Taxcutter -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (5/22/2017 3:41:28 PM)
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April 27, 1943 Update: Got surprised by Ironman at Chittagong. I was preparing to grind him some more by running a small (two xAKL) supply convoy Calcutta-Chittagong-Cox's Bazaar-Akyab to draw out his Betties so my now-fleshed out P40K FGs could massacre them. I ad all my P-40Ks on the ground at Chittagong to bring them to full strength and had 32 Hurri IIcs on CAP. Ironman had been merrily crunching coral at Akyab for weeks. The day before I was gonna spring my attack he threw hundreds of Oscars, Lilies, and Sallies. He overwhelmed the Hurris and pounded the airfield. Long and short of it: He destroyed about 20% of my P-40s and damaged 50% of them (avg 2 days). So I'm at 25-30% strength with a 59% damaged airfield and all of one operational Hurri present. I've got to go to 100% CAP and transfer in as many Hurris as I can scrape up. For some reason my RAF squadrons will not tap the Hurri replacement pool. HQs don't help. Supplies don't help. My US FGs readily access the P-40K pool. Ironman (as usual) is careless about his LCU so I have scatter-hell going all over Burma, but with short supply, my huge forces can boot him out of Rangoon. China is comatose. Will be for months. Things look better in NG/Solomons. I'm getting the garrison at Lunga ground down - terrain, forts and all notwithstanding. Maybe 3-4 days but my assault force will be out of it for weeks. I am moving shipping to attack Vella Lavella (a Marine division and a tank battalion) and Munda (one Raider battalion - recon shows nobody home. a follow-up transport TF carries Seabees and base forces. Holding Vella Lavella puts Rabaul in Corsair range. I'm also prepped to retake the Ellice Islands to keep an eye on my flank. Ironman still has supply at Port Moresby. I laid off the sirfield for a couple days and it is back to 32% damaged. Oh, well. My B-17E BGs are rested. My subs are going wild. 16 hits claimed and I still have crummy torpedoes. A fresh wave of subs is entering Japanese waters so I can relieve winchester subs. Logistics going well. I'm building up 'service groups" of 1xCVE, 8 DD, and a 13 knot AO to give 100% escort for straighter routes. Fletchers are running Bagleys and Farraguts out of fleet service.
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