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

[Cap Mandrake]

******SITREP, New Guinea, Amboina and Sulawese, May 20, 1943*****

Cape Sansapor: Remember that crusier approaching from the direction of Palau? It turned out to be Hyuga, Mutsu, three cruisers and a bunch of DD's. They sprinted in at night to rough up the airfield. They destroyed all the supplies except two tins of coffee. The Dutch airfield support troops are almost all disrupted and the Sparrow Bn is getting a bit long in the tooth as well. An AK, some LCT's and two flotilla of PT boats arrived in the morning, but wont't be much of a hinderance to Hyuga and Mutsu. They might, however, slow something down and allow it to be brought under air attack from Babo in daylight. USS Gamble, on its way to mine the waters off Sansapor, was instead attacked and sunk bu the Jap sub I-7 which has taken up station for the I-157. USS Breese also sunk on its way back to Darwin. I "borrowed" two DM's from Lord Adrmiral Tabpub and now I have none. [:)] I have a feeling he will be more stingy in the future. So much for the requisition for airborne troops. [:D]

Babo: Is now level four so 48 B-24's have taken up residence. The risk to bombard Sansapor will rise. Yossarian and his buds missed another chance to hit Hyuga and Mutsu as they were just within range after their bombardment mission. You woldn't think a couple of 40 amp fuses would cause that much trouble.

Amboina: All the landing force is ashore and 98% supplied. The star-crossed Neptuna struck its 3rd mine in 2 days and is likely a goner. A second AP and an AK also hit mines but will survive. None of the 100 bombers at Makassar attack. Curiously, Admiral Draemel, who had been commanding the landing group from HMS Exeter is missing. I am not making this up, he really did disappear. I hope he is OK. In addition to 4th Mixed brigade, there is also an SNLF unit. 9th Aus Div, the Aussie tanks and Phillipino 82nd Div will attack today. The shipping is pulling back to Kai.

Morotai: D-Day is May 20. So far they seem to be unspotted.

Menado: D-Day is May 20 as well, one week ahead of schedule. Menado seems to be ungarrisoned! This would be a major coup as the airfield is level 3. This group also appears unspotted but is highly vulnerable as they are at extreme range for effective LRCAP from Namlea. The weather is favorable, rain.

I-7: She has taken up station SW of Sorong and sunk both USS Gamble and the crippled, HMS Empire Beaconsfield which had taken two torps already the day before. The minesweeprs at Amboina are ordered to go after her as there are no DD's to spare.

[Cap Mandrake]

MEDIC! [:)]

[rtrapasso]

Curiously, Admiral Draemel, who had been commanding the landing group from HMS Exeter is missing. I am not making this up, he really did disappear. I hope he is OK.

[X(] [:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

His uncle was only twelve when he died?

Look...how could the uncle have out of control nose hairs at age 12? The Lt. was 12 when his uncle threw his head back and stuffed half a brat into his gullet after 3 or 4 Heinekens. Fortunately for the tormented future Lt., nobody at the party had been to Pitcarin so nobody knew the Heimlich maneuver. When the uncle finally fell flat after first stumbling around like a florid, fatted goose, his nose hairs were like the most densie briar thicket the future Lt. had ever seen. His joy mingled with revulsion at their shared genetic origin. Even now, the Lt. uses a small pair of tweezers and a mirror before every combat mission.


In fairness, perhaps I should have used a comma or semicolon or a backslash or something like that. Or perhaps I overdosed on pronouns. [:)]

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: vettim89


You must THINK in Dutch! AHA! "Schiet de achtersteste raket!".

Wait...is it the part about the tongue on the cold pipe or the uncle with abundant nasal hairs? [:)]

[BrucePowers]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: witpqs

His uncle was only twelve when he died?

Look...how could the uncle have out of control nose hairs at age 12? The Lt. was 12 when his uncle threw his head back and stuffed half a brat into his gullet after 3 or 4 Heinekens. Fortunately for the tormented future Lt., nobody at the party had been to Pitcarin so nobody knew the Heimlich maneuver. When the uncle finally fell flat after first stumbling around like a florid, fatted goose, his nose hairs were like the most densie briar thicket the future Lt. had ever seen. His joy mingled with revulsion at their shared genetic origin. Even now, the Lt. uses a small pair of tweezers and a mirror before every combat mission.


In fairness, perhaps I should have used a comma or semicolon or a backslash or something like that. Or perhaps I overdosed on pronouns. [:)]

You overdosed on something, but I am not sure it's pronouns[:D]

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Look...how could the uncle have out of control nose hairs at age 12? The Lt. was 12 when his uncle threw his head back and stuffed half a brat into his gullet after 3 or 4 Heinekens. Fortunately for the tormented future Lt., nobody at the party had been to Pitcarin so nobody knew the Heimlich maneuver. When the uncle finally fell flat after first stumbling around like a florid, fatted goose, his nose hairs were like the most densie briar thicket the future Lt. had ever seen. His joy mingled with revulsion at their shared genetic origin. Even now, the Lt. uses a small pair of tweezers and a mirror before every combat mission.

In fairness, perhaps I should have used a comma or semicolon or a backslash or something like that. Or perhaps I overdosed on pronouns. [:)]

The problem might be some sort of genetic mix-up in his family tree. Took a while but I found the reference to the florid, fatted goose with out of control nose hairs you mentioned:

[bradfordkay]

So who is command of the TF now that Draemel has disappeared? WO Yamaguchi? 

[Moondawggie]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

.....Wait...come to think of it, everyone is pretty much happier now.

Au Cheu (I am not making it up..that really is her name[:)])has a nice townhouse in Georgetown with two green paychecks every month and she gets to pick her own flower arrangements without having to listen to Jean complian about the smell of the lilacs and her stupid allergies.

Young Arthur doesn't have to put up with daddy telling him stories about hazing gags he pulled at Westpoint because he is pretty sure he doesn't want to go there. Plus he gets an allowance for his French porcelain doll collection.

Jean is in New Zealand somewhere with her stud-muffin.

The General himself is worshipped by the little people of Flores. Sure, he is almost at ground level when the litter bearers bear him aloft but the idolatry thing goes a long way.

Number two is happy as he has his coastwatcher duties in....Dunedin I think....and the band is making good progress on those Sousa marches even if they are musical illiterates.....

[X(]

Uh-Oh! I think the quantum foam in our type I Multiverse just got ripped again...too many Doppelgangers showing up here. [:-]

BTW, how come whenever I play WITP I don't suddenly get 3 Enterprise CV's added to my task force off Guadalcanal in 1942, instead of some duplicate leaders?

Anyway, in all of these parallel worlds, it seems that one constant is that the US Government can be counted on to send checks to people who aren't doing much work.

The speed of light. The charge on an electron. The Gravitational constant. Free money for the needy. It's good to live with physical constants...

[;)]

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Moondawggie

......

Anyway, in all of these parallel worlds, it seems that one constant is that the US Government can be counted on to send checks to people who aren't doing much work.

The speed of light. The charge on an electron. The Gravitational constant. Free money for the needy. It's good to live with physical constants...

[;)]

1943(b) stimulus bill. [:)]

[Cap Mandrake]

Potayyyto...Potahhhto
Menudo....Manado

Let's call the whole thing off.

[Cap Mandrake]

Here is a haiku (sort of) our opponent composed and sent to us by email.



It's like there's this open door and through it walks a wolf.

You know you could shoot the wolf pretty easily but someone forgot to buy bullets.

So you stand there clutching this empty useless gun, wishing you had some bullets,

and the wolf just kind of casually walks over and tears your throat out.

Yeah, that's what it's like



The time for the japs to hit Manado is now before reinforcements can become ensconced. It is too far forward to base a serious surface force so the base is very vulnerable to air and naval bombardment. I lost all minelayers and the nearest airbase suitable for bombers is Kai which is beyond range of P-38's and everything except the heavies. I will be flying in ground support troops and an Australian CD unit and construction engineers will be landing at Manado today. Tomrrow I will fly in some Dutch Avengers. They will not be very potent as the base cant handle torpedo loadouts yet. I have no SBD's in Oz.

If the Empire shows up with some carriers and a combat brigade, they could take back Manado. I will try to send an Aussie Cav Brigade up there as soon as the AP's get back to Darwin from the Amboina landing.

The move to Hollandia is more misdirection. I have spotted Jap transports at Wewak...so he is likely reinforcing.

[Moondawggie]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake


It's like there's this open door and through it walks a wolf.

You know you could shoot the wolf pretty easily but someone forgot to buy bullets.

So you stand there clutching this empty useless gun, wishing you had some bullets,

and the wolf just kind of casually walks over and tears your throat out.

Yeah, that's what it's like

Kind of reminds me why I came to hate Modern Poetry in High School English long ago in 1968.

This crap doesn't even rhyme like a bad Rap Song! [:(]

OTOH, Menado is looking a lot like a fulcrum here (I did so love learning about simple machines in 2nd grade in 1959).

I bet if you hold it onto that fulcrum, you could use it to move the entire Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere wherever you want...

This will be mst interesting to watch. Keep us updated, please. [&o]

[Cap Mandrake]

*******Beach Cottage, Dunedin, New Zealand, May 22, 1943******


A middle aged woman draws an imaginary roccoco design on the naked body of her consort, who is lying prone in bed. She skirts close to a birthmark which looks amazingly like the island of Corregidor.

Jean: Douggie, my little stud muffin?

Number 2: Oh, you mean me?

Jean: Yes silly. I...just wanted to say, when I came here, I was angry...about the wife swapping club..and....well..I wanted to kill you...

Number 2: <tries to speak but she quiets him with a finger to his lips>

Jean:...No, don't speak. I'm not done. I did want to kill you when I came here, but you have swept me off my feet again. Douggie, you seem a new man. You are more spontaneous and...well..then there are certain things about you that...well...just seem bigger. I know it's crazy, but it is just that thang you do. I do miss Arthur though and I want us to go back to Georgetown.

Number 2: Can I talk now?

Jean: Oh, yes sorry.

Number 2: Where is Gerogetown?

Jean: In Washington, silly.

Number 2: I'm not sure they will let me...and who is Arthur?

Jean: Your son silly. Come on Douggie, I'm serious.

Number 2: Oh, yeah, I forgot.

Jean: Well?

Number 2: But what about my coastwatching duties?

Jean: Oh, silly there aren't any Japs around for a thousand of miles.

Number 2: That is what they want you to think. They are good at camouflage. By the way, who is watching Arthur if you are here?

Jean: Au Cheu.

Number 2: Wait..your'e kidding .."Ah Chew"...haahahah...who is her brother "silent but deadly"? Hahahhaa. Hey watch this! <he stands and begins swallowing air> ommp...ommmmp...ommmp.
...ommmmp.ommmp....ommmp.... <he trows his head back and begins to belch> M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P <then nothing> DAMNIT! I ALMOST MADE IT!
DID YOU HEAR THAT? I WAS THAT CLOSE!....

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Moondawggie

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake


It's like there's this open door and through it walks a wolf.

You know you could shoot the wolf pretty easily but someone forgot to buy bullets.

So you stand there clutching this empty useless gun, wishing you had some bullets,

and the wolf just kind of casually walks over and tears your throat out.

Yeah, that's what it's like

This crap doesn't even rhyme like a bad Rap Song! [:(]

Maybe it works better as a limerick?

There once was a wolf who could walk.

That we were all safe was just talk.

We called him a bore,

so he walked through the door,

and fell in amongst the flock!

[Cap Mandrake]

Cool limerick!

May 22nd goes well for the Allies in Sulawese and Dutch New Guinea. There are no Jap sub attacks and all the transports reach their destinations safely without air or surface attack.

1) Australian Construction Engineers and shore guns reach Manado. This is no small feat with the gauntlet they have to run between Davao (unkown number of bombers), the Eastern Borneo airfields and Makassar with nearly 100 bombers (mostly Bettys). Manado now has 32 Kittyhawks, 18 P-38's and 8 Catalina

2) The KNIL Barisan Regt takes Morotai with a limited number of howler monkey and friendly fire incidents.

3) 9th Aus. Div and friends attack effectively again at Amboina, reducing fortifications to level 1 but the Japs hold.

4) USAAF ground support troops arrive off Cape Sansapor without incident.

5) One coy. of Sparrow Force begins landing at Hollandia without opposition.


Here is a pic of the real Allied landing near Hollandia in 1944. There was only one road off the beach and the beach was quite narrow so it was quite overcrowded.

[Cap Mandrake]

Naval forces for the Hollandia/Aitape operation April, 1994 [:)]

[Cap Mandrake]

..[:)]

[Moondawggie]

Maybe it works better as a limerick?

There once was a wolf who could walk.

That we were all safe was just talk.

We called him a bore,

so he walked through the door,

and fell in amongst the flock!
[/quote]

Hey, the guys Mandrake is fighting are controlling the IJA/IJN, and the only poetry those dudes know is Haiku.

Now, if Mandrake were waging a war against the Greater Irish Co-Prosperity Sphere, then a limerick would be acceptable.

OTOH, your limerick rhymes much better than a bad Rap song [:)]

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

Maybe it works better as a limerick?

There once was a wolf who could walk.

That we were all safe was just talk.

We called him a bore,

so he walked through the door,

and fell in amongst the flock!

Hmmm... should Mandrake get the flock out of there, then?? [X(] [:'(]