ctangus
Posts: 2153
Joined: 10/13/2005 From: Boston, Mass. Status: offline
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2/17 - 2/18/42 4 more Japanese destroyers have become diving attractions. Cent Pac Hornet's two days out from Pearl. Once she arrives she, Yorktown, New Mexico, Mississippi & escorts head to So Pac. Enterprise will remain in Pearl so her crew can scrape off barnacles that accumulated in her earlier running around. I'll probably leave her here until the April upgrade, then rotate the Yorktown class carriers through. Arizona is down to 5 sys damage at San Francisco & will join the South Pac BB division once she's fully repaired. DD Mochizuki hits a sub-laid mine at Kwaj. South Pac Tulagi falls. The Japanese also land at Lunga. Most of the 2nd Marine Div has now arrived at Noumea and NZ troops are also on their way to Efate. DEI This is where the fun was. I spotted a Jap reinforcement convoy heading to Amboina in time to do something about it. First, a Dutch cruiser TF attacked in the night: Night Time Surface Combat, near Amboina at 40,74 Japanese Ships DD Minekaze DD Asagao DD Fuyo, Shell hits 73, on fire, heavy damage Sinks DD Karukaya, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage AP Arabia Maru AP Argentina Maru AP Atuta Maru AP Baikal Maru AP Denmark Maru AP Horaisan Maru AP Ryotaku Maru, on fire AK Sinsei Maru AP Victoria Maru Allied Ships CL Java CL De Ruyter CL Tromp DD Pillsbury DD Pope DD Evertsen DD Piet Hein, Shell hits 1, on fire 35/0/8 - will go to Sydney for repairs Carrier-based planes from Sara, Lex & Indomitable then strike in the morning: Allied aircraft Sea Hurricane Ib x 4 Albacore x 22 F2A Buffalo x 27 F4F-3 Wildcat x 8 SBD Dauntless x 32 TBD Devastator x 18 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged Allied aircraft losses Albacore: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged F2A Buffalo: 4 destroyed, 7 damaged F4F-3 Wildcat: 1 damaged SBD Dauntless: 3 damaged TBD Devastator: 4 damaged Japanese Ships DD Karukaya, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage DD Minekaze, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage AP Horaisan Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire AP Baikal Maru AP Denmark Maru, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage AP Atuta Maru, Torpedo hits 2, on fire DD Asagao AP Arabia Maru, Torpedo hits 1 AP Ryotaku Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage Follow-up strike: Day Air attack on TF at 39,75 Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 2 Allied aircraft F4F-3 Wildcat x 6 SBD Dauntless x 15 TBD Devastator x 18 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 1 damaged Allied aircraft losses F4F-3 Wildcat: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged SBD Dauntless: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged Japanese Ships AP Victoria Maru AP Atuta Maru, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage AP Horaisan Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage Sinks DD Asagao DD Karukaya, on fire, heavy damage Sinks after this combat Altogether the Zeros on LRCAP shot down 4 Buffalos, 2 Wildcats & 1 Dauntless for the loss of 2 Zeros. Interestingly Buffalo pilots from VF-2 are claiming both kills. Finally, the Dutch cruiser TF runs into the Japanese again, 60 miles SW of Amboina: Day Time Surface Combat at 39,75 Japanese Ships DD Minekaze, Shell hits 12, and is sunk DD Asagao, Shell hits 15, and is sunk AP Arabia Maru, Shell hits 11, on fire, heavy damage AP Argentina Maru, Shell hits 13, on fire, heavy damage AP Atuta Maru, Shell hits 3, on fire, heavy damage AP Baikal Maru, Shell hits 5, on fire, heavy damage AP Denmark Maru, on fire, heavy damage AP Ryotaku Maru, on fire, heavy damage AK Sinsei Maru AP Victoria Maru Allied Ships CL Java, Shell hits 2 CL De Ruyter CL Tromp, Shell hits 1 DD Pillsbury, Shell hits 1 DD Pope, Shell hits 1 11/4/7 Damage to all other ships is negligible DD Evertsen, Shell hits 1 I think (hope?) KB's near the Solomons covering the landings there. I know that Baby KB is nearby but if Pat commits it I'll outnumber it & the fatigue of my pilots is still low. With that in mind I decided to stick around one more day. The Dutch will try for a mid-ocean intercept during the night then retreat towards Darwin. The CVs will move 60 miles east to be in position to finish off the convoy whether it moves back towards Amboina or NE towards safety. Regardless of outcome the CVs will bolt after tomorrow. If I'm wrong about KB it could get exciting! React setting is at 5, to avoid a Japanese strike without a possibility of a counter-strike. Elsewhere in the DEI Jap reinforcements are also approaching Balikpapan. Subs & LBA will try to stop them. Burma I've decided to abandon Rangoon & Moulmein without a fight. Of 4 brigades there the two in Rangoon will march to Mandalay and the Royal Navy will pick up the two in Moulmein and bring them to India.
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