Letters from a Prime Minister

[1275psi]

March 3rd

Sydney harbour

1st division has been deployed
8000 men deployed to the last place they expected they ever would be.
Sydney Wharf.

Over 6 brutal hours in a private room, Frank has wrestled with the Maritime unions.
Men who have supported him, sponsored him, nominated him time and again through out his career.
But their demands have been almost impossible.

The meeting, ever more violent, has ended badly.
Franks final words "do you really think the Japs will let you keep your extra couple of quid, if they
get here?" have not swayed them.

And so, terribly, the troops have gone in.

6 Large AKs are now being loaded.
A mans political future may just have ended, sacrificed on the altar of trying to save his
country's

Lost, totally, of course on the workers on Sydney's wharf.

[1275psi]

3rd March

The Terror bombing continues in China.
It is difficult to imagine what the Japanese hope to achieve. When they eventually take these cities, as they
must, what use the rubble remaining?

DD Kurishio sunk by a SS near Diego Garcia.
Jap DD's bombard Dutch harbour
Car div 5 strikes cold bay.

A disaster in Burma, nearly 70% of the B-26's are killed over Magwe........

[1275psi]

Townsville

A long dry runway nestled in Australian brush.
A few new half moon shaped barracks, two hangers.
A thousand clues about them that this field is new, incredibly new.
The fighters aligned alongside the strip are new too.

14 planes
14 brand new planes
An unknown future.
Jack barely hears anything of the commissioning ceremony, anything of the Commanding officers
equally brief speech.
A squadron is being born
75th RAAF
14 planes
14 brand new planes
Kittyhawks. A decent fighter!. A real fighter!

Almost with lust, Jack eyes the nearest gleaming bird.
How long before they see action?



Soon enough Bluey. Too soon enough.

[1275psi]

a note
there is no Jack ford in 75th squadron in the game, so I have selected Flt Piper, exp level 64. to
represent him.

[poodlebrain]

Will his nom de guerre change if Piper becomes a casualty?

[1275psi]

Hi poodlebrain
If the game kills a character, he's gone!

[1275psi]

March 4th

Japan continues to flood the Attu island chain with forces, back filling
every potential base.
Covering the operation, Car Div 5 remains working, again striking Dutch harbour.

The allies too, are committing considerable forces, Prince Rupert begins to groan at
the seams as train after train pulls in, spewing out young green men, but more importantly,
something Japan can only dream about.
Bulldozers
Dozens of the fat ugly machines, blades still gleaming.

In this war, as short as it has been, the papers have been filled with zero, carrier, battleship,
and weapons of every design.
Nary a mention of these weapons. For that is what a bulldozer is. Its a weapon that can
turn a coral beach , or a swamp, or a forest, or even a hill, into the ONE thing this
war will ultimately become all about.
Airfields.
They will clatter from the rail head to the wharf, given absolute priority.
They wait now, for the ships to take them North.

[1275psi]

Flt Lt Graham leads his Hunters in a sweep over Nanyang, encounters only rain.
It may be for the best, the Japanese are simply deploying too many planes in China to
be deterred.
The ruthless bombing of her cities will continue.

B17's from Port Moresby strike Rabual again, and shoot down defending fighters.

Radio chatter fills the air.
Japanese Forces are on the move, loading in Singapore, Soerabaya, the home islands.
On the move, but to where?

In less than a week, the world will know.

[1275psi]

Westralia and her sisters forge North, today Coal harbour passes down the starboard side, a dark
cloud covered shadow on the horizon.

It gets colder
The seas, surprisingly, are smooth, dark, oily.
And dangerous

"This is the Captain speaking......I have been informed that no less than 6 enemy
submarines are operating near Prince Rupert. I, of course, expect constant vigilance"

"No $%$#@ kidding, thinks Jeffery. Does he think we actually want to go for a swim in these
waters?".
His feet are frozen. His hands are frozen. He has seen snow now for his first time, and
quickly decided he hates it.
Not as much , of course, as he hates this ship, its crew, and this bloody war that has placed him
in this misery.

[1275psi]

March 5th

It is just after midnight
In two oceans, two ships increase speed to full ahead.
Westralia begins her dash into Prince Rupert. In the Indian ocean, Enterprise too increases
to full speed to make port.

The Japanese ss net is spread wide.


Darwin is bombed!!!
A small number of Nells, Betties try to bomb a small Dutch destroyer sheltering there.
They miss.

Thats irrelevant. The fact is, Darwin has been attacked. Australia has been attacked.
What a Prime Minister has sworn cannot happen, has.

[Mike McCreery]

Awesome :]

[1275psi]

100 miles due north of Lunganville

HMAS Stuart
An old duck, is the Stuart.

Small, hopelessly armed for this modern war, South Pac command has placed her in
a perilous position: picket duty.

Her crew know what is at stake. What the risks are. Some even understand the why.
There are 4 other destroyers out here with them, spread north of Lunganville, trip
wire warning for what is happening south of them.

Up until this moment, the day has been a red letter one
RO-65 detected, attacked, sunk before breakfast.
Lunganville bombarded successfully by allied cruisrs.

Yes , a red letter day indeed

Until now.

Spotted at 20000 yards, bone in teeth.
3 Japanese Heavy cruisers, uncountable numbers of destroyers.

From the bridge, a single loud expletive, heard almost throughout the entire ship.
It was too good to be true, wasn't it?

[1275psi]

From
HMAS Stuart
to
USS Chester

have successfully engaged, then avoided heavy Japanese Cruiser task force
My position #@#@, 100 miles North Efate.

The Japanese cannot shoot for S%$t

[1275psi]

March 6th

Parliament House Canberra

Office for the Leader of the opposition
Question time strategy meeting.

"Did he really do it Jim?, did he really order the troops in?"
The opposition Minister for Agriculture shakes his head, "Jesus, things
are bad, but that bad?"
"It doesn't matter now, what I need is some facts. Our Prime Minister insists Australia
is ready for anything, publically, and in Parliament. Privately, we all know this is
bull. What I need is this, just what are the state of the defences? and Secondly, if they are as
weak as I think they are, would it be right and proper to reveal this in Parliament?. Would that be
treason?"

[1275psi]

The Pressure rises
Yamashiro, Fuso unleash again onto Cold Harbour

Port Blair is taken
Efate is taken
Central China is bombed mercilessly, although not with out cost, Hurricanes fight well,
killing 20 for the loss of 6.
44 zeros sweep Port Moresby.

[1275psi]

Jack climbs wearily from his Cockpit.

So this is Katherine.
A field of dirt in the middle of nowhere.
Hangers?.......nope.
A mess?.....apparently not.
Ground support?.......
Squadron Commander Turnball strides past, sweat on his brow.
"Your fuel is over there, under those trees, get pumping, the Japs hit Darwin again today"
The Japs
Darwin

Soon.

[1275psi]

HMAS Hobarts bridge is busy.

She steams south, hard.
Her flashing lights, her lamps flash incessantly.
Napier, Norman, Nestor, Nissan.

Mother Duck gathers her ducklings.

Course set for Bombay.
Where the big boys wait.

[kaleun]

Great thread, as usual, 1275psi.
If I might make a small request, Could you please put the game date on your posts? It gets kind of confusing otherwise.

[1275psi]

7th March 1942

Car div 5 pounds Dutch Harbour again
Port Blair is invaded
Final resistance of the Indian Brigades near Djambi Sumutra. These Brigades are immediately
ordered to be resurrected, if only to honour their memory.

[1275psi]

March 7th

Two Ford brothers finish long and wearing journeys.
Jack Ford in the 75th RAAF Fighter squadron arrive at Darwin.
The base, pleasingly, is well stocked, has an excess of support crew,a fine strip.

Bust most importantly of all, cold beer.

They are warned however, not to imbue too heavily. A vital convoy is due in tomorrow at dawn,
and they are to protect it.
But that is tomorrow. There are fellow pilots of the local Wirriway unit, the small Hudson
bomber unit to meet, and all the usual settling in details to see to.

Its at the end of the earth , is Darwin. Isolated, rough as guts, hot and humid.
Already Jack is beginning to love the place.


Jason too, arrives from his seemingly endless train journey south.
Wherever they are is in mountains, and refreshingly cool.
A small tent city has sprung up, spreading for miles around.
The Aussie first Corp, supplemented by 2 British Armour Brigades is complete.

Jason, unlike Jack, will get no beer.
Called immediately to Division Hq, he is given a set of maps.

General Smart addresses the brigade Commanders about him.

"the enemy, Gentlemen, is going to land here, and here. Don't ask me how I know, take my word for it.
We believe, in fact, are damn sure that he is already loaded, at sea, and coming...."

Christ. Already?. The Japs are actually going to invade?......

"My plan is simple men, take First Corp along here" the pointer smacks along the map, tap, tap, tappity, tap"
and hit him in the arse"

Yes, that will work........that's a good plan.....

"Get some men down that route today, every unit must know exactly the ground we are going to cover, and fight on"

Yes, a good plan......but plans only last until contact with the enemy, don't they?