IIRC iotl the RAAF employed Spitfires to help catch Dinahs because they were fastest and most powerful aircraft that could catch them, readily available to the RAAF at the time.
April 1942 Alternate Indian Ocean
- Thread starter Zheng He
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The Seafire F Mk III had operational altitude about 830ft higher than the Dinah and a speed deficit of 16 mph. These Seafires would probably be an earlier model with lower performance.
Driftless
Donor
The higher the photo planes fly, the less detail comes through, even with first-rate lenses and film. Getting decent photos through dense tree cover and slopes is difficult under the best of conditions. , but cloud cover, fog, battlefield smoke hanging in the intervening air adds to the difficulty. Chase 'em high and as far from anything useful as you can.
2200 Hours, 5 January 1943, Near Akyab, Burma – The last days of December 1942 and the first week of January 1943 saw the hardest fighting yet around Akyab. The Japanese troops from the 55th Infantry Division pushed hard against Allied lines and succeeded in getting across the Kaladan River north of Akyab at great cost to themselves. Even more important, a spearhead from the 55th broke through to the coast south of Akyab along the southern bank at the mouth of the Kaladan River during late night hours of 5 January. This drove a wedge between the 11th East African Division and the 14th Indian Division and just as important, it gave the Japanese a position on the banks of the Kaladan River within artillery range of some key Allied positions around Akyab. Several Type 94 mountain guns were getting pushed through the jungle to get them within range, taking a brutal toll on both men and draft animals.
The fighting was hard on the men on both sides with food and medical supplies always running low but the situation was far worse for the Japanese. The Allied troops were in defensive and were operating on much supply lines and they were better supplied regardless. The Japanese troops were dealing with hunger, yellow fever, and malaria but Major General Koga was thrilled with their progress. He planned to consolidate his positions over the next two days and then launch what he believed would be the final assault on Akyab while the 213th Infantry Regiment made a push against the 14th Indian Division to keep it fixed in place and unable to turn back toward Akyab. Once the boil at Akyab was removed, Koga had no doubt his troops would be able to pivot and easily roll up the Allied landing force on Ramree Island and the Indian division along the coast south of Akyab.
While Major General Koga was feeling confident in his upcoming victory, the Allies were already putting their riposte in motion. While the troops from the 11th East African and 14th Indian Divisions remained dug in, shortly after dark on 5 January, the men of Apache Company from Riain’s Raiders departed Ramree Island in fishing boats, their engines covered to help mask the sound. Their destination was the area just south of Akyab where the Japanese were establishing positions near the coast. At airbases stretching from Akyab to Chittagong, maintenance personnel performed final checks on the aircraft while the aircrews attempted to catch a last few hours of rest before a busy day. Off the coast near Akyab the cruisers USS St. Louis and Georgios Averof loitered, waiting for orders to close in on the shoreline. . Their guns were loaded with high explosive shells and the crews were performing last bits of maintenance while the men of St. Louis’ aviation department prepared the cruiser’s four Seagull floatplanes for spotter duty. In order to better direct operations for XV Corps, Lieutenant General Slim and key members of his staff had set themselves up in a forward command post at Akyab and shortly after midnight, Slim managed to turn in to catch a few shorts hours of sleep before the attacks began in the morning.
The fighting was hard on the men on both sides with food and medical supplies always running low but the situation was far worse for the Japanese. The Allied troops were in defensive and were operating on much supply lines and they were better supplied regardless. The Japanese troops were dealing with hunger, yellow fever, and malaria but Major General Koga was thrilled with their progress. He planned to consolidate his positions over the next two days and then launch what he believed would be the final assault on Akyab while the 213th Infantry Regiment made a push against the 14th Indian Division to keep it fixed in place and unable to turn back toward Akyab. Once the boil at Akyab was removed, Koga had no doubt his troops would be able to pivot and easily roll up the Allied landing force on Ramree Island and the Indian division along the coast south of Akyab.
While Major General Koga was feeling confident in his upcoming victory, the Allies were already putting their riposte in motion. While the troops from the 11th East African and 14th Indian Divisions remained dug in, shortly after dark on 5 January, the men of Apache Company from Riain’s Raiders departed Ramree Island in fishing boats, their engines covered to help mask the sound. Their destination was the area just south of Akyab where the Japanese were establishing positions near the coast. At airbases stretching from Akyab to Chittagong, maintenance personnel performed final checks on the aircraft while the aircrews attempted to catch a last few hours of rest before a busy day. Off the coast near Akyab the cruisers USS St. Louis and Georgios Averof loitered, waiting for orders to close in on the shoreline. . Their guns were loaded with high explosive shells and the crews were performing last bits of maintenance while the men of St. Louis’ aviation department prepared the cruiser’s four Seagull floatplanes for spotter duty. In order to better direct operations for XV Corps, Lieutenant General Slim and key members of his staff had set themselves up in a forward command post at Akyab and shortly after midnight, Slim managed to turn in to catch a few shorts hours of sleep before the attacks began in the morning.
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as the ominous music of the soundtrack builds to a crescendo.....go get 'em uncle george!!!!!! i have every confidence that the 15 6' guns on the St Louis will raise high holy hell!!!!!
..._ "ain't you ever heard any Beet-hoven" (bonus points for identifying where the quote came from)
last bits of maintenance while the men of the In order to better direct operations for XV Corps, Lieutenant General Slim and key members of his staff had set themselves up in a forward command post at Akyab and shortly after midnight, Slim .
I think there is something missing from this sentence.
Keep up the good work
Thanks for catching that. I really hate Windows 10 because it is so sensitive. The slightest flick of the mouse and text ends up getting deleted and occasionally I will miss it when it happens.
Coulsdon Eagle
Monthly Donor
Or you drag something by mistake in Explorer and suddenly a whole folder is missing. Doesn't even ask if you're sure you want to commit axe-murder on your files.
0400 Hours, 6 January 1943, Near Akyab, Burma – The initial stages of the Allied counterattack began in the darkness with a series of small unit actions stretching from Akyab down the Burmese coast south of Ramree Island. Apache Company from Riain’s Raiders was ashore near the mouth of Kaladan River operating in small teams and they wasted little time, destroying an artillery piece that was getting setup and cutting the throats of several Japanese soldiers on sentry duty.
Further to the south the men of Sioux Company began harassing attacks against the battalion of the 213th Infantry Regiment opposing the 29th Infantry Brigade while No. 5 Commando went into action against the Japanese reserve troops south of Ramree Islands. The Japanese soldiers opposing No. 5 Commando were a scratch battalion composed of survivors from the units of the 65th Infantry Brigade that had attempted to reinforce Ramree Island by sea along with a few sailors from sunken ships recruited into the infantry upon coming ashore. While those men had been resupplied, they were still only lightly armed and they were not expecting an attack from the south and had instead been told to be ready to move north to plug any gaps.
Further to the south the men of Sioux Company began harassing attacks against the battalion of the 213th Infantry Regiment opposing the 29th Infantry Brigade while No. 5 Commando went into action against the Japanese reserve troops south of Ramree Islands. The Japanese soldiers opposing No. 5 Commando were a scratch battalion composed of survivors from the units of the 65th Infantry Brigade that had attempted to reinforce Ramree Island by sea along with a few sailors from sunken ships recruited into the infantry upon coming ashore. While those men had been resupplied, they were still only lightly armed and they were not expecting an attack from the south and had instead been told to be ready to move north to plug any gaps.
And still getting used to operating together. You just don't throw a group together from disparate units and expect them to operate at their previous capacity.
0600 Hours, 6 January 1943, Near Akyab, Burma – Shortly after sunrise on morning of 6 January 1943, the Japanese troops of the 55th Infantry Division got their first indications that their hard-won victories of the past two weeks were not all what they seemed.
Allied air operations had been light for the past two or three days and initially it seemed they would be again. The only planes immediately overhead were slow moving aircraft that appeared to be on reconnaissance missions. In this case, two SOC-3 Seagulls from USS St. Louis and two Lysanders from No. 2 Squadron of the IAF. For the Japanese troops digging in along the banks of the Kaladan River across from Akyab, the horror started a few minutes later when they were greeted by the tell-tale sound of incoming artillery fire. The problem for the confused Japanese soldiers was that the screech of the incoming shells and the attendant explosions were far louder than anything they had ever experienced because for the first time in their young lives they were on the receiving end of naval gunfire. In this the 9.2-inch and 7.5-inch guns from the cruiser Georgios Averof and the six-inch guns from USS St. Louis. Guided by local fishermen acting as pilots, both cruisers were sitting just off the southern tip of Akyab’s peninsula with spotters from the Seagulls helping to correct the cruisers’ gunfire. Huddled freshly dug foxholes, the Japanese could not respond and all they could do was hug the ground while their officers frantically tried to radio their headquarters that they were under heavy fire.
Allied air operations had been light for the past two or three days and initially it seemed they would be again. The only planes immediately overhead were slow moving aircraft that appeared to be on reconnaissance missions. In this case, two SOC-3 Seagulls from USS St. Louis and two Lysanders from No. 2 Squadron of the IAF. For the Japanese troops digging in along the banks of the Kaladan River across from Akyab, the horror started a few minutes later when they were greeted by the tell-tale sound of incoming artillery fire. The problem for the confused Japanese soldiers was that the screech of the incoming shells and the attendant explosions were far louder than anything they had ever experienced because for the first time in their young lives they were on the receiving end of naval gunfire. In this the 9.2-inch and 7.5-inch guns from the cruiser Georgios Averof and the six-inch guns from USS St. Louis. Guided by local fishermen acting as pilots, both cruisers were sitting just off the southern tip of Akyab’s peninsula with spotters from the Seagulls helping to correct the cruisers’ gunfire. Huddled freshly dug foxholes, the Japanese could not respond and all they could do was hug the ground while their officers frantically tried to radio their headquarters that they were under heavy fire.
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