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

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: JohnnieX
Wikipedia says

The Barracuda Mk II carried the metric wavelength ASV II (Air to Surface Vessel) radar, with the Yagi-Uda antennae carried above the wings

It adds to the 'functional' look, I'd say

That would jibe with their rocket-heavy payload. Our looking for surface emitters to blast?

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: JohnnieX
Wikipedia says

The Barracuda Mk II carried the metric wavelength ASV II (Air to Surface Vessel) radar, with the Yagi-Uda antennae carried above the wings

It adds to the 'functional' look, I'd say

That would jibe with their rocket-heavy payload. Our looking for surface emitters to blast?

Ok...but why is the cockpit so long?

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: JohnnieX
Wikipedia says

The Barracuda Mk II carried the metric wavelength ASV II (Air to Surface Vessel) radar, with the Yagi-Uda antennae carried above the wings

It adds to the 'functional' look, I'd say

That would jibe with their rocket-heavy payload. Our looking for surface emitters to blast?

Ok...but why is the cockpit so long?

Full length lounges for those long over-water flights? A bowling alley for crew entertainment? Treadmill for exercise? Dog run? [&:]

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: JohnnieX
Wikipedia says

The Barracuda Mk II carried the metric wavelength ASV II (Air to Surface Vessel) radar, with the Yagi-Uda antennae carried above the wings

It adds to the 'functional' look, I'd say

That would jibe with their rocket-heavy payload. Our looking for surface emitters to blast?

Ok...but why is the cockpit so long?

Torpedo plane, 2 or 3 man crew.

The anti-submarine rockets sometimes were just a stick of cordite for the rocket fuel and a metal warhead to punch a hole into the hull which could make submersing a one way trip. That was the 3 inch rocket that the Stringbag used. Other aircraft used a 5 inch rocket with an explosive warhead to put a hole into the hull. Again, probably making submersing a one way trip.

[Cap Mandrake]

They should have hired an Italian style consultant...or perhaps the shear ugliness of the thing was meant to disable the enemy with convulsions of laughter.

Not that the TBF was a thing of beauty...but Jeez

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy




That would jibe with their rocket-heavy payload. Our looking for surface emitters to blast?

Ok...but why is the cockpit so long?

Torpedo plane, 2 or 3 man crew.

The anti-submarine rockets sometimes were just a stick of cordite for the rocket fuel and a metal warhead to punch a hole into the hull which could make submersing a one way trip. That was the 3 inch rocket that the Stringbag used. Other aircraft used a 5 inch rocket with an explosive warhead to put a hole into the hull. Again, probably making submersing a one way trip.

They could fit 4 men in that cockpit, easy.[&:]

[Cap Mandrake]

***********February 4, 1943(e)***********

PI: First the big fighter sweeps.

Morning Air attack on Clark Field , at 79,76

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 25 NM, estimated altitude 24,190 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 15
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 38

No Japanese losses

Aircraft Attacking:
38 x Ki-45 KAIa Nick sweeping at 21190 feet



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Clark Field , at 79,76

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 36 NM, estimated altitude 24,190 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 6
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 25

No Japanese losses

[Cap Mandrake]

Then hundreds of bomber sorties on ground attack...here is an example. It seems an attack is likey.

Morning Air attack on 31st PA Infantry Division, at 79,76 (Clark Field)

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 39 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 30
Ki-36 Ida x 3
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 56
Ki-48-IIa Lily x 16
Ki-49-IIa Helen x 29

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 11 damaged
Ki-36 Ida: 1 damaged
Ki-48-IIa Lily: 5 damaged
Ki-49-IIa Helen: 13 damaged

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

[Cap Mandrake]

Here they come!

Ground combat at Clark Field (79,76)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 56435 troops, 653 guns, 335 vehicles, Assault Value = 1588

Defending force 34715 troops, 426 guns, 366 vehicles, Assault Value = 779

Japanese adjusted assault: 186

Allied adjusted defense: 2272

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 12 (fort level 1)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
12282 casualties reported
Squads: 251 destroyed, 374 disabled
Non Combat: 27 destroyed, 72 disabled
Engineers: 31 destroyed, 56 disabled
Guns lost 115 (42 destroyed, 73 disabled)
Vehicles lost 14 (9 destroyed, 5 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
355 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 23 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 16 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 26 disabled
Guns lost 10 (3 destroyed, 7 disabled)
Vehicles lost 39 (5 destroyed, 34 disabled)

Assaulting units:
2nd/B Division
28th/A Division
2nd/A Division
10th/C Division
28th/B Division
10th/B Division
10th/A Division
14th/A Division
14th/C Division
15th Tank Regiment
11th Tank Regiment
28th/C Division
7th Tank Regiment
14th/B Division
2nd/C Division
2nd Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
2nd Tank Regiment
15th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
8th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
3rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
1st Hvy.Artillery Regiment
3rd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
2nd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
20th Ind. Mtn Gun Battalion
1st Art.Mortar Regiment
3rd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
14th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion

Defending units:
762nd Tank Battalion
301st Construction Battalion
71st PA Infantry Division
31st Infantry Regiment
45th PS Infantry Regiment
21st PA Infantry Division
194th Tank Battalion
11th PA Infantry Division
31st PA Infantry Division
637th Tank Destroyer Battalion
4th Constabulary Regiment
24th PS FA Regiment
200th & 515th Coast AA Regiment
803rd Aviation Engineer Battalion
II/Prov'nl SPM Grp
I/Prov'nl SPM Grp
86th PS Field Artillery Battalion
!/23rd PS FA Battalion
501st Coast AA Regiment
165th Field Artillery Battalion
88th PS Field Artillery Regiment
4th PAAC Avn Sup
1st USMC AA Battalion
Clark Field AAF Base Force
III/Prov'nl SPM Grp
35th Avn Sup
209th Field Artillery Battalion
301st PA Field Artillery Regiment

Oh, Jeez, that's like 40:1 casualties!

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

ORIGINAL: Zorch



Ok...but why is the cockpit so long?

Torpedo plane, 2 or 3 man crew.

The anti-submarine rockets sometimes were just a stick of cordite for the rocket fuel and a metal warhead to punch a hole into the hull which could make submersing a one way trip. That was the 3 inch rocket that the Stringbag used. Other aircraft used a 5 inch rocket with an explosive warhead to put a hole into the hull. Again, probably making submersing a one way trip.

They could fit 4 men in that cockpit, easy.[&:]

There is a big bomb/torpedo bay under that section and they needed a tunnel between positions so the gunner could bring the pilot his afternoon tea, or the pilot could go back to use the chamber pot.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe




Torpedo plane, 2 or 3 man crew.

The anti-submarine rockets sometimes were just a stick of cordite for the rocket fuel and a metal warhead to punch a hole into the hull which could make submersing a one way trip. That was the 3 inch rocket that the Stringbag used. Other aircraft used a 5 inch rocket with an explosive warhead to put a hole into the hull. Again, probably making submersing a one way trip.

They could fit 4 men in that cockpit, easy.[&:]

There is a big bomb/torpedo bay under that section and they needed a tunnel between positions so the gunner could bring the pilot his afternoon tea, or the pilot could go back to use the chamber pot.

Or they could join the Mile High club with a Women's Air Corp member.

[Cap Mandrake]

Sundas, Ceram and New & Improved Guinea

The IJN has sortied from Kendari and is bringing a full load, including fast transports. Boela? Sorong? Babo maybe? I would not be surprised if the KB will come down and protect the transports as well.

[Cap Mandrake]

I had the codebreaker boys at Pearl use Notepad to search all the "asigint" files in the Save folder for Babo and Boela and Sorong looking for something like "Chiba Drum and Koto Corps prepping for Sorong".

Nothing. Of course, that doesn't rule them out. It might be an unprepped attack or we just didn't catch a break.

[RangerJoe]

I don't believe that you get sigint for a base that the Japanese own. So there may not be time for the sigint to catch anything for a base that you recently captured.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

I don't believe that you get sigint for a base that the Japanese own. So there may not be time for the sigint to catch anything for a base that you recently captured.

Yes, but we owned all those bases more than 50 days at least...which is how long you would need to prep for if you wanted to go take it back

[Zorch]

Oh well...there's always Burma. [;)]

[Cap Mandrake]

***********Feb 5, 1943(e)**************

Ceram: It seems some things are ceramic

I decided Ceram was the target and moved a bunch of planes to Dobo, which is now level 5. Indeed, the target is Boela. You wouldn't believe how many subs these homies dodged.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Boela at 80,110, Range 1,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Mikuma, Shell hits 2
CA Kumano
DD Isonami, Shell hits 1
DD Hatsuyuki
DD Uranami
DD Yugiri
DD Amagiri
DD Sazanami

Allied Ships
PT-146, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
PT-148, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-149
PT-166
PT-169
PT-171

[Cap Mandrake]

No, no, do not fire at the Construction Regiment! Those are the Koreans. They don't want to be here.

Pre-Invasion action off Boela (80,110)

7 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
DD Yayoi
DD Kisaragi
LSD Shinshu Maru
DD Oite

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

DD Yayoi firing at 43rd Construction Regiment
DD Kisaragi firing at 43rd Construction Regiment
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 4,000 yards
Defensive Guns fire at approaching troops in landing craft at 1,000 yards

[Cap Mandrake]

If they brought the entire 65th Brigade we are toast. They ma not be prepped. This is a lot of disablement.

Amphibious Assault at Boela (80,110)

TF 91 troops unloading over beach at Boela, 80,110

Japanese ground losses:
1014 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 62 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 51 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 25 (0 destroyed, 25 disabled)

15 Support troops lost overboard during unload of 65th Bde /2
17 troops of a IJA Inf Squad lost from landing craft during unload of 65th Bde /5

[Cap Mandrake]

PT boats harassing the amphib TF. Huzzah!

Day Time Surface Combat, near Boela at 80,110, Range 18,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Kisaragi
DD Yayoi
DD Matsukaze
DD Oite
AK Sakura Maru
AK Kaga Maru
LSD Shinshu Maru
xAP Huso Maru
xAP Teibi Maru

Allied Ships
PT-142
PT-159
PT-165
PT-177
PT-181
PT-183

Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions: 28,000 yards
Range increases to 18,000 yards...
Both Task Forces evade combat