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

[Cap Mandrake]

Rabaul: Lark Bn holds another day. The carriers lay off the SE end of New and Improved Ireland
(not really saying much[;)]) to say out of zero-escort range from Truk. The cobbler-kicking is somewhat disappointing.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Feni Islands at 108,125, Range 1,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
xAKL Katsuragisan Maru, Shell hits 4, and is sunk

Allied Ships
CL Adelaide

Well..there goes the IJN.[:)]
JJ brings 4 CA's to bombard Rabaul. They slip right by the Allied cruisers which are parked there waiting.

Night Naval bombardment of Rabaul at 106,125

Japanese Ships
CA Kako
CA Furutaka
CA Kinugasa
CA Aoba
DD Yuzuki
DD Kikuzuki
DD Uzuki
DD Oboro

Allied ground losses:
71 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 19 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 38
Port hits 24
Port fuel hits 1
Port supply hits 3


Now they run into the Allied cruisers on the egress. Good fight. Might well have gone badly for us.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Rabaul at 106,125, Range 2,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Aoba
CA Kinugasa, Shell hits 3
CA Furutaka
CA Kako, Shell hits 2
DD Oboro
DD Uzuki
DD Kikuzuki
DD Yuzuki

Allied Ships
CA Louisville
CL Leander, Shell hits 1
CL Achilles
DD Le Triomphant

Reduced sighting due to 0% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions and 0% moonlight: 2,000 yards
Range closes to 10,000 yards...
Range closes to 8,000 yards...
Range closes to 6,000 yards...
Range closes to 4,000 yards...
Range closes to 2,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 2,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 2,000 yards
Kilgore D. crosses the 'T'
CL Leander engages DD Yuzuki at 2,000 yards
CL Leander engages CA Kako at 2,000 yards
CL Achilles engages CA Kinugasa at 2,000 yards
CL Leander engages CA Kinugasa at 2,000 yards
Range increases to 5,000 yards
CA Kako engages CL Leander at 5,000 yards
CL Achilles engages CA Kako at 5,000 yards
CL Leander engages CA Aoba at 5,000 yards
CA Aoba engages DD Le Triomphant at 5,000 yards
DD Yuzuki engages DD Le Triomphant at 5,000 yards
DD Uzuki engages DD Le Triomphant at 5,000 yards
Task forces break off...

[Cap Mandrake]

The "cobbler-kicking"...bleh

Morning Air attack on TF, near Lihir at 109,122

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Allied aircraft
F2A-3 Buffalo x 6
SBD-3 Dauntless x 15

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
AMc Seki Maru #3, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
AMc Fumi Maru #2, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk

Morning Air attack on TF, near New Hanover Island at 104,122

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Allied aircraft
F4F-3A Wildcat x 7
SBD-2 Dauntless x 15

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
xAKL Hitora Maru, Bomb hits 5, and is sunk

Phht..

[Cap Mandrake]

Ok..This is a bit better.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Mussau Island at 104,117

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Allied aircraft
F2A-3 Buffalo x 6
SBD-3 Dauntless x 15

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
CL Tenryu, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CL Tatsuta, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Mochizuki

Bettys from Truk attack Lark Bn at Rabaul. The carrier planes shoot a couple down.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

This is the SE end of Java. We mined it AFTER they went through the first time. That is oddly satisfying.

Actually its not oddly satisfying. It's just satisfying. A mine is a terrible thing to waste.

I think the text should read "4 mines cleared" [:D]

TF 19 encounters mine field at Banjoewangi (57,107)

Japanese Ships
CA Ashigara, Mine hits 1
CA Maya, Mine hits 2
DD Matsukaze

1 mine cleared

1 should always enter combat with a cleared mine.

[Cap Mandrake]

As for the cobbler-kicking at Rabaul...we missed the 4 CA's which would have been a fantastic prize but the garrison still holds out. It is possible the WJD CA's are south of New and Improved Britain, in which case we might still get them.

[Cap Mandrake]

This is South of Batavia IIRC. I wonder if JJ is planning to land here. They certainly messed up a couple of coffee plantations.

Night Naval bombardment of Kalidjati at 50,99

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
L-212: 4 damaged

Japanese Ships
CA Kumano
CA Mikuma
CA Mogami
DD Hatsuyuki
DD Hagikaze
DD Nowaki
DD Maikaze

Allied ground losses:
252 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 22 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 5 (1 destroyed, 4 disabled)

Airbase hits 11
Airbase supply hits 9
Runway hits 76
Port hits 9
Port fuel hits 7
Port supply hits 4

[Cap Mandrake]

Are Dutch mines smaller? Normally 2 mine hits on a CA would leave a mark.

[Bif1961]

Any ship can be a minesweeper at least once.[:D]

[zuluhour]

I was told size doesn't matter.........

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: zuluhour

I was told size doesn't matter.........

Frequently? By a female partner?? Was she Dutch? [;)]

[zuluhour]

Probably a Dutch Dyke digger.[:D]

[sprior]

So the toerag's mother decides to update her FB profile pic. her in a pair of bright red knickers and 2 strategically placed St George's flags. It burns, it burns!

[Cap Mandrake]

At least she's patriotic.[:)]

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: sprior

So the toerag's mother decides to update her FB profile pic. her in a pair of bright red knickers and 2 strategically placed St George's flags. It burns, it burns!

Stiff upper lip, mate. Stiff upper lip!

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: sprior

So the toerag's mother decides to update her FB profile pic. her in a pair of bright red knickers and 2 strategically placed St George's flags. It burns, it burns!

Stiff upper lip, mate. Stiff upper lip!

That's not that part that lost its stiffness ...

[zuluhour]

yikes

[Cap Mandrake]

How old is Toe-rag's mum? Were the flags horizontal or did she have to orient them vertically? [:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

*************January 17, 1941(e)**********

Samarinda has fallen. Balikpapan appears to be the next target. A foolish staff officer sent some B-17's to Balikpapan..now there are 7-8 disabled birds.
We lost track of the LYB carriers. I think Soryu and Hiryu transited the Java/Sumatra gap and are headed back for Bondo and plumbing repairs.

Australia forces at Rabaul hold another day. The two USN carriers are now South of New and Improved Britain having declined to pursue the retreating IJN toward Truk.

round combat at Rabaul (106,125)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 3784 troops, 38 guns, 4 vehicles, Assault Value = 117

Defending force 2627 troops, 17 guns, 175 vehicles, Assault Value = 28

Japanese adjusted assault: 43

Allied adjusted defense: 45

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 0)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), disruption(-), preparation(-), fatigue(-)
morale(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

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

Allied ground losses:
47 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
Maizuru 1st SNLF
Maizuru 2nd SNLF

Defending units:
Lark Force
B Coy/NG Rifles
Rabaul Base Force

[Cap Mandrake]

PI: Still, no landing on Luzon or Mindanao. The last remaining damaged subs have put out to sea. Quite a few ships got out to the east North of Palau. Sending some supplies westward from Midway.

[Cap Mandrake]

**********December 19, 1941(e)*********

We find the KB. They headed south along the "west" coast of Sumatra. Well-intentioned dyke diggers launch wave after wave of bombers from Batavia. It's pathetic.
The KB sinks a couple of 3 pt Dutch tankers trying to get out of Sumatra. Quite a waste of Japanese fuel if you ask me. Not only that, as we have all 6 IJN CV's marked in the last 2 days, the USN carriers can make trouble in the South Pacific.


The 2 SNLF units at Rabaul have stopped attacking. We roughed them up with carrier bombers again. The two unrestricted Aus Bn from Sydney are on there way to destroy them