AmiralLaurent
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Joined: 3/11/2003
From: Near Paris, France
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The game will stop for some days as Pompack has big problems with playing WITP on Vista.... A general reinstallation will probably be necessary and the next days will be used to cure this.
28 July 1943
Northern Pacific
Three Allied convoys unloaded troops on Paramushiro Jima during the night (so two finished unloading yesterday afternoon) and reported 146 landing casualties. Japanese defenders fired 59 CD shells but hit nothing.
But this night the danger for the Allied ships was not coming from the land but from the sea. Admiral Tanaka’s TF (BB Haruna and Hiei, 4 CA, 3 CL and 6 DD) was not detected before arriving in the area but Allied sailors were more alert and coordinated than when Hashimoto won the 2nd battle of Paramushiro Jima. Sadly for them, and hopefully for Japan, the available Allied forces were now far less powerful.
Tanaka was intercepted by an USN TF made of four CL (Cleveland, Montpelier, Denver and Birmingham) and 5 DD. Despite being well dominated in number and firepower the Allied commander managed to outmaneuver Tanaka (when I said that Hashimoto did better….) and crossed his T opening fire at 6000 yards. The CA Tone and two DD were hit in this phase but one of the hit DD, the Kazegumo retaliated with devastating status. She fired a torpedo spread at the American flagship, the CL Cleveland that was hit by two in her ammunition chamber and exploded. The other American ships turned to avoid the rear part that was still floating and were then taken under fire by the full Japanese line but managed to escape much damage (a CL set on fire and two DD damaged by shells and torpedoes) while firing their own torpedoes, one of which hit the Japanese DD Natsushio that also exploded and sank. And then both sides broke contact.
Tanaka was not interested in dealing with American cruisers, his target were the Allied convoys. So he tried to reach them by another way 30 minutes later but the same American TF intercepted him. Fire was again opened at 7000 yards but this time Tanaka ordered his ships to close range and eliminate the American ships. The latter only managed to score one more 6in shell on the already hit CA Tone, and to destroy some small guns aboard the Haruna, but the price was high. Both damaged DD, the Converse and Hutchins, were sunk, and all surviving ships were heavily damaged. The CL Montpellier took two 14in shells and 1 torpedo, the Birmingham one torpedo and the Denver two 14in shells, while the 3 remaining destroyers were hit repeatedly by shells fired by the Japanese cruisers and destroyers.
Leaving behind his three damaged ships (CA Tone and DD Nowaki heavily damaged, DD Nowaki on fire) Tanaka then sailed towards the Allied convoy. Another small Allied surface TF (2 US CL and a HMS CL, 4 DD) briefly engaged him but retired after scoring some more hits on the easiest targets, the burning Tone and Kazegumo.
And then Japanese lookouts reported a convoy full ahead and Tanaka ordered a Long Lance attack. His TF was no more in perfect order and the attack was not especially successful but sank the MSW USS Oracle and hit two AK. The attacked convoy was composed of 41 AK escorted by 5 MSW and tried to scatter as much as possible while the Japanese ships closed to gun the last ships before retreating out of the area. Without suffering any new hit, they sank 3 more MSW (Heed, Sage and Revenge) and two AK (Mildura and Eridanus). Another AK, the Cheleb, was fatally hit and sank some hours later SE of PJ where the convoy had fled. Two other AK were also hit but not seriously. Sadly there were no more troops aboard this convoy.
A last word about Tanaka’s ships before following the Kido Butai. His TF retreated without problem and ended the day at 300 miles WSW of PJ but the three damaged ships were not so lucky. The DD Kazegumo was not seriously hit and tried to follow the TF but failed and was sailing alone when she was attacked SW of PJ after dawn by the SS USS Cabrilla that hit her with a torpedo. She survived and managed to continue to sail west, ending the day at damage 57/88/38. The two other cripples, the Tone and the Nowaki, were slower and only did 120 miles during the day. In the afternoon, 3 B-17E from Attu attacked them and scored a hit on the Tone but it bounced on her armor. The CA (60/33/10) and the DD (69/39/26) will probably be saved. As the Kazegumo, they were ordered to sail to Etoforu Jima where the AR will patch them.
The Kido Butai sailed NE during the night and met the SS USS Balao that chased it for hours around 180 miles west of PJ, trying four times to attack. In her first attack she launched torpedoes at the CV Zuikaku and in her third at the BB Mutsu but torpedoes missed on the former and failed on the latter. The two other approaches were detected and depth charged by DD that also chased her after the failed shots, but the Balao escaped relatively lightly with only four near-misses. After dawn, the SS USS Raton also attacked the fleet 120 miles WNW of Onnekotan Jima and missed a DD and then escaped after one of the 8 DD chasing her had scored a near-miss.
Despite all these efforts by this valiant submarine the Kido Butai had reached intact the planned position 120 miles WNW of Onnekotan Jima, and clear weather covered all the area. Aircraft of both sides saw enemy CV and exactly at planned the KB admirals reacted eastwards while the CVE TF left PJ to the NW, ending at 60 miles E of the KB, and the main Allied CV TF didn’t dare to enter the reef area NE of PJ and remained west of the island, at 180 miles of the KB. Well, not went exactly as the plan. You remember that I tried an experiment by turning a surface TF into an “air combat” TF (by including an empty CVL) to see if the TF will follow reacting air TF. It didn’t, this TF stayed at the same place with the 3 DD leading the fleet, while the three “true” air combat TF reacted eastwards. So it was a bad idea… but with no consequence as this TF was not attacked at all during the day.
By the way as usual in CV battle the first to fell were the crew of patrol aircrafts shot down by enemy fighters. For today’s battle Allied losses were 6 Kingfisher and 1 TBM, Japanese ones were a Alf and a Emily.
The Kido Butai main target for today were the two American CVE and 79 Val and 81 Kates were sent to attack them under escort by 101 A6M3a and 15 A6M5. Once again Nagumo felt confident enough (victory disease?) to send 20 A6M3a on LRCAP over PJ. The available CAP over the Kido Butai was so reduced to 113 A6M3a and 21 A6M5. And waited for the Allied airmen to come.
They came in several waves. For both sides the first battle of Paramushiro Jima has seen the end of the powerful carrier air force trained for half a year by Japan and for a year by the Allied. Many formation leaders were dead, wounded or missing, and those that remained were leading a mix of veteran and rookies. That was the explanation of the fact that raids of both sides split before reaching their target.
The first Allied raid to reach the KB came from the main Allied CV fleet. 33 SBD and 17 TBM escorted by 11 F6F were easily repulsed by the Japanese CAP that shot down 22 SBD, all 17 TBM and 9 Hellcat for the loss of 5 A6M3a. The surviving Allied pilots turned back.
The next raid came from the CVE with 8 TBF escorted by 13 F4F-4. The CVE fighter pilots (of VF-35 and VF-60) had proven to be the best scores of the Allied side so far in the battle and managed to down 6 A6M3a but were too few and the Zeroes shot down all 21 aircraft of this wave.
And then arrived the main attack of this morning: 33 SBD, 33 TBM, 17 Barracuda and 7 TBF coming from both the main CV fleet (range 3) and the CVE TF (range 1) in an unusual successful cooperation at different range. They were escorted by 27 F4F-4, 10 F6F and 3 Wildcat V and at this time the Japanese CAP was reduced to 103 A6M3a and 21 A6M5. In a bloody air battle, 20 Japanese fighters (19 A6M3a and one A6M5) and 79 Allied aircraft (26 F4F-4, 18 SBD, 15 TBM, 8 F6F, 7 Barracuda and 3 TBM) were shot down. But this time Allied airmen reached the CV. As usual the SBD had turned back, but 33 torpedo bombers (18 TBM, 10 Barracuda and 5 TBF) attacked 2 CV and 3 CVL… and scored zero hits, while Japanese AA shot down 3 Barracuda, 2 TBM and 1 TBM. The unusual concentration of Japanese CV (5-6 by TF) and their upgraded AA might have been the decisive factor in the failure of Allied airmen.
Nagumo staff had little time to rejoice as another wave arrived from the main Allied TF with 33 SBD and 25 TBM escorted by 11 F4F-4 and 7 F6F. The Japanese CAP shot down 34 of them (17 SBD, 9 F4F-4, 6 TBM and 2 F6F) for the loss of only 3 A6M3a, but this time no Allied crew turned back and 19 TBM and 16 SBD again arrived over the KB and attacked the same TF as the last wave. This time 2 CV and 4 CVL were attacked with bombs and/or torpedoes. And again there were no hits, while AA fire shot down 5 TBM and 3 SBD. Banzai!!!
The Allied commander also sent 10 B-17E and 9 PB4Y from Attu to attack the KB but the range was too great and they never found the target after flying south to avoid flying in Soviet air space. The Soviet, being heavily engaged against Germany in Russia, hadn’t reacted to the start of the battle of PJ but after the first Allied reverses adopted a strong “neutral” attitude, increasing their fighter patrols to intercept aircraft entering it. As the Soviet Kamchatka was almost between Attu and PJ that was a major problem for Allied airmen, and didn’t change anything for Japan.
As said above the Japanese raid also lost cohesion and split in 2, 3 and then 4 groups before reaching the CVE TF NW of PJ. The luck of this flotilla anyway ran out when the first wave attacked them with 45 Kate and 31 Val escorted by 81 A6M3a and 15 A6M5. Twelve F4F-4 were defending this TF and did their maximum, destroying 7 A6M3a, but all were shot down. And then the Japanese airmen fell on the CVE and their escort (composed only of DD). The Chenango was sunk by 6 bombs and 3 torpedoes, while the Suwanee was sunk by only Kates with 3 torpedoes. Val pilots then attacked the escort and heavily damaged two DD, the La Vallette (4 hits) and the Aulick (1 hit). Allied AA fire shot down 4 Kate and 4 Val.
The three other Japanese groups (16 Val, 6 Kate, 12 A6M3a / 32 Val, 12 Kate, 8 A6M3a / 18 Kate) arrived after both CVE sank, searched for another interesting target in the area and finally returned to the CV with their bombs and torpedoes.
Their next targets were the Allied ships off PJ, at 120 miles ESE and a raid was planned for the afternoon. But this concentration had already been attacked by the Japanese LBA.
At dawn two Allied convoys were still unloading some troops off PJ in the well controlled center of the beachhead (58 landing casualties, no CD fire) while several other surface TF were in the area. But Toyohara airmen had taken off at dawn to attack them and the reaction of the CVE left them without air cover. They arrived first in small groups, 2 G4M2 missing a DMS and then 6 G4M1 missing two the BB West Virginia (smoking) and Mississippi and losing two of their number to AA fire. And then the main raid (30 G4M1 and 5 G4M2 escorted by 58 Oscar II) hit a convoy. The DE Burden R. Hastings and the LCI-221 were both sunk, the DD Philipp, AK Wonsang and LST-22 were all heavily damaged by a torpedo each. Only two G4M1 of this group were lost, ditching on the way home from AA damage. The morning ended with the attack of 3 G4M1 on the troop-laden AK Nord that was hit by one torpedo and reported 43 casualties and 2 destroyed guns aboard.
The Kido Butai scouts began to fly in force over the Allied convoys after noon and a Val bombed and hit the AK Prominent. The convoy attacked in the morning by the Betties was then raided by 84 Kate, 74 Val, 29 Judy and 11 Jill escorted by 71 A6M3a and 14 A6M5. For only 3 losses (2 Kate and 1 Val shot down by AA fire) the Japanese airmen sank the DMS Hamilton, the AK Loa Koeloe and Sipora, the MSW Rail II and the LST-22, heavily damaged 3 other LST, 3 other AK and 1 AP, and set on fire 1 DMS, 1 DE, 3 AK and 1 LST.
Toyohara airmen continued to attack but mostly in small groups. Two G4M1 escorted by 6 Oscar II missed an AK, and then 3 G4M1 managed to surprise the BB West Virginia and scored a torpedo hit on her, seeing her burning while they escaped. 5 G4M1 attacked a convoy and scored a torpedo hit on the LSD Carter Hall without loss. The biggest group, 13 G4M1, was escorted by 59 Oscar II and attacked an intact convoy but only scored one torpedo hit on an AK for 3 losses to AA fire. And the AK Nord was again attacked by 3 G4M1 and again hit by a torpedo, but still wasn’t heavily damaged. There was no troop casualties this time.
To end an already disastrous day for the Allied, the CA HMS Devonshire, badly damaged three nights ago by the Musashi, broke her tow 180 miles west of Attu and sank in the late afternoon. And the CL USS Denver, the only ship of the surface TF engaged by Tanaka last night still able to do some speed, was returning alone to Attu for repairs when she was attacked in the evening by the I-159 180 miles east of PJ. Only one torpedo hit her, but that was enough to trigger a magazine explosion and the cruiser sank in some minutes. She was the 21st Allied ship lost of the day.
The result of the air battle were clearly in Japanese favor. For the loss of 68 aircraft (45 A2A, 18 AA and 5 ops: 44 A6M3a, 7 G4M1, 6 Kate, 5 Val, 2 Oscar II, 2 Alf, 1 A6M5 and 1 Emily) and no loss to the Japanese CV, they sank 2 CVE, 1 DE, 2 AK, 1 MSW, 1 LST and 1 LCI and damaged 17 ships while Allied air losses were 273 aircraft (201 A2A, 15 AA, 55 “ground” (including a surprising 48 SOC-3 ???? Maybe the floaplane bug left 40+ Seagulls on a cruiser lost today), and 2 op: 64 F4F-4, 60 SBD, 48 SOC-3, 47 TBM, 19 F6F, 11 TBF, 10 Barracuda, 6 Kingfisher, 3 Wildcat V, 3 Walrus, 1 B-24D and 1 PBM Mariner).
The Japanese ASR service saved 13 A6M3a pilots, 2 Val crews, 2 Betty crews and 1 Oscar pilot, all unhurt. So the number of men killed, captured or wounded was 31 A6M3 pilots, 6 Kate crews, 5 Betty crews, 3 Vals crews, 2 Alf crews, 1 Emily crew, 1 Oscar pilot and 1 A6M5 pilot: a total of 50 pilots, 10-20% of them being probably only wounded. Most of the losses were rookies in the Zero units.
By the way these losses are only for Kuriles, the score for the whole game was 69 Japanese and 279 Allied.
The best living Japanese ace, PO2 Fujita P. of EII-1 Daitai, increased his score to 30 by shooting down 3 F4F-4 over the Allied CVE. Several other pilots increased their score to 20 or more (up to 24).
But now the Japanese Command was waiting for news of Paramushiro Jima itself. The Allied troops launched another deliberate attack here and were supported by 45 B-24D from Attu that bombed a regiment of the 14th Div. The 20 A6M3a sent by Nagumo intercepted them but were mostly new pilots freshly come from training schools and didn’t manage to shot down any bomber while losing two of their number to return fire. A B-24D was lost to engine failure and a PBM Mariner was shot down by AA fire over PJ (losses already counted above). The bombs hit 96 men and 4 guns. Later, and despite torpedo attacks, the BB West Virgina, Idaho and Mississippi bombarded the base and disabled 913 men and 10 guns (and scored a runway hit).
The Allied attack began with a new success of the Allied engineers that managed to blow up one of the main bunker complexes facing them (forts reduced from 6 to 5). But the Japanese soldiers fought with even more furor than the previous days and managed to reject the attack after furious fights (0 to 1, with initial AV at 1673 Allied vs 576 Japanese, adjusted at 2170 vs 2488). Japanese losses were 1005 men and 11 guns, Allied ones 1463 men, 36 guns and 5 tanks.
The evening report of the base listed damage as 86/77/90, 220 engineers (+17) and 47 249 supplies (-618).
And this ended a near perfect day (a perfect day would have seen no reduction of fort in PJ and my aircrew attack in force and sink the 3 American BB off PJ, but I won’t complain…). PJ repulsed the attack and Allied troops will probably need some days rest, another Allied surface TF was devastated and a BB torpedoed, two CVE were sunk and the Allied CV bombed unit were again decimated, while Japanese surface and air power was not significantly reduced. Now the plan is to use this local superiority (that should last several days) to bring more troops in PJ and be sure that Allied troops will not take it.
The troop convoy sailed 180 miles towards PJ and at this rate will reach this base in four days. So the KB will have to stay in position for so long and keep some strike power. So the two BB and several cruisers that had not yet been engaged received orders to stay with the CV to economize their ammunitions and remain undamaged.
The Kido Butai (with still 518 AC: 238 fighters (224 serviceable), 132 diev-bombers (130) and 148 torpedo bombers (133)) will sail to 60 miles SW of PJ and continue to attack ships around. This time the attack crews will be left to attack at 240 miles as the Allied CV had lost 80 fighters and will probably be gone tomorrow.
The empty CVL Chitose used for the “surface-CV TF” experiment will leave the fleet and sail to Toyohara under escort by 3 DD. The rest of the TF (3 CL and 7 DD) will go to PJ tonight and sweep the waters off the base in case some Allied ships remained, or tried a last bombardment of the base before running away. Tanaka will also return to PJ with his remaining ships and bombard the Allied beachhead with 2 BB, 3 CA and 3 CL, escorted by 3 DD that won’t bombard because 2-3 CD units will defend it.
Land-based airmen will also try to exploit the Allied rout. In Toyohara the Oscar will be grounded for rest while a new Betty group flew to the base, and 3 other flew from Sapporo to Wakkanai. All Japanese bombers in the area (109 (87) in Toyohara, 68 (66) in Wakkanai and 22 (22) in Sapporo) will fly naval attack (search 20%) at range 15.
East of PJ the two last intact Japanese submarines in the area, the I-159 and the I-15, will remain ESE of PJ to intercept ships retreating to Kiska (the biggest port in Allied advanced bases).
A last addition to the plan was made tonight. It was thought a good idea to send the HQ of the Northern Area Force closer to the action, and the only base in range of the battle was Etoforu Jima. So 6 AP were sent from Ominato to Sapporo to load the HQ currently based here and carry it to Etoforu. AK will load 25k supplies in Aomori and bring them to Etoforu so the HQ will be fully fonctionnal.
In the rear area, Japanese engineers were now busy in expanding bases that may be useful for this campaign and today Akita and Shikka port were expanded respectively to size 3 and 5.
Central Pacific
In Hawaii, two AP left PH with a small escort and will load a Naval Guard Unit in Lahaina (held by 3 and a full Div) and bring it Kona (now held by only one Guard Unit after the 21st Div left for Japan).
New Guinea-New Britain- Solomon Islands
The ASW TF (4 ships) sent from Truk to sweep waters south of the base engaged in the morning the SS Amberjack 120 miles north of Mussau Island but the submarine escaped while a Japanese DD dropped DCs away from her real position. And an hour later the submarine tried to avenge herself by launching a spread of torpedoes against an APD but missed, and this time the DD Asagao dropped DCs more accurately, but only scored a near-miss.
Off Rabaul the AK Nosiro Maru was again hit by a patrolling Allied aircraft (this time a B-24D) and reported damage of 58/8/2. She will finish unload supplies tomorrow but most of his cargo had been lost in these attacks and Rabaul was still lacking supplies and another AK started loading supplies in Truk to sail here.
The 18 Jake in Shortlands seaplane base will try tomorrow to attack Allied PT and barges off Kiriwima at 100 feet. This will probably fail or end with high losses if Allied fighters came from one of the nearby airfields, but in this only only this kind of guerilla activity could be done. A little more north, two ML were detached tonight from a convoy sailing from Truk to Lunga and will lay mines off Green Island during the night.
In New Guinea, another solitary AP arrived in Wewak carrying 3000 men of the 43rd Div, while another was loading a new batch of troops. After this one, two more AP will be necessary to carry the last part of the division to Wewak.
Allied engineers expanded Dobadura airfield to size 2.
Timor-DEI-Australia
There was no Allied raid during the day, only recon flights and a PBM Mariner was shot down by AA fire over Kendari during one of these. The evening area report listed the airfield status as: Maumere 56/82 (system/runway), Koepang 100/98, Dili 99/84, Lautem 72/35/38, other bases undamaged.
SRA
A small convoy loaded 10k resources in Toboali and will bring them to Singapore.
Burma
Allied airmen flew 587 sorties over Burma, hitting a base and 6 units. Myitkyina airfield was attacked by 7 B-25J from Ledo escorted by 22 P-40N and 17 P-40E and 2 hits on the airbase and 11 on the runways. Three units of the garrison (17th, 33rd and 104th Div, 21st Bde) were bombed by 55 Beaufighter VIC, 54 Vengeance I, 53 Liberator VI, 49 B-25J, 40 Beaufighter Mk 21, 34 B-24D, 33 B-25C, 28 Lysander I, 23 Blenheim IV and 22 B-17E from Kohima, Ledo, Jorhat, Dacca and Imphal escorted by 41 P-40N and 45 P-40E and lost 484 men and 16 guns. In the jungle SE of Imphal, the 11th and 12th NLF were attacked by 48 Hurricane II from this base and Kohima escorted by 15 Spitfire Vb. Japanese AA fire shot down two Beaufighter VIC and a Vengeance I over Myitkyina.
In Myitkina. Allied artillery fire hit Japanese troops that lost 216 men, 1 tank and 2 guns. The report showed 3055 Allied AV (+33) and 1928 Japanese AV (-13) here.
The evening report gave the airfield status as: Myitkyina 33/6 (system/runway), other bases undamaged. The daily report will also now report the state of the 11th and 12th NLF: 11th (1/29) and 12th (0/24).
All troops were now in place for the final concentration phase for the counter-attack 120 miles west of Myitkyina and received march orders today. The 17th Area Army HQ, the 46th Div, two regiments of the 30th, the 11th and 12th Ind Mixed Rgt, the 1st Amphibious Bde, the 8th Tk Rgt, the 2nd Parachute Regiment and two AA units will march north from Mandalay. The 4th and 14th Tk Rgt and the Burma Army HQ will march west from Myitkyina, join the three units in reserve west of the city (1st and 3rd Tk Div, 23rd Bde) and join them to march to the counter-attack site.
On the rear area, the IJAAF bombers concentrated in the airfields of Rangoon, Hanoi and Moulmein, coming from China, DEI and Luzon, and will move to central Burma on the day of the attack. 77 Ki-21, 72 Ki-49 and 35 Ki-48 will be available.
China
120 miles SW of Chungking, the regiment of the 26th Div defeated the 168th Chinese Div at 306 to 1, in fact meeting no resistance from the Chinese that had no battle casualty and fled leaving a small number of prisoners. The Chinese fled eastwards, where Japanese patrols reported 3 other Chinese units. This regiment will again try to march to the NE before these troops arrived to attack it.
More south one more Chinese unit marched out of Hengchow to the countryside NW of it. Two regiments of the 116th Div were now SW of the city and one will march to it and will be joined by the weakest division of the 11th Army to the NE. They should be more than enough to take the city.
Each day, one or more Allied transport aircraft were lost in accidents. This probably took place in Burma (the most logical places being in Myitkyina) but maybe also in China. Just to check the four remaining Chinese bases (Yunan, Kunming, Chengtu and Chungking) will be LRCAPed each by an Oscar Chutai.
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RE: 14 July 1943: early return of the Allied fleet - 
) keep our collective fingers crossed for you - who are, most certenly, one of the most prominent forerunners of best Japanese WitP players!!! 
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