AmiralLaurent
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24-26 March 1943
Northern Pacific
Daily recon continued over Amchitka Island and reported on the 25th 7 P-40E flying CAP, probably scrambled from nearby Adak Island. Several Allied aircraft also reconned daily the empty Kiska Island.
New Caledonia – New Hebrides
On the 24th, all Japanese convoys and combat TF gathered 120 miles west of Efate (and 120 miles S of Luganville) where the last orders were given, and then two big troop convoys, each carrying around 100 000 men, sailed respectively towards Efate and Luganville. Each was followed by a bombardment TF, an AK TF carrying supplies and a MSW TF. The landing began the next night in Luganville and the next afternoon in Efate.
Luganville was bombarded on both nights (24-25 and 25-26) by the BB Ise and Musashi, 2 CA and 3 CL (joined by 9 DD on the second night). They hit a total of 745 men, 9 guns and 5 vehicles and scored 5 hits on the airbase, 3 on supplies, 33 on runways, 10 on port, 7 on fuel and 16 on port supplies.
The landing itself in Luganville met some mines (an AP hit a VH2 mines there on the second night). In two days, the Allied defenders fired 2810 shells, setting on fire 2 AP and a PC, and hitting 6 AP, 2 APD and a PC more lightly. Japanese casualties were 6407 men, 27 guns and 9 vehicles. Allied troops also use artillery against the landed troops (hitting 11 men), that replied on the 26th, hitting 17 men and 1 gun. In the evening of the second day, the able landed troops numbered in Luganville 59 319 men, 544 guns and 148 vehicles (ASS 1470) and faced 19 508 able Allied men, 207 guns and 19 vehicles (ASS 382). See the pic below to have the list of the units.
It was the same thing at Efate, except that the landing began later, and that there were more mines, two of them critically damaging the AP Peking Maru, so 6 MSW kept in reserve with the KB sailed there in the night of the 25th-26th. Here the bombardment was done by the BB Hiei, 1 CA and 3 CL (DDs were not used because of the stronger CD defences) and hit in two days 117 men and 3 guns, scoring 2 hits on the airbase, 5 on the port and 3 on supplies.
In two days, the Allied defenders fired 5891 shells, heavily damaging an AP, setting on fire 1 AP and 1 AK, and hitting 1 CL, 3 DD and 1 PG more lightly. Japanese casualties were 7290 men, 35 guns and 58 vehicles. Allied artillery fire against the landed troops was inefficient, only hitting 35 men and 3 guns, and return fire on the 26th hit 105 men, 2 guns and 1 vehicle. In the evening of the second day, the able landed troops numbered in Efate 57 921 men, 518 guns and 477 vehicles (ASS 1436) and faced 21 978 able Allied men, 199 guns and 57 vehicles (ASS 350).
On both days, Kido Butai airmen and Noumea bombers were supposed to support the operations by attacking Allied troops in both islands, but almost all flights were cancelled by bad weather. The only bomber raid sent was by 13 Ki-49 from Noumea on the morning of the 26th, but they didn’t find their target in the clouds and came back with bombs. The only contribution of the KB was to fly LRCAP over both beachheads, but there was none Allied air activity and the only incident was the loss of an A6M3a in a landing accident (the pilot, an ace, was rescued wounded).
In the evening of the 26th, some damaged ships left Efate (1 AP, 1 AK and 1 DD, under escort by 1 DD) and Luganville (3 AP and 1 APD, under escort by a DD) to sail to Noumea for emergency repairs. Both BB TF were also ordered to sail there to replenish ammunitions. The Kido Butai received orders to remain at the same place, and to try again to bomb Allied troops in co-ordination with Noumea LBA. LRCAP patrols over both beachheads were judged useless and were stopped this evening.
Landing operations on both islands will last one or two more days.
New Zealand- Southern Pacific
Three damaged but patched DDs left Suva on the 24th for Japan.
Bismarcks-Solomons-New Guinea
On the 24th, the barges bringing troops of the 5th Div to New Guinea were seen by Allied airmen but not attacked. The next night and day, they landed some hundred men in Lae, Buna and Salamaua (total 45 landing casualties) under harassing attacks by patrolling Allied bombers that sank two empty barges off Salamaua and Lae. On the 26th, the three empty bases ware taken, while another empty barge was sunk west of Salamaua by a Liberator. In the evening the barges that were cruising off the coast were ordered to return to the taken bases. They will refuel with the captured dumps and reload troops to occupy Finschhafen and Dobadura, or return them to Rabaul. The coast won’t be occupied.
During these three days, Allied airmen from PM didn’t sent raids against barges or troops but continued to fly training missions against Goodenough Island (total of 27 Beaufort V-IX and 2 P-40E sorties).
Timor-Amboina-Australia
A barge convoy sailing from Kendari to Lautem was unsuccessfully attacked on the 24th and the 25th by 14 Brewster 339D from Darwin. The barges had then unloaded, but rather than sailing north as usual, received orders to remain off Lautem. This evening 11 Oscar II arrived from Kendari to try to catch the attacking Dutch fighter-bombers. They flew CAP over the area the next day but no raid came. Barges were ordered to remain off Lautem until the next air attack.
Southern Resource Area
The following convoys were created in these 3 days: 3500 supplies from Singapore to Sabang, 18k oil from Miri to Formosa, 28k resources from Canton to Japan, and 7k resources from Rangoon to Singapore.
Burma
On the 24th, 18 Beaufighter VIC, 9 Mk 21 and 10 Vengeance I escorted by 37 P-40B of the AVG and 8 Spitfire Vb took off from Imphal to attack the 1st Tk Rgt 120 miles SE. This unit was defended by 14 Tojos from the 87 Sentai flying LRCAP from Myitkyina, but they were decimated by the AVG. The Sentai lost 9 Ki-44 and 7 pilots and claimed only two Beaufighter VIC shot down and a Vengeance damaged. The attack hit on the ground 12 men and 1 tank. One more Beaufighter VIC and a P-40B were lost in accidents. Another aircraft from the Myitkyina base was lost when a Dinah II was shot down by the Allied CAP over Imphal. In the evening, the 87 Sentai flew back to Rangoon.
The attacks on the 1st Tk Rgt continued the next two days with a total of 35 Beaufighter VIC, 18 Mk 21 and 20 Vengeance I sorties, escorted by 73 P-40B. They hit 76 men and 6 vehicles, while a Beaufighter VIC and a P-40B were lost in accidents.
The only other air activity was another inefficient raid on Rangoon by 7 Beaufighter VIF from Imphal on the night of the 25th-26th.
China
More Chinese went out of the mountains on the 24th and the 16th Corps (only having 671 able men) arrived on the road 120 miles west of Sian. It was attacked the next day by the 5 Japanese divisions holding this area and defeated at 1327 to 1, and retreated westwards. Japanese losses were 10 men and 2 guns, while the Chine lost more than 400 killed, wounded and prisoners. On the 26th, two more Chinese units arrived here, and will be chased on the same way tomorrow.
Training missions from Wuhan against troops NW of Changsha were flown on 3 days for a total of 523 sorties (172 Ki-44, 96 Oscar II, 89 Oscar I, 75 A6M3 and 71 A6M3a). 2 Oscar II, 2 Oscar I and 2 A6M3a were lost in accidents, while 49 Chinese were hit.
Japanese engineers expanded Kweilin airfield to size 6.
Japan
Two supply convoys left Japanese ports, one bringing 35k supplies to Singapore, the other 10k to Bonins Islands.
An escort TF arrived in Tokyo with 4 ships damaged in the Southern Pacific (CA Kinugasa, CL Tama, a DD and a PG) and was disbanded. The Kagero-class DD escorting it were also docked and will receive the 1/43 upgrade.
 Attachment (1)
< Message edited by AmiralLaurent -- 11/22/2006 12:29:44 AM >
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RE: 6 March 1943: Noumea returned to the Vichy French - 
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