Thayne News Campaign Reports

[Speedysteve]

I too enjoy your AAR. Nice style and well written [:)]

[Cap Mandrake]

Great write-up! The WITP AAR's are WAY better than those in the Return to Castle Wolfenstein site. [;)]

I like your house rules even for an AI game. Even on the "hard" setting, I'm finding the AI is floundering as Japs in Scen 15 (Wake invasion force slaughtered by US carrier for eg). The AI seems to do a pretty good job in the PI (by flattening Clark down to the grass roots) and Malaya but seems to imagine threats when none exist and can be stymied by small surface forces.

Again, great work.

[Thayne]

February 3, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


JAPAN THREATENS INDIA

(TN – Columbo) Japanese military units have left the Irrawaddy Valley -- the main Rangoon/Myitkalina supply routes -- traveling west to the Chindwin river, the border between Burma and India. In doing so, they ran straight into the 20th Indian Division, which was attempting to get to Burma in support of the Mandalay defensive garrison. Forward elements of both units met in the mountains between the hills overlooking the river.

Allied military intelligence believes that the unit is the Japanese 33rd Division, and that its intention is to try to capture towns in India along the Burma/India border. MI Bases this conclusion on the fact that the only other division known to occupy the Irrawaddy valley is the Japanese 55th Division, captured documents show that its ultimate target is Myitkalina, and that aerial reconnaissance shows a Japanese unit now only a few dozen miles south of the town. This, MI speculates, is the 55th Division, the unit that single handedly swept the British out of the valley.

Officials in Military Intelligence are speculating that the goal of the 33rd Division is to capture the towns along the Burma/India border, and may have been surprised to discover the Allied division blocking their way. However, there are some who argue that the 33rd Division is simply trying to protect its vital supply routes by driving back the Indian division it thought was getting too close to key roads and rail lines.

General Pownall, commander of the Southeast Asia sector, immediately ordered the 26th Indian Division into northern India, to join the 17th and 23rd Indian Divisions already stationed there. There are some in India who argue that this is a mistake – that the Japanese are trying to draw off units to leave the way open for a seaborne invasion of Diamond Harbor. Only the equivalent of three divisions remain in this part of India to drive off such an attack, and no more reinforcements are expected to reach Calcutta for six weeks at best.


Allies Hold on All Fronts

(TN – Washington) The War Department received information yesterday from all commands that show that the Allies are holding the Japanese at bay on all areas where there is conflict.

Bankha The battle at Bankha, in Sumatra, was silent most of the day with the Allies taking a much needed rest and the Japanese maneuvering for position. The Dutch garrison reported only six casualties yesterday, caused by a Japanese assault on an airfield that is not longer in use.

Batavia The garrison at Batavia continued to fight off the Japanese invasion. An artillery dual in this part of the front is thought to have done about an equal amount of damage to both sides. ABDA is preparing to bring in bomber support to help the ground units. Yesterday, the bombers were relocated to airports out of range of Japanese artillery.

Balikpapan The Japanese invaders made a drive for the government sector of the city today, gaining a few city blocks but falling short of their goal of driving the defenders from the region. ABDA Command reports just over 100 casualties in the fighting, while MI estimates that the losses to the Japanese were about half that.

Bataan Though running very low on supplies, the Allied units trapped in Bataan hunkered down underneath another day of Japanese bombardment. Allied casualties have been relatively light, though the constant drumming of the artillery at all times of the day and night is starting to have its toll. The Japanese are mitigating this effect by rotating its units out of the front line, where the artillery is having the most effect.

Manila The Japanese made no attempt to advance on this front yesterday. Its units prepared their defenses while the artillery continued to soften up the defenders.


Occupation Plans Wanted on Thursday

(TN – Brisbane) Thayne News has learned that Southwest Pacific Command has requested proposals for a plan to occupy and develop Thursday Island, north of Australia. The request mentions that Thursday Island can be covered by land-based bombers stationed in Australia, and can be supplied by air as well as by sea, making it a good candidate for a forward base. Thursday Island also controls the water passage from the eastern coast of Australia to Darwin and other towns on Australia’s north coast – including Kai Island.

Southwest Pacific Command has already taken the first step in ordering the 30th Australian Infantry Brigade, presently in Sydney, to occupy the island. A fleet of troop transports were already in the harbor loading the 30th Australian Infantry Brigade to transport it to a post on the Pacific Wall.

One of the top proposals already under consideration is retreating from Port Moresby to Thursday Island. The retreat would put the Port Moresby garrison where it can be better protected, as well as provide the units needed to develop the island without drawing from other locations. At least one senior advisor, who spoke to Thayne News on condition of anonymity, was critical of the plan. According to this advisor, we already have a forward base in Port Moresby, and that is the base that should be promoted.


TF1007 Draws Closer to Destination

(TN – Brisbane) TF1007 survived another day in its quest to deliver reinforcements to Kai Island. The task force is sailing well within the range of Japanese bombers based at the occupied city of Kendari, carrying 1600 soldiers and tons of supplies for the island. It was in the middle of the mission when the Japanese obtained control of the base at Kendari, and elected to try to complete the mission. As of this writing, the task force was 300 miles away of its destination, and is expected to arrive tomorrow evening.

[Maliki]

Add one more fan to your list.

[Bobthehatchit]

ORIGINAL: Maliki

Add one more fan to your list.

Dito loving this AAR!

[Thayne]

February 4, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


TF1007: "ALMOST THERE"

(TN – Brisbane) With a little more than a hundred miles left to go to reach Kai Island, and with the sun just having set, Captain Straiter of the transport ship Sagoland reported that its skies and its waters were clear. The convoy, consisting of four freighters and an escort of three minesweepers, was standing down its anti-aircraft defenses as it moved into a protective covering of darkness.

TF1007 is carrying about 1600 reinforcements destined for Kai Island. Since the Japanese too control of the city of Kendari three days ago, the task force has been sailing with range of Japanese bombers, which have proved devistating against Allied shipping. Instead of running for safety, the captains of the transport group decided to try to complete its mission.

In order to aid in the success of the mission, the task force has been observing strict radio silence. All communications with the task force have been carried out using sea planes. However, Thayne News was permitted to send a reporter in on one of the recent missions to talk to Captain Straiter and the crew of the Sagoland.

Captain Straiter appeared noticably nervous and jumpy during the interview, and conversations with the crew report that he has not been getting much sleep. "It's hard," Straiter said to our Thayne News reporter. "Sitting here every day, in the open, knowing that there is absolutely nothing that you can do. Right now, a Japanese plane could be heading in this direction, a torpedo strapped to its belly meant for this ship, and I can't have anybody do anything to stop it." He never sat down once during the inverview, but paced back and forth across the captain, constantly looking out and checking the skies.

"And everybody talks as if, when we react the island, it's all over. We're safe. No. We have to spend days there getting this cargo unloaded. Then, it will take three or four days just to get to Darwin. And even Darwin probably won't be safe by then. The Japanese are coming. Everybody knows it. It's just a matter of time."

Our Thayne News reporter, as he flew back to Darwin on the seaplane, reported that he could see just how vulnerable the task force was. Its seven ships sat fully exposed on a flat, calm ocean, with nowhere to hide, and days to go before Captain Straider would get his good night's sleep.


Indians, Japanese Clash in Burma

(TN - Columbo) The Indian 20th Division and Japanese 33rd Division met full force on the hills above the Irrawaddy River yesterday. According to front line reports, the Japanese came out the worse in the battle, losing over 500 soldiers in the fighting itself, and another 100 soldiers to air attacks. compared to fewer than 100 casualties for the allies. However, the Japanese did force the Indian division to retreat back toward Imphal.

This ended any hope of the Indian division hooking up and helping to rescue the stranded Mandalay garrison northwest of Lashio. As a result, the Mandalay defenders have been ordered to change course and head north, to where five Chinese divisions are working their way toward Myitkalina.

Southeast Asia Command is attempting to aid the stranded units by dropping supplies to them. Cargo planes made their first flight over the unit yesterday, dropping much need food, water, medicine, and ammunition for the troops.

At the same time, the Japanese 55th Division has moved to the outskirts of Myitkalina, presently being held by a single engineering regiment. All air units have already been ordered to evacuate the city, and ground personnel are preparing for a fighting withdraw to Ledo.


Gilbert Islands Training Mission Ends

(TN - Hawaii) With the ships of the task forces involved in the Gilbert Islands missions gathering at Baker Island, Admiral Kimmel called an end to the raid.

"We did not destroy many Japanese forces. However, this was perhaps the most important missions in the war," Kimmel said in announcing the end of the project. "We needed to understand the capabilities of our ships in hostile waters. We have practiced air attacks against enemy ships and ground targets. We have practiced surface bombardment of enemy held assets. We have gained experience in the operations necessary to mine enemy ports and replenish units at sea. We needed to understand these things to prepare future missions."

The next mission on Kimmel's agenda will be the re-occupation of Wake Island later in the month. Meanwhile, the ships involved in the Gilbert Islands raids, including the carriers Lexington and Saratoga, and the battleship Colorado, will be reassigned to Admiral Nimitz in the South Pacific.

[Thayne]

February 5, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


CHINA CUT OFF

(TN – Columbo) Japan has succeeded in what military analysts say was one of Japan’s key military objectives, cutting China off from supplies that would arrive from the Western Countries to its enemies in China. Japan’s 55th Division captured the town of Myitkalina yesterday, severing the last remaining land route to China.

Southeast Asia Command is also saying that it considers the escape route for the Mandalay defensive force to also be closed. They have ordered members of these units to ‘make yourself at home’ in China, but assured them that rescue will be arriving as soon as possible. Approximately 6,000 British forces found themselves trapped on the eastern side of Burma when the Japanese 55th Division cut off their western route of escape. The defenders sought to return to the western part of the country and returned to India over the mountains northwest of Lashio, but Japan exploited its control of the rail and road network to block that route.

Southeast Asia Command immediately began setting up operations to fly military materials to China to support the troops. The engineer units trapped in China were ordered to Yunan to contribute to building up an airbase infrastructure there. The intention is to turn Yunan into another forward air base.

In western Burma, the Japanese 33rd Division appears to have pulled back after pushing the Indian 20th Division out of the Irrawaddy Valley. Southwest Asia Command’s worries that the division would move against the towns of eastern India right away have proved to be unwarranted, for the moment. Colonel Seth Azzure, aide to General Pownall, the commander of the forces in Southeast Asia, said that the General actually smiled for the first time in two months when he heard the news. The General told his command staff, “They have made a mistake. They have given us the gift of time. Let us put it to good use.”

General Pownell has given orders to dig in along the Chindwin Valley and make sure that the Japanese not set a foot in any city in India.

Thayne News has heard from an anonymous source that there are people in Southeast Asia Command who are not upset about having British units ‘trapped’ in China. According to these reports, a small group of officers have been circulating notes about an Allied offensive across northern Burma, into western China, and then down to Hanoi and Haiphong in order to cut the Japanese-held territories in half. The offensive would be spearheaded as much by bulldozers as tanks, as it plowed the jungle down and turned it into a highway to support the offensive.


TF1007: ARRIVED

(TN – Brisbane) TF1007 pulled into port on Kai Island yesterday afternoon with its cargo of troops and supplies for the island. Throughout its four day trip, though it traveled under the very nose of the Japanese air force, it suffered no attack. Watchmen on board the convoy report that they do not even think they had been seen.

Crews immediately went to work unloading the cargo. However, Kai Island has meager port facilities and it may take some time to get all of the available cargo taken off of the available ships. In the mean time, there is still a danger of Japanese aircraft damaging the ships in harbor.


Air War Heats Up Over Burma

(TN – Columbo) The Japanese army appears to be turning its attention back to gaining air superiority over Burma in recent days. The Indian city of Imphal has suffered its second Japanese air strike in two days. Also, yesterday, two air strikes were launched against Akyab. Both strikes went after the task force in the harbor seeking to unload supplies for the units stationed there. In those strikes, the transport itself was struck with a bomb, and the light cruiser Capetown suffered extensive damage from a torpedo hit.

Southeast Asia Command is responding by building up its fighter strength in the region. The air units at Akyab, which had been escorting bombers in their strikes against Rangoon, have gone back to patrolling the skies over Akyab itself, and a squadron of Hurricane fighters is moving to Imphal to protect that region. The B-17 airbases at Calcutta and Dacca are also gaining additional fighter air cover.

Southeast Asia Command is also reporting increased enemy air cover over Rangoon. Fighter pilots escorting the B-17 bombers have had to contend with enemy superiority not only in terms of number of airplanes but also the skills of the pilots.


Japan Reinforces Balikpapan Assault

(TN – Soerabaja) Japan has reinforced its units trying to capture the Borneo town of Balikpapan. Transports arrived at night and were seen putting a new wave of forces on the beach. Allied gunners responded by shelling the landing craft, inflicting several casualties. However, they were unable to prevent the Japanese from landing fresh units.


Carrier Watch

(TN – Washington) PBYs flying out of the Philippines believe they have spotted the Japanese carrier force. They report seeing at least two carries in a task force approximately 250 miles south of Hong Kong, heading east. However, Military Intelligence admits that it has too little evidence to draw any firm conclusions. “The carriers are going to go back to Japan eventually – at least some of them. We have no idea what they are up to.”

Pilots also report what they claim is a carrier sitting in Camranh Bay in French Indochina. Military Intelligence believes that this may be one of the two light carriers hit in the South China Sea earlier in the year.

[Thayne]

February 6, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


TF1007: HIT!

(TN – Brisbane) Luck turned away from Task Force 1007, but did not abandon it entirely, yesterday afternoon. Shortly after noon, a Japanese reconnaissance airplane found the ships of the task force at port at Kai Island yesterday. Observers on the ground watched helplessly as the plane flew over. Everybody knew that the crew of the airplane were telling their base that the task force was present and poorly defended.

Within three hours, Betty bombers filled the sky. They flew over the harbor at a distance estimated to be around 15000 feet and dropped their bombs. All of the bombs fell into the water, except one, which landed on the Magellanes. It penetrated to the hold where it exploded among a collection of kitchen mess tents and mechanical supplies. It started a small fire and buckled a section of the outer hull, letting in a little water, but did not do enough damage to threaten the ship. The Magellanes was one of the three ships bringing people to Kai Island. However, it was the first ship to unload its passengers, so the reinforcements suffered no casualties.

Crews estimate that it will take another two days to finish unloading the cargo.


Dogfight Over Akyab

(TN – Columbo) Japan reached Akyab with 54 airplanes. The American Volunteer Group met them in the air with 28 fighters. The sky filled with the twisted con trails of airplanes locked in combat. In the end, the Allies shot down 11 enemy airplanes, and lost 9 of their own. Five of the allied planes lost were Buffalo fighters that flew in from Chadpur to the west to help defend the base.

The bombs went after the ships, and delivered the second hit in as many days against the troop transport Taiyuan. The Tyiyuan had been making regular trips to Akyab, escorted by an armada of cruisers and destroyers, to deliver needed supplies to the remote base.

The scene in Akyab Harbor is eerily familiar, as crews fight to contain the fires on the supply ship while others try to save as much cargo as possible. The Taiyuan had made an earlier trip to the harbor with another troop transport, the Adriadne Moller. The Japanese hit that ship, and ground crew spent three days trying to fight the flames while they unloaded cargo. When it was considered too dangerous to keep the ship docked, destroyers towed it to the entrance to the harbor, and crews used fishing boats to haul its cargo to shore. Eventually, the fire set of a cache of ammunition that tore a hole through the hull, and the ship settled into the harbor.

Now, it is the Taiyuan’s turn to burn while crews struggle to remove as much of its precious cargo as possible.

Southeast Asia Command entertained the option of pulling the fleet back to Diamond Harbor, and finding another method to get cargo to Akyab, or at least postpone future missions until supplies were needed. However, General Pownall rejected those suggestions. He reported that he wanted to continue to draw fighter escort away from Rabaul, allowing the bombers to have a better chance of hitting the airfield.


Allies Even the Score in the Air War

(TN – Washington) Officials in Washington who keep track of such things report that Allied pilots had destroyed as many air units as the Japanese. The Japanese started with a huge lead in this race with devastating attacks on the airbases at Pearl Harbor and the Philippines. Over the last two months, the allies have struggled to fight their way back. The credit goes almost entirely to two bomber groups fighting in India; the B-17s of 93rd Bomber Group, and the 19th Bomber Squadron.

Using aerial reconnaissance, military intelligence is presently crediting these two groups combined with the destruction of 300 enemy airplanes.

Not everybody is happy with the bomber squadron’s success. A fight broke out in a bar in downtown Calcutta when mercenary pilots working for China accosted a bomber crew. The mercenaries, who get paid a bonus for every enemy plane they shoot down, were said to have been angry that the bombers were leaving them too few enemy planes to shoot down. One group had been performing close support missions against the Japanese 33rd and 55th divisions, where they cannot receive their bonus. The mercenaries, apparently lacking military discipline even though most of them were former marine pilots, eventually sought to make their point with their fists.

The pilots of the American Volunteer Group, as this band of mercenary ruffians is called, have been making a useful contribution to the war, shooting down over 50 Japanese planes to date. This has made them the top fighter group of the war.


Japan’s Burma Divisions Move East

(TN – Columbo) The Japanese 33rd Division has ended its attempt to drive into India, and turned east to fight the Chinese and Americans in the wilderness region northwest of Lashio. Elements of the Mandalay defenders group, which had retreated to the hills, reported encountering scattered elements of the 33rd Division late yesterday. Military analysts think that the Japanese are actually most interested in keeping Allied forces away from the rail network. As they did against India, they are expected to drive the Allied units back, then retreat and develop the railroads and bases of central Burma.


Carrier Watch

(TN – Washington) Allied military command received unassailable proof that the task force north of the Philippines, heading East, was indeed a carrier battlegroup. Late in the afternoon, two dozen Val bombers escorted by Zero fighters attacked defenses on the Bataan Peninsula, and were seen arriving from and retiring to the north.

Admiral Kimmel, of the Central Pacific Command, has expressed concern that the Japanese task force may interfere with his plans to re-occupy Wake Island. Kimmel has sent word to the officers primarily responsible for the operation that he will be keeping an eye on the intelligence reports and may consider scrubbing the mission if it appears too highly probable that the occupation fleet would encounter the Japanese carrier force.


Allied Forces Suffer Shipping Shortage

(TN – San Francisco) Allied command is continuing to suffer from having too few ships to use in sending its soldiers to the posts where they are needed. The troops that are on the front are well supplied, but there are too few troop transports available for shipping in reinforcements and relief units. General Bachureck is reported to be reluctant to transport ships to the front on cargo vessels. At one important political gathering in Sacramento, he is reported to have said, “These are human beings, not cattle or so many bags of flour.” Admiral Nimitz, when he heard of this remark, allegedly cabled back, “If you do not send me my soldiers you will be receiving the men out here with me as bulk cargo – stacked in the hold of a ship in body bags.”

[Thayne]

February 7, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


MANDALAY FORCE ESCAPES

(TN – Columbo) The day after Southeast Asia Command gave up hope of rescuing the Mandalay Defensive Group from eastern Burma, General Coates maneuvered his units to put himself between the Japanese 33rd Division and India, and took control of a vital component of the Burma railroad.

After pushing the 20th Indian Division back away from the railway line and toward India, the Japanese 33rd Division turned its attention on the Mandalay Defensive Force in the hills east of the same railway line. As the Japanese advanced up the hill, General Coates refused his right flank by having it slowly retreat, while shifting units from there to its left. The Japanese, sensing a breakthrough, charged the weakened right flank, while Coates sent units far out on his left. As a result of the maneuver, the Japanese force pushed its way past Coates’ units. Coates then used the trails that the Japanese had created to escape the mountains and reach the rail lines just south of Myitkyina. There is still 200 miles of jungle between Coates’ units and India, but there are no Japanese troops blocking the way.

Coates is even considering returning either to Myitkyina or Mandalay. The Japanese 55th Division abandoned Myitkyina to challenge the Chinese divisions on the Burma road to the northeast, and allied reconnaissance shows that the Japanese have not been able to send reserve units up to hold Mandalay or any of the conquered towns in central Burma. Occupying these towns would cut supply to the 55th and 33rd divisions, allowing the Chinese divisions to fight them at something approaching even odds.

General Coates, however, reports that his units are completely exhausted from the fighting, and have virtually lost any ability to fight. General Pownall is reported to have said that the units could do no more than make a nuisance of themselves, and that is not worth the lives of units that simply need a good night’s sleep. Pownell himself is worried of the possibility that a Japanese attack may force the exhausted and dispirited units to surrender to the Japanese, rather than make the hot difficult march to India. According to an aide to General Pownell, “The General fears that there is still a chance that we could lose these men.”

In the mean time, there is hope in Southeast Asia Command that we will see them in India again.


Day of Peace for TF1007

(TN – Brisbane) Task Force 1007, unloading reinforcements at Kai Island, was allowed a day of peace yesterday. Crews were tense and anti-aircraft gunners stayed on alert throughout the day, but the crews unloaded the rest of the cargo in peace. By nightfall, only a few tons of equipment were left on the ships to be unloaded, and the task force was expected to be able to sail away shortly after dark. Once it reaches Darwin, it will be able to refuel and make way toward safer waters.


Kimmel Sends Heroes of Wake Island Back to the Front

(TN – Columbo) Admiral Kimmel has ordered the 1st USMC Defense Battalion from Christmas Island to Baker Island with all due haste. He has diverted two troop transports due to return to San Francisco after shipping the original garrison units to Baker Island to pick up the Marine battalion instead.

The maneuver was prompted by news that the Japanese carrier force is north of the Philippine Islands and heading East. Advisors close to Kimmel report that he is concerned that the Japanese may be planning an attack on one of his forward bases, and has decided to take steps to improve their defenses. In addition to sending reinforcements to Baker Island, Kimmel has ordered the 78th USA Coast AA Regiment to Johnson Island. Thayne News has been informed that Kimmel will not be sending reinforcements to Midway Island because the small islands do not have enough room for them.

One advisor to Kimmel said, “Yes, technically, we can stack a dozen divisions on Midway Island. But it’s only too miles wide. The units that are there will need room to fight.”

In the South Pacific, units from Tasmania reached Esprito Santo and Efate late yesterday and began unloading. These units arrived over a week behind schedule because of complications getting the units loaded onto the transports in Tasmania. There was some concern that they would not arrive before the Japanese made a move in the region, but those concerns have proved to be unfounded. Still, the War Department is concerned that the Japanese may try to take one of these islands by force. Commanders in the region have been told to prepare themselves for such a catastrophe.

In related news, Allied PBY spotter planes still operating out of the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines found nine troop transports heading east, in the same direction as the Japanese aircraft carries. Agents at Military Intelligence have reported that this is pure speculation, and it may well be a coincidence. Still, allied forces are wasting no time securing their forward bases.


Japan Sends Reinforcements to Batavia

(TN – Soerabaja) Dutch reconnaissance aircraft yesterday spotted two Japanese task forces crossing the Java sea towards Batavia. They are believed to be carrying reinforcements to use against the defenders at Batavia. Attempts by the Dutch air force to slow down the invasion fleets proved futile, as all of the bombs missed their target. ABDA Command is reporting that this may be the beginning of the end for Java. There is some talk of evacuating the air units, however the pilots themselves are insisting that they be allowed to stay as long as possible to inflict as much damage as possible on the Japanese.


Japanese Submarine Found in Hawaiian Waters

(TN – Hawaii) Not since the opening days of the war has Allied Command found Japanese submarines in the waters around Hawaii. However, yesterday morning a Japanese submarine attacked a troop transport carrying reinforcements to Johnson Island from the French Frigate Shoals. Its torpedoes were seen crossing the bow of the ship shortly after it turned toward Johnson Island. The anti-submarine escort was unable to locate the intruder.

Japanese submarines have also been seen to be patrolling extensively off of the Northeast coast of Australia.

[Williamb]

Kudos to you thane for one having such a great aar.

and for two using your Level bombers the CORRECT way.

I have seen too many AARs where they players are trying to hit ships underway with their Level Bombers. That just isnt really that effective.

I like this point you made..

Allies Even the Score in the Air War

(TN – Washington) Officials in Washington who keep track of such things report that Allied pilots had destroyed as many air units as the Japanese. The Japanese started with a huge lead in this race with devastating attacks on the airbases at Pearl Harbor and the Philippines. Over the last two months, the allies have struggled to fight their way back. The credit goes almost entirely to two bomber groups fighting in India; the B-17s of 93rd Bomber Group, and the 19th Bomber Squadron.

Using aerial reconnaissance, military intelligence is presently crediting these two groups combined with the destruction of 300 enemy airplanes.

Your hitting the enemy hard and effective. You can do the same with the weaker bombers against LCUs. The Japanese arent know for their AAA and that was something that helped the ALLIES in the pacific.

Hit the enemy LCUs without cap with your bombers also. Might not kill many enemy but it will add up in disruption. Think Gulf war and how the use of airpower worked there.

[Thayne]

February 8, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


JAPS SECURE JAVA BEACHHEAD

(TN – Soerabaja) The Dutch Air Force was unable to prevent Japan from landing reinforcements at Batavia. Repeated air attacks by Martin bombers that had relocated to Bandoeng, 100 miles east from Batavia, scored only one bomb hit each on two of the five transports involved in the landing. By the end of the day, the Japanese had placed an estimated 2000 soldiers and an unknown number of guns on the shore.

Though ABDA Command is offering a brave face of confidence and determination, secretly leaders in ABDA Command are planning for the loss of Java. According to sources within ABDA Command, officers have been told to prepare plans for the evacuation of air units and those land units that can be flown out. Japanese control of the skies guarantees that no Dutch units will be able to make it off of the island by ship.


Carrier Watch: Carriers Head Toward Rabaul

(TN – Manila) PBY seaplanes still operating out of Bataan report that the Japanese carrier fleet has turned to the southeast. A general plot of their course shows them heading toward Fiji Island, though Military Intelligence insists that it is highly unlikely that the Japanese plan on holding this course. Analysts have formed a betting pool on what is planned. The favorite at the moment is that they are taking a wide course around the Philippines to avoid the potential of air attack, while eventually planning for operations around Rabaul. Possibilities include expanding into the southeastern section of the Solomon Islands, an attack on Port Moresby, or a sweep of northeastern Australia like that made on the Java frontier.

With an attack in the area of Wake Island looking less likely, Admiral Kimmel has lowered the odds that he will be canceling plans for the re-occupation of Wake Island. The occupation force is less than 1000 miles from Pearl Harbor. There, it will refuel, join with the carrier Enterprise and an APB carrying engineers from French Frigate Shoals, and head toward Midway. From Midway, the task force will head to Wake Island. It is expected to arrive at around the 25th of February.


China Holds Off Japanese 55th Division

(TN – Chungking) Chinese units just outside of Myitkyina, Burma, fought the Japanese 55th Division to a stand still two days in a row. The 55th Division, apparently trying to build a defensive perimeter around Myitkyina, marched into the hills northeast of the city where the Chinese were digging in. In the two days of fighting, military intelligence estimates that the Japanese have lost over 1,000 soldiers, while the Chinese have lost fewer than 100. Military Intelligence did warn our Thayne News reporter to ‘consider the source’ when reporting on the number of casualties the Chinese inflicted, but confirm reports that the Chinese have not been forced from their position.

Meanwhile, the Japanese 33rd Division seems to have found itself in a quagmire. According to military reports, the Division is still in the hills northwest of Lashio, looking for the remnants of the Allied army they had sought to destroy. Military intelligence expects that it may take some time before the Japanese division realizes that the Allied units had escaped them and extract themselves from the mountains.

Between the Chinese and the Burma jungle, Southeast Asia Command is considering the possibility that northern Burma will not be able to launch a coordinated attack against India for several weeks. General Pownall expects to use the time he has been given to build up the defenses.

Even though the Mandalay Defensive Force is in central Burma, and would otherwise be capable of inflicting significant damage to the enemy, the units are too badly weakened by the earlier fighting. All of the surviving units have been ordered to Calcutta, where they will rest up, regoup, retrain, and eventually take part in a mission to recapture Myitkyina. However, the Mandalay defensive group will first have to get to Calcutta, which means another 150 mile march through the jungle without food, water, or medical supplies other than that which parachutes down from cargo planes operating out of eastern India.


TF1007 Heading Home

(TN – Brisbane) TF1107 was able to finish dropping off its cargo at Kai Island and begin its retreat to Darwin in peace. By the end of the day, it was half-way to Darwin and moving steadily out of the range of the Japanese air umbrella. Because of bomb damage to the Megallanes, the task force is moving more slowly that it would normally. The crew of the seven ships made a vow that they were going to finish this together. Some also say that seven is a lucky number, and were unwilling to reduce the size of the task force down to 6.


Air Reinforcements Near India

(TN - Perth) Air reinforcements are reaching India every day. However, Southeast Asia Command is soon expecting delivery on a special shipment sent from the west coast of the United States.

At the outbreak of war, two bomber groups, one with four dozen B-17 bombers and another with three dozen B-18s, were ready for shipment on the west coast of the United States. The American government did not know if it would be best to allow the shipment to India, or keep them in the eastern Pacific because of the losses suffered in that region.

Ultimately, command decided to load the planes on a transport ship and send them to Australia. If the units were needed in Australia by then, they would be unloaded. Otherwise, they would continue on.

Yesterday, the ship left Perth, Australia for the final leg of its journey to India.

The success that B-17 groups out of the Philippines have been having against Rangoon has been a significant factor in making this decision. The delivery of the cargo ship will tripple the number of high-altitude long-range bombers in the Southeast Pacific, and is expected to significantly add to the damage already being done to the port of Rangoon and other allied bases in India. The shipment is expected to reach Columbo near the end of the month, and begin targeting Japanese facilities in Burma early in March.


One Enemy Sub Less in Northeast Australian Waters

(TN – Sydney) Australia Command reported yesterday that there is one less submarine sailing the waters of Northeastern Australia. The submarine tried to torpedo a troop ship carrying reinforcements to the Northeastern Australian town of Cookville. The torpedoes missed, then the escort ships pounced on the submarine. Spots of oil found on the surface of the water after the attack suggest that the Japanese sub took significant damage. Another pattern of depth charges was laid in the area of the oil slick, then the escort rejoined the transport on its way to Cookville.

This was one of two Japanese submarines seen off of Northeast Australia yesterday. An anti-submarine patrol flying out of Townsville reported seeing a Japanese submarine 100 miles southeast of the city. Australian and Southwest Pacific Command have both issued statements that ships in those waters must have ASW escort.

[Thayne]

February 9, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


A DAY IN THE AIR WAR

(TN – Columbo) Yesterday, Thayne News reporters spread out across the India to take a look at the day in the air war.

One of the fiercest and longest-running battles of the war so far has occurred in the skies over India and Burma. Every day, hundreds of soldiers take to the air in another attempt to wrest control of the skies away from the enemy. Every day, many of them do not come back.

The day starts a little after midnight in a remote airstrip in northeastern India. At Imphal, flying officer Mark Harpole climbs into one of seven Blenheim fighter bombers that will take off into the darkness. For two the weather had kept them grounded, and Harpole is anxious to get back into the fight. Tonight, the sky promises to clear for just a couple of hours, and that becomes the group’s opportunity to take off.

Their target tonight is the airstrip at Mandalay. They are expecting no opposition. The Japanese have not started to develop the airstrips in central and northern Burma yet, and Harpole does not recall ever hearing of the Japanese developing a night fighter capability. The purpose of this mission is to make sure that when they do, the effort will cost them. Below them, the Burma jungle is a sea of blackness. The Japanese are enforcing blackout restrictions. However, this is Harpole’s twenty-fifth flight into Burma, and his fifteenth to the Mandalay airstrip. He feels that he could find his way with his eyes closed. He waits with the squadron as the lead airplane finds the runway. Looking down, he sees the flash and smoke of its bombs. Then he queues up with the rest of his squadron, and approaches the airstrip as if he is going to land. Going down the length of the runway, he drops his bombs, then climbs and turns for home.

Just as this group of pilots is getting ready for bed, another group gathers in the pre-dawn darkness for their morning briefing. Travis Jellison is a navigator on board the Burma Bruiser. At the morning briefing, he hears that the weather is going to be turning bad and they want to get the mission over with early. It is too early for him, and he has a hard time staying awake. But, he does not hear anything he has not heard a dozen times before anyway. This will be the eleventh time he has navigated the route to Rangoon. In each of the other seven missions he has flown, his target had been the Japanese 55th Division as it marched its way up through central Burma. He also hears that they will have no fighter escort on this mission. The mercenaries in Akyab will be defending ships in the port from any Japanese air strike. It makes little difference to Jellison. The fighters have never done much more than get themselves shot at anyway.

Over the target, Jellison counts enemy fighters. There are over two dozen airplanes below him, unable to climb up to the 37,000 feet that the B-17s fly at. Suddenly, bullets rip through the airplane, as an Oscar fighter speeds by. The Japanese were taking lessons from the Germans and coming straight in from the front, where the B-17s defenses are weakest. The bombardier is on the ground, holding his leg below the knee. Over the radio he hears the pilot shouting for somebody to help the co-pilot. Jellison switches roles, from navigator to bombardier. Outside his window, he sees another airplane leaking smoke out of its number 2 engine. The Oscars make another pass.

The Oscars leave after a short fight. They are unable to prevent even one of the eleven bombers from reaching the drop zone. After dropping the bombs, the group turns around for another pass over the target, this time to take some pictures. Anxious crew try to measure the damage with their own eyes, bit it is difficult to tell from seven miles up. By the time the bomber crews land they will have convinced themselves that they had destroyed 30 enemy airplanes on the ground. Military intelligence will look at the photographs and debrief the crew, discount some of their claims and puts the total at 24.

While the bombers are hitting Rangoon, at an airbase in the town of Ledo further north, Buffalo and Warhawk pilots have had a late breakfast and are warming up their engines. Lieutenant Ellett has more missions than anybody else in the squadron, because he was one of the few pilots still around who had flown with the group in the Philippines. In all that time, he did not have a single kill to his credit. Every time he felt he was getting lined up on a Japanese Zero, it would snap around and be gone, out of his sights. However, since arriving at India he had not been fighting zeros. He had been flying ground support against the Japanese 55th Division as it plowed its way through northern Burma.

When he saw the Burma town of Myitkyina, he radioed ahead for the allied advisors serving with the Chinese infantry in the hills west of the city. He received his instructions, and started looking for an artillery battery that he was told could be found in a particular mountain valley. The problem is, all of these mountain valleys looked alike. He finds a good prospect, and tells the other three pilots in his flight to wait for him to make a pass. It sees an artillery unit, and it looks as if their guns are facing east, so he decides to authorize the attack. He comes in low, guns blazing, trying to line up his bombs with one of the guns. He drops his bombs and pulls up, and tries to get a look at what he had accomplished. However, the P-40’s high back blocks his view. The rest of the crew follows up behind him.

Back at the airbase, a Buffalo pilot circled the runway burning fuel while everybody else landed. Flight Officer Jamison had taken a hit in the wing, and his wingman report that his landing gear looked pretty badly shot up. After everybody else had cleared the field, and with the emergency crews standing by, he attempts to land. He brings the plane in slow and gentile. The gear holds. The plane slows down. Then, just as it appears that there was nothing to worry about, the plane spins to the right and the plane stops a good fifty feet away from its wheel. The pilot walks away, and is credited with a good landing.

The Chinese air mercenaries stationed at Akyab end up with a day of rest. Heavy rain hits the town that afternoon. No enemy airplanes appear in the sky or, if they did, nobody on the ground was able to see them. The pilots sit in their barracks playing cards, writing letters, and telling stories while rain washes down the roofs of their huts and muddies up the tracks between the buildings. Some of the pilots go down to the shore to help the crew unload supplies from the Taiyuan and investigates the damage that two 500 pound bombs can do to a troop transport.

By afternoon, bad weather has socked in the entire region. There isn’t a plane in the sky – enemy or friendly. However, at an airstrip near Chadpur, a group of pilots make the decision to carry out their mission in spite of the weather. A transport squadron is loaded with supplies for the Mandalay defense group trapped in central Burma. The soldiers are sick and starving, and have nearly 200 miles to walk before they can get anywhere to rest. The pilots insist on getting what they can to the soldiers. To complete the mission, Pilot Officer Gilcrist will have to fly below the cloud cover in the Irrawaddy Valley, and hope that he is actually in the valley. As the Gilcrist descends, the clouds part, and he can see the road below, and the panels that the soldiers had laid out. He flies low over the target, and orders his crew to toss the cargo out the door. A dozen parachutes line up with the roadway. As soon as they land, eager soldiers pounce on them.

The effort will cost his unit. Eleven Dakotas take off. Only ten land. Nobody knows where the eleventh one went. The crew waits and hopes that it will find its way home. After a while, they radio other airfields seeing if any of them found the missing airplane. At supper, there is an empty bench in the mess tent; and at night, a set of empty bunks. The survivors resign to the fact that they will not be seeing Pilot Officer Sloan or the rest of his crew for a long time. Probably, never.

The forecast for tomorrow is for more rain. But the pilots stand ready, in case either the enemy or the weather decides to do something unexpected.


Martins Remember How to Hit Ships

(TN – Soerabaja) Martin bombers stationed in western Java remembered their skills at hitting Japanese troop transports yesterday and struck the three troop transports in the harbor repeatedly throughout the day. Almost all of the transports still had enemy soldiers on board, waiting to debark.

Military intelligence sorted through the reports and concluded that one transport had been hit six times, another hit four times, and a third transport hit once. Several of the bombs were known to have set off ammunition stored on the ships. At least two bombs exploded on a deck crowded with Japanese soldiers, blowing many over the side and into the water.

Yet, the Japanese stuck to their rigid schedule and unloaded yet another 2,000 soldiers onto the shore at Batavia. The Dutch military in Batavia is now outnumbered by approximately two to one. Yet, they are continuing to hold their ground. The Japanese made a push to take control of the roadway leading out of Batavia to the east, and the Dutch army assigned to defend that sector drove the Japanese back without suffering a loss.

[Williamb]

Hmm it seems that ships unloading are more vulnerable than ships underway. So would be good to keep hitting them while they unload.

Atleast it works better than hitting them out at sea.

Thanks for the Fighter pilot story thayne. Added to this thread :O)

[Thayne]

February 10, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


CHINA RETREATS FROM BURMA

(TN – Columbo) The Japanese 55th Division scored another victory, driving five Chinese divisions back from the hills overlooking Myitkyina, Burma and back across the border into China. The victory helps to secure Japan’s hold over the India/China supply routes. Allied Command is now waiting to see whether the Japanese units continue their push into China, or turn once again and try to drive into India.

Further south, the Mandalay defensive group secured their path of escape yesterday and began drawing supplies along the trail from Imphal to the last units in the line. The Indian BFF Brigade had agreed to stay behind and block the rail line as long as possible, to prevent supplies from easily reaching the Japanese 33rd and 55th Divisions. With Japan’s victory against the Chinese, both Divisions are now free to attack the BFF Brigade and restore the railroad link from Rangoon to Myitkyina. Southeast Asia Command, recognizing that the battle weakened Brigade has no ability to stand up to a Japanese division, ordered a retreat.

With the loss of the land route to China, Fareast Asia Command immediately began work on establishing a system for supplying China by air. It moved several transport aircraft into northern India to fly supplies over the mountains into China. The system is not expected to be able to carry large quantities of supplies, but it is hoped to keep the Chinese strong enough to hold off any serious Japanese attack and keep Japanese units tied up in the region.


ABDA Pounds Invasion Fleet

(TN – Soerabaja) The Japanese continue to expand their beachhead in Batavia, adding another 2000 units to its invasion force. However, while it does so, the ships that brought the invaders continue to take a pounding. Dutch pilots focused their efforts on transports that were only lightly hit the day before, scoring four hits on a transport unmarked the previous day, and six hits against a transport that took only one hit the previous day. Other transports, still burning from earlier fires, took one or two additional hits.

Military analysts report that the Dutch units, knowing that they are ultimately outgunned and will lose the battle, have adopted the tactics of “take something with you.” Their tactic is to inflict the most expensive damage possible to the Japanese forces, and that is to deprive Japan of its transport ships. Presently, in the attack, two Japanese ships are suffering seven bombs each, and a third ship is bearing the scars of four bomb hits.

A senior official involved in air strategy told Thayne News, “Sure, we have other targets available. We could be attacking the ground units at Batavia. But you cannot sink a ground unit. Men are cheap. Ships cost money.”


Carrier Watch: Nothing to See

(TN – Washington) Washington silently waits for information about the Japanese carriers, while operations continue as planned in the South and Central Pacific. Admiral Kimmel in the Central Pacific is continuing to draw the elements of a task force that will reoccupy Wake Island at Pearl Harbor. Admiral Nimitz in the South Pacific is reinforcing and resupplying his forward bases, while he makes plans to push further north and take bases in the Solomon Islands. All task force commanders in the region have been told to wait for news on the Japanese carriers, and were placed on alert to maneuver to escape the Japanese carriers once they showed themselves again..

[Thayne]

February 11, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


CRUISER EXETER TORPEDOED

(TN – Columbo) TF1098, the escort for the ships delivering supplies to Akyab, was hit by Japanese planes as it returned to Diamond Harbor yesterday. Fighers from Chandpur assigned to watch over the fleet wrestled with Japanese Zeros and came out the worst, losing four of six airplanes without costing the Japanese a single loss. Anti-aircraft gunners on the ships took the next shot at the Japanese planes, driving many of them off and forcing them to drop their bombs far and wide. However, one Betty bomber delivered a torpedo into the hull of the Exeter, causing significant damage to the ship.

Japan has now damaged one cruiser during each trip to supply Akyab, causing Southeast Asia Command to rethink the wisdom of the supply missions. However, the only other way to supply the base is by air, and allied planes are too badly needed to deliver vital war materials to China.

Some military strategists at Southeast Asia Command headquarters are advising General Pownell to give up Akyab base to the Japanese, and let them worry about the lengthy supply lines and the costs associated with keeping the base. Pownell has, so far, rejected these proposals, pointing out how close Akyab base is to the enemy bases in Burma, and the ability of P-40 fighters to reach the heart of Burma from that location.


Japan Invades Another DEI Port

(TN – Soerabaja) Japan has added another name to the list of contested ports in the Dutch East Indies. In addition to Bankha on Sumatra, Batavia on Java, the Japanese have just invaded Ambonia on an island in the far eastern corner of the Dutch East Indies. Ambonia is only 300 miles north of Kai Island, and puts the Australian town of Darwin within bomber range. ABDA Command and Southwest Pacific Command called emergency meetings to put together a plan for the defense of Kai Island from the air assaults that will certainly come after Japan captures Ambonia.

Thayne News talked to military strategists who gave us an assessment of the Japanese plans. Dr. Gaschk, of the Gaschk School of Fighting, said that the Japanese are going to want to invade Kai Island before the Allies have a chance to fortify it too greatly. “They’ll capture the base, and use this base to knock out the airfields at Kia. Once they destroy the ability to ship supply, they will pound the island’s defenses, then bring in an invasion fleet to finish it off.

Asked about the wisdom about the move to fortify the island, Dr. Gaschk reported, “I would have picked Tenimbar, which is far closer to Darwin and quite a bit further from Ambonia or any base the Japanese might use to support an invasion. It’s too far to be defended. The units are going to be isolated, and then eliminated.”


Java Invasion Fleet Runs, but Can’t Hide

(TN – Batavia) The Japanese fleet that brought reinforcements to Batavia tried to return to safe ports yesterday. However, Martin bombers found the ships in open water and continued to hit them with bombs. Striking the fleet at an altitude of 2000 and 3000 fleet, the bombers delivered 10 bomb hits on four enemy transport ships, already blackened and burned from earlier bomb hits.

Meanwhile, a third invasion fleet entered Batavia harbor. This invasion fleet is reported to contain a dozen transport vehicles, and is presently in the process of dropping off at least a full division on the island.

[Alikchi2]

Dr. Gaschk, of the Gaschk School of Fighting

Hee hee..

Good AAR, by the way.

[Thayne]

February 12, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


AKYAB THREATENED

(TN – Columbo) Allied scouts report that Japanese forces, of an unknown strength, were approaching Akyab over the mountains from Pagan, in Burma. Because there are no roads connecting the two regions, it is expected to take considerable time for the unit to cross the mountains in any strength, but a battle for Akyab starting sometime in March now seems inevitable. Southeast Asia command reports that there will be plenty of time for the remaining units expected to arrive in Akyab to complete their trip, but that it can afford no additional reinforcements. An aide to General Pownall reports that he informed his generals, “We hold with what we have, or we do not hold at all.”

To aid in the defense, General Pownall has ordered some of his air units to interdict the Japanese moving on Akyab. These units include Blenheim and Hudson bombers out of Chadpur, and P-40 Warhawks out of Akyab itself. The units are presently assigned the task of interdicting the Japanese 55th division. Some advisors have expressed concern that weakening the offensive against the 55th Division will allow it to try a parallel attack on the northern India towns of Imphal and Kohima. General Pownall remains concerned that he does not have sufficient strength to defend on regions of the front at the same time.

In an effort to be closer to the fighting, General Pownall has ordered that his command be boxed up and shipped north to Calcutta. Most of the work has been completed in recent days, and the units are said to be waiting simply for the order to move out. General Pownall is said to be hoping that closer proximity to the fighting will aid in communication, particularly when it comes to the timely delivery of needed reinforcements.

The units most needing reinforcements are the members of the Mandalay defensive group. These units are continuing their march out of the Irrawaddy Valley into northern India. Reports from the units suggest that they are so depleted that it will take months before they could contribute meaningfully in any military operations. Many weapons too heavy to carry through the jungle have been destroyed and left behind. Many of the soldiers, suffering from malaria and other tropical diseases, as well as fatigue and wounds from the effort itself, have already qualified for discharge the instant they escape out of Burma.

At present, only one more infantry division is expected in India between now and early May, so there will be no significant increase in the ability of the British to defend eastern India. The Chinese units, which were expected to contribute significantly to India’s defense, are now completely cut off. Instead of helping to defend India, they add to the burden of India which must now support air transport flights into China.


JAPAN TRIPLES BATAVIA INVASION FORCE

(TN – Soerabaja) In the last 25 hours, Japanese transport ships disembarked over 25,000 Japanese troops in the area around Batavia to bring the total size of the invasion force to nearly 40,000 soldiers. These soldiers face, 7,000 defenders. According to individuals inside ABDA Command, the general leadership is harboring no doubts as to the outcome of the battle. Dutch bombers continue to harass the transports in the harbor, in the hopes of at least sinking a few ships.

Air force commanders within ABDA have rebuffed suggestions that they use their planes to disrupt Japanese ground forces. According to Colonel Leiche, “We want to do something here that will not only hurt the Japanese for the next day or so, but that will pain them throughout the war, no matter how long the war may last. Every ship destroyed will forever weaken the Japanese ability to supply its forward troops, take raw materials back to Japan, or plan additional raids. We are going after the ships.”

Yesterday’s bombings, however, did not go well for the ABDA air force. They were able to score only three confirmed bomb hits against Japanese ships yesterday. Coastal guns were able to score ten more confirmed hits, nearly half of those against a single Japanese mine layer. At Soerabaja, Dutch torpedo bombers also got an opportunity to attack Japanese shipping when an enemy tanker sailed within range of the airplanes. They delivered three torpedoes into the ship.

Japanese reinforcements are also expected in Batavia within days. Military Intelligence has received information suggesting that the Japanese 38th Division is preparing to contribute to the capture of the city. There is no information indicating when the reinforcements will arrive.

In eastern Indonesia at the port of Amboina, the Japanese are making a significant contribution to their effort with the assignment of air support. Four separate bombing raids struck allied forces in the harbor yesterday, with the Japanese units just a few hundred meters away.


Philippines Continues to Hold

(TN – Manilla) In defiance of expectations, the forces in the Philippines continue to hold out against the Japanese attackers, even though they remain divided in two areas and continue to suffer under daily artillery and aerial bombardment. The Japanese are making their most determined attack against Bataan, where they have gathered a force that outnumbers the defenders by over two to one. The defenders continue to advance across the rivers and jungles, driving the Allies into a smaller and smaller portion of the peninsula.

A second Japanese force has surrounded the Allies in Manila and laid siege to the city. The Japanese in this region are making no attempt to take the city yet, but merely on containing the Allies in a small region and softening them up with repeated artillery attacks. Military strategists expect that Japanese will continue to focus its attention on the Bataan force until it has destroyed it, then move its units south for a combined attack on the Manila garrison.

Allied military command is still reluctant to say that the Philippines army will survive past the end of February. According to sources in Allied command, the Philippines forces are running out of supplies very quickly and will not be able to survive long. “Tell your readers that the Philippine bases will not likely survive beyond the end of February. At that time, we can expect the Japanese to throw another 50,000 soldiers into some other part of the war – the South Pacific, an invasion of northern Australia, against China, or an attack on India.”


Operation Bad Penny Ready to Begin

(TN – Hawaii) All of the preparation has been done for Operation Bad Penny, the reoccupation of Wake Island. The mission is due to launch in the morning. It will stop first at French Frigate Island to pick up a troop transport with an engineering regiment, then the task force will sail to Midway. Allied Command will continue to look for information on where the Japanese carrier force is. If satisfied that the mission is safe, Admiral Kimmel will give the order to deliver the passengers to their destination.

[Thayne]

February 13, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


AKYAB FACES JAP DIVISION

(TN – Columbo) Military intelligence has learned that the city of Akyab will soon be facing at least a full Japanese division of approximately 22,000 soldiers. Against this force, Southeast Asia Command has assembled a defensive force of 10,000 soldiers. Many of these units are still recovering from the long march necessary to reach Akyab by trail.

Southeast Asia Command has decided that it will not be able to risk any more units at such an isolated base, and will be holding its reverses in the area of Chadpur and Calcutta, condemning the units at Akyab to fight at a significant numerical disadvantage. However, the Akyab defensive group has been spending the last two months fortifying the city, and report that they are ready for any Japanese attack.

The American Volunteer Group, a collection of bounty hunters working for the Chinese government, has been given the task of controlling the air over Akyab. The AVG also has a collection of P-40 warhawk fighter bombers that it intends to use to harass the 18th Division.


Experts Advise Japan Will Not Stop Expansion

(TN – Columbo) War strategists, gathering in Washington DC to discuss the struggle against Japan, concluded yesterday that Japan cannot be expected to stop its aggression until it is forced to.

Some advisors had been expressing the opinion that Japan is interested in a certain amount of territory, and will stop expanding in order to dig in and defend once they have reached their perimeter. That perimeter includes Burma, Dutch East Indies, New Guinea, Solomons, Gilberts, and on up to Wake.

However, an increasing minority is arguing that Japan will continue to expand, taking one base after another, until it is stopped.

The difference in these two factions is whether eastern India, northern Australia, and New Hebrides islands are actually being threatened with invasion. If the limited expansion faction is correct, Japan will stop short before it reaches these areas. If the unlimited expansion faction is correct, there is no region in the Pacific that is not at risk of Japanese invasion.

The issue raises particularly grave concerns for India, where, it is feared, the defenses are not strong enough to hold off a determined Japanese attack. Allied commanders are considering shipping reinforcements from the West Coast of the USA to India to deal with the treat. The forces will make up for the losses in Burma and the inability to get Chinese units to India in time to help in the defense.

Allied Command is also considering shipping extra transport aircraft to deliver supplies to China in order to better keep them in the war. Some advisors fear, however, that even an immediate shipment of aid will arrive at India as “too little, too late.”

Australia, as well as the South and Central Pacific, are considered relatively safe from Japanese incursions. Australia is sending two infantry divisions into northern Australia to fight off any Japanese attack, while the Americans have already reinforced the south Pacific with the equivalent of three infantry divisions.

The North Pacific is another area that Allied Command has identified as ‘at risk’. The harsh weather in the North is expected to be the region’s best defense. It is expected to do far more damage to any Japanese invasion force than the allies could do. As such, the Allies are keeping its forces up north to a minimum. So far, there is no sign of Japanese interest in this region.

So far, the North Pacific has received limited reinforcements. The With limited equipment, a determined


Dutch Continue to Put Up Fierce Defense

(TN – Soerabaja) In spite of being significantly outnumbered, the Dutch continue to put up a determined defense of the East Indies. The reinforced units in Batavia failed to dislodge the defenders there. While the land battle rages, Dutch forces continue to pound the ships used in the invasion, sinking a mine sweeper and damaging a destroyer and two troop transport ships.

On land, the Japanese are thought to be attempting to capture the roads leading out of the city to the east, forcing the defenders into the southwest corner of the island at Merak. If successful, the Japanese will be able to quickly pin the ABDA units against the sea and destroy them. However, if they fail, the Japanese will be forced to fight a long battle against a determined enemy across the whole length of the island. To prevent total isolation, ABDA Command has moved its headquarters and a few defensive units to Bandoeng to prevent their isolation. Most of the ABDA air force is now also stationed at Bandoeng.

Dutch forces have also continued to hold the Japanese invaders off at Bankha, Balikpapan, and Amboina. At all three battles, the Japanese are focusing their air forces for the purpose of disrupting the Allied defense. However, the efforts have not worked so far, as the Allies remain in control of all major cities.

[Thayne]

Just a note.

I have introduced additional house rules from time to time, based on discussions in the forums (mostly).

(1) No PT supergroups -- no more than 6 PT boats in any harbor at any one time.

(2) No MSW supergroups -- no more than 6 ships in an ASW task force.

(3) A ceiling of 31,000 feet has been imposed on all bombers.

I just thought that I would let you know.

Thayne

[Thayne]

February 14, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


BALIKPAPAN IS CAPTURED

(TN – Soerabaja) The Japanese forces were able to secure another victory in the Dutch East Indies with the capture of Balikpapan. The victory came before expected reinforcements could arrive at the location, as continual Japanese pressure finally forced the defenders out of the region. The allied defensive force fell back to the city of Smarinda, which puts it between two Japanese armies. Some of the units retreating from Balikpapan had only recently retreated from the earlier Japanese victory at Tarakan.

Before leaving, Allied engineers, who had gathered in the city, inflicted significant harm on the resource and refinery installations in the city, as well as its ports and airfields, in order to deny them to the Japanese. Four engineering regiments had gathered in the city before its fall to help to ensure that the Japanese would not be able to put the assets at Balikpapan to immediate use.


Japan Captures Hansa, New Guinea

(TN – Brisbane) Japanese forces centered on Rabaul expanded their holdings yesterday with the capture of the town of Hansa on the coast of New Guinea. Since its capture of Lea, the Japanese have been working their way up and down the coast of the island. To the south, they have already captured Salamaua, while to the north Finshafen, Siador, Madang, and now Hansa have fallen under Japanese control. In the nearby Solomon islands, the Japanese have pushed their control down to the island of Vella Lavella, giving them control of approximately half of the island chain.

Allied Command so far is not taking any steps to reinforce the island, focusing instead on building up their defenses on Esprito Santo and New Caledonia, as well as northern Australia. However, Southwest Pacific Command is executing plans to move the 30th Australian Brigade to Thursday Island in an attempt to keep control of the passageway between Australia and New Guinea. The Thursday Island task force is presently at Cairns in northern Australia, waiting for the signal to make the final leg of the trip.

Japanese submarines have continued to harass the convoy as it has made its way up the coast. However, Southwest Pacific Command reports that the Japanese have paid for their attempts. According to official reports, two Japanese submarines have been sunk in the region, one of them yesterday by the Thursday Island task force itself.


Japanese 55th Division Pursues Mandalay Defensive Group

(TN - Columbo) In another clash among old adversaries, the Japanese 55th Division caught up with the Mandalay defensive group as it attempted to leave India, and helped to drive the British units toward the border. The Japanese scored a victory against the group, forcing its retreat toward the city of Imphal.

Allied Military Intelligence is looking to determine what the Japanese will do next. In the eastern part of the country, three Chinese divisions have moved into position to threaten the Burma town of Lashio. The Japanese 33rd Division is also in the region, but it has not yet been able to get out of the mountains west of Lashio, where they had once been hunting the Mandalay defensive group. The British 101 RAF Base Force also remains just a few miles northwest of Myitkyina. Retaking the town will temporarily restore the Burma Road and allow an additional 500 tons of supply to reach China each day.

Because of this, Military Intelligence is expecting the 55th Division to pull back and defend its territory in northern Burma.

Meanwhile, in southern Burma, the Japanese 18th Division is continuing its slow march on the forward town of Akyab. Air units from Akyab and Chadpur flew their first missions yesterday to interdict the Japanese invaders, killing nearly 100 soldiers and destroying two guns. In addition, it is hoped that the air attacks will disrupt and slow down the Japanese advance.


Operation Bad Penny: French Frigate Shoals

(TN – Denver) The Editorial Staff of Thayne News has elected to provide daily updates of the progress of Operation Bad Penny. Allied Command expects that the operation will either be a complete success, or a complete disaster for the allied forces, depending on what happens to the Japanese aircraft carrier attack force. If the force shows up around Wake Island during the operation, they have the potential to destroy both the carrier force and the landing force. If, on the other hand, the Japanese carrier force heads for some other part of the Pacific Ocean, then the Allies could end up with a well secured forward base.

Yesterday, the elements of Operation Bad Penny rendezvoused at French Frigate Shoals and organized themselves into two task forces.

Task Force 1014 is made up of the aircraft carriers Enterprise and Yorktown, accompanied by four cruisers and seven destroyers. The air wing of the attack group contains 54 fighters, 72 dive bombers, and 30 torpedo bombers. Approximately 20 of the dive bombers will be running patrols for enemy submarines, while the remaining airplanes prepare for possible attacks against enemy shipping or defense from enemy air attacks.

Task Force 1018 is the landing force, which is ready to unload 15,000 soldiers and over 700 tons of supply on the island. The landing force is made up of the 34th USA Engineer Regiment, 101st USN Base Force, and 111th USA Regimental Combat Team. Central Pacific Command has also told the 144th Field Artillery Regiment presently on French Frigate Atoll, and the 78th USA Coast AA Regiment presently on Johnson Island, to prepare to move forward as soon as ships become available.

The next stop for the task force is Midway Island. There, the task forces will wait for the final command to move forward and occupy the island.