Grotius
Posts: 5798
Joined: 10/18/2002
From: The Imperial Palace.
Status: offline
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On 26 May 1942, shortly after midnight, the first troops of the Eighth Army jumped ashore at Port Moresby, where they encountered no enemy resistance. The infantry scoured the town looking for any sign of the enemy, but all they found were cigarette butts and empty beer cans. The Rising Sun flies over Port Moresby!
Unfortunately, Imperial bombers have spent the past two weeks bombing Moresby back into the stone age. As recently as a few days ago, Bettys were preparing to take off from Rabaul to bomb Port Moresby, when they received an urgent command to belay their bombing orders. Even then they refused to stop: an enemy squadron of Airacobras suddenly rebased at PM, and my pilots were determined to keep the base closed to capture those planes.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/14/42
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Air attack on Port Moresby , at 10,40
Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 12
Allied aircraft [None. Did I think about this? No.]
Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty x 2 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Allied ground losses:
Men lost 4
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 10
Attacking Level Bombers:
12 x G4M1 Betty at 3000 feet
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Air attack on Buna , at 12,38
Allied aircraft
P-39D Airacobra x 10
no losses
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/15/42
Weather: Thunderstorms
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/16/42
Weather: Thunderstorms [Surely the weather will improve in Brisbane?]
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/17/42
Weather: Overcast
Air attack on Port Moresby , at 10,40
Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 12
no losses
Airbase hits 3
Runway hits 1
[Still no CAP. Recon shows no ground forces or planes at the base. I dismiss this as fog of war, but some of my officers insist the enemy is withdrawing. I scoff at them.]
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/18/42
Weather: Overcast
Air attack on Port Moresby , at 10,40 [Have I no brain?]
Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 20
G4M1 Betty x 13
no losses
Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 10 [sigh. NOW my bombers become accurate.]
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/19/42
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Ground combat at Woodlark Island
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 639 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 0)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Woodlark Island base !!!
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AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/20/42
Weather: Overcast
By now I strongly suspect he's withdrawing from PM, but I'm worried he'll change his mind, so I continue to suppress the airbase. Soon to be MY airbase. Sigh.
Air attack on Port Moresby , at 10,40
Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 19
no losses
Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 3
Attacking Level Bombers:
19 x G4M1 Betty at 7000 feet
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Ground combat at Tulagi
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 39 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 0)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Tulagi base !!!
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AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/21/42
Weather: Clear
Air attack on TF, near Port Moresby at 10,40
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 22
G3M Nell x 9
Japanese aircraft losses
G3M Nell x 6 damaged
Allied Ships
AP Manoora
AP Manunda, Torpedo hits 2, heavy damage [snip]
[I thought these ships were bringing stuff *in.* No; they were taking stuff *out.* Happy to have a couple of hits either way.]
---------------------------
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/22/42
Weather: Partly Cloudy
I now ordered a halt to bombing of PM -- except that two squadrons of Allied planes suddenly appeared at his airbase there, making my officers wonder whether this was all a ruse. Some of my air squadron leaders decided they might as well try to keep the base closed, catch a few aircraft when my troops land -- as they are scheduled to do in three days.
Air attack on Port Moresby , at 10,40
Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 13
no losses
Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 11
Attacking Level Bombers:
8 x G3M Nell at 7000 feet
5 x G3M Nell at 7000 feet
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AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/23/42
Weather: Partly Cloudy
By now it is clear he is abandoning PM, but he's still got some Airacobras stranded there, so I bomb in order to keep them from flying off before my troops arrive tomorrow.
Air attack on Port Moresby , at 10,40
Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 15
no losses
Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 8
Attacking Level Bombers:
15 x G4M1 Betty at 7000 feet
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Air attack on Gili Gili , at 17,42
Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 9
no losses
Port hits 1
Attacking Level Bombers:
6 x B-17E Fortress at 20000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 20000 feet
------------------------------------
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/24/42
Weather: Thunderstorms
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/25/42
Weather: Rain
Will this rain ever stop? It makes me miss springtime in Tokyo. Wishing they had parasols, my troops splash ashore at PM at midnight.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/26/42
Weather: Thunderstorms
Ground combat at Port Moresby
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 1830 troops, 51 guns, 0 vehicles
Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles :eek:
Japanese assault odds: 16 to 1 (fort level 2)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Port Moresby base !!! :D
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In the end, we caught only 4 Airacobras on the ground in Port Moresby, and now we have to fill in our own bomb-craters. Still, our troops triumphantly raised the flag of the Rising Sun over Port Moresby. Then they went looking for umbrellas. :)
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