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[Zrk2]

Landing is the most important skill to have as a pilot. Everything else is just cream.

[Erkki]

Yep, gunnery or bombing accuracy doesnt mean much if you cant land the thing. What effects the ops losses in the game are pilot experience, the mission type, duration and range as well as weather. Less surprisingly those floatplanes operating from cruisers and battleships, long range bombers and carrier aircraft suffer the most...

Over the past few days, I have had some of those huge submarines that have their own catapults and float planes with them hang around Los Angeles. There have been no capital ships sighted in the port or in the general area, not San Jose either.

Its very likely, to me, that Yank carriers are on the move. No floatplane sightings, apart from a lone Kingfisher, probably shore-based, by submarines off the West Coast and Hawaii either, which _might_ mean that carriers and the American cruisers are somewhere else. Fiji, Australia, Rabaul?

[Erkki]

January 7th

Ki-21s bomb Batavia again, scoring hits on multiple ships. Air combat over the islands continues, I lose a Ki-43 and 2 Ki-21s for 9 Buffaloes...

Whenchow captured, 8000 dead Chinese. In the Philippines, Cagayan airfield is attacked, but it holds. However no tanks are lost, and the enemy casualties are greater than Japanese, so it should fall tomorrow or the day after!

In the Bismarcks, tomorrow will probably see a lot of action. No enemy aircraft are sighted, submarines see nothing... Kido Butai moves to cover the invasion, very likely yet undetected, Heavy Sweep force moves to engage any enemy surface units in the area.



And the top pilots, note the lone Ki-27b pilot with 3 kills. 



Edited to make the screenshots actually show up. Edited first post. Edited 2nd time because the pilots screenshot was wrong...

[Erkki]

January 8th

Zeroes sweep Singapore again, and Flying Dutchmen attack Palembang(scoring, yet again, no hits) - over the course of the day 11 Buffaloes are confirmed shot down for 0 Japanese losses.

Kuala Lumpur falls to the Japanese! Cagayan is ready to fall. More troops land in Singaukawan, it will easily fall tomorrow.

And most importantly... Rabaul invaded! Only little resistance.. What is this? Some enemy radio activity in the vicinity, but thats it. The airfield was spotted to have 5 bombers, but they dont fly. No Allied aircraft or ships spotted anywhere. This smells like a trap... 

Kido Butai doubles its fighter CAP, and moves closer. Extra magazines and shells have been carried to AAA batteries. All planes are armed, fueled, fixed and tested 5 to 7 times. Pilots are briefed, swords have been sharpened, the board map in the planning room cleaned and the Kamikaze flag risen to the mast. Now we wait for the enemy...

[Zrk2]

Just don't get too full of yourself. There's all those American carriers somewhere...

[Erkki]

Just don't get too full of yourself. There's all those American carriers somewhere...

All 3 of them, maybe. If they are all together and have their air groups filled(which I doubt), and my opponent hasnt resized them to get more fighters or bombers aboard, they have approx. 60 fighters, mixed Buffalo/Wildcat, 80-90 SBD and 30-40 Vindicator. KB has 140 Zeroes, 120 D3A and 140 B5N. Buffalo = target drone, Wildcat isnt as good as Zero, Jap pilots are easily better, and Vindicator's torpedoes have literally 80% dud rate, Jap torps only 10%, and a smaller explosive charge.

After screwing up near Wake, losing a carrier, the Allies cant win a carrier duel on paper if I dont set the planes to stay on ground. I'm fearing this to be some sort of a sophisticated trap and I just took the bait, but as the seas North, West and North East are all clear, apart from that 1 submarine, probably more too, and the invasion force + heavies arent yet attacked, they might be out of range still. Or not even coming. I'd want them to come but if they dont want to, what I do but get Rabaul, move Zeroes and G4Ms in and move the KB to hunt in the Coral Sea?

edit: CVL Shoho will be commissioned on the 10th. With 27 aircraft and 28 knots its a nice addition to the KB. I'll resize the air groups to 9 B5N and 18 Zeroes. It'll probably be ready to sail by the 13th or 14th, but as KB is as far as it is it'll catch up only after KB's next refit, at Truk(if they dont receive any damage). That'll be around Jan 18/19th.

[Erkki]

Heavies' situation, evening of Jan 8th:

Kido Butai(6 CV): off Bismarcks
CVL Ryujo: just began repairs at Hong Kong, will take 2 weeks...
CVL Zuiho: off Palau islands, has spotted an Allied transport, within strike range tomorrow is it doesnt do warp-9
CVE Hosho: just passed Okinawa, heading Palaus
CVE Taiyo: sits off Sasebo Naval Yards without a task(small & slow, reserve...)
BBs Kirishima + Hiei: Bismarcks
BBs Haruna, Yamashiro, Fuso: Northern coast of Borneo
BBs Kongo, Ise, Hyuga: Hong Kong

[Zrk2]

Cool story bro. Keep up the pressure and let's see if we can wrap Borneo up sometime soon.

[Erkki]

January 9th

Rabaul Falls! Singkawang falls! Cagayan falls! Some place on Sumatra falls!

Not a sight of the American CVs. A bomber spotted over Rabaul, but thats it. However there a quite a lot of ships sighted at Port Moresby and the West Coral Sea - G4Ms from Truk are transferred to Rabaul, and KB moves closer! Because it only has a limited number of torpedoes, the KB will strike once and then retire to the North. It will use the rest of its torpedoes only if the CVs are located somewhere far.

Situation now:


And "The Flying Circus" at Kota Bharu. 67 confirmed kills for 2 losses. 


4 mother submarines, each carrying a midget, set sail from Rabaul. Their target is Brisbane. I think they have around 50% chance of penetrating the harbor defenses and scoring a torpedo hit.

[Zrk2]

So, I sense a big battle coming, be careful. But let's see if we can smash this fleet and roll up and defences he has sitting around.

[Deadmeat1471]

Nice turkeyshoot

[Zrk2]

Nice turkeyshoot

Yeah, rather the opposite of your Saipan battle.

[Deadmeat1471]

Nice turkeyshoot

Yeah, rather the opposite of your Saipan battle.

  I let them win.

[Zrk2]

I call bullshit.

[Erkki]

January 10th

G4Ms from Rabaul hit an Allied transport off Port Moresby, but KB is still out of range. 3 cruisers and 10 other ships are sighted... KB is in range tomorrow afternoon, if they dont flee to West.

CVL Shoho arrives - and it has 30 plane capacity after all! 21 Zeroes, 9 B5N, but not ready to sail until 19/20th.. because there are no escorts! The DD I had transferred to Tokyo had no depth charges, and Shoho is going nowhere without anti-submarine escorts!

Off Hawaiian islands, a Japanese submarine attacks 2 large convoys - it spots 4 destroyers, a cruiser, and an... ammunition ship! There are more expandable ways to bring supplies to the troops than an AKE ship, designed to re-arm and re-supply ships while on the move. It could be part of a supporting task for the carriers? They're all heading West. KB will strike ONCE and then retire to refuel & rearm at Truk. Taking no chances now.