Hunting the Hibiki: Q-Ball (Allies) v Cuttlefish (Japan)

[Q-Ball]

Combat Report, Sept 26, 1942

Thank you gentlemen for your comments. Unfortunately, Cuttlefish is an experienced opponent and nobody's fool it seems. Here is what he just sent me with the turn:

Too few Wildcats for your CVs to be present...no battleships seen...an approach so slow that your ships are almost hanging bulls-eyes over the side. If I were not such a trusting fellow I would almost think that you are trying to stage a diversion.

Of course I am deceiving him! He didn't mention that a Jap Sub sank a loaded xAKL off Carnarvon; there were tanks on board. That probably seals it for Cuttlefish: He probably guesses it's Timor now.

I am sailing a little closer to Wake to keep up appearances, but the Jig is probably up. KB is probably a day's sail East of Truk, so I bought myself a little time, maybe 2 days, but they are turning around at this point.

I am posting a sub in Truk harbor; I normally wouldn't do that, but if KB comes back to top off before heading West, I want to spot that for sure, mines be damned. My apologies were sent to the skipper of USS Thresher!

So, it's a race to Koepang. My calculations indicate I will win the race by a day or two, but a major battle figures to ensue, because he will be able to attack me in the middle of unloading. Stay tuned!!!!!

[Capt. Harlock]

Right now this, combined with Cuttlefish's "Against the Wind" AAR, is the best-written and most exciting game going. Thanks and kudos to both you gentlemen.

[Zacktar]

I've got to agree with Capt. Harlock -- these two AARs have me on the edge of my seat. I can't wait to read the next turn. Thanks, and good luck to you both!

[Q-Ball]

Harlock and Zacktar: Thanks for the feedback! Good to know it's being read, even at the bottom of the Thread list for AARs! There are alot going these days.

Sept 27, 1942

Quick update on the combat report.

No major battles, but big events are brewing, based on everyone's intel reports.

Japanese Intel: One of Cuttlefish's subs torpedoed and sank Long Island overnight. Hate to lose any flightdeck, but that is the most useless one in the inventory, so no big deal. Sorry to lose the Marine Wildcats on board, they have accumulated 10 kills of Zeros and Bettys defending SEARCHLIGHT.

Another sub sighted USS Colorado off Exmouth. These sub contacts, plus Cuttlefish's comments, probably have him 100% convinced I am invading Timor. I don't think there is any doubt at this point.

US Intel: I had placed USS Thresher in Truk Harbor to snoop on any ship movements. Sure enough, 2 TF's appear, each containing a "CA"; not a ton of information, but I bet that's Kido Butai, turned around from a day's fruitless sailing toward Wake Island, and now hell-bent on disrupting the Allied landings on Timor.

I figure I have 4 days before Zeros and Kates can be over my fleet. That is right on October 1st. I calculate I can have troops landing on Koepang the day before. It's going to be close, but I think I'll make it; or at least get mostly unloaded before getting toasted.

I have 20 subs watching the passages toward Timor from Truk. The shortest route, literally I have a sub in every hex, so I SHOULD see them coming. (I realize that isn't 100% though).

SEARCHLIGHT: This operation is over. Ships are recalled to Pearl Harbor, because it's not fooling anybody.

The cost of this operation was 6 low-value transports, and USS Long Island. I probably bought myself 2 extra days over Timor. Worth it? I guess we'll find out later.

[Wirraway_Ace]

Brilliant stuff Q-Ball.

[Q-Ball]

September 28, 1942

FORAGER: Not as much happening there; troops march very slowly through the jungle, so there isn't alot to report. The IV Indian Corps is locked with 2 IJA Divisions south of Katha, which suits me fine. That keeps them from marching north to Myiktinya. I start bombing Myiktinya tommorow, mostly to close the airstrip and avoid air reinforcements or evacs. Still only one unit there; if I ever get there, should be an easy pushover.

REPRISAL: This is the real news of course. We are gathering the transports together, as you see below, but they are a bit strung out, because we have to move a little faster than I wanted. They should be in air-search range tommorow, so I will start bombing Koepang as well. I'm pretty sure Cuttlefish won't be surprised, if anything, he may be slightly startled by the size of the forces arrayed against him.

I stated earler, that I expect intervention by Kido Butai. How will that play out? Great question. Knowing that, I could just cancel this, but I don't want to do that; my troops are prepped, and I have already alerted him to the danger here, so if I try later, I'll just run into alot more resistance. I toyed with the idea of turning back, but no; I'm in, just a matter of how it plays out.

If KB comes, I will seek to engage it with my Carriers. I expect this to be a bloodbath on both ends; but once that engagement is over, I expect that KB will be too short of Planes and Torpedos and maybe healthy flattops to attack the transports. In AE, Kido Butai is more and more a "one-shot" deal.

I am more worried about IJN Surface forces. I have 9 BBs, so in a slugfest, I hope that it's a big draw, and everyone has to retreat. Same for the cruisers, though the IJN CAs are bigger and nastier than mine. I have enough to repel most of the IJN, but if the whole navy shows up, it could be trouble.

Ultimately I am counting on mass. I have over 185 transports; even if he sinks a couple dozen, which is a lot, that's still less than 15% of the total. I can live with that.

There are just too many targets to stop this with airpower. Only the IJN Surface fleet can stop me. We'll see if that happens.

Stay tuned, we probably land tommorow real-time.

[ny59giants]

Myiktinya - Don't forget to do some LRCAP over this base to see if you can intercept some, if any, of his transports.

Could you pay the sys damage price and put some of your TFs at Full Speed??

[radar]

That's quite an armada. I think you are correct that a 15% loss in transports would still make for a successful mission. I guessing CF won't be able to assemble a big enough surface fleet in time to alter the outcome.

[Q-Ball]

Sept 29, 1942

P-38s and B-17/24s hit Koepang yesterday. We lost 20 P-38s shot down by the defending Zeros of the Tainan Ku-1 Daitai, to NONE for the Japanese. OUCH! We did drop a whole bunch of bombs on Koepang though, so mission sort of accomplished. We are ordering this attack tommorow. The airbase is reportedly at 24% damage; not enough really.

At this point I don't know the Japanese reaction, so I have to make the dangerous step of exposing my Carriers deliberately to LBA. I really hate to do that, but it's that or the transports. I know KB will NOT be here tommorow, so all I will face is LBA or Baby KB. I have the CAP set to 70% on the Carriers, and they will be off Koepang tommorow, ready to shoot down whatever comes.

I have admitted to Cuttlefish, though he already knows, that this is the main invasion, and that the Wake invasion was a fake.

[ckammp]

You've mentioned that you were NOT building up Broome and Derby so as not to tip your hand to Cuttlefish about REPRISAL; now that the operation is under way, will you build those bases up, or continue to use Port Hedland as your main base? I notice Broome has a red exclaimation point.
 
And while it may be too early yet for congratulations for REPRISAL, good job with SEARCHLIGHT; it appears you totaly fooled Cuttlefish.

[Cap Mandrake]

WOW! So many TF's! It looks like Genghis Khan sweeping across the steppes.

Did you bring camp followers too?

[Canoerebel]

Ghengis Kahn had TFs?

Q-Ball is like Benedict Arnold's army pulling, poling, lifting, and carrying bateaux across the Height of Land on the way to Quebec...no, not really.

Q-Ball, good luck! What's Cuttlefish's life going to be like if you take Timor? How irrelevant do you render his positions on Kwajalein, etc?

[Skipjack_]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

Stay tuned!!!!!

Thanks, Q-Ball! Stay tuned - stay glued, more like! I'm riveted watching these AARs - good luck!

[Fishbed]

If KB speeds up across Pacific to get to you, he'll has to leave his destroyers behind if he doesn't want to get delayed by refueling. This means either they're sub fodder, either you may have one extra day in the end if he brings them with you because of refueling ops [;)]

If you really want to supress the fighters at Koepang without losing good men and good machines, you have to put your fighters on sweep. I guess 4Es can take care of themselves!

[Q-Ball]

Combat Report, Sept 30, 1942

All of the action this day is over the Banda Sea, where the multiple convoys of REPRISAL are steaming toward their final destinations. Tommorow, barring intervention by the IJN, the ramps will go down and our troops shall wade ashore to liberate the southern DEI.

Carrier Battle: Baby KB, consisting of Ryujo, Shoho, Zuiho, put in an appearance. The result was inconclusive.

The Japanese launched a strike at a range of 7 at our Carriers; they ran into a CAP of over 150 Wildcats. 34 Kates were shot down, and nothing got through to launch.

Unfortunately, I had forgot to re-set the max range on my TBMs, so we launched them unescorted at Baby KB! Predicitbly, most of them were shot down. Not good, but at least we have our SBDs, which are more important. For the remaining TBMs, those ranges are now set to 6. MY BAD!

I expect Baby KB to retire, so I will not pursue, but rather stay close to the transports. Lesson learned there. It's too bad they didn't come 1 hex closer, because if my 7 CVs had launched, I'm pretty sure I would have crushed all 3 CVLs. As it is, I'm OK with it.

Air Bombardments: The P-38s did so badly they stayed home; the B-17s/24s went in without escort and did OK. The number of Zeros on CAP over Koepang is reduced today, and the airstrip is starting to get pretty beat-up. Tonight, 2 USN BBs are going to bombard the place, which won't help the airstrip any either.

D-Day!: D-Day is tommorow at Koepang, as well as Maumere and Endeh. I don't expect any opposition at the last two, but Koepang I do expect some. I think I have plenty to swamp it though, 2 1/2 Divisions, 2 Tank Bns, 2 Art Bns, and 1 Combat Eng Bn are all landing tommorow. That should be enough to take it on one attack.

All of these landings are covered by a Surface Combat TF. I fear an intervention by the IJN Surface Fleet, but I can't cover everything.

[Fishbed]

Congrats, things are shaping up! Fingers crossed!

Without the Hibiki, Cuttlefish is DOOMED anyway.[;)]

[Q-Ball]

Combat Report, Oct 1, 1942

REPRISAL: Quick update on this operation, as I know my readers are on the edge of your seats.

The only Japanese attacks on the landings were some Bettys and Zeros from Ambon (I think Ambon). They launched against an RN BB and missed. That's it.

Other than that, everyone is at their locations, and starting to unload. Endeh and Maumere should fall tommorow; there are no defenders in either hex. The defenders at Koepang are more than I expected: 1 Inf Regt, 1 Nav Gd, 1st Raiding Regt, and a base Force; that's about 180 AV or so. Still, I have 600-700 AV coming ashore and almost 100% prepped, with air support and naval support, so that should be enough unless Koepang has alot of forts, but I bet it doesn't.

After tommorow, we unload the 2nd wave of Base Force troops, to start building airfields. We need some aircover ASAP, to take the pressure of our CVs.

So far no sign of KB. I had expected it by the first at the earliest moving at full speed and leaving the Junyos behind; tommorow is the most likely day for attack. We are as ready as we can be.

[Chickenboy]

Great AAR, Q-ball. I'm riveted! Thanks for the summary style and images. They really help readers understand the action.

I'm trying to limit my contributions to both this and Cuttlefish's AAR since I'm reading and enjoying both. Loose lips sinking ships and all that.

[Canoerebel]

Like Chickenboy, I am reading and enjoying both AARs, but unlike Chickenboy I can't control myself:  Q-Ball, please be aware that Cuttlefish is prepping his troops to invade Fort Ord, Corvalis, and Myrtle Beach, and the KB is currently on weather duty near the Ross Ice Shelf. 

[Cap Mandrake]

There is no doubt about it...watching both sides of a battle in opposing AAR's is more fun than spending all the time plotting the turn [:)] Of course, the players get the speed rush of opening the combat results of a carrier battle (this works on the dopamine receptors in the hypothalamus and accounts for the addiction potential).

I would also complement the peanut gallery for keeping their mouths shut.