13/09/43 - Asia & Pacific, End of Operation Crocodile
September 13th, 1943
Indochina Campaign
Battle of Laos
Hanoi - General Andou Rikichi goes to bed late. The staff meeting on the situation in Laos was stormy. Elements of the 56th Division sent to the ancient Kingdom of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol are now missing in Annam and Cochinchina.
General officers have been quarrelling, each one wanting to have more troops from the general reserve assigned to him. This one not being infinite, General Rikichi was obliged to be firm.
In fact, his subordinates agreed on only one thing: the Thais had to be on their own in Laos. But this was hardly possible. The seriousness of the situation on the Burmese front raised doubts in high places about the loyalty of the Thai troops. To leave them alone to the troops of the colonialists was to take the risk of seeing them give in to demoralization or even to treason. The Japanese general had to emphasize that regaining the initiative in Laos was politically unavoidable and that everyone should live with it.
This morning, after having slept less than five hours, Andou Rikichi returned to his office at the Metropole Hotel with a violent headache. Reports have already accumulated. One of them bears the recognizable and all too frequently used red ideograms - Sakkyuu (Urgent). The document comes from the Kempetai.
Usually, the Kempetai is the first to downplay local resistance movements. The Binh Xuyen, the Vietminh and the Hoa-Hao are unable to work together. They spend their time raiding villages rallied to the other factions to steal food and brutalize the inhabitants. It is true that there is a coordinating body for the Vietnamese resistance, the National United Front, which the Japanese know about thanks to their informers. But the unity that had prevailed until the battle of Dien Bien Phu was fading away as old differences were reawakened. Besides, how can you even get members of a Triad like the Bin Ladder in the same room together?
Triad like the Binh Xuyen, made up of pirates and kidnappers, religious fanatics like the Hoa-Hao and communists like the Vietminh?
However, this time, the Kempetai reports the arrival of Frenchmen in Nguyen Binh's entourage and seemed to be worried. The general frowns. He was not used to having his
intelligence services to send him such vague and imprecise messages. The writers of the report do not cite any specific facts, only a series of "signs". Decrease in raids between rebel groups, fewer attacks on Japanese targets. Generally speaking, these kinds of precursors precede a major operation.
Taking off his round iron-rimmed glasses, Andou Rikichi wipes them carefully, more to give himself time to think rather than out of any real need. Finally, he picks up his pen and simply replies, "Find out more. As it is, this information is useless and there are not enough troops available to launch a preventive attack.
General Andou has just opened another file when there is a polite knock on the door.
It is his orderly, who introduces a signals officer carrying dispatches.
- Your Excellency, the enemy has launched an important attack in the Ba-Be district. We have lost Cho-Ra and the district chief reports repeated attacks.
- Ba-Be, is that in Tonkin?
- Yes, Your Excellency, Bac-Kan province.
- Again?
Andou Rikichi stands up to face the large wall map of Indochina. He doesn't have to have to look for long. A large red-tipped pin still marks the attack launched five days earlier.
- They must be trying to cut the road to Cao-Bang through Thai-Nguyên and Ngan-Son.
Massaging the back of his neck, the Japanese general glances wearily at the chair so long occupied by his predecessor. Everyone laughed at Tyo because he was not able to defeat "a few peasants corrupted by a band of colonialists and armed with old rifles". During his career, Andou had already had to face the threat of the partisans. After all, it was his experience in pacifying the Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, as head of the 21st Army, that earned him an appointment to Indochina. But the forces he commands today are too weak to cover the country properly.
Around Bac-Kan - At night, the Lysanders of the "Louvre" harass the Japanese forces.
They take advantage of the absence of night fighters in the opposite camp to set fire to a small fuel depot in Cao-Bang.
During the day, fighters of the Epervier base make some strafing passes on the Japanese positions. A P-40 is shot down by flak (the pilot manages to jump into the sector held by the bo-dois). Two Mustangs are damaged after a clash with Ki-44 in the late afternoon.
Pacific Campaign
Operation Crocodile
Truk Lagoon, Carolines, 01:40 - On board the Krait, anxiety and impatience grow: Conte and Marcolini should be back, and the most pessimistic schedules have been exceeded for more than an hour. The night is now well advanced and the Krait must take the way of return without delay if it wants to leave the lagoon before the dawn. After having concerted with De la Penne, Captain Lyon decideds to wait a little longer, but to leave at 02:30 at the latest.
02:20 - The SLC of Conte and Marcolini finally arrives. The commandos of the special unit Z help the two Italian swimmers to get back on board. Conte, completely exhausted, is unable to say a word.
Marcolini's condition is worse, he is barely conscious. After hoisting the SLC on board, the MV Krait sets sail at 02:45, heading northwest.
03:20 - The daybreak is approaching, but also the alert that will not fail to provoke the detonation of the two charges under the Japanese ships. Because of the delay in the schedule, Lyon estimates that he has no chance of getting out of the lagoon and escaping before being spotted. He decides to stay in the lagoon for the day, hiding on the island closest to the exit. Everyone will try to escape by canoe the following night. Before heading to Falas Island, the men sabotage and ballast the two SLCs and throw them overboard in the middle of the lagoon.
04:25 - The MV Krait approaches Falas. The commandos unload all the necessary equipment in a cove and organize a meticulous guard. Only Page and Jones remain on the Krait, and scuttle it before joining their companions in a canoe at first light.
Meanwhile, if Marcolini is still in a semi-coma, Conte has regained enough strength to tell to his companions the continuation and the end of his mission: "After having left Luigi and Emilio, we headed for our target, which we had identified as a large battleship. Almost immediately, we spotted a small patrol boat, nearby, which was obviously watching the anchorage of the big beasts; we dived and continued our route with the compass, at a depth of 3-4 meters. But we soon came up against a net, in which we became entangled; the front of the maiale, sank into it until I reached my cockpit. With Evelino, we fought for more than thirty minutes to free the torpedo. Then, we had to dive under the net before we finally got under the hull of our target. We then had another problem when we detaching the explosive head from the SLC and trying to attach it to the hull of the Japanese battleship: the fastening system failed and the warhead started to sink! Evelino rushed to recover it before it disappeared, but in the panic, the mayale escaped us in its turn, I managed to get my hands on it.
Finally, we recovered the explosive head and regained control of the maiale, but we had to dive deep, more than 15 meters I think, especially Evelino, and we were exhausted.
I was able to cobble together a makeshift system to hold the warhead in place under the battleship and we set the timer to 05:00 as planned.
We made our way back under the net. Once back in the semi-diving, I noticed that Evelino had fainted. Fortunately, he had remained attached to the maiale but I was very afraid for him. I got rid of his oxygen mask and felt that he was regaining consciousness, but I preferred to tie him to the mayor's chair to make sure I wouldn't lose him. I then headed northeast, but I realized that this route was wrong when I discovered that we were very close to the shore of an island where lights that betrayed human settlements. The rain had stopped and I tried to make out the stars in a hole of clouds to orient myself and check the course given by the compass, but in vain... I continued on a trial and error basis, with many changes of course which made me lose time again. Finally, we passed what must have been Moen Island, I headed for Falo and luckily found the cove without too much trouble..."
05:10 - No signs of an explosion or warning were perceived by the Italian-Australian commando, although the two explosive heads should have been detonated several minutes ago... The disappointment is general.
05:29 - The battleship Mutsu is one of the most powerful ships in the Japanese battle line, yielding only to the Yamato and Musashi. For the moment, she is anchored at buoy number 2 in the area reserved for the 2nd battleship division (of which it is the only survivor after the loss of the Nagato), about 2 nautical miles southeast of Moen Island. Not far from him, other imposing ships Musashi on one side, the Yamashiro and Hyuga on the other (the Yamato is expected in about ten days).
Suddenly, a huge explosion shakes the Mutsu at the level of the turret n° 3 and breaks the powerful ship in two (some of the surviving sailors said they felt two successive explosions, the first and less violent one followed by another one, huge, a moment later). In a few minutes, the front part (with most of the superstructure) capsizes and sinks, while the stern stays afloat. The giant has just been shot down by a small team of Lilliputians from the other side of the world!
On Falas, the long-awaited explosion and its power triggers exclamations of joy. Lieutenant Page, alone, will report having distinguished two very close but distinct explosions. The congratulations comes from all sides. To the congratulations of Lyon, Durand de la Penne replies that he is happy to have been able to do as well against the Japanese as he had done in Alexandria. "Oh, don't worry, they were only English ships, after all!" replies the Australian Davidson, to the laughter of his teammates. Everyone knows that it was thanks to Durand de la Penne that there was not a single English death that night.
05:35 - The Yamashiro is the fastest to send launches to rescue the sailors of the Mutsu.
05:40 - The general alert is triggered on Truk. While rescue efforts are being organized, aircraft and patrol boats are ordered to search the lagoon and the surrounding area for a possible submarine or any other sign of the enemy.
06:05 - In the early morning light, the rescue team deploys around the stern of the Mutsu, still afloat, led by two destroyers and by the launches of the ships anchored in the same area. The first planes take off to sweep the area.
06:35 - The stern of the Mutsu sinks in turn.
09:15 - Camouflaged on Falas, the men of the Italian-Australian commando are overflown by a first seaplane. Many others will follow, because the lagoon seems to be in a frenzy of activity.
During the whole day, the passage of planes and ships succeed one another, putting the nerves of the members of the unit to the test. Distant noises of detonation calm them down a little: apparently, the Japanese are chasing ghosts.
14:20 - The threat is getting closer! A Japanese patrol boat circles Falas, its crew scans the shoreline with binoculars, but the commando is well hidden and the small boat moves away without incident.
19:30 - In the administrative buildings on Moen Island, senior officers of the Combined Fleet take initial stock of the loss of the Mutsu. Nearly 300 survivors have been fished out but more than a thousand men are still missing. The possibility of an enemy attack is still being investigated, but is not considered the most likely: indeed, intensive searches did not uncover any submarines or enemy ships in the lagoon, and the Japanese doubt that an explosion of such violence could have been caused by a torpedo or a mine. The possibility of an accident, for example linked to a fire followed by a deflagration of the ammunition bunker in turret n°3, is now the preferred explanation.
20:00 - The men of Special Unit Z leave Falas by canoe. Three of the four Italian swimmers have regained some strength and are assisting the paddlers, but Marcolini is in a semi-coma. Fortunately, the long training of the Australian sailors pays off, and the lack of current makes their progress easier. Far to the southeast, lights on the islands of Moen and Dublon are evidence of unusual activity.
20:20 - The first canoes spot numerous moving lights, far to port; regular detonations can be heard: certainly ships which criss-cross the lagoon, always looking for intruders, and depth charging at random. The Japanese activity does not seem to have diminished. The Australian commandos redouble their vigilance... and paddle harder!
21:15 - Suddenly, a small patrol boat appears as if by magic, at a short distance. It sails all lights off, a black spot in the dark night, at low speed, therefore without noise. With such discretion, it would certainly have surprised the Volframio or even the Krait! But the canoes are even more invisible than him and the Japanese continues his way without spotting them...
22:00 - The four canoes enter the pass that should allow them to leave the lagoon.
Everything is calm. Without knowing it, the light boats pass easily over new mines that have been laid during the day!
22:25 - Once outside the lagoon, the men of Special Unit Z begin to use their flashlights to emit signals.
22:45 - The Australian canoes are approached by two Gamma swimmers, who were patrolling the exit of the pass waiting for them, as they had done the day before. Without losing time, the Gamma launches new coded light signals.
23:00 - The Volframio surfaces. The members of the commando go on board quickly, but unfortunately we have to carry the poor Marcolini.
23:15 - The Volframio dives and heads south without waiting.
Indochina Campaign
Battle of Laos
Hanoi - General Andou Rikichi goes to bed late. The staff meeting on the situation in Laos was stormy. Elements of the 56th Division sent to the ancient Kingdom of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol are now missing in Annam and Cochinchina.
General officers have been quarrelling, each one wanting to have more troops from the general reserve assigned to him. This one not being infinite, General Rikichi was obliged to be firm.
In fact, his subordinates agreed on only one thing: the Thais had to be on their own in Laos. But this was hardly possible. The seriousness of the situation on the Burmese front raised doubts in high places about the loyalty of the Thai troops. To leave them alone to the troops of the colonialists was to take the risk of seeing them give in to demoralization or even to treason. The Japanese general had to emphasize that regaining the initiative in Laos was politically unavoidable and that everyone should live with it.
This morning, after having slept less than five hours, Andou Rikichi returned to his office at the Metropole Hotel with a violent headache. Reports have already accumulated. One of them bears the recognizable and all too frequently used red ideograms - Sakkyuu (Urgent). The document comes from the Kempetai.
Usually, the Kempetai is the first to downplay local resistance movements. The Binh Xuyen, the Vietminh and the Hoa-Hao are unable to work together. They spend their time raiding villages rallied to the other factions to steal food and brutalize the inhabitants. It is true that there is a coordinating body for the Vietnamese resistance, the National United Front, which the Japanese know about thanks to their informers. But the unity that had prevailed until the battle of Dien Bien Phu was fading away as old differences were reawakened. Besides, how can you even get members of a Triad like the Bin Ladder in the same room together?
Triad like the Binh Xuyen, made up of pirates and kidnappers, religious fanatics like the Hoa-Hao and communists like the Vietminh?
However, this time, the Kempetai reports the arrival of Frenchmen in Nguyen Binh's entourage and seemed to be worried. The general frowns. He was not used to having his
intelligence services to send him such vague and imprecise messages. The writers of the report do not cite any specific facts, only a series of "signs". Decrease in raids between rebel groups, fewer attacks on Japanese targets. Generally speaking, these kinds of precursors precede a major operation.
Taking off his round iron-rimmed glasses, Andou Rikichi wipes them carefully, more to give himself time to think rather than out of any real need. Finally, he picks up his pen and simply replies, "Find out more. As it is, this information is useless and there are not enough troops available to launch a preventive attack.
General Andou has just opened another file when there is a polite knock on the door.
It is his orderly, who introduces a signals officer carrying dispatches.
- Your Excellency, the enemy has launched an important attack in the Ba-Be district. We have lost Cho-Ra and the district chief reports repeated attacks.
- Ba-Be, is that in Tonkin?
- Yes, Your Excellency, Bac-Kan province.
- Again?
Andou Rikichi stands up to face the large wall map of Indochina. He doesn't have to have to look for long. A large red-tipped pin still marks the attack launched five days earlier.
- They must be trying to cut the road to Cao-Bang through Thai-Nguyên and Ngan-Son.
Massaging the back of his neck, the Japanese general glances wearily at the chair so long occupied by his predecessor. Everyone laughed at Tyo because he was not able to defeat "a few peasants corrupted by a band of colonialists and armed with old rifles". During his career, Andou had already had to face the threat of the partisans. After all, it was his experience in pacifying the Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, as head of the 21st Army, that earned him an appointment to Indochina. But the forces he commands today are too weak to cover the country properly.
Around Bac-Kan - At night, the Lysanders of the "Louvre" harass the Japanese forces.
They take advantage of the absence of night fighters in the opposite camp to set fire to a small fuel depot in Cao-Bang.
During the day, fighters of the Epervier base make some strafing passes on the Japanese positions. A P-40 is shot down by flak (the pilot manages to jump into the sector held by the bo-dois). Two Mustangs are damaged after a clash with Ki-44 in the late afternoon.
Pacific Campaign
Operation Crocodile
Truk Lagoon, Carolines, 01:40 - On board the Krait, anxiety and impatience grow: Conte and Marcolini should be back, and the most pessimistic schedules have been exceeded for more than an hour. The night is now well advanced and the Krait must take the way of return without delay if it wants to leave the lagoon before the dawn. After having concerted with De la Penne, Captain Lyon decideds to wait a little longer, but to leave at 02:30 at the latest.
02:20 - The SLC of Conte and Marcolini finally arrives. The commandos of the special unit Z help the two Italian swimmers to get back on board. Conte, completely exhausted, is unable to say a word.
Marcolini's condition is worse, he is barely conscious. After hoisting the SLC on board, the MV Krait sets sail at 02:45, heading northwest.
03:20 - The daybreak is approaching, but also the alert that will not fail to provoke the detonation of the two charges under the Japanese ships. Because of the delay in the schedule, Lyon estimates that he has no chance of getting out of the lagoon and escaping before being spotted. He decides to stay in the lagoon for the day, hiding on the island closest to the exit. Everyone will try to escape by canoe the following night. Before heading to Falas Island, the men sabotage and ballast the two SLCs and throw them overboard in the middle of the lagoon.
04:25 - The MV Krait approaches Falas. The commandos unload all the necessary equipment in a cove and organize a meticulous guard. Only Page and Jones remain on the Krait, and scuttle it before joining their companions in a canoe at first light.
Meanwhile, if Marcolini is still in a semi-coma, Conte has regained enough strength to tell to his companions the continuation and the end of his mission: "After having left Luigi and Emilio, we headed for our target, which we had identified as a large battleship. Almost immediately, we spotted a small patrol boat, nearby, which was obviously watching the anchorage of the big beasts; we dived and continued our route with the compass, at a depth of 3-4 meters. But we soon came up against a net, in which we became entangled; the front of the maiale, sank into it until I reached my cockpit. With Evelino, we fought for more than thirty minutes to free the torpedo. Then, we had to dive under the net before we finally got under the hull of our target. We then had another problem when we detaching the explosive head from the SLC and trying to attach it to the hull of the Japanese battleship: the fastening system failed and the warhead started to sink! Evelino rushed to recover it before it disappeared, but in the panic, the mayale escaped us in its turn, I managed to get my hands on it.
Finally, we recovered the explosive head and regained control of the maiale, but we had to dive deep, more than 15 meters I think, especially Evelino, and we were exhausted.
I was able to cobble together a makeshift system to hold the warhead in place under the battleship and we set the timer to 05:00 as planned.
We made our way back under the net. Once back in the semi-diving, I noticed that Evelino had fainted. Fortunately, he had remained attached to the maiale but I was very afraid for him. I got rid of his oxygen mask and felt that he was regaining consciousness, but I preferred to tie him to the mayor's chair to make sure I wouldn't lose him. I then headed northeast, but I realized that this route was wrong when I discovered that we were very close to the shore of an island where lights that betrayed human settlements. The rain had stopped and I tried to make out the stars in a hole of clouds to orient myself and check the course given by the compass, but in vain... I continued on a trial and error basis, with many changes of course which made me lose time again. Finally, we passed what must have been Moen Island, I headed for Falo and luckily found the cove without too much trouble..."
05:10 - No signs of an explosion or warning were perceived by the Italian-Australian commando, although the two explosive heads should have been detonated several minutes ago... The disappointment is general.
05:29 - The battleship Mutsu is one of the most powerful ships in the Japanese battle line, yielding only to the Yamato and Musashi. For the moment, she is anchored at buoy number 2 in the area reserved for the 2nd battleship division (of which it is the only survivor after the loss of the Nagato), about 2 nautical miles southeast of Moen Island. Not far from him, other imposing ships Musashi on one side, the Yamashiro and Hyuga on the other (the Yamato is expected in about ten days).
Suddenly, a huge explosion shakes the Mutsu at the level of the turret n° 3 and breaks the powerful ship in two (some of the surviving sailors said they felt two successive explosions, the first and less violent one followed by another one, huge, a moment later). In a few minutes, the front part (with most of the superstructure) capsizes and sinks, while the stern stays afloat. The giant has just been shot down by a small team of Lilliputians from the other side of the world!
On Falas, the long-awaited explosion and its power triggers exclamations of joy. Lieutenant Page, alone, will report having distinguished two very close but distinct explosions. The congratulations comes from all sides. To the congratulations of Lyon, Durand de la Penne replies that he is happy to have been able to do as well against the Japanese as he had done in Alexandria. "Oh, don't worry, they were only English ships, after all!" replies the Australian Davidson, to the laughter of his teammates. Everyone knows that it was thanks to Durand de la Penne that there was not a single English death that night.
05:35 - The Yamashiro is the fastest to send launches to rescue the sailors of the Mutsu.
05:40 - The general alert is triggered on Truk. While rescue efforts are being organized, aircraft and patrol boats are ordered to search the lagoon and the surrounding area for a possible submarine or any other sign of the enemy.
06:05 - In the early morning light, the rescue team deploys around the stern of the Mutsu, still afloat, led by two destroyers and by the launches of the ships anchored in the same area. The first planes take off to sweep the area.
06:35 - The stern of the Mutsu sinks in turn.
09:15 - Camouflaged on Falas, the men of the Italian-Australian commando are overflown by a first seaplane. Many others will follow, because the lagoon seems to be in a frenzy of activity.
During the whole day, the passage of planes and ships succeed one another, putting the nerves of the members of the unit to the test. Distant noises of detonation calm them down a little: apparently, the Japanese are chasing ghosts.
14:20 - The threat is getting closer! A Japanese patrol boat circles Falas, its crew scans the shoreline with binoculars, but the commando is well hidden and the small boat moves away without incident.
19:30 - In the administrative buildings on Moen Island, senior officers of the Combined Fleet take initial stock of the loss of the Mutsu. Nearly 300 survivors have been fished out but more than a thousand men are still missing. The possibility of an enemy attack is still being investigated, but is not considered the most likely: indeed, intensive searches did not uncover any submarines or enemy ships in the lagoon, and the Japanese doubt that an explosion of such violence could have been caused by a torpedo or a mine. The possibility of an accident, for example linked to a fire followed by a deflagration of the ammunition bunker in turret n°3, is now the preferred explanation.
20:00 - The men of Special Unit Z leave Falas by canoe. Three of the four Italian swimmers have regained some strength and are assisting the paddlers, but Marcolini is in a semi-coma. Fortunately, the long training of the Australian sailors pays off, and the lack of current makes their progress easier. Far to the southeast, lights on the islands of Moen and Dublon are evidence of unusual activity.
20:20 - The first canoes spot numerous moving lights, far to port; regular detonations can be heard: certainly ships which criss-cross the lagoon, always looking for intruders, and depth charging at random. The Japanese activity does not seem to have diminished. The Australian commandos redouble their vigilance... and paddle harder!
21:15 - Suddenly, a small patrol boat appears as if by magic, at a short distance. It sails all lights off, a black spot in the dark night, at low speed, therefore without noise. With such discretion, it would certainly have surprised the Volframio or even the Krait! But the canoes are even more invisible than him and the Japanese continues his way without spotting them...
22:00 - The four canoes enter the pass that should allow them to leave the lagoon.
Everything is calm. Without knowing it, the light boats pass easily over new mines that have been laid during the day!
22:25 - Once outside the lagoon, the men of Special Unit Z begin to use their flashlights to emit signals.
22:45 - The Australian canoes are approached by two Gamma swimmers, who were patrolling the exit of the pass waiting for them, as they had done the day before. Without losing time, the Gamma launches new coded light signals.
23:00 - The Volframio surfaces. The members of the commando go on board quickly, but unfortunately we have to carry the poor Marcolini.
23:15 - The Volframio dives and heads south without waiting.
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