The Second Day
At 0430 the
S-41 reported that the Japanese CA
IJN Kinugasa had sunk and that it appeared that the CA
IJN Kako had taken at least two bomb hits. The Japanese fleet was now in the Saipan anchorage with two destroyers covering the entrance. Orders were given to the
S-41 to maintain it's coverage of Saipan to act as an early warning if the Japanese warships started back towards Guam.
The USAAC pilots wanted to hit Saipan again. A raid was planed for 0800 that would include the 7 Havocs and 14 of the P-40s. The remaining 5 serviceable P-40's would be kept as cover for Guam. The Havocs would hit the harbor area with 5 P-40s acting as cover, while the other 10 fighters would strafe the airfield and any troop concentrations.
More intelligence was being received that the Japanese Zero was a much better aircraft than the Type -96 fighters. Luckily for Guam, Saipan had not had any assigned to it.
When the raid returned at 1300, one P-40 was in trouble and the pilot bailed out over Agana Bay. The Patrol Boat YP-17, was able to pull him from the water.
Two more transports had been hit in the Saipan anchorage and 3 more Type-96 fighters shot down. The fighters acting as the cap for the Havocs strafed the floatplane base and report they had shot up 5 floatplanes. No warships except for the damaged
IJN Kako were seen in the harbor. A search by the PBYs could not locate them. Col Nash made the decision that all remaining 500lb AP bombs would be held for a counter to a possible Japanese naval attack.
As long as Guam had air cover it was felt that the Island could hold. It was known that Wake Island had fought off an attempt to take it. But the Wake defenders had Coastal Artillery as well as fighters. Guam had fighters and the Havocs but no guns to secure the beaches. Airpower had to keep the Japanese from landing.
The
S-43 was patrolling off Guam to cover the approach to Agana Bay. But no further contact from the
S-41 off Saipan had been received by 1800. Had something happened to the
S-41, they should have reported the Japanese warships exiting the Saipan anchorage. Then at 2200 the
S-41 radioed in that it had damage from depth charges and was returning to Guam. The second day of the war ended with no new attacks on Guam. The crews of the PBYs were tasked to search the next day to find the missing Japanese warships. Also was the worry that with Japanese airpower on Saipan taken out would Japanese carriers attempt to raid Guam like they had Pearl.
The news reports in the United States told of great damage to Pearl Harbor and the Philippines but two rays of sunshine from Wake and Guam let the people know that we were fighting back. With the damage at Pearl to the fleet the defenders on Guam knew that what they had was all they would have for quite awhile.
Then like a slot machine giving a jackpot one lonely freighter steamed into Agana Bay at 2300. The
SS Samuel Jackson had been on it’s way to the Philippines it’s cargo included two Batteries of 105mm field artillery and the unit of the Oregon National Guard assigned to them as well as one company of 81mm mortars.
Additional Bombs 100 and 250 general purpose as well as 50 more 500lb AP bombs.
Ten crated P-40’s and their crews and supporting ground service crews. Also was 10000 gallons of aviation fuel
Additional ammo and food The freighter had been strafed by a Japanese floatplane but luckily not bombed. When the attack on it happened it was 250 miles from Guam, so headed for Guam as the Capitan knew he could not make the Philippines and not be caught by the Japanese. All at once there was a good chance that Guam could hold off a Japanese landing.