USS America
Posts: 15070
Joined: 10/28/2002
From: Raleigh, NC, USA
Status: offline
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This is my 3rd PBEM campaign I've started, and along with 2 games started against the AI, I've never had a Japanese opponent try for a second day of attacks at Pearl Harbor. When I got my Turn 2 to enter orders, I noticed the mouse recon of his KB indicated they were still heading SE, toward PH. Now, this very possibly was incorrect information from the previous day, but it got me thinking...
Torsten's Day 1 attacks at Pearl did a good number on my BB's there. Without revealing too much I can say that none of them will be going anywhere anytime soon. The thing is, there were almost no hits on any of my CA's or CL's in port. Usually a couple of them are crippled or sunk in the attack. With the idea planted in my head that Torsten might try a second day of attacks, and the hint (accurate or not) that the KB was still heading SE, I decided to roll the dice. I put all my CA's and CL's into a SCTF with about 8 or so DD's. There were around 15 ships total, and I put a very aggressive and Naval skilled TF commander in charge. I think the commander might even have been Nimitz.  Then I sent them to Patrol about 1 hex North of the KB's reported location.
My hopes were that I might catch the KB in a surface engagement and maybe cause a little damage to a CV or 2, putting them in the yards for a month or two. This would at least slow down the early Japanese advance. This was a big gamble, but some of the factors I took into account were Torsten having all his bombers set to Port attack for another day of bombing, his ships being very far away from any friendly port, my ships being very close to a big port with a shipyard, and the fact that losing several of these cruisers would still balance out to an "average" loss at Pearl. I decided the risks were worth the reward.
Well, my SCTF did catch the KB at night at about the same location they were spotted the previous day. I only have the combat replay to go by, so no firm results yet, but my hopes were met and maybe even exceeded! Several of my CA's got a bloody nose, from a couple of Japanese BB main gun hits, and even 1 or 2 8 inch gun hits from one of the CV's. None of them were reported to sink during the battle. I lost a DD or two, but took down 1 Japanese DD if I remember correctly, and scored several 6 and 8 inch hits on a couple of CV's! Both of the CV's were seen burning pretty good, so they are surely out of the fight for a couple of months. Now, my hopes for an even better end result lay with poorly trained Japanese damage control parties and fires getting out of control. It is a loooong way for them to the nearest friendly port.
Effectively, almost everything went right for me, and almost everything went wrong for Torsten in this engagement. It turned out that he also did have all his KB bombers set to port attack, so they didn't even bother my SCTF. I have to say that this amount of fun on my first real turn will easily get me through the many months of poundings that I'm preparing to endure. 
As for Lexington being torpedoed by a sub near Wake Island, well, let's not talk about that. 
_____________________________
Mike
"Good times will set you free" - Jimmy Buffett
"They need more rum punch" - Me
Artwork by The Amazing Dixie
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Printable Version
Scen 1: Let the better propaganda win Historiker (J) vs... - 
How dastardly. 
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