Kido Butai. Massive force of 6 Fleet Carriers, Akagi, Kaga, Zuikaku, Soryi, Shokuaku and Hiryu, with a grand total of 390 aircraft: 130 A6M2 "Zero" fighters for air cover and bomber escort, 130 Aichi D3A dive-bombers as the general-purpose strike weapon for both naval and ground targets, and 130 Nakajima B5N torpedo bombers that are the "fist" of the force, with their capability to carry both torpedoes and massive 800kg armour-piercing bombs. Escorting the 6 Carriers are 2 battleships, Kirishima and Hiei, a cruiser and 6 destroyers with anti-submarine weapons.
This force strikes the Pearl Harbour, in hope of neutralizing the US Pacific Fleet(7 battleships) and moving the greatest surface threat from the Imperial thrusts deep into Dutch East Indies, Philippines and Burma. After the Pearl Harbour attack, the force will sweep across the Pacific, attack targets of oppoturnity and then retire to refuel and rearm at Kobe in the home islands.
Simultaneously, massed air raids from Formosa(Taiwan) will strike Manila Bay in the Philippines, hoping to catch as much of the US "Silent Service"(submarines) and transport vessels as possible. Philippines will be invaded on December 10th, and the last thing I want is 30 submarines in the same area with my 150 or so transports, or the Americans evacuating their units out. Once Hong Kong falls, a full reinforcement division will be shipped to Philippines to take out the threat to my left flank as quick as possible. Otherwise, Philippines is only usable as a naval base because Manila has a drydock, Luzon has 2 major airfields and Cagayan, in the island of Mindanao in Southern Philippines, a 3rd. After the 2 first days, the air units will achieve air superiority over Luzon, ie shoot down everything the Americans might get airborne.
In the Malaysian Peninsula, invasion forces will land, escorted by Battleships Haruna and Kongo. Air support will be provided. 30 G4M and 45 G3M twin-engined torpedo bombers are ready for anything the British or Dutch might decide to sink the transports before they can unload all supplies. Should anything get through unnoticed or unattacked by the bombers, the battleships should be able to deal with the British, even mano et mano. The invasion will clear the railroad from Bangkok ASAP, and new units will be railed down the peninsula.
The Imperial High Command wants Singapore to fall before January 30th, to free up forces for the Burma front and Java.
In China, I will just mainly move units around the first month or so. More units are railed from Manchuria, and preparations for thrusts on Sian are began.
Dutch East Indies is more complex. Initial landings will be done to North Borneo, and invasions of Sumatra, Celebles and South Borneo are prepared. Mindanao will also be invaded from Bedelaoab once the invasion fleet from South East Luzon returns there. Prepared landings will be committed once I know whether my opponent is going to position his surface fleet for defensive (and where!) or will he try to interference. I will later move my carriers accordingly for support(keeping them away, but within strike range, to provoke him to act against the seemingly weak invasion fleets!). I'm hoping to invade Palembang in Sumatra island by December 30th, or at least Mindanao and Tarakan in south Borneo. It all depends on what will happen in the first few weeks.
CVL Ryujo and its escorts are off Mindanao, striking Davao Harbor and then retiring. CVL Zuiho's airgroups will be refitted with more modern aircraft ASAP, it will be accompanied by Battleship Fuso and will steam south to take Ryujo's position by the December 20th. A heavy force with the rest of my battleships(all 5) and assorted cruisers and destroyers will sweep south to prevent, with the smaller carriers, evacuation of the Philippines the shortest route, ie directly East. Once the British heavies are located, they will move in to eliminate them. Currently, the Allies have nothing to stop the Japanese battleships with, except the BBs of their own. The only Allied air units capable of delivering a torpedo are either somewhere in California or British biplane "Swordfishes" that are of any threat only because my Zero pilots cant stop laughing.
Air situation:
Most of my Naval fighter units(both carrier and land based) fly the Mitsubishi A6M2 "Rei Sentoki" aka Zero. Compared to what the Allies have, it has superior manoeuvrability, range(very important in the Pacific), armament and climb/acceleration. They are also piloted by the best fighter pilots on this half of the world. The Zero's only weakness at the moment is its fragility, as there is no armour of any sort, or even rubber-covered fuel tanks. This means that as long as my boys are on the top, they will slaughter the laughable makeshift air forces of the Allies, but when they lose, they will lose hard, too. Improved versions of the Zero are expected later in the year. Production is now 70 a month, which should be well enough. I am not planning to lose my best pilots in hundreds. Navy Dive Bomber D3A production is increased from 12 to 22 a month, and B5N torpedo bombers from 20 to 50. I want to upgrade all of my units to more capable aircraft ASAP, to actually get to use them in combat. Biplanes will not do.
IJNA also stars a good 300 2-engined torpedo bombers, namely G3M and G4M. They have excellent range and used right, are also extremely lethal to anything moving on the surface. Their very only, and very japanese, weakness is the lack of practically all protection. Performance does not come without a cost. These bombers are built approximately 2 a day, and not one will be wasted bombing ground targets.
Japanese Army fighter units fly 50% Ki-43 "Hayabusa" and 50% older Ki-27. Ki-27 production is cut(only training units will fly it later), and I hope to give Ki-43s to all my frontline units by the end of January. Production rate is 35 a month. Army bombers flown atm are the fairly capable Ki-21, and the Ki-48 I want to get rid of. That eats 2 engines from factories and still only carries 4 x 100kg bombs(less than single-engine dive bombers), has short range, and again, no structural protections of any kind.
Allied air forces fly mainly obsolescent types such as Buffalo(target drone), CW-21(anyone ever heard?!?), Hurricane(wasnt good enough in Europe), I-16(straight from the Spanish Civil War), Watipi(leading edge technology from the WW1!), but also more modern types, mainly American Wildcat and P-40, though neither is as good as the Japanese A6M. Since the Allies have almost no bombers this half of the Globe, I should be able to advance really quick. Only problem early on might be the American carriers. We will see if they dare to challenge the might of the Kido Butai.
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Topic: War in the Pacific: AE PBEM - July 1st 1942 (Read 93361 times)