The Battle Under: The Allies Fight Back

[tocaff]

March 20, 1942 Washington DC

Bill and Ed go over the day's events and know that there will be grim looks on the faces upstairs. At Cebu more Jap troops came ashore and then the base was assaulted by 22.6K while the defenders numbered 2.8K. The Japanese loses were pegged at 121/2/1 while the Allies suffered 5452/26/0 as the 120 USN BF and 81 PA Div both surrendered. From this date forward there will only be guerrilla activity in the Phillipines as organized resistance has totally been wiped out. Bali was invaded and Kragen was captured as the Japanese advance continues. Nothing about any troops readying for future ops to report as this intel remains a mystery. They do have a copy of a report showing a pilot summary for Allied forces as of yesterday.

Sara's TF is on it's way back to PH since the whereabouts of the KB is unknown at the present time. The brass also has decided to concentrate their assets so the 4 CVs in the Pacific will join each other at PH in the near future.

The Palawan's skipper sees the dog and smiles as he shakes his head and walks away. Red says, "You guys are nuts! What am I going to do with him? What'll we feed him?" One of the crew says, "First you've got to name him and the guys would like to suggest Lucky. We don't know what kind of dog he is as our mission to the library got sidetracked by booze and women. Anyway when we get back from Midway we'll find out." Red replies as he picks up the dog and they stare into each other's faces, "You are now officially Lucky." Lucky licks Red's face and everyone has a good laugh.

A large convoy is forming in SF and LA. While a convoy is unloading at Pearl another in unloading at Auckland and 2 more approach NZ.

[tocaff]

March 21, 1942

Communications from Bali stop after reports of continued Japanese landings followed by an assault so Bill and Ed assume it's fallen into enemy hands. There's still nothing to substantiate or disprove the suspected Japanese troop build up or where it's occurring.

The Japanese attack PM with 20 A6M2s (3 downed) and 21 G4M1s (1 downed & 5 damaged), scoring 2 runway hits as they were met by 4 Kittyhawks (1 damaged) and 5 Warhawks (1 damaged). It's nice to win even a minor victory once in a while.

SS Grayback attacked a MSW and AP near Bali but the fish were either duds or missed.

The 2 CVs stationed on the west coast of the US will be sailing with third one set to arrive soon from Alaska and then they will make for Pearl Harbor.

The RN has sent 2 CVs on their way to Australia along with a BB, some cruisers and destroyers.

The Soviet offensive at Kerch has been defeated by the Germans and there are heavy Russian loses.

Kesselring has launched an intensified air offensive against Malta. There will be 4927 Luftwaffe sorties flown this month compared to 2497 flown last month.

[tocaff]

March 22, 1942

Bill enters Ed's office and looks at the mountain of paper on the desk and asks, "Snowing lately? Here's another one that confirms the attack on Tilitap by 43.3K Japs. They lost 172/4/0, but took the base. The defenders numbered 1.5K and loses ran 1640/21/1. The 5th CGB surrendered while the Tilitjap Garrison Battalion retreated in the direction of Bandoeng. When are you leaving to get that deck beneath your feet?" Ed replies that he's having lunch tomorrow with the Admiral and he'll know more then.

The Japanese continue bombing Homan and the AVG is no match for the Zeros as they're always badly outnumbered. They expected to be up against obsolete planes in China and haven't seen a Nate yet, not even Oscars.

The Dutch flotilla is readying to sail into harm's way as soon as intel gives them a target that isn't heavily covered.

Aboard the Palawan Red has discovered that having a puppy on a ship is a full time job. His shipmates can't complain about the pooch relieving himself, but the officers have made it clear that they won't tolerate a mess from the dog and everybody is responsible for cleaning up after him. The new motto will be "If you see it, you clean it." Meanwhile the galley is busy cooking the dog some rice as Lucky has diarrhea. The men love the dog already as he's cute as a button and seems to be smart too. Smart in a dog, they will learn, means a curious animal and they tend to get themselves in trouble and always seem to be underfoot. So far Red has taken the dog to sleep with him and has no idea how big this dog could get even though the 3rd officer has mentioned that by looking at a puppy's paws you can get an idea of future size and he adds, "Lucky has some pretty big paws for a little guy." In any event the dog has learned where the galley is and the galley crew has learned that this dog has a big appetite despite his lack of size. What kind of dog is this many of them wonder.

Benham's men want to go out hunting instead of always shepherding the AKs around from island to island. Phil tells a couple of the men that he overhears that, "We'll get plenty of chances to fight, more than you might like. This war is going to be a long one from the looks of it as before anything else we need to stop the Japs from further advances or at least slow them down before we can go over to the offense." Phil likes the men's spirit and knows that this ship has a good crew. With that in mind he goes to the bridge and gets the OK from the skipper for a new schedule of drills.

A large convoy is being formed to take troops, oil, fuel and supplies to Australia and the SWPAC area in general. The strategy is that every island can't be defended, but the more obvious targets can and will be in an effort to keep the line of communication open to Oz and make the Japanese pay for what they try to take.

[tocaff]

March 23, 1942

Homan was raided today by 54 Zeros (5 destroyed) and they were met by 19 P-40Es (9 destroyed & 1 damaged). This isn't good for the AVG, but in the long run the Japanese pilot pool suffers.

Houston & Boise are under ASW escort and will arrive at PH tomorrow.

Bill literally races into Ed's office and says, "We got it! They're building up at Truk! It's a really large body of troops there, though we can't tell exactly how many. Now your lunch with the Admiral today should be very interesting. Those code breakers surely earned their pay on this one. I wonder how we'll respond to this?" "Well calm yourself down Bill and I'll tell you all about lunch later. I'm going to head upstairs now as long as we've got something to talk about." With that Ed heads out of the office.

Aboard the Palawan Capt Demesa is a little upset that his favorite pair of slippers have managed to somehow be reduced to a left footed single. "Where's that sneaky little mutt?" he thunders. The crew manages a straight face around the bridge, but below decks the laughter reverberates through the passageways. Red is busy looking for the little 4 legged thief and finds Lucky, where else but at the galley begging for food.

Ed returns to the office late in the afternoon and says that, "I'm going to a staff meeting tonight and The President will be there. Me a lowly Captain, why? Get me everything that you can about this Truk situation." Bill calls the staff together and sets them to work and calls the code breakers to see if they've got anything else.

That night the staff meeting goes quickly and Ed says nothing, just hands Admiral Leahy the reports as they're needed. Finally FDR says that Ed has done a damned fine job and that he'd like a word after the meeting disbands. Ed looks at the Admiral who merely shrugs his shoulders. The room empties and FDR offers Ed a drink, which he politely declines until the President insists that he not be forced to drink alone. "You appear to be just what I'm looking for Captain. May I call you Ed? I'd like to offer you a position on my personal staff and I know that you'll lose your chance to command the Atlanta, but later, if I can spare you, I'll get you something bigger and better as will befit your new rank. If you work for me there'll be an immediate promotion as you'll need the clout to get things done. There's no rush for you to give me an answer so any time between now and when you leave after finishing your drink will do." FDR sits in his wheelchair smiling, enjoying his drink and a smoke. Ed knows when he's been had and says, "I'd be honored to help out in any way that I can sir." FDR smiles and says, "Admiral Leahy said you were a damned fine officer and would answer the call. You'll start work in one week. By then you'll have been promoted and squared away your present posting. Goodnight Ed." "Goodnight Sir," Ed answers and he is shown out by one of the White House domestic staff.

Yesterday a Polish newspaper editor was beheaded for listening to the BBC.

[tocaff]

March 24, 1942

"Here's the latest news," say Bill as he hands comms to Ed who's just entered the office. "Thanks, come with me to my office please," Ed reples. When they've settled in Ed looks over the briefing prepared for him and notes that Pinrang has been invaded. Imphal saw a busy day in the air as 5 Buffalo Is & 6 Hurricane IIs intercepted a sweep by 41 Zeros. The Japs lost 3 planes and the Allies 4 Buffalos, 1 Hurricane and another Hurricane was damaged. The AVG lost 3 more P-40Es at Homan in return they downed nothing, not a single Zero. "Are these Zeros super planes or are their pilots so much better than our boys? Maybe it's both?" Ed then continues, "Well at least I like the IJN ML hitting a mine at Wake. I know you want to know what's been going on and I'm not going to get the Atlanta after all. I've been requested by Roosevelt himself to be added to his staff at the White House. I'm to report for my new duty assignment on Monday the 30th. I'm also to be promoted so that I'll have the clout for the job. So now I'm guessing that this place will be yours for a while as Admiral Leahy knows that you're reliable and exercise good judgment." Bill says, "Well then we go out tonight to celebrate, Admiral." Bill is becoming increasingly dismayed as time goes on that everyone around him is moving to new assignments and here he is treading water.

Aboard the Palawan Red has offered to buy the Captain new slippers and promises start training Lucky immediately. The skipper has no intentions of doing anything about the dog as Lucky seems to have won the affection of the entire crew, even Cookie who's generally a grouch. The dog might be Red's but Lucky loves Cookie as he's the man to see for food.

Tarpon will be delayed while she undergoes some minor repairs before her next cruise.

Anchorage is now a hornet's nest as it's airfield has filled with planes.


Kittyhawks

[Capt. Harlock]

Anchorage is now a hornet's nest as it's airfield has filled with planes.

Doesn't strike me as useful -- what about Dutch harbor?

[tocaff]

Dutch Harbor is next on the build up in the Northen Area.  I wanted to make sure that if Steve came knocking I would be able to do something about it and Anchorage was the best I had for a quick answer.  Now I intend to work my way westwards with the bases always careful to have LBA available.  The supply situation in Alaska is good and I believe that there are adequate troops based there with a RCT scheduled to be sent to DH soon.

My major concern is that the VP spread is almost at 4:1 and there are 8 short months left before 1943 rolls around. 

March 25, 1942

"The Japanese have landed at Lombok and they've taken Dumaguete," says Bill as Ed shakes his head.  Ed asks, "You wouldn't have any good news today would you?"  Bill just shakes his head.  Bill doesn't know that last night while he and Ed were out for dinner Elaine had tried to call him. 

The AVG is having a rough time of it at Homan as the Zeros are dealing death in the skies.

The Palawan sails for Midway along with the AK Castor.  Benham is the flag for this little convoy.  Lucky seems to be getting into everything and is learning by watching the crew.  Though he's to little to climb them he's focused on the ship's ladders.  This dog is proving to be a handful, but the men don't mind the extra work Lucky causes because he's their good luck charm.  Red is very happy with this situation as the men have stopped rubbing his head and pat the dog instead.  Cookie managed to lay in an extra supply of food for the dog before they sailed and the Captain has been seen rubbing the dog's head and talking to him.

The Dutch flotilla has sailed with an eye to bombard Lambok.  The mission will proceed unless heavy IJN units are spotted or the Japanese spot the TF on it's approach.

[tocaff]

March 26, 1942

The code breakers have intercepts that they now are saying that the 4th Tank Regiment is moving to Rabul.  Ed sees this information while he's sitting in Admiral Leahy's outer office.  He know's that he's there to be brought up to speed on what's going on so that when he assumes his new duties at the White House he'll be in the know.  His meeting with the admiral is short and he's told that as of today he is a Rear Admiral and he's told that Bill will make LTCDR shortly before getting his tin can.  Upon Ed's return to the office he asks Bill, "Anything that I should see?"  Bill replies, "Well the Japs are continuing to land at Bankha and Bandoeng was assaulted and taken by 43.2K Japanese troops, who took 41/1/0 in loses.  The Dutch numbered 1.5K and they lost 2482/14/0 as the 21 DAF BF, 4 Dutch Rgt and the Tjilatjap Garrison surrendered.  The AK Elcano was attacked by a Jap sub about 120 miles SE of Townsville and was sunk by 2 torpedo  and 2 shell hits.  If you have any good news I'd appreciate hearing it."  Ed tells bill that before he gets his assignment to sea duty on his own destroyer that he'll become a LTCDR.  Bill nods and says, "There's more bcause you've got that look on your face."  Ed relents and says, "You are now standing in the shadow of a Rear Admiral."

Captain Demesa, of the Palawan, jokingly tells his 1st mate that there is a new master of the ship and he's named Lucky.  The dog is being treated like loyalty by all except for one of the men and he's been told that if he mistreats the dog in any way at all the men will toss him overboard.

LCDR Worthington of the Benham paces the bridge afraid that the Japanese could show up.  He's concerned about subs, planes and ships suddenly appearing at this lonely forward outpost that they're headed for. 

Capt Riker of the Houston is overseeing work being done to his ship.

Elaine decides to try calling Bill again later tonight.

CDR Wallace of the Tarpon heads off to visit an old pal that's now based here in Hawaii.  They planned on meeting at The Royal Hawaiian Hotel, which is now full of officers of the United States.

The Germans started transporting Slovak Jews to Auschwitz a couple of days ago and tomorrow French Jews will start being sent there too.

The British government refused to hold an inquiry into the loss of Singapore during a Lords debate.

Churchill tell the Conservatives, "It now seems very likely that we and our allies can not lose this war, except through our own fault."




Winston Churchill

[tocaff]

March 27, 1942

"The Japanese continue to land troops at Lombok and at Bankha where they stage an assault and take it with 7.4K men, loses sketchy at best nothing reported. The Allied force of 400 men lost 27/0/0 and have retreated. So Admiral how doe the weight of the new rank suit you? I hope associating with a lowly LT isn't beneath your dignity," Bill says with a smile. Ed grins and gives him a quick, "Stow it."

Aboard the Benham Phil has just run the 2nd drill of the day and is pleased with the results. He plans on continuing the drills to keep the crew sharp, but not so many of them to have a negative effect.

The Cuttlefish continues to ready for her next mission in the icy waters of Alaska.

Elaine tries yet again to call Bill, but as usual he's not in.She's beginning to think that his recent trip to Pittsburgh was not so good for him as her friend dominated her time and attention.

The Filipino government arrives in Australia.

PQ-13 is on the way to Russia.

[tocaff]

March 28, 1942

Bill and Ed are sifting through the day's comms and so far have noted that the Japanese are continuing to land troops at Lombok. There was a sweep by 50 Zeros at Imphal and the Commonwealth met it with 6 Buffalos (all destroyed) and 10 Hurricanes (6 of which were destroyed) and they destroyed 3 Zeros. At Ichang 105.4K Japs bombarded the 35.8K Chinese defenders. "I spoke to Elaine yesterday," says Bill, "and she seems eager to visit DC and get together. I've got to be honest and say that I was less than thrilled with her when we were together in Pittsburgh and I really seem to have lost interest in her." Ed replies that there are plenty of females in DC and that if Bill ever takes some time for himself at night he just might meet somebody.

Tarpon continues to ready for her next mission.

Ships will commence being upgraded in a few days and it is hoped that the task will be completed before the next big Japanese move.

As soon as there is available transport a RCT will be sent to Dutch Harbor.

[tocaff]

March 29, 1942

Bill heads into Ed's office and closes the door. "This," he says "will more than confirm what's going on at Truk." Bill gives a sheet from intel that states that the Japanese have amassed about 169K troops on Truk. "Hell the island should sink under the weight," says Ed as he reads. "What else is of note today?" Bill rattles off the following, "The Japs have been pursuing retreating Dutch forces in Borneo and cornered them about 120 miles SE of Banjarmasin. The Japs had the Dutch forces with their backs to the sea and the attack resulted in the shattered remnants of the following units surrendering:
SE Borneo Bat
VI Garrison Bat
Samarinda Garrison Bat
3 Dutch NBF
10DAF BF
This happened yesterday and we're just getting word now. On a happier note our sub minelaying campaign has again hit a Jap ML, no word on where because the map coordinates were garbled. The Japs swept Kweiyang again with 58 Zeros (7 destroyed) and 8 Tojos while the AVG put up 19 Warhawks and had 9 shot down. PM was also hit by 65 Zeros and 43 Bettys (2 damaged) while the Aussies had 6 Kittyhawks flying and 3 were downed."

The Dutch flotilla continues on it's path to bombard the Japs on Lombok and so far they've gone undetected. There appear to be no heavy IJN units in the immediate area so they refuel the DDs and prepare to dash in to deal out some damage. The USN submarine Pike is on patrol in the area and reports nothing except lightly escorted APs at Lombok.






SS-173 Pike

[tocaff]

March 30, 1942

"Admiral Edward Landy reporting for duty," says Ed at an entrance to the White House. The guard checks his list and sure enough Ed is on it. The Guard calls a Secret Service agent who then escorts Ed into the White House where he's shown into a room where a meeting is already in session. After the meeting breaks up General Gorge C Marshall beckons to Ed. The 2 of them proceed to exchange some small talk and then share their thoughts on the recent intel reports showing the Japanese troop concentrations at Truk and Rabul. "I'd be happier to know the location of their carriers, because they are the sharp edge of the sword. Find the CVs and it'll give a clearer picture of their intentions," says Ed. Marshall agrees and then bids Ed goodbye. An aide appears and asks Ed to follow him and then presents Ed to the President. The 2 of them talk for a little while and the aide appears again and takes Ed to a waiting staff car. Ed gets into the car and is driven to the Pentagon where he is shown to his new office. While he's looking around he calls Bill and invites him up and says, "Come on up and then we'll have some lunch." Bill arrives 10 minutes later and tells Ed that the Dutch fought 2 surface actions and then bombarded Lombok. In the first engagement they sank 3 PCs and left 1 burning. The second battle was against 4 DDs of which 1 was heavily damaged and burning while another was on fire. For this the Dutch had a DD burning and a CL suffered a torpedo hit. They then retired towards Australia, but it's unknown if the 2 damaged ships will make it or not and the general fear is that the ships will be found by Nells and Bettys. The SS Pike made an attack at Lombok after the surface actions, but nothing came of it. "Tomini has fallen. The Japs hit PM with 48 Zeros (4 shot down and 1 damaged)and 49 Bettys (3 damaged) and they scored 9 runway hits and also a supply hit. Out of the 13 Kittyhawks that intercepted 6 were destroyed. This seems like old times in the dungeon except for the windows in your office, sir." Ed smiles and says, "Cut the crap LT Smith and start acting normal please." They both grin and set off for lunch.

The USN is feeling the crunch as more escort vessels are needed to shepherd the convoys.

[tocaff]

March 31, 1942

Bill calls Ed and says, "I just got this from intel and the reports states that the Japs have about 213K troops at Changkufeng and that they're moving more troops to Rabul.  Yeah, there's more, wait a second.  OK here it is, 66.2K Japanese troops assaulted Batavia and took it for a cost of 1267/44/4.  The 18.2K defenders lost 2314/18/0 and were forced to retreat.  PM was bombed again, 65 Zeros and 46 Bettys (5 damaged) and the Aussies only had 3 Kittyhawks flying and lost 2 of them."  Ed thanks him a says good bye.

The Dutch flotilla mysteriously went from having adequate fuel to return to Oz to 0!  They'll have to crawl back to port as there's only a CL approaching the area and she can't refuel them all.

All is peacefull aboard Palawan as she's unloading at Midway and suddenly there's a yelp and cursing.  Lucky runs past the working men and hides behind some deck machinery.  The men look up from their work and see Cookie approaching with a cigar in his mouth and cursing a blue streak.  "Where is that little @^# #($*#$ eating machine?  I'll wring his $(% @*#(*#+ neck!"  The crew members can't hold back their laughter and this only further enrages Cookie.  Finally one of the men asks what happened and Cookie answers, "That no good little 4 legged @($*%&^#$&@) just ate the cake that I had cooked for your birthday!"  Now everything has come to a halt and everybody is laughing so hard that even Cookie starts.  Lucky slinks forward and rubs against Cookie's leg and licks his hand and the man leans down and just rubs the dog's head and says, "Happy birthday anyhow and Lucky loved your cake."  Red looks up out of the hold and yells, "What's going on up there?  What's the hold up?  We're ready for you to hoist away."  The men go back to their work, happy for the humorous distraction.  They have a bet with the crew of the Castor as to which ship will be empty first and they are determined not to lose.

In the last few days the news out of Europe was:

Fritz Sauckel was named Chief of Manpower for recruitment of slave labor.

The first train loads of Jews leave Paris bound for Auschwitz.

PQ-13's escorts beat off a German naval attack and sink the Z-26.

The RAF tried and failed again to sink the Tirpitz at Trondheim.

There was a British naval and commando raid against St Nazaire.

"Bomber" Harris introduces saturation bombing.  234 planes dropped incendiary bombs on Lubeck.  The British lost 13 planes and the Germans captured GEE equipment.  Hitler orders the Luftwaffe to bomb historic towns and cities in the UK in retaliation for this raid.

[tocaff]

April 1, 1942

Hmmmm readership is down since the release of AE.  Maybe I should just pack it in and forget the AAR.  NO!  APRIL FOOLS!

Intel now has new intercepts that causes them to suspect that a heavy troop concentration in Japan is bound for China.  Bill will pass this and other information on to Ed, who he figures to see less and less of.  There has been air combat at Kweiyan where 51 Zeros (2 destroyed) were met by 4 Warhawks (1 downed & another damaged).  At Imphal 43 Zeros (2 shot down & 1 damaged) were met by 5 Buffalos (3 destroyed) and 5 Hurricanes (3 destroyed).  Bill puts a pin in the map as Jambi has fallen into Japanese hands.

The Palawan and Castor continue to unload at Midway.  It has been discovered that the Castor's crew has tried to bribe some of the cargo handlers on Midway to insure that Castor is emptied before the Palawan.  Cookie heads ashore with two bottles of single malt whiskey that he's been saving since, well forever he thinks.  The bet is a hefty one and there's no way that he'll let the Castor win.  He's taken Lucky with him and during his negotiations with the officer in charge of the unloading he has offered a bottle to "grease the skids" but was told that more was needed.  Cookie offers a second bottle and a deal has been struck.  Lucky seems to have worked his magic as during the negotiations a winch on the Castor has broken down and it won't be repaired for hours.  Upon Cookie's return to the ship the crew tell him the good news and he says nothing of the deal he struck.

Some ships have been scheduled to undergo refits this month.

[tocaff]

Despite the release of AE this game grinds on.  I was going to start a PBEM with AE, but will await some patching  to be done first.  In the meantime Steve will continue to kick me around a bit more.

April 2, 1942

FDR asks, "Are you certain about this intel?"  Ed replies, "Mr. President the is nothing 100% certain, especially in intel, but this report appears to be as solid as you could ever hope for.  The question is what the Japanese plan to do with the 217K troops now based at Ominato.  We don't have enough in Alaska to repel an attack of that size, if that's what they're intending."

Bill has had a quiet day and the only report that's crossed his desk that's of any interest is the 50 Zeros that swept Kweiyan at the cost of 1 downed plane while the 10 Warhawks on CAP lost 4.  Nothing else of note has happened this day in the Pacific except for some bombardments and bombings.  Bill plans to call Elaine when he gets home and try to set up something concrete with her concerning her impending visit to DC.

[tocaff]

April 3, 1942

The submarine Siversides suffered a heavy ASW attack while on patrol approximately 60 miles NW of Rabul. She will continue to be listed as still on patrol as there was no message sent so only we know that she's gone.

Bill takes note that the Japanese have stormed ashore at Lombok and that Merak was assaulted and taken by 62.6K Japanese troops with the loss of 322/14/0 while the Allied defenders, who numbered 10.4K, lost 7899/62/0. The following units surrendered:
ABDA
1 Dutch Rgt
2 Dutch Rgt
A-I-Ld AAB
A-III-Ld AAB
2 Dutch NBF
1 DAF AV/1
This will get a pin in the map as soon as he gets up. Finally 38 Zeros swept Kweiyang and were met by 8 Warhawks. The Japs lost 3 planes and the shot down 5 of the defenders. The bad news is never ending, thinks Bill. Last night he spoke to Elaine and she said that though a trip to DC would be nice and that she'd love to see him, she's working at a USO club in Pittsburgh and can't leave.

Palawan and Castor are still unloading at Midway as the Benham maintains her vigil. Phil has the bridge when a false sonar contact was reported and another GQ drill was run.

Cuttlefish is awaiting orders for her next patrol, though the men have grown to appreciate the port of Anchorage, not that it has that much to offer, but it's surely better than being cold and wet on board a sub in the Aleutians.

Houston is nearing completion of her refit at PH along with some other vessels.

Ed is having troubles getting used to seeing the President on a regular basis, though he figures that this to shall pass. The meeting today at the White House focused on the ETO so he was just an observer as it was basically an Army run affair.

Troops are readying for the invasion of Wake Island as they drill on the island of Oahu. There is no firm date for this attack as of yet and much will depend on the whereabouts of the KB.


SS Silversides

[tocaff]

April 4, 1942

Stalin is questioning his generals as to their preparations to launch an attack on the Japanese and is told that the demands of the war against the Germans hinders the flow of men and material.  Stalin rages when he hears this and demands that they make do with what they get and speed up the timetable for an attack.

Ed has presented more intel that places 217K Japanese troops at Ominato and 115 Mortar Battalion moving to Rabul.  He comments that there really is no clue as to what the Japs intentions are.  The possibility that expansion into Alaska is a reality is causing a stir among those in the know.  A RCT will be on the way to Dutch Harbor in approximately 1 1/2 weeks along with supplies.  This won't be enough to stop a strong push, but it will bring to 5 the number of RCTs in Alaska.

The Palawan and Castor are still unloading at Midway.  Red has spent part of the afternoon with Lucky ashore and the dog wants to investigate everything, not to mention mark it as his territory which has gotten the two of them yelled at more than a few times.  Lucky is so loveable that he gets away with everything and nobody ever stays mad at him. 

Bill has prepared the day's comms for their trip upstairs and for a rarity the news isn't all bad.  48 Zeros swept Kweiyang, losing 1 plane to the 5 Warhawks that met them.  Only 2 Warhawks returned to base.  Dutch bombers claimed to have hit a PC with a bomb, leaving it on fire, near Toboali.  The Chinese met and defeated elements of the 2 Para Regiment on the ledo Road and forced it to retreat.

A large convoy of empty ships has sailed for the US from PH.  Another convoy is unloading oil and supplies in Oz.  Yet another one has finished unloading at Auckland.  There is a large convoy bound for the SWPAC area that will enable the basing of many more planes in the area.  Troops will be following as soon as they can be spared.

[tocaff]

April 5, 1942

The latest intel has the 43 Naval Gd unit moving to Rabul. So far this intel hasn't done much more than set a buzz going in the halls of power, but what are the Japanese preparing for now? Will they continue their expansion and try to push into India? Will they invade Australia? Do the SWPAC islands appeal to them as a way of shutting off supplies to Australia? Will a move be made to grab bases in the Aluetians? Will the Japans massively reinforce their China operations? Ed has all of these thoughts going around and around in his head and he keeps telling himself that in their shoes he would start building the defensive network needed to protect the oil and resources that were recently captured. He has also decided that India will be a reach and that to succeed there the IJN must send the KB to cover amphibious operations or they will be bogged down in the jungles. If the IJN does do this what protects them from the USN? Damn, he thinks, where is the KB? The USN has concentrated 4 CVs at PH and this striking power is chomping at the bit. So far this new posting to the White House has done little for Ed other than to supply him with the constant nagging doubts and fears of guessing wrong. Well at least the breaking of the Japanese codes is supplying us with more useful information all of the time and these questions would exist with or without intel, he thinks.

The Russians have commenced the movement of air assets in preparation of their long awaited strike at the hated Japanese. The Russian generals are clamoring for more armor as tanks are something the Japanese have troubles dealing with.

[tocaff]

April 6, 1942

"Yes I know that it's to late to tell General Marshall as he's on his way to Britain with Mr. Hopkins. Well then tell the President that I'm on my over to the White House as of right now to see him." Ed hangs up the phone, looks at Admiral Leahy and asks, " Do you hate these White House flunkies as much as I'm starting to do? Are you joining me for this little trip?" The answer is a negative shake of the head and Ed leaves.

Bill is having a slow day other than the intel he passed on to Ed not long ago and now he sees that Imphal was swept by 27 Zeros, of which 2 were downed by the CAP of 6 Buffalos (3 destroyed) and 8 Hurricanes (shot down).

The Palawan's crew is working harder than their skipper has ever seen and it's all due to Casor's crew doing the same. He smiles to himself and wonders if this bet was a wise thing that the men did.

Elaine has found that working at the USO club is lots of fun. She's meeting men from all over the country as the Army Air Corps has a large training center in Pittsburgh located on the Pitt U campus.

Ed arrives at the White House and is shown to a chair in the hallway outside of the Oval Office. He waits for nearly 1/2 hour and is then summoned into a meeting that is already in session. The President halts the meeting and introduces Ed quickly and asks, "What've you got for us Ed?" "Well Mr. President our code breakers have the 16 Imperial Japanese Army HQ moving to Rabul. With this bit of information added to the others that we have I would say that the Japanese are going to make a move for Port Moresby or through the Solomon Islands." "OK Admiral," one of the generals in attendance says, "But which do you think it is?" "I would bet my bottom dollar," says Ed, "On Port Moresby because as long as we hold on there it's a dagger to their throat in the PNG area and Rabul would be in our B-17s range." FDR interrupts Ed and says that's the way he sees it too. All in the meeting are to scramble and see if any units can be shifted into a position to aid the defenders of PM.

[tocaff]

April 7, 1942

The Palawan and Castor are almost done unloading at Midway. The men grumble about the lousy facilities and why doesn't the Navy improve them. Red has noticed that lucky seems to be getting bigger at an alarming rate. He keeps asking around about Weimaraners, but everyone just asks what's a Weimaraner. He's convinced that a trip to the pet shop is called for when the Palawan returns to PH.

The SS Pollack suffers an intense ASW attack near Rabul, but survives it with just a rattled crew.

Bill has a slow day with the only thing of not that crossed his desk was that Imphal was swept again. This time 43 Zeros were met by 6 Buffalos and 8 Hurricanes. 2 Zeros are downed, but all the Buffalos are lost and 5 Hurricanes don't return to base. Bill wonders how it's possible for the Japanese to continually mount raids of this size while the Allies can barely scratch together something to meet the Japs and even then they get clobbered.

Ed has been on the horn all day and heads over to the White House just before dinner. He meets with FDR and tells him that the news isn't good, though not all bad. "The Dutch ships limped back to Australia, but can't get to Brisbane by heading west due to lack of fuel and to sail to the east will meet with IJN heavy units and death. The RN has had the foresight to dispatch 2 CVs, a BB and other ships to Australia, but they won't be able to reach a position to attack the Japs in time to help PM unless the Japanese take longer than expected to launch their operation. Even then if the KB is involved the Brits will be in big trouble." What about our navy?" asks the President. "Well sir, I expect that we'll have 4 CVs at PH in about 1 to 1 1/2 weeks. The time it'll take them to sail to Australia leaves us pretty much out of the fight. Maybe we could take this opportunity, assuming that the KB is located, and stage an attack of our own? I don't know about the status of available ships to transport an invasion force, but I know an op was being prepped to retake Wake Island," say Ed. The President thanks Ed for his thoughts and time and tells him to check into things on his end and that if he runs into any uncooperative people to just call the White House then and there.




SS-180 Pollack