racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (8/31/2005 8:48:21 PM)
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I know that playing the Japanese at this stage in the war is very difficult and its got to be a bummer to be constantly losing bases and retreating......but I think it would be helpful for the readers to see the relative damage caused by both sides weapons in the bombardment model. My recon showed that the Japanese had 3 units (17,000 troops) on Woleai. Only one unit was a ground unit...the 1st South Seas Detachment . The other 2 units were probably engineer or base units. Lets start with the naval bombardment first. The Japanese had maybe 6-12 4" and 5" guns max. The Allies had 12 BBs with 100-105 14", 15" and 16" guns. The Allies had 15 CAs with 125-130 8" guns. On the 1st day of bombardment, it looked like the Allied bombardment TFs were getting some pretty good hits. Here is how my bombardments looked on the 2nd day which was D-Day: Naval bombardment of Woleai, at 57,72 - Coastal Guns Fire Back! 19 Coastal gun shots fired in defense. Allied Ships CA Australia CA San Francisco CA Astoria, Shell hits 1 CA Louisville CA Northampton BB Alabama BB Massachusetts BB Indiana, Shell hits 5 BB Washington Japanese ground losses: 6 casualties reported Airbase hits 1 Runway hits 16 Port supply hits 2 Naval bombardment of Woleai, at 57,72 Allied Ships CL Mauritius CA Suffolk CA Salt Lake City CA Chicago CA Houston CA Indianapolis BC Repulse BB Warspite BB Pennsylvania BB Colorado Japanese ground losses: 15 casualties reported Guns lost 2 Airbase supply hits 1 Runway hits 10 Port hits 1 Port supply hits 1 Naval bombardment of Woleai, at 57,72 - Coastal Guns Fire Back! 20 Coastal gun shots fired in defense. Allied Ships CL Newcastle CL Emerald CL Java CA Frobisher CA Cornwall CA Devonshire CA Shropshire, Shell hits 8 BB Resolution BB Royal Sovereign BB Revenge BB Valiant Japanese ground losses: 124 casualties reported Guns lost 1 Airbase hits 4 So my bombarment TFs killed about 149 troops and 3 guns. I thought that the Japanese losses were low because there was nothing left but then here was the Japanese coastal defense response: Coastal Guns at Woleai, 57,72, firing at TF 1292 TF 1292 troops unloading over beach at Woleai, 57,72 614 Coastal gun shots fired in defense. Allied Ships DD Nicholas, Shell hits 2, on fire DD Farenholt AP Van Cloon CL Raleigh, Shell hits 2 CL De Ruyter, Shell hits 12 AP Empire Pride DD Tjerk Hiddes AP Mount McKinley, Shell hits 1 LCI LCI-331, Shell hits 4 MSW Grebe, Shell hits 8, on fire, heavy damage LCI LCI-85, Shell hits 3, on fire, heavy damage LST LST-450, Shell hits 9, on fire, heavy damage LST LST-34 LST LST-30, Shell hits 1 AP Latimer AP Wanganella, Shell hits 5, on fire AP Arthur Middleton, Shell hits 4 AP Crescent City DD Hammann, Shell hits 4, on fire AP President Fillmore Allied ground losses: 4039 casualties reported Guns lost 7 And again: Coastal Guns at Woleai, 57,72, firing at TF 1292 TF 1292 troops unloading over beach at Woleai, 57,72 283 Coastal gun shots fired in defense. Allied Ships AP Zealandia, Shell hits 1, on fire AP Dardanus, Shell hits 8, on fire AP Empire Chivalry DD Nicholas, Shell hits 2 LST LST-450, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage AP Westralia AP Wanganella, Shell hits 8, on fire DD Arunta, Shell hits 1 AP Sumter, Shell hits 7, on fire, heavy damage Japanese ground losses: 26 casualties reported Allied ground losses: 949 casualties reported Guns lost 4 Vehicles lost 2 At least this time the 17 6", 40 5" and 150 4" and 3" guns in my assault TF caused 26 Japanese casualties. Now this all occured after 2 weeks of aerial bombardment by 600+ heavy bombers. I forgot to mention that the last 2 days prior to the invasion there were also 450 CV bombers. So on 10/19/43 and 10/20/43 there were 1000+ plane raids......that is starting to get up there with the fire bombing of Hamburg and Dresden and certainly much more than the carpet bombing that preceded Operation Cobra, Operation Goodwood and the assault on Monte Cassino. The Allies lost 25+ DDs, MSWs, APs and LSTs when they assaulted 30,000 IJA at Port Moresby in May 1943. I can only imagine what awaits at much more heavily defended islands such as Ulithi, Palau, Guam, Tinian, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Nevertheless, the Allies WILL assault right into the teeth of the Japanese defenses.
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