December 12, 1941 Addendum
As I get more used to PBEM one of the challenges for me is the disassociated gameplay on the Allied side due to the combat replay and the next turn being in different files. On only one turn so far have I gotten both at once. I like getting the replay earlier, so that's not the issue, but it does make it harder for me, given the way my head works, to get into the flow of the moving pieces. I have been doing the AAR by watching the movie once fairly quickly, and then using the combatreport.txt to write from. This spreads out the work load as I can write while Mike is doing the turn, but it's sometimes hard to see where things settle out, especially events which come up in the PM search and recon efforts. Such was the case here.
Let me first say that I re-watched the movie more carefuly, then correlated ASW at Pearl to the combatreport.txt. I then did open a new Scen 2 game in order to look at the IJN OOB. In both the "gaggle off Lanai" and up north of PH, I see: I-3, 4, 8, 9, 15, 19, 21. Of those it seems that I-8, 9, 15, 19, 21 are Glen-equipped. I did not check previous days' attacks to see if the others are also Glenned, but regardless, it appears he has a large number of his available Glens at PH. This makes me rest easier about what that gaggle is there for. I also got an eastern movement vector for it from the multiple ASW actions. As well I got a FOWed report of two Glen losses this turn, one to A2A and one to Ops. Maybe one of those is true.
More significantly, looking at the next turn file I see that the Mabel attack on Johnson's AM was from the KB, which has not left the region. Presumably it has refueled, but not enough time elapsed for it to have re-sortied. I don't know how many missions it has left, but only Mabels flew on naval. Perhaps he had the Kates grounded, or the AI might have not thought it worth launching more, but either way if he was baiting a trap for my carriers bagging an AM in exchange for giving away the KB was a bad trade IMO.
In the shot below the TF west of Johnson has an easterly course, but reads as a single DD. It is more than that for sure, possibly aviation support and an air unit or three for Johnson. My two patrol planes on Johnson had been looking south for the intel sniff. I will turn them west now, but I think I'll know what Mr. DD is before they can report.
Lex and Enterprise are still east of Christmas I. and Sara is in SD. I have some decisions to make this turn. Is the KB going to hang around, and if so can I force it to eat more sorties cheaply and then set up a CV ambush? Should I bring Sara out, or does he have a sub trap off SD? I havent seen any, but Sara would have to transit to join her sisters with only one DD for escort. Or should I leave the carriers out of this, and put together what I can at Pearl for a landing zone raid on Johnson, and risk that DDs can dodge Kates with bombs? Or, hardest for me, should I wait and see what happens?
Strategically, is Hawaii his chosen area of interest? Has the allure of VPs when I can't really do much to respond steered him to this fairly difficult choice? Or is this cover for a more permanent move in NorPac or, longer term, somewhere in British Empire Land?
Drive by. Be a great place to train up ur bomber pilots and ship crews with bombardments.