A quasi-historical AAR vs. the AI, with screenshots

[Grotius]

7 November 1942: The eleven-month anniversary of the war was not a happy one for the Allies. I blundered badly at Gili Gili, establishing a base there without sufficient infantry defenses -- and then failing to remove my sole squadron of P-38s from the base when its fall was imminent. Moreover, the IJN CVs near Guadalcanal gave me a second surprise -- advancing instead of retiring -- and my little retreating Air Combat TF in that region escaped attack only by divine intervention in the form of a cloud. To make things worse, BB Arizona decided to retire from Gili Gili after it took one little hit in a surface-combat action there, and it moved out from under its air cover. <cringe>

The news wasn't all bad. I did sink a lot of surface ships in surface combat at Gili Gili. All in all, though, this turn makes me regret every instance in which I've imposed a "house rule" on myself to give the AI a chance!

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 11/07/42

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Coastal Guns at Gili Gili, 56,94, firing at TF 294
TF 294 troops unloading over beach at Gili Gili, 56,94


224 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
AP Amakusa Maru
AP Eihuku Maru, Shell hits 1
DD Yukikaze
AP Akashisan Maru, Shell hits 5, on fire, heavy damage

Japanese ground losses:
448 casualties reported
Guns lost 5

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Coastal Guns at Gili Gili, 56,94, firing at TF 294
TF 294 troops unloading over beach at Gili Gili, 56,94


190 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
DD Hatsushima
AP Amakusa Maru, Shell hits 1
AP Eihuku Maru, Shell hits 6, on fire, heavy damage
DD Yukikaze, Shell hits 4
AP Daifuku Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AP Aratama Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DD Satsuki, Shell hits 1, on fire

Japanese ground losses:
176 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Allied ground losses:
38 casualties reported

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Sub attack at 68,100

Japanese Ships
SS I-29

Allied Ships
DD Lang, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DD Drayton
DD Fanning
DD Benham
DD Morris
DD Buchanan
DD Laffey
DD Gwin
DD Meredith
CLAA Atlanta
CV Saratoga

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ASW attack at 68,100

Japanese Ships
SS I-29

Allied Ships
DD Drayton
DD Fanning
DD Benham
DD Morris
DD Buchanan
DD Laffey
DD Gwin
DD Meredith
CLAA Atlanta

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Night Time Surface Combat, near Gili Gili at 56,94

Japanese Ships
DD Kuroshio, Shell hits 30, and is sunk
DD Yukikaze
DD Nowaki, Shell hits 18, and is sunk
DD Hatsushima, Shell hits 18, and is sunk
DD Satsuki, Shell hits 11, and is sunk
MSW W.13, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
PG Hong Kong Maru, on fire, heavy damage
PG Ikunta Maru, Shell hits 12, on fire, heavy damage
PG Kaiun Maru, on fire, heavy damage
PG Magan Maru, Shell hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AP Akashisan Maru, on fire, heavy damage
AP Aratama Maru, on fire, heavy damage
AP Burisuben Maru
AP Daifuku Maru, on fire, heavy damage
AP Eihuku Maru, on fire, heavy damage
AK Raizan Maru
AP Amakusa Maru

Allied Ships
BB Arizona, Shell hits 1
BB Idaho
BB Mississippi
CL Raleigh, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
DD Downes
DD Clark
DD MacDonough
DD Alwin
DD Piet Hein

Japanese ground losses:
49 casualties reported
Guns lost 2

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ASW attack at 68,100

Japanese Ships
SS I-29, hits 5, on fire, heavy damage

Allied Ships
DD Drayton
DD Fanning
DD Benham
DD Morris
DD Buchanan
DD Laffey
DD Gwin
DD Meredith
CA Northampton
CV Saratoga

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Sub attack at 65,93

Japanese Ships
DD Kasumi, on fire, heavy damage

Allied Ships
SS Grampus

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Day Air attack on Hong Kong , at 43,42


Allied aircraft
I-153c x 17
SB-2c x 11


No Allied losses

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x SB-2c bombing at 6000 feet
5 x SB-2c bombing at 6000 feet
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Day Air attack on TF at 66,92

Allied aircraft
Beaufort V-IX x 3

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
DD Kasumi, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x Beaufort V-IX bombing at 6000 feet
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Day Air attack on TF at 65,92

Allied aircraft
Beaufort V-IX x 3

Allied aircraft losses
Beaufort V-IX: 4 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Kongo

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x Beaufort V-IX bombing at 6000 feet
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Day Air attack on TF, near Russell Islands at 66,96

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 23

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 11
SBD Dauntless x 12
P-39D Airacobra x 12
P-40B Tomahawk x 2
P-40E Warhawk x 13

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 17 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 15 destroyed, 2 damaged
SBD Dauntless: 2 destroyed, 14 damaged
P-39D Airacobra: 19 destroyed, 2 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 4 destroyed, 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
CA Mikuma
CA Suzuya
CA Chokai

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
3 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
4 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
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Day Air attack on TF, near Normanby Island at 57,95

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 3
G4M1 Betty x 17

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 5 destroyed, 16 damaged

Allied Ships
BB Arizona, Torpedo hits 2, on fire
BB Mississippi

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet
1 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet
1 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet
3 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet
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Day Air attack on TF at 65,92

Allied aircraft
Beaufort V-IX x 3

Allied aircraft losses
Beaufort V-IX: 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Haruna

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x Beaufort V-IX bombing at 6000 feet
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Day Air attack on TF at 64,93

Allied aircraft
Beaufort V-IX x 3


No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
AE Kashino, on fire

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x Beaufort V-IX bombing at 6000 feet
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Day Air attack on TF, near Russell Islands at 66,96

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 5

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 13
SBD Dauntless x 3
P-39D Airacobra x 9
P-40B Tomahawk x 2
P-40E Warhawk x 15

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
SBD Dauntless: 2 damaged
P-39D Airacobra: 2 destroyed
P-40B Tomahawk: 4 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 5 destroyed, 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
CA Suzuya

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x SBD Dauntless bombing at 2000 feet
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Day Air attack on TF, near Gili Gili at 56,94

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 13

Allied aircraft
P-40B Tomahawk x 10
P-38G Lightning x 10

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 1 damaged


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Day Air attack on TF, near Normanby Island at 57,95

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 3

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
BB Arizona, on fire

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 14000 feet
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Day Air attack on TF, near Gili Gili at 56,94

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 10
G4M1 Betty x 2

Allied aircraft
P-40B Tomahawk x 10
P-38G Lightning x 10

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 1 damaged
J1N1-R Irving: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-40B Tomahawk: 4 destroyed, 2 damaged

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Naval bombardment of Russell Islands, at 66,96


Allied aircraft
no flights


Allied aircraft losses
Catalina I: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
DD Kiji
DD Kamikaze
CA Suzuya
CA Mikuma
CA Chokai


Allied ground losses:
167 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
Vehicles lost 1

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 15


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Ground combat at Gili Gili

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 5262 troops, 56 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 5991 troops, 70 guns, 29 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Gili Gili base !!!



Allied aircraft
no flights


Allied aircraft losses
P-38G Lightning: 33 destroyed

Japanese ground losses:
93 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Allied ground losses:
1959 casualties reported
Guns lost 47
Vehicles lost 4