The Battle Under: The Allies Fight Back

[tocaff]

December 1, 1942 Hawaii

Intel

1853 men are based at Yap.
23rd Engineer Regiment is located at Inch'on.
41st Naval Guard Unit is located at Port Moresby.
107th IJA Base Force is located at Taejon.
3rd Air Army is located at Singapore.
4th Mixed Brigade is located at Mandalay.
2505 men are based at Ikitsuki.
3077 men are based at Kitakyushu.
2nd Reserve AA Regiment is located at Tokyo.
51st Road Construction Battalion is located at Changsha.
12th AA Regiment is located at Peking.
Nakajo-wan Fortress is located at Kadina.

Recon

F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Mandalay 160 fighters, 183 aux, 13 LCUs 48700/432/13
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Tulagi 10 LCUs 34520/329/7
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Makin 5 LCUs 12440/46/0

Combat

IJN aux craft encountered a mine field at Koepang

The Allies attacked Myitkyina with 8 X Wellington, 27 X Hudson, 60 X B-25C and 24 X P-38G. They did moderate damage to the base and suffered no loses.

The 754th USA Tank Battalion was attacked again today by Japanese planes and suffered moderate loses.

Gas rationing was in effect for the entire United States effective today. There was no problem with the gas supply, but rather this was the way it was decided to cut rubber consumption. Most of the natural rubber supplies are in Japanese hands and synthetic rubber plants are just now being constructed.

Dave is sitting at the table in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee with his breakfast and says, “Can you believe this? Gas rationing and we have plenty of it and now they're adding coffee to the list of rationed items. Coffee! What has this world come too?” Sandy says nothing knowing that her father is a coffee lover and this is the one item he'll rant and rave about. “Coffee, what's next? I'm afraid to think of how coffee could impact the war effort.” Dave looks at Sandy sheepishly and says, “I'm getting carried away, aren't I? Sorry.”

Ed has housing assigned to him and of course an officer of lesser rank has gotten the bump by his arrival and this will ripple down the line. He spends the better part of the day in meetings concerning Operation Snowball. What he's really looking forward to is meeting with the ship captains that'll be under his command.

The Marines have been told what and where their new are and Orsini sets off in the general direction that was pointed out to him. He asks a number of Marines and they direct him until he finally arrives at his new unit's location. He reports to the company HQs and is told what platoon I his. He then sets off and finds them and he's told to “wait here.” In a few minutes a Gunnery Sargent appears and asks his name and says that their machine gun section is short of an ammo carrier and he's now it.

[tocaff]

December 2, 1942 Pearl Harbor

Intel

5th Fleet is located at Ominato.
2nd Air Division is located at Harbin.
1835 men are based at Gumma.
6659 men are based at Saigon.
Karafuto Mixed Brigade is located at Shikka.
2nd Hvy Gun Regiment is located at Tsitsihar.
7650 men are based at Bonin.
57th Construction Battalion is located at Maizuru.
3564 men are based at Nagoya.
6885 men are based at Inch'on.
28867 men are based at Harbin.
14th Field Artillery Regiment is planning for an attack on Kweiyang.
6133 men are based at Taipei.
Radio transmissions detected at Vancouver.

Recon

SB-2 takes recon photos of Heiho 9 LCUs 46840/569/24
Pe-2 takes recon photos of Fushan 1 LCU 1680/12/0
R-12 takes recon photos of Arshaan 2 LCUs 5460/75/0
SB-2 takes recon photos of Chiamussu 20 fighters, 23 aux, 6 LCUs 22800/289/5
Pe-2 takes recon photos of Mutanchiang 52 fighters, 8 bombers, 43 aux, 10 LCUs 23580/319/154
R-12 takes recon photos of Changkufeng 9 LCUs 49560/346/9
SB-2 takes recon photos of Hailar 7 LCUs 42420/319/8
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Mandalay 171 fighters, 283 aux, 13 LCUs 51960/481/12
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Tulagi 10 LCUs 32580/363/7
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Makin 5 LCUs 13660/45/0

Combat

S-18 attacked a convoy 47 miles out of Darwin, but missed.

The daily sweep on Kunming by 33 X Tojo was again unopposed.

Admiral Edward Landy has assumed his command and at a meeting prior to departure of the TF he has a meeting with the skippers of the ships involved. The skipper of the DD O'Bannon, CDR William Smith spends some time with Ed after the meeting breaks up and the two men catch up on things. Both are raring to go to be doing what they were meant to do, command ships going into harm's way. The mission is a bombardment of Wake Island and then the ships will return to Pearl for replenishment prior to leaving for Operation Snowball. The fleet is made up of:
4 X BB
2 X CA
1 X CL
7 X DD
Ed's flag is on the West Virginia.

As they say goodbye to each other Bill says, “I see you've been bumped to a Rear Admiral, Upper Half. I suppose with a war on they're desperate for bodies to fill out the upper echelons of the Navy.” The two share the laugh and wish each other luck. They've come a long way in more than distance from their Pentagon days.

Orsini is settling in with his new squad. He spent the day getting to know them while they were going through drills. They went from one position to another during a mock advance, always covering the platoon's right flank. The other machine gun squad of their section is on the other flank. The spacing is supposed to be a minimum of 150 feet so that if enemy artillery hits both MGs won't get taken out. The squad itself is made up of the:

Gunner, who aims and fires the MG and also carries the tripod and a box of ammo when they move.

Assistant gunner who feeds and reloads the MG and also carries the MG and spare parts.

Ammo carriers who carry boxes of ammo which contain 250 rounds of .30 caliber M2 ball ammo.

The squad leader who observes and spots targets.

Orsini felt the heat of the day carrying his pack, a rifle and the 2 boxes of ammo. Each time they stopped to set up and fire he was sent to the rear to get more ammo. Such is the life of the new guy in a squad. That night he gets his first taste of the white lightning the men make in the still.

Gunny was pleased with the platoon's performance today and the new guys seem to have done their jobs well. There's still nothing other than rumors about the target or when they leave.

Today the first controlled, self-sustained nuclear chain reaction was achieved by Fermi.

[gladiatt]

ORIGINAL: tocaff

[
Recon

SB-2 takes recon photos of Heiho 9 LCUs 46840/569/24
Pe-2 takes recon photos of Fushan 1 LCU 1680/12/0
R-12 takes recon photos of Arshaan 2 LCUs 5460/75/0
SB-2 takes recon photos of Chiamussu 20 fighters, 23 aux, 6 LCUs 22800/289/5
Pe-2 takes recon photos of Mutanchiang 52 fighters, 8 bombers, 43 aux, 10 LCUs 23580/319/154
R-12 takes recon photos of Changkufeng 9 LCUs 49560/346/9
SB-2 takes recon photos of Hailar 7 LCUs 42420/319/8
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Mandalay 171 fighters, 283 aux, 13 LCUs 51960/481/12
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Tulagi 10 LCUs 32580/363/7
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Makin 5 LCUs 13660/45/0

Just curious, but how did you managed to make Recon with the soviets units ??? [&:];
is it possible in Stock ?

[tocaff]

gladiatt

Early in the game some wild Japanese troops entered Soviet territory by "accident" and made the Soviets active.  I'm glad that it happened as it added a new dimension to the game as talks between the Russians and Japanese are an ongoing thing with Russians demands being met so far.

[tocaff]

December 3, 1942 The BB West Virginia

Intel

8166 men are based at Toyohara.
10 ships are based at Osaka/Kobe.
5th RF Gun Battalion is planning for an attack on Chungking.
Ryojun Fortress is located at Port Arthur.
86163 men are based at Taan.
187706 men are based at Truk.
18th Reserve Coastal Artillery Regiment is located at Toyama.
48th Division is located at Port Moresby.
39th Road Construction Battalion is located at Manila.
Nagasaki Fortress is located at Nagasaki.
8th NLF is located at Port Moresby.
17th Army is located at Tulagi.
248723 men are based at Sasebo.

Recon

PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Apamama nothing detected
Catalina I takes recon photos of Wyndham 10 LCUs 25080/150/0
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Lunga 12 LCUs 4040/26/0

Combat

33 X Tojo visited Kunming again, but left after making lazy figure eights for 20 minutes as no Chinese planes rose to challenge them. The Chinese pilots are eager to fight, but there are not enough planes and the ones that they have are obsolete coffins.

Japanese planes attacked the 32nd USA Division near the rail junction. Loses were light and a Tony was reportedly trailing smoke as it departed. The troops involved in Operation Grinder continue to have their simmering anger grow as they are angry at being offered no air cover and just sit around being targets. They are here to fight the Japanese, but the generals seem to be timid.

Ed is enjoying having a deck beneath his feet again. He is very aware that as the commander of the TF that he needs to let the skipper of the West Virginia do his job without interference. He's lost in thought, looks at his watch and realizes that two more TFs are leaving Pearl Harbor, one contains the carriers and the other is replenishment. It's a long way to Wake and he's worried about everything that can go wrong with the operation between now and when the arrive at their destination.

Aboard the O'Bannon Bill leaves the bridge and goes to his cabin. Once there a man appears with a sandwich and a mug of coffee. Bill thanks the sailor and he sits down to write a letter to Sandy. The emotions are there, but the words don't come easily. Finally Bill gives up writing because his mind is preoccupied with O'Bannon and her responsibilities as part of this TF.

Phil sits in the wardroom poking at his food. He's wondering how Benham is always drawing the same type of duties, escorting merchantmen or replenishment vessels. He wants a fighting assignment, not that of a shepherd.

Today Pete moved his meager possessions into Sylvia's parents home. They've been gracious enough to give him their deceased son's bedroom. He has been respectful enough to allow Jac to have the better part of the day so move her son's things elsewhere in the house. She does so in silence with tears on her cheeks. Sylvia helps and Milt suggests to Pete that the two of them should head off to the pub for a beer. Pete readily agrees and they tell the women where they're heading. After a while the owner of the pub has some spare time as business is slow with so many men off fighting the war. The three men talk and before Pete realizes what's happened he's been offered a job as a bartender on the weekends. He really doesn't need the money as he's still being paid by Uncle Sam, but he accepts. This will help him to pay for room and board as he doesn't want to be viewed as a freeloader. When he mentions this Milt immediately states that if he wanted to rent the room he would've. Pete will find ways to pay this family back for their kindness.

In Europe

Several German divisions were transferred from Western Europe and arrived in Army Group Don in preparation to relieve the surrounded 6th Army at Stalingrad.

[tocaff]

December 4, 1942 Brisbane

Intel

22nd AA Regiment is located at Kitakyushu.
Tokyo Bay Fortress is located at Tokyo.
44th Road Construction Battalion is located at Lunga.
8th Coastal Gun Regiment is located at Maizuru.
3070 men are based at Kitakyushu.
41st AA Regiment is located at Changchun.
7th Engineer Regiment is located at Mutanchiang.
2nd Army is located at Truk.
3565 men are based at Nagoya.
2nd RF Gun Battalion is planning for an attack on Chungking.
6th Fleet is located at Kwajalein.

Recon

Catalina I takes recon photos of Wyndham 11 LCUs 33960/206/0
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Mandalay 175 fighters, 178 aux 13 LCUs 50860/469/13

Combat

75 X B-24D conducted an attack on Tulagi which was unopposed. Light damage was done to the port and it's supply dumps.

The 24th USA Division was attacked by aircraft near the rail junction and had light casualties.

Japanese troops, numbering 75.8K, followed the air attack with an assault, but were beaten back by the Allied defenders, who were 55K strong. The Japanese loses were estimated to have been very heavy while the Allied troops also had heavy casualties.

Ed's bombardment TF steams on towards Wake Island and so far they haven't been detected. It's Ed's call if he feels that the mission should be scrubbed due to early detection or not. Ed secretly envies the ship's captain as that's the best job to have in the Navy, so he thinks.

Bill just left the sonar man after visiting him to see if all if well and give the sailor a pat on the back. Now he's off to do the same with the radar operator.

Joe Orsini has been busy all day and he's exhausted lying on the side of the trail while the platoon takes “5.” Gunny approaches him and asks if he's OK and Orsini just nods to the affirmative. He thinks to himself that he won't be the one not to make it through this exercise.

Pete is getting nervous as tomorrow is his first day at the new job. Sylvia laughs at him as says, “You fought against the Japanese, got shot down and floated around in a raft and now you're nervous about facing a bunch of old men who will come around to talk and have a pint or two?” She laughs and so does he realizing that the worst that can happen wouldn't be so bad.

In Europe

The Germans took Tebourba today.

The US 5th AF raided the port of Naples. It was their first raid of the war.

[tocaff]

December 5, 1942 Brisbane

Intel

1801 men are based at Hungnam.
86163 men are based at Taan.
53rd Division is located at Osaka/Kobe.
25th AA Regiment is located at Nagato.
45th Road Construction Battalion is located at Chiamussu.
267333 men are based at Tokyo.
Funauke Fortress is located at Sakashima.
Yongfung Bay Fortress is located at Wonsan.
36th Division is planning for an attack on Chungking.
118th IJN Base Force is located at Chengting.
Kitachishima Fortress is located at Paramushiro Jima.
32nd NLF is located at Salamaua.
109th IJA Base Force is located at Kaigan.
144th IJA Base Force is planning for an attack on Madras.
151st IJA Base Force is located at Tokyo.
2673 men are based at Taejon.
Oshima Base Force is located at Kagoshima.

Recon

Catalina I takes recon photos of Wyndham 12 LCUs 38440/219/0
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Lunga 12 LCUs 3860/10/0

Combat

Two IJN MSWs located a mine field at Koepang and immediately started sweeping it.

The Japanese conducted a bombardment attack with artillery causing moderate loses among the Allies troops near the rail junction.

The USN TF slowly is closing on it's intended target and their luck is holding as there have been no sonar or radar contacts so it's still held that they haven't been detected. Ed has gone over the plan repeatedly in his head and knows that once the action starts everything can go to hell in a moment. Still he keeps thinking and wonders what he's missed. If the KB suddenly appears there will be a CV battle and if it's a surface engagement his task force is loaded with plenty of AP shells and the new fast BBs won't be far off to lend a hand. Mines should be detected and avoided as the range should be great enough to keep them outside of any minefields. Sleep is starting to become increasingly difficult the closer they get to Wake.

Bill and Frank confer in Bill's cabin about the responsibilities of the O'Bannon and meeting them. The crew is fast to ready the ship for action and there seems to be no problems among the men so with that and fully functional systems the two men agree that all is as well as can be expected.

“Come on Joe do you want into the pool or not?” The other men of the platoon have been trying to find out where Gunny is from so a guess adds another $5 to the pool. “How about the new guy pool as to guessing his name?” For another $5 you get a chance to guess Gunny's given first name and if there is no winner it goes into the larger pool.

“OK I'm in. I say he's from Topeka, Kansas. As to the name I'll go with Carl. Here's my ten spot,” says Orsini.

The men of Orsini's squad have been granted a weekend pass and they're heading off to town for some action. Some are dying for a cold beer, others a woman and Joe longs for a nice, juicy steak.

“Pete another pint here, if you please,” says an elderly gentleman. Pete dutifully complies and serves up the requested pint. Some of the men are shooting darts while others just sit around and talk. Pete is asked more than once about his war experiences and he just shrugs them off with a “nothing special to tell.” At closing time Pete's very tired and he walks slowly home. Home, he thinks, now that's a really nice thought.

[tocaff]

December 6, 1942 Washington DC

Intel

6648 men are based at Saigon.
1860 men are based at Naha.
3rd Mountain Gun Regiment is located at Darwin.
3560 men are based at Nagoya.
19th Division is located at Mishan.
6th Reserve AA Regiment is located at Wonsan.
17th Division is located at Homan.
60th Construction Battalion is located at Tarakan.
Kwantung Area Army is located at Changchun.
8th Division is located at Heiho.
126th IJA Base Force is located at Gili Gili.
Burma Area Army is located at Rangoon.

Recon

F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Mandalay 143 fighters, 230 aux, 12 LCUs 43480/339/17
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Lunga 12 LCUs 26540/220/5
Catalina I takes recon photos of Wyndham 13 LCUs 56560/340/0

Combat

A Japanese bombardment attack on the Allied troops near the rail junction has resulted in moderately heavy casualties. The Allied troops responded with their own artillery and inflicted moderate loses on the Japanese.

S-36 continues her journey to the nearest safe port, Cairns, running on the surface due to continued flooding problems. The crew works feverishly to make repairs and stop the flooding, but the issue is very much in doubt.

FDR has talked to Frank Knox about tomorrow's ship launchings and has been reassured that there will be lots of press coverage and much fanfare. It's important for the public to know that the sacrifices that they're making are for tangible reasons.

Sleeping so late is something Pete isn't used to doing. Sylvia woke him with a shake of the shoulder and a kiss on the cheek. “I knocked on the door, but it was quite obvious that you never heard it so I took the liberty of entering.”

“You, my pretty, young thing, may enter any time you'd like,” Pete replies. “What time is it?”

Sylvia tells him that the family is getting ready to have some lunch and Pete literally jumps out of the bed and runs to the bathroom to get ready.

Orsini is busily trying to find out Gunny's name, but is told that he'll have to wait until they return to their base because of the pool. Where he is born is another matter entirely as Gunny promised to reveal the location when they ship out.

The tension continues to grow among the men on the ships approaching Wake Island.

Victory Points Japan 17942 Allies 6427

[Capt. Harlock]

The Japanese conducted a bombardment attack with artillery causing moderate loses among the Allies troops near the rail junction.

Sounds like the classic dilemma: can't advance, won't retreat, getting pounded in place.

[tocaff]

December 7, 1942 Pearl Harbor

Intel

8883 men are based at Mukden.
2nd Mountain Gun Regiment is located at Homan.
39th Road Construction Battalion is located at Manila.
3rd Mortar Battalion is located at Port Moresby.
54th Construction Battalion is located at Canton.
2nd Base Force is located at Soerabaja.
1768 men are based at Fushan.
252262 men are based at Kagoshima.
3rd FF Construction Battalion is located at Anshan.
7th AF Construction Battalion is located at Soerabaja.
44th Heavy AA Battalion is located at Koepang.
5839 men are based at Takamatsu.
3982 men are based at Osumi.
13th Division is planning for an attack on Chungking.
Maizuru Fortress is located at Maizuru.
1st Guards Mixed Brigade is located at Tokyo.

Recon

PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Lunga 12 LCUs 7480/56/0
Catalina I takes recon photos of Wyndham 13 LCUs 49480/305/0

Combat

24 X P-38G and an F-5A attacked Mandalay losing 7 P-38G and the F-5A and another P-38G was damaged by the 49 x Zero and 20 X Tony that greeted them at the cost of 10 X Zero destroyed and another 1 damaged. After the debriefing Allied commanders were pleased with the sweeps results, though the loses were higher than hoped for as the P-38G has once again proved that it's a match for the Japanese planes.

Allied troops at the rail junction suffered moderate loses to an artillery barrage and another air raid. Orders issued for troops to withdraw to the junction were issued yesterday and troops are on the move. Other forces are advancing on Wyndham and it is hoped that they will be able to retake the city. If the Japanese pull troops off of the front at the rail junction then a possible advance on Darwin will commence.

The 2nd Marine Division has begun loading on transports as are many other combat and support units. The destination is unknown to all except a few. Operation Snowball is entering it's final staging process and the exact date for the attack will be issued soon. Orsini is told that Gunny's given name is Ralph Gaffney. There were no winners in the pool so now the men of the platoon are eagerly awaiting Gunny telling them where he's from.

The BB New Jersey and 11 other ships were launched today on the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. A big deal is made out of these launchings as was promised to FDR. The war is now entering it's second year for the United States.

The TF under Ed's command continues towards Wake and their luck continues to hold as there have been no enemy contacts.

Dave and Sandy sit in front of the fireplace listening to the radio. “You know it's hard to believe that this war has been going on for a year already,” says Sandy.

“Think of the British, they've been fighting for over 3 years already and there’s no end in sight,” replies Dave. “Maybe our Brazilian allies will send us some coffee before out of it completely.”

The ETO

British commandos raided Bordeaux harbor attaching limpet mines to German ships there.






BB-62 New Jersey is Launched

[tocaff]

I'd like to say thanks to you, my readers for your support and comments.  I never anticipated the amount of work that I've put into this and at times it's tougher than others to do the next entry.

The AAR lags a little more than 3 months behind the war itself. 

Thanks again.

[tocaff]

December 8, 1942 Nearing Wake Island

Intel

11th Army is located at 48,33.
1823 men are based at Haiphong.
58th Construction Battalion is located at Takamatsu.
67th Construction Battalion is located at Toyama.
6th AF Construction Battalion is located at Pagan.
50th Construction Battalion is located at Kyoto.
2nd AA Regiment is located at Tokyo.
9th Ind. Brigade is located at Changsha.
61st Construction Battalion is located at Port Moresby.
3922 men are based at Nagato.
Palau Coastal Gun Regiment is located at Palau.
54th Division is located at Okayama.
57th Construction Battalion is located at Maizuru.

Recon

F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Mandalay 143 fighters, 230 aux, 12 LCUs 43480/339/17
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Lunga 12 LCUs 26540/220/5
Catalina I takes recon photos of Wyndham 13 LCUs 56560/342/0

Combat

The Allies conducted an air attack on Myitkyina with 48 X B-25C and 9 X P-38G, meeting no opposition, suffering no loses and inflicting light damage to the airfield and it's facilities. The pilots and aircrews are gaining valuable experience at morale is climbing as the loses are negligible because of no opposition. The commanders know that this won't last as the Japanese will fight for control of the air over their bases.

The Japanese attacked with an air raid and an artillery bombardment near the rail junction, which combined to inflict moderate casualties on Allied troops.

Pete wonders if he should make bar tending a career as he's not used to serving the drinks instead of consuming them. He does enjoy the company and he finds the job nothing like work at all. He tells Sylvia that he'll stick with it a while and see how it goes. Meanwhile the pub's owner is telling his wife that Pete as a big hit and that business was booming. “Calm down dearie,” she cautions, “Remember the last employee you had.” Indeed he does remember, how could he forget as she was a beauty but robbed him blind.

A heavy snowfall has Dave muttering to himself as he trudges to the station. If it gets much deeper, he thinks, snowshoes will be needed. This is the price one pays for living in the mountains.

Now that his platoon is assembled on deck Gunny tells them he's from Baltimore, Maryland. A moan goes up among the men and it turns out that nobody picked that city. “Why not give the money to the guy who came closest,” says one of the men. Another replies, “Why not save the money for a platoon party to celebrate our beating up on the Japanese?” That idea seems to get the general acceptance and Gunny gives it the OK. Now they'll have to decide who holds the funds. Orsini says, “Let Gunny keep it.” All agree with this.

Closer and closer the bombardment TF gets to Wake Island and still no contacts and it's assumed that they haven't been spotted. Ed is very pleased with the way the ships are being handled and they all maintain station during course changes to prevent a sub from being able to line them up for an easy attack.

Bill thinks about the Japanese on Wake that will soon get the pounding that they so so richly deserve and he's glad that the large gun tubes won't be pointing at him when they erupt. He's never seen a BB fire in anger, only drills and it's an awesome sight when a broadside is let loose by a single ship, let alone the four in this TF.

Today the Germans occupied Bizerte in Tunisia.

Victory Points Japanese 17964 Allied 6452

[gladiatt]

ORIGINAL: tocaff

I'd like to say thanks to you, my readers for your support and comments.  I never anticipated the amount of work that I've put into this and at times it's tougher than others to do the next entry.

The AAR lags a little more than 3 months behind the war itself. 

Thanks again.

thanks to you.
And congrats for sticking to this hell of war; i never was so hard-willing than you are.

Keep up the good work.

[tocaff]

gladiatt,

I have no choice but to stick to the war no matter how it goes as I owe it to my opponent, Steve, and myself as the game is a huge commitment. Thanks for the support.

December 9, 1942 The Rail Junction

Intel

Iki Fortress is located at Ikitsuki.
2nd Tank Regiment is located at Rangoon.
China Expeditionary Army is planning for an attack on Chungking.
6712 men are based at Iwo Jima.
57th Construction Battalion is located at Maizuru.
13th Base Force is located at Amboina.
40th Division is planning for an attack on Sian.
2nd Mountain Gun Regiment is located at Homan.
4th AF Construction Battalion is located at Medan.
Maizuru Fortress is located at Maizuru.
42nd AA Regiment is located at Seoul.
Radio transmissions detected at Prince Rupert.

Recon

SB-2 takes recon photos of Heiho 9 LCUs 75800/891/25
Pe-2 takes recon photos of Fushan 1 LCU 1860/14/0
R-12 takes recon photos of Tabun-Nur 1 LCU 1400/13/0
SB-2 takes recon photos of Chiamussu 6 LCUs 28540/253/7
Pe-2 takes recon photos of Mutanchiang 9 LCUs 23320/321/156
R-12 takes recon photos of Changkufeng 9 LCUs 49740/342/5
R-12 takes recon photos of Hailar 7 LCUs 41840/311/7
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Mandalay 149 fighters, 244 aux, 12 LCUs 43580/356/12
Catalina I takes recon photos of Wyndham 14 LCUs 56240/333/0

Combat

26 X Tojo suddenly appear over the 3rd Australian Division at the rail junction near Wyndham, doing no damage and 1 plane was reported hit by ground fire and seen smoking.

The 32nd USA Division at the rail junction was attacked by planes and reported light casualties. All Japanese planes left the area safely.

It is hoped by Australian commanders that the splitting of forces will enable them to retake Wyndham before the Japanese have a chance to bolster the defenses there, as they appear to be doing at the present time. The blocking force at the rail junction close to Darwin should be enough to hold the Japanese at bay if attacked. Additional combat formations will be moving from Townsville as soon as they have replaced their combat loses.

The SS Cuttlefish is proceeding to her target, Toyohara, where she will lay mines and then patrol the Aleutian area.

S-36 continues her struggle to reach Cairns. The crew has been unable to stop the flooding, just barely managing to keep up with the water. The aft torpedo room is flooded and running on the surface is causing everyone aboard to volunteer their eyes for lookout duty when their shift pumping out water is over.

A troop convoy continues to load Snowball units at Pearl Harbor while another convoy approaches Pearl. The two will combine and make for Snowball's staging area.

Admiral Landy paces the bridge of the old BB as the fleet makes it's approach for the run in to bombard Wake Island. The CVs are now just over the horizon providing air cover should the Japanese detect them and attack. The plan calls for the bombardment TF to replenish it's fuel bunkers tomorrow and then make the attack. The CVs will standoff providing air cover and lend air strikes to the attack. The fleet will then retire to Pearl, replenish, be joined by other warships and make for their staging area for Operation Snowball. The Allies need Snowball to succeed if they are to turn the tide of battle in the Pacific.

Washington continues to press Moscow for basing rights, but the Soviets are resisting. They give the simple answer of an active war with Japan while the bloodbath against the Germans rages just isn't possible for the Red Army at the present time.

Standing at the rail of the transport Orsini gazes at the other ships assembled and wonders if he'll ever be able to avoid these long, boring ocean cruises. A couple of the other guys from his squad are nearby and trying to figure out where they are going when Gunny appears.

“You guys are Marines and Marines go where they're sent. We then do our job and if we're lucky we get a rest before Uncle Sam sends us on another little trip. We'll find out soon enough what our target is and woe be to those there that oppose us.” With that Gunny moves off leaving Orsini and his pals smiling and no wiser.

Bill has his orders about refueling the O'Bannon tomorrow and he looks them over again. After the TF has finished refueling they'll be making a run in to their target, slowly, as the old BBs are slow. He puts the papers back in their envelope and proceeds to write a letter to Sandy.

Pete seems to have fallen through the cracks and there's been no word about his not boarding a ship for the US. Now he wonders if he'll still be able to draw his pay as bar tending money won't go to far.

The subs on patrol in the Aleutian Islands are having an awful time due to the weather. The crews all prefer to be submerged as the boats aren't tossed around and it's not so cold. Patrols in these waters are shorter than usual and a return to Anchorage is welcomed by all.




Winter Aleutian Sub Patrol

[tocaff]

December 10, 1942 Closing on Wake Island

Intel

32nd Heavy AA Battalion is located at Aomori.
51st Road Construction Battalion is located at Changsha.
43rd Construction Battalion is located at Rangoon.
36715 men are based at Chiamussu.
Maizuru Fortress is located at Maizuru.
11th AA Regiment is located at Osaka/Kobe.
64th Construction Battalion is located at Nagasaki.
25th AA Regiment is located at Nagato.
2nd Reserve AA Regiment is located at Tokyo.
3rd Ind. Brigade is located at Homan.
6th Ind. Brigade is located at Yenen.
13th Army is planning for an attack on Chungking.

Recon

PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Tarawa 10 fighters, 13 bombers, 22 aux, 4 LCUs 17960/97/0
Catalina I takes recon photos of Wyndham 14 LCUs 57900/415/6
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Russell Islands nothing detected

Combat

The 24th USA Division, at the rail junction, was attacked by Japanese planes. Loses were light and a Helen was reported as damaged. AA units are moving to the front to afford some kind of protection against the constant air raids.

The Japanese initiated a bombardment attack at the road junction 140 miles NE of Kweiyang, but it caused nothing more than torn earth and lots of noise.

The bombardment TF targeting Wake Island has refueled and now is moving into position to make it's run in. The CVs are following, just over the horizon. Ed can't remember if he has ever felt so tense. He knows that so much can go wrong once combat begins. What have I missed, he keeps asking himself.

Bill looks at the radar operator and asks, “Nothing? Not even a blip on the edge of the screen?”

The man just shakes his head and says, “No sir, not a thing.”

Bill heads back to the bridge and meets Frank, his exec, who says, “Sonar hasn't even had a false contact.” The two men find it strange to be getting so close to a Japanese base where known patrol assets are and be undetected, or at least as far as they know the Japanese are unaware of their presence.

Dave has had nothing to do of late except shovel snow off of the roof of the house and station. It's very tough to do with the bad hand as he really can't hold the shovel with it. When Sandy finally discovers what he's doing there was hell to pay. “You stupid, stubborn man. Dad how many times do I have to tell you that I can do stuff while you mend?” Dave climbs down from the rood and Sandy goes up to finish. Dave heads back to the house to make some tea. Damned war and damned rationing I want coffee, he mutters.

The convoy has a long way to it's destination, which all of the officers are now aware of. The enlisted men will find out in due time, though it doesn't matter what the place is called where you're being shot at.

Gunny looks at a map and says, “Here it is, Canton Island. Our new temporary home before the invasion is launched.”

“Canton, that's in China I heard. How long to get all the way there?” asks one of the Marines.

Gunny laughs and says, “That's a city in China that you're thinking of and this is an island base of ours in the Pacific.” The men laugh, which is good to relieve the nervous tension that's slowly starting to build among them.

Today the first transport of German Jews arrived at Auschwitz.

[gladiatt]

ORIGINAL: tocaff
Today the first transport of German Jews arrived at Auschwitz.[/i]

A friend of my grandfather was jew. He went to Auschwitz in the beginning of the camp.
Asked to shovel the dirt and the mud while the prisonners were gathering, he was even sent farther and farther of the guards on duty. With an incredible luck, he met a bunch of germans civilians doing the same kind of work;
at the end of the day, the soldiers sent the civilians back home, and he just went with them !! [X(].
A german shoemaker hosted him at his own house for the rest of the war !

if ever this story is not welcome in this AAR for any reason, just ask and i will delete my post.

[tocaff]

No your input is welcomed.  I enter these events happening in Europe and Africa to add flavor to the AAR.  As they were historical events I don't see how anyone can be offended by them and they are not open to political argument here. 

As much as I welcome readers I welcome their input also.

[tocaff]

December 11, 1942 Brisbane

Intel

7898 men are based at Sendai.
55th Division is located at Myitkyina.
21st NLF is located at Darwin.
16th Army is located at Rabaul.
3361 men are based at Hamamatsu.
236273 men are based at Osaka/Kobe.
11th Heavy AA Battalion is located at Osaka/Kobe.
24th AA Regiment is located at Nagasaki.
52nd Construction Battalion is located at Changchun.
3rd Mortar Battalion is located at Port Moresby.
4th Aviation Rgt is located at Nanning.
124th IJA Base Force is located at Tavoy.
North China Area Army is planning for an attack on Sian.
Radio transmissions detected at Vancouver.

Recon

F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Lashio 2 LCUs 4960/33/0

PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Tarawa 1 X SS, 2 X DD, 1 X AP, 4 LCUs 18360/65/0

6 X AK have been spotted at Wyndham and Allied commanders are concerned that the Japanese have managed to slip in additional troops and supplies days before the planned attack begins.

Combat

IJN PGs found a mine field at Fergusson Island

99 X B-17E bombers staged an attack on Gili Gili and were rudely received by 22 X Zero and 16 X Tony. In an effort to build up experience in a safer manner the raid went in 10K feet higher than usual, but they still lost 10 of the big bombers and had another 38 damaged while doing light damage to the base. The men claimed to have downed 3 X Zero, damaging 15 more and 4 X Tony were added to the gunner's claims with 9 others damaged. A damage assessment flight later counted 3 X Nell destroyed on the ground.

The Chinese have expressed their gratitude to London and Washington for the assistance being given to them. They have also assured their Allies that they expect to hold the cities of Sian and Chungking, but are concerned about recent developments in the Kweiyang region.

The Soviets continue to stall Washington's requests for permission to use Soviet bases in their fight against Japan. The Soviet Ambassador to the United States of America, Maxim Litvinoff, has spoken on many occasions lately with Harry Hopkins, Henry Stimson and Cordell Hull and still the answer to their requests remains the same, no. FDR is fuming about the Soviets, “They want to have their cake and eat it too. Well, I suppose as long as they are involved in such a titanic struggle against the Germans there's not much we can do about it. It does give one pause when you think that an allied country would be expected to be a little less secretive and a lot more co operative.” The Americans want to base their 4E bombers in range of northern Japan. The thinking is any damage done to Japan is just icing on the cake, but the real purpose is to draw Japanese assets away from other areas, thus weakening their defenses where the real Allied thrusts will come.

Ed sits in his cabin aboard the West Virginia, unable to sleep. So far the fleet has gone undetected, as far as he knows. He issued orders today for the CV TFs to refuel and follow the bombardment TF closer to Wake before his BBs hit it. The replenishment TF is moving towards Midway with planes from a CV supplying air cover for the rest of today. He's concerned that the best of plans have a way of going wrong. I know that there's something that I've missed, he tortures himself with.

Troops have completed loading at Pearl Harbor and 2 convoys, one already at sea, are scheduled to join in the night for the journey to Snowball's staging area. Departure was scheduled with the USN providing plenty of ASW, surface and carrier units to insure their safe arrival.

“One of the crew said we're steaming in a huge circle,” says one of the Marines.

“The Navy just wants to be sure that they know where they're going, that's all.” says another man.

Orsini just knows one thing, he hates ocean voyages.

The Palawan commences loading supplies at Noumea. The crew over time has become well rehearsed at their jobs and the ship's master is proud of them and how they perform. Red is in a hold, cursing and sweating, manhandling cargo into the spots as directed by the 2nd mate. Cookie and Lucky, in the meantime, are off for a walk around the base area as he has already overseen the loading and stowing of the food the crew will consume on the upcoming voyage.

Friday night and Pete is busy working at the pub when a familiar sounding voice says, “Well who ever would've thought...hello Pepper!”

Pete looks up and a huge grin comes over his face. “Hi guys, what're you doing here?”

“We have some time to kill so a little to drink entered our minds.”

Pete serves the men their pints and tells them that he's got to care for the others in the pub too. Later that night Pete is cleaning up and when he finishes he locks up and leaves the pub. His pals from Darwin are waiting for him outside and they walk to a park and sit on the benches there and talk. Before Pete knows it the sun is rising and he tells the men he's got to head home. Sylvia is still asleep when he arrives as her bedroom door is still closed.

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: tocaff

I'd like to say thanks to you, my readers for your support and comments.  I never anticipated the amount of work that I've put into this and at times it's tougher than others to do the next entry.

The AAR lags a little more than 3 months behind the war itself. 

Thanks again.

i know of what you speak... i gave it up after deciding i was putting in many hours for having maybe 4 people read my AAR. [:(]

Keep up the good work!!! [&o]

[Capt. Harlock]

“One of the crew said we're steaming in a huge circle,” says one of the Marines.

And that's why they say, "Tell it to the Marines". [;)]