The Pearl of the Orient

Quanto

Indeed, I am back at it. Hope you enjoy this AAR getting down to business.

Vann the Red

There's much to be done before I can wrap this AAR up. As I got more accurate sources and did more research some of the early material would have lead to the world of generic storytelling. My re-aligning the ranks post a page back did solve the glaring error of title inflation for Commonwealth commanders.

The European Theatre was never a big priority to begin with; this AAR being told from a Pinoy-centric view of the world. But as with most games, now that the US is revved up for war the outcome is pretty straightforward in the Old World.

El Pip

ABDACOM is there as a justification for my Indonesia garrisons that sit and do nothing, there's really not much to report about the movements of garrisons so I decided just to wrap up that arc of the war in this manner.

Maj. von Mauser

I'm doing the AAR off notes; the game was finished before my laptop's screen broke and its hd got corrupted. I hope that doesn't detract from the experience of reading last year's game highlights. That being said this next update is new material to introduce the Battle/s of Singapore and Malaya posts I did last year (but have yet to post) as well as a small teaser post.
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Prologue - Before Shōnan-tō: July 1943

The 25th Army of the Empire of Japan was assigned to guard the vital port of Singapore. From this bastion the Japanese ensured that operations in the South China Seas would be fraught with threats ranging from diesel-electric submarines and the occasional aircraft carrier. Though the Imperial Navy had been gutted in recent months by both the U.S. Navy and the Commonwealth Fleet, her strength in the waters off the Asian mainland still prevented the Allies from bringing the war to Tokyo's doorstep. The capture of Singapore would be the first step in the final campaign to destroy the warmaking ability of the Japanese; kicking in the door in Malaya would expose Japan's Thai allies to the full wrath of the Allies navies and at the same time avenge the defeat of Lt Gen. Arthur Percival's Malaya Command at the hands of General Yamashita Tomoyuki 25th Army. An estimated eight enemy divisions awaited a motley collection of two divisions of Commonwealth marines and five divisions of regulars. The airstrikes would be launched as a diversionary operation to allow the main strike force to land in Johor and then head south for a strike at Singapore. Good weather permitting, 70,000 men would be dumped along the marshy littoral and beaches Malaya to face the forces of the Tiger of Malaya in the first major land offensive directed at the Japanese occupied mainland.

The Abode of Dignity: July 1943

The morning of the 12th, Pontian, Johor

In the early hours of the 12th of July, twelve miles of sandy coastline would be host to the largest seaborne invasion attempted by the Allies thus far in the war. In two hours seven divisions would be deployed in Pontian district to secure a beachhead for further operations. Opposing this force were two divisions of the Japanese 25th Army, one garrison division stationed at Pontian Town and one regular infantry division stationed further inland at Johor Bahru. After liberating these two potential enemy choke points, the invasion force would then move southward to engage the bulk of the 25th Army at Singapore. Eighteen hours ago, warplanes based on Sumatra and Dutch planes based Batavia began diversionary attacks at Kuala Lumpur and Singapore designed to draw away the bulk of the 25th and Japanese Army Aviation from Johor. The plan had looked as though it would go off without a hitch; the Filipinos waded up the beaches and offloaded their light artillery. But when the invasion force began to converge on Pontian Town all hell broke loose.

Lieutenant Jorge Marciello's brigade had been the first to cross the threshold into the town proper. The Japanese garrison had converted several storehouses on the outskirts into blockhouses that impeded the drive forward. It was quite unlike anything that even the most experienced veterans had encountered before. Sure, the Japanese were pigheaded in defense but never before did Commonwealth soldiers witness the 'suicidal' natural of Japanese defensive tactics. Even as the bodies started piling up from repeated Japanese attacks on Commonwealth light tanks and half-tracks, the battle continued with no clear end in sight The land war in the Dutch East Indies had been a war of mobility, with Japanese garrisons and Allied offensives contained to key areas. But this was something different, the Americans already had a taste of this war of attrition as they moved from island to island in the south and central Pacific. Both Filipino and Japanese troops in Malaya were unused to defeat and Commonwealth forces as a result were faced with a hard slog if they were to reach Singapore in time.

Ahead of the main force, Pontian Town, two hours after contact with the enemy

Back in the thick of it, Juan Borbón, had managed to find himself at the head of troops. With the Japanese distracted by the main body of the landing force, Borbón and a group of Philippine Scouts decided to find a way around the main Japanese garrison. Waiting till the garrison wasted itself was an option but there was no time to waste seeing as enemy reinforcements from the north or south could arrive to relive the Japs at anytime. A creek running around the south side of town would allow the Scouts to enter into town announcement to wreck what havoc that they could to weaken the Japanese defense.

"Rico, Jaca, and Medina; you go on a head. The rest of you, eyes on me and be quiet." It was a refreshing change from a desk job; though he was burning up, pissed off, and sweating rivers he wouldn't trade being point man for his billeting in Manila any day. The group had emerged from the creek and paused to review their options before heading into the clearing just before town. "I count one, two... no, four Jap marksmen, two held up in the minaret to the right and one in that town house and the other in... a water tower? Meh, I can't make it out... Jaca, you've got better eyes. Take a look." Borbón handed off his binoculars to Sergeant Enrique Jaca, a forty something career solider who had been in the Scouts for as long as they had been stood up. "Yeah, you got'em all 'cept for the Jap sniper shuffling from warehouse to warehouse; he's the bloke puffing smoke like a chimney and in this heat... gawd what a tard'. Course of action Sir'?"

The Colonel felt as if something was missing. "I see snipers but I see no patrols? They must have stripped the balance of their forces and left the rest of the town crewed by skeleton detachments. Alright, let's radio back to our buddies. Ask Marciello to move the bulk of our forces around to the west side; that's this side Jaca, and we'll hit the Japs with an attack in echelon." Private First Class Tomas Jaca, the radioman, began winding up the radio unit, they had the bad habit of breaking down when you needed them the most and even then it was hit or miss in regards to getting a transmission across. Though everyone was in itching go up against the Japs, until Borbón had confirmation that the main body was apprised of the situation he could do little but wait and pray.