Bo...oops in the South Pacific - LST (A) vs SierraJuliet (J) Bottlenecks Mod

[LargeSlowTarget]

Thx @sfatula, I have read the term here and have applied CAP at different levels in the past, but the finer point - putting the lowest-numbered unit at the lowest altitude in order counter-bounce with the other, higher units - had eluded me until now.

Folks, writing AARs takes much of my spare time. I want to continue, but with the help of a ghost writer in order to speed-up things.
His name is Claude. It is an AI that I am currently learning to use at work - one day he will take-over my job, no doubt.
Claude can be fed with data of your own choice - in this case with the different report files the game generates - and can be instructed to follow specific examples, in this case the AAR I have written so far.

Here are the first results - with only minor editing by hand needed. I am impressed. What do you think?

Feb 02, 1942

Bases lost and won
Tawi Tawi is occupied by the Japanese.
Japanese forces (I/66th Naval Guard Unit) CAPTURED Talasea.

Sub War
SS I-10^ torpedoed xAK Salland near Albany; she went down.
SS I-172 shrugged off a determined ASW hunt by three of our destroyers near Lahaina and got away clean.
SS KX sank xAK Syoka Maru near Menado after a two-fish hit set her on fire.
SS S-38~ attacked xAK Tsuyama Maru off Cagayan; no confirmation of a hit.

Malaya / Burma / India
The river gunboats worked over Johore/Tebrau, inflicting 62 casualties. The Imperial Guards' Division has now been identified on that front.
Singapore took two raids. The morning nuisance sweep came to nothing, but an 18-plane sweep in the afternoon cost the enemy 5 Zeros for one Buffalo and three Warhawks – WO MacIntosh of 488 Sqn RAF bagged his second and third kills flying a Hurricane.

PI
Clark Field absorbed another big raid – 29 Ki-21s – for 6 airbase, 2 supply and 21 runway hits; our three remaining P-26As claimed no kills but flak damaged six bombers.
Near Cebu, a night surface action cost us xAPc Makassar – jumped by DMS W-15 and W-20 in the rain and dark, she took heavy shell damage and later went down. CPT Manke I. was among the killed.
Iloilo was hit by a Japanese bombardment attack; no casualties reported either side.

China
At Yingde, the IJA 104th and 21st Divisions hit the 83rd Chinese Army Corps and 12th Army Group in their level-3 forts, and the arithmetic went the wrong way for us: 872 Chinese casualties (7 squads destroyed, 5 guns lost) against only 176 Japanese, despite defending at 1-to-2 odds.
Smaller Japanese probes hit Huangshi (forts knocked to nothing) and Yushan/Chuchou (held). Air raids continued across the theatre – Sinyang, Xiantao, Yangshan, Shangrao and Pucheng all bombed.

Intel
2nd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment is planning an attack on Chengchow.
1st Mortar Battalion is planning an attack on Changsha.


Feb 03, 1942

Bases lost and won
Mati is occupied by the Japanese.
Guangshan is occupied by the Allies.
The Japanese 3rd Tank Regiment CAPTURED Huangshi for 264 Allied casualties, and 3TD's 13th Tank Regiment CAPTURED Chongyang for another 277 - all from Admin units.
Allied forces RECAPTURED Kukong!!! The 95th Chinese Army Corps and 5th Construction Regiment stormed Kukong in a shock attack at 7-to-1 odds, driving out the Japanese paratroop remnants (71 Japanese casualties, 13 engineers destroyed) for 238 of our own.

Sub War
SS I-21^ put three torpedoes into TK Esso Durban off Bora Bora; she went down.
SS I-169 tried a surface gun action on xAKL King Bay off Port Moresby but broke off, low on ammunition.
SS I-156 and I-166 both took damage from our escort screen near Muntok but got away; SS I-165 shrugged off a long hunt entirely.
SS O16 put two torpedoes into DD Hibiki off Kuching without result.

Malaya / Burma / India
Singapore took two night raids in a thunderstorm; No.27 Sqn's Blenheim night-fighters got airborne both times for one bomber damaged and no losses either side.
The gunboat flotilla worked over Johore/Tebrau again (20 casualties) and for the first time logged fire against three separate IJA formations by name – the 2nd, 5th and Imperial Guards' Divisions.

PI
Clark Field took a 19-bomber raid for 3 airbase, 2 supply and 12 runway hits, five Ki-21s damaged.
Iloilo was hit by another bombardment attack with no casualties either side.

China
Yingde: another Japanese deliberate attack, this time at 3-to-1 odds, knocked the forts down to level 2 and cost the defenders 829 casualties (25 guns lost) against only 127 Japanese.
Five days of fighting for this base and the numbers keep going the wrong way for us.
Yushan/Chuchou repelled another probe for just 12 casualties.
Heavy air activity continued over Shangrao and Xiantao (three separate raids, over 150 casualties combined).

Intel
4th Tank Regiment is planning an attack on Bataan/Corregidor.



Feb 04, 1942

Bases lost and won
Tioman Island is occupied by the Japanese.
Japanese forces CAPTURED Yingde. The defending 83rd Chinese Army Corps, 12th Army Group and 18th Chinese Base Force were broken: 2,680 casualties, 103 squads and 117 non-combat elements destroyed, 38 guns lost, and all three units are now retreating toward Yangshan. Japanese losses were 195.

Sub War
SS I-162 struck a mine off Merak and took heavy damage.
SS I-10^ torpedoed xAKL Togian off Geraldton – she went down.
SS RO-63 caught xAKL Asakaze off Port Moresby with shellfire and a torpedo; she too was lost, and CPT Cheshire D. was killed.
SS I-165 escaped another mauling off Muntok. Our own boats (O21, Pollack, Thresher) all took long-shot cracks at Japanese escorts without result.

Malaya / Burma / India
Johore/Tebrau got the full treatment tonight – Cornwall, Dorsetshire and eight light cruisers joined the gunboats for 105 casualties total, plus runway and port hits.
Between the two bombardments we've now identified the 18th, 2nd, 5th and Imperial Guards' Divisions all sitting on that front.
Singapore air combat cost the Japanese 3 Zeros across two raids for 1 Buffalo and 2 Warhawks.
Kuala Lumpur's night-bombing Blenheims took damage from an alert night-fighter unit but none were lost.

PI
The Japanese opened new fronts: amphibious landings went in at both Dumanquilas and Basilan.
Clark Field endured yet more raids.
At Malaybalay, the defenders actually won the exchange – 402 Japanese casualties for 334 Allied at 1-to-2 odds.
Cebu and Iloilo both absorbed bombardment attacks with no casualties reported.

China
Beyond the fall of Yingde, fighting also flared at Xiaogan (200+ casualties from air raids) and Kukong, where an Allied attack cost us 143 casualties for 13 Japanese – the paratroop remnants there are proving stubborn to finish off.

Intel
14th Medium Field Artillery Regiment is planning an attack on Chengchow.
303rd Ship Eng Coy is planning an attack on Soerabaja.


Feb 05, 1942

Bases lost and won
Dumanquilas is occupied by the Japanese.
Japanese forces (III/81st Naval Guard Unit) CAPTURED Basilan at 7-to-1 odds against a token garrison.

Sub War
SS I-165 caught xAKL Tinombo off Muntok with shellfire and two torpedoes; she went up in flames and was lost.
SS Tautog evaded a determined ASW hunt off Truk. SS I-164 took a hit off Toboali but got away.

Malaya / Burma / India
Johore/Tebrau took its heaviest pounding yet – the full cruiser-destroyer line plus the gunboats, 127 total Japanese casualties and heavy damage across the board (18 runway hits, 7 port-fuel hits, 5 airbase-supply hits).
We can now positively place five IJA divisions on that front: 2nd, 5th, 18th, 38th and the Imperial Guards.

DEI
Kuching's B-17Ds pressed a rare night raid, downing one Ki-27b for a handful of their own aircraft damaged.
Worth flagging: a strike by two lone Hudsons near Menado, going after a single Japanese transport, drew CAP from what reads like the entire 1st Air Fleet – Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Shokaku, Zuikaku, Zuiho and Hosho all logged intercepting fighters. The Kido Butai is operating somewhere very close to that patch of water.

PI
Clark Field absorbed a full-scale Japanese ground bombardment – tanks, engineers and field artillery hammering the perimeter, for only 89 Allied casualties against 33 Japanese guns and 11 vehicles lost, one unit destroyed outright.
At Malaybalay the defenders won decisively this time: 707 Japanese casualties for just 124 of ours at 1-to-4 odds.
Iloilo took another bloodless bombardment.

China
Sinyang's long-running bombardment battle continued, 40 Japanese casualties for just 12 Allied.
Kukong is still being contested on the ground (73 Allied casualties for 23 Japanese) and is now under sustained air attack as well.

Intel
3rd Mortar Battalion is planning an attack on Singapore.
25th Army, now confirmed at Johore/Tebrau, is also planning an attack on Singapore.

[BBfanboy]

Impressive job by the AI! Keep up the good work!
My only criticism is that there are too many non-combat incidents like a sub being detected but no attacks on it being made. Ships have to make an attack to gain any experience points so simple detection is not significant.

LST: SS RO-63 caught xAKL Asakaze off Port Moresby with shellfire and a torpedo; she too was lost, and CPT Cheshire D. was killed.

Here, the name of the xAKL sounds very Japanese so it is suspect, but it is a pity about Capt. Cheshire: he had a great toothy grin ...

huzzah smiley.gif (10.84 KiB) Viewed 185 times

[LargeSlowTarget]

Hi BBfanboy, kudos for attentive reading^^

The sailing ship Asakaze (Japanese for "Morning Breeze") is one of many small ships I have added in my mod.
Its Japanese name stems from its original owner and history as part of the extensive Japanese commercial footprint in the Bismarck Archipelago prior to World War II.

Before World War II, a significant number of Japanese traders, pearlers, and plantation owners operated throughout the Territory of New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago (centered around Rabaul).
The most prominent trading company was Nanyo Boeki Kaisha (South Seas Trading Company), alongside independent Japanese entrepreneurs like Kiwao Komine, a prominent trader, planter, and shipowner in Rabaul.
These Japanese traders built, imported, or renamed motor-schooners and coastal luggers using Japanese terms - such as Asakaze - to maintain their local inter-island supply lines between isolated plantations and the main port of Rabaul.

The Asakaze was a typical local motor-schooner (a wooden sailing vessel equipped with an auxiliary diesel/gasoline engine).
These inter-island vessels were the lifeblood of the Territory of New Guinea, carrying copra, trochus shell, dried fish, and general cargo between small island outposts, plantations, and mainland ports.

Following the outbreak of the Pacific War in December 1941, the Australian Military Administration and local authorities requisitioned or confiscated civilian vessels in the territory.
Enemy-owned assets (including Japanese-flagged or Japanese-owned plantation vessels) were seized under wartime regulations.

Asakaze was pressed into service to evacuate civilians in the Solomon Islands to Rabaul, where they were transferred to larger liners bound for Australia.
Many other civilian luggers and schooners - often carrying non-English or Japanese names - were pressed into service by the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit (ANGAU), local recruiters, or fleeing civilian refugees to evacuate personnel toward Papua and mainland Australia.

Vessels of this class that survived the initial attack were formally integrated into the Australian Army Water Transport service or the US Army Small Ships Section.
They retained their original names on local charts and register lists for official identification purposes, which explains why Australian military logs and WWII historical records - and my mod - reference an "Australian" coastal vessel bearing a Japanese name.


Feb 06, 1942

Bases lost and won
Payao is occupied by the Japanese.
Japanese forces CAPTURED Yushan/Chuchou.
Japanese forces CAPTURED Longnan.
8th Indpt Coy CAPTURED Kokoda in New Guinea.
2nd Sasebo Coy SNLF CAPTURED Narra on Palawan; the Palawan Constabulary Battalion is retreating toward Bataraza.

Sub War
SS I-122* shelled xAKL Toradja off Toboali (10 hits, heavy fires); she went down and the loss has been admitted.
SS Thresher evaded a determined hunt by DD Asanagi off Izu Oshima.

Malaya / Burma / India
Johore/Tebrau took another heavy bombardment — the cruiser line plus gunboats for 73 total casualties, spread across the 38th, 5th, 18th, 2nd and Imperial Guards' Divisions.
Kuala Lumpur's night-bombing Blenheims took some damage but scored no confirmed hits; Singapore shrugged off an 8-plane night raid unscathed.

PI
Clark Field took a 47-bomber raid, and our own artillery gave as good as it got in a bombardment duel — 104 Japanese casualties for 50 of ours.
Iloilo's bombardment attack was mostly harmless.

China
Changzhi saw real fighting against Communist forces — the 129th Red Chinese and 8th Route Army traded blows with the Japanese 27th Division and 69th Brigade, 251 Japanese casualties against 243 on the defending side.
Sinyang's artillery duel continued (19 v 104 casualties), Dayu was hit repeatedly from the air (150+ casualties across two Chinese Army Corps), and Kukong has been reinforced by the 7th War Area HQ and the 30th Army Group.

Intel
37th/C Division is planning an attack on Chengchow.
The earlier reported sinking of SS I-124* was in error — intelligence now shows the boat still in service.


Feb 07, 1942

Bases lost and won
Kalamansig is occupied by the Japanese.
Buna is reoccupied by the Allies.

Sub War
SS I-8^ took two hits near Bundaberg but got away; SS O24 shrugged off three hits near Mangole.

Malaya / Burma / India
Johore/Tebrau's nightly bombardment continued — cruisers and gunboats together for 72+ casualties, 5 guns and 4 vehicles destroyed on the Japanese side.
Singapore took a light night raid with no losses.

DEI
Kuching absorbed five separate night raids by our B-17Ds in succession — seven bombers came home damaged, none lost.
Near Bara, a strike by four Dutch Martin bombers against a Japanese battleship (BB Hyuga) ran straight into the entire 1st Air Fleet's combat air patrol — 72 Zeros scrambled from Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Shokaku, Zuikaku, Shoho, Zuiho and Hosho. Three of our four bombers were shot down.

PI
Clark Field took three more raids; our artillery again got the better of the exchange in a bombardment duel, 74 Japanese casualties for 16 of ours.
An amphibious landing went in at Siquijor.

China
On the Yangtze, a night surface action pitted our river gunboat flotilla against ten Japanese counterparts — PG Chu Tung took the worst of it (4 shell hits, heavy fires) before both sides broke off.
Sinyang's bombardment battle came out dead even for once — 136 casualties on each side.
Kukong and Xiaogan both took further air raids.

Intel
102nd Ship Eng Coy is planning an attack on Singapore.
3/1 Field Kempeitai is planning an attack on Hekou.


Feb 08, 1942

Bases lost and won
Dumaguete is occupied by the Japanese.
Tioman Island is reoccupied by the Allies.

Sub War
SS Tautog torpedoed PB Tama Maru #8 off Truk; she was confirmed sunk.
SS Gar and SS KX both tangled with Japanese escorts near Truk without further result.

Malaya / Burma / India
Johore/Tebrau took the heaviest combined assault yet — eight separate naval bombardment groups overnight (I have experimented with numerous small bombardment TFs instead of one big TF - doesn't seem to yield better results), roughly 84 Japanese casualties and 16 guns, 5 vehicles destroyed, plus some runway, port and supply damage. That was followed by a maximum effort in the air: Blenheims, Buffalos, Hudsons, Wirraways, Warhawks and Hurricanes flew well over a hundred sorties against the entrenched divisions there. It cost us — roughly a dozen aircraft lost outright to flak and dozens more damaged. Two Japanese artillery units have crossed into Singers (1st Heavy Artillery Regiment, 56th Field Artillery Regiment) all alone, indicating coordination problems on the Japanese side.

PI
The front has narrowed to Bataan/Corregidor, hit by nearly 70 sorties today. Our own guns kept up the pressure on the besiegers at Clark Field — 169 Japanese casualties for 26 of ours. A fresh amphibious landing went in at Oroquieta.

China
PG Chu Tung, badly holed off the Yangtze yesterday, went down at sea today.
Changzhi saw the Japanese take some punishment this time — 551 casualties against 343 for the 8th Route Army as the fighting there continues.
Sinyang and Kukong both saw further arty duels.

Intel
24SBF Sasebo 1st Naval Guard Unit is planning an attack on Kendari-Staring Bay.
1/33rd Division is planning an attack on Rangoon.
37th/B Division is planning an attack on Chengchow.
3/1 Field Kempeitai is planning an attack on Hekou.

[LargeSlowTarget]

Feb 09, 1942

Bases lost and won
Oroquieta is occupied by the Japanese.
Moulmein is reoccupied by the Allies.
Japanese forces CAPTURED Dongxiang at 25-to-1 for 257 Allied casualties.
Japanese forces CAPTURED Nauru Island in a shock landing — a new outpost lost in the Central Pacific.
Japanese forces CAPTURED Siquijor at 23-to-1.

Sub War
SS Tautog evaded an ASW hunt near Truk, then put two torpedoes into xAK Anyo Maru there without confirmed result.

Malaya / Burma / India
The big story today: the Japanese threw everything they had at Singapore itself — Imperial Guards, 18th, 5th, 38th and 2nd Divisions plus a full heavy-artillery train, in a shock assault against our level-4 forts. It did not go well for them. Japanese losses: 8,904 casualties — 330 squads destroyed, 49 engineers destroyed, 136 guns and 78 vehicles lost, one unit wiped out entirely — against 2,327 of ours. The garrison held.
Away from that fight, Johore/Tebrau took its usual nightly bombardment (131 casualties), and three separate B-17D raids against dug-in positions there ran into heavy Zero and Ki-44 CAP — we lost 3 Fortresses for 1 Zero destroyed.

China
Sinyang's grinding bombardment continued (42 v 59 casualties).
A new front opened at Gushi, where Chinese forces pressed a bombardment attack against a Japanese garrison for modest losses on both sides.
Changzhi remains a stalemate against the 8th Route Army.

DEI
Near Pontianak, a Japanese shock attack overran the Sarawak Force garrison; the defenders lost 186 and are retreating toward Singkawang II.

Intel
3rd/B Division is planning an attack on Changsha.


Feb 10, 1942

Bases lost and won
Himamaylan is occupied by the Japanese.
Japanese forces CAPTURED Bogadjim in New Guinea.

Sub War
Japanese submarines pressed right up to Hawaii — SS I-18 was briefly held down by our destroyers off Lahaina, and SS I-7 fired twice at DD Ralph Talbot and DD Henley there without result, evading both times.
SS RO-64 caught xAKL King Bay off Port Moresby with shellfire and a torpedo; she went down.

Malaya / Burma / India
The naval bombardment target has shifted from Johore/Tebrau to Singapore itself. Cruisers and gunboats together inflicted 215 casualties overnight.
By day, a heavy air campaign hit Japanese units now identified right at Singapore's gates costing us a Blenheim and a Buffalo to flak, with several more damaged.
Our own garrison also carried out in a bombardment attack, trading 52 casualties for 28 Japanese.

China
Changzhi turned into another lopsided defeat for the attackers — 504 Japanese casualties for 153 on the defending side, still against the 8th Route Army.
Sinyang and Gushi both saw lighter, roughly even exchanges.
Kukong absorbed another very heavy air raid — 11 airbase and 20 runway hits in a single strike.


Feb 11, 1942

Bases lost and won
Dipolog is occupied by the Japanese.
Japanese forces CAPTURED Kolaka in the Celebes.

Sub War
SS I-122 was the target of a determined hunt by two of our corvettes off Toboali, taking damage but escaping.

DEI
A very bad day for our small craft. A Japanese cruiser squadron (Aoba, Kinugasa, Kako and Tama, with two destroyers) caught AVP Arend alone off Bandjermasin at night and sank her in minutes. By day, Japanese carrier dive bombers with heavy fighter escort caught more of our seaplane tenders near Kangean and Denpasar — AVP Poolster, AVP Valk and HDML P-20 were all sunk. Four small ships lost in a single day. Our own Dutch Martin bombers made scattered, mostly fruitless attacks on Japanese transports near Madjene and Makassar. It looks liek the invasion of Southern Celebes is on, with KB in support.

Malaya / Burma / India
Singapore's nightly bombardment continued — 301 total casualties between the cruiser line, destroyers and gunboats.
An afternoon strike by Blenheims, Buffalos, Hurricanes and Warhawks against the Imperial Guards' Division ran into 17 Zeros from the Tainan Kokutai; we lost a Buffalo for two Zeros destroyed.
The garrison's own bombardment attack cost 71 Allied casualties for 30 Japanese.

China
Kukong now has a large Chinese garrison concentrated around it — nine Army Corps (a mix from 4th, 7th and 9th War Areas) plus the 7th War Area HQ and 30th Army Group. Counterbattery fire inflicted 52 Japanese casualties for just 11 of its own in a Japanese bombardment attack.
Sinyang and Gushi saw lighter exchanges.

Intel
1/33rd Division is still planning an attack on Rangoon.

[LargeSlowTarget]

Feb 12, 1942

Bases lost and won
Siocon is occupied by the Japanese.
Japanese forces CAPTURED Shangrao for 326 Allied casualties, one unit destroyed.
Allied forces CAPTURED Gushi — 1,360 Japanese casualties, three enemy units broken and retreating.

Sub War
SS Truant torpedoed CM Natsushima off Singkawang and got clean away; the minelayer was confirmed sunk.

Malaya / Burma / India
Johore/Tebrau took the cruiser bombardment (168 casualties, newly identifying the 8th Division there), while the gunboats worked over Singapore itself (27 casualties).
Our garrison also made another bombardment attack of its own — 30 Japanese casualties for 134 of ours. I think I will stop bombarding!
The air battle over Singapore was costly: across several engagements we lost a Buffalo, a Hurricane, two Hudsons and four Warhawks, plus six Blenheim Is in a single raid, against four Japanese fighters downed.

DEI
Dutch Martin bombers made scattered strikes on Japanese shipping near Donggala, Madjene and Sampit; one was lost to carrier CAP near Sampit — Kaga, Soryu and Hiryu all had fighters up in that area.
All shipping in the Java Sea has been

China
Sinyang's long bombardment duel continued (48 v 38 casualties).
Kukong took two more heavy raids.
Xiaogan, Dongzhi and Huichang were all bombed for a further 77 Allied casualties combined.


Feb 13, 1942

Bases lost and won
Bengkalis is occupied by the Japanese.
Ban Kat is occupied by the Allies.
Japanese forces CAPTURED Lungyu/Jinhua for 310 Allied casualties, one Admin unit destroyed.

Sub War
SS RO-68 caught xAKL Ambon off Port Moresby in a sustained gun-and-torpedo action; she went down and Captain Kershaw was among the killed.
SS I-21 fired on xAP Rangatira near Flint Island without effect.

Malaya / Burma / India
Singapore's nightly bombardment inflicted 418 casualties and cost the defenders 16 guns.
By day, a 33-plane Japanese sweep ran into a huge scramble of Warhawks, Buffalos, Hurricanes and Mohawks — we lost nothing for one Ki-43 destroyed.
The garrison's own bombardment attack cost 75 Allied casualties for 7 Japanese.

DEI
A disaster near Palembang: a strike of 36 Zeros and 68 dive bombers caught a large Allied convoy in the open. Sunk outright: PG Clive, and the transports Paneh, Asahan, Insulinde, Rasa, Ban Ho Guan and Berous. Left ablaze and later lost as well: Van Riebeek, Le Maire, Siberg, Sin Kheng Seng, Van Spilbergen, Tung Wo, Manipi and Mata Hari. It's the worst single day of shipping losses the campaign has seen — roughly fifteen vessels sunk or written off — for four of our fighters lost against two Japanese aircraft downed. Luckily, the ships sunk are all "small fry" xAP and xAKL engaged in siphoning resources from Palembang in a denial scheme - those resources are definitely being denied!
So the KB is not supporting a landing in the Celebes area or elsewhere in the DEI, it seems to be heading in the direction of Singers to lend a hand.

Philippines
Clark Field took three more raids.

China
Sinyang's bombardment battle came out even, 23 casualties each side.
Xiaogan, Dongzhi and Huichang saw lighter raids.


Feb 14, 1942

Bases lost and won
Lambi Kyun is occupied by the Japanese.
Nadzab is reoccupied by the Allies.
Japanese forces CAPTURED Buna and Bena-Bena/Garoka in New Guinea.
Japanese forces CAPTURED Doi Inthanon in Thailand.

Sub War
SS S-40 traded blows with DD Shiratsuyu's escort group off Lingga, taking two hits but escaping.
SS KXIII took two hits off Tandjoengpinang; the Japanese destroyer ran out of depth charges before finishing the job.

DEI
Japanese dive bombers caught three of our small craft off Tandjoengpinang — HDML P-16, P-15 and P-11 were all sunk.

Malaya / Burma / India
Singapore saw the heaviest air fighting yet — three separate large-scale battles over the city. The middle of the three went decisively our way: eight Ki-43s destroyed for a single Warhawk lost. Across all three fights we lost roughly ten aircraft for some fifteen Japanese fighters downed — a good day for the defenders.
The nightly bombardment added a further 201 casualties.
Off Medan, Japanese torpedo bombers pressed home attacks on our cruiser screen for no losses on either side worth noting, aside from two Bettys downed by flak. The cruisers have been ordered to Medan to refuel (because Singers is bone dry) and to put some distance between them and KB. Singers CAP is too weak to deal with LBA sweeps and KB.
Bengkalis which has become Japanese-owned was hit twice by bombers from Singers - 2 oil hits that cost us three Wirraways to enemy CAP.
At Moulmein, sustained close air support pounded the Japanese 55th Cavalry Regiment for 10 casualties and light Allied losses.

Philippines
Clark Field took two more raids. Malaybalay came under a Japanese bombardment attack with no casualties reported either side.

China
Sinyang went our way today — 65 Japanese casualties for just 23 Allied.
Kukong absorbed yet more heavy raids.
At Yingtan, a Japanese attack knocked the forts down a level for 18 Japanese casualties against 5 Allied.


With that we are up-to-date - thanks Claude!

[LargeSlowTarget]

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KB and a SAG hovering off Singers after passing through the submarine "blockade" without a hassle.

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Japan is busy clearing the railway from Shanghai to Nanchang. Kukong and Sinyang contested.

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Rangoon remains unmolested.

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Clark, Iloilo and Malaybalay under siege. Subs run transport missions from the supply depot at Cebu.

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PM preparing for a siege.

[LargeSlowTarget]

***NEWSFLASH***

ABDA Command regrets to inform that the Dutch hospital ship "Op ten Noort" has been sunk on Feb 15, 1942 by a Japanese submarine off the east coast off Java, near the entrance to Bali Strait.

At 0430 hours, an enemy submarine launched an unprovoked torpedo attack against the Op ten Noort.

Despite the vessel operating in full compliance with international maritime law—featuring clearly painted Geneva Convention markings and bright night illumination—the enemy fired a spread of torpedoes at point-blank range.

The ship sustained two direct hits to the hull, the vessel foundered in under 14 minutes.

18 crew and medical staff are missing, presumed lost.

Remaining crew and medical staff reached the Java coastline via lifeboats and carley floats.

The Netherlands Government-in-Exile has lodged a formal protest against the Empire of Japan via neutral diplomatic channels (Swedish Embassy).

This blatant violation of the Hague Convention underscores the total disregard for civilized warfare exhibited by Imperial forces in the theater.

All Allied naval forces in the Java Sea operational zone are instructed to maintain maximum antisubmarine vigilance.

Remind all hands what we are fighting against.

This outrage will be answered in full.

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