Thinz2 vs Zuluhour

[zuluhour]

September 12th 1942

Zulu HQ: Radio Silence....

September 13th 1942

Zulu HQ: Radio Silence....

[zuluhour]

September 13th 1942

SoPac:

[zuluhour]

SoPac: USN TFs on the 12th:

[zuluhour]

SoPac: USN TFs on the 13th:

[zuluhour]

Notes on USCV TFs

No TBs on any carriers / extra Wildcats
CAP is 30% range (1) / no ecsort / I think
react (1)
DBs at max normal rnge 14ooo'

[zuluhour]

SoPac: Where did they go?

[zuluhour]

China: Kukong is threatened from the west. 20th AG and 66th corps to fight out of encirclement to the SE. Two Chinese aviators are one away from the ace club.

Burma: Only IJAF raids on coastal hexes.

[zuluhour]

Saratoga Lost!
I can't post more til I have a drink.

[koniu]

ORIGINAL: zuluhour

Saratoga Lost!
I can't post more til I have a drink.

One day or another this must happen. Lucky you are closer to Essex`s than ever.

In your place i will run.[:(] It looks like he is using everything he has. And with one big CV you have no chance to fight.

PS. I do not read entire AAR, where is Big E and rest of Your CVs?

[zuluhour]

Hornet and the Big E are on the bottom. Wasp is south west on the Australian coast. The Tfs were retiring when they got hit. Because I am still in a bad way here I am going to send orders and report when the battle is over.

[zuluhour]

September 15th 1942

Sopac: The day starts with six sub actions. DD Farragut reports a hit on I-7 off Suva but runs out of ammo. DD MacDonough reports one hit on I-169. Saratoga, riding in heavy rain making for Sydney from the Coral Sea reports bandits at 15,ooo' 15 minutes out. 24 Wildcats find the raiders downing a Zero to four of their own. 179 Zeros escorting 300 strike aircraft find Sara and her escorts. DDs Fox and Barker are quickly dispatched to the bottom. Saratoga only gets a bomb and torpedo but one causes a fuel storage explosion. The Raleigh gets nine bombs and burns brightly. Flak control reports one confirmed kill with 20 or so possibly damaged. Nine Zeros and nine Vals are 40 minutes behind and 7 are brought down by the CAP with no losses. Small hope beats in the Sara TF. Sara and Lex with strikes in the air pray for good news. Its not going to happen. 8 wildcats escort 61 SBDs on spotted CVs Shokaku, Soryu, Zuikaku and Hiryu. They are met by 90 Zeros over the Kido Butai in light rain at 14,ooo'. 26 SBDs are dispatched before they can wing over into their dives; more are destroyed and damaged by the flak; thirteen release 1ooo lb ers. All miss. Sara and Lex's attack component is gone. A few will make Townsville. The Kido Butai has 30 minutes warning before the next raid hits. 60 more Zeros are on CAP. 12 of the 38 raiders are shot down. No one releases a weapon at a ship. B17s occupy some CAP but lose ac for nothing. Late morning some stragglers, 9 Vals, show up. Lex has ample warning and the 27 Wildcats splash 5 Vals who also cannot reach drop points. As the Vals leave the scene, 24 Kates arrive, this time to a 2 Wildcat CAP. Two torpedos hit Sara and another goes into the Wilson. Both are obscured by smoke with heavy fires. Its Lexingtons turn in the afternoon. 108 Zeros escort 84 raiders. The CAP mounted seems formidable with 60 Wildcats. They do get 13 Zeros to three of their own but Lex takes 2 bombs and a Torp and is set on fire. The North Caralina absorbs 9 bomb hits and she to is on fire. Several more B17s will call on the KB to no avail. Now here we are. Orders out to the fleet to make for Sydney at flank, refuel from tenders, and try and make Melbourne. All Army Air Corp bombers to stage out of Ndeni, Noumea, and Loganville. Fingers crossed on relief convoys already close to destinations.

[zuluhour]

AM September 15th:

CDR Fisher is lost with Saratoga and Perth.

[crsutton]

You split your carriers in the face of a superior enemy...Probably not a good idea.

[zuluhour]

September 16th 1942

SoPac:
The highlight of the day is at night:
Night Time Surface Combat, near Tagula Island at 100,143, Range 6,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Kongo
BB Haruna
BB Hiei
BB Kirishima
BB Yamato
CA Tone
CA Chikuma
CL Isuzu
DD Hatsuharu
DD Nenohi
DD Hatsushima, Shell hits 1
DD Wakaba
DD Yugure
DD Ariake, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
DD Sterett

We get lucky here:
Night Time Surface Combat, near Bowen at 100,146, Range 26,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Kongo
BB Haruna
BB Hiei
BB Kirishima
BB Yamato
CA Tone
CA Chikuma
CL Isuzu
DD Hatsuharu
DD Nenohi
DD Hatsushima
DD Wakaba
DD Yugure
DD Ariake

Allied Ships
CV Yorktown
CA Indianapolis
CA Chester
CA Chicago
CL Leander
CLAA San Juan
CL Honolulu
DD Sims
DD Hammann
DD Russell
DD Helm
DD Benham
DD Lang
DD Stack


Allied Task Force Manages to Escape
Allied Air Combat TF evades combat

Day breaks and....
Day Time Surface Combat, near Rockhampton at 101,149, Range 26,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CV Hiryu
CV Soryu
CV Shokaku
CV Zuikaku
CA Mogami
CA Mikuma
CA Suzuya
CA Kumano
CL Nagara
DD Shiranui
DD Amatsukaze
DD Tokitsukaze
DD Urakaze
DD Hamakaze
DD Nowaki
DD Arashi
DD Hagikaze

Allied Ships
CV Lexington
BB North Carolina
CA Houston
CL Nashville
CL Boise
DD Monssen
DD Aaron Ward
DD Buchanan

Both Task Forces evade combat

Luck dosent hold out any longer.....
Morning Air attack on TF, near Bundaberg at 100,154

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 23
B5N2 Kate x 12
D3A1 Val x 38



Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 1


Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 5 damaged
D3A1 Val: 6 damaged
D3A1 Val: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-3 Wildcat: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
CV Lexington, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
BB North Carolina, Bomb hits 7, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
CL Nashville, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CA Houston
CL Boise, Bomb hits 2, on fire

It does not get better...
Morning Air attack on TF, near Fraser Island at 101,156

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 29 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 24
B5N2 Kate x 21



Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 1


No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
AO Cuyama, Torpedo hits 3, heavy fires
DD Ward
DD Talbot

Massive explosion on AO Cuyama OUCH!

The afternoon is also memorable....
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Bundaberg at 100,154

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 49
B5N2 Kate x 33
D3A1 Val x 19



Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 4


Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 7 damaged
D3A1 Val: 4 damaged
D3A1 Val: 1 destroyed by flak

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
BB North Carolina, Bomb hits 9, heavy fires, heavy damage
CL Nashville, Bomb hits 3, on fire
CV Lexington, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
CL Boise, Bomb hits 2, on fire
CA Houston, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires
DD Monssen

This day will not end....
Allied Ships
DD Wilson, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
DD Allen, Bomb hits 2, and is sunk

Allied Ships
CL Nashville, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
CA Houston, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
CL Boise, Bomb hits 8, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Monssen
DD Aaron Ward
Allied Ships
DD Ward, Bomb hits 4, and is sunk

Orders for SoPac: Flank speed-find the safest compass point and run.

News comes in from the east..

Burma: Rangoon defenders cut off south of Akyab at Ramree Island

Allied ground losses:
3261 casualties reported
Squads: 83 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 324 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 17 (17 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 9

Chittagong gets hit hard:
Morning Air attack on Chittagong , at 55,41

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 109
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 66

China:
The only good news of the day: This is SE of Kukong on the tired 20th Army Group and 66th Corp.

Japanese Shock attack

Japanese ground losses:
2021 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 80 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 28 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 44 disabled
Guns lost 67 (3 destroyed, 64 disabled)
Vehicles lost 116 (4 destroyed, 112 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
308 casualties reported
Squads: 20 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled

[zuluhour]

I had no intention of confronting the Kido Butai. I was looking for another surface raiding party. If only CVL/CVE were sighted on the south side of New Guinea I was prepared to engage from the North Australian coast. As it developed, I lost the KB for one day and it showed up right in front of me while I was retiring south. I am now certain it is not possible at this stage of the game to engage the KB, especially a reinforced KB, with anything short of massed land based air, and I mean massed, with all the US Capital ships. I still doubt I would risk it.

sincerely,
Lead TWIT Zulu HQ

[zuluhour]

Here's the "end of day"

[zuluhour]

The battle goes on:

[zuluhour]

September 18th 1942

SoPac: The carnage continues. I will recap the losses when the nightmare ends. Cruisers and destroyers sunk at coastal ports while seeking refuge.

Burma: Large scale night raids hit Calcutta, Ledo, Dacca and that coastal port with cool name.

[zuluhour]

Ship losses for the last 72 hours in the Battle of the Barrier Reef.
CVs Saratoga and Lexington
BB North Caralina
CA Houston
CL Raleigh, Nashville and Boise
DDs 8
AO 1

aircraft and crews..still counting.
ships in yards or trying to make port...still counting

Burma: weak Chinese Division thrown from Burma road; there is one infantry squad left in the Division. Night raids continue.

[koniu]

Sad days for US navy.
I think he will not stop. Sydney is not save. With such air and navy power he will want to kill as many as he can. Also LBA will not help you. They will not fly against that KB Death Star so you can use them only as LCAP

Did you know where his AO`s are. He must burning lot of fuel. Those BB need to refuel soon.
I think he use flank to catch you in day one of battle so they burn many of it. I he go deeper south and he use flank for one or two days to catch your fleet he will be forced to refuel in return way.

Maybe if you be lucky you will find his replenishment TF. Small SAG 3DD+CL may spoil his victory if they find his AO`s. When full of fuel they will burn from single hit. This can be suicidal mission but crippling his operations in future is worth of try.
I will focus my search planes north east of his forces. And if they found something i will risk attack. In few months you will have so many new DD, and if you loose them now that will not change anything to you

It is what i will do. Decision is yours.

koniu