[font="Times New Roman"]MAY 30 - 31, 1942[/font]
[font="Microsoft Sans Serif"]
SUBS: [/font]The Pike got a nice little tanker coming out of Balikpapan. Sargo attacked and almost got another but only launched two torps instead of the four the Pike skipper used. I'll have to check those ratings, again. Need some new 90 day wonders to get through the training program though. Running out of quality picks for sub captains.
[font="Microsoft Sans Serif"]
INDIA: [/font]Tried a bit of a risky move with the 4Es and it bit me in the ass. It looked from recon like there were only 30 fighters and about 80 bombers and 50 auxiliary planes in Madras. The last time I flew here m B-17D flight of 8 planes made it through the CAP and had one loss from flak on a port attack. This time I wasn't so lucky.
All of the 4E groups came in separately after the first two and the CAP just got stronger. We barely touched the fields and ended up with 12 4E lost on the day!! Ouch. [:(]
My bad though. I have to be patient. Their time will come, and it won't be too long. I have to sweep and escort. I know the drill. Just to much too early here, so back to the hanger for some patching, and in a few weeks they'll be ready to try it again.
Oh, also. I set them to 8k to try to get under CAP and also avoid the balloons. Seems the balloons were also at 8k. How high do they go?
[font="Microsoft Sans Serif"]
Pacific: [/font]Still not even getting detection on any TFs moving either in So Pac or in Cent Pac. I'll risk a few more deep fast transport moves.
[font="Microsoft Sans Serif"]
CHINA: [/font] The Pingsiang area seems to have stabilized. Looks like what I have to do is place one unit on combat and the rest in reserve to conserve supplies and keep them from taking damage in the bombardment. The one unit in combat mode takes the hits, the others build up continually. Then I can switch out the fighting unit after it has gotten worn down or low morale. I tried using all on reserve, but one units always reverts to combat during the bombardment, so this seems to work better as I can choose which I want to fight.
Still forming the rear line. Takes a while to get off road. Sending some units back fro the Sian area to get in the woods to beef up the second line there as well. The AV at Sian topped 2500 yesterday. That from around 1800 a few months ago after the attack there, so slowly but surely troops are building back to strength. There are still about 700 disabled infantry squads in these units though.
[font="Trebuchet MS"]--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR May 30, 42
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack near Donggala at 69,96
Japanese Ships
TK Samui Maru, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
PB Tama Maru #5
Allied Ships
SS Pike
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Madras , at 35,40
Weather in hex: Moderate rain
Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes no radar working yet.
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 36
Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 6
LB-30 Liberator x 6
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 1 destroyed on ground
Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed, 4 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed by flak
LB-30 Liberator: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged
LB-30 Liberator: 1 destroyed by flak
Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 1
Aircraft Attacking:
5 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 6000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb
2 x LB-30 Liberator bombing from 8000 feet
Airfield Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
CAP engaged:
15th Ku S-1 with A6M2 Zero (4 airborne, 12 on standby, 20 scrambling)
4 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 36 minutes
Fujiwara G. in a A6M2 Zero makes head on attack ... forces B-17E Fortress out of formation
Kawakami B. in a A6M2 Zero makes head on attack ... forces LB-30 Liberator out of formation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Madras , at 35,40
Weather in hex: Moderate rain
Raid detected at 36 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 16
Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 9
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 1 destroyed on ground
Ki-56 Thalia: 1 destroyed on ground
Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 8 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed by flak
Runway hits 4
Aircraft Attacking:
6 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 6000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb
3 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 6000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/font]
Pilots: Interesting. I have to guys in TRACOM that I know about. How did this happen? [:)]
[font="Trebuchet MS"]Accelerated training for 10 Chinese pilots from month-cycle 10[/font]
Ships Sunk:
[font="Trebuchet MS"]TK Samui Maru is reported to have been sunk near Donggala on May 30, 1942
xAK Nagara Maru is reported to have been sunk near San Fernando on Dec 09, 1941[/font]
[font="Trebuchet MS"]This beast did pretty well with the Chinese pilots recently against the zero. One of the fun parts of PDU-off is that it's possible and in fact necessary to use every airframe available in some capacity. Once the Vanguard arrives I'l be able to consolidate the I-15s and I-16s and have one group of those too. They're the only Allied planes that can rival the Japanese in maneuverability and should be good for lower levels of CAP once pilots have some decent defensive skills. That takes a while though, as few Chinese group leaders have the requisite stats. [/font]
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill
[/center]
You will need it from late 43 and beyond when the Allied steamroller gets moving. SL make it more necessary.