The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[MakeeLearn]

Map and a Compass!!!

Good battle read....... and flashbacks

Ive humped some of the most diffucult terrain on this planet with them, day and night. As they told us "Any fool can use GPS and night vision". One time "Wait a minute" vines were so thick that we all got on all fours and our LT., A former lineman for Notre Dame, took the lead with a compass and we bulldosed our way for hours. A machete is over rated for just moving thru jungle. If you have the room to swing it you dont really need it as you can "flow with the grain" thru the vegatation. If it's tight vegatation then it's too much to cut it all back, so you break and cut vines as you wiggle walk and as you help to free up the person in front and back of you as they help to free up you. They are good for making a nice clean civilian walking trail that all can see.


They made a friend of mine, who had a broke leg in a cast, do a 2 mile night compass course, because they wanted a 100% unit participation for report to HQ. He had to have the cast completely redone.

We used several methods for moving by compass during the day. At night is was..... pray.

A map, compass and a "Let's take a shortcut" gave me one of the most physically demanding days as we had to backtrack over hours of very rough bush.

It was always fun to tell the new guy "Shake this bush" as someone was looking at a map. At some point he ask "Why am I shaking this?" And someone says "So we can see where we are on the map!!!"

In college I once said to my physics teacher "OH you mean get the BACK AZIMUTH!" He froze and said WOW I have not heard that term since I was in the Navy 30 years ago.

A dark night, a Map, a Compass, Ranger Eyes and a whisper "...Ant tree ahead!"

[sanch]

638 was our phone number in the fifties in the boonies of PA. All calls were operator-assisted. Then in the 60's, in high school in New Hampshire, 868-2690 aka UN8-2690.

And, through tons of practice, I have a near-photographic memory of maps. When driving, I'll spend a minute studying, and then (usually) be good for the rest of the trip.

And, several years ago, wife and I were in England. We just left Stonehenge, and our next stop was west (Bath maybe). She (terrible navigator) had the map. so I asked 'Are we going west?'. Then I looked around. It was noontime, and we were driving straight towards the sun, so I said - 'Here's a hint - we're headed south, not west'.

[DW]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

BR9-8350, home phone when I was in elementary school( about 1954 )

When I saw the "BR", for a split second I thought you were headed for a Hee Haw joke.

[Canoerebel]

BR 549!

My home telephone number growing up in the '60s: 305-666-**** (**** omitted to prevent internet weirdness from somehow happening).

I still know my college girlfriend's telephone number. (This seems very sad, sorta; like I need to listen to the Moody Blues "Wildest Dreams.")

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

BR 549!

My home telephone number growing up in the '60s: 305-666-**** (**** omitted to prevent internet weirdness from somehow happening).

I still know my college girlfriend's telephone number. (This seems very sad, sorta; like I need to listen to the Moody Blues "Wildest Dreams.")

Hey, anyone who listens to the Moody Blues has all their marbles together. My college roommates were playing their earlier stuff (On the Threshold of a Dream, Every Good Boy Deserves Favor) - more psychedelic with tributes to Timothy Leary. It's funny how the music we listened to in those formative years imprints itself forever on us!

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

BR 549!

My home telephone number growing up in the '60s: 305-666-**** (**** omitted to prevent internet weirdness from somehow happening).

I still know my college girlfriend's telephone number. (This seems very sad, sorta; like I need to listen to the Moody Blues "Wildest Dreams.")

Hey, anyone who listens to the Moody Blues has all their marbles together. My college roommates were playing their earlier stuff (On the Threshold of a Dream, Every Good Boy Deserves Favor) - more psychedelic with tributes to Timothy Leary. It's funny how the music we listened to in those formative years imprints itself forever on us!

"Afternoon Delight"?

[Canoerebel]

Starland Vocal Band

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Starland Vocal Band

A classic. Smithsonian worthy.

[Canoerebel]

3/12/44

If it's December 24, 1944, in the DEI, it's August 30, 1944 in Burma. In the DEI, the German Army has turned and is attacking strongly. In Burma, the Allied army has broken the Falaise Pocket and is steamrolling across France.

What holds the future? Despite the crisis in Celebes, things are presently shaping up so that the Allies will eventually reclaim control. In Burma, the Allies will chase the "Germans" out of middle Burma only to have them turn (eventually) somewhere down the road...if the Allies pursue down the road.

See map for details.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Starland Vocal Band

A classic. Smithsonian worthy.

The quintessential one-hit wonder. I think they are still performing. I think you can still hear "Afternoon Delight" live!

[adarbrauner]

GOTP: ? Great Overwhelming True Partner? ??

[Canoerebel]

Girl of the Prairie. The Moose evidently persuaded a wholesome, winsome Midwestern lass that he was viable mate material. It was probably the velvety horns that did it.

[Canoerebel]

A quiet day at home. I need the quiet to fully recover from Thursday's hike. Here are random reports:

1. CVE Altamaha took a torpedo from a sub near Saumlaki months ago. Damage was relatively light (about 50 total) and she remained with the fleet for days. Eventually, she made it to NE Oz, where she holed up for a month or two while enemy subs prowled the coast. About fifteen days ago, I sent her south with a small escort. She made it to Sydney. Her combined damage is 13. She'll be ready for action in two weeks. She'll join two other CVE and a CVL to form the TF tasked to provide protection for the backwater amphibious ops meant to clean up some lingering Japanese bases.

2. 2nd Marine Division earned the nickname Minutemen. The unit invaded Umnak with no prep in late June '43. Then it performed a reinforcing invasion unprepared at Dobo. Then it did an underprepped invasion of Gove. All three operations were successful. Now the unit is strong, experienced, and prepping for a Fun House target.

3. 6th and 7th Australian divisions are the Allied Expeditionary Army. They fought hard in Burma in late '42 and nearly got surrounded and cut off in early '43. They retired to Chittagong, entrained, boarded transports at Bombay, sailed to Capetown, Balboa and San Francisco, and participated in the Aleutians campaign, helping take islands from the Japanese. 6th remained as forward garrison on Adak until being removed about two months ago for Fun House. 7th retired from NoPac and then served in the Marshalls invasions, after which it has occupied Mili, Maloelap and Wotje. Now the three RCT are being pulled out to join Fun House, though I'm not yet sure all will make it in time (due to enemy combat TF in the area a week ago).

4. 9th Australian Div. was originally slated for Burma, then re-routed to follow 6th and 7th to North America for the Aleutians campaign. It didn't make it quite in time and remained in Hawaii until the Marshalls campaign. It invaded Tarawa and then occupied the base for about eight months. It was withdrawn a month or two back and is present for Fun House.

5. There is a lot going on behind the scenes that I'm keeping close to my vest, for reasons I'll explain in about a week. One of the fascinating aspects is trying to evaluate what John's up to, how to react, what the dangers are, and how this impacts Fun House, for either good or ill. As mentioned previously, Celebes looks pretty grim from an operational standpoint. But Fun House continues to look good, and that has more significant long term implications.

6. On January 2, 1944, the Allies recommitted the air force in Burma after it stood down for something like nine months, training and buildings pools. John probably got complacent, thinking that his grip on the region was strong. The Allies recommenced the air war to draw John's air force back to SEAC, thus diluting his DEI strength a bit. But after contesting things a little bit, he completely withdrew his air force. This provided the opportunity to begin targeting his ground troops. Somehow, he failed to recognize a deteriorating situation (or chose to ignore it) until too late. Thus a rout is on. My objective was to take the central plains and open a land-bridge to China by summer. But with the apparent collapse of the Japanese army, the objective is to push John out of Burma, open the supply road to China, and move an Allied army into China.

[Canoerebel]

3/13/44

Fun House: One week to the embarkation date set so very long ago. Everything's on schedule to go.

DEI: A nuclear Musashi bombardment messes up Watampone, but USN DDs retaliate by sinking four PB and a big AMC at Kendari.

Burma: The Allies are one the rampage, at least at the moment.

Alabama vs. Clemson: I don't have a television, but if I did I would watch that game. Those are some stout teams with good coaches. Darn it, wouldn't you know my team (Georgia) is sandwiched right between the two of them.

[Smoky Stoker]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

On Christmas we were all talking (GOTP, her 29-YO daughter, and her BF) about what cell phones have done to society. I mentioned that it was normal in the old days to have at least a dozen phone numbers memorized. GOTP and I both recited the number from our childhood homes. The millennials looked at us like we were circus freaks.

I am old enough to remember the days of telephone exchange names, and memorized a bunch because we moved fairly frequently all through my childhood. These have become useful as computer passwords in my old age.

Trivia: dialing PEnnsylvania six five thousand in New York will still connect you to the Pennsylvania Hotel.

[Canoerebel]

That's neat.

(And what if the hotel could then connect you to June Allyson's room. It'd be something to hear that distinctive voice!)

[Bearcat2]

Just popped in to say Thanks! for the AAR. I start my mornings everyday to see how the war is going.

[Canoerebel]

Thanks for the note, Termite2. I'm glad you're reading.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

ORIGINAL: crsutton
As a third officer I lived with nautical charts. They were just instituting satellite navigation in my day, and we still relied mostly on the sextant. Something very satisfying about being able to locate your position using the stars. It is pretty sad to see how younger people have lost the feel for geography. You have to keep using it or you will lose it. GPS is wonderful but even I am losing my knowledge of the local streets. It is sort of like when you are the driver, you remember the route but if you are the passenger you admire the scenery and don't pay attention to the route. Nowadays we are all passengers.

That's exactly right. No youngsters have the slightest idea how to read a map (especially a topographic map). With their generation tethered to electronics, the ability to know where you are, where you are going, and how to get there, will be lost.

I don't use a GPS. That's easy, since I don't have a cell phone or other electronic gizmo. So I'm still using the old-fashioned way of navigating. Being a luddite has its advantages.

By the old fashion way, do you mean by stopping at a gas station to ask for directions? [8D]

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

That map, from a Japanese perspective, is confounding. I just can't fathom letting an Allied player retain control of China like that.

Yes, in real life it did not matter but in this game it eventually gives the Allies major air bases in China. Pretty much the rule that a Japanese player has to neutralize China in AE. Dan could just honor the intent and not mount major offensives from China. He is well on his way to victory without doing that anyways. But Dan can just do it his way as John has lost anyways.