A fleet sent to die

[1275psi]

WO gots and watambe trundle south , the little tankette rattling and banging on the track
They are not making very good time, stopping again and again for the stream of reinforcement moving North up the track

2 new divisions, rested, and actually well fed, moving up to replace 2 bruised divisions now moving south

To the North, the artillery bangs away, hitting very little.
To the south, waves of bombers place craters on craters at the airfield (long since abandoned)
Its another day in Burma
Another stalemate day

[1275psi]

KB 3 also lies at anchor at Takao
CVL Shoho trains her pilots today, they use Takao airfield, there is too little wind over her deck today, especially whilst at anchor
Asada does not fly, he rests in Shohos sickbay (if it can be called rest)
Malaria has struck him down
Apparently, being a pilot isn't a guarrantee of avoiuding the dread disease

[1275psi]

The unit remains at 47 planes strong, still way short of TOE of 72
But her pilot ranks are now filled

Training has'nt occurred today, the weather has prevented it- just a day of sheeting rain, impossible low clouds

They spenda great deal of the day listening to the radio. Its not raining to the east, and the skies over Minando are busy indeed
It is hard to get a grasp on what is really happening, but apparently bay bay, Davao, Macassar have been bombed, and swept with the dreaded T bolts.
"There is no stopping them" bitterly Shiga observes " I wouldnt be in a zero over there no matter how much you pay me"
"Nor a tony" notes Ogawa ' they don't seem to do much better"
'Its the pilots, not the planes" kanda interjects

The radio chatter continues
They don't need to say anything else
its been a long time since Japan was equal in the air

[1275psi]

I forget how to reply to a post.....

On the cancer
I had HPV + 16 - a 6cm lump in the neck, with several lymph nodes also

Sooooo.... 35 radiations under the mask, Chemo, lost all sense of taste, spent months spewing, no saliva , lost 26 Kilos,
and my hearing
But Im out the other side now

This game was a very welcome distraction, my opponent kept the faith (and patience when I was too sick to do a turn or two), something to look forward to
A lot of turns done at 3 am in the morning when sleep was impossible, or the pain a bit too much for it
Cancer has changed a lot in my life, but this game remains constant!

So how busy are the forums now adays?. Im stunned that they seem alive

[1275psi]

Ban reaches Nagasaki early in the day.
Somewhere, someone has their ducks in a row, or is it the usual Japanese efficiency in these things?
He is met by a literal team of guides, and soon finds himself on a crowded bus. Many of the faces he knows- that man over there helped him fit a fuel pump on the Kasagi, that man over there he has worked alongside with on the Unryu.
They had been good jobs, Priority builds, lacking in nothing
The accomodation is as expected, a converted warehouse near the dock, a mere 100 metres from the grey hull of the Hyuga
He finds a bunk, and a simple meal comes.
Shortly afterwards what appears to be the off coming shift wearily enters the warehouse, they silently take their meals, scatter about the building

It only takes a few questions to get the low down

Hyuga took a single PT launched torpedo some months ago, took right in the worse place possible.
Right up the arse.
Steering wrecked, two shafts wrecked, a turbine destroyed, extensive flooding. She could have done a prince of Wales, but some how has survived.
Current status- out of dock, new shafts, new steering, the turbine all but in, but the support piping still to be replaced.
Time to repair?
50 days, apparently
Ban looks about him. He is being fed. He has a bed. he's not in a bloody uniform
50 days.
Good.
No complaints from Fitter First Class Ban

[RangerJoe]

I forget how to reply to a post.....

On the cancer
I had HPV + 16 - a 6cm lump in the neck, with several lymph nodes also

Sooooo.... 35 radiations under the mask, Chemo, lost all sense of taste, spent months spewing, no saliva , lost 26 Kilos,
and my hearing
But Im out the other side now

This game was a very welcome distraction, my opponent kept the faith (and patience when I was too sick to do a turn or two), something to look forward to
A lot of turns done at 3 am in the morning when sleep was impossible, or the pain a bit too much for it
Cancer has changed a lot in my life, but this game remains constant!

So how busy are the forums now adays?. Im stunned that they seem alive

Click the " on the upper right.