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Mr. President,

I request that we reorganize out Pacific Battle Fleets to most effectively redistribute our screens and consolidate our fighting power. Given the overwhelming superiority of the IJN's naval aviation and our lack of adequate fighter protection, I suggest that we remove our fleets to the Wake Island area. This will both allow for a quick retreat in the event of extensive combat damage, as well as forcing longer transit times on the Japanese fleets (and delaying their ability to repair and redeploy).

Our fleet should only sortie in the event of credible intelligence on Japanese invasion forces. Our SAG's (such that will remain viable after the reorganization) should endeavor to engage the enemy only at night or in poor weather (negating the value of CAG's) while our carrier fleet should try to only fight during the daytime in calm weather. Beyond that, it is a simple delaying game until our new construction is finished.

In regards to the current status of our 1st Marine Corps, they can continue to stay on loan to the Atlantic Command. We have no current perspective of offensive operations in the Pacific in light of our contested control of the seas, and my staff feels that they would better serve in a combat theater rather than working on their tans on Oahu.

I must also stress the need for us to stay advance our naval and aviation doctrines, while increasing our spying ability against the Japanese. The ability to predict where their fleets are going-and more importantly, not going- will be of crucial importance to the prospect of victory in the Pacific.

As always Mr. President, I remain your loyal and o'best servant.

General Omar N. Bradley
C-in-C Pacific Theater
 
Mr. President,

I request that we reorganize out Pacific Battle Fleets to most effectively redistribute our screens and consolidate our fighting power. Given the overwhelming superiority of the IJN's naval aviation and our lack of adequate fighter protection, I suggest that we remove our fleets to the Wake Island area. This will both allow for a quick retreat in the event of extensive combat damage, as well as forcing longer transit times on the Japanese fleets (and delaying their ability to repair and redeploy).

Our fleet should only sortie in the event of credible intelligence on Japanese invasion forces. Our SAG's (such that will remain viable after the reorganization) should endeavor to engage the enemy only at night or in poor weather (negating the value of CAG's) while our carrier fleet should try to only fight during the daytime in calm weather. Beyond that, it is a simple delaying game until our new construction is finished.

In regards to the current status of our 1st Marine Corps, they can continue to stay on loan to the Atlantic Command. We have no current perspective of offensive operations in the Pacific in light of our contested control of the seas, and my staff feels that they would better serve in a combat theater rather than working on their tans on Oahu.

I must also stress the need for us to stay advance our naval and aviation doctrines, while increasing our spying ability against the Japanese. The ability to predict where their fleets are going-and more importantly, not going- will be of crucial importance to the prospect of victory in the Pacific.

As always Mr. President, I remain your loyal and o'best servant.

General Omar N. Bradley
C-in-C Pacific Theater

General Bradley,

I do not, at present, believe that we have sufficient screens to supply even one SAG with enough protection. We will return to Wake Island as you say, and perhaps tentatively attack Japanese fleets if they are vulnerable.

President Willkie

((I intend on playing either tonight or tomorrow; in either case, the update will be tomorrow.))
 
Monthly briefing -- May 1st, 1942

((Note: I will not include any screenshots of battles that do not involve at least 200 total casualties from here on.))

April was another month of successes, especially against the Italians, although German resistance in Norway is beginning to stiffen. The President's very first order was to relocate the Pacific Fleet to Wake Island, as well as the naval bomber squadron. ((I completely forgot it was even there, which is why I never used the squadron before. :rolleyes:)) No action was taken against Japan by American forces in April, although our spies in Tokyo reported an unsuccessful battle at Leyte Gulf; it is unclear who participated, whether it was the United Kingdom, Australia, or both. ((The ledger indicates Australian units lost to Japan, but no sinkings by Australian forces. Very peculiar.)) I have enclosed report of notable events during this month; please let me know, as always, if there are any questions.

April 3, 1942 -- American victory at Mosjoen, Norway.
April 8, 1942 -- American victories at Bleikvassli and Mosjoen, Norway.

bleikvassli.jpg


April 9, 1942 -- British accept transfer of US Second Army to their control for the purpose of securing the west bank of the Suez Canal.

secondarmygoeslimey.jpg


April 12, 1942 -- US 19th Infantry Division engages two German infantry divisions at Nesna, Norway.
April 13, 1942 -- Successful strategic bombing of Leipzig, Germany. Damage to AA guns, factories, metal and energy production.
April 14, 1942 -- American defeat at the Battle of Nesna. 2nd Armored division counterattacks at Nesna a few hours later.

nesnaloss.jpg


April 15, 1942 -- General Devers lands in Tripoli, takes over operations against Italian-held Libya. First encounter against Italian ground forces since invasion of Tripoli at Benghazi. US 10th Armored Division against Italian garrison division.
April 17, 1942 -- American victory at Second Nesna.

nesnawin.jpg


April 18, 1942 -- American victory at Benghazi, Libya.

bengasiwin.jpg


April 19, 1942 -- USMC invasion of Cagliari, Sardinia. Encounter one regular infantry division and one garrison division.

invasionofsardinia.jpg


April 21, 1942 -- American at victory at Cagliari. USMC General Handy directed to take Olbia, Sardinia en route to capturing the entire island. SAG 'Texas' rebases in Cagliari for repairs.

cagliariwin.jpg


April 24, 1942 -- American victory at Laconi, Sardinia.
April 25, 1942 -- 6th Armored Division engages Italian garrison at Ra's at Tin. Victory in 11 hours.

sattin.jpg


April 27, 1942 -- American victory at Mo i Rana, Norway. 16th Infantry Division engages 196th German Infantry Division at Agskaret.
April 28, 1942 -- Commissioning of USS Wasp, Hornet, Essex, Intrepid, Franklin, and Ticonderoga. American victory at Sassari, Sardinia.
April 30, 1942 -- American defeat at Agskaret.

agskaret.jpg


Norway:

norwaymay42.jpg


Africa:

africamay42.jpg


China:

chinamay42.jpg


Techs learned: Operational Level Command Structure 1, Spotting 3, Medium Tank Armor 4, Battleship Armor 6, Medium Tank Engine 4, Armored Car Armor 2, Anti-Tank Ammunition and Muzzle Velocity 4, Airborne Warfare Equipment, Anti-Tank Barrel and Sights 4
Units constructed: 4 x Light Armored Division (2 LARM + 1 AC), 2 x FTR to Norfolk, VA; 3 x Transport Flotillas, 6 x Carriers to Los Angeles, CA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nothing too pressing to discuss as far as Senate bills are concerned. Generals MacArthur and Bradley, please let me know of any changes to current operations by Saturday at 10 PM (-6 GMT). General MacArthur, if you are interested, the 82nd Airborne now has the necessary equipment to perform airdrops.

Generally speaking, which update format do you prefer? This one or the previous one? Is there anything you'd like to know I could include in future updates?
 
This format was excellent. How are the construction of escort vessels for the Pacific fleet coming? Any interdiction of our convoys by Axis forces? Could you email me a save?
 
It seems our boys are making progress in Norway, and around the world, mind you. I look forward to a day when they can all come home and bask in the warmth of the hearth instead of that frozen tundra.

-Senator Monisset
 
This format was excellent. How are the construction of escort vessels for the Pacific fleet coming? Any interdiction of our convoys by Axis forces? Could you email me a save?

The Japanese have been picking off two to four convoys a month, it seems; nothing crippling, but it is a bother. Germany has done next to nothing on that front. At the moment, I haven't changed the priority of the build queue. We'll reevaluate build priorities at the six month mark, unless Saithis thinks we ought to change her original priority list.

I will e-mail you the save later tonight; I'm at work and my work PC won't run HOI3 (also, I probably shouldn't, even if it could ;))

It seems our boys are making progress in Norway, and around the world, mind you. I look forward to a day when they can all come home and bask in the warmth of the hearth instead of that frozen tundra.

-Senator Monisset

I am certain they would agree with you.
 
I am very impressed with the progress of our men. Not only have we liberated much of Libya and Norway, we even managed to capture a vital city of Sardinia. Maybe with enough luck, the Italian war machine will crumble in on itself, doing the finishing touches for us.

- Senator Elexis Sinclaire (R - MA)
 
((The more, the merrier. I am sure Avindian will be along to officially welcome you. ))
 
((I hope this thread is still open for more to join.

Name: Senator Carl Stephen Englund for Idaho
Born: 1898 (44 years)
Party: Republican
))

Welcome aboard! I'll add you to the OP!
 
I wish to convey the thanks from all my boys in Norway. Your messages of recognition and support is helping steel them against the Scandinavian cold!

General Stillwell C-in-C Atlantic Northern Command.

((Am looking forward to a new plan of action. Although a mainland attack is still not feasable, I think Denmark could be taken with enough defensive units able to hold the single attackable province.))
 
I want to join, if I still can :)

Name: Senator Jack Rimbly
Born: 1901 (41 years old)
Party: German-American Bund(National Socialist)
State: You can choose, but if I must it can be Virginia.
 
I wish to convey the thanks from all my boys in Norway. Your messages of recognition and support is helping steel them against the Scandinavian cold!

General Stillwell C-in-C Atlantic Northern Command.

((Am looking forward to a new plan of action. Although a mainland attack is still not feasable, I think Denmark could be taken with enough defensive units able to hold the single attackable province.))

((Discuss this with Tom; although we won't be able to do much in the near future, we should very soon.))

I want to join, if I still can :)

Name: Senator Jack Rimbly
Born: 1901 (41 years old)
Party: German-American Bund(National Socialist)
State: You can choose, but if I must it can be Virginia.

Welcome to the AAR!
 
I wish to convey the thanks from all my boys in Norway. Your messages of recognition and support is helping steel them against the Scandinavian cold!

General Stillwell C-in-C Atlantic Northern Command.

((Am looking forward to a new plan of action. Although a mainland attack is still not feasable, I think Denmark could be taken with enough defensive units able to hold the single attackable province.))

General Stillwell,

I know your comments were only made in passing, and off the record, but I felt as though I must address my concerns regarding this proposed plan of action.

An invasion of Denmark would play mainly to the German's strengths and expose our weaknesses. Yes, the German's are currently occupied in the East dismantling Uncle Joe's Red Army, but how long would it take them to redeploy troops to counterattack against a landing bordering their homeland? How many units do they have there currently? Yes, the bottleneck might only be one province wide, meaning that we would need less troops to hold the front, but how many provinces could they attack us from? How many air wings could they use to either bomb our troops, sink our ships, or interdict our own aircraft? How many ships would they be able to sortie to sever our supply lines or sink our transports under an umbrella of land based fighter and bomber aircraft?

How does an invasion of Denmark aid our war effort or hinder theirs? It has little enough industry, and while it would open the Baltic to our warships, is now really the time where such a move could be capitalized on? If we want to divert German troops from the Russian front, why not land in Italy? Not only do we already have a strong presence in the Mediterranean, but we would be able to utilize the flexibility and firepower offered by our Navy while simultaneously attempting to knock out a major Axis power.

Joe, I know that this is your bailiwick, and I know that I would hate to poke their nose into my ops, but I wanted to just throw in my two cents-off the record of course.

I hope you and Wini are well!

Regards,

General Bradley
C-in-C Pacific Theater

General Bradley,

I do not, at present, believe that we have sufficient screens to supply even one SAG with enough protection. We will return to Wake Island as you say, and perhaps tentatively attack Japanese fleets if they are vulnerable.

President Willkie

Mr. President,

My apologies, my directives were based on outdated intelligence information. I believe that we should continue our defensive preparations as planned, as nothing has necessitated a change in our direction. Yes, we have more fleet carriers, but we don't have either the screens or the CAG's to properly utilize them. I suppose we could always outfit half of them with CAG's and send them to help out in the Atlantic (if they're needed), but I'm loathe to risk them until the fall as more destroyers and cruisers come online.

Regards,

General Bradley
C-in-C Pacific Theater

((I realized that I accidently loaded the previous save, before all our screens had been sent to the bottom :p ))
 
General Bradley,

Thinking out loud here, do you think you could find a use for the 82nd Airborne if General MacArthur does not? Depriving the Japanese of bases could be a valuable step towards a more aggressive Pacific strategy. If you can, please run it by the General, as he is still acting Chief of the Army.

Thank you for your service,

President Willkie
 
General Bradley,

Thinking out loud here, do you think you could find a use for the 82nd Airborne if General MacArthur does not? Depriving the Japanese of bases could be a valuable step towards a more aggressive Pacific strategy. If you can, please run it by the General, as he is still acting Chief of the Army.

Thank you for your service,

President Willkie

Mr. President,

I appreciate the suggestion, and after some extensive research, my staff has concluded that the transfer of the 82nd Airborne to the Pacific Theater would not be of great benefit.

There is only one Japanese base within the limited range of our air transports (650 km), and that is Saipan from Guam. The garrison, however, would likely be able to beat off our attack without Naval gunfire or Marine support. All other Japanese islands are out of range of our aircraft, and any allied islands that could possibly host them currently have no air bases.

As always, we remain your loyal servants,

General Bradley
C-in-C Pacific Theater
 
Mr. President,

I appreciate the suggestion, and after some extensive research, my staff has concluded that the transfer of the 82nd Airborne to the Pacific Theater would not be of great benefit.

There is only one Japanese base within the limited range of our air transports (650 km), and that is Saipan from Guam. The garrison, however, would likely be able to beat off our attack without Naval gunfire or Marine support. All other Japanese islands are out of range of our aircraft, and any allied islands that could possibly host them currently have no air bases.

As always, we remain your loyal servants,

General Bradley
C-in-C Pacific Theater

General Bradley,

Thank you, as always, for your cogent and concise analysis. I shall leave the disposition of the 82nd Airborne to General MacArthur, then.

President Willkie

((Tom, if I don't hear anything from you by 10 PM tonight (-6 GMT), I'll assume you want me to carry forward as instructed with no changes or additions.))
 
I wish to convey the thanks from all my boys in Norway. Your messages of recognition and support is helping steel them against the Scandinavian cold!

General Stillwell C-in-C Atlantic Northern Command.

((Am looking forward to a new plan of action. Although a mainland attack is still not feasable, I think Denmark could be taken with enough defensive units able to hold the single attackable province.))

General Stillwell,

Though an invasion of Denmark is certainly feasible, since such an invasion would be ill-advised, as General Bradley has noted, I cannot authorize an invasion of Denmark at this time.

((Bob basically summed up everything I have to say about this. That said, I'm torn as to where we should attack next - I'm personally thinking either Italy or France.))

General Bradley,

Thank you, as always, for your cogent and concise analysis. I shall leave the disposition of the 82nd Airborne to General MacArthur, then.

President Willkie

((Tom, if I don't hear anything from you by 10 PM tonight (-6 GMT), I'll assume you want me to carry forward as instructed with no changes or additions.))

Mr. President,

We should transfer the 82nd Airborne to Bengasi, where it will launch an airborne assault on Malta in conjunction with the upcoming Marine invasion of that island.

- General MacArthur, C-in-C Atlantic

((Nothing else to add beyond that; everything's running fine so far.))
 
Gentlemen. I wish to congratulate you all and our boys in uniform for the exemplary job being done in Europe. A review of our current situation leads me to conclude that Italy(Including Malta and Sardinia) should be our next target. Control of Malta and Sardinia will help the Army Air Corps achieve air superiority over the entirety of the Italian mainland. This is the front where we can make the most difference with the least exposure.

Leroy Grumman
Sec War
 
Gentlemen. I wish to congratulate you all and our boys in uniform for the exemplary job being done in Europe. A review of our current situation leads me to conclude that Italy(Including Malta and Sardinia) should be our next target. Control of Malta and Sardinia will help the Army Air Corps achieve air superiority over the entirety of the Italian mainland. This is the front where we can make the most difference with the least exposure.

Leroy Grumman
Sec War

Secretary Grumman --

General MacArthur and I have been considering exactly what you are proposing. I cannot say more in such a public setting, but it is being reviewed.

President Willkie

((It's past 10 -- I have to update another AAR, then I'll play this one. Might update tonight, might not.))