ORIGINAL: Apollo11
BTW, I wonder if Allied heavy bombers from Attu suffer from bad weather at all... they seem to come to pound PJ in endless and merciless fashion...
Leo "Apollo11"
Northern Pacific weather is as badly modelized as monsoon is. With bombers based in Attu and Kiska, there is one or two raids almost every day on PJ.
20 September 1943
Northern Pacific
During the night, 15 Betty from Toyohara bombed OJ, scoring one hit on the runway and doing 23 casualties. In the morning 76 G4M2 from Toyohara bombed again this base, scoring 2 hits on supplies and 25 on the runway and disabling 135 men, 1 gun and 1 vehicle for one operational loss.
In the afternoon, 57 PB4Y and 6 B-24J from Kiska attacked PJ. The small CAP (4 A6M3 and a Rufe) was able to shoot down a PB4Y and repulse 6 other. The other bombers attacked the airfield, disabling 70 men and 1 gun and scoring 4 hits on supplies and 34 on the runways.
The daily recon of Shikka reported 86 F6F flying CAP here, confirming that the Allied CV fleet returned to port.
Over OJ, Shikka-based Oscar II tried to intercept C-47 flying from Aleutians but failed to shot down any of them. One C-47 was lost operationally. Japanese transport aircraft were also busy and a Tina crashed while ferrying troops from Tokyo to PJ.
On the ground at PJ, both sides exchanged artillery fire. Allied losses were nil, Japanese ones 114 men and 2 guns. Allied troops on the island numbered 194 017 men (+1023), 1805 guns (+27) and 417 vehicles (-1) for 3461 AV (+86) against 95 842 men (+1537), 759 guns (+15) and 7 tankettes for 1683 AV (+13).
The evening report of PJ showed damage of 66/0 (airbase/runway), 418 engineers (-1), 44 876 supplies (-852) and 136 mines. Both Sentai reduced to one aircraft were able to fly away and reach Toyohara where they received replacement aircraft. Eight Ki-61 returned to PJ from Shikka to fly LRCAP over OJ, while the inefficient LRCAP missions from Shikka will be stopped.
OJ was still damaged and showed damage 41/40 (airfield/port) and recons reported 9 units with 15 140 men (+180), 57 guns (+4) and 52 vehicles (+10).
Toyohara airmen will rest tomorrow, while the Japanese fleet will continue to prepare.
New Guinea-New Britain- Solomon Islands
The planned attack on Lae didn’t work. In the morning 26 Oscar II, 15 A6M2 and 7 A6M3a flew a sweep from Kavieng and engaged 24 F4F-4 defending the area and shot down 8 (4 by Oscar, 2 by A6M3a and 2 by A6M2) for 8 losses (6 Oscar and 2 A6M3a), but Betties from Truk didn’t fly. In the afternoon, Lae was covered by clouds, and an Allied convoy seen more east was also protected by bad weather, and the Betties didn’t fly either.
In the afternoon 31 B-25C from Kiriwima escorted by 16 P-38G and 19 B-25C, 9 B-24D and 9 B-17E from Dobadura bombed Rabaul, sank an Alf in the seaplane base, did 36 casualties, disabled a gun, and scored 7 hits on the airbase, 3 on supplies and 22 on the runways. Japanese AA fire shot down one B-25C and another was lost operationally.
The last barge remaining in the area was sunk off Green Island by two patrolling Allied bombers.
Rabaul reported damage of 40/31/28 (airbase/runway/port) and that 708 supplies (-484, ouch again…) were available for 5021 (+62) required, Kavieng reported no damage and continued to build forts (level 5, 90% (+5%)).
All fighters left Kavieng to return to Truk. Truk Betties will keep naval attack orders but with range reduced to 12 to try to attack tomorrow the Allied convoy returning from Madang before it will reach Lae and its CAP. 22 new A6M3a arrived in Truk from Japan.
The BB Yamashiro arrived in Truk and was joined by the surface ships already. The TF, now having 1 BB, 3 CL and 9 DD, sailed westwards and will try to raid Madang. Nine Dinah III arrived in Hollandia from China to fly recon of this new Allied base.
Allied engineers expanded Kiriwima port to size 3.
Timor-DEI-Australia
In the morning 11 Beaufighter Mk 21 from Darwin attacked barges off Lautem, sank two and damaged another. In the afternoon, Koepang was attacked by 14 B-25C from Derby that scored 6 hits on the runways.
The evening area report listed the airfield status as: Maumere had repaired all damage and was again building forts (3, 44%), Koepang was OK too (forts 6, 70%), Dili 93/0/0 (system/runway/port), Lautem 96/0/38, other bases undamaged.
Burma
Allied airmen flew 478 sorties today. 422 were in Myitkyina area: 22 B-25J and 37 escorts from Ledo and Kohima on the airfield (46 casualties, 5 hits on the airbase, 1 on supplies and 23 on the runways), 2 LRCAP sorties over this city, 156 fighter-bombers (Vengeance included), 126 bombers and 79 escorts against 2 divisions of the garrison (201 men and 6 guns hit). The other were a raid by 50 Hurricane from Imphal escorted by 6 Spitfire Vb on the 46th Div in Katha, hitting 34 men and 2 guns. A Beaufighter VIC and a Vengeance I were shot down by AA fire, two Hurricane II, a B-24D, a Liberator VI, a B-25J and a P-47C were lost in accidents.
At Bhamo (the mountain hex SW of Myitkyina), the 66th Chinese Div was bombed by 20 Ki-49 from Pagan and lost 60 men and then attacked by the Japanese 28th Army (HQ, 23rd Bde, 1st and 6th Tk Rgt) and defeated at 209 to 1 (445 Japanese AV vs 69, adjusted to 209 vs 1). Japanese losses were 10 men, the Chinese lost 438 killed and wounded and more than 700 POW while retreating eastwards. The 28th Army (HQ, 23rd Bde and two Tk Rgt) will now march eastwards to pursue the defeate Chinese Div and engage the Chinese Corps SE of Myitkyina: a victory there will allow to open a supply path to this city. The 3rd Tk Div was late for the battle today but will cross the river tomorrow and will join this advance.
Japanese guns pounded Allied troops in Katha (11 men hit), while Allied guns fired at Japanese lines in Myitkyina (73 men and 2 guns hit). 1693 Japanese AV (-1) faced 1588 Allied (+1) in Katha, and 1842 Japanese AV (-10) faced 3973 Allied (+15) in Myitkyina.
The evening report showed damage of 31/18 (airbase/runway) in Myitkyina. In this town there were 1365 remaining supplies (-106) for needs of 11116 (+415). Mandalay was damaged at 34/28.
All IJAAF bombers deployed to Central Burma flew back in the evening to rear bases (Rangoon, Hanoi and Bangkok) without incident.
China
Two training raids hit the 50th Chinese Corps NW of Changsha with 27 Val, 23 Tojo and 9 Kate from Changsha escorted by 10 Oscar and 67 Oscar II and 36 Val from Wuhan escorted by 32 Oscar and did 50 casualties without loss.
