AE Tourney II/Chickenboy PROHIBITED!!!/If you are Penelope Cruz my number is 714 287-4297

[crsutton]

Interesting point-how your losses in this game will need to dictate your strategy in the mirror game. It gives the player who hits a home run early on a big advantage as CB has to know that his point count lead will drive you into his waiting arms.

But, this is pretty much the result that should happen in a carrier fight between KB and the Allies at this date in the war. However, look at your flak losses. I fail to understand why this issue has not been addressed. I understand that it will make Japanese life very hard, but the flak losses compared to air to air are just obscene as Allied flak was probably shooting down 60% of the attacking forces at this stage of the war. We have had the game for a year and a half now and this just makes me scratch my head.

[Cap Mandrake]

The destruction of Jap carriers is exactly the expected result but for exactly that reason this is not entirely an Allied home run.

USN air losses were not negligible and I suspect the reason there was no afternoon attack from the USN is the returning aircraft from at least one and maybe 2 or 3 CVL's had to be recovered on the remaining decks, pushing them over into no-operation.

Also, a very substantial number of surviving IJN aricraft recovered to Iwo. This means it will not be without risk for the USN to stick around another day and finish off the Jap carriers as they limp to Iwo.

If one of the CVL's sink then I am in pretty good shape. Perhaps as many as 5 CV/CVL's will have to go back to Pearl. Of course, the Jap strike capability is shot to Hell too.

If his carriers are overstacked, he can fly off some remenants to Guam and restore his undamaged or mildly damaged carriers to flight ops. He will want to protect his damaged carriers so there will be more fighting tomorrow.

Maybe I can get some cruisers in among his damaged carriers in a night battle.

I will have to look more closely when I get home.

[rtrapasso]

Chickenboy said heap big surface fight with you as Allies... we need details from your end...

[Cap Mandrake]

Yes...I did something right. It looks like his carriers are coming out to play. He moved some aircraft to Saipan. My bombardment attack at Saipan reveals his naval fortress strength to still be quite strong.

His crusiers impaled themselves on 4 BB's in daylight with good visibility. The BB's had their secondary guns knocked around a bit but they can be patched up at Pagan.

My carrier aircraft are all on naval attack which means the resources to wear down Saipan are limited. The Saipan landign group had to detour to the North a bit for safety

[rtrapasso]

Chalk one up for the USN!

BTW - how did your surviving IJN carriers do after the big carrier dustup? iirc, you had several badly damaged CVs that were still afloat...

[rtrapasso]

[>:]

[Cap Mandrake]

Chicken went to some conference on intestinal parasites or something in East St. Louis.

He will be back tomorrow ..I believe.,

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Chicken went to some conference on intestinal parasites or something in East St. Louis.

He will be back tomorrow ..I believe.,

I hope it is not catching....

[Cap Mandrake]

As you may recall, the Combined Fleet carriers got clobbered. The most damaged ships were sent to Iwo along with a damaged Nagato to cover them. I expected a night surface raid. There was none. I expected a massive air attack at Iwo. There was a big attack but it went well for me. I had about 85 Zeroes in the air and they kicked ass on the USN bombers. One already badly damaged CVL was sunk from the attack. Taiho also sank from a massive fire.

Zuikaku and Yamato appear (so far) to be unspotted moving West. I sent two fast BB's across the expected route of damaged USN carriers but there was no contact. One BB and the CA's are low on fuel. They will have to go to Saipan and disband, hoping he has no aircraft on port attack. The other BB and DD's can try to intercept the damaged CVE's movind toward Eniwetok and then recover at Truk.

The best news is the damaged Kalinnin Bay tried to make Guam but was sunk by 8 Vals from Ryujo operating from Tinian.

I will move some bombers to Truk to try to get at weakly defended convoys.

[Cap Mandrake]

Close call in the IJN game. The USN carrier group near Iwo pulled back to the ESE. No attack today on the damaged ships at Iwo. Shokaku and Yamato and some damaged CA are trying to scoot down to Palau along the map edge in the Philippine Sea. The main USN carrier forces are West of Guam about 350 mi.

Haruna's sortie very nearly bagged a CVE group and transports headed for Eniweetok. She slowed to refuel the DD's and just missed, then was unable to react at daylight because of bad weather. She seems to have been unspotted but is almost out of fuel.

The BB and CA's which diverted to Saipan were somehow unspotted and are all safe.

A group of CA's at Iwo will attempt to escape East today and get to the battle area.

[Cap Mandrake]

************IJN Game, 6-26***************


Haruna, running on fumes, found two small surface taffys at night. She damaged one DD, sunk one DD and sunk HMAS Canberra with virtually no damage and then made Truk safely. I think Chicken heard or saw her coming and sent back some combatants to protect his fleeing CVE's.

My light cruiser force North of Palau rounded the corner too closely trying to make Truk and was hit by his carriers moving SW toward Yap. One CL is badly damaged and will probably be finished off tomorrow. I am goign to send the CL/DD force NE toward Iwo and try to catch his oilers at night.

[Cap Mandrake]

*****Wild and diverse action in the IJN game on 6-27*****


On the 27th, 3 CL's and escorts headed NE across the Philippine Sea to try to find some oilers or other poorly escorted taffys. Instead they ran into a CV group escorted by a BB. The IJN bore in, hitting two CV's with shellfire but apparently not doing severe damage. At daybreak, Yahagi was severley damaged by dive bombers but did make Palau. It was a close call for Chicken. A modern CL, 2 destoyer leaders and 4 DD's with Long Lances at night within 6,000 yds of his carriers. It might have gone differently.

Meanwhile, I have deduced that Chicken found a dot base near New Guinea and apparently has a seaplane tender there. I sent Oi and 2 DD's to investigate. They ran across 3 USN DD's and fared poorly.

Recon showed APD's off Ponape (400 m SW of Eniwetok). I suspected Chicken was going to invade so I sent Haruna to take up station.

[Cap Mandrake]

************6-28****************

At daybreak, Haruna was sitting off Ponape with 3 USN DD's reported 40 mi to the East. I suspected Eniwetok was bulging with CVE's and transports just refueling after their retreat from Guam. I was pretty sure he was light on heavy surface forces at Enwietok. Weather was poor over Eniwetok.

Time for a suicide mission?

ROAD TRIP!

Haruna, 2 CA's and escorts are ordered to Eniwetok at flank speed and "absolute threat tolerance" with home base set to Wake in hopes of avoid the USN carriers which I feared would move SE.

I considered ordering a movement path to avoid the ships East of Ponape but decided against it, anticipating they would be retreating. They did not retreat, they were 8 DD's and it lead to a wild multi-hour, 150 mi-long running gun and torpedo battle as the defetead USN DD's retreated on the same path toward Enwietok. They were all sunk but the time was gone and the planned attack on Eniwetok was abandoned, putting Haruna within easy strike range of Enwietok at daybreak.

In the event, the USN carriers did not approach Ponape. I would have been better off to set their base to Ponape. Had I done that, I would still have Haruna.

[Cap Mandrake]

Everyone is posting in Chicken's thread giving him advice. They want him to win. <kicks dirt> Nobody likes me. I'm going to see if I can switch to a new school and start over.....

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Everyone is posting in Chicken's thread giving him advice. They want him to win. <kicks dirt> Nobody likes me. I'm going to see if I can switch to a new school and start over.....

True - they are giving him advice - on how to make his maps look less dreadful... your maps are things of beauty, so you need no advice on this front... [8D]

We (or at least i) would like to see what is going on in your game as USN... this appears to be what will decide the overall contest.

[Cap Mandrake]

Yes, funny you should mention that. There was a massive aerial furball on the 27th or 28th in that game.

There must have been at least 350-400 Zeroes of all types claimed. Very large numbers of Jap bombers too.

About 30 Allied aircraft lost.

Chicken surged everything he had (it seems) to Guam and Tinian along with his carriers. His carriers were stuck on T'storms and mine had bad weather too, even so he lost must have lost 50 carrier based Zeroes.

One of my fast BB's was dinged up pretty bad and went to port. That leaves 3 fast BB's (one with not enough op points to rearm on of her forwad magazines) to guard Pagan.

My carrier aricraft are in good shape as are the planes on Pagan and I have 150 replacement fighters on Eniwetok.
It is best this battle happen before the landing. He has 4 BB's than can make > 27 kts. That leaves the 3 US BB's at Pagan at a disadvantage. Of course, hard to believe anythign he sends there can survive the next day.

[Bradley7735]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Everyone is posting in Chicken's thread giving him advice. They want him to win. <kicks dirt> Nobody likes me. I'm going to see if I can switch to a new school and start over.....

Well, I usually root for the Allied player. I guess it's just something ingrained from early childhood. But, you are both Allied players!! I'm so confused. Who do I want to win?

You've got the edge on humor. But, his career is based on chickens. Such a paradox! [;)]

[Cap Mandrake]

Oh, a friend, a friend! I shall tell mother![:)]

Here are the reported losses from Giant Furball Day. Jap fighter losses are somewhere in the neighborhood of 280.

[Cap Mandrake]

Score ...me as USN

[Cap Mandrake]

If one can believe such things....Zui shows up in the point total...I think..I believe she made Palau but might ahve sunk in harbor.