General Patton vs. larryfulkerson Focus Pacific #75

[larryfulkerson]

New moves from Brian: I forgot to give TF 45 a waypoint closer to Singkawang last night and this morning and afternoon they paid for
it. Bombers from Singapore launched mission after mission of the Stringbags and Martlets and are killing my TF. At least half a dozen
ships have gone down and I've lost at least 4500 men. There's no way to get away from Singapore fast enough and the carnage is
going to continue tomorrow. I may lose the whole thing. The entire 4th Guards division........just gone.

[larryfulkerson]

My Ternate invasion finally reached their target's harbor and there's a fierce gunfight going on between my escorts and the CD guns
ashore. My ships are getting hit and some are on fire. But I gave everybody lots of free room so they should all get unloaded just
fine and then I can back the ships out of there reguardless of the supply situation. I hope enough supplies made it ashore to continue
the fight because I have more troops than he does and I think I can push them over.

Also, I finally captured Ternate and I'm going to try to find some AF dudes for the base. Meanwhile I've got two carrier groups nearby
providing some CAP. Supply TF's are unloading now.

Manado is the site of another fierce fight. Both sides are bombarding the other and my troops need some air power or a naval bomb-
bardment or something to help them out.

EDIT: Oh. I forgot to mention Davao. The fighting is still ongoing and despite bombardment for a week now the Allies are still
resilient. My guys are getting tired but they have ample supplies. Some more aerial treatment is indicated.

[larryfulkerson]

I've just now discovered that I've run Bubble Drop out of fuel again. There's 12K+ there still but that won't last longer than about two
days. And the transport locator says that the fuel shipment from Tokyo is still far away and is a pitiful amount. Not a good thing. I'll
have to make up another emergency shipment from Truk to make up deficiency. I'd hate to have to send everybody to Truk for gas.

[larryfulkerson]

If I sort the list of cities on fuel then the top ones float to the top and I see Tokyo has plenty of goodies still that's not the problem. I'm
not getting the goodies out into the "field" quick enough and they are running out before another shipment can arrive. Hummm.

I'll have to strip some of the RES runs of at least one more good TF to haul fuel to Bubble Drop specifically as a CS TF. And I need to
get it started soonest.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what Tracker says is the list of carnage from the landing at Tarakan and the close pass of Singapore. There's going to be some
additions to the list tomorrow. I can't get the Singapore group some help fast enough to make much difference. They are goners.

[larryfulkerson]

I overstacked Wake island to have possession of it fast and now I'm loading some of the overstackment and I'm having to load the unit in
pieces because only 6K of tonnage can dock at a time. So it's going to be a slow process. I'm thinking of moving the 142nd Ind Mixed
Regiment at Wake to Truk for now. Let them rest, train, and refit for a week and then move them on some other target in the island
chain leading down to Guadalcanal.

[larryfulkerson]

There's a tiny argument going on between Tracker and the game engine. Tracker says that Osaka has only half the AF dude the
game engine says is present. I'm wondering how Tracker got it so badly wrong.

[larryfulkerson]

I found a partial solution to the Palembang invading force's quandry. I found an Oscar unit that I moved to Kota Bharu and slapped
some drop tanks on them and put most of them on LRCAP over the TF. That's SOME protection at least. I need to find another
unit to cover the other TF in the hex.....the one with the damaged ships heading back to CRB.

EDIT: And yeah, you're right.......I should have done this before yesterday. Dedicated at least one squadron to CAP over them until
the planes could no longer reach. Either that or delay the invasion until after the capture of Singkawang.

[larryfulkerson]

I thought that I'd divide one of my crack Zero units and spread them around to stop the bleeding everywhere. This unit came from
Saigon and I moved it to Ternate even though there are no AF dudes there yet to give the ships some additional cover besides the
carriers that are nearby. I don't plan on doing anything offensive at Ternate until I get the base up and running, ample supplies,
enough fuel for one SCTF at least, and an operating air field with AF dudes there. Probably about a week.

[larryfulkerson]

As part of the project to resupply Babeldoab with some emergency gas I found two TF's at Tokyo ready to start loading. Actually one of
them has been loading fuel since yesterday. They had no destination yet and were loading on a contingency basis. The other TF is
just now receiving it's first loads and will be another day in port yet. It's going to be about a week before either one of them arrives at
B.

[larryfulkerson]

Part of the project to save Babeldoab is to ship some emergency fuel from Truk. I just now set that in motion. They will arrive at B. in
about 6 days.

EDIT: I added some escorts ( 2 PB's ) after this picture was published.

[BillBrown]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

There's a tiny argument going on between Tracker and the game engine. Tracker says that Osaka has only half the AF dude the
game engine says is present. I'm wondering how Tracker got it so badly wrong.

Tracker was developed before michaelm changed Air Support to be doubled on level 8+ bases.

[larryfulkerson]

Tracker was developed before michaelm changed Air Support to be doubled on level 8+ bases.

Ah so.......

The TF that brought my troops to Tarakan have been dismissed and they are on their way back to Babeldaob to
refuel, refit, and rest a bit. They have had it pretty rough here lately. Notice all the damage ships. Good thing a
sufficient amount of supplies are already ashore.

[larryfulkerson]

TF 93 was assembled by the game engine when the TF was hit by Singapore air power. It was on a course back to CRB but I've
decided I need to save the men if possible by getting them back on dry ground so I've routed them to Singkawang to put them on
a course that was away from Singapore and to help out the troops already there and besides the ships are almost gone already so
some more hits when they arrive at Singkawang won't be noticed, probably. I'll probably lose some ships but I do need to get the
troops on the ground. Preferably at Singkawang. I COULD land them at Sambas and march west but I'm in a slight hurry and ships
are cheap right now. Although I'm rapidly running mine into the ground left and right it seems.

[larryfulkerson]

Okay now I'm going through the list of ships looking for AK's and found some at Hong Kong that needed a mission. Hong Kong is flush
with fuel right now so I'm loading about 39.9K of fuel for Babeldaob and this time I'm giving it a waypoint so it might sail out of range of
the Allied air fleet. It's got a bite.

[Andav]

Hi Larry,

You might change the home port of that fuel TF to Babeldoab. While I know you need escort those 1500 endurance SC are just not a great fit. They will cause the TF to stop and refuel very frequently. It will substantially slow their progress. If you are short on escorts you might look at Takao or Pescadores and see if there are more PBs or Es which have higher endurance. Form a TF there and then set them to Meet and Merge your fuel TF to provide escort. The TF will only have minimal escort for a short time. This is probably OK for this time in the war.

And you might want to set this TF to Do No Refuel instead of Full Refuel. This way they do not just drink the fuel you are delivering. Those big 10k endurance AKs will have plenty of gas to go where they are needed next.

I've decided I need to save the men if possible by getting them back on dry ground so I've routed them to Singkawang to put them on
a course that was away from Singapore and to help out the troops already there

With greater than 50% flotation damage these will not unload at an enemy base. Send them to Kuching.


Wa

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: Andav
Hi Larry,

Well hello there Wa dude. I appreciate you posting stuff, advice, etc. I'm learning a
great deal and I think I'm putting out a better game for Brian for it. I really want
to give him a good game because we're sort of playtesting his scenario. It's been a
blast so far. I sink something and then he sinks something and it's been a seesaw.

ORIGINAL: Andav
You might change the home port of that fuel TF to Babeldoab. While I know you need escort those 1500 endurance SC are just not a great fit. They will cause the TF to stop and refuel very frequently. It will substantially slow their progress. If you are short on escorts you might look at Takao or Pescadores and see if there are more PBs or Es which have higher endurance. Form a TF there and then set them to Meet and Merge your fuel TF to provide escort. The TF will only have minimal escort for a short time. This is probably OK for this time in the war.

Wonderful advice. Many thanks. I'll do it.

ORIGINAL: Andav
And you might want to set this TF to Do No Refuel instead of Full Refuel. This way they do not just drink the fuel you are delivering. Those big 10k endurance AKs will have plenty of gas to go where they are needed next.

Yeah, I thought of that already. But thanks.

ORIGINAL: Andav
With greater than 50% flotation damage these will not unload at an enemy base. Send them to Kuching.

Wa

This 50% rule I had forgotten or had never learned.......I didn't know that. Shoot....well,
then they will have to go elsewhere. Kuching is as good as any, better than most other
options. I'll do it.

[larryfulkerson]

The attacks on the striken TF took place just as I predicted and the results were predictable. One good thing about the strike
was that it happened in a hex that had thunderstorms and I'm guessing that attenuated the losses somewhat.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Tandjoengpinang at 52,85
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms [this probably tempered the strike]

Raid spotted at 8 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 3
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 4

Allied aircraft
Martlet II x 24
Swordfish I x 17

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Swordfish I: 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
xAK Johore Maru, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
xAP Miike Maru, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
xAK Azuchisan Maru, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk

Japanese ground losses:
1479 casualties reported
Squads: 28 destroyed, 35 disabled
Non Combat: 33 destroyed, 44 disabled
Engineers: 5 destroyed, 5 disabled
Guns lost 15 (13 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Vehicles lost 14 (13 destroyed, 1 disabled)

---------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Tandjoengpinang at 52,85
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Allied aircraft
Vildebeest III x 12

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
xAP Miike Maru, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD Yomogi

Japanese ground losses:
1246 casualties reported
Squads: 44 destroyed, 41 disabled
Non Combat: 18 destroyed, 89 disabled
Engineers: 21 destroyed, 7 disabled
Guns lost 88 (83 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Vehicles lost 19 (17 destroyed, 2 disabled)

---------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Tandjoengpinang at 52,85
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 1 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 0 minutes

Allied aircraft
Vildebeest III x 26

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
DD Yomogi, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk

Japanese ground losses:
114 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 14 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
---------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Tandjoengpinang at 52,85
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 16 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes

Allied aircraft
Swordfish I x 11

No Allied losses

Aircraft Attacking:
11 x Swordfish I launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 18in Mk XII Torpedo

[larryfulkerson]

The rest of that TF finally reached Palembang and there was a landing of sorts. There's not enough troops on hand to push over the
Allied defenders yet so I'm going to have to support them via the air. Maybe I can drop some paratroops in the hex.

[larryfulkerson]

There was a small skirmish with an Allied CM but it was inconsequential but it did give a listing of the ships left in the Jap TF and it
appears that most of the escorts and about 2/3 of the transports are missing. That close pass by Singapore decimated the TF.