Re: My first grand campaign
Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2026 4:49 pm
by HootsMaguire
8 Dec 1941
On the day after the Day of Infamy, the KB came back for more, but the USAAF was more prepared...
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 17 destroyed, 6 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
P-26A: 1 destroyed
P-36A Mohawk: 1 destroyed, 5 damaged
P-40B Warhawk: 1 destroyed
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An IJN invasion force comes ashore at Makin
Attacking force 1463 troops, 12 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 61
Assaulting units:
51st Naval Guard Unit
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9 Dec 1941
Japanese invasion of Wake faces tough opposition - the battle will go on for four days.
Attacking force 1516 troops, 19 guns, 2 vehicles, Assault Value = 60
Defending force 1083 troops, 25 guns, 10 vehicles, Assault Value = 24
Japanese ground losses:
361 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 23 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Allied ground losses:
20 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Assaulting units:
Maizuru 2nd SNLF
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10 Dec 1941
Attack on Hong Kong not going so well for the Japanese, though their engineers are working to clear obstacles
Attacking force 16003 troops, 277 guns, 202 vehicles, Assault Value = 635
Defending force 6605 troops, 126 guns, 80 vehicles, Assault Value = 227
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 2
Japanese adjusted assault: 98
Japanese ground losses:
1017 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 71 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Allied ground losses:
297 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 53 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Invasion of Wake
Allied Bombardment attack
Attacking force 492 troops, 23 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 22
Defending force 1165 troops, 19 guns, 2 vehicles, Assault Value = 21
Assaulting units:
Wake USN CPNAB
1st Marine Defense Battalion
Defending units:
Maizuru 2nd SNLF
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11 Dec 1941
Invasions of Hong Kong, Wake and Guam continue to be costly for Japan.
Banzai charges across the beaches and on Hong Kong streets are met with hails of fire.
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12 Dec 1941
Raid on unescorted troop convoy off Northern Borneo near Jolo at 73,87. Adm Doorman's Dutch cruisers sink an estimated 25 troopships.
Estimated 2000 soldiers lost as their ships go down...
Finally Hong Kong and Guam are taken, but the fight at Wake goes on...
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15 Dec 1941
WAKE CAPTURED
Finally Wake is captured after a prolonged battle when a reinforcement Guards regiment is put ashore.
The Wake Marine garrison had held out for five days under intense fire, naval and air bombardment, outnumbered eight to one.
Finally the US subs catch up and inflict damage on the landing grounds, sinking one and possibly two troopships.
Attacking force 7519 troops, 57 guns, 2 vehicles
Defending force 1096 troops, 25 guns, 10 vehicles
Japanese ground losses:
840 casualties reported
Squads: 37 destroyed, 42 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 17 (5 destroyed, 12 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
1391 casualties reported
Squads: 27 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 109 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 22 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 27 (27 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 12 (12 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 2
Assaulting units:
Maizuru 2nd SNLF
Guards Mixed Bde /2
Defending units:
Wake USN CPNAB
1st Marine Defense Battalion
---
THE BATTLE OF SARAWAK
The first surface battle of the war comes off the northern Borneo coast in severe storm force typhoon conditions.
Admiral Freidell seeks the Japanese cruiser force but blunders into them at extreme close range at night.
With no radar the forces encounter each other at 1,000 yards.
The Japanese cruisers get off a salvo of torpedoes which sinks CA Houston.
Freidell is picked up and moves his flag to CL Boise.
1) The night encounter
Night Time Surface Combat, near Miri at 64,87, Range 1,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CL Isuzu, Shell hits 1
CL Tama, Shell hits 2
CL Oi
DD Sawakaze
DD Yukaze, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Nokaze
Allied Ships
CA Houston, Shell hits 6, Torpedo hits 4, and is sunk
CL Marblehead
CL Boise
DD Barker
DD Bulmer
DD John D. Ford
DD Paul Jones
DD Parrott
DD Peary
DD Pillsbury
DD Pope
DD Stewart
Reduced visibility due to Rain with 10% moonlight at 1,000 yards
Wilhelm L. Friedell crosses the 'T'
2) Pursuit in the morning
Japanese withdraw to the northwest and Freidell pursues.
But the Japanese spot the American cruisers first with the rising sun silhouetting the Americans.
Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force, open fire on surprised Allied ships at 14,000 yards.
Japanese Ships
CL Isuzu, Shell hits 7, on fire
CL Tama, Shell hits 2, heavy fires
CL Oi, Shell hits 1
DD Sawakaze
DD Yukaze
DD Nokaze, Shell hits 1
Allied Ships
CL Marblehead
CL Boise, Shell hits 9, on fire
DD Barker
DD Bulmer, Shell hits 1
DD John D. Ford, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Paul Jones, Shell hits 2
DD Parrott
DD Peary, Shell hits 1
DD Pillsbury, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Pope
DD Stewart
With only one light cruiser unscathed on each side, it seems like a draw.
It's suspected that Isuzu and possibly Tama sink before they reach Saigon.
---
18 Dec 1941
On learning that the UK reinforcements for Singapore were being diverted to Batavia, Java, General Percival proferred his resignation. CIGS Alan Brooke, having lost confidence in his command abilities, accepted gratefully.
There was an immediate general shakeup of command in Singapore, with General Robert A. Cassels taking over as commander of Malaya Army, with General Alan Hartley becoming chief of III Indian Corps, commanding about half of the contingent on the Malay Peninsula. It was decided to enact the Malacca Defence Line. At the same time elements of 18th Australian Division were taken out of Malaya to reinforce Java.
In general Singapore has been weakened by ABDA Command so that a stronger Java will have a better chance of survival. OPERATION MARTINGALE, the setting up of the Fortress Java Zone, is in full effect.
---
A raiding force of light carrier Zuiho and several light cruisers was spotted west of Midway. Carrier groups Enterprise (TFs 406, Halsey) and Lexington (TF 405, Sherman) were dispatched out of Pearl to give chase. All subs in the area were notified to close on the Midway position and all ships at Midway were ordered to evacuate eastward.
Meanwhile CG Saratoga (TF 164, Ramsey), which was sent to cover the OPERATION SUNLIGHT force of 2nd Marine Regt headed for the invasion of Tarawa, reached Johnston. Once the convoy is in a safe staging position near Johnston, and covered by land-based aviation, Saratoga will head north to attempt to converge on the enemy carrier group raid.
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19 Dec 1941
On this day the Japanese stepped up aerial attacks on all fronts, with raids against Singapore, Clark Field in the Philippines and above all the landings of troop reinforcements in Rangoon harbour. The attacks on Rangoon were particularly massive with around eight distinct waves. Three ships were sunk and around 250 men were lost from the reinforcement
In all cases the outcome can be stated simply: if the bombers were escorted by Zero and Oscar fighters, some got through to make bombing runs. If they came alone, they were slaughtered. In Rangoon the combined efforts of RAF Buffalos and Warhawks of the AVG "Flying Tigers" made huge numbers of kills. But in Clark Field and Singapore the story was similar.
In all, the Japanese were estimated to have lost 52 planes on this day, an eighth of the 400 they lost since the war began. By contrast, Allied losses were half that, though the fewer planes mean losses are harder on the attritional scorecard.
Day's end total saw the following enemy planes destroyed: 11 Zero and 2 Oscar fighters, 12 Lily, 15 Nell and 11 Betty along with a handful of scout planes. The allies lost 6 Buffalo and 2 Warhawk fighters.
The Flying Tiger detachment sent into China also entered action today, with a defence of Chinese airbases at Kunming and Changsa.
---
On the same day, Japanese corsairs Aikoku and Hokuku penetrated deep into the central-south zone of the Pacific, attacking and sinking Greek merchant ship Aspasia Nomikos. Sub attacks on heavy oil tankers have increased in recent days, extending even to Los Angeles and San Diego. Sub attacks are particularly intense off the Australian west coast, particularly between Australia and New Guinea. All large vessels in this area have been attacked and many sunk.
It has been decided that large merchant vessels and especially tankers be taken off all but the safest sea lanes - essentially the Indian Ocean only is considered safe at present - and that all freight be carried by smaller freighters for the foreseeable future. This solution is most unsatisfactory, but until proper escorts can be organized for convoys this is how the supply routes must be implemented.
Shipping escort and trade protection has become the most urgent matter in the war effort.
---
All three carrier groups now headed for the Midway area where Zuiho's group has made an appearance but achieved little.
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23 Dec 1941
The Zuiho carrier group disappeared into the west without a trace, and likely will return again to harass Midway. A carrier group will be stationed near the island to strike if the group appears again. It was like a hit and run raid but they didn't hit anything" said Admiral Bull Halsey.
Now all three groups have been attached to the OPERATION SUNLIGHT invasion of the recently occupied Tarawa. 8th Marine Regt will land on December 27th supported by a large air group and a pair of heavy cruisers in the landing force, USS Minneapolis and USS Chester.
Slightly to the west, there are sigint reports of an enemy reinforcement convoy headed for Truk. Sub forces have been alerted to converge on routes from the Home Islands to Truk, which is being built up into a formidable naval and air base.
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Most action is in and around the Philippines and Borneo, where Japanese invasion detachments pop up like moles, and at present a large flotilla of vessels is sailing between Sarawak and Vietnam. Miri on British Sarawak has been taken, and Brunei is suspected as next target. Already the US cruiser force SWP Squadron (TF 401, Friedell) has been badly mauled and is refitting in Singapore. Now the Dutch and British Asian forces are on the scene.
Admiral Doorman's Dutch surface group encounters a cruiser squadron at Tawi Tawi, where the Celebes Sea runs into the Sulu Sea. The flagship Java is sunk but the Japanese force is badly scathed. Though the Dutch are more numerous, the Japanese have stronger units in the Nachi and Aoba, the latter of which is untouched in the fight.
Day Time Surface Combat, near Tawi Tawi at 71,90, Range 22,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CA Nachi, Shell hits 4
CA Aoba
DD Uzuki, Shell hits 16, and is sunk
DD Kikuzuki, Shell hits 4, heavy fires
Allied Ships
CL Java, Shell hits 4, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
CL De Ruyter, Shell hits 15, heavy fires, heavy damage
CL Tromp, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Banckert
DD Van Nes
DD Witte de With, Shell hits 1
DD Kortenaer
DD Piet Hein, Shell hits 1
DD Van Ghent
---
Sustained air attacks continue, above all at Clark Field and Rangoon. At Clark, five separate waves amass a hundred bombers, and many planes are destroyed on the ground as on Dec 7. But losses here and at Rangoon are hideous for the Japanese: no fewer than 31 Lily bombers are reported destroyed, with 7 Sally and a pair of fighters (Oscar and/or Zero).
The attritional air war is going in our favour but the numbers are diminishing dangerously. It's considered that Clark Field is no longer tenable and that units will have to pull back to Bataan peninsula airfields.
---
Plan Fortress Java (OPERATION INDIGO) is underway, with reinforcements scheduled to arrive (British 18th Division) just after Christmas. Some confusion in the paperwork with an Army general being appointed to lead the air forces on Java by mistake, but the error was rectified though not without political cost.
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OPERATIONS UNDERWAY AS OF 23 Dec 1941
OPERATION SUNLIGHT - invasion of Tarawa
OPERATION LUCKY - buildup of forces in the Aleutians, expansion of Dutch Harbor and above all Attu.
OPERATION LIGHTFOOT - reinforcement of Port Moresby and eastern New Guinea.
OPERATION INDIGO - establishment of Fortress Java based on the strongpoints of Batavia and Sorebaja with a central HQ based in the hills between these western and eastern ends of the island.
OPERATION JUNIPER - phased withdrawal of Philippines based units to the "iron triangle" of Clark Field-Manila-Bataan. Buildup of supplies for last-ditch resistance. JUNIPER II is the further withdrawal to the Bataan peninsula if pressure on Manila and Clark Field becomes too strong and the positions there unsustainable. Stores must be built up to provision the garrison for a long fight.
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26 Dec 1941
Enemy carrier group approaches the Celebes Sea headed southwest toward the Makassar Strait. All freighters ordered to port. Subs vectored towards the approach route. RN detachment withdraws towards western Sumatra. RNL docks in Soerebaja, and the US group heads north to Singapore. Meanwhile the Australian group remains in Darwin. Thus the four surface groups of the ABDA coalition split up in the face of this superior threat.
USS Minneapolis is hit by enemy torpedo from a Mitsubishi G3M Nell torpedo bomber off Tarawa as the invasion group is approaching. Of the enemy flight of unescorted nine bombers, four were destroyed by CAP and flak. One of the effects of SUNLIGHT is to draw in unprotected land bombers to where they are vulnerable to CAP from the carrier groups.
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On this day elements of the British 18th Division, III Indian Corps, began landing in Batavia as part of the Fortress Java plan. This brings the strength of Batavia up to 25,000 Dutch and Anglo-Indian troops, mostly infantry.
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27 Dec 1941
D-Day for OPERATION SUNLIGHT, the liberation of Tarawa by the 8th USMC Rgt, led by Colonel Jeschke. The landings went in at 0725 local time under a bombardment from cruiser USS Chester. Three airgroups from Lexington, Saratoga and Enterprise provide air support and cover.
The initial landing was costly, with 278 casualties reported and 10 Amtracs lost on the beaches. But a lodgement was obtained, and soon the USN air groups went in to even up the score:
Afternoon Air attack on 53rd Naval Guard Unit, at 136,128 (Tarawa)
Allied aircraft
F2A-3 Buffalo x 17
F4F-3A Wildcat x 12
F4F-3 Wildcat x 11
SB2U-3 Vindicator x 18
SBD-2 Dauntless x 54
SBD-3 Dauntless x 40
TBD-1 Devastator x 25
Allied aircraft losses
TBD-1 Devastator: 2 damaged
Japanese ground losses:
190 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 27 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 33 disabled
The day's combat brought success against a weakened and demoralized occupying force, the supposedly elite 53rd Naval Guards.
Allied Shock attack
Attacking force 1843 troops, 75 guns, 21 vehicles, Assault Value = 61
Defending force 1094 troops, 12 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 32
Allied adjusted assault: 21
Japanese adjusted defense: 2
Allied assault odds: 10 to 1 (fort level 0)
Japanese ground losses:
286 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 21 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Allied ground losses:
70 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Assaulting units:
8th Marine Regiment
Defending units:
53rd Naval Guard Unit
Total losses on D-Day around 350 USMC to 570 IJN troops. USMC has taken control of the island, though mopping up needs to take place. The key aim in the next few days is to provide air cover for expected airstrikes on the landing force from enemy bombers out of Eniwetok and Namur.
A massive morale boost to the folks at home, showing that the US can strike back and prevail against the enemy.
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29 Dec 1941
At Clark Field, the Japanese conduct an insanely suicidal banzai charge, with an astonishing result:
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 10572 troops, 110 guns, 137 vehicles, Assault Value = 764
Defending force 23407 troops, 371 guns, 385 vehicles, Assault Value = 840
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 135 (fort level 3)
Japanese ground losses:
4161 casualties reported
Squads: 185 destroyed, 77 disabled
Non Combat: 39 destroyed, 39 disabled
Engineers: 9 destroyed, 78 disabled
Guns lost 29 (1 destroyed, 28 disabled)
Vehicles lost 35 (32 destroyed, 3 disabled)
Units destroyed 1
Allied ground losses:
37 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 9 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Vehicles lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)
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Meanwhile mopping-up operations continue in Tarawa
Ground combat at Tarawa (136,128)
Allied Shock attack
Attacking force 2743 troops, 75 guns, 21 vehicles, Assault Value = 72
Defending force 713 troops, 8 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1
Allied adjusted assault: 49
Japanese adjusted defense: 1
Allied assault odds: 49 to 1
Combat modifiers
Defender: leaders(+), leaders(-), disruption(-), preparation(-)
supply(-)
Attacker: shock(+)
Japanese ground losses:
425 casualties reported
Squads: 61 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 11 (11 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Assaulting units:
8th Marine Regiment
118th USAAF Base Force /1
Defending units:
53rd Naval Guard Unit
Air attack on TF, near Tarawa at 137,128
Weather in hex: Severe storms
Raid detected at 65 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 22 minutes
Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 13
Allied aircraft
F2A-3 Buffalo x 19
F4F-3A Wildcat x 12
F4F-3 Wildcat x 16
Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 4 destroyed
53rd Naval Guard Unit Wiped Out at Tarawa by attrition!
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