Durnedwolf VS DOCUP - His mod Version 2.1

[durnedwolf]

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

Talk about small world, my late Mother-in-Law was from Bishop, CA.

Yup - a small world. I'm a Navy-Brat so as a kid we moved around a lot. When I was younger, I was working south of here in a town called Ridgecrest. I "migrated" to Bishop when an opportunity came a-knocking. It's been a pretty cool life so far.

[durnedwolf]

So I have a question:

[traskott]

Prtes fly from the AV are using the aircraft support of the ship. Specifically the ship seaplane support capacity..

[inqistor]

They fly from deck as long, as AV is operational (less, than 50 damage). This +13 is Float Planes support for Base, but planes flying from Base needs supply, so if you want to place supporting AV in dot, you have to unload some supply there first.

[durnedwolf]

ORIGINAL: inqistor

They fly from deck as long, as AV is operational (less, than 50 damage). This +13 is Float Planes support for Base, but planes flying from Base needs supply, so if you want to place supporting AV in dot, you have to unload some supply there first.

Thanks traskott & inqistor - I just wanted to make sure with the AV in port, the air support showed at the base, 13, can be used at the base and the Petes on the AV still have support to fly missions.

[durnedwolf]

So what's going on Thursday, December 18th, 1941? In Malaya I have the 25th Army, the 16th Army, and a couple of divisions of the Southern Army to push down towards Singapore.

The 15th Army and the Thai Army are pushing up to Burma.

The 14th Army plus support from the Southern Army are on northern coast of the Philippines and driving south towards Manila.

I'm gathering units near Babeldaob to drive along the gap between Celebes and Dutch New Guinea.

Sooooooo many of my combat air units are Claudes and Nates… I'm trying to dig my way out of that but, only 10 days in to the war, it's going to be about 6 months just to get build up Zero, Oscar-Ic, Fiat G 50, and BF109 production… The Fiat and BF109 are short-legged but they've got an armor rating of 1. And the 109 has a centre mounted 20mm with an Acc of 44.





Within the next six months my big gain in naval assets are a pair of BC & CB plus a pair of CV. Probably just as important is that I'll receive an additional 7 DD over that 6 months. Right now I have so many TFs running about with little more than PBs as escorts… Ugh.

I've been pushing a little too hard and Joe has caught a a couple of those lightly defended TFs. Fortunately for me, the TFs he's caught were empty, but still.

Guam is a much tougher nut to crack then I was hoping. In this mod the Philippines has its own armed forces. America is using Guam as its main base in that region of the map in place of Manila. Joe has about twenty subs swarmed around Guam, Tinian, and Saipan plus about 70 fighters at Guam. And of course Guam seems heavily mined. It's taken me a few days just to get Zeroes into the Marianas Islands so I can try to start sweeping the American fighters… And of course coordination totally sucks with fighter groups on sweep so it's going to be a painful process. I sent off the last turn to Joe on Saturday around midnight - maybe 0-dark-thirty Sunday, so I'm hoping to get a turn back on Monday. Our schedules seem to be heavily at odds so my expectation is that we'll be lucky to get in three to four turns per week. I'm not complaining - it's probably a good balance for me, what with real life and all.

[inqistor]

ORIGINAL: durnedwolf

It's taken me a few days just to get Zeroes into the Marianas Islands so I can try to start sweeping the American fighters… And of course coordination totally sucks with fighter groups on sweep so it's going to be a painful process.

Try LRCap, in addition to sweeping. You will have more planes over Base during sweep. Actually, that seems to be the only useful way to employ Nate/Claude. They can mostly win against poor pilots in Buffalo, and Dutch fighters. But even Chinese I-15 can defeat them. In most cases, they can disperse unescorted bomber raid, but rarely will shot anything down.

[durnedwolf]

ORIGINAL: inqistor

ORIGINAL: durnedwolf

It's taken me a few days just to get Zeroes into the Marianas Islands so I can try to start sweeping the American fighters… And of course coordination totally sucks with fighter groups on sweep so it's going to be a painful process.

Try LRCap, in addition to sweeping. You will have more planes over Base during sweep. Actually, that seems to be the only useful way to employ Nate/Claude. They can mostly win against poor pilots in Buffalo, and Dutch fighters. But even Chinese I-15 can defeat them. In most cases, they can disperse unescorted bomber raid, but rarely will shot anything down.

Well I gave that a try. I lost a lot of Cluade... lol. The side effect tho was that my Zeroes came in at the tail end of all the attacks; there were few enemy fighters left to engage as about half of what I saw during the initial combat must have been down on the AF refueling or rearming...

[durnedwolf]

So I've got two TFs of DMS removing mines from Hong Kong. I wanna grab the 33rd Div. of the 16th Army for use against Singapore.

The RO-33 put two fish into the xAKL Sarangami - a bit of overkill as she also fired with her deck gun, putting an additional 24 shells into the xAKL.

The Guam air attacks went off but my results were roughly 50/50. This was using LRCAP over Guam and most of the losses were Claude and Oscar.

I had a flight of 9 Ki-30 run into a CAP-trap near Ichang. The AVG dined on Ann.

In the PI at Manila I'm flying Betty uncontested. Those airfields are looking like Swiss cheese...

I captured Wenchow today. It was undefended, the two enemy LCU can be seen beating feet to the NW.

Ground combat at Wenchow (89,58)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 4559 troops, 70 guns, 99 vehicles, Assault Value = 194

Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 0

Japanese adjusted assault: 191

Allied adjusted defense: 1

Japanese assault odds: 191 to 1 (fort level 3)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Wenchow !!!

Combat modifiers
Attacker:

Assaulting units:
21st IT Indp Tank B Battalion
1st San Marco Regiment


In other exciting news, Japan's merchant marines receive badly needed reinforcements... < dripping a little sarcasim here >

[durnedwolf]

Saturday, 20 December, 1941

Today the wussy Belgian Government, which is in exile, declares war on Japan. "Hah!" Yamamato is quoted as saying. "Let them get out of exile before they speak to us. The Belgian Government is like an old lady gumming a strip of dried fish; their declaration has no teeth."

Sibolga, in Sumatra, falls to Italian forces. There were no defenders. Just saying…

In China there are two engagements between Japan and the rabble the Chinese have the nerve to call armed forces… The 30th Chinese Corps retreats towards Nanyang after gettng spanked by the 13th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, and the 10th Group Army takes 10:1 loses from the 2nd Indian Mixed Rgt before retreating towards Chusien.

I'm still clearing mines at Hong Kong…

I'm still pounding Manila AF

There's still a contest for control over the skies of Guam…

A little positive sub action:
Submarine attack near Balikpapan at 64,98

Japanese Ships
SS I-154

Allied Ships
xAKL Montanes, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

xAKL Montanes is sighted by SS I-154
SS I-154 launches 2 torpedoes at xAKL Montanes



New Merchant Ships:
AMC Kiyosumi Maru arrives at Osaka/Kyoto
xAK Rozan Maru arrives at Yokohama/Yokosuka

[durnedwolf]

Sunday, 21 December, 1941

On Sunday the Chicago Bears beat the New York Giants 37-9 in the NFL Championship Game at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Laid that "Sleeping Giant" out. That's gotta be a good omen - yes?





More ships arrive, fresh from the builder docks:
xAKL Amoy Maru arrives at Amoy
xAK Yulin Maru arrives at Bangkok

More mines are removed at Hong Kong.

Things are heating up near Guam. The allies run a CL and 4 DD to bombard Tinian at night!
Night Naval bombardment of Tinian at 108,94 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
A5M4 Claude: 1 damaged
HE 100d: 2 damaged
G3M2 Nell : 2 damaged
G3M2 Nell : 2 destroyed on ground
H6K4 Mavis: 4 damaged

6 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Allied Ships
CL Concord
DD S.P. Lee
DD Woodbury
DD Delphy
DD John D. Ford

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

Airbase hits 6
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 17
Port hits 6

SOC-1 Seagull acting as spotter for CL Concord
CL Concord firing at 5th Base Force
5th Base Force firing at CL Concord
DD S.P. Lee firing at 1st China Assault Division
DD Woodbury firing at Tinian
DD Delphy firing at Tinian
DD John D. Ford firing at 1st China Assault Division

Near Chuhsien @ 89,56 The 22nd Div. Shock-Attacks the 25th Group Army. The Chinese unit was smashed.

[durnedwolf]

Friday, 25 December, 1941

I went through my merchant shipping and converted about thirty ships to PBs. I need the escorts.

I've been a little cocky with some of my air missions, forgoing fighter support as I try to upgrade squadrons to something better than the Nates and Claudes that are the vast majority of what Japan starts out with. There's just not a lot of Zeroes at the start of the war. I'm ramping things up but… I need to quite pushing the envelope as my LB production is nothing to brag about either.

Units continue to push down towards Babeldaob and Truk as I gear up to try and drive that wedge in just north of Oz to cut off everything around Java, Borneo, Sumatra, and Singapore.

I've got a secondary mission prepping for the Aleutians that's just kicking off.

So a snippet from the Combat Report that I thought was pretty cool:

Sub vs Sub: SS I-166 attacking SS KVII at 70,107 - near Kendari

Japanese Ships
SS I-166

Allied Ships
SS KVII, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

SS I-166 launches 2 torpedoes at 3,000 yards

I almost never get to kill an allied sub with one of my Japanese subs, and to get one of those Dutch subs with the good torpedoes totally rocks!

Combat Events and the Operational Report showed that I picked up a couple more xAK. Also, there's a lot of detection notices from both sides. Joe has a good search network going on.

I just sent the turn to Joe. I was hoping we could flip a few turns over the weekend but it looks like he's working it. Oh well, I'm sure there will be opportunities later.

[durnedwolf]

Naval Combat near Moluccas:
I was using TF130(1CVE 1BB 2CA 1CS 4DD) to go after enemy ships I saw near Ambon on the 25th. TF130 was near Gebe, a dot hex near Moluccas. Was I ever surprised to see my little Torpedo AG get smacked down from 12 AC to 5. I didn't think Joe had anything in this area - yikes! I pulled TF130 SE near Sorong. I also swapped the Chitose TB AG with CTF Det T-1 In the snapshot you can see three TF that shot across to spring a trap.




From the Combat Report:
Morning Air attack on TF, near Sorong at 83,106

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 20 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 5

Allied aircraft
Swordfish II x 15
Fulmar II x 10
F2A-3 Buffalo x 6
SBD-3 Dauntless x 5

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Swordfish II: 2 damaged
Swordfish II: 1 destroyed by flak
Fulmar II: 2 destroyed
F2A-3 Buffalo: 1 destroyed
SBD-3 Dauntless: 3 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Fuso, Torpedo hits 1
CVE Chitose, Bomb hits 1, on fire

Aircraft Attacking:
1 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 4000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
5 x Swordfish II bombing from 10000 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 500 lb SAP Bomb
10 x Swordfish II launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 18in Mk XII Torpedo
4 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb

CAP engaged:
Chitose-1 with A6M2 Zero (1 airborne, 4 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters to 12000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 7 minutes


Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Sorong at 83,106

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 27 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 15

Allied aircraft
Swordfish II x 4
Fulmar II x 8
F2A-3 Buffalo x 3
SBD-3 Dauntless x 3

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Swordfish II: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged
Fulmar II: 2 destroyed
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed by flak

Japanese Ships
CVE Chitose, on fire

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
1 x Swordfish II bombing from 10000 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 500 lb SAP Bomb

CAP engaged:
Chitose-1 with A6M2 Zero (1 airborne, 4 on standby, 10 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 7000 and 14000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 31 minutes


So I'm trying to pull TF130 out of the area. In an email to Joe I said I needed to "limp" my TF back home. We'll see if he bites on that or not. I won't drive in after him if he pops back in to the DEI - I just don't have the air strength since all of my carrier capability is CVE and CS but if he pops out after TF130 I think I've got a good chance to put a stronger hurt upon his ships than mine.





Guam:
Sweeps again. Looks like I did alright. It's like chopping wood.

Morning Air attack on Guam , at 106,95

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 26 NM, estimated altitude 31,070 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 19

Allied aircraft
P-36C Hawk x 2
P-39D Airacobra x 21
P-40B Warhawk x 20
P-40E Warhawk x 26

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-40B Warhawk: 2 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed

CAP engaged:
24th PG/17th PS with P-39D Airacobra (0 airborne, 4 on standby, 15 scrambling)
2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 43000 , scrambling fighters between 25000 and 35000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 27 minutes
24th PG/20th PS with P-40B Warhawk (0 airborne, 4 on standby, 14 scrambling)
2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 10000 and 28700.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 38 minutes
35th PG/21st PS with P-40E Warhawk (0 airborne, 4 on standby, 14 scrambling)
2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 10000 and 26600.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 46 minutes
35th PG/34th PS with P-40E Warhawk (0 airborne, 4 on standby, 0 scrambling)
2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 10000 and 26600.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 19 minutes
24th PG/Hq Sqn with P-36C Hawk (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 5000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 5000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 13 minutes

So in these reports you can see Joe is using a layered defense for his CAP.

Morning Air attack on Guam , at 106,95

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 85 NM, estimated altitude 32,070 feet.
Estimated time to target is 28 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 5

Allied aircraft
P-36C Hawk x 2
P-39D Airacobra x 21
P-40B Warhawk x 12
P-40E Warhawk x 19

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-36C Hawk: 1 destroyed
P-40B Warhawk: 1 destroyed

CAP engaged:
24th PG/17th PS with P-39D Airacobra (0 airborne, 2 on standby, 12 scrambling)
7 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 43000 , scrambling fighters between 11000 and 28000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 33 minutes
35th PG/34th PS with P-40E Warhawk (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
4 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 20740 and 26600.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 10 minutes
24th PG/Hq Sqn with P-36C Hawk (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 2 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 5000 , scrambling fighters to 13000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 6 minutes
24th PG/20th PS with P-40B Warhawk (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 3 scrambling)
6 plane(s) not yet engaged, 3 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 11000 and 28700.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 24 minutes
35th PG/21st PS with P-40E Warhawk (0 airborne, 2 on standby, 3 scrambling)
7 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 3 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 10000 and 26600.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 36 minutes


Morning Air attack on Guam , at 106,95

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 37 NM, estimated altitude 31,070 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 45

Allied aircraft
P-36C Hawk x 1
P-39D Airacobra x 21
P-40B Warhawk x 9
P-40E Warhawk x 19

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-39D Airacobra: 1 destroyed
P-40B Warhawk: 1 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed

Aircraft Attacking:
17 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 29070 feet

CAP engaged:
24th PG/17th PS with P-39D Airacobra (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 6 scrambling)
11 plane(s) not yet engaged, 4 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 43000 , scrambling fighters between 11000 and 31000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 30 minutes
35th PG/34th PS with P-40E Warhawk (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) not yet engaged, 3 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 14000 and 26600.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 8 minutes
24th PG/Hq Sqn with P-36C Hawk (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 5000 , scrambling fighters to 13000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 17 minutes
24th PG/20th PS with P-40B Warhawk (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 4 scrambling)
3 plane(s) not yet engaged, 2 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 13000 and 30070.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 24 minutes
35th PG/21st PS with P-40E Warhawk (1 airborne, 2 on standby, 3 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 6 being recalled, 1 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 10000 and 26000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 43 minutes

[durnedwolf]

27 DEC 41
TF130 has a brief encounter at night with an enemy SCTF but manages to elude it. My WAG is that the FP flying N_Search @ Night helped my TF slip past. TF 157 joined and they'll soon be safe at Babeldaob. And Max Reaction was at 0.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Sansapor at 86,104, Range 10,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CS Mizuho
CVE Chitose
BB Fuso
CA Myoko
CA Haguro
DD Shigure
DD Hatsuharu
DD Nenohi
DD Hatsushima

Allied Ships
DD Piet Hein
DD Tjerk Hiddes
DD Gerard Callenburgh
BC Gouden Leeuw


Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions and 64% moonlight: 11,000 yards
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 10,000 yards
Japanese TF attempts to evade combat
Range increases to 11,000 yards...
Range increases to 12,000 yards...
Range increases to 12,000 yards...
Japanese Task Force Manages to Escape
Japanese Air Combat TF evades combat


My 3 AG of Betty at Babeldaob? They all flew with bombs. In the afternoon I peppered a BC with a few 60 kg. bombs… I was bummed.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Sorong at 82,107

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 31

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
BC Gouden Leeuw, Bomb hits 2

Aircraft Attacking:
18 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 9000 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb
13 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 9000 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb




TF130 did join up with TF157 and they're headed toward Babeladob.

No HQa at Babeldaob hurt me, I think. I mean I've got plenty of supplies and the base and port are of decent size - just no torpedoes. I thought there was something about better odds with torpedoes for Naval Attack if your base has plenty of supplies and the AF is 3 or better. Either I am wrong or I just rolled bad dice that turn. Anyway - I'm running up a HQa from Takao. It's probably too late to make a difference in current naval actions but in truth, since that's where I'm trying to make my push, I should have moved a HQa unit in that region earlier. It's that 20-20 hindsight.

The bottle-neck for the BF109 is the Ha-34 engine. I've bumped up my production but it's a slow process.

For Army fighters I'm trying to push the Oscar, Fiat G.50 Bis, IMAM Ro. 57 bis, BF109 T2, and ME110. The BF 109 has armor and centre-mounted guns and the ME110C-4 has two CL Mounted 20mm and four CL Mounted 7.9mm guns. The Fiat G.50 Bis has Armor and a pair of 12.7mm CL mounted guns. The IMAM Ro. 57 Bis has a GV of 14 and a SR of 2 but still - I'll take the SR hit to swap out Oscars with their 6GV for the 14 GV of the IMAM ant day of the week.

For Naval fighters I'm working the Zero, BF109, and the HE100d.
What I'm hoping for is to replace most of my Army fighter AG with the ME110C-4 and the Fiat G.50. I'll try to swap out Zeroes for the CV capable BF109 and the Non-CV HE 100d for base defense. The HE 100d has a SR of 3 but is faster and has a higher ceiling. Range sucks on the HE 100d though - so I really see it as a CAP fighter.

[durnedwolf]

So the RO-65 attacks the xAKL Oriskany near Namlea twice, each time putting a torpedo into her side. I heard glug-glug sounds.

I used a Fast Transport TF to move troops to Kudat. In-and-out operations - that's the way to do things.

Near Soc Trang the SS Monge bit into an Amphibious TF, sinking the xAK Bunan Maru. I recovered something like 900 troops and then the TF headed off to the deployment destination. It's not bad enough the allies have Dutch subs with good torps but now they've got French subs with good torpedoes too…

In China Joe has troops in clear hexes fleeing my Imperial wrath. They make great practice for my bomber air groups.

I lost a few Ida and Sonia at Liuchow due to a lack of escorts. I presume it's the low experience of most of my air groups in China. Near Changsha Joe added the AVG to bolster the CAP. I paid the price.

Pucheng was occupied by the Japanese.

From the Operational Report:
• Loss of xAK Bunzan Maru on Dec 28, 1941 is admitted
• SS Cebu is reported to have been sunk near Tawi Tawi on Dec 21, 1941
• xAK Taizan Maru arrives at Amoy
• xAKL Oriskany is reported to have been sunk near Namlea on Dec 28, 1941

And the exciting news from the SIG INT Report?
• Heavy Volume of Radio transmissions detected at Seattle (212,52).
• Radio transmissions detected at Bataan (78,77).
• Heavy Volume of Radio transmissions detected at Batavia (49,98).
• Heavy Volume of Radio transmissions detected at Pearl Harbor (180,107).
• Radio transmissions detected at Tacoma (211,53).
• Heavy Volume of Radio transmissions detected at Tarakan (67,91).

[durnedwolf]

29 DEC 41

Look what I found near the French Frigate Shoal?
ASW attack near French Frigate Shoal at 169,99

Japanese Ships
SS I-15

Allied Ships
CA Minneapolis
DD Jarvis
DD Patterson
DD Henley
DD Ralph Talbot

SS I-15 is sighted by escort
I-15 diving deep ....
DD Jarvis fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Patterson fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Henley fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Ralph Talbot fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Henley fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Henley fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Henley attacking submerged sub ....
DD Henley cannot reach attack position over SS I-15
DD Henley cannot reach attack position over SS I-15
DD Henley loses contact with SS I-15
DD Henley loses contact with SS I-15
DD Henley fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

So I'm building up Chiang Mai with the intent of supplying air operations for my drive into Burma. Joe has taken notice and flew a Sweep with an AG of P-39D - bagging a few Nate and Hawk II fighters.

Joe was kind of aggressive this turn, tossing in a few fighter traps. In truth, Japan starts out with loads of Claudes and Nates. Heck - the Oscar Ic is an upgrade and I'm working to build a few to tied me over until the Ha-34 production kicks in to high gear.

Not much else to write home about. I've got the III/66th Naval Guard Unit at Boela and Joe's using the base to increase bomber experience.

I'm getting a few ground units here and there in dribs and drabs

It's cool to get another AS - that helps me push my search coverage.
AMC Akagi Maru arrives at Osaka/Kyoto
AS Heian Maru arrives at Kobe
xAP Kachidoki Maru arrives at Shanghai

And I occupied Kudat, another bunch of happy campers joining the co-prosperity initiative.

[durnedwolf]

30 DEC 41
I tried some night attacks of Guam's air field from Babeldaob. There were few results but I think that announcing I had Betties at Babeldaob and fielded multiple night-time attacks might-could force Joe to split an air group or two of fighters to night CAP.

In China I'm tapping some of his LCU that are out in the open with my big-boy bombers and to pretty good effect.

In the PI I hit Manila again. There's no CAP or defense - I'm just forcing him to use supplies for repairs. I swept Clark Field too.

Joe is still hitting Boela with his bombers. And I still can't field a CAP for that base.

I moved most of my fighters over to the Guam campaign. I fended off a pair of B-17D air groups over Babeldaob with float planes - lol. They didn't do bad; reports show they damaged one of those 4E bombers.

I got my carrier group too close to Guam tho - and they sortied against the port. That sucked. I lost a few Vals, Kates, and Zeroes to that fiasco.

The big news of the day was that Moulmein fell. The 55th Division rolled in to an empty base. Kind of anti-calamitic.

Cabanatuan rolled over and is now flying Japanese colors.

And I picked up some new troops:
• 28th Mountain Gun Regiment arrives at Harbin
• Maizuru 2nd SNLF arrives at Kwajalein Island
• II/84th Naval Guard Unit arrives at Saipan
• 31st Special Base Force arrives at Takao
• Wotje Base Force arrives at Wotje
• Kwajalein Base Force arrives at Kwajalein Island
• Jaluit Base Force arrives at Jaluit
• Maloelap Base Force arrives at Maloelap


31 DEC 41

And on New Year's Eve there was little peace to be found on Earth…

That stupid French sub, the Le Heros, put a pair of torps into one of my PBs in an ASW TF. Either the commanding officer of the PB Koei Maru was sailing along dumb, fat, and happy or the Le Heros was lucky.

So I've had a lot of large ships sitting in Saipan as I was a-scared of all them gosh-darned subs Joe has all over the area. He has about 10-15 of them all around the isles… He sends a few B-26 on night-time attack just to show he can play the night-game too. One of those 500 lb. bombs taps my BB Settu. And that one bomb put some hurt on the ol' lady… grrr. Imma gunna have to risk them durned Yankee subs…

The I-175 was patrolling around Prince Rupert to see if he was in a can. While they were unable to confirm Prince Rupert's whereabouts, they did break surface to put a few shells and a couple of torps into the hapless xAKL Kentuckian. I like an aggressive commander on a sub; they're so much fun to watch.

So my bombings in Chine that I was mentioning on the 30th? Rinse and repeat.

Over Guam we traded fighters, my Sweepers to his CAPpers. I think I came out on the short end of the stick. I fielded an air group of BF109s. I like them; they have armor.

Treasury Island is occupied by loyal Japanese, or so they tell me.

In other exciting news:
• Luft Hansa Tsingtao Engineer Aviation Battalion withdraws out of theatre
• Luft Hansa Hangchow Engineer Aviation Battalion withdraws out of theatre
• Luft Hansa Nagasaki Engineer Aviation Battalion withdraws out of theatre
• Loss of PB Koei Maru on Dec 31, 1941 is admitted
• xAK Toko Maru arrives at Tokyo
• xAKL Kentuckian is reported to have been sunk near Prince Rupert on Dec 31, 1941



1 JAN 42
And a new year was given to mankind and still they fought and squabbled. Mankind doesn't appreciate nuthin'.

Over near Siquijor (now ain't that a hum-dinger of a name) the U-31 plugs a torp into an xAKL, the Sigli.

At Guam I sortied my thumpers - four mighty battleships with the Settsu in the lead. She had some getting' even to do!

First they got them some light stuff, a pair off AM. And then they danced with the guppies (some PT boats). But after that, they laid down the wrath of the gods… (or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

Afterwards I sent them off towards Japan.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Guam at 106,95, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Settsu
BB Ise
BB Hyuga
CL Nagara
CL Kiso
DD Umikaze
DD Suzukaze
BB Kawachi
DD Isonami
DD Shiokaze
DD Yakaze
TB Kari

Allied Ships
AM Bittern, Shell hits 7, and is sunk
AM Penguin, Shell hits 4, and is sunk

Improved night sighting under 100% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions and 100% moonlight: 11,000 yards
Range closes to 11,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 11,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 11,000 yards
Massive explosion on AM Penguin
BB Kawachi engages AM Penguin at 11,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages AM Bittern at 11,000 yards
BB Ise engages AM Penguin at 11,000 yards
Massive explosion on AM Penguin
BB Kawachi engages AM Penguin at 11,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages AM Penguin at 11,000 yards
DD Umikaze engages AM Bittern at 11,000 yards
Range increases to 12,000 yards
AM Penguin sunk by BB Kawachi at 12,000 yards
Range closes to 11,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages AM Bittern at 11,000 yards
DD Umikaze engages AM Bittern at 11,000 yards
Range closes to 10,000 yards
AM Bittern sunk by BB Kawachi at 10,000 yards
Combat ends with last Allied ship sunk...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Guam at 106,95, Range 10,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Settsu
BB Ise
BB Hyuga
CL Nagara
CL Kiso
DD Umikaze
DD Suzukaze
BB Kawachi
DD Isonami
DD Shiokaze
DD Yakaze
TB Kari

Allied Ships
PT-26
PT-27
PT-28
PT-29
PT-30
PT-42

Improved night sighting under 100% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions and 100% moonlight: 11,000 yards
Range closes to 10,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 10,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 10,000 yards
PT-30 engages TB Kari at 10,000 yards
BB Settsu engages PT-42 at 10,000 yards
DD Yakaze engages PT-30 at 10,000 yards
DD Shiokaze engages PT-30 at 10,000 yards
DD Isonami engages PT-42 at 10,000 yards
TB Kari engages PT-29 at 10,000 yards
Range increases to 11,000 yards
PT-42 engages TB Kari at 11,000 yards
BB Hyuga engages PT-42 at 11,000 yards
DD Umikaze engages PT-42 at 11,000 yards
TB Kari engages PT-29 at 11,000 yards
Task forces break off...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Guam at 106,95, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Settsu
BB Ise
BB Hyuga
CL Nagara
CL Kiso
DD Umikaze
DD Suzukaze
BB Kawachi
DD Isonami
DD Shiokaze
DD Yakaze
TB Kari

Allied Ships
PT-20
PT-21
PT-22
PT-23
PT-24
PT-25

Improved night sighting under 100% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions and 100% moonlight: 11,000 yards
Range closes to 11,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 11,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 11,000 yards
TB Kari engages PT-25 at 11,000 yards
DD Umikaze engages PT-25 at 11,000 yards
TB Kari engages PT-21 at 11,000 yards
DD Shiokaze engages PT-21 at 11,000 yards
DD Isonami engages PT-21 at 11,000 yards
DD Suzukaze engages PT-25 at 11,000 yards
DD Umikaze engages PT-25 at 11,000 yards
PT-25 engages TB Kari at 11,000 yards
Task forces break off...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Naval bombardment of Guam at 106,95

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
P-40E Warhawk: 17 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 3 destroyed on ground
B-26 Marauder: 8 damaged
B-26 Marauder: 1 destroyed on ground
F2A-3 Buffalo: 6 damaged
F2A-3 Buffalo: 2 destroyed on ground
B-26B1 Marauder: 15 damaged
B-26B1 Marauder: 1 destroyed on ground
B-17E Fortress: 40 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed on ground
B-17D Fortress: 10 damaged
B-17D Fortress: 1 destroyed on ground
P-40B Warhawk: 3 damaged
P-40B Warhawk: 2 destroyed on ground
P-39D Airacobra: 5 damaged
P-39D Airacobra: 2 destroyed on ground
O-47A: 1 damaged
O-47A: 1 destroyed on ground
PBY-4 Catalina: 1 damaged
PBY-4 Catalina: 1 destroyed on ground
B-25B Mitchell: 5 damaged
Hudson III (LR): 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Hyuga
BB Ise

Allied ground losses:
702 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 24 destroyed, 39 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 17 (2 destroyed, 15 disabled)
Vehicles lost 14 (3 destroyed, 11 disabled)

Airbase hits 8
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 35

E8N2 Dave acting as spotter for BB Hyuga
BB Hyuga firing at Guam
BB Ise firing at Guam

I got a few sweeps in and lemme tell you - that bombardment sure did help some.

China - rinse-and-repeat. Same with the PI.

And in other exciting news:
• AM Bittern is reported to have been sunk near Guam on Jan 01, 1942
• AM Penguin is reported to have been sunk near Guam on Jan 01, 1942
• xAKL Sigli is reported to have been sunk near Siquijor on Jan 01, 1942
• 37th JNAF AF Unit arrives at Tokyo

2 JAN 42
So on the 2nd day of the new year we had Bombardment TFs pass by during the night. I sent a CB and a pair of CA to Kwangchowan and Joe sent a BC, a pair of CL, and four DD to Miri. I'd kinda call it a draw; what do you think?

Night Naval bombardment of Kwangchowan at 73,60

Japanese Ships
CB Nino Bixio
CA Trieste
CA Trento

Light Industry hits 1
Manpower hits 1
Fires 409
Airbase hits 4
Airbase supply hits 6
Runway hits 17
Port hits 6

Imam 43 acting as spotter for CB Nino Bixio
CB Nino Bixio firing at Kwangchowan
CA Trieste firing at Kwangchowan
CA Trento firing at Kwangchowan


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Naval bombardment of Miri at 64,87

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-27b Nate: 15 damaged
Ki-27b Nate: 2 destroyed on ground

Allied Ships
BC Aemilia
CL Belfast
CL Glasgow
DD Jupiter
DD Isis
DD Encounter
DD Electra

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

Oil hits 1
Airbase hits 11
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 15
Port hits 4
Port fuel hits 2
Port supply hits 3

C.XI-W acting as spotter for BC Aemilia
BC Aemilia firing at Miri
CL Belfast firing at Miri
CL Glasgow firing at Miri
DD Jupiter firing at Miri
DD Isis firing at 97th JAAF AF Bn
DD Encounter firing at Miri
DD Electra firing at Miri

I landed troops at Attu Island.

And I sent my Betty in from Babeldaob and put all of my fighter groups on Sweep or escort. All the bombers attacked first. All my sweepers swept second. I never did see one of my fighter groups escort them bombers…. Things coulda been rough but Joe never put his CAP up. I'm happy to report that my Betty did some damage.

Morning Air attack on Guam , at 106,95

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 119 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 41 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G3M2 Nell x 9
G4M1 Betty x 47

Allied aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 2 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
F2A-3 Buffalo: 14 damaged
F2A-3 Buffalo: 1 destroyed on ground
B-26B1 Marauder: 24 damaged
B-26B1 Marauder: 1 destroyed on ground
PBY-4 Catalina: 11 damaged
P-39D Airacobra: 4 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 5 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed on ground
P-40E Warhawk: 6 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 2 destroyed on ground
Hudson III (LR): 2 damaged
Hudson III (LR): 1 destroyed on ground
B-25B Mitchell: 5 damaged
B-25B Mitchell: 1 destroyed on ground
B-17D Fortress: 15 damaged
TBD-1 Devastator: 7 damaged
TBD-1 Devastator: 1 destroyed on ground
B-26 Marauder: 7 damaged
B-26 Marauder: 1 destroyed on ground
O-47A: 1 damaged
O-47A: 1 destroyed on ground

Airbase hits 21
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 38

Aircraft Attacking:
17 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 9000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb
10 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 9000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb
20 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 9000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb
9 x G3M2 Nell bombing from 9000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Guam , at 106,95

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 62 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 21 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 12

Allied aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 2 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 2 damaged
B-26B1 Marauder: 3 damaged
B-26B1 Marauder: 1 destroyed on ground
P-40E Warhawk: 1 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground
B-26 Marauder: 4 damaged
B-17D Fortress: 3 damaged
P-40B Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground
F2A-3 Buffalo: 1 damaged
F2A-3 Buffalo: 1 destroyed on ground

Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 5

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 9000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb

At Hwaiyin I kicked out a pair of enemy LCU squatters. Hwaiyin belongs to Japan - just saying…

And over near Sinyang I made me a miss-stake. My intel showed about 6 enemy LCU and I just got it in my head they was them piddly little one-assault-strength units someone came up with to try and slow down the Imperial Japanese Juggernaut. Boy was I wrong!

Ground combat at 86,47 (near Sinyang)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 18556 troops, 148 guns, 15 vehicles, Assault Value = 947

Defending force 37341 troops, 195 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 945

Japanese adjusted assault: 211

Allied adjusted defense: 299

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2

Combat modifiers
Defender: experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+), fatigue(-)

Japanese ground losses:
4194 casualties reported
Squads: 12 destroyed, 495 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 25 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 37 disabled
Guns lost 31 (1 destroyed, 30 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
482 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 47 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Assaulting units:
35th Division
116th Division
1st Ind.Mixed Brigade

Defending units:
12th Chinese Corps
84th Chinese Corps
29th Chinese Corps
48th Chinese Corps
7th Chinese Corps
7th New Chinese Corps
21st Group Army
3rd Group Army
31st Group Army

And in other exciting news:
• SS I-175 leaving patrol zone to replenish at Hakodate
• Ulan Melintang is occupied by the Japanese
• Task Force 99 slows down to allow meeting TF 117 to catch up
• III/84th Naval Guard Unit arrives at Saipan

[Bif1961]

His airfield must be horribly over stacked for you to have those types of results with those few bombers.

[durnedwolf]

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

His airfield must be horribly over stacked for you to have those types of results with those few bombers.

yup - I think that a lot of that came from the PI. Works for me tho - The naval bombardment did the first part - now I think I can keep things up with the bombers from Babeldaob. In truth I shoulda sent those battleships in for the bombardment much earlier. I was just freaked out over seeing 15 or so subs patrolling the waters around Guam.

[durnedwolf]

Joe gets in a Naval Bombardment @ Moulmein

Night Naval bombardment of Moulmein at 55,55

Allied Ships
CA Exeter
DD Kipling
DD Kimberly
DD Kingston
DD Kelvin

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

Seagull V acting as spotter for CB Shannon
CA Exeter firing at 55th Division
DD Kipling firing at 55th Division
DD Kimberly firing at 55th Division
DD Kingston firing at 55th Division
DD Kelvin firing at 55th Division

And for some reason he invades\captures Woleai. That was a surprise.

Amphibious Assault at Woleai (101,103)

TF 293 troops unloading over beach at Woleai, 101,103

Allied ground losses:
61 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Woleai (101,103)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 215 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 11

Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 0

Allied adjusted assault: 10

Japanese adjusted defense: 1

Allied assault odds: 10 to 1 (fort level 0)

Allied forces CAPTURE Woleai !!!

Combat modifiers
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(-)

Assaulting units:
1/31st Infantry Bn /4


And then a single CL, the Concord, finds a Transport TF I'm sending to Babeladob and pummels the living crap out of it. I assume the only reason why any of my ships got away is that the Concord ran out of bullets…

Day Time Surface Combat, near Iwo-jima at 98,82, Range 23,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
PC PB-65
PC PB-69, Shell hits 2
PC PB-72, Shell hits 5, heavy fires
PB Chosa Maru
xAK Azumasan Maru, Shell hits 21, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Katuragi Maru, Shell hits 11, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Arimasan Maru, Shell hits 9, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Maebasi Maru, Shell hits 5, on fire
xAK Mito Maru, Shell hits 3, heavy fires
xAK Tarayasu Maru

Allied Ships
CL Concord, Shell hits 5

Japanese ground losses:
674 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 30 destroyed, 31 disabled
Engineers: 5 destroyed, 4 disabled

Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions: 28,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 25,000 yards
Range closes to 23,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 23,000 yards
Range closes to 21,000 yards
CL Concord engages PC PB-72 at 21,000 yards
Range closes to 19,000 yards
Range closes to 17,000 yards
CL Concord engages PC PB-72 at 17,000 yards
Range closes to 15,000 yards
CL Concord engages PC PB-72 at 15,000 yards
CL Concord engages PC PB-65 at 15,000 yards
Range closes to 11,000 yards
CL Concord engages PC PB-72 at 11,000 yards
CL Concord engages xAK Katuragi Maru at 11,000 yards
Range closes to 7,000 yards
PC PB-72 engages CL Concord at 7,000 yards
PC PB-72 engages CL Concord at 7,000 yards
xAK Tarayasu Maru , xAK Mito Maru , xAK Maebasi Maru ,
xAK Arimasan Maru screened from combat
- escorted by PC PB-69 , PC PB-65
CL Concord engages PC PB-72 at 7,000 yards
Range closes to 6,000 yards
CL Concord engages PC PB-72 at 6,000 yards
CL Concord engages xAK Mito Maru at 6,000 yards
CL Concord engages xAK Arimasan Maru at 6,000 yards
Range closes to 5,000 yards
xAK Tarayasu Maru screened from combat
CL Concord engages xAK Azumasan Maru at 5,000 yards
CL Concord engages PC PB-69 at 5,000 yards
xAK Tarayasu Maru , xAK Mito Maru , xAK Maebasi Maru ,
xAK Arimasan Maru , xAK Katuragi Maru screened from combat
- escorted by PC PB-69 , PC PB-65
CL Concord engages xAK Azumasan Maru at 5,000 yards
CL Concord engages xAK Azumasan Maru at 5,000 yards
CL Concord engages xAK Katuragi Maru at 5,000 yards
CL Concord engages PB Chosa Maru at 5,000 yards
xAK Tarayasu Maru screened from combat
CL Concord engages xAK Mito Maru at 5,000 yards
PC PB-69 engages CL Concord at 5,000 yards
CL Concord engages xAK Katuragi Maru at 5,000 yards
Range closes to 3,000 yards
xAK Tarayasu Maru screened from combat
Massive explosion on PC PB-72
CL Concord engages PC PB-72 at 3,000 yards
CL Concord engages xAK Arimasan Maru at 3,000 yards
Range closes to 2,000 yards
xAK Tarayasu Maru , xAK Mito Maru , xAK Maebasi Maru screened from combat
- escorted by PC PB-72
PC PB-69 engages CL Concord at 2,000 yards
CL Concord engages PB Chosa Maru at 2,000 yards
CL Concord engages xAK Katuragi Maru at 2,000 yards
CL Concord engages xAK Azumasan Maru at 2,000 yards
CL Concord engages xAK Maebasi Maru at 2,000 yards
CL Concord engages xAK Azumasan Maru at 2,000 yards
Birkenbach, R.A. orders Allied TF to disengage
Range increases to 3,000 yards
xAK Tarayasu Maru , xAK Mito Maru screened from combat
- escorted by PC PB-69
CL Concord engages xAK Maebasi Maru at 3,000 yards
CL Concord engages xAK Arimasan Maru at 3,000 yards
CL Concord engages xAK Katuragi Maru at 3,000 yards
Range increases to 8,000 yards
CL Concord engages PC PB-72 at 8,000 yards
CL Concord engages xAK Maebasi Maru at 8,000 yards
CL Concord engages xAK Arimasan Maru at 8,000 yards
Range increases to 12,000 yards
xAK Tarayasu Maru , xAK Mito Maru screened from combat
- escorted by PC PB-72
CL Concord engages PC PB-69 at 12,000 yards
CL Concord engages xAK Azumasan Maru at 12,000 yards
Range increases to 18,000 yards
xAK Tarayasu Maru , xAK Mito Maru screened from combat
- escorted by PC PB-65
CL Concord engages PB Chosa Maru at 18,000 yards
CL Concord engages xAK Katuragi Maru at 18,000 yards
Range increases to 21,000 yards
xAK Tarayasu Maru , xAK Mito Maru , xAK Maebasi Maru ,
xAK Arimasan Maru , xAK Katuragi Maru screened from combat
- escorted by PC PB-72 , PC PB-65
Task forces break off...

At Guam my bombers from Babeladob catch more enemy aircraft on the airfield. Sweeps show no enemy CAP.

I identify the enemy LCU near Sibolga:

Morning Air attack on HQ TC Sumatra , at 45,79 , near Sibolga

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 26
Fiat G.50 Bis x 14

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 1 damaged

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

Aircraft Attacking:
26 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb

Also attacking Tandjoengbalai Base Force ...
Also attacking HQ TC Sumatra ...
Also attacking Tandjoengbalai Base Force ...
Also attacking HQ TC Sumatra ...

Near Sinyang I identify some of the enemy LCU:

Morning Air attack on 48th Chinese Corps, at 86,47 , near Sinyang

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
HE 111 J x 9
Fw 200 C-1 x 12

Allied aircraft
H81-A3 x 3

Japanese aircraft losses
HE 111 J: 2 damaged
Fw 200 C-1: 2 damaged

No Allied losses

Allied ground losses:
72 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x Fw 200 C-1 bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 5 x 250 kg GP Bomb
9 x HE 111 J bombing from 6000 feet *
Ground Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
AVG/2nd Sqn with H81-A3 (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters to 12000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 145 minutes
AVG/3rd Sqn with H81-A3 (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters to 14000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 301 minutes

Also attacking 7th Chinese Corps ...
Also attacking 12th Chinese Corps ...
Also attacking 48th Chinese Corps ...
Also attacking 7th Chinese Corps ...
Also attacking 48th Chinese Corps ...
Also attacking 7th Chinese Corps ...

More bombings here and there - mostly repeats of previous turns.

At Hollandai, air units flying from Rangoon find an enemy xAKL and plant a bomb in it. I send a pair of DD to try and pick up the spare…

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Hollandia at 93,116

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
BV 138B x 2

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
xAKL Kwangtung, Bomb hits 1, on fire

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x BV 138B bombing from 6000 feet
Naval Attack: 4 x 250 kg SAP Bomb

Heavy smoke from fires obscuring xAKL Kwangtung

In other exciting news:
Attu Island is occupied by the Japanese
xAK Azumasan Maru sinks....
xAK Katuragi Maru sinks....
xAK Arimasan Maru sinks....
xAK Mito Maru sinks....
DD Makigumo arrives at Osaka/Kyoto