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Editors note
Wobbly has invaded before the complete evac of the solomons could be done
So i will fight here with what I have, but no more.
To answer Lt Oda's question, the fleet, and the main effort will not take place until the enemy reaches about madang.
Im planning on a inner circle defence for this game -just to see what happens!

There is much confusion
As usual orders are being issued, then cancelled, then issued again
We fly to rabual

There is almost an air of panic about the place.
Over 100 fighters are here, and a squadron of crack betties -yet we are not sure even now as evening falls, whether tomorrow we will fly.

High Command apparently had decreed that the solomons would be defended only lightly by screening forces -but the enemy assualt has caught us before we re deployed.

yet the news is not all bad -Tokyo rose -and our recon pilots report Milne bay full of burning ships -our mine field has caused mayhem.

Apamama has gone silent -Banzia!
And the enemy reports 6 of our DDs sunk today in a frantic battle right inside the bay.

25/1/43

All day we waited
All day

The battle rages at Milne bay - last night we definately lost 5 DDs in battle
A sub apparently sinks a BB though

Our fighters and army bombers from Lea and woodlark are in heavy action.

And we waited, and waited, and waited

Why?

26/1/43
Dawn came, and still more confusion -and terrible Gloom

The navy doctrine -the massed Long lance attack -has failed
tanaka is dead -killed as he tried to execute his doctrine in the confines of Milne bay

1 CL, and 8 !!!, Dds are sunk
The bay has fallen, and enemy fighters are already active

Some Kates show the way -slotting 2 criusers, some betties claim another heavy warship from Lea -yet we spend the entire day awaiting word to fly.

At dusk Admiral Herbiesan himself flies in
His anger is palapable
There is no excuse, and we fly tonight to Munda -with a new Bomber commander, the last one has shamed us all -there is no time to consider possible losses -we must strike!

I am disgusted, shamed and angry
100 fighters, a crack squadron, a million targets, and we fail to attack.
Only a victory can redeem us now.
Munda is busy -and alerted -enemy battlewagons have pounded Lunga to our south.
if they visit here, it could be nasty.

ORIGINAL: 1275psi
The navy doctrine -the massed Long lance attack -has failed
tanaka is dead -killed as he tried to execute his doctrine in the confines of Milne bay

Damn!

let 1000 flowers flourish in one thousnad year for hm!

27/1/43
Tokyo rose reports a enemy Bbsunk by a Submarine near Tarwana.
despite the presence of the Admiral herbiesan himself -not even he could fly in the torrential rain that grounds us.

then , late in the evening -it clears, and we fly to Lea
Tomorrow we must , must attack.

28/1/43
the enemy pounds tarwana -but does not invade
Our troops in Milne bay report the old Dutch cruiser tromp capsised in the bay.

100 heavies hit kiriwana island
And a total disaster here. There are no torpedoes here for the betties -none.
It will take all day to change to bombs, and to modify the naval shells that are here, some 40 16 inch monsters.
i can not believe it, the enemy is there -half an hour away -yet we sit, and sit!

29/1/43
reports of heavy battles on the ground and in the air at Burma.
Our Army has lured the enemy across the river from mandalaby, feighning a retreat
It has turned around, and driven the british backwards in a very sharp defeat.
Well done imperial warriors.

We too had our turn today -at last!
90 zeros escorting just 14 betties -all that could be gotten ready.
And there the 40 to 50 kittyhawks.
We tore into them.
No thatch weave, no team work, just a gigantic furballof fighters

Our job, A2 daitai, was to stick to the bombers.
We did, circling for a while waiting for the chance, then we dived in.
All respect to the crack pilots , how marvelous the aim.
Like a huge beached whale -covered in camoflage -useless today -the BB Colorado.
I personally saw 2 bombs hit -one on a turret -throwing it upwards.
And a Cl too was hit.

We get home safe -tonies meet us on CAP
22 zeroes lost today -grim, but our daitai lost just 1 -a rookie.
Banno joins those with a kill -he is so pleased.

The air base is frantic with activity.
Tomorrow it is inevitable that the enemy heavies will hit us -the tony boys look pleased.
We, on the other hand , will return to the battle. Our daitai has the job
Engage the enemy fighters -kill them.

30/1/43
Tokyo rose reports the BB sunk -I am not so sure.

A chaotic day -launch at dawn, poor weather, and a terrible rush -the enemy is approaching.
100 heavies fly the other way above us -will our home be there when we return?
But we have problems of our own -the betties have seperated from us.
We attack nevertheless.
32 zeroes -and there ! diving on us, twin tail devils!
banno, Hori and I have decided, we will stick together.
as a VIC, we swing sharply, the enemy misses us, and we swing hard -a kittyhawk suddenly floats across our noses -an aussie -and banno gets his second kill -the plane chopped apart.
tracer screams past, I loop, tightly, greying out, banno goes hard right, Hori hard left , and another kittyhawk floats into view.
Hori gets him.
we are far from the battle now, P38s slide into us, same hieght, we turn hard, hard, inboard of them, they dive away, out positioned -and finally i fire, and one smokes in an engine, but I do not think i can claim him.

then, as always, it is all over.

We fly home, a ragged group, and Lea is smoking.
Not badly damaged though, the tonies did well, a dozen heavies falling to them!

Our Cost is heavy. 9 pilots and planes from our daitai will never return, blossoms falling into the green sea of jungle.
8 enemy have been destroyed by us.
the other zeroes too lost heavily -again, it is the rookies who fall.

Then unexpectantly -we are ordered to refuel -and fly to palua.
It is the worst of the day
Totally fatigued, we follow a Emily north, into the night -it shows its lights to guide us.
Thank the Gods for the full moon.

We are safe, in a island paradise.
Tomorrow we recieve reinforcements.
What then?
I do not care, I must sleep.

man I love this AAR... Gives you a real feeling, and also shows that lonc combat reports are not that important... Just the main facts and flavour are way enough.

Keep it up.

1/2/43

I slept yesterday, so sorry, no entry, little to report, China again it seems to be.

now that , for us, the action is temporarily finished, we all seem flat, dull depressed.
Little banter amongst us, and much inrospection.
How did we survive, and so many friends die/

The day is spent quietly getting the AM2s ready, and in instruction for the children who have come to refill our ranks.
The war to the south seems to have taken pause, but in Burma our army is in full pursuit of a fleeing enemy -they are pulling out of pagan.
The army air seems to be flinging itself into the fray.

Our Army remains trapped near Homan -supplied, but stuck.

Where is the fleet?
One wonders.

How many kills and what xp level is LT Oda up to now?

He needs to be more careful...running out on his own when the P-38's are on the prowl is not a healthy choice...two wingmen or not.[:-]

2/2/43
Another day uncrating AM2s and assembling them
A day to update the diary .
I joined the Daitai with just 32 hrs flying
its been a long road since then, 28 actual combat missions, and yet no kill
I have nearly 350hrs now.
A long way to go to match the squadron leaders', he has nearly 4500.
I have to face the truth
I will never be a crack pilot, i probably would rate myself at the bottom of the list of the experienced men, banno and Hori leave me behind.
Still, and its a big but, I am still alive, I at least can claim some situational awareness when it all happens. As a rookie, i was happy to maintain the horizon.

Sad news today. Those betty boys at lea -foolishly flew alone to Milne bay -so many did not come back.

But better news in Burma, Pagan has been re taken -the enemy is in full flight -maybe mandalaby can be taken on the rush.
We hope.

Editors note
started exp 32
now 65
no kills yet!

Its a hard balance looking after "the children" and the needs of the war.
basically Im trying to have this daitia go where the action is.
Got to re train em up 1st!

3/2/43
Another day of testing planes, putting them together.

This place is so peaceful, hard to believe a war is going on.

News of a sharp air defeat in Burma, the enemy claims 50 off our planes for 10 of his.

Yet our army continues to attack!
The war drags on in china, and on, and on.

4/3/43
Our new planes are ready today, tomorrow we go to China again -probably back to our old haunts at Homan, to tangle with our old friends the AVG -although we must train a long time I feel 1st

The enemy seems to be lurking south of Gilli, Gilli with his fleet, dauntless sightings are common.
I wonder where my brother on the Nagato is today.
I bet it is not as pleasant a place as this.

5/2/43

Reports of fierce fighting in the air over Gilli, Gilli today, as the Army bombers try their hand
losses appear to be about even.

Do you remember when a single zero could take on 5 or 10 of the enemy and win?
Hard times lay ahead, unless we can finish this war quickly.

Today we flew to davao -and lost 2 rookies on the way -one simply failed to arrive, another crashed on take off.
One did not know them, they came, smiling faces, unsure, now, already gone, soon to be forgotten, blossoms in the breeze.
Inspected our newest fighter -the Jack. Lucky boys here are the 1st to recieve them.
It looks tuff, hate the visibility in it though, and I cannot see it operating on a carrier -the undercart is far too narrow.
Still, it would be preferable to tackle a bomber in this plane than my zero, it at least has armour.

We rest today, then its to southern chna -and back to grounfd attack missions, as we bring the children up to speed.

6/2/43
Davao
Although the war continues to the south, and in Burma -well done army -the enemy has fled back to Malandy - we are not safe here as well.

25 brand new AM2s arrived at this field last night, and we were due to go to China tomorrow.
today we survey 27 smoking wrecks

I spent the entire night in a slit trench, frankly confused, terrified and angry.
The young soldiers beside us seemed to know what was going on, he seemed to take devilish delight in every burst his gun spat across the field
Partisans.

Apparently a regular event.
Today we begin replacing the zeros -again.

editor note -someone left his planes on upgrade when they arrived at davao when he does not want them too![:@]

7/2/43
Another day of labour.
I now am very careful to never be alone anywhere -the jungles surrounding this field are full of danger.

The war has gone very quiet , in China reports of some sort of a truce are circulating -as both armies attempt to disengage from around Homan.

In the south the enemy airbase at Gilli, Gilli seems to be unmolested, I just do not understand our commands thinking.
Tarwana is daily bombed -they must be suffering poor fellows.

And in Burma the British lick their wounds -the white men will never master us in the jungle.