Jul 27, 1942
A TF headed by BB Kirishima detached from the other battleships at Dili and proceeded west to bombard Koepang, and the CVs, having found nothing around Saumlaki worth attacking, also headed west to bomb the Allied ground units at Koepang ahead of their expected attack -
Night Naval bombardment of Koepang at 68,116
Allied aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft losses
P-39D Airacobra: 6 damaged
Japanese Ships
BB Kirishima
CA Aoba
DD Asanagi
DD Hamakaze
DD Isokaze
DD Akizuki
Allied ground losses:
160 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 13 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Airbase hits 1
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 7
Port hits 3
All of the amphib TFs arrived at Koepang to reinforce the fragment of 38 Div on the ground, but they were attacked several times by 3 carriers south of Timor, resulting in 7 transports being sunk, along with 2 & 8 Tank Rgts -
Morning Air attack on TF, near Koepang at 68,116
Weather in hex: Light cloud
Raid spotted at 15 NM, estimated altitude 25,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 8
SBD-3 Dauntless x 18
No Allied losses
Japanese Ships
AMC Asaka Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAK Goyo Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAK Aki Maru
---
Morning Air attack on TF, near Koepang at 68,116
Weather in hex: Light cloud
Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 25
SBC-4 Helldiver x 18
SBD-3 Dauntless x 45
TBF-1 Avenger x 15
Allied aircraft losses
TBF-1 Avenger: 1 damaged
Japanese Ships
xAP Hakusan Maru, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Tsukuba Maru, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
AK Sakito Maru
xAP Takatiho Maru, Bomb hits 1
xAK Santos Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
xAP Yoshino Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAK Yamamiya Maru, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Hakozaki Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAK Tatukami Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire
CL Yubari, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAK Ronsan Maru
xAK Aki Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire
Japanese ground losses:
269 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 9 destroyed, 24 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Vehicles lost 17 (7 destroyed, 10 disabled)
---
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Koepang at 68,116
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid spotted at 16 NM, estimated altitude 25,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 8
SBD-3 Dauntless x 36
TBF-1 Avenger x 15
No Allied losses
Japanese Ships
xAP Kokuryu Maru, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Tokiwa Maru
xAK Santos Maru, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
xAK Aki Maru, heavy fires, heavy damage
CL Yubari
xAK Ronsan Maru, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
xAK Konan Maru
PB Heiei Maru #7
DD Fubuki
Japanese ground losses:
83 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 42 destroyed, 25 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 200 (174 destroyed, 26 disabled)
---
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Koepang at 68,116
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 25
SBD-3 Dauntless x 45
TBF-1 Avenger x 15
Allied aircraft losses
TBF-1 Avenger: 1 damaged
Japanese Ships
xAP Yoshino Maru, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
CA Kako
CA Furutaka, heavy damage
xAK Shikano Maru
xAK Aki Maru, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Fukoku Maru
xAP Hakozaki Maru, on fire
xAK Noto Maru
xAK Tatukami Maru, on fire
xAK Yamamiya Maru, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Toa Maru
Japanese ground losses:
235 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 34 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 6 (6 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Some of the damaged transports sank later; more will sink tomorrow; CA Furutaka was also hit by 2 sub torpedoes inbound to Koepang and will not make it to Soerabaja, having 91 flotation damage. The US carriers also attacked our BB TF at Dili, but did no damage.
The Japanese carrier attack on the US 32 Division at Koepang was a waste of time and effort, although it may have disrupted the Allies' attack -
Ground combat at Koepang (68,116)
Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 15969 troops, 217 guns, 135 vehicles, Assault Value = 520
Defending force 7949 troops, 97 guns, 91 vehicles, Assault Value = 235
Allied adjusted assault: 212
Japanese adjusted defense: 155
Allied assault odds: 1 to 1
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
567 casualties reported
Squads: 18 destroyed, 31 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 10 (5 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
1311 casualties reported
Squads: 37 destroyed, 63 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 29 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 16 (2 destroyed, 14 disabled)
Assaulting units:
I KNIL Battalion
II Marechausse Cdo
32nd Infantry Division
Timor Cdo
1st Cav Sqdn
6th Cav Sqdn
Sparrow Force
A-III-Ld AA Battalion
VkA-1 Sup Afd
KNI Zeemacht
2e-VLG-V Sup Afd
1e-VLG-III Sup Afd
43rd Const Rgt /4
197th Coast AA Regiment
42nd Base Group
A-II-Ld AA Battalion
SW Pacific Theater /2
Defending units:
48th/B Div /2
38th/A Div /2
38th/B Div /1
38th/C Div /1
18th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
2nd Army
18th Port Unit
Saigon and Rabaul airfields reached level 7.
A second Judy research site (at Hamamatsu) reached 30(0).
