PBEM - Historical Limits: Thayne (allied) vs. SeaWolF K (Japan)

[Andy Mac]

Diary Entry Alan Brooke Diaries Monday 12th January

Had a long cable from Archie (Wavell) last night not a good show in Singapore. Percival doesn’t seem to have done much to prepare the island for a siege before he was replaced. Lack of training and preparation in evidence I cannot see how the island can hold which will leave Java and Sumatra exposed.

PM is in Washington and is still insisting on reinforcing but I cannot see how this will help at this stage.

Dill is with him and will try to head him off from doing anything destructive. PM just wants to attack everywhere. 18th Division should form Burma/ India reserve but PM and Roosevelt want to reinforce Singapore I hope nothing gets sent to Archie or that new American, Thayne to jog their elbows.

Concerned about the ABDA organisation it covers the operational area but is separated from natural logistics bases in India and Australia. As an organisation is not sound

PM is putting real pressure on Auchinleck to exploit from Agheila towards Tripoli. I have ordered 7th Armoured Bde from Desert to India as Indian Armoured formations are undertrained for anything other than counter insurgency

This leaves Auchinleck exposed at the front. Rommel should not be able to attack and ULTRA suggests nothing is planned but I am nervous.

More Fighter and Fighter Bomber Sqns are in transit to Ceylon and India and with the diversion of forces may leave adverse correlation of forces at front.

If we lose the Mid East and the oil fields then we will lose this war. At present Hitler is contained within the lines of the Royal Navy in the Atlantic and North Sea, the Desert Army in Libya and in the east by the Russian’s if they can break out in any of the three directions this war could be lost.

The PM is building a relationship with Roosevelt and must cement US leadership support to a Europe 1st strategy. They are burning mad after Pearl Harbour and would like nothing better than beating the Japanese but the real threat is the Germans I hope the PM can restrain US anger at Japan and focus on a Europe 1st strategy.

Australians have insisted on 1st Australian Corps (6th and 7th Division's) being diverted to Australia. War Cabinet has agreed. They also want Blamey back from Middle East where he has been acting as deputy to Auchinleck. Auchinleck doesnt pick good subordinates so I am concerned that losing Blamey will leave a hole in his command structure.

Australians also want 9th Division transferred to home defence. Understandable but frustrating we need that Division in the Delta in case Germans turn south towards oil fields. In any event no shipping will be available until at the earliest May to return the Division. If the situation in Middle East is favourable and Tripoli taken and if the Russians turn back the Germans then it may be possible to release the Division.

The decision point is the Middle East we are not taking risks without careful evaluation of the consequences. PM gets frustrated at short sighted demands but would never say so, everyone forgets how the PM stripped England of every tank we had for Battle Axe last year when we were under threat of invasion ourselves.

NZ government has signalled intention to leave their Division in Middle East and will keep it up to strength.

[Thayne]

[font="Courier New"]Sunday, January 11, 1942

Henry:

Week 5 Update

Total Losses

Ship Losses: 19 Total

• 1 BC: Repulse
• 2 CA: Houston, New Orleans
• 1 CL: Danae
• 2 PG: Isabel, Asheville
• 2 SS: KXV, S-38*
• 1 MSW: Penguin
• 2 AS: Otus, Canopus
• 4 PT: 21, 31, 32, 34
• 1 AP: President Madison
• 2 TK: Gertrude Kellogg, Manatawny
• 1 AK: Taurus

* = Ships sunk in the last week.

Air War: 679 Planes Lost (+ 35)

The cause of these losses have been:

• 190 planes shot down (+8)
• 373 planes destroyed on the field (+4)
• 20 planes destroyed by flak
• 96 planes lost due to accident (+23)

The top 12 air types suffering losses are:

• 108x P-40B Tomahawk (+15)
• 69x Buffalo I (+2)
• 47x P-40E Warhawk (+2)
• 42x PBY Catelina
• 33x Martin 139
• 32x Hudson I (+2)
• 29x Brewster 339
• 28x SB-2c
• 27x P-36A Mohawk
• 26x Blenheim IV
• 23x Blenheim I
• 20x P-26A

Ground War: Losses = 30,000

• 5,000 in China
• 11,000 in the Philippines, (7,000 captured on Mindanao)
• 9,000 in Malaya
• 5,000 in Burma (Captured or killed at Rangoon)

Most of these are now Japanese prisoners. Many of the rest are overwhelming medical facilities in areas where we cannot deliver help. There are no real medical facilities on the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines. Singapore is completely overwhelmed with thousands of casualties coming to the hospitals each day. The Rangoon casualties are now Japan’s responsibilities. I do not want to repeat the rumors that I have been hearing here. It is hard to determine if these are true, or just the propaganda of war.

Okay, honestly, I hate this. The number next week will likely include the fall of Singapore, and will likely be a lot higher than this. I can handle the thought of prisoners, as long as they are treated well. The killed and the wounded – the burned, shredded, and slashed – they are the ones that give me my nightmares.


Correction In Borneo

It appears as if I may have made a bit of a mistake about Japan's strategy in Borneo. After taking Tarakan, I expected the Japanese to move south to Balikpapan and take it before it could be reinforced. Specifically, I did not think they would allow the units retreating from Tarakan make it to the next town. However, the Japanese fleet has returned to Jolo.

The Japanese put a lot of energy into this operation. It seemed like a bit of overkill, but they were able to take the town virtually without a loss.


Japan Stays Put In Rangoon

I am also not seeing evidence of the Japanese moving out of Rangoon. This is fortunate. We still need three weeks to get the Chinese divisions to Myitkyina. Once Japan starts moving north, General Pownall assures me that he is going to put every resource at his disposal into making sure that the Japanese do not make to Myitkyina before the Chinese units get there and can make arrangements to defend the city.


Japanese Flotilla at Saigon

I have seen an intelligence report out of Siagon that has me totally baffled. 360 ships? What in heck is Japan doing with 360 ships in Saigon? What are they up to here? Can 360 ships even fit in Saigon? This is a truly massive fleet to gather at once place. Almost all of them are transports.

I have contacted people at logistics about the possibility that Japan hopes to use this area as a base, then ship their supplies by rail into northern China, then by ship to Japan, rather than taking the longer route by sea across the Philippines. I do not know what the rail capacity of Indochina is.

Henry, if you have any experts over there that can look into this question for me, I would appreciate it. It would suggest that it would be foolish for me to put any submarines in the northrn part of the South China Sea. They either need to be in the southern part, or they need to be between Shanghai and Japan -- or between Korea and Japan (though there is no room for them there).


I am going to enclose a couple of letters I need to write tonight, which should give you an idea of how the rest of the war is going.


Until tomorrow.

Thayne[/font]

[Thayne]

[font="Courier New"]Mr. Downer

We have a number of items to discuss. My poor coders are wearing their fingers to the bone on all of these documents I keep handling them, so I plan to make this relatively quick.

(1) Japanese Carriers: The Japanese carrier fleet is believed to be just west of Nanomea Atoll, heading southwest as expected. I have talked with Nimitz, and the Australian fleet has orders to pull back out of harm’s way.

(2) Australian Battle Fleet: New Zealand has offered to Brigades to help defend Fiji. They are loading up at Aukland now. We are requesting that the Australian battle fleet leaving New Caledonia go to Aukland and escort the New Zealand brigades to Fiji and see to their safe arrival.

(3) Australian Offer of Troops: I really appreciate your offer of units from Davenport. I know that you want these units used exclusively for the protection of Australia. It is my opinion, and those of my staff, that Japan will try to isolate Australia before it invades. As long as New Caledonia stays in allied control, Japan will focus its attention there rather than Australia. Therefore, I would like to request that these units be moved to New Caledonia. If you agree, and as soon as I have some shipping available, I will see to their transport. It may have to wait until after the Fiji operation mentioned in (2), however.

(4) Guns for Darwin: I appreciate the risk that Mr. Curtin would put himself under if we were to move the guns at Sydney and Melbourne to Darwin. The offer shows that he truly is thinking more of Australia than himself. What would happen to his career if Japan were to station a combat fleet off of the coast of Sydney and shell the city for a few hours, without the city able to answer back effectively? I have no doubt that it will end Mr. Curtin’s political career. Japan may well try such a maneuver, not because of the possible military gain, but because of the benefit they would achieve by political turmoil in Australia. I am going to give you an opportunity to reconsider this permission. I certainly need guns from somewhere to defend Darwin.

(5) Aru Island: I am not totally convinced that the operation at Aru Island is particularly wise. However, I do believe that, if this island were put in Japanese hands and developed, Darwin would cease to exist. The combination of air and naval bombardment made possible from this port would leave Darwin a pile of burned out buildings.

In addition to Gull and Sparrow Force Battalions, Aru is occupied by the 7th Dutch Air Force base force, the A-II-Ld Anti-Aircraft Battalion, and the 1st Timor Garrison Battalion. These units could be withdrawn to Australia as well. However, I suspect that the Dutch would be as willing to abandon the Dutch East Indies to retreat to Australia, as you would be to abandon Australia and move your divisions to America.

(6) The Dutch Air Force (what's left of it): The Dutch have suffered significant air losses. There are now very few Dutch air units that have more than three airplanes left to them. The Dutch need an opportunity to retreat their air units to a safe place where they can be rebuilt and returned to the front. General Wavell is asking for permission to use an Australian town as a Dutch rest and recovery center. Wavell’s request was to use Alice Springs for this. It is far away from the front that his battered units will feel secure, and will have an opportunity to drill and train and to incorporate new pilots, before being shipped back into battle.

(7) 90th Bomber Group: To replace the battered Dutch units, General Wavell is requesting the use of the 90th Bomber squadron that has recently arrived at Brisbane. I promised Wavell that I would consult with you concerning the use of these air units. I would like to advise you that keeping Japan out of Java and the Dutch East Indies would have the effect of also keeping Japan off of the northern coast of Australia.

(8) 808th Construction Battalion: AP Barnett, with the 808th Aviation Engineer Battalion, will be approaching Brisbane from the Southwest tomorrow. We would appreciate it if steps were taken to help to ensure that the route is free of enemy submarines as we approach. If we can escape any interference from a Japanese submarine tomorrow, we should be able to start unloading the construction unit the next day.

(9) Spare Parts: AK Bridge, about 1000 miles northeast of Aukland, New Zealand, has responded to the threat of a Japanese carrier group heading its way by changing its planned arrival port from Brisbane to Sydney. It is hoped that the southern route will be more secure. You need not worry about performing any anti-submarine efforts along the ship’s path, since AK Bridge is arriving with its own escort of 6 destroyers.

(10) BB Prince of Wales: BB Prince of Wales, also with an escort of 6 destroyers, seeking repair facilities to work on damage inflicted by a Japanese aerial torpedo, passed Melborne, Australia today, heading east. Its targeted port is Sydney, where it should arrive in about 4 days. Its damage is not severe, and we the ship will be available to participate in the defense of Australia if it is needed.

(11) Port Moresby Supplies: I have been informed that you have dispatched AK Elcano, escorted by MSW Latrobe, from Brisbane for Port Moresby yesterday with a full load of combat supplies. I wish to warn you that I believe that this is a risky venture that will likely result in the destruction of both ships. Port Moresby is within the range of torpedo planes flying from Rabaul. I wish to ask if you are sure that you want to continue with this operation.

This should handle many of the smaller issues that too often fall through the cracks as we consider the big picture. We still need to discuss the disposition of the 6th and 9th Australian Divisions.

Australian 6th and 9th Divisions

I have been told by my superiors that they are releasing two additional fighter groups for use in the defense of Australia. These units are being loaded onto transport ships bound for Australia at this moment. The two groups named are the 49th Fighter Group (72x P-40E) and the 54th Fighter Group (72x P-39D).

Secretary Stimson has expressed the sincere wish that you will see this as a further indication of our intention to see to the safety of Australia. He also expressed the wish that you would see the importance of keeping the 9th Australian Division in the Middle East where its service in keeping the oil fields of the Middle East from Hitler is vital to our war efforts.

I wish to add that I have been making my own plea to Secretary Stimson for troops to defend New Caledonia. All that he has been able to provide to me is a collection of independent units which – if you put them all together – might make up something like a division. However, the unit is not a cohesive division, they have never trained together, and they have no unity of command. These are the units he is providing me to defend New Caledonia. They are basically the cast offs that have no place in their larger Hitler First plan. Each time I have placed a request, I have gotten the same answer. There are no spare divisions available to send to the Pacific Theater. Our job is to do the best with what we have until Hitler’s defeat allows us to finally address the Japanese problem.

This should leave you fully informed of the war situation relative to the security of Australia. If you have any further questions, I will be happy to answer them.

So much for making this relatively quick.

Thayne[/font]

[Raverdave]

TO THAYNE
FROM DOWNER

RE: YOUR LAST

WAR CABINET MEETING TOMORROW STOP WILL FORWARD REPONSE ONCE I AM BRIEFED STOP RAN SHIPS ADVISED TO RESPOND
TO US REQUESTS STOP ALL OTHER MATTERS ON HOLD PENDING WAR CABINET MEETING STOP

DOWNER

[Thayne]

Monday, January 12, 1942

Henry:

Summary

• G2 has lost track of the Japanese carriers.

• Singapore continues to collapse.

• Rangoon gains additional fighters in defense and maul our B-17 attack

• Chinese bombers continue to target damaged AVG fighters, decimating the squadron on the ground.


Japanese Carriers Lost

We seem to have lost track of the Japanese carrier force. They appear to have entered radio silence. This worries me, no doubt.

One of the possibilities that I am entertaining is that they are doubling back on Canton, trying to catch the ships that they missed last time. I have asked the allied fleets in that area to hold back for another day until we gather more information.

At Noumea, which I listed as their likely target, the ships have left port heading south, to Aukland, just in case.

The Australian move to send supplies to Port Moresby seems ill-timed. I have written to them suggesting that they may want to reconsider this option. I know that they are keen to hold Port Moresby.


Singapore continues to collapse

Aided by their air force, the Japanese pressed their attack against Singapore. I originally predicted the fall of the city on January 15. I can still hold to that prediction.

We can now count nearly 150,000 Japanese troops involved in the attack. This is a huge commitment, showing the Japanese desire to see the city fall to their hands early. They need Singapore to anchor the western flank of their move against Java. Also, they need to control the straight of Macassar so that they can reinforce their holdings at Rangoon.

I mentioned a huge fleet gathering at Saigon. I should have thought of this yesterday – it is so obvious. The instant Singapore is theirs, they plan a massive operation through the Macassar Straight to reinforce Rangoon, and/or to take Ceylon.

I have told General Pownall to be ready for both options.


Rangoon Air Battle

One of today’s reports gave me a frightening vision.

Twenty-four B-17s took off from Diamond Harbor, India heading for Rangoon. Their orders were to fly in at 33,000 feet to avoid the fighters. So, as they flew east, into the rising sun, they climbed. At that altitude, I am told, you are above the clouds. You have dark blue sky in every direction but down, where these crew would have either seen clouds or ocean.

From 33,000 feet, it is hard to hit anything with a bomb, I know. But, the last bomber group we sent to Rangoon flew into a flock of Zeros. We know that the zeros cannot fly this high, so we hoped the bombers would be safe. A nice approach on the target where they could take their time would mitigate against the problems of bombing from such a great height.

There were no Zeros at Rabaul. There were fifty Oscars and Nates. This meant two enemy fighters for every bomber.

The Japanese were tenacious. They pressed their attacks, seldom giving way even in the face of the heavy machine gun defenses that give the fortresses their names. Six miles above the ground, Japanese fighters bore in on the bombers. The bombers, unable to dodge, fired back.

The reports I received tell me that the bombers suffered twelve minutes of horror. Twelve minutes is a terribly long time. The fortress cannot dodge or take any type of evasive action. All it does is sit there and get shot at, and shoot back.

Yet, all of the bombers reached their target. They opened their bombbay doors and dropped their payload on the airstrip. Then they turned for home.

Three of the bombers did not make it. One of them simply blew up, shortly after it dropped its bombs. Another, with both engines on the right side damaged and leaking fuel, turned north. Its crew bailed out along the Rangoon-Mandalay railroad, and they let their plane crash into the jungle.

There was a third bomber that came in without landing gear. It was diverted to Calcutta, so that it would not interfere with the landing operations at Diamond Harbor. According to the report, the pilot brought the plane in on a nice, gentile glide. It slid in on its belly and skidded down the runway, turning slightly. It stopped facing back the way it came. Most of the crew got out alive.

All totaled, we lost twenty-four flyers on that mission. Five of them will be returning to duty shortly. Thirteen of them will never return to duty at all.

The gunners did report shooting down three Nates and an Oscar. Plus, they hit the field. According to the pilots and crew they destroyed the field, and the Japs would never be able to use it again. According to military intelligence, the damage was virtually insignificant. I trust G2 more than the fliers, I’m afraid.


Anti-Aircraft Day

The bombers will be going out tomorrow, as part of another day aiming at the destruction of the Japanese air force in three areas.

Japan got its Nate and Oscar fighters by pulling them out of Malaya. Many of the bombers that hit Singapore today – and there was over 100 of them all totaled -- were not escorted at all. General Pownall saw this as an opportunity, and I agreed with him.

The Buffalo fighters at Mandalay can reach Singapore in one hop. We told them to take off at 12:30 in the morning. Flying east, they should arrive at Singapore just at sunup. If the Japanese fly their bombers in unescorted again, they will get a rude surprise.

If they fly their bombers in escorted, then they would have had to pull their fighters back from Rangoon. This means that the bombers attacking Rangoon will get a free trip.

Another area where we are planning operations against the Japanese is at Clark Field in Manila. Japan may be unaware that we have fighters left there, since there has not been much opportunity for air attack. They have bombed the area around Clark Field heavily for two days in a row, using Lily and Sally bombers protected by Nates. These are planes that the 24th Fighter Group have dealt with quite effectively in the past. Tomorrow, the fighters will be in the air in force. This is another area where Japan may experience an unexpected loss in aircraft.


Flying Tigers Planes Lost

The lack of properly equipped ground crew is still creating problems in southern China, trying to keep the Flying Tigers actually flying. The squadron is now down to less than 30 airplanes.

Once again, the Japanese targeted the planes on the ground at Kweilin – the planes that the Chinese are trying to fix so that they can be flown back to Kweiyang. The Chinese crews were only able to get 1 airplane flying. The Japanese bombardment destroyed 4 others.

Chang Kai Shek is going to have to admit that he does not have the resources to keep this group together as a cohesive unit. He needs to split them up and allow each squadron to fly from its own base where the number of fighters is not too great for the ground crew to handle.


I think I may be back to not getting very much sleep.

Thayne

[Thayne]

[font="Courier New"]Gen. Brooke

Sir:

The Loss of Singapore

I want to warn you to do what is necessary to prepare your people for the loss of Singapore. I had originally predicted its fall on or near January 15, and it looks like that prediction will prove sound.

There are presently 150,000 Japanese soldiers on the island fighting 50,000 defenders. Japan throws over 100 bombers per day against the defenses. Tomorrow, we are planning an operation that might take out a few of these bombers. But this will be a small victory amongst a gigantic loss.

I do not think that there is a need to look for somebody to blame for this loss. Japan threw an amazing amount of war material against the base. Meanwhile, we had been forced to seriously deplete our military resources in the area to fight a war in Europe.

Military doctrine says that a place can be taken by force alone if you put three to one odds against it. Japan has done just that.

We are going to have to add this to the recent loss of Rangoon, Burma.


Japanese Saigon Fleet

I urge you to look over your military intelligence regarding the fleet massing at Saigon. While this fleet may be intending to target Java, it is also possible that it is waiting for a chance to sail the Macassar Straight and aim for targets in the Indian Ocean. It may be seeking to deliver reinforcements to Rangoon. There is a small but non-zero chance that they will be targeting Ceylon.

My guess is that they will be moving to quickly occupy northern Sumatra -- including Palembang. However, we must be prepared for all eventualities.


Plane Plans

The fighters that have been arriving in India in recent days are very much appreciated. I have talked with Gen. Pownall, whose intention is to build the area around Calcutta and Dacca into a major bombing base. Just as England is used in the staging of attacks against Germany, northeastern India will be the foundation for an aerial assault against Japan in Burma. We already have a heavy bomber group and a heavy bomber squadron stationed there, as well as nearly 100 light and medium bombers of different types.

The Hurricanes will be vital o defending those bases.


Ceylon

The issue of Ceylon concerns me because it sits astride the sea route from Karachi to Calcutta. Plus, there is no way to reinforce an army at Calcutta except with naval forces, and any attempt to do this would put vital ships at the mercy of Japanese Carrier-based airplanes. I have instructed General Pownall to take whatever steps he considers prudent to reinforce the island.

Pownall, as you know, has already moved his own headquarters out of harms way, transferring it from Columbo, Ceylon to Dacca, India. It should be safer there.


British ABDA Contribution

Your request for ships to cover the transfer of the 7th Australian Division from Africa to Australia is being met by dispatching the British contribution of the ABDA task force back to England. The force consists of the light cruisers Dragon and Durban, and the destroyers Electra, Express, Scout, Denedos, Thanet, and Thracian. They should be able to help secure the safety of the 7th Australian Division. After that, they will return to perminant station in Southeast Asia.

Please note that several of these ships have seen action in the Dutch East Indies and are in need of a period of refit.


This should catch you up on the recent events in India.

I am sorry that I could not deliver better news. Perhaps in time.

Thayne[/font]

[Andy Mac]

To Secretary Thayne
From General Brooke


The Loss of Singapore

I agree that the loss of Singapore is inevitable. The force commitment has been high by the Japanese.

General Percival will be recalled to the UK for further discussions.

Orders have been given for the evacuation of as many troops by air, submarine and on any remaining ships in the harbour as is possible.

The PM has been made aware of the likelihood of the fall of Singapore and may face a vote in the House on his return from Washington.

India/ Ceylon

Additional forces are being despatched to the Indian sub continent to facilitate resistance in the event of an invasion.

5th Indian Divison (3 Bdes)
2nd UK Division (3 Bdes)

Hopefully 2 Independent Infantry Bdes and the 7th Armoured Bde from the desert will also follow shortly.

The shortage of shipping will unfortunately result in these formations arriving over the next few months but with the critical requirement of getting the 1st Australian Corps home this cannot be helped.

We are trying to identify additional fighter and bomber squadrons to despatch in theatre, however this may be compromised by a promise made by the PM to Stalin for the diversion of 10 squadrons to the Russian Front.

I am seeking clarity as if this promise has been made it will severely curtail additional aircraft reinforcements available for India as we have already stripped the Middle East.

Air Marshall Portal is concerned that the range of the Hurricanes is not sufficient to escort bombers on raids in Burma. He will be speaking with General Arnold re the possibility of diverting the 24th Fighter Group and its Warhawks from the Phillipines to India if they are deemed unsustainable in Clark Field.

An update on the PI situation would be much appreciated as our information is sketchy at present.

Ceylon

I will try to get a British Bde to reinforce Ceylon but it will take time.

Not much else can be done at present.

I would ask that at least one squadron of search aircraft be based there. I believe the Canadians are sending a Catalina Squadron to the area I would suggest that squadron.

Escort Squadron

Thank you I will pass on the information to Admiral Pound. I believe he is trying to find at least one CA to act as close escort for the convoy and it should be available in the Bay of Bengal following the arrival of the convoy all going well.

Intelligence is working hard and is co ordinating with the US Naval Intelligence to try and ascertain the location of Japanese Carriers.

Our main concern is that a drive on Java could potentially allow Japanese Carriers to operate in the Western Indian Ocean. We are watching these developments with great care.

Regards

Alan Brooke

[Raverdave]

From: John Downer

Principle secretary to the Prime Minister

Department of the Prime Minister. Canberra.



Mr Thayne

Well the war cabinet has wound up it's somewhat long meeting and I can now forward what has been arrived at.

The cabinet has reached a decision that the life-line to the US takes the same and equal importance as to the defence of Australia itself, and to this end it has been agreed that all possible help must be given to keeping open the Sea Lines Of Communications. This effort is to run concurrently with the strengthening of Darwin and Port Moresby. It is understood that we are in effect dividing ourselves to possibly being conquered but there are times in war when a risk has to be taken and for us that time has arrived.

On the subject of the 9th Division it has been agreed to set aside the recall of this unit for at least the next six months when the situation will be fully reviewed, however any Japanese incursions upon the Australian mainland will force the war cabinet to review this.

The Royal Australian Artillery unit (Coastal defence) is to be moved to Darwin, it is felt that the load must be equally shared amongst all the capitol cities, regardless of the risk, Sydney is still well defended even with the removal of this unit. It is now simply a question of moving the said unit via sea or over land.

What remains of any Dutch unit is welcomed to be based anywhere in Australia that they can be supported, however the Dutch government must agree that these units maybe asked, indeed even pressed into service where ever it is felt that they maybe of use within Australia. Perth and Adelaide are somewhat more suited for war weary units than Alice Springs.

All ports with the ability are in readiness to respond to what ever repairs are required by any allied ship, but we are having a spot of trouble with the unions in the matter of shifts, so expect a few hic-ups in this area.

Please relay our thanks to Secretary Stimson for the additional fighter groups that are on the way, this is a huge fillip to a government that has little in the way of support from other quarters in recent times.

Sincerely

John Downer

[okonumiyaki]

To Secretary Payne,

Friend. I was given your details by a comrade from Yenan.

As the Americans are known as the friends of Liberty everywhere, we wish it to be known that the People of Indonesia wish for nothing more, or less, then the removal of the hated Dutch colonists from our lands. However, we will not actively help the Japanese, as we do not trust their intentions, certainly in China they have shown their true colours.

We will attempt to keep communication open with you, as we are sure that once the DEI has been taken from the Dutch, we will have interests in common

Bung Sujipto, Secretary. PKI (Partai Kommunis Indonesia)

[Thayne]

Greetings

My honorable opponent decided to obey his boss's request that he take a business trip, so I have no moves to report tonight.

I thought I would stop by for a few casual comments.

I want to say that I appreciate every hit I get on this AAR. I also appreciate the kind words spoken about this AAR elsewhere, and those who place it on their list of favorites. If not for you readers, this whole project is a waste of effort.

I also want to thank my fellow contributors. You add a depth to this AAR that would otherwise be lacking. I had intended at the start to base my moves in part on my understanding of the political pressures. You make it a lot easier for me to do so. You should be able to notice that some of the events in this AAR are directly related to your input.

I also like the fact that this input makes the AAR more about people, and less about electronic counters on an electronic hex grid.

If anybody has any suggestions for improvement, I am more than happy to entertain them.

Have a pleasant evening (or morning, or day, or night, or whatever it is in your part of the world).

Thayne

[benway9]

i have to say that i find this the most entertaining AAR running. kudos to you Thayne. i have been reading your stuff since your previous effort. i like the style you use. strangely enough, it makes my immersion into my own games easier.

keep up the good work

benway

[Thayne]

My partner is still out taking care of business-related business.

So, I decided that I would provide you with a bit of insight concerning Thayne -- the character in the AAR, not me.

If you are one of the other contributors to this AAR, you might find this particularly valuable.

If not, it may be entertaining.

Enjoy.

Thayne


***********************************

There is no shade on Canton Island that man did not create. Even the few palm trees were imported, planted by a shipping company that had leased, and then abandoned the island.

Ethan Lynde -- "Thayne" to all who knew him -- found his shade under the wing of a PBY named "Lesley." His pilot, Frank Martin, had parked the plane at the end of the pier, facing into the lagoon to allow for a quick escape in case of attack. This put the wing of the PBY over the end of the pier.

"Thayne" was not the only pseudonym that the man used. His last name also hid his identity. Normally, his name would have been spelled "Lin" in English, but he adopted the Scottish spelling to avoid questions that would have otherwise caused problems.

"Lin" was the name that his grandmother had brought across the Pacific in 1850. This was the time of the great gold rush, and Chinese by the boatload saw as much opportunity in the new world as Europeans.

At the time she made the journey, Thayne's grandmother was not yet out of her teens. Mike Fitzroy, the owner of the Orient Steamer that her family booked passage on, found her quite attractive. By the time they reached America, he had negotiated with her grandfather to have her sign on as a part of his crew. She would become his personal servant, and translate for him in business dealings back in China.

Once in San Francisco, he set the rest of the family up with jobs and a place to live, then loaded up with supplies and started back to China. He did not like his new young servant's Chinese name, so he took to calling her Princess. In time, nobody remembered her by any other name.

Princess learned English quickly, and started her service as Fitzroy's translator immeidately after arriving in China. Also, during the trip, she had become his lover, and bore him a child before her first year of service was through.

Fitzroy did not want to publicly acknowledge the child as his own, and refused to give the boy a name, except to insist that the boy be called William. That also happened to be the name of Fitzroy's father, who had served as a naval officer in the War of 1812.

Trade during the Civil War years made Fitzroy wealthy, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad gave him a wealth of new markets for his Chinese imports.

As William grew older, he began to take over many of his mother's responsibilities. He proved to be easy to like, and a shrewd negotiator. Fitzroy was soon letting young William negotiate deals on both sides of the Pacific. He also made arrangements for William to marry into one of the most politically influential families in California. At the wedding, Fitzroy gave William a substantial portion of the Fitzroy Shipping Company. Many suspected that it was the easiest way for Fitzroy to arrange for William to inherit the company without formally mentioning him in a will.

Ethan was born into a world that had one foot firmly planted in the shipping business, and the other in politics. William still traveled to the orient arranging business deals for Fitzroy Shipping. His stops included Russia, Japan, and the European colonies, as well as China. He took Ethan with him and introduced the boy to influential people throughout the Pacific Ocean.

When Ethan was old enough to go to college, William made the arrangements to get him into Harvard. In the process, he changed the spelling of Ethan's last name. Ethan was, after all, only one-quarter Chinese, and it did not seem fitting to burden him with a foreign name. On the application, Ethan Lin became Ethan Lynde. His college friends shortened his name to Thayne.

Thayne graduated from college in 1905. Shortly after that, Japan attacked Russia. When Japan and Russia accepted Theodore Roosevelt's offer to negotiate a settlement, the state department scrambled to find people who could handle the job. Young and likeable Ethan Lynde, with business associates and powerful family friends in nearly every port on the Pacific, was quickly added to the delegation.

State department officials were more than pleased with Thayne's work. Though he was young, he soon moved from negotiating peace between Russia and Japan, to negotiating trade agreements between the United States and all of the Far Eastern countries.

The Great Depression brought a sudden drop in America's interest in trade and gave rise to a new interest in the Pacific. Japan signaled its intent on expansion by taking over Manchuria in 1931. From that moment on, Japan focused on becoming as powerful as possible, and the United States adopted a single-minded determination to make sure that did not happen. Thayne stood in a world between them.

At the age of 61, Thayne's graying hair had taken away the last remnants of oriental appearance. He stood shorter than most men, and had a darker complexion, but that could easily be taken to be signs of a Mexican or Mediterranean heritage, or Native American.


Radio operator Lieutenant Joe Hammond stepped out of the PBY and offered Thayne a dispatch. Thayne read it, and smiled.

"Good news?" asked Hammond.

"What do you think?" Thayne asked.

"I suppose, if the Aussies don't press for the 9th Division for six months, that takes some of the pressure off."

"The Aussies are not going to give us six months," said Thayne, handing the paper back. "The instant the Dutch army surrenders on Java, or Japan lands troops at Port Moresby, Curtin will call the 9th Division back to Australia, and there will be no talking him out of it. That won't take six months."

Hammond gave a sympathetic sigh.

"He might even be playing games with us," Thayne added. "If we forget about the 9th Division, then it will be available for Curtin to call on when one of those two events happens -- unless we can extract from him a promise to leave it in Africa no matter what happens in Australia before then."

The radio operator was about the only person Thayne could talk to. He had two guards who flew around with him, whose duty was to guard the plane more than to guard him. His pilot and copilot and their navigator were responsible for flying the plane, and knew nothing about the messages that its passenger sent and received. Hammond knew everything.

Yet, the message did take away some of Thayne's pressure. If Curtin was no longer threatening to call the division home immediately, Thayne did not need to devote his energy to preventing it. Thayne, too, had been given until the fall of Java or an attack on Port Moresby -- rather than the end of the week -- to arrange a peaceful settlement.

He stood up from his typing, stretched, and looked out across the island that surrounded him. Parked within the calm lagoon of the atoll, he could not look any direction without seeing land, except for a few small gaps in the atoll off to the west.

He put on his hat, buttoned up his shirt, and straightened his tie. He then reached into the plane and took his coat off of a hanger and put it on.

Hammond watched, shaking his head. Thayne put a great deal of stock in appearances and first impressions. Whenever he appeared in public, he was as well dressed as the opportunity allowed, regardless of how uncomfortable it made him. Even his shoes were polished.

Thayne headed off down the pier. Without a word, one of his guards stepped up behind him, following by a few paces, firearm at the ready.

On his way to shore, Thayne passed another PBY. A mechanic stood on the wing, wrestling with a stubborn bolt inside of an exposed engine. He and his partner were replacing the spark plugs and performing other routine maintenance. Most of the PBYs stationed at the island were out looking for a Japanese fleet. Each day, one or two stayed behind for maintenance.

The mechanics laid each part they took off the plane on a canvas in a simple array. Each part would go back in reverse order, and nothing would get lost. Thayne nodded a polite greeting as he walked by, but did not distract them with conversation. Thayne stepped carefully past them, and continued on to shore.

Where the pier met the coral sand, Thayne stepped between a pair of 40mm AA guns placed to protect the seaplanes. A three-man crew worked at each gun to grow the sandbag walls around it. He gave those who looked at him a friendly smile, and paused. He knew that they would think of the well-dressed man on this remote island to be odd, and perhaps eccentric, so he stopped for a moment.

One of the soldiers noticed, and snapped to attention with a salute.

"You don't have to salute him," said a companion. "He's a civilian."

Sheepishly, the young soldier let his hand fall.

"I appreciate the sentiment," said Thayne. "But it is I who should be saluting you. Don't think for a moment that I don't know the sacrifice you boys made to be here." He put his hands in his pockets, and acted as if he found something unexpected there. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, then offered them to the least friendly looking soldier in the crew. "Do you want these? I don't smoke."

The soldier said "yes" with a wide smile, and took the gift. Thayne tipped his hat to the soldiers, and continued up the beach.

He avoided the buildings of the Pan Am complex. In the mid day heat, the buildings would be turning into ovens. Instead, he headed over to the mess tent. It stood with its sides rolled up to let the breeze pass through. Unfortunately, that breeze had crossed a thousand miles of ocean to reach the island, and could not possibly hold another drop of water. Sweat collected on the bodies of the soldiers gathered there and rolled off of them.

He passed a soldier laying on a makeshift bench reading a paperback book. After catching the soldier's attention, he tipped the book back a bit to get a look at the cover. THE VESPER SERVICE MURDERS.

"You're into spy stories?" Thayne asked.

"It's not a spy story. It's a murder mystery," the soldier answered.

Thayne looked at the title again. "I'm thinking about the later books. I think, in the next one, Hugh North starts working for G2. That's military intelligence."

"I guess," the soldier answered with a shrug. "My girl sent this to me. She said she would rather have me reading than looking for something else to do. Nobody thought I would be out here where there's nothing else to do."

"Your girl?" Thayne asked.

"Nancy," he said, putting the book down and quickly sitting up. In an instant, he had his wallet in his hand and was showing Thayne her picture.

"Nice," Thayne said. "You're lucky."

"Yeah," was all the boy could muster.

"I would take her advice," Thayne added. "She looks like she's worth it." I left him to his book. He seemed a little sadder than he was as he put his wallet away.

Thayne helped himself to some water and took a biscuit from a permanent stack of biscuits on the first table. Then he found an isolated corner of the tent and sat down, leaning back against a pole and closing his eyes.

He could hear his guard, no more than ten feet away, shifting his weight and standing ready to deal with any attacker.

While he sat, his mind raced through his memories of the communications he had received to date. Both the Australians and the English seemed to be unusually cooperative today. It made him nervous. The English were blaming Percival for inadequately preparing Malaya for the Japanese attack, rather than Thayne for mismanaging its defense. Thayne felt grateful, but wondered if he could have done more. A persistent thought had nagged him recently that, maybe, he could have gotten a cargo ship or two to the island before Japan took it, or used destroyers to take in extra supplies.

"It's too late," Thayne reminded himself. He realized suddenly that he had actually spoken the words, though not too loud. He opened his eyes. Nobody seemed to have noticed.

He caught Lieutenant Hammond coming toward him, holding a briefcase. For an instant, Thayne thought of running and hiding, but he forced himself to stay put.

Hammond took a seat across the table. Thayne dug a key out of his pocket, opened the case, and removed a single sheet of paper.

He read it through.

Then he read it again.

After looking around to see the distance of the nearest soldier, Hammond whispered, "I don't get it. We all know the Japs have an airbase at Tarawa. What does it mean that they hear radio broadcasts south of Apamama? It could just be Japanese scouts."

"Or it could be the Japanese carriers," said Thayne, tossing the paper back into the case. He took his hat off and set it on the table, than ran his hands through his sweat-soaked hair. "Or it could be that the Japanese think that we think they have left, and we are going to do something careless."

He sat up straight and looked at Hammond directly.

"It means, I think, that they're coming back."

[Raverdave]

From: John Downer

Principle secretary to the Prime Minister

Department of the Prime Minister. Canberra.


Mr Thayne.

I am writing to you to express the concerns of the PM in regards to the poor situation in Singapore. I need not remind you that we have two Brigades fighting there, in what seems by all accounts a fight that cannot be won. Now while it is understood that there is little if anything that can be done to reverse the situation or indeed to even relieve the forces there, it nust be brought to your attention just what the impact will be here on the home front if Singapore should fall.

It has also been expressed that all efforts should be made to ensure that Lark Force, NGVR and the 101st RAAF base engineer unit are removed from the current situation that they find themselves in. To that end oders have been issued to these units to move towards Gasmata to await evacuation to Port Morsby. If needs be ships from the RAN will be used to transport them.

On the good news front, the 30th Australian Brigade has all but completed there training and will soon be ready for service overseas. It is thought that they will best serve the allied interests by being used in New Guinea and to this end movement orders have been issued to the unit's commander to prepare for embarkation from Sydney. Could you please arrange for shipping to be made available for transportation?

As you will already know, your 808th Engineer Battalion is currently unloading in Brisbane. I understand that the Mayor is planning a parade through the city as well as giving the keys of the city to the 808th's commanding officer. However there is still a problem with the fact that this unit has some black other ranks and this is bound to cause us some problems so could you ensure that leave is not granted to these troops just yet? The government would prefer that the unit simply reboard the ships and head strait to Port Morsby as was oringinally requested. Are we able to make any head way on this issue?

While we are on the subject of American units in Australia I must ask the question, what ever happened to the 26th USA FA Brigade that was expected in Brisbane? Victoria Barracks reports that there is no sign of this unit enrout to Australia. Is this true? Have they been re-tasked without consultation of this government?

It also seems that the British are up to their old tricks again, this time in regards to Royal Australian ships. HMAS Nestor, HMAS Napier, HMAS Nizam and HMAS Norman were due in Australian waters within the next one to two months, however it now seems that these ships have been tasked to India. Could you please use your contacts within the British government to ensure that they are returned to Australian without any further undue delay?

The Dutch units that are currently based in Alice Springs, while welcome as there are, are placing an undue strain upon the local resources of that small township, preventing RAAF units from being based there in readiness for future operations up north. I would suggest that these units would be better serviced if they were re located to Adelaide and Perth rather than clogging up the airfield at Alice Springs.

As most of the DEI is now under air threat from the Japanese, it is doubtful that we will be able to gain any further purchases of oil from that region, therefore it is hoped that we can increase our request of oil from the US from 50,00 tons to 100,000 tons? This oil is desperately need for our local industries and will go along way in seeing us over the curret shortage that we have found ourselves in.

Once again I will repeat my opening concerns in that I still fear for what might happen should Singapore fall, well to be exact, what the PM may do if such a catastrophe should come to pass, can you please relay to your government the serious concerns that the PM has about this?

Yours Sincerely


John Downer

[Thayne]

To: General Brooke
From: Thayne

Singapore will fall within 48 hours.

This is the official estimate I have received from my staff.

Japan is already scouting future targets. Japanese scout planes have been spotted over Bankha, Padang, Palambang, Batavia, Tjilitjap, and Soerabaja.


Implications

As you noted, the loss of Singapore will end our control over the sea routes into the Indian Ocean. It is urgent that we consider how we are going to handle the disposition of our forces in India and Burma if (when) Japan gains access.

AS soon as this happens, shipping in the Indian Ocean will be in peril. This includes the use of cargo ships to deliver supplies from Karachi and Bombay to Diamond Harbor and Chadpur.

Presently, every effort is being made to move as much supply to the Calcutta region of India as quickly as we can, to build a stockpile. Our largest problem is moving these units inland, preferably to Dacca and Calcutta, where they will be less threatened by a Japanese landing in this area. The Southeast Asia Headquarters, presently at Dacca, is working on this problem, but having limited success.

In talks with General Pownall, commander of the Southeast Asia forces, we are presently considering the formation of a reserve force at Bombay, consisting of the 18th UK Division, several troop transports, plus cruisers and destroyers. In case of an attack on Ceylon, this group would be able to quickly move the 18th UK Division in as reinforcements.

Also, frighters that are presently travelling from Karachi to Diamond Harbor singly, may have to be formed into convoys once Singapore falls. Any ship at sea would be able to complete its assigned mission, but future efforts to supply Bombay by sea should take the form of a convoy under the protection of British carriers.


Japs: 13, RAF: 0

I thank you for the fighters. However, I have just received a report that has me worried that the Hurricane fighters, regardless of their merit against German air craft, may not have an advantage over a Japanese Zero. I am referring to the report of the attack on Mandalay, where just this morning, where 232 Squadron suffered the loss of 6 airplanes without inflicting a single casualty on the Japanese.

If the Hurricanes prove no better than the Buffalo, then it is safe to say that we have no air defense in India still.

Also, as you know, General Pownall took the risk of sending two squadrons of Buffalo fighters to Singapore in the hopes that the Japanese have become complacent and the airplanes could get a few kills. We noticed a few unescorted bomber strikes yesterday and sought to take advantage if the Japanese should try the same today.

The Buffalo suffered the same fate, losing 7 airplanes, again without inflicting a casualty on the Japanese. And they were not even fighting the Zero. They went up against Japanese Nate fighters.

With the loss of Singapore expected within the next 48 hours, we have once again withdrawn the two squadrons to Burma.


I cannot tell you how concerned I am that we have nothing in India that seems to be able to stand up to the Japanese airplanes.

In light of these results, I am seriously considering your request for the 24th Fighter Group presently in the Philippines. They shot down another 4 Zeros today with a loss of two of their own. However, giving the Japanese free reign in the air over the Philippines will only hasten the loss of this island.


Philippine Update

In the Philippines, the American and Philippino forces are presently involved in a pitched battle both in Manila and in the region around Clark Air Force Base to the north.

Manila is being defended by 15,000 soldiers, who are facing a Japanese force three times their number. Clark AFB is being defended by the bulk of the allied infantry in the region -- 50,000 soldiers facing a slightly larger Japanese force. While these battles continue, other units in the Philippines are busy building up a fortress on the peninsula of Bataan, where the units are determined to make their last stand.

There are still 40 serviceable airplanes in the Philippines providing air support. I mentioned above that the 24th Fighter Group continues to perform miracles. I have considered having the American Volunteer Group in China join them, but Chang Kai Shek will not stand for it.


Return of British Ships to Ceylon

Finally, I have given talks to A.P. Wavell, due to take over command of the ABDA Region on the 15th of January, about the disposition of the Java fleet. He has agreed to dispatch the following British ships to assist in escorting the Australian 7th Division from Ceylon. These are:

CLs Durban, Dragon
DDS Express, Electra, Tracian, Thanet, Tenedos, Scout

They will first arrive in Perth, Australia for fuel, then make the trip to Ceylon.

If you have not been so informed, DD Thracian suffered a fire in its engine room last week and is in need of some repair. It is still capable of participating in combat. Its speed has been slightly impaired by the damage and there is fear of the situation only getting worse until repairs can be affected.


Again, my principle concern is that we do an effective fighter in India to deal with the threat of the Japanese Zero. I am wondering if there is any chance that we could try out some of your Spitfires in this capacity.


Until later.

Thayne

[Herrbear]

I love your background on Thayne. It really brings him alive.

[Thayne]

[font="Courier New"]Tuesday, January 13, 1942

Henry:

Summary

• The Royal Air Force got itself royally mauled, losing 7x Buffalo and 6x Hurricane fighters without bagging a single Japanese airplane. Details in Brooke letter.

• G2 has lost the Japanese carriers. Their best guess is that they are near Makin Island in the Gilberts.

• Bombardment missions against Rangoon being cancelled due to high casualties.


India: Slaughter of British Fighters

You will find attached (above) a letter to General Brooke describing the situation in India, including the loss of 13 British fighters to 0 Japanese fighters today. That letter also discusses the situation in the Philippines.


Japanese Carriers Missing

G2 tells me that they truly have lost track of the Japanese carrier force. We have put up an alert that they may appear anywhere – that we can expect a Japanese raid on any port in the South Pacific at any moment.

If I were to offer a guess as to where they are, at this point I would say northeast of Makin Island in the Gilberts, heading toward Johnson Island. Unfortunately, this is where we have three of our carriers, preparing for the operation to occupy Baker Island.

I am wondering if it is possible that Japan knows where these carriers are and intends to destroy them there. I wish that the Japanese would go to India and leave us alone over here for a couple of months.


Nimitz

If Admiral Nimitz ever asks for permission to speak freely, say, “No.”. All day today he has been speaking freely. And, to be honest, he did not even ask.

He dislikes the fact that I have consistently demanded that he hold his fleets back. He is anxious to take the action to the Japanese. Plus, he has Halsey shouting in his ear, and Halsey, it seems, is furious about the fact that we have not yet sent our carriers to bomb Tokyo. I worry that he is a bit reckless.

I am going to continue to insist that we hold our fleets in reserve until we know more about the disposition of the Japanese forces. There will come a time to risk our carriers, but it will be at a time and place when they have an opportunity to inflict even greater damage to the Japanese.

We have a double-shift of planes on search patrol out of both Johnson Island and Palmyra to cover this approach, looking for signs of the Japanese carriers. If we find them, my orders will continue to be to preserve the carrier force for future operations.

We reached a compromise of sorts. There is a cruiser convoy bringing supplies that had been detoured away then the Japanese carriers showed up. I told Nimitz to land the supplies, and to bring in a transport ship. These people do need fuel, ammunition, and better food than we have been getting. However, I stressed to him again that he is to keep all carriers and troop transports a safe distance until we know more about where the Japanese carriers are.

He wants to attack. And, honestly, I would like to support him.

Between us, we are working out a compromise. We have agreed that we have to agree to something by tomorrow night.


Rangoon

I received a communication from General Pownall a short while ago specifying that he intends to end the air campaign against Rangoon. The losses have been excessive.

This did not make it into my letter to General Brooke, but I suspect that Pownell himself will inform his superiors of this.

The bombers will instead be prepared to act against the Japanese infantry if it should decide to head north. We agree that it is vital to the future security of India that we not allow Japan to block the movement of nine Chinese “divisions” presently en route to Myitkyina, Burma.

According to our estimates, the first of these Chinese “divisions” will reach Myitkyina on or about February 1st.

If Japan starts to move north out of Rangoon, the bombers in India will immediately go to work attacking these formations as they march up the few roads in Burma, blowing bridges, and interdicting supplies and reinforcements.

If the Japanese decide to stay in Rangoon and move no further north, then, as soon as the Chinese units have reached their destination, we will once again set up air strikes against Rangoon.


Later

Thayne[/font]

[Thayne]

[font="Courier New"]Wednesday, January 14, 1942

Henry:

Summary

• I had an ‘intense discussion’ with Nimitz today. I fear he may resign.

• Manila, Philippines no in Japanese hands

• Japanese submarine destroyed at Lihu


Nimitz

I had my promised discussion with Nimitz today about the Central Pacific strategy.

Nimitz is most upset about my orders to hold the carriers back. Nimitz holds that carriers are offensive weapons and are to be used as such, and does not like them sitting in the rear.

For the record:

CV Saratoga is east of Canton Island covering the ships that contain the remnants of the 2nd USMC Division and 2nd USMC Defense Battalion.

Most of these two ground units had been unloaded onto Canton Island when the threat of Japanese carriers emerged. At that time, the task forces retreated east. They, hey have been drifting, waiting for an opportunity to finish their unloading. However, because I fear that the carriers may come back, I have not allowed these task forces to return to Canton Island.

CVs: Enterprise, Yorktown, Lexington are between Palmyra and Johnson Islands.

They were put here to cover the Baker Islands landings. The troop transports for those landings are on their way to Palmyrna. They need to drop off the 102nd USN Base Force and pick up the 115th USAAF Base Force.

I was ready to give in to Nimitz, but the intelligence I am getting is just making me nervous. Observers on Baker Island report signs of two Japanese submarines. Other sources – from radio traffic to observations from our own submarines – show a substantial Japanese air buildup in the Gilbert Islands.

I could not look at this and let Nimitz go ahead with the operation.

I compromised a little.

• Nimitz is bringing TF1020 to Canton. This is a “fast transport” task force with about 1,000 tons of supplies on the decks of a dozen ships. This island really does need supplies.

• AK Steel Voyager, a large cargo ship, is also on its way here. It’s got bombs for the B-26s that we had to send south.

For the rest of it, I’m afraid I insisted on to things from Nimitz:

• Unloading the rest of the Canton Island units on Pago Pago, and not risk moving these troops forward, except by fast transport or in small groups to avoid devastating losses.

• Unloading the Baker Island occupation force on Christmas Island.

One of Nimitz’ last words to me said, “If you want command of the Central Pacific Forces, then I will not stand in your way.” He did not formally offer his recognition, but he made it clear that he was considering it.

I would consider that a terrible loss.


Manila Falls

The 91st Philippine Army Division with support staff surrendered at Manila today. They were cut off and unable to retreat to Clark AFB. This puts the port at Manila in Japanese hands. However, they cannot use it, because we still control the fort at Corrigador, which controls the entrance to the harbor.

That’s another 15,000 allied soldiers in Japanese hands.

No doubt, the 40,000 Japanese soldiers who participated in this attack will now join their comrades at Clark AFB, which will speed up the deterioration of the situation there.


Japanese Submarine Sunk at Lihu

Seaplane tender AVD McFarland, stationed at Lihu – about 100 miles west of Oahu – had a sonar target while patrolling the waters around the island yesterday. Nimitz formed up an ASW task force to have a look. They found a submarine, and proceeded to sink it. This is a confirmed sinking – the crews of the destroyers found enough debris and oil to be confident that the ship had been destroyed.


Wavell takes command of ABDA tomorrow

This is just a reminder that General Wavell takes command of ABDA region tomorrow.

I spoke with him, focusing ultimately on the inevitable fall of Singapore. Wavell tells me that, if Singapore falls, Java will not be far behind. Japan’s next target after Singapore will be Sumatra, which he cannot defend. From Sumatra, Japan will have air cover necessary for landings in western Java. If we assume that even half of the 150,000 soldiers and 200 airplanes used in Malaya are dispatched to Java, he reports that he will not be able to hold the island for more than a month.


This is turning out to be a very bad week for us.

Thayne

[/font]

[Thayne]

[font="Courier New"]Thursday, January 15, 1942

Henry:

Jap carriers are back

G2 reports that the Japanese carriers are once again just off of Baker Island, northwest of here.

I called Nimitz to discuss how we are going to deal with this. I made sure not to gloat. I told him that there was a lot of luck in war, and I happened to win the coin toss. I could just as easily lose the next.

Anyway, it looks like he is not going to offer to resign. That’s good news.


Prepare for Attack

Supplies

In terms of supplies, we are better off than we have been. TF1200 showed up last night carrying 1,000 tons of supplies. They parked off shore. All night long, smaller boats ran the supplies to shore. Shortly after dawn, the convoy left.

This was before we knew the Japanese were coming. But, I had my suspicions, so I had them hurry.

This afternoon, AK Steel Voyager showed up. It will take days to unload the 5,000 tons of cargo that it has in its hold. I gave in to Nimitz on this. I wanted to send the ship away where it was safe. Nimitz said that we can get at least 500 tons of cargo off the ship before the Japs attacked.

Nimitz stressed that we were taking a gamble. We could run every time the Japanese showed up, or we could take a bit of a risk. Sometimes, we will lose. But, sometimes, we will have a shipload of cargo unloaded someplace which otherwise would have been starving for supplies.

So, we have one cargo ship sitting at each of 9 different islands in this area right now; Midway, Johnson, Palmyra, Christmas, Canton, Upolu. Pago-Pago, Tongatapu, and Suva. Some of those transports may get sunk. Elsewhere, the island will have thousands of tons of combat supplies it would not have otherwise had.

I had Major Jensen, the local Marine commander, have his men work on building a makeshift pier where the beech dropped off fairly quickly. Then, at low tide, I ordered Captain Portune to take AK Steel Voyager away from the docks and ground it near that pier. He did not like it, so I took command of the ship.

I do know how to pilot a freighter.

If Japan is going to attack that ship, I did not want it sinking at the docks. By grounding it at low tide, as we take the rest of the cargo off, we should be able to sail the ship again at high tide. In the mean time, the ship can not sink (though it can certainly burn to the waterline), and we can continue to unload it.

We used the ship’s cranes to lift the drums of airplane fuel and set them in the water, where the Marines rolled them up onto the beech. We used some of them as pylons to grow the pier, where we set additional palates that was the start of bucket brigades for the rest of the supplies.

As the tide rose, we had to keep tearing the palates down and rebuilding them. A few times, a drum palate would self distruct when the weight on the palates could not longer hold the fuel drums down. I think we have a dozen men in the infirmary. One of them lost a leg when a palate of 500lb bombs broke loose. He was lucky, I assure you.

We ended up dumping a lot of stuff into the ocean. A lot of it, we just picked up, hauled to shore, and set it out to dry. Some of it, we are leaving in the ocean for now. If the salt water won’t hurt it for a day, we can haul it out tomorrow night -- provided that there are no thunderstorms, and the tide does not push it around too much.

As I write this, marines are still out there working, for the second night in a row. The pilots and AA gunners, however, are working on a good night’s sleep.

Come morning, I am sending Captain Martin and Lesley to Pago-Pago without me. Major Jensen is saving a nice spot in a bunker the Marines have near the Pan-Am complex for me. They have promised not to let me get captured, though I am not expecting an invasion – at least not here.

The Japanese may be thinking of invading Baker Island, which is fine. New Zealand has some Hudsons at Fiji that we can transfer up here, and we can bring back the B-17s of the 5th Bomber Group from Noumea. Both of them can reach Baker Island from here. It would be nice to have Japan within bombing distance.


Fighters

We also compromised wit Nimitz on CV Saratoga. I sent the ship southeast, away from the Japanese. But, while it was still in range, Nimitz ordered its fighters here. This afternoon, we added 25x F4F Wildcats to our 40x P-40 Tomahawks.

If Japan does attack, maybe we can hurt them.

We lost one Wildcat on landing. We have no idea what went wrong. The plane came in, bounced hard, went back up into the air, winged over, and crashed. The pilot was dead on impact. The explosion blew apart a second Wildcat as well. We were supposed to have 27x Wildcats. We ended up with 25 planes that could still fly.

My major worry is that replacement Tomahawks are scarce. Most of what we do have are being sent to the AVG in China, or used on the West Coast.

I would seriously recommend upgrading the 55th Fighter Group in Seattle to Warhawks, and shipping the Tomahawks they use here on Canton Island.


China: Attack on Kweilin

Japan has moved its massive infantry to Kweilin, China. I think that China’s objective is still to secure the railroad, and it will not be pursuing these units into the interior of China. The bad news is that there is still a dozen damaged P-40 Tomahawks on the runways there. We have been trying to get them in shape to fly, but the Chinese mechanics simply are not familiar enough with our hardware.

Chang Kai Shek has ordered the AVG into action to defend Kweilin. In the mean time, Chinese fighters will be defending the AVG’s home base at Kweiyang.

Before I go to bed tonight, I still have to get a letter off to secretary Downer. All of my records are with Lesley, in case somebody needs to continue on where I have left off.

Until tomorrow.

Thayne[/font]

[Thayne]

[font="Courier New"]January 15, 1942

From: Thayne

Assistant Secretary of War for the Pacific Theater


Mr. Downer

It is still my contention that questions such as the disposition of the 808th Engineer Battalion should be answered by the commander of a newly formed Southwest Pacific theater of operations, as I mentioned earlier.

In my discussions with the President of the United States and the Secretary of War, we are of the opinion that it is important, for public relations reasons, that Australia ask for, rather than have America be seen as imposing, a leader for these operations.

It is my personal opinion that this not be a mere formality, where we secretly whisper in your ear the name of the commander. Whoever leads the forces in the Southwest Pacific (include Australia, New Buinea, the Bismarck Archipellago, and the Solomon Islands) must be somebody that you sincerely believe is best suited for the task.

Furthermore, prudence recommends (though we certainly will not require) that the officer be an American. Political realities are such that an American commander will have more luck securing an increasing number of American troops, American supplies, and American money, than a foreign commander.

The American officers who would be available for that command include:


Douglas McArthur

This would be an extremely awkward choice since I relieved him of command in the Philippines shortly after the start of the war. However, I understand that he has some popularity in Australia. Furthermore, he still has a great deal of political power in the United States.

Since his dismissal, he has taken every opportunity available to him (and invented a few that were not) to to criticize and condemn every decision I have made. No doubt, he thinks that he is more fit for this job than I am. Furthermore, he believes that there is nothing more important than to take an aggressive stand against Japan, with an attack north from Australia to the Philippines, then on to Japan.


Major General C.F. Thompson

Presently commanding forces in the Philippines. Unlike McArthur, who managed to get the bulk of the Allied air power destroyed in less than 24 hours, Thompson has managed to hold an effective air force together for nearly 6 weeks with no spare parts or reinforcements. It is my opinion that he has held the army together in the Philippines as well as can be expected under the circumstances, given the shortage of supplies and other adverse conditions he must deal with.


Major General L. H. Brereton

He has commanded the air arm under McArthur. I have not had many dealings with him, but I do hear that he enjoys making plans. This has annoyed General Marshall here, who once sent a message to Brereton stating, "We need actions, not plans." However, there is a difference of opinion on this matter. Actions without plans are reckless, and can lead to a great deal of unpleasantness.

One important factor relevant to Mr. Brereton's choice is his familiarity with air combat, and air power is showing itself to have a significant influence in this war. From Pearl Harbor, to the sinking of the Repulse and Houston, the air arm has influenced this war so far more than any other factor.


Lieutenant General G. H. Brett

You will soon be meeting General Brett, whether we name him as commander of allied forces in the Southwest Pacific or not. He has recently been promoted, and named the commander of all American forces in Australia. He is presently directly responsible for units such as the 808th Engineer Battalion. Like Brereton, he has familiarity with the air arm as well, having recently served two years as the Acting Chief of Air Corps.


The choice ultimately is yours, and is not to be considered limited to the names on this list.

It is, I believe, that this issue be settled in all haste so that we can get on with the business of fighting the Japanese.


Sincerely,

Thayne[/font]

[Andy Mac]

To: Secretary Thayne
From: Alan Brooke (CIGS)

Thank you for the comprehensive update in your last note.

I agree with your assessment of the strategic position Singapore will fall within the next day or two at most. Orders have been issued that a demolition programme is to be set and utilised when it is apparent that resistance is futile.

The loss of Singapore and Rangoon will leave a void which we will be unable to fill which will leave the rest of the DEI and Indian coast exposed.

Regarding India I am not going to second guess you and General Wavell from London but I would strongly suggest concentrating the mobile reserves of 3 Corps in the Bangalore/ Hyderabad area where they can cover Madras and Bombay.

I will try to arrange for a second Corps HQ to assemble to take over responsibility for Calcutta/ Chandpur until such time as this HQ becomes operational SEAC will have to perform double duty.

I have written to General Wavell in general his appreciation matches yours. Sumatra and Java are not capable of being defended in the long terms without massive reinforcement. I believe he will be basing himself on Java in order to more closely monitor the situation in order to assess the battle as it progresses

Re Spitfires

There are physically no Spitfires that can be transferred to India we have less than three active Spitfire squadrons in the Middle East and will therefore need to send some from the UK.

A convoy left Liverpool two days ago with 100 Spitfire Vb’s crated up with spare parts. They will need to take the route via South Africa as the Med is effectively closed at present. I estimate two months for the aircraft to arrive in India. With the short endurance of these fighters no other route than by sea is possible.

On a general note the US entry to the war while welcome from a British point of view has played havoc with our US orders. We have already been informed by the PM from Washington that Tomahawk and Liberator deliveries scheduled from US factories are being diverted to front line US squadrons. As a result the planned upgrade of several Hurricane squadrons to Tomahawks has been postponed.

While the Hurricane is our best fighter in theatre I am informed by the Air Ministry that the variants in use in India are Ground Attack variants and not air superiority fighters hence the disappointing early results. Efforts are being made to re convert squadrons back to air superioirity variants of these aircraft.

Regards

General Alan Brooke