Historical AE. Cantona2 (A) vs Fletcher (J)

[cantona2]

Turn Synopsis 25

The storm breaks now over Australian skies as first Cairns, then Townsville and finally Charters Towers feel the full wrath of Japanese carrier borne might. Port and air installations at Cairns and Townsville were hit, while the aerodrome at Charters Towers was hit by divebombers catching one A-24 on the ground. No strikes were flown by the USAAF divebombers, and in retrospect it was better that the didn't. Full alert status has been sent out to all units and General Balmey awaits the next move. The carriers can either head south and raid Brisbane and Rockhampton. North to assist the Horn Island landings, where for a second day the garrison fights back. Finally the Japanese can withdraw their carriers back to base. Intelligence shared with the Americans identifies the attcking carriers as the same ones that attacked Pearl Harbour. Torpedo planes sunk elements of the 45th Austrlaian ASW Division patrolling off Townsville.

The writing is clearly on the wall in Luzon. Orders have been received to pull otu specialist and veteran pilots. A lot of combat experience has been earned over Luzon and the US high command wants these elite pilots to form the cadres of the new fighter squadrons coming out of the West Coast. What planes are left are now flying from Bataan and Clark Field.

The Battle at Nanchang rages into its thrid and bloodiest day. The house to house fighting is staring to take its toll on the attackers and for the first time receive more casualties than they inflict. That said the last fixed fortifications were bypassed and the fighting is now room to room, face to face. A concetrated attack has been ordered for tomorrow and it is hoped that the presence of the 88th Corps on the Nanchang-Hangchow Road will force the Japanese to wothdraw their forces.


Japanese Carrier Raids on Eastern Australia

[cantona2]

Intensive battles all across Malaya as well as the Japanese juggernaught moves south. Temuloh was occupied today and its garrison forced to the east and towards Kuantan, while the 5th Indian Brigade was forced off the coast road and into the northern suburbs of Kuala Lumpur. Over the skies of Singapore bloody dogfights ensued between Ki-43s and Buffaloes, the RAF won the day 4-3 in terms of losses but the bombers got through and bombed the port installations hitting a dutch subamrine in dry dock. It was being made ready for its return to sea the following day but the new damage will mean an extra day in dock for repairs.

[cantona2]

Intelligence officers poured over the wreck. It was clearly a type of submarine, but a very small one. Indeed it had been christened 'midget submarine'. It had washed up to the south of the main entrance to Ohau, the remnants of an anti submarine net twisted around its propeller. It was a curious looking craft indeed. The consensus that it had a crew of two, maybe three men. It carried two torpedoes in the prow of the boat, one had clearly been fired, but the other was still in place. The engine was rather small indicating that the mini must have been launched by a larger submarine. Despite the scientific fascination the intelligence officers were displaying, the weapon itself was a tactical marvel. Such a small craft could make hitherto safe anchorages a worry for all captains. A picture was being formed.

This craft must have been launched during the night of 6th-7th December and stole into Pearl Harbour as the Japanese planes approached Hawaii. Taking advantage of the ensuing chaos, it must have sailed right into the anchorage, fired one torpedo, then get caught on some net as it maneouvered. The crew must have either escaped or drowned, the presence of an open hatch at the rear of the midget suggested this.

Photographs were taken, drawings made and plans to tranfer the wreck to a more secure location made. Later on in the day momentuous news arrived. Two more midgets had been found. One impaled on an underwater obstacle. Another in three pieces on the shallow sea bed of the anchorage, near were the Pennsylvania had been berthed on the 7th.

Photo taken of beached Pearl Harbour Midget, 5th January 1942

[cantona2]

Turn Synopsis 26 - 7th Janaury 1942, the Pacific has been at war for a month!

The battle at Nanchang rages on. Chinese generals were today chastised by the Generalisimo as the operation was taking longer than expected. Todays assault were bloddily repulsed and the troops ahve been a given a day of no assaults to recover somewhat before the final push. The IJAAF has also managed to wrestle local air superiority over Nanchang. The pilots of 2/AVG came up finally against the latest model of the Ki-43 and were found wanting. It may well be that the American pilots were paying the price in fatigue of daily operations over Nanchang, a long and tiring flight from their base at Henyang. The toll of man and machine finally reared its head today as three planes were lost, for one Japanese fighter. Major Boyington has ordered the squadron to stand down as he has only 9 operational planes left. 3/AVG at Toungoo has been put on standby to relieve the 2nd if needs be.

The evacuation of experienced flyers out of the Philippines continued today. The need to employ these men in reinforcement squadrons is great as they constitute the only pilots with decent combat experience. The imminiet arrival of the 31st Pursuit Group (P-39d) in Australia means most of the redployed pilots will find themselves a new home there. In the air Japanese weight of numbers let itself felt today. Three massive raids over Iba supported a land assault that drove the 31st PA Division out of the base. The noose around Clark and Bataan tightens. Morlae is at an all time low despite the bombastic outbursts by an increasingly desperate General MacArthur.

Enemy carrier planes once again attacked Charters Towers, destroying an A-24 on the ground. Townsville and Cairns were today spared Japan's wrath. Unbeknowst to the Japanese however, a Perch class submarine lurked below their main position. The SS Pollack had been negotiating a position from which to fire her torpedoes at an enemy carrier all night. However destroyers were in close escort. The Pollack began searching for targets of opportunity and chanced upon one of the carrier fleets replenishment oilers. She was unescorted and alone, an oversight on the part of the Japanese Admiral. LCDR Moseley ordered all forward tubes flooded and launched a spread of four fish at the tanker. Praying that he would not be plagued by the duds cursing the other subs in the fleet he watched intently through the periscope. A bright orange flash almost blinded him as the second torpedo fired ripped through the oiler's hull and exploded inside one of its fuel holds. Secondary explosions were clearly heard as the fire spread into the other fuel laden sections of the ship. Moseley ordered his helmsman to dive deep and to steer a course to the north. All the while the sonar reported more explosions as the Pollack stole away into the murky depths. The glow from the fire could be seen from Cairns were the coastwatchers there reported some sort of explosion offshore.

[cantona2]

Ships Log HMCS Prince Robert.

January 7th 1942

Engaged enemy task force comprised of three small coastal tankers and one escort gun boat 80 nautical miles to the south west of Shikuka. Engagement with enemy ships lasted approximately 35 minutes druing which 30% of total ammunition of main guns was expended. Ship received three 3 inch hits causing light damage to forward electricals. Observers record three enemy ships on fire with escort gunboat also seen listing heavily. Course set to the NNE. No causualties on board.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Shikuka at 125,45, Range 4,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
PB Hakkai Maru, Shell hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
TK Nissho Maru
TK Sanraku Maru, Shell hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
TK Yuho Maru, Shell hits 4, on fire

Allied Ships
AMC Prince Robert, Shell hits 3

[cantona2]

Operation Backstage and the travels of HMCS Prince Robert in the Sea of Okhotsk

[Swenslim]

Nice raider mission ! Only bad thing is that air search too easily identify commercial raider as hostile. It was main idea that raiders were deception weapon.

[cantona2]

ORIGINAL: Swenslim

Nice raider mission ! Only bad thing is that air search too easily identify commercial raider as hostile. It was main idea that raiders were deception weapon.

Thanks Swenslim. At least being in one ship TFs it makes it more difficult for the AI to spot thus getting some element of surprise.

[cantona2]

Turn Synopsis 27

A disgraceful turn for destroyer captains of the USN.

A Japanese surface raider stole into Pago-Pago, hammered two destroyer escorts, left a transport on fire (later sunk by three sub launched torpedoes) and savaged the AM Kingfisher. All for three hits from a DDs main gun. If this action wasn't shameful enough a Japanese submarine penetrated the destroyer screen of the large convoying ferrying fuel and planes to New Caledonia and Australia ad put a fish into the Lexington! Suffice to say even the President himslef expressed his immense dismay at the quality of destroyer captain being employed by the USN.

Thankfully the Lexington is very lightly damaged. Immediate plans to reoute her to Auckland under escort were put aside and she will continue on her mission. There are currently no fighters in all of Australia and the P-39s the convoy carries are the first fighters that will be deployed there. Pilots, observers and captains have been given the strictest orders to keep their eyes peeled!!!!!

Lexington suffers negligible systems damage, 24 float damage (14 Major).

[Swenslim]

I dont know how allied repair yards are working, but if that was japan carrier it would take 2 months to repair.

[cantona2]

ORIGINAL: Swenslim

I dont know how allied repair yards are working, but if that was japan carrier it would take 2 months to repair.

Shes already dropped two points of flotation damage so I reckonmaybe 4 weeks hors de combat if I am lucky. Thanks for commenting.

[cantona2]

Turn Synopsis 28

A less eventuful day. Lexington has the slight flooding under control, her flight decks are still open and she is still escorting her convoys west! The fuel and planes destined for Noumea were undocked without further incident or attacks by enemy submarines. Slightly to the East the Saratoga is stemaing into the area with 16 P-40bs. She will take the Lady's place in CAR DIV 1 alongside the Big E.

The war of maneouver in China goes on. Wuchow has been invested by the IJA, while Pucheng was occupied. In the north troop movements were observed heading north into Kweisui. Chinese troops there have started to dig in in anticipation of the Japanese counter. The Battle of Nanchang enters its fifth day. The 88th Infantry Corps has moved into the city to support the assault after it had cut the eastern road. The fresh troops should push the battle in our favour. 3/AVG has been moved into China from Toungoo to relieve the 2/AVG and to meet anincrease of Japanese aerial operations. The 6th Infantry Division finally moved from its Yangtze bridgehead, but it moved north west rather than towards Changteh! It launched a strong attack against the positions of the 94th Corps in the woods and was given a bloody nose despite the heavy artillery support!

A S-Boat reported the sinking of a Japanese merchant ship approaching Tarawa. A small four boat flotilla is operating out of Canton Island and a support ship is a few days out of the island ready to replensih torpedoes and depth charges. Once again ASW vessels engaged enemy subamrines around Canton Island. High Command intends to have Canton Island be a base and act as a central hub for subamrine raids into the Marshall Island area.

TF 125 has left Pearl Harbour for Midway Island. It carries the 34th Combat Engineer Battalion as reinforcements for Midway. Once it unloads it had orders to embark VMSB-231 (SB2U-3) and return the unit to Pearl so that it can upgrade its airceft to SBDs.

Do-24K-1s out of Sambas have spotted a substantial Japanese task force heading south west near Groot Natonea. SIGINT has also picked up signals indicating that an attack in teh Singkawang-Pontianak are is immininet. ABDA concerns were heightend after the search pilots confirmed the presence of enemy light carriers forces in the aforementioned task force.

[cantona2]

PO Shannon flying a Hudson of No 13 Squadron RAAF out of Darwin, asked his observer to confirm his report. The man once again repeated. Enemy submarine on surface performing crash dive. Shannon pulled forward on his controls and angled the aircraft down to the blue, shimmering sea. Indeed, there was the submarine, a white wake as it ploughed its way beneath the surface having being spotted. Shannon opened the throttle and armed his bombs, only two rather than the normal four 250lbers for this lang range search mission. He let loose his eggs and they exploded with great white plumes either side of the now invisible submarine. He immediately gained height and turned around indicating to the turrent gunner to rake the area with machine gun fire as he steered the plane over the churning water were bombs and sub had been a mere seconds away. The radio operator was already repeating the report back to 7th Military District HQ at Darwin. Was this another minelaying mission off Bathhurst Island? Wahtever the case a force of four USN destroyers was heading north east to dissuade the submarine from whatever mission it was on.

[cantona2]

Turn Synopsis 29

Well Ramon launchd a rather nasty surprise over Darwin today. Without warning and without any opposition the Australian sky was darkened by nearly 100 B5N2 bombers that bombed Darwin harbour installations, hitting almost every ship in port and sinking the already damaged Boise. The enemy carriers must be somewhere in the Torres Straits and must have moved north west through them after supporting the landings on Horn Island.

Allied Ships
CL Boise, Bomb hits 7, heavy fires, heavy damage *sinks*
CL Ceres, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Koolama, Bomb hits 2, on fire
AS Platypus, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAKL Patris, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AD Black Hawk, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
CM Gouden Leeuw, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage *sinks*
AM Pieter de Bitter, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage *sinks*
xAK Ravnaas, Bomb hits 1, on fire

Warning has been sent to the Houston Task Force at Ambon and the ships have moved further west. Once again the dire need of fighters over Austrlaian air space has been highlighted by the attack on Darwin. The decision to make the Lexington press ahead with her escort mission seems to have been the right one.

Where are the enemy carriers going? Are they going to ransack the ports in the DEI? Are they on their way home the long way? Or are they on their way to support any invasion the eastern DEIs? Suffice to say that the attack on Dutch dominions has started in earnest as Ponitanak and Singkawang have been invaded, the latter being severely damaged by enemy cruisers during a night bombardment.

[cantona2]

Turn Synopsis 30

Easily the bloodiest and most costly day of the war since December 7th. Japanese carriers once again struck at Darwin. They sunk every single ship left in the harbour with impunity. The port and air installations were also targetted leaving the main military installations burning and out of immediate action. One squadron of RAAF aircraft was evacuated to Katherine to preserve its planes.



List of shipping losses 10th January 1942.



Map of route and attacks by Japanese Carrier Force

[cantona2]

A minor action was fought at Normanby Island in the Solomon Sea during the night of 10th January. SIGINT at Pearl Harbour had intercepted IJA signals ordering a unit to invade the small island. As such the Gar Class submarine, Gudgeon, was patrolling around the island for the past two days. It sighted enemy ships inbound during the afternoon of the 9th and skulked in after them as the sun set. The sub was able to maneouver itself into an optimum attack position around 2 am on the 10th. It fired a spread of 4 torpedoes, 3 being duds but one exploding on a Japanese transport. Though the ship was not seen to sink the size of the blast suggests massive damage to the ship. All escorts were avoided as the Gudgeon made its way out of the area.



A second action followed three hours later as the Auxiliary Cruiser Monowai, flying under the New Zealand flag stole into the anchorage, past the burning transport, identified by the crew as the Kashima Maru, and engaged several enemy gunboats in a gunnery duel that lasted for about 20 minutes.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Normanby Island at 102,133, Range 8,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
PB Takunan Maru #2, Shell hits 4, on fire
PB Takunan Maru #5, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
AMC Monowai, Shell hits 1

Sensing more targets in the offing, LCDR Kilgore ordered his ship to prepare for a second attack the following night.

[cantona2]

Intensive action as well over north western Borneo and Singapore. A strong enemy air raid plastered Singapore's docks and harbour. A mass of Ki-43s swept away the CAP of Buffaloes and sank a number of ships at anchor. Among these were the first submarine losses of the war. It is clear from the size of the raid that the IJAAF has deployed a large number of aircraft to support is attacks on southern Malaya.



The Japanese also continued their landings on Singkawang and Pontianak. By days end both bases would have been captured but not before RAAF Swordfish planes based out of Mersing severly damaged two enemy ships. THe first raid came in very early in the morning. A vic of three planes dove upon a surprised transport and managed to obtain a 100% hit rate as all three 500lbers dropped hit the ship.



A second attack during the afternoon was even able to outwit a small CAP of 4 A6M2s from the nearby light carriers, whos torpedo bombers accounted for two motor launches off Singapore, to once again manage to hit what looked liked an auxiliary cruiser with a further three bombs. A remarkable feat for such an obsolete aircraft flying at extreme range!

[cantona2]

Elsewhere the USAAF on Luzon was dying a long, slow death. Once again around 15 enemy planes were shot down over Manila. The P-40 has clearly demonstrated its superority over the Ki-27b but still has problems when faced with the Zero. The absence of any A6M2s over Luzon suggestes that the Japanese have moved them forward to their impending attack on the DEIs. Yet as long as these targets of opportunity remain, the P-40s will keep on flying and fighting, the most experienced men will be smuggled out of Luzon by subamrine and into Australia (for this read Group Reserve).

Moulmein in Burma was also captured meaning that the assault into northern Burma is about to begin. The IJA will surely cross the river at Pegu. 1/AVG was moved from Rangoon to Toungoo as it is expected that the city will soon come under heavy aerial attack. The Buffaloes of No 67 Squadron RAF have remained however.



The battle rages at Nanchang for another week and despite the reinforcements, the Japanese hold onto the city. A further Japanese combat unit was identified and movements along the east road have also been spotted. A Brigade of the 39th Infantry Division must have moved south from KiuKinag.

[LoBaron]

cantona, only now found this AAR. Great pairing Fletcher and you.

Really looking forward how this will play out. Thanks!
I´m only on page 1 and its already very entertaining and educative, can´t now but I will definitely catch up on this.

[cantona2]

ORIGINAL: LoBaron

cantona, only now found this AAR. Great pairing Fletcher and you.

Really looking forward how this will play out. Thanks!
I´m only on page 1 and its already very entertaining and educative, can´t now but I will definitely catch up on this.

Many thanks for the comments LoBaron.