kokubokan25
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SPECIAL REPORT Nº 1
FIRST CARRIER BATTLE "BATTLE OF THE CELEBES SEA"
BACKGROUND
-3/5/42 Japanese submarine I-158 detects American Carrier Group South Port Moresby with course NW.
-Later, Mavis from Palau detect the group in Torres Strait course West.
-Japanese supose enemy action to defend DEI. Yamamoto send orders to Kido Butai to navegate inmediately to Palau and wait orders.
-3/12/42 The Allied force arrives to Kendari to refuel. Your objetive is attack the japanese transports concentration in Davao. The position of japanese carrier is unknown.
-3/12/42 The japanese carriers available are in Palau. The position of american carrier group is cleary targeted by Mavis flying from Palau, Davao and Brunei.
THE OPPOSED FORCES
AMERICANS
Task Force 1091 (VADM Halsey)
Carriers: Lexington, Saratoga, Yorktown and Enterprise.
Cruisers: Chester, Pensacola, Detroit and New Orleans.
Destroyers: Mugford, Craven, Drayton, Lamson, Flusser, Tucker, Phelps, Balch and Dale.
JAPANESE
Kido Butai (ADM Yamamoto)
1st Carrier Division: Kaga, Junyo and Shoho (VADM Tanimoto)
2nd Carrier Division: Shokaku, Zuikaku and Ryujo (VADM Komatsu)
Battleships: Nagato, Mutsu, Ise and Hiei.
Cruisers: Chokai, Mogami, Suzuya and Abukuma.
Destroyers: Isokaze, Ikazuchi, Inazuma, Shinonome, Uranami, Tachikaze, Nokaze, Amagiri, Kiji and Suzukaze.
Amboina invasion Force (VADM Yamaguchi)
Cover Force:
Carriers: CVL Zuiho (Damaged but operational)
Cruisers: Myoko, Haguro, Nachi and Nagara.
Destroyers: Yukikaze, Amatsukaze, Tokitsukaze, Yamakaze, Umikaze, Kuretake and Sanae.
Main body:
45 AP's, some AK's and destroyers Asashio, Shikinami and Kamo; also PC Shimushu.
THE FACTS
DAY 1 (3/12/42)
Afternoon- Halsey weights anchor from Kendari course North to Menado.
Before sunset - American airstrike against Menado. 19 F2A and 34 SBD. Light damage in airstrip with no planes losses.
DAY 2 (3/13/42)
Morning - TF 1091 positioned 60 miles north of Menado. Halsey orders airstrike against Davao. 19 F2A, 57 F4F3 and 33 SBD launched. No losses. Transport Yoshinagawa Maru heavy damaged and light damage to another three transports.
Morning - Kido Butai sails from Palau course West at full speed to intercept Halsey.
Morning - The Yamaguchi force splits in two. Cover force flees to north trying to escape, main body fall behind.
Afternoon - 2nd American airstrike. Halsey launch 17 F2A, 52 F4F3 and 29 SBD against japanese cover force East of Davao. Two bombs hit the CVL Zuiho. Flight Deck closed. Heavy damage in systems and some fires but little damage in Flt. Also heavy damage in cruiser Haguro by four bombs.
DAY 3 (3/14/42)
Morning - The Americans don't know the japanese carriers position. Halsey launches another attack against Davao forces. 19 F2A, 56 F4F3 and 30 SBD cause heavy damage to merchant Kokko Maru and transports Saipan Maru, Niitaka Maru and Teikei Maru. Light damage to another transport. 5 F2A and 2 Wildcats shot down by Flak.
Afternoon - Halsey discover the japanese carrier force so late. Both forces reacting.
Afternoon - 1st American airstrike (17 F2A, 53 F4F3 and 27 SBD). 53 Zeros waiting in CAP over japanese ships. American losses 9 F2A, 19 Wildcats and 8 SBD, japanese 19 zeros. Only two bombs hit the BB Mutsu, light damage.
Afternoon - 1st Japanese airstrike (56 A6M2, 22 D3A and 72 B5N) 26 American fighters in CAP. CV Saratoga heavy damaged by 4 torps and a bomb.
CV Enterprise heavy damaged by 5 torps and 4 bombs, ammo storage explodes.
CV Lexington, light damaged by one bomb.
Afternoon - 2nd Japanese airstrike (9 A6M2, 31 B5N) 8 American fighers in CAP.
CV Saratoga heavy damaged by another torp
CV Lexington heavy damaged by 3 torps, fuel and ammo storage explosions
The CV Enterprise sunk.
Afternoon - 3rd Japanese airstrike (9 A6M2, 16 D3A and 17 B5N) 6 Wildcats in CAP.
CV Lexington heavy damaged by another torp, flight deck closed
CV Saratoga heavy damaged by another torp, she sunk
Japanese losses in day operations: 40 Zeros, 15 D3A and 33 B5N.
DAY 4 (3/15/42)
Night and Early morning- Halsey flees to West to Makassar Strait.
Morning - The planes of CV Yorktown launches a airstrike against japanese invasion force near Jolo island. 4 Wildcats and 7 SBD cause light damage to two transports.
Morning - The heavy damaged CV Lexington at 7 knots try to reach Kendari near Talaud Island.
Morning - Yamamoto launches airstrike against unarmed CV Lexington. 41 A6M2, 13 D3A and 33 B5N hit with another four torps the "Lady Lex" and she sunk. Two B5N shot down by AA.
Afternoon- Japanese airstrikes from Brunei and Davao against CV Yorktown group in Celebes Sea. CV Yorktown is damaged by two torps and four bombs. Fires, flight deck closed but Flt is not serious.
END OF ACTION.
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War in the Pacific-Schematic Mode-The Chronology - 
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