While General Kuropatkin’s 3rd Army batters its way into T’aipei (and nearly destroyinghis entire force in the process), the action turns to the seaborne landings on mainland Japan. Unfortunately, the landings are taking place at the same time as the battle of T’aipei, so the Russian commanders are completely unaware of just how close to defeat the Russian 3rd Army came to.
During Week 9, 1903, my 2nd Battle Squadron continues to shell Tokyo with great success; the naval academy is destroyed and the dreadnought, HJM Tatsuta is sunk in port.
As the Russian ships at Tokyo shelled the city and the 2nd Army besieged the city of Osaka, hoping to cut off all routes to the south to prevent a relief force from reaching Kagoshima, General Mikhail Alekseyev’s 1st Army was in position to initiate his assault upon the city. In all, General Alekseyev’s 1st Army comprised of eleven cavalry and ten infantry divisions, as well as eight batteries of artillery and the Russian 1st Battle Squadron anchored just off the coast. Defending the city was but one cavalry and five infantry divisions.
Battle of Kagoshima
On Feb 8, Generel Alexseyev ordered the preliminary land and sea bombardment to commence, which lasted all day and into the night. In the massive bombardment, the Russians fired over 200,000 shells from both artillery and naval guns that rattled house 80 miles away. The Japanese defenders, lacking any artillery themselves and no formal sort of defensive positions in place, could only huddle in buildings and homes and await the general ground attack:
At 7.30 AM the next day, there was a brief and unsettling silence as the bombardment tapered off and the Russian troops left their staging areas, formed up into uniform waves and advanced. Along the Kui-Shiu Road, the attack was almost a complete failure from the onset. Three Russian divisions were ordered forward to take positions held by the Japanese 31st Infantry Division, which had already lost some 20% of its men to the brutal preliminary shelling. Forced to advance into the enemy fire with no cover, however, the 19th and 20th Siberian Cavalry divisions were effectively wiped out before they even reached the enemy lines. The 22nd Cavalry made a brave frontal charge on the enemy position and managed to overwhelm the enemy position despite suffering nearly 80% losses (1/5 hp).
As the Russian right flank struggled in their advance, the left flank advanced all along their front. Again, here too the initial attack was met with stiff resistance; the Russian 31st Cavalry Division charged the Japanese 10th Infantry Division (it too at only 60% strength due to the opening shelling) and was repulsed with such losses that the division ceased to exist. However, the 27th Cavalry charged forward with such ferocity that they overran the Japanese defenses and a wild melee developed from which the 27th cavalry emerged victorious. Without waiting for reinforcements, the
27th wheeled north and charged enemy positions held by the Japanese 29th Infantry. The Japanese 29th steadfastly held their positions and the 27th Cavalry was reduced to just 20% of its original strength (1/5 hp) before the defenders surrendered.
By the morning of Feb 10th, General Alexseyev felt that a breakthrough was imminent; though casualties had been high the previous day, he felt that one final push could overwhelm the remaining resistance and the city would fall. The main drive was now focused near the center and far left flank of the Japanese line, So far, General Alexseyev has committed only five of his twenty-one divisions. Again, the Russian assaults were bloody, but by nightfall the attack was a success. Initially, the Russian 29th Cavalry was marched through the night to swing behind the Russian line in preparation of the morning attack. At 8.02 am, the Russian cavalry charged the Japanese 14th Cavalry division. Though the swift charge had cost them half their men (2/4 hp), the 29th took the enemy positions in a brief but bloody attack.
Meanwhile, General Alexseyev ordered the advance of four divisions to destroy the last remaining defenders still holding out in the city. At 10.23 am, the Russian began pushing west down the high ground overlooking the city to the east. The 1st Guards Cavalry charged a unit of Japanese home guards, hastily recruited to defend the city from its local populace. However, despite their lack of formal training, the home guards managed a stiff defense that cost the 1st Guards Cavalry half their men (2/4 hp) before the enemy positions were captured.
The Japanese 17th Infantry division held the last defended positions like madmen as the Russian troops made numerous attempts to overwhelm them, inching closer with each attempt. The 35th Infantry was repulsed with heavy losses (¼ hp) and the 20th Cavalry wiped out completely. The enemy positions were finally overrun at 5pm in the afternoon by the 5th Cavalry, though they too suffered heavy losses in the attack. With that, the city falls.
(2/4 hp).
Unlike the hapless assaults by the Russian 3rd Army, the 1st Army performed much better than Kuropatkin’s men. Casualties were much lighter, having lost only six divisions to the 3rd Army’s loss of twelve and Alexseyev could now turn his army north to link up with the Russian 2nd Army besieging Osaka. The 1st Battle Squadron was ordered to depart from Kagoshima towards the eastern coast of Osaka while Alexseyev marched north to link up with 2nd Army.
2nd Army’s twenty-one divisions and six batteries of artillery faced nine Japanese divisions bottled up in Osaka. General Vasily Gurko, commander of the 2nd Army, wisely opted not to attack the heavily defended city with little artillery support and no naval gun support and awaited the arrival of 1st Army from the south. Indeed, Gurko’s army was reinforced not only by 1st Army, but also by the late arrival of General Alexander Dutov’s 4th Reserve Army which made a seaborne landing just to the north of 2nd Army. With the arrival of the 4th Reserve Army, which numbered thirty-two divisions strong, the combined Russian forces outside of Osaka now numbered nearly 70 divisions. The three Russian armies begin shelling Osaka with artillery and awaited the arrival of naval support off the eastern coast.
As 1st Army marches north, the ring around Osaka proved to be ineffective as a small force of six Japanese Home Guard divisions marched through the city and down towards Kagoshima. Defending the city was only a small and weakened garrison of 5 cavalry and two infantry divisions (all damaged).
Meanwhile, the HJM Mikasa who had escaped from Tokyo earlier last week, now turned back from Kagoshima to attempt to return to Tokyo.
The HJM Mikasa, having turned to return to the safely of Tokyo harbor, is spotted by the Russian 2nd Battle Squadron:
10.33 AM - HJM Mikasa makes a dash for Tokyo
10.39 AM - HJM Mikasa spotted, squadron moves south to intercept
10.58 AM - the destroyers, Gilyak and Voslivi shell HJM Mikasa from a distance, hitting it twice (5/7 hp)
11.12 AM - the cruisers engage Mikasa at long range, causing considerable damage (2/7 hp)
11.19 AM - Latvia BB engages HJM Mikasa directly, hits it once (1/7 hp) before taking multple hits and sinks
11.30 AM - Radlov BB engages Mikasa and sinks her without taking damage
Meanwhile, to the north, the Russian 1st Cruiser Division, has steamed north from the Sea of Japan to intercept the tiny Japanese invasion force headed for the Kuril Islands:
3.59 AM - Japanese fleet spotted
4.10 AM - squadron gives chase
4.19 AM - enemy turns north hoping to lose pursuers in the darkness
4.29 AM - cruiser Amur engages HJM Harusama BB directly, suffers two hits (4.6 hp) but sinks Harusama
4.37 AM - cruiser Admiral Nakhimov II easily sinks HJM Kagero steam transport, 3 full Japanese infantry divisions lost to the sea
Finally, the East Asiatic Fleet arrives off the coast of Osaka later in the week and begins shelling the city - the naval bombardment destroys the city’s coastal forts and naval academy, as well as causing damage among the defenders.
In all, the invasions are taking much longer than I had anticipated. Though I greatly outnumber Osaka's garrison, I don't want to wreck my armies attacking full strength japanese infantry and suffer the same fate as the 3rd Army. The Osaka garrison is strong and the garrison at Tokyo is even stronger. Now that I have brought in the 4th Reserve Army, I have no reserves beyond those at Hong Kong that is reinforcing the ravaged 3rd Army at T'aipei. I am preparing to gather reinforcements in Korea, but it is taking time to do so.