Home Islands west. An RN BB group was on standby in case matters on Saishu To required a second day of ground combat helped by a naval bombardment. They didn't, so the RN "unloaded through the muzzle" at Moppo instead of bringing their rounds home. They ran into some totally unexpected opposition!
A very competent night air strike! Over at Kochi a convoy bringing in a large, crack NZ AA unit got a nasty reception.
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Morning Air attack on TF, near Kochi at 106,60
Weather in hex: Heavy rain
Raid detected at 162 NM, estimated altitude 37,220 feet.
Estimated time to target is 48 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 32
A7M2 Sam x 9
Allied aircraft
F4U-1D Corsair x 39
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zero: 21 destroyed
A7M2 Sam: 3 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
F4U-1D Corsair: 1 destroyed
Allied Ships
AKA Castor, Kamikaze hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AKA Sheliak, Kamikaze hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
APA Berrien, Kamikaze hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AKA Oberon
AKA Southampton, Kamikaze hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
Allied ground losses:
44 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 15 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 17 (7 destroyed, 10 disabled)
Vehicles lost 15 (2 destroyed, 13 disabled)
Aircraft Attacking:
32 x A6M5 Zero flying as kamikaze
Kamikaze: 2 x 60 kg GP Bomb
CAP engaged:
No.15 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (4 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(5 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
4 plane(s) intercepting now.
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 1 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 38 minutes
No.16 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(5 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 5 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 20 minutes
No.17 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (4 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(5 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
4 plane(s) intercepting now.
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 1 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 20 minutes
No.18 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(5 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 4 being recalled, 1 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 40 minutes
No.19 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(5 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 5 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 15 minutes
No.20 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (1 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(5 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 4 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 3 minutes
No.21 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(4 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 4 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 19 minutes
No.22 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(5 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 5 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 15 minutes
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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Kochi at 106,60
Weather in hex: Severe storms
Raid detected at 148 NM, estimated altitude 30,070 feet.
Estimated time to target is 49 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 27
Allied aircraft
F4U-1D Corsair x 36
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 15 destroyed
No Allied losses
Allied Ships
AKA Southampton, on fire, heavy damage
DE Whitman
AKA Shoshone
Aircraft Attacking:
16 x A6M2 Zero flying as kamikaze
Kamikaze: 2 x 60 kg GP Bomb
CAP engaged:
No.15 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(5 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 1 being recalled, 4 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 50 minutes
No.16 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(5 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 1 being recalled, 4 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 49 minutes
No.17 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(4 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 1 being recalled, 3 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 44 minutes
No.18 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(4 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 4 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 16 minutes
No.19 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(4 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 4 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 9 minutes
No.20 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(5 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 5 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 12 minutes
No.21 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (3 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(4 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 1 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Raid is overhead
No.22 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(5 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 4 being recalled, 1 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 39 minutes
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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Kochi at 106,60
Weather in hex: Severe storms
Raid detected at 193 NM, estimated altitude 30,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 50 minutes
Japanese aircraft
D4Y2 Judy x 14
Ki-84r Frank x 28
Allied aircraft
F4U-1D Corsair x 22
Japanese aircraft losses
D4Y2 Judy: 9 destroyed
Ki-84r Frank: 3 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
F4U-1D Corsair: 1 destroyed
CAP engaged:
No.15 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(5 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 4 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters to 7000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 9 minutes
No.16 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(5 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 2 being recalled, 1 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters to 7000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 41 minutes
No.17 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (3 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(4 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 1 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 41 minutes
1 planes vectored on to bombers
No.18 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(4 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 1 being recalled, 1 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters to 7000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 46 minutes
2 planes vectored on to bombers
No.19 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(4 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 1 being recalled, 1 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters to 7000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 41 minutes
1 planes vectored on to bombers
No.20 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (3 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(4 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 1 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 0 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 15 minutes
1 planes vectored on to bombers
No.22 Sqn RNZAF with F4U-1D Corsair (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(1 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 3 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters to 7000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 44 minutes
3 planes vectored on to bombers
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Two ships sunk and two badly damaged. Two of the 15x plane Corsair sqns have been swapped out for two 25x plane P-47D2 sqns. Another convoy will arrive tomorrow so hopefully that will make a big difference.
That was two divisions wearing down the trapped defenders; three divisions will attack tomorrow. Several convoys have put in to Saishu To and will begin unloading tonight.