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Situation at Rabaul. All the yellow marked bases have maxed out airfields (at least size 7 or 8). All the fleets in the red circle are PT boats, he has at least 10 TFs at Shortlands alone. I have one div plus a few bits and pieces on Rabaul behind 7 forts and 1500 mines to deter any bombardment TFs.

I also have two heavy cruiser TFs sitting under 300 fighters on CAP that have already mauled one massed attack by land based carrier a/c, so I don't think they are in danger anytime soon. He is sending 100+ bombers at night that usually cost me a handful of losses every turn. But if he goes all in one day it could get nasty....

Believe it or not the very next turn he sweeps Rabaul with everything he has in range, including P47s which I had only seen in Burma before now. I come off much worse as he downs 100 for about 30 losses, but with another 100 or so damaged I'm down to about 80 ready to fly next turn. Needless to say my cruiser TFs are heading north back to Truk before they get the B25 treatment like the ones I lost at Rangoon.....[:(]

ORIGINAL: Miller

I see what you mean about the N1K2 as its max ceiling is 6000ft less than the N1K1, however that should not matter in this game due to a HR on max fighter ops, 20k 42, 25k 43, 30k 44, 35k 45, 40k 46 (unless I make it to 46 lol).

In that case it's definitely different. I'd stress getting the Ki-84r ASAP then and any of the 3rd generation fighters are good under those altitudes.

21st-30th Nov 43

The main event this period is what I alluded to by having plans for my CVs. It was a port raid on Tulagi, where recon indicated 150 ships in port covered only by around 100 fighters. I sent the whole fleet on a full speed run to within 6 hexes and after a few sweeps to soften up the defences the main strike goes in:


Morning Air attack on Tulagi , at 114,137

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 185 NM, estimated altitude 30,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 55 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 42
A6M5c Zero x 289
B6N2 Jill x 167
B6N2a Jill x 27
D4Y1 Judy x 204
D4Y3 Judy x 114

Allied aircraft
P-39D Airacobra x 33
P-39N1 Airacobra x 15
P-40E Warhawk x 30

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
A6M5c Zero: 3 destroyed
B6N2 Jill: 2 destroyed, 11 damaged
B6N2 Jill: 1 destroyed by flak
D4Y1 Judy: 2 destroyed, 20 damaged
D4Y3 Judy: 4 damaged
D4Y3 Judy: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
P-39D Airacobra: 5 destroyed
P-39N1 Airacobra: 2 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 4 destroyed

Allied Ships
xAP Lycaon, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
AD Whitney, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AR Jason, Bomb hits 2
DM Sicard, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Peisander, Bomb hits 2, on fire
AVP Merel, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
DM Montgomery, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Pijnacker Hordijk, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP President Taylor, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AV Langley, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
AV Wright, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP William McArthur, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Idomeneus, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
AM Velocity, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
LSI(L) Denbighshire, Bomb hits 1
AV Curtiss, Bomb hits 6, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Darvel, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
AM Bittern, Bomb hits 1, on fire
TK Marpessa, Bomb hits 1
AGP Mobjack, Bomb hits 1, on fire
TK Harpa, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
TK Francol, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
AVD Casco, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
TK Belita, Bomb hits 2, on fire
AR Hector, Bomb hits 1
AVD San Pablo, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Morinda, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
AV Chandeleur, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires
AV Albemarle, Bomb hits 7, heavy fires, heavy damage
SC PC-596, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Chevalier, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AKE Regulus, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
AV Tangier, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires
xAP Clan Macbrayne, Bomb hits 2, on fire
AM Champion, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAP Noordam, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
AM Skylark, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
DD DeHaven, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
AM Conflict, Bomb hits 2, and is sunk
AGP Niagara, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
AKE Makawao, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAP Fiona, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
AM Sheldrake, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AVP Fazant, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AS Orion, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP David J. Brewer, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AVP Heron, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AVD Mackinac, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
KV Dawson, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAP Matthew Flinders, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
PG Moresby, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Kaiping, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
AS Fulton, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
DM Ramsay, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AKE Mormacland, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
AM Kalgoorlie, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AV Pocomoke, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
SC PC-1079, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
LSI(L) Glenartney, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAP Yarra, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
AVP Orion, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
AKE Vega, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
AS Otus, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AM Direct, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
AVP Bellatrix, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Rochussen, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Chungking, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAP Coolana, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
AKE Mormacmar, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
TK Gulfcoast, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAP Francis P. Blair, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AM Kingfisher, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
AKE Manukai, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AR Vestal, Bomb hits 1
AM Impeccable, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
ARD AFDB-1, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Le Triomphant, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
AVD Half Moon, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
AGP Oyster Bay, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAK Peshawur, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AM Strive, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAP Burwah, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Macdhui, Bomb hits 1
AS Bushnell, Bomb hits 1
PG Soerabaja, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AD Dobbin, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DM Tracy, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAP Siberg, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
AVD Chincoteague, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAP Frederick J. Turner, Bomb hits 2, on fire
AS Proteus, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AM Daring, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
AM Token, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAP Kooyong, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AKE Antares, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAP Carlisle, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Sarpedonia, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAP Clan Macilwraith, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AM Finch, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Oakbank, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAP Diomed, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
AVP Reiger, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage


Followed by a few more straggling strikes:

Japanese aircraft
A6M5c Zero x 46
B6N2 Jill x 36

Allied aircraft
P-39D Airacobra x 17
P-39N1 Airacobra x 6
P-40E Warhawk x 14

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5c Zero: 1 destroyed
B6N2 Jill: 6 destroyed, 6 damaged
B6N2 Jill: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
P-39D Airacobra: 1 destroyed
P-39N1 Airacobra: 1 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 2 destroyed

Allied Ships
xAP David J. Brewer, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAP John Drake Sloat, Bomb hits 1
TK Manvantara, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAP Sarpedonia, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AM Strive, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAP Yarra, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAP Kooyong, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
LSI(L) Denbighshire, Bomb hits 1
AMC Cornwallis, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage


Japanese aircraft
A6M5c Zero x 19
B6N2 Jill x 60
D4Y1 Judy x 24

Allied aircraft
P-39D Airacobra x 7
P-39N1 Airacobra x 2
P-40E Warhawk x 8

Japanese aircraft losses
B6N2 Jill: 1 destroyed, 7 damaged
B6N2 Jill: 1 destroyed by flak
D4Y1 Judy: 7 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-39D Airacobra: 1 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
xAP James Cook, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Rooseboom, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AVD Half Moon, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
KV Vancouver, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
AKE Makawao, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DM Gamble, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AS Bushnell, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DM Pruitt, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Clan Macbean, Bomb hits 1, on fire
TK Marpessa, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AM Chevreuil, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AR Delta, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AS Otus, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AKE Lillian Luckenbach, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AMC Pansy, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
TK Gulfcoast, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
AS Fulton, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
PG Soerabaja, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Macdhui, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
xAP Anglo Canadian, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AKE Mormacrey, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AGP Oyster Bay, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Clan Macilwraith, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AKE Manukai, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
AM Skylark, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
LSI(L) Glenartney, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
SC PC-1077, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AVP Fazant, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
AR Jason, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AS Holland, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AM Token, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Mijer, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAP President Taylor, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAP Speelman, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
TK Francol, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AV Chandeleur, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Peisander, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AKE Sirius, Bomb hits 1
AM Whippoorwill, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP David Gaillard, Bomb hits 1
AVD Mackinac, and is sunk

Japanese aircraft
A6M5b Zero x 19
B6N2 Jill x 12
D4Y3 Judy x 24

Allied aircraft
P-39D Airacobra x 3
P-39N1 Airacobra x 2
P-40E Warhawk x 2

Japanese aircraft losses
B6N2 Jill: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged
D4Y3 Judy: 1 destroyed, 4 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-39N1 Airacobra: 1 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
AM Vigilance, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
xAP Minnipa, Bomb hits 1
AGP Mobjack, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAP Speelman, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Asphalion, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AO Trinity, Bomb hits 1
TK Harpa, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
ARD AFDB-1, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AR Delta, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DM Gamble, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
xAP David Gaillard, Bomb hits 1, on fire


So nothing really major sunk but it looks like he has lost a big chunk of his support ships in the area. Total cost to me was about 100 a/c, mostly fighters, and I managed to shoot down about 50 of his fighters in return, luckily they were P39s and 40s and not P47s....


Elsewhere in Burma the Frank makes its debut, shooting down 50 Hurricanes flying CAP over Ramree Is where a British CA force was located. Unfortunately they sweep after my strike Nettys and low flying Oscar bombers went in and took heavy losses for just a few bomb hits on his CAs. He retires them back towards Calcutta the next day.

He flies another mega sweep of Rabaul on the last day of the month that knocks down another 100 of my fighters but I down almost 50 in return, including 20 P47s and I only lose 25 pilots. That has made up my mind, I'm going to evac the division there covered by my fleet sometime in the next month. I will leave a couple of SNLF there to stop it being an easy grab for him.

Finally, only one more month kill I get my Kamis....[&o]

ORIGINAL: Miller

Finally, only one more month kill I get my Kamis....[&o]

Nice typo!

That was a major strike. Regardless of what sinks, you gained VPs and made him be more careful. That means more AA there and everywhere, and better fighters flying CAP.

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: Miller

Finally, only one more month kill I get my Kamis....[&o]

Nice typo!

That was a major strike. Regardless of what sinks, you gained VPs and made him be more careful. That means more AA there and everywhere, and better fighters flying CAP.

Haha yes I noticed it but thought I would leave it in. I think I will be on the wrong end of a few of these later in the game.

Wow, Pearl Harbor of the Solomons

ORIGINAL: adarbrauner

Wow, Pearl Harbor of the Solomons

I hope they do a movie of it with Ben Affleck playing a pilot who shoots down 10 Japs before himself being shot down, bailing out next to a PT boat which he then drives with one hand whilst shooting down more Japs with his pistol.

Nicely done. [&o]

Even with all of his ships, those losses should hurt. Losing those AV (even temporarily) might hurt his search efforts if he likes to use them at dot bases to base search planes. If those tankers had fuel, they might just be done for. Do you have any bombers in range that can hit his port and possible damage/sink some more? Even at night? I don't know if you would want to use the KB for that, but a night strike with Kates at high altitude might work . . .

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Nicely done. [&o]

Even with all of his ships, those losses should hurt. Losing those AV (even temporarily) might hurt his search efforts if he likes to use them at dot bases to base search planes. If those tankers had fuel, they might just be done for. Do you have any bombers in range that can hit his port and possible damage/sink some more? Even at night? I don't know if you would want to use the KB for that, but a night strike with Kates at high altitude might work . . .

He has 200 fighters there and next door at Lunga, so any further daytime attack would be very costly. Night bombing is almost useless for Japan. Plus I have no idea where his CVs are, so I don't want to risk my CVs for what are really little more than third rate ships.

Well that will leave a mark!

Nice one! [8D]

1st-10th Dec 43

Rabaul airfield is pounded into dust along with Kavieng to the north. I lose roughly 100 a/c on the ground. I'm now in the process of evacuating both bases by air. At least when they fall it will render the majority of his large airfields in SOPAC redundant. If he wants to go any further north from here he will have to bring his CVs in.

Meanwhile in China he is starting to move troops around and is repairing the industry at Chungking so I'm going to have to start paying more attention there soon. Quiet everywhere else.

Rabaul airfield is pounded into dust along with Kavieng to the north. I lose roughly 100 a/c on the ground.

But at least you can save the pilots. Can you disband the units? If at least one aircraft can fly out then that becomes the main unit and the rest are fragments. Divide the main one and add planes to each A/B/C unit, then rebuild the entire subunit if you want with that arrow choice and recombine.

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Rabaul airfield is pounded into dust along with Kavieng to the north. I lose roughly 100 a/c on the ground.

But at least you can save the pilots. Can you disband the units? If at least one aircraft can fly out then that becomes the main unit and the rest are fragments. Divide the main one and add planes to each A/B/C unit, then rebuild the entire subunit if you want with that arrow choice and recombine.

Don't worry, I've been playing long enough to know all the "tricks" when it comes to handling airgroups[;)] I have simply disbanded most of the damaged a/c as they will never repair now, at least that way I get to send some of the airframes back to the pool.

ORIGINAL: witpqs

Well that will leave a mark!

Nice one! [8D]

Thanks. I'm guessing I will net around 500 VP's for it.

That many ships in a front line port without at least 250 fighters on CAP was a serious oversight.
Those ships should have been at Luganville, not Tulagi.

Great job capitalizing on it.

11th-20th Dec 43

Air search spots his CVs again which looked to be covering a potential Wake or Marcus Is invasion force. I send all my subs in the area to intercept. I-22 puts 5 torps into CV Wasp during two seperate attacks and down she goes, the first major carrier loss in the game (I'm sure she is hard coded to be sunk every game)[:D] A CVE also takes a single hit. He retreats for a turn or two but then sends them west again, giving me time to get all my fleet into position to strike...

Meanwhile in SOPAC I've flown out virtually everything I can from Rabual, Kavieng and Manus and he is using them as training targets for all his a/c, hundreds of sorties being made by 2E, 4E, fighter sweeps every day, even crap like Boomerangs have joined the fun[:(]

I 22? It belongs to the most unmanouverable IJN submarine class (well, I 400 excluded...)…wow

Who's the skipper?

Yeah. She got sunk by a PBY in 1942. One rarely sees a sub sunk exclusively by aircraft in the game

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

Yeah. She got sunk by a PBY in 1942. One rarely sees a sub sunk exclusively by aircraft in the game

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

In every game I've played and every AAR I've followed, Allied subs dare not go anywhere that enemy air ASW is operating, assuming the pilots are competent. They always are when the Japanese player is experienced, so the rule of thumb is that any Allied subs that steams beneath enemy air is likely to get badly damaged or sunk.