Rookie II - Saving MacArthur - against opponent no. 5

[Leandros]

Sitrap March 24th 1945

Today Banggi Island was captured by US Marines after two days of all-out attacks on the ground and regular naval bombardments, mainly by destroyer-type forces, for a period. Banggi Island is situated outside the north-eastern corner of Borneo in the sound between Borneo and Palawan Island. It has the potential to block off the South China Sea.

During the night the Imperial Navy tried, in its first real effort, to interdict the landings and fighting ashore, by sending in its most precious jewels, the battleships Yamato and Musashi, escorted by four modern destroyers. The US forces had been forewarned of such a possibility as several battleships and carrier groups were known to be positioned north of Palawan Island. USN destroyer task forces already on their way to bombard Banggi Island were therefore able to inctercept the powerful Japanese formation before it could do much harm to the defenseless amphibious vessels. Only exception was a group of four APDs which bumped into the enemy force only after this had fought out battles with two other USN destroyer and DM/DMS groups. These groups did exceptionally well considering the opposition. The first one, headed by the venerable USS Aaron Ward II, had too been through an engagement, with a Japanese "E" ship. She got away but is claimed to have been heavily damaged. In the following, main, engagement, DD Smalley was sunk but the group as a whole suffered little while both the Japanese Mammuts suffered many hits, if not serious ones. During the night they were both attacked by USN Avengers and PBYs as they withdrew towards north-east.

In the meantime an allied carrier TF was kept in reserve south of Tawi Tawi.

The British forces besieging Padang on Sumatra did not do so well. After a long build-up period, the last two days have seen all-out attacks on the well dug-in defenders to no avail and with heavy losses. Shall the British continue the siege or look for another short-cut across the large landmass of Sumatra?

Fred

P.S.: Funny this thing with Yamato and Musashi - both have allegedly been sunk on several occasions. But - NO!

[Mark VII]

3 of 5 here....

The 3/24/45 Yamato/Musashi sortie was not entirely my first effort at Banggi.

Three USMC regiments and and a Arty Bn landed on March 20th. On the 21st, I had KB, with four (all with very good carrier commanders) TF's with about 200 a/c each,7 hexes away in the low South China Sea ready to strike with very good night and day air searches over Banggi. No aircraft launched on a offensive mission!

For the 22nd, I moved KB one hex up, now six hexes away. In the late AM they launched 94 fighters and only 42 strike a/c. The fighters, (40 A6M8's and 54 A7M2's) blew thru the LR cap (2xKittyhawk IV, 9xP-51D, 2xF4U-1A and 79xF6F-5), losing 12 VF's while downing 14 American fighters. The bombers got thru untouched. The 18 B7A2's and 24 D4Y3 bombers scored 4xtorpedo and 8x500Kg SAP bomb hits on Fred's reinforcement TF's while only losing one a/c each to flak. APA Drew took 5x500Kg SAP hits and surely will sink or at least out of the war for a long time looking for a repair shipyard. A LCI(G) and two LST's each took a torpedo and were seen to sink with a loss of 49 Guns and 39 Vehicles. It would seem that a couple of USMC arty Bn's sank within sight of Banggi. A DE took a torp, another DE received one 500 Kg SAP and a third DE took two 500 Kg SAP bomb hits. The three DE's are maybe or maybe not sunk but are out of the war for a while.

Then first thing in the PM on the 22nd, 59 A7M2 Sam's and 24 Hiryu B7A2 dive bombers arrived over Banggi getting 16x250 kg SAP Bombs on three USN minesweepers sinking all three. Pretty good hit percentage but maybe attack some more transports or real warships please?

Sad that KB sent less than 25% of it's strike a/c against some well-spotted juicy transports.

Also in the morning of the 22nd, BB Richelieu, 4x heavy cruisers, 2xCL's and one CLAA in three TF's bombarded Banggi.

On the 23rd I pulled back KB a few hexes but left the Yamato TF 5 hexes away with heavy LR-cap expecting a USN carrier counter attack. None came.

Thinking he may return with his heavies on the morning of the 24th, I sent the Yamato TF onto Banggi looking/hoping for a major engagement with larger ships. Also moved KB forward now 6 hexes away wanting a bigger strike a/c contribution plus provide LR cap for the BB's. Nearby fighter units were ordered in to sweep to help run down his LR cap to help the carrier strike to get thru.

nope nope and nope.

No heavy enemy ships, just two TF's of DD's mixed with DM's, sinking one and damaging the rest. Also came across 4 APD's that were carrying troops, all four hit hard with multiple 15.5cm hits but none seen to sink. Fred claims "the Japanese Mammuts suffered many hits, if not serious ones." but the next morning, crews on the Yamato and Musashi found only a couple of odd scratch marks on the hull and upper works as they searched for damage from the engagement.

During the day of the 24th, no sweeps and no KB air strike. Banggi falls. Maybe I'm not allowed to sweep my own base???

Today Banggi is a heavily damaged level 1(4) airbase, it will soon be a much larger airfield probably causing problems in the South China Sea.

terry

Sitrap March 24th 1945

Today Banggi Island was captured by US Marines after two days of all-out attacks on the ground and regular naval bombardments, mainly by destroyer-type forces, for a period. Banggi Island is situated outside the north-eastern corner of Borneo in the sound between Borneo and Palawan Island. It has the potential to block off the South China Sea.

During the night the Imperial Navy tried, in its first real effort, to interdict the landings and fighting ashore, by sending in its most precious jewels, the battleships Yamato and Musashi, escorted by four modern destroyers. The US forces had been forewarned of such a possibility as several battleships and carrier groups were known to be positioned north of Palawan Island. USN destroyer task forces already on their way to bombard Banggi Island were therefore able to inctercept the powerful Japanese formation before it could do much harm to the defenseless amphibious vessels. Only exception was a group of four APDs which bumped into the enemy force only after this had fought out battles with two other USN destroyer and DM/DMS groups. These groups did exceptionally well considering the opposition. The first one, headed by the venerable USS Aaron Ward II, had too been through an engagement, with a Japanese "E" ship. She got away but is claimed to have been heavily damaged. In the following, main, engagement, DD Smalley was sunk but the group as a whole suffered little while both the Japanese Mammuts suffered many hits, if not serious ones. During the night they were both attacked by USN Avengers and PBYs as they withdrew towards north-east.

Fred

P.S.: Funny this thing with Yamato and Musashi - both have allegedly been sunk on several occasions. But - NO!

[Leandros]

Thank you, Terry, excellent de-briefing! Your intelligence officers may know something you don't...

Fred

P.S.: One of the APDs did actually sink but most of the crew and passengers were saved.

[Leandros]

March 27 1945

Yesterday Aussie forces started landing on Balalac Island, north-west of Banggi Island. That day the Imperial Navy seemed rather passive while their fly-boys revelled in a virtual massacre of a large group of landing craft leaving the area.

This morning, however, the Imperial Navy put their heart in it - again sending in the "Big Twins" - battleships Musashi and Yamato, accompanied by a Takao-class heavy cruiser and several destroyers. Ahead of them was a sub-chaser which made first contact with a group of landing craft about to leave the area. Even if the landing craft were escorted by three destroyer escorts this single enemy ship managed to do much damage to the landing craft, two LCI(R)s were sunk.

Worse was to come, however, Behind the subchaser followed the enemy battleship group. The whole landing craft group was massacred, its escorts, too. This may not have been the smart thing to do, however, because, as the drawn-out battle developed, distress signals were picked up by an allied cruiser task force on its way to bombard the defenders of Balalac Island, headed by USS Boston with two other heavy cruisers and two light cruisers. Some destroyers, too. The Imperial sailors after a short while, distances were down to 3.000 yards, had eventually to turn tail. They must have had very little ammo left after the previous gun-fest. The "Big Twins" got away unscathed but on the Takao-class cruiser, which covered the withdrawal, a couple of dozen hits were claimed registered.

This cruiser was conspiciously missing as the second blow fell on the Japanese flotilla - a second allied cruiser group headed by USS Guam, one of only two US so-called battle-cruisers. With her were light cruiser Denver and six destroyers. They were, too, on their way to bombard Balalac Island. This time the Japanese battleships did not get away with it so easily. Several hits were claimed on both Musashi and Yamato. USS Guam sports 12-in. guns. Two of the enemy destroyers were sunk, one by torpedo.

Today the Japanese fly-boys made little trouble for the allied ships, an attack by 20 "Bettys" against USS Denver as it withdrew south was handled by the ship's FLAK and some fancy maneuvering. An attack on USS Randolph by six "Frances", escorted by a dozen KI-83s, was repulsed with heavy losses for the aggressors. A Japanese fighter sweep over Banggi at max. altitude did give some results, though, nine-for-two.

In defense of his carriers the fighters as always did a good job, it seems like several hundred of them were allocated to that job. It was needed as as many allied bombers were launched from bases around the Celebes Sea, Borneo and the Jolos. Even B-29s bombing from 20.000 feet. Not untill the afternoon did this give any results - a strike force flying from allied carriers positioned just north of the Jolos found a five-force carrier group. Two torpedo hits are claimed on a fast escort carrier. The attack was carrried out by 22 Avengers escorted by more than 70 USN fighters. Later in the day a claim was made on a bomb hit on another escort carrier.

A milestone - the first allied carrier attack against an enemy ditto in a very long time.

Fred