SoulBlazer
Posts: 839
Joined: 10/27/2002
From: Providence RI
Status: offline
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BATTLE UPDATES!
I've not put anything up today because the turns have been flying. Both Drex and I were home for most of today so the the action has been hot and furious.
Here is a attempt to describe the major events of the last seven days of battle:
NOVEMBER 1st
It is confirmed by Japanese Intel that air attacks on PM are stepping up, and that a massive Allied fleet seen off of the north coast of Australia the last few days is indeed heading north. With worth of this announcement, the fitting Japanese plan is taken out and called into action. All day every fit warship in Rabul is organized into a fleet, fueled up, given a commander, and made ready to leave port.
The carriers all form in one task group, believing that saftey is in numbers. Over 400 planes are on deck, but it is known there will be massive air losses to inflict any damage on the Allies. A conservative aporach is needed, so Nagato flies his flag from mightly Zuikaku.
All of Japan's battleships and her best cruisers and destroyers gather in a second fleet -- eight BB's in all, led by the awsome Musashi. Flying her flag in this ship is the amazing Tanaka.
Finally, a second surface combat fleet of damaged and supporting elments makes up the rear, led by Admiral Kondo, flying his flag from Mogami.
By evening, the fleets are ready and leave harbor, along with a transport and a small escort fleet and the last Japanese sub.
NOVEMBER 2nd
I had delayed sending out the Combined Fleet for two reasons -- to make sure I knew where Drex was attacking, and in the hope that my airbase planes would soften him up or at least tire him out. But waiting also means that the base has a chance to get pounded. Today my planes from PM did try to attack the Americans but were wasted without any hits. I moved my three fleets south from Rabul on a corse away from any Allied bases and made sure they remained in training. They would regroup at 'Point Z' just east of GG.
The American subs saw me first, though. One managed to put a fish into one of heavy cruisers. The damage was'nt bad but the ship had to turn away to Shortland to make sure it did'nt get worse. Despite being damaged by a depth charging, it attacked again the same day, this time hitting a destroyer and also sending it home. But the sub was not lucky enough to aboid a second depth charging and she was confirmed sunk.
I also noticed that the American fleet was aproaching Lea Lea, which they had allready taken by landing a small unit a few days eariler.
Despite possibly losing surprise, I pushed on.
NOVEMBER 3rd
Today the fleets reached 'Point Z' without further incident. They refuled and got ready to go into combat, and pilots were taken off of training.
Thunderstorms came in today, thus allowing the American crews to rest as well, although bombers from Aussie land continued to strike PM. Somehow the base was still functional although I was losing a lot of planes. The Allied fleet parked either right off PM or at Lea Lea.
To my surprise, I saw THAT was where the Allied troops were landing, and not at PM.
Another American sub attacked today, but it's spread missed and the sub was damaged heavily.
NOVEMBER 4th
Today was the big day for air combat. The weather was still thunderstorms but both carrier fleets got close to one another and traded off air strikes. PM was too damged to do much more then send a few Zero's over my carriers for extra CAP.
The net result of the day was that I lost over 100 planes with the Allies losing only around 50. I lucked out with damage. Only the Shokaku was hit and it was a minor hit. On the Allied side, Victorius was hit hard with two bombs and a torpedo, and two CVL's were also reproted damaged.
As the sun set, the carriers headed a little to the east to regroup with the support fleet and the main battleship fleet charged in to Lea Lea. A large fleet was still present there as well, and many units were unloaded, especily the Eng units.
NOVEMBER 5th
The turn started off with the expected surface combat. Tanaka's fleet of 8 BB's, 4 CA's, 2 CL's, and 4 DD's ran into a covering Allied fleet consiting of 5 BB's, 5 CL's, and 8 DD's. The fighting was hard and fast, fought at long range first and then closing. Neither side had much luck with torpedos, but there was no surprise.
The battle left two battleships on each side hurt, one a little worse then the other -- Nagato the worst and then Mutsu for the Japanese, and Massachusets the worst and then Nevada for the Allies. Musashi had taken a fair ammount of damage as well, as she was ganged up on, and had to be seperated from the main fighting fleet. A heavy cruiser and a few destroyers were also hit hard enough to be compeled to retire. On the American side, it looked like every ship had been hit hard, with the light cruisers espeicly battered. Two Japanese DD's and one American CL and DD sank after the battle.
Tanaka had orders to go for the transports, even though much of their unloading was down, and he succeeded in doing so, falling upon a CVE with transport ships and MSW's. One Japanese DD sank due to previous wounded, but the American CVE was sunk as well as a number of support ships. After this, Tanaka withdrew his fleet.
The day's weather remained Thunderstorms and the American carriers had not gotten any closer to my ships. This allowed me to rain down strikes -- but not on the main carriers, as they were hidden, but on support CVE's. Their air attacks sank one CVE and crippled a second, as well as hitting a few other minor ships. Very minor air losses were suffered.
Also, a American unit showed up in GG and started to attack, but the Japanese had ample time to dig in and beat off the attacks.
NOVEMBER 6th.
Today opened with a bang -- both sides most wounded battleships found themselves at grief. One of the Japanese subs in the area was lucky enough to pick the right route that some crippled Allied ships might take heading back to Australia and found the big modern BB Massachustes in his sights, with only a light escort. A spread of six Long Lances were fired, and the deadly fish showed they had not lost their touch. Three connected solidly into the allready hurt BB, and she blew up and sank in a matter of minutes. The DD's did succeed in damaging the Japanese sub with a lucky depth charge. Drex has now lost his last modern BB.
As the sun rose, the weather softened a little to rain but air strikes would still be impacted. Nagato was badly hurt and limping away slowly. Unlike Mustu, who was east of GG allready and attacked by American subs twice. They managed to sink her DD escort but the big target itself was untouched.
I hoped that Nagato would draw the attention of the American carrier planes, and she did. All morning she was hit hard, but she remained afloat, although a burning wreck by mid day. In the afternoon she was hit again, and finally in the evening she rolled over and sank.
She had done her work, though, as it allowed my carriers to get further away and launch more strikes on the American carriers, also working with planes from PM. One small strike was down to two Kates by the time they got into range of a Essex class carrier. One was shot down, the other damaged, but the damaged pilot stayed true on course, and hit the carrier with a good solid hit, leaving the enemy flattop in flames. An allready damaged CVL was also reported hit. The crippled CVE from a couple days back sank.
With both sides having lost a battleship, Tanaka reorganized his combat fleet and was sent charging into attack Lae Lae again, still filled with American ships.
NOVEMBER 7th
Weather finally improved to overcast, allowing both sides to launch strikes at one another. The Japanese fell back slowly while the Americans also cautiously followed.
Tanaka went into Lae Lae again and attacked three different American fleets. A damaged CVE was shot at but not hit. Two CL's and a DD were blasted to the bottom of the ocean, as was the primary target of the raid -- enemy transports. However, Hyuga took two torpedo hits and left the battle badly hurting.
American strikes thus focused on the damaged Hyuga, furhter damaging her, and also managing good hits on the Haruna. This further reduces the power of the once mightly Japanese navy. At least the Americans have been hurt as well. Only one American strike went in for the carriers -- 26 unescorted Avengers, with 20 shot down and the other six damaged.
Long range bombers from Lunga and Japanese carrier strikes tried to pentrate the thick American CAP, but no hits were reported. Both sides must be exausted by this point.
GG continues to stay in Japanese hands for the time being.
How long will Japanese luck last? And is the damage being inflicted on the Americans enough to hold the line? A lot of transports have been sunk but a lot of Japanese ships damaged. Only time will answer that question.
_____________________________
The US Navy could probaly win a war without coffee, but would prefer not to try -- Samuel Morison
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