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caught the fleeing remnants of the allied carrier fleet this turn, SARATOGA reported sunk. Not sure about fate of LEXINGTON.

Kido Butai lost the already damaged RYUJO to a lurking sub today.



AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 09/11/42

Weather: Clear

Air attack on TF at 18,54

Japanese aircraft
A6M2-N Rufe x 9
A6M2 Zero x 57
A6M3 Zero x 15

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 5
SBD Dauntless x 8
TBF Avenger x 3

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat x 4 destroyed
F4F-4 Wildcat x 1 damaged
SBD Dauntless x 4 destroyed
SBD Dauntless x 5 damaged
TBF Avenger x 3 destroyed

ENS T.Kurakane of F2/6th Daitai is credited with kill number 11

Japanese Ships
CVE Unyo, Bomb hits 1, on fire


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Air attack on TF at 18,54

Japanese aircraft
A6M2-N Rufe x 9
A6M2 Zero x 60
A6M3 Zero x 20

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 3

no losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress x 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
CL Kuma

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x B-17E Fortress at 10000 feet

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Air attack on TF at 22,55

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 7
A6M3 Zero x 4
D3A Val x 23

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 8

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val x 3 destroyed
D3A Val x 22 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat x 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
CV Saratoga, Bomb hits 15, on fire, heavy damage
CL Nashville, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage


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Air attack on TF at 22,55

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 4
D3A Val x 9
B5N Kate x 14

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val x 1 damaged
B5N Kate x 5 destroyed
B5N Kate x 7 damaged

Allied Ships
CV Saratoga, Bomb hits 7, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
CL Nashville, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage


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Air attack on TF at 22,55

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 6
B5N Kate x 18

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N Kate x 2 destroyed
B5N Kate x 16 damaged

Allied Ships
CV Saratoga, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
CL Nashville, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
CLAA San Diego, Torpedo hits 2


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Air attack on TF at 22,55

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 14
D3A Val x 17
B5N Kate x 7

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val x 1 destroyed
D3A Val x 7 damaged
B5N Kate x 1 destroyed
B5N Kate x 3 damaged

Allied Ships
CL Honolulu, Bomb hits 5, on fire
CLAA San Diego, Bomb hits 1
CV Saratoga, Bomb hits 5, on fire, heavy damage


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Air attack on TF at 22,55

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 2
D3A Val x 22

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val x 4 damaged

Allied Ships
CV Saratoga, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
CLAA San Diego, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage


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Air attack on TF at 22,55

Japanese aircraft
D3A Val x 17

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val x 2 destroyed
D3A Val x 1 damaged

Allied Ships
CLAA San Diego, Bomb hits 7, on fire, heavy damage


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Air attack on TF at 21,46

Japanese aircraft
B5N Kate x 8

no losses

Allied Ships
CV Yorktown, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage


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Air attack on TF at 18,54

Japanese aircraft
A6M2-N Rufe x 7
A6M2 Zero x 55
A6M3 Zero x 19

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 9

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 9 damaged
A6M3 Zero x 3 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress x 1 destroyed
B-17E Fortress x 9 damaged

Japanese Ships
CV Shokaku
CS Chitose

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x B-17E Fortress at 10000 feet
2 x B-17E Fortress at 10000 feet

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Air attack on TF at 15,50

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 16
D3A Val x 20
B5N Kate x 4

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 2

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val x 3 destroyed
D3A Val x 14 damaged
B5N Kate x 3 destroyed
B5N Kate x 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat x 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
CV Lexington, Bomb hits 9, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage


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Air attack on TF at 22,55

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
A6M3 Zero x 5
D3A Val x 13
B5N Kate x 27
E13A1 Jake x 3

no losses

Allied Ships
CV Saratoga, Bomb hits 16, on fire, heavy damage
CL Honolulu, on fire
CLAA San Diego, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage


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Air attack on TF at 21,46

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 4
A6M3 Zero x 4
B5N Kate x 8

no losses


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Sub attack at 24,45

Japanese Ships
CVL Ryujo, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

Allied Ships
SS S-44


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Dark days for the USN. I made the mistake of not setting the lead CV group to do not react, it reacted to Ralfs CVs and of course the others followed. Even then, the results of the strikes were awful. My first big strike went in unescorted, followed by a lot of small strikes that had no chance of getting through. Three bomb hits in total from the 303 attacking SBDs and TBFs. I lost 376 a/c in a2a combat alone.........

Of course his well co-ordinated counter strikes obliterated my CVs. I have lost carrier battles as the USN before but never this heavy. The recently Allied gains of Port Moresby and Gili-Gili will be untenable soon. It will be very difficult to counter any future auto victory invasion attempt as well, but I will try my best[&o]

Ralf truely loves the waters by Townsville as the IJN

ORIGINAL: borner

Ralf truely loves the waters by Townsville as the IJN

For some good reason. These waters are full of peril but also quite battle-prone....

after the enemy has sunk or badly damaged several subs with his busily patrolling bombers one got thru to deliver another fish right in front of the peers of Cairns.... we hope its the coup de grâce for Lady LEX, the last surviving USN CV!

Gili-Gili back in Imperial hands.... along with some decent allied LCU losses.




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Ground combat at Gili Gili

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 21457 troops, 251 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 4131 troops, 31 guns, 0 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 13 to 1 (fort level 0)



Allied ground losses:
Men lost 4585
Guns lost 39


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PM back in our realm again... it came with about a dozen old Dakotas still on the runway.




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Ground combat at Port Moresby

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 419 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Port Moresby base !!!



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Oh well, at least having little offensive power means the turns are much quicker to plot. Nothing I can do now until 43, during which time Ralf can either plan for an auto-victory or build up his defences and wait.

He has already sent the KB on a tour of the Aussie coast, sinking the damaged CA Australia that was heading back to Noumea, but other than that I have managed to keep my ships safe in port. Lexington is still afloat, but even if by some miracle she makes it back to PH I will never see her again.

I am yet to lose a game playing as the USN, so in a way I am looking forward to the challenge that this one now presents.......[&o]

Approaching the end of November now, if Ralf is planning on an auto victory move he will have to start gathering together his forces soon. I'm as ready as I will ever be, considering I have no CVs to play with.

after several harrassing attacks of allied 4E bombers in the PNG area I decided to bring my fleet forward in order to retaliate a bit.
KB sailed off northern Oz for a few days and netted some nice results. two dozens of B17s destroyed, along with many B24 & B26s plus some other A/C. Own losses very light, and only CA ASHIGARA received a bomb hit leading to 28 sys damage. She´s on the way to Japan already.

...lauchning some attacks on the enemy base. Allied ships were reported fleeing into port, but this doesn´t mean into safety...[:D]
one DD (WORDEN) sank at the piers.

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Air attack on Luganville , at 53,53

Japanese aircraft
A6M2-N Rufe x 6
A6M2 Zero x 67
D3A Val x 142
B5N Kate x 62

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 48
P-39D Airacobra x 30
P-40E Warhawk x 17

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2-N Rufe x 1 destroyed
A6M2 Zero x 5 destroyed
D3A Val x 5 destroyed
D3A Val x 10 damaged
B5N Kate x 1 destroyed
B5N Kate x 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat x 11 destroyed
F4F-4 Wildcat x 6 damaged
P-39D Airacobra x 7 destroyed
P-39D Airacobra x 2 damaged
P-40E Warhawk x 4 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk x 1 damaged

PO1 I.Hagiri of CII-1 Daitai is credited with kill number 8

LT M. Hidaka of CII-1 Daitai is KILLED

Allied Ships
BB Washington, Bomb hits 9
BB South Dakota, Bomb hits 4
CL Achillies, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
DD Aylwin, Bomb hits 1
DMS Southard, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Henley, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Dale, Bomb hits 1
MSW Cairns, Bomb hits 1, on fire
MSW Ipswich, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DD Worden, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage


Allied ground losses:
Men lost 11

Port hits 14
Port fuel hits 3
Port supply hits 1

A follow up strike the next day got a nasty surprise when a few sqds of Lightnings boosted the CAP over Luganville, 30 KB a/c go down for a few more bomb hits on my ships in port (mainly paint scratches on my BBs). Hardly a huge victory but I will take what I can get at the moment[:D]

The allies landed some airborne troops at Nevea recently...




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Ground combat at Nevea

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 555 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 386 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles

Allied assault odds: 0 to 1 (fort level 0)



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...and our Imperial forced terminated their northward excursion quickly




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Ground combat at Nevea

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 1108 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 547 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 6 to 1 (fort level 0)


Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 8

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 694


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Jan, 20th - 1943

again, US forces landed on Nevea. This time they came in strength. Many of the DDs which brought them up to the island suffered terrible damage from the thousands upon thousand mines laid offshore.

We immediately sent some bold reinforcemnts there, covered by the fleet.

By now, its a stalemate in the thick jungle of this rotten island.

finally IJA forces bounced the enemy off the Island again....




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Ground combat at Nevea

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 14810 troops, 170 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 3533 troops, 56 guns, 0 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 6 to 1 (fort level 0)


Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 11

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 4451
Guns lost 58


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I hate that damn rock, 8 DDs lost for nothing[:@]

Back to the drawing board.

ORIGINAL: Miller

I hate that damn rock, 8 DDs lost for nothing[:@]

Back to the drawing board.

maybe next time.... after all, a decent number of mines went off - these are gone now[:D]

Anyway, I am not sure how well my troops feel sitting on that rock now. Wondering how long rice & sake may last.......... further resupply seems difficult.

some enemy subs were on eggplanter mission to one of my islands...


ouch!

Both just need a new paint job[;)]

Meanwhile, the wait for material to arrive for the Allied comeback continues. The first Corsair sqd has arrived (HR limits me to 3 active sqds). I have been very careful with my P38s and now have nearly 150 on the map. This will be a vital a/c as their longe range will be needed when my comeback begins......