Japan

1st Sasebo II, 56 HC X and Res Pts land at Digos. The 16th XX attacks the Construction and Artillery units in the rice paddies and forces them back towards the west coast. (DR). At Davao SNLF and Mortar units attack the defenders but the Filipinos stubbornly hold their ground (AS)

At Subic Bay IJN air craft attack and bomb the USN Fleet – AA is pathetic and MacArthur denies all involvement in their training, claiming its “a navy problem”. The USS Houston is hit, DD flotillas Clem 1 and 3 hit and flipped over and the PT unit sunk without a trace.

Over the airfields of Luzon the Japanese strafe and bomb every field they can – in dog fights 2 more P-40Es are killed, the Filipino P-35A while one Zero is killed. MacArthurs press release opens with “Jap fighters exhausted by US Fighters!”. Cut from the final proof is the concluding sentence “shooting down so many…” 2 B-17s are cut up on Clark Field but one Zero is aborted by AA fire. the IJA Airforce is no where to be seen – one suspects inter-service rivalry.

At Agarri the Yok Para Regt fully forms up with extra battalions flown in.

At Formosa, the transports are loaded up to the deck with units of the strategic reserve and units from Formosa. The IJN sets off as a mass then spilts into three seperate convoys bound for the ports and beaches of Agarri, Laoag and Iba.

Off the coast of Agarri the sub flotilla Salmon intercepts the convoy. For several days it shadows the fleet – constantly being turned back by the ASW screen. Eventually it suffers heavy losses but the commander of the flotilla orders another attempt on sneaking through. In a gap in the DD defence line, the half strength flotilla sneaks through and shoves a spead of torpedoes into the Maru-13 group. The transport is hit and suffers additional damage, sinking the entire group. MacArthur is ecstatic! Press reports mention how he sent signals to the USN subs only several weeks ago urging them to be on the alert. The IJN Commander casually lifts the Maru 13 from his operations board to reveal its cargo – 2 resource points. The field kitchen of the 52nd XX is sent to a briny grave. MacArthur weeps.

Regiments of the 52nd and 53rd XXs land and scuttle forward. At the Tiney river near Vigan an attack is launched on the 134th Eng II and 86 PS Art II. The US units are forced back. (3:1 = DR) The Japanese advance, cutting off the Filipino defenders in Vigan.

Subic Bay – USN surface units fail to spot the massive IJN fleet approaching Iba. This is probably due to the ships being half full of water jokes the Japanese commander. The three sub flotillas do spot the fleet and all attempt to break through the ASW screen. After several attempts, the IJN aircraft and DDs prove too good and all are hit. Eventually only a half flotilla of the S-1 survives to return to Cavite to tell the tale of horror. The troops convoys flood their cargo ashore.

At Olongapo the IJA 2nd Lt Inf XX and attached armour attacks a motley crew of US marines, construction troops, Filipino militia and US CD artillery gunners. Despite favourable odds the Japanese can only force the Allies to retreat (4:1 = DR). Overhead, an A-24 attempting to fly defensive air support is killed by carrier based Claudes. At Iba engineers begin construction of a 3 capacity airfield while IJN baseforce personnel prepare to set up.

A CA heavy task force remains on station in Subic Bay while the transports return to Formosa.

US

B-17Es rebase to Del Monte in Mindanao, Clark Airbase is destroyed with 2 aborted squadrons of B-17Es torched by their ground crews. Artillery and infantry points are expended to fully strengthen form up the 11th, 41st, 51st in Luzon and 81st in Cebu City.

Merchant ships and requisitioned barges from Iloilo carry the Panay Island Militia IIs to Legaspi to relieve the 41st XX (Filipino) which marches up towards the main line near Clark Field. At San Fernando, beefed up USMC IIs and Filipino IIs with Hvy AA and artillery support garrison the town while in North Luzon the US forces retreat to Baguio and the mountains north east of Tayg, leaving the troops in Vigan to their fate as the P-40 here rebases to Del Carmen. Aircraft around Cebu rebase to Luzon.

Cebu – an attack by the 81st XX is launched on the IJA regiment outside the city – it is a dreadful failure with the 81st shattered and the Filipinos abandoning the city (2:1 = AH). Luckily in the exploitation phase the cadred remnants of the 81st and the local Constabulary reoccupy the city.

Mindanao – US forces take up positions against the 16th Infantry XX.