herbie goes bananas again

[1275psi]

2/7/43
BB haraunua under Admiral Nishimura with 2 CA and Cl yubari (top ship)
and 4 DDs attacks shipping at woodlark

Love watching AKs soak up 14 inch shells!!!
4 AKs are sunk

Then another 4 are encountered -1 sunk

Then another screen full of LCIs ect are attacked
4LCM, 1 LCVP are sunk
Woodlark is bombarded - 9 thunderbolts destroyed
No damage to our ships[:D]
Then ss175 sinks an AK
(they are starting to mount up)

12AM3 and 40 am2s escort37 sally,7 nell, 24 betty ,18 helen to woodlark
16 corsairs, 11 thunderbolts try to intercept -lost 8 zeros -no bombers
24 hits

Then follows a period of barge busting, i lose about 10
several more minor raids go in - lose 5 betties -the corsairs are having a very bad day - Cl helena is missed

Then he sends 2 pts into shortlands -they are sunk by the 1cl 5 dd TF there.
i lost 48 A/C to his 11 today - , sinking 6 AK, 4 barges.

Tomorrow is thunderstorms again - the CL is ordered to attack Munda - and the planes are ordered to strike again - I move lots and lots of Vals into gassmatta - its another big effort tomorrow.

[1275psi]

3/7/43

the single Cl and 5 dd race into munda
2 pts sunk - a dd is torped
they meet a screen full of shipping - full of LST, AKs ect -and only 1 sc escort!!!
1sc, 3AK, 1 LST are sunk[8D]
Then DD sims -damaged -is sunk quickly
We naval bombard Munda

daylight, and lots of enemy shipping at Kiriwana island - NW of woodlark
Woodlark is clouded in - gasmatta is not[:'(]
26 zeros defend rabual from a huge raid - 33 P38, 75 heavies
105 hits -20 planes lost[:(]
But the strikes were already enroute[:'(]
65 zeros, 16 am3 escort nearly 100 bombers to woodlark
The army navy co operation is superb
26 corsairs and 12 thunderbolts defend
I lost 13 zeros, 5 bombers -deliver 28 hits, destroy 10 various planes

32 corsairs tangle over shortlands - shooting down 3 zeros

barge busting takes place -i lose 3
gasmatta strikes!
26 zeros escort 82 - yes, 82 experienced Vals, 6 judy, 6 zeke, 9 kate, 13 lilly to Kiriwana - NO LRCAP!!!!
for 1 kate i sink -or will sink
5LCI
2 AK
2 AP
Another AK crippled 220 men killed
Just like the good old days[X(]
betties then sink another AK

Woodlark is attacked in the arvo, smaller strikes - lost 7 val to flak
CL helena takes 3 big hits
BB washington takes 6 - but none penetrate -3 were little 30 kg ones -but she is burning and lost a lot of AA guns
a DD will sink!!!

Further strikes fail to do any more damage

he has landed at Kiriwana!!

I fuel the BB - at Lea - tanaka releves Nishimura - he is exhausted[:'(]
attack woodlark aagain!!!

rabual is closed -this is terrible -i cannot rotate planes to and from truk if this remains closed.

I did not count losses inn planes today - about 50 i think -
but today
1cl
1sc
2dd
2ap
6ak
1lst
5lci were removed from the war.

thunderstorms again tomorrow - so guess what?

[1275psi]

4/7/42
wobbly who is really short on surface forces mails me - we are both getting a blast out of this.

apparently washington was torpedoed yesterday -again!, and shrugged it of - again[:@][:@][:@]

i have a DD torpedoed today -poo

some barge busting today by him - still heaps left!
Tomorrow we attack again1

[1275psi]

banzia!!!!!!

5/7/43
BB haranua and her escorts charge into woodlark
1st they meet 12 unescorted AK
12!!!!
YIPEEE
sink one, break off engagement
WTF!!!![:(][:(][:(]
charging on another single AK is sunk
Charge on!!!
BB washington swings into view.

The battle is short, nasty, one way
My way[:D][:D][:D]
3 enemy dds hammered
washington takes a single 14 inch -severe engine damaging hit
and tanaka scuttles away!

then at Kiriwana island CL kuma and her 3 DD smash into a LCM fleet -sinking 5, or 6
her night experience is now 99[:)]

No air action at all today!

[1275psi]

6/7/43 and 7/7/43

little to report
2 days of him hitting lae with heavies, a lot of barge busting, and thats about it.

4 dds join the fleet, (another is sunk by air at rabual today), the surface groups sail south again towards SAG, SAG, we will try yet again!!!!

Haranua will need new gun barrells after this[:D][:D]

[1275psi]

8/7/43

One of his AKs hits a mine near Gilli,gilli
Thunderstorms everywhere again
We attack Vila today - 100 zeros, 6 nells, 28 betties, 18 sallies, 19 helens
3 p38 CAP - we lose 2 zeros, 27 hits -6 a/c destroyed on the ground

More storms tomorrow

I still have lots of planes left in the pool -pilot experience is terrible now -absolutely awful in some units

Tye surface ships gather towards Sag, sag, gathering for another go.
According to wobbly, his cupboard is bare as well.

[1275psi]

9/7/43

A poor battle today
the 5 new DDs that I got go into battle at kiriwana island
they run into 4dms,5dd,1cl - the birmingham

round 1 2 dds are badly hurt
round 2 , his guns overwhelm the force -all 5 will be sunk[:(]
Not a good battle at all.

b 26's hit gassmatta from woodlark - it is starting to bite
my counter kate strikes fail to hit anything.

[1275psi]

10/7/43

60 heavies hit gassmatta as the clouds lift
My CAP simply melts away

A day of barge busting
I have one strike - 26zero,12 oscar,19val,15 kate bust through his 15 corsair,21 thunderbolts - his corsairs are being just as effective as my zeros -ie, not very[:D]
The Flak is terrible -over half the strike shot down
CL birmingham -his last warship i believe in the area!! - is missed

Im so low on units -gave no new orders today.[8|][8|]

[1275psi]

11/7/43
just what is the range of his B17's - they and the liberators flying from aussie seem to be able to reach anywhere!!!
gassmatta is pounded!!!!

and pounded!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I try to withdraw my planes today -they are so low in moral i need a miners lamp to locate them[:(][8|]
gassmatta is no longer teneable.

[1275psi]

12/7/43

gassmatta hit again and again
rabual hit hard
we hit a AP -at heavy loss in kates and vals and zeros.
100 plane CAP cant stop a feather - experience is so low.

Ive been rushing turns for the last week or so -time to spend a few long ones trying to set up new squadrons - and train them.
tomorrow the thundertsorms will be back

Wobbly knows haranua is coming -she is spotted.
I know he knows she is coming
he knows I know that he knows that she is coming

She charges in!!!!

[1275psi]

13/7/43

Tanaka vs fletcher
1BB, 2 CAs, 1 CL, and 4 dd - the mythical harunua vs
CL birmingham, and 6 DDs

Round 1- Haranua immediately hits birmingham with a 14 incher, shrugging off 2 8" hits
DDs scrap each way -all mine take hits -only 3 of his do.

tanaka avoids fletcher -and gets amongst the transports - sinking 4AK, 1AP, 1AV
then fletcher trys to catch him again

Birmingham wears another 14"
Shes done for
3 of my DDs are in big trouble though, one of his will sink

the battle ends -victory!!!!?????

And then on the exit a sub slots haranua with 2 torps - 35/59/22
Not a fitting end for such a brilliant fighting ship.
Can I get her home
His air power in daylight hammers 3 of my DDs to the bottom

Im still happy

Then B17s from Australia hit AOs anchored north of madang - GAWD, and 3 are doomed!!!

he drags a win from the teeth of defeat

CL kuma did not engage -too little fuel - i order her to attack.

Wobbly tells me massive reinforcements , absolutely massive have been released.

Ive got 1cv, 1cvl, and 2 CAs enroute
Wow[8|][8|][8|]

[Freddy Fudpucker]

Still going Herb?!!!? [8D]

I haven't been by in a while. I'll read the last couple of pages off-line in a while to catch up with your progress.

[1275psi]

this game is going to the end, never fear!!!

14/7/43
A huge p38 sweep over rabual today -84 of the devils on a long range hunt

the prey still has teeth though -my best pilots , rested, rotated in, defend
i lose 16 fighters, he loses 17[:'(]

gassmatta gathers more holes

another big raid on rabual, again i lose 6 fighters, he loses 7
I am retiring everything and everyone for a rest - the units have to sort themselves out.

[1275psi]

15/7/43

mighty haranua is flooding bad -I fear the Japanese hero ship is going to sink -she is struggling at 68 flood now, and a long way from home.
Curses - scuppered by a S boat.

58 heavies hit rabual 85 times - rookies this time simply melt away.

we are re organising - ie scraping the barrel for anything left that floats[:(][8D][:)][:'(]

[1275psi]

16/7/43
the defences begin to collapse at last

56 heavies hit rabual hard -no CAP, not repaired yet -and no fighters to combat him

I need some bad weather -and quick!
gassmatta is hit
very , very few operational planes left about, all at truk, trying to rebuild units.

17/7/43
rabual is hammered again -over 100 hits delivered to the place again
Plenty of engineers, and still 100000 supplies, a few bad weather days and I can ship back in a huge CAP - but i need bad weather

The remains of the fleet reach truk - haranaua is flood 68 -at lea, so i think she is doomed.
The entire fleet on map is now 1 doomed BB, 1 CA, 3 dd
thats it
About 20 APs, 2ML, 5 subs

Huge aint it
Score -me 11000 odd, him 13000 odd - so he has a long way to go to get 2 to 1!

I am still looking forward to the next turn.

[1275psi]

20/7/43
After a computer malfuction, and a lost note book, we get back to the AAR

Over the last 4 days all that has happened is daily, and its been daily 80 odd heavy bomber raids on rabual.
A handful of left overs rise to meet them -a couple of Nicks, 10 odd zeros, a few oscars.
rabual is slowly being consumed

Today the situation is this
A few Nicks flying out of gassmatta missed some AOs at woodlark, they return to truk
I have for tomorrow put a big LRCAP from kavieng over rabual, and all the tonies into the place -trusting the engineers to repair it tonight

BB haranua is at 54 flood at lea, will she survive.

The rest of the navy - CV Junyo, cvl shoho, 2 ca, 1 cl and 6 dd are 2 days south of truk -coming south.
Intention - have not a clue!!!!

[1275psi]

After a computer breakdown, and a Wobbly bucks party, we get the turns going again

21/7/43
Wish I had not that one!!!
Only 1 combat report for the entire day - 8 enemy DDs sweep into Lea harbour
Poor haranua and her DD escort are anchored and helpless
A allied form of a long lance attack - multiple torp hits everywhere, and both ships go under quickly

Vale to the brave sailors of such a fighting vessel
I hope in WITP she performs as well.[8|][8|][8|]

[Honda]

Respect[&o]

[1275psi]

22/7/43
lots of thunderstorms everywhere -and literally no action today -we take as the orgers said -we go no further unbtil we have had a plava!


23/7/43
the weather clears -and the rabual campaign continues
Big raids on the place -lots of hits
The tonies there do little
But he still has a long , long way to go!

I am going to try something truly nasty
All his raids are well north - in the meantime the "shut down" bases have repaired -so i am going to move a few planes about today

[1275psi]

24/7/43

Another big raid rabual
Another one -kavieg today! -ouch
lae is pounded -112 hits

3 betty hit a AK mid ocean

I decide to abandon PM -the troops begin trecking to lae
I think that he is about to invade somewhere else!