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January 21, 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 OVERRUNS CLARK AFB

(TN – Manila) The day after Japanese capture the key city of Singapore, they capture a strategically vital objective in the Philippines, Clark AFB. By taking the airbase, the Japanese have cut the lines of communication between the Bataan peninsula, and the capital city. Each area has a sizable military garrison.

Thayne News has learned that General McArthur, commander of USAFFE, had argued for permission to declare Manila an open city, and to pull his units into the Bataan peninsula, which can be more easily defended. McArthur had argued that, in the peninsula, he could hold the enemy off for a considerable amount of time and make their victory much more costly. Superiors at Allied Command overrode his request. One source at Allied Command, who asked to remain nameless, said that the decision was that Manila held the resources that Japan wanted, and Manila was what we were going to defend.

One senior official described McArthur’s strategy as, “that of a security guard at a bank, who locks himself in the basement closet while leaving the vault open, and brags about how he thwarted the robbery.”

Others disagree, and argue that, “It’s more like the guard left the vault open, but he barricaded himself at the front door and prevented the thieves from leaving with the goods.”

The dispute between the two commanders has created a situation where the enemy has split the Philippine defenders in half. They can now leave half of the army bottled up in Bataan, while they defeat the units in Manila, then turn their full attention to the remaining survivors in Bataan.


Japan Sweeps Borneo Strongholds

(TN – Batavia) Within the last few days, Japanese forces have overcome the defenses at Singkawang, Tarakan, and Pontianak, giving them control over half of the island and most of its resources. The only significant port left in Allied hands on the island is that of Balikpapan. For the past few days, ABDA Command has been ordering that the remaining forces concentrate on that location. The defenders retreating out of Tarakan are also trying to reach Balikpapan before the Japanese invade.

On the eastern part of the continent, the Japanese have dropped a considerable invasion force off at Kendari. After the sweep of the Japanese carrier force, the allies have very few ships left with which to contest the landing. The ABDA fleet had fled to Darwin in order to escape the ravages of the Japanese carrier fleet. Also, Allied Command said that it had received reports suggesting that the Japanese fleet had an escort of at least two capital ships, probably heavy cruisers and potentially other, smaller escort ships.

Further east, the Australians have convinced ABDA to divert some of its resources in Timor to set up a garrison on Kai Island. ABDA will be contributing defensive forces, engineers, and AA units to the island. Southwest Pacific Command is seeking to create a forward base that it can use in an eventual return to the Dutch East Indies in a bid that will aim at depriving the Japanese of some of the resources in this region. Kai Island will be within range of supply planes flying out of Darwin, which will allow the Allies to keep the island equipped without risking surface ships.


Japanese Capture Shortlands

(TN – Sydney) After spending several days landing troops at Shortland, Japan finally moved in and captured the base. Allies had been interested in why the Japanese had taken so long to complete the job. Shortland had only a small militia protecting the region, and the first force of Japanese units should have been sufficient to have taken the port. However, the initial landing force set up a base in the jungle near the city, and did not move into the city itself until a large number of reinforcements arrived.

One analysts speculates that the Japanese expected the area to have a larger garrison than it did in fact. Others have speculated that the Japanese are practicing a new invasion strategy to use later in the war, when Japan wishes to invade ports that have stronger Allied defenses.


Japanese Carrier Watch

(TN – Hawaii) The Japanese carrier fleet was last seen 300 miles west of Palau heading east. Allied command is nervous about the fact that the carrier force is about to move out of the range of land-based reconnaissance aircraft. At that time, there will be nothing to do but wait for the Japanese force to show up again.


Noumea Garrison Digs In

(TN – Noumea) The 2nd USMC Division is now fully disembarked on Noumea and is digging in on the island. Noumea is considered a crucial anchor on the Pacific Wall, and Allied Command has decided to commit itself to holding the island. In addition to the Marines, a second task force carrying over 100 aircraft is also getting near the island.

Thanks for an enjoyable read. I like the style. Rousing reporting, full of impending doom, determined planning and heroic defense.
I use your house rules completely and they add to the game immensely. I do allow replacements for the AVG as they were being formed prior to the beginning of the war and were supposed to be used in China.
For future reference, it looks like the Japanese cannot use Manila until Bataan falls. It seems any ships must pass through the Bataan hex to get to Manila thus running the gauntlet of fire from Corrigedor. You may have already known that. I like the way you set it up anyway. It makes for a better story.

Thank you.

I am pleased that you are enjoying the story.

I am aware of the fact that Japan could not use Manila harbor until they gained control of Corrigadore Island. But, unfortunately, sometimes I let my interest in a good story get in the way of my interest in putting the right counter on the right hex. The whole Corrigadore defense thing -- it's been done to death. I needed something new.

As for the AVG, I allow replacements for Chinese units at the start of the war at the discretion of the Allied player. The AVG is a Chinese unit. (Still, the AVG actually did fight their first fight until December 20th, 1941; and December 21st is the first day I allow replacements in India/Burma. So, it works out either way.)

Anyway, I hope you continue to enjoy the story. Thanks for letting me know.

Thayne

great reading, Ive just bought the game myself,haven't printed out the manual yet and just read parts,playing by feel.

I really love the style and look every day for you AARs. I also love the fact that I can call up the forums right from the game menu.

Keep them coming.

Thanks

January 22, 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.


CARRIERS RETURN TO JAVA SEA

(TN – Batavia) The Carrier Watch group at Allied Intelligence is working through conflicting information on the location of the Japanese carrier fleet. Sightings for the past several days tell of the Japanese carriers heading east toward Palau. However, yesterday reconnaissance planes reported seeing two carriers in a fleet they found coming down the Macassar Straight.

In the original sweep of the Java Sea, the Japanese ran their carriers in two different groups. One group contained perhaps four to six fleet carriers, while the other contained at least one light carrier. The maneuver generated a number of conflicting reports. However, since the two fleets were never more than thirty miles away from each other, Allied Intelligence treated them as one carrier fleet.

Allied Intelligence is now speculating that the two fleets have split up, with one group heading east toward Palau and the other returning to the Java Sea. Intelligence staff is now scrambling to discover which task force contains the fleet carriers. Thayne News polled several members of the Carrier Watch group, and found that there is widespread agreement over the theory that the Macassar Straight task force contains the fleet carriers.

A second raid into the Java Sea is not likely going to be as damaging as the first raid. Still, ABDA Command is bracing for the worst. In this case, the worst that the Japanese fleet can do in the near term is to turn east toward Darwin and the base being established at Kai Island. A number of Allied ships are still active in this region attempting to build the Kai Island base as quickly as possible. Some task forces contain units bound for the island, and it would be difficult to get the units unloaded and the ships in safe waters before the Macassar Straight task force arrives.

Southeast Asia Command is watching the movement of the task force with an eye to protecting merchant shipping on the India Coast. Earlier this month, large conveys delivered several hundred thousand tons of military equipment and fuel to Colombo in Ceylon, and to Diamond Harbor in eastern India. These groups are now on their way to the relative safety of Karachi. Also, the air squadrons from Ceylon are being built up around Ceylon, protecting the doorway to the waters west of India. Still, the Japanese have proved that their carrier force could inflict terrible damage while taking little damage themselves.

ABDA Command, while remembering its fatal decision at the start of the Carrier Raid to wait one more turn, has ordered the development of Kai Island to proceed. Transport ships are continuing to gather ABDA forces from Timor for deployment on the island.


JAPAN 55TH DIVISION REACHES MANDALAY

(TN – Columbo) As of this writing, the Japanese 55th division is moving into position across the river from the Burma city of Mandalay. Southeast Asia Command has ordered all remaining air units out of the city, and has prepared its bomber and fighter squadron for a determined defense of the city. The 55th Division has so far been able to take every one of its objectives in a single day, and there is little hope that the exhausted defenders of Mandalay are going to fare any better. Japanese forces are expected to cross the river tomorrow, and may be expected to have control of the city by tomorrow evening.


Rabaul Defenders Surrender at Talasia

(TN – Sydney) The defenders at Rabaul, who held out for over a week in the face of overwhelming odds, and who fought almost to the last man in defense of the city, are now in Japanese hands. They were cornered in the town of Talasia and forced to surrender yesterday. There were only a few hundred soldiers left out of an original garrison of over 1,000. Some members of Allied Command have secretly expressed the opinion that it would have been to the advantage of the allies of the defenders of Rabaul would have instead been stationed at Singapore or Rangoon.


Enterprise Catches Stray Tanker at Marcus Island

(TN – Hawaii) The U.S.S. Enterprise, in a patrol of the waters north of Wake Island, discovered an enemy tanker yesterday and dropped nine bombs onto it, leaving it burning in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

When the Saratoga and Lexington traveled south to cover the development of Baker and Canton islands, the Enterprise stayed behind to undergo some routine maintenance. Admiral Kimmel then ordered the enterprise to escort a supply shipment to Midway Island. Once at the island, the Enterprise, accompanied by her escort, left the supply ship in port for a brief patrol of the waters north of Wake Island. A member of Kimmel’s staff said that he ordered the survey to measure the possibility of a return to Wake Island.

Yesterday, the Enterprise approached Marcus Island, when one of its SBD search planes discovered the tanker in the early morning. The Enterprise then prepared a raid. Later that afternoon, 26 SBD dive bombers engaged in bombing practice on the Japanese ship; nine of the pilots managed to score hits. J.C. Annesley, Captain of the Enterprise, reported confidence that the tanker will sink before it reaches any safe harbor.


Japanese Invaders Approach Palembang

(TN – Batavia) ABDA Command has been waiting for the Japanese military to try to take the town of Palembang. Strategic Planners have long known that Palembang was one of Japan’s key objectives in the war. The port will be a major source of oil and other resources to feed to the starving Japanese war machine. As a result, ABDA Command ordered the redeployment of all units in the vicinity to this one port. The town is presently being held by the 4th DAF Base Force, the 5th Dutch Naval Base Force, and the South Sumatra Garrison Battalion. The engineers have orders to inflict as much damage as possible on the resource facilities if it looks as if they may fall into enemy hands.


Chinese Army Reclaims Nanning

(TN – Chunking) Chinese forces moved back into the city of Nanning in southern China yesterday, finding that the Japanese had abandoned the rail center. China began to get news that the Japanese had surrendered the city for the purpose of focusing its forces on Hong Kong at the start of the war. However, fearing a trap, Chiang Kai -Shek was reluctant to move troops forward into the city. Only after several weeks of reports, supported by aerial reconnaissance of the city, made the case that the Japanese army had, indeed, left the city, did Chiang Kai-Shek order his army in. The city gave the Chinese army a warm welcome as it moved back into key government buildings and defensive structures.

January 23, 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.


FLEET CARRIERS IN JAVA TASK FORCE

(TN – Batavia) Additional intelligence has come into Allied Intelligence supporting the thesis that the Japanese fleet carriers have returned to the Java Sea. Most recent aerial reconnaissance has reported seeing five carriers in the task force.

Upon receiving this information, ABDA Command ordered the units to prepare for another carrier sweep. Naval attack units were told to avoid the carriers, since they did not have the numbers to make it through the ships’ shield of fighter CAP. ABDA Command also put the fleets involved in the buildup on Kai Island. As of this writing, a task force consisting of six troop transports is sitting at Kai Island unloading the A-II-Ld anti-aircraft battalion and its supplies. They still had several thousand tons of supplies onboard their ships, and were racing to get it unloaded before the carrier fleet forced their departure.

In spite of the memories of the last carrier sweep, some at ABDA Command are saying that wars involve risk. One official, wishing to remain anonymous, said, “Look, guy, pretty soon we ain’t gonna be able to ship nothing to Kai Island because the Japanese will be running around all over that place. We either do this now, or we put their cans back on a boat and bring them back to Australia.”


55TH DIVISION ATTACKS MANDALAY

(TN – Columbo) The Japanese 55th Division wasted no time crossing the river to attack the city of Mandalay yesterday. Late yesterday afternoon, Japanese units were seen crossing the river downstream of Mandalay. At the time of this report, they had not engaged in the Mandalay defenders, but they were getting into position.


Invasion of Palembang Begins

(TN – Batavia) Yesterday, the Japanese landed at Palembang and immediately attempted to move in and capture the city. The boats arrived at night, and were unloading several hundred Japanese soldiers by morning a short distance from the city itself. As soon as there was enough light, Martin bombers took off from the Palembang airbase, hitting one transport with two bombs and striking a second transport four times. However, the Japanese were able to continue with their landing operations.

Allied airplanes also reported the sight of a tanker just off shore. Military analysts are assuming that the Japanese are making plans to haul oil from the base as soon as it is secured.


Japan Consolidates Holdings at Bismarck Archipelago

(TN – Brisbane) According to sources in the Bismarck Archipelago, the Japanese began operations yesterday to take over the bases in the Admiralty Islands and at Emirau Island. These bases guard the routes from the Japanese fortress at Truk Island to the strategic city of Rabaul. The bases will be useful in protecting Rabaul against any attempt to recapture it, but offering their air and naval support against any attackers.


Development of Nanomea Atoll Begins

(TN – New Caledonia) The first of two task forces arrived at Nanomea Atoll yesterday to deliver a garrison to the island. Nanomea Atoll is on the fringe of the Japanese expansion, and would be an early target in any move on the part of the Japanese to grow further in the Pacific. Lieutenant Commander Moorhead, the leader of the expedition to deliver the troops, said in a statement, “In delivering these troops, we serve notice to the Japanese that, at least in this part of the Pacific Ocean, they have reached the outer limit of their conquest. We have drawn a line across the ocean, from Baker Island to Esprito Santo, and said, “no further.” Nanomea Atoll stands firmly on that line.

In order to help cover and protect the raid, the Lexington and Saratoga will be leaving Canton Island today for another pass through the Gilbert Islands. In addition, the battleship Colorado will be leaving Palmyra Atoll tomorrow to deliver the next round of reinforcements to Bake Island. Also, task forces further south are continuing to drop supply off at several islands around Fiji, building up the allied bases there.

January 24, 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.


BRITS HOLD AT MANDALAY

(TN – Columbo) In a development that brought audio gasps from those who first heard of it at Allied Command, the British defenders at Mandalay actually fought the Japanese 55th Division to a standstill yesterday. The 55th Division has been unstoppable at this point, taking even the city of Rangoon in a single day. Yet, yesterday, when they tried to capture the city of Mandalay, its defenders did not budge.

The Japanese attack took advantage of bad weather in the area. Neither side was able to bring in air support, so the battle was left entirely to those on the ground. The Japanese crossed the river downstream from Mandalay and approached the city from the southwest. They made it to the edge of the city, where the British units waited in prepared defenses. The 55th Division made a determined attack but, by the end of the day, had made no further progress.


Heavy Cruiser Cornwalis Damaged at Akyab

(TN – Columbo), the British heavy cruiser Cornwallis, escorting a ship delivering another boat load of supplies to Akyab, was hit by a torpedo and bomb yesterday at Akyab harbor. Both hits did extensive damage to the ship. By nightfall, fires from the ship were illuminating the whole harbor, and it was suffering severe flooding. Emergency crews were set to work throughout the night to save the ship.

Meanwhile, Allied command is trying to work out some way of getting supplies to Akyab, which is falling further and further underneath the Japanese air umbrella. Among the plans being considered is establishing an airlift to the city, like those already being used to supply Baker Island in the South Pacific and which will be used to supply Kai Island north of Java.


Palembang Defenders Strike Invasion Fleet

(TN – Batavia) The Japanese invasion fleet being used to attack Palembang came under extensive fire yesterday. Coastal guns allegedly found their range to one enemy troop transport and delivered 11 rounds into it. Also, throughout the day, allied Martin bombers attacked the fleet, dropping bombs on two other transports. In yesterday’s attack on the fleet, three other transports have been hit. All totaled, allied forced have damaged an estimated 6 out of 9 transport ships involved in the invasion.

These successes made only a slight dent in the Japanese effort to take the city. The Japanese are using a force size much larger than they have typically used in these operations, and have already landed more than a full division on the beaches. They have also brought in their own combat support; airplanes flying from Malaysia struck the city’s defenses twice yesterday. However, they inflicted minimal damage. Defending units suffered 8 casualties and the loss of 2 guns. The Japanese casualties are presently estimated at over 1,000 men and an unknown number of guns.


Japan Softens Balikpapan Defenses

(TN – Batavia) Japan’s air force concentrated on softening the defenses of Balikpapan yesterday, as an invasion fleet is spotted just off shore. Balikpapan is the last major resource center in the region in Allied hands, other than those on the island of Java itself. Because of the clear importance of the city, ABDA Command has ordered nearby units to take up positions within the city and to challenge the Japanese for control. Engineers are poised to take steps to deny the city’s resources to the Japanese attackers.


Carrier Watch

(TN – Batavia) The Japanese fleet carriers are continuing to sail south. They crossed the Java Sea yesterday and, at dusk, were last seen a hundred miles northeast of Bali, heading due south. Allied Command is considering the possibility that the Japanese fleet is seeking to enter the Indian Ocean. Once in the open water, Allied reconnaissance aircraft may loose sight of it. The fleet could then suddenly reappear anywhere from Karachi, India to Perth, Australia. Commanders in both regions have been alerted to the threat, and been ordered to begin taking precautions.

Perth, Australia, has already sent most of its ships off to the east coast of Australia and, from there, to the West Coast of the United States to pick up needed supplies. The British force in India, however, is presently involved in major operations to bring another load of supply down to Columbo, and from there to Diamond Harbor and Akyab.

January 25, 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.


PTS STOP BALIKPAPAN INVASION

(TN – Batavia) A squadron of PT Boats that had evacuated the Philippines a month before, managed to stop the first attack on Balikpapan yesterday. The boats had been hiding at Pinrang, across the Macassar Straight from Balikpapan, for the past several days. Three days ago, the Japanese fleet carriers sailed within 100 miles of the boats, but left them alone. Two days ago, the Allied reconnaissance airplanes spotted a Japanese troop transport heading toward Balikpapan, and the PT boats were ordered across the straight to defend the harbor.

They found the troop transport at night. PT33 fired the first shot and put a hole in the side of the ship with a torpedo. Then PT32 fired at the ship and destroyed its navigation. Because there were reports of a second enemy task force in the region, four of the PT boats set up a defensive perimeter, while PT32 continued to fire on the transport. Lieutenant Landers of PT32 reported that he was able to see “hundreds of enemy soldiers” on the desk of the ship. Two minutes after the first torpedo hit, he also reported that the enemy ship was heavy on the bow and the Japanese were abandoning ship. Thirteen minutes later, the ship disappeared below the waves. Lieutenant Landers radioed the garrison at Balikpapan that they could likely find a few of the survivors laying on the beach.


FURTHER DESTRUCTION INFLICTED ON PALEMBANG INVASION FLEET

(TN – Batavia) The Palembang invasion fleet continued to suffer at the hands of coastal guns and aerial attacks from Batavia. Coastal gunners were able to hit one of the enemy troop transports with ten shells, while Martin bombers hit five transports and a minesweeper in a day of attacks against the task force. Some of the ships were also showing damage from previous days’ attacks.

ABDA units at Palembang report that the Japanese were still able to land more than 15,000 soldiers on the beach. They continue to hold the city, but they are significantly outgunned by an enemy force that is more than three times its size.


MANDALAY FALLS

(TN – Columbo) The Japanese 55th Division regrouped and won another victory yesterday, claiming the key city of Mandalay. Brigadier General Coates, who was in command of the Mandalay defense, was reportedly furious that none of the air support he had been promised actually showed up. Southeast Asia Command had sent orders to a half dozen air units in the vicinity to aid the defenders. Yet, by the end of the day, not one of the units came to the aid of the Mandalay defenders. During the morning, Mandalay forces were reporting clouds, but by afternoon there was no sign of bad weather either over Mandalay or over the bases at which the allied units were stationed. Even the reconnaissance airplanes sent to take a look at the area failed to launch, while the Japanese air force seemed to have no trouble launching attacks or getting a look at the battle scene.

General Pownall, the commander of the Southeast Asia Theater, is ordering an investigation as to why his direct orders were not carried out.

Meanwhile, Pownall is also being forced to worry about General Coates’ decision to retreat in the direction of Lashio. According to sources within Southeast Asia Command, everybody was certain that the retreat would be to the north, in the direction of Myitkyina. Nothing exists now between Mandalay and a small engineering unit that occupies Myitkyina. Furthermore, if the Japanese can capture Myitkyina, they will be able to cut the last supply route into China.


CARRIER WATCH: JAP CARRIES TRAP 2 SHIPS

(TN – Batavia) The Japanese carrier force turned west yesterday and is presently located 50 miles south of Bali. Its westward direction gives it an opportunity to capture two ships which had been fleeing the Java Sea. The ships of TF1102, the minesweeper Lark and the cargo ship Meoendoeg, were at Soerabaja loading supplies when news of the carrier force’s return was confirmed. TF1102 fled the city heading west, hoping to get away from the enemy task force and escape into the Indian Ocean near Batavia. The Japanese fleet carriers are on a path that threatens to cut off TF1102’s route of escape. The only other option for the trapped ships is to head northeast into Japanese controlled waters west of Borneo.


Heavy Cruiser Cornwalis Damaged at Akyab

(TN – Columbo), the British heavy cruiser Cornwallis, escorting a ship delivering another boat load of supplies to Akyab, was hit by a torpedo and bomb yesterday at Akyab harbor. Both hits did extensive damage to the ship. By nightfall, fires from the ship were illuminating the whole harbor, and it was suffering severe flooding. Emergency crews were set to work throughout the night to save the ship.


Yorktown, Saratoga Return to the Gilberts

(TN – Hawaii) While Central and South Pacific Commands are accelerating their plans to garrison Baker Island and Nanomea Atoll, the carrier fleet returned to the Gilberts to disrupt any Japanese attempt to counter the maneuver. Two separate task forces are presently at Nanomea Atoll, unloading the units ordered to the island. One of those units, No. 101 RNZN Base Force, immediately went to work building an airstrip on the island, where no airstrip presently exists. The second task force is unloading a Marine parachute battalion and an AA regiment to aid in the island’s defense.

In a related story, Military Intelligence received information today that the Japanese 126th IJN Base Force has been loaded on a transport and is on its way to Makin. The Lexington and Saratoga carriers are presently less than 150 miles from the island, and a surface fleet built around the battleship Colorado is nearby at Baker Island. Fletcher is reported to be considering the possibility of intercepting the Japanese attack force, particularly since there is good evidence that the enemy carriers are still at Java.

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.


JAPANESE TAKE PALEMBANG

(TN - Batavia) In spite of heavy damage to the invasion fleet, the Japanese overwhelmed the defenders of Palemberg yesterday and took control of the city. The Japanese victory gives them control of one of the wealthiest sources of raw materials in the region. With it, Japan gains the ability to continue the war into the indefinite future.

Allied bombers were continuing their attacks against the invasion fleet, scoring multiple hits against two transports. Two bombs were said to have struck a transport burning from an earlier strike, and five bombs hit a transport that had escaped damage from earlier conflicts.

In a statement, Allied Command said not to underestimate the damage done by these attacks. "The loss of Japanese shipping is going to hurt Japan in the long run. The loss of each transport limits the Japanese ability to continue their expansion."


Carrier Watch

(TN - Batavia) The Japanese fleet carriers reversed their course and headed back north yesterday. Some officials in ABDA Command are speculating that the reversal was prompted by the sinking of a troop transport at Balikpapan. As a result of the Japanese move, two ships that had been nearly trapped in the Java Sea now may make it to Batavia and out into the Indian Ocean. However, the Japanese change in course now threatens the six PT boats responsible for the sinking. The six PT boats yesterday fled to Macassar, where the limited range of the PT boats forced the squadron to stop and refuel.


Japanese Land at Balikpapan

(TN - Batavia) One day after an attempt to invade Balikpapan was stopped by a squadron of PT boats, a second Japanese task force entered the harbor to continue the invasion. Aerial reconnaisance reported that the second fleet had two heavy cruisers and a small number of destroyer escorts. As a result, ABDA Command ordered the PT boats to retreat and to allow the Japanese free access to the harbor.


Allied Planes Attack Japanese 55th Division

(TN - Columbo) After a round of severe reprimands following an incident where orders to attack the Japanese 55th Division was ignored by nearly every air group in the theater, General Pownall was able to get Allied planes in the air and attacking the Japanese invader. There is still no record as to precisely why the earlier orders did not generate any activity. Some air units are saying that they did not receive the order. Others report that the weather was too bad, either over their own air ports or over the target. Pownell expressed his lack of interest in excuses and insisted that somebody come back with some damage reports. Those damage reports yesterday estimated the loss of destruction of 7 guns. Allied Intelligence is also estimating the number of soldiers killed or wounded in the raids at just under 100 men.


Admiral Patch Defends Submarine Doctrine

(TN - Washington) Allied Command is reviewing an order given a couple of weeks ago to submarine commanders to be a little more cautious. The order came at the behest of Admiral Patch II, after noting that three submarines had been sunk and nearly a dozen damaged in the opening weeks of the war. Admiral Patch gave a general directive to all submarine commanders to use a bit more care in the exercise of their duties. "You do us no good sitting at the bottom of the ocean," he wrote.

Since the order went out, few allied submarines have been damaged in combat. At the same time, the number of reported hits on Japanese shipping has also dropped significantly. Admiral Patch answered challenges to his directive by saying, "If things had continued to go on as they had, you would have also seen a significant drop in the number of hits against Japanese shipping, because we would not have had any submarines to hit them with.

At the same time, Allied Command is starting to ask questions about what has happened to the Japanese submarine fleet. Since the start of the war, Allied intelligence has recorded sightings of enemy submarines around New Caledonia, New Guinea, and in the Java Sea. However, to they have not recorded any incidence of an Allied ship being hit by a Japanese torpedo fired from a submarine. Aerial torpedoes have inflicted great harm on Allied ships, but not the submarines.

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.


50 DAYS OF WAR

(TN - Denver) The 50th day of war passed yesterday with more Japanese gains. The Japanese occupied the New Guinea port of Siador yesterday in a landing that went virtually unopposed. Of the numerous ports that exist in the waters north of Australia, the only one containing any opposition force at all exists at Port Moresby.

Australian and American political leaders are locked in a fierce debate about what to do with the forces at Port Moresby. The Americans are pressing for Australia to abandon the outpost and to focus their energies on the Pacific Wall. The Australians, however, argue that after Port Moresby there is no place else for the Japanese to attack other than Australia itself.


Batavia Air Force Destroys More Shipping

(TN - Batavia) Batavia has become the new Singapore Island, inflicting terrible damage on Japanese shipping that dares to come within range. Yesterday's attacks netted two hits each on two separate troop transports.

Among the transports sailing the waters west of Batavia, Allied airplanes also found and attacked the battleship Hyuga. The battleship was previously seen in the port of
Kuching. In spite of several attempts, allied pilots were not able to score any hits against the battleship.

The Batavia air units have been inflicting particularly high damage on the enemy mine-laying capability. Yesterday, airplanes hit a minesweeper with several bombs, one of which detonated mines that were sitting on deck. The pilots report that this, and one other minesweeper also the victim of its own ammunition, sank. A third minesweeper was left burning but still afloat.

Aerial attacks on the port of Palembang ran into a threat to the Batavia operations in the form of zeros flying CAP. Allied intelligence has learned that the Japanese are quickly building up and supplying the airfield.


Carrier Watch

(TN - Batavia) The Japanese carriers backtracked once gain, and were last seen south of the eastern tip of Java. For the first time in the war since Pearl Harbor, the carrier force attacked a land-based target; the Dutch city of Soerbaja. Only 30 enemy airplanes were involved in the raid, causing Allied Command to wonder once again how many enemy carriers are in this group. Aerial reconnaissance has reported up to five carriers, but five carriers would be able to launch a larger raid.

The carriers' maneuvering bought TF1101, trying to find a way out of the Java sea, a little breathing space. However, it is still possible for the carrier fleet to destroy the two ships as they seek the open ocean. TF1101 pulled into Batavia yesterday for refueling, and are scheduled to leave the area as soon as it gets dark.

The carriers also allowed the PT boats that thwarted the first Japanese attempt to land at Balikpapan a chance to escape. The PT boats are heading east down the Java Sea and towards Kai Island. There, the PT boats are hoping to have some success defending the outpost that the Allies are trying to establish.


Rough Weather Saves Japanese Ships

(TN - Hawaii) The Allied carrier group made up of the Lexington and the Saratoga found Japanese ships in the harbor at Makin Island, but were unable to exploit the find. Aerial reconnaisance from the Saratoga found nine ships in the harbor. However, before the carriers could launch a strike against, the weather turned foul and the ships had to order their crews to stand down.

The carrier group may try again today. However, Admiral Kimmel is reported to be getting nervous about having the enemy know where the carrier fleet is for an extended period of time. "The longer they see us, the more time they have to plan something unpleasant for us," Kimmed told an aide yesterday afternoon. Still, Kimmel said, "It would leave a real bad taste in my mouth to leave without bagging something."

The carrier group is about to be joined by the fleet that escorted new shipping to Baker Island. The battleship Colorado and its escort is scheduled to meet with the carrier group to provide protection against any surface ships the Japanese might bring into the war.


Yorktown Joins the Fight

(TN - San Francisco) President Roosevelt yesterday handed the U.S.S. Yorktown to Admiral Kimmel yesterday. The Yorktown, another of America's fleet carriers and sister ship to the Lexington, will bring the number of allied carriers in the Pacific up to four. According to military intelligence, this is still half of the strength of the Japanese carrier force.


Jap Bombing Campaign Puzzles Allies

(TN - Washington) Another 100-plane raid attacked Madan yesterday, inflicting significant damage on the airfield there. These raids have become routine, as the Japanese have sent huge raids against the city every day this week.

Thayne News has not been reporting these attacks, because Allied Command considers Madan to be, "...a backward little town that has little strategic value." In light of the bombing attacks, Allied Command is looking into whether the city has some special value that would justify such a bruising on the part of the Japanese -- particularly when it is assumed they would prefer to capture the facilities intact.

January 28, 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.


ABDA DISCOVERS LOST CRUISER

(TN – Batavia) ABDA Command regained contact yesterday with a cruiser it did not know was in the area. The ship had been damaged and had gone to Soerbaja. When Japanese carrier planes attacked the city, Commander Jennings contacted ABDA Command to state that his ship was in danger and requesting orders.

ABDA Command answered, “What ship?”

ABDA Command soon came to realize that the light cruiser Sumatra was still in harbor, with the Japanese carrier force under 200 miles away and easily within range of the city. Commander Jennings was ordered to muster up a crew and to be prepared to sail at sundown. At dark, the cruiser headed out of port and traveled at full speed west to Batavia, where it could refuel and prepare for the next part of its trip.

Before dawn, Batavia harbor received the cruiser with its makeshift crew of cooks, dockworkers, and mechanics. The ship was refueled and sent south to find TF1101. TF1101. consisting of a minesweeper and a transport, were two other ships that the Japanese had nearly trapped in the Java Sea with its carrier force.


Carrier Watch: Jap CVs Patrol East Java

(TN – Batavia) Japanese carriers are continuing to patrol the eastern coast of Java, but are not inflicting any damage to Allied facilities. ABDA Command has ordered that the remaining air units not attack the carrier fleet, since they lack sufficient numbers of aircraft to penetrate the enemy CAP. Instead, most of the ABDA naval attack planes have moved to the western end of the island, at Batavia, where they continue to harass the Japanese forces at Palembang.

The Dutch Air Force again found the Japanese battleship Hyuga and hit it once with a bomb, though the explosion is thought to have bounced on the deck of the ship and did little damage.


Japanese 55th Division Continues Rampage

(TN – Columbo) The Japanese 55th Division, which has single-handedly captured most of Burma all by itself, is attempting to drive the Americans further back out of Lashio. The defenders of Mandalay retreated to the town yesterday, and the 55th Division, not allowing the allies to have a moment’s rest, followed them into the city.

If the Allied forces are able to hold out in Lashio for a few days, they could get some reinforcements. Chiang Kai-Shek’s forces that entered Burma near the start of the war are about 45 miles northwest of the city. However, the unit is strung out on a system of roads and trails across rugged terrain that makes it difficult for to travel great distances. The defenders of Lashio are the same units that the Japanese pushed out of Mandalay just a few days earlier, and officials at Southeast Asia Command are expressing doubt that they will do as well in Lashio.

The move into Lashio is giving Southeast Asia command an opportunity to bring additional units into the fight. The 20th Indian Division, sent out of Imphal a few weeks ago, has marched most of the way through the mountains and jungles into the more open valleys of central Burma.

Southeast Asia Command has some worries over its ability to keep the unit supplied if it is not able to capture a major Burma city such as Mandalay.


Concerns Grow Throughout Allied Command

(TN – Washington) Concerns have been growing recently over how rapidly the Japanese are advancing. These concerns have been fueled in part by the rapid deterioration of the situation in the Philippines. The Japanese earlier divided the Allied defenses, trapping a large bulk of Allied units in Bataan while the rest held out, as ordered, in Manila. The situation worsened when the units defending Clark AFB retreated in their entirety to Bataan, when Allied Command had ordered them to retreat into Manilla. Bataan does not have sufficient supply to deal with such a large number of soldiers, and Manila now does not have the manpower to hold off a full-fledged Japanese assault.

A similar situation happened in Burma recently where the Mandalay defenders retreated toward Lashio rather than along the route that would keep them between the Japanese attackers and India. Southeast Asia command is concerned that they do not have enough units to hold the area around Calcutta against an aggressive Japanese attack.

In the south, the region of northern Australia is looking vulnerable. With no easy supply routes, and no airfields, holding the ports of northern Australia would be as secure as holding a string of islands – only these are protected by a moat of desert rather than a moat of ocean.

Some members of Allied command are beginning to mumble thoughts that were incomprehensible at the start of the war. As one senior official put it, “We might actually lose this thing.”

January 29, 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.


US CARRIERS AMBUSH JAP TRANSPORT

(TN – Hawaii) The U.S. Carriers Lexington and Saratoga yesterday ambushed a loaded Japanese troop transport west of Makin Island yesterday. Military Intelligence alerted Central Pacific Command that the Japanese that a transport was due to arrive at the island within the next few days. Though the allies did not know what day the ship would show up, since the carriers were in the area, they sailed north to try to intercept the transport. Yesterday afternoon they found a transport heading west, away from Makin Island. Allied intelligence at first speculated that the ship had already dropped off its cargo and was returning.

They discovered no other ships in the area, so they attacked the transport. Over the course of the attack, American pilots hit the transport with eleven 1,000 pound bombs, and hit its escort ship with two torpedoes. Pilots stayed long enough to watch the transport go down. The PC boat was also badly damaged and is likely to sink as well, Allied pilots could not confirm the sinking.

Those photographs also appear to show an unexpectedly large number of individuals abandoning the troop transport as it sank. Some members of Military Intelligence dispute these findings, arguing that the pictures were of the crew and perhaps a few passengers abandoning ship, but it is pure speculation to say that a combat unit was actually on board. This faction argues that there would be no need for a transport ship to be leaving Makin Island with soldiers on board.

Furthermore, the photographs revealed that the ship that the carriers attacked was the Aratama Maru, while the intelligence reports indicated that the Japanese base force would arrive on the Kinryu Maru. This suggests that the Lexington and Saratoga may be able to intercept another Japanese transport, though the Japanese are probably smart enough to abort the mission until the American carriers are known to be gone.


JAPAN BOMBS JAVA

(TN – Batavia) Yesterday, Japan sent a small number of bombers escorted by over four dozen fighters to the strategically key city of Batavia yesterday. ABDA Command speculates that the purpose of the raid was to lure the city’s fighters into an ambush. Three quarters of the Batavia CAP fighters that rose to meet the challenge were shot down. The bombers then attacked the air strips.

This was the first air raid against the island of Java, which sits at the heart of the Dutch East Indies, and one of two remaining strategic towns not already suffering a Japanese invasion. There is evidence that a Japanese invasion of Batavia was underway, when a Martin bomber struck a transport ship heading toward east out of Palembang. Batavia was in the direction the transport was heading, as was the town of Totoekbetoang on the island of Samatra. Whatever the destination, the Martin bombers hit the transport and it is expected that the mission will be cancelled.


Allied Bombers Destroy Rangoon Airstrip

(TN – Columbo) Southeast Asia Command yesterday ordered two high-level bombing raids against the airstrips at Rangoon yesterday. The mission did not encounter any CAP over the target and was able to complete its mission without any disturbances. Aerial reconnaissance shows that the runways at Rangoon have been rendered nearly useless. This is credited with the absence of CAP over the airbase. The low number of Japanese raids in the area has caused some people in Southeast Command to speculate that they are actually winning the air war in the region.

The ground war, however, continues to go poorly, as Japanese forces were able to capture Lashio before members of the Chinese Army in India could reach the town to help defend it. In addition, allied intelligence has information that a second Japanese division was involved in the attack. If true, this doubles the number of soldiers that the Japanese have on their front line. Reconnaissance is also trying to determine if the Japanese have a garrison at Mandalay.


McArthur Orders Fighters Out of Philippines

(TN – Manila) With no safe place left from which to base operations, McArthur ordered the six last remaining P-40 fighters out of the Philippines. The planes were ordered to fly to China, and from there to join in the defense of India and Burma, which is widely considered to be the most seriously threatened part of the Pacific Wall at this time.


Cruiser Attacked off of Australian Coast

(TN – Sydney) The war came home to the people of Australia yesterday when a cruiser and four destroyers, all suffering damage from the Java Sea battles, came under attack from a Japanese submarine. The first sign that the crew of the cruiser Java had of a strike came when a watchman saw the wake of a torpedo heading for the ship. The Java had just started one of its regulation zigzag maneuvers designed to thwart Japanese submarines, and was able to turn quickly enough to dodge the torpedoes. Its destroyer escort, consisting of ships that had also been damaged in the attack, then hunted the submarine, but failed to find it.

This was the second time that a Japanese submarine had been spotted off of the northern Australia coast. The first attack sighting occurred just off the coast of Cairns. A private boat patrolling the reef reported the sighting, then air units confirmed the report. A Beaufort fighter was summoned from Townsville to deal with the intruder. It reported that it was able to get a few shots off before the enemy submerged, but did not report inflicting any damage.


Japan Expands on Several Fronts

(TN – Washington) In spite of isolated setbacks, Japan is continuing to advance on several fronts. The 55th Division continues to march unchecked into northern Burma. It is expanding its holdings on the island of Samatra and pursuing the defenders of Palambang west to Jambi, where they may be able to corner the garrison and force its surrender. They are continuing to fight for control of Balikpapan on the island of Borneo, and Kendari on the island of Sulawesa. In the region of the Bismark Archipelago (including New Guinea and the Solomon Islands), the Japanese now control thirteen strategic ports and airbases.

January 30, 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 FOR JAVA: DAY 2

(TN – Batavia) Hopes that a Japanese task force bombed two days ago was not an invasion fleet heading for Batavia, and would turn back as a result of the damage suffered, were both thwarted yesterday when the fleet showed up at Batavia in the morning.

ABDA Command immediately scrambled its bombers while the Japanese fleet cut through the minefield and into the harbor. The ABDA Bombers quickly scored hits against a minelayer that was leading the fleet, scoring several secondary explosions. The bombers went on to hit a patrol craft and one of the personnel transports accompanying the fleet. At the same time, coastal guns opened fire, scoring several hits against a patrol gunboat.

The attacks were not enough to stop the invasion. Against heavy fire, the Japanese managed to land several thousand soldiers. The bombers reloaded and rearmed as quickly as the ground crews could work and made another pass at the ships. Before the day was done, they had also scored several hits against a destroyer and another of the troop transports.

News came into ABDA Headquarters that reconnaissance aircraft had spotted the troop transport hit the previous day lagging behind the rest of the convoy. ABDA Command sent two Martin bombers to try to destroy the transport while it was still at sea. They succeeded in scoring two more hits, but at last report the transport was still moving.

By the end of the day, the Japanese are estimated to have lost over 1000 soldiers, as well as the minelayer that had been bombed earlier in the day, while inflicting no significant damage against the ABDA Forces.


Carrier Watch

(TN – Batavia) The Japanese force of fleet carriers were seen yesterday just off of the port of Palembang. The sightings were verified when Kate and Val bombers escorted by Zero fighters appeared over the town of Toboali, flying in from the west. The bombers targeted the Tobali airfield, doing moderate damage to the landing runway and support buildings. From Palemberg, the Carrier fleet can easily move on to Ceylon and India, so Southeast Asia Command put its fleet on alert.

The greatest risk was to a merchant shipping convoy heading for Trimcomalee in Ceylon. In order to get the ships unloaded quickly and retire them into safer waters, the convoy was diverted to Columbo where it can unload the ships and retire them into safe waters more quickly.

Southeast Asia Command is considering assembling its fleet at Columbo to challenge the enemy force. Southeast Asia Command presently has three battleships, a battlecruiser, and a light carrier in the region. The fleet would also have the advantage of support from land-based air units, whether the Japanese decided to strike at Ceylon or further north near Calucutta. Air units in both regions have been put on alert, and ammunition is being stockpiled, for the air force to gather at either location, depending on the Japanese movements.


Japanese Defeat Karachi Garrison

(TN – Batavia) ABDA Command reports the loss of the city of Kendari on the island of Sulawesa, forcing the garrison to retreat. The capture of the port gives the Japanese army the ability to control the eastern part of the Dutch East Indies, and puts at risk the plans to garrison Kai Island as a forward base. Only one more phase remained in that operation, already underway, was a maneuver to carry infantry and engineering units from Kupang to Kai Island. As Kendari fell, the First Timor Garrison Battalion and the 3rd DAF Base Force were loading up onto ships at Kupang for the journey. The ships have been put on alert against the possibility of air attacks coming out of Kendari.


Japanese 55th Division Heading for Myitkyina

(TN – Columbo) Documents captured during the fight at Lashio have revealed that the ultimate objective of the Japanese 55th Division is the city of Myitkyina. The town, now lightly defended, lies at the northern most point of the main Burma railroad. However, to get there, the 55th Division is taking a route along the Burma Road that will take it near the China boarder, before turning west to Myitkyina. The roads in this part of the world are rough.

Yesterday, the Japanese 55th division, and its companion division that remains so far unidentified, came up against four Chinese divisions that were making their way to Lashio. In turns of numbers, the battle between the Japanese and the Chinese in the mountains north of Lashio promises to be one of the biggest battles of the war. The four Chinese divisions, admittedly significantly smaller and less well equipped than their Japanese counterparts, are backed by another 5 divisions that Chang Kai-Shek sent to the China/Burma border.

In the meantime, the defenders of Mandalay, driven out of Lashio two days ago fled into the hills northwest of the city. Trapped in a trackless jungle, the units are at risk of being caught in the mountains. At the same time, Southeast Asia Command is exploring the possibility of the units cutting the rail line south of Myitkyina, and joining up with the 20th Indian Division heading east out of Imphal.

January 31, 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 ENLARGE BATAVIA BEACH HEAD

(TN – Batavia) The struggle to oppose the landings at Batavia continued yesterday, with the Japanese landing an additional 2,000 soldiers on the shore in the face of stiff opposition.

Pieces of evidence that Military Intelligence has pieced together suggest that the transport ABDA Command tried to sink while still at sea made it to Batavia. It missed the channel through the mine field and plowed into a pack of four mines. It sank almost immediately. However, at this point, rescue workers were able to pull the survivors out of the water.

Coastal guns were able to score hits on another ship. Then, during the day, another ship drifted into a mine. Coastal guns scored hits on two patrol gunboats and a troop transport, while bombers flying from the airbase damaged a destroyer, a patrol gunboat, and yet another troop transport. In addition to the losses to Japanese shipping, they also suffered the loss of an estimated 600 soldiers and several artillery pieces.

However, ultimately, ABDA Command concedes that the number that matters most is that the Japanese now have approximately 7,500 soldiers on the shore fighting the Dutch for control of Batavia.


Carrier Watch

(TN – Batavia) The Japanese carrier force was last seen 250 miles east of Singapore, heading west. Military analysts are still watching for the possibility that Japan intends to move the fleet to the island tomorrow for repairs, then continue on to disrupt allied shipping in the Bay of Bengal. Along the Macassar Straight from Singapore to the Bay, Japanese forces were moving to occupy the port of Bankha. This would be an important move in securing the passageway.


“Sixty Miles from Nowhere and No Way to Get There”

(TN – Columbo) The Mandalay defense force, in retreating from the Japanese 55th Division at Lashio, has found itself in a situation that one officer described as, “Sixty miles from nowhere and no way to get there.” In its retreat, the Mandalay defense force entered the mountains west of the town. The 55th Division quickly took over the railroad and trails at the bottom of the canyon, and was joined by a second Japanese division that Allied Intelligence has now learned is the 33rd Division. Their occupation of the valley left the Mandalay defense force no option but to climb the mountain ridge and seek safety on the other side.

Some within Southeast Asia Command have expressed fear that the Japanese, using the mobility of the roads and railroads, will be able to surround the Mandalay defensive force before it can escape, and destroy it. These forces, forced to surrender to the Japanese, would then be unavailable to aid in the defense of India. Southeast Asia Command recently is expressing grave concerns over the fate of eastern India, as well as the Ceylon region. The loss of so many units who would otherwise be able to add to the defense of the region would be chilling.

General Pownall, commander of the Southeast Asia sector, has expressed an interest in firing General Coates over Coates’ decision to retreat toward Lashio rather than Myitkyana. Advisors to the general, however, have argued against it, saying that Coates is a good general who has simply made one bad call. Pownall has pointed out that Coates has been driven out of two towns, and that he would be more interested in having soldiers who knew how to stand up and fight rather than run.


Kai Island Buildup Sees New Threat

(TN – Batavia) With three days left to go to see the completion of plans to garrison Lai Island, the task force responsible for taking the last soldiers to the island has fallen under the Japanese air umbrella. After taking the town of Kendari two days ago, scouts in the city report the arrival of an unknown number of enemy aircraft. The task force is will be sailing within 400 miles of Kendari during most of the trip, and the slow transports will be at sea during daylight for several days.


Allied Task Force Bombards Tarawa

(TN – Hawaii) The battleship Colorado, with an escort of heavy and light cruisers and destroyers, attacked the Japanese held island of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands yesterday. Under the protective air umbrella of the carriers Lexington and Saratoga, the ships approached the shore and pounded the island through most of the night. Their magazines depleted, the ships headed off back toward Baker Island well before dawn.

Thayne News has learned from sources at Central Pacific Command that the attack was really a test of the Japanese defensive capabilities, before he would give authorization for the next phase of disrupting the Japanese plans in the area. Two nights ago, a fleet of mine layers arrived at Baker. They have been assigned the task of traveling to Tarawa and surrounding the island with mines. However, Admiral Kimmel wanted first to be sure that there would be no problem with coastal artillery.

The Lexington and the Saratoga remain on station to make sure that the Japanese bring no reinforcements to the island in the time it takes for the mine layers to complete their assignment.


Operation Bad Penny: The Return to Wake Island

(TN – Hawaii) Admiral Kimmel, commander of forces in the Central Pacific, gave formal approval yesterday for a plan to re-occupy Wake Island. The USS Enterprise recently completed a patrol around the island to measure how safe it was for Allied ships to travel in those waters. During a long, slow, circuitous journey the Enterprise ran into no difficulty, and managed to sink a Japanese tanker found in the area.

Kimmel had originally ordered that Wake Island be abandoned, allegedly because it was too far away from other Allied bases to be adequately defended. The rescue operation itself was postponed out of fear that the Japanese were using Wake Island to bait a trap. Mounting public criticism, added to concerns over his handling of events prior to the Japanese attack on December 7, ultimately forced Kimmel to authorize the operation, which was completed on Christmas Day.

According to the Admiral’s aides, the new decision to re-occupy the island is not an admission of a mistake. One aid, who asked not to be identified, said, “The Admiral believes that the situation is totally different now than what it was. We know where the enemy carriers are, and they are not waiting in ambush off of Wake Island. We now have more resources available than we did. We have enough planes and enough soldiers to protect Pearl Harbor and other key assets in the region. We now have what we need to occupy and to hold Wake Island.”

Units that Kimmel has authorized for the reoccupation include the aircraft carriers Enterprise and Yorktown, and “whatever other escort and auxiliary ships are deemed appropriate at the time.” The garrison will be made up of the 101st USN Base Force and the 111th Regimental US Combat Team, presently loading onto transports at San Francisco. Kimmel has also ordered that the units presently on French Frigate Shoals,

This decision met with even more criticism, as military analysts question why Kimmel would go to all of the effort to build a base at French Frigate Shoals, then to immediately abandon it. When a Thayne News reporter got a chance to ask Kimmel this question, he answered, “This whole war is going to be about building a base on the front lines, then carrying the battle forward until the base is so far in the rear that it is no longer useful, and leapfrogging forward to the next base. This is just our first jump.”

The operation is planned for late February. In the mean time, the Japanese have shown no interest in the island. Spotters left behind to watch Japanese activity reported that they have not seen a single whisper of a Japanese recon airplane since the day of the evacuation.

February 1, 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.


MARTINS MAUL JAP SHIPS

(TN – Batavia) ABDA Martin bombers have been improving with practice against Japanese ships, scoring nearly two dozen bomb hits in yesterday’s attacks. Martin bombers concentrated their effort on the Japanese personnel carrier still in the harbor, hitting it with eight bombs in the course of the day. A patrol gunboat and a destroyer each took nearly five hits, with four patrol boats suffered the effects of one or two bombs each. Military intelligence personnel involved in debriefing the pilots as well as making observations from shore report that they could not identify a single enemy ship that was not bleeding smoke by the end of the day.

The situation on the shore is not going as well. The Japanese are estimated to have landed approximately 10,000 soldiers on the shore, and now outnumber the defenders. To aid in their attack, the enemy brought in two air raids to attack the city defenses. ABDA has only a few fighters left with which to protect the town, having lost most of the available planes in the first carrier sweep of the region. ABDA Command itself has decided to relocate further into the island.

Perhaps because of the success of the aerial attacks, Japanese forces have made their strongest push in the direction of the airport. As a result, ABDA Command is weighing plans to move the center of air operations inland, out of the reach of the Japanese forces. Recalling the Debacle at Kuantan, ABDA Command hopes to avoid a situation where several airplanes are lost by a sudden Japanese push against an air base. Some members of ABDA Command are pushing for the move to be conducted immediately, while there is a shortage of targets. One senior officer said, “We have hit everything worth hitting, and there are certainly more ships on the way. We should be ready to hit them, too, when they get here.”


GILBERT ISLAND RAIDS CONTINUE

(TN – Hawaii) The Battleship Colorado with its escort shelled Tarawa Island again, delivering extensive damage to the port and airfield facilities. At the same time, airplanes from the carrier Saratoga attacked Makin island a hundred miles to the north.

Jed McClellan, a civilian advisor to Admiral Kimmel, said in an interview with Thayne News that the maneuver is intended to give the allies training in how to conduct bombardment and aerial attacks. “We have never had an opportunity to do these types of things before, with real ammunition against targets that shoot back. When our first raid showed no significant threat to our ships, Kimmel decided we should stay around and get some practice in. We are learning quite a bit by this operation, and what we learn will be passed around to the other captains and crew.”

While the surface ships and carriers get their practice in, a fleet of mine layers is approaching Tarawa. The Colorado Task Force has reported that Tarawa has no surface guns, and they have suffered no return fire. The mine layers expect to be able to circle the island with mines, then return safely to Baker Island along with the carrier and battleship task forces.

Captain D’Alessio of the USS Colorado has reported that, with these operations, many of the ships in his command are starting to show some wear and tear, and will be in need of maintenance when they finally make it back to a safe port. “The crews also deserve a nice vacation,” D’Alessio added.


55th Division Vanishes

(TN – Columbo) Military Intelligence reports that allied units in northern Burma have lost track of the Japanese 55th Division. The unit was last seen pushing four Chinese divisions up the Burma Road. Stragetic planners also learned that the division was ultimately aiming to take the of Myitkylina in northern Burma. One possibility is that the 55th Division and its companion union are retreating to Lashio, and expect to travel by rail to Myitkylina. This maneuver worries a few people at Southeast Asia Command.

Thayne News military expert Kevin Gaschk discussed the situation with Thayne News. According to Gashck, “If the Japanese can take Myitkylina before the allies can get there, then they have effectively prevented any aid from reaching India from China. The Mandalay Defenders, now caught in the jungle northwest of Lashio, will also be cut off, and will be forced to continue the war in China, if they are able to continue the war at all. The defense of India will be lacking two key bodies of reinforcements; the Burma garrison, and the Chinese divisions sent to their assistance.”



TF1007 Begins Last Journey to Kia Island

(TN – Sydney) Task Force 1007 began the first leg of its 720 mile trek to deliver the last reinforcements allotted to Kia Island. The task force will be making its entire journey under the Japanese air umbrella stationed at the recently occupied town of Kandari. Because the task force is made up of slow moving transports, the trip is expected to take six days before all of the reinforcements are safely unloaded. At any time, Japanese air units may discover the convoy and send the reinforcements into the depths.


Carrier Watch

(TN – Batavia) The most recent information on the location of the Japanese carrier force has them 250 miles northeast of Singapore, heading in the general direction of Bankok. Its speed and position means that allied units in India will have at least another two days to prepare themselves for a Japanese invasion. Southeast Asia Command is weighing the option of another mission to supply Akyab, and the relative safety of bringing merchant ships up along the coast to Calcutta and Diamond Harbor.

February 2, 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.


LULL IN JAVA FIGHTING

(TN – Batavia) ABDA Command is continuing to fight a landing force of 10,000 Japanese soldiers on the shore at Batavia. The Dutch have approximately an equal number of troops committed to the battle, though a significant portion of them are second-line or support troops. Only two thousand combat troops are actively engaged in combat against the invader.

Thayne News has learned that ABDA Command is involved in a fierce debate over how to respond to the attacks. Some are arguing for an effort to push the Japanese back into the ocean before the next wave of Japanese soldiers arrive. Others argue for maintaining a defensive position. Those who are arguing for a defensive position are being challenged by the fact that the Japanese will not take long to reinforce their position, and that eventually they will have control of the whole island. As one member of the aggressive faction said, “The only way that we can beat back the next wave of attacker is to make sure that this wave is no longer here to help them.”

The defensive faction is arguing that the Dutch Army needs to inflict as much damage as possible on the enemy, and the best way to do that is to require that the Japanese fight for every inch of land. Any aggressive move will work in Japan’s favor by weakening the defensive force with nothing to show for the effort.

Debate has continued long into the night. As if this writing, Thayne News is unable to report which option ABDA Command will use in dealing with the Japanese aggression.


Carrier Watch: Carriers Gone

(TN – Batavia) The Japanese carrier force disappeared into the South China Sea yesterday. It was last seen heading northwest toward Bangkok, though military intelligence admits that the fleet could be anywhere from Singapore to Saigon. Allied reconnaissance aircraft and submarines have been keeping a careful watch on all of the exits of the South China Sea. Military Intelligence expresses confidence that they will be able to locate the Japanese carrier force again in time to warn any potential victims.


55th Division Found on Road to Myitkylina .

(TN – Columbo) Military Intelligence has confirmed evidence suggesting that the Japanese 55th Division is marching on Myitkylina along the main Burma railroad. According to official sources, Japan’s invasion army first went right to Lashio, then returned in order to take the easy route to Myitkylina.

The maneuver will mean that all Chinese units hoping to contribute to the defense of India, as well as all of the surviving Burma defenders, will be trapped on the Japanese line.

ABDA Command has recently activated a squadron of C-47 transport aircraft. These airplanes can be used either to fly equipment into the area under conflict, or get the British soldiers out and onto the India side of the line.


TF1007 Escapes Notice

(TN – Sydney) The task force carrying the last reinforcements for Kai Island crept 150 miles closer to its destination yesterday, so far without being detected or threatened by the Japanese air force. Its present course is 5- miles south of Lautem on the eastern side of Timor. After today, there is nothing between them and their destination but 400 miles of open ocean. Southwest Asia Command is concerned about the fact that the weather for the region is scheduled to be clear, making it easier for the Japanese to find the troop transport. Presently less than 500 miles from the Japanese-occupied town of Kendari, TF1007 will likely get closer to the Japanese base before it gets further away.

Kendari is known to contain a large number of Japanese air units. Yesterday, it launched nearly 100 sorties, but none of them in direction of the Allied reinforcements.

No news today.

My standard routine is to click "end the orders phase" as the last thing in the day. I tell my wife I will be in bed as soon as my movie is over. "The movie" is the computer playing out the turn.

She knows what I'm doing. I do not call it "the movie" to fool her. It's just what I call it.

Anyway, I then go to bed, and spend the next day at work contemplating my news report. I write the news report when I get home, plot my orders for the next turn, end the orders phase, "watch the movie", then go to bed.

But, last night, I sat and looked at the computer, and realized I was just too tired to end the orders phase. Work has taken way too many hours out of my day. I wanted to recheck all of my units. So, no movie last night, and no news report today.

I did, however, want to take a few moments to make some comments about the story.

People are reading it, I see. At least, the number of views keep climbing. It could be my wife, reloading the page just to keep me from feeling bad. But, I'm willing to be fooled, if that is the case.

Anyway, I thank my readers. I have always enjoyed writing, and actually enjoy producing the DAR more than the game itself. The game would be nothing if not for the stories it generates that I can share through this forum.

I wanted to clarify the use of directions. Most readers probably already know that I use geographical 'north' rather than game 'north', for example. According to the game, Bombay is north of Calcutta because it is closer to the top of the map. Bombay is east of Calcutta. In this story, I will use 'east' (the true geographic direction) rather than 'north' (the in-game direction) for describing this relationship. If this confuses anybody, I'm sorry. As a series of news reports, I wanted to keep the geographic directions.

Also . . .

I wanted to get into this game before I knew the rules, so that I could stumble and error and make mistakes. As the game progressed, I would learn. I would get better at fighting, and eventually I would start to advance.

I have made a lot of mistakes in these first two months. If I had to do it over again, I would do TONS of things differently. From mining, to building, to the positioning of units, to the planning of orders, nothing would be the same. But, as the Allies of old, I am stumbling all over myself trying to figure out how to fight a war.

I have a worry that the game is designed for an allied player who is not willing to stumble and make mistakes at the start of the game. I worry about what these mistakes will cost me -- specifically, about the "4:1 advantage" rule that gives an automatic victory at the end of the year. I hope that doesn't happen. It would sure conflict with the spirit of the campaign.

I have read the suggestions posted elsewhere for improvements, and hope to be incorporating some of them into the reports that follow. I am going to be introducing some changes in flavor and tone, as well as in the stories themselves. I hope you all find them enjoyable.

Anyway, I've put in another long day at work today, but I hope to have another issue of the Thayne News Campaign Reports for you tomorrow.

In the mean time, have a good evening.

Thayne

I really enjoy reading you news reports. Keep up the good work and don't burn yourself out. I would rather read an interesting report every two-three days than a hurried up one that will match a daily schedule.

Keep up the good work, nice AAR to read.

Thayne,

I really enjoy your News Reports, it is one of the threads I always check for new posts. Keep up the good work.