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ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

The lovely Pininfirina styling. The aerodynamic design...and when you put the thing into a power drift it is an awesome sight.

Things have come full circle. Below is the FMTV, currently in the US Army repertoire.

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Also admiring the American jeeps in that image. [:'(]

Chickenboy, that was the first vehicle I every was licensed on. Damn, I've been in the army too long. [:(]

ORIGINAL: sprior

June 10th. Katherine holdds out for another day. I think 18th Div are trying to prove something after a brigade collapsed in 1 day of combat at Timor.
Combat modifiers
Defender: op mode(-), leaders(+), preparation(-)
Attacker: disruption(-)

Japanese ground losses:
1229 casualties reported
Squads: 7 destroyed, 99 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 81 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 22 disabled
Vehicles lost 9 (2 destroyed, 7 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
161 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 31 destroyed, 31 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Vehicles lost 55 (36 destroyed, 19 disabled)


Assaulting units:
38th Division
5th Division
40th Brigade
2nd Recon Regiment
24th Infantry Regiment
6th Guards Division
14th Guards Regiment

Defending units:
2/8th Armoured Regiment
2/10th Armoured Regiment
18th British Division
I Australian Corps
NW Australia Base Force

Evans is a strong CO. They are holding out against about 4 1/2 Jap division-equivalents. It is tempting to imagine what would happen if 32nd ID was up there too. Still, if Weasel is to work, the bulk of the Jap forces will have to get further down the track toward Alice or Queensland.

We should PRETEND to lose. [:)] They will probably bring down the division at Darwin and begin air attacks on the ground troops.

What's going on with their OP mode combat modifier, Cap'n? Are they in a defensive arrangement or attempting movement orders?

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

What's going on with their OP mode combat modifier, Cap'n? Are they in a defensive arrangement or attempting movement orders?

Yes, probably some of the sorghum harvesters were trying to get out, but I'm not sure as that is Admiral Lord Sprior's command.

I had opined that we might have 2 days before another Jap attack and suggested it might be time to beat a retreat. Things tend to go badly when he listens to me. His timing instincts are superior to mine but I think he was trying to maintain Allied unity. [:)]

The HQ and base force were in move mode.

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Oi! What's the one poor bloke doin' holding onto the metal brace at the back of the gun? Does he think he's going to stop the recoil or something? Looks like a great way to spike a unit's quadraceps contusion and / or bilaterally fractured femur numbers. [:-]

Getting ready to traverse the gun,I imagine.

ORIGINAL: sprior

Having 72 of these probably helps:

Yes it does. I think that is the full divisonal complement of 25 pdrs, which means the brigade that surrendered easily on Timor either did not have artillery or they have been replaced since.

****************June 11, 1942**************

Oz: Horn Is. fell to the 77th Regt and 35th Brigade. Some of the defenders got out by air to Cairns. I think the cute girls got out too...including the blondes. Merauke Is fell as well and some of the unfortunate survivors of Lark Bn fell into captivity. The poor pastards had been chased out of Rabaul, spent months hoofing it across New Britain, then were picked up by Catalina, only to be attacked again.

SouPac: Jap carriers seen near Tanna. This seems not a very strong carriers force based on recon, perhaps one CV and one CVE. Something is odd about this. It would be quite dangerous to be poking about with such a small force without knowing where the Allied carriers are. This could be bait to temp us within range of the LBA of New Scotland or it could be a raid on Suva or it could be there are more carriers about and this is an offensive effort aiemd at Fiji or Tonga.

The AK's unloading at Suva will go into port and hope that the squadron of P-40B's can protect them.

******************June 12, 1942*********************


Quite an interesting turn


South Pacific: A huge, unescorted raid of 33 Bettys, most likely from Noumea attacked the port at Suva. They were eventually interecepted by 18 P-40B's of 78th FS. They did achieve 5 bomb hits with 250 kg bombs, damaging the tragically named ammunition ship Pyro and 3 AK's, but they paid a high price, losing 12 Bettys and 11 damaged (with more likely to succumb on the flight home). That is the most Bettys I have ever seen in one raid and I am happy with the outcome because it is worth a couple of AK's to get rid of a couple of dozen of the nasty things.

The Kiwi Hudson squadron at Suva had two bowls of Wheaties for breakfast and attacked Jap carriers laying of Anatom. 3 Hudsons atacked (th rest were on search). Here is the interesting report:

CAP engaged:
Hiryu-1 with A6M2 Zero (3 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(3 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Raid is overhead
Shokaku-1 with A6M2 Zero (3 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(3 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Raid is overhead
Hiyo-1 with A6M2 Zero (3 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Raid is overhead
12th Ku S-1 with A6M2 Zero (7 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
7 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Raid is overhead

They encountered the fighter datai from Hiyo, Shokaku and Hiryu as well as the 12th Ku S-1 which must either be a carrier capable IJA daitai or perhaps fighters operating from Tanna?

2 Hudsons were lost but the intel is invaluable. The whole thing is beginning to look like an offensive operation to reduce Fiji's defenses.

Oz: Bettys attacked the ground troops at Cairns. The airfield would be an obvious target but the attack on ground troops seems curious. Either it is an intentional misdirection or a Jap commander with too much espresso or a preparatory attack for a landing in Queensland.

No ground attack today at Katherine. The Allied carriers are steaming up the coast. Whether there will be anything to attack remains unclear. There is definitely a downside to letting the Japs know the position of some of our carriers if they are up to somethign near Fiji.

Allied subs were on the prowl. S-40 torpedoed a DMS near Darwin and S-39 fired 8 torps at CL Kashii near Horn Is., 2 of which exploded. That will probably sink her. Meanwhile the Dutch sub, O24 put two torps into an oiler near Makassar.

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake
the 12th Ku S-1 which must either be a carrier capable IJA daitai or perhaps fighters operating from Tanna?

I'd go with the former-operating off of a CVE attached to the CV force.

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Oz: Bettys attacked the ground troops at Cairns. The airfield would be an obvious target but the attack on ground troops seems curious. Either it is an intentional misdirection or a Jap commander with too much espresso or a preparatory attack for a landing in Queensland.

recon bombing I'd say

ORIGINAL: Lomri

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Oz: Bettys attacked the ground troops at Cairns. The airfield would be an obvious target but the attack on ground troops seems curious. Either it is an intentional misdirection or a Jap commander with too much espresso or a preparatory attack for a landing in Queensland.

recon bombing I'd say

Bloody Hell! I believe you may be right. Cheeky Little Yellow Bastards.

Stalker Girl and I threw a Halloween party this year. She has this geeky porcelain Halloween village collection she likes to set out. I like it because I invite my son who brings all the hot 20 something girls in revealing costumes......oh wait.....that sounds lecherous doesn't it? Ah, what the Hell, who am I trying to kid, it IS lecherous.

I was a Club Gitmo all-expenses-paid guest of the US Govmt. in an orange jumpsuit and beard and turban. A real badd azz Al Quaeda type....U'liqqa M'dik.

My son said, "Hey Dad, that's pretty cool, did you dye your chest hair grey"? [:@] I was a little mad at him till one of his friends came up and said, "Hi Mr. Mandrake, thanks for inviting me." She was dressed a mermaid, bare to the waist with a single seashell tied over each breast. Madre de Dios! I had to keep telling myself, "focus, don't look at the headlights".

We served Omaha Steaks, thin sliced with tatziki sauce and horesradish. It was a hit. Stalker Gril got plastered. I had to go to sleep about 12:45 and just left all the hard cores downstairs. [:)] In the morning, I was picking stuff up and found a single, breast-sized seashell on the floor. I wish I could have been there to help.

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Stalker Girl and I threw a Halloween party this year. She has this geeky porcelain Halloween village collection she likes to set out. I like it because I invite my son who brings all the hot 20 something girls in revealing costumes......oh wait.....that sounds lecherous doesn't it? Ah, what the Hell, who am I trying to kid, it IS lecherous.

I was a Club Gitmo all-expenses-paid guest of the US Govmt. in an orange jumpsuit and beard and turban. A real badd azz Al Quaeda type....U'liqqa M'dik.

My son said, "Hey Dad, that's pretty cool, did you dye your chest hair grey"? [:@] I was a little mad at him till one of his friends came up and said, "Hi Mr. Mandrake, thanks for inviting me." She was dressed a mermaid, bare to the waist with a single seashell tied over each breast. Madre de Dios! I had to keep telling myself, "focus, don't look at the headlights".

We served Omaha Steaks, thin sliced with tatziki sauce and horesradish. It was a hit. Stalker Gril got plastered. I had to go to sleep about 12:45 and just left all the hard cores downstairs. [:)] In the morning, I was picking stuff up and found a single, breast-sized seashell on the floor. I wish I could have been there to help.

Now, that sounds like a REAL party [:D]

ORIGINAL: Grollub
Now, that sounds like a REAL party [:D]

And I slept through the best part [:)] Just as well, something bad might have happened.

Interesting sign in today "YIDFUN", (Yiddish slang for really cranking kegger)

Sign seen near my office today:


Lucinda's Restaurant and Fruteria


I'm not quite sure but I think it is a combination restaurant and gay bar. I'll go check it out later.

Another funny sign near the office:

World Famous Psychic


Well, if she is really "world famous" why does she need a big sign, eh?

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Another funny sign near the office:

World Famous Psychic


Well, if she is really "world famous" why does she need a big sign, eh?

She knows you didn't know.

ORIGINAL: HMS Resolution

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Another funny sign near the office:

World Famous Psychic


Well, if she is really "world famous" why does she need a big sign, eh?

She knows you didn't know.

Holy crap! You are right! She IS good. I'm going over there at lunch and see what she thinks about the Japs invading Fiji or Queensland and whether I should send the carriers close to Port Moresby. Maybe Admiral Lord Sprior will split the fees with me.