The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[Canoerebel]

Email from John this morning explaining lack of a turn:

"I had a terrible night of sleep. NO—not because of the thrashing I am getting. Had terrible indigestion that kept me awake....Have a 10 hours shift today (which will be bunches of fun due to no sleep) so there shall be no turn until tonight....once I extricate myself from the fight I shall need a couple of days to see what is left and try to pick-up the pieces. Can’t do that until we break contact though."

So I wrote back:

"Sorry to hear you had a restless night, John. I hope your day went better to compensate in some small way.

"I had no sleep the night before. I couldn't decide whether to commit to battle or not. I wasn't sure whether you knew where my carriers were or not. I didn't know if you had prepared an elaborate trap on the one hand, or whether I had the drop on you on the other. I vacillated until 2 a.m. Then I couldn't sleep. So I worked on a presentation for a program for more than two hours. Then I returned to the computer and stared at it until 5 a.m. Finally I made the decision, completed the orders, and sent you the turn. It was an agonizing and exhausting experience.

"But at least I didn't have the added discomfort of indigestion and fears of a heart attack. No, those were all in my mind as I contemplated John Cochran destroying the Allied fleet.

"As for breaking contact, perish the thought. I don't intend to let you. I want to pursue you and whip you until you are reduced to staring vacantly at the screen while drool puddles on your computer table and until you agree to name your first grandson after me.

"Or perhaps those are visions inspired by lack of sleep."

The comment about not letting him break contact is meant to give him some satisfaction. I think his TF will break contact this next turn and make it safely away to fight another day. That should give him some encouragement...and from that he'll want to make me pay for the very idea of leaving him drooling and naming grandchildren after Confederate opponents.

[Cap Mandrake]

..naming grandchildren after Confederate opponents.

[:)]

Grant, Sherman, Chamberlain...I hope nobody is named Meade?

[Canoerebel]

Ha!

Man, the English language can be tough to use to communicate!

What I meant to say was "naming grandchildren after opponents who are Confederates."

I'm glad I don't have to rely on grammar and writing skills for a living...

[JohnDillworth]

After the Civil War ended, Longstreet returned to civilian life in northeast Georgia. One day soon afterwards, he walked up Yonah. When he reached the top, he yielded himself to his raw emotions at having seen so much loss of life, so much suffering, and for it all to come to naught.

I know I have recommended this before but if anyone has not read Eugene Sledge's "With the Old Breed" It is one of the finest recollections of a combat soldier. Corporal Sledge was an active participants in 2 of the worst fights of the war, Peleliu and Okinawa. By some miracle he escaped without a physical scratch but he suffered deep physiological trauma. He went on to get his PhD in biology and by all accounts lived a long, peaceful life. He memoir is awful and powerful and was one of the 2 books used to produce the excellent HBO serious, The Pacific. He echos Longstreets feelings:
“People rushed around in a hurry about seemingly insignificant things. Few seemed to realize how blessed they were to be free and untouched by the horrors of war. To them, a veteran was a veteran – all were the same, whether one man had survived the deadliest combat or another had pounded a typewriter while in uniform.”

Highest recommendation

[poodlebrain]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

..naming grandchildren after Confederate opponents.

[:)]

Grant, Sherman, Chamberlain...I hope nobody is named Meade?

Meade is a much better name than Destiney, Delencia, Rodneisha or Travonshay. Those are the names of 4 young women arrested recently for getting into a fight at a local high school graduation.

Maybe I'm culturally insensitive, but I'm an unrepentant rebel sympathizer, and I'd name a daughter McClellan, Burnside or even Hooker before one of those 4 names.

[Canoerebel]

John, you recommended that book to me in early 2013. I bought it and took it on a hike, reading it on the side of Lavender Mountain. It's a great book.

I've read other books on the side of that same mountain, including Eric Metaxis's Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Preacher, Soldier, Spy and Clancy's Patriot Games.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

You haven't won the war. Japan still has an excellent chance to get a draw especially if you continue thinking like that and get sloppy.[:-]

The most dangerous animal is a wounded one.

I wasn't suggesting that I'd won the war.

Nope, but I am. He has won the war. John is quite capable, but I think he knows this as well as anyone.

I don't even have to have a dream about this

I think you're still sleep-walking. Wake up. Put your pants on. Have a hot cup of coffee and a look at the game manual. [;)]

The Allies always win the war. This is a game, and the game has a different set of rules to determine who wins.

I'm by no means saying I think I can predict who will win, but it's a long game, and a lot depends on the will, creativity and determination of the Japanese player to overcome the inevitable loss of his navy. (which happens in every AE game)

John has not shown he has the patience and fortitude for this kind of game yet, but he might still.

Why play it out if the decision is inevitable, anyway? What fun is that?

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I spent lunchtime thinking over options for long-term objectives. By the end of lunch, the decision had been made. I won't go into details other than to say I like it.

[Capt. Harlock]

The thought is a magnificent one. I've used it before when speaking to historic groups about the end of the Civil War. How does a captain who led troops into battle at Spotsylvania or Franklin return home, pick up a pitchfork, and resume life? What does he do when his wife scolds him ("Honey, you forgot to take out the trash again") or questions his judgment ("I don't think you should plant the north 40 with corn this year")? How do you go from battlefield command to taking out the trash?

Granted, I'm going a bit off-topic, but Oliver Wendell Holmes gave an impressive answer:

[font="Times New Roman"]Through our great good fortune, in our youth our hearts were touched with fire. It was given to us to learn at the outset that life is a profound and passionate thing. While we are permitted to scorn nothing but indifference, and do not pretend to undervalue the worldly rewards of ambition, we have seen with our own eyes, beyond and above the gold fields, the snowy heights of honor, and it is for us to bear the report to those who come after us. But, above all, we have learned that whether a man accepts from Fortune her spade, and will look downward and dig, or from Aspiration her axe and cord, and will scale the ice, the one and only success which it is his to command is to bring to his work a mighty heart.

--Memorial Day Address, 1884[/font]

[aleajactaest10044]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel



After the Civil War ended, Longstreet returned to civilian life in northeast Georgia. One day soon afterwards, he walked up Yonah. When he reached the top, he yielded himself to his raw emotions at having seen so much loss of life, so much suffering, and for it all to come to naught.

I read that account in a book many years ago. Since then I've tried to find it again so that I could cite it when speaking (and I plan to use it in writing at some point). But I've never been able to put my finger on that story again.

I'll keep looking for the story you mention; here is a link that mentions the journey but not the quote...

https://books.google.com/books?id=Mlcf8BJGmDoC&pg=PA149&lpg=PA149&dq=Longstreet+++Yonah&source=bl&ots=mhBL6CgHQH&sig=zZhNUKqUuMrAkGw6nhwFGL95ktc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiD_-Kfm-XMAhVn2oMKHYTKDJkQ6AEIMTAE#v=onepage&q=Longstreet%20%20%20Yonah&f=false

[CaptBeefheart]

On your next target: The logical one would be the Marianas, especially after you take Wake, but as your SigInt was saying those islands are probably filled to the gills with the emperor's finest. No, hitting the Marianas wouldn't display any strategic flair. The Kuriles/Hokkaido? Probably also bristling with enemy troops, and winter is coming. Sumatra? You've been there, done that. No, I think the next target will be Java and then Borneo. Java could easily be isolated with the Death Star as the troops roll it up, then a quick hop to NW Borneo and Hainan and all of a sudden the oil spigot is turned off. From there it's either go toward Japan through Taiwan and Luzon or southern China, or, in a deception worthy of GreyJoy, pretend to go that way, all the while secretly building forces in Alaska to administer the coup de grace in either Hokkaido or northern Honshu in Spring 1944.

Cheers,
CC

[Bif1961]

So when will the Wake assault hit the Island?

[Canoerebel]

The invasion TF is 38 hexes from Wake. Depending on what happens next turn, though, I may have to replenish ammo, sorties and some aircraft at Midway prior to the invasion. That will be necessary if the BBs get into surface clashes (to this point they haven't so they're all "good to go"). So D-Day could be in as little as a week or as late as two weeks. But the sooner the better, while John is still reeling.

[Canoerebel]

Great quote. I'm going to create a sub-file in my "future story ideas" folder. I don't know if I can mix together Frodo, Oliver Wendell Holmes and James Longstreet in a single story, but maybe. Holmes, I think, was a Union Army veteran.

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

The thought is a magnificent one. I've used it before when speaking to historic groups about the end of the Civil War. How does a captain who led troops into battle at Spotsylvania or Franklin return home, pick up a pitchfork, and resume life? What does he do when his wife scolds him ("Honey, you forgot to take out the trash again") or questions his judgment ("I don't think you should plant the north 40 with corn this year")? How do you go from battlefield command to taking out the trash?

Granted, I'm going a bit off-topic, but Oliver Wendell Holmes gave an impressive answer:

[font="Times New Roman"]Through our great good fortune, in our youth our hearts were touched with fire. It was given to us to learn at the outset that life is a profound and passionate thing. While we are permitted to scorn nothing but indifference, and do not pretend to undervalue the worldly rewards of ambition, we have seen with our own eyes, beyond and above the gold fields, the snowy heights of honor, and it is for us to bear the report to those who come after us. But, above all, we have learned that whether a man accepts from Fortune her spade, and will look downward and dig, or from Aspiration her axe and cord, and will scale the ice, the one and only success which it is his to command is to bring to his work a mighty heart.

--Memorial Day Address, 1884[/font]

[F4F]

An outside the box thought, with KB and John's morale temporarily down and out is there an opportunity to use the death star to seriously damage his oil production? Just trying to think how to leverage a tactical victory (in one sense) to accomplish strategic goals.

[jwolf]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
But the sooner the better, while John is still reeling.

Definitely.

[Cap Mandrake]

Meaning no disrespect to the Great Man but this whole island by island thingy seems kind of pedestrian and out of character.


The chant begins......Hokkaido,,,,Hokkaido,,,Hokkaido,,,,,,Hokkaido!

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: F4F

An outside the box thought, with KB and John's morale temporarily down and out is there an opportunity to use the death star to seriously damage his oil production? Just trying to think how to leverage a tactical victory (in one sense) to accomplish strategic goals.

No strategic bombing until 1944 (I think a carrier strike would count as strat bombing).

But my main thought is to not detach important offensive tools for lengthy missions. The war is in CenPac right now. The terrain is just what I'd ask for if I have decided carrier superiority. I can pick where I want to go, avoid strong LBA nests, and John has to take long chances to stop such a strategy.

So, for the time being, the plan is to move deep into CenPac with all available assets.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: TheGreatDebate

I'll keep looking for the story you mention; here is a link that mentions the journey but not the quote...

https://books.google.com/books?id=Mlcf8BJGmDoC&pg=PA149&lpg=PA149&dq=Longstreet+++Yonah&source=bl&ots=mhBL6CgHQH&sig=zZhNUKqUuMrAkGw6nhwFGL95ktc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiD_-Kfm-XMAhVn2oMKHYTKDJkQ6AEIMTAE#v=onepage&q=Longstreet%20%20%20Yonah&f=false

Thanks, GreatDebate! That has to be the core of the incident I was referring to. I think I have Sorrell's book at my office, so I'll read further to see if there's anything else there.

I've read Longstreet's reminiscences (Manassas to Appomattox, or something like that), and I don't think he mentions the incident.

By the way, in reading through the link you provided, GreatDebate, there were some very harsh opinions expressed by Longstreet about General John B. Gordon, including maligning his military abilities. That came as a surprise. I thought Gordon was very highly regarded. So I'm going to stick that in the back of my mind and remember to "temper" any stories I write about Gordon with the possibility that he wasn't universally admired. I'll have to delve more deeply into this.

[paullus99]

My recommendation is to stay focused....you will only get stronger, while John is going to get weaker. I am very interested to see what the final "butcher's bill" is going to be here - how many flattops he lost outright, along with how many will be back in the yards for months.

That also doesn't include the number of surface combatants that he lost as well, both permanently & those back in the yards.

While it may be tempting to rush, a prepared advance against a weakened opponent will be unstoppable.