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[Erkki]

Sorry guys, I will have to send you the December 14 later... And write a proper AAR for December 15 where Zuiho-1 saw action and scored some more victories, as well as suffered a loss.

But in the meanwhile, it looks like my opponent took the bait, or the risk, and sent a task force to reinforce Wake Island, with CV support.


December 15 1941


 In a CV on CV battle near Wake Island, the Kido Butai has engaged the USN task force led by CV Lexington, and sunk most of it.

CA Portland, Bomb hits 6, heavy fires
 CV Lexington, Bomb hits 11, heavy fires, heavy damage
 DD Flusser, Bomb hits 1
 CA Astoria, Bomb hits 16, heavy fires, heavy damage
 DD Porter, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
 DD Mahan
 DD Lamson, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires
 CA Chicago, Bomb hits 6, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
 DD Drayton, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage

 CV Lexington, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
 DD Lamson, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage

 The Allied strike only had a light escort and was slaughtered. Just 19 planes made it through, and the only 2 hits scored were 500lbs bombs on BB Kirishima. On another note, out of the 140+ B5N2s attacking the Allied CVTF, only 5 hits were scored: 2 duds on Lexington, 1 on a crippled DD and 2 on crippled Chigago. Allies lost 84 planes this turn, including 12 Devastators "on ground" so looks like we got her.

 After the CV "duel", USN planes from Wake attacked the IJN amphibious task force nearby, between KB and Wake. KB's LRCAP got 'em all.


Tenno heika banzai!

[timferius]

All that damage, all those fires! It's beautiful!

[Erkki]

December 15 (cont.)

A very good day.


Malaya:

It looks like the Allied TFs in the Malacca Strait are heading OUT and not in! Kota Bharu's G4M1's sink about 8 or 9 more ships today and they are all carrying troops. Is this evacuation of Singapore by sea? Zeros skirmish with the Buffaloes that try to protect these convoys - Yamada Det S-1's elite pilots wipe them out without a loss.

Ki-43s escort Ki-21s to Singapore for the 3rd time, and the lone Buffalo found intercepting is promptly shot down. Singapore's airfield is moderately damaged.


Java Sea:

Japanese destroyers and Dutch submarines fight all night and day but no confirmed hits are scored... Well, they wont have many torpedoes or much fuel left once the operation to invade Sumatra begins.


Philippines:

Zeros sweep Manila and shoot down 5 P-40s to no loss. 13 P-40s attack the unloading IJN fleet near Aparri, but Ki-27s shoot down 3 of them! However 2 Ki-27s are also lost and one of the transports gets hit by a small bomb.

Japanese troops advance and are soon at the gates of Manila from both South and North. But the Allies have not yet evacuated to Bataan... Perhaps they will choose to hold in Manila? That would make my job easier as I doubt that the Allies will be able to move all, or even more than 60-70%, of the men on Luzon to Manila.


Pacific:

KB takes out CV Lexington, 2 CAs and 2 DDs to no naval losses. 2 A6M2s, 6 D3A1s and 1 B5N2 are lost to enemy fighters and AAA. Weather was Overcast and D3As hit their targets VERY well indeed, but B5Ns totally failed - just 5 hits with 2 duds and the 3 that went off were on cripples. Also majority of attacks targeted the 3 escorting heavy cruisers and the destroyers and not the CV - though the first attacks did target, hit, and damage it well so I guess the they decided to go for the others then.

12 Vindicators were admitted as lost aboard the Lexington, so the surviving Wildcats, Buffalos, Devastators and Dauntlesses must now be on Wake, minus ops losses and the ones shot down today(over 50 confirmed kills...).

Tomorrow its time to finish off the survivors, and the day after KB will hit Wake's airfield to remove the air threat for good. The planes now on Wake cannot be flown out, AFAIK, other than possible patrol planes or heavy bombers, with the range to reach Johnston or Midway. But those CV planes aren't going anywhere. The amphibious TF will move some distance away to wait for the KB to soften the target. On board are the 144th Infantry Regiment, engineers and a base force.


I guess I should include some screenshots in the next update... What do you think? []

[timferius]

Yes to screenshots! Also, a question. How many troops did he loose in Malaya?

[Erkki]

Yes to screenshots! Also, a question. How many troops did he loose in Malaya?

Okay screenshots on their way, I'll be able to post some later today. I dont know what units he had aboard those ships but we are talking about ship capacities of 500+ men/ship, plus equipment. There have been about 15 ships with troops aboard sunk now, so that is potentially thousands... Naval search thinks that they're all heading NW and FROM Singapore, but what are they? Is my opponent using political points to switch the commands of the units in Malaya to be able to evacuate them? I will now send more bombers to Kota Bharu. Some of the transports will be able to escape but getting 30-40% of them would be nice. Theres still about 60 vessels at Singapore - from warships and tankers to merchantmen and motor launches.

[Sheb]

Amazing battle! You did really well indeed.

[Erkki]

Sorry guys, my Fraps failed(or then it doesnt work with the WitPAE) and I passed the save on already... But here are some pics of a model Shoho, Zuiho's sister ship.

http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery/cv/ijn/shoho-700-cm/index.html

CVs typically arent exactly the prettiest looking warships, but Shoho and Zuiho are pretty cool.


Zuiho-1:

December 14: Zuiho-1 escorted B5Ns to Singapore. The squadron met just one Buffalo, that managed to escape. Unfortunately the unit lost one of its number with both pilot and plane missing...

December 15: flying CAP over Singkawang, Zuiho-1 intercepted Dutch 139WH bombers attacking the fleet. All 3 were shot down, and 2 of the victories are Zuiho-1's! Nashiguchi(Sheb) scores them both and is now the squadron's leading "ace!"

[timferius]

Good shooting Sheb! I'm guessing the casualty was unclaimed?

[Sheb]

Hey, I am the best man around. One-Man Squadron I tell ya.

[Erkki]

December 16


CVL Zuiho:

Zuiho & Hosho are on their way to refuel and rearm at Saigon. They will return to action in 4 days. Zuiho-1 will soon receive new planes and a couple of replacement pilots. The rumor goes that the Combined Fleet HQ will soon move the Zuiho-1 to a land base somewhere.


Malaya/DEI:

There are nearly a hundred ships in the Malacca Strait heading NW and towards the Indian Ocean. Multiple convoys will escape overnight... G4Ms and G3Ms from Kota Bharu sortied to attack these escapees all day long, and managed to sink many merchants as well as some Dutch gunships and auxiliary military vessels. CL Java and CL Tromp were attacked sighted and attacked near Singapore, but the attacking G3Ms for some reason were armed with bombs only, and no hits were scored. 1 G4M was lost to a Buffalo fighter, while escorting Zeros and Ki-43s shot down at least 4 Buffalos to no loss.

Ki-21s bombed Singapore's port and hit the ships in it well. CL Danae and DD Peary were hit once each... Man are the Allied ships tough to kill sometimes. 

In the Java Sea there are about 20 warships sighted at Palembang and nearby, mostly heading out. Are the Allies really pulling back? A6M2s sweeping Palembang met a very heavy CAP of over 40 fighters: CW-21 Demons, Hawk 75s and B-339s. 3 Zeros and 2 pilots were lost for 6 kills. Not a very good ratio but the Dutch fighter force MUST be reduced, and the sooner that is done, the better.


Celebes Sea:

Manado is invaded and will probably fall tomorrow. We have 1 Marine battalion, an aviation support company and a base force... Bombers and Zeros will be flown in ASAP.


Pacific:

Kido Butai pursues the fleeing survivors of the Lexington Task Force. CA Portland is attacked again but weather protects her... Shes still on fire and now with 7 more hits, of 3 penetrated deck armor. Besides Portland, naval search only finds 2 destroyers... No sign of CVs or the 2 other CAs, so things are going great it'd seem.

Wake Island will be invaded tomorrow by the 144th Infantry Regiment, a Base Force and an Engineer battalion. Kido Butai is divided into CarDivs - Hiryu and Soryu will pursue the Portland and make sure that its dead. At this point I believe that it is worth it to use a day of KB's time to make sure that the Allies have a good CA less - after all the CAs are the most useful warships out there, right after CVs. The rest of the KB will support the invasion of Wake Island by hitting the airfield and the garrison.

Screenshots coming later...

[Sheb]

Man, things seems to be going great for ya!

[timferius]

It seems not attacking Pearl Harbour is the key to success here.

[Erkki]

Still too early to say but I believe that taking out the Lexington(Lexington and Saratoga are in many ways the 2 best Allied CVs of the war. Essex class carries more aircraft but they aren't as hard to kill) will help Japan a lot in the long run...

Good news is that I havent completely screwed up anything yet. The bad news is that the very most important operation will begin in a couple of days and it could very well go wrong. I might decide against landing directly at Palembang, and land at Oosthaven instead, build it into a major airbase and march the troops to Palembang, which should take a couple of weeks. Decisions, decisions... ...but the KNIL fighter force needs to be reduced first, and we need some place to provide CAP from against the bombers(thats what Zuiho, Ryujo and Hosho are for).

[Erkki]

Spoiler: Pacific, KB near Wake Island (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Near Singapore, Allied and Imperial navies look at each other across the sea (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Malaya, Allied shipping fleeing NW: everything from light cruisers to tankers, merchants, gunships, minelayers, sweepers and torpedo boats there! (click to show/hide)

[USEC_OFFICER]

Spoiler: Pacific, KB near Wake Island (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Near Singapore, Allied and Imperial navies look at each other across the sea (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Malaya, Allied shipping fleeing NW: everything from light cruisers to tankers, merchants, gunships, minelayers, sweepers and torpedo boats there! (click to show/hide)

Fixed your links for you. Could you possibly post a large, zoomed out map so that we can have an idea where everything is?