herbie goes bananas again

[herbieh]

To kill an enemy regiment, then pull out

But Ive played wobbly before, he cant help himself, hes here to stay, so a battle out of reach of his land based fighters suits me perfectly, he still believes KB is in the wings. Plus if Rennel is developed - and it doesnt take too long, 1 squadron of P38s here will ruin me, or worse .

besides, this is great fun, why wouldnt you have a stoush!!!

[Freddy Fudpucker]

ORIGINAL: herbieh
2 years of playing and this game still excites!

But is this your last UV PBEM now that you have WiTP?

[herbieh]

Not sure on that fred, but this one has so far to go....

Yammato and Co steam in.
Yammato takes a sub torp. Then they encounter 2 CAs, 5 Dds
Not as nearly good battle this time, his SG radars do a good job, although I damage his CAs, and sink 2 DDs, all of my ships take damage. I lose 1 DD

Mushia takes a torp, yammato many hits, some of the CAs many hits
The Naval bombardment delivers major damage
And 80th regiment gets fully ashore
Yammato is 42 syst, 19 flood, 13 fire
Mushia 23 and 10
With Hiei at 58 thats 3 giant ships to go home, they have shot there bolt

[herbieh]

The lull
Wobbly leaves a single DD at rennell, it intercepts barges streaming in. Subs and LBA sink a few more
124 LBA hit the place. But many barges arrive with troops.

[herbieh]

More AGs landing, 4 enemy DDs try to intercept, 3 ags sunk
I run in more troops, a DD strikes a mine
His LBA trys again, and I have heavy LRCAP over Rennell. They Intercept CATs doing troop transport!!!
I KNEW IT< HE IS SENDING TROOPS IN!
My barges get half a regiment into the place
Every plane in theatre will attack tomorrow, attack!!!!

[herbieh]

12/1/42
More barges hitting mines
More subs attacking barges
He has a DD hit a mine at rennel, as he sends in troops
But I too get another fast transport run in, using a CS this time
Lunga is flattened again!!!-79 B17s 50 twin engined planes
All my LBA hits rennell, lots of betties and nells and sallies and even a few lillies
1 to 1 attack at rennel, forts to 2
A fast transport runs supplies to PM
Tomorrow we shock attack!

[herbieh]

13/1/43
Wobbly sends in the big boys, south dakato and washington under thunderstorms.
They sink 2 barges[:D]
KB is scaring him for sure ( HIYO is coming south again with ryujo)

I shock attack at rennel

IT FALLS[:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(]

I lost 550 men to 5700!!

BB Mushia, 3 dds, ca chokia return to japan.

[herbieh]

Today his LBA hits rennell
I finish cleaning out the raiders, 3600 more men in the bag!

Now to evacuate the troops quick

Wobbly expresses surprise at my response to the invasion

I leave a CA TF to lurk on react as barges and anything that floats is sent to the place to evacuate troops

Yammato, Hiei go home, wont see yammato again, she needs 402 days to repair
2 DD go home, a cl goes home

Score 8830 to 6388

And then the shock
Wobbly tells me that all, repeat, all of HIS CVS have been in pearl too!!!!

And now he has 5 CVs, 3 cvl, 2 cve, and corsairs .
I think I made him angry[:D]

[herbieh]

"KB" shows itself
Rennel island is a circus as CAs, DDs, even AVs pick up troops

Death from above
Irau is pounded

4 dds, CA myoko to japan

Get the victorious troops out boys!!

[herbieh]

More death from above, 27 zeros try to stop LUnga air attack- 67 B17s, 21 buefighters

CRUNCH

Irau gets plastered too

Another day
More evacuations
Rennel evac is going very well


Another day
My CVs are spotted
Lunga is pounded again
25 zeros try to stop 46 p38s, 94, yes 94 B26 and 15 hudsons
I lose about 1 to 1 a/c, but the field will be closed for several days
CVs move over to lend cap support

Lunga may not be tenable

Another day
rennel island is almost empty of troops
He rests today, but lunga is still closed

A great rush of turns making a great weekend of play
I have got the troops out, with out losing a ship.
The place is getting more mines
Next time he comes, he can have the place, now to get 20 div back to shortlands and in 1 piece.
Im going to retire all the damaged ships, there are very many, I will be left with about 6 CAs, and 20 DDs, 3 AVs, a CS and 1 cv, 1 cvl
Hopefully replacements will soon come, many of the CVs are within a month of arrival in japan.
Its the armies turn to delay the enemy, taht and miss Bettie, her turn to play.

[herbieh]

2 days of fighting this post

The first day was deathly quiet, and the evac of rennell continued, most troops arrive at Lunga tomorrow/tonight, or shortlands
I begin to remove most planes north, never going to keep lunga open at this rate
All ships are returned to Truk, time to re organise

Next day
death from above, as wave after wave of LBA hits the AVs at lunga. Also a final incoming convoy is hit
I have no CAP today
All up 1 AV sunk, 3 APs hit, a DD hit, and 2 tankers hurt
The field remains open for further flights out

I recieve more planes today, a sq of zekes, useless if there is nothing in the pool, so I have to leave them for at least 3 months.
Some more lillies will be useful
What i really need are more tonies

troops on Lunga settle in , and tighten belts, its going to rain iron for weeks i think[8|]

[herbieh]

22/1/43
Today an AP dinged it out with a sub at rennel, as the last troops tried to get away
The sub may have been sunk[:D], the AP goes down fighting, thats the spirit!!!
PM is hit by a huge raid today

23/1/43
Subs kill a few barges at rennell
Very quiet day
I return a lot, and I mean a lot of ships to Tokyo,more to come
The fleets new role - fast transport evacuations of Base forces as each base is closed down

New ships enroute, 1 fast BB, 1 slow, 1 cl, 8dd

24/1/43
Absolutely nothing happened
Amazing!

25/1/43
Thunderstorms
All quiet, CL Tenryu goes down just short of truk[:@]
If a ship was damaged, it got returned to Tokyo today, and replacements go to high!, with the CVs not far away this is very encouraging

The small task forces head to shortlands.
Every transport plane I have is at lunga, evacuating a base force.
My air is getting out, Munda is the next major resistance point.

How long to destroy 2 divisions dug in?
Rennel island bought me a month
The next invasion I intend to buy 3.
After that, well we will take one imperial pig with us.

Glad we stuck this game out, finding it a real blast now!

[herbieh]

The date is 26/1/43

And the quiet of the pacific is a wonder to behold

nothing happening.

Ive got convoys going, a few ships headed to shortlands, evacuating base forces from lunga, that is it

Im sure it will explode soon.

[herbieh]

27/1/43
Another very quiet day
I continue to evac excess air and base units from lunga, got 1 entire base out, now for the next. All the transport planes are actually being worthwhile today

And thats all today.

[herbieh]

Another week ends of fun to post

28/1/43
A big air raid on Port Moresby today
And a big one on Lunga
And lots of recon

Im hiding

29/1/43
Thunderstorms
No action
kaga and zuiho released YAHHHHH!!!

30/1/43
More thunderstorms
Its eeerily quiet
Im moving supplies, returning planes, trying to evac base forces from lunga

31/1/43
83 B-26 escorted by P38s hit lunga
OK, Im going to have to try something here....

1/2/43
All quiet

2/2/43
An AP is sunk by a sub
today the terrifying wieght of allied air is revealed
I put all the NICKs I have on LRCAP over Lunga

24 P38, 110 b26[X(], 14 hudson vs 19 Nick
Then 61 B17,26 liberators vs 17 Nick

I lost 4 nick, and 7 topsy on the ground, and 2 mavis today
he lost 2 hudson,3 P38,2 B26, 5 b17 and 2 liberators

So even losses
Supply is being eaten, and the base is closed forever, but I think at the moment I can keep ahead of the supply losses.
For me the big thing is, time ticks on
If wobbly knew KB is not on map, it would be chaos!

For This game, keep the allied LBA at arms reach, and you have a chance.
Im still 2500 points ahaed

[herbieh]

reinforcements arrive
On map I now have 3bb,3ca, 1cv, 1cvl
A shadow of last months fleet, but wobbly does not know that[:D]
more ships coming
Lost an AP today to a sub, but also got one!![X(][X(]

Its quiet today, Im going to spread some seeds on the lunga paddock today[:'(]

[herbieh]

After a few hiccups with turns, we resume


And nothing is happening combat wise

I wait, and send supplies. And train, and wait.

[herbieh]

2 more days of "battle"

several minesweepers sweep each night the fields at irau, and the LBA hits hard there as well
Last turn north carolina threw a few calling cards as well.

My response.
sent 2 old BBs towards Gilli gilli.
Still thinking Wobbly never goes just for one place

little else I can do, still praying for Cvs to be released soon.
I need 30 more days.
Just a month
not much
please[8D]

[1275psi]

I totally messed up my profile trying to add an avatar

Been demoted to recruit I think[:(][:(][:(][:(][8|][8|]

Asw action of Irau
And at last here he comes big time!!!!
17 B17s, 29 Hudson,20 Liberators attack Lae.
28 zero cap rise
Pretty inconclusive
But sqs everywhere are put to 90% cap as a massive fleet, AKs, APs, CVs ect are sighted about 8 hexes south of Gilli, Gilli

Reinforcements went to high this turn, with Kaga, Zuiho ,chunyo 2 days out.
I must hold my nerve!!!

[1275psi]

Its on for sure now

8/2/43
Thunderstorms
Port Moresby is it
2 sc hit mines
MSWs clearing mines
9AKs, 9Aps,1CA,5 DD at PM, a CVE as well
20 wildcat flying cap, as p38s and 16 mitchells hit the beaches
2 regiments of the 20th div will fight

AT rabual the 6th and 41st division (less 1 reg reserve) are ordered to load, destination the bismark sea
Operation MIRE begins - the slow but steady raising of his fatigue levels before the main counter
I WILL NOT COMMITT yet, his big CVs remain quiet
I order a massive counter - 5 rufe seaplane fighters to sweep from Lae[:'(]
A dozen little TFs of barges, damaged APs and the like sail, just to keep him busy

9/2/42
The Rufes did not fly[:'(] (as if you would too)
4 AKs hit mines in Port Moresby
Endless reports of MSW clearing mines

99 B26 with p38s hit lunga
Tomorrow will be clear

I order 1 17plane sq of tonies into PM, 1 SQ of oscars and Helens to make a very high level attack from sag,sag.
Kaga, Hiyo,zuiho,ryuho packed with zeros sails from truk, fully fresh, and highly trained crews.
replacements remain high.