When the giants died

[1275psi]

Jan 16
Imperial palace

The prince bends carefully over the map, and waves his hand over one particular corne
"The next objective Admiral?"
Admiral Kongo nods "Yes your Highness, Ambon, Sorong, , these small oil centres"
16th Army?"
"Some off it, Admiral Yamamato and Nagumo are covering with Combined Fleet"

There is a silence
"And no move south?, I have heard the enemy are already active against the Gilberts, and our submarines report much activity
in the south Pacific"
Kongo stands himself erect
"Mere pin pricks, only one thing matters, and that is the American Carriers, and knowing our apponent......what if
they should appear in the Timor sea, or off soerabaya?. We have no knowledge of them , they could even do a Pearl Harbour
on us"

The prince does not answer
But Kongo knows this man. His body language says it all. He is not pleased.
He, Kongo, must remain firm. Must trust Yamamatos plan.

The question has not been asked this morning. But the problem remains
Fuel. Damn it, fuel. There is barely enough for the operations in the DEI, yet alone the south pacific........










Thanks T Rav, its nearly impossible to post every day at the moment..........

[Bif1961]

If the Japanese had just developed solar ships, look at all those flat surfaced carriers.

[1275psi]

January 17th
Battle ship Kongo marks time
She moves almost slowly across a lanquid sea, her wake barely a ripple in the deep, deep blue.

Kongo marks time
Captain Tonuji paces her bridge, back, forth, back, forth
With him, on this crowded, hot sweaty bridge, his crew avoid his eyes, his glaring, flaming gaze
The tiger is pacing in his cage, and beware any man who comes into its reach.

For the hundreth time, he raises his glasses, and takes the Akagi into view.

Little, it appears , seems to be happening, a few men move upon her flight deck, her funnel streams a little smoke,
her stern pushes a little water.

The glasses swing. The other carriers, shimmering in the equatorial heat. The other battle wagons, in focus, out of focus,
phantoms in the heat

All marking time.
On the horizon, the shadow of Ambon, where the troops are going in.
A giant sledgehammer, swinging loosly at the Empires waist.

Tonuji raises his glasses yet again upon Akagi, as if mentally willingly her into action.
The crew wait
They know what stirs the Tiger of Battleship Kongo

The report remains still screwed up in the Captains fist

Enemy carriers, the enemy goddam fleet, south of Truk

And here they wait for the bloody Army.
And wait, and wait.

Chained to the invasion beach, the Tiger paces, caged.

[1275psi]

January 18th

"Salvo short, request up 100 yards"
Captain Tan , Yamashiro, grimaces
"Are you sure guns?"
There is a pause, somewhere above him in Yamashiro's great pagoda, His Gunnery Officer would be cursing, cursing bitterly.
And who could blame him?
Even here, at the end of the speaking tube, he can feel his frustration
"Its what the Army calls Sir......but......"
"But?"
"It could be for us, it could be for Fuso, it could be for any one of us!"

Yes. Yes it could. We have never really trained for this, and the Army has never trained at all.
The Army is entering Wenchow, and the battleships of his division are to pave the way.
Fine in theory.......
'We can only do what we can guns........I recommend you get all of us to raise one hundred..."


Wenchow will fall soon.
He supposes by then the Army , and them, might work all this out.........

[cardiv2hiryu]

I've caught up with the new game! How many DDs are under production now just as a curiosity? Do the DE's have to wait for a start date to begin producing them? Novice questions but of interest.....

[RangerJoe]

Open the game, click on the "i" in the upper left, then click on "Ship Availability" and it will show when the ships come in. You can sort by date, you can also select just individual types to see when they come in.