Lokasenna
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Joined: 3/3/2012
From: Iowan in MD/DC
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Banda Sea - April 15, 1944
IJA troop numbers on Timor continue to swell. On April 15 he attacks at Lautem and loses another 200 AV in a 1:2 attack. I think he thinks that eventually I will run out of supplies and then my troops will die. He has likened this area to being like the historical Guadalcanal, but to me it is nothing of the kind. For starters, I'm on what would be the Japanese side if we're talking about Timor (he typically has air superiority, despite periodic night bombings of Lautem/Dili destroying scores of planes). I consider it to be something else. To me, it seems that the more he throws at Timor, the better it is for me strategically. Hopefully that's not just me searching for diamonds in the rough.
Babar begins to expand, and we're able to get supplies over to Taberfane as well as Saumlaki.
On April 5, we captured Manokwari up near Biak via paratroops, and began to fly in engineers (for forts) and supplies. Later, I will fly in some air support and base Catalinas or Mariners from here where they are relatively immune to being destroyed while not flying, and where they will give me eyes almost all the way to Manado and Davao.
KB is still in the area. As long as he's looking here, like the Eye of Sauron, we can be reasonably certain to have a free hand elsewhere (like near Hollandia, even though that's only 1.5 days of sailing away). Its presence here is predicated by a major battle between Boela and Taberfane on April 12 that began developing around April 10.
On April 8, a larger than normal IJN presence was detected north of Koepang, heading east or northeast. I had CVs coming up from the Normanton area, via Gove, along with major surface forces. The intent was to force more ashore at Lautem or Saumlaki, and perhaps harass Boela (I have periodically been using Fletchers from Darwin to shuttle through Taberfane on the way to penetrate Boela). He has also been using a small CA/CL/DD TF based out of Boela or Sorong to try and harass Taberfane. I'll gladly fight this battle of attrition.
On April 9, it looks like some kind of KB, perhaps angling for a clever 8-hex strike on things near Babar. On April 10, major unidentified IJN forces are in the middle of the Banda Sea, south of Ambon.
On April 11, they are outside of Boela (presumed SCTF) and Ambon (presumed KB). For April 12, I set up as much LBA as I can between Taberfane, Merauke, Bathurst, Darwin, and even Gove. Anything that will fly as far as Taberfane or Gorong (the dot outside Boela).
On April 12, I change my plans for my fast BB TF from Saumlaki to interdicting at Taberfane. The timing is almost perfect.
CA Ashigara and CA Myoko bombard Lautem. Meanwhile, CA Kako, CL Yahagi, and 3 DDs run afoul of my 4 Fletchers at Taberfane. DDs Suzunami and Kikuzuki are crippled. Bigger IJN forces are spotted outside of Boela, heading for Taberfane. My fast BBs are already at Taberfane. CA Kako, CL Yahagi, and 2 DDs are sunk outright for minimal damage to my own forces (DD Selfridge collides with CL Leander... that was basically it).
During the air phases, the bigger IJN TF outside Boela is revealed to be big, slow BBs. I had set my CVs to a position a little SE of Taberfane. Helldivers and Avengers make a mess of them (damage reports combined):
BB Nagato, bomb hits 15, torpedo hits 1, heavy fires
BB Hyuga, bomb hits 10, torpedo hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
BB Ise, bomb hits 6, torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
I am fairly certain that Hyuga is sunk. I think Ise may have limped over to Ambon. Hard to tell - too much going on elsewhere in terms of planes and VPs. But overall, a great couple of days with major blows to the IJN.
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RE: Headhunter - Lokasenna (A) vs. mind_messing (J) - N... - 
. I can't recall whether Illustrious lived. 
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