ALL COMMANDS BE ADVISED USN BB SAG SANK JAP BB KONGO IN RABAUL HARBOR AFTER SHELLING X KONGO DMGED PRIOR BY USAAF BOMBING AND RN/RAN SHIPS IN NIGHT ACTION ON 4/10/42.
The benefits of rigging the Pearl Harbor raid -- you have working American BB's to play with. How much damage did your British and Australian force take during the encounter with Kongo?
Civil war? What does that mean? Is there any foreign war? Isn't every war fought between men, between brothers?
Virtually nil. HMAS Canberra and Australia, along with HMS Enterprise and two "D" class cruisers and some DDs ambushed her at night and achieved surprise. They quickly dispatched all four of her escorts and pummeled her with 29 small-caliber shells before breaking off. The Kongo then retired to port, where she was hit by 208 shells of 6-inch or greater size via naval bombardments, and 57 500-lb bombs over the course of a week. I was hitting the port with 100+ B-17s and Liberators every day. A couple of hapless destroyers unlucky enough to be in port with her were also hit and sunk. Rabaul is basically shut down at this point, with 40+ P-39s strafing any ships that come too close, and heavy bombers smashing the port and airfield. The 2nd USMC division is closing in on Rabaul proper, having secured the rest of the island.
Congratulations on some remarkable achievements. But, it looks to me that the AI isn't very good: human Japanese players tend to handle Allied counterattacks in early '42 pretty roughly.
Civil war? What does that mean? Is there any foreign war? Isn't every war fought between men, between brothers?
Unquestionably. Even the worst human opponent, I am pretty sure, could utterly and completely school me.
It's probably worth pointing out, however, that everywhere else, the Japanese are way ahead of schedule, and my troops at Akyab are fairly hard-pressed.
SIGINT has indicated that the 4th Fleet HQ at Truk is planning for a reinvasion of the Marcus Islands. I'm taking steps to insure that (a) I'll be able to spot it when it comes, and (b) I'll be able to react with five fleet carriers, two slow battleships, and numerous cruisers and destroyers.
0100 Admiral Palliser addresses all hands; informs crew we are going to attempt to engage enemy warships sighted off Rabaul, or failing that, that we will bombard enemy battleships sighted in harbour.
0235 FFNS Le Triomphant reports strange ships off port bow, making 16 knots, range 8,000 yds.
0238 KONGO class battlecruiser sighted, many cruisers and destroyers also.
0239 Open fire with main armament on KONGO class battlecruiser.
0310 1 hit observed on enemy battlecruiser.
0315 USS Selfridge torpedoes Japanese light cruiser, believed to be JINTSU
0322 Second hit observed on enemy battlecruiser. Enemy ship now on fire.
0339 Action broken off.
0421 HMAS Canberra reports RDF contacts, range 5000 yds, on starboard bow.
0425 Main armament opens fire on KONGO class battlecruiser, still observed to be on fire. Direct hit scored on superstructure.
0434 HMS Enterprise blows up and sinks with all hands.
0438 Japanese destroyer (believed to be MATSUKAZE) blows up and sinks.
0444 Torpedo hit observed on KAKO
0446 Multiple hits observed on JINTSU
0447 Direct hit on KONGO class battlecruiser; she is now moving erratically.
0450 Hit taken to Y turret; internal explosions aft, but magazines safely flooded. Ship making 10 knots.
0452 Another direct hit on KONGO class ship. Still burning.
0453 Selfridge hit by torpedoes and sinks.
0455 MAYA observed on fire from many shell hits.
0458 Action broken off. JINTSU passed in a sinking condition.
0545 Now making 8 knots for Gasmata to conduct emergency repairs before returning to Sydney.
0630 50+ USAAF aircraft spotted overhead heading for Japanese ships.
0835 Receive reports that KAKO and JINTSU have definitely sunk.
It looks like the Japanese are going all out at Rabaul. I've spotted Nagato, Mutsu, Hiei (badly hit by HMS Revenge), Kirishima, Fuso, Yamashiro, and Hyuga for sure, and at least ten heavy cruisers plus escorts.
HMS Revenge is a bit beat up right now (sys 59, IIRC), but the British-Australian-French-American striking force under Admiral Palliser has heavily damaged several heavy ships, sunk two cruisers and a destroyer, and the survivors have been pummeled from the air. Hiei's taken eight 500-lb bomb hits, which, while not fatal, certainly have not improved her material condition, and most of the BBs in harbour have been hit a few times by B-17s.
I was pretty tense during the first fight, because it could go either way, but I scored a surprise result the second time; it got fairly brutal; I think HMAS Vendetta and Vampire are probably going to sink soon, and the doughty HMAS Adelaide is pretty beat up---although she's been badly hurt before and survived.
HMS Dragon and Durban(? I think; away from my notes) did astonishingly good work; they were the ones which torpedoed Kako and riddled her with shellfire; the newer IJN cruisers shrug off six-inch and even many eight-inch hits like there's no tomorrow, and I fear them more than I do the IJN battleships, with the exceptions of Nagato and Mutsu.
I forgot to mention; the night prior, USN PT boats traded shots with the same Japanese task force and hit Nowaki with two torpedoes, sinking her. Two of my PT boats were lost.
I love big surface fights like this; I have four USN battleships heading for Rabaul now, and intel shows Fuso and Yamashiro, my favorite IJN BBs, are patrolling. I'm pretty excited. Jutland Mark II, here I come!
Blargh. The Japanese have disappointed me by holing up in Rabaul after coming under constant air attack while at sea. The USN battleships bullied there way past two Japanese heavy cruisers in an unsatisfactory night action that's probably cost me a heavy cruiser, but on the plus side, I've now heavily damaged Yamashiro and Fuso in harbor due to shelling, making three crippled battleships stuck in Rabaul, and the cruiser Furutaka has sunk. HMS Hermes will sortie from Sydney with an escort of USN DDs soon, hoping to launch a torpedo strike on anything at sea. The Long Island should reach Noumea in a week or so, and the two carriers will then cojoin to form the most anemic striking group ever seen...but still more CV support than they have in SOPAC waters, as the Kido Butai is making another raid into the Bay of Bengal. Hopefully this time my Wellingtons, Blenheims, and B-26s will actually launch a strike; even a single lucky hit on a carrier would be welcome.
5/8/42
BRITONS STRIKE HOME repetition BRITONS STRIKE HOME
Enemy aircraft carriers are now 240 nm off of DIAMOND HARBOUR and have attacked merchant shipping in the BAY OF BENGAL. All aircraft capable of antishipping attacks are to concentrate at CHANDPUR and prepare for MAXIMUM EFFORT attack.
5/9/42
Second strike launched on enemy aircraft carriers in BAY OF BENGAL. Dutch report one torpedo hit on HIRYU; our pilots report one bomb hit each on AKAGI, ZUIKAKU, and SHOKAKU, estimate NO EFFECT. Strike of 8/5 reports one hit each through the flight decks of KAGA, HIRYU, and SORYU. Intelligence indicates this was not sufficient to put them out of action, although HIRYU and SORYU were both observed to be on fire briefly.
Enemy aircraft carriers now retiring SOUTH, probably towards SINGAPORE.
Our losses in bombing aircraft for this two-day period total 50 a/c, all from enemy fighter a/c.
Gentlemen, it has been a momentous period of time for both our own forces and for the Americans. We hope to go inexorably on the offensive by the end of the year or early 1943.
GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE WAR SITUATION AS OF 6/6/1942
During May of 1942, the Imperial Japanese Navy again sortied their main aircraft carrier striking force into the Bay of Bengal. Again, our surface forces were judged to be incabable of mounting an effective resistance to the enemy in such numbers, so all ships withdrew to Karachi, leaving the defence of the Bay to the RAF, supported by Free Dutch and USAAF aircraft. Over the course of two days, we lost fifty bombers and fourteen P-40Es of the A.V.G., but in return scored hits on all six enemy aircraft carriers; 500-lb bombs penetrated the flight decks of Hiryu and Soryu, setting off petrol fires, and Akagi, Kaga, Zuikaku, and Shokaku all suffered glancing hits. Additionally, a Dutch T.IV floatplane managed to hit Hiryu with a torpedo. As she is judged to be the least well-protected of the six ships, we may hope that she will be out of action for some time yet. As it was, the Japanese ships immediately retired from the Bay at this time, although we did not observe a noticeable decrease in speed.
Prior to this, on 29/4/1942, Force R/The Anglo-Australian-American-French Joint Flotilla (HMS Revenge, flag, HMS Enterprise, Durban, and Dragon, HMAS Canberra, Australia, Hobart, and Adelaide, various destroyers) engaged elements of a large battleship and cruiser force entering the port of Rabaul, specifically the battlecruiser IJNS Hiei and several cruisers. We can now confirm that Hiei sank as a result of damage sustained during this engagement, along with the cruisers Kako, Maya, and Jintsu, as well as the destroyer Matsukaze. This in large part offsets the tragic loss of HMS Enterprise with all hands and the necessity of scuttling the seriously damaged Adelaide. We are informed as well, that FFNS Le Triomphant actually performed quite well in this action, continuing to press the attack after being heavily hit by Japanese destroyers.
HMS Revenge sucessfully retired to Sydney for repairs, which will apparently be quite extensive. However, she should be able to return to action before 1943.
The US Navy and USAAF have continuously subjected Rabaul to sustained assault, with US battleships sinking the battlecruiser Kongo and the older dreadnoughts Fuso and Hyuga at port and on patrol, respectively, as well as the heavy cruisers Takao, Aoba, and Kinugasa.
At this point in time, only one fast battleship remains active in Japanese service, the Kirishima. She is believed to have been heavily damaged at Rabaul, along with Yamashiro. Only Mutsu has been observed in an active and functional state at this time; she is believed to be based at Truk.
Our forces now have the upper hand at Akyab; Chinese troops under General Stillwell have seized Hanoi, Mytikynia, and Mandalay, although they are being heavily counterattacked at the last-named. We are now able to hold troops back and begin planning for Operation RESURGANCE, the amphibious liberation of Rangoon, scheduled for early 1943. We have earmarked the 7th Australian Bde, 251st UK Bde, and 5th Indian Division for this operation, and are concentrating assault shipping in Karachi harbour. Additional formations will be added as they arrive. We have almost total air superiority over Akyab, and it would appear that the Zeke wing based at Rangoon has ceased to exist as a fighting force; by the end of May, only single Zekes were escorting raids, and were easily dispatched.
At the end of May, the Japanese attempted to seize Andaman Island, which caused great concern; we had just rebased additional RAF ground crew there to accomodate a RAAF Hudson squadron in addition to the Brewster fighters and Catalina floatplanes, and the a/c based there enabled us to keep watch on IJN convoy traffic to Rangoon. Consequently, the Far Eastern Fleet decided to make an all-out effort to retain Andaman. As the garrison had only 80 frontline Dutch troops, and no reinforcements were available from anywhere nearer then Karachi, a seaborne response was necessitated. Fortunately, Force C (3 aircraft carriers, five cruisers, four anti-aircraft cruisers) had already sortied to intercept what was at first believed to be convoy traffic to Palembang when the first Japanese troops began to unload on Andaman. Travelling at maximum speed, the carriers reached launching points a day later, and their full complements of Swordfish wreaked great execution. The cruisers (HMS Devonshire, Birmingham, Newcastle, Tromp, and Sumatra) and three destroyers were detached and finished off the surviving transports; interrogation of survivors reveals them to have been from an Imperial Guards Division/4th Engineer Rgt battlegroup.
Several groups of unescorted Bettys, one as large as 25 a/c, attacked our carriers, but were driven off by Fulmar fighters. Nonetheless, we eagerly anticipate the arrival of Seafires for Force C.
All in all, the situation seems very much in our favour.
Gentlemen, the war situation has progressed greatly to our advantage. Signals intelligence intercepts from Trincomalee and Pearl Harbour confirm that of the battleships Japan started the war with, only Ise and Mutsu remain afloat. One other vessel, the Yamato, believed to be 45,000 tons and armed similarly to HMS Nelson, has been sighted, but no further details are available. All other Japanese battleships have been confirmed sunk, several in Rabaul harbour, where teams from our own navy, as well as the Americans and Australians, are now conducting detailed examinations of their construction.
Of the heavy cruisers they had prior to the start of the war, the Furutaka and Aoba classes have all been sunk, as have the Myoko and Takao classes, in their entireties. Only two Mogami class vessels remain afloat, as do Tone and Chikuma.
Casualties to the enemy light cruiser force have also been very heavy, and their losses in destroyers have been great, many sunk on the convoy routes to Rangoon by our carriers or around Rabaul by US and RAAF aeroplanes.
The only area of their navy where heavy casualties have not been taken is their powerful aircraft carrier force. No ship of this type has yet been sunk on either side in the Pacific, although Hiryu was torpedoed by Free Dutch forces out of Chandpur as indicated previously, and the US submarine Thresher scored one hit on Zuikaku on the 11th of this month, and the US Navy's battleship/carrier raid on Saipan damaged both the Shoho and the Hosho in harbour with bombs. USS Hornet was damaged as she moved into the South Pacific after this raid by a lucky bomb hit from a SALLY level bomber, but although her speed is reduced to 24 knots, she can still operate aircraft and may continue to do so as US forces prepare to seize Kavieng from its small garrison.
On land, Chinese and British forces have reoccupied all of upper Burma; we are preparing for Operation RESURGENCE, our return to Rangoon. Currently five battleships make up the bombardment element of Force N (HMS Warspite, HMS Valiant, HMS Resolution, HMS Ramillies, HMS Royal Sovereign), with two more battleships in the Fast Force, Force Z (HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse), and three armoured carriers (Force C), currently refitting with Seafires.
In the South Pacific, Force X (HMS Hermes, HMS Dragon, USS Long Island) have conducted anti-shipping and anti-submarine operations with some success, and we hope to be able to reinforce them once Rangoon is again in our posession, depending on the ultimate fate of the Japanese carrier force.
Well HMS Resolution..youve whooped some butt on the AI. Time to step up and take on a human!
Im also a newbie that was able to kick the AIs butt, admittedly after a few turns of steep learning curve..I did it as the Japanese..SOOO..if you might be interested, PM me!
Just a quick note to mention that Operation RESURGENCE is getting underway. Initial force estimates are two Indian divisions, 1 UK brigade, 1 Australian brigade, and all three Chindit brigades, sealifted by about 50 APs. A support force of rear-echelon troops and supplies are being loaded onto AKs for the second wave. Rangoon airfield is currently nonfunctional after a severe pounding by 100+ RAF Blenheims and Wellingtons, and Dutch and USAAF B-25s are interdicting shipping from Akyab, assisted by Swordfish and Beauforts out of the Andaman isles. Naval support for the operation will involve five battleships, one battlecruiser, three aircraft carriers, four anti-aircraft cruisers, three heavy and two light cruisers, sixteen destroyers, fifteen minesweepers, and four corvettes. The invasion fleet will stage out of Diamond Harbour.
The SOPAC region is preparing for Operation CAPITALIZE, the seizure of Truk by the 1st and 2nd Marine divisions, which will probably be ready in a few more months. Already, B-17s and B-24s have reduced the island to a shambles. Likewise, troops on the West Coast are readying for the invasion of Enwietok, Operation ACTUAL.
I have, but the thought of transitioning from victory after victory to crushing defeat is a little nerve-wracking. I might test the waters in some sort of team game, if I ever figure out how it works.
XXX SOPAC XXX
9 17 1942 X CARRIERS OFF PALAU LOCATED ISE AND MUTSU AND SCORED AT LEAST 20 BOMB AND THREE TORPEDO HITS X ESTIMATE 1 LIGHT CRUISER OR LARGE DESTROYER AND ONE SMALL DESTROYER ALSO SUNK XXX
XXX FLASH SOPAC FLASH XXX
9 18 1942 X JAP CV GROUP SPOTTED APPROACHING PALAU X OUR CV GROUP PREPARING TO LAUNCH STRIKES X ESTIMATE FOUR JAP CV AKAGI KAGA SORYU SHOKAKU XXX
XXX FLASH SOPAC FLASH XXX
9 19 1942 X ENTERPRISE SCUTTLED 240 NM SE OF PALAU DUE TO DAMAGE FROM JAP VT AND VB X LEXINGTON DAMAGED HEAVILY BUT MAKING 14 KNOTS FOR RABAUL X WASP AND YORKTOWN UNDAMAGED X ESTIMATE 4 HITS ON SORYU AND 2 HITS ON AKAGI X SORYU LOW IN THE WATER AND BURNING HEAVILY X HERMES AND LONG ISLAND TO PROVIDE ESCORT FOR LEXINGTON AS SHE NEARS RABAUL XXX
IMMEDIATE PRIORITY
20.9.1942
British, Indian, and Australian troops stormed ashore at Rangoon today, quickly evicting the rear-echelon Japanese troops from the fortified port city. "Chindit" Commando troops are now advancing on Moulmein as the British flag once again waves proudly over Rangoon. HMS Forsythia, a small escort vessel of less than 1,000 tons, was lost.
