Intellectus Ex Nihilo (Wal-Mart on Ice)

[Canoerebel]

4/1/44

Battle of Timor Sea: The Japanese sortie the first p.m. strike:

[T Rav]

We're Gulf Coast (Tampa Bay) so it should weaken. Looking for more Antietam reports. Fingers crossed.

[Canoerebel]

4/1/44

Battle of Timor Sea: First Allied p.m. strike does okay. Aso takes a 1k-pounder and suffers an ammo storage explosion. Shoho requires counterflooding.

[Canoerebel]

4/1/44

Battle of Timor Sea: This Allied strike package, from the southern CV TF, gets chewed up.

Had the Allied carrier TFs remained together, the strikes would have packed far more punch. But their separation also fragmented enemy strikes. Thus, air losses were higher and ship damage was lower.

If KB's flight ops were indeed halved, that's the decisive quirk in this battle.

[Canoerebel]

4/1/18

Battle of Timor Sea: The lay of the land, as the day draws to a close.

Several Allied air squadrons diverted to Darwin and other CVs, indicating (I think) that two carriers are seriously hurt. But the number was by no means "epidemic."

Most promising - not a single "temporary repairs failing" message. Not one!

[Canoerebel]

4/1/44

Battle of Timor Sea: Ship damage.

[Canoerebel]

4/1/44

Battle of Timor Sea: Air losses were very heavy for both sides. Fully 1/3rd of Allied aircraft lost.

The ratio wasn't as skewed in favor of Japan as I had feared. I thought Allied losses would be 30% to 40% higher, but actually 25%.

Allied TBF losses very high, but fighter and dive bombers losses modest.

DS will need to retire to Darwin, mainly to provide protection for wounded heavies. But it can shortly thereafter sortie again, and I'm thinking the Marines will be ready to invade Dili.

Dave probably will sortie a lot of combat vessels. I'll do the same. To leave Koepang and move south, ships first have to pass through Roti. So it's not as short as it seems. I'll try to flood Roti with combat vessels to cross up Dave. DS will retire due south at first, to make a rendezvous with CVE Mini DS coming from Broome.

That's it for the reports for now. I may post later tonight.

That was tense and fun.

[RangerJoe]

Just think if he would have left an airbase in kamikaze activation territory in Allied hands until 2 January, 1944. Think of those Judys being kamikazes . . .

[Gridley380]

Bad day to be an Avenger pilot, though on average still better than it was to be one at Midway.

[BBfanboy]

Thanks for the entertaining narrative!
Don't know how he had LBA active at Koepang and then had it move off before the end of the turn. Either the recon is not good or the LBA never did launch from there. Or maybe you shot it all down! [:)]

Gotta leave now and get to Australia for that Kangaroo Court. I'll tell Kylie Minogue that you said Hello.

[JohnDillworth]

I believe your opponent has a less clear path of retreat for his CV's. Not sure if would hold up in port or run. Good hunting

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Just think if he would have left an airbase in kamikaze activation territory in Allied hands until 2 January, 1944. Think of those Judys being kamikazes . . .

Does Pakhoi count? It was in Chinese hands....

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Just think if he would have left an airbase in kamikaze activation territory in Allied hands until 2 January, 1944. Think of those Judys being kamikazes . . .

Does Pakhoi count? It was in Chinese hands....

No Chinese base counts.

[Gridley380]

The coast of Indochina triggers but not the interior? And part of northern Luzon doesn't trigger? Odd.

Where'd you find that map? Is a full-map version available?

[RangerJoe]

That is not a full map. Someone made it, posted it on a thread somewhere, I copied it, then I posted it here. But it gives an idea for the IJ player about where to leave a level 1 airfield as in Taytay on Palawan in order to get kamikazes as soon as possible. Think of a KB raid with kamikazes getting into your supply lines where there is no CAP!

[RangerJoe]

Section 7.4.2.3

This lists the three cities as Saigon, Takao, and Tokyo for kamikaze activation. However, the manual states 15 hexes instead of 21. I believe that this is the change from WITP to WITP-AE. It also states that the path must be traceable by sea so unless there is a canal built. Also, it does NOT include Chinese bases.

[jdsrae]

ORIGINAL: Gridley380

Bad day to be an Avenger pilot, though on average still better than it was to be one at Midway.

Worse day to be a Judy or Grace pilot, and I’m tipping the allied pilot training program can replace those sorts of losses quicker than the IJN can.

[Canoerebel]

To come up with a plan for Day 2, I first mulled over what Dave can do and what he might do. He has damaged carriers, but his carriers apparently only used half their aircraft. He has a big airfield. He has lots of combat ships. Perhaps 50/50 he commits strongly vs. DS, either combat TFs alone or in combo with carriers. On the chance that his damaged vessels retire, subs will move forward, taking station between Koepang and Soerabaja (they've been there before, and Dave installed a lot of air and sea ASW, so this isn't a long-term mission).

Allied strike aircraft are a mess and many carriers have no torpedoes left. It thus appears that, by default, DS's mission must be defensive, temporarily. Accordingly, it will retire to escort damaged vessels to Darwin and to link up with the Broome-area CVE TF. Many remnant strike squadrons were moved to airfields. Many LBA naval squadrons were moved to the carriers. And all DS fighters set for CAP, none for escort. If DS and Mini CVE DS unite tomorrow, they'll have about 900 aircraft, some 300 less than DS had when this day started.

Three or four combat TFs to detach from the Herd, steam to Roti to (try to) intercept outbound enemy TFs, and then to retire to Darwin.

[Crackaces]

One thing I find interesting and that is that the Kaga has fires, but no messages of smoke screening the Kaga. I think , and somebody can chime in please, it takes 20% or better to produce the smoke screening message? What fires level prevents landing aircraft? I ask because I would anticipate Kaga aircraft to have landed on the land airbase with any significant fires on board.

From a strategic standpoint that major damage will likely take Yokohama to fix. The Kaga is built on a cruiser hull, but she has to negotiate running the sub gauntlet all the way to Japan.

[RangerJoe]

I believe that the total damage has to be 50+ to prevent air operations. So fires of 49 with no other damage would be fine. [8|]