Alternative History of the South Pacific

[herbieh]

Wobbly, I would prefer you to actually come out and fight instead of writing about how you are avoiding a fight.

GRRRRRRRRR:mad:

[wobbly]

ahhh Herbie-san be careful what you wish for!

[shoopzee]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for your interest thus far, and support.

It has been pretty easy putting this thing together so far. Although I do not think of myself really as having great skill as a writer, I'm enjoying the experience, as I hope all of you are. My rule so far has been to build a foundation for the characters to stand on, and just go with it. Since I don't find the writing to be a chore, it's been pretty effortless thus far. Every few days I'll look at the story, and try to edit additional mistakes I may find in the copy. Since I had a finite number of characters in mind before I started, I have a good idea already where I want these guys to go. Their fates are in the hands of the game engine now. I have a feeling that some of them may perish, or maybe get by with a lot of luck! Hell maybe one unlucky SOB may get carved up by some headhunters after surviving a ship wreck. Only time will tell. But if you see a character you really like, in deep #@$@#, and you may want him to survive an experience, then remember that the roman thumbs up rule can win my sympathy for them, and save them from a Shark bate fate. Prompt threads though will be needed, or I'll leave it up to the ramdom dice gods. I always believed the journalist were the way to go, as just selecting combatants to tell the story means that often they may go weeks, or months with nothing really happening to them. My writers are gonna basically be in the **** all through this story. I have been reading a lot of soldier accounts of the fighting, and doing enough research to add color to the story, and I hope be as accurate as I can.

The bottom line is, if you are enjoying it, I will continue to deliver. I would like to get in 2-3 good writing sessions in a week as the story progresses. As I know my opponent through other ladder matches not much of a chance of him dropping out on me.

I hope that you enjoy the story guys, I appreciate all your encouragements. Cheers Shoop.

I'll be AWOL til later in the week, and thats when I'll pick up the story again. Bye:D

[shoopzee]

TF 205 on the coral sea

Journal of correspondent Norm Kent- May 2, 1942 (2300Hrs)

Set sail out of Brisbane one hour ago, and are just clearing the port's harbour. The weather is not the best, but all aboard this 11 ship convoy are fairly at ease, as night surrounds us, giving us some measure of protection and security as we slip out on to the Coral Sea. The air is warm standing on deck, smoking, along with what few lucky soldiers are allowed in groups topside. This much is for sure, we are off on some big adventure, as I was able to find out that three brigades of the Australian 7th Division along with the division HQ are loaded onboard these vessels. The captain of our ship, the Esperance, tells me that we are on a course to meet up with a destroyer escort enroute to New Guinea, but that is all he is allowed to say right now.
I was also told by two staff officers of the 7th Div HQ, that are here on the Esperance, that a proper briefing will be held most likely tomorrow. At this time the officers will address the junior staff officers, and the division will know it's objectives.
Listening to the officers talking on deck, and sharing a few cigareets with them, it appears that a gambling man would bet that this force is going to try and hold Port Moresby, and most believe that the Jap is coming sooner then anyone expects to try an take Moresby's airfields, and prepare to invade Australia.
Time to get below deck, and check into my quarters. reporters are lucky, and considered special guests, I'll share a room full 12 NCO's. Spacious by capitol ship standards.

Interview with 36th FS ace Glenn Gholson

Port Moresby, May 2, 1942- The pilots of the American 36th Fighter Squadron are a tough lot, considering that most were merely high school boys a couple of years ago. These pilots are members of three fighter squadrons here at Port Moresby, two American, and one Australian. These men have a tough job, and they know it. Perhaps the fate of Australia, or even the free world, lies in their hands, and on their wingtips
2nd Flt. Lt Glenn Gholson is just one of the 15 pilots of the squadron, but he has the distiction of becoming the first to reach the status of Ace, and it happened in one day, yesterday as a matter of fact.
While flying a routine CAP mission over Port Moresby, Gholson was able to bag 5 enemy kills, bringing his career total to 7. This event also brings Gholson's squadron's total kills to 9, the highest of any at Port Moresby.
When asked to describe the events that led to Gholson become the first Ace of Moresby, the young mid- westerner recounted modestly:

" We took off on our CAP mission at 0545Hrs on May 1, and it was a good morning for flying. My wingman and I were able to climb quickly to 9,500 ft of altitude, and started our mission. Not too long afterwards I made visual contact with the enemies bomber formations trying to sneek past our lower CAPs who were engaging the Zero's that were screening the bombers. After letting my wingman know that I was going in on a run through the bombers, we entered a dive, and within 20 seconds made a single pass through the formation. It all seemed unreal, but that single pass allowed my to score three fatal hits on the bomber stream. One enemy plane exploding so close to my own, I thought it would destroy my Aircraft. Luckily, I was able to bank hard, finally gain some altitude, I could not believe my eyes,' I thought the Zeros would be on to us, but they were too busy. It was time to close in again on the formation, and see what damage we could do on another pass. After climbing into some clouds we ready for another pass, so we swooped in again, and I was able to get two more kills. After this, we returned to the rest of the squadron, and were able to help push the remainder of the Zero's out of our airspace. The feeling after landing can not be described, but after hearing that we lost 12 men on the ground, we'll that feeling sort of leaves you. But maybe more lives were saved by getting those bomber kills in. You just don't know."

Ghloson is one of the new heroes of Port Moresby. A place that needs heros, and needs them quick. Their is a feeling in the air here, a feeling like eveyman has to be part of a team, if anyone ever wants to get home.
Jim Knox- The Boston Globe