What sort of trouble are all those "old farts" getting up to?
Using the island groups in the South China Sea for staging areas for the MTBs is a clever ploy. If it works for the MTBs can it work for larger faster ships? Risky.
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What sort of trouble are all those "old farts" getting up to?
Kra Isthmus December 17, 1942
A shot rang out. Three dozen men hit the ground. A few checked themselves and all checked their nearby mates for injury. Within a second or two of the first shot, a dozen riflemen were responding with fire in the general direction of the sniper. A few more seconds and a light machine gun started to fire. The sniper fired another bullet and the fire concentrated on a much smaller area. The replacement platoon leader started to assemble an attack plan before his experienced and trusted sergeant motioned to the tank platoon that was at rest half a mile behind them.
Twenty minutes later, the tanks began a ponderous advance with the infantry men covering them as the metal monsters covered the crunchies. It was slow and it was deliberate, but there was no need for haste nor waste as the ocean could be heard when a Grant was not firing its 75 millimeter gun at anything that resembled cover for the Japanese hold-outs. The snipers and machine gunners tried to hold up the advance, but they were cooks and engineers and runners fighting against an Australian battalion that had been chased the Italians out of Egypt, victorious in Libya against the Germans and had smashed the Japanese advance down the east coast of Malaya the previous year. Experience mattered and far more importantly, heavy firepower that cooperated with the well drilled infantry carried the day as the hold-outs were cleared. Resistance was not complete, half a dozen prisoners, all wounded were taken without any of them holding grenades to their stomachs.
I'm honestly surprised that a forward base would be set up that deep into enemy territory as well. It doesn't matter if the nearest islands have little or no garrison to speak of. All it takes is one flying boat passing through and spotting a ship or ships where ships shouldn't be. This also doesn't discount the possibility of Japanese warships showing up.
Oy vey! Setting up an advanced base in the middle of Japanese held ocean is ballsy! Sure, it's probably temporary, and the Japanese would have to find it first before they could attack it, but still.... Especially if they want to leave some infrastructure there for a second run later.They were heading to a spot in the Spratleys were the seaplane tender and two of the cargo boats would be setting up an advanced base after they refueled the two boat
That's why they are using a seaplane tender as a fast boat tender, no infrastructure but the boatsOy vey! Setting up an advanced base in the middle of Japanese held ocean is ballsy! Sure, it's probably temporary, and the Japanese would have to find it first before they could attack it, but still.... Especially if they want to leave some infrastructure there for a second run later.
Oy vey! Setting up an advanced base in the middle of Japanese held ocean is ballsy! Sure, it's probably temporary, and the Japanese would have to find it first before they could attack it, but still.... Especially if they want to leave some infrastructure there for a second run later.
It appears that the infrastructure for thebases is nothing more then AVDs and part of the fast cargo boats. Imo the best thingto protect the base would be a visit from a couple of DMs or the British Abidels to lay protective fields near the bases, and maybe support a couple of PBY's night cats to do a mine run off Palawan.
There are eight allocated to the mission. This is a proof of conceptVery well thought out @fester. The USN could use a few more MTBs for the job.
Without some butterflies, you won't be able to have eight ... let alone moreThere are eight allocated to the mission. This is a proof of concept
Without some butterflies, ou won't be able to have eight.
The RN only had the 8 vessels ordered as MGBs by the Turkish prewar as relatively large long endurance but low speed patrol vessels (hence the diesel engines).
They have US flags but they are British built MGBs on an original Turkish order.These are not RN MTBs or MGBs. They are US PT Boats and crew on loan in a swap outlined in an earlier post.
They have US flags but they are British built MGBs on an original Turkish order.
And yes authorial fiat is declaring that in TTL all eight boats were completed well ahead of schedule.
Kent December 18, 1942
Suddenly a gust of wind swept the grounds of the school and the bombs landed just short of the building in the fallow wheat fields surrounding the village. Three exploded, the last fuse failed. An hour later, a bomb disposal unit arrived and began their harrowing work.