I am going to write my first After Action Report for this new campaign.
As I am reading "Guadalcanal - Cactus Air Force contre Marine Impériale" from B. Baeza (2 volumes, 400 pages each, excellent from 1st to last page !), I have decided to take Pistol Pete as title.
Pistol Pete was a type 92 10cm field gun used by IJA at Guadalcanal.
Rook749 seems to be an experienced player. I should be careful, but not too much...
This AAR should be mainly a roadmap for my actions: I have a tendency to forget main goals and to scatter forces !
DaBigBabes-C and current version of the beta: [1125.10]
Fog of war on
Avanced Weather on
Allied damage control on
PDU on
Historical 1st turn off
Dec 7th surprise
Realistic R&D on
No withdrawal off
Reinforcement fixed
House rules:
rook749 propose to use those in his previous game. Below is the link
This will End Badly @ tm.asp?m=3516510&mpage=1&key=
Main goals:
Occupy Burma and secure Port Blair before end of 4/42
Isolate Australia: west side with submarines first then with Kido Butai "west"
Occupy New Guinea before end of 4/42
Isolate Australia: east side by taking Suva. This shall be done before 6/42
Take the Aleutians: summer 42.
In China, limited operations, no added support.
Malaya: limited support (preference for Burma). 25th Army shall also take DEI. This may take time...
Operations have started - AAR are already in late....
41-12-07:
End of morning, Kido Butai pilots report that US Pacific battle fleet has been destroyed.
De-briefing on Kaga: 8 ennemy battleships severely damaged. They can not resist to our superior torpedoes...
Japanese aircrafts used for the raid: 350 planes
A6M2 Zero x 78
B5N2 Kate x 144
D3A1 Val x 131
Japanese aircraft losses : 24 planes because of heavy flak (16 A6M2, 4 B5N2, 4 D3A1)
Allied aircraft flying over ennemy base: 7 planes, 2 shot down (1 P36, 1P40)
Allied aircraft destroyed on airbase: 22 of various model
Allied battleships probably sunk or severely damaged:
BB Nevada, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 4
BB Maryland, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 6, on fire, heavy damage
BB Oklahoma, Torpedo hits 3, heavy damage
BB Pennsylvania, Bomb hits 7, Torpedo hits 2, on fire
AV Curtiss, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
DM Montgomery, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
BB California, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 2
BB Tennessee, Bomb hits 5, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
BB Arizona, Bomb hits 7, Torpedo hits 1
BB West Virginia, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 2
CL Raleigh, Bomb hits 1
SS Cachalot, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
DD Hull, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
CL Detroit, Bomb hits 1
AV Tangier, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AVP Avocet, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
PC Tiger, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
AV Wright, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
CL Helena, Torpedo hits 1
No news about Ko-gata midget subs class sent to finish the job. Later, Yamamoto is informed that subs remain on station outside the harbor...
41-12-07:
Also during morning, Manila was bombarded by 54 G4M1 escorted by 9 A6M2. Several ennemy aircrafts - escort was outnumbered by 34 P-40E - are ready to fight.
4 G4M1 and 1 A6M2 do not return to Takao.
Allied Ships
xAKL Bisayas, Bomb hits 1, on fire
SS Sailfish, Bomb hits 1
Over Singapore:
=> 27 G3M2 have planned to attack airfields. But no surprise. 27 Buffalo were in flight and shot down 18 G3M2. One Hudson probably destroyed on the ground. Poor award
=> 9 G3M2 and 27 G4M1 have decided to sink to Prince of Wales during afternoon. However, still 26 Buffalo were covering the capital ship. 10 aircraft were missing. But one torpedo hit was reported (was it true ?)
41-12-08:
Most important event of this second day of war occured during the night. Close to Tandjoenpinang island coast, the liner Dominion Monarch was sighted by I-122. Commander Kubota decided to sink this 200 meters long ship, able to transport about 3500 troops. Despite liner high speed, Kubota managed to be in launching position. One torpedo hit was recorded in the submarine log book. The liner was left to its fate...
41-12-09:
This day (i.e. night), submarines talk about themselves
- Strait of Formosa, one torpedo hit on xAK Koyo Maru, resulting in heavy damage (probably from a Sculpin class US submarine)
- Near Pearl Harbor, Kō-hyōteki-class Ha-22 attack !(It is not Ko-gata - which is a tank - as written in my previous post [:-]) This SSX has launched 2 torpedoes to xAK Cynthia Olson. One hit reported, heavy damages observed by periscope.
- Near Palembang, I-155 has torpedoed TK Strix and TK Semiramis, which were probably full of oil.
- Near Hawaian islands, several contacts:
=> I-17 has decided to engage xAKL Manini on surface. This duel ended after 30 shells hits, heavy fires and heavy damages for this small cargo, which tried to defend itself: 1 shell hit received.
=> I-19 has placed its torpedo on xAK Montgomery City, which was left with heavy damages
=> I-4 has torpedoed 2 times TK Gulfhawk, which should have sunk (left on fire with heavy damages)
- Near Billiton, I-162 has probably sunk the Minelaying Cruiser (CM) Kung Wo
41-12-10:
Another successfull Kō-hyōteki attack: lurking in the waters of Pearl Harbor, Ha-18 was waiting for a ship to be put in the tooth: AG Vega was detected, 2 torpedos were launched and one reached its target. Vega was probably sunk.
AS Hotus was sunk by CL Nagara near the strait of San Bernardino.
However, the Imperial Japanese Navy has registered its first loss: CH-17 has rammed a mine while clearing a path for amphibious landing near Vigan.
Her sister ship CH-14:
Attachments
IJN_No14_S..ser_1941.jpg (30.55 KiB) Viewed 636 times
Battle of South China Sea - Borneo 10-11 december.
Sunny day for the amphibious landing force sailing to Miri, which was covered by CA Chokai and 6 DD.
4 allied DD were sighted by cover Force. Allied task force stopped fighting with 2DD Pillsbury and Pope)severely affected by Chokai shells. After this encouter, the cover force resumed its route to Miri.
Later during the day, the Combined Fleet HQ decided to postpone Miri invasion: British Force Z was observed NW of Borneo, sailing to 090.
The slow cargos changed course to 030, but it was too late. By doing this course change, the fleet crossed the route of DM Thracian. A brief exchange of shells followed: one for Chokai, one for Thracian. But shortly later during the night, Watanabe, fearless captain of Chokai, surprised his opponent at 9.000 yards. Long lance were launched but missed Repulse and Prince of Wales. Both Task Forces break off with the following result:
Japanese Ships
CA Chokai, Shell hits 5, heavy fires
DD Fubuki
DD Usugumo
DD Shirayuki
DD Hatsuyuki, Shell hits 1
DD Sagiri
TB Kasasagi, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
Allied Ships
BB Prince of Wales, Shell hits 2, on fire
BC Repulse, Shell hits 1
DD Vampire
DD Vendetta
DD Van Ghent
DD Tenedos
DD Electra, Shell hits 1
DD Express
The amphibious force - made of CL Kashii, 1 APD, 1 E, 4 xAK, 3 xAKL - was left alone against the 2 mastondons. Despite defensive fight, only E Saga and 1 xAKL survived.
This first major naval battle saw an Allied victory [:(]
These 2 British battleships become first priority for Combined Fleet. They shall be sunk !
You need air cover and air search in forward locations. If you can get Singkawang this opens up the whole area and allows you to see far enough to spot something coming.
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill
41-12-11:
Wake, amphibious landing operation, 5 shells hit on AMC Kinryu Maru which was disembarking ammunition for the landed troops. Fire fighting last for 24 hours but the crew was not able to control it and the ship was abandoned to its fate.
Near Pearl Harbor: SSX Ha-19 decided recklessly to attack 4 DMS. It was sunk by DC. Same imprundence for Ha-22 against 2 DD, same fate...
Near Cam Ranh: a cruiser fleet (4 CA, 4 DD), while returning to harbor for shell reloading (after Kuantan bombardment) crossed the path of 2 allied cargos which wereprobably fleeing from China: xAK Nanning and xAKL Kanchow sunk. Also informed by scouts, some G3M2 intercept xAK Hanyang: 2 torpedo hits.
Over China: AVG showed his nose: 5 Ki-51 shot down: measures are taken to avoid Central China until Ki-27 are replaced.
You need air cover and air search in forward locations. If you can get Singkawang this opens up the whole area and allows you to see far enough to spot something coming.
You are totally right! I was waiting for Kuching invasion operation before - it should occur around 17/12. But it was a bad option. I will probably do both operations at the same time, using one cover force of battleships (and some Pete as CAP, they could do that... I presume).
Near Hawaiian Islands: AG Aries sunk by I-17, but 4 torpedos and 2 hits were needed.[X(]
South of Java: the "Java.net" started to be tighten,
=> SS I-123 probably sank TK Iris with one torpedo.
=> SS I-162 sank xAP Tjisaroea with 2 torp.
Near Iwo Jima: some A6M2 from CVE Hosho attacked flush mats AV Langley. Perharps sunk:
AV Langley, Shell hits 2, Bomb hits 9 (60 kg GP Bomb for these fighters !), heavy fires, heavy damage
During night, near Enderbury Island, raider AMC Hokoku Maru sank allied xAKL Lahaina.
Near Singkawang, I-156 and later I-158 watched Force Z. Allied DD detected submarines and used their DC. Subs escaped without noticeable damage.
Near Iba, 7 Motor Torpedos Boat attacked but 3 were sunk by CL Kuma, CL Natori and 5 DD.
Force Z watched again by I-157 near Toboali [:@]
I-153 attacked AKL Princess of Cebu near Pamekasan on surface. Allied ship was left with heavy damages.
Near Pamekasan I-162 was detected by an allied fleet. Despite surprise, the submarine sank CM Prins van Oranje with a torpedo and escape the area without damage.
Another PT attack near San Fernando, trying to disturb landings. PT-33 sunk by DD Harukaze.
2 submarines successfull actions:
near Billiton, SS I-158 sank TK British Judge
near Tandjoengpinang, SS I-154 sank xAK Liran and later during the day xAK Bantam
A6M2s from CVE Hosho straffed and sank TK Manatawny near Chichi-jima
Near Billiton, I-156 used 5 torpedoes to sink xAP Kedah, Torpedo hits 5.....
8 A6M2 from CVE Hosho attacked xAK American Leader near Marcus Island.
13 G4M1, having departed from Bangkok, placed a 250 kg bomb on british CL Ceres at Port Blair. One hour later, 27 G3M2, armed torpedo, sank AM Romney and xAP Khedive Ismail in the same area.
It seems that the Allies are reinforcing the island, which is too close from Bangkok [:D]
East of Borneo, some B5N1 from CVL Ryujo sank ARD YFD-1 Dewey.
Light Industry expanded at Takao and Hakodate.
Resources coastal convoys launched between Fusan-Fukuoka and Hakodate-Ominato.
Some oil collected from Shikuka, Port Arthur and Bangkok.
This is not enough but provide a basic flow.
Rationalization of planes building: outdated planes like Ki-27 stopped to benefit Ki-43... A lot of air groups to upgrade with it...
A6M2, D3A1 and G4M1 production expanded.
Ha-32, Ha-33 and (just now) Ha-35 expanded.
Vehicles factories and Naval shipyards expanded a little bit.
I am going to follow economy output in a graph, one record every 7 days. I will attach it in the AAR once a month.
Brunei is captured ! Low resistance... Brunei should be a major port for oil flow. Engineers have been sent to improve infrastructure.
Light cruiser Yura, sent to support CVE Hosho in its hunt down of US ships, met (and sank) successively xAK Ethel Edwards, PG Isabel, TK Gertrude Kellogg during night near Chichi-jima.
Near Tandjoengpinang, again I-154 damaged xAKL Buijskes with shells.
"Java.net": I-165 sank xAKL Regulus and later xAKL Surigao near Denpasar.
Protecting San Fernando landings, the Patrol Boat Shonan Maru #17 was sunk by ennemy submarine.
