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Intel reports that the stricken Saratoga left Kiska...Adak is a size four runway. To fail so spectacularly...

I should have posted about my bombardment failures in the war room sooner.

Night Naval bombardment of Tabiteuea at 137,134

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
PBY-5A Catalina: 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
CA Kako
CA Furutaka
CA Aoba
CA Kumano
CA Chokai
CA Takao

Allied ground losses:
543 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 14 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 40 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 13 disabled
Guns lost 13 (2 destroyed, 11 disabled)
Vehicles lost 10 (1 destroyed, 9 disabled)

Airbase hits 9
Runway hits 13
Port hits 6
Port supply hits 1

CA Kako firing at 2nd Marine Division
CA Furutaka firing at Tabiteuea
F1M2 Pete acting as spotter for CA Aoba
CA Aoba firing at Tabiteuea
CA Kumano firing at 2nd Marine Division
E8N2 Dave acting as spotter for CA Chokai
CA Chokai firing at 2nd Marine Division
F1M2 Pete acting as spotter for CA Takao
CA Takao firing at 24th Infantry Division

I knew I should have shown the mini KB around Tabby two days ago...for the Allies smelled a trap. Kicking myself, feel free to kick me too.[;)] Severe storms in the afternoon, sigh.[:(]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

I knew I should have shown the mini KB around Tabby two days ago...for the Allies smelled a trap. Kicking myself, feel free to kick me too.[;)] Severe storms in the afternoon, sigh.[:(]

Don't kick yourself too hard. After all, it was still quite a successful day [8D].

I read reports like that and wonder what impact such an event would have had in the real war. A player can kind of shrug it off and move on in a fairly calculating way... but the loss of the better part of an entire invasion fleet, 30-40 ships sunk (not even counting Saratoga and Warspite, if they go down) and thousands dead. Jeez. It's the kind of thing that brings down governments.

In the real war, PQ-17 resulted in the US pulling TF 39 out of British command and sending it to Pacific instead, as well as a temporary suspension of Arctic convoys and some fairly severe relational strain among US, UK and Russian militaries. And the PQ-17 disaster was only half as bad as the reverse you just inflicted on the Allies!

I reckon if the US had suffered something like that, it would have been six months before they tried another amphibious invasion of any kind, anywhere.

Well done!

Ouchie ouchie!!

That's a tough one for him!

man, for getting Attu right now that is not worth those losses. You'll get Attu in due time, anyway. What are you going to do with it in early 42 minus a CV and after losing several hundred VPs of ships and troops!

This one is still going, and it sounds like you're still planning to push in farther. I'd definitely go for it. He's wounded and there is a lot to gain!!

Very well played. [&o]

[:D]

I went back and looked...

Tabby invasion happened the first week of May, 1942. Two days prior to the invasion, the KB left its guard position west of Ceylon. It is also the time I first detected a large volume of sigint in the north pacific.

At this time, I had a detachment of 2 Mavis running recon on Cold Bay and east and nothing was built up until Kodiak.


Also, the invasion of Tabby with such overwhelming force, led me to believe that the Allies would do the same in the Aleutians.

I felt confident I could regain the sea initiative around Tabby, and was quite frankly shocked to see the quality of the Americans there. The Allies had a two day window when they could have evacuated but didn't.

As time went by, the forces were rotating from Ceylon..and the mini KB led by Junyo were taking control around Tabby (and showing themselves), I started getting more and more sig int in the North Pacific...and then the killer tip off...heavy volume of traffic at sea north of Pearl and west of Seattle!

At that point, I really started trying to move assets to ambush the Allies, figuring the target was either Wake Island (Kimmels revenge) or Attu. I prepared for both...I wouldn't mind losing Attu if I could extract some losses, but Wake would be a full on fight and the garrison there was quickly built up.

So the days passed, and everything was pointing towards Attu. The Glen boats spotted the Allies...and unfortunately they were coming at least one day too quickly...

I documented a lot of this in the AAR...and really I think this victory, such that it is, is due to Japanese SigInt.

What is going to happen next?

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

At the end of the day, the Allies take control of Attu. There wasn't a single defender left.

Ground combat at Attu Island (153,49)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 9220 troops, 218 guns, 126 vehicles, Assault Value = 604

Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 0

Allied adjusted assault: 362

Japanese adjusted defense: 1

Allied assault odds: 362 to 1 (fort level 0)

Allied forces CAPTURE Attu Island !!!

Combat modifiers
Attacker:

Assaulting units:
193rd Tank Battalion
27th Infantry Division
41st Infantry Div /10
209th Field Artillery Battalion
203rd Coast AA Regiment
19th Base Group /1
97th Cst AA Rgt /3
205th Coast AA Regiment
198th Field Artillery Battalion
98th Cst AA Rgt /2

Nice ambush, so what if you got the antelope instead of the elephant - it's still a feast!
Looks like he is greatly overstacked on Attu and you sank all his supply. If he can be prevented from extracting his big units you can starve them and knock them off at your leisure. He surely does not have the ships to do a mass evacuation for some time!

I had thought to cordon of Cold Bay as nothing around there has been built up...but I do want to grab those troops to.

Cleaning up Tabby and Attu looks like the order of business for the next few weeks.

ORIGINAL: obvert


man, for getting Attu right now that is not worth those losses. You'll get Attu in due time, anyway. What are you going to do with it in early 42 minus a CV and after losing several hundred VPs of ships and troops!

I think you and I both would have used fast transport and some very expendable troops to do this, grabbing dot bases first, establish search, etc, etc. There is absolutely no hurry.

Allied bigger wrench theory doesn't always work, especially in 42.

I give up on my grandiose dreams of bottling up the entire US Navy at Cold Bay and to the north and west...If I had a few more days I could have done it, but the oilers aren't there, and the battleship fleet is just now passing Etorofu.

Yamoto is heading back to Ominato. I have to look up to see if she can rearm there, size 6 port now. My memory is that you need a size 7 plus naval support for Yamoto, but this is a mod and I have seen rumors she can rearm with akes.

Kates score 5 more xAP, 1xAK, 1xAM dropping bombs in horrible weather from 10K. The Allies fled north and east, hoping the Iboats can snare something.

A nice spanking of an ambitious early war American counter-offensive.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Yamoto is heading back to Ominato. I have to look up to see if she can rearm there, size 6 port now. My memory is that you need a size 7 plus naval support for Yamoto, but this is a mod and I have seen rumors she can rearm with akes.

I've done it with AKEs, a level 3 port and naval support at Etorofu. No idea how it worked, but it did. Oh yeah, it was in range of a naval HQ too.

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Yamoto is heading back to Ominato. I have to look up to see if she can rearm there, size 6 port now. My memory is that you need a size 7 plus naval support for Yamoto, but this is a mod and I have seen rumors she can rearm with akes.

I've done it with AKEs, a level 3 port and naval support at Etorofu. No idea how it worked, but it did. Oh yeah, it was in range of a naval HQ too.

But you are playing stock, aren't you Mike? I have got Yamoto at Yoko now, size 7 port with listed 220 naval support and she won't rearm. There is close to 400 naval support there, but some of it is in SR mode.

Hmm. This was the original plan...very vulnerable here since the Allies didn't build up any runways in the area.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Cold Bay at 174,47

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B5N2 Kate x 46
D3A1 Val x 25

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
AP Harris, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
AP President Monroe, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires
AP Hugh L. Scott
AP President Polk, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
AP Wharton, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
AVD Chincoteague, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Thomas Barry, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
AP Tasker H Bliss
AP President Jackson, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AVD Casco, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
AP Henry T. Allen

Allied Ships
xAP Aleutian, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP David W. Branch, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires
xAP Klipfontein, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP President Tyler, Bomb hits 9, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP President Johnson

Allied Ships
AVD Williamson, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
PC Hermes, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
PC McLane, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied Ships
YMS-84, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
YMS-98, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
YMS-99, Bomb hits 2, and is sunk



Allied Ships
YP-74, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk Can you believe this, torps on this puppies.[:(]
YP-73, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk

Allied Ships
PC Perseus, Bomb hits 10, and is sunk
AVD Williamson, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
PC Hermes, Bomb hits 2, and is sunk
PC McLane, Bomb hits 3, and is sunk

Allied Ships
AP President Jackson, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AP Harris, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
AP President Hayes
AP Hugh L. Scott
AP Tasker H Bliss

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Yamoto is heading back to Ominato. I have to look up to see if she can rearm there, size 6 port now. My memory is that you need a size 7 plus naval support for Yamoto, but this is a mod and I have seen rumors she can rearm with akes.

I've done it with AKEs, a level 3 port and naval support at Etorofu. No idea how it worked, but it did. Oh yeah, it was in range of a naval HQ too.

AKEs and naval support don't combine.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Yamoto is heading back to Ominato. I have to look up to see if she can rearm there, size 6 port now. My memory is that you need a size 7 plus naval support for Yamoto, but this is a mod and I have seen rumors she can rearm with akes.

I've done it with AKEs, a level 3 port and naval support at Etorofu. No idea how it worked, but it did. Oh yeah, it was in range of a naval HQ too.

But you are playing stock, aren't you Mike? I have got Yamoto at Yoko now, size 7 port with listed 220 naval support and she won't rearm. There is close to 400 naval support there, but some of it is in SR mode.

Wait until it's done unpacking from strat mode, if any are doing so.

He can sail east out of the hex that you struck him at.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Yamoto is heading back to Ominato. I have to look up to see if she can rearm there, size 6 port now. My memory is that you need a size 7 plus naval support for Yamoto, but this is a mod and I have seen rumors she can rearm with akes.

I've done it with AKEs, a level 3 port and naval support at Etorofu. No idea how it worked, but it did. Oh yeah, it was in range of a naval HQ too.

But you are playing stock, aren't you Mike? I have got Yamoto at Yoko now, size 7 port with listed 220 naval support and she won't rearm. There is close to 400 naval support there, but some of it is in SR mode.

Yep, stock here. That's most likely the difference.