Hi All,
Hi
Jocke - I'll provide a more in depth summary of Jap troops estimates in a follow up post. A lot more recon has been conducted in the past week to provide a better picture (I feel).
All in all the last week of November 1944 was very good for the Allies with some substantial Japanese shipping being sunk off Borneo and air control has been gained over Iwo Jima.........
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CentPac:
The Fleet started to come under air attacks from Jap planes in the Bonin's from the 25th. A few planes got through the CAP but no hits were sustained and a reported 160 enemy planes were shot down for 20 friendly. Here's an exapel of the carnage:
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Chichi-jima at 115,80
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid detected at 119 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 50 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 7
B5N2 Kate x 9
N1K1-J George x 19
Ki-43-IIb Oscar x 16
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 56
Allied aircraft
Corsair II x 14
FM-1 Wildcat x 24
FM-2 Wildcat x 252
F4U-1D Corsair x 71
F6F-3 Hellcat x 27
F6F-5 Hellcat x 488
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 3 destroyed
B5N2 Kate: 6 destroyed
N1K1-J George: 3 destroyed
Ki-43-IIb Oscar: 5 destroyed
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 19 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
FM-2 Wildcat: 1 destroyed
F6F-5 Hellcat: 2 destroyed
Offensive strikes were launched by the CV's from the 27th (sinking a small Jap TF including
AV Sagara Maru fleeing the Bonin's) and a mass of Hellcats and Corsairs were sent on sweeps to take out the Jap's on the 28th and 29th. It wasn't all 1 sided but a reported 200 enemy planes were destroyed for the loss of 40 friendly.
Heavy raids were launched on the 3 main Jap Islands in the Bonin's on the 30th putting the AF's out of action on Iwo Jima. B24's flying from Guam will keep them so.
I'll now begin to bomb Iwo's AF/Port's with my CV's to try and take out supply a fair bit before hitting the troops.
A DD TF was sent ahead on the 29th to take out reported enemy MTB's. It was a fun day with 18 enemy vessels claimed sunk off Iwo Jima.
Meanwhile B29's hit Tokyo (night), Osaka (day raid with 15 losses) and Okayama (night) Manpower with the fires taking out another 800 VP's or so of industry. They're now resting as they'll be used to bomb Iwo Jima's supply soon.
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Mindanao:
It took over 10 days to fully unload my troops and men at Davao but things progressed fairly quick on the ground with an overwhelming number f troops and the equipment advantage meaning the Jap's took over 8000 casualties and fled out of Davao on the 28th:
Ground combat at Davao (79,91)
Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 59384 troops, 1060 guns, 1809 vehicles, Assault Value = 2126
Defending force 10794 troops, 109 guns, 27 vehicles, Assault Value = 126
Allied adjusted assault: 508
Japanese adjusted defense: 43
Allied assault odds: 11 to 1 (fort level 2)
Allied forces CAPTURE Davao !!!
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
4927 casualties reported
Squads: 180 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 275 destroyed, 48 disabled
Engineers: 37 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 34 (29 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Vehicles lost 24 (24 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 1
Allied ground losses:
339 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 32 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!
Assaulting units:
19th Infantry Regiment
25th Australian Brigade
8th Marine Regiment
Torres Strait Battalion
21st Infantry Regiment
30th Australian Brigade
Americal Infantry Division
3rd Australian Division
1st Army Tank Regiment
34th Infantry Regiment
754th Tank Battalion
1st Australian Brigade
32nd Infantry Division
637th Tank Destroyer Battalion
II Aus Corps Engineer Battalion
2nd USMC Tank Battalion
Fiji Brigade
3rd NZ Armoured Sqn
198th Field Artillery Battalion
2/13th Field Regiment
131st Field Artillery Battalion
33rd Medium Regiment
Defending units:
25th Ind.Mixed Regiment
56th Ind.Mixed Brigade
16th/B Division
11th Air Division
9th JNAF Coy
85th JAAF AF Bn
Troops are now beginning to head in all directions from Davao to secure the rest of Mindanao (only other Jap troops of interest appear to be 10-15K at Cagayan).
Planes began to fly from the AF's in early December.
A small Jap CL TF (amazingly) snuck in to try and interfere with my transports on the 25th. I say amazingly as I had 2 SC TF's in the hex who did diddly squat and watched the CL's steam at an invasion TF:
Night Time Surface Combat, near Davao at 79,91, Range 7,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CL Nagara, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk (damaged on the way in by a sub fired torp)
CL Isuzu, Shell hits 1
CL Abukuma
CL Kuma, Shell hits 2
Allied Ships
DD Helm, Shell hits 6, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Mugford, Shell hits 4, on fire
DD Ralph Talbot, Shell hits 7, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DMS Southard
DMS Emmons
AM Starling
AM Impeccable
AM Chief
AM Scrimage
AM Scuffle
AM Bittern
SC-636
SC-639
SC-645
SC-646
SC-648
AP William Ward Burrows
APA Clay
APA Highlands
xAP President Coolidge
xAP Monterey
xAP Mariposa
xAP Santa Elena
xAP Santa Paula
xAP Etolin, Shell hits 1
xAP Santa Maria
xAP Santa Inez
AK Crater
AK Carina
AK Cassiopeia
AK Celeno
AK Cetus
AK Draco
AK Eridanus
LST-18
LST-19
LST-21
LST-22
LST-23
LST-24
LST-25
LST-31
LST-34
LST-335
LST-338
LST-339
LST-344
xAK Steel Seafarer
xAP Golden Eagle
xAP Cape Neddick
xAP Benjamin Franklin
xAK William S. Clark
xAK William Sharon
xAK William Sproule
xAP Arundel Castle
xAP Dunera
AMC Hector, Shell hits 29, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
PF Casper, Shell hits 7, heavy fires, heavy damage
During the day TB's from my CVE's found the enemy and sank
CL Kuma as well.
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Malaya/Borneo:
Things are much quieter on Malaya now as I continue to bring men and material into Singapore whilst I decide where to attack next. The only action to note was the Jap's marched 91st Division south from Kuala Lumpur into Malacca (presumably thinking I had moved all my men into Singapore). They were rudely awakened and routed on the 27th:
Ground combat at Malacca (49,81)
Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 10508 troops, 202 guns, 109 vehicles, Assault Value = 440
Defending force 7826 troops, 56 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 249
Allied adjusted assault: 393
Japanese adjusted defense: 8
Allied assault odds: 49 to 1
Combat modifiers
Defender: disruption(-), preparation(-), fatigue(-), experience(-)
supply(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
2838 casualties reported
Squads: 109 destroyed, 39 disabled
Non Combat: 66 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 11 (7 destroyed, 4 disabled)
Units retreated 1
Allied ground losses:
42 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 5 (1 destroyed, 4 disabled)
Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!
Assaulting units:
18th British Division
1304th Construction Regiment
154th USA Base Force
2nd USMC Air Wing Base Force
Defending units:
91st Division
Now on to Borneo and the highlight of the week [:)]
I decided to sail my 3 x Brit CV/CVE TF (along with a SC TF for cover) out of Singapore to attack reported enemy TF's at Brunei on the 27th. They remained undetected on the 28th and hit some nice Jap shipping at Brunei and a TK Convoy heading NE out of Brunei:
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Balabac at 70,84
Weather in hex: Clear sky
Raid detected at 78 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 26 minutes
Allied aircraft
Avenger II x 12
Barracuda II x 18
Corsair II x 19
Corsair IV x 12
Hellcat I x 6
F6F-5 Hellcat x 13
TBM-3 Avenger x 18
No Allied losses
Japanese Ships
CVE Taiyo, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 1
CVE Unyo, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
DD Yamagumo
DD Naganami, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
TK Tonan Maru #2
DD Arashi
APD T-1, Bomb hits 1, on fire
TK Tempi Maru, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
We meanwhile found
BB Mutsu at Brunei!:
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Brunei at 65,87
Weather in hex: Severe storms
Raid detected at 72 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 32 minutes
Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 7
Allied aircraft
Avenger II x 46
Corsair II x 7
Hellcat I x 8
Seafire L.III x 11
F4U-1D Corsair x 7
No Japanese losses
Allied aircraft losses
Avenger II: 7 damaged
Avenger II: 1 destroyed by flak
Hellcat I: 1 destroyed
F4U-1D Corsair: 1 destroyed
Japanese Ships
BB Mutsu, Torpedo hits 2
xAK Tatuno Maru
xAK Turuga Maru, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
xAK Toyohasi Maru
CA Ashigara
DD Yamakaze
She tried to flee the area on the 30th but was hit by a Sub torp and was put under by a further 3 torps from CV air in the day.
All in all the following appears to have been sunk over the course of 3 days (including 1st of December):
BB Mutsu
CVE Unyo
CVE Taiyo
APD - 1
AK - 3
TK - 4 (including
Tonan Maru #2
AO - 1
DD - 2
E - 5
SC - 1
CA Ashigara was damaged with a reported 6 x bombs.
My CV's are low on ordinance and will return to Singapore to re arm.
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Submarine Warfare:
1 x dud/missed attack.
SS Thule sank
PB Kosin Maru #3 off Formosa on the 24th.
SS Gurnard damaged
CL Nagara heading to Davao with a torpedo on the 25th.
SS Chub sank
AKL Haruno Maru SW of Japan on the 29th.
SS Picuda damaged
BB Mutsu on the 30th with a torpedo as she tried to flee Brunei.
On the other side
SS Hoe was sunk.
