Of course, that's less than a tenth of German Uboot losses during the same years ...
Keynes' Cruisers Volume 2
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and only about 60% of British sub losses worldwide.
True. AIUI 1942-5 cost the Nazis just over 700 subs with the 39-41 adding more of course
Sadly the submarine campaign against Japan would have been much mire effective without the issue with the US torpedoes. The Japanese were "helpful" in that ASW was never much of a priority for them, and they never had a decent convoy system. Of course, in addition to bringing supplies to the Home Islands, where proper convoy and escort would have been very helpful, they had a lot of far-flung garrisons to supply which meant a lot of unescorted sailings. As the USA reversed the tide and was taking islands, they had the shipping to have a smaller percentage of single ship sailings, and again here the Japanese doctrine helped. They saw submarines as fleet scouts and primarily to be used against warships, and never had much of an anti-merchant campaign. They had excellent long range submarines and torpedoes, and could have had subs sinking merchants off the US West Coast as well as attacking shipping to Hawaii, and the southern route to Australia, Samoa, Fiji, etc. Didn't happen.
Had the Japanese had an anti-shipping campaign, it would have forced the USN to produce more escorts, and possibly have diverted some forces from the Atlantic to the Pacific - not many, but still had convoys to Hawaii and Australia needed better protection... Japan still loses, but there would be butterflies.
Had the Japanese had an anti-shipping campaign, it would have forced the USN to produce more escorts, and possibly have diverted some forces from the Atlantic to the Pacific - not many, but still had convoys to Hawaii and Australia needed better protection... Japan still loses, but there would be butterflies.
The problem is the IJN operated a grand total 169 submarines during the course of the war, that is not enough to sustain an anti-commerce campaign throughout the far flung reaches of the Pacific Ocean. The Germans operated over 1000 in the much smaller Atlantic.
The issue is not the number but the usage. The Japanese simply wasted their fine force with very little damage to the Allies. I agree the Japanese could not have severed the sealanes to Hawaii, and Australia/New Zealand. They could have done some damage, forced the USN to devote more resources to ASW in the Pacific, more rigorous convoy system. Rather than flinging a few shells at an oil refinery they could have made themselves a nuisance for coastwise traffic on the West Coast. They had a useful submarine force, and even accounting for the need for their usage as transports in certain circumstances, they could have been much better employed.
Story 2064
Moscow, May 26, 1943
The trains were waiting for the men of the 308th Rifle Division. They were being pulled out of reconstitution reserve where a shell of eighteen hundred veterans of fighting along the Don and Volga had absorbed seven thousand new draftees and two thousand returning wounded as well as a few hundred men who had fought as partisans once their divisions had been destroyed in the initial phases of the German southern offensive last summer. The division had been in STAVKA’s reserves for four months and now it was a coherent whole again. New men had come almost as fast as new equipment. The artillery battalions were equipped with guns fresh from the Ural factories, the rifle men had new rifles and many had been converted to submachine gunners. The anti-tank batteries now had guns that could reliably stop a Panzer IV cold at half a kilometer.
Sergeants started to kick the hungover privates in the heels to get them aboard trains. The men had three days in the capital to relax and chase the sights and sounds of the heart of the Rodina. Several other divisions were out and about as well and a few brawls had started when too much vodka and testosterone mixed. A dozen men including a pair of fresh lieutenants had been transferred to penal battalions for their behavior. Minefields would need to be cleared during the summer offensive.
By mid-afternoon, the first of the troop trains carrying the rebuilt division left the station. Anti-aircraft gunners manned their guns on specially built flat-cars as German raiders still frequently operated west of the capital. They would be near the front within a day of travel, so alertness was now a requirement.
Story 2065
Riga, May 26, 1943
The quartermaster staff for the 78th Sturm Division cursed. New orders had come in. Instead of being shipped to Army Group Centre for future offensive operations, the rebuilt division was to be held in reserve for at least another week. The trains had already been scheduled and the packing of the new equipment had commenced. The Allied landings in Italy were causing plans to be reshuffled.
Several hundred yards away, the rest of the division continued to snore.
In OTL, Germany moved reserves to Southern Europe after Husky. They are doing the same here. With perhaps some interesting butterflies.
There's an informative thread on Axis History Forum on the titling of this formation, formerly 78. Infanterie-Division
https://www.forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=217047
Story 2066
Palermo, Sicily, May 27, 1943
Everything hurt. His mouth was dry. His arm was tied tight to his body. The air in his head scoured his nasal passages on every fast and shallow breath. Someone tightened a tourniquet while three other men prepared a stretcher.
Corporal Jaroshek squeezed his friend’s hand before slapping one of the stretcher carrier’s shoulders right before they made the first of many transfers of the wounded man. An Italian grenade had caught the lead man in the assault on a stone house through a mousehole. He had stumbled forward and allowed the rest of the squad into the confined darkness. Thirty seconds of chaos; grenades bursting, pistols snapping, shotguns booming, submachine guns chattering, fists swinging and knives flashing. That thirty seconds had already been repeated three times as the Pennsylvania National Guardsmen were pushing a stay behind battalion of fascist loyalists away from the docks even as the rest of the 7th Army had bypassed the capital city in their walking pursuit of the retreating Italian and German defenders.
He did not care about strategy. He cared about his squad, half of whom he had known for years. He cared about his platoon. He was somewhat concerned about his company and could not give a shit about his battalion or his regiment. The world was small and narrow and clearer than the cleanest well water. He just needed to reinforce the loopholes and make his squad ready for any counter-attacks. That was a simple enough task. The BAR gunner fired a few rounds down an alley, giving cover to the stretcher bearers who needed to bring the wounded man back to the aid station two hundred yards to the rear. One more house that was as far as he could think right now.
Everything hurt. His mouth was dry. His arm was tied tight to his body. The air in his head scoured his nasal passages on every fast and shallow breath. Someone tightened a tourniquet while three other men prepared a stretcher.
Corporal Jaroshek squeezed his friend’s hand before slapping one of the stretcher carrier’s shoulders right before they made the first of many transfers of the wounded man. An Italian grenade had caught the lead man in the assault on a stone house through a mousehole. He had stumbled forward and allowed the rest of the squad into the confined darkness. Thirty seconds of chaos; grenades bursting, pistols snapping, shotguns booming, submachine guns chattering, fists swinging and knives flashing. That thirty seconds had already been repeated three times as the Pennsylvania National Guardsmen were pushing a stay behind battalion of fascist loyalists away from the docks even as the rest of the 7th Army had bypassed the capital city in their walking pursuit of the retreating Italian and German defenders.
He did not care about strategy. He cared about his squad, half of whom he had known for years. He cared about his platoon. He was somewhat concerned about his company and could not give a shit about his battalion or his regiment. The world was small and narrow and clearer than the cleanest well water. He just needed to reinforce the loopholes and make his squad ready for any counter-attacks. That was a simple enough task. The BAR gunner fired a few rounds down an alley, giving cover to the stretcher bearers who needed to bring the wounded man back to the aid station two hundred yards to the rear. One more house that was as far as he could think right now.
Story 2067
Cyrprus, May 27, 1943
SS Erinpura pulled out of the port. Another dozen ships were already forming up in a small convoy. Second line destroyers and old light cruisers provided some anti-aircraft protection from the occassional marauder.
The 462nd General Transport Company was starting up their trucks. They were veterans of the logistical miracle of the desert campaigns. Some drivers had seen two, three or even four trucks destroyed. Sand had always been more of a threat than artillery or air attacks, although those had both claimed some blood. Now the company had been refitted with new Lend Lease trucks. They had been re-allocated from the rear of the 8th Army to the front of the 9th Army which had only been a planning cell but now was becoming a force with both teeth and bones.
SS Erinpura pulled out of the port. Another dozen ships were already forming up in a small convoy. Second line destroyers and old light cruisers provided some anti-aircraft protection from the occassional marauder.
The 462nd General Transport Company was starting up their trucks. They were veterans of the logistical miracle of the desert campaigns. Some drivers had seen two, three or even four trucks destroyed. Sand had always been more of a threat than artillery or air attacks, although those had both claimed some blood. Now the company had been refitted with new Lend Lease trucks. They had been re-allocated from the rear of the 8th Army to the front of the 9th Army which had only been a planning cell but now was becoming a force with both teeth and bones.
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MY MISTAKE: The Cyprus HQ is 9th Army and the rear area HQ is 10th Army. I should have looked at my notes first:
https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...uisers-volume-2.451883/page-163#post-18912161
Monty is still in SE Asia but orders are en route to move him to more relevant theaters soon as the Commonwealth is seeing their army group sized ground committment wrapping up sooner rather than later. As the USN and US Army has taken/will finish taking Palawan and the Commonwealth 11th/14th Army securing the SE Asian colonial holdings with air and naval bases able to project significant combat power and duration into the South China Sea littoral, there is not much left for Monty to do.
Historically, 10th Army was the lines of communications HQ for Iraq/Persia. 9th Army was the HQ for British interests in the Levant. I am merging the HQ and areas of operations of these two commands into a single Levant/Persian Gulf command with a fairly light combat OOB and an ungodly number of REMFs, construction engineers and clerks to run the Persian supply lines. Doing that allows me to pinch a HQ for future operations that will be conducted by units transferring from Malaya, Persia, Burma as well as units not destroyed during the victory in North Africa.
story 2068
Wake Atoll, May 28, 1943
Even as two dozen Consolidated bombers formed up over the island, a trio of merchant ships entered the lagoon while a submarine and its escorting mine sweeper waited for the congestion to pass. The third of a mile long piers was packed. Pilot boats were leading the merchant ships to mooring bouys near the sea plane base as the bombers began their climb to eighteen thousand feet.
As the night began to fall, the last bomber entered the landing pattern. Five merchant ships were still being unloaded with bombs, torpedoes, fuel, beans, steaks and magazines. Four more ships were swinging at anchor in the lagoon waiting for their turn to unload. Another submarine had arrived and was tied up at the small submarine pier, outboard of a sister who had returned from patrol near Guam.
Today was another day of the war in the Central Pacific, today was another day of routine. Tomorrow promised the same on the forward outpost of America.
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