Wobbly vs herb, ens hanamato

[jolly_pillager]

Go get 'em!

[8D]

[veji1]

Brrrr... I am shivering...

[1275psi]

dawn -and we prepare
And wait
And wait

About midday, news at last -enemy CV spotted back at Ponape -we have caught them out -they do not seek battle!

we turn back towards rabual -our fuel is totally exhausted

And then the news begins to trickle in
Mushuia is sinking!
yamato is sinking!
many DDs are are sunk, or sinking!

And the story unfolds
last night Kirishima and haranua swept in -and fought for 3 hours a mere 16 PT boats
nagato and Mutsu also could not sink them,
Nor could tanaka in his large force

For 40 odd DDs, 6 or 7 CA, and 4 BB, just a single shell hit Lunga!
During the retreat -and this is only how I can describe it -3 DDs were left behind, and 2 dozen or so beaforts went to work

CVE Shinyo has sunk
Mushia wore 3 torps, yamato only 1 -but what did it hit ?-64000 ton crippled by a single torp!

My brother must have been lucky, they missed nagato

Now the situation is desperate -the enemy put over 100 P 38s onto Lunga, hoping we would fight them - now the convoy is exposed -the troops are unloading today!

Our navy has only one choice, the old BBs go in tonight - we cannot cover them.

Moral sags
I never imagined PT boats sealing the fate of the empire!

[jolly_pillager]

[X(]

ouch.

[1275psi]

1/5/43
After our fruitless day of waiting for the enemy carriers, our fleet is retiring to rabual
Clouds of despair hang over the command bridge -the confusion is thick, one can almost feel it!

Again last night 2 task forces -4 Bbs strong attempted to shut down the field at lunga
Again the PTs delayed our battlewagons -and extracted a terrible price -3 Dds, a CL all crippled, or sinking
But the troops -21 div is ashore!
65 brigade is trying to land as I write!

A large task force -BBs! spotted in the coral sea - racing to hit the invasion -can our troops get off in time!
We have no fuel to help!

More news -Tokyo rose reports "a fluid front in Burma"
What does a fluid front mean!

never mind.
If the Subs can be avoided, we will try to make rabual

More news -Mushia may survive -she is crawling to shortlands, Yammato as well
One of our recon pilots tells us he spotted Mushia today -making 6 knots -her bow submerged to the 1st great turret!

what courage her sailors are showing!
I will avenge her!

[1275psi]

2/5/43

the invasion suffered a set back last night -yet all is not lost
We are listening to the allied radio -ours is depressingly silent on the war -full of light music, a bad sign I feel

The allies claim 3 DD, maybe 4 sunk at tassafronga -but the fleeing convoy has escaped -and most of the troops are ashore

sacrifice of the escorts has been heavy
The men, the objective has been achieved

All day I fly today, LRCAP, up and down the solomons chain
For the entire length of it I see struggling ships - and I cry tears of frustration and rage

Once mighty fleet, now seemingly in tatters!
rabual will be no haven -it will be 4 days before any fuel arrives -what a logistical disaster!

But 20000 men are ashore at Lunga -and we now have a true war on our hands.
One feels totally fatigued -yet i know, the effort to be asked of us has only just begun!

[1275psi]

3/5/43

We are still approaching rabual
Today a terrible sight, we passed a heavily damaged DD crawling north
The destruction wrought to the poor ship was horrible, yet it struggles on.

At Munda, 65 brigade got ashore -Its transports were sunk, or smashed at Dawn from lunga.

21 division sends a message
"Happily ashore"
Army intact, unable to advance until supplies sent!
Please assist!

Please assist!
first we must re organise, then we must await fuel, then, then, then.......

I feel bad times ahead.
Tomorrow more recruits are coming, they , and new planes await us.
I fear the new recruits will get no training -into the furnace we are going to throw them.

[1275psi]

4/5/43

We finally arrive back into rabual
2 lousy tankers are trying to refuel the fleet.
I cannot believe how a single week can change things, we sailed so mighty and so strong, intent on crushing the impudent amaericans.

Now we are stuck in a morass called lunga, where the 21st division calls daily for support -and here we sit , waiting for the fuel to arrive.

The allies bombed many points in the solomons today -attacking our retreating APs and AKs.
This cannot be allowed to go on!

Another very, very busy day, replacement pilots onboard -children -one just knows even learning their names will be a waste of time -some have flown for as little as 10 hrs!!

banno is his usual brutal realistic self -never mind Oda! he says -they will absorb the wing gulled ammo supplies!, while we veterans rack up victory after victory!

We both know though, deep down , victory is a rapidly fading hope.

We have 3 days I hear, before operations, real operations will recommence.

[1275psi]

5/5/43
At long last a AO comes alongside -and we begin refuelling

more tankers due in the next 2 days, so not long until we sail again

The volcano at rabual smokes evilly -a portent of the future?

NO!
We will smash the enemy!

Good news, yamato has successfully got away from shortlands.
Mushia is still 20% flooded -but winning, she is totally crippled
We hope we can get her home with her sister -it will be a year or more before she fights again
Plans are definately afoot
The allies continue to hit transports down south -5 more hit today.

Rumours of a major action brewing in Burma .

[1275psi]

6/5/43

Too busy to write much -all hands are frantic with preparations for renewed battle.

our army is gathering for a major clash in Burma -can they drive the british back?

I have been issued with a new flying suit -amazing how that makes a person feel.
Today I carefully supervise the last servicing of my zero.
We have endlessly debated our tactics against the gull winged monsters that we face.
Bushido spirit will prevail.

hands to action stations!!!!
We sail!!!

[jolly_pillager]

woohoo! get some this time [8D]

[1275psi]

7/5/43
We only sail a very small way today, just the process of forming up the fleet.

A small barge approached.
All Pilots report to the ready room!!!

And again Admiral Herbiesan speaks to us.
I notice immediately, his hair has gone noticably greyer since the last time he spoke to us.

Yet his steely detirmination shone through

I cannot remember his exact words -yammmato is getting home
Mushia is down to 11% flood -55% damage though

But we have achieved more than what we imagined

The last battles were not a defeat!
For the last 4 months the enemy has been playing the tune -forcing the pace.
This has changed.
For every day he reacts to us -is a day we can count as a day won.
Herbiesan intends for this to continue
Even as we gather for the next blow -enemy Cvs race south west near naru island!
Can our army take Lunga?
Probably not -but can we force the enemy to concentrate here for at least 3 months?
yes!
So we sail, but not for LUNGA!!!
we sail to attack Milne bay -to devestate it, to drag forces ever west.
Then in 39 days, 3 new divisions will be ready -and we will take back Entiwok!!!

SO there is a plan!
My heart grows stronger with confidence!
The fleet is coming out to join us
8 DD to sweep the Pt boats out of the bay
5 Cl, 3 DD to race supplies to tassafronga
6 BB, 1CL, 10 DD to pound Milne bay
2 BB 16CA,7DD to attack Milne Bay
3 CL, 2 DD to attack Lunga -CL oi, all those torpedoes, maybe they will get lucky

We sail as cover -and the day after it is hoped to crush Milne bay airfield.
Tomorrow is 90%CAP day -it will be a big one
Above all out captain fears the heavy bombers.
If necessary I will ram one.
let us attack!
BANZIA!!!

[1275psi]

8/5/43

We steam south west, and what heavy weather -fantastic


the great, great fleet steams again, and the tension is high
A great grey blur to the north -my brother on the nagato

She signalsI can read it easily.
have been spotted by a catalina flying boat.
far away, faint flashes -AA fire chasing it.

despite the incredible pitching of the deck, the planes are spotted.
I have been allocated CAP patrol tomorrow
Tomorrow we fight, brothers together.

[1275psi]

9/5/43
Its 3.30 am
seas are calmer.
The ready room is full, so manynew faces -still a lot of hardened veterans though.

The speakers blare
tanaka has fought a pitched battle in Milne bay, CA Chikuma is crippled, but the field has been hit -but not hard enough.
many Pt boats encounterd, but they did not stop him -16 cruisers attacked today!
man your planes!!

late change -my plane was damaged -I have been given another - i am in the strike wave!
Its going to be a tough attack, I am ready.
I go to my plane - the enemy know we are coming -we intend to turn Milne bay into a waste land.

[1275psi]

9/5/43
we launched, and formed up a nice formation , I was in the 1st wave, a mere 17 Am3a, and 9 am3.
We escorted a solid strike of 38 kate, 54 vals

Soon the forbidding cloud covered hills overlooking Milne bay came over the horizon.
Enemy fighters!
some 2 dozen Kittyhawks, coming up towards us.
The Am3s dived -shokaka fighters, and a melee began below us, We watched eagerly, but discipline was good, and we stayed with the Bombers.

We attack!
i dived ahead of the bombers, swooping down over the field, looking for targets, there!!!, an AA gun spitting death at the Vals. .I winged over, lined them up, the chatter of my guns, I swoop away, over the bay, impressions of bomb bursts everywhere, 2 burning ships, a submarines bow vertical in the sky , and then we are away.

Again, how quickly the action happens!

We head back -we are missing quite a few planes, some dozen vals, and another dozen kates are gone
Shokaka has lost 10 zeros against the kittyhawks.

A AV, a ss only have been sunk, terribly dissapointing.
Even as we climb again a huge formation passes overhead, the second strike!

Anxiety as we return -is there going to be a counter strike!
relief as an intact KB comes into view -how good to land on her untouched deck, yes the counter strike was fierce -40 plus beaufighters and bueforts, plus some old vengence bombers.

Our CAP defended successfully.

I climb wearily out of the cockpit -how frantic the action on the flight deck,
I notice Nagato steaming very fasy down our port side, she and 5 other battlewagons are peeling off the formation to finish the job!

Soon the second strike returns, I launch onto CAP, , climbing hard as the sky fills with circling planes.

AA fire to the south !
I waggle my wings, and some 7 other fighters follow me -
Throttle to the wall, the straps banging hard into my shoulders as we race towards the action.
A large floatplane cruiser is under attack!, even as its shape becomes clearer 2 mighty explosions against her side -torpedoed!
Scurrying shapes zooming away -beaforts!

one is cutting left, climbing below my wing!
I alter radically, down, hard left, we cross in a flash, i firing automatically -a sharp, sharp burst, , the zero speed stalls visously, and I spin, damnation to hell!, I have made an error.
I recover a bare 500 feet above the sea, too close that!
The sky is empty, and the Mizuho is all I can see -her spot marked by a terrible column of smoke and fire.

I return, and am ordered to remain in the cockpit, soon I am away again, 3rd mission for the day.

it has been a big day.
As I write this we take stock.
We have lost nearly 40 odd planes today, but taken out some 70 odd!

And tonight its my brothers turn -nagato is going in!

[1275psi]

10/5/43

we are returning to rabual.
No action today

My brother is safe
The captain announces much news

The battle line plunged through the PT defence -and delivered a smashing attack on the base -closing it, and destroying many buildings, and the port.
several ships reported sunk -and no enemy air activity reported.
At Lunga a small naval force attacked the allies -we have lost it seems 4 cl -but claims of several Bbs torpedoed have been recieved.

Most importantly, and the entire reason for this whole battle -4 thousand units of supply were successfully landed at tassafronga last night!

Our army advances!

intelligence reports massive allied response ,much radio traffic of ships coming to the solomons.

A long way from Entiwok!
but not so far for us.

[1275psi]

This is herbiesans plan

1 more , maybe 2 more big ops in the solomons -both will all be about getting supplies to tassafronga using fast transports and KB as cover , while the BBs go to Truk.
In 29 days3 divisions arrive on map -and Im going to take entiwok back -while wobbly fights me at Lunga -and repairs, gets convoys through to Milne bay.
These ops should have got his eyes firmly south.

Still trying desperately to get LT Oda a kill -he flew 3 missions yesterday apparently, and despite a CAP slaughter of bombers -again must have been elsewhere[:@][:@][:@]

[1275psi]

11/5/43
After a very , very nervous passage into rabual, we arrive safely
Hiyo reports seeing 6 torpedoe tracks passing down her port side -a down the throat shot that missed.

The hatrbour is full, but not for long
The BBs refuel, and already as I write, depart

Our screen is being reinforced, more DDs for escort.

Enemy CVs at Lunga!!!
The plan is working
Too busy to write -so much to do.

I have the duty -again.

[1275psi]

12/5/43

We are sailing already -north, we are not going to risk the SS outside , we will loop around kavieg

Lea was raided heavily we hear -our jack squadrons are trickling in from there -shattered it appears

Tokyo rose reports massed Tony sweeps in central china, and 150000 troops are attacking 60000 british south of mandalaby
Our Army fights back!!.

Again we sail, the war is getting hot!

[Kapten Q]

This is a cool AAR[8D]. I like your writing style, keep it up.

Q