wobbly
Posts: 1095
Joined: 10/16/2002 From: Christchurch, New Zealand Status: offline
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Well a mixed day. My incendary RN ships are at it again - exploding at teh mearest hint of Jap artillery - his BBs pull into Karachi again. My Beauforts in Diamond harbour find some sneaky minelayers. His Naval bombers at Kwajalein find teh San Francisco at Tarawa - but meet my LRCAP fighters in the process. AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/24/42 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TF 1028 encounters mine field at Tarawa (85,91) TF 1028 troops unloading over beach at Tarawa, 85,91 Allied Ships DMS Zane DMS Hopkins PG Niagara DD Hatfield DD Chew DD Morris AK John C. Fremont, Mine hits 1 DD Benham AK Harry Luckenbach, Mine hits 1 Allied ground losses: 35 casualties reported Coastal Guns at Tarawa, 85,91, firing at TF 1028 28 Coastal gun shots fired in defense. Allied Ships AK John C. Fremont AK Laida, Shell hits 1 DD Hughes Japanese ground losses: 10 casualties reported Guns lost 1 Allied ground losses: 384 casualties reported Vehicles lost 1 After swithcing off the 'don't unload swtich' the landings on tarawa begin again in earnest. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Night Time Surface Combat, near Karachi at 21,3 Japanese Ships BB Kongo BB Haruna, Shell hits 10 BB Kirishima, Shell hits 4 BB Nagato, Shell hits 6 CA Kumano, Shell hits 5, Torpedo hits 1, on fire CL Kitakami, Shell hits 5, on fire DD Usugumo, Shell hits 4, on fire DD Shirakumo, Shell hits 7, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk DD Isonami Allied Ships CA Dorsetshire, Shell hits 2 CA Devonshire, Shell hits 3 CA Cornwall, Shell hits 9, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk CA Exeter, Shell hits 3, on fire CL Danae CL Dauntless CL Birmingham CL Newcastle, Shell hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, on fire DD Bulmer, Shell hits 1, on fire DD Whipple, Shell hits 2 DD Stewart DD Isis DD Paladin DD Panther, Shell hits 1 His BBs revisit karachi - probably in the name of the destruction of my bombers located here. I worried about his heavies hitting again. For the price of a few hits on his heavies I loose the Cornwall - which once again has a magazine explosion - bugger! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Night Time Surface Combat, near Karachi at 21,3 Japanese Ships BB Fuso, Shell hits 4 BB Yamashiro, Shell hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, on fire BB Hyuga CA Mikuma DD Yukikaze DD Kasumi, Shell hits 46, and is sunk DD Shinonome, Shell hits 1 DD Ayanami, Shell hits 1, on fire Allied Ships CA Dorsetshire, Shell hits 25, and is sunk CA Devonshire, Shell hits 3 CA Exeter, on fire CL Danae, Shell hits 36, on fire, heavy damage CL Dauntless, Shell hits 8, and is sunk CL Birmingham, Torpedo hits 1, on fire CL Newcastle, Shell hits 13, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk DD Bulmer, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk DD Whipple, Shell hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage DD Stewart DD Isis DD Paladin DD Panther To add to the pain another large BB TF pulls into harbour and meets the damaged surface Tf again. This time I do not get surprise and some of the heavy shells of the BBs take toll of my much lighter ships. All ships listed ass sunk obviously are, but all others are for the moment alive and put into port. As I stated I played the numbers and hoped he would not return. If he did return the navy was to repel invaders to save the airfields - in this they were successful. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day Air attack on Calcutta , at 29,23 Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 42 Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 9 Ki-21 Sally x 94 Ki-48 Lily x 28 Japanese aircraft losses Ki-21 Sally: 2 damaged Allied ground losses: 79 casualties reported Guns lost 3 Airbase hits 23 Airbase supply hits 5 Runway hits 126 With my airforce elsewhere PzB is hammering the airfields at Calcutta. There are no longer ACs here and the forts are at 34% completion to level 8. More on this later. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day Air attack on Lae , at 54,87 Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 9 Allied aircraft Kittyhawk I x 14 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed Allied aircraft losses Kittyhawk I: 11 destroyed, 1 damaged What a truly pathetic effort by the kittyhawks. 5 are lost to the zeros for 1 in return. I have to have no more than 4 to 1. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day Air attack on 200th Chinese Division, at 30,33 Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 3 Ki-27 Nate x 6 Ki-51 Sonia x 18 Ki-21 Sally x 21 No Japanese losses Allied ground losses: 31 casualties reported Guns lost 1 Well despite the lysanders being set to LRCAP these guys they never appear. They have the range (well I don't get a 'disallowed' note) but they are never on station - curious. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day Air attack on TF, near Diamond Harbor at 28,23 Allied aircraft Beaufort I x 6 No Allied losses Japanese Ships ML Katoku, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage ML Kurokami, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage The beauforts at Diamond Hrabour which I left on naval attack find 3 sneaky MLs in the harbour (the other in another attack) they all sink. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day Air attack on Colombo , at 14,24 Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 3 Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 9 Ki-21 Sally x 8 Allied aircraft P-40E Warhawk x 13 Japanese aircraft losses Ki-21 Sally: 2 destroyed, 3 damaged Allied aircraft losses P-40E Warhawk: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed Runway hits 4 The warhawks by themselves are doing OK. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day Air attack on Colombo , at 14,24 Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 8 G3M Nell x 6 G4M1 Betty x 10 Ki-21 Sally x 10 Allied aircraft P-40E Warhawk x 12 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 1 damaged G4M1 Betty: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged Ki-21 Sally: 13 destroyed, 4 damaged Allied aircraft losses P-40E Warhawk: 3 destroyed, 7 damaged Blenheim IV: 1 destroyed Airbase hits 4 Runway hits 9 They really get amongst the ioncoming bombers this time. I am trying to keep the firls open in readiness for the incoming Hermes carried fighters and to get the bombers there off. ------------------------------------ Day Air attack on TF, near Tarawa at 85,91 Japanese aircraft G3M Nell x 11 G4M1 Betty x 22 Allied aircraft F4F-4 Wildcat x 25 Japanese aircraft losses G3M Nell: 22 destroyed, 5 damaged G4M1 Betty: 23 destroyed, 15 damaged Allied aircraft losses F4F-4 Wildcat: 2 damaged Allied Ships AP Chaumont CA Salt Lake City, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage PG Niagara In come the Betties and Nells from Kwajalein. They manage to put a torp into Salt Lake City and it compounds the flooding problem she already had from the mine she hit. She is level 66 flooding and has to make it to Pearl with that - slim chance at this range. If she sinks then the bombers have done their job. If not then this was a very expensive raid for a singel torp strike. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day Air attack on TF, near Tarawa at 85,91 Japanese aircraft G3M Nell x 17 Allied aircraft F4F-4 Wildcat x 25 Japanese aircraft losses G3M Nell: 37 destroyed, 3 damaged Allied Ships MSW Vireo More of the same targeting an MSW that they don't hit. In all the Japs lost 50 ACs today to the allies 7. So multiplying this by 4 and even with the loss of about 100 points worth of Rn shipping we are still up on the ledger. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ground combat at Tarawa Allied Shock attack Attacking force 7659 troops, 83 guns, 29 vehicles Defending force 4824 troops, 14 guns, 0 vehicles Allied assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 2) Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 0 Japanese ground losses: 163 casualties reported Guns lost 3 Allied ground losses: 124 casualties reported Guns lost 11 Vehicles lost 1 With more men on the ground the compulsory shock attack at tarawa is far more effective getting 3-1 odds and removing all levels of fortification. More troops and another shock attack should get me the airfield this turn. As with Lunga though I doubt it will net me many Japs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PzB is moving very quickly now in India. He is racing up the coast road toward Panaji and this scares me as the almighty Bbs will have far shorter distances to travel in order to get replenishment on thier runs to Bombay or Karachi. I land a small unit of Dutch refugies there this turn but the single unit he has sent there should be nothing in the way of whatever he has sent there. It has 30K supplies - there is just no way of stopping this build up. There was only ever a base unit there so not as if an HQ was gathering guns and butter to itself. My Beauforts have moved to Bombay to have a crack at the BBs as they cruise down the coast. I imagine PzB has thought of this and the KB will move up the coast to cover the BBs. If I had done this last turn, as I almost did, I may have had undefended BBs to get amongst. Te Aussies are rushing towards Karachi at greatest possible speed. With guns low on ammo I imagine the Bbs will retire back to Trim to reload. As added cover I am going to create about 10 singleton AK TFs for naval bombers to get interested in. A question to my esteemed colleagues: Do you think I should try and run the huge fleet of ships I have at Karachi out to the Indian Ocean? If he takes Karachi there will be alot of points (there are currently over 200 ships in port!) Once the bases closer to home get taken the long range bombes will be able to joining the sport of hitting my ships. In Diamond Harbour the Warspite - the least of my damaged BBs - is making a run for it. The way I am going I will have to scuttle anyway and if the ship actually makes it that will be 170 less points to the enemy - very slim chance though. PzB has moved 10 units OUT of Calcutta. thats right he is repositioning. I think he is a little worried that my units from Burma can sneak past and defend the rest of India. Fair enough that is what I am trying. If he goes after Asansol and then up the road Calcutta is lost. With 5 Divisions advancing on Hyderabad my defenders at Caclcutta may also get cut off. I start to retire a number of them. I still have alot of forts with which to make him bleed but for the moment it loks like the big retreat has started. The Hermes continues to close. The ships are starting to show the wear of continued fast running. With the first part of Nighthawk nearly complete the carriers start to move away and the rear echelon move in to fix the airfields and such. I still need to cover their unloading but Tarawa shouldn't be far from covering a closer run to Australia for my resupply convoys. Preparations for Whiskey are now going ahead. Also a contingent of 3 CAs a CL and 8 DDs is on it's way to Indian waters.
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