The willing Admiral - RA 4.6 - Allies Dan Nichols(A) vs Cavalry(J)

[Dan Nichols]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Well done! Big mistake on his part to shock attack into such a large and well fortified force.
Are your troops getting fatigued by the constant combat?

Not at all. Their fat is 1-11 now and I expect it to drop to 1-4 the next turn.

[BBfanboy]

Oh, right, I just remembered that you are playing two day turns which would give a day of rest after every attack.
Great defence of Singers - should buy you another six weeks there and relief wherever he has to steal divisions from to send to Singapore! Huge setback for Japan! [&o]

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Oh, right, I just remembered that you are playing two day turns which would give a day of rest after every attack.
Great defence of Singers - should buy you another six weeks there and relief wherever he has to steal divisions from to send to Singapore! Huge setback for Japan! [&o]

Ditto!

[Dan Nichols]

February 13-14, 1942. Little to report, Balikpapan fell and an invasion force is at Bandermasin. We will see what the A-24s can do, they are just within max range and they should hit a few ships. He continues to sweep Singapore and Rangoon with large contingents of fighters. He is bombing Singapore from 25,000 feet and not doing much at all. He has also taken Makassar.

One thing I had not really considered was maybe I should send the Singapore garrison North. I must consider this, I should have enough force to move in mass to Bangkok.

[JocMeister]

Wow, Looks like you will hang on to Singers until april-may! [:D]

How is supply?

[Dan Nichols]

February 15-16, 1942

Joc, supply in Singapore looks low at only 9300, but the troops have drawn a lot of supply because of the recent combat. I am producing 180 supply per day and that will help.

My A-24s did hit his convoy at Bandjermasin but the results were not spectacular, but good enough.
The interesting thing is that I got 3 48 aircraft attacks in two days at maximum range.
---------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Bandjermasin at 60,99

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
E13A1 Jake x 2
Allied aircraft
A-24 Banshee x 48
No Japanese losses
Allied aircraft losses
A-24 Banshee: 2 damaged
A-24 Banshee: 1 destroyed by flak

Japanese Ships
CL Naka
BB Fuso, Bomb hits 2
xAK Fusemi Maru, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAP Ukishima Maru
xAP Naminoue Maru
CA Nachi, Bomb hits 2, on fire
xAP Shanghai Maru, Bomb hits 3, and is sunk

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 4000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
8 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
10 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb GP Bomb
2 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 4000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
8 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
4 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
4 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb GP Bomb

Heavy smoke from fires obscuring xAK Fusemi Maru
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring CA Nachi
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring xAP Shanghai Maru
---------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Bandjermasin at 60,99

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
E13A1 Jake x 1

Allied aircraft
A-24 Banshee x 48

No Japanese losses
Allied aircraft losses
A-24 Banshee: 11 damaged
A-24 Banshee: 1 destroyed by flak

Japanese Ships
BB Fuso
TB Kari
DD Kamikaze
xAP Ukishima Maru, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
CA Takao
DD Sagiri
CL Naka
Aircraft Attacking:
6 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
3 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 4000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
10 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
6 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
6 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
12 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
4 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 4000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
---------------------------------------------

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Bandjermasin at 60,99

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
E13A1 Jake x 1

Allied aircraft
A-24 Banshee x 41

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
A-24 Banshee: 8 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Fuso
DD Kamikaze
xAK Nissen Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Minekaze
CA Takao
DD Hatakaze
xAP Naminoue Maru
DD Asashio
xAP Ukishima Maru, heavy fires
DD Satsuki
TB Kari
Aircraft Attacking:
1 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb GP Bomb
7 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 4000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
6 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
2 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
6 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
5 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 4000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
2 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 4000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb GP Bomb
8 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb GP Bomb
4 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
------------------

As you can see, there was a float plane on CAP for every attack. I think that might
have caused some disruption of my attacking aircraft. Also, there was BB Fuso and a number
of A-24s attacked it with no result. I did have CA Nachi show up on my sunk ship list.
I lost 6 A-24s, 5 to flack and 1 to ops. I lost 5 pilots. I would expect him to put a LRCAP
up next turn, so I think I will not set them to attack again.
----------------
Last turn CA Suzuya was taken off of the sunk ship list. This turn it went back on:
Sub attack near Tawau at 70,92

Japanese Ships
CA Suzuya, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DD Fumizuki

Allied Ships
SS KXVI
-------------------
I am going to lose two corps and their HQ in the hex Southeast of Singyang. I didn't move them fast enough and they got
surrounded. Such things happen.
----------------

[BBfanboy]

Barring a magazine explosion, two bombs will not sink a Japanese CA, even the small ones. It takes six to eight hits to sink one of the large CAs.
Two torps will put Suzuya with about 50% flotation damage. I don't know what other damage she had that originally put her on the sunk list, but unless it was quite bad she may be able to limp to a port for emergency repairs. I would have the sub search in the direction of the nearest Japanese base, even if it is just a dot hex. I have used dot bases for emergency repairs and it makes a big differnce to have the ship stood down.

[Dan Nichols]

February 17-18, 1942

Bataan fell today. That will free up 3+ divisions for use elsewhere. But, Mindanao has not had any
enemy troops land.

CL St. Louis with DDs Benham and Ellet tangled with a small SCTF at Goodenough Island. It did not go well
for the USN. I don't really understand why the USN always seems to put its capital ships at 1000 yards from
LL equipped DDs.
Night Time Surface Combat, near Goodenough Island at 100,131, Range 1,000 Yards

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
SOC-1 Seagull: 2 destroyed

Japanese Ships
CL Tenryu
DD Hatsukaze
DD Natsushio
DD Hagikaze, Shell hits 1, on fire
TB Omodoka
TB Nadeshiko

Allied Ships
CL St. Louis, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
DD Benham
DD Ellet, Shell hits 2



Poor visibility due to Rain with 3% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Rain and 3% moonlight: 2,000 yards

[BBfanboy]

Looks like the US force did not have radar and with 3% moonlight and rain, they didn't see the Japanese sneaking up on them. The Japanese nearly always won the lookout roll and the initiative roll at this stage in the war. Just bad luck that visibility was so poor. The rest is the experience difference between the ships crews and commanders. [:(]

[obvert]

Looks like you could move out of Singers if you did it quickly. But you'll have to shock across as well and that could be risky, even though most of his troops look shattered. It depends on what you think his adjusted AV will be in a few days I guess. Hs units moral and even experience might be quite low after that kind of mauling.

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: Dan Nichols

February 17-18, 1942

Bataan fell today. That will free up 3+ divisions for use elsewhere. But, Mindanao has not had any
enemy troops land.

CL St. Louis with DDs Benham and Ellet tangled with a small SCTF at Goodenough Island. It did not go well
for the USN. I don't really understand why the USN always seems to put its capital ships at 1000 yards from
LL equipped DDs.
Night Time Surface Combat, near Goodenough Island at 100,131, Range 1,000 Yards

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
SOC-1 Seagull: 2 destroyed

Japanese Ships
CL Tenryu
DD Hatsukaze
DD Natsushio
DD Hagikaze, Shell hits 1, on fire
TB Omodoka
TB Nadeshiko

Allied Ships
CL St. Louis, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
DD Benham
DD Ellet, Shell hits 2



Poor visibility due to Rain with 3% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Rain and 3% moonlight: 2,000 yards

The positive thing is that it could be worse... I lost a BB versus 4 or 6 (can´t remember) DDs at 1000 yards. ALL my ships had radar...kind of pi**ed me off [:)]

[Dan Nichols]

I was trying to move to Buna to hit a transport TF, the SCTF was a surprise to me and to my TF too.

[Dan Nichols]

February 19-20, 1942

Apparantly the design of the game dictates that the USN can not win any surface naval combat. So I will just park my ships and wait.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Laysan Island at 164,96, Range 4,000 Yards

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
SOC-1 Seagull: 3 destroyed

Japanese Ships
DD Hamakaze
DD Arare
DD Yugure
DD Fuyo, Shell hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
TB Hato, Shell hits 1
TB Sagi

Allied Ships
CA Astoria, Shell hits 1
CA Minneapolis, Shell hits 14, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
DD Helm, Shell hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD MacDonough, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk

Reduced sighting due to 14% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions and 14% moonlight: 5,000 yards
------
In the good news department is this

TF 65 encounters mine field at Bataan (78,77)

Japanese Ships
xAK Hakubasan Maru, Mine hits 1
xAK Seian Maru, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
xAK Hokuan Maru, Mine hits 1, heavy damage
xAKL Tonegawa Maru, Mine hits 1, heavy damage
xAKL Akita Maru, Mine hits 1, heavy damage

---------------------------------------------

TF 47 encounters mine field at Bataan (78,77)

Japanese Ships
PB Kyo Maru #13, Mine hits 1, heavy damage
xAK Yamadori Maru, Mine hits 1
xAK Tenzan Maru, Mine hits 1, on fire
xAK Seikai Maru, Mine hits 1, heavy damage
xAK Shirogane Maru, Mine hits 1, heavy damage
xAK Kaiko Maru, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage



1 mine cleared


---------------------------------------------

TF 83 encounters mine field at Bataan (78,77)

Japanese Ships
AMC Saigon Maru, Mine hits 1, heavy damage

---------------
And
TF 32 encounters mine field at Merak (48,97)

Japanese Ships
SS I-124, Mine hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

---------------------------------------------

TF 98 encounters mine field at Merak (48,97)

Japanese Ships
SS RO-62, Mine hits 1, heavy damage

---------------------------------------------

TF 53 encounters mine field at Merak (48,97)

Japanese Ships
SS I-156, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
---------

[BBfanboy]

Yeah, anything inside 7000 yards is likely to catch a long lance or five. However, once the ships crews get more experienced and the commanders get better, they seem to know how to dodge the attacks most of the time.

I usually avoid night contact for the first six months and set my surface ships on "patrol" in a safe area so they can build their experience. DDs and up can build up to 65 experience. Smaller ships vary between 25 and 60 as their max non-combat experience. If you want to hasten the process for DDs send a few within range of a small number of Japanese bombers - air attacks increase experience quite a bit and DDs are hard to hit.

[obvert]

What is going on in the PI? Was this mistaken orders or what?

[Dan Nichols]

It looks like a mistake. I guess he expected some DMSs to sweep first.

February 21-22, 1942

A pretty uneventful turn. I got an excellent Naval Bombardment from CL Sumatra.
Night Naval bombardment of Bandjermasin at 60,99

Japanese Ships
CA Nachi, Shell hits 5
xAP Kobe Maru, Shell hits 1
DD Kamikaze, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Minekaze, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
CL Sumatra

Japanese ground losses:
176 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 4 destroyed, 8 disabled

Resources hits 1
Manpower hits 1
Fires 14
Airbase hits 5
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 20
Port hits 1
Port supply hits 1

CL Sumatra firing at Bandjermasin

CA Nachi also took a 500# bomb from a group of B-17Es making a night port attack.

He has been bombing Singapore and now is only using 10 Tojos for escort. I have put 48 Huricane IIbs at 30,000 feet CAP to see what happens. The Tojos are only escorting one group and there are multiple attacks, most unescorted.

The AVG intercepted some bombers in China at three locations. Reported losses for IJA were 3 Nates and 5 Anns.

This is interesting. I detected an Infantry unit somewhere in the Gobi Desert. I have been bombing it with
the entire Chinese Bomber force for about 4 days. It's listed as 5th Mongol/A Cavalry Division. Every day I disable
or destroy some elements. It is far from a supply source. I have not been able to detect any other units in the area.

[BBfanboy]

That Gobi Desert unit must be there to try to sever the supply line from Russia. Not sure how much comes in from the north, but I believe there is something comparable to the Burma Road operating.

[CaptBeefheart]

Dan: Good one at Singapore. Good thing you didn't listen to me.[;)] Textbook example on how not to attack Sing on the part of your opponent. There must have been some sort of mistake.

Cheers,
CC

[Dan Nichols]

February 23-24, 1942

As expected I had success over Singapore. I lost 5 Hurricanes for a reported 6 Tojos and 39 Salleys.
I pulled my Hurricanes back to Palembang. I expect to see massive high altitude sweeps over Singapore
next turn.

I lost 3 PTs to a TF of 4xDD, 1xE, and 2xTB. The moonlight is high right now, 75%. My PTs get sighted
at too long of a range to be effective.

I might have gotten a sub off of Cox Bazaar.
---------------------------------------------

Submarine attack near Cox's Bazar at 54,43

Japanese Ships
SS I-153, hits 9, heavy damage

Allied Ships
PG Clive
SS I-153 is located by PG Clive
PG Clive fails to find sub, continues to search...
PG Clive fails to find sub, continues to search...
PG Clive fails to find sub, continues to search...
PG Clive attacking submerged sub ....
SS I-153 forced to surface!
PG Clive firing on surfaced sub ....
PG Clive firing on surfaced sub ....
PG Clive firing on surfaced sub ....
Contact with submarine is lost
--------

[Dan Nichols]

February 25-26, 1941

Another quiet turn.

I would have thought that ships with 60-70 experience would have done better with
good viability. I'll have to send them back to gunnery school.
--------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Bandjermasin at 60,99, Range 9,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Murasame
DD Harusame, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Yudachi
DD Inazuma

Allied Ships
CL Enterprise, Shell hits 2
DD Witte de With
DD Piet Hein



Improved night sighting under 82% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions and 82% moonlight: 12,000 yards
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 9,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 9,000 yards
CL Enterprise engages DD Yudachi at 9,000 yards
DD Yudachi engages DD Piet Hein at 9,000 yards
DD Witte de With engages DD Yudachi at 9,000 yards
DD Piet Hein engages DD Murasame at 9,000 yards
Range closes to 5,000 yards
CL Enterprise engages DD Yudachi at 5,000 yards
DD Yudachi engages DD Piet Hein at 5,000 yards
DD Harusame engages DD Witte de With at 5,000 yards
DD Witte de With engages DD Murasame at 5,000 yards
Range increases to 6,000 yards
DD Harusame engages CL Enterprise at 6,000 yards
DD Piet Hein engages DD Harusame at 6,000 yards
DD Harusame engages DD Witte de With at 6,000 yards
DD Murasame engages DD Witte de With at 6,000 yards
Range closes to 5,000 yards
CL Enterprise engages DD Murasame at 5,000 yards
DD Piet Hein engages DD Murasame at 5,000 yards
DD Harusame engages DD Witte de With at 5,000 yards
DD Murasame engages DD Piet Hein at 5,000 yards
Range increases to 8,000 yards
DD Piet Hein engages DD Inazuma at 8,000 yards
DD Yudachi engages DD Witte de With at 8,000 yards
DD Witte de With engages DD Murasame at 8,000 yards
DD Murasame engages DD Witte de With at 8,000 yards
Range increases to 10,000 yards
DD Harusame engages CL Enterprise at 10,000 yards
DD Harusame engages DD Witte de With at 10,000 yards
DD Murasame engages DD Witte de With at 10,000 yards
Task forces break off...