marbakka
Posts: 410
Joined: 3/9/2012 Status: offline
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Combat Report - 1/16/1942 - Japan snatches up some more bases around Celebes using paratroopers - What appears to be an abnormally large number of troops land at Atka Island (Aleutians). I'm unsure why he is invading with that size force. Is he trying to pull something like what he has read in PH's AAR? Surely not. - The Java invasion begins with troops landing in Merak. They will find a little resistance at Batavia and then nothing at all until they get down to Soerabaja. I've pretty much abandoned this area. - Lest this be missed in the coming description of the Battle of the Timor Sea, I will point out here that he also invaded Timor at Koepang. Another invasion TF appears to be NE of the island and headed for the Dili area. I have almost nothing here to resist. - At Port Moresby, his deliberate attack results in 1 to 2 odds in my favor and he takes a modest beating. Not enough to send him packing, though. The Battle of the Timor Sea (Day One) Two days ago, it became clear that I would have to fight my way out of the Timor Sea as the KB had chased me through the Torres Strait and the mini-KB had moved to block my flight west. I chose to take my chances with the mKB in the west, and subsequently, the KB moved back into the Coral Sea (though it has disappeared over the last 24 hours...more on that later). For the last two days, weather has prevented either my own CVs (Enterprise and Lexington) or the mKB from launching air attacks, but the weather cleared up today... In the first attack of the day, a combat TF that had been escorting the mKB broke off and entered the hex that separated his carriers from mine. The result was not devastating, but good enough that I don't worry too much about these BBs hurting my carriers:quote:
Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 34 Allied aircraft F2A-3 Buffalo x 9 F4F-3A Wildcat x 11 F4F-3 Wildcat x 33 SBD-2 Dauntless x 36 SBD-3 Dauntless x 18 TBD-1 Devastator x 15 No Japanese losses Allied aircraft losses F2A-3 Buffalo: 1 destroyed F4F-3 Wildcat: 3 destroyed SBD-2 Dauntless: 7 destroyed, 1 damaged SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed TBD-1 Devastator: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged Japanese Ships BB Ise, Bomb hits 8, on fire CL Kuma, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage BB Mutsu, Bomb hits 5, on fire CA Maya, Bomb hits 1, on fire DD Samidare DD Murasame, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage DD Asagumo, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage Notice that he had many Zeros flying CAP. They blunt some of this attack, but it also splits in half the CAP that should have been over his carriers... Then, my CVs launched an attack on his Koepang invasion TF. The results were not especially impressive, but I'm pretty sure I sunk one or two troop transports - hopefully with troops on them. In hindsight, it was good target practice for later in the day. Then came the two scary parts of the afternoon... The first was when LBA out of Kendari showed up to play. Thankfully, it was only 6 Betties and 15 Zeroes. My CAP dealt with the threat swiftly, and they never even got to make a run at my ships. But then came the mKB's bombers. This led to some very long, tense moments when groups of 4-5 bombers were making runs on Lexington. (I've got to turn the message delay down a little as it can't be good for my heart to sit there and look at it wondering if those bombs will hit). The end result, however, was that only ONE torpedo found its target and that target was CA Astoria. quote:
Weather in hex: Severe storms Raid detected at 77 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 32 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 37 B5N1 Kate x 13 B5N2 Kate x 23 Allied aircraft F2A-3 Buffalo x 7 F4F-3A Wildcat x 9 F4F-3 Wildcat x 20 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed B5N1 Kate: 5 damaged B5N2 Kate: 8 damaged B5N2 Kate: 1 destroyed by flak Allied aircraft losses F2A-3 Buffalo: 1 destroyed F4F-3A Wildcat: 1 destroyed F4F-3 Wildcat: 2 destroyed Allied Ships CV Lexington CA Astoria, Torpedo hits 1 CA Portland CA Chicago In his defense, notice that the weather was "severe storms" in the hex with the CVs Having survived that, it was time to grab the tiger by the ears:quote:
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Sawoe-eilanden at 62,119 Weather in hex: Overcast Raid detected at 39 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 15 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 32 Allied aircraft F2A-3 Buffalo x 8 F4F-3A Wildcat x 11 SBD-2 Dauntless x 38 SBD-3 Dauntless x 16 TBD-1 Devastator x 12 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed Allied aircraft losses SBD-2 Dauntless: 2 destroyed, 8 damaged SBD-2 Dauntless: 1 destroyed by flak SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed, 11 damaged SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed by flak TBD-1 Devastator: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged Japanese Ships CVE Hosho CA Haguro CVL Zuiho, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires CVL Shoho, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires CVL Ryujo, Bomb hits 2, on fire DD Oyashio DD Natsushio CA Myoko, Bomb hits 1, on fire 11 Devastators slipped in a little bit later and dropped torpedoes aimed at the Hosho but none of them were recorded as hits. I'm curious as to whether his carriers are able to continue flight operations. There were reports of a fuel storage explosion aboard Shoho and an ammo storage explosion aboard Zuiho. Tracker reports that Shoho went down, but I don't dare believe it. If he can't conduct flight operations, then Day Two may see the end of these guys.(Note: Notice that CVE Taiyo is not around. This helps to confirm that the torpedo my sub put into her a couple weeks ago kept her in port) Obviously, I'm very pleased with the results of what I am calling "Day One" of the battle. Astoria is in no danger of sinking and though she evidently wishes to stay with the fleet, her speed is down to 29 and I'm inclined to send her with a DD escort to the coast to stabilize everything. However, as pleased as I am, I recognize that this battle is not over. For one thing, I cannot say for a certainty that the CVLs are crippled to the point that they can't launch an attack, and Hosho wasn't even touched. I imagine that the combat TF isn't in THAT bad of shape either, so there's that to worry about. But most importantly, the KB disappeared this turn. It is possible that they continued into the Coral Sea and toward the Solomon Sea and that my search planes just didn't see them, but it is also possible that he decided to resume the chase and entered the "blind spot" to the west of the Torres Strait. If that is the case, then whatever the results of tomorrow's battle, I may find the KB waving at me in the rear view at the end of the day. I don't think the possibility of the KB's presence changes what I have to do so much as the nervousness with which I do it. I cannot move west without continuing to deal with the mKB, so that is that. It ain't over till he surrenders... (Screenshot at the position at the end of the day)
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< Message edited by marbakka -- 5/11/2012 8:47:42 PM >
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