WITP AE AAR Feb 09 Cathartes-JRCAR (Jap)

[jrcar]

Looking back SW into Darwin Harbour, Darwin is on the cliffs in the centre of the picture. Note spoting tower on the left. This whole point was a series of defences... but that was about it.

[jrcar]

One of the smaller (4.5?) guns. This is the site of the Military Museum, it shuts at 1700, I got there about 1745... having to work is a problem!

[Kaletsch2007]

I agree, but working helps killing time untill AE is released [:D]

Great pictures ! Hope I could go there, too.

[castor troy]

ORIGINAL: jrcar

One of the smaller (4.5?) guns. This is the site of the Military Museum, it shuts at 1700, I got there about 1745... having to work is a problem!

that´s only a 4.5 inch gun? wow, would have thought that´s something like 6 inch...[X(] guess I would even believe it if someone would tell me that´s an 8 inch gun. People next to it would help, but when I think about the fence around it that would be 8 or 9 feet high... [&:]

[jrcar]

Sorry they are 6 inch guns. The 9.2inches weren't completed until late war...

In 1932 the government announced its intention to fortify Darwin, the motive being to protect the naval oil depot. During 1933 barrack buildings at Thursday Island were dismantled and shipped to East Point and Emery Point (since 1891 there had been a garrison at Thursday Island to protect the coal depot against the imagined threat of a Russian invasion). In 1933-34 two 6 inch guns were installed at Emery Point (Larrakeyah) and two at East Point, together with associated magazines, observation towers, barracks and stores. The guns were first test fired in May 1934. In the same years various other military works were underway in Darwin: oil tanks, a new airstrip at Batchelor, a searchlight, officers' residences, and airport improvements. The threat of war led to improvements being made from 1938-42, including further 6 inch cruciform mounted guns, 4 inch proving guns, two 9.2 inch guns, machine gun posts, barracks and ancillary buildings, and a labour camp (Pee Wee Camp) built on the south side of the East Point Peninsula. After the Japanese air raids in February 1942 (when the 9.2 inch gun emplacements were not yet complete) work stopped and tools and materials were removed to Berrimah to prevent them falling into Japanese hands in case of an invasion. The 9.2 inch guns were completed in 1945. At the end of the war many of the buildings were sold off. In the 1960s the 9.2 inch guns and some other materials at East Point were sold to a Japanese scrap metal company and were cut up and removed.

[jrcar]

This bay was where the Catalinas were based. This is right in near Darwin city itself, about 400m from my hotel.

Night

Rob

[Ron Saueracker]

Great pics, thanks alot. That 6" gun looks like those found on the old Weymouth class Melbourne or Chatham class Brisbane or Sydney. Be cool if one of the guns was responsible for SMS Emden's destruction.

[ned]

It is a BL 6 inch Mk XI Naval Gun. It is from one of the cruisers HMAS Sydney, HMAS Melbourne or HMAS Brisbane.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BL_6_inch_Mk_XI_naval_gun

[Cathartes]

Maybe you want to share a little about what some of those guns did to your ships? [:D]

Turn coming later today (good guys time zone)

[cantona2]

Cathartes, maybe you can show us instead [:D]

[jrcar]

Yes we ran out of paint fixing the scorch marks... I thought I posted earlier,,,

lost 4 DD, and 6AK ships with about 6 more damaged (but ok). The DD's where all killed by the 9.2 inch guns (therefore protecting the transports) the transports by 6 inch guns.

So it was painful but not too bad.

Cheers

Rob

[TMFoss]

jrcar,

You state that according to your research, the 9.2 in guns were not in place by the raid by the Japanese in mid Feb 42, yet in your game you lost 4 DDs to these same guns in early Jan 42. This may need to be looked into. Perhaps the guns could be given a plausible arrival date assuming that the Aussie military didn't change its mind about the installation.

[jrcar]

Yep, being looked into.

Cheers

Rob

ORIGINAL: TMFoss

jrcar,

You state that according to your research, the 9.2 in guns were not in place by the raid by the Japanese in mid Feb 42, yet in your game you lost 4 DDs to these same guns in early Jan 42. This may need to be looked into. Perhaps the guns could be given a plausible arrival date assuming that the Aussie military didn't change its mind about the installation.

[Kwik E Mart]

Wow!!!! The coast watcher is still there!

[byron13]

So exactly where were the piers, warves, and whatnot in Darwin during the war? Along the Frances Bay side? And has AE scaled back how large of a port Darwin can become? Uh, to be honest, all I'm working from is the movie Australia, which I'm afraid may not provide too accurate a depiction of the port. But wasn't Darwin a fairly small port that never did get too big during the war? Just curious if AE rates its starting size and potential fairly accurately. And having just captured it and taken gloating pictures of what were obviously inadequate coastal batteries built by Cathartes pre-war, I figured you'd have a good idea.

[jrcar]

Quick reply.

In the last picture posted above, where the man is circled follow the headland in the distance almost reaches accross the picture, behind that was the original warf.

The port prewar had a single L shaped pier with double rail lines (the rail that went to Alice Springs). About 2 freighters could tie up on th eoutside face, and on on the inner face to unload. There was a reasonable amount of warf area, sheds and port handling equipment.

There were also smaller facilities for lighters etc.

From memory in AE Darwin is a level 3 port at start.

During the war additional facilities were made specifically for refueling and resupplying naval ships.

As you can see the bay is large, and well protected from 3 sides.

Cheers

Rob

ORIGINAL: byron13

So exactly where were the piers, warves, and whatnot in Darwin during the war? Along the Frances Bay side? And has AE scaled back how large of a port Darwin can become? Uh, to be honest, all I'm working from is the movie Australia, which I'm afraid may not provide too accurate a depiction of the port. But wasn't Darwin a fairly small port that never did get too big during the war? Just curious if AE rates its starting size and potential fairly accurately. And having just captured it and taken gloating pictures of what were obviously inadequate coastal batteries built by Cathartes pre-war, I figured you'd have a good idea.

[PaxMondo]

So, when do we continue ... great job so far ... but MORE!!!!  [:D]

[Flying Tiger]

The port prewar had a single L shaped pier with double rail lines (the rail that went to Alice Springs). About 2 freighters could tie up on th eoutside face, and on on the inner face to unload. There was a reasonable amount of warf area, sheds and port handling equipment.

 
The rail that ran to Alice Springs wasnt completed until about 2000!!
 
Otherwise loving the AAR, and cant wait for the release....
 
Also, could one of you guys tell me if Gove (Nhulunbouy) is included. Probably starts as a dot base to the east of Darwin. It was used as a fighter base, plus PBY's in the bay. Has the best natural harbour in northern Australia, but was never developed due to lack of land transportation options (even today only a dry weather track winding down to Katherine).

[jrcar]

Flying Tiger you are of course correct ref the rail to Alice Springs (as a rail buff I feel very bad about that mistake!).

Work and life has impacted both of us, but recently we have managed to do 2 turns, 4 days.

04-05 Jan 1942
I give my ships some bombardment practice at Cagayen in the Phillipines, after two days they retire to a fleet base to rearm for the next phase. The bombardments didn't hurt the troops much, but did damage the facilities.

I'm advancing without much effort in the rest of the Philipines, Cathartes has pulled back to Bataan and Manila but is still operating from Clark... but not for much longer. My forces are still unloading and clearing up the place with the help of the grateful populace

I'm advancing in Burma, will post a pick soon once opsec is no longer required.

In China I'm slowly working forward, my cunning plans are coming together... pic soon!

Hong Kong still holds.

[jrcar]

06-07 Jan 2009

Well my cover has been blown in Burma and Catharets has detected the forces moving on Pegu... image to follow.

I've landed at Dili and Koepang with little opposition.

In Philipines I've taken Clark, splitting Bataan from Manila.

Cathartes has bought Buffaloes back to Singapore... Some interesting battles:


Morning Air attack on Singapore , at 50,84

Weather in hex: Light rain

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 51
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 33


Allied aircraft
Buffalo I x 12


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 1 destroyed, 25 damaged
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 3 destroyed, 4 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Buffalo I: 2 destroyed, 10 damaged
Buffalo I: 1 destroyed on ground

Morning Air attack on Singapore , at 50,84

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 50
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 40


Allied aircraft
Buffalo I x 9


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 1 destroyed, 18 damaged
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 3 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Buffalo I: 1 destroyed, 8 damaged
Buffalo I: 1 destroyed on ground
Vildebeest III: 1 destroyed on ground