws out the UK fleet. The massive ship is listing heavily but manages to escape, damaging 2 BB's, a cruiser and sub in the battle. Weather keeps UK air grounded in the attack. Chinese are giving up ground slowly but are managing to put up a fight. Two Japanese tank divisions are in the Rangoon area now and Allied commanders are deciding whether to pull back to better defensive positions before they are overrun. A third Japanese armored division is moved into the Rangoon area! On August 24th General Hutton, in the face of aggressive and concentrated Japanese armored divisions, is ordered to evacuate Rangoon as "expeditiously as possible”. General Stilwell commands the remaining forces in a fall-back defensive line to keep advancing Japanese forces in check while the Brits reform in India. In China, soldiers celebrate their first routing of a Japanese Army. The US is still preparing their continued operations in the Pacific and a US sub runs into BB off of Guam.

Udet (Japan) vs Timskorn (Allies) Despite being a beta tester, due to life circumstances I didn't get much time into Operation Z as someone like Blashy did, but I did a have a couple games under my belt prior to this, but not enough to avoid mistakes as you'll see. The game is still progressing. We are into March of 1943, and will be posting in "blocks" so I can provide screenshots. December 7th, 1941-June 1942 Japanese forces destroy the bulk of the US fleet at Pearl Harbor, America is shocked and rally to defeat this cowardly foe! Thailand is quickly invaded and succumbs to the Japanese. Forces land at Singapore and catch the Philippine's off guard, and US naval forces in the area, in a fit of rage, dive straight into combat against the BB Humana. A US sub and destroyer deal significant damage to an already wounded ship, having taking port fire from Hong Kong, but cannot sink it and are subsequently destroyed. US fighter is destroyed but B-17's relocate south and hammer Saigon, disrupting supply to the local Japanese air forces hitting British positions in Singapore. It doesn't take long for Manila to fall though and the bombers are relocated to Rabaul to support Port Moresby, where heavy fighting between the Aussie Kanga's and two SNLF divisions threatens to bring the Japanese closer to Australia. Sizeable IJN forces are spotted in the area as they support the SNLF, including one flattop, but after reorganizing at Rabaul the B-17's go to work again and score a direct hit on the carrier! Preliminary reports indicate the carrier itself and aircraft refueling on deck were damaged in the attack, but to what extent is unknown. The carrier appears to have withdrawn from the area. The British under General Hutton with support from General Stilwell, two Chinese divisions and the Flying Tigers look to check the advance of Japanese forces against Rangoon. Forces have been taking heavy losses, but the city stands against at least one SNLF and tank division. An Aussie division and the 7th Armored have been sent to support operations there. China holds firm, but the Japanese have taken Changsha and Foochow. Singapore falls in early May after a tenacious British defense behind the river and holds off 3 SNLF divisions for awhile, but the fall of Singapore sends Dutch troops fleeing in panic. The East Indies are next…how long will they be able to hold? Will they get support from their Australian brothers? The US is gearing up and in the meantime, making their presence known in the Pacific by shuffling in air and bomber divisions to help the Aussies and keep an eye on the IJN.