There were two parts to the operation, part one was send three CVs all the way across the Pacific, sailing under Australia to avoid dectection, and then steaming north to a point due south of Ceylon with the intent of bagging some major IJN fleet units rampaging in the Bay of Bengal.
Part two involved throwing Luskan off the scent by alunching or threatening to launch an attack against the home Islands at Omimato, the northern most point of Japan using a CV TF based around the Yorktown and a bombardment TF just for good measure.
It has taken me TWO gaming months to get all the ships to where I wanted them........two long months and when I spring the trap I bag only two BBs and although the combat report lists them as both taking a number of hits from my dive bombers I am sure that FOW is in play and that the hits were not as critiacl as I had hoped. To make matters worse, I now have four somewhat very angery IJN CVs in hot pursuit of my three CVs. I don't relish a CV on CV battle just yet so I am really buring the oil to get them out of there as fast as I can. I think that I have the upper hand here as Luskan's CVs were at least two days north east of my CV TF, and they just don't have the legs to follow me at high speed.
I really would have liked to have used all four of the USn fleet carriers but the fact is that the Yorktown does not arrive early enough, and if I had of waited it would have been a delay of at least another month while the Yorktown made the trip.
All in all it was a sound plan, that did little to rely on luck and was setup correctly. My long range aviation units (mainly PBYs) are now working well and I had spotted Luskan's CVs two turns ago, and jugded that I had enough of a gap to make a fast hit and run. But at the end of the day it was the pilots lack of experience that let the whole operation down. But one thing is for certain, Luskan must now always be onguard and I am sure that it has been a bit of a wake-up call for him.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 02/16/42
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Naval bombardment of Port Moresby, at 53,91
Allied aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft losses
Catalina I: 3 destroyed, 5 damaged
Japanese Ships
DD Tomozuru
DD Hatsukari
DD Manazuru
DD Chidori
DD Yunagi
DD Asanagi
DD Matsukaze
DD Asakaze
DD Inazuma
DD Ikazuchi
DD Yamagumo
CL Kuma
CA Ashigara
CA Maya
Allied ground losses:
78 casualties reported
Guns lost 2
Vehicles lost 1
Airbase hits 13
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 54
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Day Air attack on TF, near Trimcomalee at 15,25
Allied aircraft
Hurricane II x 4
Vildebeest IV x 8
Allied aircraft losses
Vildebeest IV: 9 damaged
Japanese Ships
CA Chokai
CL Yura
Aircraft Attacking:
4 x Vildebeest IV launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x Vildebeest IV launching torpedoes at 200 feet
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Day Air attack on TF, near Trimcomalee at 15,25
Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 15
F4F-4 Wildcat x 7
SBD Dauntless x 49
Allied aircraft losses
SBD Dauntless: 4 destroyed, 27 damaged
Japanese Ships
BB Nagato, Bomb hits 7, on fire At the very least these two will need some yard time
BB Hyuga, Bomb hits 8, on fire
Aircraft Attacking:
6 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
8 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
6 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
9 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
9 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
9 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
Be preapred for a shock then if you ever visit the Deep South in the US [:D]