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

[Cap Mandrake]

The nearest reliably operating Jap airfield is Koepang.


What say you Admiral Lord Sprior, shall we send some of our up-armoured sorghum harvesters?

[Itdepends]

Exactly- the Japs won't be reconning the desert- they'll be looking at your airfields and they don't have working field within any sort of reasonable range. Also why I'd suggest moving from Meekatharra rather than Carnarvon- it keeps you away from the coast for longer.

[perkinh]

ORIGINAL: Grollub

.

Why has Sweden not conquered the world with men like this...

[bradfordkay]

Because the rest of the world is too warm for them! They are perfectly happy with having conquered Minnesota... 

[Moondawggie]

ORIGINAL: Gabede

ORIGINAL: Grollub

.

Why has Sweden not conquered the world with men like this...

Because once they leave Sweden, they immediately get arrested for indecent exposure and have to spend the next 30 nights still dressed like that, sharing a cell with "Big Bruce The Insatiable?"

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

Because the rest of the world is too warm for them! They are perfectly happy with having conquered Minnesota... 

Ahem...

The Norwegians conquered Minnesota, not the Swedes.

Philistine. [:'(]

[CT Grognard]

AA units really slow an armoured column down - they move three times slower on desert and desert+rough hexes than armour does.

That being said, Cap Mandrake and Itdepends make their points well that the Japanese player will hardly expect any advance from this area, is highly unlikely to recon the open desert, and does not have many air assets within range.

I therefore support an armoured column from Meekathara to Corunna!

[LST Express]

I got more laughs reading these 200+ pages than the law probably allows! Hurry up and crank out another couple hundred pages guys. [;)]

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: CT Grognard

AA units really slow an armoured column down - they move three times slower on desert and desert+rough hexes than armour does.

That being said, Cap Mandrake and Itdepends make their points well that the Japanese player will hardly expect any advance from this area, is highly unlikely to recon the open desert, and does not have many air assets within range.

I therefore support an armoured column from Meekathara to Corunna!

While it's probable that intentional recon of open desert hexes will not occur, beware SigInt. Loose radio discipline can (and does) identify LCUs where they are most unexpected. Then a recon flight can be so directed to follow-up. It is unrealistic to assume that tens of thousands of men will schlep hundreds of miles across the desert with zero warning to the enemy of their approach. Sure, it can happen, but I'd wager against their arriving undetected.

Nonetheless, I think it's a useful gambit. Even if spotted, what are the Japanese going to do about it? Their aerial intervention is stymied, their ground LCUs fighting like hell just to hang on. No-proceed apace, fair Cap'n. You'll get what you seek-some abandoned dot hex in the middle of nowhere.

Cap'n: what base forces and engineer battalions will you have on hand to begin base construction after capture?

[sprior]

The Burial of Sir John Moore after Corunna

NOT a drum was heard, not a funeral note,
As his corse to the rampart we hurried;
Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot
O'er the grave where our hero we buried.

We buried him darkly at dead of night,
The sods with our bayonets turning,
By the struggling moonbeam's misty light
And the lanthorn dimly burning.

No useless coffin enclosed his breast,
Not in sheet or in shroud we wound him;
But he lay like a warrior taking his rest
With his martial cloak around him.

Few and short were the prayers we said,
And we spoke not a word of sorrow;
But we steadfastly gazed on the face that was dead,
And we bitterly thought of the morrow.

We thought, as we hollow'd his narrow bed
And smooth'd down his lonely pillow,
That the foe and the stranger would tread o'er his head,
And we far away on the billow!

Lightly they'll talk of the spirit that 's gone,
And o'er his cold ashes upbraid him—
But little he'll reck, if they let him sleep on
In the grave where a Briton has laid him.

But half of our heavy task was done
When the clock struck the hour for retiring;
And we heard the distant and random gun
That the foe was sullenly firing.

Slowly and sadly we laid him down,
From the field of his fame fresh and gory;
We carved not a line, and we raised not a stone,
But we left him alone with his glory.

[sprior]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

The nearest reliably operating Jap airfield is Koepang.


What say you Admiral Lord Sprior, shall we send some of our up-armoured sorghum harvesters?

It's a long way - and to what end?

[Cap Mandrake]

Slowly and sadly we laid him down,
From the field of his fame fresh and gory;
We carved not a line, and we raised not a stone,
But we left him alone with his glory.

Did they really just leave him there? That is most unpleasant. I had never heard about the battle of Corunna. Do you think JJ is trying to evacuate with their backs agaisnt the sea just like Sir John Moore?

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: sprior

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

The nearest reliably operating Jap airfield is Koepang.


What say you Admiral Lord Sprior, shall we send some of our up-armoured sorghum harvesters?

It's a long way - and to what end?

Good question.....ummmm.......ermmmm....augment the beseiging force? Provide an emergency retreat route? Take the little dump that is Corunna Downs and fly in supply?

Perhaps the armour could be more favorably employed near Katherine?

[Itdepends]

Note I believe you'd have more benefit marching them straigth to PH to augment your beseiging forces and complete the capture of PH, Corrunna is worthless until you hold PH. After you've got PH Corunna is a useful northern base that has the potential to be turned into a high level airfield but is immune from naval bombardment.

[sdevault]

ORIGINAL: Grollub

.

OMG!!!
This is exactly what I do when I lose an AP loaded with troops!
(I get so angry. The water is soothing.)

[sprior]

Did they really just leave him there?

The British armed forces normally bury their dead at or near major battlefields where ever they are, hence the need foe Commonwealth Wargraves Commission. It's only since the current unpleasantness in Afghanistan/Iraq that British war dead have been returned to the UK as a matter of course.

And if you're a Peninsular War fan, which the Cap is obviously not, then here is one of the oldest known British wargraves

[Crackaces]

ORIGINAL: sprior

Did they really just leave him there?

The British armed forces normally bury their dead at or near major battlefields where ever they are, hence the need foe Commonwealth Wargraves Commission. It's only since the current unpleasantness in Afghanistan/Iraq that British war dead have been returned to the UK as a matter of course.

And if you're a Peninsular War fan, which the Cap is obviously not, then here is one of the oldest known British wargraves

As I visted the graveyards around Flanders chills were sent down my spine as I think of the poem ....

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
John McCrae

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: sprior

And if you're a Peninsular War fan, which the Cap is obviously not....

Well, one time I played England, in an Empire in Arms game. IIRC, France invaded Spain and I didn't have the forces to contest, so I blockaded everything. Is that how it went in Peninsular War(a)?

That is a seriously fun game BTW. As I recall, I sent Wellington to help the Prussians and then the sissy boys made peace with France behind my back.[:@] Then the game broke up.

[Cap Mandrake]

Yes! Yes! YES! YES!!!


Ahhhhhh......no [:(]

[Cap Mandrake]

******************Nov. 14, 1942(c)**************

Oz: Quite an eventful turn. A Royal Navy group (Ceres and 5 DD's) under Somerville made for Exmouth. They were attacked by 3 Jap subs and roughed up or sank one. JJ sent in Matsukaze to kill shipping or bombard at Exmouth. She was met in a night battle under good visibility and was sunk, by a Royal Navy torpedo (those things actually work), with the loss of the entire crew, the captain, two cats, an Akita, 4 goldfish and 20 cases of salted sea urchin roe. Nestor was hit by two rounds. Somerville's group was then joined by two USN CL and 2 DD's coming up from Carnovan. The Allied carriers and Repulse were 40 mi to the SW. Yubari, perhaps already damaged, was hit by a single torp from USS Searaven near PH.

When the sun came up, the first ground, port and airfield attack at PH was intercepted by Zeroes (presumably from the carriers). This chopped up the raid and 3 Bolingbroke were lost. 3 subsequent raids over PH didn't have trouble with the Zeroes and did quite a bit of damage. A late sweep by Beaufighters downed one Zero.

Weather was very bad over the Jap carriers which were posted 120 mi NNE Port Hedland and 8 hexes from Exmouth and 9 hexes from the Allied carriers. They were still spotted and several disjointed raids from Carnovan followed with most of the bombers turning back.

First 3 B-25's went after Zuiho.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Port Hedland at 56,125

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 39 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 36



Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 3
P-38F Lightning x 21


Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
P-38F Lightning: 4 destroyed

Japanese Ships
CVL Zuiho

Then 4 B-26 went after the transports:

Morning Air attack on TF, near Port Hedland at 57,127

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 16 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 29



Allied aircraft
B-26 Marauder x 4
P-38G Lightning x 10


No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-26 Marauder: 2 damaged
P-38G Lightning: 1 destroyed

Japanese Ships
xAP Teia Maru

Then in the best chance, 4 B-25's snuck in without escorts. They miss but Kaga is smoking pretty good.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Port Hedland at 56,125

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 35 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes


Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 4


Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 4 damaged
B-25C Mitchell: 1 destroyed by flak

Japanese Ships
CV Kaga



Aircraft Attacking:
4 x B-25C Mitchell bombing from 6000 feet
Naval Attack: 6 x 500 lb SAP Bomb

Carrier support unable to supply air cover..

JJ manages an afternoon raid with Kates armed with bombs and no escorts. They are met by a combined CAP of P-39's, Hurricanes, Kittyhawks and F4F's (from the carriers). It is quite a slaughter but 19 get through. Honolulu and Caldwell are hit by bombs.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Exmouth at 50,129

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 17 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B5N1 Kate x 8
B5N2 Kate x 39



Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIc Trop x 14
Kittyhawk IA x 18
P-39D Airacobra x 11
F4F-4 Wildcat x 27


Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 17 destroyed, 1 damaged

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
DD Caldwell, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
CL Ceres
CL Honolulu, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CL Boise



I don't think the transports reached Port Hedland. Exmouth reached level 2 and and Carnovan level 6. This could be interesting. The Jap CV's appear not to have torps, Kaga is smoking, their Zeroes may be fatgiued, probably 2 Daitai of Kates are wrecked psychologically....Exmouth can handle SBD's or TBF's......hmmmm.