Protecting India from KB raid

[gladiatt]

1st February. I've got only the combat file from my opponant, and don't know where KB is.
But i can already see that the pursuit is not healthy for my opponant :

[gladiatt]

4 February.
I've lost sight of KB near Java. No more sighting by my planes, no more sightings by Kates or Val. Where are those ships ????
But i've sighted his AO; well, they could have laugh at my nose, it would have been the same: see the screenshot [:@]



Yeah, you get it: no hits. Not a single miserable hit...must sell back those planes and buy Jokari for my pilots instead !

[gladiatt]

For a few days, KB was lost of sight.
On the 8 february, it sank 4 AK trying to go to Java.
Then it disapeared....Until 11 february, North of Sumatra...

And now? If i had to guess, it will slip back the Malacca strait once Singapore will fall, in a few days....It is the shortest path toward fuel. KB has been cruising all the way, so not too much fuel expense, and so it can wait a few days more for the door to be open.



The intel is not accurate: from the attack on the 4AK, i had read the name of the datai;
Kaga, Akagi, Soryu, Zuikaku are all here....i would guess Shokaku and Hiryu are here also, and that there is probably more then 10 ships, even if from the beginning (31 january) the sighting always tell 10 ships.

[gladiatt]

always closer from Ceylon.
My planes refused to fly....What come next is probably a slaughter....

[gladiatt]

And so, KB came close to Ceylon.
My LBA didn't launched any attack: too much CAP on KB??
My Brits CV were hammered: i was thinking to bring them north of Trivandrum, in order to counter attack latter; wrong move of me: KB was much northern than i thought. CVL Hermes plastered.
Indomitable downed 6 Kate on its own !!!! great work folks !




And i can't manage to cut and paste the combat report [:o]

[gladiatt]

may be like this

Day Air attack on TF, near Trivandrum at 13,21

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 20
D3A Val x 89
B5N Kate x 63

Allied aircraft
Sea Gladiator x 8
Fulmar x 12

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
D3A Val: 2 destroyed, 18 damaged
B5N Kate: 7 destroyed, 5 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Sea Gladiator: 2 destroyed
Fulmar: 5 destroyed, 1 damaged

Allied Ships
CVL Hermes, Bomb hits 31, on fire, heavy damage
CV Indomitable, Bomb hits 2
CLAA Capetown, Bomb hits 2, on fire
CL Glasgow, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CLAA Ceres
CA Exeter, Bomb hits 3, on fire
CLAA Columbo, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CA Cornwall, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CL Enterprise

[gladiatt]

And there was another attack in the afternoon

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF, near Colombo at 14,24

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 19
D3A Val x 44
B5N Kate x 41

Allied aircraft
Hurricane II x 18
Blenheim IF x 12
P-40B Tomahawk x 9

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 5 destroyed, 1 damaged
D3A Val: 5 destroyed, 1 damaged
B5N Kate: 5 destroyed, 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Hurricane II: 3 destroyed
Blenheim IF: 5 destroyed
P-40B Tomahawk: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
AK Hosang, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
AK Empire Moonbeam, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Empire Impala, Bomb hits 1
AK Bhima, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Empire Ibex, Torpedo hits 5, on fire, heavy damage


From the name of the Datai included in the two battles, in can name Kaga, Akagi, Shokaku, Zuikaku, Hiryu, Soryu.
But why only 10 ships ??? do they get warded by 2 BB and that's all?

Anyway, i try to see the good part of things:
in 2 battles, 25 experienced pilots were downed !!

[Oldguard1970]

Salut Gladiatt,
 
There are almost certainly more than 10 ships in the TF.  The game only reports some of them.

[gladiatt]

ORIGINAL: OldGuard1970

Salut Gladiatt,

There are almost certainly more than 10 ships in the TF.  The game only reports some of them.

That's indeed more probable like this.
What lead me in "error" is the fact that, since i saw KB near Timor, 13 days ago, the sighting always tell of 9 or 10 ships.
But it would be really unlikely that KB sail with only 6CV and a pair of BB.
Now, i must wait that it leave the area, because my forces are not enough to counter attack (although i had hope that some LBA could have fly and put only one bomb on a deck, in order to disable a CV and incite my opponant to withdraw).
Thanks for the interest [:)]

[gladiatt]

[:(] The TF reacted to the KB, although i asked for no react. I suppose the admiral wanted to have some glory, but he only received torpedoes.

Day Air attack on TF at 12,23

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 42
D3A Val x 57
B5N Kate x 60

Allied aircraft
Fulmar x 22

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
D3A Val: 11 damaged
B5N Kate: 3 destroyed, 13 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Fulmar: 14 destroyed

Allied Ships
CV Indomitable, Bomb hits 9, Torpedo hits 8, on fire, heavy damage SUNK
CL Marblehead, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CLAA Ceres, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
CA Cornwall, Bomb hits 4, on fire
CA Exeter, Bomb hits 3, heavy damage
CLAA Columbo, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage SUNK
CL Enterprise, Torpedo hits 1
CL Glasgow, Torpedo hits 6, on fire, heavy damage SUNK

Added with the fact that CVL Hermes Sunk from it previous wound of yesterday.
+ 3AK, 1 AP, 1 MSW.
Not much losses of the planes of KB....
And NO attack from my LBA [:@]

One day, i will avenge [:@]

[gladiatt]

Here is the new position of THE BEAST; THE DEATH STAR; THE GREAT WHITE

[gladiatt]

No Screenshots for the 15th february 1942, sorry.
KB is still lurking around Trinvandrum (3hex NE of it's position of the 14th).
No air raids occured, most probably because of bad weather. My LBA didn't launched any attack either. What could help to attack ??
Next turn saturday....

PS:Singapore besieged, but still holding....

[gladiatt]

18 feb 42;
KB is still near Colombo: see the post

[gladiatt]

In this day, KB launched two major raids, and some minors on scattered merchants ships.


The first one :

Day Air attack on TF, near Colombo at 14,24

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 52
D3A Val x 15
B5N Kate x 22

Allied aircraft
Sea Gladiator x 1
Hurricane II x 25
Blenheim IF x 6
P-40B Tomahawk x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 4 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Sea Gladiator: 1 destroyed
Hurricane II: 22 destroyed
Blenheim IF: 6 destroyed
P-40B Tomahawk: 2 destroyed

Allied Ships
AK Bhima, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

The Hurricane proved a bad plane...

Second raid :

Day Air attack on Colombo , at 14,24

Japanese aircraft
B5N Kate x 44

Allied aircraft
Sea Gladiator x 1
Hurricane II x 3
Blenheim IF x 3
P-40B Tomahawk x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N Kate: 19 destroyed, 6 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-40B Tomahawk: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
BB Revenge, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AP Van Cloon, Bomb hits 1
CA Exeter, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
BB Royal Sovereign, Bomb hits 1, on fire
BC Repulse, Bomb hits 1, on fire


Allied ground losses:
6 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

This time, the lack of fighter prove deadly for the Kates of the KB;
19 experienced japanese pilots lost for him.
With all the losses suffered by KB around Ceylon, that's almost 50 pilots lost: 5 months of production worth ! this is the good part of this raid.
The bad part is that NO attacks came from my planes in Colombo....DAMN IT;

[gladiatt]

21 february.
2 days in a row that KB does no attack: fear of loosing good pilots on port attack?
But KB remain near Ceylon. What for ? is my opponant waiting for Singapore's door to be open (a HR say that no jap surface TF can cross the strait while Singapore is still allied).
If so, he is for a bad surprise....

[gladiatt]

In the same time, Betties and Nell have tried to bomb Colombo Port.
But it proved deadly....

Day Air attack on Colombo , at 14,24

Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 3
G4M1 Betty x 20

Allied aircraft
Fulmar x 1
Hurricane II x 9
P-40B Tomahawk x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M Nell: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 9 destroyed, 2 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Hurricane II: 1 damaged
P-40B Tomahawk: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
BB Revenge, Bomb hits 1

Port supply hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
5 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 5000 feet
6 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 5000 feet
2 x G3M Nell bombing at 5000 feet

half of the losses caused by Flack...

Still; the presence of KB here annoy me, to say the least.
And my LBA don't attack [:@]

[gladiatt]

Another day with KB near Ceylon, but no attack from it.
No attack from Nell or Betties coming from Rangoon.
And guess what ?? no attack from my LBA [:@][:@]
(Think i am going to print one [:@] per day without attack, but it could fill the whole page)

[gladiatt]

While KB is still near Colombo, and with still not attack on either side ...
(so, since 13feb, when 15 swordfish attacked with no result but with courage, and accordingly to my previous post, it would mean [:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@] )

...elsewhere , a new threat



don't believe the intel panel: i know there are CV in there, because their Kates had sunk 3DD . Unbelievable, this TF has come unsighted !! What are my planes for ? They don't attack, the fighters dont defend (in Soerebaja), the Patrol dont sight....Hey, make something you damn pilots !

OK, and what about a AAR ? do i have enough readers ? And i could start at the beginning of the war ? (of course, it will never have the succes of Cuttlefish; and i don't intend to make an AAR this way).

To be continued ???