ssgtc
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Post by ssgtc on Mar 14, 2021 22:50:20 GMT
February 12, 1959
Over West New Guinea
The pilots of No 322 Squadron, flying obsolete Gloster Meteor fighters, take to the early morning sky to defend the airspace over West New Guinea. Following the events of the previous night, to a man the pilots of the Dutch fighters are all praying that they do not encounter Indonesian fighters, as Indonesia's MiG-17 and MiG-19 aircraft significantly outclass their own ancient fighters. They had been scheduled to convert to Hawker Hunter fighters nearly three months ago in December, but delays in shipping the new aircraft to the Far East in conjunction with higher priorities at home, had meant that 322 Squadron was left to soldier on with their museum piece Meteors.
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Post by La Rouge Beret on Mar 14, 2021 23:54:57 GMT
The RAAF had a hard enough time flying the Meteor against the Mig 15 during Korea, let alone fighting the Mig 15's successor in the same first generation jet fighter.
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ssgtc
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Post by ssgtc on Mar 15, 2021 0:34:33 GMT
The RAAF had a hard enough time flying the Meteor against the Mig 15 during Korea, let alone fighting the Mig 15's successor in the same first generation jet fighter. The thoughts of anyone hearing about the Dutch taking to the sky in Meteors to confront Frescos is, "those poor brave bastards." |
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Mar 15, 2021 3:49:32 GMT
February 12, 1959
Over West New Guinea
The pilots of No 322 Squadron, flying obsolete Gloster Meteor fighters, take to the early morning sky to defend the airspace over West New Guinea. Following the events of the previous night, to a man the pilots of the Dutch fighters are all praying that they do not encounter Indonesian fighters, as Indonesia's MiG-17 and MiG-19 aircraft significantly outclass their own ancient fighters. They had been scheduled to convert to Hawker Hunter fighters nearly three months ago in December, but delays in shipping the new aircraft to the Far East in conjunction with higher priorities at home, had meant that 322 Squadron was left to soldier on with their museum piece Meteors. Brave pilots, to bad the Meteors are not armed with sidewinders. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Mar 15, 2021 11:57:33 GMT
The problem is letting a power that increasingly seen as a communist ally stomp all over one of its own allies, especially one seeking to establish the region in question as an independent state won't look good.
That's true, but the US, at least as far as I can find, had no plans to intervene militarily in West New Guinea in OTL either. Hell, Article 5 of the NATO Charter was written specifically for this exact scenario. So NATO wouldn't be forced to respond to attacks any member's colonies.
No their not legally required to support an ally under attack but there is the diplomatic issue that they won't oppose military aggression against an ally.
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ssgtc
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Post by ssgtc on Mar 15, 2021 12:42:46 GMT
February 12, 1959
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Throughout the government, alarm bells are ringing. The unprovoked attack on the Dutch patrol plane, combined with the naval battle that followed, had just increased the tension in the area to eleven. War was no longer merely a possibility. It had arrived. For their was no doubt in anyone's mind that the Dutch would have to meet force with force. But there were serious questions about what they could respond with. While that was a concern, the Department of Defense had much more serious concerns. Namely, defending their own territory on New Guinea and their broader commitments to defend other Commonwealth territories in the region, territories that Indonesia insisted were rightfully theirs.
In response to the clear provocation by Indonesia, No 3 Squadron at RAF Butterworth was ordered to a war footing and given authorization to respond to any hostile acts initiated by Indonesia with all appropriate force. No 75 Squadron at RAAF Williamtown was given orders to deploy to Darwin to defend Australian air space while No 77 Squadron was ordered to deploy Port Morseby to protect against any Indonesian incursions into Papua New Guinea.
HMAS Voyager was given warning orders to prepare for an emergency deployment to HMAS Tarangau on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea to prevent any seaborne attacks by Indonesia. Though concern was expressed that she would share the same fate as Eversteen, the Daring class destroyer was a much more modern vessel and was twice as big, hopefully making her more capable of resisting damage.
In addition to the deployment of Voyager to Manus Island, HMAS Melbourne and her escorts were ordered to prepare for a possible emergency deployment to reinforce the Far East Strategic Reserve. HMS Albion was currently serving as the assigned carrier battle group for the FESR, but should the situation escalate into a general war, she would need immediate reinforcement.
And finally, Second Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in Terendak, Malaya was placed on a higher alert status, along with the rest of the 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group, to defend Malayan territory from Indonesian incursions. Alongside that, 1 RAR was alerted to a change in orders. Previously scheduled to replace 2 RAR in Malaya, they would now be sent to Port Moresby to ensure Indonesia could not seize Papua New Guinea.
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ssgtc
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Post by ssgtc on Mar 15, 2021 12:45:08 GMT
That's true, but the US, at least as far as I can find, had no plans to intervene militarily in West New Guinea in OTL either. Hell, Article 5 of the NATO Charter was written specifically for this exact scenario. So NATO wouldn't be forced to respond to attacks any member's colonies.
No their not legally required to support an ally under attack but there is the diplomatic issue that they won't oppose military aggression against an ally.
That's true. But any support would be limited in nature. Like I said, perhaps the deployment of a couple of fighter/bomber squadrons to the theater or sending a carrier the area with the possibility of conducting some air strike. |
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Post by La Rouge Beret on Mar 15, 2021 15:08:05 GMT
Voyager is a good choice, well armed and a very capable platform. You might have one of our frigates accompany her. While Melbourne's air wing is also completely outclassed by the Indonesian Air Force as well.
1 RAR will anchor the defence of PNG in Port Moresby, but might need to be reinforced with an armoured detachment either tanks or armoured cars. Plus tube artillery as engineering support can be provided by the PIR.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Mar 15, 2021 15:09:02 GMT
February 12, 1959
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, AustraliaThroughout the government, alarm bells are ringing. The unprovoked attack on the Dutch patrol plane, combined with the naval battle that followed, had just increased the tension in the area to eleven. War was no longer merely a possibility. It had arrived. For their was no doubt in anyone's mind that the Dutch would have to meet force with force. But there were serious questions about what they could respond with. While that was a concern, the Department of Defense had much more serious concerns. Namely, defending their own territory on New Guinea and their broader commitments to defend other Commonwealth territories in the region, territories that Indonesia insisted were rightfully theirs. In response to the clear provocation by Indonesia, No 3 Squadron at RAF Butterworth was ordered to a war footing and given authorization to respond to any hostile acts initiated by Indonesia with all appropriate force. No 75 Squadron at RAAF Williamtown was given orders to deploy to Darwin to defend Australian air space while No 77 Squadron was ordered to deploy Port Morseby to protect against any Indonesian incursions into Papua New Guinea. HMAS Voyager was given warning orders to prepare for an emergency deployment to HMAS Tarangau on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea to prevent any seaborne attacks by Indonesia. Though concern was expressed that she would share the same fate as Eversteen, the Daring class destroyer was a much more modern vessel and was twice as big, hopefully making her more capable of resisting damage. In addition to the deployment of Voyager to Manus Island, HMAS Melbourne and her escorts were ordered to prepare for a possible emergency deployment to reinforce the Far East Strategic Reserve. HMS Albion was currently serving as the assigned carrier battle group for the FESR, but should the situation escalate into a general war, she would need immediate reinforcement. And finally, Second Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in Terendak, Malaya was placed on a higher alert status, along with the rest of the 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group, to defend Malayan territory from Indonesian incursions. Alongside that, 1 RAR was alerted to a change in orders. Previously scheduled to replace 2 RAR in Malaya, they would now be sent to Port Moresby to ensure Indonesia could not seize Papua New Guinea. So i wonder what responds Indonesia will be to the Australian mobilization. |
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ssgtc
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Post by ssgtc on Mar 15, 2021 15:18:19 GMT
Voyager is a good choice, well armed and a very capable platform. You might have one of our frigates accompany her. While Melbourne's air wing is also completely outclassed by the Indonesian Air Force as well. 1 RAR will anchor the defence of PNG in Port Moresby, but might need to be reinforced with an armoured detachment either tanks or armoured cars. Plus tube artillery as engineering support can be provided by the PIR. These are just the immediate "we need to get things moving yesterday" deployments. As the professionals get involved, they'll start sending in the requests for armor and arty. And yeah the state of Melbourne's Air Wing is well known at the DoD. That's why they're putting her on notice to go to Singapore. They're technically just honoring their defense commitments as part of the FESR, but they're also getting her the hell away from anywhere she could be feasibly attacked by Indonesia. |
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ssgtc
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Post by ssgtc on Mar 15, 2021 15:22:00 GMT
February 12, 1959
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, AustraliaThroughout the government, alarm bells are ringing. The unprovoked attack on the Dutch patrol plane, combined with the naval battle that followed, had just increased the tension in the area to eleven. War was no longer merely a possibility. It had arrived. For their was no doubt in anyone's mind that the Dutch would have to meet force with force. But there were serious questions about what they could respond with. While that was a concern, the Department of Defense had much more serious concerns. Namely, defending their own territory on New Guinea and their broader commitments to defend other Commonwealth territories in the region, territories that Indonesia insisted were rightfully theirs. In response to the clear provocation by Indonesia, No 3 Squadron at RAF Butterworth was ordered to a war footing and given authorization to respond to any hostile acts initiated by Indonesia with all appropriate force. No 75 Squadron at RAAF Williamtown was given orders to deploy to Darwin to defend Australian air space while No 77 Squadron was ordered to deploy Port Morseby to protect against any Indonesian incursions into Papua New Guinea. HMAS Voyager was given warning orders to prepare for an emergency deployment to HMAS Tarangau on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea to prevent any seaborne attacks by Indonesia. Though concern was expressed that she would share the same fate as Eversteen, the Daring class destroyer was a much more modern vessel and was twice as big, hopefully making her more capable of resisting damage. In addition to the deployment of Voyager to Manus Island, HMAS Melbourne and her escorts were ordered to prepare for a possible emergency deployment to reinforce the Far East Strategic Reserve. HMS Albion was currently serving as the assigned carrier battle group for the FESR, but should the situation escalate into a general war, she would need immediate reinforcement. And finally, Second Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in Terendak, Malaya was placed on a higher alert status, along with the rest of the 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group, to defend Malayan territory from Indonesian incursions. Alongside that, 1 RAR was alerted to a change in orders. Previously scheduled to replace 2 RAR in Malaya, they would now be sent to Port Moresby to ensure Indonesia could not seize Papua New Guinea. So i wonder what responds Indonesia will be to the Australian mobilization. It'll be shown in the next few updates |
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Mar 15, 2021 15:26:26 GMT
In response to the clear provocation by Indonesia, No 3 Squadron at RAF Butterworth was ordered to a war footing and given authorization to respond to any hostile acts initiated by Indonesia with all appropriate force. No 75 Squadron at RAAF Williamtown was given orders to deploy to Darwin to defend Australian air space while No 77 Squadron was ordered to deploy Port Morseby to protect against any Indonesian incursions into Papua New Guinea. What fighters do both the No 3 Squadron, No 75 Squadron and No 77 Squadron operate. |
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Post by La Rouge Beret on Mar 15, 2021 15:27:57 GMT
IIRC CAC Avon Sabres in the time frame.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Mar 15, 2021 15:33:39 GMT
IIRC CAC Avon Sabres in the time frame. Good looking plane in RAAF colors.  So how will it handle against the Indonesian Migs. |
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oscssw
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Post by oscssw on Mar 15, 2021 15:35:46 GMT
IIRC, they have a few radars in the area, both on West New Guinea itself and on Biak. You can assume that they've been drilling on GCI. Of course, the squadron based there with the most experience working with the controllers is flying Meteors. Unless and until Hunters arrive, there are easier ways for those crews to commit suicide Here is a YouTube clip of one of these OTL radars, it is bad quality but is shows one in action. I can't read Dutch but judging by the antennas, there was both an air search two dimensional surveillance and a height finding radar. That and compatible comms are all you need for a ground AIC to vector the fighter jocks onto targets. Been there. Done that. The trick is getting the fighter Jocks to trust you. 
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