The Battle Under: The Allies Fight Back

[tocaff]

December 12, 1945 Moscow

Intel

53rd Division is located at Osaka/Kobe.
57th Construction Battalion is located at Maizuru.
13th Tank Regiment is planning for an attack on Chungking.
21st Division is planning for an attack on Eniwetok.
124th Division is located at Mutanchiang.
64th Construction Battalion is located at Nagasaki.
23rd Engineer Regiment is located at Inch'on.
2nd Mixed Regiment is located at Hangchow.
148th Division is located at Tokyo.
106th IJA Base Force is located at Anshan.
3rd Air Army is located at Rabaul.
57th Heavy AA Battalion is located at Hungnam.
113th IJA Base Force is located at Nanking.
153rd IJA Base Force is located at Marcus Island.
230th Division is located at Hiroshima/Kure.
90394 men are based at Rahaeng.
1st Reserve AA Regiment is located at Kyoto.

Recon

PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Canton 14 LCUs 5580/83/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Nanning 2 LCUs 13920/60/0
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Tavoy 11 LCUs 87200/807/11
OS2U-3 Kingfisher takes recon photos of Kadina 24 LCUs
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Hanoi 4 LCUs 6760/17/0

Combat

A naval bombardment of Kadina caused extremely light airstrip damage, some secondary explosions and moderately heavy casualties. The TF then retired to be replenished. The IJA 47th Division was attacked 3 times by Allied planes for heavy casualties. The IJA 49th Ind. Mixed Brigade got hit twice by aircraft for heavy troop losses. The IJA68th Ind. Mixed Brigade was subjected to 2 airstrikes today resulting in moderate casualties.

At the crossroads the Chinese 16th Group Army was being snooped on by a Dinah who was jumped by 14 P-40Ns who downed the Dinah.

87 miles SE of Chihfeng the Soviet 39th Army was attacked by 20 X Randy, 9 X Ann and 36 X Sally and took moderately heavy personnel losses.

Gumma was raided by 117 X B-24D, 64 X P-38J and 42 X P-51D. 15 X Frank and 16 X Tony tried to intercept the attackers, but the Allied fighters prevented the Japanese from reaching the bombers, shooting down 13 Franks and 14 Tonys while having 4 Lightnings destroyed and 3 more damaged. The AA fire damaged 3 bombers who inflicted moderate damage on the Nakajima engine plant.

Changchun was hit by 169 X B-29 who were bounced by 13 X Frank. 2 Franks were destroyed and 7 took damage while the bombers suffered 1 downed and 11 damaged from all sources. The oil industry was heavily damaged.

Linhsi was swept by 13 Tonys who found an empty sky.

Nagoya was targeted by a fighter sweep made up of 44 X P-51D who pounced on the CAP of 10 X Frank and 7 X Tony. 9 Franks and 5 Tonys were disposed of in the lopsided encounter.
A short time later 223 X B-29 and 64 X P-51D appeared and a Frank and 2 Tonys got in the way and paid the ultimate price. 9 Superforts were damaged by the flak and the heavy industry was subjected to extremely heavy damage.

Sapporo was attacked by 30 X B-24J (6 damaged) and 17 X P-51D who did light damage to the already devastated heavy industry.

Bangkok was targeted by 157 X Liberator VI (1 downed, 18 damaged) and the bombers caused extremely heavy port damage, a very large number of secondary explosions were reported and casualties were heavy.

At Palembang a Walrus was shot down by ground fire as it was sniffing around.

Pontianak went unharmed despite the Allied airstrike made on it.

At Chihfeng the 110th Division was attacked by 63 X P-63A (1 downed, 2 damaged) for moderate casualties. The IJA 133rd Division was hit by 31 X P-63A (2 damaged) for light losses.

At Harbin the IJA 1st Mixed Brigade was hit twice by Soviet planes for heavy losses and 2 P-63As were lost , 9 more took damage.

The IJA 23rd Division was jumped twice by Soviet aircraft for very heavy casualties. 1 X Pe-2, 4 X P-63A and 1 X P-39Q were damaged in the strikes.

At Djokjakarta the IJA 44th Heavy AA Battalion damaged a Corsair and a Thunderbolt while absorbing moderate losses in 2 attacks. The IJA 27th Ind. Mixed Brigade damaged a Jug and absorbed moderate casualties.

At Soerabaja the Sasebo 6th SNLF underwent 2 air strikes that inflicted moderate losses on the unit. Allied troops attacked the battered Japanese inflicting heavy losses on them. The area has now been declared secured.

Near Kitakyushu 88 X SBD, 78 X SB2C, 117 X TBF, 55 X TBM, 264 X F6F, 55 X F4U-1D, 58 X FM-2, and 8 X F4F-4 were out hunting and came across 3 MLs.
ML Katashima 3 bomb hits, on fire, heavy damage
ML Ento 4 bomb hits, on fire, heavy damage
ML Kuroshima 7 bomb hits, on fire, heavy damage
All of the vessels went down.

About 82 miles E of Sasebo 24 X Kate and 2 X Rufe went after the Allied fleet and ran afoul of the CAP consisting of 450 X F6F, 109 X F4U-1D, 86 X FM-2 and 10 X F4F-4 who splashed all of the Japanese planes long before they threatened any ships.

Takamatsu was swept by 67 X P-51D who dawdled for a while and then returned to base having found no Japanese planes.

Victoria Point underwent and air strike that did very light airfield damage and there were extremely light casualties.

Near Johore Bahru 14 X Mosquito FB.VI went after a couple of AGs hitting one with 3 bombs and the other with 5. Both of the AGs were burning wrecks that went under.

At Kweiyang the Chinese artillery barrages dealt out heavy Japanese losses today.

At Malang Allied artillery caused moderate Japanese casualties.

The guys all agreed that it was nice to see the other bomb groups departing on a mission that the 500th BG didn't take part in. Gil seems to finally be getting over the loss of Elaine thanks to the guys of the Lucky 11 and especially Gel.

The people in the pub are celebrating the victory and Pete is busily pouring pints. “Maybe they will finally see the writing on the wall and just give up,” says Milt as he tosses down another beer.

Stalin knows that time is running out as the Japanese have put out feelers to obtain peace. He'll probably have to be content with the gains in Eastern Europe and settle for little in the Far East. This doesn't please him, but the future of the CCP looks bright and the West is war weary so he expects little opposition to his plans for setting up client states.

The room is silent as the Japanese proposal for peace is read aloud by the White House staffer. The President listens and then says, “They can keep their treasured Emperor as a figurehead and the rest is nonnegotiable. They can take it or leave it.”

Victory Points Allied 129282 (34708 Strategic) Japanese 49167

[tocaff]

December 13, 1945 San Diego

Intel

60th Division is planning for an attack on Chungking.
122nd Division is located at Mutanchiang.
25th Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Palembang.
Elements of the 70th Division are located at Ichang.
1st Guards Mixed Brigade is located at Tokyo.
2nd Division is located at Ominato.
68th Division is located at Sian.
1495 men are based at Kratie.
21st Engineer Regiment is located at Pakhoi.
110th IJA Base Force is located at Haichow.
Shimonoseki Fortress is located at Nagato.

Recon

PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Canton 14 LCUs 5340/73/0
OS2U-3 Kingfisher takes recon photos of Kadina 24 LCUs
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Taan 1 LCU 1600/4/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Kiungahan 1 LCU 940/2/0

Combat

A naval bombardment of Kadina caused heavy Japanese casualties. The IJA 47th Division took light losses from Allied aircraft. The IJA 49th Ind. Mixed Brigade was struck 4 times by Allied planes for very heavy casualties. The IJA 64th Ind. Mixed Brigade took moderate losses from Allied planes. The massive US force continues it's slow, but steady advance towards Kadina.

19 miles S of Chihfeng the 39th Army took moderate personnel losses from an air attack.

Linhsi was swept by 13 Tonys who found no opposition.

Pontianak was raided by Allied aircraft who did light port damage, caused a secondary explosion and hit an AK with 2 bombs that did heavy damage and started fires.

At Harbin the IJA 1st Mixed Brigade had moderate casualties from a pair of strikes made by Soviet planes who lost 3 P-63As and had 7 P-63As and a P-39Q damaged. The IJA 11th Division had heavy losses from an air attack. The IJA 23rd Division was also hit 2 times and it managed to damage 4 P-63A and 3 Pe-2s while absorbing heavy casualties.

At Malang the IJA 5th Division was pounded by Allied planes for moderate losses. The 18th Naval Guard Unit took heavy casualties from an air strike. The IJA 28th Ind. Mixed Brigade had moderate losses from being pounced on by Allied planes. The Allied big guns inflicted moderate casualties on the Japanese with their constant barrages.

At Kweiyang the IJA 69th Division was attacked by Chinese Mitchells who inflicted heavy casualties on the unit. The IJA 65th Division was also hit by B-25Js and they inflicted moderate losses on the Japanese unit. The Chinese artillery caused heavy Japanese casualties.

At Djokjakarta the IJA 27th Ind. Mixed Brigade was attacked 2 times by airplanes for very heavy casualties. A Corsair and 2 Thunderbolt IIs were damaged in the attacks.

About 138 miles NW of Sasebo 123 X SBD (3 damaged), 77 X SB2C (1 damaged), 114 X TBF (1 downed, 2 damaged), 31 X TBM, 313 X F6F, 77 X F4U-1D, 45 X FM-2 and 8 X F4F-4 went after some IJN ships.
CL Oyodo 15 bomb hits, sunk
DD Teruzuki 14 bomb hits, sunk
DD Oboro 2 bomb hits, 1 torpedo hit, sunk
DD Yugiri 2 bomb hits, on fire, heavy damage
Another strike of 9 X TBF and 16 X F6F failed to score any hits on the smoke obscured Japanese ships. A little later 8 X TBM and 24 X FM-2 also failed to hit anything. In the afternoon 16 X TBM and 14 X FM-2 arrived and missed with their fish. The DD Yugiri caught a shell hit and went under when she had the misfortune to run into the USN.
BB Indiana
BB Massachusetts
BB New Jersey
BB Missouri
CA Pensacola
CA Tuscaloosa
CL St. Louis
CL Miami
DD Trathen
DD Twiggs
DD Uhlmann
DD Valkenburgh
DD Wadleigh
DD Wadsworth

Near Johore Bahru 12 X Mosquito FB.VI peppered a pair of AGs with their bombs.

Palembang was hit by Allied planes for extremely light airstrip damage and a Betty was destroyed.

Bill maintains a cool and calm exterior, but inside he's churning knowing that 2 IJN BBs escaped. The TF will continue on it's current course and hopefully bring the rest of the IJN force to battle. He hopes for what the USN always planned for, a meeting of the big boys who would then slug it out. He admits that with the IJN having just 2 or 3 BBs left the scales are more than slightly tipped in the USN's favor and that OK with him.

Having undergone extensive care at a Naval hospital at Pearl Harbor and having been transferred to a Stateside facility Ed holds out hope that this won't be the end of his career, but thinks that sea duty is over for him. Later he slips back into a state where the doctors can't reach him.

The Swiss have passed on the response from the United States, which has the full backing of London, but the Japanese have not responded as of yet. President Truman has decided that he will keep the line of communication open, but that it's a take it or leave it proposition.

Victory Points Allied 129480 (34708 Strategic) Japanese 49090

[tocaff]

December 14, 1945 Off Of Japan's Coast

Intel

14912 men are based at Matsuyama.
10th Tank Regiment is located at Mutanchiang.
7th Division is located at Wakkanai.
Iki Fortress is located at Ikitsuki.
6th Mongolian Cavalry Division is located at Jehol.
Chichijima Fortress is located at Niigata.
41st Heavy AA Battalion is located at Mutanchiang.
3rd Heavy AA Battalion is located at Changchun.
32nd Special Base Force is planning for an attack on Malang.
117th Division is located at Jehol.
231st Division is located at Matsue.
58th Construction Battalion is located at Takamatsu.
3rd AA Regiment is located at Tokyo.

Recon

PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Canton 14 LCUs 8460/102/82
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Hue vacant
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Camranh Bay 1 X SS, 1 X CA, 2 bombers, 1 aux, 3 LCUs 12500/82/0
OS2U-3 Kingfisher takes recon photos of Kadina 24 LCUs

Combat

132 miles NW of Sasebo the IJN managed to elude the 2 USN fast BB TFs and find the CV TFs.
Japanese Ships
BB Mutsu 1 shell hit
BB Yamato 3 shell hits
DD Take
DD Ume 1 shell hit, on fire
DD Momi 2 shell hits, on fire
DD Nashi 27 shell hits, sunk
DD Kaba 4 shell hits, on fire
DD Hatsuume 8 shell hits, sunk
Allied Ships
CV Hornet
CV Hancock 1 shell hit
CVL San Jacinto
CA Chester
CLAA Oakland
CL Mobile
CL Pasadena
DD Killen
DD LaVallette
DD Laws
DD Richard Leary
DD Leutze
DD Luce
Somehow the USN dodged a bullet this time and the lone hit scored by the IJN was a small sized shell that did no harm to the Hancock. Other than scratching some paint.

149 miles W of Sasebo the IJN found the big boys.
Japanese Ships
DD Inazuma 14 shell hits, sunk
DD Nagatsuki 21 shell hits, sunk
DD Tsuga 1 shell hit, sunk
DD Wakatake 32 shell hits, sunk
Allied Ships
BB Indiana
BB Massachusetts
BB New Jersey
BB Missouri
CA Pensacola
CA Tuscaloosa
CL St. Louis
CL Miami
DD Trathen
DD Twiggs
DD Uhlmann
DD Valkenburgh
DD Wadleigh
DD Wadsworth

A naval bombardment of Kadina caused negligible damage to the ravaged airfield, moderate port damage, many secondary explosions were reported and casualties were very heavy. The IJA 47th Division was attacked by aircraft 2 times and absorbed heavy troop losses. The IJA 53rd Ind. Mixed Brigade had moderate casualties from an air strike. The IJA 49th Ind. Mixed Brigade was bombed for very light losses.

15 miles S of Chihfeng the 39th Army absorbed moderate losses from an air attack made by the Japanese.

Toyama was struck by 122 X B-24D and 65 X P-38J for moderate damage to the heavy industry.

Changchun had a CAP of 15 X Frank and 8 X Tony up when 78 X Tu-2S appeared. The Soviets tried to fend off the Japanese fighters shooting down a Frank (6 damaged) and a Tony (3 damaged). The AA chipped in and 6 Russian bombers went down and 16 were damaged. The airfield took moderate damage, there were many secondary explosions claimed, 4 X Frances, 1 X Babs and 2 X Tabby were burning wrecks and casualties were heavy. Later on 14 X Frank and 7 X Tony were on CAP when 177 X B-29 showed up. 2 Franks were shot down (7 damaged) and 2 Tonys were damaged. The flak then blazed away and 5 Superforts were lost and 14 damaged. The airfield sustained horrendous damage, there were many secondary explosions seen, 1 X Babs, 8 X Frances and 1 X Nick were trashed and personnel losses were heavy.

Tokyo was swept by 102 X P-51D who swooped in on a gaggle of 1 X Reppu, 8 X Shinden and 98 X Frank. 5 Shindens and 87 Franks were blasted out of the sky and 18 Mustangs went down and 7 took damage.

Nagoya was struck by 273 X B-29 (5 damaged) and 69 X P-51D for absolutely devastating damage to the heavy industry.

Mutanchiang had 12 Tonys up to face an inbound raid of 29 X B-24J and 75 X P-51D. All of the Tonys were splashed at the cost of a destroyed Mustang and the ground fire damaged 11 of the Liberators. The airfield was moderately damaged, there were many secondary explosions claimed and casualties were heavy.

Camranh Bay was devastated by 134 X B-29 (5 damaged) taking extremely heavy airfield damage, a couple of secondary explosions were reported, 1 Irving, 2 Dinahs, 1 Frances, 1 Betty, 1 Thora and 1 Sally were destroyed and troop losses were moderate. Another strike was made by 141 X B-29 (10 damaged) and the battered airfield was again subjected to extremely heavy damage, there were a few secondary explosions observed and casualties were moderate.

Palembang was hit for negligible damage to the airstrip and a Tabby was toasted in an air raid. Another attack did very light airfield damage, caused a secondary explosion and destroyed a Betty.

At Kweiyang the IJA 36th Division took moderate losses from Chinese Mitchells. The IJA 65th Division was pounced on by Chinese bombers for heavy casualties. The Chinese artillery accounted for heavy Japanese losses.

At Harbin the IJA 11th Division was pounded twice for very heavy casualties. 1 Pe-2, 1 Tu-2S, 5 P-63As and a P-39Q were damaged in the strikes. The IJA 23rd Division was struck for heavy losses and a Tu-2S took some damage. The IJA 123rd Division took moderate casualties and 9 P-63As were damaged.

At Gili Gili the IJA 21st Division had light casualties from Allied aircraft.

At Djokjakarta the IJA 44th Heavy AA Battalion took moderate losses and it damaged 2 Corsairs. The IJA 27th Ind. Mixed Brigade had very heavy casualties from a pair air raids made on it.

At Malang the IJA 5th Division was struck twice by Allied planes for moderate casualties. An Allied attack inflicted extremely heavy losses on the Japanese while the attackers had very heavy casualties.

Near Sasebo 4 X Frank were swept aside by a strike package consisting of 52 X SBD (1 downed, 6 damaged), 51 X SB2C (1 downed, 3 damaged), 110 X TBF (2 downed, 17 damaged), 40 X TBM (2 downed, 5 damaged), 290 X F6F and 77 X F4U-1D and then the IJN BBs were engaged.
BB Mutsu 7 bomb hits, 4 torpedo hits, sunk
BB Yamato 17 bomb hits, 3 torpedo hits, on fire
Another attack was made within minutes of the first finishing. This time 24 X SBD (1downed, 1 damaged), 15 X TBF and and 15 X TBM struck the ships.
DD Ume 6 bomb hits, 1 torpedo hit, sunk
DD Momi 3 torpedo hits, sunk
DD Kaba 3 bomb hits, 2 torpedo hits, sunk
In the afternoon 19 X SBD, 207 X F6F and 49 X F4U-1D arrived, but failed to hit anything.

Near Nagasaki a CAP of 5 X Tony and 23 X Frank were tasked with stopping 93 X SBD (15 downed, 11 damaged), 68 X SB2C (10 downed, 7 damaged), 99 X TBF (11 downed, 8 damaged) and 42 X TBM (5 downed, 7 damaged). The Allied fighters never joined the dive bombers and torpedo planes. 7 Franks were damaged and then the ships caught hell.
DD Yaezakura 1 bomb hit, 3 torpedo hits, sunk
DD Yayoi 6 bomb hits, sunk
DD Kikuzuki 1 bomb hit, 2 torpedo hits, sunk
DD Yadake 10 bomb hits, sunk
DD Tochi 12 bomb hits, sunk

The guys were amazed at how easy their bomb run on Nagoya was. It's a far cry from the first raids on the Japanese cities. Knowing that they are now attacking a nearly helpless foe only frustrates the men of the Lucky 11. “If they're beaten why can't they stop fighting and admit defeat before everybody gets killed for nothing?” asks Donny.

Chris had a front row seat as the planes attacked the Japanese ships. He couldn't believe how big the one BB looked and how it managed to get away despite being hit so often. He wonders how the Japanese can throw away their ships without even giving them any air cover. Then he thinks that even if Japanese fighters were on hand they would've been brushed aside with ease as the pilot quality is awful and just flying in formation seems beyond the Japanese capabilities now.

There is still no response from the Japanese and the President is taking this as a positive sign. General Marshall cautions him about the cadre within the IJA that will resist any form of surrender.

SS personnel convicted of atrocities at Belsen and other concentration camps were hanged.

Victory Points Allies 130106 (34900 Strategic) Japanese 49233

[tocaff]

December 15, 1945 Washington DC

Intel

1st Reserve Tank Regiment is located at Kitakyushu.
21st Mixed Brigade is located at Tokyo.
107th IJA Base Force is located at Pusan.
206th Division is located at Sasebo.
185785 men are based at Jehol.
16th Army is located at Rabaul.
21st Division is planning for an attack on Eniwetok.
107th IJA Base Force is located at Pusan.
140th Division is located at Tokyo.
Hoyo Fortress is located at Osumi.
65th Construction Battalion is located at Kagoshima.
51st Ind. Mixed Brigade is located at Kadina.
49th Division is located at Alor Star.
51st Road Construction Battalion is planning for an attack on Chungking.

Recon

PBM Mariner takes recon photos of Kiungahan 1 LCU
F-5C Lightning takes recon photos of Luang Prabang 1 LCU 1120/0/0
Mosquito PR.IX takes recon photos of Saigon 13 X AP, 1 X APD, 8 X DE, 6 fighters, 5 aux, 2 LCUs 24380/249/11

Combat

16 miles S of Chihfeng the 39th Army took heavy casualties from Japanese planes.

Changchun was bombed by 57 X Tu-2S (4 damaged) who caused moderate airstrip damage, a secondary explosion, 1 Nick, 6 Frances, 1 Tabby, 1 Tony, 4 Franks and 1 Babs were burnt and personnel losses were heavy.

Ominato was raided by 67 X B-25J (1 downed, 16 damaged) and 38 X P-38J for moderate airfield damage, some secondary explosions were claimed, 2 Topsys, 3 Sallys, 5 Tinas, 3 Tabbys and 3 Daves were destroyed and casualties were heavy. In the afternoon another air raid was made by 10 X A-26B (6 damaged) and 49 X P-38J who caused negligible damage to the airfield and trashed a Topsy.

Harbin was struck by 85 X Tu-2S (2 damaged) and 8 X Yak-3 for heavy airfield damage, a few secondary explosions were seen and troop losses were heavy.

Hong Kong was attacked by 50 X B-25J (3 damaged), 15 X A-26B (1 damaged) and 24 X P-38J for moderately heavy airfield damage, there were many secondary explosions reported and casualties were moderate.

Camranh Bay was bombed by 163 X B-29 (11 damaged) who did extremely heavy damage to the airstrip, there were some secondary explosions observed and losses were very light. This should be enough to pave the way for the surprise invasion of Hainan Island.

Bangkok was visited by 48 X Mosquito FB.VI (12 damaged) who did light damage to the airfield, triggered some secondary explosions and there were heavy casualties.

The 147 X Liberator VI (1 downed, 21 damaged) arrived and they clobbered the port for extremely heavy damage, there was a very large number of secondary explosions claimed and losses were very heavy.

At Harbin the IJA 29th Division absorbed heavy casualties from 2 air strikes in which 3 Pe-2s were damaged. The IJA 11th Division was hit by Soviet aircraft for heavy losses and a P-39Q was downed, 3 others damaged and a Tu-2S was also damaged. The IJA 23rd Division damaged a P-63A and 3 P-39Qs in a strike that inflicted light casualties on the unit.

At Gili Gili the IJA 21st Division had moderate losses from an air strike.

At Malang the IJA 5th Division was pounded three times for heavy casualties by Allied planes. An Allied attack on the Japanese positions outside of Malang caused very little land to change hands though the Japanese absorbed extremely heavy losses and the Allied troops took very heavy casualties.

At Kweiyang the IJA 62nd Division was bombed for very heavy losses. The Chinese troops surged forward and assaulted the Japanese positions with both sides sustaining extremely heavy casualties. The Chinese lost about 3 times the number of troops as the Japanese did in their attempt to push them back that met with success as the Japanese retreated towards Kweilin.

At Kadina the IJA 47th Division absorbed moderate casualties from an attack made by Allied planes. The IJA 49th Ind. Mixed Brigade had moderate losses from an air strike. The IJA 68th Ind. Mixed Brigade had moderate casualties from an air attack. The IJA 44th Ind. Mixed Brigade was pounded by planes for light losses. The IJA 64th Ind. Mixed Brigade took moderate casualties from an air attack.

At Djokjakarta the IJA 27th Ind. Mixed Brigade was hit three times by Allied planes for very heavy losses and a Thunderbolt II was damaged.

148 miles NW of Sasebo 24 X Grace and 9 X Zeke vainly threw themselves into the cauldron of the Allied CAP of 761 X F6F, 189 X F4U-1D, 138 X FM-2 and 18 X F4F-4. All of the Japanese planes were splashed and a Corsair was damaged. Then 24 X Judy, 22 X Grace and 63 X Nick tried and died except for 2 Graces who made it into the clouds. 3 Hellcats and 3 Corsairs were damaged. A bit later 62 X Judy, 2 X Jill, 67 X Grace and 19 X Betty threw their lives away in their insane attempt to reach the Allied fleet. 5 Hellcats and 3 Corsairs were damaged. Yet another attempt on the Big Blue Fleet was made by 28 X Grace, 23 X Betty and 8 X Frances only for them all to meet their doom. 15 Hellcats and 4 Corsairs were damaged. In the afternoon 3 X Judy, 3 X Grace and 6 X Nick appeared and 2 of the Graces lived to tell the tale and a Corsair was damaged. This was followed by a pair of Bettys who died and 2 Corsairs were damaged. The Japanese continued to throw their planes at the USN all willy nilly as 3 X Grace and 8 X Betty failed to penetrate the CAP. 2 Graces survived and a Corsair was damaged as the other Japanese planes found watery graves.

Palembang was struck by Allied planes for negligible airstrip damage and a secondary explosion. Another strike later in the day caused very light damage to the airfield and destroyed a Betty.

Bill sees droves of fighters coming and going and he takes great comfort knowing that he's under an umbrella the likes of which has never been seen before. After yesterday's surface engagements he feels that there is little chance of the IJN throwing anything his way, but true to form he keeps his crew on their toes to expect the unexpected. He is frustrated as the DMSs still haven't arrived on station to clear the way for the Big Blue Fleet to traverse the confined waters.

Chris has flown 3 CAP missions today and as he wearily drops off of the wing of his Hellcat he smiles to himself. He did his job well today as he splashed 6 Japanese planes. Later that night he's informed that all 6 are now confirmed kills, giving him a total of 21. He's surprised that suddenly the Japanese are throwing themselves into a meat grinder in such small strikes.

Truman looks at the men gathered and says, “Well that's it then. Effective midnight, tonight, there will be an end to hostilities. Arrangements will be made for the formal signing of a peace document in Tokyo Bay. I want as many of our warships as possible there and our aircraft will fly overhead just to remind the Japanese why they are surrendering.”

Permanent HQs for the UN were established in the United States.

Victory Points Allied 130705 (24900 Strategic) Japanese 49313

[tocaff]

December 16, 1945

The ceasefire has held and the word has spread like wildfire through all of the branches of the military. PEACE! The war is over and the Japanese have finally admitted to defeat. From the highest offices in Washington DC, London, Canberra, Moscow and many other places to the lowest privates spread all over the world unbounded joy is the order of the day. Troops in close proximity to the Japanese remain wary, but there have been no incidents.

I would like to heap thanks and praise upon Steve as through the years we stuck with the game and never had any problems concerning what anybody did or didn't do. Steve was always a gentleman and an opponent to be treasured.

I will do an epilogue to address the post war lives of the many characters touched in the AAR, though a daily installment will probably not be the norm any longer. I have many pictures that I never used in the AAR and I'll include them for your viewing pleasure as I wrap things up.

[Capt. Harlock]

Congratulations!!

And Steve can take consolation that the Yamato (barely) survived.

[tocaff]

William Smith (Bill) returned to California in April of 1946 from commanding the BB Missouri, on which the surrender ceremony was held. Upon his return he and Sandy got married. Bill remained in the Navy until his retirement in 1968 at the rank of Admiral. Though he stayed in the Navy he was never as happy as when he commanded the DD O'Bannon. Sandy managed the life of a Navy wife and raised their 2 children, both girls. She continued to make their home in the little town in the California mountains where she and Bill lived out their years happily together.

Dave, Sandy's father, never one known for emotion, broke down crying at the wedding when he gave the bride away. Dave spent his days tinkering on various vehicles at the garage, always enjoying his coffee until he passed away in 1957.

[tocaff]

Phil retired from the Navy after attaining the rank of Captain. He never had another command of a ship after the DD O'Bannon. Upon leaving command of DesRon 12 he had a series of desk jobs that finally made him fed up and in 1952 he left the Navy. He got a job with the Newport News Shipyard, where he worked until 1971. Upon retirement he literally died of boredom. He never married.

Captain Demesa retired in 1953 and enjoyed a very comfortable retirement due to his investments with Red and Cookie. He bought a cottage on the island of Maui and enjoyed his wife, sons, daughter and of course the grandchildren. He kept in close contact with Red until the day he died> Red and Cookie were pallbearers at the funeral.

[tocaff]

Pete lived a fruitful and happy life with Sylvia. They never had another child after Pearl. Sylvia never returned to the nursing profession as the hotel kept her and Pete pretty busy. Pearl eventually took over the running of the Story Bridge Hotel and in 2004 she finally stepped down and a son took over. Milt died in 1959 from liver failure due to his drinking. Jac followed him in 1960, a few months later, and Sylvia said that she knew that her mother wouldn't do well without Milt about. Pete died in 2001 and Sylvia followed in 2008. She spent a great deal of time with Pearl and admitted to feeling empty without her Pete.





Show Of Power

[tocaff]

Robert “Stick” Irvine ended his military service having never been credited with downing even a partial enemy plane. He was very comfortable with this and proud of the fact that as a wing man he never lost a lead. After trying his hand at selling insurance and a few other jobs he ended up becoming a minister. He had a mission that helped the poor and helped to feed and house the homeless in Detroit.





USS San Juan

[tocaff]

Elaine was dumped by the guy she dumped Gil for as soon as his training unit was disbanded and he reported home for mustering out of the Army. Elaine's brother followed in his father's footsteps in the family business while her sister moved to California in 1959. In the meantime Elaine got married to a friend's brother and they had 2 children, who they raised in the Pittsburgh area.. She lived out her life wondering if she had made a mistake by not sticking with Gil.





The First Atomic Bomb

[tocaff]

Eugene Morosi continued with his research group fruitlessly searching for a way of welding to give submarines the ability to dive much deeper. Though members of his team came and went he remained at the helm never giving up hope that there was a better way. After many years he and his team discovered what they had been looking for. This discovery and nuclear propulsion set the stage for the USN to have deep diving boats built that were limited primarily by human endurance. Gene died on August 13, 1988 after attending the commissioning of the SSN 723, the Oklahoma City, named after where his mother was born. He was found the next day in his hotel room, having suffered a heart attack.

[tocaff]

Alvaro “Al” Pena got a dishonorable discharge from the Army and this hindered his finding a good job. He bounced around never settling down and ultimately hooked up with the wrong type of people. At first things were great as Al had money and women, but then he was caught by the police and was sentenced to prison. He made the mistake of acting like a tough guy with somebody that was tougher than him and his body was found in the prison yard in 1952.

[tocaff]

Sam Cohen was torn with leaving the Army or staying in, but ultimately he wasn't given a choice because of his drinking bouts. He ended up being a potato grower in Idaho, doing very well, having forsaken the sauce. He married in 1949 and had 2 sons and a daughter. He never spoke about his time in the Army and didn't attend and reunions held by his old outfit. He did wonder until his dieing day, in 2003, how Frankie fared with Jim though.





HMS Hermes

[tocaff]

Chris Fenton returned to Defiance Ohio and was treated as a great hero. He never bragged about his exploits and when questioned he just tried to shrug them off as nothing special. He ultimately felt like he had to leave Defiance and moved to nearby Findlay where he settled down, met a girl, married her and they had four children. Chris was returning home one night and became a victim of the Ohio roads through the cornfields. At an intersection another car hit him. Chris never knew of the other vehicle as the car's headlights didn't work. There were few fender benders, but when an accident happened it was usually a bad one and this cost Chris his life in 1957.





President Adams

[tocaff]

Slim decided that he might as well stay in the Corps. With the reduction in force size Slim found himself in the 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Regiment under the command of Colonel Chesty Puller. The service during the years following WWII were pretty boring and then along came Korea. As much as Slim hated combat and the awful things that come with it he somehow knew it was what his purpose was. When his unit was involved in the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir he had troubles dealing with the extreme cold. When his unit was tasked with the reopening of the road to Hagaru-ri on 11/29/1950 Slim had the misfortune of stopping 3 PLA bullets while trying to pull a wounded lad back to a safe position.





USS Quincy

[Capt. Harlock]

That's an interesting picture of Quincy, given that she had less than a week to stay afloat.

[tocaff]

Jeff Pardini was riffed in 1946 and landed a job at the Newport News shipyard. He married and fathered 2 children, one of whom attended the Naval Academy. He retired in 1964 and passed away the following year. His wife followed him within 2 months. His son maintained that retirement killed his father.

Art Wagner left the Navy in 1957 having risen to the rank of Commander. He enjoyed his retirement on a ranch in Wyoming with his wife and 5 children who presented him with numerous grandchildren. He died in 1995 from a massive heart attack during a stress test at the local hospital. He always had a deep suspicion about doctors.

[tocaff]

Jim DiGregorio was mustered out of the Navy and he decided to stay in the construction business with a few of the other guys from his outfit. The pooled their money, bought surplus equipment and set about building in the Los Angels area. Business was good and by the 1960s the construction company was operating in all of Southern California. Jim and his partners became well to do and when college time rolled around for his 5 children he and his wife had no worries. The only thing that bothered Jim was when he thought of Frankie and his failure to take care of the dog. Silently he was thankful that he never ran into Sam again.





BB-43 Tennessee

[tocaff]

Jay Felder was on a transport bound for San Francisco without a care in the world. There was the usual gambling going on and not much else to to. When they were about 4 days from port the propeller just dropped off of the shaft. Jay can't believe that he was finally going to become a civilian again and now this happened. While they wait for a tug to arrive to tow them into port the gambling continues. By the time they reached San Francisco almost all of the money was held by 6 lucky souls. One of these newly rich people hired Jay and a few others to guard him and his cash. Upon landing they set out for the nearest bank and then Jay got his pay. A couple of days later he got his back pay and was given 2 weeks leave at which time he was told to report back to being mustered out. During this time Jay met a girl who he ended up marrying. He stayed in the Bay area and became a Letter Carrier for the Post Office. By the time he and his wife, a school teacher, had retired they had put 2 children through college. In 2011 Jay died. His mind was sharp as ever, but his body shut down. His wife is still alive and lonely.





USS Saratoga