To Young to Die, To Old to Rock and Roll

[zuluhour]

Perhaps I should invest in Japanese shoe leather futures. [:)]

A night raid below by only 5 a/c in thunderstorms. The replay alluded to 30 damaged a/c and 3 destroyed. I flipped the turn at lunch so
I don't have the VP screens handy. DOH!

Night Air attack on Hansa Bay , at 97,121

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 40 NM, estimated altitude 4,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-24J Liberator x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
P1Y2 Frances: 2 destroyed on ground

No Allied losses

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

Airbase hits 3
Runway hits 11

Aircraft Attacking:
5 x B-24J Liberator bombing from 3000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb

[zuluhour]

SoPac

[zuluhour]

in the CBI

[zuluhour]

SoPac: landing imminent.

[BBfanboy]

Considering the disparity in numbers I'd say the Hellcats did well against the hordes of Georges:
G 190/3 128/1
H 32/10 3/1

[zuluhour]

There is the numbers game....I reread some of the air coordination notes as well as the changes from witp to AE and discovered some old gems of wisdom I had long forgot about. I hope the Hellcat can prove itself in an offensive role as I want to keep the P47s in the CBI. Even if they can fly at low kill ratios but get home to help the F4Us gain air superiority I can live with it. I sure would not have wanted to be them in the first wave.[X(]

[zuluhour]

.



**Buin and Shortlands fell to a second assault the next day.

[BBfanboy]

9 Battleships! I like the way you think! [:D]
I think there was a unit there with some guns and vehicles (arty or AA) and you wiped it out. I don't see any combat squads on the casualty lists so I think your attack will be a pushover.

[zuluhour]

nothing like brute force. [;)]

[BBfanboy]

Ouch! On both sides. What does the Intel screen say about aircraft losses this turn? I am betting a lot of those damaged planes never got back to KB.

[zuluhour]

Between Rabaul and the KB, 110 or so IJ to 20 odd US and allies. I believe about 75 to 80 KB a/c downed. I lost a Jeep carrier and an AK......so far.
It did provoke a reaction though. It will be hard for me to wait for the return turn. The USN is at sea!

[zuluhour]

further north

[ny59giants]

How are you using your second generation Corsairs? I put them on my best CV fighter groups to be used exclusively as CV CAP and allowed the more numerous Hellcats to do both CAP and Escort duties.

[zuluhour]

The carrier capable F4Us are parceled out, albeit thinly so far. Just got this turn back. Obviously anger doesn't work well.

[ny59giants]

Focus Grasshopper, focus!

[zuluhour]

I MUST focus on this pivotal point in the war. Map showing conditions as of 4 April. TFs are ready to debark in 72 hours for TASK-3 SoPac. Makin was occupied three days ago in CenPac. Oolong Java is now a seaplane base extending the CATs range out into the "hole" KB slipped through. I believe this will decide "our war" as a loss here is curtains given the present date. OOB, routing, and objectives to follow when the TFs are well to sea.

[ny59giants]

It looks like you could grab Rossel Island area and start your way for Milne Bay as there is nothing but dot bases. Time to make Coral Sea a private swimming hole.

[zuluhour]

I am looking at giving him multiple AOs to think about now, I wonder......will he commit KB here???

[BBfanboy]

You just knocked off 1/4 or more of 18 Division's AV at Lunga, and reduced the forts. Looking good! Can you attack again before he recovers?

[zuluhour]

I attack again today and reduce forts to one, it's looking good. The 2nd Marine Div joins in the fray.
Ground combat at Lunga (114,138)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 30371 troops, 509 guns, 807 vehicles, Assault Value = 1058

Defending force 10543 troops, 125 guns, 32 vehicles, Assault Value = 189

Allied adjusted assault: 688

Japanese adjusted defense: 181

Allied assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 2)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), disruption(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
871 casualties reported
Squads: 9 destroyed, 68 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 16 disabled

Allied ground losses:
108 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 18 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
2nd Marine Division
1st USMC Tank Battalion
766th Tank Battalion
5th USMC Tank Battalion
3rd USMC Tank Battalion
1st Marine Division
134th Cmbt Engineer Battalion
193rd Tank Battalion
168th Field Artillery Battalion
97th Field Artillery Battalion
2nd USMC Field Artillery Battalion
181st Field Artillery Battalion
131st Field Artillery Battalion
82nd Mortar Battalion
55th Base Maint Engineer Battalion
I US Corps
260th Field Artillery Battalion
1st USMC Field Artillery Battalion
2nd RAA Med Arty Regiment

Defending units:
18th Division