Canoerebel
Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002 From: Northwestern Georgia, USA Status: offline
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6/28/43 and 6/29/43 Indian Ocean: The Japanese carriers give up the chase. All Allied TFs return to Perth, with the exception of the CVE TFs, Yorktown, and escorts, possibly bound for the Bay of Bengal. Bay of Bengal: CVs Essex and Saratoga rendezvous with Death Star on the 28th. The ASW TFs are in the lead. The escorting combat TFs look really good. Orders are given to proceed to Port Blair, some 12 hexes distant. On the 30th, a very strong enemy carrier TF/TFs pounce, ending up just two hexes from DS & The Herd. The resulting battle is massive and, for the Allies, ugly. I lose two CVs with two more seriously hurt. A Brit CA is sunk. BB North Carolina is crippled and has no chance. Allied CAP performed pretty well, but the incoming strikes were simply too large. Dave's carrier aircraft outnumbered mine 800 to 600, and his numbers were bolstered a bit by LBA. He loses 300 aircraft, while the Allies lose a handful of fighters but another couple hundred go down with ships or are ops losses. There were no advance notice of this carrier TF, although I was sure he had carriers in the region. I felt reasonably sure there were carriers in the Pacific, not to mention the number down at Oz, but this is probably most of his. I think he used flank speed again very effectively. Dave will keep coming. He has enough left to sink a few more carriers. But there's at least some hope that the heavy Jap losses today will dampen their effectiveness tomorrow. Some Allied combat TFs will sortie and try for the intercept, as will Allied subs. If the Allies manage an inside straight pull tomorrow, this will have been a bitter defeat with heavy losses. If Dave lands heavy punches, it will be a very bitter defeat with grievous, crippling losses. This is my first big carrier defeat in perhaps seven or eight years. That doesn't make me feel better, but it does offer the contrast in fortunes that make the good days feel so good. It might be awhile before there's another good day!
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