Notes from a Small Island

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: Round five. Allied LRCAP is gassed, at this point.

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: Round six.

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: Round seven. Zilch left.

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: Round eight. I didn't think Erik had any Ki-83s available after the heavy losses he took a few days back.

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: Now Allied fighters get their shot at sweeping. The target is Wakkanai. The goal is to clear enemy LRCAP, to give strike aircraft a crack at loitering enemy combat vessels.

This sweep comes from Shikuka.

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: Spits from Toyohara achieve good ratios.

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: Kiwis from Shikuka.

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: Excellent ratio.

Both of us know that excellent Japanese fighters on LRCAP do not perform well. Historically in this game, Erik has tried to avoid using LRCAP whenever he thought I might employ sweeps.

But this is a desperate time for him. Wakkanai airfield is shut down, so he has no choice but to employ LRCAP in an effort to win a victory that will buy time for the base.

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: The F4U-1D typically underperforms, compared to the F4U-1C.

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: The time has come to pay the piper.

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: There's no accounting for pure dumb luck, sometimes.

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: So there's KB, and more pure, dumb luck. KB launches at 8 hexes, but the Kates carry bombs.

Erik presumably was working an intricate and clever stratagem here, probably to draw a reaction by Allied carriers.

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: No LRCAP, so sitting ducks absorb some punishment. It's a shame to lose useful ships but in such a chaotic environment its difficult to keep everybody in line and protected. Had Death Star took station in this hex, as ordered, Erik would've lost one heckuva lot of aircraft and I don't think I would've lost any ships. But to this point I've been most fortunate.

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: More sitting ducks. To this point, the evidence suggests that the troop transport TF pulled back today. If so, I'm probably fortunate - the TF would've unloaded during the nighttime phases (all APAs and AKAs) but I might've lost way too many of those valuable ships.

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: It's going to be challenging to reinstall combat TF defenses at Wakkanai tomorrow. A lot of my DDs have been sunk or damaged and all will need replenishment.

At the same time, there may be an opportunity for DS to penetrate into the Sea of Japan to seek cripples. That evaluation will take place later, once I see where everytyhing is and in what condition. Protecting the sitaution at Wakkanai remains job one.

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: Looks like an engineer unit coming ashore got whacked, but I can't for the life of me think of which it might've been.

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: At low cost, Erik gets a detailed report on Death Star CAP.

[Canoerebel]

12/26/44

L+5: Still working on enemy LRCAP over Wakkanai.