Jzanes -> RE: Payback - jzanes (A) vs. Rader (J). A Rader-free zone. (1/22/2010 1:32:36 AM)
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December 19-20, 1941 The Japanese commence an invasion of Koepang. I still have nothing in the area and am willing to concede anything in the South DEI up to Perth in the West and Java in the North. My B17s raid Miri on the 20th and run into 30ish fighters of mixed type. One B17 is shot down and the airfield takes only light damage. I’m resting most of them this turn with a minor raid set to hit the Bangkok refinery. The Japanese appeared to be moving major units to Miri. Doorman’s squadron and a MTB boat patrol ran into several TFs around Sandakan. First, the MTBs torpedoed a couple transports then Doorman engaged the BB squadron and heavily damaged a destroyer at the price of the flagship (Java) being crippled. Java will limp towards Balikpapan but I’m not counting on her surviving. The rest of the squadron is at Batangas (SW of Bataan) and will patrol the central phillipnes next turn looking for a juicy target. American P40s based out of Bataan are flying LR cap. In Luzon, several unescorted bomber raids are intercepted by my Bataan based fighters. Reports estimate 18 bombers are shot down for no loss. Lt. John Brownewell shoots down 5 bombers to give him 7 kills for the war. He is the top allied pilot at this point. I found a blurb about Brownewell on the web; At Del Monte, the two P-35As were among the last four American fighters to fly combat in the Philippines. The last mission was undertaken by 1st Lt. John Brownewell, who flew to Negros Island to pick up two Americans surrounded by the Japanese. He squeezed them in and returned to Del Monte. "John Brownewell was one of the last pilots to get a ride out of the Philippines," Gillett related. "After the war, when we came back from Japan, he made sure we were fed and well-treated. We were friends the rest of our Air Force careers, and afterwards till he died in 1996." [image]local://upfiles/14667/BEC47E30DF7F460FA9650785C75CC427.jpg[/image]
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