| Great
Pacific War Replay
1939 Campaign Scenario
Part 9: Fall and Winter 1942
By Doug McNair
February 2008
The major powers all try to do a lot with
very little in today’s episode of my
Great Pacific War
replay. As Summer
1942 came to a close, the U.S. Marines
finally took the key Japanese naval base of
Truk, and the Kuomintang’s offensive
across the Yangtse forced the Japanese to
pull back their left flank while rushing reserves
up from Hanoi and the south China coast beachhead.
But a Japanese strategic bombing attack on
Chunking drove the Nationalist Chinese BRP
stockpile down below zero, meaning they won’t
be able to do anything for the rest of the
year unless the USA uses its own Attrition
chits to get the offensive going again.
That’s not likely since the USA has
only 8 BRPs left in her stockpile and can
ill afford to scrap naval units to generate
more (she’s still got ground units in
the U.S. West Coast box because she doesn’t
have enough SURF units to SR them all onto
the board). The U.S. also has to keep some
BRPs in reserve due to the likelihood that
she’ll lose BRPs in combat on the Philippines
or to Japanese sub raids. A negative U.S.
BRP stockpile in Winter 1942 could well tempt
the Japanese to scrap some naval units in
order to generate the BRPs for a final offensive
the US can’t respond to.
The war continues.
Turn 13: Fall 1942
Production Segment: The Netherlands
has the highest BRP stockpile of any nation
right now and rebuilds her 1-4 TAC unit at
Balikpapan on Borneo for 3 BRPs. Nobody else
builds any units.
No new political chits go in the cup, and
the chit drawn is CHURCHILL DIRECTS. Britain
must transport at least one ground unit to
a British or British-allied port designated
by the Japanese player within the next four
turns or lose 10 BRPs. The Japanese player
selects Nukualofa in the Tonga Islands, way
in the southeast corner of the board. Winston
is jealous of America’s conquest of
Truk and wants to take the Marshall Islands
via a clever back-door strategy.
Britain buys no impulse chits, Communist China
and the USA both buy one and Japan buys two.
Sea Zone Box Placement Segment: Britain
spends 2 BRPs to put a 2-4 TAC in the Gulf
of Siam sea control box. The U.S. spends 1
BRP to put a 1-4 TAC unit in the Philippines
Sea control box. Japan spends 5 BRPs to fill
every possible sea control box with as much
firepower as possible, and to send a 4 SUB
to the Bay of Bengal Raiding box.
Declaration of War Segment: Nobody
declares.
Sea Control and Raiding Segment: The
Japanese Air Force downs both British TAC
factors in the Gulf of Siam, clearing the
way for SR-ing units to Borneo with minimal
SURF or LC support. But the RAF downs a Japanese
TAC factor there for a change. No other sea
zones are contested, and the uncontested Japanese
SUBs in the Bay of Bengal fail to destroy
any British BRPs!
Strategic Redeployment Segment: The
Chinas and the Netherlands leave their units
in place, but Britain SRs a 2 SUB unit from
the Middle East box to Singapore and a 2-5
ARM division from the Middle East box to the
Siamese border, replacing the 2-3 Indian INF
unit that was destroyed there last turn.
The USA spends 4 SRs to move a British 3-4
INF and a British/African 3-3 INF around the
horn from the Britain box to the Middle East
box, another SR to send a 5-4 TAC from Pago
Pago to Guam, and her last two SRs to send
a 3 SURF ten zones from Truk to the U.S. West
Coast Box.
Finally Japan SRs a 3-3 INF from Davao to
Kuching on the Borneo west coast, a 1-3 INF
and a 1-5 ARM division through the port of
Sasebo on Japan to the south China coast beachhead
(the 9 SURF that moved them transfers back
to Sasebo at the same time), the 1-3 INF that
captured Hong Kong last turn northwest to
fill a gap in the lines facing the Kuomintang
and a 1-3 INF from Japan to Bangkok.
Operations Segment: The first chit
drawn is . . .
JAPANESE ATTRITION: Japanese units
advance to reform the line against the Kuomintang
and score two hits to wipe out a Kuomintang
2-2 INF.
The next chit drawn is . . .
COMMUNIST CHINA ATTRITION: Mao’s
men move their strongest units to a point
across from a weak link in the Yangtse River
Containment Line and call in air support.
The attack comes off perfectly, scoring two
hits to destroy the 1-3 INF unit holding the
river line (its strength is 2 since it’s
being attacked wholly across a river). The
Japanese score one hit to kill a Communist
Chinese BRP, but then a Chinese 2-2 INF unit
crosses the Yangtse to break the Japanese
line.
The next chit drawn is . . .
U.S. NAVAL: Most Japanese naval units
are in sea control boxes or in well-protected
ports, and the Americans can’t afford
to lose any BRPs during air combat, so they
just do what they planned and have the 4-4
MAR unit at Truk launch an amphibious invasion
of Wake Island.
The Japanese have no air or naval units defending,
and the Marines score the two hits necessary
to destroy the Japanese 2-3 INF there and
take back Wake for America. The LC is not
lost, but the Japanese have now lost one of
their victory conditions necessary for a Major
Victory (take Wake, Midway, Dutch Harbor or
Pearl).
The last chit drawn is . . .
JAPANESE ATTRITION: Japanese armies
attack down the peninsula southeast of Manila,
adding air support and airdropping a PARA
division as well.
The Americans scramble a 2-4 TAC from Legaspi
for defensive support, but the Japanese score
one hit to none in Air battle to kill an American
TAC step. The 15-die-to-7 attack gets blitzkrieg
bonuses and scores four hits to reduce an
American 3-4 INF and force it to retreat south
while also killing the last American BRP.
The Americans score two hits in return to
destroy the PARA division and a Japanese BRP.
Supply and End Segments: All units
are in supply but the U.S. is out of BRPs
and can’t repair the reduced INF unit
on the Philippines. All units in sea zone
boxes return to base and the turn ends.
Turn 14: Winter 1942
Production Segment: Britain receives a previously-purchased
2 CV unit in the Britain box, Japan receives
a previously-purchased 4 CV unit at the Yokohama
shipyards, and the U.S. receives previously-purchased
4 CV and 9 SURF units in the U.S. West Coast
box. The Soviet Union rolls a 6 for a standard
Russian Winter. Japan spends her last 3 BRPs
to build a second LC factor at Kuching on
Borneo, and the Soviet Union builds a 3-5
ARM and a 3-3 INF for 10 BRPs, placing them
at the city of Dzhalinda on the Manchukuo
border behind the Japanese left flank.
Then Japan scraps 10 SURF at the Yokohama,
Kure and Sasebo shipyards and receives 14
BRPs as a result. The Americans respond by
scrapping 5 SURF in the U.S. West Coast box
to receive 7 BRPs.
The JAPAN FIRST chit goes in the political
cup, and the chit drawn is NATIONALIST TRAINING
AND EQUIPMENT. The USA would love to spend
the 3 BRPs necessary to flip the Kuomintang
1-2 INF unit in Chunking to its 3-2 side,
but she simply can’t afford it right
now. The chit goes back in the cup unused.
Communist China and the USA buy one impulse
chit each and Japan buys two.
Sea Zone Box Placement Segment: Britain
spends one of her last two remaining BRPs
to put a 1 SUB unit in the Gulf of Siam sea
control box. The Netherlands spends 3 BRPs
to put 2 SURF and a 1-4 TAC in the Java Sea
control box. The USA has to save her BRPs
due to the likelihood of losses on Luzon and
keeps her units in port, but Japan spends
5 BRPs to fill all the sea control boxes fronting
Japan plus the Gulf of Siam, and also sends
4 SUB to the Wake Island sea control box to
jump on that LC if it tries to land U.S. Marines
anywhere else.
Declaration of War Segment: Nobody
declares.
Sea Control and Raiding Segment: The
Japanese Air Force sinks the British 1 SUB
in the Gulf of Siam, so the landing craft
on the Borneo coast can travel without fear.
There is no raiding.
Strategic Redeployment Segment: The
Chinas leave their units in place, and Britain
spends 2 SRs to send her new 2 CV unit around
the Horn to the Middle East box and another
SR to send an Indian 3-4 INF from Bombay overland
to the port of Madras and then overseas to
Batavia on Java. Batavia is the capital of
the Dutch East Indies, and if it falls the
Netherlands falls, and Japan would have control
of the Straits which would put Rangoon and
all of India within range of Japanese amphibious
assault.
The Soviet Union SRs a 3-3 INF and a 2-3 INF
adjacent to the just built ARM and INF units
on the Manchukuo border. Japan (who has the
same BRP stockpile as the US currently and
therefore SRs first since her BRP base was
less this year) SRs a 2-3 INF from the Vigan
beachhead on Luzon to Fusan in Chosen, a 1-4
TAC from Otamari through Japan and up to Manchukuo,
a 5-8 SAC from Kweilin in China to Kirin in
Manchukuo, spreads 2 SURF out from Sasebo
to the Yokohama and Kure shipyards for quick
repairs next turn, and SRs the KWAN HQ and
9 SURF from Bangkok to Darien on the Manchukuo
coast.
Finally the U.S. spends 2 SRs to bring the
British 14th HQ from Britain around the Horn
to the Middle East box, another 2 SRs to have
the 7 SURF in the US West Coast box and the
2 SURF at Legaspi bring the 2-6 ARM division
from the West Coast box to Legaspi, another
SR to bring a 1-0 GAR unit from Johnston Island
to Truk, an SR to send the 1-0 GAR unit from
Midway to Wake, and finally a 1-3 PARA division
from the U.S. West Coast box to Dutch Harbor.
She keeps her new 4 CV in the US West Coast
box to keep it safe from Japanese carrier
strikes. 
Operations Segment: The first chit
drawn is . . .
JAPANESE ATTRITION: The Japanese
attack down the peninsula from Manila again,
and the U.S. scrambles 2 TAC out of Legaspi
for defensive air support. The Japanese down
one American TAC factor in air battle, and
the 16 die to 4 attack gets blitzkrieg bonuses
and scores four hits to reduce the 3-4 INF
unit southeast of Manila and force it to retreat
to the hex north of Legaspi. The overwhelmed
Americans score no hits in return, and the
Japanese armies advance down the peninsula.
The next chit drawn is:
COMMUNIST CHINA ATTRITION: Mao sends
all the forces he can toward the breach and
tries to widen it with an 11 die to 2 attack,
but he scores just one hit to destroy a Japanese
BRP while the Japanese score one hit on defense
and kill a Chinese 1-2 INF.
The next chit drawn is . . .
JAPANESE NAVAL: 6 CV from Japan converge
on Legaspi and attack the 1 CV and 5 SUB guarding
the harbor. The Japanese score one hit to
none in air battle to kill an American BRP,
but the carrier attack planes only score one
hit to kill an American CV factor, leaving
the 5 SUB intact. That makes a successful
Japanese landing at Legaspi highly unlikely,
so the Japanese 3-3 and 2-3 INF from Kuching
land one hex northwest of there with 5 CV
and 9 SURF supporting. No enemy units can
attack them on the way in, and the 14-die-to-3
attack scores three hits to wipe out the reduced
American 2-3 INF and Filipino 1-3 INF defending.
The Americans score one hit before dying and
wipe out a landing 2-3 INF, but the 3-3 INF
lands and there is now a Japanese unit adjacent
to Legaspi, meaning American ground an air
units can no longer SR in or out of the port
(that can only be done by sealift during Naval
impulses).
The last chit drawn is . . .
U.S. NAVAL: The 9 SURF and 4 CV from
Guam sealift a 4-4 TAC unit from there to
Legaspi, then travel the maximum distance
northeast to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians
to meet with the gathering force there.
Supply Segment: All units are in
supply and the U.S. spends her last BRP to
repair her reduced INF unit north of Legaspi.
End Segment: Nobody surrenders, but
Nationalist China ends the year with -2 BRPs
in her stockpile which will reduce the BRPs
she gets in next turn’s Spring Production
Segment. Japan ends the year with 1 BRP and
therefore gets 1 BRP worth of economic growth,
but America ends with no BRPs and gets none.
All units return to base from sea zone boxes
and the turn ends.
At the end of 1942, the U.S. Army is slowly
being pushed into the sea on Luzon, and US
carrier strength is far below that of the
Japanese, with 27 Japanese CV factors to just
8 CV on board for the U.S. with another 4
CV in the U.S. West Coast box. But the long
war of attrition on Luzon has bogged down
so many Japanese armies that the British have
had time to bring armies into Malaya, Borneo
and Java and thus prevent the Japanese from
conquering any of the Dutch East Indies. This
will put Spring, 1943 Japanese BRP production
below what the Imperial High Command had planned.
And the U.S. Marines have taken Wake Island
which puts them within striking range of Marcus
Island or even Honshu, while a powerful force
of army and airborne units plus plenty of
naval support has gathered at Dutch Harbor,
which is within striking distance of any port
in the Sea of Okhotsk and even Hokkaido. And
then there are all those Soviets massing on
the Manchukuo border. . . .
It seems that 1943 will be a decisive year
one way or another. Who will seize the upper
hand? Tune in next time and find out!
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