The Whale has Wings

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Umm, yes, Cymraeg, the irony is duly noted and filed for future use. Should someone light the Welsh bonfires, too?
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Is that a distinctive style of bonfire made out of normal matter or are we talking about a bonfire made from welsh people ?
 
Ale and scotch egg festival in a pub? Where do I sign?!
Although a lock in afterwards would probably be considered
a crime against humanity.
 
Ale and scotch egg festival in a pub? Where do I sign?!
Although a lock in afterwards would probably be considered
a crime against humanity.

It is a great idea isn't it? I do the quiz there sometime and I was speaking to the barman about it and he said it all started with some banter between pubs, then it sort of spiralled out of control into a proper competition
 

Ramp-Rat

Monthly Donor
There seems to be a belief that the war against Japan is a resource hog, and that for the British it will become something that they are prepared to leave to the Americans. Churchill while not a fool by any measure, and well understanding that the war against Germany is and has to be the main priority. Will for reasons that would to modern eyes seem foolish, Imperial prestige, not want to allow the British campaign to be seen to be anything other than full hearted.

It should be remembered that Japan is fighting three wars, one that has been ongoing since before 1937 against China. And it is this war that occupies the majority of her ground troops, and a large portion of her Airforce. Nor can see withdraw to many forces from this conflict without the Chinese taking advantage of this. No matter how ineffectual Chiang was, if the Japanese take the pressure off him, he will attack, and they will find themselves losing, not something the army is going to allow.

Then there is the predominately naval campaign in the Pacific, against the Americans, and the mixed campaign in South East Asia against the British. ITTL, both of these campaigns play to the respective nation’s strengths, and against the Japanese. Who have entered a game in which they can not win, or can they afford to play.

It should be remembered that with the demise of both the German and Italian fleets, courtesy of the FAA, there is only one place in the world that major surface naval units can be deployed to any significant effect. That is in the war against Japan, and both the RN and USN, are going to want to have their chance to play in this area. After all, the only other option is convoy duty, not something that the professional officers relish, or see as providing a career enhancing addition to their CV.

For the Americans, the Pacific campaign once they have ramped up their war industries is a low personnel, high material cost effort. And that is their preferred way of fighting; America has ever since the Civil War preferred to spend money more than lives. (This is not a criticism, just an observation.) The Pacific war was up until the invasions of the Philippines and Okinawa, one that required few troops in combat in comparison to the number in support. And where American logistics, and its ability to provide an endless stream of equipment and stores was a deciding factor.

ITTL, the British too, are free to fight in a way they prefer, and also have a logistical advantage over the Japanese that they didn’t in OTL. With both Singapore and Rangoon available, they can supply their forces in a way they were not abler to IOTL. Other than in the New Guinea campaign, no other front had as difficult supply chain as that in OTL Burma. Slim was always fighting on the edge of his logistical ability, and it was logistics that dominated all his efforts.

Now both he and Alex, are to a major extent free of those worries, both have a major port at there conveyance, and can supply their respective forces far easier than Slim could IOTL. Nor are troop numbers a worry, India and local recruiting are more than enough to provide the men they need. As for equipment, without the prolonged campaign in the Middle East, and better results in the Atlantic war, more will be available than was. The war in the Far East isn’t highly mercerised, nor is the fighting high intensity in the way it was in Europe. Local conditions preclude mass tank armies, and the use of massed artillery.

Britain will conduct a major campaign as it did IOTL, and this will not to any great extent distract from the efforts in Europe.
 
Sorry about the delay in posting, I got in a groove on my storyline in a different novel...:eek:

So here is a brief update before you start on with the pork scratchings again.

March 23rd - 24th continued.

As night drew on the two cruiser forces were manoeuvring for position. The Japanese commander was trying to close on the allied force for a night attack. The original orders to the Allies, to get behind the Japanese and shell the invasion convoy had been rescinded when the Colossus was hit, and on the report that the southern air strike was in progress. So both forces were moving westward, the allies trying to stay between any enemy force and the burning carrier.

The engineers report on Colossus was not good; the combination of underwater damage, loss of power and the fires were slowly overwhelming the light carrier, and now only damage control parties remained onboard. It was in this condition that the Japanese cruisers found her. As the enemy force closed, the allied cruiser force moved to intercept. Not all the allied cruisers were equipped with radar, or used to working together in night actions, and it had been hoped to draw the Japanese cruisers away so they would be vulnerable in the morning - Somerville had a surprise waiting for them come daybreak. However the light from the fires burning in the carriers hanger deck had been spotted, and to allow the remaining crew to be evacuated, the cruisers moved in to attack.

First hits were obtained by HMS Exeter at 0030 - her radar had allowed her to be targeting the Haguro for some time, and her third salvo scored hits on the heavy cruiser. Fires broke out on the Japanese ship, allowing the USS Houston to also target her. The allied force was roughly equal in gun power, even without the Perth (ordered to Singapore with two destroyers as escort after the heavy torpedo damage she had taken), but the allies were short of destroyers. Two had been ordered to help take off the Colossus's remaining crew, leaving only 5 destroyers to the Japanese 13. This allowed the Japanese destroyers to close in on the Allied cruiser line and make a torpedo attack (the Japanese ships carried reload torpedoes, allowing them to replace the ones used earlier). They also split off a force of 5 destroyers, which headed for the Colossus.

The night torpedo attack was from a closer range than the earlier daytime attack, and was more successful. One of the Japanese destroyers was sunk, intercepted by the defending ships, but the remainder managed a launch against the cruisers. The cruiser line was by now heavily engaged in a gun battle with the Japanese cruisers - the Haguro was burning heavily with three turrets out of action as a result of fire from HMS Exeter and USS Houston, and the light cruiser Naka was also in trouble, being targeted by HMS Danae, HMS Dragon and HMAS Hobart, although Danae had also taken a number of hits. HMS Exeter was hit by two of the Long Lance torpedoes, the cruiser hit aft and in her engine spaces. Without propulsion or power, she slowed to a stop, although the forward turrets were still firing manually. USS Houston was barely missed by another torpedo which passed forward of her by a matter of feet. But the small cruiser Danae, the fire from her shell hits making her an easier target, was hit by three of the large torpedoes. She rolled over and sank in less than two minutes, taking most of her crew with her.

While this had been happening the other Japanese destroyers had close the carrier. By now she had been evacuated, and the British destroyers watched from a distance as huge plumes of water shot up into the night sky from the stricken carrier, blood red in the light from her fires. Hit by five torpedoes the ships end was fast, and ten minutes later she had slipped under the waters of the Java Sea.

After the torpedo attack on the cruisers, the Japanese force had no reloads left. Not realising how much damage they had done, then collected their destroyers and headed east. However the night action had drawn them well west of their earlier position, and as they regrouped the Captain of the Nachi (now the leader due to damage to the Haguro) was shocked to see four huge waterspouts erupt close to his ship, gleaming white in the moonlight. HMS Warspite had arrived.
 
You arrived just in time Astrodragon the madness was descending!:) Interesting update and those Japanese ships didn't get very long to enjoy their victory.
 
I can imagine the report on the bridge of the Nachi, "Captain we've run out of torpedoes, and luck!" :)

So the Japanese cruiser force is gone, two of the three light carriers are gone and the last is top of Somerville's to do list; don't fancy the chances of the remaining invasion transports.
 

Hyperion

Banned
Nice update.

Astrodragon, one thing I'm wondering, if you could, could you make the font for your writting similar to the older posts you've put up?

This last post and the the one seemed somewhat odd to look at with the font being so big.
 
Astrodragon

Excellent, an update. Pity about the Danae and as expected the Colossus went down but hopefully Exeter can be saved.

The old lady has arrived.:D Very good that the Japanese are largely [preferably totally] out of torpedoes. Hopefully however she has some escorts and possibly with her in the field Houston and Perth will give support. I think with the way things went TTL she didn't get her success at Narvik so hopefully she shows her worth here. [I presume you do realise, if anything goes wrong the mob will be hammering on you're door, pitchforks ready;):mad:].

Ideally the Japanese force will spend itself trying to protect what's left of the landing and that will ease future combats. The Japanese had a decent sized fleet but its getting eaten away at a healthy [for the allies] rate.

Steve
 
Astrodragon

Excellent, an update. Pity about the Danae and as expected the Colossus went down but hopefully Exeter can be saved.

The old lady has arrived.:D Very good that the Japanese are largely [preferably totally] out of torpedoes. Hopefully however she has some escorts and possibly with her in the field Houston and Perth will give support. I think with the way things went TTL she didn't get her success at Narvik so hopefully she shows her worth here. [I presume you do realise, if anything goes wrong the mob will be hammering on you're door, pitchforks ready;):mad:].

Ideally the Japanese force will spend itself trying to protect what's left of the landing and that will ease future combats. The Japanese had a decent sized fleet but its getting eaten away at a healthy [for the allies] rate.

Steve

And lets not forget the losses to their transport fleet; their operational ability is being eroded rapidly. And with so many IJN light units being lost they are probably going to have to deploy the big carriers and the Yamato battleships simply because they are what's still available.
 
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