20 April 1942
Suva airbase incapacitated by naval bombardment
SOPAC
We picked off another picket AKL off western Fiji with a destroyer. By day's end, the KB had picked off two more, plus the APD Talbot (with a loss one one Val to flak).
B-17 night raids at Noumea were intercepted by Zeroes, but that only resulted in a Zero shot down. The B-17s missed the port (where I'm loading up troops).
The Mutsu and Yamashiro bombardment task force ran into the FS Le Triomphant outside Suva and the task forces engaged in a brief skirmish before the French destroyer withdrew. Neither side took serious damage, although I believe the DD's depth charge launcher was damaged, which might matter as this area is swarming with my subs. The battleships then shelled Suva, laying the airbase to absolute waste. The base itself was damaged to nearly 80%, while 6 P-39, 4 PBY, 3 B-26, 2 P-40, 1 SBD, and 1 B-17 were destroyed in the bombardment. Despite an error by me that didn't leave the ships with orders to depart immediately, the only retaliatory airstrike was a insignificant B-17 attack from Pago Pago.
This could be a major breakthrough that allows me to fully neutralize the enemy airforce here, even get my own troops in, and sink ships in harbor (which right now include a submarine).
Japan
An American sub is on patrol near Tsushima, and made a failed attack on a cargo convoy. Another was spotted off Hokkaido. So, the US deployment strategy has clearly changed to include merchant interdiction.
I've deployed a number of floatplanes and bombers that were being used for training and will now be ASW squadrons. This was always planned, it's just that the absence of US subs in the home waters allowed me to use them for training up to this point, so now I have more ASW trained pilots to put to use. As far as surface forces, though, for now I'm going to be short because I've forward-deployed most of my subchasers to secure chokepoints where subs have already been appearing.
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