Wake Island was bombarded by a DD task force overnight then CV strike again, but still no invasion.
A Frank sweep in Bengal did well and identified 9th Australian Div as the tip of the spear.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Dec 06, 43
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Night Air attack on Dacca , at 56,38 – the IJAAF abandoned the Dacca Airfield complex days ago, so these attacks are just giving Allied engineers more work to do when they capture the place.
Weather in hex: Light cloud
Allied aircraft
Wellington GR.XIII x 4
Runway hits 2
4 x Wellington GR.XIII bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 6 x 250 lb GP Bomb
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Night Naval bombardment of Wake Island at 136,98
Allied Ships
DD Downes
DD Cassin
DD Cushing
DD Shaw
DD Walker
DD Stevens
DD Stanly
DD Spence
DD Hudson
DD Harrison
Runway hits 13
Port hits 7
Port supply hits 1
DD Walker firing at 46th Naval Guard Unit
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Sub attack near Samarinda at 67,96
TK Kenan Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
PB Yamadori Maru
SS Salmon launches 2 torpedoes at TK Kenan Maru
PB Yamadori Maru attacking submerged sub ....
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Sub attack near Cuttack at 46,38
SS I-175, hits 2
Allied Ships
CA Suffolk
CA Sussex
CA Dorsetshire
CL Newcastle
CL Kenya
DD Racehorse
DD Tjerk Hiddes
DE Encounter
DE Decoy
DE Arrow
DD Rotherham
DD Roebuck
DD Relentless
DD Redoubt
SS I-175 launches 4 torpedoes at CA Suffolk – missed… frustrating to see a big CA in the cross hairs only to miss, especially with the punishment that Allied ASW has been dishing out to IJN subs lately.
DD Redoubt attacking submerged sub ....
DD Redoubt is out of ASW ammo
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Morning Air attack on 2/6th Armoured Regiment, at 57,38 , near Dacca
Weather in hex: Overcast
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 21 – these Tojos were on LRCAP but didn’t show in the animation. At the end of the day, 6 of them were reported as air-air losses although I didn’t notice any Tojos in combat replays. They will fly local CAP over their airfield tomorrow instead.
Ki-84r Frank x 39
Ki-84r Frank: 1 destroyed
21 x Ki-84r Frank sweeping at 20000 feet
Allied aircraft
P-40N Warhawk x 6
Martlet IV x 5
Spitfire VIII x 9
Spitfire Vc Trop x 7
Kittyhawk IV x 3
Allied aircraft losses – a decent result, especially against the Spitfire VIIIs.
P-40N Warhawk: 1 destroyed
Martlet IV: 2 destroyed
Spitfire VIII: 3 destroyed
Spitfire Vc Trop: 3 destroyed
CAP engaged:
No.457 Sqn RAF with Spitfire Vc Trop (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(7 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 20000.
5th FG/17th FS CAF with P-40N Warhawk (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 20000.
3rd FG/32nd FS CACW with P-40N Warhawk (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 20000.
No.15 Sqn RNZAF with Kittyhawk IV (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 20000.
No.17 Sqn RAF with Martlet IV (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 20000.
No.81 Sqn RAF with Spitfire VIII (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 20000.
No.152 Sqn RAF with Spitfire VIII (5 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling) – I’ve been keeping an eye out for 152 Sqn due to a family connection to it. From what I’ve read, the Spitfire VIIIs were a game changer as they were more powerful and able to intercept Dinahs. Not something that seems to happen in the game, but within a few months of the Mk VIIIs arriving in India the IJAAF started to run out of Dinahs and were denied intelligence for bombing raids. They shouldn’t have as much success in this game as they have to face huge numbers of Franks that they didn’t have to deal with in real life.
Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 20000.
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Morning Air attack on 254th Armoured Brigade, at 57,38 , near Dacca
Weather in hex: Overcast
Ki-49-IIa Helen x 18
Ki-49-IIb Helen x 4
Ki-49-IIa Helen: 2 damaged
Allied aircraft
Spitfire VIII x 1
Allied ground losses:
55 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 22 disabled
Vehicles lost 20 (1 destroyed, 19 disabled)
Aircraft Attacking:
13 x Ki-49-IIa Helen bombing from 10000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
4 x Ki-49-IIb Helen bombing from 10000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
5 x Ki-49-IIa Helen bombing from 10000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
CAP engaged: ordered to intercept 14k’ too high
No.81 Sqn RAF with Spitfire VIII (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 1 scrambling)
Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters to 24000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 50 minutes
Also attacking 1st Army Tank Regiment ...
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Morning Air attack on 9th Australian Division, at 57,38 , near Dacca – the 9th Aus Div hasn’t been destroyed before, but from memory I think it was retreated once or twice about a year ago. It would be 100% TOE and fresh again now with firepower upgraded.
Weather in hex: Overcast
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 29
Ki-49-IIa Helen x 12
Ki-49-IIb Helen x 9
Ki-49-IIa Helen: 4 damaged
Allied ground losses:
102 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Also attacking 254th Armoured Brigade ...
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Morning Air attack on Wake Island , at 136,98
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Allied aircraft – fingers crossed they are suffering some ops losses!
F4U-1A Corsair x 21
F6F-3 Hellcat x 87
SBD-5 Dauntless x 26
TBF-1 Avenger x 9
TBM-1C Avenger x 36
Japanese ground losses:
21 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 6
Port hits 2
Also attacking 46th Naval Guard Unit ...
OPERATIONAL REPORT FOR Dec 06, 43
G3M2 Nell from Yokosuka Ku K-1 attacking a Balao class SS at 111,70 an Allied SS is reported HIT
1LT Uchida S. of 11th Sentai is credited with kill number 17 – 11th Sentai increase their lead over 1st Sentai as the top scoring unit today
2LT Hashiguchi B. of 11th Sentai is credited with kill number 3
2LT Okajima D. of 11th Sentai is credited with kill number 6
2LT Hirabayashi P. of 11th Sentai is credited with kill number 2
WO Kado K. of 11th Sentai is credited with kill number 6
2LT Hashiguchi B. of 11th Sentai is credited with kill number 4
WO Kizuka N. of 11th Sentai is credited with kill number 6
WO Ginowa R. of 11th Sentai is credited with kill number 4
WO Kaguyama O. of 11th Sentai is credited with kill number 3
CPT Kimura, T. of 11th Sentai is credited with kill number 17
WO Kado K. of 11th Sentai is credited with kill number 7
2LT Egashira R. of 11th Sentai is credited with kill number 6
1LT Gushi F. of 11th Sentai is credited with kill number 10
G3M2 Nell from Yokosuka Ku K-1 attacking SS Bowfin at 115,66 SS Bowfin is reported HIT
F-5A Lightning sighted over Deboyne Islands
F-5A Lightning sighted over Dimapur
F-4 Lightning sighted over Chittagong
4 x H8K2-L Emily transporting 8th Fleet from Shortlands
7 x Ki-49-II KAI Helen transporting 46th/A Division from Port Moresby
7 x Ki-49-II KAI Helen transporting 46th/B Division from Port Moresby
WO Mitsumori L. of 9th Sentai is credited with kill number 2 – 9th Sentai was the unit that lost 6x Tojos from what I assume were unreported contacts while on LRCAP.
WO Eiichi T. of 9th Sentai is credited with kill number 2
WO Mitsumori L. of 9th Sentai is credited with kill number 3
Uruppu-jima expands airfield to size 1
Peleliu expands fortifications to size 4
Dimapur expands airfield to size 3
Pegu expands fortifications to size 6
Device NE turbojet advances R&D – to 11/44 +2/day. As research advances about 60% per month, it takes nearly 2 months to advance 1. Without calculating exactly, production should start in August 1944.
Ace pilot Saito P. of 87th Sentai is promoted to 1LT
Pilot Matsumura F. is reported as to have escaped capture – 521 Ku K-1 so an IJN P1Y1 Frances pilot. Lost after only 2 missions, he will return with only 37 experience so will have to do some refresher training!