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

[Cap Mandrake]

OZ: Our boys North of Brisbane hold. Huzzah!

Ground combat at 95,159 (near Brisbane)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 11759 troops, 260 guns, 154 vehicles, Assault Value = 637

Defending force 8103 troops, 134 guns, 205 vehicles, Assault Value = 252

Japanese adjusted assault: 94

Allied adjusted defense: 217

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2

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

Japanese ground losses:
520 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 49 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 5 (2 destroyed, 3 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
327 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 19 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 24 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 12 (1 destroyed, 11 disabled)
Vehicles lost 23 (3 destroyed, 20 disabled)

Assaulting units:
38th Division
2nd Recon Regiment
144th Infantry Regiment
4th Infantry Regiment
1st Medium Field Artillery Regiment
2nd Field Artillery Regiment
2nd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
5th Mortar Battalion
3rd Mortar Battalion
1st Hvy.Artillery Regiment
17th Medium Field Artillery Regiment

Defending units:
2nd Cav Recce Regiment
5th LH Motor Regiment
14th LH MG Regiment
1st Australian Brigade
16th LH MG Regiment
25th Cav Recce Regiment
2nd A/Car Regiment
16th Fld RAA Regiment
1st RAA Med Arty Regiment

Jap cruisers headed for Darwin. Probably we should just button up and let them bombard if they will because the CD guns are pretty good.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Bathurst Island at 78,122

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 15 NM, estimated altitude 5,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Allied aircraft
Hudson I x 3
Wirraway x 4
P-40E Warhawk x 12

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
DD Fumizuki
CA Suzuya

[Justus2]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Oh...sweet mystery of life at last I found you,,,,,,,,,

Night Time Surface Combat, near Noumea at 115,160, Range 10,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Nagato, Torpedo hits 2, on fire
BB Ise
BB Hyuga
DD Harusame
DD Yudachi

Allied Ships
PT-23
PT-24, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-26
PT-27, Shell hits 1
PT-29, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-42

This stops them! No bombardment!

Not sure which medal you had in mind for these guys, but you might want to create a new one... The Brass Balls award!

[Cap Mandrake]

The Boeing factory rep tells the Army guys that the B-17 is a "superb naval attack platform"

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Nadi at 125,165

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 35 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 4
A6M2 Zero x 25

Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 6

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-17D Fortress: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged
B-17D Fortress: 1 destroyed by flak

Japanese Ships
CV Akagi
CVE Hosho

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x B-17D Fortress bombing from 6000 feet
Naval Attack: 8 x 500 lb SAP Bomb
2 x B-17D Fortress bombing from 6000 feet
Naval Attack: 8 x 500 lb SAP Bomb

[Cap Mandrake]

Poor bastards at Tavoy are trapped.

round combat at Tavoy (54,60)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 1538 troops, 12 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 49

Defending force 1558 troops, 3 guns, 1 vehicles, Assault Value = 17

Japanese adjusted assault: 4

Allied adjusted defense: 16

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 4 (fort level 0)

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

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

Assaulting units:
3rd RTA/A Division

Defending units:
6th Burma Rifles Battalion
2nd Burma Brigade
107th RAF Base Force
108th RAF Base Force

[Cap Mandrake]

China: Massive carnage of our Little Yellow Baaahstards. I just hope Hop Sing is OK.

[Cap Mandrake]

***********************Dockside, Noumea, 07:30****************


<PT 23 pulls in to rearm and refuel. A cheer goes up from the crowd>

Navy Guy: <SHOUTING> WELCOME BACK LT. FAY! A FEW OF THE GUYS GOT TOGETHER AND RAISED SOME MONEY. THE COMMANDER WANTS YOU TAKE ON EXTRA FUEL AND GO UP TO MACAO AND BET IT FOR US.

[Cap Mandrake]

*********************Suva Airfield***************

Lt. Fenestra: <looks back at his heavily ventilated B-17D> Where is that Boeing f*****?

[Cap Mandrake]

*************Deck of Suzuya, 40 m North of Bathurst Isrand***************

Lavatory Mate First Crass Hata: <picking up postal items which litter the deck of the ship after the RAAF attack> Hey rook! This-ah one have ripstick on it. Maybe from womans.

[desicat]

The Warspite couldn't find the crippled CV task force?

[Cap Mandrake]

Warspite has no ammo and a new, very large forward fish tank and is making 17 kts. She can't fight. She is headed back to Pearl.

I sent a single DD and a Corvette too try to inrercept. Evidentry, we missed. We have some more DD's coming up from Auckland

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

*************Deck of Suzuya, 40 m North of Bathurst Isrand***************

Lavatory Mate First Crass Hata: <picking up postal items which litter the deck of the ship after the RAAF attack> Hey rook! This-ah one have ripstick on it. Maybe from womans.

Shouldn't that be Ravatory Mate? Or Head Man

[Cap Mandrake]

Idaho just left Frisco and Arizona just left Pearl. All the other BB's are in AAA refit.

Chester and Australia and the DD's from the big fight with Kirishima are dinged up and headed to Sydney.

Salt Lake City and Canberra are dinged up from the battle with the BB's near Marysborough.

Minneapolis is the only undamaged CA we have available just now. She just arrived at Sydney after being patched up in Melbourne. The cupboard is bare.

[Cap Mandrake]

Also of interest..JJ is landing at Efate...either to deny us a seaplane base or to build an airfield. Seems like we can wreck that plan because the 17-D can just reach Efate from Suva.

What we don't really have an answer for is their BB's. Kirishima might need some repair and certainly Nagato is out of the fight but they have virtually the entire IJN in theater.

[witpqs]

"So, is it twue what day say about you Amewican PT boats?"

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Oh...sweet mystery of life at last I found you,,,,,,,,,

Night Time Surface Combat, near Noumea at 115,160, Range 10,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Nagato, Torpedo hits 2, on fire
BB Ise
BB Hyuga
DD Harusame
DD Yudachi

Allied Ships
PT-23
PT-24, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-26
PT-27, Shell hits 1
PT-29, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-42

This stops them! No bombardment!

"Oh! It's twue! It's twue!"

Tribute to Madeline Khan.

[desicat]

The N&I C theater is really interesting. It appears that he has no CV or land based air cover. His ground units can't have much in the way of supply so he has to have an evacuation or supply task force gathering somewhere.

Do you have any B-17's that could bombard his land forces? Any little bit would help at this point. He has already lost too much for the value here, maybe he has never heard of "sunk" costs?

[Cap Mandrake]

Well, the B-17D can reach Noumea from Suva but no further. It's too far for the 17E. We have some LB-30's that can reach La Foa but the damn things seem to need an engine overhaul after every mission.

Both Tanna and Norfolk Is airfields are at about 1.5 and buiding. I predict Noumea will get hit tonight by the two BB's which are mostly undamaged so no point in sending planes back yet. When we have 2 or 3 airfields that can host SBD's it will make things much more dangerous for Jap ships.

[Cap Mandrake]

I watched the replay. Hiryu is still burning. There was actually a surface intercept last night by the DD or KV but the IJN evaded battle. We have the damaged carriers bracketed with small surface combatants on 3 sides but there was not attack on them by air. The CAP over the southern carrier group is pitiful.

I think it is possible that either Soryu is overstacked with planes or suffered some system damage and cant launch. Hiryu is burning and Ryujo is a hulk or already sunk.

The IJN tried to tell us that the absence of air attack yesterday was due to weather but now it's 2 days in a row.
3 surface combatants within 80 miles of the Southern group were not attacked.

[Cap Mandrake]

"If you are upset about the gay marriage ruling...cheer up...think how awesome Gay Divorce Court will be. " [:D]

Haruna and Zuiho fall off the sunk ships list. Nagato joins the sunk ships list.

The "KB" has apparently joined the damaged CV's and CVL. There is a giant red blotch of Jap ships inching along in a Northwesterly direction Southwest of Suva but too far out for the SBD's. The leaky S boats previously doing duty near N$IC are closing in. Numerous DD's and DMS and even a Canadian Corvette are tasked to intercept tonight in singlets and twosies. A saturation attack.

PT boats try to guard Noumea in case the BB's come back. Runway damage at 30%. It seems that whatever tried to land at Koumac was frightened to death by the 26 paratoops with face paint.

One CA headed for Noumea from oz.

Two US carriers leaving Pearl with a reduced air complement (because their depleted SBD squadrons are at Suva). they will deliver some planes to Suva and lay off unless the main Jap carriers have to retire.

[desicat]

I wonder how many Allied players who in their wildest dreams ever imagined that in Feb42 they could locate the KB as it was barely limping along nursing several damaged CV's? This has to be pure agony for the Japanese. Maybe the "saturation attacks" will induce some more collisions!

What port do you think the KB is heading to?

[Cap Mandrake]

Something else when glub glub yesterday..