Zuluhour vs Zigurat666: 1943

[ny59giants]

While losing so many ships may feel bad right now, the important ones are your assault ships. The APAs are worth their weight in gold at this point. How many APAs, APs, and AKs have been sunk??

[zuluhour]

I am fortunate on the transport side of things. The vast majority, I used everyone in the west for the operation, is 40nm from port far to the south off Sydney now. Losses for the Port Moresby OP in transports:
(2) AK
(2) AP
(1) AKA
(2) APA
(1) APA severe damage at Port Moresby, still afloat
(2) AK sever damage at Port Moresby, still afloat

The large BB TF entered the Coral sea along the south New Guinea coast then turned SW and stood off Cooktown at 280nm (7hex). There was a small CVE with it as a small Zero CAP splashed the most of the SBDs which found it. Kind of weird as over 100 never found them, got lost or something. The next day, yesterday game time, they did bombard PM but did very minimal damage. The airfield is now at 100%, the base at 85% (to the good in both cases). I need at least one more flak unit, better two more (two are there) at the base. Two small Corsair squadrons are flying CAP along with a small Kiwi detachment flying night. P70 Night Havocs will stage in soon. PT boats and support are waiting to cross the sea from Cairns to assist as well. I was so tired (sick of?) work today, I came home and took a three hour nap. I did not get some of the stuff I wanted done today on the orders side of things. I am reinforcing Tuttifrutti tonight, transports just arrived offshore with an additional USMC Def Bn. I am also sneaking in a construction Rgt on the isle 80nm SSE of Ndeni, unspotted. A division, the 40th I think is 100% prepped for Horn but I may bypass for the base to the NW on the coast of New Guinea. I am aiming for Taberfane in the summer. A Mitchell group arrived on the east coast today and changed their command to SE Asia and shipped them to Cape Town for deployment over Burma. Same goes for the early model Mustang equipped fighter group which arrived a couple of days ago. I am leaning on the KiraKira (fully prepped) USMC OP next after the attack transport spend 48-72 hours at Sydney for repairs. I am fully prepped for Guadalcanal as well (unoccupied) but the division is at Pearl sans transport. Whether to use transports on the west coast to bring fresh units to SoPac or pick up units at Pearl still an option.

[zuluhour]

April 16, 1943

[KenchiSulla]

Zulu, is the Shokaku still afloat?

[zuluhour]

what I see

[zuluhour]

April 17, 1943

China: The mountain pass in the north has fallen. Huge 225+ raids hit the troops daily. I order a CAP trap for tomorrow with what is left of the air force. The forward units are in range now. Chungking is being surrounded. Chengtu is still free.

Burma: I am planning a deep hit into "Indian country". So far I think the staging has gone unnoticed. I order an assault on Katha for tomorrow. I hope to trap nine units including the 6th Guards in the jungle.

[zuluhour]

Truthfully, my gut tells me, the IJN carriers all made port. I would think it had to be Shortland. I did have a USN sub dud on carrier their on the 16th. The carriers did "stutter" step back however and maybe one slipped under during those three days. ASW has increased ten fold in the last forty eight hours though and I may reposition the sub screens to cover escape routs to the north in deeper waters. I order a sub a day to penetrate Shortland and poke around though. Long range recon has been unable to uncover much Intel on ships at anchor or pier side,.....yet. One reason I want KiraKira up so bad is to fly heavies over the anchorage.

[zuluhour]

April 18, 1943
SitRep: Burma

[zuluhour]

April 17, 1943
SitRep: NorPac

[witpqs]

If you abandoned the base then AFAIK the base gets taken with forts intact.

[zuluhour]

YIKES! They were 4 or 5.

[Quixote]

The fort level will only transfer to your opponent if the base is auto-captured. Even an attack on a completely empty base will drop forts back to zero. This is a very good reason to leave at least one sacrificial lamb behind at a fortified base that you know you're going to lose regardless.

[zuluhour]

edit

[zuluhour]

April 19, 1943
Bad news from Burma

[zuluhour]

cont.

[KenchiSulla]

Zuluhour, great job hanging in there.. At times it must not be easy...

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Quixote

The fort level will only transfer to your opponent if the base is auto-captured. Even an attack on a completely empty base will drop forts back to zero. This is a very good reason to leave at least one sacrificial lamb behind at a fortified base that you know you're going to lose regardless.

The problem is if the base is empty and enemy forces go there and are ordered to attack, the base usually is "occupied" - auto capture as you say - at the beginning of turn resolution and there is combat there.

[zuluhour]

April 22, 1943

NorPac: Marine paras are reinforced at Umnak by army regulars.

West Coast: Lexington is under 2 months repair time. Large support TFs depart for SoPac and SwPac.

Burma: CD guns are two days out along the rough coastal road from Akyab. Triple A has also been fortified. Another Royal Navy TF is in route to the eastern Bay of Bengal.

[zuluhour]

witp

[zuluhour]

Late April...