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Due to the holiday I didn't finish the turn till this morning.

Enterprise and Lexington put themselves into harms way, hopefully steaming into the wind. Only assigning 11 F4Fs for escort duty...One small Cruiser SAG is guarding the carriers, plus of course some elements of the Thundering Herd might get in the way too depending upon enemy dl.

Dec 25, 1941

Bad luck today...as the Japanese pursue and catch a decent xak fleet of the thundering herd...we hoped for a Carrier strike retaliation on the light cruisers, but alas, weather scrubbed all our offensive flights.

I had thought to use a CA SAG to protect them, but it would be too far away from the carriers to protect...

But that didn't stop a 7 hex attack from the the IJN...

Morning Air attack on TF, near Marcus Island at 122,93

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 36 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 5
B5N1 Kate x 8

Allied aircraft
F2A-3 Buffalo x 17
F4F-3A Wildcat x 17
SOC-1 Seagull x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
B5N1 Kate: 4 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-3A Wildcat: 1 destroyed

Things are becoming clearer!

My mistake, the light cruisers fled after the engagement or weren't spotted, while our strike was set for 6 hex range...

Palembang falls...undamaged. Which is good, nothing worse than seeing it fall heavily damaged.

Diego Garcia...

Bay of Bengal

Currently we have 60K troops in a 40K hex with 1270 AV facing off against his 14 stack spearhead near Nanyang. No AA yet, but good terrain and some have forts 1.

The Red Chinese look like they should be able to escape into Sian and out although it might be close.

Down East of Kukong, we have stopped for now the Japanese assault.

Supply in China climbed to 128K today...we are reinforcing AA guns and support squads to select units. Which means the Chinese Divisions in India and Burma are only pulling support squads for now.

American ground forces now in Australia, along with 3 fighter squadrons from Pearl.

The lone Aus AA unit is protecting 400 resources at Cloncurry, while the 2nd KNIL AA unit is loading onto trains for the long movement from Darwin to Alice Springs.

Edsall was previously damaged and couldn't get away and was caught...I had hoped to make Japan pay for attack those juicy merchant ships, but not to be. British Sailor was heavily damaged previously and fell too far behind.

My bad with the Dutch planes...I can only blame the holiday and myself.[:(]

Blame the turkey sleepies for the aircraft forgotten at Palembang .... or was it the pumpkin pie? [:)]

I am curious about how you decide your next preps. Those US Units in Oz are set for Canton Island - I presume they are the ones that were at sea when war broke out. Do you now set them for an Australian base? Port Moresby? A different island location on your offensive plans next summer? This early on, I find it so hard to imagine what things will be like in three months time.

Sometimes, the flyable aircraft will fly to a nearby base.

Christmas Day...

Big E and Lady Lex turn in to the wind...

The brave fighter pilots see the bombers thru...

And again in the afternoon, but his time some Zeroes get into the bombers...

Still, they strike...but now the IJN surface fleets want revenge, and they are danger close![X(]

Good job getting his light carriers. As long as your CVs make it out ok, I think you already came out on top with this op even if you don't hold your ground in the Marianas for long.

Even the damage to the BBs is critical if it takes them to the body and fender shop for awhile during this early part of the war. I don't think that you will see the CVL, CVE, and CS again on top of the water.[&o]

I don't understand why he would bring clearly inferior forces to that fight.....go big or go home is a good rule of thumb in WITP. He should've gone home for now.

I personally would've waited until I had KB, then beefed up surrounding islands with Base Forces and Air HQ, and isolated your guys. The Empire can easily control the air there through 1942, plenty of time to eventually make your guys POWs