ADavidB
Posts: 2464
Joined: 9/17/2001
From: Toronto, Canada
Status: offline
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PzB has started a multi-pronged offensive in the DEI as of November 10, 1942. In Java he has moved troops into Bandoeng and Soerbaja and his hit Tjilitjap with a bombardment TF:
Naval bombardment of Tjilitjap, at 19, 62 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
26 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
CA Kako
CA Furutaka
CA Kinugasa
CA Aoba
CA Suzuya, Shell hits 2
BB Fuso
BB Mutsu, Shell hits 7
BB Haruna
BB Kongo
Allied ground losses:
199 casualties reported
Guns lost 13
Vehicles lost 1
That's the first time that any of my CD guns have actually fired back at an incoming TF.
Also, that CL/DD TF came back to Lautem to find my BB TF there in place of the PT TF he hit the last time. The battle was unusually long. Round one went as follows:
Night Time Surface Combat, near Lautem at 33, 78
Japanese Ships
CL Jintsu, Shell hits 6, on fire
DD Yugumo, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
DD Hayashio, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Akatsuki, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
DD Amagiri, Shell hits 1
DD Asanagi
DD Yunagi, Shell hits 1, on fire
Allied Ships
BB South Dakota, Shell hits 2
CL Perth
CL Hobart, Shell hits 5, Torpedo hits 1
CL Mauritius, Shell hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
CL Concord, Shell hits 1
DD Fox, Shell hits 4, on fire
DD Pakenham, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DMS Boggs
DMS Lamberton, Shell hits 2
DMS Dorsey, Shell hits 1
Round two was similar:
Night Time Surface Combat, near Lautem at 33, 78
Japanese Ships
CL Jintsu, Shell hits 5, on fire
DD Yugumo, Shell hits 7, and is sunk
DD Hayashio, Shell hits 10, on fire, heavy damage
DD Amagiri, Shell hits 5, on fire
DD Asanagi, Shell hits 5, on fire
DD Yunagi, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Allied Ships
BB South Dakota, Shell hits 5, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
CL Perth, Shell hits 1
CL Hobart, Shell hits 3
CL Mauritius, Shell hits 6, on fire
CL Concord, Shell hits 1
DD Fox, Shell hits 9, on fire, heavy damage
DD Pakenham, Shell hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
DMS Boggs, Shell hits 2, on fire
DMS Lamberton, Shell hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
DMS Dorsey, Shell hits 2, on fire
Although my ships detected and tracked the Japanese fleet at the beginning of both engagements the Japanese TF still "surprised" my ships both times. My PT boats never got into the fray.
I had three DMS in the TF because I was expecting to run into sub-laid mines in Lautem. The sub was still there, however it didn't appear to have laid any mines nor did it interfere with my combat TF. My ASW TF did get past the engagement and was able to drop a couple of depth charges onto the sub:
Sub attack near Lautem at 33, 78
Japanese Ships
SS I-7, hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
Allied Ships
MSW Bellechasse
MSW Whyalla
MSW Cessnock
In addition, my mine-layers were able to also get in and lay more mines. That's good, because another Japanese combat TF is on its way:
Day Air attack on TF at 31, 73
Allied aircraft
TBF Avenger x 4
CW-21B Demon x 9
Allied aircraft losses
TBF Avenger: 2 damaged
Japanese Ships
BB Ise
I don't have any more surface ships in the area to be able to intercept that TF, so I'm going to have to hope that my LBA wakes up and does something. This turn none of the long-ranged LBA in Northern Australia budged, and as shown above only the planes at Lautem flew. Those ex-carrier Avengers were not much more successful going after the survivors of the surface battle:
Day Air attack on TF at 33, 75
Allied aircraft
TBF Avenger x 7
CW-21B Demon x 4
Allied aircraft losses
TBF Avenger: 4 damaged
Japanese Ships
CL Jintsu, on fire
Unless PzB interferes by means of his surface fleets or brings in some CVs (and he may be doing so) most of my ships from that battle ought to reach port but they'll all be out of action for some time. That turned out to be a pretty costly battle for me in the end. I keep on sinking PzB's smaller combat ships (for example, I've sunk around 50 Japanese DDs) but more keep on showing up. Add to this my inability to get my capital ships repaired enough to get upgraded and the general naval situation is pretty bleak for me right now.
Out at Colombo PzB put his engineers back into action after a couple of day rest:
Ground combat at Colombo
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 68189 troops, 382 guns, 1 vehicles
Defending force 22141 troops, 146 guns, 3 vehicles
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 6
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 6)
Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 6
Japanese ground losses:
358 casualties reported
Guns lost 5
Vehicles lost 1
Allied ground losses:
467 casualties reported
Guns lost 12
Things will be over there soon. Right now it looks like PzB has a good chance to reach the 4:1 win ratio by New Years 1943.
Dave Baranyi
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Multi-pronged offensive... - 
) 
) 
) to know when to give up: 
: 
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