obvert -> RE: ::Felix, Ferdinand and FRUPAC:: obvert (A) v Greyjoy (J) (8/2/2014 12:01:36 AM)
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June 23 - 24, 1942 OZ: Today there is a bit of a dust-up in the Southern IO. I quickly sent the Achilles and five DDs out to try to thwart any more moves on convoys from Cape Town. I know it's rising to the bait, but I need to get two that are on the way through safely before I suspend this route for a while. Sure enough, a stronger TF than the last showed up with two CA and eight DD!! That's quite a commitment, and I now wonder if there are CVs nearby. Gives me some ideas. Anyway, the battle was mostly inconclusive, but the Piet Hein was sunk by a 20cm shot from the cruisers. Not much of the Dutch navy left. For some reason I really like the Achilles. Maybe it's her look, or the hunt for the Graf Spee, or just a feeling. I feel the same for the Yubari no the IJN side. Just like these sleek cruisers. The damaged Allied ships make it easily back to safety. Each has around 30 system damage. I've got two RN triple stackers and a US heavy cruiser and five DDs heading out to patrol just south of where the battle took place with three subs patrolling 6-8 hexes NW of that. Hopefully I'll see the next incursion. I hesitate to use merchant pickets and I have no combat ships to spare with the range to make it here and hang out. I'll send some YP from the West Coast for this with the next supply TF. SUBS: Porpoise nails the Seattle Maru after Trusty had already had a shot at this troop carrying TF. Not sure if she was sunk as I didn't have the volume up. Flying Fish also sinks some troops on an xAKL near Lahir E of the Solomons. The Salmon spots the Kitakami and Oi moving down the Soomons and this spurs a retreat from on TF unloading at Vanikoro. All others are out of the way. I sent cruisers to Tanna just in case they come for a wild ride south, but, it's likely there heading another direction. See below. INDIA: A busy few days, as the Allies try a massive sweep of Delhi. I had been hoping for this. The Enterpsise's air groups are here, which I'm sure Nick picked up on, and they do well. I want to use the F4F-3 and F4F-3A pools before upgrading to the F4F-4. This is the time and place. [:)] Good to get the wheat separated from the chafe too, especially with the Marines here. Some of these pilots will go on to long and successful campaigns, while others will not. One of the big strong zero groups starts off the action getting about 1:1 (with ops added later) against the CAP, and then the Oscars come in and don't do so well. The Ic is too slow, fragile and underarmed to deal with the selection of planes at Delhi. Even the Mohawks down at 12k do well getting 3:1 kills. Loss numbers are below for the day. Radar didn't give a great amount of warning time though, and there are three sets here. On the 24th I sent the P-38s in against a slightly weakened CAP at Lucknow and they did well, supported by a LR CAP from Delhi. Only two lost for at least five times that shot down. From the two days the Allies lost only 3 pilots KIA and 8 WIA. I'm sure the tally is higher for the Japanese, and this is where the game can turn. Pacific: The KB shows up on it's way to the Gilberts. Again the Cats at Nikunau pick it up early, with plenty of time for a fast transport unloading supply to skedaddle. All other small missions other than sub supply set to patrol East of Bakers Island. Baker and Canton just got a touch up on supply. The AVD at Nikanau will retreat once again. The S-boats are ready this time and 5-6 will converge on the 25th onto the path the KB might take and around that area. CHINA: Getting a bunch of stuff to Liuchow. Most units should make it relatively unhindered by air strikes. I'll have nearly 2000AV in the base in a few days. Then I'll have to see if I want to keep it there or run for the hills. [:)] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR June 1, 42 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Night Time Surface Combat, near Albany at 53,178, Range 8,000 Yards Japanese Ships CA Atago, Shell hits 1 CA Chokai DD Tanikaze DD Kasumi DD Shigure DD Suzukaze, Shell hits 2, on fire DD Shirayuki DD Wakatake DD Asagao DD Yugao Allied Ships CL Achilles, Shell hits 4, on fire DD Woodworth, Shell hits 2, on fire DD Ralph Talbot DD Shaw, Shell hits 1 DD Tucker DD Piet Hein, Shell hits 3, and is sunk Improved night sighting under 75% moonlight Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions and 75% moonlight: 12,000 yards CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 8,000 yards CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 8,000 yards CA Chokai engages CL Achilles at 8,000 yards -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ASW attack near Auki at 115,135 Japanese Ships CL Oi CL Kitakami DD Kuri DD Uranami DD Yomogi DD Kiku Allied Ships SS Salmon SS Salmon is sighted by escort DD Yomogi fails to find sub and abandons search DD Kiku attacking submerged sub .... Escort abandons search for sub -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Morning Air attack on Delhi , at 52,17 Weather in hex: Light cloud Raid detected at 24 NM, estimated altitude 25,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 7 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 45 Allied aircraft Hurricane IIb Trop x 16 Hurricane IIc Trop x 15 Mohawk IV x 16 P-40E Warhawk x 20 F4F-3A Wildcat x 27 F4F-3 Wildcat x 18 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 4 destroyed Allied aircraft losses Mohawk IV: 1 destroyed P-40E Warhawk: 3 destroyed F4F-3A Wildcat: 1 destroyed F4F-3 Wildcat: 1 destroyed Aircraft Attacking: 26 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 20000 feet CAP engaged: VF-6 with F4F-3A Wildcat (0 airborne, 8 on standby, 16 scrambling) 3 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact. Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters between 16000 and 24000. Time for all group planes to reach interception is 34 minutes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Morning Air attack on Delhi , at 52,17 Weather in hex: Light cloud Raid detected at 13 NM, estimated altitude 22,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 4 minutes Japanese aircraft Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 42 Allied aircraft Hurricane IIb Trop x 15 Hurricane IIc Trop x 15 Mohawk IV x 9 P-40E Warhawk x 11 F4F-3A Wildcat x 24 F4F-3 Wildcat x 14 Japanese aircraft losses Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 10 destroyed Allied aircraft losses Hurricane IIb Trop: 3 destroyed F4F-3 Wildcat: 1 destroyed Aircraft Attacking: 12 x Ki-43-Ic Oscar sweeping at 20000 feet * -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Morning Air attack on Delhi , at 52,17 Weather in hex: Light cloud Raid detected at 18 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 6 minutes Japanese aircraft Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 42 Allied aircraft Hurricane IIb Trop x 8 Hurricane IIc Trop x 15 Mohawk IV x 6 P-40E Warhawk x 11 F4F-3A Wildcat x 24 F4F-3 Wildcat x 9 Japanese aircraft losses Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 5 destroyed Allied aircraft losses Mohawk IV: 1 destroyed F4F-3A Wildcat: 2 destroyed F4F-3 Wildcat: 1 destroyed Aircraft Attacking: 13 x Ki-43-Ic Oscar sweeping at 15000 feet * -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR June 2, 42 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Morning Air attack on Lucknow , at 52,23 Weather in hex: Heavy cloud Raid detected at 15 NM, estimated altitude 22,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 3 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 36 Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 31 Allied aircraft Hurricane IIb Trop x 10 P-38E Lightning x 21 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 5 destroyed Allied aircraft losses P-38E Lightning: 1 destroyed Aircraft Attacking: 10 x P-38E Lightning sweeping at 20000 feet CAP engaged: 3rd Ku S-1 with A6M2 Zero (0 airborne, 12 on standby, 18 scrambling) 6 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact. Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters between 11000 and 26000. Time for all group planes to reach interception is 29 minutes 11th Sentai with Ki-43-Ic Oscar (0 airborne, 11 on standby, 0 scrambling) 5 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact. Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters between 18000 and 20000. Time for all group planes to reach interception is 13 minutes 24th Sentai with Ki-43-Ic Oscar (0 airborne, 10 on standby, 0 scrambling) 5 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact. Group patrol altitude is 20000 Time for all group planes to reach interception is 24 minutes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sub attack near Lihir at 112,123 Japanese Ships xAKL Kosho Maru, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage xAK Daifuku Maru xAKL Iwate Maru #5 xAKL Tenposan Maru xAKL Toyotsu Maru PB Santos Maru Allied Ships SS Flying Fish Japanese ground losses: 31 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled SS Flying Fish launches 2 torpedoes at xAKL Kosho Maru Flying Fish diving deep .... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ships Lost: Loss of DD Piet Hein on Jun 23, 1942 is admitted [image]local://upfiles/37283/3D1B92C590354DEE82F3481F4BC16D87.jpg[/image] Here are the airframe loss numbers from the two days. Not bad. It's the first time the Allies have really stood up to the challenge and also then been able to fight back. Looking forward to the 80 P-38F coming soon!
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