13日は前日に引き続きスラバヤを爆撃、
Morning Air attack on Soerabaja , at 56,104
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid detected at 35 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 14 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 49
B5N2 Kate x 43
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 3 damaged
Allied Ships
DD Hammann, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
APD Stringham, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
SS Stingray, Bomb hits 4, and is sunk
SS K XVI, Bomb hits 2, and is sunk
SS S-39, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
TK Mindanao, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AO Trinity, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Port hits 4
Port fuel hits 4
AI連合国、艦船の退避の判断が悪いので、これだけ爆撃されてなおスラバヤ港を潜水艦の拠点としようとしています。結果として米潜水艦とオランダ潜水艦を撃沈。
14日は特筆すべき戦闘なし、15日は再びスラバヤ港を爆撃、
Morning Air attack on Soerabaja , at 56,104
Weather in hex: Heavy rain
Raid detected at 39 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 16 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 51
B5N2 Kate x 46
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 4 damaged
Allied Ships
SS S-39, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
AO Trinity, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
Port hits 6
この日は艦が減ったのか攻撃規模の割にいまいち戦果が良くありません。
16日・17日は特筆すべき戦闘なし、18日はマンダレーに集結した陸軍がついに総攻撃を実施、
Ground combat at Mandalay (59,46)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 55260 troops, 573 guns, 153 vehicles, Assault Value = 1849
Defending force 26900 troops, 172 guns, 67 vehicles, Assault Value = 1005
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 2
Japanese adjusted assault: 728
Allied adjusted defense: 367
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 2)
Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 2
Combat modifiers
Defender: leaders(+), experience(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
2165 casualties reported
Squads: 11 destroyed, 256 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 21 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 35 disabled
Guns lost 19 (1 destroyed, 18 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
3255 casualties reported
Squads: 54 destroyed, 361 disabled
Non Combat: 31 destroyed, 43 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Guns lost 30 (3 destroyed, 27 disabled)
Vehicles lost 6 (1 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Units destroyed 1
Assaulting units:
18th Division
53rd Division
5th Division
33rd Division
2nd Mortar Battalion
10th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
20th Ind. Mtn Gun Battalion
21st Medium Field Artillery Battalion
Defending units:
Railway BAF Battalion
1st Burma Brigade
Mandalay BMP Battalion
36th Chinese Division
13th Indian Brigade
22nd New Chinese Division
1st Gloucestershire Battalion
2nd Burma Brigade
BFF Brigade
200th Chinese Division
11th Burma Rifles Battalion
88th Chinese Division
1st Burma Auxiliary AA Regiment
101st RAF Base Force
27th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
Burma Corps
102nd RAF Base Force
攻略成功とはなりませんでしたが、戦闘力比も両軍の損害も日本側有利。連合国は増援に送られた中国軍と現地兵の英軍中心のようですので、おそらく質や装備の差で押せているものと思われます。このまま押し切ってマンダレーを攻略したいところ。
19日、スラバヤ付近で敵艦隊を機動部隊が捕捉、
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Soerabaja at 55,103
Weather in hex: Heavy rain
Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 41
B5N2 Kate x 46
D3A1 Val x 37
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 5 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 1 destroyed by flak
D3A1 Val: 7 damaged
D3A1 Val: 1 destroyed by flak
Allied Ships
CL Nashville, Bomb hits 1
DD Parrott
CA New Orleans, Bomb hits 2
DD Downes
一応命中弾は出ていますが、攻撃規模を考えると不満足な戦果、特に魚雷が一発も当たらないのは。
一方ビルマ戦線ではこの日、これまでマンダレーで発生していた戦闘機同士の空戦が発生せず。どうやら地上部隊が接近したことで、マンダレーの基地にいた敵戦闘機隊が後退したため迎撃機がいない模様です。制空権がとれておらず爆撃できていなかったのですが、ここからは爆撃できそうです。マンダレーの地形は平地ですので強力な航空支援が出来るのではないかと判断し、20日から爆撃を実施。
Morning Air attack on 101st RAF Base Force, at 59,46 (Mandalay)
Weather in hex: Clear sky
Raid detected at 33 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes
Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 14
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 24
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-48-Ib Lily: 2 damaged
Ki-48-Ib Lily: 1 destroyed by flak
Allied ground losses:
32 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Morning Air attack on 101st RAF Base Force, at 59,46 (Mandalay)
Weather in hex: Clear sky
Raid detected at 30 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes
Japanese aircraft
Ki-30 Ann x 15
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-30 Ann: 1 destroyed by flak
Allied ground losses:
7 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
高射砲による反撃が激しいですが、一定の戦果が上がっています。ただこれまで爆撃機の出番がなかったので、この戦線には強力な重爆隊がいません。重爆を他戦線から移動させればさらに強力な支援が実施できそうです。続いてスラバヤ付近で再度敵艦隊を機動部隊が攻撃、
Morning Air attack on TF, near Tjepoe at 55,102
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid detected at 37 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 15
B5N2 Kate x 26
D3A1 Val x 23
Allied aircraft
no flights
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 3 damaged
D3A1 Val: 8 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
SOC-1 Seagull: 1 destroyed
Allied Ships
CA New Orleans, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 4, and is sunk
CL Nashville, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DD Parrott
DD Downes, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD McCall
今度は前日と変わって大満足の戦果。米重巡を1隻撃沈し、米軽巡を1隻大破させました。
21日はマンダレーに再度総攻撃、
Ground combat at Mandalay (59,46)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 53019 troops, 572 guns, 153 vehicles, Assault Value = 1621
Defending force 24201 troops, 166 guns, 65 vehicles, Assault Value = 701
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1
Japanese adjusted assault: 560
Allied adjusted defense: 447
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 1)
Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 1
Combat modifiers
Defender: experience(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
4296 casualties reported
Squads: 11 destroyed, 444 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 42 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 53 disabled
Guns lost 26 (2 destroyed, 24 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
1449 casualties reported
Squads: 127 destroyed, 96 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 50 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Guns lost 21 (9 destroyed, 12 disabled)
Vehicles lost 6 (1 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Assaulting units:
5th Division
18th Division
53rd Division
33rd Division
20th Ind. Mtn Gun Battalion
10th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
2nd Mortar Battalion
21st Medium Field Artillery Battalion
Defending units:
2nd Burma Brigade
11th Burma Rifles Battalion
36th Chinese Division
13th Indian Brigade
200th Chinese Division
22nd New Chinese Division
1st Gloucestershire Battalion
1st Burma Brigade
BFF Brigade
Mandalay BMP Battalion
88th Chinese Division
101st RAF Base Force
27th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
Burma Corps
1st Burma Auxiliary AA Regiment
102nd RAF Base Force
運が悪かったのか前回が良すぎたのか、前回の総攻撃より戦闘力比が悪くなっています。しかし陣地は破壊できていますし、敵の戦闘部隊へのダメージも大きいと思われます。再度態勢を整えるとともに、航空支援を強化すれば確実に落とせるでしょう。
マンダレーの攻略が目前に迫っていますが、現在ジャワ島のスラバヤにも地上部隊が接近しています。この2拠点を落とせれば南方作戦終了と言っていいでしょうから、ゲーム内時間で5月中には南方作戦終了と言えそうです。
