Rookie Problems - Operation Shoestring

[DanielAClark]

5th October

Usual bombing of Lae, Buna, and the track. Our B17Fs make a cheeky, high altitude attack on the airfield at Rabaul. The Zeroes damage the bombers, and the flak shoots down one. We actually hit the base once, and possibly damage some planes on the ground. The biggest upshot of this is decent intel on the fact that the enemy cruiser group has returned to base. The bombers are now damaged and the crews fatigued. The group will stand down. I probably won't repeat this. Still, interesting experiment.

I stop loading supplies in Brisbane and send the partially loaded cargo ships towards Port Moresby with cruiser escort. Since the enemy is heavily invested in reinforcing Tassafaronga, now is a good time to push the more than 27k supply up.

Canberra, Hobart, and Achilles intercept an enemy freighter fleet off the Russel Islands and sink half of the fleet. In the morning, they catch one more of the freighters and sink her. Cactus Air Force and the Hornet's aircraft, plus some of my B17s then drop the hammer on enemy shipping unloading at Tassafaronga. It's a massacre. All told, we believe we have sunk 11 freighters, an AMC, and the light cruiser Kashin. Still more enemy ships unloading. I turn my cruisers around and send them back into the fray tonight. Hopefully we have enough ammunition left to keep this up.

[DanielAClark]

6th October

Bad weather over the track...so we only bomb Lae and Buna.

The transports are now just south of Townsville. So, the B26s will now rotate out and I will reinforce Port Moresby with P39s.

Canberra and the Commonwealth fleet uses their radar to close in and find ships leaving the Tassafaronga anchorage. They sink another freighter and a patrol craft, while exhausting Canberra's ammunition. The fleet was so aggressive, that enemy fire from the transports did get some superstructure hits on Canberra that will require repair. The ships are retiring to Noumea with a hearty 'Well Done' from me.

On the other hand, this is the second night in a row that the American heavy cruiser squadron has failed to engage any enemy shipping while targets were plentiful. I may need to spend some PP to change commanders.

No enemy ships remained close to the slot by morning, and so the tired aviators of the Cactus Air Force get a break.

Our Catalina's spot a force containing cruisers heading southeast towards the area...east of the Shortlands. I will retain the American cruiser force and the Hornet fleet in the area.

[DanielAClark]

7th October

Our B26s go to Charter Towers and I send three squadrons of P39s to Port Moresby. Our transports are two days out.

The enemy renews its attacks on Milne Bay. 18 fighters escort 6 Kates to attack the base. Our fighters shoot down one zero, but mostly just bypass the 'escorts' and shoot down 3 Kates. We lose 1 Kittyhawk.

I experiment with using my B17s here to provide supply for Milne Bay. Not sure that they provided a whole lot of supply.

Overnight, Kumano and Suzuya come down the slot and sink a patrol gunboat and two sub chasers. They do not bombard the base. My cruiser force did not move at all during the turn, despite my ordering it to proceed up the slot during the night. First time this has happened. Usually when the commander is too chicken, they just withdraw to base.

At any rate, Cactus Air Force engages the enemy ships in the morning and manages...zero hits. Then the Hornet group manages to get 1, maybe 2 bomb hits in the morning. The afternoon however, sees our forces get 10 bomb hits on one, and 3 bomb hits and the last of Hornet's torpedoes into the other. Intel believes one of the ships sank. We will see...

It is great to see the spiral of 'damage begets more damage' as the enemy systems degrade. Once we got that one damaging bomb hit in the morning air attack, I felt like we were FINALLY going to get some damage on these guys...and so it proved. Slow speed ships are easier to hit.

No other IJN activity spotted near the slot at the moment. Hornet is going to need to withdraw to replenish sorties and supplies anyway. I will assess the sorties remaining and see if we stay one more day...as the TBFs are fine using 500lb bombs. But that is the limit of her endurance.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: DanielAClark

7th October

At any rate, Cactus Air Force engages the enemy ships in the morning and manages...zero hits. Then the Hornet group manages to get 1, maybe 2 bomb hits in the morning. The afternoon however, sees our forces get 10 bomb hits on one, and 3 bomb hits and the last of Hornet's torpedoes into the other. Intel believes one of the ships sank. We will see...

It is great to see the spiral of 'damage begets more damage' as the enemy systems degrade. Once we got that one damaging bomb hit in the morning air attack, I felt like we were FINALLY going to get some damage on these guys...and so it proved. Slow speed ships are easier to hit.

No other IJN activity spotted near the slot at the moment. Hornet is going to need to withdraw to replenish sorties and supplies anyway. I will assess the sorties remaining and see if we stay one more day...as the TBFs are fine using 500lb bombs. But that is the limit of her endurance.

The morning attack probably did little damage because you had a poor detection level on the TF. The morning attacks raised the D/L so that the afternoon attacks were much more effective. The other possibility is weather differences between morning and afternoon.

[DanielAClark]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: DanielAClark

7th October

At any rate, Cactus Air Force engages the enemy ships in the morning and manages...zero hits. Then the Hornet group manages to get 1, maybe 2 bomb hits in the morning. The afternoon however, sees our forces get 10 bomb hits on one, and 3 bomb hits and the last of Hornet's torpedoes into the other. Intel believes one of the ships sank. We will see...

It is great to see the spiral of 'damage begets more damage' as the enemy systems degrade. Once we got that one damaging bomb hit in the morning air attack, I felt like we were FINALLY going to get some damage on these guys...and so it proved. Slow speed ships are easier to hit.

No other IJN activity spotted near the slot at the moment. Hornet is going to need to withdraw to replenish sorties and supplies anyway. I will assess the sorties remaining and see if we stay one more day...as the TBFs are fine using 500lb bombs. But that is the limit of her endurance.

The morning attack probably did little damage because you had a poor detection level on the TF. The morning attacks raised the D/L so that the afternoon attacks were much more effective. The other possibility is weather differences between morning and afternoon.

Since the enemy ships were off Tulagi in the morning...I dont think we had low D/L on them...

But that could also be a factor.

[mosessan20]

Very interesting.

[DanielAClark]

8th October

Our transports arrive at Port Moresby. They are not sufficiently spotted by the enemy until the morning, and so there is only a half-hearted afternoon attack of 3 Betties, escorted by less than a dozen Zeroes. Our cap swarms the fighters, and manages (just) to get to the bombers and drive them away.

The enemy also sends a few planes to Milne Bay (Zeroes and Kates), but the 3 Kates do minimal damage and are all damaged or destroyed on their way out.

Air Transport missions are taxing on airframes, and so most B17s have been stood down to repair. Good to know.

The enemy damaged surface task force withdraws from the slot at high speed overnight. I am inclined to believe the report about sinking ONE of the cruisers...most likely the one with the torpedo hit. Otherwise a cripple would have remained within search radius. Hornet will now withdraw to replenish sorties and torpedoes.

Our destroyer that took a torpedo south of Port Moresby several days ago has made it to Cooktown and has begun pumping out the water. An impressive feat of damage control considering she had 94 flooding at one point. Those sailors deserve a beer, at least!

Air search has begun identifying two CVEs at Rabaul.

The 1st USMC division will arrive in Tassafaronga hex tomorrow...

[BBfanboy]

It isn't the transporting of supply per se that is hard on aircraft, it's the takeoffs and landings (a transport mission has two of each unless it is paradropping). Add a long distance flight and the wear-and-tear adds up. You are right about transport missions not being worthwhile for heavy bombers - they use more supply flying the mission than they deliver to the target hex.

[DanielAClark]

9th October

For the first time, no sorties from either side resulting in combat.

Supplies unloading at Port Moresby are untroubled. I sent one of the xAKs that was unloading at Port Moresby prior to the arrival of the AKAs to Milne Bay...to see if I can get away with it.

Canberra arrives back at Noumea with significant system damage. She will have to head to Syndey for a decent repair time. Unfortunate as it takes out one of my well commanded cruiser groups.

The USMC 1st Division arrives at Tassafaronga and preliminary scouting shows at least 4800 troops opposing them. Bombardment commences tomorrow.

Enemy tankers have been sighted heading down the slot, and a carrier group has departed Rabaul. Our carrier and cruisers have departed, so any actions they take will be unopposed for a few days.

[BBfanboy]

Are you sure this Syndey lady can give a decent time to that many sailors? What's her capacity rating?

[DanielAClark]

I am sending her to Sydney since at Noumea she will be out of action for a month...and I want to keep Noumea ready with capacity to handle stabilization repair work.

[DanielAClark]

10th October

The enemy sends 35 Zeroes to escort 2! Kates to attack the ships unloading in Milne Bay...in the morning AND the afternoon. Our small CAP shoots down a plane or two for two losses, and all the bombs miss.

Our B17s renew their attacks on Lae and Buna.

The enemy has retreated from the track, and has probably gone back to Buna. We do not yet have sufficient PP to move the 32nd Infantry Division to Port Moresby.

Our transports should complete unloading in 2-3 days at Port Moresby.

Cactus Airforce engages reinforcing transports at Tassafaronga, and hit one xAK heavily with at least three 1000 pound bombs. It looks like these ships are loaded with supplies.

Our bombardment attack reveals that the enemy has 27,000 troops, with 87 guns and 247 vehicles. Some of those vehicles are likely part of the support troops? Our attacking force (1st USMC Division) has 13,500 men, but 288 guns and 87 vehicles.

I ponder making a deliberate attack...

We won't get the remaining elements of the 2nd USMC division until 2.5 weeks from now. Looks like we might have difficulty wrapping up this campaign on the island...in the near future.

[BBfanboy]

Just keep sinking those transports and wearing down his supplies with bombardments and air attacks. When his AA stops he has 0 supplies and units with 0 supply fight at 25% of their supplied AV. And yes, most of those vehicles will be trucks. Get intel on his stack's composition from bombardments, bombing and deliberate attacks when you feel you are strong enough.

You have a situation similar to RL Guadalcanal so you can do the same things they did in RL. Keep your airfield operating while you expand it and bring in supply to operate more aircraft. Bring in more troops - if you can cover them well enough land them directly at Tassafaronga.

Grind down his air power and naval power whenever you can. Eventually the weight of your reinforcements will crack his ability to resist. Meanwhile the marines will gripe about being abandoned and forgotten ...

[DanielAClark]

11-12th October

The enemy refuses to come anywhere near Port Moresby. A day or two more and all supplies will be unloaded.

Both days the enemy sends their two Kate bomber force after the DD and xAKL at Milne Bay. Our fighter cap is beginning to lose against the two dozen zeroes showing up twice a day. Our DD takes two bombs over the course of the two days. We will be pulling back to Brisbane since almost all the supplies are unloaded.

I have yet to see Betties for days.

Cactus Air Force hits the heavy cruiser Aoba and a light cruiser east of Florida Island. We put three bombs into the heavy cruiser and two bombs into the light cruiser. The enemy ships retreat, taking with them the destroyers believed to be carrying more troops or supplies.

A bombardment attack on the 11th at Tassafaronga does not take any damages...and then our B17s hit the area and are not fired upon. On the 12th, we launch a deliberate attack...and discover that the enemy has level 6 forts...so the attack fails with about 500 casualties. It is unlikely we will succeed here. I am really surprised that the IJN was able to land enough supplies to get up to level 6...based on what I have been able to send into Henderson Field.

I will have to make a choice now, since the remaining marine division troops (2nd USMC) arrive restricted. I have no other combat troops that I can add to the areas. I only have around 1000 PP at this point in the scenario, and I have only spent a few on switching the 1st USMC division commander, and a cruiser force commander, and some base forces for Henderson Field. I need at least 2000 to move troops into either theater...and even two USMC divisions will not be able to take on enemy troops behind level 6 forts in the jungle...until the enemy runs out of supplies.

Expansion of Henderson Field is also not possible beyond where it sits now, since the scenario base capacities are different from the grand campaign. I have no reason to think that I am going to lose this campaign (Lunga Point is well defended)...but I am beginning to see the influence of the JFBs on the game.

At any rate, I think after reflection the plan will be thus:

Lower the altitude of the B17s attacking Tassafaronga. If 10,000 feet isn't getting any AA fire, we can go lower. The 1st USMC division will cease offensive operations but will not retreat. If the enemy wants to push on Henderson Field, they need to push me back.

PP will be used to buy reinforcements for Port Moresby. I do not actually NEED more combat troops on Guadalcanal...as I need to first reduce the supply situation. The enemy is weak in New Guinea, and capturing and developing the air fields at Buna and Lae are the key to suppressing Rabaul and moving up the Bismarcks.

Our carrier fleet and USN cruiser fleet (now under Rear Admiral A.D. Struble) have sortied from Noumea and our heading north to add punch to the Cactus AirForce.

The battle continues.

[RangerJoe]

Naval bombard and air bombard. Put up a minefield and use PT Boats to interdict any supply runs. Use your ground forces to bombard if you don't take too much damage.

[DanielAClark]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Naval bombard and air bombard. Put up a minefield and use PT Boats to interdict any supply runs. Use your ground forces to bombard if you don't take too much damage.

Yup. Air bombing will continue, from lower altitudes.

Cruiser group is inbound for bombardments.

Subs will be in place again soon.

Ground troop bombardment has cost me nothing the two days I tried it.

They have good trenches, but not a lot of long range firepower.

[RangerJoe]

Every attack increases the supply usage by 10%.

[DanielAClark]

I need to get back to this...

I have a new job and we moved to Richmond, Virginia.

...cant believe its been almost six months. However, I still occasionally think about the context of this fight and am still thinking of what to do next.

[Bif1961]

Nice to know it is still ongoing and RL has a way of diverting our attention to more important pursuits.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

Nice to know it is still ongoing and RL has a way of diverting our attention to more important pursuits.

Blasphemy! [:-]