[Molon Labe]

31 May 1942

Timor Sea
One of the destroyers detached from the CVBG found a sub near Darwin and scored a few near misses with depth charges. A destroyer-seaplane tender found another and dealt some damage. A Wirraway reported spotting the I-20 specifically, so despite apparent bomb and depth charge damage she's still on station. Enterprise still isn't well enough to move. I'm shifting some planes around; B-26s are flying out to make room for the heavies to come back. The heavies will try to neutralize Koepang.

A patrol boat tender escaping Koepang was picked off by one of the subs blockading Darwin. (reported this as happening yesterday in error)

SouthPAC
Noumea was hit again.
xAK Admiral Williams, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAK Iron Warrior, Bomb hits 2, on fire
xAK San Vincente, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
AP Henry T. Allen, Bomb hits 2, on fire
xAP Ormiston, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Procyon, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Alabaman, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
xAK Iron Prince, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
SS S-46, Bomb hits 3, and is sunk
xAP President Tyler, Bomb hits 2, on fire
AMC Westralia, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
AE Mauna Loa, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
AP William Ward Burrows, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Mormacrio, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Admiral Wood, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
xAP Lycaon, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
xAK Andrea Luckenbach, Bomb hits 2, on fire
xAK Howell Lykes, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
AP Tasker H. Bliss, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AR Medusa, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AM Turkey, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
ACM Heath, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage

We made them pay for that a bit. 2 Zeroes, 8 Vals (3 by flak) and 11 Kates went down. We had 4 fighters shot down and another 5 aircraft destroyed on the ground.

He split off 2 fast battleships from his CVBG, which encouraged my bomber pilots to be a little more aggressive. A B-26 got a hit on the Kirishima. Banshees made an attempt as well, but we only managed to have 3 find the ships between having few operational and thunderstorms in the area--8 others got airborne but aborted. The A-20s even got off their asses as well. But the B-26 got the only hit. One B-26 was shot down by flak.

China
Our offsetting bombing raids on Kaifeng cost him 3 Zeroes and 3 Ann light bombers, and us a P-40.

We've now got 12 SB-III bombers hitting the 35th division near Nanyang, causing heavy casualties. Still no enemy CAP protecting them.

Burma and Thailand
We lost 2 Blenheims to the CAP and another to flak at Tavoy.
Tavoy held off another land attack.