Letters from a Prime Minister

[1275psi]

"Fighting, in a cold, cold hell"
Interviews with the men of the Umnak campaign.

" so some bright spark decides , to see whats at Adak, so off we went, destroyer Shaw,
just us..........to see what we can see.


'And?"
The old man hesitates, and, even now, the pain of that day is clear in his eyes
"pagoda masts, you know, great towers..........and even greater sized bloody guns."

[1275psi]

30/1/41

japan lands a regiment at Umnak
SS-39 sinks (we think) the AV Sanyo maru near diego Garcia

Battleships Mutsu, nagato march a massive bombardent across the island, killing
most of the defenders

kaga strikes at, and misses the british cruiser well to the north, she has moved north as well

The American carriers lurk 450 miles to the south of Diego Garcia
SS-40 sinks a destroyer there (another one!)


Our carriers will advance, slowly,
Australia, Canberra, however, will attack.

[1275psi]

31st January

Even as the shattered remains of the Shaw settle into the freezing seas, heavy cruisers
Australia and Canberra race towards Diego Garcia

They find nothing. From 20000 yards the island is a dark, silent tomb
Of the Japanese invasion fleet, there is no sign

But dawn brings the Japanese carrier bombers.........

[1275psi]

"Fighting, in a cold, cold hell"
Interviews with the men of the Umnak campaign.

Private Delanshio:
Our regiment was literally in a pickle.
We held, gee, a couple of square miles of that god forsaken rock, japs in the hills,
us with our arses hard against the sea.

There was no cover, just bloody rocks, snow, and more rocks.
You dug a hole, and that of course broke the snow cover, you stuck out like a thumb, you know?

Anyways.....the Nips had got the 112th ashore, they out numbered us 3 to 1.
And of course, as always, in a hurry

So the attack came, we fought, they left 500 dead in the snow.....

And that was the first attack. The Captain said we had reinforcements coming.
Me, all I remember thinking was, they better come fast..........

[1275psi]

Jackson hands the report to Halsey

'Canberra 5 bombs sir, the Australia 2. The enemy carriers have gone North...Captain getting
says he's hurt, but he's had worse cuts shaving"
"he's retiring?"

"Hopefully"

The Admiral retires into the map room. It is hot, sweaty. But the calculations have to be
made in cold blood.






The enemy has 4 choices. Come south, Kaga and 3 CVLs vs us. Go further North. Go east, or
just wait and see what opposes him. We know more carriers are coming hard, now near Bali.

Although we are not spotted, radio traffic indicates the enemy believes we are here. The moment
of Command, of decision.

'Ok, we will advance slowly, last thing I need is to run into surface units tonight.
Strike Diego tomorrow, or whatever turns up........"

[1275psi]

1/2/42

A little jab, something for Japan to think about

Kwajalein
A regular little convoy

Safe, here, deep in the empire, right?


Out of the dark, a destroyer
Destroyer Jarvis

A short, sharp action.
3 small cargo ships sunk, the escorting PG sunk


The Nells will try to bomb her tomorrow.........and miss.

The allies will grant to rest, no quiet areas, no secure areas..........

And above all, no chance to get into a routine.
The war is only a month old, and already the allies are starting to achieve their primary
aim for 42

At Umnak
In java
At Sambawang
At Diego
get him to react to us............

[1275psi]

From
General Blamey
to
Prime ministers office

Sir
I must raise the current situation here at Milne Bay and Port Moresby
I must make representation that the Navy is not making sufficient efforts
to support me.
I am now considerably concerned that insufficient resources are being deployed.....

and so on, and so on, and so on...............




half way across the world, a heavily damaged Canberra and Australia, slug it out, toe to
toe with the Maya, the Myoko......and their accompanying vermin.

Canberra will stagger away, doomed, ablaze from end to end.
many of her "insufficient resources" will die screaming.............

[1275psi]

Enterprise launches her first strike of the war

It sinks 2 DM's at Diego......and finds nothing else

The Japanese are still, it seems lurking to the North

needing fuel, frustrated at the enemy lack of reaction, the American carriers
will retire south to refuel.....and decide then, what's next.
Plan 1, however, seems to be a bust.

Kaga has gotten away.

With at least 2 more heavies coming north, now near Christmas island, discretion, it seems
must overcome valour.

[1275psi]

2/2/42
Napier once again nestles against the wharves at Karachi
John leans wearily against the bridge wing, watching the black gang wrestle the fuelling
hoses across the gap.
It is hot, again, how the boys below handle this crap was beyond him.

But they did.
6th cav regiment lines the wharf, lines of brown men, laconic, relaxed.
John cannot help but feel a spot of pride about them.

6th division delivered safely
7th to come

The best Australia has.
God hope their leaders are too.

[1275psi]

Jeffery leans against a guard rail as well.
It is hot here as well

They are, today, drilling.
Nor painting, or even any PT

There has, instead, been lectures
"the wiley jap"
"Some one talked"
"Why we fight"

For Jeffery, cells almost would have been preferable.

On the horizon, the hint of an island top.
Bruce, second ammo passer on the same gun as Jeffery, points to the distant dot
"Rumour says, Tahiti"

'The middle of no where the'
"Middle of nowhere"

[ny59giants]

John loves to start off slow in NoPac and hope an Allied player bites. I did and only got out due to blizzard conditions. Ensure you have secured Kodiak and bases to east as he will go up to Cold Bay quickly.

[1275psi]

3/2/42

The Presidents office

"Are you sure?"
the 201st surrendered an hour after TF 343 refused to unload......."

grim silence fills the room
"based on what?"

"Fleet tanker Aoda attacked near Adak, she's always been a carrier support ship."

'And that's all?"

The Japanese have deployed very, very large numbers to this campaign, we had 2 aircraft sightings,
the tanker.........."

'And our battleships?"

And now the atmosphere gets even grimmer
'we are trying to get them out........."

[1275psi]

4th feb
from prime Minister Australia
to
Winston

Winston,
I understand you are attempting to develop a close relationship with the Americans
I will cut to the chase quickly, the Americans, it seems, have become
somewhat fixated on the North pacific actions

As you know, we always were to give you the 1st aussie Corp, on the strength of the Americans sending
several to the Pacific (the 32nd?, the Americanal?)
I have heard distressing rumours that they are going to North pac
Can you please try to get POTUS and his staff to see, that a narrow window
is opened, where we can cheaply and with little risk occupy islands that we may
in the future have to pay a heavy price for

We have lost the Canberra, and Australia has been hurt badly. Can I respectively
ask for the donation of a replacement County Class?

At the moment, the entire Australian Navy is in Indian waters, please look after it!

Yours
Frank

[1275psi]

CL Boise, off map, sinks..........grrrrr

Minneapolis, Penescola, Loiusville, bombard Malealop, able to slip in undetected.
The Minni, however takes 15 hits in return, damage is only 20 system, but to the docks she must go.
We land more troops Horn island

Northpac orders all 5 Battleships in theatre Westwards, looking for a fight.
(Someone has forgotten to tell them of the carrier risk, or ignored it....duh!!!)

Fuso, Yamashiro are at Adak, we hope to engage, and sink

Finally, intell now tells me the allies face 12 full divisions in the pacific

[1275psi]

Feb 5th

The blow, literally out of the blue, strikes at Kodiak

Shokaku, Zuikaku, 28 zeroos, 40 kates, 40 vals

The carriers are actually East of Kodiac, the raid is deadly, sinking all 3 AO's , a KV and
a DD supporting the battleship deployment

To say this is a terrible moment, is an understatement

The carriers are between the BBs, and home

They are ordered to port to hide
A squadron of elderly mowhawks will try to cover them. Some Canadian kittyhawks are
also available
30 odd B-26's, are put to Naval attack at Kodiac
8 SS are arrowed in the carriers direction

The BB's are, currently undetected
But they are in deadly peril!

[BBfanboy]

When bombarding a location with a naval fortress, set the stand-off distance to 12, and the enemy will rarely get a hit.

Those BBs could head north to Nome or further north to get out of the 10-hex range of the Jakes likely on KB's escorts. KB's likely furthest north return route is the line that runs just past the bottom of the Kamchatka peninsula.

[zuluhour]

Were they the 16k or 18k oilers? Hoping not.

[1275psi]

Feb 6th

Parliament House Canberra

Question time

"The Opposition Minister for Economics has the chair"
"Thank honourable speaker, my question is directed to the Prime Minister.......
in the light of the recent Submarine sinking's off the coast of eastern Australia,
can the Prime Minister comment on the disturbing reports of imminent shortages of essential
items in Australia, and on current efforts to contain this menace?"

"The prime Minister"
"Thankyou, member for Parramatta, for two questions.........
These questions are considered under national security, and I cannot answer them here in this chamber at
this time"


The opposition knows though. There is , currently, very, very little that can be done about
those submarines.........except hope in luck, and speed.
What, oh what he would give for some of those still good destroyers he ordered scrapped
in the mid 30's
God, such a false economy............

[1275psi]

Shambles

There are significant numbers of B-26's at Kodiac
A clearly spotted target, only 200 miles away


Shambles

Not a bomber that takes into the air finds a target.........not one

The Kittyhawks do little better: 19 zeros, 20 kates.........14 brave Canadians
Soon, 10 dead brave Canadians

[1275psi]

"What are we going to do Frank?..........do you even think Jeffery knows he is
going to be a Father?........."

"In all likely hood, no........and no chance for some time"
"Where is he, anyway?" The prime Ministers wife scowls....."in some brothel, or a cell
again?"

Frank stands, anger barely contained "OUR son is at sea, somewhere halfway between
here and America, learning, I hope, discipline he was never given at OUR home"

"I see"............She cannot have an abortion.......that is impossible"
"Are you sure?'
"Catholic, and she wants to keep it........"


"we will have to hide her then......."
"Where?"

Frank shrugs......'Its a big country, you find a place........."