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Reuters wires another report from Changsha

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What does Herb call them, Combustible and Very Expendable!
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The whole jap fleet seems to be descending on Munda. Two more CLs are sunk

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The Battle of Munda as written after the event.
I have given a new link so that only AAR posts appear as there have been a lot of Skyrim updates lately. Makes it easier for you guys to read.

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20,000 Japanese casualties. the butcher's bill for the first attack at Changsha
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End of June 43 sub warfare report and Japan withdraws from Changsha

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The RN delivers a spectacular victory at Port Blair under the noses of the KB. News of Burma Offensive

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Moving the AAR here as I have limited amount of time and we are getting to a very interesting point in the game.

HERB you're banned

2nd August 1943

Operation Varsity.

I Australian Corps, supported by the NCAC broke across the Irrawaday and took the Japanese flank in Burma by surprise. Warazup and Miytkyina were swiftly taken and positions consolidated. The three Aus Divisions provided the main punch (6th, 7th and 9th) while three reconstituted and retrained and requipped Chinese Divisions will act in support. Several British Brigades, two armoured Brigades and a plethora of artillery and support units marched secretly across the jungle to descend on weak Japanese units. Manoeuvres on the right flank near Cox's Bazaar pinned several Japanese Divisions down to the river line there while the developing of Kalemyo as a FOB get him honest to the North of Shwebo. The IJA's 6th Armoured Regiment was also routed to the East of Katha. its light skinned vehicles no match for the Lees of the 254th Armoured Regiment.

As we consolidated on the our right flank massive Japanese troop movements were spotted from West to East. As posted in the blog the Royal Navy was able to sink the bulk of the 4th Infantry Division redeploying from Port Blair. As the IJA shifted East the second part of Varsity went into action. The 18th Infantry Division spearheaded an advance down into the Arakan with the final destination of Akyab. Two Indian Divisions, two armoured regiments and engineer and artillery regiments supported its push and it made the Japanese lines with no ado. The Japanese 57th Infantry Division was entrenched on the island itself.

Japanese fast and small vessel transport convoys have been savaged in the Northern Solomon Islands. The absence of the the main enemy carrier fleet, last spotted in the Indian Ocean emboldened a USN eager to replicate the Royal Navy's attack at Port Blair.

First a number of fast destroyer transports were decimated by a task force led by CL Columbia that surprised and sank a number of APDs at Namatanai.



The Marshalls Sqaudron, led by the CL Marblehead also got its licks in annihilating a barge convoy at Kavieng yesterday.



Lean month however under the sea with the loss of four boats to boot! Damn E Types are starting to get deadly

2nd-6th August 1943

Nimitz was very pleased with himself. In the last month 4 of the new Essex carriers had joined the fleet along with two of the Princeton Class Light Carriers. This meant that along with the venerable Wasp and the Essex, both supporting operations in New Guinea, the USN now sported 6 fleet carriers, 2 light carriers and a plethora of escort carriers. He was doubly pleased by the news coming from his submarines plying the Bismarck Sea.

A large invasion fleet had been showing itself around the Milne Bay area for a fortnight or so. The Mavis search planes droning overhead and dodging in and out of the clouds evading the Hellcats on CAP, were deliberately shown the two flattops and the two battleships in the task force. A plethora of dive bombers and float planes from capital ships scoured the sea for the IJN's subs, but the important thing was to make sure the Japs saw the American ships and their heading. To all intents and purposes Lae was the target. Port Moresby's bombers had been hitting the base regularly and heavies from Coen had hit Nadzub, where a squadron of A6M3s had been flying CAP over Lae. Lae was the target and Japan was sure to bring her carriers into striking range in the Bismarck Sea.

Japan had split its carrier force. The main carriers had supported operations around Port Blair, along with the Yamato and Mushashi, while two smaller splinter groups had been patrolling the Bay of Bengal, tabs on them being kept by Catalinas of Coastal Command from Ceylon. Nimitz's hunch proved correct when one of the 25 submarines in the Bismarck Sea reported engaging a large force of carriers to the south of Ulithi. The ships appeared to head South.

As such a large force of submarines were deployed around Manus, and off the North Eastern coast of New Guinea, optimum striking range to Lae. Nimitz's foresight and the tenacity and bravery of the submarine captains was rewarded on the 3rd of August when one large enemy carrier was hit by a torpedo off Manus. The decoy invasion force began to change course and move East towards Guadalcanal, its mission over. Yet search planes spotted enemy carriers moving East out of the Bismark Sea. SS Crevaille, commanding a wolf pack of three boats, moved to intercept, their mission to guard the Eastern Approaches to Truk. HIMS Siryu became the second carrier to be hit by a torpedo in 48 hours. Nimitz grinned a satisfied grin as he read the reports. Temporary carrier parity may have been achieved. America needed to capitalise on this.

Elsewhere,

Japanese forces had been ejected from Torokina by the 112th Cavalry Regiment.

The British 18th Division had made two assaults against Akyab. Japan seemed to be abandoning the borderline and moving its units inland. Two more Indian divisions and one armoured brigade had arrived at Cox's Bazaar and were to ready to exploit any breach left by the IJA's withdrawal.

16th August 1943

Operation Margery was given the go.

Two US Army Divisions (Americal and 37th Infantry) under XI Corps and two USMC Divisions (1st and 2nd) under V Amphibious Corps would be hitting the beaches at Lae and Finnschafen during the early hours of 17th August. VMF Squadrons from the USN Wasp, Essex and Anzio would be providing close air support while RAAF and USAAF Squadrons from Buna, Salamua and Port Moresby would be supporting the landings.

17th August 1943

Americal and 37th Infantry Divisions hit Lae on the tails of a naval bombardment led by HMS Royal Soverign. The battered and shell shocked Japanese units put up little resistance and by night fall a solid beach head is achieved as armour begins to pour ashore. The story on Finnschafen is different. 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions land into withering defensive fire directed by the reinforced Jap 95th Brigade. Many platoons are disrupted upon landing and for one hairy moment in the morning V Amphibious Corps ponders cancelling the landing and diverting to Lae. Yet the Marines perservere and by days end the 1st Marines are ashore, despite suffering moderate casualties, while the 2nd Marines start to reinforce them.

In the air the story is different. 60 enemy planes are shot down for 4 losses on the Allied side. LBA CAP is supplementing the Hellcats from the Wasp and the Essex and three raids are massacred. The A6M is clearly outclassed by the latest Allied types and the proximty of the bases in Southern New Guinea ensure local air supremacy. Landings were also carried out by a Marine para battalion on Kusie Island just off the Marshalls in order to base an AVD and a Catalina unit there to further expand our search bracket and start throwing a yoke around Truk

18th August 1943

General Slim sent his congratulations to the commander of the 18th Infantry Division as news broke of the recapture of Akyab. With the arrival of 5th and 26th Indian Divisions the Corps at Akyab now had four divisions attached to it. Units would spend a few days resting before crossing the river and pushing South. The Royal Navy has also committed to supporting a landing on Ramree Island to develop an airbase there to hit Rangoon's left flank.

SS Gato, patrolling to the North of the Jima's and South of Tokyo, reported hitting a large enemy carrier on a northerly heading. That now makes three torpedo hits on three different enemy carriers in one week!

Landings continue in Operation Margery as the enemy has given up both the Naval and aerial fight over Lae and Finncshafen.

Long Time no updates ... either here or on your blog...