Do you like WW2 grand strategy naval wargames?

[metadigital]

30 1000 lb bombs and 9 torpedoes hit

That's not leaving a lot to chance. )

[alanschu]

I guess Halsey didn't want to risk it limping away

[metadigital]

You could almost have piled all that up on the deck of the wooden ship and it would have caused a list large enough to capsize it ... :D

[alanschu]

I don't remember the exact numbers, but those were only the ones that hit. There were undoubtedly more planes in the air that missed!

 

 

It was the Nagato though.

 

 

 

I hate to see what kind of force he'd send out if he saw the Yamato!

[alanschu]

Speaking of the Yamato, I finally found her. And her sister ship the Musashi. And about 5 other battleships and heavy cruisers.

 

It was funny, I was making preparations to invade Ponope (Pohnpei) which would give me another land base with which to perform air missions over Truk. Near the northwestern coast of New Guinea, patrol boats spotted a fleet of heavy cruisers heading towards Rabaul. Unfortunately land based bombers from Hollandia and Amboina were unable to find the task force and perform bombing runs. So I sent out CV Saratoga, CV Yorktown, CV Enterprise, and CVL Independence to intercept her. This carrier task force was currently at the Kwajalein Atoll, in the central Marshall Islands, covering transports carrying troops heading to Kwajalein to prepare for the invasion of Ponape Atoll. Since the boats were close to Kwajalein, combined with virtually no Japanese LBA on any of the adjacent Atolls, with another CVTF with 4 Essex-class Carriers in it a few days away, this task force loaded up with Fuel from Kwajalein, and sped away at full speed (31 knots) in an attempt to intercept the cruiser task forces. It involved a large detour around Truk, since intelligence and recon have shown there to be significant air forces stations there. As a precaution, each carrier set its Hellcat wings to contribute 90% of its wing to daily CAP coverage, to ensure the protection of the carriers. Since it was an all cruiser fleet discovered, it was determined that the need for Hellcat escorts would be minimal.

 

As luck would have it, the cruiser fleet was not moving particularly fast, which allowed extra time for the Carrier fleet to intercept it. Unfortunately, it made a sudden turn eastward, towards Rabaul on the East side of New Guinea. My fleet was anticipating an intercept near Guam and the rest of the Mariana Islands. This meant a rather risky venture of heading near both Truk, and Rabaul, in order to intercept the fleet. I decided to take my chances, hoping that the 100+ Hellcats could provide sufficient air coverage. Since numerous Japanese Aircraft carriers have already been sunk, there was little concern that I may run into one. Hence, it was deemed appropriate to pursue, since all bomber squadrons would only be utilized to attack naval vessels, not bases. I was able to get within 120 miles of the Cruiser Fleet, just west of Rabaul, but unfortunately bad weather prevented carrier operations. The next day, recon spotted the fleet in the harbour of Rabaul, which would undoubtedly have large CAP presence, but then some luck happened.

 

Recognizing a big juicy target, the desparate Japanese attempted an airstrike consisting of Nells, Bettys, with Zekes flying escort. The combined flak fire, with many wings of Hellcats flying coverage, decimated the air group. Only a handful of Nells and Bettys were able to get off attacks, none of them hitting. I destroyed over 70 planes in that engagement. Naturally, this made me more confident in getting close to Rabaul. The next day, it was discovered that the fleet of warships had departed north, and was heading between Truk and Ponape. Since my invasion of Ponape was a day away, I could not afford to allow the fleet to provide cover. It was this day that I had my first successul attack on the surface fleet. And to my surprised, instead of just the 7 or so Heavy Cruisers, SB2C Helldivers spotted an additional 7-10 battleships! Recognizing an opportunity to inflict further heavy losses to the Japanese Navy, and effectively eliminate their remaining presence on the sea, Admiral Halsey felt that the invasion of Ponape was going to be successful, and that the presence of 13 US Battleships off the coast represented a combined AA value that would be able to repel any piecemeal attacks from Truk. Land Based P-38Js would also provide air coverage, taking off from Kwajalein. So Halsey took his 4 Essex-class Carriers (Essex, Bunker Hill, Intrepid, and Franklin) south of Ponape, on a perfect intercept course for the fleet of heavy surface ships. I do not think that the Japanese Navy will be able to recover from this blow.

 

Initially attacks were not particularly successful. Hits were scored from bombs and torpedoes, but in only relatively small numbers. By the time Halsey's Task Force arrived however, there was something very wrong with the Japanese Task Force. They had expended all of their Antiaircraft Ammunition. At this point, airstrikes immediately became more effective, and numerous hits with 22" torpedoes and 1000 lb bombs commenced.

 

 

 

 

This picture represents the first significant attack on the Japanese fleet.

 

 

 

 

This picture represents Day 2. In total, the fleet suffered sustained bombing for roughly a week. At one point, PB4Y Liberators out of Kwajalein were able to drop limited payloads on the task force as well. While current intelligence suggests that the bulk of the fleet was able to escape (it seems as though amidst the chaos, some ships were able to outrun the more damaged ships. As far as I'm concerned, they disappeared into the night because after the 7th or 8th day of bombing, there were no more heavy ships to be found, and I know I didn't sink them all. However, the losses were still extreme. At least 4 Battleships were sunk, including the Yamato and her sister ship the Musashi (and the biggest surface ships ever built). Heavy Cruiser losses are estimated at around 5 or 6, with additional Light Cruisers and Destroyers sunk. And these are of confirmed kills. Multiple hits were scored on virtually every ship, so here's hoping some lady luck will send them to the bottom of the ocean due to damages inflicted.

 

 

 

In the Southeast Asian front, Allied Forces have finally closed into Malaya. After cutting it off from Siam and Indochina by taking Bangkok sometime ago, heavy land forces have pushed into Malaya at the beginning of December 1943. Just in time for Christmas, Singapore was liberated on December 24th, with only pockets of Japanese resistance remaining in the city. With one more city to Liberate on the penninsula, forces have already begun preparations of the liberation of the Dutch East Indies. The first step will be to take Palembang back, and then lift the yearlong siege of Soerabaja on Java Island. The Chinese also are attempting to move eastward, but have met with stiff Japanese resistance outside of Changsha. Commanders in Singapore are considering the idea of dispatching bomber divisions to provide assistance, but Dutch Leaders insist on liberating Palembang and other parts of the Dutch East Indies first. Some also suggest that additional assistance to China should only be sent in the case of Japenese counterattacks, and that unless that happens, a more stable supply route to China through Indochina (rather than the Burma Road) should be attained.

 

The Japanese Greater Coprosperity Sphere just got a little smaller.