1941 December 13
A wild turn - I only have the replay so I don't know how much damage was done to CL Marblehead CA Houston by aerial torpedoes, nor many other details. A powerful IJN battleship force interdicted Force D, which would surely have found CVL Ryujo's TF. Then, however, it might not have been able to handle the IJN heavy cruiser escorts.
Amphibious landing continued or started at:
Mersing
Kuching
Brunei
Lost to the Empire:
Camiguin
Mersing
Victoria Point
Wake Island
Namatanai
San Fernando
Curiously:
"Japanese Unit(s) Wiped Out at Singkawang by attrition!!!"
Kuching saw a small victory as the attacking force stumbled badly.
Ground combat at Kuching (58,88)
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 1224 troops, 6 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 44
Defending force 1727 troops, 7 guns, 4 vehicles, Assault Value = 45
Japanese adjusted assault: 7
Allied adjusted defense: 11
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 0)
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(-), preparation(-), fatigue(-)
morale(-), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)
Japanese ground losses:
327 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 33 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Allied ground losses:
109 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Assaulting units:
I/81st Naval Guard Unit
III/81st Naval Guard Unit
Defending units:
Sarawak Force
2/15 Punjab Battalion
106th RN Base Force
The battles at sea raged on several fronts and included some victories. There were the expected summary sinkings of fleeing vessels, from the sea and both under it and above it. The Allies struck back in the same fashions against the invaders.
IJN CL/DD and DD TFs hit the USN DD TF and both the PT and MTB groups causing havoc.
That wayward invasion convoy in the Celebes evaded Force D when the escorts IJN lookouts (fed carrots and blindfolded since they were embryos) spotted the Allied warships in time to change course. Force D then promptly ran into a no-doubt alerted powerful enemy force, and was lucky to get away with no fires burning.
Night Time Surface Combat, near Jolo at 73,91, Range 10,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
BB Nagato
BB Fuso
BB Ise
BB Hyuga
DD Wakatake
DD Kuretake
DD Sanae
Allied Ships
CL Java, Shell hits 2
CL De Ruyter, Shell hits 1
CL Tromp, Shell hits 1
DD Piet Hein
DD Kortenaer
DD Evertsen
DD Witte de With
DD Van Nes
DD Banckert
DD Van Ghent
Over near Toboali, CL Mauritius and friends found a group looking for easy tanker prey and held it by the tail until finished.
Night Time Surface Combat, near Toboali at 51,93, Range 9,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
E Saga, Shell hits 8, and is sunk
TB Kari, Shell hits 5, and is sunk
PB Eifuku Maru, Shell hits 22, heavy fires, heavy damage
PB Sozan Maru, Shell hits 5, on fire
PB Naruto Maru #3, Shell hits 10, and is sunk
Allied Ships
CL Mauritius
DM Stronghold
DD Jupiter
The mines laid at Mersing were constantly found, but one at Kuching found an xAKL victim. Mine sweeper Penguin, ex-Guam, ran into a light SCTF south of Wake Island and sent her last radio message. S-40 stopped AV Kunikawa Maru from scouting operation Exodus with a cleanly placed torpedo. DDs Scout and Thanet in daylight found themselves 23,000yds from CVL Ryujo, 3 x CA, and 6 x DD and were powerless to do anything about it. Clear across the map CA Canberra and CL Perth found the ships that must have landed troops on Shortlands yesterday and cautioned them about trespassing, with a few warning shots.
Japanese aircraft
no flights
Japanese aircraft losses
E7K2 Alf: 1 destroyed
Japanese Ships
CL Kashima, Shell hits 27, and is sunk
PB Keijo Maru, Shell hits 18, and is sunk
PB Koei Maru, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
xAKL Katsuragisan Maru, Shell hits 5, and is sunk
Allied Ships
CA Canberra, Shell hits 3
CL Perth
The air games began. Zero sweeps are methodically murdering the Allied air forces over Luzon, but there is a cost with some Zeros claimed (who knows the truth?) and unescorted raids hurt. The British and their Commonwealth friends made attacks count at Mersing, only finding the warships more difficult to hit. There were many, here are only the results seen to the IJN.
Japanese Ships
BB Haruna, Bomb hits 1
xAK Yoshinogawa Maru
xAK Koryu Maru
xAK Teiyo Maru
BB Kongo
xAK Naruto Maru, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
Japanese Ships
xAK Kyokusei Maru, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
BB Haruna
CA Atago
BB Kongo, Bomb hits 2
Japanese ground losses:
95 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Japanese Ships
BB Haruna
BB Kongo
Japanese Ships
xAK Kokai Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
BB Kongo
xAK Mogamigawa Maru, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAK Tatutaki Maru, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
CA Takao
Japanese Ships
xAK Thames Maru
xAK Tihuku Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
Japanese ground losses:
33 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Amid the mayhem Mersing's minefield finally scored on DD Asashio. RAAF Hudsons pressed through a Claude swarm to bomb Ryujo, but missed. Nells were thwarted by DD Pillsbury's smoke screen, or was that a real fire? There were several attacks on Force Y, shown together in brief form.
Japanese aircraft
B5N1 Kate x 9
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N1 Kate: 3 damaged
Allied Ships
CL Marblehead, Torpedo hits 1
CA Houston, Torpedo hits 1
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 4
B5N2 Kate x 4
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
CL Boise
Japanese aircraft
B5N1 Kate x 7
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N1 Kate: 3 damaged
Allied Ships
CL Marblehead, Torpedo hits 1
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 10
B5N2 Kate x 2
No Japanese losses
Allied Ships
CL Boise
SS Shark was hit badly near Laoag and must be in tough shape. Many ASW attacks still being conducted daily around Pearl Harbor as the DDs of the Pacific Fleet learn a vital part of their trade. A CA in company of unknown other ships was attacked by air near Palembang - interdiction or invasion? No sign of KB for now.
Screen pics and any pertinent details later when I have the actual turn file.
Jack of all trades, excellent fighter and bomber! Oz is now safe!
