20 September 1942
Large losses for British dive bombers, Zeroes in China
Okinawa
USS Haddock got into a night surface action with a light cargo ship near Amami Oshima, getting close enough to rake it with .50 and .30 caliber machine guns. The enemy ship took enough damage to cause a small fire, while the Haddock was also hit. I've ordered it home for repairs.
Luzon Strait
USS Tuna torpedoed a cargo ship twice, one of which detonated. We believe the ship sank later in the day.
China
Between sweeps of Chengchow and an attempt at intercepting some of our bombers we're sending after enemy troops trying to get west of Chengchow's river, we shot down 10 Zeroes and an Oscar with no losses. One US pilot claimed 5 kills in these engagements (his #11-15), making this the first ace-in-a-day achievement scored against enemy fighters instead of bombers.
CENTPAC
No mines detected at Lahaina! Let's give the sweeper another day to be sure. Also, not taking artillery fire from shore, so that's good.
Bay of Bengal
The British Vengeance dive bomber squadron (9 operational) attempted an attack on the Junyo with 11 US P-40s escorting. The Zeroes shot down 2 P-40s with one loss. They shot down 6 bombers before they attacked, and the other 3 afterwards. The three that attacked all missed. The CAP was 60 planes, indicating that the Kaga is still operational.
Intel
Previous report of sinking of CV Akagi incorrect. Intelligence reports ship is still in service
Reinforcements
AO Suamico arrives at Balboa
AO Olwen arrives at Abadan
9 RAAF Base Force arrives at Sydney
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