herbiesan vs Cantona!!!

[1275psi]

japan sinks 6 allied carriers

details at ten!

[flaggelant]

[1275psi]

8/5/44

Karma
Karma that Ryujo misses the signals -and launches a day early.
karma that we remain undetected

and karma, that the british, oh so stung, should rush out to seek revenge

Captain hara, Akagi, stands erect on the crowded bridge of his mighty ship.
She beats rapidly through a dark and threatening sea, to her East -a blackwall of thunderstorms.
Somewhere under that mess -Mobile fleet 2
Ahead, another wall of black - and ryujo, with Mobile fleet three

Mibile fleet One - Akagi on the wing, sails in bright susnshine

karma

And, somewhere ahead -100 miles at the most - rushing british carriers
Akagi's decks are the usual madhouse -already the first wave of attackers are long gone -nearly 2 hours now -soon to strike Colombo. This strike , now almost ready, will be for the onrushing enemy...............

Genda approaches " Mobile fleet three reports totally socked in sir - the enemy carriers are due north, speed 30 knots -they will almost certaintly have launched"
Hara nods. yes. yes they will have. perfect.
"Time to launch genda?"
"an hour yet sir -still getting the strike set, Mobile fleet two will clear the storm in 30 minutes. Will we wait?'
"I'm sure Ozawa will. Risky I know, but thats karma yes?"

Hara glances overhead. hardly a real risk, the sky growls with the CAP overhead..............

"report from Colombo sir!"
"lets have it"
'have struck Colombo naval base. Packed shipping in harbour. Surprise total. Light CAP -army T bolts only
Intense Flak
have inflicted following damage
R class battleship -ramilles -3 500 bombs -burning
R class battleship -resolution -2 500 bombs.
Queen Elizabeth class BB -8, possibly 9 bomb hits -aflame
BC Renown, 5 500 bomb hits

3 small CVE hit - one exploded, other two confirmed sunk
Approx 25 bombers lost -am returning to base


Hara smiles . he notes though that the Richaleau has escaped, that the transports,, remain untouched.
Damn the weather.............

"enemy sighting report sir! -60 plus -range 40 miles -closing fast!'
'Bearing?"
0 degrees sir!

'Come right, new course, 180! -full ahead Flank!. Xo -Im going upstairs!"
Akagi slews hard to Starboard -her great flanks pushing mountainous seas aside, and all hands on board hang on grimly.
She is not alone -Mobile fleet One , 7 carriers strong follow.
Standard japanese Doctrine -turn your arse to the attack -and run.

The attack is strong -29 corsairs, 36 barracudas -and as it approaches, Mobile fleet two bursts into the sun on the horizon, and now 13 Fleet carriers prepare to meet the threat.

Hara watches, watches -as swiftly, one after another, the swarming CAP destroys the strike - -5 bombers race past her stern - the sky a forest of black and white puffs -attacking the Taiho, attacking, and dieing
To a man, the attack is gone.......................


"resume course 0 -prepare to strike"
"launch the strike"
"enemy in sight"
'All planes -Attack"!

how many times now in this long, long war?
But this is the sweetest of them all................

Mobile Fleets mighty fist reaches out -and crushes the enemy - no longer will the Indomitable, the Formidable threaten malay's coast, nor the unknown CVL with them ..............

21 a/c lost in this strike, for three more capital ships.


Hara counts the planes in. Akagi has led the way, and paid it seems, with a heavy cost, she is missing 4 TBD's, 5 bombers, 6 fighters.

Dusk finds the fleet still heading North, only slightly weakened.
Colombo remains still a target rich enviroment, but certain to be transformed into a hornets nest by tomorrow
And then, there are the liberators to consider.

Nobody is surprised to hear the order to retire as dark falls on the victorious fleet.

[1275psi]

Yamamoto reads the reports.
A crushing victory - but yet, all those transports...........
Tanaka breaks the silence in the empty wardroom " Ozawa did the correct thing in my opinion. We must preserve the fleet.
The british cannot possibly launch an invasion on the malaya coast now -not with out air cover. The fleet must come back here, now."

Yamamoto nods in agreement. ' I hope you are right Tanaka. The enemy have too few ships for another advance in PNG by my reckoning. The british invasion plans are now dust. Cantona has only one card left to play.
He knows where the fleet is now - he must act quickly."
Tanaka downs the glass of sake he is nursing "then we must act even quicker. if you will excuse me Admiral, I have a fleet to rejoin"

[1275psi]

8/5/44

keifang airfield

'I hear the navy is claiming another big victory"
Juni grunts " bloody navy is always claiming a !@#$%^ victory. Hasn't stopped the $%#@! B-29's has it?"

[1275psi]

Why cantona is such a valuable opponent

His reply to the last battle in the E mail


ooops................

And he fights on.........

(more carnage on both sides to come, will need another big post I think)

[1275psi]

9/5/44

Agarshi, Shimto emerge from watch below.
Ryujo continues to steam as hard as she can due south, her creaming wake a long phosphorous trail in this dark, dark night.
The air is cool, and sweet after the heat and humidity of below, the two stokers will grab a few minutes here on the Port companionway, before making for their hammocks.
If they are lucky they will grab 3 hours of desperately needed sleep before dawn action stations.

As eyes adjust to the dark, they find the night actually quite bright -and many of the other ships of Mobile Fleet three can be seen, dark blobs on the horizon.
The smell of rain fills the air -apparently the task force has just emerged from a squall.

Then, with out warning -the near horizon erupts in flame -gunfire.
It all happens horribly quickly - the scream of shells flying overhead -and the shatrtering BOOOM! of others landing frighteningly close alongside
Both men instinctively drop -and shrapnel wizzes past, clangs and spatters around them. A torrent of water crashes down, drenching them.
They crawl for the hatch, Claxons added to the mayhem, and as they scramble inside, Shimto grabs an eyeful of a scene that will forever remain with him

There -300 yards away -a bright flare -Chitose lit like a Christmas tree -a flare of fire rising straight up.
there -shooting at her - a 3 funnelled cruiser -british for sure.
And there -racing past -between them and the enemy, her guns already seeking, the little Tama -already aflame admidships

And then they slam the door, and join the rush to action stations -expecting any moment to be blasted into a million bits.

Ryujo leans hard, one way, the next - and the ship is closed up -pale men barely able to look at each other, listening to the crash of guns, waiting, waiting..............

Two great underwater KAALAAANNNGSS......................somewhere someone, or some ones, has worn a torpedo
And above it all -the screaming whine of forced draft blowers at 120% overload.

The men wait, and wait.
It is a very long night until dawn.

[1275psi]

extract from Shattering the sword, a cantona production

A chance encounter -two task forces at full speed, both fleeing

The commander of the Suffolk, however, would try to sieze his chance.
Cutting across the rear of the Japanese formation, the sudden appearance of so many ships must have filled him with elation -carriers, a chance for vengence.
The very first salvos -hurried, fired from ships violently manouvering -were brilliantly effective -hitting the Chitose hard, striking the Shoho, rattling the Ryujo

The japanese response, however, was too brilliant -, the tama would cover herself in glory -putting herself between the rampaging cruisers -and torpedoing the Emerald to boot.

The battle would be fierce -Mobile fleet will lose 3 DD's in her defence..

But come the dawn, the Combined fleet puts the Suffolk and 3 DD's down as well............

[Jones944]

Nice depictions of the battles. Also, very well played game!

[1275psi]

10/5/44

Mobile fleet refuels some 600 miles south of Colombo.

What a simple sentence, hiding so much.
It has taken a supreme effort for japan to get this fuel here for this operation, get it to these tankers, get it to singapore, get it to the ports needed to get it home again.

The sailors under Hara's care won't give it a thought, they care only that it is cold, and miserable - and they work with elation -how could they not as the news of the battles sifts to the lower decks.

To the Admiral, to the Commanders, who for saw this moment months ago -they too feel elation.
With every drop transferred from the tankers to the hungry boilers, the justification for this gigantic gamble grows.

[1275psi]

Nakamura gathers them again
Another briefing, another dirt field, another dawn.

I read the combat log of 47th today -and wonder.
How did they do it, day after day, after day?
Did it not drive them mad?

And I remember Nakamura's words, in that quiet room, old mans words "And you battle the traffic, day after day after day, to work in a mind numbing job? And YOU wonder how we did not go mad?"
And the old man chuckles.............


The briefing -is brief. The target Honan -a mere jump across the way.
So much happening that these men take for granted -that everyone takes for granted. Watch the effort one day at a warbirds display, the effort used simply to get the that single precious bird onto the taxi way.........

Multiply here by 100 plus

There are flormations to organise, hieghts to give, timings, rendevoue ppoints -rally points -emergency fields, the weather -clouds at 10000 -solid -good, no one will be bouncing them today........

Parachutes, water, rations, personal guns, the little mascot, the flying suit, your mask, your goggles, your gloves, your boots, your briefing board with all those "quick brief points " jotted down in indescipherable scrawl - and if you are samuri -your sword -although few in 47th now posses one..........

take of cue....., starting times, wingman?, manifold pressures, oil pressures, flap settings, pitch settings, foot brakes, safeties, fuel tank selections, oil heaters and instruments.
Controls free -no rudder clamps? -no aelerion clamps? -no chocks? -and will the damn injectors miss behave today?
radio, frequency, oxygen, pressure, and why does the seat feel like its moved 2 millimetres forward today?

Circuits, formation, lookout, look outs, always looking out, trim, speed, trim again, speed again, and look out

The mind does it all, almost automatically. Forget a single thing...............
And through it all -the banter, the jokes, the swearing, and the sweat

The attack is good -Honan hit hard again -no opposition, no losses, little damage.

An ordinary day.........................


And today, somewhere in downtown Tokyo, an old man shuffles along, blocking some i pod booming youths progress down the path, and that poor youth thinks "out of the way you dumb fool"

[1275psi]

11/5/44

Extract from 'shattering the Sword' a cantona production


It was not meant to go like this
It was meant to be the japanese sword that would be broken

On this day -a grey rainy day over Colombo - its the british battle axe that is - in Japanese eyes- irretrievably broken

Mobile fleet launches - and despite the weather keeping half the planned strike deck bound, its still over 120 bombers that attack.

They blow what CAP is up away.
This attack is different -the Torpedo bombers join in.
By dusk -the British fleet surely lies ruined.




Hara again stares at the claims
he feels almost sick, the horror.....................

So much death.

CVE Atheling - 3 torpedos, multiple bombs
CVE Shah -3 torpedos, 5 bombs
CVE Begun - 2 torps, 5 bombs
BB ramillies - 1 torp
BB queen E - 3 torps
BB resolution -1 torp
BC renown -4 Torps
and the Indomitable hit by a search plane.

For 14 planes lost

Will this be enough to finish this damn war?
Surely.............

[1275psi]

missed three times now at Colombo -and being hunted -will she come out and fight?

[1275psi]

12/5/44

Late last night 47th moved to Anking.
Nakamura is utilising a tactic that all airforces use from time to time -the quick forward deployment to an advance field -an attack, then a scurry home to your more permanant base - if you could ever refer to 47th having had a permanent base that is!

Its a tactic the men hate - you can take nothing with you, and you fly from a strange field, in new territory. You don't know where the emergency strips are, the nav hazards, or the Flak nests.
You just grit your teeth, and get on with it.

Recon is still hunting for the B-29's - today Nakamura leads 47th over Changsa -he takes three betties along as navigators/rally planes

6 P40n are sighted, they flee.
The day ends on a sour note, Chuzaburo -leading ACE, is badly hurt as his undercart collapses on landing, slewing him into a truck parked alongside the field..
The sourness gets even worse, he has barely been raced of the field, when Nakamura recieves piority word.
Redeployment!
Once again the men are reduced to the very clothes they fly in - possesion less, they fly due east, to the land of hatred.
Korea.
Nobody knows why
Nobody is saying anything
But to be dragged away from the B-29 hunt -to be flung this way..............
Something very, very terrible must be brewing.

[1275psi]

12/5/44

Mobile fleet hurries south west.
This time Hara knows they will not be returning to Colombo
He is exhausted. Through out the ship, especially amongst the aircraft fitters, men lie prostrate everywhere -grabbing what rest they can.
To undertake any task is a supreme effort, to stop, but for a moment -and one finds themselves asleep.
They have reached the limits of endurance -given it all.
Would it be enough?

The Transports -those damn transports -remain safe.
And Hara cannot but admire the courage.
The Richelieu did come out -straight at them, full of defiance, full of Elan'
What courage.
Magnificent. But not war.

But she had drawn his pilots like flies to a carcass -and while she and her escorts died - the transports had slipped away......
Another battleship, 2 more cruisers, 2 more destroyers...........when would it end?

[1275psi]

13/5/44

For Combined Fleet
from
Herbiesan

"Yamamoto - I have direct intelligence of the battleship Warspite, and many, many ships operating in Attu waters. let me please remind you that an invasion of Parishimo would be a near fatal blow to this Empire..................and your career.
Pray tell me your current response to this threat -especially in light of Mobile fleets actions in the Indian ocean.

Secondly, I have intelligence of tankers and transports sighted south of marcus island. Is this your much anticipated 'central thrust?'
Pray tell me your plans to combat this.

I release to you the reserve divisions as you requested yesterday.
I release to you the air units requested yesterday.

Yamamoto growls. The bloody cheek!
Does he think we have a dozen mobile fleets!. What am I, a magician?
You cannot hold it all you fool - what do I give up - Truk?, malaya?, parishimo, the DEI? or Biak?
Take the choice you idiot!

[1275psi]

Operation 'Crimson Sky' concluded

Losses
1CL
3 DD
approx 60 a/c

Losses claimed inflicted
240 a/c
Confirmed sunk
2 CV
1CVL
1BB
1 CA
2CL
5 dd

heavily damaged, believed sunk
3CVE

heavily damaged-out of the war
3 BB
1BC

[1275psi]

14/5/44

"what in the world are these?"
Juni laughs. Its been a long, long time that any of them have recieved new kit - the new flying kits are bulkier, thicker.

For cold climes

47th is back in Japan - but in unfamiliar areas -a base in northern Japan
This base is large, very well maintained, and still full of lovely give aways for the men -its been nearly two years since the supply officer here has had anyone to impress -now he is going whole hog.

For the men, its a strange night this night -real beds -a real mess -abundant food -and no threat of partisan attack
But stranger still -trying to come to grips with this horrible fact.
This is japanese land -and the fight is here...........

[1275psi]

15/5/44

The big Emilies still patrol, ceaslessly.
And today, finally, something they have been looking for.

"many transports, AO's, and carrier based TBD's, 500 miles due south, marcus island -speed unknown, course, unknown"

[1275psi]

16/5/44

Nakamura stands on the apron of this field.
before him -the whole gang again
The 47th, the 85th, the 87th sentai -the sharpest sword japan has, together gain.
And it is going to be needed.
Fog grounded them yesterday -a frustrating day of nil visibility -while only 70 miles way -100 of the hated B-29's pounded Ominato.

His speech is, of course, not recorded. Why should it be?. History is not shaped by these men - they carve it, do its dirty work.
But we can imagine what it said.
The threat -so many ships at Attu
The second threat -the growing in size fleet now south west of marcus
And the unfortunate fact.
Mobile fleet still in mid Indian Ocean.

It is obvious to all
The Navy cannot help this time.

Juni is pleased. "we can do it ourselves. Who needs that pissing outfit?"