I thought the Bushido code that the Japanese follow compels them to fight to the death (i.e. Bonsai charges) instead of surrender.Miral said:
Anyway, FDR's US is handling the war extremely well (much better than Lindy's US
)-
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Anyway, FDR's US is handling the war extremely well (much better than Lindy's US
)
Excellent, sounds like you've starved the DEI garrisons into submission with a little afterward cleanup. This'll hurt Japan economically and free up British and Australian support for your Chinese operations. Nice update!
Hot diggity-dog, old Blood 'n' Guts has returned, lookout Europe! All I gotta say is, sit down, strap in and hang on, it's gonna be one helluva ride once Ike lets loose Patton's leash!
Great news in South East Asia as well! How is Nationalist China doing, by the by? Are they still viable or have they been eliminated?
La France Libre:
Interestingly, I read somewhere that many of the Japanese taken prisoner, once they were prisoners, during interrogation were very willing to spill the beans on everything the knew.
Draco Rexus: I tried to put reporting Patton's commision off as long as I could but I couldn't make you wait any longer
Mettermrck: I have no idea what the Aussie's plans are, hopefully they sail north to help out in China, but I have a feeling if anything they'll try a failed attempt at IndoChina first.
******
Situation Asia
With half of Stillwell's forces on the march south towards Shantou, once again reports came in of an absolutely massive force of 33 divisions moving on Xiamen from the north. Stillwell knowing the dubious nature of the intelligence reports in the theatre however gave the go ahead for all troops to continue their advances. In early November the Mountain troops in the south were able to advance upon and seize the undefended stronghold at Guangzhou, the second such time they held it.
The Japanese were quick to respond to this latest incursion, instantly sending six divisions under Okada to try and retake it. A formidable strike force made up of 2 Marine, 1 Mountain, 1 Infantry and 2 Militia divisions, they came out from Shaoguan, where it was rumored there were up to 17 more divisions headed south. With reports of troops moving in on Kowloon as well, the light garrison there under Patch was unable to come to Adam's aid. One of the two corps from Xiamen was headed south to take Shantou, leaving only Wedemeyer's corps to defend Xiamen, so there was no possibility of relief from that quarter either. Adams would have to face off the attack alone.
Outnumbered 3:1, the Americans hunkered down in their new fortress awaiting the worst. The lead elements of the Japanese arrived at the front lines at 5 a.m. where serious fighting broke out, not devastating to either side, hardly any damage was inflicted at all. Before the entirety of the Japanese forces could be brought up to give a numerical advantage, after only about three hours of fighting, Adams began receiving reports from his battalion commanders that the enemy was withdrawing on all fronts. As the day wore on, the defenses gearing for some sort of shift in the attack, reports were quiet on all fronts, the enemy had gone.
This was a clearly not a victory, the enemy had had a change of plans and pulled all the troops off the front line in Guangzhou to return to Shaoguan. Neither Stillwell nor Adams knew what to make of this, except perhaps that it was a feint to draw American attention away from their weak position in Kowloon. The American command adopted a wait and see attitude, as it was any one's guess what the Japanese were up to here.
Battle for Kowloon
Two days later an attack did in fact come on Kowloon, however the size of it, a mere three divisions in size, could hardly it seem account for a six division feint into Guangzhou. Nevertheless when all was said and done, was exactly what had happened. The Japanese had used the feint into Guangzhou both to tie up American reserves as well as get a feel for the Americans in their new holds. Such a large feint here would ensure that Adams kept his crack mountain troops where they were, rather than send them to reinforce at Kowloon.
As in previous battles, the Japanese focused their attention on the Philippine troops. With the two mountain divisions removed to Guangzhou, their task was much easier this time around. The 111th Philippine Militia which had shown its weakness in previous battles was this time completely exposed to enemy fire from all sides from the outset of the battle, and was absolutely decimated. Both the Philippino and American forces were still exhausted from the previous battles in Kowloon, and it was evident in this battle. The 111th was quickly destroyed, while the 101st Philippine Infantry and Patch's Americal division showed complete disorganization. Without the additional firepower of the elite mountain troops the defense was finding a very rough go of it. Splitting the force in Kowloon was proving to be an errant move, especially with so many of the enemy in the area. By day two the situation seemed hopeless. The last remnants of the 111th were ordered off to the stronghold in Guangzhou, and later in the day as the ammunition ran out for the other two divisions, it was apparent Kowloon was untenable. Stillwell reluctantly ordered the remaining troops to bust out from the encirclement and make their way to Guangzhou to link up with Adam's mountain troops. Many troops were lost in this final lunge back to friendly lines. Kowloon was lost. It took the Japanese six attempts and thousands of losses, but they had finally seized it.
The whole purpose of Stillwell sending a corps south from Xiamen to seize Shantou was to afford a link up with Adam's troops in Kowloon. After failed attempts at doing so in the past, now he had sent an entire corps on their way to attempt the link up. With Kowloon now lost and Adam's men further away from Army HQ the purpose of invading Shantou was now gone. Nevertheless already on their way, Stillwell ordered the columns to continue. Feeling fresh from his recent victories in Xiamen, he felt he still had the initiative and wanted to ride the wave of success before the Japanese were able to regroup.
Loss of the Bonins
In late November, the Japanese force in garrison in the Bonins took the opportunity the Americans had given them and seized the vacated Marianas. In the scheme of things, the Marianas was merely a tactical loss; they served no purpose to the Pacific campaign. The fighting was in China and northern Japan. The war in effect had passed the Marianas by. Because of its small significance, the loss of this territory hardly even made the papers back home. The loss at Kowloon however, this was now a public stain on Stillwell's record.
Fifth Battle of Xiamen
Mere days after the fall of Kowloon the incessant attack of the Japanese continued. After their previous humiliations the general staff reckoned the Japanese fighting condition had been damaged, and that they were short on supplies, will power and organization. But from somewhere the Japanese were able to throw together fresh troops for yet another attack on Xiamen. Out of Fuzhou came 7 divisions of infantry. Three were fresh and fully rested, two were able to fight, and two while up to full strength were completely ill equipped for battle. It was an incongruous fighting group that General Abe had under his command. Some divisions were fresh, pulled from other fronts, others were veterans of the Xiamen battles, while others were divisions nearly wiped out in the last battle that had been stuffed with green reinforcements.
On the American side the situation was not as favorable as in past battles. The two northern corps were still recovering from the lengthy battle against 13 divisions the month before. Also half of the force had been on the march south towards Shantou, and had to double back to help Wedemeyer's corps defend the stronghold. The 1st Armored in particular was completely disorganized, having to reverse direction and try to form cohesive lines in merely a day.
In the four previous attacks on Xiamen, the American defenses held on, and in grand fashion. Having gained the reputation as a tough nut to crack, this impenetrable fortress proved once again to be just that, despite it's defenders' weakened and awkward position. With confidence of the victory, Stillwell left the fighting to Wedemeyer's corps and continued his drive south on Shantou. The troops left behind were more than able to thwart the attack, and after another day or so of sporadic fighting Abe called the ever familiar general retreat back to Fuzhou. He had to no doubt be bolstered going in by the success days before in taking Kowloon, but all too quick he learned Xiamen was a far different animal with Wedemeyer in command.
The next day Stillwell's men engaged the enemy in Shantou. The fact of the matter was this was an ill planned excursion. The troops had been through two trying battles in a month, then had been ordered south, ordered to return north to a fight, and once again wheel around and attack Shantou with much less fighting capacity. Furthermore the Japanese had been long aware of this move, and were able to bolster the defenses here of one beaten militia division with two fresh infantry divisions. The American attackers had two infantry and two armored divisions. Unlike the previous disastrous attack on Shantou months before, the sky was clear and free from the incessant monsoon rains, and the ground was free of mud for the trucks and troops to be able to maneuver. Nevertheless the condition of the fighting troops was just too poor to put them through an offensive of that nature. After six hours of fighting which included heavy tank losses, Stillwell ordered a complete retreat back to the defenses at Xiamen. Fifth Army had its second defeat in two weeks. Some in the Pentagon began to look at the deadlocked situation in Asia and began to wonder if Stillwell was in fact the right man for the job.
November Offensives in China
If ever there was a stalemate, Xiamen and Shantou were it. Stillwell was once again unable to fight his way through the Japanese defenses and link up with Adam's men in the south. With the loss of Kowloon two weeks earlier, the two forces of Fifth Army were now even more separated. The entire "offensive" in China continued to be merely a defensive struggle, with Fifth Army tenaciously clinging to their footholds in Asia. If there were in fact going to be advances, there was either a serious shift in strategy needed, or more troops.
Stillwell flew to the Philippines to meet with MacArthur over the situation. With the continual Japanese attack and required recovery time for the Americans from those attacks, Fifth Army was simply unable to coordinate any sustained offensive. Stillwell pleaded for more men, much more. His intent was to pack Xiamen so full with troops that he could afford to send out two full corps on an offensive to overwhelm Shantou, while leaving a full six divisions at home to defend Xiamen itself. MacArthur frowned greatly upon this idea.
MacArthur and Patton proved to be completely incompatible together working in the same sphere. When they had tried to hash out a solid invasion plan for Thunderbolt earlier in the year, MacArthur vehemently shot down Patton's southern invasion plan. Eight months later, with Stillwell's forces bogged down in Xiamen, Japanese troops surrounding them on all fronts, MacArthur now began to find interest in operations south of the Zhu River.
Two new cavalry divisions were ready and waiting on Guam for reassignment. Ninth Army's operations in Singapore and Borneo had been a cakewalk, and with garrison of that region being left to the Dutch and Australians, all divisions in Ninth Army were available for their next offensive.
While MacArthur would never give Patton the benefit for the idea, it was now seeming most favorable to him to assign the two cavalry divisions to Ninth Army, and land the entire army en masse on Bobai and Zhanjiang, and march inland from there, opening up a second front in Asia that would alleviate the pressure on Fifth Army. It would also afford a hookup with the defenses in Guangzhou.
When Ninth Army was created, the original mission was first to help the Australians take back the region from Singapore to Celebes. When that was finished the next plan on the table was for it to invade the southernmost portions of Indochina near Rach Gia or Saigon. Strategically this proved a very minimal gain, as the two full armies in the north of that region would put a stop to any serious advance up the coast. With the stall of Stillwell's forces in Xiamen, it was clear Ninth Army would be of more service helping out on their southern flank. The orders were floated down to Singapore for Gen. Collins to get his troops ready for transfer, first a stop off in Manila, and then China itself. Help was finally on the way for Stillwell.
Well you figure 80,000 guys half way across the world completely forgotten about by their country to the point of starvation, there would be a few which would doubt the cause enough to surrender for a hot meal.
Interestingly, I read somewhere that many of the Japanese taken prisoner, once they were prisoners, during interrogation were very willing to spill the beans on everything the knew. Draco Rexus: I tried to put reporting Patton's commision off as long as I could but I couldn't make you wait any longer
Mettermrck: I have no idea what the Aussie's plans are, hopefully they sail north to help out in China, but I have a feeling if anything they'll try a failed attempt at IndoChina first.
******
Situation Asia
With half of Stillwell's forces on the march south towards Shantou, once again reports came in of an absolutely massive force of 33 divisions moving on Xiamen from the north. Stillwell knowing the dubious nature of the intelligence reports in the theatre however gave the go ahead for all troops to continue their advances. In early November the Mountain troops in the south were able to advance upon and seize the undefended stronghold at Guangzhou, the second such time they held it.
The Japanese were quick to respond to this latest incursion, instantly sending six divisions under Okada to try and retake it. A formidable strike force made up of 2 Marine, 1 Mountain, 1 Infantry and 2 Militia divisions, they came out from Shaoguan, where it was rumored there were up to 17 more divisions headed south. With reports of troops moving in on Kowloon as well, the light garrison there under Patch was unable to come to Adam's aid. One of the two corps from Xiamen was headed south to take Shantou, leaving only Wedemeyer's corps to defend Xiamen, so there was no possibility of relief from that quarter either. Adams would have to face off the attack alone.
Outnumbered 3:1, the Americans hunkered down in their new fortress awaiting the worst. The lead elements of the Japanese arrived at the front lines at 5 a.m. where serious fighting broke out, not devastating to either side, hardly any damage was inflicted at all. Before the entirety of the Japanese forces could be brought up to give a numerical advantage, after only about three hours of fighting, Adams began receiving reports from his battalion commanders that the enemy was withdrawing on all fronts. As the day wore on, the defenses gearing for some sort of shift in the attack, reports were quiet on all fronts, the enemy had gone.
This was a clearly not a victory, the enemy had had a change of plans and pulled all the troops off the front line in Guangzhou to return to Shaoguan. Neither Stillwell nor Adams knew what to make of this, except perhaps that it was a feint to draw American attention away from their weak position in Kowloon. The American command adopted a wait and see attitude, as it was any one's guess what the Japanese were up to here.
Battle for Kowloon
Two days later an attack did in fact come on Kowloon, however the size of it, a mere three divisions in size, could hardly it seem account for a six division feint into Guangzhou. Nevertheless when all was said and done, was exactly what had happened. The Japanese had used the feint into Guangzhou both to tie up American reserves as well as get a feel for the Americans in their new holds. Such a large feint here would ensure that Adams kept his crack mountain troops where they were, rather than send them to reinforce at Kowloon.
As in previous battles, the Japanese focused their attention on the Philippine troops. With the two mountain divisions removed to Guangzhou, their task was much easier this time around. The 111th Philippine Militia which had shown its weakness in previous battles was this time completely exposed to enemy fire from all sides from the outset of the battle, and was absolutely decimated. Both the Philippino and American forces were still exhausted from the previous battles in Kowloon, and it was evident in this battle. The 111th was quickly destroyed, while the 101st Philippine Infantry and Patch's Americal division showed complete disorganization. Without the additional firepower of the elite mountain troops the defense was finding a very rough go of it. Splitting the force in Kowloon was proving to be an errant move, especially with so many of the enemy in the area. By day two the situation seemed hopeless. The last remnants of the 111th were ordered off to the stronghold in Guangzhou, and later in the day as the ammunition ran out for the other two divisions, it was apparent Kowloon was untenable. Stillwell reluctantly ordered the remaining troops to bust out from the encirclement and make their way to Guangzhou to link up with Adam's mountain troops. Many troops were lost in this final lunge back to friendly lines. Kowloon was lost. It took the Japanese six attempts and thousands of losses, but they had finally seized it.
The whole purpose of Stillwell sending a corps south from Xiamen to seize Shantou was to afford a link up with Adam's troops in Kowloon. After failed attempts at doing so in the past, now he had sent an entire corps on their way to attempt the link up. With Kowloon now lost and Adam's men further away from Army HQ the purpose of invading Shantou was now gone. Nevertheless already on their way, Stillwell ordered the columns to continue. Feeling fresh from his recent victories in Xiamen, he felt he still had the initiative and wanted to ride the wave of success before the Japanese were able to regroup.
Loss of the Bonins
In late November, the Japanese force in garrison in the Bonins took the opportunity the Americans had given them and seized the vacated Marianas. In the scheme of things, the Marianas was merely a tactical loss; they served no purpose to the Pacific campaign. The fighting was in China and northern Japan. The war in effect had passed the Marianas by. Because of its small significance, the loss of this territory hardly even made the papers back home. The loss at Kowloon however, this was now a public stain on Stillwell's record.
Fifth Battle of Xiamen
Mere days after the fall of Kowloon the incessant attack of the Japanese continued. After their previous humiliations the general staff reckoned the Japanese fighting condition had been damaged, and that they were short on supplies, will power and organization. But from somewhere the Japanese were able to throw together fresh troops for yet another attack on Xiamen. Out of Fuzhou came 7 divisions of infantry. Three were fresh and fully rested, two were able to fight, and two while up to full strength were completely ill equipped for battle. It was an incongruous fighting group that General Abe had under his command. Some divisions were fresh, pulled from other fronts, others were veterans of the Xiamen battles, while others were divisions nearly wiped out in the last battle that had been stuffed with green reinforcements.
On the American side the situation was not as favorable as in past battles. The two northern corps were still recovering from the lengthy battle against 13 divisions the month before. Also half of the force had been on the march south towards Shantou, and had to double back to help Wedemeyer's corps defend the stronghold. The 1st Armored in particular was completely disorganized, having to reverse direction and try to form cohesive lines in merely a day.
In the four previous attacks on Xiamen, the American defenses held on, and in grand fashion. Having gained the reputation as a tough nut to crack, this impenetrable fortress proved once again to be just that, despite it's defenders' weakened and awkward position. With confidence of the victory, Stillwell left the fighting to Wedemeyer's corps and continued his drive south on Shantou. The troops left behind were more than able to thwart the attack, and after another day or so of sporadic fighting Abe called the ever familiar general retreat back to Fuzhou. He had to no doubt be bolstered going in by the success days before in taking Kowloon, but all too quick he learned Xiamen was a far different animal with Wedemeyer in command.
The next day Stillwell's men engaged the enemy in Shantou. The fact of the matter was this was an ill planned excursion. The troops had been through two trying battles in a month, then had been ordered south, ordered to return north to a fight, and once again wheel around and attack Shantou with much less fighting capacity. Furthermore the Japanese had been long aware of this move, and were able to bolster the defenses here of one beaten militia division with two fresh infantry divisions. The American attackers had two infantry and two armored divisions. Unlike the previous disastrous attack on Shantou months before, the sky was clear and free from the incessant monsoon rains, and the ground was free of mud for the trucks and troops to be able to maneuver. Nevertheless the condition of the fighting troops was just too poor to put them through an offensive of that nature. After six hours of fighting which included heavy tank losses, Stillwell ordered a complete retreat back to the defenses at Xiamen. Fifth Army had its second defeat in two weeks. Some in the Pentagon began to look at the deadlocked situation in Asia and began to wonder if Stillwell was in fact the right man for the job.
November Offensives in China
If ever there was a stalemate, Xiamen and Shantou were it. Stillwell was once again unable to fight his way through the Japanese defenses and link up with Adam's men in the south. With the loss of Kowloon two weeks earlier, the two forces of Fifth Army were now even more separated. The entire "offensive" in China continued to be merely a defensive struggle, with Fifth Army tenaciously clinging to their footholds in Asia. If there were in fact going to be advances, there was either a serious shift in strategy needed, or more troops.
Stillwell flew to the Philippines to meet with MacArthur over the situation. With the continual Japanese attack and required recovery time for the Americans from those attacks, Fifth Army was simply unable to coordinate any sustained offensive. Stillwell pleaded for more men, much more. His intent was to pack Xiamen so full with troops that he could afford to send out two full corps on an offensive to overwhelm Shantou, while leaving a full six divisions at home to defend Xiamen itself. MacArthur frowned greatly upon this idea.
MacArthur and Patton proved to be completely incompatible together working in the same sphere. When they had tried to hash out a solid invasion plan for Thunderbolt earlier in the year, MacArthur vehemently shot down Patton's southern invasion plan. Eight months later, with Stillwell's forces bogged down in Xiamen, Japanese troops surrounding them on all fronts, MacArthur now began to find interest in operations south of the Zhu River.
Two new cavalry divisions were ready and waiting on Guam for reassignment. Ninth Army's operations in Singapore and Borneo had been a cakewalk, and with garrison of that region being left to the Dutch and Australians, all divisions in Ninth Army were available for their next offensive.
While MacArthur would never give Patton the benefit for the idea, it was now seeming most favorable to him to assign the two cavalry divisions to Ninth Army, and land the entire army en masse on Bobai and Zhanjiang, and march inland from there, opening up a second front in Asia that would alleviate the pressure on Fifth Army. It would also afford a hookup with the defenses in Guangzhou.
When Ninth Army was created, the original mission was first to help the Australians take back the region from Singapore to Celebes. When that was finished the next plan on the table was for it to invade the southernmost portions of Indochina near Rach Gia or Saigon. Strategically this proved a very minimal gain, as the two full armies in the north of that region would put a stop to any serious advance up the coast. With the stall of Stillwell's forces in Xiamen, it was clear Ninth Army would be of more service helping out on their southern flank. The orders were floated down to Singapore for Gen. Collins to get his troops ready for transfer, first a stop off in Manila, and then China itself. Help was finally on the way for Stillwell.
Ah-Ha! I knew Stillwell was not only the wrong man for the job but also his invasion plan was the wrong one! Oh well, no sense in armchair general-ing it now (despite how good it feels to do so, eh?).
So, we seem to be getting ready to have a second front open up in China, what about in Europe?
So, we seem to be getting ready to have a second front open up in China, what about in Europe?
Hit the soft underbelly hard. Turn Patton loose on Jerry's lines and let him run wild. Ole George could certainly cause the eastern front stalemate to shift with his operations in France.
By the way great AAR... The maps and details of each battle get the heart pumping, and I can't wait for the next installment.
By the way great AAR... The maps and details of each battle get the heart pumping, and I can't wait for the next installment.
Draco Rexus: The next installment will deal with some very interesting developments in France. How's that for a teaser?
Bigcat: Glad to have another Patton fan on board! I'm curious myself to see how he does up against German armor.
******
Sapporo Sea
In what seemed like a broken record, the Japanese navy returned to the waters around Sapporo time and time again. Most of these were swift hit and run encounters, with the Japanese retreating before any real damage could be done to either side, but they certainly kept the American naval commanders on their toes during 1943. On December 7, 1943 a large fleet of submarines attacked the waters once more under Nishimura. Admiral King had a host of ships in the waters from the previous engagements, and set them up to surround the newest threat. Once again as was the Japanese doctrine for the area, the submarines let loose their volley of torpedoes, sent up some oil, and made their escape. Two days later Hosogaya's fleet of submarines entered the same waters with much the same strategy. They put a hurt into one destroyer, which was later able to limp off to port in Kiska, but left as quick as they came. After Hosogaya returned the next day and was beaten off, Nishimura's fleet returned to the fray with yet another hit and run attack. These continual short bursts while minor nevertheless took their toll on both sides, and King found himself rotating ships into and out of port for repairs, trying to keep enough fresh ships at sea. It was a battle of attrition nevertheless, and King felt confident of holding the waters against whatever the Japanese had to throw at them.
Help on the Way
With Stillwell and MacArthur agreeing that more troops were needed in the Asian theatre, the transports had been sent down to Singapore to pick up the Ninth Army troops. The original plan had been to add the two cavalry divisions in Guam to Ninth Army and drop it in its entirety on the mainland, seven divisions at once. However two changes of plans hampered this. Vandegrift's 4th Marine Division was deep inland on Borneo marching towards the final staging area for the Japanese at Balikpapan and would be unavailable for the next month. With manpower shortages for Australia on the island, it was best for the Marines to continue their pursuit into the interior to completely secure the island.
In addition, the Japanese troops which had taken the undefended Marianas a month earlier were reported to be staging an attack on Guam to secure the entire island chain. While the Marianas was expendable to the Allied cause, Guam was an important hub for transportation and supplies, as well as an important refueling stop over and staging area for new troops. The 43rd Corps under General Hodges, made up of two infantry divisions, was all that was left to defend Guam. With the Japanese force in the Marianas estimated at 2-3 divisions, MacArthur was concerned if there was enough firepower to defend the island. With the two new cavalry divisions all ready to embark the transports to rendezvous with Ninth Army in Manila, he put this convoy on standby, and ordered the cavalry units to remain on Guam until any such attack was thwarted.
This left the Ninth Army with a much more modest four divisions to land with. Collins voiced his misgivings of making a landing with so few troops when the intent was to seize a large area and link up with Adams before the Japanese could react. MacArthur however overruled him, citing the urgency to get the men on the mainland quickly, Ninth Army's primary role was mainly to take the pressure off Fifth Army. While it was hardly a matter of playing favorites, Collins' memoirs show considerable resentment at having to play second fiddle. His army had overrun three important Japanese areas in a very short time, all while Fifth Army had slugged it out ineffectually, their defensive positions falling far short of the original objective. Now his role was merely support to a struggling unit.
Four divisions is what he had to work with however for the next month. Operation Friendly, as it became known had two primary mission objectives. The first was on landing to seize as much enemy territory as possible. The second and primary objective was to have a physical linkup with VI Mountain Corps in Guangzhou. With four divisions to carry out this role, he divided the landing force into three parts. Gerow's 6th Infantry Division would land on the island of Hainan, with the 1st Regiment seizing the southern city of Sanya while the 20th and 63rd Regiments seized the northern half of the island in and around the city of Haikou.
Gen. Drum's 9th Infantry Division would land on Zhanjiang and the surrounding peninsula, and hold it as the southern perimeter. Woodruff's 88th and Collin's 90th HQ would then land on Bobai, with Portugese Macau on their right flank. From there Collins would march the 90th inland to seize Jiangmen and afford the critical hookup with the mountain forces.
On December 21st all landings went off without a hitch, as the coastline south of Macau was completely undefended by the Japanese. On Hainan, the 6th Division regiments went about securing the cities of Sanya and Haikou, while on the mainland Drum's 9th division began setting up a defensive perimeter in Zhanjiang to guard the southern flank of the mainland invasion.
Collin's 90th Division after two days of organizing and supplying itself then set out inland towards Jiangmen to try to link up with Adam's VI Corps. A day into the journey intelligence brought some bad news: Jiangmen which had formerly been believed to be undefended now was reported to be garrisoned by a division under Tsuji. An area which had very good land defenses similar to Guangzhou, it would be next to impossible for a single division assault to be successful. However there were no additional units to spare, Collin's men would have to test the waters alone.
Bigcat: Glad to have another Patton fan on board! I'm curious myself to see how he does up against German armor.
******
Sapporo Sea
In what seemed like a broken record, the Japanese navy returned to the waters around Sapporo time and time again. Most of these were swift hit and run encounters, with the Japanese retreating before any real damage could be done to either side, but they certainly kept the American naval commanders on their toes during 1943. On December 7, 1943 a large fleet of submarines attacked the waters once more under Nishimura. Admiral King had a host of ships in the waters from the previous engagements, and set them up to surround the newest threat. Once again as was the Japanese doctrine for the area, the submarines let loose their volley of torpedoes, sent up some oil, and made their escape. Two days later Hosogaya's fleet of submarines entered the same waters with much the same strategy. They put a hurt into one destroyer, which was later able to limp off to port in Kiska, but left as quick as they came. After Hosogaya returned the next day and was beaten off, Nishimura's fleet returned to the fray with yet another hit and run attack. These continual short bursts while minor nevertheless took their toll on both sides, and King found himself rotating ships into and out of port for repairs, trying to keep enough fresh ships at sea. It was a battle of attrition nevertheless, and King felt confident of holding the waters against whatever the Japanese had to throw at them.
Help on the Way
With Stillwell and MacArthur agreeing that more troops were needed in the Asian theatre, the transports had been sent down to Singapore to pick up the Ninth Army troops. The original plan had been to add the two cavalry divisions in Guam to Ninth Army and drop it in its entirety on the mainland, seven divisions at once. However two changes of plans hampered this. Vandegrift's 4th Marine Division was deep inland on Borneo marching towards the final staging area for the Japanese at Balikpapan and would be unavailable for the next month. With manpower shortages for Australia on the island, it was best for the Marines to continue their pursuit into the interior to completely secure the island.
In addition, the Japanese troops which had taken the undefended Marianas a month earlier were reported to be staging an attack on Guam to secure the entire island chain. While the Marianas was expendable to the Allied cause, Guam was an important hub for transportation and supplies, as well as an important refueling stop over and staging area for new troops. The 43rd Corps under General Hodges, made up of two infantry divisions, was all that was left to defend Guam. With the Japanese force in the Marianas estimated at 2-3 divisions, MacArthur was concerned if there was enough firepower to defend the island. With the two new cavalry divisions all ready to embark the transports to rendezvous with Ninth Army in Manila, he put this convoy on standby, and ordered the cavalry units to remain on Guam until any such attack was thwarted.
This left the Ninth Army with a much more modest four divisions to land with. Collins voiced his misgivings of making a landing with so few troops when the intent was to seize a large area and link up with Adams before the Japanese could react. MacArthur however overruled him, citing the urgency to get the men on the mainland quickly, Ninth Army's primary role was mainly to take the pressure off Fifth Army. While it was hardly a matter of playing favorites, Collins' memoirs show considerable resentment at having to play second fiddle. His army had overrun three important Japanese areas in a very short time, all while Fifth Army had slugged it out ineffectually, their defensive positions falling far short of the original objective. Now his role was merely support to a struggling unit.
Four divisions is what he had to work with however for the next month. Operation Friendly, as it became known had two primary mission objectives. The first was on landing to seize as much enemy territory as possible. The second and primary objective was to have a physical linkup with VI Mountain Corps in Guangzhou. With four divisions to carry out this role, he divided the landing force into three parts. Gerow's 6th Infantry Division would land on the island of Hainan, with the 1st Regiment seizing the southern city of Sanya while the 20th and 63rd Regiments seized the northern half of the island in and around the city of Haikou.
Gen. Drum's 9th Infantry Division would land on Zhanjiang and the surrounding peninsula, and hold it as the southern perimeter. Woodruff's 88th and Collin's 90th HQ would then land on Bobai, with Portugese Macau on their right flank. From there Collins would march the 90th inland to seize Jiangmen and afford the critical hookup with the mountain forces.
On December 21st all landings went off without a hitch, as the coastline south of Macau was completely undefended by the Japanese. On Hainan, the 6th Division regiments went about securing the cities of Sanya and Haikou, while on the mainland Drum's 9th division began setting up a defensive perimeter in Zhanjiang to guard the southern flank of the mainland invasion.
Collin's 90th Division after two days of organizing and supplying itself then set out inland towards Jiangmen to try to link up with Adam's VI Corps. A day into the journey intelligence brought some bad news: Jiangmen which had formerly been believed to be undefended now was reported to be garrisoned by a division under Tsuji. An area which had very good land defenses similar to Guangzhou, it would be next to impossible for a single division assault to be successful. However there were no additional units to spare, Collin's men would have to test the waters alone.
My apologies, but there is this "tiny" little item called the invasion of Asia that I have to deal with. If the Japs would cooperate, I could make everyone happy by focusing purely on Europe.Wilhelm VI said:
You're doing well enough.Miral said:My apologies, but there is this "tiny" little item called the invasion of Asia that I have to deal with. If the Japs would cooperate, I could make everyone happy by focusing purely on Europe.
Ah...reinforcements for China! That'll help a bunch. It's refreshing to see a challenging campaign with Stilwell unable to advance out of his bridgehead. But oy, you vacated the Marianas? Leave a garrison, hehe! I can relate to that Japanese naval AI...they just keep coming and coming even when it hurts them more.
Leave a garrison, hehe! I can relate to that Japanese naval AI...they just keep coming and coming even when it hurts them more.
I can understand Hodges' resentment with the use of Nineth Army.... Hopefully he'll be able to use his troops to show that he's the better commander than Stilwell and make MacArthur know he made the wrong decision, eh?
I agree you need to safeguard your Asian invasion before striking out into Europe, despite my desires to see Patton unleashed!
Keep up the good work!!!
I agree you need to safeguard your Asian invasion before striking out into Europe, despite my desires to see Patton unleashed!
Keep up the good work!!!
Situation Europe
Even before he had all of his forces squared away in Rodez, Patton ever eager to see what his opponent had, offered to make an attack to the north into Clermont-Ferrand to see what the Germans and Vichy French were made of. Eisenhower made the quip "I see you don't waste any time, George." The strength of the defenders was estimated as corps size. Wanting to get a feel for their new opponent himself, Eisenhower okayed the move, although downsizing it merely to a one division feint. A hit and run without any serious engagement.
Patton chose his own 6th Armored division for the job, and in the morning of December 9th the first shots were fired by ground troops in Europe. It was every so brief of an engagement before Patton broke off the attack, but what he saw left him extremely encouraged, even before returning to Rodez he radioed Eisenhower. Troop strength was six divisions, one armor, five mechanized. However all of them were in apparently horrible condition, unable to return fire, and most were at about 1/3 strength. Was it possible that the Axis troops in this area of Vichy France were in such absolutely poor condition?
Encouraged by this opportunity, before Patton could even suggest it, Eisenhower ordered him with all haste to attack this beaten force in Clermont-Ferrand. While Patton refueled his tanks in 6th Armored, he ordered MacGruder's 5th Armored to blitz into the enemy lines, one division against six. The 6th would join him in the battle the very next day. If the Germans were in such poor state in this region, Eisenhower pondered what their situation on the rest of the front in France. Wasting no time, he ordered single division excursions to poke and sample each of the fronts, with orders to sustain the attack if it was favorable. In the west Truscott's 77th was ordered north to attack Perigueux, while Eddy's 37th crossed the Garonne into Auch to see what the Germans were made of there. While the two armored divisions moved north, the 101st was ordered to follow them into Clermont-Ferrand for the purpose of garrison duty in the event the armor could break into the interior. Dever's Mountain troops were ordered into the mountains of Saint Etienne. Out of Krueger's Corps, the 81st was ordered north to garrison Rodez in XXII Corps' absence.
On December 12th, MacGruder's 5th Armored slammed into the German troops at Clermont-Ferrand. Completely unfit for battle, before the American tanks even arrived on the scene columns of German trucks were fleeing back into Vichy. The southern wall of German held France had proved, at least in this point, to be a rotted out wall that could be caved in with one finger.
Receiving news of this incredible situation, Marshall instantly ordered the transports in the Mediterranean to head back to England. If the rest of the southern front proved to be this decimated, it meant two possible things: One, the defenses on the English Channel might also be weak affording opportunity for a successful landing there. Also, the German Eastern front might also be on the complete verge of collapse. The thought of the communist Red Army steam rolling across Europe was a picture Roosevelt surely did not want to see. If this was the case, all haste was necessary for the Allies to advance into and through Europe. It was in the west's best interest to have a France and Germany friendly to the west, rather than pawns of Stalin.
This was of course quite getting ahead of ones' self, merely one city had been proven to be in such poor shape, but if this was a trend along the entire German front, it would be a harbinger of German collapse in the east as well. Bradley's Eight Army was alerted, and mobilized, with the order going out for Bradley to begin planning for a possible invasion of the northern French coast possibly by as early as the 1st of January. The coming two weeks would show if the rest of the German troops in France were in as bad a shape as this, or if Clermont-Ferrand was just an anomaly.
With Patton's 6th Armored on the way into Clermont, once 5th Armored was refueled, he instantly ordered MacGruder to seize the undefended Limoges. After a brief pause, Patton ordered his own 6th Armored north into the undefended Chateauroux. Once the 101st moved into Clermont, and the armor was in place in Chateauroux, they could test the strength of the troops in Vichy itself.
On December 16, Truscott's 77th moved into Perigueux and easily thwarted Frankewitz' sole division, which retreated into Bordeaux. The next day Eddy's Motorized Division successfully crossed the Garonne into Auch and put the sole defending division to flight without much of a struggle. It seemed apparent that every Axis unit in Vichy France was completely devastated. The advance moving far faster than anyone could have imagined, Patton seeing the weakness of the enemy was not only in Clermont, he ordered MacGruder once again on the offensive, this time to blitz into the German forces at La Rochelle. This would be the first contact with German troops outside of Vichy France, and it would be most interesting to see if the Germans were in as bad a shape on their own turf as in their puppet's backyard.
This proved not to be the case. Von Hubicki had two panzer divisions waiting for him, and fully armed and loaded they let loose with everything they had, doing considerable damage to the American tanks. After a brief but damaging battle, MacGruder's attack was called off. While it was a defeat, its main purpose was to find the strength of the German fighting capacity outside of Vichy. Apparently they were very strong.
With the prize jewel of the campaign just on the doorstep, Patton ordered his 6th Armored, and the 101st Airborne to descend up Vichy itself right before Christmas. As with the rest of Vichy France, the capital fell without a fight. With the 101st to arrive in days to garrison the city, Patton moved his 6th Armored north to capture undefended Bourges.
Fourth Army Advances, December 1943
Liberation of Vichy France
On December 22nd, 1943 General De Gaulle proudly announced over French radio that Vichy France had fallen to the Allies. All of what was Vichy France was liberated, and he proudly declared it "France". Thanking the service of the British, Australians and South Africans for their dogged determination in keeping alive the foothold on the Mediterranean coast, he also thanked the newly arrived Americans for the additional boost of fire power which led to the downfall of the defending troops. He urged the resistance throughout Vichy France to rise up to thwart the last remnants of occupation that still remained. It was a great day for the Allies, for a large chunk of the Axis holdings in western Europe were now once again in Allied hands.
As was expected, in Berlin, Hitler flew into an absolute rage at this news. He instantly sacked Rundstedt, the overall commander of the western theatre, and then began ordering a "counter assault at all costs", calling for the garrison guarding against a Channel invasion to be stripped of units transferring them to the southern front. The Allies were very interested as well at learning if Hitler intended to strip troops from the Russian front as well.
Vichy France's holdings in Africa which the French and British had not yet retaken quickly and easily fell in line and submitted to the liberation. France once again had all its African holdings. For the time being, Cayenne in South America, which had housed the government of Free France through the duration of their exile continued to serve as the French capital.
Allied Holdings after Fall of Vichy
Even before he had all of his forces squared away in Rodez, Patton ever eager to see what his opponent had, offered to make an attack to the north into Clermont-Ferrand to see what the Germans and Vichy French were made of. Eisenhower made the quip "I see you don't waste any time, George." The strength of the defenders was estimated as corps size. Wanting to get a feel for their new opponent himself, Eisenhower okayed the move, although downsizing it merely to a one division feint. A hit and run without any serious engagement.
Patton chose his own 6th Armored division for the job, and in the morning of December 9th the first shots were fired by ground troops in Europe. It was every so brief of an engagement before Patton broke off the attack, but what he saw left him extremely encouraged, even before returning to Rodez he radioed Eisenhower. Troop strength was six divisions, one armor, five mechanized. However all of them were in apparently horrible condition, unable to return fire, and most were at about 1/3 strength. Was it possible that the Axis troops in this area of Vichy France were in such absolutely poor condition?
Encouraged by this opportunity, before Patton could even suggest it, Eisenhower ordered him with all haste to attack this beaten force in Clermont-Ferrand. While Patton refueled his tanks in 6th Armored, he ordered MacGruder's 5th Armored to blitz into the enemy lines, one division against six. The 6th would join him in the battle the very next day. If the Germans were in such poor state in this region, Eisenhower pondered what their situation on the rest of the front in France. Wasting no time, he ordered single division excursions to poke and sample each of the fronts, with orders to sustain the attack if it was favorable. In the west Truscott's 77th was ordered north to attack Perigueux, while Eddy's 37th crossed the Garonne into Auch to see what the Germans were made of there. While the two armored divisions moved north, the 101st was ordered to follow them into Clermont-Ferrand for the purpose of garrison duty in the event the armor could break into the interior. Dever's Mountain troops were ordered into the mountains of Saint Etienne. Out of Krueger's Corps, the 81st was ordered north to garrison Rodez in XXII Corps' absence.
On December 12th, MacGruder's 5th Armored slammed into the German troops at Clermont-Ferrand. Completely unfit for battle, before the American tanks even arrived on the scene columns of German trucks were fleeing back into Vichy. The southern wall of German held France had proved, at least in this point, to be a rotted out wall that could be caved in with one finger.
Receiving news of this incredible situation, Marshall instantly ordered the transports in the Mediterranean to head back to England. If the rest of the southern front proved to be this decimated, it meant two possible things: One, the defenses on the English Channel might also be weak affording opportunity for a successful landing there. Also, the German Eastern front might also be on the complete verge of collapse. The thought of the communist Red Army steam rolling across Europe was a picture Roosevelt surely did not want to see. If this was the case, all haste was necessary for the Allies to advance into and through Europe. It was in the west's best interest to have a France and Germany friendly to the west, rather than pawns of Stalin.
This was of course quite getting ahead of ones' self, merely one city had been proven to be in such poor shape, but if this was a trend along the entire German front, it would be a harbinger of German collapse in the east as well. Bradley's Eight Army was alerted, and mobilized, with the order going out for Bradley to begin planning for a possible invasion of the northern French coast possibly by as early as the 1st of January. The coming two weeks would show if the rest of the German troops in France were in as bad a shape as this, or if Clermont-Ferrand was just an anomaly.
With Patton's 6th Armored on the way into Clermont, once 5th Armored was refueled, he instantly ordered MacGruder to seize the undefended Limoges. After a brief pause, Patton ordered his own 6th Armored north into the undefended Chateauroux. Once the 101st moved into Clermont, and the armor was in place in Chateauroux, they could test the strength of the troops in Vichy itself.
On December 16, Truscott's 77th moved into Perigueux and easily thwarted Frankewitz' sole division, which retreated into Bordeaux. The next day Eddy's Motorized Division successfully crossed the Garonne into Auch and put the sole defending division to flight without much of a struggle. It seemed apparent that every Axis unit in Vichy France was completely devastated. The advance moving far faster than anyone could have imagined, Patton seeing the weakness of the enemy was not only in Clermont, he ordered MacGruder once again on the offensive, this time to blitz into the German forces at La Rochelle. This would be the first contact with German troops outside of Vichy France, and it would be most interesting to see if the Germans were in as bad a shape on their own turf as in their puppet's backyard.
This proved not to be the case. Von Hubicki had two panzer divisions waiting for him, and fully armed and loaded they let loose with everything they had, doing considerable damage to the American tanks. After a brief but damaging battle, MacGruder's attack was called off. While it was a defeat, its main purpose was to find the strength of the German fighting capacity outside of Vichy. Apparently they were very strong.
With the prize jewel of the campaign just on the doorstep, Patton ordered his 6th Armored, and the 101st Airborne to descend up Vichy itself right before Christmas. As with the rest of Vichy France, the capital fell without a fight. With the 101st to arrive in days to garrison the city, Patton moved his 6th Armored north to capture undefended Bourges.
Fourth Army Advances, December 1943
Liberation of Vichy France
On December 22nd, 1943 General De Gaulle proudly announced over French radio that Vichy France had fallen to the Allies. All of what was Vichy France was liberated, and he proudly declared it "France". Thanking the service of the British, Australians and South Africans for their dogged determination in keeping alive the foothold on the Mediterranean coast, he also thanked the newly arrived Americans for the additional boost of fire power which led to the downfall of the defending troops. He urged the resistance throughout Vichy France to rise up to thwart the last remnants of occupation that still remained. It was a great day for the Allies, for a large chunk of the Axis holdings in western Europe were now once again in Allied hands.
As was expected, in Berlin, Hitler flew into an absolute rage at this news. He instantly sacked Rundstedt, the overall commander of the western theatre, and then began ordering a "counter assault at all costs", calling for the garrison guarding against a Channel invasion to be stripped of units transferring them to the southern front. The Allies were very interested as well at learning if Hitler intended to strip troops from the Russian front as well.
Vichy France's holdings in Africa which the French and British had not yet retaken quickly and easily fell in line and submitted to the liberation. France once again had all its African holdings. For the time being, Cayenne in South America, which had housed the government of Free France through the duration of their exile continued to serve as the French capital.
Allied Holdings after Fall of Vichy
Second Battle of Guangzhou
Gen. Adams now had the full contingent of VI Corps together again, this time in the strongholds at Guangzhou. While the American forces were now well rested and dug in, the two Philippine divisions were still in woeful shape. Their manpower losses had not been replenished since the last engagement, and they were failing in morale as well as equipment. With Kowloon now gone, the Japanese turned the main of their attention on Guangzhou. The attack came on the morning of December 26th. American GI's still full from their in the field Christmas Turkey, the call went out for all troops to take up arms. With the aid of the land fortifications in Guangzhou the command felt at first very confident of their defense; outnumbered in the past, they had been able to hold off the Japanese in Kowloon, an area not particularly friendly to such defensive operations. Now with several series of forts and a more advantageous terrain, Adams felt far more comfortable about his situation, despite being surrounded on four sides. While cutoff from Fourth Army, his command was still in full contact and was still receiving its full quota of supplies from the extensive convoy system based in Xiamen.
In the early morning hours as more accurate reports of the enemy disposition came in Adams began to grow a bit concerned. In the past intelligence had constantly had Japanese marching towards them from many directions, and two pronged attacks had easily been fought off. At 10 in the morning, the picture of the attack was becoming more clear, as battalion heads on all four sides began calling in that they were under attack. This was not a two pronged attack as in Kowloon, this assault was much more intricate and indepth. Every side of the front was being attacked as Japanese forces attacked from four directions. Assault troops came from Kowloon in the east, Shaoguan to the north, Liuzhou to the west, and Jiangmen in the south. In all it was an attack by eight divisions, comprised of two Marine, one Motorized, one Militia and four Infantry divisions. Unlike the recent battles, all of the attackers were well rested, well armed, and ready to fight. From the outset of the battle they showed a renewed vigor and courage, well trained, well led. This was a very serious force, and Adams recognized immediately the dire situation his men were in if the initial rush of the attack could not be stopped.
As with the previous large engagements in the area, the ships were ordered out of port, and troops in other sectors readied for possible reinforcement. As Adams realized the conundrum he was in, attacked from four directions at a 2:1 disadvantage he radioed Stillwell for help. All the transports were on the island of Hainan from Ninth Army's operations. Consequently Collins ordered the newly arrived 6th and 9th Infantry aboard the transports to be sent to Adam's aid.
The Philippinos were in horrid condition before the fighting even began, already suffering from extreme manpower shortages they were at one third strength as a result of the failed engagement in Kowloon. The initial onslaught of the battle was well coordinated and well timed, and the Japanese troops blasted through the outer defenses on all fronts easily. The Philippine divisions in particular were decimated in the opening hours.
The three American divisions, while well rested and dug in were also taking considerable damage in the early morning hours, surprised and unprepared for an attack as widespread as this. If they had to fill a gap in the west, reports came in that a gap needed filling to the south. When this was acted upon, reserves were needed to plug the holes to the east. There were too many directions that the Japanese were coming from to properly coordinate a solid defense against. By mid afternoon Adams declared the situation desperate. The Philippine Militia was wiped out by evening, and by the next morning the 101st Philippine Infantry was on the verge of complete collapse as well.
Collins ordered his two divisions ashore to aid in the defense, but they would not arrive until the morning of the 28th. By midday of the 27th, the two mountain divisions and the Americal division were down to 75% strength. The initial shock wave of the assault never petered out, as the Japanese took full advantage of their momentum in pressing the battle forward. Even more depressing for the defenders, they were unable to return fire to enough extent to put sufficient damage into the enemy. Ill coordinated for stopping an attack of this nature, the defenders could not properly focus firepower where it was most needed. With the element of surprise gone, the one sidedness of the battle continued, as many of the front line troops were overrun or retreating back to their next defensive line, fire ineffectually as they did so. There were remarkably few Japanese casualties the first two days compared to that of the Allies. Where the Japanese came up with so many fresh well armed troops was anyone's guess, but these were crack troops, well coordinated and focused on their mission. Adams was simply unable to put up a firm defense from an attack in every direction.
On the morning of the 28th the two divisions of Ninth Army came ashore at Guangzhou and were immediately thrown into the fray, trying to plug the gaps to the east and north. It was now five American divisions defending the fort against 8 assaulting divisions. As the morning wore on the 101st Philippine faded away into history under the continued barrage of the Japanese Marines.
The Ninth Army troops were too late on the scene, and it is doubtful they could have turned the tide anyway. By the 29th the Mountain troops were devastated on all fronts, run through like swiss cheese, and even the 6th and 9th Infantry fresh on the scene were taking considerable damage as well. Despite five strong divisions held up in defensive fortifications, they were unable to stop the massive assault, and their return fire was completely ineffectual. Four days into the battle and the assault troops seemed as fresh as when they first started. Mortar fire, artillery fire, machine guns, grenades, the Japanese seemed to have an endless supply of weaponry, and an endless supply of coordination and zeal. An absolutely brilliant attack plan, General Okada masterfully pulled the attack off. The potency of the attack was far more than the Americans had expected was possible.
By evening of the 29th, the Americal Division was down to 20%, and the two mountain divisions, elite units held up in a mountain fortress, were whittled down to 33% effectivity. Casualties were enormous for all three divisions, every brigade was decimated. The newly arrived 6th and 9th Infantries in their short stay also fell the immediate power of Okada's wrath, as by days end they to were down to 3/4 strength. There were simply no reserves left to throw into the battle. It seemed every company had felt the sting and suffered great loss. As the sun set on the smoke filled battlefield, Adams at last got the transmission from Stillwell at Fifth Army HQ "Get those men out of there, abandon all VI Corps positions. Full retreat at once back to the transports. I repeat, full retreat."
The Four Direction Assault and Consequent Retreat
Guangzhou was a devastating loss for the American campaign in Asia. The incredible barrage by the Japanese was able to wipe out two Philippine divisions, nearly wipe out three American ones, and do serious scathe to two more. Dug in around a seemingly impenetrable fortress, seven Allied divisions took place in the battle, and most were nearly wiped out. The casualties were absolutely appalling. On the American side, there were upwards of 35,000 casualties and close to 10,000 taken prisoner. On the Philippine side, of the 10,000 soldiers that had taken part in the battle, less than 700 returned to tell the story. The most telling tale of the one sidedness of the battle however was the Japanese count of less than 4,000 casualties.
The Fallout of Guangzhou
The American command in the Pacific were in utter disbelief at what the Japanese had just accomplished. The entire VI Mountain Corps, the best troops America had in Asia, were cut through like butter. As the figures came in of the magnitude of casualties and loss of equipment and supplies, MacArthur called to Washington for permission to do what was necessary to "get things right in the Asian theatre." Without hesitation, the Pentagon gave him complete approval.
His first act was to relieve Gen. Adams of command of the VI Mountain Corps. MacArthur reasoned the only way such a force could be overrun in such grand fashion was from poor leadership. Lt. General Lockwood, his subordinate, and division commander of the 14th Mountain Division, was given the command of VI Mountain Corps, and command of 10th Mountain HQ Division. As in every big loss, there is always a scapegoat. General Adams payed the price for being the commander of an Army Corps that had been separated from its Army HQ for nearly a year, and had been attacked in this fashion simultaneously from four directions, without the aid of air support. Marshall later wrote of the incident, "I don't know of a General on record, be it Patton or Rommel or Lee himself who could have been victorious in an engagement such as that."
Because of his "inability to get the job done" General Stillwell was also relieved of command of Fifth Army. For nine long months his Army was contained to Kowloon and Xiamen, unable to reach any of its objectives or to advance on any front. With approval from Washington, Douglas MacArthur took over personal command of Fifth Army himself.
For the interim, the remnants of the VI Mountain Corps were sent to the island of Hainan to recuperate and to reorganize, as massive amounts of reinforcements were called in from stateside to fill out its ranks. A veteran Corps which had been through most every major engagement in the Pacific, it would now be made up primarily of green troops. The 6th and 9th Infantry divisions would be returned to Ninth Army service, both being landed at Bobai. Collins' 90th Infantry was given the permission to continue its advance on Jiangmen, which had been vacated by Tsuji's troops which had been involved in the attack on Guangzhou.
After successfully defending every assault the Japanese had thrown at them in Asia, in the last two months, first Kowloon fell, and now the forces at Guangzhou were decimated and utterly humiliated. The Philippine Staff in Manila, when asked by MacArthur for several Philippine divisions to help bolster the defenses in the Asian theatre, denied his request. Because of what they felt was the failed strategies of America in prosecuting the China war, two of their own divisions had been consumed and destroyed. The Philippine Army was content merely to defend Philippine soil.
Gen. Adams now had the full contingent of VI Corps together again, this time in the strongholds at Guangzhou. While the American forces were now well rested and dug in, the two Philippine divisions were still in woeful shape. Their manpower losses had not been replenished since the last engagement, and they were failing in morale as well as equipment. With Kowloon now gone, the Japanese turned the main of their attention on Guangzhou. The attack came on the morning of December 26th. American GI's still full from their in the field Christmas Turkey, the call went out for all troops to take up arms. With the aid of the land fortifications in Guangzhou the command felt at first very confident of their defense; outnumbered in the past, they had been able to hold off the Japanese in Kowloon, an area not particularly friendly to such defensive operations. Now with several series of forts and a more advantageous terrain, Adams felt far more comfortable about his situation, despite being surrounded on four sides. While cutoff from Fourth Army, his command was still in full contact and was still receiving its full quota of supplies from the extensive convoy system based in Xiamen.
In the early morning hours as more accurate reports of the enemy disposition came in Adams began to grow a bit concerned. In the past intelligence had constantly had Japanese marching towards them from many directions, and two pronged attacks had easily been fought off. At 10 in the morning, the picture of the attack was becoming more clear, as battalion heads on all four sides began calling in that they were under attack. This was not a two pronged attack as in Kowloon, this assault was much more intricate and indepth. Every side of the front was being attacked as Japanese forces attacked from four directions. Assault troops came from Kowloon in the east, Shaoguan to the north, Liuzhou to the west, and Jiangmen in the south. In all it was an attack by eight divisions, comprised of two Marine, one Motorized, one Militia and four Infantry divisions. Unlike the recent battles, all of the attackers were well rested, well armed, and ready to fight. From the outset of the battle they showed a renewed vigor and courage, well trained, well led. This was a very serious force, and Adams recognized immediately the dire situation his men were in if the initial rush of the attack could not be stopped.
As with the previous large engagements in the area, the ships were ordered out of port, and troops in other sectors readied for possible reinforcement. As Adams realized the conundrum he was in, attacked from four directions at a 2:1 disadvantage he radioed Stillwell for help. All the transports were on the island of Hainan from Ninth Army's operations. Consequently Collins ordered the newly arrived 6th and 9th Infantry aboard the transports to be sent to Adam's aid.
The Philippinos were in horrid condition before the fighting even began, already suffering from extreme manpower shortages they were at one third strength as a result of the failed engagement in Kowloon. The initial onslaught of the battle was well coordinated and well timed, and the Japanese troops blasted through the outer defenses on all fronts easily. The Philippine divisions in particular were decimated in the opening hours.
The three American divisions, while well rested and dug in were also taking considerable damage in the early morning hours, surprised and unprepared for an attack as widespread as this. If they had to fill a gap in the west, reports came in that a gap needed filling to the south. When this was acted upon, reserves were needed to plug the holes to the east. There were too many directions that the Japanese were coming from to properly coordinate a solid defense against. By mid afternoon Adams declared the situation desperate. The Philippine Militia was wiped out by evening, and by the next morning the 101st Philippine Infantry was on the verge of complete collapse as well.
Collins ordered his two divisions ashore to aid in the defense, but they would not arrive until the morning of the 28th. By midday of the 27th, the two mountain divisions and the Americal division were down to 75% strength. The initial shock wave of the assault never petered out, as the Japanese took full advantage of their momentum in pressing the battle forward. Even more depressing for the defenders, they were unable to return fire to enough extent to put sufficient damage into the enemy. Ill coordinated for stopping an attack of this nature, the defenders could not properly focus firepower where it was most needed. With the element of surprise gone, the one sidedness of the battle continued, as many of the front line troops were overrun or retreating back to their next defensive line, fire ineffectually as they did so. There were remarkably few Japanese casualties the first two days compared to that of the Allies. Where the Japanese came up with so many fresh well armed troops was anyone's guess, but these were crack troops, well coordinated and focused on their mission. Adams was simply unable to put up a firm defense from an attack in every direction.
On the morning of the 28th the two divisions of Ninth Army came ashore at Guangzhou and were immediately thrown into the fray, trying to plug the gaps to the east and north. It was now five American divisions defending the fort against 8 assaulting divisions. As the morning wore on the 101st Philippine faded away into history under the continued barrage of the Japanese Marines.
The Ninth Army troops were too late on the scene, and it is doubtful they could have turned the tide anyway. By the 29th the Mountain troops were devastated on all fronts, run through like swiss cheese, and even the 6th and 9th Infantry fresh on the scene were taking considerable damage as well. Despite five strong divisions held up in defensive fortifications, they were unable to stop the massive assault, and their return fire was completely ineffectual. Four days into the battle and the assault troops seemed as fresh as when they first started. Mortar fire, artillery fire, machine guns, grenades, the Japanese seemed to have an endless supply of weaponry, and an endless supply of coordination and zeal. An absolutely brilliant attack plan, General Okada masterfully pulled the attack off. The potency of the attack was far more than the Americans had expected was possible.
By evening of the 29th, the Americal Division was down to 20%, and the two mountain divisions, elite units held up in a mountain fortress, were whittled down to 33% effectivity. Casualties were enormous for all three divisions, every brigade was decimated. The newly arrived 6th and 9th Infantries in their short stay also fell the immediate power of Okada's wrath, as by days end they to were down to 3/4 strength. There were simply no reserves left to throw into the battle. It seemed every company had felt the sting and suffered great loss. As the sun set on the smoke filled battlefield, Adams at last got the transmission from Stillwell at Fifth Army HQ "Get those men out of there, abandon all VI Corps positions. Full retreat at once back to the transports. I repeat, full retreat."
The Four Direction Assault and Consequent Retreat
Guangzhou was a devastating loss for the American campaign in Asia. The incredible barrage by the Japanese was able to wipe out two Philippine divisions, nearly wipe out three American ones, and do serious scathe to two more. Dug in around a seemingly impenetrable fortress, seven Allied divisions took place in the battle, and most were nearly wiped out. The casualties were absolutely appalling. On the American side, there were upwards of 35,000 casualties and close to 10,000 taken prisoner. On the Philippine side, of the 10,000 soldiers that had taken part in the battle, less than 700 returned to tell the story. The most telling tale of the one sidedness of the battle however was the Japanese count of less than 4,000 casualties.
The Fallout of Guangzhou
The American command in the Pacific were in utter disbelief at what the Japanese had just accomplished. The entire VI Mountain Corps, the best troops America had in Asia, were cut through like butter. As the figures came in of the magnitude of casualties and loss of equipment and supplies, MacArthur called to Washington for permission to do what was necessary to "get things right in the Asian theatre." Without hesitation, the Pentagon gave him complete approval.
His first act was to relieve Gen. Adams of command of the VI Mountain Corps. MacArthur reasoned the only way such a force could be overrun in such grand fashion was from poor leadership. Lt. General Lockwood, his subordinate, and division commander of the 14th Mountain Division, was given the command of VI Mountain Corps, and command of 10th Mountain HQ Division. As in every big loss, there is always a scapegoat. General Adams payed the price for being the commander of an Army Corps that had been separated from its Army HQ for nearly a year, and had been attacked in this fashion simultaneously from four directions, without the aid of air support. Marshall later wrote of the incident, "I don't know of a General on record, be it Patton or Rommel or Lee himself who could have been victorious in an engagement such as that."
Because of his "inability to get the job done" General Stillwell was also relieved of command of Fifth Army. For nine long months his Army was contained to Kowloon and Xiamen, unable to reach any of its objectives or to advance on any front. With approval from Washington, Douglas MacArthur took over personal command of Fifth Army himself.
For the interim, the remnants of the VI Mountain Corps were sent to the island of Hainan to recuperate and to reorganize, as massive amounts of reinforcements were called in from stateside to fill out its ranks. A veteran Corps which had been through most every major engagement in the Pacific, it would now be made up primarily of green troops. The 6th and 9th Infantry divisions would be returned to Ninth Army service, both being landed at Bobai. Collins' 90th Infantry was given the permission to continue its advance on Jiangmen, which had been vacated by Tsuji's troops which had been involved in the attack on Guangzhou.
After successfully defending every assault the Japanese had thrown at them in Asia, in the last two months, first Kowloon fell, and now the forces at Guangzhou were decimated and utterly humiliated. The Philippine Staff in Manila, when asked by MacArthur for several Philippine divisions to help bolster the defenses in the Asian theatre, denied his request. Because of what they felt was the failed strategies of America in prosecuting the China war, two of their own divisions had been consumed and destroyed. The Philippine Army was content merely to defend Philippine soil.
definately signing up for this one!
one question though, do you find it genuienly difficult to play against the AI, or do you have to set for yourself limits (like that Japan thing)? thanks
one question though, do you find it genuienly difficult to play against the AI, or do you have to set for yourself limits (like that Japan thing)? thanks
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Wow...what a rough setback in China! I'm shocked to see such a coordinated assault. It sounds like they're really giving you a hard time. "Additional boost of firepower" DeGaulle loves his backhanded compliments. Great update!
Great work in Europe... I bet Patton was having a field day! I wonder how relations are between Ike, Patton and DeGaulle with his nice "backhand" compliment?
Egads! Asia just fell apart like.... like... well, damn, it just went down the crapper! What's up with that? Sorry to see Adams sacked, but not so sorry 'bout Stilwell! I wonder if MacArthur is going to be able to do any better.
So, what's next?
Egads! Asia just fell apart like.... like... well, damn, it just went down the crapper! What's up with that? Sorry to see Adams sacked, but not so sorry 'bout Stilwell! I wonder if MacArthur is going to be able to do any better.
So, what's next?
Sir Humphrey: Thank you sir!
Ladislav:
Mettermrck: I'm shocked too! When I saw troops in every direction moving towards VI Corps I thought I might be in trouble. A month ago I went on the offensive figuring they had collapsed, Now I only have Xiamen,yikes!
Draco Rexus: It will be interesting to see how Mac fares in Asia. With a new commander we may see a drastic shift in strategy, we shall see.
Ladislav:
I try not to exploit the faults of the AI too much, for instance I could have taken formosa and most of southern Japan already as the foolish AI have left it completely undefended. In real life they wouldn't have done that so I'm slugging it out in China first, a more realistic approach.
Mettermrck: I'm shocked too! When I saw troops in every direction moving towards VI Corps I thought I might be in trouble. A month ago I went on the offensive figuring they had collapsed, Now I only have Xiamen,yikes!
Draco Rexus: It will be interesting to see how Mac fares in Asia. With a new commander we may see a drastic shift in strategy, we shall see.