Thinz2 vs Zuluhour

[DOCUP]

Thanks Alfred, I will have to keep this in my memory banks for when it becomes my time to launch carrier strikes. One more thing that I just remembered maybe some picket ships. It might distract some naval strikes. But I am waiting for your results and for my turn. lol

doc

[zuluhour]

Bit of a delay here as I forgot to send Terry the turn attachment. DOH!

[koniu]

Hi to all



subscribed

[zuluhour]

Hello all, I may not have a carrier task force for awhile after this.
I tried hard to put my self in Admiral Nimitz's shoes this turn. First after reviewing the fuel situation with the carriers and it was not optimal, I decided to proceed with the raid. I believe I have enough in the bunkers to make the launch points off Torokina and get the strikes out and have enough for one day at flank speed, dropping several shorter legged DDs, and make Sydney. I set the Tfs at react 6, able to retire, with 40% cap react 6 with most of the DBs going after the port. I cant remember the exact breakdowns, I hit the end orders button before I was completly sure of this. Fingers crossed! I believe the pressure from Admiral King to strike back at the earliest possible moment coupled with Halsey's "lets go". would have him giving the thumbs up. The reporters are going to get a story. Because of the fuel factor I have taken an extra day to get into position. The orders are out.

[zuluhour]

The raid will be preceded by a night strike at Rabauls airfields with a depleted B17 raid. There was good news yesterday from the Dutch.

[zuluhour]

Alfred, I am still "under the radar"; I hope. I am going in less prepared than I would have liked from your tips. Whether or not I survive this exchange I will have a better grasp of the tactics as this unfolds and I am already taking some notes in regards to your comments for a little "Sara" exploit. I should add the B17s took alot of damage from the raid yesterday in daylight (I hope I switched them to night for casulties sake, ) as I needed another day to get into position.

[DOCUP]

Good luck,  So where did you hit the Shoho at?
 
doc
 

[zuluhour]

Shoho caught the fish at the confluence of the Celebes Sea and the Makassar Starights. I noticed the IJN avoiding shallow water, probably due to some earlier success I've had there.

....................................Severe weather in target hex aborts all three carrier strike packages......................................

I am also spotted 1/1 DL and 2/2 DL for Lex and Enterprise. Orders out, all CVTFs in the Solomons to retire with haste to the southwest. I do not have enough fuel to run at flank so fingers are again crossed. If it was not for Alfred pointing out the fuel considerations I never would have made the proper calculations. Funny how weather was the final word. While tempted to persue the mission, sanity prevails. If I had run into the launch area at full steam I would now be facing a slow run to Townsville.

I will post the actual FLT in Burma/ India soon and look forward to your thoughts. I was quickly out flanked at Rangoon and do not want that again. Singapore, Bataan and Rangoon are all under siege with Palembang perhaps ten days away. The DEI fighters are exhausted. Will the withdrawn pilots ever see action again? In China the great start from Chang and Mao scoring back to back large ground victories is over. The IJA is presently bombing both parties into dust.

I should also point out looking at the plan B above I am not all that uphappy the launch was aborted. I think I now have a newb check list for future raids together. I'll publish over the weekend and look forward to comments. It is kind of strange all three aborted to me, seems like the dice keep coming up boxcars in the airwar for me. My leading pilot is no longer the China man in the bi plane but a KIA (4kills) American. ps the poor Chinese guy is MIA.

[DOCUP]

Knock knock.  Anyone at Zulu HQ.[:D]

[zuluhour]

Hey DOCUP! Nice pics. I was to visit the USNA museum and visitors center (I love the place) last weekend but the rain just keeps coming. I like to ride two wheels on the weekend. I hav'ent had anything worthy to post as I abandoned my ill provisioned raid. I am trying to build up the Burm India line as you can see below. The Japs landed at Merak since I last posted. It could be that Bataan,Singapore,Palembang,Batavia and Rangoon will all be under siege within the week.

[DOCUP]

Nice like your ideas.  Watch for airborne assualts behind your lines in Burma. 
 
doc

[zuluhour]

Afternoon Air attack on Port Moresby , at 98,130

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 77 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 30 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 35
G3M2 Nell x 26


Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 26


Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 4 destroyed
G3M2 Nell: 3 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed



Airbase hits 12
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 14

I only post this because it is the first time the P40s best the Zeros. Its the first week of March. Training. training. training. and, at last, altitude advantage. I still hold Bataan, Singapore, Palembang and Rangoon. The ground situation is changing slowly. The IJA is rapidly cleaning up unoccupied bases in the PI and has landed in the Shortlands in SoPac and the northern tip of Java. The build up continues in SoPac and India. CVTFs are retiring to Pearl for repairs and refits. The east coast in upgrading the DD fleet with radar and ASW devices.

[zuluhour]

March 15th 1942
Zulu HQ: CnCZulu (Chief TWIT) ponders SoPac. The Java goes down easy with the seductive additives of Irish whiskey and Baileys. Op Fish Hook has been postponed three times due to Intel on the KB. Orders are out now though and transports are loading in SoPac. Operation Barb is now on the drawing board.
Pearl Harbor:
Lex, York and Sara are tied up as their escorts undergo refit. SubDiv IV and V are forming for Operation Barb.
SoPac:
8th Marine Rgt, 1st Amphib HQ and 1st Marine raider Bn are prepped and loading for Luganville and Ndeni. Base forces and engineers are prepped and will follow. Final convoys of supplies ad material are making their way from San Diego to secure the rear areas.
Bataan is now in the red with just over 4000 pts of supply remaining. It will be tough to lose the 900+ AV remaining. Singapore with 860+ AV still holds with over 11000 supply pts.. The Japs must have bad Intel on Rangoon as only 380+ AV are there and supply around 1000 pts. They are letting me slip in small AKs for resupply. The Japs sit outside Palembang mustering strength. The Dutch air force is close to collapse. The Japs hit Ambon yesterday with heavy air raids and a night landing with shore bombardment. Ambon’s guns manage one hit on a xAP for 40 casualties.

[zuluhour]

The SoPac SitRep:
Noumea:
Port 3 (44%)
AF 3 (44%)
Fort 3 (2%)
fighters 85
supply 34000+
fuel 11000+
AV 147 (200+ 1 week out)
Suva:
Port 3 (81%)
AF 7 (25%)
fort 3 (9%)
AV 700
fighters 46
bombers 10
PA 11
1-BB and escorts
67000 supply

[zuluhour]

March 16th 1942
Hiryu takes a fish

[zuluhour]

Ambon falls after a 48 hour assault, but not before Hiryu eats Dutch Tuna 25nm west.
TFs 145 and 168 will leave port tomorrow night.

[DOCUP]

Your getting some good results with your subs.  I am hopeing that i will get some shots at my opponents carriers.
 
 

[zuluhour]

Your right on there. The Dutch subs have been a major source of moral for the allies. I am playing a very methodical opponent. He he is giving me fits in the air war and on land particularly in China. The flanking move on Rangoon was like a good pin in chess. The Dutch sub skippers are very good at picking targets and I am getting very good at anticipating Kido Butai routes. What I have not mentioned is I got three of them sunk in harbor when I knew the KB was going to raid. It was a really bad late night decision. As we are playing a "simulation" of the war, I am feeling Nimitz's anxiety over commiting forces to battle without any substantial re-inforcement in the near future. He must have had many sleepless nights leading up to Halseys raid and the Port Morseby Op. When King got on him about doing the raids because Americans wanted to know what the Navy was doing and the reporters were using political channels to exert even more pressure I'm sure he did not want to be remembered for a disaster which would compound the Pearl Harbor situation and the Navy's posture in the Pacific in general.

With that in mind, I am acting under general orders from Adm King of January 1941 to keep the sea lanes to Australia open as far as Suva. Keep Hawaii in our hands (I would not expect Terry to attack there with land forces but am compelled by the spirit of the game to garrison the islands accordingly strong). And carry the fight to the enemy. Here in lies Operation Barb. I will lay it out shortly here as I am fitting the game engine to the Op at present. The Op will be a carrier strike, approaching at night to arrive at a launch point from which I will have time to retire (I'm hoping to be able to add 240nm) and decrease the risk of massive retaliation by LBA. Fish Hook should give me an alley to use in which if I am followed I will be able to employ substatial anti sea assets to allow my CVs to make good their escape. Regular reconasaince flights have been ongoing for weeks so I have good intel and as the flights have been so routine for so long, I do not think he will anticipate the timing. The KB which had gone missing for awhile is close by at Ambon but I have subs along his likely egress routes as much for intel as a chance shot. April 20th is the target date.

[zuluhour]

The Burma front:
I have released the 7th Aussie Div back to Australia as I do not have the political clout in game terms and I believe Churchill himself was over ruled by the Aussie PM about their commitment to the theater. I do, however have the political muscle to release the 6th Aussie Div from Karachi to theater anytime. It takes forever to get the points but once you get them it is a relief. By the time I make a decide I will also have enough clout to go through all the OICs in the squadrons and ground units. What I want now are HQs. I need an Indian corp HQ and an american AF HQ. They are both a couple of weeks away.

[zuluhour]

March 16th 1942
SubDiv IV forms at Pearl and departs for SoPac. BatDiv "R" makes ready for trip to west coast after 90+ days in the shipyards. Fish Hook TFs still loading. Intel has KB heading west from Ambon; this is good as a raid through the Horn Island strights would be most inconvienent at present.