Letters from a Prime Minister

[1275psi]

"This is the captain speaking"
Around the ship, men pause., gather, maybe at last, some news, some clue to where they are.
Maybe a chance to settle not a few bets.

"Tomorrow " the young voice continues, in that tone so many of his crew unknown to him mock "
Westralia will dock at Pearl harbour"

Throughout the old ship, passageways ring with cheers, (and a few groans) .
"However, we will immediately begin to load troops for some point north, as apparently, I am to
issue Winter clothing"

Silence now fills the passageways, as minds try to digest this news......."subsequently, there can
be no shore leave, not until our task is done"

Hawaii...........denied

And for one man, who has just cleared his punishment.......

"Oh for dogs balls...........what do I have to do?........"

[1275psi]

To
Admiralty
from
Intel division, Melbourne.

radio intercepts, coast watchers indicates that landings Lunga and Lunganville imminent.
144th regiment involved


"Now that's interesting.......I think SOUTHPAC Suva has a few cruisers at the moment.....pass
it on will you?"

[1275psi]

14 Feb

Charters Tower Station

Margaret stands upright in the sun, her small bag held against her belly, a subconscious
action to hide the small but developing bump there

She is tired, hot, her legs hurt, and her back does too.
But all this is nothing to the seething anger that she tries to suppress.
Behind her, her two "companions" stand in the shade of the station, one watching her, the other
watching down the road
Nothing stirs.
the station bakes in the sun, the fields of brown grass and scrub spread endlessly around them.
The tracks shimmer, wobble in the heat

The train is long gone

They have been silent these two men, but implacable
Wherever, thinks Margaret, she was meant to go, she was going to go.

The Prime Minister!, (the prime ministers son! for gods sake, that young p#$#@k was the
Prime Ministers son!) evidently was going to make sure she was no embarrassment to him

Well.......better than starving on the streets then......


In the distance, a small car shimmers into view on the road, grows slowly....a beat up ford.
A woman is at the wheel, a strange enough sight as it was, yet a woman who Margaret can instantly tell
seems born to be behind it, seems familiar ad confident with a great many things.

She pulls up in a great cloud of dust, heaves a not inconsiderable frame out.
takes the scene on the platform in one look, frowns.

She ignores the two men, merely nods...(I have the girl now, thank you gentlemen)
They silently tip their hats, gather their bags, and shuffle away

The woman advances to Margaret, looks her over.
"My name is Sister Susan Blair, and you would be Margaret. I have been charged to help
you through your ......situation. You will be looked after, if you behave yourself. You will behave yourself
Margaret?"

And somehow, it was impossible to say anything else other than "yes"
"Good, follow me, the mission is about 30 minutes away, right beside the airfield, do you like
aeroplanes margerat?, I do, and I think we are going to see a great many of them soon, the way the Army is tearing
up the road..."


And just like that, fate sweeps Margaret away.

[1275psi]

14th feb

The dive bombers fly from Anchorage
They don't find the enemy carriers (possibly a good thing) but do find
the jap light cruisers.
Steaming Boldly only 90 miles south of Anchorage, Light cruisers Jintsu , Natori and destroyer
Shiratsuya have little room to manoeuvre in these narrow waters

The destroyer only takes a single bomb

The cruisers are sunk, sunk savagely.

The Japanese in turn, plant two more bombs onto warspite, new Mexico 3 more.
The battleships will need repair time, yet still remain in no danger of foundering here.



In China, the enemy shock attack the chinese divisions at Wuchow, and fail badly.
With 5 more Chinese units swarming south to the city, it is now within chinese hands to take.

It is a mess, is china.
A lovely, lovely confusing supply swallowing, unit draining mess.
There is another factor increasingly apparent in china.
It is dragging ever greater numbers of aircraft to this theatre. Fighters, modern bombers.

Allied command notes carefully...........


In the Indian ocean, some half dozen submarines are ordered to areas that with out doubt
make their skippers shake heads in wonder......what in the hell do our leaders expect us
to spot or attack here?
But that's not their mission. Its all about do the Japanese spot them?

Where are the Japanese search arc holes?

[kaleun]

Smart, very smart.

[1275psi]

well, off on holidays
next update weeks away, 25th wedding anniversary cruise!

See ya later gang!!!

[Lecivius]

ORIGINAL: 1275psi

well, off on holidays
next update weeks away, 25th wedding anniversary cruise!

See ya later gang!!!

But...but...but...

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: 1275psi

well, off on holidays
next update weeks away, 25th wedding anniversary cruise!

See ya later gang!!!

Congrats!!

[pws1225]

+1

[ny59giants]

+2

[zuluhour]

+3
28yrs here

[1275psi]

gawd, where was I?
back, and waiting on turn from John (his inbox is full, can some one tell him that on his AAR please?)

Cruising is a great way to holiday...............

Feb 15th

North of Lunganville
3 am

CMDR Scott slams the bridge wind break almost savagely. "They must bloody well be out here
somewhere!"
Again he wipes his face, wipes the beating rain from it. In the Solomons, apparently someone
forgot to remind God the Flood was long past........
Cruisers Louisville, penascola, 2 DDs, groping across smooth seas, shrouded in a deluge the likes
few have ever seen.

And somewhere near, somewhere, so close he can almost smell them, a shitload of japs.......

Scott returns to the shelter of the bridge. he has to raise his voice over the drum beat of the rain.
'Alright, they are not here. Anyone with any suggestions? "
There are none. The enemy, reported inbound to Lunganville only 12 hours before, has vanished.

Scott moves to the map. 3 hours to dawn. Arse hanging out here in the breeze. Landings at Ndeni,
these barsteds that have somehow slipped through........there must be jap carriers somewhere
to support this little lot.

God knows, there are no allied ones to help him.

"We will sweep the landing beaches again, then get the hell back to our tanker......damn the rain,
damn it to hell!"



At dawn, the rain, as it often does here, simply stops, vanishes, as if a dream
And there, steaming north, Scott finds them
There may be carriers about.
Maybe

The convoy, empty now, its troops landed at Lunganville, consists of 1CM, 4 PBs, 5 fat AKs
It is good battle practice..........

By dusk Scott, magazines somewhat depleted is steaming south, the enemy "100 percent sunk!"
His is not the only CA/DD force roaming these waters.
Until the Jap carriers appear, they must rule these waves.

[1275psi]

China ratchets up the stakes .
No less then 90 bombers strike Chinese troops at Wuchow.
The AVG reaps a good harvest........(20 shot down!)

In the North pacific BB Fuso is spotted.
So are transports, multiple surface task forces.
And Carrier Div 5 continues to dominate the entire area. They will remain until
magazines are empty, apparently.

The last troops in Malaya lay down their arms. They surrender with a little pride,
they have resisted far longer then any could have hoped..
But this releases 14th army........where will it go?

Much, very much may depend on the answer to this in time.

[1275psi]

Cape town

CV Enterprise

Lt Jackson pauses ever so briefly. Its been a busy, busy day. Now, free of the harbour, the great lady stretching
her legs beneath him, a chance to take it in

Yorktown follows 1000 yards astern. On the horizon, seeking sea room to begin her Cap duties,
Lady Lex and her sister.

Already falling astern, those fat old British battlewagons, subject to so much
heated debate these days past.
It doesn't matter now. The plan is in place, and underway.

Nothing extravagant. Nothing too risky (hopefully!).
But an offensive one.

And with Pearl hbr still so fresh is so many hearts, a very , very welcome one.
Hasely enters the bridge.
He is smiling.
And why not?.........a fight is coming. A chance to "kill japs" "Kill more Japs"

[1275psi]

Westralia drops anchor in the still oil stained waters of pearl.
About Jeffery, almost the entire crew man the rails, staring at the shattered hulks of
Battleship row.

So its real
This war, is real

The enemy have the capacity.......


The man beside Jeffery, voice choked with emotion, says it all

"Those barsteds, those bloody bloody barsteds..........

[1275psi]

Parliament

Deep silence fills the chamber. Silence of the shocked

"The loss of HMAS Canberra is admitted"

Tony views the members behind the pale Prime minister.
members who over the years again and again have voted down defence appropriations,
against a stronger navy.......

So, now what?, you bloody fools........think we can just make a replacement appear by magic?
You can't just wish a ship built mates...........

[kaleun]

Welcome back

[1275psi]

16th feb
From
Alaska Command
to
CICPAC

Enemy have made small landings at Dora bay
Enemy carriers today struck Kodiac, sinking 2 AG vessels, many minor vessels
Very heavy battleship force enroute to Kodiac

I feel I have adequate fighter forces now to cover Anchorage, but only at expense of shipping
at Kodiac.
Battleships preparing to move back as soon as the hornets nest leaves

Situation bad, but still do able.

[1275psi]

17th February
There are 4 other girls sharing the mission station with Margaret. 4 other girls
from what are obviously wealthy families.
Margaret cannot condemn them, or condone them. It is, she thinks, what it is.

The station is the traditional large family country homestead, solid stone, square,
tiled roof, huge all encompassing veranda.
The gardens are green, pleasant.
Matron, 2 servants, a cook.
Days filled with needlework, walks, quiet.

Too early to form opinions on anyone, too early, almost, to take it all in.

There is one jarring note. Two miles away, the almost endless roar
of fighters taking off, circling, climbing away.
Charters towers in full swing.........reminding all that a far greater tragedy than
their own personal ones is slowly unfolding........

[1275psi]

Mr President?
"yes?"

"I am sorry sir, but you need to know. Bataan has fallen, the Philippines are gone"

"And Mac?"
"Unknown sir?"
"Not that it matters, there is one general who will never receive a command again"