wneumann
Posts: 3768
Joined: 11/1/2005 From: just beyond the outskirts of Margaritaville Status: offline
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Summary of Operations 8/27/42 Central Pacific: The KB came out! The most massive Japanese carrier air strike since 12/7/41 was launched against a U.S. TF (five DD's) returning to Palmyra following the Jap naval bombardment attack on 8/26. All five DD's were sunk. Situation map and AAR follows. Estimated size of the Japanese carrier force west of Palmyra (based on the number of attacking aircraft) would be 6-8 CV's (all the original KB carriers plus Junyo and/or Hiyo). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day Air attack on TF, near Palmyra at 110,90 Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 55 A6M3 Zero x 41 D3A2 Val x 130 B5N2 Kate x 229 Allied aircraft F4F-4 Wildcat x 1 No Japanese losses Allied aircraft losses F4F-4 Wildcat: 1 destroyed Allied Ships (all later reported sinking) DD Russell, Bomb hits 13, on fire, heavy damage DD Fanning, Bomb hits 16, on fire, heavy damage DD Walke, Bomb hits 14, on fire, heavy damage DD Hammann, Bomb hits 7, on fire, heavy damage DD Mustin, Bomb hits 6, on fire, heavy damage Aircraft Attacking: (deleted in this report) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contacts with Japanese carrier air patrols were still reported from U.S. submarines despite the KB attack on Palmyra. It can now be presumed that these contacts (Vals at Saipan, Kates at Kwajalein & Canton Is) are either (1) land-based aircraft or (2) from other carriers that did not participate in the Palmyra strike. Given the number of Jap carrier aircraft participating in the Palmyra attack, it is unlikely that case (2) above is true. No Jap air patrols (either Kates or Vals) were observed this game turn at Pago Pago - Jap carrier plane contacts at Pago Pago were likely to be with aircraft actually based on a carrier. Jap air patrols (Kates or Vals) continued to be detected by U.S. subs this game turn at Kwajalein and Canton Is - these probably being land-based aircraft. The Vals reported on patrol at Saipan could either be carrier (Baby KB?) or land based aircraft. Wasn't so much a matter of being fooled as not knowing for sure what I was watching (couldn't tell if what I was seeing was true or not, especially with no additional information available). Until proven otherwise, my assumption was the KB's current location probably (>50% chance) coincided with sightings of Val and/or Kate aircraft. And there was no information to prove this otherwise. What can be learned from this is that monitoring flights of Kate and Val aircraft might sometimes be but not always is an accurate indicator of the KB's whereabouts. Especially true when these contacts continue for a long period of time with no change and/or when no additional information to confirm the KB's activity or location is available. Caveat Emptor, Kiddies...
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