10 October 1942
USS Sims pounds enemy subs off Efate
Luganville invasion
Sending the light cruisers to bombard Luganville kicked up a hornet's nest of enemy sub activity. The task force faced two attempted attacks on the way out and one on the way back. The first enemy sub was engaged by USS Sims, which connected solidly with multiple depth charge patterns, causing severe damage to the enemy sub. I doubt it survives. The second enemy sub was also engaged by the Sims for light damage. A pair of enemy subs was spotted by subchasers patrolling near Efate, but they failed to hit them.
The bombardment of Luganville caused about 40 enemy troop casualties.
Our marines attacked the enemy forts at Luganville, causing 341 enemy casualties while taking 73.
China
I'm moving all three Liberator squadrons currently in-country to the northern airbase to prepare for the attack on Port Arthur. Due to poor supply lines up there, this will probably be a single attack, I doubt we can sustain operations for any length of time. But a single, large attack might be devastating, especially if there are ships in harbor. I have at least 2 more B-24 squadrons on their way, but I think I'm going to leave them in India for now. It makes more sense to me to focus on Port Blair to try to reopen the supply route to Rangoon than to try to run them in China when my supplies are dwindling.
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