22.04.2008, 14:12
Below are some WIP views of my first map modding project.
![[Image: IJ01.jpg]](http://www.ijeremiah.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/IJ01.jpg)
The Sakishima islands on the southern end of the Okinawa chain. 260KM square.
![[Image: IJ02.jpg]](http://www.ijeremiah.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/IJ02.jpg)
Iromote island.
![[Image: IJ03.jpg]](http://www.ijeremiah.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/IJ03.jpg)
Looking towards Ishigaki. There were three Japanese airfields here and another three on Miyako island.
(The link is inoperative) vic09-map.jpg
(The link is inoperative) vic09-1.jpg
(The link is inoperative) vic09-2.jpg
(The link is inoperative) vic09-4.jpg
Bombs from Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Avengers explode on Nobara airstrip, Miyako.
During the Battle for Okinawa (Operation Iceberg) the four fleet carriers of the British Pacific Fleet (BPF; known to the U.S. Navy as Task Force 57) provided about twenty percent of Allied naval air power.
The British Pacific Fleet was assigned the task of preventing the Japanese using the Sakishima Islands as a staging posts for flying reinforcements from China and Formosa (Tawian) to the main Okinawa Islands. The BPF flew twice daily bombing sorties, as well as fighter sweeps, to neutralize Japanese airfields on the three main islands of Sakishima Gunto, which it did successfully from March 26th until April 10th 1945. On the 10th of April it's attention was shifted to airfields on northern Formosa. The force withdrew to San Pedro Bay for maintenance on the 23 April. Although by then a commonplace event for the U.S. Navy, this was the longest time that a Royal Naval fleet of that size had been maintained at sea.
From the 4th of May, the BPF returned to action, subduing the airfields as before, this time with naval bombardment as well as aircraft. Several kamikaze attacks caused significant damage, but since the British carriers had three inch thick armoured flight decks, they only experienced a brief interruption to their flying program.
The BPF suffered from a number of logistic and technical problems compared with the better equipped US Navy. First the Royal Navy carriers weren't designed to operate in the stifling heat of the pacific, the hanger deck lacked ventilation, making working conditions nearly impossible during the day. Secondly to operate as a USN Task Force the fleet need to be maintained at sea for extended periods, with a pattern of two days on operations followed by a day replenishing at sea.
Unlike the Americans the Royal Navy had no purpose built oilers and stores ships, instead relying on an inadequate number of converted merchant ships with mostly civilian crew. Admiral Frasier, in charge of the fleet train, performed near miracle's but their were still many occasions when the fleet needed more that a single day to refuel and this in turn led to some minor disruptions to operations as Task Group 52.1 of the USN was required to cover in the BPF's absence.
Ian
The Sakishima islands on the southern end of the Okinawa chain. 260KM square.
Iromote island.
Looking towards Ishigaki. There were three Japanese airfields here and another three on Miyako island.
(The link is inoperative) vic09-map.jpg
(The link is inoperative) vic09-1.jpg
(The link is inoperative) vic09-2.jpg
(The link is inoperative) vic09-4.jpg
Bombs from Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Avengers explode on Nobara airstrip, Miyako.
During the Battle for Okinawa (Operation Iceberg) the four fleet carriers of the British Pacific Fleet (BPF; known to the U.S. Navy as Task Force 57) provided about twenty percent of Allied naval air power.
The British Pacific Fleet was assigned the task of preventing the Japanese using the Sakishima Islands as a staging posts for flying reinforcements from China and Formosa (Tawian) to the main Okinawa Islands. The BPF flew twice daily bombing sorties, as well as fighter sweeps, to neutralize Japanese airfields on the three main islands of Sakishima Gunto, which it did successfully from March 26th until April 10th 1945. On the 10th of April it's attention was shifted to airfields on northern Formosa. The force withdrew to San Pedro Bay for maintenance on the 23 April. Although by then a commonplace event for the U.S. Navy, this was the longest time that a Royal Naval fleet of that size had been maintained at sea.
From the 4th of May, the BPF returned to action, subduing the airfields as before, this time with naval bombardment as well as aircraft. Several kamikaze attacks caused significant damage, but since the British carriers had three inch thick armoured flight decks, they only experienced a brief interruption to their flying program.
The BPF suffered from a number of logistic and technical problems compared with the better equipped US Navy. First the Royal Navy carriers weren't designed to operate in the stifling heat of the pacific, the hanger deck lacked ventilation, making working conditions nearly impossible during the day. Secondly to operate as a USN Task Force the fleet need to be maintained at sea for extended periods, with a pattern of two days on operations followed by a day replenishing at sea.
Unlike the Americans the Royal Navy had no purpose built oilers and stores ships, instead relying on an inadequate number of converted merchant ships with mostly civilian crew. Admiral Frasier, in charge of the fleet train, performed near miracle's but their were still many occasions when the fleet needed more that a single day to refuel and this in turn led to some minor disruptions to operations as Task Group 52.1 of the USN was required to cover in the BPF's absence.
Ian