11 September 1942

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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition >> After Action Reports >> 11 September 1942

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11 September 1942 - 6/8/2014 12:23:38 PM

SierraJuliet

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11 September 1942

Undeterred by a couple of bombs Yamato and CAs Chikuma and Tone bombard Lunga. 1 Wildcat reported destroyed as well as 72 casualties, airbase hits 2, runway hits 8 and port hits 5.

At Rekata Bay Japanese escorts score 2 hits on SS Gudgeon.

At Lae 46 B-17 turn up and face off against 9 Zero. 2 Zero lost no bombers downed plus airbase hits 2 and runway hits 1.

24 Airacobra turn up at Buna in the afternoon. There is no CAP available. 1 Airacobra is lost to flak and port hits are 9. A follow up raid on Buna by 5 Beaufort escorted by 8 Kittyhawk sees 1 Beaufort destroyed by flak and port supply hits 1.

PC Ch 32 attacks SS Wahoo until she is out of depth charges. No damage report on the sub.

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Post #: 61

RE: 11 September 1942 - 6/8/2014 5:52:35 PM

Cribtop

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It seems like your bombardments aren't getting a lot of hits. Were you using spotting aircraft set to night recon and maintaining a high DL on Lunga? Irvings are great for this.

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Post #: 62

Re Bombardments - 6/11/2014 12:18:05 PM

SierraJuliet

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I've been trying to remember to make sure that I have spotters up at night when bombarding. I think I fail to remember to do this at times.

I've been sending in recon to try and keep detection level high. Also fairly sure I was using the Irving for this but in the scenario there is only a couple and a very long wait before replacements become available.

< Message edited by SierraJuliet -- 6/11/2014 1:26:01 PM >

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Post #: 63

12-14 September 1942 - 6/11/2014 12:21:41 PM

SierraJuliet

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12 September 1942

28 Betty raid Lunga and bomb the land troop with 22 casualties reported.

At Lae 23 Zero try mounting a defence against 35 B-17. 1 Fortress is claimed destroyed for 1 Zero destroyed plus airbase hits 6, airbase supply hits 4 and runway hits 15.

13 September 1942

At Tassafaronga Japanese ASW claims 4 hits on SS 41.

28 Betty attack Lunga and report 1 Betty lost to flak for 1 Wildcat destroyed on the ground plus 8 casualties, airbase hits 5, airbase supply hits 1 and runway hits 9.

At Lae 14 Zero front up for CAP duty against 30 B-17. No outright losses reported for airbase supply hits 1 and runway hits 1.

The troops on the Kokoda are under fire from 10 Beaufort and 26 Airacobra. 7 casualties are reported.

14 September 1942

Near Koumac SS I-21 launches 6 torpedoes at CV Hornet. They all miss!

Near Tassafaronga SS S-41 attacks a Japanese convoy without success.

Near Shortlands SS Grayling launches torpedoes at PC Ch16, misses, and suffers 9 hits in retaliation.

26 Betty bomb Lunga and report 1 Wildcat destroyed, airbase hits 2, airbase supply hits 3 and runway hits 24.

At Lae 7 Zero defend against 26 B-17. 1 Zero lost in the air and another on the ground plus 3 casualties, airbase hits 3, airbase supply hits 3 and runway hits 11.

Near Lae I try to sneak in convoy containing xAKL Shinsoku Maru on a supply run. She is found by 7 Airacobra and 1 bomb finds the mark causing heavy fires and heavy damage and ultimately the loss of the ship at sea.

On Kokoda track the 144th Infantry Regiment is the target of 7 Beaufort escorted by 8 Kittyhawk. 13 Zero are on hand to meet them. The Zero have a rare day and claim 3 Beaufort and 2 Kittyhawk destroyed and the men on the ground gain a reprieve from bombing.

During the afternoon 27 Airacobra have another go at the convoy near Lae. This time 6 Zero are available to lend a hand. No Japanese planes lost to 1 Airacobra lost in air to air and 1 Airacobra lost to flak and no Japanese ship is hit by bombs.

Ens Kanzaki W. of Tainan Ku S-1 is credited with kill number 6.

Shokaku, Zuikaku and Ryujo taken on aircraft replacements�.. the pools in this scenario though are thread bare. There are Zero replacements to be had but my strike pools are depressingly empty.

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Post #: 64

15 September 1942 - 6/11/2014 9:49:03 PM

SierraJuliet

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15 September 1942

ASW attack near Luganville at 119,148

Near Luganville SS I-11 finds American surface ships, including CAs San Francisco and Salt Lake City and decides to shoot at DD Blue. She misses and sneaks off.

Near the Torres Islands SS I-174 finds more Allied shipping� launches a spread at DD Bagley and then gets hammered by the escort for 9 hits and heavy damage reports.

At Lunga SS S-37 finds Japanese surface ships and shots at BB Kongo. The torpedoes miss and the escort scores 8 hits on the submarine.

Back down at the Torres SS I-17 is located by escorts screening BB Washington. All inconclusive with the escort unable to find their quarry and I-17 not able to get into a firing position.

CAs Kinugasa and Aoba plus CL Nagara bombard Milne Bay and report 13 casualties, airbase hits 1, runway hits 2 and port hits 1.

14 Betty do the run over Lunga and report 7 casualties.

A similar story over the track with 3 Beaufort and 10 Airacobra causing 6 casualties.

The submarine activity continues near Torres Islands with SS I-169 falling foul of allied destroyers. After launching torpedoes at DD Swanson, which miss, she dives deep but is located and forced to the surface. The destroyers quickly find the range of the surfaced submersible and after I-169 is hit 18 times she sinks.

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Post #: 65

RE: 15 September 1942 - 6/12/2014 2:26:48 AM

Cribtop

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I love the Torres Islands. Read my AAR if you want to find out why.

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Post #: 66

16 - 18 September 1942 - 6/12/2014 6:16:30 AM

SierraJuliet

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Cribtop... I've been meaning to delve into your AAR and now that I've flicked through the first 12 pages I'll be finding yet more time to spend on AE while I frantically digest every hard won bit of good information to be found there. And I certainly am looking forward to finding out why the Torres Islands hold a special place in your heart.

16 September 1942

And the submarines continue to sniff around off Torres Islands. SS I-11 finds some surface ships, including CL Boise, but she can�t get a firing position and suffers 1 hit from the escorts.

At Lae 8 A6M2 and 6 A6M3 take on 22 B-17. The Japanese lose 1 of each type for 1 bomber shot down and runway hits 2.

17 September 1942

Near Ndeni, after launching 4 torpedoes at DD Laffey, SS I-123 is hit 8 times and suffers heavy damage.

14 Betty drop their bombs on US Forces at Lunga for no effect.

Lae receives more attention from 32 B-17s. 15 A6M2 and 10 A6M3 are on CAP duty. Again 1 of each type is lost for 1 bomber downed in air to air and another lost to flak. Airbase hits 1, airbase supply hits 1 and runway hits 8. Murakami G. in a A6M3 Zero, is singled out for conspicuous bravery by making a head on attack, forcing a B-17E Fortress out of formation.

On the Kokoda 9 Airacobra bomb and cause no casualties. A follow up raid by 3 Beaufort and 9 Airacobra also nets no result.

18 September 1942

Near Ouv�a SS I-4 finds a task force with CAs Astoria and Portland plus CLAS San Juan in it. Again the Japanese sub is unable to get a firing solution and has to make do with skulking off after receiving 2 hits.

Near Ndeni SS I-16 finds a task force with transports in it. No shot able to be taken and she eludes the escort. The escorts persist and latch on a second time only to lose the contact again.

Near Buka SS Amberjack finds a Japanese cargo convoy but the escort harass her to the point that she cannot take a shot.

The frenzy of Japanese submarine activity finally pays off near Ndeni when SS I-175 finds CV Hornet and launches a full salvo of 8 torpedoes. A lone torpedo strikes the carrier and the submarine makes good her escape.

In the same area SS I-7 shoots at APD Little without success. The escort is unable to locate the submarine.

Over Lunga 15 Betty arrive and destroy 1 Dauntless and 1 Wildcat on the ground and cause 17 casualties, airbase hits 1, airbase supply hits 2 and runway hits 38.

The hit on Hornet elicited the following response from Todd, �I'm done because with only 1 CV I can't do anything except to lose that too. I'll continue with this if you want, but the outcome is moot. The only thing left for you here might be an invasion for learning purposes�.

Apart from his carriers getting a hiding, for no apparent loss of IJN fighting ability, Todd was also bedevilled by the AI taking over control of his submarines (due to my mistake in set up where I ordered AI control of subs) every time they left port (a problem shared on both sides) and he was no longer deriving a great deal of joy from the game. So a decision was made that we would play on for the purposes of me gaining some invasion experience. For me I was keen to get to a point where the base marker at Lunga changed back to meat ball red. I must admit straight up though that I threw what I considered to be my previous good discipline out the window and from this point on I went a lot like a bull at a gate. We did play on for about another month of game time and from here on in the ride is going to be wild and rather ill-disciplined on my part. In short I tossed aside my long game plan of attacking Lunga via the over ground approach from Tassafaronga and decided to go for landing troops in an effort to quickly build up AV and force the issue on the ground.

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Post #: 67

Situation 18 September 1942 - 6/12/2014 6:54:09 AM

SierraJuliet

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Here is the map at the end of the day on 18 September. The masses of IJN subs is evident and I've included their patrol zones as well. There are a couple of troops convoys about and they will be thrown at Lunga as they become available. I had already started the overland march from Tassafaronga to Lunga and those troops will turn up in around 5 days time.

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Post #: 68

19 September 1942 - 6/16/2014 6:49:40 AM

SierraJuliet

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19 September 1942

Near Lunga SS RO-62 launches 4 torpedoes at APD McKean which miss and the sub escapes. For a little time, at least, until McKean and Little find her a second time and record 7 hits on the sub. The hunt continues and RO-62 suffers another 6 hits.

Near Torres Islands SS I-17 finds some cargo ships and scores 1 hit on xAKL Kohala and heavy damage is reported. I-17, in turn, receives 1 hit.

Near Rabaul SS Albacore scores 1 hit on PC Ch12� on fire and heavy damage�.. As to be expected along with her sinking.

Near Rekata Bay Japanese escorts find SS Sailfish and attack her and achieve the goal of keeping her away from the flock they are protecting.

15 Betty attack Lunga and report 1 Wildcat destroyed on the ground, airbase hits 2, airbase supply hits 1 and runway hits 13.

3 Beaufort and 7 Kittyhawk attack the Japanese troops on the Track with no reports of casualties.

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Post #: 69

20-21 September 1942 - 6/16/2014 7:11:13 AM

SierraJuliet

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20 September 1942

SS S-44 finds Japanese transports at Tassafaronga but has to keep her head down and misses out on an opportunity to strike.

21 September 1942

SS S-44 moves onto Lunga and this time launches 4 torpedoes at DD Ariake. No hits, the transports are safe; for the time being and S-44 disappears again.

I send in Maya, Atago and Takao for a night time bombardment at Lunga prior to a landing. They report 1 Wildcat destroyed on the ground, 68 casualties, runway hits 8, ports hits 3 and port supply hits 1.

Near the Feni Island SS Albacore launches 4 torpedoes at SS RO-61. The Japanese sub is lucky and the torpedoes miss.

SS S-44 pops up again at Tassfaronga with no damage on either side.

16 Betty do the Lunga run and report 2 Wildcat destroyed on the ground, airbase hits 1, airbase supply hits 2 and runway hits 40.

The troops on the Track receive more attention from 3 Beaufort and 7 Kittyhawk with no losses reported.

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Post #: 70

22 September 1942 - 6/16/2014 9:02:15 AM

SierraJuliet

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22 September 1942

The first of my landings comes in at Lunga in an attempt to land 82nd Naval Guard. xAK Sakura Maru hits a mine and suffers 12 23 29 00 damage. During the pre-invasion action 288 coastal guns speak up in defence. Japanese ground casualties are 434. A further 60 reported lost during the morning. The action continues and another 135 casualties reported. 5in CD Gun Batteries engage xAKL Keizan Maru and cause 22 sys damage. The landing seems to be quite the botched effort as no troops are ashore at the end of the day.

My carriers are to the east of Lunga awaiting an expected reaction from the Americans. I�ve pondered the issue of building up my carrier wings after the attrition suffered in previous battles. The problem with this scenario is the dearth of replacement aircraft, especially carrier based types. So after some scouring of the board I decided to grab some of the land based units, carrier capable of course, and land them on board the carriers. My thinking is that I�m not tied to Japanese doctrine and after the lessons of Coral Sea and Midway some lateral thinking within the IJN would not have gone astray. I was also prepared to accept the penalty for using pilots on carriers who were not carrier trained. So my air fleet make up is thus:

Shokaku
Kanoya Ku S-1-Det 9 A6M2
Tainan Ku S-1 11 A6M2
EI-1 16 A6M2
EI-2 13 Val (18 pilots)
EI-3 11 Kate (13 pilots)
Zuikaku
EII-1 27 A6M2
EII-2 6 Val (17 pilots)
EII-3 6 Kate (9 pilots)
2nd Ku K-1 13 Val
Ryujo
DI-1 27 A6M2
DI-2 8 Kate

I read up on the rules and played to the allowed limit of 5 groups on board a carrier. As you can also see attrition has been worse on air frames than pilots� I have pilots but a distinct lack of planes. The net result of all this bringing on board non carrier trained pilots is 90 Zero for defence and strike escort and 57 Vals/Kates for the strike component.
I�ve never tried messing with the airwings like this before. Any thoughts would be appreciated�. Particularly if this is considered gamey.

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Post #: 71

22 September 1942 Fleet Locations - 6/16/2014 9:04:05 AM

SierraJuliet

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Fleets in position for something to happen.

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Post #: 72

23 September 1942 Fleet Locations - 6/17/2014 2:59:00 AM

SierraJuliet

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23 September 1942

Efforts to get 82nd Naval Guard off the ships and onto the beaches continue�. Not very successfully. 550 casualties reported with 35 squads destroyed along with 35 non-combat squads destroyed. 304 coastal gun shots are fired. The landing attempt continues and quite a lot of troops are reported lost to a variety of unfortunate endings such as accidental and lost in surf! In retrospect I bet I neglected the commander of this debacle and had someone with low land experience in charge.

Near Ndeni SS RO-63 finds Allied cruisers. She doesn�t get a shot away and receives 2 hits for her troubles. She is persistent and hangs around only to pick up another 5 hits.

Yamato, Chokai, Chikuma, Tone and Yubari carry out a night time bombardment and cause 318 casualties, 3 squads of various descriptions destroyed and 1 vehicle lost plus airbase hits 1, airbase supply hits 1, runway hits 16 and port hits 5. I think I have again neglected night spotting planes. I also have them set to come in no closer than 10000 yds so I expect that has an effect upon the damage they cause.

DD Arashi hits a mine and is at 25 93(59) 02 00 at the end of the day.

DD Hagikaze hit a mine and is at 17 60(37) 26(17) 00 at the end of the day�.. Price you pay for not sending in minesweepers first.

10 Betty carry out the Lunga run today and cause runway hits 11.

9 Beaufort bomb the Kokoda troops and reports come in of 8 Japanese casualties.

At the end of a foolhardy day attempting to land troops at Lunga 82nd Naval Guard has 1 disabled SNLF squad ashore and 3 supports squads (2 of them disabled). At least there are supplies (379) available for this wretched group who between them need only 1 supply to sustain them.

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Post #: 73

24 September 1942 - 6/17/2014 1:21:39 PM

SierraJuliet

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24 September 1942

More mines being found a Lunga but a least no ships are using themselves as mine detectors today.

Near Kirakira SS I-1 puts 1 torpedo into APD Little and then eludes escorts. SS I-175 is in the same area and launches a spread at DD Hutchins. They miss and I-175 makes good an escape. Later in the day SS I-1 puts a second torp into Little. I-1 received 1 hit from escort retaliation.

I send 4 AMc in to clear the mines� they clean up 58 mines but get whacked by the coastal defense. Fires and heavy damage on 2 of the sweepers. Later in the day a further 20 mines are cleared� Someone has been busy sowing mines around Lunga. Both AMcs are lost at sea.

SS S-44 attacks the heavily damaged DD Hagikaze near Russell Island but doesn�t manage a hit. She then tries for the escorting destroyer but again misses.

Near Kirakira SS I-2 finds American cruisers. The attack doesn�t eventuate but the escort finds the sub and manage 2 hits on the Japanese submarine.

Today sees a massed bombing attack on Lunga by 63 Betty which gets reported results of 1 Wildcat destroyed on the ground, 37 casualties, airbase hits 1, airbase supply hits 1 and runway hits 8.

The American carriers have moved into range and launch a first strike of 15 Dauntless escorted by 18 Wildcat on the transports at Lunga. xAK Yodogawa Maru is hit by 1 bomb (heavy fires) and AMC Akagi Maru is hit by 5 bombs (heavy fires and heavy damage) + 20 reported casualties. Akagi Maru later sinks.

The next air strikes by 15 Dauntless and 15 Avenger finds Japanese cruisers and Takao and Maya are both hit by 1 bomb.

At Lae 8 A6M2 and 6 A6M3 fend off an attack by 26 B-17. 1 Zero lost in the air and another on the ground. 1 bomber is destroyed by the CAP and damage to the base is reported as airbase hits 1 and runway hits 7.

During the afternoon the American carriers launch further air strikes with 15 Dauntless and 12 Avengers escorted by 18 Wildcat attacking the cruisers again. Atago is hit by 5 bombs and sinks during the evening. Takao and Maya each receive 1 bomb hit. At the end of the day Takao is at 17 13(4) 10 00 and Maya is at 46 10 04 04.

14 Dauntless locate CAs Furutaka and Kako but do not record any hits.

Today see Yokosuka 5th SNLF begin landing at Lunga�. A better result than the previous landing effort. 28 AV is ashore with disruption at 76 and fatigue at 27.

A lamentable effort today with the Americans having the best of it in the skies. My rush to land troops and the posturing of my carriers has given the Allied cause a free hand at Lunga.

CVL Zuiho arrives at Truk

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Post #: 74

25 September 1942 - 6/18/2014 12:40:15 AM

SierraJuliet

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25 September 1942

More troops are starting to come ashore at Lunga. xAK Keiyo Maru is hit by 1 shell which causes 28 8(5) 4 (3) 28 damage. By the end of the day 35th/124th Inf. Reg. with 125AV and Disruption of only 6 is ashore along with Kure 5th SNLF at 21AV but their disruption is at 61. There is a need for 295 supply and there is 368 supply in the hex.

AMc Wa 2 doing more mine work (21 mines cleared) runs afoul of the coastal guns and is hit once which see the demise of this vessel.

Near Rabaul SS Albacore fires at APD-39 and misses.

Near Rekata Bay escorts locate SS Sculpin but do her no damage.

Lae is subjected to a 50 strong B-17 raid. 13 Zero are on CAP duty. 1 bomber is shot down for 1 Zero whilst 1 Zero is destroyed on the ground and the airbase receives 1 hit and the runway 1 hit.

At Lunga 16 Betty report 28 casualties caused to ground troops.

DD Hagikaze with damage of 17 54 26 00 is one hex away from Shortlands. She has navigated a path through the Allied subs and should make Shortlands and be safe.

CVL Zuiho is racing south to join her sisters. The American carriers have moved south so no carrier v carrier action today. Takao and Maya have moved well away from the action zone, in no danger of sinking, and are heading for Rabaul to patch themselves up.

xAK Yodogawa Maru succumbs to her wounds and sinks at sea.

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Post #: 75

26 September 1942 - 6/18/2014 1:31:37 PM

SierraJuliet

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26 September 1942

More landings on Lunga. During these APD-1 takes 1 shell hit and reports being on fire. In a further round of landings xAK Keiyo Maru, is hit by 2 shell hits and reports heavy fires and heavy damage.

22 Betty fly in to bomb Lunga. They score 1 Wildcat destroyed on the ground, airbase hits 1, airbase supply hits 4 and runway hits 37.

The American carriers are back and find one of my cruiser groups positioned to repel surface attacks on the landing ships. 42 Dauntless and 14 Avenger comprise the attack and they hit CA Kako with 7 bombs, CA Furutaka also 7 bombs and CL Nagara 5 bombs. Heavy fires and heavy damage reported on all three ships. Furutaka and Kako will sink at sea. Dauntless dive bombers left unmolested are a fearsome threat to surface shipping. Yamaguchi is fuming as he is once again too distant to interfere with the American carrier operations.

On the track 10 Airacobra bomb the Japanese troops with no apparent discomfort to the jungle shrouded men.

< Message edited by SierraJuliet -- 6/18/2014 2:37:41 PM >

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Post #: 76

27 September 1942 - 6/19/2014 8:19:05 AM

SierraJuliet

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27 September 1942

Near Rekata Bay SS Sailfish launches against xAK Nitiyo Maru� no result for the American sub. After eluding the escort she bobs up again and takes a shot at PB Shonon Maru #15 and again comes away empty handed. This time the escorts score 3 hits on Sailfish.

More hot coastal fire received from Lunga and this time xAK Tatuno Maru is hit by 6 shells and is on fire plus many casualties suffered during landing.

The daily air assault on Lunga by 19 Betty nets 1 Wildcat and 1 Dauntless destroyed on the ground plus airbase hits 8, airbase supply hits 1 and runway hits 28.

Near Kirakira the American carrier aircraft find a task force centrex on BB Yamato. With no Japanese fighters to concern themselves over 30 Dauntless and 15 Avenger concentrate on the behemoth. 1 Dauntless is lost to flak but in return the big ship is hit by 6 bombs and 2 torpedoes. Yamato is reported to have heavy fires and heavy damage. The damage is severe�. 27 70 (57) 15 00. That is some serious flooding and Rabaul looks a long, long, long way away with oodles of sub infested waters to traverse.

To cap off a great day for the Americans the transports at Lunga are then given a going over by 13 Dauntless and 14 Avenger.
xAK Tatuno Maru, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires Damage is 29 35 16 12
xAK Nitiren Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire Damage is 682626 67
AMC Nosiro Maru, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage 78 43 26 95
E Asanagi
xAK Kashiwara Maru, Bomb hits 4, and is sunk
xAK Aden Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire 54 28 13 38

Japanese ground losses from this assault amount to 324 casualties reported Non Combat: 46 destroyed, 44 disabled and Vehicles lost 54 (33 destroyed, 21 disabled). A punishing day indeed and a payback for rushing around throwing troops on the beach at Lunga willy-nilly. Not to mention failing again to get Yamaguchi and his carriers into strike range of the American carrier/s.

And to add a little salt 17 Dauntless give the wounded CL Nagara further attention and score 1 bomb hit on her and 2 bombs hits on her escort DD Kazegumo! Kazegumo is lost at sea. The flooding on board Nagara gets out of hand and she will be lost too.

Over at Lae 28 mixed Zero meet 24 B-17 and destroy 1 bomber for airbase hits 3 and runway hits 5.

I try out a bombardment attack at Lunga now that the bulk of the forces doing the overland march from Tassafaronga have arrived. Nothing to show for it and reported AV strengths are Japan 322 to American 425. The one thing I don�t know is just how badly off the Americans are in the supply department. Supply for my Lunga land forces is good with 1099 needed and 1453 available.

xAK Keiyo Maru sinks at sea from the damage sustained at Lunga the day before.

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Post #: 77

Battle of Kirakira - 6/19/2014 11:18:21 AM

SierraJuliet

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28 September 1942

Todd�s email from the last turn stated, �Your CVs remain mysteriously silent, but I have a feeling that will change at any time now.� How true!

The roughing up of ships by the coastal fire at Lunga continues�. This time xAK Tatuno Maru receives 3 shell hits and xAK Aden Maru is hit by 1 shell. Both ships report heavy fires and heavy damage.

Yamaguchi, fed up with days of remaining just outside the range of the American carriers, throws caution to the wind and moves to a position from which the Americans must be in range�. Of course this means allowing the American carrier/s to get within range of the Japanese carriers. And so the biggest carrier battle for this game begins near Kirakira.

The Japanese get the first strike in for the day with an aerial punch comprised of 45 Zero escorting 24 Kate and 41 Val. 44 Wildcat rise to meet them. It is a wild affair with 8 Zero lost, 2 Kate and 2 Val destroyed by flak but the strike fights a way through the defences and scores 1 bomb and 1 torpedo hit on CV Saratoga and for good measure 1 torpedo hit on CL Helena. Never enough to silence an American carrier though.

Now comes the American response (first time in the game they have launched a strike on their quarry). 28 Wildcat escort 27 Avenger and a distressingly large number of Dauntless dive bombers -54! On hand to meet them is a CAP of 57 Zero. 1 Zero is lost for 7 Wildcat, 9 Dauntless and 1 Avenger destroyed by CAP. Flak accounts for 1 Dauntless and 1 Avenger. A good defence but plenty of bombers make it through to the carriers. CVL Ryujo is hit by 4 bombs and reports heavy fires and heavy damage. CV Zuikaku is hit by 2 bombs and is on fire and suffers an ammo storage explosion. CV Shokaku is hit by 1 bomb. BB Hiei soaks up 2 bombs. I hate Dauntless and the initial reports do not look good. I expect Ryujo to be a loss and Zuikaku is likely to be out of the contest.

Over at Lae 10 Beaufort and 7 Kittyhawk attempt to mess with a resupply convoy. 7 Zero meet them and shot down 3 Kittyhawk.

At Finschhafen 21 Airacobra taken on 6 Zero. 2 Zero lost for 1 Airacobra but the shipping in the area is protected and suffers no damage.

Round Two at Kirakira.

Yamaguchi fields a second strike of 31 Zero escorting 12 Kate and 35 Val. They have to deal with a CAP of 16 Wildcat. 1 Zero and 1 Wildcat are exchanged in the sky before the bombers break through to their target. 2 Val are lost to flak and reports are received that CV Saratoga has been hit by 5 bombs and another torpedo. She is reported as having heavy fires and heavy damage.

The Americans mount a response with 10 Wildcat escorting 24 Dauntless and 8 Avenger. 45 Zero are available for CAP. The relative aerial strengths look promising for the Japanese defenders. Without loss the Zeros destroy 1 Wildcat, 10 Dauntless and 3 Avengers. A further Avenger is knocked down by flak and only 7 bombers make a run on their targets. The Japanese carriers avoid any further damage. Shokaku and Zuikaku are in the cross hairs but Zuikaku only shows as being on fire� this is an encouraging report.

During the afternoon 9 Zero defend Lae against 24 B-17. 1 bomber is destroyed and they cause 5 casualties and 1 runway hit. Matsuyama I. in a A6M2 Zero makes head on attack ... forces B-17E Fortress out of formation. Sounds like a very brave pilot.

Japanese forces try a bombardment attack at Lunga but no damage is reported.

AMC Nosiro Maru sinks at sea

LTJG Kanzaki W. of Tainan Ku S-1 is credited with kill number 7

xAK Nitiren Maru sinks at sea

The damage suffered by the IJN carriers is as follows. Ryujo was hit by 1 1000 lb bomb which penetrated the flight deck and caused critical damage. She was then hit by 4 500 lb bombs � 1 penetrated the belt armour and caused critical damage, the second also penetrated the belt armour and cause severe engine damage, whilst the third penetrated the flight deck and caused severe fires and finally the fourth penetrated the flight deck without causing further damage. Serious enough and thankfully mainly 500lb bombs. It seems that the previous days sorties had used up all the torpedoes as the Avengers were only spitting out 500lb bombs instead of ship sinking torpedoes. Yamato did serve a purpose.

Zuikaku was hit by a 500 lb bomb which penetrated the flight deck and a single 1000 lb bomb which did all the damage. This single bomb penetrated the flight deck and caused an ammo storage explosion. Shokaku suffered a single 500 lb bomb which penetrated the flight deck and caused severe fires.

After it is all over I get a look at my battered carriers. Shokaku comes out the best with mere scratches and damage of 07 01 00 00 and it would seem that her damage control crew did a tremendous job of getting the fire under control very quickly. Zuikaku needs work and has damage of 38 04 12 03 but importantly no major damage recorded. Ryujo, naturally, came off the worst. She is at 59 (21) 34 12 04 but considering that she is one of the light weight carriers a great result.

As for the Saratoga�. The afternoon strike achieved these results. The first 250 kg bomb struck the belt armour. The second penetrated the flight deck. The third also penetrated the flight deck and caused severe damage. The ship was then struck by a torpedo which caused severe flooding and then the fourth 250 kg bomb also penetrated the flight deck and caused severe casualties from a deck explosion. The last 250 kg bomb also penetrated the flight deck and caused severe damage. Saratoga was last reported to be suffering from heavy fires and heavy damage. Did she make it to port??

As for my strike ability Zuiho (operating in her own task force has 26 planes) and the other 3 have 100 planes between them. Ryujo is out of the game. Zuikaku needs repairs. I have plenty of planes but most of them are fighters and I am reluctant to go chasing and throw away the strike planes that I do have left. I also have an eye to how I would play this in a GC and I would certainly be withdrawing at this point to conserve and replenish my aerial strike capability.

As for Yamato� she lives and has damage of 28 71 15 00. She is a little closer to home and the arrival of Yamaguchi certainly spared her from further American attention.

I think at the end of the day a very profitable day for Japan. No carriers sunk and a good chance of not losing any on the run home to a port. The Intel Screen reported 19 Japanese planes lost in air to air against 77 Allied planes lost in air to air. The significant losses are 15 A6M2 Zero, 3 A6M3 Zero, 29 F4F-4 Wildcat, 41 SBD-3 Dauntless and 12 TBF-7 Avengers. I was very pleased with the way in which my fighter enhanced carriers performed.

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Post #: 78

Battles of Belep Islands - 6/20/2014 11:51:17 PM

SierraJuliet

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29 September 1942

Lunga continues to see Japanese landings and overnight xAK Fukoku Maru is hit by 1 shell.

After the carrier action from the day before the carriers retire but the seas are awash with fighting ships of a different kind.

Near Kirakira the following action erupts.

Japanese Ships
CA Tone, Shell hits 2
CA Chikuma, Shell hits 1
CA Chokai, Shell hits 7
CL Yubari
DD Tokitsukaze, Shell hits 10, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Akatsuki, Shell hits 4, heavy fires

Allied Ships
DD Wilson, Shell hits 1
DD Shaw, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Cushing
DD Perkins, Shell hits 4, on fire
DD Selfridge, Shell hits 11, and is sunk

Then near Belep Islands

Japanese Ships
CA Tone, Shell hits 2
CA Chikuma, Shell hits 3
CA Chokai
CL Yubari

Allied Ships
DD Wilson, Shell hits 1
DD Shaw, on fire
DD Cushing
DD Perkins, Shell hits 5, and is sunk
Scott, N. crosses the 'T'

In the day time this happens near Belep Islands

Japanese Ships
BB Kongo
BB Haruna, Shell hits 7
CA Haguro, Shell hits 3
DD Makigumo, Shell hits 18, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Hayashio, Shell hits 8, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Hamakaze, Shell hits 14, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Natsugumo, Shell hits 11, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Minegumo, Shell hits 12, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied Ships
CA Australia, Shell hits 13, heavy fires, heavy damage
CA Canberra, Shell hits 16, and is sunk
CL Leander, Shell hits 6
CL Achilles, Shell hits 4, on fire
CL Hobart, Shell hits 15, and is sunk
DD Craven
DD Gridley, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD McCall, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Maury
DD Benham, Shell hits 1
DD Phelps, Shell hits 2
DD Balch, Shell hits 1
DD Clark, Shell hits 2
DD Worden, Shell hits 2, on fire
Massive explosion on CL Hobart
Massive explosion on CA Australia

Again near Belep Islands

Japanese Ships
BB Kongo, Shell hits 9
BB Haruna, Shell hits 2
CA Haguro, Shell hits 2
DD Makigumo, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
DD Hayashio, Shell hits 9, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Hamakaze, Shell hits 14, and is sunk
DD Natsugumo, Shell hits 10, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Minegumo, Shell hits 4, and is sunk

Allied Ships
DD Russell
DD O'Brien, Shell hits 1
DD Patterson
DD Jarvis

And it continues near the Belep Islands

Japanese Ships
BB Kongo, Shell hits 4, on fire
BB Haruna, Shell hits 3
CA Haguro, Shell hits 1
DD Hayashio, and is sunk
DD Natsugumo, Shell hits 2, and is sunk

Allied Ships
DD Gregory, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Hutchins, Shell hits 1
DD Laffey
DD Buchanan, Shell hits 2

DD Natsugumo sunk by DD Buchanan at 17,000 yards

At Lae 9 Zero v 29 B-17 for 1 C5M2 Babs destroyed on the ground and 2 runway hits and gutsy Masuyama V. in a A6M2 Zero makes head on attack ... forces B-17E Fortress out of formation

The Americans still have some air power handing around as near Kirakira
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 5
SBD-3 Dauntless x 10
TBF-1 Avenger x 2
Allied aircraft losses
SBD-3 Dauntless: 8 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Kongo, Bomb hits 1, on fire
BB Haruna

Followed by

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 5
SBD-3 Dauntless x 8
TBF-1 Avenger x 2

Allied aircraft losses
SBD-3 Dauntless: 6 damaged
TBF-1 Avenger: 1 destroyed by flak

Japanese Ships
BB Haruna
BB Kongo

At Lunga 15 Betty do their bomb drop and reports 1 Betty lost to flack and 1 Wildcat destroyed on the ground plus runway hits 8.

OPERATIONAL REPORT FOR Sep 29, 42

DD Tokitsukaze sinks at sea
Temporary flotation repairs failing aboard BB Yamato
Temporary flotation repairs failing aboard BB Yamato (She is still gamely making for home)
Loss of DD Makigumo on Sep 29, 1942 is admitted
Loss of DD Hayashio on Sep 29, 1942 is admitted
Loss of DD Hamakaze on Sep 29, 1942 is admitted
Loss of DD Natsugumo on Sep 29, 1942 is admitted
Loss of DD Minegumo on Sep 29, 1942 is admitted
CA Canberra is reported to have been sunk near Belep Islands on Sep 29, 1942
CL Hobart is reported to have been sunk near Belep Islands on Sep 29, 1942
DD Perkins is reported to have been sunk near Belep Islands on Sep 29, 1942
DD Selfridge is reported to have been sunk near Kirakira on Sep 29, 1942

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Post #: 79

30 September 1942 - 6/22/2014 1:25:13 PM

SierraJuliet

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30 September 1942

SS Sculpin pops up near the Russell Islands. She can�t score and nor does the escort.

SS I-4 has a similar story near Ouv�a; Shoots at DD Welles and misses and then escapes. Over near Koumac SS RO-64 also has the same story after she is located by ASW ships.

Landings continue at Lunga and so does the intense barrage from the base. xAK Kamikaze Maru takes 4 shell hits, xAK Heito Maru is hit 3 times and xAK Sagami Maru twice.

At Lae it is 16 Zero v 26 B-17. 1 Zero destroyed on the ground plus runway hits 2 for 1 bomber shot down.

15 Betty at Lunga cause 6 casualties, airbase hits 2 and runway hits 11.

A deliberate attack has been ordered at Lunga. Japanese raw AS is 412 v Allied 417. The adjusted value is a terrible 81 v 203 which came out at 1 to 2 (fort level 0). Terrain is the only modifier in favour of the allies. So 2292 Japanese casualties (28 combat squads destroyed) to 310 Allied casualties (2 combat squads destroyed). I�m sure I�d have to put this down to far too many troops ashore after being chopped up by the shore based guns on the way in. Certainly not an encouraging prospect of taking Lunga swiftly.

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Post #: 80

RE: 30 September 1942 - 6/22/2014 2:46:46 PM

Cribtop

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Those Marine defense battalions are nasty!

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Post #: 81

30 September IJN Ships Lost - 6/25/2014 12:20:57 PM

SierraJuliet

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After the craziness of the last couple of weeks the ships lost has mounted dramatically.

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Post #: 82

RE: 30 September Allied Ships Lost - 6/25/2014 12:34:29 PM

SierraJuliet

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And to show the other side.... Enterprise should read as Wasp as I know that ship is most certainly lost. Hornet... hard to tell but I certainly have my doubts.

The total ship lost is;

............Japan Allied
xAKL........3.......... 1
xAK ........10......... 0
AP .........0 ........ 3
AMc ........2 ........ 0
AMC ........2 ........ 0
SS ........1 ........ 2
PC ........1 ........ 0
DD ........8 ........ 4
CL ........1 ........ 3
CA ........3 ........ 3
BB ........0 ........ 1
CV ........0 ........ 2

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Post #: 83

30 September IJ Planes Lost - 6/26/2014 9:25:01 AM

SierraJuliet

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Here is the list of Japanese planes lost to date.

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Post #: 84

30 September Allied Planes Lost - 6/26/2014 9:27:17 AM

SierraJuliet

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And Allied Planes lost. Very happy with the number of reported downed B-17. Should I take note of these figures or is there fog of war to take into account.

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Post #: 85

30 September Leading Pilots - 6/26/2014 9:29:38 AM

SierraJuliet

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And to round things out the list of leading Japanese Pilots.

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Post #: 86

01 October 1942 - 6/26/2014 10:05:01 AM

SierraJuliet

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1 October 1942

More troops continue to brave the hazards of landing at Lunga. 120 coastal guns fire in defence � the reception is as toasty as ever. xAK Kano Maru reports 4 shell hits and heavy fires whilst xAK Tokusima Maru is hit once.

Near Ouv�a SS I-21 locates American warships and scores 1 torpedo hit on DD Stack � she is reported to have been sunk. I-21 reports 5 hits from the ASW.

Near Finschhafen 6 A6M3 Zero are performing CAP over transports and a good thing too as they are jumped by 15 Airacobra. 1 Airacobra is lost to the CAP and another to flak. The CAP is to no avail as a second raid of 4 Beaufort and 10 Airacobra forces a way past the CAP of only 4 Zero this time. 1 Zero is traded for 1 Airacobra. xAKL Rokko Maru is smashed by 2 500lb bombs and sinks. The Allied planes sniff something good and a third raid of 4 Beaufort and 5 Kittyhawk come to play against the CAP of 5 Zero. A lot of cat and mouse as no planes are lost and this time the Zeros keep the bombers from hitting any ships. A forth raid by 4 Airacobra against 5 Zero ends with 2 of the raiders shot down by the Zeros. In the final action of this series of encounters 5 Airacobra take on 2 Zero. No losses and no harm to the transports.

WO Asada H. of 2nd Ku S-1 is credited with kill number 6

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Post #: 87

02 October 1942 - 6/26/2014 10:12:04 AM

SierraJuliet

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2 October 1942

At Lunga xAK Yamahagi Maru is the recipient of 3 shell hits. xAK Chihaya Maru records 4 hits and xAK Karachi Maru 1 hit and for good measure runs aground whilst attempting to unload.

SS S-40 is located near Buka but the escort is unable to score a hit.

18 Betty raid Lunga. 2 Wildcat are reported destroyed on the ground plus Airbase hits 4, Airbase supply hits 2 and Runway hits 41.

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Post #: 88

3 - 5 October 1942 - 6/30/2014 12:48:05 PM

SierraJuliet

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3 October 1942

The Lunga grinder continues. xAK Yamahagi Maru gobbles 5 shells and xAK Chihaya Maru is hit by 2 shells. 11 Betty fly in a report 1 Wildcat destroyed on the ground plus runway hits 7.

A report comes in that due to insufficient damage control ability the crew abandons xAK Kamikaze Maru.

4 October 1942

At Lunga 15 Betty raid the place and cause airbase hits 3 and runway hits 15.

CV Junyo arrives at Truk.

5 October 1942]

CAs Kinugasa, Aoba and Myoko bombard Tulagi and report 6 casualties, Port hits 9 and Port Supply hits 2.

In the daily round of shell fire from Lunga xAK Canberra Maru takes 3 shell hits. In the daily bomb run 15 Betty report 1 Wildcat destroyed on the ground, 5 casualties, airbase hits 2, airbase supply hits 2 and runway hits 16. On the ground a bombardment attack is ordered but no reports are received of damage to the enemy.

Near the Russell Island DD Isokaze manages to score 2 hits on SS Swordfish.

After taking a battering at Lunga 2 days ago xAK Yamahagi reaches the stage where her decks are awash and the order is given to abandon ship.

Temporary flotation repairs are reported to be failing aboard CVL Ryujo. She still has a way to go to reach the safety of Rabaul.

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Post #: 89

6 - 10 October 1942 - 7/7/2014 11:48:56 PM

SierraJuliet

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6 October 1942

14 Betty bomb Lunga and report 1 Wildcat destroyed, 9 casualties, airbase hits 2, airbase supply hits 1 and runway hits 12.

7 October 1942

14 Betty bomb Lunga and report 8 casualties

Near Tassafaronga E Hatakaze and DD Inazuma subject SS Swordfish to depth charge attack and report 5 hits after Swordfish had unsuccessfully attack Hatakaze.

Japanese bombardment attack at Lunga reports 7 Allied casualties. Assaulting units are 35th/124th Infantry Regiment, 2nd/4th Inf Regiment, Kure 5th SNLF, 1st Ind Tank Comp, 4th Naval Guard Unit, 81st Naval Guard Unit, 2nd/16th Inf Regiment, 3rd Naval Construction Battalion, 3rd Mortar Battalion, 1st Naval Construction Battalion and 13th Naval Construction Battalion. The defending Allied units are 1st USMC/1st Regiment, 1st USMC Amphb Tank Battalion, 1st USMC/5th Regiment, 2nd USN Naval Construction Battalion, 3rd USMC Defense Battalion and 31st USN Base Force /2

Repairs completed on BB Mutsu at Rabaul and she returns to service.

8 October 1942

At Lunga CL Kashima and xAK Yamagiri Maru suffer 1 hit each with the merchant ship reporting heavy fires.

Lae is visited by 53 B-17. A 19 Zero CAP awaits. 1 Zero destroyed on the ground and 1 bomber in the air while the runway receives 4 hits.
Bando H. and Matsumura A. are credited with making head on attacks to each force a bomber out of formation.

At Lunga 15 Betty report 1 Dauntless destroyed on the ground plus airbase hits 1 and runway hits 24.

The Japanese bombardment attack at Lunga reports 4 Allied casualties. JA AV reported as 445 to the Allied AV reported at 354.

9 October 1942

In the on-going landings at Lunga xAK Wales Maru is hit 3 times whilst xAKL Noshiro Maru # 2 is hit by 3 shell and reports heavy fires and heavy damage. Later in the day xAKL Takunan Maru # 8 is hit twice and also reports heavy fires and damage and then a massive explosion. Those 5 inch CD Gun Batteries are very effective.

15 Betty attack Lunga and report airbase hits 2, airbase supply hits 4 and runway hits 15.

In the afternoon 6 Kate escorted by 15 A6M2 Zero bomb the airfield for runway hits 3.

CAs Suzuya, Myoko and Aoba at Rabaul complete their repairs at Rabaul and return to service

10 October 1942

Near Kirakira SS I-10 locates CV Hornet and launches 6 torpedos and fails to hit the target. She escapes and I know that Hornet is back in the game.

Tone and Yubari bombardment Lunga for a return of 8 reported casualties

Near Ontong Java SS Growler shoots at E Hatakaze without results

At Lunga 15 Betty report 6 casualties, airbase hits 5 and runway hits 18 from their bomb run.

At Lae 34 B-17 meet 17 Zero. 1 bomber destroyed for airbase hits 1, airbase supply hits 3 and runway hits 4. Two more pilots agains make head on attacks forcing bombers out of formation.

Hornet makes her presence known with a strike of 29 Dauntless and 15 Avenger escorted by 21 Wildcat. They savage my bombardment TF with Tone 3 bombs, Yubari 3 bombs, DD Oyashio 2 bombs and DD Akigumo 1 bomb.

I order a deliberate attack at Lunga. The raw AS is IJ 476 to US 345. Adjusted it came out at IJ 325 to US 167. 1 to 1 odds with fort level of 0. Defender gets terrain advantage plus supply negative (all that bombing must have had some effect). For all that the result was disappointing in that Japanese casualties reported at 2158 to the US 418. Worse though 26 IJ squads destroyed and 88 disable for only 2 US squads destroyed and 31 disabled. No doubt my helter skelter approach to the landings was a poor way to introduce these forces to the fray and the result showed that.

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Post #: 90