The World at War - An American Perspective in World War II

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Operation Nemo

With Japan being the clearest danger to United States sovereignty, modification of the Continental Defense Initiative was begun. While based primarily on coastal sea power defending the shores of the continent from amphibious invasion, the second phase of the plan was in creating a defensive minded ground force. This as we have seen included the building of coastal forts on the east and west coast, as well as a trans continental highway system to facilitate quickened troop and supply movements on a per need basis. The improvements made to the ground force technologies and equipment thus far had been primarily defensive ones. With Japan now as the most obvious threat, the Continental Defense Initiative was now being seen by the newer blood of the general staff as being too inflexibly rigid towards compensating for other needs. This is one reason the two Marine Divisions were being developed, to add a solid offensive punch that could strike elsewhere if needed. Still however there was no plan to grow a large enough ground force that was effective in a large scale invasion. The army was still viewed as a last ditch defensive unit that would for the most part not be going abroad.


Consequently, being a purely stay at home defensive force, there was clearly the need for long reaching offensive capabilities that could hurt the enemy closer to his own shores. The British in Europe were using this strategy in the form of containment: large naval blockades of potential enemy ports and potential passageways like the Straits of Gibraltar. While the United States had a large navy, under the Continental Defense Initiative, it was purely a defensive one for coastal defense. Aside from occasional task forces being sent out, the navy was a safety net wrapped tightly around the continental coast. With cruisers, battleships and carriers assigned to coastal duties, and the ground forces dug in across the continent, there was only one method left to achieve a desired large scale long reaching offensive: The submarine.

The submarine like the tank was a relatively new, underdeveloped piece of equipment, of which, not yet sent out in large numbers, its potential was a complete question mark, and consequently its worth unknown, making large expenditures for the creation of a large submarine force very hard to slip by the bean counters in the war department. As well, the few that were in the Navy were incredibly outdated, with little fire power, and racked with physical flaws. They could not even shoot torpedoes accurately. Also a high number of torpedoes in tests failed to detonate. If the submarine was to become a vital part of the military arsenal, as intel reports showed was the case with Germany, the American submarine program would have to be rebuilt from the ground up, to increase its stealth, its firepower, its interception and tracking capabilities, and most importantly, its range. Operation Nemo was the three step process for creating a submarine based long reaching offensive strategy. The first stage would be to research and design the best possible submarine possible, with range being a key focus. Stage two would be the creation of a very large submarine force for increased effectiveness. Stage three would be the deployment of these new squadrons off the enemy coast to sink any transport or convoy that moved. All these three stages, once the first one had progressed enough, would of course overlap as continued improvements and shipyards became available. Operation Nemo was intended to bleed the sea based industry and army supply system of the enemy dry by sinking as many tons of cargo shipping as possible. If this was done in large quantity, it was estimated to be as successful as a large scale battleship based navy, for much less money. With Marine development now complete, priority was given to the long term plan of improving the submarine and building an effectively large fleet of them. The Army, surface based Navy, and Air force would all be given secondary priority in regards to technological research and upgrades. Operation Nemo was of course a highly controversial plan, and drastic shift in war policy. John Cooper Wiley was one of its main proponents, and he worked endlessly to win over support for the program.

The Gato Class American Submarine, the Workhorse of Operation Nemo

 

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Affairs in Europe - 1939

With the turn of the year, 1939 was ushered in with a feeling of anxiousness. Through events across the ocean coupled with policies of the government, the United States had clearly defined who its enemy was. By sending aid to Japan's enemy, Roosevelt had solidified this position. While the budget was not there for enlarging the army tenfold, it was clear the United States was gearing itself militarily for a future conflict with the Japanese, whether it be on these shores or on some Pacific Island. In Europe the recipe for disaster was nearly complete. After having annexed Austria through dubious means, and forcing Czechoslovakia to cede their western parts, the Germans had lined up their military forces on the border, threatening further invasion. Now it appeared the priority was shifted to Poland. There were several strong armed tactics taking place behind the scenes in Warsaw and elsewhere, which brought about the excuse to shift the German military machine's focus there. All over Europe countries were mobilizing their armies: France, Italy, England, Poland. Alliances were being hashed out, and lines being drawn in the sand.

As heated a time as this was, the United States foreign policy spent very little time in getting tangled in European affairs. They kept themselves strictly out of an alliance, or in demanding policy from other nations. Belligerent as they were, Germany showed itself to be no threat at all to American security, whereas the Japanese expansionism clearly affected the U.S., with bordering island holdings in the Pacific. In February however while they might choose to do little about it, events in Europe were accelerating and simply could not be completely ignored. The Germans continuing their hard handed tactics, separating Czechoslovakia by installing Tiso in Slovakia in pushing to split the nation. Inevitably, with the western portions of the highlands in German hands, and a Nazi friendly government in the east, the Czechs without any support from their western allies could only succumb to the inevitable: Slovakia was given its independence while the rest of the nation collapsed and was gobbled up by Germany. In effect the Germans had annexed Czechoslovakia and Austria without so much as firing a shot! As part of the deal Ruthenia was ceded to Hungary. The next day as expected, the new country of Slovakia joined the German's Axis as little more than a puppet state. Poland now seeing the writing on the wall tried to assuage the German muscle and under pressure ceded land as well to them. Next in line to buckle under the pressure, Lithuania ceded them Memel.


Italy emboldened in their aggression by Germany's diplomatic success, then sent a diplomatic ultimatum to Albania, to accept complete annexation, which was quickly shot down by the Albanian King. The United Kingdom and France had enough of this bullying, and clearly seeing German aggressions in the east could stand no more to sit by idly, perhaps a little too late some thought, but nevertheless they put a guarantee on Poland's safety, guaranteeing her independence, and admitted Poland into the Allies. The line in the sand had now been drawn and all Germany had to do to start the next world war was to cross it.

 

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A World Gone Mad

Despite the cutoff of economic aid to China, the Chinese through early 1939 seemed to be holding their own against the Japanese. The Japs held the northern sector and the southern coast, but had been unable to make inroads any further, even losing a few battles in the south. Chiang Khai Shek had solidified the southern armies, and they fought determined against the offensive of the Japanese, warding off advance after advance. A force under Li Nung Chung was even able to drive to the coast and recapture Bobai.

August 1939 Special War Department Meeting
It seemed like the calm before the very big storm in Europe, with Germany's troops lined up on Poland's border. It was viewed as most unlikely that Hitler's aggression would suddenly blow away, and the situation would be diffused. Invasion of Poland was inevitable, and with it, the entry of France and England into the war. With two large wars on two continents, every nation would be mobilizing their forces, increasing their armies, improving their armaments. The United States despite doing everything it could to stay out of the first world war, still wound up shipping its men across the ocean to fight in it. It seemed unlikely that if another, larger world war waged on for an extended period of years, that the United States could stay out of it once again. Consequently, the War Department had to take assessment of their current size in comparison to other major nations. What was clear is that the size of the army was woefully inadequate. The Navy was large and the air force adequate, but in comparison to other nations, the United States had the 28th largest ground force. As a comparison, Great Britain had around a hundred divisions, France over a hundred, Japan an estimated 90 divisions, Germany close to 157 divisions of crack troops, and Soviet Russia in excess of 250. The United States had a mere 14 divisions, despite tripling the army's size in the past 3 years. It was deemed if any of the enemy combatants were to launch an invasion on the continental United States, despite the defensive plans put in place, the existing ground forces would be completely inadequate to defend the homeland. Consequently a plan to triple the existing size of the Army was authorized. The goal was to have 45 divisions by mid 1940, with no less than 6 armored divisions. Operation Nemo, the strategy to build a long distance submarine force would not be altered, this new phase of expansion was in addition to it. The War Department immediately signed off on the creation of 10 new divisions: 4 infantry, 2 motorized, 1 mountain and 3 armored divisions.

August 30, 1939 - The Official Beginning of World War II
Two things of note happened in late August which contributed to the inevitable. Germany held secret talks with the Soviet Union about partitioning Poland. Stalin knowing full well Germany would take Poland with or without Russian help proved ever the opportunist, and quickly agreed to the partition. The Molotov Ribbentrop Pact was signed and Poland's doom was all but sealed. A day later Germany gave its one last "excuse", by demanding the ceding of the Danzig corridor to them, knowing full well the Poles would refuse. When the swift rebuke came from Warsaw, Germany with troops line up, declared war on Poland. With the alliances already formed, it was like a time bomb went off, as all around the world embassies began shooting declarations of war all over the globe. At once England, and France and her allies declared war on Germany, and in turn Germany declared war on England, France, South Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Oman, Bhutan, Nepal, Yemen and Iraq. As expected, Hungary which the Germans had given Ruthenia to, fell right in line and joined the Axis, and consequently the war, which for them would focus on Poland to the North. Like dominoes, the Slavic countries one by one fell to the German diplomatic hammer as Bulgaria then joined the Axis as well. Germany now had a solid contingent of allies to help ward off the western forces.

Roosevelt called an emergency meeting of Congress to ask for additional funding for military spending, as he argued the United States now had to gird itself in preparation for war. There was a shakeup in the staff as well. Henry Morgenthau was replaced as the head of Armaments by John Cooper Wiley, one of the strong advocates for submarine warfare. Unhappy with the slow development of Operation Nemo, Wiley was put in charge of armaments to help push the Nemo project ahead faster. Likewise James Counzens was replaced as head of intelligence in favor of Grover Whalen. Couzen's specialty was the arm twisting of foreign diplomats, but with war now broken out, what was needed was intelligence of the enemy. Firm intelligence of other nation's motives and forces was one area the government was greatly lacking in, and Whalen had a knack for this sort of thing. With the world war bringing about greater effort in the two departments, Malin Craig would remain as the Chief of Staff, but would cede his position as head of the Army to the able bodied George Marshall.

 

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The Polish Demise

The war in Poland as expected went Germany's way. By mid October they were on the banks of the Wisla shelling Warsaw. VonKluge from the West and Rundstedt from Prussia descended upon the Polish Capitol, while Von Bock pushed the poles out of Krakow. By early November Warsaw was completely encircled and the eastern part of Poland completely cut off from the government. Smigly Rydz held approximately 7 army corps in defense of Warsaw, but with little to stop them, Von Leeb's army pushed eastward to conquer the rest of the army in Bialystok while Von Rundstedt attacked Warsaw. On November 15th it fell and the 7 army corps of the Poles surrendered. Days later after scattered fighting, the rest of the Polish army surrendered, and Germany annexed Poland. What shocked the allies as well as the United States was not that Germany won the war, but how quickly they won it. Poland had close to 80 divisions guarding its homeland, and the Germans destroyed or captured them in just over 2 months of fighting, suffering almost no loss of divisions. The world was outraged at the aggression of Germany, and so much so that when the Molotov Ribbentrop pact was made known as Russia seized the eastern part of Poland, few people even noticed.

As Russian troops moved into eastern Poland, the world then took notice as they also declared war on Finland. The world it seemed was coming apart at the seams. Sweden instantly reacted to this by sending in volunteers and material aid to the Finns, but stopped short of official war with the Russians. In Asia, the Chinese found their second wind, not only stopping the Japanese advance, but even recovering some of their lost lands in the southern regions in a large counter assault. By early December the war spread even wiser as Germany declared war for no apparent reason upon Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. As if things couldn't get any worse on the global stage, to finish the year of 1939, Mussolini decided to join Germany's axis. France now had a fight on both its north and south borders. By mid February, Germany had conquered the lowland nations and had begun a northern sweep into France around the fortress of the Maginot Line.

June 12, 1940 The Fall of France
After a fierce battle in the northern part of France, the Germans finally regrouped and made another thrust, breaking through and reaching Paris. The front lines being shattered, the French War Department quickly gave up the ghost and conceded defeat, hoping for good terms. Germany quickly made its surrender terms known and France agreed to it, despite its severity. The country would effectively be cut in two. The northern half of France would be ceded to the Germans, and a pro-German government would be installed in the new Vichy France to the south. Japan seizing the opportunity, demanded French Indochina from Vichy France, and in no position to debate or defend it, they quickly caved in to this request as well. Japan now had all the rubber resources they needed for their war machine.

About the only thing to go right for the Allies in the first half of the year was that Britain landed a force at the foot of Italy, and successfully advanced to the borders of Rome, holding all of southern Italy in their grasp. By September, German's aggression went unchecked, and while they still fought off some French resistance groups in the southeast of France who refused to surrender, they also declared war on Denmark and Norway. Denmark was easily dispatched with and annexed. With mainland Denmark now gone, the British seized control of Greenland and Iceland. With limited chance of holding onto them, they were offered to the United States for holding. Seeing the vast conflagration in Europe with the possibility of joining the conflict in the future, the state department seized on this opportunity, as it would allow an easier path to supply great Britain with refueling points. To facilitate a future plan for joining the European conflict, two new carriers were commissioned as well, the Hornet and Wasp.

December 1940
By the end of the year, the map in Europe was drastically different than it had been a year ago. Germany now occupied Poland, northern France, Denmark, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Half of Italy was in British hands, although they were slowly being beaten back. The Free French had expanded their holdings in southern France, and had become a thorn in the German's side. Seeing a unique opportunity here, Britain and South Africa landed troops here to help support the effort. In the Winter war, the Finns after putting up a valiant fight, finally gave in to the inevitable and reached a surrender agreement with the Russians. In Asia the Chinese/Japanese war had grown into basically a stalemate. After so much gain in 1938 and early 1939, the Japanese army could gain nothing: the lines had solidified, and now the Chinese had gained the upper hand, making advances even in the north.

 

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Its crazy that the AI can generally stay on course with history. Annexing France and stuff was almost right on time...

 

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Its crazy that the AI can generally stay on course with history. Annexing France and stuff was almost right on time...

Yes, its obvious the AI generals read their history books

 

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Operation Nemo Realized
In early January 1941, the new top of the line Gato class submarine became ready for production. With a range of 18,000 miles, it now had the long range strike capability that was required of the plan. The Navy instantly put in an order for 10 squadrons of Gatos. The 10 new army divisions were now mobilized and deployed.

New Troop assignments
4th "Wild Horse" Infantry Division added to existing 1st Corps in Virginia (Lt.Gen Mclain)
7th "Bayonet" Infantry Division - Panama (Mj.Gen Hess)
8th "Pathfinder" Infantry Division (Artillery) New York (Mj.Gen Barrett)
9th "Old Reliable" Infantry Division (Engineer) North Carolina (Mj.Gen Mackelvie)
30th "Old Hickory" Motorized Infantry Division and
41st "Sunset" Motorized Infantry Division to new 8th Corps in Dallas (Gen Lear)
14th Mountain Division added to 6th Mountain Corps in Denver (Gen. Adams)
2nd "Hell on Wheels" Armoured Division added to the 1st Armored Corps in Sacramento (Lt.Gen. Bruce)
3rd "Spearhead" Armoured Division and 4th "Breakthrough" Armoured Division (AntiAir) located in West Virginia as the 11th Armored Corps (Lt.Gen Crittenberger)

There were now 2 divisions of armor on each coast. In addition work was authorized in creating 4 new Infantry Divisions: the 27th "New York NG Division", 32nd "Red Arrow", 44th and 45th. The plan to increase the Army to 45 divisions by mid 1940 had fallen well short. By December 1940 they still only had 28 divisions, including only 4 armored divisions, 4 motorized, 2 marine and 2 mountain divisions. Until events changed American opinion, they just could not put that much effort into new ground forces.


Operation Barbarossa
The lines in Europe through late 1940 and early 1941 were more or less stabilized. The Germans attempted one landing in Norway with minimal troops and were repulsed. Northern Europe remained unchanged. The Free French with the aid of their allies continued to hold the very southern part of France along the Meditteranean, and the Brits still dueled with Italy in its southern regions. With the forces of the German army stretched to the limits on three fronts, the last thing anyone could have anticipated was for Hitler to declare war on Russia. On April 6th 1941 however, he did just that. One could only imagine his generals' disbelief when he ordered dozens of divisions pulled off the front line for his newest campaign. Finland, fresh off the Winter War, finding a chance for revenge, quickly signed up with the Axis and joined the war against their enemy. Russia woke up to an enemy front that stretched from the Black to the Barents Sea.

Throughout most of 1941, the new war along the eastern front for the most part was a non war. Borders remained, with many troops stacked on either side. Aircraft flew their sorties but little else happened as far as a sustained offensive. After shaking his fist at all of Europe and embroiling himself in a 3 front war, Hitler's generals realized their situation and held their ground in the east, despite his protestations. Finland who had joined the Axis after it declared war on Russia now paid the full brunt of this mistake, with Russian forces running roughshod over the country. The invasion of Norway never took place for Germany, as duties to the south and east occupied most of its forces, as well as garrison duty in northern France to prevent a British amphibious landing. In fact the only thing to go well for the Axis in 1941 was that the British landings in southern Italy were finally repulsed after nearly a year, with the help of many German divisions. Italy was once again free from invaders, but at a dear price: All its coastal north Africa possessions were now in British hands. Britain had absolute control of the Mediterranean. The overall front lines in Europe however were very static, with little ground changing hands through the year. There were no offensives to sustain, and the situation was quickly become a quagmire as had happened in the first World War.

 

[TC Pilot]

Ah, a good old US of A story. Takes me back to when I played the US in v1.0. *shudders*

 

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February 9, 1942 The Day the Isolationists Took up Arms

Just as two years before, when the people of Britain and France tried their best to believe they would not be brought into a major war, despite the new and daily developments they read about in the newspaper that gave every indication that war was just around the corner, so to the people of the United States in late 1941 tried to believe that despite all the massive conflagration that was going on in Europe and Asia, and with how many millions of men worldwide were on the front lines, that somehow they could still just forget the rest of the world and enjoy their Christmas season and New Years in their own peaceful hemisphere. The fact of the matter was though, each day saw the political tension increase, as more diplomatic strain and more diplomatic failure brought about greater impasses between the American and Japanese governments. For those who skipped the front page that covered Europe's distant war, a few pages in could be seen the more obscure, but more prophetic articles dealing with the less spectacular diplomatic dealings between the two nations. The writing was on the wall, and it was clear things were falling apart fast.

Christmas indeed came, and in time of peace, but those who were paying attention to the world events tried to make this Christmas just a little bit more special, for they knew that this time next year a family member or loved one would not be there around the Christmas tree, but overseas fighting in the war that was to come. New Years came as well, and passed peacefully. Again people treated this holiday quite special, feeling this would be the last one in peacetime for a considerable while. As January advanced into mid-month it became clearer and clearer the air was growing more tense and bleak. On the 15th, the Army called up its reserves to be put on standby, the pictures of Roosevelt and Malin Craig in the newspapers showed a strain clearly upon their faces: those in the know realized the great responsibility and burden that was shortly to fall on their shoulders.

Just as in the previous year, when Germany had its hands full fighting on different fronts, they declared war on an immense nation in the Soviet Union, so too one year later the Japanese, stalemated for nearly two years in a costly war against China declared war on the United States. Primarily it was because of the various embargoes levied upon Japan by the United States, but nevertheless with an army that had its hands full with a land war in Asia, a Pacific campaign against a large power across the ocean was the very last thing it needed to have to worry about. In Berlin, the government there had its hands full against the Soviets, so this was the very last thing the Germans wanted to hear. It meant that on top of all their problems, now the United States most likely would join the Allies and declare war upon the Germans as well. While February 9th meant the expanding of the World War to the New World, in a sense it was met with a feeling of great relief by the French, English and Chinese, who after an extended losing struggle against an expansionist enemy now saw a potential great power joining their ranks. The mere industrial potential of the United States was immense, and after years of drain on their war economy, this was a shot in the arm for the morale of the Allied troops.

War Department - Operation Safety Net
With the Japanese declaring war, the United States War Department quickly held meetings to discuss their overall defense strategy. While they were not yet included in the European war, and not yet in an alliance with the Allies, the long planned Operation Safety Net was quickly put in place. Basically it dealt with bringing all of the Pacific navy out of harbor to guard the coastlines against potential Japanese invasion or assault. As well the fleet at Pearl Harbor left port to begin reconnaissance missions around the island chain to search for enemy intruders. The secondary part of this operation was the long distance arm afore described as Operation Nemo. The new Gato class submarine squadrons were quickly dispatched from the west coast. The 2nd and 12th squadrons were sent immediately out to Hawaii for refueling before heading westward to undisclosed locations to sit in wait for Japanese shipping of any kind. The older 15th and 16th squadron of S class subs were put out to sea from the Aleutians and Pearl Harbor as well. Admiral Kinkaid's 11th Gato squadron in Maine likewise set out for the base in Iceland to await further orders in the event the country joined the war in Europe.


Realizing the potential magnitude of the war effort required, what with the potential of fighting two wars simultaneously far across two different oceans, the vast industrial base of the United States so focused to the civilian's luxury was instantly retooled for war. Factories overnight became the makers of ammunition and weapons. Clothing manufacturers switched their focus from sweaters to rain proof clothing for the soldier. Raw materials like steel, rubber and tin were taken out of consumer goods, to be stockpiled for the war effort. Consumer goods were now considered a luxury that could be done without, and much of the country's industry became bent on the production of war goods, and on the research of improved weapons. Better late than never, General Marshall now had the commitment from the public to properly pursue the building up of the army and air force to a scale well above what it had been two years before. To fight two major wars thousands of miles apart would be no small feat, and all industrial effort was undertaken to achieve such a logistical nightmare.

The Continental Defense Initiative, that which had long been in place of focusing defensive force to protect the continental United States from foreign invasion, at the expense of overseas island holdings, for the time being was still in place. The early war offensive thrust was limited to Operation Nemo, until a clear plan was formalized. The only immediate alteration to this plan, besides Iceland now being manned by two divisions, was to send General Burress' 31st Infantry Division to defend Hawaii. To give the Gato subs proper range deep into Japanese waters, a forward base had to be maintained and Hawaii was the logical choice. Those in the program who had been firmly against the Continental Defense Initiative making Hawaii expendable were quite ecstatic to hear the news, it showed the Isolationist country had indeed not only come out of its shell, but also was starting to put it's head on straight. One other item on the agenda, and quite easily agreed to was for access for refueling to British ports, to help extend the range of the Navy. This was of course mainly for use in the Atlantic, but was nevertheless a step forward towards an offensive minded strategy.

 

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The Battle of Hawaii

The first volleys of the war did not take long to begin, the Japanese had a clear plan laid out, and they didn't hesitate to launch it, beginning with an attack upon the Pearl Harbor fleet with 10 ships, primarily Destroyers. The 2nd Battleship Fleet under Admiral King which included the carrier Saratoga, as well as the 2nd and 12th Gato squadrons recently arrived for refueling met up against this attacking force. The 2nd Battleship Fleet, completely green and inexperienced, were simply not prepared for war, unsupplied, and disorganized. After a brief one sided battle the force was ordered to withdraw back to port. The battleship California took several direct hits and its burning hulk barely made it back into port. The two submarine squadrons without surface ship support were clearly outclassed by the destroyer convoy, and likewise had to retreat. Perhaps out of panic the Navy dispatched Mitscher's 5th cruiser fleet from California in the event this was part of a larger invasion.

By great chance, the 3 sub flotillas dispatched from the Aleutians caught part of a 21 ship fleet headed eastward north of Hawaii. Breaking radio silence they reported this news and returned to base to refuel. Two days later reports came of a Japanese landing at undefended Guam. As was expected this was the first of the islands to fall. At least for the moment, the force that attacked Pearl Harbor had no intention of conquest, but instead of striking the Navy there. However a day later a 21 ship fleet again appeared off Pearl Harbor. Mitscher's 5th Cruiser Fleet fresh upon arriving from California took on the attackers in a night battle while the other fleet affected repairs in port. The battle was short lived and like the predecessors a few days before the 5th Cruiser Fleet beat a hasty retreat after losing three destroyers.

At this point Hart's 2nd Squadron of Gato subs left port to assail the attackers. It seemed the only way to counter the Japanese Navy in this battle was to rotate the various fleets in the battle, then steam into port for repairs. While subs were not the ideal tool for the job, King's fleet was too damaged to be of any effect. This round robin tactic finally had its effect when the refreshed 2nd squadron outmatched Takasu's worn down fleet which was forced to retreat with considerable loses. As 2nd Squadron was recalled to port, Kalbfus' 12th Squadron, now renamed the 4th Gato Fleet rotated out to the same waters north of Honolulu, and met up with Ozawa's fleet, and promptly sank the cruiser Nagato. With the coast now clear, literally, the flotilla carrying the 31st Division safely made harbor and the infantry instantly went to digging in and fortifying the island. With the 2nd battle of North Honolulu won by attrition and troops landed, Hawaii was for the moment saved.

On the 28th, the 2nd Squadron of Gato subs set out to harry Takaso's fleet which was still hanging around the island. Takaso did not stay long, seeing the condition of his ships, and the American's won their 2nd battle in the area in two days. A small squadron of Jap ships was sighted to the south of the island, so King's 2nd Battleship Fleet was dispatched, and while doing so ran into Takahashi's small battle group to the north. King's exact words to the Navy Staff were "Place crawling with Japs - Situation under Control." After quickly sinking these two destroyers, his group headed to the original destination south of Hawaii to meet up with Shiozawa's force. After such a large battle group that attacked Hawaii, they were now down to piecemeal attacks, just a few destroyers at a time. It was of good fortune that the American Navy had as many ships in the area at the time of the attacks as they did. Were it not for the two Gato squadrons which had stopped off for refueling on their way to harry Japanese shipping to the west, the only ships in the area to defend the initial attack was King's Battleship Fleet.

For the folks in California who still felt America had no business being in other country's wars, a look out their windows the morning of March 3, 1942 changed their hearts drastically, as they saw big dark plumes of oil smoke over the horizon. Deep sounds of thunder made its way to the coastline with eerie resonance as the Cruiser USS Marblehead fired all its guns upon a 3 destroyer Jap task force assailing the coast. Spruance's 5th Squadron which included the battleship Missisippi and Idaho as well as the Lexington instantly left port to join the defense. Light on air power, the only available planes to join in the fray were the long distance B-17 squadron out of Cheyenne, and while not meant for Naval bombardment, their long range made them the only planes capable of responding to the threat. On March 6, more Japanese ships appeared off the coast of California, and off Portland. Though small it was enough for the War Department to reinforce the garrisons on the coast. The 10th and 14th Mountain Divisions in Denver were ordered to be relocated to Las Vegas, Lear's 10th Motorized Corps consisting of the 30th and 41st were relocated from Dallas to Sacramento to join the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions as relief of coastal California in case of invasion, and Patton's 5th Armored Division was relocated from Phoenix to Portland to act as relief of the northern coastal garrisons. Eddy's 37th Motorized was reassigned from Nashville to Dallas to replace Lear's 10th Corps there.

As it stood now, the mighty Japanese empire which had been geared for war for decades now laid siege to the very coasts of an America that was little prepared for war. Through its isolationist ways every facet of the Military had been neglected in large quantity for so long. The Japanese instantly making a run for the west coast sent the administration into a complete panic. The best and only way to give a boost to America's war cause was to become part of the great Alliance. There was some debate on this as it would then mean not only fighting the Japanese, but also becoming involved in Europe's War as well. Nevertheless, when people panicked at seeing a naval battle off their very shoreline, the public's will to abstain from Europe's war took a backseat to the fact that they needed the help of Great Britain, Canada, Free France, South Africa, Australia and a host of other nations. At the end of February, President Roosevelt in a radio speech to the nation, announced that America had indeed joined the Alliance of free nations against the tyranny of Japan and Germany. Churchill beside himself at this news could merely ponder to his aides why the American decision had taken this long. Better late than never, in 1942 the Alliance now added to its ranks its largest partner, with an economic punch that could change the outcome of the war for them.

 

[Jopi]

Great stuff! Now let's see if you can make the difference.

 

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Great stuff! Now let's see if you can make the difference.

I certainly like the 1936-1941 period for building up the military the way I want it, but it sure is a whole lot funner once the fighting starts and I get to command

Now if only I could have about 25 more divisions to work with! 3000 manpower and an army of only 30 divisions, darn pacifists!

 

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Taking the War to Them

With the naval battle of Hawaii in effect over, the two submarine squadrons that had taken part in the affair now refueled in Pearl Harbor and had proper repairs done to them before they were sent to sea for their missions in the far east. On March 7th, the first dividends of Operation Nemo began to come in as the 4th Gato fleet stalking the waters around the Marianas sunk 15 Japanese transports. The 2nd Squadron was ordered to the Japanese Island chains in the area as well to increase the tonnage. They were stationed off Formosa to hopefully intercept shipments headed to aid the invading troops on the mainland. With Germany now a combatant, the 11th Squadron of Gatos stationed in Iceland under Kinkaid were ordered out, and in a bold move were planted right off the coast of Wilhelmshaven. The Germans spotted the subs on routine air patrols and a large wing of naval bombers were sent out to defend the coastal waters. Considerable damage was done to the subs, enough that Kinkaid ordered their withdrawal back deeper into the North Sea. It was apparent the Germans had sufficient air power in the region to prevent such risky submarine maneuvers.

A Bold Strike

With Japanese Naval raids now less of a threat than a nuisance, the War Department began to think offensively. Coming out of their peacetime defensive shell, they wanted to make a bold long distance strike with amphibious landings, the last thing the Japanese would expect from a country with such an overwhelmingly defensive strategem over the last decade. Even if the Japanese were making contingencies for an American offensive, the most likely place would seem to be in the southern island chains west of the main Hawaii fleet. What was debated in Washington was a daring plan called Operation Paradise, to ship out a transport fleet with a carrier fleet as support from the west coast, that would comprise of the 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions as well as an additional infantry division, to head northward through the Aleutians, refuel at Kiska, and then descend upon the undefended northern Kuril island of Shumushushima. The island was thought to be mostly undefended, and once in control of the island, it would be near impregnable for the Japanese to retake with 3 divisions defending a heavily fortified coast. With base firmly established, B-17's could be flown over to begin bombing of the Japanese home islands. A message to the Japanese people about the strength and conviction of their new enemy would be made in this way. Of course the bombing missions would have to entail more long range fighter cover, but at the very least, taking the island would stir the hornets nest and let the Japs know the Americans meant business. The 16th Sub Squadron out of Kiska circled the island and determined it was clear of military presence, so Operation Paradise was officially given the go ahead.

Inevitably refinements were made to the plan, and the final call was to have no carrier fleet attend it, for fear of drawing attention. Admiral Sherman's 3rd Fleet from Portland would be comprised of 3 transports, 2 destroyers, 3 cruisers and the battleship Maryland. The 1st Marine Division and 6th Infantry Division would be loaded up from San Francisco, as well as the 3rd Marine Division from Seattle. Both Marine Divisions had an artillery brigade attached, and the 6th ID had an engineering brigade as well. General's Lears Motorized 10th Corps would replace the shore defenses in San Francisco, while Patton's 5th Armored would take up the 3rd Marine's position in Washington State until more troops became available. The fleet would sail north of the Aleutians to stay out of sight, refuel at Kiska, and then with a submarine screen descend upon the Kurils. As a second target, Uruppu to the south could be taken as well by one of the divisions. On March 26th the troops were loaded on the transports, and the 3rd Fleet was under way for the Aleutians in the first U.S. offensive of the war. It was the most ambitious and risky operation by the United States since perhaps Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, and was completely out of character with the long entrenched Continental Defense Initiative. The fact that it was accepted so fast perhaps shows the green behind the ears of everyone in Washington's military circles. As one member of the staff said in backing the operation, waging war requires great risk, and wars are won thru surprise. To the Japanese, this would most definitely be a surprise.


At the end of March the Navy was pleased to hand the War Department its status for Operation Nemo. In the month of March alone the submarine packs had sunk a total of 153 Japanese transports, including 76 by Kalbfus' 4th fleet around the Bonin Islands, and 55 from the 2nd Squadron relocated to the East Marianas. The controversial strategy of developing, building and using long distance submarines at the cost of weakening the rest of the navy and army was showing its benefits.

In April the submarines continued to do their work, but the damage the 4th Gato Fleet was doing to the Japanese off Bonin Island, so close to Japan itself finally caught the ire of the Imperial Navy, as Yamamoto brought down an incredible 52 capital ships and 63 smaller ships against the subs. The fleet had no choice but to withdraw from those rich waters and regroup, eventually ordered back to Pearl Harbor for refueling and repairs. If there was one benefit to this battle, it drew the main of the Jap navy away from Operation Paradise to the north. By April 9th after a brief stop off at Kiska for refueling, the ships left anchor with the troops reloaded, and set off for their final destination of Shumshushina.

At this point many in the war department were feeling butterflies over the success of this bold strike, and over the rash way in which it was approved. It would be easy gaining the island, but so far from home, the 3 divisions were then left on their own. With the massive fleet that had just assailed the sub fleet around the Bonin Islands there was much anxiousness that the Japanese navy was much more potent than the weak attacks it threw at the California coast. There was need of a contingency plan to defend the force from a Japanese attempt to retake or starve out the island, but with such limited means at their disposal, there was little else that could be done. With a severely undersized military fighting a Pacific campaign over great distances, the U.S. was now paying the price for its neglect of its army over the past five years. The Marines had to take the island and hold the island despite everything the Japanese would throw at them.

On April 15, 1942 Admiral Sherman brought the Army good news "Objective Red Taken - Uncontested." American boots were now on Japanese soil a mere two months after being attacked. The 2 Marine and 1 infantry divisions begun instantly to dig in and fortify against what they anticipated would be a hornets nest of Japs trying to wrestle back their islands. Almost instantly a 9 ship fleet of destroyers came to contend the area, but was quickly beaten off by the 5th fleet's big guns. The airfield secured, the B-17 Squadron was ordered to the area from Kiska for additional naval support and limited strategic bombing. Likewise the 2nd Battleship Fleet was ordered out of Pearl and sent to Kiska as a second line of defense. With one stroke of the pen, the focus of the Pacific shifted 1500 miles northwest, and into Japan's own backyard.

 

[Myrmidon]

wow

Nice, boys in boots on the jap home islands in 42 is impressive. The japs in my current game are eating steel and pooping out nails. Good luck.

 

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Operation Nemo continued to have its success, with the Gato subs sinking 171 more convoy ships in the month of April, despite half the fleet being en route to Hawaii for repairs. In two months they had sunk a combined 323 ships. Even the biggest detractors to the plan now had been won over. The 4 B-17 wings now flying out of the Kurils dropped their first bombs on Japanese home soil, in Asahikawa, doing considerable damage to the industry and coal plants. It was a blow to the invincible morale of the Japanese public who had yet to see a single bomb of any sort dropped on their soil. Done to get a feel for Japanese home defenses, it was clear there was none to be found, especially air defenses. The planes were ordered refueled, rearmed, and sent out again before the fighter defenses could be relocated. The bombing was ordered to continue throughout Sapporo and some of the smaller islands in the Kurils.

With new divisions on the way, there was debate on where to place them. The initial Continental Defense Initiative (CDI) ruled they should be used instantly to sure up the coastal defenses on the west coast. This was the conventional thinking at least, but with the success of Operation Paradise opening up a path to Japan thru the Aleutians and Kurils, coupled with the complete disappearance of Japanese Naval forces east of Wake, the War Department felt they could go on an offensive defensive. More particularly, while the original CDI plan was to make the Pacific Islands expendable, with no true Japanese threat to the continent the new forces coming on board could be used to garrison existing U.S. Islands. At the outbreak of the war the CDI was extended to include garrisoning Hawaii with the 31st Division as a staging base for naval forays. Now the CDI was appended once gain, to garrison Wake Island and Kiska.

Kiska was already being used as a stop off point to the Kurils, and consequently became a necessary base to hold on to. Likewise, the Operation Nemo forces deep in Japanese waters was currently forced to make the long voyage back to Pearl Harbor regularly for repairs and refitting, and Wake Island was much more centrally located to their needs. The new 34th "Red Bull" Division under Lt. Gen Eichelberger was sent out to garrison Kiska, while the 29th "Blue and Gray" under Mj. Gen Grunther dug in at Wake Island. These forces would begin constructing land defenses and digging in until reinforcements became available for them.

Situation Europe

Aside from a few flotillas of submarines in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean, the United States had very little going on militarily in the European theatre. Supplies under the Lend Lease program were being given to the British and to a lesser extent the Russians. Trying to avoid the web of German U-Boats, they made their way from the East Coast around the coast of Greenland, into the North Atlantic, and then landing either in Scapa Flow or the icy waters of Murmansk. The latter route being the more perilous of the two because of the frigid waters and ice. The situation in Europe had become very stable to say the least. The German's invasion of Norway never came to fruition because of the French resistance in the south tying up many divisions, and the Russian lines had been mostly stagnant since the inception of the war, there had certainly been no major breakthroughs like the Fuehrer had expected, and little indication that one might take place. After a year at war, the Germans had finally at least succeeded in reaching Odessa in the south, but the rest of the lines were stagnant, it was like World War I all over again.

The main hitch in the German program was the unlooked for insurgency of the Free French in the south of Europe. Based around Toulon and Grenoble, the Free French held on to their possessions in these regions despite German assaults from the north and Italian advances from the east. On a map the holdings looked more like an advanced beachhead, and that is what the Allies took it for, as the British, Canadians, South Africans and Australians all landed great quantity of troops here to join with the Free French. The Allied high command, ever quick to exploit an advantage, seized on this opportunity. By May of 1942 nearly 60 divisions of Allied forces were dug in around the Toulon front: it had become the unintended invasion point of Fortress Europe. Logistically it was very safe to do so, the Mediterranean was now an English swimming pool, there was no sign of Axis shipping or military vessels to be found. So safe were these waters that America's 11th Gato squadron under Kinkaid, in wait for Italian shipping for 3 months after empty results in the North Sea, had yet to sink a single convoy ship off the coasts of Italy. Consequently it was reassigned out to the Pacific theatre, via the Anglo held Suez. With a firm fighting force now gathered in the Toulon front, coupled with the man power required on Germany's eastern front, the German attack all but ceased in this area, and the Allies launched offenses, west into Rodan, and east into Italy, capturing Milan and Parma, effectively cutting off the Northern Italian troops.

 

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Nice, boys in boots on the jap home islands in 42 is impressive.

Well, putting boots there is one thing, but something tells me the Japanese haven't exactly rolled out the red carpet for them. Intelligence is picking up some cross talk from Tokyo now and I can assure you its not about what type of house warming gift to send.
:rofl:

 

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The Yanks Dig In at the Kurils

In the Pacific, the American landing force in the Northern Kurils went about their work securing the island. With the incredible mountainous terrain in the interior, they had to go slowly and deliberately scouring both sides of the mountains for any sign of Japanese caves or traps. Had there been forces to defend this island it would have been a rough battle indeed, as there were many concealed spots from the heights to fire down upon the men on the beaches. There was really no cover, unless one was to go up into the rocky mountainous terrain themselves. Fortunately, the Japanese never expected an American force to come seizing the remote rocky Kuril Islands via the Arctic Circle. As the various reconnaissance teams scoured the heights and sent back negative reports of Japanese defense, General Barton eventually decided the island was indeed secure. With this the force could now go about taking up defensive perimeters around the island, fully anticipating an amphibious landing by the Japanese.

With a large naval fleet in the waters north of the islands, Barton viewed a Japanese landing from that side unlikely. The most logical route for them to take would be to work their way up the island chains from the south, and assail the southern beaches. Consequently Barton ordered the three divisions to garrison the southern beaches, as they proved not only the closest route, but also some of the best coastline for an amphibious landing in this mountainous terrain. The southern most coastline, which the soldiers titled the Amoeba for its unique shape, had two small promontories on either side of it, and in the middle the southerly path of the long mountain chain fell down to the beaches, several hundred yards shy of the water. Barton's 6th Infantry Division took up the center on the eastern promontory with the Marines on either side. To the west the 3rd Marine Division dug in at the cliffs of the mountains, wrapping around the jutting land to the western face of the Island. The 9th Marines were detached from them to defend the beaches at the foot of the Volcano a few miles to the north. The 1st Marine Division was a few miles up the coast on the eastern shore, to the northeast of the 6th Division. It was the largest lowland feature on that part of the island, with two rivers going inland into depressions in the mountains. They placed battalions on either side of both rivers to prevent small Japanese boats from slipping into the mountains during the night. Using the heights to their advantages, the 11th and 12th Artillery Brigades (attached to the 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions respectively) worked their way up into the mountains to help reinforce the divisions below. From their positions they had a view of everything for miles, and range of fire on the entire beach head.

American Troop Disposition in the Kurils - June 1942

Barton was correct in assuming how the Japanese would come. Once the staff in Tokyo realized that the Americans had landed in the northern Kurils, the alarm bells went off, and to prevent further encroachment General Fujie relocated a total of six divisions from Hokkaido to the island of Uruppu. Intelligence reported it included two Japanese Marine divisions. Once this force was firmly established defending Uruppu and reinforcing it, they could then begin offensive operations on Paramushir (the southern of the two American held islands). The southern most tip of the island being closest to Uruppu and ideal for a small craft landing, Barton ordered the 7th Engineering Brigade to the coastline there to begin work on shore obstructions and mining the beach.

The Japanese Navy, as surprised by the invasion as the Army, with very few ships in these waters nevertheless set sail at once with what little they had to explore the coastlines and see the strength of enemy resistance. Sailing to the west of the island a five destroyer group came upon Admiral King's 2nd Fleet. Three destroyers were sunk, but at the expense of one American cruiser. Before their encounter with King's fleet, on their way up the coast the destroyers sent a few ineffectual volleys onto the beaches the 3rd Marine Division was stationed at. There were only a few casualties and the bombing was more psychological than tactical. For the boys on the beach it was an ominous message that there was something a lot more serious on the way.

 

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The Battle for Paramushir

On the island of Uruppu, the Japanese military buildup continued. Supplies for a campaign rolled in along with reinforcements from other theaters. Done quite furtively, what the War Department estimated at six divisions soon grew to around ten. Half the force stayed to garrison the island, while the other half embarked on small boats for the southern shores of Paramushir and the first battle between Japanese and American ground forces.
Field Marshal Sugiyama, a decorated hero of the Chinese campaign, was brought over to conduct the overall operation. In the early Morning hours of June 21st, the Japanese made their landings on the southern shores of Paramushir. It was a well coordinated attack that specifically targeted the American's weaknesses. The Japanese had been able to gather considerable information on the American troop locations about the island from the Japanese civilians in the area reporting it in. This priceless information was gathered and deciphered by Sugiyama's staff, and a considerable plan was drawn up relatively quick. What was to the Japanese advantage was that the three divisions of American troops had just recently landed, and more particularly had just made up residence on the southern edge of the island. Because of the mountainous interior being so close to the water, it extremely limited the defender's maneuverability. The main point of the invasion was laid on these principles.

The invasion force contained in all six divisions which included three infantry, one motorized, and most unusual of all, two cavalry divisions. Four of these would be involved in the initial landings. The main strategy of the main invasion was aimed directly at the containment and destruction of the 6th Infantry Division holding the southeastern quadrant. The Japanese landed two divisions on either side of the southeastern promontory , each with one of its three brigades in off shore reserve. In this area, the 7th Engineering Brigade was just preparing to mine the beaches and put offshore barricades in. Obviously they did not have the time to do so due to the Japanese' quick response to the invasion. Consequently they were highly exposed and cut off from the rest of the division. The main thrust of the invasion capitalized on this. The two brigades of the middle Japanese assault division landed on the east side of the promontory in a pincer movement in an attempt to cutoff the engineers at the outset. The right brigade of the left most assault division landed on the west shore of this battle in effect completely severing the 7th from the rest of the sixth division. The assignment of the brigade on the left was to attain the beach between the 6th IDand 3rd Marine divisions, and basically take up defensive posts to isolate the 6th from Marine reinforcements. The third assault division on the right flank of this invasion group landed just to the north of the middle one, with the left flank attacking the 2nd Brigade, while the right flank landed between the 6th and 1st Marines, and like their counterparts on the west flank took up positions on the bank of a small river to prevent the Marines in the north from reinforcing the 6th Division.

A secondary invasion took place to the north on the west side of the island. Two Cavalry brigades landed in the area that the 9th Marines were defending to the north in a pincer movement. The 9th Marine's defensive assignment was quite poorly conceived as they were completely isolated from the rest of the division. This secondary invasion focused on overwhelming them while they were isolated. The overall plan of Sugiyama's invasion in effect was to isolate the three divisions, and further isolate their regimental components, and destroy them piecemeal.

Japanese Assault Plan - Morning of June 21st


The American forces were just too confident of themselves in this operation, from the simple soldier all the way to the War Department. Dumping a mere three divisions on Japanese soil, 3000 miles away from reinforcements in hindsight was something that the administration and Malin Craig would soon take a lot of heat for. General Barton considered the strength of the island near impregnable to invasion when defended by three entire divisions. The main problem was that the Americans did not have proper time to deploy, learn the lay of the land, and take up proper defensive strategies in the best locations. The Japanese simply responded to the attack much quicker than they could have anticipated, and with a much larger force than they had estimated. It was now six to three in total number of men, with the advantage going to the Japanese for fighting on home soil.

The initial landings were carried out quite smoothly and without snag by the Japanese, who from countless practice on various islands in the South Pacific, had mastered the entire process. The main battle force, that of the two divisions landing in tandem to divide the 6th and 3rd Marines, and to quickly encircle the 7th Engineering Regiment came ashore so fluently they were on land in mass before the Americans could properly respond to it. By 8 am, the 7th Eng. Regiment was radioing to Barton's HQ for help, as they were already surrounded and taking heavy casualties. On the right flank, 2nd Regiment 6th Division was having a firefight of magnificent proportions with the first of two assault regiments, which went on for a good while before the divisional commander ordered the third regiment ashore in support. The 2nd assault regiment landed perfectly on target, flanking the American 2nd Regiment, and working inland to cutoff any attempt from the 1st Marine Division to join the battle.

The left most flank of the main assault, aimed to split the 3rd Marine division off from the battle had the roughest time of all the Japanese troops as fire from the 12th Marine Artillery rained down upon them on their exposed beachhead from the heights. The 4th Marines joined in the firefight, making the day overall very difficult for them. So bad was the situation that the Japanese division command ordered the third brigade ashore. Eventually they worked their way up against the cover of the mountains, and in some cases working their way up onto the heights, effectively cutting off the 3rd Marine division from the battle. It was a costly gain, but by day one the main objective was achieved.

To the northwest, the two assault cavalry regiments landed unopposed, and quickly outflanked the 9th Marines, who in desperation had to withdraw inland several miles along the river, completely and utterly cutoff from outside help. By noon, the 7th Engineers were completely inundated with mortar fire from three directions, while the 11th and 2nd brigades basically fought the advance to a standstill, although they were completely unable to aid the 7th in anyway. All four assault divisions were now ashore, having command of each of their beaches, and while the far left flank still was under heavy fire from the Marine artillery, the situation was well in control. The assault in the northwest had the easiest time of it, as the 9th Marines continued to withdraw inland, and the 2nd Cavalry division was ordered ashore in this area: The Japanese had the advantage of mobility with the horses, and now planned to work their way up into the mountains with them, while the Americans were entrenched down below on their narrow beach defenses.

 

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The Battle for Paramushir - Day 2

In Washington the War Department hung by the radio eagerly awaiting every word out of the Kurils. Their risky operation was now under siege and the outcome would make or break their entire war strategy.
The initial reports they received, especially the makeup of the invasion force, had them initially quite baffled. The two known Japanese Marine divisions on Uruppu were not included in the assault, while two cavalry divisions were. It was not until later in the battle that the incredible mobility of the horses in the rugged mountainous landscape proved the reason for their being chosen for the assault. If the battle on Paramushir was won, there were preliminary plans in the works for further advancement in the area, likely a landing on one of the other islands. If the battle was lost however, there was no contingency strategy of where to aim the war effort. In effect a loss here would put America right back on the defensive footing it had been on before Operation Paradise was implemented: The boots stay at home while the fleet guarded the west coast.

When it was realized the invasion force was twice the size of the American force, instant bickering and finger pointing started throughout the war department. As the first day of battle progressed and early reports came in that the 6th Division was in quite a fix with the Marines on either side unable to come to their aid, the tension grew thicker between the opponents and proponents of the plan. Still, despite all the yelling going on in Washington, the battle was 7000 miles away, and there was nothing anyone could do about it at this point, they had made their bed, and now had to see how it turned out.

Day two of the attack saw the assault on the 6th Division continue. The embattled and surrounded 7th Engineers fought a valiant fight, but their situation was simply impossible. Mortar fire from three sides continued to rain down on their exposed positions. Surrounded and in dire need, they would receive no help from the rest of the 6th Division which was embroiled in a firefight on two other fronts. By late in the day the unceasing bombardment took its toll and the 7th was reaching 50% casualties. Before nightfall, realizing the situation lost, and it being pointless to massacre his men any longer, Colonel Adams finally surrendered his brigade.

The rest of the 6th Division had its hands full. The 2nd regiment to the north fought the Japanese to a standstill, but at significant cost, while the 11th teamed up with the 3rd Marine Division to the west in closing fire on the forces there. With the Engineers to the south surrendered, this freed up a full Japanese division from its fighting and it headed north to its next objective, and thus the reserve 10th Regiment was brought into the fray. With the southern shores now secure, the Japanese began landing their motorized division, the last to join the battle. By nightfall of the second day, the lines were stabilized, but at significant cost.

To the northwest, the two divisions of Japanese Cavalry were having their way with the 9th Marines, who having retreated well up river, were finding themselves still outflanked. It now became apparent why the Japanese chose cavalry for this operation: The rugged terrain was ill suited for small vehicles, but gave the Japanese incredible mobility with their horses. The battle was quite lopsided, and was a continual series of volley and withdraw, until the Marines were making their way up into the heights.

The 3rd and 1st Marines repositioned their forces to try to come to the aid of the beleaguered 6th Division, the 3rd trying desperately to break through the defensive line that the Japanese had set up in the west, while to the north the 1st and 5th Marines Regiments fought side by side trying to break thru the stubborn defensive perimeter of the northernmost Japanese force. The artillery of both divisions at this point was quite out of place for the battle (positioned for defending assault in their own area), and consequently ineffectual. By nightfall of day 2, it was becoming clear, that the force that had landed was far more potent that had first been anticipated. It was clear that if there wasn't some sort of shift in defensive strategy, the entire operation could be in doubt.

 

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The Battle Continues - Days 3 and 4

On day three of the battle, the main American objective was for the 1st and 3rd Marine divisions to break through the defenses to come to the 6th Division's aid. The longest day of the year, and being so far north, it was beneficial for offensive operations as the darkness lasted but a few hours. So far that fact had benefitted the Japanese, but on day three their offensive began to stall, as Barton now aware of the Japanese disposition and intent was finally able to order new defensive plans. While the Americans throughout the day were unable to advance and hookup, there was a change in the ebb and flow of the battle as the lines in the area were stabilized on all fronts. On the left side of the line the 3rd and 4th Marines fought side by side in a constricted space, which made an advance highly improbable. Stuck between the ocean and a mountain they labeled "Little Round Top", each advance was thrown back by the Japanese who had not only solidified and reinforced the line, but moved into the heights to the right using it as an additional fire point. By afternoon it became apparent an advance through such a constricting space would not continue, and Shepherd ordered the 3rd to fan out on the line and hold it while the 4th on the next day went up into the hills around Little Round Top to flank the enemy.

In the 6th Division southern theatre, the 11th and the 10th (now called out of reserve) set up a strong defensive perimeter east to west, the 11th up on the heights, while the 10th garrisoned either side of the northern half of a large lake, using it as an obstacle for the Japanese to have to go around, further concentrating fire on their advancing columns. The two southern Japanese division in this area were still in the process of mopping up their operations on the peninsula involved with the surrender of the 7th Engineers, as well as reorganizing the Motorized Division that had just landed. There was merely sporadic fighting on the front, limited to advanced scout patrols exchanging fire but nothing more. The push north would resume the next day.

The northern part of the front saw some of the heaviest fighting of the day, as the beleaguered 2nd Regiment still somehow managed to hold off the full division that had come ashore there. The Japanese were able to penetrate to the north and further into the heights there, but their southernly advance was stopped cold for the second day by the stodgy defense. The order to hold the line at all costs in the 2nd's area proved invaluable, for had it folded, the northern Japanese force could then march southward and pin the 6th Division from three sides. The 1st and 5th Marines continued to exchange fire with the northern most defensive line of the Japanese, but very little headway was made on either side. The Japanese had made a defensive line just north of the river on a conveniently placed ridge running east to west. The 5th did the majority of the fighting, while the 1st reorganized for the next day's joint maneuver with the 2nd Regiment to the south to take the heights from the Japanese and link up for the first time.

The grimmest of all situations was of course that of the 9th Marine regiment to the northwest. They had finally retreated into a opening in the mountains, surrounded on three sides by the cliffs, and on the fourth by two cavalry division. In reality, only two cavalry regiments blocked their path, the rest of the divisions continued their advancement on the rest of that part of the island, spreading out north to reach the ocean and secure the area, south along the shore to form a defensive perimeter near the rest of the 3rd Marine Division, and also working their way up into the mountains themselves in paths to the south. Nevertheless the 9th Marines were surrounded, cutoff and low on supplies and ammunition. Because of the placement of the walls around them, it was for the Japanese like attacking a fort, and the commander in that area was quite conservative and hesitant in his attacks. Twice he sent offers for the Marines to surrender rather than launch a massive assault. Sporadic fire went on throughout the day, but all in all the 9th despite their grim situation wase able to hold on another day with minimal casualties.

Front Lines and Advances - June 23,24


Day four would see the first American gains of the battle. In the north, the sole Japanese division separating the 6th Division from the 1st Marine division was having a rough go of it, with a division on either side closing in on their precarious beachhead. While the 10th Regiment had its hands full warding off the three division Japanese drive from the south, it sent two battalions to its north to attack the flank of the northern most beachhead. The 2nd continued to hit them from the front, as well as sending two battalions into the high ground to the north to link up with the Marines. After a costly battle for the heights, they finally achieved the victory there. The 1st Marine Regiment likewise attacked this section from the north as well, and by noon of day four the two division were linked up once again, albeit by a very slim stretch of land. The 5th Marines to the right of the line in support of the 1st slogged and punched its way forward against the enemy, its sole purpose to be to take the heat off the other forces trying to link up. By nightfall they controlled the northern bank of the river. The gain was minimal, but tactically it succeeded in forcing the Jap's attention away from the main attack.

On the southern front, the Japanese now having time to reform their line from the previous operation resumed the assault northward on the 6th Divison. The 10th Regiment thanks to the lake to the south was able to hold the line for a good while as the enemy needed to skirt around the water. Inevitably, with a weakened force (two battalions being sent to relieve the 2nd) they fought a slowly retreating battle until finally surrendering both banks of the lake by nightfall. On their right flank the 11th up in the heights were hit the hardest that day. The Japanese simply wanted that geographical commodity, not wanting to have a gap in the middle of the line while the right side advanced. The 11th was hit with everything the Japanese had, and after 3 days of violent fighting, the much depleted 11th finally withdrew to the interior.

On the western side of the battle, the 3rd Marines stretched itself out to fill the gap in the line made by the vacated 4th, which now set off around the north side of Little Round Top. The 3rd had a tough task on its hands in holding the line, and fought a slowly retreating battle throughout the day back to a series of hills designated as their fall back point. Having led the Japanese this way, the 4th through the mountains had a clear road and came upon the Japanese in force in the heights, sending them by nightfall back off the mountain. It was hardly the crushing blow Shepherd had intended, but still managed to gain them a left flank to maneuver with.

In the northwest, the Japanese Cavalry continued their advance throughout that part of the island, finally reaching water in the north and marching southward within range of the 12th Marine Artillery. They still had the 9th Regiment walled up in their unintended fortress, and continued to assail the defenders peicemeal. Still conservative in his attack, refusing to do a headlong rush, the Japanese commander at the front was replaced for cowardice. It was quite apparent the Japanese would be sending everything they had at the Marines upon the rising of the sun. Like a bunch of mice cornered by a very large cat, very few soldiers slept that night in the "fort", fearing that tomorrow had something terrible in store for them.