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

[Cap Mandrake]

Cheap gag..old too (the joke). But funny as Hell.

[Cap Mandrake]

Hiryu is reported sunk yesterday but no aircraft ground losses reported. Seems more likely it sunk the day before or it isn't sunk and the Japs want us to think so or perhaps our own recon guys are working for M&M Enterprises or perhaps I made all this up or perhaps the AI made it all up.

There now seems to be a giant death star of carriers with a huge aircraft complement. Probably Akagi and the CVE have merged. The other carrier TF's are gone and there is no sign of the SCTF's wee encountered last night?

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Cheap gag..old too (the joke). But funny as Hell.

[:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

***************Poolside, Royal Hawaiian**************

FAM: OK, read that back to me.

Foreign looking assistant in Hawaiian shirt: Honoraburh Secretary Stimson, Washington, DC..Dear Henry...How is decorating pran for Pentagon going? Hope you are werr. Risten, Army Air Forces in South Pacific pretty much run out of pranes. SOUPAC wondering if some of goddamn P-38 and B-25 in San Francisco courd be sent to South Pacific. <pauses reading> Boss, in Phirripines not-ah use word rike "goddamend" when tarking to boss. How about something rike "prentifurh"?

FAM: I love it. Please make that change and go on.

Foreign looking assistant in Hawaiian shirt: HAI! I mean..yes. OK. We have P-43 and P-400 but, even though sound pretty good because numbah high, actuarry both are pieces of shit. <pauses> Boss, how about "rousy"?.......

[Cap Mandrake]

**************Feb 4, 1942(e)**************

N&IC: We achieve another night intercept but run into CL's again. So much for the "saturation strategy".

Night Time Surface Combat, near Anatom at 124,163, Range 10,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CL Tenryu
CL Tatsuta
DD Kagero
DD Ayanami
DD Sazanami, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
DD Case, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Perkins, Shell hits 13, heavy fires, heavy damage
DMS Hovey

[Cap Mandrake]

Well, at least we stopped the unloading at Efate.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Efate at 120,154, Range 15,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
APD Hagi
TB Hiyodori
xAP Yoshino Maru
xAP Taizan Maru
xAP Ussuri Maru

Allied Ships
PT-23
PT-26
PT-42

[Cap Mandrake]

USS Wasmuth has no ammo and is only making about 20 kts after last night's intercept.
She tries to make Noumea.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Noumea at 116,160, Range 13,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Shiranui
DD Yunagi

Allied Ships
DMS Wasmuth, Shell hits 17, and is sunk

Blue and Allen, having failed to find the carriers run into the WJD DD's near Noumea.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Noumea at 116,160, Range 13,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Shiranui, Shell hits 1
DD Yunagi, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
DD Blue, Shell hits 2
DD Allen, Shell hits 2

[Cap Mandrake]

33rd Div find their oats. The Marines are fading and low on supply North of La Foa.

Ground combat at 114,158 (near La Foa)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 7986 troops, 98 guns, 4 vehicles, Assault Value = 251

Defending force 1205 troops, 39 guns, 17 vehicles, Assault Value = 29

Japanese adjusted assault: 144

Allied adjusted defense: 16

Japanese assault odds: 9 to 1

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

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

Allied ground losses:
414 casualties reported
Squads: 19 destroyed, 9 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
33rd Division

Defending units:
2nd Pioneer Battalion
2nd Marine Defense Battalion
2nd USMC Tank Bn /2

[Cap Mandrake]

JJ has Koumac and La Foa now.

Ground combat at Koumac (113,156)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 1822 troops, 12 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 61

Defending force 38 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 3

Japanese adjusted assault: 102

Allied adjusted defense: 1

Japanese assault odds: 102 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Koumac !!!

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
Seagull V: 1 destroyed

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

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

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

Assaulting units:
83rd Naval Guard Unit

Defending units:
2nd USMC Parachute Bn /2

[Cap Mandrake]

Oz: Another brigade enters the line North of Brisbane. Looks like JJ is stopped for now. We go after the airfield at Marysborough and they go after Brisbane port

Ground combat at 95,159 (near Brisbane)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 23013 troops, 357 guns, 190 vehicles, Assault Value = 569

Defending force 14345 troops, 198 guns, 272 vehicles, Assault Value = 434

Japanese adjusted assault: 264

Allied adjusted defense: 621

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2

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

Japanese ground losses:
1279 casualties reported
Squads: 15 destroyed, 95 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 6 disabled
Guns lost 5 (1 destroyed, 4 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
539 casualties reported
Squads: 18 destroyed, 45 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 15 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 16 (2 destroyed, 14 disabled)
Vehicles lost 15 (9 destroyed, 6 disabled)

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

Defending units:
9th Australian Brigade
5th LH Motor Regiment
14th LH MG Regiment
8th Australian Brigade
1st Australian Brigade
25th Cav Recce Regiment
16th LH MG Regiment
6th LH Motor Regiment
2nd A/Car Regiment
2nd Cav Recce Regiment
16th Fld RAA Regiment
1st RAA Med Arty Regiment

[Cap Mandrake]

The "Motor Regiments" North of Brisbane are completely shot to pieces. Maybe someone forgot to tell the lads to get out of the lorries (or whatever an Australian truck is called) during a fight.

Another WJD unit pulls out from Toowoomba and heads NW. Not sure if they are being withdrawn after getting beat up or they are trying to flank.

One CA and one DD now at Noumea. The airfield should be under 20% runway damage tomorrow so the SBD's come back. The Jap carriers seem to have moved about 240 m North, which suggests the damaged CV/CVL have either been abandoned or sunk.

Best guess then is Hyriu and Ryujo and Zuiho.

[Cap Mandrake]

2 x prewar USN BB's about 7-8 d out from Suva. 1 more about a week after that.
About a week for the earliest CA's to be patched up at Sydney.

About 8-10 d until Tanna and Norfolk are level 2 AF and we can run some SBD's and B-26's from there.

We will probably lose the USMC Pioneer Bn and the Def. Bn in central N&IC but can probably get an Army RCT up to Noumea if the carriers head back to refuel and rearm and rearrange the air complements. It will be key to keep the WJD from building an AF at either La Foa or Koumac.

[Cap Mandrake]

***************Feb 5, 1942(e)************

It was a dark and stormy night. It was quiet, almost too quiet. Well, you could hear the waves and stuff like that but otherwise it was pretty quiet. Oh, yeah, the engine of the Elko boat, you could hear that too but they weren't going very fast. The young LT cupped his hands to light his Camel. He was briefly distracted by a school of flying fish.Suddenly, the quiet night was torn asunder! "F***!", he cried in anguish. "F****** match! F******* flying fish! I hate f****** flying fish!"....


N&IC: Another close call. 2nd night in a row we intercepted Taiyo.


Night Time Surface Combat, near Tanna at 121,156, Range 9,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CVE Taiyo
DD Urakaze
DD Hamakaze

Allied Ships
PT-20, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-21
PT-22
PT-28
PT-30

One of these nights something bad is going to happen to the Jap carriers. [:)]

[Cap Mandrake]

I tried to bombard 33rd Div North of La Foa. Didn't work. Will the AI not allow a naval bombardment on a friendly hex with enemy troops?
I also sent an AK up there to drop supplies. Not sure if that worked either.
They are being ground down but refuse to retreat. Maybe an evac convoy tomorrow?

Ground combat at 114,158 (near La Foa)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 7923 troops, 98 guns, 4 vehicles, Assault Value = 243

Defending force 854 troops, 39 guns, 17 vehicles, Assault Value = 7

Japanese adjusted assault: 32

Allied adjusted defense: 10

Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(-), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(-), disruption(-)

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

Allied ground losses:
135 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 7 (7 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Assaulting units:
33rd Division

Defending units:
2nd Pioneer Battalion
2nd Marine Defense Battalion
2nd USMC Tank Bn /2


No other fighting on or about N&IC, save for the nightly artillery bombardment of 4th Div at Noumea.

[Cap Mandrake]

Oz: 38th Div has been broken down into regiments. Perhaps to recover? It seems to be the wrong thing if you are attacking?
They have a lot more artillery tubes.

round combat at 95,159 (near Brisbane)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 2452 troops, 188 guns, 112 vehicles, Assault Value = 491

Defending force 13936 troops, 196 guns, 265 vehicles, Assault Value = 395

Japanese ground losses:
9 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 6 (1 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
80 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 4 (1 destroyed, 3 disabled)
Vehicles lost 4 (3 destroyed, 1 disabled)

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

Defending units:
6th LH Motor Regiment
1st Australian Brigade
25th Cav Recce Regiment
16th LH MG Regiment
9th Australian Brigade
5th LH Motor Regiment
8th Australian Brigade
2nd A/Car Regiment
14th LH MG Regiment
16th Fld RAA Regiment
2nd Cav Recce Regiment
1st RAA Med Arty Regiment


B-26's attack Lord Howe again to try to keep JJ from finishing an airfield.

[desicat]

They are being ground down but refuse to retreat. Maybe an evac convoy tomorrow?

They are Marines after all so retreat isn't an option, maybe the Staff needs to order them to advance? "Retreat hell! We're not retreating, we're just advancing in another direction!" (General Oliver P. Smith USMC)

[BBfanboy]

You should be able to bombard at La Foa regardless of your own troops being there - have done many times where both sides have troops in the same hex. I think I always owned the base hex though or was in a non-base hex.

[Justus2]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

You should be able to bombard at La Foa regardless of your own troops being there - have done many times where both sides have troops in the same hex. I think I always owned the base hex though or was in a non-base hex.

I have also bombarded a friendly hex with troops of both sides, but not sure about a non-base hex.

[sprior]

Miss Fay Dingaway: Sir, there's a Mr Churchill on the phone
Our hero (me): Rodney Peter or Winston? (chortles)
Miss Fay Dingaway: One moment sir... He says Winston and you'd better bloody pick up... sir
Me: Hello Winnie old chap... yes... yes... yes... but.. but.. yes
<click>
Me: Stupid old git.

[Cap Mandrake]

The Airfields. If we can keep out the damn Zeroes we might win. Looks like the WJD carriers are retiring Northward.
Found a nice property on Lifu we might develop.