Matrix Games Forums

I have pretty much lost PM and Irau - I always knew I would loose Irau, but banked on keeping PM. I can't reinforce, while Raver can.

This turn was something ofa consolation with many more torpedo hits on transports, and best of all, lots of sinkings. I have now sunk 285 allied ships, to loosing 83 of my own. Most of them (the ships raver has lost) are fairly small however. I have now lost 3 BBs - one at PM and another at Irau. Musashi is headed for port never to return, as is Mutsu. Yamato remains as my only undamaged battleship (even the torps haven't got her past 5 sys damage).

Moot point anyway - Lunga started 5 turns ago with 150k of fuel now there isn't any left and my surface raiding ops at Lunga will have to cease.

Raver's CVs retired to luganville - while mine struck at PM. Raver won't take PM without reinforcements - and those reinforcements won't make it past my CVs - they'll have to wait while I air-reinforce PM and secure Buna and Dobadura once more (as Raver races his CVs across the map to scare mine off etc.

Amidst the chopped up stream of surface combat ships and transports my CVs had a field day, sinking 1 BB, half a dozen DDs, and maybe as many transports - have lost the Cr but Raver will probably post it. I lost a few aircraft - but again, all the bad pilots. My CVs will have time to retire, re-arm and rest all pilots aboard, and then I'll be at Shortlands or Rabaul waiting for Raver's CVs to come to me. Of course, I'll have lots of LBA waiting. My zeroes at Lunga have defeated Raver's LBA. His last raid was 40 strong, and less than 20 of them bombed the target, while I still launched 150 prime zeroes. All the "Damages" he gets don't kill my pilots. My zero squadrons are still very, very good. My betty and nell pilots on the other hand went from brilliant aces to morons in just a few turns of attrition. Allied flak is nasty.

My LBA still has some strong points - I disbanded all the nell squadrons into the one big sqaudron, with a leader that is 78/90, and an average exp of 89(!) they are still dangerous. Have about 100 operational betties, too far away to be of any use, but at least they'll help in the anti CV battles to come.

In worse news, the proud IJN fleet has lost 2 BBs, 6 dds sunk, 4 more about to sink, a CA, a CL, and 2 more CLs close to sinking - but far more importantly, damage to every other surface vessel, bar yamato, a dozen dds scattered around the place, a CA and 2 CLs. All other ships will be sent back to Tokyo (not the CVs and their escorts of course, they are going to sit at Rabaul or Kavieng behind my 350 excellent veteran fighters and 125 torpedo level bombers until Raver tries to get them. To be honest, once he has Irau and takes Lunga, he won't need them.

Pm on the other hand is a difficult call - once he has it, he has to supply it. From there he can take GG without any sweat, and then work around the bottom. But fly heavy bombers out of there? I think Raver won't bother - he'll use the transports to snatch Shortlands, Russell Islands, Munda and rabaul and then park them there to hit Rabaul.

Will post sunk ship lists in a sec.

UPdated ships sunk list. A few more sank in backwaters this turn.

IJN Lost: USN Lost:
AO 1 9
TK 0 4
AP 18 41
AK - 54
APD 4 9
AG ? -

PT - 37
SC - 29
PC 6 -
PG 0 5
MSW 3 12

SS 6 2

DM/ML 1 4
DMS - 5
DD 30 49?
CL 6 5
CA 9 5
BB 3 1

AV 0 1
CV 0 2
CVE 0 0
CVL 0 0
CS 0 -

LST - 11
LCI - 10

USN has lost 2782 points worth of ships.
IJN has lost 1442 points worth of ships.

You can imagine how many I've damaged if this is how many I've actually sunk.

When you compare this to our last report, you'll see that although Raver has lost a lot, proportionally, lately he's doing a lot better (still loosing way more ships than I am, but only little ones).

A few more interesting sunk ship stats:

Ships sunk by mines:
USN lost 7 PTs, 4 SCs, 1 AP, 2 AK, 1 LCI and 1 APD to mines. This proves how effective Raver' mine sweeping has been - I haven't really laid mines anywhere except PM, GG and Irau and I've been at it all game with 8 MLs. They are BIG minefielsd and he's beaten them.

IJN lost 2 CAs and 1 DD, and Raver lost 3 of his DM very early in the game, so his are probably the smallest minefields ever.

Since Musashi hasn't had any 18 inch shell hits, all the ships sunk by 18 inch shell hits have been hit by Yamato, in 3 seperate surface combats in 4 turns. She has sunk (more hits with her smaller guns I'm sure, just no way to attribute kills to them) 3 LST, 2 AK, 2 SC, 1 MSW and 1 DD with her 18 inchers.

Least effective weapon in the game so far has been the allied 1000 pound bomb, with just 12 ship kills, while the long lance has about 35 ship kills, and the IJN aerial torpedo has about 30 (although most of the latter class ships are all puny).

My lba will ensure that Raver's around PM at least equal mine - and although Irau is probably lost - Raver's CVs still won't come near my airbases with impugnity for a little while (although after my exp goes to hell after a few months of Irau being up and running his CVs will go wherever the hell he wants and there isn't anything I can do about it except cry).

Will post the other score totals later - I've lost more troops than Raver has (malaria mostly) but at a guess I've drowned maybe 5000 men so far if I'm lucky, and exterminated another 2000 in that first Irau disaster.

It just isn't enough. Raver can have GG within a month - strangle Lunga for a while and then atke that - park his corsairs there and works his way up the islands (I found that coming north of GG on PNG very difficult due to the distance around the corner being so great etc.

One big roll of the dice in a CV battle in a few turns - probably off Irau, but I hope Raver comes up to Rabaul to try his luck (I'll win if he does) and then I'll have to start retreating my LBA out of allied LBA range.

Luskan,

Why didn't you bring your CV's over to oppose either invasion? Parking them north of PNG would have allowed you to attack the transports unloading at PM while making it impossible for Raver's CV's to react towards your CV's. Alternatively, your CV's could have attacked the invasion at Irau and then scooted north before Raver could reply. Now that he has established a beach-head across the Coral Sea moat, your CV's are worthless. They needed to be committed to stopping the beach-head from being formed, or at least exacted a heavy enough toll so that further operations would be dramatically slowed.

Cap - to send my CV pilots anywhere near Irau was going to be the end of them. To send them against Raver's invasion fleet at PM was asking for massive flak casualties - and Raver hunting me down within two turns, corsairs and all. My strategy has been anti-shipping, not geograpgically based. I have palyed a couple of Scn 17s through as the allies and have discovered that 250 corsairs and 500 lightnings, along with innumerable level bombers doesnt' do you any good if you don't have the ships to supply them up front.

Raver was right - I was never going to be able to go head to head with the amount of power he was throwing at me. So I sidestepped and have had a nibble (by the ships sunk totals I hope you all notice how effectively) at him. His surface fleet, smaller and less experienced than mine, has done a bloody brilliant job - especially at PM with that resounding defeat of the Hiei (only took 16 shell hits to send her under) and her escorts there. At Irau every time I think "Right, every transport is going to get wasted" my surface ships would get 2 or 3 out of 20. Now those surface ships have lost so many damaged ships (lots to subs) and are out of fuel, that they are limping back to Shortlands - and Raver has spotted them all the way, so he knows the score there.


As for the CV tactics, well Lex took a torp hit, and then Raver retired to Luganville - so I struck at the damaged, and chopped up bunch of ships south of PM. My CVs have got a BB, 2 CA, 6 or 7 precious allied DDs, 4 MSWs, 8 AKs (more to come I'm sure) and have beaten off 40 enemy medium bombers. All for the loss of 21 aircraft.

If I'd gone up against Raver's ships while they were still fresh, (and as I've discovered, warships run out of ammo very quickly) and capped with lightnings, I would have lost more previous pilots.

I chose to sacrifice PM and Irau instead of my CVs. I never intended to keep Irau - it is a massive minefield with some troops on it - no airbase or port. Raver will have to build and supply it under massive threat from Lunga - which has beaten his heavy bombers convincingly and effectively. Raver's heavy bomber arm won at PM and GG, but failed here. Most importantly, my fighter exp at Lunga is still undented - they've lost 50 out of 350 pilots to begin with. The replacements weren't too bad, and most importantly, the veterans are now all aces. I have 3 leaders that are about 90/90 leading my fighters.

Important tip here: Now I've started to disband fighter and level bomber groups, the most important thing to consider is which group to disband into which. Make sure that the lowest leader's group disbands into the higher one - meaning that the higher class leader leads the big, resulting squadron etc. You would assume the best guy would get the job, but I disbanded a group with a 80/75 leader into a group with a 50/50 leader and the latter was the leader of the new squadron.

PM will be a greater loss, but to get transports in there to supply the immense number of (his) troops in the short term isn't going to happen because my CVs are waiting for them. To supply the thousands of now hopefully starving troops at PM, Raver will have to bring his slower CV TF all the way over from Luganville. Then my CVs can strike somewhere else - or just remain to threaten Raver indefinitely.


AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 06/04/43

Weather: Partly Cloudy

Night Time Surface Combat, near Port Moresby at 10,40

My last gasp of the surface combat at PM - sad isn't it?

Japanese Ships
DD Umikaze, Shell hits 11, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD Hibiki, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

Allied Ships
DD Benham
DD Wilson
DD Gridley, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Craven
DD Maury, Shell hits 1
DD Cummings


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat at 0,0

Japanese Ships
DD Hibiki, and is sunk

Allied Ships
DD Benham
DD Wilson
DD Gridley, on fire
DD Craven
DD Maury
DD Cummings


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack at 40,43

Allied Ships
SS S-39


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack at 40,43

Allied Ships
SS S-39


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on Lunga , at 38,40

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 75
A6M3 Zero x 35
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 39 - even the oscars have 10 or 20 kills now.

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 9
PB4Y Liberator x 16
B-24D Liberator x 12 - raids getting weaker and weaker.

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 2 destroyed
A6M2 Zero x 3 damaged
A6M3 Zero x 6 damaged
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 5 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress x 1 destroyed
B-17E Fortress x 9 damaged
PB4Y Liberator x 6 damaged
B-24D Liberator x 2 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 117

Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 13

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
2 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
3 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 11,44

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 13
A6M3 Zero x 24

Allied aircraft
Hudson x 11
B-25D Mitchell x 3
B-25J Mitchell x 42

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3 Zero x 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Hudson x 2 damaged
B-25D Mitchell x 1 destroyed
B-25D Mitchell x 2 damaged
B-25J Mitchell x 8 destroyed
B-25J Mitchell x 28 damaged

Japanese Ships
CV Shokaku
CV Hiryu
CVL Shoho
CV Akagi
CVE Unyo

Attacking Level Bombers:
2 x B-25J Mitchell at 1000 feet
2 x B-25J Mitchell at 1000 feet
1 x B-25J Mitchell at 1000 feet
4 x B-25J Mitchell at 1000 feet
2 x B-25D Mitchell at 1000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Port Moresby at 10,40

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 3

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty x 2 damaged

Allied Ships
AK Lyra

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 10,43

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 11
D3A Val x 111
B5N Kate x 113
F1M2 Pete x 4

no losses - all important stat for me.

Allied Ships
DD Farenholt, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
CA Minneapolis, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
BB Indiana, Bomb hits 20, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
DD Aulick, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 6, on fire, heavy damage
CA Chicago, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 10,43

Japanese aircraft
E13A1 Jake x 5
E7K2 Alf x 2

no losses


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 10,43

Japanese aircraft
D3A Val x 22
B5N Kate x 27
F1M2 Pete x 6
E13A1 Jake x 7

no losses


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 10,43

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 3
D3A Val x 22
B5N Kate x 15

no losses

Allied Ships
BB Indiana, on fire, heavy damage


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 10,43

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21 Sally x 3

no losses

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x Ki-21 Sally at 6000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 11,44

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 13
A6M3 Zero x 22

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 58
B-25J Mitchell x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 2 destroyed
A6M2 Zero x 1 damaged
A6M3 Zero x 4 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-38G Lightning x 8 destroyed
P-38G Lightning x 6 damaged
B-25J Mitchell x 1 destroyed
B-25J Mitchell x 4 damaged - see what I mean about my fighter exp?

2LT H. Turick of 39th FS is credited with kill number 2

Japanese Ships
CVL Ryujo
CV Hiyo

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x B-25J Mitchell at 1000 feet
2 x B-25J Mitchell at 1000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Irau at 42,43

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 7

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 7

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty x 2 damaged


Allied Ships
AK Chatham, heavy damage
LCI 342

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Irau at 42,43

Japanese aircraft
D3A Val x 8
G4M1 Betty x 10
Ki-48 Lily x 10

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 7

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty x 1 damaged


Allied Ships
AK Ara
AK Libra, Shell hits 4
AP Leonard Wood
AK Seginus, Torpedo hits 1
PT 169
AK Aquarius
AK Trianglum, Torpedo hits 1, on fire


Allied ground losses:
Men lost 35

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x Ki-48 Lily at 6000 feet
3 x G4M1 Betty at 100 feet
3 x Ki-48 Lily at 6000 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
4 x Ki-48 Lily at 6000 feet
3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Irau at 42,43

Japanese aircraft
D3A Val x 14

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 7

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val x 1 destroyed


Allied Ships
AK Aludra, Bomb hits 2, on fire
AK Albireo


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 10,43

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 11
D3A Val x 137
B5N Kate x 146
F1M2 Pete x 12
E13A1 Jake x 13
E7K2 Alf x 2

no losses


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 10,43

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 3
D3A Val x 15
B5N Kate x 10

no losses


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 10,43

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21 Sally x 3

no losses

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x Ki-21 Sally at 6000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Port Moresby at 10,40

Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 17

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M Nell x 8 damaged

Allied Ships
APD Stringham
AK Lycaon, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AP Wharton, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
AK Mintaka


Allied ground losses:
Men lost 35

Attacking Level Bombers:
4 x G3M Nell at 200 feet
4 x G3M Nell at 200 feet
4 x G3M Nell at 200 feet
2 x G3M Nell at 200 feet
3 x G3M Nell at 200 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Port Moresby at 10,40

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 14

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty x 6 damaged

Allied Ships
APD Dent, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Lyra
AK Diomed
AP Leedstown, Torpedo hits 1, on fire

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Buna

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 4795 troops, 42 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 2035 troops, 7 guns, 0 vehicles

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



LTJG R.Doikawa of F1/6th Daitai is credited with kill number 3

LT W.Fujimatsu of Kimikawa-2 Daitai bails out and is RESCUED
Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 50

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 21


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Irau

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 14120 troops, 195 guns, 27 vehicles

Defending force 13128 troops, 170 guns, 0 vehicles

Allied assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 8)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 7


Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 75

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 312


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Port Moresby

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 24418 troops, 225 guns, 4 vehicles

Defending force 37062 troops, 546 guns, 57 vehicles

Allied engineers reduce fortifications to 7

Allied assault odds: 0 to 1 (fort level 7)


Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 82
Guns lost 2

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 716


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




I am somewhat annoyed that after pounding the Indiana under the waves, my bombers went back to take photos. Hundred and hundreds of bombers, surronuded by hundreds of targets, flying 2 hexes to the indiana and then coming home with bombs aboard. Please?

There is NO WAY I am going to send my CVs sailing half way across the Pacific to try and catch his CVs, better to beat-up on ships near Lugna, and choose the time and place for the CV battle.

LRB has to be rested as they are all worn out. They have done a stirling job of pinning down the bulk of his fighters at Lugna and I might add at great cost.

The battle for PM will take a few weeks I fear, as it was a fort level of 9, same goes with Irau. Longer that I had hoped but the pay off will be a lot of dead japs and two bases that will but my bombers in striking distance of all of his major bases, and this time with fighter escort!

Pearl is supporting my operations with a massive release of ships! Fantastic !

Well, Tokyo hates me and isn't sending me jack ****. I haven't had a transport from them in over 7 months. I've had less transports this game as the IJN than any other game I've ever played as the IJN. Now bucketloads of shattered combat ships are heading back to Tokyo they might send me some.

This turn was still exciting - My LBA is still launching and striking targets. Yamato and her ships went to Irau one last time (no fuel at Lunga) and closed Raver's transports to 2000 yards . Raver's CVs struck at Lunga twice, and the first time they hit yamato with 8 bombs - no damage, and lost loads of fighters. If Raver's pilots are that weak my CVs are going to eat them ALIVE. As a result I'm withdrawing my CVs from the battle around PM (they sank another half dozen transports this turn) and will be moving to clear the infestation from around Irau.

If Raver can keep his beachheads at Irau and PM supplied, he will win, while if he can't keep them supplied he'll loose them (lots of reinforcements on the way if I can get them through).


Going to have to do another sunk ships list after this turn

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 06/05/43

Weather: Partly Cloudy

Sub attack at 11,42

Allied Ships
SS Scamp


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Irau at 42,43

Japanese Ships
BB Yamato, Shell hits 8
CA Takao
CA Maya
CA Myoko
CL Yura
DD Makinami
DD Oboro
DD Sazanami
DD Mutsuki
DD Yayoi
DD Uzuki
DD Fumizuki
DD Nagatsuki
DD Hakaze

Allied Ships
PT 169
AP Leonard Wood, Shell hits 23, Torpedo hits 6, and is sunk (you think??)
AK Libra, Shell hits 7, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Fomalhaut, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Aquarius
AK Trianglum, on fire
LCI 70
LCI 340
AK Gainsar, on fire
AK Melucta
AK Propus
AK Seginus
AK Venus
AK Ara
AK Antrim


Allied ground losses:
Men lost 170
Guns lost 1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 12,42

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 15
A6M3 Zero x 18

Allied aircraft
B-25J Mitchell x 13

no losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-25J Mitchell x 6 destroyed
B-25J Mitchell x 7 damaged

Japanese Ships
CV Hiyo
CV Hiryu
CV Akagi

Attacking Level Bombers:
2 x B-25J Mitchell at 1000 feet
2 x B-25J Mitchell at 1000 feet
0 x B-25J Mitchell at 1000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Lunga at 38,40

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 63
A6M3 Zero x 33
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 8

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 67
F4U-1 Corsair x 32
SBD Dauntless x 98
TBF Avenger x 49

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 13 destroyed
A6M2 Zero x 2 damaged
A6M3 Zero x 6 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat x 38 destroyed
F4F-4 Wildcat x 8 damaged
F4U-1 Corsair x 3 damaged
SBD Dauntless x 9 destroyed
SBD Dauntless x 20 damaged
TBF Avenger x 8 destroyed
TBF Avenger x 11 damaged



LTJG R.Kawabata of F2/253rd Daitai is credited with kill number 7

LTJG J.Long of VF-3 is KILLED

Japanese Ships
DD Yayoi, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CA Myoko, Bomb hits 1
BB Yamato, Bomb hits 8
CA Takao
DD Mutsuki, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
CA Maya
CL Yura, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DD Oboro, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Rennell Island at 38,45

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 22
A6M3 Zero x 8
D3A Val x 21
G4M1 Betty x 3
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 12

no losses

Allied Ships
AK Prince Georges, Bomb hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
AK Allegan, Bomb hits 5, on fire, heavy damage

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Rennell Island at 38,45

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 3
Ki-48 Lily x 12

no losses

Allied Ships
AK Allegan, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Cabell, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x Ki-48 Lily at 6000 feet
3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
1 x Ki-48 Lily at 6000 feet
4 x Ki-48 Lily at 6000 feet
4 x Ki-48 Lily at 6000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 10,42

Japanese aircraft
D3A Val x 116
B5N Kate x 124
F1M2 Pete x 5
E13A1 Jake x 9

no losses

Allied Ships
AK Alchiba
APD Stringham, Bomb hits 7, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Mintaka, Bomb hits 7, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
AK Alkes, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AP Leedstown, on fire, heavy damage
AK Lyra, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AP Wharton, Torpedo hits 2, heavy damage
APD McKean, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Alkaid, Torpedo hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
AK Sculptor, Bomb hits 6, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Diomed


Allied ground losses:
Men lost 303
Guns lost 2
Vehicles lost 1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 10,42

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 9
D3A Val x 21
B5N Kate x 16
F1M2 Pete x 9
E13A1 Jake x 3

no losses

Allied Ships
AK Alchiba, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Diomed, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
AP Leedstown, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage


Allied ground losses:
Men lost 40


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 10,42

Japanese aircraft
D3A Val x 22
B5N Kate x 18

no losses

Allied Ships
AP Leedstown, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 10,42

Japanese aircraft
E7K2 Alf x 2

no losses


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Cooktown at 6,53

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21 Sally x 3

no losses

Allied Ships
DD Worden

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x Ki-21 Sally at 6000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Cooktown at 6,53

Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 8

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M Nell x 2 destroyed
G3M Nell x 6 damaged

LCDR R.Kanda of G2/Mihoro Daitai is KILLED

Allied Ships
DD Dewey, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

Attacking Level Bombers:
4 x G3M Nell at 200 feet
2 x G3M Nell at 200 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Lunga at 38,40

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 40
A6M3 Zero x 24
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 20

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 25
F4U-1 Corsair x 27
SBD Dauntless x 45
TBF Avenger x 18

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 5 destroyed
A6M3 Zero x 3 destroyed
A6M3 Zero x 1 damaged
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat x 6 destroyed
F4F-4 Wildcat x 3 damaged
F4U-1 Corsair x 1 destroyed
F4U-1 Corsair x 2 damaged
SBD Dauntless x 3 destroyed
SBD Dauntless x 1 damaged
TBF Avenger x 1 destroyed
TBF Avenger x 3 damaged

ENS S.Minegishi of F2/253rd Daitai is credited with kill number 5

Japanese Ships
CL Yura, Bomb hits 9, on fire, heavy damage
DD Yayoi, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
DD Mutsuki, on fire, heavy damage


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 12,42

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 15
A6M3 Zero x 13

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 29
B-25J Mitchell x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 3 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-38G Lightning x 2 damaged
B-25J Mitchell x 3 damaged

CPT T. Lynch of 39th FS is credited with kill number 2

Japanese Ships
CV Akagi
CV Zuikaku

Attacking Level Bombers:
4 x B-25J Mitchell at 1000 feet
1 x B-25J Mitchell at 1000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 10,48

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 6
D3A Val x 135
B5N Kate x 142
E13A1 Jake x 13
E7K2 Alf x 2

no losses

Allied Ships
MSW Swallow, Bomb hits 5, on fire, heavy damage


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF at 10,48

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 5
D3A Val x 20
B5N Kate x 16

no losses


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Rennell Island at 38,45

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 21
A6M3 Zero x 5
D3A Val x 21

no losses

Allied Ships
AK Allegan, Bomb hits 10, on fire, heavy damage


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Rennell Island at 38,45

Japanese aircraft
Ki-48 Lily x 4

no losses

Allied Ships
AK Allegan, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

Attacking Level Bombers:
4 x Ki-48 Lily at 6000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Cooktown at 6,53

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21 Sally x 3

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21 Sally x 3 damaged

Allied Ships
AP John Penn

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x Ki-21 Sally at 6000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Cooktown at 6,53

Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 3

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M Nell x 3 damaged

Allied Ships
MSW Lismore

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x G3M Nell at 200 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Irau

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 16399 troops, 212 guns, 28 vehicles

Defending force 12975 troops, 167 guns, 0 vehicles

Allied assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 7)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 6



LTJG S.Kumagaya of F2/6th Daitai is credited with kill number 5

MAJ J.Kaoki of 4th Chutai bails out and is RESCUED
Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 261

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 468
Guns lost 1
Vehicles lost 1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Buna

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 4766 troops, 42 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 1929 troops, 7 guns, 0 vehicles

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


Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 31

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 31


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Port Moresby

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 560 troops, 9 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 36175 troops, 544 guns, 57 vehicles



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Things starting to lull a bit as Raver pulls his CVs back once more, and the number of transports at PM and irau has decreased.

My LBA has had it - I now have 100 damaged betties, still good experience for the pilots, but very few operational aircraft.

On the other side of the coin, my fighters at lunga are now 200 operational aircraft up, with just 115 to repair now.

I am proud of the betties and the havoc they have wrought - Raver should have tried to make me use them more to date - letting me train them for 10 months has really cost him, and will continue to cost him as they get repaired. I have now sunk over 320 allied ships for the loss of about 87 of my own (probably 3 or 4 of mine will go under fairly soon, in addition to 25 or so sent back to Tokyo damaged).

My estimate says I just sent over 1000 points worth of ships back to Tokyo. Have they decided to send any back? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

I should have kept the damaged ones and tried to repair them while Raver and I have a breather after the bloodbath is over. Without ships this war is screwed, and I've got less than 8 surface combat vessels operational.

As Luskan has posted, things are starting to slow down......all of my LBA and MBA are resting for the next push. Plenty of transports on their way to Noumea from Pearl so I have lttle to worry about in that area.....but man do i have a lot that needs to be replaced!

PM and Irau are looking good. Buna is becoming more secure as the days progress, but the situation at Dona looks grim...I will have to pull the troops fromm there and retire them to Buna.

My CV flyboys did a poor job and need a good kick in the arse.......not really keen to take on Luskans CV at this point.

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 06/06/43

Weather: Partly Cloudy

Night Time Surface Combat, near Irau at 42,43

Japanese Ships
BB Yamato, Shell hits 1
CA Takao
CA Maya
CA Myoko
DD Makinami
DD Sazanami
DD Uzuki
DD Fumizuki
DD Nagatsuki
DD Hakaze

Allied Ships
AK Fomalhaut, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Aquarius, Shell hits 19, and is sunk
AK Trianglum, on fire, heavy damage
LCI 70
LCI 340
AK Gainsar, on fire
AK Melucta, on fire
AK Propus, Shell hits 13, on fire, heavy damage
AK Seginus, Shell hits 6, on fire, heavy damage
AK Venus, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Ara
AK Antrim


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Rennell Island at 38,45

Japanese aircraft
D3A Val x 22
G4M1 Betty x 6

no losses

Allied Ships
AK Charlevoix, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage

Attacking Level Bombers:
4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
2 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Rennell Island at 38,45

Japanese aircraft
D3A Val x 3

no losses

Allied Ships
AK Charlevoix, heavy damage


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Lunga at 38,40

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 58
A6M3 Zero x 28
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 16

Allied aircraft
B-24D Liberator x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 5 damaged
A6M3 Zero x 1 damaged
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
B-24D Liberator x 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
TK Akebono Maru

Attacking Level Bombers:
4 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Irau at 42,43

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 5
D3A Val x 22

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 1 destroyed


2LT J. Keck of 7th FS is credited with kill number 3

Allied Ships
AK Trianglum, Bomb hits 7, on fire, heavy damage
AK Seginus, Bomb hits 5, on fire, heavy damage


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Irau at 42,43

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 11

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty x 1 destroyed



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Irau at 42,43

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 3

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty x 1 destroyed
G4M1 Betty x 1 damaged

Allied Ships
AK Ara, on fire

Attacking Level Bombers:
2 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Rennell Island at 38,45

Japanese aircraft
D3A Val x 3

no losses

Allied Ships
SC 983, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Irau

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 17002 troops, 214 guns, 39 vehicles

Defending force 12719 troops, 167 guns, 0 vehicles

Allied engineers reduce fortifications to 5

Allied assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 5)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 4


Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 318
Guns lost 1

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 126
Guns lost 1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Buna

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 5518 troops, 42 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 1917 troops, 7 guns, 0 vehicles

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


Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 58

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 24
Guns lost 1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Port Moresby

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 21365 troops, 192 guns, 4 vehicles

Defending force 36204 troops, 544 guns, 57 vehicles

Allied engineers reduce fortifications to 6

Allied assault odds: 0 to 1 (fort level 6)


Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 176

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 643
Guns lost 2


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Have more than enough troops on hand to reclaim Buna and Dobadura - they are en route as we speak. Am not going to use any of my INF regiments from Rabaul, Shortlands or Lae to try to retake them in case Raver moves again soon - all these regiments from PNG regiments are all coming from Truk.

I have loads of troops to spare, but supplying them all will be a bitch. Maybe I can deal with it by loading everything up and leaving everyone perpetually short of supply.

Now, Raver says he has 23 new transports coming into the game.

I have sunk (confirmed on the sunk list) 39 APs and 67 (WOW) AKs, for a grand total of 106 transports. There are 150 allied destroyers on the OOB - and there are fewer transports than that - a lot fewer, so counting Raver's 23 en route, and maybe 20 I have located still undamaged in theatre, that is all the transports in the game (not counting LCI and LST ships).

Another invasion as costly as this and Raver won't be able to supply the forward bases he currently has (Irau looks like it will fall next turn, PM's fort size didn't go down at all last turn - which probably means that Raver didn't get enough supply on the beach before my troops arrived).

I have sunk 50 enemy destroyers, which is only about a third of the total Allied destroyer count - so raver has done well there - I thought I was going to score big on sunk destroyers. His mine sweeping has been first rate - clearing those mines will take time, but for every mine that his ships hit, he swept a thousand other mines clear. Idaho hits a small mine at Irau, but on the whole I doubt it stung much.

Once the conquests are secure, Raver has to do 2 things, take the shattered invasion troops back for R and R, and put the base force and supply and eng troops in to build airbases etc. That should give me at least a week of game time to
1. hunt down his CVs,
2. send every non essential or damaged ship back to Truk
3. Park a few of my damaged DDs and CLs in Rabaul and Truk and allow some healing to take place before they get called up for duty again.

Disappointed that I've lost three Bbs to his one - especially Hiei, which went down without taking anything with her. Haruna I lost earlier and I can't remember the third that has gone the way of the dodo (Mutsu?). Musashi heads back to Tokyo this turn, while Yamato is still impervious to enemy damage.

I sent my two last dds under 10 sys to attack the lone transport at Rennell island, but the transport reacted clear. Annoying.

Thunderstorms finally arrive (too late for lots of Raver's ships) but will provide a welcome respite for my exhausted, but, still highly experienced air crews.

Raver's medium bomber arm is now my most fearsome opponent. Once at PM, they will annoy me, but once at Irau . . . Lunga will fall. Raver started with 200 heavy bombers. he's now down to 50, and they've been shattered. He won't have that sort of firepower back anytime soon (see! IJN players with lots of trained zeroes at a big airbase with almost infiite supply and all the flak in the world CAN beat the allied heavies). But Raver probably has 600 medium bombers, which won't fatigue as much from irau to Lunga, and will have fighter escorts parked at Irau to help them.

This whole game, I doubt I've lost 50 of my zero pilots (although I've lost about 50 of my oscar pilots too). As a result they are extremely deadly and highly trained. Flying at 90% cap for 14 days straight, and they STILL minced Raver's CV pilots (although they did outnumber them). I don't want them to die fruitlessly fighting Irau, or worse, die as allied tanks take lunga. So I'll be moving them to Russell, Vila, shortlands (all with nice large garrisons to prevent the allied tank thing) and Rabaul, while the Oscars, Zekes and Tony's can assume their duties at Lunga.

Luskan, regarding transports.

When I've been pounding the AI, I've noticed that when all it's transports were sunk, the game gave the AI a whole new generation of transports, all with the original names with a #2 tacked on the end, eg Canberra Maru#2.

Not sure if the PBEM games work this way but maybe Raver will be getting more transports even if you sink them all.

Two turns of thunderstorms in a row - lucky Raver didn't rty his invasion two weeks later!

Well, the writing is on the wall, the forts at irau went from 6 to 0 last turn, I'm expecting to loose plenty of troops there next turn. However, being the forward thinking general I am, they have a hex to retreat to that is stocked with fuel and supplies - barges will begin evacuations from San Cristobal to Lunga.

Lunga harbour is remarkably empty now that my combat ships have retired for the time being. I have very few combat ships and now I've released SO MANY DAMAGED SHIPS TO JAPAN AND AM RECIEVING NOTHING ZIP ZILL NADA ZILCH ZIPPO!!!!!!!

Not that I'm peeved or anything.

My troops retook Dobadura and killed a thousand paratroops in doing so (lost 35 of my own good men however) and now I begin my march on buna. Raver can't reinforce it fast enough, or wiht big enough guns or supplies to prevent me from retaking it. Thankfully, this will reopen my Dobadura - Buna - PM - Lae supply network, and take the pressure off getting transports to PNG for a while. Lunga is running low (for lunga) and Rabaul and shortlands could both use top ups. Annoyed that the marines are going to enjoy my large Irau siege supply stockpile.

At PM the enemy are biding their time, resting and waiting for the thunderstorms to finish before attacking. Raver sent the South Dakota (or was it the north carolina???) on a FT mission with Australia, Montplier, Chicago (another US CA anyway), a DMS, some MSW, and 6 destroyers. Right into the arms of my CV pilots, who had just taken 24 replacement planes aboard from GG.

Now, these 24 repacement pilots are now all dead - I lost 26 (not the 34 allied flak gunner claim) for sinknig the South Dakota, her 2 CA escorts, the CL, 4 DDs, a DMS, and a MSW. I'm keeping very close track of all my pilots, and unfortunately, the newbies were the ones that died under the flak guns. I suppose it is preferable to my veterans going under the axe but it means that if I'm to use my numbers and experience advantage against Raver's inexperienced CV air crews, then I have to do it before I loose too many more pilots - I won't have another 9 months to train the next lot to 75 and 80 exp points.

I still think Raver's next attack will be at GG - all he has to do is lump his next division onto some transports (or even just barge over troops from PM once he has that) - unfortunately GG does not have anywhere near the immense number of coastal battieries or INF units that PM has had. Most of PM's garrison units were small INF units, self sufficient units anyway. That way there was always enough support points at PM. At GG on the other hand, there has never been enough and malaria has eaten the heart out of my INF units. Strictly speaking, he doesn't need to take it, but the ability to use his level bombers to interdict my supplies from Rabaul to Lunga will be the next logical (and now unavoidable) step.

With PM, GG, Rennell and Irau, his level bombers (mediums, his heavies won't come too close to the front lines) can surround Lunga and subdue it. Buna and Dobadura and Lae aren't worth enough points to bother about - and will never threaten PM or GG once he has them. He can leave the conquest of PNG to a few half brigades and a dozen destroyers late in 43. In the meantime Raver will gobble up the solomons (sadly lots of empty base hexes he can just snatch - or bases without decent garrisons), and then either take Shortlands, or ignore it and build Munda and Vila up to bomb Rabaul.

On an unrelated note, my coastal batteries seem to have done pretty well - I'll loose them all at PM of course, but the guns there spend 5 minutes of every combat replay firing at amphibious troops or at transports etc. Raver isn't sure about the damage to his ships from them, but is certain that he's taken losses on the ground from them.

Originally posted by Mike_B20
Luskan, regarding transports.

When I've been pounding the AI, I've noticed that when all it's transports were sunk, the game gave the AI a whole new generation of transports, all with the original names with a #2 tacked on the end, eg Canberra Maru#2.

Not sure if the PBEM games work this way but maybe Raver will be getting more transports even if you sink them all.

Infact half of my new transports reinforcements are LSTs......but you can still load 1000 points onto them, and they unload FAST. Very important when landing on a hostile beach!

LSTs seem to be harder to sink too.

Yamato hit half a dozen mines on the way into Irau (my own mines dammit!) and the reason Raver hasn't sent the turn is because he is laughing so hard he can't get to his PC.

Raver has pulled his CVs back to Noumea, probably because now that Irau is his, he can't stop me from evacuating my weary troops (have already saved an eng unit and a hq unit, both in remarkably good condition (about 3/4 strength) - especially when you compare them to the gallant large Inf Regiment and two INF garrison units that are both about half strength.

PM on the other hand is suddenly looking up, as is Buna. Dobadura was easy to take - and Raver can't have as many troops as I have unloaded at Buna (next turn he is going to find out just how many, and he's going to be mighty upset with the result. After that, my extremely large army can march over to PM.

At PM things have gone brilliantly - Raver's beachhead has stalled due to my CV blockade of PM. He has lost 800+men to my 30 or so 3 turns running, and the port size hasn't come down from 6 or 7.

Trying to sneak APDs up the coast, with large cover of lightnings was a good idea for Raver - 40 lightnings against my zeroes worked out well, he got 4 air to air kills, I got 2, although he suffered more op losses. I scratched an AK and that was about it - but I know they're there now, and Raver knows I know. They won't last long.

By the time Raver's CVs arrive to combine with his lightnings and his surface fleet, my cvs will have been re rested, (not having lost any aircraft with important pilots aboard - have barely lost 40 planes in 7 turns of constant CV ops).

Raver must be bribing those bastards in Tokyo. When I get back home I am going to crucify whoever isn't sending me ANY REINFORCEMENTS. This has to be a bug. I just sent a BB home for crying out loud. nothing.

PM has stalled, and something has to be done to get it up and running again. I now have my CVs racing to then aid of the PM invasion. It is time to put a stop to Luskans CVs and I am determined to have a battle.

Irau is secure and the airfield construction is well under way. Yamato found out the hard way that once a friendly hex has been captured then the "friendly" mines there become dangerous.

Buna has fallen, and I have learnt an important lesson.....no matter how successful a Paratroop drop is, it will fail unless it has good support and supplies. I had hoped that I could do it with C-47s, but it was just not enough......I should have watched "A Bridge too Far" again before I planned this op. Oh well you learn something new every day:rolleyes:

On the upside, it has forced Luskan to deploy troops that might otherwise have been used else where.

Not only did Buna fall, but I culled almost four thousand invaders there, and grabbed a useful little supply stockpile that wasn't there before.

Now my ever victorious troops, somewhat weary, march over the owen stanleys - to pursue Raver's retreating forces and beat them clear of the precious supply route to PM. Once that is done I will have 450 assault points that I will use to reinforce PM or more likely, retake Lae Lae, cutting into the 2nd line units that Raver has there and chopping off yet more of his supply stockpile, while reuniting Lae's supply lines with the rest of PM.

I predict a great short term victory there! Raver's troops at Lae Lae are all probably 3/4 of the way to PM, marching along on tired feet. When my troops show up at Lae lae, I expect to find just Eng units and whatever Raver has newly landed.

Over at Irau, well, there isn't really anything going on over there (from my point of view). biggest news to report is one of Raver's LSTs sank on it's way back to Luganville. It had obviously been sinking for quite some time.

Raver launched a great bombing raid to pound PM - but I was saved by thunderstorms and have replaced many fighter squadrons there. The question is: can the less experienced fighter squadrons (2 squadrons of Nicks) match up to the more experienced pilots there (and resting at Truk).

Lunga will be untenable as an airbase if Irau gets up and running, so when Irau reaches size two, i have pretty much decided to evac all base force personel, eng units (they use too much supply repairing things I don't need repaired, like airbases) and withdraw all my fighters out of corsair range.

Raver's CVs were spotted a few hexes out of Brisbane, no doubt on their way to lend some weight to mattesr off Irau. I have LOTS of experienced level bombers over there and would love to see him drop his CAP again. Since my CVs have done so well, and preserved their squadrons so brilliantly (lost 56 aircraft, all instantly replaced - although I did loose about 25 good pilots) in all their strikes on the shipping around PM, I have decided to pull them back from GG slightly (not too far) to a secret CV base I prepared with lots of fuel over the last few months. Hopefully, things at PM will draw out and Raver's CVs will hang around for a while - taking op losses and dodging my level bombers . . . Then I'll hit back, and it won't matter that I've lost Irau and probably PM (therefore GG).

Is now my chance to launch an autovictory attempt???????????
Depends how brilliant I am.

Still no reinforcements (sob). At my wits end.

Your sending troops down the Kokoda Track:eek: Good luck, they will be so worn out they won't be worth a ****!

Go for it Luskan, in this game the kokoda track is a 4 lane freeway leading to victory, game mechanics dont quite match the reality.
Go Luskan go, smite the imperial skum!!!!

Ps Beer is good, ( probably why wobbly is wiping the floor with me)

For starters - they'll be worth more than your troops at kokoda (since mine outnumber them about 400 to 1 and because yours got beaten out of Dobadura, then out of Buna etc.). Will sweep your troops back to Lae Lae like dirt.

Second, the kokoda trail is only a fatigue killer if you don't have a base to rest at when you finally finish the trip. My troops will rest at PM - while your troops in the beach head get more and more tired, less and less effective, sleeping in the sand etc.

The bad news Raver, is that those troops have been marching from Buna and Dobadura for longer than you think, and moving much faster than I expected (expected them to move a distance of 3 a turn). You've got about 6 turns to get troops to Lae Lae before my troops reach PM, rest, and then march over to Lae Lae and evict you for good.

Raver sent his LBA after Lunga again - but I bruoght the 253rd back into Lunga (one of my best fighter squadrons, with average exp over 80). Although a lot of bombs got through, a lot of lightnings didn't survive the fight and the subsequent trip home (lots of op losses for the bombers too, but not as many).

Thunderstorms next turn to repair the damage.


AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 06/16/43

Weather: Partly Cloudy

Air attack on Lunga , at 38,40

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 74
A6M3 Zero x 29
Ki-45 KAIb Nick x 45

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 49
PB4Y Liberator x 26
B-24D Liberator x 47

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 10 destroyed - replacement pilots just aren't cutting it. All 10 of these guys was exp under 50.
A6M2 Zero x 4 damaged
A6M3 Zero x 4 destroyed 3 rookies and one vet lost.
A6M3 Zero x 2 damaged
Ki-45 KAIb Nick x 3 destroyed
Ki-45 KAIb Nick x 2 damaged
D3A Val x 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-38G Lightning x 13 destroyed (total 22 lost this turn including ops)
P-38G Lightning x 9 damaged
PB4Y Liberator x 7 damaged
B-24D Liberator x 1 destroyed
B-24D Liberator x 18 damaged

2LT M. Smith of 8th FS is credited with kill number 3

LTJG R.Kawabata of F2/253rd Daitai is KILLED - one of my best A6m3 pilots. 8 kills, 96 exp. Posthumously awarded lots of medals.

Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 360
Guns lost 1 - lots of AA replacements at Truk, but I don't have transports to move them down to lunga (so Lunga has lots of AA units without teeth).

Airbase hits 17
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 70

Attacking Level Bombers:
1 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
4 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
3 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
6 x PB4Y Liberator at 6000 feet
3 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
8 x PB4Y Liberator at 6000 feet
9 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
3 x PB4Y Liberator at 6000 feet
8 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
3 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
3 x PB4Y Liberator at 6000 feet
4 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
4 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
3 x PB4Y Liberator at 6000 feet
3 x PB4Y Liberator at 6000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Irau at 42,43

Japanese aircraft
D3A Val x 15
G4M1 Betty x 8

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty x 7 damaged

Allied Ships
AK Antrim
SC 703
AK Beltrami, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
LCI 225, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
1 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Irau at 42,43

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 37
Ki-48 Lily x 18

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty x 7 damaged

Allied Ships
PT 170
LCI 225, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
LCI 70
SC 706, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Beltrami, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Antrim, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
SC 705
SC 703, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
LCI 64, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

Attacking Level Bombers:
4 x Ki-48 Lily at 6000 feet
3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
4 x Ki-48 Lily at 6000 feet
4 x Ki-48 Lily at 6000 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
3 x Ki-48 Lily at 6000 feet
3 x Ki-48 Lily at 6000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Irau at 42,43

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 146
A6M3 Zero x 48
G4M1 Betty x 10

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty x 2 damaged

Allied Ships
SC 703, on fire, heavy damage
SC 706, on fire, heavy damage
AK Antrim, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

Attacking Level Bombers:
4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air attack on TF, near Irau at 42,43

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 15
Ki-48 Lily x 13

no losses

Allied Ships
AK Antrim, on fire, heavy damage
LCI 225, on fire, heavy damage
AK Ara, Bomb hits 1

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
4 x Ki-48 Lily at 6000 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet
1 x Ki-48 Lily at 6000 feet
4 x Ki-48 Lily at 6000 feet
4 x Ki-48 Lily at 6000 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Port Moresby

Although I've got more guns and vehicles atm, the bombardment atatcks are effective in raising my troops disruption. Once I held a full sized, supplied aussie brigade off as it deliberate or shock attacked every turn with a size 1 fort, 3 arty units which constantly bombarded, and an SNLF unit. Soon as I rested the arty units from their bombardment, the aussies over ran me.

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 17005 troops, 183 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 35407 troops, 518 guns, 57 vehicles



CPT O.Gretz of 89th BS bails out and is RESCUED
Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 2

Allied ground losses:
Men lost 7


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------