Zuluhour vs Zigurat666: 1943

[zuluhour]

January 19, 1943

SwPac: HQ: Recon finds 120 IJ aircraft at Lae. The weather has been horrible in SwPac and allow the groups to fully recover before operations resume. The Lightings at Cairns will soon transfer to Cooktown and begin sweeping IJ airfields followed by some very heavy bombing raids. I hope the Japanese tactic of not building up bases will begin to hurt him in the spring. US Subs not refitted over the winter are recalled to the Fiji's and Australia to do so. Older S boats are also recalled for service and to upload with mines.

SoPac: Small night Betty raids hit Luganville again and now find P70s which claim one last night. The 32,ooo' alt CAP has it's first test over Ndeni. The marines continue to unload at Baker and Tuttifruitti.

[zuluhour]

January 20, 1943

The recap is short for today:

[DOCUP]

Love the new program.  Keep working on him.  So whats the deal with the 32K ft sweep.  Koniu hasn't mentioned this to me.

[zuluhour]

Joe, I think you should ask him about it. It may help solve the uber CAP thing. The air model simply over rewards unrealistically high altitudes to the detriment of play. IMHO. I think we will find more plausible results.  

[zuluhour]

January 22, 1943

[zuluhour]

perspective:

[zuluhour]

January 23, 1943

Another tough day in China. The raids are out of range for allied fighters.

[zuluhour]

January 24, 1943

Burma: While night raids have some success, Blenheim's are butchered over the Imperial Guards in the morning. Out foxed and paid for in RAF blood. P38s sweep Prome, known to be a staging area for his CAP traps but come up empty. Paul is upping his air game.

SwPac: A large TF of smaller vessels is spotted off the tip of New Guinea by our newly opened seaplane base. Marblehead and Concord are dispatched to watch the coast around Port Moresby.

[zuluhour]

SwPac: Radio silence as the allied cruiser force is ordered to sea tonight. Transports begin to anchor at the debarkation ports for final repair.

SwPac: Intell: Merauke is empty.

[zuluhour]

January 25, 1943

China: Yenan falls to strong IJA forces. The bombing over Sian eases a little as the focus shifts to the precarious position of 26th Group Army. Damn I have a real mess in China now. I could lose the two largest army groups in February. Losses to bombers today are close to 1,ooo. The armor units have run circles around me. I will not leave open flanks again if I can help it.

Burma: The Blenheim squadrons are refitting into other aircraft as fresh faces fill the groups. The heavies are still recovering from the beating over central Burma and western China. We did not lose many but a lot of them were damaged enough to take a week or more to repair. Interesting weather in Burma as storms and heavy rains have cloaked RADM Pallisar off Burma.

SwPac: P38s sweep Ndeni and Lae to no opposition. I just do not have the transports to land what I'd like in the coming operation. I have to get in and out fast. I am watching the weather. Foul weather could see me through a tough 72 hours. 

[zuluhour]

January 26, 1943

A complete JFB Day...

[zuluhour]

cont.

I don't know the effect of this foray on SwPac and SoPac operations just yet. Depending on the levels of damage to the air corp, I assume I will be able to stick to the time table. I intend to level Lae tonight and move onto the occupied but empty L-1 airfields there after.

[JocMeister]

In my experience bombardments always looks much worse then they are. I think your 4Es will be out of business for quite some time though before they can repair.

You didn´t spot him coming in towards Townsville?

[zuluhour]

Joc, No, I never saw it coming. My seaplane base in the middle of the Coral Sea saw nothing, (only 6 PBYs RAAF), my base at the Reef Islands was shut down. Townsville CATS saw nothing either. I should have trusted SS Seawolf's report of oilers when she launched fish on the patrol boats up north. Yes, your right as well about the combat report. I only had four squadrons of Liberators on the continent so the report is grossly exaggerated. However....That is a lot of heavily damaged air frames, fortunately I was able to railhead most to safety for repair. The KB has merged right on the letter C in Coral Sea on the map and paused. I was hoping it would go away! But the more I think about it, and I really should have been thinking about it somewhere other than my office, I think if they stay for awhile I may get, a sub shot at them, and perhaps engage them with all the naval air I have stationed around SoPac and SwPac. In any event the longer they stay, the longer they will need to repair when they leave. This could coincide with some foul weather and offensive operations. I wish I had more surface forces to protect anchorages but the time will come. The silver lining was I decided against placing amphibious shipping there. That was a recent decision as well. My intent was to load from Cooktown, Cairns and Townsville. Glad I changed my mind.

[zuluhour]

January 27, 1943

Billiard party at Zulu HQ O club results in rambling on AAR. Please forgive the "guests".

China: The beating from the air continues. No USAF squadrons will fly escort over anything. It's been going on for over a week. The Chinese are taking a severe beating with no air cover. Up north, there I nothing I can do but over the army groups in the south I should be able to provide some cover. exceptionally frustrating as formations and supplies are decimated under the barrage from the air.

Burma: RADM Palliser is still unspotted off the coast. Two USAF groups are ordered over IJA positions on the Kunming road. Casualties could be high. I know he is capping it. Newer recon aircraft are allowing peeks into Thailand.

SwPac: The KB moves NNW about 200nm. Looks like he could hit anywhere on the coast from there. Our cruisers are very vulnerable now, cut off from the mainland.

SoPac: The 308th flies its first combat mission over Ndeni and scores two hits. They need practice. VMO-155 reloads with F4Us and veteran pilots.

[zuluhour]

Recon update:

[zuluhour]

January 29, 1943

China: The Chinese formations are being cut off along the Yangtze. A large USAF strike goes in untouched and bombs Kweiyang and P40s down bombers over 26th army group. HQ 26th AG is wiped out as they trailed several miles behind the infantry and are caught alone. It is a precarious situation at best.

Burma: Veteran USAF pilots finally get some action in Burma and come up big. Chindits filter into the forward areas.

[zuluhour]

January 29, 1943

SwPac: I am only concerned about local defense right now and hoping for a successful submarine contact.

[zuluhour]

January 31, 1943

China:

[zuluhour]

January 31, 1943

At Sea: