At dawn we slept...in the cab on the way back from Olongapo

[Cap Mandrake]

B-17's try to help the defenders of Brisbane.

Morning Air attack on 38th Division, at 95,159 , near Brisbane

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 9 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 2 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 13
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 12

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 22
P-40E Warhawk x 10

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 7 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 4 destroyed

Japanese ground losses:
266 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 13 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

First attack North of Brisbane. Oops. We are in trouble.

Ground combat at 95,159 (near Brisbane)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 24130 troops, 357 guns, 189 vehicles, Assault Value = 688

Defending force 8028 troops, 138 guns, 162 vehicles, Assault Value = 260

Japanese adjusted assault: 379

Allied adjusted defense: 265

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
649 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 63 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled

Allied ground losses:
792 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 39 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 27 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 18 (7 destroyed, 11 disabled)
Vehicles lost 41 (20 destroyed, 21 disabled)

Assaulting units:
144th Infantry Regiment
2nd Recon Regiment
38th Division
4th Infantry Regiment
5th Mortar Battalion
3rd Mortar Battalion
1st Medium Field Artillery Regiment
1st Hvy.Artillery Regiment
2nd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
2nd Field Artillery Regiment
17th Medium Field Artillery Regiment

Defending units:
2nd Cav Recce Regiment
5th LH Motor Regiment
25th Cav Recce Regiment
16th LH MG Regiment
1st Australian Brigade
14th LH MG Regiment
16th Fld RAA Regiment
1st RAA Med Arty Regiment

[Cap Mandrake]

up in the Jimas: Fresh Trout...M&M torpedoes.

Sub attack near Hachijo-jima at 114,64

Japanese Ships
CV Kaga, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
CA Kako
CA Ashigara
CA Chokai
CA Takao
CL Yubari
CL Natori
DD Asanagi
DD Hayate

Allied Ships
SS Trout

Ammo storage explosion on CV Kaga

[Cap Mandrake]

The IJN was (were) already mad about Warspite. [:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

Noumea: Hiei has another go at Noumea but is driven off by the PT boats.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Noumea at 115,160, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Hiei
CA Tone
CL Sendai

Allied Ships
PT-44, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-46
PT-47

[Cap Mandrake]

No carrier air attacks. Warspite not attacked.

[Lecivius]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

up in the Jimas: Fresh Trout...M&M torpedoes.

Sub attack near Hachijo-jima at 114,64

Japanese Ships
CV Kaga, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
CA Kako
CA Ashigara
CA Chokai
CA Takao
CL Yubari
CL Natori
DD Asanagi
DD Hayate

Allied Ships
SS Trout

Ammo storage explosion on CV Kaga

I can just see it.

<Tired lookout port side bridge> Whatta all them bubbles in the ... BOOM

[Cap Mandrake]

I feel kinda bad for us sinking or damaging Jap carriers two days in a row.........yes..it's an odd warm feeling mixed with like.. remorse..like you bought something stupid like $400 boots that hurt your toes....OK......yes...over it now.


I don't use the empathy center in the hypothalamus very much. I probably used up all the nerurotransmitters. I think I will go watch the combat replay to see the explosion.

[Cap Mandrake]

Little Yellow Baahstards didn't show any quarter when they pursued our crippled carrier out of the Bismarck Sea, did they?[:D]

I imagine this is how sentiments become hardened in the real thing.

[desicat]

So it looks like the IJN may have suffered critical damage to as many as 5 CV's in the last two days, combine this with the USN losses up to this point and the attack capability of both sides has been crippled and it is only 02 Feb 42(e). Can you post a ships lost to this point screen?

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

OK..watched the replay.

Ryujo 5 hits from Warspite...numerous secondary explosions

Zuiho 6 hits from Warspite..secondary explosions..reported sunk on intel screen

Hiryu 3 hits from Warspite..at least one large secondary explosion..burning pretty good

Soryu 1 hit from Warspite..no fire.

Hiryu also suffered a collision at the start of the battle.

On the combat replay Warspite seems to suffer only 1 torpedo hit???

warspite1

All in a day's work for the Grand Old Lady [:)]

1 torpedo hit? Bah, that's nothing to this old girl.....

[Cap Mandrake]

Allied losses CV and cruisers.

[Cap Mandrake]

IJN major combatant losses. Did not know Haruna was claimed?? On cruisers we are massively behind.

[Cap Mandrake]

There is a "CVE" (probably Ryujo) in a 5 ship convoy 360 m SW of Fiji and then a bigger convoy with two CV's. They hardly moved.
Ryujo is probably a cripple.

Curiously a USN DD scouting from Suva is only 80 mi away in daylight and was not attacked.
I can well believe that Hiryu can't launch but it is hard to believe that Soryu cant get aircraft aloft.

Decent chance of another night surface intercept tonight.

[BBfanboy]

Soryu may have absorbed planes from other air groups and got overstacked to the point of not being able to launch. Hope your intercept is as good as the last one!

[Cap Mandrake]

**********************Feb 2, 1942(e)******************

N&IC: More BB's spotted headed toward Noumea. We get ALL the aircraft out. About 40 crippled airframes are packed on AK's and sent toward Norfolk Is.

We alert the plywood navy.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Noumea at 114,160, Range 10,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Nagato
BB Ise
BB Hyuga
DD Harusame
DD Yudachi

Allied Ships
PT-38
PT-40
PT-46
PT-47

Ut-oh. 3 battlewagons. This is going to hurt.

[Cap Mandrake]

4 inch guns vs battleship armor. Medals all around.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Noumea at 115,160, Range 10,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Nagato, Shell hits 3
BB Ise, Shell hits 1
BB Hyuga
DD Harusame
DD Yudachi

Allied Ships
DM Thracian, Shell hits 1
DMS Hopkins, Shell hits 5, on fire, heavy damage

More Elko boats.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Noumea at 115,160, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Nagato
BB Ise
BB Hyuga
DD Harusame
DD Yudachi

Allied Ships
PT-20
PT-21
PT-22
PT-25
PT-28
PT-30

[Cap Mandrake]

Oh...sweet mystery of life at last I found you,,,,,,,,,

Night Time Surface Combat, near Noumea at 115,160, Range 10,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Nagato, Torpedo hits 2, on fire
BB Ise
BB Hyuga
DD Harusame
DD Yudachi

Allied Ships
PT-23
PT-24, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-26
PT-27, Shell hits 1
PT-29, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-42

This stops them! No bombardment!

[Cap Mandrake]

JJ landing at Koumac. All we have is a platoon of USMC paratroops dropped 1 stick at a time by the only transport in the area.

Pre-Invasion action off Koumac (113,156)
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force

4 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
DD Yuzuki
DD Mochizuki
LSD Shinshu Maru

Allied ground losses:
22 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

DD Yuzuki firing at 2nd USMC Parachute Battalion
DD Mochizuki firing at 2nd USMC Parachute Battalion
DD Yuzuki fired at enemy troops

[Cap Mandrake]

JJ tries to push back our guys in the middle of N&IC. 33rd Div is a wisp of its former self. Unfortunately, if we lose Koumac (which is likely) these lads are doomed.

Ground combat at 114,158 (near La Foa)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 5443 troops, 67 guns, 3 vehicles, Assault Value = 277

Defending force 1149 troops, 39 guns, 26 vehicles, Assault Value = 30

Japanese adjusted assault: 69

Allied adjusted defense: 52

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), leaders(-), fatigue(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
87 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 10 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Allied ground losses:
7 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
33rd/B Division
33rd/A Division
33rd/C Division
24th Special Base Force

Defending units:
2nd USMC Tank Bn /2
2nd Pioneer Battalion
2nd Marine Defense Battalion

[Cap Mandrake]

South of Tokyo:...........won't you pray a song for me......[:)]

Sub attack near Hachijo-jima at 114,64

Japanese Ships
CV Kaga, Torpedo hits 1
DD Asanagi

Allied Ships
SS Tambor

Two torpedo hits in 2 d. Kaga has barely moved. Maybe this will let some of the water out.