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28 Dec 41

Intelligence reports that another enemy transport sank between Mindanao and Palau. The sub Shark fired on but missed a transport near Saigon.

Two separate night-time naval actions against Japanese invasion forces today. At Menado the cruisers Houston and Boise along with their escorting destroyers attacked and heavily damaged a transport. The ship fled the area and was sighted to the SE and attacked by Australian Hudsons out of Amboina but they were unable to inflict any further damage. Hopefully this ends, at least for the moment, reinforcement of the enemy positions here against the Dutch.

Near Singapore the cruiser Mauritius and half-a-dozen destroyers intercepted and sank another Japanese troop transport. It is believed that over 3500 enemy troops were lost onboard the enemy vessel.

There was another air raid on Yenen. This time the Nip planes zoomed in, quickly dropped their bombs and left before the CAP could react or additional aircraft scramble. However, the speed with which the enemy was forced to move prevented accurate bombing and only minor damage was done to a runway.

Rangoon came under attack and several defending Buffalos were destroyed on the ground. Singapore was spared from air raids today, as were the freighters fleeing the area in the Indian Ocean. British bombers attacked the airfield at Kuantan but their accuracy was not high. Only minor damage to the runways was done and a few grounded aircraft hit. Hopefully they will be able to improve their performance as the Japanese do not seem to have moved any fighters into Malaya yet. A planned raid on Georgetown was cancelled due to bad weather.

The Perth and Canberra continued to provide naval gun support to the defenders of Rabaul. This has apparently worried the Japanese command as they diverted some of their Betty bombers from attacking the defending ground forces to trying to hit the Aussie ships. They failed. Likewise, the CL Marblehead along with five destroyers was attacked and missed as she provided bombardment support at Cagayan.

And in the final naval action reported, Swordfish torpedo bombers tried to attack a Japanese freighter NE of Singapore but were unable to score any hits.

The Phillipine Army is putting up a commendable defense of their country. The Japanese failed to press the attack at Tuguegarao, settling for just harassing the defenders with artillery despite their greater numbers. And at Naga the defenders successfully ambushed enemy troops continueing to disembark from their ships. In conjunction with coastal defense batteries they are believed to have inflicted over 1,000 casualties and hit an enemy gunboat.

Kuala Lumpur fell today, with the last of the evacuating support personnel and the rear guard retreating ahead of the enemy to Malacca.

In the Gilberts and Marshalls, intercepted radio transmissions from a scout plane indicate that the enemy clearly spotted the Saratoga at a minimum. An attempted air strike on the enemy base at Jaluit was foiled by poor navigation. I'm pulling the task force back to Baker to rendevous with their supporting logistics for replenishment. The lack of air attacks on the group leads me to believe that the enemy is not prepared in this region and many of the atolls appear to be ungarrisoned. This is leading me to consider offensive action here. Probably not a good idea, I'll need to build up some bases nearby first. By the time I do that the enemy will likely have defenses in place. Let that sit on a back burner in my brain for now.

That's it for today.

29 Dec 41

Two freighters carrying supplies reached Bataan today and began unloading.

The CL Dauntless finished patching hull breaches and began her run from Rangoon to Colombo. One of the freighters fleeing from Singapore succumbed to her damage and sank.

In the course of reviewing British deployements, I am struck by just how little they start with in India, Burma and Malaya. And so many of the units they do have are seriously understrength. Currently far too much of that strength is tied up, and cut off, in Malaya in the defense of Singapore. Unfortunately, I dare not risk any more freighters or transports in an attempt to withdraw any of those forces in the face of overwhelming Japanese air superiority in the region. Especially since intelligence and naval reconnisance has confirmed that the majority of Japanese carrier forces are in the South China Sea heading towards Singapore and the Malacca Strait. I still don't know what, if anything, I can do to try to counter or resist this movement.

Submarine forces also had a bad day. The S-40 failed to reach Bataan and is now listed as presumed lost. The Sailfish was lost to an unusually heavy and persistant ASW attack while patrolling the South China Sea. While the Permit dodged a heavy ASW attack on her.

There was relatively little air activity today. Rangoon was again subject to an air raid. I suspect these are intended less to damage the facilities than they are to force engagement by the defending fighters, since the raid consisted of only five Sallys escorted by almost forty Nate and Oscar fighters. Allied bombers retaliated by bombing the airfields at Georgetown and Kuantan. The bombers attacking Georgetown discovered that the Japanese have begun moving defending fighters into the captured bases in Malaya but were able to press their attack with only minimal damage.

A pair of Vildebeest attempted an attack on an enemy freighter outside Kuantan but were unable to score a hit. A second attack by a mixed force of Vildebeest and Swordfish (Swordbeest? Vildefish?) was more successful, scoring multiple bomb and torpedo hits on a troop transport.

To the east, a second attack by Hudson bombers from Amboina succeeded in hitting the troop transport they missed yesterday. The location of the damaged ship was relayed to the Houston and Boise who were able to track down and finish off the enemy ship. Intel says this was the ship that landed troops at Menado.

Again today Allied cruisers providing fire support to defenders at Cagayan and Rabaul were subjected to air attack. Again, the ships were able to avoid all the enemy munitions.

Artillery attached to the Phillipine units at Naga were able to lay down highly effective fire on Japanese forces landing on the beaches in the vicinity. Upwards of 500 enemy troops were killed or injured. Two enemy gunboats made the mistake of attempting to supress the defenders and Phillipine gunners scored hits on both ships. To the north at Tuguegarao the two defending divisions there are currently holding off two enemy divisions, an independant Brigade, a SNLF and two tank regiments. Every day these valiant Allied forces continue to hold is another day for the defenders of Manila and Clark Field to dig in and prepare.

Skirmishing continued at Menado but there was no real action at Rabaul on this day.

Near Nanning, Chinese Army forces forced a Japanese Base Force to retreat towards Hanoi. I believe that this was the original garrison of Nanning that left the city for some reason at the beginning of the war, leaving it open to its recapture by the Chinese.

At the beginning of the war, I started several Chinese divisions on a march on Hanoi. The first of these forces is now approaching that city from the north. Over the next few weeks we will see if they can at least put pressure on the Japanese here, hopefully forcing them to divert forces from either Burma or Malaya.

The Enterprise has reached the vicinity of Wake. Hopefully tomorrow her air groups will attack that island (assuming there is anything there to bomb). And the Lexington/Saratoga task force launched a strong air attack on Makin's port in passing. (Here is another bit of confusion on my part. The individual attacks on the port at Makin have done apparently only minor damage [i.e. Port hits 3; Port fuel hits 1; Port supply hits 2] but the tooltip for Makin is indicating Port Damage: 48. [&:] I don't understand, this is much higher than the total of all the Combat Report damages that I've inflicted. Can someone explain, please?)

That ends today's report.

ORIGINAL: dtravel

[i.e. Port hits 3; Port fuel hits 1; Port supply hits 2] but the tooltip for Makin is indicating Port Damage: 48. [&:] I don't understand, this is much higher than the total of all the Combat Report damages that I've inflicted. Can someone explain, please?)

Perhaps the port was damaged when Japan intially captured the base?

Jim

Pretty severe damage considering the base was empty when captured. I suspect that, while that may have contributed a little, there is something else going on to explain it.

Just remember that 3 hits to a port (1) is quite a lot. It is proportinal to the size of the target. I mean a single long pier that goes out 100 yards to help offload a ship is a size 1 port. Put three 500 lb bombs on that and it is a bunch of damage. Same with supply. If you do not have much supply say 1200 units 4 supply hits will hurt.

UB

30 Dec 41

Two more freighters reached Bataan, including the one damaged a few days ago near Puerto Princesa. As useful as the supplies are I can't help feel that they are just a drop in the bucket.

Intelligence is now reporting that at least 2 enemy CVs and 1 CVL are heading east in the South China Sea north of Luzon. While other reports have multiple carriers and battleships continueing to steam west towards Malaya. I'm not sure how much weight to give these reports, especially considering that this is the same branch that is telling me there are enemy transmissions coming from Vancouver and Karachi. [8|]

The S-36 was able to hit a transport near Tuguegarao. A British task force near Singapore at the south end of the Malacca Strait depth charged a Nip sub and are believed to have scored multiple hits. And SE of Gasmata in the Bismarks a Japanese submarine attempted to torpedo one of a pair of minesweepers on ASW patrol. The ship was able to avoid the attack and the two ships are claiming several hits on the enemy sub.

Malacca came under heavy air and ground attack today. This is sooner than I had expected. Many of the defending Buffalos were lost attempting to intercept the enemy. (I am tempted to curse the Buffalos for their poor abilities but the mental image it conjures up is just too strange, even for me. [X(]) On the ground the defenders lost the outer fortifications but continue to hold.

British Hudson and Blenheim bombers continued to try to supress enemy air activity at Georgetown and Kuantan but I suspect there just simply aren't enough of them to make any real difference. The torpedo bombers on the other hand are beginning to perform quite well, with Swordfish strikes hitting two enemy transports with bombs near Khota Bharu. Additionally, patrols of Wirraway fighter-bombers have spotted Japanese barges moving south thru the Malacca Strait. It would appear the enemy is already attempting to make off with the spoils they captured at Kuala Lumpur. Hopefully I will be able to discourage this in the coming days.

In the other direction, Betty bombers were able to torpedo and sink the Dragon at Kuching. This presents a serious problem in the defense of northern Borneo. Enemy air raids continue to attack the defenders at Cagayan and Rabaul.

The Enterprise launched a full strike on Wake Island, hitting both the port and airfield there. There appears to be little if any garrison here. I will have to consider how fast I could put together an ad hoc invasion force out of Pearl compared to how fast I could expect Japanese carriers to arrive from north of Luzon. A potentially very risky operation, it would have great propaganda value and potentially cause serious disruptions to the enemy's plans if he was forced to try to recapture it. Need to think about that more.

The O19 made it to Sinkep Island a couple of days ago and is still attempting to deal with her pressure hull damage. Allied shipping fleeing Singapore and Rangoon was unmolested again today. I believe that most of it is safely out of range of enemy aircraft now but some ships are still at risk, including the CL Dauntless which can only make 8 knots.

The transport of raw materials from the Dutch East Indies to Australia continues. I have already unloaded enough in Darwin that the base there shows up almost at the top of the base listing when sorted by Resources and not very far down by Oil. Most of the remaining Resource stockpiles are currently being loaded at their sources. What I am short on is tankers to carry the Oil with. I will try to press some of the freighters into carrying barrels but it will not be as efficient.

Naga continues to hold despite increasing pressure but the defenses at Tugeugarao were breached. The defending Phillipine divisions there are falling back to Clark Field and then Bataan to try and regroup. There were more skirmishes at Menado and Rabaul was again quiet. The respite in the Bismarks has allowed the defenders there to rest some and regroup. They will begin aggressive patrols intending to locate the enemy for artillery and mortar attack. I am also launching a probing attack on San Marcelino. I can't be certain but it appears that the enemy has left the facilities there undefended. If they have....

The 1st and 2nd Burma Rifles Brigades, enroute to Rangoon from Taung Gyi, have run into enemy forces about a hundred miles NE of Rangoon. It looks like the enemy may be attempting to bypass Rangoon, at least for now, and slip into less defended areas of Burma.

A radio transmission was received from No. 108 RAF Base Force. There are approximately 250 survivors of the fall of Victoria Point still trying to make their way from behind enemy lines. They report that they managed to slip past the garrison at Tavoy and are about to attempt the same at Moulmein. Rangoon attempted to warn them about possible enemy forces north of Moulmein but contact was lost and it is unknown if they received the message.

Otherwise I am forced into waiting for the next wave of Japanese attacks. I still expect that will involve landings on northern Borneo, but where else will they hit?

More reports to follow.

31 Dec 41

I didn't have to wait long. Today was not what I would call a good day. I'll start with the biggest news item.

After Manila harbor was attacked during the opening days of the war I moved my ships to Bataan, figuring that the better defenses there would better protect them from additional air attacks. As it turned out the Japanese haven't tried to bomb that harbor again. And I didn't forsee this...

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Night Time Surface Combat, near Bataan at 42,51

Japanese Ships
BB Yamashiro
BB Ise
CA Maya
CA Ashigara
CL Natori
DD Minegumo
DD Asagumo
DD Murasame
DD Harusame
DD Yudachi
DD Samidare
DD Inazuma
DD Nagatsuki
DD Matsukaze

Allied Ships
AS Holland, Shell hits 42, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk

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Night Time Surface Combat, near Bataan at 42,51

Japanese Ships
BB Yamashiro
BB Ise
CA Maya
CA Ashigara
CL Natori
DD Minegumo
DD Asagumo
DD Murasame
DD Harusame
DD Yudachi
DD Samidare
DD Inazuma
DD Nagatsuki
DD Matsukaze

Allied Ships
AVD Childs, Shell hits 7, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk

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Night Time Surface Combat, near Bataan at 42,51

Japanese Ships
BB Yamashiro
BB Ise
CA Maya
CA Ashigara
CL Natori
DD Minegumo
DD Asagumo
DD Murasame
DD Harusame
DD Yudachi
DD Samidare
DD Inazuma
DD Nagatsuki
DD Matsukaze

Allied Ships
AK Mauban, Shell hits 8, and is sunk

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Night Time Surface Combat, near Bataan at 42,51

Japanese Ships
BB Yamashiro, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 1
BB Ise
CA Maya, Shell hits 1
CA Ashigara
CL Natori, Shell hits 3
DD Minegumo
DD Asagumo
DD Murasame
DD Harusame
DD Yudachi
DD Samidare
DD Inazuma
DD Nagatsuki
DD Matsukaze

Allied Ships
PT PT-31
PT PT-32, Shell hits 19, and is sunk
PT PT-33
PT PT-34
PT PT-35, Shell hits 6, on fire, heavy damage
PT PT-41

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Night Time Surface Combat, near Bataan at 42,51

Japanese Ships
BB Yamashiro, Shell hits 1
BB Ise
CA Maya
CA Ashigara
CL Natori
DD Minegumo
DD Asagumo
DD Murasame
DD Harusame
DD Yudachi
DD Samidare
DD Inazuma
DD Nagatsuki
DD Matsukaze

Allied Ships
PG Isabel, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
PG Asheville, Shell hits 7, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
PG Tulsa, Shell hits 11, and is sunk

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Night Time Surface Combat, near Bataan at 42,51

Japanese Ships
BB Yamashiro
BB Ise
CA Maya
CA Ashigara
CL Natori
DD Minegumo
DD Asagumo
DD Murasame
DD Harusame
DD Yudachi
DD Samidare
DD Inazuma
DD Nagatsuki
DD Matsukaze

Allied Ships
MSW Tanager, Shell hits 7, and is sunk

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Night Time Surface Combat, near Bataan at 42,51

Japanese Ships
BB Yamashiro
BB Ise
CA Maya
CA Ashigara
CL Natori
DD Minegumo
DD Asagumo
DD Murasame
DD Harusame
DD Yudachi
DD Samidare
DD Inazuma
DD Nagatsuki
DD Matsukaze

Allied Ships
AK Escalante R, Shell hits 17, and is sunk

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Bataan at 42,51

Japanese Ships
BB Yamashiro
BB Ise
CA Maya
CA Ashigara
CL Natori
DD Minegumo
DD Asagumo
DD Murasame
DD Harusame
DD Yudachi
DD Samidare
DD Inazuma
DD Nagatsuki
DD Matsukaze

Allied Ships
AK Sarangami, Shell hits 20, and is sunk

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Bataan at 42,51

Japanese Ships
BB Yamashiro
BB Ise
CA Maya
CA Ashigara
CL Natori
DD Minegumo
DD Asagumo
DD Murasame
DD Harusame
DD Yudachi
DD Samidare
DD Inazuma
DD Nagatsuki
DD Matsukaze

Allied Ships
AK Montanes, Shell hits 21, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naval bombardment of Bataan, at 42,51 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!

131 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
DD Samidare
DD Harusame, Shell hits 19, on fire, heavy damage
BB Ise, Shell hits 4
BB Yamashiro, Shell hits 10
DD Matsukaze
DD Nagatsuki, Shell hits 8, on fire, heavy damage
DD Inazuma, Shell hits 6, on fire, heavy damage
DD Yudachi, Shell hits 1
DD Murasame, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Asagumo
DD Minegumo, Shell hits 14, on fire, heavy damage
CL Natori
CA Ashigara
CA Maya


Allied ground losses:
215 casualties reported
Guns lost 12

Runway hits 1
Port fuel hits 2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The defenders were caught by surprise and the Holland, Childs and Mouban were all sunk before they could react. The PT boats did better than the patrol gunboats I suspect because they were able to close more and were just starting their attack runs before being spotted. (The PT-35 sank before it could make it back to dock and the destroyer Minegumo only just cleared the harbor before going down herself.) Despite the significant damage scored by the coastal batteries, losing all four of the freighters that had made it plus the remaining supplies onboard, the sub tender, seaplane tender and most of the harbor's defending patrol craft makes this a firm win for the enemy. American subs in the area will now have to sail to Balikpapan for resupply which will significantly weaken their so far successful campaign in the South China Sea. All in all, painful and demoralizing.

Speaking of sub actions, the Permit and S-37 were both forced to dodge heavy ASW patrols. The IJN appears to have deceided on a strategy of using heavy hunter-killer groups on patrol as their primary ASW policy. If so, it has weaknesses as the Salmon proved by sinking a transport near Formosa.

The Nips apparently feel they have supressed the fighter defenses at Rangoon enough as today's raids had substantially more bombers. Over a dozen in the morning and nearly forty in the afternoon. They also hit the freighter Empire Scout with almost a dozen bombs. She is the last of the convoy that delivered the 3rd Carabineers Armored Regiment to Singapore, so it looks like I will lose the entire convoy.

British bombers continued to attack Georgetown and Kuantan. I am going to have to suspend the Georgetown attacks. That unit needs time to repair some of their damaged craft. Sending them in two and three at a time isn't the best idea I don't think. Also in Malaya the Japs continued to press their attack on Malacca and drove off the defending forces. These units have now joined the stream of retreating Empire forces headed for Singapore. Retreating engineers were able to only damage the small port. The airfield fell to the enemy intact.

And the enemy barges making their way thru the Malacca Strait continue to do so. Apparently, despite their lack of defenses, they are too small of a target for British pilots to hit. Fortunately larger ships they can, occasionally, hit and a transport approaching Khota Bharu was bombed by Singapore based Swordfish. This was to be their only success of the day however, as they were unable to score any damage on a Japanese destroyer spotted in the South China Sea.

Dutch Martin 139 bombers out of Brunei were also unable to hit what are believed to be some destroyers converted to transports a few hundred miles to the northeast. On the other hand, they were fortunate enough to be away from their base when it was attacked by a small force of carrier-based Kates and Zeros. It would appear that the entire IJN carrier fleet continued west from their earlier positions north of Luzon. At least according to the Dutch pilots flying Do 24K-2 flying boats. While I suspect some exaggeration in the numbers I do believe they are right as to the general thrust. Unfortunately Dutch politics has prevented me from even attempting to reinforce Borneo.

More air raids by Bettys on troops at Cagayan and Rabaul, followed by more inconclusive fighting there and at Menado. Naga continues to hold but suffered heavy casualties to Japanese artillery. And the Burmese Rifles were driven back by a Banzai charge from the enemy division they had spotted yesterday. Worse, the enemy had outflanked them and they were forced back towards Rangoon instead of the undefended base at Pagan.

The closest I have to good news for the day is from Wake. The Enterprise launched more attacks today on the island and her pilots were finally able to locate (and bomb) the garrison. This generated enough radio traffic for it to be identified as the 51st Naval Guard. Even better they were able to catch an enemy task force. The light cruiser Tama was struck by five 1,000 lb bombs and an escorting destroyer by three more. The submarine Triton was able to radio in a spotting report a short time later, indicating that the Tama was low in the water and burning, but was unable to prosecute an attack herself.

Now the question becomes, can I return the Saratoga and Lexington to Pearl to group with the Enterprise and put together a credible invasion force to attack Wake with while the IJN's attention is still on Borneo? Is my intelligence even worse than I suspect and IJN carriers are already enroute to defend Wake? Or will it just take me too long to get my shipping together to attempt it? Maybe try an attack on Wake to distract him from my buildup at Baker? Am I just sticking my neck on the chopping block? Can I ever stop asking questions? I need to think about this.

More reports to follow.

Nice work, dtravel. Excellent reporting. Best AAR vs the AI ever, for WitP and UV both.

ORIGINAL: irrelevant

Nice work, dtravel. Excellent reporting. Best AAR vs the AI ever, for WitP and UV both.

Thanks. Feedback is appreciated. (Positive feedback even more so! [:D]) That is high praise, especially considering that I've never played Uncommon Valor. [:'(]

While it would be easier to cut-n-paste the combat results that seems a bit too impersonal for me. It also includes a lot of minor clashes that don't really mean much individually. Writing up a "report" compacts the information and gives me a chance to ramble and think. And since its against the AI I'm not giving anything away to an opponent (never underestimate the value of seemingly useless trivia). On the other hand it ends up taking me about 30 to 60 minutes to write up each turn, so its not really suitable from a beta-tester POV. Its already becoming really hard to not keep repeating the same phrases over and over. Combined with the learning curve and my almost obsessive need to keep checking things it is seriously slowing down game play. (Not to mention that annoying thing called the Real World.) Eventually I'll become comfortable enough with the game to speed up and start doing more than 1 or 2 turns a day.

As the year closes out, I review the situation and give my final orders of 1941.

First I have the unhappy duty of informing the CO of the British Southeast Asia Command that his defenders at Singapore won't have as much time to prepare as he had hoped. Our intelligence indicates that the Japanese are already preparing to attack Mersing and have identified the 14th Tank Regiment as part of the force.

Next I was able to "suggest" to the commander of the Dutch forces some shuffling of air units that would provide at least some fighter cover over northern Borneo.

As to the much mulled counter-invasion of Wake. I have examined the shipping available and have had to conclude that, as of this date, there is insufficient sealift available at Pearl. Currently transports and freighters in Hawaii are only just insufficient to lift one division and a supporting engineering unit. However, in the next few days we are expecting enough ships to arrive in Pearl to approximately double this. While this would involve risk to a substantial percentage of the total shipping available in the eastern Pacific I feel that it will be a worthwhile risk. But only because the Secretary of the Navy has assured me that a substantial wave of new Liberty ships will be completed in two more weeks. These should more than replace any losses if it should hit the fan. (Replacing combat vessels is, of course, another matter.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Year's Day, 1942

Well, in a emotionally satisfying episode, we have received a message from occupied Hong Kong. It seems that a small patrol boat assisting in the clearing of the British minefields there struck two mines and sank. Nice to know that the enemy is having at least some problems digesting his conquests to date.

The Royal Navy showed the RAF that, as far as barges are concerned, "All you have to do is hit them once!" The cruiser Mauritius hit and sank the three barges that had avoided RAF attack all thru the Malacca Strait as they emerged from the southern end. I am told that the RAF commander at Singapore was not amused by this admonishment from the senior British service.

In China the Japanese launched another air raid on Yenen. They were in for an unpleasant surprise as a contingent from the American Volunteer Group had relocated there to support the existing Chinese fighters. This was apparently too much for the escorting fighters as they quickly abandoned their charges to the tender mercies of the Allied pilots.

In support of the intelligence relayed to the British forces, the Japanese launched a very heavy raid on Singapore. Apparently the enemy is happy with the results of their tactics over Rangoon as they appear to be duplicating them here. A bomber force of only half a dozen aircraft was escorted by an estimated 75(!) enemy fighters. The surviving CAP was forced to break off by the overwhelming numbers. The air base at Rangoon was also attacked, although by a smaller air contingent. Ships unloading at Akyab were also attacked by Japanese bombers. While no hits were scored by the enemy, the range that the Japanese aircraft are displaying is very troubling.

In related news, the Japanese began hitting Sumatra from Malaya with an attack on the airfield at Kuala while British bombers returned the favor at Kuantan and Georgetown. The Dutch contributed with a raid on the recently lost air base at Malacca by their Vildebeests.

The RAF did redeem themselves as far as naval attacks with multiple strikes on a freighter convoy and its escorts SE of Singapore. The destroyer Hasu suffered an apparent magazine explosion after being hit by a Swordfish launched torpedo. Additional sorties by Vildebeest, Hurricane IIs and Martins from Borneo scored torpedo and bomb hits on one of the freighters, despite problems finding the enemy ships thru the cloud cover.

Also, the Japanese carriers launched a heavy strike on the cruiser Durban as it fled from Kuching towards Palembang. Dutch Brewsters attempting to fly cover for her out of Kuching were quickly brushed aside by the Zeros and the Durban was sunk after being hit by several bombs and over half-a-dozen torpedoes. Other Allied surface ships on the fringes of the South China Sea continue to flee in an attempt to avoid similar fates.

Air raids continued to attack the defenders at Rabaul and Cagayan. Although the raid on Rabaul was much weaker today, apparently due to heavy cloud cover.

It was a good day for Allied submarines. The Dutch KXVII torpedoed a freighter in the western South China Sea. From her report it appears to have be part of the convoy hit by air attack earlier. The Perch successfully avoided an ASW attack near Camrahn Bay. The O16 reports hitting a troop transport with a full spread of torpedoes near Soc Trang. And the Cachalot made a daylight surface attack just outside Guam. Her captain reports some kind of problem with his torpedoes, claiming that they failed to detonate after hitting, but scored several hits on the enemy freighter with her deck gun. I am forwarding his report for investigation.

The minesweeper Cochin succumbed to the damage she suffered at the start of the war when she was bombed in Singapore harbor. She sank off of Ceylon while attempting to reach one of the RN bases there. I am told that her crew was rescued by local fishing boats.

The cruisers Houston and Boise continue to be a terror to Japanese invasion forces in the eastern Celebes Sea. They intercepted a convoy off Minadano and inflicted serious damage, using their radar systems to target the transports from very long range as they closed. They broke off due to ammunition concerns. Cpt. Moran of the Boise reports that he recognized some of the enemy ships from the damage his ship had inflicted on them two weeks earlier. One of the larger ships was sunk immediately and coast watchers report ships performing search and rescue a few miles to the north later that day, so it appears that at least one additional enemy ship was lost. This is supported by intelligence reports of heavy losses among the enemy's 56th Brigade and 3rd NLF.
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Day Time Surface Combat at 43,63

Japanese Ships
AP Astuga Maru
AP Kimishima Maru, Shell hits 21, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AP Tarushima Maru
AP Tatsuta Maru, Shell hits 28, and is sunk
AP Tenryu Maru, heavy damage
AP Ujigawa Maru, Shell hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
AP Yamafuku Maru
AP Daitei Maru, Shell hits 7, on fire, heavy damage
AK Tokiwasan Maru

Allied Ships
CA Houston
CL Boise
DD John D. Ford
DD Pillsbury
DD Pope

Japanese ground losses:
879 casualties reported
Guns lost 6

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Japanese forces pursueing the Phillipine forces retreating from Tugeugarao pressed a strong attack, apparently in an attempt to destroy them before they can reach friendly forces near Clark Field. The PA divisions continued to retreat ahead of the enemy forces. Phillipine forces defending Naga repulsed another IJA attack but report their defenses were weakened. Other Phillipine forces re-occupied the base at San Marcelino. It is unknown why Japanese forces abandoned the area. Allied forces met only minimal resistance to their probes at both Menado and Rabaul.

Let us hope that 1942 is better than the last days of 1941. More reports to follow.

It has occured to me that I haven't been covering some of the movements and orders of Allied forces that haven't directly resulted in some form of combat. When that is combined with the fact that I didn't really start this AAR until a some two weeks into the war this could lead to some questions or even outright confusion on the part of the reader. Since it is now the start of 1942 it seemed like a good time for a situation summary. I will start in the northeast and work my way roughly clockwise around the perimeter of Japanese activity.

We start with the North Pacific command. Forces here are sparse but fortunately the threat appears to be minimal. Some forward movement of forces has taken place to protect the Aleutians and possibly prepare for some sort of offensive actions. The 37th Regimental Combat Team (RCT), an AV Engineering unit and a USN Base Force garrison Dutch Harbor and provide support for 7 Coronado flying boats and a dozen B-18A bombers. An AVD provides additional support for the Coronados and a PT Boat and MSW patrol the waters. The orginal garrison of Nome (153rd RCT and a USN Base Force) are in the process of being moved to Kiska where they will build up the harbor and airfield. Kodiak is protected by the 201st RCT, another USN Base Force provides support for 6 PBYs and 20 Mohawk fighters. Anchorage has the 4th RCT, two Coast AA regiments, a Coast Artillery regiment, a USN Base Force and NorPac HQ. An even dozen B-18As are based here. I expect to be moving the coastal defense regiments forward as soon as support for them is in place and the ships currently carrying troops to Kiska become available. Juneau and Sitka Island each have a USN Base Force which will probably become the support for the previously mentioned CD regiments at either Dutch Harbor or Kiska.

The forces under Canada Command are effectively untouched. Other regions have had higher priority for attention, so no political capital has been spent by DC to try to integrate the Canadian forces into Allied command structures. Canadian PBYs, Stranraers and Bleinheims fly Naval Search and ASW patrol out of Vancouver and Prince Rupert but are otherwise uninvolved so far.

Despite civilian hysteria I consider it unlikely that there will be a Japanese attack on the West Coast of America. If I had more sealift the forces assigned to the defense of the coastal cities would be of great use moved forward, especially the aircraft. However the War Department has so far been unable to persuade Congress of this and these forces are still holding positions around San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Seattle.

The Central Pacific Command encompasses a wide sweep of ocean. Its area of responsibility ranges from just south of the Aleutian Islands to just north of Fiji, from just off the West Coast to as far west as the Marianas. Command is based out of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. There are currently four divisions, a RCT and numerous CD Batteries, AAA commands, independant Artillery commands, engineers and support personnel totalling approximately 100,000 troops here. 250 aircraft of various types are based at the airfields around Pearl and another 90 heavy bombers are at Hilo. The bombers at Hilo are the two squadrons that have been slowly flying out from the west coast and will be moved forward as soon as bases for them can be prepared.

The ships damaged in the raid on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese carriers have mostly been moved to the main shipyards along the Coast. The destroyer Dale and the battleships Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Nevada remain at Pearl for repairs. The BB Oklahoma is being repaired at Seattle; the BB Arizona, DD Worden and AV Tangier at San Francisco; the cruisers Helena and Honolulu, destroyers Patterson and Cassin are in Los Angeles; while the battleship California is undergoing repairs in San Diego. The only ships permanently lost in the attack were the battleship Tennessee and the destroyer Cummings.

This leaves the carriers Enterprise, Lexington and Saratoga as the main striking capability in this region, supported by the battleships Maryland and Colorado as well as various cruisers, destroyers and numerous auxillary ships.

CenPac will be the command responsible for Operation Alarm Clock, intended to recapture Wake Island. The basic plan is to invade with one division, most likely the one Marine division in Pearl, followed immediately by an engineering support unit. A second division will be sent in as soon as the transports can return and load, to be followed by supporting garrison regiments as possible. They will be supported and covered by the three carriers and two battleships along with escorting cruisers and destroyers. We are hoping to be able to rebase land air units to the island in time to defend against any potential Jap response.

Midway and Johnson Atoll have engineers building up the spare facilities currently there. The airstrip at Palmyra cannot be expanded any further but the port facilities there are being improved. SeaBees and a naval base support unit are enroute to Baker Island to turn it into a forward base for an eventual push into the Gilbert Islands. Nanomea Atoll is currently the base of a unit of PBYs supported by a destroyer converted into a seaplane tender. Additional base support units are scattered among the islands to the south and east. I plan to move these forward, hopefully after Alarm Clock when shipping is available.

South Pacific is currently a shell of a command. It controls the New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Santa Cruz and Fiji islands. The bases to the east that were mentioned above under CenPac currently answer to SoPac. Otherwise there is nothing here and currently no immediate threat.

"Behind" SoPac is New Zealand. If and as this country allows its units to be moved forward they will be placed under SoPac command.

The Southwest Pacific Command is responsible for New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and the Bismark Archipelago. This area is under threat of Japanese forces out of Truk and enemy forces are currently attacking Rabaul. Perhaps the biggest task facing this command is the need to build up the skeletal bases in its undeveloped area. Considerable political pressure has been put on the Australians to allow a few of their units to be placed under SoWestPac command for forward deployement. Currently the 1st Australia Brigade is garrisoning Gasmata while waiting for engineers and support units. A RAN base force is currently expanding Gili Gili. The Port Moresby Defense Brigade remains at Port Moresby while another RAN base force builds up the facilities there. Engineering units are enroute to Buna and Dobodura. RAAF support personnel, Sparrow Force Battalion and the NGVR Battalion are currently defending Rabaul against a cut off Japanese invasion force. As and if additional Australian forces can be released from immediate homeland defense they will be assigned to this command. In addition to the low number of units in this command, its operations are limited by a growing shortage of fuel and supplies. SoWestPac is dependant on Australia for its logistical support. Unfortunately Australia is limited in its ability to provide such support. Convoys are currently enroute to Australia from the United States but the exact levels that will need to be delivered are still to be determined. As is how to supply the necessary shipping to carry it.

A truely odd mix of naval forces defend the area. A pair of minesweepers are on ASW duty south of Rabaul. But the primary defense against further landings is provided by a task force containing the US heavy cruiser Pensacola, the RAN heavy cruiser Canberra, the RAN light cruisers Perth and Adelaide, the New Zealand light cruisers Leander and Achilles and the Free French destroyer Le Triomphant. The Canberra is the flagship of this somewhat ragtag force. They are currently north of the east end of Rabaul Island and morale is reported to be good.

I wish I could say the same of the air units. A squadron of RAAF Wirraway fighter-bombers is currently scattered from Townsville to Rabaul and it will take some time to repair the damaged aircraft tucked away in various locations so that the unit can be consolidated. And a squadron of B-17Cs based out of Port Moresby are flat out refusing to obey orders to bomb enemy forces outside Rabaul.

Australia itself is under the control of Australia Command. Currently the Australian government is under severe civilian pressure to not allow any additional units to be shipped out. Forces under this command are either in position or moving to positions along the coast from Darwin to Brisbane.

The Dutch East Indies, ranging from the northern end of New Guinea in the south, thru Sulawesi and Java to Borneo and Sumatra in the north are under the control of the ABDA Command. Political considerations appear to be the overriding concern here, complicated by the fact of the Dutch Government in Exile. This has severely limited the ability to move forces between the islands in defense. Some air units have been rebased to Sumatra and along the north shore of Borneo to defend against Japanese forces in the South China Sea and Malaya. A squadron of Vildebeests also operate out of Singapore. Menado on the eastern end of Sulawesi is currently under attack by Japanese amphibious forces. The garrison there is currently defending the base successfully, due in large part to the fact that the cruisers Boise and Houston sank the enemy's transport before it could completely unload. However, this is making it even harder to talk the Dutch into allowing reinforcements to be transported to the base.

Numerous freighters and tankers are currently operating in the DEI, transporting Oil and raw materials to Australia via Darwin. Dutch surface naval forces, other than various light patrol units and minesweepers, consist of a task force of four destroyers and one of 3 light cruisers and 4 more destroyers. The first force is currently heading for Palembang from near Kuching, attempting to avoid being sunk by Japanese carrier forces in the South China Sea. The second force has remained near Soerabaja, tied up by indecision and political wrangling. On the other hand Dutch submarines operating along the Indochina coast have acquitted themselves well, claiming many enemy merchant ships as has been documented in earlier reports.

To the northeast of the DEI are the Phillipine Islands, under USAFFE command. This has been one of the centers of fighting so far and little needs to be added or expanded on from previous reports regarding land forces. The few naval surface units in the northern part of this command were recently decimated in a recent attack on Bataan. To the south there are two task forces. One is made up of the light cruiser Marblehead and five destroyers. The second is the famous group lead by the cruisers Boise and Houston excorted by three destroyers. Numerous submarines were based at Manila at the start of the war. These forces have operated north of Luzon and along the Indochina coast, scoring against the Japanese merchant shipping as detailed in other reports. It remains to be seen if they can continue this success as they are forced to shift to operating out of the DEI due to the loss of their tender at Bataan. Air assets in the Phillipines are limited to a squadron of a dozen PBYs based at Bataan and the remains of various fighter commands, mostly made up of P-40 variants. Two squadrons of B-17s were evacuated to Australia after they refused to fly any missions. The rest of the aircraft that were based here prior to the war have been destroyed.

In China the Japanese seem content to hold what they already control. Chinese forces were able to score an early victory by recapturing Nanning when the IJA left it undefended. We are beginning to see signs of a Japanese buildup aimed at Ichang. Chinese forces control the railroad crossroads near Kaifeng and the early movement of Chinese forces towards Canton was covered in an earlier report. Much of the Chinese effort is aimed at an attempt to capture Hanoi, Haiphong and possibly Pakhoi. This would, if successful, serve the dual purpose of denying the Japanese valuable resources and hopefully diverting enemy forces from Malaya and Burma. Air activity has been limited to Japanese recon flights against the Chinese forces and the already covered attacks on Yenen.

The final command to be covered in this report is the British Southeast Asia command. In many ways this is the most troubling area. Much of the defending British and Indian forces in this region have become grouped and bottled up in Singapore and Rangoon. In the face of Japanese bombers operating out of captured bases in Malaya there is little that can be done for the forces in Singapore. We dare not even try to slip additional supplies in to the port, even less so in the face of the movement of what appears to be the entire IJN carrier strength thru the South China Sea towards Malaya and Sumatra. In Burma it appears that the Japanese have outflanked the British forces. With so many forces in Rangoon the rest of Burma has been left lightly defended.

The British were originally shipping reinforcements from India into Burma via Rangoon. With the attacks on that city they shifted for a time to landing at Akyab. But it has been realized that the port there is too small and the routes in to the interior are too poor for this to be feasible. Reinforcements are now being shipped to Diamond Harbor. From there they will move overland into Burma and the front line.

British air units were concentrated in Malaya. The survivors have retreated to Singapore and Sumatra where they continue to fight. There is also a unit of Buffalo fighters trying to defend Rangoon. Otherwise there are no UK air units in the theatre.

The Royal Navy has had limited successes to far. The battlecruiser Repulse and light cruisers Dragon and Durban as well numerous merchant vessels have been lost to enemy aircraft, both land and carrier based. Their effective strength here is two battleships, the Prince of Wales and Revenge, the light carrier Hermes, two heavy cruisers, three light cruisers, three anti-air cruisers and some destroyers. Losing control of the air over the Malacca Strait has effectively bottled these up in the Indian Ocean. Currently most of these ships are heading to take up position near the northern end of the Malacca Strait in the hopes that they will be able to close with the Japanese carriers should they move thru the Strait.

Otherwise the British are stuck waiting for the next blow to fall and praying for reinforcements to arrive.

As the Soviet Union has declared neutrality in regards to the conflict with Japan, their Far East Front is not relevant to our discussions and will not be covered by these reports unless that changes.

God Mother !!!!!!!!!!

The board just ate my latest report. Sorry, but I am NOT spending another two hours on it, so you will have to settle for a cut and paste. The Allies got bent over and reamed in the DEI.

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 01/01/42

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Sub attack near Catanduanes at 45,55

Japanese Ships
AK Nittai Maru

Allied Ships
SS Sealion

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ASW attack at 27,54

Japanese Ships
DD Kasumi
DD Arare
DD Tanikaze
DD Hamakaze
DD Urakaze
DD Shiranuhi
DD Isokaze
DD Kagero
DD Akigumo
CV Akagi

Allied Ships
SS KXII, hits 3, on fire, heavy damage SUNK

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ASW attack at 36,46

Japanese Ships
DD Yudachi
DD Asagumo
CA Maya

Allied Ships
SS Permit

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ASW attack at 36,46

Japanese Ships
DD Yudachi
DD Asagumo

Allied Ships
SS Permit

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Sub attack at 30,47

Japanese Ships
AK Arimasan Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
PG Santo Maru

Allied Ships
SS KXV

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Sub attack near Catanduanes at 45,55

Japanese Ships
AK Nissin Maru, Shell hits 6, Torpedo hits 1

Allied Ships
SS Sealion

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Day Air attack on Kuantan , at 24,47


Allied aircraft
Hudson I x 9


No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
13 casualties reported

Runway hits 2

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x Hudson I bombing at 10000 feet
3 x Hudson I bombing at 10000 feet
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Day Air attack on Medan , at 20,45

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 19
Ki-48 Lily x 19
Ki-46-II Dinah x 1
Ki-15 Babs x 1

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-48 Lily: 4 damaged

Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 4

Aircraft Attacking:
8 x Ki-48 Lily bombing at 14000 feet
11 x Ki-48 Lily bombing at 6000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF, near Mersing at 23,49


Allied aircraft
Martin 139 x 3


No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
AP Peking Maru

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x Martin 139 bombing at 5000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 24,57

Japanese aircraft
B5N Kate x 24

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N Kate: 2 destroyed

Allied Ships
AK Shinai, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage SUNK
AK Louisianan, Torpedo hits 6, on fire, heavy damage SUNK
AK St. Quentin, Torpedo hits 1 SUNK

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
3 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 24,57

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 9
D3A Val x 18

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
AK Shinai, on fire, heavy damage SUNK
AK St. Quentin, Bomb hits 1, on fire SUNK
AK Louisianan, on fire, heavy damage SUNK

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 24,57

Japanese aircraft
B5N Kate x 17

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
AK St. Quentin, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage SUNK
AK Louisianan, on fire, heavy damage SUNK

Aircraft Attacking:
1 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
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Day Air attack on TF, near Akyab at 30,29

Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 14
G4M1 Betty x 9

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
AK Empire Snipe
AK Empire Barracuda

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 15000 feet
5 x G3M Nell bombing at 14000 feet
9 x G3M Nell bombing at 14000 feet
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Day Air attack on TF at 24,56

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 12
A6M2 Zero x 27
D3A Val x 36
B5N Kate x 24

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N Kate: 2 damaged

Allied Ships
DD Tenedos, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage SUNK
MSW Baroda, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage SUNK
MSW Bendigo, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage SUNK
MSW Ballarat, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage SUNK

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
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Day Air attack on TF, near Gasmata at 59,90

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 32

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
AK Idomeneus
AP Manunda
AP William Ward Burrows

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 13000 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 11000 feet
3 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 11000 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 13000 feet
3 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 11000 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 11000 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 11000 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 11000 feet
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Day Air attack on TF, near Jesselton at 35,56

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 7
A6M2 Zero x 16
D3A Val x 20
B5N Kate x 24

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
AK Governor Wright, Bomb hits 8, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage SUNK

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
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Day Air attack on TF at 23,57

Japanese aircraft
D3A Val x 20
B5N Kate x 37

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N Kate: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
MSW Pieter de Bitter, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage SUNK
MSW Jan van Amstel, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage SUNK
MSW Abraham Crijnssen, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage SUNK
MSW Eland Dubois, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage SUNK

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
3 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
2 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x D3A Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
4 x B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet
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Day Air attack on Kuantan , at 24,47

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 3

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-51 Sonia: 2 destroyed


Runway hits 2

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x Blenheim IV bombing at 10000 feet
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Day Air attack on 101st PA Division, at 42,59

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 44

No Japanese losses


Allied ground losses:
86 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 14000 feet
6 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 19000 feet
14 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 14000 feet
6 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 14000 feet
3 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 19000 feet
3 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 14000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF, near Gasmata at 59,90

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 16

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
AP William Ward Burrows
AK Idomeneus

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 13000 feet
4 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 11000 feet
5 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 13000 feet
1 x G4M1 Betty bombing at 11000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Time Surface Combat at 43,63

Japanese Ships
AP Astuga Maru
AP Tarushima Maru
AP Tenryu Maru, Shell hits 1, heavy damage
AP Ujigawa Maru, Shell hits 9, on fire, heavy damage
AP Yamafuku Maru, Shell hits 4
AP Daitei Maru, Shell hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
AK Tokiwasan Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire

Allied Ships
MSW Bittern, Shell hits 2, on fire
MSW Quail

Japanese ground losses:
124 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

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Sub attack at 47,48

Japanese Ships
TK Nichirin Maru, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

Allied Ships
SS S-37

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Coastal Guns at Mersing, 23,49, firing at TF 235
TF 235 troops unloading over beach at Mersing, 23,49


18 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese ground losses:
136 casualties reported


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Naga

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 24955 troops, 321 guns, 5 vehicles

Defending force 8976 troops, 51 guns, 0 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 2)

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 1


Japanese ground losses:
605 casualties reported
Guns lost 28
Vehicles lost 1

Allied ground losses:
395 casualties reported
Guns lost 12


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Menado

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 1186 troops, 2 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 2108 troops, 16 guns, 1 vehicles

Japanese assault odds: 0 to 1 (fort level 2)


Japanese ground losses:
93 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Allied ground losses:
9 casualties reported
Guns lost 1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at 38,37

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 15953 troops, 128 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 1322 troops, 10 guns, 0 vehicles

Allied assault odds: 194 to 1


Japanese ground losses:
84 casualties reported
Guns lost 4


Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Mersing

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 3936 troops, 43 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 1546 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles


Japanese ground losses:
12 casualties reported


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Menado

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 1330 troops, 9 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 1088 troops, 1 guns, 0 vehicles



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Rabaul

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 2054 troops, 20 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 1223 troops, 9 guns, 0 vehicles



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Naga

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 8288 troops, 31 guns, 0 vehicles

Defending force 24129 troops, 287 guns, 4 vehicles

Okay, I've calmed down now. [:)]

I'm not going to try to recreate the entire report but because I suspect that this turn is going to turn out to be a critical one I have put something together.

02 Jan 42

The new year is not starting off well.

There was a flurry of sub activity today. Near Legaspi the Sealion had a problem with her torpedoes when she fired on a freighter overnight. In frustration the captain remained on the surface and used his ship's deck gun when they spotted a second ship in the morning. The Permit spotted the heavy cruiser Maya east of Camrahn Bay but was unable to make an attack due to her very persistant escorting destroyers. The Dutch sub KXV put a torpedo into a gunboat escorted freighter near Saigon. The S-37 put two torpedoes into a tanker near Aparri, leaving the ship burning. And it what was the first warning of the day's disasters, the Dutch KXII was cut off in the middle of radioing in a spotting report on a IJN fleet carrier near the NW corner of Borneo. Given the days events and lack of further contact, we must assume she was sunk.

After several days of no reported enemy sub activity, three have been spotted in the SWPAC area. One near Arawe, another southeast of Gili Gili. The third was spotted a few hundred miles east of Townsville, which is most troubling. All three are threats to the convoys of base construction units moving in the area.

The Empire Scout, last of the convoy that carried the 3rd Carabineers Armored to Singapore, was unable to control the fires from attacks earlier and sank off the northern tip of Sumatra. And the damage control parties on the MSW Burnie, damaged in Singapore at the start of the war, lost their battle against flooding in the Indian Ocean.

Aerial forces in Malaya and Sumatra traded blows, with airfields at Kuantan and Medan being bombed. And Dutch Martins from Kuching attempted to intervene against enemy amphibious landings at Mersing but were unable to score any hits. Enemy bombers again tried to slow the unloading of British troops at Akyab but no damage was reported. Likewise Gasmata was subject to a highly ineffective raid against the ships unloading there. Rabaul was spared from further attack today, probably because the bombers were over Gasmata, but the PA 101st Division at Cagayan was again bombed.

Now, for the worst news. The enemy carriers have split. The smaller group is heading east along the northern coast of Borneo and sank the freighter Governor Wright as she was loading supplies from the nearly deserted base at Jesselton. And the captain of the tanker Anastasia reports that he believes his ship was spotted by enemy aircraft shortly before it pulled in to Brunei to load oil. (He apparently thought he would be able to sneak in by hugging the coastline.)

To the west the main enemy force did not continue on to the vicinity of Singapore and the Malacca Strait as we expected. Instead they turned south and are currently steaming between Borneo and the southern part of Sumatra. They spent the morning wrecking havoc among our shipping, sinking the destroyer Tenedos (whose magazine exploded after being torpedoed), seven minesweepers and a convoy of three freighters. Even if they do not continue south into the Java Sea the range of the enemy aircraft will allow the to rain destruction upon the shipping there that hasn't been able to escape from the region quickly enough, not to mention the Dutch bases on Borneo, Sumatra and Java. I expect that this is going to be an even larger disaster than the attacks on Pearl and Luzon that started the war.

As mentioned earlier, Japanese forces have begun unloading near Mersing. Meanwhile the last of the forces retreating from the lost bases in Malaya reached the Singapore perimeter at Johore Bahru. The British have begun moving troops from Diamond Harbor into Burma, with an Indian Brigade and an Artillery Regiment leading the way. With Rangoon apparently not under immediate threat of land attack, two Indian Brigades with RAF engineering support have begun pursuing the Japanese forces headed toward Pagan.

Chinese forces approaching Hanoi from the east continued to pursue and harass the retreating Nanning garrison, inflicting more casualties. The IJA continued their attack on Naga, reducing the defending fortifications further. And in a surprise move, the enemy forces at Menado attempted to infiltrate the base there. Dutch forces repulsed the attack, inflicting heavy enemy casualties. Australian forces at Rabaul continued to bombard the enemy forces in the jungle outside their perimeter.

The only comfort I can draw from the day's events, and it is a small one, is that the commander of the Japanese invasion force near Mindanao is probably feeling much like I am. Two minesweepers on ASW patrol came across the seven surviving ships of this convoy and shelled most of them. On the other hand these small ships are armed with weapons comparable to the deck guns on some of the enemy transports and one of their gun crews was able to score two hits on the Bittern, starting a fire. She is heading for Dadjangas to commence repairs.

More reports to follow.

03 Jan 42

Intelligence informs me that they believe there is going to be an airborne attack on Kuching. They apparently have information that the enemy's 1st Parachute Regiment is in Camranh Bay preparaing for operations at Kuching. This has been passed to the Dutch command.

We have made some overnight movements of aircraft. A second detachment of the AVG has been flown to Rangoon to contribute to its defense. And the 19th Bomb Group, flying B-17s, has been ordered to Batavia from its current location at Derby. This is one of the two mutinous units that was evacuated from Luzon. We will see if they have regained the ability to follow orders.

It appears that American submarines are not the only ones having torpedo problems. The O16 reports that hers failed to detonate when fired on a Japanese patrol boat. The Perch spotted two tankers in the vicinity of Camranh Bay but was unable to score any hits before avoiding the escorts. Later in the day she heavily damaged a lone freighter with her deck gun and 50 caliber AA defenses.

There was further evidence that Kuching will soon be under attack. A task force of Jap battleships and cruisers made a night attack on the base there. They surprised the torpedo patrol boats guarding the harbor, quickly sinking two and damaging a third before the survivors could flee. They then proceeded to shell the base itself, causing casualties among the garrison, destroying several of the bombers there and damaging the port and airfield.

There was another air raid on Yenen. The enemy appeared to be no better prepared this time than last. The AVG's P-40s quickly chased off the escorting Nates, allowing the Chinese fighters free reign to attack the bombers. Many enemy aircraft were shot down and only minimal damage was scored on the airfield.

The AVG were also immediately called upon to defend Rangoon. They are being singularly successful against the enemy's Nate and Oscar fighters and I am hoping that the lessons they are learning can be applied throughout the Allied commands. While not as successful here as at Yenen, they still claimed many kills and I am sure were an unwelcome surprise for the Japanese air commanders.

The Japanese also attacked the field at Medan again but were apparently unable to do noticeable damage. Also, the now daily raid on Akyab was noticeably weaker than the previous ones but no more successful. Allied defenders at Cagayan and Rabaul were again attacked by Bettys in high altitude bombing runs.

Meanwhile, British and Dutch pilots in Malaya and Sumatra were very busy today. The airfields at Kuantan, Georgetown and Malacca were all attacked. They also made numerous attacks on enemy shipping along the east coast of Malaya and inflicted heavy damage on a pair of freighters attempting to navigate the Strait. Two enemy transports are believed to have been hit at Khota Bharu.

The cruiser Marblehead and her escorts made a bombardment run against the attackers at Cagayan. They were unable to remain and narrowly missed being struck by enemy aircraft.

There are unconfirmed reports of two ships sinking near the southeast corner of Mindanao. These, if true, would be from the convoy attacked by the Bittern and Quail yesterday. The Boise/Houston Task Force, having reloaded at Davao, are now moving to pursue this force.

The first enemy carrier group is believed to be entering the Sulu Sea. But it is difficult to confirm this as the only activity we can reliably contribute to it is an attack on the tanker Anastasia at Brunei, and even that appears to have been an opportunistic attack by a single scout plane.

The second group has definitely entered the Java Sea. Naval search aircraft have located them in what appear to be two mutually supporting task forces approximately 100 miles northeast of Kragen. Intelligence has identified the carrier Soryu from photographs taken by two separate aircraft. Fighters and bombers from these ships hit Toboali in the morning. There were half a dozen freighters there, unable to flee in time and hoping to avoid notice. Luck was not with them. Four were sunk and a fifth is heavily damaged, attempting to control fires and flooding at the dock. In the afternoon they switched their attention south. Bombers in several groups (but curiously, no escorting fighters) hit Soerabaja. The handful of Dutch Demon fighters defending were simply overwhelmed by the task and performed poorly. A patrol boat, two minesweepers and a minelayer that had just returned from emplacing a minefield at Kuching were all sunk and a transport was left burning low in the water. It could have been even worse as it is thought that heavy clouds in the region interferred with the enemy's operations throughout the day.

News on land was not much better. American base personnel that were retreating from Tuguegarao along with Phillipine infantry became separated and are thought to have been captured. To the south, a third day of attacks on Naga succeeded in destroying the last of the defensive works there. The base has fallen and the defending divisions are retreating towards Manila. How much good this will do remains to be seen, as defending forces around Clark Field came under artillery fire today, which they promptly returned. The enemy also attempted to shell Menado after their failed attack of yesterday. The Dutch defenders returned the favor. There was little response to continued Australian mortar fire around Rabaul and Japanese forces continued to unload and consolidate in preparation for attacking Mersing under British long range fire.

There is little to report in the Eastern Pacific. The carriers continue to steam for Pearl and preparations continue for Operation Alarm Clock. Subs scattered among the Marshall and Gilbert islands and around Wake and Marcus report no sightings of enemy ships.

More reports to follow.

04 Jan 42

First off, submarine activities. The Spearfish was unable to damage a freighter heading for the Japanese base on Mindanao. The Pike was able to torpedo and strafe one freighter near Camranh Bay, but had torpedo difficulties when attacking a second and was forced to evade a pair of subchasers shortly afterwards. Still later she evaded a pair of gunboats. She is heading for Balikpapan, having used all her torpedoes. The ordnance division is claiming that there is nothing wrong with the torpedoes being issued but we are receiving too many reports of duds. I am going to have to escalate this in order to get satisfaction. The Dutch O20 was unable to damage a freighter leaving Kuantan, but later made a surface attack on a second with her 40mm guns. While the Shark was able to torpedo a tanker near Saigon leaving it in flames.

We have lost contact with the three enemy submersibles in the SWPAC area but believe we have spotted a fourth near Admiralty Island. Too bad we don't have any effective ASW assets in the area.

The Japanese again attacked Yenen. And again the fighter escorts abandoned the bombers when faced with the AVG. I can only imagine the kind of discussions going on among the enemy's pilots. The airfield at Kuala was also attacked. And more fish were killed in the Akyab harbor. Rangoon and Singapore were both spared today, but there were more Betty attacks on Rabaul and Cagayan.

British bombers hit the fields at Georgetown and Kuantan, as well as hitting a transport at Khota Bharu with six bombs.

The enemy carrier force that was entering the Sulu Sea yesterday has turned around and has returned to the South China Sea. They launched an attack on Brunei and sank the tanker Anastasia. The IJN carriers in the Java Sea have split. One force continued south and is near Banjarmasin. The other moved north and is just offshore of the island of Bangka. The northern of the pair attacked Palembang. The defending Hawk fighters were able to penetrate the light fighter cover and attack the incoming bombers but didn't have sufficient time to do much damage before they reached the port. Despite heavy flak, the light cruiser Mauritius was hit by bombs and torpedoes and sank after suffering a magazine explosion. Four destroyers that had been escorting her were also hit. The southern group launched an attack on Pamakasan, damaging the unused airfield there. And in a final action by their carrier air, a single Kate torpedo bomber escorted by a single Claude fighter returned to Toboali. A single torpedo was launched at the damaged freighter in port, which missed. We have yet to figure out quite what that was about.

The mixed Allied task force near Rabaul intercepted a Japanese troop transport on its way to Rabaul and sank it.

In the Phillipines, the PA 101st division was surrounded and forced to surrender outside Clark. There were more mortar exchanges at Menado but no serious fighting at Cagayan. The Phillipine defenders there are too dispersed avoiding air attack to be able to launch effective offensive actions. There were more artillery duels around Clark Field.

Chinese forces forming up outside Hanoi were subjected to a surprising attack by the Japanese forces there, in spite of the fact that they are outnumbered ten to one by the Chinese forces. Hopefully our ally will be able to take advantage of the enemy leaving their defenses. And Australian troops continued to harrass Japanese forces around Rabaul.

In Malaya, there is bad news. The British forces at Mersing continued to shell enemy forces unloading, but their position has suddenly become untenable. Overwhelming Japanese forces marching south on Singapore launched an extremely well co-ordinated assault on Johore Bahru. The defenders were not prepared and are quickly forced to retreat, despite their extensive defensive works. I understand that the commander at Singapore has ordered the Mersing forces to attempt to retreat to Singapore.

The British report that a little over 100 survivors of the No. 108 Base Force from Victoria Point reached Rangoon. They bring word that some twenty thousand enemy troops are following behind them.

And in a final bit of news, it appears that the Japanese convoy that has been trying to land at Mendanao for almost a month now may finally be able to. They seem to have slipped past the patrolling cruisers and have been spotted approaching Davao. The Boise and Houston along with the Marblehead are racing for Davao in a desperate attempt to intercept them.

More reports to follow.

05 Jan 42

There is little Sub Command activity to report. The British submarine Trusty fired the last of her torpedoes at an enemy destroyer in the Malacca Strait near Bankha. I find it a cause for concern that Japanese surface combatants appear to be able to navigate the Strait already without our knowledge. Which just makes the mission of the Rigel even more important. Overnight she laid mines in the Strait south of the Trusty's sighting. Hopefully this will discourage further enemy forces.

The minesweepers Mildura and Bunbury attacked an enemy sub in the waters east of Gili Gili but were forced to disengage by low fuel levels. They will return once they have refueled at Gasmata as there are reports of two separate enemy submersibles in that immediate area.

Dutch bombers from Brunei was able to score a bomb hit on a freighter in the South China Sea. Japanese bombers continued to hit Cagayan and Rabaul. But otherwise both sides land-based air units were not flying, mostly due to poor weather.

Of the three enemy carrier groups, only one was active today. The force that was in the Java Sea is now heading east towards the Makassar Strait. They attacked Balikpapan in the morning, sinking the freighter Siantar. They then damaged the airfield and port at Macassar in the afternoon. The Dutch say the damage was minor and is already being repaired.

The other two forces have been tentatively spotted. The first is still near Bangka, approximately 100 miles northeast of Toboali. The other appears to be steaming west and is currently 120 miles northeast of Kuching.

The two cruiser-lead groups near Mindanao were completely successful in their missions. Overnight the cruiser Marblehead and escorts surprised the five enemy transports approaching Davao. They started opening fire at only 5,000 yards and closed in enough that at least one of the destroyers was firing her 50 caliber machineguns at the enemy ships. They sank three of the five before losing the rest in the darkness. The Boise/Houston Task Force was able to finish the job that afternoon, finding and sinking the last two ships. I hope that this is as serious a blow to the enemy's plans in the Phillipines as I think it is.

The surviving forces of the retreat from Tubuegarao reached the Clark Field defenses today. They will continue on to Bataan for what rest and regrouping they can manage, manning the recent extensions to the defenses there while they do so. And the two PA divisions that fought so well at Naga reached Manila ahead of their pursuers, unfortunately tired and disorganized from their battle and march.

Allied and Japanese artillery continued to exchange fire around Clark Field. The defenders attempting to disrupt the enemy forces while the IJA appears to be trying to merely pin the defenders down while additional forces move up. The Japanese landing forces at Menado and Rabaul made little response to continued mortar fire by the defenders. And the enemy was again quiet at Cagayan. I fear this is related to a Japanese transport that was spotted having reached Butuan. If it was carrying reinforcements then they are probably just waiting for them to make the short march north to Cagayan before resuming their attack.

Chinese forces are performing much better than reports from previous years had led us to believe they would. Either that or they are facing poor, second-line forces due to the Japanese Empire pulling their first rate units to used in the attacks on the Phillipines and Malaya. The Chinese attack on Hanoi was successful, capturing large stockpiles of raw materials and supplies as well as driving the enemy base personnel back to Haiphong. I am informed that they intend to move on Haiphong just as soon as more units arrive.

All in all it would have been a quiet and relatively satisfying day if not for the message I received from the British. They forwarded a copy of a transmission from Major General Percival at Singapore. He reports that of the almost 60,000 troops there, less than 8,000 of them are combat forces and that many of those are ill-prepared to fight after their retreats from bases farther north. Supplies are not sufficient for a prolonged seige and heavy enemy forces, including numerous armored vehicles, have already been spotted preparing to engage the defenders.

More reports to follow.

06 Jan 42

The British began moving some of their aircraft out of Singapore. However, they are keeping many of their squadrons operating out of there. The feeling is that they are going to make the Japanese pay as much as possible if they are going to lose one of their crown jewels.

Engineers began unloading at Baker Island and immediately began work improving facilities there.

The submarine Pickerel conducted a night surface attack on a freighter among the islands of the Phillipines, leaving it burning. The Dutch KXVII scored a pair of torpedo hits on an escorted freighters near Singapore, while the Porpoise set ablaze a tanker off the north coast of Luzon with a single torpedo hit. The KXVII was able to later return and put three more torpeodoes into the same ship she damaged earlier, this time sinking it.

The Japanese returned to Yenen again. Once again, the escorting fighters were driven off by the AVG detachment. This time the AVG pilots joined with the Chinese in attacking the bombers.

Rangoon was subjected to a very heavy, 150 plane raid. In a long running battle that lasted all day, the AVG detachment here along with the few remaining Buffalo fighters rose up to intercept the incoming enemy aircraft. Despite being outnumbered by almost five to one (two-thirds of the raid was fighter escorts) they conducted a fierce resistance. The brave Buffalo pilots were unable to survive but the AVG made the enemy pay, downing almost six enemy fighters for each of their own loses.

The British decision to leave many aircraft at Singapore appears to be paying off. Vildebeests torpedoed a transport and a freighter in the Malacca Strait south of Bankha. A larger followup strike scored additional damage on the freighter. A few Vildebeest and Hurricanes also attempted to attack freighers SE of Singapore but were unable to hit due to interceptions by Zeros, apparently from the enemy carriers nearby.

The two Japanese carrier forces in the South China Sea have moved to the southeast of Singapore. They carried out a raid on Toboali that sank the earlier damaged freighter and damaged the remaining one. I reported earlier about an attack by a single Kate and a single Claude. Today those same two aircraft (we assume) with a high cover of some Zeros, carried out a similar attack on Singapore. This time the Kate was damaged by defending flak. We will see if this inexplicable behaviour continues.

The third carrier force appears to be circumnavigating Borneo counter-clockwise. They are now a short distance east of Balikpapan. Despite heavy weather in the morning, these ships launched a heavy raid on Tarakan. Five of the seven freighters docked were sunk and another was seriously damaged. We also received word that yet another freighter sank in the Indian Ocean, apparently from damage suffered during air attacks near Burma.

Forces defending Clark Field were bombed, despite the best efforts of the remaining fighters stationed in the Phillipines. And Gasmata was subject to raids on the ships unloading and replenishing in the harbor. No damage has been reported there.

The task force that was guarding Rabaul was forced to retire to Gasmata by low fuel levels. Whether they were just lucky or were waiting for such a move, a Japanese force moved in and began unloading reinforcements at Rabaul. The Mixed Force was forced to make a high speed run back in an attempt to intercept. They were subjected to a light enemy air attack without loss enroute. Once they reached Rabaul they savaged the enemy convoy. The Japanese force consisted of a minesweeper, a gunboat and three subchasers escorting a single freighter. The MSW, PG and two of the PCs were sunk and the remaining PC left heavily damaged and burning. The freighter took advantage of the fading light to escape undamaged.

Dutch and Japanese forces skirmished around Menado. Additional enemy forces moved into positions around Clark Field and heavier long range fighting continued. Japanese forces surrounding Singapore began shelling the city. And Australian forces continued to harry enemy forces around Rabaul.

More reports to follow.

07 Jan 42

A Japanese surface group attacked Kuching during the night. Despite the battleship Mutsu running into a mine on the way in, the trio of defending PT boats were caught by surprise. Two were sunk but the port was not bombarded.

The submarine Shark is reporting very heavy damage after her torpedoes failed to detonate when they hit an enemy light ship near Saigon. The captain says several compartments are flooded and he is attempting to retreat to one of the Borneo ports.

The Japanese air forces in China are still not having any luck attacking Yenen. This time, just for variety, the Chinese pilots chased off the escorting fighters and let the AVG pilots have first shot at the bombers.

In the Malaya region, Singapore came under heavy attack by several strong air raids. British and Dutch bombers launched multiple attacks on enemy shipping. One enemy freighter was hit by several bombs outside Johore Bahru and another was hit south of Georgetown, but Dutch Martins attacking another freighter in the South China Sea were jumped by enemy fighters, believed to be from the enemy carrier group spotted not far away. At Akyab, the Japanese gave up on trying to bomb the ships unloading. Instead they launched four waves of torpedo armed Nell and Betty aircraft, to devestating effect. Two transports and a gunboat were sunk with a freighter heavily damaged.

And in a terrifying demonstration of how badly we are outranged by the enemy, two separate raids from Saigon attacked Soerabaja. In both attacks the Dutch CAP was caught completely by surprise and unable to engage the Japanese aircraft before they made their runs against the cruiser De Ruyter. Fortunately the enemy was unable to score any hits on the ship.

The Japanese carrier force circling Borneo has reached a position near Tomini, launching three attacks in the region. Balkpapan was hit once. Despite heavy cloud cover the two minesweepers in the port were sunk. The remaining two attacks were on Tarakan where they sank one freighter, heavily damaged a second and hammered the airfield's support facilities.

More raids on Cagayan left the defenders there unable to form up and perform any productive defensive actions. Defending CAP fighters at Clark Field were able to shoot down or drive off all the bombers attempting to bomb Allied forces defending the base.

Rabaul was spared from enemy air attack, but the Japanese did try to land more forces there. The Mixed Force sank the freighter and its escorting gunboat as they approached. Unfortunately they still need to retire from the immediate area due to low supply and fuel levels.

The Japanese continue to build up their forces around Clark Field, with heavy artillery fire from both sides. The undefended port of Lamon Bay was captured by Japanese forces landing there. There were more mortar attacks and skirmishes around Rabaul and Menado. Enemy forces pressed hard at the rear guard of the retreating forces at Mersing and Singapore was attacked, with heavy casualties on both sides.

More reports to follow.

08 Jan 42

All three of the carriers returned to Pearl yesterday and resupplied. Operation Alarm Clock was given the load order and the 2nd USMC Division and the 34th Engineer Regiment began embarking on transports. The Enterprise will conduct attacks on Eniwetok as a diversion while the Lexington and Saratoga provide direct support, attacking Wake. The battleships Maryland and Colorado along with four cruisers (2 heavy and 2 light) and four destroyers will bombard the IJA defenders. Alarm Clock may divert Japanese attention from their drives in Malaya, the Phillipines and the DEI, buying time for the British and Dutch defenders. And if successful will provide us with a forward base for use in interdiction of supply convoys supporting the enemy bases in the Marshall Islands.

In another redeployment, the third contingent of the AVG was ordered to Akyab to protect the remaining ships unloading there. This contingent was recently re-equiped with improved P-40E fighters and only half-a-dozen were able to redeploy. The rest of the aircraft will rejoin their comrades as their aircraft are readied in Chungking. (The other two AVG contingents are equipped with P-40Bs.)

The cruisers Boise and Houston conducted bombardment in support of the Cagayan defenders over night. They then withdrew towards Davao to avoid enemy air attacks.

Mines are becoming one of our most effective weapons, second only to Submarine Command. Intelligence is reporting that a Japanese tanker may have sunk after hitting mines laid outside captured Kuala Lumpur.

The Shark missed her radio check and is now listed MIA. The Tarpon torpedoed a freighter off of Khota Bharu. The Dutch sub KXVII fired on but missed a troop transport in the southern approaches to the Malacca Strait, SE of Singapore. Meanwhile two Aussie minesweepers were attacked by a Japanese sub near Gili Gili but neither side was able to hit the other.

The AVG and Chinese swapped roles in the now predictible attack on Yenen.

Operations in Malaya continue at a slightly less frentic level. The Japanese attacked the airfields at Singapore while British Hudsons bombed enemy troops laying seige. Vildebeests bombed a gunboat at Kuala Lumpur and a Vildebeest and Blenheim force put a torpedo into a freighter near Mersing. Later in the day the B-17s finally flew their first mission, attempting to bomb ships in the port at Mersing. But the Batavia based bombers were unable to hit any targets. More Vildebeests followed up on the KXVII's attack and managed to hit a transport with two torpedoes. Another attack to the west was unsuccessful while yet another attack in the Malacca Strait itself succeeded in hitting a freighter with a pair of bombs.

Two of the three known enemy carrier groups were quiet. The third is continueing, at a very slow pace, to circle Borneo. This group launched another attack on Tarakan, sinking the earlier damaged freighter in the port. This was the only action taken by that force today. That combined with the number of earlier strikes they have launched leads me to believe that they may be low on supplies.

In the Phillipines the enemy bombed Bataan, aiming at the airfield nearby.

A flight of Bettys tried to bomb the CA Canberra as the Mixed Force approached Gasmata to fuel. Another group attacked one of the freighters unloading there. Nells out of Saigon again tried and failed to hit Dutch ships at Soerabaja.

The enemy appears to be leapfrogging past Rabaul. Reports have come in of Japanese troops unloading at Shortlands to the south. This threatens the supply line from Australia to Rabaul. I can only hope that construction efforts at Port Morseby, Buna and Gili Gili will be able to build those bases up in time to give us a chance to neutralize that interdiction.

The Japanese continue to bombard Clark Field, apparently trying to soften up the defenders. Ineffective skirmishes are reported at Menado, while similar actions at Rabaul are more severe. The Japanese forces overran Mersing just after the Commonwealth forces there finished pulling out. The bloody attack on Singapore continued. It appears that the enemy does not have the patience for a prolonged siege here. The respite at Cagayan was broken by a surprisingly weak attack by the Japanese forces. Most of the attacking force of only 65 IJA soldiers were casualties and a counter-attack by the defending Phillipine division is planned, despite their mediocre condition.

More reports to follow.

09 Jan 42

Another freighter has managed to sneak into Bataan and is unloading supplies. And a convoy is loading in Karachi to attempt a run in to Rangoon, where supplies are low. The enemy has twenty thousand plus troops to the northeast, cutting Rangoon's supply line and the garrison is not strong enough to attempt to push them back. The supply run is a risky move but without it the city will likely fall without the defenders being able to fight. In the north, Kiska island has been occupied and construction begun on expanding the airfield and port there.

Another report of a Japanese patrol boat striking a mine, this time at Hong Kong. The submarine Tarpon reports watching a freighter leave Khota Bharu and sink before she could attack it. The Permit fired on a Japanese Task Force near Camranh Bay but was unable to damage her target due to faulty torpedoes.

Allied cruisers carried out shore bombardments in support of defenders at Menado and Cagayan. And we are getting more coastwatcher reports of enemy troops unloading at Shortlands.

Yenen. Again. At least this time some of the bombers were smart enough to abort when their fighter cover turned and ran. (I forsee no 'Hogan's Heroes' TV show in this timeline. Instead there will be 'Grigsby's Grunts', chronicling the wacky adventures of Major Grigsby's command of AVG/C and their Chinese allies as they defend Yenen from the bumbling Nips. A new Chinese ace every week. Sure to be a TV classic.)

Rangoon was attacked in the morning and the afternoon. The AVG contingent here did their best and acquitted themselves well, even against the escorting Zeroes, but there were simply too many enemy fighters and they suffered heavy casualties. Both in the air and on the ground when the airfield was bombed. Akyab was also attacked, with the PG Fritillary on fire from a bomb hit and another bomb hitting the freighter Empire Snipe.

Dutch Martins out of Brunei made two separate attacks on a Jap battleship in the South China Sea. It is believed to be the Ise, but no hits were reported.

The seas around Malaya continue to be deadly for shipping. Vildebeests bombed a gunboat and a troop transport just west of Singapore. More Vildebeests and some Blenheims were able to hit a pair of freighters at Mersing, one with a bomb and the other with a torpedo.

Enemy bombers heavily hit the 22nd Aus Brigade as it continued its retreat towards Singapore. The 101st PA Div at Cagayan was also bombed. A convoy carrying the 7th Aus Brigade reached Rabaul and was attacked by enemy Bettys just as it was about to begin unloading. The defending Wirraways were unable to effectively intervene but the enemy's high altitude bombing was unable to hit any of the ships. In a similar attack, Nells attempted to bomb one of the convoys unloading engineers and supplies at Baker Island. They were also unsuccessful. But it does show that the enemy is now paying attention to our activities there. Now that there is some support for them, I am ordering the transport of one of the fighter groups at Pearl to Baker. A transport unloading at Gasmata was also targeted and missed, this time by a small group of Bettys.

The IJN carrier group continued its slow tour around Borneo. Their strike today was on Dadjangas where they sank the MSW Bittern. The ship had been docked there performing repairs after helping to destroy the enemy troop convoy attempting to reach Davao.

Heavy casualties are reported at Clark Field, where the Japanese have apparently finished their "softening up" bombardment and have finally launched their attack. Singapore was subjected to a third day of heavy combat. Allied casualties there are around three thousand so far and the enemy is believed to have suffered a similar amount. Skirmishes continue around Menado and Rabaul. The Phillipine counter-attack at Cagayan found nothing, literally. It appears the enemy completely destroyed themselves in their last attack on the base, although it is difficult to be certain since we are still getting rumors and reports from locals of enemy forces in the area.

More reports to follow.