wneumann
Posts: 3768
Joined: 11/1/2005 From: just beyond the outskirts of Margaritaville Status: offline
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Summary of Operations 9/21/42 Central Pacific: Contact between a US sub patrol and possible KB escorts E of the Marianas. SS Shark was treated to an extensive depth charge attack by the Jap escorts. AAR follows. Position of this contact was due north of SS Whale’s encounter with Jap CV Akagi last game turn. If the Jap ships in the AAR below are with the KB, this would confirm the KB is moving northward, possibly back to the Japanese Home Islands. There are additional US sub patrols further north of this hex location in the KB’s projected movement path to Japan. Identities of the Jap ships in this engagement are different from those escorting CV Akagi on 9/20 and could be escorts from a different Jap Air Combat TF. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ASW attack near Saipan at 112,97 (SE of Saipan) Japanese Ships DD Akizuki BB Hiei CA Suzuya CA Mikuma DD Amagiri DD Ushio DD Sazanami DD Akebono DD Oboro Allied Ships SS Shark SS Shark launches 2 torpedoes at DD Akizuki DD Ushio attacking submerged sub .... DD Sazanami attacking submerged sub .... DD Oboro attacking submerged sub .... DD Sazanami attacking submerged sub .... DD Sazanami attacking submerged sub .... Escort abandons search for sub -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sigint entries for 9/20 report intercepted Jap radio transmissions from Baker Is, Tabitueua and Gardner Is. Detected status of Baker Is shows undetermined Jap aircraft based there. Undetermined Jap aircraft are visible at Tabiteuea, also Japanese ship(s) anchored in port there. No visible Japanese forces were seen at Gardner Is. South Pacific: Detachment of transport convoy WP-12 (4 ships) arrives at Pago Pago from the mainland US with 175 USAAF Base Force and 9500 supply cargo. Daily coastwatcher entries from 9/20 Operations report follow. Coastwatcher Report: 1 ship in port at Milne Bay Coastwatcher Report: harbor at Rabaul is reported empty Coastwatcher Report: 4 ships in port at Luganville Coastwatcher Report: 1 ship in port at Tanna Coastwatcher Report: 3 ships in port at Tulagi Coastwatcher Report: 1 ship in port at Buna Coastwatcher Report: 1 ship in port at Gasmata Coastwatcher Report: 14 ships reported in port at Rabaul Coastwatcher Report: 1 ship in port at Woodlark Island Coastwatcher Report: 1 ship in port at Hoorn Islands Australia: Expansion of airfield facilities in NE Australia continues. Construction is well underway at Cairns, Townsville and Charters Towers – US and Australian engineer LCU’s have been concentrated in these locations with intent of building airfields at all three locations to maximum size (9 at Townsville & Charters Towers, 7 at Cairns). Plans are being considered to move the engineers northward to expand airfields at Cooktown and (later on) Portland Roads. Long-term strategic plans being considered for SW Pacific theatre include a push into eastern Papua, not necessarily with Port Moresby as its initial or main objective. What cannot be predicted at this point is whether an advance by SW Pacific theatre in this direction will be a main line of Allied advance or a diversion to draw Pillager’s attention and Japanese forces away from Allied offensives elsewhere. This is dependent on the strength or weakness of Japanese forces and defenses in this area and whatever opportunities for an Allied advance are presented in the region. Regardless… the construction now underway in NE Australia is a preliminary step in the process. Japanese bombing raid on Darwin. Current damage status of Darwin is no port damage, airfield service damage 38, runway damage 34. AAR follows. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Afternoon Air attack on Darwin , at 76,124 Weather in hex: Heavy cloud Japanese aircraft G4M1 Betty x 19 Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 13 Japanese aircraft losses G4M1 Betty: 1 damaged Airbase hits 2 Airbase supply hits 7 Runway hits 31 Aircraft Attacking: 19 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 6000 feet Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Burma: Detected status of Jap base in Rangoon from British aerial recon – 5 Japanese ships anchored in port (-2 from last report), no Jap TF’s in harbor (-3 from last report), 145 aircraft (60 fighters, 27 bombers), 10 Jap LCU’s (+1 from last report). India: Japanese fighter sweeps continue over Ledo. These had been opposed up to now by a single RAF fighter squadron (17 Squadron), two additional fighter squadrons due to arrive in Ledo next game turn. Aircraft Losses display in the Intelligence screens indicate 8 A6M2 Zeroes and 2 Hurricane IIa destroyed in air-to-air action, one Ki-44-IIa destroyed as an ops loss. AAR’s follow. Two more RAF fighter pilots became aces during combat this game turn – these pilots the second and third Allied aces of the campaign. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Morning Air attack on Ledo, at 65,38 Weather in hex: Severe storms Raid detected at 26 NM, estimated altitude 23,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 8 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 24 Allied aircraft Hurricane IIa Trop x 14 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 4 destroyed Allied aircraft losses Hurricane IIa Trop: 1 destroyed Aircraft Attacking: 11 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 20000 feet CAP engaged: No.17 Sqn RAF with Hurricane IIa Trop (0 airborne, 5 on standby, 7 scrambling) 5 plane(s) intercepting now. 0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 2 out of immediate contact. Group patrol altitude is 15000, scrambling fighters between 15000 and 24000. Time for all group planes to reach interception is 43 minutes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Morning Air attack on Ledo, at 65,38 Weather in hex: Severe storms Raid spotted at 40 NM, estimated altitude 24,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 13 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 3 Allied aircraft Hurricane IIa Trop x 4 No Japanese losses No Allied losses CAP engaged: No.17 Sqn RAF with Hurricane IIa Trop (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling) 4 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact. Group patrol altitude is 15000, scrambling fighters between 20000 and 23000. Time for all group planes to reach interception is 56 minutes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Morning Air attack on Ledo, at 65,38 Weather in hex: Severe storms Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 28,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 11 minutes Japanese aircraft Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 21 Allied aircraft Hurricane IIa Trop x 3 No Japanese losses No Allied losses Aircraft Attacking: 11 x Ki-44-IIa Tojo sweeping at 25000 feet 10 x Ki-44-IIa Tojo sweeping at 25000 feet CAP engaged: No.17 Sqn RAF with Hurricane IIa Trop (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 1 scrambling) 2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact. Group patrol altitude is 15000, scrambling fighters between 23000 and 28000. Time for all group planes to reach interception is 27 minutes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- China: Small Japanese night bombing attacks on Chungking. Japanese ground advance continues in the far southern area towards a link-up between China and Burma. AAR and current situation map of southern China follow. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ground combat at 67,45 (SW of Tsuyung) Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 28229 troops, 339 guns, 280 vehicles, Assault Value = 973 Defending force 3751 troops, 79 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 105 Japanese adjusted assault: 494 Allied adjusted defense: 148 Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1 Combat modifiers Defender: terrain(+), morale(-), experience(-), supply(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 380 casualties reported Squads: 4 destroyed, 13 disabled Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 25 disabled Engineers: 1 destroyed, 13 disabled Allied ground losses: 1170 casualties reported Squads: 24 destroyed, 0 disabled Non Combat: 29 destroyed, 1 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Guns lost 2 (1 destroyed, 1 disabled) Units retreated 4 Defeated Allied Units Retreating! Assaulting units: 104th Division 13th Tank Regiment 38th Division 2nd Mortar Battalion 23rd Army 1st Hvy.Artillery Regiment 3rd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion 2nd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion 10th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment 20th Ind. Mtn Gun Battalion Defending units: 52nd Chinese Corps 54th Chinese Corps 11th Group Army 16th Chinese Base Force -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Japanese ground forces in the far western area launch assault to capture Sining. AAR follows. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ground combat at Sining (80,32) Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 36304 troops, 355 guns, 111 vehicles, Assault Value = 1270 Defending force 18581 troops, 105 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 679 Japanese adjusted assault: 924 Allied adjusted defense: 1486 Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 0) Combat modifiers Defender: terrain(+), experience(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 3235 casualties reported Squads: 5 destroyed, 228 disabled Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 107 disabled Engineers: 1 destroyed, 16 disabled Vehicles lost 5 (1 destroyed, 4 disabled) Allied ground losses: 226 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 31 disabled Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 37 disabled Engineers: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled Assaulting units: 6th Division 17th Division 37th Division 1st Mortar Battalion Defending units: 9th Separate Brigade 259th Brigade 17th Chinese Corps 303rd Brigade 82nd Chinese Corps 8th War Area 5th Chinese Base Force 12th Chinese Base Force -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kwantung Army (Manchuria): Sigint entry for 9/20 indicates elements of Japanese 8th Infantry Division are loaded aboard a Jap xAK and now enroute to Guam. This report indicates a possible transfer of 8 Division from the Kwantung Army to the Central Pacific – the report also discounting the possibility of a future Japanese move against the USSR. This conclusion (of course) is not final and subject to confirmation by additional intelligence information
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< Message edited by wneumann -- 1/21/2012 8:49:42 PM >
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