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The final battles
On 16 September Argentine infantry launched a surprise attack meeting little resistance bar a handful of Royal Marines. It was later learnt that this attack was codenamed Operation Rosario. Following post campaign documentation it was established that the Argentine army 200,000 strong; in their attack across the Brazilian border they committed at least half this force. Over the course of the month their infantry advanced unopposed through the southwest of Brazil seeking to capture ports and airfields while further forces started to push north. In the meantime First Army and the Royal Marines regrouped at Sao Paulo; the exact offensive plan for how to knock Argentina out of the war had now been established. Hand of God would see I and II Corps stem the Argentinean offensive in Brazil while the marines seized Buenos Aires , then the rest of First Army would be landed and advance north into the heart of the country; in effect trapping the entire Argentinean army far away from where they would be needed and gain victory.
Towards the end of the month the Battle of the River Plate was fought, several Royal Navy submarines were sunk after being engaged by enemy destroyers. In retaliation, and to clear the way for the future landings, several battlegroups were dispatched to seek and destroy the Argentine navy; a cruiser squadron was engaged and destroyed for no loss and in a further engagement the Belgrano and another battleship were sunk. On 6 October Peruvian forces started to cross the border into Brazil however very few troops were estimated to be making the advance.
On the 12 October I Corps arrived at their blocking positions around 200 kilometres west of Sao Paulo and engaged the lead elements of the Argentine attack. The next day the marines departed and started landing operations. 24 hours later; the 4th Royal Marine Division seized a key area along the Atlantic coast unopposed while I RM Corps attacked Buenos Aires directly aided the next day by the rest of II RM Corps landing to the south of the city. On the 17th the capital fell and several defeats were inflicted upon the Argentine troops in Brazil. Following the successful marine landing the transport ships returned to Sao Paulo to transfer III Corps to Buenos Aires; within three days the move had been a success and the advance north started, led by the 3rd (The King's Own) Hussars armoured car regiment. By the end of the month IV Corps had also been landed and the forces had made good progress north while the rest of the army were steadily forcing the Argentine forces back out of Brazil inflicting heavy losses – at least a quarter of the invasion force had been destroyed by this point.
The frontline as of the end of October
Having taken an entire month, Peruvian forces had moved within 400 kilometres of our colony; the decision was taken to fly in the recently raised airborne corps. Within several days 60,000 paratroopers had been deployed to Georgetown and started moving towards the Brazilian border to protect European interests. Around the Buenos Aires beachhead the marines had linked up with the 4th Division and pushed back the only forces the Argentineans had deployed in the area to retake the ports. The advance north had now started to meet more resistance leading to a prolonged battle for control of Santa Fe, with the hussar regiments leading the advances taking heavy losses. As November arrived the Argentine force in Brazil was near enough in complete retreat. While holding firm at Santa Fe the Argentine mainline of resistance infront of Cordoba cracked and the city fell. The next day their government surrendered and most of their army was stood down, a new government was immediately put in power.
Business as usual
The marines were immediately withdrawn and transferred to Guatemala, from there they staged a landing on the coast of Nicaragua; a relevantly low intensity five day battle was fought to remove the dictatorship at the end of November. On 10 December the Royal Navy engaged the Peruvian navy clearing the way for the marines to storm ashore; on 17 December the war in South America ended – the 180,000 strong Peruvian army, being too far spread out to oppose the seaborne attack. While several axis countries technically remained at war with the western alliance, they were in name only; with South America cleared of axis forces there was but one power remaining – Japan.
On 16 September Argentine infantry launched a surprise attack meeting little resistance bar a handful of Royal Marines. It was later learnt that this attack was codenamed Operation Rosario. Following post campaign documentation it was established that the Argentine army 200,000 strong; in their attack across the Brazilian border they committed at least half this force. Over the course of the month their infantry advanced unopposed through the southwest of Brazil seeking to capture ports and airfields while further forces started to push north. In the meantime First Army and the Royal Marines regrouped at Sao Paulo; the exact offensive plan for how to knock Argentina out of the war had now been established. Hand of God would see I and II Corps stem the Argentinean offensive in Brazil while the marines seized Buenos Aires , then the rest of First Army would be landed and advance north into the heart of the country; in effect trapping the entire Argentinean army far away from where they would be needed and gain victory.
Towards the end of the month the Battle of the River Plate was fought, several Royal Navy submarines were sunk after being engaged by enemy destroyers. In retaliation, and to clear the way for the future landings, several battlegroups were dispatched to seek and destroy the Argentine navy; a cruiser squadron was engaged and destroyed for no loss and in a further engagement the Belgrano and another battleship were sunk. On 6 October Peruvian forces started to cross the border into Brazil however very few troops were estimated to be making the advance.
On the 12 October I Corps arrived at their blocking positions around 200 kilometres west of Sao Paulo and engaged the lead elements of the Argentine attack. The next day the marines departed and started landing operations. 24 hours later; the 4th Royal Marine Division seized a key area along the Atlantic coast unopposed while I RM Corps attacked Buenos Aires directly aided the next day by the rest of II RM Corps landing to the south of the city. On the 17th the capital fell and several defeats were inflicted upon the Argentine troops in Brazil. Following the successful marine landing the transport ships returned to Sao Paulo to transfer III Corps to Buenos Aires; within three days the move had been a success and the advance north started, led by the 3rd (The King's Own) Hussars armoured car regiment. By the end of the month IV Corps had also been landed and the forces had made good progress north while the rest of the army were steadily forcing the Argentine forces back out of Brazil inflicting heavy losses – at least a quarter of the invasion force had been destroyed by this point.
The frontline as of the end of October
Having taken an entire month, Peruvian forces had moved within 400 kilometres of our colony; the decision was taken to fly in the recently raised airborne corps. Within several days 60,000 paratroopers had been deployed to Georgetown and started moving towards the Brazilian border to protect European interests. Around the Buenos Aires beachhead the marines had linked up with the 4th Division and pushed back the only forces the Argentineans had deployed in the area to retake the ports. The advance north had now started to meet more resistance leading to a prolonged battle for control of Santa Fe, with the hussar regiments leading the advances taking heavy losses. As November arrived the Argentine force in Brazil was near enough in complete retreat. While holding firm at Santa Fe the Argentine mainline of resistance infront of Cordoba cracked and the city fell. The next day their government surrendered and most of their army was stood down, a new government was immediately put in power.
Business as usual
The marines were immediately withdrawn and transferred to Guatemala, from there they staged a landing on the coast of Nicaragua; a relevantly low intensity five day battle was fought to remove the dictatorship at the end of November. On 10 December the Royal Navy engaged the Peruvian navy clearing the way for the marines to storm ashore; on 17 December the war in South America ended – the 180,000 strong Peruvian army, being too far spread out to oppose the seaborne attack. While several axis countries technically remained at war with the western alliance, they were in name only; with South America cleared of axis forces there was but one power remaining – Japan.
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Crusoe
At the end of 1944 the gigantic effort of shipping the First Army and marines from South America to Australia began and the lead elements were able to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Sydney. At the beginning of 1945 the Royal Navy reorganised itself into four main forces (A,B,C, and not surprisingly D); the older ships dispatched back to the Med or home waters. In their first voyage into Japanese waters a light cruiser was sunk presenting an optimistic outlook to the upcoming campaign.
While the troops assembled at Darwin a new Headquarters was established to conduct operations: Far East Command; under the command of Field Marshal Brook, who temporary left GHQ to be run by staff officers. Under his command Operation Crusoe was planned; the first strike against the Japanese. The operation was to be launched one thrust at a time to remove Japanese forces from Palau, Micronesia, the Marshal Islands, the Marianas, Saipan, and finally Iwo Jima.
It was not until April when the men finally assembled in Darwin and then the first strike was not to be launched as originally intended. Japanese forces had landed on the eastern end of Timor to back up the remnants of the Portuguese Army who were battling away with Dutch forces on the west end of the island. Unsure of the size of the Japanese force, the whole of I Corps was assigned the task of eliminating this force. The Royal Navy dispatched the majority of the fleet to support the landings; the Fleet Air Arm attacking enemy concentrations. The landings started on the 20th and the entire corps was securely ashore by the end of the day without incident. The next day the offensive started and it was established that only a single division was operating against the Dutch. In the meantime another naval task moved into position around Palau and on the 23rd marines landed unopposed with intel establishing that a 3,000 strong garrison had retreated south into the islands interior. The next day Timor was secured and two Japanese submarines sunk.
The first Japanese reaction to theses strikes occurred on 25 April; a battlefleet arrived off the coast of Palau and engaged ‘Force A’ – our main carrier taskforce equipped with the latest KGVI battleships, Malta class carriers and other modern ships. During a lengthy engagement, the largest to date, two Japanese heavy cruisers were sunk and several battleships heavily damaged. However the KGVI battleships, in their first outing, did not fare well; three were heavily damaged and one holed so badly that she was nearly lost. The damaged ships were ordered to head for Sydney while the remains of Force A, now reinforced with Force B (KGV battleships and the first series of Malta class carriers built, supported by fairly modern screens), sailed at full speed to hunt down the retreating Japanese battleships. During the next day the Royal Navy caught up with the Japanese but was only able to engage at extreme range; the Fleet Air Arm not providing success on that occasion. In a second engagement the King George V battleships were able to close and finish off two Japanese dreadnoughts but the final one was able to flee; the Fleet Air Arm unable to locate or destroy her. Thus ended the first major fleet action; heavy damage had been inflicted upon the Royal Navy but no critical hits were scored whereas the Japanese surface fleet had lost an estimated third of their dreadnought strength.
Ten days later, on 5 May, the fleet deployed around Micronesia providing a cordon to halt any Japanese ships attempting to reinforce the islands or intercept transport convoys. Elements of II Corps hit the beaches of Jap at dawn on the 8th and were immediately met with white flags – the 10,512 strong garrison surrendered without a fight. Two days later Ulithi atoll was seized, unopposed, by an armoured car regiment during the night and then at dawn (22:00 GMT) the 2nd Infantry Division landed on Truk; 8,991 second class Japanese troops surrendered just after the men hit the beaches. While II Corps regrouped on Truk, and the transport fleet headed back to Australia, Japanese troop ships moved towards Micronesia. On the 16th the Battle of Santa Rosa Reef was fought; six Royal Navy destroyers were sunk after being engaged by Japanese battlecruisers however a troop ship was sunk; naval intelligence believed that this battle halted a Japanese invasion force and inflicted around 10,000 Japanese infantry casualties. While a heavy blow to the Royal Navy destroyer squadron it was a major strategic victory.
There was now a temporary lapse in the tempo of operations as the various task forces made for port and the transports headed back to Australia. On the 20th, after this short lull, the fleet positioned themselves in the vicinity of Saipan forming a buffer against any possible Imperial Japanese naval action towards the Marshal Islands – the next objective and to be tackled by III Corps. On the 23rd the 4th Infantry landed on Eniwetok taking 8,991 prisoners and made a further landing two days later on Ponape. On the 27th the 5th Infantry landed on Kwajalein and the next day the 2nd Armoured Division landed on Mili engaging the only first class formation in the area. Intel established that the Japanese 8th Corps led by General Tojo had been tasked with defending the island group. On 11 June the 2nd Armour was withdrawn from the Mili beachhead, completely worn out after inflicting 3,000 casualties upon the defenders but making no headway; three days later the 4th Infantry landed, with support from the 6th armoured brigade.
Meanwhile in China, four Indian infantry divisions completed a march from Burma and joined in the Chinese led assault on Mauau. After light losses, compared to the Chinese and Portuguese, the port was taken.
16 June, the naval buffer was engaged by a Japanese convoy in the southern Mariana Trench; the convoy, led by the battlecruiser Kongo, was savaged with the flagship and a light cruiser being sunk. Several transporters were also destroyed with intel believing an entire infantry corps was destroyed in the process. A few Japanese ships were able to flee the battle, in particular the battleship Musto, however the Fleet Air Arm was able to hunt her down and send her to the bottom.
On the 19th, the 4th Infantry Division finally cleared Mili after a bloody battle and by the 21st the rest of the island group had been declared cleared with a huge haul of prisoners taken.
On the 28th the fleet moved further into Japanese waters isolating the forward IJN base at Iwo Jima from Saipan, sinking a Japanese destroyer in the process. On the 2nd July marines hit the beaches of Saipan and quickly secure the beachhead however over the course of the next 18 days around 1,500 marines became casualties before the island was cleared; after which it was found that only 275 Japanese had been killed! The Imperial Japanese Navy then made one final effort to inflict a loss upon our forces: in a set battle the HMS Renown took serve damage (resulting in her being sent home) while her sister ship, the Repulse, scored a decisive hit on the Japanese battleship sinking her. In the aftermath a quick strike was launched by the marines to take Iwo Jima, which was accomplished over a bloody 48-hour period.
Thus ended Crusoe; the Imperial Japanese Navy had, by SIS estimates, lost their entire force of dreadnoughts however no carriers had been sighted nor engaged so it remained a mystery if they had any or not in their home waters. The Japanese had been, through a set of quick strikes, forced back into their own waters and the Imperial Japanese Army had lost an estimated 131,000 men: 51,601 casualties (including an estimated 40,000 at sea) and a further 79,659 prisoners. Several thousand Japanese troops were believed to still be garrisoning isolated unimportant islands. British casualties amounted to 6,103; naval and Fleet Air Arm losses would perhaps push this figure towards 10,000.
At the end of 1944 the gigantic effort of shipping the First Army and marines from South America to Australia began and the lead elements were able to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Sydney. At the beginning of 1945 the Royal Navy reorganised itself into four main forces (A,B,C, and not surprisingly D); the older ships dispatched back to the Med or home waters. In their first voyage into Japanese waters a light cruiser was sunk presenting an optimistic outlook to the upcoming campaign.
While the troops assembled at Darwin a new Headquarters was established to conduct operations: Far East Command; under the command of Field Marshal Brook, who temporary left GHQ to be run by staff officers. Under his command Operation Crusoe was planned; the first strike against the Japanese. The operation was to be launched one thrust at a time to remove Japanese forces from Palau, Micronesia, the Marshal Islands, the Marianas, Saipan, and finally Iwo Jima.
It was not until April when the men finally assembled in Darwin and then the first strike was not to be launched as originally intended. Japanese forces had landed on the eastern end of Timor to back up the remnants of the Portuguese Army who were battling away with Dutch forces on the west end of the island. Unsure of the size of the Japanese force, the whole of I Corps was assigned the task of eliminating this force. The Royal Navy dispatched the majority of the fleet to support the landings; the Fleet Air Arm attacking enemy concentrations. The landings started on the 20th and the entire corps was securely ashore by the end of the day without incident. The next day the offensive started and it was established that only a single division was operating against the Dutch. In the meantime another naval task moved into position around Palau and on the 23rd marines landed unopposed with intel establishing that a 3,000 strong garrison had retreated south into the islands interior. The next day Timor was secured and two Japanese submarines sunk.
The first Japanese reaction to theses strikes occurred on 25 April; a battlefleet arrived off the coast of Palau and engaged ‘Force A’ – our main carrier taskforce equipped with the latest KGVI battleships, Malta class carriers and other modern ships. During a lengthy engagement, the largest to date, two Japanese heavy cruisers were sunk and several battleships heavily damaged. However the KGVI battleships, in their first outing, did not fare well; three were heavily damaged and one holed so badly that she was nearly lost. The damaged ships were ordered to head for Sydney while the remains of Force A, now reinforced with Force B (KGV battleships and the first series of Malta class carriers built, supported by fairly modern screens), sailed at full speed to hunt down the retreating Japanese battleships. During the next day the Royal Navy caught up with the Japanese but was only able to engage at extreme range; the Fleet Air Arm not providing success on that occasion. In a second engagement the King George V battleships were able to close and finish off two Japanese dreadnoughts but the final one was able to flee; the Fleet Air Arm unable to locate or destroy her. Thus ended the first major fleet action; heavy damage had been inflicted upon the Royal Navy but no critical hits were scored whereas the Japanese surface fleet had lost an estimated third of their dreadnought strength.
Ten days later, on 5 May, the fleet deployed around Micronesia providing a cordon to halt any Japanese ships attempting to reinforce the islands or intercept transport convoys. Elements of II Corps hit the beaches of Jap at dawn on the 8th and were immediately met with white flags – the 10,512 strong garrison surrendered without a fight. Two days later Ulithi atoll was seized, unopposed, by an armoured car regiment during the night and then at dawn (22:00 GMT) the 2nd Infantry Division landed on Truk; 8,991 second class Japanese troops surrendered just after the men hit the beaches. While II Corps regrouped on Truk, and the transport fleet headed back to Australia, Japanese troop ships moved towards Micronesia. On the 16th the Battle of Santa Rosa Reef was fought; six Royal Navy destroyers were sunk after being engaged by Japanese battlecruisers however a troop ship was sunk; naval intelligence believed that this battle halted a Japanese invasion force and inflicted around 10,000 Japanese infantry casualties. While a heavy blow to the Royal Navy destroyer squadron it was a major strategic victory.
There was now a temporary lapse in the tempo of operations as the various task forces made for port and the transports headed back to Australia. On the 20th, after this short lull, the fleet positioned themselves in the vicinity of Saipan forming a buffer against any possible Imperial Japanese naval action towards the Marshal Islands – the next objective and to be tackled by III Corps. On the 23rd the 4th Infantry landed on Eniwetok taking 8,991 prisoners and made a further landing two days later on Ponape. On the 27th the 5th Infantry landed on Kwajalein and the next day the 2nd Armoured Division landed on Mili engaging the only first class formation in the area. Intel established that the Japanese 8th Corps led by General Tojo had been tasked with defending the island group. On 11 June the 2nd Armour was withdrawn from the Mili beachhead, completely worn out after inflicting 3,000 casualties upon the defenders but making no headway; three days later the 4th Infantry landed, with support from the 6th armoured brigade.
Meanwhile in China, four Indian infantry divisions completed a march from Burma and joined in the Chinese led assault on Mauau. After light losses, compared to the Chinese and Portuguese, the port was taken.
16 June, the naval buffer was engaged by a Japanese convoy in the southern Mariana Trench; the convoy, led by the battlecruiser Kongo, was savaged with the flagship and a light cruiser being sunk. Several transporters were also destroyed with intel believing an entire infantry corps was destroyed in the process. A few Japanese ships were able to flee the battle, in particular the battleship Musto, however the Fleet Air Arm was able to hunt her down and send her to the bottom.
On the 19th, the 4th Infantry Division finally cleared Mili after a bloody battle and by the 21st the rest of the island group had been declared cleared with a huge haul of prisoners taken.
On the 28th the fleet moved further into Japanese waters isolating the forward IJN base at Iwo Jima from Saipan, sinking a Japanese destroyer in the process. On the 2nd July marines hit the beaches of Saipan and quickly secure the beachhead however over the course of the next 18 days around 1,500 marines became casualties before the island was cleared; after which it was found that only 275 Japanese had been killed! The Imperial Japanese Navy then made one final effort to inflict a loss upon our forces: in a set battle the HMS Renown took serve damage (resulting in her being sent home) while her sister ship, the Repulse, scored a decisive hit on the Japanese battleship sinking her. In the aftermath a quick strike was launched by the marines to take Iwo Jima, which was accomplished over a bloody 48-hour period.
Thus ended Crusoe; the Imperial Japanese Navy had, by SIS estimates, lost their entire force of dreadnoughts however no carriers had been sighted nor engaged so it remained a mystery if they had any or not in their home waters. The Japanese had been, through a set of quick strikes, forced back into their own waters and the Imperial Japanese Army had lost an estimated 131,000 men: 51,601 casualties (including an estimated 40,000 at sea) and a further 79,659 prisoners. Several thousand Japanese troops were believed to still be garrisoning isolated unimportant islands. British casualties amounted to 6,103; naval and Fleet Air Arm losses would perhaps push this figure towards 10,000.
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Yea i know! I was expecting some hardcore bloody battles - i figure its a bug or the AI knows when the wars drawing to an end.:rofl:
French Fancy
On completion of Operation Crusoe, the tedious task of relocating the 260,000 men of Far East Command to Hong Kong and the surrounding friendly Chinese areas began; at the same time RAF fighters, closer support, medium and heavy bombers, and transport aircraft were deployed to China to support the upcoming operations against Taiwan and Okinawa; codenamed Operation Ancient Mariner. Ancient Mariner would see nothing fancy, the fleet would be deployed and in combination with the RAF and Fleet Air Arm deliver overwhelming fire support to the landings and take the islands via direct assault.
On 10 August, while the transport operations were still underway, the French “beat us to the punch”; they launched their own invasion of Taiwan. Their attack appeared to be an uncoordinated assault by at least three divisions, all landing from separate invasion convoys and using no naval or air support what so ever. It was a daring move but one that was bound to result in disaster if the Imperial Japanese Navy intervened, even on a limited basis after the drubbing the Royal Navy had already given them. Intel estimated around 23,000 Japanese troops, half second class, were based on the island with substantial air support but no naval force present. At any rate the Royal Navy was deployed immediately with one taskforce forming a picket at the northern end of the Taiwan Strait while the other three positioned themselves around the southern coast of the island and spread out as far as Okinawa to intercept any naval movements towards the French landings or the transport operations (the fleet taking the long route via the Philippines so to stay out of the danger zone) or an attempt to retake lost ground. Royal Navy submarines, now active in this theatre, were positioned offshore of the southern mainland Japanese naval bases to provide early warning of IJN sorties.
As soon as the French troops hit those Taiwanese beaches, RAF Tempests and Meteors were flying overhead protecting the landing and engaging Japanese fighters while, learning the lesson from the campaigns in Germany, medium and heavy bombers worked around the clock to knock out the local airfields. In a 48-hour period around two hundred fighters from both sides were destroyed in the vicious dog fighting; with an RAF wing nearly being wiped out! However the bombers, taking few losses, knocked the runways out and destroyed more planes on the ground; the Japanese air force vacated the island. Following these attacks were the close support Typhoon bombers striking during the day while the Mosquitoes attacked at night; the heavy Lancaster’s launching daily night raids on the airstrips to keep them cratered.
Over the next few days most of the submarines were lost however seven Japanese destroyers were sunk in the process; however this was merely the prelude to a major Japanese naval attack to break through our blockade. On 18 August HMS Exeter was sunk while eight Japanese destroyers and two heavy cruisers were sent below the waves by the British taskforce. Over the coming four days various Japanese battlegroups attempted to break through the picket line resulting in the loss of a further 12 Japanese destroyers and two more heavy cruisers.
While the Royal Navy and RAF had fought hard to achieve air and naval superiority the French were unable to create a sustainable beachhead; they withdrew on the 25th after an estimated 3,000 losses. Japanese losses were estimated to be in the region of 1,000, a figure that rises to at least 8,000 once the naval and air losses are accounted for. British losses amounted to 150 RAF personnel and 800 naval. A more worrying casualty was the Fleet Air Arm, constant campaigning had caused drastic losses and the complete disorganization of the squadrons; they had been rendered battle ineffective by the end of the operation. Squadrons, and their aircraft, were dispatched from the three unused light carriers and sent to replace the battle exhausted ones in the main fleet. While unable to replace all of the exhausted units, others in serious need of rest and replacements were dispatched to Hong Kong. In their place the RAF set up standing air patrols over the various task force positions until they withdrew to Hong Kong.
While at first the French forces were believed to be heading back to Indochina for rest and refitting, intel picked up the ships passing Saigon and by the end of the month had passed Singapore; the French had simply headed for home.
On completion of Operation Crusoe, the tedious task of relocating the 260,000 men of Far East Command to Hong Kong and the surrounding friendly Chinese areas began; at the same time RAF fighters, closer support, medium and heavy bombers, and transport aircraft were deployed to China to support the upcoming operations against Taiwan and Okinawa; codenamed Operation Ancient Mariner. Ancient Mariner would see nothing fancy, the fleet would be deployed and in combination with the RAF and Fleet Air Arm deliver overwhelming fire support to the landings and take the islands via direct assault.
On 10 August, while the transport operations were still underway, the French “beat us to the punch”; they launched their own invasion of Taiwan. Their attack appeared to be an uncoordinated assault by at least three divisions, all landing from separate invasion convoys and using no naval or air support what so ever. It was a daring move but one that was bound to result in disaster if the Imperial Japanese Navy intervened, even on a limited basis after the drubbing the Royal Navy had already given them. Intel estimated around 23,000 Japanese troops, half second class, were based on the island with substantial air support but no naval force present. At any rate the Royal Navy was deployed immediately with one taskforce forming a picket at the northern end of the Taiwan Strait while the other three positioned themselves around the southern coast of the island and spread out as far as Okinawa to intercept any naval movements towards the French landings or the transport operations (the fleet taking the long route via the Philippines so to stay out of the danger zone) or an attempt to retake lost ground. Royal Navy submarines, now active in this theatre, were positioned offshore of the southern mainland Japanese naval bases to provide early warning of IJN sorties.
As soon as the French troops hit those Taiwanese beaches, RAF Tempests and Meteors were flying overhead protecting the landing and engaging Japanese fighters while, learning the lesson from the campaigns in Germany, medium and heavy bombers worked around the clock to knock out the local airfields. In a 48-hour period around two hundred fighters from both sides were destroyed in the vicious dog fighting; with an RAF wing nearly being wiped out! However the bombers, taking few losses, knocked the runways out and destroyed more planes on the ground; the Japanese air force vacated the island. Following these attacks were the close support Typhoon bombers striking during the day while the Mosquitoes attacked at night; the heavy Lancaster’s launching daily night raids on the airstrips to keep them cratered.
Over the next few days most of the submarines were lost however seven Japanese destroyers were sunk in the process; however this was merely the prelude to a major Japanese naval attack to break through our blockade. On 18 August HMS Exeter was sunk while eight Japanese destroyers and two heavy cruisers were sent below the waves by the British taskforce. Over the coming four days various Japanese battlegroups attempted to break through the picket line resulting in the loss of a further 12 Japanese destroyers and two more heavy cruisers.
While the Royal Navy and RAF had fought hard to achieve air and naval superiority the French were unable to create a sustainable beachhead; they withdrew on the 25th after an estimated 3,000 losses. Japanese losses were estimated to be in the region of 1,000, a figure that rises to at least 8,000 once the naval and air losses are accounted for. British losses amounted to 150 RAF personnel and 800 naval. A more worrying casualty was the Fleet Air Arm, constant campaigning had caused drastic losses and the complete disorganization of the squadrons; they had been rendered battle ineffective by the end of the operation. Squadrons, and their aircraft, were dispatched from the three unused light carriers and sent to replace the battle exhausted ones in the main fleet. While unable to replace all of the exhausted units, others in serious need of rest and replacements were dispatched to Hong Kong. In their place the RAF set up standing air patrols over the various task force positions until they withdrew to Hong Kong.
While at first the French forces were believed to be heading back to Indochina for rest and refitting, intel picked up the ships passing Saigon and by the end of the month had passed Singapore; the French had simply headed for home.
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Operation Ancient Mariner
During the final stages of August 1945 the last convoy arrived in Hong Kong landing the final elements of the 260,000 strong, Far East Command. Additional RAF wings, including the entire transport fleet, were flown into Hong Kong and the surrounding areas to support the upcoming assaults. Since the French withdrawal, Lancaster bombers had carried on striking the Taiwan airfields on a nightly basis meaning there was no return of the Japanese Zeros over Taiwan.
On 2 September the fleet left port and sailed to take up the same blocking positions that they occupied when supporting the French; the RAF providing air cover in lieu of the Fleet Air Arm. The Mosquito and Venom groups were ordered to step up their attacks on the Japanese defenders at Kaohsiung. Noting the hard time the French had with their direct assault onto the defended port Lord Lovat, commanding the I RM Corps and planning the operation, opted to make two landings and utilize the air transport fleet to supply the beachheads until Kaohsiung could be taken. To further support the assault the 6th Armoured Brigade, of III Corps was transferred to II RM Corps.
The battleplan
During the night of the 4th three marine divisions stormed ashore, north of Kaohsiung, unopposed however as dawn crept in the Japanese launched an attack; at the same time air supply flights started landing a week’s worth of supplies within a 24 hour period. During the evening of the 7th 36,000 marines and 300 tanks landed south of the city and started advancing north; supply flights now divided between both beachheads. Within 48 hours the tanks had linked up with the marines of the I RM Corps and had encircled the port. While the vast majority of both corps started to march north the 4th and 6th Royal Marine Division, supported by tanks assaulted the city containing an estimated 9,500 remaining Japanese forces.
After a six day battle, with few casualties, the port was taken and the advancing marines had occupied the capital of the island. On the 22nd the remnants of the islands garrison was surrounded and forced to surrender. After a single battle and several skirmishes the island had been taken, 1,245 marines had been lost but they had inflicted 2,361 casualties and took 14,208 prisoners. The RAF had outdone themselves, they had crippled the islands main airfields rendering the airbase useless for our forces until the runways were repairs.
On 7 October the Lancaster’s from Hong Kong started strikes against Saipan while the Fleet Air Arm fought to gain air superiority losing more precious planes and pilots. Within several days the islands airfield had also been knocked out. On the 12th the marines hit the beaches and after several days established a secure beachhead. Over the next few days they overran the Japanese positions without much resistance being given; 16,187 more prisoners were taken bringing the grand total to 110,054. During the quick campaign to capture the island British losses amounted to 746 while the Japanese weighed in at just over 3,000.
During the final stages of August 1945 the last convoy arrived in Hong Kong landing the final elements of the 260,000 strong, Far East Command. Additional RAF wings, including the entire transport fleet, were flown into Hong Kong and the surrounding areas to support the upcoming assaults. Since the French withdrawal, Lancaster bombers had carried on striking the Taiwan airfields on a nightly basis meaning there was no return of the Japanese Zeros over Taiwan.
On 2 September the fleet left port and sailed to take up the same blocking positions that they occupied when supporting the French; the RAF providing air cover in lieu of the Fleet Air Arm. The Mosquito and Venom groups were ordered to step up their attacks on the Japanese defenders at Kaohsiung. Noting the hard time the French had with their direct assault onto the defended port Lord Lovat, commanding the I RM Corps and planning the operation, opted to make two landings and utilize the air transport fleet to supply the beachheads until Kaohsiung could be taken. To further support the assault the 6th Armoured Brigade, of III Corps was transferred to II RM Corps.
The battleplan
During the night of the 4th three marine divisions stormed ashore, north of Kaohsiung, unopposed however as dawn crept in the Japanese launched an attack; at the same time air supply flights started landing a week’s worth of supplies within a 24 hour period. During the evening of the 7th 36,000 marines and 300 tanks landed south of the city and started advancing north; supply flights now divided between both beachheads. Within 48 hours the tanks had linked up with the marines of the I RM Corps and had encircled the port. While the vast majority of both corps started to march north the 4th and 6th Royal Marine Division, supported by tanks assaulted the city containing an estimated 9,500 remaining Japanese forces.
After a six day battle, with few casualties, the port was taken and the advancing marines had occupied the capital of the island. On the 22nd the remnants of the islands garrison was surrounded and forced to surrender. After a single battle and several skirmishes the island had been taken, 1,245 marines had been lost but they had inflicted 2,361 casualties and took 14,208 prisoners. The RAF had outdone themselves, they had crippled the islands main airfields rendering the airbase useless for our forces until the runways were repairs.
On 7 October the Lancaster’s from Hong Kong started strikes against Saipan while the Fleet Air Arm fought to gain air superiority losing more precious planes and pilots. Within several days the islands airfield had also been knocked out. On the 12th the marines hit the beaches and after several days established a secure beachhead. Over the next few days they overran the Japanese positions without much resistance being given; 16,187 more prisoners were taken bringing the grand total to 110,054. During the quick campaign to capture the island British losses amounted to 746 while the Japanese weighed in at just over 3,000.
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Operation Armageddon
Based in Hong Kong and reflecting on the fighting that had taken up most of the year Field Marshal Brooke planned the final campaign of the war. Codenamed Operation Armageddon, the British invasion of the Japanese home islands would start on Kyūshū; here Far East Command would build up its strength then strike out at the rest of Japan. Influenced by previous fighting it was expected that Japanese forces would not put up much of a fight. However while the Royal Navy had savaged the IJN in previous battles command still believed there to be some capital ships left so no chances were be taken.
In early December the fleet left port, Force A and B took up picket lines to the north and south of Kyūshū while the remaining two forces positioned themselves off the west of the island. The 8th December heard the roar of over 600 bombers arriving over Nagasaki striking at the airfields; jet fighters soared into the area in support of them launching the first fighter sweep over Japan. The Japanese reaction was vicious, hundreds of Zeros engaged our fighters and bombers – casualties were high on both sides but the tenacious aerial resistance was unable to halt our attacks.
The forward airfields were not knocked out as hoped and air losses started to mount, the decision was taken to launch the offensive regardless. On Thursday 13th 72,000 marines and 300 tanks landed on the beaches near Nagasaki; over the next few days they pushed into the city evicting the Japanese defenders and then the quick build-up of allied forces commenced. By the 20th the entire Allied force had assembled in the beachhead and the next day launched an offensive north. Over the next four days First Army steamrolled across all forces that stood in their way; at the tip of the peninsula the army spit up to overrun the island. In Saga, at the Chikugo River, two Japanese brigades fought a desperate rear-guard action holding up an entire infantry corps for several days until additional forces were able to outflank the position upriver. As New Year arrived most of Kyūshū was in British hands and the Japanese were slowly squeezed into the southwest corner of the island before finally surrendering on the 19th day of 1946.
While the campaign was not as rapid as expected the Japanese on the whole acted as expected; 21,833 men captured and 4,873 casualties inflicted for the loss of only 1,659. The only real issue encountered was the tenacious aerial assaults the Japanese had launched in defence of their islands – so far only briefly encountered over Taiwan, it should have been a learning lesson, it was not.
Based in Hong Kong and reflecting on the fighting that had taken up most of the year Field Marshal Brooke planned the final campaign of the war. Codenamed Operation Armageddon, the British invasion of the Japanese home islands would start on Kyūshū; here Far East Command would build up its strength then strike out at the rest of Japan. Influenced by previous fighting it was expected that Japanese forces would not put up much of a fight. However while the Royal Navy had savaged the IJN in previous battles command still believed there to be some capital ships left so no chances were be taken.
In early December the fleet left port, Force A and B took up picket lines to the north and south of Kyūshū while the remaining two forces positioned themselves off the west of the island. The 8th December heard the roar of over 600 bombers arriving over Nagasaki striking at the airfields; jet fighters soared into the area in support of them launching the first fighter sweep over Japan. The Japanese reaction was vicious, hundreds of Zeros engaged our fighters and bombers – casualties were high on both sides but the tenacious aerial resistance was unable to halt our attacks.
The forward airfields were not knocked out as hoped and air losses started to mount, the decision was taken to launch the offensive regardless. On Thursday 13th 72,000 marines and 300 tanks landed on the beaches near Nagasaki; over the next few days they pushed into the city evicting the Japanese defenders and then the quick build-up of allied forces commenced. By the 20th the entire Allied force had assembled in the beachhead and the next day launched an offensive north. Over the next four days First Army steamrolled across all forces that stood in their way; at the tip of the peninsula the army spit up to overrun the island. In Saga, at the Chikugo River, two Japanese brigades fought a desperate rear-guard action holding up an entire infantry corps for several days until additional forces were able to outflank the position upriver. As New Year arrived most of Kyūshū was in British hands and the Japanese were slowly squeezed into the southwest corner of the island before finally surrendering on the 19th day of 1946.
While the campaign was not as rapid as expected the Japanese on the whole acted as expected; 21,833 men captured and 4,873 casualties inflicted for the loss of only 1,659. The only real issue encountered was the tenacious aerial assaults the Japanese had launched in defence of their islands – so far only briefly encountered over Taiwan, it should have been a learning lesson, it was not.
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The Winter battles
After some preparation and reorganisation of Far East Command’s forces a duel landing was planned to get forces onto both Honshū and Shikoku simultaneously. However while British troops were reorganised, it had not escaped commands attention that Japanese forces had built up at the once vacant city of Tokuyama; the chance to make an unopposed landing had been missed.
On 22 January 1946 the attack went in, it was soon established that 40,000 Japanese infantry were holding the line at Tokuyama whereas the landing on Shikoku was unopposed. In an attempt to breech the line defending Honshū, the air force was called upon. Once again a massive aerial battle raged above the battle lines as Japanese fighters fought heroically to halt the bombing runs. For two weeks the battle raged with air losses mounting and the assault making no progress; on 7 February the attack on Tokuyama was called off however the troops on Shikoku had destroyed the small garrison holding the island. The first offensive of the year had cost Far East Command 5,926 men, Japanese losses amounted to 8,397 with an additional 5,060 prisoners being taken.
The new battleplan
Over the next ten days more army units, along with the marines, were transferred to Shikoku and a new battle plan developed. The marines would cross the Kii Channel and land on Honshū to secure a beachhead; from here the army would exploit across Japan cutting off the estimated 70,000 Japanese soldiers in the Chūgoku region. On the 17th a single corps, still based on Kyūshū, would again assault Tokuyama to divert the Japanese attention; full air support would be given to the diversion attack to give the impression that it was the main effort.
At dawn the infantry landed on the shores of Honshū and launched their attack on Tokuyama as yet another massive aerial battle engulfed the air. Three days into the attack and intel highlighted no diversion of Japanese resources in fact troops loitering between the two main resistance points were generally moving towards Wakayama i.e. the area the main strike was to be launched. Regardless of the lack of success in the diversion attack and the poor outlook given by the intelligence community the main attack was ordered; the marines striking with all their might against an estimated further 70,000 men containing several marine divisions.
Six days later both wings of the attack were still giving it all against the resilient Japanese defence. On the 26th, the Japanese fleet launched a sortie into the Pacific off the coast of Shikoku. Dubbed the Battle of Seto Naikai, nearly two hundred ships of the Royal Navy and IJN met; four Japanese carriers and two battleships compared to the eleven carriers and fourteen battleships of the Royal Navy. In support the Japanese launched their naval bomber squadrons and in response all RAF units were called off other duties and ordered to strike the Japanese fleet. Over the next 48 hours relevantly little damage was done to either fleet however the RAF and Fleet Air Arm were decimated! Several Japanese destroyers were sunk before the two fleets parted ways however hundreds of bombers and fighters had crashed down among the battlezone.
The Fleet was ordered back to Hong Kong to reorganise, the remnants of the Fleet Air Arm sent home to be refitted and for new pilots to be trained after nearly the complete loss of the force, the fleet would now be based around the battleships only. At the end of the month the land offensive was called off, the outcome completely one-sided: 9,122 British soldiers had been rendered casualties in comparison to the 3,767 Japanese. Total air losses over Japan had now amounted to around 3,000 – entire wings had been wiped out or nearly destroyed!
March saw even more heavy fighting as the Japanese launched a counterattack to retake Shikoku that failed and the marines, now based back on Kyūshū, launched a renewed effort to land onHonshū; the two battles marking the “March Offensive” resulted in no gains for either side except 16,052 British and 11,071 Japanese casualties.
After some preparation and reorganisation of Far East Command’s forces a duel landing was planned to get forces onto both Honshū and Shikoku simultaneously. However while British troops were reorganised, it had not escaped commands attention that Japanese forces had built up at the once vacant city of Tokuyama; the chance to make an unopposed landing had been missed.
On 22 January 1946 the attack went in, it was soon established that 40,000 Japanese infantry were holding the line at Tokuyama whereas the landing on Shikoku was unopposed. In an attempt to breech the line defending Honshū, the air force was called upon. Once again a massive aerial battle raged above the battle lines as Japanese fighters fought heroically to halt the bombing runs. For two weeks the battle raged with air losses mounting and the assault making no progress; on 7 February the attack on Tokuyama was called off however the troops on Shikoku had destroyed the small garrison holding the island. The first offensive of the year had cost Far East Command 5,926 men, Japanese losses amounted to 8,397 with an additional 5,060 prisoners being taken.
The new battleplan
Over the next ten days more army units, along with the marines, were transferred to Shikoku and a new battle plan developed. The marines would cross the Kii Channel and land on Honshū to secure a beachhead; from here the army would exploit across Japan cutting off the estimated 70,000 Japanese soldiers in the Chūgoku region. On the 17th a single corps, still based on Kyūshū, would again assault Tokuyama to divert the Japanese attention; full air support would be given to the diversion attack to give the impression that it was the main effort.
At dawn the infantry landed on the shores of Honshū and launched their attack on Tokuyama as yet another massive aerial battle engulfed the air. Three days into the attack and intel highlighted no diversion of Japanese resources in fact troops loitering between the two main resistance points were generally moving towards Wakayama i.e. the area the main strike was to be launched. Regardless of the lack of success in the diversion attack and the poor outlook given by the intelligence community the main attack was ordered; the marines striking with all their might against an estimated further 70,000 men containing several marine divisions.
Six days later both wings of the attack were still giving it all against the resilient Japanese defence. On the 26th, the Japanese fleet launched a sortie into the Pacific off the coast of Shikoku. Dubbed the Battle of Seto Naikai, nearly two hundred ships of the Royal Navy and IJN met; four Japanese carriers and two battleships compared to the eleven carriers and fourteen battleships of the Royal Navy. In support the Japanese launched their naval bomber squadrons and in response all RAF units were called off other duties and ordered to strike the Japanese fleet. Over the next 48 hours relevantly little damage was done to either fleet however the RAF and Fleet Air Arm were decimated! Several Japanese destroyers were sunk before the two fleets parted ways however hundreds of bombers and fighters had crashed down among the battlezone.
The Fleet was ordered back to Hong Kong to reorganise, the remnants of the Fleet Air Arm sent home to be refitted and for new pilots to be trained after nearly the complete loss of the force, the fleet would now be based around the battleships only. At the end of the month the land offensive was called off, the outcome completely one-sided: 9,122 British soldiers had been rendered casualties in comparison to the 3,767 Japanese. Total air losses over Japan had now amounted to around 3,000 – entire wings had been wiped out or nearly destroyed!
March saw even more heavy fighting as the Japanese launched a counterattack to retake Shikoku that failed and the marines, now based back on Kyūshū, launched a renewed effort to land onHonshū; the two battles marking the “March Offensive” resulted in no gains for either side except 16,052 British and 11,071 Japanese casualties.
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Paratroopers behind the lines?
Land behind the ports, encircle them and occupy them?
Land behind the ports, encircle them and occupy them?
After much thought i resorted to seeking advice on the forums regarding this particular issue, and here i see you got it before i even got around to writing up what happened. Deffo shows the amatures from the professionals ... doesnt help when you keeping looking at the airborne troops and then go back to the problem with the thought of wtf do i do :rofl:
Varsity and Plunder
On 17 March 1946 Narvik was returned to Norway and on the same day the western allied German occupation zones were formed into a single entity with power passed to the German people; the Federal Republic of Germany came into existence. However the rest of the country, including Berlin and East Prussia, remained a British occupation.
Throughout the first two weeks of April Field Marshal Brook and General Gort, commanding First Army, consulted on how to breech the Japanese defensive line. It was decided that an assault from Shikoku was ruled out due to the Japanese build-up across the Kii Channel, therefore the new operation would again be launched in the Tokuyama sector were it had been noted the Japanese force had dwindled. However the problem remained how to breech the defensive line and establish a beachhead, resulting in General Mountbatten being dispatched to Japan for talks. Eventually it was agreed to send the United Kingdom’s strategic reserve, the 111,000 strong Airborne Army. Back in the UK the army and four corps headquarters were stood down, since they would not be able to be transported in full, and re-raised in Japan on a smaller basis; over the third week of the month the eight divisions were flown into Japan and in the final week the final touches on the upcoming offensive were laid down.
Hightech graphics or what!!!
The new offensive would kick start with a diversionary attack across the Kii Channel supported by the RAF. With Japanese forces committed, Operation Varsity would be launched; the airborne would land behind the Japanese positions at Tokuyama and attack from the rear. Once the airborne forces had secured a beachhead and launched their attack, Operation Plunder would be launched; the Royal Marine attack from Kyushu. The RAF would switch from supporting the diversion attack and provide full aerial support as soon as the transporters lifted off for Varsity. To support the attack a lot of juggling of air wings took place to ensure as many full strength fighter and bomber squadrons were based in Japan; by ‘D-Day’ 1,000 fighters and 1,500 bombers were ready.
At the end of April the Royal Navy battleship fleet moved into position, the carriers left back at Hong Kong due to the lack of serviceable aircraft for the Fleet Air Arm. On 1st of May the diversion attack went in, army units launching against the stone wall of Japanese resistance; the RAF remained grounded to ensure no plane was squandered. With no signs of Japanese reinforcements heading to either the attacked area or the planned landing site, Varsity was given the green light. In the early hours of 8 May, prior to sunrise, Short Belfast and Meteors took off from various Japanese airfields; at sunrise 96,000 British paratroopers jumped from 480 Short Belfast transport planes while the meteors patrolled overhead. The operation achieved complete surprise with no Japanese aerial interference. On the ground however the paratroopers landed on a Japanese position that intel had not picked up on; the airborne battled tenacious Japanese troops who, totally outnumbered, only broke after six days of battle. Supply missions were flown in several times a day, with full fighter support, building up a substantial stockpile however these missions were flown against increased zero activity; numerous transporters and fighters were lost. After reorganisation three divisions struck out, from the landing area, for Hiroshima while the rest of the force attacked the rear of the Tokuyama line.
One hour later six marine divisions, supported by two armoured brigades, launched Operation Plunder joining forces with the airborne to crush the Tokuyama line. A further forty-eight later and the diversion attack was called off due to heavy losses although its role had been fulfilled; Japanese troops had not been able to pull away from that defensive position to aid the Tokuyama line regardless other forces had transferred from the Tokyo area. By the 21st the three airborne divisions attempting to take Hiroshima reported that they were fighting upwards of 100,000 Japanese troops.
On the 25th the IJN engaged the Royal Navy’s battleships, with no aircraft and the RAF unable to divert resources it was expected the Japanese carrier force would wreak havoc. It was not to be Admiral Cunningham was able to work his fleet close protected by an umbrella of anti-aircraft shells; so close the fleet got that an IJN carrier was sunk via battleship gunfire. In the oceans around southern Japan, other Japanese fleets attempted to breech the Royal Navy’s blockading positions; numerous destroyers and cruisers were sunk for very few losses however quite a number of damaged ships were sent back to Hong Kong for repairs.
On the 30th the airborne and marine attack succeeded and Japanese forces fled from the Tokuyama line; the attack on Hiroshima was called off and by 2nd June the entire force under Far East Command had deployed to the main Japanese home island – bar one Corps holding the line at the Kii Channel. The next day the fleet was ordered back to Hong Kong, it role in operations complete having suffered no losses although 35 ships had been damaged. Land losses had amounted to 23,627 and around 1,100 aircraft had been lost. No prisoners had been taken during the operation yet Japanese casualties had reached 18,916. Their fleet had been savaged but their own aerial losses were near enough negligible.
On 17 March 1946 Narvik was returned to Norway and on the same day the western allied German occupation zones were formed into a single entity with power passed to the German people; the Federal Republic of Germany came into existence. However the rest of the country, including Berlin and East Prussia, remained a British occupation.
Throughout the first two weeks of April Field Marshal Brook and General Gort, commanding First Army, consulted on how to breech the Japanese defensive line. It was decided that an assault from Shikoku was ruled out due to the Japanese build-up across the Kii Channel, therefore the new operation would again be launched in the Tokuyama sector were it had been noted the Japanese force had dwindled. However the problem remained how to breech the defensive line and establish a beachhead, resulting in General Mountbatten being dispatched to Japan for talks. Eventually it was agreed to send the United Kingdom’s strategic reserve, the 111,000 strong Airborne Army. Back in the UK the army and four corps headquarters were stood down, since they would not be able to be transported in full, and re-raised in Japan on a smaller basis; over the third week of the month the eight divisions were flown into Japan and in the final week the final touches on the upcoming offensive were laid down.
Hightech graphics or what!!!
The new offensive would kick start with a diversionary attack across the Kii Channel supported by the RAF. With Japanese forces committed, Operation Varsity would be launched; the airborne would land behind the Japanese positions at Tokuyama and attack from the rear. Once the airborne forces had secured a beachhead and launched their attack, Operation Plunder would be launched; the Royal Marine attack from Kyushu. The RAF would switch from supporting the diversion attack and provide full aerial support as soon as the transporters lifted off for Varsity. To support the attack a lot of juggling of air wings took place to ensure as many full strength fighter and bomber squadrons were based in Japan; by ‘D-Day’ 1,000 fighters and 1,500 bombers were ready.
At the end of April the Royal Navy battleship fleet moved into position, the carriers left back at Hong Kong due to the lack of serviceable aircraft for the Fleet Air Arm. On 1st of May the diversion attack went in, army units launching against the stone wall of Japanese resistance; the RAF remained grounded to ensure no plane was squandered. With no signs of Japanese reinforcements heading to either the attacked area or the planned landing site, Varsity was given the green light. In the early hours of 8 May, prior to sunrise, Short Belfast and Meteors took off from various Japanese airfields; at sunrise 96,000 British paratroopers jumped from 480 Short Belfast transport planes while the meteors patrolled overhead. The operation achieved complete surprise with no Japanese aerial interference. On the ground however the paratroopers landed on a Japanese position that intel had not picked up on; the airborne battled tenacious Japanese troops who, totally outnumbered, only broke after six days of battle. Supply missions were flown in several times a day, with full fighter support, building up a substantial stockpile however these missions were flown against increased zero activity; numerous transporters and fighters were lost. After reorganisation three divisions struck out, from the landing area, for Hiroshima while the rest of the force attacked the rear of the Tokuyama line.
One hour later six marine divisions, supported by two armoured brigades, launched Operation Plunder joining forces with the airborne to crush the Tokuyama line. A further forty-eight later and the diversion attack was called off due to heavy losses although its role had been fulfilled; Japanese troops had not been able to pull away from that defensive position to aid the Tokuyama line regardless other forces had transferred from the Tokyo area. By the 21st the three airborne divisions attempting to take Hiroshima reported that they were fighting upwards of 100,000 Japanese troops.
On the 25th the IJN engaged the Royal Navy’s battleships, with no aircraft and the RAF unable to divert resources it was expected the Japanese carrier force would wreak havoc. It was not to be Admiral Cunningham was able to work his fleet close protected by an umbrella of anti-aircraft shells; so close the fleet got that an IJN carrier was sunk via battleship gunfire. In the oceans around southern Japan, other Japanese fleets attempted to breech the Royal Navy’s blockading positions; numerous destroyers and cruisers were sunk for very few losses however quite a number of damaged ships were sent back to Hong Kong for repairs.
On the 30th the airborne and marine attack succeeded and Japanese forces fled from the Tokuyama line; the attack on Hiroshima was called off and by 2nd June the entire force under Far East Command had deployed to the main Japanese home island – bar one Corps holding the line at the Kii Channel. The next day the fleet was ordered back to Hong Kong, it role in operations complete having suffered no losses although 35 ships had been damaged. Land losses had amounted to 23,627 and around 1,100 aircraft had been lost. No prisoners had been taken during the operation yet Japanese casualties had reached 18,916. Their fleet had been savaged but their own aerial losses were near enough negligible.
The Summer Offensive
After two days of reorganising the summer offensive was launched on 5 June; the entire force of Far East Command, based on Honshū, struck east and north east to drive the Japanese troops back while several parachute divisions set to work clearing out a pocket on the western coast. The entire Japanese force was estimated to be no more than 150,000 men. On the eighth the airborne cleared the pocket taking 30,000 prisoners and throughout the rest of the month fighting took place as the Japanese were steadily pushed eastwards.
The armoured thrust
Towards the end of the month the southern flank of the Japanese line cracked and on 2 July armoured forces were pushed through the gap with the intention of sealing off the entire peninsula and trapping the Japanese army. By the 10th the armour was within an earshot of securing their objective but ran into 50,000 dug in Japanese paratroopers. With the armour halted; marines, who were advancing behind the armour, swung north attempting to drive the Japanese back and seal the pocket. On the 16th Japanese troops seized Onomichi turning the advanced British position into a pocket however within hours British infantry had managed to wrestle back control of the area alleviating the situation. By the 23rd the marines had sealed the pocket and it was estimated that 120-150,000 troops were trapped.
The pocket
Over the rest of July heavy fighting took place around the pocket as the Japanese were pushed back towards Tottori, a separate force fleeing to the Oki Islands. Within the early days of August the main Japanese force surrendered and on the 11th marines, supported by the Royal Navy and the fully restored Fleet Air Arm, started landing on the islands. By the 20th the battle was over. The offensive had inflicted 63,007 casualties upon the Japanese army and had taken 250,672 prisoners; what was thought to have been a force of 150,000 strong had in fact been double the size! British casualties amounted to 49,025 during the offensive.
After two days of reorganising the summer offensive was launched on 5 June; the entire force of Far East Command, based on Honshū, struck east and north east to drive the Japanese troops back while several parachute divisions set to work clearing out a pocket on the western coast. The entire Japanese force was estimated to be no more than 150,000 men. On the eighth the airborne cleared the pocket taking 30,000 prisoners and throughout the rest of the month fighting took place as the Japanese were steadily pushed eastwards.
The armoured thrust
Towards the end of the month the southern flank of the Japanese line cracked and on 2 July armoured forces were pushed through the gap with the intention of sealing off the entire peninsula and trapping the Japanese army. By the 10th the armour was within an earshot of securing their objective but ran into 50,000 dug in Japanese paratroopers. With the armour halted; marines, who were advancing behind the armour, swung north attempting to drive the Japanese back and seal the pocket. On the 16th Japanese troops seized Onomichi turning the advanced British position into a pocket however within hours British infantry had managed to wrestle back control of the area alleviating the situation. By the 23rd the marines had sealed the pocket and it was estimated that 120-150,000 troops were trapped.
The pocket
Over the rest of July heavy fighting took place around the pocket as the Japanese were pushed back towards Tottori, a separate force fleeing to the Oki Islands. Within the early days of August the main Japanese force surrendered and on the 11th marines, supported by the Royal Navy and the fully restored Fleet Air Arm, started landing on the islands. By the 20th the battle was over. The offensive had inflicted 63,007 casualties upon the Japanese army and had taken 250,672 prisoners; what was thought to have been a force of 150,000 strong had in fact been double the size! British casualties amounted to 49,025 during the offensive.
The final offensive
Following the conclusion of the summer offensive, the frontline was reorganised with the paratroopers manning the southern section with the rest the north. Air resupply missions were undertaken to move supplies closer to the front but had to deal with Japanese fighter attacks.
On 25 August 1946 the new general offensive opened up with the usual distraction attack via the Kii Channel, closely followed by the main attack. 20,000 Japanese soldiers were dug in along the Kii whereas 50,000 soldiers were manning the main line ready to attempt holding off practically the entire force of Far East Command. Within days the mainline was breeched with little difficulty although reinforcements and terrain slowed down further progress. The frontline had advanced at best only 150 miles before returning to a somewhat static situation and the opinion arising that the campaign may drag on into 1947.
Over the next fortnight elements of the army progressed slowly, incurring heavy losses, up the Noto peninsula while further forces fought to cut off and destroy the Japanese forces in the southern portion of the Kansai region. In the centre high losses were incurred attempting to push the main Japanese force back.
In the final week of September three marine divisions penetrated the northern end of the Japanese line and successfully broke though into the undefended hinterland; an advance of only around 50 miles. This event coupled with the trapping of several tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers in Kansai, on the northern tip of the Noto peninsula and the collapse of their central line, which had came under renewed assault; resulted in the collapse of the Japanese government and military. An unconditional surrender was signed on 30 September; the war had ended!
This final offensive, of only 35 days, had resulted in a further 18,734 British casualties and 24,918 Japanese casualties. Regrettably no prisoners were taken during this period however on the signing of the armistice 187,500 Japanese were accounted for; a further 20,000 surrendering to the Chinese. It had taken 145,000 British casualties to defeat Japan however in comparison Japan had lost nearly 600,000 men to the British armed forces.
Meanwhile in Europe, a wide scale Italian insurrection was launched across Hungary as well as northern Yugoslavia and Italy. In the final 29 days of the war 4,025 Italians were killed and nearly 30,000 captured for the loss of 1,468 British soldiers.
Following the conclusion of the summer offensive, the frontline was reorganised with the paratroopers manning the southern section with the rest the north. Air resupply missions were undertaken to move supplies closer to the front but had to deal with Japanese fighter attacks.
On 25 August 1946 the new general offensive opened up with the usual distraction attack via the Kii Channel, closely followed by the main attack. 20,000 Japanese soldiers were dug in along the Kii whereas 50,000 soldiers were manning the main line ready to attempt holding off practically the entire force of Far East Command. Within days the mainline was breeched with little difficulty although reinforcements and terrain slowed down further progress. The frontline had advanced at best only 150 miles before returning to a somewhat static situation and the opinion arising that the campaign may drag on into 1947.
Over the next fortnight elements of the army progressed slowly, incurring heavy losses, up the Noto peninsula while further forces fought to cut off and destroy the Japanese forces in the southern portion of the Kansai region. In the centre high losses were incurred attempting to push the main Japanese force back.
In the final week of September three marine divisions penetrated the northern end of the Japanese line and successfully broke though into the undefended hinterland; an advance of only around 50 miles. This event coupled with the trapping of several tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers in Kansai, on the northern tip of the Noto peninsula and the collapse of their central line, which had came under renewed assault; resulted in the collapse of the Japanese government and military. An unconditional surrender was signed on 30 September; the war had ended!
This final offensive, of only 35 days, had resulted in a further 18,734 British casualties and 24,918 Japanese casualties. Regrettably no prisoners were taken during this period however on the signing of the armistice 187,500 Japanese were accounted for; a further 20,000 surrendering to the Chinese. It had taken 145,000 British casualties to defeat Japan however in comparison Japan had lost nearly 600,000 men to the British armed forces.
Meanwhile in Europe, a wide scale Italian insurrection was launched across Hungary as well as northern Yugoslavia and Italy. In the final 29 days of the war 4,025 Italians were killed and nearly 30,000 captured for the loss of 1,468 British soldiers.
Epilogue
In fighting the Second World War 1,114,691 allied soldiers had been rendered casualties (Soviet Union: 336,000, British: 295,520, Poland: 200,000, France: 133,000, Belgium: 80,000, The Netherlands: 30,346, Sweden: 25,034, Luxembourg: 20,000, Norway: 15,000, the Indian Army: 7,691, New Zealand: 3,000, Australia: 1,000, known Chinese losses: 600, Argentina losses: 500) while 542,000 various men of the allied nations were captured (Poland: 300,000, Soviet Union: 120,000, Sweden: 55,000, Norway: 35,000, and 32,000 British). Due to continuous fighting, civil war, destruction of records, and withholding information complete losses for China are unavailable but are expected to be high.
Axis losses amounted to 1,306,925 (Germany: 392,819, Hungary: 120,000, Italy: 111,000, Spain: 33,604, Denmark: 32,876, Brazil: 29,000, Sweden: 28,000, Yugoslavia: 24,000, Argentina: 22,667, Bulgaria: 15,522, Portugal: 12,291, Yunnan: 10,235, Peru: 6,644, Guatemala: 5,734, El Salvador: 3382, Haiti: 3219, Tibet: 3,000, Nicaragua: 1,673, and the Dominican Republic: 1,259. Manchukuo suffered 3,000 casualties fighting in Holland and Japanese losses to British forces are known at 251,000 however Japanese losses fighting in Asia are estimated to be 170,000 and their Chinese allies at 137,000) with a further 4.7 million captured during the course of the war (German: 2,187,802, Italy: 484,616, Hungary: 395,028, Yugoslavia: 220,910, Spain: 133,396, Portugal: 96,687, Bulgaria: 96,000, Sweden: 66,792, Denmark: 50,758, Argentina: 30,000, Yunnan: 29,104, Brazil: 25,000, and Tibet: 22,000. 486,307 Japanese prisoners were taken by British forces and a further 150,000 were estimated to be in Soviet and Chinese custody in addition to 262,500 Chinese).
Outside of the main fighting 40,000 Greek casualties were inflicted during their fighting with the Italians while 120,000 of their men were captured. At least 18,000 rebels were killed across the breath of Europe and Asia.
Thus the war caused nearly 2.5 million casualties and close to 5.4 million prisoners taken; the war while spanning the globe and lasting seven years was no were near as close to the 40 million casualties of the Great War.
In fighting the Second World War 1,114,691 allied soldiers had been rendered casualties (Soviet Union: 336,000, British: 295,520, Poland: 200,000, France: 133,000, Belgium: 80,000, The Netherlands: 30,346, Sweden: 25,034, Luxembourg: 20,000, Norway: 15,000, the Indian Army: 7,691, New Zealand: 3,000, Australia: 1,000, known Chinese losses: 600, Argentina losses: 500) while 542,000 various men of the allied nations were captured (Poland: 300,000, Soviet Union: 120,000, Sweden: 55,000, Norway: 35,000, and 32,000 British). Due to continuous fighting, civil war, destruction of records, and withholding information complete losses for China are unavailable but are expected to be high.
Axis losses amounted to 1,306,925 (Germany: 392,819, Hungary: 120,000, Italy: 111,000, Spain: 33,604, Denmark: 32,876, Brazil: 29,000, Sweden: 28,000, Yugoslavia: 24,000, Argentina: 22,667, Bulgaria: 15,522, Portugal: 12,291, Yunnan: 10,235, Peru: 6,644, Guatemala: 5,734, El Salvador: 3382, Haiti: 3219, Tibet: 3,000, Nicaragua: 1,673, and the Dominican Republic: 1,259. Manchukuo suffered 3,000 casualties fighting in Holland and Japanese losses to British forces are known at 251,000 however Japanese losses fighting in Asia are estimated to be 170,000 and their Chinese allies at 137,000) with a further 4.7 million captured during the course of the war (German: 2,187,802, Italy: 484,616, Hungary: 395,028, Yugoslavia: 220,910, Spain: 133,396, Portugal: 96,687, Bulgaria: 96,000, Sweden: 66,792, Denmark: 50,758, Argentina: 30,000, Yunnan: 29,104, Brazil: 25,000, and Tibet: 22,000. 486,307 Japanese prisoners were taken by British forces and a further 150,000 were estimated to be in Soviet and Chinese custody in addition to 262,500 Chinese).
Outside of the main fighting 40,000 Greek casualties were inflicted during their fighting with the Italians while 120,000 of their men were captured. At least 18,000 rebels were killed across the breath of Europe and Asia.
Thus the war caused nearly 2.5 million casualties and close to 5.4 million prisoners taken; the war while spanning the globe and lasting seven years was no were near as close to the 40 million casualties of the Great War.
Damn stright!
Although a little odd at the end of the day how low the casualties are from a world war, i think its due to the divisions being near enough half of their historical strength etc i.e. 200,000 men of Eighth Army in ten divisions whereas taking the first post as an example it took 36 divisions to total 400,000 men ingame. Although even then i think its the lack of truely bloody brutal battles and the lack of some ingame bonus to various nations perhaps to not retreat ala Normany, Stalingrad, the various Japanese held islands
Although a little odd at the end of the day how low the casualties are from a world war, i think its due to the divisions being near enough half of their historical strength etc i.e. 200,000 men of Eighth Army in ten divisions whereas taking the first post as an example it took 36 divisions to total 400,000 men ingame. Although even then i think its the lack of truely bloody brutal battles and the lack of some ingame bonus to various nations perhaps to not retreat ala Normany, Stalingrad, the various Japanese held islands