Great Pacific War Replay
1939 Campaign Scenario
Part V: Summer, 1941
By Doug McNair
January 2008

War spreads throughout the Pacific in today’s episode of my Great Pacific War 1939 Campaign Scenario replay. Last episode, Japan declared war on the United States and invaded the Philippines after inflicting heavy losses on American carrier forces at Manila and Pearl Harbor. Japanese submarines prevented the Americans from fortifying Wake Island, and now American possession is in jeopardy. However, the US was able to strategically redeploy many units to the Philippines before Japanese naval forces could move into position to block the SR routes, so the fight for the Philippines will likely be long and brutal.

The war continues…

TURN 8 – SUMMER, 1941
Production Segment: Nationalist China spends 2 BRPs to buy a 1-2 INF unit, leaving her with just 1 BRP (not enough to buy an Attrition Chit this turn but rebuilding her army is more important). Mao buys a 1-2 INF to send into the breach he made last turn in the Japanese lines, and the Soviet Union holds onto her BRPs as she’ll need to send some to Mao. The Netherlands has nothing in her force pool, but Britain spends 3 BRPs to build a 1-4 TAC unit at Brisbane. Japan spends 10 BRPs to build 2 x 1-3 INF, a 1-5 ARM division and a 1 LC unit (replacing the LC that was lost landing on Luzon last turn). Finally, the US builds a 4 CV (available Spring, 1942), 2 LC a 3-4 INF unit and a 2-4 MAR division for 31 BRPs.

The INDIAN NATIONAL ARMY chit goes in the political cup, but the chit drawn is NO EFFECT. World politics is thrown into disarray over US entry into the war; nothing of political import happens this turn.

Communist China, Britain and Japan each buy one Impulse Chit, and the US buys two.

Sea Zone Box Placement Segment: The Netherlands spends 3 BRPs to put units in Sea Control boxes in the Sulu and Java Seas. Britain spends 5 BRPs to put units in Sea Control boxes in the Straits of Malacca, Solomon Islands and Coral Sea zones. The US spends 5 BRPs to put units in the Sea Control boxes of the Bering Sea 2, Hawaiian Islands, Midway Island, Johnston Island, Philippines Sea and South China Sea zones (many of these are SURF units sent to sea to avoid being hit by carrier strikes). Finally, Japan (which gets to go last because the US has fewer CVs on the board than she does) spends 5 BRPs to put units in the Sea Control boxes of the Coral Sea (with help from the fleet train at Truk), Solomon Islands, Marianas Islands, Midway Island (SUBs), Pacific Ocean 8, East China Sea, South China Sea and Gulf of Siam zones. Then Britain sends a 1 SUB unit from Sandakar on Borneo out to the Raiding box of the undefended Yellow Sea zone, and the US sends a 3 SUB unit from Legaspi in the Philippines to the Raiding box of the undefended Sea of Japan zone. Japan has no units within range of a raidable sea zone at the moment.

Declaration of War Segment: Britain spends 15 BRPs and declares war on Japan. The Netherlands automatically enters the war as well since she is Britain’s minor ally. With Britain’s BRP stockpile down to 3 and the Netherlands at zero, the US will need to send Britain lots of BRPs to keep her going through the end of the year.

Sea Control and Raiding Segment: Battles erupt in Sea Control boxes all over the Pacific. The American 3-4 TAC in the Midway Sea Control box does a dazzling job, sinking 2 Japanese SUB factors, but that still leaves 5 SUB off Midway to intercept any LCs that try to make run for Wake. The RAAF and two British SUB factors perform brilliantly against the Japanese in the Solomon Islands Sea Control box, sinking 2 SURF while the Japanese sink just 1 SUB. But the RAAF fares worse in the Coral Sea, with the Japanese 2 CV shooting-down the Australian 1-4 TAC before it can hit the carriers. Unfortunately for the US, this means the Japanese Trans-Pacific Patrol Line stays intact and no American SRs to the Philippines will be possible this turn.

Next, 7 Japanese TAC factors attempt to destroy the American 2 TAC and 5 SURF in the South China Sea. In the Naval Air Battle phase, the Japanese splash one American TAC factor with no damage in return, but they roll poorly against the ships and kill just 1 SURF; at a modified strength of 14 to 6 factors (TAC factors count double), the Japanese do not have the necessary 4-1 ratio to have sole control of the South China Sea. That doubles the number of SURF and/or LC factors needed to SR Japanese units through the South China Sea zone to the beachhead at Vigan.

In the Gulf of Siam, the Japanese Air force destroys one British CV factor and takes no damage in return, but if the Japanese invasion force at Saigon wants to cross the Gulf, the remaining British 2-4 TAC and 1 CV can attack it.

Then raiding commences, and with no ASW forces in the Yellow Sea or Sea of Japan zones, the 4 American and British SUB factors kill 2 Japanese BRPs. Japan will need to start redeploying forces to protect her local trade routes.

Strategic Redeployment Segment: The Netherlands SRs her 2 SUB unit from Batavia to Taralam so that it’s within range of the most raidable Japanese sea zones. To reinforce or extend the Yangtse River line, Nationalist and Communist China both SR one unit south. The Soviet Union sends Communist China 4 BRPs (2 get through). Britain uses her 9 SURF unit at Madras to make the 1-0 GAR unit at Madras and the 3-4 Indian INF unit at Brisbane switch places with each other (she needs the 3-4 INF in India to make her required minimum deployment in the spring). Japan SRs a 1-3 INF north from the South China Coast beachhead to just behind the Yangtse River line (which needs to extend westward to match the extending Kuomintang line) and then SRs an airborne division and the CEA HQ unit to the beachhead at Vigan. Finally, the US tells Chiang Kai Shek that he’s on his own for the rest of the year and sends Britain 15 BRPs instead (but that brings the US stockpile way down, so that’ll be all for Britain until 1942). The US then SRs a 2 SUB and a 2-4 MAR division from the US West Coast box to Midway, 6 CV factors and a 3-4 INF from the US West Coast box to Hilo, and a 3-4 INF unit from the US West Coast box to Pearl Harbor. The barracks on the Eastern islands are filling-up.

Operations Segment: The first chit drawn is…

BRITISH ATTRITION: The Brits bought this one hoping to react to any Japanese invasion, but instead they use it to send the Dutch 1-3 INF unit from Taralam to guard the capital of British North Borneo at Sandakar.

The next chit drawn is…

US NAVAL: The American 4 CV unit at Pearl Harbor tries to get some revenge by moving to the Sea of Okhotsk and attacking the Japanese 2 CV unit at Otamari. American fighter planes pull-off a near miracle, scoring 3 hits on 4 dice to kill two Japanese BRPs (the 2 CV has only 2 BRPs worth of fighter planes), but the Zeroes score one hit before dying and kill an American BRP. Then the remaining 3 American CV air factors bore in on the carriers and score one hit to sink a Japanese CV factor.

The 4 CV returns to Pearl Harbor.

An American 2 CV escorts a 2 LC carrying a 1-0 GAR out of Midway destined for Wake Island. The 2 CV battle the Japanese 5 SUB factors waiting off Midway, but neither side scores any hits and the Americans make it to Wake, establish the beachhead there and deposit the garrison. The 2 CV then withdraws to Pearl Harbor since it would have no defenses against a Japanese naval strike if it stayed at Wake. The Americans have to hope that the garrison holds out long enough for them to bring in more land, air and naval forces to turn Wake into a forward operating base against the Japanese home islands.

The next chit drawn is…

COMMUNIST CHINA ATTRITION: Mao gets the jump on the Japanese and sends all the forces he can toward the breach, then goes for an 8 die to 2 attack on a 2-3 INF unit just north of Iching in hopes of widening the breach. Unfortunately, he only scores one hit and kills a Japanese BRP; the Japanese score 1 hit in return to kill a 1-2 INF unit.

The next chit drawn is…

JAPANESE GENERAL OFFENSIVE: The Japanese armies in China reposition themselves along the line as best they can, and then the 3-3 INF and 1-3 MAR unit move out of the beachhead at Vigan and South next to Manila.

Then the Japanese 5-8 SAC unit from Takao on Taiwan makes a strategic bombing raid on Manila, and with no American TAC units within 2 hexes to intercept it, the SAC gets a +1 bonus to each dieroll and destroys the maximum of 2 American BRPs (you can’t eliminate more than 2 BRPs by hitting the same objective city in a colony).

No naval strikes take place, but 5 SUB factors move west from the Marshall Islands to Takao and a 2 CV moves from Tokyo South to Truk. Then the amphibious assaults begin. LCs from the Marshall Islands and Osaka converge on Wake Island along with 9 SURF (4 factors of which can fire support), 4 CV and a 3-3 and a 2-3 INF unit. The 13-die attack scores 3 hits, which is more than the 2 hits necessary to wipeout the 1-0 GAR unit holding the island. The GAR scores no hits in return and the Japanese take Wake, denying the Americans their FOB and forcing the 2 LC unit that brought the GAR there to retreat to Midway where Japanese subs score a hit on them before they can make port. But one Japanese LC is lost in the landing on Wake. The 4 CV that accompanied the invasion goes back to the Marshalls (no sense in taking an island from the Americans while leaving others open).

Every other Japanese LC heads for the Philippines. First, the Saigon invasion force heads out to sea and is engaged by the British 2-4 TAC and 1 CV in the Gulf of Siam. Japanese CAP shoots down a British TAC step, but the remaining British planes sink a Japanese LC and a 1-5 ARM unit goes to the bottom along with it.

The invasion force moves on to the Sulu Sea, and the Dutch 2 SURF unit engages it. The Royal Dutch Navy scores one hit and kills a Japanese SURF factor (targeted player gets to choose which of his units take hits from enemy SURF), and the Japanese escorts roll horribly, scoring just one hit on 13 dice and killing just 1 SURF. But that’s all there is between the Japanese and their target, and the invasion force steams into Davao on Mindanao and attacks the Filipino defenders there. A Filipino 1-4 TAC dukes it out with the Zeroes but neither side scores any hits, and the 9 die to 1 attack scores the one hit necessary to kill the 1-3 INF guarding Davao, thus taking the capital of Mindanao. The Filipinos score one hit before dying and flip the 3-3 INF unit to its reduced 1-3 side, but the Filipino 1-4 TAC unit has no other base to land at within 4 hexes of Davao and crashes. The Japanese player rolls a 1 and the LC unit that made the landing is lost.

Then a 2 CV sails from Tokyo to Kagoshima to rendezvous with the invasion force there, while a 4 CV and 9 SURF from Takao leave port to do the same. The American 1 TAC and 5 SURF in the South China Sea watch the latter go by in hopes of better pickings, and they get them when the invasion force returns through the South China Sea heading for Manila.

The 1-4 TAC survives combat with 6 CV worth of zeroes, but it fails to hit any landing craft, and the 4 SURF scores no hits either. The Japanese 6 CV and 18 SURF score six hits to wipeout the American 4 SURF, and the American fighter planes watch the Japanese invasion force steam into Manila. The ground forces that marched south from the Vigan beachhead attack simultaneously with the amphibious invaders, but the 18 die attack scores just two hits, killing a Filipino 1-3 INF plus an American BRP but failing to dislodge the American 3-4 INF holding Manila!!! The 4-die American defense scores one hit and kills a landing MAR unit, and the amphibious landing is repelled! The landing Japanese 3-3 INF takes a step loss, and the entire force retreats up the Luzon coast toward the Vigan beachhead. That gives the American 1-4 TAC in the South China Sea one more shot at them, but rather than tangle with the 6 CV worth of Zeroes again, they stay out of it so they can land at Manila and help with the ground war. The reduced 1-3 INF makes port at Vigan and most of the naval escorts split between Vigan and Takao, while a 2 CV heads up to Nigata on the Sea of Japan coast to defend against raiders.

Finally back up in China, the Japanese armies attack Mao’s salient outside Iching. But the attack is repulsed horribly, with the Japanese scoring no hits and Mao’s 2-2 army scoring 2 hits and eliminating a Japanese 2-3 army to widen the breach!!! A Japanese 1-5 ARM division uses exploitation movement to rush South and take the place of the dead infantry; so the breach is pinched again, but the Japanese lines are weaker now.

The last chit drawn is…

US 6TH HQ OFFENSIVE: The American defenders of the Philippines counterattack, with a 3-4 INF and a 2-6 ARM division moving up from Legaspi to attack the Japanese 3-3 INF and 1-3 MAR division Northeast of Manila. The Manila defenders join in along with air support from a 2-4 TAC in Legaspi, and the 10 die to 4 combined-arms attack scores 3 hits, wiping-out the 1-3 MAR unit and killing 2 Japanese BRPs. The 3-3 INF would have liked to retreat North to avoid the BRP loss, but that would have allowed the Americans to advance, letting the 2-6 ARM division drive North with exploitation movement and hitting the Vigan beachhead itself. So the Japanese soldiers stay put and take the exploitation attack of the 2-6 ARM and the 2-4 TAC, which with blitzkrieg bonuses, scores another two hits. This time the Japanese do retreat to avoid losing even more BRPs, and the American ARM division doesn’t advance northward because doing so would expose it to counterattacks with bonuses (hitting a lone division gives the attackers a +1 bonus on all die rolls). The Japanese score a hit before retreating and kill an American BRP.

Supply Segment: All units are in supply (units which make amphibious landings have supply ships and are thus automatically in supply on the turn they land). The Japanese spend 4 BRPs to repair their reduced INF units on the Philippines. Then, the Japanese are forced to remove all their LC units from the board to give their home economy the ships it needs to keep the war effort going. They can rebuild two out of the three LCs that are currently in the Japanese force pool, but only after rebuilding the third LC in the force pool and giving that to the civilians as well.

End Segment: All units in Sea Zone boxes return to port, and the turn ends.

So, after a long and brutal summer, the defenders of the Philippines are depleted but are still holding out around Manila, having given the Emperor a bad, bloody nose. Mindanao and Wake have both fallen, and with more forces at Truk, the Japanese will have no problem maintaining the Trans Pacific Patrol Line and keeping American units from SR-ing to relieve the Philippines. With the loss of most of her LCs and her rapidly shrinking BRP stockpile, Japan will have trouble mounting any more amphibious invasions this year. The silver lining is that both the US and Britain have even lower BRP stockpiles than Japan, and a few well-placed SUBs could take either power’s stockpile so low that they won’t be able to do much of anything this winter. But Japan has lots of coastline of her own to defend against raiders, so it may be a race to the bottom for everyone this year. Who will eke-out some gains before the well dries-up? Tune in next time and find out!

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