With the Imperial troops already sitting on and digging in to the provinces that were discussed earlier prior to therains might we see some sort of deal where the Thais give up the southern provinces to Malaya and bow out of the war?
*sigh* *facepalm* And people complain about the USA fighting its wars like a business.

Sounds like a good way to get the King in front of a firing squad. And a postwar Ho Chi Minh/Mao wannabe in power in Bangkok.
Simon said:
Oh you crazy, crazy Japanese. Looks as though the US is going to get to contribute to the thorough kicking they're going to receive.
Maybe. The IJN is employing interior lines here. I have to think that Nimitz is going to have to punt here. With the Ranger unusable, the Lexington and the Saratoga gone, and the Wasp in the Mediterrean, that leaves just the (ITTL) four Yorktown class members to face off against the entire Kido Butai plus whatever IJN CVLs are fast enough to keep up with them.
The US fleet's disadvantages are many. POS torpedo bombers (unless the Avengers are now on service?), still a poor level of experience and training compared to their opponents, and no BB protection. No fleet tactical organization for allowing massed carrier formations beyond pairing at this point, either.
The US fleet's advantages are surprise, land based air support*, aerial* and submarine reconnaissance up the ying-yang, better damage control procedures(+), SAR, better carriers (except for the Shokaku class, which were comparable), better communications,
intact CAGs, (%), radar (sea and land based*)more robust aircraft, and a distinct lack of stupid overconfidence.
Between Nagumo and Yamaguchi on the one side, and Halsey (#) and Fletcher on the other, the level of aggressiveness on each side is a wash.
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*-Midway only. Unless the Australians are in a position to aid more directly, with both surface forces (Crace) and the RAAF & RNZAF in Port Moresby.
+-Which will only get better as American experience grows. But its already better than the IJN's.
%-Compared to their opponents, who've had some problems dealing with some tea-swilling barbarians to the West, who have had the suicidal effrontery to resist the irresistible might of Imperial Japan. Uh, somewhat.

Just a little.


But we'll teach them a lesson they'll never forget! Uh, soon. Really! As soon as we finish off the dastardly Yankees who dared to violate His Imperial Majesty's Sacred Airspace! May he live 10,000 years!
#-Of course,
Astrodragon is free to play 52 pickup with US carrier commanders and captains, considering how hany butterflies have been released by now.