Try, Try Again

[LordHawke]

ORIGINAL: neuromancer

This time at least, unlike against LordHawke, I got some decent licks in as well.

Hee, good for you! [:D]

[neuromancer]

ORIGINAL: LordHawke
Hee, good for you! [:D]

Thank you.
[:)]

Yorktown is pretty beat up, but as long as nobody smacks her around any more, she should make port.


I lost more darn planes to 'Operational Losses' (i.e. lack of anywhere to land) than I had lost to date in the game. Twice as many in fact!

[neuromancer]

Hmm, haven't heard from Madflava since Sunday. Hope he didn't take me seriously when I called him a 'spammer'!

Norton Internet Security on my PC decided one of his email was spam for some odd reason. I told it to let him through, but still called Madflava a spammer when I sent my turn in.



Yorktown may not make it to port after all. She's taking water on pretty bad.

That would turn the battle from a minor defeat to a significant one.

[Shadow of the Condor]

Good luck getting Yorktown home. A shame if you have to lose the experienced flat top. [:)]

[madflava13]

Sorry for the delay! I just sent my turn back to Neuro... A crew putting in a new water main in front of my building managed to cut the phonelines somehow and I've just recently sorted out my DSL and phones. I'm back up and all should run smoothly from here on out!

Yorktown, sink baby, just sink!

[neuromancer]

ORIGINAL: madflava13

Sorry for the delay! I just sent my turn back to Neuro... A crew putting in a new water main in front of my building managed to cut the phonelines somehow and I've just recently sorted out my DSL and phones. I'm back up and all should run smoothly from here on out!

Ah! That would explain it. Thanks for the update.

[neuromancer]

From the text CR for today:

Japanese Ships
CV Shokaku, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

Allied Ships
SS S-37

- - - -

S-37 [&o]

They have earned their pay for the entire war! I suspected Shokaku was the most heavily damaged IJN CV after our little skirmish, and maybe her or the damaged CVL may be significantly slowed. So I set every sub within range to hunting for cripples.

They found one! [:D]

I don't know if she'll go down, but after the pounding she took in the battle (probably only moderate damage) and now a Mk 10 torp in her flank, I bet she is one unhealthy carrier!

I'll have to keep my subs prowling, would be nice to finish her. If Yorktown stays afloat, I'd consider the battle a draw then. If Yorktown sinks, then it'll go back to a minor defeat.



I know, I know, IJN CVs aren't worth as much as USN CVs, so points wise I'd still be behind, but in the grand scheme of things, I consider IJN CV losses more significant as the USN has plenty more where they came from (eventually) while the IJN does not.

[madflava13]

I'll confirm that S-37 did indeed hit the Shokaku. I will not confirm the damage levels however, nor the location of Shoho. [:-]

Shoho is damaged somewhat - she may need yard time. Zuikaku took a bomb hit I believe, but she has minor damage levels. My plans don't include sending her back to Tokyo - the damage is minimal.

As we speak, IJN forces are moving to cut off the retreating Allied task force. If Yorktown doesn't sink on her own, an I-boat will surely finish the job.

Buildup of my bases continues on schedule. The leading elements for my next major operation are beginning to arrive at Truk. In the next two weeks or so I expect things to come together nicely...

[neuromancer]

Got her!
It has been confirmed that Shokaku sank!


Points for sunk shipping are now about 75 apart.

Sadly, it doesn't look good for Yorktown. She's hanging in there, but she is lower in the water every hour.

So, we'll be back to a minor defeat for the US. Probably close to historical equivilant then, instead of the US only losing one CV,
the IJN lose one, the USN loses two. Net gain; probably about the same.

[neuromancer]

Quick update.

Yorktown sank, she didn't make it back to port. She gave it a valiant fight, but in the end she succumbed to the waves.

Shokaku was able to get her airgroup off before she sank.

Now we are back to harrassing each other with LBA and subs. But intelligence (or gloating from the enemy [:D]) reports that 'the Death Star' is in theatre.

Three USN CVs will quickly replace the lost Yorktown and Lexington, but those three ships are no match for the Death star, even without Shokaku.

I have not seen much of his ground forces yet, although this last turn my B26s dropped a lot of bombs on an IJN task force at Woodlark Island. Of course, despite a total of 57 B26 bombers making passes at the 6 detected vessels (3 APs, and 3 PGs), only 4 bombs hit anything (3 on 1 AP, 1 on another) and no troops were seen jumping (or flying in various pieces) from the ships.

It is however estimated that 500 fish, 25 Seagulls, 2 turtles, and 1 dolphin were killed by the bombs that missed their targets.

Greenpeace is now picketing outside SWPAC HQ in Brisbane demanding a stop to such bombing due to the damage it causes to the local wildlife.

[marky]

lol


"in wartime, the first casualties are hippys"

- me

[madflava13]

Neuromancer,
You'll see those ground forces when they show up on your doorstep. In the meantime, I'm keeping them away from LBA and Malaria - until the time is right.

Yamato just got released... And some friends.

The big question is this: Should I take PM, Luganville or somewhere in between?

[neuromancer]

Go for PM. That should be a good fight.

[neuromancer]

First, madflava is gone for a few days (sure he gets to see his girlfriend...)

There hasn't been any major developments. He has promissed an invasion fleet soon, I suspect Luganville. and I cannot do anything about it. We've just been harrassing each other since the carrier battle. Mostly subs sailing around causing trouble.

- - - -

Now, in my other game, I saw a 'cruiser' group of 3 CAs, and ignored it. Lex and Yorktown (and escorts) were pretty close to Australia, and the 'cruisers' were quite a ways off, so I didn't get too worried about it.

Big mistake. Stupid mistake. A part of me knew what it was. I knew it was a trap. And I walked blissfully into it anyway!

Suddenly they react towards me, launch a crap load of planes and blast the freshly refitted Lexington and Yorktown to junk.
And to add insult to injury, they don't respond!!!!

12 SBDs - out of something like 48 SBDs and another 60 F4Fs - wander out, declare they can't find the enemy carriers, and go home to get blown up on the decks.

It was a reverse Midway.
No, it was worse. At least at Midway the Japs got Yorktown.

I have decided that Yorktown and Lex are cursed. In all 3 of my PBEM games they died horribly, and gave a pretty poor accounting for themselves in the process (well, in this game against madflava they at least showed up for the battle).

No, my stupid mistakes had nothing to do with it. They are cursed.
[:D]

Seriously, it would have been nice if they had at least launched one strike on the enemy carriers before dying horribly.


So, now in both games, I have to very carefully conserve Enterprise, Saratoga, Hornet (and later - Wasp) until I get the CVEs and CVLs to bolster the strength lost in Yorktown and Lexington.

And the Death Star gets to run around operating with impunity.

Sigh...

[marky]

cant see ur gf huh?

i know the feeling

mine lives a decent distance away from me [:(]




reverse midway huh?

interesting concept

o

that reminds me


the movie midway is on tonite, on the histrory channel

[neuromancer]

ORIGINAL: marky

cant see ur gf huh?

i know the feeling

mine lives a decent distance away from me [:(]

[:)]

Mine has a rather... complicated life. Doesn't allow for much time.
And that we live in different towns further complicates things.

the movie midway is on tonite, on the histrory channel

Decent film.

[madflava13]

I'm back from a weekend on the Jersey shore, refreshed and full of ideas for my victorious Japanese forces.

I'm just positioning my forces now for a big push somewhere in the next week or so.

The Death Star is in position, several BBs are reporting in, and the Yamato is about 5 days out. Once she's in theater, I'll have everything I need to take the base of my choosing...

[neuromancer]

So much for the planned format of this AAR...



The Japanese continue to taunt, threatening to take bases from the righteous forces of freedom!

Although now they say it will be another 10 days. At this rate I'll have the USS Essex before they show up! [:D]

I suppose I should decide how I'm going to try and counter him when he does show up. Again, either Port Moresby or Luganville is expected.

Harrassment with subs continues. Including a cheaky I boat sitting around in Townsville harbour! Considering that he has been having his boats running around mining everywhere, I imagine I'll have to send some minesweepers around.

A patrol boat escorting a pair of minesweepers cleaning up some of the detris the japs have been leaving lying around decided to help, by running into one of the mines. [8|]

I expect it to sink today.

The air forces have been very conservative, he has not sent them off. I assume he will attack with them en masse when he is ready to make his next push.

A small surface group sailed up, shelled Port Moresby, sailed off, was spotted by a B26 patrol plane, and then the local air commander declined to attack. Apparently he figured that with so little damage to PM, there was no real reason to attack the ships.

"No harm, no foul."

The commander is being investigated on suspicions of being a Japanese agent.
Or an idiot.

- - - -

In my other game the IJN is invading PM. He had reguarly been sending in surface groups to shell the base. I slipped my own surface group up, and a fierce battle ensued. Despite being outgunned by the two IJN BBs (along with CAs and DDs) facing USN and RAN CAs, CLs, and DDs, the battle turned out remarkably even.

3 IJN and 2 USN DDs were heavily damaged, with varying numbers of shell and torpedo hits to almost every other combatant, several ships on both sides were reported burning. Both groups will probably need to retire for repairs.

The LBA out of Cooktown naturally declined to attack the wounded IJN ships retiring from the combat as that would have made them useful!

Maybe my S Boats can pick off a couple.

I was very surprised to see at least a couple torps from USN ships actually hit and damage IJN ships. Normally USN ship torps are about as effective as Mk 14 torps off Gato class boats!