Bring me the head of Diego Garcia...and the Mayor of Addu Atoll too!

[Menser]

Careful Chickenboy,
Your proboscis is showing

[sprior]

The Crabs come good! Yesterday the nus went to Osthaven and the stringbags to Batavia to beat off the savage assualt on Merak. Obviously the messes weren't to their liking because they actually got into their planes and flew them! Hosho took 2 torpedogs up the chuff. To capitalise on this Force Z, bolstered by the Dutch, will descend like a wolf upon a flock of ship and rip apart the landing*



*Or not.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: sprior

The Crabs come good! Yesterday the nus went to Osthaven and the stringbags to Batavia to beat off the savage assualt on Merak. Obviously the messes weren't to their liking because they actually got into their planes and flew them! Hosho took 2 torpedogs up the chuff. To capitalise on this Force Z, bolstered by the Dutch, will descend like a wolf upon a flock of ship and rip apart the landing*



*Or not.

Of 'sheep', perhaps?

[sprior]

I saw ship before I posted and decided not to correct it as it seemed apropos.

[Cap Mandrake]

****Battle Summary, Second Battle of the Banda Sea*****

Allied Losses:

USS Lexington and entire air complement

50% of bomber crews and 70% SBD and TBD airframes from Enterprise

One Dutch Oiler, one Dutch AVP

USS Indianapolis moderately damaged (will require yard time)

50% flooding one US DD

Light damage 6-7 ships

5xB-17D lost


Japanese losses:

Akagi sunk (fate of air crews uncertain)

Hosho (or Taiyo) sunk (planes lost)

Zuiho (or Ryujo) sunk (planes lost)

Kaga light damage (moderate crew losses)

One Tone class CA sunk

3 x DD sunk

15 x Betty lost


Strategic outcome: Kendari captured but disembarkation there seems to have been interrupted


A question: Is the identification of ships sunk on the intel screen always correct? Zuiho is reported sunk (not Ryujo) but still fighting off Merak.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

A question: Is the identification of ships sunk on the intel screen always correct? Zuiho is reported sunk (not Ryujo) but still fighting off Merak.

No. At some point the side which lost the vessel 'admits' the loss. Probably at that point the listing is accurate. Before then, definitely not necessarily accurate both as to whether a ship sunk or which ship sunk.

[Cap Mandrake]

Do you mean to tell me it can change even after the victory points are up?

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Do you mean to tell me it can change even after the victory points are up?

I don't know. I do know, just for example, that I have a report that Kaga was sunk after being torpedoed. It shows in the sunk ships list, but (at 350 points) it clearly is not part of the points total on the main Intel screen. Is that lack of tally a FOW leak telling me it wasn't sunk, or is the FOW good enough that the points are not put on the board until the loss is officially admitted? I just don't know! Maybe a Dev can jump in and tell us.

[sprior]

Force Z along with Dutch reinforcements and supported by a USN TF get into the transports at Merak. The 2 dozen biplanes that went in yesterday scared off the carriers and capital units leaving the transports to their fate. Result - massacre. 5 transports TFs now form a nice artificial reef with all their supplies and most of an engineer regiment.

[Cap Mandrake]

Lord Admiral Sprior, in his typical fashion, understates the damage done at Merak. It was a clean sweep. As far as I can tell, only a few patrol craft were able to escape. What the Royal Navy and the Royal Neterlands Navy did not sink, a 6 ship USN crusier and destroyer force took care of. The only damage to Allied forces were mild to moderate damage to one of the aesthically pleasing but fragile Dutch CL's and one DD.

There are some 28,000 Jap troops ashore and 200 "tanks". They attacked and were able to drive off the token KNIL force but all the attacking units were fragments! This means that every single unit ashore lost some of it's support troops and equipment in the naval carnage offshore (usually unloaded last).

The day after their landing, there were already Zeroes operating at Merak. These shot down a few Dutch traffic report aircraft pressed into service in the bomber role. The USN crusiers will bombard the airfield today and try to strip Merak of its air cover. If the Japs lack the supplies or strength to capture Batavia immediately they will have to seize something down the West coast of Java or await more supply convoys.

Still, 28,000 angry Japs is nothting to sneeze at, especially when the entire KNIL seems to have unaware a war was coming.

[sprior]

From ABDA Command to Commander US Forces SE Asia:

The UK 18th Div has offloaded at Darwin, if they decide to go for there it should be a nice surprise, if not we can either use them later to threaten the DEI or move them across Oz and use them at PM.

The RN cruiser force from Columbo is on its way to the Cocos Islands and thence to Soerabaya.

One bombardment of Merak I think, we won't get too many bites at that particular cherry but until they sufficient air support at Singkawang or Palembang to move up the Netties we should be safe.

[sprior]

Jolly Jack has been having a very good run ashore, just disappointed there weren't more Yanks to get drunk and tattoo with Union flags.

The defence of India will be left to the brown jobs as more of the Grey Funnel Line sets sail for the Surrey-wossname.

[Cap Mandrake]

******Java Update, January 6, 1942******


The large Jap force at Merak have not moved off their riposte at Merak. They have been bombarded twice by USN cruisers operating from Batavia and the airfield has been attacked 2 d in a row by small B-17 raids from Soerabaja. The Zeroes flying cover have disappeared. If this holds we can start hitting the ground troops by air with the Dutch Uglofortresses and Traffic Reporter aircraft.

All Jap shipping at Palmebang and most of it near Singkawing have disappeared. It looks like the Japs at Merak are going to wait for help or supplies.

[khyberbill]

Do you mean to tell me it can change even after the victory points are up?

I believe the VP count is accurate (of course beliefs belong in religion not AE). The detailed sunk ship report will usually show more ships/points than you have in the VP total.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: khyberbill

Do you mean to tell me it can change even after the victory points are up?

I believe the VP count is accurate (of course beliefs belong in religion not AE). The detailed sunk ship report will usually show more ships/points than you have in the VP total.

Wow...that is pathologically diabolical fog of war. So, for eg., you think the "'ships sunk" VP subscore may be falsely inflated?

On balance, I think Akagi did sink simply because I can't find her and Kaga is sitting at Menado. It is possible what is identified as Kaga sitting at Menado is really Akagi trying to pump out her flooding and Kaga is in Palau or something.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

******Java Update, January 6, 1942******

If this holds we can start hitting the ground troops by air with the Dutch Uglofortresses and Traffic Reporter aircraft.

In mid-March '42 after much diligent training of pilots, I've found that Dutch attacks at sea are lucky if they land bombs in the water, almost never on a ship - 1 (one) hit so far. They do somewhat better hitting the ground troops.*

* As long as you delete the word "troops".

[khyberbill]

Wow...that is pathologically diabolical fog of war. So, for eg., you think the "'ships sunk" VP subscore may be falsely inflated?

The score on the main menu is accurate, when you drill down to the list of ships sunk, you will find more points there than on the main menu. In one of my games I have 5 ships sunk for 35 points on the main menu, when I look at the list of ships sunk, there is a CA there with more than 35 points listed as sunk, meaning it isn't, at least yet. Also, the names of the sunken ships will be wrong. For instance, you might think you sunk the Kaga, and two months later suddenly the name changes to Akagi.

[sprior]

Force Z+ tripped over another pigboat on their way to merak but got there in the end. The results were a little disppointing. The CMs were attacked by Betties on their way to lay mines at merk but they all missed, but a portent of things to come maybe if we try the run again.

The skies over Singers remain strangely empty, but the Crabs are enjoying the Gin Slings and Boogis Street so they're not too disappointed.

Meanwhile the brown jobs hold up the IJA at Tumeloh, having defended it for 3 days now.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: sprior

Force Z+ tripped over another pigboat on their way to merak but got there in the end. The results were a little disppointing. The CMs were attacked by Betties on their way to lay mines at merk but they all missed, but a portent of things to come maybe if we try the run again.

The skies over Singers remain strangely empty, but the Crabs are enjoying the Gin Slings and Boogis Street so they're not too disappointed.

Meanwhile the brown jobs hold up the IJA at Tumeloh, having defended it for 3 days now.

What's the IJA force at Tumeloh? If you've got the default defenders against a regimental strength opponent, 3-4 days defense seems to be about the max they can hold out. I'd expect a shock attack tomorrow and the usual rout down the peninsula.

[sprior]

The Japanese attack:
Ground combat at Temuloh (50,78)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 4127 troops, 26 guns, 103 vehicles, Assault Value = 171

Defending force 4028 troops, 54 guns, 28 vehicles, Assault Value = 153

Japanese adjusted assault: 62

Allied adjusted defense: 64

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 0)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-), fatigue(-), supply(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
125 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 2 (0 destroyed, 2 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
309 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 39 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 29 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Vehicles lost 9 (0 destroyed, 9 disabled)


Assaulting units:
1st Tank Regiment
21st Infantry Regiment

Defending units:
8th Indian Brigade
22nd Indian Brigade
2nd Argylls Battalion
5th Field Regiment