Bring me the head of Diego Garcia...and the Mayor of Addu Atoll too!

[Cap Mandrake]

Rady from Chungking
Miss Anna Mae Wong

Check out the LYB after the credits..what-ah baaahstard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74fwxtvKnK8

[sprior]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: sprior

So Basically they're supplying an entire army along a track across the mountains and through the jungle? This better work for us in Burma.

Well, you're relying on your magical, mystical Ramree island supply chain to serve your entire army in Burma, no? Cause that's what it will do. Doesn't make any sense there either. Just think of the RL supply 'shrinkage' from the croc/porter interface if nothing else.

Hence the last sentence...

Plus we're going overland too.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: sprior

So Basically they're supplying an entire army along a track across the mountains and through the jungle? This better work for us in Burma.

Don't forget, Cap M. had intel that the fish heads were dehydrated, so much more protein and bone meal can be sent in than normal ...

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: sprior

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: sprior

So Basically they're supplying an entire army along a track across the mountains and through the jungle? This better work for us in Burma.

Well, you're relying on your magical, mystical Ramree island supply chain to serve your entire army in Burma, no? Cause that's what it will do. Doesn't make any sense there either. Just think of the RL supply 'shrinkage' from the croc/porter interface if nothing else.

Hence the last sentence...

Plus we're going overland too.

Aye.

The borkulated supply rules oughta still work for you if you elected to go overland on Papua / New Guinea and they should also allow completely bollocksed plans in N. Australia too. Like that Paul Simon / Art Garfunkel song, "Still Crazy after all these years."

[Cap Mandrake]

My recollection of the supply issues from Alice Springs meant we couldnt operate any significant numbers of aircraft North of Alice until Darwin fell.

Nor could we attack Katherine from the South until they were cut off.

That is why we had to go through the Torres Strait.

[Chickenboy]

To be fair, you're also talking about significantly less distance from a rail / road hub in the Chungking valley than you are in N. Australia too. So, kind of apples and oranges.

[Cap Mandrake]

**************April 3, 1943(c)**************


PI: @^#&@** Atago slips in through the Surigao Strait (on the eastern side of Mindano between Mindanao and Leyte) at night either to raid Butuan or, more likley, Cagayan harbor which has dozens of transports unloading. They do catch a small fast transport taffy flat-footed after a run to Naga, Luzon...but they can't clear in time....

Day Time Surface Combat, near Butuan at 80,89, Range 6,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Atago
CL Sendai
DD Michishio
DD Shirakumo
DD Sagiri

Allied Ships
APD Alden, Shell hits 10, and is sunk
DE Foxhound, Shell hits 5, and is sunk
APD Stringham, Shell hits 9, and is sunk

And the payback...

Morning Air attack on TF, near Surigao at 81,88

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 12 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 7



Allied aircraft
Beaufighter VIc x 3
P-38G Lightning x 3
TBF-1 Avenger x 10


No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Beaufighter VIc: 1 destroyed
TBF-1 Avenger: 5 damaged

Japanese Ships
CA Atago
CL Sendai

Nope...the SBD's moved to San Jose..maybe..2 hits out of 27 drops

Morning Air attack on TF, near Surigao at 81,88

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 6



Allied aircraft
P-39D Airacobra x 4
F4U-1 Corsair x 4
SBD-3 Dauntless x 28


No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
SBD-3 Dauntless: 8 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed by flak

Japanese Ships
CL Sendai, Bomb hits 1
CA Atago, Bomb hits 1

3 hits...the targets are slowing down

Morning Air attack on TF, near Surigao at 81,88

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 4



Allied aircraft
P-40K Warhawk x 10
SBD-3 Dauntless x 15


No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
DD Michishio
CA Atago, Bomb hits 2, on fire
CL Sendai, Bomb hits 1

Another group of TBF's from Cagayan carrying bombs. I blame the staff.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Surigao at 81,88

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 16 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes


Allied aircraft
TBF-1 Avenger x 17


No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
DD Michishio
CA Atago, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
CL Sendai, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Shirakumo, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires

More TBF's. The TBF's with bombs are at 5000 ft and are more deadly than torpedo attacks

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Surigao at 81,88

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 15 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes


Allied aircraft
Beaufighter VIc x 2
P-38G Lightning x 3
TBF-1 Avenger x 23


No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
CL Sendai, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Shirakumo, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CA Atago, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage



Aircraft Attacking:
7 x TBF-1 Avenger launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 22in Mk 13 Torpedo
16 x TBF-1 Avenger bombing from 5000 feet *
Naval Attack: 2 x 500 lb SAP Bomb

And finally, more SBD sorties from San Jose. Looks like the tally will be Atago, Sendai and a DD. Atago's luck runs out.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Surigao at 81,88

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes


Allied aircraft
P-39D Airacobra x 4
P-40K Warhawk x 9
F4U-1 Corsair x 3
SBD-3 Dauntless x 20


Allied aircraft losses
SBD-3 Dauntless: 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
DD Sagiri, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
DD Michishio
CL Sendai, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
CA Atago, heavy fires, heavy damage

[Cap Mandrake]

Elsewhere in the PI: JJ is still picking on Legaspi and it still has no supply. I had an AK to take off some of the damaged airframe there...but a staff flunkie forgot.

Morning Air attack on Legaspi , at 82,82

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 10
Ki-49-IIa Helen x 16



Allied aircraft
P-39D Airacobra x 5
P-40E Warhawk x 14
P-40K Warhawk x 17


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-39D Airacobra: 5 damaged
P-39D Airacobra: 1 destroyed on ground
Hurricane XIIb: 1 destroyed on ground


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


Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 5

In the afternoon, a big betty raid goes after some transports bringing engineers ashore at Naga. We win that. Even a Corsair from Lucena comes over.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Naga at 81,81

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 35 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 18
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 30



Allied aircraft
P-39D Airacobra x 1
P-40E Warhawk x 10
P-40K Warhawk x 16
F4U-1 Corsair x 1


Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 12 destroyed
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed by flak
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 3 destroyed

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
xAK Iron Warrior

[Cap Mandrake]

Burma: An LYB raid over Ramree comes in before the fighter sweep. Good for us.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Ramree Island at 54,48

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 69 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 25 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B5N2 Kate x 4
G3M3 Nell x 4
G4M1 Betty x 7
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 45



Allied aircraft
Beaufighter VIc x 11
Hurricane IIc Trop x 19
P-40E Warhawk x 2


Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 3 destroyed
G3M3 Nell: 2 destroyed
G4M1 Betty: 5 destroyed
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Beaufighter VIc: 2 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed

Here comes the big fighter sweep. Only 40% the strength of yesterday..but they still kick booty

Morning Air attack on Ramree Island , at 54,48

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 75 NM, estimated altitude 24,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 18 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 18
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 21



Allied aircraft
Beaufighter VIc x 4
Hurricane IIc Trop x 16


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

Allied aircraft losses
Beaufighter VIc: 1 destroyed
Hurricane IIc Trop: 6 destroyed

Then an airfield attack, just like yesterday. They come in low and get dinged up by the flak. There are som many engieers at Ramree that the airfield can be repaired quickly, but we might run out of fighters.

Morning Air attack on Ramree Island , at 54,48

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 77 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 22 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 14
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 23
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 29



Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIc Trop x 1


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 11 damaged
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
Vengeance I: 1 destroyed on ground


Allied ground losses:
24 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


Airbase hits 5
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 6

[Cap Mandrake]

[font="Courier New"]Admiral Lord SPrior
2nd Viceroy of Ceylon
Commander in Chief, Western Eastern Fleet
Kandy House


My Dearest SPri;

We sent over two squadrons of B-24's to someplace called..oh Hell..hold on. Well, we aren't sure but think it was "Shit-something". We tried to send some fighters but the air guys said nothing can make it.


With the warmest tepidity that we can evince;

Fleet Admiral Mandrake

FOB San Miguel
Panay[/font]

[Cap Mandrake]

SOME of the lads at Ramree. No less than 3 CD units.

[Cap Mandrake]

And the rest. 16th British Brig is wrecked. 16th Indian has disablement. Everything else...the malaria, yellow fever, dengue and dysentery hasn't set in yet.

[Cap Mandrake]

Just realized I Aus Corps HQ is prepping for Laog (to go in with 7th Aus Div). They might have been better used in Burma. Oh well. **** happens. [:)]

[Cap Mandrake]

Also..don't tell anyone but the infantry at Ramree is moving due East. Perhaps ALSP means to cross the Irrawaddy North of Prome somewhere. Hmmmm?

Also, what happened to the armo(u)r? Perhaps there wasn't enough lift capacity. We could use some LST's in the CBI.

[Cap Mandrake]

RAF cupboards. Well, we get some Thunderbolts in October 44..let's see..thats only 18 months. Meanwhile we can upgrade to the Brewster or Mowhak. [:)]

[Cap Mandrake]

We do have a few crappy Fulmars lazing about. The Beaufighters can upgrade to the Hurricane IId. Is that a fighter-bomber variant of the Hurricane? I am pretty sure we can forget about the Spitfire FR XIVe or the Tempest

[Cap Mandrake]

USN fighter stores. There aren't any F4F's because the carriers just put in at Manado and filled up the USN and USMC fighter groups.

Actually, the F4U-1 is the USMC version. Not carrier capable. F4U-1A arrives in Oct. 43. A few more days, however, and we will have our first F6F squadron.

[Cap Mandrake]

And the USAAF inventory. The loverly P-47 in 3 months. Almost all the USAAF fighter squadrons operating in the PI are understrength but JJ fighter strength has just been hammered so we can get along for now. Fighters won't be a limiting factor unless there is a big infusion of Tojos or something.

[Cap Mandrake]

I understand that Japanese top-of-the-line fighter production is not supposed to be a problem in Scenario 2...and yet...we are still seeing Oscars in fighter sweeps. As in anything, there are limits. Rots of Tojos shot down.

[Cap Mandrake]

The Arried workhorses through April '43. The P-40E/K, the P-39D, the F4F and the Hurricane IIb/c