John 3rd
Posts: 17178
Joined: 9/8/2005 From: La Salle, Colorado Status: offline
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March 30, 1942 SS Patrol Line of eight SS established between Pearl Harbor and Johnson Island. Air China Yenen 23Z 51B 8 Resources Kunming 20F 22B 2 Resources Taung Gyi 22 B-17 do 4 Resources Am noticing that Wolfpack may fall into operational patterns. He keeps hitting the same things....hmmmm...wonder if I can use that? Manila 9F 43DB 22B Lose 1 Plane, do 48 Cas, and hit AF/Pt Palmyra Betty Strike! 14B attack the CA Group and putt 1TT into CL Honolulu! Lose 2 planes. Ground Two seperate Landing at Kodiak begin to raise the troops levels there. CD hits 3 APD. Landing and CAPTURE Johnson Island! AP hits a mine there. 16J for 1513 US POWs and 5 Catalinas. Land and CAPTURE Jarvis Island. Bombard Changsha 261 Cas He appears to be withdrawing from Hsinyang, CH again... Thank goodness for my Kodiak Landings this round! Wolfpack attacks with his RCT and BF: 0J for 359US! Probably would have kicked me off if those forces handed come in this round. My Paratroopers finally take Malang, Jv 5-1 57J for 27D Navy HOLY COW! This is a wild-and-Crazy Day... Night Battle at Johnson Island: 1BC (Haruna), 1CA, 1CL, 4DD vs. 9CA, 7CL, 10DD. Battle lasts two gunnery rounds with the Japanese getting surprise on the opening round. SINK CA Indianapolis, heavily damage 2 more CA, and 4 DD. BC Haruna and CA Maya damaged (but not badly). My Bombardment Group decides to bombard INSTEAD of join the fight! Mutsu/Nagato do 162 Cas and NOTHING to Allied TF...grrrrrr Just when I am celebrating the decent results form the surface fight, I have ANOTHER heart attack when my forces are jumped by CVs Yorktown and Saratoga! They appear one hex east of Johnson. In a series of strikes, hit Haruna, Maya, 2DD, a MSW, and do 405 Cas on the Island itself. YIKES... Lose DD Hayate and Oite, 2 MSW, and 1AP. Haruna and Maya now in sinking condition. Could be worse... BRIGHT SIDE---KB3 will arrive tomorrow and have not been spotted. I set CAP @ 60%, Vals at Range 5 (no search), and Kates at Range 4 (so I have TTs). TOMORROW will see the second carrier battle of the war! Shokaku, Zuikaku, Zuiho, and Shoho vs. 2 US CV. The whole goal of Operation Eastern Wind goal is to draw out the American Fleet and here is a CHANCE! March 31, 1942 SS My SS line strikes! I-169 puts a TT into CA Northampton. I-72 spots Yorktown and Saratoga moving away from Johnson. Eight other SS await cripples from the battle. Air China Yenen 19Z and 50B 7 Res Chungking 54Z 173B 29 Res Taung Gyi His normal B-17 run is hit by Fighters! 17Oscars/15Z vs. 26 B-17 Lose NO Fighters and shot down 2 Bombers plus damage to 6 more. Manila 38F 38DB 22B Lose 1 Plane, destroy 1PBY, 56 Cas, AF/Pt Aussie Crossroads 59B 81 Cas 34B 48 Cas Johnson is hit by--GET THIS--142 B-17s!!! Boy--THAT is realistic. ANYWAY, they do 214 Cas and NAIL AF. Land More troops Landing at Pamakasan, JV More troops Landing at Kodiak, Ala Bombard Changsha 237 Cas Attack and CAPTURE Akyab, Burma 2J for 156 Brit Navy CARRIER BATTLE!!! The CVs spot each other at a range of 3 and the US CTF reacts by closing a hex. Americans launch two strikes: Wave 1: 9 F4F 28 SBD 12 Dev vs. 48Z My CAP has a field Day! I lose 3Z and down goes 6 F4F 10 SBD 6 Dev--the remainder bore in. The first strike hits Shokaku 2 Bombs, Zuikaku 1 Bomb, and Shoho 2 Bombs. Wave 2: 14 F4F 33 SBD vs. 45Z CAP loses 4Z but shots down 10 F4F and 5 SBD. The Wildcats prevent my Zeros from getting heavily into the SBDs and I pay for that! Results: Shokaku 3B (5 Total), Zuikaku 1B (2 Total), Shoho 1B (3 Total), and Zuiho 1B. All FOUR of my decks are hit....grrrrrrrrr... My dismay at this point is RAPIDLY tempered by the counter-strike!!! Japanese Strike Force: 36Z 46V 72K vs. 31 F4F. I will lose a total of 10Z, 6V, 12K and shot down 10 F4F. My planes NAIL the US CVs---Yorktown 2B and 5TT!!! Saratoga 3B and 3TT!!!! BANZAI! Afternoon Attacks: 1. 11Vals hit CA Chester with 4B 2. 7K hit CA Portland with 1TT 3. 4 Betty (Palmyra) miss CV Saratoga! DAMN... Total aircraft shot down during battle: Japan 36--17Z, 6V, 13K--that isn't TOO bad. US 47--26 F4F, 15 SBD, and 6 Dev--decent as well. Carrier Status: Shokaku Sys 31, Flot 22, Fires 21 SERIOUS! Zuikaku Sys 13, Flot 0, Fires 12 OK Send BOTH back to Kwajalein ASAP! Shoho Sys 67, Flot 62, Fires 48 I will lose her for certain--Order to Johnson to dock. Zuiho Sys 46, Flot 11, Fires 28 Bad--send to Palmyra to dock ASAP as well. CRAZY NOTE: I did not lose a single plane on the attacks to my CVs. All of Zuiho/Shoho's planes diverted to either the CVs or Johnson. Immediately transfer 27Z from Johnson to Palmyra. How about that?? Thoughts??? US Carrier Status April 1, 1942 Enterprise, Lexington, and Yorktown All sunk! Saratoga Sinking condition... Wasp and Hornet Haven't seen.
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