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IJNAF elite A6M2 Zero unit Chitose Ku S-1 or its detachments or division(s)

3 (42.9%)

a IJAAF Ki-43 unit in Indochina, to be used in China/East Indies(mostly)

1 (14.3%)

a IJAAF Ki-43 unit in Burma(at least initially)

3 (42.9%)

Total Members Voted: 7

Voting closed: May 04, 2014, 08:49:03 am

[Erkki]

The USN CVs withdrew so slowly that I guess my opponent may not have even realized what he was facing... A full-speed dash right towards Luganville would have put KB into striking range. I didnt consider it as I wanted to spare the ships and the fuel for the upcoming operation, didnt want to spend the next 5-6 hours refueling the escorts, and wanted that extra LRCAP from Guadalcanal as the number of enemy strength was/is uncertain.

[Sheb]

Sad. Really, really sad. :/

[10ebbor10]

Won't invading with the Aircraft carriers so close be a problem?

[Erkki]

Won't invading with the Aircraft carriers so close be a problem?

USN has only 4 carriers at this point. I'll take an early-war 6+3 vs. 4+1(at best) and Zero vs. Wildcat any day! And if, say, weather protects KB while they attack IJ transports in the AM phase first resulting in an inverted Midway, even better!

[10ebbor10]

Any idea what the carriers are doing there? A meeting of chance.

On a side note, when does the US gets it's first carriers?

[Erkki]

Any idea what the carriers are doing there? A meeting of chance.

On a side note, when does the US gets it's first carriers?

Absolutely no idea. I can come up with 2-3 good reasons but I wouldn't show them myself like that. Not yet, and not that way if I would.

I dont know the exact dates but by mid-June 1942 they'll have the 6 first available and deployed: Saratoga, Lexington, Enterprise, Yorktown, Hornet and Wasp. + 2 CVLs and a couple of CVEs and some British carriers.

[Erkki]

February 15 1942


Looks like the enemy ID'd the Kido Butai only yesterday, as they reacted today:


South Pacific: KB withdraws but at range 20, Catalinas still keep her tracked... A "CVE" reappears between New Caledonia and Espiritu Santo. Probably CVL Charlotte. Enemy TF at Luganville flees directly East while another 2-ship one, probably pickets, appears 13 hex E of Ndeni.

B5N squadron flown to Lunga. CarDiv II with Soryu, Hiryu and CVL Ryujo will meet the rest of the carrier fleet tomorrow.

All enemy submarines in the Marshalls and around Truk have disappeared - they are probably heading to the waters around Ndeni.

I think the larger enemy CV task force withdrew towards Fiji - the submarines near Noumea nor the 2 between New Caledonia and Fiji did not sight any enemy aircraft today.

Spoiler: South Pacific (click to show/hide)

China: Nanyang pocket eliminated!

Ground combat at 86,46 (near Nanyang)
 
Japanese Deliberate attack
 
Attacking force 48349 troops, 423 guns, 332 vehicles, Assault Value = 2150
 
Defending force 12026 troops, 92 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 12
 
Japanese adjusted assault: 1214
 
Allied adjusted defense: 4
 
Japanese assault odds: 303 to 1
 
Combat modifiers
Defender: leaders(-), disruption(-), fatigue(-), experience(-)
 supply(-)
Attacker:
 
Japanese ground losses:
      31 casualties reported
         Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
         Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
         Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
 
Allied ground losses:
      6134 casualties reported
         Squads: 537 destroyed, 0 disabled
         Non Combat: 1191 destroyed, 0 disabled
         Engineers: 21 destroyed, 0 disabled
      Guns lost 120 (120 destroyed, 0 disabled)
      Units destroyed 2
 
Assaulting units:
    15th Division
    12th Tank Regiment
    40th Division
    15th Ind.Mixed Brigade
    116th Division
    15th Tank Regiment
    37th Division
    13th Ind.Mixed Brigade
    87th Infantry Regiment
    China Expeditionary Army
    4th Mortar Battalion
 
Defending units:
    13th Chinese Corps
    85th Chinese Corps

I think this pocket contained about 1300 combat squads and about 1100 support.


Burma: Blenheims reappear but meet Ki-43s today. 4 of them are shot down and they dont hit a thing.

Malaya: -

DEI:

Troops storms across the river and into Balikpapan on Borneo and the Dutch retreat! Oil wells and refineries have only very minor damage. Some B-339s and Catalinas are caught by the IJA troops.

Lautem on Timor falls! The victorious paratroopers(most arrived on ships...) will pursue them to Dili.

Koepang on Timor invaded! Troops nearly ashore by the end of the day. Shock attack ordered!

[Anvilfolk]

How worth it is it to use KB to attack those very small TF of 2 or 3 ships? On the one hand, you can probably sink them in a morning's raid, but on the other you'll advertise your position and possibly lose ordnance? Seems like chipping away at all the supply/troop TFs around might not be a terrible idea though.

[Erkki]

How worth it is it to use KB to attack those very small TF of 2 or 3 ships? On the one hand, you can probably sink them in a morning's raid, but on the other you'll advertise your position and possibly lose ordnance? Seems like chipping away at all the supply/troop TFs around might not be a terrible idea though.

Nah not worth even the fuel burned. I hope he will think KB is withdrawing towards Rabaul or Truk(it isnt), and if he has a new wave of reinforcements just across the horizon he'll send them in with CV cover just as KB charges back, ahead of the invasion support.

I will intentionally leave BB Hyuga Hvy. Sqdn. and a cruiser force with CA Aoba and CL Yubari at Ontong Java, within Catalina range from Luganville. He probably wont take the bait but you never know...

[10ebbor10]

How did you succeed in destroying more guns in your assault than the allied forces had?

Or are those previously disabled guns that have now been destroyed?

[Erkki]

How did you succeed in destroying more guns in your assault than the allied forces had?

Or are those previously disabled guns that have now been destroyed?

Disabled guns + fog of war.

[Erkki]

February 16 1942


China: IJA starts to regroup for attacks towards Ankang and Sian. Supporting IJAAF sorties against the 2 KMT Corps defending in the advanced position and hits them well. For the Sian operation IJA will have to resort in raw firepower.

Burma: Taung Gyi occupied.

Malaya: -

DEI: Koepang falls! A 4-ship destroyer squadron finds the 2 ships trying to escape and destroy them both. You dont often see a destroyer score 3 hits(1 dud) against another... 0% moonlight and the very close range of 2000 yards must have helped!

Night Time Surface Combat, near Koepang at 67,115, Range 2,000 Yards
 
Japanese Ships
      DD Yugure
      DD Ariake
      DD Ayanami
      DD Asakaze
 
Allied Ships
      AVD William B. Preston, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
      AVP Bellatrix, Shell hits 8, and is sunk

AVP Bellatrix sunk by DD Ayanami at 2,000 yards
AVD William B. Preston sunk by DD Ayanami at 2,000 yards


Ground combat at Koepang (68,116)
 
Japanese Shock attack
 
Attacking force 13298 troops, 159 guns, 154 vehicles, Assault Value = 519
 
Defending force 1771 troops, 25 guns, 1 vehicles, Assault Value = 46
 
Japanese adjusted assault: 651
 
Allied adjusted defense: 7
 
Japanese assault odds: 93 to 1 (fort level 2)
 
Japanese forces CAPTURE Koepang !!!
 
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), fatigue(-), morale(-), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)
 
Japanese ground losses:
      19 casualties reported
         Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
         Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
         Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
      Vehicles lost 14 (1 destroyed, 13 disabled)
 
Allied ground losses:
      1964 casualties reported
         Squads: 77 destroyed, 0 disabled
         Non Combat: 63 destroyed, 4 disabled
         Engineers: 7 destroyed, 0 disabled
      Guns lost 24 (24 destroyed, 0 disabled)
      Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)
      Units retreated 2
      Units destroyed 1
 
Defeated Allied Units Retreating!
 
Assaulting units:
    8th Tank Regiment
    1st Kure Assault Division
    90th Infantry Regiment
    54th/C Division
 
Defending units:
    Timor Garrison Battalion
    Dili Detachment
    Koepang Base Force




PI: IJ tanks reach Iba where the coastal defense unit, base force and a PI Infantry division defend. Deliberate attack ordered for tomorrow. Bombardment of Manila goes well again.

South Pacific: USN carriers disappear. B-17s strike Port Moresby again(they bombed it yesterday too but they didnt score hits, from 10,000 ft only, so I forgot about them) and this time score 1 runway hit. Flak scores lots of hits on them and 1 B-17E is reported as lost. Kido Butai is now: full strength: 6 CVs, 3 CVLs and 2 BBs, with 560 aircraft!

Morning Air attack on Port Moresby , at 98,130
 
Weather in hex: Light rain
 
Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes
 
Allied aircraft
      B-17D Fortress x 8
      B-17E Fortress x 8
 
Allied aircraft losses
      B-17D Fortress: 1 damaged
      B-17E Fortress: 7 damaged
 
Runway hits 1
 
Aircraft Attacking:
       5 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet *
               Ground Attack:  4 x 500 lb GP Bomb
       3 x B-17D Fortress bombing from 10000 feet *
               Airfield Attack:  4 x 500 lb GP Bomb
       3 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet *
               Ground Attack:  4 x 500 lb GP Bomb
       2 x B-17D Fortress bombing from 10000 feet *
               Airfield Attack:  4 x 500 lb GP Bomb
       2 x B-17D Fortress bombing from 10000 feet *
               Airfield Attack:  4 x 500 lb GP Bomb
       1 x B-17D Fortress bombing from 10000 feet *
               Airfield Attack:  4 x 500 lb GP Bomb

Notice the halved bomb load and pretty low altitude.


Submarines: A USN submarine is found in the strait between Formosa and the coast of China. An escorting ship is guessed to hit it a couple of times... Need more air search here.

[Zrk2]

Well, that's a shame. I wanted to see those carriers burn.

[Erkki]

I'd want to fight them but there seems to be a wall of naval search that will see at least larger Japanse task forces a day in advance. The Coral Sea is very heavily patrolled(submarines have sighted even B-26s and B-17s flying naval search!), but I'm now sending some ships East from the Marshalls to see if theres a gap in naval search there, that KB or surface raiders could exploit to get behind the lines and attack their convoys. Johnston and Palmyra sure have Catalinas but there could be a search gap in the vast sea between them, and if they are all deployed at the front, Line Islands may not have many of them... The Allies cant have Catalinas everywhere yet, can they?

[Sheb]

Yeah, good job reuniting the Kido Butai, but... what are you going to do with it? It seems targetting transports with such a force is akin to using a rocket launcher when stalking deers.