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Troops gathering at Daly Waters:

The troops prepping at Sydney for Darwin:

ORIGINAL: sprior

The troops prepping at Sydney for Darwin:

Quite the collection of Aussies you've got there. Any idea of the entrenchment or enemy AVs at Darwin?

This:

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

****************Dec 4, 1942**************


Oz: The same Allied surface group (minus one DD and most of their torps but with 80% main gun ammo) is sent back to PH to guard the transports and are driven off after a rough draw in combat damage.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Port Hedland at 57,129, Range 7,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Atago, Shell hits 3, on fire
CA Haguro, Shell hits 4, on fire
DD Akizuki
DD Makinami
DD Oshio, Shell hits 1
DD Arashio
DD Natsugumo
DD Murasame
DD Yamakaze
DD Isonami
DD Fuyo, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
CA San Francisco, Shell hits 2
CL Durban
CL Ceres, Shell hits 3, on fire
CL Caradoc, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Foxhound
DD Hotspur, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Isis

But then there is this bit. [:)]

Night Time Surface Combat, near Port Hedland at 57,129, Range 2,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Atago, on fire
CA Haguro, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DD Akizuki
DD Makinami
DD Oshio
DD Arashio
DD Natsugumo
DD Murasame
DD Yamakaze
DD Isonami
DD Fuyo

Allied Ships
PT-153
PT-158

JJ also finds two SC's on ASW patrol.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Port Hedland at 57,129, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Atago, on fire
CA Haguro
DD Akizuki
DD Makinami
DD Oshio
DD Arashio
DD Natsugumo
DD Murasame
DD Yamakaze
DD Isonami
DD Fuyo

Allied Ships
SC-519, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
SC-738, Shell hits 1

So CA Haguro takes 4 shell hits in the first clash, a single torp in the second one, and in the third clash she is not showing fire or heavy damage - then she shows up in the list of ships sunk? Unless those shell hits triggered "massive explosive damage" or "engine room hit" [which usually means flooding], I highly doubt she would sink from a single torp hit. Allied intel types have the "wishful thinking disease" again! [:-]

ORIGINAL: sprior

This:

Very light forces. Oughta be a pushover. Even for English / commonwealth troops. [:'(]

What we got: BB/BC

Colorado is in Perth and I think can be ready in time for a pre-Christmas landing. Repulse could use a short time in dry dock at Sydney as she is down to 27 kts., but we could take her as is.

That gives us 2 slow BB's for bombardment, Colorado and Maryland, which just arrived in Oz (or will soon) after being repaired from the Pearl Harbor attack.

The survivors from Force Z, Repulse and PoW

and Washington and Indiana.

I think we will be up against Yamato for sure which is likely in Timor or Java. Nagato seems likely to be in the shop somehwere. Not sure when Musashi is ready.

It will be interesting to see what the reaction to your taking of Dobo will be. Holding that base is like driving a rusty nail into their knee.

Carriers;

CV:

Wasp, Yorktown and Irrustrious.

Wasp could use a short dry dock time to repair up but can be used as is if we dont have enough space at Sydney.

CVE:

Copahee, Nassau, Altamaha, Prince William and Long Island

We have two more modern CVE's arriving Panama next 3-7 d but they might not make it in time.

Hermes got sent out on a training exericise when the RN CV's left Ceylon. Her crew is quite proud as the Opfor has not spotted her for 2 months.

The cruisers. The USN CA's have really been murdered. Leander is sunk. Wichita will stay around Fiji to support the diversionary stuff in New Caledonia and the New adn Improved Hebrides.

Seems like we need at least 1 and maybe two CA's to support the PH forces (if they survive) and provide plausible evidence we have not given up there. There is one RN CA in Melbourne in drydock...Cornwall maybe? She may be ready.

We have 3 modern USN CLAA's for AAA for the carrier groups.

It looks to me like you could add the New Mexico, North Carolina and South Dakota to the Operation if you feel the need. Their damage isn't debilitating and it isn't like your TFs are hoping to sneak in undetected.

ORIGINAL: khyberbill

It will be interesting to see what the reaction to your taking of Dobo will be. Holding that base is like driving a rusty nail into their knee.

Indeed. Easy B-17 range to Sorong and Ambon and even Koepang. B-24's from Dobo can even hit Kendari. JJ can certainly make it difficult to build up the airfield at Dobo. It would take a big effort to take it back.

Dobo is also C-47 range from Srong. [;)]

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

It looks to me like you could add the New Mexico, North Carolina and South Dakota to the Operation if you feel the need. Their damage isn't debilitating and it isn't like your TFs are hoping to sneak in undetected.

New Mexico could probably be pressed into service as a bombardment platform. North Carolina and South Dakota are both halfway to Pearl. They need dry dock and are too big for Sydney.

Gove should be a fighter strip in 2-3 days. It seems to buildup at Gove is going largely unnoticed. Bombers at Darwin could easily wreck the SeaBees there and there are no combat troops there. The minute Gove is level one, C-47's will fly in aviation support and there will be 50 P-40K's. Then the serious stuff can be brought in. Dobo might be ready by D-Day.

The P-40K's can sweep over Darwin and soften things up for the B-24's which will have to redeploy back to Alice.

Prior to that, however, the troops at Daly can start pushing North to draw attention southward. About the same time, some Mariens can land at Terapo in New Guina and draw attention in that direction.

With Gove and Dobo in Allied hands I doubt they will fall for that. They will see the obvious threat but it may be too late.

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Carriers;

CV:

Wasp, Yorktown and Irrustrious.

Wasp could use a short dry dock time to repair up but can be used as is if we dont have enough space at Sydney.

CVE:

Copahee, Nassau, Altamaha, Prince William and Long Island

We have two more modern CVE's arriving Panama next 3-7 d but they might not make it in time.

Hermes got sent out on a training exericise when the RN CV's left Ceylon. Her crew is quite proud as the Opfor has not spotted her for 2 months.

Do you have a picture of the carriers?

ORIGINAL: witpqs

Do you have a picture of the carriers?

Yes, I posted the wrong one.

Hanger space for 327. Not sure we have that many aircraft, but we can put up a lot of fighters if we use the replenishment squadrons as active squadrons.

Easy B-17 range to Sorong and Ambon and even Koepang. B-24's from Dobo can even hit Kendari. JJ can certainly make it difficult to build up the airfield at Dobo. It would take a big effort to take it back.

You can also use Dobo to cover operations to take the string of islands to the west of Dobo. Some of the bases there can be built up to lvl 8 AF. Then on to Dili.

the troops at Daly can start pushing North to draw attention southward

One of the few good things about JJ invading Oz is that we get to use lots of troops in combat who would otherwise sit out the war completely.

ORIGINAL: sprior

the troops at Daly can start pushing North to draw attention southward

One of the few good things about JJ invading Oz is that we get to use lots of troops in combat who would otherwise sit out the war completely.

Amen! - You have both been scraping the bottom of the barrel pretty hard. Evidence - the Canadian KVs and Bollingbrooks in Austrailia! - Multinational relief columns!
You guys make the UN look like a bunch of petty backstabbers ... oh, wait - they really are!

Evidence - the Canadian KVs and Bollingbrooks in Austrailia!

We haven't used the DH Rapides. Yet.