23 September 1943
Guadalcanal in US hands
Burma
The remaining PG managed to get the drop on one of the enemy subs off the Burmese coast today, dealing significant--but nonfatal--depth charge damage. It briefly picked up the 2nd but wasn't able to track it long enough to make an attack run.
Our subs spotted the enemy phibs south of Pegu and referred that info to the B-25G squadron at Magwe. The enemy had no fighter cover opposing the 9 bombers:
xAP Ussuri Maru, Shell hits 1, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Nitti Maru, Shell hits 2
AK Sagami Maru
xAK Anyo Maru
xAP Palau Maru, Shell hits 1
No troop casualties reported, so this strike came a bit late. At least we sank some of their supply.
At Prome, the enemy garrison attacked our retreating combat engineers, forcing the retreat to completion. Casualties 32 to 332 favoring them. Enemy strength appears to be a division at about half-strength.
Just south of Prome, the units we detatched from the main force drove yet more enemy troops off the roads around Rangoon. These guys retreated to Prome. Casualties 716 to 60 favoring us. We've just about cleaned up everyone now. Just Prome itself, that worthless base north of Mandalay, and the tank regiment that took Prome from me that's getting bombed in the jungle as it tries to make it's way from the west road to the east road.
Japan
In a rather frustrating choice by the skipper of USS Grenadier, 6 fish were fired at a PB escorting a tanker convoy southeast of Tokyo. 3 hit, all detonating, and sending the PB straight to the bottom. Meanwhile the tankers went on their merry way. This is further east than I've seen most of their tankers approaching Japan, so I'm adjusting some patrol routes to try to get the next convoy.
China
US P-40s shot down another Tony over Nanchang. The bombers followed unmolested.
DEI
I accidentally left one of my weakened P-38 squadrons with Sweep orders for Kendari. Got away with it--1 Nick shot down, no losses.
Marianas
USS Drum sank a PB that was on ASW patrol. It's been a long time since we've seen anything but ASW ships here--if that tanker convoy out of Tokyo doesn't end up here in a few days I'll probably send these patrols somewhere else.
Solomons
Armor support having arrived yesterday, today we attacked the enemy base at Guadalcanal in force. We immediately pushed the enemy troops off their base, although they didn't actually surrender and I don't expect that they will. Casualties 612 to 62 favoring us.
Recon had been saying 20k troops here, but our troops are saying just 9k. I wonder how much of that was due to casualties or desertions from months of bombing and isolation. Could he have snuck 10k+ soldiers out somehow?
Reinforcements
CV Bunker Hill arrives at Balboa (lots of rookie pilots, and reserves are depleted due to losses in the DEI. It may be awhile before I can really deploy this ship)
DD Murray arrives at Eastern USA
DD Swanson arrives at Balboa
71st RG/17th RS arrives at Eastern USA
71st RG/82nd RS arrives at Eastern USA
418th NFS arrives at Eastern USA
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