The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[Canoerebel]

I don't think any of the hits penetrated.

[Canoerebel]

The situation in the Marshalls.

[Canoerebel]

Is John about to counterinvade Ulak Island?

[ny59giants]

I though you needed a size 2 AF to operate TBs from? So, Jaluit is still too small.

Once you get some Air HQs in place, a nice combo is one of my favorite planes, Beaufort VIII, matched up with F4F-4 Wildcats with drop tanks (range now 8/9 hexes). This will allow torpedoes to be carried out to 8 hexes and maybe you can get his BBs before the come in to bombard your bases at night. All 5 of my Beaufort groups are training up for this to happen.

[Canoerebel]

The torpedo button is "white" at Jaluit, so it seems to be ready to go. But that's just a guess on my part, given the gaping holes in my knowledge of this massive game.

I have Beauforts inbound from Oz and more TBFs inbound from Pearl.

[Canoerebel]

This screen shows that TBFs at Jaluit are apparently able to carry torps, even though it's only a level one airfield. The Air HQ stocks the torps. But you guys might be about to tell me that the screen is misleading; that the size of the airfield overrides the torp-enabled indication.

[Mike McCreery]

The planes can carry torpedoes and have them equipped but there is no enough runway for them to take off.

No, planes do not fly bombing missions from a lvl 1 airfield.

The only thing lvl1 gets you is CAP and recon missions.

[Canoerebel]

[JohnDillworth]

Well, actually, that is bad news but good information. At least you KNOW they won't fly yet. Get them SeeBees crackin

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

The planes can carry torpedoes and have them equipped but there is no enough runway for them to take off.

No, planes do not fly bombing missions from a lvl 1 airfield.

The only thing lvl1 gets you is CAP and recon missions.

Right - but what is the command range of the Air HQ? If it extends to a nearby island with a bigger AF, just put the TBs there.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Crackaces

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

It would have been nice if one or two of those bomb hits were torpedo hits instead. What have you got in the way of ship killers? you don't what to waste strike aircraft armed with bombs against BB's.

I think Canoerebel is doing pretty good with the resources he has ... I count 17 1000 pound bomb strikes on the Musashi .. I have sank a Yamato class BB with less 1000 pounders (15) and no torps

Must have been very good die rolls to get her to burn up with only 15 bomb hits. Mostly I have seen IJN BBs need about 25-30 bomb hits to get enough systems damage and heavy fires to get runaway damage and burn up.

Still, the hits and fires on Musashi and Nagato probably caused ~ 30 points of systems damage which would make them vulnerable to further attacks and poor in SCTF or Bombardment TF effectiveness. He must send them for lengthy repairs. I figure six weeks to two months.

[ny59giants]

Can we get a screenshot of the Marshalls with base info - port, AF, and number of engineers?

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

The planes can carry torpedoes and have them equipped but there is no enough runway for them to take off.

No, planes do not fly bombing missions from a lvl 1 airfield.

The only thing lvl1 gets you is CAP and recon missions.

Right - but what is the command range of the Air HQ? If it extends to a nearby island with a bigger AF, just put the TBs there.

You can do that?? I learn new things every day!!

[Canoerebel]

8/7/43

Circus: Allied strike aircraft and escorts target enemy shipping and CAP at Amchitka. The escorts don't do well in that capacity. Consequently, Allied air losses are high (35 SBDs and 26 good fighters vs. 9 enemy fighters). But plenty of strike aircraft get through, scoring one hit on xAP Montevideo Maru, multiple hits on three xAK (Arizona Maru confirmed sunk), and multiple hits on two LSDs, which both report "heavy fires, heavy damage.") That's a pretty steep price to nick enemy shipping, but if memory serves LSDs are significant Japanese assets. More importantly, this raid my force John to think carefully about an invasion of Ulak or points east. Despite the power he has in the Aleutians, he has to work hard to neutralize Allied air. On the other hand, that may be one reason he wants Ulak so bad.

Roller Coaster: The big Japanese combat TF retired west, but a DD TF penetrated into the open water east of the Marshalls, from which it should be able to savage some vulnerable xAKs. PBY Liberators targeted this group, but missed.

The biggest news is a strong carrier TF eight hexes SW of Tabituea. I'll post a screen shot shortly.

Allied shipping is beginning to organize at Pearl for the upcoming Operation Thin Man, which is one part invasion of Kwaj and Roi-Namur and one part supply run to the other islands. It really is kind of funny. The amount of amphibs in this op will be relatively small and dwarfed by the amount of supply ships, combat ships, and carriers. This puts things into the proper perspective - the real objective is enemy shipping.

18th Canadian Brigade arrived at Pearl. I'm going to let it upgrade a day or two before loading (the carriers are still five days from being ready). A US RCT prepping for Kwaj is about two days from Pearl. Two Canadian battalions prepping for Kwaj are about four days out (the latter will have to play catch up, because the main amphibs will leave Pearl in three days).

The main USN combat TF will consist of BB North Carolina, BB Massachusetts, CA Salt Lake City, CL Montpelier, CLAA Juneau, and eight Fletchers. Each captain has been vetted and Bull Halsey commands this TF. There will be another combat TF of Fletchers and some cruisers. There will be two CVE TFs. There will be three CV TFs, each comprised of three CV and a CVL. That leaves me with one CV (Victorious) extra. I'll have to figure out what to do with her.

BB Resolution Quandary: This BB suffered light/moderate damage during Roller Coaster and retired to San Fran to repair and upgrade. Sadly, the upgrade takes about 70 days (all RN ships seem to take a long, long, long time). She still has 69 days to complete upgrades and she's due for withdrawal in 39 days. The math doesn't work well for me. I checked, and I don't have the option to withdraw her. Am I screwed? I'm probably screwed, right?

[Canoerebel]

Japanese carriers south of the Roller Coaster area of operations.

The Gilberts and Marshalls appear primed to turn into a meeting engagement/hornet's nest.

[Canoerebel]

This did not work. I moved the TBF squadron from Jaluit to nearby Ailinglaplap, a level three airfield, and torpedoes were disabled.

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

The planes can carry torpedoes and have them equipped but there is no enough runway for them to take off.

No, planes do not fly bombing missions from a lvl 1 airfield.

The only thing lvl1 gets you is CAP and recon missions.

Right - but what is the command range of the Air HQ? If it extends to a nearby island with a bigger AF, just put the TBs there.

You can do that?? I learn new things every day!!

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

This did not work. I moved the TBF squadron from Jaluit to nearby Ailinglaplap, a level three airfield, and torpedoes were disabled.

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy



Right - but what is the command range of the Air HQ? If it extends to a nearby island with a bigger AF, just put the TBs there.

You can do that?? I learn new things every day!!

Open up the LCU screen for that air HQ. One of the bits in the upper left corner is something like "Command Radius" followed by a number. That number is the range in hexes.

[BillBrown]

It does work CR, I have done it. Does you HQ have torpedoes?

[Canoerebel]

It's not working for me. See screenshot: Air HQ command radius 5 with 20 torps at Jaluit, which is three hexes from Ailinglaplap, a level three airfield. The TBFs there are not able to use torps.

There may be some other reason that's entering into it - after all, you can tell I'm sorta blindfolded and groping in the dark here.

[Canoerebel]

TBFs at Ailinglaplap decline to cooperate.