[:)] [:D] [;)] [8D] [:'(]
12 July 1943
Northern Pacific
During the night, both BB TF sent east of Paramushiro Jima engaged several Allied CV but with widely different results.
The northern BB TF (BB Hiei, Haruna and Kirishima, CA Maya and Ashigara, 6 DD) engaged 180 miles east of Paramushiro Jima two coherent Allied CV TF, slightly damaged CV being still heavily escorted by BB, cruisers and DD. It first engaged a TF composed of the CV Indomitable, the CVL Independence, the BB Indiana and Massachusetts, 2 CLAA, 1 CL and 6 DD. Two Japanese BB opened fire on the Independence but missed her. The battle was then fought at 8000 and 10000 yards between the Allied escort and the Japanese ships, and the first won and repulsed the attack. Three destroyers, the IJN Asashio and Naganami and the USS Anthony, were seriously damaged by a torpedo hit each, three other destroyers of each side were damaged by shells while the BB Indiana was the only capital ship to suffer any real damage, when a 14in shell hit her and penetrated her armor, but was not seriously damaged.
The same Japanese TF then engaged another CV TF, the lightly damaged CV Yorktown (after a torpedo and 3 bomb hits reported yesterday) being escorted by the BB North Carolina, 3 CLAA, 1 CL and 5 DD. The fight was fought quickly with only one pass at 9000 yards before the Allied ships escaped. The Yorktown was hit by a 6in shell that bounced on her armor. The Allied escorts return fire hit the BB Kirishima, destroying her radar, and 4 DD, setting two on fire.
These two battles showed very well that Allied crews were now able to win night naval battles, and that US DD were now better than Japanese ones. Some of the IJN DD fighting this battle had 3.9in guns that were unable to penetrate the belt armor of US DD. A reorganization of the Japanese DD will be made in the near future but their main role for now will be ASW and AA escort rather than surface warships.
The southern BB TF (BB Musashi and Yamato, CA Aoba and Chikuma, 6 DD) cruised 60 miles more south and was far more lucky as it caught at sea a gaggle of damaged ships limping west and sank all of them. The first to be seen was the AP Sumter, that was dispatched in some minutes by the secondary artillery of the Yamato, while the other Japanese ships continued westwards and engaged two other cripples, the AK Indus and the DE Gilmore. The first was sunk by the Musashi and the Aoba while the DE was torpedoed by a DD and sank.
And then the TF found its dream target, the damaged CVL Cowpens with an escort DD. The latter, the USS Eaton, bravely attacked and launched torpedoes on the Musashi but the BB dodged them and replied with 18in shells. The Eaton was also gunned by both CA and two DD and quickly sank. And then both Japanese BB pounded the Cowpens with 18 and 6 in shells and sank her. Japanese radars detected two other big blips in the area and both were engaged.
The first was another damaged CVL, the Monterey, escorted by the DD Pringle. The destroyer fought bravely to try to save the carrier but was finally sunk by the concentrated fire of the Japanese ships that then surrounded the CVL and sank her with shells and torpedoes (both BB, both CA and 2 DD hit her).
The second was the CV HMS Illustrious, also badly damaged the day before, with the DD USS DeHaven as her only escort. The battle opened with a 8in hit on the CV by the Aoba. The destroyer charged the attackers and managed to hit a DD once before being sunk by the concentrated fire of 3 Japanese DD with shells and torpedoes. The main Japanese warships were at the same time pounding the Illustrious and hit her with two torpedoes, 3 18in shells and 4 8in shells, but the ship still remained afloat while the Japanese TF turned west as dawn was arriving. The British crew was so able to evacuate the wreck in good order but she sank at dawn.
To end an awful night for the Allied CV fleet and a good one for the Imperial Navy, 60 miles more east than this slaughter, another heavily damaged CV, the Lexington II was sailing under escort by one DD, the USS Beale, when she was attacked by the SS I-181 and critically hit by 2 torpedoes. The Beale found the attacker and heavily damaged her with two direct hits and 6 near-misses.
More west, the Japanese CV sailed to their new patrol spot, 60 miles SE of PJ. The CA Chokai had been ordered to sweep these waters first and found two TF of damaged ships in the area when she arrived. First she found 2 LST and the AP President Garfield sailing together. She sank the AP and hit twice an already heavily damaged LST. Then she surprised the AP Warren and scored 10 hits on her but didn’t manage to sink her. Japanese sailors reported that troops were seen above the ship (133 casualties reported in the combat report). This AP sank before dawn.
After dawn, there was some more action. 240 miles west of Attu, the I-39 saw 3 Allied cruisers but was chased by the seven DD of the escort and heavily damaged by one direct hit and 9 near-misses scored by the USS Stanly. More SW the badly damaged Lexington II managed to sail a little east during the morning but was tracked by the SS I-25 that was chased by the DD Beale before she could attack. Anyway the Lexington sank during the day. Her loss brought the body count of the day for the Allied CV fleet to 2 CV and 2 CVL with 31 aircraft aboard (17 F4F-4, 6 TBM, 4 SBD, 2 TBF, 1 Barracuda and 1 Wildcat V).
Bad weather still covered most of the area. The Japanese CV were under a new storm SE of PJ and reacted east (you can forget my theory that they won’t react if they follow a transport TF rather than a surface TF, there is apparently nothing you can do now to stop CV TF reacting…) but remained under clouds. An Allied CV TF also reacted towards the Japanese CV.
Kido Butai attack aircraft were unable to fly but Zeroes spread out around their ships and covered all Japanese TF in the area. An Allied CV TF sent a raid against the Japanese Northern BB TF but it get badly split. 26 SBD and 4 TBF lost their escort but continued and saw a Japanese TF 120 miles ESE of PJ but were then bounced by 34 A6M3a that shot down all four Avenger and 8 Dauntlesses without loss. All surviving Allied crews turned back and escaped in clouds. 60 miles more east the escort of this raid (17 F4F-4) only found 3 TBF to escort on an attack on the badly damaged DD Naganami, sailing back alone after the battle of the night. Well, she was not totally alone as 29 A6M3a were in the area and engaged the Allied airmen, shooting down 8 Wildcats and a TBF without loss. The two remaining Allied bombers then attacked the DD but missed and one was shot down by AA.
On the Japanese side the only raid sent in the morning was a small attack by 3 Betties from Toyohara against an Allied CV TF 240 miles east of PJ. Only 4 F4F-4 of VF-8 flew CAP over this area but that was enough. They shot down one Betty and the other turned back.
Storms continued in the afternoon and several attacks were cancelled by it. 12 Betties and 3 Nells were sent from Toyohara to attack the same CV TF as some hours before but all were scattered in bad weather and turned back. Six Attu-based B-17E sent to attack the Yamato&Musashi TF also didn’t find them due to clouds and turned back.
But there were enough holes in the clouds to see some action. 3 Barracuda escorted by 3 Wildcat searched the damaged DD attacked in the morning (the Naganami) 180 miles ESE of PJ, evaded 20 A6M3a patrolling in the area (along with 16 F4F-4) and attacked the ship but missed and lost a Barracuda to AA fire.
Another damaged DD, the Asashio, was in the area and was attacked by 3 PB4Y that hit her once. He radioed for help and the next wave of attackers, 16 B-24D of the 380th BG, was met by 48 A6M3a that shot down 6 bombers but lost 3 of their number to AA fire. The remaining bombers scored 6 hits on the drifting DD and sank her.
This afternoon, the KB CV sailed out of the storm but launched no attack. They were themselves the target of 12 unescorted SBD but the CAP of 48 A6M3a and 32 A6M5 quickly dispatched them. 5 Dauntlesses were shot down, the 7 remaining turned back.
Once again the only Japanese raid to find a target was flown from Toyohara. 3 Nells attacked the damaged LST-28 60 miles east of PJ and sank her with a torpedo. A Nell hit by AA fire during the attack ditched on the way home.
During the day, KB fighter pilots flew from TF to TF in bad weather and paid a high cost. To the 3 combat losses listed above should be added 5 other due to accidents and bad weather. They shot down 4 Allied aircraft on naval search (a PB4Y, a SBD, a TBF and a Walrus). Allied fighters doing the same job shot down during the day two floatplanes (a Jake and a Glen) and lost a P-38G flying LRCAP from an Aleutian base.
On Paramushiro Jima, AA fire shot down a PBM Mariner flying recon during the day, and Japanese artillery continued to pound Allied troops, hitting 10 men. The evening report in PJ reported damage of 67/96/90 (airbase/runways/port), 184 available engineer squads and 477 AV while the Allied forces were reported as 66143 men, 608 guns and 159 vehicles (AV 1093). Compared to the figures of the day before, you can see that the cratered runways (99 yesterday, 96% today) didn’t stop the Japanese transport AC to bring more troops here, but the Allied troops also saw their number and AV increase, and so probably had enough supplies for a long battle.
The Kido Butai will gather tomorrow west of PJ. Both BB TF will gather off Onnekita Jima (sp? The dot west of PJ) with the cruiser TF coming from Toyohara (former escorts of the late Fuso and of the Mutsu) and the solitary CA Chokai. Then they will be reorganized and they will pound the Allied beachhead on PJ, the numerous Seabees unit here should provide good targets for a “nuke” pounding. An Allied submarine was seen today off PJ and the KB airmen will chase her tomorrow. The CV will sail 120 miles W of PJ and the fighters (219, including 218 serviceable) will continue to fly 90% CAP except two units that will LRCAP the surface TF, while the attack aircraft (80(76) DB and 78(73) TB) will be ready to attack Allied ships, but on a reduced scale as Vals will fly 40% naval search to chase the Allied submarine. The 80 land-based bombers in Toyohara (63 serviceable) kept the same orders, naval attack at range 15 with 20% search.
The four Japanese naval units badly hit today may all survive. They were the SS I-181 (damage 64/84/0), the DD Naganami (52/52/14), the SS I-39 (50/30/0) and the DD Wakazuki (37/30/9). All were ordered to sail to Etorofu Jima, a size 3 port.
This base saw today the arrival of 9 Emilies from Shikka but will also be the base of two AR in some days. The convoy of 4 AR that left Osaka some days ago reached Ominato today and while two AR were disbanded here, the two other sailed eastwards with their escort of CLs and DDs. By the way their escort were also asked to search for submarines east of Ominato as several damaged ships will sail to this base in the next days.
Central Pacific
Japanese engineers expanded the airfield of Saipan to size 4. The challenge now will be that this airfield will never be used against Japan.
New Guinea-New Britain- Solomon Islands
In the morning 7 PB4Y from PM attacked Kavieng and scored 2 hits on the runways. Rabaul was attacked in the afternoon by 23 B-25J from Gili Gili that disabled 39 men and 1 gun and scored 5 hits on the airbase, 5 on supplies and 17 on the runways.
Allied engineers expanded the port of Gili Gili to size 3.
Timor-DEI-Australia
In the afternoon, Lautem was bombed by 26 B-24D from Darwin escorted by 15 P-40N that scored 1 hit on supplies and 2 on the runway, and did 7 casualties. A P-40N was lost in an accident.
The evening report for this area gave the airfield status as: Maumere 39/0 (system/runway), Dili 6/0, Lautem 49/10/11, other bases undamaged. The garrison of Koepang had started again to build fortifications (level 6, 5%).
SRA
The ASW group sent from Manila chased the American submarine Sunfish NW of Vigan in the evening but she escaped undamaged.
A convoy was ordered to load 112k oil in Palembang and sail to Singapore to join AK carrying resources. Another tanker convoy had arrived at Brunei two days ago and split. A part will load 45k oil in Miri, the other 27k oil in Brunei and then the convoy will gather in Miri before sailing to Japan.
Burma
There was only one Allied raid on this front: 23 Lysander I from Kohima escorted by 7 Spitfire Vb attacked the 12th NLF SW of their base and hit 45 men.
Japanese aircraft still reported the Allied convoy off Chandpur but more south the surface raiding force sailing to attack it (2 CA, 1 CL and 3 DD) was also seen by an Allied aircraft 180 miles NW of Rangoon. The commander of the TF had orders to turn back in such a case and sent a floatplane on recon to the target, where it identified the 40th Chinese Corps. The TF was not attacked by Allied aircraft during the day but one A6M3a and one Oscar II from Rangoon were lost in bad weather while LRCAPing it. The surface TF received orders to sail to Rangoon to refuel, and in the hope of drawing some Allied bombers on naval attack in the jaws of the heavy CAP here.
The evening report gave the airfield status as: Mandalay 40/18 (system/runway), other bases undamaged.
China
The attack of the troops of the Southern China Army 120 miles east of Kweiyang (5.33 Div, 1 Tk Rgt, 2 ART, 2 HQ) continued, this time with air support from Wuhan. 35 Oscar II, 27 A6M3a, 24 Ki-21 and 22 Ki-49 bombed a Chinese Corps and hit 46 men. The 7 Chinese units facing them (5 Corps, 2 HQ) again held their ground thanks to field fortifications despite a 2 to 1 ratio. Japanese losses were 1081 men, 20 guns and 4 tanks, while the Chinese lost 1742 killed and wounded and 24 guns. The attack was then stopped to leave Japanese units rest. Also 5 Chinese units were now east of the battlefield, and it was hoped more units will come that way. As soon as more will move in this direction, the Japanese troops besieging Changsha will attack.
In Canton port, a convoy loaded the HQ of the 4th Air Division and a small IJA BF and will carry both to Toyohara, Sakhalin Island.
Japan
Two convoys were created today, one to carry 21k supplies from Takamatsu to Canton, China, to support the Japanese offensive and repair Wuchow resources, and the other to carry 42k supplies from Osaka to Toyohara, the new main airfield in Sakhalin Island and one of the main bases on the new Northern front.
Both the Chitose and the Chiyoda will be released in some days when their conversion from CS to CVL will be done. After the CV battle of these last days, there was no more hurry for them (as they were late anyway) and they will be completed at normal rate (and released in 6 days). The CV Taiho was again accelerated to use the extra capacity so released.
