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Diving into the PBEM world on a whim as the ever-victorious forces of the Japanese Empire against nardiajn on stock Guadalcanal. Sure, it's no campaign game, but I wanted to document my first PBEM in an AAR to see exactly how noobish I still am after a year of playing against the AI.

My opponent, Al, is much newer to the game than I am, and so far we're about 14 turns into the game. I've never played past turn 3 against the AI on this scenario before and aside from Blind Sniper's AAR and the all-too-brief battle between 2 IJ players/1 Allied that ended with the IJN CVs as nothing more than an oil slick, I haven't found much discussion on it so maybe this will also be helpful to somebody else along the way, later on... I plan to take the game as far as possible, both as a learning experience and because it's freaking fun playing against a human instead of the computer. Looking at the reinforcements screens, I'm going to have to be careful. I've played as the Allies against the AI, and the volume of forces available to the USN will crush me if I leave anything vulnerable.

And so, Pregame & Turn 1:

The maps and textboxes within them from M&M vs. Arnhem (tm.asp?m=2540166&mpage=1) were very useful and I've decided to basically follow this plan. I set up amphibious TFs to go collect supply from Ponape, Green Island, Talasea, and Emirau - all of which also happen to have about 500 fuel. I'll pick that up too, if I can.

I sent the 4 APDs to Wewak to pick up the Av. Supp. there, which I originally plan to send to Rabaul until I figure out where exactly I want them. The Zeroes from Lae are sent to Kavieng to provide LRCAP over this TF just in case the Allies have NavS and Nav Attack planes flying out of Moresby, which I have no chance of suppressing yet.

I transfer aircraft from exposed Tulagi to Rabaul and begin evacuating the Av. Supp. unit by air.

I'm eyeing the ships at Shortlands - I don't want them there, but I also don't want to burn the fuel to send them somewhere else just yet.

I'll keep the Horii group in the mountains for now. If he commits more forces to driving me back to Buna, that opens Moresby to an amphibious assault...while if he retreats back to Moresby, maybe I can hit him from land and sea at once. The Guadalcanal (Island of Death) area is simply too exposed for me to hope taking it right now - too much LBA out of Luganville, and out of range of effective air cover from Rabaul.


I wish I had the supplies at Tulagi and Lunga to create midget subs...I notice that I've got access to 8 in the pool, and I'd love to use them as port defense. Maybe if I can sneak enough supply into Tassafaronga later I can manage to create a couple.

August 6, 1942

SS Greenling shoots 6 torpedoes at an xAKL on its way to Ponape (no escorts available from Truk). One hits, but is a dud.

14 Kittyhawks and 8 P-39s out of Moresby bomb the Horii group from 10K for no damage to either side.

Horii group bombards to test the strength of the Aussies and it does not go well. 4 disabled squads for me, nothing for him. I guess we'll just sit tight for now.

Changing air group commanders...the quality of the commander of the Betty unit at Rabaul is appalling. Also, is there no way to keep Fuchida from being a pilot? I assigned him as commander and then he showed up in the pilots screen. Swapped him out and back in, and into the pilots list he goes again. Sigh...

Setting up the patrol zones for the gaggle of new subs I get to play with, the only navy I'll have for a while (excepting the cruisers, which I'm loathe to risk without proper ASW escort). Hopefully I can catch one or more of his CVs. I got a sniff of heavy radio transmissions at 118,148 - possibly his CVs on their way to provide cover for the landings, so I vector subs to this general location.

Decide to send 3 PCs from Shortlands up to Ponape to provide escort for the xAKLs. Supply is precious in this scenario, I need to get Rabaul to 20K+ ASAP for aircraft replacements.

On August 8, I send an A6M2 unit to Buna to provide CAP over Horii, hoping to catch those fighters on their foolish bombing mission.

August 7, 1942

The Kittyhawks and P-39s visit the Horii Group again, but I get 1 with flak this time. Neat.

6 unescorted B-26s try to bomb Rabaul and my meager Zero CAP punishes them - combat report says I shot down 4, but the VP screen says 7. Must be some serious FOW going on here in the combat report - isn't the VP screen supposed to be 100% accurate on plane losses?

Allied CVs show themselves to be 4 hexes SE of Lunga. Perfect...my subs will be there in 2-3 more days.

Landing TFs show up at Tulagi and Lunga, but no landings yet, giving me more time to evacuate that Av. Supp.

August 8, 1942

I-121 attacks 5 DDs near Russell...waste of torpedoes. It ends up getting sighting two more times, and on the third round takes minor damage. I might need to replace this commander.

In the air, 15 B-17s bomb the port at Tassafaronga... My Zeroes over Buna claim 2 P-39s for no loss, while 19 Bettys fly unescorted against Port Moresby and I lose 11 to a heavy CAP (all the Kittyhawks are now on CAP). Turns out I forgot to set their Zero escorts with drop tanks, though I know Bettys like to fly without escorts anyway. Tomorrow, I'll sweep the place with my Zeroes and see what happens.

Allied CVs are now 5 hexes from Lunga, to the southwest. Maybe an opening for a SCTF to pull off a Savo Island maneuver by coming from the NNE...

As expected, landings occur at Lunga and Tulagi, but no attacks yet. One more day of evac.

These first turns are quick, I don't have a lot to play with...

August 9
I-123 is sunk by a retreated AP/Amphibious TF just south of Lunga after it fires on an AKA.

5 B-17s visit Rabaul on port attack, 1 Zero shot down for 5 damages but no Ops loss on the B-17s.
16 Zeroes sweep Moresby, netting 6 P-39s for the loss of 1 of their own. I'll take that trade.

Lunga/Tulagi fall. Lunga forces aren't roughed up too bad, except for the 3rd Nav Guard, which is basically destroyed.

No sign of his CVs, and my SCTFs of 5 CAs/3 CLs/1 DD are unseen just north of Ontong. A movement error on my part has them one hex apart rather than capable of merging, so the Savo Maneuver is delayed by a day. There are still TFs visible at Tulagi and Lunga, but time is running out for an attack. I order my Mavis unit at Rabaul to search for the USN CVs.

August 10
I-121 is sighted by DDs Dewey and Hull, but catches a glimpse of CA Astoria before she dives. Are the Allies leaving Lunga? The window may have closed on Savo.

Then the I-121 puts a torpedo into Vincennes with belt penetration but no heavy damage. Huzzah! One ship to the yards. Maybe this captain deserves a better boat after all, she's headed back to Rabaul to rearm.

A Betty from Rabaul puts a torpedo into AP Wharton at Tulagi, and I lose 2 to flak. B-17s hit Tass, and that's it for the air.

No hint of his CVs, not even radio transmissions. I decide to send in the CAs, maybe I can catch whatever's still at Tulagi, especially since at least 2 USN CAs have left the area.

August 11
The I-122 fires at DD Monssen and misses. Then she fires at an APD, missing again, and takes 2 hits in return. I check the commander after the turn and wonder how this one slipped by when I was changing captains - he has 48 Nav and 78 Aggression! No wonder he's firing at DDs.

14 Zeroes meet 10 Kittyhawks at Milne Bay, shooting down 4 for no loss. Banzai!

The CAs under Ishikawa find nothing at Savo. If only I hadn't made that movement error (4 CAs and CA/CL/CL/CL/DD one hex apart instead of merged...should have set them to Full Speed), I'd have caught something for sure yesterday [:(]

Lots of radio traffic at Noumea - are the CVs replenishing? Also get a radio hit west of Moresby, so I send RO-34 to investigate. Rejigger other sub patrol zones as the CVs appear to have retreated from Lunga. Time to try to intercept Wave 2.

I send 16 Vals to Lae for a future night air raid on Moresby's airfield.

August 12
The I-16 fires at DD Buchanan outside of Koumac and misses, takes 1 penetrating hit and a near miss in return. Maybe I should've assigned less aggressive commanders, this is getting ridiculous.

The I-10, however, fires 6 torpedoes at the xAK Edgar Luckenbach on its way to either Moresby or Milne Bay and gets 1 hit, setting the fuel cargo on fire. She should sink with heavy fires/damage. I should tell my opponent about "Do Not Load Fuel".

23 (!) B-17s hit Tass and get 3 port hits. I wonder why he's hitting the port, but I keep seeing that the damage is repaired the next day, so I suppose it is eating up my supply little by little, which bodes ill. Time to send in some APDs with supply.

I decide to have my CAs say hello to Milne Bay. I set them to hold station 2 hexes west of Shortlands with enough fuel to complete the mission and get back to Rabaul. Since they're as-yet unsnooped, I decide to set my float plane chutais to night Recon.

August 13
The first sight I see upon loading the replay is a gorgeous one:

Sub attack near Torres Islands at 116,146

Japanese Ships
SS I-169, hits 3

Allied Ships
CV Wasp, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DD Lang
DD Phelps
DD Cushing
DD Conyngham
DD Fanning

Fuel storage explosion on CV Wasp
SS I-169 launches 8 torpedoes at CV Wasp

Now that's something! I'll have rough parity on CV air groups when mine arrive in a week, whether she sinks or not. However, this may mean his CVs are coming back out to play. I decide to delay the Milne Bay mission to wait and see if his CVs come up any farther, I can't afford to lose any assets just yet. Time to see if I can catch Wasp on her way to port.

Turns out I made a mistake with the Vals. In only 14% moonlight, they attack PM and lose 4 to flak for no damage. An ops loss makes 5. Back to Rabaul with them.

My Jakes at Truk sight a USN SS 2 hexes to the east. I vector my 2xE ASW force to intercept. His B-17s continue to bomb the port at Tassafaronga. 1080 supply should be in-hex tomorrow, whether it unloads or not is a different story...

No sign of his CVs, and I have subs all over the ocean west of Lunga. Bombardment mission is a go, the TF remains unnoticed. My opponent could use some more Nav Search, I think.

Still no ships showing up on the VP screen. I thought for sure that the xAK went down, especially since my opponent stated so in emails. FOW is not being kind thus far.

August 14
The S-38 launches on an APD on its return from Tassafaronga, misses all around.

Nothing much else happens today, except the Milne Bay bombardment TF fires in the afternoon! What happened to firing at night? I know they were there after the first movement phase as they started only 7 hexes away and I saw them there during the replay in the subsequent phases. Oh well, decent results despite having no recon up:

Naval bombardment of Milne Bay at 101,133

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 24 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 4 destroyed on ground
B-26 Marauder: 6 damaged
B-26 Marauder: 3 destroyed on ground
Kittyhawk IA: 4 damaged
Kittyhawk IA: 2 destroyed on ground

Japanese Ships
CA Kako
CA Furutaka
CA Kinugasa
CA Aoba
CA Chokai
CL Yubari
CL Tatsuta
CL Tenryu

Allied ground losses:
102 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 14 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Airbase hits 6
Airbase supply hits 6
Runway hits 53
Port hits 25
Port supply hits 8

Detection level 7/10 in the following day, with 20 airfield damage and 14 port. I'm glad I caught some bombers on the ground, that makes the CAP at Rabaul breathe a little easier.

Only 230 supply made it to the beach at Tassafaronga, from my 14-kt. PB on Fast Transport. The APDs all retreated from a perceived air threat. I'm sending one back in tonight. The other 4, having just unloaded Wewak's Av. Support at Buka, are too far away to deliver their supply to Tassafaragona and I think I see a SCTF coming up to greet me. I'd rather not lose any APDs this early, they're far too valuable for running supply right now.

August 15
Finish loading up the Av. Support from Wewak.

The RO-68 is sighted by DD escorts for CA Chicago before she can fire, 2 hexes south of Tassafaronga. She takes a beating, 10/79 (39)/5 damage. She'll be limping back to Rabaul and then to the AR that arrived at Truk last turn. I'm not sure what this TF is - it's the suspected SCTF I saw yesterday, but it could be CVs hoping to catch my now-retired bombardment force. Or it could be Wasp's former escorts.

I move my Vals to Buka to provide search/ASW cover of the sea lanes between Rabaul and Shortlands. Their ASW skills are now in the mid-40s.

August 16
The RO-68 manages to repair a whopping 5 Flt and 1 Eng damage today. At that rate, it looks like she'll make it.

More radio transmissions at 101,136. Could be a supply convoy headed to NG.

Some reinforcements today. I see 2 subs outside of Truk and Rabaul needs fuel, so I route 2 slow TKs to the west of their known patrol zones. I leave the more valuable 18-knot TKs and the AOs in port as I can't adequately escort them. I send the 2xE ASW force to see if I can catch a sub.

I set my Bettys (now 40 in number, thanks to a 36-plane daitai that arrived yesterday) to Naval Attack with high aggression commanders, Zeroes to escort with drop tanks. I want to see what I can bag at Tulagi/Lunga in the next couple of days since his CVs appear to be absent and there are no planes at Henderson Field yet. Rabaul's supply is finally above 20k with the first shipment from Truk and Ponape, so my Zeroes and Bettys can take replacements. I leave 5 Zeroes in the pool as a reserve.

How does the IJ player in Guadalcanal do major repairs on ships? Do I send the ship to Truk and withdraw it, and it will return repaired later on?

August 17
I decide to send my original 4 APDs to drop their supplies off at Buna since Tassafaronga is a bit too dangerous at the moment.

ASW TF outside of Truk drops lots of depth charges on Greenling, but all detonate above the sub. I need some better ASW, no more Type 91 if I can help it.

43 Bettys are available at Rabaul, but only 13 fly against the TFs at Guadalcanal. I think perhaps storms are to blame. Torpedoes are dropped against Australia, Hobart, and Ralph Talbot, but no hits are scored and one Betty is splashed by flak.

Here's something you don't see every day:

Sub attack near Koumac at 115,156

Japanese Ships
SS I-171

Allied Ships
AM Adroit, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AM Conflict

SS I-171 launches 8 torpedoes at AM Adroit
I-171 diving deep ....

Needless to say, she sank [:D]

Buna forts hit 3. Good.

Combined Fleet has arrived at Truk! Lots of surface ships, and even more subs to play with...

August 18
There's a 3-ship TF outside of Brisbane...is it Wasp? That's awful far for her to have traveled in 5 days, but the sighting report says 3 ships heading southwest... I send the I-11 a bit closer to check it out.

Combined Fleet:
--Form up "KB" at Truk. Unsure what I'll do with them yet. Also form up 2 SCTFs of medium-high power with the remainder, and still have extra DDs with Type 95 and Type 2 depth charges for escorts. Good stuff. I form up 2x4 DD ASW TFs for now as well, to go deal with some sub problems I'm having near the Slot and Rabaul.
--CL Nagara, 2 Kagero-class DDs, and 4 APDs load supplies, they will stand off of Buka for an eventual run down the slot to Tassafargona. I saw movement dots from Lunga a while back and I want to be sure I have the supply to hold onto the 6 forts there. I think this will be a great tarpit if I can hold it.
--I forgot to have those specially-routed TKs load fuel before leaving port. Back they go... Rabaul is going to run dry before they get there with that fuel.

The I-10 hits (and I believe sinks) xAP Rhesus with troops of some kind on board.

I-171 shoots at more DDs outside of Koumac, missing this time, and now she's out of torps... Back to Rabaul she goes.

Zeroes shoot down 2 Kittyhawks over Milne Bay, and 27 Bettys fly against a TF at Tulagi. AP McCawley, AP Fuller, and AP George F. Elliot may all sink from heavy damage (1 torp hit each), or they may not. No troops loss, so this is probably a supply TF. Later emails confirm this. Also get a sighting of a sub at Tulagi, which is odd...

I have Horii do a probing attack, which doesn't go all that great - 229 (2) for me vs. 125 (0) for him. Those damn Aussies are brutal in the jungle.

August 19
Vector some ASW to two possible/plausible sightings from yesterday's recon, but get nothing.

The I-175 is sent to try to penetrate Luganville harbor...maybe a one-way trip but substantial Allied ASW is present near Koumac so maybe there are few or zero escorts there. Wasp may have tried to make for this port, it's the closest to where she got torped.

My new Type-95 ASW near Truk reacts to Greenling, but doesn't attack. Maybe tomorrow.

The I-162 shoots at and misses Australia south of Lunga, and takes 1 penetrating hit in return. She's going to have to head for Truk and the Home Islands for repairs.

Another sweep of Milne Bay nets 5 P-39s for the loss of 1 Zero. Keep plugging away...

August 20
I send Mikawa and his SCTF of Mutsu & Co. south from Rabaul. If undetected, they will circle around to the west and try to sneak in to bombard.

SS Grayling finds my AOs on their way from Truk to Rabaul and bounces a dud off the side of one of them. Uh oh...time to send up some more escorts. Looks like her patrol zone has changed.

22 Bettys escorted by 17 Zeroes fly against what appears to be a SCTF just SW of Milne Bay. The CA Astoria takes two torpedoes, but no heavy damage is seen. However, in the PM I see a second TF in the hex. It appears that she took enough damage to need to run away.

Mikawa's TF, about 8-9 hexes away, is undetected. I set up a waypoint run hoping to catch the Allied SCTF, which is now surely outgunned (only CA Quincy was sighted along with Astoria during the air actions) with probably just 2 CAs and some escorts. Mikawa has 1 BB and 4 CAs...

Sub attack near Koumac at 115,156

Japanese Ships
SS I-171

Allied Ships
AM Adroit, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AM Conflict

SS I-171 launches 8 torpedoes at AM Adroit
I-171 diving deep ....

Even more ironic - the name of the AM - Adroit means "fast to react, nimble, agile" or in this case ... NOT![;)]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Sub attack near Koumac at 115,156

Japanese Ships
SS I-171

Allied Ships
AM Adroit, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AM Conflict

SS I-171 launches 8 torpedoes at AM Adroit
I-171 diving deep ....

Even more ironic - the name of the AM - Adroit means "fast to react, nimble, agile" or in this case ... NOT![;)]

Heh, no kidding!

Up through August 25 now, and let me just say.... I love IJN submarines, they're so great at their jobs. Of course, it helps to have good torpedoes, but I feel like the IJN submarine designs were a class above USN designs for most of the war.

August 21
As the sun rises, Tanaka and Hiei & Co. sortie from Rabaul to join Mikawa. KB moves to just south of Ontong, just in case the Allies come up to play around Milne Bay. It will continue on its penetration mission afterwards.

More Bettys arrived yesterday - they're sent to Rabaul.

The I-10 finds and puts two more torpedoes into CA Astoria. I will be surprised if she makes port. I-10's torpedo tubes are now empty, back to Rabaul for more and then I need to find a juicy patrol zone for this one.

Other sub action, but nothing notable. P-39s bomb Horii and lose another of their number to flak.

B-26s bomb APD-38 east of Buna - she was already dead in the water, so she must have actually been hit by the scouting plane. She sinks the next day.

2 USMC units arrive at Tassafaronga. This is an unpleasant surprise - movement dots were seen on August 11, but not since then. Time to land lots of supply, I want to hang onto those 6 Forts as long as I can.

August 22
Mikawa and Tanaka remain undetected, but DD Shikinami rammed CA Tone during the night off Milne Bay. Shikinami has only 2 points of Major damage, but Tone is at 14 (8) float and 8 (6) engine. I'm pretty unhappy with the DD commander, maybe enforced seppuku is in order.

I learned something about bombardment missions and waypoints this day. I had Mikawa's force waypointed to the hex just south of Milne Bay, hoping to catch the USN CA(s) if they stuck around. It was 6 hexes from their current position, so of course they took cruising speed there as I had them set to mission speed. No bombardment. If I had them set to full speed, they'd have reached Milne in the first movement phase (at 7 hexes, their post-collision Full rating). In any case, both BB forces bombard this day:

Allied aircraft losses
B-26 Marauder: 17 damaged
B-26 Marauder: 6 destroyed on ground
B-17E Fortress: 21 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 6 destroyed on ground
P-39D Airacobra: 6 damaged
P-39D Airacobra: 1 destroyed on ground
Kittyhawk IA: 1 destroyed on ground

Japanese Ships
BB Hiei
CA Kumano
CA Suzuya
CA Haguro
CA Myoko

Allied ground losses:
70 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 2 (1 destroyed, 1 disabled)

Airbase hits 14
Airbase supply hits 7
Runway hits 17
Port hits 17
Port supply hits 6

=====

Allied aircraft losses
Kittyhawk IA: 2 damaged
Kittyhawk IA: 3 destroyed on ground
B-17E Fortress: 4 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed on ground
B-26 Marauder: 15 damaged
B-26 Marauder: 2 destroyed on ground
P-39D Airacobra: 17 damaged
P-39D Airacobra: 2 destroyed on ground

Japanese Ships
BB Mutsu
CA Maya
CA Takao
CA Tone

Allied ground losses:
205 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Airbase hits 6
Airbase supply hits 5
Runway hits 18
Port hits 18
Port supply hits 3

18 Bettys bomb Milne Bay during the day phase, completely unopposed. They score a couple more airfield hits and destroy another P-39. Airfield/Port damage shows as 59/49 the next day, with 9/10 DL. Looking at the VP screen, it looks like I actually destroyed 11 B-17s on the ground (wow!), and a total of 41! Enormous success.

S-40 attempts to get in a parting shot as the BBs leave Milne Bay, but takes 3 near misses from depth charge attacks instead.

KB sighted 2 subs yesterday, but nothing else. In the same position today, they are attacked by USS Wahoo. The Wahoo sights CA Atago and 4 DDs, so I think my CVs remain undetected for now.

The I-16 sinks an xAK outside of Sydney/Newcastle. I believe she had supplies/fuel on board.

A deliberate attack by the Allies at Tassafaronga yields 1:4 odds. I have a morale (-).

August 23
Grayling duds on an xAK outside of Rabaul. Still can't seem to dislodge her from her PZ.

RO-67 sees CA Pensacola and 3 DDs 4 hexes south of Milne Bay. Either a SCTF or CVs here...

KB: Sculpin sights Kirishima and 4 DDs. She misses and takes 5 near misses in return. I may need to back off with KB for now...

P-39s bomb Horii and take some damage from flak, but no other actions today.

August 24
I decide to slide KB down the east side of the map and try to get a port strike in on Luganville, where I suspect Wasp is doing her forced R&R. Big day today...

The Sub Toll - MVPs of this game, for sure.
RO-34 hits xAP Adelong outside of PM. I believe she'll sink.
I-15 hits xAK Mormacmar on her way to Noumea. Heavy fires and heavy damage, she's done for.
I-7 hits xAK Utahan twice outside Brisbane. Fires and heavy damage, she should sink.
I-175 fires 8 torpedoes at CA Chicago west of Efate but can't score a hit.
I-15 hits xAK San Vincente twice near where she sank Mormacmar. This one should sink also.
I-9 launches at DD Mugford, misses, and takes some damage from one depth charge.

In the air phase, 22 Bettys fly against a TF at 13-hex range in the AM. I sink two xAPs with supplies on board, but VF-6 is on LRCAP and my Bettys are brutalized - all are shot down. In the afternoon, 25 more Bettys fly against the TF (ughhh...) and I lose them all. 47 Bettys down in A2A in one day! Over two months' worth of production. God damn Zero pilots deciding not to escort them (Zeroes with drop tanks are 14 hex range). If none of your morning raid returns, do you really send out an afternoon raid also?

I guess there's a silver lining in this thundercloud: somehow, my pilots aren't depleted very much. I still have 10 or more pilots beyond available airframes in each unit, whereas before the strikes I had even numbers of pilots/planes. However that works.

I shoot down another handful of B-26s attempting to bomb ships at Rabaul, but the real revenge I desire is to give VF-6 a pounding. At least I know his CVs are nearby. I send every available sub to within 5 hexes of where that transport TF was and where I know it will be the next day (Milne Bay).

Deliberate attack at Tassafaronga results in 1:10 odds and 204 (4) for me, 309 (2) for him. He could keep this up and eventually knock me off the island, I think. Whoever runs out of supply first loses.

Still no planes at Henderson.

Cool AAR, good luck with this!

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

Cool AAR, good luck with this!

Thanks Cribtop! PBEM is turning out to be everything I never knew I wanted.

PBEM does turn out to be addictive (in a good way.) It's not always an easy decision to start a PBEM, but it's almost always worth it once you do. Good luck with both the game and the AAR!! (That early hit on the Wasp was brutal - should make things a lot tougher on your opponent in this one...)

ORIGINAL: Quixote

PBEM does turn out to be addictive (in a good way.) It's not always an easy decision to start a PBEM, but it's almost always worth it once you do. Good luck with both the game and the AAR!! (That early hit on the Wasp was brutal - should make things a lot tougher on your opponent in this one...)

Thanks! I see you're in MD also, though I'm only just barely in MD.

And there's more of that to come . We're up through September 1 in game turns now, but both out of op-sec and work concerns, I haven't been able to post just yet.

August 25
My MVPs:
RO-67 claims a small xAP outside of Milne Bay
I-4 sinks AMC Manoora near Bundaberg
And then RO-33 does a stellar job:

Sub attack near Milne Bay at 100,137

Japanese Ships
SS RO-33

Allied Ships
CVE Long Island, Torpedo hits 1
CA San Francisco
DD Hutchins
DD Cummings
DD Grayson

=====
Sub attack near Milne Bay at 100,137

Japanese Ships
SS RO-33

Allied Ships
CV Enterprise, Torpedo hits 1
CA San Francisco
DD Hutchins
DD Cummings
DD Grayson

Can't ask for anything more than that. Just wish I'd had an I-boat in her place so that some bigger torpedoes would've been launched. The torpedoes carried by the RO-boats leave a little to be desired. Still, looks like I did a good job narrowing down where the CVs providing the LRCAP over the supply TF would be.

The Milne Bay sweep from Rabaul, planned to get revenge on VF-6 for the Bettymurder, is scrubbed due to weather. After Big E took that torpedo, I doubt I'll get another chance this time around.

The I-1 misses AP Cambria just outside of Noumea. They can't all be winners...

No other action of note. KB still not sighted (at least no Detection Level/TF Spotted message for me - my opponent informs me on the next turn that he saw a TF up there, but he didn't know it was my CVs).

August 26
Adjust sub patrol zones, anticipating that Enterprise/Long Island will retire due south. I swarm the area with 5-6 submarines.

KB is sent 8 hexes due south to continue to conduct port recon on Luganville and Efate. I didn't get very good intel yesterday, no ships are visible at Luganville but DL is only 1/10. 3 days until Tanaka is within bombardment range of Luganville...

Zeroes shoot down 1 Kittyhawk/1 P-39 at Milne Bay; no F4F's are present.

A small SCTF was sent to try to intercept my mystery TF (KB) at the edge of the map. It's the CL Boise and accompanying DDs! KB's aircraft, set to range 5 so as not to run into trouble with any CAP from Luganville, sink the Boise and 1 DD. 2 other DDs are heavily damaged and the sunk ship sound is heard later. The surprise is revealed! Looks like I won't be hitting Noumea with a sneak attack - time to extricate my precious CVs. It's been a fun maneuver, coming over here while at least one of his CVs was off to the west and one of the other two in port...but now it's time to get out.

A deliberate attack at Tassafaronga yields 1:13 odds and 414 (5) casualties for me vs. 227 (8) for him.

August 27 - Battle in the East, Wolfpack in the West
KB is sent to Boise's old position, via waypoints and a dogleg. If he has more ships, this is probably the safest place for me to be before I do a full speed run out of here. Tanaka continues ESE to provide surface cover if necessary.

Subs
RO-34 misses DD Cummings south of Milne Bay, a probable CV escort.
I-10 misses CLAA Juneau - Pensacola, San Juan, and DDs Swanson, Hutchins, and Gregory are also sighted. High probability this is the CV-6 TF. And then:

Sub attack near Bowen at 101,146

Japanese Ships
SS I-17

Allied Ships
CV Enterprise, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
CLAA San Juan
CLAA Atlanta
DD Swanson
DD Hutchins
DD Gregory

Ammo storage explosion on CV Enterprise
SS I-17 launches 6 torpedoes at CV Enterprise

She's going to be out for a while, if she makes port. I imagine that she will, given Allied Damage Control quality. Two USN Fleet CVs out of action for quite some time now!

BB North Carolina shows up 4 hexes to the north of KB, making me glad I didn't run as far as I could have this turn. She takes 3x 250kg AP bombs from Vals, none penetrate the deck armor. In the afternoon, she takes another 250kg AP bomb, but she's probably still in good shape.

The Zeroes/Kates strike 3 DDs to the south, sinking DDs Blue and Helm with a torpedo hit each in the afternoon. This TF is protected by Wildcats, likely from Efate but maybe from Luganville. 3 Wildcats are shot down for no loss.

23 Zeroes and 25 Kates conduct a port strike mission on Luganville. No ships are hit (not sure any are even present), but one Port Hit is inflicted.

14 Zeroes and 20 Vals find DD Perkins (probably the only remaining DD from the Boise TF) at Luganville and sink her with 4x 250kg AP bombs.

5 B-17s attempt to bomb Shokaku, but are driven off when 1 of their number is shot down by the Zeroes on CAP and another is lost to flak.

Light losses to KB strike planes to flak, nothing serious. Zuikaku is out of torpedoes, but Shokaku and Ryujo still have some.

August 28
I begin the day by running KB at full speed NNW, on a dogleg track for exactly 8 hexes. Tanaka speeds SSE 8 hexes, he'll be within range to provide proper surface cover tomorrow. The SCTF on the right side is Suzukaze making her way back to Truk.


40 Zeroes and 15 of my remaining Bettys hit the port at Milne Bay. No results are achieved, but the sole Kittyhawk on CAP is shot down.

15 Kates sink PG Sacramento and heavily damage (probably sink) PG Tulsa at Luganville. The rest of KB's air forces strike at the North Carolina group. CA Minneapolis takes a penetrating hit from a 250kg AP bomb. CL Leander is also present. 2 Vals and 4 Kates are lost to flak, while 2 Wildcats on CAP are shot down by the A6M2 escort.

I-171, I-174, and I-2 are all either located by ASW or shoot their torpedoes at escorts for no results.
I-15 hits PG Isabel with 2 torpedoes outside of Noumea and sinks her.

Another deliberate at Tassafaronga. 1:9 odds, 288 (4) IJ vs. 397 (6) USMC. A preparation (-) is seen for the IJ forces this time...

August 29 - The Battle of Santa Cruz?
KB appears to be able to extricate itself - the USN SCTF is behind me by over 150 miles. I set them to run 8 hexes NW, I should be able make it out. Therefore, I set Tanaka's group to make a run on Tassafaronga and cause some disruption before heading on up to Rabaul to refuel.

The Emily group from Truk is sent to the Shortlands to search the Coral Sea.

I-168 attacks DDs near Koumac. Too much ASW here, I think it's time to clear out for a while.

I notice that one of my Jakes is destroyed by CAP just SE of Lunga (4 hexes from KB) - uh oh. Looks like an impromptu CV battle is about to occur. Turns out the actual USN CV sighting is 3 more hexes away and this is a SCTF (literally 1 hex west of Tanaka - we must have passed each other in the night!). I'm not sure if KB reacted to within 7 or not, but I accidentally hit the sweet spot on being able to strike them without being hit in return.

CA New Orleans takes 2 250-kg AP bomb hits, one penetrates and starts fires.
CV Saratoga takes 3 bombs (one penetrating to explode on the hangar deck) and 2 torpedoes, starting fires and heavy damage. The magazines are ordered flooded.

Not wanting to go down without a fight, Sara's planes hit Tanaka's SCTF. Hiei is struck by 2 1000-lb. bombs, but neither penetrate the deck armor and damage is minor. Suzuya is hit by a 1000-lb. bomb as well, which penetrates and starts fires.

In the afternoon, CV-3's planes launch from Lunga and Suzuya is hit again while Hiei takes a 500-lb. bomb hit from TBFs.

KB launches on the USN SCTF in the afternoon. 4 Kates put 3 more torpedoes into BB North Carolina. Heavy damage is not seen, but severe flooding occurs. She's going to be out of the fight for a while but she'll live.
CA Salt Lake City is struck by 5 250-kg AP bombs from Vals. Several weapon mounts are destroyed and she's burning fiercely with heavy damage. I think she might be done for.
DD Russell is penetrated by a 250-kg bomb as well, which starts heavy fires. She's in trouble for sure.
CA Portland is hit by 2 250-kg bombs, which starts fires.

Today's action is rounded out by another deliberate attack at Tassafaronga, resulting in 331 vs. 161 AV for 1:13 odds. 249 (6) IJA casualties, 211 (8) USMC.

With Saratoga out of the fight, there are no USN CVs in operable condition. However, I think she might make port, which means I haven't actually sunk any yet. Still, the shipyards are going to be working overtime for months to come, giving my SCTFs and KB free reign (at least so much as fuel and plane stocks allow) for the duration.

The damage to Suzuya and Hiei is not enough to call off the mission against Tassafaronga, especially with their main gun magazines still full and North Carolina out of commission, so there's nothing standing in their way. After bombarding, Suzuya will head for Truk for repairs while the rest of the TF makes for Rabaul.

August 30
A Naval Guard unit is loaded at Rabaul to head for Tassafaronga. The subs around Koumac are ordered to head back to Rabaul, all 6 of them. I'll let the ASW forces steam around for a while and then give them new patrol zones. Maybe I'll drop some mines off somewhere in the meantime.

Phantom ASW action occurs near Truk as my 2 ASW TFs react towards SS sightings.

Mikawa sinks an xAK in Milne Bay before bombarding. Results are good:

Night Naval bombardment of Milne Bay at 101,133

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
B-26 Marauder: 2 damaged
B-26 Marauder: 2 destroyed on ground
P-39D Airacobra: 5 damaged
P-39D Airacobra: 2 destroyed on ground
Kittyhawk IA: 3 damaged
Kittyhawk IA: 2 destroyed on ground
B-17E Fortress: 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Mutsu
CA Maya
CA Takao

Allied ground losses:
145 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 7 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 3 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 6 (4 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Vehicles lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Airbase hits 5
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 13
Port hits 8
Port fuel hits 2
Port supply hits 1

Tanaka's bombardment of Tassafaronga yields just 25 (0) casualties - 1 squad, 3 non-combat disabled. Detection was only 1/6 as I forgot to set the Irvings at Buka to recon the area yesterday and only Hiei's plane is acting as a spotter. I'm hoping this caused at least some level of disruption, however.

And then, some USN Silent Service revenge!

Sub attack near Rekata Bay at 114,132

Japanese Ships
CV Zuikaku, Torpedo hits 1
BB Kirishima
CA Atago
DD Umikaze
DD Kawakaze

Allied Ships
SS Greenling

SS Greenling launches 6 torpedoes at CV Zuikaku

Escorts failed to find anything. Damage to Z is 12/12 (7)/1, so nothing terrible, but she'll need to repair. Which is just as well, because two of KB's five strike groups are gutted of planes (Shokaku's Vals are down to 5, Zuikaku's Kates are down to 8). It will take at least a month to be get them back at acceptable strength. At least the Zero units are only down 6 planes throughout the entire TF.

The only other action today is a deliberate at Tassafaronga. Here's a combat report to give a sample of what's been happening there, looks like the bombardment succeeding in disrupting:

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 9838 troops, 220 guns, 125 vehicles, Assault Value = 289

Defending force 6888 troops, 52 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 147

Allied adjusted assault: 48

Japanese adjusted defense: 1987

Allied assault odds: 1 to 41 (fort level 6)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), preparation(-), fatigue(-)
Attacker: disruption(-)

Japanese ground losses:
105 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Allied ground losses:
328 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 37 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 14 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Vehicles lost 19 (1 destroyed, 18 disabled)

Assaulting units:
1st USMC Amphb Tank Battalion
1st USMC/1st Regiment
1st USMC/5th Regiment
3rd USMC Defense Battalion

Defending units:
35th/124th Infantry Regiment
81st Naval Guard Unit
35th/2nd(Kitao) Battalion
Kure 3rd Naval Guard Unit
13th Naval Construction Battalion
11th Naval Construction Battalion

August 31
Given that KB now needs to go to Truk instead of Rabaul so that Zuikaku can repair as best she can, I split Kirishima off to go join her sister at Rabaul. The CAs will also go, along with 1 of the 5 DDs. Taking a risk on ASW here, but I want to take advantage of my surface supremacy while I can. I get the other 2 Kongos soon, they will become KB escorts.

I change LCU leaders at Truk and Rabaul, set up a sweep for Moresby, and resize the airgroups on Yamato to be 5 Jakes for NavS, 2 Petes for night Recon. I change several RO-boat patrol zones near Milne Bay, as several small-to-medium size Allied TFs have been spotted in the area over the past day or so.

The I-4 is located by an ASW TF outside of Sydney, while the Gudgeon fires at Suzuya and misses. Phew! The RO-67 takes a beating at Milne and basically becomes a dedicated minelayer sub with 37 major Flt damage.

10 P-39s and 6 Kittyhawks are shot down over Port Moresby for no loss to my A6M2s. Banzai! Another P-39 is an ops loss.

A USN SCTF is sighted off Tassafaronga - a CL and 4-5 DDs.

Deliberate attacks by the Allies at Tassafaronga (1:21, 206/8 vs. 210/9) and the Horii Group (1:99, 0 IJA casualties vs. 1184/14 for the Australians). Unfortunately, supplies are less than required by Horii, so I will wait to counterattack.

September 1
The USN SCTF remains west of Tassafaronga, so my fast transport TFs (2x PB with supplies, Jintsu/Nagara/6 DDs with a Nav Guard unit) will delay near Rekata Bay for the time being.

Something sunk around noon, but I don't know what it was. I hope it was one of the CAs (or better yet, Saratoga) damaged two days ago in the carrier battle. My money is on Salt Lake City.

Judging by today's recon reports, the SCTF off Tassafaronga is cover for a landing of supplies and/or reinforcements at Lunga. Bettys will visit them tomorrow...

More attacks at Tassafaronga. Things are beginning to swing my way, with 311 (3) casualties for the IJA and 165 (5) for the USMC. Raw AVs are now 220 USMC against 131 IJA. Morale is in the high-80s for the Kawaguchi Brigade, which is the rock of my defense.

September 2
Operator errors on Zero settings (still set to Escort with a target of Milne Bay! [:@]) cause the Bettys to strike at Tulagi, losing 16 more Bettys to the Wildcat CAP from Henderson Field. If I weren't succeeding elsewhere, this would be a pretty crippling loss of LBA strength at this point in the campaign, I think.

On the other hand, the Zeroes fly "escort" against Milne Bay and shoot down 6 P-39s for no loss.

A 1:55 deliberate attack at Tassafaronga results in 153(2) for IJA and 307 (2) for the USMC. I'm still OK with these results. I will land more supplies soon.

The Horii group decimates the Aussies and causes them to retreat to Moresby - the 6:1 attack succeeds for 50(0) IJA vs. 789 (76) Australians. That's 90 destroyed squads/devices of that brigade, so it should be in pretty sorry shape. Unfortunately, I do not have enough AV on the peninsula to advance on Port Moresby, so I will set in the mountains and rest.

September 3
I realize that when I was setting submarine commanders, I was changing the TF commander rather than the ship commander. I will have to revisit my submarine commanders when I send them out on patrol again. Thankfully, I have plenty of PPs to pay for this mistake.

KB reached Truk yesterday, so I fill out the squadrons with recruits and transfer Zuikaku's to the airbase so they can train while she repairs.

Tanaka's and Ishigawa's SCTFs (Hiei, 4 CAs, 4 DDs and 5 CAs, 3 CLs, respectively) are sortied from Rabaul to go sweep the seas clean near Milne Bay, and will bombard if they don't run into anything.

The Fast Transport TF with the 14th Naval Guard on board runs into an Allied Amphibious TF at Tassafaronga, but escapes to Shortlands. I will unload and try again later with lower disruption on the troops.

B-17s visit the port at Shortlands for no results.

September 4
I set some Bettys from Rabaul to do some Coral Sea Nav Search - there is a hole in my search pattern that needs plugging. The CAs near Milne Bay look to be retiring, so I order Tanaka and Ishigawa to bombard the place:

Night Naval bombardment of Milne Bay at 101,133

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
B-26 Marauder: 16 damaged
B-26 Marauder: 2 destroyed on ground
Kittyhawk IA: 8 damaged
Kittyhawk IA: 1 destroyed on ground
P-39D Airacobra: 2 damaged
P-39D Airacobra: 1 destroyed on ground

Japanese Ships
CA Kako
CA Furutaka
CA Kinugasa
CA Aoba
CA Chokai
CL Yubari
CL Tatsuta
CL Tenryu

Allied ground losses:
202 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 14 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Airbase hits 7
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 41
Port hits 42
Port fuel hits 8
Port supply hits 5

=====
Night Naval bombardment of Milne Bay at 101,133

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
P-39D Airacobra: 2 damaged
Kittyhawk IA: 3 damaged
Kittyhawk IA: 4 destroyed on ground
B-26 Marauder: 9 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Hiei
CA Kumano
CA Haguro
CA Myoko
CA Atago

Allied ground losses:
192 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 8 destroyed, 34 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Airbase hits 9
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 21
Port hits 16
Port fuel hits 1
Port supply hits 2

The Allied Amphibious TF at Tassafaronga begins landing troops! This is an unpleasant surprise. I will have to try to catch them there tomorrow. Ishigawa still has some ammo left and is able to reach at full speed, and I have some CLs/DDs at Shortlands.

Yet another deliberate at Tassafaronga, 1:31 odds with 142 (6) IJA vs. 211 (1) USMC. Raw AV is now 202 against 116. Some of my units took replacements last turn, thankfully.

The air search phases sighted 2 CVs and 1 CVE southeast of Milne Bay for the second straight day, heading due west. Mikawa, with Yamato and Mutsu, will try to intercept them if they continue heading due west.

September 5 promises to be bloody as hell, one way or another.

September 5 - The Battle of the Solomon Sea, and a convoy goes down
First, the appetizers. In light submarine warfare, the I-9 sinks xAK Manoa with fuel onboard outside of Brisbane. The I-21 hits CA Astoria with two more torpedoes, with a critical damage result. I was surprised to see her still afloat, I'll be even more surprised if she lives now - that's a total of 5 torpedo hits.

Up near Truk, the Grayback fires at my DDs on ASW duty, misses, and suffers a penetrating hit from Samidare in return. It's about time the Japanese depth charges did something.

And then there was a series of furious surface battles.

Tassafaronga, and the sinking of a convoy
The light cruisers Jintsu and Nagara, along with 6 DDs from Shortlands, arrive offshore of Tassafaronga and find DDs Fletcher, Duncan, McCalla, Case, and Shaw defending a resupply force of 8 APs. In 14% moonlight, the Japanese are able to close to a lethal 9,000 yards before combat begins. 5" shells begin flying everywhere, and then 3 torpedoes from Akigumo split AP Hunter Liggett in half and she goes down instantly. Next, 2 torpedoes from Nagara sink Henry T. Allen. The slaughter continues unabated until dawn comes and finds only 3 USN DDs and 2 APs afloat, one of which is burning, while the Japanese flotilla steams triumphantly back to Shortlands with only minor damage to two destroyers - a smashing victory.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Tassafaronga at 113,137, Range 9,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CL Jintsu
CL Nagara
DD Akizuki, Shell hits 4, on fire
DD Akigumo, Shell hits 1
DD Maikaze
DD Isokaze
DD Arashi, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Shikinami

Allied Ships
DD Fletcher, Shell hits 3
DD Duncan, Shell hits 21, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD McCalla
DD Case, Shell hits 4, on fire
DD Shaw, Shell hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
AP Henry T. Allen, Shell hits 4, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
AP Hunter Liggett, Shell hits 5, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
AP American Legion, Shell hits 8, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
AP Heywood
AP Neville, Shell hits 5, and is sunk
AP President Bowen, Shell hits 10, on fire
AP President Jackson, Shell hits 27, heavy fires, heavy damage
AP President Adams, Shell hits 11, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk

Later in the day, Admiral Ishigawa arrives in the area with his cruisers to find the 3 DDs and 2 APs. Low on ammo, he orders a withdrawal after only a cursory engagement, but manages to sink the remaining large AP, President Bowen, and set fire to the remaining small AP. After turning to go up the slot, however, the S-38 hits CL Tatsuta with two torpedoes and the cruiser goes down in minutes. But in the shallow coastal waters, the submarine is unable to escape and she is forced to surface. She instantly puts two shells from her deck gun into Kako's superstructure, and is promptly sunk by gunfire from Furutaka.


Meanwhile...the main event:

Battle of the Solomon Sea
Admiral Mikawa with Yamato, Mutsu, Chikuma, Takao, Maya, and 5 escorting DDs fails to find the reported USN CV/CVE, but does run into what is probably an ASW TF in the morning. USN DDs Farenholt and Frazier are sunk outright, while Laffey is left burning and nearly dead in the water. A fourth USN DD escapes with minor damage, but Minegumo is also battling heavy fires from a couple of 5" shell hits. This scuffle is but a taste of the battle to come, as 6 more USN ships come steaming over the horizon - the CAs Pensacola and San Francisco, CLAA Atlanta, and 3 DDs. Game is about to mimic real history, to an extent.

It is late morning by now, and the gunners on Yamato open fire from 26,000 yards. Takao and San Francisco also open fire, but no hits are scored on either side. The range continues to close and things get hectic. The main ships in each formation hammer away at each other but inflict only minor damage, with San Francisco taking at least a half dozen hits from Yamato's main guns - all in her superstructure. The escorts on each side are cut into ribbons, with DD Swanson sinking first. Minegumo, still burning from the previous action, is hit hard, as are Natsugumo, Asagumo, and Ayanami. The USN cruisers are pelting Yamato's armor with 8" and 5" shells from main and secondary batteries, but all bounce off the dreadnought's armor plating (8x 8" and 11x5" hits in all) and only start minor fires. It's beginning to look like the IJN's big guns are going to spend all their ammo on misses and superstructure hits, but then Chikuma puts 3 8" shells into San Francisco's engineering compartments in rapid succession. Takao follows suit and penetrates the belt armor on Pensacola with half of a salvo, including one hit in the engine room, before the USN TF manages to pull away.

When all is said and done 3 IJN DDs are burning fiercely and in danger of sinking, while Minegumo is making her slow journey to the bottom. She sinks at noon, while the Ayanami founders some and continues to worsen throughout the afternoon. Mindful of the air threat from Port Moresby, Mikawa deems her a lost cause and leaves her with the Asagumo to fend for themselves. Both sink during the night, red-hot from fires.

Despite being hit 19 times, Yamato (pride of the IJN!) suffered only 4/2/7 damage, all of it minor. However, I am looking into ordering some eyeglasses for her gunners - all main battery ammunition was fired and no significant hit was scored through the actions of the day. They didn't even kill an admiral on the bridge of San Francisco...


The rest of the day
3 SBDs and 3 TBFs from Lunga drop bombs on Ishigawa's cruisers. Kinugasa is hit once by a 500-lb. bomb, but nothing major.

A 1:30 deliberate attack at Tassafaronga results in 228(9) IJA casualties vs. 201 (9) USMC. Looks like despite being sunk, the convoy managed to deliver some essential supplies. Raw AV is now 188 USMC vs. 103 IJA.

Just wanted to say I'm enjoying this AAR. I've been messing with the scenario for fun, and it's great to see a real game using it written up.

Nice work on the convoy attack.

ORIGINAL: obvert

Just wanted to say I'm enjoying this AAR. I've been messing with the scenario for fun, and it's great to see a real game using it written up.

Nice work on the convoy attack.

Thanks! It's been great fun, and I'm also aiming to provide a point of comparison for others playing as there are only a couple of other Guadalcanal AARs up here. Are they all this bloody?

Sometimes my notes for one day take up an entire page. In a campaign game, I would either need a new system for recording or be swamped simply by running turns, taking notes, and sending the turn back. I wonder if voice notes would be of any use...

September 6
Compared to yesterday, today is nothing but crickets. Kirishima joins her sister Hiei under Tanaka's command; they'll go pay a visit to Milne Bay shortly. The other Kongos arrive at Truk and are assigned to the KB.

Of note, Portland, Chicago, DD Russell, and CVE Long Island are showing up on the sunk ships list, but not at the locations they were hit. I wonder when they were added here, and if they actually sunk.

An artillery unit and SNLF unit at Truk are loaded on an amphibious force, setting course for Rabaul.

A deliberate attack at Tass: 183/93 raw AV, 1:50 odds (still 6 Forts). However, IJA casualties are 330 (16) vs. 105 (9) for the USMC.

September 7
The small Val unit at Rabaul is sent to Buka to perform Nav Search and ASW duty in the sea lanes between Rabaul and Shortlands.

The I-19 launches at an unescorted CL Achilles off the coast of Oz and misses. Wasted opportunity. Then she sights Pensacola and fires again....and misses again. Drat!

Tanaka's force (2 Kongos + 4 CAs) successfully bombards Milne Bay, pretty much wrecking the airfield but not many aircraft are destroyed. On the way back to Rabaul, the USN Silent Service claims its first real victim of the campaign when the Albacore finds a working torpedo. It hits the Myoko in her magazines and she pretty much disintegrates. I wonder how many dice rolls had to go the wrong way for that to happen...

Another deliberate attack at Tass. 177/96 raw AV, 1:21 for 215 (5) vs. 113 (11).

September 8
After yesterday's submarine attack, ASW task forces are organized at Rabaul. I have patrol craft sitting in port (presumably to save fuel), but decide to send them out into small patrol patterns. The Amberjack is located inside Rabaul harbor, but no hits are registered.

Zeroes sweep Port Moresby and score 12 kills on P-39, 2 kills on Kittyhawks at no loss to themselves. Keep it going, boys!

Today's attack at Tass is 160/83 raw AV for 1:191 odds. 87 (6) vs. 125 (2).

September 9
I use up the A6M2 pool entirely. There are now 82 Zeroes of M2/M3 models at Rabaul.

The Amberjack is located again outside of Rabaul and she takes one direct hit. Not enough to make her run, but maybe this will make the Allies think twice before sending subs into Rabaul harbor.

The RO-63 sights CLAAs San Juan and Juneau with 5 DDs outside of Milne Bay. This is probably the escort ring from a CV TF now on patrol duty. The IJN sub torpedoes and sinks DD Ellett before escaping.

The Zero sweep of Moresby yields 8 Kittyhawks shot down for no IJNAF losses.

B-17s fly against Rabaul with a strike vector coming from the SW - is it from Lunga, or from Luganville? Beauforts and B-17s also come in from Port Moresby. All bombing attacks are made from 8000 feet, but there are 9 high-quality Zero pilots flying CAP today. Between the CAP and flak, 9 B-17s are destroyed along with 1 Beaufort, for the loss of 2 A6M2 airframes to ops (could be from the Zero sweep, also).

The 14th Naval Guard is dropped off at Tassafaronga before the daily deliberate assault. 153 USMC vs. 144 IJA on the raw AV tally now, and 1:231 odds result in 113(3) vs. 296 (16) casualties.*


*I'm keeping these tallies to try and maintain a feel of exactly how to ground battle is going. Morale, Fatigue, and Disruption on my units are all holding steady, with fatigue ranging between 24-30 and disruption <10 (stupid malarial zone).

Several of my units are combat ineffective, with 90%+ disabled squads. Would sending an HQc to this area help with this at all (since it provides a lot of Support), or would I be better off simply committing more combat troops to try and drive the Allies back to Lunga, letting my units repair out of combat after that?