Bring me the head of Diego Garcia...and the Mayor of Addu Atoll too!

[sprior]

Let's not do a gauntlet. Wyndham beckons. I wonder how far JJ will stick his head into the noose or whetehr he'll just sit tight where he is?

[Cap Mandrake]

I actually like your big solution which is made at least possible by the recent damage to Jap carriers but we will need to bring many war canoes and lots of fighters, preferably something made in England. [:)]

I think a landing at Wyndham will work but the move down the track will take forever just like it did for the wee Jap dobbers and if they chose to hold a Katherine and keep themselves reinforced from Darwin they could do so for some time.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: sprior

I'm taking my Thought away from you cruel men and keeping it safe in a box.

The repeated use of the capital letter in your "Thought" above...are you trademarking that? Is that why you're hiding it in your box? If so, that's wise. Some Thoughts (TM) are best kept to oneself.

[sprior]

I'm not hiding it, I'm keeping it safe.

[sprior]

if they chose to hold a Katherine

That's why we need to recce Darwin too. Two landings!

[Chickenboy]

Alright, seriously...

Why not take Geraldton to take (and hold) Port Hedland and that inland dot hex? Once supported, press on to threaten the shoulder of Broome and Derby.

Port Hedland should be out of the range of Netties operating from Timor. Certainly beyond their escort range.

Eventually, Port Hedland can be used as a springboard to Broome / Derby or, for an end run-style gambit, some of the SW DEI islands other than Timor.

In the meantime, it represents a good opportunity to employ heavy bombers, medium bombers and USAAF and RAF material against another of your opponent's flanks. Plus, it's not that far off of your Perth-Capetown route for resupply / reinforcement.

[sprior]

I actually like your big solution which is made at least possible by the recent damage to Jap carriers but we will need to bring many war canoes and lots of fighters, preferably something made in England.

I liked it too. I just need the planes to keep the nells, betties, sallies and helens at bay.

[Grollub]

Maybe you could furnish some of those awesome Wapitis and Audaxes with a 37mm cannon to handle that ... ? [:'(]

[Alfred]

I don't think the Timor "Thought" (tm) is necessarily a bad idea if Port Hedland + Broome + Derby are in Allied hands. That would at least preclude having Timor resupply convoys being hit from the flank by Netties.

So rather than making a decision now about choosing between Timor or Darwin/Wyndham, why not capture the three Kimberley bases which are probably lightly held by JJ. Their possession might suffice to allow for Allied LBA to interdict the enemy SLOC to Darwin.

Alfred

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: sprior

if they chose to hold a Katherine

That's why we need to recce Darwin too. Two landings!

We should absolutely recce Darwin. We should recce everything in Northern Oz so as not to declare a specific target.

To land at Darwin would we would need 4 divisions and they would have to disembark quickly and capture the town immediately because the 4-5 WJD divisions at Katherine could hop on the train and be there in a few days. It would likely not end well for us.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Alfred

I don't think the Timor "Thought" (tm) is necessarily a bad idea if Port Hedland + Broome + Derby are in Allied hands. That would at least preclude having Timor resupply convoys being hit from the flank by Netties.

So rather than making a decision now about choosing between Timor or Darwin/Wyndham, why not capture the three Kimberley bases which are probably lightly held by JJ. Their possession might suffice to allow for Allied LBA to interdict the enemy SLOC to Darwin.

Alfred

This approach offered by Alfred and Chicken Man is coherent, prudent and frankly, unassailable......but where is the fun, the joi de vivre?

[:D]

Hard to argue about Port Headland. That is an extremely awkward piece of real estate to have to bypass. Why dont we use US 32nd ID at Port Headland? It could be concurrent with a Wyndham landing?

[Cap Mandrake]

Maybe we could use a couple of USMC Regts at Derby? Use the USN carriers to cover the Wyndham landing and the RN carriers to cover Port Headland?

By ra way. We still have Geraldton.

[Cap Mandrake]

Speaking of audacity, some serious brass ones are on display in the South Pacific on the morning of July 3, 79 years after Pickett's charge.


Consider this action by the Kiwi Hudson Squadron based at Nadi.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Anatom at 123,159

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 29 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 4



Allied aircraft
Hudson III (LR) x 3


No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Hudson III (LR): 2 destroyed



CAP engaged:
Hiryu-1 with A6M2 Zero (4 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
4 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Raid is overhead

I don't believe you see this kind of scramble report for LRCAP. This means there is at least one carrier (with Zeroes from Hiryu aboard) bearing down of Fiji. It seems impossible to believe that Hiryu herself is battle ready (if she even lives) but this might be Kaga or Akagi or both.

After what happened in June it just boggles that they would bring carriers this close to Fiji again. The annoying thing is it is going to work. [:D] Repeated fighter sweeps over Nadi (Oscars from Tanna and Zeroes from the carrier(s)) resulted in a big furball with the P-39's and F4F's from Suva. The USAAF and USMC lost 40 fighters and wee Jap dobbers about 20. There were also many damaged fighters at Suva. A small air raid on Nadi (Sallies from Tanna) did no damage but neither did the Hudsons of which 4 were lost.

All 3 F4F squadrons at Suva have morale in the tank and there are less than 10 flyable P-39's. I can't protect the ships at Suva which will have to try to get out. This could be bad for the two 21kt BB's [X(]. I am going to send all the surface combatants East. Otherwise, only a few support ships and a couple of damaged subs remain at Suva.

I have to believe the WJD have superb intel on the Allied carriers or they wouldn't dare do this. The Allied carriers are almost alll the way to Wellington, beyond transfer range for the SBD's and F4F's. Unless one f the BB's gets hit, no disaster will come of this but it is still mightily annoying.

The apparent carrier group is about 240 W of Nadi in thunderstorms.

[Chickenboy]

Cap'n:

That 'Hiryu-1' sighting of 4 A6M2s smacks of redeployment on another a/c carrier. I would bet you Hiryu is paying an extended visit to Davey Jones-san's 'rocker'. The remaining A6M2s that didn't die aboard her redeployed elsewhere. Your opponent is probably supplementing his fighter strength on another carrier with Hiryu-1 remnants. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

[Mynok]

You know, these last pages smack suspiciously of planning. Surely not! 

[Moondawggie]

ORIGINAL: sprior

Op Weasel - A Thought.

We 2 have 2 divs of Aussies arriving in Perth soon, plus the US 32ID at Alice. 18th UK Div is meandering SE through the Outback but should make it to Alice, even if a little sun-burned. JJ seems to have sat down at katherine and is sending only 1 unit down the track. Maybe they are tired and shaggedout after all that walking to get there.

Anyway. I had A Thought. It was lonely as only children often are but it had lots of imagination and it imagined this:

1. Conventional wisdom says we take Wyndham and katherine thus cutting off JJs retreat route and supplies. But what if:
2. We were unconventional? How about landing on Timor and building it up as a major airbase and sink JJ's ships as they vainly attempt to supply/reinforce/evacuate JJ's Army of Australia?

I think My Thought needs some siblings, or possibly some friends.

My dear Admiral Lord Sir: You're a big picture kind of guy, aren't you?

I think this is one instance where listening to the advice of those lowly staff bean-counters might be advantageous, despite their slavish obsession to minutiae like logistics, risk/reward ratios, game theroy results, etc. You know: facts and logically predicted outcomes...the hobgloblins of little minds, and all.

Still, perhaps you should wait a bit, maybe invite the Ambassador over for an afternoon of drinks and riding to the foxes, while the hoi-polloi flesh out those irksome little details, and ruminate later that evening about the plan while enjoying a fine Brandy and Cohiba expertly procured by your batman ...

Or, as we say in Placer County, "What? Are you f***ing nuts?" [:-]

Just a humble observation; I remain, as always, you unworthy and loyal servant,

Very Respectfully,

Leftenant Commander Moondaggie

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Moondawggie

ORIGINAL: sprior

Op Weasel - A Thought.

We 2 have 2 divs of Aussies arriving in Perth soon, plus the US 32ID at Alice. 18th UK Div is meandering SE through the Outback but should make it to Alice, even if a little sun-burned. JJ seems to have sat down at katherine and is sending only 1 unit down the track. Maybe they are tired and shaggedout after all that walking to get there.

Anyway. I had A Thought. It was lonely as only children often are but it had lots of imagination and it imagined this:

1. Conventional wisdom says we take Wyndham and katherine thus cutting off JJs retreat route and supplies. But what if:
2. We were unconventional? How about landing on Timor and building it up as a major airbase and sink JJ's ships as they vainly attempt to supply/reinforce/evacuate JJ's Army of Australia?

I think My Thought needs some siblings, or possibly some friends.

My dear Admiral Lord Sir: You're a big picture kind of guy, aren't you?

I think this is one instance where listening to the advice of those lowly staff bean-counters might be advantageous, despite their slavish obsession to minutiae like logistics, risk/reward ratios, game theroy results, etc. You know: facts and logically predicted outcomes...the hobgloblins of little minds, and all.

Still, perhaps you should wait a bit, maybe invite the Ambassador over for an afternoon of drinks and riding to the foxes, while the hoi-polloi flesh out those irksome little details, and ruminate later that evening about the plan while enjoying a fine Brandy and Cohiba expertly procured by your batman ...

Or, as we say in Placer County, "What? Are you f***ing nuts?" [:-]

Just a humble observation; I remain, as always, you unworthy and loyal servant,

Very Respectfully,

Leftenant Commander Moondaggie

Dearest Leftenant "Moondaggie",

Please note sir, that while this AAR has a four drink minimum, it also has other standards. Those that can no longer spell their own names properly will be asked to leave.

Please also note that one rides 'to the hounds', not 'to the foxes'. Philistine.

[:'(]

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Mynok


You know, these last pages smack suspiciously of planning. Surely not!

Quite possibly, you may have cross-posted in the wrong thread. Don't worry, it can happen to the best of us.

So last night, I almost got arrested again by the OC Sheriff Dept. I am beginning to be more empathetic toward street people and the underclasses (though I still won't vote for a Democratic..I just won't). Anyway, so I am just having a family evening watching BBC Life (the Attenborough version not the one with Oprah...OMG what in the Hell were they thinking?..by ra way..my son went to 4 stores to find me the Attenborough version for a birthday present).

The theater surround sound is cranked up and we are watching this rhinocerous beetle throw off his rivals from a tree 80 ft up (absolutely brilliant television, by ra way) and the dogs start barking like crazy. After the usual "SHUT UP" and other advanced dog-whisperer strategies I get up and decide to go out front to shoo off the rabbits or whatever other outrage is driving the dogs nuts. I open the door and stride out purposefully onto the walkway and almost plow into the bigger of the two Sheriff deputies.

"Oh sorry, have you guys been here long?"

"Yeah, we been pounding at the door." <he "politely" leaves off "ass hole"> "What's going on?"

Note that in times gone by the conversation might have started, "Good evening sir, Deputy X, Orange County Sheriff..." blah, blah, blah. Not any more. Immediatley the suspect is assumed to be a gutter-borne POS.

I Respond, "Nothing, we were just watching television."

"Television?", he asks dismissivley.

"Yeah, television."

"And before that?"

"Hmmm, before that I think we ate dinner."

"Dinner?"

Another patrol car pulls up, now a third. "Yeah, dinner, the evening meal." A note of familiarity pushes to the front of my brain. I can see where this is going. "Hey, wait, what adddress are you guys looking for?"

"Fourteen, is this fourteen?"

I shake my head no and point up the street to the $10,000 mailbox.

"Oh, sorry", says the big guy.............

[sprior]

I had some Jehovah's Witnesses at my door. Does that count?

[sprior]

lots of fighters, preferably something made in England.

I can get some Hurricanes from India, I think it's going to be quiet there. If we do that though then aircover for the '43 reconquest of Burma will be a bit thin. But! I have 3 squadrons of P-somethings in Calcutta too that can cover the retaking of our imperial posessions.