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Oh man how I wish that B-25s could carry torpedoes... January 2, 1943 saw both the Japanese and Allied LBA go into action against task forces. PzB's planes went after my transports off of Eastern New Guinea while my planes caught one of PzB's fast attack TFs off of Mili. It's only too bad that my planes don't carry such deadly weapons as the Japanese airborne torpedoes. But every time one of PzB's cruisers or destroyers takes a bomb hit it reduces PzB's ability to hit me with his favorite and most dangerous offense weapon - a combat TF with a Tanaka-level leader and lots of ship-launched torpedoes.

First off in the Gilberts/Marshalls, one of my Dauntless squadrons finally got some action:

ay Air attack on TF at 82,82

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 26
SBD Dauntless x 7
P-40E Warhawk x 12

Allied aircraft losses
SBD Dauntless: 1 destroyed, 5 damaged

Japanese Ships
DD Yuzuki
CL Yubari, Bomb hits 1

Then my Mitchells came in:

Day Air attack on TF at 82,82

Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 54

Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 1 destroyed, 4 damaged

Japanese Ships
DD Karukaya
DD Wakaba
DD Ayanami
DD Hatakaze, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Yayoi, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CL Yubari, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Matsukaze
DD Yuzuki
DD Satsuki

It looks as if that TF is now being pulled back. But my scouts now tell me that PzB has a stronger TF in Kwajalein. Will he attempt to use a BB as a "bomb magnet" like he did off of Lautem? I'm really hoping that he does, because I've got two BB-lead TFs waiting down at Makin for a shot at a surface combat TF, and as well I now have two AC TFs crusing around the Gilberts also looking for a chance to go after a Japanese TF that strays too far south. But just to "help" things out, I moved another fighter squadron into Mili as well as another Dauntless squadron. And I brought a group of Marauders into Makin to support those two Mitchell groups. And just to keep PzB "honest", I'm sending my heavy bombers at Tarawa after his nearest level 4 air base, just in case he has become too used to being "left alone".

If you are wondering - I'm not too worried about Bettys in the Marshalls at this time. I know that PzB has some there, but he has put the bulk of them in the New Britain area bases and has been attacking my transports heavily. I only had one fighter group on LR CAP for Kiriwina, and it was soon overwhelmed by continuous Japanese attacks:

Day Air attack on TF, near Goodenough island at 56,93

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
G4M1 Betty x 12
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 9

Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk I x 13

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 3 damaged
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Kittyhawk I: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged

Allied Ships
AK John Adams, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
AK James Gordon Bennett
TK Republic

followed by:

Day Air attack on TF, near Goodenough island at 56,93

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 3

Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk I x 11

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 2 damaged

Allied Ships
AK John C. Calhoun

followed by:

Day Air attack on TF, near Kiriwina Island at 57,93

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 9
G4M1 Betty x 44
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 6

Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk I x 8

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 4 destroyed, 5 damaged
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Kittyhawk I: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
AK Empire Trust, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Forbes Hauptmann, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Indora
AK Kota Radja
AK Mormaclark
AK Mauna Loa
SC SC-648, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Mormacstar, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage

followed by:

Day Air attack on TF, near Kiriwina Island at 57,93

Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 16
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 29

Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk I x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M Nell: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Kittyhawk I: 7 destroyed

Allied Ships
AK Empire Trust, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
SC SC-742
AK Indora, Torpedo hits 1
AK Mauna Loa, Torpedo hits 1, on fire

Allied ground losses:
90 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

followed by:

Day Air attack on TF, near Kiriwina Island at 57,93

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 3

Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk I x 1

No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

and finally by:

Day Air attack on TF, near Kiriwina Island at 57,93

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 3

Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk I x 3

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
AK Peter H. Burnett, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

Yes, I took a fair number of losses there, but PzB took some "wear and tear" on his LBA too. And of course, for this turn I'm sending more LR CAP over Kiriwina, including a P-38 group. Speaking of that P-38 group - they aren't "gods of the air" by any means, but they keep on getting better and as they do PzB loses more experienced Betty pilots:

Day Air attack on TF, near Dobodura at 55,91

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 3

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 17

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged

Allied Ships
AK Edwin M. Stanton, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage

I've also decided to send several groups of B-17s and B-24s against Rabaul with the same idea in mind as the ones in the Marshalls. Sure, they will probably get creamed, but if the result is Bettys going off with fewer escorts then I am more than happy to take the trade. I want to tire out PzB's air power in the region before my invasion of Buna comes in.

BTW - while all that was going on I was also bombing the usual places such as the Timor bases, Lae, Buna and Japanese troops in China and Burma. I'm amazed at the rate with which PzB is repairing the airfields at Lae - he must have brought a lot of engineers by land and is likely to be flying in supplies too. Oh well, once I capture Buna and build up Dobodura I will shut down Lae once and for all.

Dave Baranyi

January 3 saw much less plane-versus-ship action. PzB pulled back his TFs in the Marshalls and only a couple small Betty squadrons flew in the Eastern New Guinea area. Did my mass heavy bomber attacks help? I'm not certain, but they did cause some damage for a change:

Day Air attack on Maloelap , at 82,81

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 14
Ki-61 KAIc Tony x 26

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 9
P-40E Warhawk x 9
P-38G Lightning x 9
F-5A Lightning x 5
B-17E Fortress x 80
B-24D Liberator x 39

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 5 destroyed, 5 damaged
Ki-61 KAIc Tony: 5 destroyed, 6 damaged
Ki-30 Ann: 4 destroyed
Ki-46-III Dinah: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 2 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 9 destroyed
P-38G Lightning: 3 destroyed, 2 damaged
F-5A Lightning: 1 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 4 destroyed, 41 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 4 destroyed, 13 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
26 casualties reported
Guns lost 3

Airbase hits 16
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 28

Some of those Japanese fighters over Maloelap were LR CAP. As you can well imagine, PzB has now put a lot more CAP into Maloelap. Cool, I'll just rest my planes, keep an eye out for TFs and wait to hit somewhere else in the Marshalls.

The hit on Rabaul didn't go quite as well because I didn't have any escorts, but it still didn't go too badly, all things considered:

Day Air attack on Rabaul , at 61,88

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 54
Ki-61 KAIc Tony x 28

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 31
B-24D Liberator x 37

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 3 destroyed, 12 damaged
Ki-61 KAIc Tony: 8 damaged
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 2 destroyed
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
L3Y Tina: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 15 destroyed, 1 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 6 destroyed, 17 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
33 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 8

Sure, I've got a lot of bombers to repair, but once again PzB has a choice - watch out for bombers or do something else somewhere else.

Only two Betty attacks went off this turn. Both were with skilled pilots so they got through my CAP, but my pilots continue to get experience where it counts and the attacks weren't at important locations:

Day Air attack on TF, near Dobodura at 55,91

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 3

Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk I x 6

No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
SC SC-630, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

and

Day Air attack on TF, near Goodenough island at 56,93

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 3

Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk I x 8

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 2 damaged

Allied Ships
AK John Adams, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage

I'm filling Gili-Gili harbor with damaged transports, but that's okay - they are still delivering most of their loads. And most of the big base force got onto Kiriwina. This is all an investment for the future.

BTW - that invasion TF is getting closer to PNG so I've started out a bombardment TF also. Next turn I'll start to put LR CAP over both TFs. (BTW II - this time my combat TF won't get to Buna ahead of it's LR CAP because I've got a 20-knot BB in the TF.)

In other news, PzB has really upped the ante in China. Look at these bombing attacks:

Day Air attack on Kweiyang , at 41,35

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27 Nate x 4
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 31
Ki-21 Sally x 102
Ki-48 Lily x 12
Ki-49 Helen x 26

Allied aircraft
I-16c x 7

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 2 destroyed
Ki-21 Sally: 1 damaged
Ki-49 Helen: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
I-16c: 2 destroyed, 3 damaged

Allied ground losses:
57 casualties reported

Airbase hits 10
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 50

and:

Day Air attack on Kweiyang , at 41,35

Japanese aircraft
Ki-48 Lily x 77

Allied aircraft
I-16c x 2

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
I-16c: 1 destroyed

Allied ground losses:
9 casualties reported

Airbase hits 10
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 55

I've thrown most of the rest of my Chinese fighters into the fray there in the hopes of catching a bomber attack that forgets its escorts. I've also sent some of my bombers after the base from where that first attack was launched. Maybe I can catch some planes on the ground.

What this tells me is that PzB is planning a new ground offensive in China. He has also sent extra troops after one of the lost "strays" in north eastern China after spending the past couple of months futilely bombarding the Chinese unit every day. I wonder if he will send anyone after the two Chinese units that I have in the far north eastern corner of China, up against the Soviet border? They are getting the advantage of having a supply source nearby, but unfortunately can't enter Soviet territory. I'd like PzB to attack them just in case he drove them into the SU and caused the SU to be activated. (That probably won't work, but I can hope. [;)])

BTW - in addition to the attacks above PzB is still attacking on a daily basis with hundreds of other planes in both China and Burma. I suspect that he would like to attack on the ground in Burma, but his troops have been there in the malarial zone for six months now so they probably aren't in much better shape than my troops.

Dave Baranyi

My bet is that the air attacks in china are just training missions. Does he have fighters on ground/airfield attack there?

The air war in China really picked up on January 4, 1943 as I moved more fighters into the base that PzB is now attacking in a big way, and I also sent bombers after one of the bases that PzB is using to mount his attacks. First my attack, which did fairly well despite the lack of escorts:

Day Air attack on Nanning, at 40, 38

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 9
A6M3 Zero x 13
Ki-27 Nate x 10
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 4

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 9
Wellington III x 10

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged
A6M3 Zero: 2 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 4 destroyed, 1 damaged
Wellington III: 3 destroyed, 4 damaged

Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 3

Then PzB's attacks, which didn't do quite as well as before with more opposition in place this time:

Day Air attack on Kweiyang, at 41, 35

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27 Nate x 2
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 30
Ki-21 Sally x 108
Ki-48 Lily x 12
Ki-49 Helen x 27

Allied aircraft
I-16c x 44

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-27 Nate: 1 destroyed
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 8 destroyed
Ki-21 Sally: 3 destroyed, 18 damaged
Ki-48 Lily: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged
Ki-49 Helen: 3 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
I-16c: 14 destroyed, 16 damaged

Allied ground losses:
53 casualties reported

Airbase hits 27
Airbase supply hits 5
Runway hits 83

Day Air attack on Kweiyang, at 41, 35

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27 Nate x 18
Ki-48 Lily x 81

Allied aircraft
I-16c x 15

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-27 Nate: 3 destroyed
Ki-48 Lily: 6 destroyed, 2 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
I-16c: 6 destroyed, 3 damaged

Airbase hits 9
Runway hits 45

I've started to pull the more damaged air units out of Kweiyang in order to give them some chance of recovering. The problem is that PzB can bring too much power to bear on that site. I wonder how things will go once PzB loads v1.60 and his level bombers can "shoot back" at my fighters?

At the same time off of the eastern point of New Guinea PzB once again sent escorted bombers in against one of my transport TFs and once again some of the Bettys got through:

Day Air attack on TF, near Kiriwina Island at 57, 93

Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 10
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 27

Allied aircraft
CW-21B Demon x 10
P-38G Lightning x 13

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M Nell: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 12 destroyed, 2 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
CW-21B Demon: 3 destroyed, 4 damaged
P-38G Lightning: 3 damaged

Allied Ships
AK Kota Radja, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Mormaclark, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage

I'm hoping that those losses by the Oscars have some semblance of reality to them, because my TFs are in the home stretch to Buna and I am hoping that my CAP can stop some of PzB's air attacks.

Dave Baranyi

After I ran the Combat Replay for January 5, 1943, I immediately checked to see if I had a Combat Report because PzB mentioned to me that had didn't get one from his turn. I hadn't gotten one for January 4, 1943 either, so I used the one that PzB sent to copy the results in my last post. I assumed that I hadn't gotten a Combat Report for January 4 because PzB and I were at different revs, but now we are both at the same rev (v1.60). The other funny thing about the turn was that for the second time during the Combat Reply I didn't get any combat animations. (I saw the same thing with PzB's last turn.) I do have combat animations set "on".

So it looks like I and/or PzB goofed something up by PzB running my 1.60 turn before he upgraded.

Oh well, I'll just comment from memory about the turn. My bombardment force hit Buna nicely - and cause a number of casualties and damage but nothing "nuclear". My LR CAP also intercepted PzB's transports and turned them back so he couldn't continue to fly troops in. The other good news was that PzB's Betty's only went after one little transport and ignored my invasion TF which is still on its way.

Otherwise things were still pretty much the same. PzB continues to overwhelm my air units in China with 200+ plane attacks. I'll have to pull my air units back and let him do what he wants to those bases. I've done the same thing in Burma in the face of similar sized attacks. I can't counter 600 - 700 planes attacking every day in a theater like China/Burma.

And we are both reconning each other's bases like crazy. I'll keep moving my recon around just to keep PzB guessing, and intersperse some bombing attacks just to keep him honest.

So that's about it until my landing at Buna and/or when we get Combat Reports back.

Dave Baranyi

I noticed a similar lack of combat replays in my PBEM after updating. I get a weird line that pops up, then the results screen comes up. I am hoping it will sort itself out in a turn or two... (I also have combat replays "ON").

Anyways, great AAR, I'm enjoying reading it.

ORIGINAL: madflava13

I noticed a similar lack of combat replays in my PBEM after updating. I get a weird line that pops up, then the results screen comes up. I am hoping it will sort itself out in a turn or two... (I also have combat replays "ON").

Anyways, great AAR, I'm enjoying reading it.

I've asked PzB to check his settings and suggested that he go back a couple of turns to before I updated so that we have a chance to do everything in the "right" order. I'll see what he says tomorrow. I've also warned my other two PBEM opponents to watch out for the preferences and that they might have to ignore the turn that I sent where I upgraded ahead of them.

I'm too anxious I guess...[:D]

Thanks for the comments -

Dave Baranyi

With 1.6, it is not going to matter what the allied players preferences are--animations/not animations, combat reports/no combat reports. He is doomed to live with the preferences of the Japanese player. Another Jap bias? [;)]

With 1.6, it is not going to matter what the allied players preferences are--animations/not animations, combat reports/no combat reports. He is doomed to live with the preferences of the Japanese player.

I just find it fascinating that the Combat Replay was sensitive to the Allied Player's preferences at all. If freezing the Japanese player's preferences fixes the Combat Replay/Combat Report discrepency than great - but I still find it a bit "odd" that previously, for example, whether or not I had animations on could have affected the results...[&:]

This is a "peculiar" game at times...

Dave Baranyi

Yes,

I've also had the same thing - no combat replay DESPITE have it turned ON in the main preferences screen! Something I did notice on my last PBEM turn was even though it was ON in the main screen it was OFF in the in-game preferences screen. Go figure......

ORIGINAL: Speedy

Yes,

I've also had the same thing - no combat replay DESPITE have it turned ON in the main preferences screen! Something I did notice on my last PBEM turn was even though it was ON in the main screen it was OFF in the in-game preferences screen. Go figure......

If you are playing the Allied side in a PBEM then you will see that sort of thing because the Japanese player's settings overide the turn settings but not your opening settings. I am right now struggling along to try to get everything straightened out with all of my PBEM opponents - fortunately I have the past week's worth of turns still in a folder in my email, so I'm resorting to going back to before I upgraded and asking my opponents to re-play an older turn, and asking them to check and re-check their preferences before they play that turn.

In the other two PBEM games that I've got, we aren't that far along so that a re-start is a possible, although I'm beginning to "hate" doing the opening set-up of scenario 15, but a re-start is absolutely unthinkable in this game.

Thanks for the comments -

Anthony

Hi,

I have changed my settings for the 2 Japanese PBEM games and am going to e-mail my opponetn to ask him to change his settings to HOPEFULLY allow us to have a combat replay. Grrrr

Steven