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 Hello! Welcome back to War in the Pacific. You may have followed this game through Pharnakes’ thread that ended recently. I’ve been halfheartedly LPing the Allied side on twitter and elsewhere, but with Pharnakes too busy to keep up here on SA, I figure it’s time I picked up the torch. It is April 1943. Japan controls a vast swathe of territory, extending beyond her historical limits to include northern Australia and most of British India. China is out of the war. The main body of the Japanese carrier fleet, the Kido Butai, still rules the Pacific, having won a streak of battles against the USN and Royal Navy. The American war machine is on the cusp of major achievements, though: the first Essex-class carriers are due within 90 days. The first F6F Hellcats were delivered today. An infusion of Commonwealth reinforcements has arrived in India from Egypt. The tide of the war could be about to turn. So: a quick recap, then an overview of the current situation, and then we’ll go into day-by-day post mode. The War So Far December 1941 Pearl Harbor was bad, but quite a bit better than reality - no battleships were outright sunk, though all 8 were damaged to some degree or another. The loss of USS Saratoga to a Japanese submarine off San Francisco on December 10 was far more detrimental to the war effort. The British carriers Ark Royal and Hermes sunk the Japanese battleship Yamashiro near Celebes on December 19, amidst a wild ABDA melee. Wake Island was seized by the enemy, though the garrison put up a good fight. 1942 The Philippines fall relatively early, thanks to MacArthur’s (read: my) incompetence. Japan moves quickly to conquer Malaya, Singapore, and all the Indonesian islands other than Java and Sumatra. The Dutch hold out surprisingly long at Palembang and Bandoeng, tying down troops. Bandoeng, in central Java, resists until August 9! The Japanese light carrier Ryujo was torpedoed and sunk by Dutch and American submarines February 9 1942. An invasion of Midway Island by two SNLFs was defeated on March 10. What first appears to be a raid on Ceylon begins March 12, 1942. It quickly becomes evident this is an invasion force. HMS Indomitable is sunk in Colombo harbor March 15, 1942. Landings follow, Ceylon falls quickly. India braces for invasion. The brave Dutch and Australian defenders of Ambon surrender on March 24. The Japanese immediately turn their gaze southwards… Thus, Northern Australia is invaded, with landings at Darwin on March 30 1942. By the end of April, they’ll have advanced to Katherine and beyond against weak, undersupplied Australian resistance. The Japanese invasion of India proper (well, modern Bangladesh) began at Chittagong on May 3, 1942. Burmacorps abandons Burma and withdraws, leaving only a token force behind to stall the IJA. May 8: A Midway invasion scare prompts me to heavily reinforce it and build up the small islands in the chain between Midway and Hawaii. June 28-29 1942 saw the Battle of the Yasawa Islands, another USN defeat - losing Hornet and Lexington in return for apparently-superficial damage to Zuikaku and Hiryu. On July 1, Jessore falls, and Calcutta is under siege. The IJA begins to encircle the whole region, pushing north and east and conducting additional landings. August 4 1942: HMS Prince of Wales sunk near Trivandrum by Betty bombers. Tabiteuea was seized from Japanese control August 7 1942, giving the USN a proper base in the Gilberts. Tarawa itself is haphazardly grabbed on August 10, but is eventually retaken by a Japanese counteroffensive. December 3: Calcutta falls to 100,000 Japanese troops. Jamshedpur and Ranchi surrender shortly thereafter, gutting the Allied army in India and freeing up hordes of enemies to advance into the interior. 1943 January 19: Yorktown and Wasp (along with 5 CVEs and modern fast battleship USS Indiana) are sunk in a major carrier battle versus Shokaku, Zuikaku, Tairyu and Donryu east of the Gilberts. Of the American carriers, only Enterprise, one CVE, and Ranger (in the Atlantic) remain. A few IJN carriers are damaged in return. This is a bad one. January 25: As part of the response to the battle of January 19, hybrid battlecarriers Hamilton and Scourge begin conversion into full CVs. February 1, 1943: President Roosevelt succumbs to a sudden cerebral hemorrhage shortly after returning from the Casablanca Conference. Vice President Henry Wallace assumes command. February 10, 1943: Hyderabad falls. February 17, 1943: Surprise attack on Tokyo! Enterprise carefully traced a route through the weakest search coverage to slip into SBD range of the Japanese capitol. A slap in the face to the enemy! A demonstrative strike is made on the city, targeting enemy aircraft factories. After sinking a fully-loaded Japanese transport for good measure, they head northeast towards Adak Island to escape the IJN's wrath. Feb 21-22 1943: Enterprise and her task force are caught just southwest of Adak Island by Shokaku and Donryu, along with CVLs Hiho, Shoho and Kuroho, and perhaps others. One bomb hit is scored on Kuroho, and Enterprise flees towards Amchitka Island. On the 22nd, the carriers trade airstrikes again - Enterprise takes a torpedo but miraculously survives. The enemy withdraws, and Enterprise spends the next month repairing at Adak Island, under the protection of RCAF Hurricanes. Goa falls February 22. Bombay falls February 27. After months of prep work, the Australian-American offensive north towards Katherine in 1943 fails disastrously. Allied aircraft were suppressed and unable to provide CAP, their airfields bombarded. Lilies, Helens, Nicks and Anns had free rein on the retreating Allied column. As a result, the US 32nd and 40th Infantry Divisions, along with several Australian brigades, were almost entirely wiped out by March 10, 1943. The Japanese have continued to make rapid progress on the Indian subcontinent, snatching up the west coast and turning deep into Gujarat, while launching sieges against British strongholds in Central India. They took Surat on March 12, and Ahmedabad shortly thereafter. The fall of Ahmedabad, however, triggered the scripted British emergency reinforcements... Current Situation: April 1, 1943 .png) The rollover of the new month means a slew of new ship upgrades. 8 cruisers, 9 destroyers and several auxiliaries immediately go into the yards. These refits almost universally include additional 40mm Bofors guns, 20mm Oerlikons, and radar. India .jpg) The emergency reinforcements - XXI Indian Corps - have arrived and are moving into position. I think I have a strategic opportunity here. The enemy is spread out conducting sieges all over the subcontinent, and I have a strong new reserve. One of these new divisions (the all-Indian “Waziristan Division”) is laying siege to the recently-captured Ahmedabad (1). It’s an annoying but necessary diversion of force. The 5th and 6th Indian Divisions have been railed in to relieve the siege of Bhopal (2) and are preparing their first bombardment attack. Finally, the 8th Indian, 10th Indian, and 31st Armoured Divisions are marching from Gwalior (3) towards the crossroads at Hex 47, 22 (4), not far from Bhopal. My plan is to win this engagement, relieve Bhopal, then move on towards Nagpur (5) and Jubbulpore (6). In the south, the 41st US Division (7) broke out from the siege of Bellary (8), along with a few other units. Bellary and Bangalore (9) are tying down large numbers of Japanese units, particularly artillery and infantry. Bellary won’t last much longer, but Bangalore is well supplied and will remain a thorn behind enemy lines for some time. Finally, in the north, Japanese tanks are banging at the door at Gorakhpur (10). The air situation is also trending favorably here. I got a big infusion of aircraft in that emergency convoy which is allowing me to reequip multiple squadrons. Spitfire VIIIs might change the game because I’m allowed to fly them at 25,000 feet under our house rules. His advance is also working against him perversely - at this point, I can easily bomb his advancing troops from Delhi without having to worry much about enemy CAP. I’m sure he’s working on setting up airfields (at Indore and Ahmedabad, for example) to fix this. He’ll also rearrange troops to deal with my reinforcements. I only have a brief window of local air and ground superiority to exploit, but I will see that it’s exploited. Australia/SWPAC  Perth (1) remains a major sub base, but no longer hosts any warship larger than a light cruiser. American P-40K sweeps flying from Port Hedland (2) caught a few stray Zeroes over Broome (3), but he seems to be no longer contesting the place. The Gulf of Carpentaria continues to be a war zone. Groote Eyelandt (4) is slowly being resupplied by sea and air. In northeastern Australia and Port Moresby(5), bombers attack Milne Bay(6) daily. An invasion force centered around the US 43rd Infantry Division is gathering at Cairns(7) to take the place in the coming months. South Pacific  I consider the most recent Japanese raid in this theater a mixed bag. His bombardment was devastating to Luganville (1) and the aircraft stationed there, but the multiple mine hits on destroyers and torpedo hit on Ryuho (by TBFs stationed at Ndeni (2))even things out. A failed Nell attack on March 31st and a failed Kate attack on April 1 help level the score, as well. He’s nailed some transports in the Ocean Island (3)/Tabiteuea (4) area with Judies and Kates, but nothing too valuable. Ocean Island was very recently seized, incidentally. I have forces prepped for Nauru waiting for the heat to die down. Long term plans here involve skipping Tarawa for Makin and then Mili. There are also US and ANZAC forces prepped for Guadalcanal if the opening arrives. Central Pacific Preparations for a Wake invasion sometime this year continue. I’m also working on moving my sub base up from Pearl to Midway, having fully upgraded it to a level 4 port. North Pacific  As it has been since the beginning of the war, an Allied-dominated theater. The damaged USS Enterprise (1) slowly heads for the West Coast. She just spent two weeks at Adak Island (2), a major sub base, getting her most serious damage repaired by the repair ship USS Vestal. Her departure means the Vestal is free to fix up the half-dozen subs that also need servicing at Adak. A series of mutually supporting airfields have been built on the western end of the Aleutian chain. A convoy (3) heads west for Adak Island (4), carrying the 18th Canadian Brigade and the 27th Canadian AA Regiment. Carriers .png) .png) The loss of the core of the US carrier fleet demands cooperation with the Royal Navy, at least until the Essexes really start rolling out. The RN and friends don’t have a lot of safe bases in the Indian Ocean to operate out of, anyways. So, a joint US-Commonwealth Pacific carrier force to confront the undefeated Kido Butai. As of April 1, 1943, HMS Hermes is the only fully operational aircraft carrier in the entire Pacific theater. Well, the CVE USS Sangamon is hanging around Australia, too, in position to support a landing at Milne - but the January 19 battle has taught me a bit about relying too much on CVEs. .png) Look at all the flight decks we get over the next six months. The key is going to be avoiding the temptation to take a fair fight. That’s what’s been getting my carriers sunk. I gotta finish the Death Star before I fly it to Alderaan. Air War .png) In other great news, the Hellcat has arrived. The first four F6Fs are sitting in the pool right now. As they trickle in they’ll be used to fill the USN VF groups in priority, starting with Enterprise’s deadly VF-6. The Japanese already have the A6M5 in some of their CAGs, so that complicates things. In general, time works to my advantage - the later into 1943 I prosecute a full-scale carrier battle, the better the odds are. Even if he’s likely to have built at least two new CVs by the end of the year. You can see that my Corsair pool is exhausted - I’ve been putting them into front line service with the Marines as quickly as they arrive, most recently over Ndeni. I’m also basically out of SBDs, after dozens were shot down attacking IJN carriers recently. The upcoming introduction of the SBD-5 should help there. .png) April 1 was a great day in the air - the Japanese carriers sent what seems like a whole Kokutai of Kates off without escort, and P-39s of the 18th Fighter Group had a little turkey shoot. That’s it for the OP. I’ll be editing an index in as we go!
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Aug 8, 2022 05:12
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Excited to see this prosper like Pharnakes' thread.
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Aug 8, 2022 11:20
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How do you feel about the failure of the cow commando to take out Admiral Yamamoto? Also glad to see come to this format.
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Aug 8, 2022 12:44
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Lurked here before, but happy to see this continue.
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Aug 8, 2022 16:15
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Great to see the LP continue from the other side, followed your twitter thread but missed the excitement of Enterprise raiding Tokyo. Hat's off to hanging in there after a couple brutal years, looking forward to the tide turning.
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Aug 8, 2022 23:32
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What an awesome coincidence, I just reached the end of Pharnakes' thread earlier today. I'm excited to see this play out from the other side!Terrifying Effigies posted:missed the excitement of Enterprise raiding Tokyo. Same! What a coup.
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Aug 9, 2022 01:09
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Terrifying Effigies posted:missed the excitement of Enterprise raiding Tokyo. A bold move with Tokyo Bay Fortress unaccounted for and lurking somewhere in the region. Good luck Alikchi
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Aug 9, 2022 06:38
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It's back!
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Aug 9, 2022 19:44
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Aug 9, 2022 20:19
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Glad to see this back!
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Aug 9, 2022 22:19
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Awesome to see this return. Looking forward to finding out more of what the mod you’re playing with adds. Are there any big alt-hist planes and ships that are showing up soon?
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Aug 10, 2022 07:45
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Awesome! I've missed these threads.
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Aug 10, 2022 18:39
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drat you're getting hosed up, was this with one of those turbostart Japan mods?
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Aug 10, 2022 18:44
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ThatBasqueGuy posted:drat you're getting hosed up, was this with one of those turbostart Japan mods? Yes, and Pharnakes is also very good at the game.
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Aug 10, 2022 18:56
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Hooray. This feels like a movie where it does a major switch and we have an entirely different movie. I'm glad your updates on Twitter were not false news.
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Aug 10, 2022 19:04
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Oh yeah, this mod gave a LOT of advantages to Japan compared to base game scenarios. Even restricted some of the Allied advantages and reinforcements as well. Pharnakes has also been going all in on living and breathing every scrap of information and every facet of the game's details.
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Aug 10, 2022 19:26
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After Empire Strikes Back I am glad to see we get a new thread for Return of the Jedi
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Aug 10, 2022 19:27
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Yay! This is back!
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Aug 12, 2022 07:33
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Welcome back! ... Any update on the USS North Carolina BB-55?
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Aug 12, 2022 23:20
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Don't want to reveal too much myself but per Alikchi's twitter they're probably gonna be unavailable for a little bit.
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Aug 12, 2022 23:38
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What's his twitter? I've lost track of the updates for it.
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Aug 14, 2022 05:13
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Thanks all! And sorry for the immediate vanishing. I had the normal response to starting a thread, which is to immediately start puking and then spend a week in the hospital. But we're back in business now! April 2, 1943 .png) The Japanese submarine I-33 is sighted by the Flower-class corvette HMCS Dawson. I-33 was attempting to line up a shot on the elderly Dutch auxilliary tanker TAN 6, formerly MS Josefina. The enemy has gotten wise to my use of the Vancouver/Seattle->Adak Island convoy route and many subs have been spotted here lately. .png) Thousands of miles to the west, one of the greatest and greatest-named USN subs, USS Wahoo, spies a rare opportunity for a sub-on-sub engagement, but her two torpedoes miss I-38. .png) And finally, the USS Hake, patrolling off Shikoku, evades a Japanese destroyer. The sub war is really only getting hotter as the number of American submarines increases and their torpedoes become increasingly less and less awful.  Memories As the sun rises, previously damaged ships struggle to make it home. .png) .png) These two won’t make it. .png) Despite the heavy enemy air and naval ASW, I can’t stop sending subs to hover off Soerabaja. He’s clearly using it as a transshipment point for his best tankers and oilers. .png) Sweeps of Bangalore by Zeroes help continue the siege and discourages me from sending squads down to surprise his bombers with CAP traps. (This has happened several times.) .png) I mentioned CAP traps? Today’s is over the US 41st Infantry Division, which has been getting hammered by Helens the past few days. The Beaufighters and Hurricanes staged into Bellary, currently under siege, for this hit, and will have to fly back out immediately to avoid immediate retribution. This is a juicy one, though. They had a big, strong formation, but I believe we got at least 15, and their strike was completely disrupted. .png) Another few bombers trickle in and get chewed up, with one being destroyed outright. .png) And then Pharnakes’ Zero sweep arrives. When the mechanics of the game happen to work in your favor, you gotta laugh. One Beaufighter goes down, but the damage is already done. .png) I’ve directed a lot of bombers to strike the enemy tank regiments attacking Gorakhpur. These three Dutch DB-7s don’t accomplish anything, but more effective aircraft should be coming. .png) Thunderstorms throw off these Beauforts’ aim. .png) With the enemy runway at Milne Bay completely demolished, Allied flyboys have proceeded to bombing the occuping ground troops. .png) Wirraways follow up, but also do no perceptible damage. .png) And even more, this time with a P-50E Skyrocket escort flying from Terapo. .png) Yes, Ansons. .png) RAAF bombers gets caught attempting to crater the enemy airfield at Derby. Half a dozen fall to a murderous swarm of Zeroes. Not doing that again for a while. (In fact, the tattered Hudson squadron brings in a dozen new pilots and transitions to the Beaufort VIII in the aftermath of this engagement)     A flurry of Allied airstrikes are launched against enemy spearheads across the Indian subcontinent, despite mediocre weather. Japanese tank units in hex 47,22 (where I expect a meeting engagement en route to breaking the siege of Bhopal) and Gorakhpur (which is vulnerable to an IJA tank shock attack) receive particular attention.  The RAF Vengeance dive bombers performed especially excellent service estroying or disabling dozens of IJA tanks here at Gorakhpur. Their shock attack is repelled by the remnants of the 3rd Indian Brigade and a scratch force of AA gunners, engineers and base troops. I think I’ll be able to rail in a brigade from Karachi to bolster my line here.  The siege of Bangalore grinds on, as it has since last year. Its defenders sit happily on 45,000 supplies, level 5 fortifications, and “Jungle Rough” terrain. They’ll continue tying down roughly a division’s worth of infantry and oodles of heavy art for the foreseeable future.  While three allied divisions advance on Bhopal from the northeast, the 5th and 6th Indian were railed directly into the city, and today begin testing the strength of this siege. Looks like a narrow 2:1 advantage. Time to start grinding the enemy out.    More bombers (mostly B-25s flying from Cooktown) softening up Milne's SNLF defenders.  The day ends with a sad coda to how it begun. The I-33, having tracked the northern fuel convoy all day, nails AO TAN-3, which sinks almost immediately. These weird old slow Dutch oilers are very vulnerable, hence their banishment to the North Pacific.. Can’t hide them here anymore. Summary & Orders .png) Solid day, another batch of Japanese bombers shot down, an enemy tank attack broken up by air support and repulsed. Level 4 airfield built at Gorakhpur, our beleaguered little fort on the Nepalese frontier, plus improved facilities in Exmouth and Normanton, Australia.  Probably overreported, but still juicy.  Strategic map. As for next turn: I’ve rejiggered my bombing targets in India - I expect a quick reaction to my heavy bombing and CAP traps over the past few turns. The US 7th Infantry Division, bought with political points for service in India, begins the very long journey from Los Angeles to Karachi by way of Suez. USS Enterprise & friends pause at Dutch Harbor on her long journey to Seattle. HMS Hood, HMS Warspite, USS Washington & MN Lyon pass through the Bass Strait, en route to Brisbane.
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Aug 20, 2022 02:35
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SIGSEGV posted:How do you feel about the failure of the cow commando to take out Admiral Yamamoto? Yamamoto will be dealt with humanely in a court of law. The Wallace Administration will bring the enemies of freedom to justice! Jobbo_Fett posted:Excited to see this prosper like Pharnakes' thread. Thank you for this blessing! CannonFodder posted:Welcome back! .png) Safely in Seattle. Finally about to finish repairing a 53cm submarine torpedo hit from August 13, 1942. ThatBasqueGuy posted:drat you're getting hosed up, was this with one of those turbostart Japan mods? Yep, a custom mod with a bunch of boosts for Japan - extra goodies on top of the Scenario 2 boosts. The Allies have a few things too, ofc. Pirate Radar posted:Awesome to see this return. Looking forward to finding out more of what the mod you’re playing with adds. Are there any big alt-hist planes and ships that are showing up soon? .png) The two G3 battlecruisers, Invincible and Caledonia, will shortly be pulled from the North Atlantic in favor of escort duty for the Allied carrier fleet assembling over the coming months at Pearl Harbor. As for alt-hist aircraft, the next one coming's the P-75, middle of next year. Then we'll start to see lots of wackiness in rapid succession, and not just on the Allies' behalf.
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Aug 20, 2022 03:13
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"Task force out of fuel" notifications in the end of turn summary seems bad?
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Aug 20, 2022 06:00
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Those are sometimes the game spazzing out about a convoy not having enough fuel to go from San Francisco to Sydney and back again without refueling. Even though you specified that they should refuel in Sydney... Other times the game thinks that a sub on an infinite patrol loop will obviously run out of fuel since it does not have infinite fuel. Nevermind waypoint 3 in the loop being spending a day refueling in Pearl Harbor... And then sometimes it genuinely is a force that is about to run out of fuel. Speaking of running out of fuel, Alikchi, have you started using full speed instead of mission speed when doing raids yet?
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Aug 20, 2022 06:34
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Foxfire_ posted:"Task force out of fuel" notifications in the end of turn summary seems bad? SerthVarnee posted:Those are sometimes the game spazzing out about a convoy not having enough fuel to go from San Francisco to Sydney and back again without refueling. Even though you specified that they should refuel in Sydney... It was option 2 this time - an S-boat coasting into Pearl on fumes. And yes! Always have, to a certain extent. April 3, 1943  A few hundred miles off Shikoku, USS Tullibee fires two Mark 14s at destroyer Yamanagiri, a modern Akizuki-class. Unfortunately, both miss in the darkness, and Tullibee slinks away.  India. Bad weather in the north breaks up and cancels several Blenheim strikes. In the south, the daily sweep over Bangalore. .png) The Helens and Nicks are out, strafing and bombing two small, retreating Indian base forces. .png) MIght have to ambush these guys again in a few more days. A few more scattered Helen and Tojo strikes across the south, minimal damage. .png) The RAF gets in on the bombing, sending Blenheims and Wellingtons against the IJA forces at hex 47,22. The 31st UK Armoured Div should arrive here today, as well. .png) The Vengeances have been retasked to 47,22 as well, and pummell the vehicles of the IJA 4th Tank Regiment and 48th Recon Regiment. Blenheims and others help to slow down the advancing enemy 4th Guards Division just west of the 47,22 crossroads. .png) Pretty impressive for six Liberators. I absolutely must keep him from repairing frontline airfields and deploying his Tojos and other shorter-ranged fighters. .png) Another six B-25Ds sprinkle Indore airfield with 500-pound bombs. .png) Three more Liberators.. Maybe another day of bombing like this and Indore will be 100% damaged. .png) Weather’s not great, but the bombers just keep coming. .png) Zero sweep above the retreating 41st US Infantry Division - hoping to catch the Hurricanes and Beaufighters that themselves caught that batch of Helens yesterday. They’ve been pulled back. .png) Lucknow-based Blenheims miss a bunch in the rain. .png) Yeah, if I’d left any of that CAP trap above the 41st, they would have all been shot down today. Pharnakes’ vengeance is swift. .png) Meanwhile in the South Pacific, a Catalina reports a high-speed large enemy task force, then is shot down. Another PBY is sent to replace it and is also immediately shot down. Smells like an enemy carrier group to me! .png) Land combat. Bangalore, just another dreary bombardment. Sometimes I think about flying in the Chindits under cover of darkness and trying to break out from here.. But the Chindits and other parachutists are entirely tied down fighting as basic infantry in central India. .png) The fleeing base forces he sent the Helens after today scurry southeast. Kind of impressive they didn’t surrender. .png) This one is forced east. .png) Frustratingly close to a 2:1 assault value ratio here at Bhopal. Need more guns. Though I guess it wouldn’t be the worst thing to simply extend the siege while the other new Commonwealth units defeat the 4th Guards Division & friends up the road to the north. Then forces combine, relieve Bhopal and advance on Nagpur. Crack the big overextended Japanese line right down the middle and roll it up. This is a very “MacArthur” plan (naive, messianic). .png) Quick little bombardment at Jubbulpore to see if he’s pulled back at all. He hasn’t. Note the Chindit brigade and IV Indian Corps - led by the best General in India, Bill Slim. .png) Fort up at Bhaunagar. .png) Humphrey and Sands are old Clemson-class destroyers. [img]https://lpix.org/4352719/2022-08-20 21_18_34-WitP Tracker AE [wpae005].png[/img] A quad Bofors and a few single 20mm Oerlikons in this upgrade. Not bad. .png) .png) .png) .png) Today’s production from the American shipyards… .png) … and a stray Brit, the Umtali. Summary & Orders  Zero ships sunk, a lot of stuff happening. B+ day. .png) Losing two PBYs might actually be the harshest part of April 3. .png) Strategic map. As for next turn: .png) More bombing in India. Forever bombing in India. Also, I have Gardner’s Horse Regiment (3-ish squadrons of Stuarts) on their way to southeast from Lucknow to Gorakhpur. From Gorakhpur, maybe I can raid a bit? .png) That’s definitely a big Japanese carrier group blasting through the Gilberts, with a surface/bombardment force along for the ride. Many PBY crewmen died to bring us this information. I activate some PT boats at Tabiteuea and fly in Corsairs, Avengers and Dauntlesses. His carrier aviators are still elite enough to trade evenly with Corsairs, but I gotta keep grinding him down. Plus, you never know. A lucky torpedo hit or two could work miracles for Allied morale. .png) A few interesting tidbits in today’s SIGINT.
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Aug 21, 2022 04:54
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April 4, 1943.png) Minekaze hanging around Tulagi. I should try for her with B-25s tomorrow. .png) USS Lapon is driven away from a Japanese convoy. .png) Tullibee, meanwhile, pops another shot at another Akizuki, this time the class namesake. .png) Another four Mark 14s from Tullibee scare the crap out of a poor destroyer captain. Tullibee’s CO is displaying impatience and inaccuracy, but he’s very frisky, so that’s something. .png) Day breaks over the South Pacific and PBY spotting reports start rolling in. Looks like the Japanese are still charging southeast here. .png) An angry flock of Tojos buzz the 41st Infantry Division. Again, I’ve provided them with no targets. .png) Far to the north, over hex 47/22, a squad of P-40s sweep and also find nothing. Our bombing can continue unmolested today. .png) At least Allied ambushes have forced the Japanese into sweeping nothing all the time? These guys are based at Madras. .png) Nicks strafe and Helens bomb. Weather keeps casualties low. One low-flying Nick is shot down. .png) More Helens. Look like these are based at Mangalore. .png) Four late Tojos fly aimlessly above 37,31. .png) Seven over Bangalore. .png) This flock of Helens goes for the 41st Infantry. .png) Zero sweeps maintain enemy control of the air here, too. .png) Fine.  Oh poo poo! .png) Not a small CAP, but Corsairs give me a chance. .png) We shoot down a nice number of Zeroes - even a few A6M5s.. .png) ..but not enough to keep the bombers safe. More Zeroes join the CAP, the SBDs are all knocked down, and the last two Avengers turn for home after watching their squadmates hit the water. .png) Back to India. No apparent effect here. .png) Over to New Guinea. Again, no apparent effect. .png) Maybe I should bring the Wirraways down even lower? .png) No. 73 Squadron RAAF flys the Anson flag. .png) Cooktown Mitchells disable a squad. .png) Another. .png) Three Ansons lagged behind the others. .png) Oh, this is a good one! Look at that coordination. 27 Vultee Vengeances and 3 Wellingtons. The RAF knocks out a batch of IJA antiaircraft guns and spreads the damage around several enemy units. I’d like to pin these guys here at 47,22 and defeat them with my oncoming three divisions from the northeast. .png) A baker’s dozen Wellingtons pile it on. .png) Another nine Delhi-based Wellies harry the two tank regiments forced back from Gorakhpur a few days ago. .png) Seven more. Can you tell that the British emergency reinforcement convoy included 72 Wellington Is?  Plus a bunch of other stuff. Those Spitfire VIIIs are taking their sweet time getting combat-ready. .png) A break in the unusually heavy clouds over 47,22 aligns with the arrival of another RAF Vengeance squadron, which knocks out some IJA engineering vehicles. Not too shabby. .png) Even flying low and heavily escorted, Blenheims just don’t cut it anymore. But beggars can’t be choosers. .png) Let’s keep grinding away with the Anglo Libs here. Want to KO all his potential frontline airfields and turn them into supply-sucks. .png) I should probably expect him to raid Delhi soon, if he does capture (or build) a solid base. It’s obvious that a major fraction of the RAF’s bombers are based at Delhi. .png) Sometimes you just miss. .png) More Cooktown Mitchells… .png) Cairns B-24s. Good damage, gotta keep the airfield knocked out even as I send the medium and light bombers after the garrison. .png) Somehow these guys all make it through the CAP and score a hit. .png) Solid. .png) Nice casualties here. I’m hesitant to fly bombers out of these besieged bases in central India, it runs down supplies, but it’s really useful to be able to go deep and bomb these units marching towards the front or in pursuit of our troops. Slows them down. .png) Helens flying from Mangalore. Thunderstorms keep casualties low. .png) The PM air phase rolls around, and no strikes are launched. Three Jakes and a couple of PBYs are killed off flying around the Gilberts. .png) Land combat! The 10th Indian is still in Move mode and so doesn’t really contribute to the bombardment at 47,22. .png) No casualties but I’ve got a big artillery advantage in Bhopal proper. It will tell, eventually. .png) Daily Bangalore grind. That’s it! Summary & Orders .png) Reasonable day. .png) Iffy losses, though. Part of the price of attacking so much - ops losses are going up. No significant orders changes today - shifting targets in India, B-25s fly to Ndeni for a raid on Tulagi, a supply convoy diverted to Pago Pago.. few other little things.
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Aug 24, 2022 05:56
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Wait -- is that a carrier-on-carrier engagement in the Gilberts? You were so casual about it that I wasn't sure, but aren't those carrier-based planes on both sides?
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Aug 24, 2022 21:05
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tunapirate posted:Wait -- is that a carrier-on-carrier engagement in the Gilberts? You were so casual about it that I wasn't sure, but aren't those carrier-based planes on both sides? He's got carriers - my planes are land-based at Tabiteuea. Some of them are part of squadron fragments from the sunken Hornet and Yorktown, though.
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Aug 24, 2022 22:17
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Alikchi posted:He's got carriers - my planes are land-based at Tabiteuea. Some of them are part of squadron fragments from the sunken Hornet and Yorktown, though. Ah -- okay, that makes a lot more sense! I assume he's just trying to shore up the defenses of Tarawa, then? Tabiteuea is too heavily defended to be invaded, I would assume.
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Aug 25, 2022 21:24
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tunapirate posted:Ah -- okay, that makes a lot more sense! I assume he's just trying to shore up the defenses of Tarawa, then? Tabiteuea is too heavily defended to be invaded, I would assume. That's my assumption, or maybe just general raiding. He has carrier superiority in 1943, the man would be insane not to take advantage. Though an actual invasion of Tabiteuea would be suicide, it's packed to the brim with Marines. Anyways. Back in business! April 5, 1943 .png) Oh this is a FANTASTIC start to the day! USS Amberjack nails a high value target in the Banda Sea. Shimaron is the namesake of the best and newest class of Japanese oilers. They’re one of Pharnakes’ ideas, a fast fleet oiler similar to the US Cimarron class. Shimaron has three sister ships, and they’re the other AOs spotted by Amberjack. So that’s really good. What’s next? .png) Amberjack circles back to the now-isolated Shimaron and finishes her off with one of a spread of four torps. .png) Off Hawaii, I-5 takes an ill-advised shot at USS Laffey. .png) Many depth charges and K-gun attacks later, I-5 is damaged and driven off. .png) Finally, the sun rises over the Sea of Japan, and USS Steelhead promptly chases down and sinks a lone xAKL. Even hoses her down with the 20mm Oerlikon, which is a little grim. .png) The air phase begins and scouting reports start rolling in. Only really interesting thing: PBYs report the Japanese are still charging southeast through the Gilberts. .png) Twenty A6M3as sweep Groote Eyelandt from Gove. I’ve got nothing there, but he’s probably noticed that the place is fully repaired and resupplied. Bombers coming back soon? .png) A sadly effective run. Gonna eat up lots of supplies in repairs. .png) Late sweep, but it doesn’t matter. .png) The first attack on Milne Bay of the day. Probably one of the few. The foul weather is canceling missions all over the theater. .png) Wirraways navigate the storms to chip in. .png) Nobody’s hitting anything, but trying is half the battle!  .png) Cooktown Mitchells (of the American and Australian varieties) have a bit more success. .png) Another trio of Ansons. .png) Two Hurricanes charge ahead of their squadmates and encounter two dozen Tojos over the retreating Japanese tank units near the Nepalese border. They get away, thankfully. Worried about what those Tojos could do to the following waves, though. .png) 16 Wellingtons descend on 47,22 and inflict casualties on the IJA 4th Guards Division, despite crappy weather. .png) Vengeances begin to join the Wellies. Still storming. .png) Blenheims enter the fray. .png) One of those follow-up raids flies from Delhi right into that gang of Tojos. Bad news for these Wellington pilots. Only one makes it through the CAP. .png) These guys see no opposition and do no apparent damage. Still, at least I spread out the targets today, so I won’t lose THAT many bombers. .png) The waves of British bombers continue. .png) Liberators to Indore. .png) 6 more Mitchells for Milne. Weather impedes attack. .png) Back to India. American P-40Ks maintain air superiority over 47,22. .png) As they do over Broome, Australia. .png) Pharnakes has these Tojos patrolling at 15K, to better destroy my bombers. But it leaves them vulnerable to diving attacks by these Hurricanes. Good stuff! .png) New Guinea. P-50Es flying from Terapo check Lae for hostile fighters. .png) Action in the Gilberts! The Japanese carriers that have been hovering around for a few days take a direct shot at Tabiteuea. My CAP is depleted and largely reliant on outdated Army fighters, but still bags a few kills. .png) Unfortunately, we don’t succeed in disrupting the Kates. (I wonder how long until Jills and Graces, now?) 250kg bombs rain down on USS Wichita. She doesn’t sink, but is in serious trouble. .png) There’s the rest of the Corsairs! Escorting two Avengers into murderous IJN carrier CAP. .png) The attack is defeated by superior numbers and crack pilots. Our Corsairs are very roughly handled. The enemy aircraft are identified to be from Shokaku and Zuikaku, as well as light carriers Shoho, Zuiho, Kuroho, and Hiho. I probably shouldn’t have tried to attack, but it’s tough to resist going for a lucky torpedo hit on a Japanese carrier, especially when we have Corsairs available for escort. .png) Near the western entrance to the Korea Strait, USS Lapon fires two Mark 14s at a Japanese freighter. One malfunctions - the other doesn’t. .png) Ground combat time. Daily Bangalore bombardment.. .png) That’s really bad!  Oh god.  I was expecting at least some bombardment before a major attack. And I definitely wasn’t expecting a shock attack so powerful it dropped 3 levels of forts. I had been vaguely aware he was moving troops into the hex by the increasing number of units, and occasionally bombarded to check his numbers.. But clearly I haven’t been paying enough attention recently. Big ouch. Lots of aircraft caught on the ground. This will set me back in India for sure. .png) I need to wrap up Bhopal ASAP, concentrate my forces against that 3100 AV army… .png) .. which also means defeating the enemy at 47,22. I think I’m ready for a shock attack here. The rough terrain concerns me, but I need to move. Summary & Orders .png) Mostly fine day, but losing Nagpur is a big blow. I expect Bellary and Jubbulpore to fall soon, too. Very dangerous moment in India. .png) Those Beaufighters aren’t particularly good in a fight, but their long range forced him to escort his ground attack planes or be ambushed. Skytrains and Mitchells too. At least the Corsairs and Wellingtons went down fighting.  .png) Scratch that bit about Wichita being seriously hurt - she’s basically fine and can make thirty knots! Seems like a good time to send her to Pearl for repairs and upgrades. And get that 5”/38 gun replaced. She and the other fast ships at Tabiteuea will dash south tomorrow, to avoid any follow-up port strikes. Then the usual convoy route - Christmas Island, then north to Hawaii. A large task force finally arrived at Brisbane from Perth, led by the USS Washington, HMS Warspite, HMS Hood, and Free French battleship Lyon.. Several destroyer-escorts and aircraft transports enter Brisbane’s yards for overdue refits and upgrades. .png) These modernized Clemsons are extremely useful ships. Dedicated high-speed long-range escorts are treasure. .png) SIGINT reports heavy enemy radio traffic in the vicinity of “Tokyo.” Concerning.
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Aug 31, 2022 03:34
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the fortress is on the move...
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Aug 31, 2022 04:27
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Ouch in India. Looking forward to seeing what's coming next.
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Aug 31, 2022 05:06
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How is the submarine campaign going? How many subs have you lost and what are the most notable kills?
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Aug 31, 2022 08:43
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I'm still openly rooting for Pharnakes, and losing his regular perspective is unfortunate, but drat is it interesting to see the other side too
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Aug 31, 2022 13:10
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Wow that is a massive stack of Japanese troops.
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Aug 31, 2022 14:01
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What's the last post for your twitter account thread on this if you're still keeping it up? I've had major scroll/lag issues so can't go all the way down! So just seeing what's been up if still using it on occasion to check in!
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Sep 21, 2022 21:18
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wedgekree posted:What's the last post for your twitter account thread on this if you're still keeping it up? I've had major scroll/lag issues so can't go all the way down! So just seeing what's been up if still using it on occasion to check in! No problem! The full thread should be readable with this link. Sorry I've been slow with updating this, real life is intervening in the war. I should have more time soon!
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Sep 27, 2022 05:08
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Your twitter account appears to not to display tweets to non logged in users.
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Sep 27, 2022 05:16
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Fun read! Good catching up. Take all the time you need! Always a pleasure to see you going on with this.
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Sep 29, 2022 00:11
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