2001-2003 VITP BPA SE

IJN Report: Standard 7 POC. Two CAs & a crippled BB escape Pearl. No USN CVs able to base in Australia.

IJN Report: The IJN did a 2 area attack. The USN challenged in the USM & CPO. Day came up in both areas giving the IJN 17 bonus carrier shots at the USN CVs. The IJN got very lucky sinking 4 CVs & max damaging the 5th. But the USN shot almost as well sinking 4 CVs worth 14 attack factors. Johnston Isl, Midway, Singapore, Philippines & Lae flipped to IJN. POC at 18.

IJN Report: The IJN sent light patrols to all areas they could reach except Indo with a large force (including 4 LBA) going to HI in an attempt to convert Pearl. The USN countered by sending all 6 LBA & the whole fleet except the repairing CV and a BB to HI. The first round went the USN way with the IJN sinking 1 marine, disabling the other & putting 3 damage on 1 LBA during Day. The USN got lucky sinking 3 carriers & disabling 2 with the 6 LBA. Round 2 again went to the USN as they sunk 6 IJN ships while the IJN could only sink 2. Disables kept the surface fleets even. Two more night rounds saw the IJN regain attrition advantage. The IJN got incredibly lucky on the next Day round sinking 5 LBA with 17 shots. The USN sunk another carrier but did no damage to the LBA. This left the IJN with 4 carriers having 9 attack factors. POC at 29.

IJN Report: The IJN threatened conversion of Samoa with patrols but declined after all 3 LBA showed up to defend it. But the IJN converted Attu by isolation, achieved the "Full Applebaum" and controlled Coral Sea. Saratoga was sunk in exchange for 1 IJN LBA. POC remains at 29.

IJN Report: The IJN deployed with LBA defending Indo, HI & Marshalls. The fleet defended SPO with single CA patrollers in most back areas. With only 5 LBA, that meant 1 LBA (backed up by the raiding Hiyo) defended the Marshalls. All 3 marines went to the Marshalls with the Wasp, Vicky & the fleet in an attempt to break the perimeter and gain a forward base. The Brits challenged Indo with the Formidable & Hermes facing 2 LBA.

In the Marshalls, both players preferred Day. The Wasp was sunk while the LBA took nary a scratch. The I Boat whiffed against the Vicky. The 2nd round was Day. Vicky was sunk but came through in the clutch blasting the 26th AirFlot out of the sky. The USN captured Maloelap and now had 2 marines poised for further adventures in the IJN interior. During follow-up pursuit the Hiyo was sunk at a cost of 1 point of damage on In & Ma. The IJN now have the Junyo, Zuiho & Hosho as their only remaining carriers while all 6 USN CVs have been sunk.

There were two rounds of agreed-upon Night in Indonesia as both sides awaited the Marshalls outcome. The Allies withdrew after the Marshalls victory. POC remains at 29.

IJN Report: At the end of T5, the USN based most of their fleet in the Marshalls able to attack the IJN interior. But it allowed a portion of the IJN fleet to control Indonesia since SPO & Marianas were IJN controlled. The IJN took the safe POC in JI & NPO. The rest of the fleet defended Marianas along with 1 LBA. One LBA went to SPO & 3 to HI. The USN could have clear superiority in any area (or 2) they chose but not 3. However, SNLFs were positioned such that getting a base in the area they chose to fight would be difficult. In the end the USN decided to take SPO & CPO including Midway positioning for next turn. POC remains at 29.

IJN Report: The IJN played conservatively by sending the fleet (mostly based at Pearl) to control the NPO while the 5 LBA defended the JI. By holding these 2 areas (& conceding the rest of the board) the Allies will have to sweep the board on T8 to win by 1/2 POC after applying the bid of 3.5 - a daunting task indeed.

The Allies played their marines well - able to secure a base in every area except the JI & NPO. In a hole, the USN decided to gamble & sent all available CVs (3 four-bangers & 1 two-banger) into the JI to face 5 LBA. If a few LBA could be taken out & the CVs mostly disabled instead of sunk, it would ease the T8 burden. It also offered the long shot of beating the 5 LBA. The F Boat went to the NPO to try to take out Kure so the marine in the Aleutians could take D Harbor instead of Attu. The rest of the USN positioned for Turn 8.

The F Boat whiffed so the USN took Attu. In the JI, the USN came close in the first round sinking 1 LBA & damaging 2 others. The USN lost 1 four-banger & the two-banger and had another four-banger take 1 damage & be disabled to Australia. On R2, the 1 remaining carrier suffered hearbreak as she put 1 additional point of damage on a two-damaged LBA while being sunk.

IJN Report: The IJN needed to take 1 POC away from the Allies in order to win by 1/2 POC after the bid. All IJN ships went on raid. The Allies had to commit their patrollers to control all areas of the board and still hold enough back to respond to the IJN LBA & raiding fleet. In the end, the IJN raided the AI with 3 CAs & 3 SNLF vs the USN 3 LBA & 2 patrolling CAs. Five LBA (2 max damaged) & the rest of the fleet went to the JI. The Allies held the AI. After 4 rounds in the JI, the USN patrollers were all sunk or disabled giving the win to the IJN.

The Allies gave it a gallant try, but controlling the whole board on T8 is very difficult & proved to be too much here. The IJN gained a major advantage on T2 when they were able to sink 4 USN CVs & max damage the 5th. The Allies faced an up-hill battle from there. Still an exciting game.