Late May 1942 Monsoon period
There was too much to gain at going for the IJA/IJN Convoy. The main target would be the remaining IJN Fleet Carrier be it Submarine or Aircraft or Battleship that would take it out. When taken out the remaining would be 2-3 Light Carriers which would be easily handled by the RN Carrier Force.
To force the IJN to more open waters and burn more fuel the Taiwan Strait had been mined by the French Minelaying Submarines and mines laid by Bombers. Japanese countermeasures was found totally inadequete so the Convoy would either try force the minefield or go east and south of Taiwan.
The WAllied Fleet would stay south of Taiwan when the direction of the IJN had been determined which would leave a large area to be in. The IJN would have to go north of US Batan Island and then head for Hong Kong a final run of some 700 km's.
The IJN might have depended for the Monsoon to hide them. Thus the Convoy was a rather tight formation to keep track of ships.
Though Radar was still early due to weather the WAllied Submarines were given a larger role in finding and keeping trail of the IJA/IJN Convoy for the operation to succeed.
As the Convoy ventured into the Taiwan Strait the WAllied Submarines followed slowly to be able to backtrack if the Convoy would move out again and go east of Taiwan. As they neared the Minefield the WAllied Submarines slowed down more to wait for the outcome with the majority turning around to move east of Taiwan.
Nobody knows what losses the IJA/IJN took in Taiwan Strait but for a day nothing was seen or heard and then the Convoy came out steaming north and then turned to go east of Taiwan.
Twice during the way round Taiwan the WAllied Submarines tried to torpedo the IJN Fleet Carrier. The first try wasn't even noticed by the Japanese but the second was and an ineffective search was initiated and deptcharges fired randomly. No WAllied Submarine was hit and the Japanese raised speed though soon had to go down as the Troopcarriers weren't able to follow.
Finally leaving Taiwan making for the last leg to Hong Kong the WAllies decided to hit. It would be some 24 hours to Hong Kong of heavy fighting.
All Submarines were ordered to have a go at the Fleet Carrier. Some Submarines in the rainsqualls went for the Light Carriers but the Fleet Carrier was hit and sank.
The IJN had demanded aircover all the way especially from Taiwan to Hong Kong but weather and bad communications between IJN and IJA airbases could see double coverage in some areas and none in others and at different times.
With the IJN Fleet Carrier sunk the RN Carrier Group sent off its aircraft to hit the Light Carriers and Troop-transports.
In the bad weather aircraft and ships would at times be perfectly visible only then to be totally disguised by clouds.
With reports on reigning weather conditions RN and French heavy units were sent in to use their Radar Guided guns to sink as much tonnage as possible.
A few Troop-transports made it to Hong Kong; a group of IJN Destroyers and Light Cruisers found a KGV Battleship in the clouds and went strait into a torpedorun. The Light Cruisers were taken out by Rader Guided guns before the torpedoes hit and sank the KGV.
A WAllied Submarine torpedoed and sank a French light cruiser – some faulty recognition in the heat of battle.
In one area a fierce light units fight kept going for twenty minutes before a rainsquall enveloped the combatants as it lifted a group of IJN Heavy Cruisers appeared firing at their own Destroyers and then realizing what was going on as the RN Destroyers fired torpedoes at them.
The Dunkerque's and two remaining KGV's hit the IJA Battleships and sank two making the rest abort and steam northeast towards Taiwan though then running into Hood and Renown which sank another IJA Battleship before the remaining disappered in the rain.
RN Aircraft had a difficult time in finding the Troop-transports due to the rainclouds but several was hit though not all sunk.
A couple of Troop-transports sighted some light cruisers which they thought IJN only to reveal themselves as French and promptly shelling them.
At nightfall the WAllied Submarines were ordered to Hong Kong to wait for stragglers going to port – the pickings were rife.
Some submarines running out of torpedoes surfaced to fire at Troop-transports with the deck-gun(s). One submarine was sunk from returned fire of a Troop-transport.
Destroyers and Light Cruisers were also ordered to cruise in the area to sink IJN ships. These were also successfull but in a few instances the IJN fired back sinking the attacker. Some Troop-transports were also sunk by these units by night.
A major battle evolved as a group of 6 IJN heavy cruisers came upon the Dunkerque's. The two French battleships sank 4 damaging the last two though Dunkerque took a hit from a Long Lance torpedo. Though made it home under own propulsion.
One IJN Light Carrier had made it to Hong Kong only to become the target of WAllied longrange bombers untill hit and sunk quayside.
The remaining two Light Carriers had been sunk in the confused fight as had two battleships during the daylight battle and a third at night. The remaining 5 Battleships had run for Taiwan waters.
The uneven fight with the 5 WAllied Battleships and 2 Battlecruisers had been a nasty surprise for the IJN Battleship Captains who all had their ships damaged to different degrees.
They had been surprised that the initial WAllied attack was directed at the Carriers and not their ships and the ability of the WAllied Battleships and -cruisers to inflict damage to their ships was due to more than good gunnery.
Conditions had been too bad for their own gunnery so something else was going on. At least that had them realize why the WAllies had concentrated on the Carriers initially – battleships were no problem to them!
Most of the Troop-transports had been sunk or damaged.
The mission was as great a failure to Japan as it was a great victory for the WAllies though their Admirals would attribute it to the experience won in centuries of warfare at sea.
The real force-multiplier due to the bad weather during the operations had been the radar guided WAllied Naval artillery. It had broken the back of the IJA sunk all its remaining Aircraft Carriers and half the Battleships and almost a quarter of the modern Heavy Cruisers. The remaing Battleships and 2 Heavy Cruisers was damaged as was a host of Light Cruisers and Destroyers.
The IJN saw the real defeat of their ships in weather that should have obscured them to their adversary and still their ships had been hit at long range. It couldn't have been due to spotter planes as the Airunits of both sides had little impact. Hits on ships had been noted by both sides but nothing really detrimental to operations – weather had just been too bad.
