The Battle Under: The Allies Fight Back

[tocaff]

November 2, 1942 P-38Gs In Action

Intel

Southern Fleet is located at Singapore.
6173 men are based at Taipei.
18988 men are based at Shikka.
8th Reserve AA Regiment is located at Lunga.
Radio transmissions detected 43 miles N of Lashio.
52nd Road Construction Battalion is located 59 miles NE of Chungking.
Yokosuka Reserve Coastal Artillery Regiment is located at Tokyo.
13th AA Regiment is located at Maizuru.

Recon

SB-2 takes recon photos of Heiho 9 LCUs 70360/806/31
Pe-2 takes recon photos of Mishan 4 LCUs 0/5/152
Pe-2 takes recon photos of Mutanchiang 7 LCUs 23020/350/157
R-12 takes recon photos of Changkufeng 5 LCUs 36300/362/5
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Mandalay 162 fighters, 283 aux, 13 LCUs 56060/472/11
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Tarawa 4 LCUs 22260/109/0
Do 24K-2 takes recon photos of Gili Gili 6 LCUs 2180/4/0
R-12 takes recon photos of Arshaan 2 LCUs 5280/74/0
R-12 takes recon photos of Tsitsihar 6 LCUs 28200/308/12
SB-2 takes recon photos of Chiamussu 6 LCUs 24000/288/9
SB-2 takes recon photos of Hailar 7 LCUs 41080/329/10
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Tulagi 10 LCUs

Combat

An eye will be kept on Gili Gili, but in a way so as not to call attention to the recon.

MSW Romney continues sweeping ops at Trimcomalee.

S-23 is attacked twice by 4 IJN DDs near Koepang, but escapes with no damage as she continues to patrol the area.

An IJN TF detects mines at Palembang.

Another day, another sweep by 34 X Tony at Kungchang and 3 brave Chinese pilots rise to meet them in their I-153cs only to all get shot down.

24 X P-38G roll in on the airfield at Lashio and no Japanese planes were in the air. After strafing and destroying 2 X Dinah they head home having lost 1 plane and a couple more sustained damage caused by ground fire. This is the first action of the war for the Lightnings.

The IJN launched an attack on Broome with 45 X Val and 65 X Kate. They damaged the airfield and it's facilities moderately and suffered no loses.

The artillery exchanges continue at the rail junction and the Allies suffer moderate casualties. There were no reports of any Japanese loses.

S-28 has managed to prevent any further damage, but with so many systems inoperable and so many leaks to keep an eye on it's touch and go at best as to if she can reach safety.

Damn it's getting cold, thinks Bill as he watches the radar over the shoulder of it's operator. The man turns and says, “That's probably a patrol plane out of one of the Alaskan bases.” as he points to a blip on the screen. “I'll keep a close eye on it though just to be sure.” Bill thanks the man and checks in on sonar. Nothing to report there thankfully and he returns to his cabin for what he hopes will be an uneventful sleep after writing to Sandy.

Gunny is taking a nap under a palm tree while some of the platoon are lazing around and others are splashing in the surf. The men have been warned not to go out to far as sharks have been known to be in this area. About four of the men are missing because they've decided that building a still is more important that a day at the beach.

Pete can't get over having a pretty young female having feelings for him, despite his obvious shortcoming. He told her that he's got to take things slowly until he gets comfortable with the idea of a possible relationship. She gave him the OK while saying that he should take his time. Now he wonders when the ship will be in Brisbane that's supposed to have space for him on it. Things sure are crazy.

Orsini is sleeping away his trip westwards as the train relentlessly eats up the miles as is clatters on it's way.

Phil and LCDR Worthington made an inspection of the work being done on the Benham. It's progressing quickly as the work gangs go around the clock, 7 days a week. There's a shortage of yard space and much waiting to be done.

Ed reads the reports from Australia and has to admit that despite the initial successes of Operation Grinder he's got a bad feeling about how things are going in the push towards Darwin. After setting those reports aside he stares at a document relating to Operation Snowball. The United States is going to hit the targets with overwhelming strength, as he suggested, to insure that the objectives are taken and to clearly send a message to the Japanese that war has entered a new phase. He looks at the reports from Africa and Europe and notes:

The German 3 PZ Korps took Alagil yesterday.

Today there was more bitter street fighting in Stalingrad.

The German Army Group A has stopped it's advance because of supply and weather problems.

Operation Supercharge, the breakout at El Alamein started today.

He then looks at his watch and prepares to leave for yet another of the endless staff meetings.

Victory Points Japanese 17481 Allied 6052










P-38

[tocaff]

November 3, 1942 Washington DC

Intel

22nd Heavy AA Battalion is located 60 miles NE of Chungking.
Elements of the 17th Mixed Brigade are located at Shanghai.
3923 men are based at Nagato.
11743 men are based at Paramushiro Jima.
15th Aviation Rgt is located at Batavia.
Elements of the 70th Division are located at Nanchang.
34th Division is located 50 miles NE of Chungking.
5911 men are based at Niigata.
111780 men are based at Kwajalein.
5th Engineer Regiment is located at Port Moresby.
41818 men are based at Changchun.

Recon

F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Rangoon 44 fighters, 86 bombers, 116 aux, 2 AKs, 4 PTs, 3 APDs, 20 LCUs
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Makin 4 LCUs 7200/24/0
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Russell Islands nothing detected
Do 24K-2 takes recon photos of Port Moresby 28 LCUs

Combat

SS Permit attacks an IJN convoy 27 miles from Tokyo, but missed or the fish were duds. Her skipper enters in the log that he can not believe that all of the torpedoes missed at such an ideal firing solution after a text book surface approach on a moonless night. The escorts then tried to attack her, but they only managed to drive Permit off without damaging her.

34 X Tony arrived right on schedule over Kungchang, but the Chinese offered no opposition so after weaving around for a while the Japanese pilots departed.

42 X Val and 64 X Kate hit Derby doing moderate damage to the runway and base facilities while losing no planes.

The Japanese and Allied troops continued the shelling at the rail junction. The Allies suffered light casualties and the Japanese were again without loses despite the Allies having amassed over 550 guns.

Tarpon leaves the yard at Sydney and is bound for Brisbane.

It's apparent that the Soviets didn't supply any reports today to their Allies. Ed knows that there's nothing to do except to continue sending intel to the Soviets as per orders from the White House.

Today was Election Day in the United States and despite the way the war is going it's expected that there will be no radical changes in the government or it's policies.

Orsini is amazed at how fast he's able to cross the country by train. He always thought that they made many stops along the way, but this one is different. It rarely stops and then only for a short time as even more soldiers and sailors board it. Th rush to use the bathroom in the station is a hopeless effort and as a result on the opposite side of the train from it many men busily empty their bladders.

The still is up and running. The concoction is raw and potent. Now they have to figure out a way to keep their still with them once they ship out. The tubing isn't the problem, the tank is. “For a free share of the hooch I'm sure everyone in the platoon will want to carry a piece of the still,” says one of the men.

Stalin asks his advisers when new, longer ranged recon planes will be available for keeping an eye on the Japanese. The answer is that probably within 3 months the aircraft will be in place. Stalin grunts and turns his attention to the situation versus the Germans.

[tocaff]

November 4, 1942 Washington DC

Intel

3rd Air Army is located at Singapore.
1835 men are based at Gumma.
3rd AA Regiment is located at Tokyo.
1st Division is located at Harbin.
8th Division is located at Heiho.
21st Division is planning for an attack on Chungking.
13th Army is planning for an attack on Chungking.
6937 men are based at Shimuzu.
16th AA Regiment is loaded on AP,Giyu Maru moving to Darwin.
4317 men are based at Pusan.
187092 men are based at Saipan.
14th Coastal Gun Regiment is located at Rabaul.
150th IJA Base Force is located at Tokyo.
3361 men are based at Hamamatsu.
Kitachishima Fortress is located at Paramushiro Jima.

Recon

PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Makin 4 LCUs 10340/33/0
Do 24K-2 takes recon photos of Port Moresby 16 fighters, 38 aux, 28 LCUs
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Lunga 12 LCUs 9860/74/0
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Rangoon 4 AKs, 2 APs, 4 PTs, 55 fighters, 109 bombers, 194 aux and 20LCUs

Combat

160 X B-17E and 4 X Do 24K-2 raided Port Moresby and the Japanese CAP of 25 X Zero and 13 X Tony engaged them. The B-17Es accounted for 11 X Zero destroyed and 4 more damaged while 2 X Tony were downed and another 2 were damaged. A Do 24K-2 was shot down as were 9 X B-17E and 37 were damaged. The air field suffered heavily as it's facilities, supply dumps and runway were pounded.

The Japanese and Allies continued to bombard each other at the rail junction with the Allies suffering moderately and the Japanese lightly.

Benham remains berthed at Pearl Harbor as the work continues and her crew enjoys liberties. Phil marvels at how well the crew has been toeing the line.

S-28 continues her battle against the sea and though the crew has managed to get more systems back in operating order the sub is still barely able to hold her own against the seawater that continues to match her pumps ounce for ounce.

The Soviets have again neglected to supply any information about Japanese troops dispositions. Ed sighs and longs for the problems that come with being at sea. He's heard nothing concerning getting out of this job. It's days like today that he envies Bill's escape from here. He saw that American journalists interviewed Stalin and he described the US military aid as having little effect. In the daily brief that he gets he reads that:

Yesterday Hitler refused to grant permission for Rommel to pull back to the Fuka line.

Today the Italian 20th Mot. Corps was destroyed. The British took 10.7K Axis POWs, including 9 generals. Rommel ordered a retreat.

What kind of madness is this where a commander isn't allowed to command, he wonders.

At the White House FDR is fuming as he's aware of Stalin's comments about the aid. “That no good...he's never happy no matter what. All he wants is that second front. George (Marshall) there are times when I believe that Winston is right about Moscow and Stalin in particular.”

Red and Cookie are relaxing when the sound of a plane engine is heard. Both of them start to scan the sky and Red spots the plane first, “It looks like one of our patrols.”

The two of them return to their thoughts and Red says, “Do you think that the skipper would mind if I slept on the deck? It's so hot below that I can't sleep.”

Cookie responds, “Why don't you ask him? I'll bet he wouldn't mind and why don't you ask for all of us. I can't get much sleep, either in that oven. I swear that it's hotter than the galley.”

An hour later Red rejoins Cookie, who's busy in the galley. “The skipper says it's OK with him as long as we continue to do our jobs.”

Orsini has noticed that there are mountains in the distance. Not long after the sun has set and he fallen asleep again. Somebody sitting close to Joe remarks that Orsini could sleep on a bed of nails. This trait will serve him well as in the future the Marines will be in less than comfortable places.

Sandy wonders what Bill is doing right now. She's reread his letters a number of times as there haven't been any new ones arriving lately. She's lonely and having Dave around with his not being able to work isn't helping things.

The election results, though not official, indicate that FDR has retained the White House for another 4 years.

[tocaff]

November 5, 1942 Brisbane

Intel

4436 men are based at Hanoi.
20th Road Construction Battalion is located at Mandalay.
1st Reserve AA Regiment is located at Kyoto.
65th Construction Battalion is located at Kagoshima.
136th IJA Base Force is located at Wotje.
2494 men are based at Kyoto.
10540 men are based at Etorofo Jima.
7th Construction Battalion is located 37 miles NE of Chungking.
45th Road Construction Battalion is located at Chiamussu.
149th IJA Base Force is located at Tokyo.
23rd Engineer Regiment is located at Inch'on.

Recon

F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Andaman Island 7 aux, 5 LCUs 7420/49/5
Do 24K-2 takes recon photos of Port Moresby 20 fighters, 44 aux, 28 LCUs
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Apamama nothing sighted

Combat

30 X Tony swept Kungchang and a lone I-153c rose to meet them. The pilot took off against Stand Down orders and the Japanese made sure that he'd never have the opportunity to disobey an order again.

44 X Val (1 damaged) and 62 X Kate attacked Derby's port facilities doing light damage. The MSW Gympie was hit by 2 bombs which did heavy damage and left her burning.

An IJN sub believed to have been the SS I-122 tried to attack a convoy 110 miles NE of Noumea, but the escorts caught her and proceeded to claim that they scored multiple hits, causing suspected heavy damage to the sub.

A Japanese bombardment at the rail junction caused heavy Allied casualties while the Allied reply caused moderate loses among the Japanese troops.

An Allied ground attack 32 miles outside of Derby caused heavy Japanese loses while the attackers had light casualties. The attack did fail to dislodge the defenders though and the route to Wyndham remains blocked.

Huge amounts of supplies and fuel continue to pour into Canton Island and it's been built up more than anyone ever envisioned. The Sea Bees are now going to turn their attention to Baker Island in preparation for the main Snowball targets of Tarawa and Makin.

Sleeping on the deck of the Palawan is much more comfortable, but Red is a bit uneasy as it makes him more afraid of a torpedo hitting them and him flying into the ocean again. He puts his arm over Lucky, who moans, and falls back to sleep.

Sandy is sitting staring at the moon. There's nothing else to do except listen to the radio with Dave and his moping around is depressing her even more. She longs for a letter from Bill, but nothing comes.

Pete has decided that he's been a fool. The people here in Australia have been nothing but good to him, except for one woman, why does he want to leave? There's nothing back in the States for me, he thinks. If I don't give it a go with Sylvia I need to get my head examined, not this damned stump. As easily as that Pete has decided that his life is about to take a new track.

[Capt. Harlock]

FDR is pleased to have won another term as President. There really was little doubt as a change of leadership during a war would be rare.

Reuters -- Congress today formally announced the impeachment of FDR for moving the presidential election up two years.[:D]

[tocaff]

Ouch!  You're right.  I'll have to go back and check my source.  Shame on me! 

[tocaff]

November 6, 1942 Trimcomalee

Intel

11739 men are based at Paramushiro Jima.
52nd Road Construction Battalion is located 34 miles NE of Chungking.
6th Field Artillery Regiment is located 36 miles NE of Chungking.
8th Heavy Artillery Brigade is located at Mutanchiang.
36th Construction Battalion is located at Canton.
4480 men are based at Hanoi.
67th Construction Battalion is located at Toyama.
11th Ind. Brigade is located 19 miles N of Chungking.
37th Division is located 33 miles NE of Chungking.
51st Heavy AA Battalion is loaded on AP,Anzan Maru moving to Darwin.
Chinkai Base Force is located at Masan.
Elements of the 8th Mongolian Cavalry Division are located 21 miles S of Chengting.
5857 men are based at Takamatsu.
100509 men are based at Heiho.
Radio transmissions detected at Vancouver.

Recon

SB-2 takes recon photos of Heiho 9 LCUs 85660/1035/30
R-12 takes recon photos of Arshaan 2 LCUs 5860/69/0
R-12 takes recon photos of Tsitsihar 6 LCUs 27560/298/18
Pe-2 takes recon photos of Mutanchiang 8 LCUs 24580/403/142
R-12 takes recon photos of Changkufeng 5 LCUs 35220/355/8
SB-2 takes recon photos of Hailar 7 LCUs 31900/349/8
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Taung Gyi nothing spotted
Do 24K-2 takes recon photos of Port Moresby 57 fighters, 28 aux, 28 LCUs
Pe-2 takes recon photos of Mishan 4 LCUs 3520/20/135
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Lunga 12 LCUs 6200/50/0

Combat

Trimcomalee was attacked without any warning by 51 X Zero, 70 X Val and 71 X Kate. 10 X Seafire, 6 X Fulmar and 19 X Hurricane intercepted the raid destroying 10 X Zero, 4 X Val (29 damaged) and 3 X Kate (7 damaged). The Allies suffered 3 X Seafire destroyed 1 damaged, 5 X Fulmar downed and 16 X Hurricanes lost. The RN fleet was sitting in port and the initial reports though not good could have been worse.

BC Repulse, Bomb hits 4, moderate systems damage
CV Formidable, Bomb hits 6, moderate systems damage
BB Prince of Wales, Bomb hits 4, on fire/under control, heavy systems damage
CV Illustrious, Bomb hits 3, no damage
CL Birmingham, Bomb hits 1, moderate systems damage
BB Valiant, Bomb hits 1, no damage
CV Indomitable, Bomb hits 1, no damage
BB Warspite, Bomb hits 2, light damage
CA Devonshire, Bomb hits 1, moderate systems damage
CL Glasgow, Bomb hits 1, light damage

All fires are under control and expected to be out shortly.

The port facilities suffered light damage.

The question immediately was raised as to how the IJN managed to slip into range to launch an attack without being spotted? An official investigation will be launched immediately.

15 X Seafire, 18 X Fulmar and 21 X Swordfish attacked the IJN TF about 186 miles SW of Trimcomalee and were bounced by 21 X Zero. Fighting their way through the CAP 4 X Seafire were lost and another 3 were damaged, 3 X Fulmar were downed and 1 damaged while the Swordfish lost 8 and another 5 were shot up while the Japanese lost 7 X Zero. The Swordfish managed to put a torpedo into the CV Kaga and another into the CV Akagi setting both of them on fire.

Another attack of 11 X Seafire and 6 X Swordfish followed and 7 X Zero met it. The British lost 2 X Seafire, 1 damaged and 3 X Swordfish to the Japanese who lost 1 Zero. No hits were reported.

Later that day above the IJN CVTF 197 miles SW of Trimcomalee the CAP of 13 X Zero spotted an inbound raid by the British made up of 14 X Seafire, 9 X Fulmar and 7 X Swordfish, 6 of which were damaged. The CV Akagi was reported to have been hit by 2 fish, suffering heavy damage and burning.

12 minutes later the 13 X Zero on CAP spotted another attack on the way in comprised of 4 X Seafire, 2 X Fulmar and 6 X Swordfish. In the running battle the CAP lost planes while the British suffered a damaged Seafire, a Fulmar downed and 1 Swordfish splashed while 4 more were damaged. The BB Mutsu was struck by a torpedo and was reported to be on fire.

Derby was hit again by 10 X Zero, 31 X Val and 8 X Kate and suffered light damage.

At Wyndham the Japanese attack and hammer a British tank formation, forcing it to retreat with both sides suffering heavy loses in the fight.

The Japanese artillery bombardment continued at the rail junction inflicting moderate loses on the Allied forces. The Allied gunners, though busy didn't inflict any damage at all on the Japanese.

At 25,85 the Allies attacked the Japanese blocking force and inflicted moderate casualties, forcing the Japanese to retreat. The Aussies loses were light.

29 X Tony arrived at Kungchang and cruised around in lazy circles waiting for opposition that never arrived.

Ed stares at the line in the report about the radio transmissions at Vancouver. He supposes that efforts are being made to track these down, but a mobile radio in a large area would be hard to find, especially if the messages are kept short.

Sylvia sits and listens to Pete with a smile on her face. When he's done telling her what he wants to do she says, “That's OK with me. We'll take things at whatever we think is a comfortable pace.” They then briefly and gently embrace each other.

Elaine's father has just finished telling her that Bill is a naval officer and there is a war on so that it's entirely possible that he was assigned to some other duty. He wonders where he went wrong and she became such a self centered woman.

Benham is nearing completion of the work being done on her and Phil has had enough of life ashore. Lazing around just doesn't seem to be as comfortable as it once was, not to long ago. Yet that short amount of time seems like forever.

[gladiatt]

ORIGINAL: tocaff

November 6, 1942 Trimcomalee

Combat

Trimcomalee was attacked without any warning
The question immediately was raised as to how the IJN managed to slip into range to launch an attack without being spotted? An official investigation will be launched immediately.

With KB sailing nearly 12 hex per day, it could well lurk undetected around West Sumatra and than sprint in one day toward Ceylon.

Pretty good counter strike by your meager forces ! [&o].
Even if the japs don't loose any ship, it could lead him to withdraw, in order to preserve his ships !

[tocaff]

November 7, 1942

Intel

6186 men are based at Taipei.
3567 men are based at Nagoya.
163 aircraft are based at Mukden.
24th AA Regiment is located at Nagasaki.
21st Air Flotilla is located at Singapore.
10th Hvy Gun Regiment is located at Heiho.
38th Road Construction Battalion is located at Singapore.
8th Tank Regiment is located at Singapore.
12th Heavy AA Battalion is located at Nagoya.
Funauke Fortress is located at Sakashima.
Nagasaki Fortress is located at Nagasaki.
55th Division is located at Myitkyina.

Recon

PBY Catalina has spotted Kaga at 16,31 Speed 12, Moving SE
PBY Catalina sighting report: 8 Japanese ships at 16,33 , Speed 13 , Moving SE

Combat

S-23 attacked a convoy 141 miles from Darwin but failed to hit anything. She suffered moderate systems damage and is now heading for home.

An IJN sub attacked a convoy 217 miles from Karachi and put a torpedo into the TK Empire Metal. The escorts responded vigorously and once contact was established they claimed to have hit the sub multiple times. The TK should be able to make port.

Another IJN sub attacked a convoy bound for San Francisco, hitting the AK John C, Fremont with a torpedo causing heavy damage and fires. Within 40 minutes of being hit the stricken ship AK slipped beneath the waves. The escorts located the sub and claimed to have hit it repeatedly. They later encountered the sub again and claimed to have made several more hits.

The Tonys appeared over Kungchang again, but they met with no opposition as the Chinese have only a few planes left to fly against them and nobody wants to commit suicide.

The first raid on Lunga was carried out by a force of 84 X B-24D and 5 X PB2Y along for a look see. The Japanese had 33 X Zero up and waiting, but they were roughly handled as 8 X Zero were downed and 17 more got damaged. The Liberators destroyed 3 X Betty on the ground and did moderate damage to the air base and the troops there at a cost of 7 planes lost and 43 damaged.

Derby was attacked twice by the IJN's planes again today, doing light damage to the field and port. The MSW Gympie took 2 more bomb hits and she was heavily damaged and on fire. She settled into the waters where she's berthed and her crew swam to shore. There was never any chance for an escape once IJN CVs were in the area.

At the rail junction near Darwin the Japanese bombardment inflicted heavy casualties today while the Allied response resulted in light Japanese loses.

Allied commanders are calling for more troops to be committed to Operation Grinder immediately as the Japanese forces in Australia appear to be much stronger than anyone ever anticipated.

Ed reads that:

A peace treaty was signed in Madagascar with the Vichy French a couple of days ago.

Yesterday the British 8th Army took 20K POWs.

Yesterday Stalin gave a speech to the Congress of Soviet Deputies and he warned the US and the UK that the lack of a second front may end badly for the Allies and all freedom loving peoples.

The last item draws more than a passing sarcastic thought from Ed as he thinks of Stalin's purges in the 1930's. His thoughts turn to the RN and how with obsolete planes they managed to hurt the KB. Maybe we should send them some more capable plane types and they could win the naval war for us. There's been no response of any kind concerning his speaking to Frank Knox about getting out of the Pentagon and Ed decides to take the next opportunity to raise the subject with FDR.

Red lies on his back staring at the stars wondering what the future holds and suddenly his peaceful thoughts are disrupted by a dog's tongue bathing his face.

Pete and Sylvia went into town and walked around talking the whole time. She's so easy to talk to and I'm so relaxed around her, Pete thinks. Pete's stamina has greatly improved lately and Sylvia finally asks if they can stop in the shop across the street and get something cold to drink.

Still no letters from Bill and Sandy decides to take a long walk in the mountains. She enjoys the familiar views and scolds herself for not having done more hiking lately.

[Capt. Harlock]

At the rail junction near Darwin the Japanese bombardment inflicted heavy casualties today while the Allied response resulted in light Japanese loses.

Which side was supposed to get ground again?[:D]

[tocaff]

November 8, 1942

Intel


Iki Fortress is located at Ikitsuki.
13th Division is planning for an attack on Chungking.
Ryojun Fortress is located at Port Arthur.
111th IJN Base Force is located at Shikka.
2nd AA Regiment is located at Tokyo.
17th Reserve Coastal Artillery Regiment is located at Niigata.
62nd Construction Battalion is located at Lunga.
1818 men are based at Fushan.
187083 men are based at Saipan.
1st Aviation Rgt is located at Johore Bahru.
4596 men are based at Toyama.

Recon

Do 24K-2 takes recon photos of Port Moresby 50 fighters, 28 LCUs

Combat

IJN aircraft again attacked Derby causing light casualties and moderate damage to the airfield and it's facilities.

The artillery exchanges continued at the rail junction and the Allies suffered heavy casualties while the Japanese almost none at all. I find these results very strange as the number of guns is roughly equal, but the results aren't at all.

S-28 is losing her battle against the sea as her flooding is worsening. The question is can she make it to Cairns which is 300 miles away.

Ed is aware that Operation Grinder appears to have stalled and wonders what it's commanders have up their sleeves to get things moving again. He turns his attention back to other matters that cross his desk and his day drags on.

Sandy seems a bit more cheerful today, but Dave is wary of telling her that no mail came again. She takes the news in stride and tells him that either she gets on with her life or she'll become a war casualty.

Pete has been taking some good natured joking around from his fellow patients about Sylvia. He laughs and tells them to eat their hearts out.

Phil spends the day at the yard in Pearl Harbor with his skipper. They are checking on their ship as it nears completion. After a through inspection they leave the base and go out for a meal and something to drink. As they walk down a street in Honolulu one of their crew staggers by, drunk as a skunk. The man stops dead in his tracks, tries to turn around and falls flat on his face. Suddenly three other men from the Benham appear and they snap to attention, salute and make their apologies for their shipmate. They swear up and down that they'll take the man back to the base and avoid any trouble. Phil shrugs after the men are gone and says that maybe he can scare the Japanese Navy too.

[Capt. Harlock]

he artillery exchanges continued at the rail junction and the Allies suffered heavy casualties while the Japanese almost none at all. I find these results very strange as the number of guns is roughly equal, but the results aren't at all.

IIRC, the game is sophisticated enough to take into account the sizes and ranges of the various guns. Number of guns is just a summary -- you could be outmatched in weight of metal. It could also be you're up against more experienced gunners.

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

he artillery exchanges continued at the rail junction and the Allies suffered heavy casualties while the Japanese almost none at all. I find these results very strange as the number of guns is roughly equal, but the results aren't at all.

IIRC, the game is sophisticated enough to take into account the sizes and ranges of the various guns. Number of guns is just a summary -- you could be outmatched in weight of metal. It could also be you're up against more experienced gunners.

i've found a lot of it has to do with relative supply... i am currently in an artillery duel in China where i am outnumbered and have worse troops, but i consistently inflict more casualties... i think this is due to supply considerations.

Another factor is forts: if the IJA has been in the hex for a while, they are probably dug in - i.e. - they may have a few forts more than the Allies, which will also make a difference in casualties.

[tocaff]

The artillery dues are taking place in open terrain.  Allied supply is good.  Artillery units are engaged as are infantry divisions. 

Luck of the roll?  Oh well......

[tocaff]

November 9, 1942 Darwin

Intel

2nd Air Division is located at Harbin.
2473 men are based at Kyoto.
125 aircraft are based at Changchun.
6715 men are based at Iwo Jima.
7th Coastal Gun Regiment is located at Ominato.
102nd IJN Base Force is located at Paramushiro Jima.
Elements of the 110th Division are located at Paotang.
3569 men are based at Nagoya.
187074 men are based at Saipan.
11th AA Regiment is located at Osaka/Kobe.
7th Base Force is located at Bonin.
12th Heavy AA Battalion is located at Nagoya.

Recon

R-12 takes recon photos of Arshaan 2 LCUs 6160/69/0
Pe-2 takes recon photos of Mishan 4 LCUs 1300/20/158
Pe-2 takes recon photos of Mutanchiang 8 LCUs 25060/373/187
R-12 takes recon photos of Changkufeng 5 LCUs 36160/354/1
SB-2 takes recon photos of Hailar 7 LCUs 39340/305/2
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Rahaeng nothing detected
Do 24K-2 takes recon photos of Port Moresby 28 LCUs
SB-2 takes recon photos of Heiho 9 LCUs 69200/779/33
R-12 takes recon photos of Tsitsihar 6 LCUs 28260/335/15

Combat

154 X B-17E attacked Gili Gili and the Japanese had 33 X Zero aloft to greet them.
The Zeros aggressively tried to defend their base losing 14 planes and 7 others were damaged. 5 of the big bombers went down and another 59 suffered damage. They destroyed a Betty and 3 Nells on the ground and did moderate damage to the base itself.

18 X Bettys hit Baker Island doing negligible damage. It was reported that 8 of the attackers were damaged by flak.

The artillery bombardments at the rail junction saw the Allies suffer heavy casualties again while the Japanese loses were very light.

Tarpon arrived in Brisbane and workers swarmed over her to complete unfinished repairs.

Ed had a gut feeling that when the Australians put tremendous pressure on Washington that the result was going to be things weren't going to go as planned. Grinder has been revised as the Wyndham contingent is pulling back and will join the Darwin force at the rail junction. While this is going on 2 artillery units should arrive there and an additional 2 infantry divisions will also make it there. It is hoped that this concentrated force will dent the Japanese defenses. Not much I can do about this mess as it's the Army's domain, he sighs. Reading through the reports he notes that:

Operation Torch began yesterday.

Today naval battles off of Oran and Casablanca saw three French destroyers sunk.

Pete and Sylvia sit having lunch together on a bench under a tree offering some relief from the sun. She asked him what it was like fighting the Japanese.

“It's scary, but mostly boring,” Pete answers. “There's not much I can really say other than the terror of life in battle is hard to describe. Those men fighting the Japanese now trying to retake Darwin are in for a rough time of it. The Japanese don't seem to have any fear. They just keep coming at you.”

“I'm sorry to have made you think of those horrible days,” she says and hugs him.

The boredom is getting to the men of the Palawan. Cookie tries to make things a little better by surprising one of the men with a birthday cake. Everybody sings to him. If it had been nighttime the song would've been skipped as they're afraid to make noise that a cruising sub could hear. Damned war, thinks Cookie.

Cables and notes have been exchanged between Washington and Moscow, but still Stalin demands a second front and won't budge about basing rights in the PTO.

Sandy is overjoyed that a letter came today. She doesn't care that it's old and must've been lost in the shuffle. She devours each and every word and then sits writing a letter to Bill. She pours her heart out and when she's done goes out on the porch to join Dave for a hot cup of coffee and some star gazing.

[tocaff]

November 10, 1942 Off the California Coast

Intel

1st Reserve Tank Regiment is located at Kitakyushu.
31st Road Construction Battalion is located at Changchun.
1st Parachute Regiment is located at Singapore.
4th Engineer Regiment is located at Darwin.
Radio transmissions detected at Wyndham.
103rd IJA Base Force is located at Hailar.
272430 men are based at Tokyo.
1st Mortar Regiment is located at Sasebo.
Sasebo 1st SNLF is located at Tulagi.
12th AA Regiment is located at Peking.

Recon

F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Pagan 1 LCU 1140/0/0
Do 24K-2 takes recon photos of Buna nothing detected

Combat

SS S-44 was attacked by 6 IJN DDs near Darwin suffering moderate systems damage and heavy flooding. Her crew is now locked in a desperate battle against the sea for survival.

Derby was attacked again by IJN carrier aircraft with light casualties and moderate damage to the runway being done.

Allied forces at the rail junction suffered moderate loses to the Japanese artillery bombardment while the Japanese had light casualties from the Allied barrage.

Ed studies the papers on his desk and takes special note of the news that:

The American Army took Oran and the British took Sidi Barrani today.

An orderly comes into his office and hands him a note that says:

Today FDR announced the breaking-off of diplomatic relations with Vichy France.

He decides to call it a day and as he is driven home he wonders what the implications will be for the Vichy French as things seem to be going from bad to worse for them. He'll probably know more very soon as lots of meetings have been scheduled for the next few days.

Red and Cookie sit on a cargo hatch watching Lucky chewing on a bone. They've been discussing their business venture and wonder what will happen to it if they remain in these southern waters for long. Rumor has it that they'll be based out of Australia, but Cookie isn't one who pays much attention to rumors.

Sylvia has asked Pete if he'd like to go to her parent's home this coming Sunday for dinner. He said OK to it, but he's very nervous at the prospect. He inwardly laughs at himself for acting like a school boy.

Joe Orsini boards a ship that will take him to Pearl Harbor. He'll then be transported to the 2nd Marine Division. He has to admit that he's excited and scared at the same time. He's never been to sea before and once they sail the inevitable line of men at the ship's rail forms. Joe is one of them as he violently throws up again. It's bad below decks and the smell is getting progressively worse despite the best efforts of the men to keep things clean. Joe feels like he's never felt before and each time he thinks that he's finally settled down the heaves hit again. As he exhaustively sits on the deck a man flops down next to him.

“You seasick too?” asks Orsini.

“Nah,” the man replies, “I get sick at the sight of somebody else throwing up. There's a doctor who's handing out pills that are supposed to help and he's telling everyone to drink lots of water. I think that if those pills could cure us they would've been distributed before we left San Francisco.”

They share a laugh and some conversation when the word that chow is available. The two of them look at each other and laugh some more.

[tocaff]

November 11, 1942 Armistice Day Washington DC

Intel

187713 men are based at Truk.
65th Construction Battalion is located at Kagoshima.
54th Division is located at Okayama.
1st Mortar Regiment is located at Sasebo.
35th Division is planning for an attack on Chungking.
Kwantung Defense Brigade is located at Changchun.
4297 men are based at Sakashima.
North Chishima Fortress is located at Paramushiro Jima.

Recon

SB-2 takes recon photos of Heiho 9 LCUs 71960/859/30
R-12 takes recon photos of Arshaan 2 LCUs 5940/74/0
R-12 takes recon photos of Tsitsihar 6 LCUs 28300/343/14
Pe-2 takes recon photos of Mishan 4 LCUs 0/7/136
SB-2 takes recon photos of Hailar 7 LCUs 40700/331/9
Do 24K-2 takes recon photos of Buna nothing detected
SB-2 takes recon photos of Chiamussu 5 LCUs 22340/264/8
R-12 takes recon photos of Changkufeng 5 LCUs 36220/352/9
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Myitkyina 3 LCUs 12760/132/3

Combat

An IJN naval bombardment of Derby caused moderate loses to the troops and light damage to the port.

An air attack on Baker Island by 15 X Betty did no damage and 8 X Betty are claimed to have been damaged.

The bombardments at the rail junction continued with the Allies suffering heavy casualties while the Japanese loses were light.

S-28 reached Cairns and repairs were started immediately. She will make for a repair facility as soon as she's deemed to be seaworthy.

At the meeting in the White House FDR makes a comment about the holiday being a bit strange given the country is locked in a war. Discussion rapidly turns to Operation Grinder and FDR asks his generals, “What can be done to get things unstuck? How strong are the Japanese is Australia? We need to examine what's going on there and fix it. I also want the latest update on Operation Snowball. We need to change the course of the war in the Pacific.”

Ed listens as report after report is given by various officers. Of particular note were the following items out of Europe.

Today German forces began the occupation of Vichy controlled France. Hitler sent a letter to Marshal Petain saying that it is “to protect France” against the Allies.

The United States extended Lend-Lease to the Free French Forces under General de Gaulle.

The German 6th Army launched a final attack to take Stalingrad and reached the Volga River near the Red October factory.

After the presentations ended the President thanked all those who attended and the men began to shuffle out of the room. After they were all gone FDR noticed that Ed remained and he asks, "What can I do for you Ed?”

Ed replies, “Sir, I don't know if you've been made aware of my request to be relieved of my current duties. I want to get back to sea and do what I've been trained for.” There that's done he thinks.

“Ed you're of tremendous value to me here in Washington and I'd consider it a personal favor if you were to remain in your current position. I would be in your debt, and I do return favors, if you catch my meaning. During this mess of Operation Grinder and the final preparations for Snowball I'll be relying upon your insights. Do we have a deal Admiral?”

“Yes sir, we do,” answers a disappointed Ed.

“So what's the schedule for drills today Frank?” asks Bill. The exec handed him a detailed sheet of paper for work parties, GQs drills for surface, anti air and ASW actions. “Good, we wouldn't want the crew to get stale on us.” The O'Bannon is sailing for home and her next assignment.

Pete says to Sylvia, “Maybe meeting your folks isn't such a great idea. For starters I have nothing decent to wear and as you've seen the shops don't have much of anything to offer.”

“Pete, you look to be about the same size as my brother was so I'll bring something for you to try on tomorrow. Stop making excuses and be brave.” Sylvia gives him a peck on the cheek and they head back towards the medical facility.

“You said your brother was, as in the past,” says Pete.

“He was killed fighting in North Africa almost a year ago. My parents haven't really gotten over it yet,” she adds.

Canton Island has so much fuel in it's new storage facilities that the entire USN couldn't easily dent the stocks. Plenty of supplies are in place also. Support vessels are sailing for Canton and the warships will be heading that way too, in due time.

[tocaff]

November 12, 1942 Washington DC

Intel

Osaka Base Force is located at Osaka/Kobe.
Hensui Construction Battalion is located at Sasebo.
35th Construction Battalion is located at Tsitsihar.
6737 men are based at Iwo Jima.
13th Division is planning for an attack on Chungking.
12th Construction Battalion is located at Batan Island.
Hoyo Fortress is located at Osumi.
14th Mortar Battalion is loaded on AP Nachisan Maru moving to Darwin.
15th Construction Battalion is located at Tawi Tawi.
124th IJN Base Force is located at Nanning.

Recon

Do 24K-2 takes recon photos of Salamaua 1 LCU

Combat

Derby was hit again by Japanese carrier aircraft. There were no casualties and the damage to the airbase was light. There were no loses to Japanese aircraft.

Japanese air attacks on Allied troops at the rail junction resulted in light casualties. 4 X Betty and 8 X Helen were reported as damaged in the attacks. The artillery bombardments caused light loses to the Allies and none for the Japanese.

Ed wonders how long Franklin will keep him dangling. He almost wishes that his insights had been a little less accurate. He reads the reports on his desk and sees that:

The British 8th Army took Sollum and Bardi today. The Afrika Korps is in retreat to Tripoli.

At least there is good news somewhere in this global mess.

Ships are being rotated to yards for upgrades while the USN shifts it's main strength from the SWPAC to CENPAC in anticipation of Snowball.

A secret agreement has been struck between Washington and Moscow concerning US basing rights. In the spring it is hoped that US troops will be shifted to Soviet bases and then the USAAC's 4E bombers can start to hit the Japanese in their own backyard. The only problem is that the big birds are needed everywhere and there just aren't enough of them to go around.

Bill pens a letter to Sandy telling her how lonely he is and how much he misses her.

Sandy writes a letter to Bill telling him that she's sitting under a tree where they went together looking over a beautiful, but cold landscape. She misses him and says so.

Phil and the other officers of Benham have dragged their skipper out for a dinner at a nice restaurant. They figure that soon enough they'll be at sea and a good meal will be a treat. Phil makes a toast to the Benham and it's crew, “May she serve us well and bring us home safely.”

Orsini is no longer suffering from the motion sickness and feels bad for those that still do. He hopes that he never goes through that again. The ship plods along towards Pearl Harbor and his joining his unit which will become his new family.

[tocaff]

November 13, 1942 Washington DC

Intel

18857 men are based at Shikka.
Yosu Fortress is located at Masan.
3rd Air Army is located at Singapore.
3rd Air Division is located at Rangoon.
100429 men are based at Heiho.
169 aircraft are based at Mukden.
4986 men are based at Songkhia.
2nd Fleet is located at Balikpapan.
6th Reserve Tank Regiment is located at Osaka/Kobe.
28887 men are based at Harbin.

Recon

SB-2 takes recon photos of Heiho 9 LCUs 71380/819/32
SB-2 takes recon photos of Chiamussu 5 LCUs 27380/256/5
Pe-2 takes recon photos of Mutanchiang 8 LCUs 24080/296/153
R-12 takes recon photos of Hailar 7 LCUs 41840/313/6
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Lashio 2 LCUs 4460/13/0
R-12 takes recon photos of Tabun-Nur 1 LCU 580/9/0
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Tarawa 3 LCUs 11280/50/0

Combat

Japanese escort vessels discovered a minefield at Darwin.

The submarine Argonaut was attacked by 4 X MSW near Kwajalein after dropping her cargo of mines, but suffered no damage.

Derby is again bombed by carrier aircraft, which caused light damage to the base facilities and moderate damage to the unused runway.

The usual Japanese bombardment attack at the rail junction caused light Allied casualties and the Allied reply doesn't even scratch a fly.

“Well that'll make them a bit more than happy,” says Ed in reference to the fact that the British took Tobruk today. Bill Donovan looks across the table and just smiles. The two men haven't had a chance to touch base lately and when Donovan called Ed jumped at the chance to get together. The meetings have been never ending in the Pentagon. What can we do about Operation Grinder being stalled? Can Operation Snowball function without this or that? Now a new operation is in the works named Revenge. Ed is sick and tired of fighting a paper war with men who wouldn't know the business end of a weapon if you explained it to them.

“You with me Ed?” asks Donovan.

Orsini is avoiding the gambling going on and passes his time exercising on deck and star gazing at night. He's never been so bored before and is so glad that he's a Marine and not a sailor.

“So what's up next for the Benham?” asks Phil. The answer isn't one at all as his skipper doesn't have any idea at all concerning their future.

Two days to go and Pete is getting more nervous all of the time. “Why is this happening to me,” he wonders aloud. The man sitting on the bench near him says, “What?” Pete ignores him and he can't stop thinking things like what if he doesn't make a good impression or if his table manners aren't up to snuff. “Oh to hell with this,” he says as he gets up and goes looking for a card game to occupy his time.

Sandy has spent the day planning for Thanksgiving. Dave's sister is going to try and visit them, but travel is difficult because of the war. She wishes Bill would be here, but more than that she's been praying that he's safe.

[tocaff]

November 14, 1942 The Pentagon

Intel

Tsushima Fortress is located at Masan.
18th Reserve Coastal Artillery Regiment is located at Toyama.
41st AA Regiment is located at Changchun.
15th Mortar Battalion is located at Rabaul.
1st Aviation Rgt is located at Johore Bahru.
17th Mixed/A Brigade is located at Shanghai.
1st AA Regiment is located at Tokyo.
2nd Reserve AA Regiment is located at Tokyo.
Karafuto Mixed Brigade is located at Shikka.
5192 men are based at Wonsan.
40th Construction Battalion is located at Changchun.

Recon

SB-2 takes recon photos of Heiho 9 LCUs 49800/599/24
SB-2 takes recon photos of Chiamussu 6 LCUs 25280/284/67
Pe-2 takes recon photos of Mutanchiang 36 fighters, 10 bombers, 30 aux, 8 LCUs 23920/323/126
R-12 takes recon photos of Changkufeng 5 LCUs 35800/357/5
R-12 takes recon photos of Hailar 7 LCUs 41320/317/8
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Lashio 2 LCUs 6680/30/0
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Tarawa 4 LCUs 20580/88/0

Combat

4 X MSW at Kwajalein are sweeping a minefield.

91 X B-24D raided Lunga and were challenged by 35 X Zero. The heavy bombers kept a tight formation and fought their way through the fighters, downing 5 of them and claiming another 15 as damaged while 11 of the Liberators were shot down and 55 were damaged. Very light damage was done to the base.

The IJN conducted another air raid on Derby, suffering no loses and doing moderate damage to the runway and base facilities.

The Japanese planes continued to harass Allied ground troops at the rail junction, causing light loses and 6 X Helen were seen to be smoking as they departed. The two sides continued to shell each other and both sides suffered moderate loses.

A convoy is loading additional troops for Operation Snowball. This op is the long debated invasion of Tarawa. Though the island looks well defended it has been decided that this is as good a place as any to try and crack the outer shell of the Japanese defenses.

As the defenses of the Aleutian Islands continue to be built up Washington proceeds to work on the Soviets for permission to use their bases for the northern approach to Japan. If Stalin relents and gives an OK then assets that are in place will be reinforced so that Operation Sunshine may proceed.

“One more day and it will all be over. Pete you are being silly, they will love you.” With that Sylvia sits down next to Pete who remains silent as he tries to calm himself down. Why should he be so nervous? In this war he's been in a life raft and combat, but facing Sylvia's parents tomorrow scares the crap out of him.

Another boring day aboard a ship taking him to Hawaii. They had a lifeboat drill today and from the looks of things it was a waste of time. Orsini figures that if the ship he's on gets attacked jumping into the water would be safer than what he witnessed in today's drill. Boredom and loneliness have been eased a bit as he writes letters to home.

Ed wonders how so much paper can be wasted on so many valueless reports given by so many staffers who will never see anything outside of Washington DC, unless they're on leave. The major drones on about various statistics concerning Operation Grinder when a voice from the back of the room interrupts.

“What happened is they ran into some tough Japanese units and have been stopped cold. Grinder was always doomed to fail unless you consider it's purpose was to tie down a large IJA force. Until we can use our LBA on Wyndham and beef up a force to attack Darwin this crap will go on for months.”

The officer doesn't say another word and the red faced major clears his throat and resumes the report his superior ordered him to give. Ed thinks that at least somebody else in the room has the guts to speak his mind. He gets up and walks to the back of the room and asks who spoke out. When a general smiles and indicates that it was him Ed says that he'd like to buy him lunch. With that they leave the meeting comforted by the fact that if anything important is mentioned one of their staff will let them know.