Jan 01, 43
The day didn't go as planned (does in war it ever go as planned???). I sent a light cruiser TF at full speed from Taberfane to Darwin. The idea was to intercept the enemy cruiser force and engage in a night battle.
My cruiser didn't arrive in time for a night battle and, when the dawn came, we were in sight of a transport TF near Bathurst Island... we expended almost all our ammos to sink some useless old tiny xAPs, probably containing a base force[:o]
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Day Time Surface Combat, near Bathurst Island at 77,123, Range 20,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CL Naka
CL Jintsu
CL Nagara
CL Natori
DD Mutsuki
DD Uzuki
DD Satsuki
DD Minazuki
DD Fumizuki
DD Kikuzuki
DD Nagatsuki
DD Hatakaze
DD Sawakaze
Allied Ships
AMC Monowai, Shell hits 47, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
xAP Hong Peng, Shell hits 6, on fire
xAP Cremer, Shell hits 7, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
xAP Mijer, Shell hits 13, and is sunk
xAP Van Cloon, Shell hits 20, and is sunk
xAP Van Imhoff, Shell hits 7, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
Allied ground losses:
2733 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 106 destroyed, 101 disabled
Engineers: 49 destroyed, 50 disabled
Guns lost 18 (7 destroyed, 11 disabled)
Vehicles lost 40 (20 destroyed, 20 disabled)
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Day Time Surface Combat, near Bathurst Island at 77,123, Range 18,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CL Naka
CL Jintsu
CL Nagara
CL Natori
DD Mutsuki
DD Uzuki
DD Satsuki
DD Minazuki
DD Fumizuki
DD Kikuzuki
DD Nagatsuki
DD Hatakaze
DD Sawakaze
Allied Ships
xAP Hong Peng, Shell hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
Allied ground losses:
591 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 12 destroyed, 37 disabled
Engineers: 11 destroyed, 2 disabled
Vehicles lost 3 (3 destroyed, 0 disabled)
...and then, almost out of ammos, we found the enemy strong SAG....in daylight[8|]
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Day Time Surface Combat, near Darwin at 76,124, Range 23,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CL Naka, Shell hits 3
CL Jintsu
CL Nagara, Shell hits 2, on fire
CL Natori, Shell hits 2
DD Mutsuki
DD Uzuki, Shell hits 2
DD Satsuki
DD Minazuki, Shell hits 2, heavy fires
DD Fumizuki, Shell hits 2, heavy fires
DD Kikuzuki, Shell hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Nagatsuki
DD Hatakaze
DD Sawakaze, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
Allied Ships
CA Louisville, Shell hits 9, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
CL Leander, Shell hits 2
CL Achilles, Shell hits 4
DD Monssen, Shell hits 1
DD Frazier
DD Sims, Shell hits 1
DD Mustin, Shell hits 2
DD O'Brien, Shell hits 1
Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions: 28,000 yards
The enemy was too strong for us... we lost 1 DD and 2 more will be sinking tomorrow ...for negligible damage to the enemy
Then, for the air phase, i had hoped to get a revenge... i had more than 120 Netties and 60 zeros ready to launch.... Guess what? BAd weather everywhere over the enemy TFs (several more TFs are spotted advancing to Darwin from the Gulf of Carpentaria)....[:@]
Only in the afternoon, after several messages concerning the inability for x betties to find the target due to weather, some of my guys sortied...but the results were horrible
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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Bathurst Island at 76,123
Weather in hex: Moderate rain
Raid detected at 70 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 24 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 12
G4M1 Betty x 13
Allied aircraft
P-38E Lightning x 7
P-40E Warhawk x 15
F4F-4 Wildcat x 10
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 5 destroyed
G4M1 Betty: 5 destroyed, 5 damaged
No Allied losses
Allied Ships
DD Mustin
CA Louisville, heavy damage
CL Leander
Aircraft Attacking:
12 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp
12 betties arrived unmolested over the enemy ships thanks to the sacrifice of the escort.... and ALL of them decided that it was wise to make a torpedo attack FRONTALLY!!!![:-][:-][:-][:-][:-][:-] not a single damned hit!
And then some unescorted Netties decided to immolate themself[:o]
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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Bathurst Island at 76,123
Weather in hex: Moderate rain
Raid detected at 57 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 21 minutes
Japanese aircraft
G3M3 Nell x 18
Allied aircraft
P-38E Lightning x 3
P-40E Warhawk x 13
F4F-4 Wildcat x 9
Japanese aircraft losses
G3M3 Nell: 11 destroyed, 1 damaged
No Allied losses
Allied Ships
CL Achilles
Aircraft Attacking:
1 x G3M3 Nell launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp
So we lost 3 DDs and some 50 planes (with more than 30 crack bomber crews) for 4 xAPs, an AMC and a torpedo into the CA Luisville??? I'd say this is a marginal defeat....[:(]
But we won't give up now. More naval and air units are arriving at Ambon and Timor. He won't have an easy life down there.... the mini-KB is approaching, unseen, the Wingapoe sector
The only good news arrive from China, were we managed to enter at Kienko from the south and to dislodge a strong enemy corp right east of Kienko (south of the known stronghold NE of Kienko).
The battle for the strongpoint continues and, even if we achieved a 1-2 today, the odds are really becoming good. Now that garrison is, de facto, isolated and i think a couple of more attacks will be decisive me thinks.
But the important part is that now Kienko is ready to be attacked and i don't see how he could succesfully avoid its conquest now
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Ground combat at 78,42 (
1 hex south of Kienko)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 14304 troops, 226 guns, 844 vehicles, Assault Value = 661
Defending force 1978 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 4
Japanese adjusted assault: 629
Allied adjusted defense: 8
Japanese assault odds: 78 to 1
Combat modifiers
Defender: op mode(-), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
Units pursuing 1
Allied ground losses:
990 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 62 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Units retreated 3
Units destroyed 1
Defeated Allied Units Retreating!
Assaulting units:
4th Tank Regiment
1st Tank Division
2nd Tank Division
Defending units:
35th Group Army
Jingcha War Area
26th Group Army
37th Group Army
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Ground combat at 79,41 (1 hex east of Kienko, right behind the river)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 36461 troops, 269 guns, 8 vehicles, Assault Value = 1148
Defending force 10835 troops, 83 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 326
Japanese adjusted assault: 901
Allied adjusted defense: 40
Japanese assault odds: 22 to 1
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), disruption(-), experience(-)
supply(-)
Attacker: leaders(+)
Japanese ground losses:
257 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 49 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Allied ground losses:
4295 casualties reported
Squads: 44 destroyed, 83 disabled
Non Combat: 146 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 4 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 14 (11 destroyed, 3 disabled)
Units retreated 2
Units destroyed 1
Defeated Allied Units Retreating!
Assaulting units:
70th Division
13th Division
110th Division
Defending units:
95th Chinese Corps
14th Group Army
33rd Group Army
The enemy retreated south, into the wilderness[8D]
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Ground combat at 80,40 (near Kienko)...
this is the usual strongpoint
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 28932 troops, 422 guns, 207 vehicles, Assault Value = 798
Defending force 22732 troops, 149 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 316
Japanese adjusted assault: 528
Allied adjusted defense: 580
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), disruption(-), experience(-)
supply(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
575 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 22 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Guns lost 13 (1 destroyed, 12 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
903 casualties reported
Squads: 19 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 37 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 9 (7 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Assaulting units:
27th Division
26th Division
Botanko Hvy Gun Regiment
1st Army
1st Mortar Battalion
4th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
Mongol Garrison Army
Tonei Hvy Gun Regiment
9th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
14th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
6th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
5th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
Defending units:
41st Chinese Corps
40th Chinese Corps
14th Chinese Corps
64th Chinese Corps
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Brad decided to send another unit to cross the river near Akyab...[&:]
Ground combat at 56,44 (near Cox's Bazar)
Allied Shock attack
Attacking force 6311 troops, 54 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 680
Defending force 9416 troops, 83 guns, 27 vehicles, Assault Value = 303
Allied adjusted assault: 10
Japanese adjusted defense: 1927
Allied assault odds: 1 to 192
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+)
Attacker: shock(+)
Japanese ground losses:
76 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Allied ground losses:
1355 casualties reported
Squads: 6 destroyed, 63 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 6 disabled
Assaulting units:
3rd Carabiniers Regiment
20th Indian Division
6th Chinese/C Corps
Defending units:
18th/A Division
18th/B Division
