29 September 1942
USS Gato lost, Guadalcanal air force buildup
Luzon Strait
An enemy cargo ship hit a sub-laid mine at Bataan Island.
Solomons Area
USS Gato was torpedoed and sunk by an enemy submarine near Roussel Island.
Recon flights over Guadalcanal detected over 100 fighters, 40 bombers and 3 submarines at base there. The port attack was scrubbed due to weather.
They flexed their muscles a little bit, sending 11 Netties and 18 Kates to Ndeni with 26 Zeroes and causing a few troop casualties.
We lost a Hudson bomber to flak trying to attack a heavy cruiser at the Shortlands.
I'm holding off on the Luganville op for at least a day to get my aircraft and ships some maintenance and to confirm the enemy numbers on Guadalcanal. 100 fighters will be enough to get bombers through to just about any task force I might operate here.
China
We lost a P-40 and got an SB-III shot up badly enough that it crashed on the way home. Intel says we got 2 Oscars today but I'm not sure where. We've evacuated enough fighters from Chengchow that if we got overrun it won't be so bad anymore.
CENTPAC
Lahania's forts are down to Level 2. The enemy is resisting enough to cause light casualties, unlike at Hilo, where we're just slowly killing them with impunity. The base at Hilo has been captured, but enemy troops remain in the area.
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