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

[sprior]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

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

Strictly speaking FAA would be WAFUs and the Dutch would be dyke diggers.

[Cap Mandrake]

"dyke diggers" [:D][:D][:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

*******************Dec. 14, 1941(e)****************

HMS PoW lives another day. It is confirmed ALSP is a mentalist. [:)]

A tanker or two dispatched into the Java Sea as bait are waxed by carrier bombers but PoW doges the carrier bombers and the Nells at Singkawang, which are paid a visit by B-17's fro Balikpapan.
P-40's and brewsters fly LRCAP over PoW as she moves up the cost.

[sprior]

One of our brave Buffalo drivers posing nonchalantly beside his finely-tuned fighting machine

[sprior]

Brave dyke diggers waiting for the LYB horde at Palembang

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: 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

Ack! Too bad this was after running Winchester on the big guns from the other two surface engagements. [:(]

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

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

A quarter?

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: sprior

Kandy House

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

Miss Funnfanny: Yes sir.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: 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

Ack! Too bad this was after running Winchester on the big guns from the other two surface engagements. [:(]

Yes, no kidding. Even so a 15 in round penetrated the "side armor" and was said to have caused "severe engine damage". Maybe that will put her out of the war for a bit.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

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

A quarter?

Maybe a bottle of Pabst. If you wanted a cocktail with a fancy umbrella it would set you back 55 cents. [:)]

I read this in the diary of US Army officer who had the good timing to be posted to Luzon in November 1941.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: sprior

Brave dyke diggers waiting for the LYB horde at Palembang

Those dyke diggers better get some sunscreen. I think they are spending too much time out in the Sumatran sun.

[Cap Mandrake]

New and Improved Britain and environs: JJ landed at Kavieng 2 days ago. The Digger (not the dyke kind, the other kind) company held out for 2 days but was finally pushed back.

USS Penguin, the wood-hulled minesweeper that had escaped from Guam was tasked to sink the Jap transports at Kavieng
but the cowardly Little Yellow Baaahstards ran away...so she was ordered to Rabaul to sink the CL there....and failing
that...the make JJ gun shy. She was sunk, of course, but a RAN surface group with more teeth showed up yesterday. [:)]
The LYB transports were just unloading fish head soup as they had already put SNLF ashore.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Rabaul at 106,125, Range 25,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CL Kashima, Shell hits 9, heavy fires
CL Yubari, Shell hits 7, on fire
DD Oite
DD Hayate, Shell hits 1
PB Fukui Maru
PB Hakkaisan Maru
PB Ikunta Maru, Shell hits 5, and is sunk
PB Kaikei Maru
PB Kaiun Maru, Shell hits 1, heavy fires
PB Nikkai Maru, Shell hits 3, on fire
PB Kosin Maru #3
AV Kamoi
AMC Kinryu Maru
AMC Kongo Maru
xAK Ryunan Maru
xAK Kazan Maru
xAK Eizan Maru, Shell hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Yae Maru, Shell hits 1
xAK Daihachikyo Maru
xAK Daijukyo Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire
CM Takashima

Allied Ships
CA Canberra, Shell hits 6
CL Perth, Shell hits 1
DD Voyager, Shell hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage

[Cap Mandrake]

LYB escorts put up a pretty good fight. Voyager is hurt badly..but so is Kashima. JJ is still on station. If they don't bug out tonight they will meet a USN/RNZN surface group and the USN carriers (perhaps unspotted) creeping up the Eastern side of the Solomons

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: sprior

Brave dyke diggers waiting for the LYB horde at Palembang

I don't think they're waiting for JJ; I think they are JJ!

[Cap Mandrake]

A poorly escorted troop convoy was reported putting men ashore at Madang, New and Improved Guinea. The Seaplane tender William B. Ward was escaping from the PI, but, given that she does have guns, was ordered to visit the LYB at Madang.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Madang at 99,122, Range 14,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
xAKL Hitora Maru
xAKL Higari Maru, Shell hits 4, heavy fires
xAKL Genmei Maru, Shell hits 2
xAKL Daitei Maru, Shell hits 8, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied Ships
AVD William B. Preston

That is hardly to cripple the IJN but catching helpless merchies never gets old.

[Cap Mandrake]

A couple of B-17's get off the ground at Port Moresby. Quite a marginal airfield. They try to help out the troops at Rabaul.

Morning Air attack on Maizuru 1st SNLF, at 106,125 (Rabaul)

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 1
B-17E Fortress x 1

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
11 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Lark Force holds out a second day...but...not looking too good for tomorrow. If they can hold another day. The bombers from the US carriers can help.

Ground combat at Rabaul (106,125)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 3835 troops, 38 guns, 4 vehicles, Assault Value = 123

Defending force 3085 troops, 21 guns, 175 vehicles, Assault Value = 44

Japanese adjusted assault: 86

Allied adjusted defense: 69

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 1)

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 0

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), leaders(-), disruption(-)
preparation(-), morale(-), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
24 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
227 casualties reported
Squads: 13 destroyed, 20 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 12 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Guns lost 4 (1 destroyed, 3 disabled)

Assaulting units:
Maizuru 1st SNLF
Maizuru 2nd SNLF

Defending units:
B Coy/NG Rifles
Lark Force
Rabaul Base Force

[sprior]

Their carriers are way out of position tooling around Java. Let's get in a kick in the cobblers and then run away.

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: sprior

Their carriers are way out of position tooling around Java. Let's get in a kick in the cobblers and then run away.

Yes, quite a good opportunity. I'm guessing "the cobblers" means Rabaul and vicinity, which is very safe because they have no bases and the most opposition we can expect is a CVL.

We can retire to Sydney or Brisbane.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

ORIGINAL: sprior

Brave dyke diggers waiting for the LYB horde at Palembang

I don't think they're waiting for JJ; I think they are JJ!

Shhhh! [:-]

No-ah terr Arried dogs that Parembang "secured" by Arries rike in the pictuh. Won't-ah they be suprised when try to road oir!

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: sprior

Their carriers are way out of position tooling around Java. Let's get in a kick in the cobblers and then run away.

A kick in the minerals? Is that cricket?