The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[witpqs]

An elephant bit my sister once.

Well, there's something you don't hear every day.

[Canoerebel]

Who was it that once posted something about meeting a Chilean prostitute? I think it might've been crsutton.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Who was it that once posted something about meeting a Chilean prostitute? I think it might've been crsutton.

When I searched Goggle for the reference the only hit I got was a thread (below) in which posters pick up the line before, add some stuff and leave an incomplete sentence for the next poster to continue. Zany fun!

tm.asp?m=3004200&mpage=6&key=

[Canoerebel]

5/14/43

Happy National OPening the Mediterranean to Allied Transit Day!

Battle of Sumatra: The Japanese take empty Langsa without battle (the base flips automatically during the turn). Three Kongos bombard Sabang. So we're in the final stages now. Sabang has 82k supply and will ultimately have about 2k or 2.5k AV (probably towards the lower side). So enough to hold out for a few more weeks.

But Johhn knows things are winding up, as SigInt shows he's beginning to draw down on his Sumatran army. 2nd Div. which was recently at Medan, is aboard ship and bound for Rabaul.

Some form of a KB is between Sabang and Ceylon - mouseover shows only modest number of fighters and bombers (less than 100 combined), but I think that's just FOW as I don't have NavSearch out there. It's probably the Half KB I've been dealing with for months. I can't imagine John would send an understrength carrier TF into hostile territory not knowing whether the Death Star might pounce.

Operation Circus: Something like 520 ships are now at sea. All but one carrier has replenished and replaced missing aircraft and/or swapped for Hellcats. The carriers will leave port no later than day after tomorrow.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Who was it that once posted something about meeting a Chilean prostitute? I think it might've been crsutton.

I ain't sticking my foot in that tar baby agin...[;)]

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

5/14/43

Operation Circus: Something like 520 ships are now at sea. All but one carrier has replenished and replaced missing aircraft and/or swapped for Hellcats. The carriers will leave port no later than day after tomorrow.

The real destination may yet prove to surprise us I take it? [;)]

Kuriles, anyone? [X(]

Maybe not so dramatic, just the Marianas? [8D]

[paullus99]

I expect a full frontal assault on Tokyo.....

[pws1225]

Or a back door landing at Seoul. [:D]

[Canoerebel]

5/15/43 and 5/16/43

I have had a mighty head-cold since Saturday. Thus I am a bit muddle-headed in recalling events...but hoping I'm issuing orders with unusual clarity. Does this strike you as a recipe for success?

Battle of Sumatra: Three BBs and Six Sisters combine to bombard Sabang to no effect (supply still at 82k). It'll take John a bit of time to configure his forces to make the final advances. This is all playing out in his favor, of course, but on the timeline that I had sought for the past two months. Very interesting situation.

KB (or some part thereof, mouseover giving poor detail) is halfway between Sabang and Ceylon. No way John sends carriers out there unless it's strong enough to face Death Star or unless John is absolutely certain Death Star isn't in theater...and he can't be positive of that.

Operation Circus: If everything goes as planned tomorrow, the American CVs and one RN CV will leave port. So the trapeze artist is gaining speed as he prepares to swing through and summersault into the midst of the Japanese position. More SigInt today that 2nd IJA Div. is prepping for Sabang but bound for Rabaul.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

5/15/43 and 5/16/43

Operation Circus: If everything goes as planned tomorrow, the American CVs and one RN CV will leave port. So the trapeze artist is gaining speed as he prepares to swing through and summersault into the midst of the Japanese position. More SigInt today that 2nd IJA Div. is prepping for Sabang but bound for Rabaul.

Not very subtle. He lets you know it's coming from Sumatra, and doesn't cover it's destination with an intermediate false destination point like Darwin or Merauke. Unless it is destined for Merauke!! [:D]

[Canoerebel]

5/17/43

Battle of Sumatra: No bombardments today. Some subset of KB remains posted SW of Sabang. The enemy units continue to draw closer to Sabang where the final chapter will soon be played out, but not too soon it appears.

Operation Circus: The curtain went up on the opening act today as the Australians took Tennant Creek. The Allies wanted this base for recon purposes, though it's going to take some days to repair the field. More importantly, all ships are now at sea, including the carriers. Lots of pickets ships (mainly YMS) are probing forward into CenPac and SoPac with the intent of creating lots of "noise" and making John a bit uncertain as to the actual target. The bulk of the amphibious ships are nearly halfway to the beaches. It will take the carriers about three days to catch up. D-Day could be as soon as 7 or 8 days from now.

SigInt shows a Guards Division inbound to Soerabaja, continuing the flood of IJA reinforcements to the Circus area of operations.

I'll say this - every piece of evidence I can put my hands on indicates that Circus is properly oriented. It's a big undertaking that promises big risks and big rewards if successful. If, on the other hand, John has sniffed it out and orchestrated things in such a way that SigInt has been giving false returns for four months of game time, then I'll have to bow to him. But I think we're ready for the show.

[BillBrown]

I hope this goes well. I am perched on the edge of my chair with both fingers and toes crossed.

[kjnoel]

The curtain went up on the opening act today as the Australians took Tennant Creek. The Allies wanted this base for recon purposes,

It's going to be a bit of a disappointment if it is near Tennant Creek. I'm sure I'm not the only reader who expects a big unveil somewhere completely unexpected [;)]. Exciting times.

[Canoerebel]

Well it is a bit more coastal than Tennant Creek.

But with Tennant in hand, I've moved a small PBY squadron from Normanton over to a dot base in the Java Sea that is still Allied controlled. There's no supply, so the PBYs may not give me any decent search, but I'm hoping to shake John just a bit. I think Half (or thereabouts) KB is still in the Sabang area, though I cannot be positive.

[BillBrown]

Is it time to start the pool on where the main landing will take place?

I pick Koepang.

[JeffroK]

Iwo JIma

[pws1225]

The Marianas.

[witpqs]

The Martian Mandates. CR is planning ahead!

[Lecivius]

Anyplace where Dan doesn't get sandwiched By now John has another full carrier group somewhere.



Me? I'd be pulling a Greyjoy [:D]

[Canoerebel]

I'm being a bit vague either for theater or for OpSec, but I did let the cat out of the bag very early in this AAR. If you scour back to sometime in January '43, you'll find a post where I mentioned that Circus would originate from SWPac. That still holds true.