I spent some time drawing plans for the next 2 weeks or so. Here is part I: Pacific Ocean, Papua to Midway.
KB/1 strike at Midway
I want to entice my opponent to react, so I will try to expose the position of KB in a out of the way but believable location: Midway.
I plan to use 3 carriers (exactly which ones will be decided later, based on sorties left and damage).
They will carry as many Val units as possible, Kates will be moved to the other carriers or left in the Marshalls.
Hopefully it will appear that the whole KB is raiding Midway, but that only Vals flew ground/airfield/port attack missions (I'll place some kates on naval search/attack just in case)
The other carriers will load mostly Zeroes and Kates in a pure anti-ship role and move to support a Port Moresby invasion in early January.
Timeline:
Raid should hit (i.e., expose carriers) on december 30 or 31.
This date should allow some replenishment at Kwajalein and is scheduled to be roughly contemporary to the projected Timor invasion.
Assets:
3 CVs
misc. escorts
3-4 submarines
Southern Pacific feint
The idea is to feint an advance in the southern pacific, hoping to draw reinforcements in the area.
If all goes well, any reaction should find no invasion fleet but a lot of submarines.
Not sure about the target yet, possibly Canton, Baker of Samoa. Will depend on nav search and recon info
Plan:
Secure Makin and Tabiteuea before dec 25.
Set the LCUs on Makin and Tabiteuea to prepare for Pago Pago (just in case SigInt picks it up)
Move AV and a Mavis unit to Tabiteuea, use them to recon & nav. search
Swarm the target area with submarines
Bring a bombardment TF and make as much noise as possible
Timeline:
Bombardment should start shortly after KB/1 is sighted at midway, so on jan. 2 or something like that.
Adm. Hartwig could be enticed to react to my feint since "KB" is too far away to support the "invasion".
Assets:
2 Kongo BBs (detached from KB escort)
2 AMCs (fake invasion fleet, actually surface raiders)
misc. escorts
4 midget subs + carriers
8 other subs (may recall more from patrols near Line Islands if needed)
Port Moresby Invasion
You know what the basic idea is
Plan:
Secure Shortlands (troops are ashore already)
Move AV and floatplanes at Shortlands for nav.search
Land at Rabaul before dec. 30
KB/2 (the CVs not at Midway) should reach the area around dec. 30
Secure Tulagi
If all goes well, 144th inf. reg. should land at PM on jan. 3 or later (in other words, just after the feint in the Samoa area).
Assets:
3 CVs
4 CAs (the ones from Guam invasion)
misc. escorts
3-4 submarines
144th inf. reg + a bunch of minor LCUs