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Kyronea - Time will tell :)

Phoenix Dace - One guess was good enough :D

stnylan - Saipan is fairly critical.

Kurt_Steiner - It will be a while before the USN is reduced to a decent level, they just have too many capital ships to sink and I don't have enough aircraft to do it quickly enough.

Sokraates - What better way to celebrate the 4th July than taking Saipan and sinking the USS Ranger. Monthly meetings will include all sunk ships from now on, unless there are none to report of any significance.

Mangudai - New Zealand shall see some revenge in due course I hope. Japan is short of sheep and New Zealand has lots of them. The USN is busy trying to keep its other ships alive for now, Ozawa is having a field day with his Naval bombers. It is a real shame that my TAC's are two upgrades below their possible level or the carnage would be far worse.

Maj. von Mauser - Thank you. Manziel is correct the infantry had already landed. There were six Transports in my fleet so the loss of one would not have meant that I lost a division anyway. I always try and have spare transports in my fleets just in case one gets sunk.

Gaute65 - Welcome aboard :)

Update to follow ...
 
Stemming the Tide
6





0400 July 7th 1944.
BB Division 1 Flagship. IJN Yamashiro, North Mariana Trench.

With Saipan now under Japanese control Yamamoto chose to use its port facilities to rebase both Battleship fleets and the Transport fleet. Their range would improve significantly as a result and they could now easily reach almost all territory held by Japan in the Pacific.​

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The oil and supplies left behind by the Americans would be useful and would prevent the need to transfer more of these resources to the island for some time.​

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Air General Kondo began to harass the now fleeing American Battlefleet as it headed south east away from Saipan. The modern Battleship USS Missouri was his primary target and would continue to be until it left the North Mariana Trench.​

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By 1000 hours Yamamoto's three fleets had refueled in Saipan and plotted a new course that would place them in the St. George's Channel off Rabaul. Lt. General Kuribayashi would no doubt be pleased to see their arrival.​





0000 July 8th 1944.
North China Army Headquarters. Zhuzhou, China.

Lt. General Hoshinato and his armoured force was advancing towards Liuzhou without any opposition after his successfull attack, this allowed General Nishio to move his cavalry forwards once again.​

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He headed for Kaili province to complete his part in the encirclement of Shaoyang. The remaining forces required for this advance were still resting in Changsha but would soon be ready to begin their assault.​





0700 July 8th 1944.
BB Division 1 Flagship. IJN Yamashiro, North Mariana Trench.

Japanese bombers kept Yamamoto informed of his enemies whereabouts as he headed south and east towards Rabaul. He knew that his two Battlefleets would almost certainly encounter the American Battlefleet in the South East Mariana Basin on their way south.​

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Air General Ozawa made sure that there would be one less Battleship facing Yamamoto when the fleets collided. The USS Missouri had managed to escape the attention of Kondo and his Tactical bombers but it would last less than hour once Ozawa's Naval bombers found it. The Battleship USS Wisconsin now became the primary target of the Imperial Japanese Airforce.​

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New Zealand forces arrived to seize the island of Truk as the USS Missouri suffered her final fatal blow.

Things were looking better for Japan in the Pacific after the last few days of combat. The next message that landed on Yamamoto's desk altered this somewhat.​

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Yet another American fleet had been sighted. This time it was a Carrier fleet and it was providing protection for what looked to be an invasion of Wake Island.

Admiral Ito did what he could to slow the Americans down but there was nothing he could do to stop them. He was forced to leave the area after a brief four hour fight for survival that he was losing.

Yamamoto redirected Ozawa's bombers to take on the two Essex Class Aircraft Carriers USS Hornet and USS Yorktown. New Japanese Carriers were not due for a while and any damage he could inflict on the Americans before they arrived could alter the odds in his favour.​

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At 2200 hours BB Divisions 1 and 2 arrived simultanously in the South East Mariana Basin. They already knew what they would find when they arrived and both fleets were already at Battlestations as the two retreating American fleets were sighted. Yamamoto had a far greater amount of firepower than Leahy and he hoped that he could inflict a crippling blow to the American Admiral and his fleet.​

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Initially the battle went as Yamamoto had hoped. The range was such that only the longer ranged ships could engage which made Leahy's Submarines useless.

The first ship to sink was the 20th Destroyer Division, sunk by the Battleship IJN Yamato as the two fleets closed. She was followed an hour later by the loss of 11 Kuchikukantai a Destroyer flotilla, sunk by the American Battleship USS Wisconsin.

Three more American vessels were sunk during the third hour of battle as Leahy began to try and open the range and escape. The 17th and 25th Transport Divisions and the 63rd Destroyer Division were all sunk by Japanese Battleships. The IJN Yamashiro and IJN Ise accounted for the Transport Divisions and IJN Yamato for the Destroyer Division.

No further American ships were lost as the two fleets disengaged. Yamamoto lost two more of his valuable escorts during this process. The Light Cruiser IJN Noshiro was sunk by the Battlecruiser USS Alaska and the 7 Kuchikukantai by the Battleship USS Wisconsin.​
 
The battle had not exactly gone as Yamamoto had hoped but all of his own capital ships remained free of any major damage. A report on the fleeing American fleets by Air General Ichimaru clearly pointed out that the Battleships in the enemy fleet were severely damaged.​

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The USS Alaska had been hit several times as the fleets opened range and was fighting several fires as Ichimaru began to try and finish the Battlecruiser off.​

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By 0200 hours on July 9th Ozawa and his bombers had arrived off Wake Island and began the task of trying to sink the USS Hornet. Ozawa was able to confirm that an invasion was under way against Wake Island.​





2200 July 9th 1944.
North China Army Headquarters. Zhuzhou, China.

Higashikuni was still patiently awaiting word from General Fujie that the Kwantung Army was ready to advance. In the mean time he concentrated his attention towards southern China.​

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His own forces were in position to launch an attack towards Bose on the southern border between Chinese and Japanese forces. The enemy possessed nothing more than inexperienced Militia divisions that would have to face superior Japanese Infantry.

General Sakai was put in charge of the assault which immediately had the defending forces enveloped. The mountains would assist the defence but even this advantage would do them no good once Lt. General Nakajima arrived to rain bombs down upon them. The Chinese forces broke and ran at 0600 hours after only eight hours of combat.​





0000 July 10th 1944.
BB Division 1 Flagship. IJN Yamashiro, South East Mariana Basin.

The American fleet had managed to escape towards the east after its confrontation with Yamamoto and his Battleships. The South Magellan Seamounts were still very much in range of the Imperial Japanese Airforce and its Tactical bombers.​

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Air General Kondo saw to it that the Battlecruiser USS Alaska would not reach a safe port where it could be repaired.​

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Ozawa was hoping to find the USS Hornet as he returned to the Mapmaker Seamounts. He found the invasion fleet instead. One Destroyer Division was sunk almost immediately and by 0600 hours one of the Transport Divisions was almost destroyed as well. Unfortunately Ozawa's bombers had not been able to work quickly enough.​

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At 0800 hours American forces completed their landing on Wake Island and seized control of its port and airbase facilities.​

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All three operational Japanese fleets had steamed south at full speed and had arrived in the Ysabel Channel without meeting any hostile shipping. The enemy forces they encountered here were not exactly dangerous but Yamamoto was happy to sink two more Transport Divisions. The Battleships IJN Ise and IJN Yamoto would claim one kill apiece.​





2100 July 11th 1944.
Imperial GHQ. Tokyo Japan.

Field Marshall Sugiyama had reorganised the defences of the Home islands to provide beach defences in all provinces that could be invaded. He also made certain that there were air patrols looking for any possible incoming danger to Japan.​

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Mj. General Fukui was patrolling off the south eastern Japanese coast and had encountered a meduim sized Cruiser fleet in the Japan Trench. Very fortunately for Admiral Kalbfus his fleet was heading south and not towards Japan. He would never know how close he had come to meeting Carrier Group C containing all of Japan's Aircraft Carriers. The Carriers were safely holed up in Tokyo but would have sailed if Kalbfus had entered Tokyo Bay.​





2100 July 11th 1944.
North China Army Headquarters. Zhuzhou, China.

The Kwantung Army was as ready as it needed to be and Higashikuni ordered General Fujie to attack the Chinese forces in Changde.​

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Sixteen Japanese divisions began their advance towards four Chinese, of which only two were infantry divisions and these were outdated.

The rolling hills would not provide adequate protection nor would the rain. The battle was short, lasting a mere six hours. The Kwantung Army began its march north west, its target would be the Chinese capital of Chongqing.​
 
you are fast

after a long and successfull Germany44 AAR, you said you need to rest for a while but you just proved us, the HOI addicts, RESTING means not to give up HOI for a while but playing another scenario ... ;)

good luck for your new JAPAN44 game, it will be very hard, considering lack of energy and metal (actually in VH) but i believe you will take care all...

and finally, don`t let the SUN SET ...
 
That naval battle went just about as well as could be hoped. Good progress too against the Chinese.
 
Remble said:
Mangudai - New Zealand shall see some revenge in due course I hope. Japan is short of sheep and New Zealand has lots of them. The USN is busy trying to keep its other ships alive for now, Ozawa is having a field day with his Naval bombers. It is a real shame that my TAC's are two upgrades below their possible level or the carnage would be far worse.

Too bad you can't take over New Zealand now. Perhaps Ozawa can put the Americans off guard by raining sheeps down on the USN. :p
 
Now where did all those US carriers go? Sailing south? To hunt, perchance to sink: aye, there's the rub.*


*When I first thought about adapting the bards writing for this comment, I didn't realize how fitting it actually is: the original quote is from "To Be Or Not To Be".
 
I am looking forward to the invasion of the US West Coast
 
Winner said:
I am looking forward to the invasion of the US West Coast
I hope you have something to do to pass the time, even Remble won't be able to do that anytime soon. Unless he gets the Super Secret Sheep bomb. :rofl:

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Nice updates Remble. Looking as good as can be expected so far. :)
 
There cannot be an Asian co-prosperity sphere without New Zealand. Really, what is Bornean oil and Chinese rice compared to New Zealander sheep herds?
That's why Japan lost in RL, they neglected that fact. :)
 
Also, New Zealand has 50 sheep for every orc.
Naturally, if Remble can contract the orcs, he wins.
 
harezmi - Thank you. I took two weeks off, that seemed like plenty to me :D I actually spent most of those two weeks playing Germany in 1944 on VH. Resources are going to be a constant problem it looks like.

stnylan, sbr - Thank you.

Nathan Madien, Mangudai, ColossusCrusher - The sheep are very important. Without sheep there is no wool. Winter is not too far off even in Asia.

Sokraates - You can almost guarantee those carriers wil be back sooner or later.

Winner, sbr - The U.S. west coast is safe for some time I think. I barely have enough troops to defend what I have and certainly nowhere near enough to attempt an invasion of the U.S. If the Russians leave me alone, which is highly doubtful, it might happen some time next year.

Update to follow ...
 
Stemming the Tide

7





2300 July 11th 1944.
BB Division 1 Flagship. IJN Yamashiro, Ysabel Channel.

Lt. General Kuribayashi knew that help was on its way and that his defence of Rabaul would soon be over. His two depleted divisions were well entrenched and there was no major enemy force close by.​

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He would still be required to hold his position until Yamamoto and his fleets arrived to embark his troops and move them elsewhere. The single American division would fail to move his stubborn troops and was easily repulsed after a short firefight.​

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Ozawa was again flying over the Mapmaker Seamounts looking for ships to sink. The Carrier USS Essex would be the latest ship to receive bombs and torpedoes from his aircraft.​

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Yamamoto arrived in the St. George's Channel shortly after 0600 hours on July 12th, his Flagship IJN Yamashiro would sink the 66th Transport Division that the fleets encountered on their arrival.​

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Nomura's Transports had embarked Kuribayashi and his two infantry divisions by 1400 hours and they plotted a new course towards Helmahera. The two divisions on this island would also need to be moved to a better defensive position.

Yamamoto had decided to leave the two divisions on New Guinea for the time being as they were under no immediate threat and were useful for tieing American forces down.​

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Another Transport Division would find itself part of a reef as the Japanese fleet left the St. George's Channel. IJN Musashi would be responsible for sinking the helpless ships.​





1400 July 12th 1944.
North China Army Headquarters. Zhuzhou, China.

Tactical bombers had been promised to assist Higashikuni in his fight with China. Yamamoto released them a few days early as encounters with American shipping dropped off.​

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All nine squadrons would rebase to Nanchang where they would undergo a period of repair and re-organisation before commencing further operations.​

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General Nishio had encountered two Chinese divisions during his advance towards Kaili. Both were removed from his path after a brief battle.​

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American forces occupied the now vacant Rabaul at 1100 hours on July 16th. Japanese forces would return some day but for now the Allies could waste forces defending it.​

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Kwantung Army forces arrived in Changda at 0000 hours on July 17th and continued their advances in a westerly direction. There were no enemy troops blocking their advance for now.​

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At 0100 hours a probing attack was made against the southern edge of the Chinese pocket in south east China. This attack was primarily to gauge the strength and morale of enemy forces remaining in the pocket.

Lt. General Endo would easily overcome the five divisions facing him in Chao'an but the attack clearly indicated that the Chinese still had some fighting spirit left.​
 
Last edited:
1000 July 17th 1944.
BB Division 1 Flagship. IJN Yamashiro, North Molucca Sea.

The Transport fleet had arrived in Helmahera and safely embarked two more Japanese divisions. No hostile ships had been encountered during the journey and it was becoming clear that the majority of the American fleet was in port.​

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Nomura laid in a new course, this time towards Makassar, where he would temporarily deposit all four divisions currently on his ships.

Ozawa had split his four squadrons in to two seperate formations, with the damaged squadrons remaining in Saipan to undergo repairs. He led his own two squadrons east of the Mariana's in search of enemy shipping.​

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He found one unescorted Transport Division in the South Magellan Seamounts and several hours later found a second Transport fleet, this time with two Transport Divisions, closer to Saipan in the North East Mariana Basin.

All of these ships were heading west and the first entered the North Mariana Trench at 1600 hours July 18th. Rear Admiral Suekuni's 6. Kaigun was waiting for them.​

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The Submarines were unable to close with the Transport ships and so it was left to Ozawa to lead the force that would destroy both Divisions.

At 1600 hours on the 19th the Transport fleet that Ozawa had initially sighted also arrived off Saipan and was intercepted by Suekuni. Again he would fail to close but did succeed in forcing the Transports away from whatever their target had been. Ozawa would sink this fleet also once daylight arrived.

Yamamoto was slightly perplexed as to what these Transports were trying to achieve. They had not attempted to land troops on Saipan, and they would have failed if they had tried. The only conclusion that he could come up with was that they were trying to capture the undefended island of Tinian south of Saipan.

The Submarines could stop any such action unless the Transports came with escorts. The American's were clearly still intent on the area around Saipan and Yamamoto decided to take some steps to make sure that they did not gain a foothold.​

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The Transport fleet had disembarked four divisions in Makassar and headed south to Flores, where it would pick up the two divisions currently defending little of any consequence in Timor.

Yamamoto would take his own fleet north to Saipan to carry out repairs to his damaged vessels and provide a force that could stop most hostile actions in that region.​





0000 July 20th 1944.
Diplomatic Offices. Tokyo, Japan.

Japan's Foreign Minister had little to do for the last few days other than try to find additional energy resources for his Country. He was having little success and welcomed the diversion of a message from the Communist Chinese Ambassador.​

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The diversion was short and the response to the Chinese was even shorter. A simple one word answer would suffice. 'No.'​





0100 July 20th 1944.
North China Army Headquarters. Hengyang, China.

Higashikuni had moved south towards Wuzhou and had arrived in Hengyang which was adjacent to Wuzhou province.​

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His further advance into Wuzhou was halted by the arrival of two enemy divisions in the province. He was not concerned, in a matter of days these two divisions would be isolated when his armour closed the encirclement on them when it entered Liuzhou. They would become prisoners of war shortly there after.​





1400 July 20th 1944.
BB Division 1 Flagship. IJN Yamashiro, East Celebes Sea.

Yamamoto was making good progress north when Nomura arrived in Flores to embark two more divisions.​

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Nomura headed for Soerabaja shortly after the last soldier was on board his transport ships. BB Division 2 was still in the area to provide protection if required but it looked unlikely that it would be needed.​

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After what seemed like an eternity American forces had finally managed to make an advance in New Guinea. They had captured Aitape.​





0600 July 22nd 1944.
North China Army Headquarters. Hengyang, China.

Lt. General Hoshinato had arrived in Liuzhou which meant that two more Chinese divisions were now isolated.​

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Higashikuni would leave them until the next day as dusk was only a few hours away.​





0900 July 22nd 1944.
BB Division 1 Flagship. IJN Yamashiro, Palau Trench.

Admiral Nomura had one final trip to make around the islands of Indonesia.​

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He headed back towards Makassar where he would embark two divisions and move them to Bandjermasin in Borneo. Once he had completed this task he would move to Sorong in New Guinea where he would wait until sufficient enemy forces had arrived to threaten Japanese troops on the island. He would then extract these troops and move them to a safer location.​