zuluhour
Posts: 2069
Joined: 1/20/2011 From: Maryland Status: offline
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February 7th 1944 nygiants: We play you guys this year. I had the turn away when I got your tactical advice above. I see I could ahve saved some lives. It did not fall on deaf ears. SwPac: Zulu HQ: Not anticipating anything special, the day becomes ominous very quickly. The combat reports from the front begin to arrive after a couple of bloody marys and eggs benedict (Canadian bacon, American bacon to over powering for the Bernaise sauce.) The first indication something is up comes from Manus. Bettys come in at night and score heavy at the newly captured base. Allied aircraft losses PBY-5 Catalina: 3 damaged PBY-5 Catalina: 1 destroyed on ground P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 5 damaged P-47D2 Thunderbolt: 1 destroyed on ground Hudson III (LR): 6 damaged Kittyhawk IV: 3 damaged Kittyhawk IV: 1 destroyed on ground Airbase hits 7 Runway hits 19 Aircraft Attacking: 16 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 10000 feet Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb The news does not get better when word from Burma arrives that a high scoring RAF fighter squadron sweeping Mandalay loses at 1:4. The Tony appears to be better than first thought. Then word comes from Sherman off Manus tacking to the NW of Manus he has been spotted and has incoming bogies, bearing NNE. In heavy cloud but with 30min warning well over 100 attack aircraft are spotted by radar. The Japanese show up over Intrepids TF and a mighty CAP is assembled to meet the raiders. Almost 50 Japanese aviators are reported splashed for two fighters and no hits on Intrepid or her screen. Fingers crossed as the reports continue to flow in from the battle. 98 more bogies spotted by radar at 88nm 22min from RADM Shermans own TF of Wasp and Yorktown. Only 8 corsairs get airborn but the carriers and battleships Massachusetts and South Dakota fill the air with flak. Japanese aircraft A6M3a Zero x 10 A6M5 Zero x 30 B6N2 Jill x 36 D4Y1 Judy x 22 Allied aircraft F4U-1A Corsair x 8 Japanese aircraft losses A6M5 Zero: 2 destroyed B6N2 Jill: 24 damaged B6N2 Jill: 4 destroyed by flak D4Y1 Judy: 4 damaged D4Y1 Judy: 6 destroyed by flak No Allied losses Allied Ships CV Yorktown, Torpedo hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage CV Wasp BB Massachusetts, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 3 BB South Dakota, Torpedo hits 2 Aircraft Attacking: 5 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 3000' Naval Attack: 1 x 500 kg SAP Bomb 8 x A6M5 Zero sweeping at 20000 feet 21 x B6N2 Jill launching torpedoes at 200 feet Naval Attack: 1 x 18in Type 91 Torpedo 5 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 3000' Naval Attack: 1 x 500 kg SAP Bomb 9 x A6M5 Zero sweeping at 20000 feet 6 x A6M3a Zero sweeping at 10000 feet 3 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 10000' Naval Attack: 1 x 500 kg SAP Bomb 8 x B6N2 Jill launching torpedoes at 200 feet Naval Attack: 1 x 18in Type 91 Torpedo 4 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 2000' Naval Attack: 1 x 500 kg SAP Bomb 3 x D4Y1 Judy releasing from 2000' Naval Attack: 1 x 500 kg SAP Bomb CAP engaged: VMF-111 with F4U-1A Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 8 scrambling) Group patrol altitude is 14000 , scrambling fighters between 8000 and 11000. Time for all group planes to reach interception is 25 minutes Fuel storage explosion on CV Yorktown Fuel storage explosion on CV Yorktown Yorktown is in trouble but she is not done yet. She breaks off to the southwest with a destroyer escort and makes for port. The Massachusetts and South Dakota receive DD assistance also and follow the Yorktown. It's not easy waiting to read down through the wires now. The IJN has struck first again and slipped a co ordinated package right through the massive CAP package earlier in the morning. Over 150 Hellcats and Wildcats had met the first raiders and shredded them, what happened to Shermans TF? Then word arrives we have gotten a strike in the air and the results appear to be impressive. Hellcats and Helldivers find Akagi, Kaga, and Shokaku: Morning Air attack on TF, near Manus at 101,112 Weather in hex: Heavy cloud Raid detected at 74 NM, estimated altitude 19,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 32 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M3a Zero x 7 A6M5 Zero x 31 Allied aircraft F6F-3 Hellcat x 52 SB2C-1C Helldiver x 59 Japanese aircraft losses A6M3a Zero: 1 destroyed A6M5 Zero: 1 destroyed Allied aircraft losses F6F-3 Hellcat: 6 destroyed SB2C-1C Helldiver: 4 destroyed, 25 damaged SB2C-1C Helldiver: 1 destroyed by flak Japanese Ships CV Akagi, Bomb hits 1, on fire CVL Ryuho, Bomb hits 2 CV Kaga CA Nachi, Bomb hits 1 CVL Chitose, Bomb hits 1, on fire CV Shokaku CL Oyodo, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires CA Ashigara It's still morning and I can only wonder what the hell the rest of the CVs are doing. And the report continues. Wasp, Yorktown, Intrepid, Gettysburg, and all the escort carriers do get planes away and hit home. Morning Air attack on TF, near Manus at 101,112 Weather in hex: Heavy cloud Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 34 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M3a Zero x 3 A6M5 Zero x 15 Allied aircraft F6F-3 Hellcat x 139 SB2C-1C Helldiver x 61 SBD-5 Dauntless x 31 TBF-1 Avenger x 82 TBM-1C Avenger x 8 Japanese aircraft losses A6M5 Zero: 2 destroyed Allied aircraft losses F6F-3 Hellcat: 1 destroyed SB2C-1C Helldiver: 1 damaged SBD-5 Dauntless: 2 damaged SBD-5 Dauntless: 1 destroyed by flak TBF-1 Avenger: 4 damaged TBM-1C Avenger: 1 damaged Japanese Ships CV Shokaku, Bomb hits 6, on fire, heavy damage CVL Chitose, Torpedo hits 4, and is sunk CVL Ryuho, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage CA Chikuma, Bomb hits 2, on fire CL Yahagi, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires CV Kaga, Bomb hits 10, heavy fires, heavy damage CA Nachi, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires CV Akagi, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage CA Tone DD Naganami DD Hamanami CA Haguro, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires DD Tamanami DD Asashio It's all over by noon. The last action report of the day comes from the CO on Manus. Two dozen Jills show up to take 50% casulties and return to smoking ships. Orders have been flowing from Zulu HQ for the past hour to the fleet. It is a time of decision. A map of the situation after some of the orders are received by Sherman on Wasp.
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< Message edited by zuluhour -- 9/2/2012 11:18:38 PM >
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