RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM

RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (Full Version)

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racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (11/26/2004 8:30:08 AM)
SITUATION REPORT: March 1st, 1942 The second half of Feb. was marked by the Japanese invasion of Balikpappan. Despite the heroic resistance of Dutch ground units and the commitment of Allied surface forces and massive Air reinforcements Balikpappan finally fell after a week of seige. Balikpappan had been the linchpin of Allied defenses in the northern DEI and after falling the cadres of the battered Allied air groups have been withdrawn to Java to rest and rebuild to try to repel the final Japanese thrust to complete the conquest of the SRA. 2 British D class CLs were lost in the battle. Still all quiet in China, India and Burma. The Allies continue to build up the Pacific island chain to guard their sea route to Australia. Sara ended up taking 2 torpedoes in the Port Moresby raid but the flotation damaged was rapidly fixed and her propulsion systems are now being repaired in port. Meanwhile, the IJN CV TF(heretofore known as the "Death Star" as referred to in other threads) sortied to Darwin sank CL Adelaide and ravaged Allied shipping on the north coast of OZ. The Death Star then turned east towards Port Moresby sinking shipping as it went. After refueling in Port Moresby, the IJN Death Star paused off the Northeastern tip of OZ. Will the Death Star move west to assist the invasion of Java and Sumatra, or will it move south to interdict Allied sea lanes between Noumea and Brisbane? Ship losses to date include: Allied: 3 BB, 3 CL, 17 DD, 13 MSW, 1 PG, 3 AV, 5 DMS, 2 DM, 2 PC, 5 SS, 1 AO, 4 TK, 16 PT, 1 ML, 8 AP, 28 AK Japan: 3 CL, 13 DD, 11 MSW, 3 PG, 6 PC, 3 TK, 3 ML, 13 SS, 9 AP, 28 AK

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (11/26/2004 8:33:26 AM)
SITUATION REPORT March 3rd, 1942 The IJN Death Star moves south from Port Moresby towards Noumea. Evidently the invasion of Java has been put on hold.

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (11/28/2004 11:06:37 AM)
SITUATION REPORT: March 15th,1942 The 1st half of March saw the IJN Death Star do a commerce sweep along the Gold Coast of OZ. Fortunately the Allies had pre-emptively evacuated most of their shipping in the area. A partial strike was launched against Allied ships in port at Brisbane. This time the Allied CAP of P-40s and P-39s held their own and shot down as many Zeroes as they lost of their own(1st time in the war). Several AA regiments had been shipped to Brisbane and they decimated the IJN bombers. Out of 70+ Vals and Kates only 2 hits were scored on ships in harbor with 25-30 bombers destoyed and most of the rest damaged. The Death Star then turned NE towards the Coral Sea to cover Japanese landings in Gudalcanal. Buna was also captured in NG. Japan also invaded Samarinda in Borneo and Macassar in the Celebes to tighten their stranglehold on the northern DEI. Kendari appeared to be building up as an advance base for future Japanese thrusts on Java and the Malay Barrier so massive raids with 80+ B-25s and Soerabaja based B-24s and B-17s were launched against airbase and port facilities. A strategic bombing campaign against oil production facilities was begun at Brunei, Amboina, and Tarakan. Still quiet in China, Burma, and the PI. Air to Air losses are running approximately 3.5:1 in favor of Japan. Ship losses to date include: Allies:3 BB, 3 CL, 17 DD, 1 PG, 3 AV, 5 DMS, 3 DM, 13 MSW, 2 PC, 5 SS, 1 AO, 4 TK, 16 PT, 1 ML, 9 AP, 30 AK. Japan: 3 CL, 13 DD, 11 MSW, 3 PG, 3 ML, 6 PC, 3 TK, 13 SS, 10 AP, 28 AK.

Bison Frontier -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/1/2004 11:37:16 AM)
Feb 27th to Mar 27th, 1942 Japanese forces continue to add to their list of victories. On Feb 28th, landings begin on Buna in Papua New Guinea. Five days later, the (relatively small) forces assigned to the task succeeded in overcoming the Allied garrison at Buna. On March 8th, carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku raided Brisbane port. Despite the enemy's fierce AA fire and CAP, our attack planes succeeded in hitting two submarine tenders with an 800kg bomb each. We had hoped to find more significant shipping at Brisbane but the enemy (rather predictably) declined to sally forth to do battle! Enemy outposts continued to fall to the Empire throughout March. Samarinda on the southern coast of Borneo was secured on March 7th, Macassar on March 13th, Lunga on March 14th, and Banjarmasin on March 17th. All these bases were taken with ease - the enemy preferred to "fight another day" [;)]. Sporadic air battles (mostly over Kendari and Port Moresby) in early March saw the destruction of almost fifty Allied aircraft - with a loss ratio of almost five to one, the enemy was soon dissuaded from further aggressive activity... After our troops took Banjarmasin however, the Allied land-based airforces suddenly made a concerted effort to redress the (worsening) situation. Our intel warned that Allied air had received substantial reinforcements from the continental USA (especially in B-25Cs and P-40 fighters) throughout February and early March, and the enemy boldly unleashed them all after March 17th. For three days (March 18th to 20th), the largest air battles to-date were fought over and around Banjarmasin. Hundreds of aircraft on both sides were committed in a grim, unrelenting contest for supremacy. Despite the enemy's hoarding of reserves and massive use of fresh fighter and bomber squadrons, Imperial Japan's crack fighter groups first held the enemy at bay, then broke the back of the Allied air offensive. In three days' aerial jousting, over 150 Allied aircraft of all types were downed. Our own losses were about sixty aircraft (mostly damaged, and therefore not total write-offs [:)]). Unable to sustain such grievous losses, the enemy was forced to call a halt on March 21st. During this period, the Allies also committed another act of piracy against near-defenseless merchantmen and hospital ships (!) at Banjarmasin, sinking several minesweepers and small transports. Three of our valiant destroyers were also badly damaged. Their cruisers and destroyers did not escape unscathed, taking a sizeable number of small caliber hits. Meanwhile, our Bettys managed to score a torpedo hit each on CL Perth and CL Marblehead at Surabaya harbor. Both ships were left in flames. An Allied attempt (with a single Chinese division to further undermine Thai sovereignty - at Krung Thep) was also badly defeated. The Allies were also unable to prevent the fall of Victoria Point to Japanese arms on March 20th. Banzai! Admiral Nagumo, commander Kido Butai

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/3/2004 10:07:11 PM)
113 Allied AC to 22 Jap AC 1 fish and 2 bombs were delivered to BB Fuso. IJA forces now started advancing from Kragen towards Soerabaja. The Battle of the Java Sea had now become the Battle of Java.

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/3/2004 10:10:40 PM)
That didnt turn out right.....for the 2nd time in a row I lost most of my post.

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/3/2004 10:34:43 PM)
SITUATION REPORT: April 1st, 1942 The Battle of the Java Sea The last half of March saw the Allies staging in massive air reinforcements from China, SEAC, and SWPAC commands to bolster the battered ABDA air groups in Java. Japan captured Banjarmasin and turned it into a forward base for the invasion of Java. With the Death Star occupied in a covering operation in the Solomons the Allies had local air superiority over the Java Sea and repeatedly hit the airfields at Banjarmasin where assault transport TFs were forming up. ABDA CINC Admiral Helfrich ordered Admiral Doorman to launch his Cruiser TF against the Japanese transports streaming into the Java Sea. In a brilliant daytime surface battle Admiral Doorman intercepted 2 transport TFs and sank CS Chitose, CS Mizuho, 3 DDs, and over a score of MSWs, PCs,PGs, APs, and AKs. Admiral Doormans cruiser force was unscathed but suffered 2 torpedo hits from Bettys during retirement. Allied air losses were heavy so a relative calm settled over the Java Sea the final week of March. IJN transports then were spotted heading for Kragen on March 29th and the air battles resumed. March 30th saw 33 Allied AC lost vs 8 Jap AC with a fish put into BB Kongo as transports started unloading at Kragen. Kragen fell on March 31st as another bomb hit BB Kongo and 2 torpedoes struck BB Yamashiro. More AC were then rushed in from SE Asia, OZ, and British CVs. Over 400 AC were waiting for the Japanese Navy on April 1st.

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/3/2004 10:56:02 PM)
Battle of the Java Sea: April 1- April 5, 1942 April 1st Allied air dispositions as of April 1st, 1942 Soerabaja: 87 F, 47 LB, 44 TB, 35 FB Batavia:57 F, 93 LB Singawang 16 F Bali 24 F Unfortunately the Death Star had been racing back to the DEI and arrived on April 1st. The Death Star is like a Black Hole....it sucks in all theater AC and vaporizes them. It sucked in 80 F and 10 LB from Soerabaja and annihilated them. The remaining bombers went in piecemeal and were cut to ribbons but 1 lucky air group of Swordfish managed to find the invasion TFs and put a torpedo in Fuso. The AC in Batavia fared better and hit Fuso with 2 more bombs. AC losses were 113 Allied to 22 Japanese. April 2nd AC losses were 56 Allied to 11 Japanese with no hits. April 3rd Thunderstorms.....no air ops April 4th AC losses 50 Allied to 4 Japanese but 3 APs and a MSW were torpedoed. April 5th No offensive Air Ops. The Death Star had exited the Java Sea through Sunda straight and was heading NW along the WEST coast of Java. Admiral Doorman had been hovering off the west coast of Java and now had his chance to re-enter the Java Sea. BBs were detached as they were too slow but 22 CAs, CLs, and DDs raced to Batavia , refueled under CAP, and then sped towards the invasion beaches of Kragen. This would be ADBA's Finest (and final) hour.

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/4/2004 10:55:35 AM)
Battle of the Java Sea: April 6th, 1942 The Japanese had spotted the Allied cruiser force refueling in Batavia on 4-5-42 so the IJN Death Star raced NW along the west coast of Java to deliver an AM port strike of 42 Zeroes and 84 Kates. Fortunately Admiral Doorman had sortied the cruiser force during the night and the port was empty. The ABDA cruiser TF had sortied the previous evening to deliver a nightime strike on the invasion TFs at Kragen. To Admiral Doormans surprise the IJN surface TF that was covering the invasion contained no BBs.....they had probably been withdrawn due to the pounding they had received from Allied LBA. The ABDA force of 5 CA, 7 CL, 2 CLAA and 9 DD now faced a meager IJN force of 2 CA, 3 CL and 7 DD. The ABDA surface forces had been manuvering for several days to gain a favorable advantage and were now presented with an with an incredible opportunity beyond their wildest dreams. The transport TFs were theirs for the taking if only they could destroy the IJN escorting surface force. Only 2 ships in the IJN TF could even penetrate the armor of the 5 Allied CAs. Unfortunately on their 2nd salvo CA Aoba and CA Furutaka both achieved magazine hits on CA Australia and CA Canberra and both sank immediately. Evidently the gods of surface combat would now prove to be as cruel and capricious as the gods of aerial combat. Now the ratio of heavy CAs was only 3:2 but the Allies still possessed a huge gunnery advantage. DD Fortune of the Allies was unfortunate and sank as did DD Oboro of IJN. IJN DD Ushio was hit 5 times on the 2nd salvo and left a floating hulk but on the 3rd salvo ALL 22 Allied ships concentrated on her and pumped an additional 36 shells into her leaving most of the rest of the IJN surface force unscathed. Admiral Doorman then withdrew as daylight approached to the relative safety of Soerabaja's CAP. The Japanese broke through the CAP and landed 4 bombs on Allied cruisers. To make a bad situation worse, the Allies again launched a strike of 36 Swordfish and 9 Beauforts into the teeth of Jap Zero CAP without fighter escort and were butchered without making any hits. AC losses totalled 107 Allied to 22 Japanese. April 7th, 1942 Allied cruiser force withdraws as 40,000 IJA troops advance on Soerabaja. With depleted Allied air groups and no offensive missions scheduled several Allied AC still commit Hari Kari and destroy themselves at Kragen . AC losses total 11 Allied to zero Japanese.

Bison Frontier -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/4/2004 11:47:34 AM)
March 28th to April 9th, 1942 After a brief period of consolidation, our battle-hardened forces prepared to carry the offensive into the heart of the Dutch East Indies - the glittering prize of Java itself. As our task forces sailed from Banjarmasin and Balikpapan for Kragen, the enemy - who had spent many weeks busily transferring air assets from virtually every "quiet" theater - began a series of heavy air offensives against the sons of Yamato. From March 29th to April 8th, the skies were black with enemy land-based aircraft - British, Dutch and American - as they incessantly attacked our ships and bases. In many instances, our own aircraft were badly outnumbered almost five to one but our trusty fighter arm again did Japan proud under most trying circumstances. Almost three hundred enemy aircraft were destroyed during this period, for the loss of fewer than 50 Zeros and Oscars. Meanwhile Kido Butai, having returned from operations in the south Pacific, accounted for another 140 aircraft shot down! Despite the valiant efforts of our fighter pilots, the enemy did attain some fleeting success. Our battleships Fuso and Yamashiro were hit with several bombs and torpedoes and have temporarily withdrawn for minor repairs. Several transports were also damaged by these air pirates. By and large, however, the Allied offensive failed, considering their horrendous aerial losses and their inability to frustrate our main landings at Kragen. From Kragen, our ground troops, spearheaded by the 55th, 38th and 33rd Divisions, are already moving swiftly against the stronghold of Soerabaja (advance units reached the city on April 8th and fighting broke out a day later). As our friendly Allied correspondent has disclosed above, Admiral Doorman's attempt to intercept and smash our shipping at Kragen ended with similar dismal results. Even though our battleships had withdrawn, our badly outnumbered cruisers and destroyers put up a hell of a show, sinking heavy cruisers Australia and Canberra, as well as DD Fortune. Several other Allied vessels were also gravely damaged. Our own losses were a mere two destroyers. Bad weather then came to the aid of the Allied navies. While Kido Butai's strike planes caught CLAA Columbo off Bali and quickly finished her off, our Bettys were unable to get a real fix on the fleeing enemy. [:@] On April 9th however, Kido Butai surprised an Allied transport TF desperately trying to gain sanctuary in (northern) Australia. Two tankers and five transports were duly sunk. Farther north, General Homma's reinforced 14th Army has engaged MacArthur's massive US-Philippine forces at Clark. Even though the enemy has fortified his positions there to almost unbelievable levels, I have full confidence that our (far tougher and better motivated) troops will still be able to collapse their positions without too much difficulty. In northern Thailand, our forces have also ejected the nosey Chinese units from Rahaeng. On the frontiers of Burma, light infantry forces have succeeded in pinning down an entire Chinese division at Tavoy. Hakko ichiu!

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/4/2004 7:01:28 PM)
April 8th, 1942 The ordeal of HMS Columbo CLAA Columbo was the most heavily damaged ship in Admiral Doormans TF. After being hit by 3 bombs in Soerabaja she could make 15 knots at most so she was detached from the surface TF with no escorts. CLAA Columbo headed SE from Soerabaja on April 8th but was located that AM by Japanese search planes. The Death Star launched a morning strike with 138 Kates and 138 Vals. Columbo took numerous bomb and torpedo hits but still made headway to the south. However that afternoon Japanese LBA found her and she was hit by 60 Bettys, 24 Kates, and 23 Sallies from Banjarmasin. Columbo was lost with all hands. In other news, 165,000 IJA troops launched their offensive against 80,000 entrenched Allied soldiers at Clark Field,

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/4/2004 7:17:23 PM)
April 10th, 1942 ABDA Command dissolved As in real life, the defense of Java became impossible when the Allies ran out of fighter aircraft. With 75,000 IJA troops investing Soerabaja the end was near. At 1pm Admiral Helfrich met with Admiral Glassford and Admiral Palliser and released all American and British ships to their respective commands. Admiral Doorman was instructed to evacuate all his ships immediately. Helfrich then met with the Governor General of the DEI and informed him that ABDA command was dissolved. As many American officers as possible made their way to Tilitjap and were thence evacuated to Australia by PBYs and submarines. American citizens and consular staff were evacuated in old China gunboats escorted by British corvettes. Ground commander General Ter Poorten vowed to continue the fight to the last man.

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/5/2004 11:44:55 PM)
April 11th, 1942 Comparative Losses The intensity of the fighting seems to be moderating now in the DEI so I thought it might be a good time to tally up combat losses so far. Ship losses to date: Allied:3 BB, 2 CA, 3 CL, 1 CLAA, 18 DD, 1 PG, 3 AV, 5 DMS, 3 DM, 13 MSW, 2 PC, 7 SS, 1 AO, 6 TK, 1 ML, 19 PT, 8 AP, 37 AK Japanese: 1 BB, 2 CS, 3 CL, 18 DD, 18 MSW, 7 PG, 3 ML, 9 PC, 3 TK, 15 SS, 13 AP, 36 AK Air-Air losses are now 1121 Allied to 262 Japanese AC losses from all causes >20 per type: Allied: 43 B-17, 95 B-25, 88 Beaufort, 41 Blenheim, 116 Brewster, 66 Buffalo, 75 Demon, 55 F4F-4, 64 Fulmar, 45 Hawk, 99 Hudson, 74 Martin, 61 P-39, 147 P-40B, 143 P-40E, 61 PBY, 56 Swordfish, 23 T.IVa Japanese: 288 Zero, 56 Kate, 47 Vaql, 28 Jake, 32 Pete, 53 Betty, 38 Oscar, 41 Dinah, 21 Topsy

Bison Frontier -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/7/2004 4:53:34 PM)
April 10th to 25th, 1942 By the second week of April, the raison d'etre for ABDA's very existence as a viable entity had ceased to exist. The British loss of Malaya, coupled with the impending and final Dutch and American collapse in the East Indies and Philippine islands respectively, entailed that the once-formidable allied grouping had become a strategic irrelevance. Our intel indicates that the British have fallen back (in great disarray) on Burma and India, and the Americans and Australians to their south and east Pacific bases. The Dutch of course no longer have anywhere to retreat to, more's the pity [;)] By this time, the gargantuan air battles in the Dutch East Indies had died down - our helpful Allied correspondent has already disclosed their lack of fighter aircraft due to terrible losses - except for the occasional aerial skirmish. On April 12th, for example, our CAP intercepted and shot down 12 enemy aircraft over Soerabaya, while a bombing raid by our Sallys and Helens accounted for another nine aircraft at Soerabaya airbase. Meanwhile, our ground troops continue their irrepressible advances. Having already crossed the frontiers of Burma earlier (with the capture of Victoria Point on March 20th), forward elements of our Eighth Burma Area Army took Tavoy on April 18th and Moulmein on April 25th. By April 25th, our advance units are already outflanking the British defenses before the capital, Rangoon. Not content to let indigenous colonial troops do their dirty work for them, the British imperialists have also roped in Chinese units to help defend their Empire! We have identified (after defeating them in battle, of course [:)]) at least two Chinese divisions engaged in Burma and Siam. The Allies had turned Soerabaja and Clark Field into veritable fortresses, and of course vast numbers of colonial militias and irregular troops were coerced into helping them stave off their liberator (yours truly). All this was for naught when our troops successfully stormed both Soerabaja and Clark on April 22nd. By staking so much on defending these two positions, the enemy has to now accept the inevitable loss of almost 25,000 Dutch and native troops (trapped at Malang), and over 50,000 American and Philippine troops cut off at Bataan. This is in addition to the estimated 30,000 casualties already suffered by the US-Philippine forces at Clark! From prisoner interrogations, we learned that General MacArthur has long since abandoned his post at Luzon. The brave general has been enjoying steak and eggs in Sydney since March, bless him [:D] Elements of our Fourteenth Army are already investing Manila, and the capture of the Philippine capital is a matter of days away. From Soerabaya, our 33rd Division took Madioen on April 25th and is already moving on Djokjakarta. Virtually all of Java and Palembang is now cordoned off by our air and naval forces. There is very little the Dutch can do to evacuate the remnants of their forces on these islands now. Banzai!

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/11/2004 4:57:41 AM)
SITUATION REPORT: April 22nd, 1942 Soerabaja and Clark both fall to the IJA. A very dark day for the Allies.

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/11/2004 5:01:39 AM)
SITUATION REPORT: May 2nd, 1942 Allied forces get thrown out of Manila and it is declared an open city. The IJA continues its advance across Java towards Batavia. No sign of IJN Death Star....could be anywhere[&:]

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/11/2004 5:17:31 AM)
SITUATION REPORT: May 3rd, 1942 The Allies have completely reorganized their air, land and sea defense of Australia following the debacle in Java. With Port Moresby captured at the start of the war by Japan SWPAC command has built up Timor Island as its forward staging base. The loss of Port Moresby has effectively cut off Northern Australia, India and SE Asia from the PTO but thank god for the Australian transcontinental railroad which should prove very difficult to interdict. Over 500 AC have been massed in northern Australia for both defensive and future offensive operations. Eleventh AF has been relocated to Darwin and designated Bomber Command for the PTO. First objective for Bomber Command will be destruction of oil facilities at Amboina. With the attrition of 3 IJN BBs during the DEI campaign and G-2 estimates of 2-3 BBs escorting the Death Star the Admiralty felt confident about sending the Far Eastern battle fleet to Derby to help support Allied operations around Timor. Allied offensive operations in both SouthPac and CenPac curtailed until whereabouts of KB can be ascertained. IJA offensive into Burma has begun.

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/11/2004 5:41:44 AM)
SITUATION REPORT: May 4th, 1942 THE BATTLE OF TIMOR ISLAND IJN transports were spotted on May 3rd heading towards Koepang on Timor. A mostly British surface TF composed of 3 BB, 3 CA, 4 CL, 1 CLAA and 4 DD was sent to intercept IJN forces. At the same time, Admiral Doorman was dispatched with with 4 CL and 4 DD to the north of Darwin to attempt to ambush transports or auxilliary forces. IJA forces started offloading during the early morning hours onto Koepang. The British surface TF arrived later that day and ran into the IJN covering force of 2 BB, 2 CA, 2 CL and 8 DD. Gunfire was initially exchaged at 20,000 yards and after 5-6 rounds of combat the IJN escort force withdrew after losing 3 DD(and a CA that sank the next day) to 1 DD for the Allies. The Allied surface TF then tore into the IJN invasion TF sinking 5 MSWs and 1 AK immediately with several AKs and APs sinking over the next few days. The IJN transport force was forced to evacuate but the 2000 IJA troops that had already landed performed their best Hari Kari/Banzai shock attack into 20,000+ entrenched Allied troops only to suffer huge casualties and disruption. Bad weather prevented any AC from flying.

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/11/2004 5:55:13 AM)
SITUATION REPORT: May 5th, 1942 The British surface TF withdrew towards home port at Derby after Catalinas spotted the KB racing towards Timor. Evidently the pounding that 11th AF had dished out to Amboina oil facilities had prompted an IJN response to reinforce Amboina so Admiral Doorman's Dutch Cruiser force was released to intercept IJN transports there (under LCAP from Bulla). A transport fleet of 38 IJN ships was ambushed and 2 DD, 1 MSW, 2 PG and 1 AP were immediately sunk with many other ships sinking over the next few days. Meanwhile back at Koepang 20,000 Allied troops shock and awed the 2000 strong IJA invasion force and annihilated them.

Alikchi2 -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/11/2004 6:10:06 AM)
Wow! Very well done last two days! I bet the KB would just love to catch your BBs in port though..

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/11/2004 6:18:09 AM)
SITUATION REPORT: May 6th- May 11th, 1942 THE BATTLE OF PORT DERBY Anticipating an eventual visit to Derby by the Imperial Death Star the Allies had staged 100+ P-40Es and 100+ P-39s along with 4 AA regiments to defend their surface assets. The IJN air fleet contained 200+ Zeroes, 200+ Vals and 215 Kates. Over the next 5 days the Death Star threw everthing it had at Port Derby. Air battles raged across the sky and AA was thick enough to walk on. At the same time Allied bombers plastered the IJN replenishment TF and sank several TKs and auxilliary ships. One Allied DD was sunk and several BB were heavily damaged in port but Allied fighters gave as good as they got with the Zeroes and they devastated the Japanese bombers. On May 8th the Allies sent out a surface TF with 3 BB, 2 CA, 3 CL and 7 DD to intercept the Death Star but no contact was made and they returned to port. By May 10th the IJN could only muster 41 Zeroes, 94 Vals, and 80 Kates to attack Port Derby and 75 of these were shot down(approximately 25 of each type). The Death Star still had about 60-80 Zeroes on CAP at that time to keep my 100+ mediums and 100+ heavies at bay. The veteran, highly trained pilots that had led the successful Pearl Harbor raid at the start of the war had been severely depleted and with such unsustainable losses the Death Star was forced to withdraw on May 11th. Meanwhile in Burma, IJA forces have completely isolated Rangoon. Bomber Command in SE Asia(10AF) has been pounding IJA troops every day with 100+ planes.

Bison Frontier -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/11/2004 10:28:43 AM)
April 26th to May 13th, 1942 On Java, our troops ruthlessly exploited the Dutch collapse at Soerabaja on April 22nd. By April 26th, General Yamashita (commanding the great 25th Army) captured almost 20,000 prisoners at Malang - the routed remnants of the once-strong armies defending Soerabaja. Two days later, Djokjakarta fell, as did Bali (some 1,200 prisoners were taken there). Tjilitjap and Bandoeng fell on May 3rd and 5th respectively, and our forces began the siege of fortress Batavia on May 13th. Our success on Java was matched by General Homma's forces on Luzon. Manila, Pearl of the Orient, fell on May 2nd. The defeated defenders, consisting largely of two Philippine divisions, fled south towards Naga, apparently forgetting that town had already fallen to Japan. On May 6th, a strong detachment of our Fourteenth Army put them out of their misery, capturing over 5,000 prisoners. A week later (May 13th), our troops collapsed the enemy defenses at Bataan, inflicting another sixty thousand casualties (mostly prisoners)! With the seizure of Bataan, the campaign to liberate the Philippine islands from Yankee imperialists is finally at an end. In Burma, our forces have completely isolated the capital Rangoon. Our intel estimates some 5 to 6 fairly strong British Empire units now trapped in Rangoon. While the enemy does possess local air superiority in northern Burma, the bad weather and inhospitable jungle terrain largely shield our troops from any significant adverse effects. Allied boasts about heavy Japanese losses in the Timor Sea are to be discounted as mostly distortions and the usual propaganda. Strong Allied surface TFs did manage to surprise our naval forces at Kupang and Amboina. Not only did the Allies heavily outnumber us, but most of their ships enjoyed the tactical advantage of being radar-equipped. Even so, our tactical discipline and superior gunnery paid off handsomely, with CA Dorsetshire, CL Emerald and three destroyers suffering heavy damage. Our own losses were three small destroyers, several transports and patrol craft. The Allies also managed (through sheer weight of numbers) in defeating a small reconnaissance unit we landed at Kupang. [:@] At Amboina, the Allied pirates committed another atrocity against our merchantmen, sinking two destroyers and several light craft. Our land-based air units at Kendari did avenge this insult by shooting down two dozen enemy aircraft over Amboina and hit CL Java with a torpedo. Kido Butai arrived off the north Australian port of Derby on May 7th. An air strike against Allied shipping in Broome port quickly wiped another eight transports off the Allied OOB. Next, Kido Butai proceeded to launch heavy air strikes against the ships based there. Despite the Allies massing nearly 500 aircraft of all types in northern Australian cities, our veteran pilots scored hits on the following ships: BB Ramilles - 6 bomb and 3 torpedo hits BB Resolution - 10 bomb and 2 torpedo hits BB Warspite - 1 torpedo hit BB Royal Sovereign - 2 bomb hits CA Dorsetshire - 4 bomb hits DDs Whipple and Pakenham - 1 bomb hit each Since many of the bombs were of the 800kg variety, it is reasonable to assume that the British battleships Ramilles and Resolution and CA Dorsetshire have been (or will soon be) sunk! While Kido Butai was conducting these attacks, Allied LBA from Broome and Derby struck back, only to be mangled by our faithful Zero CAP. Well over 300 enemy aircraft were destroyed in fierce air battles over our ships. While we suffered negligible fighter losses defending against enemy air, our Vals and Kates did take moderate losses in aircraft in the face of unusually determined enemy fighter opposition AND flak, but most of our pilots were rescued - since Kido Butai controlled the waters around Derby. Banzaaaaiiii!

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/11/2004 4:49:48 PM)
May 14th, 1942 Comparative Losses With the heavy losses of ships and planes by both sides during the Battles of Timor and Port Derby I thought it would be appropriate to provide an update : Ships Sunk Allied: 3 BB, 2 CA, 3 CL, 19 DD, 1 PG, 3 AV, 5 DMS, 3 DM, 2 ML, 2 PC, 14 MSW, 8 SS, 2 AO, 19 PT, 6 TK, 8 AP, 45 AK Japan: 2 CS, 1 BB, 1 CA, 3 CL, 24 DD, 23 MSW, 11 PG, 3 ML, 10 PC, 8 TK, 15 SS, 16 AP, 45 AK Air-Air Losses: 1507 Allied to 543 Japanese AC Losses from all causes>100 Planes Allies: 172 P-39, 119 Brewster, 151 P-40B, 211 P-40E, 120 B-25, 158 Beaufort, 112 Hudson Japan: 415 Zero, 181 Kate, 143 Val

Capt. Harlock -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/11/2004 7:32:50 PM)
Spectacular! Great AAR, guys! What's your assessment of the overall strategic situation? It seems to me that the Japanese are significantly behind schedule, since the DEI was not secured until May, and Rangoon has not yet fallen. By June, Spruance should be ready for CV-to-CV battles, once he has full fighter squadrons and upgraded to TBF Avengers.

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/12/2004 2:55:04 AM)
Alikchi..... Thanx for your comments. You were exactly right.....the IJN Death Star hit my BBs in Derby the next day.

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/12/2004 3:28:02 AM)
Capt. Harlock I appreciate your comments. Just wanted to give you a little background. Bison Frontier and I decided before we started to have a semi-historical game.....ie we wanted to have War in the Pacific and not "War in China" with a nice little Pacific campaign attached. When the war started the IJA went heavy into Changsha and the Allies went heavy into Canton to help out Hong Kong. Both sides reinforced and as the Allies I didnt know how to extricate troops that were engaged so all I could do was reinforce and soon we had massive armies engaged all along the front in China. I think I accidently hit on a good Allied strategy to attack all along the front with everything and I prevented the IJA from getting good odds on any one city. With 100,000-150,000 casualties per side in the first 30 days we mutually agreed to a truce in China because we didnt want it to corrupt the rest of the game. Having said that, the single most important event of the game for me as the Allies was the loss of Port Moresby. It has affected strategic and operational directives for me and I can only say that I _REALLY_ appreciate the transcontinental railroad in OZ or otherwise I would be cut in two. This single event has affected distribution of Allied LCUs and their respective combat commands. As you stated the Japanese are slightly behind schedule. Bison Frontier was very cautious in the opening game not to expose himself to Allied air and so his losses as well as the Allied losses were less that anticipated. The few times that the Allies have tried to intercept IJN TFs they have been exposed to LBA and have paid for it. When I hit the IJN ships in Port Moresby I was almost exactly re-creating Adm. Wilson Brown's attack on IJN forces in Lae and Salamaua on March 10th, 1942 where they flew over the Owen Stanley mountains to attack IJN invasion TFs. Admiral Brown had only 2 CVs, I had 4 CVs but 20 Zeroes and 15 Bettys broke through my 62 plane CAP to put 2 fish in Sara. The one time I committed Force Z I had 80 P-40s flying LCAP but 25 Bettys were still able to put 2 fish apiece in PoW and Repulse. Needless to say I have been very careful to choose where to intervene with surface and air combat TFs. When I committed the ABDA surface forces with IJN BBs around it should have been a suicide attack but as in real life I couldnt give up the DEI without some kind of response. As far as future strategic planning I cant say too much as my esteemed opponent is also reading this thread. I will post more later but all I can say in respect to the KB/Death Star is that when the cats away the mice will play.

Bison Frontier -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/12/2004 1:43:42 PM)
Capt. Harlock Appreciate your feedback too. From the outset, I opted for steady advances (well supported by naval and airpower) while minimizing risk/losses. Certainly I could have adopted a more aggressive stance, which would almost certainly have entailed significantly higher losses. It pains me too much to see my list of sunk ships and destroyed aircraft grow longer and longer, hence my relatively conservative strategy. Given my esteemed opponent's penchant to hit me where I'm relatively weak rather than confront me head-to-head, AND his massive concentrations of airpower in the DEI, this was probably for the best IMO [:)] Also, I did secure the oil producing areas of Amboina, Brunei, Miri, Tarakan AND Balikpapan by end-February. The oil from these areas was by and large sufficient for my needs at the time, so I'm not exactly unhappy about my overall progress. Kudos to some of the Japanese players who opted for radical gambits such as all-out blitzkriegs in China, Russia etc but as this is only my 1st PBEM I wanted to see how well I could do if I went along with a quasi-historical approach to the war rather than try and go for a swift knockout blow. As for my gameplan ... maximizing gains, minimizing losses while keeping my esteemed opponent jumpy, that's it in a nutshell [:D]

racndoc -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/14/2004 5:22:26 AM)
SITUATION REPORT: May 27th, 1942 IJA completes mopping up operations on Java. Palembang and Rangoon continue to hold out after a week of IJA assaults. Brewsters form Palembang score their 1st shipping hits of the war. Bettys ambush an Allied ASW TF at Koepang sinking 4 of 5 DDs. Bettys ambush an Allied transport TF in the channel between OZ and NG sinking 3 APDs. No sign of KB since it withdrew to rebuild its air groups.

Bison Frontier -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/15/2004 5:05:52 PM)
SITUATION REPORT, May 14th to June 5th Dutch East Indies The liberation of Java was completed on May 21, when 25th Army troops captured Merak, inflicting 28,000 casualties (mostly prisoners) on the enemy. Fortress Batavia had succumbed four days earlier, and 48 enemy aircraft were also destroyed when our troops overran the airbase there. At Palembang, the cunning enemy deployed substantial coastal defense units in defense. Our amphibious TFs were compelled to brave a gauntlet of shells. Difficult terrain and poor weather conditions also helped the defense, but our brave battle-hardened soldiers never faltered. Palembang finally surrendered on June 1st; another 28 enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground. Allied shipping also suffered heavy losses during this time. Bettys operating from Kendari hit destroyers Griffin, Encounter, Foxhound and Electra at Kupang on May 18th, sinking the first three and badly damaging Electra. Enemy attempts to bomb the oil facilities at Amboina were also thwarted when our CAP shot down 20 aircraft from Darwin on May 22nd. Burma The enemy made good use of his local air superiority and heavy fortifications to delay the fall of Rangoon. His troops were relatively fresh and rested, whereas a goodly proportion of ours were veterans of the Malayan campaign and some had marched all the way from there! By late May, however, our indomitable Fifteenth Army had squeezed the defenders into several small pockets in the city. The end came on May 31st, with the Allies suffering a further 13,325 casualties (mostly prisoners) and three Hurricane-IIs destroyed on the ground. Our airforce was quick to utilize the damaged but well-stocked airbase at Rangoon. Bettys operating from there hit an Allied evacuation TF trying to salvage something from the debris of Rangoon. Four troop-carrying transports were hit, and three soon sank, with reported heavy loss of life. New Guinea The loss of Port Moresby has caused the Allies massive headaches in keeping the southern Dutch East Indies and northern Australia in the war. Enemy shipping, unwilling and unable to face our formidable Zeros and Bettys waiting to pounce from Port Moresby, has had to traverse the extremely tedious route around the west and south coast of Australia. In late May, our recce units spotted Allied shipping landing support and engineering troops at Merauke, 480 miles northwest of Port Moresby. A malarial backwater like Merauke is hardly suitable as an air or naval base, but the enemy is desperate enough to try just about anything to reduce our near total control of the shipping lanes in northeastern Australia. Nonetheless, a strike by Bettys from Moresby on May 25th sank three transports there. Enemy LBA from Cooktown also lost five aircraft on May 29th when they had the temerity to try and hit our airbase at Moresby. Gilberts/Marshalls Our recce units from Kwajalein spotted numbers of enemy ships operating around Tarawa and Apamama, most likely reinforcing their bases there with supplies and troops. We are not in the least perturbed, as our air units at Kwajalein are more than adequate to deal with any mischief the enemy can possibly conjure up. To press the point home, our Bettys hit an enemy TF on June 5th, sinking DD Litchfield and badly damaging three other troop-carrying transports. Finally, the enemy is also grievously mistaken in his assessment of Kido Butai's operating status. Our losses in the battles over north Australia have long since been made good, but even our indefatigable ships need overhaul and minor repairs, having been operating almost continuously since the Pearl Harbor op, and Akagi and Soryu had the further slight misfortune of colliding into several native fishing trawlers in the southern DEI. Such is Japanese bushido that we let the unruly barbarians go with a mere reprimand or two, and we confiscated all their lobsters of course :) (Aside - we just upgraded to v1.40 today, kudos to all at Matrix responsible for this feat)

Bison Frontier -> RE: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: Nagumo vs Spruance PBEM (12/17/2004 4:30:00 AM)
June 6th to 13th, 1942 Our valiant troops continue their inexorable advances. In Burma, Taung Gyi and Pagan are taken on June 6th and 12th respectively. Intel has recently identified approximately 60,000 Allied troops defending Mandalay alone. As we are outnumbered more than 3 to 1 in the immediate vicinity, Mandalay will prove a tough nut to crack, and the Allies are also fielding vast numbers of fresh airgroups with new and better aircraft defending western Burma. Be that as it may, I have little doubt as to the final outcome of the Burma campaign. Elsewhere, Medan in northern Sumatra was taken on June 12th and Lae on June 13th. At sea, relatively quiet since our Betties sank the submarine tender destroyer Gillis at Tarawa on June 6th. Our effective ASW measures have borne fruit - the Allied submarines are now operating mostly in the south Pacific. Scores of our transport ships are thus able to bring much-needed oil and resources back to the home islands unimpeded... [:)]

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