Hunting the Hibiki: Q-Ball (Allies) v Cuttlefish (Japan)

[Rainer79]

Finding a decent repair yard for Enterprise will be tough though. The nearest (usable) ones would be Colombo, Bombay, Cape Town or Sydney neither of which are very close.

[vlcz]

ORIGINAL: Rainer79

Finding a decent repair yard for Enterprise will be tough though. The nearest (usable) ones would be Colombo, Bombay, Cape Town or Sydney neither of which are very close.

With that amount of heavy damage sydney will not qualify for full repair, nor colombo ... and I think bombay is also of little use, so a long voyage for our friend the enterprise

[Rainer79]

The Enterprise's tonnage is a little less than 20k so it can be put into any of the listed repair yards (and therefore be fully repaired there). Of course, the bigger the better for the repair but if it were my carrier I don't want to think about what would happen if the dreaded "temporay flotation repairs fail" message appears when the ship is in an off-map movement box.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Rainer79

The Enterprise's tonnage is a little less than 20k so it can be put into any of the listed repair yards (and therefore be fully repaired there). Of course, the bigger the better for the repair but if it were my carrier I don't want to think about what would happen if the dreaded "temporay flotation repairs fail" message appears when the ship is in an off-map movement box.

Isn't a ship's durability rating still paramount in determination of dry docking and repairing? If it is, that narrows the list of receiving ports significantly-I think Capetown is the only one in this neck of the woods capable of fixing her with maximum efficiency.

Too bad about the E, Q-ball. That's going to put her out of the action for at least a couple full months....[:(]

[Graymane]

Hi,

Curious China strategy. I'd strongly suggest not attacking anywhere there. Really. I've found a good strategy is holding those wooded, roaded areas just outside the city and let the natural forts build up. I'd move your troops around Sinyang to the northern road in the woods to Nanyang and the road across the river. Since you were crushed in Ichang, you could have some real problems in that area if he pushes across the river and eventually into the Changsa region. I'd get my artillery rested up in the Chungking area and take on reinforcements for them and get them into the front asap.

[Rainer79]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy
Isn't a ship's durability rating still paramount in determination of dry docking and repairing? If it is, that narrows the list of receiving ports significantly-I think Capetown is the only one in this neck of the woods capable of fixing her with maximum efficiency.

Durability AFAIK only affects the duration of the repairs needed, not whether a ship can be repaired in a repair yard or not (tonnage does that).

[ny59giants]

I would take the four air groups off and start making his invasions in the SRA more costly. Just be careful that they don't get cut off.

It would use Soerabaja until she is pumped out, but leave a very strong ASW TF or two with her. I then would send her to Perth until all but major damage was left and then over to Cape Town. There, you could set her to the highest priority for repairs.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Rainer79

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy
Isn't a ship's durability rating still paramount in determination of dry docking and repairing? If it is, that narrows the list of receiving ports significantly-I think Capetown is the only one in this neck of the woods capable of fixing her with maximum efficiency.

Durability AFAIK only affects the duration of the repairs needed, not whether a ship can be repaired in a repair yard or not (tonnage does that).

You're right, Rainer79. A review of the manual corrected my understanding.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Rainer79

Finding a decent repair yard for Enterprise will be tough though. The nearest (usable) ones would be Colombo, Bombay, Cape Town or Sydney neither of which are very close.

Q-ball,

FWIW, I had Enterprise damaged near Java (IIRC, floatation and SYS in the low 30s) from an early exchange versus an IJN CV TF in a recent AI game. As other posters are proposing, I sent her to Soerbaja for initial repairs and then (escorted and at cruise speed) ultimately to Capetown. She healed up nicely there. As an added bonus, don't some of the British CVs come on screen there? Might be nice to pair up in that manner before Enterprise leaves again. Heck, throw Hermes into the mix and you have a pretty capable TF.

Yorktown, which was sunk in exchange for the Soryu in my game, donated her air groups to the Java defense cause. Those DBs and TBs really helped against the (admittedly underescorted) IJN invasion TFs, so I'd echo this suggestion as being quite useful.

[Q-Ball]

Wow, thanks to everyone for the comments! That's alot of traffic, too much to acknowledge. I like the suggestions, but more intelligence is coming in which should dictate events.....

Combat Report, Jan 9,10,11 1942

The big story is the story of the E, or as I now dub it, OPERATION COMFORT. Unfortunately she is down to impulse speed only, with Klingon forces gathering about. Or, the Japanese Empire!

Before the Big E, a couple other quick notes:
*The Japanese are stuck at Ambon, attacking 1-2. I am surprised this garrison is holding so far. Other than this, no other moves in the DEI.
*The Japanese occupied an empty Johore Bharu, opposite Singapore; all Malayan troops are now in Fortress Singapore. The air battle there is over, successive waves of Zeros and Sally finally broke my Buffalo Units. They did nice work shooting down over 20 aircraft in the battle of Malaya, but I withdrew the remnants, conceding the sky to Japan.
*Japanese troops bombard Clark, and inflict 1000 casualties 2 days in a row. If this continues, Luzon won't last long.

DEI and the USS Enterprise
The day after the strike off Kuching, and as Enterprise was eating her torpedo, I bombarded Kuching with a force of cruisers. I was looking to see if CF moved ships back to unload; he had not, but we shot up the base pretty good, and confirmed there are no base forces present. This is important, because Kuching is within Netty range of Soerbaya. It's not much a stretch for CF to think Enterprise is pumping out at Soerbaya, which she is. I am seriously worried about him taking a shot using Port Attack, enough that I think I have to move Enterprise tommorow, regardless of status. Even without Netties, he could use Baby KB to port raid pretty much anytime. So regardless, we're moving out tommorow.

USS Enterprise
Currently, she is at 23/36/30, with 29 major flt and 18 major eng. She is close to patched up on float, and might be done tommorow. The sys damage is good enough that she'll be seaworthy and operational, provided no other hits occur. She can currently make 13 kts, which is REALLY slow, I hope tommorow we can make at least 15 and be on our way. Lexington and all the cruisers are already headed to Perth; I have left 8 DDs to ASW and Escort the Big E.

Be careful what you wish for.....
So, if you remember, the objective of OPERATION RETRIBUTION was to primarily draw KB into the DEI; to force him to commit CV strength here, which delays advances into the South Pacific. There is evidence that this mission is accomplished; but be careful what you wish for, CF may be gunning for Big E. This is a problem.

KB was last sighted January 8th south of Noumea; he had raided Noumea port, finding nothing, and I had no ships down there at all. After that is disappeared. NOW, 3 days later, January 11th, I get a curious sighting......a transport TF off Australia sights a JAKE. It could be a bad sighting, but if it's a Japanese plane, it can only be from a ship (see map). I doubt a surface TF would be down there, so I suspect this is KB, and that KB is running "dark" to avoid detection. I am not sure, because that would be pretty ballsy to send it into the Gulf of Carpentaria rather than over the top of New Guinea, but then again it's not like I have strike aircraft or anything like that.

If this is the case, quick math tells me he could intercept Big E. It's not a stretch for him to think Big E will move to Perth, so her path would be easy to predict. This is a problem! Even if he doesn't catch Big E, a nice secondary objective for him would be to annihilate all the cruisers around Java, which would solve another problem.

Next Steps:
So, here is what I think I need to do:

1. Unload SBDs and Wildcats from Enterprise. Leave them irritatingly in DEI. I need to watch the exits though so they don't get stuck on Java (good suggestion Michael, I was thinking this way). Also means they won't sink if he does get Big E. I am taking the TBDs though, too short legged to stay. Even if stuck on Java, in a pinch I could fly them out to RN CVs.
2. Move Enterprise right away; I am thinking toward Capetown and the West Map Edge. That is alot of ocean out there, and difficult to intercept. I'll have to figure out later how to get her reunited with her airgroups.
3. Form a picket line in the Gulf of Carpentaria and Banda Sea to spot KB. We have a million Dutch auxilliaries that are perfect for this and not much else; many have been dispatched.

I would hate to be the captains of these Dutch pickets as they open their mission orders, but C'est la Guerre; think of the Queen and radio us any Val sightings before you die.

[loricas]

for the enterprise carrier group: if the group is eliminated you can reconstruct paying PP so even if destroied in Java are not lost forever

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball
NOW, 3 days later, January 11th, I get a curious sighting......a transport TF off Australia sights a JAKE. It could be a bad sighting, but if it's a Japanese plane, it can only be from a ship (see map). I doubt a surface TF would be down there, so I suspect this is KB, and that KB is running "dark" to avoid detection.

I'm thinking misidentified sub-based Glen, but it might be something else.

Good luck on extricating E from her predicament. Remember cruise speed!

[Q-Ball]

Combat Report, Jan 12th, 1942

Thanks Chickenboy. Not much happened this turn, other than we found out definitively where KB is. This is called the Hard Way to gather intelligence......



So, I was right about that JAKE sighting. Question is: Will he continue into Gulf of Carpentaria, or not?

[ny59giants]

Place the TBs from Enterprise somewhere in Oz.

Have Big "E" follow an ASW TF by 2 or 3 hexes as she leaves the area. Count the hexes she moves and have the leading ASW TF that far ahead. Have her follow in the footsteps so lead ASW TF can discover and hopefully attack any subs the phase before Big "E" enters the same hex.

[Q-Ball]

Combat Report, January 13, 1942

Again, typical stuff. Bombardments at Luzon, SS Porpoise did get an AK off Truk that had troops on it, that was nice.

Other than that, unloaded SBDs and Wildcats from Enterprise at Soerbaya. The transfer range for these is alot longer than WITP; they can actually make Derby from Soerbaya. Given that, we may wait until the Japanese approach Java. I am training the Dutch bombers for Naval Attack since the game start; they may actually hit something now.

KB is just off Horn Island at this point; I think we'll probably be able to make it. I am clearing Darwin and the Banda Sea of any shipping, not sure how far KB is heading toward Java. I may have to clear off all the surface units too, we'll see.

Attached is the picture of Enterprise........

[Chickenboy]

Q-ball,

I've noticed that some of my CV escort TFs will inadvertently toggle back to / default back to Air Combat TFs after a turn. That may make a difference in terms of the escorting DDs mission orders for support.

ETA: Does the Enterprise have sufficient operational fuel reserves to refuel the Barker and Peary at sea en route?

[Chickenboy]

So, I was right about that JAKE sighting. Question is: Will he continue into Gulf of Carpentaria, or not?

OH NO! Maybe your opponent has been able to figure out how to attack with sub-based Kates? [;)]

Alright, either that or I was dead wrong. Good call.

For my own learning curve: how did you know this was likely KB and not an SCTF or other Jake-related sighting?

[Q-Ball]

Combat Report, Jan 14,15,16,17

Various happenings the last few days as the Japanese War Machine grinds on....

Travels of Kido Butai:
KB transited the Torres Strait. I had spotted it on my last update, so KB did very minmal damage, just sinking 2 AMcs at Darwin that couldn't get out of the way. After moving north of Timor, KB disappeared.

Well, I accomplished the objective of RETRIBUTION, getting KB into the DEI. I don't know if they are going to hang around, but I am taking the precaution of emptying Soerbaya of pretty much everything else that floats. Boise and friends are gone from Java, only the Dutch surface forces remain. Tankers continue to load at Soerbaya, but the walls are closing in; pretty soon, I won't be able to move fuel.

Burma:
The Japanese attacked at took Pegu. I hadn't paid much attention to Burma, and as a result, my defenses are an absolute mess. My bad! Chinese troops are gathering at Lashio, but I don't see holding Burma. India beckons. I am evacuating Rangoon.

Malaya:
The Japs are gathering at Johore Bharu prior to crossing. We await.

DEI:
Ambon finally falls on the 17th after a heroic resistance. I moved SBDs to Balikpapan, and they attacked shipping around Tarakan. They put a bomb on Mikuma, and generally announced that we have nasty airplanes around Java. A vast Japanese armada is approaching Balikpapan; it will fall, not much I can do about it.

Pacific:
With KB occupied elsewhere, I am moving troops all over the South Pacific. One of our subs sank an AKL off Sakhalin....he will have to escort ships everywhere.

[SuluSea]

 The Dutch Castor Class AR should be around and probably be a huge help the Enterprise. Hopefully she's still in the DEI and afloat.

[Q-Ball]

ORIGINAL: SuluSea

 The Dutch Castor Class AR should be around and probably be a huge help the Enterprise. Hopefully she's still in the DEI and afloat.

Good question. She is afloat, but in Sydney. She was among many ships moved Dec 8th.

Right at the opening gun, I moved alot of DEI shipping. Here is what I did in general:

AKs: All AKs picked up a load of fuel, and moved to Australia. The long-range ones were then sent to Capetown.
APs: Long-Range APs were sent to Australia, and thence to USA. Short-Range APs are retained in Australia, for local moves, and later invasions.
TKs: Are moving fuel from Java to Perth; most have made 2 round-trips. I have 250K fuel now at Perth, and growing.
AS/AR/AVPs: Useful auxilliaries were sent day one to Australia. A handful of AVPs are around to provide Do-24 support

Warships were kept around, but I moved off useful non-combat ships. No reason to keep them in harms way.

PS ON ENTEPRISE: She is halfway now to the map-edge near Cape Town, and isn't leaking any. She'll make it. KB is also not hunting her either; I may re-direct now to Perth, but that would mean a long voyage to USA for repair. Not sure yet, Cape Town is actually the closest repair yard, but it will take awhile to move her once complete.