February 27, 1942
Operation UNDERDOG
1) Hand-in-hand with the cartoon industry, and after the "success" of Operation NEUMAN, the War Department agrees that, in combination with cartoon classics' faces being screenprinted on 500lb pound bombs as a morale boost, Allied operations will henceforth be named after said cartoon classics. (Even if they're dreamed up in future decades. Mr. Peabody is able to help out here.)
USN carriers venture forth from San Diego as part of Operation UNDERGDOG, a mere training exercise. Or so the wives were told. More to come. Unfortunately, lurking I-boats probably get a whiff of the transit. Two sub sightings are recorded near San Clemente Island, one by land-based ASW, the other by SDBs aboard. The TFs have a deceptive dogleg built in on the first transit leg, so perhaps it won't matter.
2) Ambon. This Japanese op shows how hard the initial phase can be for the Empire. When they try to do islands on a shoestring they can hang up on the reef. No recon (that I saw), no bombardment, no air attacks, and a light SNLF landing force to knock over what is often a gimme. But the Dutch, after evaccing the AVP and patrol planes, built like crazy and got Forts 3 one day before the landing. Supply is still nearly 2500. And the CD is impressive for such an afterthought of a place.
The landing TF once again takes it on the chin:
Invasion Support action off Ambon (76,109)
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force
20 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
xAK Nansin Maru, Shell hits 2, on fire
xAK Uyo Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire
Ground combat at Ambon (76,109)
Allied Bombardment attack
Attacking force 642 troops, 12 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 42
Defending force 1437 troops, 19 guns, 2 vehicles, Assault Value = 56
Assaulting units:
4th Coastal Gun Battalion
Molukken Garrison Bn /1
Ambon Base Force
Defending units:
Sasebo 3rd SNLF
3) RO-34, south of Singers, is located by the RN ASW TF and takes three solid hits. Maybe enough to drive it off. Singers supply runs taper off but don't stop today.
4) In the straits off Balikpapan the sub vs ASW and ASW vs. sub action is thick and fast. Won't detail, but Japan is throwing prime, front-line assets into trying to open this water. There are on any given day between 5 and 7 Allied subs there and just north, about 70% Dutch with good fish, and half the rest S-boats with Mk 10s. The Allies stay in deep water most of the time and wait for the tankers.
5) West of Johnson Island in blue water, half way to Kwajalein, S-23 attacks a mine TF.
ASW attack near Johnston Island at 153,112
Japanese Ships
CM Tokiwa
CM Takashima
CMc Kurosaki
DD Hamakaze
Allied Ships
SS S-23
This is an odd assortment to be here. Perhaps they are headed back to Johnson. USS Narwhal laid a handful of mines there since the NEUMAN battles and daily recon has shown the island with no ships and no planes at all. Just a small garrison of about 1800 men. I have plenty of surface power at Pearl (Colorado and Mississippi come out of the yards today) to meet these ships at Johnson, but they may not be bound for there, and the KB is once again invisible. Will keep an eye on them.
Perhaps UNDERDOG can help? [:'(]
6) A large chunk of Batavia's air power is shifted laterally to Soerbaja. The water south of Balikpapan is getting busy. Most of the offense has range to only reach part way up the strait, but if Japan gets sloppy the B-26s at least could pay a visit. The TBs would need an attempt on Java to swing into action.
7) Bataan's AA has 100 or less supply in organic columns (the base supply has been zeroed for about a week), so it still fires just a little each day. Watching the animation you can see that it's only a few rounds, but if you don't watch the animation and only look at results it's not as apparent how close to empty the supply lockers really are. Tick tock.
8) Three B-17s shifted to Soerbaja, just gone to AF 7, hit the oil fields at Samarinda and do 1 point of damage. The combat report gives some excellent intel. This TF is not visible to the Allies at all:
CAP engaged:
Chitose Ku S-1 Det with A6M2 Zero (2 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(2 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
2 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 9000
Raid is overhead
9) Some days as the Allies you have to smile. Things "back home" are waking up, getting in gear. For the JFB readers here, this is what the Allies get on one day in late February 1942:
xAK Madras City arrives at Aden
Ceylon Command arrives at Colombo
1st Marine Defense Battalion arrives at Pearl Harbor
Roodenburg Battalion arrives at Batavia
I Aus Corps Engineer Battalion arrives at Aden
2/5th Ind Coy arrives at Sydney
2/7th Ind Coy arrives at Sydney
2/1 AIF Pioneer Battalion arrives at Aden
2/2 AIF Pioneer Battalion arrives at Aden
NW Australia Base Force arrives at Katherine
NW Aus Aviation Rgt arrives at Katherine
1st Fgtr RAAF Wing arrives at Darwin
10th Patl RAAF Wing arrives at Katherine
2nd Medium Regiment arrives at Sydney
21/22 Field Regiment arrives at Sydney
1st RAAF M/W Sqn arrives at Sydney
2nd Australian Hvy AA Regiment arrives at Sydney
A/B Battery Heavy Coastal Artillery Regiment arrives at Darwin
C/D Battery Heavy Coastal Artillery Regiment arrives at Townsville
23rd NZ Pioneer Coy arrives at Dunedin
33rd Medium Regiment arrives at Auckland
2nd RNZAF Base Force arrives at Auckland
N Force Detachment arrives at Auckland
3rd Indian Coastal Artillery Regiment arrives at Calcutta
3rd Carabiniers Regiment arrives at Karachi
20th Indian Division arrives at Bangalore
RAF 222 Group Base Force arrives at Aden
75th Indian Brigade arrives at Lahore
84th Indian Brigade arrives at Madras
Pathan Construction Battalion arrives at Madras
1061st Artillery Regiment arrives at Khabarovsk
399th Rifle Division arrives at Chita