Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: Nomad

More musings.

If did indeed hit a CV, there are none that can fit into the repair shipyard
at Truk. So it will have to return back to the Home Islands for repair.
That will take a while. And that does take 71( if it is Hiryu ) aircraft away.

I did move a PBY unit into Buka to give me double coverage in the Rabaul - Kavieng - Manus area
Maybe I will spot KB this turn. It is unnerving to know that KB is near and not know where it is.

I am not moving my ACTFs this turn, I will wait to see if I spot KB.

Truk has no repair yards. Or does it in your variants' game? [&:]

Could losses of your searching patrol aircraft show where KB is during the turn?

March 25, 1943

Yes, he purchased a size 15 repair shipyard for Truk and a size 15 for Babeldaob.

I did not lose any PBYs last turn

I still do not see KB. There is a TF 7 hexes North of Manus. Mouse over shows 4 ships and
no aircraft. It is moving NE. I have a sub one hex NW of it. I will send it on a path to try and intercept.
I have no idea what it could be.

I moved a PBY unit to Umboi Island, again to broaden my search. I have sent recon over Manus, Kavieng, and
Rabaul every turn and they do not show any ships in port or aircraft on the ground.

I am sending recon to three bases with ports on the North side of New guinea. Wewak, Aitape, and Hollandia to
see if there are any ships in port there.

Going through the next turn, I see a lot of my subs around Manus report being sighted

SS Thresher reports having been sighted by the enemy at 101 , 118

SS Tambor reports having been sighted by the enemy at 102 , 118

SS Searaven reports having been sighted by the enemy at 99 , 118

SS Sealion reports having been sighted by the enemy at 98 , 118

SS Pompano reports having been sighted by the enemy at 101 , 117

SS Pollack reports having been sighted by the enemy at 101 , 119

Makes me wonder. These are all North and West of Manus.

As per usual, CV Hiryu showed up on the sunk ship list, but there were no
CV aircraft lost on the field. So, bogus report. [8D]

March 26, 1943

At Rabaul DMS Perry did indeed find a minefield but only cleared one mine.
Given the number of CMs I have seen around the area the last month or so,
I expect that all three of the major bases in the area will be mined.

TF 297 encounters mine field at Rabaul (106,125) - Coastal Guns Fire Back!

10 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Allied Ships
DMS Perry, Shell hits 1

DMS Perry firing at 10th Special Base Force
10th Special Base Force firing at DMS Perry
1 mine cleared

DMS Perry suffered no damage.
======================================
An interesting thing is that none of my subs reported
being spotted this turn. does that mean KB moved further North?
I did not spot it this turn again. The TF I was seeing last turn
has also disappeared, none of my subs found it.
There is a new TF shown 4 hexes NE of Manus of size 3. I think it
is probably an ASW TF to try and clear the area of subs.

My recon at Manus shows 15 Aux aircraft there.
All my attack TFs that are now two hexes from Kavieng have high detection levels now.
I assume they were picked up by what are probably Mavis seaplanes or something like that.

Recons of the three bases on the North side of New Guinea showed nothing.

Some players cancel their ASW and Nav Search from their carriers when they want to go ghost mode. Risky if they are in an area that the Allies might have forces, but not too risky if there are just scattered subs. By now Japanese DDs should be fairly competent at ASW.

March 27, 1943

I agree BBfanboy, but I look to the fact that he didn't the turn before that he might not have.
And my PBYs are not seeing KB anywhere.

Again, no sign of KB. Weather cancelled my bombing of Manus, and the recon too.

Nothing else happened anywhere.

March 28, 1943

Interesting turn

SS Petco much have all the working Mk-14s

Sub attack near Truk at 110,106

Japanese Ships
ARD Dublon ARD, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
PB Takuna Maru #6

Allied Ships
SS Peto

SS Peto launches 2 torpedoes at ARD Dublon ARD
Peto diving deep ....
PB Takuna Maru #6 fails to find sub, continues to search...
PB Takuna Maru #6 fails to find sub, continues to search...
PB Takuna Maru #6 fails to find sub, continues to search...
PB Takuna Maru #6 fails to find sub, continues to search...
PB Takuna Maru #6 fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub


---------------------------------------------

Sub attack near Truk at 110,106

Japanese Ships
PB Takuna Maru #6, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage

Allied Ships
SS Peto

SS Peto launches 2 torpedoes
Peto diving deep ....
Sub escapes detection

She launched 4 torpedos, 3 hit and 3 exploded.
===========================================
Airfield at Manus bombed

Morning Air attack on Manus , at 101,119

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 10 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-24D Liberator x 12

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-15-II Babs: 1 destroyed on ground

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
7 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Airbase hits 10
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 35

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x B-24D Liberator bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb



---------------------------------------------

Morning Air attack on Manus , at 101,119

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 26 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-24D Liberator x 33

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-15-II Babs: 2 destroyed on ground

No Allied losses

Airbase hits 22
Airbase supply hits 8
Runway hits 25

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x B-24D Liberator bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
10 x B-24D Liberator bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
11 x B-24D Liberator bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb



---------------------------------------------

Afternoon Air attack on Manus , at 101,119

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 17 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 27

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIc Tojo: 5 destroyed on ground
Ki-15-II Babs: 1 destroyed on ground

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
26 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Airbase hits 13
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 27

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
9 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
9 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb



---------------------------------------------

Afternoon Air attack on Manus , at 101,119

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 36 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 18

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIc Tojo: 3 destroyed on ground
Ki-15-II Babs: 1 destroyed on ground

No Allied losses

Airbase hits 5
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 15

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
9 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb

Tracker shows 12 Tojos and 8 Babs destroyed on field.

No sign of KB

March 29, 1943

Cleared 113 mines at Rabaul and there seems to be more
I had 4 AMs and a SC in the TF. Two of the AMs were hit by shell fire
and will return to base for repairs.
====================================
The best way to deal with Tojos is to kill them on the ground and
damage the airbase so they can't fly somewhere else

Afternoon Air attack on Manus , at 101,119

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid detected at 15 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 18

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIc Tojo: 2 destroyed on ground

No Allied losses

Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 3

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
9 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb



---------------------------------------------

Afternoon Air attack on Manus , at 101,119

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid detected at 39 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 18

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIc Tojo: 2 destroyed on ground

No Allied losses

Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 7

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
9 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb



---------------------------------------------

Afternoon Air attack on Manus , at 101,119

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid detected at 39 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 9

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-15-II Babs: 1 destroyed on ground

No Allied losses

Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 4

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb

Tracker lists 8 Tojo and 1 Babs destroyed on the ground
Recon shows the airfield with 84 damage and no more aircraft.
=============================================

Just discovering the minefield makes a big difference in avoiding mine hits. If your remaining minesweepers get hit you should probably be able to withdraw them and not have too much trouble from the minefield.

March 30, 1943

Cleared another 85 mines at Rabaul.
The other two AMs took shell hits and will retire.
My SC hit a mine( cleared it ) and sank.
I have a TF with 4 MSYs and 2 PCs that just arrived in the hex
and will clear more mines tomorrow. I am not showing any mines at Rabaul
now. I wonder if I got them all?
Thinking about this, I have noticed that often when the last mine is swept
by a non minesweeping ship, it clears it by setting it off. [:)]

SS Pollack ran into some DDs and suffered. She is heavily damaged
but might make it back to a port.

I bombed the airfield at Manus again. Even though my recon shows no aircraft
there, Tracker says I destroyed 12 aircraft on the ground.

March 31, 1943

My Bombardment TF went into Rabaul, they found a sub

Submarine attack near Rabaul at 106,125

Japanese Ships
SS RO-64, hits 12, and is sunk

Allied Ships
DD Conyngham
DD Case
BB Mississippi, Torpedo hits 2

SS RO-64 is sighted by escort
DD Conyngham attacking submerged sub ....
SS RO-64 forced to surface!
DD Conyngham firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Case firing on surfaced sub ....
BB Mississippi firing on surfaced sub ....
Sub slips beneath the waves

BB Mississippi should be fine.

==========================================
BB New Mexico and BB Idaho bombarded Rabaul

Night Naval bombardment of Rabaul at 106,125

Allied Ships
BB New Mexico
BB Idaho

Japanese ground losses:
369 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 8 destroyed, 29 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 3 disabled

Airbase hits 6
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 16
Port hits 1
Port fuel hits 1

OS2U-3 Kingfisher acting as spotter for BB New Mexico
BB New Mexico firing at Rabaul
BB Idaho firing at Rabaul

=====================================
Bombed Manus airfield and destroyed another 4 Tojos

No mines were swept at Rabaul, I guess I got them all

There is a sub in the hex at Buka, I wonder if it laid mines or is trying to attack something?

Ho, ho, heidi ho, off to Rabaul I go.

April 1, 1943

If I had told my amphibious TF to unload I could attack, but since I didn't, it will have to wait until next turn.

I hurt a sub NW of Rabaul

Sub attack near Rabaul at 106,124

Japanese Ships
SS RO-63, hits 3, heavy damage

Allied Ships
CL Phoenix
CL St. Louis
DD Maury
DD McCall

SS RO-63 launches 6 torpedoes at CL Phoenix
RO-63 diving deep ....
DD Maury fails to find sub and abandons search
DD McCall fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD McCall fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD McCall fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD McCall fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD McCall fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD McCall attacking submerged sub ....
Escort abandons search for sub

================================
I sank one at buka


ASW attack near Buka at 109,128

Japanese Ships
SS I-6, hits 20, heavy damage

Allied Ships
DMS Dorsey
DMS Lamberton
AK Procyon
AK Arcturus
xAP Marella
xAP Macdhui
xAP Rangatira
xAP Duntroon
xAP Devonshire
DE Chew
DE Bulmer
DMS Elliot

SS I-6 is sighted by escort
DE Chew attacking submerged sub ....
DE Bulmer fails to find sub, continues to search...
DMS Elliot attacking submerged sub ....
SS I-6 eludes DMS Elliot by hugging bottom
DE Chew fails to find sub and abandons search
DE Bulmer attacking submerged sub ....
Debris floats to surface in area of attack!
Escort abandons search for sub
====================================
I am not sure why, but he took Nadzab with paratroops
It had recently reverted to my control


Ground combat at Nadzab (98,125)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 74 troops, 2 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 6

Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 0

Japanese adjusted assault: 7

Allied adjusted defense: 1

Japanese assault odds: 7 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Nadzab !!!

Combat modifiers
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(-)

Assaulting units:
Yokosuka Assault SNLF /1

====================================
His Nells tried to hit the amphibious TF with no luck

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Rabaul at 106,125

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 47 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 17 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G3M3 Nell x 9

Allied aircraft
P-39D Airacobra x 8
F4F-4 Wildcat x 3
F4U-1 Corsair x 7
F6F-3 Hellcat x 18

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M3 Nell: 5 destroyed

No Allied losses

CAP engaged:
VF-35 with F6F-3 Hellcat (10 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(10 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
10 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 20000.
Raid is overhead
VF-37 with F4F-4 Wildcat (3 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(3 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 6000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 6000.
Raid is overhead
VMF-213 /B with F6F-3 Hellcat (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 8 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 10000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 16 minutes
VMF-111 with F4U-1 Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 7 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 26 minutes
18th FG/12th FS with P-39D Airacobra (8 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
8 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 8000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 8000.
Raid is overhead

=============================================================

April 2, 1943

Landed at Rabaul

It looks like I have enough to take the base
but it might take a turn or two

all of my troops landed with 99 morale, 8-9 fatigue, and 0 disruption
and my units have about 30,000 supply total

Ground combat at Rabaul (106,125)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 3133 troops, 22 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 177

Defending force 29380 troops, 429 guns, 791 vehicles, Assault Value = 937

Japanese ground losses:
47 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
8 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Assaulting units:
82nd Naval Guard Unit
83rd Naval Guard Unit
64th Naval Guard Unit
10th Special Base Force

Defending units:
763rd Tank Battalion
762nd Tank Battalion
37th Infantry Division
110th Combat Engineer Battalion
43rd Infantry Division
III US Corps
=====================================
Got another sub

Submarine attack near Rabaul at 106,125

Japanese Ships
SS I-168, hits 19, and is sunk

Allied Ships
DD Perkins
BB Colorado
BB Maryland
CL Concord
CL Marblehead
CL Raleigh
AM Matai
AM Chignecto
AM Ungava
AM Tui
AM Moa
AM Junee
APA Crescent City
APA President Adams
APA President Jackson
APA U.S. Grant
APA George F. Elliot
APA Heywood
APA Hunter Liggett
APA Henry T. Allen
APA Wharton
AK Mercury
AK Electra
AK Alcyon
AK Titania
AK Algorab
AK Alchiba
AK Alhena
LST-459
LST-456
LST-451
LST-449
LST-19
LST-18
LCI-24
LCI-23
xAKL Sibolga
xAKL Siaoe
xAKL Bintoehan
xAKL Mauban
xAKL Luzon
xAKL Legazpi
xAKL Compagnia Filipinas
DD Tucker
DD Flusser
DD Smith

SS I-168 launches 2 torpedoes at DD Perkins
DD Tucker fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Flusser fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Smith fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Perkins attacking submerged sub ....
DD Perkins loses contact with SS I-168
DD Perkins attacking submerged sub ....
DD Perkins cannot reach attack position over SS I-168
SS I-168 eludes DD Perkins by hugging bottom
DD Perkins fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Perkins attacking submerged sub ....
DD Perkins loses contact with SS I-168
SS I-168 forced to surface!
DD Tucker firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Flusser firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Smith firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Tucker firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Flusser firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Smith firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Tucker firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Flusser firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Smith firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Tucker firing on surfaced sub ....
Sub slips beneath the waves

=======================================
Looks like either there were more mines that were undetected or he laid some more with subs

TF 8 encounters mine field at Rabaul (106,125)

Allied Ships
AM Bengal
AM Punjab
AM Madras
AM Bombay
AM Kiwi
AM Swallow
AM Starling
AM Skylark

52 mines cleared


---------------------------------------------

TF 108 encounters mine field at Rabaul (106,125)

Allied Ships
AM Matai
AM Chignecto
AM Ungava
AM Tui
AM Moa
AM Junee
DD Flusser
DD Perkins
BB Colorado, Mine hits 1

19 mines cleared

BB Colorado has minimal damage 5 sys, 3 float, 1 fire.

There are no more mines showing at Rabaul

============================
and for some reason he again used paratoops to take an base that
has no bearing on anything.


Ground combat at Wau (98,126)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 48 troops, 2 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 4

Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 0

Japanese adjusted assault: 5

Allied adjusted defense: 1

Japanese assault odds: 5 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Wau !!!

Combat modifiers
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(-)

Assaulting units:
Yokosuka Assault SNLF /2

===========================================

Bombed the airfield on Manus again and destroyed 2 more Tojos.

These TFs have been in this hex for 3 turns and they sill do not show any detection
They are in the hex NW of Rabaul.

April 3, 1943

You would think that a player would issue the most important order for a turn,
but I am proving to be deficient in that area. I forgot to give the order
to attack at Rabaul. [:(] This is me [>:] asleep at the wheel. [8|]

I didn't sink this sub outright, but I got 2 reported direct hits and the rest
were damage hits. I doubt it will make it.

ASW attack near Kavieng at 106,122

Japanese Ships
SS I-16, hits 13, heavy damage

Allied Ships
DD Aulick

SS I-16 is sighted by escort
DD Aulick fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Aulick fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Aulick attacking submerged sub ....
DD Aulick attacking submerged sub ....
SS I-16 eludes ASW attack from DD Aulick
SS I-16 eludes ASW attack from DD Aulick
Escort abandons search for sub

====================================
Swept 47 more mines at Rabaul, AM Swallow cleared one by hitting it and sinking. [:(]

I bombed the airfield at Manus, no more aircraft were destroyed on the ground
Kavieng is showing ships disbanded in port, I will hit the port next turn

ORIGINAL: Nomad

April 3, 1943

You would think that a player would issue the most important order for a turn,
but I am proving to be deficient in that area. I forgot to give the order
to attack at Rabaul. [:(] This is me [>:] asleep at the wheel. [8|]

Been there done that!

In my last turn I've sent 150 4Es to bomb the airfield of Kukong (inland China) and all missed the airfield. WTF? Checking the combat report again I noticed I have set them to port attack and again WTF? One can port bomb an inland base that doesn't even have a port? Well yeah, one can...[8|]

April 4, 1943

More mines swept at Rabaul. Will he ever run out of sub laid mines? [&:]

TF 8 encounters mine field at Rabaul (106,125) - Coastal Guns Fire Back!

39 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Allied Ships
AM Bengal, Shell hits 6
AM Punjab, Shell hits 1
AM Madras, Shell hits 1
AM Bombay, Shell hits 2
AM Kiwi, Shell hits 4
AM Starling, Shell hits 3
AM Skylark, Shell hits 3, on fire

10th Special Base Force firing at AM Bengal
AM Bengal firing at 10th Special Base Force
AM Punjab firing at 10th Special Base Force
10th Special Base Force firing at AM Punjab
10th Special Base Force firing at AM Madras
AM Madras firing at 10th Special Base Force
AM Bombay firing at 10th Special Base Force
10th Special Base Force firing at AM Bombay
AM Kiwi firing at 10th Special Base Force
10th Special Base Force firing at AM Kiwi
AM Starling firing at 10th Special Base Force
10th Special Base Force firing at AM Starling
AM Skylark firing at 10th Special Base Force
10th Special Base Force firing at AM Skylark
41 mines cleared

No mines shown, I will leave 4 of they least damaged on patrol.

======================================
SS Swordfish returning to Perth for fuel finds this, no hits but
interesting TF. One of his best CAs roaming the DEI.

ASW attack near Billiton at 53,92

Japanese Ships
CA Mogami
DD Isonami
DD Usugumo
DD Shikinami

Allied Ships
SS Swordfish, hits 4

SS Swordfish is sighted by escort

Some damage, but she will make it to Perth and repair and refuel.
==========================================================
Amazing, if you give your units orders to do something good things can happen

Ground combat at Rabaul (106,125)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 27145 troops, 429 guns, 731 vehicles, Assault Value = 939

Defending force 6897 troops, 42 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 172

Allied engineers reduce fortifications to 2

Allied adjusted assault: 1530

Japanese adjusted defense: 113

Allied assault odds: 13 to 1 (fort level 2)

Allied forces CAPTURE Rabaul !!!

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

Japanese ground losses:
1150 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 85 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 17 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 23 (12 destroyed, 11 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
145 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Vehicles lost 19 (1 destroyed, 18 disabled)

Assaulting units:
762nd Tank Battalion
110th Combat Engineer Battalion
37th Infantry Division
763rd Tank Battalion
43rd Infantry Division
III US Corps

Defending units:
83rd Naval Guard Unit
82nd Naval Guard Unit
64th Naval Guard Unit
10th Special Base Force
====================================
Most bombers in the South Pacific stood down due to weather. [:(]

April 5, 1943

Looks like KB is out in the Marshal Islands now

ASW attack near Ebon at 131,122

Japanese Ships
BB Kirishima
BB Hiei
CA Chokai
CA Takao
DD Hatsuzuki
DD Akizuki
DD Kasumi
DD Tanikaze
DD Urakaze
DD Shiranui

Allied Ships
SS Tullibee, hits 5

SS Tullibee is sighted by escort

Minor damage, she is heading back to Pearl for repairs
=================================
Clean up on Rabaul continues

April 6, 1943

Cleanup on Rabaul continues

Recon and bombing show there is Naval Guard and a JNAF BF on Kavieng.
I will be bombing and bombarding them to see if I can eliminate them that way.

I tried to get into a possible shoot out with KB, but it looks like he retreated
back to the Northwest.

April 7, 1943

Rabaul cleanup done. All enemy units destroyed, all damage to port and airfield repaired and port and airfield being upgraded.
As far as I can tell it will take me about 30-35 days to upgrade both to their maximum.

KB has disappeared from the Marshall Islands.