The Battle Under: The Allies Fight Back

[tocaff]

I'm back home, but my notebook is murder to type with as the cursor seems to have a mind of it's own. Until I'm allowed on stairs the office is only a dream so the AAR will resume when I can sit at my desk. Hopefully this will happen in a couple of months.

I have managed to defeat the dancing cursor with a little program called Touch Freeze so I'll resume the AAR shortly.

I'm still confined to bed and my WIFI connection is extremely weak at this location in the house so the AAR is still on hold, but not forgotten.

[tocaff]

I'm kind of back and I'll try to post as possible given my limitations. Sorry for the long pause.

November 12, 1945 Gumma

Intel

51st Road Construction Battalion is planning for an attack on Chungking.
5th Division is located at Malang.
119th Division is located at Tokyo.
116th IJA Base Force is located at Lanchow.
34449 men are based at Hamamatsu.
84th Division is located at Osaka/Kobe.
Yura Fortress is located at Takamatsu.
6th Field Artillery Regiment is located at Sian.
44th Heavy AA Battalion is located at Batavia.
Elements of the 17th Mixed Brigade are located at Soochow.

Recon

B-29 Superfortress takes recon photos of Gumma 9 LCUs 140/10/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Okayama 1 X AP, 1 LCU 1700/18/0
Walrus takes recon photos of Palembang 1 X CA, 1 X AP, 15 aux, 13 LCUs 29540/272/119
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Kuching vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Kitakyushu 3 X AP, 2 X AK, 1 LCU
Pe-2R takes recon photos of Harbin 15 LCUs 174600/1881/196

Combat

Near Saigon the SS Pipefish hit a lone AK with a torpedo that caused heavy damage to the ship. Then the sub reloaded and continued to patrol the area. She detected, stalked and attacked a DD, striking it with 3 fish that caused catastrophic damage to the tin can thought to have been the DD Kasasagi. In the afternoon the Pipefish tried and failed to attack an unescorted AK. A short time later another AK crossed her path and the ship was punished for it as3 torpedoes slammed into the AK, killing it. All in all the skipper of the Pipefish was pleased with the day's results, but it's always the one that got away that he'll remember the most.

Gumma was swept by 86 X P-51D who took on 2 X Zeke, 27 X Frank and 19 X Tony. The furball was violent and over quickly with the Japanese suffering the loss of 2 Zekes, 13 Franks and 16 Tonys. There were 4 Mustangs downed and another damaged. The American fighters then departed the area, as ordered. They were to be far from Gumma before 10 AM, which struck the pilots as strange, but who is going to argue with orders? 3 Tonys detected a B-29, but they ignored it and continued on course to wherever they were heading to. The B-29 radioed in the weather conditions for Gumma while 2 other Superforts, called Super Dumbos, took up positions miles away to observe and to report in any downed Allied aircraft. Then came a B-29 with the Atomic Bomb. The drop went as planned as the bomber banked hard and clawed at the air for all of the speed it could muster. A short time later there was a tremendous explosion followed by a huge mushroom cloud.

Harbin underwent 2 air raids that resulted in moderately heavy airfield damage, a few secondary explosions were claimed and casualties were moderate. A Pe-2 (1 damaged) went down and a Tu-2S was also damaged in the attacks. The IJA 11th Division escaped harm and downed 2 P-63s in a wild air attack that witnessed the Russians not dropping any ordinance on target. The IJA 108th Division had light casualties from a raid made by 4 X P-63A (1 downed).

Hong Kong's defenses damaged 3 B-25Js as the airstrike caused light damage to the heavy industry.

At Gili Gili the IJA 21st Division sustained extremely light losses from Allied planes.

At Soerabaja the IJA 8th Hvy Field Artillery Regiment escaped harm from an Allied airstrike. The IJA 51st Heavy AA Battalion wasn't as lucky as another raid inflicted moderately heavy casualties on the Japanese unit. Then the 137th IJNAF Base Force was attacked, but the Allied aircraft failed to do any harm and a TBM was damaged. Allied artillery barrages were responsible for moderate Japanese losses.

Palembang was attacked by Allied planes for light port damage, a few secondary explosions were seen and the CL Jintsu was hit by a bomb. 2 Mosquito FB.VIs were damaged in the attack.

Near Inch'on the SS Jack hit an AP with 2 fish that did heavy damage and ignited fires.

At Kweiyang the Chinese artillery inflicted very heavy losses on the Japanese.

At Malang the Allies attacked the Japanese, pushing them back and inflicting very heavy casualties on them. The attackers had heavy losses.

An officer entered the hut and found the Lucky 11 just hanging out. They were told to report to operations immediately, prepared to fly. In the meantime Jake's Jalopy was ordered loaded with more fuel than she had ever carried before. It turned out that a special mission was to be flown and since the Lucky 11 were found they would fly it. During the briefing they were handed dark goggles and told that there would be a bright flash. They were told not to look at it. It seemed strange to the guys that a single B-29 was going to drop one bomb. While on station over Japan at the appointed hour there was a bright flash and a huge mushroom cloud. Of course all of the crew looked at the flash. Later they reported in on a downed Mustang and the pilot was picked up by a sub. On the long flight back to base their shock and horror melted away and by the time they landed they wanted one of these bombs put on every B-29 on hand. This way they could destroy Japan, ending the war and then they could go home.*

Judging from an increase of over 3000 points of strategic damage from this turn to the last it appears that the A bomb did some extremely heavy damage to Gumma.

Victory Points Allied 119071 (28410 Strategic) Japanese 48244

*This is a brief representation of the events that led my father and his crew mates to be present when the second atomic bomb hit Nagasaki.

[BPRE]

Hi and welcome back.

The forum has been rather quiet the last month[:)]

Best regards
BPRE

[tocaff]

Thanks BPRE. I'll try and keep the candle burning for a while here. I'm 5 weeks into my recovery which will take about 6 months back to normal, whatever that is.

November 13, 1945 Maizuru

Intel

17th Aviation Rgt is located at Ichang.
45756 men are based at Gumma.
50th Heavy AA Battalion is located at Bangkok.
9th Ind. Brigade is located at Changsha.
224th Division is located at Toyama.
209th Division is located at Kanazawa.
Elements of the 7th Mongolian Cavalry Division are planning for an attack on Tabun-Nur.

Recon

B-29 Superfortress takes recon photos of Maizuru many ships, 9 LCUs 540/30/0
Pe-2R takes recon photos of Harbin 15 LCUs 173580/1879/186
Walrus takes recon photos of Palembang 1 X CA, 5 X AP, 10 aux, 13 LCUs 35500/293/111
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Singkawang vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Okayama 1 X AP, 3 X DE, 1 LCU 1780/20/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Kitakyushu 2 X AP, 2 X AK, 1 X TK

Combat

Maizuru was being protected by a CAP of 1 X George, 19 X Jack and 8 X Tony who weren't in position to intercept a lone B-29 flying at high altitude when the city was attacked with an A bomb.*

Mutanchiang was hit by 40 X Pe-2 (3 downed, 23 damaged) and 30 X Tu-2S (4 damaged) who caused moderate airfield damage, there were some secondary explosions reported and casualties were very heavy.

Harbin was struck by 4 air attacks that inflicted heavy damage to the airfield, a few secondary explosions were seen and the heavy industry was moderately damaged. 5 X Tu-2S and a B-24D were damaged in the attacks.

Soochow was struck by Allied aircraft and a B-29 was downed and 4 were damaged as they did very light damage to the heavy industry.

Changsha was bombed by Allied planes who wrought very heavy damage to the heavy industry.

At Soerabaja the IJA 51st Heavy AA Battalion had moderate losses from a couple of air strikes made on it in which a Liberator VI, a Helldiver and a TBF were damaged with the loss of a TBF. The 137th IJNAF Base Force downed a Liberator VI and damaged another as the unit took extremely light casualties in the attack. The IJA 1st Parachute Regiment had very light losses from an air strike made on it. Allied artillery caused light Japanese casualties.

The 6th Chinese Cavalry Corps, 143 miles SE of Chungking, was hit by 3 Zeros and 23 Judys for moderate losses. The Chinese planes assigned to protect the unit didn't show up. This is a constant as when there is a LRCAP flown the Japanese don't attack and when there is no fighter protection the raids come.

Near Hakodate a Tony ran when 4 X A-26B and 44 X P-38J arrived. The Invaders tried and failed to harm an AK.

Tavoy was attacked by Allied aircraft and 6 Mosquito FB.VIs were damaged, there were some secondary explosions and the Japanese had negligible casualties.

Near Palembang Allied planes struck the Japanese shipping.
AK Tenshin 5 bomb hits, 1 torpedo hit, sunk
AK Shinju Maru 2 bomb hits, on fire, heavy damage
AK Tottori Maru 2 torpedo hits, on fire, heavy damage
An hour later more planes attacked the ships.
PG Kanko Maru 2 bomb hits, on fire, heavy damage
AK Tottori Maru 5 bomb hits, sunk

At Kweiyang the Chinese artillery inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese.

At Malang an Allied assault pushed the Japanese back and they had very heavy casualties. The Allies took very heavy losses too.

The Mighty Mo drops anchor and almost immediately barges approach to refuel her and the New Jersey. Bill issues some orders and tells his exec to make sure that the crew's mail goes ashore right away.

Red and Cookie stand at the rail looking in awe at the ships. Soon it'll be time to sail for their destination. All they know is that this will be the largest amphibious invasion force the world has ever seen, to date. Red mentions that 2 battleships have just dropped anchor nearby and that they look huge and more powerful than anything he's ever seen. Cookie stares at them and agrees, but both of them know it's the carriers that are packing the punch in this war.

Pete is daydreaming as the lunch crowd is smaller than usual and he has much less to do. He's thinking back to his days as a member of the Pirates, all that happened to him and how he ended up here with a wife and daughter. He smiles and wonders if he really deserves to be so lucky to be where he is when so many died.

Yesterday the Institute of France awarded a gold medal to Winston Churchill.

Today Charles de Gaulle was elected head of the provisional French government.

Victory Points Allied 123114 (32424 Strategic) Japanese 48499

* According to Steve there is very little damage done by the A bombs and what is done doesn't seem to be lasting. I have attacked manpower both times. The rise is Allied victory points is very large though with each A bomb.

[tocaff]

November 14, 1945 Formosa

Intel

44th Division is located at Osaka/Kobe.
13599 men are based at Takamatsu.
17th Construction Battalion is located at Mutanchiang.
11th Army is located at Canton.
134th Division is located at Mutanchiang.
101st IJA Base Force is located at Naha.
145th Division is located at Sasebo.
2nd Army is located at Tokyo.
13951 men are based at Nagaoka.

Recon

PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Osaka/Kobe 4 X AP, 2 X TK, 2 X DE, 15 LCUs 9420/105/27
Pe-2R takes recon photos of Harbin 15 LCUs 171880/1898/201
Walrus takes recon photos of Palembang 1 X CA, 5 X AP, 13 LCUs 35060/331/109
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Pontianak 2 X AP

Combat

Kanazawa was bombed by 155 X B-29 and the AA fire managed to damage 6 of them as they hit the Nakajima engine factory for moderate damage. Another strike comprised of 27 B-29s arrived a short time later and the flak damaged a plane. This strike failed to hit their target.

Masan was attacked by 141 X B-29 (1 downed, 13 damaged) and 7 X P-51D who hit the heavy industry for very light damage.

At Hakodate a Tony was flying and it fled when an incoming raid of 71 X B-25J and 8 X P-38J appeared. The ground fire damaged 4 Mitchells as they tagged the Nakajima engine works for light damage.

Maizuru was raided by 153 X B-29 who ran into 1 X George, 19 X Jack and 13 X Tony. The Japanese fighters made a couple of passes on the bombers and then the AA batteries opened up. All told 11 Superforts went down and 45 took damage. 4 Jacks (11 damaged) and 2 Tonys (4 damaged) were shot down and the Nakajima engine factory was moderately damaged.

Mutanchiang was hit by 24 X Pe-2 (1 downed, 7 damaged) and 31 X Tu-2S (1 downed, 3 damaged) for moderate airfield damage, a few secondary explosions were reported and casualties were placed at very heavy.

Harbin underwent repeated air strikes today that resulted in heavy airfield damage, some secondary explosions and negligible personnel losses. The Allies had 2 X Tu-2S and 1 X B-24J damaged in the attacks. The IJA 11th Division was pounced on twice by Allied aircraft for heavy casualties. 14 X P-63A and 4 X P-39Q were damaged in the attacks. The IJA 108th Division took moderate losses and damaged 1 P-63A and 4 P-39Qs.

Shanghai had it's heavy industry hit by 85 X B-24J (4 damaged) and 78 X P-51D. The damage to the target was moderately heavy.

Nanchang was struck by 179 X B-29 and 24 X P-51D for moderately heavy damage to the heavy industry.

At Gili Gili the IJA 21st Division absorbed light losses from an air attack.

Near Niigata 10 X Frank were on patrol when they intercepted an inbound raid of 3 X PB4Y. Both sides escaped harm as the fighters never pressed home an attack and the bombers hit an AP with a bomb that triggered a fire. Another raid of 3 PB4Ys appeared and this time the Franks managed to damage 3 of them and the PC went unscathed.

14 miles N of Muntok 2 X Barracuda attacked a PG, hitting it with a torpedo that did heavy damage and ignited a raging blaze.

Near Palembang an Allied air attack struck the Japanese shipping.
PG Seikai Maru 3 bomb hits, on fire, heavy damage
AK Miho Maru 3 torpedo hits, sunk
PG Nishho Maru 9 bomb hits, on fire, heavy damage

Near Hakodate a Tony bravely threw itself at 4 X PB4Y, 8 X A-26B and 58 X P-38J. The Japanese fighter was unceremoniously destroyed and the AK was hammered by 8 bomb hits that left the ship shattered and sinking.

23 miles S of Mentawi Island 9 X Lily, 2 X Emily and 7 X Randy ran into 35 X Corsair IV in their vain attempt to hit the Allied ships. All of the Japanese planes were shot down and 5 Corsairs took damage. Another attack was made by 6 X Lily and 3 X Randy and they too were all splashed at the cost of 2 damaged Corsairs. Once more the ships were never under direct threat.

At Tavoy a Mosquito FB.VI was damaged in a raid that failed to do any harm to the Japanese.

At Palembang an Allied air raid suffered 3 Mosquito FB.VIs and 1 Barracuda damaged as it caused moderate damage to the port, scored some secondary explosions, inflicted extremely light casualties and the CL Jintsu absorbed another bomb hit to it's already twisted shell and she continued to burn.

At Kweiyang the Chinese artillery caused heavy Japanese losses.

At Malang an Allied assault witnessed both sides taking very heavy casualties and the Japanese were pushed back a little bit more.

At Soerabaja the Allied forces surged forward and managed to take a little ground as they had very heavy losses and the Japanese took heavy casualties.

Gil drops out of Jake's Jalopy and climbs onto the waiting truck for a ride to the debriefing. He's in a heated discussion with other members of the crew as to why they are still using the same old bombs on the Japanese when there's something so much better to be had.

Red sits at his radio hearing nothing. Cookie busily is whipping up another meal for the crew. The Palawan is loaded, but here they are, anchored.

Bill stands on the bridge wondering when sailing orders will be issued as more warships leave the anchorage.

Victory Points Allied 123240 (32496 Strategic) Japanese 48499

The following was from an email Steve sent to me with this turn in which he described the damage done by the A bomb.

“Caught up with the tracker report on Gumma. It seems that Manpower was at 16 before the attack and then fell to (2) x (9). So a loss of 5 Manpower. There are plenty of aircraft factories in Gumma. Most were not affected but the following factories did take damage and considerable damage at that. Franks 108 down to (50) x 8, Reppu 120 down to (50) x 20 and Myrt 23 down to (11) x 5. So it does appear that there is some effect that you have to dig for and probably explains the VPs..... still not quite the mass damage you would have expected.”

[tocaff]

November 15, 1945 Formosa

Intel

17th Army is located at Tokyo.
314519 men are based at Kagoshima.
15th Division is located at Sian.
9th Ind. Brigade is located at Changsha.
16th AA Regiment is located at Krung Thep.
6th Aviation Rgt is located at Changkufeng.
Elements of the 5th Ind. Brigade are located at Canton.
7th Division is located at Wakkanai.
64th Division is located at Wuchow.

Recon

Pe-2R takes recon photos of Harbin 13 LCUs 136980/1497/177
Walrus takes recon photos of Palembang 1 X CA, 3 X AP, 18 aux, 13 LCUs 35460/338/121

Combat

A PBM near the Hiroshima spotted and attacked an AK, claiming a hit.

A PBM near Kagoshima attacked a sub and reported hitting it.

The SS Permit was attacked by a PC 72 miles NW of Niigata, but she gave the enemy the slip before any harm was done. A little latter 2 PCs popped up and they managed to pin down the sub's location and attacked her. This time the Permit wasn't quite a lucky as before. Although the sub has light systems damage from the attack her skipper decides to press on with the mission of mining Kitakyushu.

Shimuzu was bombed by 81 X B-29 and 4 X Frank and 3 X Tony made a single run at them and then the flak opened up. 3 Franks and 2 Tonys were damaged by the bomber's defensive fire and a big silver bird was shot down, 4 others were damaged from all causes. The Nakajima engine works was moderately damaged.

Hakodate was raided by 65 X B-25J (4 damaged) and 72 X P-38J for light damage to the Nakajima engine plant.

Harbin was attacked 4 times by Allied aircraft and 2 X Tu-2S, 1 X Pe-2 and 6 X B-24J were damaged in the strikes. The airfield was subjected to extremely heavy damage, there were some secondary explosions seen and casualties were very light. The IJA 11th Division took heavy losses from 2 air attacks in which a P-39Q went down and 9 others were damaged along with 10 damaged P-63As. The IJA 123rd Division had moderate casualties from an air raid and 5 X P-63A were damaged.

81 miles SW of Singapore 20 X Mosquito FB.VI attacked the Japanese ships.
PG Kanko Maru 3 bomb hits, sunk
AK Shinju Maru 7 bomb hits, sunk

Palembang was hit by Allied planes for a couple of secondary explosions and ships in the harbor also caught it.
CL Jintsu 2 bomb hits, on fire, heavy damage
PG Seikai Maru 1 bomb hit, on fire, heavy damage

Near Niigata 13 X Frank were on patrol and they intercepted 6 X PB4Y. 3 Franks were damaged and 2 bombers were also damaged as they failed to harm the 2 AKs that they attacked.

At Kweiyang Chinese artillery barrages dished out heavy losses to the Japanese.

An Allied assault on the Japanese positions near Malang resulted in the Japanese being pushed back a little more and both sides had very heavy casualties.

At Soerabaja the Allied assault on the defenses failed to make a dent in the Japanese positions, but they did cause the Japanese very heavy losses as the attackers had heavy casualties of their own.

As the ships plod to the East Red has a bad feeling about being where the action is, Cookie contends that at least they're no longer sitting around with little to do. “I want to see this war over and done with so we can go about our business,” he says.

Gil sighs as he rises from his cot. He just finished reading a letter from Elaine that was more of the same, complaining about the war that just drags on. He wonders to himself if the people at home have the slightest idea of what the war is really like. He then reminds himself that he's lucky to be fighting it in the air and not be some unlucky slob in the infantry. The stories he's heard about the subhuman conditions they're forced to deal with in combat are sobering, to say the least.

Bill is antsy as this sitting around waiting for orders is driving him nuts when the largest naval force in history is heading into harm's way and here he is commanding one of the most powerful battle wagons afloat, doing nothing.

Victory Points Allied 123339 (32562 Strategic) Japanese 48363

[Capt. Harlock]

“Caught up with the tracker report on Gumma. It seems that Manpower was at 16 before the attack and then fell to (2) x (9). So a loss of 5 Manpower. There are plenty of aircraft factories in Gumma. Most were not affected but the following factories did take damage and considerable damage at that. Franks 108 down to (50) x 8, Reppu 120 down to (50) x 20 and Myrt 23 down to (11) x 5. So it does appear that there is some effect that you have to dig for and probably explains the VPs..... still not quite the mass damage you would have expected.”

Interesting, if disappointing. Any information on Maizuru?

[ogar]

@tocaff,
Congratulations to you and your opponent on taking this game as far (and as hard) as you have.  And, for you to have kept up this infromative, well-written AAR for so long, is -- admirable, amazing, (I'm running out of adjectives, and I'm not even into the B's yet).

Best wishes for your recovery. 

About those personal vignettes in the AAR...
I'm an old guy.  When I was a child, the 30 to 45 year old adults were those WWII veterans.  You have consistently, accurately, and honestly conveyed what those folks told us - this is how they talked and thought (well, what they allowed for public consumption.)  In a way, it's a great social history of what the ordinary population of the US was like at that time.
I know I'm preaching here, but if anyone reading this was born after 1965 -- if you read this AAR, then you do get an accurate sense of what those people (WWII generation from the USA) thought, felt and said.   It really does put the enormity of their accomplishments in perspective - ordinary people doing extraordinary things, time and time again.

Thanks for this AAR.

[tocaff]

Nope, just what I gave in the AAR Capt H, sorry.

Thanks ogar you're to kind. I was born in 1950 so I caught the tail end of the mood of the war. My friends fathers and my family had tales to tell as time rolled on even my father opened up. I've tried my best to capture the way things tended to be.

November 16, 1945 Formosa

Intel

11th Ind. Brigade is located at Sian.
5th Mortar Battalion is located at Bangkok.
141st IJA Base Force is located at Marcus Island.
1st Air Division is planning for an attack on Chungking.
512718 men are based at Tokyo.
1st Heavy AA Battalion is located at Tokyo.
2nd Hvy Gun Regiment is located at Mutanchiang.
15th Engineer Regiment is planning for an attack on Darwin.
28th Army is located at Krung Thep.
Shimonoseki Fortress is located at Nagato.
91st Division is located at Sapporo.
68th Construction Battalion is located at Hamamatsu.

Recon

F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Jesselton vacant

Combat

In the Kagoshima area a PBM Mariner attacked an IJN sub, claiming a hit. A few hours later another PBM attacked what was thought to have been another sub in the area. The report included a claimed hit. Other claims of attacks and hits poured in throughout the day from many other PBMs operating in this area.

Gumma was attacked by 121 X B-24D and 1 X Zeke, 38 X Frank and 15 X Tony tore into the bomber boxes. A Zeke, 31 Franks (3 downed) and 7 Tonys (4 downed) were damaged and then the flak opened up. 21 Liberators were shot down and 48 were damaged. The bombers did manage to lightly damage the Nakajima engine plant.

Hakodate was hit by 54 X B-25J and 72 X P-38J and the defenses were not alert enough to respond. The Nakajima engine factory was lightly damaged.

Nagoya was struck by 141 X B-29 and 13 X Frank and 7 X Tony attacked them. 3 Franks (7 damaged) and a Tony (3 damaged) were shot down and a Superfort was lost and 20 were damaged by all causes. Another strike was made by 31 X B-29 and 7 Franks and 6 Tonys made a halfhearted pass on the big silver birds in which a Tony was damaged. The AA fire damaged 4 bombers. The Nakajima engine works took heavy damage.

Harbin was attacked twice for moderate airfield damage and 4 X Tu-2S and 1 X B-24J were damaged.

Hong Kong was hit by Allied planes and 2 Mitchells were damaged. The heavy industry suffered moderate damage in the attack.

At Naha the IJA 47th Division was attacked by Allied aircraft 2 times for heavy casualties. The IJA 53rd Ind. Mixed Brigade had negligible losses from an air raid.

Palembang was pelted by Allied air power for a couple of secondary explosions, but all facilities went unharmed. A Mosquito FB.VI was damaged.

At Kweiyang the Japanese sustained heavy casualties from the Chinese artillery attacks.

At Soerabaja the Japanese had light losses from the Allied artillery.

Near Malang the Allied big guns inflicted moderate casualties on the Japanese.

Sam relaxes, playing with Frankie, with the rest of his squad. Formosa is far and away a better place to be than Tori Shima ever was. Though the place took a battering in the fighting the people has rebounded quickly and with the help of the Americans some normalcy has been returned to life. Hell, he thinks, I can even go out and pay for food and something to drink here. Things are looking up, but he knows that soon enough the 25th Division will be called upon to fight and he has a sneaking suspicion that that won't be to far in the future.

Slim's lads returned from a day at the range and then they were turned loose. Most of them are tired, but the prospect of being able to latch onto some beers drives them onwards.

Elaine has given this lots of thought and she hasn't mentioned it to anybody in her family or circle of friends. She sits down and writes to Gil, it's a Dear John letter.

Victory Points Allied 123575 (32776 Strategic) Japanese 48325

[tocaff]

November 17, 1945 Moscow

Intel

273 aircraft are based at Chiamussu.
17th Reserve Coastal Artillery Regiment is located at Niigata.
56th Brigade is located at Bangkok.
22nd Aviation Unit is located at Brunei.
1785 men are based at Seoul.
120th IJNAF Base Force is located at Takamatsu.
146th Division is located at Kagoshima.
37th Division is located at Tavoy.
29th Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Singapore.
45th Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Bangkok.
45804 men are based at Gumma.

Recon

Pe-2R takes recon photos of Harbin 13 LCUs 135520/1467/198
OS2U-3 Kingfisher takes recon photos of Naha 12 LCUs 81220/796/13
Walrus takes recon photos of Palembang 1 X DE, 4 X AP, 17 aux, 14 LCUs 35630/305/98
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Jesselton vacant

Combat

SBDs made several attacks on what was suspected to have been the same sub 144 miles NW of the Amami Group. Late in the day an oil slick was seen.

A PBM Mariner spotted and attacked an AK about 29 miles NW of Matsue, claiming a hit.

A naval bombardment of Naha that inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese was made by the USN. The IJA 51st Ind. Mixed Brigade had heavy losses from an air attack made on it by 126 X SBD, 78 X SB2C, 143 X TBF, 128 X TBM and 16 X F6F Hellcat. The IJA 47th Division was jumped 3 times by Allied planes and the unit took heavy casualties. The IJA 53rd Ind. Mixed Brigade was pounced on twice by Allied aircraft for light losses. The IJA 68th Ind. Mixed Brigade had extremely light casualties from an air attack made on it.

Toyama was bombed by 185 X B-29 who were intercepted by 14 X Frank and a Tony. The fighters made a determined attack and then the flak kicked in. All told 2 B-29s were lost and 12 were damaged. The Japanese had 3 Franks shot down and 8 damaged and a Tony was also damaged while the heavy industry had heavy damage.

Hanoi was hammered by 155 X Liberator VI and the AA fire damaged 4 of them while they made their runs that resulted in moderately heavy damage to the heavy industry.

Hakodate was hit by 28 X B-24J (4 damaged) and 48 X P-38J for light damage to the Nakajima engine plant.

Nagoya was raided by 168 X B-29 and the CAP of 14 X Frank and 4 X Tony did their best to make the Americans suffer. 2 Franks (7 damaged) and a Tony (2 damaged) were shot down. There were 2 big silver birds lost and 17 damaged to all causes. The Mitsubishi engine factory was moderately damaged.

Mutanchiang was struck by 24 X Tu-2S (7 damaged) for moderate airfield damage, a few secondary explosions were reported and personnel losses were heavy.

Harbin was hit twice by the Russians who had a Tu-2S damaged. The airfield was very heavily damaged, a secondary explosion was seen and casualties were negligible. The IJA 11th Division had light losses and 10 P-63As were damaged in an air strike. The IJA 123rd Division had light casualties and the Russians suffered 7 P-63As damaged in an air strike.

At Soerabaja the IJA 8th Hvy Field Artillery Regiment was attacked by Allied planes a couple of times and the unit absorbed light casualties. A TBM was damaged in the attacks. The IJA 51st Heavy AA Battalion took light losses in 3 air strikes in which 3 Liberator VIs and a PB4Y were damaged. The 137th IJNAF Base Force was attacked by 2 TBMs and 7 FM-2s and both sides went unscathed. The Allied artillery caused light casualties for the Japanese.

Near Niigata 3 PB4Ys hit an AP with a bomb that triggered a fire and then 8 Franks appeared and damaged a bomber as they were departing. A little later 3 X PB4Y turned up and 6 X Frank jumped them, damaging a pair of bombers who failed to hit the lucky PC.

Palembang was hit by Allied planes for light damage to the port, a few secondary explosions were claimed and the ships in the harbor were attacked.
CL Jintsu 5 bomb hits, on fire, heavy damage
PG Seikai Maru 1 bomb hit, heavy damage

At Kweiyang the Chinese attacked the Japanese and both sides had extremely heavy losses, though the Chinese had many more casualties than the Japanese.

At Malang the Allied artillery dished out moderate losses to the Japanese.

Slowly, but surely, the Palawan plods along maintaining her position in the convoy. There was no pool this time around as the popular consensus is that they're going to Okinawa or Japan. Red is apprehensive about literally sailing into the jaws of the enemy and Cookie does all he can to calm Red.

Stalin is less than pleased that his great offensive against the Japanese has failed and now it's his planes doing the fighting. His generals avoid him as much as possible.

Jim wonders when his unit will ship out and if it''l be the usual stuff of building airfields, ports and defenses. He's still a general gofer as he hasn't had much time in the unit, but they're teaching him how to operate the heavy equipment.

Victory Points Allied 123713 (32884 Strategic) Japanese 48629




B-29s

[tocaff]

Due to continuing WIFI problems use of pictures is not possible and postings may be erratic. I can't wait to be cleared to climb the stairs so I can return to the office.

November 18, 1945 Naha

Intel

34458 men are based at Hamamatsu.
50th Construction Battalion is located at Kyoto.
6th Construction Battalion is located at Mutanchiang.
21st Mixed Brigade is planning for an attack on Manila.
51st Construction Battalion is located at Changchun.
113th IJN Base Force is located at Sapporo.
202nd Division is located at Gumma.
10th Hvy Gun Regiment is located at Mutanchiang.
5th Mortar Battalion is located at Bangkok.
156th Division is located at Kagoshima.
1st AA Regiment is located at Tokyo.

Recon

Pe-2R takes recon photos of Harbin 13 LCUs 135080/1530/193
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Jesselton vacant
OS2U-3 Kingfisher takes recon photos of Naha 12 LCUs 79760/755/13
Walrus takes recon photos of Palembang 1 X DE, 2 X AP, 15 aux, 15 LCUs 36360/298/117

Combat

The area in and around Sakashima an SBD attacked a sub and reported hitting it. This was followed by many more sightings of subs in the area, attacks, claims of hits and sightings of oil slicks. On the day 3 confirmed kills were awarded.

A naval bombardment of Naha caused moderate airfield damage, devastating damage to the port, an absolutely huge number of secondary explosions and extremely heavy casualties. Another naval bombardment followed a couple of hours later and it did moderate damage to the airfield, extremely heavy damage to the port, a very large number of secondary explosions were reported and personnel losses were heavy. Both of these bombardment TFs were not subjected to any counter fire from the Japanese. The Allied forces commenced with their landings and they took extremely heavy casualties from the Japanese coastal batteries who hit some of the ships in the assault waves. The Japanese artillery hit Allied positions, but did no harm and counter battery fire caused heavy Japanese losses.

Near Nagato the SS Cachalot was hunted by 4 X PC, who failed to pin the sub's location.

Changchun was hit by Russian planes who lost 2 X Tu-2S and had 13 more take damage as they damaged 4 Tonys out of the CAP of 1 Frank and 13 Tonys. The strike caused light damage to the airfield, destroyed a Babs and inflicted moderate Japanese casualties.

Hong Kong was raided by Allied planes and 2 Mitchells were damaged. The heavy industry sustained moderate damage.

Kadina was struck by Allied bombers twice and the port had very heavy damage, there were an extremely large number of secondary explosions and troop losses were light.

At Gili Gili the IJA 21st Division had moderate casualties from an air attack.

At Soerabaja the IJA 8th Hvy Field Artillery Regiment damaged an Avenger II in an air strike made on it in which the unit had negligible losses. The 137th IJNAF Base Force took negligible casualties and 2 TBMs were damaged in an air strike. Allied artillery struck for moderate Japanese losses.

The IJA 51st Ind. Mixed Brigade had light losses from an air strike made on it. The IJA 47th Division was hit twice by Allied planes for moderate casualties. The IJA 68th Ind. Mixed Brigade absorbed moderate losses from Allied aircraft which attacked it 2 times.

Palembang had light port damage, many secondary explosions and the CL Jintsu was hit by 6 bombs. She finally succumbed to the horrific damage done to her. 2 Mosquito FB.VIs were shot down and a Barracuda was damaged in the attack.

At Kweiyang the Japanese took heavy casualties from the Chinese artillery.

At Malang Allied artillery bombardments caused moderate Japanese losses.

The O'Bannon sailed from Takao as part of an ASW TF that will try and combat the surge of Japanese subs between Formosa and Okinawa.

Gil posts a letter to Elaine in which he tells her of his hopes for the future. He then joins the guys for chow after which they swing by the ball field and watch a game while they shoot the breeze.

“Naha, it's Naha that we're going to,” says Red to Cookie. “I knew that Okinawa was it.” Cookie thinks that if this doesn't end the war then an invasion of Japan itself is next. He sighs and spits over the rail.

Jay and Al sit quietly when suddenly Jay says, “When all of this is over I'm going to find a quiet place to live where I never have to lift a finger against anyone ever again.” Al looks at him and says that he understands, but for him maybe he's found a home in the Army.

Victory Points Allied 123785 (32884 Strategic) Japanese 48426

[tocaff]

November 19, 1945 Naha

Intel

60214 men are based at Sendai.
10th Hvy Gun Regiment is located at Mutanchiang.
2nd Area Army is located at Bandoeng.
122078 men are based at Changchun.
3rd Reserve AA Regiment is located at Matsue.
134th Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Mutanchiang.
201st Division is located at Gumma.
Mongol Army is located at Sasebo.
12380 men are based at Niigata.
4310 men are based at Kyoto.
4th Reserve AA Regiment is located at Kagoshima.
Northern Area Force is located at Etorofo Jima.
4th Air Army is located at Tokyo.

Recon

Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Camranh Bay 1 X CA, 1 X AP, 3 LCUs 4320/57/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Saigon many ships, 2 LCUs 13340/123/3
Walrus takes recon photos of Palembang 1 X DE, 2 X AP, 8 aux, 15 LCUs 37760/317/140

Combat

The waters around the Okinawa area were swarming with IJN subs. There were so many sub sightings, hit claims and oil slicks that the USN brass was stunned into a state of alarm. 6 kills were awarded today.

Allied troops continued to land at Naha taking heavy casualties. An IJN sub slipped into the landing area, but was detected, pounded and killed. A naval bombardment produced moderate airfield damage, moderate port damage, many secondary explosions were seen and casualties were heavy. The IJA 51st Ind. Mixed Brigade was subjected to 2 air attacks in which the unit had heavy losses. The IJA 68th Ind. Mixed Brigade was hit by Allied aircraft twice for heavy casualties. 23 X Irving and 9 X Frank dared to challenge the LRCAP over Naha and 268 X F6F, 145 X FM-2 and 16 X F4F-4 downed them all at the cost of a damaged Hellcat. Then 3 X Irving tried to get at the ships in the landing area and paid the ultimate price. At around noon 89 X Grace, 9 X Betty and 3 X Frances tried running the gauntlet and all but 4 Graces were splashed and 10 Hellcats were damaged. Another 8 X Grace tried a little later and they were all destroyed. Then 15 X Nick appeared and they too were shot down. In the late afternoon an IJN sub was detected and attacked with many hits being claimed. Counter battery fire caused moderate Japanese casualties.

A naval bombardment of Soerabaja caused moderate airfield damage, awful devastation to the port, many secondary explosions were observed and personnel losses were very heavy. Then Allied planes appeared and 3 X Liberator VI were damaged by the flak. The airfield was moderately damaged, the port took very heavy damage, there were many secondary explosions claimed and casualties were light. An air raid in the afternoon did moderate damage to the port and a secondary explosion was seen. Allied artillery barrages caused moderate Japanese losses. Japanese transport flights were intercepted by Allied fighters.

At Harbin the IJA 11th Division had extremely light casualties and a P-63A and 8 X P-39Q were damaged (3 downed). The IJA 123rd Division downed a P-39Q and damaged 4 others and also damaged 3 P-63As as it took moderate losses.

At Gili Gili the IJA 21st Division absorbed light losses from and air raid.

At Malang the 2nd Base Force was attacked by Allied planes and both sides escaped harm. The 15th Base Force wasn't as lucky, though their casualties from an air strike were extremely light. The IJA 28th Ind. Mixed Brigade had heavy losses from 2 air attacks in which the unit managed to damage a TBM and 3 Avenger IIs. The Allied big guns dished out heavy Japanese losses.

Palembang was hit by an air attack that caused moderate airfield damage, some secondary explosions, 5 destroyed Tinas and very light troop losses. A Mosquito FB.VI was damaged in the raid.

At Kweiyang the Japanese took heavy casualties from the Chinese artillery.

President Truman is keeping an eye out for any and all reports related to the landings at Naha. When a cable from London is handed to him he looks at it and says that Java has consumed all of the American forces that it's going to get and the Brits along with their CW forces will have to make do with what they've got.

Cookie watches planes passing overhead and listens to the not so distant rumble of the ship's guns and wonders how the Japanese can survive such a horrible pounding. Red later remarks that the airwaves were so cluttered that he had a hard time monitoring what was going on.

Victory Points Allied 124026 (32884 Strategic) Japanese 48505

[tocaff]

My laptop has died and my wife's is on it's last legs so until I'm allowed on stairs and can get to my desktop in the office I'll be unable to post. With luck in about 2-3 weeks I'll be back. Stay tuned. Sorry.

[tocaff]

I surprised myself and others as I´m now able to navigate stairs. That being the case I´m now sitting in the office at my desktop so I hope to resume the AAR later today.

[tocaff]

November 20, 1945 Naha

Intel

3rd Reserve AA Regiment is located at Matsue.
322nd Division is located at Aomori.
Elements of the 1st Ind. Brigade are located at Canton.
25th AA Regiment is located at Osaka/Kobe.
10th Hvy Gun Regiment is located at Mutanchiang.
4th Aviation Rgt is located at Nanning.
116th IJN Base Force is located at Pusan.
36th Division is planning for an attack on Kweiyang.
147th Division is located at Tokyo.
Elements of the 22nd Division are located at Shanghai.
Elements of the 32nd Division are planning for an attack on Chungking.
1st Amphibious Brigade is planning for an attack on Wake Island.

Recon

F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Luang Prabang vacant
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Bangkok 2 aux, 17 LCUs 30440/195/81
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Jesselton vacant
Walrus takes recon photos of Palembang 1 X DE, 2 X AP, 6 aux, 15 LCUs 38080/329/135

Combat

In the area surrounding Okinawa there were many sightings of IJN submarines, reports of attacks, claims of hits and oil slicks spotted. A kill was awarded today as a sub breached and then dove to the bottom.

16 miles S of Ishieak an LCI(R) was hit by 2 torpedoes launched by an IJN sub and the craft went down quickly.

Soerabaja was shelled by the RN who did moderate damage to the airstrip and port while inflicting moderately heavy casualties on the troops. The 2nd Base Force was struck twice by Allied planes for negligible casualties and a TBM was damaged. The 15th Base Force was jumped 2 times by Allied aircraft resulting in the unit having moderate losses. A pair of TBMs took damage in the attacks. The IJA 28th Ind. Mixed Brigade took negligible casualties from an air strike. An air raid in the late afternoon added light port damage and negligible Japanese personnel losses. The Allied artillery rained death down on the Japanese to the tune of moderately heavy casualties.

Nanning was swept by 12 X P-40N who tried to engage 4 X Reppu, 2 X Nick and 3 X Tony, but the Japanese refused to give battle.

At Gili Gili the IJA 21st Division took light personnel losses from an air raid.

At Kweiyang the IJA 59th Division had heavy casualties from an air strike in which 4 Mitchells were shot down and 7 damaged. The IJA 69th Division had moderately heavy losses and 2 Mitchells were damaged in a strike on the LCU. Chinese artillery barrages caused very heavy Japanese casualties.

At Naha the IJA 47th Division absorbed moderate casualties from an air raid. The IJA 53rd Ind. Mixed Brigade was hammered 2 times for very heavy losses. Japanese artillery caused no harm to the Allied forces and they took heavy casualties from the counter battery fire. The Allied troops surged forwards and pushed the Japanese out of their defensive positions and then the attackers rolled up the line, taking the base. The Japanese had extremely heavy troop losses and a Grace was destroyed. The Allies took very heavy casualties in the fight. The Japanese forces retreated towards Kadina, as expected. Now phase 2 of Operation Thunder will swing into action.

Palembang's defenses damaged a Mosquito FB.VI the the Allied planes struck for moderate airfield damage, a couple of secondary explosions were reported, 5 Tinas were destroyed and casualties were placed at very light. Another strike in the afternoon added very light damage to the airstrip, a secondary explosion was observed, a Tina and a Tabby were trashed and troop losses were very light.

Pontianak was hit by 6 X PB4Y who targeted an AK, hitting it with a bomb that caused heavy damage and fires to break out.

Near Niigata 4 PB4Ys went after a PC who avoided being hit by wild maneuvers and 13 Franks (2 damaged) chased the Allied bombers away, killing 1.

At Malang an Allied assault on the Japanese positions caused both sides very heavy casualties and little if any ground was gained.

Chris is dog tired from flying a CAP mission in the morning and then again in the afternoon. In between he ate, used the head and was spotted on deck ready to launch within minutes. He had a great view of the massive fleet below him, but no Japanese planes were about. That's OK with him as his job is to protect the fleet and no attackers makes things simple.

Palawan has commenced unloading as a swarm of lighters busily handle ships that the port facilities can't accommodate. Red has his feet up and listening to music on the radio when Cookie shows up and says, “Lucky has done it again. I turned my back for a minute and the dog wolfed down a couple of pounds of meat. I honestly don´t know where he puts it all and then not 10 minutes ago he was back at the galley looking for his normal feeding. The dog is a bottomless pit and has a watch to let him know when it's time for the next meal.” Red laughs and asks if Cookie fed him his normal meal and Cookie replied, sheepishly, “I gave him some, but not all.” They both laughed and strolled over to the ship´s rail and watched what looked like confusion all around them. Both of them knew from experience that a well choreographed drill was being executed to unload the ships.

Victory Points Allied 125077 (32884 Strategic) Japanese 48757

[tocaff]

November 21, 1945 Naha

Intel

1434 men are based at Kratie.
126th Division is located at Mutanchiang.
Yosu Fortress is located at Masan.
35th Army is located at Tokyo.
6th Ind. Brigade is planning for an attack on Chungking.
6th Mongolian Cavalry Division is located at Jehol.
14th Area Army is located at Truk.
5th Army is located at Mutanchiang.
132nd Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Mutanchiang.
23rd Army is located at Hanoi.

Recon

Pe-2R takes recon photos of Harbin 13 LCUs 134980/1479/192
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Luang Prabang 1 LCU 560/0/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Pisanuloke 2 LCUs 8180/18/0
Walrus takes recon photos of Palembang 1 X DE, 2 X AP, 15 LCUs 37920/327/131

Combat

There were a large number of sub sightings in the area surrounding Okinawa and it's approaches. Some of these reports included claims of hits and some sightings of oil slicks came in too. A couple of kills were awarded.

About 32 miles N of Sakashima the escorts of some LSTs drove off a sub.

An IJN sub, 20 miles S of Naha, tried to attack some USN ships, but it became the hunted after being detected and some hits were claimed. Later in the day an IJN sub tried to line up an attack, but an ASW TF pounced on it and claimed some hits. After losing the sub it was reacquired and a kill was awarded after the escorts gave it a horrific pounding..

Tokyo had a gaggle of 3 X Reppu, 8 X Shinden, 154 X Frank and 5 X Tony aloft when 73 X P-51D slashed into it. The furball produced a death machine as 1 Reppu (1 damaged), 3 Shindens, 105 Franks and 4 Tonys were blasted from the sky. The Americans lost 30 Mustangs and 4 more were damaged.

Nanning was swept by 12 X P-40N who encountered 4 X Reppu, 2 X Nick and 3 X Tony. The Japanese refused to fight though a Tony was downed and a Warhawk was lost in the running skirmish.

At Gili Gili the IJA 21st Division escaped harm as the Allied planes dropped their bombs off the mark.

At Soerabaja the IJA 51st Heavy AA Battalion was pounded by Allied planes for moderate losses. A Helldiver, a TBF and a TBM were damaged in the attack. Allied artillery inflicted moderate casualties on the Japanese.

At Kadina the IJA 47th Division was struck by Allied planes for moderate casualties. The IJA 49th Ind. Mixed Brigade took very heavy losses from 3 air attacks.

Near Miri 13 X PB4Y (6 damaged) attacked the Japanese ships.
CA Chokai 2 bomb hits
BB Haruna 3 bomb hits

Palembang was struck by Allied planes for moderate airstrip damage, some secondary explosions were reported, a Tabby and a Tina were trashed and personnel losses were moderate. Another air attack in the afternoon added to the carnage as the airfield was subjected to extremely light damage, a Tabby and a Tina were left burning and casualties were very light.

Pontianak was visited by 9 X PB4Y who hit an AK that was at anchor with a bomb that caused heavy damage. AK Hohuku Maru

24 miles S of Sakashima an ASW TF attacked an IJN sub, claiming some hits.

At Kweiyang the Japanese took very heavy losses from the Chinese artillery.

Near Malang Allied artillery accounted for very light Japanese losses.

With Naha in the bag Allied follow on troops land and some begin the overland trek to Kadina, where the Japanese will need to be rooted out. The American commanders decided to sacrifice time instead of lives with another amphibious operation.

Red is stunned that the Palawan has finished unloading already and will sail soon bound for Formosa. Cookie is whistling and when Red asks why he's so happy and Red says that the war will end soon. “We're going to survive to be rich old men,” Cookie said.

Stalin is raging at his assembled generals and screams, “The Americans Americans are moving quickly while we are stuck in place. This is not an acceptable situation. I want this stalemate broken.” When a general timidly suggests that the weather is the problem and that in the Spring they would crush the Japanese Stalin ordered his security people to remove the man. As he was leaving Stalin ordered him stripped of all rank and privileges. “Let that be a reminder that the Rodina doesn't need excuses, just results.

Yesterday the Nuremberg trials began.

Today all of the top Nazis pleaded innocent at Nuremberg.

Victory Points Allied 125250 (32884 Strategic) Japanese 48798

[tocaff]

November 22, 1945 Washington DC

Intel

3rd AA Regiment is located at Tokyo.
54th Division is located at Kitakyushu.
Yura Fortress is located at Takamatsu.
24th Engineer Regiment is located at Mutanchiang.
133rd Division is located at Tientsin.
16th Army is located at Rabaul.
Nakajo-wan Fortress is located at Kadina.
Shimonoseki Fortress is located at Nagato.
51st Road Construction Battalion is located at Changsha.
Tone Hvy Gun Regiment is located at Changkufeng.
49th Division is located at Alor Star.
1st Air Division is planning for an attack on Chungking.
50761 men are based at Wakkanai.

Recon

F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Luang Prabang 1 LCU 1580/0/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Pisanuloke 2 LCUs 7440/19/0
Walrus takes recon photos of Palembang 1 X DE, 1 X AP, 6 aux, 15 LCUs 38120/329/126
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Jesselton vacant

Combat

Djokjakarta was occupied by the Allies.

The sightings of IJN subs, claims of hits and spotting of oil slicks continues to flow into Allied HQs as the Japanese seem to still be flooding the area around Okinawa with their submarines. 4 kills were given over the course of the day.

An ASW attack 27 miles SE of Ishieak was made by 6 USN DDs on an IJN sub and claims of many hits were made. A short time later, not to far away, 5 American tin cans attacked what was thought to have been the same sub. Some hits were reported and a kill was awarded. In the afternoon the DD Hammann was hunting for subs with 5 other destroyers when suddenly 2 torpedoes impacted against her starboard side, breaking her back and sending her to the bottom. The sub was located and viciously attacked with a large number of hits claimed. A little later, after having lost contact with the sub, the hunters reacquired their prey and scored more hits.

Tokyo had 2 X Reppu, 9 X Shinden, 89 X Frank and 3 X Tony up when 19 X P-51D arrived. The Japanese put up a fight and lost 3 Shindens (1 damaged), 29 Franks (2 damaged) and 2 Tonys against the Americans suffering 9 Mustangs downed and another damaged.

Shanghai was subjected to 2 air raids, the first of which was made by 138 X B-29. The second attack was comprised of 32 X B-29, 76 X B-24J and 88 X P-38J. 8 B-29s and 6 B-24Js were damaged by the AA fire in the attacks and the repair shipyard was ravaged for extremely heavy damage.

Nanning was swept by 12 X P-40N who were confronted by 7 X Reppu, 2 X Nick and 4 X Tony. A Warhawk was lost in the fight that nobody seemed to want.

Bangkok was bashed by 145 X Liberator VI (2 downed, 11 damaged) for heavy damage to the heavy industry.

At Kweiyang the IJA 36th Division was struck by 12 X B-25J for moderate casualties. The IJA 62nd Division suffered heavy losses at the hands of 47 X B-25J and 36 X P-40N. The Chinese artillery inflicted very heavy casualties on the Japanese troops.

At Gili Gili the IJA 21st Division took moderate losses from an air strike.

At Soerabaja the IJA 8th Hvy Field Artillery Regiment was hit by Allied planes for moderate casualties. A Helldiver and a TBF were damaged in the action. The IJA 51st Heavy AA Battalion had moderate losses from being jumped by Allied planes. Another strike in the afternoon caused light damage to the port and 2 X PB4Y were damaged. The Allies threw artillery shells at the Japanese defenders throughout the day that resulted in heavy casualties being sustained by the Japanese.

At Malang the IJA 5th Division escaped harm from Allied planes who dropped off target. The 2nd Base Force was hit for very light casualties in another air attack. The IJA 28th Ind. Mixed Brigade was pounced on by aircraft who inflicted moderate losses on the unit. The Allied artillery caused moderate casualties for the Japanese.

Tavoy was struck by 48 X Mosquito FB.VI (5 damaged) and 13 X Thunderbolt II for light port damage and many secondary explosions were reported.

Palembang was bombed by the Allies who had a Mosquito FB.VI damaged. The airfield was moderately damaged, the port was lightly damaged, a couple of secondary explosions were seen and 2 Tabbys were destroyed. Another strike arrived a few hours later that did light damage to the port, triggered a secondary explosion and hit the ships there.
PG Nishho Maru 1 bomb hit, heavy damage
PG Seikai Maru 2 bomb hits, sunk

Pontianak was visited by 4 X PB4Y who missed their target.

Near Singapore 3 X PB4Y were going after an AK, but were intercepted by 1 X Zeke, 4 X Oscar and 15 X Frank. 4 Franks were damaged and a Liberator went down and another was damaged. No bombs hit their intended target.

President Truman reads the reports and listens to more news from Okinawa and is as surprised as everyone else at how fast the Japanese defenses collapsed at Naha. A Major makes mention of the massive use of air power and naval bombardment prior to the landings that were of overwhelming strength. We threw everything we had at them, including the kitchen sink. The assault forces are now resting and refitting as they will be tasked as part of the initial assault on Japan itself while other units that are fresh are moving on Kadina. They will follow to Japan at a later date.

Slim now has the latest word and that's the 2nd Marine Division will spearhead the invasion of Japan. He shakes his head knowing that after Okinawa any fool could guess what would come next. This is going to be an awful blood letting, he thinks.

Sam sits talking with other NCOs from the company and they all agree that the 25th Infantry Division will be bound for Japan. One of them remarks, “That is unless somebody is dumb enough to want to go to China.” Another volunteered, “Or Korea.” Sam asked where that was and they grabbed a map and now he knows.

Victory Points Allied 125353 (32884 Strategic) Japanese 48626

[tocaff]

November 23, 1945 Formosa

Intel

21st AA Regiment is planning for an attack on Chungking.
137th IJN Base Force is located at Balikpapan.
Southwest Fleet is located at Singapore.
46th Construction Battalion is located at Mutanchiang.
148th IJNAF Base Force is located at Ominato.
116th IJA Base Force is located at Lanchow.
Elements of the 10th Ind. Brigade are located at Canton.
1854 men are based at Okayama.
32nd Heavy AA Battalion is located at Aomori.
15th Field Artillery Regiment is located at Canton.
47th Road Construction Battalion is located at Changkufeng.
3rd Guards Division is located at Shimuzu.
1st Air Division is planning for an attack on Chungking.
5949 men are based at Pusan.

Recon

Walrus takes recon photos of Palembang 1 X DE, 1 X AP, 15 LCUs 37660/295/134
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Jesselton vacant
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Krung Thep 9 LCUs 14200/107/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Ubon vacant

Combat

The waters around Okinawa continued to provide many sub sightings, though it appears to be lessening as the Allied ASW efforts have been deadly.

A naval bombardment of Batavia by the RN caused moderate damage to the port, negligible damage to the airstrip and negligible casualties. Allied planes added moderate airfield damage and a secondary explosion later in the day.

Hakodate was bombed by 125 X B-24D (2 damaged) and 66 X P-38J for moderate damage done to the Nakajima engine plant.

Shanghai was attacked by 142 X B-29, B-24J (3 damaged) and 86 X P-51D who then departed and another strike of 121 X B-29 arrived (6 damaged) who went about their deadly business and left. A third attack was made by 179 X B-29 (1 downed, 4 damaged), 24 X P-51D and 79 X P-38J. The airfield took extremely heavy damage, the port was also subjected to extremely heavy damage, there were a huge number of secondary explosions claimed (many of which were fuel explosions), 1 Peggy was destroyed, personnel losses were light and the vessels in the port were clobbered.
SS I-45 31 bomb hits, sunk
SS I-202 27 bomb hits, sunk
SS I-42 38 bomb hits, sunk
SS I-178 26 bomb hits, sunk
SS I-15 32 bomb hits, sunk
SS RO-103 23 bomb hits, sunk
SS I-46 25 bomb hits, sunk

Palembang was hit by Allied aircraft which resulted in a secondary explosion, 1 Tina and 1 Tabby were destroyed and there were very light casualties. In the afternoon a couple of fuel explosions were triggered by an air strike.

Pontianak was raided by 6 X PB4Y who caused light port damage and hit an AK with a couple of bombs that did heavy damage and triggered fires to break out on the ship.

At Gili Gili the South Seas Det. took heavy losses from an air attack.

At Soreabaja the IJA 8th Hvy Field Artillery Regiment absorbed extremely light casualties from an air strike in which 2 X Liberator VI, 1 X A-26B and 1 X Thunderbolt II were damaged. The IJA 51st Heavy AA Battalion was also struck by Allied planes and it took light losses in exchange for 2 X SB2C, 4 X TBM and 1 X A-26B Invader being damaged. 12 X PB4Y (1 damaged and 14 X P-40N struck later on for light port damage. Allied artillery barrages caused moderate Japanese casualties.

At Malang the IJA 5th Division escaped harm from a pair of TBMs who attacked it. The 2nd Base Force absorbed light casualties from an attack made on it by Allied planes. The IJA 28th Ind. Mixed Brigade had extremely light losses from a couple of Avengers. Allied artillery chipped in for light Japanese casualties.

At Kadina the IJA 49th Ind. Mixed Brigade was pounced on 3 times by aircraft who caused heavy losses.

Nanning was swept by 10 X P-40N who jumped 4 X Reppu, 1 X Nick and 2 X Tony. 2 Reppus and a Tony were shot down at no cost to the Chinese.

At Kweiyang the Japanese had heavy casualties from the Chinese artillery.

If the weather allows the Lucky 11 will be attacking the ship repair yard at Okayama tomorrow. Of course the guys are less than thrilled with this news. They have also heard scuttlebutt that a bomb group stationed on Guam has been sent to a newly won airfield at Okinawa. “Why couldn't we go there instead of this mission,” asks Gil. “I'll bet that there's fighters that will be escorting them all over Japan. Damn it all to hell, it's business as usual and there's no end in sight to this war no matter what we do.” The guys agree.

Chris can't believe that here they are cruising around so close to Japan and other than 1 day there have been no attempts made to attack the ships by air. The pilots in the squadron debate if the Japanese are almost out of planes or that they're saving them. “Maybe there's nobody left to fly them,' adds another pilot.

Jay is shocked that Al managed to get himself thrown in the stockade. There's a prissy new officer who caught Al stealing some booze from the Officer's Club while he was assigned to help clean the place. It was just built and now it's got it's first victim. Jay supposes that Al got off lightly as he's got himself 2 weeks inside, probably because he never got out of the OC. Jay maintained at the court that he was just moving the stock to make it possible to do a good job. The board didn't buy it, but as nothing ever left the premises they went easy on him while still making an example of him.

Butter rationing ended today in the United States, leaving only sugar still being rationed.

Victory Points Allied 125613 (32906 Strategic) Japanese 48678

[Capt. Harlock]

the vessels in the port were clobbered.
SS I-45 31 bomb hits, sunk
SS I-202 27 bomb hits, sunk
SS I-42 38 bomb hits, sunk
SS I-178 26 bomb hits, sunk
SS I-15 32 bomb hits, sunk
SS RO-103 23 bomb hits, sunk
SS I-46 25 bomb hits, sunk

Now that's overkill! (I don't think a WWII submarine would have still been in existence after a dozen hits or so.)

[tocaff]

Overkill gets the job done. I detected shipping there so....

No post today as Tstorms are rolling through battering us and here comes another.