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

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: JohnnieX

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

I think we may be a week away from a Wuhan or Lombardy style lockdown. If you haven't got your 380 rolls of toilet paper yet you may be screwed but I have a suggestion. Just order the new york times. For like $3.80 a week they will DELIVER the TP to your door.

Small mercies. At least all the contributors to this AAR are all young, fit and healthy.

Speak for yourself!

Phew!

I once got Delhi Belly in a shopping centre in Chennai. I discovered that the public toilets don't have bog roll. Just a bucket and a tap (fawcett?). No flush either. I worked this out after my activities. I also discovered that I can wash my backside with my hand perfectly well when needs must.

Now you know to bring important papers with you when you travel.

[Cap Mandrake]

Vietnam: We get our asses kicked at Bien Hoa. Time to fall back and buy some black pajamas.

Ground combat at Bien Hoa (61,70)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 17168 troops, 125 guns, 107 vehicles, Assault Value = 646

Defending force 2199 troops, 26 guns, 197 vehicles, Assault Value = 134

Japanese adjusted assault: 340

Allied adjusted defense: 61

Japanese assault odds: 5 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Bien Hoa !!!

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

Japanese ground losses:
395 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 14 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Vehicles lost 2 (1 destroyed, 1 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
393 casualties reported
Squads: 10 destroyed, 17 disabled
Non Combat: 70 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 9 (6 destroyed, 3 disabled)
Vehicles lost 176 (156 destroyed, 20 disabled)
Units retreated 2
Units destroyed 1

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
37th Division
10th Tank Regiment
Guards Mixed Brigade
Sasebo 8th SNLF

Defending units:
7th Hussars Regiment
2nd Royal Tank Regiment
77th LRP Bde /3

[Cap Mandrake]

New Britain, New Ireland and New Orkneys: Sneaky LYB's put some Zekes at Kavieng but we are wise to it.

Morning Air attack on Kavieng , at 106,122

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 39 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 23

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 13

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 3 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-38G Lightning: 2 destroyed

[Cap Mandrake]

JJ has given up basing fighters at Rabaul but it's still hard to hit much from 15 Angels. It's also a level 9 base so it takes a while to reduce.

Afternoon Air attack on Rabaul , at 106,125

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 13
B-17F Fortress x 9
B-24D Liberator x 14
P-40K Warhawk x 15
F4U-1 Corsair x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
H6K4-L Mavis: 1 destroyed on ground

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 3 damaged
B-17F Fortress: 2 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 4 damaged

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

Airbase hits 3
Runway hits 6

[Cap Mandrake]

Oops... the staff forget to cancel the LB-30 raid over Kavieng. Could have been worse. The damn things are vulnerable to fighters.

Afternoon Air attack on Kavieng , at 106,122

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 10 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 6

Allied aircraft
LB-30 Liberator x 4

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
LB-30 Liberator: 2 damaged

[Cap Mandrake]

KB not spotted today. Based on route planning detours I suspect they are still North of the Marianas

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

ORIGINAL: JohnnieX

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

I think we may be a week away from a Wuhan or Lombardy style lockdown. If you haven't got your 380 rolls of toilet paper yet you may be screwed but I have a suggestion. Just order the new york times. For like $3.80 a week they will DELIVER the TP to your door.

Small mercies. At least all the contributors to this AAR are all young, fit and healthy.

Speak for yourself!

Phew!

I once got Delhi Belly in a shopping centre in Chennai. I discovered that the public toilets don't have bog roll. Just a bucket and a tap (fawcett?). No flush either. I worked this out after my activities. I also discovered that I can wash my backside with my hand perfectly well when needs must.

Now you know to bring important papers with you when you travel.

"bog roll" [:D]
[:D]

The locals were trying to convert you to Islam. [:)] We hope you used our left hand.

[Cap Mandrake]

I am having extraordinarily vivid dreams. I think it's this virus thing. I had a dream I was driving parallel to a another highway near dusk and the silhouettes of large trees lining the highway were slowly passing by, mostly eucalyptus in sepia colors with a lighter dusk sky behind. Went on forever. Very peaceful and beautiful. Looked like Santa Barbara or maybe Salinas.

Anxiety dreams too. One where I was taking a shower at like a camp shower outdoors with 3 women and one guy nagging at me to get ready for dinner. I have no idea what that means. Probably the Jap carriers again.

[Cap Mandrake]

************January 28, 1943(e)***********

Ceram/New Guinea/the Sundas: Kumano is NW of Dobo and will likely escape to the North. I try to slow them down with small surface combatants and PT boats and subs and let the USN cruiser force catch up....also to protect the landing craft unloading at Boela. Nobod really like the crew of Gemas anyway.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Gorong at 81,111, Range 9,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Kumano
DD Hamakaze
DD Minegumo
DD Kawakaze
DD Umikaze

Allied Ships
AMc Gemas, Shell hits 2, and is sunk

[Cap Mandrake]

Or SC-630 either

Night Time Surface Combat, near Boela at 80,111, Range 9,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Kumano
DD Hamakaze
DD Minegumo
DD Kawakaze
DD Umikaze

Allied Ships
SC-630, Shell hits 1, and is sunk

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

All sorts of sorties against the PT boats. They are in the death zone (14 hexes from Kendari)

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Boela at 80,110

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 2 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 0 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 24
G3M3 Nell x 13

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
PT-178
PT-175
PT-179

Aircraft Attacking:
13 x G3M3 Nell launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Boela at 80,110

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 15 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 45
G3M3 Nell x 9

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
PT-182
PT-183

Keep doing this - to divert Japs from more important targets and waste torpedoes.

[Cap Mandrake]

Good job by the PT boats protecting the landing craft even though it's not good PT boat conditions with 50% moonlight.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Boela at 80,110, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Kumano
DD Hamakaze
DD Minegumo
DD Kawakaze
DD Umikaze

Allied Ships
PT-181
PT-182
PT-183

[Cap Mandrake]

and

Night Time Surface Combat, near Boela at 80,110, Range 10,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Kumano
DD Hamakaze
DD Minegumo
DD Kawakaze
DD Umikaze

Allied Ships
PT-172
PT-175
PT-176
PT-177
PT-178
PT-179
PT-180

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Vietnam: We get our asses kicked at Bien Hoa. Time to fall back and buy some black pajamas.

Ground combat at Bien Hoa (61,70)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 17168 troops, 125 guns, 107 vehicles, Assault Value = 646

Defending force 2199 troops, 26 guns, 197 vehicles, Assault Value = 134

Japanese adjusted assault: 340

Allied adjusted defense: 61

Japanese assault odds: 5 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Bien Hoa !!!

Black Silk Pajamas!

[Cap Mandrake]

USS Wichita fails to clear the death zone by sunrise and the Netties at Kendari go wild. Sadly, she does not intercept Kumano either.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Gorong at 81,112

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid detected at 64 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 23 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 34
G3M3 Nell x 30
G4M1 Betty x 13

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIc Trop x 8
P-39D Airacobra x 8
P-40K Warhawk x 1

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 4 destroyed
G3M3 Nell: 2 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 1 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
Hurricane IIc Trop: 1 destroyed
P-39D Airacobra: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
CA Wichita
DD Wilson
DD Stronghold

[Cap Mandrake]

PT boats at Boela also attacked.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Boela at 80,110

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 12 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 14
G3M3 Nell x 9

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
PT-183
PT-182

[Cap Mandrake]

Wichita has another scare.

Raid detected at 63 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 23 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 11
G3M3 Nell x 12

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIc Trop x 4
P-39D Airacobra x 4
P-40K Warhawk x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 4 destroyed
G3M3 Nell: 2 damaged

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
CA Wichita
DD Waller

[Cap Mandrake]

And another. 69 Netty sorties so far.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Gorong at 81,112

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 33 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 44
G3M3 Nell x 13
G4M1 Betty x 13

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIc Trop x 3
P-39D Airacobra x 5
P-40K Warhawk x 3

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 2 destroyed
G4M1 Betty: 1 damaged

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
CA Wichita
DD Wilson

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

I am having extraordinarily vivid dreams. I think it's this virus thing. I had a dream I was driving parallel to a another highway near dusk and the silhouettes of large trees lining the highway were slowly passing by, mostly eucalyptus in sepia colors with a lighter dusk sky behind. Went on forever. Very peaceful and beautiful. Looked like Santa Barbara or maybe Salinas.

Anxiety dreams too. One where I was taking a shower at like a camp shower outdoors with 3 women, and one guy nagging at me to get ready for dinner. I have no idea what that means. Probably the Jap carriers again.

I put the comma in that you forgot. So why would you bother getting ready for dinner when you are showering with three women? [&:]

[Cap Mandrake]

And another. We have shot down a LOT of LYB planes today.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Gorong at 81,112

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 24 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 14
G3M3 Nell x 17

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIc Trop x 6
P-39D Airacobra x 1
P-40K Warhawk x 2

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 2 destroyed
G3M3 Nell: 3 destroyed, 3 damaged

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
CA Wichita
DD Wilson