Rank and File
A Clerk’s War
Saturday 25th to Friday 31st October, 1941
Looking back over the last week, I can see that the weather in the east is starting to impact the Wehrmacht. Not in terms of casualties or success in individual battles, but in the overall intensity of combat on the East Front. On the 25th just one new battle began, and none on the 31st. From scanning the communiqués from the various HQs, the reason is clear: supply. While the north has the benefit of better infrastructure, it is most impacted by the freezing conditions. The south still has fine weather, but the road and rail links are primitive in the extreme.
The word around Berlin is that a major reorganisation of our armies in the East is being prepared, and I must say that most of the administrative officers I see coming and going on the streets look harried and no longer stop to chat. One particular source of information for me hardly glanced at my “Wie geht’s?” and I noticed he had not shaved for a few days. Something big is definitely up.
Otherwise things are normal. Research programs continue to deliver results and this week alone three projects were completed. A combined Luftwaffe/Heer investigation of equipment for our Fallschirmjägers recommended a series of improvements, engineers designed a much improved carriage and sights for both our flak guns and our field artillery. In their place we have a long term study on single engine airframes (this could take a long time – it is truly groundbreaking), the development of a new airborne torpedo and work on new anti-aircraft guns for our aircraft carriers.
I am sure I am not the only person to notice that our scientists and engineers have been instructed to pursue many projects completely unconnected with the war in the east. What use are torpedoes against the Soviet Red Army? We have cleared the Ostsee and the Regia Marina controls the Mittelsee. Who could threaten an air attack our carriers? Not the puny RAF. I am concerned that there is something I do not know. Whether it is something picked up by Ribbentrop’s diplomatic corps or Frick’s spies, or whether the Führer, now that Moskva has fallen, is looking west for a new challenge I do not know.
State of the art engineering in a new factory complex
If I needed more evidence that something is being planned, I noticed (there was no publicity) that Minister Schacht slightly changed the production budget. Despite the demands for improved equipment for the Wehrmacht and Bayerlein’s never-ending pleas for more road and rail construction gangs, Schacht has slipped in provision for the construction of five new industrial complexes. Work has already begun in Nürnberg, Frankfurt, Stettin, München and Bitberg. These will not be ready to produce anything until next spring and will not give a return on investment for years. Is the war to continue that long?
I could speculate for hours, but who knows what is being planned behind the closed doors of the Führer’s office. Security is much improved from those early days when Gisela could slip in and out with her notepad. There is no way I would now risk her life by asking her to offer to take notes, not that she would be needed. Any notes taken at these meetings seem to be taken by grim faced SS officers and my one attempt to secure copies “for the official records” led to an extremely unpleasant few hours with a man whose exact position and role was unclear. I made it obvious I didn’t want to find out.
Anyway, back to events.
Baltic Army (Kesselring)
At dusk on the 26th Podporoz’e was ours, and not a moment too soon. General von Brauchisch reported the temperature is now -9 degrees and snow is falling. 24.ID was to move up and start digging in for the winter.
That at least was the plan. Only the next day, however, General Jahn and 2nd Marine-Sturm Division were in action, fighting 315 Strelkovaya for possession of the same ground as had been fought for previously. Soon 24.ID was also engaged and the Luftwaffe joined in courtesy of clear skies and Wever’s bomber geschwader. Soon the fresh snow was marred by bomb craters, shell holes, burning buildings and vehicles and trails of oil, smoke and blood. Once again the Russians were stubborn in their defence and it took until midday on the 30th for the battle to end in our favour.
Polen Army Nord (von Manstein)
Perhaps the first sign of impending changes was the announcement on 25th that Hausser’s 1st PzKorps was to be detached from von Manstein’s Army and sent south to Odessa. Further orders were to be issued on its arrival. I expected a tirade from von Manstein at losing his spearhead, but there was no response. On reflection, I think that he realised that the supply problems the huge mass of armour and vehicles created were a headache he could do without during the winter.
Polen Army Nord was also given a new objective. It is to take the city of Jaroslavl before the real winter sets in. That will be the anchor for left wing of von Manstein’s front line.
As was predicted in my last summary, von der Chavellerie’s opposition in Kazin was not a serious threat. With nearly 50,000 men under his command he simply steamrolled his way past “Chapaevskaya”. (The Russians were probably still shaken by their rough handling by Neuling in Rameski).
The only battle commenced on the 25th gave me a start. I had been so busy that I had almost forgotten I had a brother fighting in the East. Suddenly it was brought home to me: as Harpe’s 3rd leichte Panzer Division moved into Kimry, a Pzkpfw 38(t) of Panzer Reg’t 5 “Wundsdorf” was also on the move, a vehicle commanded by my brother Heinz. I spent a couple of days of worry (and guilt that I had not followed his career more closely) before the battle was concluded with negligible losses. Still, maybe I should send him a package. I am sure he would appreciate some schnapps wrapped inside a pair of woollen socks.
The battle for Lesnoye started well with an immediate breakthrough by 28.ID. Within a day, however, something must have gone drastically wrong. Early on the 27th General Eicke admitted defeat, beaten by two Soviet cavalry divisions. Luckily for the honour of Polen Army Nord, by 7PM that evening General Pfeffer was able to assure von Manstein that he would handle the matter. 21.ID showed the cavalrymen that infantry was now the ruler of the battlefield, though it took them 4 days to drive the last horsemen from the province.
Resting between battles: Soviet cavalry men after throwing back 28.ID
8.ID was able to clear Shchelkovo, northeast of Moskva, giving the garrison of the enemy capital a bit of a buffer. The Red Army must be very weak: it took just 12 hours to drive out 80th Strelkovaya.
With the change of objective, General Neuling found himself at the focus of attention. Not one to miss a chance, he sent 71.ID directly at the city, straight through Beloborodov’s 306th Strelkovaya. With temperatures hovering just above freezing, his infantry took Uglic in a little over 48 hours. Yaroslavl was in sight, if supplies could get to 71.ID in time.
Polen Army Nord must be pleased as battle after battle is concluded. The supply problems are bad enough without the whole front sucking up every available truck and wagon load. A large drain on resources was the fight for Aleksin, where we had 40,000 men (including two Panzer divisions) engaged against 46,000 Russians. Now that battle is over, the Russians pulling back slowly. Losses were about equal, but the Oka has been crossed.
Having sorted out “Chapaevskaya” in Kazin, it was only a couple of days before von der Chevallerie was again engaged, this time in Kaljazin. “Chapaevskaya” had fled there with 95.ID hot on its tail, but it was 3rd “Bessarabiya” Cavalry Division that screened the retreat. The cavalry had no hope of stopping the pursuit and at 10AM on Wednesday 29th the last Russian horseman joined the infantry in fleeing east.
XV Armeekorps was not to be left out of the wave of action from Polen Army Nord. The looming bad weather and rumours of mass transfers to the south encouraged all von Manstein’s subordinates to greater efforts. One that might be costly was the decision to block the escape route from Tula through Novosomorsk. There are a large number of units already in the area and intelligence is that more are heading that way. To halt this flow General Demelhuber has assigned just one division: Strecker’s 86.ID. This will be a real test.
After the less than glorious result of his intervention in Lesnoye, Eicke must have been anxious to show that this was just an aberration in his performance. He got his chance on the 29th when 28.ID was ordered into Gummala. Vatutin’s 68th Strelkovaya was in peak condition, but Eicke’s men were far more aggressive this time. It took two days (both sides received reinforcement divisions) but the blot of Lesnoye was removed when Eicke reported success.
One of Vatutin’s officers shows he has plenty of RGD-33 grenades.
The temperature was still a balmy 3.5 degrees Centigrade when 60.ID started its conquest of Podkhozheye, but any hope of a quick victory before the weather deteriorated are slipping fast. Initially it looked as though Mitrofanov’s 9th Tankovaya would fold easily, but Soviet reinforcements arrived in the form of 134th Strelkovaya. Nevertheless, General von Sodenstern has told his Korps commander, von Reichenau, that the battle is progressing well. That is just as well, as Polen Army Nord has so many battles raging at the moment that any help is unlikely.
One battle at least is over, but it is unlikely that this will lead to any divisions being available for combat in the near future. Von Both’s Plavsk adventure cost us 1,300 lives and exhausted his own 68.ID which is now 1,000 men short of its full complement. Both it and von Buhle’s 102.ID (mot) are dangerously low on supplies. With the current demands on the supply network, it could be some time for both men and stores to be replaced.
Lack of possible reinforcements did not make von Wietersheim hesitate: 11.ID marched straight into Davydovo. He had judged correctly, however, that Shlemin’s men were in state to put up a fight. 169th Strelkovaya, the front division, was on its last legs and the reserve unit, 41st Strelkovaya, was just as badly affected by recent fighting and bombing. Just before the end of the month the Russians broke and Davydovo was ours.
Stupino, the battle that began as a minor clash on the 25th, turned out to be a magnet for troops of both sides. Division after division was thrown into the province just outside Moskva. Perhaps Stavka had a faint hope of using Stupino as a launch point for an attempt to retake the capital. By the time von Manstein declared fighting over, nearly 90,000 men had been committed to the battle. It was costly for the Soviets: their losses were more than double ours.
Polen Army Sud (Rommel)
General Rommel also received new orders: his army is to head for Rjazan’ and Pechernicki. Hansen was ordered to advance into Zaraysk, adjacent to Rjazan’ but held by 32,000 Russians. Any concerns that Hansen had about challenging such a force with his 10,000 motorised infantry were soon dispelled. While comparatively few in numbers, 161.ID (mot) had a huge advantage in skill, experience and most importantly, confidence. It suffered more losses than the Russians, but it took Zaraysk in less than a day.
1st leichte Panzer had a flurry of excitement when it was ordered to take Tula but the attack was poorly planned and lack of supplies led to it being called off in just a couple of hours. An embarrassment for General Keppler but casualties were very low and he got away with his mistake. Had he not called off the attack so quickly, things might have got a bit dangerous and not only for his men. OKH is taking a very hard approach to commanders who are reckless.
Soviet riflemen lie in wait in Tula: Keppler soon realised his division was not ready for a street battle
A more serious attack on Tula began early on 30th October. General von Sponeck was in charge and was given command of 43.ID as well as his own 4th Panzer Division. His opposition is two rifle divisions led by General Belous, who has made sure that his men are fully rested and that ammunition is plentiful. Early indications are that this will be a long, drawn-out battle. No doubt the Russians hope to hold out until the snows reach this area.
Balkans Army (Guderian)
Although things had not started well for General Petersen in Pokrovskoye, he was able to steady his men and on the 27th could announce he had finally cleared the forests of enemy soldiers. Even with the arrival of a cavalry division, Sharokhin could not hold off 386.ID (mot) assisted by 35.ID.
Late on the 26th the Balkans Army HQ got the message they had been waiting for: we had at last taken Staryj Oskol. After 10 days the Red Army had cracked and the bloodshed was over. 10th Panzer, which had begun the battle, had been withdrawn days ago, its supplies and men exhausted, but Crüwell’s 13th Panzer had taken up the burden and despite the Soviets throwing up to 50,000 men into the cauldron, had simply outfought Ratnikov’s men. Whatever the reason, I am sure Guderian is glad it is over.
With Moskva now firmly held by our troops, the spotlight swung back to the Balkans Army when the news broke that Kharkov had fallen. Was it only the 14th when Herzog first took 36.ID (mot) into the city? 12 days of deadly street fighting took its toll on both us Germans and our Italian allies. The Russians, who never numbered more than a couple of divisions, made our men pay for every street and every suburb. But they could not stop the inexorable advance. 26.ID (mot) which stayed in the battle the entire time, is to be congratulated on its performance.
The drive to the Don continued. Altrichter and 107.ID pushed into Grunin Vorgol but were soon halted as they ran into General Kamenev with an armoured division and nearly 30,000 infantry. None of the enemy units were in very good condition, but sheer numbers and firepower were enough to force Altrichter to proceed cautiously.
Slightly to the south, Höpner and 4th leichte Panzer had a similar experience, with Horolenko and two divisions holding up the tanks in Evlanovo.
Wrecked vehicles of 2nd Panzer Divsion
While it was accepted soon after the battle for Dolgoye began on the 15th that it would be a tough fight, few expected that it would last so long and be so expensive. Had that been known, Balkans Army HQ may have overridden 2nd Panzerkorps. As it is, 2nd Panzer Division is unfit for further action, with scores of tanks destroyed and more than 2,000 casualties. Volckers had already withdrawn 108.ID (mot) as he had run out of supplies. More than two weeks of continuous combat was more than we can ask of even our best units, at least when supply is so unreliable.
Italian Expeditionary Army (Pintor)
General Pinto managed to stir his generals into action, and Rossi launched 14a Divisione “Isonzo” against Katukov’s 29th “Sibivskaya” and 221st Motorizavannaya. His men were winning, but at a huge cost, when Herzog’s 36.ID (mot) lent a hand. (Needless to say Rossi’s official report simply mentions the presence of “other ground troops in the area). Regardless of who claims the credit, the end result is that the Russians were sent packing, though comparatively unharmed.
Österreich Army (von Kluge)
General von Kluge did not seek much publicity for his victory in Sakhnovskaya, and in fact I nearly missed the report. I can see why he didn’t want many to hear of it: General Kurte seems to have made a complete botch-up. We won the battle, but it took us ten days and nearly 1,700 casualties. Although not made clear, several other divisions must have been called into clean up the mess. 7th SS Freiwilligen Gebirgsjäger Division will take some weeks to recover fully. With the current emphasis on conserving men, everyone involved should be glad this has slipped through unnoticed (except by me).
1 Hadtest (Shvoy)
The Hungarians, newly arrived in the south, were tested when Semenchenko launched a sudden attack on Horlivka. Using a tank division supported by a motorised unit, the Russians pressed Bruswik’s 5th gyal. and 1st Tábori hard, but the Hungarians were not to be shifted easily. They had been given responsibility for the province and General Shvoy was keen to show his men could hold their own. The Soviet armour, usually up against the superior German panzers, relished the opportunity to take on the Hungarian Toldis. Miklós Toldi on his horse would have been about as useful as the 20mm guns, but the Hungarians gritted their teeth and took heavy casualties until the Russians pulled back. No-one knows why: it might have been that Soviet fuel is scarce since the loss of Moskva.
What came next has embarrassed the whole Hungarian nation, up to Admiral Horthy himself. The key province of Horlivka was lost to the Soviets without a fight! Nobody knows what the real story is and finding the truth is impossible. Everyone involved is covering their tracks and it is easy for documents to “go missing’ in a war zone. As best as we can tell from Berlin, after the Russian armour retreated, Bruswick also ordered his men to pull back. (Given the damage his two divisions had suffered, this was understandable.) Due to some administrative failure, either at 1 Hadtest or II Állandó Hadsereg, no-one was told to take the place of the badly mauled defenders and before Shvoy or Werth could react there was an enemy division occupying the area. What a complete fiasco!
Unopposed, a BT-7 and escorting infantry moves into Horlivka
To make matters worse, a badly planned counter-attack was beaten off in less than an hour. 2 Páncéloshados was no match for the Russian tanks it found: 17th Tankovaya had been resupplied and rested and was waiting for them.
It is unlikely that the attack on Barvinkove was staged to divert attention from the shambles to the south, but the timing was perfect. Govondy-Novák took four Hungarian infantry divisions forward and took no risks. His 28,000 men were too much for the single Soviet rifle division and in just over a day Shvoy could announce a Hungarian victory, a victory achieved with no German assistance.
Ukraine Army (Höhne)
4th schwere Panzer Division, still awaiting its new tanks, was able to push back the advancing Russians, though at some cost. The tank battle with 19th Tankovaya in Yakymivka was brutal and losses on both sides were heavy, but von Vietinghoff gennant Scheel’s men outlasted the Soviet tanks. It will be some time before they can continue their mission in the Crimea: they have been pulled back to Mykolayivk to recover and hopefully complete their refit.
Spain
On the 26th, we received word of an uprising in Verin, Galica. There are already a couple of areas of discontent in the region, but Berlin was assured by General von Rabenau that his Army of Iberia is responding, and that with the help of some Hungarians stationed nearby the matter would be sorted soon. By the 29th, although 198th Reserve Division reached Verin, the rebels had moved to Ourense.
Finalised Battles for the period 25th to 31st October 1941
Sakhnovshchyna: 1,693 (31,841): 947 (20,166)
Kazin: 55 (49,984): 488 (9,902)
1st Podporoz’e: 150 (19,990): 512 (15,995)
1st Lesnoye: 77 (9,958): 103 (17,552)
2nd Lesnoye: 793 (10,000): 556 (21,445)
Shchelkovo: 43 (9,996): 87 (9,997)
Staryj Oskol: 1,763 (29,995): 2,317 (50,850)
Uglci: 321 (10,000): 267 (7,295)
Zmyiyiv: 442 (23,589): 76 (15,421) (262 Italian)
2nd Podporoz’e: 252 (19,990): 717 (17,783)
Aleksin: 764 (39,970): 723 (46,463)
Horlivka: 340 (11,995): 52 (17,852) (Hungarian)
Kharkov: 1,182 (25,994): 1,135 (17,789) (120 Italian)
Zaraysk: 201 (9,996): 131 (31,924)
Kaljazin: 58 (9,991): 87 (15,292)
Tula: 13 (9,789): 0 (16,783)
Yakymivka: 755 (9,162): 715 (9,997)
Gummala: 113 (19,994): 103 (14,978)
Plavsk: 1,298 (19,426): 958 (54,047)
Dolgoye: 3,366 (29,970): 3,270 (58,231)
2nd Horlivka: 31 (5,995): 1 (10,000)
Davydovo: 79 (9,991): 119 (13,054)
Barvinkove: 106 (27,979): 108 (7,890) (Hungarian)
Stupino: 969 (41,999): 1,901 (46,563)
Total Battlefield Casualties for the period 25th to 31st October 1941
Hungarian:
446
Italian:
382
German:
14,036
Russian:
15,373
Prior Casualties
Hungarian: 2,784
Italian: 7,230
German: 381,258
Russian: 422,534
Total Battlefield Casualties to date
Hungarian: 446 + 2,784 =
3,230
Italian: 382 + 7,230 =
7,612
German: 14,036 + 381,258 =
395,294
Russian: 15,373 + 422,534 =
437,907
Bombing Summary for the period 25th to 31st October 1941
Luftwaffe
Aleksin: Grauert with 3rd and 4th Kampffliegerkorps: 269, 269, 317, 312, 297 (1,464)
Stupino: Keller with 1st and 7th Kampffliegerkorps: 311, 358, 290, 353, 324, 459 (2.095)
Podporez’e: Wever with 8th Kampffliegerkorps: 257, 349, 181, 231, 336, 328 (1,682)
Kimry: von Waldau with 4th Schlachtfliegerkorps: 144
Plavsk: Weise with 5th Schlachtfliegerkorps: 209, 354, 287 (850)
Stupino: Löhr with 2nd Schlachtfliegerkorps: 244, 180, 388, 359 (1,171)
Uglic: Keller with 7th Kampffliegerkorps: 165, 153 (318)
Stupino: von Waldau with 4th Schlachtfliegerkorps and 1st Kampffliegerkorps: 342
Uglic: Keller with 3rd and 7th Kampffleigerkorps: 339
Stupino: Löhr with 2nd and 4th Schlachtfliegerkorps: 372, 117, 215, 282, 238 (1,224)
Kaljazin: Weise with 5th Schlachtkorps: 173, 199 (372)
Uglic: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps: 215, 399 (614)
Plavsk: Grauert with 4th and 7th Kampffliegerkorps: 374, 342, 260, 283 (1,259)
Novosomorsk: Weise with 5th Schlachtfliegerkorps: 256, 306, 200 (762)
Gummala: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps: 183, 344 (527)
Podkhozkhoye: von Waldau with 4th Schlachtfliegerkorps: 73, 153, 124 (350)
Gummala: Wirse with 5th Schlachtkorps: 81, 54 (135)
Davydovo: Löhr with 2nd Schlachtfliegerkorps: 86, 180 (266)
Novosomorsk: Grauert with 4th Kampffliegerkorps: 225, 287, 122 (634)
Tula: Sperrle with 1st Kampffliegerkorps: 228, 396, 179 (803)
Lesnoye: Keller with 7th Kampffliegerkorps: 143
Lesnoye: Keller with 3rd and 7th Kampffliegerkorps: 424
VVS
Soviet aircraft managed one raid on Kolpny before being hit by 600 Messerschmitts led by Major General Fisser. 7th Jagdfliegerkorps was nearly untouched but 2nd Jagdfliegerkorps took heavy casualties: a quick check showed my brother Ernst was not among those listed as missing. His unit, JG 26 “Schlageter” is now down to 69 aircraft, but as far as I can see this is more a reflection of the difficulty of getting replacement aircraft to the front than of heavy fighting.
Kolpny: Thor with 11th and 2nd ShAd: 91
Total Bombing Casualties for the period 25th to 31st October 1941
Hungarian:
Nil
Italian:
Nil
German:
91
Russian:
15,918
Prior Casualties
Hungarian: 128
Italian: 65
German: 5,281
Russian: 299,446
Total Bombing Casualties to date
Hungarian: Nil + 128 =
128
Italian: Nil + 65 =
65
German: 91 + 5,281 =
5,372
Russian: 15,918 + 299,446 =
315,364
The Eastern Front at end of 24th October 1941.
OKH has noted a gap appearing in the north as differing objectives stretch our armies
Total East Front Casualties for the period 19th to 24th October 1941
Hungarian: 446 + Nil =
446
Italian: 382 + Nil =
382
German: 14,036 + 91 =
14,127
Russian: 15,373 + 15,918 =
31,291
Prior Casualties
Hungarian: 2,902
Italian: 7,295
German: 386,539
Russian: 721,980
Total East Front casualties to date
Hungarian: 446 + 2,902 =
3,348
Italian: 382 + 7,295 =
7,677
German: 14,127 + 386,539 =
400,666
Russian: 31,291 + 721,980 =
753,271
U-boat Activity for the period 1st to 31st October 1941 (all sinkings are UK transports unless otherwise noted)
Unit successes
Patrol Zone
1st Unterseebootsflotte (Aßmann) 1 (+1 Canadian) Southern Cape Verde Terrace
2nd Unterseebootsflotte (Dönitz) 2 Northern Bay of Biscay
3rd Unterseebootsflotte (Fricke) 6 (+2 Irish escorts) Eastern Charcot Seamount
4th Unterseebootsflotte (Wolf) 3 Horseshoe Seamount
5th Unterseebootsflotte (Krause) 2 Central Atlantic Fracture Zone
II Unterseebootsflotte (von Nordeck) 2 Eastern Biscay Plain
Total sinkings are 17 transports (1 Canadian) and 2 Irish Escorts
Far out at sea, a newsreel is prepared for the public back in the Reich
I hear there is alarm at OKW at the drop in sinkings. We feel sure that the British are still running a massive merchant navy: we are just not as efficient as we were. Our technology is getting old, but we still have few losses. In fact, even von Nordeck’s elderly coastal boats are able to get the odd transport.
There is a growing conviction in OKM that the problem is our tactics. We are still being cautious in our attacks, our policy from the beginning of the war. Perhaps we should direct our Kapitans to be more aggressive? If we do this, however, can we absorb the possible losses? Our economy is already groaning under the combined effect of losses in the East and the cost of upgrading the primitive road and rail in Poland and Russia. If U-boats were lost, would they ever be replaced? Should we divert more of our research to naval matters? (There is an undercurrent here of deeper political purposes. Some very high-ranking officers and party officials are pushing for increases in naval technology, not all of it related to our U-boots. I am getting concerned that there are things happening that I don’t know about).
Axis Allies: Situation as of 31st October 1941
Italy
Large numbers of Italian troops remain in Greece. There are no reports of any activity on either side. I have seen a few memos going to the office of the Foreign Minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, suggesting that the Luftwaffe may be able to send some bombers south during the winter in Russia. The hope is that this might stimulate the Italians to action. We have directly asked them to capture Athina but this has not convinced them to attack.
They have shown a bit more fortitude in North Africa. Or perhaps I should say the Middle East. Two armour divisions are across the Suez and the British and Iraqi forces seem weak. We have asked the Italians to aim for Tel Aviv/Yafo. If they can take that then Egypt and the Suez Canal should be secure.
Japan
In the all important Chinese theatre, the slow advance continues. The supply problems that damaged the Imperial Japanese Army for so long are a thing of the past: supply is plentiful.
The situation in Indo-China has improved somewhat, as supplies have started to arrive in Saigon. Not enough to make the defenders along the coast confident, but enough to make complete collapse unlikely. There is some concern about General Takumi and his two divisions who have been cut off from Saigon, but he is in no immediate danger.
What interested several officers I know in the Kriegsmairine was the change in location of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The carrier fleets have all returned to Japan, together with about half the surface fleet. A very strong fleet under Admiral Kaga is in the Kwajalein area – about 20 ships. Nobody knows why. What are the Japanese up to?