Wobbly vs herb, ens hanamato

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1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

8/2/43
There is not a single component of a zero I do not know intimately

Im beginging to hate zeros.
The Jacks here look so impressive, but I do not think I will ever get one to fly.

Lea reports a massive day of air combat
Some 60 twin tail devils swept the base -many Tonies were away on a ground attack mission of there own.
Seems we shot down "large numbers" of them, for "little loss" of our own.
However the radio reports that "due to the intense pressure" of the enemy heavy bombers -our squadrons are pulling back towards the north!
Can this be true?

And where is the fleet, again, where is the fleet?.
I mentally picture my brother Sagi on the Nagato's bridge wing extracting revenge with a 16" barrage on the enemies airfields -and smile.
Actually I think he is just a humble steam engineer -and wouldn't know the sharp end of a shell from the blunt end.

I wonder If I will ever see him again.
10 planes put together today, maybe we will get to China eventually.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

We have been very busy, repairing our second lot of planes, and the like

davao is not too bad, yet too dangerous for my liking -dying in battle is OK, dying with a slit throat in the middle of the night is not.

Reports of huge air battles over Lea today

Both sides claim vast numbers of victims

Do they think we are idiots!


10/2/43

A small naval action reported at tassafroga.
We are getting there
One seems to have been testing planes forever.
the Jacks left today, we follow in several days.
Plan -we hit ground targets -they escort us, somewhere in china


11/2/43
More air action over Milne bay reported today
And little else to report.
Im eager for action again.
Its been far too long

Got a letter from my Brother today -how this miricle occured is beyond me.
But a letter all the same
All is good at home -few if any shortages reported.
Moral is good, the war is reported as going well -the public hear only good news.
I now know by his inferences about -our favourite bar is very crowded -that the fleet remains scatterd all over Japan, much of it in refit and repair.

Apparently nearly every DD we have was ordered into dock just 1 day before the Milne bay invasion -so, no DDs, means no fleet sailing.
It looks like the army will have to hold the line until it returns.

How war can take strange turns.
At least he is well.
have fun brother.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

12/2/43

A good day today
we finally flew to Hong Kong

The field here is good
The facilities are good
Supplies are good

We are briefed on the local situation
The is a small action on the railway line 120 miles to the north east of us
The enemy air here is very low key -however to the North and central China the liason officer is quite Frank in his assessment.
There we have lost control of the air to the fork tail devils -our planes have been driven to the coastal cities, and are purely performing defensive operations
This has been attributed to our low experience pilots in the theatre.

We are going to perform training and ground support operations, while the highly experienced jacks will provide escort.

Preparations are in hand for a very large increase in numbers of planes due to arrive, many units of Army planes in particular have been devastated in the fighting to the south, they need to be rebuilt.

This is disquieting -large numbers?
Never mind, tomorrow we go back into action at last, it has been too long.

The war seems to have gone quiet again, even Tokyo rose had nothing to say today

It was good to eat a fine meal today.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »


13/2/43

Rain, rain, rain

A real anti climax [8|]
tomorrow maybe.

Ill enjoy the good food while I can
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

14/6/43
not exactly the best of days -and we can consider ourselves lucky

the plan is simple -stock ground attack mission against chinese troops some 120 miles to the north west

briefing
Form up then a 3 plane vic practice scramble to 16000 feet.
Hit the railroad, turn right, follow it until point x -look for the smoke markers -bomb.
come home

Well, we fired up OK -and watched with amazement as the Tony squadron blasted down the field -and left us behind

we got away OK, and then about 3 minutes in, the call "bandits, bandits!"
and the whole unit broke apart -the many rookies totally forgetting what to do.
After all this time I was pleased to stick to Bannos' tail, and we swung into attck - on more zeros -a late coming unit we did not even know was operating in the area
What a disgrace
15 minutes trying to re form up -then to the target
pretty straight forward -the chinese front here is fairly quiet -although Im sure our prescence will be noted.

back at base -heated arguments
Did I mention the jacks? they were meant to escort us.
They claim to have been in the air -i suspect no where where we were though!

Tokyo Rose continues to extoll the defenders of tarwana to hang on -things must be grim there.

And the enemy bombarded Good enough island last night.

we go again tomorrow -lets hope its better than today -the twin tail devils will eat some of these guys for breakfast.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

15/2/43

the army claims a victory today -clearing the enemy of the kokoda track -and re opening communications to buna.
Well done.

we went again today -far better.
A fair formation, and some hits on the enemy

Tomorrow we are tasked with a bridge.
how long before the allies react to us?
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

16/2/43
Another mission today -the weather was good
 
A real milk run
We even destroyed the bridge.
our rookies have a long way to go.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

17/2/43
Terrible weather today -so we sit, and discuss tactics, and regain our strength
The jacks dep[art for Changsa
 
Several depleted squadrons of Tonies -all fresh from the battles in the solomons join us today.
The news from them is interesting to say the least.
The entire solomon chain seems to have been abandodned to just a screen defence
They do tell us of very large concentartions of planes, men and material in the paluas islands.
A inner ring of steel is being constructed.
This makes sense -so much easier to supply, with interlocking bases that can support each other.
This war will be long and hard, and the Allies will get tired -we will never be defeated!
 
For us -enemy planes -the twin tail devils are sighted in the area!
They have reacted to us at last
Once again the AVG will be taught the Bushido spirit!
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

18/2/43
 
rain
rain
rain
At least we are not daily bombed like the poor boys in Burma
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

19/2/43
Definately P 38s are waiting for us
Steady growing in strength of Tony units here
Tomorrow -weather permitting we are going to attack Wuhan -our job to escort, the tonies to ground attack.
 
The enemy announce the destruction of our troops outside of Milne bay.
It takes a full division though to destroy a single construction unit
Tomorrow I am sure to see action -I feel it in my bones
Surely I will prove myself as a effective pilot with a kill tomorrow!
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

20/2/43
Today the target was in a city hex
And it showed a new thing to consider -FlaK
40 tony and 6 lilly were tasked on ground attack today -and we flew escort.
Over 20 tonies came back damaged today -multiple small arms fire.
Still no sign of the twin tail devils.
To the north over 180 fighters began a seperate training program.
Now begins the game of guess where we will strike tomorrow, because Im sure the Allies would love to bounce a low level ground strike.
It will be our job -A2 Daitai , as the most experienced unit in the theatre to stop this.
 
The war is very quiet at the moment, little action at Milne bay, tarwana starves silently -and the british regain strength at mandalaby.
 
And our Fleet continues to swing at anchor somewhere.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

21/2/43
heavy crappy weather all around today
Spent the day doing nothing

Our troops exterminated at Milne bay -according to the allied propaganda

I do not believe it

big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

22/2/43
A good day today -good co ordination, good flight dicipline.
All good.
We escort another strike to the north.
No oposition

Rumours of the fleet at sea

How do these start these rumours?
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

23/2/43

Flying is dangerous
Graphically bought home today as we lose a pilot in the most horrible way today

Scramble at 10000 -another practice scramble
-34 tonies, 30 plus zeros, several light bombers

We wait at the huts -and then the word -quick, quick -the charge to the plane
The ground man is already there the engine already turning over.
You fling yourself into the tight office -careful, careful -I have already once before missed and put a foot through a wing.
Straps quickly into place -the mechanic assists, I swing the rudder, rotate the stick
Stick left -aelerions towards you, stick right, check -always check.
rudder left, rudder right, and you must check!
trim, fuel, set altimeter -essential -brake off, throttle up -magnetos!
and you swing the rudder hard -you cannot see ahead
banno leads to my left, hori to the right.
we swing quickly onto the field -there is an order to the scramble , get it wrong and men die.
Throttle full, get the tail up quickly -hold for 10 seconds, then gently pull.

I always retract the cart quickly, immediately -it is only going to flip me if I land in a field.

We climb rapidly, and form up
we are missing one plane
As we circle the field forming, climbing the horrible news comes in
One of our rookies has literally run straight into one of the tonies Props as it charged out to the field
horrible.

No time to dwell -we have a mission to complete

We return, again unmolested -to more bad news -Lunga is being invaded.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

No flying today

Just the radio
heavy fighting off lunga -a sea of burning ships Tokyo rose reports.
Jacks are reported in action for the 1st time

how did they go

then later in the afternoon, reports that Lunga has fallen

To think hanamato gave his life for such a place so easily given back to the enemy.
I truly hope high command know what they are doing with this war.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

24/2/43
yet another day of waiting for the weather.
When it rains here it is so totally different to the rain at home - here it literally pours in great sheets of water.

Only the radio keeps us in touch with the outside world.
The fighting at Lunga continues.
Tokyo rose reports that "a new fighter today made its debut" down there.
I guess the new Jacks are being tried out.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

The poor flying weather is severly restricting our training routines

Today we again were grounded
North of us at Changsa the allies were not -our fields there were hit -10 planes destroyed on the ground.

The allies report tassafroga captured today, and a convoy of ours hit near sag sag
In return high Command releases a battle situation report.
"enemy invasion of Lunga has been only lightly contested, and yet the allies have suffered very heavy losses -especially in vital transports.
It is not this Commands intention to fight for worthless outposts, but to wait for the decisive moment, where with divine providence we will deliver a smashing blow."

I hope he is right.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

26/2/43

A busy day today -we fly yet again

Our units turn to deliver bombs -an artillery position on a reverse slope south west of changsa
Weather is better -still cold though.
No enemy reaction again -the twin tail devils are still about -maybe they are avoiding conflict like us -if its the AVG they probably are not that experienced -we did savage them several months ago.

Tokyo rose reports betties from Kweilejien sunk "a large 4 funnel" warship near tarwana today
More betties claim a transport sunk at Lunga -which the allies claim is "a scene of mopping up operations".

very cheering news today
One of the lillies here is on routine naval patrol duties.
Today he indirectly sighted my Brother -the fleet is out -headed east.
I wish I could have seen it , apparently the bulk of our navy is passing to the south of Hong kong this week.
Good luck Brother -I hope nagatos armour serves you well -and your guns can get to the enemy.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

27/2/43
Another training flight.
We might even get this squadron up to scratch one day.

Some fairly optomistic claims down south, Tokyo rose again speaks of batleships attacked by packets of betties -and claims of hits.
Not so sure about that.
The fighting on Lunga continues.

Stalemate east of Homan continues.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
1275psi
Posts: 7987
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:47 pm

RE: Frustration

Post by 1275psi »

editor note

This game about ruined by land movement bug in china
I had a massive army trapped east of homan
A great effort was made -and all hexes to the south, and east are now mine -but the units just sit there at 59 miles -and this is the 3rd time I have marched them
We both have huge armies in Homan -and they too refuse to march -we are both trying to disengage, no luck
ITS STUPID!
GRRRRRRRRRRRR

NO more features -kill bugs!
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
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