[font="Times New Roman"]18 December 1941[/font]
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Thanks to all who advocated and gave great advice for landing at Palembang by December 15th. You were correct, (PH)! The Palembang Gambit is on.
subs: I-20 misses CA Portland with 6 at Wake. Anger.
DEI: What every Japanese player fears is realized. There are 1180 troops and 12 units at Palembang. Worse, several APs are in the port, obviously unloading more higher quality troops.
It's ironic that while I've espoused elsewhere that this is a gambit, and does have possible counters, I now get to test my theories. I like the challenge. It will be tougher without the KB, but as Q-Ball pointed out, there may be a period in the spring of 42 when the KB will again be strong enough to take on US CVs.
To land by the 15th would have been hazardous to say the least with the amount of naval forces in the area. He has committed the entire British fleet here, plus all of the US and Dutch as well. Nothing is in the E DEI. It's wide open, currently. To land now will require more troops than I can protect without first challenging surface forces in the area. Feints will be required, but the process will not be quick.
Currently I am sending a SCTF to just outside Kuching to protect that base and try to interdict further runs at Singkawang. Several fast DD TFs will be sent out to raid at Palembang. The Nells now at Miri and Kuching, plus the few Mavis I could scrape up should give a much better idea of the movement of forces during the coming days, and hopefully will also help the subs find targets. The HQ here should be torpedo capable in a few days, which may provide a surprise or two.
The vacancy of the E DEI also makes us gear up there and I'd like to get to the Celebes, Tarakan and possibly Balikpapan soon.
Repulse visits Singkawang again. This must be putting some accumulative damage on all of these ships, coming in fast every other day.
He looks to be using Singapore port to dock some of these ships. I will make an attempt with the IJAAF Sallys, just now in position, to hit the port tomorrow. The air force seems to be all at Kuala Lumpur and at Palembang.
Today Jesselton was taken. Also, there was one small combat near Jolo in the night. Nice to get rid of this small yet surprising old battlewagon.
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Night Time Surface Combat, near Tawi Tawi at 72,91, Range 2,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CA Maya
CA Ashigara
CL Kuma
DD Asakaze
DD Matsukaze
Allied Ships
AM Abraham Crijnssen, Shell hits 8, and is sunk
AM Eland Dubois, Shell hits 23, and is sunk
PG Soerabaja, Shell hits 54, and is sunk
Reduced sighting due to 0% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions and 0% moonlight: 3,000 yards
Range closes to 10,000 yards...
Range closes to 8,000 yards...
Range closes to 6,000 yards...
Range closes to 4,000 yards...
Range closes to 2,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 2,000 yards
Japanese launch Long Lance torpedoes at 2,000 yards before allies detect Japanese presence
CA Ashigara launches Long Lance Torpedoes at AM Abraham Crijnssen at 2,000 yards
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China: Troops between Wuchang and Kuikiang were cleared away easily. One division will stay here to support Kiukiang and Nanchang while the others move back to Wuchang.
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Ground combat at 85,52 (near Wuchang)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 36278 troops, 328 guns, 94 vehicles, Assault Value = 1266
Defending force 11696 troops, 81 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 367
Japanese adjusted assault: 835
Allied adjusted defense: 89
Japanese assault odds: 9 to 1
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), fatigue(-), experience(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
209 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 20 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Allied ground losses:
5917 casualties reported
Squads: 83 destroyed, 138 disabled
Non Combat: 84 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 9 destroyed, 7 disabled
Guns lost 19 (19 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 2
Defeated Allied Units Retreating!
Assaulting units:
13th Tank Regiment
3rd Division
6th Division
40th Division
Defending units:
37th Chinese Corps
58th Chinese Corps
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At Kweiteh the 35th division took the base and will now move to support Sinyang.
At that base today the troops held on! A DA lowered forts to 2, but the attack only got a 1:1. Tomorrow for sure our division should reach the base, although the Chinese have one unit reinforcing as well. The next to move there is a regiment about a week away, then tanks shortly after.
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Ground combat at Sinyang (86,48)
Allied Deliberate attack
Attacking force 50167 troops, 275 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1600
Defending force 7707 troops, 74 guns, 13 vehicles, Assault Value = 236
Allied adjusted assault: 702
Japanese adjusted defense: 429
Allied assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 3)
Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 2
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
682 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 29 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Allied ground losses:
666 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 48 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 17 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Assaulting units:
90th Chinese Corps
92nd Chinese Corps
41st Chinese Corps
12th Chinese Corps
29th Chinese Corps
85th Chinese Corps
48th Chinese Corps
7th New Chinese Corps
3rd Group Army
2nd Group Army
31st Group Army
Defending units:
12th RGC Temp. Division
1st Ind.Mixed Brigade
18th RGC Temp. Division
52nd Road Const Co
67th JAAF AF Coy
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PI: Surigao was invaded and Cagayan bombarded. No planes using it, but still good to put a hit on to reduce the possibility.
Sweeps found no planes in the air over Manila. That was expected, but our bombers didn't fly, which is frustrating. They are in a base with an HQ as well. Maybe tomorrow. I give the zeros another week here, then they are needed elsewhere.
Pacific: Nells went for ships at Wake to no avail. The SCTF is heading in.
At Guam forts were lowered to 1 in a 1:1 attack. A Shock Attack will go tomorrow. If that doesn't work, an SNLF will be moved in.
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