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

[Cap Mandrake]

Numerous fighter sweeps over Lucena, though not as strong as before. Here is an example of antishipping raid at Lucena..probably directed at an AK unloading there. The two bases, Luceana and Batangas appear to be swapping CAP, as planned. Did we mention how smart we were?

Morning Air attack on TF, near Lucena at 79,79

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 23 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
D3A2 Val x 6
G4M1 Betty x 3



Allied aircraft
Spitfire Vc Trop x 1
Hurricane XIIb x 2
P-38G Lightning x 3
P-39D Airacobra x 2
P-40B Warhawk x 2
P-40E Warhawk x 1
P-40K Warhawk x 5
F4U-1 Corsair x 13


Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed

No Allied losses

[Cap Mandrake]

Davao: Ack! The defenders apparently have a bunker network hewn out of limestone with sharpened chop sticks.

Ground combat at Davao (79,91)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 11704 troops, 333 guns, 318 vehicles, Assault Value = 243

Defending force 5443 troops, 65 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 94

Allied adjusted assault: 76

Japanese adjusted defense: 112

Allied assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 1)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
322 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 27 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 16 (6 destroyed, 10 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
358 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 21 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled


Assaulting units:
22nd Marine Regiment
132nd Infantry Regiment
161st Infantry Regiment
25th USN Naval Construction Battalion
134th Field Artillery Battalion
225th Field Artillery Battalion
2nd USMC Field Artillery Battalion
205th Field Artillery Battalion
21/22 Field Regiment

Defending units:
Yokosuka 1st SNLF
16th Naval Guard Unit
1st Engineer Co
15th Garrison Unit
108th JAAF AF Bn
39th JNAF AF Unit
40th JNAF AF Unit
Sasebo 8th SNLF /1

[Grollub]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

***************Meanwhile, in the PI****************


Sturgeon sinks the damaged I-157

Sub vs Sub: SS Sturgeon attacking SS I-157 at 78,79 - near Calapan

Japanese Ships
SS I-157, Torpedo hits 2, heavy damage

Allied Ships
SS Sturgeon

I seriously hope that you don't trample all over the Quezon National Park (in the E of your map). If you do (did?), that might be the explanation why the Northern Sierra Madre Forest monitor lizard Varanus bitatawa (local name: Butikaw) isn't discovered by the western world until 2010 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quezon_Protected_Landscape) [;)]

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Grollub
I seriously hope that you don't trample all over the Quezon National Park (in the E of your map). If you do (did?), that might be the explanation why the Northern Sierra Madre Forest monitor lizard Varanus bitatawa (local name: Butikaw) isn't discovered by the western world until 2010 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quezon_Protected_Landscape) [;)]

Sounds like a job for the SPCA. Of course, it's bound to slow us down. When JJ gets thier kamikazes I am going to blame you. [:)]

[Grollub]

Sure. Blame the messenger [;)]

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

***************Meanwhile, in the PI****************

Have you contacted Milo about buying some canoes so you can invade Taal Volcano Island?
Can he get you one big enough to load a tank? How about a refrigerated one for the beer?

[Cap Mandrake]

*********With A Coy, I/34th IR, on the slopes of Mt. Mirador, 12 m E of Lucena, Luzon, April 1. 1943(c)***********

A squad moves quietly uphill. Suddenly Lt. Audobon signals for the squad to halt. Sgt Bonebreak moves quietly up to his position.

Sgt. Bonebreak: What is it sir? Jap bunker?

1st Lt. Audobon: <still looking uphill> No...oh no...it's mating pair of Pale-billed Flowerpeckers with chicks. We need to go back down and go around.

Sgt. Bonebreak: Oh, ****!

[Cap Mandrake]

Interesting bit of intel from the 1st. Wahoo spots Jap carriers with a small air complement headed NE into the East China Sea. Also, the cook invents a fantastic recipe for fish tacos (it's not what you think).

[Cap Mandrake]

********With A Coy/I/34th IR, Mt. Mirador, April 1, 1943(c)*******


Capt. G. I. Joe: Audobon, damnit, what are your men doing back down here? I thought I ordered a recon of that peak? Did you spot anything?

Lt. Audobon: We did sir, and it was FANTASTIC! We saw Parrot, Dove, Pigeon, Jungle fowl (manok labuyo), yellow bittern, cinnamon bittern, Buff-banded Rail, Barred Rail, White-browed Crake, Marsh Sandpiper, Long-toed Stint, Swinhoe's Snipe, Striated Grassbird, Rufous Hornbill, Luzon Hornbill, Pink-bellied Imperial Pigeon, Guaiabero, Colasisi, Blackish Cuckooshrike, Flaming Sunbird and Flowerpecker!

Capt. G. I. Joe: Were the Pink-bellied Imperial Pigeons working for the Japs?

Lt. Audobon: Why....no...I don't think so....no. I'm sure they weren't.

Capt. G. I. Joe: Audobon, may I remind you that you are in the temporary employ of the United States Army?

[Cap Mandrake]

Here is what we have at Batangas (so far) to march on Manira. I don't think it will be enough.

[Cap Mandrake]

Taal Volcano is really quite interesting. There is the lake, which must certainly be an ancient caldera which blew its top, then there is the volcano in the middle of the lake which has its OWN caldera lake and then is a smaller island in the center of that. The center island is then an island inside a lake inside an island inside a lake inside an island (Luzon).[:)]

[Cap Mandrake]

LYB dispositions in Luzon

[Cap Mandrake]

Air losses from the previous turn.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Here is what we have at Batangas (so far) to march on Manira. I don't think it will be enough.

Dunno, but wait until they hit 30% prep before attacking or it counts as 0% prep AFAIK.

[Cap Mandrake]

OK, April '43, the Hellcat arrives. When do we actually get some in the pool?

[witpqs]

130 or so per month. You can upgrade 3 full squadrons by month's end. [:)]

[Cap Mandrake]

I'm guessing the VMF squadrons can't convert to Hellcats, right?

Pretend I haven't gotten to April '43 in a campaign game before.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

I'm guessing the VMF squadrons can't convert to Hellcats, right?

Pretend I haven't gotten to April '43 in a campaign game before.

Ah, depends on the scenario. Mostly, no they can't. Maybe in some scenarios you can "buy" those upgrades.

[zuluhour]

PDU on?

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: zuluhour

PDU on?

Hmmmm? I don't recall.