Canoerebel
Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002 From: Northwestern Georgia, USA Status: offline
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John'll probably send the turn in about three hours, so I've been do more planning and remembering. A look back at the Peanuts 1, 2 and 3, which have had the most far-flung experiences of the war. In January 1943, 6th and 7th Australian Divisions were attacking in the Burma Plains when the Japanese moved in behind and threatened to isolate and destroy the Allied army. I got them out of there, but only through a single open hex side that took some planning and a bit of luck. It was at just about this time that I made the decision to shift the weight of the Allied forces from SEAC to the Pacific. 6th and 7th were at the heart of this, as was 9th, which had just entered the map, slated for Burma. At that moment, sometime in mid January, I dubbed 6th, 7th and 9th "Peanuts 1, 2 and 3." I'm not sure why those names popped into my head, but they stuck. Those, in turn, led to the "carnival" code names for all subsequent operations: Carnival, Roller Coaster, Big Tent, Third Ring, Fun House, etc. 6th and 7th had a long way to go to exit the Burma jungles on foot, entrain at Chittagong, detrain at Bombay, and catch boats for Capetown to East Coast to San Francisco. 9th had a head start since it was inbound to India when I detoured it to Capetown. I believe only 9th made it in time for Carnival. It was the spearhead of the successful invasion of Adak Island. It remained there until late '43 or early '44, when retrieved for Fun House. 6th and 7th didn't make it from India to San Fran in time for Carnival, but they were the core divisions for Roller Coaster, the invasion of the Marshalls. 6th took Tarawa. 7th was divided to take Mili, Maleolap and Wotje. 6th was retrieved from Tarawa early in early 1944 and sent to Oz for Fun House. 7th was scattered and more exposed to enemy ships and surveillance. I didn't get its three RCT out until a bit too late to join Fun House. 6th Division invaded Giuian in the Philippines on April 4. 9th invaded Catbalogan the same day. Both bases are vacant and will fall on April 5. 7th Division is strung out all over the place - from Boela to the Coral Sea. It was originally slated for three different targets in the southern Philippines. But I may consolidate the division and prep it for a stronger target - Davao and Manila come to mind. From the jungles of Burma to the Aleutians to the Marshalls to the Philippines in 15 months. Truly an expeditionary army.
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