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

[Cap Mandrake]

A second group of DD's get in among the Devonshire TF

Day Time Surface Combat, near Port Hedland at 57,129, Range 21,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Asashio, Shell hits 2
DD Hatsuharu, Shell hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD Myojinami, Shell hits 5, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk

Allied Ships
CA Devonshire, Shell hits 7
CL Perth, Shell hits 1
CL Hobart, Shell hits 2
CL Newcastle, Shell hits 3
DD McCall, Shell hits 16, and is sunk
DD Dunlap
DD Cassin, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Banckert
DD Fortune
AO Cimarron
AP President Adams
AP Thomas Jefferson
xAP Moreton Bay
xAP Esperance Bay
xAP Largs Bay
xAP Devonshire
xAP Lancashire
xAP Dunera
xAP Dilwara
xAP Indora
xAP Khandalla
xAP Tairea, Shell hits 1
xAK City of Exeter, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
xAK Clan Macwhirter, Shell hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Glenaffric
xAK Mahout
xAK Mahsud, Shell hits 1
xAK Troilus, Shell hits 2
xAK City of Manchester
xAK Boero
xAP Mataroa
xAKL Wollongbar, Shell hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Aspasia Nomikos
xAK Elisavet
xAK George Livanos
xAK Zannis Cambanis

McCall and an AK are sunk.

2 Jap DD's sunk

[Cap Mandrake]

A Jap sub finds the heavily damaged RS

Japanese Ships
SS I-158

Allied Ships
BB Royal Sovereign, Torpedo hits 2, heavy damage

If the report is correct, RS will sink.

[thegreatwent]

**********Port Headland beachhead, October 11, 1942***********


Officer of "102nd Combat Engineer Regiment":...YOU THERE! Put those 105 rounds with that cache over there. <he points to an enormous mountian of artillery ammunition that stretches for 150 yds.

Officer with 32nd ID patch: Captain, a number of us were wondering why your unit has such an enormous ammunition dump when 32nd ID can't scrape up enough to start the assault.

Officer of "102nd Combat Engineer Regiment": Get lost Lt., this belongs to the 102nd. Says right here on the loading plan.

Officer with 32nd ID patch: But sir, does the 102nd even have any 105's?

Officer of "102nd Combat Engineer Regiment": Look, Lt., if the Army says this stuff belongs to the 102nd then it belongs to the 102nd. Get your own.

Officer with 32nd ID patch: But sir, aren't we all fighting the Japs?

Officer of "102nd Combat Engineer Regiment": Goddamnit Lt., go shave your peach fuzz. I am trying to run an ammo dump.

Truck Driver: <yells from window> 20,000 rounds Ma Deuce ammo and a field kitchen. Where do you want it, Captain.

Officer of "102nd Combat Engineer Regiment": <looks at clipboard> Field kitchen, that makes 12. Right, 3 row on the right.........

This gave me a laugh. Now a capital ship's anchor and a full marching band (attached) would complete the picture.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

******************October 12, 1942 (Ughh)*****************


A Jap surface group was spotted moving SE about 350 NW of PH on the afternoon of Oct. 11. The carriers moved East 40 miles and are missed by surface raiders.

Don't go too hard on the CV TF commander. He probably tried his best to intercept. [:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

The escorts are low on ammo. Here comes Hyuga.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Port Hedland at 57,128, Range 22,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Hyuga, Shell hits 10, Torpedo hits 1
CL Oi, Shell hits 4
DD Oboro
DD Kosugiri
DD Tagonami, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Suruyame, Shell hits 4, on fire

Allied Ships
CA Dorsetshire, Shell hits 11, and is sunk
CL Enterprise, Shell hits 7, heavy fires, heavy damage
CL Nashville, Shell hits 7, on fire, heavy damage
CL Caradoc, Shell hits 4
DD Encounter, Shell hits 2
DD Inconstant
DD Isis, Shell hits 3
DD Jupiter, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Napier
xAP Rochambeau, Shell hits 1
xAK Canadian, Shell hits 6, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Delawarean, Shell hits 4, heavy fires
xAK Santa Elisa, Shell hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Edgar Luckenbach
xAK Coquina
xAK Kalani
xAP Harpoon, Shell hits 2
xAP Doumer, Shell hits 1, on fire
xAP Malda
xAP Talma, Shell hits 5, on fire
xAP Tilawa
xAP Rajula, heavy damage
xAP Rohna, Shell hits 1, on fire
xAP Amra, Shell hits 1, heavy fires
xAP Chilka
xAP Khedive Ismail
xAP Takliwa
xAP Santhia
xAK Bellerophon, Shell hits 3, on fire
xAK Charon
xAK Stanmore
xAK Clan Cameron
xAP Empire Star
xAP Dunedin Star
xAP Empire Pride
xAP Felix Roussel
xAP Cap St Jacques
xAP Boschfontein, Shell hits 1, on fire
xAP Tabinta

Hyuga gets torpedoed, Dorsetshire is sunk and probably 2 AK's. Nashville and Enterprise hurt badly.

[Cap Mandrake]

Hyuga heads for home and frightens North Carolina half to death.....

Day Time Surface Combat, near Port Hedland at 57,128, Range 26,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Hyuga
CL Oi
DD Oboro
DD Kosugiri
DD Tagonami, on fire
DD Suruyame, on fire

Allied Ships
BB North Carolina
CA Chicago
CL St. Louis
CL Boise
CL Honolulu
DD Woodworth
DD Smith
DD Tjerk Hiddes
DD Decoy



Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions: 28,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 26,000 yards
Allied TF attempts to evade combat
Range increases to 30,000 yards...
Allied Surface Combat TF evades combat [:@]

[Cap Mandrake]

I havent got to the bad part...either...

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

A Jap sub finds the heavily damaged RS

Japanese Ships
SS I-158

Allied Ships
BB Royal Sovereign, Torpedo hits 2, heavy damage

If the report is correct, RS will sink.

That's $10 you owe me.

[sprior]

Arse

[Nemo121]

Hmm, if this is the good news...... [X(] [X(] [X(]

In my experience you really need multiple, overlapping SC TFs ( at least some of which should be just CL-led DD TFs ) in order to counter enemy surface raiding into the tactical zone occupied by amphibious TFs. Once you get an SC TF tangling with amphibious TF escorts that amphibious TF is going to see the escorts mauled and many AP/AKs roughly handled.

Of course you have to make choices and you never have enough to do everything you want/need to do. Tough choices.

[Cap Mandrake]

From an aesthtic standpoint...damn nice raid. Excellent CAP. Good AAA....but the Jap pilots are good

Morning Air attack on TF, near Port Hedland at 58,128

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 51 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 39
B5N2 Kate x 37
D3A1 Val x 25



Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 61


Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 3 destroyed
B5N2 Kate: 13 destroyed, 4 damaged
D3A1 Val: 12 destroyed, 5 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 3 destroyed

Allied Ships
CV Illustrious, Bomb hits 3
CV Formidable, Bomb hits 6, Torpedo hits 1
CA Pensacola
CV Yorktown

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Nemo121

Hmm, if this is the good news...... [X(] [X(] [X(]

In my experience you really need multiple, overlapping SC TFs ( at least some of which should be just CL-led DD TFs ) in order to counter enemy surface raiding into the tactical zone occupied by amphibious TFs. Once you get an SC TF tangling with amphibious TF escorts that amphibious TF is going to see the escorts mauled and many AP/AKs roughly handled.

Of course you have to make choices and you never have enough to do everything you want/need to do. Tough choices.

This is true, of course, but the USN BB's force was shed last turn after running out of ammo and I think Repulse was with the carriers, plus the RN CL's were out of torps.

[Cap Mandrake]

Allied counterstrike has a deadly number of SBD's but is deficient in escorts which have been covering the carries and transports from Betty attacks.

2 Jap CV's and a CVL

Morning Air attack on TF, near Broome at 58,121

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

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

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 41



Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 4
SBD-3 Dauntless x 52


No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 1 destroyed
SBD-3 Dauntless: 7 destroyed, 8 damaged

Japanese Ships
CV Kaga, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CVL Shoho
CV Zuikaku, Bomb hits 1
DD Fuyo

[Cap Mandrake]

No less than 5 Betty raids come in without escort and are driven off or get no hits.

[Cap Mandrake]

Here comes the Jap afternoon raid. No Vals.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Port Hedland at 58,128

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 51 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 25
B5N2 Kate x 20



Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 22


Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 2 destroyed

Allied Ships
CV Yorktown, Bomb hits 2
BC Repulse
CV Illustrious, Bomb hits 2
CV Formidable

Our only undamaged carrier is hit.

[Cap Mandrake]

Small Allied counter-raid gets chewed up

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Broome at 58,121

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 40 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 36



Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 2
SBD-3 Dauntless x 10


No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 1 destroyed
SBD-3 Dauntless: 6 destroyed

[Cap Mandrake]

Another 12 Betty sorties come to naught..

Some lost Kates find the heavily damaged Nashville and sink her.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Port Hedland at 57,128

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 17 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
B5N2 Kate x 5



Allied aircraft
no flights

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
No Allied losses

Allied Ships
CL Nashville, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD Inconstant

[Cap Mandrake]

Samll Anglo-Dutch ASW taffy intercepts Jap destroyer near the carreirs

Day Time Surface Combat, near Port Hedland at 57,128, Range 19,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Minekaze
DD Nokaze, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk

Allied Ships
DD Kortenaer
DD Norman, Shell hits 2, on fire

[Cap Mandrake]

Another small group finishes off Minekaze

Day Time Surface Combat, near Port Hedland at 57,128, Range 13,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Minekaze, Shell hits 28, and is sunk

Allied Ships
DE Jumna, Shell hits 1
DE Sutlej

[Cap Mandrake]

I forgot about this. I suspect it was the detached Hyuga and not Kirishima. 5 Albacore are detached from the SBD attack. They score one hit.


Morning Air attack on TF, near Port Hedland at 57,126

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 36 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 21 minutes


Allied aircraft
Albacore I x 5
F4F-4 Wildcat x 5


Allied aircraft losses
Albacore I: 3 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Kirishima, Torpedo hits 1