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Old 10-23-21, 11:37 AM   #275
Molon Labe
Silent Hunter
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Along the Watchtower
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17 June 1942
Can I name CV-16 Enterprise?


Battle of the Coral Sea, day 2
USS Seadragon intercepted a task force including a seaplane carrier in the Solomon Sea--because CARDIV 3 included Rufes when Port Moresby's bombers attacked yesterday, I think this is CARDIV 3 but Seadragon just didn't spot the carriers. Anyway, the escorts were onto her immediately and drove her off.

Enterprise was trying to make it to the small port at Cooktown for hasty repairs. It was engaged first by a small element, 2 Kates with 6 Zeroes. P-39s based at Cooktown shot down both Kates and 3 of the Zeroes with just one loss. Obviously they weren't done, next was 18 Vals with 18 Zeroes--which we opposed with 18 P-39s. The Zeroes got the job done. 10 of them were shot down with no losses, but the P-39s never made it to the Vals:
CV Enterprise, Bomb hits 4, and is sunk
CA Australia, Bomb hits 2, on fire

...and that's pretty much it for day 2. My opponent is furious that his carriers didn't launch more strikes, and I'm pissed that my land bases didn't seem to even attempt to strike the carriers. Milne in particular should have held CARDIV 3 at close range from multiple search arcs, and had over 50 fighters to escort its dive bombers, so it would have been pretty evenly matched with their expected 50-60 Zeroes on CAP. And the enemy did press south, so CVW-6 was in range.


Sumatra and the Strait of Malacca
My Brit heavy task force ran into a destroyer that might have been covering the phibs. We fatally wounded it before it broke off, but not before expending a ridiculous amount of ammo and getting one of our destroyers moderately damaged. The task force would bombard the enemy invading Sabang later in the day, but at reduced strength thanks to this ammo expenditure.

There phib task force we hit is bigger than we realized; two small ships evacuating Palembang ran into 3 cargo ships with 4 escorts, two cargos were burning so this can't be a different task force.

With that contact report arriving with the CVBG covering the heavies, another air strike was launched, sinking the 3 remaining cargo ships and causing massive casualties to the troops inside them. One escorting DMS was also damaged by multiple bomb hits.

The enemy attempted an airborne assault on Palembang and got 2 transport aircraft shot down by flak, then the 39 paratroops that made it the the ground were immediately killed or captured. He complained to me that I had 2 divisions sitting there after I supposedly promised not to fortify Palembang. No, I promised to turn off the refineries once under siege so as not to take advantage of the fact that refineries produce supply, which would unrealistically make a siege ineffective. As if I'm not going to defend the biggest oil/fuel producing base in theatre. Sheesh.

Thailand
Another P-40 downed over Raheng... I'm a little annoyed because I actually ordered the CAP there to stand down since they aren't bombing, they're just picking my fighters off. No sense coming out to play when it benefits him, right? Apparently some fighters came over from a nearby base to help out...

Good news, though. Our reserve armies cleared the road again. Casualties 1151 against the retreating enemy army to our 190.

China
We had a major victory here today as the enemy flanking force, badly disrupted by days of bombing, was routed by my former Kaifeng assaulters turned flank guards. Casualties were 6547 to 1540, but the reality was even more skewed than that as the enemy suffered 246 squads destroyed instead of disabled, compared to my 12.

We're still outnumbered here, and there is a bigger force that made it across the bridge. For now I'm going to hold position, try to get better recon, and let my bombers start wearing them down.

In terms of victory points, we actually inflicted enough troop casualties today across three battlefields that even with the loss of Enterprise, we nearly broke even.

Hawaii
My second lone cargo ship arrived at Pearl completely undetected. Today's recon report on Lahaina is similar to yesterday's, giving it credibility. I'm putting together a large resupply convoy to follow up behind the loners.

Reinforcements...and withdrawals
The 301st and 303rd bomber groups--B-17 training groups all--withdrew to redeploy to Europe. But they're apparently getting new aircraft, they left their bombers. So I now have about 40 more B-17s ready to assign to combat squadrons, should I choose.

DD Lansdowne arrives at Balboa
DD Stack arrives at Balboa
No.1 PRU RAAF arrives at Melbourne - Buffalo recon variants. Doesn't have the range to be immediately useful, so trainers for now. If a knifefight breaks out in or around Australia that could change.
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Last edited by Molon Labe; 10-23-21 at 11:52 AM.
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