Speedy vs Fabertong: Death to the Penguin!

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

My transports continue their merry travel......just passed Palmyra.

Tarawa is bombed again. Flak is surprisingly heavy today and claims 7 x SBD.....the 6th Base Forcre is also present:

Day Air attack on 6th Base Force, at 85,91


Allied aircraft
F6F Hellcat x 17
SBD Dauntless x 125
TBM Avenger x 193
SOC-3 Seagull x 1


Allied aircraft losses
SBD Dauntless: 2 destroyed, 4 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
198 casualties reported
Guns lost 6

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SS Silversides fired her last 4 torpedoes at AK Turuga Maru. 1 hit amidships leaving the ship burning. The escorts failed to locate my submarine. She's returning to Darwin for R & R.

Here's her patrol report:

16/07/43 - sank PG Sozan Maru with a torpedo 180 miles SE of Hong Kong.
31/07/43 - hit AK Tyoko Maru with a torpedo 360 miles west of Takao.
07/08/43 - sank PG Keiko Maru 240 miles SW of Hong Kong.
10/08/43 - missed a passing freighter.
14/09/43 - hit AK Turuga Maru with a torpedo 180 miles Se of Hong Kong.

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Usual day for now: Mandalay bombed heavily as is Tarawa's port and airfields.

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SS Drum hits AK Tusima Maru with a torpedo 240 miles south of Hong Kong.

SS O24 evades a HK group 360 miles east of Saipan.

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1st USA Prov. Tk Bn arrives at Karachi tomorrow[:)]

Here's a sit rep of the Tarawa region showing my approaching transport fleets:

[BrucePowers]

Keep up the good work with the subs.

Would a couple of ASW task forces be useful against all those nuisance subs east of Tarawa?

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Hi Bruce - a good point. I plan on using some of my Transport escorts to clear a path for the fleets. Since Makin and Apamama apparently hold NO troops i'll be using an RCT for each. There will be plenty of spare ASW vessels [;)]

Just so you know due to there being a gap i nhis defences = Taraw strongly held but the other Gilberts not i'm going to be invading almost straight away upto Jaluit or Mili maybe.

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SS Salmon and SS Skipjack performed a double team on a troop carrying convoy NW of Luzon today.

SS Salmon hit AP Tanba Maru with 2 torpedoes before Skipjack hit AP Tatsuwa Maru with 2 torpedoes 60 miles further SW.

Hopefully both troop carrying ships will sink.

SS Greenling also got in on the action hittign the empty transport Humburugu Maru with a torpedo 240 miles south of Truk.

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A futher enemy unit was 'miraculously' identified from the air today at Tarawa. Naval planes attacked 9th Ind. Mixed Regiment.

Flak and Ops losses continue to take it's toll of 3-6 planes a day from my CV's.

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An SS, AK and LCI arrive in theatre tomorrow.

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

The latest IJN PC vessels show their worth today. With better ASW equipment they managed to damaged SS Seahorse (in her first contact) 420 miles ENE of Pagan (13/37/0). SS Seahorse did manage to put a fish into AK Norway Maru before the escorts woke up though[;)]

SS Cabrilla was detected by PC Fukue before she could attack AP Minryo Maru. Little damage was caused but she was kept under the dea allowing the convyo to pass. Thsi took place 180 miles south of Hamamatsu.

SS Trusty fired her last 6 fish at AK Natisan Maru, 1 of which hit, 240 miles ENE of Palembang. British subs are great since they have good fish. Their main problem is the 3 reloads they have = soon have to retire.

A couple of I-boats have clearly been ordered to intercept my CV's near Tarawa. I-40 was detected on sonar and DD Abbot and Bailey chased her off.

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Tarawa was hit again. My CV's are to retire now since they are down to 50% ops points and fuel is about the same level. They will reach Baker Island in time to refuel and escort my Apamama and Makin invasion forces.

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CVE Corregidor arrives at San Francisco tomorrow.

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Well The IJA moved 2 division size forces in Burma. My 2 x ARM units 60 miles NW of Lashio received reports of 2 enemy units moving nearby. As such orders to move towards Mandalay have been cancelled and an attack will go in tomorrow. Air support will be provided from LBA at Myitkyina.

Screenshot below.

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SS Caplin had just arrived on station, 120 miles ESE of Batan Island when she stumbled upon a supply convoy hitting AK Muroran Maru with a torpedo and escaping before the numerous MSW escorts could locate her.

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My transports and CV's should arrive at Baker Island tomorrow. Re-deployment will then occur and we kick off for Apamama and Makin[8D]

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A PBY squadron arrives at San Francisco tomorrow as does an LCI, 2 x LST, an AGP and a DE.

[BrucePowers]

Oooh! DE units should be good anti-sub platforms. Hopefully more IJN metal will be resting on the ocean floor.[:D]

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Hi Bruce - Guaranteed[;)] What subs he has left that is..........

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Well all of my CV's and transports are at Baker Island. Today they have refuelled and re-armed all the ships. A mammoth task for the dock workers (LOL could you imagine 100's of ships docked here......see below screenshot)[:D]

Tomorrow some ships + CV's will move back towards the Gilberts.

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SS Seawolf encountered a large ASW screen and was chased away 120 miles ENE of Morotai.

SS Ray heavily damaged the empty AP Hukuyo Maru with a torpedo 300 miles east of Truk.

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Tomorrow 2 x SS, an AK and an LST arrive in theatre.

[Wellard]

And at what height was that snapped from.It's tiny isn't it.Just another example of where the game model needs a total rewrite

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Wellard

And at what height was that snapped from.It's tiny isn't it.Just another example of where the game model needs a total rewrite

Looks like a satellite photo.

[Speedysteve]

It is. Notice the feint lines of the runway strip?

[Wellard]

Was that from google earth bychance. Might be an idea to show pictures of some more of the real places we fight over so the mind can boggle over...

1)how the japanese were able to hold out so long on some of them

and

2)at the bravery of the men who took them back


Oops just checked GE myself Baker doesnt even show up unless you count the outline which isn't visible below 67 miles up[:D]

[Wellard]

And whilst you can see Canton you would never get anything like the number of aircraft the game allows on that airfield.

Ok tried to embed picture failed miserably

[rtrapasso]

Can you identify this island?? [:'(]

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

R - LOL. Apple Island[;)]

Well at last Operation Kestrel - the occupation of the Gilberts gets under way. At least the transport side of it does. 4 x transport TF are leaving Baker Island. 2 bound for Apamama (containining 147th RCT + Seebees/Base Force). 2 have left for Makin (containing 53rdnd 138th RCT's/HQ/Base Force etc.)

Each invasion target will be covered by 2 x CV divisions and 1 x BB Division.

I expect no enemy resistance other than submarines and maybe airstrikes from Maloelap/Kwajalein.

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SS Skipjack let me down big time today. She missed not 1 but 2 ships in the space of 5 hours. Firstly, she missed ML Nuwashima. Then later on she missed PC CH10[8|]

SS Capelin had her 4 torpedoes fail to detonate against the hull of Tanker Tennan Maru 120 miles ESE of Batan Island.

SS Muskallunge did well in penetrating an escort composed of 4 x IJN DD, 2 x MSW and 3 x PG before putting a fish into the loaded AP Hasuna Maru in the middle of the Phillipine Sea.

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CVL Bataan, SS Archerfish, 1 x LST and 1 x AK arrive at San Francisco tomorrow.

[BrucePowers]

That's what I like to see, more carriers[:)]

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Hi Bruce - Aye. Never have enough CV's. Bataan will stay in San Francisco for now. She is not needed at the moment.

Well today my invsion forces steamed towards Apamama and Makin. It must have been quite a sight to see so many ships!

The weather was good. No enemy aircraft attacked my ships. With 100's of Hellcats at the ready it would have been foolish anyway. The only enemy planes active were 2 x Mavis and a sub based Glen. The Glen was chased and shot down by a patrolling Hellcat.

Talking of submarines what a day in the submarine war! An RO-Boat performed well. RO-64 managed to penetrate the huge escort screen around my Apamama bound transports. She lined herself up and fired 4 torpedoes at the loaded AP Elmore. 1 hit causing severe fires in the forward compartments! Luckily damage is not severe and the fires just need to be extinguished. My escorts were majorly p*ssed at failing the transports and 3 of them located and worked together to systematically annihilate RO-64. She was confirmed sunk.

SS Capelin heavily damaged AK Akashi Maru with a torpedo 120 miles ESE of Batan Island. 3 & 1/2 hours later she spotted a large class tanker (Kokuyo Maru) but she missed the target!

SS Grouper was tracked by 3 x MSW which she managed to elude 240 miles SE of Camranh Bay.

SS Skipjack made up for yesterday by sinking AK Kunikawa Maru over 2 separate attacks. The first damaged her and forced her to slow down. The 2nd put 2 more fish into the damaged hull and she quickly capsized.

SS Raton fired her last 6 torpedoes at AK Sagara Maru 120 miles north of Pagan. 1 hit causing moderate damage. DD Asanagi dropped some DC's nearby causing minor damage.

SS Cabrilla was hunted by an ASW TF throughout the day. The 5 x IJN DD's performed well as did my submarine. By late afternoon she had escaped the attacker but not within flooding in rear compartments. The captain has said damage is not severe enough to abort and she is to relocated 60 miles further SW.

SS Spearfish hit AK Tazima Maru but the torpedoes failed to detonate. This took place 180 NE of Sorong.

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Quite an exciting day overall. I can't wait to take Apamama and Makin and to fly in squadrons of planes. My area of 'influence' can then expand further [:)]

An LST arrives in theatre tomorrow.

I forgot to also add supply and fuel ships left Baker Island today. 144,000 tonnes of supply will be moved to Apamama and 240,000 tonnes of supply and fuel will be unloaded at Makin.

[Wellard]

I have to tell somebody this even though this might not be the right place to do so.
 
I set up a first year scenario as a HtoH because I wanted to try out some different strategies for both sides.The only non defaulted setting was variable deployment.
 
Anyway its now Dec 12th and the KB is in tatters.Only Soryu and Hiryu are left
 
 
How you may ask.Well the US carriers hit the KB whilst the PH raid was in progress and crippled the other 4 along with 2 DDs and a CL.Whats more they failed to sink a single ship in PH and missed the Maryland and Wee-Vee entirely.
 
Dec 8th Lady Lex and the big E spent hunting crippled Jap carriers
 
Is this a unique occurence?
 
 
WE NOW RETURN YOU TO OUR SCHEDULED PROGRAM

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Wellard

I have to tell somebody this even though this might not be the right place to do so.

I set up a first year scenario as a HtoH because I wanted to try out some different strategies for both sides.The only non defaulted setting was variable deployment.

Anyway its now Dec 12th and the KB is in tatters.Only Soryu and Hiryu are left


How you may ask.Well the US carriers hit the KB whilst the PH raid was in progress and crippled the other 4 along with 2 DDs and a CL.Whats more they failed to sink a single ship in PH and missed the Maryland and Wee-Vee entirely.

Dec 8th Lady Lex and the big E spent hunting crippled Jap carriers

Is this a unique occurence?


WE NOW RETURN YOU TO OUR SCHEDULED PROGRAM

Nope - not unique. Someone defeated Japan in 2 days once due to a similar setup...

[pauk]

ORIGINAL: Speedy

Never have enough CV's.

That's telling enough about your skill[8D]

And explains how you managed to win in some suspicious unconfirmed games....
[;)][:'(]