WW2: Invasion of Japan?

[Wrench 9,478]

20 minutes of work....it needs more detail, cause my t psd didn't have any layers -since all the other skins are Natural Metal ™, so I'll have to make new layers for the rivets/panel lines, general wear and tear. I think I can reuse some Zeke decals on this for 332 Kokutai

 

J7W (standin) Allied Code name: Vic

 

wrench

kevin stein

[+Baltika 84]

Lookin' Goood

[MAKO69 186]

Here's the real J7W "SHINDEN". Your just doing a skin for the US plane that is a push prop XP-55 right? The J7 happens to be a plane I did a paper on at school. This plane was way ahead of its time. Get ride of the dorsal hump move tha canards back and make the vert stabs longer with drag wheels.

Edited July 20, 2009 by MAKO69

[Wrench 9,478]

I know, just a real fast and diry reskin of DATs Ass-Ender . I LOVE the shape of J7W aircraft....it's just soooo cool!!

 

It was used in a couple anime I used watch (an almost perfect 'clone' is launching from a carrier in "Wings of Honimise' at the beginning of the film - some good dogfight sequences with it too, in that one)

 

Wish Geo would finish his, and give us a real one, not a hack job done by me! Mabye the jet version too???

 

Baltika: ran the Okinawa terrain trhough the TE, retiled (I hope!!) all the airfields to G-AB1. I'll have to recheck the locations and possibly recenter on the 'new' 4 tile airbase. Also want to go through the targets ini, and remove all the Liberty ships from the Japanese convoys (cause they wouldn't have them!!!) and replce with the generic one, now set to "Maru"

 

I also want to 'experiment' with some forest TODs I have from the uncompleted Korea rebuild (think more like Europe). Those might look pretty good around the Home Islands and such.

 

wrench

kevin stein

[Wrench 9,478]

Ok, that trees experiment didn't go very well....I'll make some more changes and see what I like with it....if I can just get the forests on the "jungle tiles", I'll be happy. Damn 'paddy' tiles are what's messing me up, and their transitions...

 

I suppose some city/port tiles are wanted for the various and sundry cities scattered around the Home Islands?? They're easy enough to add; if you want targets on those it'll take a bit longer (as the cities themselves look like they could use some more serious tweeking....)

 

Got the airfields retiled (ok, 4 G-AB1 are bit large, but it does keep stuff from growing in the middle of the runways!) I'll have to repositon just about all of them, and change the facing on some to keep the direction as clear of hills as possible.

 

I have this week to work on things, and then after the 3rd of Aug, we're leaving for a week vacation to Lost Wages (Las Vegas for our non-US members ). So, I can contine with it when we get back the following weekend.

Along with the Solomons V.3, Tunisia...and.....and.....and.....

 

wrench

kevin stein

[+Baltika 84]

Sounds great, although I know what you mean about having too many projects on the go

 

I certainly wasn't expecting an upgrade of your upgrade for Okinawa

 

If it helps prioritise, my Operation Watchtower campaign file is more or less completed, along with Mareth Line, while Olympic/Ketsugo is still in the research/planning stages.

 

Have a good vacation :yes:

[Wrench 9,478]

I'm not leaving for a week yet!!!

 

Okinawa is getting more and more involved, as I find all my previous mistakes....however, the 'partial' reforestation seems to be going ok .... I even made a new TOD for the G-AB1 that has some trees in the corners. Using bit and pieces from GH, with a new forest tga (also by either Stary or Brain32)

 

added Kerama Retto, retiled Okinawa to grass and jungle, added the port tile to Naha and a few cities in Japan. Don't know what to do with the IJ bases in Korea (but'll prorbably spilt them into a new "region" -Occupied Korea. Unless you want to base B-29s there...there isn't any real space to add a Runway4 for them on the main islands ...although I could probaly squeeze it on to where Kadena is, since it's retiled and has a Runway1 on it now. Just twist the headings around until it fits within the cursed tiles. Can always fit 2 runway3 at Ie Shima, as is nearly historically correct. Gives another AAF fighter base....

 

Solomons in 98.6% ™ done; I'm just awating some new static aircraft for the IJN bases. Given up on the jungle/river/sea tiles, as I can't figure out HOW to get the jungle to fully cover it, and don't really want to bother Stary to make 3 entirely new TODs for them.

 

And of course, Tunisia is about 50% as I need to retarget all the cities....that's the most time consuming, even with my new cheater missions I made to use.

 

I"ll try to have some Ok screenies up later tonight. With the trees.

 

wrench

kevin stein

[MKSheppard 4]

Might be interested in the following on my website:

 

LINK: “DOWNFALL” Strategic Plan for Operations in the Japanese Archipelago by GENERAL HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES ARMY FORCES IN THE PACIFIC

 

and

 

LINK: THE JAPANESE PLANS FOR THE DEFENSE OF KYUSHU by HQ 6th Army in December 1945.

Edited July 21, 2009 by MKSheppard

[MKSheppard 4]

There's also this from Curtis Lemay and Bill Yenne's "Superfortress"

 

In anticipation of Operation Olympic, the invasion of the Japanese main island of Kyushu, which was set for November 1, 1945, plans had been laid to supplement the B-29s of the Twentieth Air Force with the striking power of the strategic air forces that had been brought to bear on Germany.

 

The plan called for the creation of U.S. Army Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific (USASTAF) along the lines of the U.S. Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSAFE) that had been set up to coordinate the activities of the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces in Europe. General Carl "Tooey" Spaatz, who had commanded the Eighth Air Force, and later the USSAFE, was assigned to command the USASTAF.

 

....

 

July 16 was also, coincidentally, the date that the bomber components and headquarters of the Eighth Air Force, the strategic air force that had helped to defeat Germany, were moved from Charleroi, Belgium, to Okinawa, where, two days later, they were officially integrated into the USASTAF.

 

At this time, there were 3692 B-17s in the USAAF, most of which had been assigned to the USSAFE and which would now be deployed to Okinawa via the Eighth Air Force. There were also 4986 B-24s in the USAAF. These were divided among the USSAFE, the Eleventh Air Force, which was attacking the Kuril Islands north of Japan from bases in the Aleutians, and the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) that were already flying raids against southern Japan from Okinawa. General Hap Arnold had been to Okinawa in June and now was impatient to see a thousand B-17s there as soon as possible!

 

General Jimmy Doolittle, who had led the first raid on Tokyo in April 1942, had gone on to lead the Eighth Air Force against the Germans. Now he was being assigned to lead the "Mighty Eighth" against the Japanese. He had left the Eighth Air Force on May 10, 1945, to go back to headquarters in Washington, and he was there on May 25 when the Joint Chiefs of Staff approved Operation Olympic. In the meantime, there were 1056 B-29s in service, and more than enough in production to bring the total to almost 2500 by November. Boeing's Seattle factory was also about ready to come on line as a fifth production facility with an order in place for 5000 B-29Cs.

 

Britain s Royal Air Force was also assembling the Tiger Force, a flotilla of Lancaster VII heavy bombers scheduled to join the USAAF heavy and very heavy bombers converging on Okinawa in anticipation of Operation Olympic.

 

....

 

By including the Tiger Force, there could have been as many as 10,000 strategic bombers available to support Operation Olympic, and as many as half again more on hand for Operation Coronet, the final assault on the Kanto Plain surrounding Tokyo, which was scheduled for March 1946. As Hap Arnold later articulated, the coordinated air plan called for B-29s to drop 200,000 tons of bombs per month on the invasion area alone, to be followed by 80,000 tons in the twenty-four hours preceding the landings. This compared with a monthly average of 34,402 tons that we dropped on Japan between May 1 and August 15, 1945.

 

[+Baltika 84]

@Wrench, thanks for the updates.

 

@MKSheppard, great research materials, thanks very much. Exactly the sort of thing that makes campaign building easier.

 

Cheers for now

[MKSheppard 4]

Some more research has yielded this:

 

RAF Tiger Force

30 to 36 Squadrons of Lancaster Mk VIIs for a total of 480 to 576 bombers on Okinawa and a commitment of 90,000 men to support the force.

 

Far East Air Forces (FEAF)

---Thirteenth Air Force

---Seventh Air Force

---Fifth Air Force

 

U.S. Army Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific (USASTAF)

 

Established 16 July 1945 with GEN Spaatz in command.

 

20th Air Force (formerly XXI Bomber Command) (B-29s - Marianas) -- MG LeMay

 

73rd Bomb Wing (VH) -- (Saipan, Isley Field) -- BG O'Donnell

 

497th Bomb Group (VH) (A Square)

 

869th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

870th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

871st Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

498th Bomb Group (VH) (T Square)

 

873rd Bomb Squadron (B-29)

874th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

875th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

499th Bomb Group (VH) (V Square)

 

877th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

878th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

879th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

500th Bomb Group (VH) (Z Square)

 

881st Bomb Squadron (B-29)

882nd Bomb Squadron (B-29)

883rd Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

58th Bomb Wing (VH) -- (Tinian, West Field) -- BG Ramey

 

40th Bombardment Group (Triangle S)

 

25th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

44th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

45th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

395th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

444th Bombardment Group (Triangle N)

 

676th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

677th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

678th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

679th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

462d Bombardment Group (Triangle U)

 

345th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

768th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

769th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

770th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

468th Bombardment Group (Triangle I)

 

792nd Bomb Squadron (B-29)

793rd Bomb Squadron (B-29)

794th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

795th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

313th Bomb Wing (VH) -- (Tinian, North Field) -- BG Davies

 

6th Bombardment Group (Circle R)

 

24nd Bomb Squadron (B-29)

39rd Bomb Squadron (B-29)

40th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

9th Bombardment Group (Circle X)

 

1st Bomb Squadron (B-29)

5th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

99th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

504th Bombardment Group (Circle E)

 

398th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

421st Bomb Squadron (B-29)

680th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

505th Bombardment Group (Circle W)

 

482th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

483rd Bomb Squadron (B-29)

484th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

509th Composite Group (Various Tail Markings)

 

393rd Bomb Squadron (B-29)

320th Troop Carrier Squadron (C-54)

 

314th Bomb Wing (VH) -- (Guam) -- BG Armstrong

 

19th Bombardment Group (Square M)

 

28th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

30th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

93rd Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

29th Bombardment Group (Square O)

 

6th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

43rd Bomb Squadron (B-29)

52nd Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

39th Bombardment Group (Square P)

 

60th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

61st Bomb Squadron (B-29)

62nd Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

330th Bombardment Group (Square K)

 

457th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

485th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

459th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

315th Bomb Wing (VH) -- (Guam, Northwest Field) -- BG Power

 

16th Bombardment Group (Diamond B)

 

15th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

16th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

17th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

331st Bombardment Group (Diamond L)

 

355th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

356th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

357th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

501st Bombardment Group (Diamond Y)

 

21st Bomb Squadron (B-29)

41st Bomb Squadron (B-29)

485th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

502d Bombardment Group (Diamond H)

 

402nd Bomb Squadron (B-29)

411th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

430th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

VII Fighter Command (Saipan, East Field) -- BG Moore

 

6th Night Fighter Squadron (P-61D)

548th Night Fighter Squadron (P-61D)

549th Night Fighter Squadron (P-61D)

 

15th Fighter Group (Iwo Jima)

 

45th Fighter Squadron (P-51D)

47th Fighter Squadron (P-51D)

78th Fighter Squadron (P-51D)

 

21st Fighter Group (Iwo Jima)

 

46th Fighter Squadron (P-51D)

72nd Fighter Squadron (P-51D)

531st Fighter Squadron (P-51D)

 

318th Fighter Group (Ie Shima, Okinawa)

 

19th Fighter Squadron (P-47N)

73rd Fighter Squadron (P-47N)

333rd Fighter Squadron (P-47N)

 

8th Air Force (B-17s - Okiwana) -- Doolittle. (Full Strength to be reached Feb 1946)

 

NOTES: Originally, it had been planned apparently to bring the entire 8th Air Force over from Europe, with their B-17s and B-24s. However it was eventually decided to convert the 8th to B-29s; with B-17 and B-24 crews transitioning after six weeks of training in B-29s in the United States. During the conversion to Very Heavy Bomb Groups, the number of squadrons per group dropped from four to three.

 

316th Bomb Wing

 

333rd Bomb Group

 

435th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

436th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

507th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

346th Bomb Group

 

461st Bomb Squadron (B-29)

462nd Bomb Squadron (B-29)

463rd Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

382nd Bomb Group

 

420th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

464th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

872nd Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

383rd Bomb Group

 

876th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

880th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

884th Bomb Squadron (B-29)

 

Unspecified B-29 Wing (War ended)

 

Unspecified B-29 Wing (War ended)

 

301st Fighter Wing

 

413th Fighter Group (Ie Shima, Okinawa)

 

1st Fighter Squadron (P-47N)

21st Fighter Squadron (P-47N)

34th Fighter Squadron (P-47N)

 

414th Fighter Group (Iwo Jima)

 

413th Fighter Squadron (P-47N)

437th Fighter Squadron (P-47N)

456th Fighter Squadron (P-47N)

 

506th Fighter Group (Iwo Jima)

 

457th Fighter Squadron (P-51D)

458th Fighter Squadron (P-51D)

462nd Fighter Squadron (P-51D)

 

507th Fighter Group (Ie Shima, Okinawa)

 

463rd Fighter Squadron (P-47N)

464th Fighter Squadron (P-47N)

465th Fighter Squadron (P-47N)

[+Baltika 84]

Excellent. You have just saved me a ton of work. Researching OOBs can often be tricky, unless you come across a good textbook where some kind historian has done all the research. Or, you can spend a while digging around on the internet. Comprehensive, unit-level lists are not always easy to find. With that list, I can move straight to compiling the campaign data.ini file.

 

Thanks again

 

Baltika

[+Baltika 84]

Oh yeah,

 

On a more general note:

 

If anyone has a particular WW2 campaign they would like to see implemented, but think they can't help because they can't "mod," they can do a lot to make it happen by taking a leaf out of MKSheppard's book, and doing a little bit of research. I can't say how much that helps, and how much time it can save from the campaign file creation process. Unit names, equipment, any upgrades, base locations, and even any info about notable aces, is all extremely useful, and not necessarily easy to find in one place, or at least not without trawling through a lot of more general material.

 

Thanks agin, MK.

[Wrench 9,478]

ok, has some screenies to post...but look at this thread and see why I can't...

 

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=44704

 

weirdest goddam thing I've every frakking seen! The same runs and looks great, but can't take screenies!

 

maybe i shuld back up the whole install, for safe keeping to the external, and patch C drive version to 08 and see what happens...

This pisses me off to *&^%$#@ end!!!

 

btw: the 498th SuperForts, T-Sqaure skin is already done ... that's the one I did (all 3 squadrons)

 

wrench

kevin stein

[MKSheppard 4]

How will Kamikazes' be represented?

 

By a ground vehicle (Airbase) that launches optically guided "SSMs"?

[MKSheppard 4]

Oh mang, this is awesome. While doing work on 5th Air Force's V Fighter COmmand, specifically the 58th FG, I found out awesome:

 

The 201st Mexican Fighter Squadron (Escuadron Aereo de Pelea 201) “Aguilas Aztecas” or “Aztec Eagles” (P-47D-30-RA) arrived and actually did fly combat missions; and had an unique marking setup:

 

[MKSheppard 4]

Slight update:

 

The 414th FG on Iwo Jima actually received 30 x P-80As before the end of the war against Japan, but they lacked wingtip tank and batteries; so were not used before the war ended in August. I don't know which squadron got them, or would have.

 

Additionally, the 412th Fighter group (29th FS, 31st FS, 445th FS) was working up to deploy with their P-80As to the PTO when the war ended.

[Erwin_Hans 6]

Maybe plus some KMT?

[MKSheppard 4]

Here's the allied OOB I've got (so far)

 

Just added 5th AF:

 

Link to Allied OOB

[Fatman 3]

July 23, 2009

 

I hope this information is helpful for the WW2: Invasion of Japan

 

OPERATION DOWNFALL

 

United States was planning two invasions as follows:

 

OLYMPIC on November 1, 1945 with 12 Divisions. The troop list was as follows Corps

 

25^th Infantry Division, 33^rd Infantry Division, 41^st Infantry Division, 81^st Infantry Division,

 

and 98^th Infantry Division. Amphibious Corps were 3^rd Marine, Division, 4^th Marine

 

Division, and 5^th Marine Division.. Preliminary OPNS were 40^th Infantry Division, and

 

158^th Infantry RCT

 

Follow-Up Units were 11^th Airborne Division, and 77^th Infantry Division. The Navy was to

 

have 42 Aircraft Carriers, 24 Battleships, 400 Destroyers, and Destroyer Escorts.

 

CORONET on March 1, 1946 with 12 Divisions. The troop list was as follows Corps 7^th

 

Infantry Division, 27^th Infantry Division, 96^th Infantry Division, 6^th Infantry Division, 32^nd

 

Infantry Division, and 38^th Infantry Division. Amphibious Corps were 1^st Marine Division,

 

2rd Marine Division, and 6^th marine Division. Corps (Reserve Afloat) were 13^th Armored

 

Division, and 20^th Armored Division. AFDAL Reserve was 97^th Infantry Division

 

 

Numbers of Japanese Aircraft available to defend their Homeland.

 

 

By the northern summer of 1945, top American planners held the view that Japan had exhausted their Airforce, as US bomber and fighter aircraft were flying over Japan essentially unmolested.

 

But, the Japanese were deliberately husbanding their aircraft, fuel and pilots, holding them in reserve against the day that their country would be invaded by US forces. Allied intelligence considered 2,500 Japanese aircraft were available, with perhaps an additional 300 available to be deployed in suicide attacks. In fact, how very wrong these estimates were, in August of 1945, the Japanese nation had 5, 651 Army and 7,074 Navy aircraft, IE 12,725 aircraft of all types available to defend the Homeland. In addition, a newer and more effective model of Okka, a rocket propelled bomb, like the German V-1, but flown by a suicide pilot, were being built and becoming available.

 

Fatman

[+daddyairplanes 8,710]

It was expected to be a messy affair. over a million purple hearts were minted in expectation of the invasion. i believe they were using that batch all the way through the 80's before they had to mint some new ones.

[+daddyairplanes 8,710]

How will Kamikazes' be represented?

 

By a ground vehicle (Airbase) that launches optically guided "SSMs"?

 

 

Japanese fighters escorted larger flights of kamikazes so that US fighters didn't pick off to many before the target. would it be possible to list the suicide planes as ordinance and space them way off the wings? Noobish dumb question but if it works.....

[Wrench 9,478]

416th FS P-80:

 

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autoc...p;showfile=3223

 

one day I'll get around to updating the buzz and serial numbers; they're too dark and may be the wrong font. But the nose arts are nice!

 

I'd started a Mexican P-47 (and a Brazillian one for the ETO) some time back, but never finished it. The Aztec Eagles (historically) flew in the Phillipines, too. There was a write up on them on Aviatin History magazine a year or so back.

 

Speaking of Jugs, we REALLY could use some more (and squadron level) skins for Russo's N. hint hint

 

unfortunately, Formosa's waaayyy off the edge of map, and not represented, so no KMT or Allied aircraft can be based there. Also, historically, wasn't Formosa bypassed in favor of the Central Pacific/Ryuku drive? As McArthur "wanted" to return to the PI. I know that fighting was still going on there until VJ-Day, as my father was there!

 

Kamaikazis, in particular the Okha, have been discussed before...the only 'workable' solution is an EOGR weapon. Unlike the LucasArts X-Wing series, there's no mission order for aircraft "suicide attack".

 

wrench

kevin stein

[jomni 6]

Yup Formosa was never invaded by the Allies.

[MKSheppard 4]

Speaking of Jugs, we REALLY could use some more (and squadron level) skins for Russo's N. hint hint

 

I can start gathering some material so I can do some squadron level skins for the -47N to contribute to this mod...