Pacific War 3.0 (No Encircled please!)

[rader]

July 25, 1942

Very inconclusive night naval battle around Tulagi as Raizo Tanaka doubles back to try to interdict Allied APDs reinforcing the island. The Japanese had just bombarded the night before and were low on ammo so it was risky to go back, but each ship still had some ammo and all had a full complement of torpedoes.

Unfortunately, none found home in the ensuring battle. Each side landed a shell hit or two, but none likely to be fatal. After unleashing torpedoes, Tanaka decided to withdraw. Probably a good decision. It could have been a lot better, or a lot worse.

[rader]

We also decided to contest the daily milk runs on Port Moresby and Buna, resulting in a series of air battles. The P-38s and B-17s did pretty well as usual, and the B-25s came through ok too, but the Hudsons got torn to shreds. Not a single of the 12 outbound planes returned.

Also noted in the ops losses a B-24. They haven't been seen yet in combat, but evidently, they have arrived. [:(]

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: rader

ORIGINAL: Alfred

Forts provide protection against "incoming".  You still get "incoming" when attacking.

Alfred

Incoming artillery in the bombardment phase or incoming fire from troops when attacking? If just bombardment, probably won't make much difference. If incoming fire when attacking, that's huge!

If you move into a hex with a decent enemy force, don't bombard right away since you will take a lot more casualties. Even if you have more guns, even if you have bigger and better guns.

Ground combat at Changsha (82,52)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 59633 troops, 598 guns, 168 vehicles, Assault Value = 2083

Defending force 68318 troops, 437 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 2288

Japanese ground losses:
223 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 20 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled

Allied ground losses:
32 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

[rader]

July 28, 1942

Another raid, this time in the Indian Ocean off Australia. He's learned to escort his convoys with CLs, which saved this one although the Destroyer made a getaway because the CL decided that its escort job was more important than chasing down the enemy.

[rader]

July 30, 1942

Another day, another raid. This time Hatsuyuki left some xAKs loaded with fuel burning. At first I was disappointed that Hatsuyuki was lobbing so many shells into City of Manchester, wasting her ammo. But she got in enough hits that some others should go join Manchester at the bottom of the sea.

[rader]

Later that day, tried to intercept an Allied task force after they had bombarded Buna. The search plane had reported only 3 ships with one CL. I assumed it was a CL and 2x DDs which we would catch at night after their bombardment. Turned out to me a much bigger fleet, and Yura got more than she bargained for.

Luckily the Allied fleet was low on ammo and didn't have their heart in the fight or else it could have gone a lot worse.

[rader]

August 1, 1942

A decent number of Flying Fortresses down this turn, mostly due to heavy flak outside Chungking.

[Bif1961]

How low were those Forts flying? Was it another Polesti raid altitude?

[rader]

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

How low were those Forts flying? Was it another Polesti raid altitude?

We have a HR restricting 4Es to 10K on ground/naval bombing but they can go down to 6K on airfield/port. I think it was ground bombing so 10K?

[rader]

August 4, 1942

Now it's time for a nuclear bombardment of Chittagong.

I don't often do bombardments but I noticed that the Allies had a massive stack of aircraft sitting at Chittagong for a long time. I wondered if by some miracle I could sneak some fast battleships in range without detection. To my surprise, it worked, and the bombardment fleet was not spotted the day before. The order was given to rush in and bombard at night and then get the heck out.

For some reason, despite being 9 hexes out and having it set to mission speed/retirement allowed, the fleet didn't bombard at night. To my surprise, the fleet was still camped in the Chittagong hex during the daylight phase. Oops. Is there a massive air attack coming to smash my fleet? Whew, no air attack.

Then the fleet decides to bombard in the daylight phase after aircraft flights. I didn't even know this was possible. But to say it was a powerful bombardment would be an understatement:

Naval bombardment of Chittagong at 55,41 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
A-20A Havoc: 19 damaged
A-20A Havoc: 3 destroyed on ground
B-17E Fortress: 111 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 15 destroyed on ground
B-17D Fortress: 72 damaged
B-17D Fortress: 7 destroyed on ground
P-40E Warhawk: 209 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 26 destroyed on ground
Blenheim IV: 91 damaged
Blenheim IV: 10 destroyed on ground
Hurricane IIc Trop: 14 damaged
Hurricane IIc Trop: 4 destroyed on ground
P-38E Lightning: 6 damaged
P-38E Lightning: 5 destroyed on ground
P-39D Airacobra: 33 damaged
P-39D Airacobra: 7 destroyed on ground
Mohawk IV: 6 damaged
Mohawk IV: 4 destroyed on ground
Hurricane IIb Trop: 14 damaged
Hurricane IIb Trop: 4 destroyed on ground
Mitchell PR.II: 1 damaged
Mitchell PR.II: 1 destroyed on ground
F4F-4 Wildcat: 8 damaged
F4F-4 Wildcat: 6 destroyed on ground
DB-7B: 6 damaged
DB-7B: 3 destroyed on ground
A-24 Banshee: 23 damaged
A-24 Banshee: 5 destroyed on ground
Martlet II: 19 damaged
Martlet II: 2 destroyed on ground
B-25C Mitchell: 5 damaged
B-25C Mitchell: 4 destroyed on ground
Beaufort V (PR): 1 damaged
H81-A3: 4 damaged
H81-A3: 4 destroyed on ground

21 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
BB Kirishima
BB Hiei
BB Kongo
CA Chokai, Shell hits 3
CA Atago
CA Takao
DD Nowaki
DD Hamakaze
DD Urakaze
DD Amatsukaze
DD Shiranui
DD Isokaze
DD Maikaze
DD Hayashio

Allied ground losses:
553 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 6 disabled
Non Combat: 22 destroyed, 64 disabled
Engineers: 5 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 29 (4 destroyed, 25 disabled)
Vehicles lost 8 (4 destroyed, 4 disabled)

Airbase hits 54
Airbase supply hits 6
Runway hits 129

[rader]

Aircraft losses for the day:

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: rader

August 4, 1942

For some reason, despite being 9 hexes out and having it set to mission speed/retirement allowed, the fleet didn't bombard at night.

there is much better DL at day.

Your fleet didn't arrive in the first movement pulse. Too far away.

[Andav]

That is pretty amazing!

Wa

[rader]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: rader

August 4, 1942

For some reason, despite being 9 hexes out and having it set to mission speed/retirement allowed, the fleet didn't bombard at night.

there is much better DL at day.

Your fleet didn't arrive in the first movement pulse. Too far away.

But it was 9 hexes out and it can move 9 per pulse. Isn't that ideal to arrive at night?

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: rader

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: rader

August 4, 1942

For some reason, despite being 9 hexes out and having it set to mission speed/retirement allowed, the fleet didn't bombard at night.

there is much better DL at day.

Your fleet didn't arrive in the first movement pulse. Too far away.

But it was 9 hexes out and it can move 9 per pulse. Isn't that ideal to arrive at night?

If you use all your ops points moving the full 9 hex distance, I am not sure you have any left for bombardment.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: rader

ORIGINAL: Lowpe





there is much better DL at day.

Your fleet didn't arrive in the first movement pulse. Too far away.

But it was 9 hexes out and it can move 9 per pulse. Isn't that ideal to arrive at night?

If you use all your ops points moving the full 9 hex distance, I am not sure you have any left for bombardment.

Plus potential refueling or course changes. Even sub attacks can throw you off.

A lot of the times a BB SAG set to bombardment will advance only 1-2 hexes and standoff at that range. 6 hexes they are pretty certain to go in, after that it starts getting iffy. I don't think I have ever pulled off a 9 hex bombardment with a battleship (Japanese) at night.

[Bif1961]

That will teach him to over stack a coastal airfield. The bonus is the moral affect on those bombarded air units, not only the loses in air frames and personnel.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: rader

August 4, 1942

Now it's time for a nuclear bombardment of Chittagong.

I don't often do bombardments but I noticed that the Allies had a massive stack of aircraft sitting at Chittagong for a long time. I wondered if by some miracle I could sneak some fast battleships in range without detection. To my surprise, it worked, and the bombardment fleet was not spotted the day before. The order was given to rush in and bombard at night and then get the heck out.

For some reason, despite being 9 hexes out and having it set to mission speed/retirement allowed, the fleet didn't bombard at night. To my surprise, the fleet was still camped in the Chittagong hex during the daylight phase. Oops. Is there a massive air attack coming to smash my fleet? Whew, no air attack.

Then the fleet decides to bombard in the daylight phase after aircraft flights. I didn't even know this was possible. But to say it was a powerful bombardment would be an understatement:

Naval bombardment of Chittagong at 55,41 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
A-20A Havoc: 19 damaged
A-20A Havoc: 3 destroyed on ground
B-17E Fortress: 111 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 15 destroyed on ground
B-17D Fortress: 72 damaged
B-17D Fortress: 7 destroyed on ground
P-40E Warhawk: 209 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 26 destroyed on ground
Blenheim IV: 91 damaged
Blenheim IV: 10 destroyed on ground
Hurricane IIc Trop: 14 damaged
Hurricane IIc Trop: 4 destroyed on ground
P-38E Lightning: 6 damaged
P-38E Lightning: 5 destroyed on ground
P-39D Airacobra: 33 damaged
P-39D Airacobra: 7 destroyed on ground
Mohawk IV: 6 damaged
Mohawk IV: 4 destroyed on ground
Hurricane IIb Trop: 14 damaged
Hurricane IIb Trop: 4 destroyed on ground
Mitchell PR.II: 1 damaged
Mitchell PR.II: 1 destroyed on ground
F4F-4 Wildcat: 8 damaged
F4F-4 Wildcat: 6 destroyed on ground
DB-7B: 6 damaged
DB-7B: 3 destroyed on ground
A-24 Banshee: 23 damaged
A-24 Banshee: 5 destroyed on ground
Martlet II: 19 damaged
Martlet II: 2 destroyed on ground
B-25C Mitchell: 5 damaged
B-25C Mitchell: 4 destroyed on ground
Beaufort V (PR): 1 damaged
H81-A3: 4 damaged
H81-A3: 4 destroyed on ground

21 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
BB Kirishima
BB Hiei
BB Kongo
CA Chokai, Shell hits 3
CA Atago
CA Takao
DD Nowaki
DD Hamakaze
DD Urakaze
DD Amatsukaze
DD Shiranui
DD Isokaze
DD Maikaze
DD Hayashio

Allied ground losses:
553 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 6 disabled
Non Combat: 22 destroyed, 64 disabled
Engineers: 5 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 29 (4 destroyed, 25 disabled)
Vehicles lost 8 (4 destroyed, 4 disabled)

Airbase hits 54
Airbase supply hits 6
Runway hits 129

Great plan and well executed.

[rader]

August 9, 1942

All fronts are pretty quiet and we're preparing for our second assault on Chungking.

One thing I'm wondering about is that we haven't taken two hexes to the south and southwest of the city, but all other nearby bases have been taken. Are these hexes eligible retreat paths? I don't think so because they can't trace a supply path anywhere but not 100% sure. I would hate for the whole Chinese army to retreat out of the city, avoiding surrender.

[Lowpe]

They are not eligible, because you have troops there.