Intellectus Ex Nihilo (Wal-Mart on Ice)

[Canoerebel]

4/29/44

Celebes: DS & The Herd moved north without incident. However, there are a bunch of subs between them and Kolaka. It also seems that the Jap unit the left Kendari isn't moving on Kolaka - it's taking a blocking position. Allied 4EB messed it up a bit today. So the crisis seems temporarily abated. Accordingly, DS ordered to move north towards Kendari, with another big troop transport TF to move out of Koepang at flank to rendezvous. It's carrying a Java-prepped division that I'd like to drop at Ternate, if things look good (Java won't be in the cards for awhile, I think).

Pearl Harbor Aftermath: BB Pennsylvania arrived at Alameda today. She's the last of the BBs damaged during the opening attack. Rather than risk subs in the early months, I chose to keep the crippled ships at Pearl, repairing them slowly. Only in late '43 did a couple of the ships (Maryland and Tennessee) depart for the West Coast. They're repaired and back with the fleet. I'd have left Pennsylvania at Pearl, but enough damaged ships having been coming in from the DEI that it seemed better to move her. (The slow BBs weren't needed, as I've only lost two BBs in the war, and things were so slow until late '43 anyhow.)

[Gridley380]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Pearl Harbor Aftermath: BB Pennsylvania arrived at Alameda today. She's the last of the BBs damaged during the opening attack. Rather than risk subs in the early months, I chose to keep the crippled ships at Pearl, repairing them slowly. Only in late '43 did a couple of the ships (Maryland and Tennessee) depart for the West Coast. They're repaired and back with the fleet. I'd have left Pennsylvania at Pearl, but enough damaged ships having been coming in from the DEI that it seemed better to move her. (The slow BBs weren't needed, as I've only lost two BBs in the war, and things were so slow until late '43 anyhow.)

You're still repairing her in 1944?!?![X(] How much damage did she take?

[Canoerebel]

Moderately heavy. She'll need 240 days at Alameda.

The real reason is that I didn't give high priority to slow-BB repair after December 7, 1941. They got done, usually one at a time, but I was never short of BBs, so the need was never great. Whenever there were higher priority ships coming to Pearl for repairs, the BBs got bumped to the back of the line.

[RangerJoe]

Some of those refits only take 270 days . . .

[Crackaces]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Moderately heavy. She'll need 240 days at Alameda.

The real reason is that I didn't give high priority to slow-BB repair after December 7, 1941. They got done, usually one at a time, but I was never short of BBs, so the need was never great. Whenever there were higher priority ships coming to Pearl for repairs, the BBs got bumped to the back of the line.

I thought Bremerton was a bigger port and repaired faster? Or are you saving space for other ships?

[Canoerebel]

Bremerton is bigger. But there has been regular traffic between Pearl and SF without incident, giving a high degree of confidence that there aren't any subs lurking. Pennsylvania is badly enough hurt that a single TT would sink her. And, as noted above, there's no hurry to complete the repairs.

[Canoerebel]

5/1/44 and 5/2/44

There was No Earth Shattering Kaboom! DS got separated from Mini DS + The Herd on the 1st, which was frightening. There were no enemy air attacks and two RO-boats were sunk. On the 2nd, the TFs re-combined and underwent strong air attacks from Sorong. The nifty Allied multi-pronged attack was a dud, as Marvin the Martian noted. BB South Dakota TF failed to bombard Kendari - it never moved (the orders were properly entered). B-24s with sweeps and escorts from Koepang failed to target Ambon's airfield. And B-29s from Koepang failed to target Sorong's airfield. We'll try it again tomorrow, as the armada continues north towards Ternate.

[Gridley380]

Gotta love bombard TFs trying to creep up on their targets.

"OK, here's the plan. We'll approach the objective slowly, so they won't hear us coming..."

[Canoerebel]

Yeah. That was scary. I think the TF must have refueled, leaving too few ops points to complete a bombardment mission. A little thing like that can ruin a player's day!

[jwolf]

A pause for refueling does sound like the most likely reason for the delay. Best wishes for smoother timing tomorrow!

[Gridley380]

ORIGINAL: jwolf

A pause for refueling does sound like the most likely reason for the delay. Best wishes for smoother timing tomorrow!

I'm sure that happens, but I've also seen bombard TF's "hover" without refueling, so there must be something else going on.

Wish I knew what...

[Canoerebel]

5/3/44

Celebes: The plan delayed yesterday unfolds perfectly today: bombardments on Kendari and Ambon followed by air raids on Ambon and Sorong. And, to cap it off, it was one of those rare turns when there were no setbacks to mar that lovin' feeling.

DS & The Herd continue their approach to Ternate.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Gridley380

ORIGINAL: jwolf

A pause for refueling does sound like the most likely reason for the delay. Best wishes for smoother timing tomorrow!

I'm sure that happens, but I've also seen bombard TF's "hover" without refueling, so there must be something else going on.

Wish I knew what...

I think they can also balk if there are strong bomber forces within range. Shooting down all those Frances last turn may help with that!

[BBfanboy]

90 Ambon runway hits from 61 HB - awesome result! Your bombers must be really experienced by now. [&o][:)]

[Gridley380]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Gridley380

I'm sure that happens, but I've also seen bombard TF's "hover" without refueling, so there must be something else going on.

Wish I knew what...

I think they can also balk if there are strong bomber forces within range. Shooting down all those Frances last turn may help with that!

Could be. If that reluctance can be overcome by a die roll I'd rate it as probable.

Of course if they'd execute the bombardment when I tell them too they'd blow up the bombers on the ground and not have to worry about them... [8|]

[Canoerebel]

5/4/44

Celebes: Allied reinforcements come ashore at Ternate in numbers, and snap invasion of vacant Morotai takes place. But enemy sweeps of Ternate whittle away at DS LRCAP, so I decide to halt the landings after this one day. DS & The Herd to get underway, proceeding SSE.

Keep whittling those subs boys, 'cause they have fangs.

[Gridley380]

94 flot? Where's your nearest ABSD?

[Canoerebel]

What's an ASBD?

[Canoerebel]

5/5/44

Celebes: On bug-out day, enemy subs infest the waters near Ternate, DS & The Herd. Good work here by ASW. Just how many subs have been sunk, and how many damaged, in the past few weeks?

[Canoerebel]

5/5/44

Celebes: DS & The Herd are moving to the SE. To reduce the biggest threat, several steps are taken: (1) a lone DD that had been escorting the transports at Morotai is detached and is sent to nose around Sorong's harbor; (2) a good DD TF is to bombard Sorong; and (3) tired B-24s and B-29s to hit the airfield.

The results are strong. The threat of LBA is reduced considerably.