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RE: New surface battle at Koepang.

 
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RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 1/26/2012 12:24:59 AM   
kaleun

 

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Joined: 5/29/2002
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Status: offline 		November 11th 42

The airfield at Shortlands mounts its first operation. 16 SBDs with 22 F4F-4 escorting attack Rabaul harbor. 9 Zeros intercept. One dive bomber lost and 5 damaged. Target bomb assessment shows no effect.

In Koepang, the 27th Infantry Division, originally loaned to the Australians for the defense of Timor, its mission accomplished, begins loading on transports to return to Darwin. From there, the plan is to return them to Luganville or Noumea, to refit and replenish prior to the next offensive.




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Post #: 151
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 2/3/2012 5:19:35 PM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		November 12th 42

Continued sweeps on Rabaul precede the air raids by the dive bombers out of Shortlands.

CV Formidable continues her repairs at Pearl. Her systems are down to 2 damage, flotation shows a 57 major damage and the engine damage is at 33.

In the PIs the Japanese find that at Cebu the Philippine garrison holds out against them much longer and harder than they expected.

November 13th, 42

Japanese recon seaplanes spot the invasion fleet for operation Ocean Flowers. The 1st Marine Division returning from Tarawa unloads at Espiritu Santo.

In Sidney, the details for Operation Guinea Fowl are finalized. The objective is to free New Guinea of the remaining Japanese garrisons. It will consist of two waves. The first wave, with the 30th Australian Brigade, the 2nd Heavy AA and the 20th RAAF base force will land and occupy Lae. Shortly thereafter, the second wave will land the 2/4 infantry coy at Lae, 2/7th at Finschafen and 2/8 at Salamaua. The 30th brigade will be available to assist the Finschafen and Salamaua invasions if needed.






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Post #: 152
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 2/3/2012 5:20:41 PM   
kaleun

 

Posts: 4339
Joined: 5/29/2002
From: Colorado
Status: offline 		Operation Guinea Fowl. 1st Wave.




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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
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Post #: 153
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 2/5/2012 7:23:50 PM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		November 14th 1942
15 Marine SBDs, escorted by 7 F4F4 and 7 P40 attack the airfield at Rabaul. The enemy scrambled 20 Zeros. In the ensuing battle, a single Zero was destroyed for a loss of one F4F and one P40. All the bombers got through, however the flack was heavy and accurate with 4 dive bombers lost and 4 damaged.

November 15th
CV Formidable, SD 2/FD 56/ Eng 33 abandons the dry dock at Pearl. She will transit to San Francisco prior to being withdrawn out of theater.

At the small island of Nauru, TF 68 CA Quincy flag, bombards the small. The 2nd Marines raider battalion and the 138th USA Base force disembark and capture the ungarrisoned island.

Mitscher orders his carriers to Espiritu Santo for fuel and supplies.



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Post #: 154
RE: Yamato returns from the dead. - 2/14/2012 5:02:11 PM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		November 16th 42

Wars are concerned more with housekeeping than battles. The most important events today were Task force #30, a transport TF taking the 143 and 140th USA Base forces to Darwin. From there they will redeploy at Koepang/Dili and expand those airfields to base heavy bombers there. The enemy ports in Celebes: Makassar and Kendari will then come under heavy bomber attack. The same task force will pick up the US 27th Division that will be returned to SWPAC command.

In Port Moresby, the first phase of Operation Guinea Fowl commences. The 20th RAAF base force, 30 Australian brigade and 2nd Australian heavy AA load into their transports to set out for Lae.
The 2nd phase awaits the return of those same transports. The 2nd RAAF M?W and 2/4 Infantry Coy will garrison Lae. 2/7 coy is to garrison Finschafen and 2/8 Salamaua. All of them will debark at Lae from where they will be transported to their respective destinations.

In Sidney, SCTF # 57: Oklahoma, Idaho, Mississippi, cruiser Pensacola and Vincennes under Rear Admiral Arden forms up to provide cover for Guinea Fowl.

The best laid plans of mice and men…

The pig boat was old, smelly, dirty and completely inadequate for tropical front line service, or any service, but as far as lieutenant commander Laing’s concern went, it was his boat, his first command and, adequate or not, he was taking her into combat.

She is on the surface at night, her batteries already charged. The eastern sky begins to lighten and soon the boat will submerge for another fruitless day of patrolling.

“Captain on the bridge!” One of the lookouts spotted something.

The skipper looks at the western horizon. Yes, there is something there, something big. Coming his way.
He cannot believe his eyes as a city rushes towards him, a bone in its teeth. His submarine, dwarfed by the enormity that’s coming towards him.

He sets up the shot. He cannot miss at this distance, or at this angle.

"Fire one! Fire two! Fire Three,
Dive! Dive! Dive!"

Three explosions shake the old boat.

“We got her!”

Then come the depth charges. The Japs are mighty pissed and want revenge.

Hours later, SS S-30 comes to periscope depth. The sea is empty.

“Have torpedoed Battleship Yamato, 3 torpedo hits. Sunk.”

SS-S-30 returns to the depths to complete its patrol.

In Pearl Harbor, the teletypes transcribe the contact report.

“Lazarus returning from the dead,” Nimitz says when he reads the report, “Good thing we killed him again.”

The irony of the comment is not lost on his aides.

Yamato was leading a bombardment force to harass the marines at Shortlands. Without the big battleship’s guns CA Maya, CL Kitakani and CL Nagara approach the base. In a duel with the coastal guns, Maya suffers 3 hits, Kitakani one and Nagara 2.

“Tell Arden to wait for Mitscher’s carriers before he commits the forces for Guinea Fowl,” Nimitz orders before retiring.







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< Message edited by kaleun -- 2/14/2012 6:45:14 PM >

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Post #: 155
RE: Halsey too. - 2/17/2012 7:19:29 PM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		November 17th 42

There is something strange, unusual, happening in the outskirts of Colombo. The sound of earthmoving machinery, concrete trucks, and shovels and picks is absent. The city’s fortifications, the location of frantic at first and steady building later are quiet.
The British command has decreed that, after achieving sixth level, there is no need to increase their strength any further as the IJN is not deemed capable of mounting an assault on the island anymore.

Far to the East, at Lunga in Guadalcanal, Major General Willis H. Hale looks on the busy harbor through his binoculars. Cargo ships unload a never ending stream of supplies, food, building materials, beans, guns, ammo; all the things that make war possible. He frowns a little seeing a different, never ending stream of small wooden boats, out of place in this military and naval outpost. They bring a different cargo and belong to a different people.
The natives, a group of men and women that have withstood the Japanese and the allies, like they did with the evangelical preachers that came before them. Like the coconuts on the beach, they let the hurricane winds blow over them, bending in the gale but, after it is over, remaining standing where stronger trees are but lumber on the sand.
Now they come bringing, in their pangas, fruit, coconuts, that supplement the GIs diet. The local trees have been stripped of their fruit long ago. Sometimes they bring a little information about what the enemy is doing, information that is never trustworthy and seldom timely. They also bring small black pigs; his mouth waters at the memory of the last squealer he ate not two days ago, at a luau with some other staff officers. They leave with cigarettes, beer and other stuff the soldiers are so good at liberating from his storage depots.

One of those Pangas is entering the harbor as he looks on. A little sturdier than usual, it sits low in the water, burdened by its load of pigs and, he notices, a white man in the center of the canoe.

He watches the native craft as it enters deeper into the anchorage. He sees the stout man sitting in the center of the boat, the tattered remnants of a naval shirt clinging to his chest.

“Truck me!” he says, amazed.
Then he runs to the pier.

“Admiral,” he salutes, “we thought you were dead.”

Admiral William ‘Bull’ Halsey stands up, leaning on a native crutch.
“The news of my death has been greatly exaggerated.”

“Tell me, how goes the war.”



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Sun Tzu

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Post #: 156
RE: Halsey too. - 2/28/2012 7:11:44 PM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		November 18 1942

The news spreads like wildfire. Halsey is back! After being blown out of his bridge by an enemy bomb, he drifted, unconscious, saved by his life jacket. He landed on a small island of the Solomon chain, with numerous scratches and a broken leg but otherwise not much worse for the wear. A native found him and dragged him to his village where the healer splinted his leg and attended to his wounds. When he was finally able to travel, he was transported from village to village, by canoe or panga, until they finally delivered him to the US Navy at Lunga.

His stay was brief, catching the first Catalina back to Luganville where he expected to resume his command of the US Navy’s only carrier task force.

At the northern tip of Sumatra, a world away, an air battle rages on for the control of the air. Eleven Oscars sweep and are met by 24 Hurricanes and 18 P40s. The aircraft dogfight for interminable minutes and, when all is said and done, and the machines retire, low in fuel and ammunition, one Oscar fails to return to the enemy. Throughout the morning, in dribs and drabs, enemy fighters come, are met and withdraw. Two more Oscars fall in flaming spirals to the ground, and two P40E are also lost.

And then, the surprise. A large strike is detected approaching. All the available fighters, ten Hurricanes and 8 P40Es scramble to find the sky filled with enemy machines. The allied fighters burn in to engage the enemy cover. Zeros! Twelve of them. Two zeros fall in flames to the allied machine guns as does a single Hurricane. The allied fighters splash two torpedo bombers and one Val. Unfortunately there are 12 more Kate and 25 more Vals that push through the CAP. Two AKs unloading at the harbor are struck, one 4 times and the other three. Fortunately no torpedoes find their targets.

The evening raid swats the fighters aside and the enemy Kate hit xAK Oregonian with two torpedoes. 42 Kate bomber attacked. The enemy lost one Zero fighter. 1 bomber and 14 were damaged.




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Post #: 157
RE: Halsey too. - 5/30/2012 3:56:59 AM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		After a long delay, the war has advanced a little and we can resume.


November 19th 1942.

Halsey arrived at Luganville and stepped off the Catalina flying boat that brought him in. At the pier, a young ensign escorted him to a waiting Jeep and drove him to the SWPAC headquarters. As soon as he entered, and after the official courtesies had been exchanged, an officer handed him a sealed envelope. He knew, of course what the envelope’s content was. He had deciphered it himself.

From: COMPAC
To :Vice Adm William Halsey.

RE: Command of Carrier force 1

Upon receipt proceed soonest Pearl Harbor. Do not repeat not assume command of Carrier force 1. VAdm Mitscher to remain command Carrier force. End. Nimitz.

Since the signals officer had taken the precaution of ordering all enlisted men and junior officers out of the room prior to handing Halsey his orders, there were no other witnesses to the Admiral’s response, and he’s not telling.

Halsey looked out of the window, his hands clenched into fists. At the horizon, he saw what had to be ships approaching. He picked up a pair of binoculars and raised them to his eyes. Carriers, two of them and a slew of escorts. He put the binoculars down and stepped out of the office.

Hornet tied down to the pier late at night. Already, hoses fed aviation and bunker fuel to the thirsty carrier while a few aircraft were transferred on board to replace the few loses suffered on the recent campaign. Mitscher closed his sea bag and hid it behind his desk. He’d heard on the radio about Halsey’s reappearance and this was confirmed by blinkers when the task force approached the anchorage. He had no illusions about William Bull Halsey allowing him to continue in command of the carriers. The ship’s speakers announced the arrival of Adm Halsey on board. He stepped out on the quarterdeck.

Halsey exchanged salutes with his fellow admiral.

“The rumors of my demise have been wildly exaggerated,” he said.

“We were so happy to hear you were OK.”

“I came to wish you good luck,” Halsey said, “Nimitz wants me at Pearl, so there I go. Go hit them.”

And he turned around and went down the gangway.

Far away, in Colombo, the 18th British Division begins prepping for Sabang. When transports will be available is a different question.



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Post #: 158
RE: Halsey too. - 5/30/2012 8:55:14 AM   
1275psi

 

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yamato

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Post #: 159
RE: Halsey too. - 6/30/2012 5:22:25 PM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		November 20th 1942

The air battle over Sabang rages on. An enemy carrier task force appears in the vicinity and is promptly attacked by 5 Blenheims with eleven P40-E escorts. The enemy CAP of 2 Claudes and 5 A6M2 destroys 5 P-40s and damages 2 bombers; 5 Blenheims attack CV Shokaku and miss. Carrier aircraft from Shokaku and its consorts attack shipping at Sabang. The old Battleship Valiant falls to 4 torpedoes and 9 bimbs; other ships are also in for punishment. DD Vendetta 1 bomb, DD Banckert 2, and the transports did worse: xAK Montgomery sinks after 10 bomb strikes, xAK Toendjek sinks from a single torpedo, xAK Harper falls to three enemy bombs.


Later, 4 Blenheims and 6 Hurricanes find the carriers and barrel in through 2 Zeros to attack CVL Ryujo and miss. An unescorted flight of 3 Blenheims finds Zuikaku and attacks missing again


A later Japanese attack further damages the ships in harbor and DD Vendetta is ordered scuttled.




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Post #: 160
RE: Halsey too. - 6/30/2012 5:32:03 PM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		.November 21st. Guinea Fowl. D Day.

The first part of operation Guinea Fowl launches with air raids by carrier aircraft against Rabaul in an effort to neutralize the enemy airfield.
Mitscher orders the surface forces to precede the carriers in an effort to lure out any enemy surface forces present. The report of the resurrected and re-sunk Yamato must be foremost on his mind.





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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
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Post #: 161
RE: Halsey too. - 6/30/2012 5:45:50 PM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		November 22 1042. D Day plus 1


An enemy task force consisting of: BB Haruna, BB Kongo, CA Furutaka, Atago, Takao, CL Jintsu, and seven destroyer escorts are identified by SS KVIII near Makassar. What the intention is remains unknown. The Dutch submarine comes under attack by the escorts and suffers one hit.

The 2nd Marine raider battalion landed in Ocean Island and captured the undefended base.

The 30th Australian Brigade, 20th RAAF Base Force and 2nd Australian Heavy AA Regiment landed at Lae in the first amphibious attack of operation Guinea Fowl.

November 23 42.

Battleships Missouri and Idaho, Oklahoma and California together with heavy cruisers Vincennes, SLC, Pensacola and others bombard Lae supporting the Australian attack. The Japanese defenders repel the first allied assault on the base.

An enemy task force appears west of New Britain. Mitscher orders the carriers to advance and intercept.







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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu

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Post #: 162
RE: Halsey too. - 7/1/2012 4:02:45 PM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		November 24 42. The Battle of Cape Gloucester.

The battlewagons pound enemy positions at Lae. Recon finds an enemy surface task force approaching from the north and Mitscher orders a full out attack. 15 F4Fs escort a large raid of 62 SBD3s and 24 TBF-1. The dive-bombers and torpedo bombers barrel into the enemy task force. 11 Dauntless are damaged by enemy flak and 2 are lost. Only one Avenger suffers flak damage. In exchange, CA Ashigara takes one bomb hit, Maya 2, CL Yubari eats a torpedo, CL Tatsuta one bomb, CL Natori two and Kuma 3, DD Yugano also gets hit by a bomb.

Later in the day, Mitchser’s carriers manage only to scramble 18 dive bombers that score one additional hit on Yubari and two on Kuma.

The enemy task force turns around and heads back to Truk. Mitscher orders his carriers to pursue.

As an afterthought, Lae falls to the allied attack and its defenders surrender.









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Post #: 163
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 7/2/2012 9:35:08 AM   
1275psi

 

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I like the AAR mate.

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Post #: 164
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 7/2/2012 3:33:50 PM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		November 25th 42.

Allied carrier aircraft find and sink CL Yubari; CL Natori takes another bomb hit but still floats.

In Java, the last allied forces surrender while in Cebu the Filipino defenders still hold out against all odds.

27th Division, her mission complete is ordered back to Espiritu Santo.

CV Illustrious arrives in San Diego and enters dry dock.



November 26th 42

The focus of attention now shifts to Sumatra where allied aircraft attack enemy forces SE of Sabang. The enemy air forces are reinforced by naval Zero fighters.
Japanese forces land at the tiny outpost of Parekasan, just offshore Java.


November 27th 42

27th Infantry, finally embarked at Darwin, departs for Luganville.



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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu

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Post #: 165
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 7/2/2012 5:05:16 PM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		November 26th 42

The focus of attention now shifts to Sumatra where allied aircraft attack enemy forces SE of Sabang. The enemy air forces are reinforced by naval Zero fighters.
Japanese forces land at the tiny outpost of Parekasan, just offshore Java.

November 27th 42

27th Infantry, finally embarked at Darwin, departs for Luganville.

November 30 42
5 Marauders attack Rabaul airfield. Faced with 12 Zeros on CAP, they fail to achieve any hits on the target and suffer 2 aircraft lost.

Mitschell’s carriers arrive at Luganville. The airgroups take replacement aircraft and pilots while the task force disbands in port. Ships due for upgrades set sail for Sidney to refit.

December 1st.
Macassar port hit by B26s out of Timor. Tarawa has now a functioning small airfield. Sabang’s port achieves size 3 which will allow faster unloading of supplies and reinforcements in that dangerous place.
Gen MacArthur travels to Pearl for the Pacific Command Conference.


_____________________________

Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
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Post #: 166
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 7/2/2012 5:46:35 PM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		December 2nd 1942. Pearl Harbor.

Events in the war, minor issues, like the allied evacuation of Canton Island, its base now unneeded, or the allied occupation of undefended bases adjacent to Lae take second stage to the meeting at the COMPAC headquarters. Present are Gen Douglas MacArthur, Admiral Nimitz, Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, Admiral Halsey, and several other brass. The only item on the agenda: How to conduct the next year of the war.
A smart naval captain makes a fast presentation:

“The options are as follows:

1 Southern Plan.
A: Advance along the Timor-Flores-Soerabaja line and liberate Java. This requires the invasion of Kendari and Macassar to protect the northern flank of the invasion forces.
B: Seize Kendari and Macassar and from Macassar invade Balikpapan in Borneo.
The Pros of the Southern Plan are that it seizes the oilfields at Java and East Borneo early. The cons are that the invading forces are always within escorted land based air range of enemy airbases and that the Japanese can still operate with the oil from Sumatra, Brunei and Mirin.

2 New Guinea Arrow.
Push along the New Guinea north shore to seize Mindanao, Manado, Tenate and Tarakan and, from these bases, invade Luzon.”

MacArthur moves to speak but Nimitz holds up his hand.
“Let’s hear all of it first Doug.”
The captain continues unfazed.
“Pros, most of the land bases needed are already on our hands and need only be expanded; in addition we can still attack and seize Borneo if it is deemed necessary. The cons are that Peleliu and Truk must be taken otherwise the right flank will be completely exposed.”

3 Central Push.
Take the Marshall Islands and from there the Marianas. Truk can be taken or neutralized as well as Peleliu. From the Marianas or Western New Guinea, Mindanao and the Philippines can then be liberated. The Pros are the same as for NG arrow. The cons are that this would require a degree of naval superiority that we cannot expect until late in 1943 at the earliest. The vast distances involved also make it difficult for ships damaged in battle to get repaired promptly.”

MacArthur jumps up as soon as the captain finishes his presentation, “Obviously the New Guinea advance is the best option, the air bases can create a protected corridor along the shoreline where convoys can move unimpeded, and we already have the bases.”

Halsey and other admirals shake their heads, “That would be very risky and it would immobilize our naval air assets,”

“We can use army air medium bombers to protect the corridor,” MacArthur interjected.

“Only naval air assets have been shown able to hit ships predictably, especially warships,” Halsey said.

“What would the navy do then?” asked Frank Knox.

Nimitz and the naval brass show a preference for the third option, seize the lightly defended Marshalls, as expeditiously as possible and, once the resources are in place, embark on the invasion of the Marianas. The prospect of having the three, soon to be four, Marine divisions mired in land combat in the Philippines definitely unpalatable. Also unpalatable is to risk the only two fleet carriers available in the restricted waters around Timor, with all the enemy bases crawling with torpedo carrying G4M Betties.

“We need some victories, soon, to placate the home front, to inspire the public,” the secretary of the Navy said.

The meeting dismissed, the collected brass left to their offices, a distinguishable smirk present on MacArthur’s lips.

The memo calls for an immediate expansion of all airbases along the northern New Guinea coast, and preparations for an invasion of Mindanao by the army, and of Truk and Peleliu by the Navy. This to be accomplished by the fall of 1943.







_____________________________

Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu

(in reply to kaleun)
Post #: 167
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 7/3/2012 10:30:06 PM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		December 3rd 1943.

The 30th Australian brigade begins loading for the invasion of Salamaua.

December 4th 1943

MacArthur reads an intelligence report and smiles. He hadn’t trusted the naval brass to keep their word and he told Knox so, however one of his agents in Espiritu Santo reports that the 1/102 Infantry battalion, together with a combat engineer unit, the104th USN base force and the 251st coastal artillery battalion are loading in an amphibious task force at Luganville. Their destination is Manus in the Admiralty Islands. The base has been unoccupied for the entire war, the Japanese too uninterested to garrison it and the allies too occupied to do so. The Navy seems to have bowed to his will, helped by his close relationship with the President, and is preparing the naval corridor he needs for the invasion of the Philippines.

Back in Pearl, Nimitz responds to Halsey’s protests, “There is nothing else for us to do right now, so let him think we are playing along. Maybe the Japs will believe it too.”

Allied forces land at Salamaua.






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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu

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Post #: 168
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 7/5/2012 5:26:17 PM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		December 5 42.

The focus of attention now swings to Sabang at the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. 17 zero fighters sweep the skies over the allied base that is hurriedly being reinforced by the Brits. 30 Hurricanes contest the air and 5 zeros fall to the ground in flames at a cost of one British fighter.

16 Zeros follow and 24 Hurricanes rise to the occasion, three Zeros do not return, and two Hurricanes are lost.
10 Oscars come along and this time the enemy is more fortunate, seven Hurricanes fall versus a single Oscar. 8 Oscars return and meet 5 Hurricanes. One enemy fighter falls at no further cost to the allies.

On the ground, enemy ground forces appear at the perimeter. The British commander orders an attack for the morning.

Cebu still holds out against the Japanese invasion.

At Salamaua, the 36th Australian attacks the II/66th Naval guards and seizes the base; the Japanese withdraw into the jungles of the Owen Stanley Range where they will be left to rot.


_____________________________

Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu

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Post #: 169
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 7/9/2012 5:12:42 PM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		December 6th 1942

The allied shock attack at Sabang fails to dislodge the enemy forces that were stronger than expected.
Cebu falls and its garrison surrenders.





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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
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Post #: 170
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 7/10/2012 1:43:20 AM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		December 8th 1942
The British react to the determined Enemy presence in Sabang by hurriedly embarking the 18th British Division into Task force 28 at Colombo to ship them ASAP to Sabang.




December 10th.
Task force 28 sets sail for Sabang.

The 30th Australian brigade lands at Finschafen.

After a long and tortuous trek from the Indian ocean with multiple stops, the battered British carrier Formidable arrives at San Francisco. The Admiralty demands insistently that the ship be returned to the Royal Navy’s Atlantic theater where it is sorely needed, however its damage of 56 flotation and 33 engines preclude its return before additional repairs are done. The carrier enters dry dock and dock workers swarm over it.

Japanese forces land at Morotai.








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Post #: 171
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 7/11/2012 12:40:57 AM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		December 11th 42
Morotai taken by the enemy and Finschafen captured by the allies.

December 12th 42
Japanese forces launch a shock attack on the British/Dutch defenders at Sabang. With 3:1 odds they destroy the hastily built fortifications. The 18th Division is still 2 days steaming away. The defenders dig for the night uncertain of what will happen tomorrow.

December 13th
The expected Japanese attack at Sabang does not materialize. It seems the enemy was too disrupted after yesterday’s effort to resume the attack today. The defenders dig deeper and await the arrival of the 18th that arrives and begins unloading at the end of the day.

At Manus in the Admiralty Islands, the 1st Marine Defense battalion under Colonel Hohn Lewis lands and sets their coastal defense guns to cover possible landing sites. The engineers of the 251st construction battalion begin to clear a runway and expand the small harbor. AA guns are emplaced and the USMC AirFMFP HQ begins operations. There are no torpedoes available yet but they should arrive soon.

Just north of Soerabaja, the last Dutch garrison off Java comes under heavy Japanese attack. The Barisan Garrison resists using up the few supplies ferried in via submarine from Darwin.


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Post #: 172
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 7/17/2012 5:18:51 PM   
kaleun

 

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Japanese forces shock attack Sabang but the garrison, now reinforced by most of the 18th Division resists and inflicts an estimated 8700 casualties on the enemy at a cost of 601. The defenders take a collective big breath.
The 45th Recon regiment arrived and seized the undefended port of Medan.







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< Message edited by kaleun -- 7/17/2012 5:22:45 PM >

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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
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Post #: 173
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 7/17/2012 8:16:36 PM   
1275psi

 

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you have have him now.............

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Post #: 174
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 7/18/2012 7:56:51 PM   
kaleun

 

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Reinforced by the 18th British Division, the allies counterattack at Sabang. 26 thousand allies face about 19 thousand Japanese. Against even odds, the allies suffer 640 casualties versus a thousand for the enemy.

At Makassar, allied B26s attack shipping at the harbor. The allied pilots, inexperienced at bombing naval targets miss despite the lack of enemy fighter cover. At best, it is good training. In New Guinea, Port Moresby based dive bombers and avengers use the enemy troops at Nadzab for target practice. It isn’t worthwhile to send infantry to chase these poor b*stards yet it is not wise to let them wander by themselves and cause mischief so, the next best solution, use them to train the replacement pilots.

December 17th

Allied forces try again to dislodge the enemy from Sabang, and once more the Japanese hold at a cost of about a thousand casualties. Better prepared, the allies suffer only 300.

The combat report will read “Air operations carried out against shipping at Makassar and enemy ground forces at Nadzab.” Meaning, no one hit anything.

December 18th

Allied ground continues to press the Japanese at Sabang, slowly pushing them back, out of the town, foot by foot. The B26s switch their sights to shipping at Kendari, which they miss and the port which they hit. Japanese fighters remain absent.


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Post #: 175
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 7/21/2012 7:19:40 PM   
kaleun

 

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Status: offline 		December 19th.

The Japanese are not going to drop down and give up. A powerful naval force moves into the harbor at Sabang and wreaks havoc on the transports unloading there:

Night Time Surface Combat, near Sabang at 44,70, Range 12,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Kirishima
BB Fuso, Shell hits 1
BB Hyuga, Shell hits 3
CA Myoko
CL Yura
DD Mikazuki, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Tatsukaze

Allied Ships
DD Van Nes, Shell hits 6, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
xAP Empress ' Asia, Shell hits 6, and is sunk
xAP Duchess of Bedford, Shell hits 29, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
xAP Moreton Bay, Shell hits 14, and is sunk
xAP Devonshire, Shell hits 9, and is sunk
xAP Lancashire, Shell hits 14, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk

To add insult to injury, they follow up with a devastating barrage on the airfield. 11 hurricanes damaged, two destroyed, four P40-E damaged, one destroyed. Sundry hits on airbase, port and runway, as well as pounding on the second and 18th divisions.

All this causes the attack of the day to be less than perfectly executed; this time the Japanese inflict four hundred casualties on the allies and suffer only 180 themselves.



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Post #: 176
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 7/30/2012 6:34:13 PM   
kaleun

 

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CL Jintsu bombards again Sabang before withdrawing. The allies refrain from attacking and instead bombard the enemy positions while the infantry reorganizes and rebuilds damaged defenses.

Kendari port is bombed, again, and Makassar shipping is attacked and missed, again.

December 21st

The enemy is not willing to just give up on Sumatra. During the night, an amphibious force led by heavy cruisers Kumano and Mogami approached the base and landed reinforcements for the Japanese attackers. Allied forces counterattack but are unable to make any progress. Losses are not heavy on either side.

As for the Celebes front, shipping was attacked ineffectively in Makassar and the enemy forces at Nadzab came under attack again with little if any effect.

December 25th

Christmas day brings a nice gift for the garrison at Sabang. After watching their enemy reinforced, no action occurred for the next few days. Both sides dug in and organized, and waited. Today, they woke to the sound of big guns firing, only this time, the shells landed on the Japanese positions. A surface force led by BC Repulse, with the heavy cruisers Frobisher, Hawkins, and Devonshire fired at the 21st division, 16th Guards regiment and 42nd Infantry regiment. Few casualties were confirmed but the morale boost for the allies was significant. The allies followed up with a deliberate attack that crashed against enemy defenses. 470 allied casualties versus 110 on the Japanese side.

December 26th

The allies repeat their deliberate attack again on the Japanese forces at Sabang. This time, they are better organized or perhaps the Japanese are simply more exhausted; despite 1:2 odds, the allies score 1030 casualties at a cost of 640.

December 27th

The last bastion of Dutch rule in Java falls as the garrison at Bamekasan surrenders to the Japanese.

Over Rabaul, allied sweeps dispute air supremacy over the Japanese base; unfortunately, the F4Fs and the P40s prove unequal to the AG2M Zero Japanese fighters.





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Sun Tzu

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Post #: 177
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 8/7/2012 3:09:55 PM   
kaleun

 

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Marking time. B26s raid Kendari harbor and B17s raid Rabaul. Nothing else of significance. After a year of war Japan looks exhausted, having reached its logistical limit, while the allies struggle to maintain their extreme lines supplied. There are tons of oil and supplies in the West Coast and, to a lesser extent, at Aden, Abadan and Cape Town. The problem is to move both fuel and supplies to bases such as Colombo, Sidney, Luganville, Noumea where supplies and, especially fuel seem to disappear with astonishing velocity. A small operation can suck whole fuel farms dry. Then the ships must dock and wait for fuel to arrive; the men must wait and squat by their tents, as the supplies slowly steam over vast distances.

And then there are the carriers. There can be no major offensive operations until the new carriers arrive. Meanwhile, the Japanese are also hard at work building theirs.







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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
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Post #: 178
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 8/7/2012 3:10:59 PM   
kaleun

 

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In the dark of the night, SS Seawolf sights an enemy ship, a large troop carrier, steaming along Makassar straits. Torpedoes race towards the enemy hull and strike into its metal side; and fail to detonate. The ship changes course and steams away from our submarine, unscathed.






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Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
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Post #: 179
RE: New surface battle at Koepang. - 8/9/2012 8:12:43 PM   
kaleun

 

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Joined: 5/29/2002
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Status: offline 		December 31st 42

On the last day of the year, the 30th Australian Brigade attacks the enemy I/66 Naval guard unit at Nadzab. The enemy is defeated and flees into the forest.

Over Rabaul, deadly dogfights accompany the B17s as they strive to put the airfield out of action. Determined enemy fighters contest the skies and the results are, at best, uneven.



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Post #: 180
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