[propbeanie]

Withers had 2 S-Boats, both badly in need of overhaul, out patrolling off western Luzon, near Manila Bay... the rest of the boats were anchored in Manila Harbor, Cavite, Sangley Point, Mariveles, or at Olangapo, undergoing a battery rebuild that was over six months late in scheduling... The AF had not done like a few of the Pearl boats, and therefore most did not have a clue as to what to expect on a real patrol, much less a wartime patrol. Both commands had quit any attempts to "spy" or recon on the Japanese, for fear of antagonizing them... They already did know where a lot of the Japanese resources were though, and with the War Warning message, the AF should have had boats off the coast of Indo-China and China proper at the least, so that they could see and accurately report movements. Same way with to the east of the Philippines. It was well established in military circles that the Japanese would shortly be the enemy, and that they would mount invasion from Palau, Japan, Okinawa, Formosa, Hainan and CamranhBay, at a minimum... see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, and you'll get your butt handed to you every time...