The Sun against the Eagle - WitP AE AAR - UCG v KyzBP

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

That's because there was no air cover at Taranto or over the Bismark.  The Zeros should have ripped the Swordfish apart.  My step-grandfather was a gunner/radio operator on a Swordfish doing the convoy runs to the USSR up around Norway.  He never really talked about the war but I did ask him if he was aware of how obsolete the Swordfish was at the time.  As usual he brushed it off with a joke by saying that the Swordfish was so slow that the Germans could never stay behind it long enough for a shot.  Tellingly, he did put in for a transfer to the Asian theatre right around the time that the Japanese had taken Singapore and sunk Z-Force.  He said he was sure he was going to die so he might as well do it somewhere warm.

[undercovergeek]

They were my biggest fear whilst taking Singapore - even if 1 gets through the cap they always manage to get a torp on target - I'd love to know what their skill level is - I had 36 zeros on cap against 8 swords and they all came through despite their escorts getting murdered - I wonder if the escorts were at a significantly different height

[JasonPratt]

The wiki report (doubtless from somewhere else) doesn't conflict with my estimate: taking the continent would be impractical if not impossible in real life, so the only rationale would be if it contributed to some kind of political deal (which would likely fail, but the Japanese in their ideology at the time might not have thought so -- obviously they weren't thinking of a temporary partial invasion for political bargaining either!)

I do suspect the supply situation, at least on the coastal areas, would be better than was expected, simply because Australia is huge and already has something approaching self-sufficient supplies. Whether that could be exploited by a temporary invasion, or by anything less than a long-term investment, I don't know.

[besilarius]

My suspicion is that if Yamamoto had chosen the alternate plan to Midway, going for New Caledonia to cut the Australian supply line.  This would have led to a real fleet action that would have been very bloody.

[undercovergeek]

Note to self - do not process turns and watch rugby at the same time - spotted an incoming combat force at rockhampton and forgot to put some ships on standby - the 146th and 33rd infantry regiment now decorate the bottom of the harbour in rockhampton

In real life terms a cruiser force came into the bay and sunk all the ships that were boarding men, I think in reality it would have gone 'boys there's a cruiser coming round the bend, you better get off the ships' instead 8000 men watched the firework display and went to their doom in 15 feet of water

[jomni]

Note to self - do not process turns and watch rugby at the same time - spotted an incoming combat force at rockhampton and forgot to put some ships on standby - the 146th and 33rd infantry regiment now decorate the bottom of the harbour in rockhampton

In real life terms a cruiser force came into the bay and sunk all the ships that were boarding men, I think in reality it would have gone 'boys there's a cruiser coming round the bend, you better get off the ships' instead 8000 men watched the firework display and went to their doom in 15 feet of water

Ouch.

[Sir Slash]

Double Ouch! Damned Rugby. I hope it was a good match at least.

[Airborne Rifles]

Uffda. That's a rough loss. How does that affect your offensive potential in eastern Oz?

[undercovergeek]

Uffda. That's a rough loss. How does that affect your offensive potential in eastern Oz?

theyd only just got here so not much, they were to be used to help in taking Brisbane but thats all but abandoned now

[undercovergeek]

Having calmed down and realised responding in anger with 6 fully armed CVs may not be a good idea ive come up with a long term strategy at last

Manilla should fall in a week, we have 4000 assault points in the city, 1000 heading in from the north and 1000 heading in from the south - when she falls 75% of the forces are heading west under the cover of all the IJNs battleships, cruisers and flat tops and were taking Ceylon. From there we will head south and occupy the west coast of Oz adding Perth to the list of interesting places for Japanese officers to go surfing. The other 25% will head to the Kuriles and take the islands back and will remain there as a garrison. The Oz forces will be divided into garrison troops and the remainder of the troops will head east to take and garrison vital Pacific islands breaking KyzBPs chain from America to Sydney. Then we will ship out engineers and air support and make the islands strongholds - all by July 42 hopefully, then we wait.

In China the steamroller should reach Burma in about a month, then it will roll up the coast and into Calcutta and head west through India

Its a plan, and if i had one id chew a cigar

[Martok]

Its a plan, and if i had one id chew a cigar

LOL.  I like it!  Here's hoping it works out. 

[Con]

Note to self - do not process turns and watch rugby at the same time - spotted an incoming combat force at rockhampton and forgot to put some ships on standby - the 146th and 33rd infantry regiment now decorate the bottom of the harbour in rockhampton

In real life terms a cruiser force came into the bay and sunk all the ships that were boarding men, I think in reality it would have gone 'boys there's a cruiser coming round the bend, you better get off the ships' instead 8000 men watched the firework display and went to their doom in 15 feet of water

I am reading Ian Tolls second volume of the Pacific War and reading about the horrific naval battles during the Solomon campaign a result like the one above is not out of the realm of reality.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393080641/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687642&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0393343413&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0AJTF454DE66DYW53E5T

[JasonPratt]

Sifting through the garbled inhuman mess the round eyes are using as a code (based on some equally barbarous native language of theirs), your analysts think the debacle at Rockhampton may have actually been an accident borne of the incapability of the US Navy at understanding their codes either! -- the task force was supposed to have gone somewhere else instead, and read their orders wrongly!

[undercovergeek]

seriously? the death of 8000 finely honed Nipponese warriors was the result of someone saying 'what? this harbour, or that one? this one? that one? whos on one?     

historians will later note the sinking of the Enterprise, Wasp and Lexington when 3 sub captains forgot which way they were going

goddamit, im madder now than i was then

[Staggerwing]

Mr Pratt, would you please accompany these two men from ONI to the automobile waiting outside? We have a few questions for you back at Pearl...