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

[Cap Mandrake]

And

Morning Air attack on 99th Indian Brigade, at 63,64 (Pakse)

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 14
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 29

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-48-Ib Lily: 10 damaged

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

[Cap Mandrake]

We concentrate on Nakhon Cacciatore. It's more fun because they are out in the open.

Morning Air attack on 21st Division, at 58,61 (Nakhon Ratchasima)

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 20

Allied aircraft
Beaufort VIII x 3
B-17F Fortress x 5
B-24D Liberator x 12
B-24D1 Liberator x 10
B-25D1 Mitchell x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-24D Liberator: 5 damaged
B-24D1 Liberator: 2 damaged
B-25D1 Mitchell: 2 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
187 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 25 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

[Cap Mandrake]

"Oh boys, I think she's come back to feed"

Morning Air attack on 16th Garrison Unit , at 58,61 (Nakhon Ratchasima)

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 13 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 8

Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 9
Liberator II x 8
Wellington Ic x 14

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-40E Warhawk: 2 destroyed
Liberator II: 1 damaged
Wellington Ic: 4 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
139 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 10 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Nearly 4 year old hears his mom cough once and yells "YOU GOT THE COVID!" and then runs through the house "THE COVID IS HERE!" [:D] He was completely yanking her chain. Then he tells her later his "body was tingly". She brings him in. Looks fine. EKG nl. I order some labs. I think he is yanking BOTH of our chains now. The kid is like a 3 ft tall Filippino version of Robin Williams.

Order lots of blood tests. Awful tasting cough syrup. Anal thermometers to check for temperature too. Funny funny kid.

[Cap Mandrake]

Chinese P-40E's dropping like flies but we are really chopping up 21st Div

Morning Air attack on 21st Division, at 58,61 (Nakhon Ratchasima)

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 3 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 0 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 4

Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 5
Hurricane IIc Trop x 6
B-24D Liberator x 9

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-40E Warhawk: 3 destroyed
B-24D Liberator: 2 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
87 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

[Cap Mandrake]

Raid spotted at 3 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 0 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 2

Allied aircraft
B-24D Liberator x 13

No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
135 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

[Cap Mandrake]

Fulmars delivering orchids to Pakse. The Vengeance actually do the attacking part.

Afternoon Air attack on 37th Division, at 63,64 (Pakse)

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 1

Allied aircraft
Fulmar II x 13
Vengeance I x 49

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Fulmar II: 2 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
69 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

[Cap Mandrake]

Stout defense of Pakse. 50th Indian Paras take it in the shorts but 37 Div loses about 1/3rd of its combat power and the Ronson unit and the Jap Paras are already down to zero combat power.

Ground combat at Pakse (63,64)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 16919 troops, 128 guns, 107 vehicles, Assault Value = 489

Defending force 8565 troops, 113 guns, 2 vehicles, Assault Value = 342

Japanese adjusted assault: 233

Allied adjusted defense: 577

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 1)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
630 casualties reported
Squads: 6 destroyed, 89 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled

Allied ground losses:
569 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 30 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 8 disabled
Guns lost 5 (1 destroyed, 4 disabled)

Assaulting units:
37th Division
4th Raiding Regiment
Guards Mixed Brigade
10th Tank Regiment

Defending units:
84th Indian Brigade
29th British Bde /1
50th Indian Para Brigade
99th Indian Bde /1
14th Indian Light AA Rgt /1
51st Base Group /1

[Cap Mandrake]

*****************Feb. 18, 1943(e)*************

Ceram and New Guinea and the Sundas: Indiana ducks into Kai-elandedn harbor for the day and fighters fly in to cover her. This works but she has to get out as Jap SCTF's are returning from Kendari.

PT boat/DD skirmishing at Boela. We lose 5 Elkos.

Night bombing at Ambon and Boela.

KB not seen.

SE Asia: Big raid over Nakhon with hundreds of disablements of Jap troops. We lose a few medium bombers so the medium bombers will now concentrate on Rangoon.

Mildly effective dive bomber attacks at Pakse. No Jap land attack today. Another Indian brigade is being flown in.

[Cap Mandrake]

*****************Feb 19, 1943(e)*************

Arafua Sea: 4 DD's escorting Indiana and some SC's plus ASW TF. Planes to Taberfane to cover her during the day. She scoots by Saumlaki to stay in shallow water...makes it through the night. We sink an R boat and JJ torpedoes an SC in an ASW TF...and...then....

ASW attack near Kai-eilanden at 80,115

Japanese Ships
SS I-168

Allied Ships
BB Indiana, Torpedo hits 2, heavy damage
DD Chevalier
PC Jumna
DD Gansevoort
DD Radford

Crap! This is the end...my friend...

[Cap Mandrake]

Vinh gets a bombardment. No answer for this now that Cleveland is wrecked. Maybe some mines.

Night Naval bombardment of Vinh at 65,59

Japanese Ships
CL Yura
DD Hatakaze
DD Murakumo

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

Port hits 2
Port fuel hits 1

[Cap Mandrake]

No sign of the KB again.

New Guinea: Lae falls.

Ground combat at Lae (99,126)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 14531 troops, 250 guns, 94 vehicles, Assault Value = 548

Defending force 1686 troops, 9 guns, 6 vehicles, Assault Value = 26

Allied adjusted assault: 199

Japanese adjusted defense: 22

Allied assault odds: 9 to 1 (fort level 2)

Allied forces CAPTURE Lae !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
600 casualties reported
Squads: 7 destroyed, 16 disabled
Non Combat: 19 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 4 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 5 (5 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 2

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

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
9th Australian/A Division
44th British/A Division
27th Rhodesian Brigade
44th British/C Div /2

Defending units:
II/81st Naval Guard Unit
85th JAAF AF Bn

[Cap Mandrake]

Tasmania: No, really, there are still Japs in Tasmania. Yesterday they tried a BONZAI charge and were massacred. So, I ordered a counterattack today. Did not know they had level 4 forts. We will need some combat engineers.

Ground combat at Burnie (81,176)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 5361 troops, 139 guns, 51 vehicles, Assault Value = 171

Defending force 13456 troops, 84 guns, 9 vehicles, Assault Value = 108

Allied adjusted assault: 77

Japanese adjusted defense: 277

Allied assault odds: 1 to 3 (fort level 4)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
75 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Allied ground losses:
451 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 53 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Guns lost 23 (1 destroyed, 22 disabled)
Vehicles lost 7 (1 destroyed, 6 disabled)

Assaulting units:
34th Infantry Regiment
6th Australian Bde /2
154th Field Artillery Battalion

Defending units:
46th Naval Guard Unit
65th Naval Guard Unit
15th Naval Construction Battalion
14th Naval Construction Battalion
204th Ship Eng Coy
17th Naval Construction Battalion
15th Port Unit
32nd Special Base Force
39th JNAF AF Unit
41st JNAF AF Unit
22nd JNAF AF Unit
41st JAAF AF Bn

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Tasmania: No, really, there are still Japs in Tasmania. Yesterday they tried a BONZAI charge and were massacred. So, I ordered a counterattack today. Did not know they had level 4 forts. We will need some combat engineers.

So the Japs were doing their Bonsai with their little trimming scissors when the General ordered them to make a Banzai charge and you got cut to pieces by their precision snips?

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Tasmania: No, really, there are still Japs in Tasmania. Yesterday they tried a BONZAI charge and were massacred. So, I ordered a counterattack today. Did not know they had level 4 forts. We will need some combat engineers.

So the Japs were doing their Bonsai with their little trimming scissors when the General ordered them to make a Banzai charge and you got cut to pieces by their precision snips?

No, they ordered a Bonsai attack, severely damaging Col. Ben-Hur Chastain's (CO, 34th IR) dwarf Aleppo Pine given him by his wife (Esther of Jersey City) back home which he carefully pruned 2x/week (the tree, not his wife as that kind of thing was not popular yet)...this made him very cross so he ordered a counterattack the next day with high casualties but still causing great damage to the cherry tree arbor at Japanese HQ

[Cap Mandrake]

Situation in Thailand/Indochina

[Cap Mandrake]

***************Feb 20, 1943(e)**************

Sundas and stuff: After the loss of Indiana and denting of a CA, we don't have the big stuff to protect Dobo and Taberfane...even so I leave some planes there to try to hit Maniwara. This proves to be a baaad idea.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Dobo at 83,116, Range 10,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Fuso
BB Ise
CL Isuzu
DD Makigumo
DD Maikaze
DD Tokitsukaze
DD Hamakaze
DD Arashi
DD Natsugumo
DD Kawakaze

Allied Ships
PT-176
PT-177
PT-220
PT-221

[Cap Mandrake]

Taberfane is going to get it too.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Taberfane at 82,117, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Mikuma
CA Kumano
DD Isonami
DD Uranami
DD Yugiri
DD Amagiri

Allied Ships
YMS-95, Shell hits 3, and is sunk

[Cap Mandrake]

PT boats doing their job

Night Time Surface Combat, near Dobo at 83,116, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Fuso
BB Ise
CL Isuzu
DD Makigumo
DD Maikaze
DD Tokitsukaze
DD Hamakaze
DD Arashi
DD Natsugumo
DD Kawakaze

Allied Ships
PT-165, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-222
PT-299
PT-301, Shell hits 3, and is sunk

[Cap Mandrake]

Cringe [X(]

Night Naval bombardment of Taberfane at 82,117

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
Kittyhawk I: 21 damaged
Wirraway: 19 damaged
Wirraway: 1 destroyed on ground
P-39D Airacobra: 14 damaged
P-39D Airacobra: 1 destroyed on ground
SBC-4 Helldiver: 4 damaged
SBC-4 Helldiver: 1 destroyed on ground
P-40K Warhawk: 58 damaged
P-40K Warhawk: 5 destroyed on ground
P-40E Warhawk: 1 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground
F-5A Lightning: 2 damaged
Kittyhawk III: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
CA Kumano
CA Mikuma
DD Amagiri
DD Yugiri
DD Uranami
DD Isonami

Allied ground losses:
544 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 13 disabled
Non Combat: 30 destroyed, 95 disabled
Engineers: 7 destroyed, 6 disabled
Guns lost 26 (2 destroyed, 24 disabled)
Vehicles lost 13 (2 destroyed, 11 disabled)

Airbase hits 15
Airbase supply hits 11
Runway hits 81