12 July 1943
RUSSIA
Invasion Support action off Petropavlovsk.
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force
77 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
xAKL Yamatsuru Maru, Shell hits 1
BB Fuso
BB Hyuga
xAKL Natsukawa Maru, on fire
BB Mutsu
SC CHa-56
SC CHa-53
SC CHa-40
SC CHa-36
SC CHa-34
SC CHa-8
AMC Asaka Maru
E W-13
E Wakataka
Japanese ground losses:
90 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Night Naval bombardment of Petropavlovsk.
Japanese Ships
BB Ise
Allied ground losses:
39 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 7 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 11 (2 destroyed, 9 disabled)
Vehicles lost 7 (6 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 1
Invasion Support action off Petropavlovsk
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force
66 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
xAKL Daiten Maru, Shell hits 2
BB Hyuga
BB Fuso
xAKL Natsukawa Maru, Shell hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
BB Mutsu
SC CHa-8
AMC Asaka Maru
E W-13
E Wakataka
Japanese ground losses:
15 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Allied ground losses:
9 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Invasion Support action off Petropavlovsk
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force
95 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
xAKL Heiku Maru, Shell hits 3, heavy fires
BB Hyuga
BB Fuso
xAKL Natsukawa Maru, Shell hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
BB Mutsu
xAKL Daiten Maru, Shell hits 12, heavy fires, heavy damage
SC CHa-8
AMC Asaka Maru
E W-13
E Wakataka
Japanese ground losses:
22 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
ASW attack near Paramushiro-jima at 139,47
Japanese Ships
DD Yamagumo
DD Shinonome
Allied Ships
SS ShCh-132, hits 4
SS ShCh-132 is sighted by escort
Japanese morning Air attack on 298th Rifle Division at 109,25 near Shilka – 139 casualties (1 non-combat squad destroyed plus 2 vehicles lost).
Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 12
Ki-43-IIb Oscar x 24
Ki-49-IIa Helen x 50
Allied aircraft
I-153 x 6
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-IIb Oscar: 1 destroyed
Ki-49-IIa Helen: 5 damaged
Ki-49-IIa Helen: 1 destroyed by flak
No Allied losses
Japanese morning Air attack on 198th Rifle Regiment at Petropavlovsk – 8 casualties.
Japanese morning Air attack on Petropavlovsk Naval Fortress at Petropavlovsk.
Invasion Support action off Petropavlovsk
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force
78 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
xAKL Suzan Maru, Shell hits 8, heavy fires, heavy damage
BB Fuso
BB Nagato
BB Hyuga
AMC Asaka Maru
E W-13
E Wakataka
Japanese ground losses:
15 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Allied bombardment at Petropavlovsk.
Attacking force 5635 troops, 142 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 140
Defending force 26781 troops, 251 guns, 174 vehicles, Assault Value = 991
Fuchin is occupied by the Japanese.
CHINA
Kukong is bombed – 1 airbase supply hit and 8 runway hits.
Tuyun is bombed.
Japanese morning Air attack on 88th Chinese Division at Paoshan
Japanese morning Air attack on 88th Chinese Corps at 78,55 near Kukong
Japanese morning Air attack on 21st Chinese Corps at 86,58 near Pucheng
Kunming is bombed – 7 casualties, 4 airbase hits, 3 airbase supply hits and 24 runway hits. 1 Ki-31-Ic Sally lost to flak.
Japanese morning Air attack on 49th Chinese/C Corps at 82,60 near Chaochow – 122 casualties.
Japanese morning Air attack on 18th Chinese Corps at 77,44 near Chungking – 5 casualties.
Japanese bombard at 77,44 near Chungking – A 79 casualties (2 combat squads destroyed).
Attacking force 440 troops, 55 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 951
Defending force 34110 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 468
Japanese bombard at Kukong.
Attacking force 9410 troops, 70 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 332
Defending force 36113 troops, 58 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1222
Surviving Damage Control Parties abandon xAKL Columbia Maru
Allied Torpedo Bomber sighted over Suva
Allied Float Plane sighted over Suva
Allied Float Plane sighted over Suva
Allied Aircraft sighted over Suva
Allied Aircraft sighted over Suva
Allied Torpedo Bomber sighted over Suva
xAKL Daiten Maru sinks at sea
xAKL Natsukawa Maru sinks at sea
Aircraft A6M8 Zero advances R&D
Todd informed me that Suva is the first target selected by the US on their trek to Tokyo. As can be seen from the reports above there is suddenly a lot of recon activity over the base. We also have a bunch of battleships reported as incoming. Time for a wry smile when I read Todd’s missive that Suva was the place. Thing is I abandoned Suva months ago. Todd is about to capture the base without a contest. I figured that this place is way too far away to properly defend. For that matter, Noumea and Luganville have also been abandoned. The first line of Japanese defence on this vector will commence at Guadalcanal. I do hope that Todd has a lot of units prepped for Suva and Noumea and that he doesn’t have too much ready to go yet for more northerly locations. Hopefully this will buy me some time to reposition KB after the Petropavlovsk Operation.
