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March 8th

Jack awakens with a start.
"Crap, what in the hell is that?"
He is not the only one, about him men are stumbling from their bunks, rushing out into the
still dark night.

It takes but moments to find the noise, from the direction of Darwin Harbour, the sound of
heavy gunfire, the flashing of explosions, star shells........
An orderly comes racing towards them......"There's a Jap task force in the harbour!, Captain Turnball
wants every plane in the air now!, in case they bombard us too!"

It is barely 3 am.
half blind, Jack struggles to throw on his clothes, adrenalin pounding through him.
Suddenly, every button, every buckle has become an impossible task, his shoe laces a nightmare.
Cursing all and sundry, he stumbles towards his fighter, its engine already started by his ground crew.

he leaps onto its wing, exchanges places with the man in the cockpit ( good, good, they know
their job, $%#@ing good)
Into his seat, belt, controls, eyes swiftly scanning.....where the hell is the strip?
Fuel?....enough to fly until dawn?.......yes, thank god

Turnball bullocks past, swings hard left, snarling vanishes into the night, exhaust flaring
blue, yellow, angry
Jack follows
Discrete lights, the strip plain, the night dark, damnation, here we bloody go!
Climbing away, nobody in sight, the harbour clearly visible in the moonlight.
Shock flows through him

A line of vessels nestled against the short pier.....lit up like Christmas trees by the
stabbing, blinding spotlights further out in the harbour.
Tracers, the flash of guns.......

The radio cackles
Äre we all clear?.......nobody is to do anything bloody stupid, maintain a circuit, do nothing.
Turnballs voice. Calm, but angry.


It is a long 90 minutes until they can begin to land again.

4 ships burn in the harbour, 2 Japanese Heavy cruisers almost with contempt are sailing away.

The landing is awkward, hard.
men swarm about them, fuel, ammunition.
The engine remains running.
A canteen of water

8 Wirriways rumble past, little bombs slung underneath.
Brave, brave barsteds.

A slap on the head......go!, go!, go!

Again snarling down the strip, dust trailing.
Climbing, climbing

Another shock

Angling, coming south, a sky, a bloody sky full of twin engined planes
Japs!
Jesus!, Japs!

Again Turnballs voice, still calm.
"No fighter escort......plenty for everyone, make your shots count"
banking hard, wing vertical, swinging around behind them, above them

Tracer?......the barsteds trying to kill me!, me!
A bomber swarms up, and up, bigger, bigger.
I am going to shoot!, going to shoot!
Guns, the stick hammers, stink.
A wing, alarmingly, separates, twirling vanishes past, OVER him, the bomber heeling
over, going down vertical.

Through them, bank again, crud, they have dived, turned too, never catch them now.........



A kill
I have a kill.
First mission

And I can do this......I can do this........




It is a busy day, 3 waves of bombers.
No fighters

19 kills to the 75th
1 wirriway lost, plunging into Takao's wake

The Japanese though, are coming
A carrier task force is North of Broome. Betties strike shipping at Port Headland
And Takao , Atago are still out there.

There will be no rest, no celebration time for Jack.
By dusk, 75th is at Wyndham, Darwin deemed too vulnerable to naval bombardment.
Not until dark, not until they wearily climb from their planes is the truth found
Wyndham, no supplies. No fuel. And just 6 mechanics, who don't know the front end
of a Kittyhawk, from its arse.

8th march

from
CICPAC
to
General staffs

An appreciation of Command situation

It has become painfully apparent that all pre war conceptions of Plan Orange
are now defunct.
The war has spread across an enormous area already, far beyond anything planned for.
This Command is prepared to accept that it cannot properly control our forces spread over 2 oceans
and 3 continents

It is my proposal to the Joint Chiefs that new separate commands be established.
I am recommending the establishment of a North Pacific Command , to cover the Aleutian campaign and
Alaska
Secondly, a South Pac command, to be based on Suva, covering the Solomons, and all bases east of their.
Thirdly, a South West Pac command, covering PNG, and Timor meridian.

Finally, a Command (possibly based on the 10th airforce HQ being deployed) for the Indian theatre.

Pacific Command would take all Marine Divisions, all hawain forces, and all Carrier Forces, being
Ultimately responsible for our counter attack.

I would envision that wherever the carriers are, the area commands would perform subordinate roles.
I wish to convene a meeting soonest to develop this proposal

The Japanese are on the march
We must stop them SOMEWHERE.
At this time only 1 location gives any chance of this, and that is Suva.
I wish for the Americal Division to be diverted there immediately.
I am not going to be rushed into a panic over a northern invasion of Australia, Strategically
I consider Broome, Port Headland, Darwin even as merely land locked atolls.

Our Carriers have departed the Indian Ocean, only Enterprise remains as "ä presence"
"Further thoughts on Carrier deployments...........

8th March
From Combined Chiefs
to
CICPAC

On Americal division
Deployment to Suva, is approved.

Frank Ford is informed at 9 am
A double blow, one that makes him sink into his chair with despair

Enemy fleet in action, Darwin Harbour

Americal Division is not, repeat, not coming to Australia

9th March
From
Prime Minister
to
General Blamey

Questions>
Enemy task force in Darwin harbour:
Why no warning?
Where was the Navy search
Why did shore batteries fail to respond?
Where are our bombers?
An Invasion is imminent, I have heard radio intell that a large force is in Java sea, and
that another is approaching Broome.

What naval forces are available?
What land forces are available, I seem to recall an awful lot of uniforms in Sydney
at the races last week, why here, and not there?

The Americal division is NOT, Repeat, NOT coming.
How does this effect our plans?

I would remind you of the severe political implications of a successful invasion of Australia

Ford

From
Blamey
to
Ford

Do not panic
Adequate forces are available, but only to defend what is essential!
If the enemy does take some isolated Aboriginal outposts, what of it?
Does the public even need to know?

It is too late now to amend plans, to dance at enemy tune.
I intend him to dance at ours

Blamey

9th March

In Bombay, a new Aussie squadron is formed
Hobart, Leander, Achilles, all the N class destroyers.
At least 2 CVLs roam off Broome, obliterate a small AXL convoy
The enemy is definitely coming for Broome, a fast Transport is seen off the heads near Dusk

75th does not fly, probably for the best, as zeros swarm Wyndham.
The squadron moves again to Katherine, and waits for orders.


Japan invades Akyab

In India, movement orders flow from eastern Command HQ. Nearly everything the Allies have in
India is suddenly on the move.

It is too late now to amend plans, to dance at enemy tune.
I intend him to dance at ours

Blamey

I LIKE this general! Was he that astute and aggressive in RL? I know he clashed with MacArthur at times.

..

They should raise their turret guns - they look rather ... limp.

Nice pics

Unfortunately, no US steel arriving at all.
Its going elsewhere.........

10 March

DD ukase sunk by a dutch ss at Akyab
A massive fast transport lands there, and the base falls

Enemy Carriers operating off Broome.
CV Zuikaku reported hit by a dud from a SS near Attu Island.
Betties strike Broome, Port Headland.
The expected landings do not occur, but they must be coming.

And finally. Japanese divisions at sea, headed for Colombo (radio intercept)


And the Americal division moves to full speed, headed for Suva.

buggar, lost huge post

grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

ORIGINAL: 1275psi

buggar, lost huge post

grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[:@][:@][:@]

10 March

From
Prime Minister UK
to
Prime Minister Australia


(extract)

........and I would remind you that we have now sent no less than 4 battleships, 2 carriers, 4 heavy cruisers
and a good number of destroyers to the Indian ocean.
yes, I can concede your point that they can help Australia little
deployed as they are, yet I will again re assure you, that should Australia
be endangered, they will be sent.
I urge you to not panic, what damage to Australia can the loss of a few
isolated outposts?

India, however, is another matter.
In your 1st Australian Corps, and your magnificent men, that I am placing a great deal of faith,
upon them, we may yet wreck this ship of Adventure Japan has launched............



From
POTUS
to
Prime Minister of Australia

(extract)

.....and my Chiefs of Staff have insisted that the Americal be deployed to Suva.
This does not mean Australia is, as you say, been thrown to the wolves, ........



........as they come on line, a steady stream of Steel will flow your way.
We must, at this stage, halt the Japanese somewhere............





Heard loudly from behind a closed door, Prime Ministers office, Canberra

"THOSE BARSTEDS Have BETRAYED ME!!!!!"

10th March

Canada

HMAS Westralia moves away from the wharf, and drops anchor.
It is, apparently, another case of hurry up and wait.

Wait for what?
The weather?
Escorts?
The enemy to go away?

Jeffery doesn't give a damn
If its cold here, in the calm, what the hell is coming?

Dropped in to say that I enjoy reading your AAR, thanks!

Now down to one AAR that must be followed.

Does Blamey intend to retreat to the ,Brisbane line ?

Got distracted yesterday, bought panzer corp.........

(bloody addictive)

11 March

Jeffery, is of course, still cold.
He has so many layers of clothing on, that its getting hard to raise his arms effectively.
Ice has formed on the gun tub, hangs in icicles from railings
Made the decks lethal.

And yet, the scenery is unbelievable.
Westralia is steaming deep, deep blue waters, as calm as a mill pond. Only a mile away, at most, the Canadian
Shore line passes, wild, green and white.
Towering mountains, the like He has never seen, dominate the horizon.
Two men swear that they have seen an deer.
Another fool, a bear.

Westralia follows Manoora, a light cruiser and several destroyers North, hugging
the coast, seeking shelter.
She is loaded heavily, trucks, bulldozers, heavy, thickset men, Engineers, construction
workers from the countries mid west.
The cold does not seem to bother them.

His mind turns to the task of getting another cup of coffee, and how to keep it warm .
The thought train is shattered, Westralia's alarms ring

Action, action, action stations!.....air alarm port!

Çhrist!

The real thing!
The gun crew fling themselves into action, Jeffery plies open the ammunition locker, grasps the first clip.
Aircraft!
here?
Then, where the %$&*$ ing hell where!?

"THERE!"
He sees it immediately, low, a shadow flitting across the hills, banking for a gap in them

Too far away to engage, too late in fact to engage at all...........

The Gun Commander answers the unspoken question: "And that boys, was a Jap sub launched float plane,
the cat's out of the bloody bag now"

From
Chief Naval Intelligence
to

General Blamey

Radio traffic now indicates large numbers of ships transiting Java sea, destination
in all probability Horn island, although a destination of Darwin Cannot be ruled out.