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Question for JFBs. What kind of float planes does Kongo carry in 1942? I got four Petes destroyed yesterday on the ground I don't recall hititng. The sunk ships has Haruna sinking yesterday, but I saw nothing (would be FOW for Kongo.) Tracker gives the Kongo class an aircraft detail of 3. Can one more be loaded in reserve?

Just amazing how much punishment those BB's have taken!

ORIGINAL: desicat

Just amazing how much punishment those BB's have taken!

Yep. Sent the turn back. POW is really the only one in danger of sinking right now unless he turns toward Pt. Blair and attacks agian. Last seen, the IJN carriers were heading west roughly at the height of Georgetown. I slowed everybody down to Cruise but one TF still in Kate range. POW slowed might help a little. Arizona and escorts will merge tomorrow. Sending a bunch of guys to rally at DG, but there's not enough fuel there to get them to CT. Sent a bunch outbound. UK will be the primary repair port for RN hulls. Some withdraw before they'll be fixed. Have to get them in shape for that.

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

Question for JFBs. What kind of float planes does Kongo carry in 1942? I got four Petes destroyed yesterday on the ground I don't recall hititng. The sunk ships has Haruna sinking yesterday, but I saw nothing (would be FOW for Kongo.) Tracker gives the Kongo class an aircraft detail of 3. Can one more be loaded in reserve?

Kongo is carrying 3 Petes at game start (normal load). It's obviously possible that he added one as a reserve at some point; Haruna has a reserve unit, but it's group starts out as Daves (2 with 1 in reserve).

Question for JFBs. What kind of float planes does Kongo carry in 1942? I got four Petes destroyed yesterday on the ground I don't recall hititng. The sunk ships has Haruna sinking yesterday, but I saw nothing (would be FOW for Kongo.) Tracker gives the Kongo class an aircraft detail of 3. Can one more be loaded in reserve?

Kongo starts with 3 Petes. With PDU On they could now be Jakes, etc., but those small BB airgroups aren't always very high priority when it comes to assigning newer planes (Petes work just fine spotting for naval bombardments, and BBs don't usually carry much of the search load.) As for adding a plane, several Japanese BBs start with one plane in reserve, so it's possible. Kongo doesn't start with an extra plane, but it should be capable of adding one. I'd say you called it right.


Edit: I'm a couple minutes too slow!

ORIGINAL: Quixote

Question for JFBs. What kind of float planes does Kongo carry in 1942? I got four Petes destroyed yesterday on the ground I don't recall hititng. The sunk ships has Haruna sinking yesterday, but I saw nothing (would be FOW for Kongo.) Tracker gives the Kongo class an aircraft detail of 3. Can one more be loaded in reserve?

Kongo starts with 3 Petes. With PDU On they could now be Jakes, etc., but those small BB airgroups aren't always very high priority when it comes to assigning newer planes (Petes work just fine spotting for naval bombardments, and BBs don't usually carry much of the search load.) As for adding a plane, several Japanese BBs start with one plane in reserve, so it's possible. Kongo doesn't start with an extra plane, but it should be capable of adding one. I'd say you called it right.


Edit: I'm a couple minutes too slow!

Thanks both of you guys. If that's the case it might have been worth it. I don't like to trade POW just for time, but if he lost a BB that evens the books a little. I'm bleeding CAs and CLs, but my later DDs are as good as a lot of pre-war CLs. He doesn't have BBs to spare.

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: Quixote

Question for JFBs. What kind of float planes does Kongo carry in 1942? I got four Petes destroyed yesterday on the ground I don't recall hititng. The sunk ships has Haruna sinking yesterday, but I saw nothing (would be FOW for Kongo.) Tracker gives the Kongo class an aircraft detail of 3. Can one more be loaded in reserve?

Kongo starts with 3 Petes. With PDU On they could now be Jakes, etc., but those small BB airgroups aren't always very high priority when it comes to assigning newer planes (Petes work just fine spotting for naval bombardments, and BBs don't usually carry much of the search load.) As for adding a plane, several Japanese BBs start with one plane in reserve, so it's possible. Kongo doesn't start with an extra plane, but it should be capable of adding one. I'd say you called it right.


Edit: I'm a couple minutes too slow!

Thanks both of you guys. If that's the case it might have been worth it. I don't like to trade POW just for time, but if he lost a BB that evens the books a little. I'm bleeding CAs and CLs, but my later DDs are as good as a lot of pre-war CLs. He doesn't have BBs to spare.

A caveat on the ground loss of seaplanes - it is possible to have the airplanes lost to damage or fire on the ship, without the ship being lost. From the damage you did to Kongo though, I agree she likely sank and the fourth Pete could have been from another ship being damaged.

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: Quixote



Kongo starts with 3 Petes. With PDU On they could now be Jakes, etc., but those small BB airgroups aren't always very high priority when it comes to assigning newer planes (Petes work just fine spotting for naval bombardments, and BBs don't usually carry much of the search load.) As for adding a plane, several Japanese BBs start with one plane in reserve, so it's possible. Kongo doesn't start with an extra plane, but it should be capable of adding one. I'd say you called it right.


Edit: I'm a couple minutes too slow!

Thanks both of you guys. If that's the case it might have been worth it. I don't like to trade POW just for time, but if he lost a BB that evens the books a little. I'm bleeding CAs and CLs, but my later DDs are as good as a lot of pre-war CLs. He doesn't have BBs to spare.

A caveat on the ground loss of seaplanes - it is possible to have the airplanes lost to damage or fire on the ship, without the ship being lost. From the damage you did to Kongo though, I agree she likely sank and the fourth Pete could have been from another ship being damaged.

The reason I'm hopeful is the Sunk Ships report put up Haruna on the turn after the last one I got the hits on Kongo. FOW on a sunk BB usually is the next day, when one torpedo hit it and the sunk reports starts yelling it's gone. Usually when it's out of sight and on a turn with no shooting it's a fair bet it did sink.

May 22, 1942

Buy Those Codebreakers A Drink! ; Goodnight Sweet Prince

Busy day.

1) I have been quietly expanding the American footprint in the Aleutians. Dutch Harbor of course, but also Umnak I. and the beginnings of something at Adak. Of the available routes to a HI strat bombing campaign (China, Formosa, PI, Marianas, Aletutians) the last is by far the cheapest in lost assets even if it's not easy either. Awhile ago I got a single line in daily intel that a small landing LCU was on a maru headed for Umnak. I commented at the time that if this was all he had coming the regiment-plus and Forts 3 there could deal with it. Still, this kind of intel is more solid than a waypoint deception move by Japan. I sent subs as well as a small cruiser TF to the area, and accelerated fort-building.

The cruisers had been on a 3-hex-wide N-S barrier patrol just west of Umnak for two days. And they got some business today. Not a Naval Guard unit, but a full-bore invasion. Regiment-plus, probably a base force, and some air transport. A shake & bake base. The IJN escorts would have been fine if I had not gotten the intel. Nothing was north then but a couple of AMs and ACMs in port. But a USN CA without carrier air hassles can ruin your whole day.





Day Time Surface Combat, near Umnak Island at 169,52, Range 23,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
AV Akitsushima, Shell hits 5, heavy fires
CL Kiso, Shell hits 16, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Yukaze
DD Fuyo, Shell hits 1, on fire
xAK Hakkai Maru, Shell hits 11, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Hokuroku Maru, Shell hits 11, and is sunk
xAK Tokai Maru, Shell hits 6, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Tokyo Maru, Shell hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Sinko Maru, Shell hits 1, heavy fires
xAK Toa Maru, Shell hits 2, heavy fires

Allied Ships
CA Minneapolis, Shell hits 1
CL Helena, Shell hits 3
DD Rathburne, Shell hits 1

Japanese ground losses:
2153 casualties reported
Squads: 36 destroyed, 77 disabled
Non Combat: 58 destroyed, 140 disabled
Engineers: 10 destroyed, 13 disabled
Guns lost 27 (5 destroyed, 22 disabled)

Only one transport sank during the turn, but most of them will never see Japan again. The CL was penetrating-hit many times and ought to sink. Only one IJN DD got off. The USS Helena came up to the battle late and has most of her ammo left. The hits on the USN ships were minor and non-penetrating. An I-boat was found and prosecuted later in the day, but is a worry.

What does this force do now? Much of the landing force is dead. Do they turn and land on another island, with masive disruption and no supply? Do they press on for Umnak anyway? Don't know. But I think I can handle what's left unless there is heavy follow-on. Dutch and Umnak both have CAP and a little anti-shipping air. The defenses are decent and building. Adak has only pre-staged supply right now, but Seabees and garrisons are on the water from Seattle. Have to re-assess this week. But for today this was a nice battle after the carnage in the Bay of B.

2) Prince of Wales, after two more rounds of major flooding, is lost within sight of the main fleet base at Colombo. The Arizona TF had merged to escort, but the system damage was just too much with the Fires. A stiff loss in the theater, but I am mollified somewhat in that she did her job of giving her sisters a fighting chance to escape.

3) The Darwin-based cruisers turn around and go back to Lautem to bombard. The second cruiser TF is still coming. I think I will re-base these at Soerbaja. Darwin has nothing to offer right now as a major fleet base, and is very exposed to raid if Timor falls. To some extent I hope he does invade at Darwin. I don't care, and it ties up a lot of combat power better used on Java. Northern Oz might be a forum favorite, but it's a bad move by Japan unless they are on the verge of auto-vic.

Night Naval bombardment of Lautem at 72,115

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2-N Rufe: 3 damaged

Allied Ships
CA Pensacola
CL Perth

Japanese ground losses:
50 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled

Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 7
Runway hits 11
Port hits 29
Port supply hits 1

SOC-1 Seagull acting as spotter for CA Pensacola (It did work this time.)
CA Pensacola firing at Lautem
CL Perth firing at Lautem

4) Very limited strat bombing does not score any industry hits. Resting most of my limited multi-engine force. B-17s, bombing Singers' shipyard at night, meet a solid Oscar night CAP and down 2 for no losses. Interesting intel though. Singers AF goes to 8 today.

5) In China a lot of sweeping finds open skies. Seems like a lot of supply and ops losses given how lousy the Chinese air force is on a good day, but who am I to mind? Chungking gets one small AF raid. The Allies probe bomb the LCU sitting to the NW of Chungking and find only an engineering unit. A hex-closer I guess.

6) After the major battle one hex west of Chungking yesterday I had to make a decision. Japanese disabled squads were pretty high at 500+, and Chinese got beat on leadershhip. A lot of the limited Chinese arty is out in that hex, and I need it to defend the city. OTOH, the Japanese stack had some very juicy premium divisions, and not that many compared to the big stack to the west which will be coming by and by.

So, being the risk-taker I am [:)], I spent the PPs to get every Chinese general over 50 on Land and Shock attacked, looking to kill the disabled squads from yesterday. Got good rolls. Very good rolls. The Japanese retreated in a rout. I keep preaching that the Chinese CAN fight when supplied, led, and given just a taste of support. Chinese losses will be hard or impossible to make up once back in the city, but it was worth it on a tactical and a VP basis, given the ratio rules Chinese vs. Japanese.

Ground combat at 75,45 (near Chungking)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 69681 troops, 492 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 2307

Defending force 32350 troops, 240 guns, 13 vehicles, Assault Value = 1042

Allied adjusted assault: 1378

Japanese adjusted defense: 492

Allied assault odds: 2 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: leaders(+), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker: shock(+), disruption(-)

Japanese ground losses:
5517 casualties reported
Squads: 366 destroyed, 293 disabled
Non Combat: 330 destroyed, 112 disabled
Engineers: 9 destroyed, 11 disabled
Guns lost 91 (31 destroyed, 60 disabled)
Vehicles lost 3 (2 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Units retreated 5

Allied ground losses:
3542 casualties reported
Squads: 135 destroyed, 218 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 48 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 50 disabled
Guns lost 27 (2 destroyed, 25 disabled)

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
32nd Chinese Corps
2nd Chinese Corps
36th Chinese Corps
67th Chinese Corps
41st Chinese Corps
75th Chinese Corps
14th Chinese Corps
92nd Chinese Corps
57th AT Gun Regiment
1st Artillery Regiment
7th Artillery Regiment

Defending units:
60th Division
102nd Infantry Regiment
70th Division
58th Division
22nd/C Division

Now that looks like a win right there.

ORIGINAL: catwhoorg

Now that looks like a win right there.

Hope you came back and read the rest. I have yet to figure out how to put in a screenshot and keep typing and have the text below it be where I want. I always post the screenie, then go back and finish in Edit mode. And I don't type well, so the first piece of the post can hang there for half-an-hour.

I did, nice victory in the N Pacific, shame about the PoW though.

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: catwhoorg

Now that looks like a win right there.

Hope you came back and read the rest. I have yet to figure out how to put in a screenshot and keep typing and have the text below it be where I want. I always post the screenie, then go back and finish in Edit mode. And I don't type well, so the first piece of the post can hang there for half-an-hour.

Been lurking a while [;)]. When I post a screenshot and use "Embed picture in post", I've noticed that the "[img]" code gets inserted at the very bottom. I type up my post in its entirety and then go back in edit mode to move the image tag to the place in the post that I want it to appear. Hope that helps.

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: catwhoorg

Now that looks like a win right there.

Hope you came back and read the rest. I have yet to figure out how to put in a screenshot and keep typing and have the text below it be where I want. I always post the screenie, then go back and finish in Edit mode. And I don't type well, so the first piece of the post can hang there for half-an-hour.

Been lurking a while [;)]. When I post a screenshot and use "Embed picture in post", I've noticed that the "[img]" code gets inserted at the very bottom. I type up my post in its entirety and then go back in edit mode to move the image tag to the place in the post that I want it to appear. Hope that helps.

That's better than my way. One cut & paste.

Shame on the PoW. Its a good ship! [:(] But well done on that NOPAC convoy! [&o]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Shame on the PoW. Its a good ship! [:(] But well done on that NOPAC convoy! [&o]

Thanks. I think he may get increasingly aggressive as time moves on and some early targets still aren't taken. NOPAC is a fine move, but it doesn't have any oil. [:)]

How are the defences of Java looking?

You might well be able to hang on to it at this rate

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Shame on the PoW. Its a good ship! [:(] But well done on that NOPAC convoy! [&o]

Thanks. I think he may get increasingly aggressive as time moves on and some early targets still aren't taken. NOPAC is a fine move, but it doesn't have any oil. [:)]

Well, the allies in full control of NOPAC in say mid 43 must surely be very uncomfortable for the Jap player? [:)] So he might devote some effort too it still. But as you say if he doesn´t take the oil its not going to matter anyway!

ORIGINAL: Encircled

How are the defences of Java looking?

You might well be able to hang on to it at this rate

Every base but Batavia and Soerbaja is evacuated. I think there's a static CD on the west coast (Tillijap? (sp?) Batavia has Forts 3 +, Soerbaja is higher. Both have a lot of supply. Soerbaja has some navy, but not much. Batavia has harbor defense. I think the mines are all gone. If not Batavia might have a few. The air groups are thick, but they're mostly Dutch, except for fighters which shuttle between Batavia and PBang. LCU-wise Soerbaja has more. I don't have an AV figure in front of me, but maybe 1000ish. Batavia has less. Lots of engineers at both. I'm bringing in a US Army ID, but it's going to PBang. Give me six months and all bets are off.

Sorry about the POW.  But its a good trade for the Kongo.  Nice work in NOPAC.  Your playing on CRs level. Pretty dang good for your first PBEM.