Fabertong vs Speedy: The view from the Pole

[fabertong]

THANKS ROBERT........[:D][:D]

What tune should I be singing that to, surely not Gloria!

Sorry for the slow updates.......It's the calm after the storm.........

In the last few days ......

Mutsu made it to the HIs and is being repaired as we speak.....

Yamashiro is heading home......

I will post a full list of all the ship losses from the Wake Is. defense Op. later today......

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: fabertong

THANKS ROBERT........[:D][:D]

What tune should I be singing that to, surely not Gloria!

Sorry for the slow updates.......It's the calm after the storm.........

In the last few days ......

Mutsu made it to the HIs and is being repaired as we speak.....

Yamashiro is heading home......

I will post a full list of all the ship losses from the Wake Is. defense Op. later today......

you must have missed Terminus' guessing the tune on The Thread - it is best sung/hummed to the classic Bananarama song "Robert DeNiro's Waiting"... musicosis with this ditty has struck me intermittently over the week, and the new words suggested themselves to me while mowing the lawn (or maybe "pasture" is more accurate...)

[fabertong]

Another day....another sub attack.......Hyuga was on her way back to the HIs and was missed by USS Shark.......Shark escaped......

The first Judy's went into service on Hiyo today............

Busy at work, so will post the Wake Is. post mortum later........please excuse the brevity of this post........

[niceguy2005]

ORIGINAL: fabertong

Another day....another sub attack.......Hyuga was on her way back to the HIs and was missed by USS Shark.......Shark escaped......

The first Judy's went into service on Hiyo today............

Busy at work, so will post the Wake Is. post mortum later........please excuse the brevity of this post........

Looking forward to your summary Faber...Speedys summary was interesting. Forgive me if I missed it, but I would really be interested in hearing about what troops you had at Wake and how they did.

[fabertong]

Wake Is. Op post mortum....


I lost....major ships listed as to loss by Air or Naval gun fire......
Hiryu.......Air
Soryu......Air
Nagato.....Air
Musashi....Air
Suzuya....NGF
Furataka..NGF
Kako.......NGF
Kuma......NGF

12 DDs

7 Subs

200+ aircraft........

I know Speedy lost 2 BBs and lots of escorts..........

I think I edged the Surface battle.....but got done in air combat in a BIG way.....

The ironic thing is that I didn't need to fight the naval battle for Wake....as I won the land Battle...........

Wake Defense Force....

Imp. G. Div.
62nd N. GD.
63rd N. GD.
5th Base force
5th Coastal gun
Yokusuka 5th snlf
Yok. rs. caostal g.
21st Eng.
18th FA
3rd AA
132 IJNAF base

3000 mines.......

Coastal guns cut up Speedy's forces pretty bad......with the 5th base force also having CD.....I must point out that some of these forces were in transit.....so luck was with me.......

I stand by my decision to fight the Wake Naval battle.......he will get stronger, me weaker.....but hats off to Speedy......another Naval victory....and he got out all his LCUs to fight another day......

[DuckofTindalos]

Oooh, nasty bit of wellie you caught there, faber...

[Capt. Harlock]

First of all, many thanks for posting the summary of losses and the OOB of the Wake defenders. It's really useful for we Monday-morning quarterbacks, and also for the insight into game mechanics. I also agree with your decision to send in the IJN to interfere with the Wake landing. Sooner or later the USN will become invincible anyway, so you might as well sacrifice your ships when they'll do some good. Without the surface battles, Speedy's BB's might well have been able to take out enough of your CD guns so that his troops would have had the supply and low disruption levels they needed to overrun the place.

[niceguy2005]

Thanks for the post Faber. That battle was a lot of fun to follow. I agree with your decision also to fight the naval battle. In addition to giving about as good as they got, the IJN proved that they would slug it out with the USN at every point. Psycologically, that's big. I leaned not to mess with a determined penguin. [:-]

[fabertong]

Speedy has been out of action this week, as have I.........I'd like to say that this has given me time for a full Srategic Review.......alas, no....but a mini review is in progress......

Where will Speedy go next......

I have no idea...but this time I suspect he will bomb the living wahoo out of me when he comes.....rather than try surprise...

So.....

Wake.....he may come back so my mine layers are busy........and supply is rushing in......
Ein.........same as above
Kwaj......same as above
Tarawa...worries me.....I need to build support bases around...and get a reg. army unit in.....because snlf/ngu are limited...
NG/Solomans.......a long hard road for Speedy.......I feel ready........
Timor and the DEI.......I'm going to reinforce Amboina/Kendari and Bali.....Timor, I think is not defensable....but will keep a token force at Koepang...
China......I don't believe he is going to attack here.....
Burma....Have enough forces to make a fight..............
The north....still shows no interest..........we'll see......
In the next week I'll form new SAGs and AAGs, but will have only one of each for at least 2 weeks.....then slowly add my ships from the cripple pool........

[fabertong]

Sorry for the long delay in any update....as both Speedy and I have been busy at work.

The war grind on ......

Burma is a living h*ll for both sides as we knock each other about on the railine and at Mytk........more troops being sent to the grinder as we speak..

Speedy's sub have been busy as usual.....an average of 2 ships sunk per turn.......in fact he keep sinking ships in my ASW groups....the hunter turned hunted.......

Otherwise......I rebuild, as Speedy, I suspect plans..........

Things will continue being slow for the next couple of weeks due to work.....but by then Speedy should be ready for his next move.......

[fabertong]

Play continues to be slow....as do my updates...but I feel things are hotting up

The only main action in the last 4 turns was, and is, an ongoing raid on Palambang by Speedy's Brit. Carriers.......with Corsairs.......so despite having 2 Zero sqdrns, 2xtony's, 2xtojos .....I can't make a dent in his aircraft....and my 3xbetty and 2 x sally sqdrns......just fall from the sky........

The success of this raid I think will encourage Steven to try an Invasion later in the year in this area.......so planning begins in earnest....

The next target for Speedy's US Armada.......I think, and my staff agrees(and look how close they were about Wake)....will be Tarawa......Then he will look to roll up to Kwaj/Ein....and leave Wake isolated.........It's what I would do.......

I'll post a map of Tarawa later to show the current state..........I don't think the fleet will oppose this invasion....as most are still under repair.....I only have 2 AAGs.......with 2 fleet carriers each.....and no fit surface action group........

I need 3 months to refit and I suspect Speedy will attack in the next Month.......

50 days until 3 new fleet carriers....but with Hellcats on the horizon...what's the point.

[DuckofTindalos]

That sort of defeatist attitude will get you nowhere...[:'(]

[fabertong]

If my plan to steal 10 Corsair sqdrns from Speedy comes off.......I can still win....Special Agent "Beaky" is on the case..........we will fight to the end.....

[fabertong]

I've decided to withdraw from Mytk...........Speedy has moved 6 Chinese Divs to Lashio......I have only 100 APs there but a level 9 fort.....I am moving 1 Div. back from the railine and will try te regroup around Mandalay......

In other news Speedy sunk another 3 APs, all empty......his subs are hitting me hard every turn.......

Two weeks to Zekes.......post map later.....

[wernerpruckner]

what is the situation of your sub force ???

[fabertong]

Steven, I think is excellent at both sub and ASW.....warfare.......he sank alot in the first six months....I then held them in port or on defensive spotting missions....these helped me at Wake......will post my sub losses if you wish......and also a map of Burma next Turn........

[rtrapasso]

Sitting on Wake Island --
eyeing Speedy’s ships with bad intent.
Snot is running down his beak --
greasy flippers smearing shabby clothes.
Hey fabertong!
Drying in the cold sun --
Watching as the silly penguins run.
Hey fabertong!
Feeling like a dead duck --
spitting out pieces of his broken luck.
Oh fabertong!

Sun streaking cold --
an old bird wandering lonely.
Taking time
the only way he knows.
VPs hurting bad,
as he bends to pick a hand grenade --
he goes down to the shore
and warms his feet.

Feeling alone --
the army's up the road
salvation à la mode and
a cup of tea.
Fabertong my friend --
don't start away uneasy
you poor old sod, you see, it's only me.
Do you still remember
Aleutian's foggy freeze --
when the ice that
clings on to your beak was
screaming agony.
And you snatch your rat ‘til he last breaths
with deep-sea-diver sounds,
and explosions bloom like
flowers in the spring.

(sung/hummed to another song that i'll leave the reader to guess)

[fabertong]

Aug. 17th 1943
Myitk... fell today as my troops pulled out for the battle on the railine......I'll try to assualt him this turn and the next....and if I have no luck.....I'll pull back to the Lashio/Mandalay/Pagan line......

As I feel I will not have the strength to engage his next fleet invasion in the Cen. Pac.........I've decided to move my 2 AAGs from Guam to Singapore....to upgrade to Zekes in the next 10- 20 days.....and prep to engage the Brit. Carriers when they return.........I'll also create 3x Land based AAGs ...The weakness of the Brit Carriers is the number of planes they carry so I could make a fight .........

I'll keep all my surface forces in the HIs until I can sortie at least 4 BBs which will be at least 2 months.......by which time I'll have 3 new fleet carriers....then I'll look back to the Cen. Pac. and see where Speedy is........

[fabertong]

Map of Burma......

[fabertong]

August 23rd 1943......

Burma......Speedy's Chinese troops at Lashio today retreated into the jungle from whence they came....before I could give them a good kicking......so I'll now build the Irriwadi Defence line....and hope to hold this line until 1944 arrives....

I expect Steven to try an invasion by British forces somewhere In Malaya or Sumatra....He could outflank my forces in Burma by landing at say....Victoria point......or be more daring and land at Pedang in Sumatra.....if he can bring enough aviation support he could hold and then bomb Palambang and its' oilfields......I have some small combat units on the way....but need 90 days to bring in proper reinforcements.....

2X AAG on route to Singapore......

63rd Div sent to Kendari along with an AA unit......Special base froce sent to Amboina to shore up my soft underbelly.....

I still think he is going to hit Tarawa....so I'm builing up Malalop.....will base A6M3c and Betty 2s there...within range of his invasion force......but this is all the resistance I can offer.......will post full OOB at Tarawa later.....

All my cripples still at least a month...in most cases 3 untill operational.....

8 days till Zekes......

36 days till 3 new fleet carriers.......

Oh, and take it as read that he is bombing me back to the stone age in Burma.....and I'm still lossing at least 2 ships a day to his subs......