Canoerebel
Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002 From: Northwestern Georgia, USA Status: offline
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12/8/42 Pretty tough day for the Allies and the portents are for toughs days ahead. Sounds like fun, right! But first, I got this email from John last night, in which he tried to tell me what his schedule is like today: "I have a weekend closer now and so I go in for a short 3 hour shift on Saturday morning so I can get the deliver put away and into the computer." On the fourth reading, I think I figured out what he was telling me. Sumatra: The most disturbing event of the day was the sudden and unexpected capitulation of Sibolga to Japan. I thought an American division in jungle-rough could hold out against (effectively) 1.5 divisions. But enemy bombardments did the trick. My concern is that now John can turn his attention of the heart of the Allied position. That's not good, but "Don't Give Up the Ship!" At Sea: Yikes, my little CA bombardment TF inbound towards Victoria Point took a terrible position just a few hexes offshore and got clobbered by enemy LBA. Why they moved in close, I dunno, but this kind of squirelly behavior is always possible. Also, an enemy four-DD TF came into Sabang, crossed the T, and put one TT in BB Pennsylvania and one into BB California (the latter will require long yard time, the former only a modest amount of time, though getting either of them to Capetown is a longterm proposition). The Allied TF sank two of the DD outright; strike aircraft finished off the other two. They weren't the topnotch destroyers, though. KB: Enemy carriers take position south of Ceylon. I'm not sure exactly how much is there. Cursor shows three TFs with aircraft totals not completely overwhelming, but we've all played that game before: "Hey, I think the enemy carriers only have xxx aircraft, so I can take it on. Oops, what do you know, [gurgling sounds in background as last of six American carriers slides under the sea], the enemy actually had xxx times 5 strike aircraft!" The KB damaged AO Kankakee moderately heavy, but she's just two hexes from Koggala, and also sank an empty xAK. The vast majority of shipping made Colombo, or close thereto; the big reinforcement/supply/fuel convoy is north of Port Blair and isn't detected, as best I can tell. The Allied carriers are 12 hexes NE of KB and undetected, as best I can tell, though John can probably guess pretty well. Have some decisions to make: move my carriers near Ceylon, augment LRCAP, and chance a carrier battle ["gurgling sounds as the last American carrier...."]. Steam north towards Chittagong with a goal or replenishing sorties? Hold at or close to current position? Strip some fighters to supplment Colombo? Or, least likely, send carriers back towards Andaman Islands? Burma: Most of the Ramree Island infantry units will cross the water and reach the shore over the next two days, joining the big Allied stack that's been stymied for a single IJ division in the jungle. Elsewhere: Some things are in the works, but I am remaining vague so that I can annoy people. 32 y 19.6 xB3 99 Bravo.
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