Summary Background The East Indies was one of Japan's primary targets if and when it went to Initially, the Japanese forces launched air strikes on key areas and gained war because the colony possessed abundant valuable resources, the most air superiority. Following the airstrikes, landings were made at several important of which were its rubber plantations and oil fields; the colony locations targeting airfields and other important points in the area. In was the fourth-largest exporter of oil in the world, behind the U.S., Iran, addition to the landings at Miri, the Japanese forces made landings at and Romania. The oil made the islands enormously important to the Seria, Kuching, Jesselton and Sandakan between 15 December 1941 and Japanese (see below), so they sought to secure the supply for themselves. 19 January 1942. After these main objectives in Borneo were completed, They sent four fleet carriers and a light carrier along with the four fast the Japanese forces planned a three-pronged assault southward using battleships of the Kongō class, 13 heavy cruisers and many light cruisers three forces named Eastern Force, Center Force and Western Force. The and destroyers to support their amphibious assaults in addition to aim of this assault was to capture the oil resources in the East Indies. The conducting raids on cities, naval units and shipping in both that area and Eastern Force was to advance from Jolo and Davao and move on to around the Indian Ocean. capture Celebes, Amboina and Timor, while protecting the Center Force's flank. The Center Force was to capture oil fields and airfields in Tarakan Access to oil was one of the linchpins of the Japanese war effort, as Japan Island and Balikpapan. Both these forces would support the Western has no native source of oil; it could not even produce enough to meet even Force, which was to attack and capture the oil refineries and airfields in 10% of its needs, even with the extraction of oil shale in Manchuria. Japan Palembang. The Japanese forces launched the assault on 11 January and quickly lost 93 percent of its oil supply after President Franklin D. landed at Tarakan. Roosevelt issued an executive order on 26 July 1941 which froze all of Japan's U.S. assets and embargoed all oil exports to Japan. In addition, the Dutch government in exile, at the urging of the Allies and with the support of Queen Wilhelmina, broke its economic treaty with Japan and joined the embargo in August. Japan's military and economic reserves included only a year and a half's worth of oil. As a U.S. declaration of war against Japan was feared if the latter took the East Indies, the Japanese planned to eliminate the U.S. Pacific Fleet, allowing them to overtake the islands; this led to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Declarations of war
On 8 December 1941, in a public proclamation, the Netherlands declared To coordinate the fight against the Japanese, the American, British, Dutch, war on Japan. and Australian forces combined all available land and sea forces under the
American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM or ABDA) Force Z banner. This command was activated on 15 January 1942, with the overall In December 1941, as a deterrent to Japanese territorial expansion which commander being British Field Marshal Sir Archibald Wavell. The was recently demonstrated by the invasion of French Indochina, it was command structure had the American Army Air Force Lieutenant General proposed that a force of Royal Navy warships be dispatched to the Far East George Brett as deputy commander, the British Lieutenant General Henry with a view to providing reinforcement for Britain's possessions there, Royds Pownall as chief of staff; under them were the American Admiral most notably Singapore. First Sea Lord Sir Dudley Pound represented that Thomas C. Hart as naval commander, the Dutch Lieutenant General Hein Singapore could only be adequately defended if the Royal Navy sent the ter Poorten as ground forces commander, and the British Air Chief Marshal majority of its capital ships there, to achieve parity with an estimated force Sir Richard Peirse as the air commander. Although the forces were of nine Japanese battleships. However, dispatching such a large British combined, they had differing priorities: the British believed the defense of force was impractical as the British were at war with Nazi Germany and the territory of Singapore and the eastern entrances to the Indian Ocean Fascist Italy. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Winston Churchill appeared (the route to British Ceylon and British India) to be paramount, the optimistic about the improving situation in the North Atlantic and Americans and Australians did not want a total penetration of Southwest Mediterranean; he advocated sending two capital ships along with an Asia that would deprive them of bases necessary for any serious aircraft carrier to defend Malaya, Borneo and the Straits Settlements. counterattack, and the Dutch considered Java and Sumatra, their "second
homeland where [they] had been trading and living for over three centuries", to be the most important place to defend.
Even the combined forces could not stop or even slow the Japanese advance due to their much greater numbers; to face the Japanese attacking naval forces, the ABDA command had a conglomerate of ships drawn from any available units, which included the U.S. Asiatic Fleet (fresh from the fall of the Philippines), a few British and Australian surface ships, and Dutch units that had previously been stationed in the East Indies. Major forces included two seaplane tenders (USS Langley and Childs), two heavy cruisers (USS Houston and HMS Exeter), seven light cruisers (HNLMS De Ruyter, Java and Tromp, USS Marblehead and Boise, HMAS Hobart and Perth), 22 destroyers, and, perhaps their greatest strength, 25 American and 16 Dutch submarines (although the Dutch submarines were old and The objective of Force Z, which consisted of one battleship, one short of spare parts). Being based on Java, these ships had to take on the battlecruiser and four destroyers, was to intercept the Japanese invasion central and western prongs of the three-headed Japanese assault; the fleet north of Malaya. However, the task force sailed without any air central force's combat ships, the light carrier Ryūjō, the seaplane tenders support, which had been declined by Admiral Sir Tom Phillips, the Sanyo Maru and Sanuki Maru, three light cruisers and 16 destroyers, while commander of Force Z, in favor of maintaining radio silence. Although the the western force contained five heavy cruisers, and seven destroyers. In British had a close encounter with Japanese heavy surface units, the force addition, four fleet carriers (Akagi, Kaga, Hiryū and Sōryū) and the four failed to find and destroy the main convoy. On their return to Singapore Kongō-class battleships. they were attacked in open waters and sunk by long-range medium bombers. The Battle of Balikpapan The Japanese forces were using Tarakan airfield as a forward airbase by 17 Campaign January, and Balikpapan was also captured a week later. However, the General Hisaichi Terauchi, commander of the Southern Expeditionary Dutch garrisons had destroyed the oil fields before they were captured by Army Group, began the campaign with attacks against Borneo: on 17 the Japanese in both cases. December, Japanese forces successfully landed on Miri, an oil production center in northern Sarawak, with support from a battleship, an aircraft In the afternoon of 23 January, nine Dutch Martin B-10 bombers— carrier, three cruisers and four destroyers. escorted by 20 Brewster Buffaloes from 2-VLG-V and 3-VLG-V—attacked the Japanese convoy. The transport ship Tatsugami Maru was damaged and Nana Maru sank. Near Balikpapan, the Dutch submarine HNLMS K XVIII under Lieutenant Commander van Well Groeneveld, attacked and sank the transport Tsuruga Maru and reportedly damaged the patrol boat P-37 by midnight, but was later damaged itself by depth charges and forced to withdraw to Surabaya.
While the Japanese invasion force was landing at Balikpapan, on the early morning of 24 January the 59th U.S. Navy Destroyer Division under Rear Admiral William A. Glassford and Commander Paul H. Talbot, acting on orders from Admiral Hart, attacked the Japanese navy escort led by Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura for about four hours. The U.S. Destroyer Division composed of USS Paul Jones, Parrott, Pope and John D. Ford attacked the 12 transport ships and three patrol boats escorting them. The Japanese destroyer escorts were undertaking a search for the Dutch submarine which had been sighted earlier. At least four transport ships—Kuretake Maru, Nana Maru, Sumanoura Maru and Tatsukami Maru—and patrol boat P-37 were sunk in torpedo attacks. Two other transports were damaged by gunfire or torpedoes. The battle was the first surface engagement in southeast Asia that the U.S. Navy had participated in since As the Japanese landing force approached Sumatra, the remaining Allied the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898. The raid was too late to stop the capture aircraft attacked it, and the Japanese transport ship Otawa Maru was sunk. of Balikpapan. Hurricanes flew up the rivers, machine-gunning Japanese landing craft.
The Battle of Makassar Strait However, on the afternoon of 15 February, all Allied aircraft were ordered An ABDA fleet under Schout-by-nacht (Rear Admiral) Karel Doorman was to Java, where a major Japanese attack was anticipated, and the Allied air on its way to intercept a Japanese invasion convoy reported as bound for units had withdrawn from southern Sumatra by the evening of 16 Surabaya, (its destination was actually Makassar) when it was attacked by February 1942. 36 Mitsubishi G4M1 "Betty" and 24 Mitsubishi G3M2 "Nell" medium bombers. At 09:49, while Doorman's strike force was south of the Kangean Battle of Badung Strait Islands, Japanese bombers were sighted to the east by sailors on the ABDA A battalion of the 48th Infantry Division of the Imperial Japanese Army ships. landed on Bali on 18 February 1942. Dutch Admiral Karel Doorman's naval
forces were scattered around Indonesia, but the invasion of Bali could not The planes attacked the Allied cruisers. The first to be targeted was be ignored — it would give the Japanese an airbase within range of the Marblehead, and the bombs landed about 80 m in front of the ship. During ABDA naval base at Surabaya — so he sent in all available ships. The short a second attack, Marblehead sustained two direct hits and a damaging notice gave no time to concentrate his ships; accordingly, several Allied near miss. The two direct hits penetrated the deck, killed 15 crew directly forces were to attack the Japanese. and destroyed the ship's ability to manoeuver; Marblehead was now able only to sail in circles. The first Allied vessels to engage were the submarines USS Seawolf and
HMS Truant. Both attacked the Japanese convoy on 18 February, but did Houston initially evaded bombs successfully, but suffered a severe hit no damage and were driven off by depth charges from Japanese during a final attack; a bomb hit the deck near the aft gun turret, and killed destroyers. Later that day, 20 planes of the United States Army Air Forces 48 crew. The rear guns were rendered useless. attacked the convoy but succeeded only in damaging the transport Sagami
Maru. After the hits on Houston and Marblehead, the planes focused on De
Ruyter, which evaded four attacks and sustained only minor damage to The Japanese were aware that their invasion convoy was likely to be fire control for its 40 mm guns. attacked again, so they retreated north as soon as possible. The cruiser
Nagara and the destroyers Wakaba, Hatsushimo and Nenohi were well At about 13:00, Doorman ordered his ships to return west and signaled away and took no part in the action. The last ships to leave were the two Hart that without fighter protection it would not be possible to advance to transports, each escorted by two destroyers. Sasago Maru was escorted by Makassar Strait, due to the threat from bombers at which point the fleet Asashio and Oshio; the heavily damaged Sagami Maru was escorted by retreated. Michishio and Arashio.
The Battle of Palembang The first Allied group —consisting of the cruisers HNLMS De Ruyter and 13–15 February 1942. The Royal Dutch Shell oil refineries at nearby Pladju Java and the destroyers USS John D. Ford, Pope, and HNLMS Piet Hein— (or Pladjoe) were the major objectives for the Empire of Japan in the sighted the Japanese in Badung Strait at about 22:00 and opened fire at Pacific War, because of the oil embargo. With the area's abundant fuel 22:25 on 19 February. No damage was done in this exchange of fire, and supply and airfield, Palembang offered significant potential as a military the two Dutch cruisers continued through the strait to the northeast, to base to both the Allies and the Japanese. give the destroyers a free hand to engage with torpedoes. Then Piet Hein,
Pope and John D. Ford came into range. At 22:40, a Long Lance torpedo The main Japanese invasion force, an amphibious assault fleet under Vice- from Asashio hit Piet Hein, sinking the Dutch destroyer immediately. Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), was on its Asashio and Oshio then exchanged gunfire with Pope and John D. Ford, way from Cam Ranh Bay in French Indochina. A small advance party set forcing the two American destroyers to retire to the southeast instead of out with eight transports escorted by the light cruiser Sendai and four following the cruisers to the northeast. destroyers. The main force followed in 14 transports, escorted by the heavy cruiser Chokai and four destroyers. The covering force included the In the darkness, Asashio and Oshio mistook each other for enemy ships aircraft carrier Ryujo, four heavy cruisers, one light cruiser and three and fired on each other for several minutes, without any damage. destroyers. Additional air cover was provided by land-based IJN planes and the IJAAF 3rd Air Division. About three hours later, the second group of ABDA ships—the cruiser
HNLMS Tromp and the destroyers USS John D. Edwards, Parrott, Pillsbury, On 15 February, an ABDA naval force of five cruisers, HNLMS De Ruyter, and Stewart—reached Badung Strait. At 01:36, Stewart, Pillsbury and HNLMS Java and HNLMS Tromp, HMS Exeter, HMAS Hobart and 10 Parrott launched torpedoes but did no damage. Then Oshio and Asashio destroyers, under Admiral Karel Doorman, made an abortive attempt to sortied again and there was another exchange of gunfire. Tromp was hit by intercept the Japanese force. Planes from Ryujo and land-based aircraft eleven 5 in (130 mm) shells from Asashio, severely damaging her and hit made a series of attacks on the Allied ships, forcing them to withdraw to both Japanese destroyers, killing four men on Asashio and seven on Oshio. the south of Sumatra. Tromp later had to return to Australia for repairs.
Arashio and Michishio had been ordered by Admiral Kubo to turn back, and at about 02:20 they joined the battle. Michishio was hit by shells from After a brief exchange of fire and torpedoes, the two fleets separated Pillsbury, John D. Edwards and Tromp, killing 13 of her crew and wounding again, with Doorman taking his ships inshore along the Java coast in 83. She lost speed and had to be towed after the battle. Both groups of another attempt to circle around the Japanese. At approximately 9:00 PM, ships turned away, and the engagement was over. the four American destroyers, out of torpedoes and low on fuel, detached and returned to Surabaya. Over the next hour, Doorman lost his last two Battle of the Java Sea destroyers when HMS Jupiter was sunk by a Dutch mine and HMS Sailing from Jolo in the Philippines, the Japanese Central Invasion Fleet was Encounter was detached to pick up survivors from Kortenaer. spotted by ABDA aircraft on February 25. This led Helfrich to reinforce Rear Admiral Karl Doorman's Eastern Strike Force at Surabaya the next day Sailing on with his four remaining cruisers, Doorman moved north and was with several ships from the Royal Navy. Upon their arrival, Doorman held a spotted by lookouts aboard Nachi at 11:02 PM. As the ships began to meeting with his captains to discuss the upcoming campaign. Departing exchange fire, Nachi and Haguro fired spreads of torpedoes. One from that evening, Doorman's force consisted of two heavy cruisers (USS Haguro fatally struck De Ruyter at 11:32 PM exploding one of its Houston & HMS Exeter), three light cruisers (HNLMS De Ruyter, HNLMS magazines and killing Doorman. Java was hit by one of Nachi's torpedoes Java, & HMAS Perth), as well as three British, two Dutch, and four two minutes later and sank. Obeying Doorman's final orders, Houston and American (Destroyer Division 58) destroyers. Perth fled the scene without stopping to pick up survivors.
Sweeping the north coast of Java and Madura, Doorman's ships failed to Battle of Sunda Strait locate the Japanese and turned for Surabaya. Perth and Houston were at Tanjung Priok on 28 February when they received orders to sail through Sunda Strait to Tjilatjap. Material was A short distance to the north, the Japanese invasion force, protected by running short in Java, and neither was able to rearm or fully refuel. two heavy cruisers (Nachi & Haguro), two light cruisers (Naka & Jintsu), Departing at 21:00 on 28 February for the Sunda Strait, by chance they and fourteen destroyers, under Rear Admiral Takeo Takagi, slowly moved encountered the main Japanese invasion fleet for West Java in Bantam towards Surabaya. At 1:57 PM on February 27, a Dutch scout plane located Bay. The Allied ships were engaged by at least three cruisers and several the Japanese approximately 50 miles north of the port. destroyers.
Receiving this report, the Dutch admiral, whose ships were beginning to In a ferocious night action that ended after midnight on 1 March, Perth enter the harbor, reversed course to seek battle. and Houston were sunk. A Japanese minesweeper and a troop transport were sunk by friendly fire, while three other transports were damaged and Sailing north, Doorman's exhausted crews prepared to meet the Japanese. had to be beached. Flying his flag from De Ruyter, Doorman deployed his ships in three columns with his destroyers flanking the cruisers. At 3:30 PM, a Japanese Second Java Sea air raid forced the ABDA fleet to disperse. Around 4:00 PM, Jintsu spotted After emergency repairs the badly-damaged Exeter left Surabaya for the re-formed ADBA ships to the south. Turning with four destroyers to Ceylon; she departed at dusk on 28 February and limped toward Sunda engage, Jintsu's column opened the battle at 4:16 PM as the Japanese Strait, escorted by the destroyers HMS Encounter and USS Pope. However, heavy cruisers and additional destroyers came up in support. As both sides all three ships were intercepted by the Japanese heavy cruisers Nachi, exchanged fire, Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura's Destroyer Division 4 closed Haguro, Myōkō and Ashigara – and their attendant destroyers – on the and launched a morning of 1 March. Exeter and Encounter were sunk together around torpedo attack. noon, while Pope escaped only to be sunk several hours later by aerial attack.
Around 5:00 PM, Bali Strait Allied aircraft The four U.S destroyers of DesRon 58—John D. Edwards, John D. Ford, struck the Alden and Paul Jones—were also at Surabaya; they left for Australia at Japanese nightfall on 28 February. After a brief encounter with a Japanese destroyer transports but in the Bali Strait, which they were able to evade, they reached Fremantle scored no hits. safely on 4 March. At the same time, Takagi, Conclusion feeling the Most of the naval components of the allied force were crushed in the battle was battles of Java Sea, Sunda Strait and Second Java Sea; the only American drifting too close to the transports, ordered his ships to close with the ship larger than a destroyer to survive was the old cruiser Marblehead. In enemy. Doorman issued a similar order and the range between the fleets addition, the land forces on the islands were quickly overwhelmed and narrowed. As the fighting intensified, Nachi struck Exeter with an 8" shell most major resistance was overcome within two months of the initial that disabled most of the ship's boilers and created confusion in the ABDA assaults, although a guerrilla campaign in Timor was successfully waged line. Badly damaged, Doorman ordered Exeter to return to Surabaya with for a time. The ABDA command was dissolved at about 01:00 on 1 March, the destroyer HNLMS Witte de With as an escort. less than two months after its inception, by Admiral Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich, Governor-General of the East Indies. Shortly thereafter, the destroyer HNLMS Kortenaer was sunk by a Japanese Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedo. His fleet in disarray, Doorman broke off the battle to reorganize. Takagi, believing the battle was won, ordered his transports to turn south towards Surabaya. Around 5:45 PM, the action was renewed as Doorman's fleet turned back towards the Japanese. Finding that Takagi was crossing his T, Doorman ordered his destroyers forward to attack the approaching Japanese light cruisers and destroyers. In the resulting action, the destroyer Asagumo was crippled and HMS Electra sunk.
At 5:50, Doorman swung his column around to a southeast heading and ordered the American destroyers to cover his withdrawal. In response to this attack and concerns about mines, Takagi turned his force north shortly before sunset. Unwilling to give in, Doorman steamed away into the darkness before planning another strike on the Japanese. Turning northeast then northwest, Doorman hoped to swing around Takagi's ships to reach the transports. Anticipating this, and confirmed by sightings from spotter planes, the Japanese were in position to meet the ABDA ships when they reappeared at 7:20 PM.
1. Japanese land-based bombers destroy force Z, sinking Prince of Wales and Repulse 2. The battle of Balikpapan, US destroyers sink several Japanese transports 3. Battle of Badung Strait; 4 Japanese destroyers successfully defend their convoy against an ABDA fleet 4. Battle of the Java Sea, the ABDA fleet is defeated and scattered by the invasion force heading for Java 5. Japanese carriers launch a surprise raid on Darwin 6. While trying to escape through the Sunda Strait, Houston and Perth are sunk
ABDA Order of Battle
Force Z
Commander 0 points Default officer choice Captain 5 points Rear Admiral 15 points Only allowed in fleets of 150 points or more
Officers Vice Admiral 20 points Only allowed in fleets of 300 points or more
Officer Admiral Philips 25 points Only allowed in fleets of 300 points or more
King George V-class Battleship 118 points 0 - 1 Ships Renown-class Battlecruiser
0 - 1 Ships Squadron
Capital ship HMS Repulse 74 points
E and F-class Destroyer 18 points 1 - 3 Ships J, K and N-class Destroyer 25 points
Core fleet Core 1 Ship - You may select any combination of destroyers, up to a max of S-class Destroyer 10 points five ships. 2 - 5 Ships
Destroyer Escort V-class Destroyer 16 points 2 - 5 Ships
Brewster Buffalo 7 points
1 - 6 flights
RAF
No. 453 Squadron
Danae-class Light Cruiser 17 points
1 - 2 Ships
Light
Closecover
Cruiser support
Clemson-class Destroyer 14 points
1 - 4 Ships
US US
support Destroyer
Hermes-class Light Carrier 30 points cover Distant Distant 1x Sea Gladiator
3x Fairey Swordfish
Carrier support
ABDA Cruiser Force
Commander 0 points Default officer choice Captain 5 points Rear Admiral 15 points Only allowed in fleets of 150 points or more
Officers Commander P.H. Talbot 10 points
Officer Admiral K. Doorman 20 points Only allowed in fleets of 150 points or more
De Ruyter-class Light Cruiser 15 points 0 - 1 Ships Java-class Light Cruiser 16 points - Select 1 - 3 ships from the list 0 - 1 Ships Tromp-class Light Cruiser 20 points
Squadron 0 - 1 Ships Dutch Cruiser Admiralen-class Destroyer 17 points 0 - 3 Ships
York-class Heavy Cruiser 29 points 0 - 1 Ships Leander-class (mod) Light Cruiser 27 points - Select 1 - 2 ships from the list
0 - 1 Ships Core fleet Core
Squadron E and F-class Destroyer 18 points - You may upgrade one ships to:
British Cruiser 0 - 3 Ships J, K and N-class Destroyer +7 points Note: Choose either the British or the US cruiser squadron as the core choice for your fleet. The remaining option can be taken as a close cover choice instead Northampton-class Heavy Cruiser 29 points 0 - 1 Ships
TF TF 5 Omaha-class Light Cruiser 23 points - You may upgrade one ships to: cruisers 0 - 1 Ships Brooklyn-class Light Cruiser +15 points
Clemson-class Destroyer 14 points
1 - 4 Ships
TF TF 5 Destroyers
Langley-class Seaplane Tender 20 points 2x Douglas Dolphin
Closecover 1x SOC Seagull
Tender Seaplane
K-XI-class Submarine 21 points - You may upgrade any or all ships to: 1 - 2 Ships K-XIV-class Submarine +1 points - You may upgrade one ship to:
section T-class Submarine -2 points
Submarine S-class Submarine (US) +0 points
Dornier Do-24 4 points - You may upgrade any or all flights to:
1 - 2 flights PBY-5 Catalina +1 points
Section Scouting
Distant cover Distant Martin B-10 3 points - You may upgrade any or all flights to: 0 - 6 flights Lockheed Hudson +1 points
Brewster Buffalo 7 points - You may upgrade any or all flights to:
0 - 6 flights Hawker Hurricane +0 points Land based Air support Curtiss-Wright Model 21 +0 points
Officers These officers can be used instead of the standard officers if the fleet lists allow it.
Japanese Order of Battle
Carrier Task Force
Chu-Sa 0 points Default officer choice Tai-Sa 5 points Sho-Sho 15 points Only allowed in fleets of 150 points or more
Officers Chu-Sho 20 points Only allowed in fleets of 300 points or more
Officer Chu-Sho Chūichi Nagumo 25 points Only allowed in fleets of 300 points or more
Akagi-class fleet carrier 119 points 4x A6M2 Zero 3x D3A1 Val 5x B5N2 Kate - You may only have one fleet carrier in your force per 200 pts Kaga-class fleet carrier 127 points - On Kaga, you may select to switch one flight of B5N2 Kates 4x A6M2 Zero for: 4x D3A1 Val Aichi D3A "Val" -1 points 5x B5N2 Kate
1st 1st Carrier Division Hatsuharu-class Destroyer 28 points - You may upgrade any or all ships to: 1 - 2 Ships Asashio-class Destroyer -2 points Kagerõ-class Destroyer +1 points
Sõryu-class fleet carrier 57 points
Core fleet Core 1 - 2 Ships - You may only have one fleet carrier in your force per 200 pts 3x A6M2 Zero - On each carrier, you may add one flight of: 3x D3A1 Val A6M "Zero" 8 points 3x B5N2 Kate
Hatsuharu-class Destroyer 28 points - You may upgrade any or all ships to:
1 - 2 Ships Asashio-class Destroyer -2 points 2nd Carrier Division Kagerõ-class Destroyer +1 points
Tone-class Heavy cruiser 51 points
1 - 2 Ships
Division Scout Cruiser
Kagerõ-class Destroyer 29 points 1 - 4 Ships
Closecover Nagara-class Light Cruiser 21 points Division
Destroyer 0 - 1 Ships
Takao-class Heavy cruiser 60 points 1 - 3 Ships
Hatsuharu-class Destroyer 28 points - You may upgrade any or all ships to: Cruiser Division 0 - 2 Ships Kagerõ-class Destroyer +1 points
cover Kõngõ-class Battleship 89 points
Distant 1 - 2 Ships Division Battleship
Main cover force of the Southern task force
Chu-Sa 0 points Default officer choice Tai-Sa 5 points Sho-Sho 15 points Only allowed in fleets of 150 points or more
Officers Chu-Sho 20 points Only allowed in fleets of 300 points or more
Officer Chu-Sho Nobutake Kondõ 25 points Only allowed in fleets of 300 points or more
Kõngõ-class Battleship 89 points
1 - 2 Ships
Battleshi p Division
Hatsuharu-class Destroyer 28 points - You may upgrade any or all ships to: fleet Core 1 - 4 Ships +1 points
Kagerõ-class Destroyer
Destroye r Division
Kõngõ-class Battleship 89 points
1 - 2 Ships
Battleshi p Division
Takao-class Heavy cruiser 60 points 1 - 3 Ships
Hatsuharu-class Destroyer 28 points - You may upgrade any or all ships to: Cruiser Division 1 - 4 Ships Kagerõ-class Destroyer +1 points
G4M Type 1 "Betty" 5 points - You may switch any number G4M flights for: Closecover 1 - 10 flights G3M "Nell" +0 points
Air A6M "Zero" 8 points Flottilla 22 22 Naval 0 - 4 flights
Kaidai-class submarine 23 points
1 - 3 Ships
e e group Submarin
cover H6K "Mavis" 6 points Distant
1 - 4 flights
group Toko air
Western invasion force
Chu-Sa 0 points Default officer choice Tai-Sa 5 points Sho-Sho 15 points Only allowed in fleets of 150 points or more
Officers Chu-Sho 20 points Only allowed in fleets of 300 points or more
Officer Chu-Sho J. Ozawa 25 points Only allowed in fleets of 300 points or more
Fubuki-class Destroyer 28 points 1 - 4 Ships
Nagara-class Light Cruiser 21 points - You may upgrade any or all ships to: Division
Destroyer 0 - 1 Ships Sendai-class Light Cruiser +1 points
Mogami-class Heavy Cruiser 50 points
1 - 2 Ships
Cruiser Division
Ryujõ-class Light Carrier 38 points Core fleetCore 1 Ship
3x A5M Claude
Light Carrier 3x B5N2 Kate
Mogami-class Heavy Cruiser 50 points 1 - 2 Ships
Takao-class Heavy Cruiser 60 points Cruiser Division 0 - 1 Ships
Kamikaze-class Destroyer 18 points - You may upgrade any or all ships to: 1 - 4 Ships Fubuki-class Destroyer +10 points
Nagara-class Light Cruiser 21 points Division
Destroyer 0 - 1 Ships
Closecover Kamikawa Maru-class Seaplane tender 20 points - You may add one flight of: 1 Ship E8N2 "Dave" +5 points
1x E13A1 ‘Jake’ tender
Seaplane 1x F1M2 ‘Pete’
Kaidai-class submarine 23 points
1 - 3 Ships
group Submarine
G4M Type 1 "Betty" 5 points - You may switch any number G4M flights for: cover
Distant 1 - 10 flights G3M "Nell" +0 points A6M "Zero" 8 points
0 - 4 flights air support Land based
Eastern/Center invasion force
Chu-Sa 0 points Default officer choice Tai-Sa 5 points Sho-Sho 15 points Only allowed in fleets of 150 points or more
Officers Chu-Sho 20 points Only allowed in fleets of 300 points or more
Officer Sho-Sho Takeo Takagi 20 points Only allowed in fleets of 150 points or more
Shiratsuyu-class Destroyer 26 points - You may upgrade any or all ships to: 1 - 4 Ships Asashio-class Destroyer +0 points Hatsuharu-class Destroyer +2 points Fubuki-class Destroyer +2 points Kagerõ-class Destroyer +3 points Sendai-class Light Cruiser 22 points - You may upgrade any or all ships to:
Destroyer Division 0 - 1 Ships Nagara-class Light Cruiser -1 points
Core fleet Core Myõkõ-class Heavy Cruiser 50 points 1 - 3 Ships
Shiratsuyu-class Destroyer 26 points Cruiser Division 0 - 2 Ships
Myõkõ-class Heavy Cruiser 50 points 1 Ship Nagara-class Light Cruiser 21 points 0 - 1 Ships Akatsuki-class Destroyer 28 points
Cruiser Division 0 - 2 Ships
Chitose-class Seaplane tender 23 points 1 Ship
2x F1M2 ‘Pete’ tender
Seaplane 1x E-13A1 "Jake" Closecover
Shiratsuyu-class Destroyer 26 points - You may upgrade any or all ships to:
1 - 4 Ships Kagerõ-class Destroyer +3 points
Division Destroyer
Kamikaze-class Destroyer 18 points - You may upgrade any or all ships to: 1 - 4 Ships Mutsuki-class Destroyer +0 points
Sendai-class Light Cruiser 22 points - You may upgrade any or all ships to: Division
Destroyer 0 - 1 Ships Nagara-class Light Cruiser -1 points
Kaidai-class submarine 23 points
cover 1 - 3 Ships
group Submarine
Distant G4M Type 1 "Betty" 5 points - You may switch any number G4M flights for: 1 - 10 flights G3M "Nell" +0 points A6M "Zero" 8 points
0 - 4 flights air support Land based
Officers These officers can be used instead of the standard officers if the fleet lists allow it.