Part 332: Operational Report: 03/11/42

The Battleships start to soften up Rossel Island, but cause no reported casualties – I'm going to be annoyed if this island is empty as well. But the report says there is at least one Base Force present.



A Japanese sub makes a pass at our carriers, but the destroyer captains are awake, and they report several hits on their target.



Our CAP above the Milne bay force is only three planes, who wisely get the hell out of there when they see the thirty fighters coming at them.



The Kate's make a run against our carriers, only one gets through the fighters screen.



Of course, its a British ship that takes the hit.

That evening, the invasion force arrives at Rossel Island.



They add their own fire to the mornings attack by the battleships, then land the troops. The Japanese launch a frenzied counterattack on our few men we have ashore, but are unable to dislodge the Australians, despite their much higher numbers.







Two raids are spotted over Cox's Bazar, but they cause no damage.







At Darwin, the Japanese manage to get some important hits on the runway, but lose some planes anyway.







The Japanese make their attack at Sinyang, which we mow down at a rate.



We then follow it with our own attack, which gets cut down in turn, but tells us that the Japanese forces have nearly half our numbers, and their men are by and large less experienced than ours.



At Chengchow, the Japanese launch an attack on our forces.



My jaw nearly hits the floor, their force of 50,000 men attacks our 64,000 men, and the battle is bloody beyond anything we've seen in a long, long time.







Those losses in China are something the Japanese cannot sustain, I'm amazed they even made that attack. I'm ordering a deliberate attack on them, to see if we can make the most of their disorientated state.



There is little other planning to do today, the troops should be landing at Lunga tomorrow, lets hope they can make a difference.