桜 転落する. Falling Cherry Blossoms. No CrackSabbath

[kaleun]

昭和 17 4月十日
Day 10

Not much to tell. RO-61 hits CL Dauntless with one well aimed torpedo near Rockhampton. The escorts deliver a blistering depth charge attack and, in the middle of it, Commander Kurihama comes to periscope depth and fires on Isis missing the destroyer. He managed to evade the enemy counterattack and escaped the encounter with no damage.

昭和 17 4月十一日
Day 11
Landing forces at Buna and their ships come under SBD-2 and DB7B attacks from PM. In addition B17 also come to harass the landing force

In Singapore the shipyard has been repaired and the Heavy industry is 80% repaired too.

昭和 17 4月十二日
Day 12

Cdr. Sakai patrols off Koggala, the southern tip of Ceylon. Command radio advised SS I-121 to expect important enemy assets to cross his patrol zone. He took that news with a drop of shōyu but, just in case, he ordered extra lookouts and came often to the bridge during the night and to the periscope during the day. It would not do to miss anything important.

For once the news was correct. When he saw in his binoculars the size of the smoking ship heading directly his way, he gulped.

He fired all his tubes. One struck the target. CV Indomitable!

As I-121 sought refuge in the depths of the ocean the crew cheered inside the steel tube.

万歳 万歳 万歳!

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

The British CV's are almost Val-proof ... 250kg bombs just aren't big enough. When hunting them, I generally swap roles, put the VAL's on NavSearch and use the Kates at 6000 ... they will sometimes (if pass leadership? check) carry 800kg bomb. So even when out of torps .... [;)]

Good to know. I believe they used those 800 steel penetration bombs at Pearl.

That is two fish in the Indomitable. She must be hurting...finish her off!

[kaleun]

She must be hurting...finish her off!

Unfortunately she is right by Columbo.

[kaleun]

昭和 17 4月十六日
Day 16

War continues to grind on. Victories are small for the time being.

SS I-29 scores one torpedo hit on xAK Alaskan north of Pearl Harbor.

D3A1 dive bombers from KB2 sink AG Canopus off Batavia.

昭和 17 4月十七日
Day 17

34 D3A1 bombers hit Batavia port sinking a bunch of ARDs in harbor.

Tokyo Heavy Industry fails to produce yet again, however a TF with 30,000 tons of resources is unloading in the harbor.

昭和 17 4月十九日
Day 19

After its raid on the harbors of Java, KB2 ordered back to Singapore.

Tjepoe captured with its oilfield and refineries intact.

Port Blair bombarded on the 18 in preparation for invasion tomorrow.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: kaleun
Tokyo Heavy Industry fails to produce yet again, however a TF with 30,000 tons of resources is unloading in the harbor.

You should not have to do this ... something is wrong with your economy. Dropping in Nagasaki, Fukuoka, or Ominato should easily feed Tokyo. You may simply need more convoys from Hokkaido and PA/Shanghai or something else is really wrong. Can't tell, but resource balancing you should have gotten in place by Jan 42 ...

[koniu]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

The British CV's are almost Val-proof ... 250kg bombs just aren't big enough. When hunting them, I generally swap roles, put the VAL's on NavSearch and use the Kates at 6000 ... they will sometimes (if pass leadership? check) carry 800kg bomb. So even when out of torps .... [;)]

I always think 800kg bombs can be used only during port attack mission?
Plus it is not leadership check but i think it is unit average XP check. It must be 70+? or 80+?

Also not sure but G4M and G3M level bombers can also use 800kg bombs on port attacks

[Lecivius]

どのようなニュースがありますか？

[temagic]

Here's me hoping for an update soon[8D]

[kaleun]

昭和 17 4月二十七日
Day 27

On the 23rd 16th Division loads up at Rabaul to invade PM.

Heavy Industry at Singapore is fully repaired and functional.

Soerabaja captured.

Production of H6K4 patrol plane stopped. New aircraft H8K1 will begin production on July.

昭和 17 4月二十八日
Day 28

With support from BB Fuso and others that contributed by bombarding the base, Pegu was captured opening the door to Burma.

SS I-174 Cdr Hamano commanding finds AK Betelgeuse off Brisbane. The submarine puts two torpedoes into her but the merchant refuses to sink. Hamano returns and hits her again with two more.

昭和 17 4月二十九日
Day 29

SS I-124 hits xAK George Livanos with one torpedo off Perth. The merchant must have been carrying fuel as she caught fire and was left burning fiercely.

[kaleun]

昭和 17 4月三十日

Day 30

Submarine I-174, a KD6B class under commander Hamano has had its share of success in this patrol. An AK was torpedoed, 4 times and now, commander Hamano has a transport destroyer in his sights.

Off Brisbane he scores on APD Waters with a torpedo. The stricken ship may survive, she is near a largish port after all and the escorts give I-174 a drubbing during which she takes 2 depth charge hits but it is a successful patrol nevertheless.

[kaleun]

昭和 17b5月一日
Day 1

It is on. The oft delayed invasion of Port Moresby has finally been launched. With air and naval support the 15th infantry division lands at PM. But the enemy has not been idle. PM is held by 3 infantry battalions, the New Guinea volunteer, the 42nd Australian and the Papuan infantry, as well as by the 1st Australian brigade, a field artillery regiment and support forces.

Reinforcements will be needed.

広島

In the absence of Kobayashi, Hattori has to do Ito’s job in addition to his own. He doesn’t mind. Kobayashi’s job, in essence, is to keep extraneous influences to interfere with the minister’s decision making process.

Today Yamashita is pleased. Heavy industry reserves are growing, and the war appears to have returned to its proper path, despite the setback in Port Moresby that should soon be corrected as soon as the navy gets a few more troops to help 15th Infantry.

But that is, of course, the Navy and the Army’s problem. His is to keep the empire’s machine going. On his desk there are maps, courtesy of the Navy department. The war in Java, the war in Burma, the war in New Guinea. Nihon Teitoku, the empire of Japan.

[kaleun]

Port Moresby

[kaleun]

Java

[kaleun]

Burma situation and action plans

[pws1225]

Just a bump to page 1 where this AAR belongs. [8D]

[kaleun]

Sorry, family in town.

[kaleun]

昭和 17 5月三日

Day 3

The Japanese forces at Port Moresby bombarded the enemy yesterday. They do outnumber the defenders, but only barely.
SS I-6 discovered that it is not only the allied torpedoes that dud. Off Trivadrum TK Fencastle escaped unscathed.
Today Japanese forces at PM probe the enemy defenses. 11231 troops, 128 guns and 40 vehicles meet 9319 defenders 103 guns and 92 vehicles. The enemy fortifications are reduced to level 2 at a cost of 619 Japanese and 201 allied casualties.

In Java the 2nd division arrives at Batavia. They will attack tomorrow.

It is essential to clear Java soon. Those forces wil be needed in New Guinea and Burma.

[kaleun]

昭和 17 5月五日
Day 5
A cruiser force intercepted enemy merchants fleeing the Java sea sinking 8.

BB Yamashiro and escorts bombarded Port Moresby in support of the invasion forces.

At Kobe CV Hiyo is delivered to the Kaigun

昭和 17 5月八日
Day 8

The enemy forces at Batavia have been bombarded daily since the 4th day. Today the Japanese forces launch a probing attack reducing the fortifications to level 2.

広島

“It seems the attack on Port Moresby has been repulsed by the enemy,” Hattori tells his boss.

“Hai, reducing their fortifications to level 2 is not a victory despite whatever the navy department says.

“New Guinea is at the end of our logistical tail. Too far for us to react swiftly to the enemy movements.”

“The enemy’s supply lines are long too,” Hattori comments.

“Supply may be a problem for them, if our submarines were more effective, but they have troops nearby while we had to bring 2nd division from Java.”

“Will we take the base?” Hattori asks.

“Who knows.”

[kaleun]

昭和 17 5月十日
Day 10

Coral Sea.

Kido Butai steams in the vicinity of Milne Bay. The task force, operating in support of the Port Moresby invasion is getting ready to return to base. The fighter cover is up and the pilots lounge in the ready room waiting for orders, not expecting any action today; everyone knows the fleet is heading back to base.

Suddenly the group commanders are summoned. The mechanics rush to arm the machines.

Enemy carriers! Spotted by a patrol craft out of Rabaul.

49 D3A1 bombers, 61 B5N2 torpedo bombers and 29 A6M2 escorts take off from the Japanese flat tops. Near Tagula Island they find their target. They barrel through a CAP of 56 Wildcats losing 9 zero sen fighters and seven bombers. The Japanese fighters claim 2 enemy fighters.

Two carriers attacked, Yorktown hit 4 times by bombs and Saratoga, three times, one of them repelled by the armor.

The airplanes return to base.

While on the way back, the radio waves crackle with the reports of an air battle in progress. The enemy also found their target near the Deboyne Islands. 65 SBD dive bombers and 29 slow, obsolete TBD-1 escorted by 55 fighters press in on the attack. 47 A6M2 fighters do their best but cannot stop the bombers from getting through. They claim 2 fighters, 4 dive bombers and 3 torpedo bombers with an additional 11 dive bombers and 2 TBDs damaged. The ineffective AA defenses claim 1 SBD-2.

Shokaku is hit once, Soryu three times, Zuikaku twice, but the worst is Akagi reeling under 5 direct bomb hits. Heavy cruiser Takao also is hit 3 times. Haruna hit 5 times is on fire but none of the bombs penetrate her heavy armor.

Additional small flights of B5N2, uncoordinated, arrive in dribs and drabs over the enemy carriers but, unescorted, they cannot break through the enemy fighter cover.

15 Devastators show up over KB and are devastated by 41 angry zero fighters. Only 2 are actually destroyed but only 2 release their fish and miss.

13 D3A1 arrive and attack meeting 19 Wildcats. 9 dive bombers release their fish over Saratoga and DD Hughes, missing.

Finally, a coordinated attack arrives over the American carriers:

20 Zeros, 103 B5N2 and 96 D3A1 meet 42 fighters. 3 zero. 4 B5N2 and 7 dive bombers fall to the enemy CAP, 3 dive bombers and 1 B5N2 fall to their AA fire. Only one wildcat is destroyed.

CV Yorktown takes 6 bomb hits, Saratoga 5. DD Ellet one torpedo, DD Phelps one bomb hit. CA San Francisco 6 bomb strikes, CA Chicago 4 bomb strikes and one torpedo.

But the enemy has also launched a second wave. 37 fighters escort 65 dive bombers and 37 TBD in against 43 Zero-sen. 3 Zero lost for 3 enemy fighters, 2 dive bombers and 4 torpedo bombers. 10 additional bombers claimed as damaged.

CV Hiryu, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
BB Haruna, Bomb hits 7, on fire
CV Akagi, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CV Soryu, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
CA Takao, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

The reports fly out on the wireless.

In Singapore, RAdm Yamaguchi Tamon receives a terse message:

Proceed with KB 2 to Hiroshima soonest.

[kaleun]

昭和 17 5月十一日
Day 11

Aftermath. Near Cairns, RO 62 finds the stricken Chicago and adds yet one more torpedo hit to the heavy cruiser’s burden.

A new Japanese attack at Port Moresby is repelled.

Shokaku and Zuikaku head for Truk slowing down to decrease damage. In a different escort task force, so does Akagi
at 45 SD 30FD and 21 Engines.

56th Division rebuilt at Djoedjakarta

昭和 17 5月十二日
Day 12

Twin engine bombers from Rabaul attack repeatedly a task force that includes Hornet near Milne Bay. The attacks miss.

昭和 17 5月十四日
Day 14

The task force near Milne Bay turns out to be a huge invasion force. Repeated attacks score hits on xAP Zealandia Torp Hits 1 and AM Doowler also hit by one torpedo. xAP Marella by 2, APD McKean 1 torpedo and sinks, AP W.A. Holbrook, 2 torpedoes.