~23rd to 31st March 1941 (Transpacific War, Latin American Theatre): Last ditch
23rd: CW aircraft begin round the clock attacks on bases in Puerto Rico and Panama. The attacks on Puerto Rico achieve good success, however the attacks on the Canal prove ineffective.
23rd: The Rhode Island class battleship Oregon is torpedoed and crippled by the CW submarine Upholder, and forced to return to port.
23rd: The US division intended for Puerto Rico is diverted to reinforce Panama.
24th: Guatemala declares war on the CW as its troops move into British Honduras.
25th: The CW assault force departs from Barbados.
25th: CW submarines begin attacks on US shipping throughout the Caribbean. Orders are issued to all submarines to avoid attacks on neutral shipping. US anti submarine escorts are totally unable to deal with the CW high speed submarines and losses begin to mount.
26th: The US troop convoy for Panama is coming under heavy CW submarine attack, along with air attack from Jamaica. Despite suffering heavy losses from CW submarines, the convoy is ordered to continue.
27th: The US Caribbean Fleet under Admiral Royal Ingersoll Engages the CW covering force under Admiral Andrew Somerville. Ingersoll's carriers strike first using traditional wave attacks. The strike manages to inflict heavy damage on the St David, forcing her to turn back. However the CW mass strike overwhelms the US defences, sinking the Ranger and crippling the Ulysses Grant. The CW strike aimed at the US battle line, now deprived of air cover, claim the Pennsylvania class South Dakota crippling the California of the same class as well as claiming two cruisers and three destroyers. Many of Ingersoll's other ships suffer damage. Despite his losses, aware of the importance of stopping the assault force, presses the attack. Somerville, unable to fully implement the Chatfield Doctrine is forced to deploy his battleships to engage. The resulting confused night action sees the Erin class Cambria sunk, with the Albion and Malta class Suez crippled. However the US see the Rhode Island sunk along with the Pennsylvania class Arizona and the Nevada class Oklahoma. While the Montana class Maine and James Monroe class Thomas Jefferson are crippled. A particular feature of the battle is the number of US ships damaged or even sunk by the detonation of their own torpedoes under fire. Unable to break through to the convoy, Ingersoll withdraws to attempt again in daylight. However air strikes the morning claim the damaged Pennsylvania class Idaho and the Andrew Jackson. Ingersoll, now left with only four operational battleships, two with heavy damage, withdraws toward Cuba. However continued attacks by CW aircraft claim the heavily damaged Andrew Jackson and Nevada as well as the crippled, California, Thomas Jefferson and carrier Ulysses Grant. The only US survivors of the Battle of the Leeward Antilles are the Montana class Ohio along with the crippled Maine and the heavily damaged Pennsylvania class Colorado. While Ingersoll survives the battle, his deputy Raymond Spruance is captured amongst the survivors.
28th: The CW follow up divisions depart Barbados.
28th: With the defeat of Ingersoll's fleet the two US divisions on the Colombian border are ordered to the Canal zone. With the garrison now standing at five divisions, the US commander General Lloyd Fredendall is confident he can hold the Canal. None the less, he orders the Canal mined as well as charges prepared to destroy the locks.
29th: Ingersoll is ordered to dispatch his crippled and heavily damaged ships back to Newport News while retaining the Ohio as a fleet in being pending reinforcement.
29th: An additional reserve division arrives at Panama. However it has suffered heavy casualties and lost most of its heavy equipment.
30th March 1941: The CW begin landing at Panama. The nerve gas attacks are totally devastating, leaving the defenders in chaos. The coastal forts are rapidly neutralised. A beachhead is quickly established and the troops begin to move inland.
31st: A US PT boat leaves the Pacific end of the Canal bound for San Diego carrying samples of both Ethercite and Diethercite.
31st: The US defence of Panama is in complete disarray and morale has collapsed, predominantly due to the use of nerve agents. With no reinforcement possible, Fredendall orders the locks destroyed and surrenders to avoid further pointless casualties, leaving the Panama Canal in CW hands. Engineers estimate it will take 18 months to two years to bring the canal back into operation.
