Bullwinkle58 -> RE: Nothing Up My Sleeve: Magical Moose Tricks--Bullwinkle58 vs.1EyedJacks (8/17/2013 7:31:03 PM)
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July 5, 1942 Colorado Lost; Bad Day in Burma Busy day with some low points. But some good ones too. 1) Large IJN surface TF intercepts Colorado bombardment group heading into Roi-Namur. [image]local://upfiles/31387/4B9B3F5C34A140FD846C7B2E2C637096.jpg[/image] Long Lance plus massive concentration of large-caliber fire takes Colorado down. First round is penetrating main battery round followed by large internal explosion and she doesn't have a chance after that. Some damage is dealt back to the small boys, but bottom line I lose yet another BB. I had bet that this TF, knowing I had three carriers nearby, had retired to Truk. I guess the Marshalls are important to him. Night Time Surface Combat, near Roi-Namur at 131,113, Range 8,000 Yards Allied aircraft no flights Allied aircraft losses OS2U-3 Kingfisher: 1 destroyed Japanese Ships BB Hyuga DD Oyashio DD Natsushio, Shell hits 2, on fire DD Yukikaze DD Yamagumo, Shell hits 2 DD Shigure, Shell hits 1 DD Umikaze DD Suzukaze DD Nenohi DD Okikaze, Shell hits 2 DD Shiokaze, Shell hits 1 DD Hokaze TB Kiji TB Kamo, Shell hits 3, and is sunk DD Tawakaze, Shell hits 3, on fire Allied Ships BB Colorado, Shell hits 35, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk DD Drayton DD Conyngham DD Shaw, Shell hits 1 DD Cassin DD Farragut DD Aylwin Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions and 53% moonlight: 11,000 yards Range closes to 20,000 yards... Range closes to 14,000 yards... CONTACT: Allies radar detects Japanese task force at 14,000 yards Range closes to 8,000 yards... CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 8,000 yards CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 8,000 yards --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The response comes in the morning phase. The carriers swing down SE from their position in the screenie up-thread and launch a well-coordinated strike on Kwaj where the surface group is guarding a load/unload operation. It was a mistake to hang around. Morning Air attack on TF, near Kwajalein Island at 132,115 Weather in hex: Light rain Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 5,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 7 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 7 Allied aircraft F4F-3A Wildcat x 7 F4F-3 Wildcat x 15 SBD-2 Dauntless x 6 SBD-3 Dauntless x 52 TBD-1 Devastator x 13 TBF-1 Avenger x 10 No Japanese losses Allied aircraft losses F4F-3A Wildcat: 1 destroyed SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed, 4 damaged SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed by flak TBF-1 Avenger: 2 damaged TBF-1 Avenger: 1 destroyed by flak Japanese Ships BB Hyuga, Bomb hits 12, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires xAK Azuma Maru, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage xAK Katuragi Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire DD Suzukaze DD Okikaze DD Yamagumo, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires DD Natsushio, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires DD Yukikaze DD Oyashio DD Shiokaze Japanese ground losses: 35 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 5 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled The bomb hits on Hyuga are all 1000-lbers, and at least five gun mounts are disabled, One is I think a main turret. The merchants should sink. At least one DD almost certainly will. I have Marines inbound for Kwaj, but not a full division. What those merchies were doing there is important. I have no idea of the answer. 2) Other Marshalls action: --Night Time Surface Combat, near Nikunau at 140,134, Range 4,000 Yards Japanese Ships PB Chiyo Maru #4, Shell hits 6, and is sunk Allied Ships CA Vincennes CL Raleigh DD Gridley --ASW attack near Roi-Namur at 132,114 Japanese Ships SSX Ha-10, hits 2, heavy damage (sinks) Allied Ships DD Benham --Morning Air attack on TF, near Roi-Namur at 132,114 Weather in hex: Heavy rain Raid detected at 21 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 7 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 1 D3A1 Val x 2 No Japanese losses Allied Ships BB California, Bomb hits 1 (bounces) Aircraft Attacking: 2 x D3A1 Val bombing from 9000 feet Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb --Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Kwajalein Island at 132,115 Weather in hex: Thunderstorms Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 5,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 7 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 7 Allied aircraft F4F-3A Wildcat x 6 F4F-3 Wildcat x 14 SBD-3 Dauntless x 14 TBF-1 Avenger x 8 No Japanese losses Allied aircraft losses F4F-3A Wildcat: 1 destroyed F4F-3 Wildcat: 1 destroyed TBF-1 Avenger: 1 damaged Japanese Ships DD Yukikaze BB Hyuga, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires xAK Azumasan Maru, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage DD Hokaze DD Shiokaze Japanese ground losses: 66 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 5 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled --Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Wotje at 135,115 Weather in hex: Light cloud Raid spotted at 1 NM, estimated altitude 19,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 0 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 1 Allied aircraft TBD-1 Devastator x 13 No Japanese losses No Allied losses Japanese Ships AMc Tama Maru #3, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk Aircraft Attacking: 13 x TBD-1 Devastator bombing from 15000 feet * Naval Attack: 2 x 500 lb SAP Bomb --Naval bombardment of Roi-Namur at 132,114 Japanese aircraft no flights Japanese aircraft losses B5N1 Kate: 1 damaged A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed on ground Allied Ships BB Tennessee BB California CA Astoria CA Northampton Japanese ground losses: 161 casualties reported Squads: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 10 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled Airbase supply hits 2 Runway hits 15 Port hits 8 Port supply hits 2 --Cats drop parachutists on Ponape. One lost to flak, five damaged. More a probe and a complicating factor. Ground combat at Ponape (119,113) Allied Shock attack Attacking force 100 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 9 Defending force 544 troops, 35 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 13 Allied adjusted assault: 1 Japanese adjusted defense: 17 Allied assault odds: 1 to 17 (fort level 1) Combat modifiers Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-), experience(-) Attacker: shock(+), leaders(-) Japanese ground losses: 11 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Allied ground losses: 25 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Assaulting units: 1st USMC Parachute Bn /2 Defending units: Ponape Naval Fortress 4th Base Force /1 --Parachutists also dropped on dot base Ailinglaplap just south of Kwajalein. Taken. --Both upgraded carriers come out of dock at Pearl. They will sortie west very shortly. 3) Risks assumed at Oosthaven do not pay off for the Allies. Remaining xAPs holding mostly mech support, some arty, and scout cars are left to try to off-load. I hope the red mines will keep the big surface TF outside the harbor. Two ships are at the piers, three are in the harbor. To keep the peace I group them in two TFs rather than singles. All five are shattered and sink with loss of cargoes. Day Time Surface Combat, near Oosthaven at 47,97, Range 24,000 Yards Japanese Ships BB Hiei BB Ise CA Myoko CL Abukuma, Shell hits 1 DD Hatsukaze DD Tokitsukaze DD Hamakaze DD Hatakaze Allied Ships xAP Dunedin Star, Shell hits 12, and is sunk xAP Glenapp, Shell hits 13, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk xAP Kota Tjandi, Shell hits 26, and is sunk Allied ground losses: Vehicles lost 218 (150 destroyed, 68 disabled) Day Time Surface Combat, near Oosthaven at 48,96, Range 17,000 Yards Japanese Ships BB Hiei BB Ise CA Myoko CL Abukuma DD Hatsukaze DD Tokitsukaze DD Hamakaze DD Hatakaze Allied Ships xAP Dunera, Shell hits 24, and is sunk xAP Kota Pinang, Shell hits 7, and is sunk Allied ground losses: Guns lost 32 (15 destroyed, 17 disabled) Vehicles lost 34 (23 destroyed, 11 disabled) --------------------------------------- Oost is finished as a port. The air assets are moved to PBang. All LCUs are either gone or packing, except one small Dutch base force which will stay. 4) RN sub spots large TF passing north in the Malacca Strait. Looks like an ID-plus. Includes one of the Japanese LSDs. Best guess is it will swing around over Sumatra and come south to Pabang to add to PBang assault force. Will try to get subs on it, but not much on the IO side of Sumatra right now. Wasp and North Carolina are in Colombo ready for duty, but this may not be the time to show them. 5) Burma. Very heavy bombing at Pegu, then a devastating attack which causes the whole stack to retreat toward Toungoo. Decisions to make here. The Big Stack is at least a week from Lashio where it could en-train and get to Toungoo fast. OTOH, if this stack leaves he can move these Guard divisions back to Rangoon. Always with the decisions! Ground combat at Pegu (55,53) Japanese Shock attack Attacking force 67532 troops, 679 guns, 784 vehicles, Assault Value = 2405 Defending force 66717 troops, 537 guns, 188 vehicles, Assault Value = 2279 Japanese adjusted assault: 2664 Allied adjusted defense: 434 Japanese assault odds: 6 to 1 Combat modifiers Defender: leaders(+), disruption(-), preparation(-), fatigue(-) experience(-), supply(-) Attacker: shock(+), fatigue(-) Japanese ground losses: 1577 casualties reported Squads: 4 destroyed, 106 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled Engineers: 1 destroyed, 13 disabled Allied ground losses: 17012 casualties reported Squads: 1258 destroyed, 31 disabled Non Combat: 717 destroyed, 81 disabled Engineers: 60 destroyed, 27 disabled Guns lost 59 (37 destroyed, 22 disabled) Vehicles lost 13 (9 destroyed, 4 disabled) Units retreated 12 Defeated Allied Units Retreating! Assaulting units: 9th Division 4th Guards Division 13th Ind.Mixed Brigade 5th Guards Division 6th Guards Division Guards Tank Division 48th Road Const Co 55th Const Co Defending units: 37th Chinese Corps 46th Indian Brigade 5th Chinese Cavalry Corps 21st Chinese Corps 17th Indian Division 1st Burma Division 53rd Chinese Corps 254th Armoured Brigade 50th Chinese Corps 87th Chinese Corps 5th Chinese Corps 12th Group Army
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