I have secured Kendari as a forward base for further conquests and have lots of transports, oilers and a CVE with reinforcements en route to that port - ETA 2-4 days.
For protection I have stationed a number of Zeros, Betties and Mavis plus a strong surface TF built around a pair of BBs, four CAs and DD escorts at Kendari with orders to react.
But - I must have mis-clicked the fuel options and hit the auto-disband option instead without noticing my mistake.
Convinced that Kendari is safe and the incoming convoys are protected I did turn my attention to the invasion of Tarakan.
I had a nasty surprise two game nights later.
The very aggressive RADM Palliser first eluded my search aircraft and then found the convoys off Kendari - while a pair of BBs, four CAs and DD escorts were sitting disbanded in port...
Costly mistake.
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Night Time Surface Combat, near Kendari at 70,106, Range 8,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CVE Taiyo, Shell hits 13, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Yukikaze, Shell hits 1
DD Tokitsukaze
Allied Ships
BC Repulse, Shell hits 1
CA Dorsetshire
CL Dragon
CL Durban
CL Dauntless
CL Mauritius
CL Capetown
CL Colombo
DD Nestor
DD Napier, Shell hits 1
DD Nizam
DD Jupiter, Shell hits 1
CVE Taiyo sinks at sea
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Night Time Surface Combat, near Kendari at 70,106, Range 8,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
DD Karii
DD Yanagi, Shell hits 6, heavy fires
AO Ken'yo Maru, Shell hits 1, heavy fires
AO Kyokuto Maru
AO Shinkoku Maru-, Shell hits 1
AO Toho Maru, Shell hits 3, heavy fires
Allied Ships
BC Repulse
CA Dorsetshire
CL Dragon
CL Durban
CL Dauntless
CL Mauritius
CL Capetown
CL Colombo
DD Nestor
DD Napier
DD Nizam
DD Jupiter, Shell hits 1
AO Ken'yo Maru sinks at sea
Fires out of control, AO Shinkoku Maru- can not be saved
AO Toho Maru sinks at sea
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Night Time Surface Combat, near Kendari at 70,106, Range 8,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
DD Kuretake, Shell hits 14, and is sunk
DD Sanae, Shell hits 10, and is sunk
PB Ashi, Shell hits 18, and is sunk
xAK Tamagawa Maru, Shell hits 10, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Yamaura Maru, Shell hits 17, and is sunk
xAK Yamazato Maru, Shell hits 10, and is sunk
xAK Yodogawa Maru, Shell hits 22, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Onoe Maru, Shell hits 11, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Kosin Maru, Shell hits 16, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Nissan Maru, Shell hits 5, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
xAK Nitiran Maru, Shell hits 9, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
Allied Ships
BC Repulse
CA Dorsetshire
CL Dragon
CL Durban
CL Dauntless
CL Mauritius
CL Capetown
CL Colombo
DD Nestor
DD Napier
DD Nizam
DD Jupiter
Japanese ground losses:
3148 casualties reported
Squads: 23 destroyed, 70 disabled
Non Combat: 93 destroyed, 110 disabled
Engineers: 9 destroyed, 12 disabled
Guns lost 43 (18 destroyed, 25 disabled)
Vehicles lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled)
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Night Time Surface Combat, near Kendari at 70,106, Range 9,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
xAK Tamagawa Maru, Shell hits 7, and is sunk
xAK Yodogawa Maru, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
xAK Onoe Maru, Shell hits 5, and is sunk
xAK Kosin Maru, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
Allied Ships
BC Repulse
CA Dorsetshire
CL Dragon
CL Durban
CL Dauntless
CL Mauritius
CL Capetown
CL Colombo
DD Nestor
DD Napier
DD Nizam
Japanese ground losses:
1851 casualties reported
Squads: 13 destroyed, 30 disabled
Non Combat: 87 destroyed, 59 disabled
Engineers: 6 destroyed, 20 disabled
Guns lost 18 (12 destroyed, 6 disabled)
Vehicles lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled)
2nd JNAF Coy destroyed near Kendari !!!
3rd JNAF Coy destroyed near Kendari !!!
5th JNAF Coy destroyed near Kendari !!!
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Night Time Surface Combat, near Kendari at 70,106, Range 8,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
DD Yukikaze, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Tokitsukaze
Allied Ships
BC Repulse
CA Dorsetshire
CL Dragon, Shell hits 1
CL Durban, Shell hits 1
CL Dauntless, Shell hits 1
CL Mauritius
CL Capetown
CL Colombo
DD Nestor
DD Napier, Shell hits 1
DD Nizam
Japanese ground losses:
16 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
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Night Naval bombardment of Kendari at 70,106
Japanese aircraft
no flights
Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Hamaki: 10 damaged
H6K4 Taitei: 3 damaged
A6M2 Reisen: 3 damaged
Japanese Ships
BB Ise, Shell hits 1
Allied Ships
BC Repulse
CA Dorsetshire
CL Colombo
CL Capetown
CL Mauritius
CL Dauntless
CL Durban
CL Dragon
Japanese ground losses:
208 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 15 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Airbase hits 13
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 16
Port hits 2
[:@] *GRRRR*