leehunt27@bloomberg.net
Posts: 533
Joined: 9/6/2004 Status: offline
|
...and the Americans strike back, painfully. The enemy always gets a vote :( Allied P-38's sweep the skies over Luganville repeatedly, reducing the CAP effectiveness before the American 4E bomber onslaught. Fortunately damaging some planes and forcing me to rotate new fighters squadrons in won't wreck my situation at New Caledonia. But regardless, it was a painful attack (the ships sunk were damaged and in repair in harbor, the rest of my fleet has wisely stayed away from Port Attack vulnerability): Morning Air attack on Luganville , at 120,150 Weather in hex: Light rain Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 13 minutes Japanese aircraft Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 34 Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 8 Allied aircraft B-17E Fortress x 49 B-17F Fortress x 10 B-24D Liberator x 39 Japanese aircraft losses Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 damaged Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 3 destroyed on ground Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 8 damaged Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 1 destroyed on ground G4M1 Betty: 9 destroyed on ground L3Y2 Tina: 2 destroyed on ground Ki-57-I Topsy: 1 destroyed on ground Ki-57-II Topsy: 5 destroyed on ground H6K2-L Mavis: 1 destroyed on ground E13A1 Jake: 2 destroyed on ground Allied aircraft losses B-17E Fortress: 5 damaged B-17F Fortress: 1 damaged B-24D Liberator: 6 damaged Japanese Ships SS RO-67, Bomb hits 3, and is sunk DD Akatsuki, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage CA Tone, Bomb hits 27, heavy fires, heavy damage DD Yugumo, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage LB-157, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk LB-1020, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk AKE Denmark Maru, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage AS Yasukuni Maru, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage DD Kazegumo, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage ACM Bisan Maru, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk LB-1012, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk LB-5001, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk LB-1021, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk LB-517, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk LB-1007, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk LB-1010, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk LB-151, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk LB-1019, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk LB-516, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk LB-153, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk ACM Asahi Maru #2, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk LB-144, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk LB-1008, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk Japanese ground losses: 8 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled Airbase hits 25 Airbase supply hits 9 Runway hits 70 Port hits 9 Port supply hits 2 In answer to questions posted: I have about 50 air transports at Luganville, enough to make a difference but not proceed with a lightning fast evacuation. As for the sub wars, I've found that my subs end up chasing warships but rarely getting any contact/hits, while putting themselves at risk from all the DD escorts. Sinking over 20 transports off the coast of California with barely any loss still seems like a decent trade. The Bettys on Naval Search can hopefully make up for the lost sub recon.
_____________________________
John 21:25
|