South Pac
+ N, z$ D3 [4 G" A: B# s! h$ D* M/ E! O' Y
Early in the morning the recon of both parts, spotted the opposing force. The KB were NE of Funafuti. My carriers reacted and closed of 1 hex and the same have done the enemy CV.
* g7 l6 v6 w `3 L4 J! z9 A g( |4 U! T1 O0 G( I5 s
My planes attacked first. : C0 \5 c7 i. Q4 _% O6 c2 j
First wave, composed by 34 SBD, 15 TBD and (only!) 6 F4F, arrived over KB. 92 Zeros were on CAP. Only 8 SBD and 6 TBD managed to pass through the screen. 1 1000 lbs-bomb hit Kongo: boink!
5 G# _( Q# z! I# @/ s$ Y8 aAnother 1000 lbs-bomb hit CV Soryu and exploded beneath the deck.
! M. }" R9 o$ I/ xAh, by the way...No Zero shot down... ' J; d8 r" f* R# S) s# O6 Z
$ z8 B+ `" S& h! v6 q
The second attack was more dramatic. 84 SBD, 30 TBD, 35 Albacore, escorted by a total of 30 fighters, arrived over KB, few minutes later the first wave. The same 92 Zeros were on CAP. ) D4 j! {$ z9 v9 ^2 n$ o
23 allied fighters have been shot down, in exchange of only 3 Zeros. Also 15 SBD, 6 TBD and 10 Albacore ended their flight in the water, but the rest of my armada attacked the Kido Butai.
% w: x0 ~! b+ d' k. ^CV Shokaku received 11 bombs, while CV Zuikaku received 9 bombs and 1 torpedo.
0 L4 _" ]( L& D% g# z! L" y z+ a( ^+ ]; w1 e
The third were were composed by 4 F4F (!), 34 SBD and 15 TBD. Again, 89 Zero were on CAP. I suppose that japanese pilots were tired, because only 1 SBD, 3 TBD and 1 F4F have been shot down, while 2 Zero have been shot down. , L9 }% e% v) o1 R3 @; C
CV Shokaku received 4 more bombs, CV Zuikaku 2 bombs, while CA Aoba and Kinugasa have been hit by 1 bomb each.
4 b' ^! w( r; U/ }! f6 ~( e) {; o8 a9 }1 x
There was time also for the fourth wave, composed by 15 SBD (1 shot down) and 17 TBD (5 lost), (no Zero shot down). CV Zuikaku and CV Shokaku received 2 more bombs each. 8 V+ q) W# d% N; R
6 Q2 O" g4 ~5 ?$ ^7 r
It’s obvious that Chuck divided KB in at least 2 TFs. This decision saved the death star.
- Q+ ~! d3 W' |) j+ u* @4 T# v' Y: y' `8 J2 S1 n2 _
Then came the japanese attack. The first (small) wave, 23 Val and 6 Zero, was intercepted by 83 fighters. 15 Val and 6 Zero shot down and the others Val turned back. No losses for the allied. 1 c" Q+ R0 C( ?
7 O2 U9 N, V! t6 Z1 S
The second wave, composed by 22 Val, 25 Kate and 9 Zero, has been intercepted by the same 83 fighters. Only 1 F2F and 1 F4F lost, while my pilots shot down 6 Zero, 12 Val and 14 Kate have been shot down, and the survivors, again, turned back.
+ [" l9 q; d" j8 s& U; j5 N9 O( i' u( n
The third massive wave, composed by 61 Val, 78 Kate and 37 Zero, easily escaped from my 81 fighters on CAP.
/ M# L( ^3 I0 i4 y$ {+ eCV Hornet took 2 torpedoes and 5 small bombs, CV Enterprise 2 torpedoes, 3 – 250kg – bombs and 2 small bombs, CV Lexington 5 torps, 1 -250 kg bombs and 2 small bombs, CA Chicago 2 torps and DD Lamson 4 bombs and 1 torp.
6 {4 J2 N! {: Z8 D: l ~ XI lost 15 fighters, while japs lost 10 Zeros, 6 Vals and 9 Kates. & L; ?( M+ D7 H5 b' W; H& v% p
+ m, k4 O4 |6 p3 P! A1 V
20 Kate and 6 Zero formed the fourth wave. 65 fighters were on CAP, but were unable to stop them.
$ V; O) r# q" w' K- y @+ n2 [3 Kate and 6 of my fighters shot down. CV Enterprise took 2 more torps. 6 ?8 l9 c! Z0 Q( W- a
/ t9 N4 b4 m- D5 VFifth wave attacked the same TF (again!). 21 Kate, 17 Val and 13 Zero fought against 58 fighters, but managed 1 torpedo on Lexington and 3 bombs and 1 torpedo on Hornet. 2 Kate and 13 allied fighters lost. ( T5 ^& W+ S+ I# i" {$ z6 _& K
: E4 i+ C$ T& |5 r; D o: @& b( p7 N0 wAll this happened in the morning!! + E9 C; x5 x6 I; r- B1 @
0 q. v9 J R- K3 p5 CIn the afternoon british TF closed one more hex and launched one small air attack. I lost 4 Albacores during an attempt to attack CV Akagi, without results.
s9 c6 ?! ]( G5 P, s9 SBD and 2 TBD tried the same, and a SBD scored 1 1000 lbs – bomb on Akagi. 2 SBD and 1 TBD lost.
- d. g7 Q- X/ W9 U0 k9 Z }+ _, a4 A0 a% F
Then, 18 Zero and 16 Kate, from another carrier TF, probably composed by light carriers due to the number of planes, attacked the british TF. Prince of Wales and Repulse received 1 torpedo each. Only 1 Kate shot down.
- \7 ~. j& }) O; b
6 j! p9 C1 g% K9 ~! I* [44 Val, 21 Kate and 29 Zero attacked again. Only 5 british fighters were on CAP. The closing of one hex towards the KB, leaved the british ships without US air cover. 3 Val and 1 Kate for the japs and 2 fighters for the british shot down. 2 t2 @% C$ R) c9 W" k a$ I% h: U
CV Formidable resulted hit by 10 bombs and 4 torps, CV Indomitable by 4 bombs and 2 torps, BB Prince of Wales by 2 bombs and CA Canberra by 1 bomb.
* c4 M i! D; X3 t7 T
6 t, X/ B7 C8 e- T3 T( q9 R$ j$ IBefore dusk, Lexington and Enterprise sunk. No reports of enemy sinking, but I suppose that Zuikaku and Shokaku are in a very bad conditions and they are between the Ellice and Suva. A long way home. 6 X) T' R+ z4 g O
( _% Q, F8 y% K- a: M
During this terrible day, this are the air losses. 4 f" i; a8 t8 D+ a% A
8 ~" p0 c* V1 _. u- W89 Kate / a1 |9 D) |% A
60 Val 9 Y: N3 N: u- k2 x
39 Zero
2 f2 D& i5 c! m% u% P, S+ R! Q0 I
5 T3 k& E3 g' T9 R1 o6 `188 a/c : e. z8 f$ a( Z
0 D% x! l$ _/ K I: P$ X( y9 O, e! o4 a- V
126 SBD 0 D, Z" v/ R. h+ y
61 TBD ! N% {% I* L( w, |9 o! v% j
19 Albacore " w2 I b0 ^/ W( I* {0 n
5 Sea Hurricane 2 C( V6 B* P! @4 |5 c/ E1 u3 e1 @
21 Fulmar 5 r* Q& v' l4 ~( J& F$ M( V1 p
14 F2A
+ Q1 q& G( L3 R4 ? j; G( K19 F4F-3
2 ?- M( Y0 V0 a2 W% q* g24 F4F-4
4 M) G8 f4 a, Q( t5 g
( i; |2 u; y/ Q _/ sThe damages for my ships are the following:
L8 Z+ Y J- Y2 k1 u6 ^( c/ I" ?8 Z; C* F& ?7 K. m
CV Formidable 50/69/38
$ U. X N0 u8 `8 g9 X; k. wCV Indomitable 35/34/42
X, @1 y- m8 }. r) I% _BB Prince of Wales 35/6/14
5 Y1 S) ?) j0 v! Q7 D' S0 }+ zBC Repulse 25/14/10 3 O5 a/ Z" s& f6 I" r4 o
6 E% E9 g) H! oCV Hornet 58/89/49
; Y6 i9 r8 @: C6 wDD Lamson 64/19/25 4 k B0 K- F9 F/ P8 ^
－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－+ N1 _( L, l1 E. @% D
盟军42年4月竟敢在fiji北主动出击，最后损失2：5，日军损失两鹤。1 `- x3 P( \; O: M! _* t
从战果上看，盟军的结果比我想象的好不少。而且还混编CV. |
发表于 2007-8-29 11:42
| 
