1 December 1942
Enemy assault on Raheng fizzles
China
A small amphibious task force landed at Foochow to deliver supplies to the surrounded troops. If the ships can reach them, why not evacuate them instead?
Banda Sea
The 2nd enemy task force approached Babar, and was opposed by our PTs there. Unfortunately this was a daylight battle and our PTs never had a chance to get close. We lost 5 of 6 and did not damage the enemy.
Enemy fighters tried to intervene in our regular bombings of their troops on Babar. They got one B-26 at the cost of 2 Oscars and 2 Zeroes. I'm sure they were actually assigned to protect the ships that attacked earlier. Our P-38s also made a low-level attack on the enemy task force, filling in for the Beaufighters (which are mostly down for repairs from flak/fighter damage). Their strafing was mostly ineffective, but they did get a 500lb bomb hit on a destroyer. We got a Zero and an Oscar that tried to stop the raid, while losing a P-39 and a P-38, one more P-38 was shot down by flak.
After the raid, the enemy task force bombarded Babar, disabling a lot of the fighters there--including many of the P-38s from the raid that had landed by then. That's a problem. The lucky jerks managed not to hit any of the mines. We also took about a hundred casualties in the raid.
Just as concerning, we're seeing the enemy forces strength gradually coming up. Without the heavy cruiser bombardments, our bombers aren't adequately suppressing them on their own.
Burma and Thailand
The enemy bomber focus continues to be Moulmein, with another 100+ sorties flown. Our fighters from Raheng got an Oscar and a Zero, but couldn't get to the bombers in force. Our B-24s again hit the opposing army on the other side of the bridges, this time facing some resistance from Zeroes, but not enough to shoot down any bombers. Fighters sweeping from Raheng shot down 6 of the Zeroes, though.
Raheng's squadrons lost a fighter over nearby Cheng Mai, a base along the supply route in the mountains. They followed that up with an airborne assault on the base, destroying my paratrooper unit fragment there and seizing the base. This force only needs to march 1 hex to cut off my supplies.
At my defensive line of bases in the north, we traded 2 Oscars for a Hurricane. Our bombers continue to get through and inflict heavy losses to the advancing enemy armies.
A rather weak enemy force made it to the bridges to Rahang--led by an Royal Thai Army "division", the total force equal to about a regular regiment. I guess I was wrong that he cancelled the attack... But it looks like player error--they have a lot more than this there, and sending these guys across was sending them to slaughter. Casualties 1525 to 8.
Now for the bad news--the supply situation in Raheng is completely untenable. I'm evacuating my flyable Vengence bombers to India, as well as one of the Canadian fighter squadrons. I suspect the aircraft that aren't airworthy now will never be again. The other fighter squadrons will follow eventually, but for now they have really important work to do near Moulmein, as the our entire evacuation plan could collapse if the enemy breaks through Moulmein too soon.
Solomons
I had B-17s follow up the CVBG port attack, scoring a hit on a surviving sub tender and likely finishing it off. 1 B-17 was lost to flak.
Indian Ocean
A Lysander bomber bombed an enemy sub off Karachi, India.
Reinforcements and Refits
SS Pike begins refit while under repair at Brisbane
SS Permit begins refit while under repair at Brisbane
SS Seal begins refit while under repair at Pearl Harbor
SS Sturgeon taken out of commission to begin refit at Brisbane
SS Trout begins refit while under repair at Adak Island
SS Silversides taken out of commission to begin refit at Pearl Harbor
SS Runner taken out of commission to begin refit at Adak Island
PC Vigilant taken out of commission to begin refit at Pago Pago
PC Morris taken out of commission to begin refit at Pago Pago
PC Crawford taken out of commission to begin refit at Dutch Harbor
PC Jackson taken out of commission to begin refit at Dutch Harbor
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