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

[Grollub]

Do we have a jackspeak equivalent for that word?

[sprior]

I dunno but the skipper of the North Carolina is going to have his horroscope read to him.

[Cap Mandrake]

**********Outside Captain's Quarters, USS North Carolina, 01:34, Oct. 5, 1942*********


A young Ensign has been sent to rouse the Captain from his slumber. He is notoriously ill-tempered when tired...the Captain, not the Ensign. The snoring sound from within is truly epic. The Ensign gulps hard and preapres to knock on the door. Just then a large caliber round screams overhead. He winces. The Ensign, not the Captain. In fact, he needn't have winced because the shell was aimed at Hornet where it sliced easily through the hanger deck.


<from inside the room>

GOD DAMNIT! I AM GOING TO KEEL HAUL THE GODDAMN SUMABITCH MAKING ALL THAT GODDAMN NOISE BY MY GODDAMN US NAVY CAPTAIN'S CABIN.!!!!!!!!!!

<The Ensign thinks back painfully to that false alarm about the periscope sighting 5 days ago. He flashes a look like he does not know whether to shit or wind his wrist watch, pauses briefly then scurries quietly away>

[sprior]

Still no turn file from JJ.

[Cap Mandrake]

The good news:

1) North Carolina does not have to rearm because she fired only one salvo from A turret.[:@] Hardly does Chicago either because she fired only 3 salvos from her stern turret. Australia will never have to rearm because she blew up from a single hit.

2) None of the Amphib groups were hurt.

3) Cornwall, Resolution and Ramilles should all survive unless the subs get them.

4) Wasp has almost no major damage and will not need dry dock.

5) At least one Jap CV (more likely 2) sank last turn as 34 Zeroes, 31 Vals and 9 Kates were destroyed "on the ground"[:)]

6) Kongo is claimed, not so sure about that one.

7) Cpt. Tenant's task force and Repulse are unscratched.

8) The surprise Jap surface raid at Norfolk Is. was safely repulsed
and there was no loss among the many loaded AP's there.

The bad news:

Hornet AND Enterpise sank. [:(]

[Cap Mandrake]

..

[Cap Mandrake]

The Sallys were killed in the air over Daly Waters by P-40's

Not sure where those Lillys were killed. May have been either Broome or Madang which was roughed up by B-17's from Horn Is.

[Cap Mandrake]

Claims for Weasel:

[Cap Mandrake]

No doubt about these

[Cap Mandrake]

Cumulative Jap BB losses. Previous report on Nagato was false.

[Cap Mandrake]

Cumulative Allied BB losses

[Cap Mandrake]

2 fast BB's Washington and South Dakota just arrived New Zealand. I could send them although it would leave SouthPac pretty bare of assets after the battle at Norfolk. I have a battle-ready F4F squadron at Auckland that could come over on Long Island.

[Cap Mandrake]

There is also this from Port Headland. Quite a potent JJ ground force. The small Allied force ashore gave out quite a bit of punishment. No CD guns at PH.


Japanese assault odds: 369 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: forts(+), leaders(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
972 casualties reported
Squads: 57 destroyed, 11 disabled
Non Combat: 29 destroyed, 16 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Vehicles lost 31 (24 destroyed, 7 disabled)
Units destroyed 1


Allied ground losses:
500 casualties reported
Squads: 38 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 9 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 5 (5 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 2


Assaulting units:
56th Engineer Regiment
56th Recon Regiment
65th Brigade
4th Ind. Engineer Regiment
4th Infantry Regiment
9th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
9th Field AF Construction Battalion
2nd Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
22nd Air Flotilla
30th Fld AA Gun Co
51st JNAF AF Unit

Defending units:
2nd British Div /4
22nd (East African) Bde /1
7th RAN Base Force /2

[sprior]

I say we go back to PH now.

[Itdepends]

The defenders got a bonus for fortifications? After being on the beach what, 2 days?

I guess the sight of the combined allied fleet heaving anchor and scurrying away gave the grunts some encouragement to dig holes fast!

[Cap Mandrake]

OK..just checked it out. We can field about 44 F4F's between the 3 operable carriers without replenishing the squadrons. We have quite a few SBD's at Carnavon in good shape.

PH airfield is at 65% runway damage. Broome at about 25%. JJ has at least one carrier operable.

We can't go back to PH yet. I think we will have to replenish the F4F squadrons. This is problematic as I dont know how long the air effort can last. I will move some medium bombers from Fiji. We might be able to get Wasp ready as well.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: sprior

I say we go back to PH now.

It is a close call. I can support that. maybe the weakest F4F squadron can fly off to Geraldton to refit..we loiter for a day out of Zero escort range from Broome (14 hexes) and bring up the BB's and 32nd ID, bomb Broome and PH airfields again for a day and move in.

[Cap Mandrake]

Both Tennant's TF and the recently converted surface TF around North Carolina could use torps.

I'd say rearm them at Geraldton..get new commanders...[:D]..and them have them catch up with the amphib groups and the carriers. Meanwhile we bomb Broome for another day. I think we will need 32nd ID at PH.

This is personal now. [:)] I just want to kill every LYB we can get our hands on.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: sprior

I say we go back to PH now.

It is a close call. I can support that. maybe the weakest F4F squadron can fly off to Geraldton to refit..we loiter for a day out of Zero escort range from Broome (14 hexes) and bring up the BB's and 32nd ID, bomb Broome and PH airfields again for a day and move in.

"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week." - Patton

Getting the rest of those boys into Port Hedland now will make them feel like the biggest battle they could muster didn't even slow you down.

[Cap Mandrake]

..