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March 4, 1942

In among the Kuriles, Japanese surface ships do a little hunting.

Task Force Shokaku sends out a strike...

Securing the Kuriles...

SRA

Attack at Wenchow fails to get 2-1...

Attack at Lashio fails to coordinate...orders got a little mixed up and only one division attacked.

Will try again at both locations.

No air bombing of Magwe today.

Soviet Front....southern sector



Invasion forces with tanks loading for Shikuka.

General Notes:

Topsy II starts production today at 18 per month.

I created my first Grace r&d facility today. Grace is the only bomber I am planning on r&d. I plan on allocating up to 5 factories for this plane eventually.

So the r&d (with 3 or more facilities) currently looks like: Jack, Frank, Sam, Randy FB, A6M3, George, Frances NF.

The A6M3 hopefully will come a month early in May. At which point those r&d facilities less one large production facotry, will switch over to the Grace.

March 5, 1942

The Yankee paratroop island in the Kuriles, falls to SNLF soldiers without a fight during the early morning hours, and then two fights in and near Palembang...mine sweepers and motor launches.

Takao makes short work of them in nice weather. Glad it wasn't the three British cruisers yet. Perhaps they will come on the morrow...and be in for a rude surprise.

An Iboat is sunk by KV...and the Yubari suffers a catastrophe, damage control parties are trapped and drown in a flooded compartment, and the ship founders and goes down, in a port base hex no less. Argh.

Some super nice engagements with the Soviets...

Airacobra's sweep the depleted Palembang fighter force, but get handled roughly.

So, a very good day in the air...

So, there will be lots of carnage tomorrow....

Task Force Takao has 100% of torpedoes present, and 90% of ammunition and can easily reload at Palembang.

Task Force Mutsu has only 52% of torpedoes but 97% of ammunition having performed a tactical reload at Georgetown on way south. Unfortunately what is lacking is the big gun ammo on the battleships...they have some, but not what I would like. The battleships would have to swing to the east to fully reload.

The Kaga airgroup is a full speed run to where she could influence the fight, or she can transfer the planes to local fields, but coordination would suffer.

There are a few more destroyers at Kuching that could join the fireworks too.

The 4th Yokosuka is at Brunei loaded on fast transports...while the 11th Garrison is passing Formosa.





When the Allies last tried this tactic, I sacrificed the runway so to engage the Repulse and POW after bombarding. My surface ships did great there, and it led to the Allies sending in the fleet carriers to constricted waters in a vain attempt to rescue Repulse and turn the tide.

But I don't think that is a valid choice for today, as Palembang is very weakly held, and I need the runway operational...also, there may be a very good chance of hitting the cruiser force with a superior battleship force and then retiring to Singkawang for rearming...while the Tako and Abukuma tangle with the destroyers. Of course there is light cruisers, and perhaps Boise in those destroyers east of Palembang.

The northern approaches...

danger and opportunity loom here.

I wonder if this is fog of war, and in reality a Soviet DD was scuttled here?

It will be a near run thing, if I pull this off...both the escape from Kotou and the defense of the northern woods.

Burma Front...strange happenings here.

Magwe quiet again today, I fear all the 4Es have flown down to Singers.

Bless you Oscar. The Ic is super impressive against the Soviets, well except for the Mig.

It has been an absolute bloodbath in the air...Japanese top fighter pilots are mostly Zero drivers, not surprising as they are more numerous than Oscar Ic pilots, and all the other planes carry 7.7 caliber machine guns.

I have been struggling for a use for Claudes and Nates. Here I try a very low percentage very low on LRCAP ambush.

The idea is that the sacrificial Claude, pulls the Soviet fighters down even further, lowering the engagement or pulling the escorts out of position. There was a second fight, and in that clash 3 Nates showed up...a low percentage on LRCAP gives you sequential staying power.

Probably had no meaningful effect...but it is fun to try and speculate.[:)]

Morning Air attack on Guards Mixed Brigade, at 126,41 (Alexandrovsk)

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 1
A6M2 Zero x 31

Allied aircraft
I-153 x 2
I-16m24 x 4
SB-2 x 21

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
I-153: 1 destroyed
I-16m24: 2 destroyed
SB-2: 10 destroyed, 2 damaged

Aircraft Attacking:
8 x SB-2 bombing from 12000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 100 kg GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
Yokosuka Ku S-1 with A5M4 Claude (1 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(1 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 5000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 5000.
Raid is overhead
Ominato Ku S-1 with A6M2 Zero (7 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
7 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Raid is overhead
Yamada Det S-1 with A6M2 Zero (16 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
16 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Raid is overhead
Zuikaku-1 with A6M2 Zero (8 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
8 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Raid is overhead