12 December 1941
Force Z goes down fighting, and Japan captures Hong Kong.
Malaya
After its failed hit-and-run attempt on Kuching on the 10th, Force Z was ready for another attempt on the forces landing in Kuantan. They hit two of the damaged transports that survived the Vildebeest raid yesterday, causing a similar mass-casualty defeat. But the covering force spotted Force Z and engaged:
Japanese Ships
BB Kongo, Shell hits 1
BB Haruna, Shell hits 18, on fire
CA Takao, Shell hits 2, on fire
CA Atago, Shell hits 2, on fire
CL Jintsu
DD Asashio, Shell hits 2, heavy fires
DD Oshio
DD Michishio, Shell hits 1
DD Arashio, Shell hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Akatsuki, Shell hits 3, heavy fires
DD Hibiki
DD Shikinami
DD Ayanami
DD Asagiri, Shell hits 1
Allied Ships
BB Prince of Wales, Shell hits 33, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
BC Repulse, Shell hits 1
CL Danae, Shell hits 10, and is sunk
CL Mauritius, Shell hits 2
DD Vampire, Shell hits 1
DD Vendetta
DD Tenedos
DD Electra, Shell hits 11, on fire, heavy damage
DD Express, Shell hits 16, heavy fires, heavy damage
It had been a pretty even fight until that torpedo hit the Prince of Wales. The PoW wasn't nearly as accurate after that and the shelling became mostly one-sided. She sank shortly after this engagement. An enemy submarine intercepted the damaged Electra and Express, but they still had some fight left in them and managed to damage the sub with depth charges and drive it off. Both wounded ships sank before reaching Singapore. The rest actually made it back to Singapore, but the airstrike we've been dreading finally caught up with them. The defending Buffalos were overwhelmed by Zeroes and Oscars. 34 Nell and Betty bombers got through, scoring 5 torpedo hits on Repulse. Even if it doesn't sink, repairs will take months--and Singapore isn't going to be in my hands for months.
My air forces attempted a few raids today, but didn't get great results. I lost 2 Hudsons and a Blenheim bombing Kota Baru in exchange for some light facility damage. My torpedo bombers made another attempt on ships near Kuantan, but got separated into two groups, one with escorting Buffalos, the other without. We lost 6 Vildebeests and didn't manage to get any hits. The Japanese finally made landfall at Kuantan.
A little bit to the south, my ASW force finally caught up with those damn subs and damaged one of them with depth charges. One of the braggart captains is claiming he sunk it--I call BS.
Luzon
USS Tarpon intercepted a troop convoy south of Taiwan and sank a minelayer, while on the other side of the Strait, USS Sculpin put 3 fish into a troop-carrying cargo ship. I tried to get the British PTs back into the fight, but it looks like they're just too well prepared at this point. They were driven off again. Likewise, a PT squadron made a run at an ARG landing on the east side of Luzon, but was cut off by a pair of destroyers. But, with those destroyers occupied, the S-41 snuck by and torpedoed an AKL, and the Porpoise shelled another on the surface.
In the Sulu sea, the Japanese landed troops at Puerto Princesa, which I've been using as a seaplane base.
Japan focused on Lingayen this turn, pounding it with medium bombers before a decisive ground assault. We lost about 4,000 soldiers there, with survivors retreating to Clark. A smaller force took the abandoned base at Iba, and a few Betties made a naval attack in Manila harbor, destroying one of the minesweepers on ASW duty. Aerial losses on both sides were light: 3 P-26s for us and a Betty for them.
Celebes and Java Seas
"CVL #2" wasn't the Taiyo. It was the Soryu!
The second of the surface forces (CA, CL, 4DD) I sent in to interdict enemy ARGs around Manado and Ternate intercepted the Soryu and its pitiful escort of 4 DDs. Or maybe not so pitiful, those damn IJN destroyers got the job done! Soryu was only hit 3 times, and only one of those 3 hits did major damage. After shaking my task force off, Soryu launched airstrikes, their Zeroes laughing at the few Dutch Buffalos trying to play defense, and scoring a torpedo hit on USS Boise; Boise's gunners shot down one Kate.
Apparently bored of Luzon, they sent 27 Nell bombers all the way down here to bomb Cagayan airbase, which was staging P-35s that were trying to protect my surface forces here. The P-35s were not up to the task of defending their own base and the airfield took moderate damage.
I bombed the troops landing in Ternate with B-17s from the north and Dutch 139WH-3s from the south. It wasn't enough--Ternate is now in enemy hands.
Further south, the Ryujo CVBG turned east and sank a seaplane tender near Bima. Just as well, if they went towards Surabaya I'm sure my untrained attack pilots would have embarrassed themselves trying to hit it.
In Tarakan, one of my cargo ships hit a mine. Gotta give him credit, this was a good place for a sub-laid minefield. There's significant traffic here during the general retreat, it doesn't start with a minesweeper, and his sending carriers through the Makassar Strait delayed the arrival of minesweepers from the south.
China
Hong Kong has fallen. This appears to be a major success for my opponent as the historical capture date was 25 December. I hope this means he committed substantially more ground forces; but I suspect it was the concentration of light bombers that made the difference.
There were other scattered raids in China, but the one that probably matters was in the Chengdu area, because I had also noticed ground forces advancing there. This may signal an offensive.
I made a land attack on Ichang but failed to capture it. The city has significant fortifications. I outnumber the defenders by about 3-to-1, but I lack engineers to bring down the forts and my supply situation isn't great. It might be better if I just let this go.
Everywhere else
-The Soryu-less KB humiliated the USAAF over Pearl some more with another series of Sweeps that saw the Zeroes again controlling the skies. It cost them 6 Zeroes; we lost 4 P-40s, a P-36, and 2 USMC F4Fs. While embarrassing, I suspect this is to my benefit. His shot down pilots aren't making it back, and they're probably the best he has. At least some of mine are bailing out and getting another plane.
-Midway isn't a feint. One of my subs headed for Japan came across an invasion fleet. There isn't much I can do about this.
-Japanese destroyers raided the harbor at Suva, Fiji, and sank a minesweeper.
-My Marines on Wake finished off their Japanese counterparts.
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Missing my chance at the Soryu was both frustrating and relieving. If he had burned himself that badly this early in the war I'd feel bad. But my forces in the area are in disarray after those strikes. Everything he has is pulling out to the east while the Ryujo looks like its ready to come through the island chain from the south. So, him going that deep wasn't as crazy as I thought it was (at least if you don't think a 4DD escort for a fleet carrier isn't crazy).
