Thanks John and Crib!
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Aug 06, 42
The 6th is a key day.
The enemy arrived. 2 battlewagons bombarded Baker Island, sucking up all the supplies i've delivered in the last month (well were pretty few to be honest...didn't have the time to develop or garrison Baker as i would have liked).
Then the BB retired and the amphib TF arrived. Looks like QBall is using his AKs and APs.
Two regiments and a combat engineers regiment for Baker. A risky choice cause he didn't know what i had there (he never reconned Baker throughout the last months...he kept on reconning Tabiutea...that's where i was waiting for him.... so i could have had there 6,000 men well dug in...instead of the tiny garrison i had).
The Nevada and Meriland retired towards Canton Is... and the passed over one of my Glenn-equipped subs... the I-28 (the hero of the day!) put, in two different attacks, not less than 5 torps into Meryland's belly.... and the battleship went down! Yes!! (confirmed sunk...2 float planes are reported lost on the ground in the intel screen[8D]).
The enemy CVs are 4 hexes south of Baker, along with several more major warships (BBs, CAs etc etc).
My Nells today didn't fly... but, looking at the combat replay, it seems that the AP we sunk yesterday was loaded up with half of a RCT...not a bad prey[:)]
Ok, now the hard decisions...
The KB needs to make a 13 hexes trip (hopefully a 7/6 trip) at flank speed to be in the right position to strike tomorrow. The sys damage is growing higher every day proceeding at max speed and the fuel is running low... but i don't have time to refuel at Tarawa...i'd lose a whole day for that. I'm leaving behind all the ships that are low on fuel (the BB Haruna and some 10 DDs) and moved out of the KB the two CVEs actually embedded (Unyo and Tahyo)...they are too slow and i cannot risk not to be there on time.
Same goes for subs. All of them are proceeding at flank speed from Kwajalein and from the southern seas. It will be a short trip for them... by the time they arrive they will have, more or less, dried up all their tanks...so it will be a "single-shot-mission".
To be honest i don't understand why Baker... it cannot be built (its max is 3/3) to any interesting level and it doesn't pose a threat to my interests in the Gilberts or Marshalls.
Is he intentionally driving here my attention in order to get a shot on my CVs? is he looking for a CV-CV fight?.
By now he must have all his 6 CVs combined togheder... which means 540 enemy carrier planes to face... i know what it means...with the DBB AA modifications and with the reduced torpedo accurancy, a carrier fight in summer 1942 is not a bad option anymore for the allies. But hey, better to fight them now than in 1943 when the Essex CVs arrive!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Naval bombardment of Baker Island at 149,136
Allied Ships
BB Nevada
BB Maryland
Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 5
Runway hits 4
Port hits 5
Port supply hits 2
BB Nevada firing at Baker Island
BB Maryland firing at Baker Island
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pre-Invasion action off Baker Island (149,136)
13 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied Ships
APD Kane
APD Hatfield
APD Talbot
APD Manley
APD Ward
Japanese ground losses:
47 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
APD Kane fired at enemy troops
APD Hatfield fired at enemy troops
APD Talbot fired at enemy troops
APD Manley fired at enemy troops
APD Ward fired at enemy troops
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 5,000 yards
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 1,000 yards
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amphibious Assault at Baker Island (149,136)
TF 200 troops unloading over beach at Baker Island, 149,136
Allied ground losses:
33 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 5 (0 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Vehicles lost 1 (0 destroyed, 1 disabled)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Invasion Support action off Baker Island (149,136)
6 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Allied Ships
APD Kane
APD Hatfield
APD Talbot
APD Manley
APD Ward
Japanese ground losses:
48 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Allied ground losses:
10 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
APD Kane fired at enemy troops
APD Hatfield fired at enemy troops
APD Talbot fired at enemy troops
APD Manley fired at enemy troops
APD Ward fired at enemy troops
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 2,000 yards
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack near Canton Island at 152,140
Japanese Ships
SS I-28
Allied Ships
BB Maryland, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
DD Duncan
SS I-28 launches 6 torpedoes at BB Maryland
I-28 diving deep ....
DD Duncan fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Duncan fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Duncan fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Duncan attacking submerged sub ....
DD Duncan fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack near Canton Island at 152,140
Japanese Ships
SS I-28
Allied Ships
BB Maryland, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DD Duncan
SS I-28 launches 6 torpedoes at BB Maryland
DD Duncan fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Duncan fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Duncan fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Duncan fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Duncan fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub
In China we attacked Chikkiang once again... forts dropped to level 1!.... sooner or later i'll get there!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Chihkiang (78,50)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 42169 troops, 417 guns, 239 vehicles, Assault Value = 1254
Defending force 41868 troops, 168 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1294
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1
Japanese adjusted assault: 787
Allied adjusted defense: 1258
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 1)
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
2097 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 144 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 39 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 21 disabled
Guns lost 67 (2 destroyed, 65 disabled)
Vehicles lost 43 (2 destroyed, 41 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
457 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 93 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 11 (1 destroyed, 10 disabled)
Assaulting units:
51st Division
4th Tank Regiment
15th Division
68th Division
2nd Tank Regiment
15th Ind.Medium Field Artillery Regiment
4th Mortar Battalion
11th Army
52nd Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion
21st Mortar Battalion
Defending units:
9th Prov Chinese Corps
53rd Chinese Corps
79th Chinese/B Corps
46th Chinese Corps
78th Chinese Corps
79th Chinese/C Corps
7th Artillery Regiment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at 82,40 (near Sian) (
this is a single corp, south of Tienshui and north west of Sian, that was isolated during the japanese penetration)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 28065 troops, 162 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 991
Defending force 10195 troops, 38 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 269
Japanese adjusted assault: 392
Allied adjusted defense: 67
Japanese assault odds: 5 to 1
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), disruption(-), experience(-)
supply(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
527 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 50 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Allied ground losses:
741 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 91 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 6 (1 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Assaulting units:
9th Ind.Mixed Brigade
1st NCPC Infantry Brigade
69th Division
59th Division
2nd NCPC Infantry Brigade
Defending units:
93rd Chinese Corps
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Baker Island (149,136)
Allied Shock attack
Attacking force 3259 troops, 36 guns, 26 vehicles, Assault Value = 110
Defending force 581 troops, 12 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 25
Allied adjusted assault:
16 ...gosh, if i only had something more at Baker[:@]
Japanese adjusted defense: 2
Allied assault odds: 8 to 1 (fort level 0)
Allied forces CAPTURE Baker Island !!!
Combat modifiers
Defender: supply(-)
Attacker: shock(+), fatigue(-)
Japanese ground losses:
581 casualties reported
Squads: 36 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 21 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 16 (16 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
274 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 23 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Assaulting units:
145th Infantry Regiment
110th Cmbt Engineer Battalion
1st AmphTrac Engineer Battalion
Defending units:
53rd Nav Gd /3
