28 December 1941
Mosquitos bite an elephant
CENTPAC
PT boats from Pearl hit forces landing at Lihue, scoring single torpedo hits on 3 transports. I probably sunk one, maybe two. The PT boats retreated without casualties.
Dutch East Indies
My retreating transports were continually attacked throughout the day as the entered the Ceram Sea, first by pursuing warships, then land based Betties, and finally by the CVLBG's kates. The bomb-equipped aircraft had no trouble hitting crippled transports. I lost two transports, a destroyer, and two minesweepers. This evac hop is a failure--all that's left are destroyers.
The CVLBG also took out 3 local minesweepers protecting island bases.
I got some payback after spotting a target of opportunity on the west side of Borneo--he got a little overconfident and sent an ARG beyond the strong covering forces further north. "Force Y" (comprised of 1 CA, 4 CL, 2 DD) was already leaving Sumatra and didn't have to go far out of its way. We caught a task force of 7 transports, 2 light cruisers, an APD, and 3 light combattants. The CL Ceres did not fare well--it attracted gunfire that its armor was able to take, but two torpedoes left the ship crippled. But it was a slaughter on the other side. My ships torpedoed nearly every transport. Three sank while still in contact with us, 2 more are likely to sink, and another was damaged. The APD was crippled by naval gunfire. One CL was moderately damaged, the other lightly, along with two of the light escorts. Unfortunately, it does not appear that these ships had troops aboard at the time, so all I really accomplished here was making him call in more ships to pick up the marines already ashore.
Malaya
His bombers are now focusing on Singapore's ground forces. It's costing them some planes, I think our gunners had 5 confirmed kills today, and at least 20 more went home full of holes (some % of which surely crashed later or will need to be scrapped). Buffalos added a Zero and a couple Sallies. Our attempted raid on ships at Kuantan cost a Buffalo and two Blenhiem bombers.
I'm in desperate need of Recon in Malaya. I have about a division's worth of troops caught in the middle from Kuala Lumpur to Malacca. They won't be able to engage the main force that's about to hit Singapore. But I don't think he has enough in Malaya to take Singapore while also holding his landing sites--something has to be relatively unprotected right now.
Philippines
They've taken Manila. But my dumbass retreating troops went to Mauban instead of Clark, where most of the rest of my troops are, and which has a valid retreat to the Bataan peninsula. I didn't want my troops divided! Well, I guess they can heal up there with captured supplies and try to threaten to retake Manila if they move away from it