Canoerebel
Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002 From: Northwestern Georgia, USA Status: offline
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7/20/42 Nemo, yer talkin' above my head. DEI: Surprise! Japanese carriers popped up near Christmas Island, moving west as the turn went on, chasing an Allied picket ship that continually ended up in the same hex. Thus, the Allies got a good look at force composition, which seems to consist of CV Hiryu, CV Akagi, and CA Aoba. We didn't catch a whiff of any other carriers, which dovetails with recent sightings of enemy carriers in force near Tarawa, plus Hiyo/Junyo recently near Pago Pago. This new force ended up just seven hexes from Cocos Island (a level three airfield) and just 14 hexes east of the Allied carriers (Hornet, Saratoga, Lexington, and two RN CVs). I can't be positive that this isn't a well-orchestrated trap, with the rest of the KB somehow pulled from the Pacific and trailing right behind. But I'm 95% sure this is just Hiryu and Akagi. Which is insanity if true. Since Steve isn't insane, there can be one of only two explanations: (1) It is a trap and this is actually the KB (5% chance) or (2) Steve thinks the Allied carriers moved far away (I have no idea why he would think this or how he would feel strongly enough about it to sail carriers into enemy waters. The only other possibility: (3) this is a subconscious effort to make an offering on the table of defeat so that he can resign the game. (That's said in gest, but dang if this isn't an oddity). So, what are those CVs up to? They might be covering an invasion of Christmas Island IO (garrisoned by a U.S. Army battalion), covering an invasion of Padang as referenced yesterday (that would be a suicide run, so unlikely), or simply patroling to test Allied strength or hit Allied shipping between Cocos and Oosthaven. I think there's a fair chance the carriers will withdraw tomorrow. What do I do? Big opportunity, but at some risk. I have to be pretty careful here - I'm missing York and Ent, which are four and six days away from finishing repairs and upgrades at Colombo. I do, however, have their aircraft squadrons available. So I've reconfigured deployment a bit, moving all Avengers to the carriers on site with two SBD-3 squadrons going to Christmas Island. The biggest question is where to station the Allied CVs. I'm leaning towards moving them east closer to Cocos Island. Then, after another day of patrols and assuming the enemy carriers are covering an invasion of Christmas Island, I'll feel better about attacking. Following this course of action, though, my carriers will find themselves in range of the enemy force if it continues west. That's where the risk comes in. NoPac: Wasp has refueld at Kodiak and will move west and then NW into the Berring Sea. Allied transports will begin loading reinforcement RCT at Adak Island in two days. CenPac: Lots of enemy shipping at Mili, plus a transport/supply TF south of Ocean Island on a southwest heading as though bound for the Santa Cruz Islands. That would be a good place for Steve to attend to, but it would be an odd direction for him to attend to it from. SoPac: Hyuga and Yamashiro bombard Pago Pago. Lots of enemy shipping at nearby Savaii Island. No sign of Yamato this time and I haven't seen Hiyo/Junyo in several weeks. P.S. We've already had several major engagements end in Allied victories in which Steve said, "Dang, I didn't think your carriers were here, I thought they were way over somewhere else." I was positive he wouldn't do that again, which is one reason I'm concerned about a trap. To be honest, if this is Hiryu and Akagi by themselves, it's just a really bad move.
< Message edited by Canoerebel -- 9/26/2011 2:46:55 PM >
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