Sunset in the East. DBB 30B. Open to Bibow

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: kaleun

December 17th

SS-O-19 misses on a destroyer near Soehi Behar. She evades the unavoidable counterattack and returns to periscope depth to find an enemy Kuma class light cruiser in front of her. A rapid decision by Lcdr HFB Kolling scores one hit on CL Oi.

Near Rabaul the hand of fate meets CL Perth. The light cruiser, together with AMC Westralia and 4 transports had come to evacuate the last remaining forces at the outpost. It was expected to be a fast, unopposed run, the encounter with the enemy sub notwithstanding. The die rolled in a different way and the light cruiser met heavy cruisers Kinugasa and Aoba with and escort of 4 destroyers. Outgunned and outnumbered, Westralia and Perth reacted according to the best traditions of the Royal Navy.
They attacked.
As Fate would have it, the heavy cruisers concentrated their fire on the armed merchant cruiser ignoring, for a while, the man of war. Perth opened up with her six inch guns which scored repeatedly on the heavy cruisers, enemy armor yielding to British steel 6 times on Aoba and 13 on Kinugasa. Westralia and the troop transports sunk as Perth, listing and on fire, slowly opened the range and broke off. Perth continued to struggle on, fighting fires, and flooding, but the order to abandon ship was given in the wee hours of the morning.

Singapore.
Enemy carrier bombers attacked the harbor scoring several hits on POW and Repulse in dry dock. The damage was extensive and it is feared none of the capital ships will be repaired in time for them to escape.
Repeated calls from the Australian government to repatriate Australian forces have forced Percival’s hand. All Australian forces have been ordered to Singapore where they shall embark as soon as the enemy carrier menace is over.

Coming to this late but I would like to point out that unless you are desperate to get the heavy equipment out the bulk of the Rabaul garrison and all of the Kavieng garrison and all of the companies on the north coast of NG can be evacuated by air using the flying boats at Port Moresby.

I start this operation on December 8th.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: kaleun

December 19th 41

4 submarines depart Pearl Harbor for Bataan. They are loaded with supplies. A drop in a bucket, but more than anything they are meant to bolster the defenders morale. Whether they do that, or depress it even more remains to be seen.

Ambon invaded with KB 3 supporting the invasion

In Rangoon 29 Oscar sweep and 21 AVG planes rise to fight. 2 airplanes on each side fall out of the sky.
AT Pegu the 13th Indian Brigade reorganizes.
Rabaul falls but NG Coy saved by the patrols out of PM.
Lark Battalion embarks for Darwin.

3rd Heavy AA rebuilt at Johore Bahru and moves to Singapore.
12th Indian Brigade rebuilt at JB.
45th and 46th Indian Bdes disembarking at Cocos Island.


December 20th 1941

All planes left at Rabaul fly off for Port Moresby.
At the same time, all patrols from PM attempt to pick up the remaining engineers and support staff from Rabaul Base force.
At Port Moresby, Lark battalion embarks for Darwin.

At Johore Bahru the 3rd heavy AA rebuilt starts for Singapore, while the rebuilt 12th Indian Brigade digs in.

Two Indian brigades, the 45th and 46th, originally bound for Singapore begin to disembark at Cocos Island. One will stay at Cocos while the second one will garrison Christmas Island IO.

At Pegu, the 13th Indian Brigade reorganizes.

KB 3 is now active in the sea of Timor with 8 B5N1 and * dive bombers hitting shipping in Darwin.

Rabaul taken and Ambon holds.

As night falls on Singapore, the 22nd Australian brigade loads up on a collection of transports. With KB 1 and 2 out of the way, it is time for the Australians to run the gauntlet and break out for Perth.

During the night, the 21st RAF Australian squadron flies off to Batavia, as do the Wapiti of the 100 RAAF and the 36th RAF.

The DVI-A with 11 Lodestar transports flies into Singapore in a desperate effort to airlift as many of the cut off Gurkhas as possible from Malacca to Singapore.

Many subs start with really lousy commanders. The available pool of good commander is thin at start. I switch as many as are available oto good commanders and use the rest for transport until more good commanders become available.

After assigning good commanders I am usually left with at least a dozen subs leaving Manila for a new temp home base at Soerabaja where they are immediately put to work shipping supplies to the PI.

Much shorter distance than coming from Pearl.

[kaleun]

Coming to this late but I would like to point out that unless you are desperate to get the heavy equipment out the bulk of the Rabaul garrison and all of the Kavieng garrison and all of the companies on the north coast of NG can be evacuated by air using the flying boats at Port Moresby.

I start this operation on December 8th.

I try to play with the retrospectoscope (slightly) off.

[kaleun]

Many subs start with really lousy commanders. The available pool of good commander is thin at start. I switch as many as are available oto good commanders and use the rest for transport until more good commanders become available.

After assigning good commanders I am usually left with at least a dozen subs leaving Manila for a new temp home base at Soerabaja where they are immediately put to work shipping supplies to the PI.

Much shorter distance than coming from Pearl.

This game, most of the Manila based subs were sunk. Did change commanders on those that were saved.

And yes, they will run supplies to Bataan.

[kaleun]

December 27th
Perth, Australia.
They straggle in. The Dominion’s returning sons. First the aircraft groups, staged out of Batavia and, from there, by ship to Perth. VP 102, from Perth to Carnavon. 55th RNZAF det. To Sidney and Suva. 205 RAF squadron, to Port Hedland.

At Tahiti, the 2nd and 8th Marine Regiment, as well as the 60th Port Maintenance Regiment unload. Oiler AO Cuyama disbands at harbor to refuel returning task forces. The tiny harbor has no refueling facilities otherwise.

At Pearl, the 24th Infantry division reassembles. Nimitz looks out of the window. In his desk drawer, perhaps forgotten, sits his letter of resignation, unsent.

Kido Butai 3 continues to cavort around the Timor Sea while KB 1 has reentered the Java Sea, fortunately after the Australian brigades had left it.

[kaleun]

Sidney. Government House.

The Honorable John Curtin receives his daily war briefing.
“What can we send to Alice Springs?” he asks.
“The 4th, 10th and 15th brigades are packing up to head there. They will reform into the 3rd Division. The 1st Corps HQ is packing up to provide support to the effort. When the US 24th arrives it will go there directly. Sparrow and Gull are withdrawing from Darwin to Tennant Creek. Wren is marching up to TC from Cloncurry. They will reassemble there and then march south to Alice Springs where they will meet the two brigades from Singapore and reassemble into a division. With three divisions we shall push the Japanese back into the sea.”
Mr. Curtin shook his head. The optimism of his military advisor seemed, to him, unfounded.

[BBfanboy]

Better send some anti-tank guns to Alice/TC as soon as you can. Playing the Allies, you have to stockpile the guns and turn off all the automatic replacements so other Allied units don't take them all first and then turn on the Australian unit replacements. Production of 2-pounders is not very good, but some of the monthly convoys arriving at Capetown will have batches of guns to add to the pools.

[kaleun]

Thanks BB. Had not thought to do that.

[kaleun]

December 28th

The end of the year brings bad news upon bad news.
In the Burma front, Allied forces near Moulmein are forced to withdraw to Pegu.
Soroy and Balabac fall while Port Blair is captured by a determined parachute assault.
Carrier 3 arrives, with probably too much bombast and exultation at Pearl where the sailors are received as heroes.
There is, however, a bit of good news for many Australian families. All through the country telegram boys deliver messages that are received, first with worry and despair, then relief. They have been sent from Perth, by the men of the 22nd Australian Brigade. With minimal variations the text is all the same.
ARRIVED PERTH SAFE STOP AM WELL STOP LOVE ALL

December 29th.
Pearl Harbor prepares to receive the New Year, the few pieces of good news available exploded and exploited to the maximum. Battleships Maryland and West Virginia disband to repair the minimal wear and tear endured in their latest cruise. So do Saratoga, Indianapolis, Concord, Blue and Balch.
West Virginia will also upgrade her AA defenses come January.
24th Infantry, rebuilt at Pearl begins preparations for Alice Springs, as well as packing up for the journey.

At Townsville, Lark Batallion, rescued from Port Moresby, and too late to reach Darwin, packs up to take rail to Cloncurry where, God and the Moon Goddess willing, they will move overland to Tennant Creek, hopefully before the Japanese get there.

Some bad news can be disguised as good by skilled journalist. For instance, a piece on the San Francisco papers appears on page 4. In it, the skilled and valiant efforts of the damage control parties are credited with saving Queen Elizabeth after a Japanese submarine scored a hit on the liner near San Francisco. With sailors like these, the journalist writes, the war is certain to be won, sooner rather than later.
The arrival of CV Yorktown at San Diego is not reported on, although the presence of such a ship at harbor cannot be kept hidden.

[kaleun]

December 30th

Pearl Harbor.
The 4 engine PBY 2 Coronado flying boat landed at Pearl Harbor after a long, overnight flight from San Francisco. Two men, Secretary of the Navy Knox and an unknown civilian were the first to step out of the airplane and into a waiting Jeep. The Jeep ferried them to Naval Headquarters.
Admiral Nimitz opened his desk drawer and glanced, not for the first time, at the sealed envelope that contained his letter of resignation. Knox was here, he knew, on his way from the seaplane base. Good. He could hand him his resignation personally and also give him a piece of his mind. He closed the drawer.
The intercom rang.
“Secretary Knox and his guest are here sir,” a voice announced from the speaker.
“Show them in,” he growled.
Surprise showed on the Admiral’s face at the sight of Secretary Knox’s companion.
“Admiral,” Knox said, “let me introduce Professor Ito Watanabe, from Princeton University.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Nimitz’s curt response stayed a shade short from showing his distaste.
Like most men of his time, he believed in nature over nurture. And the Japanese race was not high in his list of favorites right now. Naval discipline however took priority and he showed the professor to a chair.
“Professor Watanabe teaches Mathematics at Princeton,” Knox explained.
“He is also a grandmaster in chess, and the US shogi champion,” he continued.
Nimitz sat behind his desk trying not to fidget.
“He is also a student of military history. Japanese military history,” he concluded.
“I see,” Nimitz said, although by his tone it was clear that he didn’t.
“Chester, Watanabe is my personal friend, and has been cleared for top secret material. He will be very helpful.”
Nimitz snorted.
For the first time Watanabe spoke, “Know your enemy and yourself and you will be triumphant in a thousand battles Admiral.”
“Chester, Ito predicted the Darwin invasion, he was only wrong about the timing.”
“I wasn’t wrong,” Ito said, “I predicted a 30% probability of Darwin being attacked before January.”
Knox scoffed, “I forgot, he teaches statistics.”
Ito smiled, “Statistics means never having to say you are certain.”
Even dour faced Nimitz smiled at that.
“For instance,” Knox said, “Ito told me that the carriers that repelled the invasion at Wake were there by chance.”
Nimitz nodded, “Yes they were on their way to…”
“To Truk,” Watanabe interrupted.
“How do you know that? It is secret,” Nimitz protested, startled.
Watanabe stood up.
“It’s, elementary. Three carrier groups were active in the DEI. All the allied naval forces in the area were bottled up, any ships at sea, dead. An excellent opportunity. Probably for the only time you were certain of the location of all enemy carriers.”
Nimitz did not care much for Watanabe’s pedantic style.
The small professor continued, “An effort to relieve the pressure on the Dutch and British was needed. Something to pull out some of his carrier forces without risking ours. Truk was the only choice. An important enemy base, whose eastern approaches we control. A task force can slip between Midway and Wake undetected, then rush in, attack and slip out the way it came. And a good strike on Truk could also wreck havoc on the enemy plans for their southward expansion. As I said, elementary.”

[kaleun]

December 31st

Nimitz liked Watanabe as much as a case of piles but he had to admit that any source of insight on Japanese intentions and how to counter them was welcome. After all, the only good news was that yesterday a B17D out of Cagayan scored a hit on CA Kumano at Babeldoar something or other.
Aside from that the year ends on a gaggle of dire news.
Balikpapan and Tarakan invaded. Well that was to be expected. They are coming for the oil after all. Tawi Tawi also taken

At Singapore BC Repulse, despite its heavy damages 70% systems, 14 floatation and 14% on engines, will attempt to run the gauntlet and reach Cape Town. Singapore harbor is coming under daily enemy bombardment and the ship can no longer repair at the shipyard.

At Frisco QE disbands in port, her crew still fighting fires; with the assistance of harbor crews it is expected they will come under control in less than a day.

Carrier 3 will ferry VMF 211 with 10 F4F-3 fighters to Christmas Island.

At Colombo the 18th British Division reassembles.

The final news for the year announce the capture of Tarakan, Kendari, Balikpapan, and Tandjoensomething or other.

KB 3 still rampages on the Timor Sea.

[kaleun]

1942


New Year’s Day

The America that wakes up to the New Year is by now used to the war. The undeniable truth that the country is enmeshed in the same long war that had entangled Europe has finally sunk in. That it will be long and hard, fought on two massive fronts, and that it will require immeasurable effort are now givens.
Even so, every bit of good news is treasured, even if it is the, mostly fictional, tale of a Dutch pilot’s escape from capture in Sumatra, Java or such places.
Yorktown departs San Diego to join Car 3 in Pearl Harbor where, despite Nimitz’s fervent protests, the 24th Infantry Division packs up awaiting transports to ship for Sidney.
His letter of resignation rests, unopened, in his desk.
1st Lieutenant Ito Watanabe, Knox’s pleas withstanding Nimitz refused to let “that Jap professor serve in my Navy,” it being thought necessary that the Japanese American be drafted and commissioned to prevent any hostility against him, got enrolled in the Army and given a lieutenant’s commission. Now Lieutenant Watanabe has a small desk where war reports are brought in as they are decoded and received. His job is to make sense of it all and to decipher the enemies’ intentions.
First he must sift through an ocean of mostly useless information, such as Christmas Island forts have reached level 1, which he takes to mean that each marine on the island has dug a hole for his own sorry a$$, or a relayed report from the Royal navy that Repulse’s pumps failed and the battle cruiser is steaming for Batavia to attempt repairs.
The battlecruiser will sink on January 2nd while Batavia comes under attack from KB 1 and 2.
In the South Pacific, while reinforcing Suva is a priority, the American Navy continues to build up Tahiti as fast as possible. Engineers are committed to the island with a priority as high, or higher, than combat forces.

[kaleun]

Forces

[BBfanboy]

Working on both port and airfield (or forts) at the same time delays your use of the facilities. If you build the one you want most ONLY, you get use of the higher level facility sooner. You can switch to the other facility at that point. Getting the AF to level 2 may be critical to getting more aircraft on the island and being able to conduct offensive strikes. At this stage in the war I would recommend working on the airfield first, wherever KB may show up.

[kaleun]

January 3rd
SS Spearfish and SS KVII unload 72 tons of supply at Bataan.

Captain Roberto Montes is never far from his Enfield rifle. Like many others, he uses it to fire at the Japanese fighters that strafe and bomb the city with predictable regularity. The rifle fired a 303 caliber bullet and had an effective range of 550 yards and a maximum range of 3000. What this means is that the fusillades of rifle fire that the frustrated men released on their Japanese tormentors were as ineffective as dangerous since everything that goes up must, perforce, come down. But it made the men feel better. Boynton received him kindly when he finally met him and turned his liaison job into something else entirely.
“You are in charge of supplies and paperwork,” the colonel said.
In that role, Montes became an expert at scrounging for ammunition, gas, and spare parts to keep the Ha variant of the P40-B flying. The airplanes flew alternate days to let the men rest and the mechanics fix up the battered airframes.
But today was the final day. AVG, as well as the rest of the garrison were packed up and ready to go. In the back of the truck taking him to Shwebo, Montes observed the remnants of the British Empire abandon Rangoon.

Far away, in the South Pacific, the 2nd Marine Defense Batallion lands at Rarotonga and begins to dig in.

In Alice Springs, two HQ units settle in as well as the 4th Australian Brigade. The engineers begin to expand the airfield while the men are issued shovels and begin to dig.

[kaleun]

Jan 4th

An enemy submarine scores three times on xAK Aeon near Port Moresby.
Kaherine holds against the Japanese. Tavoy, Samarinda, Jolo, and Basila captured.

Jan 5th.
The 27th Australian Brigade packs its gear up at Perth to embark for Alice Springs.

At Aden, 7th Armored Brigade preps for Cox’s Bazaar.

The 2nd PA Constabulary Division assembles at Bataan.

The 4th Indian Brigade, sadly lacking in support, finishes landing at Cocos Island.

LCdr McKnight takes S 36 to her new patrol zone in the Macassar straits.

B Coy NG Rifles at Lae to be air transferred to PM.

Jan 5th
Katherine falls and her defenders withdraw towards Daly Waters. Rangoon falls, the Burma road is closed. Babo in Dutch New Guinea taken by the Japanese. Kuantan falls.

[kaleun]

Jan 6th 42
Carrier 3 disbands at Pearl. Minor repairs will take a couple of days.
At Sidney, 488 sq RAF (New Zealand) embarks for NZ

The transports that will ship 24th Div to Australia will arrive on the 7th. The infantry division is packed and ready to go.
Singkep, Zamboanga, invaded. Singapore under daily bombing raids cowers down and digs in. Tandjoepang and Muntok taken.

Jan 7th 42
24th Infantry Division loading at Pearl.
Admiral Nimitz, still sore about it orders a covering force of three old battleships, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Arizona to escort the transports to Australia. In addition, Carrier 3, consisting of Lexington, Saratoga, and Enterprise under Spruance will follow the two task forces to intervene in case of need, or opportunity.

“They are bound to begin expansion into the SWPAC, Raymond,” Nimitz said, “The only thing worse than sending this division to Australia is losing it before it gets there.”
Spruance nodded.

“Don’t take any stupid chances Raymond, but if you see an opportunity, take it.” Nimitz concluded.

NG volunteer rifle battalion reassembles at PM

[kaleun]

January 9th
KB 3 enters the Arafura sea.
Suva’s fortifications are now size 3. Further construction of the fortifications will stop temporarily and efforts will center on expansion of the airfield. A similar situation happens in Townsville where the building efforts will concentrate in the airfield.
Air reinforcements arrive in Tahiti from where they will spread out to Suva, Tahiti and Tonga.


January 10th.
KB 3 attacks a task force off Port Moresby.
Guam invaded.
At Aden, a fleet aircraft carrier arrives, HMS Indomitable. The ship ties up at dock and the crew, in turns, take some highly desired shore leave. Everyone knows that the ship will see action against the Japanese enemy, but not even the Admiralty knows where she is bound next. For the time being, the Albacore bombers, Sea Hurricane fighters, and Fulmar fighter bombers take off on daily training sessions.

[kaleun]

January 11th.
Guam falls, as expected; so does Makassar.
Two enemy task forces enter the Solomon Sea. One is spotted as KB 3 and the second one is tentatively identified as a surface combat task force.

[kaleun]

At Pearl Harbor Ito Watanabe predicts the next theater will be New Guinea.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Nimitz groans.
The admiral ponders the charts of the Central Pacific.
“Tell me again why we shouldn’t reinforce Wake,” he asks.
Watanabe looks out of the window to hide the roll of his eyes. He’s explained this several times to the admiral.
“If the enemy needs something, or thinks he needs it, he will show up in force, with carriers. If he just wants something, as in, nice to have, he shows up with just surface forces, as happened in Wake.”
After a short pause, Watanabe continued, “The Wake invasion was just that, a short exercise, opposition not expected, to take something that would be useful but not essential to his projects. The invasion repelled, he will either forget about it, if he doesn’t feel he needs it, or return with overwhelming force. In the first case, reinforcements are unneeded and wasteful. In the second, useless, and a waste of lives.”