At dawn we slept...in the cab on the way back from Olongapo

[Cap Mandrake]

The minesweepers, despite a minimum speed of 29 kts, somehow manage only 4 hexes and are caught within range.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Toyohara at 125,47

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 10 NM, estimated altitude 3,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 7
B5N2 Kate x 29

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
DMS Boggs
DMS Southard, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DMS Perry, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
DMS Chandler, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
DMS Elliot, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage


In three waves of Vals and Kates without torps we lose at least 2, but likely more.

[witpqs]

Night Naval bombardment of Shikuka at 126,43

Allied Ships
DD Phelps

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

Runway hits 2

Thank goodness Phelps had all those battleships in support! Wouldn't want destroyers making deep penetration strikes without someplace to refuel.

[Cap Mandrake]

Saratoga finds a couple of transports at P-J by they are unladen.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Paramushiro-jima at 137,47

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Allied aircraft
F2A-3 Buffalo x 4
F4F-3 Wildcat x 8
SBD-3 Dauntless x 8

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
xAK Nitiren Maru, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Ryuyo Maru, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

Night Naval bombardment of Shikuka at 126,43

Allied Ships
DD Phelps

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

Runway hits 2

Thank goodness Phelps had all those battleships in support! Wouldn't want destroyers making deep penetration strikes without someplace to refuel.

Yes, those big superstructures help in spotting ships to refuel.

[Cap Mandrake]

Balikpapan: The Dutch try to blow up their own refinery. Unfortunately, there are a bunch of ships in the way.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Balikpapan at 64,97, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
xAKL Fukkai Maru, Shell hits 13, and is sunk
xAKL Ryuto Maru, Shell hits 6, and is sunk

Allied Ships
CL De Ruyter
DD Piet Hein
DD Kortenaer
DD Witte de With
DD Banckert

And then..

Night Naval bombardment of Balikpapan at 64,97

Japanese Ships
xAKL Nanko Maru, Shell hits 1
CM Yaeyama, Shell hits 11, heavy fires
DD Asakaze, Shell hits 3
xAK Kizan Maru, Shell hits 2
xAKL Totai Maru, Shell hits 1
xAK Konan Maru, Shell hits 2, on fire
CM Itsukushima, Shell hits 1, heavy damage
PB Busho Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire
xAKL Turusima Maru, Shell hits 1
xAK Shozan Maru, Shell hits 1
xAK Tosei Maru, Shell hits 2

Airbase hits 10
Airbase supply hits 9
Runway hits 62
Port hits 6
Port fuel hits 6
Port supply hits 1

Allied Ships
CL De Ruyter
DD Banckert
DD Witte de With
DD Kortenaer
DD Piet Hein


Those are ships that have been sent to port. We miss the oil infrastructure..

[Cap Mandrake]

Bulmer and Parrot, which are damaged after the Balikpapan raid from 3 nights ago and have circumnavigated Sulawese to try to get home to Darwin are attacked by 42 Bettys[X(]
Fortunately, their umbrella policies are paid up.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Kofiau at 79,106

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 5
G4M1 Betty x 42

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
DD Bulmer
DD Parrott

Aircraft Attacking:
20 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp
22 x G4M1 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp

[Cap Mandrake]

Important safety tip:

STAY AWAY FROM KENDARI.

[Argos]

You should be sure to have Steve Martin do that briefing for future operations...

[Cap Mandrake]

Hory crap! Mandrake-san have wrong war. 1000 pardons.

[Cap Mandrake]

Hurry up! Change before mix up in wars cause time warp or Mandrake-san to disappear!

[Cap Mandrake]

Move arong..nothing to see here.

[Cap Mandrake]

<makes non-charant wishtring sound>

[jwolf]

(Post deleted in response to Mandrake's changes. For the record, I don't know what is going on.)

[Cap Mandrake]

...Useress erectrons. Mandrake-san brame staff

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: jwolf

(Post deleted in response to Mandrake's changes. For the record, I don't know what is going on.)

Probabry Andaman Sea Triangurh exprain it.

tm.asp?m=3577887&mpage=55

[Itdepends]

At your age Cap there is no such thing as a useless erectron

I'm guessing you cross posted from Hitchikers guide- if it helps- I didn't see your original posts (pre edit)

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Itdepends

At your age Cap there is no such thing as a useless erectron

Wait, who terr you about that?

I'm guessing you cross posted from Hitchikers guide- if it helps- I didn't see your original posts (pre edit)

Good thing because tarking about Arried-mens body odor probrem

[1EyedJacks]

RMAO

Raff-my-ass-off [:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

*******FOB RH, Honolulu, January 1, 1942(d)*********

FAM (ice bag on head): Now, wait, are you telling me the fast minesweeper task force, which had plenty of time to bombard Shikuku at night and clear to the East by morning, instead stopped in the danger zone near Toyahara because the AI is timing its run to get as far away from the target hex by daylight?

Foreign looking fellow in Hawaiian shirt: Hai! Exacatarry! Not-ah read manuarh?

FAM (ice bag on head): Manual? There's a manual? Crap, how come nobody tells me these things? ....Two more things: What does "AI" mean and what does "hai" mean?

[Cap Mandrake]

We lost 6 DMS and didn't scratch the oilfields or resource stockpiles at Shikuku:[8|]

Counting enemy planes and shipping lost it is a draw on points. Lots of fuel burned too...this is what you call an "economic stimulus".

The BB's were in range of Shikuku for a night bombardment but I don't trust the AI to do what is ordered from 5 hexes away...therefore we retreat.