Cap Mandrake
Posts: 23184
Joined: 11/15/2002 From: Southern California Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Alfred quote:
ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake *****************Grande Puissance, Filloux******************* <Heavy thicket of brush, North bank, Katherine River, 06:30, June 14, 1942. The men of A/B Battery, Heavy Coastal Defence Regiment are preparing to cross the river and join British 18th Div., but there are Japs on the South bank. In an heroic effort, the men have pushed or pulled down by hand the 5 remaining 155mm 1918 GPF guns the 160 miles from Darwin (with wooden wheels no less)> Lt. Col. Bellamy, CO: Are the men ready Captain? Captain: Yes sir, but do you really think this is wise? Lt. Col. Bellamy, CO: <the two officers stand awkardly on the "command raft", a collection of local driftwood lashed together into a crude raft. To their sides are five more rafts with the 155 guns lashed on board> Those are our orders, Captain. <raises voice to be heard by all> Right now! Line abreast. Keep a tight formation. Oarsmen, I want 60 strokes a minute until we engage the enemy, then we go to 80. We will use HE unless we encounter the Ronsons. And I want good fire discipline. Captain, you may give the signal with the Verey light.......... Hmm...didn't a certain French leader utter the following which the Captain of the A/B Battery would have been in complete agreement regarding this action: C'est magnifique mais non est pas la guerre. I salute their puck. Alfred Oh, they were pucked alright It seems the recoil on the 155's was hard on the rafts. Ground combat at Katherine (76,128) Allied Shock attack Attacking force 282 troops, 5 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 466 Defending force 48981 troops, 516 guns, 189 vehicles, Assault Value = 1601 Allied adjusted assault: 0 Japanese adjusted defense: 857 Allied assault odds: 1 to 99 Combat modifiers Defender: disruption(-), preparation(-), fatigue(-) Attacker: shock(+) Japanese ground losses: 9 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled Vehicles lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled) Allied ground losses: 199 casualties reported Squads: 9 destroyed, 0 disabled Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 0 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled Assaulting units: 2/1 NAOU Det. A/B Battery Heavy Coastal Artillery Regiment
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