|
wobbly -> herb strikes back (7/23/2005 6:44:29 AM)
|
The pendulum of power that was twisted in Herb's favour - that may have swung back towards me a bit swings heaftily back in his direction. The KB moves on Townsville wit two giant anti port raids - I don't have any ships out as bait to stop this - doh. And more CV action as another bunch of them turns up by Baker and I take an obvious retreat course with my fast transport mission - they pay.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/20/42
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coastal Guns at Port Moresby, 53,91, firing at TF 40
TF 40 troops unloading over beach at Port Moresby, 53,91
1646 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
DD Yuzuki, Shell hits 1
MSW Toshi Maru #1, Shell hits 26, on fire
DD Mochizuki, Shell hits 5, on fire
AP Tsunushima Maru
DD Kikuzuki
Japanese ground losses:
796 casualties reported
Guns lost 4
Allied ground losses:
10 casualties reported
At last the artillery at PM start to make themselves felt. It is negligible but better than nothing - damaged ships are going to have to run the sub gauntlet.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack at 90,91
Japanese Ships
DD Shikinami, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Allied Ships
SS O19
My dutch subs screen Baker find a mark.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Townsville , at 46,103
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 15
D3A Val x 40
B5N Kate x 60
Allied aircraft
Wirraway x 5
Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val: 1 damaged
B5N Kate: 1 destroyed, 13 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Wirraway: 1 destroyed
Allied Ships
AK Idomeneus, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AK Asphalion, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Illinoian, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AK Empire Liberty, Bomb hits 1
AK West Planter, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Mobile City, Bomb hits 1
AK Mildura, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AK Admiral Wood, Bomb hits 1
AK Lewis Luckenbach, Bomb hits 1, on fire
Allied ground losses:
27 casualties reported
Guns lost 2
Port hits 6
Port fuel hits 1
THe first of the port attacks. There was little I could do here. He was sitting off the coast so any transports trying to run as a TF would be found and despatched. Just figured I was better off being able to hit the planes that attacked with port based Flak.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 49,103
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 102
Allied aircraft
Wirraway x 11
Beaufort V-IX x 12
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 3 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Wirraway: 11 destroyed
Beaufort V-IX: 12 destroyed
This is also my fault. There is no use going up against the KB without adequate escort fighters - wirraways most certainly don't count.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF, near Port Moresby at 53,91
Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 7
Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 6
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 2 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 3 damaged
Japanese Ships
MSW Tama Maru
AP Midori Maru
This is the third of the completely pointless attacks against the shipping at PM. The level bombers just aren't of the calibre to pull it off - no hits and two Mitchells lost.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 98,90
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 33
B5N Kate x 27
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N Kate: 3 destroyed, 20 damaged
Allied Ships
CL Boise, Torpedo hits 3, heavy damage
CL Honolulu, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
CA Vincennes, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
CL Nashville
And then... Crap - he has carriers about Baker Island and my wish to get the supplies into Baker means the carriers arrive right next door to where the retreat path goes. The Boise sinks and Vincennes is in a very bad way.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 98,90
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 6
B5N Kate x 19
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N Kate: 16 damaged
Allied Ships
CA Vincennes, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
CL Boise, heavy damage
DD Conyngham
Adding to Vincennes' pain.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 98,90
Japanese aircraft
B5N Kate x 17
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N Kate: 3 destroyed, 11 damaged
Allied Ships
CL Nashville, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
CA Vincennes, on fire, heavy damage
Now Nashville is on the receiving end. She is still afloat at the end of the day but he has to taste blood in the water. Undamaged ships put on full steam and head for Pearl. Damaged ships head South and South East. The problem about both these directions is they aren't really close to repair yards and may mean I loose the ships anyway...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Townsville , at 46,103
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 45
D3A Val x 78
B5N Kate x 87
Allied aircraft
Wirraway x 4
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N Kate: 3 destroyed, 8 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Wirraway: 2 destroyed
Allied Ships
AK West Planter, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
AK Idomeneus, Bomb hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
AK Steel Voyager, Bomb hits 2, on fire
AK Empire Liberty, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Alabaman, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
AK Lewis Luckenbach, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
MSW Echuca, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Lycaon, Bomb hits 8, on fire, heavy damage
AK Murada, Bomb hits 6, on fire, heavy damage
AK Pacific, Bomb hits 2, on fire
AK Illinoian, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
MSW Cairns, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Admiral Wood, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Mobile City, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AK Neleus, Bomb hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
AK Demodocus, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AK Empire Selwyn, Bomb hits 3, on fire
AK Asphalion, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Pennsylvanian, Bomb hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
AK Kahuku, Bomb hits 2, on fire
AK San Gabriel, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AK Nightingale, Bomb hits 1, on fire
MSW Latrobe, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Diomed, Bomb hits 1, on fire
Allied ground losses:
52 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
Port hits 8
Port supply hits 3
Then the real kicker - he just hammers the shipping in townsville plus depletes my already meagre supplies. Of the 24 ships in harbour only 2 escape damage and 2 sink immediately - as you will see by the attached ship's roster many more are likely to sink as well. A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 97,89
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 43
B5N Kate x 6
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N Kate: 1 destroyed, 4 damaged
Allied Ships
CA San Francisco, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
Another attack by Baker Carriers and San Francisco seccumbs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The large strike on Townsville was regretable and will give Herb unnecessary points but it doesn't change tactical flxibility much. I still can't use them to move supplies as I don't have enough and their reason for being here - to move the 7th Oz Division to Cooktown for Dakota transport to PM - has fallen on its face with the KB around.
Not much to add really. Shipping around Pearl that was heading West turns to the South to put distance between them and likely interception by the Jap Carriers. Enterprise and Saratoga go to full steam and head West - this may be foolhardy but I know this is the small er of the two carrier forces and it is not impossible to imagine I can put some real hurt on him here.
I loose 40 ACs to his 16 - mainly the wirraways and Beauforts that sacrificed themselves against the zeros aboard KB. However - a small silver lining is that 10 kates and 3 vals (with their priceless pilots) are lost.
Essentially it is retreat everywhere again. However I do put 60 P-40 Es and Bs over Townsville. I don't think he will attack there again there and he certainly doesn't need to - but he is heavily defending KB and I may just be able to cull some of the priceless carrier pilots if he attacks again. The P-40Es especially have a good leader and 67 average expereince after training out of Darwin.
In China I move the AVG back and cover the retreating Nanning units. He has zeros here but he is using them as ground strafing so they may actually not manage to take part.
The Illustrious makes it to Columbo and I may take the RN on a foray to try and stretch him. I am looking at Andaman Island as a bombardment target.
[image]local://upfiles/7787/EFA6374461384AD3A46BB84C63BBBFD8.jpg[/image]
|
|
|
|
