And here comes the awaited allied invasion..
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 07/18/43
The turn started badly as my surface TF was mauled by PTs at Rossel Is. Those pesky boats are out of torps but their machine guns are true DDs killers:
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Night Time Surface Combat, near Rossel Island at 58,97
Japanese Ships
CL Yubari
DD Wakatake, Shell hits 5, on fire
DD Sanae, Shell hits 5, on fire
DD Hatsukari
Allied Ships
PT PT-150
PT PT-155
PT PT-159
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Night Time Surface Combat, near Rossel Island at 58,97
Japanese Ships
CL Yubari
DD Wakatake, Shell hits 7, on fire
DD Sanae, on fire
DD Hatsukari
Allied Ships
PT PT-168
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Night Time Surface Combat, near Rossel Island at 58,97
Japanese Ships
CL Yubari
DD Wakatake, Shell hits 9, on fire, heavy damage
DD Sanae, Shell hits 7, on fire, heavy damage
DD Hatsukari
Allied Ships
PT PT-175
PT PT-176
PT PT-177
PT PT-179, on fire
PT PT-180
PT PT-182
Both DDs are dead. I doubt they coud reach some safe friendly port.. During the day 2 PTs were sunk by betties.. [:(]
Then allied fast transport TF arrived at Thursday Is and US marines stormed the beach. Two modern CLs hit mine in the process:
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TF 1051 encounters mine field at Thursday Island (49,90)
Allied Ships
CL Honolulu, Mine hits 1, on fire
CL Denver, Mine hits 1
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TF 1051 troops unloading over beach at Thursday Island, 49,90
Allied Ships
DD Kortenaer
DD Banckert
DD Paul Jones
DD O'Brien
DD Dyson
DD Bulmer, Mine hits 1, on fire
Allied ground losses:
16 casualties reported
Allied ground losses:
702 casualties reported
When the day comes, allied bombers once more attacked our garrison at Thursday Is to soften up the defences, while the
fast transports retreated:
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Day Air attack on 43rd Construction Battalion, at 49,90
Allied aircraft
Wellington III x 20
Liberator VI x 47
B-17E Fortress x 140
LB-30 Liberator x 26
PB4Y Liberator x 55
B-24D Liberator x 265
No Allied losses
Japanese ground losses:
825 casualties reported
I knew the base was lost as both my units were totally destroyed, but at least I had KB on its place. It was clouded in the morning, but the weather got better in the afternoon and KB could finally launch devastating strike against retreating allied ships:
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Day Air attack on TF at 49,93
Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 5
A6M5 Zeke x 4
D3A Val x 69
D4Y Judy x 20
A6M3a Zero x 26
B5N Kate x 111
E13A1 Jake x 4
Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val: 8 destroyed, 29 damaged
D4Y Judy: 1 destroyed, 4 damaged
B5N Kate: 4 destroyed, 9 damaged
E13A1 Jake: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
Allied Ships
CL Denver, Bomb hits 10, on fire, heavy damage
CL Boise, Bomb hits 15, on fire, heavy damage
CL Cleveland, Bomb hits 8, on fire, heavy damage
DD O'Brien, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
DD Vendetta, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
DD Fox, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Banckert, Bomb hits 2, on fire
DD Welles
DD Kortenaer, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Evertsen, Bomb hits 7, on fire, heavy damage
CL Santa Fe, Bomb hits 3, on fire
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Day Air attack on TF at 49,93
Japanese aircraft
D3A Val x 41
A6M3a Zero x 12
B5N Kate x 72
Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val: 1 destroyed, 7 damaged
B5N Kate: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged
Allied Ships
CL Boise, Bomb hits 9, on fire, heavy damage
CL Denver, Bomb hits 31, on fire, heavy damage
CL Cleveland, on fire, heavy damage
CL Santa Fe, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
DD Dyson
DD Pope
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Day Air attack on TF at 49,93
Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zeke x 4
D4Y Judy x 20
A6M3a Zero x 3
B5N Kate x 33
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N Kate: 1 damaged
Allied Ships
DD Bache
DD Welles, Bomb hits 1
CL Boise, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
CL Santa Fe, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
DD Aulick, Bomb hits 2, on fire
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Day Air attack on TF at 49,93
Japanese aircraft
D3A Val x 16
B5N Kate x 17
Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val: 1 destroyed, 6 damaged
Allied Ships
CL Santa Fe, Bomb hits 10, on fire, heavy damage
CL Cleveland, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
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Day Air attack on TF at 49,93
Japanese aircraft
B6N Jill x 21
Japanese aircraft losses
B6N Jill: 3 damaged
Allied Ships
CL Honolulu, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
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Day Air attack on TF at 49,93
Japanese aircraft
D3A Val x 22
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
DD Bulmer, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
5 modern US cruisers were hit hard and 2 of them sinks immedietly. I think those remaining 3 will follow soon. Also some DDs were hit, but PjH has many of them, so he can afford to loose them. But my recons spotted some more ships parked in Thursday Is and identified them as CVs ??? I considered a surface by ships detached from KB, but I think that he will build hordes of PTs there immedietly and there are mines too. With my luck I would hit every single mine which remains there and then got myself mauled by PTs for no gain. I will rather move whole KB closer (5 hexes) to Thursday Is and will limit planes range to 4 hexes. If there are CVs they might react and get into my range. If not, I will not strike some empty AK under Corsair cover.. I have 54 Betties at Lae, and they should finaly join the fray..
As predicted the Thursday Is falls. PjH unloaded also some paras and they shock attacked the base immedietly:
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Ground combat at Thursday Island
Allied Shock attack
Attacking force 1430 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 205
Defending force 40 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 2
Allied max assault: 50 - adjusted assault: 14
Japanese max defense: 0 - adjusted defense: 1
Allied assault odds: 14 to 1 (fort level 0)
Allied forces CAPTURE Thursday Island base !!!
3000 men were on the base, but only 40 were in fighting condition..[X(]
In USSR I have destroyed another two partisans units:
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Ground combat at 67,11
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 15918 troops, 183 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 413
Defending force 2561 troops, 9 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 56
Japanese max assault: 289 - adjusted assault: 267
Allied max defense: 48 - adjusted defense: 5
Japanese assault odds: 53 to 1
Japanese ground losses:
14 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
Allied ground losses:
3691 casualties reported
Guns lost 17
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Ground combat at 59,8
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 8672 troops, 52 guns, 145 vehicles, Assault Value = 192
Defending force 1601 troops, 0 guns, 79 vehicles, Assault Value = 22
Japanese max assault: 184 - adjusted assault: 314
Allied max defense: 16 - adjusted defense: 3
Japanese assault odds: 104 to 1
Japanese ground losses:
19 casualties reported
Allied ground losses:
2367 casualties reported
Guns lost 2
Vehicles lost 138
This was the last tank brigade near Irkutsk..
