RE: The Solomons Situation

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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition >> After Action Reports >> RE: The Solomons Situation

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RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/19/2012 3:48:50 PM

LoBaron

Posts: 4776
Joined: 1/26/2003
From: Vienna, Austria
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Just to underline what I explained above:

The direct comparision, and this is what the Japanese in the real war found out too (late), shows that a P-38
using boom and zoom tactics is always in a position of advantage and can enter and exit a battle at will.
These tactics were used in WWII in exactly the same way: engaging more nimble a/c from a position of E-advantage,
and keeping this advantage by extending after an attack, climbing back to alt, and repeat throughout the battle.

Anybody, who has played realistic flight simulations and knows a bit about air warfare, is aware that the Zero is unable
to counter this situation, except if the Lightning pilot accepts a turnfight.

This is not exaggerated as you say, but this was the real problem the Japanese faced in the second half of the war.
It is unneccesary to point out that Japan dominated A2A engagements in a similar style, with slightly different
variables involved, in the early months.

< Message edited by LoBaron -- 2/19/2012 3:53:46 PM >

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Post #: 451

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/19/2012 4:23:46 PM

castor troy

Posts: 14330
Joined: 8/23/2004
From: Austria
Status: offline

my only reply will be: go in at realistic alts then and don't do what the airteam lead pictured as: game exploit

no worries, I won't continue from that point on, I just found it nice to have those ongoing discussions on the main forum, and then to find constant strato sweeps in the AAR.

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Post #: 452

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/19/2012 5:27:28 PM

LoBaron

Posts: 4776
Joined: 1/26/2003
From: Vienna, Austria
Status: offline

I see a high chance, that Iain had one single reason to finally agree with you, after previousely pointing
out several times what you are doing wrong when interpretating a situation.
He accepted that its a waste of energy and time to further try to argue with you, and this seemed like the best way to stop it.

So. Yes CT, its an exploit. The same kind as in WWII: every party tried to exploit an advantage to further increase the same.

The only two people I need to justify any actions ingame for, is my ally and my opponent. I would apprechiate if you leave your
suggestions somewhere else.

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Post #: 453

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/20/2012 9:27:11 AM

castor troy

Posts: 14330
Joined: 8/23/2004
From: Austria
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: LoBaron

I see a high chance, that Iain had one single reason to finally agree with you, after previousely pointing
out several times what you are doing wrong when interpretating a situation.
He accepted that its a waste of energy and time to further try to argue with you, and this seemed like the best way to stop it.
So. Yes CT, its an exploit. The same kind as in WWII: every party tried to exploit an advantage to further increase the same.

The only two people I need to justify any actions ingame for, is my ally and my opponent. I would apprechiate if you leave your
suggestions somewhere else.

lol, you can't be serious.

edit: nevermind, forget the rest, otherwhise this is going where I don't want it to go in an AAR

< Message edited by castor troy -- 2/20/2012 9:28:39 AM >

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Post #: 454

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/20/2012 10:08:21 AM

LoBaron

Posts: 4776
Joined: 1/26/2003
From: Vienna, Austria
Status: offline

Aug 11/12, 43:

Another good day for the Allies, lots of rumble in the jungle in Burma and the RN again
had a small surface engagement, but this is Rob�s story to tell.

Mine is further East and concerns Raiding Force I:

After the first strike close to Iwo Jima on Aug 10, Raider Force I continued on
a NE heading in search for another target. With success. For two days the Avengers
pounded a northbound AK convoy, sinking an estimated 5 transport and damaging a few
more:

xAK Asahisan Maru, Torpedo hits 1
xAK Seizan Maru, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
xAK Nissen Maru #3, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
xAK Saiho Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
xAK Kokuryu Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire
xAK Tsukuba Maru, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
xAK Mikasa Maru, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAK Aso Maru, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk

This concludes the raid, as remaining longer in the Phillippine Sea would expose the raider
force for too long, an unneccesary risk. Course E has been ordered, if all goes well we
should be out of Japanese naval search range in 48 hours.

Screenie is with MS Paint this time because I have no Paint.NET installed on this PC sadly:

The total damage done is not completely clear to me, although I estimate about 8 AK sunk
and another 2-5 with dangerous levels of damage. Good job for such a small TF.

Other news:

Buka was captured by Paradrop, as planned:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Buka (109,128)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 70 troops, 3 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 7

Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 0

Allied adjusted assault: 4

Japanese adjusted defense: 1

Allied assault odds: 4 to 1 (fort level 0)

Allied forces CAPTURE Buka !!!

Combat modifiers
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(-)

Assaulting units:
503rd Parachute Rgt /1

I got 3 SST at Shortlands which will take over supply operations of the dot base until
releaved by a smal squadron of APD now leaving Lunga for their new assignement.

Buka is perilousely close to Rabaul, so the next 2 days my P38�s will fly LRCAP to protect
the transport planes dropping more men and supplies.

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Post #: 455

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/22/2012 10:33:41 AM

LoBaron

Posts: 4776
Joined: 1/26/2003
From: Vienna, Austria
Status: offline

Aug 13/14, 43:

Another good day, or better NOT a bad day, which is probably about the same.

To summarize, it was a good idea to:
- choose the location of my raid in an area where I knew Mike did not have lvl4 airfields
capable of supporting torpedo armed Netty raids.
- decide to abort the raiding mission after the successes of the last turn to not
expose the TF for too long and risk running into a trap.

Mike racted fast and vigorous to the breach in his Northern Pacific defenses.
He rebased a Nell group with Zero and Rufe fighters to Chichi-jima and ordered
a full scale attack on the retreating TF.
As expected my CAP was unable to stop the attack, although I hopefully killed
some experienced Zero drivers. The attack on Raider Force I went in at 15k, not
sure why Mike decided to stay high.
As I rather expected a low level attack run, so my CAP was set to 4k with obvious
negative effects on the intercept.

Bottom line is: If I ever decide to return to these hunting grounds I will have to pack
more punche to thwart a similar attack. Also I will not repeat this mission for a while
because Mike definitely will be alert in this area for the next weeks.
I suspect there was a small carrier group on an intercept course as well...

The result was enhanced by the fact that my fighter pilots where highly fatigued
after providing CAP and strike escort over the course of 4 full days.

Btw: I do not experience what GreyJoy mentioned in his AAR, that fighters not
set to CAP do not engage. My fighters were turned around fast and the scrambling
as well as the standby fighters finally took part in the engagement, although
attacking in small groups which reduced their effectiveness.

It is very possible that this is either because of the small strike size in my case,
or an issue with the tests he performed, or a result of the modified exe GJ and rader
are using.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Chichi-jima at 115,72

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 79 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 29 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2-N Rufe x 9
A6M3a Zero x 15
G3M3 Nell x 13

Allied aircraft
FM-1 Wildcat x 32

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2-N Rufe: 3 destroyed
A6M3a Zero: 1 destroyed
G3M3 Nell: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
FM-1 Wildcat: 4 destroyed

Allied Ships
CVE Anzio
BB Idaho

Aircraft Attacking:
13 x G3M3 Nell bombing from 14000 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb

Otherwise a quiet turn.

< Message edited by LoBaron -- 2/22/2012 10:34:23 AM >

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Post #: 456

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/22/2012 10:55:49 AM

LoBaron

Posts: 4776
Joined: 1/26/2003
From: Vienna, Austria
Status: offline

Btw, we had a small exchange on the last sweeps over Rabaul, I do not think Mike
objects if I post a part of his response here:

"Altitude exploit: One of the maxims of ACM is to have an altitude advantage. Any pilot who not does want the bounce is a fool! While it may be true that the majority of missions, especially in the Pacific were not flown at extreme altitudes, the effective operational altitudes that were flown in reality were analogous of how the game works. Instead of 39k sweeps in AE, reality had 25k sweeps but the relative performance differences between the various aircraft were the same. i.e. If a P38 was 10% better than an A6M5 at 39k it was probably at least 10% better at 25k. Obviously that is oversimplified and a generalization, but I am convinced of it. America and the Brits developed aircraft that were marvels of high altitude engineering. The Axis powers and Russian largely did not. Do I like the 39k sweeps vs my Zeroes? NOOOOOOOO!!! lol but they are what are and just as IJ has so many advantages in early war, the Allies have advantages later. The challenge for IJ is how to counter those advantages, conserve strength, project power in efficient ways, and make any allied offensive costly."

I see it the same way.

Yes, setting units to high alt may be ahistorical if you don�t think out of the box. Its only unrealistic if you are unable
to abstract the situation in a way so that it again reflects real problems and solutions applied in the war.
In my opinion, if you implement houserules limiting the players to alt bands fought in the war, you lose
the part of the game which simulates the exploit of advantages of one side and the methods of counter of the other side.

Each to his own...

I think this is a good opportunity to thank my ally and my opponent for this great PBEM! Both, Rob and Mike,
are inquiring minds, very creative in their operations and extremely fast and flexible when reacting to a threat.
It is a honour to play this game with them!

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Post #: 457

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/23/2012 4:33:28 AM

Alfred

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quote:

ORIGINAL: LoBaron

... I think this is a good opportunity to thank my ally and my opponent for this great PBEM! Both, Rob and Mike,
are inquiring minds, very creative in their operations and extremely fast and flexible when reacting to a threat.
It is a honour to play this game with them!

As a practice run for the Academy award acceptance speech, it falls quite short.

No mention of:

your mum and dad
your spouse
the dog
the game developers
your "shrink"
fraulein Braun from kindergarten

etc

Alfred

(in reply to LoBaron)

Post #: 458

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/23/2012 5:46:10 AM

bigred

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Joined: 12/27/2007
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Very refreshing...

quote:

Yes, setting units to high alt may be ahistorical if you don�t think out of the box. Its only unrealistic if you are unable
to abstract the situation in a way so that it again reflects real problems and solutions applied in the war.
In my opinion, if you implement houserules limiting the players to alt bands fought in the war, you lose
the part of the game which simulates the exploit of advantages of one side and the methods of counter of the other side.

(in reply to Alfred)

Post #: 459

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/23/2012 9:30:39 AM

LoBaron

Posts: 4776
Joined: 1/26/2003
From: Vienna, Austria
Status: offline

Apologies, Alfred. And thanks for pointing out the details where I got room for improvement.

Although, personally, I would not list my "shrink" and Fr�ulein Braun from Kindergarten right
next to each other. Could lead to misunderstandings. Although this applies to mum and dad, the
devs, and the dog as well.

Difficult decisions...

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Post #: 460

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/23/2012 9:49:12 AM

LoBaron

Posts: 4776
Joined: 1/26/2003
From: Vienna, Austria
Status: offline

Ah, and speaking of "shrink":

Mike told me in his last mail that he only was not attacking with additional TB in addition
to the Betties, because he made an error in the mission settings of the "[censored] unit".

So, there goes my bragging on my successful well planned mission. Only survived because our
opponent made one of his rare mistakes.

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Post #: 461

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/23/2012 3:53:54 PM

Rob Brennan UK

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Joined: 8/24/2002
From: London UK
Status: offline

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Aug 15, 43

Apologies for tha lack of CW communication for a week, been busy IRL .. so here is a v brief sumary of what happened.

CL Capetown and Dutch CL DE Reuter with 2 DD's raided Boela at night to kill off the jap ASW group that's being a pain
to our subs in the area, We sank all 4 enemy PB's for no loss. Sadly this turns Helen night raids put a bomb into
the Capetown requiring a min of 12 days pier-side before she has to head back to a shipyard .. out of action for a
month at least, she's due to withdraw in 20 days too.

This turn had been dominated but Japanese night bombing raids , did nothing from chunking to Darwin and most places
in between .. bar the CL hit. Christmas island flak claimed 4 kills as its very dense batteries on the island. No
Allied fighters were in the air as i had stood the entire night fighter programme down about 2 weeks ago. I'd had night
fighters over every major port and airfield for months/years with no Japanese raids. So decided to train them up with
alternate skills to supplement their amazing a2a and exp

Time to re establish the night fighter groups when the moon is full. Capetown damage is really annoying tbh.

Rest of the turn was dominated by subs .. all over the map , US ones going well while we lost a motor launch near port
blair to an I boat.

Sub attack near Little Andaman at 43,59

Japanese Ships
SS I-155, hits 1

Allied Ships
HDML 1104, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
AMc Rampur
AMc Smeroe
ML No. 380
ML No. 311

Japan is still hammering away at Chinese troops with some very heavy arty.. not much i can do here bar rotate units and
rest the most battered ones.

Ground combat at 78,51 (near Chihkiang)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 84395 troops, 942 guns, 538 vehicles, Assault Value = 3277

Defending force 124187 troops, 632 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 4815

Japanese ground losses:
10 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
210 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 16 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)

TTFN , I'll keep this updated more often now.

Think i had my brain removed when i posted this update ! ,, wrong piccie AND forgot 2 combats .. oop

1st up the admiralties gets a visit from British and Aussie bombers to hit the fighterless runways and a few bettys are destroyed on
the runways , I deliberately sent out the torp bombers as a warning to Japan to keep its fleet well away. I have started to withdraw the
string-bags for later operations however.

Morning Air attack on Manus , at 101,119

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 16 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
Albacore I x 14
Martlet IV x 6
Swordfish I x 18

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed on ground

No Allied losses

Airbase hits 6
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 16

And here is one that CT will absoluty hate with a passion , P47's sweeping Boela clearing the route for the mediums to hit the airfields.
We will carry on tomorrow and see what accumulated damage we can do to the place.

P47's dive on late scrambling zeros (look at time detected) and killed several on the dive. Then the animations switched to a more sven
combat when one Zero got a kill and several more damaged Thuds. The Thuds on the other hand tend to burn zeros rather than damage them.
Yes it was one sided , It was meant to be one sided and it worked. Unlike my previous attempt a few weeks ago we lost only 3 P47's and
one P40. Zero losses unknown but high.

Morning Air attack on Boela , at 80,110

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 39 NM, estimated altitude 42,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 45

Allied aircraft
P-47D2 Thunderbolt x 22

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 13 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 1 destroyed

Aircraft Attacking:
11 x P-47D2 Thunderbolt sweeping at 42000 feet

CAP engaged:
251 Ku S-1 with A6M3a Zero (0 airborne, 20 on standby, 16 scrambling)
9 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 36750 , scrambling fighters between 36000 and 36750.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 25 minutes

Morning Air attack on Boela , at 80,110

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 33 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 20

Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 15
P-40E Warhawk x 20

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-49-IIa Helen: 4 destroyed on ground

Allied aircraft losses
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed

Japanese ground losses:
12 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Airbase hits 4
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 23

Aircraft Attacking:
15 x B-25C Mitchell bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 6 x 500 lb GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
251 Ku S-1 with A6M3a Zero (1 airborne, 0 on standby, 19 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 36750 , scrambling fighters between 36000 and 45000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 43 minutes

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by Rob Brennan UK -- 2/24/2012 1:35:51 PM >

_____________________________

sorry for the spelling . English is my main language , I just can't type . and i'm too lazy to edit :)

(in reply to LoBaron)

Post #: 462

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/23/2012 4:36:40 PM

LoBaron

Posts: 4776
Joined: 1/26/2003
From: Vienna, Austria
Status: offline

Don�t forget your nice attack on Boela.

Good battle with the P47s preceeding the strike.

You gonna keep that screenshot of Unryu being torped as a sig?

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Post #: 463

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/24/2012 6:58:16 AM

LoBaron

Posts: 4776
Joined: 1/26/2003
From: Vienna, Austria
Status: offline

Aug 15/16, 43:

As Rob said, US action was dominated by muffled underwater explosions.

SS Scorpion successfully engaged the flagship of a TK TF West of Okinawa:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Daito Shoto at 100,75

Japanese Ships
CL Katori, Torpedo hits 1
E W-11
E W-8
E Hachijo
E Tsuta
AO Sata
AO Iro
TK Arita Maru
TK San Pedro Maru
DD Sanae
DD Kuretake
E W-20

Allied Ships
SS Scorpion

SS Scorpion launches 6 torpedoes at CL Katori
Scorpion diving deep ....
DD Sanae fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Kuretake attacking submerged sub ....
E W-20 fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Sanae attacking submerged sub ....
DD Sanae cannot establish contact with SS Scorpion
DD Sanae loses contact with SS Scorpion
SS Scorpion eludes DD Sanae by diving deep
SS Scorpion eludes ASW attack from DD Sanae
DD Sanae cannot reach attack position over SS Scorpion
DD Kuretake fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Sanae fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Kuretake fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Kuretake fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Kuretake fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Kuretake fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

Katori is listed as sunk, but this is definitely FOW. I do hope
I provided the crew with some R&R at a repair yard of their choice though.

Next was SS Jack duelling with the escorts of a transport TF heading South.
The boat was first sighted by an E class, driven down and hit by a Type 95 Mod 2.
Jack managed to escape with flooding damage, and was able to reposition for a retalation
attack. I think I can remove E Nuwashima from the list, no ship this size survives a working
MK 14...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Kanoya at 105,66

Japanese Ships
DD Hatakaze
E Nuwashima
xAP Kamo Maru
xAP Kitano Maru
xAP Takatiho Maru
E Maeshima

Allied Ships
SS Jack, hits 2

SS Jack launches 6 torpedoes at DD Hatakaze
DD Hatakaze fails to find sub, continues to search...
E Maeshima attacking submerged sub ....
DD Hatakaze fails to find sub and abandons search
E Maeshima fails to find sub, continues to search...
E Maeshima fails to find sub, continues to search...
E Maeshima fails to find sub, continues to search...
E Maeshima attacking submerged sub ....
E Maeshima attacking submerged sub ....
E Maeshima is out of ASW ammo
E Maeshima is out of ASW ammo
Escort abandons search for sub

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack near Kanoya at 105,66

Japanese Ships
E Nuwashima, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
xAP Kamo Maru
xAP Kitano Maru
xAP Takatiho Maru
DD Hatakaze

Allied Ships
SS Jack

SS Jack launches 6 torpedoes at E Nuwashima
Jack diving deep ....
DD Hatakaze attacking submerged sub ....
DD Hatakaze fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Hatakaze fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Hatakaze fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Hatakaze attacking submerged sub ....
Escort abandons search for sub

I salute LCDR Dykers for pulling this off with wet trousers...

Finally a Japanese sub was spotted on attempt to sneak into the small port of
Attu Island. The RO boat layed a couple of mines and retreated without being
caught, the mines were promptly removed again by our alert local AMc.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Attu Island at 153,49

Japanese Ships
SS RO-62

SS RO-62 is sighted by escort
RO-62 bottoming out ....
Sub escapes detection

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TF 179 encounters mine field at Attu Island (153,49)

Allied Ships
AMc Waxbill

5 mines cleared

Tomorrow I expect a bit of air action again (besides the daily bombing runs against Torokina).

_____________________________

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Post #: 464

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/24/2012 2:48:22 PM

Rob Brennan UK

Posts: 3685
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From: London UK
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AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Aug 17, 43

Now this was a busy turn, Lets start with a surprise raid on Kendari by the CL De Reuter, The CL Capetown was going to accompany her until
last nights helen raid set her on fire

. Still it was a successful raid and the Japanese merchant captains were colliding like
bowling pins in their efforts to escape as well as 6 inch shell thumping into unarmoured hulls. Another CL and DD escorts might have
been a lot more effective but i had no idea of the size of this convoy before setting off from Darwin.

Truth be told i was only expecting 4 PB ASW ships , not this colossal mass of floating steel.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Kendari at 70,106, Range 7,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
PB Hayakafuku Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire
PB Nikkai Maru
PB Shinko Maru #1
PB Tosho Maru, Shell hits 5, and is sunk
PB Unkai Maru #1, Shell hits 12, and is sunk
xAK Manko Maru
xAK Senko Maru
xAK Ishikari Maru
xAK Ryuko Maru, Shell hits 2
xAK Shanghai Maru
xAK Sydney Maru #2
xAK Burma Maru
xAK Brasil Maru
xAK Florida Maru
xAK Glasgow Maru
xAK Havre Maru
xAK Himalaya Maru
xAK Oregon Maru
xAK Hiteru Maru
xAK Nagato Maru, Shell hits 1
xAK Tihuku Maru
xAK Tonegawa Maru
xAK Yamayuri Maru, heavy damage
xAK Hokutai Maru
xAK Hukusei Maru
xAK Hukuzyu Maru
xAK Rasin Maru
xAK Ryoyo Maru
xAK Yamagiku Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire
xAK Nisso Maru
xAK Toyokawa Maru
xAK Oridono Maru
xAK Syunsei Maru
xAK Misaki Maru, Shell hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
xAK Zuiko Maru
xAK Kurohime Maru
xAK Ryuun Maru, Shell hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Daisin Maru
xAK Yae Maru
xAK Mitimei Maru
xAK Yosida Maru #3
xAKL Shuntai Maru
xAKL Nanka Maru
xAKL Suzan Maru
xAKL Hoki Maru
xAKL Nichirin Maru, Shell hits 2, heavy fires
TK Amakusa Maru

Allied Ships
CL De Ruyter, Shell hits 1 (bounced off)

The Boela raids continued effectively with both sweeps and bombers going in well coordinated even though we encounted some IJA fighters this time.
Tomorrow these guys need a rest though so will be standing down for 2 days.

Morning Air attack on Boela , at 80,110

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 15 NM, estimated altitude 48,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 27
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 13

Allied aircraft
P-47D2 Thunderbolt x 20

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 6 destroyed
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 3 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 1 destroyed

Morning Air attack on Boela , at 80,110

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 30 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 13
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 5

Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 15
P-40E Warhawk x 20

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 1 destroyed
Ki-49-IIa Helen: 2 destroyed on ground

Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 2 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed

Airbase hits 4
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 14

The Japanese night raids came once more , this time we had fighters to divert their already bad aim. Chinese P40's claimed 2 kills while Christmas Island Flak
shot down 2 more. The Kittyhawks over Darwin successfully put the Helens aim off and the bombs landed in a nearby swamp instead of the port. The Burmese
Airforce joined in and we hit Rangoon airfields at night facing no opposition. Intel reports 10 Tonys and 4 tojos destroyed on the ground in Rangoon.

Allied high command has now decided to push the air-war over Rangoon in a few days. Planes are being assembled in the now huge forward airfields at
Proms and Toungoo . RAF Air HQ (range 3) in Toungoo should cover both fields nicely while we try and wrest control of the air over Rangoon with an
aim to liberate the rest of Burma by the end of September (maybe a bit hopeful on my part).

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by Rob Brennan UK -- 2/24/2012 3:35:12 PM >

_____________________________

sorry for the spelling . English is my main language , I just can't type . and i'm too lazy to edit :)

(in reply to LoBaron)

Post #: 465

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/25/2012 3:16:04 PM

LoBaron

Posts: 4776
Joined: 1/26/2003
From: Vienna, Austria
Status: offline

Aug 17/18, 43:

Only a short update as I don�t have much time.

US subs have a high life at the moment. Less duds, and numerous enough to cover large areas where IJN
routes are suspected.
I am probably better known for air war expertise, but I love naval action and have a passion for submarines.

Today SS Amberjack is limping back from the Phillippine Sea with heavy damage. If the boat makes it the crew is
nominated for a citation.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack near Daito Shoto at 100,68

Japanese Ships
xAP Hakone Maru, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
E Yanagi
E Karukaya
xAP Atsuta Maru
xAP Buenos Aires Maru
xAP Kashima Maru
xAP Teiko Maru
xAK Jinzan Maru
DD Namikaze
DD Nokaze
DD Yukaze
E Iki

Allied Ships
SS Amberjack

Japanese ground losses:
14 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack near Naha at 96,68

Japanese Ships
xAK Asosan Maru, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
E Wakataka
E Kamo
E Kari
DMS W-19
AO Toho Maru
AO Toei Maru
AO Shinkoku Maru
AO Nippon Maru
AO Kyokuto Maru
AO Kokuyo Maru
AK Tosan Maru
AK Kinka Maru
AK Sasako Maru
AK Sakura Maru
AK Sakito Maru
AK Sado Maru
AK Hirokawa Maru
TK Asashio Maru
TK Azurai Maru
TK Bokuei Maru
TK Toa Maru
TK Omurosan Maru
xAK Asakasan Maru
xAK Tokai Maru
xAK Goyo Maru
xAK Kinugasa Maru
xAK Arizona Maru
xAK Canberra Maru
xAK Awazisan Maru
xAK Arima Maru
DD Arashi
DD Kagero
DD Naganami
DD Akigumo

Allied Ships
SS Amberjack, hits 8, heavy damage

Amberjack got 73flt damage, so this will be a tough ride home, but she shot an AP and an AK
out from an inbound and an outbound convoy.
No idea how much damage was done, but my guess would be the AP will make it, the AK might be dead.

The second success was a surprize attack on Kavieng where I spotted ships at anchor last turn.
P-38 sweeps prepared the path @ 25k, I reduced alt to increase chances for them to arrive before the
bombers. It succeeded on the first day, but the sweepers took a beating from Zeros.
Still I think the decision was right, enemy CAP was dispersed and unable to engage the following bombers
@ 10k, which treated a CL and a CM roughly.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kavieng , at 106,122

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 31 NM, estimated altitude 24,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 36

Allied aircraft
P-38H Lightning x 17

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-38H Lightning: 3 destroyed

CAP engaged:
252 Ku S-1 with A6M3a Zero (0 airborne, 16 on standby, 13 scrambling)
7 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 36750 , scrambling fighters between 16000 and 36750.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 32 minutes

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kavieng , at 106,122

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 13

Allied aircraft
B-24D1 Liberator x 15

No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
CL Abukuma, Bomb hits 2, on fire
CM Tokiwa, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage

On the second day the Lightnings were exhausted, but so was the CAP. Coordination was worse, suffering
from long range flights and combat fatigue, still the Liberators went in unmolested.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kavieng , at 106,122

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 38 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 21

Allied aircraft
B-24D1 Liberator x 15

No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
CL Abukuma, Bomb hits 6, on fire
CM Okinoshima, Bomb hits 2, on fire

I don�t think that any ship is in danger of sinking, but all three will need yard time.

< Message edited by LoBaron -- 2/25/2012 3:18:44 PM >

_____________________________

(in reply to Rob Brennan UK)

Post #: 466

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/26/2012 12:17:38 AM

Rob Brennan UK

Posts: 3685
Joined: 8/24/2002
From: London UK
Status: offline

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Aug 19, 43

It all started off well enough .. Dutch sub O20 on a minelaying op to Singapore hit a fuel laden AK and then torpedoed the hell out of
another one within sight of Raffles hotel.

Submarine attack near Singapore at 50,84

Japanese Ships
xAK Tamon Maru, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied Ships
SS O20
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Submarine attack near Singapore at 50,84

Japanese Ships
xAK Yamakuni Maru, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage

Allied Ships
SS O20

Then it started to go wrong :- .. Aussie attacks on the admiralties met some Japanese fighters on defence and this cased me some
some distress as i imagined what tonys would do albacores ! .. fortunately i never found out and all subsequent raids either had decent
escort or was tough (B24) and mostly survived .

Morning Air attack on Manus , at 101,119

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 15 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-61-Ia Tony x 20

Allied aircraft
Albacore I x 12
Martlet IV x 16

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Martlet IV: 1 destroyed

Port hits 2

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x Albacore I bombing from 6000 feet *
Port Attack: 2 x 500 lb GP Bomb

Overall 4 martlets downed (2 pilots) , 3 Mitchell 2's and one B24 for 4 Tonys.... could have been much worse.
Our bombers will go help the Americans near shortlands next turn. Recon was wrong about ships in harbour so
we won't be going back here without good fighters and/or sweeps.

Then it went horribly Pete Tong ! .. despite a lot of good naval search a/c (to avoid the previous Lae
Debacle) , Japan once again slunk in a BB group to the North DEI .. EEK

All 4 good fast xAP's sunk and then a smaller TF with the base forces was eaten alive ! the DD escorts
will make it home i hope (they are irreplaceable for the commonwealth) and while Japan did get our AP's
we only lost a ton of trucks , as all else was safely ashore.

Still this went unavenged as out torp bombers nearby were on recon ?? and the ones in Darwin stood down
to rest.. crappy crappy timing on my part .. lets hope I can get a few attacks in tomorrow.

WE did badly hurt 2 jap DD's .. limping home, now our naval search a/c know what a Japanese warship looks like
they can spot them :)..

If your of a nervous disposition please look away now.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Saumlaki at 78,117, Range 22,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Mutsu
BB Fuso, Shell hits 4
CA Furutaka
CA Kako, Shell hits 2
DD Kazegumo, Shell hits 3, heavy fires
DD Makinami, Shell hits 1
DD Oshio, Shell hits 4, on fire
DD Yamagumo, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Kasumi, Shell hits 7, heavy fires

Allied Ships
DD Vendetta, Shell hits 1
DD Arunta, Shell hits 4, on fire
DD Piet Hein, Shell hits 1
DE Express
DD Norman, Shell hits 4, heavy fires
xAP Empress ' Scotland, Shell hits 13, and is sunk
xAP Empress ' Australia, Shell hits 10, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
xAP Empress ' Asia, Shell hits 18, and is sunk
xAP Duchess of Bedford, Shell hits 10, and is sunk

Allied ground losses:
Vehicles lost 141 (72 destroyed, 69 disabled)

---------------------------------------------------------------

Day Time Surface Combat, near Saumlaki at 78,117, Range 24,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Mutsu
BB Fuso
CA Furutaka
CA Kako
DD Makinami
DD Oshio, heavy fires
DD Yamagumo, heavy fires

Allied Ships
DM Sicard, Shell hits 6, heavy fires, heavy damage SANK
xAP Khedive Ismail, Shell hits 17, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Benledi, Shell hits 7, and is sunk
xAP Mijer, Shell hits 15, and is sunk
xAP Van Diemen, Shell hits 14, and is sunk
xAP Van Neck, Shell hits 4, and is sunk
xAP Matang, Shell hits 7, heavy fires, heavy damage SANK
xAP Kajang, Shell hits 4, and is sunk
xAP Kepong, Shell hits 14, and is sunk
xAP Koolama, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
xAP Koolinda, Shell hits 5, and is sunk
PG Hindustan, Shell hits 7, and is sunk
AMC Cornwallis, Shell hits 4, and is sunk

Allied ground losses:
Guns lost 4 (2 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Vehicles lost 72 (62 destroyed, 10 disabled)

------------------------------------------------------------------

I was wondering what to do down here in the short term , now at least I don't have to.

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

sorry for the spelling . English is my main language , I just can't type . and i'm too lazy to edit :)

(in reply to LoBaron)

Post #: 467

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/26/2012 10:19:59 PM

Rob Brennan UK

Posts: 3685
Joined: 8/24/2002
From: London UK
Status: offline

Quick update as not much happened this turn

Rangoon .. Minesweeper made it in and out with no problems so next turn the Royal navy will pay it a visit , 2 CA's and CL/DD escorts.
AS I believe no BB's can make it up the river to Rangoon , the CA's will hopefully hit the runways hard and damage lots of planes.
6 hurricane squadrons have been fitted with drop tanks and are ordered to provide LRCAP from Prome. Meanwhile 70 P47's have been
assembled and flown to combat airfields near Rangoon for a large sweep next turn. Additionally the bomber force has been moved to
Mandalay (size 9) . so will hopefully get a chance to reduce Rangoon and Pegu to rubble.

Fingers crossed anyway.

< Message edited by Rob Brennan UK -- 2/26/2012 10:20:49 PM >

_____________________________

sorry for the spelling . English is my main language , I just can't type . and i'm too lazy to edit :)

(in reply to Rob Brennan UK)

Post #: 468

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/28/2012 5:01:21 PM

Rob Brennan UK

Posts: 3685
Joined: 8/24/2002
From: London UK
Status: offline

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Aug 23, 43

Good news , 1stly we found the jap BB's in Ambon ,, So20 was detected and hurt badly, heading to Darwin for repairs, but now we have a bead
on these annoying ships. From now on I'll be sending out single ships in the DEI to minimise losses.

ASW attack near Ambon at 76,109

Japanese Ships
BB Fuso
BB Mutsu
CA Kako
CA Furutaka
CA Kinugasa
CL Oyodo
CS Nisshin
DD Kuroshio
DD Onami
DD Makinami
DD Ayanami
DD Yugure
DD Hatsuharu
DD Arare

Allied Ships
SS O21, hits 14

Rangoon , went boom ! .. kinda

.. the RN did a good job on the airfields here , tomorrow we send in the P47 sweeps . I'll also send in B17's
on airfield attacks .. not risking any more fragile a/c on this though. The briw Wellington etc are not durable enough in case it goes badly
wrong.

Night Naval bombardment of Rangoon at 54,53

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 33 damaged
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 2 destroyed on ground
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 30 damaged
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 2 destroyed on ground
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 22 damaged
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 3 destroyed on ground

Allied Ships
CA Frobisher
CA Hawkins
CA Shropshire
CL Kenya

Japanese ground losses:
28 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 16 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

AKE rendezvousing with the RN ships at ramtree island (it was slower than expected and late !) .. means we can re arm and go in again night after
tomorrow.

When that happens and assuming the P47's sweeps works well , its kitchen sink time for Rangoon . hurricanes in position along with more bombers.

TTFN ..

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

sorry for the spelling . English is my main language , I just can't type . and i'm too lazy to edit :)

(in reply to Rob Brennan UK)

Post #: 469

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/29/2012 8:47:40 PM

Rob Brennan UK

Posts: 3685
Joined: 8/24/2002
From: London UK
Status: offline

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Aug 25, 43

Day started badly with a jap sub sinking a small AP moving away fom a succesful eng drop in Port Blair :-

Sub attack near Little Andaman at 43,59

Japanese Ships
SS I-155

Allied Ships
xAP Haiyang, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
ML No. 269
AM Cromarty
xAP Dilga
xAP Katong
xAP Dumra
DD Witte de With
ML No. 310

The Dutch retaliated with a full and nicely burning TK off south Borneo on the 26th

Sub attack near Tandjoengselor at 69,95

Japanese Ships
TK Shiranesan Maru, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
E W-2
E W-1
PB Senyo Maru
PB Shoei Maru
TK Gyoshin Maru
TK Takane Maru
TK Kyokuho Maru
E Hirashima
E Ukishima
E Kyosai
E W-21

Allied Ships
SS KXVIII, hits 1

OK I'm teasing you , Its Rangoon you want to hear about isnt it ?

Well lets say that the communications between forward fighter bases and rear bomber bases was about as bad/shoddy/inept as it's possible to get in 2 days..
both days the allied bombers went in first and no fighters elected to escort them either .. fortunately for us the Japanese were caught napping BIG TIME.
Time to target 6 mins gave them no hope of stopping the bombers and allied radio intercept also caught some interesting news that some of the japanese
groups were on training missions when they really should have been on CAP.

Morning Air attack on Rangoon , at 54,53

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 42
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 21
Ki-61-Ia Tony x 36

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 36
B-17F Fortress x 15

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 1 destroyed, 12 damaged
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 2 destroyed on ground
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 21 damaged
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 5 destroyed on ground
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 36 damaged
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 14 destroyed on ground

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
B-17F Fortress: 3 destroyed, 2 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
4 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Airbase hits 14
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 77

Training flight from 21st Sentai has been caught up in attack

The escaping bombers were quite badly mauled but they had done their jobs amazingly well.
Then the fighters turn up and catch the japs returning to base to refuel and pounded on them
in 3 waves .. one eg below . 3rd met no opposition at all.

Afternoon Air attack on Rangoon , at 54,53

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 43 NM, estimated altitude 42,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 21
Ki-61-Ia Tony x 17

Allied aircraft
P-47D2 Thunderbolt x 22

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 6 destroyed
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 4 destroyed

No Allied losses

Day 2 was almost a carbon copy of day 1 .. but the late arriving fighters at least turned up together.

Morning Air attack on Rangoon , at 54,53

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 35
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 23
Ki-61-Ia Tony x 32

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 21
B-17F Fortress x 8

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 4 damaged
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 3 destroyed on ground
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 12 damaged
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 1 destroyed on ground
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 26 damaged
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 6 destroyed on ground

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged
B-17F Fortress: 2 damaged

Airbase hits 12
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 29

Morning Air attack on Rangoon , at 54,53

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 43,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 32
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 18
Ki-61-Ia Tony x 24

Allied aircraft
P-47D2 Thunderbolt x 53

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 6 destroyed
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 4 destroyed
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 7 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 1 destroyed

We got lucky , and while the CA captains were arguing over who got 1st dibs on the new 8 inch shell in ramtree island the RAF + allies
hammered Rangoon and caused a lot of damage for little loss .

B17E's lost 7 .. worst casuaties by far.
B17F -2
P47 - 3

Tomorrow the RAF hurricanes hit Rangoon with 30 P47's and the entire allied bomber force , while 50 P47's hit Pegu on sweep.
30 Hurricanes have been placed on escort call v close to Rangoon (1 hex away) so there is little excuse for not showing up !.

If i was japan id be shouting banzai ! .. as it is I'll celebrate with a cuppa tea

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

sorry for the spelling . English is my main language , I just can't type . and i'm too lazy to edit :)

(in reply to Rob Brennan UK)

Post #: 470

RE: The Solomons Situation - 2/29/2012 9:50:45 PM

LoBaron

Posts: 4776
Joined: 1/26/2003
From: Vienna, Austria
Status: offline

Whoa...if you keep it up this is air war won over Burma. Which means you can go for Rangoon.
Which means you could reopen the Burma road. Which means no more saving and hiding in China.

Great job, wonderful overall attack. I�d say keep the pressure up old friend! If Mike wants to recover, force him to do it as far South as possible.

_____________________________

(in reply to Rob Brennan UK)

Post #: 471

RE: The Solomons Situation - 3/3/2012 12:03:14 AM

Rob Brennan UK

Posts: 3685
Joined: 8/24/2002
From: London UK
Status: offline

Dont go casting bad spells on me .. its far from over yet ..

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Aug 27, 43

The fighter sweeps over Rangoon and Pegu went superbly , No-one however had informed the bombers to fly too and not just
watch the replays on Sky TV .. morons. All set to hammer Rangoon , nothing flew for both days .. most frustrating.

Still its hardly worth complaining about as we will go again tomorow and also have the CA's shelling the place too.

There were many many fighter sweeps .. best to post this as a summary.

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

sorry for the spelling . English is my main language , I just can't type . and i'm too lazy to edit :)

(in reply to LoBaron)

Post #: 472

RE: The Solomons Situation - 3/3/2012 11:44:56 PM

Rob Brennan UK

Posts: 3685
Joined: 8/24/2002
From: London UK
Status: offline

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Aug 29, 43

The air war over Burma continues to be in our favour, We'd adjusted some parameters for our fighter groups
to try and ensure some escorts for the bombers (if they turned up) , the P47's obliged while the hurricanes
decided to escort the high alt sweeps ?? v odd ,as their alt was 10k (same as bombers) ..

Japan's abandoned Rangoon airfields and only fought for control of Pegu Airspace. I'm 1/2 temped to swap over
bomber targets for tomorrow and really add in more escorts (ie all hurricanes) and try and close this airfield too.

Anyhoo 1st up , sweeps .. Brit pilots had a nice panoramic view over Rangoon and little else while the Americans
fought hard.

Morning Air attack on Pegu , at 55,53

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 13 NM, estimated altitude 44,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 37
Ki-61-Ia Tony x 37

Allied aircraft
P-47D2 Thunderbolt x 21

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 7 destroyed
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 5 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 2 destroyed

Royal navy had a shot too but failed miserably compared to the earlier attacks. v poor showing. We'll try and get a surprise whack in on
Moulmein next turn or turn after. and I'll sail over the BB (s) in Ceylon to add to the fun. Its easily escorted by LBA from our
forward airbases (except bad weather makes me itch in nervousness ).

Night Naval bombardment of Rangoon at 54,53

Allied Ships
CA Frobisher
CA Hawkins
CA Shropshire
CL Kenya
DD Rotherham
DD Racehorse
DD Tenedos
DD Van Nes
DD Tjerk Hiddes
DD Van Galen
DD Isaac Sweers

Japanese ground losses:
7 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Manpower hits 1
Fires 260
Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 4

The allied bombers though did a great job :-

Morning Air attack on Rangoon , at 54,53

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIc Trop x 8
Liberator II x 21
Liberator GR.III x 11
Wellington Ic x 4
B-17E Fortress x 22
B-17F Fortress x 12
B-24D1 Liberator x 15
B-25C Mitchell x 18
B-25D1 Mitchell x 12
B-26 Marauder x 9
P-47D2 Thunderbolt x 17

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 1 damaged

Airbase hits 32
Airbase supply hits 10
Runway hits 130

Elsewhere 2 PBY's with terrible nav bomb skills actually hit a jap troop ship , in the south DEI. Next turn the dedicated
Mitchell 2's have their range extended and will hopefully finish off this small TF.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Ternate at 78,102

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 71 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 42 minutes

Allied aircraft
PBY-5 Catalina x 2

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
xAP Kitano Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire

Japanese ground losses:
Vehicles lost 3 (2 destroyed, 1 disabled)

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x PBY-5 Catalina bombing from 6000 feet
Naval Attack: 4 x 250 kg SAP Bomb

More soon I hope.

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

sorry for the spelling . English is my main language , I just can't type . and i'm too lazy to edit :)

(in reply to Rob Brennan UK)

Post #: 473

RE: The Solomons Situation - 3/4/2012 11:21:34 PM

Rob Brennan UK

Posts: 3685
Joined: 8/24/2002
From: London UK
Status: offline

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Aug 31, 43

That was one busy day (sept 1st) ,, Aug 31'st was a bit quite. The Mitchells did find the TF in question
and despite some high alt CAP (which incidentally never engaged the bombers , as it was too high) put
one egg into the AP.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Ternate at 78,102

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 4,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 10

Allied aircraft
Mitchell II x 10

No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
xAP Kitano Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAP Teifu Maru

Aircraft Attacking:
10 x Mitchell II bombing from 1000 feet *
Naval Attack: 1 x 500 lb SAP Bomb

CAP engaged:
24th Sentai/A with Ki-44-IIa Tojo (3 airborne, 7 on standby, 0 scrambling)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 23500 , scrambling fighters to 23000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 26 minutes

Before the big raids on Pegu , the Royal Navy hit moulmein badly and looks like found where
the Nicks have been hiding and using LRCAP tactics .. lots of spare parts available to japan
now

FTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Sep 01, 43

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Naval bombardment of Moulmein at 55,55

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 50 damaged

Allied Ships
CA Frobisher
CA Hawkins
CA Shropshire
CL Kenya

Japanese ground losses:
189 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 18 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 13 disabled

Airbase hits 31
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 29
Port hits 2
Port fuel hits 1
Port supply hits 1

CA Frobisher firing at Moulmein
CA Hawkins firing at Moulmein
Seagull V acting as spotter for CA Shropshire
CA Shropshire firing at Moulmein
CL Kenya firing at Moulmein

Back to the main action however, the air raids over Pegu ,.. in order it happened

16 Planes hurricane group got embroiled with far too many enemy planes for its own good
we lost 4 pilots and 5 planes .. jap losses esp to be 2-3 .

Afternoon Air attack on Pegu , at 55,53

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 35 NM, estimated altitude 35,600 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 27
Ki-61-Ia Tony x 69
Ki-61-Ic Tony x 12

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIc Trop x 14

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Hurricane IIc Trop: 1 destroyed

Then another unit to the slaughter ..

Afternoon Air attack on Pegu , at 55,53

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 39 NM, estimated altitude 39,600 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 25
Ki-61-Ia Tony x 66
Ki-61-Ic Tony x 12

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIc Trop x 14

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Hurricane IIc Trop: 2 destroyed

Then the thunderbolts arrived to dive on the reforming japanese CAP , these cut a hole through
but not enough to allow the bombers a free ride ..

Afternoon Air attack on Pegu , at 55,53

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 27 NM, estimated altitude 45,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 21
Ki-61-Ia Tony x 57
Ki-61-Ic Tony x 11

Allied aircraft
P-47D2 Thunderbolt x 22

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 3 destroyed
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 4 destroyed
Ki-61-Ic Tony: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 1 destroyed

Then the 1st bomber raid , the escort was mostly sufficient to fend off the fighters , however some Tonys made it thorough
to the bombers just as we arrived over target. on leaving 3 wellingtons downed (brit bomber pools are pathetic so a
semi permanent loss for now) ..

Afternoon Air attack on Pegu , at 55,53

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 63 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 24 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 15
Ki-61-Ia Tony x 42
Ki-61-Ic Tony x 7

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIc Trop x 33
Liberator II x 15
Vengeance I x 14
Wellington GR.VIII x 9
B-17F Fortress x 9
B-24D1 Liberator x 12
P-47D2 Thunderbolt x 17

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 15 damaged
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 3 destroyed on ground
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 1 destroyed, 11 damaged
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 4 destroyed on ground

Allied aircraft losses
Hurricane IIc Trop: 2 destroyed
Liberator II: 1 damaged
Vengeance I: 2 destroyed
Vengeance I: 1 destroyed by flak
Wellington GR.VIII: 3 destroyed, 1 damaged
B-17F Fortress: 1 damaged
B-24D1 Liberator: 1 damaged
P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 1 destroyed

Airbase hits 9
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 16

Then horror of horrors , unescorted bombers arrived , some fell back others pressed the attack , fortunately
the CAP was either exhausted/out of position or just ran out of bullets before we got shredded. made it
through and hurt the fields again .

Afternoon Air attack on Pegu , at 55,53

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 73 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 25 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 8
Ki-61-Ia Tony x 22
Ki-61-Ic Tony x 4

Allied aircraft
Liberator GR.III x 7
Wellington B.X x 9
B-17E Fortress x 6
B-25D1 Mitchell x 6
B-26 Marauder x 9

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 4 damaged
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 2 destroyed on ground
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 3 damaged
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 1 destroyed on ground

Allied aircraft losses
Liberator GR.III: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged
Wellington B.X: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged
B-25D1 Mitchell: 3 damaged
B-26 Marauder: 1 destroyed, 4 damaged

Airbase hits 4
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 6

3 more unescorted (tiny) raids made it to attack position , one more Wellington lost to fighters and
a B17E shot down by flak. for a few more hits and hopefully some landing planes got hurt. 1 tojo
reported destroyed on runways.

Next turn .. standing down in Burma .. supply (my personal and everlasting bugbear ) has come back
with a vengeance. Even Ledo is in the Red ! why ?? no idea ... Burma i can understand being low, but
a huge base on rail-lines connected to major Indian cities being out of supply for days now ? grrr.

Im having to send fighter groups back to India to pick up new planes .. this is a small delay.

We will carry on with the P47 sweeps and maybe turn the bombers to ground attacking Rangoon as the have
4500 AV ready and waiting to march in .. However with the 130000 men listed in Pegu , im a bit nervous.
Having air control could be make or break for this final push for the last of Burma. opening
the Burma road again will hugely help china ( extra 500 supply/day).

That is all for now .. piccie of first air raid on pegu.

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

sorry for the spelling . English is my main language , I just can't type . and i'm too lazy to edit :)

(in reply to Rob Brennan UK)

Post #: 474

RE: The Solomons Situation - 3/6/2012 8:57:05 PM

LoBaron

Posts: 4776
Joined: 1/26/2003
From: Vienna, Austria
Status: offline

Sep 2/3, 43:

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, but theres two good reasons for this.

First, theres no spectacular things happening atm for US forces, the Shortlands and Aleuthians are consolidating their gains
slowly, cent pac is always undergoing some small ops but nothing serious.

Second, real life is great atm, but very busy as well.

That said, there might be some action next turn as there were sightings at Rabaul which indicate an SAG and maybe a reinforcement convoy.
I will not attack this one except if the SAG seeks combat at Shortlands, which I prepared for as much as possible with the available forces.

The other mission will be an air strike on Kavieng, as about 100 bombers have been spotted on the ground there. I very much appreciate
the range of the Lightnings which will mix in with escort and sweep roles. Rabaul itself is still too dangerous with an average of 190 fighter a/c
stationed there. I might ask for British support when the time comes to break resistance here. Until then I will continue to use this front as an
attrition area.

_____________________________

(in reply to Rob Brennan UK)

Post #: 475

RE: The Solomons Situation - 3/7/2012 1:53:42 AM

Rob Brennan UK

Posts: 3685
Joined: 8/24/2002
From: London UK
Status: offline

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Sep 04, 43

P47s resumed sweeps over Pegu on the 4th and encountered nothing, has Japan really given up here so easily ?
The thing I really don't get about Japan is its so damn passive. The whole reason I have men to invade Java
and plenty of good quality planes is because Japan just does not attack anywhere bar a few local skirmishes.

P47s did encounter a few enemy a/c on the southern DEI and after a shaky start (in the combat animations)
did cause a few kills. While no allied planes lost in air to air a few ditched on the way back or
pancaked on the runway. 3 lost.

Morning Air attack on Boela , at 80,110

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 26 NM, estimated altitude 43,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 12

Allied aircraft
P-47D2 Thunderbolt x 22

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 3 destroyed

No Allied losses

Pissie of south DEI for referance..

YEllow = tomorrows bomber raid

Red -- area where out low naval attack groups hit the AP's

White -- large ports where im watching to see if japans naval assets return ,, obv with naval search in the gaps.

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

sorry for the spelling . English is my main language , I just can't type . and i'm too lazy to edit :)

(in reply to LoBaron)

Post #: 476

RE: The Solomons Situation - 3/7/2012 2:02:30 AM

Rob Brennan UK

Posts: 3685
Joined: 8/24/2002
From: London UK
Status: offline

2nd update as im doing my orders phase ..

Hold the press !

Japan has withdrawn from Burma

Nothing at all is in Rangoon or Pegu .. to coin a popular on-line acronym, WTF ..

Time to march right in and open up the burma road without a fight, humm , this is odd
given how many men i saw here before and after i have withdrawn some good armour units
for Java i wasn't sure i could do much ve heavy forts .. its a gift horse for sure. But
is it Greek or Trojan ?

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

sorry for the spelling . English is my main language , I just can't type . and i'm too lazy to edit :)

(in reply to Rob Brennan UK)

Post #: 477

RE: The Solomons Situation - 3/7/2012 5:43:35 AM

bigred

Posts: 3599
Joined: 12/27/2007
Status: offline

I look forward to the Lobaron plan for destruction of the Rabaul air fleet..I have a similar situation.

< Message edited by bigred -- 3/7/2012 5:45:27 AM >

(in reply to Rob Brennan UK)

Post #: 478

RE: The Solomons Situation - 3/7/2012 9:07:49 AM

LoBaron

Posts: 4776
Joined: 1/26/2003
From: Vienna, Austria
Status: offline

I have plans in the drawer already, and could begin on a week�s notice.

There are several reasons why I will not move immediately just because I can:

- Rabaul and the Admiralties is an area losing strategic importance day by day.
Mike has to defend in Burma and Thailand, keep the frontlines guarded in China,
needs to cover the weak belly in the Timor area, has to cope with the threat of
CW moving up the Eastern NG coast. Nothing sitting in Rabaul will help him there,
so the Allies will benefit from any stuff he decides to send to Rabaul.

- Rabaul is where the line of contact is with the US south and southwest pac forces
lies. If I can attrit there without convincing him that his position is untenable,
this brings the most benefit.

- IF I want to remove Rabaul as a fighting base, I am able to. With regards to our
Java project the dependencies are obvious. In my opinion the best time to assault
Rabaul from air (and sea) is on short notice before Java OP materializes. So I am
atm yielding the initiative to Rob, if he says go for Java, it is my time to make
as much noise as possible in the Northern Solomons.

Details of the attack will only be set in stone shortly before it is executed.

_____________________________

(in reply to bigred)

Post #: 479

RE: The Solomons Situation - 3/10/2012 2:18:04 AM

Rob Brennan UK

Posts: 3685
Joined: 8/24/2002
From: London UK
Status: offline

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Sep 06, 43

Quiet day for me , apart from the huge bombardment of Moulmein.
Its the combat d�but of the Royal Sovereign. Now we have burma
in its entirety and port Blair , Japan cant do much about these
runs without committing serious naval assets or a weather machine

.

Seriously though Japans Navy is still top notch and a force to be
reckoned with. We will encounter it sooner or later. I expect it to
happen in the up coming Java Op. I also need a good name for this.
any suggestions ?

Night Naval bombardment of Moulmein at 55,55

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 54 damaged
Ki-61-Ia Tony: 4 destroyed on ground
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 55 damaged
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 1 destroyed on ground
Ki-61-Ic Tony: 3 damaged

Allied Ships
BB Royal Sovereign
CA Frobisher
CA Hawkins
CA Shropshire
CL Kenya
CL Emerald
DD Rotherham
DD Racehorse
DD Tenedos
DD Witte de With
DD Van Nes
DD Tjerk Hiddes
DD Van Galen
DD Isaac Sweers

Japanese ground losses:
77 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 12 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 4 (1 destroyed, 3 disabled)
Vehicles lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Manpower hits 1
Fires 69
Airbase hits 25
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 54
Port hits 5
Port fuel hits 1
Port supply hits 1