Herb VS Tabpub

[1275psi]

2/5/44
Just the usual bombing -bangkok is absorbing a stupid amount of bombs

Fleet still lurking about.
1 CV will soon be in position to be spotted off Derby.............
I hope he takes the decoy

[1275psi]

3/5/44
Weather clears over most of the map

terible day for japan
100 unescorted liberators strike Maumere -18 zeke brushed aside - carnage on the ground -I lost about 60 planes today there - and again all the bomber pools will be empty, empty, empty.
This was the Kupang defence..........[8|]
44 B-29 in a second wave

Good i think as I watch the turn, he's moved them from the PNG theatre

144 B-29 escorted by 100 plus fighters promptlyput 132 hits into wewak!
The bombing of ll the bases on the north PNG coast is rising to a crescendo -I refuel the fleet today - can I keep it at sea for one more week - if the next invasion comes this week I will be in position, if not, I will be forced to retire -all fuel reserves gone, and I mean all of them.

If this happens the fleet will return to japan, probably not to be seen for at least 3 months............

For me the fleet is a 2 edged sword -the only weapon I have left, yet also the one i can least afford to deploy due to its huge appetite for things I am so short of.......[8|]

[1275psi]

4/5/44
Extracting turns out of tabpub is like taking bones of a junk yard dog at the moment[8|]
ApparentlyCaptain Mandrake has him in a Submarine somewhere.........

Maybe he is getting war weary[:D]
Maumere was the main target today, some interesting battles
12 kittyhawk and 23beufighters swept the place -18 tony,17 zeke oposed
lose 5 fighters -so does he
Then 39 superforts and 30 liberators arrive, 26 fighter CAP is helpless
The place is damaged very heavily, and what naval strike power I had is destroyed.

So this is a base up the chain finished -so the next invasion cannot be far away
IN PNG, hollandia,wewak pounded, so same here too

I move my only crack unit left -70 exp george daitai to muamere, and hope..............

[1275psi]

5/5/44
tabpub continues to show how to fight WITP with out giving the Japs an opening[:@]
13 kittyhawk and 21 beufighter sweep maumere again, 15 zeke and 21 george get off the damaged fields

I lose 3 fighters, he loses 25, there are momentry celebrations
36 B-29 and 19 liberators arrive, 1 fort s/d, but they deliver 40 hits, and about 40 planes lost on the ground -and the field is closed basically.
Just in time for tabub, as I spot a great mass off shipping just east of lautern

I have a single CV west of Kupang at the moment, her role is KB decoy, wonder If i can getv her spotted with out being sunk

Bigger news -a large TF is spotted leaving Admiralty islands - the fleet is ordered further south[:@]

[1275psi]

6/5/44

Invasion Dilli!
Death star (CAP240 H/Cs plus) north of Dilli
Death star squashes Kendari -219 hits
various small groups obliterate themselves on the death star
Maumere being evacuated
Clearing what tankers I have left out from balikapapin

Enemy convoy off wewak
I order fleet south as fast as her tired legs can carry her
Single CV orderd to attack landing at Dilli -coming in from the south west, kupang direction

Whatever the fleet achieves this action, It MUST retire to japan for refit afterwards, so much system damage is severly restricting my ability to get in, get out.

Tomorrow is a big day
Now if only Tabpub would do the turn..........says he needs sleep or something stupid like that , after 3 years of real life playing I sometimes wonder about the guys committment to the game[:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(][8D]

[1275psi]

newsflash!

Huge clash off aitape
Alies lose 340 a/c
japs 460
Allies lose 4 CVE, 2 CV in deep doo doo
battle continues!
details at 10!

Admiral herbiesan swears -ATTACK!!!

[String]

ORIGINAL: 1275psi

newsflash!

Huge clash off aitape
Alies lose 340 a/c
japs 460
Allies lose 4 CVE, 2 CV in deep doo doo
battle continues!
details at 10!

Admiral herbiesan swears -ATTACK!!!

Ooooh.. Victory?

[1275psi]

The enemy continues to land at dili -not enough troops iether!
he tries a naval bombardment of the place -DDs only[X(]- and 5 stagger away wrecked I would think
he noticed the planes moved into woleai -and night bombers hit the place, no harm.
Black widows debut I think

Then it begins........
Aitape has many ships -the convoy kept coming........

12 w/c and 6 avenger attack the fleet - 382 zeke CAP - 3 zeke lost, all his planes (a CVE attack)
379z CAP vs 13w/c,27 Hellcat,9 dauntless, 27 hell divers, 28 avangers, and 30 p38s
This means at least 1 fleet CV there
I lose 107 zeke!, he loses nearly the entire strike

119z vs 11w/c and 6 avenger -a cve attack -11z lost -all taken down
135z vs 8w/c, 2 avenger -another cve? -4z lost -all taken down
159 zeke -3 more avengers
234z- 3 h/c, 8helldiver, 2 avenger - 4 zeke lost -all taken down
230 zeke vs 24 helcats, 19 helldivers, 12 avengers -this is a second CV for sure -50 zekes lost -12h/c, 6 avengers, 13 hd s/d
They attack the katsaguri, and miss

Then the sweet stuff -you know how much I hate Liberators on naval attack.

180z vs 8 lib -all killed
179z vs 19 lib -all killed off[:@]
179z vs 18 lib -all killed off[8D]
175 z vs 50 lib -8 s/d, , the rest failed moral

My strike went in -a delightful co ordinated one for a change!
150 z
62 judy,
19 kate(yes Im still using them[8|])
34 jill
they met 25w/c, 26h/c, 15 corsair, 24 kittyhawk, 4 p38

I lost 118 zeke -ouch, but the bombers get through
he lost 13 w/c, 6 h/c, 5 corsair[&o] 20 kittyhawk and all the p38s

CVE anzio a bomb
cve kalainin bay 3 bombs and a torp
Liscombe , and white plains both missed by my low experience pilots

The next bit was the bonus -Biak attacked
20 zeke, 41 oscars and 11 jill -and the oscars did the job!
All 4 CVE hit and hit hard

Now losses in the air today are terrible -but I figure this
Aitape is laid bare...
2 CVs reacted 1 hex towards me -and I believe that i have shot down their airgroups
The base is stuffed with shipping
KB has delivered the battle fleet right into range......and I give the following orders
Yamato, mushia , nagato, mutsu -to hit aitape -or run over his CVs in the attempt
9 CAs to bombard aitape
haranua and kirishima to attempt to intercept fleeing ships
Fuso -to try to intercept -she will NOT retire -the necessary sacrifice to remain behind
The fleet recieves about 160 zekes and Jills -and will gosouth 2 more hexes
Biak is stuffed with betties
Im going in!

His death star spotted the single CV west of timor -and I hope is distracted
Its too far away to affect this battle
I expect a bloody affair tonight, but as I said -we have to keep up the bluff!
ALL fighter pools except george are empty.

As an aside, I broached the idea of placing george fighters on the 5 big CVs only.
Any thoughts
We are pdu off -and I think that in real life, faced with no zekes in the pools, 400 george in the pools, all 5 big CVs available it would be a no brainer.
I offered to do it only if CVs were less than 6 system damage.

[veji1]

Yes !!! Banzai !!

You are a true Samurai...

Let's hope you hurt him.

[PzB74]

Well done! You deserve a break now - go for the kill!!

Bonsai!!  [:D]

[1275psi]

8/5/44
The day starts with a SS in Tokyo bay

Yes, yes, just get on with it!
In goes tanaka -
CA Suzayua?
CA Mogami
CA Chikuma
CA haguro
CA Mikuma
CA Chokia
CA Myoko
5 DDs and they meet 12 PT boats[:@]
As usual 1 DD is slotted by a torp -but all the others miss, and 1 pt sunk
Then 5 pts -one sunk
then 3 pts -and one sunk ( and Im thinking I wonder what thet PT home rule was?)
tanaka meets the kalinian bay -promptly sunk

Then the GOOD stuff[:'(]
a screen packed with shipping -6 DD escorts, and I count 21LST -and there was about 20 AKs as well
Its a huge battle -and the WORST POSSIBLE THING happened.
Wife called me to the "its time for the family meal" LOL
So i missed it
results were good -
Chokia takes 2 torps, and the DD sinks
(chokia will get home I think)
5 enemy DDs sunk
3LST sunk
lots of troops swimming[:)]
2 AK sunk
Tanaka gets away
In goes the yamato group -again the pt attack -but they have no torps left, another lone AK gets sunk
The Naval bombardment is a real dissapointment though -the field is still open
The yamato group sails away -leaving 3pts sunk as well

And then the sweetness[:D]
haranua and Kirishima and 3 dd make the mid ocean intercept -as expected tabpub retired his ships
1 AGP sunk
13 LST sunk -and a few hit
These battlewagons retire in good order

His death star has left timor, going east -my CV gets away

Near Aitape
202z- 4w/c, 2avenger -yum
202z-74 p40, 8 kittyhawk, 14 avengers from madang
44zeke lost, 72 p40s/d, 13 avengers, 9 kittyhawk[:'(]
(for pilots of average 50's this is great!)

Another co ordinated strike!
68zeke, 12kate, 108 judy -meet 7 kitty, 14 hellcats, 70 p40s
56 zeke lost -but the bombers get through! -30 enemy fighters s/d

CV Lexington -5kamis(judy -all penetrated) and a bomb
CV Intrepid -missed -curses!!!!
BB Indiana -3 kamis -she shrugs them off i think!

13 jills attack PT boats[X(] -GGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
18 zeke Kamis I have flown into wewak -1 bounces of the new mexico
19 Judy and 9 jill definately put the 3 crippled CVE from yesterday away into davey Joneses locker

PM phase
BB fuso missed the intercept by 1 hex i think
She however does a fine job, as wave after wave of liberators and helldivers attack from Lea, the admiralties and gee -just about everywhere
after something like 40 bomb hits she still has life in her yet!
The CVs which would have been creamed, will get away now!
The intrepid is again attacked -no CAP to speak off!
But the 7 Judy fail to hit[:(]

Timor he kills some units on the road to dilli, Burma is a disaster, but I claim a win for today

Orders -run away!!!!
If I get clear -and I think I will -losses for today and yesterday equal
743planes for me
530 for him

BB fuso will get sunk
1dd sunk
CA chokia out of the war

allies
4 CVE sunk
CV lexington crippled
5 DD sunk
18 LST
apg
3AK
6 cursed pts

BB Indiana -not sure her state

There are still ships all up and down the PNG coast -so The betties ect will still try to do their bit tomorrow
The fleet runs away -the fighter pool is shot -empty as
Tabpub has done a honorable thing -if I can get my 5 big CVs to less than 6 damage -I can put 27 george on them, which seems logical if you have 300 off them, and NO zekes in reserve -the only reason I believe they never served on CVs -was that the big decks were gone by the time they arrived.

So, the empires sword is still to be feared.
tabpub to be honest is showing real life fatigue.........Ill have to be gentle with the man I suppose[:D]

[1275psi]

6/5/44
BB Fuso -all her light guns gone -with a single DD escort runs smack into a burning CVE -white plains -unbelievable that she still floats![:@]
Now she dont[:'(] (I hope)
The 6 DD and anothe 2 CVE are encountered -Fuso and her companion are smashed up -but 2 enemy DDs are sunk as well

Elsewhere a very large invasion force is spotted sailing towards bulla -curses[:@]
Again today Fuso absorbs the wrath of tabpub, she finally sinks today
kamis hit LCVP at dilli
Kia is visited by the death star

Its a painful turn as the fleet retires - I am emptying the ships of planes, and a trickle of shattered units begin the journey across the map to the soebraya training field.
I think I have 5 zeke daitais left on the map at full strength -and the pool is going to be empty for a long time
Jill pool is empty -Judy is satisfactory

The fleet is ordered home for rest and refit.
Next great effort will have to be the phillipines defence -i am very woried that a steam roller is coming up from the south -darwin based, and will combine with the PNG thrust.
I suspect the marianas will be bypassed via a phillipines always under LBA umbrella - menando ,Ambonia ect.
Not much I can do for the next month -I enter the dark ages now!

[1275psi]

10/5/44
yes , yes, last post said the 6th, I meant the 9th

Personally getting a bit worried about where this game is going, turns are really slow at the moment -Tabpub apparently has a busy life, and is saying repeatably this is turning into hard work -just as Im really, finally getting a game to play after a year sitting around awaiting his offensives.
Oh well -we takes what we cans gets I supposes[8|]

Tabpub tells me that that last little shin ding totally wrecked an offensive[:'(]
But he has another one underway -and there wont be stopping this little one.
His death star is off babo -it recieves a naval bombardment, the death star strikes, and the aussie 9th div lands
NO CAP over the landing -26 betties from palua come in, and promptly sink 2 AK and a APD -half the landing fleet[:'(]
Again tabpub lands a force smaller than the defenders[:'(]
(lots to be pleased with today)
betties attack wewak area from wolemai -22 go in, 21 get shot down, the survivor sinks a LST -well done!

Over at Dilli tabpub cannot have been paying attention -after having the coastal guns smash DDs, 13 unescorted LCVP attempt to land troops -and the guns there sink 12 of them very promptly, so dilli, dilli will hold a few more days at least!

CV Hiryu dodges a ss near soerabaya -the fleet mostly heads slowly back to japan -the carrier hangers empty.
I have at last count 27 zeke units with less than 5 planes in them, and 16 jill units in not much better shape.
Judys are OK
Oscars are shot
Tonies are shot
Im scraping the barrell -yet Im convinced that tabpub has vastly over estimated my strength.
A simple bold carrier raid from his death star deep into my territory would finish me.
Unless someone tells him -Im convinced tabpub will not try it
I anticipate about 2 months grace before the phillipines are invaded -I guess siapan will be bypassed.
My fleet should be rebuilt by then.
Ive been denied the chance to fight a battle at siapan -maybe I can re do Leyte gulf -with better results[8|]
back to looking forlornly looking in empty in tray[8|][8|][8|]

[1275psi]

11/5/44
One of those horrible turns jap players suffer as you shuffle dribs and drabs of fighter units to some base somewhere that has sufficient supplies -so that you can start to rebuild them -then you have to try to think about training them, ect, ect.
Soerabaya is my only base i can do this -so the zekes are in a great ant trail, hopping from field to field as they try to get from palua to Soerabaya.
The enemy continues to land at Babo -the death star hangs about -and another invasion is coming towards Bulla

Babo takes huge death star strikes

bangkok gets hammered
19 sally attack babo -oops -148 hellcats on CAP
9 betty have a go -and miss the cl Achilles

Chokia wont make it[:(]
I move a lot of planes into Weda to the north -all bases to the north are size 4 or better -this is a very well developed piece of real estate -and pretty well garrisoned too.
We fight!

Franks producing!!!
14 planes a day
Yippeee!!!

[1275psi]

12/5/44
This war now is really on
tabpub continues to try to land troops at babo -and a new invasion force begins landing at Bulla
B 29s hit dilli -where he is well and truly stuck until more troops march there
babo - he has not brought enough troops again as well.
His death star is in the area between the two invasions -and so are several surface groups, and CVE groups

Its a busy day
Ill be honest -I have no compuction against using High altitude Kamis -the leakers I think reflect real life very well.

6 sally kami -21 hellcat -3 kami get through -and a MSW is smashed
2 zeke -3 sally -21 hellcat -all shot down
3 betty -21 hellcat -all shot down
4 zeke, 4 tony, 3 sally -21 hellcat -all shot down -1 sally does hit the BB Penny -it just bounces off -very disssapointing

25 tony, 12 zeke escort 38 sally(K) 8 betty, 8 lilly -21 hellcat
All these attacks are coming from weda -and attacking the Bulla invasion
3 h/cgo down, 13 tony, 6 zeke -but the strike gets in!
CL perth -wears 3 sallies -heavy damage
CL achilles wears one sally -heavy damage
large AP -1 sally
LST -1 sally
another AP -4 sallies
His death star flattens babo
3 sally splashed
3 lilly sneak in -hit the wrecked msw
another 2 waves of dribs and drabs sees another APD smashed by a kami
And a betty torps a burning AP

I lose 2 tankers to SS today though -ouch

I rotate planes into and out of weda -and eleswhere -I cannot sustain these Kami attacks (just emptied the sally pool again -30 planes a month production) -but I just want tabpub to think that every invasion must have death star CAP -thus only one base at a time.
Time continues to tick
The fleet is heading home -except tanaka -he sails from davao -decks packed with a regiment of troops.

[1275psi]

13/5/44
The invasions of bulla and babo continue -3 lst smashed by my guns
tabpub again tries to land troops at Dilli
I have a base force there that has somehow kept 6 5 inch guns undamaged -and this time 18 LCMs are sunk at the beach -825 casos[:'(]
today a heap of planes attacked his task forces -and not a single plane penetrated the CAP -as we all know -death star can go anywhere in stock.
100 planes lost
Nothing compared to PZB type losses -but i aint got much of an industry!
This day only spurns me to convert more planes to kamis -especially oscar groups.
I disband 16 zeke groups today -16!
pools are still very empty -thats 3 months of production I reckon.
dark times ahead!

[1275psi]

14/5/44
Only light at the moment are the Franks -they are flowing nicely -first group of tojos at 60 exp converts today
tabpub is baffled by dilli! -what the hell is there!
Bulla, babo continue to recieve troops over the beaches

70 odd B-29 attack soerabaya -I have 400 planes training -no CAP!
he gets 1 hit -so Im warned!

parashimo gets a visit from liberators -the nicks are a terrible dissapointment as a fighter -I thought their heavy guns would do well -nope[8|]
bangkok its just unbelievable the wieght of bombs he drops today
And tabpub hits Tientsin oil -a new offensive against resources and oil is getting into gear in China -just more problems for herbie to contend with[8|]

[1275psi]

15/5/44
Shokaku takes a dud from a ss[:'(]
Bulla falls[:(]
babo easily holds[8D]

I begin to dispatch 10 ss, 2CL, 6 dd to the north of japan -i smell an offensive
The fleet -now approaching Japan may not get much rest -the fleet should easily be stronger than what he can deploy in the north!

[1275psi]

16/5/44
tabpub begins attacking Wuhan -he is bombing resources now -little i can do, or will do to challenge this
usual clouds of bombers over bangkok
some betties get a AP near bulla today

A real scare -Tanaka drops of the troops at dilli -but retires straight into the middle of the banda sea -only 6 hexes away from the death star!
Luck is on my side -clouds both phases -he gets away
PHEW!
Hiryu dodges another SS[:)]
Pleasing turn, dilli troops have been reinforced, the great re build continues.
Franks flow from the factory..........

[1275psi]

17/5/44
The death star chases Tanaka -but misses him.
Tabpub is bombing resources now -at bangkok, and in china
oscars try against the death star -the fly too high for CAP "not able to be intercepted" is a load of crap.
His hellcats shoot all 28 down.

Personally I like the way his b-29s are deployed against bangkok at the moment -troops, not oil centres.

I have had little to plan lately -its all about the fleet returning to japan -and the mind numbing process of re building groups.
One thing, the great disband process has actually given the remaining zeke groups -and these are nearly all CV trained groups -a respectable exp level.

The greatest worry is this -armaments pool is empty!
Totally!
worry, worry, panic!