Quisling! An AFB does Japan (No PanzerKat)

[John B.]

Beware the LRCAP Trap. I put some Franks and Zeros over Java and managed to catch a number of Scott's SBD's unescorted and unswept bombing my boys who are stranded there. I'm sure it cheered them up and inspired them to continue to fight for the Emperor. I was actually a bit lucky on this as Scott also hit the hex with heavy bombers but they were not in the first wave. If they had been my ops points would have been used up before the dive bombers showed up.

Now, it's back to CAP over Palembang.

[John B.]

In other news, I think Scott is invading Ooosthaven but I'm not sure. Control of the hex flipped at the start of the turn and then a large number of ships showed up off shore. I wonder if he had an invasion set that got screwed up by the control flipping? In any event, each turn delay in his landing forces is another turn of fuel out of Palembang. I have a load of 28K heading to Singapore and some empty TKs heading in to bring it back to the HI. Singapore also has about 67K oil that can head home as well.

If I'm still shipping hydrocarbons out of Palembang at the end of April I'm going to count that as a major win! Assuming he does not bomb it I figure a more realistic target is 2 weeks of production.

[John B.]

Another quiet turn. Scott is definitely up to something at Oosthaven given the number of ships that are hanging out there. I don't know what's there so I have a recon mission set for it. No action in the air but I think I got two more subs. At least there were sinking sounds after they got pounded by depth charges. One of my subs hit a TK but it was a dud. I can't complain too much about that given Scott's recent dud against the Hiryu.

Scott did tell me last night that one of his CVEs that was hit with two torpedoes was at 98% (!) flotation damage and made it back to port. That ship must have had it's deck underwater to be at 98%. I need to adpot the double tap method from ZombieLand! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmA2WYyw-_A

[John B.]

Well, Scott is definitely up to something in Sumatra. More forces are reported to be heading north. I think I'll move my amphib brigade (just shipped in from the HI) and move it to Palembang. Scott can take the hex next to Palembang and then my hope is to subject him to massive air bombardment and be able to prevent him from pushing me out of the base hex. If Scott is in the base hex does that shut down the oil wells?

[John B.]

And, we're at the start of another month so here is the current VP status. Still barely at 2-1 but I won't hold that status on into 1945 so this will be a long haul to eke out a victory.

BTW, my little flak ambush worked in Burma taking out 5 B-25s.

[John B.]

Current economic situation. Trying to build up oil/fuel in the HI! I think that the heavy industry is going along ok.

[John B.]

I've basically shut down all shipbuilding except for navy units. And, all extra ships are in Tokyo. When Scott bombs it there will be a wall of flak and fighters waiting to take a toll. Does the A-bomb kill ships in port?

[John B.]

Here are planes losses. Look how many transports he's lost to ops. My guess is he has intensive supply fights into Burma.

[John B.]

Sorry, that last one was the major ship losses screen. I think two of his CVs are actually still afloat someplace.

[John B.]

More major ships. It has not been a kind war for BBs.

[John B.]

Or for Japanese CAs.

[John B.]

Last of the major ship losses.

[John B.]

Now we're on the plane losses. As I said above, lots of C-47s flying in bad weather over Burma is my guess.

[John B.]

More plane losses.

[John B.]

Last plane loss screen. I'll post the others if people want to see them.

[RangerJoe]

Now we're on the plane losses. As I said above, lots of C-47s flying in bad weather over Burma is my guess.

Some of the C-47 parts were made out of magnesium. You know, the stuff that burns so well and brightly that they use it for flares. Apparently Ricky Nelson's plane was one of those planes that had magnesium parts and it caught on fire when it was flying. That is not a good thing, when the plane is on fire while in the air.

[John B.]

It is my fervent desire to never be on any plane that is on fire!

[John B.]

Two turns have past (we shall not mention the dud torpedo that hit the Warspite). Scott made another fighter sweep over Palembang. If you factor in the ops losses, the results were pretty good. He lost just slightly more planes than I did. Given FOW I probably lost slightly more. Still, a good result and lots of dead P-38-Js. But, not much of a dent in the P-47s. Let's hope Scott bombs and they go in before the sweeps.

[John B.]

I rotated the hard hit squadrons to Singapore and rotated in fresh squadrons from there. I have one zero squadron on night patrol since he started night bombing with his heavies. If he comes in low with B-25s he could do some night bombing damage. The Franks are at 9K, the Jacks and Tojos in the middle and the zeros are down low for the daylight CAP. He can wear me down given his superior fighter production but, he's likely losing a number of pilots. It's a good sign for my pilots that most of the squadrons have more pilots left than planes (so many planes are shot down but the pilots make it back alive).

[John B.]

Oh man, that was an ugly turn in the air. It looked like Scott stuck with the same tactics of strato sweeping but this time he killed me at a 3-1 rate. The worst turn in the air over Palembang for me yet. [:(] I'm not sure what happened but it did not start off well when his night bombing PYB-Liberators shot down 3 CAP zeros for no loss. I pulled all my planes that could fly out of Palembang this turn as I did not want to rotate in my fresh squadrons from Singapore. I would have few aircraft and it really does not look like Scott took to many hits. His P-47 and Corsair squadrons flew in without opposition.

If he bombs Palembang this turn there is not much I can do about it. If I make it to next turn, I'll try the air defense again. But, a sad day for the Japanese airforce. If anyone has any ideas, I'll all ears.

In other news, it looks as if a British amphib TF is heading to Sumatra. The KB has sortied from Singapore and is heading up the Straits of Malacca. I expect Scott is doing this as a feint but we'll find out soon enough.