Speedy vs Swift - Jap perspective. Fight to the death

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Pamakasan off the coast of Java falls to units of the 1st Parachute Brigade. 12 casualties were sustained to the enemies 858.

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Over Burma. 4 A6M3 Veterans flew in a 'Finger Four' formation to cover IJA troops at Kohima. These 4 knights of the sky flew into an enemy formation of 28 Hurricanes escorting 8 Wellingtons. 3 of my boys had success in knocking down a Hurri before having to retire:

CPO Nakasawa E. of F1/Yamada Daitai is credited with kill number 5
WO Kurakane H. of F1/Yamada Daitai is credited with kill number 6
PO2 Shiga L. of F1/Yamada Daitai is credited with kill number 4

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Tomorrow Luganville hopefully launches against Noumea again. I have decided come October my surface fleets will try and bombard Noumea again.

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Luganville did launch against Noumea and attained typical results. I lost 5 aircraft to swift's 31.

Interestingly (as seen on the screenie below) recon indicates a 9 ship TF there. As such my LBA at Luganville has been ordered on Naval Strikes for tomorrow...........

[Rob Brennan UK]

isnt all those small/single PT groups a bit gamey ?

EDIT // humm all the CA's .. might be CV's ????

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Hi Rob - sure I guess it is. Many things are gamey though [;)] I'll just have to try and kill the buggers faster than he can make them[;)]

Fairly quiet day other than Werner bombing IJA troops at Ledo and Kohima.

No ships spotted around Noumea other than PT's..........LBA ordered to bomb the airfields again.

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Noumea is once more hit from the air. 33 enemy planes are lost tro my 3 today [8D]:

Day Air attack on Noumea , at 68,113

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 74
G3M Nell x 26
G4M1 Betty x 53
H8K Emily x 4

Allied aircraft
P-39D Airacobra x 2

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
P-39D Airacobra: 2 destroyed
Spitfire Vb: 3 destroyed
B-25C Mitchell: 4 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 2 destroyed
B-26B Marauder: 4 destroyed
Beaufort V-IX: 1 destroyed
SBD Dauntless: 1 destroyed
PBY Catalina: 1 destroyed
P-400 Airacobra: 1 destroyed
F4F-4 Wildcat: 1 destroyed

Airbase hits 8
Runway hits 29

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NLF Troops landed on the relatively unihabited place known as Rekata Bay in The Solomans whilst 1st Parachute Rgt elelements stormed ashore at Sampit on the western side of Borneo.

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

An even better day today! 51 enemy planes were destroyed at Noumea to my 2![8D]

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Sampit and Rekata Bay are taken.

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

My air campaign againsty Noumea continued today. A further 45 enemy aircraft were lost to my 2 today![8D]

He surely can't maintain these sort of losses. He is in many ways trapped though. He doesn't have the CV strength to force a way through yet at the same time he can't pull out his AF at Noumea and leave what appears to be 17 LCU's to their fate........

Todays air raids brought both the number of fighters and bombers below 100 (according to recon) for the 1st time.

My pilots are tired but this must continue.

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A group of DD's left Truk today bound for the HI to upgrade.

CV Soryu upgraded at Maizuru today.

20th ID has reached Rangoon. It will disembark and then be air lifted into Akyab to join their colleagues near Dacca.

[jeffs]

I am in my first game as allies..Just a few weeks in and it is real tough in that one can sort of contest with the IJN if they outrun their air component a little (I have had decent success around Rabual and a little in the DEI of butting heads with transports and bombarding fleets. But now it seems the KB is coming and there is nothing I can do other than scatter to the winds ASAP.....

And I know for the next 6 months, maybe 9 months where ever he applies heavy pressure, there is nothing but running.....

So for us newbies, that fine line of making a defensive line is rather hard
(and in my PBEM, my opponent has no interest in the China theatre..Which is good in that I do not have to worry about it (I will be quiet there as well, at least until mid 43...Let dead dogs lie there) but at the same time it means the attacks will fall elsewhere.)

And you look at that rather vast ocean and realize if he wants any spot (PH migh be an exception) it is pretty easy for him to take that spot now......

That said, I personally like counterattacking so be the Allies fits that way....But it is sooo frustrating to know the best thing you can do is run away....

[jeffs]

Also, those are really nasty plane losses...A loss of 40 planes to 4 on a daily basis is just vicious....

Mental note...

Don`t get caught in the same trap!![:-][8D]

A most impressive feat[&o]

[Rob Brennan UK]

It seems like he's still got replacements on for all his a/c . his supply must be really hurting making new targets for you [;)]

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Thanks Jeff[8D]

Roger Rob. I agree. He must have left replacements on. IMO a big mistake. Down to about 70ish Fighters and 70ish bombers active according to intel. My planes continue to order to be bombed. It has to be done to gain complete supremacy.

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A further 34 enemy planes were destroyed today to my 3:

Day Air attack on Noumea , at 68,113

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 109
A6M3 Zero x 34
G3M Nell x 25
G4M1 Betty x 51
H8K Emily x 5

Allied aircraft
P-39D Airacobra x 1

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
P-39D Airacobra: 1 destroyed
B-25C Mitchell: 2 destroyed
Beaufort V-IX: 5 destroyed
P-36A Mohawk: 3 destroyed
P-400 Airacobra: 2 destroyed
F4F-4 Wildcat: 1 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed
Spitfire Vb: 2 destroyed
SBD Dauntless: 2 destroyed
PBY Catalina: 1 destroyed


Allied ground losses:
10 casualties reported

Airbase hits 9
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 36

Aircraft bombing at 14000 feet

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SS I-31 left Hiroshima today bound for Kwajalein.

The 20th Division has disembarked at Rangoon. The airlift tio Akyab begins tomorrow.

The 19th Division is about a week out of Rangoon. It will follow suit.

[Rob Brennan UK]

What a waste of P40's and spits too ! .. how are the ground troops repairing in Truk ? I hate to think what the total air losses are like for him .. poor soul

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Hi Rob - pretty good. Most units are between 75 and 95% ready. They have another couple of months max to get ready.

Today a further smashing of Noumea occured - 36 planes destroyed on the ground for the loss of 2 of mine. Looking good. Down to about 70ish fighters and bombers each left at Noumea.

CVE Chuyo arrives tomorrow.

R & R for my CV's continues as it does for 10's of auxilliaries at Truk.

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

More of the same i'm afraid.

The number of Allied aircraft dwindle at Noumea. I wonder if Werner has finally decided to accept no more planes?!?[8|]

70 more lost over the past 2 days to my 7.

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2/3 of 20th Division has been airlifted to Akyab.

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A6M3 surprise party arranged over Kohima tomorrow

[niceguy2005]

Speedy, how can your planes score that well continually in 9/42? [X(]

In most of my PBEM games I am in a dead heat for losses with my opponents by that time...at least where planes are concerned. You have a top secret pilot training program?[;)]

[Rob Brennan UK]

I think he's killing them on the ground niceguy, his opponent seems to have left on accept reinforcements.. biggie error

[niceguy2005]

ORIGINAL: Rob Brennan UK

I think he's killing them on the ground niceguy, his opponent seems to have left on accept reinforcements.. biggie error

So I guess the airfield is demolished...the planes are all damaged and he is sending in reinforcements???[8|]

[Speedysteve]

Roger. 65 out of those losses were on the ground. Plane numbers appear to be dwindling at Noumea now though. In many ways a win-win situation for me.

If he keeps on replacing his planes it means i'll toast more on the ground and keep his pools low. If he stops sending them I can send in my BB's to shell the sh*t out of the place for 2 months.

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Wel lon 21st another 26 enemy planes were blitzed at Noumea for the loss of 2 freindlies.

No Allied air showed over Kohima so my A6M3's saw no combat.

Recon spotted an ML at Noumea so I ordered my LBA to Naval Attack on 22nd. No ships were spotted (other than PT's) but SS I-5 patrolling inbetween Noumea and Norfolk Island found and attacked DD Farragut which was escorting ML Oglala. Unfortunately the 2 torpedo's failed to detonate.

[Rob Brennan UK]

Oglala would be a nice kill .. she has a massive ML capacity (500) even if she is a bit slow (16kts)

Niceguy - this is speedys opponents 1st ever PBEM .. so i suspect that he might have missed the replacements button [&:]. poor sod.

Speedy . i would imagine his pools are empty right about now ( bar P39's but even that is possible) what sort of a/c types are you hiting on noumea daily ? his supply will be getting massacared 'buying' new airframes as japanese targets too [;)]