Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Saros
By the way have you encountered any Fletcher DD's yet? They are horrible machines that will tear up the IJN, the only real success I have had is with IJN CA's fighting it out in the daytime.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

Jan 5 1943

Ouchie. The Swarm loses 54 planes and 45 pilots for essentially no result.

While painful, this has not dented the Swarm in a meaningful way. There are now 540 fighters in the Burma/Thailand area, all with trained pilots. I will just wait until the Britishers venture into an unfortified clear hex before pulling the trigger again.

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Afternoon Air attack on 50th Tank Brigade, at 57,50 (Toungoo)

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 77 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 19 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 78
Ki-43-IIb Oscar x 36
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 30

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 47 damaged
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 9 destroyed by flak
Ki-43-IIb Oscar: 9 damaged
Ki-43-IIb Oscar: 11 destroyed by flak

Allied ground losses:
29 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Aircraft Attacking:
36 x Ki-43-IIa Oscar bombing from 100 feet
Ground Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb
28 x Ki-43-IIb Oscar bombing from 100 feet
Ground Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb
30 x Ki-43-IIa Oscar bombing from 100 feet
Ground Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb

Also attacking 24th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment ...
Also attacking 50th Tank Brigade ...
Also attacking 24th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment ...

quote:

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

The Swarm in 1945

I ran some tests using Downfall with Oscars on low-level Naval Attack against some Essex class CVs.

OK so there is no CAP, but even so I think this is quite encouraging. You don't need to throw away entire airgroups by converting them to Kamikaze, just let the individual pilots decide if and when they want to die for the Emperor.

Over the subsequent two days the entire CV task force was sunk, with about a 60% loss rate to the Oscar airgroups.


AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Sep 04, 45
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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Amami Oshima at 98,64

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 20 minutes

Japanese aircraft
     Ki-43-IIIa Oscar x 98

Japanese aircraft losses
     Ki-43-IIIa Oscar: 3 destroyed, 36 damaged
     Ki-43-IIIa Oscar: 33 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
     DD Crane, Shell hits 3, Kamikaze hits 1,  on fire
     DD Kane, Bomb hits 1,  on fire
     CV Essex, Bomb hits 6, Kamikaze hits 2,  heavy fires
     CV Franklin
     DD Humphreys, Shell hits 1, Bomb hits 2,  heavy fires,  heavy damage
     DD Hatfield
     CV Bunker Hill, Shell hits 2, Bomb hits 2,  on fire
     CV Intrepid, Kamikaze hits 2,  on fire

Aircraft Attacking:
     37 x Ki-43-IIIa Oscar bombing from 100 feet
              Naval Attack:  2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
     37 x Ki-43-IIIa Oscar bombing from 100 feet
              Naval Attack:  2 x 250 kg GP Bomb

Carrier support unable to supply air cover..
Hida R. gives his life for the Emperor by ramming DD Crane
Banzai! - Hida D. in a Ki-43-IIIa Oscar is willing to die for the Emperor
Banzai! - Hidaka O. in a Ki-43-IIIa Oscar is willing to die for the Emperor
Hidaka O. gives his life for the Emperor by ramming CV Essex
Banzai! - Kaguyama P. in a Ki-43-IIIa Oscar is willing to die for the Emperor
Banzai! - Miyauchi G. in a Ki-43-IIIa Oscar is willing to die for the Emperor
Banzai! - Kabase E. in a Ki-43-IIIa Oscar is willing to die for the Emperor
Hyakutake C. gives his life for the Emperor by ramming CV Intrepid