RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J)

RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (Full Version)

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apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/7/2019 12:13:36 AM)
11 Jun 43 Sub Muskallunge fired 2 torpedoes at E-boat Naryu near Tourane. Both missed. Musallunge attacked again, and fired 2 torpedoes at xAK Azuma Maru. One hit. 5 British cruisers bombarded Victoria Point, running in from Port Blair. An enemy destroyer force has occasionally been spotted there, prior to its running to Tavoy. Light base damage and 120 troop casualties. About 4 Tojos were destroyed on the ground. Chicago bombarded Broome again. Troops will attack today. Salt Lake City bombarded Mili on the way back to Tabiteuea. 367 casualties and moderate base damage. Albacore was hit be a depth charge near Gorontalo, in the shallow water west of Manado. It should make it back to Darwin. DMS Dorsey cleared 24 mines at Eniwetok. Grenadier fired 2 torpedoes at the cargo ship that Muskallunge hit earlier in the day. One torpedo hit xAK Azuma Maru, and the ship was sunk. Hake fired 6 torpedoes at AO Shioya near Gorontalo. 2 torpedoes hit, and the tanker was carrying fuel. It was sunk. Gato fired 2 torpedoes at E-boat Hatsukari near Donggala, in the deep water strait hex northeast of Balikpapan between Borneo and Celebes. Both missed. There's a couple more E-boats and at least 2 xAK ships there. E-boat Manazuru hit Gato with at least one depth charge, forcing the sub to the surface. A long surface battle ensued. Gato fired off many torpedoes. All missed except one which hit a cargo ship, but was a dud. Gato was hit by many small caliber shells, and at least one larger shell from a cargo ship, and sunk. Gato had an undistinguished career, getting a dud hit on an xAP in December 1942 and a hit on an xAK in May 1943. KB was not spotted today, but detection levels imply that it moved north towards Manado. It doesn't seem to have started running east to the Mariannas or Truk. Invasion troops for Kolaka are landing at Roti and will wait there, with transports, until KB leaves. I continue to recon the Mariannas.

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/7/2019 2:00:54 AM)
Allied sub losses: KVII------------18 Jan 42-----------Sub Torp S-36------------20 Mar 42-----------Bomb in Manila port S-45-------------9 Jul 42-----------Sub Torp Truant----------20 Sep 42-----------Sub Torp Sargo------------6 Mar 43-----------DC Gato------------11 Jun 43-----------DC Japanese sub losses: 7 midget subs 4 RO subs 13 8 point subs 6 6 point subs 14 11 point subs

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/8/2019 12:23:19 AM)
12 Jun 43 O16 missed destroyer Harukaze with 4 torpedoes near Namlea. Steelhead spotted carrier Amagi and fired 6 torpedoes at it, but all missed. Continuing to have bad luck versus the carriers. Dud torpedoes or misses entirely. KB continues to be in a confined space between Manado and Ambon. Eventually luck will run out for it, with so many subs in the area. It has to. I'm dropping mines in shallow hexes in the area, places where KB has moved to in the past. Big enemy bombardment of Namlea. OPilot doesn't know that there are over 100 Allied mines there, but he does know that he dropped mines there recently, and he doesn't care. Again, the ships do not hit any of the mines. Night Naval bombardment of Namlea at 76,108 Japanese Ships BB Kirishima BB Hiei BB Haruna BB Kongo CA Kinugasa CL Yubari DD Yunagi DD Asanagi DD Hayate DD Oite DD Onami DD Naganami DD Kazegumo DD Yugumo Allied ground losses: 664 casualties reported Squads: 2 destroyed, 8 disabled Non Combat: 16 destroyed, 43 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled Guns lost 10 (2 destroyed, 8 disabled) Airbase hits 5 Airbase supply hits 4 Runway hits 19 Port hits 21 Port supply hits 1 The troops are fine. Just Catalinas flying from Namlea. But supply is a problem. I don't want to force supply in on C-47s with KB so close. I smell an ambush. The Australians attack again at Broome. Ground combat at Broome (62,127) Allied Deliberate attack Attacking force 10741 troops, 130 guns, 307 vehicles, Assault Value = 345 Defending force 7245 troops, 89 guns, 6 vehicles, Assault Value = 175 Allied adjusted assault: 180 Japanese adjusted defense: 199 Allied assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 3) Combat modifiers Defender: disruption(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 577 casualties reported Squads: 3 destroyed, 46 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Guns lost 16 (4 destroyed, 12 disabled) Allied ground losses: 297 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 26 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 20 disabled Engineers: 1 destroyed, 7 disabled Guns lost 4 (1 destroyed, 3 disabled) Vehicles lost 26 (1 destroyed, 25 disabled) Assaulting units: 2/9th Armoured Regiment 19th Australian Brigade 2/7th Armoured Regiment 2/6th Armoured Regiment 28th Australian Brigade Defending units: Sasebo 3rd SNLF Kure 2nd SNLF Yokosuka 1st SNLF Yokosuka 2nd SNLF Yokosuka 4th SNLF 33rd Field Const Co 30th Field AA Machinecannon Company 43rd Const Co 4th JNAF Coy The enemy is being reduced. Ship bombardments and bomber raids will continue. The troops will rest for a day. Plenty of supply flowing on the trail from nearby Derby. It's just a matter of time here. Recon of Saipan shows multiple AS ships in port, and many small task forces, thought to be subs. 8 units there, with 14,180 men, 114 guns and 22 vehicles. KB isn't budging from near Ambon though, delaying my move on the Kendari area. I'm moving carrier Essex and some CVEs towards Tabiteuea. In the next couple of weeks, I'll have to decide whether to feint towards Truk or invade it with a strong infantry force but a weak naval force. Yorktown has been with carriers at Wyndham, basically hiding out. It is SYS 4/FLOT 4/ENG 4/FIRE 0. I finally decide to disband it in port and do some repairs. KB has been north of Ambon but not really doing anything. Of course, it probably will now that I'm repairing one of the few carriers in the area. [image]local://upfiles/6549/A52E311E3B4B470DAF893A349A9EDD5E.gif[/image]

Spanno -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/8/2019 12:21:43 PM)
Really like the detail on your screenshots, makes reading this and knowing whats going on so much easier!

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/9/2019 1:55:21 AM)
Thanks Spanno and welcome. 13 Jun 43 Same story at Broome, with Chicago bombarding and heavy bombers hitting Japanese troops. Australian troops rested and will attack today. Grenadier sank E-boat W-12 with a torpedo near Quinhon, Vietnam. OPilot switched targets in the Andamans, going for Car Nicobar. Huge Oscar sweeps were followed by bombers. No CAP here. I could play the game of loading up bases here with fighters, but I choose not to. Rangoon is heavily protected and will stay so. I may surprise him sometime in the future, if he gets complacent hitting the Andamans, but it's not a big deal to me. OPilot did pull a surprise and bombed Wessel Island's port from the east side of New Guinea. 25 Bettys bombed. They got one hit on small ARD Soerabaja Kv, causing SYS 11/FLOT 1-0/ENG 0/FIRE 1. The ARD was not repairing anything at the time, and will move to Gove for better protection. It was a target of opportunity. Long ago, I had CAP at Wessel, but higher priorities north of Darwin meant no protection here. Another target of opportunity for OPilot was at Kienko, China, which is northeast of the capital. I've moved a US base unit and flak here, and some C-47s, which were flying supply to Lanchow area. OPilot is, above all else, excellent at doing lots of recon, and it wasn't long until he spotted the activity at Kienko. Today he bombed it, and damaged most of the C-47s. They are pulling out, and going back to Ledo. The supply situation has since improved around Lanchow anyhow. An enemy division reinforced a hex southeast of Changsha. I'd seen it coming, and have been doing LRCAP for 3 days over it, expecting bombing. That happened today, after the enemy arrived. First, 24 Lilys and 5 Helens with 29 Oscars ran into 9 Hurricanes and 13 P-40Ks. The Oscars did well despite being on escort duty, but the Allied fighters did get into the bombers. The next strike had 22 Sallys and 42 Oscars, and only 4 Allied fighters were still flying. Then 20 Helens arrived. Total air losses were 7 Lilys, 4 Oscars, 1 Helen and 1 Sallys for the cost of 5 P-40Ks. KB went back to Manado. Unfortunately, the task force activity at Roti that was spotted yesterday brought a dedicated recon today, which has noticed the large number of ships in port, and men on the ground, as well as the ships still unloading. I'm evacuating the harbor back to Australia. Troops will finish unloading at Roti. At least the base expansion is speeding up with the new troops. Troops at Roti and at Koepang are what are earmarked for the Kolaka area landings. I still need KB to go away for that. I'd hoped to have the shipping hiding at Roti to speed up the loading for the invasion, but I can't leave all those ships there. Not with KB just a day's trip away when it is north of Ambon. The plan is still to either feint or invade Truk if KB stays near the Celebes.

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/10/2019 7:19:24 AM)
14 Jun 43 Sub Capelin spotted a convoy west of Saipan. Four torpedoes were fired a xAP Teikyo Maru. Three torpedoes hit, one of which was a dud. A massive explosion was noted, and the ship is on fire, but not reported sunk. This fairly big transport was hit by a torpedo near Victoria Point in November 1942. Enemy subchaser Ch 32 spotted recently laid mines northeast of Kendari, but didn't hit any. YMS-287 with 3 tiny cargo ships arrived at Namlea. A small fragment of a ground unit will try to unload, but danger is close to the north. I considered this mission highly unlikely to be successful. 13 Bettys from Ambon dropped bombs, targeting APc-101, but all bombs missed from 10,000 feet. I wouldn't be surprised if the Betty pilots are not trained in bomb attacks. KB is seen still at Manado, but the battleship group is southeast of Manado now, and is with another task force that appears to be destroyers. My ships at Namlea are probably doomed, but they'll try to unload. Maybe the enemy will hits some mines at Namlea. B-24s from Rangoon tried a city raid on Phnom Penh, targeting light industry. No hits were achieved in thunderstorms. Chicago bombarded Broome again. Heavy bombers bombed again. The Australians attacked. Ground combat at Broome (62,127) Allied Deliberate attack Attacking force 10578 troops, 130 guns, 306 vehicles, Assault Value = 330 Defending force 6488 troops, 82 guns, 6 vehicles, Assault Value = 131 Allied adjusted assault: 145 Japanese adjusted defense: 99 Allied assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 3) Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 2 Combat modifiers Defender: forts(+), experience(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 646 casualties reported Squads: 44 destroyed, 9 disabled Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 24 disabled Engineers: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled Guns lost 19 (19 destroyed, 0 disabled) Allied ground losses: 150 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled Vehicles lost 9 (1 destroyed, 8 disabled) Assaulting units: 2/6th Armoured Regiment 19th Australian Brigade 2/7th Armoured Regiment 2/9th Armoured Regiment 28th Australian Brigade Defending units: Kure 2nd SNLF Sasebo 3rd SNLF Yokosuka 2nd SNLF Yokosuka 1st SNLF Yokosuka 4th SNLF 43rd Const Co 30th Field AA Machinecannon Company 33rd Field Const Co 4th JNAF Coy The odds are improving, the forts are now dropping. Broome will be cleared soon. I've now gotten most of the troops for the Kendari area invasions to Roti and Koepang. A few followup units are diverting to Truscott. I decided that with KB staying by Manado, the Kendari operation is postponed. Instead, the next operation north of Australia will be a move towards Java. Shipping in the area has new orders, orders to consolidate all units for these invasions at Darwin. The trickiest part of this is that Dili and Lautem both have a division earmarked for this operation. I need to extract those units and bring them back to Darwin. I have to hope that a heavy CAP will protect the shipping while the divisions load. The two Australian brigades at Broome will be garrisoning Dili and Lautem, with the bulk of the defense currently being those 2 US divisions. And with KB staying at Manado, the likelihood of pulling the trigger on a Truk invasion is increasing by the day. CVL Independence arrived at San Francisco and is headed to Tabiteuea. BB Idaho is out of refit at Mare Island and is also heading to Tabiteuea. 2 other battleships will come out of refit at Brisbane in about a week. They are needed for Truk.

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/11/2019 5:44:15 AM)
15 Jun 43 Dutch sub O21 hit ACM Wa 12 with a torpedo west of Peleliu, sinking it. Searaven fired 2 torpedoes at AMc Kamo Maru #2 south of Davao. Both hit but one was a dud. One hit was enough, sinking the tiny minesweeper. Light cruiser Natori and 7 destroyers ran into an Allied YMS and 3 tiny APc's at Namlea. Both sides evaded combat, which tells me that the enemy was probably running supply into Ambon. The APc's barely unloaded and retreated to the south. They got orders to go back to Namlea at full speed, even though there's a big enemy battleship task force just north of Namlea. The raid on Ambon didn't go as hoped. Just 3 Hellcats swept before the heavy bombers, with 38 Zeros and 15 Tonys at the badly damaged airfield. The heavies took losses and wore down the defending CAP, so when the rest of the Hellcat squadron showed up with 27 planes, there were only about 10 enemy fighters in the air. Then when the P-38s arrived, there weren't any enemy flying. Some bombers bombed in the afternoon, doing better damage in overcast, compared with the morning strikes that did little in severe storms (and heavy CAP). Total air losses were 20 Zeros (2 on the ground) and 5 Tonys, for the cost of 5 B-17Es and 4 B-24Ds. Felt good. First air raid on Saipan. Not a Pearl Harbor, but surprise was achieved, and it felt good. Morning Air attack on Saipan , at 108,93 Weather in hex: Partial cloud Raid detected at 23 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 7 minutes Japanese aircraft no flights Allied aircraft Liberator GR.III x 10 B-24D Liberator x 22 No Japanese losses Allied aircraft losses B-24D Liberator: 2 damaged Japanese Ships AR Akashi, Bomb hits 2, on fire SS I-34, Bomb hits 4, and is sunk Port hits 7 Port fuel hits 1 Port supply hits 2 Chicago bombarded Broome and Australian troops attacked again. Ground combat at Broome (62,127) Allied Deliberate attack Attacking force 10509 troops, 130 guns, 305 vehicles, Assault Value = 317 Defending force 5745 troops, 66 guns, 6 vehicles, Assault Value = 116 Allied adjusted assault: 148 Japanese adjusted defense: 101 Allied assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 2) Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 1 Combat modifiers Defender: disruption(-), experience(-), supply(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 759 casualties reported Squads: 23 destroyed, 4 disabled Non Combat: 28 destroyed, 4 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Guns lost 10 (8 destroyed, 2 disabled) Units destroyed 1 Allied ground losses: 61 casualties reported Squads: 1 destroyed, 8 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled The enemy is disintegrating. An enemy TF of approximately 5 ships is spotted WNW of Broome. Allied bombers at Derby didn't attack them. They may be coming to Broome to drop supply, or to intercept Chicago and the daily bombardments. Chicago and the 4 destroyers are ordered to patrol Broome instead of bombarding today. In the past, when OPilot brought destroyers down this way, if I saw them coming, he aborted the mission. Things are desperate for the enemy at Broome now, so anything could happen. The Australians are in good shape and will attack again.

jwolf -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/11/2019 1:41:56 PM)
I love sinking enemy subs in port. Best way to get them. [8D]

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/11/2019 6:24:58 PM)
16 Jun 43 - The Approach to Java [image]local://upfiles/6549/CB651632E99544F386CAABD3FEE42C59.gif[/image]

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/12/2019 1:50:47 AM)
16 Jun 43 The small cargo task force that was seemingly on a suicide run, was. Night Time Surface Combat, near Namlea at 76,108, Range 9,000 Yards Japanese Ships BB Kongo BB Haruna BB Hiei BB Kirishima CA Kinugasa CL Yubari DD Yugumo DD Kazegumo DD Naganami DD Onami DD Oite DD Hayate DD Asanagi DD Yunagi Allied Ships YMS-287, Shell hits 2, and is sunk APc-40, Shell hits 1, and is sunk APc-47, Shell hits 1, and is sunk APc-101, Shell hits 1, and is sunk Allied ground losses: Vehicles lost 3 (3 destroyed, 0 disabled) A small fragment of the unit on Namlea was aboard, with a small amount of supply. I wonder if the battleships are patrolling just north of Namlea. They ran into Namlea and made this intercept, then moved just a few hexes northeast. Not enough movement for a regular destination move and return to some base. South of Namlea, sub Pollack fired 2 torpedoes at I-19. One hit but was a dud. Just southeast of Eniwetok, RO-67 fired 4 torpedoes at LST-19. One hit. The ship was reported to be carrying fuel and was sunk. I'm going to go back a turn and look to see if there was fuel aboard. I'm pretty sure it had only supply on board. If it had no fuel, then there's another level of fog of war about your own ships in the replay. Regardless, LST-19 is the first LST sunk in the war. It was carrying supply to Eniwetok, and was going to load the armor unit there to return to Tabiteuea. An additional cargo ship is dispatched from Kusaie Island to finish loading the armor. Hellcats from Lautem swept Ambon. This was a mistake. I forgot to change the orders from yesterday. 27 Hellcats found about 20 Zeros on CAP. Ambon's airfield is heavily damaged, and I have to think that this affected the Zero's effectiveness. Unless these planes came from a nearby but unseen KB. 18 Zeros were shot down for the cost of just one Hellcat. I wish all mistakes were so forgiving! 44 Liberators from Australia then hit Ambon's airfield, destroying an A6M3a Zero on the ground and doing light damage to the airfield. Broome is reconquered, securing all of Australia. Enemy units remain at Broome but are doomed. Enemy mines appeared at Broome. That task force to the northwest could have been a bunch of subs. Minesweepers will move to Broome and Chicago's task force will retire to Darwin. Ground combat at Broome (62,127) Allied Deliberate attack Attacking force 10510 troops, 130 guns, 307 vehicles, Assault Value = 316 Defending force 5007 troops, 59 guns, 6 vehicles, Assault Value = 94 Allied adjusted assault: 146 Japanese adjusted defense: 27 Allied assault odds: 5 to 1 (fort level 1) Allied forces CAPTURE Broome !!! Combat modifiers Defender: disruption(-), experience(-), supply(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 1234 casualties reported Squads: 53 destroyed, 10 disabled Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 33 disabled Engineers: 8 destroyed, 0 disabled Guns lost 30 (30 destroyed, 0 disabled) Vehicles lost 6 (6 destroyed, 0 disabled) Allied ground losses: 213 casualties reported Squads: 1 destroyed, 18 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled Vehicles lost 8 (1 destroyed, 7 disabled) Assaulting units: 19th Australian Brigade 2/6th Armoured Regiment 2/9th Armoured Regiment 2/7th Armoured Regiment 28th Australian Brigade Defending units: Sasebo 3rd SNLF Yokosuka 2nd SNLF Yokosuka 4th SNLF 33rd Field Const Co 4th JNAF Coy 43rd Const Co 30th Field AA Machinecannon Company Kure 2nd SNLF The Australians will rest a day before continuing to clean up the enemy at Broome. Here's some damaged ship updates: At Pearl Harbor: Wasp is SYS 36/FLOT 7/ENG 10/FIRE 0 and will require 22 days of repairs. Chenango is SYS 17/FLOT 55/ENG 12/FIRE 0 and will require 53 days of repairs. At Sydney: Enterprise is SYS 6/FLOT 0/ENG 1/FIRE 0 and will require 9 days of repairs. Hornet is SYS 19/FLOT 3/ENG 2/FIRE 0 and will require 23 days of repairs. At Brisbane: Battleships Pennsylvania and Arizona are in refit for 5 more days. They'll move towards the Marshalls for the Truk operation. [EDIT: The sunk LST did indeed have fuel loaded, as well as supply. I'm not sure how that happened. I didn't intentionally load fuel on it. I think that the LST came to Tabiteuea from the West Coast, and unloaded somewhat there. Then it was retasked to go to Eniwetok to get the armor unit, while it still had some supply to unload. And, somehow, fuel. LSTs don't have a separate storage area for fuel, so loading was somehow mixed with both supply and fuel being loaded.]

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/13/2019 2:05:37 AM)
17 Jun 43 Battleships Kirishima, Hiei, Haruna and Kongo, with 2 cruisers and 8 destroyers, bombarded Namlea and appeared to retire to the northeast, near Ambon, instead of returning to Manado. Night Naval bombardment of Namlea at 76,108 Japanese Ships BB Kirishima BB Hiei BB Haruna BB Kongo CA Kinugasa CL Yubari DD Yunagi DD Asanagi DD Hayate DD Oite DD Onami DD Naganami DD Kazegumo DD Yugumo Allied ground losses: 372 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled Non Combat: 11 destroyed, 15 disabled Engineers: 7 destroyed, 13 disabled Guns lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled) Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled) Airbase hits 6 Airbase supply hits 1 Runway hits 7 Port hits 11 Port supply hits 6 Supply was already critical at Namlea. It's probably gone now. I know that there are enemy mines there, as I lost an APD dropping off supply. OPilot doesn't know that there are over 100 US mines there since he continues to not hit them. His battleship task force did find the small minefield laid on the north coast, north of Ambon, but he didn't hit any of those mines either. More confirmation that the battleships went northeast instead of north. KB isn't seen again today. It may have left the Ambon area, finally. I need confirmation. I planned a big bomber operation over Chiang Mai, but nothing flew. My big fighter sweep over Rahaeng did fly. Corsairs swept high, then P-38s high, then P-40Ks low. Only the P-40s did poorly, even coming in after the others. 4 US fighter pilots became aces. Enemy fighter losses were high. P-40Ks were lost. I estimate about 10. A P-47 squadron is on a ship nearing Colombo. The P-47s will join the fight from Rangoon. OPilot is trying an attack south of Changsha, in the woods. He snuck another unit into the stack, one that I didn't see coming. I'll move another unit from Changsha to reinforce. OPilot is traveling starting tomorrow, and won't be doing a turn until after this weekend. I'll be taking my time with this turn, doing some a day, and spending time with every little detail that doesn't get looked at on a daily basis.

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/13/2019 4:13:58 AM)
Total air losses over Rahaeng were 36 Oscars and 10 Tonys for the cost of 11 P-40Ks, 7 F-4Us and 5 P-38s. The P-40Ks had excellent pilots but they just don't perform as well. But I have lots of them, over 200 in the pool, while the Corsairs and Lightnings are and will always be limited in numbers.

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/16/2019 1:29:25 AM)
OPilot is back early from his travels, so the war continues. 18 Jun 43 Small US minesweepers clear the enemy mines at Broome. Scamp fired 2 torpedoes at small tanker Kanto Maru near Donggala but missed. Massive enemy fighter sweeps, over 120 Oscars, south of Changsha, over the hex that the enemy moved more troops into. OPilot noticed that I noticed, and he sent fighters figuring that I'd think he'd send bombers to help his infantry attack. I didn't sent LRCAP. He didn't find any air opposition. He didn't send bombers. And his infantry didn't attack. The mind games go on. Australians took Broome back the other day. Today they continue to clear out the enemy. Ground combat at Broome (62,127) Allied Deliberate attack Attacking force 10506 troops, 130 guns, 307 vehicles, Assault Value = 322 Defending force 4202 troops, 36 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 82 Allied adjusted assault: 119 Japanese adjusted defense: 7 Allied assault odds: 17 to 1 Combat modifiers Defender: disruption(-), fatigue(-), experience(-), supply(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 873 casualties reported Squads: 19 destroyed, 7 disabled Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 17 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Guns lost 16 (7 destroyed, 9 disabled) Allied ground losses: 71 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled Engineers: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled Assaulting units: 2/7th Armoured Regiment 2/9th Armoured Regiment 2/6th Armoured Regiment 19th Australian Brigade 28th Australian Brigade Defending units: Yokosuka 2nd SNLF Yokosuka 4th SNLF 30th Field AA Machinecannon Company 43rd Const Co 33rd Field Const Co Kure 2nd SNLF 4th JNAF Coy Sasebo 3rd SNLF Australians are now low on supply and will wait for more to flow over the trail from Derby. The big news is that KB and the escorting battleships were spotted at Babeldaob. I've given the green light for the invasions between Timor and Java, including the tip of Java. Troops are still being extracted from Timor, to move to Darwin, where the armada will assemble and load. So, it'll be a few days until loading could start. I considered pulling the trigger on the planned Kolaka invasion, but I figured to put as much distance between the invasions and KB as possible. And I value the move to Java to be much more important than to threaten Kendari.

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/17/2019 4:02:17 AM)
19 Jun 43 3 US DMS ran into Namlea at full speed and swept 10 mines. Then they ran back to Timor. There's more mines at Namlea. 3 YMS are on the way. They'll be seen and probably intercepted. My secret plan for getting supply to Namlea is the Allied dot base on the same island. US subs are dropping supply there, and an engineer unit is being flown in on Coronados. A Marine raider unit will slowly be brought in by a sub also. Namlea was bombed heavily by the enemy today, and the airbase and port are badly damaged. Just 200 supply at the base. OPilot has sent some minesweepers to work the coastal hexes west of Manado, on his tanker route from Balikpapan. He discovered mines in one of the hexes the other day; now the entire route is being checked. Wahoo spotted one of the tiny minesweepers near Donggala, and sank it with a torpedo. Grouper spotted another AMc in the same area, and hit it with a torpedo, but it was a dud. Oscars swept Changsha and the contested hex to the south. No Allied CAP. Allied bombers hit Chiang Mai. No enemy CAP. Keeping the airbase damaged. Australians at Broome got resupplied, so they'll attack today. KB is still at Babeldaob. Shipping and troops are concentrating at Darwin. The last unit from Timor is now on the way to Darwin. Some supply ships are already loaded for the upcoming landings. I'm not sure if I have enough ships to do all four landings nearly simultaneously. The priorities will be front to back, with the invasion of the tip of Java and Denpassar taking priority, in quality and quantity of shipping. I'll land at Mataram and Waingapoe when able, with normal xAPs. Other shipping is congregating at Tabiteuea, readying for an invasion of Truk. I have a feeling that KB will come running to Java when that kicks off, allowing the opportunity for a lesser defended invasion of Truk. A P-38G unit in Australia has upgraded to P-38Hs, which are now being built, and in slightly greater numbers than the G model was. I want at least 2 P-38 squadrons at Ponape for sweeping Truk. But that's dependent on what KB does.

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/18/2019 12:47:46 AM)
20 Jun 43 Well west of Manila, out in the middle of the South China Sea, Spearfish spotted a tanker convoy. Looks like the collection of tankers seen a few months ago, coming and going from Manila. 2 torpedoes were fired at small tanker Hishi Maru #2, with one hitting, sinking the empty tanker. In the sub versus anti-sub cauldron around Manado, Gudgeon fired 2 torpedoes at AM Wa 104. Both hit, one was a dud, and the ship was sunk. 3 US YMS ran into Namlea and stayed, clearing the enemy minefield there. In the morning, 13 Bettys from Ambon attacked, dropping bombs from 10,000 feet. All bombs missed in thunderstorms. I've seen these Bettys in action before. They are good with torpedoes, bad with bombs. In the afternoon, they tried again, only this time, they brought torpedoes. One torpedo hit YMS-217, sinking her. Australians attacked again at Broome, clearing out the isolated enemy, which is evaporating. Ground combat at Broome (62,127) Allied Deliberate attack Attacking force 10566 troops, 130 guns, 307 vehicles, Assault Value = 325 Defending force 3593 troops, 28 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 45 Allied adjusted assault: 170 Japanese adjusted defense: 7 Allied assault odds: 24 to 1 Combat modifiers Defender: disruption(-), supply(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 696 casualties reported Squads: 34 destroyed, 11 disabled Non Combat: 77 destroyed, 2 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Guns lost 12 (12 destroyed, 0 disabled) Units destroyed 1 Allied ground losses: 46 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Assaulting units: 2/7th Armoured Regiment 19th Australian Brigade 2/6th Armoured Regiment 2/9th Armoured Regiment 28th Australian Brigade Defending units: Yokosuka 2nd SNLF Yokosuka 4th SNLF Kure 2nd SNLF 4th JNAF Coy 30th Field AA Machinecannon Company 33rd Field Const Co Sasebo 3rd SNLF Time to rest again while supply is pulled from Derby. I do have a small xAKL unloading supply at Broome now. This xAKL has been running supply from Carnavon to Port Hedland for months, never spotted. Now it will run supply from Derby to Broome, until the enemy is eliminated. A Canadian unit is loading at Prince Rupert and will head to Attu in the Aleutians. The Aleutians have been quiet in the war so far, with only an occasional enemy sub being spotted. Bases as far west as Adak have been built up. Now it's time to occupy the most western islands of the Aleutians and start doing some recon of Paramushiro Jima. Might stir up some concern there. KB is still at Babeldaob. R.I. Bong was just assigned to the 49th Fighter Group, 9th Fighter Squadron, currently at Tulagi. The unit is flying P-38Gs and recently made its way from Australia to Port Moresby and on to Tulagi. It will move to Ponape at the appropriate time and participate in the fight over Truk. I expect big things of Richard Ira Bong. He has 2 kills so far. I'm not sure what unit he was with prior to now.

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/19/2019 12:38:17 AM)
21 Jun 43 Gudgeon hit destroyer Akikaze twice south of Manado. One of the hits was a dud, but the ship is reported to be on fire with heavy damage from the other hit. Gudgeon sank a minesweeper in the same area yesterday. Gar fired 2 torpedoes at tanker Okigawa Maru near Ketapang, off the west coast of Borneo. Shallow water makes patrolling here more dangerous, but tankers from Balikpapan could go back around to the west, seeking safer waters than the route to the northeast. Convoys from Java could go through here also. Cruisers Astoria and Louisville bombarded Mili, causing 202 casualties. Medium and heavy bombers hit the enemy troops. The only US troops on Mili is the 158th Infantry Regiment. Long ago, the regiment landed and had every squad disabled in the landing shock attack. They had plenty of supply, so they rested until most of the unit was operational. In the mean time, Mili has taken a pounding from the air. The US regiment attacked. Ground combat at Mili (136,121) Allied Deliberate attack Attacking force 3505 troops, 48 guns, 16 vehicles, Assault Value = 107 Defending force 2604 troops, 10 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 35 Allied adjusted assault: 66 Japanese adjusted defense: 3 Allied assault odds: 22 to 1 (fort level 4) Allied forces CAPTURE Mili !!! Combat modifiers Defender: forts(+), disruption(-), experience(-), supply(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 465 casualties reported Squads: 8 destroyed, 8 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled Engineers: 13 destroyed, 0 disabled Guns lost 7 (7 destroyed, 0 disabled) Allied ground losses: 247 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 32 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Assaulting units: 158th(Sep) Infantry Regiment Defending units: Ichiki Det. 63rd Naval Guard Unit 56th JNAF AF Unit KB and the battleships were missing from the recon of Babeldaob today. Loading for the multiple invasions including Banjoewangi on Java begin today at Darwin. It'll take another 2 days to complete loading. The first AKAs will arrive today at Darwin, fresh from their refit at Brisbane. They are loaded with supply, but unfortunately, in Transport mode, so they'll unload and then reload in Amphibious mode. I have enough LSTs for the troops, I think, so they'll just unload lots of supply quickly.

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/19/2019 4:07:51 AM)
21 Jun 43 [image]local://upfiles/6549/5EAA2454838E4367991D9B58CB3113DA.gif[/image]

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/19/2019 10:36:53 PM)
22 Jun 43 Finback moved to the shallow water at the exit of Balikpapan. The sub spotted a patrol boat and hit it with a torpedo, setting it on fire with heavy damage. Sinking was not noted. Later, Finback noticed xAK Norway Maru, now unescorted. The ship was hit by one shell and 4 torpedoes, 2 of which were duds. The cargo ship is believed to have sunk. My mixed Australian-Dutch-New Zealand light cruiser task force rushed from Lautem to Ambon. I-181 fired 2 torpedoes at CL Sumatra but missed. The ships then hit the sub with 3 depth charges. Sinking was not noted but is probable. I-36 fired 6 torpedoes at the same location but missed destroyer Nestor. The usual enemy bombing in China, here and there. Australians continue to clear out the enemy at Broome. Ground combat at Broome (62,127) Allied Deliberate attack Attacking force 10619 troops, 130 guns, 307 vehicles, Assault Value = 331 Defending force 2591 troops, 16 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 35 Allied adjusted assault: 194 Japanese adjusted defense: 3 Allied assault odds: 64 to 1 Combat modifiers Defender: disruption(-), supply(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 1459 casualties reported Squads: 57 destroyed, 1 disabled Non Combat: 57 destroyed, 11 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Guns lost 14 (7 destroyed, 7 disabled) Units destroyed 3 Allied ground losses: 32 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled Assaulting units: 2/7th Armoured Regiment 19th Australian Brigade 2/6th Armoured Regiment 2/9th Armoured Regiment 28th Australian Brigade Defending units: Yokosuka 4th SNLF 33rd Field Const Co Kure 2nd SNLF 4th JNAF Coy 30th Field AA Machinecannon Company Sasebo 3rd SNLF Japanese Unit(s) surrounded at Broome The enemy is just about done on Australia. Some of the Australians are still in supply. They will attack again. KB is not seen again today. At Darwin, the loading docks are at capacity. All of this activity is being seen by the daily enemy recon. Allied carriers are still hiding out at Wyndham, not seen by the enemy for weeks. Loading for Banjoewangi and Denpassar is in progress. Loading for Mataram and Waingapoe will follow. Rear Admiral Charles Perry Mason has appeared, in command of the new Fifth US Fleet HQ. Sometimes a name just catches the eye. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_P._Mason

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/20/2019 11:03:39 PM)
23 Jun 43 Lots of Sallys bombed Tavoy, causing moderate damage. No CAP here. Still doesn't make sense to put a small fighter commitment in a place where it will just get overwhelmed. Both sides have evolved to defending huge airbases with huge numbers at Rangoon and Bangkok. OPilot also stacks Rahaeng heavily. I have 2 Corsair and 1 Lightning squadrons at Rangoon. I now have 2 P-47 squadrons at Ceylon. They are well trained but with no experience, and they could use some defense training, so I'm doing that. With those 5 squadrons, I'll become more aggressive trying to destroy enemy planes and pilots in Thailand. Another attack at Mili by the US 158th Infantry Regiment, destroying more of the isolated enemy, which will be gone in a day or two. Two units were wiped out by attrition after the fight, leaving just one shell of a unit left. Some of the Australians attacked at Broome and destroyed what was left of the enemy there. Over 1600 enemy casualties. One Australian regiment is earmarked for Lautem. The other will go to Dili. These bases did have US infantry divisions, but they were pulled out for the upcoming landings elsewhere. OPilot does daily recon of Timor, so I'm sure he's noticed the big drop in troops there. Don't want to give him any ideas of a landing on Timor. Invasion shipping for Banjoewangi and Denpassar will leave Darwin. Carriers will leave Wyndham. All will go to Truscott to rendezvous and sort out the escorts, and then proceed to the invasion targets. Loading at Darwin is underway for the third and fourth landing targets: Mataram and Waingapoe. KB is still missing, now gone for about 4 days. I'll move the recon around and look at other bases, such as Tinian. OPilot could be playing a game of hide and seek with KB.

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/21/2019 12:38:11 AM)
Forgot to mention that weather was bad at Darwin. None of the many task forces there loading for the invasions were spotted. I'm not sure how many were seen the day before, but nothing today. And most of them are leaving Darwin now. I've turned search off for all of my combat ships going to Wyndham. They'll move toward Java hoping to stay hidden for as long as possible.

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/21/2019 6:28:24 AM)
24 Jun 43 42 Oscars and 42 Tojos swept Tavoy, but I still didn't put any CAP there. No enemy bombers there today. I did move some P-40s to Hengyang, where they flew south and did LRCAP over a contested hex. I guessed wrong though. The unescorted Sonias hit the troops in the next hex over. Also, Hengyang was bombed heavily. No P-40s were lost, as they were flying to the south, but the base is damaged. The P-40s are ordered back to the capital. Mili is finally cleared of the enemy, with the last of the 63rd Naval Guard Unit being destroyed. The armada, including carriers, was at Truscott, and there was bad weather there and nothing was spotted by the enemy. Darwin did get enemy recon. Ships there are loading for landings 3 and 4. Darwin's port is not as crowded as it was, and there's about 40,000 fewer men there. The armada will now turn to the northwest and head towards Java. They are taking a rather direct route and will pass fairly close to Waingapoe and Mataram on the way. If the enemy has search planes at either of these size 0 airfields, the invasion armada will be discovered. KB was not seen today, but a US sub got 10/10 detection level south of Babeldaob. KB may have moved from Babeldaob to Peleliu to hide. I did recon of Ulithi and a couple of other smaller bases in the Mariannas, but didn't see anything. Tomorrow I may start loading supply at Tabiteuea for a possible landing on Truk. If KB goes running to the Java invasion, we're going to Truk too.

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/21/2019 11:22:36 PM)
25 Jun 4 US APDs, running a fast transport supply mission into Ambon, run over I-36 and hit it with a couple of depth charges. An "ABDA" task force, minus the "B", bombarded Ambon and did moderate damage to the base. The APDs, on the way home, were spotted by I-28, which hit APD Alden with a torpedo, sinking her. Another APD fast transport task force unloaded supply at Namlea successfully. Northwest of Wyndham, the Java invasion armada was spotted by I-39. I-39 hit Every task force, including the carriers, were spotted. The TF that I-39 engaged had battleships Prince of Wales and Massachusetts, with 4 cruisers and 2 CLAAs. It was a carrier TF. OPilot now knows that something big is going on. Now to see his reaction. I-39 also engaged a destroyer task force, and torpedoed destroyer Stanly, sinking her. The sub was then hit with a couple of depth charges. For now, the invasions are still on. [image]local://upfiles/6549/631C4E1F6B7F4F02AD0E5423962432FD.gif[/image]

jwolf -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/22/2019 4:59:39 PM)
It's really cool -- and a great testament to your organization and planning -- that you always have a Plan B ready to go in case Plan A is aborted.

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/22/2019 5:11:58 PM)
Thanks jwolf. But every plan looks great until enemy contact. Although I've only lost 2 CVEs in the war, the enemy has superior carrier capability. It still appears that most, if not all, of the big enemy carriers travel together. My carrier forces are split, with some off northern Australia and some at Tabiteuea. Either of my carrier task forces cannot match up to a "KB" force. I have several big carriers under repair. For now, I'm playing the game of having offensives planned in two distant regions: towards Java and invading Truk. Each of my planned invasions presumes that enemy carriers aren't in the area. So where the enemy goes, I go the other way. "KB" either has to go running back and forth, or split up.

Macclan5 -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/22/2019 6:52:50 PM)
In fairness this line of advance is very strategic. ..and yes Apbarog's Management of it is also flawless. Notwithstanding divided Carrier forces no death star compared to the full fledged KB... From "Timor / Ambon" you can: i) drive north through Kendari with highly valuable Mindano as an objective ii) drive west through Bima with highly valuable Soerabja Both directions provide valuable sites for Sub bases and long legged Bombers as the Allied commander. Or feint both ways while attacking towards Truk / Burma / etc The decision to keep the KB "en mass" may actually be a handicap to the Japanese player in 1943. In maintaining absolute Carrier vs Carrier battle superiority through till 1944 - the Japanese player is also allowing the Allied Commander to take significant bites out of the periphery that ultimately play into the Allies winning hand in 44/45. Namely Bases - bases with Subs / Liberators / Jugs / within range of oil / resource fields. Maintaining the "certain Carrier battle superiority" is useless if the Allied commander does not engage in a massed Carrier battle.

jwolf -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/22/2019 7:00:37 PM)
Well it is certainly a strategic dilemma for the Japanese player. I've never played Japan in the campaign so I don't know what is the standard strategy, if there is one, with regard to keeping KB together or not. But I can imagine this is a really hard problem for the Japanese player to solve.

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/22/2019 7:20:25 PM)
This would be one of those occasions where it would be interesting to see what OPilot's thinking is right now. I think there's a lot of value to many readers when both sides of the war have AARs. [EDIT: I meant that it would be interesting for some readers. Not implying that I want to know. I certainly do not. I meant that as a reader, when I'm reading other AARs out there, it can be interesting to see what a player is thinking, right and wrong, at any given time. Reading some AAR's, I just read one side and get invested in that. In others, I'll check both sides. Depends on the author and if I want to root for a side.] OPilot has been defensive for quite awhile. He has kept his carriers around Ambon, denying me easy access to it, and allowing him to reinforce it with a division. That has the Marine division there stalemated. We had a carrier battle in the area, where he appeared suddenly. He won the one-sided battle, but I only lost 2 CVEs, but had several others and several big carriers damaged. At this point, I think the Japanese player first has to recognize that the Allied carriers are split, and that these invasions are being covered by fewer carriers. And then the Japanese player has to strike, moving full speed and being very aggressive. This assumes that a "KB" is staying together. And I think it has to. Allied reinforcements are arriving. New CVEs are arriving more frequently. 2 CVL's are traveling to the front. The second Essex class carrier (in my game, the "Dewey") is about to arrive.

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/23/2019 7:05:10 AM)
26 Jun 43 Sub Haddo hit AO Sata with a torpedo northwest of Manado. Hake followed up with an attack on the damaged tanker, getting 2 more torpedo hits on Sata, sinking the ship. Hake went an escorting patrol boat later in the day, but missed with 2 torpedoes. S-42 missed CL Natori with 4 torpedoes near Ternate. This task force has made runs into Ambon before. OPilot lucked out moving KB back to Manado from Babeldaob the other day. Now it's headed southwest. The Java invasion is postponed, but the Truk invasion is on. I plan on overstacking Truk but unloading an incredible amount of supply. If I'm not able to take Truk with 3 divisions quickly, and KB comes that way and isolates Truk, my troops will have enough supply to be just fine. New Essex carrier Dewey, last in the line of distinguished Deweys, has arrived in Panama. A CVL will arrive tomorrow, and the pair will head to Pearl Harbor. [image]local://upfiles/6549/88FEBC8F4E7941C381457E98DE3C0C2C.gif[/image]

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/24/2019 12:11:07 AM)
27 Jun 43 Tambor missed AV Sanyo Maru with 4 torpedoes northwest of Soerabaja. This is the first enemy naval activity spotted north of Java. The AV may be moving to set up search planes, probably southeast of Java. Snapped missed I-39 with 2 torpedoes near Java. Namlea was bombed by Sallys. Truk invasion shipping, including the carriers, is leaving Tabiteuea. I'm not happy with the force composition. I only have 4 heavy cruisers, and no battleships available. I'm putting 2 CAs with the carriers. Another will be with Fletcher destroyers as a protection force, and the last will be in a small bombardment task force. There will be coastal guns on Truk, augmented by the Wake Coastal unit. I have a slow battleship heading to Tabiteuea from the east, and 2 more between Brisbane and Tulagi, heading that way, but they won't arrive in time. The landing will be heavy in ground forces and light in naval support. Meanwhile, KB seems to have moved into a position to stop all of my planned invasions from Java to the southeast. The right decision was made to postpone the landings. [image]local://upfiles/6549/35CC2EBB494A40F081217050E7CC971E.gif[/image]

apbarog -> RE: Did You Know I Used to Drive a Rollercoaster?: Apbarog(A) vs OPilot(J) (11/25/2019 2:17:13 AM)
28 Jun 43 S-31 does good work today without getting a torpedo hit. It spotted two enemy task forces, one with BB Kirishima and the other with seaplane carriers, moving northwest from the Makassar area. S-31 did fire 4 torpedoes at DD Isokaze but missed. These two task forces are very likely to be KB and the escorting battleship task force. Combined with the information from Tambor north of Soerabaja, it's apparent that the enemy is moving northwest, possibly to Soerabaja, possibly towards Singapore. I'm wondering what OPilot is thinking. He spotted my huge armada seemingly headed towards Java, then it disappeared. I guess he could think that it's moved further south but is still westbound, maybe headed for a landing on the southern Java coast. Or maybe something else, like Christmas Island. Or he's headed to Singapore for some repairs, now that he came as far west as Makassar. Regardless, KB is now a long way from Truk. A good day for the Silent Service. Seadragon hit E-boat W-18 near Samarinda, sinking the ship. It was escorting an xAP. Trident spotted a convoy of medium sized tankers due east of Singapore. 2 torpedoes missed TK Takekun Marun. Muskallunge did good work, hitting xAK Sugiyama Maru with 2 torpedoes near Toboali, sinking the ship. Then Muskallunge attacked again, hitting xAK Nojima Maru with one torpedo, and also sinking that ship. I have a number of subs east and northeast of Batavia, in shallow waters, hunting shipping that I expected to come from Singapore when my Java landing started. The landing didn't occur, but the enemy's shipping may be coming anyhow. No troops on these cargo ships though. Hoe hit E-boat Wakatake with a torpedo, sinking the ship. This was near Sidate. The area around Manado is still a big battleground between enemy E-boats and ASW Lilys versus Allied subs. B-24s hit Ambon. Looks like the enemy TFs that were there were E-boats and an LB task force, unloading supply. Today is my first strike on Truk. There's at least 100 fighters there. About 70 P-38s are ordered to sweep Truk, flying from Ponape. 12 B-24s will hit Truk's port, flying from Ponape. There's a few support ships there, including ACMs. 36 B-24s will bomb Truk's airfield at extended range from Kusaie. It would be nice if the fighters swept first, but we know how that goes. I'm risking the bombers for the possible benefit of surprise. Truk invasion shipping continues to move towards Ponape and Kusaie. Loading is occurring at Ocean and Nauru Islands. Loading at Kusaie will start tomorrow, followed by Ponape. [image]local://upfiles/6549/D7E7E6E1454443DE8108E7B2C6499B1F.gif[/image]

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