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June 3, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


JAP INVASION FLEET ENDURES

(TN – Darwin) Military intelligence has yet to add a single Japanese transport from the Lai Island invasion fleet to its list of sunk ships, in spite of three days of reportedly massively successful attacks against it. Furthermore, the Japanese have managed to retreat their invasion fleet to the Timor port of Lautem, where they are using all available resources to transfer soldiers from stricken ships to land. Portuguese soldiers still control the port of Lautem. However, it is believed that as soon as the Japanese land enough forces, they will march in to replace the government with one more loyal to Japan.

Some officers in Military Intelligence are suggesting that they were mistaken to think that this force was destined for Lai Island. According to these officers, Lautem was the target of this invasion fleet all along, and they simply sailed past Lae Island to get to it. Lai Island had no resources for contesting the Japanese fleet, and did not inflict any of the damage that the fleet is now suffering.

This is only one event in recent weeks that suggest a breakdown in the way that military intelligence is effectively handled (see related story).

In addition to the port of Lautem, Japan has also recently occupied the port of Sorong, 300 miles north of Kai Island and an important source of oil. Japan is also reported to be landing at Biak, a small port off the north coast of Papua and east of Sorong. With these captures there are very few ports left in the region that are still under allied control. Allied submarines are attempting to pull key personnel out of these ports, and are using them to refuel and resupply their submarines, as long as supplies last..


Military Intelligence Offers Theory of Port Moresby Air Offensive

(TN – Townsend) Military Intelligence is offering a theory to explain the size and the success of the Japanese air offensive against Port Moresby at the end of May. The offensive consisted of raids escorted by over 100 fighters. Those fighters destroyed over five dozen Allied airplanes, at a cost of less than a dozen Japanese.

According to officials in Military Intelligence, Japan retreated its carriers to Rabaul, then stationed the carrier-based fighters on Rabaul’s airstrips to lead the raids on Port Moresby. The carrier-based pilots are known to have uncanny skills with a fighter, and they displayed those skills in their attacks on Port Moresby. In less than a week, the Japanese raids had succeeded in virtually destroying one Allied fighter group, and three other independent fighter squadrons, all flying the best land-based fighters that the allies have available.

“We think that the Japanese are continuing to follow this procedure,” said one official at Military Intelligence. “They have added a plan to charge out and challenge any allied naval operation that lingers too long. When we had ships linger at Port Moresby hunting for a phantom troop transport allegedly heading to Port Moresby, the Japanese carriers rushed out to attack.”

Military intelligence is also estimating that the phantom troop transport was also a failure of military intelligence. Officials are now suggesting that the PBY pilot spotted a submarine moving along the surface, and identified it as a troop transport. “We have reason to believe that the Japanese were getting desperate to get reinforcements to Port Moresby, so we accepted the report. We should learn to put a bit more work into confirming these reports before we risk ships and sailors.”

The Port Moresby battle remained relatively quiet yesterday. Both sides took the opportunity to bomb and shell each other. The shortage of Japanese artillery meant that the Allies suffered little from the shelling. However, the bombing inflicted significant casualties. Allied bombing in turn is believed to have inflicted light damage on the Japanese.

There was no air combat as General Knox is refusing to challenge the Japanese for control of the skies until he has had an opportunity to rebuild his fighter strength.


Kimmel Names Apamama Occupation Force

(TN – Hawaii) Admiral Kimmel, commander of allied forces in the Central Pacific, has named the 40th USA Infantry Division to occupy Apamama. Kimmel has also asked his junior officers to submit plans to occupy the island before the end of the month. Recent military intelligence suggests that the island is barely defended, and should be able to fall to any quickly deployed attack force. As a result, Kimmel has argued for the use of fast transports to occupy the island quickly before Japan has an opportunity to get reinforcements there.


First AVG Units Transfer to China

(TN – Chungking) “China is like a whole other country,” said Lieutenant Geoff Donahue shortly after landing in Nanning. Lt. Donahue was one of two dozen AVG fighter pilots to land in this southern China railway center from Chadpur, India this evening. At Chadpur, they were surrounded by an English-speaking staff, even if they were British for the most part. At Nanning, they found a Chinese-speaking ground crew attending their airplanes, and Chinese interpreters assigned to translate the Chinese orders that came down from the Chinese high command.

With the arrival of the 9th Chinese Air Base Force in Nanning, China, General Pownall at Dacca gave permission for a squadron of fighters from the American Volunteer Group to fly to the city and begin operations. The AVG will be charged with gaining control of the air over the southern part of China, as well as blocking the shipment of supplies to northern Indochina across the Gulf of Tonkin.

Before the month is out, all three squadrons from the AVG Fighter Group are expected to be operating out of Nanning. However, General Pownall, commander of allied forces in Southeast Asia, is waiting the delivery of three new British fighter squadrons to replace the Americans. Within a couple of weeks, two squadrons of Hurricane fighter and one squadron of Mohawk fighters are due to arrive in India to take up the duties presently assigned to the AVG.

Lieutenant Geoff Donahue quickly claimed a bunk as his own, then took a walk around the base. He smiled at the citizens, who bowed politely and smiled back at him. Within an hour, he was back at his bunk, looking for something to do.

Allied plans for June include:

• Raids in the North Atlantic against the northern most Japanese islands

The Japanese empire has expanded farther than I thought![X(]

Thayne - sorry, I just couldn't resist![:D]

June 4, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


JAPS OCCUPY TIMOR

(TN – Darwin) Before sinking, the Japanese invasion fleet originally spotted near Kai Island, managed to reach Lautem on the island of Timor yesterday, and disembark a small contingent of soldiers. Those soldiers were enough to claim the undefended port for Japan and to establish control over the island.

Sources in Southwest Pacific Command say that Lautem is being held by such a small number of survivors – with no heavy equipment – that an attack on the port may push the Japanese out. However, General Thompson has advised his staff that the allies would soon have to abandon the port, because it could not yet get enough men and material to hold it, while dodging Japanese Zero and Betty airplanes.

At present, units in Darwin, Australia are struggling to keep three bases supplied in the waters north of Australia. These include Kai Island, Atu Island, and the port of Merauke on the southern coast of New Zealand. “Every day, we load up as much supply as we can onto the available airplanes and send them to these ports, and it still is not enough,” said one senior advisor. “It would be foolish to think that we can make add a fourth base to that list with our present resources.”

Still, some allied sources are hoping that Japan fails to find the time to neglect this shortcoming. One military strategist put it this way. “It is easy in war to find too many things to do with your available troops. In order to reinforce Lautem, they have to take something away from somewhere else. If they are too busy with their long list of “something else”, Lautem might be ill equipped long enough for us to start our invasion.”


Chinese Divisions Alter Route

(TN – Dacca) Abandoning hope that Japan will abandon Myitkyina yet again, and allow another three Chinese divisions to escape into India, those three divisions altered their path so they can go around the Japanese garrison. The Chinese hope to go south into the mountains between Myitkyina and Lashio, then turn west and come out somewhere on the Myitkyina-Mandalay railroad. They will then march as quickly as possible to the trails connecting northern Burma to Imphal.

The trail will be brutal, and it can be expected to take as long as four months to get the division from China into India. However, once in India, the units will be resupplied and rebuilt so that they can take part in the eventual mission to restore the supply route to China.

The plans to restore that supply route are also being redrawn, in light of the recent Japanese troop dispositions. Myitkyina is presently being defended by the 56th Division, and the 14th Mortar Battalion. Allied military planners claim that they will need all nine Chinese divisions at full strength to have any effect against such a defensive force, particularly if they take advantage of the opportunity to dig themselves in.

Military strategists believe that the plan will eventually involve an attack from Ledo against Myitkyina itself, and an attack from Imphal to cut off supplies. Chinese units may also be sent in from the east to help the units from India capture the city.

“We are talking about something that is not going to happen in the near future,” said one senior official at Southeast Asia Command headquarters. “We are not going to start marching immediately.”

101st Air Base Force Begins Trip to China

Blocking the road is not preventing the allies from supporting the Chinese. Since the start of the war, allied forces have been airlifting supplies into China. Starting yesterday, the allied transportation squadrons began transporting the 101st Base Force. This force will assemble at Yunan, then travel to Nanning where they will contribute to building up an air force in southern China. Allies hope to be able to add a pair of bomber squadrons to the South China air force and to use this to start taking control of southern China.


Military Intelligence Studies Milne Bay Photographs

(TN – Noumea) South Pacific Command has been giving photographs taken of Milne Bay a lot of attention recently. Japan occupied the base over a month ago, and Admiral Nimitz, commander of allied forces in the South Pacific, has expressed an interest in getting it back. He had earmarked two Marine divisions for the mission and ordered reconnaissance airplanes to start photographing the area.

What has officials at South Pacific Command talking is the fact that these photographs show no evidence of a Japanese buildup at Milne Bay. Some officials in Military Intelligence are suggesting that the allies will be able to retake the port with a parachute battalion. It turns out that two Marine parachute battalions sailed into Brisbane recently, and are about to sail north to Cairns.

Admiral Nimitz has asked for confirmation about the size of the enemy forces at Milne Bay. Officers in South Pacific Command are considering answering his request by sending a surface fleet to Milne Bay to shell the port and see what they scare up. Other missions being considered include landing a small force at the bay by submarine to scout out the region and report back, or parachuting in a small bad to engage in guerilla warfare against the Japanese while reporting the state of the Japanese defenses.

“We are in the preliminary phases of our planning,” said one senior official. “We have not made any plans yet.”

Yet, officials also pointed out that the 1st Marine Division are due to arrive in Brisbane within the next few days. “With a few fast transport ships available, they may find themselves moving into Milne Bay sooner than expected,” said one military strategist.


Weather Interferes with Gilbert Islands Raids

(TN – Hawaii) A raid on the Gilbert Islands by three American carriers and a bombardment task force has gotten off to a slow start, with rain and winds delaying yesterday’s attack. During one short break in the weather, Hornet managed to launch 15 fighters, but the rough seas soon closed down plans to launch any bombers. The fighters visited Tarawa for a few moments to look around, then they returned.

Admiral Kimmel has ordered the task force commander not to bombard using the battleships until they have some idea of the strength of the enemy defensive guns.

The carriers will attempt again tomorrow to launch a strike. If successful, the battleships may go in the next day.

June 5, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


Letter From the Editor

Thayne News strongly regrets the occasional error that finds its way into our reports. Because of the sensitive nature of the materials we print, Thayne News has had to struggle with a very small staff. We attempt to double-check what facts we can, but we simply cannot take the time to catch every error and live up to our duty to provide our reports in a timely manner. We believe we still provide the best war reporting available, though we beg forgiveness for the occasional oversight and error.


DUTCH RAID DULLA (AGAIN)

(TN – Darwin) Dutch motor patrol torpedo boats stationed at Kai Island again raided the Japanese-held port of Dulla 200 miles to the north and returned after sinking a transport ships.

Dutch agents remaining behind at Dulla radioed to allied command that a transport had just arrived with a cargo of fresh troops. At the time, the Dutch navy had eight motor patrol torpedo boats circling Kai island, waiting to defend its shores from a Japanese invasion. On hearing of another target so close, the captains of the ship agreed to go on a raid, quickly, before the Japanese could get the ship unloaded.

They struck at night, sailing across 200 miles of open ocean, then moving in slowly during the darkness. The Japanese soldiers were trying to get the ship loaded as quickly as possible, so they had lights on the dock to help the night shift do their work. Six of the eight boats fired their torpedoes in the dark. One of the struck the pier and blew the end of end of it into splinters. Another struck the stern of the transport ship.

Then, the captain ordered the torpedo boats into the shore. Machine gunners manning Lewis 30 caliber machine guns strafed the ship and the docks. The Japanese had not yet set up any port defenses, so the only Japanese capable of firing back at the Dutch were the soldiers on shore with their personal rifles, and a small number of machine-gun emplacements. Against the light of the fires burning at the end of the pier, the Japanese had a hard time seeing the Dutch attackers in the waters beyond.

TM-15, under the command of Lieutenant Olmstad, who was also the squadron commander, patrolled right, sailing parallel to the shore, looking for targets of opportunity. His crew shot up a number of smaller boats and kept up suppressing fire on enemy positions on shore.

Then the boat turned to regroup with the others, Olmstad had a broadside view of the transport ship, heavy in the stern, and surrounded by a spreading pool of burning oil. TM-15 had not yet fired its torpedoes. Olmstad aimed for a position nearer the bow of the ship and fired. One torpedo detonated.

Minutes later, the Japanese transport turned onto its side. In the light of the fire, Olmstad saw several Japanese soldiers jumping into the water and scrambling onto the pier. Several torpedo boat crew filed reports suggesting that there were still Japanese soldiers trapped on the ship as it sank.

Olmstad ordered his squadron to regroup. As dawn came, they sailed the open waters back to Kai Island.


Formalhaut Reaches Port Moresby

(TN – Port Moresby) The fast cargo ship Formalhaut reached Port Moresby yesterday and immediately started unloading its 4,500 tons of cargo. Combined with supplies that are still being flown into the city from Cooktown, the ship holds enough supplies to keep the Port Moresby garrison fighting for five to ten days.

The garrison continues to suffer mostly as a result of Japanese aerial bombardment. Attacks on the 6th and 7th Australian Divisions by as many as 50 Japanese “Betty” bombers each inflicted over 200 casualties on the allies. Allied aerial attacks against the Japanese defenders proved to be far less effective.

General Knox, commander of allied forces at Port Moresby, had hoped that a predicted day of rain would keep the enemy bombers away, and ordered an attack against the Japanese forces surrounding the city. The bombing raids came just as the attack started, severely disrupting the organization of the attacking force. A Japanese counter-attack against the 6th Australian Infantry Division drove the Australians back and inflicted dozens of additional casualties.

Frustration over the slow progress being made at Port Moresby are causing some in Southwest Pacific Command to call for General Knox to be replaced. However, General Thompson gave Knox his full support. “The General is dealing with some very serious handicaps, not the least of which is the fact that we do not have any decent planes to challenge the Japanese with, and the problem of malaria. He has held the town this long. I see no reason to doubt his abilities.”

Thompson has ordered a squadron of destroyers presently at Thursday Island to load up reinforcements for the 7th Australian Division and to transport them to Port Moresby. In the mean time, fast transport ships at Cairns have been ordered to load up reinforcements for the 6th Australian Division. These reinforcements are meant to counter approximately 3,500 casualties inflicted on the units already in battle.


Destroyers Dispatched to Line Islands

(TN – Hawaii) Admiral Kimmel dispatched a squadron of five destroyers for permanent assignment to the Line Islands, south of Hawaii, yesterday afternoon. The destroyer squadron, under the overall command of Commander R.K. Kurtin, has been given orders to patrol the waters of the Line Islands for enemy submarines and to protect the islands from potential Japanese raids.

However, Thayne News has learned that Commander Kurtin is to be ready to transport elements of the 40th USA Division from the Line Islands to Apamama. Presently, two allied attack squadrons are circling the island, attempting to assess the quality of its defenses. In addition, B-17 bombers from Baker Island and Nanomea Attol, reporting no signs of Japanese development since they took the island five months earlier. Allied military intelligence suspects that it may be possible to retake the island with a small attack force that arrives quickly enough, and keep it supplied using B-17s to airdrop food and materials.

So far, allied command has been disappointed in the results of the raid launched against the Gilbert Islands, including Apamama. The carrier force seems to have arrived with a tropical storm that has kept the planes on the carriers. Until the planes have had a chance to assess the capabilities of the island’s defenses, the battleship squadron is also standing off.

Central Pacific Command has reported that they are worried that the Japanese may be sailing their carrier fleet to the Gilberts in the hopes of ambushing the Allied forces. Kimmel has warned his junior officers that he has no qualms with pulling the carriers back and trying again later, rather than sailing around the islands waiting for good weather.

The fleet supply ship Lassen, and the fleet tanker Ramapo have been ordered to Baker Island to provide logistical support to the two fleets as necessary.

June 6, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


SWEEPERS DUAL JAP TRANSPORT

(TN – Port Moresby) Port Moresby became the scene of an unusual sea battle as three allied minesweepers took on a Japanese transport ship at Port Moresby.

After delivering the fast cargo ship Fomalhaut, its escort of three minesweepers took up position at sea just south of Port Moresby. Shortly after dark, a radar operator on the destroyer Meredith reported receiving signals suggesting a ship approaching Port Moresby. Meredith was in port undergoing emergency repairs after being hit in a Japanese air assault a week ago. The destroyer still was still suffering from severe flooding and was confined to the harbor when the signal came in, so the minesweepers were dispatched to check on the contact. The minesweepers received their direction from the destroyer.

Horsham was the first minesweeper to spot the ship, at a distance of a little more than eight miles and asked for identification. When no answering signal came, the minesweeper fired a warning shot. Still the ship did not answer. At a range of 5,000 yards, the minesweeper opened fire. The ship started to turn away. Horsham found its range and hit the enemy ship twice. Meanwhile Horsham and its sister ships closed the distance.

With the ships 3,000 yards apart, the mystery ship started to return fire. Its shells started to come close to Euchada, one of the other minesweepers.

At this point, Lieutenant Commander Mendenhall of the Meredith ordered the minesweepers back to their station. In discussing the order later that day, Commander Mendenhall commented, “It may have been a trap, either to lure the minesweepers into something a bit more dangerous, or to open up the approaches to Port Moresby.”

Later that day, Blenheim bombers stationed at Port Moresby found a Japanese supply ship still heading southeast away from Port Moresby. The attacked the ship, but did not manage to score any hits.

Allies Challenge Japanese Bombing Runs

After spending a week recovering from being pummeled by the Japanese air force, Allied pilots asked for another shot at the Japanese attackers the next day, when they made their next bombing runs. The pilots had spend the week attacking Japanese ground positions and practicing dogfighting tactics, as well as breaking in new pilots.

The allied pilots made good on their training. In the air battles the followed, Allied pilots shot down 14 Japanese fighters and another 4 bombers, at a cost of 23 fighters. After the battle, General Knox ordered the depleted squadrons back on restricted duty.

The battle at Port Moresby has largely depleted the supply of Kittyhawks to the point that it would be impossible to recover from any additional losses. The Kittyhawks have been placed of more restricted duty until more airplanes have been delivered.

Destroyers Deliver 7th Division Reinforcements

For the second day in a row, destroyers operating out of Thursday Island delivered nearly 1,000 reinforcements for the 7th Australian Infantry Division. Fast transport ships at Cairns have loaded up another 600 soldiers from the 6thAustralian Infantry Division for delivery to Port Moresby as well. Fomalhaut continues to unload its supplies at Port Moresby, and a second fast transport group at Cairns has loaded up an additional 1,300 tons of supplies for delivery to Port Moresby as well.


Nimitz Launches Probe of Milne Bay

(TN – Noumea) Thayne News has learned that Admiral Nimitz has sent a surface fleet to probe the Japanese defenses of Milne Bay. The task force, consisting of 7 cruisers and a destroyer escort, left Noumea two days ago, and is due at Milne Bay in three days. Admiral Nimitz hopes that the attack will give him a hint of the forces waiting at Milne Bay. If the way is clear, Nimitz may order the marines under his authority to retake the port.


Carriers Attack Tarawa, Makin Islands

(TN – Hawaii) The Central Pacific carrier squadron finally got good enough weather to launch its raids, and attacked both Makin and Tarawa islands. Reconnaissance photographs taken during the raids show only a dozen guns on Makin Island, and half that at Tarawa.

With this news, Kimmel ordered the battleship squadron to attack Makin Island during the night. The bombardment task force has been ordered to attack Makin the first night, Tarawa the second, and Apamama the third. Once the raids are completed, Admiral Kimmel hopes to use the information acquired to decide whether or not to try to retake Apamama.

June 7, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


BATTLE AT MAKIN ATOLL

(TN – Hawaii) The Allied bombardment fleet struck Makin Atoll in the Gilbert Islands yesterday, triggering a battle that allowed the Allies to harvest a few extra benefits.

Makin Atoll is a massively long chain of islands, over 15 miles in length but less than a fifth of a mile wide. After dark, the allied combat ships lined up parallel to the island, to the southwest, and opened fire.

Within minutes, the Japanese started to return fire. One gun near the western edge of the line sighted on the battleship California. One of its shells destroyed a 5” gun on the battleship, and another shell bounced off of a gun turret and exploded on the deck. The cruiser Atlanta took a hit in the side that did no significant damage.

The allies sighted on the Japanese guns and made them the primary focus of their fire. One after another, the Japanese guns fell silent. When bombardment force could no longer find any useful targets among the smoke and debris, they retreated and watched the island at a distance, waiting to see how the Japanese would react.

The reaction came later that morning, when a Japanese “Emily” seaplane approached the carrier group, one hundred miles southeast of Makin. Several hours later, two dozen Betty bombers flew against the bombardment task force still sitting off of the coast of Makin. The bombers came in without escort. However, the bombardment group was under the protection of a half-dozen F4F fighters from the carrier Yorktown.

The fighters shot down or drove off seven of the bombers. Those that made it through the allied defenses focused their attention on the largest ships. The Japanese bombers dropped their payload from a height of nearly 4 miles, and managed to miss their targets by wide margins.

While the American fighter pilots protected the ships from Japanese bombers, the carriers sent another round of air strikes against Makin and Tarawa Islands. The attack on Makin seemed to do nothing more than stir up the dust and debris from the earlier attack and the bombardment. However, the attack on Tarawa inflicted significant damage on the runway. Huge explosions and thick columns of smoke rising from the island told of at least three fuel and weapons caches getting hit, and both the port and airstrip facilities took damage in the attack.

Admiral Kimmel then ordered the warships to enter the next phase of the operation, which was to fully target Tarawa for the next days’ raids. The bombardment task force would hit Tarawa during the night, then the carriers would give the island the full force of their air attack strength. The following day, the bombardment force will be ordered to attack Apamama, then retire back to Baker Island.

Allied military strategists are expecting the attack on Apamama to confirm what they have been suspecting for some time, that the island is being held by only a token force. Members of the 40th American Infantry Division, presently stationed on the Line Islands, may be able to retake the island with an attack force landed by destroyer. A squadron of destroyers have already shown up in the Line Islands ready to execute this mission.

However, Admiral Kimmel has expressed concern about the location of the Japanese carriers. Two days ago, the defenders of Port Moresby were hit with another bombing raid escorted by masses of Japanese Zero fighters. However, yesterday’s raids against Port Moresby came with only minimum fighter support. Military strategists are warning Kimmel to expect the Japanese to send their carriers to the Gilbert Islands to defend against the raiders.

Admiral Kimmel has responded by ordering all nonessential ships out of the region. The attack force will be given two days to complete its mission, then it, too, will be ordered to withdraw toward the Line Islands and, if necessary or prudent, called back to the West Coast of the United States.


Allies Win Port Moresby Air Battle

(TN – Port Moresby) Japan launched its daily bombing raids against Port Moresby yesterday. However, unlike previous attacks, these were not so well escorted. Only a half-dozen ‘zero’ fighters escorted the first mission, and less than twenty ‘zero’ fighters escorted the second. This is in a theater where recent history has seen Japanese raids escorted by 65 to 100 fighters, which appeared to be of exceptional skill.

These Japanese fighter pilots lost seven airplanes, but shot down only one allied defender. In the second attack, allied fighters managed to get past the ‘zeros’ and go straight for the bombers, destroying two of them and driving more than half of the remainder away from the target.

The low numbers and the low quality of the Japanese fighter pilots suggest that the Japanese carriers may have left the waters around Rabaul, taking their superior fighter force with them. General Thompson warned Admiral Kimmel that the carrier force may be sailing east to challenge the Gilbert Islands attack.

Allied forces in the Port Moresby region suffered one significant loss, when a Japanese submarine struck the fast transport ship Manley. Manley was delivering elements of the 6th Australian Infantry Division to Port Moresby when the torpedo hit. In addition to members of the Manley crew, nearly three dozen allied soldiers were also killed or wounded in the attack. Manley’s structural damage is significant. The ship is burning nearly out of control and still taking on water.

Earlier in the week, another submarine was found in the waters between Cairns and Port Moresby. However, the destroyers Piet Hein and [/i]Banckert[/i] were able to get some solid hits on the submarine. Military Intelligence is crediting them with a kill. In addition, the task force that is moving from Noumea to bombard Milne Bay took on a sub. The destroyers O’Brien and King each report getting solid hits on a sonar contact.

General Knox has sent out a message to his senior officers to prepare another assault against the Japanese for two days. By that time, a surface combat presently bringing additional supplies to Port Moresby will have arrived and unloaded, and could support the assault with naval fire, before retiring.

Reconnaissance patrols sent into the jungle have discovered that the Japanese are rebuilding their numbers as the Allies stay on the defensive. Estimates are that the siege force has received over 500 reinforcmenets and nearly 10 guns. He has ordered the attack in the hopes that he can cut the Japanese back down to their original size.

June 8, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


JAPAN INFILTRATES SO. CHINA

(TN – Chungking) Allied military officials were shocked to learn yesterday of a Japanese military unit that had infiltrated into southern China. The unit had somehow circled around the 23rd and 50th Chinese Corps, which had been stationed to block the railroad entering China from Indochina. The first news of the Japanese infiltration to reach Chinese high command did not come until the unit had moved to cut off the railroad north of these units.

Military intelligence is struggling to learn the size and the composition of the enemy unit. At this point, all that is known is that Japanese army personnel have cut off rail service from Nanning to the Indochina border.

Chinese officials immediately responded by sending reinforcements to Nanning. General Chang Kai Shek also demanded that another squadron from the American Volunteer Group be dispatched to Nanning immediately to help take care of this threat. General Pownall, commander of allied forces in Southeast Asia, responded by sending the Warhawk squadron from Chadpur to China. The limited range of the Warhawk fighters required that they stop off at Yunan for refueling.

The infiltration could mean the loss of the 23rd and 50th Chinese Corps if the Japanese unit cannot be dislodged from their position. On the other hand, Allied forces are studying the possibility of isolating the Japanese unit and destroying it.

Several officers are responding to the possibility of a "worst case schenari", where Japan manages to retake the port of Nanning. The Chinese army has been working to turn the city into a major staging point for attacking Japanese shipping in the Gulf of Tonkin.


Assault Task Force Finds Limited Japanese Presence at Gili Gili

(TN – Noumea) Tf1084, lead by the cruiser Indianapolis reached Gili Gili, on the eastern tip of New Guinea, yesterday and reported “minimal signs of enemy activity”. Indianapolis lead a task force of 7 cruisers and 9 destroyers into Milne Bay for the purpose of assessing the strength of the Japanese presence there.

According to sources at South Pacific Command, if Gili Gili appears as lightly defended as aerial reconnaissance suggests, Nimitz may order units to take control of the port.

Thayne News has learned that there is a dispute going on in the higher ranks of South Pacific Command concerning the best way to capture Milne Bay, if there proves to be a limited number of Japanese units in the area. One faction argues for using 1st and 2nd parachute battalions that will soon be reaching Cooktown, Australia. There, a squadron of C-47 transports stands ready to deliver the paratroopers to whatever target is named for them. Though these units have been preparing to occupy Goodenough Island and other islands north and east of Milne Bay, they would be able to reach Gili Gili quickly, and could take control of the port before the Japanese could reinforce it. However, these units have been spending the last several weeks making preparations to take and hold Goodenough Island. They will need to draw up plans to defend Gili Gili on the fly, and this may make them vulnerable to a Japanese counter attack.

The second faction argues for bringing the First USA Marine Division to Milne Bay. Under the original assumption that the port was heavily defended, this division as well as the Second USA Marine Division, presently at Noumea, have been preparing to capture and hold Gili Gili, and are more familiar with the area. The marines are already loaded on troop transports, and are presently sailing up the eastern coast of Australia. It would be a simple matter to divert them to Milne Bay. The problem with this operation is that the transports will be vulnerable to enemy air attack, which could inflict huge casualties on the unit while it struggles to unload.

TF1084 has proved that the Japanese air force is a threat. Shortly after pulling into Milne Bay, it was attacked in the narrow waters of the bay by Betty bombers. Though the bombers did not hit any of the Allied ships, the Japanese would have several days’ worth of chances to strike a convoy bringing the Marine division into the port. It would take over a week to unload all of the men and equipment.

Admiral Nimitz has postponed making a decision on how best to take the port until he has learned more about the strength of the Japanese occupation of Milne Bay.

Knox Prepares for Another Assault on Japanese Around Port Moresby

After its attack on Gili Gili, TF1084 has been ordered to proceed to Port Moresby. There, it will be joined by ships from TF1287, which recently dropped off over 1,000 tons of additional supplies to the port. The two task forces will then commence shelling Japanese positions around the city. General Knox has plans to follow up this bombardment with an assault on the Japanese positions.

Over the past week, military intelligence has noted that the Japanese have been building up their strength around the city. According to official estimates, Knox’s previous offensive against the Japanese had reduced them to a strength of only 7,000 soldiers with less than 20 guns. Artillery spotters and patrols estimate that the Japanese have added 500 soldiers and 10 guns to their strength. It is unknown whether this has been due to rebuilding damaged guns and returning rested soldiers to the lines, or whether the Japanese have received actual reinforcements, or a combination of both.

The Allied air force has started to take steps to reduce the ability of the Japanese to reinforce their units surrounding Port Moresby. Yesterday afternoon, Beaufort bombers attacked Japanese shipping at Buna, and succeeded in damaging two troop transports in the harbor. Aerial reconnaissance supports the claim that the transports were unloading reinforcements when bombers hit two ships with a total of nine 250-pound bombs. Enemy casualties are estimated at over 100 soldiers killed or wounded, as well as stockpiles of ammunition and equipment.

General Knox, on the other hand, will receive the benefit of another 1500 soldiers to reinforce its army, arriving in the next 24 hours. 1,000 soldiers belonging to the 7th Australian Infantry Division, and 500 soldiers from the 6th Australian Infantry Division, will be arriving on destroyers. The units will be arriving with additional artillery to replace guns damaged in recent operations. Knox's supply of food and ammunition has also grown considerably in the past week.


Nevada Survives Torpedo Hit

(TN – Hawaii) Japanese torpedo bombers hit the US battleship Nevada off the coast of Tarawa yesterday. However, the poorly built torpedo hit the battleship on a belt of armored protection it wore against torpedoes, and inflicted no measurable damage.

Nevada is a part of a task force of 5 battleships, 5 cruisers, and 6 destroyers assigned the task of shelling Japanese held islands in the region. It attacked the island of Makin two days ago, Tarawa last night, and will strike Apamama tomorrow before heading back to Baker Island.

The hit on Nevada was the only Japanese success in an attack that cost the enemy another 13 bombers to combat air patrol, with 2 bombers shot down by anti-aircraft fire from the ships.

After the naval bombardment of Tarawa, aircraft from the carriers Enterprise, Yorktown, and Hornet visited the island, adding another layer of destruction to the Japanese defenses. It was the third day of carrier-based air raids against the island, and the largest to date.

Admiral Kimmel has commanded both task forces to withdraw before the Japanese carrier force reacts to the raid. Military intelligence suggests that the Japanese carrier force may be on its way. Intelligence officers estimate that the carrier force had been sitting at Rabaul, where their fighters have been making significant contributions to the destruction of allied fighter squadrons in the region. However, recent enemy flights out of Rabaul did not seem to have the benefit of the superior Japanese carrier pilots. Military intelligence suggests that the pilots are not available because the Japanese carriers are heading toward the Gilbert Islands.

The last time that the Japanese carrier force was seen was when it responded to allied carrier activity around Port Moresby. At that time, the carriers showed up on the north side of New Guinea and launched a raid that sank the battleship Colorado.

Allied military strategists say that the would consider it a blessing if the Gilbert raid draw the Japanese carriers off, allowing Knox’s planned assault at Port Moresby to proceed more smoothly.

June 9, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


NEW KNOX OFFENSIVE BEGINS

(TN – Port Moresby) General Knox, commander of allied forces at Port Moresby, began a new 2-day offensive yesterday to drive back the Japanese forces surrounding the city. The attack inflicted nearly 400 casualties on the enemy and destroying a third of the Japanese artillery. Allied forces suffered the loss of less than 200 men and less than three percent of the allied artillery.

However, allied forces again found the Japanese to be the masters of jungle fighting, and struggled desperately to make any headway. Plagued by swamps and sickness against an enemy that knew how to use the jungle as a weapon, the attack turned into chaos and confusion. Some units became so disorganized that General Knox had to call them back and regroup. By the end of the day, only the 2nd Australian Infantry Division retained any resemblance of organizational cohesion.

In spite of the difficulties in communication and organization, General Knox ordered the attack to continue for a second day. Over the next 24 ours, the attack will obtain the benefit of more than 20 allied combat ships, organized into two task forces, shelling Japanese positions. According to sources at Port Moresby command, Knox is adamant in his refusal to let the artillery go to waste.

The question remains whether forces disorganized and confused from the first day of fighting can fight effectively for a second day. Some senior staff members fear that the Japanese may exploit the situation with an organized counter-attack that will reverse the Allied gains obtained so far.

The forecast for the next day’s operations is for heavy rain. This is considered a mixed blessing among the troops. The Allied navy does not need to have clear skies to shell enemy positions, and the weather may force the Japanese air force to stay home, giving an important advantage to the allies. At the same time, the rain will certainly worsen the problems that the army in the field is facing.

Allied Command Creates Port Moresby Corps

(TN – Townsend) General Townsend, commander of allied forces in the South Pacific, announced yesterday the formation of the Port Moresby Infantry Corps. The Corps is to be made up of the 2nd, 6th, and 7th Australian Infantry Divisions, elements of which are already serving in the defense of Port Moresby. A new Corps Command Headquarters will be set up at Port Moresby as soon as possible.

The purpose of the Corps command is to better coordinate activities among the three units. At present, forces at Port Moresby are under the command of Brigadier General Knox. He landed at Port Moresby as the commander of the 7th Australian Infantry Division. As senior officer on the field, he naturally assumed command of all of the forces. However, there has been some friction between the units and some disagreement concerning the best way to organize the campaign.

The Port Moresby Corps, more formally known as the Australian First Army Corps, will be commanded by Lieutenant General J.D. Lavarack. Lavarack is presently organizing his command, and will relocate to Port Moresby as soon as he is able.


Nimitz Clears East New Guinea Operations

(TN – Noumea) Admiral Nimitz announced yesterday that American Marine units will take their assigned targets, though they will prepare to do so sooner rather than later.

Reports that the Japanese may have abandoned its port in Gili Gili prompted several South Pacific senior officers to argue for sending the Marine paratroopers to this area, rather than their assigned targets of Goodenough and Kiriwina islands. Milne Bay, where Gili Gili is situated, is considered a strategically more important area. These officials are said to want this area secured before the Japanese can move back in.

Nimitz sent a task force to Milne Bay recently to determine if these rumors were true. The task force shelled coastal positions but did not receive any answering fire from the Japanese. The parachute battalions are at Cooktown waiting transport and could take the port within 24 hours.

In his recent orders, Nimitz ordered the parachute battalions to take their assigned targets with all due haste. He also sent orders to First USA Marine Division to prepare to occupy Gili Gili. According to a copy of the orders, obtained by Thayne News, the Marines are to disembark at Townsville Australia. One platoon, from the 1st Marine Regiment, would be loaded onto submarines and set ashore at Gili Gili in order to provide reconnaissance and to estimate the Japanese defensive strength. The rest of the Regiment was to load up onto transports and be ready to land at the port if the force proved to be as small as expected.

Admiral Nimitz reported that he would rather set ashore a smaller force of well-supplied soldiers, than more soldiers with fewer supplies.


Second Gilbert Islands Raid Ends

(TN – Hawaii) Admiral Kimmel, commander of Allied forces in the Central Pacific, recalled his battleship and carrier squadrons from the Gilbert Islands, after a string of successful raids against several Japanese positions. According to reports received from the field, Makin and Tarawa Atolls were virtually flattened by a combination of aerial and naval bombardment.

However, upon reading the report, one Allied military intelligence official scoffed, “They were flat to become with. Atolls are always flat.”

Though Allied intelligence sources downplay the estimates of damage to the two islands, they do report that the damage probably is significant, and will slow the Japanese ability to fortify these islands. In the mean time, the attack on Apamama seems to have confirmed reports that Japan is taking no steps to fortify these islands.

Following a conversation with Admiral Nimitz, Kimmel ordered a reconnaissance force sent to the island, to be followed by an occupation force if such an attack proves feasible. However, Kimmel ordered the reconnaissance mission to wait a couple of days to determine the disposition of the Japanese carrier fleet.

Several officials in Washington took advantage of the opportunity to criticize the actions of Admiral Kimmel compared to those of Nimitz to the south. While Nimitz, an aggressive war commander, ordered operations to occupy Milne Bay to commence immediately, Kimmel opted to wait and see what the Japanese were up to.

“We should not be spending our time reacting to what the Japanese do. We should be forcing the Japanese to react to us,” said one senior Washington official.


Two More Chinese Divisions Escape China

(TN – Dacca) The number of Chinese divisions leaving China to train and re-equip in India increased from 6 to 8, with the 55th and 96th Chinese Divisions slipping past Japanese defenses at Myitkyina, and heading off to Ledo.

When Japan moved its 56th Japanese Infantry Division to Myitkyina, allied sources largely suspected that they had effectively blocked the three remaining Chinese divisions earmarked for India. Indeed, one of the three divisions, the 93rd Chinese Division, turned off of the Burma Road and started to head into the mountains, where it hoped to get around Myitkyina.

These two divisions, on the other hand, decided that they would continue to Myitkyina, and then try to sneak around the city, returning to the Burma Road east of Myitkyina and taking it toLedo. They force-marched around the city at night, hoping that the Japanese would not discover their presence.

The 96th Chinese Division made the trip without incident. However, Japanese patrols caught up with the 55th Chinese Division and raised an alarm. The Chinese were forced into a fighting withdraw, but managed to retreat to the west, and to the road to Ledo.

The 55th Chinese Division had fought the Japanese before, and paid heavily for it. They were caught in an ambush outside of Lashio that cost the unit a third of its fighting strength. As the unit headed for Ledo, it was down to less than 10 percent of its original combat strength. The unit has been virtually destroyed. However, allied command hopes to be able to rebuild it at Dacca, and use it in a mission to retake Myitkyina for good.


China Attacks Japanese Infiltrators Near Nanning

(TN – Chungking) Chinese military officials are still trying to figure out how a Japanese unit crossed the border and managed to approach within 30 miles of Nanning without being noticed, but they are not waiting to find out the answers. They launched a series of air strikes against the infiltrators yesterday, inflicting heavy casualties.

Reconnaissance photographs reveal that the Japanese force has a little over 3,000 men. China has placed 15 times as many soldiers in Nanning, and has them behind some extensively built fortifications. Therefore, the Chinese have few worries that Japan my take the city. Nanning has also become home of two of the three squadrons of the American Volunteer Group. The AVG took to the skies yesterday to contribute to the destruction of this little and of rebels.

June 10, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


MARINES ON GOODENOUGH

(TN – Townsend) Yesterday, parachutists from the 2nd USMC Parachute Battalion floated down to Goodenough Island off the eastern tip of New Guinea and took control of the port facilities on the island. Early in the morning, the marines were fed a warm breakfast. They then loaded onto sixteen C-47 transport planes. The planes carried them across the Coral Sea, then over tip of New Guinea and on to the island. Immediately after landing, the marines started setting up defenses.

With only 160 marines in the town, they had little chance of holding off a Japanese invasion, but they were just the vanguard of what was promised to be a larger occupation force. Shortly after landing, the first Sunderland seaplane showed up at the pier. It carried a ton of supplies. After unloading the plane, it took off and headed back to Australia. Minutes later, the next plane landed.

Late in the evening, the C-47 transport planes returned, dropping another 110 marines on the island, raising the size of the garrison to 260 soldiers. By evening, they were building defenses and preparing to settle in. The next day, they were promised more reinforcements. The first Sunderland was due to land shortly after sunrise.


Knox Postpones Second Day of Attack

(TN – Port Moresby) At the request of several junior officers, who reported that their units needed a day to regroup and reorganized, General Knox postponed the second day of his two-day assault against the Japanese. The first day scored some moderate success, driving the Japanese away from the city and destroying two artillery batteries. In addition, two allied navy task forces subjected the Japanese positions to a fierce bombardment throughout the night, and the weather was good enough to allow several allied bombing missions against the Japanese. Yet, the Japanese air force hand not turned up. Still, daylight ran out before Knox could get his troops sufficiently organized to exploit the luck of the day.

General Knox reported that he fully intended to continue to put pressure on the Japanese. At his request, naval task force 1287 remained behind to provide a second night of shelling before returning to Australia.

Manley Sinks

During the night, the fast transport destroyer Manley succumbed to its wounds and sank off of the coast of Port Moresby during the night. The ship had been carrying members of the 6th Australian Infantry Division, and managed to get them to shore before the ship went under. Manley is the 13th Allied ship lost in the operation to hold Port Moresby. The other casualties in this battle include the battleship Colorado, cruisers Perth and Durban, 5 destroyers, 2 minesweepers, as well as several transport ships. A dozen other allied ships sit in drydock in Sydney, Melbourne, and Aukland, New Zealand, undergoing repairs for the damage they have suffered attempting to keep Port Moresby out of Japanese hands.


Dutch Refugees Miss Boat

(TN – Darwin) Allied submarines have been participating in a dangerous mission to rescue Dutch soldiers from the island of Sulawesi for the last several weeks. The soldiers had been trapped at the port of Makale. However, as the last two submarines sailed into town to carry away the last three dozen soldiers, they noticed Japanese transport ships in the harbor. The submarines sailed away and submerged, but not before letting loose of a raft with scouts to go ashore.

The scouts met up with natives who said that the Japanese had taken control of the town. When they asked about the remaining soldiers, they were told that the Japanese had taken some of them prisoner, and the others had fled into the jungle. Nobody knew how to get in touch with the fleeing soldiers.

The scouts hid in the jungle until nightfall, then returned to the submarines. The captains of the two submarines, since they could not pick up any crew, decided to go out on a patrol around Sulawesi Island.

June 11, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


DAY OF THE SUBMARINE

(TN – Washington) The war under the waves picked up yesterday with submarines scoring blows against the surface fleets on both sides of the war.

The British destroyer Scout took two torpedoes while returning from Port Moresby yesterday. After the attack, the rest of the task force began looking for the attacker. The destroyers Litchfield and Barker both reported getting significant hints on a solid contact, but no official sinking was recorded. Scout was so badly damaged that the task force considered scuttling the ship. Instead, the fleet called for a task force of passing minesweepers to come over and see to her rescue, while the rest of the task force returned to Australia. If Scout should sink, which seems likely, it will be the fourteenth ship sunk in the attempt to hold Port Moresby.

The attack on Scout was one of three attacks against allied task forces in the waters between Australia and Port Moresby yesterday. TF1084, which Nimitz sent to probe the defenses of Milne Bay, discovered a submarine while sailing to Townsend to begin its next mission. The task force attacked the sonar contact, and was rewarded by a slick of oil and debris over the contact spot, but no clear indication that they sank the sub.

The fast-transport squadron, which had already lost half of its four members to Japanese submarines, also encountered a sub on its return to Australia. Neither the sub, nor the fast transport destroyers, scored any measurable hits.

While Japanese submarines were battling the Allied fleet, Allied submarines were able to inflict damage on the Japanese. The submarine Grayback found a troop transport northwest of Truk, and managed to deliver a torpedo into its stern. They then surfaced and attacked the ship with its 5” gun and its .50 caliber machine guns, scoring several hits before retiring beneath the waves.

Also yesterday, Swordfish found a damaged Japanese transport leaving Timor. It fired a spread of torpedoes, two of which hit, but which failed to detonate. Swordfish then surfaced, and pumped nine shells into the enemy ship from its deck gun. During the engagement, it positioned itself to fire torpedoes again. Again, none of the torpedoes detonated. By the time the conflict was done, Swordfish had fired twelve of its 24 torpedoes without any of them doing damage. Still, with the shelling, they left the transport burning.

Allied submarines took no damage in the attacks.


AVG Flies First Combat Mission in China

(TN – Chungking) The American Volunteer Group flew its first combat mission in China yesterday, with unimpressive results. The attack on Nanning, the home base of the AVG was the target of a Japanese airbase involving 10 Zeros and an equal number of Nell bombers. The AVG had the enemy outnumbered, but ending up losing one fighter to the enemy escort while destroying only two enemy bombers.

The Chinese army at Nanning is involved in operations to combat an enemy infiltration west of town. Four Chinese divisions have been dispatched to deal with an enemy unit estimated to have a strength of about 3,000 soldiers. A second squadron of AVG pilots flying Warhawks have been participating, with members of the Chinese air force, in ground support operations against the infiltrators.


Second Day of Shipments Reach Goodenough Island

(TN – Townsend) C-47 transport planes delivered another 210 members of the 2nd USMC Parachute Battalion to Goodenough Island yesterday, while seaplanes continued to deliver supplies. Of particular value to the defenders of Goodenough Island was the delivery of ten 75mm Pack Howitzers. The guns, particularly designed for transport, were dropped on the island in six packages each. Once the packages were gathered together, the gun could be put together in three minutes.

At South Pacific Headquarters in Noumea, Admiral Nimitz dispatched the troop transport Wanganella to Esprito Santo to pick up the 2nd USMC Raider Battalion. The battalion was originally assigned to participate with the 2nd USMC Parachute Battalion in the capture of Goodenough from the Japanese in August. With the operation getting underway over two months early, the Raiders were not yet assigned transportation to the island. Nimitz expressed hope that the Goodenough garrison will receive its reinforcements within the next two weeks.


Intelligence Investigates Failures at Gilbert Islands Reconnaissance

(TN – Hawaii) Admiral Kimmel is asking some tough questions of its intelligence unit after receiving conflicting information on enemy strength in the Gilbert Islands. Aerial reconnaissance of Tarawa and Makin Islands for weeks reported that they islands were occupied by less than two thousand soldiers with less than a dozen guns each. Examination of film footage taken during the bombardment of the islands caused military intelligence to revise the estimates to nearly 7,000 soldiers with 50 guns.

Still, with the guns, Admiral Kimmel asked why the enemy did not use those guns on the bombardment fleet. Kimmel demanded information he can trust on the strength of the enemy forces in the islands.

Kimmel is on the verge of deciding whether to send a force to Apamama Island. Recent reports suggest that the Japanese abandoned the island after its original occupation. With that information, Kimmel has authorized an emergency transport of soldiers to take the island back. However, with information on the strength of enemy units in the area being so unreliable, Kimmel is said to be worried now that the soldiers may be sailing into a trap.

June 12, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


NIMITZ ORDERS ADVANCE

(TN – Noumea) Anticipating success in his plans to occupy Milne Bay and Cook Islands, Nimitz sent orders for a half-dozen units under his command to prepare to move forward in the battle against Japan.

Three base forces that Nimitz called “redundant” were given orders to prepare to pack up and establish new stations. The 9th USMC Defense Battalion at Nukufetau was ordered to go to Goodenough Island to help in its defense, along with the 116th USN Base Force at Upolu. The Number 114 RAF Base Force at Togatapu was commanded to go to the island of Kiriwana, and the Number 115 Royal Air Force Base Force was ordered to advance to Milne Bay.

Sources at South Pacific Command report that Nimitz is seeking to use these islands as a foundation for an assault on the northern shores of New Guinea. Nimitz ordered the 2nd USMC Division at Noumea to prepare for an attack on the New Guinea port of Dobodura. The Marines are to prepare a beachhead for the two infantry divisions, which would then move north to capture Buna. Nimitz, in talks with General Thompson, commander of the Australian forces at New Guinea, is asking that the Australians approach Buna across the Owen Stanley Ridge to help capture the port.

According to these sources, Nimitz is seeking to retake the port of Rabaul, and use that to take the Japanese fort-island of Truk. Truk is considered the key of the South Pacific, able to control the waters for hundreds of miles in all directions.

When asked what he intends to do about the Japanese forces in the Solomons, Nimitz is reported to have answered simply, “Let them rot.”

Rabaul Returns to Night Attacks on Port Moresby

The Japanese forces at Rabaul have returned to the practice of sending their bombers to Port Moresby at night. A half dozen bombers appeared over Port Moresby at night, dropping bombs on the forward lines of the 7th Australian Infantry Division. Attacking at night, the Japanese missed all vital targets and inflicted only 7 casualties on the allies. However, the most important effect of the night bombing was waking the soldiers so that they could go to shelters, and keep them awake wondering what was going to happen next.


Spitfires Reach India

(TN – Dacca) The pilots of the No 21 Royal Australian Air Force, stationed in Dacca, India, became the first air force squadron in the Pacific Theater to fly the new Spitfire Fighters. The first Spitfire was uncrated and the pilots were given a chance to become familiar with it.

Thayne News interviewed the pilots and discovered that the pilots had their reservations about the plane, some of them wishing to keep their Hurricanes rather than convert to the new fighters. Fighters complained that the Spitfire was less stable. Two pilots took a Hurricane up to fly side-by-side with a Spitfire and discovered that the Hurricane could make tighter turns. Ground crews also asked questions coming out of England that the Spitfire was harder to maintain.

Other pilots, however, looked upon the Spitfire eagerly. They flew the Spitfire a full 2,500 feet higher than the Hurricane – higher than the known ceiling for the Zero. British pilots were just starting to take seriously tactics that had come from the AVG and became increasingly popular among American fighter pilots.

The AVG pilots were taught never to dogfight the Zero, but to climb above it, dive down, firing on the way past, and then speed away. These shoot-and-scoot attacks were known as the best way to shoot down the Japanese fighters without getting shot down. The pilots familiar with the AVG tactics were eager for a fighter that had a higher ceiling than the Zero.

Even the American P-40 Tomahawk fighters could not reach the altitude of the Spitfire, making it a superior airplane for using the American tactics.

The fighter squadron was given one week to uncrate its planes and become familiar with its abilities before being returned to combat duty.


Scout Patrol Boat Views Japanese Islands

(TN – Anchorage) Moctan, a flower-class corvette under Commander Moorehead, made a dangerous mission to the northern Japanese islands of Paramushiro Jima and Onnekotan Jima apparently without being discovered. Moctan carries a crew of 85 on a boat whose typical role is convoy escort. When Rear Admiral Theobald asked for volunteers to scout out the Japanese positions, Commander Moorehead volunteered Moctan to the task.

Moctan left Attu Island, the western most military installation on the Aleutian chain of islands, three days ago. Sailing across 600 miles of water, expecting at any moment to spot and be spotted by Japanese search planes in the area. They did not see any signs of Japanese scout planes, and continued west. At dawn of the third day, the Japanese island of Pramushiro Jima was just ahead.

Commander Moorehead did not want to risk sailing his ship within sight of land, so he sailed around the island. By the evening of the third day of his mission, he was in the Sea of Okhotsk, still without being spotted. Having completed his mission, Moorehead turned his boat around and began the mission back to Attu Island.

Rear Admiral Theobald is now said to be considering a raid to shell the Japanese islands with the combat ships available to him in the North Atlantic. The assault, if Theobald goes ahead with it, will be the first attack on Japanese soil – though it would still be far from the four islands that people typically identify with Japan.

i dont know if i have mentioned this before: I like your approach in your aar. well written.. keep it up[:'(]

June 13, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


POWNALL REORGANIZES INDIA

(TN – Dacca) General Pownall, commander of allied forces in Southeast Asia, sent orders in the first phase of a project to “clean up the mess in India”, according to senior officials. Pownall’s spokesman reported, “Until now, units in India have been thrown in where they were the most needed, without regard to the long-term situation. General Pownall accepts full responsibility for the disorganization that resulted, but now wants to have India organized to better handle future operations against Japan.”

The first orders to go out concerned the organization of the air force units in India. According to this new organization, the 221st Air Force Group will run heavy-bomber strategic bombing missions out of Dacca, and medium-bomber missions against airfields and ground units around Mandalay.

The 222nd Air Force Group will run medium-bomber missions out of Imphal against military facilities in Mandalay, as well as interdict traffic between Mandalay and Myitkyina. General Pownall has expressed a wish to isolate Myitkyina to support the eventual operation to retake the city.

The 223rd Air Force Group will operate out of Ledo, and be responsible both for protecting against a Japanese attack out of northern Burma, and handling nearly 100 transport airplanes carrying supplies into China. When the assault on Myitkyina begins, the 223rd will provide air support as well as drop supplies for the advancing troops.

Finally, the 224th Air Force Group will operate out of Chadpur. This group will fly medium-bomber missions against Akyab and stand ready to defend India from an attack by sea.

Other strategic locations in India, such as Diamond Harbor, Karachi, and Bombay, have been assigned to the Indian Air Force. Its base forces will be disbursed around the country, preparing for a possible Japanese attack on India, or to provide pilots with safe areas for retraining and recreation.

Pownall is also organizing his ground forces. The Burma units, which fled that country in the face of a determined Japanese advance, will be gathering in camps at Calcutta to rebuild their strength for the return to Burma. Eight Chinese divisions that are in or on their way to India will be moving to camps outside of Diampur, north of Dacca, for their training.

Upgrade Decision Sparks Protests at Chadpur

The pilots of the 12th Bomber Group, operating out of Chadpur, turned in requests for transfer in bulk today, after being told that they will continue to be required to fly the outdated B-18A ‘Bolo’ bombers. The squadron was due to an upgrade to B-25 ‘Mitchell’ bombers, which are faster and have a longer range. However, the commander of the 224th Air Force Group, recently given responsibility for air units at Chadpur, rejected the request.

When asked to comment, Brigadier General Jamison said, “The Bolo can carry twice the payload of the Mitchell. It can’t carry it as far or as fast, but we know where the Japanese are, and we can take our time getting there.” The 12th Bomber Group has been flying regular missions against the Japanese at Akyab, less than 250 miles to the east, and well within the Bolo’s range. The 12th Bomber Group have so far prevented Japan from establishing a reliable airbase at Akyab, so the Japanese have not been able to launch fighters to defend the base.


Merchant Marine Starts Dangerous Supply Runs

(TN – Townsend) With air support failing to deliver sufficient supplies to forward bases, General Townsend identified three small merchant ships to deliver supplies to three forward bases. According to sources at Southwest Pacific Command, Thompson simply picked up a report of a convoy of ships that had recently reached Cairns, and picked the top three ships in the size class that he wanted.

As a result of this lottery, Coast Farmer will be delivering supplies to Kai Island, and Haraldsvang will be going to Aru Island, both in the Branda Sea, north of Darwin. Adelong will be traveling to Goodenough Island to supply the marines that have recently landed there. Presently, soldiers on all three of these islands are being supplied entirely by air, but air forces have not been able to keep up with the demand for food, ammunition, medical supplies, replacement soldiers, construction materials, and all of the other equipment an army in the field needs.

While Thompson is sending merchant ships to forward islands, he is taking advantage of the availability of troop transport ships that recently arrived with Nimitz’ 1st and 2nd USMC Parachute Battalions. Thompson has conscripted these ships and ordered them to Cairns, where they are to pick up elements of the 2nd and 6th Australian Infantry Divisions, and the 26th USA Forward Artillery Brigade. Thompson intends to send these units into the battle at Port Moresby.

Though Thompson has ordered three infantry divisions to Port Moresby, at present only a portion of each division has made the trip. Approximately half of the 6th and 7th Australian Infantry Divisions are on the line at Port Moresby, and the 2nd Australian Infantry Division has so far sent only a third of its force across the sea. General Thompson has stated that he wants the entirety of all three divisions in Port Moresby by the end of the month.

The operation is part of a joint plan worked out with Admiral Nimitz, commander of the South Pacific forces, for a joint operation to recapture Buna later in the year. The recapture of Buna is expected to secure Port Moresby, allowing Thompson to use his Port Moresby corps to retake the island of Timor.

June 14, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


ALLIES OCCUPY APAMAMA

(TN – Hawaii) “Look at yesterday’s map, and you will see the high point of Japanese conquest. The empire will just get smaller from here.” These were the words of Admiral H.E. Kimmel as he announced the recapture of Apamama Island in the Gilbert chain yesterday afternoon.

Admiral Kimmel then turned the podium over to his subordinates, who described the operation.

Shortly after midnight, destroyers sailed up close to Apamama Atoll carrying members of the 40th USA Infantry Division that it had picked up in the Line Islands three days earlier. They moved up slowly then squads disembarked onto rafts.

Reconnaissance said that Japan had left a token force on the island, and that they were primarily located on the north end of the island, so the soldiers headed in further south. Four squads disembarked and patrolled the landing beaches, finding no sign of the enemy. It was then a matter of ferrying the rest of the unit onto the beach.

A full company of infantry made it onto the island without being seen. They were joined by anti-tank batteries with 37mm guns, four 18mm mortar batteries, and two engineer squads. The mortar teams dug in their weapons and aimed them toward the north, while the anti-tank crews barrel-sighted their guns on the buildings on the north side of the island. Then, the infantry, with the help of the engineers, rushed forward.

Mortars rained down on the Japanese, but the protection of their bunkers made the artillery nearly worthless. The destroyers firing off shore had little better effect.

They caught the Japanese entirely by surprise, but the enemy quickly organized a determined defense. Fighting from crudely made bunkers and trenches, they opened up against the Americans, who had no place to hide on the smooth, flat island. The only shelter available was the Japanese trenches, so the Americans charged.

Once the first units made it into the Japanese defenses, they had protection, and the defense started to collapse. The soldiers went from bunker to bunker, clearing out the Japanese. By morning, the battle was over.

Even before the last bullet had been fired, the engineers had put away their weapons and began marking out a section of ground that would become an airstrip. With defenses to be dug and a camp to be made, Major Andrews ordered a one of the infantry squads to help the engineers in beginning work on a runway.

The destroyers then unloaded their supplies. One by one, they pulled up to the island’s pier and hauled cargo off of the boats as fast as the soldiers could carry them. Betty bombers patrolled these areas, and there was a chance that a Japanese carrier fleet sat nearby. Intelligence had suggested the possibility that the Japanese carriers had sailed east when the American carriers attacked these islands, less than a week earlier.

Some destroyers did not wait. They loaded the cargo into boats and hauled it to shore that way.

They also loaded 113 wounded soldiers, and 47 dead, back on the boats for a trip back home.

By noon, 869 soldiers stood alone on an island in hostile territory. To the northwest, just over the horizon, was the Japanese-held island of Tarawa, a Pacific fortress that would make Apamama look like a child’s playground by comparison. It had an airfield, and the soldiers wondered how quickly the Japanese would be taking off from there to visit this island. They also knew they could expect visits from ships – battleships and destroyers like those that the Allies had visited these islands with the week before, to lob shells at the allies.

Reinforcements were on their way, they were told. It would take about five days.

They started counting the hours.


Marines Fortify Goodenough Island

(TN – Townsend) C-47 transport airplanes delivered the last of the 2nd USMC Parachute Battalion to Goodenough Island yesterday afternoon, then immediately switched their manifest to hauling food, ammunition, and construction tools. The Battalion, consisting of 1,178 soldiers, fortified a position on the east side of the island, and prepared a perimeter. They also set up watch stations at other locations around the island, to watch for signs of a Japanese invasion.

Shortly after the landings took place, the Allies had been receiving a visitor. Each morning, and each afternoon, like clockwork, a Japanese C5M ‘Babs’ scout plane approached the island. The pilot seemed to know that he had nothing to fear. He circled the area that the Marines had made their home, no doubt taking pictures, and flew home.

Between trips, the Marines took care to move and hide their 75mm pack howitzers, and to re-organize their defenses in ways that would not be obvious to the scout plane. Lieutenant Colonel LaDieu asked command to send extra tents, so that they would make the area look like it was more strongly held than it was, to deter the Japanese. Though this guaranteed that if the Japanese did come to take the island, they would come with a larger force.

News spread through the camp in the afternoon that General Townsend was sending additional supplies by boat. He had conscripted a freighter and loaded it high, and was sending it out to the island. All the Marines had to do was wait, and hope, that the ship made it through, undetected by the Japanese air force.

If the Marines on Goodenough Island could stockpile enough supplies, the C-47s that are their current lifeline would be used to occupy Kiriwina Island, off to the east. And, shortly, the 1st USMC Division will be taking Milne Bay from the Japanese, and Goodenough Island will have a friendly base just a short distance away.

Marine Scouts Sail for Milne Bay

The Dutch submarines KVIII and KIX left Townsend yesterday, each carrying 18 marines that volunteered to scout out Milne Bay. Intelligence suggests that the Japanese may have abandoned the port shortly after they captured it, and these Marines volunteered to find out.

Each submarine carries one squad of marines, and a mortar team to offer support in case of a firefight. Their mission will be to land on the sore of Milne Bay at night, approach Gili Gili, and determine if the Japanese still occupied the region, and, if so, in what strength. After their mission is completed, they are to return to their rafts, slip back onto the submarines, and move out without anybody knowing that they were there.

Some military commanders at Southwest Pacific Command say that this type of mission may become common in the years ahead, and have proposed setting up camps specifically to train Navy and Marines personnel specifically for this type of assignment.

June 15, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


RESCUE AT MAKALE

(TN – Darwin) The Allied submarine force yesterday pulled off a daring rescue of Dutch forces caught in the jungle of Makale on the island of Sulawesa yesterday. The group of soldiers fled Makale several days earlier when the Japanese occupied the city. They were a part of a larger defensive force that was being hauled off the island one submarine-load at a time. The mission was down to its last two groups of passengers when the Japanese transport ships showed up. Immediately, the Dutch soldiers fled into the jungle.

The last Submarine mission to the island failed to locate any survivors, though they had heard stories of Dutch soldiers fleeing into the jungle. Unable to affect a rescue, they left Makale to carry out patrol missions around the island. But, two days later, allied forces received a radio transmission from a location several kilometers east of the city. They immediately dispatched a submarine to find these survivors.

The submarine Perchsurfaced off shore at night and sent in a search party, who found the stragglers and brought them back to the beach. Perch should be pulling into Port Moresby in a few days with the survivors.


Bombers Decimate Port Moresby Defenses

(TN – Port Moresby) General Knox today admitted that he is suffering unbearable losses to enemy bombers. Army service hospitals in Port Moresby were overrun for a second day in a row by casualties inflicted by enemy bombers. The Japanese bombing missions have been so effective that they continue to cause allied leaders to worry about holding the town.

“The fact is, we need something to fight these enemy missions, and we have nothing,” said one senior officer at Port Moresby.

To combat the threat, General Knox moved the 49th Fighter Group back up to Port Moresby from its station on Thursday Island. The move meant that all allied fighter squadrons in the region were now committed at Port Moresby; there was no fighter reserve to call on if these units were to be heavily damaged or destroyed.

The complete loss of the Southwestern Pacific fighter force is not beyond the realm of possibility. In late March and early June, it is believed that Japan committed some carrier-based squadrons to the fight and destroyed every fighter squadron in the Coral Sea area in just a few days. The air victory left the Japanese free to bomb the Port Moresby defenses as well. The enemy planes also went after task forces delivering supplies to Port Moresby and testing the size of the enemy garrison at Milne Bay.


China Army Pursues Infiltrators

(TN – Chungking) In a battle being counted as a victory for the Chinese, its army drove back an enemy incursion near the city of Nanning yesterday. The retreating army fled into the hills, to the east. Chinese units involved in the fight followed the rail to the south to re-establish its former boundaries. The Chinese army then sent divisions in pursuit of the invaders, who had abandoned the railroad and headed for the hills.

Some senior officials are worried that the Japanese may be drawing the units into a trap. Earlier in the war, a badly outgunned American unit drew a Japanese infantry division into the mountains between Myitkyina and Lashio in Burma. It took the unit nearly a month for the unit to escape the mountains, giving the allies time to inflict maximum damage and escape toward India.

The Chinese units that pursue this Japanese incursion may find themselves caught in the mountains with no easy way to return to the road. This would leave the key cities, such as Nanning, vulnerable to a second attack.

To respond to this threat, Chang Kai Shek has sent only two divisions from the railroad into the hills north and west of the railroad. He has sent a third division down from Kweiyang, heading south. With luck, the Japanese division will find itself caught between Chinese forces moving into the mountains from the rail line, and Chinese forces moving down from Kweiyang.


Allies Sink Another Japanese Submarine

(TN – Townsend) A group of minesweepers escorting a fast transport to Cairns from Port Moresby yesterday encountered a submarine just off the Barrier Reef. The ships immediately attacked the Japanese threat, with Cessnock reporting a definite kill. The ship became the 27th Japanese submarine added to the confirmed kill list. Allied military strategists have expressed the open hope that the Japanese were running out of submarines.

Still, General Townsend reiterated an earlier decision of his not to send out forces specifically for the purpose of harassing the Japanese submarine force. He provided escorts for each convoy going through the waters, but could offer very little that would fit the tactics and capabilities being employed in the theater. According to sources close to General Townsend, “He feels that he cannot afford to send screening ships out on these types of missions. He needs them to be protecting actual cargo.” As a result, each transport convoy sailing through the region always have at least three anti-submarine ships riding escort duty.


Japan Occupies Last Base on Northern New Guinea

(TN – Darwin) Japanese forces moved into Aitape, the last major town on the northern side of New Guinea still under Allied jurisdiction. The capture leaves two towns left in the region under allied control; Tomani on the island of Sulawesi, and Sampit on the island of Borneo.

Sources report that an occupation force started moving into Tomani yesterday, and the civilian government has already decided to surrender to the Japanese as soon as possible. This would leave only Sampit under the control of the allies.

There are still over 100 Dutch soldiers at Sampit. As at Makale, submarines have been visiting Sampit for the purpose of hauling off the soldiers. Coincidentally, the submarine named Sampit is presently on its way to the port to pick up another load of survivors.

...tall and tan and thin and lovely, the boys from Apamama go walking....[;)]


Great read Thayne...good to see Adm kimmel is finally getting his due.

June 16, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


ALLIES WIN AIR BATTLE AT PM

(TN – Port Moresby) Committing all of his available air forces to the defense of Port Moresby, General Knox precipitated a battle that gave the allies one of their few victories in the air war in recent weeks. Knox was able to get nearly 30 P-40 Warhawks into the sky to meet two waves of Japanese bombers.

The first Japanese attack of the day came in with nearly 50 Japanese bombers. Allied pilots were able to get around the fighter escort and shoot down or drive off all but a small handful of bombers.

The fighters tried to do the same with the second wave, which had less than a dozen bombers, but ended up getting tangled up with the Japanese fighters. Still, the Americans held their own this time. By the time the battle was over, the Allied fighters had destroyed 19 Japanese airplanes, including 5 Zeros, at a cost of only four of their own.

This nearly 4 to 1 victory was badly needed.

Japan Still Winning Land Battle

Still, the Japanese were able to disrupt another ground attack. General Knox sought once again to put pressure on the Japanese forces besieging Port Moresby. The Japanese completely stopped his offensive, delivering almost 200 casualties. Military intelligence, debriefing soldiers involved in the battle, report that the damage to the enemy in the assault “was not of any real significance”

Allied forces hope to start changing this with a new operation already under way to build up the Allied line in New Guinea and the Cook Islands.


Australian Ports Empty as Major Operation Begins

(TN – Townsend) Townsend and Cairns, presently full of allied ships, will find their ports nearly empty within 24 hours as Allied forces begin a major operation to build up its forces at Port Moresby, Milne Bay, and the Cook Islands. The forces setting sail will join a number of other task forces already at sea.

When asked about the reason for sending so many task forces at once, General Townsend, commander of the Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific, answered, “They can stop them one at a time, but they cannot stop them at once.”

However, senior officials in Southwest Command contradicted this statement later in the day. The official confirmed that all ships have orders to beat a hasty retreat of anybody discovers signs of the Japanese carrier fleet in the area.

The missions that are a part of this operation include:

Task Forces Already at Sea

TF1165: The transport ship Adelong and an escort of three minesweepers are within 50 miles of Goodenough Island with nearly 5,000 tons of supplies. The ship should land at Goodenough Island during the night and begin to unload its cargo. The members of the task force grew nervous yesterday when a Betty bomber flew over the task force. The bomber even came in low, buzzing the ships to get a clear identification, then flew away. The task force was expecting a formation of Betty bombers to deliver torpedoes to the task force, but it never arrived.

TF1272: This task force contains two submarines carrying a reconnaissance team to investigate Milne Bay. Admiral Nimitz has been making plans to capture the bay, and the reconnaissance force is intended to determine what forces are available. Reconnaissance photographs suggest that Japan may have abandoned the region after driving the Allied forces off early in the war.

TF1195: This task force left Cairns yesterday with the 26th USA Forward Artillery Battalion on board two transport ships. The task force is bound for Port Moresby, where it hopes to turn its 24 105mm, and 36 75mm artillery pieces on the Japanese positions surrounding the city.

TF1084: A single transport is heading to Port Moresby with nearly 3,000 members of the Australian 6th Infantry Division. These reinforcements will join their division on the line defending Port Moresby.

Task Forces Sailing from Cairns, June 16th

TF1239 carrying approximately 4000 soldiers from the 2nd Australian Infantry Division on two transports, another one of the divisions that now make up the Port Moresby Corps.

TF1030 carrying another 3,000 soldiers belonging to the 6th Australian Infantry Division on one transport. With this ship, and TF1084, nearly all of the 6th Division will be at Port Moresby.

TF1125 is made up of 13 destroyers and 4 cruisers, transporting additional supplies to Port Moresby. Once the task force arrives, the ships expect to find an opportunity to shell Japanese positions around Port Moresby.

Task Forces Sailing from Townsend, June 16th

TF1135 will leave with three transports containing the 5th Air Force headquarters. Major General Kenny, commander of the 5th Air Force, is hoping that he can do something about the deadly Japanese air attacks against allied forces in the city.

TF1136 carries the 1st USMC Raiders Battalion bound for Kiriwina, an island southeast of Goodenough Island. If TF1165 can get enough supplies unloaded at Goodenough Island without getting itself sunk, then the transport planes also supplying Goodenough Island will fly the 1st USMC Parachute Battalion to Kiriwina Island as well.

TF1253 will transport elements of the 1st USMC Division to Milne Bay in over a half-dozen troop transport ships. The ships carry about 6,000 soldiers and are heavily escorted by a task force of 7 cruisers, including 4 heavy cruisers, and 5 destroyers. If TF1272 report a sufficiently small number of Japanese soldiers at Gili Gili on Milne Bay, this force will attempt to capture the town.

If fully successful, General Townsend and Admiral Nimitz hope to have another 10,000 soldiers and 60 artillery pieces at Port Moresby, 2,000 troops at Kiriwina Island, and have taken Milne Bay from the Japanese with a force of 6,000 soldiers, which will immediately begin turning the bay into another Allied air base.


Japs Leave Akyab?

(TN – Dacca) Southeast Asia Command is investigating the possibility that Japan may have abandoned its positions at Akyab. Pilots from the 12th Bomber Group report that they have seen only limited enemy activity at Akyab for a number of days. At first, these reports were dismissed as “wishful thinking” on the part of pilots who have expressed a strong desire to upgrade to B-25 ‘Mitchell’ bombers. However, 27 Squadron, a unit that flies Blenheim 1F Bombers against Akyab at night, confirmed the reports.

Military advisors to General Pownall report that they are not surprised at a Japanese withdraw from the city. "Between our bombings and our naval bombardments, Japan has not been able to accomplish anything at Akyab but to die," one advisor said.

In light of this information, General Pownall, commander of allied forces in Southeast Asia, ordered a reconnaissance of Akyab to determine if it would be possible for the allies to move back into the town. He has ordered the destroyer Arrow to rendezvous with the 2nd Burma Rifles Brigade at Chadpur for the purpose of sending a reconnaissance force to Akyab.


Chinese Continue Battle Against Japanese Infiltrators

(TN – Chungking) General Chang Kai Shek has decided to pursue a Japanese unit that infiltrated southern China, then fled into the hills west of Nanning.

Some senior officials have suggested simply surrounding the Chinese unit and starving them out. They have expressed concern that sending troops into the mountains will make them unavailable to meet a genuine Japanese assault up the rail line from Indochina. However, Chinese military command state that they believe they have time to eliminate the Japanese and return the soldiers involved to the front line in good order.

The Chinese are leaving two divisions on the rail line between Nanning and the Indochina border to slow down any Japanese advance to Nanning, if they are planning to launch one.

The air units from the AVG have been ordered to provide close air support for the ground units. AVG pilots are protesting the order, claiming that they came to China to fight its air force, not its army. AVG pilots get paid $500 for each enemy plane shot down; a bonus that few pilots have had an opportunity to collect on to date.

June 17, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


TORPEDO STOPS TF1239

(TN – Townsend) TF1239, one of ten task forces participating in a massive operation to build up the New Guinea / Cook Islands defensive line, was stopped yesterday when a Japanese submarine struck one of the troop transports.

TF1239 was carrying elements of the 2nd Australian Infantry Division to Port Moresby. Shortly after dawn, less than 200 miles from the Australian coast, a Japanese submarine put a torpedo into the transport Empire Tamar. The ship immediately started to sink as fires erupted in and around the ship. The task force escorts were unable to find the enemy assailant. It is thought to be still in the area, watching the ships and waiting for an opportunity to strike again.

With fires still out of control and severe flooding, Empire Tamar was ordered back to Port Moresby, while the other transport Thomas Jefferson is to to continue on to Port Moresby with the rest of the escort.

TF1165 Gets Supplies to Goodenough Island

Another one of the ten task forces, TF1165, was able to continue dropping off supplies at Goodenough Island yesterday. Over 500 tons of supplies have been taken off of the ship so far.

The success in delivering the supplies has made it possible for Admiral Nimitz, commander of Allied forces in the South Pacific, to order the No 36 RAAF Transport Squadron at Cooktown to deliver the 1st USMC Parachute Battalion to Kiriwina, an island about 50 miles east of Goodenough Island. Nimitz has ordered that the same procure be used that was used to deliver the 2nd USMC Parachute Battalion to Goodenough Island. This will include the use of Sunderland flying boats from Cairns to deliver additional supplies after the first Marines have landed on the island.

Base Forces Load Up Across South Pacific

All along the south Pacific, forces are loading up onto troop transports with orders to deliver them to Milne Bay and the Cook Islands.

The 2nd USMC Raiders Battalion is on its way to Australia from Esprito Santo, and will eventually be diverted to join the 2nd USMC Parachute Battalion at Goodenough Island. Task forces are also loading base forces at Nandi in the Fiji Islands, and at Upolo and Nukufetau Islands.

Nimitz expects that, in July, he will be able to use these base forces, to turn the Cook Islands into a formidable barrier to prevent Japanese forces from approaching Australia, and to build a platform for his eventual plan to take on Buna.


Akyab Still Occupied

(TN – Dacca) Southeast Asia Command expressed disappointment yesterday upon learning that the Japanese still have ground units at Akyab. Reports from pilots flying to the town suggested that the Japanese had abandoned the base, as they seem to have done to Gili Gili in Port Moresby. To confirm these reports, Southeast Command yesterday ordered recon airplanes to target Akyab. The photographs they returned showed that Japanese units were still present, though they were not able to determine the size of the Japanese force.

Some members of Southeast Asia command believe that the reports were due to pilots in the 12th Bomber Group operating out of Chadpur wanting a reason to exchange their B-18 “Bolo” bombers for B-25 “Mitchell” bombers. The pilots are being required to stick with the Bolo planes because they can deliver a heavier load to Akyab.

Southeast Asia Command ordered the 12th Bomber Group to shift its focus from the airstrip at Akyab to the ground forces. Colonel C.G. Goodrich, commander of the bomber group, was told, “If you can drive the Japanese out of Akyab, you can get your planes.”


Infiltrators Driven from Southern China

(TN – Chungking) Determined pursuit of a Japanese unit that infiltrated southern China from Indochina has forced the unit back to the south. Though technically still in Chinese territory, the unit has been isolated in a mountain region on the far southern border of China, and is considered no longer a threat to Allied facilities. The Japanese unit is surrounded on three sides by Chinese divisions. Those divisions have made the decision to dig in and hold the Japanese behind this line.

A Chinese cavalry corps from Kweiyang is moving south to reinforce the new defensive line. Chang Kai Shek has promised to hold the Japanese out of southern China.

However, officials in the State Department in Washington DC, have told Thayne News that Chang Kai Shek has no intention of holding the line against Japan at too high a cost. Those officials say that Shek is hoarding allied military supplies to use against the Chinese Communists under Mao Tse Tung to the north. One official said, “Chang is confident the allies will win the war with or without China. When Japan is no longer a threat, Chang want to be strong enough to take on Mao. We should not expect anything but minimal help from the Chinese.”

Thayne News asked the State Department about the eight Chinese divisions that Chang Kai Shek sent to help defend India. The official we spoke with noted, “Chang sent those troops to India to keep his supply lines open – to keep Ledo and Jorhat from falling into Japanese hands. He may perhaps consent to have the troops used to open the Burma Road. I doubt that he will allow them to be used any other way.

June 18, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


ADELONG TORPEDOED

(TN – Noumea) Japanese ‘Betty’ bombers torpedoed the supply ship Adelong as it unloaded cargo at Goodenough Island yesterday. Adelong is a member of TF1165, one of ten task forces taking part in a massive operation to build up the Allied defensive line across eastern New Guinea and the Cook Islands.

The Japanese struck the ship as it sat at the pier, unloading cargo for the 2nd USMC Parachute Battalion that had recently taken control of the island. The Goodenough pier contains no cranes or other heavy equipment, so the crew and workers from the Parachute Battalion are working around the clock trying to get the boat unloaded by hand. At the time that the torpedo hit, the workers had already removed 600 tons of supplies, but nearly 4,000 more remained on board the ship.

One of the civilian workers on the boat broke his leg when the torpedo hit. He was running along the side of the boat. The force of the blow tipped Adelong nearly thirty degrees, throwing the side up of the ship up in the air with enough force to break both legs of a crew member standing on deck. A tower of water climbed over three hundred feet into the air before spraying down on the boat and crew.

As soon as the ‘all clear’ was sounded, Goodenough crew went back to work trying to save the ship while unloading as much of the cargo as possible.

TF1084 and TF1195 Reach Port Moresby

Two more task forces in the operation reached their destination and began unloading cargo. TF1084 started to unload 4,000 soldiers belonging to the 6th Australian Infantry Division, while TF1195 started to unload the 60 guns of the 26th USA Forward Artillery Brigade. The operations were well underway at sundown and are scheduled to continue throughout the night.

However, the Japanese have started the practice of launching occasional bombing raids at night. The night before the task forces arrived, approximately a half dozen Betty bombers attacked the city. There is some concern that the lights that would be required to get the boats unloaded at night may draw the enemy.

TF1272 Will Reach Port Moresby Today

TF1272 is scheduled to drop off two squads of marines at Milne Bay tonight. Of the ten missions, this is the mission that the command staff at Townsend, Astralia and Noumea, New Caledonia are watching with the greatest interest. According to reports, the Japanese abandoned Milne Bay shortly after taking it, leaving behind only a token defensive force to deter the allies from using the port. The marines on TF1272 are being asked to confirm or falsify that report.

If confirmed, then a mission that Admiral Nimitz was expecting to launch in late August involving two Marine divisions working under carrier support, could be completed in mid June by just two Marine squads. If the force turns out to be somewhat larger than a token defense, the 5th Marines Regiment and other elements of the 1st USMC Division will reach the bay two days later to take it from the Japanese.


AVG Wins Decisive Air Battle Defending Home Airfield

(TN – Chungking) The American Volunteer Group was forced to fight to defend its airstrip in Nanning, China today by an attack force of 20 Zero fighters and a dozen Nell bombers. Two of the three AVG flight squadrons were out on a mission, attacking the Japanese infiltrators as they tried to retreat out of southern China. The remaining squadron found itself outnumbered by the Japanese Zeros.

Yet, the AVG made a good showing yesterday. Its pilots shot down seven enemy airplanes, including four Zeros, while only one AVG plane got shot down. This seven-to-one kill ratio came as a pleasant surprise, given the unimpressive scores that the AVG had earned so far in the war.

The victories in China made yesterday the second day in a row in which allied pilots inflicted more harm than they took. At Port Moresby again yesterday, allied pilots destroyed two more Japanese airplanes without a loss.


Japanese Defense Proves Tenacious

(TN – Port Moresby) General Knox outnumbers the Japanese who have his city surrounded by over two to one. In terms of heavy weapons, his numerical superiority is closer to 7 to 1. He has a town for his soldiers to live in, while the enemy is forced to spend its days in a tropical swamp. And, yet, the Japanese have continued to inflict massive costs on the allies whenever Knox tries to dig them out.

Yesterday, Knox ordered an all-out attack against the Japanese. The results was, perhaps, 100 Japanese soldiers killed or wounded, at a loss of nearly 400 allied soldiers. The allies pushed up against what could only be described as a solid wall of defenses protected by interlocked fields of fire. The allies called in artillery, dropped in bombs from air missions flown out of four different airports, and tried to overwhelm the Japanese defenders, all to no effect.

For the next phase of the attack, the allies hope to benefit by having an additional 60 artillery pieces set up in the town, and an additional 3,000 soldiers on the front line. However, one Private summed up the mood of the Port Moresby garrison this way. “The only good thing about having more troops here is that it makes it less likely that I am going to be the one who gets shot.”

General Knox has ordered his troops to continue the attack. Some officers at Port Moresby suggest that Knox wishes to complete the task of driving the enemy away from Port Moresby, before Major General Kenny, commander of the 5th Air Force, arrives in two days.

June 19, 1942

Thayne's News Network

Editor's Note: In times of war, the news is likely to be filled with all sorts of rumor and exaggeration. The goal of the Thayne News Network is to cut through the fog of war, and provide you, our loyal readers, with as accurate a report of events on the front line as we can.

The Thayne News Network is a special service for the clients in the military industrial complex who need accurate information on the progress of the war. Any disclosure of the contents of these reports is punishable as treason.


MORE JAPS TO PM

(TN – Port Moresby) Scouts have spotted another Japanese column crossing the Owen Stanley Ridge approaching Port Moresby. These are the reinforcements that General Knox has been dreading.

The scouts spotted only a few squads of soldiers, which were likely scouts for the main unit some distance behind. There is no way at this time to determine the composition of the reinforcements, or how far back the bulk of the reinforcements are. General Knox has ordered air reconnaissance to help to determine the answers to these questions.

It is possible that the Japanese unit may be joining their friends on the front line in just a few days. The last time that the allies spotted enemy soldiers on the trail it was only a matter of days until they had the town of Port Moresby surrounded, and the siege of Port Moresby began.

The most recent battle at Port Moresby has shown the momentum shifting over to the allies. Allied forces were able to make significant gains yesterday, at a loss of less than 150 Allied soldiers, compared to a Japanese loss of approximately 200 soldiers. The additional artillery brought to bear as a result of the arrival of the 26th Forward Artillery Regiment made a significant contribution to the battle.

Raiders Meet Slight Resistance at Milne Bay

The soldiers riding into Milne Bay on two submarines made it to shore yesterday. They then tried to approach Gili Gili to determine he strength of the Japanese presence. On the way, they encountered a Japanese patrol, entering into a fire fight that saw five of the Marines killed or wounded before they withdrew. The gunfire drew other Japanese, forcing the Marines to retreat.

Still, the Marines reported that they have seen no signs of anything other than a token force. According to a message delivered to the submarines before dawn, the Marines intend to set up three mortars where they can fire down on the town. They hope that the attack will test their theory concerning the magnitude of the Japanese defensive force.

In two days, the 5th Marines Regiment and other elements of the 1st USMC Division are due to arrive at Milne Bay to take over the town. It is hope that, by then, the scouts will be able to get an accurate assessment of the number of Japanese holding Milne Bay, and whether more Marines will be needed.

Marines Occupy Kiriwina

Using the same procedure that they used to occupy Goodenough Island, members of the 1st USMC Parachute Battalion started occupying key locations on the island of Kiriwina yesterday. Their first order of business was to secure a port, where Sunderland seaplanes would deliver their cargo. By early afternoon, they were unloading tents, beds, food, ammunition, picks, and shovels off of seaplanes at the dock.

However, the 1st USMC Marine Battalion will soon have a luxury that the unit that occupied Goodenough Island did not have. The freighter Adelong, which recently dropped off 1500 tons of supplies at Goodenough Island, also had supplies for Kiriwina, and was only a few dozen miles away. The transport ship, though still listing slightly and sitting low in the water due to a torpedo hit, was due to arrive at Kiriwina with hundreds of tons of supplies.

In addition, the transport ship Ormiston was reportedly just a couple hundred miles to the south, bringing reinforcements in the form of the 1st USMC Raiders Battalion.

TF1239 Reaches Port Moresby

TF1239, carrying 2,500 soldiers from the 2nd Australian Infantry Division, reached Port Moresby yesterday to add its numbers to the growing force in the town. The 2nd Division also brings with them 12 additional artillery pieces to use against the Japanese. This task force was the one that lost one of its transports to a torpedo shortly after leaving Cairns. The other transport, Empire Tamor was forced to return to Cairns with half of the escort squadron. This forced Empire Tamor to make the crossing from Australia with a particularly light escort. Still, it made the trip and delivered 2,500 additional soldiers without further incident.

Five more task forces participating in this operation remain at sea, and have not yet completed their tasks. This includes TF1135’s mission to deliver the 5th Air Force to Port Moresby, and the missions to deliver troops to Milne Bay and Kiriwina Island.

The only damage taken so far has been the torpedo hit on Empire Tamor forcing it to turn back, and a torpedo hit on the transport Adelong unloading supplies at Goodenough Island.

Port Moresby Air Force Scores Another Victorious Day

The air force at Port Moresby managed to deliver yet another defeat to the Japanese, shooting down 5 Japanese Airplanes without a loss. The victory at Port Moresby, however, was balanced by a Japanese victory in central China where Japanese forces shot down 6 Chinese fighters without a loss.

All things considered, the air war has proved to be a nearly even match so far in June, with the Allies losing slightly more planes than the Japanese. Both sides have lost over 100 airplanes so far in June.

Other Fronts Remain Quiet

While fighting goes on at Port Moresby and the Cook Islands, the war is proceeding quietly on other fronts. The only exception was a set of bombing runs sent traditionally into Burma.

On the Central Front, Admiral Kimmel’s carrier force has retreated to Pearl Harbor where they are spending some time in recreation and refit, before going back out into the war.

At the same time, the Southeast Asia Theater Pownall is still engaged in organizing his units for an eventual attack back into Burma. The Air Force Group at Ledo has moved into place, and that base is now fully operational. Ledo has also benefited recently from the arrival of the Bengal Engineering Regiment and the Bengal Construction Regiment. These units have the job of making sure that the Ledo air strips remain operational where constructing the defenses necessary to protect the town.