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USS Louisville, in her haste to join up with the Lexington task force, cut the corner and ran over the Canton Island minefield. This is the sort of damage a type 93 mine does. I could really have done without another precious CA being damaged!

The Big E will join up with the CA and DMS tf that started at Johnston Island and patrol by the Eastern map edge until the KB turns back. Then they'll run for the West Coast. This new super aggressive Mike is a real pain in the arse! Lady Lex has taken Louisville under her wing and is heading south to Pago Pago to refuel before she makes her run for the West Coast (at this rate, via Panama!).

Good God.... It's like shooting ducks....[X(]

Here's the promised treat for the AFBs...

Sweet.  [8D]

The CVE tf and the Surface tf he managed to sneak into the Java Sea beat off a few attacks last turn. The T-IVa flight at Tarakan got two hits on the CVE Taiyo. The first one set off an ammo explosion and she sank. I have moved as many attack planes as I can into all the size 3 airfields available and my level bombers are going to come in at 9000ft. I should have his SAG and the CVEs covered whichever way they actually move. I have a squadron of B-17Es with 1000lb AP bombs stood down at Soerabaya. Hopefully next turn they will have recovered enough from their mammoth flight to come into play.

Mike's Nells at Legaspi beat up on all my ships at Cagayan. The B-17 raid I sent to Legaspi destroyed no planes and only scored 19 runway hits. I am moving the ships that can move to Davao as this will be the place I eventually have to take the 5th USAAF Base Force from when Cagayan becomes untenable.

Manila and Clark suffered one raid each. San Fernando fell.

Edit: I forgot to mention that I have sent an ANZAC and FF SAG off to Rabaul from Townsville.

With the torpedo hit you could not truly appreciate Dixie's artwork so here she is in her former glory...

Here's the promised treat for the AFBs...

And another jolly nice hit![:D]

ORIGINAL: Yava

Here's the promised treat for the AFBs...

And another jolly nice hit![:D]

It's nice to cause the first flattop casualty, but he is murdering me. Pac Flt is a hollow shell and there is no guarantee my CVs will make it home. PH will probably fall unless I can distract him elsewhere. I have taunted him about sending a CVE to do a CVs job, so hopefully the KB will come over to the DEI. His hits on my Cruisers at Tarakan were a real kick in the nuts too AND I have run out of my precious PTs at PH. I will be running Force Z (currently at Palembang) down to Makassar in case he leaves his SAG in the lion's mouth too long. I hope to hit some more of his ships next turn, but the losses list is well in his favour.

Yes, it is a slaughter so far, but all the more reason to enjoy the scraps you can.  [:D]

A small TK running from HK was hit by 8 Jakes launched by the tf in this screenie. I will leave the aircraft at Brunei in the hope of getting a raid off at these ships, but the planes at Kuching and the T-IVa's from Sinkawang have moved South. Balikpapan has been mined too, but I am hoping the diversion of two MSWs fleeing from Manila will take care of the problem.

ORIGINAL: USS America

Yes, it is a slaughter so far, but all the more reason to enjoy the scraps you can.  [:D]

I'm being positive Mike. This goes with the territory playing a JFB mod. Mike is doing really well this time round, especially at PH. It's bloody good fun! Hitting that CVE was sweet and seeing the KB run away from my PTs was funny. [:)]

An AK was sunk just off Singapore with Australian troops aboard. The sub was RO-63. TK Ebonol was hit by 1 torpedo from RO-66 and then finished off by 2 from RO-64.

It did not all go the sub's way though...

I-8 hit an AP with 2 torps just off the Channel entrance near Muscat. We always used to have a house rule about subs patrolling within four hexes of these entrances, but I will have to check we still do. I have ASW forces on the way (although the 2 escorts with the AP did not do a great job first time round.

16 Buffs and 5 P-40s got knocked down at Singapore but they prevented the raid. The rest of the AVG is now on site. 6 Zekes and 2 Bettys were downed in reply. CL Tokiwa and some AKs were hit at Kota Bharu. Tokiwa is on fire , but yet again no bombs penetrated her decks.

In China my ambush over Wuhan lost 3 Hawk 75s and two very experienced pilots to Mike's Nates. A squadron of SB-2s has been transferred to SE Asia Command and will bomb Tavoy AF from Rangoon. We will have to see what Mike thinks about this move...

12/12/41

The CVL KB appears to be holding a blocking position North West of PH. It will be almost impossible to get anything else out of PH. I have some undamaged DDs that can make good speed so I might attempt to run those South East at high speed in individual TFs at some point, but it looks like all the damaged ships are done for. The KB has disappeared. There were no attacks on the fleeing ships last turn. Just in case Enterprise had been seen and the KB has gone for her I am running the Enterprise group South at high speed. I do not have the fuel to run far, but I just need to make sure they do not get a nasty suprise tomorrow...

A-20s out of Palmyra hit the CL Awata Maru with 1 bomb at Kona. She is reported on fire. Port damage at PH remains at 5 and the AF is now 76/67. If Mike does not hit it again for some reason, I may be able to start flying strike missions tomorrow.

At Noumea the MSWs Kiwi, Moa and Tui were all sunk by one torpedo from 1-174. This is the only problem with grouping small ships together to free up slots...

I have sent another B-17E unit out to SWPAC via Canton Island before I lose the facility. All other bombers in CONUS have deployed to the coast with Naval Attack orders in case the KB is going to attempt a raid at the juicy big target that is San Franciso.

I am taking a risk at Seattle due to the dire situation (i.e. the potential loss of Hawaii and the Central Pacific). 41st Division, 183rd FA Regt and 18th Engineer Regt have all changed HQ to SOPAC and have orders for Noumea. They are moving by rail to SF to await a convoy. I have to move early to take advantage of the fact that Mike is commiting forces around Hawaii.

In the North 297th National Guard Bn is unloading at Umnak Island to forestall any snap invasion by light forces. It will be developed as a major Forward Air Base to protect Dutch Harbor.

Here is a screenie that demonstrates the chronic shortage of Cruisers to escort my CVs and the length of time this is going to hold me back...

I am hoping that this recon report is incorrect as I only have Cruisers in my raiding force. There have been no bombardments, which is what I'd expect if Battleships were still present.

Mike's SAG and the CVEs are retreating. I am moving Hudsons to Manado and putting all B-17s at Cagayan on Naval Attack in the hope of getting some parting shots in. Kates from the CVEs attacked AS Canopus twice but scored no hits. The last raid by the B-17s on Legaspi only scored 10 runway hits and yet again destroyed no planes. Nells and Bettys hit three of my transports and Manila and Clark each suffered a further air raid. Force Z is now making for Batavia. My minesweepers are attempting to clear Balikpapan and Batavia is now clear.

The damaged Marblehead and Boise are leaving for Brisbane under escort from DDs which will then put into Sydney for upgrade. Marblehead can make 14 knots and Boise 22 knots. They will join up with ships with similar speed for passage back to CONUS for repairs. Marblehead will probably end up in New Orleans. Houston still has float damage. The DD Pope left Balikpapan for Sydney. The 6 remaining DDs will attack the sub near Jolo.

In the PI my blocking force has reached Naga where it is facing a large unknown unit. Legaspi has 3000 troops left in it so I am going to experiment with the Low Capacity Ferries that allow units to cross between islands to attack Legaspi. 3/62nd Bn will move from Tacloban and 81st Div will move from Cebu. It might not work, but anything that slows Mike down is a bonus. Subs continue the slow evacuation of support units from Manila.

The Dutch AVD Fazant was torpedoed and sunk by RO-65. The counter attack did no real damage. Todays Singapore raid of 26 Zekes and 17 Bettys met 34 Buffs and 42 Tomahawks. 12 Zekes and 7 Bettys were lost against 6 Buffs and 4 Tomahawks. I reckon Mike will want revenge here. Hurricane replacements are slowly building up so we'll get to see what they can do by the end of the month. Does anybody know where the Hurricane factory/ies is/are? I'd like to know if their replacement rate is going to improve as I only seem to be getting one a day and that is not going to be enough...

There were three raids on ships at Kota Bharu and only one vessel was hit. More worrying was that he had A7M1 Reppu's on CAP! I'll have to look to see when they really become available and how good they are. I predict I am really going to miss decent Lightnings...

Chinese IL-4c's on Naval Attack missed the 2 AVs that were stooging about North of Brunei.

An MLE is on the way to Batavia and I am using my DMs and my MLs to sow mines everywhere.

Edit: Here is the Reppu. They arrive in July 43. He must currently have enough pre-production models to re-equip a small unit because I did not see any in the Jap starting line up. I can't seem to remember seeing the P-63s that started on the West Coast in the previous versions, so I'll have to look. If he is using planes a year and a half early I might have been tempted to as well.