Port Blair: A bombing raid over Andaman gets scrubbed...either weather or union work rules..not sure. JJ's achieves 4:1 but the lads hold. One wonders how long they can hold on. At least they are well incentivized.
A 'w' will show that this boys have no place to retreat .. I suspect they will die in place like Stalingrad ..
"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so"
Ordered some seriously pricey steak knives from Laguiole for Stalker Girl. It's perfect. She admired them when we were in La Jolla so she should like them.
If not, I can always stab her with one.
She told me earlier, "I'm not getting you anything. Everything I pick you don't like."
Now, I may look stupid but I'm not falling for that obvious trap. That is so transparently a test. If you fall for it and say, as a rational organism might,
"Well, let's just skip it this year. I don't want you to stress out", you will be sharing a dog mattress with Pinhead.
Went into a Hallmark Card store for the first time in maybe 20 years. It's like a minefield of shlock.
The Christmas ornament section was a laugh riot. There was one of Captain Kirk wrestling one
of those green things with the big head for only $28. There were TWO Joe Thiesman Christmas tree ornaments at a quite steep $18.
Time to mark those puppies down so the staff doesn't have to dust them so many times.
Formosa/Okinawa: At night, Washington and Massachusetts separately bombard Naha, doing fair damage to 48th Div.
Then, our guys leave, of course, but JJ tries to run in suppries or perhaps troops during the day. Annoyingly, the shedload of TBF's at Miyako-jima had
been ordered to attack the airfield at Nago and were therefore taken off naval attack duty. In the end, they do neither.
They drive off our PT boats.
Day Time Surface Combat, near Naha at 95,66, Range 4,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
DD Tamanami
DD Harusame
Allied Ships
PT-26
PT-114, Shell hits 1
PT-147
The SBD's at Miyako do find the WJD shipping at Naha in the afternoon so we only get one attack.
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Amami Oshima at 98,64
Weather in hex: Overcast
Raid detected at 36 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 14 minutes
Allied aircraft
F6F-3 Hellcat x 14
SBD-3 Dauntless x 22
Allied aircraft losses
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 damaged
Japanese Ships
xAK Lima Maru, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Takaoka Maru
xAK Kokai Maru, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Teisin Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire
xAK Koto Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
Raids over Nago are disrupted by weather. Very ineffective. A big planned on raid on Daito Shoto does not go off.
We lose a TBF fom flak trying to bomb Taihoku. No hits either. One thing for sure, they aren't B-24's.
Embarkation has started for the landing on Okinawa, Kume-jima and Tokunoshima. Plans for a landing at Daito Shot are shelved.
We discover 25K LYB's there on a crappy atoll. Forget that.
Embarkation starts at ports most distant from the landing, Port Hedland, Sorong, Manado, Cagayan and because of the biggest lift requirement, at Batangas.
We send some Forts over Nago. The mechanics union at Batan Is. is making trouble so this is the best we can do from 3 squadrons.
Nago airfield is not going to be completely shut down for the landing but so far they only have Lillys.
Morning Air attack on Nago , at 95,65
Weather in hex: Moderate rain
Raid detected at 33 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes
Japanese aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 11
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-49-IIa Helen: 1 destroyed on ground
No Allied losses
Runway hits 5
Finally, the weather clears over Daito Shoto and we get this impressive raid from Aparri. All the B-24's in the PI are at Aparri now, which is level 7.5
Morning Air attack on Daito Shoto , at 98,69
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes
Japanese aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft
B-24D Liberator x 21
B-24D1 Liberator x 34
Japanese aircraft losses
J1N1-C Irving: 3 destroyed on ground
Ki-48-IIa Lily: 6 destroyed on ground
Port Blair: We have a good showing by the B-24's but Japan-mens buy recon rider and know we are coming so jump in srit trenches and raugh at our bombs.
Then Japan-mens come out. It's beginning to look like Col. Frost at Arnhem bridge. 29th brigade holds another day.
Ground combat at Port Blair (46,58)
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 13229 troops, 144 guns, 21 vehicles, Assault Value = 275
Defending force 3359 troops, 50 guns, 19 vehicles, Assault Value = 19
Forget about Tokunoshima. There are 16,000+ Japan-mens there. Shinto boys figure out para-assault trick.
16,000 Japan-mens in 2 units. That must be a whole brigade? Santa Maria! Rook rike Aus 1st Para Bn get day off.
Maybe Okinoerabushima (or however you spell it) just NE of Nago.
Daito Shoto at 47% airfield damage, Nago at 42%, Naha at 100%, Taihoku at 70%
Then you have Amami Oshima (level 2 undamaged) and the big fields on Kyushu and in China. We can't hit everything.
Miyako-jima goes to level 5 just in time for the attack.
