MichaelU
Posts: 285
Joined: 9/8/2009
Status: offline
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Dec 14, 1941
A very frustrating turn for Mike. His sub positioning is spot on, but nothing. By the end of the turn there are carrier TFs parked on top of subs, but the screens effectively guard their precious charges.
Here is an example:
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ASW attack near Wake Island at 132,92
Japanese Ships
BC Chichibu
CA Suzuka
CL Tokoro
DD Teruzuki
DD Tanikaze
DD Hamakaze
DD Urakaze
Allied Ships
SS Argonaut
SS Argonaut is sighted by escort
Argonaut diving deep ....
The subs at Wake also fail to score any hits on transports, and take a bit of a pounding in the process.
The sneaky push through the Solomons continues, with Japanese troops unloading at Buin. Too close to Rabaul though, because at daybreak the Banshees arrive and drop a few bombs. These guys are getting a lot of practice, some even have naval bombing skills in the 30s.
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Morning Air attack on TF, near Buin at 109,131
Weather in hex: Clear sky
Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes
Allied aircraft
A-24 Banshee x 13
No Allied losses
Japanese Ships
xAK Daihachikyo Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
xAK Boston Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAK Daigen Maru, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
The other deep strike Japanese transports at Tulagi meet elements of Scouting Force, with predictable results.
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Day Time Surface Combat, near Tulagi at 114,137, Range 24,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
PB Kosin Maru #3, Shell hits 37, and is sunk
xAK Yae Maru, Shell hits 18, and is sunk
xAK Daijukyo Maru, Shell hits 8, and is sunk
Allied Ships
CA Indianapolis, Shell hits 1
DD Preston
Am loving Scouting Force. I haven’t used the BCs yet, but just having something with a bit of striking power starting in SoPac makes me happy. So far it has cost the Japanese two PBs and six transports, but we hope for more.
Marblehead fails to close with the enemy, despite being in reaction range, but does end up positioned too close to the light carriers. She sucks a torp and a bomb, and is left limping at 20 knots and heading back to Soerebaja. Got lucky really, that could have been several torp hits and the end of the Marblehead. She will probably speed to Sydney for repair and upgrade to CLAA. That is the fourth CL to be knocked out of the fight.
There is a big air battle over Palembang. Dutch bombers and fighters go in first to soften up the airfield, with 20 hits on the airfield and several dead bombers. It’s looking like the Zeroes will still be there to take on the B17s, but then a sweep by Hurricanes does a number on the Japanese fighters.
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Morning Air attack on Palembang , at 48,91
Weather in hex: Overcast
Raid spotted at 13 NM, estimated altitude 22,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 2 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 9
Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIb Trop x 12
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 6 destroyed
No Allied losses
Aircraft Attacking:
3 x Hurricane IIb Trop sweeping at 20000 feet
Our best British pilots in our best planes, and it shows. After this battering, not a single Zero rises to meet the incoming B17s, who put a reported 9 hits on the oilfields.
Ground combat. Hong Kong falls, ouch. That is a lot of casualties.
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Ground combat at Hong Kong (77,61)
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 32389 troops, 391 guns, 208 vehicles, Assault Value = 841
Defending force 6988 troops, 123 guns, 72 vehicles, Assault Value = 124
Japanese adjusted assault: 608
Allied adjusted defense: 165
Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 0)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Hong Kong !!!
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)
Japanese ground losses:
227 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 46 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 4 destroyed, 5 disabled
Allied ground losses:
8595 casualties reported
Squads: 211 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 461 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 24 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 156 (156 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 62 (62 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 6
Davao holds on, but the guys there are getting worn down. Aitape and Wewake fall unopposed. Wake suffers a shock attack, and just about holds on.
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Ground combat at Wake Island (136,98)
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 3900 troops, 64 guns, 8 vehicles, Assault Value = 130
Defending force 1706 troops, 22 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 35
Japanese adjusted assault: 41
Allied adjusted defense: 30
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 2)
Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 1
Combat modifiers
Defender:
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(-)
Japanese ground losses:
227 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 9 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Allied ground losses:
492 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 14 disabled
Non Combat: 70 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 13 destroyed, 4 disabled
Guns lost 5 (5 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 1
Assaulting units:
1st Maizuru Assault/B Div /1
1st Maizuru Assault/C Div /1
Defending units:
141st USN Stn Base Force
Wake (Det.) Defense Battalion
Good thing the defence didn't collapse on the first turn. I forgot last turn to fly out the Catalinas, and losing a whole unit to carelessness would have been painful. I was expecting to get hit by a wave of carrier bombers to soften up the defenders, but apparently the Japanese troops wanted all the glory for themselves.
We were hoping to extract some pain for the taking of Wake, even if it was just a few transports being downed by subs. But it looks like he is going to get away with zero damage.
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Printable Version
RE: Going The Distance: BTS 4.6 MichaelU/lb4269 (A) vs ... - 
In this mod I would wait until you get Yorktown and full CVL at end of month. Form Death Star (DS) with those 4 CVs and full CVL. Mini-DS is the hybrids and Brit carriers. For now, train and more training for your pilots with good leaders. Maximize fighters on those large CVs to help ensure 'survivability.' For me, you wants all your warships to go through their early '42 upgrades in March and April to get radar. The F4F-4s come out and the Avengers. Japan starts to get CV upgrades in June/July '42. It is during the May to Aug '42 time frame when you have your 6 pre-war CVs to go up against KB somewhere. Right now, Lex and Sara are not ready to go up against just a division of KB (2 heavy and CVL). Maybe in late Jan or Feb, IMO. 
I don't try to repair much of the industry. I do try to keep Chungking at 2x supplies so I can soak up some of those 350 infantry squads per month. Find the 3x terrain and allow your troops to dig in. 
RE: Going The Distance: BTS 4.6 MichaelU/lb4269 (A) vs ... - 
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