Thayne
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Sunday, February 15, 1942
Henry
My weekly summary, for those who might have access to these records who do not want to read through 70 daily reports.
Losses
Naval Losses: 32 Ships (1 ship in the past week)
BC Repulse
CAs: Houston, New Orleans
CLs: Du Ruyter, Danae, Tromp
DDs: Panther, Flusser, Lawrence
PGs: Isabel, Asheville
SSs: S-38, KXV
ASs: Otus, Canopus
MSW Penguin
PTs: PT-21, PT-31, PT-32, PT-34, TM-13, TM-14, TM-15
AP President Madison
AKs, Large: Steel Voyager, Mormacdove*
AKs, Small: Taurus, Empire Elk; Governor Wright; Idaho
TKs: Gertrude Kellogg, Manataway
* represents a newly sunk ship
Air Losses: 1221 Planes - 178 in the last week
624 planes shot down (+150)
398 planes destroyed on the ground (+8)
32 planes destroyed by flak (+7)
169 planes lost due to accident and wear (+13)
Top 20 Air Losses by Type
154x P-40B Tomahawk (+13)
110x Hurricane (+41)
102x Buffalo
80x P-40E Warhawk (+8)
78x Brewster 339D (+18)
73x Whirraway (+17)
56x Hudson (+18)
43x PBY Catalina
40x Martin 139 (+5)
37x SB-2c (+9)
28x Blenheim IV
28x CW-21B Demon (+11)
27x P-36A Mohawk
25x F4F-3 (+6)
24x P-26A
24x Blenheim I
19x TIVa (new addition)
19x Catalina 1 (new addition)
18x P-35A
18x P-39D (new addition)
18x Vildebeast IV
Reserves of the following airplane types have been totally drained:
Brewster 339D
Buffalo I
Catalena I
I-16 Type 24
Lockheed 212
Martin 139
P-39D Airacobra
P-40B Tomahawk
P-40E Tomahawk
TIVa
There are 22x Hurricanes crated in India in reserve.
These losses are entirely unsustainable. I have sent news to all commands to view all air losses as irreplaceable until the war machinery can get up to speed. We simply are not going to engage the Japanese except on terms that are to our advantage.
In the mean time, offensive bombing operations will continue against targets of opportunity targets with little air-to-air defense.
Damage Inflicted
Military intelligence estimates the losses suffered by the Japanese to be the following
Naval Losses: 13 ships
1x Destroyer
7x Submarines
1x Minelayer
2x Minesweeper
1x Cargo ship
1x Troop transport
Air Losses: 330 Airplanes
The air loss numbers include those shot down in air to air combat, flak, and destroyed on the ground. It does not include operational losses, which are substantially unknown.
Summary By Region
North Pacific
In order to pull Japanese forces out of the South Pacific, Roosevelt has ordered a significant attack on north Pacific islands -- specifically the Kurile Islands. The hope is that Japan will see themselves as being vulnerable to an attack from this direction, and will move assets to the north. CVs Enterprise and Hornet have been assigned to this mission.
Present deployment, from the furthest outpost to Anchorage
Kiska: Near the tip of the Aleutian Islands, MSW Oriole performs frequent patrols to the southwest to see if Japan is trying to get through the open waters.
Amchikita: 250 miles east of Kiska, AVD Gilles and VP-41 (12x PBY) to patrol the approaches to Alaska.
Dutch Harbor: 400 miles east of Amchikita, 14,000 troops, 24x P-36A.
Kodiak: 350 miles northeast of Dutch Harbor
Stationed units: 15,000 troops, 32x Bombers.
Anchorage: 6,500 troops.
Nome: 6,500 troops.
Central Pacific
Since the start of the war, Japan has taken Wake Island and, this week, Baker Island. Nothing else has come under threat.
Engineers have built a crude port and airstrip at French Frigate Shoals, and are working on another at Laysan Island (400 miles southeast of Midway). These airstrips will allow us to ferry shorter-range aircraft from Hawaii to Midway. The Laysan Island strip will be completed in early March.
There are just under 80,000 troops on the Hawiian Islands, with garrisons at Pearl, Hilo, Kona, and Lahina. The 27th USA Infantry Division is on Big Island. This week, the 102nd USA Regimental Combat Team will occupy Lihu, 100 miles west of Pearl Harbor. These units will prevent Japan from easily landing on these islands and threatening Pearl Harbor.
Palmyra: 15,000 troops, 50x fighters, 100x bombers
Christmas Island: 19,000 troops, no air units.
I consider these islands to be at risk, now that Baker Island has fallen. For atolls, these islands are fairly large, capable of holding more troops than places like French Frigate Shoals and Midway. Engineers are working to fortify the islands.
Johnson Island: 4,500 troops. This island is also at risk. With a fairly well developed airfield, it would be useful for Japan to keep Hawaii in check. It needs reinforcements.
South Pacific
The area has been quiet, except for two carrier raids on Canton Island, and submarine floatplanes taking a look around Canton, Samoa, and New Caledonia.
Given the possibility that Japan may capture these islands, I have ordered that the troops spend their efforts fortifying the islands rather than building up facilities that could fall in enemy hands. The only work to be done on the infrastructure is that airfields should at least be able to handle land-based bombers. Beyond that, fortifications are all that matter.
Canton Island: 15,000 troops, 50x fighters, 100x bombers. This island is now on the front lines now that the enemy has captured Baker Island. Supply will be by transport aircraft flying from Samoa to the south and emergency transport, because of the threat of Japanese air attack.
Samoa (Pago Pago): 15,000 troops split between American (10,000) and British (5,000) Samoa. Also, 50x fighters and 15x bombers, as well as support planes. Both are American responsibility. The South Pacific Headquarters is now stationed on this island. It is also the home of VF-3, VB-3, and VT-3 from CV Saratoga while that ship is at Pearl Harbor undergoing repairs. 2,000 marines from 2nd USMC Division are due to arrive within the next couple of days. American Samoa is also the home of a South Pacific fleet built around the battleship Colorado.
Tongatapu: 3,500 troops, plus 60x bombers flying ASW missions along the route from Samoa to Fiji.
Fiji: 16,000 troops (New Zealand), 15x bombers.
New Caledonia: 4,000 troops. Until the Americal Division gets here (in about 1 month) there is little that can be done here. Efforts are being made to get as much supply to Australia as quickly as possible, just in case Japan manages to cut off the supply routes. The Americal Division will be made available tomorrow and will be immediately shipped to New Caledonia.
Southwest Pacific
As mentioned above, I am very much concerned that Australia will be cut off from supplies, so I am ordering supplies to Australia as fast as the ships can be loaded. This week, 150,000 tons of supplies are due at Sydney.
Australia has suffered a severe shortage of fuel, and that has prevented the reinforcement of Port Moresby. This week, three tankers delivered oil to Sydney, and another tanker will be delivering fuel to Brisbane. At this point, efforts will be made to send reinforcements to Port Moresby.
Port Moresby: 5,500 troops, now sits under the Japanese air umbrella out of Rabaul and Lae. Still, McArthur has been launching offensive air operations out of the city, striking at least 7 ships (2x troop transport, 1x patrol gunboat, and 4x barges) as well as damaging facilities at Buna and at Gasmata (on the southern coast of New Britain). Transport planes flying out of northeastern Australia keep it well supplied.
Air Force: The Air Force in the Southwest Pacific is about to experience a significant boost, with the arrival of 3 USA fighter groups from the United States (to add to the 2 USA fighter groups already in Australia). In addition, the Dutch have created a refuge for their air force at Adelaide in southern Australia. The Dutch hope to use this facility to train replacement pilots and to provide Australia with a reserve air force of perhaps as many as 150 planes.
6th and 7th Australian Division: The 7th Australian Division is now in the Indian Ocean under heavy escort and is approaching the west coast of Australia. It is due to dock in Sydney in about 3 weeks. The 6th Australian Division is still in the Middle East.
North Australian Navy. Ships docked at Darwin took another hit from Japanese long-range bombers today, severely damaging CL Boise and DD John D. Edwards. All remaining ships have been ordered to safer ports, by way of Perth (given the power of Japanese long-range bombers at Rabaul). The two damaged ships will have to remain behind until their damage is repaired -- if they do not get sunk in the mean time.
ABDA Command
For all practical purposes, Japan controls all of the dutch East Indies except for the region from Timor to the middle of Java.
Java This is where the fighting is being done. Japan destroyed the Dutch air force by drawing it out to attack a carrier force and shooting down over 50 Dutch airplanes in 2 days -- losing only 1 Zero fighter in exchange. This leaves the ground forces open.
There have been daily bombing raids on Soerabaja, but they have been from very high altitudes and inflicting little damage. Serious damage was done by a naval bombardment during the week that inflicted nearly 2,000 casualties and destroyed nearly 50 defensive guns. However, Soerabaja is left with 30,000 well-rested troops and a heavy stockpile of supplies. It should be able to hold out for a while.
Japan does have over 60,000 troops at Soerabaja and 150 bombers, but the Americans in the Philippines held out against similar odds for weeks. I expect that the Dutch will be able to keep up the fight at least through the end of the month.
Bali Bali, off the eastern coast of Java, has 10,000 troops and has been vigorously building defenses on this small island. It is hoped that this island will slow the Japanese advance even more as it has to make preparations to reduce and then attack this island. Efforts have been made to ensure that the island has the resources to endure a siege.
Timor Timor has been largely abandoned, except for a token force at Koepang, on the western tip. The airfield here continues to be used to watch Japanese movements and to ferry airplanes to eastern Java. It is hoped that we can muster enough of a force in eastern Java (particularly Bali) to slow the Japanese down.
Aru Island Like Bali, the plan is to fortify this island in the hopes that it will serve as a breakwater for the Japanese advance. At present, it has 6,000 troops similarly working to build up the defenses for the island in preparation for a Japanese attack. The thinking is that an attack here will buy time to further reinforce Darwin and northern Australia. Also, Aru will draw air and surface bombardment attacks away from Darwin.
Burma
In the past week, Japan has moved about 300 miles up central Burma. They have captured Taung Gyi, southeast of Mandalay in central Burma, and are moving into Pagan, southwest of Mandalay. The main army is nearing Mandalay itself.
I believe that we are going to abandon the city. My military experts agree that if we fight to hold the place, Japan can maneuver so that the troops in Mandalay end up getting trapped there, having no route for escape other than to China. There, the troops would do little good. Therefore, to ensure that they can safely retreat to India, they will be retreating out of Mandalay as the Japanese approach.
With the capture of Taung Gyi, strategic bomber squadrons that have moved to India from the Philippines will go to work making sure that the life of the average Japanese soldier in Burma is nasty, cruel, brutish, and short. Our plans will be to continue to avoid the heavy fighter concentrations at Rangoon and to focus on the fringe bases -- Taung Gyi, Pagan, and Lashio (once it becomes a Japanese base). When we return to Burma (which I am thinking may happen in the summer of 1943), we will take these areas first and use them to provide air cover for the rest of the operation.
Ceylon
I would like to have it be known that the British have 35,000 troops on Ceylon -- including the 18th UK Division -- to resist any Japanese invasion of this island. We also have 15 fighters and 65 bombers, with 10 more fighters at the nearby Indian town of Madras. As is being done elsewhere, these units have been told to focus on fortifying their positions first, and not to build up infrastructure that might fall into enemy hands.
There are troops stationed at every port on the east shore of India -- including (from south to north) 6,500 at Mannargudi, 3,500 at Madras, and 2,500 at Yanam.
China
Japanese forces finished their project of clearing the Shanghai-Hanoi railroad this past week. The rest of the Chinese army is now locked in the interior. This will, of course, allow Japan to ship war materials from southeast Asia to ports much nearer to Japan, and drop off supplies from Japan in ports in China for rail transport to Hanoi, Bangkok, and Singapore.
They accomplished this substantially with the help of Chang Kai Shek, who refused to put up anything more than a token resistance to the Japanese advance.
Thayne
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To: Gen. Brooke 01/31/1942 - 
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