Tango01 | 21 Jan 2015 12:26 p.m. PST |
"On the day that Singapore fell February 15th 1942, a Japanese invasion fleet was sailing towards the Palembang oilfield in south Sumatra. Sumatra was at the time part of the Dutch East Indies. The oil in the region was most abundant and among the sweetest crude oil produced anywhere in the world, and this made it something the Japanese wanted badly. The retreating allies had destroyed the refineries and wells in Borneo and Celebes. This annoyed the Japanese and gave them cause to issue a warning that "The head of every European will be cut off in an area where a well or refinery is fired". When this warning was first given during the invasion of Borneo, the Dutch civilian oil workers blew the massive Balikapapen oil refinery regardless. The initial objectives of the Japanese in south Sumatra were the main airfield at Pangkalanbenteng (called P1 by the British) at Palembang in south Sumatra and the Royal Dutch Shell oil refineries at Pladju (Pladjoe) a few miles from Palembang. They needed the airfield to reinforce and resupply and to use as a base in the conquest of north Sumatra and Java. From the Dutch point of view the key to the defence of Palembang and its attendant airfields was by holding the invaders at the Moesti River which had to be traversed before the three objectives could be reached. The Dutch knew it was pointless trying to stop the Japanese on the beaches because of the superior Japanese naval gunfire support…" Full text here link
Maybe of possible interest for wargaming? There are not many battles with japanese paratroopers. Amicalement Armand |
Oddball | 21 Jan 2015 1:23 p.m. PST |
Very interesting article, thanks for sharing. |
ottenfeld | 21 Jan 2015 2:34 p.m. PST |
Although not Palembang, if you want to see pictures of a great wargame check out the Tarakan wargame by the Dortmund wargames group at Crisis 2008 (several TMP links but mostly lacking the links to the pictures, so try Google). Best game I have seen at Crisis ever. |
Jemima Fawr | 21 Jan 2015 4:43 p.m. PST |
I wrote a scenario some years ago (for Battlefront: WW2 by Fire & Fury Games) regarding the Japanese para drop on Air Landing Ground P1. I can't give you the direct link from the work computer, but have a look at the scenarios page on fireandfury.com |
Jemima Fawr | 22 Jan 2015 8:01 a.m. PST |
Here's that Palembang scenario: PDF link And here are the orbats: PDF link Note one mistake – the KNIL armoured car should be an Overvalwagen, not a Marmon-Herrington. Since I wrote that scenario, QRF have produced KNIL infantry, as well as the Braat Overvalwagen. FoW have also produced the 3.7-inch Heavy AA Gun. |
Tango01 | 22 Jan 2015 11:19 a.m. PST |
Glad you enjoyed it my friend. Many thanks for share my friend Jemima Fawr.! Amicalement Armand |
Captain dEwell | 23 Jan 2015 9:02 a.m. PST |
Jemima Fawr, by sharing your wonderful PDFs you have done a great service for wargamers and TMP. You will receive no thanks from the latter but from one of the former, I say thank you very much. Hugely interesting and timely for me. PS, if you have done anything similar regarding Malaya and Singapore 1941/2 I, for one, would be very interested. Thanks again. Tango01, well done. |
Jemima Fawr | 23 Jan 2015 9:38 a.m. PST |
That's very kind of you. I only do it for the adulation, free drugs and groupies… I've not done anything on Malaya yet, as I don't really have much detailed info on that campaign, sorry. I'm sure that I will eventually get around to doing something. However, I've still got stacks of Burma ideas to write down, along with a few Hong Kong scenario ideas. |
uglyfatbloke | 23 Jan 2015 10:33 a.m. PST |
Captain DEwelll--- The Official History (War against Japan; Woodburn Kirby)is pretty soft on various British and Australian commanders, but it does have really excellent battle maps and orbat info…you just have to remember to trim down the units due to attrition. The actions on Singapore itself are very interesting and small in area – always useful in WW2 games. Buildings are hard to dome by, but we use ruins that are fairly generic – Hovels mostly. Woodburn Kirby also has a pretty good run-down of Hong Kong (and, again, very useful maps) we recently did a big game in 28mm with the Japanese attacking Scottish and Indian troops in the New Territories – 8 players, 3 umpires, a 24 foot table and a narrow-squeak victory for the Japanese. |
Tango01 | 23 Jan 2015 10:49 a.m. PST |
A votre service mon cher Capitaine! (smile) Amicalement Armand |
Captain dEwell | 23 Jan 2015 4:05 p.m. PST |
Uglyfatbloke, many thanks. I read the Kirby book many years ago and ought to re-visit it. The maps were very good. I would like a better understanding of the defences at Jitra, December 1941, but I recall that the map was helpful. Your big game sounds very interesting. Have you posted a report on it somewhere? Thanks again. |
uglyfatbloke | 24 Jan 2015 12:02 p.m. PST |
I'm a computer illiterate so no, I'm afraid I have n't. OTH we do stage big games pretty regularly and you're welcome to come up to Shetland and take part…we'll happily put you up for a weekend. If there had n't been an outbreak of horrid lurgy we would be having a game this weekend; 101st Airborne in Market Garden, loads of toys and a 40 foot table, but we hope to do it next week if you fancy the trip. We've done a few WW2 games and several big-ish ACW bashes….2-3000 figures, 6 or 8 players…with the rules you'll find in ACW e-magazine No. 5. |