125 - German U-Boats to Strike New York - WW2 - January 16, 1942

by Panzer
January 16, 1942
If your enemy has no supplies then he will eventually lose the war, and if he relies
on the seas to get those supplies, and circumstances suddenly allow you the opportunity to do some
real sabotage to those supply lines, well then you might call that time a happy time.
I’m Indy Neidell; this is World War Two.
Last week, the Soviet Union launched a gigantic counter offensive against the German invaders
along pretty much the entire front. In Soitheast Asia, the Japanese occupied Manila and launched
an offensive against the American and Filipino defenders on Bataan Peninsula. The also launched
yet another offensive on Malaya and begin sending troops toward Burma.
This week they begin yet another offensive from the waters beyond the South China Sea.
On the 11th, the Japanese finally declare war on the Dutch with an invasion of the Dutch
East Indies, making landings on Tarakan and Minahassa Peninsula. The operation will in
fact be a three pronged attack. The Tarakan force is the central force and will try to
occupy Borneo. The Western attack comes from Sarawak and will land on Java and Sumatra.
The Eastern attack begins with landings on Minahassa and Amboina, and then will attack
Bali, Timor, and eastern Java. Tarakan falls already the 12th; it and Manado are soon made
into air bases for further Japanese attacks.
In Malaya, they take Kuala Lumpur this week on the 11th, and by the 15th are south of
Malacca on the coast, and elements of the Japanese 5th division are fighting the Australians
at Baru Anam. More on that next week.
Also, elements of the Japanese 55th division enter Burma north of Mergui on the Kra Isthmus
the 15th.
As for the attacks by the 65th Brigade that began last week on the American positions
on Bataan…
They’re actually pretty well contained for now. They’re also one of the few Japanese
units that actually gets hit by any enemy artillery in this first month or so of all
the offensives. American Commander Douglas MacArthur does have a decent amount of big
guns here and on the 9th, one shot kills most of the local Japanese artillery command.
By the 13th, the Japanese are making progress in the east but not in the west, but the fighting
is pretty heavy all over though. MacArthur has told the troops defending that help is
on the way, thousands of troops and hundreds of planes, but as we’ve seen, no such help
is actually coming. But even had they been en route, Japan has Manila Bay blockaded,
so there’s no guarantee they would arrive anyhow.
Side note- there are American troops traveling to a new war zone this week, General Russel
Hartle’s 34th Division, 4,000 strong, the first US servicemen to arrive in Britain.
America’s War Plans Department has decided, as I said, that they cannot send a relief
convoy of men or supplies to MacArthur’s forces on the Philippines.
MacArthur has not been specifically told this, though, and the US west coast radio stations
that can be picked up at Bataan broadcast the opposite. On the 10th while touring the