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

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: sprior

Our staunch pilots resist the yellow scourge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RWh2fnHNTg

They dood with the receding hairline is like totally talking Valley Girl. Is he like from Northumbria or is it a trick to fool the Japanese.

[Cap Mandrake]

**************Nauru Island, Dec. 9, 1941(e)*************

<The last operable Catalina is moored 50 yds off the beach, a small boat is ready to take her crew aboard. A small crowd of Nauru dignitaries waits on the beach>


Flt Lt. Uppington-Smythe: <hugs Chief> Thank you, Chief of the Nauru. I have enjoyed my time on Nauru immensely. I shall never forget you.

Nauru Chieftan: Good luck, Flight Lieutenant! <the crew board the small boat and push off>

Nauru Island HOA President: <speaking quietly to Chief> Wow, sappy bastard, isn't he? How long was he here?

Nauru Chieftan: One day, I believe.

Flt Lt. Uppington-Smythe: I SHALL RETURN!

Nauru Chieftan: THE PEOPLE OF NAURU SHALL AWAIT YOU!...AND BRING LOTS OF CARGO! <waves broadly and then turns to HOA President> Come, we must prepare the guano contract for the Japanese.....

[sprior]

Flying Tigers over Rangoon

[sprior]

Someone left their goolie chit behind

[sprior]

Meanwhile RAF ramps up its training program

[Chickenboy]

Ugh. Re: the duff: I can't look at stuff like that without thinking of this...[:(]

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: sprior

Meanwhile RAF ramps up its training program

Instructor guy: mmmmmmmmmmmMMMMMMMMMMMMzzzzzzzzzzzzzuuuuuuuuuu

Trainee: tchutchutchutchutchu....GOTCHA!

Instructor guy: No way! You were waaaaaay low.

Trainee: Was not!

Instructor guy: Were too!

Trainee: Was not!.............

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: sprior

Meanwhile RAF ramps up its training program

Lord Admiral: Is the trainee saying 'budda budda budda' in the training simulator?

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: sprior

Meanwhile RAF ramps up its training program

Lord Admiral: Is the trainee saying 'budda budda budda' in the training simulator?

Unless he is Burmese, in which case he would say BuddhaBuddhaBuddha ...

[Cap Mandrake]

*************December 10, 1941(e)*************

Chicago moves for a possible intercept of transports at a chokepoint in the Ceram Sea.

Boise moves to cover a possible move on Sorong. Chicago has a clean sweep of transport heading back to Palau. Boise is hit by 2 x 250 kg bombs with light to moderated damage. Chicago hides in a rainsquall.

Ryujo barely escapes destruction from bombers operating from Ambon.



Day Time Surface Combat, near Gebe at 81,104, Range 23,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DMS W-8, Shell hits 4, and is sunk
xAK Hasuna Maru, Shell hits 10, and is sunk
xAK Meigen Maru, Shell hits 7, and is sunk
xAK Yamafuku Maru, Shell hits 14, and is sunk
xAKL Kakyu Maru, Shell hits 5, and is sunk

Allied Ships
CA Houston

[Cap Mandrake]

A combined Dutch strike from Ambon breaks through the Claude CAP and repeatedly brackets Ryujo.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Batjan at 78,105

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid detected at 36 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 5

Allied aircraft
139WH-3 x 7
B-339D x 2

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
139WH-3: 4 damaged
139WH-3: 1 destroyed by flak
B-339D: 1 destroyed

Japanese Ships
CVL Ryujo

More get through but go after a DD

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Batjan at 78,105

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 35 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 2

Allied aircraft
139WH-3 x 3
B-339D x 3

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
139WH-3: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
DD Natsushio

The RAAF Hudsons have a go. Again, JJ has taken a chance but escaped. They might have not guessed Ambon was Fortress Ambon.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Batjan at 78,105

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 36 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 1

Allied aircraft
B-339D x 2
Hudson I x 15

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Hudson I: 5 damaged

Japanese Ships
CVL Ryujo

Afternoon attack on Boise.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Sorong at 82,107

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 5,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 11
B5N1 Kate x 16

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
CL Boise, Bomb hits 2, on fire

[sprior]

Damned sneaky LYBs send their carriers to the south of Java so I send PoW north to intercept suspected SCTF. She runs into this:

Night Time Surface Combat, near Cheribon at 52,100, Range 9,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Mogami, Shell hits 2
CA Mikuma, Shell hits 1
CA Suzuya, Shell hits 1
CA Kumano
DD Maikaze
DD Nowaki
DD Arashi, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Hagikaze

Allied Ships
BB Prince of Wales, Shell hits 1
CL Java
CL Tromp, Shell hits 5, on fire
CL Danae, Shell hits 20, and is sunk
DD Evertsen
DD Van Nes, Shell hits 1, heavy fires
DD Tenedos
DD Express, Shell hits 3, heavy fires

[sprior]

Then this:


Night Time Surface Combat, near Cheribon at 52,100, Range 11,000 Yards

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
C.XI-W: 1 destroyed

Japanese Ships
CA Chokai, Shell hits 2
DD Shikinami
DD Ayanami
DD Asagiri, Shell hits 1
DD Sagiri
DD Yugiri

Allied Ships
BB Prince of Wales, Shell hits 1
CL Java
CL Tromp, Shell hits 9, and is sunk
DD Evertsen, Shell hits 1
DD Van Nes, Shell hits 8, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Tenedos
DD Express, Shell hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage

[sprior]

Then this:


Day Time Surface Combat, near Semarang at 53,101, Range 20,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CV Hiryu, Shell hits 2, on fire
CV Soryu, Shell hits 1
BB Kirishima, Shell hits 1, on fire
CA Chikuma, Shell hits 1, on fire
CL Abukuma
DD Isokaze
DD Amagiri
DD Sazanami
DD Ushio

Allied Ships
BB Prince of Wales, Shell hits 4
CL Java, Shell hits 1
DD Evertsen, Shell hits 1

[sprior]

Finally the Crabs get out their luxury pits


Morning Air attack on TF, near Billiton at 53,95

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 2 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 1 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 1

Allied aircraft
Albacore I x 3
B-339D x 6

No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
CA Suzuya, Torpedo hits 1

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: sprior

Finally the Crabs get out their luxury pits


Morning Air attack on TF, near Billiton at 53,95

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 2 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 1 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 1

Allied aircraft
Albacore I x 3
B-339D x 6

No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
CA Suzuya, Torpedo hits 1

Wait, wouldn't that be FAA and the Dutch? Are they crabs too? I thought that was just RAF? Nice shooting either way.

[Cap Mandrake]

************Luxury Penthouse, Royal Hawaiian, Waikiki, Dec, 13, 1941(e)*******

FAM: OK, damnit! Where is that damn 4th rotor? Where is the damn cryptanalyst guy that smells bad? And somebody go down to the bar and get me a martini, straight up two olives...and tell him not so damn much vermouth this time...and run back upstairs too..I like those tiny slivers of ice still in the drink. Got it?

[Cap Mandrake]

Anyone care to guess how much a cocktail was at the Royal Hawaiian in December 1941?

[sprior]

PoW now. Sending her to Batavia to refuel then home to Columbo.

[sprior]

Kandy House

LASPLooks damned rough out there. Now, Miss Funnfanny, get me a scotch.