Bring me the head of Diego Garcia...and the Mayor of Addu Atoll too!

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Alfred

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

This brings up a good question. Pretend I didn't read the manual...or pretend this isn't in the manual.

What determines battle order when an enemy surface TF enters a hex (in this case at night)?

Follow orders?

TF type?

Commander ratings?

TF numerology?

TF commander spiritual affiliation?

Bowel gas?

Back in classical WITP days, the TF number had a bearing in determining the order of combat. That is no longer the case in AE which has a complicated relationship set in place. Have a read of this thread, specifially Don Bowen's post #8.

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Alfred

But you'll remember it much longer when the wrong one engages and gets whacked.

[:D]

[BrucePowers]

Good grief! Why is Kimmel still in charge.

[Cap Mandrake]

That is quite enough Kimmil bashing.

I feel sorry for the guy.

Besides, we are in negative points and can't change any commanders.[:D]

I believe Nimitz is at SouPac but dont quote me on that.

[sprior]

HMS Repulse, somewhere in the Indian Ocean

Tannoy: D'you hear there, this is the captioan speaking. We are once again on our way to Port Hedland so the borwnjobs can get on and do their job. It's our job to make sure they can do their job. I know I can rely on you all to do your jobs so that the, er, brown jobs, can do their, er, job.*

Leading Stoker Jones: Oh bloody hell not again. Chief is going to be a right chump* now, he has some bint in Perth (not the Scottish one) he was hoping to get back to.



*Contrary to popular myth not all, or many come to that, are as erudite as Noel Coward
*Bowdlerised to protect the innocent, not so innocent and me.

[Cap Mandrake]

*************October 7, 1942************

Nevada is probably toast. The LYB carriers disappeared. Broome is beat up to the mid 40's and has bad weather again. Wyndham is packed with airplanes again, including 65 bombers.

[sprior]

Engineers have landed at Exmouth to start building up the airfield.

[BrucePowers]

How long will that take?

[Chickenboy]

You guys know this game ends in early 1946, right?

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: BrucePowers

How long will that take?

That's what some of LYB's said about the Great Wall of China........well, maybe that isn't such a good example.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

You guys know this game ends in early 1946, right?

Not if we can help it.[:)]

[Cap Mandrake]

**********Royal Sovereign, near Port Headland***********


09:20........HARD RIGHT RUDDER!


14:35........HARD LEFT RUDDER!


18:55........You men there, stop teasing those oceanic white tips..

[BrucePowers]

Are you aiming for later?[:D]

[sprior]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

**********Royal Sovereign, near Port Headland***********


09:20........HARD RIGHT RUDDER!


14:35........HARD LEFT RUDDER!


18:55........You men there, stop teasing those oceanic white tips..

Seaman White: So where's all the bleedin' Yanks then?
Seaman Smith: Gawd knows Chalky. I 'eard the Naughty Caroline ran away and the Never-Never got sunk by 2 Jap destroyers.
Chalky: Naughty Caroline? Next you're be telling me they got a Saucy Sue too.
Smudge: They do! It's one them carrier jobbies, innit.

[BrucePowers]

[:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

Port Headland is...wait for it.....exactly 14 hexes from Wyndham.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Port Hedland at 57,129

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 42 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 27
G4M1 Betty x 36



Allied aircraft
Martlet II x 4
F4F-4 Wildcat x 22


Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
G4M1 Betty: 4 destroyed, 12 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
BB Royal Sovereign, Torpedo hits 2
CA Dorsetshire, Torpedo hits 1
CL Durban
CL Newcastle
CA Vincennes

[Cap Mandrake]

A second morning attack loses its escort and takes heavy losses...but still punishes RS..

Morning Air attack on TF, near Port Hedland at 57,129

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 42 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 30



Allied aircraft
Martlet II x 3
F4F-4 Wildcat x 12


Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 10 destroyed, 5 damaged


Allied Ships
CL Nashville
CL Enterprise
DD Isis
BB Royal Sovereign, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DD Decoy

[Cap Mandrake]

In bad weather, a total of 27 B-17 sorties over Broome achieves only 11 runway hits.

65 B-24 sorties over do quite a bit of damage despite a CAP of Tojos and Nicks, but the Bettys have already left to do their damage.

Another unescorted morning Betty raid over PH goes after the US BB's. The CAP is worn out now, but still breaks up the raid somewhat.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Port Hedland at 57,129

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 28 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 23



Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 6


Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 4 destroyed, 11 damaged


Allied Ships
CL St. Louis
BB Pennsylvania
BB North Carolina
CL Honolulu
BB Idaho

[sprior]

DD Decoy

Obviously this didn't work.

[Cap Mandrake]

Now the LYB's coem back for the afternoon. This raid is driven off completely.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Port Hedland at 57,129

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 42 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 17



Allied aircraft
Martlet II x 4
F4F-4 Wildcat x 13


Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 2 destroyed

[Cap Mandrake]

Apparently, these LYB's thought we were bluffing. Not even a single float fighter for CAP.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Broome at 62,127

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes


Allied aircraft
Albacore I x 12
Martlet II x 1
F4F-4 Wildcat x 3
SBD-3 Dauntless x 45
TBF-1 Avenger x 13


Allied aircraft losses
Albacore I: 7 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
xAK Gokoku Maru #2, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
xAK Hokusho Maru, Bomb hits 10, and is sunk
xAK Hikosan Maru, Bomb hits 4, and is sunk
xAK Nojima Maru, Bomb hits 9, and is sunk
PB Shonon Maru #10, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
xAK Kusuyama Maru, Bomb hits 7, heavy fires, heavy damage
PB Shonan Maru #6, Bomb hits 2, and is sunk