24 December 1941
Is it time to start believing the unbelievable?
Hawaiian Island Chain/Central Pacific
It was a bad day to be a tanker near Pearl Harbor. A sub got one, air raids took out another 4. The air raid cost them 7 Kates and a Zero, we lost a P-36.
Two divisions with tons of naval and AA support came ashore in Lahaina, and captured it. It now appears FOUR divisions are committed to the occupation of Hawaii. His goal appears to be to encircle Pearl Harbor, and he's digging in those forward bases so much that it's going to take a long time to dislodge them. So, I have to think about the unthinkable--do I evacuate Pearl Harbor? It won't take much upgrading of the airfields in Lahaina to support Betty torpedo bombers, so if I'm going to do it, I have to do it soon, or else the fleet will be trapped there.
To the south, at Palmyra, the Japanese sub there took advantage of it's kill of a PC yesterday and the fact that the supply ship it was escorting can't return to Pearl and made a gun attack, sinking it.
Malaya
We lost 6 bombers trying to interdict their armies pushing towards Johore and the railway. We lost 4 Buffalo trying to keep their Nells from bombing troops near Malacca and Singapore, but did manage to clip a Zero. We have so few fighters left flying that his Nates were assigned to strafing attacks today.
His airstrikes apparently disrupted my troops trying to get to those tanks blocking the railway. Some infantry arrived first, before the Anti-tank guns they were supposed to be supporting. I'm sure that will go well.
Philippines
A sweep over Clark claimed 2 P-40s, while my attempted raid on San Fernando was aborted due to still resistance from the CAP.
Dutch East Indies
Landings continue at Manado and Ambon. The mini-KB raided Koepang, Timor, destroying a bomber on the ground. He's not pushing to Darwin yet, apparently.
Elsewhere
-USS Salmon had a pitiful failed attack on a light cargo ship, running its deck gun nearly out of ammo without causing enough damage to sink it. The Gudgeon followed up the attack, and also ran low on ammo without sinking it. USS Spearfish did the silent service proud, though, sinking an Aden class cargo ship north of Taiwan.
-At Pago Pago, The USS Trenton rendezvoused with two destroyer-minesweepers to attack the Katori. The Katori managed some hits on a DMS despite it likely being low on ammo and the US commander lost his nerve. The Katrori took significant damage before we whimped out, but it's not crippled.
-The two divisions that crossed the river near Nanchang defeated my defenders there, despite the disruption of being bombed and their opposed river crossing. But we pushed the enemy out of Sinyang. The AVG managed to get 3 Nates and 2 light bombers.