Small Ship, Big War - The Voyages of the Hibiki

[Capt. Harlock]

Surely, the Japanese commanders tell themselves, not even the Americans have the resources to mount a new offensive yet. Surely not.

Oh, I think they do. And then there's always the Brits, who if memory serves me have been receiving some potent ships around this time . . .

[princep01]

Lt. Mihura is a thoughtful and calculating man.  Perhaps this is more true of him than even the Captain.  The good Lt. knows that the end of the war, one way or another, is not far away.  He is a man that understands the thoughts and sentiments of those that directly serve with him.  I suspect he knows that Seaman Chuyo would rather live or die as a sailor serving his country , rather than a lab guinea pig doing the bidding of doctors and scientist directed by those that probably had a hand in creating the problem in the first event.

[Cuttlefish]

February 5, 1945

Location: Kure
Course: South
Attached to: TF 43
Mission: Bombardment
System Damage: 0
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 475

Orders: Return to Kure

---

Nanami Ariga walks down the hill to the bunker overlooking the beach. The bunker is a new addition to the area. It is occupied by four soldiers and Nanami and her grandmother have gotten in the habit of taking them a snack every afternoon. There are a number of such bunkers between here and Kunigami, the closest village to the north. Nanami understands that in other parts of Okinawa there is much more digging and building going on. This stretch of coast is not considered a likely invasion sight because of the reefs offshore.

As she approaches the bunker she can see that all four soldiers are up on top, looking upwards. This is unusual. Rarely does she find all four awake.

“Hello!” she calls out.

“Hey, Mrs. Ariga!” says Private Aoki, turning around and seeing her. He is the youngest and most gregarious of the four. “Come on up.”

Nanami sets down the covered bowl of miso soup she has brought them by the recessed back entrance, then walks up and around to where she can simply step onto the roof. All four men have returned to looking at the sky, passing a pair of binoculars around with a little good-natured bickering.

Curious, Nanami shields her eyes from the sun’s glare and looks up. Far overhead a single silver speck is circling. But what of that? Airplanes are not an unusual sight here. Aoki seems to discern her confusion.

“Forgive us for being rude,” he says. “It’s just that none of us has seen one before, until now.”

“Seen what?’ says Nanami.

“The enemy,” Aoki replies. “That plane up there is not one of ours.”

[mdiehl]

Far overhead a single silver speck is circling. But what of that?

Oh, CRAP!

[Cuttlefish]

February 6, 1945

Location: Kure
Course: South
Attached to: TF 43
Mission: Bombardment
System Damage: 0
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 475

Orders: Return to Kure

---

Oizuma sits on the floor next to his bundled hammock, reading a newspaper. Benzaiten the snake is draped across his shoulders as he does so, and every now and then Oizuma is forced to shift positions to accommodate the heavy snake’s restless movements.

Shiro, the only other occupant of their bunk area at the moment, looks up from the piece of wood he is carving. “I thought she would sleep for another couple of days at least, after catching that rat,” he says.

“I thought so too,” says Oizuma. “We are probably going to receive orders sometime in the next few days.” Shiro just looks at him curiously, so Oizuma goes on. “She always gets like this before we are ordered out,” he explains. “I’ve only noticed it recently but it seems to be true. Just wait. Two days, three at the most. You’ll see.”

Shiro is long past the point where he would doubt such a pronouncement. “I see,” he says. “Maybe I had better write a couple of letters, then.”

“Good idea,” says Oizuma. On his shoulders Benzaiten shifts position again, testing the air with her tongue.

[Cuttlefish]

February 7, 1945

Location: Kure
Course: South
Attached to: TF 43
Mission: Bombardment
System Damage: 0
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 475

Orders: Return to Kure

---

Riku, Shoji, and Yoshitake receive a day’s liberty ashore and decide to spend the time in nearby Hiroshima, which offers a greater variety of diversions and entertainments. It also has less of an overwhelming naval presence than does Kure, which makes it easier to forget about the war for a while.

It is hard to escape all thought of the war, however. In the early afternoon the three men sight a large convoy coming into Hiroshima Bay. Professional curiosity impels them to watch for a while to see what kind of ships they are. It turns out that the convoy consists of seventeen freighters, none of them small, shepherded by a pair of old destroyers and several C-class escorts. The freighters are heavily laden and all of the ships look as though they have been at sea for some time.

“Where do you think they have come from?” asks Shoji. Yoshitake shrugs but Riku looks over at him.

“Somewhere in the Southern Resource Area,” he says. “Just where is hard to say. Borneo, Java, Sulawesi, Sumatra? They could be from almost anywhere down there.”

“That’s a lot of stuff, whatever they’re carrying,” says Yoshitake. “I’ll bet it’s needed, too.”

Riku nods. “It’s why we started this damned war,” he says. “Iron, rubber, tin, I’ll bet there’s all kinds of stuff on those ships.”

“Tungsten?” asks Yoshitake. Riku looks dubious.

“Maybe,” he says. “I don’t know if they have any tungsten down there. Why do you ask?”

“I heard someone talking about a shortage of tungsten the other day,” says Yoshitake. “I thought bringing it up would make me sound smart like you.”

“Is there food aboard?” says Shoji. It is close to lunch time and he is feeling hungry.

“Maybe,” says Riku. “If it were peacetime or the war was going better I’d be sure of it. Sugar and pepper, coffee and tea, other spices…” He gets a bit of a dreamy look. “That, my friends, is treasure, better than gold and jewels. Those could be treasure ships.”

“Uh oh,” says Yoshitake with a laugh. “He’s getting that look again. Let’s go get something to eat before he starts going on about tariffs and exports and stuff like that.” He grabs Riku’s arm and tugs him away. “Come on, Riku.” Riku allows himself to be led away, but not without one backwards glance at the slowly approaching ships.

“Hey, what is tungsten, anyway?” Shoji asks.

[tocaff]

So convoys are still getting through to Japan with what we assume to be raw materials for the hu gry war machine.  They didn't make mention of any damaged ships in the convoy, which I found interesting.  Are the sea lanes being kept open?

[Cuttlefish]

ORIGINAL: tocaff

So convoys are still getting through to Japan with what we assume to be raw materials for the hungry war machine.  They didn't make mention of any damaged ships in the convoy, which I found interesting.  Are the sea lanes being kept open?

That is certainly the inference here. I'll discuss this and the effect it has had on the game (among other topics) after the game concludes.

[Cuttlefish]

February 8, 1945

Location: Kure
Course: South
Attached to: TF 43
Mission: Bombardment
System Damage: 0
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 475

Orders: Return to Kure

---

Tori Shima, at the southern end of the Izu Islands, is nothing more than volcanic cone rising out of the sea. It is a lonely place. Though it is only some six hundred kilometers south of Tokyo few human beings have set foot there since an eruption in 1902 killed all one hundred fifty of the island’s inhabitants. As if to underscore the “keep out” sign nature has posted on the place there was another big eruption just a few years previously, in 1939.

The island is 2.7 kilometers wide, and 1.5 kilometers of that is caldera. There are no trees and only the hardiest of scrub vegetation grows there. Otherise there are only sea birds, basaltic cliffs, and the reek of sulfur. All of this, of course, is surrounded by ocean. It is difficult to imagine a less inviting place to attempt a paradrop.

Yet this is exactly what several hundred American paratroops attempt to do in the early morning hours. Their bravery is unquestionable, their sanity perhaps less so. The transport planes carrying them skirt the steaming caldera and swing around to the north side of the island, where there is the most room between caldera and ocean. The men jump at the lowest possible altitude.

There is almost no wind, one of the reasons the attempt is being made today, two previous attempts having been scrubbed. No one goes into the caldera, and fewer than feared into the water. Most of the casualties come from jumping at such a low altitude and landing on the rough, gritty, and unforgiving volcanic terrain.

The Allies now hold Tori Shima, scarcely a stone’s throw from Japan. What they intend to do with such a place is still a mystery, however.

---

Tori Shima, seen from the south:

[John 3rd]

Build a Lvl-2 AF within 2 months with 10,000 Engineers like in my Forlorn Hopes AAR!

[Capt. Harlock]

Build a Lvl-2 AF within 2 months with 10,000 Engineers like in my Forlorn Hopes AAR!

I sure didn't see a place to build an airfield in that picture! But it's apparently possible to do so in the cyber-universe of WitP. (Will the Admiral's Edition have a random chance of volcanic eruption?[:D] )

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

Build a Lvl-2 AF within 2 months with 10,000 Engineers like in my Forlorn Hopes AAR!

I sure didn't see a place to build an airfield in that picture! But it's apparently possible to do so in the cyber-universe of WitP. (Will the Admiral's Edition have a random chance of volcanic eruption?[:D] )

Heh -- the US was able to build air bases on what was ocean... it took a lot of dredging, but they were able to do it in reasonable amount of time...

The airfield at Bermuda (now the international airport for Bermuda) was built on what is mainly ocean bottom, with one edge of an island (formerly Bird Island (aka Longbird Island)).

In the case of Tori Shima, they would probably push part of the caldera (using explosives) into the ocean to provide an airfield.

EDIT: The Bermuda runway is 9700+ feet long... it took ~ 2 years to complete a c. level 9 airfield from a (max) 0 airbase...

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

Build a Lvl-2 AF within 2 months with 10,000 Engineers like in my Forlorn Hopes AAR!

I sure didn't see a place to build an airfield in that picture! But it's apparently possible to do so in the cyber-universe of WitP. (Will the Admiral's Edition have a random chance of volcanic eruption?[:D] )

Heh -- the US was able to build air bases on what was ocean... it took a lot of dredging, but they were able to do it in reasonable amount of time...

The airfield at Bermuda (now the international airport for Bermuda) was built on what is mainly ocean bottom, with one edge of an island (formerly Bird Island).

In the case of Tori Shima, they would probably push part of the caldera (using explosives) into the ocean to provide an airfield.

WHEN did that take place? Doubt if it was 1944/45!

I REALLY Like the 'random volcanic eruption' idea! Could we get an AE Person to answer this pressing question??? [8D]

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock



I sure didn't see a place to build an airfield in that picture! But it's apparently possible to do so in the cyber-universe of WitP. (Will the Admiral's Edition have a random chance of volcanic eruption?[:D] )

Heh -- the US was able to build air bases on what was ocean... it took a lot of dredging, but they were able to do it in reasonable amount of time...

The airfield at Bermuda (now the international airport for Bermuda) was built on what is mainly ocean bottom, with one edge of an island (formerly Bird Island).

In the case of Tori Shima, they would probably push part of the caldera (using explosives) into the ocean to provide an airfield.

WHEN did that take place? Doubt if it was 1944/45!

[8D]

Quite right - it was in (very late) 1941 - 1943... before the US really got into gear... [:D]

[John 3rd]

I am impressed--seriously--didn't know that.  I am; however, hinging all my hopes on the AE "random volcanic eruption" rule.  

[mdiehl]

Bomp.

[ChezDaJez]

X 2

[mdiehl]

[Dave3L]

Civilization.
 
 
(You know, one of those 4X games?)

[cantona2]

Come on CF [&o]