6-7 Sep
Highlights - Chittagong bombarded by sea again; Chinese hold Paoshan against determined attack.
Jpn ships sunk:
SS: 1 (I-11)
YO: 1
ACM: 1
Jpn ships unsunk:
SS: 1 (I-19)
Allied ships sunk: None
Air loss:
Jpn: 19
Allied: 36
Subwar:
Jpn: 4 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 2 Attacks, 1 ships hit (YO sunk)
Jpn Amph Inv: None
Allied Amph Inv: None
Bases lost:
Mataram (DEI)
Bases Liberated: None
SIGINT/Intel: NSTR
West Coast/Admin. NSTR
In NOPAC, it looks like the sub sighting the US TFs have brought the wolves to look for the prey - an unidentified TF is sighted 280m SWS of Attu heading east. I’m betting this is the KB. While the US TFs head east, hopefully out of harms way, perhaps the KB strays within 6 hexes of Amchitka and or Attu where US airpower - reinforced from the CVs - can launch a strike. In any case, it doesn’t look like the Attu invasion will take place any time soon.
CENPAC, NSTR.
In SOPAC, while I rest the B-17s, a squadron of B-24s and LB-30s hit Tulagi port at low (2000ft) altitude with good effect - reportedly sinking a sub, and putting 2 bombs into a DD (Tanakaze) and 3 onto an AR - both are left burning. Will follow up with additional port strikes next turn. Resupply convoy arrives at Ndeni without incident, and the Ndeni AF reaches level 3.
In SWPAC, the Mediums didn’t fly against Moresby, only two squadrons hit Horn Is (weather maybe?). RAAF Hudsons find a TF off Milne Bay - presumably a convoy offloading. Hudsons miss a DD, but no CAP comes up, so next turn will try and hit the shipping with B-25s, B-17s resposition at Cloncurry and rest. The P-38s are heading west - and will operate out of WAUS in the next few days against Port Hedland.
In WAUS, quiet in the Tennant Creek front. In the west, a small convoy of 3 xAKLs with AM escort will head to Exmouth; Carnarvon will provide LRCAP as the Exmouth AF isn’t quite ready. At sea, its time to dissolve the CV Group - the IJN seems to have moved its focus to the Indian Ocean, and its time to pre position for refits. CVs Lex and Sara with escort, as well as the British ships, will head to Cape Town. CV Yorktown TF will head to Melbourne. Most of US CV’s aircraft will fly off to Australia and operate from there while the ships are away in refit. That should provide enough of an air umbrella, in addition to Army a/c, to support the landing at Horn Is next month.
In China, pressure continues from all sides. In the SE, after holding for a turn, a Chinese Corps falls back on Kukong - the problem here is more a lack of supply than anything else, and I doubt I’ll be able to hold Kukong.
In India/Burma, the British attack east of Cox’s Bazaar by two Bdes of the 70th Div are held by two regiments of the 55th Div, but casualties are light on both sides. Will wait until the third Bde of the 70th Div closes up in a few days. On the coast, Chittagong is again bombarded, this time by a BB TF (3BB, 2CL, 4DD), with good effect - closing the AF and destroying 15 a/c on the ground. Not good. Also not good was the Tojos sweeping Paoshan very effectively; 6 Hurris and 6 P-66 Vanguards were shot down in exchange for only 2 Tojos. The Tojos ARE good! The Tojo sweep was in preparation of a ground assault on Paoshan, which was held with very heavy IJA losses. The challenge now will be to keep Paoshan supplied as the additional Chinese Corps I sent in to hold the base, took the defenders over the stacking limit. Will focus the Ledo based transports on resupplying Paoshan.
