Eisenhower in the Pacific: Part 1 The Shoestring Warriors of Luzon
- Thread starter galveston bay
- Start date
now, there is supposed to be enough food in Bataan to hold out for over 6 months easily along with quinine supplies and mosquito control work done by PA engineers before the war started...
the largest issues are about ammunition, medical supplies, and spare parts
is a weekly submarine run reasonable from one of the southern islands which can be a supply depot/airfield for further evacuation to Australia? even a couple of hundred rounds of artillery ammunition are better than none...and every wounded soldier evacuated means medical supplies on hand go further.
the largest issues are about ammunition, medical supplies, and spare parts
is a weekly submarine run reasonable from one of the southern islands which can be a supply depot/airfield for further evacuation to Australia? even a couple of hundred rounds of artillery ammunition are better than none...and every wounded soldier evacuated means medical supplies on hand go further.
IOTL I seem to recall reading of submarine and air re supply of critical items and a limited number of evacuations via the same means.
OTL there were several submarine runs...TTL where the siege will go much longer because adequate food supplies are in place along with ammunition that was destroyed OTL, it would make sense to get the subs moving as often as possible to keep supplies coming in and wounded coming out...even a S-boat could carry a useful load with a minimal torpedo load (loaded tubes only) and a reduced crew...
gb, what about putting captured Japanese tanks to work? if anything they could be used as pillboxes...
and then captured Japanese equipment along the lines of Fearless Leader's Wake Island timeline...put those captured knee mortars to work!!!
I dunno, if it's the same as IRL, they only brought 90 or so, which means a very small amount of them are probably intact enough for salvage.
In OTL besides the wounded all personnel involved in MAGIC were evacuated so that the Japanese wouldn't find out we were reading their mail...
Has anyone asked the really big question ... how much longer than OTL can Bataan hold out for?
(Obviously the Alt Pearl Harbor and the complications in Malaya are also going to disrupt the Japanese plans)
But can the Philippines Campaign last long enough for any conceivable relief to arrive?
Historically the 1st Marine Division began America's first offensive action at Guadalcanal in August 42, given all the changes might help arrive sooner, and under what circumstances.
(Obviously the Alt Pearl Harbor and the complications in Malaya are also going to disrupt the Japanese plans)
But can the Philippines Campaign last long enough for any conceivable relief to arrive?
Historically the 1st Marine Division began America's first offensive action at Guadalcanal in August 42, given all the changes might help arrive sooner, and under what circumstances.
Simply not possible.
The U.S. was not in position to mount a major offensive into the Philippines before the second half of 1944.
Even with the rougher time the Japanese have had, the U.S. simply does not have the ships, planes, shipping or logistics to do it.
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The Evacuation of the station CAST team has been discussed, they will go out, the longer they can intercept the more messages to work with , perhaps we Break their code even earlier.
From the immediate post WWI period the realization was that there was no way the US could send a significant relief force to the PI if the Japanese made a serious effort to take the PI. Even if the US had not suffered any losses at PH, going from PH to the PI would require dealing with Japanese forces based out of their Pacific bases - the wearing down the Japanese planned to do. Neutralizing the Japanese bases or invading the islands (as per the plan) would take more time than the PI would have.
Athelstane said that it is not possible, but remember this is a different timeline and not the real time line. Seeing what @galveston bay has done and waiting whats the outcome of the Malaysian Campaign and Dutch East Indies Campaign maybe there could be reinforcement coming through this part of the world. What I am trying to say if the army of Malaya defeats te Japanese in this theater and don't conquer all the Dutch East Indies, well reinforcements could arrive from Australia and England. It all depends on how those campaigns will be the outcome.
been sick this week so energy levels are low
Malaya is going as per historical, which means on January 20-25, even as the Japanese are launching their big attack in Bataan, Yamashita is inflicting a disastrous defeat on the British at Jahore and the invasion of Burma has begun.
Meanwhile of course ships are leaving for various destinations that will appear (when I feel better and write it up) in the eastern East Indies as well as Davao
and the USN is about to begin raiding Wake Island with Task Force 16 under Spruance
Hope you feel better GB. Sucks when you are sick and have no energy to update or write.
Well while Malaya and Singapore will fall, perhaps with the changes that have happened the Commonwealth will be able to hold Burma. Or at least parts west of Rangoon. This will keep the Burma Road open and allow for much better defensive lines.
Well while Malaya and Singapore will fall, perhaps with the changes that have happened the Commonwealth will be able to hold Burma. Or at least parts west of Rangoon. This will keep the Burma Road open and allow for much better defensive lines.
Isn't Rangoon THE strategic target if the Japanese want Burma?
My understanding is that ALL supplies to British forces in Burma came through the port or Rangoon, there were simply no overland routes of practical value.
Once the Japanese had Rangoon the British army was cut off from all logistic support, and had to try to retreat into India along the 'roads' that were hopelessly inadequate and through some of the most disease ridden jungle in Asia. The ones who made it out arrived, as the French would later say about similar situations in Indochina 'Looking like Christ off the cross!'
From the Japanese point of view, interdicting Burma Road is the strategic goal but what you say is also correct. After the British were pushed out of Burma they eventually started building the infrastructure in North-East India to both defend against the Japanese and eventually go on offensive but before that the infrastructure along the Burma/India border was abysmally bad. So once Rangoon is taken, defending rest of Burma except possibly Arakan becomes almost impossible.