Here is part III of the „History of the Malaya Campaign –
Bataan or Bust“.
It does actually deal very little with events in Malaya, but the events in and around French Indo China certainly require our attention. I ended part II with a description of “Operation Blazer 3” that was not only too brief, but misleading, so start at the beginning: The course of events leading to Operation Blazer 1.
In early February important administrative changes were being made. In late January/early February the Allies still had a foothold in southern Borneo, but failed to hold their position. The main reason was not the lack of American, Dutch and British airpower, but poor coordination. Each nation fought its own air war and thus the necessary concentration of forces was never achieved. With the newly one fame of RAF-MD –we will go into the details of this later- and the victory in Malaya, the RAF could finally get approval for change. Regardless of nationality all units in one particular area are under the tactical command of the region’s ABDACOM air commander. MG van Oijen in the DIE, Air Marshall Browning in Malaya. Of course strategic control remains in the hands of each nation and AM Browning promises to make use of it and withdraw any CW planes unless the series of piecemeal air raids stops immediately. He also strongly recommends the Dutch finally start modifying their Martin 139 bombers and Dornier 24 flying boats to carry torpedoes. Two month of unsuccessful level bombing attacks on ships should have made it clear that this tactic does not work in the real world.
The role of the Americans is limited however. They operate a number of B-17 evacuated from the Philippines and reinforced with planes from Australia. On January 25th the first dozen P-40E arrived on Java. During February more B-17 and the
A-24 –soon to become the bane of Japanese shipping- arrive. The USAAF concentrates it small, but growing strength in the Australia/DEI area, to block any further Japanese advance and secure the aerial line of communications to Mindanao. AV Browning is a lot softer spoken in his dealings with the Americans, who are potentially major suppliers of airplanes, like the fast, well armed and long range P-40.
Still the growth of American air power in the region is too slow to have much influence on events further north. The first flight of B-25 to Mindanao does not occur before April 12th, although the long range B-17 and
LB-30 prove useful over Borneo and the South China Sea.
So far one Army had been defeated, but not destroyed, while the second made good progress in Burma. The Japanese HQ reacted by sending reinforcements to Thailand instead of the Philippines, because as long as southern Thailand could be held, Borneo could be used as a springboard to invade Sumatra and Java, thus cutting off Malaya.
As pointed out previously Thailand switching sides on Feb. 7th and French Indo China following a week later changed the situation for the already retreating Japanese ground forces from “very difficult” to “beyond hope” once the Thai military blocked the withdrawal routes of the 15th and 25th Armies.
Now the chance for victory was gone and setting up a defensive perimeter became No.1 priority. The Japanese understood they needed to act swiftly and strongly, but could not do so as their immediately available strength was limited. Another offensive against Bataan was ruled out; instead French-Indo-China was to be defended. This would keep the PI isolated and buy Japan time to bring in infantry from China and Manchuria.
The Japanese fully anticipated the French changing sides too, but were confident they could handle the situation, especially once a deal was made with the Vietnamese nationalists. What they did not see coming, was
the French offering an even better deal to the Communists and the Communists taking it.
Nguyễn Ái Quốc condemning the Japanese as “the worst colonialists Asia has seen”, “destroyers of independent Asian nations” and “traitors of the peoples of Asia” triggered a massive uprising. The Japanese found roads and railroad lines under non-stopping sabotage, seemingly isolated French units just melted away into the countryside, even taking their heavy weapons with them and the Thais, already operating Ki-30 and Ki-21 bombers got the captured warplanes quickly operational.
As a result the three divisions of the Isaan Army moved fast towards Da Nang and Hue, less than 200 miles away and succeeded in cutting FIC in half, making the situation of Japanese troops in the south instantly untenable.
With the reversal of the situation in the air the Allies could redeploy their units largely unhindered. Much of the AVG departed Burma and went to Thailand, joined by RAF-units the allies could project power in all directions. The trapped 25th and 15th Armies could not make one step in daylight without the omnipresent recon planes noticing it and they had not hope of getting any kind of air support any time soon. The Gulf of Thailand was now an allied lake, allowing fast and safe troop movement by sea to Thailand and even small landing to support French-Vietnamese troops in the south.
The renewed presence of powerful RN units also helped to deter IJN interference. By early February HMS Warspite,
Repulse, Ramillies, Royal Sovereign, three modern CA, and HMS Hermes and
some older CL had come back to Singapore Naval base.
With the Allies in control of the Gulf, the Java Sea and by mid March most of southern French Indo China Operation Blazer(1) was launched. Initially it was just a bombastic American name for a largely Thai-British effort to support the Pilipino-American forces on the Battaan Peninsula. Bataan is just 750 to 800 land miles away from the coast of FIC, and thus within range of twin engine airplanes, most of which can even make a return trip without refuelling, but that was little help given the almost non existent air transport capacity of the Allies. Before the war the Dutch had the *cough* biggest transport fleet: 19
Lockheed Loadstars and
Electra Juniors. Still, the “Battered Bastards of Bataan” greatly appreciate the effort made by the “Mean …
Mischief Makes of Malaya”. The LB-30 has a much bigger cargo capacity, but it is too large for the improvised airstrips on Bataan.
The air support part of the operation goes a lot better. Soon after
BJ-3 and 4, Hudsons, Blenheims and the occasionally B-17 appear over the South China Sea the larger units of the IJN disappear towards the relative safety of Subic Bay. A place that did not stay relatively safe for long.
A conference of the local allied commanders had come to the unofficial agreement that any effort should be made to support the Philippines, even if that means abandoning the north of FIC. To everyone’s surprise the recently appointed Chief Minister of Annam, Tonkin and Cochinchina, Nguyễn Ái Quốc was the most outspoken proponent of this strategy. Officially because keeping the PI would effectively isolate Japan and retaking Tonkin is easier than retaking the PI. So before the dust settles in south FIC the first reinforcements were send in.
Sort-of!
On the morning of March 5th observation posts of the Manila Harbour Defences spot two vessels: a native junk and a patrol craft chasing it. At least until a salvo of 14inch shell from Ft. Drum reminds the Japanese skipper his navigation is a bit off. The PC does dodge the shells at first, but after the 6th salvo its suddenly it’s gone. The junk is signalled to proceed to Mariveles Bay. Outside the minefield they are approached by a motor boat full of nervous Marines. As soon as they board the ship the Marines relax. They are old china Marines of the 4th Regiment and unlike most Europeans can tell a Japanese from a Chinese and these guys are neither. One man –not the captain- steps forward and announces they are from the Vietnamese Communist Party and have been sent by chairman Nugyen to support their American allies in the struggle against the Japanese fascists. The Sergeant in charge replies the USMC is grateful for the international solidarity shown by the Vietnamese people to the workers and farmers of the USA and expresses his hope the chairman has hidden an artillery regiment in the cargo bay.
So much perfect communist rhetoric from an American- aren’t they all capitalists?- surprises the Vietnamese. And no they have not stored artillery down there, just 45 tons of Vietnamese food. And the rest is history as they say. From this day on, each year on March 5th USMC mess halls all over the globe serve only Vietnamese food and former Marines hit Vietnamese restaurants by platoon size to honour the valiant effort of their new allies. Later wiseasses dubbed the communist food running operation “Blazer 1.5”, but let’s not get carried away. 45 tons and the cargo of four more junks arriving over the next days is a drop in the ocean, but also a ray of hope. The first.
The second is the restoration of allied air power on the Philippines, where Japan still enjoyed air supremacy. But this air supremacy was like all things in the South East Asian Theatre not very powerful in numbers. After air superiority had been established, the first line fighters had been withdrawn to deal with the though opposition of RAF-MD, leaving behind obsolescent Ki-27 fighters and single engine bombers. Twin engine Ki-48 and -21 bombers are rare. All things considered that is not an impressive force,
On March 11th 1942 two B-17 and one PBY escort the AVGs “Adam & Eves” Squadron to Bataan. After touchdown a pilot called Boyington remarks that crawling along with less than 250mph at just 7,000 feet was certainly one experience he’d like not to repeat, never!
The P-40B and the 9 Hudsons accompanying them are immediately dispersed camouflaged and maintained before they go to work. Cautiously, because no one wants to tip off the Japanese before the planes are ready. At least that is the official explanation for the low profile the planes keep over the next four days.
On March 16th gunfire is heard once more behind the horizon and this time the Bataan Air Force is out in full force. All 11 serviceable P-40B and the two surviving P-40E are in the air. However they do not attack, just circle over a ship with one, two, three four stacks. Its is a familiar sight, a Clemson class destroyer followed by a more modern looking tin can- actually it’s an older one:
HMS Vampire,
a CL, five merchant ships and more
old destroyers and
cruisers. Operation Blazer 2 has succeeded!
Three ships are not just full of food, they literally flow over. Cargo holds, decks, crew quarters, gangways food is stored anywhere. Even the warships carry as much as damage control permits. From one day to the other the supply situation of the Allies is reversed, had they faced malnutrition bordering starvation on the 15th, they now have reserves for months. The fourth ship carries several thousand tons of captured heavy and automatic weapons and the fifth a battalion of the 5th Field Artillery Regiment, 22nd Indian Bde.
As soon as he got word of the food running operation the communists and the SOE had started (March 5th) Admiral Hart hijacked the idea and expanded it. In record time he got together some cargo ships and escorts, while the air forces rushed planes to the Bataan to provide some air cover at the last part of the journey. The convoy left Saigon on the 13th, the same day Ramillies, Royal Sovereign and the fighter carrier Hermes bombarded Balikpapan, distracting the Japanese and horrifying the Admiralty in London.
The reaction in the USA is relief followed by pure, unmitigated outrage!
To understand this seemingly strange reaction we need to go back to Malaya in the early January.
ACM Brooke-Popham had a memorable meeting the AVM Browning.
“Miles, now you need to tell me what I told you never to tell me”
“Are you sure about this, Bob? We got a war to fight and I don’t know if I have that much time.”
“Not everything, just the part about the Motor Torpedo Boats.”
“That won’t take much time indeed. The RAF has no MTB.”
“And how do you explain this?” –drops an SOE after action report about the raid on Pengang from the 21st on Browning’s desk. Browning does a double take, pales, gapes and rushes out of the office, swearing in Canadian, Yiddish, Chinese and his recently acquired Australian: He has been hoodwinked by these mutinous schmoks!
The mutinous schmoks are the personnel of Patrol Boat Sqns 1 and 2. The reader might recall the lack of navigational skill of bomber crews and how the problem was addressed (part 1). The civilian volunteers and retirees got an icy reception first, but used all the experience (and the money) accumulated in 40 to 60+ years to win the trust of their new squadron mates.
Suddenly the squadron bar was well supplied with high quality liquor, whenever “the boys” were on leave, they were invited to clubs and restaurants even Squadron Leaders could hardly afford and that was by no means the worst of it: Retired Lt. Cmd. Robert Crowe (63) –off course an Australian, who else would go so low?- innocently asked the Sqn. Leader of No.1 RAAF if he could bring his granddaughters along for a visit. The “little ones” were so enchanted with planes ever since granddaddy started telling them (great) war stories. The Sqn. Leader mumbles that hey might as well start a kindergarten, now that they already have a retirement home on the base, so yes, but keep them away from me. Do I really need to mention that the “little ones” were not so little any more?
On the positive side, the “old farts” were good at what they were supposed to do.
Sgt. Hill’s navigation as flawless even when he was drunk. And that is not a figure of speech but fact. They made
Benny drunk, got him on a plan, kept him drunk and he plotted course from Kota Bharu to Singapore down the east coast and back up the west. Unlike the regular navigator he was always on the mark.
Sgt. Michael Kozlowski was first proud to beat all the squadron’s rear gunners in a little gunnery exercise, then he was shocked: These guys were about to go to war and he could beat them even thou he had not touched a machine gun since he retired from the USAAC. He needed to do something ASAP. And he did, substituting scarce machine gun ammo and towed aerial targets with shotguns and clay pigeons, he started a training program that was eventually adopted by all of RAF-MDs bomber units.
And
Sgt. Peter Meyers-Nelson the 1st one day arrived with a truckload of drop tanks he had made by one of his mine’s machine shops.
So, one Dec.8th the old guys had become part of the boys and demanded a piece of the action! The superiors remembered AVM Browning’s words of wisdom: “Ends justify means. If you need to break rules to get results, do it.” And Browning’s own rules were broken.
Browning’s feeling that this would have repercussions was correct – sort-of. Less than three days later he got another visits by a visibly baffled Brooke-Popham. The story has broken and these are the first reactions.
AVM Browning is handed a telegram from his Prime Minister, and one from the PM of South Africa, New Zealand, the UK and last but not least the President of the United States and they all want the same: Round up the miscreants and send them home on … a war bound tour!
No kidding! 1941 had been a bad year and so far 42 wasn’t a bit better. The Battle of the Atlantic, Greece, Crete, Rommel in NA, PH, the invasion of Malaya and the PI… Nothing but difficulties and disasters. RAF-MD has done very well so far, but the general public is not aware of this. After all it’s the RAF, they defeated the Luftwaffe over Britain; they defended Malta and were causing the Axis a great deal of trouble in North Africa. So the public sees the RAF as a well equipped, well trained and well lead force. Doing well is what one expects und these circumstances.
But the stories from Malaya, were just what the public needed, they captured everyone’s imagination, gave hope and were funny:
-63 year old grandfather leads Taranto-style night torpedo attack and sinks a large transport
-the first American ace of the war: a 55 year old retired USAAC Sergeant who shot down five Japanese bomber on one day – serving as the rear gunner of a Lockheed Hudson
And that´s just the beginning:
The other civilian volunteers and retirees who stayed behind with the Patrol Boats naturally felt left behind: “This is unfair. They get to play with the cool bombers and we get … fishing boats!” But they did not shrink from the task and mastered the challenge! In case The Empire needed than to take more direct action they prepared the yacht club’s motor boats. Through dark channels machine guns were obtained and a 2lb pom-pom was turned into eight single barrel, manually loaded 2lb anti-boat guns.
The men on the east coast went tone step further. Under the guidance of a drunken ex-submariner they put self made torpedo tubes on their boats and offered their support to the SOE resulting in the famous
-“Pirates of the Malayan”, immortalized by four movies. Speaking of which: IMO the recent Hollywood remake was as over pyrotechnic as the 1942-version was over patriotic. The 77 movie with Clint Eastwood and Donald Sutherland was historically most accurate, but nothing beats
“Carry On Malaya” with Sid James as Sir Miles Browning, and Charles Hawtrey as General Percival.
Let’s not get off topic:
How does this much good news cause outrage in the USA? Naturally RAF-MD was front-page news and reporters kept looking for more stories. Although Browning and Brooke-Popham did their best to downplay it, the use of out phased bombers and trainers in combat makes it painfully obvious that Malaya and particularly the RAF units had been severely neglected by London. Modern equipments had been practically non existent, even obsolescent and obsolete was in short supply.
On the one hand it boosts RAF-MD´s popularity, on the other hand it reflects poorly on the RAF bureaucracy. And now that London is sending all the good stuff in huge quantities like Hurricanes and Blenheims from the Mid East, Beauforts and Hudson from Australia, Browning and Brooke-Popham are not interested in setting old scores. RAF-MD is even getting the Buffaloes AVM Browning requested. The large number of fighters is coming from a previously untapped source of modern warplanes. In 1940 the UK had received over two hundred
Curtiss H-75A-4 fighters. Unlike the French who used them successfully against the latest Me109 the RAF considers these highly manoeuvrable planes third rate at best. Some went to India equipping No.5 and No.115 Fighter Squadron and No.151 Operational Training Unit, but well over one hundred end up as trainers in South Africa. Until Malaya shook them loose for their Thai and Dutch allies. The Dutch in turn had over their Buffaloes to the RAF filling the ranks so badly depleted by the IJN´s Tainan and 3rd Kokutai(pre war strength 45 A6M each!).
The Americans on the other hand, have no reason to hold back:
They want to know why the Empire’s weak ground, sea and air forces have once again succeeded where US forces have failed, or not even tried in the first place! And they make the politicians feel the pressure.
The Senator from Missouri fires the first round by giving his colleges a lesson about the capabilities of various warplanes stationed on PI on Dec.7th. The heavily armed and protected P-40E is not doubt the best single engine fighter of the USAAF, followed by the more agile, but less well armed and protected P-40B. The least capable fighter was the
P-35A: It had the lowest speed, weakest armament and was totally unprotected. The highly successful Brewster Buffalo is moe or less like a P-35 with some armour, speed and armament are identical. Still the three former were swept from the skies, the latter wasn’t. Certainly this can not be the fault of the pilots. He has received letters from Americans serving with RAF-MD and they freely admit US pursuit pilots are younger and have more flight hours and excellent planes. Senator Truman concludes that leadership must have made the difference and the Senate should look into it.
The Senate did.
Major General Lewis H. Brereton comes out clean as freshly fallen snow. He took over the U.S. Far East Air Force just one month before the start of the hostilities, which left him far too little time to turn the situation around. It also helped that he was critical of the deployment of heavy bombers at a time the PI´s air defences were still incomplete.
Some blame fell on the War Department. The effort to reinforce the PI came too late and no matter how difficult re-supply would be in wartime, a place with thousands of American troops and civilians must have adequate means to defend itself.
The United States Army Forces in the Far East, Major General MacArthur is far less lucky. Having been made Military Adviser to the Commonwealth of the Philippines in 1935 and Field Marshal of the Philippine Army in 37 he can not claim a lack of time, not a lack of funding and certainly not a lack of a mission.
When he took over it had been decided to grant independence to the PI by 1946, by which time the PI needed armed forces. Admittedly initial funding was low, but not so low to justify years of near inaction in training and procurement, resulting in infantry companies having one BAR per platoon, whole battalions never having fired their rifles even on a shooting range, infantry regiments had two .50-caliber machine guns and six 3-inch trench mortars, 70 percent of the ammunition for which proved to be duds, 75mm artillery guns were delivered without sights and most gunner had never even seen a gun being fired before Dec.7th.
In spite of these severe and obvious shortcomings Gen. MacArthur choose a conventional defensive strategy relying on counterattacks, which require a certain level of skill and support the PI Army clear lacked. He failed to make preparations in accordance with War Plan Orange 3 and when he finally invoked WPO-3, he failed to ensure the movement of key supplies to Bataan, thereby being responsibly for the almost starvation of tens of thousands of allied troops.
But stave they did not. The allied soldiers regained a healthy physical condition very fast and their morale could have hardly been better: they had already won the battle for the Orion-Bagac Line, they defeated the landings in their rear and destroyed Japanese offensive capability in the process: At the end of January General Homma ordered the 65th Bde. And the 16th Div. to withdraw north establish defensive positions, reorganize, and prepare for the next offensive. The 65th experienced little difficulty in carrying out his orders, because the 16th was too closely engaged to withdraw easily. Moreover, its entire
20th Infantry was behind the American line, either at the points or in the pockets. On about 13 February, therefore, Homma ordered the
65th Brigade and the Army reserve unit to launch a diversionary attack against II Corps to relieve pressure on the
16th Division.
From 6 January to 1 March
14th Army casualties had totalled almost 7,000 men. Twenty-seven hundred men had been killed and over 4,000 wounded. Between 10,000 and 12,000 more were down with malaria, beriberi, dysentery, and tropical diseases. Literally,
14th Army had ceased to exist as an effective force, and its two combat elements, the
16th Division and
65th Brigade, had been reduced to impotence. Of the three infantry regiments in the 16th Division, one, the
20th, had been virtually destroyed. By 24 February the effective infantry strength of the
16th Division on Bataan did not exceed 712 men.
The
65th Brigade had not fared much better than the
16th Division. Entering Bataan early in January with about 5,000 infantrymen, had lost altogether over 4,000 men: 1,142 killed and 3,110 wounded. Many of those who survived were exhausted and sick and could hardly be considered effective troops.
As a result moral reached an all time high even before March 16th. After March 16th the most serious threat to discipline was coming from the 26th Cavalry that had finished the last of their horses a day before and thus did not approve of the inevitable jokes made by the infantry. Behind the Japanese lines thousands of soldiers of the PI Army who deserted in December ruefully return to “active duty” with the guerrillas and in London the Admiralty recovers from the shock of R-class battleships being actually send into …. battle and firmly order Adm. Tom Philips never to try this again unless he wants to be relieved of duty; hero or not!
Foreseeing the allied and axis reaction to “Blazer 2” Hart and Phillips have already changed tactics. Convoys are replaced whit the “Saigon Express”, actually departing from Cam Ranh Bay. The least combat capable tin cans of the
ABDATF fleet are clearly the Clemson class DDs with their weak and poorly arranged artillery. On the other hand they have a good range, so their torpedo tubes are removed to gain storage space on deck. Each “express” consist of two Clemsons escorted by two more modern destroyers and later one radar equipped cruiser. The IJN´s effort to derail the operation are initially a success. The last part of the 700 nm “ride” is made in daylight to benefit from Bataan base air cover. Unfortunately the number of fighters on Bataan is too low to provide sufficient air cover. Air raids on Subic Bay, particularly aerial mining are more rewarding, but not rewarding enough. The next attempt is to use
JF-43 and -6 fighters but their performance limitations(see part II) make them of little use against unmodified Japanese fighters. Eventually the best protection turns out to be a change in timing. The “Saigon Express” now travels the last part under cover of darkness. With Subic Bay just 25 nm north of Bataan intercepts are inevitable, but of little consequence. Once a blip is seen on the radar, the allied ships change course, once located and fired on they withdraw and try another night.
From March 16th to mid April sufficient quantities of war material have arrived on Bataan to firmly secure the allied position. Enough even for plans to push the Japanese back towards the Abucay-Mauban Line to be executed, it puts Mount Natib between I and II Corps. Even though the rugged terrain is no longer considered impassable and the lines are extend far up its slopes, the 4,222ft mountain effectively cut’s allied lines in two separate parts. But by securing the Bagac – Pilar road and the absence of such a road in the Japanese rear the Allies are confident they can fully exploit the advantage of the interior lines.
Or so it seems for he Allies are unaware of key Japanese movements.
The Japanese can do numbers too and estimate a convoy from the continental USA would need 40 days minimum at 15kts, including 8 days of rest and refit. Starting the count in early March when south FIC was lost they expect considerable US reinforcements no later than … mid April. So under great secrecy they rush in whatever unit is available from China and keep their eyes open for signs of the American Fleet. In early April they have send 5,000 replacements to Homma getting the
65th Brigade and
16th Division more or less back in shape and even got a reinforced infantry division from the Home Islands in place. At that time they receive reports of Warspite, Repulse, Indomitable and Hermes leaving base and assume it’s to meet with the American convoy. They are mistaken, actually it’s another UK convoy with Prince of Wales, Formidable, Revenge and Resolution that’s approaching from the Indian Ocean.
On April 7th they launch a “pre-emptive” strike by submitting General Parker’s II Corps in the eastern sector to an artillery bombardment of hitherto unseen dimensions. As expected the 51st Div. reports strong attempts to turn the Corps flank by infiltrating along the slopes of Mt. Natib requiring the corps reserve to be committed. In the west General Wainwright I Corps reports considerable infiltration attempts near Mt. Natib. Wainwright commits most of his reserve to deal with the obvious, but still serious supporting action.
And that’s when things start going very wrong. Soon before daybreak, April 8th reports are coming in of a naval landing three miles north of Bagac. At that point it becomes clear the action in the east is a mere diversion and MacArthur orders his “strategic” reserve -the 57th Infantry(PS)- to Wainright before the hammer falls. It does fall before they arrive, but on Parker in the east. The forceful landing has been a part of a double deception. Parker’s left is under attack Mt. Natib since midnight, at dawn Japanese air power strikes II Corps in a strength not seen for months. Meanwhile the situation for Parker deteriorates even further as an armoured attack hits his extreme right at Mabatang near Manila Bay.
Now the Japanese plan becomes clear:
1. Force both Corps to commit their reserves – at the wrong place.
2. Draw the strategic reserve towards the wrong Corps.
3. Hit the other Corps and do it where they least expects it.
With no more reserves available because most of the crack 4th Marines on garrison duty on Corregidor the Japanese plan has a good start and keeps getting better when IJA paratroopers cut the Bagac – Pilar road, cutting the connection between I and II Corps. General Parker now calls MacArthur and tries to convince him the gloves must come off, than he urges him, than he begs him. Than he slams the receiver on the phone and says: “F…! I won’t have my man getting beheaded or used for bayonet practice. Tell the Brits they have a go!”
The Brits are actually Indians, the artillerymen of the 22nd Indian Bde. Opening fire with their 4,5inch guns. Remarkably fast the Japanese artillery fire declines from a torrent to a trickle, at which point the fire is shifted at Abucay, just taken by Japanese spearheads. Dug in to the south PI Army units soon begin to notice the Japanese effort does not amount to more than probing and an armour attack without infantry support which is quickly defeated. Irritated by the calmness the Philippinos send patrols out. The first thing the men notice is an odd stink in the air. When they reach the Japanese lines the first thing they notice is weapons and equipment being thrown away and more to the rear dead Japanese. One has a pool of blood originating from his mouth and his skin is covered with blisters. At the mention of “blisters” the officer puts one and one together and screams at his men not to touch anything and get the hell out of this place. NOW!
By April 1942 stories of Japanese atrocities towards POWs in China and on a smaller scale in Malaya are common knowledge and no one is under the illusion of being treated according the Hague Convention, so General Parker authorised the use of mustard gas shells to save his corps – the hell with MacArthur´s orders!
And the gas attack has caught the Japanese almost totally unprepared. Their logistics have been far from perfect in December, but now the time allows only the loading of the most essential equipment. Gas masks and so on fall not under this category.
With the Japanese artillery temporarily out of use the allied defenders get the upper hand anywhere, cautions patrols are followed by counterattacks, eventually supported by the 57th Infantry(PS) once the paratroopers had been gassed out.
The second Battle of the Abucay-Mauban Line ends with the total defeat of the Japanese. The Operations against Wainright´s I Corps have cost the Japanese both battalions that landed north of Bagac and the casualties near Mt. Natib are not light either. The distraction had to look real after all. The units attacking the II Corps fared much worse. The attack near Mt. Natib was more powerful, proceeded further and thus more troops find themselves cut off. The recently arrived units from Japan have run head-on against an anvil, their artillery finds itself short of gunners.
General Homma admits that this was it. They have given the Americans all they had and failed. Now they need to prepare for the American offensive and prey the Navy stops it. However slim that change might be.
Actually it got a lot better. The successful battle has triggered panic in Washington instead of relief. In complete ignorance of the situation a second, even more powerful offensive is feared and RA Fletcher’s fleet gets the fateful order to take a shortcut through the Suda Strait instead of the much less exposed Malacca Strait. As was to be expected his convoy is spotted by a sub and reaches Cam Ranh Bay by mid May, carrying the 1st Provisional infantry division(one regular, one National Guard and one Marine regiment, plus artillery). Attached are two independent tank battalions and a coast Artillery AA regiment with the new 37 and 90mm guns. Additional ships re loaded with a wide range of heavy and automatic weapons and airplanes: P-40 for the RAF and USAAF and P-39 for the RTAF. It’s everything the Allies ever wanted and so often asked for.
Unfortunately Fletcher is under strict orders to proceed to Bataan ASAP. Admirals Phillips, Hart and Helferich try in vain to delay the convoy at least until some of the crated planes are assembled. Their earlier arguments that urgency is no longer needed and the convoy better stays in Cam Ranh until the strategically located Spratley Islands are taken have fallen on deaf ears, too. Distance from there to FIC, Bataan, Palawan and Borneo is 400, 350, 150 and 250 nautical miles, making them the perfect air base. In the north the convoy could be either supported or threatened from the Parcel Islands being 250, 400 and 190 nm away from FIC, the PI and Hainan. Washington wants to hear nothing of it. Instead Land bases allies air power is to neutralize the Parcels and Spratleys, while TF 11(Sara, Lex and Yorktown, Repulse, Prince of Wales) covers the area between the Parcels and the Philippines. HMS Formidable is to support the effort to suppress air power on Borneo. HMS Indomitable and Hermes are still in the Indian Ocean having picked up Spitfires for the RTAF and Hurricanes for the RAF. Radio Intel has four Japanese CV still in home waters rebuilding their depleted air groups. Washington is confident three American CVs will be able to cope with anything the Japanese have. That the Japanese might have more forces in the region than meets the eye does not occur to Washington, but local commanders are more cautious. And a sudden considerable increase in enemy air activity confirms something is up. Nevertheless order are orders: With much fanfare and publicity the carriers and their charges leave port. Once out of sight Warspite, the two R-class BB Revenge and Resolution and the transports turn southwest and head into the Gulf of Thailand, while HMS Formidable joins TF11 on it’s way north.
The caution is proven justified when a Dutch sub reports two enemy CV northwest of the Parcels. Exactly where TF11-1(Lex, Sara) and 11-2(Yorktown, Formidable) expected them to be and immediately an air strike is launched on what is now being identified as three CV by a Thai BJ-21. The result is most rewarding. The attack hits with the precision of the Swiss clockwork: Yorktown’s and most of Formidable´s planes gang up on Akagi with a devastating result. Meanwhile Lex´s and Sara´s dive bombers strike
Shōkaku and
Zuikaku. Each ship is hit by several bombs before submitted to a deadly pincer attack by TBDs. They too sink fast with a heavy loss of life. Initially Formidable´s CAG held back half of his Sea Hurricanes and Albacores looking for a possible fourth carrier, but nothing is found in the area, certainly not Kaga who just had finished preparations for her own air strike against the two enemy carriers a Japanese sub recently located. Kaga launches her planes right after the last planes of TF11-1 depart the battlefield and return home in a very loose formation and followed at a distance by Kaga´s strike force. TF11-1 radar operators are not alarmed at the large number of blips over a large area. That is to be expected when the planes come home after having lost formation.
Lex is hit first and worst, so sudden is the onslaught that fuel lines could not be closed much less drained. Within minutes her hangar deck is a flaming inferno, Sara has gotten a little warning time, the two 250kg bombs don’t cause catastrophic fires and she even survives the two torpedoes hitting her.
Yorktown and Formidable escape unhurt so far, but a second strike force from the Parcel Islands is already approaching. Contrary to doctrine Fletcher heads towards it to shield the drifting Saratoga. This time the Allies have their guard up and scores to settle. The Japanese planes – a mixed formation of D3A and Ki-51 dive bombers, B4N torpedo planes and Ki-43 fighters is badly hit on the way in and scores on hit and one near miss on Yorktown, while Formidable´s deck is dented once. A counterattack is planned, but before it can be launched Kaga´s time has run out. An attack of BJ-4 and Lockheed Hudsons drives her right in front of
K-15 whose skipper puts four torpedoes in her hull.
After an evaluation of Yorktown’s underwater damage the Allies decided to leave the area without mopping up the three BCs that escorted the carriers. As it turn out another wise decision as an American sub later reports four battleships and four heavy cruisers heading towards the area at 25knt for a night attack on any uncautious allied ships in the vicinity.
The loss of Saratoga two days later made The Battle of the South China Sea quite a costly victory, but one worth it. The Japanese carrier force is now down to their two smallest fleet carriers Soryu and Hiryu, two converted liners and two light carriers. All ships lack planes and skilled pilots as the four lost ships had the most completed air groups.
While the aborted relief attempt confirms the worst and totally unfounded fears in the USA, the allies in South East Asia feel victorious and take quick steps to exploit their victory. Yorktown is send to Singapore and patched up in four days. In the meantime the recently delivered airplanes are hastily assembled and strengthen allied control of the skies and seas. Next comes the 7th Marine Regiment, Revenge and Resolution and the ABDAFT´s
collection of old
cruisers paying a visit to the Japanese garrisons of the Parcel and Spratly Islands. Distant cover and air support is provided by the Combined Allied Fleet(RA Fletcher, USN)with carriers: USS Yorktown, HMS Formidable, HMS Hermes and HMS Indomitable and the battleships HMS Warspite, Prince of Wales and Repulse. Airfields are build, the Marines are relieved by the elements of the
RAF-Division that has finished the mopping up operations is northern Malaya and on June 7th, 1942 the transports set sail for Bataan. At high none of the 9th troopships carrying the 1 Provisional Division, the 2nd Armoured, the 164th Infantry Regiment and the 5th Marine Regiment start disembarking the men at Mariveles. First ashore is the Corps commander, Major General Patton who greets MacArthur with the unforgettable words: “Nice reception General, but we were promised Japs to kill!”
The Philippines have been relieved and once the necessary reorganisations in the troop structure had been made they made they were retaken with Patton’s III Corps leading “The race across the Philippines”. Gen. Wainwright´s I Philippine Corps drove the enemy back towards Lingayen Bay, while Gen. Parker’s II Philippine Corps liberated Manila and headed for Batangas and Legaspi. During the operations much use was made of chemical weapons with excellent success. On the mainland the progress was slower as the south westerly summer monsoon, occurring from May to October limits air activity. Also after accomplishing the key task of relieving the Philippines the bad weather is used as a breather to re-organize and re-equip the exhausted ground and air forces and we take this opportunity to look at what has become of our winged and legged heroes.
General Sir Arthur Percival is Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia. In this function he has the formidable task to coordinate a ten nation war effort. That does not leave much time for actual field command.
Despite a London intrigue Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham remains in charge of RAF´s Far East Command and is made Deputy Commander of the Allied Far East Air Forces and faces similar challenges as Percival.
With the help of the Chinese Government Air Marshal Sir Miles Browning more than just survives the London intrigue. His command area is expanded to Thailand, French Indo China and the border regions of China.
Admiral Sir Tom Phillips is made commander of ABADTF naval forces.
Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher receives the deserved hero’s welcome in the USA, while Admiral Ernest J. King is quietly retired for his nearly disastrous micro managing of “Blazer 3” and “The Battle of the South China Sea”.
General Douglas MacArthur´s retirement is a bit less quite, but I guess you figured that out already.
Also retired are many warplanes like the RAF´s and MVAF´s odd collection of biplanes for example. The Royal Thai Air Force has used its considerable influence with the UK and USA to obtain Spitfire and Beaufighters from the former and Aircobras and A-20s from the latter. The Miles Masters are resuming their duties as advanced trainers, the relatively fast and long legged Fairey Battles are replaced by the outstanding A-24 dive bombers, and before 1942 is over the last Brewster Buffalo is handed over to No. 151 Operational Training Unit. And we shall end this part with a tribute to “t
he best, worst fighter of the war” made by the IJN´s
Saburo Sakai:
I had full confidence in my ability to destroy the Brewster and decided to finish off the enemy fighter with only my 7.7 mm machine guns. I turned the 20 mm. cannon switch to the 'off' position, and closed in. For some strange reason, even after I had poured about five or six hundred rounds of ammunition directly into the Brewster, the airplane did not fall, but kept on flying. I thought this very odd - it had never happened before - and closed the distance between the two airplanes until I could almost reach out and touch the Brewster. To my surprise, the Brewster 's rudder and tail were torn to shreds, looking like an old torn piece of rag. With his plane in such condition, no wonder the pilot was unable to continue fighting! A Zero which had taken that many bullets would have been a ball of fire by now.
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