9 December 1943
Port Blair evacuation attempt foiled by air raid? USS Pompon lost.
Burma and Andaman Sea
USS Pompon made contact with a large transport convoy (at least 6 cargo/passenger ships, 7 escorts) outside Port Blair. It doesn't make sense for him to double down here, so that's an evacuation convoy. Pompon was sighted by the escorts and prosecuted successfully by 3 enemy destroyers.
Pompon had only brought down one 4875-ton cargo ship in her career, back in September, in the same area where she was sunk.
We swept Port Blair with 19 P-38s, drawing in 2 Irvings and 2 Nicks on CAP. We shot down 1 of the Nicks with no losses.
Up next, 10 B-25Gs attacked the convoy from low altitude. Thanks to the sweep there were no fighters opposing:
xAK Meiten Maru, Shell hits 4, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAP Yoshino Maru, Shell hits 1
xAK Hoeisan Maru, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Tamahoko Maru, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Kinkasan Maru, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Yudachi, Shell hits 1
DD Usugumo
xAK Kusuyama Maru, Shell hits 2
Between the Pompon's contact report and the report from this raid, this task force has 1 AP and 8 AKs. 4 AKs are now sunk or disabled. Not bad, but that still leaves more than half, including the AP, available for the evacuation. This cost us 1 of the B-25Gs, lost to AA fire.
Other air raids:
Pisanuloke (sweep): 18 P-51 drew 16 Georges; 2 Georges and 3 P-51s shot down.
Raheng (ground forces): 10 casualties
near Rangoon (ground forces): 20 vehicles lost
Uttaradit (ground forces): 12 Wellington BXs and 12 Blenheim VDs nearly intercepted by 11 George fighters on CAP. Intercept failed as the raid was only detected 1 mile out, CAP was at 41,000ft vs bobmers at 10,000 feet. 19 casualties.
DEI
Air raid targets:
Makassar (sweep, ground forces): 13 Corsairs and 22 P-40N5s swept Makassar, pulling 5 enemy George fighters. We shot down 3 with no losses. 12 B-26s attacked with no opposition, 10 casualties.
Kendari (airbase): 12 hits
Ambon (ground forces and airbase): 41 casualties, 9 base hits
Koepang (ground forces): 10 casualties
APA Feland was hit by an artillery shell at Ambon while unloading supplies in support of the ongoing amphibious invasion. Damage was not severe.
Ground combat:
Ambon: Allied deliberate attack--enemy forts reduced to Level 2. Casualties 940 (J) to 149(A). Japanese bombardment attack: ineffective. We're getting really close to cracking this nut.
China
Bombing targets:
Anking (ground forces): 90 casualties
Kuikiang (ground forces): 39 casualties
Truk
Bombing (port, ground forces): Submarine hit in port, believed sunk. 9 casualties
Papua New Guinea
Ground combat in Hollandia--Allied deliberate attack, casualties 81(J) to 19(A), forts holding at Level 3.
Reinforcements
CVL Langley arrives at Balboa
DE Tisdale arrives at Mare Island
SS Bashaw arrives at Eastern USA
No.31 Sqn RNZAF arrives at Gisborne
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