Invasion Phillipines: 1941 BACKGROUND December 7th, 1941
The Empire of Japan struck Pearl Harbor, enraging the United States and bringing it into a global war for which it was not fully prepared. However, this was only the opening move in Japan’s plan in expanding to the south, seizing the natural resources it desperately needed, and establishing a defensive perimeter to hold back the European and American response.
December 8th, 1941
The assault on Hong Kong begins with the Imperial Japanese navy sinking the gunboats HMS Cicada and HMS Robin. While the first of several air assaults begin to pound Hong Kong preparing it for an invasion to be launched the next day.
Imperial forces land at Kota Bharu, Malaya and start the Japanese campaign to seize Malaya and drive on the Singapore. Japanese forces also land at Singora and Patani Thailand.
However, it is the Philippines that weigh uppermost in the minds of Japanese. The U.S. naval and air forces stationed their stand as an imminent threat to Formosa, the lines of communications to the Japanese forces in Malaya and Thailand, and must be neutralized if the Japanese plan to seize the East Indies and its oil resources is to be successful. Of particular concern is the United States Army Air Force, Far East fleet of 34 B17s bombers., 70 P40bs, and 35 P36s.
The Japanese have long known of U.S. War Plan Orange and know that they must strike and reduce the Philippines now before the U.S. forces in the Philippines can dig in, be reinforced and start conducting bombing raids in their formidable B17s. To accomplish this task the IJA’s 5th Air Group (500 aircraft) and the IJN’s 11th Air Fleet (200 aircraft) both based on Formosa have been assigned the initial move of striking the Clark and Iba airfields and the naval bases at Subic Bay and Cavite on Luzon. While an IJN Carrier task force has been tasked to strike the U.S. naval facility at Davao on Mindanao Island.
PLANE SETUSAAFFE:
P40bs
B17s (very limited numbers for use in 2nd frame and 3rd frame)
IJA & IJN:
A6M2
D3A1
B5Ns
JU88 (sub for Betties)
NOTES:
Since Axis side always turns out less than the Allied side and since the IJN/IJA is supposed to have superior numbers they will be assigned a numerical advantage for this SSO.
