RIDERS ON THE STORM-THANK YOU

[cantona2]

GH, have you sent me a turn today? my email had been playing up and im not sure that if you've sent a turn its got through. If you haven't sent one then no worries. Keeping frrt in both of those shoes is sound advice

[Gen.Hoepner]

Ciao Cantona..no, i haven't gone back home today. Will arrive at home later and send u the turn

[mlees]

ORIGINAL: Gen.Hoepner

However he didn't seem that interested anymore...but, as i told him...there are things more interesting out there...parties, girls, alchoolics etc...[8D]...so if he's abbandoning me for those kinds of stuff, well he has my blessing[:D]

(not that you can't do both at the same time eh...i always try to keep my foot in both shoes[;)])

(Bolding mine.)

So. Is that your secret? You play WiTP drunk?

[Gen.Hoepner]

Well i have to admit that sometimes, when i get home after the "happy hour" daily session, i play turns not completely sober[:D]...every soldier needs a good sip before facing a battle, or not?[8D]

[cantona2]

ORIGINAL: mlees

ORIGINAL: Gen.Hoepner

However he didn't seem that interested anymore...but, as i told him...there are things more interesting out there...parties, girls, alchoolics etc...[8D]...so if he's abbandoning me for those kinds of stuff, well he has my blessing[:D]

(not that you can't do both at the same time eh...i always try to keep my foot in both shoes[;)])

(Bolding mine.)

So. Is that your secret? You play WiTP drunk?

i know i have done in the past

[Gen.Hoepner]

Troll sent me the turn this evening...he said he'll be back on the week end...so we'll have some time to analyze the general situation and study a new strategy.
The KB is out of Truk again Btw...probably hunting in the Marshalls...

[TenChiMato]

ORIGINAL: Gen.Hoepner

Troll sent me the turn this evening...he said he'll be back on the week end...so we'll have some time to analyze the general situation and study a new strategy.
The KB is out of Truk again Btw...probably hunting in the Marshalls...

looks like its a go in, go out while he ponder what to do with his fleet... . He wont go far strategically in the South and Center Pacific if all he do with the KB is this kind of sortie.

[Gen.Hoepner]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 06/20/42


Ok, a barges TF arrived at Ponape, delivering 200 supplies. A LCM hit a mine and immediately sunk.
Our B-17s, on naval search, managed to attack and damage 2 subs at Truk, which is slowly becoming less safe for his fleet. The I-170immediately sunk, while a RO class sub was only damaged.
The KB moved out, moving south east, hunting for my subs. Managed to damage an S-class which should manage to get back safely at Eniwetok (i hope).
What's strange is that what appears to be a TF composed by cruisers is moving westwards...difficult to say if my conrados did a good job in spotting the class of the ships.

More naval bombers on Karachi and in China he's encircling Chungking...while the Chinese army everywhere is shock attacking...trying to fast the annihilation of the units...

A DMS fast transport tomorrow will try to bring more marines to Ponape...let's see what we can do. The second regiment of the 2nd marines div has started to arrive at Ponape using the air brigde. 151 AVs present at Ponape at today...let's hope!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TF 1206 encounters mine field at Ponape (73,80)

Allied Ships
LCM LCM No. 131, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naval bombardment of Karachi, at 21,3

Japanese Ships
CA Kako
CA Haguro
CA Atago
CA Takao


Allied ground losses:
4005 casualties reported
Guns lost 64

Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 20
Port hits 11
Port fuel hits 3
Port supply hits 8

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Chengtu , at 41,29[X(][X(][X(][X(]

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 27
D3A2 Val x 117
B5N2 Kate x 66
Ki-30 Ann x 45
Ki-32 Mary x 79
Ki-49 Helen x 22
Ki-46-II Dinah x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A2 Val: 3 damaged
Ki-30 Ann: 3 damaged
Ki-32 Mary: 1 damaged
Ki-49 Helen: 2 damaged


Allied ground losses:
14 casualties reported
Guns lost 2

Airbase hits 32
Airbase supply hits 15
Runway hits 237


Huge raid at Chengtu...quite useless i have to say
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Kwajalein , at 81,84

And then 2 training raids at Kwajalein...


Allied aircraft
OS2U-3 Kingfisher x 5
B-25C Mitchell x 56
B-26B Marauder x 33


Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 1 damaged
B-26B Marauder: 1 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
12 casualties reported

Airbase hits 4
Runway hits 47

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Kwajalein , at 81,84


Allied aircraft
P-40B Tomahawk x 5
B-25C Mitchell x 2
B-26B Marauder x 8
B-24D Liberator x 11
F-4 Lightning x 3


Allied aircraft losses
B-24D Liberator: 3 damaged

Runway hits 1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Rabaul , at 62,90

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 6

Allied aircraft
Hudson I x 5

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Hudson I: 3 damaged


We did this little raid to see what he has on CAP here...a cutai of zeros...nothing serious[:'(]

[Gen.Hoepner]

China

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Gen.Hoepner

Huge raid at Chengtu...quite useless i have to say

Training, I presume.

[treespider]

Why bother moving the units from Ichang back to Chungking? Why not push forward into Hankow or elsewhere?

[Gen.Hoepner]

I had ordered to move from Ichang when i thought we still have hope to save Chungking from the encirlement...Now they'll simply march towards a certain death, but however now that it's done i cannot order to march back...trails and stuff, you know.
 
I've ordered my 3 operative CVs to get back at SF. I need to be able to get the wildcats upgrade (from 27 to 36) ASAP.
The Saratoga is now at 25 sys....she could also be operative if an emergency would rise...anyway i'm planning to get her safely under 10 sys cause i need at least 4 fully operative CVs in the pacific!
In the next month i'm going to recieve 3 brand new P-38F groups. These arrives will be absolutely important for the Ponape area. At the moment only 24 P-38s are operative and they're doing a good job at Eniwetok, but they're simply too few.
The 1st Marine Div is ready to be moved from PH towards the Marshalls. With her arrive we'll have at least 1 Div+1RCT in every major base in the Marshalls, plus 1 CD,1AA and 1 HQ...that should be enough to repulse any counter invasion.
 
 

[Gen.Hoepner]

ThenChiMato, i don't know what is he doing with his KB. It's been more than a month now since the KB has sunk my 2 CVs and repulsed the first Ponape Invasion, but still he keeps on sending it in and out from Truk...like if he would want to kill my subs (a lot of Vals and Kates on Naval search i've seen)...that is a waste of fuel and a waste of sys imho...but however that could mean he's tryin to clean the way for his counter invasion coming from Truk...everything is possible at this stage.
Ponape is far from being safe. But the arrive of a fresh new Marine Rgt helps a lot to raise the morale of the defenders (funny thing is that they're all marines!, not a single U.S. Army private[:)]). The strip is slowly repairing (30 damage now) and soon we could be able to guest the first U.S. Marine Wildcats...Let's see...it's going to be interesting

[Jim D Burns]

ORIGINAL: Gen.Hoepner
At the moment only 24 P-38s are operative and they're doing a good job at Eniwetok, but they're simply too few.

There are three squadrons that start on the west coast that use chinese aircraft (the Lancer I believe). They upgrade to P-38Fs.

Jim

[TenChiMato]

Regarding your training raids against Kwajalein, you should alternate Airfield attacks with port attacks. His main support units for his forces there are the Kwajalein and 6th fleet BaseForces and they should be your main targets. Plus while destroying his CD guns you may also give him the feeling you have finally decided to finish Kwajalein and are preparing for an invasion. If he notice an increase in port attacks thats what he will surely think. This may force him to overfocus on this area while you are busy preparing the solomons or northern Australia for a follow-up strike later on.

Also, any possibility you may spare a B-17 group for night bombing attacks on Truk? True the results wont be that great but the psychological effects could be interesting.

Time is on your side, make him sweat[;)]

[Gen.Hoepner]

ORIGINAL: Jim D Burns

ORIGINAL: Gen.Hoepner
At the moment only 24 P-38s are operative and they're doing a good job at Eniwetok, but they're simply too few.

There are three squadrons that start on the west coast that use chinese aircraft (the Lancer I believe). They upgrade to P-38Fs.

Jim

Hi Jim!
We're playing with PDU on, so the real problem isn't which unit upgrade to P-38Fs, but how many P-38s in have in Pool!
I produce barely 25 per month...and i've already expended something like 50 of them during the fightings against the KB at Eniwetok in the last 2 months. I had to downgrade one group back to P-40s and so now i have only one group equipped with 24 of them...so i need some off-map replacements and those units arriving, even if not at full strenght, are very very usefull under this pov!

[Gen.Hoepner]

ORIGINAL: TenChiMato

Regarding your training raids against Kwajalein, you should alternate Airfield attacks with port attacks. His main support units for his forces there are the Kwajalein and 6th fleet BaseForces and they should be your main targets. Plus while destroying his CD guns you may also give him the feeling you have finally decided to finish Kwajalein and are preparing for an invasion. If he notice an increase in port attacks thats what he will surely think. This may force him to overfocus on this area while you are busy preparing the solomons or northern Australia for a follow-up strike later on.

Also, any possibility you may spare a B-17 group for night bombing attacks on Truk? True the results wont be that great but the psychological effects could be interesting.

Time is on your side, make him sweat[;)]

Ti-i-ii-ime is on my side, yes it is!:-)

Yes, that's a good suggestion about Kwejalein mate! Thx. I don't think Troll will be bothered much about Kwaj. anyway, but i can try. However my main concern is not to let, in case some supplies are left there, the AF at Kwajelien re-open...even for one day...a daiati of betties moved there could ruin easily my day!
Troll in one of his mails, last week, asked me with an ironical tone if he was supposed to counter-attack in the marshalls...so i bet he knows that we're waiting for him there and so he won't risk any more assets there...
Kwajalein is been isolated by now...for, what? 4 months? ...yes, almost....daily bombed...i'm quite sure the supplies are almost gone by now...hopefully by the end of the year we'll have some spare LCUs to use there for a general landing.

I have 6 (x12 planes) B-17s squadrons at Eniwetok. These are the only groups that are flying these beauties (replacements are too few to let some other units using them). These 6 units have the best bomber leaders i could find. They're all well above 75 exp and they are extremely valuable because, with a durability near 100, they can fly right in the middle of a zeros nest without risking a massacre! I cannot really convert them now...they are sub-hunters, ship-spotters and eventually heavy bombers...too important.
Plus Japan doesn't have any dedicated NF group by now (if i'm not wrong). Some Nicks are probably coming within the next months, but it won't be fair to use night bombers now. By the end of the year i'll convert some groups to night bombings...but not now.

[Gen.Hoepner]

For what concerns the B-24s, i'm slowly building up a force of them at Majuro. The goal is to have 100 B-24s fully operative and at 70 exp by the end of July, with a decent pool of reserves.
Want to be able to get a shocking 4Es force by the beginning of fall 42, with high exp ratings, in order to be able to threaten Truk...but i'm also thinking at a surprise "blitz" over Rabaul which is lightly defended...as soon as the base forces which are assembling at Noumea will arrive at PM, it will be an interesting alternative

[Fishbed]

but it won't be fair to use night bombers now.

Hum, great news. Does war has to be fair?
Ho man I don't want to bash the Italian art of war, but are you serious about giving up certain solutions just because it's not fair?
"Not fair" doesn't mean automatically "gamey" [:o] Man at this rate, victory isn't fair either [:D]

[mlees]

Hmmm, I dunno. From your houserules:
 

5. no night mission except for night fighter and Patrol boat units. Any side could convert a normal bomber unit to night bomber unit. To do so, they first have to be announced, after this, they act as night units and cannot henceforce be given day missions and cannot be converted back.

 
I wouldn't be converting too many units to night units...
 
Although, I guess you could try some night PBY attacks...