From here to...well...it SEEMS like an eternity

[Cap Mandrake]

[font="Courier New"]Dec 12...We pushed off for Kuantan today, or rather, 8th Indian Brigade pushed off. I admire the strength of English women, but one might deduce from the choice of acoutrements of a few in our group that they are planning a holiday in Brighton. The enormity of our challenge became apparent when those civilians wishing to try the escape to Johore bagan to assemble at the designated time and place. Parasols and long white dresses predominated, along with great wooden chests that seemed to contain all the gold of the Orient and scores of Malay servants. Of course, there is insufficient lorry transport, the lion's share of that available tasked to transports heavy weapons forward. The reality of war has apparently not been universally appreciated. After much negotiating and a chaotic scene that reminded me of market day in Singapore, the Captain issued an edict. There will be permitted only one luggage item per refugee and that item must be able to be borne aloft by two adult men. All refugees must have two practical pairs of shoes and are responsible for carrying 24 hrs worth of water for their party. They must also have 10 days of non-perishable food for their charges. Any servants making the trip must meet the same criteria. I learned later we have sufficient rations to sustain the KVF and charges for perhaps one week, but this was not disclosed less it create an expectation among the evacuees. I judged his edict to be Solomonic, but one might have thought the evacuees were being told to choose a limb to leave behind.
At 4:30 in the afternoon, we finally bagn to move, a security platoon of KVF in the van and rear and, in the center, the oddest collection of vehicles ever assembled in Malaysia. Edith and the baby were in the Packard with Mrs. Theobald and her two children. I could procure only 18 liters of petrol, which is certain to be insufficient to the task. God help us.[/font]

[Onime No Kyo]

ORIGINAL: okonumiyaki

Yes, 127 men would be a below strength company, and either Captain or Major. British Army ranks tend to be one lower than US at bn level (e.g. commander of a battalion in UK is a Lt Col, vs a US Major)

In absolute terms you are right of course (although I didnt know that about the British army). But in that time and that place, a unit of that size would be commanded by a 2nd Lt. if it were lucky.

[Cap Mandrake]

Truthfully, I wasn't thrilled.[:@]

[Cap Mandrake]

[;)]

[font="Courier New"]Dec 13...The day dawns clear and warm. Our strength is now only 96 armed men, owing largely to those who stayed behind with their families or property in Kalentan, but also due to 8 who disappeared last night without the Captain's blessing. I am worried about the Captain. He is not a young man, having achieved his rank at Ypres where he received a terrible mustard gas injury to his lungs. His war pension allowed a comfortable lifestyle here in Malaysia, but a sense of duty compelled him to volunteer to command the KVF. I am quite certain this is not what he imagined, but he is a professional and clearly means to discharge his orders. Should he falter, the unit will surely disintegrate as there is not one of us with the ability to replace him. We made only 6 miles progress yesterday as some of our party is on foot. The Malay villagers have been kind, offering water and rice cakes. I think they are intrigued by the sight of so many Europeans laid low.[/font]

[Onime No Kyo]

Ah, thank you Mandrake. This answers my question. [:D]
 
"We shall have to carry the Captain once the petrol runs out. A litter for the Captain, lads."

[Cap Mandrake]

[:(]

[Cap Mandrake]

[quote][font="Times New Roman"]Dec 14...Mrs. Whitcombe was found dead in the back one of the lorries this morning. She had been persuaded to leave Kalentan and the garden and the cats she loved. I am uncertain if it was the travails of our jouney which stilled her heart or, if perchance, she had simply willed it in order to stay in the soil she loved. In any event, she was a casualty of war as surely as those felled by flying lead. The Captain ordered a small party to prepare a grave while the others were ordered on. As she had no family here, a few of us who knew her stayed for a service. The Captain, whom I had not known to be a religious man, recited the 23rd Psalm from memory and then stated simply, "God, take this woman into your care. She will not be the last in this business." His poise in the role put me in the mind that he must have had some experience with such ceremonies during the Great War.

In order to speed our progress and to avoid some of the heat, hot breakfasts have been forbidden to allow the column to get on the road by 7 AM. We are to be permitted a brew-up of tea at 3 PM and such food as we can prepare ourselves at dusk. We have lost contact with FMSV and 8th Indian ahead of us. This afternoon, two Japanese planes appeared overhead, causing much panic in the column. In the event, they did not attack but our presence can scarcely have been missed. Edith is well, though the baby is quite irritable in the hot part of the day. There being insufficient mosquito netting, this is all being used by the women and children. Biting insects are a damnable nuisance at night.[/font]

[Cap Mandrake]

Force Z sprints toward Balikpapan from Soerabja, encountering a Jap CL and DD force camping off Balikpapan in daylight. The immediate score is one IJN CL and 2 DD's sunk and one likely to sink. 3 DD's are completley undamaged.

The RN suffers one DD lost and 5 seriously damaged, all of which will survive if they reach Soerabaja. POW and Repulse are in good shape. I was surprised the balance was'nt further in favor of the RN, but the Jap DD's outgunned the RN DD's, inflicting much damage before the RN closed range.

[Cap Mandrake]

Baker Is was unoccupied at the start of WWII. Nearby Howland Is had 4 "colonists" who were rescued in 1942 sometime. Howland also had a navigation light called the Aerhart Light. Just for fun, I guess, the IJN destroyed the thing.

With Enterprise and Lexington gone, we will not be contesting a landing on Baker and the idiots on Howland are on their own.

Get this...Howland has only SIX species of plants. The island group is called the Guano Islands [:D]. Mr. (I presume) Kamakaiwi was one of the residents in 1941. I am unable to ascertain if he was smart enough to bring any women along. He is going to be there a while.

[Cap Mandrake]

Hard to believe that any military purpose was achieved by this. The Aerhart Light after the IJN got done with it.

[Onime No Kyo]

HEHE?[&:]

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Onime No Kyo

HEHE?[&:]

I realize its anachronistic, but I find it perversely funny that 4 lunkheads trying to grow grapefruit or God knows what on a little hunk of bird guano 1500 miles from Hawaii are caught in the middle of a war. Can you imagine the discussion that went on between them?....

"This was YOUR stupid idea".
"Look bud, nobody made you come. How was I supposed to know a war was going to come along".
"Bah. You said you were going to invite some girls too. Now look at us. We are nowhere, man. I would like to wake up one day and a see a tree taller than 6 ft. Man, you owe me bigtime."

[Cap Mandrake]

At least we dented the damn thing. It has a long way to go for help.

Oh yes...and we found the Kaga and Akagi (probaby)

NOTE: There is a typo on the date...its Dec 23. The copy boy at the News is on thin ice over this one.

[Cap Mandrake]

Let's see...should I splurge on the 16 mm? This should be good with the new sound system.

[BrucePowers]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

At least we dented the damn thing. It has a long way to go for help.

Oh yes...and we found the Kaga and Akagi (probaby)

NOTE: There is a typo on the date...its Dec 23. The copy boy at the News is on thin ice over this one.

Now that you have found them, can you do anything about it, other than run away?

[Cap Mandrake]

Like a canary in a coal mine, TF 21 is the first to notice a deadly danger. Fortunately, Fleet Admiral Tabpub suspected this...so there aren't several thousand men from a RCT aboard. They are out of B-17 range(effectively), Saratoga dare not take them on by herself. There have to be at least two carriers as there are at least 23-25 Vals and the same number of Kates in each wave. Probably ships can leave San Diego and head South, but even that is dangerous. Our most effective strategy is to wait for them to run out of gas. When Wasp arrives, they will have to be a bit more careful.

[Onime No Kyo]

What IS it loaded with?

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Onime No Kyo

What IS it loaded with?

Why Toys for Tots, of course. Its 2 days before Christmas. [:)]

I think it was headed East, unladen. Not sure exactly.

[Cap Mandrake]

..

[Terminus]

Crom...