Operation Improbable
1
0100 May 1st 1947.
BB Division 1 Flagship. IJN Musashi, Gulf of Mannar.
Admiral Ozawa had been having a quiet time of late as the Allied fleets stayed away from any confrontation with the Imperial Japanese Navy. This allowed him to re-think some of his strategic positioning which led to a minor flurry of activity throughout the Pacific.
All Japanese Submarine fleets that had been operating in the Pacific, mostly around the Carolines, were ordered to rebase to Colombo where they would be used to provide advanced warning of incoming enemy shipping. Ozawa did not wish to have his main Battlefleets surprised in any way. All of these fleets would remain in their current areas of operation around the Indian Ocean.
The only exception would be BC Division 1 which had been in Tokyo. Admiral Koga would add the Battleship IJN Fuso, which had completed its repairs, to his fleet to replace IJN Kongo which needed several months in dock. Koga sailed for Vladivostok Bay to support operations along the coast.
Japanese Transport ships would embark the troops used during Operation Tedious and move them to Vladivostok Bay. These forces had been landed on the northern Japanese island in Asahikawa where Mj. General Banzai joined them as he took command of the Imperial GHQ Infantry division. Command of his Marine division passed to General Imamura.
0100 May 1st 1947.
North China Army Headquarters. Lanzhou, China.
Higashikuni had not returned from his visit to Tokyo and was not scheduled to arrive until the following day, this left Field Marshall Sugiyama in temporary command of North China Army. He had already been briefed on what was required.
The forces that had withdrawn from the north Indian border began to move back to a more central position as it became clear that Japanese Tactical bombers would contain the Armoured spearhead of the Soviets.
Lt. General Takumi, protecting Bakhtaran province in Persia, received his marching orders. He was to head north and capture Tabriz. More than a month would be needed before Persia could be annexed by Japan.
0100 May 1st 1947.
Kwantung Army Headquarters. Mukden, Manchukuo.
Field Marshall Hata, second in command of the Kwantung Army, was also waiting for his commander to return from Tokyo. Terauchi had already passed on the more immediate orders that needed attention and Hata swiftly had the troops moving.
The nine Japanese divisions in Chifeng province began the short march to Mukden. This would leave sixteen Manchurian divisions defending Chifeng which was deemed adequate for the mountainous province given the current strategic situation. This would give a total strike force of thirty seven divisions in Mukden if they all remained there, which of course they wouldn't. Operation Improbable was aimed at one thing, the Soviet Army Group occupying Manchuria. The Kwantung Army had been tasked with destroying it completely.
A minor diversionary attack was launched towards Erenhot at 0200 hours by forces from both Japanese Armies. General Xing Shilian commanded the eleven divisions that quickly overcame the weak defences of the province. No advance was ordered which was normal for this part of the line.
Terauchi had arrived back at his Headquarters before the appointed start time for Operation Improbable which gave him some time to consult various commanders and give out his orders. Additional supplies had arrived for the troops which would hopefully give them an edge over their adversaries.
At 2200 hours on May 1st two hundred and forty thousand Japanese troops launched a massive assault on the Soviet front line which would signal the beginning Tanigawa's plans.
By 2300 hours the ten divisions defending Harbin, commanded by the capable Field Marshall Malinovskij, were fighting for survival as twenty four enemy divisions attacked them without any warning. Terauchi would lead the attack himself as his over supplied forces applied pressure to the under supplied Soviets facing them.
The situation deteriorated rapidly for Malinovskij as his defences crumbled. By 0400 hours the situation had become untenable as his troops began to suffer an increasing number of casualties which would force him to retreat at 0500 hours.
Twenty three Japanese divisions followed their orders and stopped their advance. Only General Fujie and the Kwantung Army Headquarters division continued to advance into the now defenceless Harbin. Terauchi had no idea how many enemy divisions were north of Harbin and he was not going to commit his only strike army to a possible reversal early in the campaign. His orders were to destroy the Soviet Army Group, they did not say he had to do it in one move, and he would take whatever precautions he could to save Japanese lives.