The Whale Has Wings Vol 3 - Holding the Barrier (16 page)

Jan 17th

Hitler has been busy removing some of the Generals he sees as having failed him by not achieving victory in Russia. He sacked Field Marshal Walter von Brauchitsch on the 19th of December and took the opportunity to make himself C-in-C of the army. General Guderian was sacked on Christmas Eve for a withdrawal in defiance of Hitler's orders.

Field Marshal von Leeb, the commander of Army Group North, resigned yesterday after Hitler refused permission to retreat from Demyansk where 100,000 men are nearly surrounded. Another Field Marshal, von Bock of Army Group Centre, was relieved on 20 December at his own request because of stomach trouble brought on by his failure to take Moscow. Field Marshal von Rundstedt of Army Group South was sacked for telling Hitler it was madness not to retreat after the loss of Rostov. Today von Reichenau, who took over from von Rundstedt, died when his plane crashed while flying him to Leipzig for a staff meeting. Hitler is now in supreme command.

A heavy series of raids by French medium bombers out of Malta causes considerable damage to Italian installations and airfields in Sicily. This comes as a surprise to the Italians - the area around Malta has been relatively quiet of late, and as a consequence the defences in Sicily are rather caught by surprise. The raids target ports and airfields in particular, causing the Italian command to start to worry at the possibility that this is a prelude to further action or even an invasion.

On Bataan, the II Corps counterattacks to restore the western portion of the line, and makes limited progress. The U.S. 31st Infantry, moving north from the Abucay Hacienda area, reaches the Balantay River on the left but is unable to make much headway on the right. Reserves move forward to plug a gap between the assault battalions. The Japanese encircling column begins an unopposed march down the Abo-Abo River toward Orion. In the I Corps area, the defenders of Moron fall back under enemy pressure to a ridge south and southeast of Moron.

The Japanese Carrier Striking Force sails to participate in operations in the Bismarck Archipelago.

The Japanese air force continues to make raids into Burma, although General Yamashita protests that they should be concentrating on Malaya - he sees Burma as an unnecessary diversion at this point in the campaign. The raids do cause the RAF to lose a number of aircraft on the ground, and damage is caused to Rangoon again, with a steady trickle of losses in the air for both sides. So far the RAF in Burma is confident that they can cope with this level of attack, particularly as substantial reinforcements of Hurricanes are on their way via the Middle East.

Using the dark of the moon for concealment, Operation Stiletto kicked off last night, using two British and three US submarines. They slip up the east coast of Malaya, reaching the Thai border after dark. Using small boats the submarines put some 200 commandos and volunteers ashore in ten groups. The men head for the vital rail line that goes down the coast, along which the bulk of Yamashita's supplies are being transported. Their main aims are any parts of the railway that will be difficult to repair - bridges, cuttings, any part where an explosion can collapse rock onto the line, as well as the line itself.

While the Japanese have guards along the line, they view it as an easy post, mainly to deter the local population from doing anything. They are completely unprepared for the raiding parties that slip out of the dark and slit their throats before planting explosives on the track. The raiders fall back to their submarines that night, only losing nine men in total. The submarines head out from the coast and then submerge to prepare to sit out the day on the bottom. By the time the men are heading back to their boats, the handful of men left to detonate the charges see the rail line cut in at last 22 places, many of them in positions that will be difficult to repair, as well as taking down a number of bridges. The only disappointment to them is the lack of any trains running - they would have dearly loved to blow a bridge with a train on it. Yamashita's already tight logistical situation just got a lot worse.

Jan 18th

Burma's Prime Minister, U Maung Saw, was arrested in Haifa when his plane touched down while he was returning to Burma from talks with British representatives. He had been trying unsuccessfully to secure a British promise of Burmese independence in return for supporting the war effort. The nationalist U Maung Saw is unpopular with the British authorities, who see him of suspect loyalty. This suspicion is now justified, because he contacted Japan's legation in Lisbon on his return flight. He was unaware that Britain had broken Japanese codes and knew of these overtures.

The Allies continue to mop up the Japanese forces at Labuan, at the cost of considerable losses themselves; the Japanese infantry fight to the last, and the RAN cruisers have had to withdraw southward after an abortive attack from some ten Japanese bombers - although the cruisers escaped without damage, they were considered too valuable to risk on just a fire support mission.

A Japanese convoy anchors at Sandakan in northern Borneo. Due to bad weather (monsoon rains and wind), the convoy remains in the port during the day. As a result of the weather, the Japanese troops had not unloaded and so did not take the effectively undefended port, but the Allies are now aware of its presence. Admiral Crace asks permission from Somerville to engage in a night attack, which is given. His force moves north up the western coast that day, and by 2300 is in position to launch an attack on the ships. His light carrier holds twelve SeaLance and twelve Cormorants, and all are launched (with some difficulty in the poor weather).

Due to the limited preparation, not all the planes manage to find the port - six of the Cormorants never manage to locate it, and have to head back to the carrier. The remaining aircraft spot the anchored transports illuminated by their flares. They only spot two transport ships, and the dive bombers are found not to be needed as the torpedo planes sink both of them. Gunfire is noticed from a number of large fishing boats also in the harbour (these had been carrying many of the men), and the aircraft strafe these, setting some on fire before they withdraw. Crace sets sail southwards after recovering his aircraft, to get under cover of the fighters at Kuching before the Japanese air force has a chance to respond. While the strike has destroyed the invaders equipment and most of their supplies, it has only killed a few of the troops who were being carried on the fishing boats. With only their small arms now available the Japanese commander now has to decide whether to land or retreat the next morning.

Jan 19th

Reports from Sandakan indicate the Japanese only have a few hundred men ashore, and with the pockets around Labuan finally wiped out, 400 Ghurkhas, on any transport that can be found, set off for the port that afternoon in the hope of surprising the Japanese before they can be reinforced.

Nine USAAF Far East Air Force B-17's out of Singosari Airdrome on Java are dispatched to attack shipping at Jolo Island in the Philippine Islands. Three aircraft abort due to weather but the remaining six bomb the ships and then land at Del Monte Field on Mindanao Island in the Philippines, which is still under American control.

Intelligence reports (mainly traffic analysis) indicate that the Japanese carriers are at sea and heading somewhere. At the moment, there is no idea where they are, the force maintaining radio silence. However Somerville has to assume that they might be headed for Singapore, and in any case the increasing Japanese activity in the Dutch East Indies requires some sort of response (if only to make the Japanese more cautious and slow them down). It helps that the Pillar convoy is due to arrive off Ceylon tomorrow morning; he intends to use a substantial force to escort it to Singapore and then reinforce Crace.

Jan 20th

Mozhaisk, about 60 miles west of Moscow, falls to the Russian army.

Major General Brett, Commanding General US Army Forces in Australia (USAFIA), halts ferrying of aircraft from India to the Netherlands East Indies. The USAAF has been sending heavy bombers to Java by way of Africa and India, but the Japanese are able to inflict prohibitive losses on the aircraft on the last stops of the route by interception from newly acquired airfields close to Java. Since Singapore is still considered safe, and with the Japanese air force currently occupied in the north and in Burma, the bombers will operate from the RAF bases in southern Malaya until it is possible to safely move them further forward. Park warns that the operations will be limited due to shortages of aviation fuel, although the keenly anticipated convoy does have a tanker carrying more.

A Dutch Dornier flying boat spots a small vessel off the coast of Samboaja, heading for Balikpapan, Borneo. The flying boat lands near the vessel, the motor boat Parsifal, and takes aboard a two Dutch officer captured on Tarakan Island and three Japanese soldier-interpreters, flying them to Balikpapan. They carry a message from the Japanese to the Balikpapan Garrison Commander, demanding that the oil refinery installations there be handed over to the Japanese Army without being damaged; this offer is refused by the Dutch commander and the three Japanese were returned to their units.

Ninety Japanese carrier-based aircraft from the aircraft carriers HIJMS Akagi, HIJMS Kaga, HIJMS Shokaku and HIJMS Zuikaku attack Rabaul on New Britain Island in the Bismark Archipelago, causing serious damage. No. 24 Squadron RAAF loses six aircraft (three shot down, one wrecked after take-off and two damaged in crash landings) leaving two Wirraways in commission. The squadron commander sends the following message to Northeast Area HQ: "Two Wirraways useless in defence. Will you now please send some fighters?" Kavieng on New Ireland Island is also attacked by air but by a smaller force.

The U.S. Second Marine Brigade (Brigadier General Larson) arrives at Pago Pago on Tutuila Island, America Samoa, in transports SS Lurline, SS Matsonia, and SS Monterey, along with cargo ship USS Jupiter and ammunition ship USS Lassen, to protect that portion of the important lifeline to Australia. Cover for the operation is provided by Task Force 8 (TF 8) formed around aircraft carrier USS Enterprise 6) (Vice Admiral Halsey) and TF 17 (Rear Admiral Fletcher) formed around aircraft carrier USS Yorktown. The two carrier task forces then set course for the Japanese-held Marshalls and Gilberts to carry out the initial raids on the enemy's defensive perimeter. There is growing political unrest at the scale of these essentially defensive actions far from the action taking place in the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies; while some defence of the islands is required, some see it as too heavy and taking away the men available to fight the Japanese before they overrun the Dutch East Indies as they already have the Philippines. At least one political opponent of Roosevelt has been heard to comment 'when we surrender to the Japanese we will at least have the best-defended rear areas in the world'.

General Yamashita receives his engineers' reports on the damage to the rail line, and it is very bad news for his campaign. Thailand is not overabundantly supplied with material to repair the railway (although it is pointed out that some existing rail lines could be cannibalised for track), but the biggest problem will be the repair of vital bridges and the clearing of a number of landslides that have swept away or covered the track. The commandos had proved quite exuberant with their use of explosive. The estimate is that most of the track can be repaired in two weeks if given full priority, but the bridges will take longer. While all available Thai resources are 'volunteered' to help, the net effect will be to cut supplies by this route to 10% for the first two weeks, then to 50% for another 2-3 weeks before the line is fully operational again. As the RN and RAF are still sinking over 30% of his shipping, this is depressing news, and means that it will not be possible to undertake any major offensive operations for at least two weeks, and quite possibly longer. He orders his engineers to start repairs immediately, conscripting any Thai people or materials they need; in the meantime, he orders his supply officers to source all the army's food from Thailand, in order to allow his limited logistical train to concentrate on ammunition and equipment. This will cause resentment and soon worse among the Thai population and the political opposition.

Jan 21st

The Chinese Government accepts the proposal that U.S. Major General Joseph W. Stilwell act as chief of the Generalissimo's Allied staff and agrees to give him executive authority over Allied Units. The Chinese 49th Division of the 6th Army is authorized by Auchinleck to move into Burma to help protect the Burma Road.

Japanese aircraft from the aircraft carriers HIJMS Akagi and HIJMS Kaga again bomb Rabaul on New Britain Island while aircraft from HIJMS Shokaku and HIJMS Zuikaku bomb Kavieng on New Ireland.

In response to the movement of the Japanese convoy sighted the previous day in Makassar Strait, a USN task force under Rear Admiral Glassford, consisting of the light cruisers USS Boise and USS Marblehead and four destroyers sails from Koepang, Timor, Netherlands East Indies to engage it.  Turbine trouble limits USS Marblehead to only fifteen knots, so the admiral orders the destroyers and the Boise on ahead.

The Allies are having problems in attacking the Japanese off the east coast of Borneo due to the sheer size of the island. There is a deficiency of airstrips capable of handling the heavier anti-shipping Beaufighters in range of the Japanese convoys (some that are capable are considered too dangerous due to lack of protection from Japanese landings), and the longer-ranged heavy bombers of the USAAF, while they have the range, are ineffective anti-shipping weapons. Accordingly, Somerville orders more of the Dutch and US submarines into the area, and four of the RN T-class are sent to the Java Sea. The need to keep attacking the Japanese convoys to Thailand limits how many of the RN submarines are available. Since there is a shortage (at the moment) of Japanese airpower in the area, he intends to move a striking force including fleet carriers into the Java sea to allow him to intercept future convoys - the almost non-existent road network in Borneo means the only practical way of transporting supplies, and often troops, is by sea.

Jan 22nd

Evacuation of nearly 500,000 citizens from Leningrad begins along the "ice road" across Lake Ladoga. (The Russians will manage to transport around 440,000 people out of Leningrad between 22 January and 15 April 1942.)

The USAAF Far East Air Force B-17's launch at least 15 missions out of Malang, Java, against shipping moving through Makassar Strait between Borneo and Celebes Island. Four missions abort due to bad weather, six end with negative results, and the remaining five suffer heavy losses but sink four ships. That evening the transports headed for Balikapang are intercepted by the USN cruiser and destroyer force. They find twelve transports, guarded by a light cruiser and seven destroyers.

Shortly before the USN force entered the bay, a Dutch submarine torpedoes a 7,000-ton transport, and the confusion allowed the American force to enter without being detected. The destroyers attacked the transport with torpedoes, while the Boise held off in order to use her main guns. It was not until the Boise actually started to hit one of the transports that the Japanese belatedly realised that the new attack was not another submarine. The escorts were hunting the Dutch submarine, and as a result, the destroyers were able to torpedo five transports, one more being set on fire by their guns, while the Boise left three more blazing and not under control, (two of these later had to be abandoned and scuttled).

When the Japanese escort finally turned back, the US destroyers, although they had expended their torpedoes, formed a line to protect the Boise, who was shelling the remaining transports, and had also torpedoed one. The Japanese force engaged the US destroyers, and managed to break through them to torpedo the Boise with one of the Long Lance torpedoes. At this point, the whole action was in confusion on both sides, and although heavily damaged the USN force was able to break off and retire under cover of the darkness, leaving eight transports sunk or sinking behind them.

It is now apparent that the Japanese operation in the Bismark Archipelago was much more than just the raid that intelligence had surmised, as aircraft from HIJMS Akagi and HIJMS Kaga attack Rabaul on New Britain Island for the third straight day, destroying the last of the fixed defences.

Japanese troops land on Mussau Island, largest island in the Saint Mathias group, located 113 miles northwest of Kavieng, New Ireland Island.

Off New Guinea aircraft from HIJMS Shokaku and HIJMS Zuikaku attack Lae, Salamaua and Bulolo.

These actions cause considerable worry to the Australian Government, as a Japanese landing in New Guinea would allow them to build up a major threat far too close to Australia, and far enough east to be difficult to protect from Singapore. After consultations with Alexander and Blamey at Singapore, it is agreed that the remaining two brigades of 8th Australian division be made available for movement to New Guinea if needed, and the Australians are also considering use of their conscript forces. Up until now, these have only been deployed on Australian territory, but there is a growing argument that it is better to fight offshore than on Australian soil. It is mandated though that all conscript forces will be under Australian command, not directly part of the Allied command structure.

A substantial part of the Far East fleet sails to support the Pillar convoy, allowing its light escorts to put into Ceylon to refuel without the convoy having to stop. The carrier Ark Royal also goes into port, as it was not intended for her to accompany the convoy to Singapore. While the attacks on Rabaul indicate that the Japanese carrier force is too far away to intercept it (assuming their intelligence realises it has reached Ceylon), Somerville takes no chances, two fleet carriers and two battleships as well as lighter ships reinforcing the convoy escort. If the Japanese break off the Rabaul attack, he expects these plus the land-based planes in the Singapore area to be sufficient cover, but he also orders Admiral Crace to make for Singapore to join him. Both he and General Alexander consider the supplies (and ships) of the convoy are vital to the continued defence of the Malay Peninsula.

Jan 23rd

The Japanese 55th Regimental Group, numbering about 5300 troops, lands at Rabaul on New Britain Island. At the same time the Maizuru Special Naval Landing Force lands at Kavieng on New Ireland Island. The small Australian garrison at Rabaul numbers 76 officers and 1314 other ranks. The garrison is unable to stop the landings, and after initial resistance retire back into the jungle in the hope a relief operation will be undertaken.

Elements of the Japanese Fourth Fleet invade Kieta on Bougainville (in the Solomon Islands) without opposition.

With the Philippines effectively under Japanese control it is almost impossible for Alexander to intervene effectively in the eastern DEI due to lack of air cover - the Dutch air force, though fighting bravely, is short of modern aircraft and he still needs to defend against the considerable Japanese air force presence in Thailand. The worry is that if the Japanese advance far enough into the DEI they will uncover Australia, meaning more forces will be needed to protect the north of the country. He asks the Dutch to prepare some airstrips so he can deploy torpedo-carrying Beaufighters further forward, although the RAF is worried about the lack of protection on the ground, which has so far been shown to be inadequate. He also expects to receive a number of Wellingtons suitable for long-range torpedo attacks (already on the way from the Middle East), but their ground support will arrive on Pillar. He also asks if the USAAF can deploy any more fighters to contest the Japanese.

Despite the losses to the USN night attack the remaining Japanese transports unload their troops at Balikpapan. However due to their heavy losses en route they go no further than the town itself while they wait for an additional convoy. A second convoy passes through the Moluccas passage in order to land troops on Kendari on the east coast of Celebes Island, capturing the airfield there.

TF 6814 departs New York for New Zealand and then to New Caledonia. This unit with other additions will become the famous Americal Division.

Two RAF Hurricane squadrons arrive in Sumatra. Conditions are described as 'primitive even by North African standards'.

In Manila Japan sets up a puppet government, in which three-quarters of the pre-war senate agree to serve.

Jan 24th