31 December 1941
Enemy Air Strikes In Singapore Come Too Late
Malaya
My reinforcements were nearly fully disembarked when the strike came. Japanese bombers flew 60 sorties against Singapore harbor. We lost two Buffalos defending the harbor and claimed three Nell bombers. Three mostly empty transports were torpedoed, but they're big ones and they should survive as long as they don't get hit again.
My opponent emailed me to criticize this move, said it was too risky because these transports are too valuable. I mentioned I had second thoughts in my prior post, but I think I made the right move here. Yes, losing the transports would hurt, but I had a chance to turn the balance of the Malaya campaign by landing these guys. And at least for now, on paper, it looks like it worked. My defense at Singapore is truly formidable now, at least two divisions strong with a **** ton of artillery and AA support. Factor in that he needs to attack fortifications over a river, naval bombardment support is chancey because I have a ton of mines and coastal defense artillery, and his bombers can't consistently attack from low altitude because I have a lot of AA, and his (probably) three divisions have their work cut out for them. I needed to make him pay a price for putting 5 divisions in Hawaii, this move might have accomplished that.
Dutch East Indies
A cruiser-destroyer group went hunting for my PTs in eastern Borneo, but they escaped.
The expected strike against Kendari hasn't happened yet, but they're lining up three task forces. Looks like phibs, a covering force, and a bombardment group. We launched an airstrike with level bombers but missed.
My strikes against Billiton launched, the ships were gone so the bombers hit the troops they landed, causing light casualties. Falcon light bombers also tried to hit ships at Miri but missed.
I have lost track of the CVLBG. If it doesn't show up in a day or two that probably means it went back to Japan.
Philippines
Major raid on Clark. We lost a P-40 and two P-35s but got 2 Sallies, 3 Lillies, and an Ann. The bombers dropped from too high to be effective.
Elsewhere
The KB is giving me a little bit of a scare. My recon aircraft around PH are getting thinned out and my coverage is spotty. We actually didn't confirm the continued presence of the KB around Hawaii this turn. There is a whole of of shipping traffic heading south around Hawaii that he might try to interdict. I think it's still at Hawaii, though, he has so many ships there that I don't see him sacrificing fighter coverage for them just to get some transports. All the same, the convoys that are most at risk have been ordered to adjust course. Plan for what he can do, not for what he would do, and all that.
__________________
|