Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28

[Walker84]

I think the PT boats may be fog of war, although he certainly has sub chasers unloading depth charges on my subs.

Next turn could be interesting, depending on how close the Allied TFs approach to Papua New Guinea. I have a ton of Netties deployed with fighter escorts and the KB aren't far behind (unspotted as far as I can tell). I have to set the range of my Netties carefully all the time as there is the risk that they could react towards Allied shipping at Lunga and Tulagi which would be suicidal due to the CAP there.

[Walker84]

Nov 19, 1942

Coral Sea, Solomons

More preliminary action but no big conflagration (yet...)

SS I-25 trips up a big TF near Rossel Island at 104,140 packed with APs, xAPs but takes 22 hits from the escorts, is forced to surface and later sinks.

Several more sub vs TF contacts then SS I-4 manages to put a torpedo into BB Mississippi near Deboyne Islands at 102,136.

ASW attack near Umboi Island as Allied SS Seawolf spots one of my SCTFs containing BBs Kirishima and Hiei.

No landings are detected today but the massive Allied death star has pulled beyond Tagula Is and is most likely bound for Milne Bay and/or Buna.

[Walker84]

Nov 19 Air ops

Morning Air attack on Buin , at 109,131

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 24 NM, estimated altitude 25,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 25
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 10

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 18

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 3 destroyed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Buin , at 109,131

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 14 NM, estimated altitude 20,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 5
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 18
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 9

Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 18

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-3 Wildcat: 3 destroyed


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Buna , at 99,129

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 12 NM, estimated altitude 21,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 2 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 23
A6M3 Zero x 26
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 4
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 4

Allied aircraft
P-38E Lightning x 21

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
A6M3 Zero: 2 destroyed
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-38E Lightning: 3 destroyed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Deboyne Islands at 102,136

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 31 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 10
A6M3 Zero x 46
G3M2 Nell x 28

Allied aircraft
Fulmar II x 27
F4F-4 Wildcat x 108

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed
A6M3 Zero: 6 destroyed
G3M2 Nell: 19 destroyed
All of the Nells flew from Buna. Various additional groups of Netties took off in the morning but failed to find their targets and returned to base still carrying their torpedoes. There is some consolation in the fact that the group that took the losses is shortly to be withdrawn, although the pilot losses are still a blow.

Allied aircraft losses
Fulmar II: 3 destroyed
F4F-4 Wildcat: 2 destroyed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Buna , at 99,129

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 17
A6M3 Zero x 17
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 2
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 1

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 66

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M2 Nell: 1 destroyed on ground

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 2 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
22 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Airbase hits 19
Airbase supply hits 11
Runway hits 49
The CAP engaged included several carrier air groups, telegraphing the KB's presence located just off Lae and a mere 9 hexes from the Allied death star's current position

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Buna , at 99,129

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 12
A6M3 Zero x 15
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 2

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 6

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed

Airbase hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
5 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Buna , at 99,129

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 4 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 1 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 12
A6M3 Zero x 13
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 2

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 6

No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 1

Buna's airfield will be out of commission for a few days due to the accumulated damage. Units are being deployed to other bases as a result.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Buin , at 109,131

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 39 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 3
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 14
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 5

Allied aircraft
B-24D Liberator x 26

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-24D Liberator: 1 damaged

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

Airbase hits 1
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 20

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Buin , at 109,131

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 2
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 11
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 5

Allied aircraft
B-24D Liberator x 7

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-49-Ia Helen: 1 destroyed on ground

Allied aircraft losses
B-24D Liberator: 3 damaged

Airbase hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
7 x B-24D Liberator bombing from 10000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 5 x 500 lb GP Bomb

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 7th Indpt SNLF Coy , at 115,131 (Ontong Java)

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 4 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 1 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 15

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
127 casualties reported
Squads: 7 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Aircraft Attacking:
15 x B-25C Mitchell bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 500 lb GP Bomb

Today's air losses

[jwolf]

I will be very interested to see what happens next. I wonder if the rainy weather is giving the Allies a break -- perhaps your air search and certainly some strikes are not finding enemy targets as a result.

[Walker84]

Nov 20, 1942

Coral Sea, PNG, Solomons

So much action took place today that I will have to spread it over several posts.

First, a Night Time Surface Combat near Rossel Island as I try to repeat my previous cruiser success at Tabiteaua. Unfortunately this time the Allied covering force successfully keeps the IJN away from the transports and gets the better of the action.

Japanese Ships
CA Nachi, Shell hits 7, heavy fires
CA Aoba
CA Kako, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Yamagumo
DD Ayanami
DD Asagiri
DD Fuyo, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DD Hasu, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
CA New Orleans, Shell hits 4, on fire
CA Vincennes, Shell hits 1
CL Helena
DD Duncan
DD Bancroft

Alarmingly, the damaged Nachi is left behind at Rossel in the daytime with detached escorts rather than fleeing with the other ships.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Rossel Island at 105,137, Range 24,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Nachi, Shell hits 8, on fire, heavy damage
DD Asagiri, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Fuyo, Shell hits 12, and is sunk
DD Hasu

Allied Ships
CA New Orleans
CA Vincennes, Shell hits 2
CL Helena
DD Duncan, Shell hits 4, heavy fires
DD Bancroft, Shell hits 1

As a consolation SS I-174 also manages to put a torpedo into CL Helena.

Allied landings are reported at Milne Bay, Rossel Island and Goodenough Island. It's time to see how our air power will shape up against the shipping targets.

First, as the day breaks, Netties from Rabaul attack near Milne Bay in thunderstorms and BB New Mexico supporting the landings takes a single torpedo hit.

Then land-based Vals based at Port Moresby spot the Allied carriers which have taken up position only two hexes south east of the base and, unfortunately, decide to mount a suicide attack:

Morning Air attack on TF, near Port Moresby at 99,132

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 30 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 23
A6M3 Zero x 16
D3A1 Val x 45
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 12

Allied aircraft
Fulmar II x 18
F4F-4 Wildcat x 118

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 5 destroyed
A6M3 Zero: 2 destroyed
D3A1 Val: 27 destroyed, 2 damaged
D3A1 Val: 2 destroyed by flak
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 3 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 2 destroyed

Allied Ships
CV Hornet
BB Prince of Wales
CV Illustrious

End of part 1

[Walker84]

Nov 20, 1942 Part 2

As the day progresses, Betties mount several attacks on Allied shipping at both Rossel Is and Milne Bay in poor weather but show a tendency to target smaller warships with the result that no torpedo strikes are reported.

Then, a proper carrier vs carrier action with the Japanese getting to go first...

Morning Air attack on TF, near Port Moresby at 99,132

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 30 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 93
B5N1 Kate x 18
B5N2 Kate x 88
D3A1 Val x 96

Allied aircraft
Fulmar II x 18
F4F-4 Wildcat x 102

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 6 destroyed
B5N1 Kate: 1 destroyed, 5 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 9 destroyed, 27 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 7 destroyed by flak
D3A1 Val: 16 destroyed, 30 damaged
D3A1 Val: 10 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
Fulmar II: 3 destroyed
F4F-4 Wildcat: 4 destroyed

Allied Ships
CV Illustrious, Bomb hits 4
CV Hornet
CV Wasp, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
CA Astoria
CV Yorktown
CLAA Juneau
CV Saratoga, Bomb hits 1
BB Washington, Bomb hits 5
CV Lexington, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
BB Prince of Wales, Bomb hits 1
CLAA Atlanta
BB North Carolina, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 1
CV Enterprise

Verdict: the Allied AAA is extremely potent and not many hits are obtained by those navy bombers that manage to evade the massive wall of CAP thrown up over the Allied TFs.

Now it is the turn of the Allies:

Morning Air attack on TF, near Lae at 99,127

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 31 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 76
A6M3 Zero x 7
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 22
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 42

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 66
SBD-3 Dauntless x 161
TBF-1 Avenger x 75

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 11 destroyed
SBD-3 Dauntless: 13 destroyed, 32 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed by flak
TBF-1 Avenger: 16 destroyed, 11 damaged

Japanese Ships
CVL Ryujo, Bomb hits 1
CVL Shoho, Bomb hits 1, on fire
BB Haruna, Bomb hits 4
CA Furutaka, Bomb hits 2, on fire
CV Soryu, Bomb hits 3, on fire
BB Mutsu
CVL Zuiho, Bomb hits 2, on fire
CV Zuikaku, Bomb hits 5, on fire
BB Kongo
CV Hiryu
CV Shokaku, Bomb hits 1
CL Nagara
DD Makinami
CS Chitose
CL Sendai

Verdict: better bombing results for the Allies on my flat-tops, with Zuikaku's air groups forced to redeploy to Port Moresby due to flight deck damage. An Allied tactical victory as I will probably have to withdraw the KB out of danger rather than risk a second round tomorrow.

[Walker84]

Nov 20, 1942 Part 3

But the day's action is far from over.

Unescorted groups of TBFs and SBDs try to attack my carriers again and 18 are shot down before the rest turn tail. My carriers also manage to mount several strikes in the afternoon, this time targeting Allied invasion forces in various locations:

Morning Air attack on TF, near Goodenough Island at 101,131

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 4 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 1 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 18
D3A1 Val x 30

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A1 Val: 2 damaged
D3A1 Val: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
APD Waters, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
APD Dent, Bomb hits 8, heavy fires, heavy damage
APD Crosby

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x D3A1 Val releasing from 1000' *
Naval Attack: 2 x 60 kg GP Bomb
20 x D3A1 Val releasing from 2000' *
Naval Attack: 2 x 60 kg GP Bomb

Heavy smoke from fires obscuring APD Waters
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring APD Dent

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Rossel Island at 105,138

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 73 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 25 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 7
G4M1 Betty x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 2 damaged

Allied Ships
CA Vincennes
CA New Orleans

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Milne Bay at 101,133

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid detected at 79 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 29 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 53
B5N1 Kate x 9
B5N2 Kate x 28
D3A1 Val x 44

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
B5N1 Kate: 1 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 8 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 1 destroyed by flak
D3A1 Val: 17 damaged
D3A1 Val: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
BB Idaho, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
DD Flusser
BB New Mexico
CA Indianapolis
CA Canberra
xAK Carolinian, Bomb hits 1
xAP Ormiston, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CA Louisville
DD Decoy

Allied ground losses:
56 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Goodenough Island at 101,131

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 5 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 1 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B5N2 Kate x 13

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
APD Crosby

Aircraft Attacking:
13 x B5N2 Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Milne Bay at 101,133

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 34 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 22
B5N2 Kate x 12
D3A1 Val x 9

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 3

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 1 damaged
D3A1 Val: 3 damaged

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
xAK Missourian
xAP Merkur, Bomb hits 1, on fire
BB Idaho, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AK Electra, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DMS Wasmuth
xAK Aloe, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

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

Heavy smoke from fires obscuring BB Idaho

Fortunately, the Allied carriers fail to launch an afternoon air attack. However, massed B-17s bomb Port Moresby's airfield heavily, jeopardising my second land-based carrier in two days.

Amid all of this action Allied F4Fs sweep Horn Island twice, making me think that this base may also be an imminent invasion target.

Here's the current position...

[Walker84]

Nov 20 Part 4

Here is the roster of Allied forces wading ashore at Milne Bay and Rossel Is. Obviously they are here to stay, if they can...

Ground combat at Milne Bay (101,133)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 2176 troops, 12 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 76

Defending force 4171 troops, 118 guns, 71 vehicles, Assault Value = 237

Allied ground losses:
70 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
86th Naval Guard Unit
4th Indpt SNLF Coy
51st Const Co

Defending units:
30th Australian Bde /1
23rd Australian Brigade
2/9th Armoured Rgt /1
Katherine RAAF Base Force /1
32nd Aus Lt AA Rgt /1
2nd Port Advn Base Force /1
2nd US Naval Const Bn /1
A/B Hy Cst Arty /1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Rossel Island (105,137)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 451 troops, 3 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 13

Defending force 1426 troops, 13 guns, 18 vehicles, Assault Value = 40

Assaulting units:
II/19th Naval Guard Unit

Defending units:
1st Marine Raider Battalion
4th Air Advn Base Force /3
91st Const Rgt /1

And finally...an odd event near Denpasar in the DEI as Sonias engaged on naval attack training stumble into a live firing exercise against an Allied APD [X(]

Morning Air attack on TF, near Denpasar at 58,109

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 16 NM, estimated altitude 4,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-51 Sonia x 7

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
APD Peary

Aircraft Attacking:
7 x Ki-51 Sonia bombing from 2000 feet *
Naval Attack: 2 x 50 kg GP Bomb

I can only guess that Peary is on some mercy mission to rescue an Allied unit hiding in the swamps somewhere - unless of course the attack in the Coral Sea has all been an elaborate feint [:D]

[Walker84]

Today's air losses. Without the suicidal Val LBA attack on the Allied carriers it would have been fairly even...

[jwolf]

[X(] [X(] First, kudos to both of you for putting on a great show for the fans! Wow!!

Regarding the carriers on both sides, I guess the problem is that you know exactly how badly damaged your own carriers are, but there is lot of question about the other side. The two US CVs that were hit by torpedoes would probably (??) be out of action for a while, but as for the rest there is a wide range of possibilities.

I was surprised by the initial surface fight at Rossel, where your superior fleet came out much the worse.

Here is the roster of Allied forces wading ashore at Milne Bay and Rossel Is. Obviously they are here to stay, if they can...

Yeah, not just a bus full of tourists. You've definitely got your hands full.

unless of course the attack in the Coral Sea has all been an elaborate feint

You're onto him! [:D]

Good luck as you fight through this!

[Walker84]

ORIGINAL: jwolf

[X(] [X(] First, kudos to both of you for putting on a great show for the fans! Wow!!

Thanks! - this is the type of thing you look forward to - admittedly with trepidation - after all those months of manoeuvring, logistics, planning, digging trenches etc.

Regarding the carriers on both sides, I guess the problem is that you know exactly how badly damaged your own carriers are, but there is lot of question about the other side. The two US CVs that were hit by torpedoes would probably (??) be out of action for a while, but as for the rest there is a wide range of possibilities.

Agreed - the torpedo hits were certainly encouraging. I have to hope that my opponent will feel obliged to pull his carriers further back so that my LBA can get among his transport shipping. A few more sub torpedoes finding their targets would also do nicely at this critical time.

I was surprised by the initial surface fight at Rossel, where your superior fleet came out much the worse.

Yes, can't get the luck of the dice always it seems...

Here is the roster of Allied forces wading ashore at Milne Bay and Rossel Is. Obviously they are here to stay, if they can...

Yeah, not just a bus full of tourists. You've definitely got your hands full.

unless of course the attack in the Coral Sea has all been an elaborate feint

You're onto him! [:D]

Good luck as you fight through this!

Thanks - the nice thing was that my opponent and I both wished each other good luck last night, knowing full well that a big, ugly, exciting day was about to happen in the Pacific.

[Lowpe]

Well done!! [&o]

What does your fighter plane research and production look like now?

[Walker84]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Well done!! [&o]

What does your fighter plane research and production look like now?

Thanks, bearing in mind that this is the first time I've played a PDU-off game, I have been staying closer to the historic build-out as I don't want to risk running short of airframes or engines for particular units that can't upgrade to anything else.

Having said that, I have prioritised a number of the better airframes so that I have a good replacement rate for the units that are using them.

Production numbers (pool numbers after today's losses) of main types being used :

A6M2 80 (99)
A6M3 30 (60)
Rufe 12 (35)
Kate 19 (166)
Val 27 (107)
Jake 27 (107)
Pete 8 (34)
Nell 22 (95)
Betty 25 (178)
Mavis/Emily 13 (17)
Mavis Trans 2 (6)
Irving 8 (0)
Babs 7 (40)
Sally 26 (139)
Oscar Ic 30 (83)
Oscar IIa 40 (33)
Tojo 50 (62)
Nick 37 (98)
Dinah 18 (33)
Lily 34 (81)
Helen 18 (53)
Sonia 30 (137)
Topsy 17 (38)
Tony 24 (0)
Tina 5 (13)

[Walker84]

As far as research is concerned I have not focused on bringing too many late war models forward, again due to PDU being off.

I want the Oscar with armour as a priority given more units upgrade to this than the Tojo. In previous games I maxed out the Tojo and Helen lines as I could convert most units over to them, but that won't work here so I will be building Oscars and Sallies until the end of the war.

The Aichi engine has almost reached 500 units, which is good as I want to focus on the Judy for it's 500 lb bomb. I'll also try to bring the key Zero variants forward, but I have very heavy use of the Ha-35 engine so am struggling to reach the production bonus.

[Lowpe]

What does your fighter r&d look like for the Zero and Oscar and Frank A?

It is not that difficult to have A6M5 by now...although many players recommend staying with the A6M3a until you get the A6M5c.

Judys would really have done well in the last fight...but they are harder to get early.[:(]

Every game is of course different, but your production of fighters and FB look low to me. How many Ha 35 do you make per day?

[Walker84]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

What does your fighter r&d look like for the Zero and Oscar and Frank A?

A6M3a 42/12 [(30 A6M3 will convert)]
A6M5 43/04 [10(10) (+ 12 Rufe will convert)]
Ki-43-IIb 43/02 [5(10) (+ 70 Ic/IIa will convert)]
Frank a 1/44 [34(21)]


It is not that difficult to have A6M5 by now...although many players recommend staying with the A6M3a until you get the A6M5c.

I am going to produce both models in tandem and progressively upgrade both carrier and land-based units.

Judys would really have done well in the last fight...but they are harder to get early.[:(]

Agreed - the Val's bombs probably did little damage overall, although they possibly sank a couple of APDs.

Every game is of course different, but your production of fighters and FB look low to me. How many Ha 35 do you make per day?

You are probably right. I have upped Ha 35 to 367 per month which is probably not nearly enough.

[Lowpe]

On the positive side you should really be piling up the supplies.[:)]

Allies get the P47 in July of 43 and depending how many squadrons he can field on the front lines, you are in for some tough times in the air I think.[:(] The first Corsair, land base, shows up in January of 43 and will also run wild depending upon how many squadrons he can get forward. Plus the Lightnings. At least the Corsairs and Lightnings are high SR.

To be blunt, I don't think your fighter preparation is prepared for the onslaught. Just don't lose the KB like I did.[:)]

[Walker84]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

On the positive side you should really be piling up the supplies.[:)]

Allies get the P47 in July of 43 and depending how many squadrons he can field on the front lines, you are in for some tough times in the air I think.[:(] The first Corsair, land base, shows up in January of 43 and will also run wild depending upon how many squadrons he can get forward. Plus the Lightnings. At least the Corsairs and Lightnings are high SR.

To be blunt, I don't think your fighter preparation is prepared for the onslaught. Just don't lose the KB like I did.[:)]

Thanks for the heads-up.[:)] Its probably too late to impact the delivery time of these models significantly but I will raise my production levels - and, yes I do have plenty of supply!

I am hopeful that with PDU off - and the restrictions on changing the upgrade path for many air units - the Allies can no more flood the front line with advanced fighters than I can. However, I have not performed any analysis of this so may be sorely disappointed.

[Lowpe]

If you read some of Greyjoy vs Obvert, you will see that he got Oscar IV; A6M8; Frank A by July of 43. With Frank R estimated to be Jan of 44 plus research on Sam and Frank B (an important plane in PDU off games).

PDU off in a lot of ways is still simple...blow your supplies on tightly focused fighter planes that a lot of squadrons fly.

Bombers: Judy and Jill; Grace; Lilly IIb. Perhaps pick a kamikaze or two come 1943.

[Walker84]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

If you read some of Greyjoy vs Obvert, you will see that he got Oscar IV; A6M8; Frank A by July of 43. With Frank R estimated to be Jan of 44 plus research on Sam and Frank B (an important plane in PDU off games).

PDU off in a lot of ways is still simple...blow your supplies on tightly focused fighter planes that a lot of squadrons fly.

Bombers: Judy and Jill; Grace; Lilly IIb. Perhaps pick a kamikaze or two come 1943.

Thanks for the advice, I'll take a look at Greyjoy as well.


Nov 21, 1942

The night phase sees a fair number of sub attacks by both sides, but no hits. Then an IJN SCTF bombards Milne Bay. I had set two TFs to visit the hex at high speed so that if there were any Allied ships still present there would have been a combat instead. First action involving the Yamato...

Night Naval bombardment of Milne Bay at 101,133

Japanese Ships
BB Yamato
BB Mutsu
CA Myoko
CL Nagara
DD Yugiri
DD Kawakaze
DD Kasumi
DD Teruzuki

Allied ground losses:
52 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 20 (7 destroyed, 13 disabled)

BB Yamato firing at A/B Hy Cst Arty
BB Mutsu firing at 23rd Australian Brigade
CA Myoko firing at 23rd Australian Brigade
CL Nagara firing at 23rd Australian Brigade
DD Yugiri firing at 23rd Australian Brigade
DD Kawakaze firing at 23rd Australian Brigade
DD Kasumi firing at 23rd Australian Brigade
DD Teruzuki firing at 30th Australian Brigade

During the approach run we also find out that the Allies have laid a mine field at Fergusson Island which is handy to know. Meanwhile, another scare as SS Finback launches 4 torpedoes at CV Akagi near Madang.

During the morning, various small packets of Netties and Kates launch attacks on Allied shipping near Rossel Island but each strike is infuriatingly small. Where are my big wings??[:@] I think the weather is not helping but eventually a hit is achieved..

Morning Air attack on TF, near Rossel Island at 105,137

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 76 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 26 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 15
G4M1 Betty x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 4 damaged

Allied Ships
xAP Lycaon
xAK Arkansan, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

Allied ground losses:
Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp

Four waves of B-17Es blitz Port Moresby airfield - its pretty well shut down now.