The Battle Under: The Allies Fight Back

[tocaff]

January 19, 1945 Washington DC

Intel

5th Army is located at Tsitsihar.
Ryojun Base Force is located at Port Arthur.
Yangtze SNLF is located at Ichang.
11th Ind. Brigade is located at Ichang.
14th Division is located at Hailar.
6th Army is located at Hailar.
Kaosing Fortress is located at Takao.
9th Division is located at Mutanchiang.
118th Division is located at Kaigan.
Elements of the 19th Mixed Brigade are located at Wuchow.
27274 men are based at Arshaan.
87703 men are based at Pescadores.
6637 men are based at Saigon.
51st Division is located at Wuchow.
1st Fleet is located at Manila.
5th Army is located at Tsitsihar.

Recon

Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Amboina 4 aux, 5 LCUs 20700/39/0
Catalina I takes recon photos of Lautem 1 LCU
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Legaspi 3 LCUs 25240/291/7
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Lamon Bay vacant
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Marcus Island 7 LCUs 12300/50/0

Combat

The SS Herring was attacked by 5 PCs 33 miles SE of Hong Kong. She was lightly damaged in the attack. Once the sub had made good it's escape they rose to periscope depth to take a peek before surfacing and they were jumped by the PCs again and this time the damage was very heavy and the flooding caused her demise.

The SS Rock, 20 miles NW of Pontianak, tried to attack 6 X DD, but they detected and attacked her first. The sub will return to a port for repairs as she now has light systems damage.

At Cagayan the Old Gals fired on Japanese positions inflicting very heavy casualties. Allied artillery chipped in dishing out heavy losses.

The SS S-27, 82 miles S of Banjarmasin, stalked and attacked a TK being escorted by a PG and 6 PCs. The target ate 2 torpedoes and was burning with heavy damage.

The SS Plunger, 79 miles N of Soerabaja, was hunted by 3 PGs and a PC who never managed to pin her location.

At Buin the 149th IJN Base Force was attacked by 48 X B-25J for heavy losses.

Japanese planes over Paramushiro Jima were intercepted by Allied fighters.

Slim got no sleep last night as there were to many incidents of nervous Marines firing blindly into the night thinking that there were Japanese closing in on them. These new lads have a lot to learn, he thinks to himself. What he can't understand is how with almost constantly having flares drifting down to their front can these guys be seeing things? He finally just writes it off to nerves and he knows that everybody has frayed nerves around here.

FDR is still concerned about the Russians upholding their end of the deal. He sighs and thinks that in about 2 months he'll know for sure. With the Germans crumbling before the Allied armies he wonders if Stalin feels like he no longer has a use for America and Britain. Of one thing he's certain is that Churchill keeps insisting that Stalin is not to be trusted.

British Empire casualties to 11/44 were 282,162 KIA, 80,580 MIA, 386,374 WIA and 294,438 POW.

Victory Points Allied 50687 Japanese 38708

[tocaff]

January 20, 1945 Cagayan

Intel

81641 men are based at Mishan.
Tokyo Bay Fortress is located at Tokyo.
12th AA Regiment is located at Peking.
11th Tank Regiment is located at Mishan.
5th Army is located at Tsitsihar.
4th Air Army is located at Tokyo.
87691 men are based at Pescadores.
36th Division is planning for an attack on Kweiyang.
57th Heavy AA Battalion is located at Changkufeng.
50th Division is located at Krung Thep.
27615 men are based at Changchun.
1st Mixed Regiment is located at Amoy.
12th Army is located at Nanning.

Recon

Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Tavoy 9 LCUs 80700/781/20
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Krung Thep 8 LCUs 44560/475/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Kendari 22 bombers, 16 aux, 7 LCUs 23400/74/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Lamon Bay vacant

Combat

At Cagayan the Old Gals pounded the Japanese for moderate casualties. The IJA 18th Division was pounced on by 15 X B-17E and 18 X B-25J for light losses. Then another strike of 18 X B-24J and 48 X P-38J hit the 18th for extremely light casualties. Meanwhile the IJA 56th Division was attacked by 77 X B-24J and 15 X B-24D for moderate losses. The IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade had moderate casualties due to 20 X B-17E and 26 X B-25J, 2 of which were damaged by ground fire. An Allied attack was blunted by the Japanese as both sides had extremely heavy casualties.

The SS Plunger, 93 miles N of Soerbaja, tried to attack a TK under escort by a PG and 6 PCs. They located her and drove her off after a viscous pounded with depth charges.

Tokyo was subjected to a fighter sweep made by 59 X P-51D who battled 43 X Zeke, 1 X Jack, 52 X Frank and 18 X Tony. 18 Zekes (1 damaged), the Jack, 27 Franks and 13 Tonys were shot down while 15 Mustangs were lost and 2 others were damaged.

Ichang was swept by 72 X P-38J who encountered 6 X George, 9 X Jack, 6 X Oscar, 15 X Tojo, 35 X Tony and 27 X Frank. The Lightnings lost 11 planes and had 4 damaged while the Japanese lost 6 Georges, 7 Jacks, 13 Tojos, 32 Tonys and 17 Franks.

Andaman Island was raided by 57 X B-25J (1 damaged), 42 X Mosquito FB.VI (2 damaged), 45 X P-47D and 18 X Thunderbolt II. The airstrip was lightly damaged as was the port, a secondary explosion was seen and personnel losses were light.

Bangkok was attacked by 40 X B-25J (2 downed, 20 damaged) and 14 X Spitfire VIII just as a fighter sweep of 144 X P-38J were leaving. The sweep came up empty but the Mitchells did moderate damage to the airfield, triggered many secondary explosions, trashed a Dinah and there were heavy casualties. Another strike was made by 146 X Liberator VI (1 downed, 16 damaged) and 15 X Thunderbolt II who did very heavy damage to the airfield, caused a very large number of secondary explosions, destroyed a Zeke and inflicted very heavy troop losses.

Balikpapan was swept by 71 X P-38J who fought with 18 X Frank and 30 X Tony. 10 Franks and all of the Tonys were splashed at the cost of 5 Lightnings lost and another damaged.

Kai Island was bombed by 75 X B-25J, 13 X P-40N and 21 X Kittyhawk III. The airstrip was lightly damaged and there were some secondary explosions seen.

Gili Gili was hit by 86 X B-24J and 12 X Spitfire VIII for light airfield damage, light port damage and a few secondary explosions were reported.

Rabaul was jumped by 86 X B-24D for moderate airfield damage, light port damage and moderate casualties.

At Buin the 149th IJN Base Force was pounded by 34 X B-25J for moderately heavy losses.

The SS Rock was 71 miles S of Pontianak when she attacked an AK be escorted by a PC. The target was hit by 3 fish and was ablaze with a heavy list to port and as the Rock silently slipped away the AK died.

Japanese planes were intercepted over Paramushiro Jima by Mustangs on a LRCAP.

“So what is being suggested is that we can make snatch and grabs for all of these spots? Recon flights have confirmed that they're wide open for us? Are we absolutely sure? Only sending in a Marine Bn to each spot is risky and they could get caught,” says FDR. He's told that recon has confirmed that these bases in question are indeed vacant and that a double checking will be done before the arrival of any troops and that there will be a larger reserve force on call if needed. “OK then let's go ahead with this and shut Borneo down to the Japanese,” Franklin says closing the meeting. He's told that this operation will not stop the Japanese from moving shipping in and out of Borneo from the Brunei are, but it will get dangerous for them.

The Palawan is making for Ulithi as part of a small convoy. Upon arrival she'll get new orders. Red has Tokyo Rose tuned in and he piping it through the ship. She's busy telling the Americans of their horrible losses in the battle for Mindanao and that American troops are being pushed back into the sea in their effort to retake an American colony that had been liberated by His Majesty's Imperial forces early in the war. She goes on to say that even the People in the Philippines want to be left alone by the American oppressors.

Slim doesn't even tell the lads as they've already started digging their holes for the night. The attack today went off as planned and as usual the cost in lives was very high and very little ground was gained. The platoon got some replacements today and they made good the losses from the last week. So many new faces and he's held a little meeting with them to tell them to listen to their squad leaders and the vets.

Stalin has had a cable delivered by the Tokyo Embassy putting out a feeler concerning some American ships delivering badly needed supplies to a Soviet garrison. A reply is expected and it would be a surprise if the Japanese allow this.

Victory Points Allied 50894 Japanese 38874

[tocaff]

January 21, 1945 Moscow

Intel

52nd Division is located at Hamamatsu.
110th Division is located at Hsinyang.
3rd FF Construction Battalion is located at Anshan.
8th Hvy Field Artillery Regiment is planning for an attack on Broome.
81615 men are based at Mishan.
5th AA Regiment is located at Gumma.
39th Division is located at Sining.
23rd Division is planning for an attack on Heiho.
51st Road Construction Battalion is located at Changsha.
11th Ind. Brigade is located at Ichang.
Elements of the 8th Mongolian Cavalry Division are located at Yenen.
19th Army is located at Manila.
49999 men are based at Nagoya.
31st AA Regiment is located at Sapporo.
26th Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Palembang.

Recon

PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Tarakan 1 LCU
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Samarinda vacant
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Kendari 32 bombers, 31 aux, 7 LCUs 24840/67/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Lamon Bay vacant
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Tawi Tawi vacant

Combat

A Lily attacked the SS Plunger, 29 miles N of Kragan, and the sub reported that it had been hit. The sub has moderate systems damage and light flooding so she'll cut her patrol short and make for a repair facility.

The SS Golet, about 72 miles E of Singapore, played cat and mouse with 4 DDs that tried and failed to pin her location.

Bangkok's port was attacked by 45 X B-24J (5 damaged), 127 X Liberator VI (14 damaged) and 34 X Thunderbolt II who did extremely heavy damage to their target, caused a huge number of secondary explosions and inflicted very heavy casualties. The port was struck again later in the day by 64 X B-25J (1 downed, 38 damaged), 45 X Mosquito FB.VI (2 downed, 11 damaged), 64 X P-47D and 25 X Thunderbolt II for moderate damage, some secondary explosions were observed and personnel losses were placed at very heavy.

Kwajalein was raided by 22 X SB2C and 24 X P-47D who triggered a secondary explosion.

Near Cagayan the IJA 56th Division was hit by 10 X SB2C and 13 X P-38J for negligible losses. Another strike of 22 X B-17E and 33 X B-25J (1 damaged) targeted the 56th and this time around the unit sustained moderate casualties. The it was the IJA100th Division's turn when 15 X B-17E and 18 X B-25J (1 damaged) struck for heavy troop losses. A little later 18 X B-24Jand 50 X P-38J came on but the 100th was missed by the bombs. Allied artillery barrages took a heavy toll on the Japanese.

At Buin 149th IJN Base Force had no losses as clouds thwarted 36 X B-25J from finding their target.

Allied commanders wondered what the Japanese were up to now that they have obviously given up stationing aircraft at Bangkok.

Tokyo replied to Stalin's query by asking how many ships and to where. They also stated that aircraft operating close to Japan would likely attack targets of opportunity. Upon reading this Stalin grunted and said, “Let them wonder for a while and then we will tell them where and when after the ships have already sailed. The surprise will be lost around then anyway so maybe we can buy the fleet an extra day or so before the Japanese respond.”

The orders to continue the recon of Tarakan are issued as Allied commanders want to know the composition of the unit located there. Pending the outcome the orders for the TF heading that way with the 1st Marine Raider Bn might be changed. The other targets appear to be open so their orders will remain the same.

Slim can't believe that there are still so many Japanese in the area. “I feel like an exterminator,” he says, comparing the Japanese to insects.

Today the 500th BG transferred from Guam to Saipan. The Lucky 11 made the short hop on 3 engines as number 2 caught fire. Gel oversaw the extinguishing of the fire and feathering of the engine and the rest of the flight was uneventful. After getting assigned to a tent the guys walked around and decided that Guam was a better setup. “I wonder what Tinian is like?” Gil said aloud to nobody in particular.

Tannenburg fell to the Russians today.

Victory Points Allied 50910 Japanese 38787

[tocaff]

January 22, 1945 Tori Shima

Intel

16th AA Regiment is located at Bangkok.
68th Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Naha.
Radio transmissions detected at Wakkanai.
8th Engineer Regiment is located at Ichang.
Botanko Hvy Gun Regiment is located at Tsitsihar.
44647 men are based at Harbin.
2nd Reserve AA Regiment is located at Tokyo.
5th Reserve AA Regiment is located at Harbin.
14462 men are based at Toyohara.
Kaosing Fortress is located at Takao.
7th Ind. Brigade is located at Changsha.
Ryojun Fortress is located at Port Arthur.
7th Heavy AA Battalion is located at Hailar.
11th Air Fleet is located at Cagayan.

Recon

F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Andaman Island 2 LCUs 7020/32/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Bandou vacant
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Songkhia 1 LCU 0/3/98
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Tarakan 2 LCUs
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Kendari 55 bombers, 62 aux, 7 LCUs 25480/72/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Ormoc vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Lamon Bay vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Jolo vacant

Combat

4 IJN PCs unsuccessfully attacked the SS Raton 41 miles NW of the Amami Group.

Ichang was raided by 63 X B-25J, 67 X P-38J and 23 X P-40N. The Japanese threw 5 X George, 1 X Jack, 3 X Oscar, 10 X Tojo, 15 X Tony and 16 X Frank at the attackers, but the Allied fighters kept them away from the bombers knocking 4 Georges, 4 Oscars, 10 Tojos, 14 Tonys and 16 Franks out of the air. The cost was 4 Lightnings (1 damaged) and 14 Warhawks destroyed. The airfield was lightly damaged, a couple of secondary explosions were seen and a Tojo was hit.

Near Cagayan the IJA 18th Division was jumped by 6 X B-24J and 52 X P-38J for very light casualties. The IJA 56th Division was hammered by 20 X B-24D, 18 X B-17E and 31 X B-25J for moderately heavy losses and immediately following that 40 X B-24J struck the unit for similar casualties. The IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade was the target of 8 X B-24D, 15 X B-17E and 14 X B-25J (1 damaged) resulting in moderate troop losses. The dust had barely settled when the 24th was struck again, this time by 10 X B-24J and 36 X P-38J for very light casualties. The planes kept attacking as the IJA 100th Division was visited by 10 X SB2C, 15 X TBM-3d, 12 X P-47D and 20 X F6F who exacted a toll of light losses. In the afternoon the 100th was hit again by 42 X B-24J for moderate casualties. Allied artillery accounted for very heavy Japanese casualties.

At Buin the 145th IJN Base Force got it's daily raid made by 48 X B-25J and the unit sustained moderate losses.

Bangkok underwent a fighter sweep made by 96 P-38Js who found nothing to oppose them. Now the Allied commander feel certain that the only aircraft left at Bangkok aren't serviceable. Recon flights tomorrow will reveal more, they hope.

Slim looks and feels like hell. He's running a fever, but won't come off the line as his lads need him. To help him the company CO sends him back to try and obtain more replacements, more ammo and hot meals. “While you're at it you can also stop by the base hospital and see if they can give you anything before you return,” says the LT. The company CO is concerned because he's lost to many vets and the replacements need time to settle in and there just isn't time for them.

Sam and Frankie trudge along as the squad once again patrols the poor excuse for a beach that his battalion is responsible for defending. The guys are getting really lax and Sam reminds them that if some Japanese have slipped ashore the next sound that they hear could be their last. Sam hopes it works, but he knows that it's impossible to keep them on their toes when even he can't.

Pete and Sylvia discuss what their post war plans are for the hotel as their best customer, the USA will no longer be needing accommodations. “The one thing we can be sure of is that the pub does good enough to carry us through the tough times and we don't owe anyone any money,” says Sylvia. Pete suggests that if things get really slow maybe they should increase the size of their family. Sylvia smiles and gives him a playful punch in the ribs saying, “That's all you ever think of, you randy boy.”

The Germans lost Insterburg and Allenstein to the Russians today.

Victory Points Allied 50990 Japanese 38923

[tocaff]

January 23, 1945 Ulithi

Intel

72nd Air Flotilla is located at Tokyo.
23rd Army is planning for an attack on Kweiyang.
13th AA Regiment is located at Maizuru.
Hoyo Fortress is located at Osumi.
Kure Base Force is located at Hiroshima/Kure.
Yangtze SNLF is located at Ichang.
3rd Construction Battalion is planning for an attack on Chungking.
Hensui Construction Battalion is located at Sasebo.
Elements of the 22nd Ind. Mixed Brigade are located at Lautem.

Recon

Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Saigon 6 X AP, 1 X AK, 3 X CA, 1 X DE, 15 fighters, 32 bombers, 23 aux, 1 LCU 5520/31/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Bangkok 34 LCUs
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Tarakan 2 LCUs
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Amboina 5 LCUs 20020/51/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of San Jose vacant
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Iloilo vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Puerto Princesa vacant
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Maloelap vacant

Combat

Andaman Island was bombed by 37 X B-24J (2 damaged), 37 X Mosquito FB.VI (1 damaged), 66 X P-47D and 12 X Thunderbolt II. The airstrip took moderate damage, there was a secondary explosion and casualties were light.

Bangkok was raided by 13 X Mosquito FB.VI, 3 were shot down and 7 took damage by the heavy and accurate AA fire. The airfield was very lightly damaged. Then 102 X Liberator VI (16 damaged) and 18 X Thunderbolt II struck for extremely heavy damage to the port facilities, a large number of secondary explosions were claimed and personnel losses were thought to have been very heavy.

Balikpapan was swept by 24 X P-51D who bounced 12 X Frank and 15 X Tony. A Mustang was damaged and the Japanese lost 4 Franks and 7 Tonys in the lopsided battle.

Near Cagayan the IJA 18th Division was attacked by 9 X B-24J and 56 X P-38J resulting in light casualties for the unit. Nearby the IJA 56th Division got it's dose of bombs from 24 X B-24J and 9 X B-24D and it too had light losses. The IJA 100th Division caught it from 31 X B-17E, 22 X B-24D, 32 X B-25J and 13 X P-38J. The Japanese had moderate casualties. Then the 100th Division was jumped by 13 X B-24J and 46 X P-38J who added very light troop losses to the toll. The 100th had another attack hit them later on as 36 X B-24D and 42 X B-24J inflicted heavy casualties. The IJA 102nd Division was the target for 10 X SB2C, 15 X TBM-3d, 41 X P-38J and 20 X F6F who accounted for heavy losses. Allied artillery rained ordinance down on the Japanese throughout the day adding very heavy casualties.

“Can you believe that I've flown 83 combat missions and still don't have a kill?” says Stick. The crew chief servicing his plane commiserates, but also states that he's a good pilot and that he's sure that he'll have the honor of painting a meatball below Stick's canopy soon.

Palawan rests at Ulithi awaiting orders. Red is busily cleaning up the latest flood and dropping from Lucky. “You should've been a smaller dog,” Red says. “When you get sick you make a real mess. What did you eat that didn't agree with you?” Luck just sits there watching Red. One of the crew says that the dog looks so smart that sometimes he almost expects Lucky to answer Red. “Actually I've learned that the dog does communicate pretty well through facial expressions, body language and sounds,” Red tells the man.

Bill has attended another round of meetings and upon his return to the Missouri he tells his officers that there's nothing to report yet. “It's the old boredom that we hate and then miss when it all goes to hell in a basket suddenly,” he said.

The Red Army entered Elbing and Konev on the Oder.

Victory Points Allied 51012 Japanese 38950

[tocaff]

January 24, 1945 California

Intel

3rd Air Army is located at Rabaul.
31687 men are based at Paramushiro Jima.
6th Heavy AA Battalion is located at Tsitsihar.
5818 men are based at Aomori.
64th Construction Battalion is located at Nagasaki.
55th Heavy AA Battalion is located at Changkufeng.
69th Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Osaka/Kobe.
8th Construction Battalion is located at Sining.
49th Construction Battalion is located at Hailar.
23rd Army is planning for an attack on Kweiyang.
Shimbu Force is located at Kadina.

Recon

Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Tavoy 9 LCUs 45660/403/16
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Krung Thep 8 LCUs 39500/401/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Amboina 4 aux, 5 LCUs 20720/30/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Manila 3 X CA, 12 LCUs 2380/11/0
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Wotje 4 LCUs
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Ponape 1 LCU
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Jesselton vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Brunei vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Tacloban vacant
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Roxas vacant
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Majuro vacant

Combat

Allied troops unloaded over beach at Ormoc and took heavy casualties.

Allied troops landed at Tawi Tawi and absorbed heavy losses.

Allied troops went ashore at Jolo and sustained moderate casualties.

Allied troops hit the beach at Cebu Island and had moderate troop losses.

Andaman Island was raided by 31 X B-24J and 9 X Thunderbolt II. AA fire damaged 4 of the bombers as they hit the airfield for moderate damage.

The SS Sunfish was being stalked by 5 PGs 15 miles NW of Brunei, but they couldn't nail down her exact location and the sub made them pay by hitting 1 of them with a torpedo. The target was heavily damaged and burning as the Sunfish departed while the Japanese dropped depth charges all over the area.

At Cagayan Allied artillery hammered the Japanese for heavy casualties.

Sam was bored for a change so he got a bucket of water, a bar of soap and then he proceeded to give Frankie a bath. The guys joke that they are filthy, but their dog is well groomed. “Hey, what do you mean our dog?” asks Sam. “He's mine and I let you guys play with him.” They share the laugh, but they all look at the dog as their own special alarm system as he's the best member of the squad when it comes to guard duty.

Dave tells Sandy that he's heading up to the roof to shovel the snow that fell last night and she promises to keep an eye out for him. After a while she brews some coffee and when Dave enters the house after completing his work he immediately smells it and heads into the kitchen to get a mug. It's bitterly cold outside and it's also starting to snow again so he doesn't even plan on going to the garage until after lunch and then it'll be to shovel and just hang around. Nobody would be crazy enough to try and drive on the mountain roads in this snowstorm.

Phil has put the finishing touches on the bombardment plans for Cagayan. Now he pulls out another set of charts, yawns and gets to work for Naga. Ed passes by and takes a look, nods and tells him to keep up the good work.

The Germans began the evacuation of Slovakia.

Oppeln and Gleiwitz fell to Soviet forces.

Victory Points Allied 51026 Japanese 38960

[tocaff]

January 25, 1945 Pittsburgh

Intel

31st Heavy AA Battalion is located at Aomori.
Canton Base Force is located at Canton.
107th Division is located at Hailar.
68th Division is planning for an attack on Chungking.
Elements of the 2nd Mongolian Cavalry Division are located at Tsingtao.
China Expeditionary Army is located at Nanning.
58th Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Clark Field.
129th IJA Base Force is located at Ominato.
8th Area Army is located at Dobodura.
211617 men are based at Masan.

Recon

F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Luang Prabang 1 LCU 900/2/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Alor Star 29 bombers, 15 aux, 5 LCUs 17780/125/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Brunei 3 X APD, 2 X AK, 1 X AP, 24 fighters, 22 bombers, 38 aux, 1 LCU 8040/0/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Tarakan vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Naga 1 LCU
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Clark Field 4 LCUs
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Puerto Princesa vacant
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Maloelap 2 LCUs
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Amboina 1 aux, 5 LCUs 19600/51/0

Combat

The SS Parche had a TK and it's 4 X DD escort cross her path so she put a torpedo into the tanker, setting it ablaze and causing heavy damage. The escorts tried to locate her, but failed to do so. A couple of hours later another brush with the still searching escorts came to nothing. In the late afternoon the sub was looking to surface to charge the batteries and get some fresh air, but a periscope sweep revealed the destroyers were still searching for her. That night, having made good her escape the Parche runs on the surface continuing her patrol. No location of her position was given in the report today.

At Cagayan Allied artillery accounted for heavy Japanese casualties.

Ormoc fell to the Allies.

Tawi Tawi is now an Allied base.

Jolo is in Allied hands now.

Cebu Island has been liberated by Allied forces.

Elaine hasn't gotten a letter for a few days and her parents tell her that it's probably just the Post Office and that Gil is just fine. She appreciates their attempts to allay her fears, but she's concerned. Her sister suggests that they go out and see a movie so the two girls go.

Gil wonders why there are such long gaps sometimes between missions. He's OK with just sitting on his duff, but he wonders why anyway. Life is boring on the island and though it is supposed to be secure the men aren't allowed out of a certain area, “just in case”. So far being at war is nothing like Gil thought it would be.

Chris lies in his bunk and another pilot in his squadron is busy telling him about how good they have it flying off of a carrier. “The food is pretty good, I mean we never are hungry. Hell we even have ice cream. Our bunks are clean,” the man says and Chris cuts him off with remarks about how easy it is to have the ship get sunk and then where are you?

The Red Army has now isolated Posen.

Victory Points Allied 51064 Japanese 38924

[tocaff]

January 26, 1945 Mindanao

Intel

34th Division is located at Nanning.
2nd NLF is located at Medan.
103rd Division is located at Clark Field.
115th Division is located at Peking.
42nd Division is located at Sendai.
61st Division is located at Tokyo.
Combined Fleet is located at Tokyo.
6th Army is located at Hailar.
19th Army is located at Manila.
1752 men are based at Seoul.
311374 men are based at Kagoshima.
75387 men are based at Sapporo.
28th Division is located at Hailar.
Arshan Garrison Regiment is located at Arshaan.

Recon

F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Pisanuloke 4 LCUs 7840/25/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Georgetown 75 bombers, 58 aux, 5 LCUs 5260/13/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Brunei 6 X APD, 1 X AP, 4 X AK, 29 fighters, 14 bombers, 67 aux, 1 LCU 10100/0/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Legaspi 3 LCUs
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Bataan vacant
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Maloelap 2 LCUs
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Kusaie Island vacant
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Wotje 4 LCUs

Combat

Tagbalarin was occupied by the Allies.

The SS Peto, 16 miles N or Miri, was attacked by 4 PGs, sustaining light systems damage. They gave her a rough time and when the sub managed to evade them she turned the tables a hit a PG with a torpedo, sinking it. Later 7 X PC found her and spelled her doom with a violent attack that the sub couldn't evade.

Ichang was attacked by 79 X B-25J, 52 X P-38J and 12 X P-40N. 3 X George, 1 X Jack, 3 X Oscar, 8 X Tojo, 10 X Tony and 26 X Frank tried to stop the raid. The Allied fighters did their job protecting the bombers as they shot down 2 Georges, the Jack, all of the Oscars, Tojos, Tonys and Franks while they paid with the loss of 4 Lightnings (4 damaged) and 8 Warhawks. The Mitchells did their deadly work almost at leisure as the flak was very light and inaccurate. The airfield was heavily damaged, 2 Oscars, 3 Nicks and a Dinah were destroyed at their revetments and casualties were moderately heavy.

Balikpapan was swept by 21 X P-51D who dove out of the sun and bounced 6 X Frank and 11 X Tony. The Japanese lost a Frank and 4 Tonys in the initial pass and the survivors then ran for the clouds.

Near Cagayan the IJA56th Division was struck by 14 X SB2C, 21 X TBM-3d, 64 X P-38J (1 damaged) and 26 X F6F for heavy losses. Almost immediately after they thought they were safe the Japanese of the 56th were hit again by 34 X B-17E, 20 X B-24D, 54 X B-25J and 17 X P-38J for moderate casualties. The Allies weren't done with the 56th as another strike arrived comprised of 44 X B-24J, 38 X B-24D and 52 X PB4Y who added very heavy losses to the count. The IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade had it's turn under the gun as 15 X PB4Y, 10 X B-24J and 54 X P-38J hit the unit for moderate casualties. The IJA 102nd Division was clobbered by 18 X B-24J, 30 X PB4Y and 48 X P-38J for heavy losses. Allied artillery barrages added heavy losses to the tally.

Slim hears the word and the word is tomorrow morning as soon as the artillery barrage lifts they will hit the Japanese positions. He returns to his hole after passing the word and falls asleep dreaming of a hamburger and a root beer float.

After reading all the reports from the various departments Bill sighs. His ship is ready for action, though there are a few minor items that are being attended to. Now if they just had some orders instead of just growing barnacles on the hull.

Chris lies in his bunk rereading a letter from Emily, trying to take his mind off of the impending action he'll soon be seeing. There has been no word passed as of yet, but with the fleet resting and the current operations in and around Mindanao closing something must be in the pipeline as he doubts the Japanese will be offering a surrender any time soon.

Ed promises the gathered generals that his Old Gals will provide as much fire support at Cagayan as humanly possible, and then some. The same is promised by the Army Air Corps and that will have to be enough as the next operation will place demands on the already stretched Allied forces.

Himmler was put in command of Army Group Vistula.

The Russians isolated 3 German Armies in East Prussia.

Kattawitz fell to the Soviets.

The Russians entered Auschwitz and found less than 3,000 survivors as the SS had moved most of the prisoners to camps in Germany.

Victory Points Allied 51156 Japanese 38953

[tocaff]

January 27, 1945 Mindanao

Intel

52nd Division is located at Hamamatsu.
2nd RF Gun Battalion is planning for an attack on Kweiyang.
86th Division is located at Nagaoka.
32903 men are based at Sunwu.
13th AA Regiment is located at Maizuru.
9th Ind. Brigade is located at Changsha.
6661 men are based at Saigon.
19364 men are based at Tinian.
8th Construction Battalion is located at Sining.
49th Heavy AA Battalion is located at Mukden.
1st Amphibious Brigade is planning for an attack on Wake Island.

Recon

F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Tavoy 9 LCUs 67820/705/8
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Taiping vacant
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Miri 3 X TK, 2 X AP, 1 X CA, 1 LCU 2900/15/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Amboina 3 aux, 5 LCUs 19620/51/0
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Maloelap 2 LCUs
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Wotje 4 LCUs
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Kusaie Island vacant

Combat

Bacolod was occupied by the Allies

Near Cagayan the IJA 18th Division was attacked by 14 X B-17E, 6 X B-24D, 18 X B-25J (1 downed) and 4 X P-38J for moderate casualties. Another strike on the 18th Division followed a short time later made up of 14 X B-24J, 18 X PB4Y and 56 X P-38J which added addition moderate troop losses. Meanwhile the IJA 56th Division was tagged by 18 X B-17E, 15 X B-24D, 30 X B-25J and 13 X P-38J for heavy casualties. At almost the same time the IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade was hit by 15 X B-24J, 32 X PB4Y and 50 X P-38J. The unit had heavy casualties as a result of the raid. Then 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade was bombed again by 76 X B-24J, 31 X B-24D and and 52 X PB4Y for additional heavy losses. Before the dust from the air attacks had settled the Allied ground attack surged forward, taking some ground at an extremely heavy cost to both sides.

The SS Plunger continues to battle against the sea as she makes for Darwin. Her skipper and crew are now confidant that they'll make it safely.

Slim is sitting cradling the dead body of one of the new guys and tears are rolling down his cheeks. The company CO stops and lays a hand on his shoulder and then leaves. The Captain then heads for Battalion HQs where he tells the CO that his lads are spent and that the company is no longer combat effective. “We need replacements, new everything, rest, a chance to clean ourselves up and decent food. The CO looks at him and says that they have been placed into regimental reserve for a bit and that as soon as they are relieved on the line they may head for the rear area for some R & R.

Ships continue to pour into Cagayan to unload supplies and then they anchor where they can find a place as they wait for the next stage of the Allied offensive.

Stick is so tired of flying a couple of CAP missions a day. The men and machines of the Flying Deuces are worn out and there is no end in sight.

Slim quietly sits near the chow line staring blankly at his food, playing with it. He's been uncommonly quiet since the last assault on the Japanese. The lads are giving him a wide berth and even the officers are leaving him alone, for now. Suddenly he gets up cursing a blue streak and flips they food away and stalks off to his tent. Once there he strips his tattered uniform off and heads off for a shower. Later on the company CO is shocked to see a clean shaven Marine. When he says something Slim replied, “The Corps teaches us to take care of ourselves and what kind of example would I be if I didn't do the right thing?” As to CO leaves he's smiling as it seems that the old Slim is back.

Warships have been moving from Ulithi to Dadjangas in preparation for the next big operation and Ed and his staff are working on moving the Old Gals from Dadjangas to Cotabato. Phil is very adept at planning, but he still longs for a command. Ed is aware of this and mentions to a friend of his that he has an officer on his staff that was a tin can driver who's chomping at the bits to get back to sea. The admiral tells Ed that he'll make mention of this as soon as he gets back to Pearl.

Memel fell to the Soviets.

Victory Points Allied 51184 Japanese 38971

[tocaff]

January 28, 1945 Ulithi

Intel

55 ships are based at Okayama.
6767 men are based at Inch'on.
64th Construction Battalion is located at Nagasaki.
20th Army is located at Tsitsihar.
311379 men are based at Kagoshima.
3971 men are based at Osumi.
19364 men are based at Tinian.
Karafuto Mixed Brigade is located at Shikka.
Nagasaki Fortress is located at Nagasaki.
3rd FF Construction Battalion is located at Anshan.
16th Division is located at Manila.
2nd Division is located at Ominato.

Recon

F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Tavoy 9 LCUs 87600/897/23
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Miri 5 X TK, 1 X AP, 1 LCU 3520/9/0
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Wotje 4 LCUs
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Kusaie Island vacant
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Taiping vacant
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Maloelap 2 LCUs

Combat

Tacloban is occupied by the Allies.

A Helen attacked the SS S-27 about 23 miles NW of Miri and the sub reported having been hit. S-27 will now try for a friendly port with moderate systems damage and moderate flooding.

The SS Sunfish, 18 miles NW of Brunei, spotted and attacked 4 PGs. She hit one of them with a torpedo, sinking it. The PGs tried to find the sub for most of the day and in the afternoon they reaped their reward for being so persistent. The Sunfish attacked again and struck one of her would be tormentors with 2 fish. She then bugged out, not waiting around to confirm a kill.

The Old Gals swung back into action with a naval bombardment of Cagayan that inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese. The IJA 56th Division was jumped by 11 X PB4Y and 50 X P-38J for moderate losses. The IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade was hit by 14 X SB2C, 21 X TBM-3d, 64 X P-38J and 26 X F6F with the unit sustaining heavy losses. The IJA 102nd Division was hammered by 33 X PB4Y and 46 X P-38J for heavy casualties. Allied artillery pounded away at the Japanese positions for very heavy troop losses.

The SS Parche found a lone PG and she attacked it. A torpedo struck causing heavy damage and fires. No position report was given.

Bangkok was bombed by 154 X Liberator VI, 48 X B-24J and 35 X Thunderbolt II. AA fire was heavy and accurate as a Liberator VI was destroyed and 29 others were damaged. The target was resources and the damage done was very heavy.

Balikpapan was swept by 24 X P-51D who attacked the 9 X Frank and 15 X Tony that were up, downing 6 Franks and 7 Tonys at no cost to themselves.

Kwajalein was raided by 36 X PB4Y and 6 X SB2C. No damage was done to any facilities and personnel losses were negligible. Another attack was made by 32 X PB4Y who caused light damage to the airfield, a secondary explosion was reported, a Thora was burning and casualties were put at very light.

A huge concentration of shipping is converging on Dutch Harbor, which will be a rendezvous point before they head to the staging area.

Sam is talking a couple of the guys while tossing a ball for Frankie to retrieve. He says, “The Japs can't continue to leave us unmolested forever like this. Soon the Sea Bees will be finished here and then it's going to get tough to stay on our toes. When the Navy pulls out the booze and trinkets go too. We need to form a baseball team or something just to give us something to do.” The guys agree and Sam says that he'll speak with the company CO and see what can be done as their LT already is into this idea.

Stick is still stuck on zero kills and the guys have stopped teasing him about it. His CO doesn't even offer him encouragement any longer other than the usual that he dispenses to all of the pilots.

Still no orders to sail and Bill, like the rest of the men awaiting the word are getting antsy. The upside is that there's plenty of mail arriving for the crew each day and Bill is getting his fair share of letters from Sandy. He's busily replying to the one that arrived today when the XO knocks on his cabin door and enters when Bill responds. It seems that there is going to be a boxing tournament held and there are a few members of the crew who would like to represent their ship. One of them was a boxer from Chicago that was pretty good before he got drafted. The XO asks if Bill would like to get in on a little wagering and the reply is that not only will he back his crew monetarily, but that he wants to attend the fights and as many of the crew as possible should be able to also. The XO says that he'll get right on it by calling all department heads to the wardroom for a meeting to arrange everything.

Phil hands the reports to Ed who says that the results were OK given that spotting flights were hampered by the cloud cover and that there were only 3 BBs involved. “Soon we'll put all of the Old Gals into a chorus line of mayhem and unleash them,” says Ed.

The Ardennes Salient has been eliminated.

Victory Points Allied 51217 Japanese 38877

[tocaff]

The pilot bug hit this turn. It's akin to the Black Death. I live in dread of the results with my high experienced air formations replacing very good pilots with green ones.

January 29, 1945 New York

Intel

81492 men are based at Mishan.
254140 men are based at Ominato.
40th Construction Battalion is located at Changchun.
57th Heavy AA Battalion is located at Changkufeng.
3rd Fleet is located at Soerabaja.
14th Army is located at Victoria Point.
27586 men are based at Changchun.
Yokosuka 3rd SNLF is located at Rabaul.
5th Division is located at Soerabaja.
8th Fleet is located at Gili Gili.
41st Division is located at Nanning.
31st Road Construction Battalion is located at Changchun.
24th Engineer Regiment is located at Chiamussu.
147th IJN Base Force is located at Buin.
56th Heavy AA Battalion is located at Harbin.

Recon

F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Brunei 4 X DE, 3 X APD, 7 X AP, 8 X AK, 32 fighters, 20 bombers, 62 aux, 1 LCU 10860/0/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Kai Island 5 LCUs 3620/2/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Kwajalein 8 LCUs 22200/6/0
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Andaman Island 2 LCUs 3600/17/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Krung Thep 8 LCUs 36260/332/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Kuala Lumpur vacant

Combat

The Old Gals unloaded a naval bombardment on Cagayan, but the Japanese escaped with only moderate casualties. The IJA 18th Division was attacked by 15 X B-17E, 6 X B-24D, 21 X B-25J and 5 X P-38J and the unit absorbed heavy casualties. Another raid on the 18th Division by 11 X B-24J, 6 X B-24D and 10 X PB4Y added light troop losses to the toll on the unit. The IJA 56th Division was struck by 13 X SB2C, 21 X TBM-3d, 63 X P-38J and 27 X F6F for heavy casualties. The IJA 100th Division had heavy losses from a visit made by 20 X B-17E, 20 X B-24D, 29 X B-25J and 15 X P-38J. Another raid on the 100th Division by 46 X PB4Y and 104 X P-38J caused heavy casualties. The the 100th Division absorbed another hit from 36 X B-24D, 27 X B-24J and 16 X PB4Y. Once again the unit had heavy losses. The Allied artillery pounded the Japanese throughout the day for heavy casualties.

Allied troops unloaded over beach at Taytay. Moderate losses were reported.

Allied troops landed at Puerto Princesa and had moderate casualties.

Allied troops poured ashore at Roxas taking moderately heavy losses.

Ichang was attacked by 78 X B-25J, 71 X P-38J and 19 X P-40N. The Japanese intercepted with 8 X George, 1 X Jack, 3 X Oscar, 4 X Tojo, 13 X Tony and 40 X Frank. The Allied fighter escorts kept the Japanese away from the bombers at the cost of 2 Lightnings (1 damaged) and 15 Warhawks shot down. The Japanese lost all of their planes in the effort to repel the attackers. The airfield was moderately damaged, there were some secondary explosions seen, an Oscar, a Tony, 3 Franks, 2 Nicks and 2 Dinah were trashed on the ground and personnel losses were moderate.

Bangkok was bombed by 112 X Liberator VI, 41 X B-24J and 35 X Thunderbolt II who braved the heavy and accurate flak losing a Liberator VI (19 damaged) and 11 B-24Js were also damaged. Resources were the target and it took a heavy blow.

Balikpapan was under a CAP of 5 X Frank and 11 X Tony when 23 marauding P-51Ds bounced them. 3 Franks and 4 Tonys tumbled from the sky while the Allies lost a Mustang and another was damaged.

Jaluit was raided by 22 X B-25J and though no facilities were reported as damaged there were a couple of secondary explosions observed.

The Muskallunge, on patrol about 97 miles W of Nagasaki, located and attacked an AK being escorted by a PG. She scored a torpedo hit on the target, setting it on fire.

Yorktown is sailing in the waters around Mindanao and Chris spent an uneventful time on a CAP patrol. He really doesn't care if he doesn't get a chance to pad his kill total of 9. He wants to survive the war and he does his job to the best of his abilities, it's just that he's tired of it all.

Gil sits on a stool in front of the tent writing a letter to Elaine when suddenly it starts to rain. Despite his best efforts the ink has run and his letter is illegible. He sighs, balls it up and tosses it into a trash can and heads towards the mess. By the time he arrives he's soaking wet and Gels says that he looks like he swam here. “Maybe I'll get sick and be excused flight duty,” said Gil.

Gene looks a a calendar and realizes that it's Monday. His last day off was Tuesday, two weeks ago. Everything seems to run together and he's lost all sense of time due to the crazy schedule. He's supposed to get a few days off starting tomorrow and he wonders what he'll do with the time after he sleeps.

Oberhausen fell today.

Victory Points Allied 51329 Japanese 39014

[tocaff]

January 30, 1945 Cagayan

Intel

20th Army is located at Tsitsihar.
Shimbu Force is located at Kadina.
38376 men are based at Gumma.
Arshan Garrison Regiment is located at Arshaan.
9372 men are based at Kitakyushu.
Yokosuka 5th SNLF is located at Georgetown.
155th IJA Base Force is located at Buin.
13th Tank Regiment is planning for an attack on Chungking.
51st Road Construction Battalion is planning for an attack on Chungking.
155th IJA Base Force is located at Buin.
51st Road Construction Battalion is planning for an attack on Chungking.
11th Ind. Brigade is located at Ichang.

Recon

F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Tarakan 2 LCUs 6640/77/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Kwajalein 8 LCUs 19140/4/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Krung Thep 8 LCUs 43340/411/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Kuala Lumpur vacant
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Kai Island 5 LCUs 4360/5/0

Combat

The SS Searaven was futilely hunted by 5 PGs about 97 miles SW of Swatow. The PGs lost the scent, but later 6 PCs appeared and they pinned the sub's location and pounded her. The Searaven managed to evade her attackers, but they obtained contact and delivered the coup de grace.

Allied troops unloaded over beach at Iloilo taking moderate casualties.

Bangkok was bombed by 68 X Liberator VI (1 downed, 23 damaged) and 6 X B-24J (2 damaged) for light damage to the resources.

Jaluit was raided by 13 X B-25J who missed their target.

Near Cagayan the IJA 18th Division had light losses from 64 X P-47D. Then the 18th Division was hit by 38 X B-17E, 31 X B-24D, 47 X B-25J and 20 X P-38J for heavy casualties. The IJA 56th Division was struck by 37 X PB4Y and 98 X P-38J for light losses. The IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade was hammered for heavy casualties by 36 X B-24D, 38 X B-24J and 22 X PB4Y. The IJA 102nd Division was targeted by 14 X SB2C, 20 X TBM-3d, 64 X P-38J and 27 X F6F taking moderate losses. Allied artillery inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese.

Hanoi was swept by 7 X P-40N and commanders are still trying to decide where the orders for this came from.

Allied forces captured Taytay base.

Puerto Princesa fell to Allied troops.

Roxas is now in Allied hands.

FDR reads over the reports and asks if there's anything else to which he's told no. He then wheels himself over to a table and looks over a map of Europe and mutters how these nuts keep on fighting for lost causes shedding blood needlessly.

Slim sits under a tree reading a letter from a cousin. It says lots of nothing, but it's a distraction from the reality of the brutality and mindlessness of what he's living through. Once he finishes he tosses it away and picks up an ammo box to take back to the lads. The officers and NCOs of the company met to be told that they would be remaining here while most of the units in the area would be leaving for another operation. Slim wondered why some units were pulled out of the lines, but now it makes sense. He hopes the brass is right about the Japanese being weakened enough to be dealt with by reduced forces.

Pete is enjoying a cup of tea and reading a newspaper when Syl and Pearl appear. He immediately sets aside both and gives his wife a hug and kiss. He then picks up Pearl and kisses her. A worker comes by and picks up the paper to throw away. Pete never got to see the story about Americans who helped to save Australia.

Gene's mother finally wakes him up for lunch. He smiles and actually feels refreshed after sleeping for about 12 hours. He wonders what it's like to be in combat and go without sleep for for extended periods of time and then only catch a little bit of sleep. He's beginning to hate his job, but realizes that it's better than fighting.

Hitler called for fanatical resistance by soldiers and civilians.

The Wilhelm Gustloff was sunk by a Russian sub and over 6,000 died. This was the largest, single naval disaster in history.

Victory Points Allied 51351 Japanese 39021

[tocaff]

January 31, 1945 Somewhere West Of Ulithi

Intel

4th AA Regiment is located at Gumma.
68th Construction Battalion is located at Hamamatsu.
Chinkai Base Force is located at Masan.
43rd Division is located at Legaspi.
454654 men are based at Tokyo.
3rd Reserve AA Regiment is located at Matsue.
53rd Heavy AA Battalion is located at Mutanchiang.
17092 men are based at Kanazawa.
116th Division is located at Manila.
9th Ind. Brigade is located at Changsha.
Elements of the 22nd Division are located at Wenchow.
5810 men are based at Aomori.
Radio transmissions detected at Ulithi.
Radio transmissions detected at Prince Rupert.

Recon

F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Andaman Island 2 LCUs 6580/28/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Tarakan 2 LCUs 9300/88/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Malacca vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Kwajalein 8 LCUs 17080/5/0

Combat

Tavoy was raided by 18 X B-24J (7 damaged), 13 X Thunderbolt II and 16 X Spitfire VIII for light resource damage.

Bangkok was bombed by 101 X Liberator VI (1 downed, 19 damaged) for moderate damage to it's heavy industry.

Near Cagayan the IJA 18th Division 6 X B-17E, 17 X B-24D, 3 X B-25J and and 5 X P-38J for moderate casualties. Another attack on the 18th Division was made by 8 X B-24J, 10 X PB4Y and 44 X P-38J for moderate losses. The IJA 56th Division was struck by 14 X SB2C, 21 X TBM-3d, 63 X P-38J, 63 X P-47D and 27 X F6F resulting in heavy Japanese losses. Another strike on the 56th Division by 21 X B-24J, 33 X PB4Y and 49 X P-38J added moderately heavy casualties to the toll. The the 56th Division was visited by 17 X PB4Y for very light losses. The IJA 102nd Division was the target for 26 X B-17E, 40 X B-24D, 6 X B-25J and 15 X P-38J and there were heavy casualties as a result. Allied artillery pounded the Japanese adding very heavy losses.

Iloilo fell to Allied forces.

Flights into and out of Paramushiro Jima were intercepted by P-47Ds.

The Palawan left Ulithi as part of a small convoy to pick up some air units and drop them at a forward base somewhere. Cookie asks Red where they're headed to and Red just shrugs and says, “Beats me. You guys think that because I've got the radio that I've got a direct pipeline of information. I just ain't so. Mostly I just sit in that little sweat box listening to music or static. Now I ain't complaining, but I'm as uniformed and bored as the rest of you guys. The way I see it my getting paid to sit on my duff all of the time is almost criminal.” Cookie grunts and mutters something about heading back to the galley.

Slim has the lads looking after themselves to keep them busy. He longs for a shower and some sleep that isn't always being interrupted. As long as they get a little break now and then he'll have to be content.

Gil reads a letter from home. His sister tells about how much help the money he sends home each month is. Her 2 sisters are already married, but of course their husbands are overseas too. His father isn't working claiming that he's got some sort of ailment or another.

Zhukov has bridgeheads over the Oder, less than 40 miles from Berlin.

Victory Points Allied 51361 Japanese 39038

[tocaff]

February 1, 1945 Tori Shima

Intel

44666 men are based at Harbin.
22nd AA Regiment is located at Osaka/Kobe.
1st AA Regiment is located at Tokyo.
21st Division is located at Gili Gili.
9th Aviation Rgt is located at Hailar.
87845 men are based at Pescadores.
Iki Fortress is located at Ikitsuki.
22nd Heavy AA Battalion is planning for an attack on Chungking.
11th Division is located at Mishan.
10th Aviation Rgt is located at Changchun.
14495 men are based at Nagasaki.
18715 men are based at Shikka.
58th Construction Battalion is located at Takamatsu.
57th Division is located at Arshaan.
1st AA Regiment is located at Tokyo.

Recon

F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Tavoy 9 LCUs 98700/1010/28
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Andaman Island 2 LCUs 7520/25/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Tarakan 2 LCUs 9460/93/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Malacca vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Kwajalein 8 LCUs 17380/6/0

Combat

The SS Batfish, 68 miles SW of Hong Kong3, was hunted by a pair of PGs who never put the sub at risk. The Batfish then gave them a dose of turnabout being fair play and hit an AK with a torpedo that caused fire to erupt. In the afternoon the sub intercepted and attacked another AK and a PC, scoring a torpedo hit on the AK that ignited a fire on the ship.

Tavoy was raided by 47 X B-25J (7 damaged), 15 X Mosquito FB.VI (1 damaged) and 13 X Thunderbolt II. Moderate damage was done to the resources. Another strike of 88 X Liberator VI (3 damaged), 48 X Mosquito FB.VI (3 damaged), 13 X Thunderbolt II and 16 X Spitfire VIII added additional moderate damage to the resources.

Bangkok was bombed by 10 X B-24J (1 downed, 6 damaged) who managed to do some damage to the heavy industry located there.

Jaluit was hit by 29 X B-25J for light port damage.

Near Cagayan the IJA 18th Division suffered through 3 attacks that resulted in heavy casualties being taken by the unit. The IJA 56th Division was hit twice by Allied planes for heavy losses. The IJA 102nd Division underwent a couple of bombings that inflicted heavy casualties. Allied artillery caused heavy losses for the Japanese today.

Japanese flights over Paramushiro Jima were intercepted by Allied fighters.

The SS Plunger has managed to reach Darwin and now once the flooding is stopped she'll make for a yard for extensive repairs.

“So all we have to do is lift a few big bombers on board and then deliver them? It all sounds to easy,” says the crewman of the Palawan. Somehow Red doubts that things will be a piece of cake. He walks over to the rail and joins Cookie for a smoke. They just stare off into the distance, each lost in his own thoughts. Suddenly their tranquil moment is disrupted by Lucky, who presents them with a dead rat, sits down and awaits a reward for his efforts and generosity. They two men laugh and Cookie, who's always ready with a treat for the dog, presents Lucky with his reward. “He would've died of dehydration if I made him wait the way he drools so much,” Cookie comments.

Sam sits with Frankie watching the Mustangs flying in and out of the airstrip. Once in a while they catch a flying boat leaving or returning from a patrol. The Sea Bees are busy working on expanding the island's meager port and it's facilities. Sam sighs and gets up to walk back to his platoon's area. Tonight at least his squad will be out on a patrol, giving him something to do. Although the patrols have never yielded anything except for finding Frankie you never know. Sam still feels that the Japanese have to make a play here or eventually this little thorn in their side will be their undoing.

Tomorrow is Elaine's Birthday and Gil wonders if his letter wishing her a happy one will get there in time. He writes to her apologizing that he can't be with her to share her day, but that he's thinking of her, as usual. He finishes the letter and hits his cot and falls asleep almost immediately.

Victory Points Allied 51369 Japanese 39054

[tocaff]

February 2, 1945 Near Roxas

Intel

14334 men are based at Toyohara.
Nakajo-wan Fortress is located at Kadina.
35th Division is located at Nanning.
15th Aviation Rgt is located at Batavia.
3rd South Seas Det. is planning for an attack on Wake Island.
26919 men are based at Bonin.
Soya Fortress is located at Wakkanai.
1st Reserve AA Regiment is located at Kyoto.
23rd Engineer Regiment is located at Inch'on.
15924 men are based at Nagaoka.
87863 men are based at Pescadores.
31st AA Regiment is located at Sapporo.
41st Division is planning for an attack on Chungking.
12155 men are based at Niigata.
Yura Fortress is located at Takamatsu.

Recon

F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Luang Prabang 1 LCU 560/0/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Victoria Point 7 LCUs 16880/77/0
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Andaman Island 2 LCUs 6920/23/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Sandakan vacant
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Samarinda vacant
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Marcus Island 7 LCUs
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Kwajalein 8 LCUs 5840/0/0

Combat

Boac was occupied by the Allies.

The SS Batfish attacked a lone AK about 76 miles SW of Hong Kong hitting it with 2 torpedoes doing heavy damage and lighting fires. Later in the afternoon the Batfish tangled with 5 PCs, but managed to escape with no damage.

Tavoy was struck by 49 X B-25J (4 damaged), 13 X Mosquito FB.VI and 21 X Thunderbolt II for very light resource damage. Another strike was made by 63 X B-25J (1 downed, 7 damaged), 46 X Mosquito FB.VI (1 damaged) and 16 X Spitfire VIII, but cloud cover obscured their target and all ordinance fell off the mark.

The Japanese had Bangkok under a CAP of 11 X Zeke, 26 X Jack and 8 X Frank when 92 X Liberator VI (3 downed, 32 damaged), 18 X B-24J (5 damaged) and 18 X P-51D (2downed, 1 damaged) arrived. The Japanese fighters and AA fire were ferocious, but they lost 5 Zekes (1 damaged), 9 Jacks (8 damaged) and 3 Franks (2 damaged). Heavy industry was lightly damaged.

Jaluit was raided by 20 X B-25J who triggered a couple of secondary explosions.

Near Cagayan the IJA18th Division was attacked by planes 3 times for very heavy casualties. The IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade was bombed and strafed a couple of times and took moderately heavy losses. The IJA 102nd Division was hit for moderate casualties in an air raid. An Allied assault sustained extremely heavy losses and the Japanese had very heavy casualties.

The Allied APDs near Roxas were attacked by a pair of Bettys, both of whom suffered damage in return for missing with their fish. Before the guns cooled 55 X Betty (1 downed, 10 damaged), 4 X Tojo and 18 X Tony then attacked the small TF wrecking havoc.
APD Walter B. Cobb 2 torpedo hits, sunk
APD Kinzer 3 torpedo hits, sunk
APD Goldsborough 1 torpedo hit, on fire, heavy damage
APD Raymond W. Herndon 2 torpedo hits, sunk
Another attack was made by 13 X Betty and 3 X Frances (2 damaged), but they missed due to the targets being obscured by thick, oily smoke from the fires. Another 11 X Betty tried an attack, but they too missed. The sole survivor of these attacks, the APD Goldsborough, will try and limp back to a friendly base with heavy damage and flooding.

Japanese flights into and out of Paramushiro Jima were intercepted by roving Mustangs.

Slim can't believe that of the 4 new lads the platoon got all of them now need to be replaced. The attack immediately bogged down and it seemed that the Japanese had bullets flying everywhere. If you didn't go to ground you died. At least the fly boys pounded the Japs again. Now if the USN would only get back into the act maybe something would shake loose.

Elaine's mother and sister baked her a birthday cake and she got 3 letters from Gil. She's happy and when her father got home she bounded out of a living room chair and he gave her a present. Later after having read the letters she's a bit miffed that Gil made no mention of her big day.

FDR reads the report and shakes his head. So much for quick grabs on the cheap, he thinks to himself. Then his attention turns to Europe.

The US 1 Army took Remscheid.

The US 7 Army reached the Moder and the Siegfried Line.

French Troops went into Colmar.

The Red Army reached the Oder South of Frankfurt.

HMS Venturer sunk U-864 off of Bergen, the attacked was planned by Ultra. The sub was bound for Japan with a Me 163, 64 tons of mercury, heavy water, Luftwaffe officers and German and Japanese engineers. It was the only known sinking of a sub by another sub when both were submerged during the war.

Ecuador declared war on Germany.

Victory Points Allied 51412 Japanese 39104

[tocaff]

February 3, 1945 Cagayan

Intel

31st Army is located at Manila.
6144 men are based at Taipei.
24th AA Regiment is located at Nagasaki.
8th Engineer Regiment is planning for an attack on Chungking.
8th Division is located at Tsitsihar.
4308 men are based at Kyoto.
2nd RF Gun Battalion is located at Nanning.
Sasebo 3rd SNLF is planning for an attack on Broome.
18th Reserve Coastal Artillery Regiment is located at Toyama.
41st Heavy AA Battalion is located at Harbin.
Sasebo 3rd SNLF is located at Truk.
64th Division is located at Nanning.
61st Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Aparri.
114th IJA Base Force is planning for an attack on Chungking.

Recon

Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Saigon 5 X AP, 1 X AK, 3 X DE, 3 X CA, 9 fighters, 11 bombers, 17 aux, 1 LCU 4840/25/0
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Andaman Island 2 LCUs 7620/31/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Pisanuloke 4 LCUs 6440/6/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Sandakan vacant
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Samarinda vacant
PB2Y Coronado takes recon photos of Marcus Island 1 X AK, 7 LCUs 8920/26/0
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Kwajalein 8 LCUs

Combat

Some of the Old Gals conducted a naval bombardment of the Japanese positions near Cagayan inflicting heavy casualties. The IJA 18th Division had very heavy losses from a couple of air raids. The IJA 56th Division had very light casualties from an air attack. The IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade had moderately heavy losses from being bombed. The IJA 100th Division had heavy casualties at the hands of Allied aircraft. The Japanese suffered very heavy losses from the Allied artillery bombardments.

About 92 miles SE of Camranh Bay the SS Sailfish hit a TK with 2 torpedoes, setting it ablaze with heavy damage. The 5 PCs in attendance tried to find the sub, but failed.

Tavoy was raided by 10 X Mosquito FB.VI (3 damaged) and 8 X Thunderbolt II, but the low lying clouds obscured the target. Another attack was made by 48 X Mosquito FB.VI (1 damaged) and 16 X Spitfire VIII and they did light damage to the resources.

Bangkok was swept by 132 X P-38J who bounced the 5 X Zeke, 3 X George, 10 X Jack and 5 X Frank. All of the Japanese planes went down before the Lightning's blazing guns while 1 P-38J was lost and another was damaged.

Majuro was struck by 20 X B-25J Mitchell who missed the target due to low, thick cloud cover.

The APD Goldsborough was about 13 miles W of Iloilo when she took another torpedo despite 10 X P-38J trying to fend off 9 X Betty, 6 X Tojo and 36 X Tony. 2 Lightnings were lost and another was damaged while a Betty was flamed, 3 Tojos went down and a Tony blew up in midair. The damage to the ship was catastrophic and orders were given to scuttle and abandon ship.

Japanese flights over Paramushiro Jima were intercepted by Allied fighters.

Troops earmarked for the invasion of Kwajalein are busy loading. In the meantime islands in the Marshalls are being checked for minefields.

At Ulithi the support troops for the invasion of Luzon are boarding a massive fleet of transports.

At Dadjangas the units that are part of the first phase of Operation Noose are still cooling their heels as more troops arrive.

“There just aren't enough ships to go 'round,” lament the planners who are feeling the pressure from Washington.

Ed's head is killing him. He told his superiors that it is impossible for a ship to be in two places at once. He said, “We're trying to finish at Cagayan before moving on and now you want me to work over Leyte too? It's impossible. When do you think that this Operation Noose is going to happen?” They know that Ed's right and some of his ships are in Alaskan waters now making the strain on the others even worse. After the meeting broke up Ed left mollified, for now. His Old Gals will continue to work over the Cagayan area and if any help can be scraped up he'll get it.

Slim was heard to remark that , “This is my kind of day. We got hot chow, a few hours of sleep, the planes kept up the pressure on the Japs and the Navy used it's big guns too. This is better than Christmas.” What he doesn't say is that the island of Mindanao is a living hell and as bad as it's been here at Cagayan is even worse. He's heard the scuttlebutt and can't understand why there would be so many fresh units just sitting around while the ones here are getting shredded. He's also upset that some units are gone from the line and as the enemy weakens so are his Marines.

The Red Army took Landsberg, 80 miles NE of Berlin.

The US 8th AF hit Berlin with 937 bombers and 613 fighters. Over 25,000 civilians were killed.

Victory Points Allied 51454 Japanese 39022

[tocaff]

February 4, 1945 Pittsburgh

Intel

41st Division is located at Nanning.
1st Aviation Rgt is located at Georgetown.
2nd Aviation Rgt is located at Mutanchiang.
Elements of the 4th Ind. Brigade are planning for an attack on Chungking.
17th Army is located at Clark Field.
10253 men are based at Matsue.
24th AA Regiment is located at Nagasaki.
13th Ind. Brigade is located at Ichang.
43rd Construction Battalion is planning for an attack on Broome.
8th Area Army is planning for an attack on Eniwetok.
46th Road Construction Battalion is located at Changkufeng.
5th South Seas Det. is planning for an attack on Wake Island.
114th Division is located at Wuhan.
Kitachishima Fortress is located at Paramushiro Jima.

Recon

PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Sandakan vacant
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Balikpapan 6 LCUs 13000/122/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Camranh Bay 1 X AP, 2 X AK, 1 X AG, 10 bombers, 4 aux, 2 LCUs 4620/57/0
F-5A Lightning takes recon photos of Andaman Island 2 LCUs 6940/24/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Bangkok 33 LCUs

Combat

The SS Balao was about 22 miles S of Wenchow when she attacked an AK under escort by a single PC. The target had it's side ripped open by 2 torpedoes that triggered a catastrophic explosion and then the ship was gone. About 31 miles SE of Wenchow the Balao attacked another AK escorted by a pair of PGs. A hit was scored with a fish causing fire to erupt on the ship. A few miles away the sub then attacked another AK that had no escort and hit it with 3 torpedoes that sank it.

A single AP was attacked by the SS Lancefish about 17 miles N of Marcus Island. The deck gun scored 3 hits and troops were observed going into the water.

The Old Gals conducted a naval bombardment of the Japanese positions near Cagayan inflicting moderate casualties on them before moving off to replenish at Dadjangas. Allied artillery added moderate losses to the tally.

Ichang underwent a fighter sweep made by 72 X P-38J who bounced 1 X George, 1 X Jack, 1 X Oscar, 2 X Tojo, 17 X Frank and 3 X Tony. In the furball all but 2 Franks were shot down at the cost of a single Lightning lost and another damaged.

Majuro's port facilities took light damage from a raid made by 19 X B-25J.

The SS Sailfish,, 28 miles SE of Camranh Bay, underwent an attack made by 2 PGs and a PC who failed to damage the sub.

Flights to and from Paramushiro Jima were intercepted by Allied fighters.

Troops at Ulithi are boarding for an operation so secret that few of the commanders even know where their objective is. Most of the officers know that they are staging to Dadjangas before the go order is given. They also know that over 5 divisions are tagged for their operation. Some even know the operation's name.

Sam sees that it seems that the Sea Bees are getting close to the completion of their job on Tori Shima. The airstrip and port facilities are a marvel considering that at first glance you'd have said there is no way for a base of these proportions to have been built here. He idly tosses the ball and Frankie goes bounding off after it when Sam suddenly realizes that he'd better pay attention to what he's doing as there are plenty of mines not to far from here.

Stick quietly climbs out of his cockpit after another uneventful CAP patrol. He's still looking for any Japanese plane to have a go at. There are some people in uniform around the world that would tell him how lucky he really is and to be careful for what he wishes for.

Elaine got a letter handed to her by the woman who lives next door. “The mailman delivered this to our house yesterday by accident.” Elaine thanked her and eagerly tore it open. The letter is from Gil and in it he wished her a Happy Birthday. A little late, she huffs to herself.

Victory Points Allied 51512 Japanese 39039

[tocaff]

February 5, 1945 Cagayan

Intel

2939 men are based at Nagato.
5th AA Regiment is located at Gumma.
6th Reserve AA Regiment is located at Wonsan.
27th Engineer Regiment is located at Mishan.
4748 men are based at Wonsan.
22nd Engineer Regiment is located at Mishan.
8th Division is located at Tsitsihar.
68th Division is located at Sian.
103rd Division is located at Clark Field.
7620 men are based at Toyama.
3rd Mountain Gun Regiment is located at Legaspi.
72nd Division is located at Sendai.
14446 men are based at Nagasaki.

Recon

Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Camranh Bay 1 X AP, 1 X AK, 1 X AG, 20 bombers, 6 aux, 2 LCUs 8000/91/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Bangkok 33 LCUs
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Sandakan vacant
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Balikpapan 6 LCUs 14720/173/0

Combat

The SS Balao, 76 miles E of Wenchow, put a torpedo into an AK under escort by a lone PC.

The SS Sablefish, 88 miles NE of Wenchow, attacked an AK being escorted by a PC. She clobbered her target with 3 torpedoes, sinking it. Within an hour 5 X DD appeared and while hunting the sub she hit a DD with a fish causing fires and then made good her escape without ever being detected.

Tokyo's CAP of 43 X Zeke, 1 X Jack, 50 X Frank and 48 X Tony was bounced by 67 X P-51D who were on a fighter sweep. 18 Zekes (1 damaged), the Jack, 26 Franks and 45 Tonys were shot down by the Mustangs who lost 16 planes and had 3 others take damage.

Bangkok was swept by 66 X P-38J, but the Japanese weren't flying.

Near Cagayan the IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade was jumped by 9 X PB4Y for moderate casualties. The IJA 100th Division underwent 3 attacks and sustained heavy losses. The IJA 102nd Division was struck by Allied aircraft for heavy casualties. While all of this was going on Allied artillery threw it's weight into the action causing very heavy Japanese losses.

The Lucky 11 are tired of cooling their heels. They even grumble that the war will never end if they don't drop their bombs. If they knew what was in the works they wouldn't mind sitting around doing nothing. With so much time on their hands morale begins to suffer. Some days there is a baseball game, but even that doesn't last much more than an hour, tops.

Slim enjoyed some kind of mystery meat, corn, potatoes and washed it all down with bug juice. He didn't care what it was other than it was actually warm and then he fell asleep. Tomorrow they rest and in the evening they return to the line.

Bill reads all the reports from his department heads and the Mighty Mo is as ready as she'll ever be. After his paper work is completed he writes a letter to Sandy and once that's done he gets ready to turn in for the night.

Yesterday the US 1st Army took the first of the 7 Ruhr dams.

Yesterday Belgium was declared free of German troops.

Yesterday the Yalta Conference opened. Treatment of post war Germany, the division into occupation zones, reparations and the future of the Western Polish border are the topics.

The RAF's Balloon Command was disbanded. There were 278 V1s claimed by the balloon and now the threat is over.

Victory Points Allied 51641 Japanese 39169

[tocaff]

February 6, 1945 Cagayan

Intel

12th Heavy AA Battalion is located at Nagoya.
Yokosuka Base Force is located at Tokyo.
68th Division is located at Sian.
11th Ind. Mixed Regiment is planning for an attack on Wake Island.
160th IJA Base Force is located at Tokyo.
24th Division is located at Chiamussu.
14th Base Force is located at Gili Gili.
118th Division is located at Kaigan.
Radio transmissions detected at Akita.
146th Division is located at Kagoshima.
51002 men are based at Kadina.
11th AA Regiment is located at Osaka/Kobe.
2nd Aviation Rgt is located at Mutanchiang.
58th Division is planning for an attack on Chungking.
4th Air Army is located at Tokyo.

Recon

Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Victoria Point 7 LCUs 16780/69/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Krung Thep 8 LCUs 9660/70/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of San Marcelino vacant
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Manila 2 X SS, 10 LCUs
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Kwajalein 8 LCUs

Combat

The SS Argonaut, having laid her mines a couple of days ago, was about 93 miles E of Wenchow, on her way home when 4 PCs appeared. The sub attacked and hit 1 with a torpedo. The PC suffered heavy damage and was burning.

The SS Chub, 148 miles W of Sasebo, hit an AK with 2 torpedoes causing fires and heavy damage. The 4 PGs escorting the AK never found their tormentor.

The TK Antietam, about 300 miles from California, was hit by a torpedo. Her condition was reported as moderate systems damage, flooding and fires. She will make for San Francisco while her convoy proceeds towards Pearl Harbor. 4 PCs have been dispatched from SF to bring her in.

Majuro was raided by 19 X B-25J who caused a single secondary explosion.

Near Cagayan the IJA 18th Division was struck by 23 X PB4Y and had moderate casualties The IJA 56th Division was attacked by 14 X SB2C, 21 X TBM-3d, 64 X P-38J and 22 X F6F and the unit absorbed heavy losses. The IJA 100th Division was hit by 10 X B-24J, 18 X PB4Y and 54 X P-38J. The unit had moderate casualties. The IJA 102nd Division was targeted by 14 X B-24J, 21 X PB4Y and 45 X P-38J who inflicted heavy casualties. Allied artillery pounded away at the Japanese positions through out the day dishing out heavy losses.

The SS Parche, 22 miles NW of Brunei, attacked and hit a TK with 2 fish. The target was burning and sinking as the sub evaded the 10 PCs that were escorting the TK.

The SS Sablefish, 87 miles SE of Shanghai, managed to avoid location by the 4 DDs that were hunting her.

The SS Balao, 14 miles N of Taipei, tracked and attacked a PC clobbering it with 3 torpedoes, blowing the target to smithereens.

The SS Sailfish, 28 miles SE of Camranh Bay, was attacked by a PG. The sub was never in any real danger.

As troop convoys continue loading at Ulithi the once overcrowded island is rapidly turning into a ghost town.

Convoys carrying troops for an invasion of Kwajalein are in the final stages of loading.

Slim sits having a drink of warm water. He never knew how much he missed refrigeration until the Marine Corps introduced him to living like an animal. The platoon is now down to 60% of it's authorized strength and the rest of the division is in the same shape according to the company CO. They are faced with another attack on the Japanese positions soon and there is a silent, but grim determination among the lads.

Gene looks at the buckled plates on the ship and lets out a soft, low pitched whistle. The collision must've been a beaut, he thinks and wonders what the other ship looks like. After his inspection he's determined what his crew will need to do the job and sets the wheels in motion. With the way things are going in Europe there'll be a lot less work to do very soon.

Victory Points Allied 51670 Japanese 39178

[tocaff]

February 7, 1945 Dadjangas

Intel

1st Guards Mixed Brigade is located at Tokyo.
42nd AA Regiment is located at Harbin.
108th Division is located at Harbin.
Elements of the Mongol Cavalry Division are located at Shanghai.
105470 men are based at Tsitsihar.
12th AA Regiment is located at Peking.
9th Ind. Brigade is located at Changsha.
186289 men are based at Truk.
38th Construction Battalion is located at Toyohara.
119th Division is planning for an attack on Sunwu.
69th Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Osaka/Kobe.
30431 men are based at Paramushiro Jima.
3973 men are based at Osumi.

Recon

F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Tavoy 9 LCUs 96880/1029/23
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Bangkok 33 LCUs
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Manila 15 LCUs 1640/8/0
PBM Mariner takes recon photos of San Marcelino vacant
PBY Catalina takes recon photos of Kwajalein 8 LCUs

Combat

The SS Parche, 19 miles N of Miri, was futilely hunted by 2 PGs.

The SS Chub, 137 miles W of Sasebo, evaded detection by a PG and 2 PCs and then clobbered a PC with a pair of torpedoes sinking it. Later in the day 93 miles W of Sasebo the Chub was pinned by 4 PCs who sank her.

The SS O20 was 77 miles SW of Pontianak when she ran afoul of 6 X DD who gave her the beating of her life, sinking the sub.

The SS Sea Dog, 21 miles S of Swatow, attacked an AK and hit it with 2 fish setting it ablaze and doing heavy damage. The escorts, 4 PCs, then gave the sub a very rough time of it. After managing to lose her attackers the Seadog found herself with a nice setup on another AK and hit it with a torpedo causing the target to burn. The sub then glided away before the escorts could find her. Seadog has light systems damage and a little flooding so she's going to make for Saipan and then repairs will be made.

Majuro was raided by 21 X B-25J who triggered 2 secondary explosions.

The Kure 2nd SNLF, 18 miles N of Gasmata, was bombed by 6 X B-25J and had moderate casualties.

Near Cagayan the IJA 18th Division had heavy losses from two attacks made by Allied aircraft. The IJA 56th Division was the target of 27 X PB4Y and the unit absorbed heavy losses. The IJA 24th Ind. Mixed Brigade was hit by 14 X SB2C, 21 X TBM-3d, 62 X P-38J and 24 X F6F for heavy casualties. The IJA 100th Division was visited by 28 X B-17E, 6 X PB4Y, 47 X B-24D, 8 X B-25J and 17 X P-38J resulting in the unit having heavy losses. Allied artillery was busy once again inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese.

At Buin the 149th IJN Base Force had light casualties at the hands of 36 X B-25J.

Flights around Paramushiro Jima were intercepted by roving Mustangs.

Gil can't believe that they've got an extended range mission on tap to hit the port facilities on Kwajalein. All of the B-29s based in the Marianas will be hitting targets on the small island. He wonders what's so important about a small, and isolated place. The crews grumble as they prepare for the mission knowing the stress on the planes is great and though they've been told there will be no enemy air activity and virtually no ground fire operational losses scare them.

The Palawan dropped anchor off of Dadjangas and now they wait for new orders. They never did pick up the planes that they were originally scheduled to transport and that makes Red and Cookie wonder what's up. Then Captain Demesa told them that they're to load supplies today and then they'll sail as soon as Palawan and the other 2 AKs are loaded. Red and Cookie look at each other and shrug. It's gotten to the point that they don't really care where they're going next as it always seems to press closer and closer to the heart of the Japanese Empire.

Chris reads a letter from Emily telling him that everyone is concerned about the spring flooding of the Maumee and Auglaize Rivers. She goes on to remind him about the time her uncle's car was submerged when he parked it overnight near his girlfriend's house. Chris grins and remembers thinking how stupid her uncle was parking right on the banks of the Maumee River instead of walking a couple of blocks. That was also the night he and his friends got drunk and were arrested for throwing up on the courthouse steps on Clinton Street, just a few blocks from where the car went for a swim. There wasn't much to do in Defiance except drink, go the the movies, go to the soda fountain or have sex. That night they had gone bar hopping, a hopeless task as there are so many bars in town and once one of them puked it had a chain reaction on the rest of them. What a mess they had to clean up the next day before allowed to go home.

The Germans blew the floodgates on the Ruhr, preventing the use of floating bridges by the Allies.

Victory Points Allied 51687 Japanese 39102