Miller
Posts: 2226
Joined: 9/14/2004 From: Ashington, England. Status: offline
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1st-7th June 45 Well, the "all-in" battle I was looking for came sooner than I expected.... Early in the month my recon picked up his death star covering amphib forces heading slowly north west from Guam. By the 6th it was about 8 hexes south of Okinawa, target Naha I presumed. I had assembled virtually all my remaining fleet to intercept, hoping to do the trusty LBA/CV air 1-2 punch that had served me well in the past. Unfortunately on the 7th our CVs reacted to each other and the battle to took place one day sooner than I expected, therefore I had almost no LBA in place to attack his CVs.... It was a massacre on both sides. My CVs launch first in the morning with a mega strike. 430 fighters escorting just over 500 DB/TBs flying into his mega 1500 plane CAP: Morning Air attack on TF, near Naha at 94,68 Weather in hex: Light rain Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 19,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 40 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M8 Zero x 133 A7M2 Sam x 297 B7A2 Grace x 238 D4Y3 Judy x 168 D4Y4 Judy x 88 Allied aircraft Corsair II x 66 Corsair IV x 24 Hellcat I x 95 Hellcat F.II x 66 Seafire IIC x 45 Seafire L.III x 109 FM-1 Wildcat x 86 FM-2 Wildcat x 425 F4U-1D Corsair x 190 F6F-3 Hellcat x 167 F6F-5 Hellcat x 224 OS2U-3 Kingfisher x 8 Japanese aircraft losses A6M8 Zero: 40 destroyed A7M2 Sam: 81 destroyed B7A2 Grace: 76 destroyed, 44 damaged B7A2 Grace: 8 destroyed by flak D4Y3 Judy: 61 destroyed, 13 damaged D4Y3 Judy: 7 destroyed by flak D4Y4 Judy: 20 destroyed, 10 damaged D4Y4 Judy: 3 destroyed by flak Allied aircraft losses Corsair II: 1 destroyed Corsair IV: 1 destroyed Hellcat I: 6 destroyed Hellcat F.II: 3 destroyed Seafire IIC: 3 destroyed Seafire L.III: 10 destroyed FM-1 Wildcat: 5 destroyed FM-2 Wildcat: 19 destroyed F4U-1D Corsair: 4 destroyed F6F-3 Hellcat: 6 destroyed F6F-5 Hellcat: 5 destroyed OS2U-3 Kingfisher: 1 destroyed Allied Ships CVL Belleau Wood, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage BB Richelieu, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage CV Enterprise, Torpedo hits 1 CVL San Jacinto, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage CVL Bataan CV Bon Homme Richard, Torpedo hits 1 CV Implacable, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, Kamikaze hits 2, on fire, heavy damage CV Formidable, Torpedo hits 2 DD Pringle DD Murray CLAA Tucson CVE Stalker, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk CVE Barnes, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage CVE Prince William, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires CVE Copahee, Torpedo hits 5, and is sunk CVE Breton, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 5, and is sunk CVE Commencement Bay, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage CVE Ranee, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk CVE Kalinin Bay, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage CLAA Oakland CVE Arbiter, Torpedo hits 1, on fire CVE Matanikau, Bomb hits 1, on fire BC Renown, Torpedo hits 1 CV Indomitable, Bomb hits 3, Kamikaze hits 1, heavy fires BB Howe CV Victorious CV Illustrious, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, Kamikaze hits 1, on fire CV Indefatigable, Torpedo hits 4, heavy damage CV Hornet, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage BB Iowa, Bomb hits 1 BB Alabama CA Louisville CVE Natoma Bay, Bomb hits 5, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk CVE Nassau, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk CVE Tracker, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage CVE Rajah, Torpedo hits 2, on fire CVE Makassar Strait BC Repulse DD Leutze, Bomb hits 2, on fire CVL Princeton, Torpedo hits 1, Kamikaze hits 1, on fire DE Leland E. Thomas, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires DE Williams CVE Pursuer, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk DD James C. Owens DE Traw, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires DE Walter C. Wann DE Kenneth M. Willet, Kamikaze hits 2, on fire, heavy damage CVE Slinger, Torpedo hits 1, on fire The escorts take it on the chin but enable about 75% of my strike a/c to get through to attack. The weather gods were against me again but results are still good considering. His CAP gets another big attack on my retreating bombers and they are savaged as they withdraw. Of the entire strike of 930 planes I lose at least three quarters of them. No LBA launch to attack his CVs in the morning. Then its the turn of his CV strike, which is absolutely devastating: Morning Air attack on TF, near Daito Shoto at 99,68 Weather in hex: Partial cloud Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 34 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M5c Zero x 6 A6M8 Zero x 32 A7M2 Sam x 72 Allied aircraft Avenger I x 14 Avenger II x 51 Barracuda II x 24 Barracuda TR.III x 6 Hellcat I x 28 Hellcat F.II x 10 Seafire L.III x 23 FM-2 Wildcat x 14 F4U-1D Corsair x 182 F6F-3 Hellcat x 96 F6F-5 Hellcat x 208 SB2C-4 Helldiver x 261 TBM-1C Avenger x 65 TBM-3 Avenger x 219 Japanese aircraft losses A6M8 Zero: 3 destroyed A7M2 Sam: 1 destroyed Allied aircraft losses Avenger I: 1 destroyed Avenger II: 7 destroyed, 2 damaged Barracuda II: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged Barracuda TR.III: 1 destroyed Seafire L.III: 1 destroyed SB2C-4 Helldiver: 17 destroyed, 28 damaged TBM-1C Avenger: 8 destroyed, 2 damaged TBM-3 Avenger: 12 destroyed, 10 damaged TBM-3 Avenger: 1 destroyed by flak Japanese Ships CVL Chiyoda, Bomb hits 5, on fire, heavy damage CV Junyo, Bomb hits 8, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage CVL Mizuho, Bomb hits 5, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk CVL Ryuho, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires CV Katsuragi, Bomb hits 9, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage CV Unryu, Bomb hits 5, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage CL Oyodo, Bomb hits 8, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk CV Amagi, Bomb hits 16, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage DD Hatsuzuki, Bomb hits 6, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk DD Akizuki, Bomb hits 3, and is sunk DD Susuzuki DD Niizuki, Bomb hits 1, on fire DD Wakazuki, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires CV Hiyo, Bomb hits 8, heavy fires, heavy damage DD Wakazakura CVL Chitose, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires DD Teruzuki, Bomb hits 9, and is sunk DD Michishio, Bomb hits 4, and is sunk DD Arashio, Bomb hits 7, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk DD Sumire DD Shii, Bomb hits 1, on fire DD Kaki, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage DD Nashi, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires DD Tsuta, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage There is no way my paltry 100 plane CAP was going to get through to his bombers and his strike pilots enjoy better weather. The results speak for themselves.
< Message edited by Miller -- 3/29/2019 11:18:48 AM >
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