Hey @Zheng He would you be so gracious as to provide us with an updated force structure of the the Eastern Fleet?
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April 1942 Alternate Indian Ocean
- Thread starter Zheng He
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A tad bit excessive if you ask me, the Japanese will be crapping their pants at the amount of dakka coming down range at themUSS Wyoming
Plus at this point she is doing more important work, ie training AA gunners. Also she doesn't have any armor it was removed when she was made a gunnery training ship
All I can say is HMS Centurion.
April 1942 Alternate Indian Ocean
0900 Hours, 28 September 1942, Port C, Indian Ocean – Led by two AIRCOS Hudson transports packed with extra supplies, including the fighters’ guns, the reinforcements for the Phosphate Air Force took off out of Port C. Five Martlets, three Albacores, and three P-43s including one fitted for...
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Where was she at, her heavy guns would have been perfect for shore bombardment with the right ammunition.
Yeah, I need to wrap my arms around that, too many ships coming and going.
USS Richmond and HMS Enterprise are the patrol cruisers down at Port C and Christmas Island right now.
What was the timeline on Richmond arriving at Chriatmas? In OTL, she got her refit in spring 1942, making her one of the earlier ships to get a full AAA refit. I always wondered what would have happened if prewar the 8 x3"/50 cal, had been replaced by 4 x5" /25 cal., on the Omahas.
Task Force 8 built around the light cruisers USS St. Louis, USS Richmond, the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis, and a few old destroyers arrived in Colombo on 8 August ITTL. Indianapolis didn't last long - she ate two torpedoes on 17 August (courtesy of the IJN's Rikkos) during the Battle of Christmas Island, the same battle that saw HMS Furious and the destroyer USS Kane sunk. Indianapolis but had to limp back to the US for repairs. St. Louis has since been active in a number of engagements and has been used extensively as an air defense picket in the Bay of Bengal after getting her CXAM radar installed during a refit in Colombo. Richmond along with HMS Enterprise (and other ships) has been gainfully employed running down Japanese raiders south of the DEI and making high speed supply runs from Port C to Christmas Island.
0800 Hours, 6 January 1943, Chittagong, India – While air operations near Akyab were taking up the majority of the Allies’ effort, Japanese fighters staging out of Toungoo Airfield north of Rangoon were becoming increasingly annoying. To help suppress that activity, Air Vice Marshal Brand tasked 24 Blenheims IVs – 12 each from No. 34 and No. 60 Squadrons to attack Toungoo with a fighter escort of eight Fulmars from No. 800 Squadron and eight Buffaloes from No. 25 Squadron of the RAAF. Attacking on their own were 12 Blenheim Vs from No. 113 Squadron. They were tasked to hit the forward airfield at Magwe. While the Japanese had generally ceased the practice of staging fighters there, Allied air commanders felt it was necessary to given them the occasional reminder why it was bad idea.
Yes, but from the Allied perspective MOAR DAKKA is best dakka.
That said, it's a shame that Warspite isn't available to drop 15-inch presents on them as well.
HMS Valiant is with Somerville's task force offshore. The problem is getting the ships in to bombard the positions means navigating in some tricky coastal. Dicey enough with cruisers.
1000 Hours, 6 January 1943, Toungoo, Burma – At Toungoo the Japanese were caught flat footed. Staging Ki-43s out of the base for hunt and peck missions against Allied strike aircraft operating beyond the fighter umbrella over the Arakan had proven remarkably cost effective. However, after no visits to the forward fighter base by anything other than the occasional reconnaissance aircraft they had gotten careless and all 24 Blenheims were able to scatter their 500-pound and 40-pound bombs across the length of the airstrip without loss. One Ki-43 from the 50th Sentai was wrecked and two others were damaged. No aircraft were airborne when the bombers arrived but as they were departing four Buffaloes from No. 25 Squadron tangled with a shotai of Oscars from the 64th Sentai inbound from Mingaladon. The brief encounter left one Oscar shot down and one Buffalo damaged badly enough that its pilot headed for Akyab almost 150 miles closer, escorted by his wingman.
At Magwe the 12 Blenheim Vs from No. 113 Squadron also surprised the Japanese making strafing runs across the base although there were no particularly valuable targets present.
At Magwe the 12 Blenheim Vs from No. 113 Squadron also surprised the Japanese making strafing runs across the base although there were no particularly valuable targets present.
1200 Hours, 6 January 1943, Ramree, Burma – The damaged RAAF Buffalo from No. 25 Squadron was becoming increasingly difficult for its pilot to fly. Leaking fuel and with a sputtering engine he was not sure he could even make it to Akyab. His wingman was able to make contact with Akyab and the fighters were directed to head for Ramree Island where construction was wrapping up on the new airfield. As soon as the pilot brought his damaged fighter down for a smooth landing on the not quite finished airstrip his wingman turned north for Akyab. The relieved pilot was greeted by members Riain’s Comanche Company and the Americans from the 808th Airfield Construction Battalion and Ramree Island’s airfield was declared ready for emergency fighter operations. Thus, began what would become known as the Crocodile Air Force.
Oh shit, they've started to sing. We'll not get them out of here tonight
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