by Row, David
March 2nd
The rations of the US-Filipino army on Bataan are reduced again, this time to one-quarter of the normal daily food allowance. The trapped troops supplement their diet with horse and water buffalo meat and even lizards. Disease is taking a heavy toll on the 95,000 men on Bataan and Corregidor - especially malaria, malnutrition and diarrhoea.
The Australian government finally declares war on Siam.
March 4th
The Japanese Imperial General Staff decides that once the occupation of Java is complete, to expand its conquest to New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Fiji Islands and American Samoa. Taking the Fijis and Samoa would cut America's supply line to Australia.
General MacArthur, (Commanding General U.S. Army Forces, Far East), begins reorganizing his forces in the Philippines in preparation for his departure. The Composite Visayan-Mindanao Force is divided into two commands. Brigadier General William F. Sharp retains command of forces on Mindanao; the Visayan forces are placed under Brigadier General Bradford G. Chynoweth. MacArthur's plans envisage the formation of two more commands. Major General George F. Moore's harbour defence forces on Corregidor and other islands in Manila Bay will constitute one, the forces on Luzon the other.
General MacArthur informs Rear Admiral Rockwell, Commandant of the Sixteenth Naval District, that he has been instructed to leave Corregidor. The plan is for him and his party to board the submarine USS Permit which is scheduled to leave Corregidor on 14 March.
The issues over the convoying of US ships off the East Coast of America, and the refusal of merchant captains to sail unless they are convoyed, reaches Churchill and Roosevelt. Both are annoyed, for different reasons. Churchill bluntly informs Roosevelt that the heavy losses of tankers can no longer be tolerated, and they either go in convoy or stay in port. Even though the RN escort forces are stretched, they will provide escorts, but he points out that it would be better if the USN escorts them, and this will look better politically. He also notes that it is not going to be possible to sit on the US press much longer, and that if news of the current situation gets out, it will be damaging.
March 5th
Japanese Imperial General Headquarters issues Navy Directive No.62 ordering Commander-in-Chief, Combined Fleet, upon completion of the Java operation, to annihilate the remaining enemy force in Dutch New Guinea and to occupy strategic points of that territory. The objectives of the occupation are to survey the country for possible sites for air bases, anchorages and oilfields, as well as to secure a good communication and supply line with British New Guinea.
A Japanese convoy bound for Huon Gulf, New Guinea, sails from Rabaul, New Britain Island, during the night of the 5th/6th.
Roosevelt orders the USN to sort itself out over convoys. Merchant ships WILL be escorted, with no arguments. Admiral King is furious, but is bluntly informed that he can be replaced if he won't obey the command - while Roosevelt does not want to do this, an Admiral who doesn't follow his orders is useless to him. When it is pointed out that the USN doesn't actually have the escorts available, a compromise plan is reached for the short term; ships will be escorted during the day, and go into port at night.
March 6th
U.S. Lieutenant General Stilwell, Commanding General American Army Forces, China, Burma, and India, confers for the first time with Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek in Chungking.
General Alexander gives provisional acceptance for a campaign to drive the Japanese out of northern Malaya. This operation as envisaged requires the 1st Australian armoured division, which will not be in place for some three weeks, but it is hoped that unless it has to be diverted to Java it will be possible to attack before the monsoon sets in. The idea is to first break the Japanese defensive line, then strike north-west to control the coast and to allow the army to join up with a force striking south from Burma. This will give them control of the west coast, and they will then wheel and strike behind the Japanese defensive line with an armoured thrust. The RAF will both support and attempt the maximum interdiction of the Japanese coastal supply route. Success will not only recover all of Malaya, but will allow Singapore to be supplied even if all the DEI and Sumatra fall. Alexander's main problem is that he does not know how much of his force will be needed to support the Dutch in Java, and Park is still concerned over the 'missing' Japanese aircraft.
March 7th
While returning from a reconnaissance mission over Gasmata and Rabaul in the Bismarck Archipelago, the crew of an RAAF Hudson based at Seven Mile Airstrip, Port Moresby, sights a convoy of eleven ships heading for Salamaua. These contain troops of the South Seas detachment. This catches the Allies by surprise; they have been readying their forces for the soon-expected invasion of Java, and the Royal Navy forces are to the west of the DEI. The Allies only have a light force in the area, but on sighting what seems to be an invasion force a brigade of the 8th Australian Division is ordered to be ready for operations. This reserve brigade has been held at Darwin for possible action in the DEI, and ships are available at Darwin to allow at least part of the Brigade to be shipped (although this will mean a temporary hold in fortifying Timor). The Canadian Brigade that recently landed at Sydney will be moved to Darwin in its place, allowing it more time to acclimatise.
The Allied air force can only easily reach the convoy with the long range B-17's, which are not effective A/S planes; however the USN informs the Australians that one of their Task Forces should be in a position to intercept the convoy in a few days.
March 8th
General MacArthur, Commanding General U.S. Army Forces, Far East, issues a communiqué saying that his opponent, General Homma, has committed suicide out of frustration. This story gets heavily embellished and just as heavily repeated. Homma reads the report with some amusement. He is less amused when inspecting officers from the Imperial General Staff in Tokyo arrive to find out why he hasn't taken the Philippines on time. However, the staff officers realize that Homma needs reinforcements, and ship in the 65th Brigade of 3,500 men and the 4th Infantry Division from Shanghai. Homma is not happy, as the 4th's 11,000 men are the worst equipped division in the whole Japanese army. However 240mm siege guns from China are welcome
A Japanese convoy arrives in Huon Gulf during the night of the 7th/8th, and under cover of a naval bombardment lands assault forces at Salamaua and Lae without opposition. The 2nd Maizuru Special Naval Landing Force and 400-men of a naval construction battalion land at Lae while a battalion group of the 144th Regiment lands at Salamaua. Members of the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles stationed in the two towns carry out demolition work and then withdraw westward. The Australian brigade at Darwin commences loading the available transports, destination New Guinea.
During the day the crew of an RAAF Hudson of No. 32 Squadron, based at Seven Mile Airstrip, Port Moresby, attacks the transports and scores a direct hit on an 8,000-ton ship which is later seen to be burning and listing. The RAAF hopes to scrape up a squadron of Beaufighters to operate from this airfield, but it will take some days to get there and they will only have the torpedoes they carry with them.
March 9th
American troops, Task Force 6814 consisting of the HQ of the 51st Infantry Brigade and the 132d and 182 Infantry under the command of Major General Patch, land at Noumea on New Caledonia Island.
President Roosevelt again radios MacArthur to leave the Philippines and MacArthur agrees he will leave Corregidor by 15th March. The original plan was for MacArthur and party to leave in the submarine USS Permit on 14th March. However, the radio press in the U.S. has begun broadcasting demands that MacArthur be placed in command of all Allied Forces in Australia and the Japanese, expecting him to flee, have increased the size and frequency of naval patrols in Subic Bay and off Corregidor. A destroyer division is sighted in the southern Philippines heading north at high speed. Tokyo Rose is broadcasting that MacArthur will be captured within a month, and U.S. Navy officers give MacArthur a one-in-five chance. It is decided not to wait for the submarine, but inste
ad to leave by motor torpedo boat as soon as preparations can be completed. The PT boats will take him to Mindanao Island and the party will then board three B-17's at Del Monte Field for a flight to Australia.
March 10th
The Japanese make a landing at Finschhafen on the Huon Peninsula. The Japanese need to capture towns such as Finschhafen and Salamaua to protect their forward air base at Lae.
TF 11 (Vice Admiral Brown), which includes ships of TF 17 (Rear Admiral Fletcher), on the heels of initial nuisance raids by RAAF Hudsons, attacks the Japanese invasion fleet off Lae and Salamaua. 61 SBD Dauntless from the aircraft carriers USS Lexington and Yorktown fly over the 15,000-foot Owen Stanley Mountains on the tip of New Guinea to hit Japanese shipping. They sink an armed merchant cruiser, an auxiliary minelayer, and a transport; and damage light cruiser HIJMS Yubari, destroyers HIJMS Yunagi, Asanagi, Oite, Asakaze, and Yakaze, a minelayer, seaplane carrier, a transport, and a minesweeper. One SBD is lost to antiaircraft fire.
Japanese troops land on Buka Island, the 190 square mile island just north of Bougainville Island. The two islands are separated by Buka Passage.
A convoy sets out from Darwin carrying Australian troops to New Guinea. It is expected that the Japanese will have consolidated their position before they can arrive, so they will land on the southern part of New Guinea. The USN TF 11 is asked to remain in the area S/SE of the island for long enough to provide the troop convoy with air cover if needed.
March 11th
General MacArthur leaves Luzon with the statement "I shall return!" General MacArthur, Commanding General U.S. Army Forces, Far East, his family, Rear Admiral Rockwell, and their staffs embark from Corregidor and Bataan in four motor torpedo (PT) boats, PT-32, PT-34, PT-35 and PT-41, of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three. The plan is that the boats will make for Tagauayan Island, in the Cuyo Group, and arrive by 0730 hours the next morning. Three USAAF B-17's take off from Australia to fly to Del Monte Field on Mindanao to pick up the MacArthur party. One turns back due to mechanical problems, the second crashes at sea off Mindanao and the third lands at Del Monte; it is unfortunately in poor mechanical condition. Meanwhile Major General Jonathan Wainwright assumes command of the 95,000 Americans and Filipinos on Bataan and Corregidor.
In Brazil, President Vargas confiscates up to 30% of the funds of German, Italian and Japanese citizens resident in Brazil, recalls all Brazilian ships to port and confines the Japanese ambassador and his staff to the embassy. These measures are in response to the torpedoing of a fourth Brazilian vessel by the Germans and the mistreatment of the Brazilian ambassador in Tokyo.
More RAF Wellington bombers arrive at Singapore. Park intends to use these in their anti-shipping role (the crews are experienced ones from the Mediterranean), against the Japanese shipping expected to be used against Java. The long range and the two torpedoes of the Wellington allow them to operate from more distant bases, although any daytime attacks will need fighter escorts.
The Combined Chiefs of Staff suggest that General MacArthur be made commander of the proposed SW Pacific theatre. Currently the commands envisaged are Burma/Malaya/West DEI (Alexander), DEI/New Guinea/Australia/ SE Islands (MacArthur) and Pacific (Nimitz). The suggestion goes down poorly in both London and Australia. They agree that Alexander and Nimitz are sensible commanders for the theatres suggested, given the nature of the combat expected there, but despite the strident US press support for MacArthur they fail to see what qualifications he has for the command. 90% of the troops currently in the area are Imperial or Australian, and the Australians in particular see MacArthur's only contribution to the war so far as to lose the PI. "A clapped out First World War general" is one of the more printable Australian comments. The Australian government counter-proposes Blamey. They point out a number of advantages; he will be commanding mainly Australian troops, he has been working closely with Alexander for some time (useful as it is obvious that in practice the command boundaries between the two will be blurred by operational necessity), and he has fought successfully against the Italians and Japanese. The British, while being more polite about MacArthur, are quite happy to support Blamey. He is seen as being a good solid infantry commander, and given the expected nature of operations in the theatre, armoured thrusts and grandiose complex assaults are expected to be few and far between. Having an Australian commander will also make it easier to deploy Australian militia troops abroad if necessary.
March 12th
General Alexander authorises preliminary work on the planned attack on Yamashita's troops in Northern Malaya, in particular stocking sufficient artillery shells to allow a heavy bombardment of selected positions. He expects expenditure of artillery ammunition to be high, and the attack itself will wait on his next supply convoy from the Middle East, expected in a few weeks, which will bring both reinforcements and more ammunition. As part of the preparations the RAF starts to make photoreconnaissance flights over the Japanese positions and supply lines, disguised as much as possible as part of the continuing operation of small attacks on the Japanese. These are also intended to wear down the Japanese air cover, so that by the time the attack is launched the RAF will have air superiority.
Middle East Command informs the Combined Chiefs of Staff that due to the advanced preparations for troop landings in theatre they do not feel a US division can be ready in time. They suggest an early deployment of one brigade from the US 1st Infantry Division, followed by the rest of the division as soon as possible. It would be impractical to include the brigade in the first operations, but it should be achievable for the posited third landing, and the political benefits would be obvious. Delaying until then will also allow the troops to be trained in the techniques required (MEC left out the opinion of a couple of officers sent to the US to look into the possibilities that the US unit would require additional training to bring it up to Allied standards). It would also be possible (depending on timescales) to use the entire division, although only one brigade would likely be trained for an assault landing.
March 13th
The two PT boats carrying General MacArthur and party, PT-34 and PT-41, arrive at Cagayan on Mindanao Island in the early morning. Later in the day, a third boat, PT-35, arrives at Cagayan. The three boats had made the 560-mile voyage in heavy to moderate seas in two days. The next leg of MacArthur’s journey to Australia is to be by B-17, but only one has reached Del Monte Field and it had wheezed in to a wobbly landing. MacArthur, furious, will allow no one to board the "dangerously decrepit" aircraft, and demands the “three best planes in the U.S. or Hawaii," manned by “completely adequate, experienced” airmen be flown to Del Monte. Unfortunately Major General Brett, Commanding General U.S. Army Forces in Australia, has neither. The party must now await the arrival of three additional B-17's from Australia.
The Japanese, having gained firm positions in the Lae-Salamaua area, replace infantry with naval forces.
A Japanese force from the 4th Fleet sails from Rabaul, New Britain Island, for Buka Island, Solomon Islands, which is eventually seized together with other positions in the northern Solomons.
RAF and USAAF reconnaissance planes are still showing a steady build-up of Japanese forces in the Celebes, as well as preparations in the southeast part of Borneo (the area under Japanese control). An invasion of Java is now expected within two weeks. The Japanese are expected to use around two divisions, and Somerville is making plans to deny them the option of landing anywhere except on the eastern part of the island (he expects Japanese air cover to be too strong for surface forces to intervene east of Java). USN and RN submarines are being redeployed to cover the expected invasion routes. For the time being the small Japanese operations in the SE Pacific are a lower priority, as Java is seen as the main target. If Java falls Singapore will be exposed to close range air attacks and possible invasion, and the defence lines for the island, preparations for which had been given a lower priority after the Japanese were held in the north, have again been speeded up.
March
14th
Hitler advances the planning for a summer offensive against Russia. The defences in front of Moscow are now formidable, so the main target will be in the south, aimed towards the Russian oil fields. In the north, a new attack will be made to finally take Leningrad.
Japanese aircraft bomb Horn Island. This island, located in the Torres Strait between Queensland and New Guinea, will become the main tactical base for Allied air operations in the Torres Strait
US forces finally begin to arrive in Australia in large numbers. A convoy (originally intended for the PI when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor) brings 30,000 American troops who are to serve in Australia and New Caledonia. After a brief stay in Australia, the New Caledonia Task Force of some 14,000 officers and men arrived in Noumea on 12 March. The rest of the men are being readied for deployment on Java, but if events make this impractical a diversion to Timor and New Guinea is possible. Two more US divisions are on their way
The Australian government debates the use of the new divisions being raised outside of Australia, and agrees with the provision that deployments must have Australian approval. This is intended to allow the forward defence of islands such as New Guinea. There is also an unofficial implied consideration that the troops are under Australian command. So far the forward defence of the Malay barrier is working (although under severe pressure), and the Australians would rather fight the Japanese on the islands than in Australia itself. There is considerable political division on this, but the opposition is beaten down with the agreement that Blamey be put forward for command of the Australian theatre (although this is not made public). In public they start to pressure for Blamey to be appointed, with the public reason it would be good to have command clarified in view of the continuing Japanese attacks and advances. The divisions are, however, having an effect on Prime Minister Menzies, who is seen to be looking tired and worn after the debate.