Donald Reaver
Donor
Did they paint numbers on the sides of the tanks so the scouts know which one they are calling on.
Sir John Valentine Carden Survives. Part 2.
- Thread starter allanpcameron
- Start date
At which point the Japanese, whose officers are likely to read and speak English, target tank No. 1 with everything they've got. Logic would suggest that that's the platoon commander's tank.
Ramp-Rat
Monthly Donor
Oh dear things do not appear to be going well for the Americans in the Philippines, as unlike the British in Malaya, and the Dutch in Sumatra and Java, they now do not have a secure supply line. Not only are they beginning to run out of food, but they will soon be also running short of essential supplies such as POL and ammunition. While they can demand that the British divert their supplies to support the ongoing efforts of the Americans and Philippines to resist the Japanese invasion. A demand that the British will be loathe to fore fill in any meaningful way, but will make some minimal way, if only to strengthen their hand in negotiations with the American administration. Will have the problem that while they can supply some food and such essential non military supplies, as gasoline, oil, and pharmaceutical items. There is no way that the British can supply any ammunition or military equipment, and they is now way that the Americans can transfer such supplies to Singapore for transshipment on to the Philippines. Unless there is some sort of miracle in the next few weeks, the situation in the Philippines will have deteriorated to such an extent that it’s eventually fall is inevitable. However as had been said before, unlike IOTL, the resistance groups in the Philippines, will be supported and provided with more than token of supplies. And this will cause a major change in the situation in side the Philippines, and ensure that when the Americans eventually launch an invasion to liberate the country, it will receive much greater support and assistance from the local resistance movement.
RR.
RR.
Is that a considerable improvement for the Americans and Filipinos over the original timeline?
allanpcameron
Donor
Actually from OTL, as you'll see if you have a look at the excellent website I linked.
There is an interesting thing about to happen a few days later. Homma, whose force is now exhausted, sick and spent (~7000 casualties), orders them back to a defensive position and requests reinforcements. The question ITTL is where they'll come from?
Allan
Actually, I'm just going to go ahead and say, I hope the Americans do manage to make some headway, due to the Japanese having drawn forces off to try to reinforce their position in Malaya. Keeping Mac neutred in the Philippines is the probably the best (non-lethal) way of dealing with him.
His Glorious Highness God Emperor MacArthur will probably demand all the support from the Australians, New Zealand, the Dutch and the British then to move the Japanese out and bitcb when he is told no.
Of course. The fact that the rest of the allies will have their hands full freeing Thailand, Borneo, etc, won't come into it.
What can the British Commonwealth and the Dutch actually send to the Philippines? Not much, a bit of food, some fuel and medicines, but only by submarine. Those same boats can evacuate a few wounded and those who should not fall into enemy hands. Later they'll be able to supply resistance movements with some difficulty. All MacArthur's blustering is just that. He knows the facts as well as anyone and is playing to the press to bolster his reputation. The Philippines are doomed, he knows it and is covering his backside by blaming his allies.
Adding to this it doesn't help that like OTL he refused every offer for any coordinated OPs plan involving the units under him in the Philippines until the war. If anything he's done more to hamper his own defensive efforts by not at least getting some provisional coordination in place.
Heck if I was a Dutch or British diplomate I'd use MacArthurs failings in the Pacfic for all they are worth.
What we tend to forget is that the entire damn Japanese offensive in the 1941-42 offensive period consisted of them using the same forces in multiple areas according to an insanely complicated schedule that almost came apart on them several times. The fact that it's all gone to hell in a handbasket ITL is immensely satisfying, as hubris inevitably leads to nemesis.
Hm, if you ditch reloads, the American subs would be good for supply runs. You could get 14 tonnes each into the Porpoises (10 of), almost 22½ tonnes into the Salmons (6 of) and Sargos (10 of), and just over 19½ tonnes into the Tambors (12 of), assuming you trade weight-for-weight for the reload torpedoes (~1,400 kg each).
When you consider a tramp freighter could carry several thousand tons of cargo this does not seem like much. Of course a submarine is much less likely to be sunk than a freighter.
Yes, but sadly that was a drop in the ocean compared to what was needed. IRRC Dugout Doug screwed up the transfer of supplies into Bataan before the siege of it. There's a reason why the man is derided and I'm not even as acerbic about him as @CalBear is.
Problem would be unloading and load as always that takes time as well as lashing everything down to make sure it doesn't mess with the Subs surface stability when it's topside charging its batteries or at snorkeling depth.
Yep. It's not much, but a few supplies in, and a few people out will help a tiny bit.
That might be an issue, but since the only place to store the stuff is the torpedo rooms, and submarines are made to take account of the fact that mass in those rooms changes over the course of the voyage, I don't think it will be too much of an issue.
I had a look at the site you linked to and the part I read seemed to me to indicate the (edit: original timeline) Americans and Filipinos attacked and were taken prisoner (or at least the person whose account I was reading) in December, whereas your timeline was several months on from December - hence my enquiry. But I may have missed a date in the text.
Anyway, thanks for clarifying that the Philippines are (so far) going at least as badly for the defenders as in the original timeline.
(Thought there was a possibility doctrine could have been improved in this timeline based on what the USA had heard the Brits were doing elsewhere, but 'not invented here' I guess and only use tactics, strategy, and so forth designed by 100% Americans.)