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

[BBfanboy]

Re: the bombers, is Sydney still available? If he is focused on Melbourne you could move them to Sydney and go after those crippled CVEs and surface ships.

[Disco Duck]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

I count at least 3 rounds of fire from Fuso and 5 from Yamashiro. Does each engagement correlate to a main gun battery ammo point?

If an inbound bombardment TF uses up much of its ammo will it turn and run for port a day early as if it had
completed its mission? That would explain the failure to find them on recon.

Three rounds of fire but from what guns? The 15cm have a range of 22000 meters. I am sure they fired. I would expect only one or two rounds of the main guns the rest from the smaller ones. You would have to spend time watching the reply to be sure.

[Cap Mandrake]

****************Perth docks, March 22, 1942(e)***********

Squadron Leader Forsythe, No. 25 Squadron, RAAF: <inspecting row upon row of unused Mitchell II bombers,
canvas still on the windscreen and engine nacelles. An ear to ear grin overtakes his face> SPLENDID, SPLENDID, SPLENDID! LOVLEY, LOVELY, LOVELY! A great leap forward over those bloody flying coffins! Damnable Jap invasion of New South Wales is the best thing that ever
happened! Pried loose some help from those stingy bastards in London and Washington.

Harbour Quatermaster Dude: Aye, sir. That it did.

Squadron Leader Forsythe, No. 25 Squadron, RAAF: When can we have them, son. The men are like children on Christmas Eve.

Harbour Quatermaster Dude: <consults clipboard> Let me see......Mitchell II....ummmm......<cheerily> 2nd maybe, 3rd at the latest.

Squadron Leader Forsythe, No. 25 Squadron, RAAF: Splendid! I'll go tell the men straight away!

Harbour Quatermaster Dude: But sir, why the hurry?

Squadron Leader Forsythe, No. 25 Squadron, RAAF: Hurry? Are you serious that's less than two weeks. We've a training operation to set up..crews, ground support, ordnance lads.

Harbour Quatermaster Dude: Oh, no, sorry sir. I meant the third of August. They aren't officially in inventory until August, sir.

Squadron Leader Forsythe, No. 25 Squadron, RAAF: Not in inventory? <touches a horizontal stabilizer of the nearest plane> This, this is real.

Harbour Quatermaster Dude: Oh, yes sir. They are REAL, just not in inventory. You'll need to talk the lads in Procurement, sir.
They're in Canberra, sir. I have the phone number sir.

Squadron Leader Forsythe, No. 25 Squadron, RAAF: Splendid! May I use the phone in your office?

Harbour Quatermaster Dude: Absolutely, sir.

Squadron Leader Forsythe, No. 25 Squadron, RAAF: Thank you son. <begins walking to the office>

Harbour Quatermaster Dude: Oh, you're quite welcome, sir.....Sir, you aren't going to call Canberra are you sir?

Squadron Leader Forsythe, No. 25 Squadron, RAAF: <stops abruptly> Whom else would I be calling? Is there a problem?

Harbour Quatermaster Dude: Yes, you might say that, sir. There is catch. The phone lines to Canberra go through Melbourne and the bloody Japs have pretty much surrounded Melbourne, sir.

Squadron Leader Forsythe, No. 25 Squadron, RAAF: So the bloody marvelous planes that have been shipped across two oceans at great cost and peril to help us in our hour of desperate, existential need...we cannot use because we need permission from a place that is cut off because of the bloody Jap invasion?

Harbour Quatermaster Dude: Yes, sir, succinctly that is the situation.

Squadron Leader Forsythe, No. 25 Squadron, RAAF: That is quite a catch.

Harbour Quatermaster Dude: Oh, yes the best sir, Catch 22

[Cap Mandrake]

And we wait a f****** year for the Vengeance I???? It's like you get the coolest ray gun for Christmas but your luddite parents forgot to get batteries and all the stores are closed.

[Lecivius]

Steady on, lad. Steady! [:D]

[desicat]

And we wait a f****** year for the Vengeance I???? It's like you get the coolest ray gun for Christmas but your luddite parents forgot to get batteries and all the stores are closed.

[Cap Mandrake]

Hey! That-ah rook rike rising sun.

You have to admit, it is emblematic of government to send you something you can't use for 13 months in an
emergency.[:D] And then have the temerity to call it "Vengeance". Not that I'm bitter or anything. [:)]

[Cap Mandrake]

So I made myself watch the replay. Fuso expended 7 "rounds" of main gun fire. I therefore deduced it more likely than not she and Yamashiro would return to Brisbane for "burets". The heavies and SBD's were therefore brought into Melbourne. It mostly worked, sort of.

[Cap Mandrake]

***************March 21, 1942(e)**************

5th Battle of Port Phillip Heads. The BB's do not show up...but some LYB cruisers do.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Portsea at 81,171, Range 21,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Ashigara
CA Kako
CL Jintsu
DD Umikaze
DD Yugiri
DD Oboro
DD Sazanami

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

[Cap Mandrake]

Support ships from Melbourne trying to get out.

ay Time Surface Combat, near Portsea at 81,171, Range 24,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Ashigara
CA Kako
CL Jintsu
DD Umikaze
DD Yugiri
DD Oboro
DD Sazanami

Allied Ships
xAKL Comara, Shell hits 5, and is sunk

oh well, Sh** happens.

Nachi shows up. Seems to me she did not have time to go back and get ammo from 2 days ago so she probably had some left

Day Time Surface Combat, near Portsea at 81,171, Range 20,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Nachi
DD Tanikaze
DD Mochizuki

Allied Ships
ACM Kookaburra, Shell hits 15, and is sunk
AG Timoshenko, Shell hits 3, and is sunk.

[Cap Mandrake]

By ra way....the map is wrong. Geelong and Melbourne should be one hex. Geelong is clearly behind the Melbourne coastal fortifications.
More accurately, the fortifications are in the Portsea hex and you have sort of a Manila Harbor arrangement.
Of course, one has to approximate a bit.

[Cap Mandrake]

By ra way. SGII's 9 month old is a riot. The kid laughs at my jokes. I taught him to spit water yesterday. You would think I was George Carlin and Chris Rock rolled into one. He needs to work on his manly projection a bit.

[Cap Mandrake]

Either Frank Lloyd Wright designed a home in Melbourne or this is command/observer station at Fort Nepean. This looks contemporary to the 1940's though I'm not sure it would have been (or will be) done in March '42(e)

[Cap Mandrake]

Our first raid on Geelong for the day. B-17's are in Melbourne. B-25's flying from Adelaide. VERY disappointingly, the SBD jockeys stay in
their bunks. JJ has brought in Zeroes.

Morning Air attack on Geelong , at 81,170

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 17
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 38

Allied aircraft
Sea Hurricane Ib x 6
B-25C Mitchell x 7
B-17D Fortress x 3
B-17E Fortress x 9
P-40E Warhawk x 26

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 3 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Sea Hurricane Ib: 1 destroyed
B-25C Mitchell: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged
B-17D Fortress: 2 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 5 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 9 destroyed

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

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 23

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
3 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
3 x B-17D Fortress bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 8 x 500 lb GP Bomb
6 x B-25C Mitchell bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 6 x 500 lb GP Bomb

[Cap Mandrake]

Stragglers

Morning Air attack on Geelong , at 81,170

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 23 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 9
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 11

Allied aircraft
Sea Hurricane Ib x 2
B-17E Fortress x 3

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 3 damaged

Runway hits 1

More stragglers

Morning Air attack on Geelong , at 81,170

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 27 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 9

Allied aircraft
Sea Hurricane Ib x 1
B-25C Mitchell x 3
B-17E Fortress x 4

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Sea Hurricane Ib: 1 destroyed
B-25C Mitchell: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 2 damaged

Runway hits 5

[Cap Mandrake]

JJ has now surrounded Melbourne except for one exit to the SE. All the rail links to Adelaide from Melbourne are cut so this will stop the supply flow. Melbourne has 83K supply and 18K resources plus light industry so will still manufacture some supply.

JJ finds out what we have at Melbourne.

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 19353 troops, 192 guns, 148 vehicles, Assault Value = 619

Defending force 39188 troops, 603 guns, 486 vehicles, Assault Value = 876

Japanese ground losses:
166 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Guns lost 10 (1 destroyed, 9 disabled)
Vehicles lost 2 (1 destroyed, 1 disabled)

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

Assaulting units:
5th Division
18th/C Division
3rd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
2nd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
16th Army
18th Medium Field Artillery Regiment

Defending units:
8th Australian Brigade
4th Australian Brigade
182nd Infantry Regiment
132nd Infantry Regiment
25th Cav Recce Regiment
101st LH Motor Regiment
6th Australian Brigade
21st Infantry Regiment
34th Infantry Regiment
15th Australian Brigade
7th Australian Brigade
Melbourne Fortress
810th Aviation Engineer Battalion
259th Coastal Artillery Battalion
New Guinea Force
21st Base Group
Melbourne OTU Base Force
Melbourne RAN Base Force
2/3rd Light AA Regiment
1st RAA Med Arty Regiment
70th Coast AA Regiment
Brisbane RAN Base Force
VII US Fighter Cmnd

[Cap Mandrake]

The highly effective counterbattery fire is very gratifying. As with most sieges, supply of the besieged forces is crucial. B-17's suck supply so we won't be able to base them there for long.

Adelaide is building to level 5. So far, Melbourne is out of reach for Zero escorts except for Geelong and the level 1 base on Tasmania. That is the idea for taking out Geelong AF (and to make reinforcement more dicey for the LYB's

[Cap Mandrake]

Tamworth (160 mi NE of Sydney on in the inland road): Our rearguard gets flattened by Jap bombers.

Morning Air attack on 1st LH MG Regiment, at 91,163 (Tamworth)

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G3M2 Nell x 33

No Japanese losses

Allied ground losses:
157 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 13 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 8 (1 destroyed, 7 disabled)


But they do manage to hold out to the Jap paratroops and some SNRF.

Ground combat at Tamworth (91,163)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 2110 troops, 12 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 85

Defending force 1484 troops, 10 guns, 48 vehicles, Assault Value = 31

Japanese adjusted assault: 40

Allied adjusted defense: 23

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

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 0

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), op mode(-), disruption(-), preparation(-)
experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+), disruption(-)

Japanese ground losses:
104 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 11 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
97 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 5 (2 destroyed, 3 disabled)

Assaulting units:
Yokosuka 3rd SNLF
1st Raiding Rgt /1
2nd Raiding Rgt /2

Defending units:
21st Cav Recce Regiment
1st LH MG Regiment

[Cap Mandrake]

N&IC: Short of a redeployment of the KB to the area it would seem we have won the air superiority battle over N&IC. Both Koumac and La Foa are free of Jap fighters now. TBD's and SBD's patrol the skies around Noumea out to 200 miles.
The 40K LYB's there are nowhere near giving up but it will not be easy to get them out either.

Morning Air attack on Koumac , at 113,156

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
A-20A Havoc x 3
B-17E Fortress x 3
LB-30 Liberator x 7
P-400 Airacobra x 20
P-40B Warhawk x 2
F4F-3A Wildcat x 7
F4F-4 Wildcat x 7

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed on ground

No Allied losses

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

Airbase hits 6
Airbase supply hits 11
Runway hits 27

[Cap Mandrake]

Nevada is dinged pretty bad and will need dry dock but the other 5 BB's are ready to go. Time to get some of the P-39's over to Oz. Unfortunately, they can't make the ferry hop from Norfolk so they have to be loaded onto ships. The CL's need light work that can be done at Auckland.