The Unknown pilot
The hum of the twin Mitsubishi engines, gave a hypnotic, almost soothing massage to the pilot, at that moment he thought of his mother, back in Kyoto...
He had been stood down from the morning attack, and the pilots that had returned from that mission, had been in a 2 hour debrief, when his flight took off. But the vision of blood being washed out of one unlucky G4, was now imprinted in his mind.
Suddenly the lead flight broke radio silence, "CV TF below". That was all, the radio clicked with finality. We knew what we were here to do...
Above he could see, F3's and F4's engaging the escort. Diving to 200 ft, the world came to him faster and faster, the white caps contrasting the grey black ocean, whipped by. From this height the ships in the distance took on a silhouetted hue. "Not long now", he thought.
Suddenly the world became a vision of colour, and the quiet hum of the engines was suppressed by the sound of violence flying past. Every sinew in his body tensed, and the desire to duck and find cover, grew in ever fibre of his being. This was his first action.
Beside him flew his comrade, bobbing up and down like a marionette he had seen once, long ago. "FIRE THE DAMN TORPEDO", he thought, his finger lightly touching the release, "No, death would be better than that shame"...
An explosion of popping sounds rocked the plane, as a F4, raced past his window, Engine One, spluttered to a halt, at least there wasn't any fire.
Yellow tracer fire started to illuminate the cabin, passing shadows across the photo of his girlfriend. The shape of a behemoth started to emerge from the smoke of the AA guns and boilers, it was surrounded by smaller shark like structures which encircling it.
One last check, "Torpedo away", he yelled into his intercom...at that instant, the plane climbed, freed by the weight of its' deadly cargo, and exploded under the torrent of AA fire, which tore through its' green underbelly.
The silver fish, at last dived into the water, it was unconcerned about the loss of it's life-giver. Its' steam engine started by the rush of air and water, sped the fish onward, it's grey skin shimmering through the waves.
It passed by an escort, and then a carrier, and then like Pheidippides, the first Marathon runner, it coughed it's last cough and died. Sinking slowly to the murky fathoms below. In the distance a jarring explosion could be heard, one of his brothers or sisters had found a different peace.
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Situation
My Carrier TF, was diverted too far south, now it is on course, but I fear that my opportunity has passed. I should have gambled more and just gone due West. I used a lot of fuel that turn and now I'm worried that I've put it slightly at risk to land based forces. I think that it will end up with my forces withdrawing to Kwajalein, for fuel and his to PH.
I brought in new G4M1's and 1 more grp of 27 zero's but honestly, the moral is pretty low.
