24 January 1944
Makassar shelled overnight--airbase in ruins; Kido Butai transiting Makassar Strait?
DEI
An enemy heavy task force centered around the battleships Kongo and Haruna (2 BB, 1 CA, 4 CL, 8 DD) laid waste to the airbase at Makassar. We tried to fight back with PT boats but just ended up with 2 sunk and no hits on the enemy. 33 aircraft were destroyed on the ground, most of the rest are disabled, and the base itself is at nearly 100% damage.
We did some shelling of our own; Arizona and New Mexico are back at it in Kendari, causing 100 casualties.
Aircraft from Salajar got airborne to try to strike the enemy ships, and did locate an enemy task force in the Makassar Strait... which was probably the KB. There were 134 Zeroes on CAP along 47 Georges (maybe from Balikpapan?), against just one USMC squadron of Corsairs and SBDs. We were lucky to get by with just one Corsair shot down along with one Zero, but the SBDs (18 of them) were wiped out.
So... this looks like the bombardment group kicked the door open and the KB walked through. We have hundreds of aircraft based around the Celebes Sea, though, and he's not going to be able to shell them all. I don't see the point of sending carriers right up with middle like this...
Other raids:
Surabaya (airbase and port): 1 B-24 shot down by flak, 8 airbase hits
Kendari (ground forces): 4 casualties
China
Enemy night raids:
Wenchow: 1 airbase hit
Hong Kong: 1 Sally shot down by defending Beaufighters (night fighter variants). No damage.
Allied raids:
near Hankow (ground forces): 84 casualties
Philippines
9 Beaufighters from Amoy tried to attack an ASW group in the Luzon Strait. They were intercepted by 3 Zeroes, but the Zeroes got the worst of it with one shot down and the rest routed. However, the Beaufighters failed to score any hits; their accuracy apparently compromised by thunderstorms.
other Air raids
Iloilo (airbase): 1 B-24 shot down by flak; 5 airbase hits
Burma and Thailand
Air raids:
"eastern road" (ground forces): 77 casualties
Reinforcements
AO Broomdale arrives at Aden
2nd USMC Amphb Tank Battalion arrives at San Diego
853rd Engineer Aviation Battalion arrives at Calcutta
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