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

[Cap Mandrake]

Burma: Our EXTREMELY GRUMPY troops at Shwebo hold out another day.

Ground combat at Shwebo (59,45)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 6760 troops, 58 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 197

Defending force 5635 troops, 6 guns, 16 vehicles, Assault Value = 115

Japanese adjusted assault: 14

Allied adjusted defense: 16

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

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

Japanese ground losses:
295 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 27 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Allied ground losses:
300 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 40 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
3rd RTA/A Division
7th RTA/C Division
2nd RTA/A Division
2nd RTA/B Division

Defending units:
BFF Brigade
Railway BAF Battalion
9th Burma Rifles Battalion
10th Burma Rifles Battalion
Upper Burma BAF Battalion
13th Burma Rifles Battalion
1st Burma Brigade
Burma Corps
1st Burma Auxiliary AA Regiment


JJ already has fighters and bombers at Akyab. Chittagong is in trouble.

[Cap Mandrake]

Borneo: More brown folks with pale officers hold out.

Ground combat at Tarakan (67,91)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 3696 troops, 38 guns, 4 vehicles, Assault Value = 106

Defending force 2988 troops, 43 guns, 7 vehicles, Assault Value = 53

Japanese adjusted assault: 38

Allied adjusted defense: 115

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 3 (fort level 1)

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

Japanese ground losses:
181 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 15 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
20 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
Sasebo 3rd SNLF
Sasebo 8th SNLF

Defending units:
VII KNIL Battalion
HQ TC Borneo
Tarakan Defenses
Tarakan MLD Base Force

[Cap Mandrake]

China: JJ pushing up to road toward Kweiyang. We will need to bring up help.

Ground combat at Tuyun (74,51)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 10731 troops, 70 guns, 12 vehicles, Assault Value = 329

Defending force 14175 troops, 58 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 393

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1

Japanese adjusted assault: 247

Allied adjusted defense: 364

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

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), op mode(-), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

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

Allied ground losses:
271 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 36 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
19th Ind.Mixed Brigade
36th/C Division
23rd Army

Defending units:
55th Prov Chinese Division
60th Chinese Corps
93rd Chinese Division
9th Group Army

[witpqs]

Troops confirmed in that convoy! Can we get a map? Please... [:)]

[Cap Mandrake]

Hmmmm?

SIG INT REPORT FOR Mar 11, 42

2/16th Army is planning for an attack on Melbourne.

By ra way. This means 16th Army HQ is fragmented and may already be embarked. [:)]

[Cap Mandrake]

Hmmm?

SIG INT REPORT FOR Mar 09, 42

8th Tank Regiment is planning for an attack on Albany.

[Cap Mandrake]

..

[Cap Mandrake]

Hmmmm?

25th Army is planning for an attack on Melbourne.

[Cap Mandrake]

Hmmm?

16th Army is loaded on xAK Taihei Maru moving to Townsville.

3/18th Division is loaded on a Japanese AMC moving to Townsville.

So we have 2 IJA Armies and very ikely 18 th Div planning for Melbourne. Must be a minimum of 2 divisions and perhaps more, of course. Plus a possible landing at Albany (threatening Perth, of course).

This would make the arrival of emergency reinforcements more difficult

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

..

Attaboy, Cap! DeRuyter's guns are powerful enough to shoot airplanes right off a carrier's deck! Small ones, anyway.

[Cap Mandrake]

Yes! There will some major puckering when Koninklijke Marine shows up! Little Yellow Bastards!

[zuluhour]

Do you have to make me "google" every day?!

[:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

***************March 16, 1942(e)****************

N&IC: JJ moved some heavies back into Koumac. We missed our opportunity to bombard the place by 1 d. Damn.

The Jap position at Noumea has been abandoned. 4th Division has pulled back to La Foa. Perhaps they plan to bug out?

Night Naval bombardment of La Foa at 114,159

Allied Ships
CL Helena
CL St. Louis
DD Selfridge
DD Case
DD Smith

Japanese ground losses:
110 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 13 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

CL Helena firing at 4th/B Division
SOC-1 Seagull acting as spotter for CL St. Louis
CL St. Louis firing at 4th/C Division
DD Selfridge firing at 4th/B Division
DD Case firing at 4th/B Division
DD Smith firing at 4th/B Division

[Cap Mandrake]

The fast LYB BB's move down the Northeast coast of Noumea and create a bad for an minesweepr on ASW duty.
Most likely they will have enough ammo to stay on scene tomorrow.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Koumac at 114,157, Range 25,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Hiei
BB Kirishima
DD Ayanami
DD Amagiri
DD Kisaragi
DD Yayoi

Allied Ships
AM Breeze, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
.

[Cap Mandrake]

Koumac gets more fighters. Our fighter sweep does not go well.

Morning Air attack on Koumac , at 113,156

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 27 NM, estimated altitude 23,440 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 51

Allied aircraft
P-39D Airacobra x 21

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
P-39D Airacobra: 4 destroyed

[Cap Mandrake]

4th Division gets roughed up at La Foa. I called off the landing at La Foa when 4th Div retreated.

Morning Air attack on 4th/C Division, at 114,159 (La Foa)

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 5
LB-30 Liberator x 4
F4F-3 Wildcat x 13

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
21 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Morning Air attack on 4th/A Division, at 114,159 (La Foa)

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 36 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Allied aircraft
A-20A Havoc x 6
P-40B Warhawk x 2
F4F-3 Wildcat x 3

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
14 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

[Cap Mandrake]

N&I South Wales: Our SBD's move back to Canberra. JJ pounds the bejeezus out of Port Kembla and Newcastle. The SBD's have moved out of the command radius of 2nd Marine Air so our attacks are disjointed. KB shows up to escort the transports.
Waaay, WAAAY too few fighters on CAP over the KB. Even our crappy raid gets through. 4 SBD's drop on the carriers but miss.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Sale at 87,173

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 38 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 14 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 12
A6M2 Zero x 21

Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk IA x 4
P-40E Warhawk x 10
SBD-3 Dauntless x 12

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Kittyhawk IA: 1 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 2 destroyed
SBD-3 Dauntless: 4 destroyed, 1 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed by flak

Japanese Ships
CV Shokaku
CV Zuikaku

[Cap Mandrake]

Another squadron comes in but no escort. 2 SBD's penetrate the CAP and AAA. They both miss.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Sale at 87,173

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 25 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 8
A6M2 Zero x 16

Allied aircraft
SBD-3 Dauntless x 12

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
SBD-3 Dauntless: 5 destroyed, 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
CV Soryu

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb

[Cap Mandrake]

Another depleted squadron comes in. 2 get through but miss. [:@]

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Sale at 87,173

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 33 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 5
A6M2 Zero x 12

Allied aircraft
SBD-2 Dauntless x 8

No Japanese losses

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

Japanese Ships
CV Soryu

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x SBD-2 Dauntless releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb

[Cap Mandrake]

Soryu, Shokaku, Zuikaku identified.