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Must be at least 600 ground casualties although the RAF is paying a price.

******With the 627th TD Bn, Clark*******

Col. McKechnie standing on the deck of an M-10 holding up some papers: BOYS! I've some great news! We're being rotated out!

Troops: <uproarious joy which continues for a full minute unit someone yells> WHEN IS IT, SIR?

Col. McKechnie standing on the deck of an M-10 holding up some papers: <looks downs at the papers> Yes, let me check...<face grows white> ...ummm...it's January....

Troops: OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Col. McKechnie standing on the deck of an M-10 holding up some papers: 1945..<jumps off the vehicle and starts to run>

..

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

******With the 627th TD Bn, Clark*******

Col. McKechnie standing on the deck of an M-10 holding up some papers: BOYS! I've some great news! We're being rotated out!

Troops: <uproarious joy which continues for a full minute unit someone yells> WHEN IS IT, SIR?

Col. McKechnie standing on the deck of an M-10 holding up some papers: <looks downs at the papers> Yes, let me check...<face grows white> ...ummm...it's January....

Troops: OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Col. McKechnie standing on the deck of an M-10 holding up some papers: 1945..<jumps off the vehicle and starts to run>

"FRAG THE COLONEL!"

Pretty funny!

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

******With the 627th TD Bn, Clark*******

Col. McKechnie standing on the deck of an M-10 holding up some papers: BOYS! I've some great news! We're being rotated out!

Troops: <uproarious joy which continues for a full minute unit someone yells> WHEN IS IT, SIR?

Col. McKechnie standing on the deck of an M-10 holding up some papers: <looks downs at the papers> Yes, let me check...<face grows white> ...ummm...it's January....

Troops: OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Col. McKechnie standing on the deck of an M-10 holding up some papers: 1945..<jumps off the vehicle and starts to run>

"FRAG THE COLONEL!"

DOCTOR: Man, those troops really messed up the Colonel... Nurse - prepare another transfusion, type O negative...

NURSE: Yes doctor... the Colonel keeps muttering something, like it might be important...

DOCTOR: What's he saying?

NURSE: (Listens intently to the semi-conscious patient)... I think he keeps repeating "I blame the staff..."

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

******With the 627th TD Bn, Clark*******

Col. McKechnie standing on the deck of an M-10 holding up some papers: BOYS! I've some great news! We're being rotated out!

Troops: <uproarious joy which continues for a full minute unit someone yells> WHEN IS IT, SIR?

Col. McKechnie standing on the deck of an M-10 holding up some papers: <looks downs at the papers> Yes, let me check...<face grows white> ...ummm...it's January....

Troops: OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Col. McKechnie standing on the deck of an M-10 holding up some papers: 1945..<jumps off the vehicle and starts to run>

"FRAG THE COLONEL!"

DOCTOR: Man, those troops really messed up the Colonel... Nurse - prepare another transfusion, type O negative...

NURSE: Yes doctor... the Colonel keeps muttering something, like it might be important...

DOCTOR: What's he saying?

NURSE: (Listens intently to the semi-conscious patient)... I think he keeps repeating "I blame the staff..."

A graduate of the Captain Mandrake "Diffused Management Responsibility Seminar: A New Paradigm in Credit and Blame"

Interesting fight in the Timor Sea. The good guys had been staging night bombardments of Ambon 2 nights in a row while the IJN surface boys were parked at Boela. JJ deduced a pattern and pounced. I may have missed the 3-9 combats but ...ehh.

Ah...here they are...March 9

PT squadrons at Dobo gets pushed aside by Jap DD's

Night Time Surface Combat, near Dobo at 83,116, Range 1,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Minegumo
DD Umikaze
DD Sazanami
DD Kikuzuki, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
PT-143
PT-163
PT-171, Shell hits 9, and is sunk
PT-175, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PT-298
PT-300, Shell hits 1, and is sunk

AND

Night Time Surface Combat, near Dobo at 83,116, Range 2,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Minegumo
DD Umikaze
DD Sazanami
DD Kikuzuki

Allied Ships
PT-76
PT-149, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
PT-158
PT-176, Shell hits 2, and is sunk

Dobo gets clobbered by a CA force from Boela.

Night Naval bombardment of Dobo at 83,116

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
Hudson III (LR): 8 damaged
Wirraway: 25 damaged
Wirraway: 1 destroyed on ground
Hurricane IIc Trop: 12 damaged
Hurricane IIc Trop: 1 destroyed on ground

Japanese Ships
CA Kumano
CA Mikuma
DD Amagiri
DD Yugiri
DD Uranami
DD Isonami

Allied Ships
LCI-63, Shell hits 1
YMS-85, Shell hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
PC Jumna, Shell hits 1

Allied ground losses:
306 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 18 destroyed, 42 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Guns lost 11 (1 destroyed, 10 disabled)
Vehicles lost 10 (5 destroyed, 5 disabled)

Airbase hits 38
Airbase supply hits 16
Runway hits 105
Port hits 2

But the planes covering the allied bombardment forces are not at Dobo so we push ahead...

KB strike only manages 35 bombers after wasting time bombing empty LCM's and LCVP's. We shoot them up pretty good.

Canberra takes one torp "up the chuff" and is slowed to 24 kts.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Saumlaki at 79,117

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 74 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 27 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 36
A6M3a Zero x 21
B5N2 Kate x 20
D3A1 Val x 15

Allied aircraft
Boomerang C-12 x 4
P-40K Warhawk x 18
F4F-4 Wildcat x 3

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
A6M3a Zero: 2 destroyed
B5N2 Kate: 9 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 1 destroyed by flak
D3A1 Val: 7 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Boomerang C-12: 1 destroyed
P-40K Warhawk: 1 destroyed
F4F-4 Wildcat: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
CL Honolulu
CA Canberra, Torpedo hits 1
CL Richmond

Montpelier TF has quite an effective DAY TIME bombardment of Ambon. It seems some staff idiot left the "remain on station" switch in the "on" position. Ironically, this puts them out of range of the KB but waaaay North in Injun territory.

Naval bombardment of Ambon at 76,109

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3a Zero: 6 damaged
Ki-15-II Babs: 2 damaged

Allied Ships
CL Montpelier
CL Phoenix
CL Marblehead
DD Radford
DD Cony
DD Chevalier

Japanese ground losses:
383 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 23 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 8 (1 destroyed, 7 disabled)

Airbase hits 20
Airbase supply hits 8
Runway hits 26
Port hits 27
Port supply hits 4

This leaves quite a dilemma for the "staff" to solve. Canberra can be detached and run toward Merauke which she can probably make unless the KB aggressively moves SE into the Arafua Sea. The rest of the Canberra TF can make Merauke. Two squadrons of fighters fly in to Merauke from the Solomons.

Now..what to do about the Montpelier TF, which has good fuel and is undamaged but if very low on ammo?

North toward the Philippine Sea and then toward midway? They can outrun the KB but there is a SECOND carrier TF (CV, CVL) North of Sorong. A pincer attack!! Clever baaaaahstards! Plus, even though mouseover recon showed no Netties at Kendari...this would be the perfect time to send them back. That leaves trying to escape North of Timor....

Can't go East because there is a Jap SCTF looping around Ceram to the South and only 80 from Montpelier's position. Plus, the carriers North of Sorong can move down into the narrow isthmus of New Guinea and can easily reach anything at Taberfane or Dobo of Kai-elandedn.

Looks like we go South. We head south toward Babar, hoping to reach there at night and go into port. 110 fighters fly in to Babar and Saumlaki to cover (from Darwin and Mindanao and the other Sundas)...off we go!

Will it work? Maybe not.

************Night of March 10 & daylight hours 3-11*********

JJ guesses our direction and send the approaching IJN cruiser force SW in our path.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Babar at 76,116, Range 4,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Atago, Shell hits 6
DD Makinami, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Harusame, Shell hits 2, on fire

Allied Ships
CL Marblehead, Shell hits 1
CL Phoenix
CL Montpelier, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Chevalier
DD Cony
DD Radford

Reduced sighting due to 17% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions and 17% moonlight: 5,000 yards
Range closes to 25,000 yards...
Range closes to 21,000 yards...
Range closes to 17,000 yards...
Range closes to 13,000 yards...
Range closes to 9,000 yards...
Range closes to 6,000 yards...
Range closes to 4,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 4,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 4,000 yards
Osborne R. crosses the 'T'
CL Montpelier engages CA Atago at 4,000 yards
DD Harusame engages CL Montpelier at 4,000 yards
DD Chevalier engages DD Makinami at 4,000 yards
Range closes to 3,000 yards
CL Montpelier engages CA Atago at 3,000 yards
DD Harusame engages DD Chevalier at 3,000 yards
CL Marblehead engages CA Atago at 3,000 yards
Range increases to 6,000 yards
CA Atago engages CL Montpelier at 6,000 yards
DD Chevalier engages DD Harusame at 6,000 yards
DD Makinami engages CL Marblehead at 6,000 yards
DD Chevalier engages DD Harusame at 6,000 yards
Usuku, Shuichi orders Japanese TF to disengage
Range increases to 9,000 yards
CL Montpelier engages CA Atago at 9,000 yards
DD Harusame engages DD Chevalier at 9,000 yards
CA Atago engages CL Marblehead at 9,000 yards
DD Harusame engages DD Radford at 9,000 yards
Task forces break off...

Quite an excellent performance by the USN force considering they had already expended about 90% of their main gun ammo.

One Jap DD sinks. Atago seems to be burning. Montpelier will need to go to Brisbane.

The USN TF CO elects to give up making Babar harbor and runs South toward Darwin.

The sun come up and the USN TF is about 160 SE of the KB which has moved North of Babar (because they had to be careful about Darwin. It WORKS!

I think this frustrated the IJN CO. About time after we lost Saratoga and 2 BB's to Jap subs.

Canberra almost makes Merauke and appears safe. The second JN carrier force moves down toward the New Guinea isthmus as predicted but we are clear except for a couple of LCI's.

After the second day the tally is:

IJN: One DD sunk, Atago damaged, ca. 10 Zekes, 10 carrier bombers shot down.

Allies: One 12 pt AK sunk, 2 YMS, 9 landing craft/PT boats sunk. Montpelier and Canberra damaged. Both will need Brisbane docks.

Might have been a lot worse. It was a damn good plan,

The year 2020 has changed "Thank God it's Friday" to "Thank God it's Friday and I am alive another week"