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The Battle of the Bonin Islands

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The battle of the Bonin Islands started on July 8, 1944 as Admiral Stark’s Group was surprised by a sudden attack by Vice Admiral Kobatashi, who was escorting transports to Bonin. Stark’s flagship, the USS Mississippi, was hit hard in the first salvo and fires amidships were raging rampantly. While Stark prepared to transfer his flag to the West Virginia, the cruisers Portland and Columbia scored decisive hit on the Haruna.

Stark’s Group consisted of:

USS Mississippi BB
USS West Virginia BB
USS Portland CA
USS Columbia CA

Kobatashi's Group consisted of:

IJN Kongo BB
IJN Haruna BB
IJN Nagato BB
IJN Tone CA
IJN Chikuma CA

At 0700 Stark was in dire straights, the Mississippi was engulfed in flames and the crew of the Portland was battling fires near the stern. However lucky hits from the West Virginia caused severe damage to the Haruna’s aft she was unable to steer, but by violently shifting her guns continued to fight.

Task Group 58.7 commanded by Grand Admiral Hewitt, currently sailing the waters around the Marinae Islands was ordered to assist and immediately changed course to assist. He would not be there until midnight on July 10.

Hewitt’s Task Group consisted of:

USS Alabama BB
USS Indiana BB
USS Iowa BB
USS New Jersey BB
USS North Carolina BB
USS Washington BB
USS Minneapolis CA
USS South Dakota BB
USS New Orleans CA
USS San Francisco CA
14th & 15TH Destroyer Divisions

The Determining factor would be the arrival of Hewitt, as Stark was determined to fight to the last ship.

By 1000 the Chikuma was hit in her powder magazine and broke in two. She went under too fast for most of the crew to escape. Mississippi was crippled as the forward turret was damaged beyond repair. The West Virginia and the Portland fighting fires. Several IJN transports had gone down, but the fire from the IJN Battleships was taking its toll.


First Attemt at a AAR, curse me, or love me? :wacko:
 
I'm feeling generous this evening, so I love ya! :p

I'm assuming this is a US AAR using the 1.06 1944 scenario?
 
Thats great stuff. I like how it sounds real, like this is a real battle from WWII as described in a book or on the History Channel (or WWII channel as I jokingly call it). Are you going to do more or just this battle?
 
1.06 1944 scenario.

The best part of this game is describing it! As in an AAR, if you like it I can continue.??

Tell me , STOP or Go :wacko:
 
I started this as a test, to see if there was any interest in this AAR.

This is the 1944 scenario, normal.normal played as the US. I'll try to complet it. Thanks for you're support.
 
Go
 
At 1300 the Haruna slipped under the waves, a victory for Stark, but by this time the Mississippi’s boiler had been ruptured and was unable to maneuver and West Virginia was listing to port. Meanwhile the Tone was a blazing inferno as her crew was desperately trying to quench the fires spreading though her.

At 1400 Stark started to rethink his last ship theory and prepares to withdraw.

1600 USS Mississippi slips beneath the waves, Stark transfers his flag to USS Colombia.

1800 USS West Virginia explodes! Her powder magazine takes a direct hit, this plus the damage already inflicted sends her to the bottom! Stark having once again transferred his flag, now to the USS Columbia is determined to wait for Hewitt.

1900 The IJN has the Kongo and the Nagato escorting several transports. The Kongo is on fire, her forward guns are destroyed. Stark ignores the small caliber fire from the transports.

Stark stood on the bridge of the Columbia, desperate for help from Hewitt, could he hold out for 4 hours?
 
You have me eagerly awaiting to see if Stark can survive those last four hours against a numerically superious enemy. Good work so far.
 
Wow this is cool! :eek: Seriously. Its like a play-by-play AAR.
 
The sun was beginning to set as the Columbia continued to pound the Kongo with fire form her main guns. The crew of the Kongo was more concerned with fighting fires that fighting the US Navy. Portland however was not faring so well, Nagato though heavily damaged was returning fire at an alarming rate. Portland took a direct hit amidships and begat listing to starboard.

Stark had no way to know, but Vice Admiral Kobatashi had been killed in the fighting and Vice Admiral Kato T now commanded the Japanese fleet.

It was 2200 hrs and Stark looked across the dark water to see how Portland was holding up. What he saw horrified and amazed him. First Portland fired what was to be her last salvo, still listing, more now than before she fired her guns, then rolled over and went down. Amazingly the last salvo slammed directly into the bridge of the Nagato!

Moving to a position so Kongo blocked fire from the Nagato, Columbia continued to shell the big ship.

Far away, on the black waters of the Pacific, Admiral Hewitt paced the bridge of the USS Iowa; he looked at the ships clock, 19:25. Suddenly the night sky burst into daylight as naval guns opened fire. General quarters were sounded! Task group 58.7 was now part of a battle later to be known as the Marinas Duck Hunt.

It was now 0300, Stark and his crew had continued to pound the Kongo till she went under. Turning their attention to the Nagato they began the slow process of sending her down to join the others. What the Columbia’s lookouts failed to notice, till the last moment was the lone Japanese freighter sailing full steam at her port side. The port guns opened fire, but it was too late, and the freighter rammed into the port stern of the cruiser. This proved to be a deathblow. At 03:25 Stark ordered abandon ship and The Battle of the Bonin Islands was over.
 
wat do u mean!?!?

The Japs won, or did i miss-read somewhere!?!?
 
I just want to thank everyone that posted encouragement, I have been planning an AAR for some time but I just wanted to test the waters with this chapter.

Sorry Stark abandoned ship, I watched the battle before work, I was unsure how to continue, it was cloce but he won...there was no time towrite it, ( I write as the battles as they happen), when I got home, with time to write, and had a dramatic ending planed, suddenly as Stark sank the Kongo the strenth stats on the Columbia went to 0. The same big loss had already happened to the Nagato, with the direct hit on the bridge trick :rolleyes:

Sudden Kamakazi tanker, all I could come up with at the moment :wacko:

I wonder if I write something like a documentary, or newsreel type AAR if anyone would like it?
 
If those are the two style your pondering, I vote for documentary/history book type AAR. And I hope the water is to your liking, so you'll continue this AAR.
 
Truk Island Campaign


At 21:00 hrs the assault on Truk Island began. 3rd Fleet Commanded by Admiral Halsey had been tasked with covering landing operations on Truk, the first in a long line of island chains to be liberated form Japan.

Halsey’s Group consisted of:

USS Massachusetts BA
USS Denver CA
USS Ticonderoga CV
USS Intrepid CV
USS Hancock CV
USS Franklin CV
37th, 38th, & 39th Destroyer Divisions

Halsey was supporting landing operations being carried out by Admiral Lee, commanding the 3rd Fleet Transport Squadron. Lee’s objective was to put 3/CPAF under command of General MacArthur, on Truk to route out the Japanese garrison there. This would be the beginning of a campaign to push the Japanese back to their home islands.

To do this MacArthur was planning to move through Truk, the Caroline’s, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

The mid morning silence on Truk was suddenly broken as air raid sirens began to wail. Air wings from Halsey’s carriers had arrived, and were mercilessly bombing the Japanese positions, the Massachusetts began shelling coastal positions
 
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