April 1942 Alternate Indian Ocean

[Zheng He]

0800 Hours, 17 January 1943, 550 Miles Northeast of Port C, Indian Ocean – Lieutenant Commander Hopper’s decision to chase rain squalls instead of making a beeline for Port C had taken him north of his original plotted course and thus well outside of the patrol arcs of the Japanese search planes. Unsure of what they were facing the Japanese had launched eight patrol planes at 0500 hours, four Petes and two Daves from support base in the Sunda Strait and two Jakes from Batavia with orders to search primarily along vectors to Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands. By now all eight planes had begun their return legs with nothing to report while HMS Manxman was plowing through a small weather system on the edge of the northern most Jake’s search arc.

The Japanese were also now well aware of what the enemy had done earlier that morning. Shortly after 0700 hours a coastal freighter on a supply run to Tjilatjap had her broken on one of Manxman’s mines just as she was clearing the Sunda Strait. While the Japanese were beginning to make plans for minesweeping operations in the Sunda Strait, at 0900 hours, still just over 500 miles from Port C, HMS Manxman broke into clear skies and slowed to 30 knots and resumed a direct course to her destination.

 

[Winestu]

A picket(fishing) boat, a patrol boat, and a small freighter. All in the last 12 hours. Not bad.
Plus the Japanese think there is a task group containing at least one battleship in the area and a bunch of search planes burning fuel on a wild goose chase.

 

[Donald Reaver]

More wear and tear on those planes as well, with always a chance one does not make it back for whatever reason.

 

[avernite]

A picket(fishing) boat, a patrol boat, and a small freighter. All in the last 12 hours. Not bad.
Plus the Japanese think there is a task group containing at least one battleship in the area and a bunch of search planes burning fuel on a wild goose chase.

To be fair, I expect Japanes commanders to seriously consider if it wasn't a lone raider, rather than a battleship. Misreporting ship sizes is practically an artform

 

[Winestu]

To be fair, I expect Japanes commanders to seriously consider if it wasn't a lone raider, rather than a battleship. Misreporting ship sizes is practically an artform

True, but the biggest impact may be drawing Japanese attention from what’s happening up north at just the wrong time for that to happen.

 

[Zheng He]

0900 Hours, 17 January 1943, Colombo Harbor, Ceylon – While HMS Manxman was speeding back to Port C, 17 January 1943 was a busy day for the Allies on the convoy routes in the Indian Ocean. The RFAs British Genius, Athelstane, Eaglesdale, and Appleleaf arrived in Colombo escorted by the light cruiser HNLMS Sumatra, the destroyers HMS Fortune and HMS Duncan, and the minesweeper HMAS Ipswich. Most of the RFAs would discharge their fuel into Colombo’s storage tanks although some of it would get piped overland to Trincomalee’s growing tank farm in a recently completed pipeline. RFA Appleleaf was slated to go to Port C and then Exmouth Gulf with the next convoy.

Arriving in Fremantle were the corvettes HMAS Kalgoorlie, HMAS Dubbo, and HMAS Maryborough and eight empty freighters. Six freighters were already in Fremantle loading up with supplies, mostly foodstuffs and medicine and once the recently arrived ships were loaded the dance would begin again.

Departing Trincomalee for Colombo were the oilers USS Brazos and USS Trinity, the RFAs Pearleaf and British Sergeant, and six empty freighters escorted by the sloops HMS Falmouth, HMS Egret, and HMIS Jumna an the light cruiser HMS Gambia while the corvettes HMS Erica and HMS Primula and the merchant cruiser HMS Carthage were taking a convoy of eight freighters to Chittagong. HMS Gambia was due for a short refit in Colombo and then she was due to depart for Port C to take over patrol duties there. Ostensibly the supplies on the freighters bound for Chittagong were for the troops of XV Corps although a significant amount of the food and medicine would get siphoned off to the local population at Lieutenant General Slim’s insistence.

Departing Port C for Colombo was a small convoy consisting of the merchant cruiser HMAS Westralia and the Dutch transport Westerland and a single cargo ship escorted by the light cruisers HMS Enterprise and USS Richmond and the Free French aviso Savorgnan de Brazza. HMS Enterprise and USS Richmond were badly in need of refits, meaning a significant amount of time ashore for their hardworking crews who had not stepped foot on land except for Christmas Island and Port C for the past several months.

 

[Zheng He]

To be fair, I expect Japanes commanders to seriously consider if it wasn't a lone raider, rather than a battleship. Misreporting ship sizes is practically an artform

By now they are more or less aware that it was a minelayer since a ship has already been lost although the mines could have been laid by submarines. The main thing this does is prey on the minds of Japanese commanders that the Allies might be getting ready to do something bigger. This front has been quiet since mid-autumn due to the rainy season and the Japanese are fine with that given how overstretched they are. Now their imaginations can run wild.

 

[Zheng He]

0300 Hours, 18 January 1943, Port C, Indian Ocean – Escorted by the gunboat USS Tulsa, HMS Manxman arrived at Port C during the early morning hours of 18 January. It had taken a her little longer to reach Port C because Lieutenant Commander Hopper had slowed his speed to a stately 25 knots two hours before sunset in order to give his engines and the hardworking men in his engineering department a break. Hopper planned to give his men a double rum ration but for the time being that was all he could offer them. Port C was their new home as Manxman along with HMS Gambia was taking over patrol duties out of Port C and Christmas Island south of Java from HMS Enterprise and USS Richmond.

 

[Triune Kingdom]

Nice work.

I really did not understand just how important Akyab and Ramree Island were until I looked at Wikia and an actual map of the area. Holding these two positions will certainly see Allies reaching further then IOTL and likely earlier as well.

Now, I did just reread the entire thread, and I have came across several things repeatedly and I was wondering if someone could answer me.

1. We have USN S-Class submarines operating in IO, but what about the torpedo availlability? Mk.X torpedoes were out of production well before the war I believe, in favour of Mk.XIV, so at some point in time what are they going to do about it? Could it perhaps be possible to replace the USN torpedo tubes with RN ones, so they can make use of RN Mk.VIII, or is it simply not worth it, due to cost, time or other complications?

2. Fleet train is also an often seen term, but what exactly is needed for a Fleet train, what type of ships and in what numbers? Especially for a fleet which has CVs as a component, as FEF is.

3. Infrastructure, the Allies are limited by it and are building it up, as it is one of the main obstacles to their advance. Just what are we talking about here, is it combination of rail and road or just one or the other? Also, how long does it take for them to build a kilometer of a road in these conditions? It is really a strange question, but I have not been able to find anything online.

4. With arrival of one CVE and (hopefully) soon yet another CVE, British will have 4 carrier decks in the theatre, though all of them relatively small. I was wondering, once larger CVs come, would it be possible to repurpose one (or more) of these CVEs into a maintenance carrier of sorts, something like a discount version of OTL Unicorn, until HMS Unicorn comes to IO?

Very good work so far Zheng, keep it up.

 

[Zheng He]

0500 Hours, 18 January 1943, South of Akyab, Burma – It had been a long night for the troops of the 14th Indian Division but with the sun rising soon, the Japanese began winding down their assault and pulling back to their positions. Over the course of the past several days Major General Koga had re-organized his forces opposing the Indian troops south of Akyab into a brigade sized formation of three regiments of two battalions each. One unit consisted of two battalions from the 213th Infantry Regiment with that regiment’s third battalion dug in further south opposing the advancing 29th Infantry Brigade. The second regiment consisted of two battalions from the 65th Infantry Brigade and the third was built around a battalion from the 65th Infantry Brigade and a mixed battalion of troops from the 65th Brigade, assorted second line soldiers pulled from other units, and the surviving sailors from the ships sunk near Ramree Island in December.

During the late hours of 17 January 1943, Koga launched his newly built brigade (still designated the 65th Infantry Brigade for administrative purposes) against the 14th Infantry Division in an attempt to push the Indian troops back against the Allied troops holding Akyab and to assist the 55th Infantry Division’s operations. The first night of attacks had been an unmitigated disaster. The Indian troops were dug in and had been kept well supplied by air drops, mainly from RAF Wellingtons and Blenheims and by sea, mostly from local water craft. Slim’s training during the summer and fall paid off as well. Despite being cutoff and under heavy attack, the Indian troops did not panic and they rolled with the initial wave of Japanese assaults before throwing them back and regaining their original positions. The problem for the Japanese was that in addition to being outnumbered against troops who were better supplied and enjoyed air superiority, Major General Koga had yet to internalize the fact that his men were facing a better trained, better equipped, and better led opponent than what they faced in the spring. Koga remained convinced that if his troops continued to push hard against the Allied positions, they would eventually break through, just as they had done in March and April of the previous year.

At Akyab, despite a sleepless night, Lieutenant General Slim’s mood was increasingly buoyant. Not only were his troops at Akyab continuing to hold, but the Japanese troops blocking the 14th Indian Division’s advance to Ramree Island had finally done what he had hoped they would do; come out of their coconut log bunkers and attack. Slim had becoming increasingly concerned that if the Japanese stayed in a defensive posture, they could hold out through the rest of the campaign season, preventing a linkup between the Allied base at Akyab and the positions on Ramree Island. In Slim’s view the Japanese decision to try and break the stalemate and go on the offensive was an opportunity that needed to be exploited.

Up the coast at Cox’s Bazar, the small convoy of assault transports with the troops from the British 6th Infantry Brigade embarked was due to sail that morning anyhow but the message from Lieutenant General Slim regarding the Japanese assault against the 14th Indian Division provided extra incentive and by 0700 hours, the assault transports MS Sobieski and SS Duchess of Atholl escorted by the destroyers HMS Laforey and HMS Lightning, the light cruiser HMS Ceres, and the Indian minesweepers HMIS Bengal and HMIS Bombay were at sea and moving south down the Burmese coast on the 175 mile transit to Ramree Island.

 

[Zheng He]

1. We have USN S-Class submarines operating in IO, but what about the torpedo availlability? Mk.X torpedoes were out of production well before the war I believe, in favour of Mk.XIV, so at some point in time what are they going to do about it? Could it perhaps be possible to replace the USN torpedo tubes with RN ones, so they can make use of RN Mk.VIII, or is it simply not worth it, due to cost, time or other complications?

• Probably not worth it, the submarines are old and a gap filler but they arrived with full tubes and a cargo ship brought reloads and at least these work so they are good as long as the torpedoes last.

2. Fleet train is also an often seen term, but what exactly is needed for a Fleet train, what type of ships and in what numbers? Especially for a fleet which has CVs as a component, as FEF is.

• The fleet train is already getting built up ITTL. Oilers, RFAs, submarine tenders, stores ships, and water tankers. Plus the fleet is spending extended periods of time at sea so they are getting the assets and the on the job training they will need for more robust operations later. Note, all of the logistics ships ITTL existed OTL and I've taken care to make sure they could be spared for the Indian Ocean and many operated in the Indian Ocean OTL.

3. Infrastructure, the Allies are limited by it and are building it up, as it is one of the main obstacles to their advance. Just what are we talking about here, is it combination of rail and road or just one or the other? Also, how long does it take for them to build a kilometer of a road in these conditions? It is really a strange question, but I have not been able to find anything online.

• That is a hard question and I don't know the specifics other than it is a monumental effort that requires a lot of resources thrown at it. The more I read about this theater of operations OTL, it is staggering the amount of resources the Allies put into just building up the infrastructure they needed to be able to fight in one of the war's lowest priority theaters.

4. With arrival of one CVE and (hopefully) soon yet another CVE, British will have 4 carrier decks in the theatre, though all of them relatively small. I was wondering, once larger CVs come, would it be possible to repurpose one (or more) of these CVEs into a maintenance carrier of sorts, something like a discount version of OTL Unicorn, until HMS Unicorn comes to IO?

• Possibly, I have kicked that idea around.

 

[Zheng He]

0900 Hours, 18 January 1943, Trincomalee, Ceylon – Admiral Somerville was back at sea onboard the battleship HMS Valiant, with the aircraft carriers HMS Hermes, HMS Avenger, and USS Copahee, the light cruiser USS Phoenix, the heavy cruiser HMS Devonshire, and the destroyers HNLMS Isaac Sweers, HNLMS Tjerk Hiddes, HNLMS Van Galen, HMAS Norman, HMAS Napier, HMAS Nestor, HMAS Nepal, HMAS Nizam, HMAS Vampire, and HMS Decoy. The carriers were recovering their air groups – 10 Martlets and 10 Swordfish for HMS Hermes, 12 Wildcats and 12 Dauntlesses for USS Copahee, and 16 Sea Hurricane Mark ICs for HMS Avenger.

The task force was making a straight run to within strike range of Port Blair where the carriers would launch a night strike against the Japanese base with backdrop of a full moon followed by a run back to Trincomalee. The mission was going to be a short one followed by much needed rest and refit periods for the ships and crews. Somerville had requested assistance from the RAF bomber squadrons in Burma but with the heavier bombers pulling double duty as cargo aircraft keeping the 14th Indian Division supplied that was not a possibility. By 1000 hours with all the air groups onboard their carriers, the task force was steaming northeast at 16 knots.

 

[MattII]

The Japanese aren't doing well, are they?

 

[Shadow Knight]

So once the torpedoes run out (or nearly out) will the S-boats be relegated to training? Can they lay mines? Deliver special Ops or supplies?

 

[AlanJWhite]

So once the torpedoes run out (or nearly out) will the S-boats be relegated to training? Can they lay mines? Deliver special Ops or supplies?

all of the above PLUS (as iOTL) be supplied with the MK14 "short" after about 1943.
(presumably by that date the shortie had all the fix of the full Mk14)

 

[Butchpfd]

all of the above PLUS (as iOTL) be supplied with the MK14 "short" after about 1943.
(presumably by that date the shortie had all the fix of the full Mk14)

Also I believe the S Boats could handle tube launched mines.

 

[Zheng He]

So once the torpedoes run out (or nearly out) will the S-boats be relegated to training? Can they lay mines? Deliver special Ops or supplies?

Like AJW said, they can do all of that although I imagine that once the RN starts getting more boats in theater (need to check on when that started happening OTL) th sey probably get gradually sent back to the US to be paid off (sort of like OTL).

 

[SwampTiger]

They would make great training subs.

 

[Zheng He]

1000 Hours, 18 January 1943, Ramree Island, Burma – At Ramree Island, things were getting busy. The from No. 5 Commando and Riain’s Raiders were embarking onboard the landing ship RFA Derwentdale, the destroyer transport USS Waters, and commando carrier HMS Albatross along with a few fishing boats while warships assembled offshore. The convoy from Cox’s Bazar was due that night and its arrival would be followed by landings on the Burmese coasts approximately 35 miles north of the northern tip of Ramree Island.

 

[Triune Kingdom]

1. We have USN S-Class submarines operating in IO, but what about the torpedo availlability? Mk.X torpedoes were out of production well before the war I believe, in favour of Mk.XIV, so at some point in time what are they going to do about it? Could it perhaps be possible to replace the USN torpedo tubes with RN ones, so they can make use of RN Mk.VIII, or is it simply not worth it, due to cost, time or other complications?

• Probably not worth it, the submarines are old and a gap filler but they arrived with full tubes and a cargo ship brought reloads and at least these work so they are good as long as the torpedoes last.

2. Fleet train is also an often seen term, but what exactly is needed for a Fleet train, what type of ships and in what numbers? Especially for a fleet which has CVs as a component, as FEF is.

• The fleet train is already getting built up ITTL. Oilers, RFAs, submarine tenders, stores ships, and water tankers. Plus the fleet is spending extended periods of time at sea so they are getting the assets and the on the job training they will need for more robust operations later. Note, all of the logistics ships ITTL existed OTL and I've taken care to make sure they could be spared for the Indian Ocean and many operated in the Indian Ocean OTL.

3. Infrastructure, the Allies are limited by it and are building it up, as it is one of the main obstacles to their advance. Just what are we talking about here, is it combination of rail and road or just one or the other? Also, how long does it take for them to build a kilometer of a road in these conditions? It is really a strange question, but I have not been able to find anything online.

• That is a hard question and I don't know the specifics other than it is a monumental effort that requires a lot of resources thrown at it. The more I read about this theater of operations OTL, it is staggering the amount of resources the Allies put into just building up the infrastructure they needed to be able to fight in one of the war's lowest priority theaters.

4. With arrival of one CVE and (hopefully) soon yet another CVE, British will have 4 carrier decks in the theatre, though all of them relatively small. I was wondering, once larger CVs come, would it be possible to repurpose one (or more) of these CVEs into a maintenance carrier of sorts, something like a discount version of OTL Unicorn, until HMS Unicorn comes to IO?

• Possibly, I have kicked that idea around.

Thanks a lot for your answer.

2. Though, in regards to the Fleet Train, is there any "ratio" (for a lack of better term) of support to combat ships? Like, a TF with X amount of CVs, BBs, CA/CL and DDs need Y amount of Oiler/RFA/Stores Ship to support them during operations lasting for a certain amount of time? I did try to find something Online, but my Googlefoo has failed me.

3. No matter. Still, do you have any info on what their capabilities were and what they might do differently ITTL? I mean, would they build more railways then IOTL, allowing them to carry substantialy larger amount of cargo, though requiring greater amounts of work and investment then relying on roads and trucks? Also, with actual combat operations, there is a chance for some more specialized machinery, like Bulldozers and the like, making their appearance in greater numbers, at least somewhat reducing the enourmous workload. Though, seaborne transport being availlable is going to help a lot as well.

4. It is a valid option IMHO. Escort carriers could a viable candidates, especially these early ones, which had problems of their own, and once larger and more capable CVs come into area, or just better versions of CVEs, they could be put to that use. Though, what changes would have to be made to transform them into Maintenance carriers, and where would they have to go to be reffited as such?

all of the above PLUS (as iOTL) be supplied with the MK14 "short" after about 1943.
(presumably by that date the shortie had all the fix of the full Mk14)

Huh. This is the first time I ever heard of that variant. Do you perhaps have some links for more info?
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I just want to say that I absolutely enjoy seeing how in this TL, many of the obsolete, maligned aircraft and ships of OTL get a second chance and provide very valuable service. It is also very enjoyable seeing just how big of a role cargo ships and their escorts play in keeping the fight going. Also, even with all the obstacles still before the Allies in this area, it should be noted that Akyab and Ramree islands are going to make sure that Allies advance farther and faster then they dis IOTL by an incredible degree, when we consider just when these places were retaken IOTL.

Though, by the time 43/44 campaign season starts, then the Japanese will really start feeling the pain, as Allied ground forces in the area will be much stronger and better equipped, and will be able to bring their full strength to bear.