Truman could hardly believe it, but this war that had been going on for almost 12 years and had dominated all three of his terms looked to be nearing its end. After years of grappling with the Axis powers, the last major combatant, Japan, seemed to be on their last legs. China, which they had held in its entirety since 1943 and in parts since even before that, was now on the verge of falling. Most of Southern China had already fallen to the Americans and their allies. While it was true that the Japanese had so far managed to hold the Americans at the Yellow River, Patton was already moving to outflank their lines there. Furthermore, their was also the matter of the American forces advancing through Siberia and Mongolia. While the poor infrastructure of the region was slowing the pace of advance there, the Americans in Siberia had not stopped their advance and Japan lacked the manpower it would need if it intended to try and stop them. That meant that, given enough time, they would eventually reach the Pacific and be able to turn South, pouring into Manchuria. If that happened, the game would be up, as Japan simply did not have the manpower to fight on two fronts at once. Too many men had been lost in Southeast Asia and in the deadly pocket that the Americans had turned the coast of Southern China into. Worse still, American advances into the interior of China threatened to create another pocket in the interior, costing the Japanese even more men that they could ill afford to lose. As if the disaster that was China were not enough for the Japanese, they now had to deal with an invasion of their own home islands. While the Japanese were not entirely unprepared to defend their home islands, they had been forced to abandon the southernmost main island of Kyushu when the Americans landed. They now occupied defensive positions in the Chugoku region of Honshu hoping to hold off further advances. They had already stopped one attack but no one knew how long they could hold off the Americans forces there. However, while Truman could clearly see that it was only a matter of time before the Japanese were forced to throw in the towel, no one had apparently told the Japanese this. They continued to fight on with dogged determination which meant that their was still plenty of work to be done before the war could be brought to a close.
Indeed, while the invasion of the Home Islands was temporarily halted, advances continued to be made in China. After fighting there way through Mongolia, the Americans had finally managed to push the forces of Mengkuku out of most of what had been the former country of Mongolia and had taken the region of Yuling.
While some saw this as not much to be excited about, Stillwell was able to see the value that it could have. If the Americans forces advancing through Mengkuku could meet up with Patton, advancing from the North, they could sever the connection between Manchuria and the rest of Japanese forces in China, cutting off the escape of all Japanese forces in China. With this in mind, he immediately ordered them to push on to Datong.
Unfortunately, the Americans were unable to force the forces of Mengkuku out of the region and were forced to order a halt to their attack.
A few days later, however, news reached Stillwell that made him forget all about the debacle in Datong. American forces had managed to seize Nanchong.
That left Stillwell with two options. He could order a combined attack on the heavily defended Tianshui, turning Sichuan province into a massive pocket immediately. However, there was the risk that the Japanese soldiers would, instead of retreating into Sichuan province and getting caught in the developing trap, flee into Nancheng or Baoji, making it more difficult to surround and destroy them. Conversely, he could order them to hold position and wait. He already had men advancing on Ya'an, Chongqing, and Zhaotung. If they succeeded in reaching their destinations, all the troops in Sichuan province would be forced into a tiny pocket centered on the cities of Chengdu and Zigong. While this would leave the troops in Tianshui outside of the pocket, American forces advancing through Guiyang and into the Pingliang would be in a perfect postion to take Xianyang. This, in conjunction with an advance on Nancheng and Baoji could potentially turn Tianshui into a second pocket. However, if either advance was allowed to stall, it could give the troops in Tianshui time to escape and cut off or contest Patton's advance northward. After weighing his options, Stillwell decided to go with the latter option rather then the former, ordering the roops in Nanchong to hold there positions.
A few weeks later, the pocket in Sichuan closed and the Americans began to move in to finish off the Japanese troops trapped inside it.
While Stillwell was figuring out the best way to handle the situation in the Chinese interior, MacArthur discovered a potential way of breaking the temporary stalemate in Japan. Incredibly, the Japanese had made the same error they made in Kyushu again. While rushing men to Chugoku in an attempt to prevent the Americans from breaking out of Kyushu, they had neglected the defenses of the Kansai region, centered around the city of Osaka. This gave MacArthur an idea. Instead of smashing through the Japanese in Chugoku, he would simply land a force in the rear at Osaka with orders to seize control of the Kansai region. Once they had accomplished that, the Japanese forces still fighting in the Chugoku region would be cut off from retreat by land. He would then order an attack from his postions in Kyushu while the Americans in the Kansai region attacked the Japanese from the rear. With nowhere to retreat, the Japanese forces in Chugoku, which contained the vast majority of Japanese troops in the Home Islands, would be surrounded and destroyed. He ordered General Clark to lead a force of ten divisions to launch an amphibious attack to begin on the 6 of August. The attack was a phenomenal success. The Japanese, caught completely unawares by the attack, where unable to organize an effective defense in time and Clark was able to seize the city and the entirety of the Kansai region within just two days.
However, the Americans would not have long to savor this victory. Fully aware of the danger that the loss of the Kansai region would pose to their positions in Chugoku, the Japanese ordered an immediate counterattack. The Americans, who had not yet had time to prepare their defenses, were forced to order a retreat and quickly made their way back to their ships.
Meanwhile, while MacArthur's daring plan looks to be failing, Patton's plan was going ahead as planned. After driving his men as hard as he could, he has finally managed to get into the rear of the Japanese Yellow River defensive line and taken the Changzhi region. With Luoyang surrounded on three sides, the Japanese are expected to pull out of the city anyday now. Not wanting to yield the momentum in his drive, Patton orders his men to keep going, not even stopping for a rest. He immediately begins his attack on the city of Handan. Due to it being behind the Japanese defensive positions, the city is lightly defended and is unable to stand up to Patton's relentless attack. After brushing aside what little resistance he finds, Patton resumes his march on the now defenseless city of Handan. To ensure he is not cut off, Stillwell orders men from Xi'an to advance into and hold Changzhi after Patton has moved on.
The successes in China do not stop there, however. On the 10th of August, the Sichuan pocket finally closes around the city of Chengdu. 7 Japanese divisions now stand trapped in the city. With the city surrounded on all sides, the Americans begin the assault on Chengdu.
The Japanese, knowing that their can be no rescue or retreat, fight like demons. Brutal street battles are fought as the Japanese, knowing they cannot win, do everything in their power to take as many Americans soldiers down with them as possible. The Americans are forced to fight there way through the city street by street, house by house, and room by room. Despite the dogged resistance from the Japanese, their are simply too many Americans taking part in the attack and when the dust settled, not a single Japanese soldier was left standing in the city. Only in one place is the string of successes broken. That place is the island of Hainan. Despite having total control of the sea lanes, the Japanese forces in Hainan continue to hold out. The Americans have launched attack after attack but are always repelled. Yet again, the Americans, under General Gerow attempt to take the city and yet again they are repelled. However, while the island of Hainan does have some strategic significance, it can only hold out so long. Indeed, it is only due to the low priority assigned to taking the island that the Japanese are not facing overwhelming numbers. Plans are put into place to transfer troops to take the island after Vietnam falls and Gerow is ordered to simply hold his position until then.
However, not everything is going well in China. While the campaign in China is generally going well, the one exception is in region of Mongolia. Japanese and Mengkukou troops continue to put up stiff resistance in the area, even forcing the Americans and their allies out of Hohot
Back in Japan, MacArthur, determined not to lose the Kansai area back to Japan, had been repeatedly sending men to Osaka to try and hold the region. While he had initially met with little success, he is finally rewarded when General Marshall manages to secure the region.
Immediately after the region is secured, MacArthur orders the transfer of several divisions to the area. 2 days later, his preparations are complete. MacArthur begins the attack by launching another amphibious attack out of Kyushu. The Japanese, however, are prepared for this and are able to hold him off. While MacArthur has the attention of the Japanese on him, the men stationed in Kansai attack those in Chugoku from the rear. While the Japanese had expected this move, they simply do not have the men to defend against both attacks simultaneously. With their 19 divisions outnumbered more then two to one by MacArthur's 45 divisions, the Japanese are forced to spread themselves thin to defend both the front and the rear. Eventually, a crack develops in the line of the Japanese troops trying to hold off the attack from Kansai, who are trying to defend a very wide front with not enough men to do it. Seeing this happen, the Americans press the advantage and are able to break through the line. The Japanese, seeing that their line has been breeched, attempt to fall back in order to shorten their lines. The Americans, however, keep up the pressure, not giving the Japanese time to set up new defenses. Before long, the Japanese commanders order all of their forces to fall back on the city of Hiroshima, where they intend to make their last stand. The Americans surround the city. Knowing that the Japanese would sooner starve then surrender and not wanting to give the Japanese troops elsewhere in the country time to organize a counterattack, MacArthur orders his men in for the assault. The Japanese commanders inform their men that their can be no retreat and that this shall be their last stand, ordering every man to fight to the death. What follows is some of the most brutal fighting of the entire war. Where the battle of Chengdu had been a fierce fight, this was something different. In Hiroshima, 190,000 Japanese soldiers, completely surrounded and fighting for their homeland hole up in an urban area, determined to fight to the death. Brutal street battles break out, as the Japanese fight tooth and nail on every street, forcing the Americans to clear them out street by street, house by house, and room by room just like in Chengdu. Japanese soldiers continue to fight for as long as they have the strength to stand. Indeed, reports begin coming in of Japanese, too wounded to continue to fight waiting for American soldiers to approach and then blowing themselves up along with those Americans who tried to help them. After losing several soldiers and even a handful of stretcher bearers this way, MacArthur orders his men to keep there distance from any wounded Japanese soldier, only approaching once they are sure that the soldier is not a trap. In the end, the Japanese fight with every means they have available and the city is reduced to rubble. Several civilians even begin trying to resist the Americans. The Americans, who had not even encountered resistance like this in Kyushu or Osaka, were completely ill-equipped to deal with this kind of battle. After casualties begin to mount rapidly, MacArthur is forced to order his men to withdraw to the outer limits of the city in order to regroup. After completing the withdrawal, he orders his men to seal off the town and not let anything in or out. He hopes that by cutting off their access to food and resupply, the Japanese will lose the ability, if not the will, to continue the fight. Fearful of a Japanese attempt to break through to the beseigers, he orders most of Marshal's men back to Osaka to hold the are with orders to await his orders. The results of the offensive are thus bittersweet. While the Americans have succeeded in gaining control of the vast majority of the Chugoku region, they have failed to eliminate the Japanese soldiers there. All that now remains for MacArthur to do, at least for the time being, is wait and see if his plan works.
Indeed, while the invasion of the Home Islands was temporarily halted, advances continued to be made in China. After fighting there way through Mongolia, the Americans had finally managed to push the forces of Mengkuku out of most of what had been the former country of Mongolia and had taken the region of Yuling.
While some saw this as not much to be excited about, Stillwell was able to see the value that it could have. If the Americans forces advancing through Mengkuku could meet up with Patton, advancing from the North, they could sever the connection between Manchuria and the rest of Japanese forces in China, cutting off the escape of all Japanese forces in China. With this in mind, he immediately ordered them to push on to Datong.
Unfortunately, the Americans were unable to force the forces of Mengkuku out of the region and were forced to order a halt to their attack.
A few days later, however, news reached Stillwell that made him forget all about the debacle in Datong. American forces had managed to seize Nanchong.
That left Stillwell with two options. He could order a combined attack on the heavily defended Tianshui, turning Sichuan province into a massive pocket immediately. However, there was the risk that the Japanese soldiers would, instead of retreating into Sichuan province and getting caught in the developing trap, flee into Nancheng or Baoji, making it more difficult to surround and destroy them. Conversely, he could order them to hold position and wait. He already had men advancing on Ya'an, Chongqing, and Zhaotung. If they succeeded in reaching their destinations, all the troops in Sichuan province would be forced into a tiny pocket centered on the cities of Chengdu and Zigong. While this would leave the troops in Tianshui outside of the pocket, American forces advancing through Guiyang and into the Pingliang would be in a perfect postion to take Xianyang. This, in conjunction with an advance on Nancheng and Baoji could potentially turn Tianshui into a second pocket. However, if either advance was allowed to stall, it could give the troops in Tianshui time to escape and cut off or contest Patton's advance northward. After weighing his options, Stillwell decided to go with the latter option rather then the former, ordering the roops in Nanchong to hold there positions.
A few weeks later, the pocket in Sichuan closed and the Americans began to move in to finish off the Japanese troops trapped inside it.
While Stillwell was figuring out the best way to handle the situation in the Chinese interior, MacArthur discovered a potential way of breaking the temporary stalemate in Japan. Incredibly, the Japanese had made the same error they made in Kyushu again. While rushing men to Chugoku in an attempt to prevent the Americans from breaking out of Kyushu, they had neglected the defenses of the Kansai region, centered around the city of Osaka. This gave MacArthur an idea. Instead of smashing through the Japanese in Chugoku, he would simply land a force in the rear at Osaka with orders to seize control of the Kansai region. Once they had accomplished that, the Japanese forces still fighting in the Chugoku region would be cut off from retreat by land. He would then order an attack from his postions in Kyushu while the Americans in the Kansai region attacked the Japanese from the rear. With nowhere to retreat, the Japanese forces in Chugoku, which contained the vast majority of Japanese troops in the Home Islands, would be surrounded and destroyed. He ordered General Clark to lead a force of ten divisions to launch an amphibious attack to begin on the 6 of August. The attack was a phenomenal success. The Japanese, caught completely unawares by the attack, where unable to organize an effective defense in time and Clark was able to seize the city and the entirety of the Kansai region within just two days.
However, the Americans would not have long to savor this victory. Fully aware of the danger that the loss of the Kansai region would pose to their positions in Chugoku, the Japanese ordered an immediate counterattack. The Americans, who had not yet had time to prepare their defenses, were forced to order a retreat and quickly made their way back to their ships.
Meanwhile, while MacArthur's daring plan looks to be failing, Patton's plan was going ahead as planned. After driving his men as hard as he could, he has finally managed to get into the rear of the Japanese Yellow River defensive line and taken the Changzhi region. With Luoyang surrounded on three sides, the Japanese are expected to pull out of the city anyday now. Not wanting to yield the momentum in his drive, Patton orders his men to keep going, not even stopping for a rest. He immediately begins his attack on the city of Handan. Due to it being behind the Japanese defensive positions, the city is lightly defended and is unable to stand up to Patton's relentless attack. After brushing aside what little resistance he finds, Patton resumes his march on the now defenseless city of Handan. To ensure he is not cut off, Stillwell orders men from Xi'an to advance into and hold Changzhi after Patton has moved on.
The successes in China do not stop there, however. On the 10th of August, the Sichuan pocket finally closes around the city of Chengdu. 7 Japanese divisions now stand trapped in the city. With the city surrounded on all sides, the Americans begin the assault on Chengdu.
The Japanese, knowing that their can be no rescue or retreat, fight like demons. Brutal street battles are fought as the Japanese, knowing they cannot win, do everything in their power to take as many Americans soldiers down with them as possible. The Americans are forced to fight there way through the city street by street, house by house, and room by room. Despite the dogged resistance from the Japanese, their are simply too many Americans taking part in the attack and when the dust settled, not a single Japanese soldier was left standing in the city. Only in one place is the string of successes broken. That place is the island of Hainan. Despite having total control of the sea lanes, the Japanese forces in Hainan continue to hold out. The Americans have launched attack after attack but are always repelled. Yet again, the Americans, under General Gerow attempt to take the city and yet again they are repelled. However, while the island of Hainan does have some strategic significance, it can only hold out so long. Indeed, it is only due to the low priority assigned to taking the island that the Japanese are not facing overwhelming numbers. Plans are put into place to transfer troops to take the island after Vietnam falls and Gerow is ordered to simply hold his position until then.
However, not everything is going well in China. While the campaign in China is generally going well, the one exception is in region of Mongolia. Japanese and Mengkukou troops continue to put up stiff resistance in the area, even forcing the Americans and their allies out of Hohot
Back in Japan, MacArthur, determined not to lose the Kansai area back to Japan, had been repeatedly sending men to Osaka to try and hold the region. While he had initially met with little success, he is finally rewarded when General Marshall manages to secure the region.
Immediately after the region is secured, MacArthur orders the transfer of several divisions to the area. 2 days later, his preparations are complete. MacArthur begins the attack by launching another amphibious attack out of Kyushu. The Japanese, however, are prepared for this and are able to hold him off. While MacArthur has the attention of the Japanese on him, the men stationed in Kansai attack those in Chugoku from the rear. While the Japanese had expected this move, they simply do not have the men to defend against both attacks simultaneously. With their 19 divisions outnumbered more then two to one by MacArthur's 45 divisions, the Japanese are forced to spread themselves thin to defend both the front and the rear. Eventually, a crack develops in the line of the Japanese troops trying to hold off the attack from Kansai, who are trying to defend a very wide front with not enough men to do it. Seeing this happen, the Americans press the advantage and are able to break through the line. The Japanese, seeing that their line has been breeched, attempt to fall back in order to shorten their lines. The Americans, however, keep up the pressure, not giving the Japanese time to set up new defenses. Before long, the Japanese commanders order all of their forces to fall back on the city of Hiroshima, where they intend to make their last stand. The Americans surround the city. Knowing that the Japanese would sooner starve then surrender and not wanting to give the Japanese troops elsewhere in the country time to organize a counterattack, MacArthur orders his men in for the assault. The Japanese commanders inform their men that their can be no retreat and that this shall be their last stand, ordering every man to fight to the death. What follows is some of the most brutal fighting of the entire war. Where the battle of Chengdu had been a fierce fight, this was something different. In Hiroshima, 190,000 Japanese soldiers, completely surrounded and fighting for their homeland hole up in an urban area, determined to fight to the death. Brutal street battles break out, as the Japanese fight tooth and nail on every street, forcing the Americans to clear them out street by street, house by house, and room by room just like in Chengdu. Japanese soldiers continue to fight for as long as they have the strength to stand. Indeed, reports begin coming in of Japanese, too wounded to continue to fight waiting for American soldiers to approach and then blowing themselves up along with those Americans who tried to help them. After losing several soldiers and even a handful of stretcher bearers this way, MacArthur orders his men to keep there distance from any wounded Japanese soldier, only approaching once they are sure that the soldier is not a trap. In the end, the Japanese fight with every means they have available and the city is reduced to rubble. Several civilians even begin trying to resist the Americans. The Americans, who had not even encountered resistance like this in Kyushu or Osaka, were completely ill-equipped to deal with this kind of battle. After casualties begin to mount rapidly, MacArthur is forced to order his men to withdraw to the outer limits of the city in order to regroup. After completing the withdrawal, he orders his men to seal off the town and not let anything in or out. He hopes that by cutting off their access to food and resupply, the Japanese will lose the ability, if not the will, to continue the fight. Fearful of a Japanese attempt to break through to the beseigers, he orders most of Marshal's men back to Osaka to hold the are with orders to await his orders. The results of the offensive are thus bittersweet. While the Americans have succeeded in gaining control of the vast majority of the Chugoku region, they have failed to eliminate the Japanese soldiers there. All that now remains for MacArthur to do, at least for the time being, is wait and see if his plan works.
Last edited: