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

[Cap Mandrake]

I also posted a beautiful company-level tactical map of Karenko. Now it's vapor! [:(]

[Quixote]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

I also posted a beautiful company-level tactical map of Karenko. Now it's vapor! [:(]

That was a very good looking map. If you still have a copy of it, it's probably worth re-posting.

[witpqs]

I think you should post the original from WWII(c), framed in gilded mahogany.

[Cap Mandrake]

The lads at Port Blair are saved. 45th Indian Brig bounces back just with a few cans of Bully Beef and some Vickers ammo. 44th Indian has almost no infantry squads.

[Cap Mandrake]

Battle for Karenko. Looks like it should be much more than a level 1 port. There is a breakwater, support buildings, docks, rail access. Turns out 1st Marine Raider Bn. did get ashore. May 1945 US Army Corps of Engineers map.

[Cap Mandrake]

5 mini-Ronsons left. Karenko is safe for a day or two. 4th Marine Raider and first elements of 158th IR may arrive tomorrow or the next. The air drop of remainder 1st Aus Para was scrubbed as there is no immediate need.

[Cap Mandrake]

Soryu has disappeared but we are wary of the ole' Jimmy-leg double-back trick. Wasp is creeping down the North coast of Luzon at 15 kts.

Two Air Hq moving to Altimonan to permit heavy bomber attacks on Takao.

[Chickenboy]

Good drop by that Australian 1st (A) company to drop on that McDonald's like that.  Impressive aim right in their 'box'.

[Cap Mandrake]

Reinforcement Karenko and Horycrappo-jima

[Chickenboy]

It rook-ah rike big fight at Aparri?  Arso, what-ah happen at Vigan?  Japan mens there seem "very red" and angry.  Hai!  [&o]

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Good drop by that Australian 1st (A) company to drop on that McDonald's like that.  Impressive aim right in their 'box'.

[Cap Mandrake]

We won big time at Aparri. Should probably have attacked there earlier.

16K LYB's at Vigan. I think it's 28th Div. We have 7th Aus, 8th Aus and most of 32nd ID at Vigan. We have 827 AV behind level 3 forts in a rough hex. End of the line for the Mongol Horde although they could move on us.

Ground combat at Aparri (82,73)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 3796 troops, 76 guns, 69 vehicles, Assault Value = 255

Defending force 5294 troops, 85 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 98

Allied engineers reduce fortifications to 2

Allied adjusted assault: 84

Japanese adjusted defense: 25

Allied assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 2)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 2

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

Japanese ground losses:
1082 casualties reported
Squads: 22 destroyed, 70 disabled
Non Combat: 6 destroyed, 21 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 23 disabled
Guns lost 27 (12 destroyed, 15 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
189 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 17 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Assaulting units:
3rd Marine Rgt /1
2/10th Armoured Rgt /1
II Aus Corps Engineer Battalion
637th TD Bn /1
2nd British Div /9
640th TD Bn /1

Defending units:
Kure 7th SNLF
5th Makapili Regiment
4th JNAF AF Unit
40th JAAF AF Bn
22nd JNAF AF Unit
178th JAAF AF Bn

[Cap Mandrake]

***********May 13, 1943(c)***********

Horycrappo-jima: Disaster was avoided. The inbound LCT/LCM's carrying 500 men of a base force sniffed out an enemy surface force nearby..no less than Kongo and 4 DD's, which proceeded to sink 3 PT boats but missed the DD escort and the LCT's. After Kongo left toward Ishigaki to pursue more PT boats, the LCT's headed back to Horycrappo-jima. That was seriously ballsy. Some Vals from Okinawa attacked the DD's but missed. A few Hail Marys attacked too.

This is going to be a slow process to build up Horycrappo-jima.

[Cap Mandrake]

Karenko: JJ tried to put more troops ashore by AK? Might have just been supply. They were interrupted by the arrival of the APD's again, just like last night. This means a couple of hundred infantry troops from 158th IR.

We got the milkshake machine working at the McDonalds.

[Cap Mandrake]

Formosa Strait: The SBD/Helldivers at Batan Is. went after some transports in the Formosa Strait without escort. We lost at least 11 aircraft, sinking a lousy AKL with no troops aboard. The CAP around Takao is murder. We need an Air HQ and some reassignments at Batan Is. Takao also needs to be degraded. This will be a big job.

[Cap Mandrake]

Aparri: No river crossing was needed. We take Aparri. Won't be too long before we have a big airbase.

Ground combat at Aparri (82,73)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 3675 troops, 76 guns, 69 vehicles, Assault Value = 237

Defending force 4594 troops, 83 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 44

Allied adjusted assault: 101

Japanese adjusted defense: 15

Allied assault odds: 6 to 1 (fort level 2)

Allied forces CAPTURE Aparri !!!

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 3 destroyed

Combat modifiers
Defender: experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
1777 casualties reported
Squads: 42 destroyed, 6 disabled
Non Combat: 119 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 39 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 35 (30 destroyed, 5 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
66 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 12 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled

Assaulting units:
637th TD Bn /1
2nd British Div /9
II Aus Corps Engineer Battalion
2/10th Armoured Rgt /1
3rd Marine Rgt /1
640th TD Bn /1

Defending units:
Kure 7th SNLF
5th Makapili Regiment
40th JAAF AF Bn
22nd JNAF AF Unit
4th JNAF AF Unit
178th JAAF AF Bn

[Cap Mandrake]

Carriers: They are off Iba now, having avoided a nest of subs and the Betty threat from Takao. North Dakota and Massachusetts will be ready at Manado in about 5 d. Washington is with Yorktown but has no rear gun ammo due to a stupid staff flunkie in Darwin.

3 BB's will put a serious dent in Takao, though there might be mines.

Colorado will arrive at Darwin in a day or two and can be used to reduce Manira.

[Cap Mandrake]

Andaman Sea: I talked Admiral Lord SPrior into sending the transports north from Port Blair to escape the oncoming Jap cruiser. It worked GREAT...except for the part about Kates operating out of Rangoon or Pegu, which, along with the Nells, sank Sussex and Inconstant and wrecked two transports.

The Relief of Port Blair Forces:

USN/RN/RNN losses

Sussex, 2 x DD, 3 x AP/AK sunk

Frobisher and Dutch CLAA damaged, will need dry dock. Resolution lightly damaged, no dry dock.

IJN losses

1 DD sunk

2 or DD's damaged, one CA moderately damaged, probably will need to go to Singapore.

Strategic result. 6000 troops at Port Blair saved. We might have enough to take the prace.

[Cap Mandrake]

Prome: The second coming of 50th Indian Para at Prome succeeds. JJ has retreated. An entire Corps should be across the Irrawaddy at Prome in a couple of days.

[Cap Mandrake]

Some ****** working on the house with the $10K mailbox climbed over the concertina wire onto my yard and picked every last one of the 50-60 ripe Asian pears on my pear tree. I just checked them 5 or 6 days ago and decided to wait a few days more. [:@]

Every single pear! Bastard even broke a branch trying to get the ones at the top. I planted that thing myself, even had to dig out a pit on the hill with a pick. Hand watered the thing this summer. I wouldn't fault a guy taking one for lunch but the whole ******* tree! Unless he is a home canner after a day of breaking concrete the SOB could not even use that many. Also, no non-simian could possibly strip every single fruit off the tree and not leave one on the ground.

This is probably counterbattery fire for me throwing the olive tree clippings back over the fence. I need to find out who the owner is.