The end of the world as we know it?

[Roger Neilson II]

Gentlemen, we are witnessing the dying throes of a wounded beast - still dangerous, but without question it will soon collapse. We must welcome to the briefing Comrade Illusiionenko. He joins us as liaison officer in the hope that we can maintain sensible commonications and share intentions from now on.

To bring you up to date.

The Japanese stormed across the Manchurian border, surprised our screening forces outside of Peking and Tientsin and began to extricate their troops there. Following the retreat from peking our forces occupied the city. The enemy retreated into Manchuria. The forces released from the Tientsin pocket, for some strange reason known only to them - it may even have been faulty map reading, instead of retreating into Manchuria took the road to Peking. They have now been re-pocketed and will not escape again.

Our forces, sperheaded by American armoured forces recently disembarked from ships at Tientsin, have crossed the border in the south and are now racing towards Mukden. It is likely they will get there and cut off any forces to the north trying to get back into Korea. Chinese forces have reached Jehol and report it devoid of enemy.

In order to make the attempt to recue his beseiged troops the Japanese copmmander in Manchuria must have stripped his garrisons in all areas. Soviet recon flights noticed that the border was undefended and Comrade Stalin ordered what had obviously been a well prepared offensive. The meeting of their forces at Harbin has cut Manchuria in half!

It remains to be seen where the enemy will make his stand, but his position on the mainland is now critical.

I am also pleased to report that on the 12th February the first bomber raid on Tokyo was carried out. Post raid analysis confrims that the following damage was caused:



Allied aircraft
P-38J Lightning x 37
B-24J Liberator x 287

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3 Zero: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged
A6M5 Zeke: 35 destroyed, 5 damaged
A6M3a Zero: 6 destroyed, 1 damaged
Ki-43-Ib Oscar: 4 destroyed
Ki-61 KAIc Tony: 12 destroyed, 18 damaged
Ki-46-II Dinah: 7 destroyed
E7K2 Alf: 5 destroyed
Ki-30 Ann: 33 destroyed
B5N Kate: 8 destroyed
B4Y Jean: 5 destroyed
G4M2 Betty: 9 destroyed
F1M2 Pete: 8 destroyed
Ki-27 Nate: 32 destroyed
D3A Val: 4 destroyed
E8N Dave: 10 destroyed
L2D2 Tabby: 2 destroyed
L1N1 Thora: 3 destroyed
Ki-59 Theresa: 3 destroyed
Ki-54 Hickory: 2 destroyed
E13A1 Jake: 1 destroyed
Ki-21 Sally: 1 destroyed

The airfields were totally devastated. Over two hunderd planes were destroyed. The Japanese airforce is no longer an effective combat arm.

[Roger Neilson II]

Gentlemen, more gains, more movements.

In Manchuria the enemy has been retreating down into Korea, but a large force still is in Mukden, seeking to deny us its resources. We have a pinning force on the outskirts whilst mobile units swung west and are now at Anshan seeking to cut their retreat. Other forces are moving south frokm Funshan to join them.

A drop by the 50th Indian Para Brigade seized Luda port ahead of the arrival off troops embarked from Tientsin. These have now disembarked and are moving to take Port Arthur and the encircled enemy there.

On Sakhalin a major invasion force landed two American divisions plus support units who quickly ovwerwhelmed the garrison there. Once we have repaired the considerable damge to the airfield we will begin to fly missions from here to attack the home Islands.

Our Carrier forces conducted a sortie along the south coast of Japan and sunk all enemy anti-submarine forces, whilst bombers from our island bases devastated the Japanese merchant shipping stuck in Tokyo harbour.

[1275psi]

Your opponent need a medal for continuing the fight -he has real fortitude and honour!

[Roger Neilson II]

I would utterly concur, but also add that he takes great delight in pulling nasties on me.... so I have to watch for the most unlikely offensive moves. Recently, unnannounced by the censors as it would have damaged Allied morale, a ragbag of men who had been out in the jungle reappeared and retook Hanoi from some decimated Chinese division who were only fit for waiting out the rest of the war. Situation now restored, but I am always wondering where his next little foray will be.

This one is being played out as a 'learning exercise' to see what happens in an endgame as very few have got that far at this point.

Roger

[Roger Neilson II]

Gentlemen, you will recall that a while ago the main remnants of the Japanese fleet left Tokyo and headed down to Iwo Jima. There one battleship was caught by our submarines and over three attacks was sunk. The rest disappeared from view. We assumned they had move don to Marcus Island and were readying our CVs for a hunting trip. However from the 32nd March we detected ships moving directly towards Pearl and harassing bombing raids were carried out from Midway and Johnston island. Meanwhile our fleet was readied at Pearl
It is to be assumed that the enemy chose to venture out for one last trip, knowing they would not return to their homes. We have given them their wish.

5th March 1944

Approaching Pearl BB Yamashiro was spotted and attacked by Dauntlesses and Beauforts. She suffered 15 bomb hits and took 3 torpedoes, but stayed afloat. Slowed down she dropped behind the rest of her TF who steamed in to engage the forces who protected Pearl. In a close engagement the following damage was sustained:

CA Maya, Shell hits 36, and is sunk
CL Jintsu, Shell hits 12, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DD Amatsukaze, Shell hits 9, and is sunk
DD Arare, Shell hits 16, and is sunk
DD Hayashio, Shell hits 24, and is sunk
DD Kishinami, Shell hits 7, and is sunk
DD Samidare, Shell hits 9, and is sunk
DD Tokitsukaze, Shell hits 10, and is sunk
DD Yugiri, Shell hits 12, and is sunk
DD Yukikaze, Shell hits 5, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk

BB California, Shell hits 21, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
BB South Dakota, Shell hits 1
BB Valiant, Shell hits 6
BB Washington, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
CA Cornwall, Shell hits 2
CA Hawkins
CA New Orleans, Shell hits 1
CA Wichita, Shell hits 2
DD Lardner, Shell hits 8, on fire, heavy damage
DD Stanly, Shell hits 5, on fire, heavy damage


As the engagement was ending the BB Yamashiro limped into view and after 84 further shell hits was seen to capsize.

The 6th of March saw atrocious rain which stopped all flights from Pearl, our forces reorganised and the damaged ships were all docked and repairs commenced. None will sink, though several may not be of any use in the rest of the war.

On the 7th March a second wave arrived:
BB Musashi, Shell hits 14
BB Mutsu, Shell hits 34, on fire
BB Nagato, Shell hits 45, and is sunk
DD Kuroshio, Shell hits 18, and is sunk


BB South Dakota, Shell hits 3, on fire
CA Cornwall
CA Hawkins, Shell hits 1
CA New Orleans, Shell hits 1
CA Wichita, Shell hits 15, and is sunk

During the day search planes spotted the two battleships retiring and SBD Dauntlesses attacked to score 7 hits on the Musashi and 6 on the Mutsu. This has been followed up on the two ships who are now hardly able to make way and they have suffered another 9 hits to the Musashi whilst the Mutsu has been hit another 6 times and taken a torpedo. They are unlikely to stay afloat.

This has cost us one ship sunk and significant damage to others, but there are almost no enemy surface vessels now unaccounted for.

On land we detect a drawing of a defensive line, and a strong one at that, across the top of Korea. There are significant troop concentrations there but what has to be seen is how well supplied they are, and how they will stand up to a sustained bombing offensive. Mukden and Anshan are now cut off.

[Roger Neilson II]

Gentlemen, it is over a month since we met. I trust that you have been keeping yourselves busy. There has, I must admit, been little point in convening a briefing.

Over the last few days serious massed bombing has begun on targets in Japan.; Our aim is to reduce their capacity to fight. So far almost all of their natural oil production areas have been flattened, and we have now turned our attention to their heavy industry. Their remaining shipping, lined up neatly in Tokyo harbour has suffered some bombing and in the last few days we observed task forces forming up. A joint CV TF of the Saratoga, Enterprise, Intrepid and Indomitable is now on station to sink any that try to move from here – indeed there have been around 30 ships already hit and predicted to sink. Other CV TFs are on their way.

Toyohara is now a major base and several divisions have moved up to Shikka. They await more supplies and a rest before storming that city. General Simpson’s 8th Army are tasked with this and have the 38th, 6th Divisions, the 3rd USMC, 1st Cavalry Divn and support arriving to do this.

In Korea the line that is being established from Pyonyang across to Hungnam and thence to Changkufeng is in danger of breaching by our forces on the Anshan to Pyonyang road. Some 75K of enemy troops stand there facing 150K plus of ours with numbers increasing daily. At the same time 100K of our troops are about to launch an assault on the 7K defending the city of Changkufeng. The enemy concentrations at Pyonyang, Hungnam and Masan in the south are in danger of being cut apart and we can deal with them in the same manner as Mukden where 105K sit as virtual prisoners.

Our analysts predict that in the near future the Japanese economy will slow to zero and then start to fall backwards under our attacks. As this does so, and as we carve Korea up it is only a matter of time before they see sense and surrender.

As a measure of our sense of ease we have now relaxed all convoy movements and shipping is now moving unescorted across the ocean. Bases that were lacking in materiel are now all being replenished and for the vast portion of the Pacific life is back to pre-war.

[Roger Neilson II]

Gentlemen, it has been a while since the last briefing.  We are in a long slog period here, where following the quite dramatic and fast moving work we have to sit and wait. You will note the smaller and smaller area we look at on the map. The enemy sought to hold onto Korea and establish a line from Pyongyang to Hungnam, Changkufeng.  They were unable to hold Changkufeng against Stalin’s forces but retired back to Hungnam with the intention of making this a line of defence. Commonwealth and Chinese forces pushing the beaten enemy back from Anshan broke this line east of Pyongyang two days ago and began to move on Pyongyang. At the same time the Russian 1st Red Banner Army began to arrive at Hungnam.

On the 20th landings commenced at Seoul, and the city was relatively undefended. Such was the lack of opposition that General Nicholson ordered a shock attack and threw the elements out overnight. We are now landing significant forces here and it is to be seen if we have effectively bagged a number of Japanese forces. They still have a line of retreat through Genzan and it is clear from our aerial recce that they are now packing all they can and moving southwards so Pyongyang and Hungnam will soon also be ours.    

If they do extricate themselves they do so with great loss of supplies and they are fitting all their forces into what will become a pocket round Masan.  

We will be forced to make some serious decisions in the next month – do we eliminate the enemy forces left in various pockets in Asia and the Philippines, or do we go for Japan itself?

[Ddog]

Hey Roger!
 
3 Years and 900 turns!
 
Cheers!  And thanks for your dedication!

[Roger Neilson II]

No thank you, as several people have said, most would have thrown in the towel by now.

Roger

[Roger Neilson II]

Gentlemen, today, as the invasion of Europe is announced we are turning our attention to how long it will take to finish the job here and release troops to then finish the war in the West. It has been six week since a briefing, but there has been little of moment in that time. We have, in truth been tidying up.

There are still some messes to be cleaned, but here is the state of the Pacific Campaign on the 6th June 1944.

China/Indo-China

At Haiphong there are 6 units, surrounded and being slowly blasted to pieces by resident troops there . Taan and Kuinghan are both still flying the Rising Sun but have token garrisons and it is not worth our effort to remove them from play. Sining has three units bottled up and slowly disintegrating. Shanghai has 31 units under siege but is a formidable fortress and we are subjecting it to a daily bombardment and bombing regime. All other areas are ours.

Manchuria/Korea

Following a concerted push down from China and Russia there are 75 units stuck in Masan with nowhere to go. This is the only enemy possession in this area.

Philippines

Lagaspi, Naga, Manila, Lamon Bay, Clark Field, San Marcelino, Lingayen and Tuuegarao are all still under Japanese control. They have no airforces left, have had no contact with Japan for at least six months but probably have in total a force of around 60 units left. We suspect that they will be well dug in, but their supply level could well be critical.

Islands

Truk remains Japanese, and we have no idea what is left there. It has simply been left to rot. Saipan has around 55 units, again isolated, probably well dug in, but having no influence on the war. Iwo Jima has 8 units dug in, with some planes, and Bonin has a small garrison. Marcus Island and Wake both still fly the Japanese flag, but are irrelevant. 12 units are still bottle dup on their invasion area at Pearl Harbour – they are effectively a prison camp that also provides live fire target practice.

That, Gentlemen is it. The once terrifying Japanese empire is what has just been detailed.

Japan itself is now subject to daily air raids from Okinawa, Ikitsuki, Pusan, Taejon, and Toyohara. We are aware that the bulk of his home defence force, some 88 units is encamped around Tokyo, with small token resistance forces dispersed around the other cities. The Japanese rule extends from Wakkanai to Kagoshima and no further.

Plans are afoot, but as yet remain classified. We aim to finish the war, the enemy aims to prolong it as long as they can. The endgame is nigh.

[Roger Neilson II]

Gentlemen, it has been incredibly quiet for two months. You may well have been wondering what has been happening. mainly there has been an incessant bombing campaign in Japan itself, and it would now seem to the the case that there is little industry left, next to no resources, and apart from a lot of ships trapped in Tokyo harbour, nothing on the seas. Japan has no air force left.

Over the last month forces have been steadily shipped to the Philippines. Japanese forces at Manila and Clark Field are under daily bombardment, and the 2nd Uk Division is about to appear at Bataan. These are the only areas held by the Japanese in the Philippines.

On the mainland of Asia enemy forces hold Shanghai, and Mukden, that is it. Over two days of assaults on an incredibly well fortified position at Musan finally we have broken into their defences and the mopping up of 70+ units that are the majority of mainland Japanese forces will begin.

There is surely little left that can convince the enemy to fight on, or will they insist upon out invasion of their home islands? We shall see.