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

[Cap Mandrake]

The fit hits the shan in New Guinea and the Sundas

[Cap Mandrake]

There are AP's south of Boela so they must be headed for Kaimana or perhaps Kai-elanden or less likely Corong. If they are headed for Dobo or Taberfane they had better bring a ton. They might succeed at Kai-elanden

[Cap Mandrake]

********************Feb 10, 1943(e)***************

PI: More Japs landing at Batan Is. These guys obviously aren't prepped.

Air bombardment first.

Morning Air attack on 4th Marine Regiment, at 85,70 (Batan Island)

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 15 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIb Sally x 20
Ki-27b Nate x 36
Ki-51 Sonia x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIb Sally: 1 damaged

Allied ground losses:
38 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

[Cap Mandrake]

It's Jap 11th Div from China I think.

Amphibious Assault at Batan Island (85,70)

TF 36 troops unloading over beach at Batan Island, 85,70

Japanese ground losses:
1679 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 199 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 74 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 14 (0 destroyed, 14 disabled)
Vehicles lost 1 (0 destroyed, 1 disabled)

20 troops of a IJA Hy Inf Sqd 43 accidentally lost during unload of 11th Div /7
20 troops of a IJA Hy Inf Sqd 43 lost overboard during unload of 11th Div /10
20 troops of a IJA Hy Inf Sqd 43 lost from landing craft during unload of 11th Div /11

[Cap Mandrake]

More Japs fell overboard than there are undamaged Marine squads on Batan

We salute Col. Liversedge and his Marines [&o] 300 Marines but only 2 non-disabled infantry squads and some AT guns, Even in the final charge they destryed twice their number. Remainder of 4th Marine Regt is still on Luzon

Ground combat at Batan Island (85,70)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 7184 troops, 60 guns, 3 vehicles, Assault Value = 207

Defending force 225 troops, 12 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1

Japanese adjusted assault: 53

Allied adjusted defense: 1

Japanese assault odds: 53 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Batan Island !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+)
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(+), leaders(-), disruption(-)

Japanese ground losses:
538 casualties reported
Squads: 23 destroyed, 13 disabled
Non Combat: 18 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 15 (15 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
Units destroyed 1

Assaulting units:
11th Div /3

[Cap Mandrake]

Thailand and Vietnam: We resume bombardments of Tavoy

Night Naval bombardment of Tavoy at 54,60

Allied Ships
CA Devonshire
CL Hobart
CL De Ruyter
CL Sumatra
CLAA Van Heemskerck
DD Warramunga
DD Smith

Japanese ground losses:
46 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 5
Port hits 2
Port fuel hits 1

Somme light bombing on Nakon and an ineffectual raid by our guys over Jap tanks approaching Pakse. No big attack from moulmenin 2nd day in a row. Maybe they have heavy LRCAP over the target.

[Cap Mandrake]

New Guinea and such: After the Great Manokwari Turkey Shoot yesterday we pull the Navy and Marine bombers back to the base that sounds like it was named after a mongul general. The range is chopped down to 2 hexes so they don't fly to their doom again

[T Rav]

My favorite is Asthma Maru. Don't sink her! She needs all the air she can get...

T Rav

[Cap Mandrake]

**************Feb 11, 1943(e)**********[/

Ceram/New Guinea: PT boat attack at Boela. About all we dare try with the KB back.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Boela at 80,110, Range 10,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
PB Nichi Maru #1
xAK Brasil Maru
xAK Bengal Maru
xAK Yamayuri Maru, Shell hits 4
xAK Taian Maru, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied Ships
PT-76
PT-143
PT-144
PT-157, Shell hits 1, on fire
PT-158
PT-160

[Cap Mandrake]

Manokwari gets pummeled by multiple raids like this.

Morning Air attack on 44th British/B Division, at 85,109 (Manokwari)

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 7
G4M1 Betty x 33
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 12

No Japanese losses

Allied ground losses:
48 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

And this

Morning Air attack on 44th British/B Division, at 85,109 (Manokwari)

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 9 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 2 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 4
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 24
Ki-49-IIa Helen x 22

No Japanese losses

Allied ground losses:
54 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

[Cap Mandrake]

Babo gets completely smashed.

Morning Air attack on Babo , at 83,111

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 77 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 28 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G3M3 Nell x 55
G4M1 Betty x 6

Allied aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M3 Nell: 2 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
DH-84 Dragon: 1 damaged
DH-84 Dragon: 1 destroyed on ground

Airbase hits 8
Airbase supply hits 15
Runway hits 56


and


Morning Air attack on Babo , at 83,111

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 77 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 26 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 23

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 1 damaged

Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 25

[Cap Mandrake]

Clearly 9000 feet is too low and there is a shed-load of CAP. Probably KB has doubled-back. I didn't fall for it this time.[:)]

Morning Air attack on Boela , at 80,110

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 23 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 100
A6M3a Zero x 37
Ki-43-Ia Oscar x 2
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 4

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 5
B-17F Fortress x 3
P-38G Lightning x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
A6M3a Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-17F Fortress: 1 damaged
B-17F Fortress: 1 destroyed by flak
P-38G Lightning: 1 destroyed

Runway hits 2

[Cap Mandrake]

Japs still coming ashore slowly at Manokwari. No attack yet by them. We actually have 1700 troops there. There will some 'splaining to do to His Majesty

Ground combat at Manokwari (85,109)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 1414 troops, 1 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 29

Defending force 3309 troops, 30 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 73

Assaulting units:
44th British/B Div /4
161st Infantry Rgt /6
10th LH Cav Rgt /3
27th Avn Sup /1

Defending units:
1st Raiding Regiment
62nd Infantry Bde /1
42nd JNAF AF Unit

[T Rav]

"A man that makes things happen. Unfortunately, they aren't always good things."

I'm going to use that quote Cap!

[Cap Mandrake]

RAF had a bad day over Siam yesterday with the Japs half wrecking 2 squadrons of Beaufighters on ground attack missions. Bombers switch to Rangoon and we will send some Hurris over Bangkok to see if there is a CAP

[Cap Mandrake]

**********Feb 12 1943(e)**********

PI: KB spotted NE of Ceram protecting Boela so Cleveland is sent back to bombard Busuanga AF. Nice, nice, very nice..


Time for the 53rd Calypso

Oh, a sleeping drunkard
Up in Central Park,
And a lion-hunter
In the jungle dark,
And a Chinese dentist,
And a British queen—
All fit together
In the same machine.
Nice, nice, very nice;
Nice, nice, very nice;
Nice, nice, very nice—
So many different people
In the same device.

Night Naval bombardment of Busuanga at 77,80

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 4 damaged
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 1 destroyed on ground
Ki-48-Ib Lily: 10 damaged
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 8 damaged
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 2 destroyed on ground
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 4 damaged

Allied Ships
CL Cleveland
DD DeHaven
DD Fletcher

Japanese ground losses:
387 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 27 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled

Airbase hits 12
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 35
Port hits 16
Port supply hits 3

[Cap Mandrake]

Effete professor of literature who couldn't clean the lint trap on his drier with a Youtube video but it doesn't matter because his whitie-tighties and shirts come back pressed in a nice box from the Chinese place that delivers:...what we can see here is Bokonon is presaging a global epidemic starting in China but reaching across international boundaries to affect the British royal family and the unsheltered in New York..all in the same karass...

[Cap Mandrake]

Bombers over Clark switch from the AF to the front line troops. About time..the AF is rubble.

Here they come boys!

Ground combat at Clark Field (79,76)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 35735 troops, 352 guns, 108 vehicles, Assault Value = 1030

Defending force 33822 troops, 421 guns, 366 vehicles, Assault Value = 794

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 0

Japanese adjusted assault: 481

Allied adjusted defense: 2059

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 4 (fort level 0)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), fatigue(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
4513 casualties reported
Squads: 58 destroyed, 301 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 49 disabled
Engineers: 6 destroyed, 24 disabled
Guns lost 39 (1 destroyed, 38 disabled)
Vehicles lost 9 (4 destroyed, 5 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
350 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 28 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 26 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Guns lost 16 (5 destroyed, 11 disabled)
Vehicles lost 33 (8 destroyed, 25 disabled)

Assaulting units:
33rd/A Division
25th Division
16th Division
33rd/B Division
1st Hvy.Artillery Regiment
2nd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion

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

[Cap Mandrake]

Most of the Jap Arty takes the day off and their armor too...and the engineers....but they take the forts down to zero and manage better odds.

Still, they take heavy casualties to the infantry.

[Cap Mandrake]

Ceram and New Guina: KB is capping Boela from 100 miles out. Boela now has two BB's and cruisers. We decline a night battle and pull back toward Darwin. We decline a day battle too and pull the remaining bombers back to Darwin.

We send some B-24's over Boela at night so they can't sleep.

Night Air attack on Boela , at 80,110

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 19 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-24D Liberator x 4

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-24D Liberator: 1 damaged

Runway hits 2