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

[Cap Mandrake]

********Employee Meeting, Bali Hai Club, 19:30, December 24, 1942(c)******

Young man in fine linen slacks: Now, I know most of you girls don't know much about Christianity, but this is VERY, VERY important holiday for most of these boys, many of who have been away from home for over a year. It is a time for reflection and familial bonding. Right Idi?

Idi Amin Dada (jack Muslim): Right boss.

Young man in fine linen slacks: Precisely! OK, I've commissioned new Santa hats for all the girls and Christmas themed G-strings and pasties. Check with Anne for your kit and...hey...let's be nice out there.....

[Cap Mandrake]

Buzzing sound coming....face getting hot...creativity window (real or imagined) closing...best to just go feed the dogs......

[Cap Mandrake]

Bah..one more


*****Aboard HMS Illustrious, Arafua Sea, 18;20,24;12;1942(c)*******

Cpt. Pringle: Take this message. "To Admiralty..regarding planned arrival Gibraltar 5th of January. Regret to inform you we will be delayed due to unavoidable circumstances. That is all."...<takes snack> crunch, crunch....hmmmm these salted potato slices are quite addicting.......

[Chickenboy]

You should know better...[:-]

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

You should know better...[:-]

3 questions:

1) Where is her wingman?

2) What is that brown stuff in the Stoli? Ewww.

3) What kind of arcane knowledge of internet pictures do you have?

[Onime No Kyo]

ORIGINAL: Crackaces

Nobody tells me they are dreaming about" glittery vampires" never has come up in a conversation ...[;)]

Theyre obviously too ashamed to talk about it.

[Onime No Kyo]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: Onime No Kyo

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

********Aboard YMS-101, 30 nm E Bathurst Is., 19:20, December 24, 1942(c)*******


"Sparks" McElroy: Message from Adm. Somerville, sir.

LCDR Specht: Read it.

"Sparks" McElroy: It reads, "Commander TF 308. You are ordered to conduct mine sweeping operations in Assembly Area Nairobi after sunset. If enemy coastal guns encountered in Darwin environs you are ordered to destroy them. End message".

LCDR Specht: Destroy them? It actually says that?

"Sparks" McElroy: Afraid so, sir.

LCDR Specht: This is why I didn't want to be assigned to a 1 VP vessel. We are "fungible", "Sparks".

"Sparks" McElroy: Fungible, sir? That sounds bad.

LCDR Specht: It is. Even a 40 year old, 10 Kt rust bucket with a Fillipino crew is worth 2 or 2 times what we are. Say, "Sparks", what is your real name?

"Sparks" McElroy: Sparks, sir.

LCDR Specht: No kidding? Never met anyone with that name. Why the quotation marks, then?

"Sparks" McElroy: My parents were hippies, sir.

LCDR Specht: Did you say hippies...........

Continuity error! Continuity error! Alert! Alert!

Clones of MacArthur, 100's of Tojos in mid 1942, Tannanese women working as bar girls in Perth and you are worried about a few anachronistic hippies?

You do realize this is 1942(c). Continuity has become "unstuck". We can make up any **** we want.

As a matter of fact, just to spite you I think we will pad LYB losses in the upcoming battle. [:'(]

Oh right...."the starship Enterprise uncloaked and began firing her phasers in support of the spirited assault by Hannibal and his elephants"....that way lies madness, I tell you!

[Onime No Kyo]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake
I think we will pad LYB losses in the upcoming battle. [:'(]

Why would you do that? If you pad them, won't it be harder to hurt them?

If theyre already losses, I'm sure they wont feel a thing.

The better question is why would you want to pad them instead of just burying them? After a few days they'll get real ripe....

[Onime No Kyo]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake
I think we will pad LYB losses in the upcoming battle. [:'(]

Why would you do that? If you pad them, won't it be harder to hurt them?

Actually, we just heard they are already padding their ships.

See, this is what happens when your nation doesnt have access to asbestos. [:-]

[Onime No Kyo]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

3 questions:

1) Where is her wingman?

Pouring the Pringles.

2) What is that brown stuff in the Stoli? Ewww.

Backwash from the Jagermeister.

3) What kind of arcane knowledge of internet pictures do you have?

His cleverness is just an illusion. Bet he was saving that one up for years. [:'(]

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

You should know better...[:-]

3 questions:

1) Where is her wingman?

Behind the camera.

2) What is that brown stuff in the Stoli? Ewww.

Backwash.

3) What kind of arcane knowledge of internet pictures do you have?

The man is an Internet ninja I tell you! [:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

Stalker Girl made me watch Breakfast at Tiffanys last night.....and I liked it.[:o]

***************Decmeber 25, 1942(c)******************

Port Hedrand: There was a LYB SCTF spotted NW of PH headed SW toward Exmouth so we had a crusier grouop waiting and bombers on naval attack. Problem is the insctrutable LYB's turned SE and hit our shipping at PH.[:@] First they shrug off the PT boats.


Night Time Surface Combat, near Port Hedland at 57,129, Range 9,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CL Tama
DD Teruzuki
DD Kawakaze

Allied Ships
PT-66
PT-68, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
PT-74
PT-76
PT-77

and then...a clean sweep...and one our our ships is even named after a famous Greek philosopher. I think that was purposely ironic to remind us that Rord Admirar Fabertong uses the ole' jimmy leg move over and over...

Night Time Surface Combat, near Port Hedland at 57,129, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CL Tama
DD Teruzuki
DD Kawakaze

Allied Ships
xAK Vitorlock, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
xAK Bintang, Shell hits 13, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
xAK Sonnavind, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
xAK Sophocles, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
PG Yarra, Shell hits 14, and is sunk

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake
and one our our ships is even named after a famous Greek philosopher.

Bintang? PT-76?

[Cap Mandrake]

Darwin: LCDR Specht has (had?) good reason to be cynical. He has no opportunity to sweep for mines or defeat the guns at Darwin as he is intercepted by Arashio, which I believe was probably one of the two ships spotted at anchor at Darwin.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Darwin at 76,124, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Asashio

Allied Ships
SC-637, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
YMS-101, Shell hits 3, and is sunk
YMS-102, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
YMS-115, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
YMS-133

Then USS Permit gets even with Arashio. I don't want to rush to judgement but this looks like it may have been another live torpedo. Most likely it will be another inquiry,

Submarine attack near Darwin at 76,124

Japanese Ships
DD Asashio, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage

Allied Ships
SS Permit

There are neither sweep attacks nor a raid by B-17's on Darwin. Probably bad weather.

LYB bombers with good escort go after the picket DD's or perhaps the DM's near Bathurst.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Bathurst Island at 76,123

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 17
G4M1 Betty x 3



Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 9


Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 1 destroyed

Some Sallys (probably from Wyndham) are massacred going after the mine sweeping group at Bathurst.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Bathurst Island at 76,123

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 2 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 0 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 5



Allied aircraft
Martlet II x 6
F4F-4 Wildcat x 5


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
SC-699

17 SBD's from the carriers go after Arashio. Note that there is no CAP over Arashio.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Darwin at 75,123

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes


Allied aircraft
Sea Hurricane Ib x 4
Martlet II x 3
F4F-3A Wildcat x 2
F4F-4 Wildcat x 20
SBD-3 Dauntless x 17


Allied aircraft losses
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
DD Asashio, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk

[Cap Mandrake]

Wyndham: Naturally, as we all know, as the B-24 is much faster than the P-38 and because it much easier to assemble a raid of 67 planes instead of 5, the B-24's arrive over Wyndham BEFORE the P-38 sweep. [8|]

Even so, it is a powerfully effective raid.

Morning Air attack on Wyndham , at 70,127

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 38 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 42
A6M3 Zero x 11



Allied aircraft
B-24D Liberator x 67


Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
A6M3 Zero: 1 destroyed
B5N2 Kate: 5 destroyed on ground
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 2 destroyed on ground
D3A1 Val: 2 destroyed on ground
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed on ground
G3M2 Nell: 1 destroyed on ground

Allied aircraft losses
B-24D Liberator: 1 destroyed, 8 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
4 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled



Airbase hits 16
Airbase supply hits 5
Runway hits 44

[Chickenboy]

Interesting. He's replaced the IJAAF Tojos with land-based A6M series aircraft. Look for the Tojos in bulk nearby. My guess would be that you'll see 'em at Darwin. Perhaps he set his Darwin cap very tightly with range =0, none sortied to defend the Arashio?

[Cap Mandrake]

Koumac: The USMC Regt. landing at Koumac is disembarking for a second day. They were overpacked but we were short of AP's in NZ. I was worried about an LYB surface raid but there is none.

Burma: JJ moved a "shedload" of fighters to Mandalay. Admiral Lord Sprior cancelled the bomber raid and sent in some Hurris over Shwebo which met the spill over CAP from Mandalay.

This was quite effective resulting in 5 Tojos and 2 Oscars claimed for 1 Hurri.

China: Changsa is really getting hammered by air. Jap troops ar Kienko are cut off.

[House Stark]

Hmm, another live torpedo? Sounds like someone was giving the better torpedoes out early to your subs so that they would be in place for the Jan 1943 official activation date, but some of your skippers have decided they just can't wait that long to start using them.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Interesting. He's replaced the IJAAF Tojos with land-based A6M series aircraft. Look for the Tojos in bulk nearby. My guess would be that you'll see 'em at Darwin. Perhaps he set his Darwin cap very tightly with range =0, none sortied to defend the Arashio?

There are definitely Tojos at Darwin...or at least there were for the last several days. Some days back the Tojos replaced the Nicks.

Perhaps also the Darwin CAP was grounded by weather?

[Cap Mandrake]

[font="Courier New"]Admiral Lord Sprior
Kandy House, Ceylon

My Dearest Spri;

Do we have some fighters with long enough legs to LRCAP over Changsa. JJ is no longer doing fighter sweeps and the LYB raids are unescorted. Good time for an ambush to keep them honest. It looks like a bunch of fighters from China moved to Burma. Looks like the RAF grouop at Chungking might be getting burnt out as well.

Also what about bombers from Ledo going after LYB ground troops in China? I think they may be near their high water mark in China?

Lastly what do we want to do at Darwin. Send in Washington and Indiana to bombard or leave them with ammo for surface combat?

Finally, can we use one of the Australian para coys for Bathurst?


With a surfeit of transoceanic tepidity;


Fleet Admiral Mandrake
FOB Papaete[/font]