Asia-Pacific War: Jul-Dec 1979
The War Against Japan
July – December 1979
A Technate "incinerator" in action against the Japanese
Hainan
August, 1979
July – December 1979
A Technate "incinerator" in action against the Japanese
Hainan
August, 1979
Opening Blows
The entry of the United States into the war on June 30, 1979 caused a maelstrom in the Pacific as the belligerents’ vessels and aircraft raced to strike first. American and Japanese submarines prowled each other’s waters forcing merchant shipping into port. On July 2, Japan scored a surprise upset against the Allies when, contrary to the predictions of U.S. Navy commanders, scores of Japanese missiles slammed into the American navl base at Subic Bay in the Philippines. Although the U.S Asiatic Fleet had put to sea during the preceding weeks, the missiles destroyed or damaged a large number of dry docks, communication facilities, and oil storage depots. Rear Admiral P.G. Yost, the man responsible for base defense, would be recalled to Washington over his inadequate preparations.
Hainan
Throughout July, a brutal battle of attrition continued unabated on the island of Hainan. Technate troops burned the Japanese out of their defenses one pillbox and tunnel at time. A difficult task aided by the deployment of flamethrower-equipped cataphracts known simply as Fénhuà lú (“incinerators”). The Japanese defenders expected no quarter and Chinese commander General Liu Bangguo ensured none was offered. On August 18, General Liu declared the island secure although desperate pockets of Japanese survivors would emerge periodically for the next three months. Virtually the entire Japanese civilian population on Hainan was either evacuated by the Japanese government, killed in the fighting, or “removed for safety concerns” and interned on the Chinese mainland. Some estimates but the total casualties for the Battle of Hainan at over 1.1 million, making it one of the costliest engagements of the war. Many feared that the next major operation, the invasion of Formosa, would be even bloodier.
Korea
Korean protestors grapple with Japanese police
Pusan, Korea
September, 1979
By the second half of 1979, the Korean tinderbox was ready to ignite. Allied propaganda made it well known that if victorious an independent state would be established after the war, an attractive prospect to most Koreans. Over the past year, a steady stream of Technate Special Forces units had infiltrated into Korea. Resupplied by airdrops or living off the land, these roving detachments sabotaged rail lines and attacked soft targets forcing a far larger number of Japanese troops into static defense. More importantly, Chinese Special Forces began to organize Koreans, mostly deserters form the Imperial Japanese Army, to fight against their overlords. Armed with captured Japanese weapons, these guerrilla bands proved near impossible to squash as they often blended into civilian populations or hid in Korea’s rugged mountainous terrain. Japanese reprisals against villages and cities thought to be sympathetic to these guerillas was swift and brutal. Understandably, this only further angered the Korean people. In early September, a series of wildcat strikes by Korean workers soon spread to encompass the entire peninsula. Japanese authorities denounced the strikes as treason and ruthlessly tried to force laborers back to work. In a single week, an estimated 800 to 1,200 Koreans died in attempts to break the strike. By October, Korea was declared to be in open revolt. Many cities, including Hamhung, Seoul, Pusan, and Pyongyang became paralyzed by guerrilla attacks and street violence. Large numbers of Japanese colonists who had settled in Korea over the past several decades fled to Japan as vengeful Koreans sought revenge for 80 years of subjugation.
South Pacific
In the South Pacific, the United States and the British Commonwealth decided against attempting to retake the myriad of islands seized by Japan at the start of the war. Isolated and bereft of supplies, the Allies believed the garrisons on these islands posed little threat. The lone exception being the island of New Britain, which by hosting several Japanese airfields, remained a dangerous nuisance. Endeavoring to neutralize the Japanese presence, the Allies mounted no less than four high altitude bombing raids with varying results. A small taskforce led by the aircraft carrier HMCS Maple Leaf continued to put pressure on the islands in order to divert dwindling Japanese resources.
Bonin Islands
USS Puerto Rico firing on Iwo Jima
November 5, 1979
Having ruled out a South Pacific approach, the United States moved against the Bonin Islands located some 1,000 km south of Tokyo. Although sparsely populated, the Bonins were targeted due to their proximity to the United States Territory of Micronesia and the obstacle they posed to American bombers flying out of Saipan and Guam. The United States commander in the Pacific, Admiral Donnell Thornburg, ordered the systematic bombing off all occupied Bonin Islands, a laborious and costly task that ended up consuming a huge chunk of America’s bombers. The United States Army Air Corp under General Olen Ferrara, who wished to concentrate on bombing the Japanese Home Islands, opposed this strategy. Despite the controversy, tens of thousands of tons of ordinance was dropped on the tiny volcanic islands by November. The first island to be attacked was Iwo Jima “Sulfur Island.” The Japanese viewed the Bonins as their first line of defense against the Americans and fortified them accordingly. Originally uninhabited, Iwo Jima had since the 1950s hosted a sizable airfield and missile complex. While aerial bombardment had rendered the surface a wasteland, the island’s maze of underground tunnels and bunkers were still largely intact when elements of the 1st Marine Division and 3rd Infantry Division stormed ashore on November 5. The landing of green American troops against seasoned Japanese veterans proved chaotic to say the least. The Navy, comprising the bulk of the Asiatic, Central Pacific, East Pacific, and South Atlantic Fleets, fared little better as anti-ship missiles from neighboring Chichi Jima sunk several vessels including the aircraft carrier USS Valley Forge and the battleship USS Mahetane . The British Commonwealth provided naval support during Iwo Jima as well, losing amongst others the missile cruiser HMS Gibraltar. The Japanese declined to commit their remaining aircraft carriers to the fight sealing the island’s fate. When the island was finally deemed cleared on December 21 over 9,481 allied soldiers, sailors, and aviators had lost their lives with nearly 27,000 wounded. At home, Americans would celebrate a somber Christmas as President Stewart tried to persuade them that the sacrifice was worth it.
Japan
In Tokyo, Prime Minister Ryota Hayashi felt besieged as the Japanese war effort faltered. By December, Japan stood alone against the combined might of the Chinese Technate, British Commonwealth, and the League of American Republics. Japanese cities were increasingly coming under attack by Allied bombers leaving large swaths of Hiroshima, Kyoto, Osaka, and Sapporo in flames. The Allied navies had twelve aircraft carriers compared to Japan’s remaining five. The Imperial Japanese Army had lost Indochina, Hainan, Papua, and Iwo Jima. Korea was disintegrating into rebellion and shortages of everything from food, fuel, and raw materials were causing the Japanese economy to sputter to a halt. At a cabinet meeting on December 24, several ministers called on Hayashi to enter into negotiations with the Allies. Hayashi curtly refused, stating that submitting to the Allies demands would be “a dishonor unbefitting the Japanese Empire and his Imperial Majesty.” As such, the 1980s dawned with half the world still at war.
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