| Mike Solli 
 
 Posts:  15792
 Joined:  10/18/2000
 From:  the flight deck of the Zuikaku
 Status: offline
   | 12 Dec 41 
 Sub War
 
 Nothing to report.  Most of my subs in the SRA are redeploying to areas where the Allied warships may be lurking.  There were a number of Allied sub attacks and ASW combat on both sides.  I won’t mention that unless it’s significant.
 
 5 Fleet
 
 The Adak invasion fleet is plodding along.
 
 4 Fleet
 
 The Guam invasion force (I/33 regiment, a rump battalion, really) attacked, took no damage, only disabled a couple of enemy squads, but reduced the fort to 0.  They’ll attack again tomorrow.
 
 The Wake invasion kicked off today.  KB was notably absent.  I had set them all to naval attack with ground attack as a secondary assignment.  They did nothing.
 
 That’s too bad, because the ground troops could have used that support.  I didn’t have the Nell daitai, out of Kwajalein, fly because I wasn’t sure about the Wildcats that start the war there.  They have been evacuated (unsurprisingly).  They’ll fly tomorrow, along with 3 daitai of Vals from KB with a primary mission of ground attack.  The Maizuru 2 SNLF and 53 NG invaded.  Today’s shock attack didn’t do well (it rarely does without support).   The SNLF took the brunt of the disablements.  I’m trying again tomorrow.  We’ll see how they fare with some real support this time.  (Keeping fingers crossed.)
 
 SE Fleet
 
 The Kavieng invasion force attacked (I/66 Naval Guard).  Nothing happened.  Literally nothing.  The company sized unit has no losses, no disablements and has a disruption of 7 and fatigue of 10.  They’ll try again tomorrow…
 
 The Rabaul invasion force (144/55 Division & 15 BF) is 5 days out.  The’ll get the support of 2 BBs.
 
 I also have a right hook in process, II/66 NG & and AS battalion, 3 days out from Shortlands Island.  They’ll have the support of 4 Aobas.
 
 There’s more headed this way but it’s farther out.
 
 SRA
 
 Philippines:
 
 Things started well with 27 Zeros sweeping 25 fighters over Clark Field killing 10 for no loss.  I still see 45(!) fighters there so more sweeps tomorrow.
 
 The 16 Division (-) landed at Mauban, dropping off all their troops.  An xAKL was sunk by the 3 Vildebeests that escaped from Hong Kong.  Can’t seem to kill off those pesky stringbags.
  Fortunately, it was an xAKL and it had already disgorged its troops. 
 Mauban is undefended (the hex immediately SE of Manila) and will be liberated tomorrow.
 
 Atimonan was liberated today.  That unit (part of 16 division) will head up the peninsula to eventually meet the remainder of 16 Division.
 
 Mindanao:
 
 The 146/56 Division landed at Butuan (just east of Cagayan).  There’s a weak regiment there that’s attempting to run.  I hope they’re still in the hex tomorrow when they attack.  In addition, the 4 and 7 tank regiments are landing there tomorrow.  That force (plus Kure 1 SNLF at Davao) will liberate Mindinao.
 
 I have confirmed that there are Allied planes at Cagayan, undoubtedly the B-17s.  I’m attempting to damage as many as I can so I can destroy them on the ground soon (the easiest way to kill 4E bombers).
   
 Sorong:
 
 I wanted to land some AS here to build another airfield for naval search/fighter support/bombers possibly.  I had 2 TFs coming from different locations.  They were both to land today.  The II/81 NG landed without a hitch.  Then, Houston, Boise and 4 DDs showed up to sink all but 1 ship of the TF:
 
 Day Time Surface Combat, near Sorong at 82,107, Range 5,000 Yards
 
 Japanese Ships
 DD Umikaze, Shell hits 12, and is sunk
 DD Suzukaze, Shell hits 4, and is sunk
 PB Gamitsu Maru #1, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
 xAK Nittai Maru, Shell hits 11,  heavy fires,  heavy damage
 xAK Shinkoku Maru, Shell hits 18, and is sunk
 xAKL Ujigawa Maru, Shell hits 14, and is sunk
 xAKL Heiwa Maru, Shell hits 6, and is sunk
 
 
 
 Allied Ships
 CA Houston
 CL Boise, Shell hits 1
 DD Alden, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
 DD Edsall
 DD John D. Edwards, Shell hits 2
 DD Whipple, Shell hits 1,  heavy fires
 
 The 2 DDs were Shiratsuyus.  I like to use them as KB escorts.  Unfortunate.  The xAK Nittai Maru would sink later that day.
 
 No, it wasn’t done.  Later, this happened:
 
 Day Time Surface Combat, near Sorong at 83,106, Range 6,000 Yards
 
 Japanese Ships
 PB Saiko Maru, Shell hits 36, and is sunk
 xAK Tenryu Maru, Shell hits 31, and is sunk
 
 Allied Ships
 CA Houston, Shell hits 1
 CL Boise, Shell hits 1
 DD Edsall
 
 Japanese ground losses:
 1033 casualties reported
 Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
 Non Combat: 62 destroyed, 22 disabled
 Engineers: 9 destroyed, 8 disabled
 Guns lost 12 (10 destroyed, 2 disabled)
 
 That was an AS battalion, which is now being rebuilt.
 
 So, what happened to John D. Edwards and Whipple?  Apparently one of them was damaged worse than originally thought, formed an escort TF and is being escorted by the other.
 
 I was pleased that a PB was able to hit both the Houston and vaunted Boise!  Death by a thousand cuts!
 
 I have some subs that are hoping to intercept either of those TFs.  It’ll be a few days though.
 
 Celebes Sea (between Tarakan and Mindinao):
 
 Action started in the area in the wee hours of the morning.  CAs Maya and Ashigara, CL Natori and 5 DDs raided Tarakan harbor, seeing what looked like (I thought at the time) was the Marblehead TF.  In a nice rendition of the Keystone Cops, no one could hit anyone.  The Allied ships weren’t even underway!
   
 Here’s what was there:
 
 Night Time Surface Combat, near Tarakan at 67,91, Range 8,000 Yards
 
 Japanese Ships
 CA Maya
 CA Ashigara
 CL Natori
 DD Ikazuchi
 DD Inazuma
 DD Satsuki
 DD Minazuki
 DD Fumizuki
 
 Allied Ships
 DD Peary
 DD Pillsbury
 DD Pope
 AS Otus, Shell hits 1,  heavy fires
 AO TAN 1
 TK British Sailor
 
 The 3 ships were loading fuel or oil.  Otus went up like a firework.  I now see only 5 ships 2 hexes north of the Balikpapan gap.  Maybe Kaga will catch them tomorrow?
 
 Kaga and Ryujo are stationed just SW of Mindanao and found another US TF composed of (at least) CL Marblehead and DDs Paul Jones, Parrott, Stewart and Bulmer.  In a couple of feeble attacks by Kaga, they managed to sink only Bulmer.
 
 Half of Kaga’s Kate daitai managed to redeem themselves by sinking xAP President Madison.  She was empty.  I’d rather they hit the warships…
 
 Ryujo’s Kates sank the AS Canopus.
 
 These carriers are heading toward the Balikpapan gap (the deep water hex 4 hexes due east of Balikpapan.  They’re going to go a couple hexes east of it to clear out the shipping I can see in the area.
 
 Zuiho and Hosho are still 25 hexes north.  They’ll catch up…eventually.
 
 The 4 BBs headed here are still 22 hexes north.
 
 Malaya:
 
 I see only 2 enemy fighters over Georgetown and no fighters (73 bombers, 9 auxiliary) in Singapore.  I’ll continue to sweep anyway.  Today’s sweep of Singapore downed 2 Buffalos at a cost of 2 Oscars.
 
 I’m reluctant to bomb Singapore with the IJNAF.  That’s a waste of precious pilots.  That’ll be a job for the IJAAF once Johore Bahru is taken.  (More below.)  Once it is taken, I plan on assigning 18 Zeros and 81 Sallies there to begin the bombing of Singapore.
 
 I am using the IJNAF to night bomb Singapore.  Today, they destroyed a Blenheim on the ground and damaged another half dozen.  Is it worth the supply cost?  Not really.
 
 So, what happened at Johore Bahru today?  I attacked.  It was the perfect attack!  There were 2 Aussie brigades and 3 infantry battalions defending.  At the start of the attack, one brigade and 1 battalion were combat ineffective and the other brigade was at 45, while the 2 remaining battalions were at 7 and 4.  After the attack, they were at 22, 1 and 0, and they didn’t retreat!  Tomorrow, I’ll hit them with 2 full divisions, a regiment and 2 tank regiments.  I hope to kill some of them off and trash the rest.  That will definitely help expedite the liberation of Singapore.  Here’s what happened.  Note that the only units that attacked were 2 tank regiments, 2 recon regiments and an infantry regiment:
 
 Ground combat at Johore Bahru (50,83)
 
 Japanese Deliberate attack
 
 Attacking force 8437 troops, 176 guns, 356 vehicles, Assault Value = 1150
 Defending force 8720 troops, 106 guns, 55 vehicles, Assault Value = 113
 Japanese adjusted assault: 218
 Allied adjusted defense: 215
 Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 1)
 Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 0
 
 Combat modifiers
 Defender: terrain(+), op mode(-), preparation(-), fatigue(-)
 experience(-)
 Attacker:
 
 Japanese ground losses:
 258 casualties reported
 Squads: 0 destroyed, 22 disabled
 Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
 Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
 
 Allied ground losses:
 766 casualties reported
 Squads: 41 destroyed, 31 disabled
 Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 35 disabled
 Engineers: 2 destroyed, 6 disabled
 Guns lost 24 (15 destroyed, 9 disabled)
 
 Assaulting units:
 42nd Infantry Regiment
 114th Infantry Regiment
 21st Infantry Regiment
 22nd Recon Regiment
 5th Recon Regiment
 41st Infantry Regiment
 1st Tank Regiment
 55th Infantry Regiment
 23rd Ind. Engineer Regiment
 11th Infantry Regiment
 5th Engineer Regiment
 56th Infantry Regiment
 6th Tank Regiment
 21st JAAF AF Bn
 18th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
 5th Field AF Construction Battalion
 3rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
 54th Const Co
 55th Const Co
 20th AA Regiment
 3rd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
 53rd Const Co
 25th Army
 18th Mountain Gun Regiment
 18th JAAF Base Force
 34th Field AA Battalion
 5th Field Artillery Regiment
 5th JAAF AF Coy
 
 Defending units:
 22nd Australian Brigade
 3/16th Punjab Battalion
 27th Australian Brigade
 2nd Argylls Battalion
 5/2nd Punjab Battalion
 112th RAF Base Force
 223 Group RAF
 11 Battery/3 HAA
 109th RN Base Force
 272/273rd Bty 80th AT Gun Regiment
 2nd ISF Base Force
 111th RAF Base Force
 5th Field Regiment
 
 41 combat squads destroyed and another 31 disabled!  Outstanding!  Highlight of the day (almost).
 
 The two battalions at Kota Bharu attacked today.  They didn’t oust the Brits, which is a good thing.  They’ll have another opportunity to kill some more of them.  There were level 2 forts, which were reduced.  There were no Japanese losses, just some disablements.  They’ll try again tomorrow.  There were 167 Japanese bomber sorties as well, which did great execution.  Those two Brit brigades are getting smashed.
 
 The Allies had about 22 bomber sorties against shipping at Singkawang and Kota Bharu causing no damage and losing 9 bombers.  The RAF is pretty much done for.
 
 Burma
 
 Elements of the 55 Division and some Thai forces are advancing (slowly) on Moulmein.
 
 The AVG is STILL sitting at Rangoon.
 
 China
 
 At Hong Kong, the 38 Division rested while the arty bombarded, along with 182 bomber sorties.  Tomorrow, another attack.
 
 35 Division and 3 IMB trashed the 98 Chinese Corps and cleared them from the intersection just NW of Kaifeng, opening that rail line for the Japanese.
 
 Two divisions with arty support cleared the rail line 2 hexes E of Taiyun, trashing another Chinese corps.
 
 Finally, an IMB cleared another Chinese corps off the rail line just NE of Taiyun.
 
 Finally, a parachute drop on Port Blair liberated that base for Japanese use.  The paratroopers will hold while transports fly in engineers and AS.  Eventually, the paratroopers will be relieved by garrison troops.
 
 Other Stuff
 
 Nothing today.
 
 
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