Yeah, but there wasn't anything to replace because Kaga (and the other 3) was gone! Like i said, each carrier and each land group had it's own mechanics, so the loss of four carriers and most of the mechanics didn't made a fig of a difference in the rest of IJN, and the surviving ones were used to boost other carriers or land groups.
Flattops and Flyboys: The Carrier War in the Pacific 1942-44
- Thread starter galveston bay
- Start date
The problem with the Kuznetsov goes far beyond its daily ability to create smokescreens. We're talking about a carrier whose propulsion is so unreliable that it must be accompanied by a tug on all deployments. She's had a list of flight operations accidents, on-board fires, and refueling accidents longer than my arm.
I'm not trying to engage in a Russian-bashing exercise. The Soviet Navy built up an impressive force and an impressive tradition. But severe lack of funding since the collapse of the USSR has taken a very heavy toll on the Navy. And the Kuznetsov is a prominent example for how that has played out.
Anyway, I don't want to derail Galveston's timeline (which does not notably involve Soviet warships) any further.
Right - it wasn't until early '43 that the pilot crunch really hit the IJN.
The decision to expend so many pilots over Rabaul was especially disastrous - and ill-conceived.
Donald Reaver
Donor
I would think it would be easier to finish training up new crew by putting them in a experienced crew that knows all the tricks.also having a core of experienced men to start new teams. Less able to that now.
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What is being discussed is the loss of Senior and mid level petty officer leadership for deck handling crews including plane spotters and armorers from the lost carriers. These were PO's, who were usually not part of air groups. When putting a new ship in service, the USN and RN and the IJN who followed RN patterns took a Cadre of existing PO's and CPO's to assign to the new ship and the lower ranks were made up of newlying trained men. With the loss of the 4 large carriers and most of their flight deck and air operations personnel, the Cadres have to come from a smaller pool of existing personnel, from in service personnel. When those men are replaced on the existing carriers by newly proposed personnel, it will take several months of at sea flight operations to regain a reasonable level of effiency.
my view exactly and I have seen discussions in various histories of the Pacific War talking about the shortages of skilled and experienced officers and enlisted men hampering their combat effectiveness (and damage control) later in the war. Although I would have to dig for where I found that.
and a sign of desperation. The South Pacific Campaign did more to gut the Japanese Naval Air Force than anything else in terms of aircrew losses, far surpassing Midway in OTL. It was a bleeding sore
USS Ranger had this trick
Stacks down
and Raised
Fancy that, vectored thrust for the ship itself, not just the aircraft!
What does it say about the designers, that the "thrust" is either trying to crush the ship or push it under the water?
still outlining and going through various options regarding the British and Japanese for February
Have the American plans completed and initial operations outlined
After that I will wrap up the "Rising Sun on Tropical Seas" and "Shoestring Warriors of Luzon" as the war moves into Spring 1942
still working on a suitable title for Eisenhower in the Pacific Part 2, which will be the Bismark Archipelago Campaign and actions associated with it
Have the American plans completed and initial operations outlined
After that I will wrap up the "Rising Sun on Tropical Seas" and "Shoestring Warriors of Luzon" as the war moves into Spring 1942
still working on a suitable title for Eisenhower in the Pacific Part 2, which will be the Bismark Archipelago Campaign and actions associated with it
Early experiment. Exhaust is switchable side to side when the funnels are down to increase rate of turn. Downthrust astern when funnels are vertical sits the bow up like a ski ramp for launching. Genius. Can't see why it was not more widely adopted!
Eisenhower in the archipelago named for the Eiserne Kanzler? There's gotta be something there
GB, are the Essex class carriers underway, same timeline as OTL? That is the USS Essex should be in the Pacific by mid 1943.
Also are the F6F Hellcats and F4U Corsairs under development and will be introduced to the Navy and Marines in the Pacific same time as OTL (Yes I know the F4U was not approved by the navy at first)?
Also are the F6F Hellcats and F4U Corsairs under development and will be introduced to the Navy and Marines in the Pacific same time as OTL (Yes I know the F4U was not approved by the navy at first)?
One of Shattered Swords' key points was all about losing the plane handling people, not the pilots. There's also the teamwork and working together factor and what that book also points out, the very manual bottleneck nature of getting planes rearmed and back in the air inherent with Japanese carrier design. I would imagine there were differences in being a plane handler between their carriers, none of the originals being quite the same-except maybe the Shokaku's, Americans being much more standardized too. Book also talked about how damage control was very compartmentalized training, not universal per US, these officer's getting killed outright on some carriers at Midway in the 1020 attacks. Reminded me of Soviet officers doing the role of NCO's and Officer, having no real NCO's in Cold War era.
The mechanical aptitude stuff crops up elsewhere in the war advantage Americans also - in Snow and Steel on the Bulge, author points out a big advantage per capita US verses Germans on who knows how to drive before showing up for service, how that affects Germans - - inexperienced, inadequately trained drivers, driving mechanically unreliable vehicles.
Archibald
Banned
Imagine an entire aircraft carrier pulling this trick https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pugachev's_Cobra
The First Air Fleet: Raiders in the Indies
The First Air Fleet: The Japanese Carrier Striking Force
The Hawaiian battles resulted in serious losses to the carrier striking force, with 2 carriers sunk (the Kaga and Soryu), while damage was suffered by the Zuikaku and the Shokaku suffered severe losses to its air group. Both of these carriers are rebuilding their squadrons in Japan while the yard workers repair the flight and hanger deck of the Zuikaku. Both have additional 25 mm anti aircraft guns installed as well, increasing their number from 36 to 52. The light carrier Hosho is reassigned from supporting the battleships Nagato and Mutsu for training duty to while both ships are in the yard.
Pearl Harbor and Midway cost the Japanese Navy 200 pilots, including over half of their squadron and air group leaders. As a result, with only 2 fleet and 3 light carriers sufficiently fast enough to keep up with them, the 1st Air Fleet has been temporarily reorganized until the 2 Shokaku class ships are available again in June. Admiral Yamaguchi, promoted to Vice Admiral after Hawaii, flies his flag aboard the Hiryu, which he views as a lucky ship. Yamaguchi also acts as commander Carrier Division 1, while Rear Admiral Kakuta flies his flag aboard the Zuiho and commands Carrier Division 3 with the Zuiho, Shoho and Ryujo. Additional scouting support is provided by float planes from 5 heavy cruisers assigned to escort duty with the carriers.
As of the conclusion of supporting landings at Mindanao and the eastern Dutch Indies, additional aircraft are flown in to replace the few combat losses and higher number of operational losses as well as allowing the last few Claude fighters to be sent ashore. The 1st Carrier Division is the offensive striking force, with the Akagi carrying 12 Zero, 24 Val and 27 Kate and the Hiryu carrying 12 Zero, 24 Val, and 18 Kate. The 3rd Carrier Division is assigned the chore of fleet air defense, offensive combat air patrol, antisubmarine patrolling and reconnaissance missions for the fleet, supported by float planes from the cruisers. The Shoho carries 18 Zero and 12 Kate, the Zuiho 18 Zero and 12 Kate, and the Ryuho has 12 Zero and 12 Kate assigned. With the cruisers are 16 Jake floatplanes.
The cruisers Chikuma (Vice Admiral Takagi screen commander), Myoko, Nachi, Haguro, Ashigara, light cruisers Nagara and Isuzu, and 20 Fubuki class destroyers (8 of which are assigned to escort 8 tankers supporting the fleet).
Vice Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi
Japanese raids in the East Indies
Completing refueling from their tankers at Balikpapan harbor on February 12, the 1st Air Fleet moves south into the Java Sea and launches its first strike against Dutch facilities and Allied shipping at Surabaya, sinking 2 American gunboats and a minesweeper, as well as several small Dutch vessels and several small merchant ships. The carrier planes attack the airfield and ships, while level bombers from Celebes follow up hitting barracks and the city itself. Civilian and military casualties are heavy. A day later on February 13, the Japanese hit Batavia, where the Allies have already ordered the ships to flee the day before (through the Sunda Strait) but again facilities and airfields are badly hit, and the few surviving Dutch fighters that remain are wiped out.
These two raids also put an end to further America airlift efforts from Java to Cebu in the Philippines as several aircraft are lost and the airfields are heavily damaged, rendering further efforts unsustainable. By February 14 General Chennault and the remnants of the American Army Air Force and what naval aircraft that remain are ordered out to Darwin. The Japanese lose only 17 aircraft in these two raids from antiaircraft fire and Dutch and American fighters, and the American 35th Pursuit Group (58 remaining P39D) split between Surabaya and Batavia is effectively destroyed as 37 of its aircraft are shot down or destroyed on the ground in the two day battle as the P39D and its relatively green pilots are completely overwhelmed by the Japanese fighters and bombers . The surviving P39s are handed over to the Dutch and the remnants of the pilots and the ground personnel are among the last flown out of Java at the end of February.
The devastation of Darwin February 19
Having swept the remaining air and naval forces in the Dutch East Indies away, the next move is to eliminate Darwin as a base for Allied reinforcements and replacements. The Imperial Japanese Army backs out of its agreement pre-war for an invasion here in a conference in early February as the Army feels that demands are already greater than expected in the Philippines, more troops are needed in Burma, and losses have been greater than anticipated everywhere. Furthermore, the Germans are doing better after weathering the Soviet counteroffensive and are already planning a major offensive in the early summer that very well might bring about a Soviet collapse. Having already raided the garrison in Manchuria, the Army is loathe to raid it further as a Soviet collapse will open opportunities in Siberia.
Thus the original plan to launch a two division invasion to secure Darwin as the bastion to defend the East Indies is canceled due to lack of troops and overstretched shipping. The Army is also still annoyed by the Navy failure to protect the Midway invasion fleet (and loss of a full brigade and their transports) and suspicious that another failure will result in the loss of another valuable brigade or division. But the need to eliminate the Allied ability to use Darwin as a base remains and thus a raid by the carrier striking force, along with land based level bombers, should be enough to do the job.
Allied Forces Darwin February 19, 1942
The bulk of the surviving ABDA naval combat forces are elsewhere still on this date, but there are 65 ships in the harbor just before dawn. The Australians have the light cruiser Adelaide, 2 sloops, 2 corvettes, 2 minesweepers, 1 gunboat, a depot ship, and 6 other minor warships. The Americans have the seaplane tender Heron, submarine tender Holland, fleet oiler Pecos, submarines Seal and Sailfish, 2 Filipino Coast Guard light transports, the tug Napa, and the New Zealand light cruiser Leander is in port to refuel on its way to Ceylon. In addition to the 23 warships, there are 43 US Army, Australian, American, and Dutch ships in port, the most important of which is the US Army transport Mauna Loa carrying a cargo of ammunition for the US Army forces at Darwin (and due to be unloaded that afternoon), the tanker British Motorist (aviation fuel and gasoline), and 5 other freighters that had just unloaded civilians and military personnel evacuated from Java (and some from the Philippines and Malaya before that). The remaining ships are all small luggers and coastal craft that are mostly ignored in the ensuing attack.
At RAAF base Darwin are 6 Wirraway (lacking parts and not operational), 6 Hudson (being repaired), 20 P40E fighters of the USAAF 49th Fighter Group, 8 US Navy PBY (undergoing maintenance standdowns,) 3 more PBY in the harbor also undergoing maintenance, and the headquarters of American PATWING 10 and PATWING 3. At Batchelor Field, and the newly built auxiliary airfield (not yet named, OTL Pelt Field) are the headquarters and ground personnel for the 7th Bomb Wing (B17s), along with 7 bombers being serviced, as well as 17 C47, 3 C39, and 5 LB30 transport aircraft (being serviced after heavy operations in the evacuation of Singapore), as well as another 36 P40E from the 49th Fighter Group..
The ground defenses however are minimal. The Australians have a mere 16 3.7 inch AA guns, along with several Lewis guns deployed and their crews have minimal experience due to ammunition shortages. The radar sets and personnel for the air defense headquarters have not yet arrived, while the US Army has the 159th Infantry Regiment (California National Guard), 124th Field Artillery (12 105 mm guns), and 5 battalions of engineers have arrived recently from the United States and have been organized into a provisional engineer group to expand facilities as well as help build up defenses. The Australians have in addition to their anti-aircraft battalion, 2 battalions of of infantry and several coast defense batteries as well as a few headquarters and support units. In addition to the military presence there are around 6,000 civilians living in the area.
In addition to the aircraft above, another 21 B17s, 9 C47s, and 3 LB30s have already left for flights to Java, while 12 PBY are on patrol and 4 more have left for a flight to Timor. Admiral Bellinger and his senior staff are in Brisbane carrying out discussions with the Australians and US Army, leaving Brigadier General George in overall command of US and Australian air forces, while all ground troops and naval forces are under the command of Australian local commanders (or in the case of the convoy and visiting cruisers, the command of their convoy commodore).
Last reports indicate that the Japanese carriers far away in the Java Sea, apparently covering the imminent invasion of Java itself while it is presumed unlikely that the Japanese will commit unescorted bombers to attack Darwin. However 8 P40s are up from dawn to dusk, and another 12 are on strip alert but the lack of radar means that the 49th Fighter Group is reliant on Australian coastwatchers.
The Attack
An hour before dawn, having steamed to within 250 miles of Darwin, the Japanese launch a strike consisting of 9 fighters each from the Zuiho, Ryuho and Shoho, plus 6 fighters and 21 dive bombers each from the Akagi and Hiryu. Also launched are 9 Kates from the light carriers, as well as all 16 cruiser float planes to conduct searches within 250 miles of the fleet and after dawn a standing combat air patrol of 9 Zero fighters is in the air, with another 18 ready to lauch.
By good fortune, an American PBY and an Australian Hudson both failed to spot the approaching Japanese fleet the previous afternoon due to weather conditions and timing and unexpectedly the Japanese are going to have complete surprise.
The first shots are by the leading 9 Zero fighters from the Zuiho which run across a PBY outbound from Darwin which they shoot down in minutes, although not before it gets off a warning. A few minutes later, those same Zeros shoot up Sacred Heart Mission Station, killing Father McGrath even as he is attempting to send out a message warning of enemy aircraft overhead. His garbled and incomplete message is still being studied by the inexperienced staff at the Australian air defense early warning center when the first attackers are overhead 21 minutes later.
The Zuiho fighters begin strafing the harbor, where American PBYs are tied up, while the Ryuho fighters attack Batchelor Field and the Shoho Zeros attack RAAF Darwin. Meanwhile, the American P40s already in the air, all 8 of them, are attacked by the 12 Zeros from the Akagi and Hiryu, and while they manage to shoot down 2 of the Japanese fighters, only 1 American fighter manages to land (and is promptly declared a write off) after the fight. The Japanese fighters inflict severe damage, catching all 12 American fighters that were on strip alert as they attempt to take off, downing all but 2, but these 2 manage to down 3 Japanese fighters in return before being forced to flee after exhausting their ammunition. However the strafing forces everyone at both bases into cover, knocks out a number of anti-aircraft guns, and leaves the base wide open as 9 dive bombers plaster RAAF Darwin and 9 hit Batchelor, cratering runways and preventing any take offs until they are repaired. The Japanese dive bombers escape without a loss.
Meanwhile at the harbor, none of the PBYs survive the strafing and while anti-aircraft guns are concentrating on the fighters (downing 2 of them, damaging 4 others), the gunners miss the arrival initially of 24 dive bombers. The Japanese strike commander orders 9 of his bombers to concentrate on the Leander, 3 to attack the Adelaide, 6 to hit the two tankers, and the remaining 6 to attack the two American submarines. Japanese bombing is outstanding, with 80% of their bombs falling on their targets, sufficient to sink both American submarines, leave both tankers billowing massive flames and smoke, and leaving the Adelaide down by the stern and the Leander ablaze from end to end. The Japanese have several bombers damaged but none are shot down and only 2 are write offs when they return to their ships.
There is a 20 minute lull as headquarters in Darwin send out warnings to subordinate commands, orders all ships to sortie and reports what happened to higher authority. Meanwhile large numbers of Allied servicemen and Australian civilians rush to the docks to begin rescuing sailors coming ashore covered in oil, many with serious burns. Meanwhile the aircraft at Batchelor Auxiliary Field are hurried into the air, regardless of mechanical condition, as long as they can get there. Most are able to fly at least a few miles south and 25 heavy bombers and transport aircraft end up scattered all over the Northwest Territory by the end of the day. Of these 3 end up making crash landings and another 2 land and due to mechanical failures never take off again.
The lull ends when the next attack comes in. The Japanese have sent 54 level bombers from Celebes to deal with Allied air power, allocating 27 bombers each for Batchelor and RAAF Darwin, and they are met with only a few flak bursts as they cruise comfortably and carefully overhead, effectively leveling every building and destroying or severely damaging every aircraft that had not already been destroyed at both bases. Personnel losses are heavy as well, and communications facilities are destroyed at Batchelor. They miss the American auxiliary field however, being unaware of its existence and the personnel there are living in tents next to a long dirt airstrip and thus not an obvious target.
However Darwin is now almost completely helpless except for a few guns that remain manned and still have ammunition. At 0800 hours the next wave comes in consisting of 18 torpedo bombers that concentrate on the Allied merchant ships attempting to escape as well as the 2 cruisers and 24 Kate level bombers that attack the docks and town of Darwin itself. The Japanese are thorough and the damage is appalling. Both of the cruisers are sunk, the transport Mauna Loa detonates after a torpedo sets off her cargo, and the American submarine tender and all of the merchant ships are left sinking. Meanwhile nearly 600 people are killed in Darwin, including over 250 civilians, and much of the town is left burning. Among the dead is the Chief Administrator (Civilian government) Aubrey Abbot, while his maid is spared even though only a couple of meters away. Nearly 2,000 Allied servicemen and Australian civilians are left wounded, and the hospital ship Manunda and local facilities are swamped by the massive casualties.
Yamaguchi considers a second strike but reports from scout planes indicate that the airfields and harbor are wrecked and every important ship has been sunk or is burning. Content that he has done what he needs to do, he orders his fleet north.
At the cost of 12 aircraft and 9 aircrew, the Japanese Carrier Striking Force has ended any hope of using Darwin as a base to support Allied forces in the Dutch East Indies and Philippines for the time being.
The Hawaiian battles resulted in serious losses to the carrier striking force, with 2 carriers sunk (the Kaga and Soryu), while damage was suffered by the Zuikaku and the Shokaku suffered severe losses to its air group. Both of these carriers are rebuilding their squadrons in Japan while the yard workers repair the flight and hanger deck of the Zuikaku. Both have additional 25 mm anti aircraft guns installed as well, increasing their number from 36 to 52. The light carrier Hosho is reassigned from supporting the battleships Nagato and Mutsu for training duty to while both ships are in the yard.
Pearl Harbor and Midway cost the Japanese Navy 200 pilots, including over half of their squadron and air group leaders. As a result, with only 2 fleet and 3 light carriers sufficiently fast enough to keep up with them, the 1st Air Fleet has been temporarily reorganized until the 2 Shokaku class ships are available again in June. Admiral Yamaguchi, promoted to Vice Admiral after Hawaii, flies his flag aboard the Hiryu, which he views as a lucky ship. Yamaguchi also acts as commander Carrier Division 1, while Rear Admiral Kakuta flies his flag aboard the Zuiho and commands Carrier Division 3 with the Zuiho, Shoho and Ryujo. Additional scouting support is provided by float planes from 5 heavy cruisers assigned to escort duty with the carriers.
As of the conclusion of supporting landings at Mindanao and the eastern Dutch Indies, additional aircraft are flown in to replace the few combat losses and higher number of operational losses as well as allowing the last few Claude fighters to be sent ashore. The 1st Carrier Division is the offensive striking force, with the Akagi carrying 12 Zero, 24 Val and 27 Kate and the Hiryu carrying 12 Zero, 24 Val, and 18 Kate. The 3rd Carrier Division is assigned the chore of fleet air defense, offensive combat air patrol, antisubmarine patrolling and reconnaissance missions for the fleet, supported by float planes from the cruisers. The Shoho carries 18 Zero and 12 Kate, the Zuiho 18 Zero and 12 Kate, and the Ryuho has 12 Zero and 12 Kate assigned. With the cruisers are 16 Jake floatplanes.
The cruisers Chikuma (Vice Admiral Takagi screen commander), Myoko, Nachi, Haguro, Ashigara, light cruisers Nagara and Isuzu, and 20 Fubuki class destroyers (8 of which are assigned to escort 8 tankers supporting the fleet).
Vice Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi
Japanese raids in the East Indies
Completing refueling from their tankers at Balikpapan harbor on February 12, the 1st Air Fleet moves south into the Java Sea and launches its first strike against Dutch facilities and Allied shipping at Surabaya, sinking 2 American gunboats and a minesweeper, as well as several small Dutch vessels and several small merchant ships. The carrier planes attack the airfield and ships, while level bombers from Celebes follow up hitting barracks and the city itself. Civilian and military casualties are heavy. A day later on February 13, the Japanese hit Batavia, where the Allies have already ordered the ships to flee the day before (through the Sunda Strait) but again facilities and airfields are badly hit, and the few surviving Dutch fighters that remain are wiped out.
These two raids also put an end to further America airlift efforts from Java to Cebu in the Philippines as several aircraft are lost and the airfields are heavily damaged, rendering further efforts unsustainable. By February 14 General Chennault and the remnants of the American Army Air Force and what naval aircraft that remain are ordered out to Darwin. The Japanese lose only 17 aircraft in these two raids from antiaircraft fire and Dutch and American fighters, and the American 35th Pursuit Group (58 remaining P39D) split between Surabaya and Batavia is effectively destroyed as 37 of its aircraft are shot down or destroyed on the ground in the two day battle as the P39D and its relatively green pilots are completely overwhelmed by the Japanese fighters and bombers . The surviving P39s are handed over to the Dutch and the remnants of the pilots and the ground personnel are among the last flown out of Java at the end of February.
The devastation of Darwin February 19
Having swept the remaining air and naval forces in the Dutch East Indies away, the next move is to eliminate Darwin as a base for Allied reinforcements and replacements. The Imperial Japanese Army backs out of its agreement pre-war for an invasion here in a conference in early February as the Army feels that demands are already greater than expected in the Philippines, more troops are needed in Burma, and losses have been greater than anticipated everywhere. Furthermore, the Germans are doing better after weathering the Soviet counteroffensive and are already planning a major offensive in the early summer that very well might bring about a Soviet collapse. Having already raided the garrison in Manchuria, the Army is loathe to raid it further as a Soviet collapse will open opportunities in Siberia.
Thus the original plan to launch a two division invasion to secure Darwin as the bastion to defend the East Indies is canceled due to lack of troops and overstretched shipping. The Army is also still annoyed by the Navy failure to protect the Midway invasion fleet (and loss of a full brigade and their transports) and suspicious that another failure will result in the loss of another valuable brigade or division. But the need to eliminate the Allied ability to use Darwin as a base remains and thus a raid by the carrier striking force, along with land based level bombers, should be enough to do the job.
Allied Forces Darwin February 19, 1942
The bulk of the surviving ABDA naval combat forces are elsewhere still on this date, but there are 65 ships in the harbor just before dawn. The Australians have the light cruiser Adelaide, 2 sloops, 2 corvettes, 2 minesweepers, 1 gunboat, a depot ship, and 6 other minor warships. The Americans have the seaplane tender Heron, submarine tender Holland, fleet oiler Pecos, submarines Seal and Sailfish, 2 Filipino Coast Guard light transports, the tug Napa, and the New Zealand light cruiser Leander is in port to refuel on its way to Ceylon. In addition to the 23 warships, there are 43 US Army, Australian, American, and Dutch ships in port, the most important of which is the US Army transport Mauna Loa carrying a cargo of ammunition for the US Army forces at Darwin (and due to be unloaded that afternoon), the tanker British Motorist (aviation fuel and gasoline), and 5 other freighters that had just unloaded civilians and military personnel evacuated from Java (and some from the Philippines and Malaya before that). The remaining ships are all small luggers and coastal craft that are mostly ignored in the ensuing attack.
At RAAF base Darwin are 6 Wirraway (lacking parts and not operational), 6 Hudson (being repaired), 20 P40E fighters of the USAAF 49th Fighter Group, 8 US Navy PBY (undergoing maintenance standdowns,) 3 more PBY in the harbor also undergoing maintenance, and the headquarters of American PATWING 10 and PATWING 3. At Batchelor Field, and the newly built auxiliary airfield (not yet named, OTL Pelt Field) are the headquarters and ground personnel for the 7th Bomb Wing (B17s), along with 7 bombers being serviced, as well as 17 C47, 3 C39, and 5 LB30 transport aircraft (being serviced after heavy operations in the evacuation of Singapore), as well as another 36 P40E from the 49th Fighter Group..
The ground defenses however are minimal. The Australians have a mere 16 3.7 inch AA guns, along with several Lewis guns deployed and their crews have minimal experience due to ammunition shortages. The radar sets and personnel for the air defense headquarters have not yet arrived, while the US Army has the 159th Infantry Regiment (California National Guard), 124th Field Artillery (12 105 mm guns), and 5 battalions of engineers have arrived recently from the United States and have been organized into a provisional engineer group to expand facilities as well as help build up defenses. The Australians have in addition to their anti-aircraft battalion, 2 battalions of of infantry and several coast defense batteries as well as a few headquarters and support units. In addition to the military presence there are around 6,000 civilians living in the area.
In addition to the aircraft above, another 21 B17s, 9 C47s, and 3 LB30s have already left for flights to Java, while 12 PBY are on patrol and 4 more have left for a flight to Timor. Admiral Bellinger and his senior staff are in Brisbane carrying out discussions with the Australians and US Army, leaving Brigadier General George in overall command of US and Australian air forces, while all ground troops and naval forces are under the command of Australian local commanders (or in the case of the convoy and visiting cruisers, the command of their convoy commodore).
Last reports indicate that the Japanese carriers far away in the Java Sea, apparently covering the imminent invasion of Java itself while it is presumed unlikely that the Japanese will commit unescorted bombers to attack Darwin. However 8 P40s are up from dawn to dusk, and another 12 are on strip alert but the lack of radar means that the 49th Fighter Group is reliant on Australian coastwatchers.
The Attack
An hour before dawn, having steamed to within 250 miles of Darwin, the Japanese launch a strike consisting of 9 fighters each from the Zuiho, Ryuho and Shoho, plus 6 fighters and 21 dive bombers each from the Akagi and Hiryu. Also launched are 9 Kates from the light carriers, as well as all 16 cruiser float planes to conduct searches within 250 miles of the fleet and after dawn a standing combat air patrol of 9 Zero fighters is in the air, with another 18 ready to lauch.
By good fortune, an American PBY and an Australian Hudson both failed to spot the approaching Japanese fleet the previous afternoon due to weather conditions and timing and unexpectedly the Japanese are going to have complete surprise.
The first shots are by the leading 9 Zero fighters from the Zuiho which run across a PBY outbound from Darwin which they shoot down in minutes, although not before it gets off a warning. A few minutes later, those same Zeros shoot up Sacred Heart Mission Station, killing Father McGrath even as he is attempting to send out a message warning of enemy aircraft overhead. His garbled and incomplete message is still being studied by the inexperienced staff at the Australian air defense early warning center when the first attackers are overhead 21 minutes later.
The Zuiho fighters begin strafing the harbor, where American PBYs are tied up, while the Ryuho fighters attack Batchelor Field and the Shoho Zeros attack RAAF Darwin. Meanwhile, the American P40s already in the air, all 8 of them, are attacked by the 12 Zeros from the Akagi and Hiryu, and while they manage to shoot down 2 of the Japanese fighters, only 1 American fighter manages to land (and is promptly declared a write off) after the fight. The Japanese fighters inflict severe damage, catching all 12 American fighters that were on strip alert as they attempt to take off, downing all but 2, but these 2 manage to down 3 Japanese fighters in return before being forced to flee after exhausting their ammunition. However the strafing forces everyone at both bases into cover, knocks out a number of anti-aircraft guns, and leaves the base wide open as 9 dive bombers plaster RAAF Darwin and 9 hit Batchelor, cratering runways and preventing any take offs until they are repaired. The Japanese dive bombers escape without a loss.
Meanwhile at the harbor, none of the PBYs survive the strafing and while anti-aircraft guns are concentrating on the fighters (downing 2 of them, damaging 4 others), the gunners miss the arrival initially of 24 dive bombers. The Japanese strike commander orders 9 of his bombers to concentrate on the Leander, 3 to attack the Adelaide, 6 to hit the two tankers, and the remaining 6 to attack the two American submarines. Japanese bombing is outstanding, with 80% of their bombs falling on their targets, sufficient to sink both American submarines, leave both tankers billowing massive flames and smoke, and leaving the Adelaide down by the stern and the Leander ablaze from end to end. The Japanese have several bombers damaged but none are shot down and only 2 are write offs when they return to their ships.
There is a 20 minute lull as headquarters in Darwin send out warnings to subordinate commands, orders all ships to sortie and reports what happened to higher authority. Meanwhile large numbers of Allied servicemen and Australian civilians rush to the docks to begin rescuing sailors coming ashore covered in oil, many with serious burns. Meanwhile the aircraft at Batchelor Auxiliary Field are hurried into the air, regardless of mechanical condition, as long as they can get there. Most are able to fly at least a few miles south and 25 heavy bombers and transport aircraft end up scattered all over the Northwest Territory by the end of the day. Of these 3 end up making crash landings and another 2 land and due to mechanical failures never take off again.
The lull ends when the next attack comes in. The Japanese have sent 54 level bombers from Celebes to deal with Allied air power, allocating 27 bombers each for Batchelor and RAAF Darwin, and they are met with only a few flak bursts as they cruise comfortably and carefully overhead, effectively leveling every building and destroying or severely damaging every aircraft that had not already been destroyed at both bases. Personnel losses are heavy as well, and communications facilities are destroyed at Batchelor. They miss the American auxiliary field however, being unaware of its existence and the personnel there are living in tents next to a long dirt airstrip and thus not an obvious target.
However Darwin is now almost completely helpless except for a few guns that remain manned and still have ammunition. At 0800 hours the next wave comes in consisting of 18 torpedo bombers that concentrate on the Allied merchant ships attempting to escape as well as the 2 cruisers and 24 Kate level bombers that attack the docks and town of Darwin itself. The Japanese are thorough and the damage is appalling. Both of the cruisers are sunk, the transport Mauna Loa detonates after a torpedo sets off her cargo, and the American submarine tender and all of the merchant ships are left sinking. Meanwhile nearly 600 people are killed in Darwin, including over 250 civilians, and much of the town is left burning. Among the dead is the Chief Administrator (Civilian government) Aubrey Abbot, while his maid is spared even though only a couple of meters away. Nearly 2,000 Allied servicemen and Australian civilians are left wounded, and the hospital ship Manunda and local facilities are swamped by the massive casualties.
Yamaguchi considers a second strike but reports from scout planes indicate that the airfields and harbor are wrecked and every important ship has been sunk or is burning. Content that he has done what he needs to do, he orders his fleet north.
At the cost of 12 aircraft and 9 aircrew, the Japanese Carrier Striking Force has ended any hope of using Darwin as a base to support Allied forces in the Dutch East Indies and Philippines for the time being.
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authors note:
Art is from websites remembering 75 years after the attack
Better than historical result here, partly due to butterflies (an Allied convoy with two cruisers in port) and similar bad luck for the Allies. Japanese losses are a bit higher (only 4 aircraft lost OTL).
The Japanese carriers are being used more aggressively in the DEI, as Yamaguchi is more aggressive than Nagumo in OTL.
Art is from websites remembering 75 years after the attack
Better than historical result here, partly due to butterflies (an Allied convoy with two cruisers in port) and similar bad luck for the Allies. Japanese losses are a bit higher (only 4 aircraft lost OTL).
The Japanese carriers are being used more aggressively in the DEI, as Yamaguchi is more aggressive than Nagumo in OTL.