Philippines

The Philippine Islands got a round of harassments coordinated with the Hawaiian attacks. Catalina flying boats reported alot of Japanese shipping activity Southwest of Formosa heading in the direction of the Philippine Islands. One Catalina was shot down by Japanese fighters.

Batan Island

Multiple sightings of aircraft overhead and Catalinas from various airfields spotted ships near here. Shortly there after, ships were seen on the horizon to the west. The amphibious landing was, for the most part, unopposed.

The Japanese captured Batan Island to be a forward operating base for short-legged fighters to fly escort on attacks on Luzon.

Luzon

Iba

Units at Iba, on Luzon, spotted various Japanese Aircraft in the skies in the early morning. One was said to be a Mitsubishi Ki-15 Karigane if it was an army plane or a navy version C5M2 Type 97 codenamed ‘Babs’ by the US forces.

In the clear morning skies over Iba, an inbound flight of 37 Zeroes and 54 Betties was spotted about 5 minutes out. The only aircraft in the sky was Captain Villamor of the 6th Patrol Squadron out of Batangas, South of Manilla. Capt. Villamor was flying an open cockpit P-26A Peashooter built in 1932. Nevertheless to say, his Peashooter was shot down…but he bailed out and was rescued. He will be in the hospital for a while.

The Betty bombers dropped two 250kg GP bombs and four 60kg GP bombs each from 23,000ft. Didn’t hit a whole lot from that altitude. Only about a dozen bombs did damage to anything strategic.

  • – 24th PG/3rd PS will move to Bataan as planes are repaired.
  • – 31st PA Infantry Division will make a move to Lingayen.

Bataan

  • – Base personnel to expand fortifications and airfield facilities.
  • – S-36, an S-18 class (Holland Type) submarine, to be sent out to patrol northwest of Formosa.
  • – VP-102 to move to Batangas to move PAF Aviation to Iloilo.

Clark Field

Clark Field was still asleep when the few who were awake started seeing Japanese aircraft overhead (Mainly those around the communications areas that were starting to hear about Pearl Harbor.) Radar spotted a raid about 40 miles out and sent three Peashooters and one Tomahawk were airborne to check it out.

The raid comprised of 25 Zero escorts, 27 Nell bombers and 27 Betty bombers approaching at about 25,000ft. The American fighters had to climb from 10,000ft, which gave the Zeros even more of an advantage. Two of the three Peashooters and the one Tomahawk were shot down. The other Peashooter managed to run.

The raid came on in but were dropping their bombs from 23,000ft, so they didn’t really hit a whole lot. Of the 108 250kg GP bombs and 216 60kg GP bombs dropped, only about half dozen hit runways and less than that hit anything else of strategic value.

After lunch, another raid was spotted about 100 miles out at 28,000ft. Pearl had not gotten an afternoon follow-up raid, so the powers that be were assuming that they would not get one either so no fighters were up on patrol at this time. Figures.

Nine Nells escorted by 25 zeros came in. I guess the Japanese were assuming they would run into combat air patrols…

This raid did a little more damage. They dropped from 23,000ft also but, out of the 54 bombs dropped. they managed to hit runways with 6 of them and destroyed one Tomahawk and 1 P-35A. They damaged one Tomahawk, eight P-35As and two B-17D Flying Fortresses. Historical note: The P-35A was the first fighter the US developed with an all metal construction, closed cockpit and retractable landing gear. The Swedish Air Force actually used this fighter until 1952…wow. It also has a distinction of being the only American produced airplane to be in legitimate service by the Japanese during the war. The Japanese ordered 20 two-seat versions and they had been delivered before the US government embargoed sales to foreign militaries.

  • – Build fortifications.
  • – Move 19th BG, flying B-17D Fortresses, to Cagayan on Mindanao as planes are repaired.
  • – Far East USAAF and 24th PG/HQ Squadron to disband into the 20th squadron and reconstitute in 3 months.
  • – Set 24th PG/20th PS to fly CAP.
  • – 2nd OS, flying O-47As, will conduct naval search.

Manila

Personnel will commence to beefing up the fortifications around the area.

Airgroups

  • – 5th PhS PAAC, flying Beech Model 18s, to begin training for naval search.
  • – 24th PG/17th PS and 35th PG/21st PS to begin CAP duties.
  • – VP-101 and VP-102 Det to do naval search.
  • – VJ-10 Det A to ASW.

Ground Units

  • – Set USAFFE command to move to Bataan.
  • – 1st USMC AA Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 3rd/45th PS Inf Battalion, 57th PS Infantry Regimental Combat Team and Asiatic Fleet already moving toward Bataan.
  • – 1st PA Constabulary Regiment moving towards Clark Field.
  • – 91st PA Infantry Division already moving towards Cabanatuan.
  • – 71st PA Infantry Division and 2nd PA Constabulary Regiment to stay put in Manila with the base forces.

Submarines

Four S-18 class boats, laid down in 1918-19, will be sent out to patrol around Luzon.

  • – S-37 to patrol west of Luzon.
  • – S-38 to patrol north of Luzon.
  • – S-40 will patrol west of Batan Island.
  • – S-41 to patrol east of Samar.

The U.S. Navy’s two Porpoise class boats.

  • – USS Porpoise to patrol around the Pecadores.
  • – USS Pike to patrol southeast of Kyushu.

The U.S. Navy’s two Shark class submarines.

  • – USS Shark will patrol the north Borneo coast. (Historical note: USS Shark is believed to have been sunk by Japanese destroyer Yamakaze in February, 1942.)
  • – USS Tarpon will lay mines at Lingayen, then go patrol around the Busuanga Gap.

Three Perch class boats. They were officially registered as Porpoise class but, starting with USS Perch, their beam and displacement changed.

  • – USS Perch to patrol the Batan Gap.
  • – USS Permit to patrol around Peleliu.
  • – USS Pickerel to lay mines at Laoang, then go patrol in the Sulu Sea.

All six of the Salmon class boats.

  • – USS Salmon will patrol east of the Batan Gap.
  • – USS Seal will patrol west of the Batan Gap.
  • – USS Skipjack will lay mines at Aparri, then patrol around Okinawa (Historical note for your entertainment reading: The Battle for Toilet Paper: USS Skipjack.)
  • – USS Snapper will lay mines at Vigan, then patrol the East China Sea.
  • – USS Stingray will patrol the south coast of Mindanao.
  • – USS Sturgeon will patrol the east coast of Luzon.

Sargo class boats.

  • – USS Sargo will lay mines at San Fernando, then patrol around Tokyo.
  • – USS Saury will lay mines at Legaspi, then patrol the southern Yellow Sea.
  • – USS Spearfish will patrol southwest of Kyushu.
  • – USS Sculpin will patrol around the Bonin Islands.
  • – USS Sailfish will patrol around the southern Marianas (Historical note: Originally launched as USS Squalus, she sank during trials but was salvaged and recommissioned as USS Sailfish. Read here.)
  • – USS Swordfish will patrol south of Shikoku.
  • – USS Seadragon will patrol west of Batan Island in the China Sea.
  • – USS Sealion will patrol northwest of Luzon (Historical note: Sealion took two direct bomb hits on the attack on Cavite naval yards that sank her immediately and damaging the conning tower of USS Seadragon berthed right next to her.)
  • – USS Searaven will patrol around Panay and Cebu.
  • – USS Seawolf will patrol northeast of Formosa.

Minesweepers

  • – Lapwing class minesweepers USS Bittern, USS Quail and USS Tanager to move to Bataan and do MSW (Historical note: USS Bittern was scuttled December 10th to avoid falling into enemy hands after taking damage in the attacks. USS Quail was scuttled in May after the Battle of Points.)
  • – USS Finch and USS Lark, also Lapwing class mineswepers, will form up and make their way to Darwin.

PT Boats

  • – PT-31, PT-32 and PT-33 to move to Iba.
  • – PT-34, PT-35 and PT-41 to patrol between Iba and Manila.
  • – Philippine boats Q-111, Q-112 and Q113 to move to Legaspi.

Others

  • – USS Asheville, lead ship in the Asheville class gunboats, USS Isabel, Anacostia class fleet oiler USS Pecos, Patoka class fleet oiler USS Trinity, tankers SS Gertrude Kellogg and SS Mindanao will form up and make their way to Balikpapan on Borneo.
  • – USS Holland, the lead ship in the Holland class submarine tenders, USS Otus, the lead ship in her class of submarine tenders, seaplane tender USS Langley and Clemson class destroyer USS John D. Ford will form up and move to Puerto Princessa where they will drop off USS Langley. They will, pick up USS Heron, a former Lapwing class minesweeper converted to seaplane tender, and move to Jolo to position USS Heron and USS Holland. The rest will make their way to Darwin.
  • – USS Childs, a seaplane tender (destroyer) and MV Neptuna, a Burns, Philp & Co. transport will move to Balabac where they will wait for ships out of Hong Kong. They will join up and move to Jesselton on the north coast of Borneo (Historical note: MV Neptuna was sunk at the Bombing of Darwin in 1942.)
  • – USS Tulsa, another Asheville class gunboat, SS Don Jose and Swedish freighter SS Sagoland load fuel, then move to Cagayan where they will return to Balikpapan.
  • – DD Peary, a Clemson class destroyer, SS President Madison, USS Rochambeau (Historical note: USS Rochambeau would go on to transport a future President of the United States to the South Pacific. Read here.), SS Capillo, SS Ethel Edwards and interned freighter Si Kiang (Historical not: Si Kiang actually arrived later in the month and was interned at Mariveles. Read here.) will form up and move towards Darwin via Jolo. Eventually, they will end up in Sydney to join convoys to the US west coast.
  • – xAKL Paz will load supplies for Iloilo.
  • – xAKL Bisayas, xAKL Corregidor and xAKL Princess of Negros will load supplies for Cebu.
  • – British cargo ship Tantalus and US Army requisitioned cargo ship of Indo-China Steam Navigation Co Ltd of Hong Kong’s Yu Sang will form up and move to Soerabaja on Java.

Batangas

  • – 6th PS PAAC will begin escort training hard and heavy.
  • – 41st PA Infantry Division will prepare to move to Naga.
  • – PAF Aviation will airlift to Iloilo, then Cebu later.
  • – Signals indicate that two regiments are preparing for attack on nearby Mauban.

Lucena

  • – Build fortifications.
  • – 51st PA Infantry Division will move to Naga.

Cabanatuan

  • – Build fortifications.
  • – 10th BS PAAC will transfer to Cagayan and set for naval attacks.

Naga

  • – Build fortifications.
  • – TK Manatawny and xAK Governor Wright will make their way to Balikpapan via the Sulu Sea as the Japanese have been spotted around Samar.
  • – xAKL Dos Hermanos, xAKL Elcano and xAKL Sarangami will head towards Tarakan via Iloilo.
  • – xAKL Escalante R and xAKL Taurus to make their way to Tarakan via Cebu.
  • – S-39 will patrol along the Samar coast.

Tuguegarao

A raid of 27 Lily bombers escorted by 25 Nate fighters was spotted about 10 miles out by radar at Clark Field, altitude: 17,000ft.

The raid managed to hit the runways 18 times and other facilities with two. They released their bombs at about 15,000ft resulting in a better effective hit rate. They still only hit with 20 out of 112 bombs dropped.

Panay

San Jose

  • – 3rd PI Base Force will move to Iloilo.

Iloilo

  • – Build fortifications.
  • – CA Houston will stay in the area but will be prepared to move south.

Cebu

Cebu

  • Build fortifications.
  • 9th OS PAAC will conduct naval search operations to the east.

Leyte

Tacloban

  • Build fortifications.
  • xAKL Kanlaon II and xAKL Latouche will move to Tarakan.

Palawan

Puerto Princesa

  • Build fortifications.
  • VJ-10 Det B to do naval search operations.
  • AVP Heron will move to Jolo once AV Langley arrives.

Samar

Catbalogan

  • PBY-4 Catalina sighting report: 3 Japanese ships at 85,84 near Catbalogan  , Moving Northwest

Mindanao

USS Boise, north of Mindanao, will cruise to Jolo and remain on station.

Dadjangas

  • Build fortifications.
  • xAKL Lepus will move to Kendari to load supplies for the Philippines.
  • xAKL Legazpi will move to Tarakan and load fuel for Manado.

Cagayan

  • Build fortifications.
  • 19th BG/14th BS will begin bombing port facilities at Babeldaob and 19th BG/93rd BS will hit the airfields.
  • xAKL Magallanes and xAKL Luzon

Davao

An unescorted raid of 12 Kates came in from the direction of Peleliu. They were targeting the shipping there. The Kates released at 5,000ft and scored three hits out of 24 bombs dropped. One bomb hit each on a seaplane tender and two transports.

  • USS William D. Preston, a Clemson class destroyer converted to a seaplane tender (Historical note: USS William D. Preston, before conversion, as destroyer DD-334, she participated in the evacuation of Nanking down the Yangtze River in 1927.)
  • SS Mauban, a freighter built in 1900 (Historical note: Built in 1900 by the Campbelltown Shipbuilding Co., Campbelltown, Scotland for Compañía General de Tabacos de Filipinas of Manila, Philippines. She was aquired by the US Navy in 1918 but sold in 1920 to Tabaclera Steamship and Commercial Co. of Manila. She was scuttled with other ships in Manila late December, 1941 but was salvaged by the Japanese and named Manbo Maru. She later struck a mine in the Kii Channel near Wadanomaski, Japan and sank in May of 1945.)
  • SS Montanes, a freighter built in 1881 (Historical note: she was scuttled at Manila in late December 1941 (no picture forthcoming).)
  • VP-101 Det will do naval search operations.

Butuan

  • 103rd PA Infantry Regiment will move to Cagayan.

Malaybalay

  • 102nd PA Infantry Regiment will move to Cagayan.

—————————

Borneo/Sarawak

Any industry in this area will have repairs turned off. No use in casting pearls after swine. If it is getting damaged, the Japanese will be trying to take it. No sense in spending resources to hand them functioning facilities. Due to the oil trade embargo, the Japanese have already indicated that they consider ‘Southern Resource Area’ to be a vital interest for Japan. Scorched earth may very well be the word of the day.

  • SS KXIV off the coast will patrol the north Borneo coast.
  • SS KXV will be sent to patrol the Vietnam coast.
  • SS KXVI to patrol the eastern Celebes Sea.
  • SS O19 and SS O20 will patrol off the coast of Sarawak.
  • TF 401 will move to Jolo to help cover the Philippine evacuation. CL Marblehead, DD Barker, DD Bulmer, DD Paul Jones, DD Parrot and DD Stewart.

Balikpapan

  • Build fortifications.

Bandjermasin

  • Build fortifications.

Brunei

  • Build fortifications.

Jesselton

  • Build fortifications.
  • 108th RN Base Force to possibly move.

Kuching

  • Build fortifications.
  • 106th RN Base Force, 2/15 Punjab Battalion and Sarawak Force to possibly prepare for evacuation.
  • xAKL Shinai to make her way to Miri to load the fuel there. She will either bring it back to Kuching…or deny it to the Japanese.

Miri

Intelligence reports indicate troops headed for Miri.

  • Build up fortifications.
  • 100th RN Base Force to possibly prepare for evacuation.

Pontianak

  • Build fortifications.
  • Pontianak Base Force will prepare to be transferred to Billiton.

Samarinda

  • Build fortifications.
  • 1-Vl.G.I, flying 139WH-3 medium bombers, to transfer to Manado and commence naval search operations.
  • 2e-1-VI.G.V Groep, flying Buffaloes, will transfer to Tarakan and fly escort to cover exits from the Philippines.
  • 3e-1-VI.G.V Groep, also flying Brewsters, will transfer to Balikpapan to begin escort training.

Sambas

  • Build fortifications.
  • Load AVP Poolster and move to Billiton to establish a seaplane base.
  • GVT-1, flying Do-24K-1 flying boats, will commence naval search to the northeast.
  • GVT-4, also flying Do-24K-1s, will also do naval search to the north.

Singkawang

  • Build fortifications.
  • 1-VI.G.V, flying buffaloes, will assume escort duties. 50% of the ready aircraft will be doing CAP.
  • 2-Vl.G.I, flying 139WH-3s, will transfer to Makasar to assume naval search to cover the Makasar Strait.

Tandjoengselor

  • TF 401 observes H6K4 Mavis at 68,95 near Tandjoengselor.

Tarakan

  • Build fortifications.
  • GVT-7, flying Do-24K-1s, will perform naval search north into to the North China Sea.
  • PC Formalhaut and TK British Sailor will load fuel for Jolo.
  • AVP Valk to load supplies and move to Bima and set up a seaplane base.

—————————

Celebes

Kendari

Build fortifications.

Makassar

Build fortifications. Aircraft here will keep and eye on the south end of the Makassar Strait.

Manado

Build fortifications. Aircraft here will keep an eye on the seas south of the Philippines. Shipping will be coming through here getting out to Australia.

—————————

This post is split up because of the sheer amount of things going on in the first turn. Click here to go to Part 2.

National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas is located on the site adjoining the Nimitz Hotel Museum. Purchased entry to the museum is good for two days and includes both.

NavSource is where most of the ship imagery was sourced. Paul and the guys over there have put together a great resource for learning more about the ships of the United States.