Bad day to be a sailor on a Japanese destroyer today. Too bad for them that their supreme commander (i.e. me) forgot his brain when he did the last turn. The scene: Manilla Bay. I sent a task force in to bombard the enemy positions at Manilla, past the now quiet guns of Corregidor. Now, I ALWAYS turn off "escorts bombard" because destroyers are so very, very vulnerable to CD fire; ALWAYS!
Except, it would seem, this turn. That little expedition cost me 3 destroyers! Grmbl...
Erhem! Elsewhere, there was an altercation at Takao, where USN submarine S-3 put a fish into the side of yet another Imperial destroyer (the Momo), immediately answered by 3 depth charge hits on the submarine. What the h*ll does it take to put down a submarine, anyway?
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TF 6 encounters mine field at Bataan (42,51)
Japanese Ships
DD Matsukaze
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TF 6 encounters mine field at Manila (43,52)
Japanese Ships
DD Matsukaze
DD Kaki
DD Isokaze
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TF 1004 encounters mine field at Midway (95,61)
Allied Ships
DD Williams, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
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Sub attack near Takao at 48,45
Japanese Ships
DD Momo, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
DD Urukaze
DD Sugi
DD Tsubaki
DD Shiokaze
DD Take
Allied Ships
SS S-3, hits 3, on fire
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Sub attack near Takao at 48,45
Japanese Ships
DD Momo, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
DD Urukaze
DD Sugi
DD Tsubaki
DD Shiokaze
DD Take
Allied Ships
SS S-3, hits 3, on fire
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Naval bombardment of Manila, at 43,52 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
166 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
DD Matsukaze, Shell hits 32, on fire, heavy damage
DD Kaki, Shell hits 18, on fire, heavy damage
DD Okikaze, Shell hits 16, on fire, heavy damage
DD Isokaze, Shell hits 24, on fire, heavy damage
CL Oi, Shell hits 13
CA Adzuma, Shell hits 10
CA Nisshin
CA Kasuga
BB Asahi, Shell hits 8, on fire
Allied ground losses:
275 casualties reported
Guns lost 16
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Naval bombardment of Manila, at 43,52
166 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
DD Matsukaze, Shell hits 32, on fire, heavy damage
DD Kaki, Shell hits 18, on fire, heavy damage
DD Okikaze, Shell hits 16, on fire, heavy damage
DD Isokaze, Shell hits 24, on fire, heavy damage
CL Oi, Shell hits 13
CA Adzuma, Shell hits 10
CA Nisshin
CA Kasuga
BB Asahi, Shell hits 8, on fire
Allied ground losses:
275 casualties reported
Guns lost 16
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TF 50 encounters mine field at Bataan (42,51)
Japanese Ships
DD Isokaze, and is sunk
DD Kaki, and is sunk
DD Matsukaze, and is sunk
DD Okikaze, on fire, heavy damage
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ASW attack near Takao at 48,45
Japanese Ships
DD Urukaze
DD Sugi
DD Tsubaki
DD Shiokaze
DD Take
Allied Ships
SS S-3, heavy damage
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Ground combat at Manila
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 152404 troops, 742 guns, 71 vehicles
Defending force 47029 troops, 269 guns, 0 vehicles
Japanese assault odds: 0 to 1 (fort level 0)
Japanese ground losses:
3570 casualties reported
Guns lost 70
Vehicles lost 1
Allied ground losses:
1505 casualties reported
Guns lost 20
No outright disasters this turn, just more grinding attritional warfare in Manilla. Why don't these people realise the futility and hopelessness of their situation?
In the last few days, more and more US submarines have been spotted in the waters around Luzon and Formosa. The yellow areas in the screenshot below represent locations where enemy subs have been engaged by Imperial ASW forces, universally without any apparent result.
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ASW attack near Legaspi at 44,55
Japanese Ships
DD Kashi
DD Kiri
DD Nire
DD Tachikaze
DD Hakaze
Allied Ships
SS S-8
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Sub attack at 42,49
Allied Ships
SS S-9
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ASW attack near Legaspi at 44,55
Japanese Ships
DD Kashi
DD Kiri
DD Nire
DD Tachikaze
DD Hakaze
Allied Ships
SS S-8
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Day Air attack on 31st US Infantry Regiment, at 43,52
Japanese aircraft
Sopwith Pup x 11
Japanese aircraft losses
Sopwith Pup: 3 destroyed, 2 damaged
Aircraft Attacking:
8 x Sopwith Pup attacking at 100 feet
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ASW attack at 42,49
Japanese Ships
DD Yanagi
DD Hinoki
Allied Ships
SS S-9, hits 2
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Ground combat at Manila
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 109823 troops, 595 guns, 0 vehicles
Defending force 45759 troops, 250 guns, 0 vehicles
Japanese assault odds: 0 to 1 (fort level 0)
Japanese ground losses:
2360 casualties reported
Guns lost 36
Allied ground losses:
661 casualties reported
Guns lost 13
The first surface action in a loooooooong time this turn, as four Imperial cruisers returning from the bombardment of Manilla stumbled across the US Navy ammunition ship Nitro, escorted by the destroyer Tracy, approximately 60 miles west of Batan Island.
The Tracy attempted to cover the Nitro's escape by letting herself be mercilessly pummelled by overwhelming Japanese firepower, but this didn't keep our vessels from landing a few hits before the American supply ship faded away into the predawn darkness.
Northwest of Wake Island, US submarine R-1 was detected by Imperial ASW forces and inconclusively engaged.
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TF 2 encounters mine field at Bataan (42,51)
Japanese Ships
DD Sawakaze
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ASW attack at 81,60
Japanese Ships
DD Enoki
DD Hokaze
Allied Ships
SS R-1
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Night Time Surface Combat at 46,47
Japanese Ships
CA Kasuga
CA Nisshin
CA Adzuma, Shell hits 1
CL Oi
Allied Ships
DD Tracy, Shell hits 16, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
AE Nitro, Shell hits 5
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Naval bombardment of Manila, at 43,52 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
55 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
CL Isuzu, Shell hits 7, on fire
BB Shikishima, Shell hits 10
BB Mikasa, Shell hits 7, on fire
BB Katori, Shell hits 3, on fire
BB Kashima, Shell hits 5
CA Ibuki
Allied ground losses:
569 casualties reported
Guns lost 14
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Ground combat at Manila
Japanese Bombardment attack
Attacking force 3458 troops, 127 guns, 0 vehicles
Defending force 44999 troops, 222 guns, 0 vehicles
Allied ground losses:
261 casualties reported
Guns lost 3
Very odd series of surface combats north of Lingayen today. More Japanese ships returning from Manilla ran across the missing Chinese cruisers and destroyers. The odd bit is that the range never got closer than 21,000 yards, and the very few hits achieved bounced off harmlessly on both sides.
On Luzon, the town of Naga was taken by Imperial forces advancing from Legaspi.
More submarine action this turn. Enemy submarine S-8 attempted another unsuccesful attack on our ASW ships at Legaspi. Elsewhere, east of Taytay, her sister S-6 got more lucky, as evident in the attached screenshot.
North of Vigan, the Chinese force attacked a poorly-escorted convoy of our troopships, but was unable to sink any. Their little parade through our waters will soon be over![:@]
Elsewhere, Imperial Intelligence has been able to confirm that the American cargo ship Laida, mined at Midway on July 15th, has sunk.
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ASW attack near Legaspi at 44,55
Japanese Ships
DD Kashi
DD Kiri
DD Nire
DD Tachikaze
DD Hakaze
Allied Ships
SS S-8
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Sub attack at 40,53
Japanese Ships
CA Kurama, Torpedo hits 1
DD Kuwa
DD Akikaze
DD Amatsukaze
Allied Ships
SS S-6
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Sub attack at 40,53
Japanese Ships
CA Kurama, Torpedo hits 1
DD Kuwa
DD Akikaze
DD Amatsukaze
Allied Ships
SS S-6
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ASW attack near Legaspi at 44,55
Japanese Ships
DD Kashi
DD Kiri
DD Nire
DD Tachikaze
DD Hakaze
Allied Ships
SS S-8, hits 2
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Day Time Surface Combat at 45,48
Japanese Ships
DD Hasu, Shell hits 1
AP Daifuku Maru
AP Mitsu Maru #3
AP Nissen Maru #2
AP Nissen Maru #3
AP Nitta Maru
AP Nojima Maru
AP Ryujo Maru
AP Shoan Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire
Allied Ships
CL Ying Jui
CL Chao Ho
DD Chien Kang
DD Tung An
DD Yu Chang
THESE BOYS ARE GOOD[:D][:D][:D]
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Sub attack at 40,53
As promised, the Chinese free ride has been sharply curtailed. An Imperial cruiser/destroyer group found the interlopers north of Aparri last night, and surprised them. Infuriatingly, the entire spread of torpedoes fired by all our torpedo-equipped ships missed, but the subsequent gunfire didn't.[8D]
The only other thing to report was an unsuccesful submarine attack by one of our boats west of Laysan Island.
Note the current overall scores included in the top right of the screenshot.
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TF 40 encounters mine field at Manila (43,52)
Japanese Ships
MSW Natsushima Maru
DD Yanagi
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Night Time Surface Combat at 46,48
Japanese Ships
CA Kasuga, Shell hits 8
CA Nisshin, Shell hits 2
CA Adzuma
CA Aso, Shell hits 2
CL Kiso
DD Nadakaze, Shell hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
DD Shiokaze
DD Tsubaki
DD Nashi
DD Warabi
DD Sugi
Allied Ships
CL Ying Jui, Shell hits 6, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
CL Chao Ho, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Chien Kang
DD Tung An, Shell hits 9, on fire, heavy damage
DD Yu Chang
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TF 1056 encounters mine field at Midway (95,61)
In a disturbing development today, the minesweeper Natsushima Maru, whilst operating in Manilla Bay, strayed within range of the 14-inch coastal defence guns still active in the Philippino capital. Whether a result of technical error or a mistake on the part of the crew, the end was the same, and she was blown out of the water.
(Definitely human error, but not on the part of the Natsushima Maru's crew...[:@])
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TF 40 encounters mine field at Manila (43,52) - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
19 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
MSW Natsushima Maru, Shell hits 10, on fire, heavy damage
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TF 1056 encounters mine field at Midway (95,61)
Two things today: US submarine S-8 was dinged three times by depth charges at Legaspi, but again refused to dive for the final time. At Manilla, Imperial troops broke through another improvised line of enemy fortifications, but once again at very heavy cost.
