May 19, 1942
BOING! BOING!
1) Well, the cunning plan in the Bay of B. worked half-way. The flower opened up, and the targeting routines did indeed throw up. Allied ships running in all directions, and Force Z came on the field with full AA and no damge to drain some of the metal away from the wounded. Z did not have enough movement to reach the IJN carriers at React=6. There were a lot of hits, but over a dozen were 250kg bombs bouncing off BB armor. A couple of torpedoes where I didn't want them, one CL lost, but the RN carriers continued home safe, and everybody scattered, complicating the Japanese problem of range, time, and speed. One screen-shot from the middle of the day shows the Japanese search and targeting problem:
Morning Air attack on TF, near Great Nicobar at 35,68
Weather in hex: Moderate rain
Raid detected at 92 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 39 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 18
B5N1 Kate x 6
B5N2 Kate x 6
D3A1 Val x 6
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N1 Kate: 1 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 1 damaged
D3A1 Val: 2 damaged
Allied Ships
BB Prince of Wales, Bomb hits 1
BC Repulse, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 2, on fire
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Morning Air attack on TF, near Great Nicobar at 41,65
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid detected at 36 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
D3A1 Val x 7
Japanese aircraft losses
D3A1 Val: 2 damaged
Allied Ships
BB Royal Sovereign, Bomb hits 6, on fire, heavy damage
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Morning Air attack on TF, near Great Nicobar at 35,68
Weather in hex: Moderate rain
Raid detected at 35 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes
Japanese aircraft
D3A1 Val x 2
Japanese aircraft losses
D3A1 Val: 1 destroyed by flak
Allied Ships
DD Vampire
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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Great Nicobar at 35,68
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid detected at 84 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 36 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
B5N1 Kate x 11
B5N2 Kate x 5
D3A1 Val x 10
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N1 Kate: 2 damaged
D3A1 Val: 3 damaged
Allied Ships
BB Prince of Wales, Bomb hits 5
BC Repulse, Bomb hits 5, heavy damage
CA Dorsetshire
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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Great Nicobar at 39,66
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid detected at 66 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 24 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 9
D3A1 Val x 12
Japanese aircraft losses
D3A1 Val: 2 damaged
Allied Ships
BB Revenge, Bomb hits 7
CL Hobart, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
(Sank later)
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Roayl S. is probably really a goner this time, and Revenge may have Fires too great to handle at sea. But I was happily surprised yesterday, so who knows? Of main interest is how badly Repulse was gored. The sortie rate and lost/damaged IJN aircraft suggest this TF might head home now, but we shall see.
2) Japan begins landing at vacant Lautem and is met with I think the first air defense of a landing to date. Allied defenses on Timor are at Koepang. Not great, but in supply with some Forts.
Amphibious Assault at Lautem (72,115)
TF 115 troops unloading over beach at Lautem, 72,115
Japanese ground losses:
127 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
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Morning Air attack on TF, near Lautem at 72,115
Weather in hex: Heavy rain
Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes
Allied aircraft
SBD-3 Dauntless x 10
No Allied losses
Japanese Ships
xAK Zenyo Maru, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
Japanese ground losses:
64 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Lautem at 72,115
Weather in hex: Severe storms
Raid spotted at 15 NM, estimated altitude 19,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes
Allied aircraft
SBD-3 Dauntless x 10
No Allied losses
Japanese Ships
xAK Zenyo Maru, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Oite
xAK Toho Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Hayate
Japanese ground losses:
120 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)
3) In northern Sumatra Japan lands at vacant Langsa. Only vehicles are lost in the surf, suggesting this might be tanks only. An ASW TF offshore holes HMS Trusty. I would like to keep her on station if possible, waiting for retiring carriers.
4) Prome sees sweep battles again, but no bombing. Odd. This base is still growing with the arrival of more LCUs from the north. As far as I can tell there is no land attack coming. Chungking is also heavily swept by over 60 fighters (no CAP), as is Pt. Blair, ditto. Chungking is bombed by 11 Lily, and 11 Lily are damaged.
5) Bataan is bombed and the Allies bombard. Supply leaking in from Cebu untouched.
6) 11 B-17s hit Djambi Oil against strong CAP which comes in four waves of reinforcments. 1 point of damage, but only damage to the Forts. The P-38 sweep comes late at 28,000, but shoots down 4 Zeros for no losses.
7) Neikinag is hit hard by Sallys, doing widespread disruption, then the enemy attacks. The base falls with heavy Chinese losses, but all LCUs make it out through an open hexside. Scraps might make it to Chungking, but unfortunately I can't feed them.
Ground combat at Neikiang (75,44)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 34787 troops, 224 guns, 433 vehicles, Assault Value = 1363
Defending force 14140 troops, 108 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 465
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1
Japanese adjusted assault: 1082
Allied adjusted defense: 58
Japanese assault odds: 18 to 1 (fort level 1)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Neikiang !!!
Combat modifiers
Defender: leaders(+), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
1171 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 67 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 18 disabled
Allied ground losses:
7940 casualties reported
Squads: 297 destroyed, 193 disabled
Non Combat: 168 destroyed, 72 disabled
Engineers: 41 destroyed, 5 disabled
Guns lost 88 (37 destroyed, 51 disabled)
Units retreated 6
8) The day ends with some Allied good news. Chittagong AF goes to 7, able to support coming 4Es in large numbers. And Soerbaja Forts make Level 5, a significnat achievement for this key port, AF, and shipyard. Also, it has a bit of Oil. [:)]
