桜 転落する. Falling Cherry Blossoms. No CrackSabbath

[Lecivius]

加入して
 
This will be fun [8D]

[kaleun]

昭和 16 年 12 月二十三日

23 Day

広島

Ito hands over the aircraft and engines report.

There are only 10 A6M2 fighters in the aircraft pool. This could be worrisome at first glance but it was due to a group of A5M4 fighters that converted to the newer model and Kido Butai replacing fighters lost at Pearl Harbor. 3 A6M2 were produced yesterday and 33 in December. In a few days, the pool will be replaced. There are 55 B5N1 and 47 B5N2 level bombers in stock, 28 D3A1, 78 G3N2 but only 12 G4N1 which could be a problem if losses increase.

The Army might be concerned too if they looked at the raw figures, only 22 Ki 43Ia fighters and what’s worse, only 10 Ic model available, but once again, the Ki 27b hikotai in Malaya have converted to I a, b and c using up available stocks. 21 Ki 43Ia fighters were produced in December, and the factories are expanding, as is the factory at Harbin, still producing the 27b model.

“We need to keep a close eye on the stock of Mitsubishi Ha-32 engines,” Yamashita says, “only 23 left.”

“We produced 91 this month, and there is still a small expansion of the factories that will yield 10 more a month when it is complete,” Ito replies.

“It might not be enough.”

Fuel stocks 6,2822459 and dropping.

Yamashita orders:

“Send supplies to Miri. We need that oilfield and refinery repaired right away.”

“Fortunately the British only damaged half of the field and refinery.”

The army telecommunications office hands in the daily report.

Sambas was captured on day 22. A shock attack on Clark airbase reduced fortifications to second level.

On day 23 a new attack on Clark completely destroyed the fortifications there. The enemy counterattack was repelled.


昭和 16 年 12 月二十五日

25 Day.

広島

While the entire world celebrates Christmas, Christians in Japan celebrate their holiday in a mute fashion. Christianity, though not forbidden, is frowned upon as are most things western.

Lucena and Manus fell on Christmas Eve. Japanese forces liberated Cabanatuan on the 25th, unopposed.

Haruna, Kongo and others bombard Kuantan.

Ito however focuses on the aircraft report. There are now 25 A6M2 fighters in the reserve pool, and 14 Ki 43 Ic. As for the M Ha-32 engine, the numbers are stable with 26 units available.

[kaleun]

加入して

This will be fun

いらっしゃい

[kaleun]

八荒一宇

National boundaries in the house is the best I could come up with[&:]

[kaleun]

昭和 16 年 12 月二十七日
27 Day

SS I-5 sinks AK Arcturus with two torpedoes near San Diego evading the revenge efforts of DD Clark.

Manado captured and a counterattack by the allies repelled at Clark.

昭和 16 年 12 月二十八日
28 Day
Jesselton and Ternate invaded. Georgetown captured.

昭和 16 年 12 月二十九日
29 Day.
Jesselton and Ternate fall.

[kaleun]

昭和 16 年 12 月三十日
30 Day

North Pacific, near Victoria.

I-2 finally reached her patrol position near the US/Canada West Coast. Oda fires four torpedoes at DMS Lamberton but misses and is forced deep to void the counterattack by her consort DMS Dorsey.

Rabaul invaded and Temuloh captured.

昭和 16 年 12 月三十一日
31 Day

Rabaul captured.

Beaufort invaded.

Over Kiriwina Island, Kido Butai attacks an enemy force trying to land forces at the tip of New Guinea. For a start, 3 G4M1 bombers from Rabaul attack DD Alden. They fail to hit and one bomber is lost to AA fire.

16 D3A1 follow scoring 5 bomb hits on xAP Morinda which sinks.

13 B5N2 come later and hit DD Pillsbury with 3 bombs and xAP Merkur with 8.

And thus, the year 16 of the Showa era ends.

[kaleun]

昭和 17 1月一日
Day 1

広島

“開けまして おめでとーございます。” Ito said giving his boss the traditional greeting for the new year.

The opening of the New Year was auspicious for Japanese arms, at least for now.

“Kotoshi mo yorishiku 0-negai shimasu,” Yamashita replied.

“What is the news of the war?”

“The enemy seems to be doing something at the eastern tip of New Guinea, at least, they’ve been moving ships around there. Kido Butai attacked them. The dive bombers sunk xAP Morinda with five direct bomb hits, while the level bombers scored three hits on DD Pillsbury, and 8 on xAP Merkur.”

“Not bad at all,” Yamashita said.

“There is more sensei, 3 G4M1 scored a torpedo hit on a troop transport, xAP Rochambeau near Rabaul.”

Later in the day further news announced that Clark and Hong Kong had been attacked again, with the fortifications that remained reduced, although both sites still resisted. Rabaul was conquered. Beaufort invaded.

“How are our stores Ito?”

“We have 46 Zero-sen; of the type 97 bomber we have 59 B5N1 and 56 B5N2. We have 30 of the type 99 carrier dive bomber. There are 85 G3N Rikko and 19 G4M Hamaki.”

“And for the Army?”

“64 of the old type 97, 42 Hayebusa a series and 22 c series.”

“Fuel?”

“6,142,741 tons sir. There’s plenty.”

“It was supposed to be able to last a year of war. We’ve used 500,000 tons already.”

Yamashita paused for a moment.

“Rokugatsu.” Ito said

“Six months indeed Ito-san. We have fuel until June.”

[kaleun]

昭和 17 1月二日
Day 2

広島

“Sensei, you were in the Navy, were you not?” Ito asked that evening, sharing tea with his boss.

“So desu, I was a fighter pilot, flew the A5M in China. I got shot down and hurt in my right eye.”

“No, it wasn’t serious,” Yamashita answered Ito’s unspoken concern, “but my mother exerted all the pressure she could bear on my father, who wanted me to go, like him, into diplomacy. To make a long story short, there was no shortage of pilots or pilot candidates back then, so I got discharged from the service as a lieutenant.”

“Ah, I, on the other hand was not accepted into the Navy, or Army, because of my club foot. I got all the training at school, but I knew they would not take me. So I serve in government,” Ito raised his tea cup.

“I don’t think the Navy needs us to fight their battles for them Ito-san, enough that we provide the airplanes, the bombs and the torpedoes, ides ne?

“They hit the Alden and the Rochambeau again near Kiriwina. Maybe they sunk them this time.”

[kaleun]

昭和 17 1月三日
Day 3

広島

The big news was on the radio almost before the official report arrived on Ito’s desk. The big airbase at Clark fell to the victorious Japanese forces.

Other news paled in comparison. Madang and Beaufort were taken, and an enemy submarine was reported sunk in San Fernando, one of the small S boats the enemy used for coastal defense.

“Looks like the defenders fled mostly to Manila,” Ito said.

“Good, that might make Homma’s job easier.”

[kaleun]

昭和 17 1月四日
Day 4

広島

Mersing invasion continues. Gorontalo captured. Hong Kong attacked again. The official news show progress in the war, against an enemy that fights better than expected, though not as hard and well as feared.

An orderly brings an official looking document from the Navy HQ.

“See what it is Ito-san.”

Like all the Japanese, Ito has been educated, since childhood not to show emotion, but he can’t help showing disquiet.

“Yamashita-san, sensei, the Navy recalls you to active service. You are now 中佐, a commander. Omedeto gosaimasu.”

“So desu-ka?” Yamashita does not seem too surprised.

“It seems Yamamoto-san thinks I am too friendly with the prime minister, he wants to make trouble.”

“Do you think that will happen?”

Yamashita shook his head.

“No, Tojo is too crafty for this ploy. In any case, a commission and a uniform will give me more weight with the industrialists, if I need to step on toes.”

[kaleun]

昭和 17 1月五日
Day 5

フィリピン諸島

Chujo Homma Masaharu considered the city of Manila to the southeast. In the distance, the sun shone on Manila bay and he could see the island fortress of Corregidor with its powerful guns closing the entrance to the harbor.
In front of him, sitting around a field desk, sat his aide de camp, waiting for his orders.

Preliminary reports indicate the presence of 9 enemy units in the Bataan peninsula versus 28 in Manila. A small force still occupies Subic Bay.

“Our intelligence seems to have been mistaken,” Homma mutters, “It seems they are not following that orenji war plan of theirs.”

“We shall take Bataan first, eliminate those forces, and then take Manila.”

“Hai!”

“Begin bombing Bataan and Manila, we need to keep them from working on their defenses.”

The assistant began to draft the necessary orders.

Elsewhere, Ocean Island with its phosphate deposits and Batangas are captured.

広島

“Ito-san, It seems we have some extra capacity in our naval shipyards.”

“Hai, some ships have left the yards and are finishing fitting out for sea.”

Yamashita pores over the shipyard build schedule.

“Let’s accelerate Junyo and Hiyo then and restart those two subchasers, 25 and 27. I feel it in my guts that we are going to need many of those subhunters, before this war is over.”

[kaleun]

昭和 17 1月七日
Day 7

Nauru and Victoria Point captured.

昭和 17 1月九日
Day 9

Central Pacific.

The sun rises 300 nautical miles southeast of Hilo. On the bridge of IJN’s submarine I-3 commander H. Muranaka takes a last look around the horizon with his binoculars. Nothing is there to see, except the eternal waves. The air, too is clear of enemy aircraft. His stomach growls. It’s time for breakfast.

“Take her down,” he says into the voicepipe.

As he slides down the ladder, pulling the hatch cover behind him he can feel the submarine tilt bow down.

“Take her down to 30 meters,” he orders, “then let’s have breakfast.”

The boat settles on her daylight routine, moving slowly, coming up to periscope depth, scrutinizing the horizon, then diving deeper, to avoid being seen by an enemy patrol aircraft, coming back up, looking, listening, and once more diving deeper.

“Captain to the bridge!”

The officer of the watch hands over the periscope to his captain.

“Up periscope.”

There she is; a spot in the horizon to the north east.

“Down periscope, course 045, two thirds.”

A few minutes pass. A new observation, bearing, angle on the bow, an estimate of the target’s speed.
The enemy ship steams on, unconcerned. The submarine maneuvers to place herself in a favorable position.

“Converted Merchant,” Muranaka announces, “down periscope.”

His first officers opens the ship identification book. Together they alternate looking at the target, then at the book.

“xAK Steel Ranger, I think, or one of her sisters.”

“Hasha suru ichi!”

“Hasha suru ni!”

Two explosions. Both torpedoes score. The ship goes down.

“Yatta!”

[kaleun]

昭和 17 1月十日
Day 10

Cruisers Mogami, Mikuma, Suzuya, Kumano and 4 destroyers intercept an enemy task force. Small ships, Motor launches, patrol gunboats, and such, sent to harass amphibs landing at Mersing. The small ships suffer under the big guns but are too maneuverable to hit.

At Wake, enemy carriers raid the island. KB at Truk is too far to intervene.

Near Hilo, Muranala on I-3 fires two torpedoes at DD Dale and misses. Dale and Monaghan, her consort, search for the submarine in vain.

A Vildebeest scores a torpedo hit on BB Kongo near Mersing.

Near Victoria, off Canada, a patrol craft locates SS I-2 and forces the sub deep.

Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur come under attack while Yokosuka 4th SNLF captures Kudat and forces the 108th RN Base force to retreat.

[kaleun]

昭和 17 1月十一日
Day 11

フィリピン諸島

A new player enters the stage over the skies of Manila. 8 A5M4 and 18 A6M2 escort a flight of 30 B5N1 level bombers over the harbor. A single P40E rises to fight but achieves absolutely nothing.

A bunch of small merchants, a yard oiler and a floating dock are hit. Also hit were the repair shipyards and fuel depots.

Kuantan taken.

昭和 17 1月十二日
Day 12

The Bataan forces begin bombarding the Bataan defenders.

昭和 17 1月十五日
Day 15.

Attacks probe the Bataan defenses and reduce the fortifications, as they do in Hong Kong.

All over the empire, shipyards small and large engage in converting small xAKLs to patrol boats. The repair shipyards have been, until now inactive, waiting for damaged ships to arrive. Meanwhile, they convert small merchants into patrol boats, to counter the growing enemy submarine threat.

昭和 17 1月十六日
Day 16.

SS I-165 hits AG Wildebrod Snellis near Oosthaven with two torpedoes.

昭和 17 1月十七日
Day 17

広島

Hiroshima, and all the empire joins in celebrating the fall of Hong Kong. Kuala Lumpur was also freed of European colonialists but this is not considered as important by the government in Tokyo.

An attack on Bataan achieves odds of 1:1The enemy defenders attempt a desperate all out counter-attack that is repelled with great losses on their side.

[kaleun]

昭和 17 1月十八日
Day 18.

SS I-1 misses DD King off San Francisco. Takes a DC hit.

A shock attack captures Bataan. The defenders surrender. Troops ordered to Clark for a few days of rest, replacement and supply.

昭和 17 1月十九日
Day 19.

Cl Natori and 8 destroyers intercept enemy shipping fleeing from Hong Kong: xAKL Chengtu, Shell hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, sunk. xAKFatshan. TH 1 sunk, xAK Hanyang SH2 TH2 sunk, xAKL Kanchow, SH 21 sunk,xAK Ming Sang, TH5 sunk, xAK Nanning SH12 TH3 sunk, xAKL Yat SHing SH 6, TH 1 sunk, xAK Hai Lee, TH 2, sunk.

昭和 17 1月十十日
Day 20

SS I-1 fires two torpedoes at DD Ward near San Francisco. One of the fish scores and the destroyer, on fire, creeps away. She might make it back as San Francisco is near.

昭和 17 1月十十一日
Day 21.

Near Eureka, SS I-1 finds TK Halo. Commander H Kanzaki fires 4 torpedoes but all of them miss. Undeterred, SS I-1 surfaces and finds a different tanker nearby. TK Sunadmiral takes 6 shell hits and 3 torpedo hits. Hanzaki then chases after Halo and, finding her, launches a spread of four fish scoring one hit that sets the tanker on fire.

Near Billiton, Comander Ikeda O, and SS -162, on the surface, score two torpedo hits on TK Havfru. The tanker, burning is left behind by the submarine, concerned for nearby aircraft.

Jolo invaded.

SS Seawolf scores on xAKL Malacca Maru near Yokohama.

[kaleun]

昭和 17 1月二十六日
Day 26

Landing at Tarakan.

Off San Diego, SS I-5 finds xAK Waipo and puts a torpedo into her.

Subic Bay fortress surrenders.

昭和 17 1月二十九日
Day 29.

Malacca captured on day 28, Tarakan on the 29. Bombardment attack on Manila.

昭和 17 1月三十一日
Day 31

The 6th and 35th infantry divisions arrived at Changsha and took up positions to begin their assault on the city. They await the arrival of artillery and support from Wuchang.

[kaleun]

フィリピン諸島

[kaleun]

SWPAC

[kaleun]

昭和 17 2月一日
Day 1

East Pacific Ocean.

A periscope breaks the ocean’s surface. A ship, traveling alone, trusting the air umbrella that should protect her, steams along. Two torpedoes streak along, two explosions. xAK Waimea will not make port. Behind the periscope, the skipper announces to the crew:

“San fune nagashi.”

Her third ship this patrol. As the submarine sails away from the attack position, three cheers reverberate inside the hull:

“ばんざい！ばんざい！ばんざい！”
Enemy submarines score too, at Ocean Island, and are scored upon, SS KXIII 5 depth charge hits, near Mersing.

フィリピン諸島

At Manila, the allies attempt to displace the Japanese Army besieging the city. The shock attack musters 37 thousand troops, 433 artillery and 82 vehicles against Japan’s 63700 troops, 672 guns and 437 vehicles.
The results are predictable.

広島

Ito Kobayashi bows before his master and hands him the economic reports. They are not bad, he thinks.
5,253,177 tons of supplies, 5,720,336 of fuel, 8,964,126 of assorted resources. The heavy industries have accumulated 204,754 tons of steel and other strategic metals. Naval and merchant shipyards working at capacity. Strategic oil reserve stands at 4,389,800 tonnes.

96 Zerosen, 55 Hayebusa b and c series in storage. Adequate stores of engines except the Mitsubishi Ha 32 model. Only 9 of those readily available.

Yamashita looks over the numbers again and ponders.

[kaleun]

昭和 17 2月二日
Day 2.

Near Bandjermasan Cdr Aihara spots an enemy submarine charging her batteries on the surface. In the dark night, he keeps I-124s speed to a minimum, barely steerage way to minimize the luminescent wake. He tracks the enemy and fires two torpedoes. They miss. The startled enemy crash dives and so does I-124.



昭和 17 2月三日
Day 3

I-10, Cmdr Fujimatsu O. cruising near Kabara, East of Suva, spots a carrier, or what she takes to be a carrier. Her position is favorable and the submarine steers to close the target. But something’s wrong. Her speed is too slow to be a carrier. And she is unescorted.

He fires four torpedoes at her while he ponders her unusual silhouette.

America’s first carrier, now only a humble seaplane tender, USS AV Langley goes down after two torpedo hits.
Japanese deliberate attack at Manila is countered by an allied counterattack that fails to achieve anything.
Talaud-eilanden captured by the 41st Guard battalion.