tocaff
Posts: 4781
Joined: 10/12/2006 From: USA now in Brasil Status: offline
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March 23, 1943 Sian Intel Tsugaru Fortress is located at Aomori. Maizuru 4th SNLF is located at Rabaul. 125th IJA Base Force is located at Gili Gili. 211840 men are based at Masan. Kitachishima Fortress is located at Paramushiro Jima. 42nd AA Regiment is located at Seoul. 12th Ind. Brigade is located at Changsha. Radio transmissions detected at Mishan. 211839 men are based at Masan. 64380 men are based at Mishan. 2nd Reserve AA Regiment is located at Tokyo. 187086 men are based at Saipan. Recon F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Rangoon 2 X CL, 2 X SS, 4 X PT, 151 fighters, 71 bombers, 295 aux, 15 LCUs 46720/357/259 PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Gili Gili 3 X AP, 1 XDE, 9 LCUs 21660/138/0 Catalina I takes recon photos of Port Moresby 1 X AK, ' X DE, 21 fighters, 61 aux, 28 LCUs PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Wyndham 23 LCUs Combat The SS Snook attacked 2 X APD about 63 miles NE of Aparri and hit one of them with a torpedo that set it on fire. It didn't take long before the vessel went turtle and then slipped beneath the waves. The Snook quietly moved away unharmed and reloaded her bow torpedo tubes while continuing to stalk the undamaged APD. Finally she managed to achieve a firing solution and attacked, but to no avail. As the Snook was departing the area an ASW TF appeared and subjected her to a ferocious depth charge attack that lasted for hours. When the attack finally ended and the damage control reports came into the control room it was determined that they had sustained moderately heavy damage to the systems and the aft torpedo room was flooded and sealed off. The SS Hake attacked a small convoy in the middle of the South China Sea and managed to hit an AK with a torpedo that caused fires to rage. At Mandalay 16 X Blenheim, 24 X Liberator VI and 16 X B-24D appeared, but the escorts never joined them as planned. The Japanese had 26 X Zero, 32 X Jack, 4 X Tojo and 6 X Tony aloft to oppose the bombers. The Allied gunners accounted for a Zero shot down (10 damaged), 2 X Jack destroyed (15 damaged), a Tojo damaged and 3 X Tony damaged. At the cost of 13 X Blenheim destroyed, 11 X Liberator VI shot down (2 damaged) and 6 X B-24D downed (4 damaged) they managed to inflict light damage on the base and light casualties to the ground troops. Somebody's head will roll for this mess. An air attack on Port Moresby by 39 X B-17E, 31 X B-24D and 4 X Catalina I was met by 12 X Zero, 3 X Jack, 9 X Tony. The bombers fought their way through the fighters managing to down 3 X Zero (6 damaged), 2 X Tony (5 damaged) and damaging 3 X Jack while they suffered 2 X B-17E destroyed (11 damaged), 2 X B-24D shot down (15 damaged) and a Catalina was also damaged. Damage to the base was thought to have been moderate and casualties to the troops thee were also moderate. At Sian the IJA big guns continued to pound the Chinese causing heavy casualties. The Chinese are beginning to think that Sian might be in trouble and orders are given to troops formations in the Chungking area to prepare to move. At Koumac another attack by the 25th Division's troops inflicted heavy loses on the Japanese, but still they stubbornly cling to a small area and continue the fight. The Americans had very light casualties. The boys of VMF-222 are finally finding their sea legs and the brave one are eating and holding it down. Stick is scared to tempt fate and decides to wait until tomorrow. For now he's content just to lie in his bunk in this weakened condition. Plodding along towards Suva Phil stands on the Benham's bridge wondering how Phil is doing aboard the O'Bannon. Later Phil is busily handling a problem between two of the crew that erupted into a fistfight. Both men have been put on report and have been warned that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated. “Are the two of you crazy?” asks Phil, “The Japs could pop up at any time and you want to fight each other? If I see or hear of the slightest discord between the two of you between now and the end of this cruise so help me I'll make sure that you wish you'd never been born. Now get back to your duties.” Phil then speaks with their section chief and tells him exactly what he expects in the future. Benham's skipper makes a mental note that it's time for Phil to have his own command and he promises himself that he'll push for that to happen the first chance he gets. Operation Sunshine is on again and the planners dust it off and make a few changes to it. The question is where will the shipping come from and can a fast one be pulled on the Japanese. Victory Points Japanese 20322 Allied 8682
< Message edited by tocaff -- 3/17/2011 12:24:42 AM >
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