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Battle of Leopoldville - 10th to 25th of August, 1948

While Admiral Yamamoto sailed off East Africa awaiting a reply from the Navy Minister that likely would never arrive, the Naval Landing Force advanced on the Belgian capital-in-exile at Leopoldville.

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The plucky Belgians had their "little gray cells" about them and had setup an impressive in-depth defense plan from the Inkisi river to around the city. The Japanese Yokohama NLF division under Otani hit the first line along the Inkisi river and had to take some 10% casaulties and almost four days to get over the river defense line before making contact with the next layer of the defense just east of Madimba where the rail and road networks met at Sona-Bata.

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In the meantime the NLF forces behind them pushed into the French Congo, but the stiff defense the Belgians were putting up prevented a follow on attack to the north by the Kure division which was instead directed to assist in taking Leopoldville. Still pushing on Leopoldville the Yokohama division had broken the second line and had bridgeheads over the Nguma on the outskirts of the capital. When the Kure division arrived on the 24th they found their compatriots engaged in bitter house to house fighting along the Boulevard Albert 1st in the downtown area. The Belgians were dug in with murderous fields of fire behind the mined Golf Course and Zoological Gardens, the Japanese were canalized into the streets to the north and south of this solid wall of fire, where they were blocked by armed barricades and rooftop sniping. The marine artillery was raining down on the city center and the engineers were blasting their way through the buildings along the sides of the Boulevard Albert 1st.

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The Kure division was directed to circumvent the city center to the south, across the Aerodrome and up the Avenue de la Belgika and the riverside, splitting the Belgian defenses and crushing them against the Yokohama division still grinding against the Boulevard Albert 1st defenders. This brought the end to resistance in Leopoldville after fifteen days of harsh combat.

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Battle of Socotra - 25th to 27th August, 1948

One unexpected result of Admiral Yamamoto and CSF 1's appearance in the Horn of Africa was the mass exodus of the American fleet from the region. Unfortunately, or fortunately as the case could have been, CSF 1 was itself in port re-provisioning and refueling...the unsuspecting ASW 1 fleet of Admiral Koga ran into the massive American force.

However Koga had no idea exactly what he was up against at first in the dark night of August 25th and early morning of the 26th. The Hosho's airgroup battled for seven hours against the combined air fleet ranged against them, the aircraft from six carriers and even more light carriers...the stoic warriors of the air giving twice as good as they got, but in the end there were no Japanese pilots left, which is just as well since the Hosho's flight deck had been wrecked by American bombs.

ASW 1 managed to disengage from the massive American task force and made for the port at Socotra. While in route they made contact with the second American task group south of the island. The American's should have finished off the almost totally wrecked ASW 1 group, however their attacks could not do the job and the Japanese task force found safety on the morning of the 27th.

ASW 1 made the most amazing display of survivability in the face of certain destruction and upheld the highest traditions of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

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I very much enjoyed the Battle of Leopoldville and the Poirot reference made it better still!

You seem to have annoyed the US. Haven't seen a battlegroup that size for some time. Seven carriers and five battleships is a formidable force and it's a miracle you got through that without losing a single ship.
 
I very much enjoyed the Battle of Leopoldville and the Poirot reference made it better still!

You seem to have annoyed the US. Haven't seen a battlegroup that size for some time. Seven carriers and five battleships is a formidable force and it's a miracle you got through that without losing a single ship.

One should never pass up the opportunity to reference Poirot :)

I havn't "peeked" at the Americans...but I can only wonder that they have not researched very many of the same air-naval techs and naval doctrines as I have...there was simply no reason that fleet should have escaped the Enterprise group...well asides from game mechnics I guess - since they were already de-org'ed and heading for port the Enterprise contact merely "helped them along"...either road on that account, the first group should've annihilated ASW within a couple hours of combat by this stage of the game. Like someone said before "there's something wrong with their bloody ships/planes"
 
Collapse of Belgium - Tojo Advances

The ultimate result of Operation "BG" and the taking of Leopoldville was the capture of the that capital-in-exile and the collapse of Belgian government. With the will to fight gone, the Belgians capitulated to the Axis.

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The Germans and their nordic allies had evicted the USMC from Norway.

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Tojo had received the news of Operation "BG" badly. He had expected to get the coverage in the state press for bringing down Belgium. His divisions were pushing against little resistance into South Africa - Tojo felt that he could make good on the prestige that Yamamoto stole from him. Tojo directed General Terauchi to rush ahead and take Cape Town by a coup de main.

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8th Corps lands on the beaches of Natal

Yamamoto had not been able to keep hold of AF 1 as the Navy Minister had ordered it away from the South Atlantic as soon as Tokyo had sorted out what had been going on with Operation "BG."

Minister Oikawa recalled AF 1 all the way back to the home islands where they loaded the newly refit 8th Corps for service with the 7th Army in Africa. Following Yamamoto's earlier example the task group stopped in Dar Es Salaam for a quick replenishment before taking the entire corps down to the coast of Natal for landings.

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The American Navy attempted to disrupt the landings...

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But could not be persuaded to stay long.

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Treachery Afoot!

Security Minister Yasui reported a disturbing development to Prime Minister Hayashi. There was a a very strong possibility that the continuing rise of Communist sympathy in the public arena, and specifically internal securities efforts to derail these developments, were being comprised by someone high up in the government...possibly even a cabinet member. He was bringing this to the Prime Ministers attention since Yasui was going to do some investigating of the cabinet ministers.

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The Capetown Spartans

(For anyone interested type the coordinates given below into Google Map, use satellite and/or terrain view)

General Terauchi was rushing forward to Cape Town, his division was deep into the Karoo desert and after crossing the hot African interior were shocked by the freezing night temperatures of a late Sutherland September. Being Bushido they carried on, Cape Town was not far! Unknown to Terauchi, resistance was closer than he thought.

South from Sutherland on the route to Matjiesfontein all the roads collapsed into a single passage through the rough Roggeveld terrain before the village of Hilandale on the upper Wilgehout river, at Hilandale the roads again fanned out. Little did Terauchi know that his, and Tojo's, coup de main would die on this ten kilometers of road.

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As his troops marched down the route the single road wrapped itself around a kop , when the point battalion had gone out of sight there were sounds of rifles, machineguns, and mortars. Terauchi deployed the division for battle not knowing, after an advance which had brought him all the way from Tanzania, that he would spend the next five days fighting on and around this kop, measuring his progress in tens of meters instead of tens of kilometers.

The first day of fighting was wholly involved in rescuing his cut off point battalion, assaults up and around the kop managed the task but Terauchi's staff were entirely puzzled by the few (all wounded) prisoners they managed to take. The language was unknown to them, these troops saying "Ellada" and some the equally puzzling "Eleftheria i Thanatos" -- being unable to interrogate the prisoners effectively he ordered them sent back to Sutherland.

The second day from an OP atop the kop the General was able to survey the route south across a couple kilometer plain there were the peaks marked on the map as Spitskop and Kranskop to each side of the road. He could make out the course of a feeder creek about half way to the opposite range which looked to him as if it went south to meet the Wilgehout river which ran roughly northwest to southeast and crossed the same pass through the opposite range as the road.

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He ordered a regimental probing attack to the south along a creek that seemed to meander that direction, if possible they would follow it to take the pass from the flank. All through the third day sounds of combat came from the direction of the third regiment, after dark the commanders report arrived saying that the creek in fact did not go *anywhere* - and the hills all around his position were filled with the strange speaking hostile troops. Terauchi ordered him back to the divisional line the next morning, they marched back through the line at midmorning looking as if they had aged years overnight. The inevitable "grapevine" stories began to circulate about sentries being found dead, and then their replacements the same way...the truth of it was in the fact that eventually triple sentries were stationed.

Just past noon the Japanese OP's on the kop a couple hundred meters across the road from the "battle" kop of the first day were overrun and mortar and machinegun fire was brought onto the Japanese positions. This attack was repulsed and the kop retaken, in this case what prisoners were taken could be interrogated and were identified as Australians, with some further questioning they revealed that the mysterious troops were Greeks, furthermore under "sustained" questioning it was reported that upwards of four divisions were facing Terauchi, and that more were on the way!

There were no reinforcements for Terauchi...he was alone and thousands of kilometers from any kind of help...he radioed Tojo for instructions.

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While Tojo was mulling over the options Terauchi ran out of choices himself. Having forced him into a defensive posture and probed his defenses, there were clear signs that the allied troops were encircling Terauchi's position. General Tojo directed another division south to back up Terauchi and ordered his beleaguered general to hold since reinforcements were on the way.

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However, having already taken over 15% casaulties in the fighting, on the 4th, Terauchi as the man on the scene ordered his division back towards Sutherland via the Komsbergpas which was the shortest distance and easiest grade to gain the Roggeveld escarpment, once atop he would certainly be able to outpace allied troops attempting to gain the rougher northern passes.

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Leaving the 24th Regiment to hold the Komsbergpas, he took his other two regiments the 10 km north to hold the other route up the Roggeveld, the Verlatenkloof pass ... as they approached the mouth of the Verlatenkloof in the late evening around 22:00 local time, Terauchi's leading columns came into contact with Australian and Greek troops emerging from the pass! After marching all day the Japanese were immediately going into combat and fought almost the rest of the night. Towards morning Terauchi recalled the 24th Regiment in order to fall back on Sutherlands and dig in at the Roikloof pass.

It was at this location that Terauchi made a stand to try and hold his position with his tired troops.

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While strong of will, the flesh was not willing and after some fighting in the Roikloof pass General Terauchi was forced to call a further withdraw to the north towards Williston. A long step back, staying ahead of the pursuing Australians and Greeks...the Japanese setup their defense along an escarpment with a wide southerly view and fields of fire.

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The good news was that the resistance at Durban had ended and the whole of 8th Corps was ashore!

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The other good news was that the "long step back" to Williston had bought Terauchi's troops some much needed rest, however the reason for this came to light on the 16th as reports from Williston placed Greek troops advancing up the Sak river valley towards town - outmaneuvered Terauchi moved his division back again after fighting a brief rear guard action in the hills just east of Williston.

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His next defensive position was another "long step back" to a very strong position in the Prisekapoort Pass and it was at this position that the long awaited reinforcing division arrived to back up the exhausted Terauchi and his troops.

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A post-war picture of the fighting positions amongst the Tigers-eye mines that Terauchi's troops prepared in the Prisekapoort Pass.
 
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Last stand of the "Black Cats" of Johannesburg

The US 13th Airborne division (the "Black Cats") under General Harold "Pinky" Bull was deployed around Johannesburg to hold the city "at all costs" against the advancing 8th Corps forces.

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The "Black Cats" fighting outside Johannesburg

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While the Americans put up a terrific fight, their cause was ultimately doomed since the Japanese divisions not involved in investing the city directly were cutting it off from outside contact, in addition General Tojo was linking up from the north with the 8th Corps troops coming around the city from the south. After a terrific handful of gallant days the "Black Cats" surrendered.
 
Road to Capetown (1948)

Asides from Terauchi's division the Japanese forces of the 2nd and 8th Corps had relatively light losses and were pushing everything before them. The newly arrived troops of the 8th Corps were actually referring to the campaign as "Road to Capetown" in reference to captured Hope and Crosby films which were re-edited & dubbed in Japanese for anti-American humorous effect and shown to the troops, with the "drill" routine of Abbott and Costello as the lead in shown.

Those hard fighters of Terauchi's division were more sanguine in their views, and as soon as they had sufficiently recovered they led the counterattack against the Greek/Australian troops who had brought such grief to them earlier. Breaking their defensive line outside Carnarvon.

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The fortunes of the South Africans had turned dramatically with the arrival of 8th Corps, and they were now knocking on the door of Cape Town.

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With their allied forces all engaged to the north of the city, the weak SA garrison collapsed after a short week of combat.

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The soldiers of 2nd and 8th Corps engaged in a brutal combat around Williston with the Greeks, which they won at great cost.

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Who'd have thought the Greeks and Australians would be in South Africa, and in such numbers. That must have given you a bit of a shock, but they've shot their bolt now.

Venezuela joining the Axis gives you another base from which to attack the US when the time comes.
 
South African Endgame

With the retreat of the SA Garrison from Cape Town, the main resistance in South Africa was centered on the Greek, Australian, and Persian troops headquartered at Sutherland.

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The Allied bastion was under pressure from a single Japanese 2nd Corps division attempting to gain the Roggeveld escarpment via the torturous Ouberg pass.

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To the north the Terauchi division had establish positions directly opposite the enemy positions along the Klein-Riet River. Perhaps uncharacteristically given the past history, Terauchi was content to cautiously probe and hold this position until the 8th Corps troops would approach from the south.

To the north-west Uchiyama's 2nd Corps division headquartered at Calvinia was attempting to close in on the Allied position when his forces ran headlong into an Allied attack coming towards Calvinia at Middelpos crossroads.

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The fighting was desperate on the part of the Allied troops and Uchiyama's troops with grim determination to not be pushed out of position. Unfortunately for the Japanese the desperation won out and Uchiyama's division collapsed between Calvinia and Middelpos.

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The scene of the last gasp of the South African allies

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Even though they had forced Uchiyama away, the Allied troops never had the chance to make good on their new outlet to freedom. The 8th Corps troops ascended the Roggeveld via the Komsbergpas at the same time 8th Corps troops who had relieved Terauchi moved on Sutherland from the north-east and the troops from the west finally climbing the Ouberg pass and moving to engage the allied columns along the road to Calivinia. (Terauchi had been moved to support liquidating some SA resistance to the north of Calivinia.

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The last battle in South Africa ended with the surrender of the Allied troops in the winter snow of the Roggeveld around the town of Sutherland after the mountain troops of the 8th Corps pierced the allied defensive perimeter.

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Venezuela, East Africa, and a "new" South Africa?

In South America the Venezuelans were already under pressure from the Allies.
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While the Italians and Germans had evicted the Americans from the Sudan.
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Meanwhile the South African government had found a new home, with a "capital" in the Andes mountains.
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The Imperial Guards Corps

The Motor Corps had been returned to the home islands for refit within Prime Minister Hayashi's army upgrade plan. The Prime Minister hit upon an idea to bring more glory, honor, and prestige to the IJA. Since the original cadre division of the Motor Corps had been drawn from the Imperial Guard division, the Prime Minister decided that the entire corps could be designated as "Imperial Guards."

With newsreels running the new Imperial Guards divisions were paraded in review for the Emperor Showa and great acclaim across the Empire.

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