The Shortest-Lived Long AAR of all Time: WitP: AE (as the US)

[Tripoli]

Damnit, Starfury!  I'm blaming this on you.  For seven years, I've had the idea of doing this AAR, but decided not to because of time issues.  Then you post the photo of the USS Cassin and USS Downes in drydock on 7 December 1941......   I strongly doubt I'll be unable to finish this, but here goes. The only good thing about this is it will allow me to accomplish my lifetime ambition of firing Douglas MacArthur in 1941.....

The Pearl Harbor attack wasn't too bad. No BBs lost (yet).   A lot of aircraft damaged on the ground, but nothing too bad.  Here's the butcher's bill...
Japanese aircraft losses
      A6M2 Zero: 2 damaged
      A6M2 Zero: 5 destroyed by flak
      B5N2 Kate: 26 damaged
      B5N2 Kate: 3 destroyed by flak
      D3A1 Val: 25 damaged
      D3A1 Val: 5 destroyed by flak
 
Allied aircraft losses
      PBY-5 Catalina: 119 damaged
      PBY-5 Catalina: 8 destroyed on ground
      B-17D Fortress: 49 damaged
      B-17E Fortress: 14 damaged
      B-18A Bolo: 45 damaged
      B-18A Bolo: 5 destroyed on ground
      P-40B Tomahawk: 51 damaged
      P-40B Tomahawk: 4 destroyed on ground
      F4F-3 Wildcat: 15 damaged
      F4F-3 Wildcat: 1 destroyed on ground
      SBD-1 Dauntless: 38 damaged
      SBD-1 Dauntless: 2 destroyed on ground
      O-47A: 14 damaged
      O-47A: 1 destroyed on ground
      A-20A Havoc: 17 damaged
      A-20A Havoc: 3 destroyed on ground
      R3D-2: 1 damaged
      R3D-2: 1 destroyed on ground
      P-36A Mohawk: 24 damaged
      P-36A Mohawk: 1 destroyed on ground
      C-33: 2 damaged
 
Allied Ships
      DM Gamble
      BB Tennessee, Bomb hits 6, Torpedo hits 6,  on fire,  heavy damage
      BB Maryland, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 4,  on fire,  heavy damage
      CM Oglala, Bomb hits 1
      BB Pennsylvania, Bomb hits 7,  on fire
      BB Oklahoma, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 4,  on fire,  heavy damage
      BB West Virginia, Bomb hits 5, Torpedo hits 1,  on fire
      BB California, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 3,  on fire,  heavy damage
      BB Nevada, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 3,  on fire,  heavy damage
      CA San Francisco, Bomb hits 1
      CL Raleigh, Torpedo hits 1,  on fire
      DD Patterson, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
      CL St. Louis, Bomb hits 1
      BB Arizona, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 2,  on fire,  heavy damage
      DD Conyngham, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
      DD MacDonough, Bomb hits 1,  on fire
      SS Tautog, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
      CL Phoenix, Bomb hits 1
      AV Curtiss, Bomb hits 1
Losses are SS Tautog, DD Conyngham and DD Patterson and AVD William B. Preston and AMc Crossbill The base isn't too badly damaged: Airbase hits 43,Airbase supply hits 4,Runway hits 90, Port hits 19, Port fuel hits 1, Port supply hits 1. Looks like the IJN made the same mistake regarding not going after the fuel farm.

In other news, some Nells did a bombing raid on Wake Island.  VMF-211 intercepted with 4 F4F-3s, shooting down 1 in exchange for all the USMC aircraft being damaged.  Midway Island was ineffectually shelled by a IJN light cruiser.

In the Philippines, Clark AFB was hit, but only by 54 bombers, which didn't do too much damage.  A follow-on raid achieved similar results. Davo was hit by carrier-based aircraft, causing the loss of the seaplane tender USS William D. Preston.

In Malay,  The HMS PoW and REPULSE were hit by multiple waves of Nells and Betty bombers.  However, the 453 Sqn (RAF) flying the Buffalo aircraft were relatively effective, shooting down or damaging 7 Nells, in exchange for one torpedo hit on the HMS PRINCE OF WALES.  However, a subsequent raid was more successful.  Despite losing 8 Nells or Betty destroyed, and another 10 damaged, the Japanes put 2 more torpedoes into the PoW and 1 into the REPULSE.  They are now combat ineffective, and the only question is whether I'll be able to save them.

  The RAF base at Alor Star   was hit, destroying or damaging most of the Blenheim bombers on the ground.  Similarly, Georgetown was hit, but the RAF Buffalos shot down 3 Ki-21 Sallys, disrupt  Kota Bharu was invaded, with Malaya-based Hudson bombers ineffectually attacking the IJN fleet.  Hong Kong was bombed, but little to no damage was done.


The Sasebo 1st SNLF and 24th JAAF AF Bn CAPTURE Batan Island, so it looks like the Japanese will shortly be going after Luzon.

[JasonPratt]

Are you using any gfx mods? (Or kit mods? I don't know what the modding scene is for this game currently.)

Relatedly, any pix incoming? 

[Tripoli]

Are you using any gfx mods? (Or kit mods? I don't know what the modding scene is for this game currently.)

Relatedly, any pix incoming? 

Yes, I'm slowly trying to figure how to balance the time commitment, my WITP:AE incompetence, and a way to make it intersting.  Right now, I think I'm going to include daily snapshots from the real world Nimitz "greybook" and simply use the game more as a chance to engage in a discussion of what was going on in the Pacific war.  Does that sound like a winner?

[JasonPratt]