Part 33: Operational Report: 08/01/42

Task Force 401, the one that I sent out from Darwin a few days ago, arrives in Namlea, opposite our base of Ambon. There they find a destroyer protecting a patrol boat and a freighter.



Massively outnumbered, the enemy ships have no chance against our forces. And no sooner had they finished off this force than they were amongst another, this time a slightly larger one. The Allied fire was extremely accurate, and both the enemy destroyers were on fire before they even got a chance to respond to the guns of our ships.



It was almost like the enemy were lining them up for us, as yet another force was discovered and attacked.



But the enemy had something special in the area, as the battleship Kongo sailed to the rescue of her destroyers, TF401 engaged, but when the Marblehead took a hit to the bridge that left her burning, it was decided to withdraw. Smoke could be seen coming from the Kongo, but the Allied force had come off worse from this engagement.



We need those P40's in Port Moresby as soon as possible, as the enemy are slaughtering our transports.



The Barrosa is sunk in an afternoon raid.

Over Kuantan, our long range CAP does another sterling job of disrupting an enemy attack.



While to the west the two hundred men of the Gurkha battalion that had been defending Kuala Lumpa are captured by the advancing enemy.

The enemy carrier raids Samarinda and her planes manage to shoot down one of the old B-33's defending the port.



In northern Borneo, the enemy continue to advance southwards towards Pontianak, continuing to pursue the defenders of Singjawang.



The enemy also continue to occupy the land around Guadalcanal, taking another prime bit of real estate in the area.





Over Rangoon, the enemy strike another of our supply convoys. We lose one ship and have another badly damaged, for the loss of one enemy plane.








While continuing their normal daily bombardments, the enemy also launched a viscous attack on our defenders of Kaifen near Chenchow. This attack staggered our men, forcing them to retreat with heavy losses.



Another attack outside Canton cost them 154 men for 64 of our own lost, and is indicative of most of the daily battle around the theatre.






The air is quiet today over Luzon, but the enemy push hard at Clark Field, forcing the defenders to abandon more of their defences to their advance.










We've done okay today, TF401 getting hit by a battleship was not in the plan, but we've sunk a good number of enemy ships today



Although points wise, we're behind, we have many transports, I'm sure the enemy can't afford to lose three destroyers.



We also get confirmation that the enemy is planning an attack on Rangoon, the 15th army will soon be, or already is, advancing on our defenders there. While we have no idea how many troop this will be, the fact that their called an army means that it will be a good number.





TF401 is returning to Darwin in a state, they have detected the destroyers John D. Edwards and Paul Jones to Ambon, as they are to heavily damaged to keep up with the main force.




The rest of my work this turn is logistical. Although I do get another unit of Australians who I've ordered to Soerabaja to bolster the defences there.