PzB74
Posts: 5076
Joined: 10/3/2000 From: No(r)way Status: offline
|
The KB got of a series of violent attacks against 2 Allied convoys during the morning phase on the 9th of September. The convoys were erased... Guess they were carrying supplies for the Solomons. Perhaps that will force Andy to stand down his bombers. He's pushing them to mutiny! AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 09/09/43 Air Combat Let's ignore the daily bombing missions in the South Pacific today and concentrate on naval air attacks! Betty's based at Truk struck against ships unloading on the beaches west of Rabaul! With a little luck we could have hit a couple of ca's... Day Air attack on TF at 60,89 Japanese aircraft G4M1 Betty x 11 Allied aircraft P-47C Thunderbolt x 9 Japanese aircraft losses G4M1 Betty: 9 destroyed Allied Ships CA Canberra Aircraft Attacking: 2 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day Air attack on TF at 60,89 Japanese aircraft G4M1 Betty x 3 Allied aircraft P-39D Airacobra x 3 P-47C Thunderbolt x 6 Japanese aircraft losses G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged Allied Ships CA Quincy Aircraft Attacking: 2 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are the KB attacks against 2 enemy convoys! Day Air attack on TF at 71,90 Japanese aircraft - no escorts...why does this make me extremely unhappy? Seems to happen 9 out 10 times no matter how I organize my carrier fleets D4Y Judy x 68 B5N Kate x 104 Japanese aircraft losses D4Y Judy: 1 damaged B5N Kate: 1 destroyed, 5 damaged Allied Ships - this is the fun stuff AK Steel Voyager, Torpedo hits 6, on fire, heavy damage AK Empire Hawk, Bomb hits 1 AK Mormacwren, Bomb hits 6, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage AK Charles McCormick, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage AK West Ivis, Bomb hits 8, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage AK Empire Pennant AK West Cactus, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage AK Empire Heath, Torpedo hits 1, on fire AK Hamakua, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage SC SC-741, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage AK Empire Glade, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage AK Empire Bruce, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage SC SC-749, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage - yeah right...! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day Air attack on TF at 71,90 - a follow up attack, also unescorted...grrrr Japanese aircraft D4Y Judy x 59 B6N Jill x 31 Japanese aircraft losses B6N Jill: 2 damaged Allied Ships AK Hamakua, on fire, heavy damage AK Empire Heath, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage AK West Ivis, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage AK Admiral Wiley, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage AK Empire Pennant, Bomb hits 2, on fire SC SC-741, on fire, heavy damage AK Charles McCormick, on fire, heavy damage AK West Cactus, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage AK Empire Glade, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage AK Steel Voyager, on fire, heavy damage -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day Air attack on TF at 71,90 - a third unescorted strike! Japanese aircraft D4Y Judy x 17 B5N Kate x 12 No Japanese losses Allied Ships AK West Cactus, on fire, heavy damage AK Empire Glade, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage AK Empire Pennant, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage AK Empire Hawk, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day Air attack on TF at 73,90 - a second convoy is then targetted and most of my escorts follow this modest strike in! Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 16 A6M5 Zeke x 93 D3A Val x 8 D4Y Judy x 18 B5N Kate x 42 No Japanese losses Allied Ships AK Kahuku, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage AK Selma City, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage AK Hawaiian, Bomb hits 11, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage SC SC-702, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage AK American Packer, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day Air attack on TF at 73,90 - no more targets... Japanese aircraft A6M5 Zeke x 16 D3A Val x 8 B5N Kate x 8 No Japanese losses Allied Ships AK Selma City, on fire, heavy damage AK Kahuku, on fire, heavy damage -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ground Combat Repulsed yet again with heavy losses. Ground combat at Kavieng Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 72251 troops, 661 guns, 5 vehicles Defending force 20631 troops, 93 guns, 91 vehicles Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 Japanese ground losses: 1851 casualties reported Guns lost 46 Vehicles lost 3 Allied ground losses: 157 casualties reported Guns lost 2 Vehicles lost 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Situation Map: KB missions I faced a series of difficult choices today: what should I do with the KB? I decided to send one carrier division with the Junyo and 4 light carriers south to finish of another enemy cargo convoy. The only threat should be enemy medium/heavy bombers without escorts since the US carriers were spotted at Gili Gili today. Well..not all of them: the surface combat group that was spotted yesterday heading north towards the Marshalls included 1 or 2 enemy carriers that attempted to strike at our ships at Kwajalein. Since most of our ships were disbanded into port they didn't find any targets. Pretty sure Andy will race south and hide among his LBA. I'm putting the main force of the KB some way west of the US bases north in the Gilberts. Perhaps his carriers will react? Can't ignore the opportunity to knock one or two birdfarms out. It's a risk but a calculated one. Andy is aggressive so let's try him. Carpe Diem baby
Attachment (1)
_____________________________
"The problem in defense is how far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without" - Dwight D. Eisenhower
|