0900 November 22nd 1945.
North China Army Headquarters. Lanzhou, China.
The bombers had done their job as efficiently as ever and the Allied presence in India and Persia had been greatly reduced as a result.
The marine division that had captured Multan had been destroyed along with any further reinforcements heading towards Karachi from Persia. Only five enemy divisions now occupied Karachi and they were now outnumbered by Japanese forces.
0200 November 23rd 1945.
BB Division 1 Flagship. IJN Yamashiro, In Transit.
Despite the damage to IJN Yamashiro it remained the Flagship of BB Division 1 for the time being and it would be repaired as soon as possible. Current operations required its presence as it steamed towards Kwajalein.
Imamura and Banzai captured Woleai in the early hours of November 23rd but would not remain on the island for long. The weather had cleared up and the intial plans could now be put into force.
The Americans were not done trying to conduct their own offensive operations and they launched an invasion of their own.
Merauke province in New Guinea changed hands once again as an infantry division was landed. Japanese forces were concentrated around the Carolines and this invasion had not been picked up any patrols. Lt. General Nakajima was ordered to Hollandia from the Celebes to contain this latest American threat.
Kuribayashi had occupied Kendari and now the Celebes was back under total Japanese control. He would move back to Palu to prevent another invasion of that province that could result in the weaker single Japanese divisions being captured if they were spread further afield.
Tsukahara had moved his Tactical bomber wing to Eniwetok where it began to reduce the organisation of the garrison division defending Kwajalein.
Japanese marines began the amphibious assault of Ulithi at 0200 hours on November 24th. The garrison had already been weakened by bombers who would return to assist shortly. Naval Gunfire Support would also begin as BB Division 2 opened fire with its large guns. The battle would be over before nightfall with Japanese forces victorious.
The arrival of Nagumo and his two Submarine Flotillas off Attu Island provided intelligence required by Ozawa. The island was lightly defended but was already covered in snow as winter had set in in the north. An invasion would be far less likely to succeed as a result but Ozawa would attempt it anyway before any reinforcements could arrive to bolster the defences.
An American mechanised division had been observed being loaded in Truk, and much to Ozawa's surprise, had headed towards the Central Carolines. Carrier Group C had also moved into this area for added protection but their arrival turned out to be detrimental to operations. The bad weather would allow the Transport fleet to drop the divison off in Wolelai and reinforce the armoured division already present. Carrier Group C was ordered east to cover Truk to prevent a similar occurance.
Whilst this move would hinder operations it also provided Ozawa with valuable information. The Allies were prepared to weaken Truk's defences to try and keep a foothold in the Central Carolines. This information could prove very useful in the future when the time came to try and capture the Allies only remaining airbase in the Carolines.
