rsallen64
Posts: 172
Joined: 6/15/2009 From: Olympia, WA Status: offline
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Good suggestions to all of the above, and here is what I have done over multiple turns in the past month or so: 1. I have run multiple recon/search runs with Catalinas from both Luganville and Efate, as well as PM. I have also run Lightning recon from Luganville over this area. 2. I sent in multiple sub patrols directly into the base, some of which took heavy damage, one of which was sunk. 3. I sent SCTFs to bombard Tulagi/Guadalcanal and attack Japanese cargo/troopship convoys and SCTFs in the area, which resulted in large formations of Carrier based air groups responding and pummeling the SCTFs that they could find. 4. I simultaneously used recon/search on Rabaul (Catalinas for recon), and well as LBA (Fortresses, Mitchells) to bomb Rabaul from PM, to hit the airfields and ports there, from altitudes of 15000 down to 5000, to make sure the airfields and port facilities were damaged as well as any ships, and to make sure the planes I saw attacking my SCTFs near the lower Solomons were not coming from Rabaul. Based on the recon and those results, they weren't. 5. I did run some sub mining missions into the Shortlands, with mixed results. 6. I have not seen ANY Japanese carrier forces appear anywhere during the entire time this force has been parked, nor have I received any intel about Carrier groups either. My intel tells me I have sunk about 1 CV and 2-3 CVEs so far, but I am taking that with a grain of salt, as usual. But the absence of any activity elsewhere is also another convincing piece of the puzzle. I do have all my carriers available and they could be in the area in a relatively short time frame, but because I have seen large numbers of carrier based air coming out of the area, I am reluctant to engage because the cost benefit analysis tells me the risk is too high. When this same force came down the east coast of Oz, it was quite strong and did some damage, and I didn't have anything to stand in it's way, so I don't think it's air groups are reduced by much.
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Desert War 1940-1942 Beta Tester Agressors: Ancient Rome Beta Tester "The greatest and noblest pleasure which men can have in this world is to discover new truths; and the next is to shake off old prejudices." Frederick the Great
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