Notes from a Small Island

[Canoerebel]

10/7/44

Shikuka: Opening ASW clashes.

[Canoerebel]

10/7/44

Shikuka: USN sub Kraken plays and ASW role. The combat TF is part of Death Star.

[Canoerebel]

10/7/44

Shikuka: Two RO boats damaged.

[Canoerebel]

10/7/44

Shikuka: Two more USN sub hits on enemy subs. I-2 is probably mortally hit.

Right now, I have high detection on enemy subs. Eric doesn't have high detection because Allied CAP and weather has impeded his search aircraft.

[Canoerebel]

10/7/44

Shikuka: Death Star TFs get two confirmed kills. It doesn't appear that either sub got a shot off.

[Canoerebel]

10/7/44

Shikuka: That's it for the ASW/sub battles on the seventh. There are probably going to be a lot of air ASW "sub hit" reports, but due to sync issues, I won't know which, if any, are accurate.

I'll post again in awhile, showing the NoPac map, position of Death Star, and other details.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: witpqs

Vaguely seem to recall: aren't the asterisks just counters so the identical message is not repeated many times?

I've seen identical numbers of asterisks repeated, so it's not that.

Then maybe they're just a warning: "Watch your asterisk!".

[Canoerebel]

10/7/44

Shikuka: Positioning looks good. Death Star and The Herd are nearly at Shikuka, the second step in this campaign (the first step being to avoid a KB ambush and to effectively deal with enemy subs, both of which seem on target).

[JohnDillworth]

You seem to have mastered that hunter killer approach to submarines. Planes to figure out where they are and vector the ships to kill them

[Canoerebel]

10/7/44

Shikuka: Shikuka's fuel and supply stores were in good shape - 500k fuel, 1.2 million supply. Today, two xAK supply TFs arrived and began unloading, delivering 50k supply. Tomorrow, The Herd arrives with about 1.5 million supply and perhaps 250k fuel.

The Herd is also bringing reinforcements, mostly units prepped for Uruppu Jima. They will unload and serve garrison duty while other units prepare for amphibious ops in the Kuriles (D-Day not set yet - I'm mulling over several ideas).

To this point, things have gone well. Erik might be thinking the same: "Hah! He's back in the box canyon!"

With this much supply and fuel, the Allies can fight from this base of operations for months and months, if necessary. The biggest question I'm mulling over: use combined carrier and LBA fighter in large-scale sweeping operations, trying to beat up Erik's air force before initiating amphibious ops. Not sure yet, but there's some merit to that.

[Canoerebel]

One of my fears during this "entrance" op was that Erik would load up his airfields and coordinate strikes with KB. I wanted Allied 4EB to suppress the airfields. They did so with rather tepid results. Only Onnekotan is mostly shut down, with Paramushiro and Ketoi modestly damaged. The others are pristine. In a tight, I would have committed BB TFs to bombard. Erik didn't really use his airfields, so I didn't have to use my BBs. I was hesitant due to mines and the "naked feeling" of loan TFs going into these sub-infested waters.

[Canoerebel]

10/7/44

Shikuka: The "Roark's Drift hospital walking wounded" corps. CA Boston and two of these DDs were hastily formed into a last ditch combat TF when things got grimmest, about a week ago. Already heavily damaged, they got pummeled. Somehow, they made it back to port. Boston probably won't fight again in the war, but she's a mascot highly esteemed.

[Anachro]

40 float damage isnt too high for a cruiser and the 89 Sys damage is more quickly repaired. I can certainly see her making a reappearance unless you expect the situation to dramatically improve into an AV in the next few months. How much of the damage is major?

[Canoerebel]

40 major.

The main thing is that DS may stay in theater for months to come. So Boston may not get home until spring, and the trip will be hazardous.

But AV won't happen until late '45 or even into '46, so perhaps she'll fight again.

[Canoerebel]

10/7/44

Shikuka: Shikuka port has 550k fuel with 370k inbound on TKs. In addition, there's a host of AOs in port that still have a heckuva lot of fuel, and a handful of AOs with the Herd and Death Star. Fuel levels are very good since operations take place in such a confined area.

[FlyByKnight]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

10/7/44

Shikuka: The "Roark's Drift hospital walking wounded" corps. CA Boston and two of these DDs were hastily formed into a last ditch combat TF when things got grimmest, about a week ago. Already heavily damaged, they got pummeled. Somehow, they made it back to port. Boston probably won't fight again in the war, but she's a mascot highly esteemed.

Is their crew XP through the roof from all that fighting?

[Canoerebel]

10/7/44

CA Boston Stats: Good daylight rating, mediocre nighttime.

[Canoerebel]

2,050,000 supply inbound to Shikuka, with 1,250,000 there at present.

A percentage of the supply will be allocated for the Kuriles invasions, but supply should be good well into 1945.

[Canoerebel]

10/8/44

Shikuka: The eighth opens with two ASW attacks against this sub, which is badly damaged. It's the only sub encounter on the turn that Death Star and The Herd reach Shikuka.

As this turn unfolds, I'm considering variations or combinations of three short-term plans: (1) sweeping missions versus the Japanese fighter corps; (2) immediate invasion of the Kuriles; (3) sending DS and a host of ASW back to sea to hunt (and be hunted by) enemy subs.

[Canoerebel]

10/8/44

Shikuka: Allied sweeps and bombers tangle with heavy CAP over Paramushiro, resulting in about 1:1 losses. Allies will try again tomorrow.

Death Star and The Herd reach Shikuka without incident. All TFs replenish and refresh sorties. Unloading of the merchantmen didn't begin today - not enough ops points left.

Most amphibious assault troops are at Shikuka, but a few units are inbound from Toyohara and will need a couple of days to convert from Strat mode to Combat mode.

Except for air operations, the next few days should be quiet from my perspective. I need about four or five days to organize the first Kuriles invasion, assuming I proceed immediately, which I think I will.

Erik may choose a way to attack. I've tried to configure Death Star such that potential reactions won't be a negative.

KB and Kaigun seems at or south of Hokkaido.