More accurate to say they are only better than HE in certain situations. If you need to take a bridge intact or dealing with a complex bunker system, they might have a role. Defoliants might again work in a limited set of circumstances. Personally I'd not touch either with a barge pole but WW2 mentality was different.
Into the Fire - the "Minor" nations of WW2 strike back
- Thread starter Wings
- Start date
You also would have to have the tropical variants of the agents to be used in the Philippines if you want them to be most effective. Most nations that worked with agents in the interwar years tried, and succeeded in most cases, to come up with type agents that worked better in a certain environment than another enviroment.
Then why did the US manufacture and stockpile thousands of tons of mustard gas? Why was mustard gas shipped to Europe? (Resulting in the tragic episode when a freighter loaded with gas was bombed in Bari harbor, causing numerous casualties.)
Why did Allied strategists propose the use gas weapons against the garrison of Iwo Jima?
No one had any moral qualms about using gas? The proposal to use gas at Iwo Jima had widespread support - but Roosevelt's chief of staff, retired Admiral Leahy, was vehemently opposed to gas warfare as immoral, and the proposal was vetoed by Roosevelt himself.
You misunderstood my point. Moral qualms were real. People didn't like the after-effects of chemical weapon usage and considered it horrific. But it was not the main factor behind refusal to use it. The main factor was that chemical weapons do not do much that you cannot do with conventional explosives.
And yes, smoking people out of tunnels and fortifications is one of the things that chemical weapons can do better because outright demolition of solidly built structures and deep tunnel networks via explosive means can be quite complicated and expensive in material. It is also the reason why Germans used chemical weapons few times for that specific purpose.
But it is a very niche use that is complicated logistically and will have negative publicity effect. So it was not worth it.
And as far as support of some higher officers for usage of chemical weapons goes - a lot of people in charge of various militaries weren't nice. So wanting to use chemical weapons is not that surprising. The same people were approving of firebombing of cities and other nasty stuff. Which also had rather questionable military effect.
McArthur will be well respected on TTL's AH.com. A scary thought. And oh man the IJA is doing poorly, is there any place they have not performed below expectations?
Looking forwards to the chapter on the "Singapore Express", running frequent supply ships through Japanese controlled waters sounds damn challenging.
Looking forwards to the chapter on the "Singapore Express", running frequent supply ships through Japanese controlled waters sounds damn challenging.
The question about Japanese using gas in the Philippines isn't exactly appropriate in this case, simply because priorities will have shifted. After Tanaka will have taken charge, the strategy for the IJA in the Philippines will switch from an active position to a more passive position, where Tanaka will not try to attack Bataan head-on, but will try to take on the supply routes leading to the Peninsula. With the campaigns in the Dutch East Indies and Yamashita wanting to get Singapore asap, Tanaka won't go for what the Imperial HQ will see as an unnecessary drain of resources for a secondary, even tertiary theater. Tanaka will have to be efficient in how he plans to take Bataan, and so the frontal attacks are likely to be over at least until the Japanese have secured the Malaya Barrier or cut off the Express.
The B-17s operate from Mindanao as stated in Chapter 41. This was also a one-off raid, not a regular attack.
OTL the Pursuit Squadrons continued to operate around Bataan until the fall of the Peninsula on April 4th. During the month of February 1942, P-40s still supported U.S counter-attacks on the Peninsula. OTL, the last P-40s evacuated on April 4th, when it became clear the Peninsula would fall.
A consequence of having to fight a larger amount of opponents, who are also stronger. Technically, the IJA did do better somewhere. Without "C" Force, Hong Kong fell about 5 days earlier than OTL. Guam fell as OTL, same as Wake.
The B-17s operate from Mindanao as stated in Chapter 41. This was also a one-off raid, not a regular attack.
OTL the Pursuit Squadrons continued to operate around Bataan until the fall of the Peninsula on April 4th. During the month of February 1942, P-40s still supported U.S counter-attacks on the Peninsula. OTL, the last P-40s evacuated on April 4th, when it became clear the Peninsula would fall.
A consequence of having to fight a larger amount of opponents, who are also stronger. Technically, the IJA did do better somewhere. Without "C" Force, Hong Kong fell about 5 days earlier than OTL. Guam fell as OTL, same as Wake.
The U.S. Had 2 infantry divisions in Hawaii, the 24th and 25th 60% of each were excellently trained regulars ( the 24th had split from a square 4 regiment division into a triangular 3 regiment and the 25th set up with a triangular also with reservists filling it out.)the rest well trained reservists. They had well made, well planned beach defenses, as well as multiple regiments of Heavy Coastal Artillery . There were 2 USMC Infantry Battalions at Pearl Harbor as well 2 USMC Defense Battalions .
Order of Battle, South-East Asia
December 7th, 1941
Allies
Land Forces
Far East Command (CinC Marshal Robert Brooke-Popham)
Malaya Command (GOC Harold Alexander)
18th Infantry Division (Beckwith-Smith)
9th Indian Division (Barstow)
11th Indian Division (Murray-Lyon)
17th Indian Division (Lewis)
7th Australian Infantry Division (Vasey)
8th Australian Infantry Division (Bennett)
1st Australian Armoured Division (Northcott)
1st Malay Division (Simmons)
Strait Settlements Volunteer Force (Key)
Burma Command (GOC William Slim)
1st Burma Division (Scott)
6th Canadian Infantry Division, incomplete (Potts) [1]
8th Indian Division (Russell)
Hong Kong Garrison (Gen. Christopher Maltby)
Hong Kong Infantry Brigade (Rose)
Indochina Defence Force (Gen. Georges Catroux)
1st Indochina Division (Cazin)
2nd Indochina Division (Bourdeau)
3rd Indochina Division (Rendiger)
191st Infantry Division, incomplete (Sarrade) [2]
Indochinese Armoured Battalion (Touzet du Vigier) [3]
Kouang-Tcheou-Wan Defence Force (Eissautier)
Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (Gen. Hein ter Poorten)
1st Division (Schilling)
2nd Division (Cox)
3rd Division (Ilgen)
North Sumatra Division (Gosenson)
Middle Sumatra Division (Overakker)
South Sumatra Division (Blogg)
Borneo Garrison (Mars)
Celebes Garrison (Schilmöller)
Moluccas Garrison (Kapitz)
Royal Thai Army Command (Gen. Phraya Songsuradej)
Phayap (Northern) Army (Gen. Charun Rattakun Seriroengrit)
2nd Infantry Division
3rd Infantry Division
4th Infantry Division
Cavalry Division
Burapha (Eastern) Army (Maj.Gen. Phin Choonhavan)
1st Infantry Division
7th Infantry Division
12th Infantry Division
37th Infantry Division
Isan (Southern) Army (Maj.Gen. Boonmark Tesabutr)
5th Infantry Division
38th Infantry Division [4]
United States Army Forces in the Far East (Gen. Douglas McArthur)
North Luzon Force (Gen. Jonathan Wainwright)
11th Infantry Division (PA) (Brougher)
21st Infantry Division (PA) (Capinpin)
31st Infantry Division (PA) (Bluemel)
71st Infantry Division (PA) (Selleck)
4th Marine Regiment (Howard)
Philippines Armoured Battalion (Pierce) [5]
Manila and Subic Bays Defence Force (Moore)
South Luzon Force (Gen. George M. Parker Jr.)
41st Infantry Division (PA) (Lim)
51st Infantry Division (PA) (Jones)
91st Infantry Division (PA) (Stevens)
Visayan-Mindanao Force (Gen. William F. Sharp)
61st Infantry Division (PA) (Chynoweth)
81st Infantry Division (PA) (Fort)
101st Infantry Division (PA) (Vachon)
102nd Infantry Division (PA) (Morse)
Naval Forces
Force “Z” (Adm. Tom Philips)
CV Formidable [6], Indomitable [7]
CVL Hermes [8]
BB Prince of Wales, Resolution, Revenge
BC Repulse
CA Dorsetshire, Devonshire, Exeter
CL Perth (RAN), Hobart (RAN), Sydney (RAN), Emerald, Enterprise, Mauritius
DD Arrow, Ashanti, Encounter, Eskimo, Express, Foxhound, Hotspur, Jersey, Jervis, Jupiter, Nubian, Paladin, Panther
Far East Fleet (Adm. Emile Lacroix)
CVL Dixmude [9]
CA Dupleix, Suffren
DD L’Agile, Le Fier, Léopard, Le Triomphant, Ouragan
Force “B” (Admiral William Tait)
BB Malaya, Ramillies, Rodney, Royal Sovereign
CA Canberra (RAN), Cornwall, Frobisher, Hawkins, Jacob van Heemskerck (RDN)
CL Caledon, Danae, Despatch
DD Active, Amazon, Ambuscade, Electra, Decoy, Diamond, Diana, Napier (RAN), Nestor (RAN), Norman (RAN), Vampire (RAN)
DE Atherstone, Cattistock, Garth, Holderness
Penang Naval Group (R.Adm. William Dovers, RAN)
CL Adelaide (RAN), Dragon
DD Sabre, Scout, Stronghold, Tenedos, Thanet, Thracian
Indo-Pacific Submarine Force (Cmdr. George Menzies)
SS Clyde, Grampus, Oberon, Olympus, Osiris, Otus, Otway, Proteus, Severn
Indochina Light Attack Force (Adm. Régis Bérenger)
CL Boise (USN) [10], Lamotte-Picquet
DD Bouclier, La Cordelière, La Flore, Milan
Indochina Submarine Force (Cmdr. Jean L’Herminier)
SS Agosta, Casabianca, La Bayadère, La Favorite, La Praya, Le Tonnant, Ouessant, Sidi-Ferruch
Royal Thai Navy Group (Adm. Sindh Kamalanavin)
CD Thonburi, Sri Ayudhya
DD Phra Ruang
TB Chandaburi, Chonburi, Chumpohn, Pattani, Phuket, Rayong, Songkla, Surasdra, Trad
Royal Thai Submarine Force (R.Adm. Phraya Wichanworajak)
SS Matachanu, Wirun, Sinsamut, Phlai Chumphon
Philippine Support Force (Adm. Thomas Hart)
CA Houston
CL Concord
SS Porpoise, Pike, Shark, Tarpon, Perch, Pickerel, Permit, Salmon, Seal, Skipjack, Snapper, Stingray, Sturgeon, Sargo, Saury, Spearfish, Sculpin, Sailfish, Swordfish, Seadragon, Sealion, Searaven, Seawolf, S-36, S-37, S-38, S-39, S-40, S-41
DesRon 29 (Lt.Cdr John Hourihan)
DD Paul-Jones
DesDiv 57 (Lt.Cdr E.M. Crouch)
DD Alden, Edsall, John D. Edwards, Whipple
DesDiv 58 (Lt.Cdr A.J. Miller)
CL Marblehead
DD Barker, Bulmer, Parrott, Stewart
DesDiv 59 (Lt.Cdr. H.P. Smith)
DD John D. Ford, Peary, Pillsbury, Pope
East Indies Force (R.Adm. Karel Doorman)
CL De Ruyter, Java, Sumatra, Tromp
DD Banckaert, Evertsen, Kortenaer, Piet Hein, Van Ghent, Van Nes, Witte de With
East Indies Submarine Force (Adm. Conrad Helfrich)
SS K-VII, K-VIII, K-IX, K-X, K-XI, K-XII, K-XIII, K-XIV, K-XV, K-XVI, K-XVII, K-XVIII, O-16, O-19, O-20
Air Forces
Burma
Sqn 5 RAF: Hurricane
Sqn 67 RAF: Spitfire V
Sqn 146 RAF: Hurricane
Sqn 1 BVAS [11]: Buffalo
…
Sqn 99 RAF: Wellington
Sqn 139 RAF: Hudson
Sqn 214 RAF: Wellington
Sqn 8 RAAF: Hudson
Dutch East Indies
VLG-4: P-36
VLG-5: Buffalo
…
VLG-1: B-10
VLG-2: B-10
VLG-3: B-10
Indochina
EC 40: D-520 & P-36
EC 42: P-40
…
EB 62: Baltimore
EACCS 52: Po.63-11 & Wirraway
EC 5: Loire 130
EF 29: Hudson
Malaya
Sqn 21 RAAF: P-40
Sqn 30 RAAF: Spitfire V
Sqn 453 RAAF: P-40
Sqn 488 RNZAF: P-39
…
Sqn 34 RAF: Blenheim
Sqn 36 RAF: Hurribomber
Sqn 60 RAF: Blenheim
Sqn 62 RAF: Blenheim
Sqn 1 RAAF: Hudson
Sqn 7 RAAF: B-24 [12]
Sqn 8 RAAF: B-24
Sqn 22 RAAF: Wirraway
Sqn 100 RAAF: Wirraway
Sqn 454 RAAF: Beaufighter
Sqn 458 RAAF: Beaufort
Philippines
24th PG: P-40
35th PG: P-40 & P-35 [13]
…
19th BG: B-17
Singapore
Sqn 27 RAF: Defiant
Sqn 132 RAAF: P-40
…
Sqn 14 RAF: Wellington
Sqn 97 Strait Settlements RAF: Manchester [14]
Sqn 223 RAF: Wellington
Sqn 248 RAF: Beaufighter
Sqn 253 RAF: Beaufighter
Sqn 415 RCAF: Beaufort
Sqn 489 RNZAF: Beaufort
Thailand
1st Wing: P-39
5th Wing: P-36 [15]
…
61st Wing: B-10
90th Wing: Ki-21
Japanese
Land Forces
Southern Expeditionary Army (Gen. Terauchi Hisaichi)
6th Army (Seiichi Kita) – Indochina
7th Infantry Division (Nobori)
21st Infantry Division (Tanaka)
23rd Infantry Division (Kanji)
1st Armoured Brigade (Yasuoka)
14th Army (Gen. Masaharu Homma) – Philippines
16th Infantry Division (Morioka)
48th Infantry Division (Tsuchihashi)
15th Army (Gen. Shojiro Iida) – Burma & Thailand
33rd Infantry Division (Sakurai)
41st Infantry Division (Tsunenori) [16]
55th Infantry Division (Hanaya)
16th Army (Gen. Hitoshi Imamura) – Dutch East Indies
2nd Infantry Division (Masao)
48th Infantry Division (Tsuchihashi) [17]
23rd Army (Gen. Takashi Sakai) – Hong Kong & Kwang-Cheou-Wan
38th Infantry Division (Sano)
104th Infantry Division (Hamamoto)
25th Army (Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita) – Thailand & Malaya
5th Infantry Division (Matsui)
18th Infantry Division (Mutaguchi)
56th Infantry Division (Watanabe)
Guards Infantry Division (Nishimura)
Naval Forces
2nd Fleet (Adm. Noboru Kondo) – South China Sea
CV Junyo (A5M4 “Claude”, D3A1 “Val” & B4Y1 “Jean”), Shoho (A5M4 “Claude” & B5N2 “Kate”), Zuiho (A5M4 “Claude” & B5N2 “Kate”)
BB Fuso, Haruna, Hyuga, Ise, Kongo, Yamashiro
CA Atago, Takao
DD Arare, Arashio, Asashio, Kagero, Kasumi, Michishio, Oshio, Shiranui, Tokitsukaze, Yukikaze
3rd Fleet (V.Adm. Ibo Takahashi) – Philippines
SC Chiyoda, Kamikawa Maru, Kamoi, Kimikawa Maru, Mizuho
CA Ashigara, Maya
CL Kuma, Naka
DD Asagumo, Asakaze, Harusame, Matsukaze, Minegumo, Murasame, Natsugumo, Samidare, Yamagumo, Yudachi
4th Fleet (R.Adm. Takeo Takagi) – Mindanao
CV Ryujo (A5M4 “Claude” & B5N2 “Kate”)
SC Chitose
CA Haguro, Myoko, Nachi
CL Jintsu, Nagara
DD Amatsukaze, Hatsukaze, Hayashio, Kuroshio, Natsushio, Oyashio, Shiokaze
Air Forces
Naval assets
23rd KS: A6M2 “Zero” - Formosa
…
21st KS: G4M1 “Betty” & G3M2 “Nell” – Formosa
22nd KS: G3M2 “Nell” – Paracels
IJAAF assets
Indochina, Thailand & Malaya
3rd HD: Ki-43
6th HD: Ki-43
10th HD: Ki-27
12th HD: Ki-27
…
7th HD: Ki-21, Ki-43 & Ki-48
9th HD: Ki-48
15th DH: Ki-15
83rd DH: Ki-51
Philippines
4th HD: Ki-27
…
4th HD: Ki-21, Ki-30 & Ki-48
[1] OTL “C” Force which was used to defend Hong Kong. With Thailand’s entry into the war, British high command felt like it needed an extra division there, and “C” force would thus form the 6th Canadian Division.
[2] Only two RTAs are available at the time of the Japanese invasion.
[3] On French M3 “Murat” light tanks and S-50 “Arcole” medium tanks. These ones were developed from the Somua S-35 and specially produced for the French in the United States. They first saw combat during the fights at Lamia in Autumn 1941 where they proved their effectiveness. The Arcoles would be developed into the S-70 “Rivoli” in 1942.
[4] All Thai units are well trained and disciplined but lack modern equipment.
[5] Combination of the 192nd Tank Battalion, 194th Tank Battalion and 199th Tank Battalion, equipped with M3s. These would form the basis of the future 21st Armored Division Typhoon.
[6] Sqn 810: 12 Swordfish, Sqn 829: 28 Martlet II, Sqn 1842: 2 Fulmar. Total: 42 aircraft.
[7] Sqn 800: 12 Sea Hurricanes, Sqn 801: 12 Albacore, Sqn 806: 12 Martlet II, Sqn 813: 4 Albacore, Sqn 880: 12 Sea Hurricanes. Total: 52 aircraft.
[8] Sqn 814: 12 Swordfish, Sqn 1841: 2 Fulmar. Total: 14 aircraft.
[9] AC6: 10 F4F Lynx, AC8: 10 SB2U Rochambeau, AC12: 10 TBD Balbuzard. Total: 30 aircraft.
[10] Arrived on December 1st from Manila to operate from Cam Ranh.
[11] Burma Volunteer Air Service. Formation created to hold the older aircraft on the Burmese front, mostly made up of Indian pilots from Bengal.
[12] These are brand-new B-24s, which the RAAF chose to deploy to the Malaya theatre due to the European theatre already being covered with the French, Yugoslav and Belgian bomber wings (not to mention the unofficial U.S wing…).
[13] As well as some P-26 “Peashooters”.
[14] Half of these aircraft are manned with Malay or Singaporean crews.
[15] And some P-35s and completely outdated BF2C Goshawk.
[16] In reserve, not available until January 1942.
[17] To be committed only once the Philippine Campaign was over.
I have to take extreme exception of moving the USS Boise to the Indochina force. American policy was to keep the Asiatic Fleet together under American operational command. Admiral Hart would not have given up is 2nd most powerful ship and secondary flagship, ( only 2nd because she had 6" rather the 8") Boise was the only American ship with radar, both air and surface search, as well fire control radar, and had superior AAA fire control. For Hart to give up Boise would have required a direct order from the Chief of Naval Operations, the next highest officer in his chain of command.
Boise was sent as part of Franco-American naval coordination exercises and got stuck in Cam Ranh on December 8th. If the Japanese attacked on November 30th, the Lamotte-Picquet would've been stuck in Manila.
Plausible, but imo, Hart would have sent Marbelhezd or Concord. OTL, Dec5-6 was in company with the CA Louisville escorting a two transports carrying U.S. Army and civilian government to Tarakan then Louisville and the transports continued on to Hawaii via Samoa.
Singapore express should contain the largest submarines in the allies fleet. The US V boats (especially the three huge Narwhal and assosciates) in particular. Not sure about the Brits. If American problems with torpedos are more rapidly forced to be dealt with then transferring more submarines who aren't good for torpedoing ships to be temporarily repurposed.
The surcouf could have taken more then a few men back. It was built with a 40 man brig and with the space and manpower that the weapons and ordnance opened up I feel you might be able to make a run to Singapore with a 100 more men. Besides non combatants, the injured, and those with tech or strategic value to valuable to be worth exposing to capture you could also bring fighting men out. I'm thinking choose experienced Phillipino enlisted men, NCO, officers and especially Phillipine scout elements. Not aiming to get most men out. But to bring the cadre that at least a brigade or two composed of a core of veteran Phillipinos and American veterans supplemented by recruits fleeing or smuggled out of the rest of the Philllipines and Phillipinos abroad. Be interesting if the first landing in a eventual reconquest fleet is done by men of the Elite 1st Phippine Scout Brigade.
Also part of the effort could be using float planes and evacuate men and bring supplies using flying boats, floatplanes and seaplanes. Use them in a relay system using smaller craft and such PBY's as thought neccessary bring to and from some isolated cove in Bataan at night. Planes land, taxi up, boats meet them to unload cargo or load men. The shorter ranged craft then land elsewhere in the southern Phillipines that haven't been conquered yet and then use bigger versions of such craft to safely operate in a manner that doesn't expose them to undue risk and then fly them to New Guiniea, northern Australia, or Singapore and then onwards using more typical aircraft or vessels. Get them out both to provide men who know the lessons of the campaign but also gather cadre for future units and wartime abroad raised "Phillipine Scouts" And "Free Phillipino" units.
The surcouf could have taken more then a few men back. It was built with a 40 man brig and with the space and manpower that the weapons and ordnance opened up I feel you might be able to make a run to Singapore with a 100 more men. Besides non combatants, the injured, and those with tech or strategic value to valuable to be worth exposing to capture you could also bring fighting men out. I'm thinking choose experienced Phillipino enlisted men, NCO, officers and especially Phillipine scout elements. Not aiming to get most men out. But to bring the cadre that at least a brigade or two composed of a core of veteran Phillipinos and American veterans supplemented by recruits fleeing or smuggled out of the rest of the Philllipines and Phillipinos abroad. Be interesting if the first landing in a eventual reconquest fleet is done by men of the Elite 1st Phippine Scout Brigade.
Also part of the effort could be using float planes and evacuate men and bring supplies using flying boats, floatplanes and seaplanes. Use them in a relay system using smaller craft and such PBY's as thought neccessary bring to and from some isolated cove in Bataan at night. Planes land, taxi up, boats meet them to unload cargo or load men. The shorter ranged craft then land elsewhere in the southern Phillipines that haven't been conquered yet and then use bigger versions of such craft to safely operate in a manner that doesn't expose them to undue risk and then fly them to New Guiniea, northern Australia, or Singapore and then onwards using more typical aircraft or vessels. Get them out both to provide men who know the lessons of the campaign but also gather cadre for future units and wartime abroad raised "Phillipine Scouts" And "Free Phillipino" units.
Chapter 50: Asian Strongholds – Part IV: The Three Battles of Pattani (Malaya, January – April 1942)
Chapter 50
Malayan Front
January - April 1942
Malayan Front
January - April 1942
With the supply situation in Thailand stabilizing, and the securing of the Thai coastline, General Yamashita could finally prepare his operation to take Singapore. This veteran of two wars sought to bring the Malayan Peninsula to heel and take Singapore, thus removing a serious thorn in the side of Japan.
To do so, he needed to replenish his forces, which had been severely hit during the retaking of Singora, and to devise a plan to attack the colonist forces. To this end, Yamashita asked for another landing to be made, near Kuantan this time. This would allow Japanese forces to flank Commonwealth forces deeper than at Kota Bharu, where Yamashita surmised that they had been dropped on the front lines. These forces could then outflank the Commonwealth and even push to cut the road Kuala Lumpur – Kota Bharu Road. Yamashita had wished to land further south, at Mersing, and run towards the airfield at Kluang, but such an operation without having secured Borneo or the Riau Archipelago first was deemed too risky to be attempted. After the landing at Kuantan, and with Commonwealth troops in disarray, Yamashita would then be able to punch through towards Pattani, and run along the eastern coast of Malaya, perhaps even encircling troops around Penang which would’ve been under pressure from Yamashita’s divisions coming from Singora [1].
The problem with that plan, as sound as it was, is that it assumed that the Commonwealth troops were truly spread thin. However, far from it, General Harold Alexander benefited from experienced troops which had been replenished thanks to the “Singapore Convoys”, and from bountiful air support which still managed to hold the Japanese at bay despite increasing pressure. Even better, in January, he received the reinforcement of ten submarines from Europe: the HMS Upright, Urge, Ultimatum, Ulster, Unshaken, Usurper, Unbending, United, Triumph and Trident [2]. Churchill furthermore promised him larger surface units (including carriers) to compensate for the loss of the Prince of Wales, Hermes and Formidable as soon as the upcoming operation in the European theater was over. In fact, the arrival of several American heavy units at Bandung, Batavia and Darwin gave way to cautious optimism on Alexander’s side.
Finally, on March 11th, once his army was well-supplied and with the promise of naval and air support, Yamashita launched his great offensive towards Singapore. Unfortunately for him, the convoy leading troops for the landing at Kuantan was spotted, twice. First by the USS Sargo, which operated a “Singapore Express”, and then again by the HMS Unshaken, which managed to sink the destroyer Shirayuki before running. It is unknown whether the HMS Proteus, which was lost around that time, also managed to spot the convoy.
When the Japanese 9th Division landed at Kuantan, they were thus expected, but the Japanese were lucky. Most aircraft had to defend Singapore Naval Base from the largest Japanese raid since the start of the War, thus leaving the 11th Indian Division to fend for itself. This one, far from being discouraged, waited for nightfall in order to attack, free from harassment by air or sea. It was thus the turn of the Japanese to be taken by surprise. All of a sudden, the entire beachhead lit up, with the Indians detonating explosive charges in the middle of landing barges which had come to reinforce the Japanese that had landed in the afternoon. A lucky hit made an ammunition barge explode, wreaking havoc and causing panic amidst the Japanese. The soldiers were thus pinned on the beaches, with the bravest trying to advance being cut down in the Indians’ prepared positions. It would not be until dawn that the Japanese fleet would be able to reply.
The big guns of the battleships started to shell the Indian positions…until an explosion came from behind them! The ammunition transport ship Kashino had just been blown up by a salvo from the HMS Urge, which had managed to sneak into the anchorage! Minutes later, it was the turn of the Beauforts of Sqn 458 RAAF and the Hudsons of Sqn 1 RAAF to attack the ships, wreaking havoc and damaging the heavy cruiser Mogami. Fearing a trap, Admiral Nagumo, in charge of the operation, had to order a withdrawal in order to not risk his heavy units.
The landed Japanese were thus now at the mercy of the Indians. They would resist for a time, but the following night, an audacious raid carried out by the destroyers HMS Encounter, Foxhound, HMAS Napier, Nestor and HMTS Phra Ruang managed to sink several transports still at anchor, along with a minesweeper and the destroyer Asagiri, left behind to protect the landing barges. All five destroyers would rally Singapore without any issues, escaping Nagumo’s wrath.
With no hope of reinforcement or supplies, the landed troops of the 9th Infantry Division had no choice but to fight to the last or commit suicide by either drowning or throwing themselves on the Indians. Just like Kota Bharu, Kuantan had been a disaster for the Japanese [3].
Thankfully for Yamashita, his attack on the Commonwealth positions at Singora seemed to be more fruitful. Initial engagements south of the city proved successful for the Japanese, allowing them to extend the perimeter around the city. However, Yamashita also had cause for concern. In the air, the promised superiority was not there, and the Commonwealth ground units had an unhealthy number of AA batteries! By force of numbers, though, the Commonwealth troops were repulsed towards Hat Yai and along the coast, with Japanese forces threatening to cut off the Hat Yai – Pattani Road.
It was on the coast that the Japanese advanced the most, with the Australians forced to withdraw across the Na Thap River, conceding control of the road. However, the Japanese were not able to break through at Hat Yai, solidly held by the Indians of the 17th Infantry Division. On the evening of March 15th, Yamashita still had yet to reach Pattani, with the Australians of the 1st Armoured Division delaying his advance along the coast.
On March 16th, he thus ordered an assault on Hat Yai, in order to gain ground and push the British troops back to the border. Under severe artillery fire, the Indians fought bravely, but it was an uneven battle. At nightfall, General Alexander ordered General Lewis to withdraw his troops to the border, at Changlun. With this advance, and fearing a turning movement by the Japanese towards the east, General Gordon Bennett ordered the 8th Australian Division (and the elements of the 1st Armoured still engaged) to withdraw towards Pattani in order to protect the city and the road to Kota Bharu.
Yamashita had for his part sent the Imperial Guards Division in pursuit of the Australians, but they were ambushed along the coastal road by delaying elements left there by the Aussies. The RAAF, too eager to support its compatriots, kept the Japanese in check in the sky, further angering Yamashita who already saw himself in Kuala Lumpur by this point! It wouldn’t be until March 19th that Pattani was finally in artillery range, and March 22nd when they entered the city.
In Pattani, fights were fierce. The 1st Australian Armoured jumped at the throats of the Imperial Guards, almost annihilating an entire company of Ha-Go light tanks. Likewise, the 8th Australian Division fought to delay the Japanese forces entering the town, which had spread their forces thin. Yamashita was forced to cancel the assault on March 25th, while waiting for reinforcements to catch up [4].
This respite could’ve led to believe the Commonwealth forces that the Japanese had been spent, but quite the opposite. On March 31st, Japanese troops advanced on the Indian positions on the border, while Pattani was assaulted on April 4th. The former did not last very long: Changlun and Arau were only delaying positions, with the biggest hope of stopping the Japanese being at Jitra, where the British 18th Division had set up a collection line. Soon enough, the 17th Indian Division was ordered towards Jitra, from where they would pass on the torch to the 18th Division, recuperating at Alor Setar, and, if necessary, defending the crossroads there.
At Pattani, though, the assault by the Japanese Imperial Guards, supported by the 56th Infantry Division, did not have the expected results. The 8th Australian Division, still supported by the Crusaders and Valentines of the 1st Australian Armoured, stopped the assault a second time, on April 8th. By now, Yamashita had grown sick of the determined resistance, and, knowing full well his units would be too exhausted to carry on further than this, ordered a general assault.
This one came on April 13th, after a deluge of artillery, at the same time as an assault on Jitra. Both positions seemed to hold, but the Australians, exhausted and outgunned, started faltering. Despite the efforts of the RAAF to support their compatriots on the ground, the situation became dire as elements of the 56th Infantry Division broke through to the south, threatening to encircle the town. With this in mind, General Bennett ordered to withdraw on April 16th, after almost a month of delaying manoeuvres. The Japanese were thus victorious, and ran towards Yala and the border, but were once more delayed by the 1st Australian Armoured, which ambushed the Japanese along the bottlenecks in the hills around the coast. On April 22nd, the Japanese came into contact with the 7th Australian Division, at Kota Bharu, which had set up a collection line along the Kelantan River. The 7th was the last “true” unit to have never seen combat, and as such was completely fresh, forcing an exhausted Yamashita to stop the pursuit and dig in along the Kelantan.
At Jitra, things were not looking up either for the soldiers of the Rising Sun. Thanks to support from Sabang and Alor Setar, the British of the 18th Infantry held the Japanese attackers in check, while the guns of the HMAS Adelaide and the HMS Dragon calmed the ardor of those who tried to attack on the coastal road. By April 25th, Yamashita had to throw in the towel. After a month and a half, his forces had certainly managed to take some territory, but they had hardly managed to scrape Malaya, and Singapore remained far away.
The Japanese offensive did do some non-negligible damage to the Allied forces, and was overall a success. The 17th Indian Division had been severely mauled and would need rest. The 8th Australian was withdrawn entirely, with coastal defence duties near Singapore, it also needing rest and recompletion. The 1st Australian Armoured was also withdrawn from the front, having taken serious casualties and needing its stocks to be replenished. Lucky them, the next Singapore Convoy (Calendar) was due to arrive on the 27th of April with a batch of new armoured vehicles, the long-awaited M3 Stuart and M3 Grant! After that, we would have to wait for the Harpoon convoy, in June… [5]
For Yamashita, it was a setback, but not a failure. He had yet to commit the 5th Infantry Division, which was resting around Surat Thani, and could hope to have the Allies pinned down by the Dutch East Indies Campaign. This would allow him to rely more on his air support, which had been lacking until then, and for him to be able to cut his way straight towards Penang, then Kuala Lumpur! The start of the operation was slated for May 9th, and it was to be considered the last successful large-scale Japanese offensive in the South-East Asian theatre.
[1] More or less OTL Yamashita's plan.
[2] The Ulster is OTL's HMS P-36, which will live to see it being assigned a name ITTL.
[3] This time the Japanese underestimated the sheer submarine presence the Allies have, and their ability to be extremely annoying to the Japanese. Not to mention the Commonwealth Air Force, which is still just as present in the skies over Malaya.
[4] Just like ITTL's Rommel, Yamashita gets some comeuppance for being too hasty in exploiting his breakthroughs, as the Australians inflict a painful defeat to him early on in his "Blitzkrieg".
[5] The Japanese certainly will not wait that long!
Late to the party as I've been on holiday and so had to catch up on stuff, but on the day in question where you wrote that, the temperature in Hell, Michigan, was -1 for five hours which meant that Hell quite literally froze over
Are you giving a different name to the real Ulster which was a destroyer and which would have been on the slips at this time?
#
As a curious question, is there a reason you type British and Empire/Commonwealth air force squadrons as Sqn xxx because the format would be correctly xxx Squadron RAF, RAAF, RNZAF and so on. Its not a criticism, but something that has mildly bothered me for many chapters ever since I read it
The navy "chickening out" will not be good for the IJA-IJN interservice rivalry.
Yes, OTL DD Ulster will be ITTL DD Unbowed.
No particular reason, I can change that quite easily.
It was already pretty bad before, it will be worse now. Especially since the IJN is the one technically winning the "most".
Kind of surprised Wake fell. As it was it probably could have held off the second invasion on its own if it's commander had held out slightly longer. Even a relatively small ressupply and a few more troops could have made it near easy. A platoon of light tanks, a dozen more fighters (even say P36s or such), half a dozen attack planes of some sort, a bit more artillery, some more AA and automatic/heavy weapons for the troops.
Would have also given you the option of making a point of the Pan AM Chammoro employees from Guam that their employer abandoned their. If these men along with the civilian contractors had been armed as a militia or even used as labor to rapidly expand defenses they could have held. Would have given the basis for something like a "1st Battalion Guam Territorial Guard force". Hell just rig up the bulldozer with hillbilly armor and some Machine guns and they'd be almost as good as tanks for the purpose. Hell just having one or two of the Pan Am clippers used to make a rush resupply of some critical items (ammo, mortars, heavy machine guns, 37mmm AA or AT guns, BARs/Thompsons, maybe a couple pack howitzers, mines or explosives for IEDs, whatever surplus rifles could be scrounged up to arm the Chammoro/White civilian laborer militia (even if your raiding civilian gun stores and bringing in Rollingblocks or Kraags or such. Hell raid police and federal law enforcement in Hawaii for any Thompsons or BARs they have). A platoon or two of men of the right type, a few hundred rifles and shotguns, a few thousand pounds of mines or IEDs, a dozen or two mortars, a couple pack howitzers, a couple dozen .30 cal or 50 cal MGs, a handful of 37mm guns, a few dozen BARs and Thompsons and more ammo and Wake could have held.
Would have also given you the option of making a point of the Pan AM Chammoro employees from Guam that their employer abandoned their. If these men along with the civilian contractors had been armed as a militia or even used as labor to rapidly expand defenses they could have held. Would have given the basis for something like a "1st Battalion Guam Territorial Guard force". Hell just rig up the bulldozer with hillbilly armor and some Machine guns and they'd be almost as good as tanks for the purpose. Hell just having one or two of the Pan Am clippers used to make a rush resupply of some critical items (ammo, mortars, heavy machine guns, 37mmm AA or AT guns, BARs/Thompsons, maybe a couple pack howitzers, mines or explosives for IEDs, whatever surplus rifles could be scrounged up to arm the Chammoro/White civilian laborer militia (even if your raiding civilian gun stores and bringing in Rollingblocks or Kraags or such. Hell raid police and federal law enforcement in Hawaii for any Thompsons or BARs they have). A platoon or two of men of the right type, a few hundred rifles and shotguns, a few thousand pounds of mines or IEDs, a dozen or two mortars, a couple pack howitzers, a couple dozen .30 cal or 50 cal MGs, a handful of 37mm guns, a few dozen BARs and Thompsons and more ammo and Wake could have held.
Chapter 41
Philippines Campaign
December 1941
Despite Asiatic Fleet HQ knowing about the Pearl Harbor attack early, between confirmations and counter-confirmations, General Douglas McArthur would only be informed of the state of war between the United States and Japan at 03:40 AM on December 8th. Immediately, General Lewis H. Brereton (Far East Air Force) requested a strike against the airfields in Formosa, but was rebuffed by General Richard K. Sutherland (McArthur’s chief of staff). Once more, at 06:15 AM, Brereton begged Sutherland to attack Formosa as news of an attack on Davao airfield came, but Sutherland rejected this once again, angrily telling him to await orders.
Brereton then got two calls at 08:00 and 08:30 AM. The first from General Henry H. Arnold, in Washington, to tell him to not get caught with his pants down, and the second from his French counterpart in Tourane, who informed him that they had just been attacked by a large Japanese force. General Brereton, now sure that a threat was coming, ordered all units on full alert. He made every B-17 take-off, ready to carry out the raid, or withdraw to Mindanao. Once more, Brereton asked Sutherland for authorization for a raid, and once more, he was refused.
At 09:25 AM, when Japanese bombers attacked USAFFE headquarters at Baguio, as well as two other deserted airfields, Sutherland refused to budge. Sensing disaster, Brereton still put all units on full alert, ready to take off at a moment’s notice. In the meantime, he landed all the B-17s, and refuelled them, getting ready for them to take off in the other direction.
Finally, at 10:14 AM, McArthur authorized Brereton to conduct an air strike on Formosa, but by now it was too late. About a hundred fighters had taken off from Formosa and were zoning in on Clark Air Field, where Brereton’s force was located. At 11:30 AM, Iba Field detected the oncoming wave, prompting USAFFE to jump into action. All available fighters took to the air, including the old P-26s, while the B-17s were ordered straight to Mindanao. Having gotten the full details of the strike on Tourane, Brereton did not want to risk his planes being hit on the ground while they were being armed [1].
Brereton was right to do so. When his fighters encountered the curtain of enemy aircraft, it was to see that almost 80 A6M “Zero” were heading straight towards them. Over 40 P-40s were shot down, alongside 16 P-35s and all 12 P-26s. But the Japanese strike wasn’t clean: twenty-two “Zeros” were shot down, including one downed by a particularly brave P-26 of the Philippine Army Air Corps which was immediately destroyed afterwards [2]. As for the bomber force, it could carry out its strike on the Clarke and Iba fields unmolested, with the loss of only four G4M “Betty”. Luckily, because of Brereton’s quick thinking, most B-17s had managed to leave towards Mindanao (only four were destroyed on the ground), but the damage to Clark field was extensive, and Iba field was totally put out of action. As a result, and with a heavy heart, Brereton ordered the last fighters to evacuate to Batangas or the Visayas, stating to McArthur that it was either this or have them be destroyed in another inevitable upcoming raid.
But the Japanese were not done. Another raid struck the Cavite Peninsula, dealing heavy damage to the Naval Base and forcing Admiral Thomas C. Hart to concede that – in effect – Cavite had ceased to operate as a naval base. Luckily, only one submarine was damaged, which was a small miracle. Hart ordered the submarines currently at sea to make for Cam Ranh at the end of their patrol, an order which would soon be changed to Batavia or Singapore. The heavy units for their part would continue to operate from there up until December 22nd.
More air raids came during the following days, with the airfields being cratered one after the other, each time with the USAAF not being able to do much about it. But they were learning. Less and less pilots tried to dogfight the “Zero” with their P-40s, instead opting just for a frontal pass, denying a combat that would be doomed considering the superior maneuverability of the “Zero”. Moreover, each casualty they dealt the IJA was felt dearly by the Japanese, who still had yet to properly attack Malaya, Burma or the Dutch East Indies.
On December 10th, the Japanese finally started landing, around Aparri, in Northern Luzon. And while the U.S air forces could do little about it, it was not the case for the U.S. Navy. DesDiv 58, under Lt.Cdr. Miller, sailed in the night to try and catch the transports unaware. Their gamble paid off as the destroyers on guard did not expect the U.S Navy to be so bold, and swiftly, three transports had been sunk! Unfortunately, these transports had time to call for help: namely that of the cruiser Nagara and its escort.
In the early morning of December 11th, almost twenty-four hours before the French, the U.S were struck with the power of the Long Lances. The cruiser Marblehead was fatally hit, with the destroyers Parrott and Bulmer following it at the bottom of the ocean. The survivors, the destroyers Barker and Stewart, rendezvoused with the heavy cruiser Houston and the light cruiser Concord off Mindoro and made haste towards Miri, in Borneo, where the modern units of the Asiatic Fleet were concentrating before withdrawing towards Batavia. Pearl Harbor had promised reinforcements in the form of an extra Destroyer Division and a cruiser, for the moment.
The raid of DesDiv 58 did delay the Japanese landing slightly, as it contained much of the heavy equipment of the divisions, and it was not until December 12th that Japanese forces took Tuguegarao airfield, which was completely cratered by Japanese bombs, and empty of any aircraft. That same day, Japanese forces landed at Vigan and Legazpi, prompting the U.S command in the Philippines to start concentrating to defend Manila, in a set of defence lines south of Rosario and in front of the Philippine capital. McArthur also requested from the Navy in Pearl that aircraft carriers come to reinforce his depleted air squadrons, which was of course denied.
On December 20th, the Japanese landed on Mindanao, but this time, the Americans struck back with vigor! The submarines patrolling in the area claimed three transports, and then a heavily escorted formation of B-17s came to strike at the unloaded troops! Shocked, they requested air support, but it was too late: the damage had been done and the unloaded troops had been seriously hit. As a result, they could hardly do more than hold on to their territory and hope for reinforcements [3].
In fact, Mindanao wasn’t where things would be decided. Up north, another Japanese force made landfall in Lingayen Gulf, where they were once more struck by the U.S Navy! Two more transports were sunk alongside the seaplane carrier Chiyoda, struck by the USS Snapper. The British HMS Osiris would also claim the seaplane carrier Mizuho, prompting Kondo to retreat from Lingayen Gulf quite quickly! In fact, this was due to the submarine threat, but also to the fact that the landings had been completed in relatively good order, and the fact that the Army (decidedly useless) was being shelled and beaten back in Thailand! Kondo thus steamed south to meet Force “Z” in the Christmas Day battles…
McArthur hardly cared about Kondo's fleet. He only saw that a large number of Japanese forces had been landed on Luzon (the failure of the Mindanao landings notwithstanding), and had to order the evacuation of Manila on December 23rd, after a probing attack by a lightly armored American force failed to dislodge the Japanese from their landing grounds. What’s more, Hart had told him that the U.S Navy was completely evacuating Cavite, which was now the target of almost daily bombings by the IJA and IJN. Most of the heavy units had in fact already joined Batavia, safe for a few old destroyers, but this still enraged McArthur, who couldn’t do much about it regardless. On December 26th, while Tom Phillips and Régis Bérenger were fighting a battle of gargantuan proportions just south, admiral Thomas C. Hart quietly boarded a submarine and left towards Singapore, after a short stop at Palawan to let the storm pass…
McArthur, after seeing the result of the Christmas Day battles, was fuming. “God strike me down if I run away, tail between my legs, while our Allies are fighting and dying out there, like that fool Hart did!” he exclaimed to Sutherland, his chief of staff [4]. McArthur would honor that promise. But while McArthur ranted, his forces were being pushed back both in the south and the north. Brave, but poorly trained and equipped, General Wainwright’s Filipinos put up a strong fight, but one doomed to failure. Manila was swiftly declared an open city, and the retreat was sounded all the way to the Bataan peninsula, where McArthur was confident he would hold.
On December 29th, a sally by the American armored brigades at Malolos, to cover for the retreating units from South Luzon, finally gave some reason to be optimistic. The M3 light tanks entered the town and encountered enemy armored vehicles. These were Ha-Go tanks of the Japanese 16th Infantry Division, and they did not last long. Sixteen of them were knocked out or destroyed, for no losses on the American side, while the U.S-Filipino forces could safely withdraw towards San Fernando! A small success, but one that was dearly needed by the Americans. Just like the French at Quang Ngai and An Khe, or the British at Pattani, the Americans had discovered that the Japanese tanks were hardly a match for their own vehicles...
The Japanese of General Homma vowed revenge. In fact, they considered that victory was now assuredly theirs: the Americans had just boxed themselves in the Bataan Peninsula. 80,000 troops (the vast majority of which were Filipino) which were now trapped like rats. All they needed to do was clean them out, or starve them out. The Japanese were far from thinking that these “trapped rats” were about to write one of the most magnificent pages in both U.S and Filipino army history.
[1] OTL the B-17s were caught unaware on the ground, and mostly wiped out. Because Brereton gets detailed information on the number of Japanese fighters in the Tourane strike, he stops the arming of the bombs and orders the bombers to Mindanao to avoid a slaughter.
[2] With more fighters in the air, FEAF puts more of a fight but is no less decimated by weight of numbers.
[3] With the Clark raid not going as well as OTL, the B-17s can mount a solid response to the Mindanao landings which are effectively neutered.
[4] McArthur didn't use the word "fool" but a slightly more pejorative term.There was no delay real delay between notification of the Asiatic Fleet from messages received from both the Patrol Wing at Pearl and the 14th Naval District CAST intercepted clear messages at 0357 and 0304, they confirmed and notified AFHQ in Manila, who notified Admiral Hart at 0330 who notified MacArthur's HQ by phone and messenger. Message received at 0340. Remember Cast was located by this time on Corrigidor, but Army Signal Corps had not yet run phone lines from the Manila Army Switchboard to AFHQ. Messages from cast had to go from Corrigidoe to Cavite, then AFHQ
Explain how a USN Destroyer Division survived a run in Luzon waters from Manila Bay to Apari, with Japan controlling the air. that is almost 8 hours steaming at a 30 kt average.Chapter 41
Philippines Campaign
December 1941
Despite Asiatic Fleet HQ knowing about the Pearl Harbor attack early, between confirmations and counter-confirmations, General Douglas McArthur would only be informed of the state of war between the United States and Japan at 03:40 AM on December 8th. Immediately, General Lewis H. Brereton (Far East Air Force) requested a strike against the airfields in Formosa, but was rebuffed by General Richard K. Sutherland (McArthur’s chief of staff). Once more, at 06:15 AM, Brereton begged Sutherland to attack Formosa as news of an attack on Davao airfield came, but Sutherland rejected this once again, angrily telling him to await orders.
Brereton then got two calls at 08:00 and 08:30 AM. The first from General Henry H. Arnold, in Washington, to tell him to not get caught with his pants down, and the second from his French counterpart in Tourane, who informed him that they had just been attacked by a large Japanese force. General Brereton, now sure that a threat was coming, ordered all units on full alert. He made every B-17 take-off, ready to carry out the raid, or withdraw to Mindanao. Once more, Brereton asked Sutherland for authorization for a raid, and once more, he was refused.
At 09:25 AM, when Japanese bombers attacked USAFFE headquarters at Baguio, as well as two other deserted airfields, Sutherland refused to budge. Sensing disaster, Brereton still put all units on full alert, ready to take off at a moment’s notice. In the meantime, he landed all the B-17s, and refuelled them, getting ready for them to take off in the other direction.
Finally, at 10:14 AM, McArthur authorized Brereton to conduct an air strike on Formosa, but by now it was too late. About a hundred fighters had taken off from Formosa and were zoning in on Clark Air Field, where Brereton’s force was located. At 11:30 AM, Iba Field detected the oncoming wave, prompting USAFFE to jump into action. All available fighters took to the air, including the old P-26s, while the B-17s were ordered straight to Mindanao. Having gotten the full details of the strike on Tourane, Brereton did not want to risk his planes being hit on the ground while they were being armed [1].
Brereton was right to do so. When his fighters encountered the curtain of enemy aircraft, it was to see that almost 80 A6M “Zero” were heading straight towards them. Over 40 P-40s were shot down, alongside 16 P-35s and all 12 P-26s. But the Japanese strike wasn’t clean: twenty-two “Zeros” were shot down, including one downed by a particularly brave P-26 of the Philippine Army Air Corps which was immediately destroyed afterwards [2]. As for the bomber force, it could carry out its strike on the Clarke and Iba fields unmolested, with the loss of only four G4M “Betty”. Luckily, because of Brereton’s quick thinking, most B-17s had managed to leave towards Mindanao (only four were destroyed on the ground), but the damage to Clark field was extensive, and Iba field was totally put out of action. As a result, and with a heavy heart, Brereton ordered the last fighters to evacuate to Batangas or the Visayas, stating to McArthur that it was either this or have them be destroyed in another inevitable upcoming raid.
But the Japanese were not done. Another raid struck the Cavite Peninsula, dealing heavy damage to the Naval Base and forcing Admiral Thomas C. Hart to concede that – in effect – Cavite had ceased to operate as a naval base. Luckily, only one submarine was damaged, which was a small miracle. Hart ordered the submarines currently at sea to make for Cam Ranh at the end of their patrol, an order which would soon be changed to Batavia or Singapore. The heavy units for their part would continue to operate from there up until December 22nd.
More air raids came during the following days, with the airfields being cratered one after the other, each time with the USAAF not being able to do much about it. But they were learning. Less and less pilots tried to dogfight the “Zero” with their P-40s, instead opting just for a frontal pass, denying a combat that would be doomed considering the superior maneuverability of the “Zero”. Moreover, each casualty they dealt the IJA was felt dearly by the Japanese, who still had yet to properly attack Malaya, Burma or the Dutch East Indies.
On December 10th, the Japanese finally started landing, around Aparri, in Northern Luzon. And while the U.S air forces could do little about it, it was not the case for the U.S. Navy. DesDiv 58, under Lt.Cdr. Miller, sailed in the night to try and catch the transports unaware. Their gamble paid off as the destroyers on guard did not expect the U.S Navy to be so bold, and swiftly, three transports had been sunk! Unfortunately, these transports had time to call for help: namely that of the cruiser Nagara and its escort.
In the early morning of December 11th, almost twenty-four hours before the French, the U.S were struck with the power of the Long Lances. The cruiser Marblehead was fatally hit, with the destroyers Parrott and Bulmer following it at the bottom of the ocean. The survivors, the destroyers Barker and Stewart, rendezvoused with the heavy cruiser Houston and the light cruiser Concord off Mindoro and made haste towards Miri, in Borneo, where the modern units of the Asiatic Fleet were concentrating before withdrawing towards Batavia. Pearl Harbor had promised reinforcements in the form of an extra Destroyer Division and a cruiser, for the moment.
The raid of DesDiv 58 did delay the Japanese landing slightly, as it contained much of the heavy equipment of the divisions, and it was not until December 12th that Japanese forces took Tuguegarao airfield, which was completely cratered by Japanese bombs, and empty of any aircraft. That same day, Japanese forces landed at Vigan and Legazpi, prompting the U.S command in the Philippines to start concentrating to defend Manila, in a set of defence lines south of Rosario and in front of the Philippine capital. McArthur also requested from the Navy in Pearl that aircraft carriers come to reinforce his depleted air squadrons, which was of course denied.
On December 20th, the Japanese landed on Mindanao, but this time, the Americans struck back with vigor! The submarines patrolling in the area claimed three transports, and then a heavily escorted formation of B-17s came to strike at the unloaded troops! Shocked, they requested air support, but it was too late: the damage had been done and the unloaded troops had been seriously hit. As a result, they could hardly do more than hold on to their territory and hope for reinforcements [3].
In fact, Mindanao wasn’t where things would be decided. Up north, another Japanese force made landfall in Lingayen Gulf, where they were once more struck by the U.S Navy! Two more transports were sunk alongside the seaplane carrier Chiyoda, struck by the USS Snapper. The British HMS Osiris would also claim the seaplane carrier Mizuho, prompting Kondo to retreat from Lingayen Gulf quite quickly! In fact, this was due to the submarine threat, but also to the fact that the landings had been completed in relatively good order, and the fact that the Army (decidedly useless) was being shelled and beaten back in Thailand! Kondo thus steamed south to meet Force “Z” in the Christmas Day battles…
McArthur hardly cared about Kondo's fleet. He only saw that a large number of Japanese forces had been landed on Luzon (the failure of the Mindanao landings notwithstanding), and had to order the evacuation of Manila on December 23rd, after a probing attack by a lightly armored American force failed to dislodge the Japanese from their landing grounds. What’s more, Hart had told him that the U.S Navy was completely evacuating Cavite, which was now the target of almost daily bombings by the IJA and IJN. Most of the heavy units had in fact already joined Batavia, safe for a few old destroyers, but this still enraged McArthur, who couldn’t do much about it regardless. On December 26th, while Tom Phillips and Régis Bérenger were fighting a battle of gargantuan proportions just south, admiral Thomas C. Hart quietly boarded a submarine and left towards Singapore, after a short stop at Palawan to let the storm pass…
McArthur, after seeing the result of the Christmas Day battles, was fuming. “God strike me down if I run away, tail between my legs, while our Allies are fighting and dying out there, like that fool Hart did!” he exclaimed to Sutherland, his chief of staff [4]. McArthur would honor that promise. But while McArthur ranted, his forces were being pushed back both in the south and the north. Brave, but poorly trained and equipped, General Wainwright’s Filipinos put up a strong fight, but one doomed to failure. Manila was swiftly declared an open city, and the retreat was sounded all the way to the Bataan peninsula, where McArthur was confident he would hold.
On December 29th, a sally by the American armored brigades at Malolos, to cover for the retreating units from South Luzon, finally gave some reason to be optimistic. The M3 light tanks entered the town and encountered enemy armored vehicles. These were Ha-Go tanks of the Japanese 16th Infantry Division, and they did not last long. Sixteen of them were knocked out or destroyed, for no losses on the American side, while the U.S-Filipino forces could safely withdraw towards San Fernando! A small success, but one that was dearly needed by the Americans. Just like the French at Quang Ngai and An Khe, or the British at Pattani, the Americans had discovered that the Japanese tanks were hardly a match for their own vehicles...
The Japanese of General Homma vowed revenge. In fact, they considered that victory was now assuredly theirs: the Americans had just boxed themselves in the Bataan Peninsula. 80,000 troops (the vast majority of which were Filipino) which were now trapped like rats. All they needed to do was clean them out, or starve them out. The Japanese were far from thinking that these “trapped rats” were about to write one of the most magnificent pages in both U.S and Filipino army history.
[1] OTL the B-17s were caught unaware on the ground, and mostly wiped out. Because Brereton gets detailed information on the number of Japanese fighters in the Tourane strike, he stops the arming of the bombs and orders the bombers to Mindanao to avoid a slaughter.
[2] With more fighters in the air, FEAF puts more of a fight but is no less decimated by weight of numbers.
[3] With the Clark raid not going as well as OTL, the B-17s can mount a solid response to the Mindanao landings which are effectively neutered.
[4] McArthur didn't use the word "fool" but a slightly more pejorative term.
You have completely changed the entire USN war plan for the Far East. This has been an excellent AH until this point then it veers sharply off real possibilities.
During this time period Japanese air was still hitting land targets such as Cavite and also dealing with Force Z. They were spread thin so may be doable to get to Aparri but wouldn't like their odds on the return trip.
Well, the odds on the return trip were indeed not good, since the USN lost 1 CL and 2 DD. Otherwise, you're pretty much right: the IJAAF is juggling a lot of fronts at once, especially Indochina. After the raids on Cavite, Clark, Manila and Iba, the focus shifted back to Indochina and Thailand, where aircraft were more urgently needed. Aparri was a raid done at night, which caught the Japanese off-guard. While the USN did evade the Japanese during the 10th due to pressing issues elsewhere, it would thereafter have to rely on submarines for these types of attacks as the IJAAF would always be on the prowl thereafter.
So it's bold, but it's still possible.
I will however edit the chapter for it to sting a little more for the USN. Any criticism/feedback on the story is good and helps it grow.