RE: The battle continues...
Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2005 10:53 pm
Tarawa's infestation is cleared. A large bombardment of Bombay. Ichang falls.
Andy - I have 5 base forces allocated 1 of which has 90 aviation support. I will, in the course of time be upgrading the commitment but initially the base units are to support defensive fighters. I am more worried about not commiting any dedicated engineering troops - forts could be a real issue. I am relying on native engineers within the groups and him moving his engineers to India.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 06/16/42
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naval bombardment of Koepang, at 28,77
Allied Ships
DD Fox
DD Dewey
DD Clark
DD Walke
CL Hobart
CL Leander
CA Vincennes
CA Astoria
Japanese ground losses:
34 casualties reported
Runway hits 10
Port hits 4
Port supply hits 8
Another nightly bombardment trying to make him think twice about putting search planes in Koepang.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Lae , at 54,87
Japanese aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk I x 5
Beaufort V-IX x 10
B-26B Marauder x 25
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
B-26B Marauder: 1 damaged
Japanese ground losses:
85 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 16
I attack Lae again after the savaging the day before. I have been standing the bombers down after a beating and this was just a change of operation. Unfortunately I did get many zeros on the ground.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Shortlands , at 63,93
Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 39
Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 7 damaged
Japanese ground losses:
12 casualties reported
Airbase hits 1
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 3
Mitchells out of Lunga hit Shortlands. PzB is wondering why there is so little activity in the Pacific, along with these bombing raids I have stepped up recon. I don't have a high degree of expectation from this but will do it anyway.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 12,58
Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 40
Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 2 destroyed, 3 damaged
Allied Ships
TK Empire Lytton, Torpedo hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
Woah - now that is overkill. These are betties out of Batavia and that is quite a nest. I don't want these guys to get amongst my invasion! Hopefully my bombardment TFs can get in unseen and hammer the place closed. They are not flying with escorts so even if they do fly they may find a wall of wildcats!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naval bombardment of Bombay, at 20,10
Allied aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft losses
Swordfish: 7 destroyed, 6 damaged
Kittyhawk I: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged
Japanese Ships
CA Mikuma
BB Fuso
BB Nagato
BB Kirishima
BB Haruna
BB Kongo
Allied ground losses:
810 casualties reported
Guns lost 16
Vehicles lost 4
Airbase hits 6
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 28
Port hits 14
Port fuel hits 8
Port supply hits 5
Once again his BB bombardments are back - and as per usual they are ruthless. PzB pointed out that if my torpedo bombers had been at Bombay they may have been able to hammer his BBs, as they attacked in the afternoon, but Bombay is about to fall and I really don't need a whole pile of ACs to be lost there when it goes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Ichang
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 189959 troops, 1999 guns, 296 vehicles
Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 4
Japanese assault odds: 2548 to 1 (fort level 4)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Ichang base !!!
Allied aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft losses
I-16c: 3 destroyed
I-153c: 5 destroyed
My chinese have managed to retreat - yes I have managed to make them march while being attacked by aiming at a distant base.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Tarawa
Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 33384 troops, 259 guns, 139 vehicles
Defending force 703 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Allied assault odds: 701 to 1
Japanese ground losses:
1099 casualties reported
Guns lost 6
At 701 to 1 even the Jap troops don't want to continue the fight - Tarawa is cleared.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Karachi I have to start being very careful about what I do with the remnants of the RN. if they get in the way of one of his bombardment Tfs they will be smashed much like a previous effort. He is also likely to bring up his carriers so I will need to move the ships out a hex or two with orders to retreat. This should mean they are not there during the night when the bombard and then retreat back under fighter cover during the day.
My heavy bombers cannot coordinate with the fighter escorts to raid his ground forces. Either one or other is under the weather or they just dont fell like it that day - morale is still very good and I have an air HQ there.
My tank units - south of Lucknow - have at last started to move - phew. I have the feeling it is too little to late and I am going to have to make a decsion as to whether to defend Ahlamabad or Delhi.
The Chinese in Burma are digging in - they are at fort size 3 - but there morale is pitiful.
Little else to add around the place.
back in San Fran I am trying to get some transports together to get the engineers, that are now massing there, to the front. All this invading I have been doing has meant I have transports not bringing up men.
Andy - I have 5 base forces allocated 1 of which has 90 aviation support. I will, in the course of time be upgrading the commitment but initially the base units are to support defensive fighters. I am more worried about not commiting any dedicated engineering troops - forts could be a real issue. I am relying on native engineers within the groups and him moving his engineers to India.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 06/16/42
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naval bombardment of Koepang, at 28,77
Allied Ships
DD Fox
DD Dewey
DD Clark
DD Walke
CL Hobart
CL Leander
CA Vincennes
CA Astoria
Japanese ground losses:
34 casualties reported
Runway hits 10
Port hits 4
Port supply hits 8
Another nightly bombardment trying to make him think twice about putting search planes in Koepang.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Lae , at 54,87
Japanese aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk I x 5
Beaufort V-IX x 10
B-26B Marauder x 25
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
B-26B Marauder: 1 damaged
Japanese ground losses:
85 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 16
I attack Lae again after the savaging the day before. I have been standing the bombers down after a beating and this was just a change of operation. Unfortunately I did get many zeros on the ground.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Shortlands , at 63,93
Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 39
Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 7 damaged
Japanese ground losses:
12 casualties reported
Airbase hits 1
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 3
Mitchells out of Lunga hit Shortlands. PzB is wondering why there is so little activity in the Pacific, along with these bombing raids I have stepped up recon. I don't have a high degree of expectation from this but will do it anyway.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 12,58
Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 40
Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 2 destroyed, 3 damaged
Allied Ships
TK Empire Lytton, Torpedo hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
Woah - now that is overkill. These are betties out of Batavia and that is quite a nest. I don't want these guys to get amongst my invasion! Hopefully my bombardment TFs can get in unseen and hammer the place closed. They are not flying with escorts so even if they do fly they may find a wall of wildcats!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naval bombardment of Bombay, at 20,10
Allied aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft losses
Swordfish: 7 destroyed, 6 damaged
Kittyhawk I: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged
Japanese Ships
CA Mikuma
BB Fuso
BB Nagato
BB Kirishima
BB Haruna
BB Kongo
Allied ground losses:
810 casualties reported
Guns lost 16
Vehicles lost 4
Airbase hits 6
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 28
Port hits 14
Port fuel hits 8
Port supply hits 5
Once again his BB bombardments are back - and as per usual they are ruthless. PzB pointed out that if my torpedo bombers had been at Bombay they may have been able to hammer his BBs, as they attacked in the afternoon, but Bombay is about to fall and I really don't need a whole pile of ACs to be lost there when it goes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Ichang
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 189959 troops, 1999 guns, 296 vehicles
Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 4
Japanese assault odds: 2548 to 1 (fort level 4)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Ichang base !!!
Allied aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft losses
I-16c: 3 destroyed
I-153c: 5 destroyed
My chinese have managed to retreat - yes I have managed to make them march while being attacked by aiming at a distant base.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Tarawa
Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 33384 troops, 259 guns, 139 vehicles
Defending force 703 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Allied assault odds: 701 to 1
Japanese ground losses:
1099 casualties reported
Guns lost 6
At 701 to 1 even the Jap troops don't want to continue the fight - Tarawa is cleared.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Karachi I have to start being very careful about what I do with the remnants of the RN. if they get in the way of one of his bombardment Tfs they will be smashed much like a previous effort. He is also likely to bring up his carriers so I will need to move the ships out a hex or two with orders to retreat. This should mean they are not there during the night when the bombard and then retreat back under fighter cover during the day.
My heavy bombers cannot coordinate with the fighter escorts to raid his ground forces. Either one or other is under the weather or they just dont fell like it that day - morale is still very good and I have an air HQ there.
My tank units - south of Lucknow - have at last started to move - phew. I have the feeling it is too little to late and I am going to have to make a decsion as to whether to defend Ahlamabad or Delhi.
The Chinese in Burma are digging in - they are at fort size 3 - but there morale is pitiful.
Little else to add around the place.
back in San Fran I am trying to get some transports together to get the engineers, that are now massing there, to the front. All this invading I have been doing has meant I have transports not bringing up men.