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

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

What the Hell? 60 Hurris a month sent to the Russkis?

Did someone tell Winnie about that?

I still have 3 RAF squadrons with Brewsters and Mohwak IV's.

Time to have Mountbottom call someone (if he is even here yet)

No, he's also in Russia.

[Cap Mandrake]

[font="Courier New"]

July 27


Dearest Mother;

I am well. The weather in Oahu is splendid. You would not believe the flowers. It is a paradise. Well, except for the officer's club. The American and Australian officers are most cruel about the name. Don't tell dad but I've taken to leaving my name tag off if I go out. The RCAF has not seen through to sending me any planes but mercifully there are no pilots either. I do fell the odd man out. I mostly spend my days playing golf with Lt. Rectalitz, the Polish fellow from Toronto. I've gotten quite good at it. 8 handicap. Well, enough for now. Say Hello to dad.


Your loving son

Magnus[/font]

[Cap Mandrake]

..

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

..

Considering that altitude with no aircraft, that air unit must be on something very good.

[Disco Duck]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

..

Considering that altitude with no aircraft, that air unit must be on something very good.

So if you set a squadron with zero planes to 100% training does it still train?

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: Disco Duck

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

..

Considering that altitude with no aircraft, that air unit must be on something very good.

So if you set a squadron with zero planes to 100% training does it still train?

Yes.

[Cap Mandrake]

A bit behind on the wah. We converted to Epic (an electronic health record) at work. It is superior to the very crappy Touchworks but the thing has about 500 buttons on each screen and is complicated as Hell. Pretty much total chaos but we are all learning.

Contractors asked for more money after I threw a tantrum about the crappy drywall work and skimping on insulation. I gave them another $60,000 check but extracted some promises...essentially to do what they said they were going to do in the beginning. You would not believe how much the bathroom fittings and vanities cost for 6 bathrooms. Bought a new drawer style microwave that is big enough to nuke a Martian war machine from War of the Worlds.

They asked Stalker Girl what color she wanted in the kitchen so she says "white". There are about 500 shades of white. I told the designer consultant I wanted the same color as Kylie Jenner's new place...everyone laughed at me but she immediately new..."oh Spartawall"

[Cap Mandrake]

The thing is straight guys can like something but can't really describe it so you pretty much need a gay guy or a woman to figure it out.

For example I can pick out a greenish color only to discover it is really Eastern Mediterranean Sage Dew.

When men are in charge of naming things it tends to be much more concrete...like "elk hair caddis" or "Copper beadhead" or "ma deuce"

[Cap Mandrake]

SS dude: Black. He says he wants black uniforms.

Hugo Boss: What color of black?

SS dude: What do you mean what color of black. he said black.

Hugo Boss: Well, are we thinking a cooler black or a warmer black?

SS dude: Shit, I don't know. Menacing. Menacing black.

Hugo Boss: AH! Got it! I'll work with that.

[Cap Mandrake]

************July 28, 1943***********

Mindanao: JJ landed a full Division at Cotabato and kicked out the air HQ and a few tanks. The air HQ lost about half its strength and retreated toward Cagayan ple dozen Aussie paras and retook Cotabato and the same day JJ was landing a whole brigade of infantry and a couple hundred tanks but because 24 paras flipped control of the base they had to go in as an amphibious landing and were not prepped for the target so there were many thousands of disabled infantry and a bunch of tanks plus we managed to damage a bunch of AK's with TBF's flown in to Malaybalay. Very satisfying.

[Cap Mandrake]

5 units, including 3 divisions and arty have reached Cagayan so the defenders there are eventually doomed and have begun to retreat toward Malaybalay. Davao and Cagayan AF have been wrecked by naval bombardments. Malaybalay is immune from naval bombardment but it is hard to get supplies up there.

[Cap Mandrake]

Pretty effective night attack on Malaybalay

Night Air attack on Malaybalay , at 80,90

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 6 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 1 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-49-IIa Helen x 11

Allied aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-49-IIa Helen: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
TBF-1 Avenger: 3 damaged
TBF-1 Avenger: 1 destroyed on ground
F4U-1 Corsair: 2 damaged
F4U-1 Corsair: 1 destroyed on ground

Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
11 x Ki-49-IIa Helen bombing from 6000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb

[Cap Mandrake]

Efforts to get supplies to Mindanao have paid benefits but most of the AK's trying to get in are picked off by Jap SCTFs.

PBY in Southern Mindanao have highlighted the IJN tankers routes to Borneo and Java so the subs are having a field day.

Sub attack near Donggala at 69,96

Japanese Ships
TK Moji Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
PB Okiyu Maru

Allied Ships
SS Pogy


and

Sub attack near Taliaboe at 73,103

Japanese Ships
xAK Kinjosan Maru, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
xAK Zyunyo Maru
PB Kiso Maru

Allied Ships
SS Grampus

and

Sub attack near Donggala at 69,96

Japanese Ships
TK Nitiei Maru, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
SC Ch 8
TK Gen'yo Maru
SC Ch 12
SC Ch 11

Allied Ships
SS Scamp

[Cap Mandrake]

This is why you can't fix the airbase at Cagayan. I junked the damaged planes and got all the pilots out.

Night Naval bombardment of Cagayan at 79,89

Japanese Ships
CL Natori
DD Kiyonami
DD Suzunami
DD Takanami
DD Yugumo

Allied ground losses:
91 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 11
Port hits 7
Port supply hits 2

[Cap Mandrake]

More LYB's coming ashore at Cotabato. All the shit they used to capture Luzon is now directed at Mindanao. Ithink the LRCAP is coming from Cebu but not sure yet.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Cotabato at 78,90

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 75 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 35 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 12
Ki-43-IIb Oscar x 18
Ki-61-Ia Tony x 3

Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk IV x 1
P-40K Warhawk x 7
F4U-1 Corsair x 5
TBF-1 Avenger x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zero: 3 destroyed
Ki-43-IIb Oscar: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-40K Warhawk: 1 destroyed
F4U-1 Corsair: 1 destroyed
TBF-1 Avenger: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
AK Seia Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AK Kensei Maru, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires

[Cap Mandrake]

Opposing forces at Cagayan. I was wrong. It's FOUR divisions. Level 3 forts. Rough hex

Ground combat at Cagayan (79,89)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 14404 troops, 157 guns, 38 vehicles, Assault Value = 1701

Defending force 11122 troops, 175 guns, 110 vehicles, Assault Value = 298

Japanese ground losses:
169 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 10 (5 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
20 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Assaulting units:
10th Division
14th Division
28th Division
25th Division
25th Army
3rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment

Defending units:
73rd PA Infantry Regiment
93rd PA Infantry Regiment
4th Marine Regiment
101st PA Infantry Division
182nd Infantry Regiment
54th British Brigade
Agusan Constab Battalion
134th Field Artillery Battalion
2nd RAA Med Arty Regiment
Del Monte AAF Base Force /1
Mindanao Force
Far East USAAF
11th Base Group
I/43rd PS Inf Battalion
4th Marine Def Bn /3

[Cap Mandrake]

Moluccas: A well coordinated fighter sweep over Ternate with our best P-38's, P-47's, F6F's and Corsairs over Ternate was highly successful. We lost some F6F's but inflicted about 2:1 in fighter losses and I think wrecked the air groups there. Now they are not putting up any CAP.

Morning Air attack on Ternate , at 78,102

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 12 NM, estimated altitude 29,440 feet.
Estimated time to target is 2 minutes

Allied aircraft
P-38H Lightning x 16
P-47D2 Thunderbolt x 8

No Allied losses

[Cap Mandrake]

No fighters at Boela or Ambon or Namlea or Kendari either. All the bases in NW New Guinea are building up. Dobo is a level 8 AF. Koepang finally has enough supply. Plan is to take Boela, Ambon and Namlea and Kendari and then Ternate and Manado before Mindanao falls. Tall order.

[BBfanboy]

Cap Mandrake: A bit behind on the wah. We converted to Epic (an electronic health record) at work. It is superior to the very crappy Touchworks but the thing has about 500 buttons on each screen and is complicated as Hell. Pretty much total chaos but we are all learning.

You have conquered the learning curve of AE; this Epic game should be a piece of cake for you! [:)]

[Cap Mandrake]

************July 29, 1943*********

New Guinea: JJ tries to raid Sorong which is important now because C-47's can reaches Digos on Mindanao from Sorong.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Sorong at 82,107, Range 6,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CL Yura
DD Hayashio
DD Maikaze

Allied Ships
PT-112, Shell hits 1
PT-338
PT-339
PT-340
PT-341
PT-342
PT-343, Shell hits 1, and is sunk

and

Night Time Surface Combat, near Sorong at 82,107, Range 2,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CL Yura
DD Hayashio
DD Maikaze

Allied Ships
PT-173, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
PT-232, Shell hits 5, and is sunk
PT-255, Shell hits 1, and is sunk