XJ vs Ike - # 17

[xj900uk]

Hi there. Following a request or two I thought I would start an AAR of the scenario 17 game I have been playing with Ike99 – he is US and I am S.E. Asian Greater Prosperity Sphere. Both sides are on 100%, only restrictions are no 4-engine US bombers below 15,000’ (as per history) and no deliberate putting F4U’s on CV’s unless done so by the game (historically the USN didn’t adopt the Corsair until 1945, in the meantime the USM made great use of it)

So far we are about half way through May ’42 with not that much to report, no big carrier battles, no big dogfights, nothing. In fact both sides seem to be playing it quite cageily, especially the US who seems somewhat reluctant to leave port at times (contrast this with the Banzai fighting spirit of the IJN – salt of the earth those guys!). The only thing my scouts and search planes have reported have been a few convoys along the Great Barrier Reef hightailing it at top speed at the first sight of my CV’s.
Naval-loss wise so far the IJN has to sadly report the loss of one of its’ I-Class subs NE of Noumea, it seems a US surface task force literally ran over it, whilst I gave a couple of sub-chasers near Luganville a lesson in dive-bombing and sent them quickly to the bottom. There have also been reports of an insignificant US sub around the waters of Lae which is proving troublesome to dislodge.
The air-war though has been a little more explosive, with his heavy and medium bombers moving up to Port Morseby and reducing Lae airfield to a smoking pile of rubble, so in return the IJN paid Morseby a little visit with a carrier strike that caught a lot of bombers unprotected on the ground – shades of Clarke Air Force base, anyone??? The one thing early on that the US player has going for him is his B17’s, B25’s and B26’s and it was so considerate of Ike to stick a load of them in one place where I could get to them without having to bother with a lot of searching and messing around.
You may wonder what Rabaul has been doing over the first two-three weeks of the campaign – you’re not the only one. Every day it seems that all air operations have been cancelled or curtailed because of inclement weather, even when overall we’ve been getting ‘clear’ or ‘partly cloudy’ forecasts for the entire theatre. After some discussion amongst the IJN Staff, the Met Officer at Rabaul was taken out and shot. Since then the weather seems to have improved somewhat.

[bigbaba]

good luck to you both.

be happy that rabaul canceld so many air operations. save your betty and nells! dont send them to PM from rabaul because every single OP lose hurts you with a 22 bomber replacement rate in a month. i realy even do not set the betty and nells on ASW-patrol or naval search in my next game to get a big pool for the time, when the allied counterattack beginns.

you have your "midway" carriers to supress PM. beside the high japanese OP lose rate, betty and nells realy suck in base-attacks. massive strikes from the KB do it 10x better.

beside that:

BANZAI, BANZAI, BANZAI. long live the emperor. down wit the "gaucho imperialists".[;)]

[xj900uk]

Couldn't agree more. Rabaul when it flies is not that successful although the odd night ops raid usually gets through & back intact (probably because I still have very good 75+ exp pilots). I also tried sending over bombers around 11,000' mark to try to draw out his fighters with a massive top-cover of Zero's waiting to pounce but he didn't fall for that tactic, either that or the runway had too many holes in to get a plane off.
So far (touch wood) I haven't lost many pilots or planes from Rabaul but then they haven't flown very much.
As noted above my biggest success was when the S&Z paid a visit and caught several of his B17's and B26's on the ground, I lost a few Kates & Vals to AA but destroyed/damaged a good proportion of his bomber force

[bigbaba]

you play at 200% reinforcement rate? when yes, you can get the entire KB very soon in the game and then PM will be the most dangerous place on earth.[;)]

one other thing which i learnd in my game vs ken:

get a garnison in at least rossel island (east of GG) and rennel island (west of irau). this are bases where he can build very fast a level 1 Af and when he gets some corsairs there later, you can not drive him out there without major loses. i plan to get at least 1 regiment, 2 big AA units and some CD units behind level 9 forts there in my next game. it makes it impossible for him to build a level 1 AF "under your nose" and gets a feet into the crack of the door.

that was my main mistake against ken..i let him build a AF at rossel island because i had no garnison there. the second was to attack his SF Tf with my battlefleet at day instead of night where the japs have more advantage then in daylight.

just few thoughts so you avoid my mistakes.[;)]

[xj900uk]

Thanks, we're actually at 100% reinforcement rate.
I have been looking at the small islands in the middle of the Coral Sea (the ones you describe) but don't yet have any spare engineering units to send there - too busy building up forts etc throughout the Solomons chain. If I have any spares though I'll probably send them in first by sub then reinforce with flying boat.
Unfortunately the Jap engineering units are neither very good or very fast. It was one of the major advantages the USN had in the Pacific War - diggers, earthmovers and the Fighting Seabees. I've got people running around with picks and shovels!!

[Nomad]

One of the things I will tell you is to take control of every green dot base you can get to. You do not have to garrison any of them, but the Allied player will have to attack the empty base before starting to build anything. That will give you warning of what he is doing.

[radar]

A cagy Ike? He's calculating something. Be on guard, XJ

[xj900uk]

Agreed. But so far my search planes haven't shown up much other than the odd bit of shipping scurrying into port off the Great Barrier Reef. If he tries a surprise attack where I think he just might then I've already left him a surprise. That's why I haven't gone for an all-out early assault in the East down through the Solomons and Santa Cruz as I don't know where he is
Agreed re the taking over every strategic green dot and turning it red, even if I don't stick around long. I have a cunning plan to try...

[bigbaba]

ORIGINAL: radar

A cagy Ike? He's calculating something. Be on guard, XJ

hehe, ike is like general patton as a werewolf. he has some excellent and unexpected plans in his head and likes to carry them at night, where he is in his element.[:)]

[xj900uk]

Somehow the idea of Ike creeping around at night following some diabolical plan fills me with dread...

[Miller]

ORIGINAL: Nomad

One of the things I will tell you is to take control of every green dot base you can get to. You do not have to garrison any of them, but the Allied player will have to attack the empty base before starting to build anything. That will give you warning of what he is doing.

Thats a very good tip. In a previous game the Allied player managed to build a Lvl 1 airbase at a green dot before I even realised he had landed troops there!

[Nomad]

ORIGINAL: Miller

ORIGINAL: Nomad

One of the things I will tell you is to take control of every green dot base you can get to. You do not have to garrison any of them, but the Allied player will have to attack the empty base before starting to build anything. That will give you warning of what he is doing.

Thats a very good tip. In a previous game the Allied player managed to build a Lvl 1 airbase at a green dot before I even realised he had landed troops there!

That is what I have always done. In a game lately I got two level one airbases up on the exact same day and invaded a nearby enemy base with Corsair cover the next day. I think it was a bit of a surprise.

[xj900uk]

But then 'surprise' is the name of the game in warfare anyway. I am sending out recce units to check on stuff even if it's apparnetly unoccupied. If he's got troops there or is building something, I should be able to see them...

[Nomad]

You do as you wish. I can land enough SeaBees in one day to have a level 1 airfield up in 4 days. The next day I will have 48 corsairs flying CAP and APs and AKs unloading troops and supplies.

[xj900uk]

Building bases was what the US excelled at in the Pacific War, the Japanese had nothign to match it
Apparently the Fighting Seabee's were more or less completely responsible for winning the island war, at least according to the Seabee's histories...

[Ike99]

Ahhh..a new Japanese player.

[:D]

You´re airforce will not be very useful for you with repeated losses like this.

[xj900uk]

Well my problem does seem to be that your medium and heavy airforce is being quite effectively destroyed on the ground... I won't disguise the fact that you've got the better of it in the air, simply because my escorts seem to get lost half the time and the rest turn up over the wrong targets...

Anyway, now to the recent Battles that have taken place either side of the Owen Stanley mountains. For the past week, my mobile carrier group (Shokaku, Zuikaku and the light carrier Shoho) have been pottering around just east of Buna, looking for cowardly convoys trying to sneak into Port Morseby, and because they keep on scuttling back to the Australian coast, have been busily bombing PM back to the stone age, ably assisted by my 'heavy' bomber force of Nells and Beattys (yes, the Japs did refer to these as 'heavy' bombers!) who have been turning PM runway into a rock garden but failing to attack any of the convoys trying to sneak in (spotted loads but seem curiously reluctant to attack them, possibly because there arn't enough escorts and therefore not a worthy challenge...)
Eventually, the US carriers were spotted to the SE of Port Morseby, t he Japanese closed for battle.. and the weather turned really bad and most planes weren't even able to fly. By the time the weather improved for some action, the Japanese carrier screen was running low on fuel and had to retire towards Rabaul and the attentions of a gratefully received tanker.
Once topped up, the Japanese turned south-west again rounding the tip of Gili Gili, once again searching for his prized carriers and actually spotting them at maximum range. (23.05.42) However, faced with the chance to hit the US hard whilst out of retaliatory range, the Vals and Kates instead once more headed for Port Morseby, ignoring the convoys and US carrier group and made merry hell with that once again, other than one unescorted Val sentai who bravely made contact with the US carriers, only to loose 16 out of 22 and pull out without launching a single attack

Which brings me to the current events which have just transpired.. (25.05.42).

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/25/42

Weather: Partly Cloudy

Sub attack at 10,34

Japanese Ships
AP Meiyo Maru

Allied Ships
SS S-40


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 13,37

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 28

Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 11
SBD Dauntless x 30
TBD Devastator x 12

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 1 destroyed
A6M2 Zero x 3 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-3 Wildcat x 1 destroyed
F4F-3 Wildcat x 1 damaged
SBD Dauntless x 8 destroyed
SBD Dauntless x 22 damaged
TBD Devastator x 4 damaged

Japanese Ships
CV Shokaku
CVL Shoho, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
CV Zuikaku, Bomb hits 1, on fire


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 13,37

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 22

Allied aircraft
TBD Devastator x 11

no losses

Allied aircraft losses
TBD Devastator x 6 destroyed
TBD Devastator x 4 damaged

PO2 K.Morita of EI-1 Daitai is credited with kill number 2

Japanese Ships
CV Zuikaku, on fire
CV Shokaku


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 13,37

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 22

Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 9
SBD Dauntless x 34

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-3 Wildcat x 1 damaged
SBD Dauntless x 7 destroyed
SBD Dauntless x 25 damaged

ENS W. Barnes of VF-42 is credited with kill number 4

Japanese Ships
CVL Shoho, on fire, heavy damage
CV Shokaku
CV Zuikaku, Bomb hits 1, on fire


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 14,42

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 5
D3A Val x 22
B5N Kate x 37

Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 16
P-40E Kittyhawk x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val x 5 destroyed
D3A Val x 5 damaged
B5N Kate x 25 destroyed
B5N Kate x 16 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-3 Wildcat x 2 destroyed
F4F-3 Wildcat x 1 damaged
P-40E Kittyhawk x 1 destroyed
P-40E Kittyhawk x 1 damaged

PO1 J.Nishiura of EIII-1 Daitai is credited with kill number 2

Allied Ships
CV Lexington, Torpedo hits 2, on fire
CA Astoria, Bomb hits 1
CV Yorktown, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
DD Anderson
CA Portland, Bomb hits 1, on fire


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 14,42

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 3
B5N Kate x 9

Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 14

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N Kate x 3 destroyed
B5N Kate x 5 damaged


Allied Ships
CV Yorktown, on fire
DD Hammann, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on Port Moresby , at 10,40

Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 23
G4M1 Betty x 18

Allied aircraft

no losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-25D Mitchell x 3 destroyed
B-25D Mitchell x 2 damaged
B-26B Marauder x 2 destroyed
B-26B Marauder x 2 damaged


Allied ground losses:
Men lost 54

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 17

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x G4M1 Betty at 6000 feet
4 x G3M Nell at 6000 feet
3 x G3M Nell at 6000 feet
3 x G3M Nell at 6000 feet
6 x G3M Nell at 6000 feet
3 x G3M Nell at 6000 feet
6 x G4M1 Betty at 6000 feet
4 x G3M Nell at 6000 feet
3 x G4M1 Betty at 6000 feet
6 x G4M1 Betty at 6000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 13,37

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 21

Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 11
SBD Dauntless x 8

no losses

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-3 Wildcat x 1 damaged
SBD Dauntless x 2 destroyed
SBD Dauntless x 7 damaged

Japanese Ships
CVL Shoho, on fire, heavy damage
CV Zuikaku, Bomb hits 2, on fire


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 14,42

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 3
D3A Val x 14

Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 3
P-40E Kittyhawk x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val x 2 destroyed
D3A Val x 1 damaged

LTJG R. Plott of VF-42 is credited with kill number 2

To cut a long story short, the Japanese carrier group were heading north towards Lae to give support to a convoy arriving with much-needed supplies but fought a criss-cross battle over the Owen Stanley mountains with the US carriers, which were still SW of PM.
To cut a long story short, the US got in their attack first and hit the Shoho hard with 4 1000lb bombs, and the Zuikaku with a lucky hit. Some TBD's then showed up late but the Zero's, after their recent dogfight with the main US thrust, were low on fuel and ammo and only succeeded in shooting down 6 out of 11 - an admittedly poor showing. Both carriers were attacked by the remaining TBD's, and although fish were dropped the Japanese were able to outrun the torpidly defective US torps
The Japanese did not respond to this strike, I presume the Vals and kates were geared up for another attack on PM, so needed to be rearmed with AP bombs and torpedos.
In the afternoon once again the US got their attack in first, a big cloud of SBD's escorted by a few Wildcats turned up, yet despite being unarmed the Zero's managed to fight most of them off and although the Japanese carriers were all attacked (Shoho burning brihgtly like a torch) only the Zuikaku was hit, the bomb failing to explode (suggest the US player speaks to his armourers)
In retaliation the long-awaited Japanese strike hit the US carriers about an hour later, timed precisely to arrive at the moment the US planes were starting to return to their own carriers in order to cause maximum confusion amongst the decadent Westerners.
Despite heavy losses, the Kates and Vals wheeled in and as usual it was the torpedo bomber who got the measure of the Americans, hitting the Lady Lex twice and the Yorkie once (Vals failed to hit anything, but at least most of them weren't shot down this time). A Heavy Cruisers (the Portland) blocked another fish, taking it neatly amidships.
A second strike of Kates came in hard on the heels of the first, hoping and succeeding that the Wildcats were out of position and scythed through the defences with minimal losses, aiming for the Yorktown but instead deciding to take it all out on the Hammann, hitting it with two fish and sending it straight to the bottom. Nice aiming but would have preferrred most of it to go at his CV's!!!
Faced with US ships and convoys scattered all across the approaches to Port Morseby, once again the Nells and Beatty's at Rabaul decided to hit PM airfield hard, destroying another 5 of the US medium bombers on the ground
Finally, a few more SBD's turned up late and attacked the Japanese fleet, loosing a couple and several damaged although managing to hit the Zuikaku again (the Shoho seemed to be bearing something of a charmed life, I guess so much smoke was eminating from it that it made an ideal smokescreen)
In return a few Vals tried to get through over the scattered US carrier fleet but the exhausted pilots were forced to withdraw, unable to make any attacks

So, overall I would say that battle went tactically to the Americans, despite the heavy damage Port Morseby continues to receive... [:(]

[Ike99]

So, overall I would say that battle went tactically to the Americans, despite the heavy damage Port Morseby continues to receive...

By design.

[bigbaba]

wrong general i would say.[:D]

the Cv battle goes for our "forum gaucho" but i hope you can at least save the zui and the shoho xj.

[borner]

Nice exchange for the US in that battle. Shoho probably sunk, big Z out of action for probably a good amount of time, in exchange for probably just the Lex being knocked out for a couple months. Where were the rest of the Val's? By the numbers it only looks like one group flew.