Bigbaba y Ike99

[tocaff]

The post nuclear look care of his local hairdresser.  [:D]

[bigbaba]

hmmm, i hope the MSW regenerate. otherwise, i would get some trouble since i know the playing style of ike (mixing cement along the solomon islands and deploying millions of mines[;)]).

anyway...i am far away from beeing offensive in south pacific for now. the plan is to act like spruance at midway (calculated risk) and only to endanger my carriers if i have the chance to inflict more damage to ike then i take.

and...i will NOT give up PM without a fight. be sure about that, ike.![:-][;)]

more aussie troops arriving at PM:

[anarchyintheuk]

Nope, as Miller said, only in WitP.

[Ike99]

May, 1942.

May is almost over and the Japanese accomplished all the first month goals without much incident from the Allies. A presence in the Solomon chain was established.

What is more telling however is what didn´t happen. The Allies start with 8 submarines. These are big threats to Japanese warships and shipping in May. These 8 submarines can do a lot of damage to Japanese shipping early, but, were made ineffective by extensive Japanese A/S efforts.

In 30 days with 8 Allied submarines prowling Japanese shipping lanes and every transport I have running all month, a single Japanese transport was hit by a torpedo. Despite me counting all the 8 doing their best to do this.

Something just short of miraculous.

And not just prevent me from taking shipping losses, S41 was sunk and S37 reported damaged.

This did not happen without some luck but did not happen entirely without design. My Japanese A/S tactics have developed over the games to now, as seen here, it is very effective.

All my transports have made at least 3 trips, many 4. One can
only say the starting Allied submarine force failed miserably in
May despite S40´s early score.

So as bigbabba prepares the largest Autralian military disaster in history at Port Moresby for me, the Japanese are putting in
record shipping numbers. Bigbabba will ¨for sure¨, find out how
deep a Samurai blade folded over a dozen times times can cut.

On the air front Allies have lost about 50 aircraft, Japanese
about 10. Almost a 5-1 Japanese favor.

Bigbabba did try one bomber attack against Japanese warships
from PM to Rabaul, Low level. They were shredded as I knew they would be. Of the 10 attacking bombers, all were damaged with 3 destroyed for no hits to Japanese warships. After this first and
last attack, unfortunately, no more bombers have been over Rabaul.

Two Allied destroyers did attempt to attack barges unloading around Guadalcanal. Hmmm...that´s easy. Mines and destroyers
doing 35 knots don´t mix well.

The destroyers never reached their objective.

Shipping losses for May are...

Japan- 1 Transport, 3 Patrol Boats.
Allies- 1 Submarine, 2 Sub Chasers, 1 Mine Sweeper.

Not exactly Jutland.

May closes.

[Ike99]

I assume my friend has seen the classic submarine movie ¨das boot¨ by Wolfgang Petersen.

[Ike99]

Nope, as Miller said, only in WitP.

@My mistake here borner. I believed MSW would regenerate after some time if the Allies ran out of them. Knowing this certainly makes MSW high value targets despite the low point value.

[Ike99]

More mines.

Five Allied warships have hit mines in 29 days sinking two. Japanese capture Taivu and Rennel Island. Next, as you can guess from the picture will be Irau.

If is of any strategic importance or there is the slightest chance an Allied ship will sail through it bigbaba, consider all shallows water hexes mined.

All of them.[;)]

[Ike99]

Evil!!

[:D]

[:D]

[bigbaba]

ok ok, i must admit that i underestimated the power of ikes "mine war". but at least, i got those 2 AG at irau and killed 150 japanese and not one of my DD is sunk.

also, ike is a master of avoiding air attacks on his transporters. that earns my honest respect. after all, ike is a veteran about PBEM games and i am a greenhorn.

as for the submarines, i had a lot of sub-attacks on hs ships but also a lot of unsuccesfull torpedo attacks. hopefully that will change soon.


things to change from now:

-no more risky naval attacks on his mine infested bases.
-better coordination of the air attacks and no more letting the hudson-bombers on naval attack so they get blasted out of the sky over rabaul by ikes flak.

but nothing is lost. loses are very low and ike can get all this bases i the solomons..the question is:

can he supply them against my improving naval and air power? i hope not.[;)]

and meanwhile in the USA:

a catalina flight from dutch harbor found a downed zero in the Aleutian Islands. the plane is transferd immidiatly to san diego and tested by navy pilots.



soon, the engineers of Grumman and Lockheed will get the results which will help them bei their development of the F6F and P-38.

jimmy thach and his camrades from "fighting 3" preparing for the unavoidable confrontation with the battle tested japanese navy pilots:

[Ike99]

loses are very low and ike can get all this bases i the solomons.

I can get more than Bases in the Solomons. I can get bases in lower Austraila and new Caledonia too.

[;)]

So watch yourself because the boogey men can come and end the game very quickly.

[bigred]

I am a newby also, but sometimes I think Ike99 will one day reach too far. Take Noumea, give me a break.[8|]

[Ike99]

Torpedo Junction off of the Australian Coast. Allied submarine S-39 sunk.

[bigbaba]

the AP is lost, but also a japanese sub. the CA made it to the port, but the damage report is classified.

ike has the luck with his submarine, which i dont have so far.[&o]

[Ike99]

Submarine drops off commandos to identify Allied troops in Port Moresby.
Say whisky....

[bigbaba]

it seems, that the boys at PM will get some work soon. hopefully they dont need to make overtime.[;)]

aussie troops interrogate captured japanese at PM:

[Ike99]

aussie troops interrogate captured japanese at PM:

Hmmm...you have captured no Japanese to interrogate my friend.

[bigbaba]

heavy fight for air supremacy was going on at the skies over PM in the last days.

hunderts of fighters were involved at 06/13/1942 and the loses were heavy..for both sides. the japanese sent over their crack pilots with 700 or more hours in supreme zero fighters against green aussie and us pilots in outdated fighters. here the results:

Air attack on Port Moresby , at 10,40

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 24

Allied aircraft
P-400 Airacobra x 16
P-39D Airacobra x 28
P-40E Kittyhawk x 16

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 6 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-39D Airacobra x 4 destroyed
P-39D Airacobra x 1 damaged
P-40E Kittyhawk x 1 damaged

LTJG N.Okano of F1/Tainan Daitai is credited with kill number 5


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Port Moresby at 10,40

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 78
D3A Val x 44

Allied aircraft
P-400 Airacobra x 16
P-39D Airacobra x 24
P-40E Kittyhawk x 16

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 12 destroyed
D3A Val x 1 destroyed
D3A Val x 5 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-400 Airacobra x 10 destroyed
P-400 Airacobra x 2 damaged
P-39D Airacobra x 8 destroyed
P-39D Airacobra x 1 damaged
P-40E Kittyhawk x 5 destroyed
P-40E Kittyhawk x 1 damaged

PO1 T.Fukada of AI-1 Daitai is credited with kill number 2

Allied Ships
AO Sabine, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
DD Walke
CL Hobart, Bomb hits 6, on fire
AP Largs Bay, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AP Moreton Bay, Bomb hits 3, on fire




it is clear, that holding PM will be a costly operation (for both sides) and that more fighters are needed to keep the air dominance over PM.

a important news is, that our carrier force will get a huge reinfircement very very soon and that more fighter squadrans are arriving in australia to reinforce the hard fighting front line fighter groups at PM. although my planes and pilots are inferior to ikes samurais, my guys fight above their own base, while ike has a long flight to PM and back.

at least, my carrier-TF had some success near guadalcanal. several attack waves from a TF under the command of admiral mitcher with dauntless and bomb loaden devestators managed to sink or damage 4 AP, 3 PG and 2 PC in exchange for 1 devestator and 1 wildcat.

a second carrier TF released by CINCPAC will arrive soon in south pacific and will double our carrier presence in the area.

over PM, everything is calm after the intense air battles of the last days. but that is for sure only the calm before the storm and will end, as soon as the KB sails to the south . the last attack of the KB against PM was launched by no lesser then 6-7 carriers! so more action is expected in the PM area soon.

[Ike99]

This is almost enought to move an Allied division. It´s good to make an effect on Allied shipping ability so early...

[bigbaba]

very good game so far, ike. and 1000x more intresting as against the AI.

ike had some huge success by attacking my transporters but the allied also got their "feelgood moments".

in the last 4 days, submarines and bombers managed to destroy or damage (mostly damage) the following japanese ships:

BB: 1.
CA: 2.
CL: 2.
DD: 2.
AP: 4.
APD: 1.

the fight for PM is going on. everything is concentrated around there.

[Ike99]

.