Canoerebel
Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline
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I just ran the movie. It was a good day for the Allies overall, but not decisive. There was a carrier battle, of sorts, but nothing decisive. So I'm not sure why John thinks it was decisive. I'll post detals later, but here's the bottom line:
1. Several turns ago, I spotted the IJN AO TF lingering behind the KB and well to the west of Sabang. John withdrew the TF, but I vectored some combat ships towards where I hoped they might be - nothing more than throwing a few darts while blindfolded. Well, a nice TF flagged by CLAA Santa Fe found them today, sinking three or four fleet AOs and some escorts. This is probably the one thing that most bothered John.
2. There were four or five more encounters between small Allied combat ships and the KB, with CLs Columbia and Sumatra mixing it up with Zuikaku and Shokaku on multiple occassions. No major harm done, but more shell hits registered on IJN fleet carriers. I also lost several DDs to later KB air strikes.
3. My carriers must've ended up 8 or 9 hexes from KB (I'll post screen later). My carriers didn't react - probably the first time they've ever oboyed that order in my WitP/AE career. John's carriers flew two strikes - a decent sized one in the AM and a smaller one in the PM. The distance was too great for any Allied strike aircraft to sortie. This may have been a great blessing, because it kept all Allied fighters at home and available for CAP. Meanwhile, the IJN aircraft weren't able to carry torps. The AM strike got chewed up by CAP and flak and didn't score any hits on Allied ships. The PM strike, though much smaller, did penetrate the CAP. Four Kate-carried bombs hit Wasp, doing moder damae (41 SYS, 21 FLT, etc.). The damage was enough to divert Wasp's aircraft to Trincomalee.
4. On the day, I think the KB lost 100 aircraft. The Allies lost just five or so F4Fs. I probably can't afford to go hunting, though. If John is down 100 (or, say, 150 with the extra 50 being damaged and unavailable), I'm down Wasp's contingent. So the odds are better than yesterday, but still not that good. John will almost certainly retire, meaning I'd have to give chase, meaning many of the intangibles I relied on in the decision to give battle are reduced considerably.
5. A four DD Allied TF west of Soerabaja savaged two small IJN merchant TFs. Not a huge deal, but it probably added to John's impression that the Allies were striking blows from every direction.
6. John stood down his Tojos and didn't hit Sabang, which had no figher cover (I stood down the USAAF this turn)!
7. All fleeing ships that headed west from Sumatra registered very high detection but no enemy aircraft sortied. Some of these will vector after that AO TF. Most will flee west, either making for the map edge or Diego (John might well send his carriers sprinting this way in hopes of picking off some of these ships - he knows that stuff like AE and AKE are in the bunch).
A good turn for the Allies. It probably takes the KB out of offensive operations for awhile. But it really doesn't change the equation regarding Sabang. The one thing that might prolong things a bit is that I might be able to once again utilize my carrier air defending Sabang, and John's Tojos apparently can't manage sustained operations. So there is a small glimmer of hope that the Allies can contest the air at Sabang for awhile yet.
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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 
RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 
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