Letters from a Prime Minister

[1275psi]

Canberra

Jack Ford eyes the stubby little plane with almost contempt
The instructor pats him on the back...."Welcome to the Wirriway Jack, Aussies top of the line
fighter"
The sarcasm is not missed

"Is this the best we have got?, where are the P40's, the spits?

The instructor laughs. "the middle east my boy, the middle east"
His voice suddenly gets serious......."This, Jack, is what happens when your Father
sends everything we have to defend England, and not us"

"Don't blame me, I never speak to the barsted"

[1275psi]

Disaster, upon Disaster

For Lt Jackson, Enterprise, a personal belly punch

AO Neasho, the tanker all depends upon, is sunk by a SS just 100 miles from rendezvous.
This is one task force not going anywhere fast.


In the DEI, a maelstrom of fighting, zeros, betties over Palembang, P40's falling in droves,
British cruisers bombarding Palembang, CL Tromp being sunk, CL Glascow damaged.

In China Wenchow is lost, Loyang too.
By Midnight repulse will run out of fuel...a tanker is coming, but in these waters?.....



Just two bright points.

The Indian brigades begin to settle into Palembang.
In Central China Changscha holds against a deliberate attack.

(there is much happening in China, and not all good for japan either)

[1275psi]

Westralia sails from Cairns

Empty

New orders apparently.

Not that the men are going to be told to where, of course.

[1275psi]

Dec 23

There is a small mutiny
The crew of La Triomphant gather on the focastle of their destroyer.
There is a vote

They vote , to remain loyal to the Vichy government here in Noumea, or to join the Allies

There is a very good argument

"Do you want to die for these arrogant blind barsteds?"

No

An hour later, she sails south, leaving those idiots clinging to their
belief that Japan will respect the pact between Nazi Germany, Japan, and Vichy.....

[1275psi]

In China, un expected news

Foochow falls back into Chinese hands

The south western corner of China is crawling with units, cutting roads, , plundering
, leading overstretched garrison units a merry, merry chase.

[1275psi]

December 25th

A Christmas present for the Allies
6 Japanese DDs enter Port Moresby, and sink 2 small empty APs

Retiring, no less than 5 of them strike mines.......



At Batavia, where the battles continue to rage on sea and sky, another DD is sunk by Swordfish, and yet
another by Catalina's


In Malaya, Johore Bharu falls, the Australian 22nd shattered
But up North, Allied troops take a huge supply cache at Patani, , the army, having surprised
the Japanese there, is ordered back to Georgetown

Regretfully, the Euphoria of this win will soon evaporate.

Its all going to Hell in malaya

[1275psi]

From
The Prime Minister Australia
to
Winston

Greetings

First, I wish to thank you for the sacrifice your Navy is making in the DEI's
The cost is heavy, but must be borne

This war will be about just one thing, oil
The longer we hold it, the better.

We must get the 18th division into there. The loss of POW may be traumatic, but
my intelligence tells me that Kongo was very badly hurt

That's 2 BBs, a cruiser hurt.
And no less than 14 destroyers so far.
The japs had a go here at Port Moresby, they are crawling home tail between the legs.

Finally, a quick question, convoys from Cape to perth, who will be responsible for these?

Yours
Frank

[1275psi]

From
Winston
to
Burma Command

Please confirm is it true that AVG are being redeployed back to China?
What is state of Hurricane reinforcements?
Can you hold at moulmien?

Australian 1st Corp is en route from Mid east, India must be held, thus if
any enemy break through is made, you must be prepared to fight a guerrilla war.

Winston

[1275psi]

The Corporal cannot barely contain himself

"Where is Private Ford?
The rest of the gun crew look suitably lost
"No idea Corp"

He strides away. he does not have to go far, Private Ford is in the aft poop store.
Fast asleep on a stack of flags

Westralia is at Second degree of readiness

That does not allow men to slip away.........

[LargeSlowTarget]

ORIGINAL: 1275psi

Dec 23

There is a small mutiny
The crew of La Triomphant gather on the focastle of their destroyer.
There is a vote

They vote , to remain loyal to the Vichy government here in Noumea, or to join the Allies

There is a very good argument

"Do you want to die for these arrogant blind barsteds?"

No

An hour later, she sails south, leaving those idiots clinging to their
belief that Japan will respect the pact between Nazi Germany, Japan, and Vichy.....

I love your AAR - just a nitpick: Noumea / New Caledonia joined the Free French in September 1940.

[1275psi]

ahhh, but that's the rub, isn't it

In this world, Noumea is still firmly Vichy French, the Japs care not where they go,
and losing an entire fleet still leaves you in command!

Thanks for comments

[1275psi]

December 26th

Boise pulls into Batavia, the sun setting , nestles against the small wharf

Her crew are exhausted. Her ammunition stocks as well. Her fuel bunkers are almost
empty as well
She must be ready by dawn, ready to run

The navy is broken, barely a ship of ABDA remains undamaged. Yesterday repulse made the
Indian ocean, she is gone.
Those that remain must tomorrow fight on

The mission, despite the cost, is succeeding, the 18th division arrives tomorrow.
Tomorrow, the last effort.

Boise won't be there.

CL Naha, 3 Dd's slip into the harbour, a daring, daring raid.
Boise tries to hit back, but there is no dodging the torpedo.

For her, its going to be all about getting her away .

The Japanese airforce appears now, Betties, Zeros.
Cl Caledon, CA Exeter, a fish each.
CL enterprise takes 2

A Japanese CL is hit by bombs in return.

Details, details
We know the history now. But then, all most men know is this
Ships, proud and strong sail at dawn, and return at dusk, bent, burning, broken

The fighters rise.
Few of them even get to return.

[1275psi]

Private Ford is found guilty of "absent from a place of duty"

For a moment he inwardly thanks the stars, he has gotten off with the reduced charge,
"absent from duty in the face of the enemy", a much more serious affair

The captain regards him cooly
"Normally, this would mean 14 days cells, young man. But out here, that is considered by some a nice break"

He looks hard at the young Ford
"14 days restricted to the ship, to be served only when we are alongside"

[1275psi]

Inchang is retaken by the Chinese, central front

Not significant really in light of Japans rapid wins in Malaya , the Phillipines

Except it means an entire Japanese division, the 34th, finds itself trapped at Changten.

And it is undoubtedly, doomed.

[1275psi]

27th of December 1941

From ABDA
to Prime Minister of Australia

Sir

As requested:
Your second brigade of the 8th Division is fighting east of georgtown
We are engaged with no less than 4 Japanese Divisions in Malaya, to be brutally honest,
a hopeless task.
However, we have 28000 units of supply at Georgetown, and I have ordered the victorious
units at panai to fall back upon it

Also the Army in central Malaya, near Termoha is also heading north

18th division has arrived safely at Oostenhaven.

Plan 1 is still in effect

The Navy is all but finished I am afraid, soerabaya and Batavia harbours are choked with damaged ships
but with enemy carriers and battle ships now operating west of the DEI's, we are in rather a pickle.

But we will, of course fight on

ABDA

[1275psi]

from

POTUS
to
Pearl Hbr command

Re:
battleships

Agree that damaged ships must remain Pearl until enemy carrier fleet
definitely commences operations eeswhere
Bombardment Midway by Kirishima, Hiei, who escort them, seems to indicate they remain in the area

be aware, if you are invaded, Command Chiefs and myself agree that no effort will be made to
relieve you.
An attempt to invade by japan, based on current abilities, will bring sufficient forces to
ensure victory for them.
To commit what we have will only see the remaining forces available to us destroyed,
and hand Japan victory.
These are hard words, and hopefully will not come to pass.

Then again, we believe that you will eject any invasion, afterall.

POTUS

[1275psi]

China

20th Army group, having destroyed a regiment taking Ichang back, shocks across the river
and enters Changten, north of Changsha.

This traps 34 division

In Changsha, the Japanese attack, and are beaten,
This is becoming a siege as well

East of Nanchang, scattered chinese units, some Division strong, some less than a company
strong spread all over the country side
Japan will have to deal with all of them, as on the coast, at least 3 chinese corps move west from Foochow
threatening the ports along China's southern coast

Other units are swinging around behind Changsha, and yet more head due east towards Shanghia!

They will keep japan busy for quite a while.........



Yenan is under attack, but holds still

And finally, the Armies about Sian have concentrated, formed into their corps under corps HQ's,
and are now beginning to redeploy.

The chinese tactic is simple, get off the roads, get into the hills, forests to each side of them,
and wherever the Japanese push past, move in behind.

34th Division is going to be the first to fall at this tactic

[1275psi]

December 29th

From General Blamey
to
all commands

An war appreciation .

Nearly one month has passed.
The objective of this paper is to dispel rumours that are sapping
our strength.
Also it is my solid belief that the Australian soldier performs best
when he knows exactly what confronts him, what the odds are.

The war began with surprise attacks at pearl harbour, at manilla.
the American battle fleet has been heavily damaged, but her Carriers have vanished

The main Japanese carrier fleet remains even now in the pacific, covering an invasion of Midway island.
It cannot, yet be challenged directly

In the phillipines our army concentrated, and attacked the landings.
After some initial success, the army in Luzon has retreated into the central hills, here to fight on
for as long as it can.
It remains very much a fighting force

In Malaya, Singapore has fallen
yet again though, all is not going how the enemy planned, we captured panai, one of his
Major supply dumps.
This army still fights well in Northern Malaya and central Malaya

In the DEI's we fight for Palembang, where the enemy have currently failed to take the fields

For us, here in the south west pacific, we are building defences, gathering fleets,
and preparing.
Use the time our comrades in Asia are buying us.
The enemy will, must soon come.

We will stop him.




For Commander eastern Army
Enemy divisional strength known at this time

Malaya:
Imperial guards (moderately damaged)
2nd division (loading for Palembang?)
5th Division
33rd division
18th division
41st???

Phillipines
21st
38th
48th? (possibly)

Invasion near Soerabaya
56th
Burma
55th

This leaves the 65th brigade, and the 144th as the major forces that can be used in SW, plus naval guard
units.
144th has been badly roughed up at wake

I believe it will take at least 3 divisions to take Port Moresby now.
If we dig in, dig in, dig in..


Blamey

[1275psi]

From
His Honour the Speaker of the House
to
The honourable leader of the opposition

Tony
Look, I know its Christmas and everything, but fair suck of the sausage,
we simply must recall parliament and move a motion for a war cabinet,
or at the very least, initiate some sort of debate on the way Australia is going
to manage this war

Who is in charge?
Who is taking command in the South West Pacific?
Surely the rumours Mac Aurthur being given command (who ever the hell that is!)
are not true?
You do know the Phillipines are an entire disaster?, that the entire army has gone into the hills?

And do not believe what news is coming from Malaya, Singapore is gone.... and
ABDA acts as if that's no real concern??

What next?

Do you even know the strength of japan?
We were told it was not great, yet its kicking our arse

Sorry to ruin Christmas mate

Jim

[1275psi]

28th December
A Mini KB with BB's passes through the Sunda straight, turns north
Kaga's air groups re appear over Palembang.

Manilla falls
The Japanese cross the river at Moulmien with the 14th tank regiment

It is totally destroyed by what awaits there.............

Near Foochow, another Japanese regiment, the 115th, is also shattered as the chinese march along
the southern coast.

The enemy advance everywhere, but are bleeding as well
And for the moment, the allies will live with that,