The little ship that could.

[1275psi]

Despite the blasts of compressed air after every shell, despite the roar of the fans, B turrett is now a fog stink of cordite and sweat.
26 times now Ashigara has pulled those levers, 26 salvos dispatched,
And the guns are rising a little less every time.
The range is shortening..............

The Gun Captain kicks him again.
Over his shoulder, Ashigara looks up. The fat man is grinning.
"A destroyer sunk!, the others are fleeing"
Good. Very good. Soon this might end.


It does
The turret falls silent, and word comes down to stand down.
The crew pile out, escaping the steel tomb, breath the sweet night air. They mingle under the great guns, admiring there blistering paint
Bets are taken on who has killed the destroyer........

Eyes adjust to the dark, and yamashiro's towering popaganda tower becomes clear in the bright moonlight.
Visibility is outstanding.
Ashigara moves away from the joking, laughing men, takes in the beauty, the power of the scene.
Ahead, he can see two destroyers, dark blotches in the dark, bright rooster tails of water.
Yamashiro herself carves the ocean, the sea hissing and streaming past, beautiful, glimmering in the moon

He can see the white shapes of crew on the tower, the torrent of sparks from the funnel, the smoke pouring and streaming behind.
The deck vibrating under their feet.
And the sweet smell of the ocean...........oh, how sweet the clean air.

Yamashiro leans as she turns slightly, and this reveals Fuso, Kirishima folowing, towing dark mountains, atopped with smoke and flame, bones in their teeth.

Ashigara looks ahead again.
And see's the flashes on the horizon. Sees them even as the bells ring again, ordering them back into that steel tomb

This battle, apparently, has only just begun.
At 12000 yards, line ahead, crossing the T:
3 heavy cruiser, half a dozen destroyers.
The hatch slams behinf Ashigara, the great shell rises.
He begins pulling levers.

[1275psi]

"Its risky, we could blow the tank, and us, to hell"
Minobe shakes his head. "Its damn risky"
Charge straightens. 'Shall we open it up, send some poor fool in then?, Our remaining boiler is burning 250 gallons an hour, I have but 1000 left in its ready use tank, there is probably, at least, 1000 sculling below our feet...........and Yamishiro is 6 hours away!"

Minobe stares. (Yes, he is right on THAT........too late to vent the tank now, we cannot send men in with hoses, cannot. But this idea, will it work?". It must. It HAS too)

About them, lies the Charges solution. The vents to this storage tank have been firmly plugged. On the sounding tube, a crude pipe fitting has been attached. From it, a low pressure hose.........

The theory is simple. Start the pump sucking, blow in air, and hopefully, hopefully, push fuel to the pump.
That or blow the tanks side out...........

"Alright..........we try"
Charge grins. He turns to Lurch. 'No more than 1 psi you hear, and for TRUKs sake, wait until you get the word!"

[1275psi]

Again, the steel tomb is filling with the stink of battle
Ashigara's arm begins to ache now, as shell after shell, 1 a minute, slides into the waiting, smoking maw.

A gigantic hammer strikes them, KKKRAAAANNNNNNNNNNNGGG!!.
The Gun captain curses, and all men duck.
But laughter erupts above him. "Eight inch shell, fair on our snout!. They cannot hurt us in here!"
Moments later, another shudder through his feet, another hit, and another.........
Are they winning?

The turret moves left, and the barrel barely rises now, point blank range...........
A cry of triumph above him."Got him!, the barsteds exploded!. We are switching target!"
Still the shells rise to him, still the levers are pulled, still they fire, and fire, and fire...............and cease fire.

Exhausted, men collapse about him.
Shaking, Ashigara sits as well.

The tannoy springs to life.
"This is the captain. We have sunk a heavy cruiser, another burns, the other flees. We have taken many hits, yet remain fully functional. I intend to complete the mission. We bombard the air field in Twenty minutes. That is all".

Yamashiro rings to its cry...banzia!

[1275psi]

Behind Hirate, the fuel transfer pump whines furiously, cavitating its little heart out.
'Come on you bitch!, suck, suck like you are the mother of all whores!, suck!"

Abruptly, its tone changes, the discharge pressure guage hesitates, hesitates, swings to life
"See charge, talk to em nicely, and they respond!"
Charge grins.........no, he smiles now, "remind me to talk to you about whores one day.........."



They will get 900 gallons before the pump fails again
It is enough
Yamashiro will be with them in time.

[1275psi]

5/11/43

Hiyo battle group crawls North, still at 12 knots.
Tankers tomorrow.

Fuel is scarce, but not so scarce enough that each ship in turn will manouvre alongside Yamashiro, Fuso, and Kirishima, and give them salute
Yamashiro wears her scars with pride...........the smears of shell bursts on her flank, the neat hole in her funnel, the great ding in her pagoda mast, the shrapnel holes riddling her upper works..
But her battle ensign still streams, defiant.

The battle ships day, so far, is not done.

[1275psi]

Hoshos company is nestled on the south bank of the great brown river.
On the other side, the remains of Shwebo.
And 4 divisions.


The horizon is aflame, and the guns thunder.
Overhead, the shriek of the bombs from the bukas fall, mived with the bombardment.

The ground shakes beneath his feet.
The enemy, 6 divisions strong, is attacking.
Hosho huddles in his hole. This, he thinks, is going to end in tears...............

[1275psi]

CVE taiho takes a fish north of Timor.
She will live.
Eastern fleet retires on Soerabaya

[1275psi]

11/6/43

Hosho is right

There are more than tears.
A savage defeat is inflicted, and 5 Japanese divisions are thrown across the river, leaving 13000 men dead behind
The allies suffer 2500 casualties.
They will recover, given time.
Japans army however............

[PaxMondo]

Wow, 5 ID's thrown back.  Ouch.  But then Schwebo is a tough place to make a stand ...

[1275psi]

Herbiesan listens in stunned silence.

"Re read the figures please"

The Staff officer visibly flinches. His hand are visibly shaking...
"Sir, the following divisions managed to get across the river befoore the battle:
2nd guards, remains at nominally full strength,
33rd division, at 80%
55th division at 80%"

He hesitates again.
"Read them!". the dictators voice lashes across the room

"Sir!.......ah, ah, the following divisions were thrown across the river............
38th, at 75% , 54th, at 40%, 28th at 15%, 8th at 50%........sir, 20th Army, Burma Army have been shattered.

"The rest?"
57th rests at bangkok, at , at 50%, ............we have no news on the Thai units, they appear to have collapsed totally. Artillery also is badly broken..........."

The silence, the horror in this dark room, is heavy. Heavy and dangerous.
'the Akyab army?
"56th, 5th, 12th, 9th, 18th, and 4th divisions have finally cleared the jungle, and are moving south on Rangoon."

What went wrong?
Plenty my friend
But plenty you could not stop, or forsee.
Heavy bombers close the fields, the fighters vanish, and thus the reaping begins..............
Very well then. Moulmien line it is. And the fields, the fields, this time we must keep them open...........

But. But herbiesan, what of those shattered divisions?. Even if we get them away, where will we rebuild them?. What will we replace them with?
This is the enemies main thrust, his main effort. We must treat it as such.

herbiesan surveys the great map. selects units.
Issues his orders.
With great effort, he controls the rage that fills him.
Must not seem weak, must not display doubt............not in front of them, these idiots who call themselves generals.......
"I attach no blame........we must recover the situation with boldness. 15th Army must recover the retreat. Get the army to moulmien"

he turns to leave, turns about again. 'Amend that. All Thai units to Rangoon. I have never trusted them, lets leave them somewhere from where there is no retreat."

[1275psi]

9th of November 43

Task force Hiyo enters palua.
The anchorage is all but empty. The force hurridly refuels, ammunitions as well as it can, brings on a few essentials.
By dusk, it has sailed again.

There is no word for Zuiho on the destination. Just a simple, 'Follow me" from Hiyo.


Probably only one man is happy on Zuiho this day, the Charge.
The fuel recieved today has been sweet, and pure.
No more donkey poo for his boilers for a while............

[british exil]

Any naval battle results? Losses kills?

From the last reports the battles seem to have been brutal over the last few days, losses on both sides.
Esp the sinking of those AK's. Any intel?

Following your reports.

Keep up the good work and keep our heroes safe, if possible.

Mat

[1275psi]

Hi british exile!

OK, here is a snapshot of whats been happening

In burma, he has broken the central front, we retreat.
In the air over burma, he has achieved supremacy at the moment. For example 70 Tojos were deployed over the final shwebo battles, they were essentially destroyed in 3 days.
Oscars die like flies.........
No naval losses both sides

he bombs Koepang , boela, and a few other spots, losses light both sides, I have lost 3 aks I think here in 2 months, my ss have sunk more of his.

kavieng has fallen, the naval battles here see 2 allied CAs, 4 DDs sunk, and i think about 6 APA/AP/AK, to my single CA, and 2 DD
I lost about 30 zeros in some abortive strikes on the PNG coast, murdered by T bolts
Losses of other ships, an AK about every 2 days, losses slow there really at the moment compared to 6 months ago.

So, in reality, its a quiet war naval wise.
I am STILL waiting for the big blow.....................

[british exil]

Thanks for the quick report.

You'd better get back to the planning board.

Banzi!!

Mat

[PaxMondo]

You are doing well for this point in time.  BANZAI!!

[1275psi]

Two men sit on the starboard balcony of Zuiho.
Below them a brilliant blue sparkling sea is sliding past, waters so clear one could so easily be fooled that the bottom, miles below in reality, could be seen.
The air is warm , but the breeze cools them. It is the sort of weather, the scene that millions in the future will pay good money for as recreation.
The two men are relaxed, as relaxed as war can allow. Flight deck operations have ceased, and many men are with them, the chance to grab a rest siezed.
Okano nurses his tea, and a small plate of rice and seafood balls sits between him and Hirate.
It is Okano who breaks the silence.
"How do you think this will all end?"
Hirate casually crams a roll into his mouth, garbles his reply "What, the war?"
'Of course, the war?"
Hirate cocks his head. The sarcasm rolls heavily off the tongue "With Victory or death my friend, victory or death"
Okano rolls his eyes "No seriously......how, and when?"

Hirate contemplates the sea, the fleet about them.
"Does it matter, can we control it?". he looks quizzically at his companion of so much " You seem sad, has our current direction upset you?'
"You mean sailing North?. The chance of home?"
Hirate snorts "Home?. Sorry, this is my only home now."
Okanos eyes sink to his feet. His voice is soft, and yes, sad.
"I have six children at home. Six. Two almost finished school, one I have barely held, three that barely know me. A wife who must surely be struggling. How she manages on our pay is beyond me................."

Hirate reaches out, places a hand on Okano's shoulder. His grip is firm, and so much passes in this moment that cannot be said. "All the more reason to live Okano, all the more reason to get home"
'Ha!, victory or death. What chances of victory yes?, what chance of that!"

Hirate's voice hardens. "Look at me my friend, look at me"
He brings his red scared face in close. "I swear Okano, I swear, if its my power, you will see your children again. I swear it. We will survive this war, go home, and grow old together, "
'You swear?"
'I swear. And, we will get drunk together many times"

[1275psi]

11/11/43

Hosho's wose nightmare is reality

They march, not in a formation that an army could even in its wildest dream call organised, south. A great long crocodile stream of men, bombed and harrassed daily by the enemy airforce.
British command of the air is in disputable. Yesterday, a poignant sight, they struggle past a large airfield, a field strewn with the wrecks of countless Japanese fighters, forlorn and deserted.
Food, ammunition, medical supplies..all short now. He has 'aquired ' newish boots, but little else he wears is an any sort of repair
They march south. The enemy, as yet, do not follow.
There is a promise of trains further south.
It is this promise alone that keeps him going. In his heart, he feels his rapidly shrinking frame, his wasting limbs, his knawing hunger, will not carry him(or his company for that) much further.

He is, of course wrong. Japans Burma Army, and its men, have not even begun the real descent into the depths of human endurance.........

[1275psi]

12/11/43

CVL Nisshin takes 2 torpedoes south of Tokyo. She should make it.
Hiyo alters her track, hoping to avoid the same fate.

DD Tamanami again covers herself with glory, racing into Kavieng, sinking a large AP and AK, drowning some sort of engineer unit.
The longer the two marine divisions can be kept on Kavieng island, the better.
An ant trail of small japanese warships are lining up, intending to visit on a nightly basis.
The enemy keep creeping north. But how long can they tolerate such a slow advance?
Japan searches desperately for a clue of where the blow must fall.

But they are reduced to the worst case scenario.

Gut feel, and guessing.

A terrible way to fight a war.

[1275psi]

13 and 14th of November

Zuihos cruise north continues.

Word, incredible word, has reached the lower deck

Home.
They are returning to Japan.
Home. To family, to friends. To Home.
Two days
48 hours that will feel like 48 days......




Eleswhere, Hosho continues his painful march south, Toungaro......the next goal, the promised place of rest and resupply, is obliterated by 60 plus Liberators. It stands now, a column of fire at night, of smoke at day, a guide to another exodus.
It stands south of them, offering no hope, no hope at all.
Men about him curse the airforce, unaware of its sacrifices further to the north of them, where desperate attacks try to slow the pursuit.
And pursue they do.
The tanks are rolling now, free and clear of the jungle at last.
Wolves closing in on the herd.



CL Naha visits kavieng, bombards, gets away
2 APD try for Dobo, and dont, sunk by Mitchells flying in at mast hieght.
More troops join the ranks of the hungry on Japans perimeter.

But Zuihos men eat, and consider nothing else but that one word.
Home

[1275psi]

15/11/43
Extract from "Shattering the Sword" a cantona production

The third and fourth marine divisions had swiftly concluded the Kavieng campaign. But now they would be needed elswhere.
Yet extraction was proving to be almost as difficult as landing.

Daily the reports were coming in, Japanese warships lurking north out of bomber range, threatening any transports.
Something had to be done.
CL Yubari on this night, takes her turn at disruption, and encounters 4 of America's newest fletcher class destroyers at 17000 yards.
Four to one are tough odds, yet with typical Japanese aggression, Yubari turns towards the enemy.
This action goes for some 30 minutes, and is a decidedly one sided affair.
But like some football games against un matched teams, you cannot always count on the expected result.

In those thirty minutes DD Cassian is hit three times, and falls away burning, and DD Fletcher is hit no less than 6 times, and crippled.
Yubari is not hit at all.
She too will run the gauntlet off bombers in the morning, her luck holding.
It is a small, but important moral raising win for the imperial fleet.

Both sides prepare for further rounds.