Canoerebel
Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002 From: Northwestern Georgia, USA Status: offline
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6/17/42 - Kincaid DID walk into hornet's nest face first, but it really wasn't his fault. The commander miscalculated the date of Kincaid's arrival at PM (I thought it would take parts of two days rather than one). Thus Kincaid arrived in port, but I hadn't put up CAP yet. Bad things then began cascading (as Michael Crichton puts it in "Airframe"). The Jap CVs slipped between GG and Australia (Allied recon failed miserably). Jap naval and land-based bombers then feasted on Kincaid's unprotected ships. To this point, CA Salt Lake City is the only ship sunk, but three or four other CLs and DDs suffered moderate to severe damage. I've left them in PM and bolstered the CAP. The undamaged DDs (some ten) have been ordered to make a run to Cairns where there is newly augmented CAP. A DMS and a CL have been ordered to steam SW from PM to no-man's-land, hoping that they will somehow be able to avoid detection and destruction. At this point, the damage hasn't been all that great. Too, the Jap naval air has suffered some losses. But the next turn or two will really tell the story. If John sticks around, he can decimate the American surface ships in the area before my CVs are available (the last two are 12 days out). Jap surface TF is not far from Cairns. I'm not sure what it is doing or where it is going. Here is the day's unhappy combat report: AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 07/17/42 Weather: Rain Night Time Surface Combat at 13,46 Japanese Ships CL Sendai CL Isuzu CL Natori CL Yura DD Yamagumo DD Minegumo DD Arare DD Hibiki DD Shirakumo DD Ayanami Allied Ships AP Moreton Bay, Shell hits 39, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk (Moreton Bay was at sea, well SE of PM, don't know how the Japs managed to end up in the same hex ). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Air attack on 144th Regiment, at 8,35 Allied aircraft Beaufort x 9 Allied aircraft losses Beaufort x 2 damaged Japanese ground losses: Men lost 11 Attacking Level Bombers: 3 x Beaufort at 2000 feet 6 x Beaufort at 2000 feet -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Air attack on TF at 10,51 Allied aircraft A-20B Havoc x 14 Allied aircraft losses A-20B Havoc x 1 destroyed A-20B Havoc x 13 damaged Japanese Ships DD Minegumo DD Arare CL Yura Attacking Level Bombers: 2 x A-20B Havoc at 1000 feet 4 x A-20B Havoc at 1000 feet 4 x A-20B Havoc at 1000 feet 3 x A-20B Havoc at 1000 feet -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Air attack on TF at 10,51 Allied aircraft Hudson x 14 Allied aircraft losses Hudson x 18 damaged Japanese Ships CL Isuzu, Shell hits 4, Bomb hits 1 CL Yura CL Sendai Attacking Level Bombers: 3 x Hudson at 100 feet 3 x Hudson at 100 feet 4 x Hudson at 100 feet 4 x Hudson at 100 feet -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Air attack on TF, near Port Moresby at 10,40 Japanese aircraft G4M1 Betty x 39 Japanese aircraft losses G4M1 Betty x 8 destroyed G4M1 Betty x 43 damaged Allied Ships DD Case, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage CL Phoenix CA Salt Lake City, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage CL Achillies, Torpedo hits 1, on fire DD Lamson, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage CL Honolulu Attacking Level Bombers: 3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet 3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet 3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet 2 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet 3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet 3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet 4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet 1 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet 4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet 4 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet 3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Air attack on TF at 10,51 Allied aircraft A-20B Havoc x 5 Allied aircraft losses A-20B Havoc x 1 damaged Japanese Ships CL Natori CL Isuzu Attacking Level Bombers: 3 x A-20B Havoc at 1000 feet 2 x A-20B Havoc at 1000 feet -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Air attack on TF at 10,51 Allied aircraft Hudson x 3 Allied aircraft losses Hudson x 4 damaged Japanese Ships CL Sendai Attacking Level Bombers: 3 x Hudson at 100 feet -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Air attack on TF, near Port Moresby at 10,40 Japanese aircraft B5N Kate x 29 Japanese aircraft losses B5N Kate x 1 destroyed B5N Kate x 1 damaged Allied Ships DD Case, on fire, heavy damage CA Salt Lake City, on fire, heavy damage -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Air attack on TF, near Port Moresby at 10,40 Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 12 G4M1 Betty x 3 no losses Attacking Level Bombers: 3 x G4M1 Betty at 200 feet -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Air attack on TF, near Port Moresby at 10,40 Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 31 D3A Val x 44 B5N Kate x 24 Japanese aircraft losses D3A Val x 2 destroyed D3A Val x 15 damaged B5N Kate x 2 destroyed B5N Kate x 2 damaged Allied Ships CL Honolulu, Bomb hits 3, on fire DD Stockton DD Conyngham CL Achillies, Bomb hits 1, on fire DD Balch DD Grayson CL Phoenix
< Message edited by Canoerebel -- 4/17/2005 10:10:33 PM >
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"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
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