March 27th
Very busy day today!
China: Grinder keeps going.
Burma:
Heavy fighting, the Allies have brought 3 Chinese Army Corps to fight here... I dont see a breakthrough towards Rangoon any soon.
In the air, the massive battles start again. Approximately 26 Hurricanes and 3 P-40s are shot down, but at the cost of 12 Ki-43s(+ 4 to ops) and 21 Ki-48 bombers. The 60-Ki-43 sweep did very well against the Hurries!
Java Sea, Wood Boot:
All men ashore now! Some 450 men and some equipment lost at Semarang(LZ 1) to surf and weather, but 39,000 men are safely ashore, no enemy resistance. At Kalindjati, another 8,000 ashore with no resistance(some Dutch hiding in the bushes though). Christmas Island invaded, troops all ashore with no losses.
Balikpapan falls! Oil and refineries 95% intact. Tandjo-something falls in the North, as does Ponape in the Celebes.
Allied Air Force(s) try to interrupt. Again Vildebeests fly through Zero-CAP like it wasnt there, and sink 2 more transports. 2 more will likely sink within 24 hours. In the afternoon the Zeroes finally engage before target run and kill every single one of them.
L-212s and T.VIas attack the main force off Java, with H-75 escort, they get slaughtered and score no hits.
Summary so far:
a) while the Balikpapan force took heavy losses, they still succeeded and are likely to hold even a possible counter attack.
b) 47,000 troops ashore in Java. The secondary force will turn to Batavia, while the main force first releases an element to cut the island(and the railroads, so that the North part is cut off and can only be supplied and evacuated by air) and main body heads to Soerebaja.
I'll add a map later.