February 11th 1943
Air Losses: 32 Japanese, 6 Allied, 8 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:
Subs
RO-68 is badly (72/28/20) damaged by air attack in the Marshalls[:(].
Marshalls
Allied forces move into Kwajalein Island and Roi Namur. A number of midget subs try to interfere but only one gets a shot and that misses[:(]. 7 are lost. Bombardments are fierce. Both shock attacks fail but the writing is on the wall for the defenders. Allied losses are light[:@].
Ground combat at Kwajalein Island (132,115)
Allied Shock attack
Attacking force 1040 troops, 3 guns, 41 vehicles, Assault Value = 67
Defending force 3335 troops, 35 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 36
Allied adjusted assault: 4
Japanese adjusted defense: 9
Allied assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 4)
Combat modifiers
Defender: forts(+), disruption(-), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(-), fatigue(-)
Japanese ground losses:
1378 casualties reported
Squads: 49 destroyed, 21 disabled
Non Combat: 6 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 7 disabled
Guns lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 4 (4 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
163 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 5 (1 destroyed, 4 disabled)
Units destroyed 1
Assaulting units:
148th Infantry Rgt /1
627th TD Bn /4
3rd AmphTrac Engr Bn /1
Defending units:
4th Raiding Regiment
6th Fleet
Nimur Naval Fortress
Kwajalein Base Force
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Ground combat at Roi-Namur (132,114)
Allied Shock attack
Attacking force 1120 troops, 0 guns, 87 vehicles, Assault Value = 84
Defending force 4032 troops, 28 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 49
Allied adjusted assault: 22
Japanese adjusted defense: 8
Allied assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 5)
Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 3
Combat modifiers
Defender: disruption(-), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(-), disruption(-)
Japanese ground losses:
1183 casualties reported
Squads: 19 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 17 destroyed, 12 disabled
Engineers: 10 destroyed, 5 disabled
Guns lost 11 (5 destroyed, 6 disabled)
Units destroyed 1
Allied ground losses:
117 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 9 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Assaulting units:
24th (Sep) Infantry Rgt /1
2nd USMC Tank Bn /4
2nd AmphTrac Engr Bn /1
Defending units:
Ichiki Det.
7th JNAF Coy
24th Air Flotilla
6th Base Force
Some Nells launch a night attack but there are wildcats on CAP and only 8 press the attack[:@]. They launch at the Lexington but all miss [:(](so my theory that the fleet carriers were absent is proven false).
Oklahoma hits a mine at Kwajalein [:)]and the defensive guns do okay against the DMS[:)].
TF 199 encounters mine field at Kwajalein Island (132,115) - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
76 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied Ships
DMS Wasmuth, Shell hits 18, heavy fires, heavy damage
DMS Chandler, Shell hits 12, heavy fires
BB Oklahoma, Mine hits 1
It also scores a few hits on bombarding and invading ships:
Allied Ships
BB Resolution
BB Ramillies, Shell hits 2
BB Revenge
Allied Ships
CL Columbia
CL Montpelier
CL Cleveland
CL Nashville, Shell hits 6
CL Phoenix
CL St. Louis
CL Richmond
DD Flusser
DD Cushing
DD Shaw, Shell hits 1
DD Conyngham
Pre-Invasion action off Kwajalein Island (132,115) - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force
91 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied Ships
BB Oklahoma
BB Nevada, Shell hits 1
DD Thracian, Shell hits 1
DD Clark, Shell hits 1
DD Anderson, Shell hits 1
DD Sims, Shell hits 1
xAP William Williams
Solomons, etc.
I send a CA task force of 3 CA and 5 DD to try and bombard Munda. It runs into three separate CL task forces and is bloodied[:(]. DD Yudachi and Suzukaze are damaged in the night combat, left in their own task force and sunk during the day[:(]. The other forces withdraw damaged but with all fires out.
CL Detroit takes a long lance and 9 gun hits including at least 5 from 20cm shells. With heavy fires, heavy damage she may sink[:)]. Otherwise, damage inflicted is minor[:(].
4E hit Rabaul at 20,000 feet. The Endo Det manages to put up 1 plane but scores no hits. Nicks are slaughtered[:@]. For some reason there are loads of ops losses.
Burma area
Quiet
China
Continue to reduce forces.
Australia
Nagato does a rather poor bombardment at Darwin[:(]:
Allied ground losses:
99 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 7 (2 destroyed, 5 disabled)
E13A1 Jake acting as spotter for BB Nagato
BB Nagato firing at 25th Infantry Division
DD Uranami firing at 25th Infantry Division
DD Akatsuki firing at 25th Infantry Division
DD Ariake firing at 32nd Infantry/C Division
4E hit the airfields again.
Engineering
Quiet
R&D
Quiet
Allied Actions
The Lexington was spotted in the Marshalls so it is likely all the carriers are there.
BB California, Arizona, Oklahoma, Indiana, North Carolina, Revenge, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Resolution, Ramilles, Washington, Nevada, Mississippi, New Mexico, were reported in attacks during the day. So that looks like he has thrown practically all the BB into this attack.
It therefore seems, he has all the forces deployed in the Pacific and I think I will act as though that is going to be his main axis of advance in 1943.