The Let's Play Archive

War in the Pacific

by Grey Hunter

Part 349: Operational Report: 20/11/42





Our reinforcements arrive at Dutch Harbor, but due to the lack of support, they are forced to flee even the small Japanese naval force they run into. Time to send some more warships north.







A Japanese sub tries to take out some of my anti-submarine net.

Missing File: 2.jpgWe'll get this as soon as we can — however it might just be gone forever, sorry! If you know where we can find it, please get in contact


HoldYourFire posted:

PACCOM?

I was assembling extra information on strategic bombing, and lost track of time reading the manual....





Its seems that the Japanese have taken offense to us having planes in the air yesterday, as they blitz Tarawa today.



Our scouts see a lot of action around the Pearl Harbor area, the Kongo is spotted again, and our Catalina reports her hit. But we are unable to make any contacts with the Japanese ships.




Port Moresby is bombed today, well the enemy send a few bombers and a whole load of fighters to try and get the Devonshire.



The results are pretty much what you'd expect.
The battle at Guadalcanal continues to grind on.



The remains of the Japanese forces at Shortlands is reduced by a third, they can only have a few days left. Then I'm going to probe north to see what they have there.



The remaining Japanese forces are then surrounded.





We are taking the defenders at Kiangtu apart bit by bit.



At Nanking, we take more casualties, and destroy more enemy squads, so I'm happy with the result.







Now this gives me a bit of a problem, where to include Korea in my sections? I've decided to add it to Japan, as it was part of their pre-war holdings.

Anyway, I put our bombers in Shanghai onto commanders choice for their first strategic bombing run. They choose the city of Keijo – modern day Seoul.



With no losses, we do a bit of damage to the Japanese heavy industry, cause several fires and lower the Japanese manpower. For our first strategic raid, I'm more than happy.
A much smaller raid hits Hiroshima, causing only minor damage, but again losing no planes.







So today sees our first proper Strategic bombing. This only adds 8 points today, but its a start, and this is still 1942, much earlier than any historical bombing raids.
To understand the Japanese side of the Production, I'm going to steal from the Manual.

quote:

13.2.1.3 MANPOWER AND MANPOWER CENTERS
Manpower – This raw material is a representation of the portion of your nationality‘s population that can be drafted into their armed forces or used to expand production.
Manpower points are required for military production
No inputs of resource points or any other type are required for Manpower Centers. One Manpower Center generates five manpower points per day.

13.2.1.4 FUEL AND REFINERIES
Fuel - Fuel represents the types of refined fuel oils used for fuelling ships, as well as those products refined from oil that are required to operate industrial centers.
Fuel points are generated by refinery centers, as long as they are supplied with oil points.
Fuel Points are required inputs for heavy industry centers. They are also required to fuel ships.

13.2.1.5 SUPPLY PRODUCTION
Supplies - Supplies represent all of the different materials required to maintain fighting units (ground and air) in the field including food, ammunition, gasoline and aviation fuel.
Supply points are generated by both light industry and heavy industry centers.
Supply points are required to supply ground and air units and expand/repair factories.

13.2.2 INDUSTRY
Once the raw materials are gathered, they must be processed into useful items. Resources, Fuel, and Manpower are combined to build the weapons and supplies of war within each country’s industrial centers. These centers are divided into many different categories, as follows.

13.2.2.1 HEAVY INDUSTRY
Heavy Industry – These represent the large-scale industrial production facilities that are usually found in large cities. Usually these are sprawling complexes that employ thousands of workers. While they produce a lot of lifeblood to any war effort, they are prime targets for the enemy.
Heavy Industry Centers convert inputs of resource and fuel points into heavy industry points and supply.
One Heavy Industry Center requires the input of twenty resource points and two fuel points, and generates two heavy industry points and two supply points per day.
Heavy Industry points are required by the various factories – Aircraft, Vehicle, Engine and Armaments – as well as Naval and Merchant Shipyards.

13.2.2.2 LIGHT INDUSTRY
Light Industry – These represent smaller facilities that create military supplies to keep the war machine in operation. Light Industry factories are found in both large and small cities and towns.
Light industry centers convert input of resource points (only) into supply points.
One light industry center requires the input of fifteen resource points, and generates one supply point, per day.


Add to this the Factories and shipyards, and you have a long list of targets. Hitting the factories in single player is pointless, as the Japanese get a large number of planes anyway. Everything else is a good target.



Our attacks today have left the city of Keijo still burning, so this could get interesting as we carry on. Here is what we saw before the bombing runs began.



So a drop of about 7-8% of their capacity, which is not bad for one day.



Intelligence have added the Kongo to the list today. SAP means Semi Armor Piercing on the bomb type. Once more, I'd like to believe them, but this is the second if not third time we've “sunk” this ship.
Although we have another ship kill on the ops screen, but not the points increase.



Near Midway, there are more Japanese ships, the Japanese seem to be really probing in this direction now. The escort carriers are moving north to see if they can intercept them, but I think this is another group that will fade away.
Its still 13 days until we get the Yorktown back.

At Shortlands, I send the 6th Auzzi Cav brigade north to see what the other base they have on this Island is like.




China is pretty much on a break a this time, as our men are shattered and their formations in chaos.