apbarog
Posts: 3769
Joined: 5/23/2002 Status: offline
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3 Sep 43 My 9 Fletcher destroyers stirred up some trouble at Rabaul. The weather was thunderstorms, and with just 17% moonlight, the engagements all began at either 1000 or 2000 yards. Round 1: DD Ayanami hit by a torpedo in the first exhange of fire Night Time Surface Combat, near Rabaul at 106,125, Range 1,000 Yards Japanese Ships CA Chikuma CA Furutaka DD Shinonome, Shell hits 2 DD Isonami, Shell hits 2 DD Ayanami, Shell hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk DD Oboro, Shell hits 1 Allied Ships DD Braine DD Bush DD Dyson DD Foote, Shell hits 1 DD Fullam DD Harrison DD Schroeder DD Terry, Shell hits 1 DD Thatcher, Shell hits 6 Round 2: Yes, there were mines. TF 534 encounters mine field at Rabaul (106,125) Allied Ships DD Terry, Mine hits 1, on fire DD Dyson, Mine hits 1, heavy damage DD Thatcher, Mine hits 1 Round 3: Patrol boats sunk. Night Time Surface Combat, near Rabaul at 106,125, Range 2,000 Yards Japanese Ships PB Choko Maru #5, Shell hits 4, on fire PB Kosin Maru #3, Shell hits 4, on fire Allied Ships DD Braine DD Bush DD Foote DD Fullam DD Thatcher, Shell hits 2, on fire Round 4: What a huge task force. A shame there's just 3 Fletchers. Night Time Surface Combat, near Rabaul at 106,125, Range 2,000 Yards Japanese aircraft no flights Japanese aircraft losses E13A1 Jake: 3 destroyed F1M2 Pete: 4 destroyed Japanese Ships CL Katori, Shell hits 22, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk PC Nire PC Take PB Ikunta Maru PB Showa Maru #5 ACM Shofuku Maru #2 TK Nikkoku Maru AV Kunikawa Maru AV Kiyokawa Maru, Shell hits 15, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk AK Aratama Maru AKE Keiyo Maru AKE Kenyo Maru PB Hakakisan Maru PB Konsan Maru PB Sansei Maru PB Taikei Maru xAK India Maru xAK Ryuzan Maru xAK Kiyoshima Maru xAK Kotobuki Maru #5 xAK Kuraido Maru xAK Otori Maru xAK Sanura Maru xAK Sakido Maru xAK Shinkoku Maru xAK Utide Maru AKE Yosida Maru #1, Shell hits 7 xAKL Kaijo Maru #2 xAKL Tateyama Maru xAKL Saiho Maru xAKL Konsan Maru xAP Hikawa Maru xAP Terukuni Maru xAP Hakone Maru xAP Husimi Maru, Shell hits 1 xAP Suwa Maru xAP Miike Maru xAP Buenos Aires Maru xAP Kongo Maru xAP Kobe Maru xAP Shanghai Maru E Yaeyama AMc Iwate Maru #4 AMc Iwate Maru #5 AMc Takunan Maru #6 AMc Kamoi Maru #9 AMc Kujirono Maru AMc Rumonoe Maru AMc Uruppu Maru xAK Shinai Maru xAK Wazan Maru Allied Ships DD Braine DD Bush DD Foote Round 5: Enemy patrol boats do well sacrificing themselves for the rest. Night Time Surface Combat, near Rabaul at 106,125, Range 3,000 Yards Japanese Ships PC Nire, Shell hits 6, heavy fires, heavy damage PC Take, Shell hits 10, heavy fires, heavy damage PB Ikunta Maru PB Showa Maru #5 ACM Shofuku Maru #2 TK Nikkoku Maru AV Kunikawa Maru, Shell hits 7 AK Aratama Maru AKE Keiyo Maru AKE Kenyo Maru PB Hakakisan Maru PB Konsan Maru PB Sansei Maru PB Taikei Maru xAK India Maru xAK Ryuzan Maru xAK Kiyoshima Maru xAK Kotobuki Maru #5 xAK Kuraido Maru xAK Otori Maru xAK Sanura Maru xAK Sakido Maru xAK Shinkoku Maru xAK Utide Maru AKE Yosida Maru #1 xAKL Kaijo Maru #2 xAKL Tateyama Maru xAKL Saiho Maru xAKL Konsan Maru xAP Hikawa Maru xAP Terukuni Maru xAP Hakone Maru xAP Husimi Maru xAP Suwa Maru xAP Miike Maru xAP Buenos Aires Maru, Shell hits 1 xAP Kongo Maru xAP Kobe Maru xAP Shanghai Maru E Yaeyama, Shell hits 5 AMc Iwate Maru #4 AMc Iwate Maru #5 AMc Takunan Maru #6 AMc Kamoi Maru #9, Shell hits 1 AMc Kujirono Maru AMc Rumonoe Maru AMc Uruppu Maru xAK Shinai Maru xAK Wazan Maru Allied Ships DD Braine DD Bush, Shell hits 1 DD Foote Round 6: Another task force found. Night Time Surface Combat, near Rabaul at 106,125, Range 2,000 Yards Japanese Ships xAK Burma Maru, Shell hits 1 xAK Holland Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire xAK Italy Maru, Shell hits 2, on fire xAK Ryoyo Maru xAK Hoeisan Maru xAK Ryuun Maru xAK Aki Maru, Shell hits 10, on fire, heavy damage xAK Toyu Maru, Shell hits 1 xAK Ueizuru Maru, Shell hits 7, on fire PB Kaito Maru, Shell hits 8, and is sunk PB Fukkai Maru, Shell hits 13, heavy fires, heavy damage PB Taijin Maru, Shell hits 13, and is sunk Allied Ships DD Braine DD Bush DD Foote Round 7: I-31 sinks previously undamaged DD Harrison Sub attack near Rabaul at 106,125 Japanese Ships SS I-31, hits 10 (one good hit but won't sink her) Allied Ships DD Harrison, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage (Sunk) DD Schroeder Quite fun to watch. The Fletchers do well, but so do the enemy mines. DD Harrison is sunk outright by the sub torpedo. DD Dyson is gravely damaged, and is almost surely going to sink. But I will try to get her home. She's moving just one hex a day, and has damage of SYS 25/FLOT 90-69/ENG 34-29/FIRE 0. 4 days or so just to get to Torokina, if I take the base by then. Very doubtful. The 2 other damaged destroyers are DD Terry SYS 33/FLOT 35-22/ENG 2-0/FIRE 0, and DD Thatcher SYS 33/FLOT 37-13/ENG 5/FIRE 0. All destroyers, including those undamaged in the fight but somewhat damaged in the full speed run, will eventually go to Sydney for repairs. Elsewhere, Torokina is bombarded and bombed. Near Torokina, subchasers sink I-174. The ground attack goes well, with 2 to 1 odds, lowering the forts from 4 to 3. Losses are light, with 187 enemy and 67 friendly. We attack again today. A maximum air effort against Mandalay goes badly. The weather is severe storms. P-47s, then P-39s, then P-40s sweep, finding a CAP of about 45 Zeros and 45 Oscars. The Allies do poorly, even the Thunderbolts. Bombers come in after, taking heavy losses and doing only moderate damage to the airfield in the bad weather. Total air losses are 12 P-40s, 12 P-47s, 9 P-39s, and 12 B-24s. Enemy losses are 11 Zeros and 7 Oscars. In the battle hex north of Akyab, a deliberate attack goes at 1 to 2 odds. 354 enemy losses to 916 friendly. Need to rest a bit. 2 units are being rotated back to Cox's Bazar, and 2 fresh infantry units leave Chittagong to reinforce. Today BB Resolution, unspotted in the Indian Ocean, will bombard Akyab. At Manado, a US ground attack goes well, going at 1 to 1 odds and lowering the forts to 0. Heavy enemy losses at 1770, with 210 friendly. This base is about to fall. We attack again. Invasion shipping for Balikpapan will get close to Makassar today, so the run in to the invasion beaches start tomorrow.
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