Canoerebel
Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002 From: Northwestern Georgia, USA Status: offline
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8/16/43 Roller Coaster/Thin Man: No signs of enemy carriers or combat ships. Many of the Allied TFs passed close to an IJN sub south of Johnston, but no TFs report detection. There were no actual encounters with the sub. As far as I know, John is not aware that an Allied armada is approaching the Marshalls. This operation is not predicated on surprise but it could benefit from it. The main Allied armada of TFs is 30 hexes east of Kwaj. Other TFs (some slower, some faster) are spread out. John should soon get some NavSearch reports on some of these. The Allied DD force successfully entered the Kwaj hex without incident - no subs, no mines, no ships. I don't think John is aware of this mission. The DDs retired to Wotje, drew a small Betty strike from way down at Tabituea, and the CAP downed them. Tomorrow the DDs will recon Roi-Namur. Kwaj has a CD unit that I think is somewhat smaller than Wotje's. Roi-Namur doesn't start with a CD unit. (By the way, SigInt reports that John has rebuilt Wotje's CD unit at Tokyo.) The Allies have a number of PBY recon units, one regular B24 squadron, and one B25 squadron in the Marshalls and Gilberts. These units are regularly scoring hits on enemy shipping. It's common enough that John is probably irritated a bit. It remainds me of our game around 2007, when allied 4EB on NavSearch simply devastated the Japanese up at Hokkaido and then down around Trivandrum. I thought that feature had since been nerfed, but not by what I've seen lately. I am "assuming" that John will throw everything at the Allies, but I'm actually not sure he will. The Allies have so many bases and so much LBA that I wonder if he'll be willing to chance KB under these conditions. I'm okay with either, though I'd slightly prefer that he not contest, as the Pucker Factor is huge for a major carrier engagement. Here we've played this game for four years, investing countless hours, and now we finally face the prospect of a decisive carrier battle. Pucker. Factor. Nerve. Wracking. Circus: No imminent move on Ulak Island, where forts a 3.95 (two more days). Fletchers are based at Umnak. I'm toying with whether to send them tonight to Adak. I probably will. ASW: I seldom comment on individual combats in the sub wars, but Allied ASW has been very tough in the Aluetians, at Pearl, and in the Marshalls of late. NavSearch patrols are scoring hits as are ASW squadrons and ships with ASW capability. It's very hard to judge outright "kills" in the ASW war, but I believe the Ships Lost screen currently lists about eight IJN subs sunk since July 1. That's inflated considerably, but it is an indication of the level of damage. Elsewhere: I haven't detected any signs that John is moving in Burma or China, but I keep checking. The Allies are selectively building some airfields in China, India and Assam, to be in position to strike at industry when the Strat Bombing house rule expires at the end of the year.
< Message edited by Canoerebel -- 4/27/2016 6:06:17 PM >
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