The Battle Under: The Allies Fight Back

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Sun May 05, 2013 4:11 pm

February 27, 1945 Moscow

Intel

18th Army is located at Dobodura.
Hoyo Fortress is located at Osumi.
43rd Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Sapporo.
Shobu Force is located at Singapore.
13219 men are based at Takamatsu.
15399 men are based at Hakodate.
15th Tank Regiment is located at Nanning.
109 aircraft are based at Changchun.
78972 men are based at Tori Shima.
3rd Reserve AA Regiment is located at Matsue.
Iki Fortress is located at Ikitsuki.
16th Aviation Rgt is located at Wuhan.
28th Air Flotilla is located at Amboina.
31st Army is located at Manila.

Recon

Yak-9UF takes recon photos of Tsitsihar vacant
Pe-2R takes recon photos of Tabun-Nur vacant
Pe-2R takes recon photos of Shikka 1 LCU 3460/1/0
Yak-9UF takes recon photos of Mutanchiang 66 fighters, 26 bombers, 74 aux, 22 LCUs
Pe-2R takes recon photos of Harbin 12 fighters, 11 aux, 30 LCUs
Pe-2R takes recon photos of Changkufeng 13 LCUs 76620/743/29
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Jesselton vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi 1 LCU 3780/0/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Manila 119 fighters, 72 bombers, 109 aux, 17 LCUs 121980/981/30
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Clark Field 9 LCUs 4720/24/0
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Maloelap 1 LCU
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Jaluit vacant
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Saigon 9 X AP, 3 X CA, 10 fighters, 14 bombers, 7 aux, 1 LCU 4300/27/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Pisanuloke 4 LCUs 5600/12/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Dobodura 3 LCUs 580/0/0

Combat

A PBM attacked an IJN sub near Jolo, claiming a hit.

22 miles from Gasmata the Kure 2nd SNLF was again saved from harm by the jungle canopy as 6 Mitchells futilely dropped their bombs.

The Maloelop Base Force, at Maloelap, had moderate losses from 44 X B-25J.

Near Cagayan the IJA 18th Division was attacked 3 times from the air resulting in very heavy losses. The IJA 56th Division was hammered twice for very heavy casualties. The IJA 100th Division was struck 2 times by Allied planes for very heavy troop losses. The IJA 102nd Division had heavy casualties from an air raid. The Allied ships near Cagayan were attacked by 6 X Betty who were greeted by 11 X F4U-1D and 11 X P-38J who bagged all of the Japanese planes before any harm was done. 4 Corsairs and 3 Lightnings were damaged in the fight. A short time later 5 X Frances tried and died as 2 X F6F, 9 X F4U-1D and 11 X P-38J made short work of them. 2 Lightnings were damaged. Another attack was attempted by 3 X Betty and 6 X Frances, but the Allied CAP of 20 X P-38J (3 damaged), 9 X F4U-1D, 2 X F4U-1 and 2 X F6F (1 damaged) splashed them all. The Allied bombardment contributed heavy losses to the day's tally.

Soviet forces entered Hailar and now control it. The Japanese are upset as the transfer was not to take place until the 1st of March. Tokyo has expressed concerns about the validity of the newly signed nonaggression pact signed less than a week ago. Stalin snorted when informed of Tokyo's concerns and said, “What will they do declare war?”

Stick didn't get a kill today, but he did manage to fire on a Japanese plane. When he returned to base he was surprised to see that the bombers has hit his plane with their defensive fire. He told the pilots and mechanics who inspected his plane that he never felt anything. They later told him that they counted 12 holes.

General Marshall has expressed his concerns about Operation Noose to Admiral King and they fell on deaf ears as King said, “The Navy has supplied everything you've asked for and now you're having doubts? We're all stretched thin.”

Romanian King Michael I was forced to appoint a Communist government.

Victory Points Allied 52975 Japanese 39634

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Mon May 06, 2013 4:45 pm

February 28, 1945 Cagayan

Intel

23097 men are based at Nagaoka.
1st Heavy AA Battalion is located at Tokyo.
41st Heavy AA Battalion is located at Harbin.
Kaosing Fortress is located at Takao.
Kembu Force is located at Kadina.
13th AA Regiment is located at Maizuru.
6th Ind. Brigade is located at Sian.
24th Engineer Regiment is located at Harbin.
12th Construction Battalion is located at Batan Island.
34th Division is located at Nanning.
114th IJA Base Force is located at Yenen.
321st Division is located at Kanazawa.
Elements of the 18th Mixed Brigade are located at Haichow.
19th Division is located at Mutanchiang.

Recon

Pe-2R takes recon photos of Shikka vacant
Yak-9UF takes recon photos of Tsitsihar vacant
Pe-2R takes recon photos of Tabun-Nur vacant
Yak-9UF takes recon photos of Mutanchiang 65 fighters, 29 bombers, 85 aux, 22 LCUs
Pe-2R takes recon photos of Changkufeng 13 LCUs 79740/765/20
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Luang Prabang 1 LCU 1480/4/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Camranh Bay 1 X AP, 1 X AK, 1 X AG, 3 X DE, 20 fighters, 8 aux, 2 LCUs 73600/82/0
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Andaman Island 2 LCUs 7680/27/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Jesselton vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi 1 LCU 18260/201/8
OS2U-3 Kingfisher takes recon photos of Naga 3 LCUs 7100/0/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Manila 96 fighters, 64 bombers, 91 aux, 18 LCUs 121020/992/29
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Clark Field 9 LCUs 7080/33/0
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Maloelap 2 LCUs
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Jaluit vacant
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Dobodura 3 LCUs 2080/0/0

Combat

A PBM attacked an IJN sub near Tagbalarin, reporting a hit.

The SS Greenling, 141 miles S of Kiungahan, attacked 2 APs being escorted by 3 DDs. She hit 1 AP with a torpedo, setting it ablaze and troops were seen going into the water.

Near Cagayan Allied DDs drove off an IJN sub, but claimed no hits. The IJA 18th Division was bombed 3 times for heavy losses. The IJA 56th Division was also attacked 3 times by aircraft and the unit absorbed heavy casualties. The IJA 100th Division was jumped by Allied planes and had heavy losses. The IJA 102nd Division also had heavy casualties from an air attack. Allied artillery accounted for heavy Japanese losses today.

Tokyo was being protected by 41 X Zeke, 34 X Frank, 22 X Tony and 6 X Randy when a fighter sweep of 71 P-51Ds dove on them. The Mustangs sprayed death from their wings and 27 Zekes, 29 Franks, 21 Tonys and 5 Randys were shot down. The Allies lost 9 planes and 3 others were damaged in the lopsided furball.

Andaman Island was raided by 38 X B-24J (2 damaged) and the airfield took moderate damage, there were a few secondary explosions and light casualties were reported.

Bangkok had 9 X Frank and 14 X Tony up when 139 X Liberator VI attacked. The bombers guns knocked down a Frank (5 damaged) and 4 Tonys (6 damaged) while they lost 9 bombers and 40 were damaged by the fighters and AA fire. The port was very heavily damaged, there were a great many secondary explosions, one of which was a fuel tank and personnel losses were very heavy.

The Maloelop Base Force at Maloelop was struck by 39 X B-25J for light casualties.

Churchill has been assured that by taking Andaman Island that it will secure the approaches to India through the Bay of Bengal and allow British forces to move southwards, thus restarting a stalled push towards retaking Singapore.

The crew of the Palawan have been handed the mundane jobs that prevent them from having a relaxing day. There's plenty of chipping and scraping of paint as the ship is gradually looking like it's in horrible need of yard time. Red and Cookie discuss their chances of having that happen and they agreed on 1946 as the target for it happening. “Maybe we should accidentally break something vital,” jokes Red.

Slim bumps into one of the new lads who has some pogeybait and is given some. The chocolate is melted and makes a mess, but he doesn't care as it tastes so good. Upon getting back to the platoon's area he's informed that there's a new LT in charge. The lad says, “He's a mustang.” Slim just rolls his eyes and knows that he'll have to have a private chat with him and he prays that this new officer hasn't forgotten what the enlisted ranks have been going through. The bright side is that having a mustang as a CO usually means that the treatment tends to be better than those officers who think that their crap doesn't stink.

Operation Noose is proceeding and the Chinese continue to assure Washington that all is moving along on their end too. Some reports from liaison officers in Chungking paint a different picture.

The US 9th Army broke through near Erkelenz.

The Soviets took Neustettin.

Victory Points Allied 53088 Japanese 39677

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Tue May 07, 2013 9:52 pm

March 1, 1945 Jaluit

Intel

19353 men are based at Tinian.
4th Mortar Battalion is planning for an attack on Kweiyang.
58th Division is located at Kungchang.
11th Heavy AA Battalion is located at Osaka/Kobe.
14th Ind. Brigade is located at Wuhan.
53rd Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Naha.
66th Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Peking.
1833 men are based at Hungnam.
6th Reserve AA Regiment is located at Wonsan.
51st Division is located at Wuchow.
125876 men are based at Hailar.
14 men are based at Haiphong.

Recon

Pe-2R takes recon photos of Tabun-Nur vacant
Pe-2R takes recon photos of Shikka vacant
Pe-2R takes recon photos of Harbin 26 fighters, 23 aux, 31 LCUs
Yak-9UF takes recon photos of Tsitsihar vacant
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Hengchow 2 LCUs 9900/93/0
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Tavoy 9 LCUs 46100/438/12
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Bangkok 33 LCUs
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Jesselton vacant
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Brunei 1 LCU 4420/0/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi 1 LCU 19680/214/6
OS2U-3 Kingfisher takes recon photos of Naga 3 LCUs 8200/31/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Manila 92 fighters, 65 bombers, 93 aux, 18 LCUs 124820/990/25
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Marcus Island 6 LCUs 3880/8/0
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Maloelap 2 LCUs
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Dobodura 3 LCUs 9240/39/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Clark Field 9 LCUs 9240/39/0

Combat

A snooping Emily that got a bit to close to the Allied ships 28 miles E of Catanduanes and was damaged by flak.

A Coronado attacked an IJN sub near Cagayan, claiming a hit. Later a PB4Y spotted, attacked and claimed a hit on what was suspected to have been the same sub. A PBM, in the afternoon, attacked a sub in the same area and also said they hit it. Another PBM spotted an oil slick and attacked a sub, claiming a hit just before dusk. A kill was awarded.

Allied troops unloading over beach at Jaluit took very heavy casualties, but seized the base.

Andaman Island was raided by 31 X B-24J (3 damaged) for light damage to the airfield, a single secondary explosion was seen and personnel losses were moderate.

Bangkok was swept by 119 X P-38J, but the Japanese weren't flying.

Rabaul was bombed by 80 X B-24D and 85 X B-24J. The airfield was moderately damaged as was the port. There were some secondary explosions reported and casualties were heavy.

Near Cagayan the IJA 4th Division was attacked by Allied aircraft and had moderate losses. The IJA 18th Division had heavy casualties from 2 air attacks. The IJA 56th Division was attacked 3 times and had very heavy losses. The IJA 100th Division had very heavy casualties from Allied air attacks. The IJA 102nd Division suffered through a brutal bombing and strafing that resulted in the unit taking very heavy losses. Allied artillery added to the Japanese misery by exacting a very heavy toll today.

The Kure 2nd SNLF, 22 miles from Gasmata, had no casualties from an attack made by 5 X B-25J.

At Maloelop the Base Force was struck by 34 X B-25J for moderate losses.

Chris flew an uneventful CAP mission today and he was amazed that he never even saw all of the invasion fleet that he was protecting. He wonders about the deep thrust into enemy territory that they're embarked on and how busy they'll be. He's heard that one of the new CVs has a complement of Corsairs on board. That should be an interesting surprise for the Japanese he thinks.

“Tokyo! Well if we're going to hit them it might as well be there,” says Gil and the other guys agree. “It's a long way to go though,” he adds. Surprisingly Gil has no troubles falling asleep that night as he's getting used to the war.

Sam is sitting in his favorite spot and that kid, the Sea Bee shows up. It turns out that the kid still has nothing to do and Sam wonders how long before the boredom gets to him too. There was some scuttlebutt that the brass is considering pulling some troops out of either Iwo Jima or the Bonins. That thought doesn't sit well with him as if one of those islands fall Tori Shima would really be left out on a limb. He laughs and realizes that they've been out on that limb since the day they took this place.

Stalin reads the reports and is happy to see that the Japanese have vacated as the agreement calls for. Soviet troops are on the move as the accord calls for Russian troops to fill the void created by the Japanese leaving so that order can be maintained. He laughs and says, “I wonder how they'll react when they see a massive troop movement?”

The US 9th Army took Munchen-Gladbach and Rheydt.

Lauban fell to the Russians.

Victory Points Allied 53108 Japanese 39584

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Wed May 08, 2013 4:33 pm

March 2, 1945 Tokyo

Intel

137 aircraft are based at Mukden.
60th Division is planning for an attack on Chungking.
62nd Division is located at Nanning.
123rd Division is located at Harbin.
Kaosing Fortress is located at Takao.
2nd Mixed Regiment is located at Hangchow.
49th Construction Battalion is planning for an attack on Hailar.
2nd Hvy Gun Regiment is located at Harbin.
72nd Aviation Unit is located at Gumma.
11th Ind. Mixed Regiment is located at Paramushiro Jima.
28074 men are based at Paramushiro Jima.

Recon

Pe-2R takes recon photos of Linhsi vacant
Yak-9UF takes recon photos of Mutanchiang 76 fighters, 26 bombers, 73 aux, 22 LCUs
Pe-2R takes recon photos of Mukden 52 bombers, 7 aux, 4 LCUs 7420/44/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Changsha 7 LCUs 4800/82/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Siemrem Reap vacant
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Krung Thep 8 LCUs 45800/447/4
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Jesselton vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi 1 LCU 18320/221/5
OS2U-3 Kingfisher takes recon photos of Naga 3 LCUs 4480/28/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Bataan vacant
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Lamon Bay 1 LCU 9540/105/0
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Marcus Island 6 LCUs 4200/16/0
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Maloelap 2 LCUs 0/2/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Dobodura 3 LCUs 2260/0/0

Combat

Tokyo was swept by 65 X P-51D who proceeded to attack the 29 X Zero, 24 X Frank, 14 X Tony and 3 X Randy that were in the air. In a fast and furious furball 20 Zekes, 18 Franks, 12 Tonys and a Randy bought the farm while 7 Mustangs were shot down and another was damaged. A reduced CAP of 3 Zekes, 6 Franks and 2 Randys were left to face 129 X B-29. The 3 Zekes, a Frank (2 damaged) were destroyed and a Randy took damage in their halfhearted attack on the big bombers The AA fire downed 2 B-29s and damaged 38 others while the airfield was pounded for heavy damage. There were some secondary explosions observed, 5 Bettys, a Jake, 2 Alfs, 3 Judys and a Pete were destroyed and casualties were placed at very heavy. Another 26 B-29s came on a short time later and a Frank and a Randy fled. The flak downed a bomber and damaged 19 others. The airfield sustained moderate damage, a couple of secondary explosions were claimed and personnel losses were moderately heavy.

Andaman Island was raided by 24 X B-24J (1 damaged) for very light airfield damage. The 146th IJN Base Force sustained very light casualties from 14 X Mosquito FB.VI 13 X B-25J (6 damaged) and 13 X P-38J. The 118th IJNAF Base Force was raided twice by Allied planes and had very heavy losses as a result.

Rabaul was hit by 87 X B-24D and 90 X B-24J for very heavy airfield damage, moderate port damage, there were many secondary explosions seen and troop losses were placed at heavy.

Near Cagayan the IJA 4th Division was attacked by Allied aircraft and had heavy casualties. The IJA 18th Division was struck by Allied planes for heavy losses. The IJA 56th Division sustained moderately heavy casualties from an air raid. The IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade had very heavy losses due to bombing and strafing Allied planes who made 2 attacks on the unit. The IJA 100th Division took heavy casualties from an air attack. Allied artillery inflicted moderate losses on the Japanese.

22 miles from Gasmata the Kure 2nd SNLF saw 6 B-25J dump their bombs off target as usual.

The Maloelop Base Force, on Maloelop, had heavy losses from 40 X B-25J.

The Allied ships about 82 miles E of Legaspi were raided by 4 X Grace who got a very warm reception by 292 X F6F and 41 X FM-2. The predictable result was that the Japanese planes were destroyed long before they reached a point from which they could launch their ordinance. Then 28 X Grace tried and failed to pierce the air umbrella protecting the ships as 23 Graces were splashed and a Hellcat was damaged.

The Red Army occupied Arshaan and Mishan.

Stalin is beside himself with glee at the reports of Soviet troops moving as planned with no opposition into areas that a couple of months ago would've required a major effort and lots of bloodshed. He asks of word concerning the American fleet that is supposed to move into Shikka and is informed that as far as anyone knows it's at sea, but the Americans aren't saying anything about it's location as of now.

Gil got out of Jake's Jalopy when the plane rolled to a stop and kissed the ground. “I never thought I'd be so happy to see Saipan again,” he says. The first mission over Japan has been survived. The guys are sure that there will be plenty more to come. What they all agree on is how surprising it is that the Japanese don't have more fighters to intercept and those that are there don't really press home their attacks. The second biggest threat seems to be flak and of course their worst enemy is the operational losses that claim more men and machines than the enemy does, or so it seems.

Stick was on CAP duty, but no Japanese planes were to be found. When he landed he heard about the attacks the Japanese tried to make on the Allied invasion fleet. As he walks back to his hut he wonders what he's got to do to get into some action.

The US 9th Army in now on the Rhine.

The US 1st Army took Krefeld.

The RAF triggered a huge firestorm at Mannheim.

Victory Points Allied 53282 Japanese 39711

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Thu May 09, 2013 6:05 pm

I'll be heading out of town for a long weekend so the next installment will probably be when I return as I'll leave the notebook at home.

March 3, 1945 Cagayan

Intel

North China Area Army is located at Nanning.
16324 men are based at Kitakyushu.
75379 men are based at Sapporo.
23112 men are based at Nagaoka.
50th Construction Battalion is located at Kyoto.
15th Mixed Brigade is located at Canton.
142nd IJA Base Force is located at Paramushiro Jima.
5th Division is located at Soerabaja.
114th IJA Base Force is planning for an attack on Chungking.
138th IJA Base Force is located at Truk.

Recon

Pe-2R takes recon photos of Anshan 2 LCUs 2100/2/0
Pe-2R takes recon photos of Chihfeng vacant
Yak-9UF takes recon photos of Hungnam 1 LCU 1920/17/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Nanning 21 fighters, 31 bombers, 32 aux, 32 LCUs
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Bangkok 33 LCUs
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Krung Thep 8 LCUs 55440/529/7
OS2U-3 Kingfisher takes recon photos of Naga 3 LCUs 7020/30/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Manila 1 X SS, 94 fighters, 13 bombers, 90 aux, 18 LCUs 118380/974/23
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Lingayen vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Guiuan vacant
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Maloelap 2 LCUs
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Miri 2 X AP, 1 LCU

Combat

The Japanese positions near Cagayan were subjected to a naval bombardment by some of the Old Gals resulting in very heavy Japanese casualties. The IJA 18th Division was bombed twice for very heavy losses. The IJA 56th Division was struck 5 times by Allied aircraft for very heavy casualties. The IJA 100th Division had heavy losses from Allied planes. Allied artillery contributed heavy casualties to the Japanese by pounding them during the day.

The SS Dentuda, 77 miles SE of Wenchow, attacked 4 X PC and hit 1 of them with 3 torpedoes. In a series of large explosions the vessel disintegrated. The sub tried to attack the remaining 3 PCs later in the day, but failed to get into a position from which to launch her fish.

Andaman Island was raided by 27 X B-24J (2 damaged) for moderate airfield damage. The 146th IJN Base Force was hit by 10 X Mosquito FB.VI, 24 X B-25J (6 damaged) and 34 X P-38J, but the unit escaped harm. The 118th IJNAF Base Force wasn't as lucky when it was hit by 32 X Mosquito FB.VI (1 damaged) and 21 X B-25J (7 damaged) for heavy casualties. Another attack on the 118th did no harm.

The Allied ships about 63 miles N of Naga were attacked by 3 X Judy who were dispatched to their ancestors by the CAP of 299 X F6F and 41 X FM-2 long before they posed a threat. Later 21 X Judy tried to attack, but they too were wiped out by the CAP.

The SS Greenling, 21 miles S of Hong Kong, was attacked by 6 X PC. The sub now has light systems damage and her skipper decides that they will head back home for repairs.

The SS Blackfish was about in the middle of the South China Sea when she attacked and hit an AK with a torpedo hit setting it on fire. The PG and 6 MSWs escorting it pounded the sub and with light systems damage she will return to port.

Tsitsihar is now in Soviet hands.

Stalin is all grins for days now as the German collapse is almost complete and the Japanese seem weak in their dealings with him. He begins to ponder if he should really throw his military at the Japanese or just the the Americans and British do his dirty work for him. With what he accomplished with a pen he'll still be able to make demands once the war ends.

Chris climbs out of the cockpit of his Hellcat and heads for the debriefing. He was vectored out to intercept the Japanese planes, but they were all splashed by the time his flight arrived on the scene. He's tired and tomorrow promises more of the same.

Slim loves it when the Navy sends some of the heavy stuff at the Japanese. “There's nothing like those big guns hammering away, the ground shaking. Hell the noise is enough to make you want to run away,” he says to the lads. Inside he still can't understand how anybody could face the relentless shelling, bombings, naval bombardments and assaults without going mad. Somebody told him that it was something in the Japanese culture that was all about honor. He thinks that it's better to live as long as you can look at yourself in a mirror than be dead to please others.

The Canadians took Xanten.

A night raid by 100 Luftwaffe planes hit the RAF for 22 aircraft while the Germans lost 6. This will be the last night intrusion by the Germans in the war.

Victory Points Allied 53398 Japanese 39717

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Mon May 13, 2013 3:12 pm

March 4, 1945 The Marshall Islands

Intel

51st Air Flotilla is located at Ominato.
Shimbu Force is located at Kadina.
1472 men are based at Kratie.
Ikaiei SNLF is located at Luang Prabang.
3rd Mortar Battalion is located at Balikpapan.
118th Division is located at Kaigan.
6648 men are based at Saigon.
37th Division is located at Tavoy.
65th Division is located at Nanning.
12th Ind. Mixed Regiment is located at Paramushiro Jima.
54th Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Clark Field.
1st Amphibious Brigade is located at Paramushiro Jima.
2nd Mixed Regiment is located at Hangchow.

Recon

Pe-2R takes recon photos of Chiamussu vacant
Pe-2R takes recon photos of Anshan 2 LCUs 2540/1/0
Yak-9UF takes recon photos of Hungnam 1 LCU 1980/15/0
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Krung Thep 8 LCUs 69160/702/10
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi vacant
OS2U-3 Kingfisher takes recon photos of Naga 4 LCUs 7180/29/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Vigan 8 bombers, 11 aux, 1 LCU 3500/15/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Lamon Bay vacant
B-25J Mitchell takes recon photos of Ichang 10 LCUs
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Taan 1 LCU 2040/1/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Ubon vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Brunei 4 X AP, 1 LCU

Combat

The Japanese defenses near Cagayan were pounded by the Old Gals and it was believed that they inflicted moderate casualties on the Japanese. The IJA 4th Division had heavy losses from Allied planes. The IJA 18th Division suffered moderate casualties from an air attack. The IJA 56th Division was hit twice for extremely light losses. The IJA 100th Division was subjected to heavy casualties from Allied planes. The IJA 102nd Division was struck twice for heavy losses. Allied artillery added heavy casualties to the mayhem.

At Maloelap Allied troops stormed ashore taking heavy losses. A couple of DEs and AKs were hit by shore guns. The Allied attack took the base with the Japanese being wiped out.

At Majuro Allied troops took very heavy casualties during their landings. The Allied troops swept over the island and it's now under Allied control.

Andaman Island underwent some air raids today with damage to the port being light and a pair of secondary explosions were reported. The 146th IJN Base Force had moderate casualties and the 118th IJNAF Base Force had very light casualties.

Manila was swept by 30 X F6F who met with 61 X Zeke, 1 X George, 8 X Jack and 27 X Frank. 15 Zekes (1 damaged), 3 Jacks and 15 Franks were shot down at the cost of 15 destroyed Hellcats and 6 others were damaged. This was only roughly half of the expected planes for the fighter sweep and an inquiry will be made as to what happened to the rest of the aircraft.

The landings at Naga will take place tomorrow morning.

The Pentagon is alive with a bit more activity than usual as the pace has quickened in the Pacific.

FDR meets with senior staffers from the Department of State and they are all concerned that Moscow is unusually helpful against the Japanese and warn that there will be a price to be paid down the road. FDR says that he knows this, but what is on the offer is to good to pass up and that the price to be paid will be paid by Japan, not the US.

Chris spent the afternoon flying his racetrack pattern on CAP duty and never even heard a peep out of the ship. He tried his normal things to stay alert and tried not to fly straight and level, but it was very boring and now he's tired. He plans on a shower and then eating before joining the rest of the squadron in the ready room this evening.

Slim marveled at the accuracy of the naval gunfire placed on the Japanese. He could feel the ground shake, but never felt afraid that a stray round could drop on them. How do they survive such a pounding and go on fighting, he wonders. He strips and cleans his weapon while he wonders when they'll hit the Japanese again with an assault. He keeps hearing that the Japs are hanging on by a thread, but when they're attacked they put up a determined resistance.

Victory Points Allied 53468 Japanese 39738

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Tue May 14, 2013 5:47 pm

March 5, 1945 Near Naga

Intel

Yura Fortress is located at Takamatsu.
8th Construction Battalion is located at Sining.
Elements of the 32nd Division are located at Sian.
3rd Reserve AA Regiment is located at Matsue.
126th IJA Base Force is located at Gili Gili.
201st Division is located at Gumma.
Elements of the18th Mixed Brigade are located at Haichow.
Southern Area Army is located at Manila.
37067 men are based at Nagasaki.
52nd Division is located at Hamamatsu.
7th Construction Battalion is located at Sining.
Chinkai Base Force is located at Masan.

Recon

Pe-2R takes recon photos of Anshan 2 LCUs 3300/0/0
Pe-2R takes recon photos of Chiamussu vacant
Yak-9UF takes recon photos of Hungnam 1 LCU 1840/17/0
B-25J Mitchell takes recon photos of Wuhan 3 LCUs 1180/17/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Kiungahan 1 LCU 1240/3/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Kratie vacant
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Bangkok 32 LCUs
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi 1 LCU 3440/0/0
OS2U-3 Kingfisher takes recon photos of Naga 1 LCU 23060/260/6
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Vigan 1 X SS, 2 LCUs 6420/31/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Lamon Bay vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Brunei vacant

Combat

Some of the Old Gals unloaded on the Japanese positions near Cagayan inflicting very heavy casualties. The IJA 18th Division was attacked twice by aircraft and took very heavy losses. The IJA 56th Division had moderate casualties from Allied planes. The IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade had moderate losses from Allied aircraft. The daily Allied artillery bombardments resulted in heavy casualties for the Japanese.

A naval bombardment of Naga by some of Ed's Old Gals caused very light airfield damage, light port damage, many secondary explosions and very heavy personnel losses. Allied troops unloading over beach took extremely heavy casualties and some ships were hit by coastal guns. The IJA 43rd Division was hit by 100 X SBD, 160 X SB2C, 108 X TBF, 72 X TBM and 158 X F6F for very heavy losses. Japanese artillery threw all it had at the Allied troops, but accomplished virtually nothing.

FDR reads the preliminary casualty reports and shakes his head. “So many boys,” he says. The aide holds another report with the listing of all of the ships that were hit while unloading and when the President reads that one he merely nods.

Ed sits in his cabin knowing that machines under constant stress need down time for repairs and his ships aren't getting that. Many of them are long overdue for upgrades. To date they have been ready whenever called upon, but his concern grows. He is pleased that there doesn't seem to be minefields obstructing operations and he wonders why.

Chris flew an uneventful CAP. The pilots are having a heated debate in the ready room and Chris injects his 2 cents by saying that, “A boring CAP is best because nobody gets hurt and that's our job to insure that nobody gets hurt.”

Moscow informed Tokyo that the 8 LCUs north of Harbin are blocking the rail line to Chiamussu and that the Soviet unit moving there can not have it's line of travel disrupted this way.. The treaty recently signed will be voided if these Japanese units do not vacate their positions immediately. Stalin is still ready to unleash his troops, but wavers as he knows that his forces will be much stronger in the East once the Germans are finished off.

US forces reached Cologne.

Germany is now conscripting 15 and 16 year olds for the army.

The German 2nd Army was cut off in Pomerania.

Glaudenz fell to the Red Army.

Victory Points Allied 53487 Japanese 39641

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Wed May 15, 2013 9:54 pm

March 6, 1945 Tori Shima

Intel

6th Reserve Tank Regiment is located at Osaka/Kobe.
7th AA Regiment is located at Gumma.
10th Mortar Battalion is located at Harbin.
48th Division is located at Kratie.
8th Hvy Field Artillery Regiment is planning for an attack on Broome.
22nd AA Regiment is located at Osaka/Kobe.
21st Mortar Battalion is located at Nanning.
54th Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Manila.
Elements of the 22nd Division are located at Wenchow.
51009 men are based at Kadina.
14259 men are based at Saipan.
40th Division is located at Nanning.
11th Tank Regiment is planning for an attack on Mishan.

Recon

Pe-2R takes recon photos of Anshan 2 LCUs 2100/2/0
Pe-2R takes recon photos of Chiamussu vacant
Yak-9UF takes recon photos of Hungnam 1 LCU 1560/12/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Pakhoi 4 LCUs 5280/4/0
B-25J Mitchell takes recon photos of Wuhan 3 LCUs 1280/5/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Saigon 7 X AP, 2 X AK, 1 X TK, 7 X DE, 3 X CA, 11 fighters, 14 bombers, 20 aux, 1 LCU 6200/35/0
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Victoria Point 7 LCUs 4200/9/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Brunei 7 X AP, 2 X DE, 1 LCU
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Sandakan vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi 1 LCU 3240/0/0
OS2U-3 Kingfisher takes recon photos of Naga 1 LCU 22340/231/7
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Lingayen vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Buin 3 LCUs

Combat

Allied troops continued to pour ashore at Naga taking very heavy casualties. A DE was hit by the coastal batteries. A naval bombardment did light damage to the airstrip, moderate damage to the port, some secondary explosions were seen, a couple of fuel explosions were noted and personnel losses were moderate. The IJA 43rd Division's positions were pounded by 100 X SBD, 155 X SB2C, 108 X TBF, 72 X TBM, 159 X F6F and 30 X FM-2. The unit took heavy casualties. Japanese artillery failed to inflict any additional losses on the Allied troops.

The SS Sturgeon, 72 miles S of Changchow, was located by 4 X PC, but they never pinned her location and were unable to prosecute an attack.

The Old Gals did a brief naval bombardment of Cagayan before retiring to port for replenishment. Japanese losses were light. The IJA 18th Division was struck twice by Allied air assets for moderate casualties. The IJA 56th Division absorbed 2 air attacks and sustained light losses. The IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade had light casualties from Allied bombs. The IJA 100th Division underwent 3 air raids and as a result had heavy losses. The IJA 102nd Division took light casualties from an Allied air attack. The Japanese had heavy losses from the Allied artillery bombardments.

The skies over Nagoya were being protected by 32 X Frank when 60 X P-51D screamed down into the Japanese planes spewing death. The Japanese lost 20 Franks and all of the Mustangs retired unscathed. A while later 17 X Tony and 12 X Frank were aloft when 46 X B-29 appeared. The fighters and flak downed 4 of the big silver birds and damaged 20 others while the Superforts shot down 2 Tonys (13 damaged) and damaged a Frank. Moderate damage was done to the target (sadly the report didn't indicate which target was hit). Allied commanders are questioning today's raid as it was supposed to be a maximum effort from all air bases in the Marianas.

Balikpapan was swept by 24 X P-51D with 1 X Frank and 24 X Tony giving battle. The Frank and 15 Tonys were splashed and all of the Mustangs retired unharmed.

The SS Puffer, 103 miles SE of Hong Kong, attacked 4 PCs that were not on their toes and hit 1 of them with a torpedo causing fires to break out and heavy damage was done.

The SS Hardhead, 91 miles E of Taipei, was dealt with harshly by 5 X PC who pounded the sub relentlessly. The sub will now make for a base and repairs as she has light systems damage and a bit of flooding.

A general assault on the Japanese positions at Naga is planned for tomorrow morning at sunrise.

Sam took a stroll today and noticed that the almost nonexistent port facilities are now capable of handling ships on a limited basis. The Sea Bees never fail to amaze him. The Japanese have surprised him too as the recon flights have lessened lately. He rubs his chin wondering if that means anything.

The Lucky 11 are supposed to be part of a massive raid on the airfield complex at Manila. The orders were explicit, especially considering the screw up today with them never having flown against Nagoya. The guys would rather fly against Manila as they think it's safer.

Red and Cookie read a message sent to them by their lawyer in Honolulu and look at each other in disbelief and Cookie says, “Doesn't he know that there's a war on? When you send our reply remind him that we're indisposed until further notice. It's his money too so I'm not worried so we've got to trust him on this. OK?” Red shrugs, smiles and agrees adding that they've already got more than they ever dreamed of so if they come up snake eyes it won't hurt them.

The US 8th AF hit Chemnitz today.

Victory Points Allied 53607 Japanese 39768

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Thu May 16, 2013 5:28 pm

March 7, 1945 Manila

Intel

237936 men are based at Harbin.
48th Road Construction Battalion is located at Mutanchiang.
69th Division is located at Nanning.
30th Division is located at Bangkok.
94th Division is located at Singapore.
321st Division is located at Kanazawa.
48th Division is located at Bien Hoa.
Kembu Force is located at Kadina.
12 men are based at Haiphong.
Iki Fortress is located at Ikitsuki.
19th Engineer Regiment is planning for an attack on Chungking.
118th Division is located at Kaigan.
9 men are based at Okayama.
2500 men are based at Ikitsuki.

Recon

Pe-2R takes recon photos of Chiamussu vacant
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Pakhoi 4 LCUs 6720/9/0
B-25J Mitchell takes recon photos of Sian 10 LCUs
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Saigon 6 X AP, 1 X TK, 5 X DE, 19 fighters, 22 bombers, 29 aux, 1 LCU 7440/34/0
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Tavoy 9 LCUs 19580/204/2
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Brunei 4 X AP, 6 X DE, 1 LCU
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Tarakan vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi 1 LCU 3680/0/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Laoag vacant
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Paramushiro Jima 3 LCUs
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Dobodura 3 LCUs 2020/0/0
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Talasea vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Buin 5 LCUs

Combat

A Dauntless attacked a sub 21 miles SE of Catanduanes, claiming a hit. Later another SBD reported an oil slick. In the late afternoon a Helldiver attacked a sub and claimed a hit. Just before dusk an SBD attacked a sub and also claimed a hit. A PBM also attacked a sub in the area and also said they had hit it. It isn't known for certain, but it was suspected that at least 2 subs were in the same general area.

Bangkok was raided by 153 X Liberator VI (24 damaged) and 47 X B-24J (1 downed, 5 damaged). The airfield took moderately heavy damage, the port are was ravaged, a huge number of secondary explosions were reported, a couple of fuel tanks erupted and casualties were very heavy.

Manila had a very large number of fighters up on CAP duty when 81 X F6F tore into the loose gaggle of 64 X Zeke, 5 X George, 36 X Jack and 17 X Frank. The furball was a deadly affair where the Allies lost 12 Hellcats and had another 3 damaged. The Japanese lost 47 Zekes, 5 Georges, 28 Jacks and 16 Franks. A reduced CAP of 17 X Zeke, 7 X Jack and 1 X Frank then had to deal with 60 X P-38J who killed all but 3 Jacks at the cost of 1 Lightning shot down. With the skies now cleared of Japanese aircraft 296 X B-29 arrived to do their deadly work. The airfield was trashed, there were to many secondary explosions to keep track of, 4 X Grace, 2 X Jack, 5 X Zeke, 1 X Frank and 1 X Irving were left destroyed at their revetments and personnel losses were heavy. All of this was accomplished with only 10 Superforts being damaged by ground fire. Japanese ships were attacked by 32 X TBM (2 damaged), 183 X F6F and 29 X FM-2 resulting in the following.
AK, 1 torpedo hit, on fire
AK, 2 torpedo hits, sunk
PG, 2 torpedo hits, on fire, heavy damage
AK, 3 torpedo hits, sunk
MSW, 1 torpedo hit, sunk

Rabaul was attacked by 94 X B-24D and 95 X B-24J resulting in very heavy damage to the airfield, heavy port damage, a large number of secondary explosions were observed and casualties were placed at moderate.

Near Cagayan the IJA 18th Division was subjected to 3 air attacks that inflicted very heavy troop losses. The IJA 56th Division was pounced on by Allied aircraft and had light casualties. The IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade was visited by planes and had moderate losses. The IJA 100th Division also had moderate casualties from Allied airplanes. The IJA 102nd Division had heavy losses from 3 raids made by Allied planes. Allied artillery inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese.

At Naga the IJA 43rd Division was hit by 100 X SBD, 157 X SB2C, 108 X TBF, 72 X TBM 126 X F6F and 30 X FM-2 for very heavy losses. Japanese artillery made some noise, but failed to do any harm. An Allied assault resulted in it's being repulsed with both sides having extremely heavy casualties.

At Buin the 149th IJN Base Force was struck by 27 X B-25J for extremely light casualties.

Allied commanders are stunned that the Japanese moved so many troops from Manila to Naga. They had thought that the Japanese would sit in their fortifications and await the Allies, engaging in bloody house to house fighting.

Exhausted, both mentally and physically, the crew drop out of Jake's Jalopy happy to be alive. Though they are unaware of any losses a plane from their group is long overdue. They had trouble with the superchargers on the 2 inboard engines and Gel spoke to a mechanic about them. He was told by the mechanic that they're short on parts and that Jake's Jalopy would get new superchargers, if they have any. When Gel told the guys Gil muttered that if they were lucky they'd be grounded for the duration waiting for parts.

Slim passes the word to the lads that at 0630 they will hit the Japanese with all they've got. The most positive response was a groan. Slim can't blame the lads, but there's nothing for it other than to attack. The bombs and shells keep pounding the Japanese, but it's the poor rifleman that will ultimately dig them out and either kill or be killed. Sleep comes easily despite what awaits them tomorrow and Slim awaken quickly when he's given a shake on his shoulder. It's now his turn to stay alert and watch for any infiltrators. He thinks back to dealing with Banzai charges and finds himself wishing that the Japanese would try one here as it makes for a time of fast and massive casualties for the Japs. Instead they're faced with digging them out and killing them off one by bloody one.

The Bridge at Remagen (Ludendorff Bridge) was crossed by the Americans.

Victory Points Allied 53810 Japanese 39816

Capt. Harlock · Post by **Capt. Harlock** » Fri May 17, 2013 5:17 pm

At Naga the IJA 43rd Division was hit by 100 X SBD, 157 X SB2C, 108 X TBF, 72 X TBM 126 X F6F and 30 X FM-2 for very heavy losses.

Well, at this point you can't complain about a shortage of aircraft!

A pity your opponent is not continuing his AAR -- I'd love to hear the reasons for his reinforcement of Naga.

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Fri May 17, 2013 9:20 pm

I was also disappointed when Steve let his AAR go and then he tried to revive it, but these things take a lot of time which he didn't have.

Steve is trying anything and everything to slow me as much as possible so I think he saw Naga as a good speed bump rather than get surrounded and starved and bombed to death in Manila.

March 8, 1945 Naga

Intel

9843 men are based at Etorofo Jima.
2nd AA Regiment is located at Tokyo.
3rd Air Army is located at Rabaul.
2nd Air Division is located at Harbin.
31256 men are based at Toyohara.
6843 men are based at Inch'on.
1st Reserve AA Regiment is located at Kyoto.
3rd Reserve AA Regiment is located at Matsue.
68th Construction Battalion is located at Hamamatsu.
10 men are based at Taichu.
4th Reserve AA Regiment is located at Kagoshima.
6th Field Artillery Regiment is planning for an attack on Chungking.
10th Division is located at Harbin.
2nd Air Division is located at Harbin.

Recon

Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Pakhoi 4 LCUs 5920/9/0
B-25J Mitchell takes recon photos of Homan 1 LCU 860/1/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Saigon 7 X AP, 1 X TK, 4 X DE, 3 X CA, 14 fighters, 19 bombers, 25 aux 1 LCU 7140/37/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Brunei vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi 1 LCU 3400/0/0
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Paramushiro Jima 5 LCUs 820/3/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Dobodura 3 LCUs 2300/0/0
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Talasea vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Buin 6 LCUs

Combat

After many sub sightings in the area a PBM claimed that it attacked and hit one near Masbate Island.

A Helldiver reported that it attacked and hit a suspected IJN sub 42 miles N of Naga. Later an oil slick was spotted. A short time later a Dauntless attacked and hit a sub in the area.

An IJN sub attacked 15 miles E of Naga, hitting an LST with a torpedo.

72 miles SE of Hong Kong the SS Sturgeon was attacked by 5 DDs, but she dove deep to elude them.

A couple naval bombardments of the Japanese near Cagayan resulted in very heavy casualties. The IJA 18th Division was attacked by Allied aircraft and sustained very heavy losses. The IJA 56th Division was hit by planes 4 times and the unit had very heavy casualties. The IJA 100th Division had moderate losses from an air raid. An Allied assault witnessed both sides taking extremely heavy casualties, though the Allied troops did managed to take some ground.

The SS Drum, 84 miles SE of Kiungahan, was trying to attack an AK, but she was attacked by the pair of PGs escorting it. The Drum evaded the escorts and then hit the AK with 2 torpedoes, sinking it.

Ichang was swept by 72 X P-38J and they caught 1 X Jack, 38 X Frank and 18 X Tony aloft. 5 Franks and a Tony escaped while 4 Lightnings were destroyed and another was damaged.

Rabaul was bombed by 90 X B-24D and 87 X B-24J. The airstrip was heavily damaged, as was the port, there were many secondary explosions and personnel losses were heavy.

The 140th IJN Base Force, at Buin, was struck by 28 B-25J for moderate casualties.

At Naga the 33rd USA Division was attacked by 3 X Betty and 8 X Frances. The raiders ran into 114 X F6F who knocked all of the Japanese planes out of the sky while having 6 of their number damaged. The LCU was unharmed. The 98th USA Division was targeted by 21 X Irving, but 127 X Hellcat intercepted them before they could do any harm. 12 Irvings were destroyed and 2 Hellcats were damaged. Allied artillery accounted for moderate Japanese losses. After the sun was down the Japanese, screaming BANZAI!, assaulted the Allied troops who proceeded to demonstrate what superior firepower can accomplish. The attackers were cut to ribbons with the Japanese absorbing obscenely heavy casualties and the Allied defenders had very heavy losses.

Bangkok was raided by 16 X Mosquito FB.VI (1 downed, 6 damaged) and 58 X B-25J (1 downed, 32 damaged). The port was moderately damaged, there were a few secondary explosions and troop losses were very heavy.

About 147 miles SE of Camranh Bay the SS Finback tried and failed to attack a TK under escort by a PC and 6 PGs.

Soviet forces occupied Tabun-Nur.

Stalin looks over the various reports and grins. It's a sinister grin and then he says, “It looks like Tokyo is afraid of having to fight on another front.” His generals caution him as the Japanese strength facing the Red Army has never been stronger than it is right now.

Slim and the lads are digging new fighting holes, having advanced to the next hill. Slim pauses and looks to the front and sees activity on the next rise. “Dig deep lads, just like our friends out there are doing,” he says. The shelling of the Japanese positions never really lets up and Slim has gotten so used to the explosions that his exhaustion enables sleep to come quickly. One of the lads remarked that Slim could sleep on a bed of nails.

Jay can't believe that he was fed into this unit just 2 weeks ago, fresh off of a transport from Stateside. He's just survived his second action and he's shaking like a leaf. One of the vets in the squad pats him on his shoulder and said, “Ya did good son, real good.” Jay wonders about it and then he throws up. He's having trouble reconciling the fact that the Japanese just kept coming and he just kept firing at them. As bad as the landings were he can't imagine anything worse than what he just witnessed. Why did the Japanese charge them like that? He stares at all of the bodies littering the ground and throws up again. There's nothing noble in this fight for freedom, it's worse than ugly. The vet says, “That a lot fewer Japs that we'll have to dig out and kill later.” How could he be so cold?

Russian troops moved into the suburbs of Breslau.

Victory Points Allied 53966 Japanese 39742

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Sat May 18, 2013 6:37 pm

March 9, 1945 Cagayan

Intel

17th Army is located at Clark Field.
26907 men are based at Bonin.
5th RF Gun Battalion is planning for an attack on Chungking.
6th Field Artillery Regiment is located at Sian.
64th Division is located at Nanning.
80th Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Tokyo.
4th Mortar Battalion is located at Nanning.
12th Ind. Mixed Regiment is located at Paramushiro Jima.
119th IJN Base Force is located at Soochow.
104th IJA Base Force is located at Fushan.
7th AA Regiment is located at Gumma.
19th Division is planning for an attack on Mishan.
39th Division is planning for an attack on Chungking.
126th Division is located at Mutanchiang.
60th Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Kadina.
Sasebo 3rd SNLF is located at Truk.
35th Division is planning for an attack on Kweiyang.

Recon

B-25J Mitchell takes recon photos of Homan 1 LCU 500/4/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Wuchow 2 LCUs 12320/128/6
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Camranh Bay 3 X AP, 4 X AK, 4 X APD, 2 LCUs 4460/58/0
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Bangkok 31 LCUs
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Amboina 5 LCUs 13340/44/0
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Paramushiro Jima 7 LCUs
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Buin 6 LCUs 500/0/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi 1 LCU 3400/0/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Manila 1 X CA, 1 X SS, 1 X APD, 9 X AP, 10 LCUs 47640/243/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Tuguegarao vacant
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Dobodura 3 LCUs 2480/0/0
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Talasea vacant

Combat

An SBD attacked a suspected IJN sub 27 miles N of Naga and claimed a hit. Later a Seagull reported an oil slick. Another Seagull attacked a sub in the same area, claiming a hit. It was not known if this was the same or a different sub as there are so many sightings in the general area. A sub attack was thwarted by the escorts and many hits on the sub were claimed as Allied shipping disgorges supplies. Later an ASW attack on a sub was made and the escorts claimed some hits. Late in the afternoon an ASW TF prosecuted an attack on a sub and claimed a large number of hits. 2 kills were awarded for actions against the subs in this area.

An LST was struck by a torpedo near Ormac.

Ichang was swept by 66 X P-38J who attacked 1 X George, 23 X Frank and 3 X Tony. The George, 19 Franks and all of the Tonys were shot down with all of the Lightnings departing the area unharmed.

Andaman Island was raided by 15 X Mosquito FB.VI (1 damaged) and 59 X P-38J, but due to low lying cloud cover no damage was done to the target. Another attack was made by 48 X Mosquito FB.VI (1 damaged) and 60 X B-25J (6 damaged) and they were on target. The airstrip was moderately damaged, the port took light damage, there were some secondary explosions seen and casualties were moderately heavy.

Bangkok was bombed by 94 X Liberator VI and the AA fire damaged 14 of them. The port was extremely heavily damaged, there were many secondary explosions, a fuel tank went up in flames and casualties were very heavy.

Near Cagayan the IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade had very heavy losses from an air attack. The IJA 102nd Division was jumped by Allied planes and had heavy casualties. Another Allied ground attack was made with both sides sustaining extremely heavy losses and almost no ground was gained.

Manila was swept by 45 X P-38J who ran into 24 X Zeke, 10 X George, 4 X Jack, 4 X Tojo, 27 X Tony and 15 X Frank. The planes tore into each other with a vengeance and 7 Zekes (1 damaged), 3 Georges, 2 Jacks, 5 Tojos, 20 Tonys and 15 Franks were erased. 5 Lightnings were shot down and 3 others were damaged.

At Naga Japanese artillery accounted for light Allied losses. Allied artillery dealt out very heavy casualties today.

Stalin was informed that the Japanese troops pulled back to allow access to Chiamussu. “Keep a unit there so they can't move back in to try and cut off our troops,” Stalin commands. This will be seen as a provocative act by the Japanese as it places Soviet forces less than 40 miles from Harbin.

FDR is told that Leyte appears to be the same as Mindanao. He then asks where are all of these Japanese troops coming from and the assembled officers shrug except for one Major. The officer is told to speak up and he says that he believes that the Japanese are drawing troops from the CBI. He says that there is no concrete proof, but the British should be facing reduced Japanese forces. That brings more than one snide remark about the British forces sitting on their rear ends and FDR immediately puts an end to it with “Gentlemen, let us never forget that our British allies have been fighting a war since 1939. If they stay in place for the duration they will be pinning large numbers of Japanese troops that could otherwise be used against us.”

Slim tiredly finds himself back in the same hole he was in yesterday. His platoon lost 7 lads killed and 11 wounded in today's assault. These kind of losses are not sustainable, even by Marines. Just as he's drifting off to sleep a runner awakens him telling him to report to the company CP immediately. When he arrives he's stunned to see that so many familiar faces are missing. A reshuffling of NCOs is arranged until more replacements arrive and they are told that with any luck they are to be placed in the battalion's reserve. Slim can't help himself when he muttered “That'll be the day. I expect that we'll be out in front on the next attack too.” The CO gives him a look, but that's all and many of the assembled men agreed with Slim.

Jay huddled in his hole all day while artillery shells screamed overhead. He finds himself wishing for planes in numbers enough to blacken the sky to pound the Japanese too. The man sharing the hole has been a part of the 33rd Infantry Division almost a week longer than he has and they both are now counting themselves as veterans as they've survived more combat than anybody should in their lifetime.

Yesterday secret negotiations began in Bern for an early surrender by the Germans in Italy.

The US 3rd Army took Andernach.

Victory Points Allied 54087 Japanese 39872

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Sun May 19, 2013 3:26 pm

March 10, 1945 Cagayan

Intel

278090 men are based at Changkufeng.
Ryojun Base Force is located at Port Arthur.
6th Naval Construction Battalion is located at Georgetown.
4th Division is located at Cagayan.
81st Naval Guard Unit is located at Sabang.
32nd Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Lamon Bay.
126th IJA Base Force is located at Gili Gili.
Elements of the 1st Ind. Brigade are located at Kaifeng.
1st Guards Mixed Brigade is located at Tokyo.
2nd Mixed Regiment is located at Hangchow.
44th Division is located at Osaka/Kobe.
Iki Fortress is located at Ikitsuki.

Recon

B-25J Mitchell takes recon photos of Homan 1 LCU 1540/12/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Kendari 3 LCUs 3900/10/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi 1 LCU
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Manila 1 X CA, 1 X SS, 6 X AP, 4 X APD, 10 LCUs 52160/244/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Miri 1 LCU 1520/3/0
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Paramushiro Jima 7 LCUs
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Gili Gili 3 LCUs 2540/0/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Dobodura 3 LCUs 2160/0/0
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Arawe vacant

Combat

A PBM Mariner attacked a sub near Masbate Island, reporting a hit.

The SS Albacore was attacked by 5 PCs 81 miles E of Taipei and was sunk.

The Old Gals were again divided into 2 TFs and they both conducted a naval bombardment of the Japanese near Cagayan with the Japanese sustaining very heavy personnel losses as a result. The IJA 18th Division suffered heavily from 2 air attacks. The IJA 100th Division had moderate losses from an air raid. The IJA 102nd Division absorbed heavy casualties from Allied planes. The Old Gals' escorts attacked a sub, claiming multiple hits. Allied artillery inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese.

Allied troops landed at Jesselton and took moderate casualties.

Ichang was swept by 65 X P-38J and the Japanese had 17 X Frank and 4 X Tony in the air. 8 Franks (1 damaged) and all of the Tonys were shot down and the Allies lost 3 Lightnings and 3 others were damaged.

Bangkok's port was ravaged by 133 X Liberator VI. AA fire downed 2 of the bombers and damaged 16. There were many secondary explosions seen, a fuel tank erupted and troop losses were heavy.

Manila was bombed by 129 X B-29 and the CAP of 21 X Zeke, 9 X George and 6 Tony tried in vain to stop them. The flak combined with the fighters to destroyed 4 Superforts and damaged 21. The airfield was moderately damaged, a secondary explosion was reported and casualties were heavy. Between bombs and bullets the toll on Japanese planes was 7 Zekes (7 damaged), a George (4 damaged), a Tony (2 damaged), a Grace and 7 Jacks lost.

Andaman Island was raided by 44 X Mosquito FB.VI (1 damaged) and 53 X B-25J (2 downed, 3 damaged). The airfield was moderately damaged, a secondary explosion was claimed and losses were very light.

69 miles SE of Legaspi 6 USN DDs pounded the hell out of a sub, but no kill was awarded.

At Naga Allied forces had very light casualties from the Japanese artillery.

Elaine got a few letters from Gil today. She tore them open and arranged them in chronological order and proceeded to read them. She can't wait for the war to end so he can come back to her. Later she headed off to the movie theater with her sister and a friend to see “The Picture Of Dorian Gray”.

Sam was informed today that he must stop all of the drinking or he'll be facing charges. He laughs at the LT telling him this and says, “Or what, I'll get shipped off to fight the Japs? Maybe the stockade will only be half as boring as the prison known as Tori Shima.” The LT knows there's nothing else he can do as morale is rapidly becoming the major foe on Tori Shima as there is nothing to do.

Ed is concerned about IJN sub activity and has praise relayed to the escort commander for his DDs being on the ball and preventing an attack being made. Ed says to a new staffer, “Once in a while a little pat on the back can go a long way.”

Slim could feel the ground shaking as the big guns of the Navy pounded the Japanese on the next rise. He watched in amazement and almost felt sorry for the poor slobs undergoing such a horrible time of it. He then finds himself wishing for more shells to rain down on the Japanese when the planes started to add to the Japanese woes.

Kesselring replaced von Rundstedt as CinC of the West.

The Germans evacuated Wesel.

The US 3rd Army took Bonn.

The Soviets took Zoppot.

The Kriegsmarine evacuated 25,000 civilians from Kolberg.

Victory Points Allied 54142 Japanese 39919

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Mon May 20, 2013 9:11 pm

March 11, 1945 Manila

Intel

2nd Army is located at Legaspi.
23080 men are based at Nagaoka.
20th Division is located at Changkufeng.
Najin Fortress is located at Changkufeng.
49th Construction Battalion is planning for an attack on Hailar.
1st Army is located at Sian.
295914 men are based at Osaka/Kobe.
10th Tank Regiment is located at Mutanchiang.
43rd Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Sapporo.
133rd IJA Base Force is located at Tokyo.
4th AA Regiment is located at Gumma.
58th Division is planning for an attack on Chungking.
37th Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Krung Thep.
19th Division is located at Mutanchiang.
41st Heavy AA Battalion is located at Harbin.

Recon

B-25J Mitchell takes recon photos of Changsha 7 LCUs
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Hong Kong 3 X AP, 2 X AK, 2 X AE, 1 X TK, 1 X APD, 11 X DE, 1 X BB, 26 bombers, 10 aux, 1 LCU
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Luang Prabang vacant
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Victoria Point 7 LCUs 15180/58/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Brunei 3 X AP, 1 X DE
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Manila 1 X CA, 1 X SS, 1 X MLE, 1 X AO, 2 X AP, 11 LCUs 50960/263/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Aparri 1 LCU 13620/263/0
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Paramushiro Jima 7 LCUs
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Gili Gili 7 LCUs 1880/0/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Rabaul 7 LCUs 36700/65/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Sag Sag vacant
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Admiralty Islands vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi 1 LCU

Combat

A PBM spotted an AK near Manila and reported a hit.

At Teloekbetoeng a pair of IJN MSWs detected and commenced the sweeping of mines. A short time later there was an explosion and reportedly an IJN sub hit one of the mines and was sunk, taking a Glen with it.

An IJN sub was trying to mount an attack on an Allied TF 153 miles E of Legaspi and was met with a brutal ASW attack instead. The escorts claimed many hits and they were rewarded with a confirmed kill.

Manila was raided by 108 X B-29 who lost 2 planes and had another 19 damaged as they fought their way through the CAP of 17 Zekes, 11 Georges and 7 Tonys and flak. 3 Zekes were lost (2 damaged), 6 Georges were damaged and 3 Tonys were damaged while the airfield was moderately hit and there were light casualties. The Japanese shipping was being protected by 16 X Zeke, 3 X George and 6 X Tony when a strike made up of 80 X SBD, 34 X SB2C (1 damaged) and 120 X F6F arrived. All of the Japanese fighters were destroyed and the toll on the ships was heavy.
AK France Maru 15 bomb hits, sunk
AK Florida Maru 7 bomb hits, on fire, heavy damage
MSW W.30 6 bomb hits, sunk
AK Aden Maru 7 bomb hits, sunk
AK Akagi Maru 6 bomb hits 6, on fire, heavy damage
AK Bangkok Maru 4 bomb hits, on fire, heavy damage
MSW W.34 5 bomb hits, sunk

Near Cagayan the IJA 18th Division was struck twice from the air for heavy losses. The IJA 56th Division was bombed and strafed 4 times during the day and sustained very heavy casualties. The IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade was hit twice and had very heavy losses. Allied artillery added heavy casualties.

At Buin the 140th IJN Base Force had moderately heavy casualties from 45 X B-25J.

At Naga Allied troops had moderate losses from the Japanese artillery.

Jesselton fell to the Allied attack there.

“They're trying to kill all of us! Back to back days flying all the way to bomb Manila,” complains Hoppy. The rest of the Lucky 11 agree with him and from what they see so does the rest of the BG. Gil wonders how the Army Air Corps comes up with this stuff. His body is numb and he finds it difficult just to decide if he should shower and then hit the hay or just flop on the cot.

Gene is now working at the Groton, Connecticut facility of Electric Boat. He has toured the facility and watched various stages of work being done and then he met his new work crew. They are mostly long time workers here with the new hires for the war. It'll take a while to get settled in, but things look encouraging.

Dave and Sandy are having flapjacks for breakfast and they're staring out of the window at a snowfall that is getting heavier. Dave grumbles about how he might have to get up on the roof to shovel it off and Sandy longs for Spring.

FDR is informed that the Japanese seemed to have moved aircraft into Naga and that the Allied troops there are in trouble. “We plan an operation to take Legaspi that will ease the pressure on the forces at Naga,” he is told by Admiral King. FDR is troubled by these operations that intel says will face little if any opposition only to find the Japanese waiting in force. His commanders tell him that the Japanese are making good use of the transport net to rapidly shift troops.

The US 3rd Army took Kochem.

The RAF clobbered Essen with a record bomb tonnage of 4,661 tons dropped in the raid.

Victory Points Allied 54225 Japanese 39943

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Wed May 22, 2013 2:56 pm

I'm sorry to report that the AAR is suffering from my pain meds (Oxycontin) knocking my head for a loop. Doing a turn has now become a day long ordeal. The doc assures me that this should end within a week or so. So the story line will have entries when I can manage it, otherwise just the happenings.

March 12, 1945 Cagayan

Intel

4th Air Division is located at Malang.
83 aircraft are based at Mutanchiang.
9770 men are based at Etorofo Jima.
Kitachishima Fortress is located at Paramushiro Jima.
31st Division is located at Tavoy.
Elements of the 1st Ind. Brigade are planning for an attack on Kweiyang.
Shimbu Force is located at Kadina.
Nagasaki Fortress is located at Nagasaki.
22nd Aviation Unit is located at Brunei.
12th NLF is located at Tavoy.
87th Naval Guard Unit is planning for an attack on Eniwetok.
118th Division is located at Kaigan.
14254 men are based at Saipan.
17th Reserve Coastal Artillery Regiment is located at Niigata.
34th Division is located at Nanning.
46th Road Construction Battalion is located at Changkufeng.
27th Aviation Unit is located at Toyohara.
278117 men are based at Changkufeng.
21st Reserve Engineer Regiment is located at Shimuzu.

Recon

Pe-2R takes recon photos of Changchun 29 fighters, 39 aux, 18 LCUs 65180/642/15
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Bandou vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Brunei 6 X AP
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Kai Island 5 LCUs 2360/4/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi 1 LCU
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Naga 11 bombers, 2 aux, 8 LCUs 84900/910/12
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Gili Gili 7 LCUs 1800/0/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Rabaul 7 LCUs 31940/50/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Sag Sag vacant
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Admiralty Islands vacant
B-25J Mitchell takes recon photos of Changsha 7 LCUs 220/8/0
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Paramushiro Jima 8 LCUs

Combat

The peaceful dawn was shattered by a naval bombardment of the Japanese positions near Cagayan inflicting very heavy casualties on them. Another TF of the Old Gals delivered another bombardment and added heavy losses to the toll. The IJA 18th Division had light casualties from an air raid. The IJA 56th Division had very heavy troop losses from 3 air attacks made on it. The IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade sustained very heavy casualties from Allied planes who hit the unit twice. The IJA 102nd Division had heavy losses from Allied aircraft. Allied artillery accounted for heavy Japanese casualties.

Andaman Island was bombed by 147 X Liberator VI (1 damaged) who did light damage to the port, triggered some secondary explosions and caused light casualties. The 118th IJNAF Base Force was attacked by 41 X Mosquito FB.VI (2 damaged) and the Japanese had moderate casualties.

Jesselton was attacked by 16 X Helen who did negligible damage to the airstrip and there was a secondary explosion.

Balikpapan was swept by 21 X P-51D a Frank and 24 Tonys were spotted and attacked. 12 of the Tonys were splashed and a Mustang was damaged in the fight.

Naga was swept by 73 X F6F, but there were no Japanese planes to be found. While the fighters milled about 99 X SBD (7 damaged), 151 X SB2C (2 damaged), 90 X TBF (1 downed, 3 damaged), 36 X TBM (1 damaged) and 86 X F6F attacked doing heavy damage to the airfield, causing a great number of secondary explosions, destroying 4 X Betty and there were heavy personnel losses. Japanese artillery made lots of noise, but did no harm. Allied artillery was responsible for very heavy Japanese losses.

The 140th IJN Base Force, at Buin had moderate losses from an attack made by 45 X B-25J.

The Allied APDs near Jesselton were attacked by 4 X Betty and 1 was damaged by the AA fire. No ships were harmed.

The Allied TF about 22 miles E of Jesselton was attacked by 11 X Judy, 7 X Grace, 10 X Betty and 3 X Zeke. 2 Lightnings intercepted the attackers and between them and the AA fire from the ships 9 X Judy, 4 X Grace and 2 X Betty (6 damaged) were shot down. No ships were hit. Another attack was attempted by 3 X Zeke and 3 X Betty. 2 Lightnings were on station and they splashed a Betty and damaged another as they repelled the attackers.

Tokyo was swept by 55 X P-51D and they dove into a gaggle of 48 X Zeke, 79 X Frank, 50 X Tony and 2 X Randy. 27 Zekes (1 damaged), 37 Franks (1 damaged) and 37 Tonys were killed at the cost of 13 Mustangs lost and 4 damaged.

Slim loves the sound of the Navy's big guns.

Yesterday's bomb record was broken by the RAF in it's raid against Dortmund. 4,851 tons of bombs were dumped on the target.

Victory Points Allied 54382 Japanese 39974

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Thu May 23, 2013 8:22 pm

March 13, 1945 Cagayan

Intel

23rd Tank Regiment is located at Harbin.
56th Construction Battalion is located at Georgetown.
Elements of the 4th Mongolian Cavalry Division are located at Paotang.
Tsushima Fortress is located at Masan.
7th Mixed Brigade is located at Mutanchiang.
10th Aviation Rgt is located at Changchun.
Kure 5th SNLF is located at Ominato.
117th IJN Base Force is located at Inch'on.
32nd Heavy AA Battalion is located at Aomori.
Sanya Base Force is located at Taan.
46th Road Construction Battalion is located at Changkufeng.
5th AF Construction Battalion is located at Singapore.
Southeast Fleet is located at Rabaul.
61st Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Aparri.

Recon

F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Bangkok 30 LCUs
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Kai Island 5 LCUs 2760/3/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi 1 LCU
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Naga 15 bombers, 11 aux, 8 LCUs 87540/927/147
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Gili Gili 7 LCUs 3520/0/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Rabaul 7 LCUs 31200/56/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Sag Sag vacant
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Admiralty Islands vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Brunei 3 X AP, 1 X DE, 1 LCU
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Paramushiro Jima 8 LCUs

Combat

The SS Darter, 71 miles NW of Brunei, attacked 4 X DDs. She hit 1 of them with a torpedo doing heavy damage to the ship and the other DDs gave her a severe pounding with depth charges for her efforts. The Darter has very heavy flooding and systems damage is moderate so though the crew will try it is doubtful that the sub will make it to a friendly port.

The Old Gals pounded the Japanese troops near Cagayan for heavy casualties. Allied artillery heaped heavy losses on the Japanese.

The SS Halibut, 142 miles SW of Hong Kong, attacked 6 PCs, hitting 1 with 2 fish. The PC disappeared is a large fireball. Halibut was located and attacked by the survivors. The sub will now curtail her patrol and return to a port for repairs to her light systems damage.

Andaman Island was raided by 37 X B-24J (3 damaged) for moderately heavy airfield damage and a secondary explosion was observed. The 118th IJNAF Base Force was subjected to 2 air attacks resulting in moderate casualties.

At Buin the 140th IJN Base Force had moderate personnel losses from a strike made by 46 X B-25J.

SS Drum was 157 miles SE of Taan when she found a lone AP and attacked it. The deck gun scored 3 hits and 2 torpedoes struck home. Not wanting to linger in dangerous waters the sub departed before she knew if the ship was a goner or not.

At Naga the Japanese artillery damaged the foliage, but harmed no Allied troops. Allied artillery inflicted very heavy casualties on the Japanese.

Shikka was occupied by Soviet forces.

Stalin has warned Tokyo that if any Japanese troops are in Chiamussu when Soviet forces arrive there will be blood spilt. The Japanese units were supposed to have been gone before 1 March.

FDR looks at the map and smiles as his eyes focus on Shikka. This is the base from which the Soviets are going to allow the Americans to run riot over Japan. His military advisers have cautioned him about that are having weather than will hinder an air campaign, but he figures that between Shikka, the Marianas and soon the PIs that Japan will be strangled.

Sam darted from one hole to another checking on the lads and the whole time that the Navy rained shells on the Japanese he had a grin on his face. Now he's relaxing for a little bit in his hole having some bug juice to wash down the awful stuff they are fed.

Gene missed his old crew of guys back in Brooklyn and his mother's cooking, but these guys that he's now working with are a good lot. His boss invited him to dinner at his house for tomorrow night, if he manages to get off of work on time so he can wash up.

Jay has learned some things in the Army and the most important one is that he'll never volunteer for anything. His LT asked for volunteers to go and get some supplies and one of them got killed by a sniper. Hell, they weren't even safe behind our lines, he thinks.

600 US 8th AF bombers hit Swinemunde and then the RAF struck with 800 bombers. This port was used for refugees from the East.

Victory Points Allied 55201 Japanese 39866

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Fri May 24, 2013 2:58 pm

March 14, 1945 Cagayan

Intel

14th Army is located at Victoria Point.
14250 men are based at Matsuyama.
9723 men are based at Etorofo Jima.
4th Construction Battalion is located at Mukden.
2nd Aviation Rgt is located at Mutanchiang.
12960 men are based at Aomori.
58th Construction Battalion is located at Takamatsu.
1st Reserve Tank Regiment is located at Kitakyushu.
5th RF Gun Battalion is located at Sian.
15th Army is located at Pisanuloke.
Shimonoseki Fortress is located at Nagato.
5th AA Regiment is located at Gumma.
8th Hvy Gun Regiment is located at Harbin.
60th Construction Battalion is located at Tarakan.
68th Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Naha.
10150 men are based at Matsue.
15438 men are based at Hakodate.

Recon

F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Bangkok 31 LCUs
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Brunei 2 X PT, 7 X AP, 2 X DE, 1 X SS, 3 X CA, 1 LCU
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Kai Island 5 LCUs 2820/1/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi 1 LCU
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Naga 15 bombers, 8 aux, 8 LCUs 87500/981/17
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Paramushiro Jima 8 LCUs 1860/10/0
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Dobodura 2 LCUs 1280/0/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Sag Sag vacant
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Emirau Island vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Buin 5 LCUs 1180/2/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Camranh Bay 1 X AP, 2 X AK, 21 bombers, 8 aux, 3 LCUs 5540/51/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Pisanuloke 2 LCUs

Combat

The SS Dentuda, 88 miles E of Taipei, was attacked by 5 PCs. She now is dealing with moderate flooding and moderate systems damage. She will make for Saipan and it is expected that she'll make it, if the pumps continue to operate.

The SS Drum attacked a lone AP about 135 miles SE of Kiungahan, hitting it with 2 torpedoes. The ship was sinking as the sub departed.

The SS Finback located an AK being escorted by 3 DDs 73 miles E of Camranh Bay. The sub made her attack and hit the AK with a fish leaving it ablaze and with a heavy list to starboard.

Jesselton was attacked by 15 X Helen who couldn't find their target due to low lying cloud cover.

Rabaul was raided by 27 X B-24D who inflicted light casualties on the Japanese there.

Near Cagayan the IJA 18th Division was subjected to 2 air raids that were responsible for the unit taking very heavy losses. The IJA 56th Division had heavy casualties from an air raid. The IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade had heavy losses from an air attack. The IJA 100th Division had heavy casualties from Allied planes. Allied artillery administered heavy losses today.

On Andaman Island the 118th IJNAF Base Force suffered moderately heavy casualties administered by 21 X Mosquito FB.VI, 1 of which was damaged by ground fire.

At Naga Allied forces had extremely light losses from the Japanese artillery while the Allied bombardment subjected the Japanese to very heavy casualties.

Dave is reading the newspaper and in it a story telling the tale of LT N Jennings of the 33 FG, which flies Lightnings, has his attention. LT Jennings is the top Allied ace in the PTO with 39 kills.

Stalin reads the reports and says, “The fools in Tokyo mock us by having a division in Chiamussu. We now have the excuse to attack them. I want Tokyo to get a declaration of war as soon as the first attack on this unit is ready. Inform Tokyo that this is not the first violation of an agreement that they have entered into with us. Inform them that within days if the unit hasn't vacated they will be treated as invaders. The only alternatives to avoiding a conflict is for the unit to move, otherwise the ceding of additional territory might mollify us.”

Gil sits on his cot reading some mail from home. His father is sick again and his 2 sisters are supporting the family along with what he sends home each month. He wonders how Elaine will feel about this situation where he and his sisters support their parents.

Ed eyes the reports and says, “We need more fuel. These ships won't run without it and I want to keep them based forward to reduce wear and tear on them.” His staff get on the problem that just won't go away.

Slim listens to the drone of Allied planes and the distant explosions and wonders why they don't hit the hill to his front. He knows it's full of Japs who are just waiting for him to get out of his hole and start moving forward. They wait until you're almost close enough to spit on them and wham, they let you have it.

The US 3rd Army crossed the Moselle.

The RAF used Grand Slam bombs to wreck the Bielefeld viaduct.

Victory Points Allied 55224 Japanese 39989

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Sat May 25, 2013 7:19 pm

March 15, 1945 Tori Shima

Intel

15th Field Artillery Regiment is planning for an attack on Kweiyang.
2nd Division is located at Ominato.
15th Engineer Regiment is located at Amboina.
40th Construction Battalion is located at Changchun.
115th Division is located at Peking.
24535 men are based at Seoul.
12th AA Regiment is located at Peking.
7th AF Construction Battalion is located at Soerabaja.
68th Division is located at Sian.
103rd IJA Base Force is located at Changchun.
Ryojun Fortress is located at Port Arthur.
15th Aviation Rgt is located at Batavia.

Recon

Pe-2R takes recon photos of Chiamussu vacant
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Luang Prabang 1 LCU 660/2/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Saigon 7 X AP, 1 X TK, 6 X DE, 3 X CA, 7 fighters, 10 bombers, 17 aux, 1 LCU 6040/36/0
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Tavoy 8 LCUs 47300/412/5
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Kai Island 5 LCUs 3300/3/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi 1 LCU
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Naga 6 bombers, 9 aux, 8 LCUs 86680/958/18
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Paramushiro Jima 7 LCUs 2020/18/0
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Emirau Island vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Brunei 2 X CA, 1 LCU

Combat

The SS Puffer was hunted by 5 PGs about 95 miles S of Hong Kong, but she eluded them before they could firm up her position.

The SS Kingfish, was depth charged by 3 PCs 108 miles SE of Hong Kong. The sub will now head for port with moderate systems damage. The leaks are being attended to by the crew and pose no threat to the boat.

The SS KXVIII, 27 miles SE of Belitung Island, tried to attack an AK and PC, but failed to get into position.

Allied troops unloading over beach at Dumaguete took heavy losses.

Jesselton was raided by 12 X Helen who found nothing to hit.

On Andaman Island the 118th IJNAF Base Force had moderate casualties from 12 X Mosquito FB.VI and 37 X P-38J.

Naga was struck by 100 X SBD (1 damaged), 148 X SB2C (1 downed, 4 damaged), 90 X TBF (3 damaged), 36 X TBM and 126 X F6F. The airstrip was heavily damaged, there were a staggering number of secondary explosions claimed, 6 Bettys were destroyed and personnel losses were heavy. Allied forces adsorbed extremely light casualties from the Japanese artillery.

At Cagayan Allied artillery inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese.

Elaine reads a letter from Gil in which he tells her about how much he likes flying and that he hopes when the war is over that he can go to university at night. He loves history and would like to become a teacher. She digests all of this and wonders what the future holds in store for them, if he survives the war.

Stalin is aware that Tokyo has not responded to Moscow's communications. He was also informed that the Japanese troops at Chiamussu seemed to have vacated the area. “Do they have a clear path to their own lines?” he asks. He was then informed that the unit must travel overland to reach safety as all roads and rail lines are under the control of the Red Army. “This is good,” Stalin says, “When our forces come in contact with the unit they may attack it. We have the advantage of catching them in the open and our armor should shred them easily. This will also afford us with the excuse for war with the Japanese so that we may regain our lost lands. Now let's turn to Germany.”

Sam watches the work on the airfield and gets the impression that the Sea Bees are nearing completion of their work on Tori Shima. If he's right then the sources for all sorts of stuff will be leaving soon and that's not good. He wonders where the booze will come from once the Sea Bees leave and he hopes that his outfit gets rotated off of this awful place. Gradually the contact with the Marine unit and his division has deteriorated to the point where breathing is enough cause for a fight to break out.

Victory Points Allied 55253 Japanese 40008

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Sun May 26, 2013 4:43 pm

March 16, 1945 Moscow

Intel

7309 men are based at Hanoi.
2nd Mountain Gun Regiment is planning for an attack on Kweiyang.
Elements of the 17th Mixed Brigade are located at Soochow.
Mongol Army is located at Sasebo.
6th Reserve Tank Regiment is located at Osaka/Kobe.
2nd Construction Battalion is planning for an attack on Chungking.
15th Tank Regiment is located at Nanning.
Botanko Hvy Gun Regiment is located at Harbin.
37th Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Krung Thep.
Keelung Fortress is located at Taipei.
3rd Cavarly Brigade is planning for an attack on Mishan.
17th Construction Battalion is located at Mutanchiang.
3rd Mortar Battalion is located at Balikpapan.
8th Aviation Rgt is located at Harbin.
Shimonoseki Fortress is located at Nagato.

Recon

F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Bangkok 30 LCUs
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Krung Thep 8 LCUs 50480/535/4
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi 1 LCU
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Naga 8 LCUs 87960/923/11
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Paramushiro Jima 6 LCUs 2160/18/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Brunei 2 X PT
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Kai Island 5 LCUs 3400/2/0

Combat

The SS Brill was attacked by 5 DDs 23 miles SE of Ominato, but she evaded them with no harm being done. A few hours later the same DDs, who relentlessly searched for the sub, found and depth charged her. In the late afternoon hunted became hunter, but the Brill never managed to get off a shot. She is now making for port with light systems damage and moderate flooding, having sent a report of many ships in the area.

Near Cagayan the Old Gals unloaded on Japanese positions dishing out very heavy casualties. The IJA 4th Division was attacked by Allied aircraft and the unit sustained heavy losses. The IJA 18th Division absorbed heavy losses from 2 air attacks. The IJA 56th Division had heavy casualties from and Allied air strike. The IJA 100th Division was hit twice by Allied planes for heavy losses. Allied artillery inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese.

About 457 miles SW of San Francisco an IJN sub was trying to attack an outbound convoy, but the escorts attacked it and some hits were claimed. The sub never mounted an attack and further contact was lost.

Balikpapan had 1 X Frank and 10 X Tony intercept an Allied fighter sweep conducted by 21 X P-51D and the expected results occurred. The Frank and 5 Tonys were destroyed while the other Tonys headed for the clouds to hide.

At Naga the IJN 16th Division was struck by 32 X TBM (1 downed, 2 damaged) and 10 X FM-2 who inflicted light casualties. A raid on the airfield resulted in heavy damage, some secondary explosions, 2 destroyed Bettys and moderate personnel losses. 5 X SBD, 2 X SB2C and 2 X TBF were damaged in the raid. Japanese artillery caused negligible Allied casualties.

The 3rd Indian Division, 20 miles N of Krung Thep, was jumped by 12 X Peggy ground fire destroyed 1 and damaged 2. The Indian unit had extremely light losses. This was the first day in weeks that Allied fighters weren't assigned to provide a LRCAP at this location.

Japanese troops troops landed over the beach at Jesselton taking very heavy casualties.

Allied forces took Dumaguete.

Landings at Legaspi are expected to take place in 2 days time as all of the ships should be meeting within 35 miles of their target tomorrow.

Stalin smiles as he's told that Soviet forces are entering Chiamussu at the current time and they should have total control by tomorrow morning. He's beginning to think that maybe there is no need to fight the Japanese as long as he's getting what he wants from them by talking. He agreements with Washington also guarantee that he'll secure more territory once the fighting is over.

FDR is informed of the Japanese moving into Jesselton, as predicted, in force. He nods and now agrees that pulling the Marines out was the smart move. It's a shame that the Japanese couldn't have been ambushed, but the USN assets are all tied up with the big moves in the PIs and the North.

“What a beautiful day,” declares Slim as the Navy rains down it's wrath on the Japanese positions facing his front. Slim also knows that the already difficult terrain will be churned into an almost impossible mess when they get the word to move forward. Still the thought of his enemy being treated so roughly makes him feel good. He overheard a couple of new lads talking last night and they think he's nuts. He told them to stow it as the Japs have ears and can pinpoint their location from the noise they're making. He figures that they'll be as crazy as the rest of the lads after their first assault on the Japanese positions, if they survive.

A couple of days ago the US 15th AF in Italy hit Regensburg with 500 bombers.

Also 2 days ago the RAF struck Wuppertal with 400 bombers.

The US 8th AF used 675 bombers on OKH HQs with minimal effect today.

The cruisers Schlesien and Prinz Eugen lended fire support for the Kurland pocket.

Victory Points Allied 55277 Japanese 40024

tocaff · Post by **tocaff** » Mon May 27, 2013 6:37 pm

March 17, 1945 Brunei

Intel

5th Air Fleet is located at Tokyo.
Hensui Construction Battalion is located at Sasebo.
70th Division is located at Nanchang.
344th Division is located at Matsuyama.
12th Army is located at Nanning.
10138 men are based at Matsue.
1487 men are based at Kratie.
Kwantung Defense Brigade is located at Changchun.
52nd Construction Battalion is located at Changchun.
5th Air Division is located at Manila.
13th Tank Regiment is planning for an attack on Chungking.
2nd Mixed Regiment is located at Hangchow.
55th Heavy AA Battalion is located at Changkufeng.
34100 men are based at Hamamatsu.

Recon

F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Bangkok 30 LCUs
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Alor Star 9 bombers, 8 aux, 5 LCUs 19220/139/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Singapore 1 X AK, 3 X AG, 13 X AP, 1 X SS, 3 X DE, 1 X PC, 2 X APD, 3 X CA, 98 fighters, 132 bombers, 240 aux, 19 LCUs 24100/115/109
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Brunei 3 X PT, 4 X CV, 4 X CA, 17 fighters, 37 bombers, 41 aux, 1 LCU 8600/0/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Kai Island 5 LCUs 3000/3/0

Combat

The SS Pompon was attacked by 2 DDs and 3 PCs about 82 miles E of Tokyo. Pompon will now make for port with moderate systems damage and moderate flooding.

The stillness of the early morning was shattered near Cagayan as the Old Gals pounded the Japanese positions inflicting very heavy casualties. Allied artillery dealt out heavy losses to the Japanese.

Allied troops unloaded over beach at Masbate Island taking moderate losses. This happened despite the TF having a Do Not Unload setting.

At Naga the IJA 116th Division had negligible casualties from 12 X TBF and 19 X FM-2. The IJA 16th Division was attacked by 6 X TBM and 12 X FM-2 who missed the Japanese positions. A raid by 80 X SBD (1 damaged), 124 X SB2C, 90 X TBF (1 damaged), 36 X TBM (1 damaged), 106 X F6F and 23 X FM-2 did moderately heavy damage to the airfield, triggered some secondary explosions and administered moderately heavy personnel losses. The Allies had moderate casualties from Japanese artillery. The Allied big guns accounted for very heavy Japanese losses.

On Andaman Island the 146th IJN Base Force was hit by 44 X Mosquito FB.VI and 47 X B-25J (1 downed, 5 damaged) for heavy losses.

Near Brunei the Japanese ships were under a CAP of 5 X George and 12 X Frank when a raid comprised of 73 X B-24J appeared. The fighters tried and failed to break up the attack suffering 2 damaged Georges and 2 destroyed Franks (8 damaged). The did manage to down 2 Liberators and damage 8 others. 2 CVEs were on the receiving end of multiple bomb hits. Both were on fire and 1 was heavily damaged.

Soviet forces captured Chiamussu.

Japanese forces retook Jesselton.

Stalin looks at the map of the Far East and then asks about the Americans. He's told that there is no official word from Washington though the number of ships that are on the way is truly impressive. “And they will supply our bases too, as agreed?” he asks. “Da,” is the reply.

FDR peers at a report and asks if there are any USN assets that might catch the IJN CVs near Borneo. Admiral King informs him that some CVs are on their way, but it's a long way off and the chance of interception is minimal. “We're giving it a go though,” he said. The conversation then turns to the massive movement of ships, men and material going to Japan's back door. “Stalin made good on his promise and now all we have to do is waltz in, unload and beat feet out of there before the Japanese can mount a serious response. Once everything is ashore and the planes fly in Tokyo will have a new headache,” Admiral King says with a smile on his face. FDR thinks that it's been a long war and now the noose is truly tightening.

Chris stands looking out at the ship's wake and lets his mind drift away. This is one of his ways to relax as running on the flight deck lately hasn't been allowed due to operations. He thinks of all of the stress he faces and sighs knowing that these things he does to blow off steam is all that keeps him from cracking up.

The US 3rd Army took Koblenz.

Victory Points Allied 55343 Japanese 40038

The Battle Under: The Allies Fight Back

RE: Kill Off Their Refreshments

RE: Kill Off Their Refreshments

RE: Massive Troop Movement

RE: So Happy To See Saipan Again

RE: Do His Dirty Work For Him

RE: The Price To Be Paid

RE: The Price To Be Paid

RE: Snake Eyes

RE: Japanese Move From Manila To Naga

RE: Japanese Move From Manila To Naga

RE: So Cold

RE: Wishing For Planes

RE: Almost Felt Sorry For The Poor Slobs

RE: They're Trying To Kill Us

RE: They're Trying To Kill Us

RE: Never Volunteer

RE: Spit On Them

RE: Break Out

RE: No Need To Fight

RE: Catch The IJN CVs