Mogami v DadMan: The Wonder Years...

[Admiral DadMan]

5 JULY 42

Allied Sub Sturgeon attack 60nm NW of Singkawang
AK Yamabato Maru , Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

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Japanese TF unloading troops over beach at Gili Gili
338 Japanese casualties reported
290 Japanese casualties reported

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Japanese A6M2 Zero Day Air attack on Soerabaja ,
13 Allied aircraft destroyed

[Admiral DadMan]

6 JULY 42

Japanese A6M2 Zero Day Air attack on Soerabaja
10 Allied aircraft destroyed

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Allied Martin 139 Day Air attack on TF in the southern end of Makassar Strait

AP Yamato Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
11 Japanese casualties reported

Afternoon strike by Hudsons:
AP Yamato Maru, Bomb hits 4, on fire
AP Chinko Maru, Bomb hits 1
57 Japanese casualties reported

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Japanese forces CAPTURE Gili Gili!!!

[Admiral DadMan]

7 JULY 42

Japanese A6M2 Zero Day Air attack on Soerabaja
11 Allied aircraft destroyed

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Allied TF conducts Naval bombardment of Gili Gili
CA Canberra CL Achilles DD Perkins
CA Australia CL Hobart CL Adelaide DD Cassin

210 Japanese casualties reported Guns lost 7
Port supply hits 1

I forgot to mention that I had an Aussie CA/CL force creeping up to see what trouble I could cause. Saw the unloading at Gili Gili and turned them toward. Forgot that I had CL HMAS Adelaide in the TF. She’s 22kts max, and I forgot that, so I was a day late in getting there.

I missed the landing force.

[Admiral DadMan]

8 JULY 42

Japanese A6M2 Zero Day Air attack on Soerabaja
4 Allied aircraft destroyed

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22 Ki-21 Sally and 44 Ki-49 Helen Day Air attack on Aussie TF near Gili Gili
CA Canberra CL Achilles CL Adelaide
CA Australia CL Hobart

THEY MISS! Man was I crapping bricks when I saw that.

Not so lucky the next time…

CA Canberra, Bomb hits 1, on fire

Then 11 G3M Nell come to join the party…

CA Canberra, Torpedo hits 1, on fire

[Admiral DadMan]

9 JULY 42

Japanese A6M2 Zero Day Air attack on Soerabaja
5 Allied aircraft destroyed, 1 damaged

10 JULY 42

No combat.

[Admiral DadMan]

11 JULY 42

Allied Sub Grouper attack 180nm E of Tori Shima
AP Tenpei Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
28 Japanese casualties reported

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Allied Sub Plunger attack AP Hakozake Maru 120nm NW of Pagan.
Her torps miss and she is counter-attacked by more than a dozen escorts, who manage to score a hit.
Damage is serious, but not life-threatening.

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Allied aircraft Day Air attack on Kragen
No CAP
6th Naval Construction Battalion 44 Japanese casualties reported
42nd Road Construction Battalion, 10 Japanese casualties reported

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TF unloading troops over beach at Nanomea Atoll and CAPTURE the base
196 Japanese casualties reported

Yorktown and Hornet are 2 days away from Nanoumea to the Northeast near Palmyra, as I was sending them back to Pearl from their patrol of Noumea. I'm considering turning them around, but I'd like to upgrade the TBD Devastators to TBF Avengers before I start hacking and slashing. I'm not sure yet.

The choice of taking Nanoumea Atoll is interesting. It creates a further salient beyond the boundry of Baker Island, Tarawa, and Guadalcanal. This serves to further push my convoy routes to the south, as Baker Island should soon become a large enough airbase to become an issue. Baker is large enough now for short range tactical aircraft, and within a month should be ready to receive Nell and Betty bombers. This would seriously hamper my use of Canton Island as a waystation between Pearl Harbor and Noumea.

I already have a TF with 2 BB {USS Maryland and USS Idaho} and 2 CA stationed at Canton, but they're slow so it's at least 2 to 3 days to get there. Hopefully, I get lucky and catch some unprotected transports unloading. I think I can only raid the place twice before a carrier force shows up, so I'll need to quitely bring my carriers down.

I don't want to commit Lexington yet, and Wasp is due in 2 weeks, so I'm gonna play it by ear.

[Admiral DadMan]

12 JULY 42

Allied aircraft Day Air attack on 42nd Road Construction Battalion Kragen
20 Japanese A6M2 Zero fly CAP
12 Japanese casualties reported

After a bit of back and forth, I decided to retire my carriers. They are low on fuel, and the newer Avengers are tougher to bring down. So I have dispatchted the BB TF to make some noise over there.

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13 JULY 42

No Combat


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14 JULY 42

No Combat


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15 JULY 42

No Combat

[Admiral DadMan]

16 JULY 42

Allied aircraft Day Air attack on Kragen
20 Japanese A6M2 Zero fly CAP

138 Japanese casualties reported
Airbase hits 7 Airbase supply hits 1 Runway hits 12

Hey, I’m gonna lose Soerbaja soon anyway, I might as well put up a fight…

[Admiral DadMan]

17 JULY 42

My BB TF comes to call at Nanomea Atoll
Night Time Surface Combat
CL Katori, Shell hits 60, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk {she caught a couple of 16” and 14” shells too}
MSW Shonan Maru #8, Shell hits 10, and is sunk
AP Shintoku Maru, Shell hits 4
AP Tenran Maru, Shell hits 4, on fire
132 Japanese casualties reported Guns lost 5

Allied Ships
BB West Virginia CL Concord DD Litchfield DD Schley
BB Pennsylvania DD Allen DD Ward

Naval bombardment of Nanomea Atoll
Port supply hits 3

I sent the 2 CA back to Pearl for Refit and had forgotten about it. OOPs…

[Admiral DadMan]

18 JULY 42

Ground battle for Soerabaja begins:

Japanese Banzai Charge:
Attacking force 107736 troops, 1115 guns, 22 vehicles
Defending force 27321 troops, 130 guns, 25 vehicles
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 7
Japanese assault odds: 8 to 1 (fort level 7)
Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 1

1778 Japanese casualties reported Guns lost 22 Vehicles lost 1

300 Allied casualties reported Guns lost 13

[Admiral DadMan]

19 JULY 42

Dutch DD Van Galen arrives at Soerbaja and is immediately dispatched to raid/reconnoiter Balikpapan on the way to Brisbane. Who ever said the Dutch were never up to a good scrap…

Night Time Surface Combat, near Balikpapan
DD Van Galen catches 6 oilers taking on cargo at dockside. However they are screened by 2 DDs
DD Mochizuki, 2 Shell hits, AV Akitsushima, 1 Shell hits

But alas, Van Galen catches 8 Shell hits, 2 Torpedo hits, and is sunk

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My BB TF returns to Nanomea Atoll, and engages in Night Time Surface Combat

PG Hakkaisan Maru, 13 Shell hits, 1 Torpedo hits, and is sunk
AP Uji Maru, 1 Shell hits

BB West Virginia BB Pennsylvania CL Concord DD Allen DD Litchfield DD Schley DD Ward

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The Port Moresby relief effort goes for naught...

Japanese B5N Kate Day Air attack on TF, near Port Moresby
AK Murada, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage

[Admiral DadMan]

20 JULY 42

Japanese Banzai Charge CAPTURES Soerabaja

Attacking force 133475 troops, 1311 guns, 28 vehicles
Defending force 27009 troops, 119 guns, 25 vehicles
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 0
Japanese assault odds: 15 to 1 (fort level 0)

2036 Japanese casualties reported Guns lost 56 Vehicles lost 4

2958 Allied casualties reported Guns lost 31 Vehicles lost 1


The last major bastion of freedom in the Dutch East Indies falls. Mogami is only 2 months behind schedule. Hopefully, the prolonged and costly defense deprived him of enough resources that the effect will be felt in later years.

[Admiral DadMan]

21 JULY 42

Allied Sub KXII attack in the middle of Makassar Strait
AP Yosyu Maru, Shell hits 4, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage

Those Dutch subs are magicly delicious!

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Japanese Ki-30 Ann Day Air attack on 6th Dutch Regiment, at Pamakasan
15 Allied casualties reported

[Admiral DadMan]

22 JULY 42

Nothing much of import except Japanese fighter sweeps over Bali and Lautem.

[Admiral DadMan]

23 JULY 42

Japanese Ki-30 Ann Day Air attack on Tjilatjap Garrison Battalion at Malang
3 Allied casualties reported Guns lost 2

[Admiral DadMan]

24 JULY 42

Allied Sub Pike attack in the middle of the South China Sea
AP Ryugi Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

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25 JULY 42

No Combat

[Admiral DadMan]

26 JUNE 42

Japanese TF encounters mine field at Takamatsu {a little presento from Argonaut…}

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Japanese TF unloading troops over beach at Pamakasan
287 Japanese casualties reported

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Japanese Banzai Charge CAPTURES Malang

Attacking force 133577 troops, 1275 guns, 26 vehicles
Defending force 19951 troops, 60 guns, 9 vehicles
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 5
Japanese assault odds: 19 to 1 (fort level 5)

662 Japanese casualties reported Guns lost 24
23787 Allied casualties reported Guns lost 60 Vehicles lost 2

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The displaced denizens of Rangoon re-take what they were dispossessed of

Allied Shock attack CAPTURES Rangoon

Attacking force 461 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Allied assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 0)

USS Wasp arrived in San Francisco today. Under the flag of RAdm John McCain, she immediately departs for Pearl Harbor in company with USS North Carolina, 3 AA cruisers, and 5 DDs.

[Admiral DadMan]

27 JULY 42

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Japanese TF unloading troops over beach at Pamakasan
166 Japanese casualties reported
10 Japanese casualties reported

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Allied aircraft Day Air attack on 2nd Tank Regiment 60m E of Rangoon
68 Japanese casualties reported Vehicles lost 9

OH crap. I gotta try to get those Brit units out of there.

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Allied Shock attack at Pamakasan

Attacking force 1273 troops, 5 guns, 0 vehicles
Defending force 4665 troops, 23 guns, 0 vehicles
Allied assault odds: 0 to 1

109 Allied casualties reported

Bugger. I was hoping that there weren’t that many of them. Oh well, they’re doomed…

[Admiral DadMan]

28 JULY 42

Allied aircraft Day Air attack on 1st Tank Regiment, 60m NE of Rangoon {those buggers move quick!}
10 Japanese A6M2 Zero fly CAP

137 Japanese casualties reported Vehicles lost 11

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Day Air attack on TF, near Pamakasan
AP Yuzan Maru, Shell hits 8

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Ground combat at Pamakasan

Japanese forces Banzai Charge and CAPTURE Pamakasan
Attacking force 4704 troops, 21 guns, 0 vehicles
Defending force 901 troops, 5 guns, 0 vehicles
Japanese assault odds: 242 to 1 (fort level 2)

50 Japanese casualties reported Guns lost 2
935 Allied casualties reported Guns lost 6

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Japanese Banzai Charge escaping Brit units 60m NE of Rangoon
Allied Units Retreating to Rangoon!
Attacking force 2072 troops, 0 guns, 133 vehicles
Defending force 450 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Japanese assault odds: 52 to 1

[Admiral DadMan]

29 JULY 42

Allied Blenheim IF have been hitting 1st Tank Regiment at night for the past 4 days near Rangoon with no appreciable effect.