At dawn we slept...in the cab on the way back from Olongapo

[Cap Mandrake]

The sun gows high over the yard arm (if they had one). All sorts of air attacks over China but USS Raleigh is just pulling away from the carange at La Foa. Surely the IJN is going to vewy, vewy angwy. Were are the carriers planes?

Oh..never mind. Curiously, it's only Kates. The carriers must have moved back after the close call from the SBD's 2 days ago. No torps either (probably a range issue)

Morning Air attack on TF, near La Foa at 113,159

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 3,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 25
B5N2 Kate x 36

Allied aircraft
P-39D Airacobra x 6
P-40E Warhawk x 4
F4F-3 Wildcat x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed
B5N2 Kate: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-39D Airacobra: 1 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
DD Cushing
CL Raleigh, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DD Case

Aircraft Attacking:
16 x B5N2 Kate bombing from 2000 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
19 x B5N2 Kate bombing from 2000 feet
Naval Attack: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
7 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 10000 feet
3 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 10000 feet
6 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 10000 feet

[Cap Mandrake]

The afternoon attack also concentrates on Raleigh. Similar composition.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near La Foa at 113,159

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 10 NM, estimated altitude 2,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 31
B5N2 Kate x 35

Allied aircraft
P-39D Airacobra x 2
P-40E Warhawk x 1
F4F-3 Wildcat x 7

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
B5N2 Kate: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-39D Airacobra: 1 destroyed
F4F-3 Wildcat: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
CL Raleigh, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Case
DD Cushing, Bomb hits 1

[Cap Mandrake]

The major portion of 33rd Div has now made it to Noumea. As you may recall, 4th Div is pretty beat up. Next turn we find out if 8th Marine can hold out after a likely attack from 33rd Div.

Ground combat at Noumea (115,160)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 1602 troops, 21 guns, 2 vehicles, Assault Value = 648

Defending force 7571 troops, 182 guns, 83 vehicles, Assault Value = 166

Japanese ground losses:
9 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
33rd Division
4th Division
Maizuru 2nd SNLF
24th Special Base Force
21st Air Flotilla
25th JNAF AF Unit

Defending units:
8th Marine Regiment
804th Aviation Engineer Battalion
64th Coast AA Regiment
21st MAG
198th Field Artillery Battalion
3rd Marine Defense Battalion
Noumea Base Force

[Cap Mandrake]

Borneo: Action of the Dutch Raider Squadron. Tarakan is still in Dutch hands and the Americans still have ammo (but no torps) on Luzon. JJ were spotted departing Balikpapan..so the Dutch sortie. The USN squadron had to retire to Darwin after Marblehead ran into a Jap CA off Miri.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Donggala at 69,96, Range 19,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
PB Kenkon Maru, Shell hits 16, and is sunk
PB Ginyo Maru, Shell hits 15, heavy fires, heavy damage
PB Toko Maru #4, Shell hits 43, and is sunk
TK Hakko Maru, Shell hits 23, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
TK Manju Maru, Shell hits 9, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
TK Nihon Maru, Shell hits 31, and is sunk
TK Ogura Maru #3, Shell hits 6, and is sunk
TK San Luis Maru, Shell hits 22, and is sunk

Allied Ships
CL De Ruyter
DD Kortenaer
DD Witte de With
DD Banckert

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Borneo: Action of the Dutch Raider Squadron. Tarakan is still in Dutch hands and the Americans still have ammo (but no torps) on Luzon. JJ were spotted departing Balikpapan..so the Dutch sortie. The USN squadron had to retire to Darwin after Marblehead ran into a Jap CA off Miri.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Donggala at 69,96, Range 19,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
PB Kenkon Maru, Shell hits 16, and is sunk
PB Ginyo Maru, Shell hits 15, heavy fires, heavy damage
PB Toko Maru #4, Shell hits 43, and is sunk
TK Hakko Maru, Shell hits 23, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
TK Manju Maru, Shell hits 9, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
TK Nihon Maru, Shell hits 31, and is sunk
TK Ogura Maru #3, Shell hits 6, and is sunk
TK San Luis Maru, Shell hits 22, and is sunk

Allied Ships
CL De Ruyter
DD Kortenaer
DD Witte de With
DD Banckert

Ouch! Arried burry! [:@]

[zuluhour]

How's the Imperial sailor training program going? The USN seems to, ah pardon the expression, a leg up.[;)]

[Cap Mandrake]

I wonder what percentage of WAVES were smoking hot? [:)]

I'm guessing it was something less that the general population.

[Cap Mandrake]

******************January 22, 1942(e)*************

N&IC: It appeared JJ might attack at Noumea so we send away all of the flying machines. 22 P-39's were packed onto an AK and everything else that couldn't fly was loaded onto rafts and sent out into the current. Apparently "some" are going to show up in the replacement pool.

A USN DD retreating from La Foa runs into a Jap DD named after a delicious Italian cheese..sort of.

Night Time Surface Combat, near La Foa at 113,159, Range 12,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Asagao

Allied Ships
DD Case

Traffic jam. Inbound bombardment force.

Night Time Surface Combat, near La Foa at 113,159, Range 7,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Myoko
CL Yura
DD Yukikaze
DD Yudachi

Allied Ships
DD Stuart

Splendid job stalling the bad guys by USS Hartfield.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Noumea at 115,160, Range 9,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Myoko, Shell hits 1
CL Yura
DD Yukikaze
DD Yudachi

Allied Ships
DD Hatfield

Consequently, the bombardment is not very effective.

ight Naval bombardment of Noumea at 115,160 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!

20 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
CA Myoko
CL Yura
DD Yudachi
DD Yukikaze

Allied ground losses:
11 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Port hits 2

[BBfanboy]

Looks like Hatfield used the experience from dodging all the shots the McCoys fired at her, proving that feuds have some benefits in selection of the fittest.

[Cap Mandrake]

B-17D's flying in from Suva. Not enough to do much.

Morning Air attack on 4th Division, at 115,160 (Noumea)

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 35 NM, estimated altitude 4,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 2

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
12 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

USN headed in for a night bombardment of 33rd Div. They stopped to see the Southern Cross. Bad move. KB has moved around to the East of N&IC.
Could have been worse.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Noumea at 115,160

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 27 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 11
D3A1 Val x 11

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A1 Val: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
CA Chester, Bomb hits 1
DD Ward
DD Clark, Bomb hits 1

[Cap Mandrake]

Tried to run in some bulldozers and the like to repair the potholes at Noumea...oops.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Noumea at 116,160

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 6 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 2 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 21
B5N2 Kate x 18

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 2 damaged

Allied Ships
AP Crescent City, Bomb hits 10, heavy fires, heavy damage
DMS Long, Bomb hits 2, and is sunk
AK Arcturus, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied ground losses:
285 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 18 destroyed, 26 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 17 disabled
Vehicles lost 38 (11 destroyed, 27 disabled)

[Cap Mandrake]

"There are the Japs, boys. Give 'em hot lead." [:o]

Naval bombardment of Noumea at 115,160

Allied Ships
CA Chester
DD Rathburne
DD Lawrence
DD King
DD Ward

CA Chester firing at 4th Division
DD Rathburne firing at 4th Division
DD Lawrence firing at 4th Division
DD King firing at 4th Division
DD Ward firing at 4th Division

[Cap Mandrake]

Just a WJD bombardment attack at Noumea. No attack by 33rd Div.

The airfield is at 51% service damage and 48% runway damage.
No SBD's can operate so the P-39's/P-40's/F4F's are sent back inn to cover the landing of 2nd Marine Regt. Just a couple of DD's and some DM's to cover the landing as USS Chester shot her wad on a useless bombardment.

[Cap Mandrake]

Pretty good dramatic recreation of the battle of Mons (from the British side) on Netflix

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

I wonder what percentage of WAVES were smoking hot? [:)]

I'm guessing it was something less that the general population.

With the blackout curtains in place, maybe all of 'em!

[zuluhour]

It appears the Common Wealth has its own little secrets, has LADM Sprior approved this??

[Cap Mandrake]

1940's tramp stamp

[Cap Mandrake]

***************Jan 23, 1942(e)************

Good day for the Allied forces.

N&IC: No bombardments, no carriers attacks just a brush between a single AK and a WJD light SCTF near Tanna (no damage). Then you scroll down to the very bottom and there is this.

Ground combat at Noumea (115,160)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 20929 troops, 199 guns, 18 vehicles, Assault Value = 673

Defending force 8763 troops, 197 guns, 83 vehicles, Assault Value = 254

Japanese adjusted assault: 279

Allied adjusted defense: 298

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 2)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
1151 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 129 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 22 disabled

Allied ground losses:
174 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 14 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled

Assaulting units:
4th Division
33rd Division
Maizuru 2nd SNLF
21st Air Flotilla
24th Special Base Force
25th JNAF AF Unit

Defending units:
8th Marine Regiment
2nd Marine Rgt /2
198th Field Artillery Battalion
804th Aviation Engineer Battalion
64th Coast AA Regiment
3rd Marine Defense Battalion
21st MAG
Noumea Base Force

[Cap Mandrake]

Arrival of components of 2nd Marine Regt. convert the attack into a 1:2 and JJ takes heavy casualties. This means Noumea is safe until either:

1) JJ brings up more offensive power

-or-

2) A sustained campaign of air or naval bombardment wears down the defenders.

But we now have 80 mines and PT boats arriving and can put a SCTF on station at Noumea and perhaps bring back the AD and AE at Tanna and patch up the airfield and..close in behind them at La Foa.

[BBfanboy]

Looks like you have been going to church lately and praying fervently for miracles ...