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

[rockmedic109]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: rockmedic109


And if they cannot find Curry in Australia, I'm sure ol' Milo can import some!

Do you mean the Admiral or the Staff Sargeant?

The Staff Sergeant. The Admiral would probably be abe to come up with Sauerkraut for his Spam.

[AmiralLaurent]

ORIGINAL: rockmedic109

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: rockmedic109


And if they cannot find Curry in Australia, I'm sure ol' Milo can import some!

Do you mean the Admiral or the Staff Sargeant?

The Staff Sergeant. The Admiral would probably be abe to come up with Sauerkraut for his Spam.

Curry Sauerkraut.... that is an idea.

[Cap Mandrake]

***********Bridge, HMIS Baroda, off Port Moresby, 09:15, July 6, 1942*****************


The Admiral had asked that a small breakfast be brought to the bridge. It was to be a busy day and the weather was clearing a bit. If the Japs could fly in the terrible weather yesterday, they could fly today, he thought. Baroda was the last combatant vessel left in his command. Still, the Australian First Corps was to launch its attack today. Perhaps they would succeed despite the losses to his Task Force. He had already ordered many damaged vessels back to Cairns or Townsville. Mercifully, the invasion had achieved both tactical and strategic surprise and there had yet to appear any Jap surface vessels or submarines. The pace of Allied gunfire ashore had already increased. They were using the ordinance his men had struggled for, and in many cases, given their lives to deliver. He reviewed a damage report from nightime gunfire from one annoying enemy shore battery that was firing intermittently.

From the deck below, the ship's Mess Officer, Ensign Chowdhurry, began to climb the steps to the bridge. He carried a breakfast tray bearing a special treat for the Admiral. When the order had come, he knew immediately what he would serve. He had learned about what he liked to call "meat salad" from his conterpart from USS Pope, which had made port call in Brisbane. The young American had been only too happy to give him several cases of the delectable product. He remembered thinking at the time that America must be a wonderful country to have such plenty. The remarkable cooking mold he had found at a second hand store in Townsville. The shape was remarkable in itself ut the date it bore was even more remarkable, August, 1942. He hadn't believed it at first, his purchase having been made in February, but everyone who had seen it agreed. It really did read "August, 1942". It looked for all the world like a manufacturing date. Similarly, there was no dispute about the delightful dish it helped produce.


(to be continued..I have to go to work..[:'(])

[Cap Mandrake]

***********Bridge, HMIS Baroda, off Port Moresby, 09:15, July 6, 1942*****************


Admiral Draemel looked up from the damage report produced by his lone surviving staff member. A smiling, young Indian Esign offered him a tray of food. There was freshly brewed tea with a delightful aroma. He reached immediately for the teacup which was discordantly dainty given the environment. "Dank...I mean thank you", he said as he put it too his lips. It was hot enough to power the ship's boilers. The scalding liquid dribbled from his mouth and left a red streak on his chin before spattering onto his salt-encrusted shirt. "Very good", he said politely. He surveyed the tray. There was mint jelly and toast and an odd porcelain piece which had an architectural air to it. It said "M&M" on the side. Now there was new aroma. An unfamiliar one. The Ensign saw his interest and proudly lifted the porcelain mold to reveal a minatiature Taj Mahal made of roasted, flaked and formed pig shoulder and encrusted with curry powder. The Admiral was no stranger to roasted animal parts but he preferred his shoved into a casing and the association of the color green with something that used to belong on a hog was immediately disturbing to his Western sensibilities. He felt a wave of revulsion and wondered how he would extricate himself from this difficult political situation, when mercifully, a lookout shouted, "Many enemy planes port bow!"..................


Editor's Note: It seems to us that the recipe for Curried Spam ala Taj Mahal was lost for all time on that sad July morning. We are unable to find any referrence in the gastronomic literature.

[Cap Mandrake]

Blamey was right this time..it seems



KEY:

1) Owing to poor weather and the Beauforts operating at extreme range with a torpedo loadout, the initial Allied attacks are poorly coordinated. The first to go in are 2 Dutch Beauforts with 3 Brewsters as escorts. They spot a Jap troop transport and a seaplane tender. The encounter over 2 dozen zeroes. Only one Brewsters survives.

2) Next are two Dutch Beauforts without escorts who turn in on the Nagato. One is destroyed by zeroes before it can relase its ordinance and the second is destoyed by flak.

3) Third is an attack by 3 B-25's and 2 more Dutch Beauforts who arrive over a group of transports independently and achieve no hits with the loss of 3 aircraft.

4) The main attack group from Perth finds the Jap CVE's. This consist of 14 Brewsters, an RAAF Beaufort Flight and 4 B-25's. The CAP is now disjointed and the attack goes well. Unyo and Taiyo are left buring. Unyo takes one torpedo and Taiyo is hit by two bombs, one causing several secondary explosions. 6 Beuaforts, one Brewster and one Zero are destroyed.

5) Japanese counterattacks begin on Somerville's force. 12 Kates and 17 seaplanes score ineffectual bomb hits on Repulse and Devonshire but suffer heavily from the AAA. Sommerville's force has no CAP due to theri tardiness.

6) A second group of 5 Kates (perhaps more experienced)score 2 torpedo hits on Repulse.

7) 17 Vals and 9 Kates score 5 bomb hits and 2 more torpedo hits on Repulse and 2 torpedo hits on Devonshire. Incredibly, Repulse is very heavily damaged but may make port is she can avoid enemy subs and air atacks. Devonshire is able to make good speed.

8) Before sunset, there is one last attack on the Repulse from seaplanes but they score no hits.

[USSAmerica]

[X(][&o]
 
Maps!  [:)]

[bradfordkay]

stupid comment removed at my request...[8|]

[Cap Mandrake]

Heap big fight of Perth. Though the imaginary rail line to Derby is cut, the Allies now have rough parity of surface forces and a surprise local carrier superiority. The Admiralty had been asking Sommerville for another carrier to be sent back. Perhaps they wont scold him too much now for ignoring them. Amazingly, with 5 bomb hits from Vals, 4 torpedo hits and despite a nest of subs and a near miss with Jap destroyers, HMS Repulse makes port at Perth.

[USSAmerica]

[qgaliana]

With all the flag rank trouser rippings I sometimes forget you guys have got a great game going - love the maps as well.[&o]

[Cuttlefish]

Great descriptions and map, as always. For some reason, though, I feel depressed by the results of this battle...

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Cuttlefish

Great descriptions and map, as always. For some reason, though, I feel depressed by the results of this battle...

Gee... i can't imagine why... [:'(]

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Cuttlefish

Great descriptions and map, as always. For some reason, though, I feel depressed by the results of this battle...

Yes...sorry about that. Capt. La Bisset of the RN carrier task force and his squadron commanders haven't had internet access since they left Colombo. Something about "signal phase disgronification" between the wi-fi and the big S-band radar. Sommerville, on the other hand, did purposely go easy on her, as he allegedly had done for the French off Oran. She would have made it if not for the over-the-top stringbag pilots.

[DuckofTindalos]

"Disgronification"? Sounds like a condition... Like Hypo-Gonadism...[:D][:D][:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

"Disgronification"? Sounds like a condition... Like Hypo-Gonadism...[:D][:D][:D]

Funny you should mention that. From section XII A, page 112 of "Operation, support and heart-warming stories of the Type 271 (Flower Class) RADAR/ RN-112/244A/1941"


"......under no circumstances should an operator sit on the antenna during operation, nor should he stand within 25 ft of the antenna during operation just to feel "all tingly inside" or to warm up on arctic voyages....."

[Cap Mandrake]

*************July 4, 1942, USAAF, 90th BS(M) Officer's Club, Wellington**************


Doc Daneka, Milo and Yossarian have come to inspect the new addition to the Officer's Club, which is doing a great business with all the Americans now in town. There are new P-39 jocks with peach fuzz and even the Marine F4 and SBD jockeys, who really have the same peach fuzz but somehow seem less innocent, are allowed in. More than a few have an indentation of a 9-iron on the back of their head.

Yossarian: I don't know why we let these Gyrenes in here.

Milo: They have the same green passports with pictures of dead Presidents, Yossarian.

Yossarian: I swear, Milo, you crazy SOB. I think you would do anything for green passports.

Milo: I don't think that's fair, Mr. Vice President. There is Yossarian's Home.

Yossarian: That is true. I was unfair, you crazy SOB. We should start one here.

Milo: Yossarian, you crazy, SOB, nobody is getting killed here yet. There are no orphans.

Yossarian: What about the Professor. He is arguably quite dead.

Milo: I wouldn't worry about him, Yossarian. He died a rich man. He had over 400 shares of M&M Enterprises.

Yossarian: Bloody lot of good that does him now, you crazy SOB.

Milo: Then his kids get it. They will be happy.

Yossarian: He has no kids.

Milo: Then his parents.

Yossarian: His parents live in a 200 year old estate with servants. They are already rich.

Milo: Good, then they will appreciate it more.

As ususal, Yossarian had lost the exchange. Later, he would think of a clever retort, but not now. The three of them stared at the new extension. Extension was a bit grandiose. It was really just a new tent pushed up against the existing one.............

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: Terminus

"Disgronification"? Sounds like a condition... Like Hypo-Gonadism...[:D][:D][:D]

Funny you should mention that. From section XII A, page 112 of "Operation, support and heart-warming stories of the Type 271 (Flower Class) RADAR/ RN-112/244A/1941"


"......under no circumstances should an operator sit on the antenna during operation, nor should he stand within 25 ft of the antenna during operation just to feel "all tingly inside" or to warm up on arctic voyages....."

in a lecture concerning the danger of microwaves, one researcher commented it was apparently SOP for radar operators on the D.E.W. line (up around the Arctic Circle) to step out in front of their radar antennae to "get warmed up"... [X(] [:D]

[bobogoboom]

And none of them though there was a problem with this idea?

[DuckofTindalos]

Nah... Similar to how nobody thought there'd be a problem with walking around on the irradiated hulls of test ships at Bikini...[:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

...a couple of throw pillows...

*************July 4, 1942, USAAF, 90th BS(M) Officer's Club, Wellington**************

The trio takes a seat in the new extension, which is quite pleasant in the fashion of windowless kahaki canvas.

Milo: Sir Mixalot! Surprise us.

Sir Mixalot: Roger, Milo. It come up.

Their attention is drawn to the wall behind the bar which is covered floor to ceiling with bottles of Marie Brizard Triple Sec and there are 4 crates of limes.

Yossarian: What is Triple Seek?

Doc: It's Triple Sec, Yossarian. It rhymes with neck. It is a distilled liquer of fermented oranges.

Yossarian: I have two questions, why would anyone do that to an orange and what happened to all the Creme de Menthe?

Milo: I blame the SPCA. The Chief made a big ordering error. He gets his "9"'s and "6"'s mixed up. The departure of the gallant Professor has really led to some inventrory problems.

Yossarian: And the limes?

Milo: We have about 1/3 of the Chilean lime harvest right here in Wellington. I am leasing back the Gallapagos to the Chilean government and they ran a little short of Pesos. My instructions to the Chief were to find some way to use this stuff.

Yossarian: How come nobody tells me this stuff.

Milo: It's on a need to know basis, you crazy SOB. There is a war on. Do you want us to have to kill you?

Yossarian is inclined to say something but he is drowned out by a monstrous grinding sound. Behind the bar are twin, ganged starter motors from a GI-issue 2 1/2 ton truck bolted to a water pump for the same vehicle. On one end the Chief stands on his naked tiptoes and pushes in pieces of ice. From the other end a stream of pearl-sized ice is ejected into a big bowl. In a flash, the Chief is at their table with 3 broad glasses which contain a slurry of ice. The rim of each glass is coated with salt. Yossarian sniffs his drink. It has a distinctive citrus smell with a hint of radiator coolant. Yossarian takes a sip. It is sublime, even better than the DAB.

Chief: WATCH COLD HEAD!

Yossarian has tuned out the Chief and upends his glass. He experiences half a second of bliss before he is convinced that some kind of crustacean is burrowing its way from the base of his skull to the middle of his head. He is the second person (first if you don't count Hobbits) to experience a "brain freeze".

Chief: I SAY, WATCH COLD HEAD!

Properly edified, the group orders a second round and the ice crusher begins to attract a crowd. Before long, bottles of Triple Sec are flying off the wall. The Chief warns the new group of celebrants, "WATCH COLD HEAD!" As the room becomes more raucous with the effect of two carbon fragments on the human brain, Yossarian is intrigued by a GI-issue blanket hanging from the tent wall. He lifts it to reveal a 4 foot high red cross on a white background. He turns toward the Doc and catches his eye. The Doc has seen this and immediately averts his gaze then stammers, "I..I wil see you boys later, I need to see about the mecuricrome."