AAR: Operation Z 'The First Cut is the deepest'

[Didz]

Operation Z - The First Cut is the Deepest.

I'm not sure what forum policy is on the posting of AAR's, there do not seem to be many on the forum, and I couldn't find any specific board for posting them, so if this is wrong or inappropriate then just let me know and I shall stop.

However, I normally like to keep a record of my games, either as notes, blogs or AAR's, so that I can go back a laugh at the stupid decisions and assumptions I made earlier, and I find that forums are usually the most satisfying places to record these as it usually leads to a lot of interesting debate, advice and comparative analysis with other players.

So, this is my first attempt to play Strategic Command Pacific Theatre and I've chosen to play Allied on Beginner setting. Probably, not going to impress anyone with that choice, but it is my first attempt at the game so I'm going easy on myself.

The idea is to get a feel for the game and learn as I play, so hopefully this thread will gradually become a record of what to do, and what not to do.

Please feel free to jump in and tell me what an idiot I am at any time, I don't mind being interupted. The game is ongoing, so you might even save me from myself if you're quick enough.

Test Image

Ok! first problem seems to be that the VB code for spoilers isn't activated on this forum which means that images can't be hidden to reduce post length.

I'll probably have to get round that by using thumbnails and hoping the links work, not ideal but probably better than simply posting links.

[Hubert Cater]

Hi Didz, no problem with posting an AAR here at all, in fact we encourage it!

Welcome aboard

[Didz]

7/12/1941 The First Cut

The opening moves of Japan and my initial response strategy.

An Infamous Day

The attack on the US Fleet at Pearl Harbour on the 7th December 1941 was the most significant of many Japanese attacks in December 1941. At the end of that day the US fleet in Pearl Harbour had been eliminated, only the cruiser USS San Fransico and the destroyer Conyngham survived and they only did so because they happened to be at sea when the attack took place.

In China, the Japanese 11th Army began its advance south from Wuhan, inflicting heavy losses on the Chinese 4th Army protectng the rail link north of Changsha.

Hong Kong was heavily bombed and bombarded and Maltby's small British Corps was barely holding onto the city itself and was beseiged by the Japanese 23rd Army

Further south the British Army in Singapore was also suffering. Troops of the Japanese 25th Army had seized Singora and Kota Bharu would be in Japanese hands shortly.

Bangkok was in Japanese hands and Thailand had already surrendered to Japan.

The Phillipines had been bombed, but so far Japanese aggression had been limited to the appearance of a Japanese destroyer scouting Lamon Bay. Though, few doubted that the Phillipines would be next on the list of Japanese targets.

The race for survival

The initial reaction of the Allied command was to salvage all that could be salvaged and to sacrifice the rest to buy time for those that had a chance of escape.

Most surviving naval elements began heading at full steam for their respective home ports. The only exception being the submarines who headed north with the intention of preying on Japanese merchantmen operating between Japan and Indo-China. The most notable escapee was the battleship HMS Prince of Wales which managed to survive both air attacks and naval interdiction to make its way out of The Gulf of Siam and into the Bay of Bengal.

Most of the allied air units were also withdrawn. The Dutch fighters at Soerabaja on Java flying to a new base near Darwin, and the US tactical bombers on the Phillipines being withdrawn to Cairns in Australia. Only the fighters of the Far Eastern Air Force at Kuala Lumpur were unable to escape and their fate would soon be sealed.

The Dust Settles.

As the dust settled over the first battles the Allied commanders began to consider their options. Strategy guides were consulted, production quota's checked, and unit capabilities inspected.

The eventually strategy adopted was the best that they thought could be achieved with the limited resources currently available.

China

China would adopt a strategy of stubborn defence in the face of Japanese aggression. It's armies would dig in and fortify as far as possible seeking to delay any Japanese advances, particularly along the roads to Chungking and Kunming.

In the west the Chinese 5th and 6th Armies would be moved from their location near Kunming into Burma with the intention of protecting the road from Mandalay and assisting the British defence of the Burmese frontier. The Flying Tiger squadron would be attached to this force which would eventually be placed under the command of General Joseph Stillwell.

The primary strategic goal of China will be to defend Kunming for as long as possible and at any cost.

Their primary investment will be to improve the quality of their infantry weapons to match and hopefully exceed those of the Japanese.

Britain

The initial British objective will be to hold onto Singapore for as long as possible. Whilst it will inevitably fall, the longer this can be delayed the longer Singapore will tied down Japanese troops and reduce the pressure on Burma and India. Therefore, regardless of the waste British units in Singapore will be given top priority for reinforcement and upgrade.

In the long term the primary stategic goal will be to retain possession of India. The key cities of Dimapur, Imphal and Chitagong must not fall into enemy hands and so the sacrifices in Singapore are intended to buy the British time to bring in additional troops to form a viable defence.

The first line of defence will be the Burmese frontier aided by Stillwell's Chinese forces. This defence line will be difficult to breach if it can be established, and the real threat will then be the possibility of a Japanese Naval Invasion from The Bay of Bengal.

To try and prevent this every British and Allied warship which can be salvaged from the fight will be withdrawn into the Indian ocean and repaired and refitted ready for the defence of the Indian coast.

The main focus of British investment will be in anti-aircraft warfare, mobility and naval warfare, as the main strength and threat seems to be the dominance of the Japanese Navy and Air Force.

If opportunity arises the British will also seek to use their diplomatic influence to bring Communist China, The Kingdom of Nepal and East Timor into the war as early as possible.

United States

The Phillipines will be held for as long as possible. However, the main aim of the United States will be to prevent the Japanese capturing Hawaii or landing troops on mainland Australia. In the later case the USA must compensate for the fact that the British will be focussing most of their attention on the defence of India and so only limited resources will be available for the defence of the Australian coastline, or indeed anywhere else.

It will take the USA time to gear up to its full war capacity and so caution will be adopted intially. Heavy investment being ploughed into Advanced Submarine Research, Long Range Aircraft and Naval Warfare, plus as much improvement as possible in Production and Industrial Technology. Intelligence and infrastructure will also be improved.

The only initial aggressive strategy will be to attack the Japanese supply convoys as heavily as possible with the submarines available.

Russia

The one allied faction yet to declare war on Japan, Russia will prepare as best it can for the inevitable conflict with the limited resources at its disposal, concentrating on improving both its armour and artillery equipment.

Summary

This was the initial plan adopted by the Allies for this campaign, and is based largely on the strategy guide in the game manual. Overall, its a case of blunting the Japanese thrusts as far as possible whilst buying time to build up a force capable of taking the offensive.

[Didz]

6th January 1942: According to Plan

The Northern Front

In China, General Xue's Army Group consisting of the three Infantry Armies supported by the 1st Artillery are dug in and ready to defend the area around Changsha and Kweilin. The first Japanese troops have been reported in Wuhan. But the Chinese are confident some have already recieved their new infantry and anti-tank weapons.

At the port of Foochow and attempt to bombard the chinese defenders with the battleships with the battleships Kongo and Haruna achieves little except heavy damage to both vessels from the shore defences.

Japanese landings on the Phillipines have more success and morale of the Phillipine defence forces is pretty low together withn their readiness to fight.

At sea the USN submarine Seal begins its taks of hunting Japanese merchant ships carrying iron and rubber from Indo-China to Japan. The Japanese navy responds by sending a destroyer deal with them.

Singapore still holds

Singpore is still in British hands, although Kaula Lumpur has fallen and only Singapore Island still holds out.

Stillwell Arrives in Burma

General Stillwell has arrived in Burma and his Chinese Army Group is moving into position to defend the line of the river Salween.

Unfortunately, Mandalay and the oil fields of Yenangyaung remain unprotected and only the weak Burmese Army Corps is defending Rangoon. The British simply don't have the men needed to do any more.

A Minor Victory of Sorts

As Japanese forces launched their expected invasion of the Phillipines, the various Allied naval forces in the area attempted to make their escape eastwards through the Sula Passage between North Borneo and Mindanao.

These forces were a hotch potch of ships mainly brought together by the restricted waters between the two islands and included the British destroyer HMS Scout, the US Cruiser Houston and the US destroyer John D Ford.

By accident or design they found themselves sailing through the Sula Passage at precisely the same moment as a more powerful Japanese fleet consisting of the cruiser Myoko and the destroyer Tokitsukaze was entering it from the opposite direction.

A fierce engagement ensued as the allied ships tried to fight their way past the more powerful Japanese vessels and the allied ships suffered heavy damage. However, as they emerged from the far side into the relatively open water of the Celebes Sea they ran straight into the Japanese Carrier Ryujo, which had been left completely unescorted, presumbly by the ships they had just passed.

Although badly damaged the allied ships immediately attacked the Japanese carrier and inflicted heavy damage on it, forcing it to break off and flee northward before they finally lost contact. The Myoko and its destroyer escort rushed back to the area but were too slow to catch the allied ships, which managed to escape eastwards.

So, as the Ryujo limped away northwards the Japanese were left to ponder the wisdom of leaving their carriers unescorted.

The US Carriers

Meanwhile the first two US Carriers Saratoga and Enterprise are in the final stages of being made ready for operations on the east coast of America. These carriers together with the surviving ships from Pearl Harbour will form the first US Navy Task Force.

[Didz]

26th January 1942 - Holding the line

The Northern Front

Three weeks later and little has changed.

General Xue's Army Group is still holding the positions it held on the 6th, having given the Japanese 1st Tank Group a bloody nose when it tried to contest their occupation.

In fact, the Japanese were so intimidated by the strong position occupied by Xue's men around Changsha, that they have brought up a second Army Group from the south in the hope of making better progress against his defences in Kweilin. The Japanese 35th Army has already attempted to asault Kweilin several times and has been bloodily replused on each occassion, their morale is now extremely low, whilst the Chinese defenders of the 44th Army remain confident.

Nevertheless, General Xue recognises the threat that the attacks on Kweilin pose to his position. If the Japanese do break through at Kweilin they might easily cut his supply line to Kweiyang and ultimately isolate and destroy his entire Army Group. So, for the first time in a month General Xue begins to consider a retreat on Kweiyang.

At Foochow the 36th Army still holds, although the Japanese have finally given up trying to bombard them into submission and two Japanese Armies are at last moving into position to try and take the port the old fashioned way.

On the Phillipines fighting for Manilla continues though its unlikely that the South Luzon Corps holding it will fight for much longer.

The Burmese Front

In Burma things were looking less stable.

Singapore is still holding out despite heavy bombardment and repeated assaults, but the British are still too short of troops to establish a viable defence along the road to Mandalay.

In the east Stillwell's Chinese Army Group has established a strong defence line on the River Salween blocking the road from Chiengmai to Lashio, but the rest of the defence line is only covered by the Burmese Corps in Rangoon and the newly arrive British Corps of General Hutton at Mandalay. It seems almost certain that the British will lose Rangoon, and unless fresh troops arrive soon they may not be able to hold at Mandalay either.

However, things are not entirely straight forward for the Japanese either. The Flying Tigers have been launching repeated air strikes against their tactical bomber base provoking an almost continuous air battle over the heads of the Japanese advance, and the Japanese seem to be getting the worse of it. What they lack is any tactical bomber capability to expliot their advantage and the hope is that the USA will be able to supply some bombers shortly.

The British are also expecting the imminent arrival of the 7th Armoured Division which should help to bolster their defences considerably.

In the meantime, allied ships are jamming every port in southern Indian clamouring for the attentions of the dockyard to refit them them for battle. So, far only the battleship Royal Soveriegn and the cruiser Exeter are ready for action, and its a race against time to build up a force capable of holding the Bay of Bengal.

[SeaMonkey]

Nice AAR Didz, is this after the 1.03 patch?

[Didz]

Nice AAR Didz, is this after the 1.03 patch?

Yes. I only bought the game a couple of days ago and updated to the latest patch level immediately. I think the demo was 1.01, but I can't say I've noticed much difference.

[arado234]

Didz this is a real neat posting.

[Didz]

7th March 1942 - Difficult Decisions

The Northern Front - A tactical withdrawal.

For General Xue the inevitable situation he had predicted in late January was finally a reality. The Japanese pressure on the 44th Army at Kweilin had increased significantly and the imminent fall of Foochow would almost certainly release further Japanese troops for deployment in the south.

Whilst the 44th Army had acquitted itself with honour in the defence of Kweilin, and had given as good as it got against the Japanese 35th, it was now faced with additional pressure from the experienced Japanese 22nd Army and its confidence was beginning to falter. The situation was made worse by the fact that for unexplained logistically reasons the 44th had not received any of the new weaponry allocated to the rest of the Army Group.

It was still holding for the moment, but General Xue sensed that it would not hold for much longer and if it gave way suddenly the Japanese would flood into the lowlands east of Kweiyang and sever the road down which the supplies for his entire Army Group must travel.

The destruction of his army would not only be a personal disaster for General Xue, but would leave a gaping hole in the south front of the defence of China and would expose the vital road junction at Kweiyang to direct attack.

Xue could therefore see no alternative but to fall back and form a new defence line north east of Kweilin. However, it was not that simple, for such a withdrawal would not only surrender the valuable resources of Changsha to the Japanese but would also surrender the rail junction in that city to the Japanese Army. If, or perhaps pessimistically when, Kweilin subsequently fell this would give the Japanese an unbroken rail link from Manchuria all the way to Burma, and with it the ability to move troops rapidly from one theatre to the other.

Therefore, whilst withdrawal was unavoidable, Kweilin must be denied to the Japanese for as long as possible. The 44th Army must therefore continue to hold, at least until it can be relieved, and sacrificed if necessary to deny the Japanese the rail link for as long as possible.

Xue Withdraws

Xue's withdrawal is completed without incident and his Army Group settles into its new defence line north of Kweilin. The 44th are still exposed to potentially heavy assault in Kweilin, but it is hoped to replace them with the better equipped 10th Army at soon as an opportunity arises.

In the meantime they have been reinforced and may gain some fire support from the 1st Artillery to the north.

Xue's withdrawal has also placed the inexperienced 53rd Army at Kweiyang under his command and his first action has been to order the issue of the improved infantry and anti-tank weapons to this force. With the intention of moving forward into the front line as soon as possible.

Burma - Rangoon and Singapore have fallen.

The ill prepared Burmese troops defending Rangoon have surrendered and the Japanese are now in possession of the port and on the road to Mandalay.

In the east Stillwell's Chinese are digging in along the banks of the Salween river to block the road to Lashio, however, this will be a pointless exercise if Mandalay falls. Supply is already proving a problem for Stillwells troops with both his infantry armies reporting shortages of food and ammunition [supply 3].

Stillwell has moved his HQ closer to the front in the hope of improving the logistical situation. In the meantime The Flying Tigers have opened the battle by deliberately launching strafing attacks on the known location of a Japanese bomber tactical squadron. This in turn has forced the Japanese to emply their nearby fighters to interdict the attacks and a massive battle for air superiority has begun over the Salween river line.

The Japanese have responded by shelling the Chinese positions, and unfortunately the lack of artillery or tactical bombers means that there is no obvious counter measure that can be taken against them.

Meanwhile, the 7th Armoured have arrived at Columbo (Ceylon) and are being loaded onto ships for rapid sea transport to either Chittagong or Calcutta. The initial units of the 1st Australian Corps have also arrived in Ceylon and are being rushed to the port of Trincomalee with the intention of conducting a similar sea transport for them also. Such use of naval convoys are a calculated risk as although no IJN ships have actually been spotted in the Bay of Bengal, were they to suddenly pounce on a naval troop convoy in transit the results would be disasterous for the future of the Burma Campaign. At the moment the only protection available for these convoys is the battleship Royal Soveriegn and the cruiser Exeter , who would be no match for a Japanese Naval Task Force.

Work continues to refit the ships of the Royal Navy and prepare them to return to operational duty. The Carrier Indomitable has just arrived at Vizagapatam and is being given a priority refit, whilst the battleship Prince of Wales is repaired and ready for active duty, as is the Dutch cruiser de Ruyter and the destroyer Electra.

[AZGungHo]

Nice AAR - glad to see folks are still playing and that new players are jumping in! I look forward to seeing more soon!

[crispy131313]

I just bought Pacific Theatre today as well, I'll have growing pains as well I'm sure. Pacific seems very different than the European Theatre.

[Hubert Cater]

This is excellent Didz, thanks for sharing!

[Didz]

I just bought Pacific Theatre today as well, I'll have growing pains as well I'm sure. Pacific seems very different than the European Theatre.

We'll have to share notes, I'm finding the sheer scale of the campaign demands a lot of concentration just to avoid forgetting something. I have to keep stopping to research the manual too as sometimes things happen I just don't understand. Like the sudden drop in the supply status of Stillwell's Army Group. It would actually be useful to be able to call up a supply overlay that just indicated the supply level available in each hex or something.

[Didz]

7th March 1942 - Difficult Decisions (Continued)

[Note: I've only just realised that this site has a 2 hour limit on post editing, hence I apologise for the disjointed posting of this turn. I actually left the USA until this morning as it was getting late, and now can't add it to my original.]

The USA.

Whilst the British and Chinese battled with difficult decisions in the jungles and mountains of the western theatre, the USA had some difficult decisions to face of its own.

The carriers Saratoga and Enterprise have just been dispatched to Pearl Harbour, along with as many escorts as the US Navy has on hand and can can spare. There are doubts as to whether this force is strong enough to face the Japanese Navy, but there is also concern that doing nothing could allow the IJN to seize the initiative and capture Hawaii.

The island itself was now better defended by the 2nd Marine Corps with its fighters, special forces and anti-air defence units all stationed there, but there were still doubts as to whether it would be enough, and these were made worse by the lack of knowledge about where the Japs actually were.

Since the attack on Pearl Harbour things had gone very quiet, and the lack of information led to wild speculation about where the main Japanese fleet would strike next.

So, whilst the USA continued to send all its available assets to Hawaii, there was a recognition that simply sitting at Pearl and waiting for the Japanese was not an option.

A decision would need to be made about what to do next, and that decision would be made even more difficult by the lack of any real intelligence about Japanese plans.

At Cairn's on the north coast of Australia the USAF 1st Bomber Group (formerly the Far Eastern Bomber Group from the Phillipines) was bombing reported Japanese units at Rabaul on New Britain. That in itself was worrying as with the Japanese so close to the north coast of Australia the potential for invasion from the Coral Sea was very real.

But could the USN actually do anything to stop it even if it happened?

These decisions did not have to be made immediately, but they would have to be made, and the USA realised that it might simply be a case of 'damned if you do, and damned if you don't' as far as the commitment of its assets were concerned.

[Didz]

27th March 1942 The Battle for Kweilin Begins

Foochow has finally fallen and, with the 36th Army destroyed, the Japanese are now free to concentrate their full attention on their push towards kweiyang. Intelligence immediately reported the movement of additional Japanese forces to the Chinese front.

At Kweilin the predicted Japanese assault against the poorly equipped 44th Army took place. But despite heavy losses the 44th supported by the 1st Artillery held their ground and gave as good as they got.

More importantly, by the 27th, General Xue was able to withdraw the 44th from Kweilin into the mountains to the north-west and replace them with the better equipped 10th Army. The 10th place in the defence line being filled by the inexperienced but newly equipped 53rd Army from Kweichang.

With the planned withdrawal to Kweilin now complete, Xue's next objective is to plan the defence of Kweiyang, if and when, he needs to abandon the Kweilin line.

His intention is to build a line of fortifications across the valley to the east of Kweiyang using the newly arrived 1st Engineers, and to withdraw the battle tested 44th into Kweiyang for a well deserved rest and refit to bring them up to par with the equipment of the rest of his army.

Whether he can do this will depend on how much pressure the Japanese 22nd Army places on the 44th in its new mountain positions. It may be necessary to perform another passage of lines to extract them, which will mean demanding the assignment of a fresh army to the front from Chungking or Kunming.

Nevertheless, Xue feels satisfied with the situation at the moment. The morale of the Japanese 35th and 22nd Armies has fallen significantly as a result of their failed attacks on Kweilin, whilst his own men have gained more confidence. Plus, all the evidence suggests that his troops are receiving more supplies than their Japanese counter-parts, so hopefully the Kweilin defence line can be held for long enough to finish the preparations for the defence of Kweiyang.

27th March 1942 The Battle for Mandalay

Japanese attacks on the Chinese 6th Army east of Lashio and General Huttons British Corps defending Mandalay achieved nothing, the losses being replaced immediately, and the gamble of using naval transport to deliver the 7th Armoured and 1st Australian Corps to Chittagong paid off. Both these assets are now moving to join Hutton at Mandalay and encouraged by this success the British are now trying to transport the newly arrived East African Corps in the same manner. At least this time the convoy has a respectable level of naval protection.

The battle for air supremacy over the Burmese frontier continues, though the strain is begining to tell on the pilots of the Flying Tiger squadrons.[43% Morale]

In the Bay of Bengal the efforts of the Indian dockyards has managed to prepare a respectable fleet for operational duty which includes the battleships Prince of Wales and Royal Soveriegn, the cruisers Exeter and de Ruyter, and the destroyer Electra.

The carrier HMS Indomitable is in Vizagapatam waiting for new aircraft before putting to sea, whilst the free French destroyer Le Triomphant is ready for sea at Calcutta.

How best to use these ships will be the next challenge for the British.

[jon_j_rambo]

@Didz --- Very impressive write-up, screen shots, & "arrow" additions. You a technical writer?

[Didz]

@Didz --- Very impressive write-up, screen shots, & "arrow" additions. You a technical writer?

Nope! Just happen to have a copy of visio on my PC.

[Didz]

27th March 1942 Back in the USA

The news of the Japanese capture of the Solomon Islands was viewed with concern in the USA. Not because the Solomon's were of any particular strategic value, but simply because the American's could see a pattern emerging which did not bode well for the USA or its allies and which only the USA was is a position to counter.

It was becoming clear to US strategic planners that Japan's pattern of island hopping was working steadily eastwards and if left unchecked would drive a wedge between the mainland USA and its main base at Hawaii and the Australian mainland.

With that wedge in place, and assuming that the Japanese could establish airfields on all the islands it had captured then the central pacific would become a Japanese lake, within which, the Japanese fleet could operate almost with impunity.

The British had no way of stopping this advance as their resources were fully committed to the defence of Burma. It was up to the USA to put a stop to it, the only problem was how. Ideally, the USA would dispatch the marines and garrison every island in the path of the Japanese advance supported by fighters and long-range bombers to fend off the enemy assault forces. But those assets were simply not available yet, and even if they were getting them to an island under the noses of the Japanese Navy would be no easy task.

In the meantime, MacArthur had managed to escape from Corrigador and had landed in Australia even though his men were still fighting on the Phillipines. Perhaps, he would be able to think of something.

[Bill101]

I really like the screenshots with the arrows and text, it looks great, and looking at this is putting me in the mood for playing yet another game of OpZ!

[Didz]

16th April 1942 - Kweilin Still Holds

As General Xue had predicted during the period between the end of March and the middle of April the Japanese threw everything they could at the defenders of Kweilin determined to drive the Chinese 10th Army out of its positions and seize the city.

Japanese troops from the 22nd, 23rd and 35th Armies launched wave after wave of attacks on the city, whilst bombers reduced the city to rubble around them. But despite their losses the men of Xue's 10th Army refused to be dislodged and Xue continued to feed reinforcements into the cities defences so that on the 16th April the Japanese were no closer to capturing it than they were on the 27th March.

During this period the 44th Army could not be extracted from the line for fear that the Japanese would try to expliot the high ground they occupied to isolate the city defenders. But true to his word Xue demanded that the 22nd Army defending Chunking be moved to Kweiyang with the intention of using them to replace the 44th as soon as circumstances allowed. He also ordered that the 2nd Tactical Bomber Wing be moved closer to the front so that it could provide support for the Kweilin defenders.

In the meantime, the engineers of the 1st Engineer Corps were making a start on the fortifications for Kweiyang.

Ichang Bombarded

Further north the troops of the Chinese 2nd Army bug in to defend the city of Ichang came under artillery bombardment and attack from Mongolian troops attached to a Japanese Army based at Wuhan.

It is possible that this may be the opening phase of a plan to launch a second push directly up the Yanze valley towards Chungking.

If so it would need serious attention as Chungking must not fall into Japanese hands.

[Didz]

16th April 1942 - Surprises all round in Burma

The attacks by the 1st Sasebo and 4th Yokosuku SNLF Armies on Mandalay inflicted heavy casualties on General Huttons defenders but failed to take the town.

Likewise, the Japanese attempts to force a crossing of the Salween river failed to make much impression on the Chinese 6th Army.

The Burma defence line had held for a few more weeks.

Meanwhile, the 7th Armoured Corps and the 1st Australian Corps were making their way south as fast as possible.

The original intention of the 7th Armoured was to make its way down to the banks of the Irriwaddy River west of Mandalay and hopefully cross the river and to relieve Hutton's Corps.

However, these plans were abandoned when ironically the 7th Armoured found itself directly opposed by the Japanese 3rd Tank Group. The Japanese had already crossed the river and were poised to continue their advance in Chittagong, and so the 7th had to deploy immediately to block their path.

The Japanese tanks were heavier than the British and so the immediate priority for the 7th Armoured was to find some good defensive terrain upon which to block their advance. It was decided that under the circumstances a descent down into the Irriwaddy Valley where they might be exposed to attack from the enemy tanks on the hills above was not a good idea and instead the 7th continued south occupying the high ground itself and denying it to the enemy. [Tropical Hills +2 Armoured Defence]

This move uncovered another surprise as forward patrols from the 7th reported the existence of large force of paratroops camped in the marshland below them near to the coast. Realising the potential danger posed by an airbourne assault behind their lines the British immediately changed their plans and priorities.

Having safely escorted the troop convoy carrying the East African Corps to Chittagong and seen them safely ashore, the Royal Navy now turned its full attention on the parachutists of the 3rd Yokosuka SNLF.

The Battleships 'Royal Soveriegn' and 'Prince of Wales', together with the cruiser 'Exeter' steamed down the coast and bombarded their camp from close offshore, whilst the carrier 'Indomitable' stood back further off the coast providing air cover and performing its own bombing and strafing runs over the parachutists positions.

The Free French and Dutch navy covered the bombardment group against any possible naval attack from the Adaman Sea.

Meanwhile, further west the destroyer 'Electra' performed a long sweep along the Dutch East Indies trade route hunting for enemy submarines or scouting vessels.

It found one when it made contact with the Japanese Destroyer'Inazuma' at the mouth of the Malacca Strait and a fierce naval battle ensued in which the Japanese destroyer came off worse slightly worse.

Battle in the Java Sea

Further east a small drama was unfolding in the Java Sea. The Australian Navy destroyer 'HMAS Napier' fresh from refit at Port Headland was steaming north to scout the channels between Java and Bali hoping to find a Japanese submarine or destroyer. Instead it spotted what appeared to be a lone Japanese Cruiser on the far side of the Selat Lombok in the Laut Bali. In a rather rash decision the Captain of the Napier charged through the narrow straits and set upon the Japanese Cruiser which perhaps taken by surprise fled northwards into the Celebes Sea.

However, no sooner had it managed to escape with its tail between its legs than first a Japanese Destroyer 'Hatsuyuki' appeared on the scene steaming down the Java strait from the west and proceeding to attack the 'Napier', which once again gave as good as it got. Then finally the Japanese Battleship 'Kongo' appeared from the same direction and it too suffered serious damage trying to sink the 'Napier'.

Having seriously damaged a Japanese battleship, cruiser and destroyer the 'Napier' finally decided not to push its luck by attacking the carrier reported in the Celebes Sea, but instead to head back to port for repairs and a well earned 'tinnie' or two.

[Didz]

16th April 1942 (cont'd) The Phillipines have fallen

After months of fighting the US forces in the fortress of Corregidor have finally surrendered and the Phillipines are now completely in Japanese hands.

On another sad note the luck of the USS Seal (SS183) which had been hunting Japanese merchant ships in the China Sea since the start of the war finally run out this month and she was sunk somewhere off the coast of Okinawa.

US Fleet Returns to Pearl Harbour

The first elements of the US Pacific Fleet have returned to Pearl Harbour. The battleship USS Nevada never actually left being refloated and repaired at Pearl after the Japanese attack, however, she has now been joined by the cruiser USS San Francisco and the destroyer USS Conyngham. Further elements should arrive over the next few days including the carriers Saratoga and Enterprise.

Meanwhile back in San Deigo the USS Colorado (BB45) has arrived from Washington and is starting a refit before joining them.

MacArthur arrives in in Brisbane

After a long train journey from Adelaide General MacArthur has arrived in Brisbane to join the 148th Field Artillery already stationed there, and a decision will need to be made on how best to use his talents.

Kanga Force sails for Port Moresby

In the meantime, the British having almost completed the refit of their Far Eastern Fleet are beginning to invest limited resources in the defence of Australia.

In particular, they have decided to try and defend New Guinea and are in the process of transporting Kanga Force to Port Moresby, escorted by the cruiser HMAS Perth. Hopefully, the Japanese fleet will stay out of the Coral Sea until after they have arrived.

American Industry Gears Up for War.

The initial issue of whether to invest in industry or the navy had resulted in most investment being focussed on getting the existing fleet ready for war.

Now with that task almost complete the US government has begun to focus on maximising its industrial potential in order to provide its armed forces with the best tools to do the job, and a lot more of them. Total research funding now stands at 1,250 MMP our of a possible 1,750 and the US intention is to spend an additional 500 MMP as soon as possible.

[arado234]

I dont think I have ever seen anyone display turns like this.Its pretty neat.

[crispy131313]

I don't know how I can enjoy a regular AAR ever again

[jon_j_rambo]

No doubt. I nominate this dude for Strategic Command Player of the Year.