Focus Pacific: down with the Wulf ( no durnedwolf please)

[BillBrown]

I see my opponent is doing an AAR, so I will try to keep one going to so people can see both sides of this mod

This is Focus Pacific scenario 78 by btd64( Brian ).
It will be a slow game, about 3 turns per week.
There are no house rules, there were a couple of turn 1 rules that
we both abided by. this game is being played with no withdrawals.

We have concluded two turns and they are what I expected.
I have lost some ships, but way less that I expected.
He did a second attack on PH, but with little gain, no ships
were sunk at PH on day 2, just more damaged.
One thing about this mod is that the Allies get lots of aircraft, so
aircraft lost on the ground are not that important, especially PBYs.
I get 26 PBY-5, 45 PNY-5A, and 24 PBY-4( only for Dec 41) per month.

[BillBrown]

Here is the entire sunk ship list for two days.

[BillBrown]

And the aircraft losses. I have lost a lot of aircraft, but again most of them
on the ground. I bring this up since most of his have been air to air and flack losses.
He probably lost many of those pilots. He starts with pilots, especially his KB ones, that
ate at the least godlike in ability. Most are at 90 experience and 70+ in their proper
categories. So a big part of my job is to try and attrition some of those pilots.

[Bif1961]

Good luck and it looks like you lost more at Manila than PH. Does that mean it was just land based air attacks from the Japanese at Manila?

[BillBrown]

Yes it was Netties and Sallys at Manila.

[BillBrown]

I am falling a bit behind, this was supposed to be a very slow game, but he is returning turns faster than I expected, oh well.
turn 3 and I lost more ships today that the last two days. 22 ships lost in one day.

[BillBrown]

Air losses for the day. I tried to hit his TFs at Kota Bharu but he had a lot of CAP available.
CV Lexington is just East of the Marshall islands and his Nells tried an attack that failed.

[BillBrown]

He captured Miri today. Unlike stock scenarios, the oil and refineries at Miri start the game fully repaired. He got them with no damage.

[BillBrown]

One good thing is that CA Louisville found the Tarawa TF.
Day Time Surface Combat, near Tarawa at 136,128, Range 22,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
PB Santos Maru
xAKL Toyotsu Maru
xAK Aratama Maru
AKL Katsura Maru, Shell hits 12, and is sunk
xAKL Kaito Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire
AKL Tenposan Maru, Shell hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
TB Ninaru, Shell hits 2, on fire
TB Omakatu
APD -106, Shell hits 2

Allied Ships
CA Louisville, Shell hits 2

Japanese ground losses:
549 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 21 destroyed, 34 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 8 (3 destroyed, 5 disabled)

[BillBrown]

Dec 10, 1941
The bad part is this the next day
Night Time Surface Combat, near Tarawa at 136,127, Range 12,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
PB Santos Maru
xAKL Kaito Maru, on fire

Allied Ships
CA Louisville


Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions and 57% moonlight: 12,000 yards
Range increases to 12,000 yards...
Range increases to 12,000 yards...
Both Task Forces evade combat
CA Louisville is out of 8" ammo, but full of 5" which would be very effective against a PB and an xAKL
Unfortunately Capt Sampson who is commanding CA Louisville has an aggression of 37, I think he will get changed as soon as he get to a port.

[BillBrown]

The ship losses are not entirely one sided this turn
CV Lexington found a couple of TFs in the Marshal Islands

Morning Air attack on TF, near Jaluit at 135,122

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Allied aircraft
F2A-3 Buffalo x 14
SBD-2 Dauntless x 17
SBD-3 Dauntless x 15

Allied aircraft losses
SBD-2 Dauntless: 1 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
xAK Kamikaze Maru, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAK Tenyo Maru, Bomb hits 6, heavy fires, heavy damage
CL Okinoshima
---------------------------------------------------------------

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Makin at 135,124

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 10 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Allied aircraft
SBD-2 Dauntless x 16

Allied aircraft losses
SBD-2 Dauntless: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
xAKL Kaito Maru, Bomb hits 5, and is sunk
PB Santos Maru, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage

Japanese ground losses:
150 casualties reported
Squads: 12 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
----------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Tarawa at 136,128

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 12 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Allied aircraft
F2A-3 Buffalo x 14
SBD-3 Dauntless x 15

Allied aircraft losses
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
xAK Aratama Maru, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
APD -106, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
TB Omakatu

Aircraft Attacking:
15 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb

[BillBrown]

And there was this tidbit
USMC land based from Davao.
Expensive, but it helps morale.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Talaud-eilanden at 80,97

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 38 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 16 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 17
A6M2 Zero x 22

Allied aircraft
F2A-3 Buffalo x 12
SB2U-3 Vindicator x 15

Japanese aircraft losses
A5M4 Claude: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F2A-3 Buffalo: 2 destroyed
SB2U-3 Vindicator: 6 destroyed, 5 damaged
SB2U-3 Vindicator: 2 destroyed by flak

Japanese Ships
CV Chiho, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
CVL Chiyoda
-----------------------------------------------
Not to be outdone, the Beests based at Clark Field hit a CA
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Laoag at 81,72

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

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

Allied aircraft
Vildebeest III x 11

Allied aircraft losses
Vildebeest III: 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
CA Chokai, Torpedo hits 1

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

[BillBrown]

I did lose Tarawa, he got enough landed to take it.
Strangely enough, he still has not been able to take Kota Bharu.
I have taken losses, but still hold it.

[BillBrown]

KB's movement is a bit strange. He went NW on turn 3 and this turn he went 9 hexes SW.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

KB's movement is a bit strange. He went NW on turn 3 and this turn he went 9 hexes SW.

Likely refueled. The AO fleet is usually around the previous day position.

[Bif1961]

So with the Lex shooting down 11 Nells in the Marshalls does that mean Butch O'Hare became an ace?

[BillBrown]

NO, no aces yet. Air losses for the day.

[BillBrown]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

KB's movement is a bit strange. He went NW on turn 3 and this turn he went 9 hexes SW.

Likely refueled. The AO fleet is usually around the previous day position.

Most likely you are right. The TF to his NE is the AO TF, and they were together last turn.
I am a but unsure why he went SW and not West.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

KB's movement is a bit strange. He went NW on turn 3 and this turn he went 9 hexes SW.

Likely refueled. The AO fleet is usually around the previous day position.

Most likely you are right. The TF to his NE is the AO TF, and they were together last turn.
I am a but unsure why he went SW and not West.

He likely decided to go hunting Lexington.

[BillBrown]

Dec 11, 1941
KB went West that turn, so no problems there.

I lose a few more ships, the inevitable. The merchants that start in Hong Kong, and Kwangchowan are
pretty much toast. He has too many aircraft and surface ships to get many of them out. I think I may get
2 merchants out from those ports. I got a good number from Manila and other PI ports, but still it is
hard to get all of them out.

I hit Miri with both B-17Ds and Dutch 139WH-3s. He did have some A6M2s up for CAP. I lost 11 aircraft but
destroyed 28 oil according to my rollover.

I doubt that CL Tama sank after taking 2 MK-10 torpedoes, but you never know, it did show on fire and heavy damage.