American destroyers thwart attempted landing at Baker Island! 1st Burma Brigade cut off in south Burma!

ACTION SUMMARY: Four American destroyers intercepted a Japanese fast-attack transport attempting to make a landing at Baker Island. The destroyers opened fire on the transport at night, holing her at least 8 times with 5 inch shells and slamming a torpedo into her amidships. The transport limped away as the U.S. destroyers approached the Japanese air umbrella at Tarawa Island and turned around. This marks a significant feat in Operation Congo. This is the second Japanese advance against the Pacific Fleet that has been stopped, the first being Wake Island during the first week of war.

Though it had been thought that the Japanese transports approaching Baker had turned around, it was certainly not case as the enemy was unaware of the presence of surface units in the vicinity. This demonstrates gaps in Japanese intelligence resulting from a lack of forward recon bases. The Lexington has been ordered to replenish at Palmyra and prepare to move in aide of Baker Island should the Japanese return.



In the Phillipines, the Japanese launched their first air raid over Mindanao from their newly captured base at Clark Air Force Base. Bad weather mitigated the accuracy of the bombing raid, but several allied aircraft were shot down or damaged.



As a result, the United States Pacific Fleet ordered the transfer of command of the B-17 groups based at Mindanao to airbases at Celebes where they are now under the ADBA command. This transfer was not before the B-17's launched their air raid against Naga in Southern Luzon where stiff Japanese Army Air Force umbrella saw the downing of six Allied aircraft in return for three Japanese Oscars destroyed on the ground.

The Japanese also made a landing at Taytay on Palawan Island in the western Phillipines. There was no troops there to resist them. In Burma, the 1st Burma Brigade was cut off from all Allied forces when a flying column of Japanese jungle infantry captured Tavoy in Southern Burma. The Taytay operation marks a new change in the axis of advance for Japanese forces, as Taytay directly threatens the Dutch and British possessions on Borneo. ADBA is on alert.

Japanese air forces flying from forward bases in Malaya also struck airfields at Pematang, Sumatra where several British bombers are based. A 30+ plane raid of JAAF Sally bombers destroyed nine Blenheim bombers on the ground. These planes, slated for transfer to Andaman Island anyway, were flown out to their new bases later the day.

Elsewhere, Nationalist Chinese air forces made their daily bombing raids against Japanese positions outside of Wuchow and Changsha. The Japanese also launched a deliberate attack against Chinese forces trapped at Hanoi. Two divisions of Japanese-allied Viet Minh troops struck the 17,000 men of the two Chinese corps dug into the mountains and suffered terrible casualties, losing almost 8% of their attack strength for just a handful of Chinese casualties and no ground gained.

Another air raid over Bataan resulted in poor results for Japanese bombers flying from Formosa.

No warroom.