Nice promo.


Wheels

Because the entire set of events that has occurred thus far should be presented in a complete story, my update will last until the end of June. I'm almost done with June '42, so expect an update this weekend.

Looking forward to it.


Wheels

Will finish June tonight.

Let me just say that the last 3 months of game time Apr-Jun '42 presented so many challenges that I could barely keep up. It was fantastic. I've never been under so much pressure in this game. The AI is wily, unpredictable, and has enough resources to make your life a nightmare. I was (and actually still am) reeling under the assault. In the base scenarios, the IJN/A were easy enough to read, wait out, and then overwhelm. In "Ironman", this is no longer the case. Its been very enjoyable with moments of success and quite a few moments of failure. Its been a pretty wild ride.

Anyway, update this weekend.

I can't wait to see your most recent AARs...been wondering how you are holding up. I finally watched your promo video...very nice job.

July 1, 1942: Bring Me My Chariot of Fire!



Apr-Jun 1942
The Battle for Port Moresby

These last three months have truly been defined by the struggle for Port Moresby. Allied forces have been under siege for nearly the entirety of the war with little prospect of a tidy end game. As of today, the Japanese have landed roughly four division of troops on the beaches, approximately 72,000 men. As a result we have been forced to respond in kind.

PM was nearly overrun at the end of April, but the 6th AUS Division saved the city by landing on May 2 which will surely be celebrated as an AUS national holiday. (on the same day the 7th AUS Division landed at Perth, more on this later). The Japanese responded by engaging even more troops through seaborne assault supported by several heavy ships of the line.

They have paid dearly for this fixation. Thousands of enemy troops and several dozen ships have been sunk by a combined force of British, AUS, and USN surface raiders, as well as the dive bombers based at PM. Enemy air attacks have been chewed to pieces by the valiant men of the II Fighter Command. PM is our redoubt in the South Pacific.

On June 27, the 32nd US Division also landed at PM, virtually assuring that the badly mauled Japanese assault group can force only a stalemate. We must continue to resupply our troops and deny them the same. If we can win the battle of the sea lanes to PM in the coming months, we will have halted the Japanese advance and isolated a significant portion of their South Pacific detachment.

However, this has not come without loss. Several smaller ships as well as the CV Hornet have been lost in support of PM. The Hornet and Yorktown were torpedoed in separate sorties near Brisbane. The Hornet was lost and Yorktown is in dry dock for the next 90 days.

The Japanese have lost nearly 50 vessels, including several capital ships. Intel estimates losses at 4 BB sunk or severely damaged, 1 CVL sunk, and numerous CAs and CLs, perhaps even the CB Lutzow.

The Allies grow ever stronger in the region, and one begins to suspect that we have seen the high water mark for the Japanese in the South Pacific.













Western AUS
The Battle for Geraldton

The Japanese surprised us greatly in April by landing nearly 2 divisions at Geraldton, just north of Perth. AUS reserves were mobilized as well as every available RN fleet asset in the area. We lost 1 BB and had 3 others damaged repelling the IJN in the area, but fortuitously, the 7th AUS was already en route to Perth and landed on May 2.

Over May and June the AUS forces drove the Japanese back ti Geraldton and eliminated the IJ presence in Western AUS on June 6.





SitRep

CenPac remains quiet with infrequent raids near Midway and small hunter groups after our supply convoys. Plans for the neutralization of the Marshalls remain on hold.

In SouthPac, troops are beginning to flow into the new bases at Noumea and Luganville. Plans for a thrust into Guadalcanal are nearly complete, with an invasion planned for the Fall.

In NorthPac, the Japanese are invading the Aleutians. The current strategy calls for holding Dutch Harbor and ignoring the Japanese in this theatre until action becomes a necessity. Our assets are needed elsewhere.

Future Plans

1) Hold PM at all costs.

2) Engage the IJN on advantageous terms and attrit their supply/troop convoys while avoiding major engagement.

3) Major engagements may be entered only if LBA is available to supplant offensive operations.

Interesting development that the Japanese actually attacked Australia. I definitely wouldn't have been expecting it.


Wheels

Not only did they land at Geraldton, they landed in force! This wasn't a raid, this was an invasion! They advanced quickly to Perth and if the 7th AUS wasn't just arriving I would have given them even odds at taking Perth, which would have been a nightmare. They landed close to 3 divisions but my surface groups mauled a couple of convoys and disrupted their supply. I had the 6th AUS in Brisbane when they landed and I seriously considered sending it back west, but took the gamble and sent them to Port Moresby as the Japanese were VERY close to overrunning our troops there. They were getting 1:1 odds and eliminating our fortifications. VERY close run thing.

The result of the AUS attack is that I have fortified everything! Canada, India, and the West Coast are building forts just in case. It was very clever, as it tied down quite a few assets I had tagged for an invasion of Milne Bay. That plan is on permanent hold because of the AUS incursion.

Wow! I agree with wheelsup_cavu. I would never have suspected an invasion of Australia. I've never seen that in games I've played with this sim. Just goes to show you how good AI is in this game. That was one hell of an "initiative" changer on their part.

Interesting read