Wake Marines repel invaders! Khota Bharu falls! Japanese and Allied fleets headed for collision course!

Action Summary: A few submarines attempt to engage the Jap transports in the Phillipines and Malaya, but could not get close enough to score any hits. Luckily, none were lost to DD escorts. Khota Bharu finally fell, driving my Indian brigades southwards down the peninsula towards Singapore. Best news all day was that Marines on Wake Island have repelled the Japanese invasion force. They boarded their transports and hightailed south. Semper Fi! First good news since the sneak attack at PH!

Meanwhile, there is trouble brewing off Malaysia's shore as this morning's intel reports that the Haruna and Kongo TF is continuing to move SW. This creates a sense of urgency knowing my opponent is going balls to the wall by sailing straight towards my ADBA concentration point. So I've ordered every available ship up to steam in Borneo and Java, and they are to organize into a single surface action group. This force, if able to concentrate, will include x5 CL's, two BB's and 12+ destroyers. It is a formidable force, but I think it would still be destroyed in open battle with the Japanese TF.

But the Japanese TF is out of range of shore-based cover, including his recon flights from French Indochina. His recon coverage is no greater than the seaplanes his battleships can keep aloft. That means I can see him a lot better than he can see me. I've also ordered my Dutch and RAF bomber sorties to drop altitude to 5,000' in order to improve their chances in hitting the enemy TF. They've been flying sorties against the battleships all day, but without luck. Lastly, I've arranged a new sub barrier of x3 SS's, with another wolfpack enroute from the Phillipines.

So in the next three turns, I may fight the biggest naval battle since Jutland against a brave Japanese admiral risking his vanguard force of BB's to smite my Force Z BB's.

Elsewhere, I'm loading an Indian brigade, supplies and aviation fuel in Calcutta for transport to Andaman as part of the Op Fullback. A covering force of the British light carrier HMS Hermes and escort of CL's has departed from Ceylon. As for the KB, it is moving slowly at 10 kts. NE of Midway. I'm adjusting my sub movements, but it looks like the Lex and Enterprise are in the clear. They will still round Johnston Island to meet with escorts before returning to PH. As for enemy sub activity, it looks as though PH is clear. An ASW force from San Diego couldn't engage an enemy SS spotted off the Catalina Islands.

I've organized for transports to begin ferrying over a massive stockpile of supplies to Bataan. My men should have plenty to eat in order to fight off the Japanese for another four months. No activity in China but recon flights. The battle continues to rage in Hong Kong. Op Full Back continues to see the withdrawal of two brigade from Rangoon to Mandalay. I am considering fortifying Canton Is. as the lifeline between PH and the South Pacific.

Here are is the War Room. Won't bother to post the AAR's today.