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Trying out some LRCAP at 1 hex, at low altitude, and CAP at high altitude....it worked really well today. Of course the pilots are very good.

Morning Air attack on Tsinkiang , at 84,61

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 16 NM, estimated altitude 40,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5b Zero x 17

Allied aircraft
P-47D2 Thunderbolt x 22
F4U-1A Corsair x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5b Zero: 8 destroyed

No Allied losses

CAP engaged:
VMF-217 with F4U-1A Corsair (4 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(5 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
4 plane(s) intercepting now.
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 1 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 16000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 16000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 1 minutes
35th FG/41st FS with P-47D2 Thunderbolt (0 airborne, 6 on standby, 14 scrambling)
2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 42000 , scrambling fighters between 32000 and 42000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 32 minutes

Port Blair taken....taking the only airbase that could interdict the Ceylon, Rangoon, Georgetown Singers shipping.

Ground combat at Port Blair (46,58)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 5436 troops, 36 guns, 16 vehicles, Assault Value = 160

Defending force 6170 troops, 7 guns, 31 vehicles, Assault Value = 27

Allied adjusted assault: 81

Japanese adjusted defense: 27

Allied assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 1)

Allied forces CAPTURE Port Blair !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), preparation(-), fatigue(-)
experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
428 casualties reported
Squads: 7 destroyed, 13 disabled
Non Combat: 15 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 10 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 6 (6 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 24 (24 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
43 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Assaulting units:
44th Indian Brigade
XXXIII Corps Engineer Battalion

Defending units:
17th Indpt Guards Regiment
11th Air Fleet
4th Naval Construction Battalion
11th Special Base Force
18th JNAF AF Unit

With those engineers and air support units, that could have been a problem.

Air losses for the day:

RangerJoe wrote: Mon May 20, 2024 3:41 am With those engineers and air support units, that could have been a problem.

He managed to fly one raid that damaged some ships, but then I put the Battler CVE there and sent some warships to bombard and heavy bombers to keep the base damaged and that was that.

I think there wasn't enough supplies....I did manage to maul some merchant ships that were headed there I think...well they were off Sabang.

Dec 31, 1943

Formosa is bombarded by heavy cruisers:
Night Naval bombardment of Takao at 84,65

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
N1K1-J George: 20 damaged
N1K1-J George: 1 destroyed on ground
Ki-84r Frank: 111 damaged
Ki-84r Frank: 5 destroyed on ground
A6M8 Zero: 2 damaged
E13A1 Jake: 2 damaged
E13A1 Jake: 1 destroyed on ground

Allied Ships
CA Australia
CA Shropshire

Japanese ground losses:
267 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 9 destroyed, 20 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 17 (3 destroyed, 14 disabled)
Vehicles lost 24 (8 destroyed, 16 disabled)

Manpower hits 1
Fires 371
Airbase hits 16
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 53
Port hits 6
Port supply hits 1

Seagull V acting as spotter for CA Australia
CA Australia firing at Takao
CA Shropshire firing at Takao

I flew a fresh squadron to defend Tsinkiang....and they do great work...

I think that the naval bombardment really messed with those fighter units!

RangerJoe wrote: Mon May 20, 2024 11:24 pm I think that the naval bombardment really messed with those fighter units!

Gotta be frustrating for Japan.

Morale hit for sure...plus damaged planes flying, etc.

Jan 1, 1944

Lots of ship upgrades, I think plus some British planes including the Barracuda.

Our troops will start moving out from Tsinkiang today. Have to be careful so some Yanks take a port base to allow PT boats and Barge creation. I should load up a transport for barge creation, but always lose it in the micro managing.

Currently the only thing I am really short on is AAA to accompany leading troops....shouldn't be a major problem. Oh, Recon, always short on recon.

25 IJ planes lost today, only 2 for the Allies. No ships sunk.

When it was 1943 I kind of felt a head, but now it is 1944 I think average.

B29s arrive in April....I seem to remember other games when they arrived in late Nov and Dec of 1943. Stock scen 2 prob.

I have had three really bad days: 1 the British CVs of Diego Garcia, 2. Massive fleet leaving Vinh, 3 landing on the islands east of Formosa. All the result of rushed turns...sigh.

I think I like playing Japan better....you live more on a knifes edge. Maybe it will pick up now that I am in striking distance of Honhu.

Have you managed to break the siege of Chungking? Supplying all of those units plus getting them reinforcements and upgrades would take a lot of supplies if you have not yet done so. But that would give you a nice infantry punch supported by Allied armor and artillery.

I did open it up for about a week, and a lot of supplies flowed in, to the troops at least but I forgot to pay attention to any of it and Japan closed it back up.

My bad.

Well, maybe you can do it directly again or indirectly by going to Sian and cutting off the Japanese supply lines!

Once the Allies break out into the open areas at this stage of the game, any Japanese units in the open are prime targets for the Allied light and medium bomber forces. Of course, I am sure that you have seen that from the other side.

Jan 2, 1944

Quiet day, lots of unloading

Jan 3, 1944

Another good day.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Hong Kong at 79,64, Range 14,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
E Shimakaze, Shell hits 16, and is sunk
E Nadakaze, Shell hits 14, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied Ships
CA Northampton
DD Lansdowne
DD Caldwell
DD Satterlee
DD Baldwin

Low visibility due to Rain
Maximum visibility in Rain: 14,000 yards

Morning Air attack on TF, near Masbate at 80,83

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 5 NM, estimated altitude 4,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 1 minutes

Allied aircraft
Beaufighter VIc x 12

Allied aircraft losses
Beaufighter VIc: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
DD Yukaze, Shell hits 1
DD Shinonome, Shell hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x Beaufighter VIc bombing from 100 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 lb SAP Bomb

Morning Air attack on TF, near Masbate at 80,83

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 6 NM, estimated altitude 1,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 1 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-25D1 Mitchell x 6

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
DD Yukaze, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
DD Shinonome, Shell hits 5

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x B-25D1 Mitchell bombing and strafing from low level
Naval Attack: 6 x 500 lb SAP Bomb

Massive explosion on DD Yukaze

Morning Air attack on TF, near Hengchun at 84,67

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 73 NM, estimated altitude 20,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 31 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 24
Ki-43-IV Oscar x 30

Allied aircraft
FM-1 Wildcat x 4
F6F-3 Hellcat x 62
SB2C-1C Helldiver x 31

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zero: 9 destroyed
Ki-43-IV Oscar: 11 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F6F-3 Hellcat: 1 destroyed
SB2C-1C Helldiver: 3 damaged

Japanese Ships
DD Takatakaze, Bomb hits 1
DD Uruyuke, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
DD Tagokaze, Bomb hits 1, on fire

Aircraft Attacking:
11 x SB2C-1C Helldiver releasing from 4000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb, 2 x 250 lb SAP Bomb
3 x SB2C-1C Helldiver releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb, 2 x 250 lb SAP Bomb
17 x SB2C-1C Helldiver releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb, 2 x 250 lb SAP Bomb
14 x F6F-3 Hellcat sweeping at 15000 feet
13 x F6F-3 Hellcat sweeping at 35000 feet

CAP engaged:
204 Ku S-1 with A6M5 Zero (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(24 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
24 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 3000 , scrambling fighters to 1000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 14 minutes
204th Trng.Sentai with Ki-43-IV Oscar (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(30 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 30 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 3000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 3000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 11 minutes

Heavy smoke from fires obscuring DD Uruyuke

losses

I find this interesting, and useful, but a person can't plan it nor count on it happening during a raid:

14 x F6F-3 Hellcat sweeping at 15000 feet
13 x F6F-3 Hellcat sweeping at 35000 feet

RangerJoe wrote: Fri May 24, 2024 9:38 am I dins this interesting, and useful, but a person can't plan it nor count on it happening during a raid:

14 x F6F-3 Hellcat sweeping at 15000 feet
13 x F6F-3 Hellcat sweeping at 35000 feet

You can maximize its chances.... What you can't plan for is the enemy cap to be all at 3k.