wobbly
Posts: 1095
Joined: 10/16/2002
From: Christchurch, New Zealand
Status: offline
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Action stations! All hell has broken loose up by Gili and Woodlark.
It all starts with the surface group under Lee pulling into Gili and the DMS's Southard and Zane finding multiple minefields. Despite their best intentions the CA Quincy and DDs Wilson and Canning strike mines. Canning is the worst hit with a gapping hole in her side and a size 20 fire raging through the bridge area. She will make for Cairns and hopefully will get there. The Quincy and Wilson will team up and head to Cairns to undo their flooding damage. They should both make port but will be returning to Pearl.
Continuing with the action: the minesweeping force of 4 MSWs pulled into harbour and immmediately the constant sound of explosions could be heard as they cleared mine after mine - Herbie-san has heavily mined Gili Gili Harbour. Their efforts are effective when the main invasion fleets and the Wasp (woops) pull into the bay - no one else hits a mine.
Morning aerial searches found 4 enemy task forces in the vacinity - Spruance goes about making their lives very unhappy; best explained in the combat report.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 09/08/42
Weather: Rain
Air attack on Dobadura , at 13,38
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 52
B-24D Liberator x 12
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 2 damaged
Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 24
Airbase hits 7
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 53
Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
3 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
8 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
4 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
6 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
4 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
9 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
9 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
The heavies at last fly, they hit dobadura and manage to crater the runway - it will probably be functional tomorrow - but the least fatigued sqds are going again. One fort and one liberator are lost.
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Air attack on Port Moresby , at 10,40
Allied aircraft
Hudson x 27
Beaufighter VIC x 22
B-25D Mitchell x 23
B-26B Marauder x 36
Allied aircraft losses
Hudson x 1 destroyed
Hudson x 2 damaged
B-25D Mitchell x 1 damaged
B-26B Marauder x 1 destroyed
B-26B Marauder x 2 damaged
Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 207
Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 30
Attacking Level Bombers:
12 x Hudson at 6000 feet
5 x B-26B Marauder at 6000 feet
14 x Hudson at 6000 feet
14 x B-25D Mitchell at 6000 feet
9 x B-26B Marauder at 6000 feet
9 x B-26B Marauder at 6000 feet
12 x B-26B Marauder at 6000 feet
9 x B-25D Mitchell at 6000 feet
Further attacks against PM result in more runway hits. Losses are starting to mount here though so these flyboys are grounded - they can resume as ground harrassment at Gili once the troops are ashore.
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Air attack on Gili Gili , at 17,42
Allied aircraft
PBY Catalina x 2
no losses
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Air attack on TF at 24,41
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 9
TBF Avenger x 27
no losses
Japanese Ships
AP Kinugasa Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AP Kaihei Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 10
Spruance finds remnants from the attempted invasion of Rossel Island
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Air attack on TF at 24,41
Allied aircraft
SBD Dauntless x 32
no losses
Japanese Ships
AP Horaisan Maru, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
AP Hakonesan Maru, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AP Kaihei Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 142
Guns lost 2
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Air attack on TF at 24,41
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 18
SBD Dauntless x 31
TBF Avenger x 15
no losses
Japanese Ships
AP Horaisan Maru, on fire, heavy damage
AP Kaihei Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 34
Most of these ships sink - and with them a large quantity of japs I don't have to fight.
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Air attack on TF at 24,41
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 4
SBD Dauntless x 17
no losses
Japanese Ships
AP Horaisan Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 38
Guns lost 1
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Air attack on TF at 24,41
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 7
SBD Dauntless x 17
no losses
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Air attack on TF, near Gili Gili at 17,42
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 6
B5N Kate x 19
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 29
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 2 destroyed
B5N Kate x 6 destroyed
B5N Kate x 13 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat x 1 destroyed
1LT R. Stout of VMF-224 is credited with kill number 3
Allied Ships
AP John Penn
DD Farenholt
AP President Monroe
AP Monrovia
Herbie-san responds by launching an attack with naval ACs from dobadura. 2 Torps hit but fail to explode and my surface groups get away with it in the initial rounds. Fortunately Wasp is not attacked!
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Air attack on 18th Coastal Gun Battalion, at 55,57
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 20
TBF Avenger x 13
A-20B Havoc x 12
Allied aircraft losses
A-20B Havoc x 2 damaged
Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 29
Attacking Level Bombers:
12 x A-20B Havoc at 6000 feet
13 x TBF Avenger at 6000 feet
More attacks on Efate for training. My last sqd of Devastators has been replaced by Avengers.
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Air attack on TF at 21,37
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 20
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 4
SBD Dauntless x 16
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 1 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
SBD Dauntless x 3 destroyed
SBD Dauntless x 8 damaged
Japanese Ships
CVE Unyo, Bomb hits 1, on fire
Oh Ho HO What the hell is this!! Unyo is found 2 hexes north of Woodlark in company with some APs. Herbie-san admits he was retreating but not far enough. The one hit obtained is costly but the hit is reported as a fuel explosion.
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Air attack on TF at 21,37
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 20
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 12
SBD Dauntless x 15
TBF Avenger x 12
no losses
Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat x 2 destroyed
F4F-4 Wildcat x 1 damaged
SBD Dauntless x 1 destroyed
SBD Dauntless x 2 damaged
TBF Avenger x 2 destroyed
TBF Avenger x 7 damaged
WO N.Nakajima of F1/3rd Daitai is credited with kill number 3
Japanese Ships
CVE Unyo, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
Spruance, with CVs in the area, gets tough and sends a more coordinated strike. The CAP and AAA take a heavy toll but the 3 hits result in an ammo explosion and another fuel explosion. I don't think Unyo will be continuing in the fight.
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Air attack on TF at 21,37
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 20
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 13
SBD Dauntless x 24
TBF Avenger x 26
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 1 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat x 2 destroyed
F4F-4 Wildcat x 1 damaged
SBD Dauntless x 1 destroyed
SBD Dauntless x 3 damaged
TBF Avenger x 1 destroyed
TBF Avenger x 3 damaged
ENS K.Minowa of F1/3rd Daitai is credited with kill number 2
Japanese Ships
AP Shinkoku Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
AP Ryotaku Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire
AP Hakuyo Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire
AP Koei Maru
AP Montevideo Maru
DD Fubuki
Further strikes to the same location find a transport TF this time, more retribution is dished out although the pilots are getting tired now - zeros are taking their toll.
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Air attack on TF at 21,37
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 9
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 9
SBD Dauntless x 32
no losses
Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat x 1 destroyed
F4F-4 Wildcat x 1 damaged
SBD Dauntless x 4 damaged
Japanese Ships
AP Koei Maru
DD Fubuki, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AP Shinkoku Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AP Hakuyo Maru, on fire
AP Ryotaku Maru, on fire
AP Hokuriku Maru
A large strike for little accomplished.
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Day Time Surface Combat at 0,0
PO2 A.Minami of F1/3rd Daitai is credited with kill number 3
Japanese Ships
AG 352, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
AG 355, Shell hits 3, and is sunk
Allied Ships
BB North Carolina
CA Northampton
CA Salt Lake City
CA Quincy, on fire
CL St. Louis
CL Honolulu
DD Grayson
DD Stack
DD Wilson, on fire
DD McCall
DD Smith
DD Fanning
DMS Southard
DMS Zane
The AGs that have been servicing PM are sunk
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Day Time Surface Combat at 0,0
Japanese Ships
AG 2051, Shell hits 5, and is sunk
AG 2054, Shell hits 4, and is sunk
AG 2055, Shell hits 3, and is sunk
AG 2056, Shell hits 5, and is sunk
AG 2057, Shell hits 13, and is sunk
Allied Ships
BB North Carolina
CA Northampton
CA Salt Lake City
CA Quincy, on fire
CL St. Louis
CL Honolulu
DD Grayson
DD Stack
DD Wilson, on fire
DD McCall
DD Smith
DD Fanning
DMS Southard
DMS Zane
More to the tally.
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So far the plan is working perfectly. A small cause for alarm is the fact of all the strikes that the naval ACs are performing. Today I lost 31 assorted ACs - that cannot continue and me stay effective. My original reason for locating the Carrier TF where I did was to stop his (in my opinion) most potent retaliatory weapon: his surface ships, from attacking the invasion forces. At this rate most of my aircraft will be grounded for repairs or out due to fatigue when he sends them in. There is no other course to travel though. The ground pounders need to be covered and while they are unloading the flyboys will keep flying: the RAF could do it in the Battle of Britain....
My surface forces at Gili have been reduced, but I have 2 DDs at Townsville - they put to sea to make up the numbers. The Canberra has also been in harbour at Brisbane getting rid of SYS damage I may put her to sea to make up the loss of Quincy. Having 2 Carrier TFs and the escorts required for those has restricted me here.
The troops start unloading tonight so I expect Herbie-san to try an initial attack to push me off the beach - I can only hope elements of 5 regiments, in the day they will have to unload, will be enough to hold.
It is also difficult to over-ride the impulse to smash the ships he has in the area - subs for instance are waiting for his reposte but could be chasing cripples.
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