March 18th
This was a good day for the Japanese. All of today's action was in the East Indies.
During the night, an Allied TF of 4 USN Clemson DD-class DDs escorting CLs Danae and Enterprise sailed from SE(Timor?) past Japanese submarines to the hex E of where the Kido Butai's movement arrow is on the above screenshot(lowest arrow). KB had 2 surface combat escort TFs - one set to react, the other set to not. The with CAs Tone, Chikuma, Abukuma, Nachi and 5 DDs was allowed to react and intercepted the Allied TF, but somehow managed to get itself surprised by the Allies and get "crossed T". It was a night battle at 0% moonlight. The Allies started their torpedo attacks, hitting and sinking DD Murasame almost immediately. The battle lasted very long at point blank range 3000 to 5000 yards with no hits, and eventually the Japanese started to get the upper hand. Tone and Chikuma received one hit each by the British cruisers but one didnt penetrate armor and the other was a relatively small caliber superstructure hit that didnt even start fires.
Then the Japanese ships started to hit things: hit after hit the 20cm main guns hit Danae and Enterprise, starting fires, causing explosions below waterline and in the fuselage. Japanese DDs also hit 2 of the 4 American DDs. As the Allies tried to retreat from battle, Chikuma and Nachi kept pursuing, shooting Danae and Enterprise. Enterprise finally suffered an ammo storage explosion and 5 further penetrating hits but refused to go down before first Chikuma and then Nachi shot their last Type 93 Long Lance torpedoes on her. Both torpedoes hit home. Danae suffered multiple massive explosions and heavy fires before point-blank 20cm fire from 3000 yards finally put her down. One of the 4 American DDs, Pope, was sunk by Chikuma before the rest of them disengaged.
After daybreak the Allied TF was separated: DDs John D. Ford and Peary were heading towards Timor, but their journey was stopped by carrier borne strike aircraft from Akagi and Shokaku. Both DDs were sunk. The last DD, Parrot, for some reason head to SW and broke to the Indian Ocean. She was too unlucky to now meet the Japanese CVE raiders, and was sunk after a 250kg SAP bomb hit by one of CVE Hosho's D3A1s.
Dutch 139W bombers flew some 20 sorties to Makassar trying to hit Japanese destroyers and unloading transports -no hits were scored. Makassar fell to Japanese forces, and for tomorrow we will have 40 G4M1 bombers, a 20-plane Zero squadron and 10 E13A search floatplanes ready at Makassar.
Japanese carriers will retire towards Singapore from the deep water hexes that have about 15 Allied submarines. Carrier aircraft are ordered to strike Batavia's airfield in tango with Kalidjati's fighters.
On Java, Buitenzorg was captured and the attack at Bandoeng went pretty well, achieving 1:2 odds, lowering forts to 2 and we only lost twice as many troops as the Dutchmen.
Finschhafen captured in New Guinea, Marcus Island received reinforcements and is now building forts.
