Hortlund
Posts: 2884
Joined: 10/13/2000 Status: offline
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16th December Nort Pacific A force of 5 old USN DDs intercept a troop convoy of mine, despite the BB cover in the same hex. Amazingly enough, the lone escorting PB manages to keep the DDs away from the other ships. The ships stumble into eachother again and this time one of the xAKs take a torpedo hit, and some other xAK a handful of shell hits. Nothing catastrophic though. Visibility up here is very low with 10% moon and rain. Then the DDs run into my BB cover force. Just one DD sunk, but Imagine the panic on those DDs when two BBs slowly appear just 3000 yards away in the rain... Japanese Ships BB Mutsu, Shell hits 2 BB Yamashiro CL Kitakami TB Sagi DD Tadeshiwa Allied Ships DD Fox DD Brooks DD Gilmer, Shell hits 18, and is sunk DD Hatfield DD Kane Reduced visibility due to Rain with 10% moonlight Maximum visibility in Rain and 10% moonlight: 3,000 yards Range closes to 9,000 yards... Range closes to 8,000 yards... Range closes to 7,000 yards... Range closes to 6,000 yards... Range closes to 5,000 yards... Range closes to 4,000 yards... Range closes to 3,000 yards... CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 3,000 yards CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 3,000 yards BB Mutsu engages DD Kane at 3,000 yards BB Mutsu engages DD Hatfield at 3,000 yards BB Mutsu engages DD Gilmer at 3,000 yards DD Brooks engages BB Mutsu at 3,000 yards DD Fox engages TB Sagi at 3,000 yards DD Gilmer sunk by BB Yamashiro at 3,000 yards BB Mutsu engages DD Fox at 3,000 yards DD Fox engages TB Sagi at 3,000 yards Range increases to 6,000 yards DD Kane engages BB Yamashiro at 6,000 yards BB Mutsu engages DD Brooks at 6,000 yards BB Mutsu engages DD Brooks at 6,000 yards DD Tadeshiwa engages DD Fox at 6,000 yards DD Brooks engages TB Sagi at 6,000 yards Task forces break off... During the day, Vals from the KB sink a lone xAKL in the area, so now Dan knows where the KB is. That alone should be enough to stop any more interference with the landings here. Burma The aillied counterattack fails miserably in a rain of bombs from supporting Jap aircraft. I wonder where Dan will go from here...another attempt with more reinforcements, or will he start pulling back from southern Burma. The british response to my paradrop here has been slow and weak. I wonder why he is not using the RAF more here. Perhaps this is an indication that his bombers are in other places (think Ceylon, or Java). Ground combat at Meiktila (58,47) Allied Deliberate attack Attacking force 1474 troops, 4 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 58 Defending force 1566 troops, 36 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 84 Allied adjusted assault: 2 Japanese adjusted defense: 24 Allied assault odds: 1 to 12 (fort level 0) Combat modifiers Defender: preparation(-), fatigue(-), experience(-) Attacker: disruption(-), morale(-) Japanese ground losses: 22 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled Allied ground losses: 120 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 20 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Assaulting units: 10th Burma Rifles Battalion 1st Burma Brigade Defending units: Yokosuka 3rd SNLF /1 4th Ind.Mixed Rgt /1 Air war This battle over Manila causes concern for me. I think it is an indication that I have been pushing my fighter units too hard, and Im getting sloppy. The pilots morale and fatigue were probably higher than they should be. I was also flying much too high for some reason. This is probably half of a staggered sweep and the other fighter unit was ordered to hit another target (Bataan). This is what happens when I try to meet him up high alone with Zeros. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Morning Air attack on Manila , at 79,77 Weather in hex: Partial cloud Raid detected at 17 NM, estimated altitude 23,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 5 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 20 Allied aircraft P-26A x 2 P-40B Warhawk x 5 P-40E Warhawk x 26 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 5 destroyed Allied aircraft losses P-26A: 1 destroyed P-40B Warhawk: 1 destroyed P-40E Warhawk: 4 destroyed CAP engaged: 24th PG/3rd PS with P-40E Warhawk (2 airborne, 6 on standby, 8 scrambling) 8 plane(s) intercepting now. Group patrol altitude is 29000 , scrambling fighters between 16000 and 29000. Time for all group planes to reach interception is 20 minutes 24th PG/17th PS with P-40E Warhawk (0 airborne, 4 on standby, 0 scrambling) 4 plane(s) intercepting now. 0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 2 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact. Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 15000 and 18000. Time for all group planes to reach interception is 1 minutes 24th PG/20th PS with P-40B Warhawk (1 airborne, 4 on standby, 0 scrambling) 5 plane(s) intercepting now. Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 11000 and 18000. Raid is overhead 35th PG/21st PS with P-40E Warhawk (1 airborne, 3 on standby, 0 scrambling) 4 plane(s) intercepting now. Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters to 20000. Raid is overhead 6th PS PAAC with P-26A (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling) 0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 2 out of immediate contact. Group patrol altitude is 10000 Time for all group planes to reach interception is 44 minutes
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The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
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