RE: Disaster strikes again

RE: Disaster strikes again (Full Version)

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BBfanboy -> RE: Disaster strikes again (5/4/2013 4:44:20 AM)
Sending B25s would be a waste of good aircraft anyway! Load up some of the Dutch Demons and head for Tokyo! [:)]

kaleun -> RE: Disaster strikes again (5/6/2013 6:53:37 PM)
April 7th. Seems like millions of enemy submarines mill about Brisbane. They aren’t very effective, not today, but worry the allied command that they might be acting as pickets for enemy forces to raid shipping moving up the East coast of Australia. Efate falls. April 8th They were pickets. Carrier aircraft raided Darwin bound transports off Rockhampton. April 9th. Enemy carriers continue to hit the merchantmen, now off Townsville/Cairns. A bombardment force hits Suva and Belep island, at the southern tip of Sumatra is seized by the enemy. April 11th Enemy carriers continue to harass shipping up and down the NE Australian coast. April 12th The Marines at Tassafaronga (3rd Marine Defense Batallion) surrender. April 13th Fuso, Yamashiro et al sink an xAKL near Koepang. Formidable refueled during the night and is hightailing it back to Perth. An enemy TF spotted S of Timor might or might not be in pursuit. Abryn (near Luganville) taken by the 3rd Yokosura SNLF. The 161st Infantry Rgt. Lands at Attu reinforcing the garrison there. Hornet is ready for service. Lex still 66 days away.

kaleun -> RE: Some payback (5/6/2013 8:09:06 PM)
April 14th Enemy task forces shell Koepang, Luganville and Suva. Meanwhile, at Attu, an enemy task force with battleships Hyuga and Ise attack the task force that was disembarking the 161st. The escorting light cruisers Detroit and Concord, as well as the armed merchant cruiser return fire. Although all the allied ships were sunk, the battle was not as one sided as it could have been. Japanese Ships BB Ise, Shell hits 3, Torpedo hits 1 BB Hyuga, Shell hits 11 Allied Ships CL Detroit, Shell hits 12, and is sunk CL Concord, Shell hits 20, and is sunk DMS Wasmuth, Shell hits 5, and is sunk DMS Elliot, Shell hits 8, and is sunk AP W.A. Holbrook, Shell hits 9, and is sunk AP U.S. Grant, Shell hits 7, and is sunk xAK Kansan, Shell hits 13, and is sunk AMC Westralia, Shell hits 10, and is sunk All the men had disembarked already so the only losses were vehicles that, in this desolate, rugged island, are not that important. Later on, the tables are turned. Day Time Surface Combat, near Buldir Island at 155,51, Range 14,000 Yards Japanese aircraft losses E13A1 Jake: 1 destroyed Japanese Ships CA Kako, Shell hits 30, and is sunk CL Yubari, Shell hits 15, and is sunk DD Kagero, Shell hits 6, heavy fires, heavy damage DD Minekaze, Shell hits 1, heavy fires DD Okikaze, Shell hits 8, and is sunk DD Akikaze, Shell hits 13, and is sunk Allied Ships BB Idaho, Shell hits 8 CA Chicago, Shell hits 3 CA Astoria, Shell hits 1 CA Minneapolis, Shell hits 2 CL Leander CL Java, Shell hits 2 CL De Ruyter, Shell hits 1 CL Adelaide, Shell hits 4, on fire DD Bagley, Shell hits 5, heavy fires DD Helm DD Allen, Shell hits 2, heavy fires The allied task force ruined the enemy’s day. Meanwhile, off northwest Australia, the fuel starved Formidable launches a strike. 12 Albacore bombers with 11 Martlet escort launch and, despite the inexperienced pilots, score two torpedo hits on CA Maya. A later flight of 6 Albacores finds only one destroyer, Hagikaze, but the nimble destroyer evades the torpedoes easily. At Perth, the rebuilt 7th Australian division begins to prep for Koepang. [image]local://upfiles/6626/3291A15DED1243CFB191081574082BBB.jpg[/image]

BBfanboy -> RE: Some payback (5/6/2013 11:34:02 PM)
Congrats on your successes. The IJN will miss those ships sunk and, for a while, the BB and CA with torpedo damage. Maybe your subs can catch a cripple![:)]

kaleun -> RE: Some payback (5/7/2013 7:45:41 PM)
April 17th Yesterday, allied forces carried out probing attacks on the Japanese positions at Attu Island. 125 enemy were reported loss at a cost of 65 allied casualties. BB Idaho and CA Minneapolis bombarded enemy positions at Attu on the 16th. The subsequent attack against the Japanese forces identified the invaders as the 49th Naval guard unit. Biliton and Lakatoro both fell to the Japanese forces, also on the 16th and, near Perth, an enemy submarine scored a hit on Queen Mary but, fortunately, the torpedo was a dud. Koepang fell on the 17th At Attu, the allied assault achieved 140 casualties among the enemy. April 19th. After enduring daily attacks by the 161st, the Japanese invaders surrendered at Attu IS. Not everything is good news. Santa Maria was captured by the Japanese on the 18th. An enemy task force spotted NW of the North Island of New Zealand. It is suspected to be a carrier strike force. At Cape Town, CV Indomitable enters dry dock to refit.

kaleun -> RE: Pearl Harbor of the South (5/7/2013 8:57:40 PM)
April 20th. Pearl Harbor of the South. The first sign was the sight of a formation of single engine fighters, high up in the sky, almost unnoticed. A second formation came and went later in the morning, unmolested, the fighters returned to their ships. Soon after, the noise of more than a hundred radial engines got everyone’s attention. 83 torpedo bombers with 34 fighters hit the harbor. CA Indianapolis hit 4 times, CL Helena 4, and many others. The raid returned unscathed to their carriers. Among the fire and rubble, sailors and longshoremen try to put order among the chaos. At Luganville, the besieged defenders repel an enemy attack that, however, destroyed some of their painfully built fortifications. Pentecost Island and Bengkolatlen were captured. At San Francisco, the 32nd Infantry Division arrived. There are fighters aplenty in OZ, but they lack the range to fly themselves to New Zealand, and they cannot be transported there until the carriers leave. And per the enemy’s prior modus operandi, those carriers may stay a long time prowling around New Zealand.

kaleun -> RE: Pearl Harbor of the South (5/8/2013 5:26:53 PM)
April 23rd Luganville fell on the 21st. On the 22nd, allied submarines had a mixed day. Skipjack duds on DD Shiruyuki at Manado. Trusty missed xAP Hikama Maru near Djambi. Near Biliton, SS Searaven reported a hit on APD Fuji. Even a Catalina patrol plane reported a hit on a Minekaze class destroyer near Noumea, although this might only be in the pilot’s imagination. Not in anyone’s imagination was the very real raid by 60 Kate bombers and 17 Zeros on Auckland, again. Torres Island was invaded by the enemy on the 22nd. On the 23rd, his forces also invaded Dili and Noumea was bombarded. After Luganville’s fall, all of the enemy’s assets can be expected to bear down on Noumea. A deliberate attack reduced the base’s fortifications to rubble strewn foxholes. The enemy wildly outnumbers the defenders at Dili and Noumea. They will not last long. Canton Island reports level three fortifications completed. At Biliton, Seadragon duds on DD Akikaze. Formidable will move from Perth to Melbourne to complete her repairs. Melbourne also lacks a shipyard large enough for the carrier but the larger port can repair the damage faster. The enemy expansion at Noumea threatens Suva and from there, New Zealand. The garrison at NZ is completely inadequate and will not hold against an enemy attack if he uses the kind of force that he has used up to now. After deliberation, the 6th Australian Division, that has landed at Perth, will be temporarily transferred to the south Island. This should be achieved without much difficulty. More complicated is the reinforcement of the North Island, more exposed to the depredations of the enemy carriers that, even now, cause havoc on Oakland’s harbor. The US will contribute the Americal Division, currently at Pearl. The infantry division embarks in a large convoy, TF 195. The route will be, of necessity, circuitous. The task force shall steam East of Palmyra and Christmas Island, then south. The soldiers are prepping for Suva. They’ve been told that they are to reinforce that garrison. Not even the high command knows where Americal will end up.

BBfanboy -> RE: Pearl Harbor of the South (5/8/2013 8:51:26 PM)
Are you sure Melbourne is safe from KB, for CV Formidable's repair? Oz starts with virtually no fighters. Have you been able to bring in some help in that department? AA units too?

kaleun -> RE: Pearl Harbor of the South (5/9/2013 2:52:13 PM)
Nothing in OZ is safe from KB[X(] Fighters won't help that much, it's the threat of dive and torpedo bombers that might keep KB away. Nevertheless, if he doesn't know its there, he probably won't venture that far south.

BBfanboy -> RE: Pearl Harbor of the South (5/9/2013 6:55:57 PM)
I thought KB was prowling around NZ? That would put them south of Melbourne with the possibility of passing by on the way to Western Oz. This has been done in at least one other AAR recently - with AEs [and an island port] and AOs, KB can stay at sea a long time and roam a long way!

kaleun -> RE: Pearl Harbor of the South (5/9/2013 8:25:59 PM)
April 24th. Dili falls. Banjoerang captured. At Attu Island, a Japanese float plane was reported snooping around. Also an enemy task force was spotted west of the island. More pressing are the constant raids by Kate bombers on Auckland harbor. April 25th The enemy task force continues approaching Attu. Over lunch, Allied supreme strategist Kaleun asks his friend Rochefort: “What can they possibly want? There is nothing up there.” “Distraction?” April 26th Night Time Surface Combat, near Attu Island at 153,49, Range 2,000 Yards Japanese Ships BB Hyuga CA Furutaka, Shell hits 3, Torpedo hits 1 CL Nagara CL Kiso DD Suresushio, Shell hits 1 Allied Ships CL Trenton DD Sims DD Hughes DD Dunlap, Shell hits 1 DD Drayton The alert allied sailors, outgunned and outnumbered, nevertheless score on the confident enemy ships. The enemy task force goes ahead and bombards Attu.

kaleun -> RE: Pearl Harbor of the South (5/10/2013 6:14:35 PM)
April 30th 42 In a freak nighttime encounter, near Norfolk Island, a transport task force encountered a large enemy task force. Alert lookouts spotted several big ships. Akagi, Kaga, Ryujo, Shoho, Zuiho, and the seaplane carriers Chitose and Chiyoda. Scared out of their wits, both task forces evaded as fast as their engines would let them. Later in the day, carrier aircraft from this task force would sink many of the merchants from this task force, but not before the message had been sent and received, and KB’s location plotted in all the allied command maps. Reef Island captured by the enemy. Duff Island in the Santa Cruz chain fell on the 28th and Epi on the 27th. [image]local://upfiles/6626/3143DB3AD6354A06B7713E4E6C567F7A.jpg[/image]

kaleun -> RE: Pearl Harbor of the South (5/10/2013 6:24:07 PM)
May 1st 42 To celebrate May Day, KB sinks xAP Etolin in the Tasman Sea. In the north, CV Hornet awaits, hopefully undetected, to the East of Attu, in case the enemy returns. A picket line of old S boats, deployed west of the island, will, we hope, provide enough early warning for Hornet to attack, or retreat. [image]local://upfiles/6626/127DB57608304B0EBE64B4119BF1F7BE.jpg[/image]

kaleun -> RE: The Aleutians afire (5/11/2013 9:54:01 PM)
May 6th 42 A whole lot of enemy submarines reported around Attu Is. Ndeni fell on the 4th followed by Noumea on the 5th. Today, enemy carrier airplanes had a field day on the different ships that fled the base. Attu base is now size 3. This is considered by command the minimum size to base submarines from du to fuel wastage. Before it can be used though fuel must be stored and the nature of the enemy task force approaching from the west must be determined. For that purpose, the cruiser task force (New Orleans, Vincennes, CL Phoenix, Norwalk and Honolulu is ordered to return to Attu. Hornet, at dutch Harbor also ordered west to investigate and intercept. At Dutch Harbor and Pearl, radio stations monitor the airwaves for reports from the submarine pickets.

kaleun -> RE: The Aleutians afire (5/20/2013 9:42:18 PM)
May 7th 42 Near Attu Is. SS-S35 launches 4 fish at DD Oyashio. She misses but identifies CS Mishin. Kate bombers continue to attack ships fleeing the Noumea debacle. AV Tayer sinks after torpedo hits and AVD Baillard sinks too. Back to the north where 35 Kates and 51 Zero bombers attack shipping near Attu. Despite the absence of CAP the bombers miss their targets and no allied vessels are hit. In the early evening, the bombers return. This time CA New Orleans is not so like and gets hit by a single torpedo. These pilots are definitely not the varsity team of the Imperial Japanese Navy but, against what opposition can be mustered this far north, they do not need to be. Reluctantly, Mitscher orders his carrier to withdraw to the east. He dares not head south to Pearl and risk being intercepted mid Pacific, far from Pearl. The ships all turn around and head for San Francisco. All the other task forces in the area scoot, some to Seattle, some, those coming up from Hawaii, back to Pearl.

kaleun -> RE: The Aleutians afire (5/20/2013 10:05:27 PM)
May 8th. The enemy strategy of using only Kates on his carriers pays off handsomely. The level bombers, armed with torpedoes are deadly and their 250 Kg bombs, though less accurate than the dive bombers’ weapons, when they hit, pack a deadly punch. They extract a heavy toll on the plethora of small ships that flee Noumea; the surface combat task forces pick up whatever the naval airplanes leave behind. xAP Lurline however, seems to have made her escape. NE of NZ, two small task forces creep, hopefully undetected, in a roundabout route that took them from Pearl to Tahiti and from there will take them to Christchurch, in the South Island. The first two task forces carry Marine dive bombers, a Coastal defense unit and supplies. The third, creeping south and still way east of Tahiti bears a more precious cargo: The Americal Division, or almost all of it, headed for Wellington, in the North Island. A small fragment, the Division’s motorized support remained behind at Pearl, to be transported later, if possible. A task force approaches Christchurch from the South carrying the 6th Australian Division to garrison the South Island. The 15th PG/47 sq and the 18th PG/ 78th sq, on two xAKs are heading for Wellington. On the frigid north, unable to find other targets, carrier planes strike at the YPs in Attu. Another task force is detected approaching the island from the West. It seems quite likely that it is an invasion force, although there is nothing that can be done about it. In the desolate island, all hands build fortifications feverishly. The current level, 3, suddenly not felt to be adequate. At Cape Town, Indomitable still has 5 days before she will be ready. Illustrious waits for her while her aircrews train. At Melbourne, Formidable will be ready in 20 days. Lexington, in dry dock at Pearl has 41 days left to go.

kaleun -> RE: The Aleutians afire (5/21/2013 9:49:52 PM)
May 9th 42 A series of misses and duds by submarines all over the Pacific. West of Attu, SS-S35, acting as picket is sighted by an enemy PB. She manages to evade the escort and fire off a contact report. The task force approaching from the west must be an invasion fleet otherwise: What would a patrol boat be doing here, in the middle of nowhere North Pacific? SSI-60 sinks xAK Lovana near Brisbane. The 6th Australian Division finally arrived at Christchurch and is unloading. TF 138, bearing Americal continues its peripatetic trip across the South Pacific. A Catalina spots enemy carriers moving into the North Pacific south of Attu. May 10th An invasion force, much larger than what an island like Attu deserves, begins landing. There are no division sized units, but a plethora of smaller naval guard units, the 41st, the 18th, the 87, the 85th A total of 7 Naval guard units. What is this? Why does he think this island is so important? OTOH here is a place to fight, peripherally, until more carriers are available. Orders go out to Pearl. “Prepare a division size force to recover, or reinforce Attu.” Also reinforcements are to be sent to Dutch Harbor, just in case. At Pearl Harbor, the 32nd Infantry Division switches targets. Instead of Suva, the men begin to prepare for Attu. They are not happy. The searching Catalinas fail to locate the enemy carriers in the North Pacific.

kaleun -> RE: The Aleutians afire (5/23/2013 6:36:37 PM)
May 11th. While the enemy invasion of Attu continues apace, a new development worries the allied high command. An enemy task force has been spotted East of North Island New Zealand. The actual composition of this task force has not been determined but its intentions can be assumed to be to chase the transports that are approaching New Zealand, and from there Australia, from the East. From Auckland, a formation of B26D Marauders attack. A destroyer, Ushio, is targeted by the medium bombers that, inexperienced in naval attack, miss. At Christchurch the 4 Royal Sovereign class battleships, that escorted the 6th Australian Division to the South Island, form up in a surface combat task force and head for Auckland to stand by. May 12th The North carrier force reappears East of Attu. The southern task force sighted yesterday off New Zealand disappears in the South Pacific. Lexington is still 37 days away from completing her repairs. Formidable 17. May 14th 1942 An unanimous resolution passed both the House and Senate today declaring May 13th forever to be known as Bataan day, in commemoration of the heroic defense of the peninsula by the combined US-Philippine defenders. A shiver of anxiety creeps up the allied command’s back. Where will the forces just released from the battle of Bataan go now? How soon before they are ready? Both Illustrious and Indomitable are en route from Cape Town to Melbourne to link up with Formidable. Once joined, the three armored deck carriers shall join Hornet in Hawaii and the four carriers will then lead the effort to reinforce, or recover, Attu. At Pearl, the 32nd Infantry Division, the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, the 24 Sep Inf. regiment and the 57th combat engineers prep for Attu.

kaleun -> RE: The Aleutians afire (5/23/2013 10:25:40 PM)
May 17 SS S-28 misses on CL Nagara near Attu and is damaged by depth charges as a result. Lautern bombarded by Yamashiro and others. Off the eastern Australian coast, a small convoy crept up, hugging the coast, hoping to pass unnoticed. Near Wesel Island the heavy cruiser Aoba, light cruiser Yura and escorts intercept it. Despite the valiant effort of the 3 escorts, Electra, Arrow and Banckert, the AKs are savaged. The eastern route to Darwin is closed. Baker Island was invaded. The few ships that supported the seaplane base escaped south to Canton and north to Pearl Harbor. Is this the prelude of a push by the enemy along the central front? Hornet arrives at Pearl and disbands. The Devastators upgrade to Avengers. Efforts to better protect the central pacific islands, pitiful as they may be, have to be taken. VMSB-41 (SBD2 Dauntless) transfers to Canton Is. The 3rd Marine Raider battalion preps for Palmyra and the 57th Coastal Artillery changes its objective from Attu (too late for that now) to Christmas Island.

kaleun -> RE: The Aleutians afire (5/28/2013 5:15:03 PM)
May 18th. Enemy carriers appear East of Auckland. A flight of 13 Kate bombers escorted by 19 Zero fighters attack an ASW task force operating near Auckland despite 8 P40 E flying CAP. 3 bombers and 2 P40 lost. Auckland harbor is hit by 30 Kate bombers with an escort of 34 AGM2. Auckland puts up 19 P40E. 3 Zeros and 2 P40s lost. Harbor shipping damaged. A second raid against Auckland, 30 unescorted B5N2 finds the CAP out of position and only 2 fighters come up to meet the raid. 1 Kate claimed destroyed and two damaged. CA Indianapolis in harbor takes 2 more hits. The task force attacking Auckland is estimated to be at least 3 CVL. All bombers at Auckland tasked with naval attack, although not much is expected from the green army bombers. TF 195 bearing Americal Division turns south west, continuing its approach, but at the same time distancing itself from the carriers. May 19th Attu falls. So do the bases of Loedjangas, Great Nicobar and Nias. Over Auckland the air battle rages on, 17 Zeros sweep and 10 P40s rise to tangle with them. 4 drop out of the skies in flames while all the enemy fighters return to their carriers. 51 Kates and 27 G4M1 attack ground forces at Attu. The 148th Infantry battalion, (part of 37 Division) preps and embarks for Dutch Harbor. At Wellington, the VMF 212 (18 F4F), VMSB 231 (18 SBD-1) and VMSB 232 (18 SBD-3) unload from their transports. Revenge, Royal Sovereign, Ramilles and Resolution are escorting TF 195 which now turns to a heading of 090 with the battlewagons following. May 20 The enemy Kates sink Aquitania (she had delivered 6th Australian to the South Island and was making her way to San Francisco trusting her speed to keep her safe from the enemy subs) Mataran and Dempasar invaded. Enemy carriers SSE of Raoul Island. TF 195 continues to flee east. [image]local://upfiles/6626/9368070085014462BB44015AFAC86BC4.jpg[/image]

kaleun -> RE: The Aleutians afire (5/28/2013 6:28:34 PM)
May 21st Commodore Gallagher considers the stack of reports in front of him. The enemy carriers were not spotted today. Not too surprising, considering the lack of naval search resources in this part of the Pacific Ocean. Operating under strict radio silence, he has only the intelligence his wireless operators can pick out of the airwaves, nothing else. “Do they know we are here?” he ponders. East or West are his choices, none good. If he turns East, and the enemy guesses correctly, he’ll catch his transports in the middle of nowhere, with nowhere to go, days from any rescue or help. If he turns West, the enemy might decimate his convoy way before he can get his ships to harbor. He peers through his binoculars to his port flank. He sees just before the horizon the gray hulks of the R class battleships, formatted to the north, the most likely attack route. “Alea Iacta Est,” he says aloud. “Sir?” his first officer asks. “Signal the battleships and the convoy, make new course, 270.”

kaleun -> RE: The Aleutians afire (5/28/2013 10:17:49 PM)
May 22 42 A calm day in the South Pacific. Boela is occupied by the Japanese and the 27th Australian brigade surrenders at Alor (Timor) Task force 195 steams on westwards, unmolested, the battleship force on its starboard flank. Two fighter pilots, Ramsey and Flatlenger from Lexington transfer to TRACOM. May 23 Lautern is captured by the Japanese. Near Perth, SS I-166 torpedoes DD Isis sinking her. Task force 195 continues to steam on course through a sea empty of shipping, except for the convoy and her escorts. May 24th Betty bombers bomb Port Moresby. SSI-171 comes under ASW attack off Wellington. The submarine launches 4 fish at DD Monahan, scoring with one of them. The counterattack is fierce and scores 7 depth charge hits. The sub is assumed sunk. Commodore Gallagher orders a turn WNW

kaleun -> RE: The Aleutians afire (5/29/2013 4:35:37 PM)
May 25th Some things won’t be known until after the war, when both navies reconcile their battle histories. For instance, the crew of S-47 will not know how close they came to a watery grave as SS I-169 fired on them near Auckland. Mataran and Medan Taken. xAK Kiangow sunk by SS I-153 near Perth. Suva fell after an enemy bombardment assisted the assaulting infantry. Is this, perhaps the end of Japan’s southward expansion? TF 195 steams on, unhindered.

kaleun -> RE: The Aleutians afire (5/29/2013 4:53:48 PM)
May 26th From the war diary of 2nd Lieutenant Ishmael Atkins: “What am I doing here? Through a major cock-up I got transferred out of my training unit before I even graduated. Of course the orders arrived on a Friday afternoon after the commander had left to see his mistress for the weekend. Transfer to the 18FG/73FS. “Don’t worry,” the group captain said, “as soon as you get to Frisco show your log book to the squadron commander and he’ll send you right back. With only 5 hours on P40s he won’t want you near him. But as soon as I reported in, I was ordered to embark on a slow, dirty transport. OK, I thought, I’ll fix this at Pearl, but we were not going there. When we finally landed I found out we were in New Zealand! “I don’t have time to train you!” my CO fumed when I presented myself (with my logbook) in his office. Since then I’ve been flying simulated combat missions with him, every day.” Missions 0, Kills 0, Experience 30, Air 30, Str 29, Def 25. At Palmerton N Island. The gamble that failed? TF 195 was sighted by enemy planes while still too far out for allied fighter coverage. The battleships come under attack by Kate torpedo bombers. 12 Kates bore in, 2 are damaged one destroyed. BB Revenge hit by two torpedoes, Resolution by one, Royal Sovereign by 3. 25 Kates come next and hit Ramillies whose armor repels the bombs 7 times, as does Royal Sovereign. The transports are not so lucky. xAk Unico sinks and xAK Iron Master struggles after 2 bombs score on her. At full speed, task force 195 continues course for the North Island.

kaleun -> RE: TF 195, The gamble that failed? (5/29/2013 5:16:04 PM)
May 27th 1942 From the war diary of 2nd Lieutenant Ishmael Atkins: All those simulated missions came in useful. Today, the P40E were equipped with drop tanks. We are to provide air cover for a task force bringing reinforcements to the island. They are very far away and we can cover them for no more than fifteen minutes before we have to turn back. I fly on the wing of Captain G. Brors for my first mission. Minutes after we arrive on station the enemy strikes. I follow my leader, as close to his tail as I can as we dive on the enemy formation. About a dozen fighters and six green bombers. There are 13 of us, and our formation dives through the enemy guns blazing. A green airplane flies through my sights and I fire my guns, but I don’t think I hit anything. After we dive through the enemy I look back. Five streaks of black smoke follow five machines on fire, corkscrewing on to the sea. We return to base, fuel almost gone. 3 Zero and 2 Kate bombers destroyed. The next wave of 17 Zero fighters and 13 torpedo bombers finds no air opposition. BB Resolution, TH 4, Revenge, one, Royal Sovereign, 2 torpedo hits and sinks. We return to 2nd Lieutenant Atkins. I fly on captain Brors’ wing again. This time, a large formation of Kate bombers comes barreling in out of the East. There are only 8 of us and once again, I follow my leader into the enemy formation. I think I damaged one of them. The squadron log will read: 21 enemy bombers engaged, 4 destroyed, two damaged. The task force log will record xAP Kota Agoeng sinking after two torpedo hits and xAP Iowa Bay receiving one torpedo. From the North Island, 16 Marine Dauntless bombers find an enemy task force with a quartet of Zero fighters on CAP. 11 get through and drop their bombs on Haruna, Hiei and Chikuma but the inexperienced pilots miss. 6 Hudson bombers follow them dropping on Kirishima and Hiei, but again no bombs score. The final tally for the day is eleven Kate bombers destroyed and eleven damaged and 4 Zero fighters destroyed, at a cost of 4 SBD-3 and 3 P40 E. 2nd Lieutenant Atkins will log 3 combat missions today. Experience 32, Air 36 and Def 27. His Captain logs 3 kills, X64, Air 56, Str 52 and Def 63.

kaleun -> RE: TF 195, The gamble that failed? (5/29/2013 10:01:34 PM)
May 28th. Epilogue for TF 195 The final chapter in the saga of Task force 195 was anticlimactic. As the sun sets, Capt Gallagher, until now commodore of the task force orders the ships to scatter. Traveling at each ships best speed, in diverging courses during the night should give each vessel the best chance of reaching harbor; in addition, by the morning, instead of a single, large target, the Japanese bombers would find many small targets and though the Kates might gang up on one, or two or three, the remainder should escape their unwanted attention. This makes air coverage more difficult but, well, it is his decision to make. In the end, whether it was the threat of the SBDs and the P40s, now operating at close range, or perhaps that the Japanese aircrews were as tired as the allied ones, there was no air action and 2nd Lieutenant Atkins and his captain patrolled over empty skies as the scattered ships arrived throughout the day (and night) at Wellington harbor. SS I-172 scored on xAP Thomas Bay sinking her on the final approach at Wellington, but that was all the action that the sailors saw this day. At Burma the enemy launched an attack on Akyab. May 29th. Post Scriptum. The Imperial Japanese Navy had one last coda to add to the saga of TF 195. During the night, Hiei, Haruna and Kirishima made a high speed run into the harbor and destroyed most of the unloading task force ships. Fortunately most of the men had already debarked and all that was lost was materiel. After wreaking havoc on the ships, the battlewagons bought themselves safe passage home by bombarding the airfield where the SBDs sat awaiting dawn. And as the curtain falls on this theater, at least for the time being, it rises on the Aleutian front: Carrier airplanes attack shipping S of Cold Bay, Alaska. There are currently 3 enemy carrier forces: Operating north of Australia labeled as carrier force 2. Operating off New Zealand, carrier force 1 And off the Aleutians, carrier force 3, this one including Shokaku. The Royal Navy carriers, scheduled to meet Formidable at Melbourne and then proceed to Pearl Harbor to join Hornet and Wasp make a detour and head for Perth instead. Wisely perhaps, as to try the passage around New Zealand and Tahiti might be... imprudent. The US Navy will have to wait before counterattacking in the Aleutians. And in those desolate islands is where the next chapter in this chronicle will be written.

kaleun -> RE: TF 195, The gamble that failed? (5/29/2013 10:15:22 PM)
May 30, 1942 The Aleutians. The Aleutian Islands: A chain of desolate, windswept islands, battered by arctic winds and constant storms, or so it seems. There is nothing here, for anybody, except perhaps the native Aleuts that call this wastes home. They have lived here for centuries, left alone in their ancestral homeland, because nobody wants it. Local fishermen fish and eat their catch, fish and crab because there is, as yet, no market for their catch. For the US Navy, these islands are the one place from where their short ranged, but reliable pig boats can base from and reach the Japanese home waters. For Japan, they are… Who knows? But they want them. They want these specks of rock, and they want them bad. Landing forces take Buldir Island, Shemya and Agattu. Over Dutch Harbor, Kate bombers attack CA New Orleans, but fortunately, they miss. The US Army and Navy are tired of rolling over for the Japanese. The President has ordered them to retake these islands, and they, too, want them back. It is summer. Time to die. [image]local://upfiles/6626/46D83428B4DC4EE1A3398EC77A4FE384.jpg[/image]

kaleun -> RE: TF 195, The gamble that failed? (5/30/2013 4:45:08 PM)
May 31st 1942 At Port Helland, in NW Australia, Yamshiro and 5 destroyers sink AM Latrobe and xAKL Chungking. An invasion task force seems to follow these combatants. Dutch harbor is attacked once again and, this time, the Kate bombers sink AMc Bunting and SS S-42. Their torpedoes sink also TK Gulfbreeze and Agriworld. Buka Island (Aleutians) captured. With the RN carriers not expected to join, the US has Hornet (at Pearl) Lexington, in dry dock at Pearl and, soon, Wasp, on transit from Cristobal. Lexington expected to finish repairs in 19 days which is also, give or take a day the estimated time it will take for Wasp to join. After careful consideration, it is decided to allow Lexington to upgrade her radar systems despite the delay. Meanwhile a new strategy develops for the North Pacific: Empty Seas. Essentially, it means do nothing. All US surface ships scatter and the North Pacific is left in the hands of the Japanese. Let Japan, if she wants, island hop all the way to Dutch Harbor. The US will wait until the enemy carriers are out of the way to reinforce DH. Until then, let them burn oil and accumulate wear and tear in the rough waters of the North Pacific.

kaleun -> RE: TF 195, The gamble that failed? (5/30/2013 7:33:29 PM)
June 1st 1942 While the allies keep a watchful eye on the North Pacific, the Japanese have other ideas. A surface task force bombards Broome and an amphibious force lands at Port Hedland. The Broome task force is strafed by Kittyhawks that hit DD Mikazuki for not much effect and CA Mikuma for even less. The Port Hedland task force comes under attack by Blenheim IV but they cannot get through the Zero CAP and 2 bombers are lost to no gain. SS Trout launches on DD Sureshio, duds and gets hammered. Near Doggala SS KXVIII scores two hits on xAK Aayo Maru. The forces landing at Port Hedland are identified as the 66 Naval guard unit, 1st Sasebo SNLF Coy, Yokosuka 2nd SNLF, 28 Shipping engineer regiment and 3rd Engineer combat battalion. The presence of the shipping engineer regiment indicates that the enemy plans to make a big deal out of this. June 2nd. Duds. Another chapter on the continuing saga of the US Navy submarine service: SS Thresher duds on SC ch12 off Kwajalein. SS Shark duds on DMS Taneko off Port Hedland. SS Gudgeon is sighted off Kwajalein, forced to surface and sunk. Thresher duds again on SC Ch12. SS Shark duds on DD Asahio off Port Hedland. On a different note, the 2nd Division of the Royal Thai army attacks Akyab. June 3rd Enemy Betty bombers attack Broome airfield in support of the Port Hedland invasion; the port also comes under naval bombardment. The defenders at Port Hedland are outnumbered 3:1 but holding steady. The 7th Australian division has embarked at Perth and is en route escorted by three Royal Navy carriers in a daring operation hindered, among other things by the extreme lack of fuel.

kaleun -> RE: TF 195, The gamble that failed? (6/4/2013 10:11:45 PM)
June 4th Port Hedland falls. The defenders retreat south towards Corunna Downs. The Australian command orders the 7th and the carriers to return to Perth rather than continue with an opposed landing at Port Hedland. Akyab captured. June 5th. Japanese forces occupy Cox Bazaar. A whole division has been sitting at Chittagon for most of the war, waiting for orders. The British high command, distracted, “forgot” this division. They have now been ordered to move to retake Cox Bazaar. US submarines continue their practice of hitting the enemy with dud torpedoes. The admirals are thinking of withdrawing all but the S class subs rather than providing the enemy with free ASW training! To add insult to injury, SS Sturgeon duds on CV Junyo near Port Hedland. CS Mizuho was also spotted as part of that particular task force. Near Cox Bazaar, 7 P40E fighters intercept 17 unescorted Sally bombers and destroy 5 of them, three more fell to AA guns.

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