AmiralLaurent
Posts: 3351
Joined: 3/11/2003 From: Near Paris, France Status: offline
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4 July 1943 Today air losses were untypical of the period: 26 Allied for 1 Japanese, including 15 to 1 in the air. This turn is also remarkable because for the first time since I was dropped by my Internet provider in December 2006, this AAR is actually up to date. The 5 July 1943 is still in my mailbox and will be played tonight. Thanks to my job where I did long performance tests of software those last days and so had "free time" (especially in teh evening where everybody else was gone) between two clicks to put my notes on this forum. Northern Pacific A Mavis reported an Allied convoy and probably more (the TF was not centered in the hex… how I love FOW in WITP) 120 miles NE of Adak Island. The Japanese submarine patrolling north of the Aleutians was ordered to sail to this area to investigate. New Guinea-New Britain- Solomon Islands In the afternoon Rabaul was attacked by 17 PB4Y from PM escorted by 40 P-38G that scored 2 hits on the airbase and 17 on runways, doing 14 casualties, while 29 B-24D from the same base raided Kavieng with comparable results: 14 casualties, 4 hits on the airbase and 16 on runways. A B-24D and a P-38G were lost operationally. On the Japanese side the convoy that brought the first part of the 43rd Div in Hollandia was now unloading the last supplies before returning to Palau. From this base sailed a small AK with about 1000 men of the 43rd Div to test if it managed to slip to Wewak unnoticed. If it did more solitary transports will be sent. The Ki-21 Sentai going to the PI flew today from Lunga to Truk without more loss and will rest here for one day. Timor-DEI-Australia Three MSW started to sweep the mines laid by Allied airmen off Kendari during the night anc continued during the day. According to the messages appearing in the game, they detected 8 minefields during the night and 6 more during the day. Don’t know how the game handles such minefields laid by air but maybe each Allied unit will lay a different minefield. In the evening the mine symbol was no more off Kendari but I don’t know if I can trust it in this case. Anyway the Darwin airmen were apparently not happy with some tiny ships ruining their effort of the day before and, after having ignored AK convoys and ASW group stopping there regularly in the last months, launched an attack against this minesweeping group. 15 B-17E took off, none returned… They ran into a CAP of 50 Tojo, 17 Oscar II, 15 Ki-61 and 13 Nick Ia that shot down 12 of them before the bombing run and damaged the 3 other enough for them to crash before returning to base. The MSW were missed and the only Japanese loss was an Oscar and its pilot. It was a tremendous victory by the IJA and a good morale boost for it, after some really bad battles over Burma. Most worrying was the fact that the seven Sentai based in Kendari with 190-200 AC at 90% CAP orders, a big Air HQ, no overcrowding and 60k supplies, were only able to send 95 AC in the battle, while Allied will almost always send 100% of available fighters against raids due to radar. But there is nothing to be done about it. In the afternoon, Maumere was attacked by 8 PB4Y from Wyndham and reported 23 casualties, 1 hit on supplies and 2 on the runway, and Koepang was raided by 54 B-25C and 34 B-25J from Derby and reported 67 casualties, 8 hits on the airbase, 1 on supplies and 58 on the runway. The only Allied loss was a B-25J lost operationally. Two 7000-ton AK loaded supplies in Palau and will carry them respectively to Amboina and Sorong. SRA The troop convoy badly attacked these last days at least seemed to have escaped to the Allied submarines, at least momentarily. It now was off Bataan. Three MSW of the local forces joined it and will escort both damaged AP to Manila where troops will be unloaded and will wait for replacement transports. The other transports of the convoy, and the three ASW group now escorting it will sail SW to Taytay before sailing N of Palawan. Japanese airmen reported today that Allied submarines surrounded Bataan. The convoy bringing 72k fuel to Davao reached this base and started to unload. It will then go to Borneo. Burma Allied air activity was at a normal level. Myitkyina was attacked by 10 B-25J from Ledo escorted by 22 P-40N and 17 P-40E that did 26 casualties and scored 4 hits on the airbase, 1 on supplies and 11 on the runways. Four units of the garrison (33rd and 104th Div, 21st and 23rd Mixed Bde) were bombed by 46 Beaufighter VIC, 45 Vengeance I and 31 Beaufighter Mk 21 from Kohima and Ledo escorted by 2 P-40E and lost 96 men and 4 guns. In the mountains SE of Imphal, the 12th NLF was attacked by 52 Hurricane II from Imphal and 22 Lysander I from Kohima escorted by 12 Spitfire Vb and lost 160 men. Allied losses during the day were 2 Beaufighter Mk 21 and 2 Vengeance I shot down by AA fire. On the ground Japanese artillery targeting Allied troops on the railway 120 miles west of Myitkyina hit 28 men. As planned yesterday, the 1st and 3rd Tk Div managed to leave Myitkyina and arrived on the railway west of it. They received orders to stop here and will wait for future developments. Current plans are to use them together with the reinforcements coming from Japan to reduce the eleven Allied units more west on the railway, once these will be surrounded. More south the Burma Army staff was unsure about the forces holding Lashio (two BF and two Const Bn) and ordered the 4th Eng Rgt to march from Mandalay to this base. To replace the Eng Rgt, the 1st Parachute Rgt will be ferried from Hanoi to Mandalay by 40 transport AC. Needless to say the elite troops were not pleased to receive an assignment as rear-area garrison, but they were more or less planned to then take a part in the battle more north on the railway. The evening report still indicated that all bases were undamaged. Recon aircraft reported that Asansol had still no CAP but the air commanders now had another idea in mind. Kohima was an active hub for Allied fighter-bombers, dive bombers and recon aircraft but was possibly only defended by a handful of Spitfires. It may be a good target for another Japanese strike. Recon will continue tomorrow to fly over Indian bases but will cover the Assam bases, and amongst them Kohima. China 120 miles east of Kweiyang 44 Ki-48 from Kweilin and Wuchow bombed 3 Chinese units and hit 32 men and 1 gun. More north Japanese patrols now reported 19 Chinese units in Kunming (one more than before) and recon aircraft reported that the HQ 14th Air Force and another unit were NE of the city (probably coming to reinforce it) while other unidentified troops were east of them, also coming from Chungking. All of this augured badly for the Japanese attack on this city but the troops of the Southern China Army were now only some miles away from their target and will at least reach it and launch a probing attack. Even if the Chinese will outnumber them, better troop quality and supplies may suffice to take the city. Japan The 1943 vintage of the Kido Butai was presented today to Adm Yamamoto and his Imperial Majesty in Osaka. It was organized in two fast CV TF, two slow CV TF, a BB TF and a scout force. Total strength will be 10 CV and 4 CVL carrying 675 aircraft, 7 BB, 9 CA, 7 CL and 36 DD. Precise OOB is the following: Fast CV TF 1 (Adm Yamaguchi): CV Zuikaku, Amagi, Unryu, CA Chikuma, Tone, CL Noshiro, 6 DD, 165 AC. Speed 34 knots Fast CV TF 2 (Adm Yamada): CV Shokaku, Hiryu, Soryu, CA Ashigara, Chokai, Maya, 6 DD, 158 AC. Speed 34 knots Slow CV TF 1 (Adm Ugaki): CV Akagi, CVL Ryujo, Zuiho, Shoho, BB Kirishima, Hiei, Haruna, 6 DD, 147 AC. Speed 28 knots Slow CV TF 2 (Adm Nagumo): CV Kaga, Hiyo, Junyo, CVL Ryuho, BB Yamato, Musashi, CA Kako, Aoba, 6 DD, 195 AC. Speed 25 knots BB TF (Adm Hashimoto): BB Mutsu, Fuso, CA Furutaka, Kinusaga, CL Oyodo, Oi, Kitakami, Tama, Kuma, 6 DD. Speed 24 knots Scout TF (Adm Yoshitoni): CL Abukuma, 6 DD. Speed 32 knots The fleet left the port in perfect formation (all ships have 0 SYS) and sailed for Aomori. The fleet will support the “reoccupation” of Paramushiro Jima by Japanese airmen. Some days ago, two training fighter classes were declared operational in China. One was sent to Burma the other upgraded from A6M2 to A6M3a and should be scattered into fragments to fill other units. Well it was totally forgotten for some days and was now a ready A6M3a unit. It was then decided to use it as such and the unit arrived at Ominato today with 25 A6M3a and 23 pilots (exp 70).
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