At dawn we slept...in the cab on the way back from Olongapo

[Cap Mandrake]

And in the afternoon. Looks like Indiana got hit in the foam torpedo bumper and might be OK. It's a torpedo attack so the Kates are probably 7 hexes away. Our guys at Dobo do not attack. Too bad.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Taberfane at 82,117

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 75 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 32 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 26
A6M3a Zero x 19
B5N2 Kate x 9

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIc Trop x 1
F4F-4 Wildcat x 28
SOC-1 Seagull x 2

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed
A6M3a Zero: 2 destroyed
B5N2 Kate: 4 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 2 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
BB Indiana, Torpedo hits 1

[Cap Mandrake]

China: Japs defend in the air over Neikinag. I forgot to give the RAF Liberators a rest. They don't have enough armor for fighters.

Morning Air attack on Neikiang , at 75,44

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27b Nate x 5
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 9
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 12

Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 9
P-66 Vanguard x 4
Liberator II x 12
B-24D Liberator x 8

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-27b Nate: 1 damaged
Ki-27b Nate: 1 destroyed on ground

Allied aircraft losses
Liberator II: 1 destroyed, 5 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 5 damaged

Airbase hits 5
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 8

[Cap Mandrake]

The Japs had captured the French colony in SW China and then moved on so we took it back.

Ground combat at Kwangchowan (73,60)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 56 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 2

Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 0

Allied adjusted assault: 2

Japanese adjusted defense: 1

Allied assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 0)

Allied forces CAPTURE Kwangchowan !!!

Combat modifiers
Attacker: op mode(-), shock(+), leaders(+), leaders(-)

Assaulting units:
77th LRP Bde /1

[Cap Mandrake]

PI: Not sure what happened at Batan Is. There were LYB's ashore yesterday so the Marines were ordered to attack and then nothing happened today. Evacuated maybe? Wuhan virus?

Invasion Support action off Batan Island (85,70)
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force

2 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
xAK Yahiko Maru
xAK Kurohime Maru
xAK Hoeisan Maru

xAK Yahiko Maru fired at enemy troops
xAK Kurohime Maru fired at enemy troops
xAK Hoeisan Maru fired at enemy troops

[Cap Mandrake]

Morning Air attack on 4th Marine Regiment, at 85,70 (Batan Island)

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 14 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIb Sally x 9
Ki-27b Nate x 27

No Japanese losses

Allied ground losses:
6 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

[Cap Mandrake]

Effective attack on Bataan, the peninsula

Morning Air attack on Bataan , at 78,77

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 20,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 9
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 9

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 1 damaged
Ki-48-Ib Lily: 1 damaged

Airbase hits 5
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 22

[Cap Mandrake]

Minor air skirmishing over Mindanao.

[Cap Mandrake]

The transport queue from Midway to Mindanao is open again. We will see how long this lasts.About half the ships are empties headed east. The route finding software is picking the route.

Del Monte air base support troops head back to the PI after their evacuation early in the war.

[Cap Mandrake]

Confirmed. Jap carriers at Noemfor on the other side of Dutch New Guinea, 7 hexes from Taberfane. This is 6 hexes from Dobo. Not sure why our guys at Dobo did not attack.

[witpqs]

Ascared.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Not sure what happened here. Ambon is too far away for Kates and s is Ternate. Must be a carrier attack but with land based Zekes joining in.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Taberfane at 82,117

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 68 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 29 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 31
A6M3a Zero x 21
B5N2 Kate x 8

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIc Trop x 3
F4F-4 Wildcat x 39
SOC-1 Seagull x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 3 destroyed
A6M3a Zero: 1 destroyed
B5N2 Kate: 4 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 4 destroyed
SOC-1 Seagull: 1 destroyed

It must be a small carrier if only 8 Kates attacked. Good loss ratio, plus possible ops losses at long range.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Confirmed. Jap carriers at Noemfor on the other side of Dutch New Guinea, 7 hexes from Taberfane. This is 6 hexes from Dobo. Not sure why our guys at Dobo did not attack.

Because they were embarrassed to be at a place named 'Dobo'? M&M suggests you rename it 'Milo's Place'.

[MakeeLearn]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Confirmed. Jap carriers at Noemfor on the other side of Dutch New Guinea, 7 hexes from Taberfane. This is 6 hexes from Dobo. Not sure why our guys at Dobo did not attack.

User input error?

[Cap Mandrake]

The Beauforts, torpedo bombers, dive bombers and fighters at Dobo are all Seventh AF with Clarence Tinker in charge. Too bad. They would have crushed the carrier.

It may be the search radius did not extend that far to the NE, Although the task force was spotted by Catalinas

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

The Beauforts, torpedo bombers, dive bombers and fighters at Dobo are all Seventh AF with Clarence Tinker in charge. Too bad. They would have crushed the carrier.

It may be the search radius did not extend that far to the NE, Although the task force was spotted by Catalinas

Even if the enemy TF was spotted by PBYs, there are myriad coordination penalties if (incomplete list follows):

1. The non-attacking Bobo [snicker] aircraft are at a different base than the detecting PBYs
2. The non-attacking Bobo [snicker] aircraft are under a different HQa unit control than detecting PBYs
3. The non-attacking Bobo [snicker] aircraft are of insufficient range to attack said carrier TF.
4. The non-attacking Bobo [snicker] aircraft are of sufficient range, but beyond the range of escort fighters to attack said carrier TF.
5. The non-attacking Bobo [snicker] aircraft had insufficient spotting notice to formulate an airstrike. If the PBYs detected the carrier TF in the afternoon search phase, there would not be an attack in that same phase.
6. Base supply. Base overstack. Base size relative to strike aircraft range and attack package. Presence of HQa and relevant torpedoes in supply device for HQa.
7. Etc.
8. Etc.

[HansBolter]

I see that none of your naval attack squadrons have any percentage participating in nav search.

This is completely anecdotal without empirical evidence.

Going back as far as my Uncommon Valor days I noticed that my naval attack aircraft often would not fly if I was relying on a dedicated search squadron to locate the enemy, even if that squadron was located at the same base.

I began experimenting with giving every naval attack squadron a 10% search setting.
This did the trick.
Squadrons seem to be more willing to go after a naval target that someone from their own squadron has spotted, than a target spotted by another squadron.

I have used this setting ever since.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

The Beauforts, torpedo bombers, dive bombers and fighters at Dobo are all Seventh AF with Clarence Tinker in charge. Too bad. They would have crushed the carrier.

It may be the search radius did not extend that far to the NE, Although the task force was spotted by Catalinas

Even if the enemy TF was spotted by PBYs, there are myriad coordination penalties if (incomplete list follows):

1. The non-attacking Bobo [snicker] aircraft are at a different base than the detecting PBYs
2. The non-attacking Bobo [snicker] aircraft are under a different HQa unit control than detecting PBYs
3. The non-attacking Bobo [snicker] aircraft are of insufficient range to attack said carrier TF.
4. The non-attacking Bobo [snicker] aircraft are of sufficient range, but beyond the range of escort fighters to attack said carrier TF.
5. The non-attacking Bobo [snicker] aircraft had insufficient spotting notice to formulate an airstrike. If the PBYs detected the carrier TF in the afternoon search phase, there would not be an attack in that same phase.
6. Base supply. Base overstack. Base size relative to strike aircraft range and attack package. Presence of HQa and relevant torpedoes in supply device for HQa.
7. Etc.
8. Etc.

And the phase of the moon when it's in the 7th house and Jupiter aligns with Mars..."Bobo"

[Cap Mandrake]

There was a Seventh AF Beaufort squadron on search from the place with the silly name but their arc missed the carriers. Ironically there was an Allied ground unit in the Jap carrier hex as well.

I think it was a naval search failure. Aviation support was a little thin too. Too bad.

[Kursk1943]

Situations like this were and still are quite common in a real war.
Remember the engine failure of the search plane of one of the Japanese cruisers at Midway, resulting in spotting the US carriers too late at Midway.
Or the failure to communicate crucial spotting information of a Southwest Pacific search plane to Adm Spruance during the preliminaries of the Marianas carrier battle.
You will find a alot more examples reading through the history of the Pacific war.
We should't expect everything to run smooth, on the contrary, it adds a flavour of realism.[;)]

[RangerJoe]

Yes, the Tone's search plane. Not to mention the bad radio either.