Nothing Up My Sleeve: Magical Moose Tricks--Bullwinkle58 vs.1EyedJacks

[BBfanboy]

You still hold Batavia and Pt. Moresby! He is seriously behind schedule, thanx to your defence of Singers!

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

You still hold Batavia and Pt. Moresby! He is seriously behind schedule, thanx to your defence of Singers!

Not only PM, but Rabaul!

If only I had something to throw out there. Rabaul makes a nice pair of earrings with Wake.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

You still hold Batavia and Pt. Moresby! He is seriously behind schedule, thanx to your defence of Singers!

Not only PM, but Rabaul!

If only I had something to throw out there. Rabaul makes a nice pair of earrings with Wake.

You use earrings?![;)]
Or is it more like "Honey, for our anniversary I'm giving you Rabaul and Wake Island." ?[:D]

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

You still hold Batavia and Pt. Moresby! He is seriously behind schedule, thanx to your defence of Singers!

Not only PM, but Rabaul!

If only I had something to throw out there. Rabaul makes a nice pair of earrings with Wake.

You use earrings?![;)]
Or is it more like "Honey, for our anniversary I'm giving you Rabaul and Wake Island." ?[:D]

Is that "code"? [:)]

[BBfanboy]

[:D] Wasn't intended to be! I'll let my digression end here before the tangent gets too far out there!

[CaptBeefheart]

Ah, finally caught up with this AAR. Work has kept me busy, which is a good thing since I own my own firm.

A couple of points:
1. Minnesotans have a funny accent, but the Boundary Waters Canoe Area is great. I had the pleasure of doing overnight portaging trips there twice in my youth, and even caught some of that feisty, yet tasty, Northern Pike for the campfire.
2. You made it pretty clear from Day Zero that this was to be a no-HR game. Whether a tactic would be realistic in real life is of no relevance--you are exploring all the possibilities this game has to offer. I would not sweat the night bombing.

Cheers,
CC

[Encircled]

You still hold Rabaul?

Can you exploit that in any way, as its more than a bit of an oversight on his part!

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Encircled

You still hold Rabaul?

Can you exploit that in any way, as its more than a bit of an oversight on his part!

I speculate that it is not an oversight, but a function of an early focus on the Hawaii region, and now more fruitful first phase objectives needed, with a view to securing some oil/fuel Pretty Quick Now.

I'd love to re-occupy Rabaul, but the date is against me. I haven't got the LCUs to do half of what I'm ready to start.

[Bullwinkle58]

A History Lesson

For those PTO fans who love them some airplanes, the role submarines played in the successful prosecution of the war against Japan may be unknown or not fully appreciated. Certainly the game makes matching real life results very difficult, for reasons recently discussed (and not for the first time.)

Results against just one class of capital warship--aircraft carriers--may illustrate what a fearsome offensive tool the submarine came to be in the war:

Sunken Japanese carriers

1. Akitsu Maru by USS Queenfish, November 15, 1944

2. Chuyo by USS Salifish, December 4, 1943

3. Shinano by USS Archerfish, November 29, 1944

4. Shinyo by USS Spadefish, November 17, 1944

5. Shokaku by USS Cavalla, June 19, 1944

6. Taiho by USS Albacore, June 19, 1944

7. Unryu by USS Redfish, December 19, 1944

8. Unyo by USS Barb, September 17, 1944


In game terms there are some who argue that the best uses for submarines are as scouts or pickets, a role USN fleet boats were specificaly designed for in pre-war doctrine. Others in the forum argue that using subs for offensive purposes is sub-optimal and a real waste fo time and effort. Instead, they argue, the highest and best use for these assets is as supply mules, hauling drips and drabs across the Pacific wastes to isolated hunks of rock and coral so as not to risk highly-valuable xAKLs. These magnificnet machines, manned by warrior crews and capable of sinking the largest warships afloat by themselves, with a circa 100-man crew, should instead pack food and clean socks to garrison troops.

Huh.

[Bullwinkle58]

May 8, 1942

Subs Used Sub-Optimally

[center]The Dutch didn't get the memo.[/center]





1) Sub attack near Phuket at 48,70

Japanese Ships
CVL Zuiho, Torpedo hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage (Sinking sounds heard.)
CA Kumano
DD Yunagi
DD Akebono

Allied Ships
SS KXI

Ammo storage explosion on CVL Zuiho
SS KXI launches 4 torpedoes at CVL Zuiho
DD Yunagi fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Akebono fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Akebono fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Akebono fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Akebono fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Akebono fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

The Air TF above is more evidence that Sabang is a likely target in the near future.

2) Operation SWEET POLLY moves through the bombardment and initial landing phases. First though, and a surpise, the DMSes find and sweep 85 more mines just before the first of two bombardment groups move inshore. The second group is part of the carriers' escort force; they will reform to add AA even though main battery ammo is depleted. Both groups stand off at 15,000 yards, which may have helped avoid any remaining mines.

Night Naval bombardment of Palmyra at 170,133

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
H6K4 Mavis: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
BB California
BB Nevada
CL Honolulu

Japanese ground losses:
354 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 13 destroyed, 30 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 6 disabled
Guns lost 6 (1 destroyed, 5 disabled)

Airbase hits 14
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 17
Port hits 13
Port fuel hits 5
Port supply hits 1

OS2U-3 Kingfisher acting as spotter for BB California
BB California firing at Palmyra
BB Nevada firing at Palmyra
CL Honolulu firing at Palmyra

Naval bombardment of Palmyra at 170,133

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
H6K4 Mavis: 2 damaged

Allied Ships
BB Mississippi
BB New Mexico
BB Idaho
BB Colorado

Japanese ground losses:
486 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 29 destroyed, 27 disabled
Engineers: 5 destroyed, 5 disabled
Guns lost 9 (3 destroyed, 6 disabled)

Airbase hits 5
Airbase supply hits 8
Runway hits 19
Port hits 11
Port fuel hits 2
Port supply hits 3

BB Mississippi firing at Palmyra
BB New Mexico firing at Palmyra
BB Idaho firing at Palmyra
OS2U-3 Kingfisher acting as spotter for BB Colorado
BB Colorado firing at Maizuru 2nd SNLF
=======================

The first wave's escorts hammer the landing zone:


Pre-Invasion action off Palmyra (170,133)

25 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Allied Ships
CA Chicago
CA Northampton
DD Conyngham
DD Case
DD Patterson
AP William Ward Burrows

Japanese ground losses:
50 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
9 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

CA Chicago firing at 53rd Naval Guard Unit
CA Northampton firing at 53rd Naval Guard Unit
DD Conyngham firing at 53rd Naval Guard Unit
DD Case firing at Maizuru 2nd SNLF
DD Patterson firing at Maizuru 2nd SNLF
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 4,000 yards
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 1,000 yards

The first wave is only the Marine Raiders and a combat engineer unit. the heavier seocnd wave, to be a back-up when recon showed fewer defenders, is a day back.

Amphibious Assault at Palmyra (170,133)

TF 216 troops unloading over beach at Palmyra, 170,133

Allied ground losses:
67 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 33 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 56 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 4 (0 destroyed, 4 disabled)

10 troops of a US Raider Squad lost in surf during unload of 1st Marine Raider Bn
-------------------------------------

The supply TF comes in:

Pre-Invasion action off Palmyra (170,133)
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force

11 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Allied Ships
DD Worden
DD Clark
DD Phelps
DD Selfridge
xAK Steel Seafarer

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

The first wave holds, largely due to the bombardments and two days of DB attack weakening the garrison. It would hhave been better to wait another day and coordinate the landings, but the activity at Kwajalein is a good indicator the KB is coming, so speed was chosen:

Ground combat at Palmyra (170,133)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 1231 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 82

Defending force 2617 troops, 36 guns, 2 vehicles, Assault Value = 88

Allied adjusted assault: 15

Japanese adjusted defense: 32

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

Combat modifiers
Defender: leaders(-), disruption(-), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+), fatigue(-)

Japanese ground losses:
840 casualties reported
Squads: 46 destroyed, 9 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 10 (3 destroyed, 7 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
377 casualties reported
Squads: 19 destroyed, 27 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
3rd Marine Raider Battalion
1st Marine Raider Battalion
2nd USMC Engineer Regiment

Defending units:
Maizuru 2nd SNLF
53rd Naval Guard Unit
2nd JNAF AF Unit

3) Allies bombard at Bataan:

Ground combat at Bataan (78,77)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 34143 troops, 631 guns, 189 vehicles, Assault Value = 1462

Defending force 48620 troops, 472 guns, 524 vehicles, Assault Value = 1542

Japanese ground losses:
62 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled

Allied ground losses:
95 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 10 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 3 (2 destroyed, 1 disabled)

4) Chungking is bombed hard, but the Allied bombers have been moved, as have the fighters.

5) Port Blair is swept and bombed lightly. One Beest is damaged. Most of the air power from here has been moved to Calcutta to regenerate.

6) Sabang is swept and then bombed twice with many Sallys. Allied surface forces are still to the west, mostly re-fueled, waiting for a landing force. There is a chance a port other than Sabang will be targetted, either on the west coast (Sibolga), or the east coast south of Medan, but Japan needs a port to extract the oil from Djambi, and eventually Medan. Sabang is the classic choice, however, assuming Japan has sea control at the mouth of the Strait of Malacca. Right now, it does not.

7) Ramree I. AF goes to 1.

[Bullwinkle58]

May 9, 1942

SWEET POLLY Progress

After a missed email and most of a weekend spent on adult social endeavors we are back to action.

1) More mines are located and cleared at Palmyra. Still no casualties to them, a nice set of rolls given the traffic in and out of the hex.

One bombardment group is re-merged with the Air TF now standing off to the east. The other bombards again, closer in (10k yds), mostly with seocndary guns. Only 8 casualties are recorded, but possibly some disruption. The DBs hit again, this time on glide bomb. They do 315 casualties with 5 squads KIA. Then the Fast Transport with supplies moves in, as well as the heavy TF with the second wave, an infantry regiment. The heavy supply TF continues to unload through three phases. The operation is clockwork except for the bump of not having both waves uload on the same day. Still no sign of the KB or additional intel. The shock attack further degrades the defenses; only part of the regiment is ashore.

The Japanese try a bombardment and neither record casualties nor suffer any. The Allied attack goes well:

Ground combat at Palmyra (170,133)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 1207 troops, 0 guns, 7 vehicles, Assault Value = 98

Defending force 1822 troops, 29 guns, 2 vehicles, Assault Value = 41

Allied adjusted assault: 10

Japanese adjusted defense: 7

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

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: forts(+), disruption(-), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
199 casualties reported
Squads: 14 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 5 (5 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
224 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
1st Marine Raider Battalion
2nd USMC Engineer Regiment
3rd Marine Raider Battalion
138th(Sep) Infantry Rgt /1

Defending units:
Maizuru 2nd SNLF
53rd Naval Guard Unit
2nd JNAF AF Unit

2) Sweeps at Prome and Pt. Blair. The Allies are trying to offer just enough CAP to keep the fighters coming, but not enough to keep pools flat. Heavy forces are now beginning to reach Prome, which will be the keystone of southern Burma defenses for now. I see no reason to attempt to retake Bassein unless it is made a key AF. The Burma idea is oil denial, not setpiece battles with pre-TOE-upgraded Indian units. As long as Japan wants to bomb here they can. Ramree now has a small organic CAP as it continues to build forts and AF. Regular supply shuttles from Calcutta into Chittagong have resumed. The monsoon is coming and I would like the Mandalay group to be as fat as possible by then. As forts in the region reach level 5 I am shutting them down to build supply to spinner maxes.

3) Chungking is pasted again, but there are no planes there. Fort building is suspended at 6 + 50% as supply is below 25,000 and building is in the red. Fixing AF damage costs nothing. Supply pulls to the Big Stack are stressing Chungking supply, but the Big Stack must come first given what it is tying down.

4) Sabang is hit again hard. There is no view of any landing force headed up-Strait. There are ships at Singers, however. A large combat TF with carriers is still near the Malaysian coast near where the CVL was lost. All Allied subs in the Strait have max detection levels; they are all re-zoned this turn. Force Z plus help is orbiting to the west. The replenishment group is near Colombo for a re-load and run down to Z in the next week. A new RN carrier is two days from Colombo. The damaged carrier from FUDD is one day from the yards. Another RN CA is fuly repaired and ready at Colombo. USS Arizona is well NE of DG and inbound for Colombo.

5) A day strike on Kunming HI does no damage. I much prefer Manpower, but I want to mix it up. B-26s hit Djambi defenders in advance of the ground battle coming soon there. B-17s do 4 Oil hits at Babo. Palembang is bombed very lightly.

6) The Allies bombard at Bataan again, inflicting 34 casualties for 79 of own. Probably time to suspend again and let Japan wonder about supply levels.

[crsutton]

Four torpedo hits from a non radar equipped sub in 1942 is like winning the lottery on two consecutive days...[:)]

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Four torpedo hits from a non radar equipped sub in 1942 is like winning the lottery on two consecutive days...[:)]

I know. But I'll take it. [8D]

[JocMeister]

Congrats on the Zuiho!!! [&o]

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Congrats on the Zuiho!!! [&o]

Thanks, but it's only important right now in that it reduces his options for defending Sumatra landings. The VPs are nice but not overwhelming.

[Bullwinkle58]

May 10, 1942

POLLY Progress. Sumatra Heats Up.

1) Sweep, sweep, sweep some more. Eleven Japanese sweeps today all over the map; one met any Allied CAP. Many hundreds of Japanese fighters used essentially as probes.

2) At Palmyra the infantry regiment continues to unload, as does the supply. The carriers do one more Ground strike with the full DB force on glide, and get minimal casualties. At the end, the Shock attack works, the base falls, the garrison is wiped out to a man, and two Mavises are lost to the enemy. An IJN sub is lurking a couple of hexes to the west, but no further sign or intel on any possible KB involvement. It might be there, but it's a lot of fuel and time to invest for a speck like Palmyra. The carriers and BBs will head home. Palmyra needs a base force and some CAP and search, but SWEET POLLY is in the books.

Ground combat at Palmyra (170,133)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 1700 troops, 24 guns, 23 vehicles, Assault Value = 112

Defending force 1765 troops, 30 guns, 1 vehicles, Assault Value = 38

Allied adjusted assault: 74

Japanese adjusted defense: 3

Allied assault odds: 24 to 1 (fort level 1)

Allied forces CAPTURE Palmyra !!!

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
H6K4 Mavis: 2 destroyed

Combat modifiers
Defender: forts(+), leaders(-), disruption(-), preparation(-)
fatigue(-), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
1843 casualties reported
Squads: 61 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 104 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 6 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 24 (24 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 2

Allied ground losses:
76 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
138th(Sep) Infantry Regiment
3rd Marine Raider Battalion
1st Marine Raider Battalion
2nd USMC Engineer Regiment

Defending units:
Maizuru 2nd SNLF
53rd Naval Guard Unit
2nd JNAF AF Unit

53rd Naval Guard Unit Wiped Out at Palmyra by attrition!!!

3) On Sumatra the 4th ID begins to come ashore at unoccupied Tandjoengbalai. Japan needs a port to extract the Djambi oil through and this base is on a small list of possibles. It has the advantage of being on the east side of the island under good LBA coverage, and far enough down the Strait I don't dare send in surface TFs to oppose the landing. The 4th will no doubt be followed by a stack from Singers which will move up the RR toward Medan, another key prize in the Petroleum Wars. Sabang will ultimatley be attacked, as it is an excellent port and search base, but it will not fall easily. There may be opportunities to use the RN to complicate northern Sumatra for Japan as well.

South of Tandjoengbalai Sumatra is hundreds of miles of bad experiences, swamp, and no RRs. Japan still holds an empty Padang on the west coast, a good base to shove in a Palembang force if sea control in the IO is held. I'm watching it, but can't close it right now. Palembang has just recieved a strong AT unit adn another heavy AA unit from Cocos I. The US Army ID (32nd?) is in the wormhole on the way to CT. Where it comes into Sumatra is an open question now and might change by the time it is approaching.

An initial attack on Djambi reveals a stronger defense than I had thought. I may be able to take the base, but won't invest more ground power to do it. I would be happy if more damage is recorded in the fighting.

Ground combat at Djambi (48,88)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 2913 troops, 6 guns, 44 vehicles, Assault Value = 115

Defending force 2309 troops, 44 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 71

Allied adjusted assault: 45

Japanese adjusted defense: 119

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

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

Japanese ground losses:
289 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 29 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled

Allied ground losses:
107 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Assaulting units:
44th Indian Brigade

Defending units:
Yokosuka 1st SNLF
16th Infantry Rgt /1
27th JAAF AF Bn

4) The chess problem in China re the Big Stack and Chungking is evolving. Japan makes some very good moves. The Allies hold the triangle of bases around Chungking, with Chengtu and the N-base (name unremembered) to the west feeding Resources into the capital's LI. Since the IJA 3-stack moved out of Tsuyung to block supply from the west from reaching the Big Stack Chungking has been supplying, and stocks there have drifted down from 25,000 to about 21,000. Now, a 13-stack is active in the middle of the triangle with a probable target of the N-base. It is the most lightly held. If it falls Chungking's supply production will be hurt a lot.

At some point the role of the Big Stack in pinning Tsuyung might be a luxury and it will be time to move it west into the 3-stack's hex and then west for Paoshan/Lashio. Both of these bases are a lot stronger than they were six weeks ago. The Big Stack, released to roam the Chiang Mai sector and west and south toward Bangkok could put a lot of pressure on Rangoon's garrison. Or it could be mauled in a road fight in the mountains with Tsuyung's stack before it can get to Burma. Either way, pretty soon I will need to batten down in China and do everyting I can to let Chungking survive. Air supply from Ledo is a trickle, and won't really get sufficinet transports until 1943.

5) The Allies night bomb Rangoon with 2 Blenheims for no effect. They bomb the 13-stack near Chungking for no effect with 3 Hudsons. They day bomb HI in Kunming for 2 hits. They Oil bomb Babo for 1 hit. They day bomb industry at Bassein for no effect with 3 B-26.

6) USS Tennessee is fully repaired at Pearl Harbor.

[JocMeister]

Nice work getting Palmyra back! [:)]

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Nice work getting Palmyra back! [:)]

Yeah, so now I'm back where I was on December 7, 1941! [:)]

It WAS the most clockwork landing I've ever done. Which means the KB will now show up and sink a bunch of cruisers and destroyers.

[Bullwinkle58]

May 11, 1942

Sumatra Multiples

1) SWEET POLLY clean up continues. The infrastructure is trashed; 90+ damage to AF, about 45 to the small port. All that's there engineer-wise is the combat LCU, but they start working. A base force is coming. Two biggish TFs are still unloading supplies. Two I-boats come in from the west. They were seen yesterday and two ASW TFs were broken off from the transoprts, one to stand in the harbor, the other to go out three hexes and patrol back to Palmyra. Both subs are attacked several times. A penetrating hit plus oil leak is achieved on I-18 and I-22 takes some flooding-type system damage hits. But this one gets a fish into CA Astoria. What would a flyspeck landing op be without at least one major combatant in the yards?

The carriers are still around, but pulled three hexes to the NE, refueled, and left to watch. An AV is sent toward the island; it will be a patrol base and nothing more. Christmas is getting a port services unit and will be an area supply dump, plus search base. I don't plan on this sector being an op area, but Japan may have other ideas. Canton has recieved major garrison upgrades and has Forts 3+. I expect Japan to come at least as far as Baker. Again, this is conventional, a usual move to harrass convoys going to Oz. I don't send convoys to Oz, so . . .

2) Near Gebe, in the NE DEI, USS Sturgeon on barrier patrol attacks and misses a large transport TF of two DDs and six xAP/AMC. There are uncaptured bases to the west, but this looks more like a major move on either Timor or Darwin. The clock is moving, so perhaps this is the TImor move, with backfill to come later. It's the wrong course for PM, but there's a slight chance it's Milne or maybe Rabaul. Not much I can do but watch and reroute subs.

3) Makassar is night bombed for the Nth time, doing 929 Fires and destroying some Resources. It's good training. [:)]

4) A lot of Japanese sweeps all over the map. PBang, Pt. Blair, Prome, etc. I have shifted into a fighter-preservation mode in most places, letting him sweep and take ops losses. For the most part these places have enough forts that the the follow-on bombing isn't anything to worry about, and two fighters against 30 is just giving away VPs. In a couple of places--Pt. Blair is one--I'm putting up just enough CAP to keep him coming. Damage there and over water home costs him pilots and keeps him off Ramree, where I want peace and quiet now. He damages a TB now and then at Pt. Blair, but most of them withdraw in a week or two and I don't think he's sending a lot of skimmers up there any time soon.

This is one example of the sweeps at Blair:

Morning Air attack on Port Blair , at 46,58

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 13 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 33

Allied aircraft
Hurricane I Trop x 3
Hurricane IIa Trop x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 3 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Hurricane I Trop: 1 destroyed

Aircraft Attacking:
26 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 15000 feet
----------------------------------------
The Burma ground forces continue to march south. Prome has a good garrison now with still more coming. He is standing at Bassein with about 35,000 men and a LOT of tanks, but so far not moving. The Chiang Mai corps continue south on the road, soon to be joined by the third. There is an LCU standing on the RR to the SE; don't know what it is. I expect to fight it though. The marchers get daily Nell pounding costing 10-20 casualties, but also a lot of Nell damage.
Today they are joined by Marys and Anns with a couple of those damaged as well.

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M2 Nell: 3 damaged

Allied ground losses:
20 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

5) Bataan is bombed every day; I just don't mention it. Not sure what's up here. I understand working a base out of supply to take it down cheaply, but the stack invested here is big, Manila's port and yards are denied Japan, and the VPs will be there sooner or later in the same quant. What's at Bataan could really fling a hurtin' on Java.

6) Chungking is pasted again, a really good move. Observers should note the job Japan is doing in the Chungking sector as well as how this affects the Big Stack in the mountains. I am rapidly being forced to take moves with the Big Stack I don't want to take. Even so Chungking's supply state is crap if he is going to use no-PP mechanisms to bring the hammer there and take out Chinese reinforcements all over the map. The 12-stack north of Chungking is mode-knocked by a couple of Hudsons at Chengtu, but if thery're aiming to take out Resource feeders (a great move BTW) for Chungking the capital's situation will be critical/ICU level in the summer.

7) A small B-26 CAS strike is made at Djambi, and the Indians attack again with mediocre results. Don't think I can take Djambi without walking another hefty LCU from PBang, and I don't want to do that now. I didn't expect there to be more than AF LCUs at Djambi. What I would give for some recon assets! Should the Indians turn left for Pabang? Or head back for PBang? To ponder. Padang is the traditional door to a PBang seige if Oosthaven is danagerous for Japan. But Indians there are just out on a limb and will fall to a divison-sized landing. Which a PBang attempt will be. Are they worth it to be a speedbump? I doubt it, but will ponder.

Ground combat at Djambi (48,88)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 2845 troops, 6 guns, 44 vehicles, Assault Value = 105

Defending force 2403 troops, 44 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 57

Allied adjusted assault: 33

Japanese adjusted defense: 93

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

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

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

Allied ground losses:
174 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 20 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled

8) Wellingtons hit Resources at Haiphong in daylight for 10 hits. Pinprick, but important for the overall strategic game. 4E numbers will grow and then we'll see.

9) Northern Sumatra is where the action is today.

Sabang is hit medium bad, more of a placeholder attack. A TF is off the eastern side of this base; probably the remnants of the Air TF attacked by the Dutch sub several days ago. I have light RN carrier support waaaaay out in the IO and another comes out of the yards today. There are subs galore in the northern Strait and maybe I can get a read on this guy. I'm not sending Force Z in to its doom without intel.

Tandjoengbalai falls to the 4th ID, a Naval Guard, and AF engineers. A classic approach. The AF will be built to defend north and south to Djambi; the 4th ID will move on Medan (vacant) and then invest Sabang. Tand. gives Japan an oil port for whatever flows from Djambi (what isn't blown up), and Medan a lot more. All of this can be jumped to Malaysia to flow to Singers. It's not PBang numbers, but it's a nice oil source, and Medan in particular is full up and even wasting some by now six mnonths into the war.

I was expecting Tand. to fall to a combined arms force, but I was not expecting a TF to slip in unseen and take Sibolga with an SNLF (Yokuska 3rd.) This is another oil port that takes from Djambi, as well as a potential search base on the periphery pre-Sabang. If the TF near Sabang is Air the Sibolga landing force is covered and again, not worth Force Z. So, rats.

[Bullwinkle58]

May 12, 1942

Medan Goes Cheaply

1) USS Pike hits a small transport TF of xAK, DD, and E in the central South China Sea, sinking the E. One more that won't grow into a "Hulk angry!!!" Super-E someday. Assume this TF was carying small engineering unit or similar for service in Sumatra.

2) Lots of 30+ fighter sweeps find mostly empty Allied sky. In three places (Prome, Blair, PBang) a CAP of two Allied fighters loses one and downs one. My P-40E pool is still empty due to fill-outs.

3) The Chinese moving south of Chiang Mai are hit by 23 Nells, from Bangkok is my guess. Then by Marys. Then by Idas. Then by Anns. No Chinese casualties at all, three Nells, a Mary, an Ida, and a Mary are damaged over jungle. This moving mini-stack is getting a lot of Japanese attention. I wonder if Mike is worried about its intended use? I still don't know, but I like the attention.

4) Matching air-to-ground attacks at Djambi. The Indian unit is ordered to withdraw to PBang. Padang looks attractive, but the AV in this unit is too high to throw away on a beach defense that would last three days at most if a large Japanese force wants in at Padang.

5) Medan falls to the other half of the Yokuska SNLF see at Sibolga yesterday. A tiny force, but it gets the port and the oil. I now have a new strat bombing best friend.

6) Haiphong Resources are day bombed for 17 hits. Three B-17s hit Djambi Oil for no hits. Then the first P-38 sweep by a non-prototype squadron sweeps Djambi's Nates, destroying one and damaging two. Not sure if P-38s can reach Medan on drop tanks form PBang. Will soon see.

7) Chungking AF is bombed twice by Sallys, hurting supply and damaging five IJA planes. The base slips below 20,000 supply. A Big Stack decision is coming soon.

8) Sabang is ground bombed twice in what I now assume is long-term prep for the 4th ID to march north, rather than a landing. The RN has three carriers out in the IO to the west, and two large surface TFs including Force Z.

Other: VERY long-term initial prep is begun for a new campaign: Operation SNAGGLEPUSS. This one depends on some things breaking the Allies' way KB-wise and won't go until mid- to late-summer if at all. If it works it has the potential to upset Japan's applecart in a significant way. Or, it could be a disaster. Heavens to Murgatroyd! [:'(]

[center]Note [/center]

"'Heavens to Murgatroyd' is American in origin and dates from the mid 20th century. The expression was popularized by the cartoon character Snagglepuss - a regular on the Yogi Bear Show in the 1960s, and is a variant of the earlier 'heavens to Betsy'.

The first use of the phrase wasn't by Snagglepuss but comes from the 1944 film Meet the People. It was spoken by Bert Lahr, best remembered for his role as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz. Snagglepuss's voice was patterned on Lahr's, along with the 'heavens to Murgatroyd' line. Daws Butler's vocal portrayal of the character was so accurate that when the cartoon was used to promote Kellogg Cereals, Lahr sued and made the company distance him from the campaign by giving a prominent credit to Butler.

As with Betsy, we have no idea who Murgatroyd was. The various spellings of the name - as Murgatroid, Mergatroyd or Mergatroid tend to suggest that it wasn't an actual surname. While it is doubtful that the writers of Meet The People (Sig Herzig and Fred Saidy) were referring to an actual person, they must have got the name from somewhere.

No fewer than ten of the characters in Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera Ruddigore, 1887, are baronets surnamed "Murgatroyd", eight of whom (or is that which?) are ghosts. Herzig and Saidy were well versed in the works of the musical theatre and that plethora of Murgatroyds would have been known to them.

Where then did the librettist Sir William Gilbert get the name? It seems that Murgatroyd has a long history as a family name in the English aristocracy. In his genealogy The Murgatroyds of Murgatroyd, Bill Murgatroyd states that, in 1371, a constable was appointed for the district of Warley in Yorkshire. He adopted the name of Johanus de Morgateroyde - literally John of Moor Gate Royde or 'the district leading to the moor'.

Whether the Murgatroyd name took that route from Yorkshire to Jellystone Park we can't be certain. Unless there's a Betsy Murgatroyd hiding in the archives, that's as close as we are likely to get to a derivation."


http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/heav ... troyd.html