Highlights – IJN surfaces forces raid into CV TFs with nasty results; Merak and Morotai landings go in.
Jpn ships sunk:
DD: 1 (Okinami)
MTB: 5
SC: 2
AMc: 1
xAP: 1
Allied ships sunk:
DD: 1 (Bell - collision)
Air loss:
Jpn: 94
Allied: 32
Subwar:
Jpn: 2 Attacks, 0 ships hit
Allies: 4 Attacks, 2 ships hit (PB, TK dam)
Jpn Amph Inv: None
Allied Amph Inv:
Merak (IO)
Morotai (SOPAC)
Bases lost: None
Bases Liberated:
Kluong (Burma - flipped, base just north of Singapore!)
Sorong (SOPAC)
SIGINT/Intel: Well, no air Kamikaze strikes against the CVs, but sort of a naval Kamikaze strike did well in the Celebes Sea - with minimal IJN losses….will this be a new tactic?
West Coast/Admin: NSTR.
In NOPAC, NSTR.
In CENPAC, DD TF (4DD) follow up the SBDs to Guam with good effect - finding and sinking two big xAPs and a dozen or so barges. DDs loiter, but will head back to Woleai next turn. Navy Heavies hit Saipan AF with good effect, but B-29s didn’t fly. Will continue the pressure on the Marianas.
In SOPAC, got a nasty surprise against US CV TFs as they closed on Tarakan. IJN came out with small surface forces to engage the carrier TFs - and of course, I had just detached the primary Allied surface TF to bombard Tarakan - which was effective, but ultimately cost the CVs. I had left two DD TFs of 3 DDs each to provide cover to the CVs, and that wasn’t enough. First surface contact off Tawi-Tawi was with an IJN DD TF (3DDs) which was duly engaged by the US DDs - neither side scored any hits. But the US DD TF was apparently distracted enough to allow the IJN CA TF (CA, 2CL, 2DDs) to get into the CV TF - despite US radar picking up the intruders at 25k yards, zero moonlight likely contributed to the issue, engagement started at 10k yds with wolf well amongst to flock - despite BBs, cruisers and DDs in the US CV TF, the IJN went right after the carriers and scored repeated hits with little return fire. By the end, CV Wasp took 3 8” shells while Intrepid, Bunker Hill and CVK Unicorn also took damage. Return fire was negligible, and the IJN withdrew without any major damage inflicted. Later, as the CV TFs got closer to Tarakan to launch daylight fighter sweeps against Miri/Brunei, IJN MTBs sortied and got in the mix of the CV TFs. Although no hits were scored by the MTBs, they did sow enough confusion to cause a few collisions - DD Bell was sunk and CLs Santa Fe and Montpelier damaged…Babar island mayhem revisited. Daylight brought good fighter sweeps against with 38 Zeros lost to 4 Corsairs - but no shipping was seen or hit by strikes. Navy fighters also swept Tarakan in support of very effective B-24 raids, but no fighters were engaged. The B-24s wrecked both oil and refinery production as well as closed the AF. At the end of the two days, CV Wasp as still burning with (76/60(13)/42/40 fires), CV Intrepid (26/12(3)/32(4), Bunker Hill (17/0/2) and CVL Unicorn (22/17(9)/12). Not good. Wasp will likely sink due to the fires before she can make Tarakan, but at least I got the pilots off. Intrepid will need to head to Pearl, and will see if Manus and the Fleet Train can repair Bunker Hill and Unicorn. Part of the US Fleet needs to take on fuel, and with the loss of the damaged CVs, will need to reorganize a bit as well. While the Celebes Sea mayhem was taking place, troops were landed at Morotai in good order and Sorong was taken in one attack. And despite the damaged CVs, the Talaud-eilanden landings will go in as scheduled as troops complete loading at Madang. The CVs are also needed to support SWPAC in the Makassar Strait, and also need to go back to provide fighters across to Miri/Brunei - that will be the tough mission. On the positive side, CV Wasp will be replace by Brit CV Illustrious, just finishing fitting out her new air group at Ceylon. CV Intrepid will rendezvous with CV Essex at Pearl and hand over her airgroup to Essex coming out of the Panama Canal. CV Franklin is also due in a few weeks, so while damaged, the Fleet is still in excellent shape.
In SWPAC, IJA troops at Makassar are eliminated in one attack with 2500 casualties. That wraps up major fighting on southern Celebes, and focus now shifts to the upcoming Bailkpapan/Samarinda landings as invasion convoys will depart embarkation ports next turn - all staging at Makassar before heading to target in a few days. After the successful Tarakan raids, most Heavies will rest, one group going to hit Manado to keep it surpressed. CVE TFs will also transit to Makassar from covering Morotai to provide cover for the Balikpapan landings - lots of moving pieces - not to mention keeping the flow of support troops and supplied into the newly won bases. Lastly, recon is showing very little IJA on Java - on the eastern end, only Soerbaja looks to be garrisoned, so will try and get some troops to establish a landing point as soon as practical - whether prepped or not.
In China, NSTR.
In Burma, that limited attack against a port unit easily pushed it aside with an Indian Bde in pursuit able to attack it again next turn. I’m not looking to push hard here, but will take an easy advance when possible. In the air, the fighter sweeps over Bangkok did well, downing 24 Tojos for 3 Spits and 2 P-47s. Heavies will follow more sweeps next turn, including B-29s based at Rangoon and B-24s out of Port Blair. Expecting a tough fight against additional fighters and heavy flak.
In the IO, 3rd Mar Div and support lands at Merak, with the bombardment apparently destroying a single token unit in the hex. But the base doesn’t “flip”, so Marines will have to take it next turn. Follow on troops - three Bdes worth - will be brought across the Sunda Strait as soon as possible to take advantage of the unexpected light resistance - recon shows Batavia is the only reported garrisoned base so far in the western end of the island. At sea, a CL TF (CL 2DD) and a DD TF (5DD) have transited the Sunda Strait and are still enroute to disrupt shipping in Miri/Brunei.
