Spring 1944

Chindits capture Mandalay

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1_uScDMpIM...00/2ymzvk6.jpg

Led by the unusual Orde Wingate, the Chindits on a legendary journey, passed through Japanese held lines in the mountains north of dacca, then supplied only by airdrops, trekked through the jungle mountains on the burmese border, crossed the Irawaddy and captured the ancient city of Mandalay, scattering the surprised Japanese garrison.

Spring 1944

Allies capture Rangoon

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US marines and British commonwealth troops make landings on the coast near rangoon and then captured the city which was garrisoned mainly by Royal Siamese soldiers who largely fled or surrendered, rather than fight to death for the Japanese.

Spring 1944

US submarines keeping pressure on Japanese shipping

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new developments in Japanese ASW offset by improvements in allied technology and doctrine.

1 sub factor lost for 4 transports sunk, aborted. 14 remain in use, up to 5 oil may ship

Spring 1944

High risk Chinese Army Assault in Northern Burma a success

http://www.ww2incolor.com/d/324572-5...20helmets_2001

after much cajoling by American emissaries, generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek agrees to launch a high risk assault on Japanese positions in northern China. Luckily for the allies, the attack caught the Japanese by surprise and resulted in a complete rout of the defending forces.

Combined with the invasion at Rangoon and the Chindit's capture of mandalay, the Japanese hold on India and Burma looks very tenuous

Spring 1944

New USAAF Bomber makes debut in the Pacific theater

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The latest US bomber, the B29, revolutionary in many aspects, has begun deployment to the pacific theater.

US produces 5 pacific bomber factors

In Europe, both the US and GB expand their bomber fleets to increase the scale of the attack on the German heartland

Spring 1944

Soviet Union continues rearmament

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despite still paying war reparations to Germany, with the aid of massive materiel assistance from the USA, the Soviet Union has succeeded in rebuilding the Red Army and Red Air Force to a historic high strength.

Also a new Industrial Center has been installed in Baku, on the Caspian

German commanders on the Eastern Front privately express doubts that the peace will hold much longer.

Summer 1944

Japanese Offensive in India catches allies by surprise

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Hi...oopsImphal.jpg

Despite the allied invasion at Rangoon threatening to isolate the Japanese forces in India, Japan launched an attack on the allied line that overwhelmed the mixed allied force and made a breakthrough. Exploiting armor has captured the North Indian city of Patna and threaten Calcutta.

Summer 1944

German attrition forces allies back to the coast of North West France

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German attrition forces allies back from Rennes towards Brittany. St Nazaire is still in allied hands.

Summer 1944

Major Struggle in the Atlantic

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Both sides still experiencing heavy losses in the Battle of the Atlantic

2 uboats sunk for 5 transports sunk and 7 aborted

Summer 1944

Soviet Union restarts war with Germany

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With the thunder of guns in the Rostov area, the General Secretary of the Soviet Union, Lavrenty Beria, announces that the terms of surrender agreed upon in 1943 are no longer in effect, and that henceforward a state of war exists between the Soviet Union and Germany.

Summer 1944

Red Army offensive in the Rostov area breaks German line in two places

http://www.ww2incolor.com/d/588612-4...grad_front1944

Supported with Katyusha rockets and close ground support from the newly re-equipped and trained Red Air Force, the Red Army made breakthroughs in two locations in the German line, at Q44 just north of Rostov and at N47 just West of Stalingrad.

Red Army tank divisions have exploited through the line to isolate most of the German army between Stalingrad and Rostov. In addition, the German controlled cities of Stalingrad and Kuybyshev and now under siege by Red Army units.

There are also rumours that some Red Army Tank units have reached the outskirts of the city of Kharkov.

total 12 russian infantry lost for 6 german and 2 ukrainian

Summer 1944

Allied bombers face strong resistance over Germany

http://freepages.military.rootsweb.a..._3-26-1944.jpg

Strong German defenses of jets, interceptors, and other aircraft are complemented by radar controlled flak batteries around key cities.

Heavy losses in the battles developed

Britain loses 3 bombers and 1 interceptor, the us loses 4 bombers and 2 interceptors while germany loses 1 jet, 1 aaf, 3 interceptors and 10 brps of bomb damage

Summer 1944

Allies liberate Athens

http://neoskosmos.com/news/sites/def...les/crete1.jpg

Despite very heavy losses from inspired German resistance in the mountainous terrain of Greece, British commonwealth ground forces, supported by USAAF aircraft finally managed to defeat the axis defenses and capture Athens in a five week campaign ending in a large ground assault on the defended city.

Germany loses Athens and two factors, allies lose 3 AAF and a 3-4 mech infantry

Summer 1944

Battle of the Po valley

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The allies already crossed the Po near the Adriatic coast, but the campaign to widen the crossing turned into one of the biggest and costliest battles of the Mediteranean front.

Nearly half the luftwaffe were engaged in defending the weak sector. Massive air battles between the allies and the Germans led to 6 AAF being lost to each in air combat. With air superiority still denied the allies, a major ground assault was launched depending on luck and audacity to bring victory.

The Vichy and Italian forces defending were powerfully augmented by effective Luftwaffe ground support that cost the allies severely in men and tanks, although luftwaffe losses to ground fire were in the end very heavy too.

After the defenders were finally cleared from the sector, American armor units exploited into the Alps covering the approaches into Southern Germany.

Losses in air to air: 6 aaf each
Germany loses italian 3-3, vichy 2-3, 5 aaf. Allies lose 5o6 armor, 6 infantry

Summer 1944
Battle of Brittany-Normandy

http://www.wc57.com/WC-56_Rennes_JPEG.jpg

Unlike the Po campaign and Athens, the Allies operations in Brittany went relatively smoothly. Aware of allies air superiority in the sector, the German air commander declined to engage the allies heavily to avoid losses.

The allied ground campaign, led by General Patton went as planned. The allies recaptured Rennes then exploited East into Normandy, isolating the Contentin peninsular, and South-East toward Paris.

The allies suffered only minor losses, Germany lost 14 infantry factors