Wobbly vs herb, ens hanamato

[1275psi]

12/10/42

I am very tired today
Another full day of fruitless LRCAP over Port moresby - Im begginning to think they suspect our precence.

This base sucks
I dread to think what will happen if it rains heavily here.
tomorrow the rookie squadrons of tonies are to continue the LRCAP, while we prepare for another move -into Port moresby - we hear the base is almost servicable again.
At least port moresby has some services to speak off, and maybe beer..

The BBC reports that we naval bombarded Akyab last night - but also claims a CA sunk south of Lunga by hudsons - what was she doing down there I wonder?

Going to spend another uncomfortable night fighting mosquitoes.

[1275psi]

Today was another crud of a day

The enemy heavies returned today -to Gilli, gilli, about 100 in strength, met finally by our zeros there.

Its is painfully obvious we do not have enough hitting power in the zero - we shot down 9 or 10 of them -but lost 10 zeros of our own.

the bas e was cratered -but appears still open.

We are ordered to replace the units there -and after lunch the squadron fuels and departs.
And here it all has gone badly wrong.
We had a long delay before clearing the field -and this undoubtably saved my life, and half the units life.
10 minutes after start I suffered a complete engine failure, as did 10 of my companions, Sagara and masuyama amongst them.

Water in the fuel.
So we have another day here.

This evening we hear of a massive air battle over Akyab - the enemy claims 70 of our planes destroyed -we claim 50 of his, and " many, many merchants sunk"

Im wondering about pilots enthusiasm for claiming kills.
Nevertheless the war in Burma appears to be fierce.
China, the enemy fails in an attempt to throw us back at Kweiyang.

The mechanics -poor sleep deprived souls, work inthe rain to get us operational.
War is 70% misery.

[1275psi]

14/10/42

Just after lunch we cleared the field, and flew to Gilli, Gilli.
We missed the action by 15 minutes.
Imagine the shock of approaching the base -and seeing the terrible column of smoke rising into the sky, the fires all around the base.

landing was "interesting" - many, many craters in the place.
Cries of wounded men, chaos and confusion, and our units planes scattered all over the field.

LCDR Sato!
here he was in the middle - a rock in a storm -how good to see him again - His Unit from rabual had been in the thick of it - rotating out, he had little time to talk - but these words ring still " The B17 can hit you before you can hit him"
"attack quickly"
60 plus heavies had attacked, our unit A11-1 along with Sato's had been in the thick of it

How I curse the fuel we recieved -am I never to see action!!
We shot down 10 bombers -but lost 10 fighters ourselves - several pilots from our group - but mostly new guys .
looking at the damage -I am too numb to worry yet.
We will fight here!

the day is far too busy to relate - will they try for a third day in a row?
A unit of the new AM3s join us, a bit stronger, slightly faster - still undergunned it appears.

Ground crews have 20 tonies to repair - GG seems to have better support here though.

as dark falls - i really know i am in the war - the field smells of death.

[1275psi]

15/10/42

Flew Cap over Milne bay all day - no enemy - of course

The field remains heavily damaged.
Our billet is OK - the old mission building.

What a dump this place is - like all the places at the front
A single muddy strip in the jungle, a couple of tracks -a single wharf, 5 small buildings in total
And a million mosquitos

[1275psi]

16/10/42

It appears the offensive against homan has failed -our army is retiring
many huge air battles over Burma, and in China
we claim 30 odd wellingtons shot down

the enmy claims pagan is closed.

whatever, the battle must have been fierce.
Im beginging to wish i drove a Tony, they are doing well.

Tonight we will return to the kaga - we have been informed a new intensive training program is required
our Unit has 27 zeros -and due to upgrade soon.
we have now 33 pilots, 10 of us are crack, ten are good, the rest appear to be rubbish.
how did this happen?

The sooner we get back to the kaga -the better.

[1275psi]

17/10/42

back on the kaga

no rest tomorrow - we are slated for ground attack - this appears to be the "intensive training"

Disgusted.

At least i have my bed back.

[1275psi]

18/10/42
A day of intensive maintenance - the ground attack missions scrubbed at the last moment

Army is needing a Engineer regiment delivered to PM and another to Milne bay -this I can understand!
We will be escorting them around "the corner" -and hopefully engaging the enemy.

The news from Chian is confused - we have pulled out of Homan apparently, but intensive fighting continues in the south -where a tremendous pocket appears on the map.
Whether the army has enough men to punch it in and capture wuchow is another matter.
maybe the Homan troops can take advantage of the railway and re deploy faster than the chinese -or was the pull back due to exhaustion.
One still worries at the course of the war.

The enemy pounded raheang in burma today.
Tenacious indeed.

[1275psi]

19/10/42
preparations for the convoy continue today -so much work to do!
Shore time is an impossible dream today, how alluring the green town looks.

Tokyo rose is full of news today, the army airforce hit Homan today with 120 sallies, and also hit Kumning .

It appears to me that the army air commander is switching rapidly from target to target, theatre to theatre -forcing the enemy to wonder where next.
Little other news, at least a day before we sail again.

[1275psi]

20/10/42
A quiet day -the captain stood the crew down for 6 hrs to allow us to gain some desperately needed sleep.
late in the afternoon kaga once again slipped her moorings, and her rust streaked bows again bit into the pacific swell.
behind us the mighty Carrier fleet again follows, Kido baru again goes out to seek the enemy.

A wonderful sight as we leave the harbour -the ships crews are called to man the rails, and we salute the mighty Mushia as she heads into rabual to join her battle wagon sisters.
What a glorious sight.

dark swiftly falls.
we are closed up, at second degree readiness -again hidden killers lurk about us.
we are intending to escort a huge convoy into milne bay, then another to port moresby.
After this, one does not know.
maybe we will get lucky -and catch the aggressive Kiwi admiral by surprise.
I will sleep in the ready room tonight -its nice and close to the upper deck.

No mail while in rabual this time - i hope all is well at home.

[1275psi]

if anyone reads this -computer has fried -so we break for a while.

[1275psi]

22/10/42

i am very, very tired.
2 days of alerts, alarms and closing up to action stations
No sleep -a few moments snatched here and there.
Submarines, submarines, and more submarines

our Vals and kates have attacked again and again
The DDs drop charge after charge

The night is so dark and menacing.
The fleet manouvers in the narrow, confined waters near Milne bay -as the convoy unloads
We fly some LRCAP over the bay, the tiny wharf is so overloaded and congested.
A b17 strike now would be catastrophic.
Fear stalks kaga's empty corridors.
You can smell it.

[1275psi]

23/10/42
the nightmare continues.
CVE taiyo has 2 torps bang into her side -a CLANG, CLANG!

and nothing else

The escorts pounce -and the dark waters claim a victim
we spend another day attacking submarines every where.
The sea is alive with them.

1 more day, and we can escape this bottle -break out again into the coral sea.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: 1275psi

22/10/42

i am very, very tired.

A fried computer will do that to you!

Hope you got everything restored without too much fuss.

[1275psi]

Our mighty fleet breaks finally into the coral sea
Instantly things change
From flat oily seas, stinking with humidity, the waters turn a different dark green, flaked with white horses and a stiff breeze, the temperature returns to a sane level, and the entire ships company visibly relaxes.

We fall in with a small 3 ship convoy, and shape course for PM - high command obviously puts much value on the men in this convoy.

The news from the front is mixed, the enemy tries an attack at Kweiang in China -and is rebuffed.
South of Homan, serious news -the enemy is advancing, and 3 of our divisions are reported missing!!!

25/10/42
Slept most of the day, dozing again in the ready room
We are pushed out of kweiang (whatever) in china today
No news on the divisions in China, very worrying

2 naval battles in the indian ocean today, CL tenryu and 4 dd bombarded Akyab during the night, at dawn they ran into a large force enroute for rangoon -1CA,5cl, and 5 dd.
The results are unclear, but it does appear that rangoon was saved a cratering.

We spend today training our rookies - they have so much to learn!
I fear for them greatly

[1275psi]

26/10/42

Today the fleet crawls slowly north up the southern coast of PNG - such a mighty force to protect such a small convoy!

The enemy heavy bombers pounded PM today, will I ever get a chance to meet them
Some how I think this convoy may force the issue.

At least no SS attacked us today.

[1275psi]

27/10/42

Another long day of waiting to scramble.
A partly cloudy day, the sea is quite rough, and again the dark shadow of PNG is to our stbd side, a continous mass of green -dark and foreboding.

We have had another un troubled day on the Kaga -although several other ships lost planes to deck crashes, the pitching deck is never easy to land on, even more difficult for the rookies amongst us.

We have had time to think, and discuss.
All conversation today turned from the usual topics of food, home and women, to the war, and where it is going.
It seems to be many months since a major attack was launched by us, and many of us accept that the empire has reached its limit of expansion, and that a war of attrittion is about to begin.
this fills me with fear, America is so strong, how can we hope to win such a war.
Sagara is quite adamant that the americans are weak- that they have no stomach for casualties, or years of struggle.
They have no moral fibre, as long as japan remains intact, and Americans bleeed, there will be hope of a advantagous settlement.

I am not so sure

what one does know is that the high command is very confused on grand strategy.

Burma has gone quiet, China seems to have hit a brick wall, and the gilberts seem horribly undermanned.
And I now look at my Zero - and see a already inadequate plane.

but what can one do.
Attend to my duty.

[1275psi]

28/10/42

Another day of covering the units unloading at port moresby
We are well and truly tracked by enemy bombers today, but no attacks.

our next mission has already been ex[plained to us - large convoys are loading at truk, to reinforce the Solomons, we are going to cover them, by sitting between lunga and Ndini, maybe the allies will come out -but we doubt it..
No news of actions today, a quiet day for the war.

[1275psi]

It was a terrible day, we pilots cannot look the sailors in the face
just after midday, as we rotated the CAP, they roared in -just 3 B17s at about 6000 feet, and not a single one of us saw them or intercepted them

In a twinkling of an eye Akagi was surrounded in a veritable sea of explosions -and she was struck twice!

the anxiety, and shame.
We are lucky - the 1st bomb bounced clean off her old BB armour plate, striking at a very steep angle, breaking up with out exploding

The second one penetrated 2 decks, and exploded near the ships fantail, instantly destroying her aft anchor winch.
They say the roar of 25 cable lengths of chain released and free to escape filled the ship with such a roar may sailors reported multiple explosions aft.

She is lucky -small fires are still being fought, but Akagi remains fully functional..

Yamaguchi expresses great disgust -and the fleet is headed south east again - we have more troop convoys to escort to the outer areas of the empire.

As I lie in my now beginging to smell bunk -( the evaporators are being troublesome again) I replay the moment over again and again in my mind 0how quickly a fine ship could be reduced to a shambles.
it is mildly disturbing.

[1275psi]

30/10/42

A intensive air day today

I finally get a chance to tackle the B17s

A large number of them attack shipping some 60 miles to our north - a DD picket gives us exactly 3 minutes warning.
At 16000 feet the zero climbed quickly, and I strained all I could - there they were -30 plus at 20000 odd feet - so far ahead

A dangerous situation - climbing towards the guns!

Even as the small shapes swarm into view as big lethal bombers - they relaese bombs, and turn away.
I do not make contact.
cursing, i return towards kaga -now somewhere over the endless ocean.
below small columns of smoke - 1 bomber, 3 zeros, and 2 burning transports.
Incredible how they hit at such a height!.

Tired, and dissapointed we debrief.
The zero, i feel is starting to show some very worrying problems -how to tackle a B17 when he can hit you with a 50cal, well before I can hit him!

Elsewhere big news
Some good - the army destroy 40 enemy over Akyab for 20 of ours, some very bad -something has gone badly wrong in northern china -the BBC reports a entire army surrounded.

Tokyo rose has nothing to say on the matter.

[1275psi]

31/10/42

i am stood down today.
the seas are rough, and the food is bad.

I think a day in bed might be called for......