From here to...well...it SEEMS like an eternity

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso

This map shows a couple of ships sinking - did Aoba and Suzuya sink? [X(] Or was it other ships?? [&:]

I wish. The ships sunk were among the retreating transports. Aoba and Suzuya I think mainly got hit by 250 and 500 lbrs from the 17's flying at 10,000 ft (house rule). It was more of a deck chair rearranging type attack.

[Cap Mandrake]

....is the game following the narrative?

Two very wierd things happened. After the second one, I actually got up to see if there was a miniature Rod Serling hiding in the back of my computer.

First, I made up a story line about Milo selling training services over Portuguese Timor (the Eastern part) because I thought "Oscar de la Renta" was a funny name. I am not making this up. The very next game turn recon showed a new Oscar group in Lautem and there had not been anything there for months. [X(]

The second thing was Mr. Borgnine emerging from a crate in Perth. You are not going to believe what one of the PT Boats was. I swear I did not look at the boat numbers until after youg Ernest already had a part.

[Cap Mandrake]

Ernie's boat takes a couple of 5 inch shells from a Jap tin can but not before putting a fish into Yugumo [8D]

[Cap Mandrake]

******PT-73, 8 nm ENE Freemantle, 01:20, 8-26-42******

The boat is down heavily by the bow, having taken two 5 inch rounds near the water line, which fortunately, passed through her plywood hull without detonating. Ensign Ernest Borgnine stands awkwardly alone on the sloping rear deck. 2500 yds astern, the shape of the burning Yugumo can be seen, a victim of one of PT-73's torpedoes. The night is very dark. Searchlights aboard the undamaged Jap destroyers search wildly for their tormentors. Ensign Borgnine calls out to the sister boat PT-74 with a carboard megaphone.

"SAVE YOURSELVES!"

"Oh cut the crap Borgnine! Are you trying to get an Oscar or something? We ARE safe, or at least we will be until the Japs find us with their serchlights. Get your fat ass over here, now! That is an order, Lt.!" The speaker is Rear Admiral Edward Admas. You might ask what a US Navy flag officer is doing commanding a flotilla of 6 PT-boats at an Australian base. That is a good question. It seems he was "accidentally" crated up with the boats while conducting an inspection in San Diego.

"Did you say Lt., sir?" It is Borgnine again. A searchlight beam skirts dangerously close to PT-73.

"Yes, yes, yes. I am promoting you but only if you come over here before we all get killed." There is a big splash which is mistaken for an incoming round by nearly all. In fact, it is the newly minted Lt. jg Ernest Borgnine dog-paddling toward the Admiral's boat without an Oscar.

[Cap Mandrake]

I suspect we have all had some life experience where we felt like young Lt. De Groot, B1-VIG-I, NEIAF

***********Ready Room, B1-VIG-I Groep, Perth, August 27, 1942***************

Lt. De Groot enters the room nervously. Only a month ago he was enjoying a Cuba Libre at a sublime hotel on Curacao, now he wears the uniform of the NEIAF. "Great", he thinks to himself, "next time get here early you idiot". There remains only one chair at the very front, evidently the work of some sadist. A hirsute fellow with orange hair who just might, it seems, be the product of cross-species breeding with the Sumatran Orangatan kindly offers, "HEY DE GROOT! IT'S NOT SAFE TO FLY WITH YOUR FLY OPEN!". Horrified, he young Lt. scans the instrument panel. Fully zipped. "God damned sadistic cross-breed", he thinks to himself. At that instant, a casually misplaced leg strays right into his path......

[DuckofTindalos]

Dang! Well, at least he's capable of climbing into his aircraft without harming himself... That's a start...

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

Dang! Well, at least he's capable of climbing into his aircraft without harming himself... That's a start...

I'm not sure that has been established yet. He has no missions under his belt. I am wondering what level of training you need to get a 22 experience rating. Assuming that zero is a newborn freshly out of the womb. I am thinking 22 would be "two wheeler, still using training wheels". This guy makes even rookie Chinese pilots look like Adolph Galand.

I can't wait for the next turn to see if he plows into the side of the Big Fat Maru.

[DuckofTindalos]

How'd he get so fatigued without flying?

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

How'd he get so fatigued without flying?

You can fly quite a bit, and never get a mission - just put somebody in a backwater base on CAP (or Naval Search) - they never get anything for experience unless an enemy turns up.

[tabpub]

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso

ORIGINAL: Terminus

How'd he get so fatigued without flying?

You can fly quite a bit, and never get a mission - just put somebody in a backwater base on CAP (or Naval Search) - they never get anything for experience unless an enemy turns up.

<buzzer> Sorry, wrong answer(at least for this situation)....parting gifts are at the door. [;)]
That is a Dutch group fighting like hell in Perth; Mandrake filled out the pilot roster and apparently got two new pilots, one of which, with exp 55 was trained; the other, with 22 wasn't. And any new pilots brought into a unit get fatigue assigned, so that's why they both have 11 fatigue when they report for duty. I don't know how the fatigue # is assigned; have always presumed it's based on distance from the nearest HQ or something like that.
At least that's my supposition on what occurred here; the good Captain can clarify it later.
Have to dash back to HQ; heap big naval clash off Midway, have to sort out the situation there.
Driver! Back to the HQ bunker! Pronto!!

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

How'd he get so fatigued without flying?

..

[DuckofTindalos]

Yup, that'll do it![:D][:D][:D][:D]

[BrucePowers]

Ouch...................[:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

Where, exactly do 28,000 Japanese go when Midway falls? Why, Eastern Island, of course! [:D]



I figured it out. Eastern Island is about 560,000 sq m. The actual density would be about 20 sq m per man [:)] Apparently some of them congregated on one side of the island to taunt the Marines across the lagoon.

[HMS Resolution]

Has Midway fallen, then? Excellent!

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Where, exactly do 28,000 Japanese go when Midway falls? Why, Eastern Island, of course! [:D]



I figured it out. Eastern Island is about 560,000 sq m. The actual density would be about 20 sq m per man [:)] Apparently some of them congregated to on one side of the island to taunt the Marines across the lagoon.

Do they cheer IAZNAB!! (the reverse of BANZAI) ... [&:] [:'(]

[Canoerebel]

Would this be boasting in retribution for your opponent's gleeful comments after Port Moresby?

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Would this be boasting in retribution for your opponent's gleeful comments after Port Moresby?

Oh come now! Would we stoop that low? [;)]

Heap big BB vs BB contest which will probably lead to more boasting. More to come.

[Canoerebel]

You're making John have a bad day.

[bobogoboom]

Do you think that no matter the outcome of perth that you have damaged the ijn enough that the attrition of the last few weeks could be the turning point of the war?