Part two: July 22- 25
On July 22 Japanese troops start invading Dili with the support of a bombardment TF.
Kb is now south of Timor and NW of Darwin.
Day Air attack on Darwin , at 36,84
Japanese aircraft
D3A Val x 108
B5N Kate x 137
Allied aircraft
Wirraway x 1
P-39D Airacobra x 1
P-40E Warhawk x 1
Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val: 21 destroyed, 24 damaged
B5N Kate: 4 destroyed, 32 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Wirraway: 3 destroyed, 5 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 7 destroyed, 37 damaged
B-25C Mitchell: 4 destroyed, 8 damaged
A-20B Boston: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged
P-36A Mohawk: 7 destroyed, 9 damaged
CW-21B Demon: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged
Beaufort V-IX: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged
SBD Dauntless: 1 destroyed, 8 damaged
Allied Ships
DD Van Ghent, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
SS S-39, Bomb hits 1, on fire
SS Sculpin, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
SS S-35, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
SS Swordfish, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
SS Sailfish, Bomb hits 2, on fire
SS Snapper, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
SS Tambor, Bomb hits 1, on fire
SS Searaven, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
APD McKean, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
SS Sargo, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AS Otus, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
SS Stingray, Bomb hits 1, on fire
SS O21, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
SS Plunger, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
SS Seal, Bomb hits 1, on fire
SS S-47, Bomb hits 1, on fire
SS O19, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
SS Silversides, Bomb hits 1, on fire
Allied ground losses:
35 casualties reported
Airbase hits 10
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 55
Port hits 8
Port fuel hits 1
Port supply hits 1
Another ship is found near Darwin:
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 79
D3A Val x 15
B5N Kate x 21
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
AK Sarangami, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
On July 23 more troops are unloading at Dili and the Allied planes score a hit on BB Nagato that was part of the escort TF:
Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 3
F4F-4 Wildcat x 3
Kittyhawk I x 3
Beaufort V-IX x 6
Allied aircraft losses
Beaufort V-IX: 6 damaged
Japanese Ships
BB Nagato, Torpedo hits 1
KB is moving west and send the planes to Koepang:
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 71
D3A Val x 120
B5N Kate x 131
Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 6
F4F-4 Wildcat x 7
Hurricane II x 8
Kittyhawk I x 8
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 22 destroyed, 1 damaged
D3A Val: 8 destroyed, 10 damaged
B5N Kate: 14 destroyed, 2 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
F4F-3 Wildcat: 17 destroyed, 4 damaged
F4F-4 Wildcat: 18 destroyed, 11 damaged
Hurricane II: 23 destroyed, 10 damaged
Kittyhawk I: 21 destroyed, 6 damaged
Beaufort V-IX: 3 destroyed, 8 damaged
Allied ground losses:
80 casualties reported
Airbase hits 21
Airbase supply hits 10
Runway hits 95
Now also Koepang base is closed.
Another attack agaist Koepang on July 24:
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 28
D3A Val x 107
B5N Kate x 148
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 2
Kittyhawk I x 3
Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val: 2 destroyed, 6 damaged
B5N Kate: 16 destroyed, 8 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 9 destroyed, 21 damaged
Kittyhawk I: 21 destroyed, 15 damaged
F4F-3 Wildcat: 15 destroyed, 9 damaged
Beaufort V-IX: 6 destroyed, 5 damaged
Hurricane II: 6 destroyed, 15 damaged
Allied ground losses:
63 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
Airbase hits 12
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 110
Allied planes are hitting the transports unloading at Dili and damage several, but on July 24 more than 18000 troops are ashore.
Last attack against Koepang from KB on July 25
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 7
D3A Val x 140
B5N Kate x 142
Allied aircraft
no flights
Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val: 11 damaged
B5N Kate: 8 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Kittyhawk I: 15 destroyed, 9 damaged
Hurricane II: 19 destroyed, 14 damaged
F4F-4 Wildcat: 17 destroyed, 23 damaged
F4F-3 Wildcat: 12 destroyed, 5 damaged
Beaufort V-IX: 1 destroyed
Allied ground losses:
45 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
Airbase hits 10
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 143
The three allied airports in Timor are closed.
On July 26 KB is heading home, but sends the planes to destroy some more targets at Koepang:
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 11
D3A Val x 75
B5N Kate x 76
Allied aircraft
no flights
Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val: 5 damaged
B5N Kate: 2 destroyed, 5 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Beaufort V-IX: 1 destroyed
Kittyhawk I: 9 destroyed, 6 damaged
Hurricane II: 13 destroyed, 17 damaged
F4F-4 Wildcat: 9 destroyed, 10 damaged
F4F-3 Wildcat: 3 destroyed, 11 damaged
Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 76
and
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
D3A Val x 63
B5N Kate x 66
Allied aircraft
no flights
Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val: 2 destroyed, 13 damaged
B5N Kate: 5 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
F4F-3 Wildcat: 7 destroyed, 9 damaged
Hurricane II: 5 destroyed, 3 damaged
Kittyhawk I: 5 destroyed, 3 damaged
F4F-4 Wildcat: 12 destroyed, 7 damaged
Allied ground losses:
39 casualties reported
Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 63
On the same day Japanese troops start landing on Aru Is under heavy allied air attacks.
The LCAs from Kendari and Maumere keep bombing the fields on Timor and maintaining them closed.
In the following days Dili was captured and the first Japanese base on Timor will be soon ready for operations.
