Snigbert
Posts: 2956
Joined: 1/27/2002
From: Worcester, MA. USA
Status: offline
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*burp*
Okay, where was I?
May 6th...
Basically, my goal is to preserve my carrier force and slowly let it build up until I have enough carriers to counter the Japanese.
Unfortunately, my plan was overtaken by events. My mistake, in hindsight, was allowing my carriers to react to the enemy carriers. Our patrols had spotted the Japanese carriers loitering around Shortlands, and before I knew it my own task force took off up the Slot after them like a greyhound chasing a stuffed rabit.
The battle took place South of San Isobel, which is really much further away from friendly territory than I would have liked them to be. Especially with Lunga and Tulagi now in enemy hands...it meant I had enemy carriers closing off the slot to the Northwest and enemy surface ships closing off the slot to the Southeast.
WAVE ONE: Our first wave of planes strikes first at the enemy carriers. They are quickly identified as the Shokaku, Zuikaku and Shoho. No big surprise there. About thirty devastators and dauntlesses along with an escort of 12 wildcats make it through the cap of approximately 30 Zeros.
The Shokaku is the first ship attacked, as a group of 4 Dauntlesses dive at her and score 3 out of 4 hits! The third hit causes a fuel storage explosion, and she's on fire. So far so good!
The Shoho then becomes the next victim as she is hit by a 22 inch MK13 torpedo from a Devastator. Follow this with 4 1000 lb bomb hits from the Dauntlesses. Several are critical hits. Ammo explodes in her magazine. Goodbye, Shoho.
We wouldn't want to let the Shokaku and Shoho have all the fun, so a flight of Dauntlesses and Devastators attack the Zuikaku as well. A hit with a 22 inch MK 13 torpedo, followed by a 1000 lb bomb hit, and she is shaken.
A bomb also hit the DD Akebeno, causing critical damage to her as well.
In the first attack we lose 33 planes, 10 destroyed and the rest damaged.
WAVE TWO: A second wave moves in consisting of 3 Wildcats and 12 Devastators. Evidently these guys got separated from the rest of the force. They score no hits on the Japanese carriers, and all 12 of the devastators are either destroyed or damaged. Tough break.
WAVE THREE: 28 Dauntless SBDs come in with no escort. The Shokaku, Zuikaku and Shoho receive a bomb hit each. I'm surprised to see the Shoho is still afloat at this point. Both her and the Shokaku are on fire, and heavily damaged. The Zuikaku isn't doing too great either. We lose 8 Dauntlesses in the attack. Surely this is a great victory for the Allies, right?
JAPANESE COUNTERATTACK:
17 Zeros, 39 Vals, 46 Kates attack our task force.
The first 250kg bomb lands on the DD Morris. Alright, we can live with that. Then the Japanese planes fix their sites on the Yorktown...
Seven hits from 250kg Dive bombers...
Four hits from 18" Type 91 torpedos
Lexington is also hit hard, suffering two critical bomb hits and a torpedo hit.
The CA Chester is hit by a torpedo, and the CA Portland suffers a bomb hit.
The cost to the Japanese planes: 3 Zeros destroyed, 1 damaged...3 Vals destroyed, 3 damaged...6 Kates destroyed, 16 damaged.
You can see that Kates aren't quite as good at surviving an attack as Vals, which I think is historically accurate.
The unfortunate side effect of this engagement, is that my carrier planes returning from the attack on the Japanese planes have nowhere within range to land. After the battle I look at the Yorktown and Lexington, which are both still floating but only pulling about 5 knots.
Yorktown has 4 aircraft left, Lexington has 2. I watch the long list of American pilots ditching, being captured, being killed.
I check on the damage sustained as my task force staggers back towards Noumea.
Lexington: System 49 Floatation 44 Fire 16
Morris: System 51 Floatation 19 Fire 30
Yorktown: System 36 Floatation 36 Fire 38
Portland: Sytem 19
Chester: System 19 Floatation 23
If I try to remind myself that at least the Japanese took equally bad damage to their ships, I remember that the point here was not to make an exchange with them. Now I will watch as the rest of their carriers arrive and run wild in the area while I'm waiting for the Enterprise and Hornet to arrive at Pearl Harbor. Then maybe they'll be released to my command. Grr.
May 8th, 1942: While they task force is trying to make it's way back to Noumea, a Japanese sub puts a torpedo into the CA Minneapolis.
May 9th, 1942: S-38 hits Toho Maru near Rabaul, sinking her.
May 11th, 1942: I begin moving the 7th Infantry Division to Port Moresby.
6 minesweepers and 6 PCs are sent to Port Moresby as well.
6 PCs are sent to Luganville. I can use them from there to try and disrupt resupply attempts at Lunga and Tulagi.
May 12th, 1942: Japanese submarine I-29 puts a torpedo into the Lexington. She sinks.
May 13th, 1942: Yorktown makes it back to Noumea. She has got the fires and some of the floatation problems under control.
May 17th, 1942: I send 6 PCs to attack Lunga. They end up in an engagement with a Japanese MSW, MSW WaL, and sink her.
On their way back to Luganville one of the PCs is sunk by a Japanese submarine.
May 20th, 1942: Japanese naval bombardment of Gili Gili. Are they planning on invading Gili Gili?
May 21st, 1942: Yorktown, Morris and Minneapolis are ordered to Pearl Harbor for repairs. Yorktown will be available again in 6 months.
The CVE Long Island and CA New Orleans arrive with a few destroyers to reinforce us at Noumea.
May 22nd, 1942: 3rd Australian Infantry Division arrives at Brisbane as a reinforcement. I immediately begin transporting them to Gili Gili. That will put the 7th Inf. at Port Moresby and 3rd Inf. at Gili Gili.
May 25th, 1942: S-46 hits Aki Maru with 2 torpedoes near Kavieng.
That's what I made it through last night. More to come, I should get some time in tonight to play. Hope you're enjoying it so far.
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