Letters from a Prime Minister

[Simonsez]

Agree.

I often have Google Earth up in the background when playing WITPAE, just to see all these far away places that I have not yet been to. It's fun to try and visualize them with all of your pixel truppen, aircraft and ships. It's very cool to look at the Pacific Islands and see the outlines of the old airfields and bomb craters.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Simonsez

Pretty sure that is one of those programmers know best options on a mobile device. You know, the ones that infer what you are talking about and change the entire meaning and structure of your sentences without you realizing it. [:@] Dollars to donuts he typed in Diego Garcia, but the programmer was too stupid to understand that there is more than one "Diego" in the world and he of course meant to type San Diego, not Diego Garcia (what's that?). On my phone, that "spell/context checker" defaults to changing the word I type rather than keeping the word I typed and asking me if I want to change it. WTF? #$%@$%#$*&@!(@!^%^$%&@!() Stupid programmers [&:] (And I manage a development team....)

Knowledge of geography is known to be one of the weakest points of education in Western countries. The more people get facile worldwide connections the less they actually look to see where they are. As a child, I was always fascinated by tales of faraway places and looked at maps constantly.

I don't really blame the programmers who have to predict what you are about to say - they pretty much have to go with the most popular lines rather than list all the possibilities. That said, Diego Garcia was a US B-52/B1-B bomber base during the Cold War and should be known to more of the populace.

Wargamers typically ACE geography tests.

Heck, I bet I know the geography of Europe, Soviet Asia and the Pacific Rim better than I know that of my home country, only ever having played a small handful of Civil War games.

[kaleun]

I once had a conversation with an IT support type who during our troubleshooting session told me he was from the Philippines. I asked which island, and he said Cebu. He was all surprised I knew where it was. (I did not tell him that it was always the last island to fall to the Japanese during my PBEM games[:D])

[1275psi]

Ok, OK, I had a senior moment, with alcohol.
I hardly ever proof read anything I write, I really struggle with typing, and
thoughts are miles ahead of da fingers!!!

Still, nice to be corrected, better than being ignored!!!


I hope you all let John know how much I am enjoying this game, tormenting him

last E mail was all "GNATS! GNATS everywhere!

Giggle

[1275psi]

jan 27th

War, any war, is a gamble. Daily, in war like this, a million gambles, a million
risks are taken. From soldiers contemplating that next dash from cover to the next cover, trying to judge
the chance of drawing that lethal bullet, to Presidents and Prime Ministers, contemplating
dispatching full divisions across oceans with pitiful numbers of escorts.
Gambles.

Australia Command takes one, and the odds go bad.

A small convoy, 6 ships, taking troops from the DEI's, to Horn island.
Unloading has only just begun, slow, awfully slow.

And now 2 Japanese carriers are spotted, midway between Port Moresby and Townsville
Coming their way..

Too slow to run away.
No where to hide

The troops must be off the ships ...tonight!


Hard to comprehend the feelings of the sailors, who, at dawn, are still going to be aboard.

[1275psi]

From
SW PAC Command
to
9th RAAF group

Immediate

Wildcat unit Port Moresby to deploy immediately Horn island
P-40E unit, Townsville, to likewise deploy

Acknowledge no support available
Inevitable losses to be accepted.

Somebody has gambled. Some body has lost
Now some bodies will pay, with lives.

[1275psi]

There are 3 SNLF , a Eng regiment, and 1st base force committed by japan to Ambon

Today they shock attack again

AV, reduces to almost zero

And Ambon holds, still

At alor star, its 137 av (japan,) to 285 british

And High command notes, Japanese high command has committed even more planes to China

Better than the SW pacific

[1275psi]

From
Prime Minister
to
General Blamey

General,
It is my understanding that an invasion of Rabual is imminent
What, may I ask, are your plans to resist it?

Also, we have dispatched 2 squadrons of bombers to you, yet hear nothing of their
deployment.
Can you please enlighten us on this?

I wish to deploy more troops to you, where would you like them?

Frank Ford

[1275psi]

Prime Ministers office

"sir, a phone call"
Damnation, now?.......question time in ten minutes.....

"Its your wife"
Crap

"Yes dear?"

"It is, despite the bad line, unmistakably that cold bitches voice
"Don't yes dear me.......we, no, you, have a problem"

And somehow he knows straight away
"Let me guess, Jeffery?"
"yes, Jeffery, my , I stand for upright family morals, Prime Minister, yes, its Jeffery"

[1275psi]

28th January

10 am


Well, well west of Umnak

Four Minekaze class destroyers, steaming steadily into the swell, target Umnak
Looking to deliver tonight against what ever they find there, or maybe even further
east, a nice fat spread of long lances

To slip in in the dark, to murder, to slip away

1005 AM
Daylight

Coming down, from the North, now at 12000 yards, CL Helena, CL Honolulu
No where to hide today, you vermin, no where to hide............

[BBfanboy]

Some of your gnats are bigger than his cucarachas!

[1275psi]

1002 am
28th January

Deep in the heart of the Indian Ocean

"What have for me Jackson?"
Halsley growls over his coffee, swallows the last dregs, tips the remains over the side of
Enterprises bridge wing "Good news I hope"

Jackson tries hard to hide his excitement. There is something, undoubtably, about serving
this old sea dog. he makes you want to fight. he , he makes it alright.
And Jackson can feel it, fight they just may do, soon.
And now, now, we welcome it.

"Signals from British admiralty...." CL Emerald is operating 180 miles north
of Diego Garcia, has been attacked by some 24 float fighters, jakes.......no damage"

"No carrier planes?"
Jackson cannot hide his smile " Enemy kate TBD sighted Diego Garcia"

Halsey merely nods........."and the rest?"

"DD cummins, our tankers are confirmed in theatre sir, 300 miles south west of us, coming from the cape,
as scheduled"

The Admiral points to the east, where on the horizon saratago's great bulk hides in the
sea mist "Signal all units......continue present course.......prepare for action"
he looks at his empty coffee cup, as if surprised that it is empty...."Theres a bloody
invasion fleet out here, some where........"

[blueatoll]

Am I reading this right? Did you transit the American CVs through the Canal to South Africa and then the Indian Ocean? Dang, that's got some steel in it.

[1275psi]

Horn island, as predicted, becomes a mess

The Japanese carriers, Hiryu, soryu, pass the Cape during the night, headed into the Arafura sea.
At dawn, almost routinely, they attack the 6 ships at Horn island

A dozen wild cats, 18 P 40es try to defend.

Over half of them die, with only 2 Japanese shot down
5 ships sunk
But the troops are ashore, this at least, is some thing.



Honolulu, Helena beat up the small vermin, they sink the Kuri, set the other three on fire
They will have to pick a circumspect course for home, 2 Japanese battle wagons are
covering a reinforcement landing at Umnak
It appears the Japanese are prepared to raise us a regiment

Fine

We have 2 more enroute.

Warspite sails west again

3 more battleships are enroute

[1275psi]

They emerge from the jungles, achieve total surprise.
They attack, and slaughter.


"From
Dutch forces, Borneo

have liberated Singawang!

"and there was loud wailing and knashing of teeth"

[1275psi]

ORIGINAL: blueatoll

Am I reading this right? Did you transit the American CVs through the Canal to South Africa and then the Indian Ocean? Dang, that's got some steel in it.

hi
Enterprise, lex, saratoga, via great southern circle, aukland, Melbourne
Yorktown, via off map,(canal, south Africa) is about to join them

As are all my AO's...........

Plan 1 in action ...........and , coming soon, I think, kaga is going to be ambushed (I hope!)

[1275psi]

jan 29th

From
Winston
to
Ford

Greetings
Well, my friend, it does appear that our hunch that japan is going to go for the jewel in the crown of
the empire may be about to come to pass
I am now bending every effort to get the 7th Australian division to India, (is it
true you have a son serving in that fine division?) with the Queen Elizabeth and some other
large transports awaiting for them.

The enemy are going to take Diego Garcia, we have intel that at least one regiment will
land there. At this time, we cannot oppose this landing.
However, as promised, significant naval forces are on the way

I have heard the rumblings from your Parliament about the R class battleships, and some of
this is true
However, I think this rock in the middle of no where will provide fine gunnery practice

Hurricanes are entering theatre, and I hope to dispatch some wellingtons soon

Tanks, modern tanks, I cannot do yet, Rommel is occupying all of them.

You have placed a LGEN Smart in command of 1 corp, and the 7th armoured that I have
released to him.
Is he any good?
or would a British commander be more suitable for what is essentially a British task?

Yours
Winston

[1275psi]

Corridors of Parliament house, 2 minutes to question time

Ford, and Tony, a quiet conversation
Ford, agitated to the extreme.......'read this from Winston!".......I give
him our bloody finest. But he wants even more, a british commander!"

Tony reads the letter quietly.........."'A question in the house then?"
"if you bloody don't mind, Smart will be under enough pressure if he does not think we support him
100%!"

[1275psi]

Bridge, Enterprise

"Signal, from Australia sir...........their seagull reports many Japanese ships, 120 miles
North of themselves, course North, destination almost certainly Diego Garcia"

"Ok, bring the Devastators in, get em loaded with Fish.........."

[1275psi]

The enemy approach rabual
Wirriways, Australia's current front line aircraft, attack

they, of course, miss

General Blamey can, however can tell home command, that "every effort" has been
expended.

With a thousand troops landing, the wirriways do the only thing possible, a retreat south