Canuck's Revenge - ADavidB vs PzB (Wobbly's game continued)

[ADavidB]

Yes, on November 23, 1942 a "miracle" happened - the Nevada finally upgraded. [&o] Now I only have a few more key ships that haven't upgraded yet. Sure, I'm not about to use the Nevada as a "front line" ship, but I do have a use for those 20 knot BBs and they will help to keep PzB "honest" in some of the "backwater" theaters.

The plans that I have been aluding to are starting to take shape. I'm moving first class units to the key theaters. My withdrawal from Timor is working well. I've changed my mind about attempting a withdrawal from Java - it actually aids my plans to keep PzB tied up in Java. January 1943 ought to be very interesting.

Okay, so what is happening in the meanwhile? Well, I continue to bomb "defenseless" Japanese positions, which is the mirror image of how PzB trains his pilots on my Chinese troops. For example:

Day Air attack on Lautem , at 33,78

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 5
B-17E Fortress x 98
B-24D Liberator x 45

No Allied losses

Airbase hits 16
Airbase supply hits 13
Runway hits 123

PzB is laughing at my puny numbers of P-38s in escort at this point in time, but they are gaining experience too, and they will increase in numbers. And once I can put up a hundred or so trained P-38s along with 150 or 200 trained heavy bombers PzB's control of the air will start to slip.

I am also rebuilding the experience of my tac bombers after the debacle of the attacks on the Ise:

Day Air attack on Lautem , at 33,78

Allied aircraft
Hudson I x 42

No Allied losses

Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 27

BTW - I have one lone Chinese bomber group that has been regularly bombing nearby Japanese ground units for weeks and weeks. It is the only air unit that I have that consistantly does Ground Attack well:

Day Air attack on 10th Mortar Battalion, at 45,34

Allied aircraft
SB-2c x 12

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
30 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

I have no idea of what is different here, but I'm not changing anything! [:'(]

Otherwise PzB only did bombardment attacks this turn in Colombo and Java and ignored the troops in Dili completely. I pulled most of the paratroopers out by air, then pulled out the planes and set them to pick up the rest of the troopers and the base force. Sure, I'll leave equipment behind but they can get more. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for PzB to catch on to what I've done.

Dave Baranyi

[ADavidB]

PzB pointed out in his email to me that November 24 was "just another day of bombing". That's good - I want him to continue to think that. I was able to pull more of the paratroops out of Dili as well as some of the base force. There still are leftover field guns there, so if PzB isn't looking carefully it will appear that I still have my forces there and I will be taking out more the next time. (Since he only has a small group of troops there he isn't in a hurry to try to attack me on the ground.)

I also got another bomber out of Dili that was originally stuck in Java and as well I flew out a bunch more P-40Bs of the 49th FG out of Java directly. This is a good, experienced unit with lots of kills. I've got 30 of them out now and with any luck I'll get more out next time. I also now have a good surface force back in Darwin, so if PzB gets any ideas about using those cruisers that he is fixing up in Kendari I can give him a "warm welcome".

The rest of my plans are going nicely - ships are moving, troops are moving, planes are moving, supplies and fuel are moving - all-in-all things are setting up nicely. When I move I will be moving very short distances with lots of air cover and PzB will need to move longer distances. PzB may be laughing at my fighter capabilities in the DEI but he hasn’t tested me in the Central Pacific in a long time.

So, as I've written in the past, "quiet is good". I am looking forward to my next phase of operations and will be well prepared. I might even surprise PzB a bit…

Dave Baranyi

[ADavidB]

November 25 was not as quiet as the 24th, but I did get to fly more planes out of Java and troops out of Dili. Even the howitzers are coming out of Dili. PzB did send some minesweepers in to try to clear Lautem harbour - cool, this way later on I'll be able to send bombardment TFs in without hitting my own mines.

In addition to his regular bombing attacks PzB did ground attacks on Colombo and Soerabaja and lowered the fortifications at both sites:

Ground combat at Colombo

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 68587 troops, 387 guns, 1 vehicles

Defending force 21641 troops, 110 guns, 1 vehicles

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 3

Japanese assault odds: 0 to 1 (fort level 3)

Japanese ground losses:
663 casualties reported
Guns lost 8
Vehicles lost 1

Allied ground losses:
547 casualties reported
Guns lost 20

Ground combat at Soerabaja

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 118685 troops, 1062 guns, 12 vehicles

Defending force 22699 troops, 150 guns, 3 vehicles

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 5

Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 5)

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 5

Japanese ground losses:
1449 casualties reported
Guns lost 36
Vehicles lost 2

Allied ground losses:
1054 casualties reported
Guns lost 36

PzB has put a huge number of troops into the siege of Soerabaja - I guess that he wants that oil back.

On a somewhat "humorous" note, the Formidable finally launched its planes at a target - in this case the air fields at Koepang:

Day Air attack on Koepang, at 28, 77

Allied aircraft
Fulmar x 9
TBF Avenger x 9

No Allied losses

Runway hits 5

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x TBF Avenger bombing at 5000 feet

So PzB now knows that I have a Brit carrier in the neighbourhood, although there is no chance that he is "quivering in fear" at the sight of that feeble attack. Will he send some of his carriers after it? Will he ignore it? Will he try to set a "trap" for it? In any event I hope that PzB pays some level of attention to the "Not-Very-Formidable" because I would like to see a few of his carriers stay in the theatre.

Elsewhere things are going smoothly as planned and I've even suddenly become aware of some bases where the supply levels have dropped precariously. These are isolated bases so I don't know why this has happened. I've also noticed that the morale of some of my heavy bomber groups has jumped significantly but inexplicably recently. I hope that the supplies return but the morale stays…

Dave Baranyi

[ADavidB]

My air transports pulled out the last of the paratroopers out of Dili on November 26, but they didn't pull out more of the base force. This is odd because the planes were able to handle both the first time I tried it. So this time I've set all the C-47s to pick up the base force and we'll see what happened. I also flew more P-40Bs out of Java.

PzB attacked Soerabaja seriously again this turn:

Ground combat at Soerabaja

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 122297 troops, 1022 guns, 9 vehicles

Defending force 21220 troops, 97 guns, 2 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 4 to 1 (fort level 5)

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 4

Japanese ground losses:
1128 casualties reported
Guns lost 17

Allied ground losses:
1022 casualties reported
Guns lost 20

Time is running out for the defenders there, but PzB will have to either ship or march his troops along to several more bases before he regains the island. I've got one more surprise that I'm going to try to pull off.

Speaking of surprises, I spotted a small transport TF at Lautem, so I've sent off a fast cruiser/destroyer TF to try to catch the transports. We'll see if I get lucky. Meanwhile I continue to give my pilots target practice at Lautem:

Day Air attack on Lautem, at 33, 78

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 14
B-25C Mitchell x 53

No Allied losses

Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 48

And:

Day Air attack on Lautem, at 33, 78

Allied aircraft
Hudson I x 44

No Allied losses

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 24

Notice that the numbers of P-38s participating are increasing - I'm not flying in more P-38s; they are slowly increasing locally as my P-39Ds switch over. I already have a full group of P-38s in PM. Soon I'll have another one in Darwin. And I have a squadron in the Gilberts just to keep PzB on his toes. I bombed other places too, including Koepang, Shortlands and my rotation of islands in the southern Marshalls.

One of the nice after-effects of the battle for Lautem is that PzB's ships continue to sink with time. Every escort or transport that sinks now is one that won't be bothering me later.

BTW - I just can't wait for the New Year to come around. Almost every turn I have subs launching dud torpedoes. I've now moved around 90% of my subs back to repair ports to ready them for 1943 and usable weapons.

BTW II - I'm still waiting for the radar to be fixed on that same 20 knot BB, as well as waiting for the last 20 knot BB to get its 1942 upgrade, along with two CVs. This is quite the "mission"…

Dave Baranyi

[ADavidB]

November 27, 1942 was one of those game days where nearly nothing worked for me. For the most part my planes didn't fly, or flew but didn't drop anything on their targets, or flew and got wiped out. All the while PzB flew missions from everywhere with hundreds of planes per mission. (How come no one "tests" out the effects of have 101 Sallys bombing something all at once?) My combat TF didn't catch PzB's transport TF at Lautem. My BBs and CVs under repair didn't improve their sysdamage to allow upgrades. My air transport didn't remove any more of the base force from Dili. PzB captured Soerabaja in one massive Shock Attack.

So I flew two transport squadrons into Dili to see if I can get them to take the Support Staff out of there. My fleets continued on their merry way towards next month's plans. I set a bunch of heavy bombers on their most difficult and lengthy bombing mission yet. Next turn I'll be setting up an important theater-wide "distraction".

Sooner or later I'll have something good to report.

Dave Baranyi

[tsimmonds]

(How come no one "tests" out the effects of have 101 Sallys bombing something all at once?)

Coz on the map that most people use for testing, Sallys can't reach any targets![;)]

[ADavidB]

ORIGINAL: irrelevant

(How come no one "tests" out the effects of have 101 Sallys bombing something all at once?)

Coz on the map that most people use for testing, Sallys can't reach any targets![;)]

Gawd, what I'd give to slip that map into PzB's WitP directory! [;)] Look at some of what he is able to regularly "reach":

Day Air attack on Colombo , at 14,24

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 23
Ki-21 Sally x 101

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21 Sally: 3 damaged

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 39

Day Air attack on Colombo , at 14,24

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 23
Ki-21 Sally x 26
Ki-48 Lily x 35

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21 Sally: 3 damaged
Ki-48 Lily: 2 damaged

Allied ground losses:
30 casualties reported
Vehicles lost 1

Runway hits 49

Those are two seperate attacks from different bases. And that's ignoring all the other air attacks he is doing regularly.

A good, smart Japanese player can definitely shut down any Allied air base if they play it right. (I've got a new PBEM opponent who is doing similar things in December 1941 by again using his air power in a smart and dedicated manner.) One doesn't need B-29s.

Cheers -

Dave Baranyi

[String]

Did you get fragments out from Sorebaja?

[Halsey]

I think this is a weather issue. From what I've seen in my games is that the Allied bases get slammed with more thunderstorms than the Japanese. This must be some kind of balancing issue.

As an example. The Japanese flew constantly out of Rangoon in one of my games. As soon as it was recaptured and Allied aircraft stationed there. Thunderstorms! I get missions about once every 3-4 days of of Rangoon. If I'm lucky.

On my controlled portion of the Pacific map there is ts/rain 80% of the time.

Clear weather? What the hell is that? I very rarely see any.[:D]

[ADavidB]

ORIGINAL: String

Did you get fragments out from Sorebaja?

No - PzB has kept Java too tightly controlled from the air to allow me to pull out troops via C-47 - anyway, they would have ended up in Dili, which isn't that much better a situation...

I don't do use submarines to try to "save and regrow" isolated units. I generally try to avoid getting units isolated in the first place. So, for example, I've just pulled my units out of Tenimbar by ship back to Darwin. They served their purpose in Tenimbar and I don't want to waste them. Darwin is non-malaria, well defended and I can keep it supplied. Tenimbar is a potential trap - for either side. I'm actually hoping that PzB does try to retake Tenimbar because I can then engage his forces right where I have significant strength.

My philosophy has been to "stand and fight" as much as possible where it makes sense. This is similar to the way I try to play the opening of the Campaign scenario. If I just try to "pull and run" I allow my opponent to take key positions without effort as well as giving him easy shots at my fleeing ships. The difference in this particular match versus my "fresh" Scenario 15 matches is that I underestimated PzB's ability to attack on the ground at the beginning, as well as I overestimated my ability to defend on the ground. In both India and now in Java I had tired, low morale troops. PzB has been able to continuously bring in rested, high morale troops.

In retrospect, I probably could have flown out some of the troops from Java early on when I first captured Lautem and Dili, but I didn't expect the Japanese troops to be able to perform as well on the ground as they have. I also expected my air power to be a larger factor, and it hasn't been - Allied airpower in the game is not the "giant killer" it once was and I'm still adjusting to that reality.

What the Battle for Java now means is that PzB still has sizable forces committed to an isolated theater while I am continuing to build up my mutually-supporting bases that are closer to my origins for forces. What I don't know is if PzB will continue to try to expand his perimeter after he takes Java or if he will wait for my inevitable counterattack to begin.

Dave Baranyi

[ADavidB]

ORIGINAL: Halsey

I think this is a weather issue. From what I've seen in my games is that the Allied bases get slammed with more thunderstorms than the Japanese. This must be some kind of balancing issue.

As an example. The Japanese flew constantly out of Rangoon in one of my games. As soon as it was recaptured and Allied aircraft stationed there. Thunderstorms! I get missions about once every 3-4 days of of Rangoon. If I'm lucky.

On my controlled portion of the Pacific map there is ts/rain 80% of the time.

Clear weather? What the hell is that? I very rarely see any.[:D]

We both seem to see a lot of clouds in our game - its just that PzB has so many air units right now and so many bases that he almost always has a few available to hammer my positions. The other big factor against me is that I only have two Air HQs, and they make all the difference in the world as far as repairing planes and getting air units to fly. Unfortunately, the next bunch of Air HQs that I'm supposed to get are all going into the "Unknown", care of PzB's conquest of Karachi.

Thanks for the comments -

Dave Baranyi

[ADavidB]

Well, on November 28 my heavy bombers did do something - they seem to have surprised PzB a bit as I hit Kwajalein for the first time:

Day Air attack on Kwajalein , at 79,79

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 7
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 13

Allied aircraft
F-5A Lightning x 4
B-17E Fortress x 37
B-24D Liberator x 20

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 3 damaged
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 2 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 4 damaged

Runway hits 2

PzB didn't have his usual "hordes" of fighters in place, these bombers were fairly well experienced, and I flew them in at high altitude. So I didn't lose as many planes as I usually do, but at the same time I didn't do that much damage. But the message is there for PzB just the same - the Marshalls are less "safe" than they used to be. And I'll be reinforcing that message more over the next few days.

I also bombed more areas, and set up attacks on more yet. I'm increasing the pace of air attacks to keep PzB on his toes everywhere. I'm "up to something" and I want PzB to have lots of potential areas to think about. This unopposed attack on Lautem was designed to give him something to think about:

Day Air attack on Lautem , at 33,78

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 14
B-17E Fortress x 98
B-24D Liberator x 45

No Allied losses

Airbase hits 12
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 136

It also puts Lautem firmly out of commission while I go about my other business in the area.

In the meanwhile, PzB attacked Colombo once again and lowered the fortifications to level 2:

Ground combat at Colombo

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 68601 troops, 392 guns, 1 vehicles

Defending force 21394 troops, 109 guns, 1 vehicles

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 2

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

Japanese ground losses:
548 casualties reported
Guns lost 6

Allied ground losses:
828 casualties reported
Guns lost 19

I suspect that if PzB were to do a shock attack he would probably capture the base, but he is showing signs of not wanting to waste too many troops or take too many chances.

Dave Baranyi

[ADavidB]

November 29 brought more heavy bomber attacks to PzB's strongholds - first Kendari where PzB has been stockpiling lots and lots of planes:

Day Air attack on Kendari , at 33,71

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 23
A6M3 Zero x 22
Ki-61 KAIc Tony x 5

Allied aircraft
F-5A Lightning x 6
B-17E Fortress x 92
B-24D Liberator x 47

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 2 damaged
A6M3 Zero: 4 destroyed
Ki-61 KAIc Tony: 2 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 9 destroyed, 20 damaged

Runway hits 5

These were high altitude attacks again, with experienced bombers, so the losses weren't too bad and so the damage wasn't too great either, but it is message, and it keeps lots of PzB's planes at Kendari. I'm sending more bombers in again next turn.

The other attack was on Rabaul:

Day Air attack on Rabaul , at 61,88

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 27
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 64
Ki-61 KAIc Tony x 5

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 58
B-17E Fortress x 47
B-24D Liberator x 46

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 13 destroyed, 1 damaged
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 18 destroyed, 4 damaged
Ki-61 KAIc Tony: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-38G Lightning: 25 destroyed, 8 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 3 destroyed, 12 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 3 destroyed, 6 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
13 casualties reported

Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 11

This time I had escorts going in with the heavies. My losses weren't as high as the FOW suggests. I'm going to rest the heavies in PM this turn and let the medium bombers have a go at a closer base, then send the heavies out next turn.

Elsewhere, my sole decent Chinese bomber squadron keeps on acting like "gangbusters":

Day Air attack on 15th Tank Regiment, at 45,34

Allied aircraft
SB-2c x 9

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
13 casualties reported
Vehicles lost 1

I need to get those guys to train the rest of my pilots "how to do it".

All of the rest of the action was air or ground bombardments too.

In the meanwhile, part of my plans showed up on PzB's search pattern as a bunch of transports were finally spotted heading to Tjilitjap. I've sent them out as single-ship TFs in an attempt to try to pull some troops out of Java. I've sent a squadron of P-38s to Tjilitjap for air cover and I've got the Not-So-Formidable carrier group out on a sortie into the southern DEI, just to let PzB think about it. At the same time, I am positioning a serious carrier force and an equally serious surface combat force in the Gilberts and I will be hitting the Marshalls in another two days with everything that I can. And I've got serious combat power on the way to start my move into the Marshalls. In addition I have forces headed to PM to allow me to start an advance in PNG. I'm even going to try to bomb the Kuriles (weather permitting) and I am building an offensive force up there too.

Will PzB try to address all of my forays simultaneously? Will he ignore the Pacific and continue to focus on Java? Will the KB sortie after those transports?

Stay tuned...

Dave Baranyi

[toraq]

I've sent them out as single-ship TFs in an attempt to try to pull some troops out of Java.

I can´t understand why don´t you did this before, when he was invading India. Again more heavy losses on your siide. A shame[:(]

[ADavidB]

I can´t understand why don´t you did this before, when he was invading India.

Hi - you're still around...

Weren't you the guy who kept on telling me to throw everything that I had at Java? [;)]

Fundamentally, I've been working to make PzB keep his forces together for as long as possible while I build up my strength. I have built up my strength where I want it now.

If I can get some troops out of Java, that's a bonus, but the main reason for this is to get PzB to commit his forces to Java and not to interfere with what I am doing in the Pacific. So if PzB sends the KB out after those transports, that's bad for the transports, but I have lots - and if I lose the troops at sea it isn't much different from losing them at land.

Cheers -

Dave Baranyi

[wobbly]

It is soul destroying isn't it.

You are a trooper though - well done on continuing to put up with the destruction. You definately know how it feels now!

Hmmm I replied to a post you had earlier - before the revelation of your attack. From experience I can say he will move everything he has to defend the Gilberts. It might be prudent to hold off the attempted rescue in Java until he knows you mean business in the Marshalls.

[ADavidB]

Hmmm I replied to a post you had earlier - before the revelation of your attack. From experience I can say he will move everything he has to defend the Gilberts. It might be prudent to hold off the attempted rescue in Java until he knows you mean business in the Marshalls.

I want to smoke out the KB - PzB will either have them show up in the DEI to have some "easy pickings" or try to catch my assault in the Marshalls. But I have a LOT of forces in the Gilberts and they are building daily. And he only has Kwajalein as a relatively "safe" base.

I am actually going to hit him with a double blitzkrieg, along with serious nuisance raids. I never committed "fresh" forces to Northern Oz - that's why I didn't try to hold Timor and didn't try to reinforce Java. My good forces are in the Pacific and PzB has a couple of weeks of hard steaming to get to where I am going. And if he does so, he opens up the opportunity for me to send supplies into Java to prolong the fight.

If he does as he has to date in the game against me, he will send a token response to my actions under the assumption that I am tying to "distract" him. If so, I will smack his token forces as I have in the past. (Sooner or later he will run short on "tokens".[:D])

December will bring some tough decisions for PzB, and January will bring a big response from me.

Thanks for the comments and your continued interest.

Dave Baranyi

[frank1970]

ADavidB, are you sure he has to send KB? He has now a lot of CVs, and I suppose he has them in several TFs, one near Java and one near Truk(?). You sighted some carriers some turns ago, would you think that was all his carrierbased airpower which hit you?

I´d suppose you send subs to rescue some cadres (hey, he killed all those Brits via bug). You need every unit you can get!

[ADavidB]

ORIGINAL: Frank

ADavidB, are you sure he has to send KB? He has now a lot of CVs, and I suppose he has them in several TFs, one near Java and one near Truk(?). You sighted some carriers some turns ago, would you think that was all his carrierbased airpower which hit you?

I´d suppose you send subs to rescue some cadres (hey, he killed all those Brits via bug). You need every unit you can get!

PzB hasn't seen any sign of my fleet carriers in game-months. If he sorties with his carriers he will go out in force, not piecemeal. He can't take a chance at me ambushing a small force of his or the balance of power will change.

The point of the Java transports is not to get fragments out, it is to force PzB to put some of his fleet "at risk", at my decision instead of his. I've deliberately left those troops in Java because it means that his Indian veterns are fighting in the malaria there instead of threatening me elsewhere. BTW - keep in mind, right now PzB can't tell if I am trying to reinforce Java or evacuate it - I am sending in AKs, not APs...[:D]

I have no doubt that PzB has his carriers split between Truk and the DEI. I don't want him to easily bring them together during my operations that are coming up. I can and will take on either half of the KB - I just don't want to have to deal with the entire Japanese carrier fleet at one place right now (unless that place happens to be the Gilberts, where I believe that my land based air can overwhelm the KB).

We'll see what happens.

Thanks for the thoughts -

Dave Baranyi

[ADavidB]

PzB's bomber crews were out for what they thought would be a routine, risk-free mission on November 30 when they hit an unpleasant surprise - unpleasant for them that is:

Day Air attack on Tjilitjap, at 19, 62

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21 Sally x 74

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 15

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21 Sally: 15 destroyed, 14 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-38G Lightning: 6 damaged

Port hits 1

Yes - my P-38s in Tjilitjap were in fine fettle and had a good day hunting Japanese bombers:

Day Air attack on TF, near Tjilitjap at 19, 62

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21 Sally x 3

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 15

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21 Sally: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-38G Lightning: 2 damaged

Allied Ships
AK Waipo

And:

Day Air attack on Tjilitjap, at 19, 62

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21 Sally x 27
Ki-48 Lily x 9
Ki-49 Helen x 14
Ki-46-II Dinah x 1

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 9

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21 Sally: 4 destroyed, 8 damaged
Ki-48 Lily: 1 destroyed
Ki-49 Helen: 3 destroyed, 4 damaged
Ki-46-II Dinah: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-38G Lightning: 1 damaged

Allied ground losses:
11 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 4

Now, PzB's bombers did drop a few bombs on some of the ships that were still out to sea, but he had chosen to use his Army planes, which meant that they weren't dropping torpedoes.

PzB has concluded that I am sending in those ships to evacuate my troops and he was prodding me in his email about just how many troops did I think that I would actually get to Australia. That is a good sign, because it suggests that he will send more force to try to stop me. In the meanwhile, my other attacks increased:

Day Air attack on Kendari, at 33, 71

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 23
A6M3 Zero x 20
Ki-61 KAIc Tony x 6

Allied aircraft
F-5A Lightning x 4
B-17E Fortress x 27

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-61 KAIc Tony: 1 damaged

What is important here is that is the second attack in two days, and I still had bombers ready to go back this next turn.

And:

Day Air attack on Paramushiro Jima, at 82, 34

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 11

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 1 damaged

This is my first attack on the Kuriles. Sure, I didn't destroy anything, but it was good practice for my pilots and they will be back, along with "friends".

And:

Day Air attack on Kwajalein, at 79, 79

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 7
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 31

Allied aircraft
F-5A Lightning x 3
B-17E Fortress x 90

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 1 destroyed, 5 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 8 destroyed, 22 damaged

Yet another attack on Kwajalein and PzB had to put more fighters there.

And:

Day Air attack on Shortlands, at 63, 93

Allied aircraft
P-40B Tomahawk x 15
B-26B Marauder x 58

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
8 casualties reported

Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 8

I "own" Shortlands, and those Marauders are just "waiting" for a Japanese ship to come within range.

Day Air attack on Koepang, at 28, 77

Allied aircraft
Brewster 339D x 9
B-25C Mitchell x 18

No Allied losses

Airbase hits 1
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 7

I also "own" Koepang. Those troops that PzB has stuck there are slowly wasting away from a lack of supply and lots of malaria.

And:

Day Air attack on Koepang, at 28, 77

Allied aircraft
Hudson I x 49

No Allied losses

Port hits 1
Port supply hits 2

BTW - those Hudsons and Mitchells are regaining experience and morale after the ill-fated mission against the Ise.

And:

Day Air attack on Lautem, at 33, 78

Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 44

No Allied losses

Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 42

PzB thinks that he can keep Lautem supplied. "Rots of Ruck".

And this, which was more "practice" than anything else because there is little left at Jaluit to bomb:

Day Air attack on Jaluit, at 81, 84

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 6
B-25C Mitchell x 43

Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 1 destroyed

And finally, not to leave PNG "feeling" lonely:

Day Air attack on Gasmata, at 59, 90

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 20
B-26B Marauder x 41

Allied aircraft losses
B-26B Marauder: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
8 casualties reported

Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 4

And this coming turn I will be sending out more bombers to many of the same places and a few others too.

In the meanwhile, the Formidable's TF is demonstrating off of the southern DEI. Who knows, its presence might even interfere with any surface attacks that PzB may consider against my transports. At the same time, I've sent a more serious carrier TF out towards the Marshalls, just to give PzB something to "think" about.

All the while some very serious forces gather in the Gilberts and at PM while the "demonstration" forces elsewhere may not stay in "demonstration mode" too much longer.

Dave Baranyi