30 July 1944
Target Rabaul.
I managed to sneak the full 10 CV, 25 ship KB to within 6 hexes of Rabaul, where they pulled off a perfectly co-ordinated port/airfield attack. However the results were quite disappointing. I lost 170 planes, and possibly because of the Severe Storms weather did not annihilate the shipping at the port in quite the way I had wanted.
Still, no harm done. The carriers will head for home un-touched and I have plenty of planes and pilots to re-build the airgroups.
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Morning Air attack on Rabaul , at 106,125
Weather in hex: Severe storms
Raid detected at 142 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 47 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 194
B6N1 Jill x 88
B6N2 Jill x 93
D3A2 Val x 77
D4Y1 Judy x 134
D4Y2 Judy x 84
Allied aircraft
Spitfire VIII x 24
P-39D Airacobra x 19
P-400 Airacobra x 24
P-40K Warhawk x 21
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zero: 8 destroyed
B6N2 Jill: 6 destroyed
D3A2 Val: 3 destroyed, 6 damaged
D3A2 Val: 1 destroyed by flak
D4Y1 Judy: 9 destroyed, 10 damaged
D4Y1 Judy: 1 destroyed by flak
D4Y2 Judy: 4 destroyed, 5 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
P-39D Airacobra: 4 destroyed
P-400 Airacobra: 7 damaged
P-400 Airacobra: 2 destroyed on ground
P-40K Warhawk: 3 destroyed
PB4Y-1 Liberator: 1 destroyed on ground
Allied Ships
xAK Salamaua, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Mormacstar, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
xAK Anson Burlingame, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
AK Adhara, Bomb hits 1, on fire
ACM Bastion, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
AVP Avocet, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
AG Regulus, Bomb hits 2, and is sunk
AS Fulton, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Manulani, Bomb hits 1
xAK Mana, Bomb hits 1
xAK San Gabriel, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AK Cassiopeia, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AK Mintaka, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAK San Lucas, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Lyman Beecher, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
xAK Bintang, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AG Arctic, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
AK Lyra, Bomb hits 2, on fire
AD Dobbin, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
xAP William S. Colley, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK San Bernadino, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
AK Naos, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAP President Coolidge, Bomb hits 1
Allied ground losses:
5 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Airbase hits 11
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 24
Port hits 6
Port fuel hits 6
Aircraft Attacking:
12 x B6N2 Jill bombing from 12000 feet
Port Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
11 x B6N2 Jill bombing from 12000 feet
Port Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
2 x D4Y2 Judy releasing from 2000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
15 x B6N1 Jill bombing from 12000 feet
Port Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
15 x B6N1 Jill bombing from 12000 feet
Port Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
16 x D4Y2 Judy releasing from 2000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
12 x B6N1 Jill bombing from 12000 feet
Port Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
12 x B6N1 Jill bombing from 12000 feet
Port Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
11 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 3000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
12 x B6N2 Jill bombing from 12000 feet
Port Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
4 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 2000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
11 x B6N2 Jill bombing from 12000 feet
Port Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
6 x D3A2 Val releasing from 1000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
14 x B6N2 Jill bombing from 12000 feet
Port Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
6 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 1000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
15 x B6N2 Jill bombing from 12000 feet
Port Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
10 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 3000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
9 x B6N2 Jill bombing from 12000 feet
Port Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
8 x D3A2 Val releasing from 1000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
10 x B6N1 Jill bombing from 12000 feet
Port Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
6 x D4Y2 Judy releasing from 3000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
2 x D3A2 Val releasing from 3000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
12 x B6N1 Jill bombing from 12000 feet
Port Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
4 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 3000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
18 x D3A2 Val releasing from 3000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
12 x B6N1 Jill bombing from 12000 feet
Port Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
9 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 3000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
5 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 2000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
15 x D4Y2 Judy releasing from 3000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
10 x D4Y2 Judy releasing from 1000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
6 x D4Y2 Judy releasing from 3000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
11 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 3000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
6 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 1000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
5 x D3A2 Val releasing from 2000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
6 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 3000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
11 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 2000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
7 x D3A2 Val releasing from 2000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
6 x D4Y2 Judy releasing from 2000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
5 x D3A2 Val releasing from 2000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
9 x D3A2 Val releasing from 1000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
1 x D3A2 Val releasing from 1000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
1 x D3A2 Val releasing from 2000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
5 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 2000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
1 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 1000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
1 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 2000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
2 x D3A2 Val releasing from 3000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
12 x D4Y2 Judy releasing from 1000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
12 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 2000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
4 x D4Y2 Judy releasing from 1000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
8 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 1000'
Port Attack: 1 x 500 kg GP Bomb
8 x D3A2 Val releasing from 3000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
CAP engaged:
No.75 Sqn RAAF with Spitfire VIII (6 airborne, 0 on standby, 10 scrambling)
6 plane(s) intercepting now.
4 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 4 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 22000 , scrambling fighters between 10000 and 17000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 56 minutes
49th FG/8th FS with P-40K Warhawk (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 16 scrambling)
5 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 7000 , scrambling fighters between 8000 and 26000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 29 minutes
8th FG/35th FS with P-39D Airacobra (4 airborne, 0 on standby, 10 scrambling)
4 plane(s) intercepting now.
5 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 13000 , scrambling fighters between 8000 and 23000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 25 minutes
8th FG/36th FS with P-400 Airacobra (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 10 scrambling)
14 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 25000 , scrambling fighters between 12000 and 25000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 36 minutes
