Turnaround? Lowpe (J) vs Tiemanj (A) Stock

[Lowpe]

Here are all my night fighters.

No more for 50 days when I get two more 18 plane Sentai of Irvings (they come on with only 2 planes) & and 10 days after that another group of 18.

As you can see, two of Irving squadrons withdraw in July of 1944. Peachy.[:D]





Since night bombing has started, I am activating emergency plane 1: The KAI Dinah (day fighter), Alf and Petes will get sent to important airplane factory bases and set to 10% CAP to at least fly interference.

It could be far worse. Yes, he will destroy my industry, but it would be even worse would he target the night fighter factories. I do have generous pools of both flavors of Irvings, but there now are 0 Nicks in the pools. Heck, they just started production this month.[X(]

[Lowpe]

Dark days.

I would like to hit the CVEs, but maybe it is just as well they are leaving. This will allow me to build up my Kamikaze squadrons for the next time they rear their head. My one long range Helen Kamikaze unit just took replacements and too few planes are repaired for a parting strike. Perhaps they will loiter out there providing LRCAP for incoming convoys.

Their planes are limited in altitude, and I think I will be able to put a real hurt on them. Hey, I can dream can't I?[:D]

Large dogfights over Kushiro, Shikotan and Kunashiri today. 48 Thunderbolts at 41K at Kushiro are tough, tough, tough. I manage to down 2. No Lightnings, either he is saving those for sweeps or he used them to protect Bihoro.

I manage to lose a tad less than 84 total fighters, 40+ of which were Tojos getting dived on by the Thunderbolt and a dozen Oscars hoping to run into F4F at Shikotan and instead hitting F6Fs, but in return I destroyed 61 Allied fighters... 34 F6F, and 24 Corsairs of all flavors.

So that is a pretty decent day in the air, I think.

[Lowpe]

Indochina

Japanese artillery bombards the Allied tank army at Rahaeng most days, depending upon supplies, and they continue to kill four of five vehicles each day. Rather meaningless now, I guess, and the defenders here are all doomed as no more troops will flow in until the front reaches China, but the Japanese economy will be up in flames well before then I think. Maybe not, at least there are two or three squadrons of B24J attacking the ground forces here and not in Honshu torching homes.

[Lowpe]

Basic plan for today will be to:

Continue moving everything back to the HI that I can.

Sweep Kushiro again. Sweep one hex west of Kushiro (10 units of enemy troops). Sweep Shikotan and Bihoro.

I think I will use a horde of Oscars to strafe the PT boat west of Kushiro.

A fair sized divebomber attack on the 7 fletchers standing guard one hex outside of Kushiro (tried this before and they moved down to bombard Ustonomiya one hex out of range). Or whatever is within four hexes of Ominato. More planes set to naval to try and catch some more of the prowling destroyers, especially should they travel down Honshu's coast.

Reinforce Hokkaido.

Beef up the night fighters with KAI Dinah, Petes, and Alf. Double check AA placements and radar sets. Build forts on Honshu.

[setloz]

So, what is the actual KB composition nowadays? Is it accurate calling it KB?

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: setloz

So, what is the actual KB composition nowadays? Is it accurate calling it KB?

Amagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Floats: Nisshin and Hyuga.[:D]

I still have a bunch of CVEs...

PS: In 4 days I get the Unryu too.[;)]

[Lowpe]

A look at the night matchup.

My altitude was a little high, so I am lowering it to 6K.

It would be nice to kill these guys at night, but that is asking too much I think of the Nick D. I will be happy if I can keep them damaged and on the ground repairing.

[Lowpe]

Operation clean sweep:

I counted 22 Destroyers or light cruisers or cruisers operating outside of Kushiro...I can't tolerate this. So far I have let them wonder around, and once I tried a smallish strike against them and missed by one hex.

So today the orders have gone forth. The empires dive bombers, Lillys, Judys, Myojos and even Vals are sallying forth in large numbers to see what we can accomplish. Of course some will be escorted, actually all but the Lillys in Rashin have escorts.

There is one group of half ready Kamikazes. I probably shouldn't have put them in, as they needed another day, but today is the attack not tomorrow. So, we will see if the Myojo can hit. If not it is only a dozen or so planes instead of 33.

There is also one squadron of torpedo bombers, hopefully, if things go as planned they will fly last and put fish into some damaged ships.





Allied Deathstar is half way back to Marcus, so I won't run into them. I think he will keep the CVEs outside of Kamikaze range, since the high altitude attack, so the only worry is land based air and perhaps Lightning CAP.

[Lowpe]

Perhaps wishful reporting, but you never know.



You know, after looking very closely, I think all the CVEs are leaving for Marcus. There is a task force there with nothing but damaged CVEs and no planes if the recon reports are to be believed.

Good thing all subs are vectoring on them.

RO-100 was lost going after a fast battleship with the Deathstar.

[Lowpe]

Has anyone tried mass really low level sweeps with the Frank a? I mean really low.

Sure, you get dived on, but that is going to happen anyway. At least you have some maneuver advantage down low, maybe.

I guess it is a pretty stupid idea, but flying from a size 9 base a whole bunch might show up at the same time, lower, might mean less radar warning?

[Lokasenna]

I've accidentally swept low with planes before. It hasn't always turned out poorly.

This looks like the beginning of the end. I saw the screencap of the Osaka raid and just thought something kinda like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3-aAx4SOn0

Keep a close eye on his bases. If you can ever bombard and even partially disable the airfields, you need to be doing so. Keep his planes on the ground as much as possible to stave off the VPs he is going to harvest from bombing your industry. Of course, this might allow him to do more coastal industry raids on you with his own bombardment or CV strikes, but... his OOB isn't that big yet. Not until later in 1944.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna
This looks like the beginning of the end. I saw the screencap of the Osaka raid and just thought something kinda like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3-aAx4SOn0

You are thinking this just now?[:D]

[Lowpe]

Jan 28, 1944

We survive on the Honshu will just a little night bombing of the runways Ominato. Perhaps this means he is back to day time bombing?

The first George sweeps find some Hellcats straying outside of Kushiro, and there are plenty of Allied ships all over for our naval strikes, should they fly.

[Lowpe]

Our sweeps are going in nicely, unfortunately all the P47s are missing.

So they will either sweep us, or they are LRCAPing his ships. Whichever, it is bad news, especially should he follow his sweeps with 4E beasties.

[Lowpe]

Well, he isn't using P47s for LRCAP...most of the Oscars here die, they are untrained rookies, but every torpedo bomber makes it past the CAP, can they score any hits.

I was hoping for the torpedo bombers to go last...not to be.

[Lowpe]

Unfortunately, the torpedo bombers all miss, weather is bad. A follow up sentai of Vals [X(] manage to miss too.

Then a group of Vals attack some destroyers in better weather, and they start to make hits.

No sign of the Allies crushing me with P47 sweeps yet, perhaps a big escorted bombing run on Tokyo?

[Lowpe]

Oscars strafing hit minesweepers...pretty impressive since their low naval is poor.

[Lowpe]

I guess my air sweeps bother the Allies...and Jugs will show up over Ominato soon enough.

The Ki100I is a great 4E bomber killer, this must really shock the Allies.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Oscars strafing hit minesweepers...pretty impressive since their low naval is poor.

So far as I can determine, attacks at 100 ft use Strafe. Also they carry 2 bombs each - a bit easier to hit when you're dropping 2 instead of 1.

[Lowpe]

P47s come after about 10 waves of B24...needless to say Ominato will be trashed. The next wave of P47s in a group of 75.[X(]