Love those skip bombers

[Gabby]

I wanted to share this with the Forum. Enjoy.

When playing as Allies against the AI in Scenario 17, the AI always makes my life dificult once I take Gili Gili. It's not air raids, so much as bombardmant TF's hitting the base, and it seems that more times than not when they pay a visit I have AP's and AK's uloading.

Well in my current game I let the Japanesse take Gili Gili but once the Aus 3rd arrived I sent them plus 1 Bde from the 7th to take Gili Gili. I secured the base in about 3 days, and killed the remaining troops on the 4th day.

So about 2 days later just as the last of the the Transports are almost unloaded, here shows up a Japaneese Bombardment TF with 2 BBs, 1 CL, and 5 DDs. As probably happens to most of us the Bombardment TF usually gets to the base in the middle of the night, delivers several tons of HE, and is out of LBA range before I can do anything about it. For some reason that was not the case this time, because when the sun came up on 7/21/42 the Bombardment TF was sitting in Gili Gili with out having fired a shot yet.

When Gili Gili fell I switched the 3 B-25, and 3 B-26 squadrons in PM that hade been bombing the troops in Gili Gili to naval attack, and since 2 of the B-26 Squadrons had exp over 70 I put them at 100 feet so they could skip bomb.

The AI Gods must have been on my side because they sent over 70 bombers after the TF sitting in GG. The combat animation was a lot of fun to watch this time. Below is the Combat report.

****************
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 07/21/42

Air attack on TF, near Gili Gili at 17,42


Allied aircraft
Hudson x 3
Beaufort x 12
B-25D Mitchell x 17
B-26B Marauder x 27
A-20B Havoc x 13


Allied aircraft losses
Beaufort x 1 destroyed
Beaufort x 3 damaged
B-26B Marauder x 3 damaged

Japanese Ships
CL Jintsu, Shell hits 8, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
DD Kasumi, Shell hits 4, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DD Asagumo
BB Haruna, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
DD Isokaze, Shell hits 24, Bomb hits 10, on fire, heavy damage
DD Michishio, Shell hits 4, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
BB Kongo, Torpedo hits 1
DD Harusame

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x B-26B Marauder at 100 feet
3 x Beaufort at 200 feet
3 x Hudson at 6000 feet
3 x B-26B Marauder at 100 feet
4 x Beaufort at 200 feet
4 x B-26B Marauder at 100 feet
4 x B-25D Mitchell at 6000 feet
3 x B-26B Marauder at 100 feet
3 x B-25D Mitchell at 6000 feet
4 x B-25D Mitchell at 6000 feet
4 x B-26B Marauder at 100 feet
1 x Beaufort at 200 feet
3 x Beaufort at 200 feet
1 x B-25D Mitchell at 6000 feet
4 x A-20B Havoc at 6000 feet
4 x A-20B Havoc at 6000 feet
4 x B-26B Marauder at 100 feet
1 x A-20B Havoc at 6000 feet
4 x A-20B Havoc at 6000 feet
1 x B-25D Mitchell at 6000 feet
2 x B-26B Marauder at 100 feet
4 x B-26B Marauder at 100 feet
4 x B-25D Mitchell at 6000 feet

****************


The Isokaze sank right after the raid. And better yet, there was no Bombardment.

By far this has been mo most successful air riad by Med Bombers to date. Espically since I only lost one bomber

Unfortunately there has been no follow up raid to try and pick off some of the cripples, but I know enough not to complain. Besides even iof none of the other ships sink several will be out of action for a few weeks(or months).

[Widi]

Shell hits??

[dpstafford]

Originally posted by Widi
Shell hits??

Planes at 100 feet also strafe. That causes the "shell" hits.