NotBigBrother
Monthly Donor
I read pre-war military periodics. There was a serious claim: "Netherlands have 1000 warplanes". Oh, my!
Sir John Valentine Carden Survives. Part 2.
- Thread starter allanpcameron
- Start date
The Germans in the Battle of Britain faced many of the same issues that the British faced over the beaches at Dunkirk, namely, that they were operating single-engined fighters at ranges they hadn't planned for.
Eventually, after biting off more than they could chew. If Germany had (presumably via magic) managed to avoid tangling with the Soviets, I'm not sure if an invasion of France would have been possible in 1944.
Which hints at failings further up the chain of command, among them being complacency, an unwillingness to learn the lessons of history, and a high command that was dreadfully out-of-touch. This was a common theme in the early war, almost every loss they suffered was because of mistakes they themselves made, with perhaps only the Battle of France being more on the French than the British.
Noted, but if they'd had the ability to back down, to not go after any colonial territories, then I'm not sure Britain would have had the Ability to beat Germany, even with the Soviets on-side.
True, but that still wouldn't equate to being able to beat the Germans over occupied Europe on their own. Fighting an air campaign over enemy terrain without ground units involved is always a bloody affair, and I'm not sure anyone except the American could have afforded to really commit to it. Noting of course that the British switched to night-fighting specifically because they didn't have a long-ranged escort fighter.
Presumably someone outright lied to the correspondant? Or they counted literally every bird they had rather than the tiny number of actual combat capable planes they actually had.
7 February 1942. Lembang, Java.
allanpcameron
Donor
7 February 1942. Lembang, Java.
General Auchinleck had arrived back at ABDA HQ from a quick tour of various headquarters. He had wanted to see for himself just exactly what things were like on the ground, and like a curate’s egg, it was good in parts. He had collected local commanders reports so that at this meeting, everyone would be completely updated on what was going on. More importantly, Auchinleck knew that unless the combined American, British, Dutch and Australian forces actually collaborated better, there would be problems down the line.
Auchinleck’s ABDA Command, was made up of General Henry Powall, Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General George Brett, Auchinleck’s deputy commander, and commander of the US Army Air Force. ABDAfloat as the naval forces were known was represented by Vice Admiral William Glassford (Commander Naval Forces) with Rear Admiral Arthur Palliser (Chief of Staff), and Admiral Doorman (Commander Combined Striking Force). Admiral Thomas Hart had just been replaced by Glassford, and was temporarily still on hand to settle his replacement in to his role. ABDAarm, the combined ground forces were commanded by General Hein der Poorten. Finally, Air Marshall Richard Peirse was Commander ABDAair, the air forces available.
Auchinleck had Powall deliver a briefing from each of Admiral Tom Phillips (CinC Eastern Fleet), General Alexander (GOC Burma Army) and Lieutenant-General Percival (GOC Malaya Command). At the moment, the Japanese had been halted around Ipoh, and a counterattack was underway, with an incursion from Burma into Thailand to split the Japanese response. Force Z at Ceylon was preparing for another sortie into the ABDA area and that was being coordinated with Glassford and Doorman. From the British perspective, other than the loss of British Borneo, the situation had stabilised and both Malaya and Burma were looking safe.
Vice Admiral Glassford noted that the actions of Force Z and the Combined Striking Force, along with submarine activity had taken a toll on the Japanese light forces, but that the main Imperial Japanese Navy’s fleet had not yet been engaged. From the US Navy’s point of view, Admiral Nimitz in Hawaii had made it clear that the Asiatic Fleet (now known as US Naval Forces South West Pacific) couldn’t expect much in the way of reinforcement and would have to cooperate with the British and Dutch as best as they could. Admiral Doorman expressed concern for the way in which the Japanese navy almost always were able to operate under an air umbrella, whereas his Striking Force was always pleading for any air cover they could get.
Air Marshall Peirse attempted to defend his Dutch and American pilots, who were doing their best with the very limited resources at hand. The reinforcements to the US Army Air Force were increasing, and he had been insistent on making sure the Dutch airfields were properly prepared to host these precious P40s. The RAF had learned hard lessons during the Battle of Britain, and reinforced in the Battle of Malaya, to make every effort to defend the airfields from attack. Not only were the airfields to be protected by anti-aircraft units, but also with proper revetments and protected storage areas for fuel and ammunition. Peirse, having come from Bomber Command, was keen on the American B17s taking a larger role, but he understood the need to protect the land, sea and air forces from enemy action.
The Japanese had now full control of Borneo, but it had cost them in men and ships. The issue was now to hamper their ability to project power from Borneo, especially air power. Java’s northern shore would be vulnerable to air attack if the Japanese got airfields in southern Borneo operational. General Hein der Poorten gave an account of the resistance that the Dutch and Indian troops had put up before pulling back into the jungle to wage guerrilla warfare or await evacuation. Regarding the situation on Celebes, the Japanese attempt to take Kendari had been defeated, a matter of great delight to the American press. The Texas National Guard artillery unit had played a large part in that story and it was good news among what was otherwise negative stories coming from the Philippines.
A report from General MacArthur gave the latest information, which seemed to suggest that the Japanese had been halted, and that Bataan could hold if enough supplies could be brought in. There was some discussion about that situation. The British take on the situation was that attempting to supply Bataan would be even more difficult than supplying Malta. With Borneo in the hands of the Japanese, as well as the Japanese air forces already based on the Philippines and IndoChina, running any surface convoy would face overwhelming land based airpower. The use of submarines limited how much could be taken in, and brought out. A fast cruiser like HMS Abdiel might have a chance, but unloading and loading in Corregidor would be a terrible risk. The Royal Navy also needed to be reassured that there was sufficient fuel oil to fill her bunkers, allowing her to make the return journey at top speed.
Two Royal Navy submarines, HMS Porpoise and Rorqual were being modified at Singapore to transform their minelaying capacity to carrying supplies to Corregidor. It was expected that their first mission would begin before the end of the week. Whatever American submarines were available to do the same would be assigned by Vice-Admiral Glassford.
The situation that needed to stabilised was the Dutch East Indies. If Kendari could hold, along with Ambon and Timor, where two Australian Brigades were based, then the route between Australian and Java would be secure. The defence of Sumatra depended on Malaya and Singapore holding, which seemed probable. Java was the lynchpin which needed to be protected. Peirse and Brett were confident that the build up of the USAAF would continue. The RAF in Burma and Malaya was being reinforced from the Middle East, and that would keep the left flank secure. HMS Athene had just arrived in Singapore from Takoradi with 40 more Hurricanes.
Outside of ABDA’s operational area, the Japanese landing on New Britain at Rabaul had been strongly contested. The Australian Brigade was still active, but had to pull out of the immediate area. What that meant for New Guinea and the Solomon Islands still wasn’t clear, but that was a matter for the ANZAC area.
Auchinleck was keen to find a way to keep the Japanese off balance. The Striking Force was a reasonable size, but without aircover it was always going to be vulnerable. When Force Z and the Striking Force combined, as they had at the battle of Makassar Strait, it was a powerful force. Once both HMS Ark Royal and HMS Indomitable were available with the new Martlet fighters, it would be a powerful and balanced force. That remained in the future. For the moment the job was to try to intercept any attempts to reinforce their efforts. The South China Sea was probably out of reach until the RAF could send reinforcements for the remaining Hudsons and other strike aircraft.
An RAAF Squadron of Australian built Beauforts was undergoing training, and No 489 Squadron RNZAF were due to leave Britain to fly in stages to Malaya in their Beauforts, along with No 42 Squadron RAF. 42 Squadron would stay on Malta, allowing the more experienced No 39 Squadron to move to the Far East. Along with the Wellingtons that were arriving in India, it was hoped that a strong offensive force would be created, along with the USAAF B17s and A20s.
The submarine force was going to the most important part of the intervention. The troubles with the American torpedoes were being looked into, with British and Dutch help. It would need time and resources to identify and try to fix the problem. Task Force 2 Service Force, which had shipped originally to Darwin was on its way back to Java, so that the American ships could be properly serviced without having to make the long transit back to Northern Australia.
All the Dutch, British and American submarines that were available, along with as many long-range reconnaissance aircraft were looking for Japanese ship movements. The primary goal, in order to protect Java, was to isolate the Japanese on Borneo to prevent the build-up of their air force. The destruction of fuel and bomb supplies at all captured airfields at least meant that the Japanese would have to ship in these basics to get the airfields operational.
The USN had started with 29 submarines in the area on 8 December, the Dutch with sixteen. Of these about one third of the American and half of the Dutch were old, unfit for operations or undergoing refits. Losses had been taken, but on the other hand the British and Dutch reinforcements from the Mediterranean were beginning to mount up. HMS Trusty and Truant had arrived first, along with three Dutch boats (O-21, O-23 and O-24). Another two T-Class boats (Triumph, Tribune) from Alexandria had followed, in addition, HMS Severn, Clyde, Otus, Olympus, Porpoise and Rorqual were either on route or already arrived, with more T-Class expected when available.
To keep Kendari out of Japanese hands, the Australians were prepared to move one of the Battalions currently on Timor to Celebes. The possibility of moving another from Ambon was considered too risky, as the harbour and airfield at Ambon was still considered to be a Japanese target. Some twenty thousand American troops were on their way to Australia in Convoy BT-200, the majority of which were to garrison the French island of New Caledonia. It would be the end of the month before they arrived in Melbourne, but he build-up of American ground forces in Australia, as well as the Australian 1st Armoured Division coming to operational readiness, gave Auchinleck hope that eventually he would be able to go on the attack.
General Auchinleck had arrived back at ABDA HQ from a quick tour of various headquarters. He had wanted to see for himself just exactly what things were like on the ground, and like a curate’s egg, it was good in parts. He had collected local commanders reports so that at this meeting, everyone would be completely updated on what was going on. More importantly, Auchinleck knew that unless the combined American, British, Dutch and Australian forces actually collaborated better, there would be problems down the line.
Auchinleck’s ABDA Command, was made up of General Henry Powall, Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General George Brett, Auchinleck’s deputy commander, and commander of the US Army Air Force. ABDAfloat as the naval forces were known was represented by Vice Admiral William Glassford (Commander Naval Forces) with Rear Admiral Arthur Palliser (Chief of Staff), and Admiral Doorman (Commander Combined Striking Force). Admiral Thomas Hart had just been replaced by Glassford, and was temporarily still on hand to settle his replacement in to his role. ABDAarm, the combined ground forces were commanded by General Hein der Poorten. Finally, Air Marshall Richard Peirse was Commander ABDAair, the air forces available.
Auchinleck had Powall deliver a briefing from each of Admiral Tom Phillips (CinC Eastern Fleet), General Alexander (GOC Burma Army) and Lieutenant-General Percival (GOC Malaya Command). At the moment, the Japanese had been halted around Ipoh, and a counterattack was underway, with an incursion from Burma into Thailand to split the Japanese response. Force Z at Ceylon was preparing for another sortie into the ABDA area and that was being coordinated with Glassford and Doorman. From the British perspective, other than the loss of British Borneo, the situation had stabilised and both Malaya and Burma were looking safe.
Vice Admiral Glassford noted that the actions of Force Z and the Combined Striking Force, along with submarine activity had taken a toll on the Japanese light forces, but that the main Imperial Japanese Navy’s fleet had not yet been engaged. From the US Navy’s point of view, Admiral Nimitz in Hawaii had made it clear that the Asiatic Fleet (now known as US Naval Forces South West Pacific) couldn’t expect much in the way of reinforcement and would have to cooperate with the British and Dutch as best as they could. Admiral Doorman expressed concern for the way in which the Japanese navy almost always were able to operate under an air umbrella, whereas his Striking Force was always pleading for any air cover they could get.
Air Marshall Peirse attempted to defend his Dutch and American pilots, who were doing their best with the very limited resources at hand. The reinforcements to the US Army Air Force were increasing, and he had been insistent on making sure the Dutch airfields were properly prepared to host these precious P40s. The RAF had learned hard lessons during the Battle of Britain, and reinforced in the Battle of Malaya, to make every effort to defend the airfields from attack. Not only were the airfields to be protected by anti-aircraft units, but also with proper revetments and protected storage areas for fuel and ammunition. Peirse, having come from Bomber Command, was keen on the American B17s taking a larger role, but he understood the need to protect the land, sea and air forces from enemy action.
The Japanese had now full control of Borneo, but it had cost them in men and ships. The issue was now to hamper their ability to project power from Borneo, especially air power. Java’s northern shore would be vulnerable to air attack if the Japanese got airfields in southern Borneo operational. General Hein der Poorten gave an account of the resistance that the Dutch and Indian troops had put up before pulling back into the jungle to wage guerrilla warfare or await evacuation. Regarding the situation on Celebes, the Japanese attempt to take Kendari had been defeated, a matter of great delight to the American press. The Texas National Guard artillery unit had played a large part in that story and it was good news among what was otherwise negative stories coming from the Philippines.
A report from General MacArthur gave the latest information, which seemed to suggest that the Japanese had been halted, and that Bataan could hold if enough supplies could be brought in. There was some discussion about that situation. The British take on the situation was that attempting to supply Bataan would be even more difficult than supplying Malta. With Borneo in the hands of the Japanese, as well as the Japanese air forces already based on the Philippines and IndoChina, running any surface convoy would face overwhelming land based airpower. The use of submarines limited how much could be taken in, and brought out. A fast cruiser like HMS Abdiel might have a chance, but unloading and loading in Corregidor would be a terrible risk. The Royal Navy also needed to be reassured that there was sufficient fuel oil to fill her bunkers, allowing her to make the return journey at top speed.
Two Royal Navy submarines, HMS Porpoise and Rorqual were being modified at Singapore to transform their minelaying capacity to carrying supplies to Corregidor. It was expected that their first mission would begin before the end of the week. Whatever American submarines were available to do the same would be assigned by Vice-Admiral Glassford.
The situation that needed to stabilised was the Dutch East Indies. If Kendari could hold, along with Ambon and Timor, where two Australian Brigades were based, then the route between Australian and Java would be secure. The defence of Sumatra depended on Malaya and Singapore holding, which seemed probable. Java was the lynchpin which needed to be protected. Peirse and Brett were confident that the build up of the USAAF would continue. The RAF in Burma and Malaya was being reinforced from the Middle East, and that would keep the left flank secure. HMS Athene had just arrived in Singapore from Takoradi with 40 more Hurricanes.
Outside of ABDA’s operational area, the Japanese landing on New Britain at Rabaul had been strongly contested. The Australian Brigade was still active, but had to pull out of the immediate area. What that meant for New Guinea and the Solomon Islands still wasn’t clear, but that was a matter for the ANZAC area.
Auchinleck was keen to find a way to keep the Japanese off balance. The Striking Force was a reasonable size, but without aircover it was always going to be vulnerable. When Force Z and the Striking Force combined, as they had at the battle of Makassar Strait, it was a powerful force. Once both HMS Ark Royal and HMS Indomitable were available with the new Martlet fighters, it would be a powerful and balanced force. That remained in the future. For the moment the job was to try to intercept any attempts to reinforce their efforts. The South China Sea was probably out of reach until the RAF could send reinforcements for the remaining Hudsons and other strike aircraft.
An RAAF Squadron of Australian built Beauforts was undergoing training, and No 489 Squadron RNZAF were due to leave Britain to fly in stages to Malaya in their Beauforts, along with No 42 Squadron RAF. 42 Squadron would stay on Malta, allowing the more experienced No 39 Squadron to move to the Far East. Along with the Wellingtons that were arriving in India, it was hoped that a strong offensive force would be created, along with the USAAF B17s and A20s.
The submarine force was going to the most important part of the intervention. The troubles with the American torpedoes were being looked into, with British and Dutch help. It would need time and resources to identify and try to fix the problem. Task Force 2 Service Force, which had shipped originally to Darwin was on its way back to Java, so that the American ships could be properly serviced without having to make the long transit back to Northern Australia.
All the Dutch, British and American submarines that were available, along with as many long-range reconnaissance aircraft were looking for Japanese ship movements. The primary goal, in order to protect Java, was to isolate the Japanese on Borneo to prevent the build-up of their air force. The destruction of fuel and bomb supplies at all captured airfields at least meant that the Japanese would have to ship in these basics to get the airfields operational.
The USN had started with 29 submarines in the area on 8 December, the Dutch with sixteen. Of these about one third of the American and half of the Dutch were old, unfit for operations or undergoing refits. Losses had been taken, but on the other hand the British and Dutch reinforcements from the Mediterranean were beginning to mount up. HMS Trusty and Truant had arrived first, along with three Dutch boats (O-21, O-23 and O-24). Another two T-Class boats (Triumph, Tribune) from Alexandria had followed, in addition, HMS Severn, Clyde, Otus, Olympus, Porpoise and Rorqual were either on route or already arrived, with more T-Class expected when available.
To keep Kendari out of Japanese hands, the Australians were prepared to move one of the Battalions currently on Timor to Celebes. The possibility of moving another from Ambon was considered too risky, as the harbour and airfield at Ambon was still considered to be a Japanese target. Some twenty thousand American troops were on their way to Australia in Convoy BT-200, the majority of which were to garrison the French island of New Caledonia. It would be the end of the month before they arrived in Melbourne, but he build-up of American ground forces in Australia, as well as the Australian 1st Armoured Division coming to operational readiness, gave Auchinleck hope that eventually he would be able to go on the attack.
Warangoi River, New Britain.
allanpcameron
Donor
Warangoi River, New Britain.
Brigadier Savage looked up from his notes when he heard a few shots, that rapidly turned into a real fire-fight. It was a distance away, Savage judged at least a mile. The survivors of his Brigade had pulled back from Rabaul after their positions became untenable. He knew that his men had given the Japanese landing force a hard fight, and had inflicted terrible casualties upon them.
The combination of Japanese shore bombardment and total air superiority had meant that Savage had no real option but to pull his men out of the Rabaul area and use their ‘back door’ to ultimately cross the Gazelle Peninsula and reach Wide Bay. A number of volunteers with radios were still keeping an overwatch on the Japanese forces. They reported that the Japanese had begun work on trying to get the airfields back into operation, but it seemed that the Japanese carriers must have withdrawn as air activity was much lower.
The firefight had died down, and a runner had arrived with a message. A Japanese force had been sighted coming towards the Australian position. An ambush had been successfully initiated, killing the leading Japanese troops, with the rest fleeing into the jungle away from the Australians. It was clear that the Japanese had finally discovered the ‘back door’ route and followed it south. How they had managed to do so without being spotted by the various outposts was a mystery.
Lt-Col Patrick Starr’s 2/5 Bn was spread along the river in defensive positions. Having destroyed the ferry and tried to remove all traces of the route the Australians had used obviously hadn’t been as successful as hoped. A Company’s worth of men were on the other side of the river for the purpose of ambushing any nosey Japanese making their way to the river. Surprise was now officially lost.
The chances were that the Japanese had somehow managed to get some of the civilians, either Chinese or indigenous, to guide them along the ‘back door’ path. The Brigade Group had had to leave just about all its heavy equipment behind. They had no artillery or transport, so they could only manage to carry limited supplies at walking pace.
Lt Col John Scanlan, whose 2/22 Battalion had been on the island longest, was ill, as were many of his men. Jungle fevers had taken their toll on the whole Australian force. The sick and wounded were being carried by the able-bodied down the trail towards Adler Bay. Over the previous few nights one or two Catalinas had landed in the bay, allowing the evacuation of some of the wounded and sick. The planes had carried in medical supplies, food and limited amounts of ammunition. Savage had been promised that the Navy was working on getting his men off the island. The best place to do this would be Wide Bay, with the Tol Plantation and Kalai Mission being the best two places for this to happen.
2/5 and 2/7 Battalion, along with all the other units of the Brigade Group which had arrived in January, were still up for a fight, but realised there was a limit to what could be achieved. Holding the river was allowing the majority of the Brigade to move south towards Wide Bay. Lt-Col Henry Guinn (CO 2/7 Bn), was worried that the long coastline would allow for a Japanese force to land behind the defensive position and cut the Australians off from the sea.
The river was too long to guard its whole length, so Savage reluctantly gave Starr the order to pull his men back. Once more every effort was to be taken to destroy anything that would help the Japanese, and to do their best to cover their tracks. Guinn’s Battalion would hold the next river line and allow the Australians to keep an adequate distance between themselves and the pursuing Japanese.
Lt-Col Walstab, the Police Superintendent, with his force of native policemen had tried to warn the locals of the dangers they faced from the Japanese. The rumours coming from Rabaul itself were confirming the fear that Walstab had expressed.
Brigadier Savage was alert to the needs of his men. They’d put up an excellent fight, and certainly there were some who advocated attacking the Japanese now that the enemy’s aircraft weren’t around. Savage didn’t have enough information about the strength of the Japanese force, and without their heavy equipment, it was too risky.
Withdrawal from a battle always had a bad effect on men’s morale, but they knew they had lived to fight another day. Getting off this island was now the priority, and once they’d rested and been reinforced, they could take on the Japanese, hopefully with air support of their own.
Brigadier Savage looked up from his notes when he heard a few shots, that rapidly turned into a real fire-fight. It was a distance away, Savage judged at least a mile. The survivors of his Brigade had pulled back from Rabaul after their positions became untenable. He knew that his men had given the Japanese landing force a hard fight, and had inflicted terrible casualties upon them.
The combination of Japanese shore bombardment and total air superiority had meant that Savage had no real option but to pull his men out of the Rabaul area and use their ‘back door’ to ultimately cross the Gazelle Peninsula and reach Wide Bay. A number of volunteers with radios were still keeping an overwatch on the Japanese forces. They reported that the Japanese had begun work on trying to get the airfields back into operation, but it seemed that the Japanese carriers must have withdrawn as air activity was much lower.
The firefight had died down, and a runner had arrived with a message. A Japanese force had been sighted coming towards the Australian position. An ambush had been successfully initiated, killing the leading Japanese troops, with the rest fleeing into the jungle away from the Australians. It was clear that the Japanese had finally discovered the ‘back door’ route and followed it south. How they had managed to do so without being spotted by the various outposts was a mystery.
Lt-Col Patrick Starr’s 2/5 Bn was spread along the river in defensive positions. Having destroyed the ferry and tried to remove all traces of the route the Australians had used obviously hadn’t been as successful as hoped. A Company’s worth of men were on the other side of the river for the purpose of ambushing any nosey Japanese making their way to the river. Surprise was now officially lost.
The chances were that the Japanese had somehow managed to get some of the civilians, either Chinese or indigenous, to guide them along the ‘back door’ path. The Brigade Group had had to leave just about all its heavy equipment behind. They had no artillery or transport, so they could only manage to carry limited supplies at walking pace.
Lt Col John Scanlan, whose 2/22 Battalion had been on the island longest, was ill, as were many of his men. Jungle fevers had taken their toll on the whole Australian force. The sick and wounded were being carried by the able-bodied down the trail towards Adler Bay. Over the previous few nights one or two Catalinas had landed in the bay, allowing the evacuation of some of the wounded and sick. The planes had carried in medical supplies, food and limited amounts of ammunition. Savage had been promised that the Navy was working on getting his men off the island. The best place to do this would be Wide Bay, with the Tol Plantation and Kalai Mission being the best two places for this to happen.
2/5 and 2/7 Battalion, along with all the other units of the Brigade Group which had arrived in January, were still up for a fight, but realised there was a limit to what could be achieved. Holding the river was allowing the majority of the Brigade to move south towards Wide Bay. Lt-Col Henry Guinn (CO 2/7 Bn), was worried that the long coastline would allow for a Japanese force to land behind the defensive position and cut the Australians off from the sea.
The river was too long to guard its whole length, so Savage reluctantly gave Starr the order to pull his men back. Once more every effort was to be taken to destroy anything that would help the Japanese, and to do their best to cover their tracks. Guinn’s Battalion would hold the next river line and allow the Australians to keep an adequate distance between themselves and the pursuing Japanese.
Lt-Col Walstab, the Police Superintendent, with his force of native policemen had tried to warn the locals of the dangers they faced from the Japanese. The rumours coming from Rabaul itself were confirming the fear that Walstab had expressed.
Brigadier Savage was alert to the needs of his men. They’d put up an excellent fight, and certainly there were some who advocated attacking the Japanese now that the enemy’s aircraft weren’t around. Savage didn’t have enough information about the strength of the Japanese force, and without their heavy equipment, it was too risky.
Withdrawal from a battle always had a bad effect on men’s morale, but they knew they had lived to fight another day. Getting off this island was now the priority, and once they’d rested and been reinforced, they could take on the Japanese, hopefully with air support of their own.
allanpcameron
Donor
The Rabaul insert isn't really part of the story, but I had written it, and then thought, this isn't really part of the story. But because I'd written it, I thought I might just add it in, a wee bit of a bonus, and maybe move the discussion away from the RAF etc.
Allan.
Allan.
I think that the line...
will cause a lot of trouble for the "Torpedo-Mafia", they can't ignore this second conduit of bad news.
NotBigBrother
Monthly Donor
"What those Brits and Dutch can know about torpedos? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Well at least the mess is being sorted early this time. Also I assume MacArthur is either being over optimistic or outright lying about his position?
Well having a British senior officer, it's certainly going to be difficult for BuOrd to sweep those problems under the rug. Drop tests (for the firing pins) and running tests (for the depth gauge ought to be fairly easy to sort out, and will at least give them torpedoes that mostly hit, and go off when they do. No doubt, once those reports get back to one Ernest J. King, sign by VA Glassford, then some people will be in for a very uncomfortable time. So will the Japanese Admirals down the line, as working American torpedoes mean more Japanese ships going down.
That's ahead of schedule. Fingers crossed it the solution will be accepted.
Always assume the asshole is lying or off with thr fairies it means you will live longer.
Adding to this with your allies forcing the point it is a bit of a diplomatic incident now as well as an internal USN one so heads will roll.
Also will probably make the Allies look more carefully at US kit they are sent.
Huh a double update, that was a bit unexpected, whether your objective could be achieved(2), let see the main update shall we....
1. Considering it had been five days since the last update from there, it could be seen as the Japanese had at least attempted to defend Penang, which is strategically important thanks to the Butterworth Air Base, and the pace of the counterattack had been slowed, although most of the reason for that was the fact that the counterattack started rapidly, which surprised the Japanese perhaps. Now that the suprise element had gone, expect some heavy fighting the longer the counterattack been dragged.
2. Uhh....nevermind.
3. Out of topic here, but what is the current state of press in term of its friendliness to FDR wise, and its that could probably affect how happy some of them are?
4. A bunch of people had said that MacArthur could be lying, and I believe them. That being said, considering the current state of battle elsewhere, would the Japanese perhaps had already divert or even take some reinforcements away from the Phillipines?
5. "The troubles with the American torpedoes were being looked into, with British and Dutch help." Yup, the IJN don't know it yet, but there are possibilities that their navy would be even smaller than the Dutch this time next year.
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He's playing politics. If he does somehow manage to hold on he gets named a military genius and positions himself for a run at the Whitehouse, but if as is all but certain the Philippines fall it's all the Fault of Auchinleck and whoever's CinCPAC this month for not sending him enough supplies.
Pretty much this to him everyone's to blame but himself. He'll he likes to ignore things like distance enemy strength and the fact the enemy has both ocean and air superiority in his local area.
I hope he gets shot in both bum cheeks.
Look More Closely Later
Gone Fishin'
I think Allan has indicated in a recent(ish) post that some troops which in the Original Timeline were sent in by the Imperial Japanese to help complete the mop-up operations in the Philippines are hopelessly out of position to do the same job at the same time in this timeline.
Its probably still not a great position to be in though. Its also possible that MacArthur ends up holding out in Bataan which in turn sees him essentially "walled up" in a siege he can't leave without seeming even more of a coward than he appeared OTL. That will keep him out of every-bodies hair until they finally get round to liberating the Islands (which if they can drive up the coast and eventually link up with the KPT in southern China probably won't be much of a priority).