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

[Cap Mandrake]

Looks like those are CVL's operating North of Koumac.......hmmmmm......tempting. [:)]

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Koumac at 113,156

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 7
A6M2 Zero x 7
B5N1 Kate x 10

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N1 Kate: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
AM Outarde, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk

[Cap Mandrake]

China: Our Orientals defeat their Orientals...and theirs are "worth more". Chihkiang holds again.

Ground combat at Chihkiang (78,50)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 42432 troops, 385 guns, 330 vehicles, Assault Value = 1291

Defending force 36092 troops, 287 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 783

Japanese adjusted assault: 541

Allied adjusted defense: 997

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 0)

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

Japanese ground losses:
2832 casualties reported
Squads: 15 destroyed, 306 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 56 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 32 disabled
Vehicles lost 27 (2 destroyed, 25 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
1182 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 95 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 31 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled

Assaulting units:
15th Division
13th Division
5th Tank Regiment
9th Tank Regiment
10th Tank Regiment
116th Division
11th Tank Regiment
1st Army
21st Mortar Battalion

Defending units:
9th Chinese Corps
5th Chinese Cavalry Corps
3rd Chinese Cavalry Corps
28th New Chinese Division
14th Chinese Corps
38th New Chinese Division
7th Artillery Regiment
18th Artillery Regiment
20th Artillery Regiment
39th Group Army
1st Artillery Regiment
1st Group Army
22nd Artillery Regiment

[BBfanboy]

By the Claudes and the small number of Kates that has to be a CVE. Definite bait.
See if your big fish can steal the bait off the hook!

[Cap Mandrake]

Yes, it does smell like 3 day old catfish bait. You wonder if the KB is loitering to the North or NE just out of recon range.

It does seem they aim to deCAPitate our fighters over Noumea. I will probably send Mississippi up to Koumac tonight. One uninterrupted BB bombardment would put dent in those Zeroes.

[Cap Mandrake]

Jap CVE's or CVL's 120 m NW of Koumac. Red splotch about 250 SW of Noumea.

[Cap Mandrake]

++++++++++Home Maintenance Tips From Mandrake++++++++++


One time I had this upholstered white chair with textured fabric. I hired a guy to clean it and it looked like doodoo. So I had some left over latex wall paint...so...I painted it with a roller and used up a whole gallon of paint and 20 minutes of mylife. It looked pretty good from 50 feet away when it dried about 3 days later.......but it felt like you were sitting on heavy grain sandpaper. I would therefore recommend you NOT try this.

[BBfanboy]

[:D] Good for removing hemorrhoids? [X(]

[desicat]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

One uninterrupted BB bombardment would put dent in those Zeroes.

Hmm, Who on the Staff vetted this plan? Do they know what uninterrupted means?

I hope it works but getting in and back out worries me.

[zuluhour]

so, you tried it bare assed? hey, inquiring minds....[:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: desicat

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

One uninterrupted BB bombardment would put dent in those Zeroes.

Hmm, Who on the Staff vetted this plan? Do they know what uninterrupted means?

I hope it works but getting in and back out worries me.

Yes, that is precisely the weakness. It's 6 hexes from Noumea to to Koumac along the NE side of the island. Nevada can make 21 kts..so that is a nominal 6/3 movment rate but she will sprint in if we select "bombardment" and "retire". The question is where will she end up when the sun comes up? We could set her to retire to Tanna where an AE awaits and LRCAP could be tasked.

Carriers with 54 fighters and 101 bombers are laying off Koumac 10 miles to the NW so they are 7 hexes away from Noumea.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: zuluhour

so, you tried it bare assed? hey, inquiring minds....[:D]

How do you think it got stained in the first place?


No, not really. The ARMS of the chair were rough. You people really need to go to finishing school.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: zuluhour

so, you tried it bare assed? hey, inquiring minds....[:D]

How do you think it got stained in the first place?


No, not really. The ARMS of the chair were rough. You people really need to go to finishing school.

It sounds like the guy who painted it needs to go to finishing school! [Rim Shot!!!]

[Cap Mandrake]

*******************Bridge, USS Arizona, flagship of Task Force 63, Tanna**************

Vice Adm.Osborne: Right, Arizona is going to be most of the night taking on main gun ammo, Mississippi is taking fuel and SOUPAC wants a bombardment of Noumea tonight.

Young NZ Officer: We can do it, sir!

Vice Adm.Osborne: I'm sorry, and you are?

Young NZ Officer: Ensign Bell, HMNZS Leander, sir!

Vice Adm.Osborne: Where is your skipper, son?

Young NZ Officer: I'm it sir! Everyone else got left behind in Auckland, sir.

[Cap Mandrake]

I'm not making it up.

[zuluhour]

could have been ENS Parker.[:D]

[BBfanboy]

Hey, Ens. Bell has pretty good Leadership/Inspirations skills. Just give him a Bo'sun that knows what to do and how to do it while the Captain entertains the crew and everything will be fine.

[John B.]

I notice that the Leander is not scheduled for an upgrade in July. Is this foreshadowing an early end to Ensign Bell?

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: zuluhour

could have been ENS Parker.[:D]

or even Ensign Pulver:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUOjtPiVqs8

[Cap Mandrake]

Air losses not as one sided as they seemed on the replay.

Incredible number of damaged P-39's at Noumea. I packed some onto 14 Kt AK's to get them off the service line. 79 operational fighters at Noumea and all set to 100% CAP. That incudes crappy P-400's and obsolescent P-40B's and quite a few 2nd tier pilots. Tanna has F4F's on escort and some crappy P-36's to absorb Zero burrets. Suva has a few worn out P-40E's and Auckland a few crappy trainees.

Noumea has 3 BB's and Tanna 2.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: John B.

I notice that the Leander is not scheduled for an upgrade in July. Is this foreshadowing an early end to Ensign Bell?

We learned that from Toyota Lean. It's called "just in time inventory" [:)]


Ensign Bell is reassigned to Chief Laundry Officer. We found a Kiwi Captain on Tanna who was studying the "Cargo Culture of Tanna". He has been pressed into service.