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It's heartbreaking

I agree, I was reading it at work today expecting the greatest sea battle ever. Such brave crews went out to fight to their deaths and the Americans never showed up.


Mat

What you say is true, but this story isn't over yet. Perhaps the American carriers retired out of range to launch a strike. We will see soon enough I expect.

hi guys
Please keep in mind, the game drives this, and Cantona is, I think, desperate to remain viable

It might have been more tolerable to actually be attacked.
The thought hammers through Watanabe's mind
It is nearly 4 PM
And not a single enemy plane has been sighted

Not one

The reprieve has come, it seems even as they have mounted the gallows
The tension breaks at nearly 5 pm
"Enemy fleet sighted...........deep in the south China sea, course south by south west..........damn near Jolo island

So, they have retired
Have we hurt them THAT much?

maybe so
maybe so

So, barring the SS, we might even get home.........might even live to fight another day

Imperial HQ

'The enemy retire"

They retire........what does this really mean?

Even as the fleet, what remains of it retires upon Takao, Captain Owada considers that very question

The enemy strike groups have been shredded, that he knows
But what has happened to the replenishment groups?. The supporting CVE's?

But we have sunken so many..........
The enemy does not hold a single major port nearer than Darwin, or Sydney.....does he really need to go that far to replenish?
Maybe so

The battle of the Celebes sea, those poor E class battling the battleships, the Iowa's...........empty magazines ?

Our carriers are finished. But, but, I think it was worth it
We have thrown a spanner into his works, I think.
And everyday of delay, is good, very, very good

This....


is....


killing....


me....

Congratulations on making an epic story that draws the reader in, makes them care about fictional characters in a freakin' computer game, and has such a great element of suspense that I find myself checking multiple times a day to see if you have posted an update. You should consider a war fiction career.

ORIGINAL: Crackaces

Might you be thinking of the Ride of the Valkyries? Another Wagner special ...

No. [8|]

3rd Sept

There is a tendency, I think, to forget the everyday things, the things that allow the great battles to take place

Ogowa joins circuit, preparatory to landing again at Hiroshima.
Consider this. Less than a week ago they departed from here. They have flown to Okiwana, landed at that sorry excuse of a field, gone onto takao, flown ceaseless CAP, and now have returned
All with so little sleep.
All without loss.

The NK2 is a brilliant fighter
Its also a pig.
The undercart is well known to collapse like a grandmother left in the sun too long.
She has a horrible tendency to descend like a brick as well on final, if you get the speed just a little wrong.

And nobody likes the sheer effort of manouvering either, it takes a strong man to fly a George.

This is 1945. Ogowa flies a plane developed in white hot heat, and tested for flaws literally in battle. Engines fail , flight controls fail.
Men, too fail.
But Ogowa has lead them there, and back, without loss.
There is, you see, more to being a fighter pilot, than just the fighter part
You have to be able to fly to the fight first.


So Ogowa descends, touches down , lite as a feather, and dismounts.
Its an everyday task for Ogowa. For all his eagles
But no less amazing for all that.

Miori, Mioko pull the boat up onto the shingles
Father wobbles down, bringing the bags, baby on back

The catch has been good. There is a deepish area only about 25 metres from the shore, ironically found only recently by the two women. 5 good snapper lie in the boat, there is apromise of more tomorrow

'You have done well daughters"
"Thankyou father.....we had no trouble finding the spot today"
'Oh, even in the dark?'
"Oh no," explains Mioko, takinga squriming bundle from her father in law"The Navy has laid two bouys , one at each end of the area,"
'really, here?.........so close to the beach........I wonder why in the hell they did that?"

Captain Owada gently guides Yamato out of Takao harbour.
There was fuel at takao............a little, but enough to get them home.

All of them, it appears.
But then what?

This operation has consumed nearly everything, nearly every last drop.
He fears Yamato may never sail again

The signal from HQ burns in his mind
"Upon arrival Hiroshima, fleet will disperse to assigned positions around the harbour. Consideration to be given to landing all non essential personal. Ships to camoflage.'

A FISHING VILLAGE
I am going to park this magnificent warship 25 metres off a fishing village.....................

The shame will be un endurable

Susuzuki too refuels at takao.
Her men, walking zombies through exhaustion, take aboard a mere 60 tons of fuel, then take her to sea again.
By dusk , Watanabe takes his position off Kaga's port beam.

For two days the Carrier has had no escorts.
Another miricle

It is hard to drag ones eyes away from the battered carrier.
Oil trails behind her. her sides are smoke stained. And she lists slightly
But the old lady still looks proud

Silently Watanabe swears to help get her home

The allied fleet continues towards Jolo

Japan strikes Hong Kong, betties, Peggies.
Old, outdated

Good enough if there are no defending fighters

3 SS are sunk at the moorings, 3 destroyers hit as well
Then Grace TBD's and another wing of Peggies hit 3 more ss, and another 2 Destroyers

Destroyer Moale's luck (finally) runs out.................


The allies use their B 29's (again) to pound Japanese infantry in china.........a far better choice for Japan, than her wooden cities.
But despite the allied effort, Pakhoi is taken

The japanes army moves on, eastward

bump

4th of September

it seems to be the way of war

A massive battle has been fought, now the deep breath

Susuzuki escorts Kaga home towards Japan
The Yamato battlegroup arrive Okiwana, seeking fuel to get home with

Ogowa, Diogowa, they sleep

Again japanese bombers hit Hong Kong, destroyers are hit, again

But in the main, japan is busy retiring its airgroups back to the homeland, busy digging holes( "a bunker in every basement, on every street corner" is the new propoganda cry)
"A ready grave on every corner, under every home" the cynics would say..........

The war is quiet .

September 5th

It is raining
Not showers, but steady, beating vertical rain, the stuff that farmers love

Susuzuki crawls across the black, oily calm sea at a bare 12 knots, (kaga is having troubles, not critical, but her speed has been falling all day)
Its a good thing that speed is so low, Susuzuki's bunkers are all but empty, Watanabe is inclined to ballast a few of the fuel tanks, the engineer resists, instead the bilges are allowed to fill . ballasting always leads to the need to strip tanks, and that, as always, opens enough cans of worms
No, Nagasaki tomorrow.
Then?
There are no orders yet.

Nor, thinks Watanabe, the allied fleet is near Jolo now.
Another chance, it seems, for Japan to re organise herself

Sept 6

'Finish with main engines. Fuelling party muster focastle"

Susuzuki arrives safely Nagasaki
The task force disperses, kaga goes (optimistically surely) into dock. (90 days, the Shipyard estimates.. 1946..........nobody can comprehend the war going into 46, surely)

The Yamato departs Okiwana , for Hiroshima
And later that day, Susuzuki and three other destroyers also deprt for Hiroshima.
There is fuel there, not much, enough to keep a battleships boilers lit, at least.

September 7th
the war in China rages on
Amoy is re taken!
And, the second act of japans counter offensive opens. 80 miles south east of Nanchang, 6 japanese divisions, backed by 6 armour regiments attack.
They are held, just, by the chinese on the plain.
But the battle is only starting to develop.
The attack will continue...........

September 8th

Miori and Mioko stand upon the foreshore.
They are not alone, nearly all of the remaining inhabitants of the village, the old men, the old women, the children, stand with them

The fishing will not be as good in the future, the deep waters just off the beach are gone
In there place, anchored fore and aft, battleship Yamato now rests. A hundred yards astern, Musashi.
They will not be able to stand there long, already a stream of trucks are coming down the road, bearing soldiers, towing AA guns
Within the hour the first steps of creating a wharf connecting the giants to the shore will begin

Mioko, Miori's home is a bare 100 meters from the shore.
Spitting distance in the light of a desperate dive bomber attack...........



Susuzuki also arrives Hiroshima. She however ties to the wharves across the bay. Her boilers will be shut down, all of them
There is no shore power available here.
The ship goes dark, and quiet, lit by oil lamps

There is no fuel
And, apparently, little chance of getting some.

The fleet has returned to Japan
So has its air arm.

It is to a Japan that has ground to a halt.
A radical re organisation of industry has been implemented.
Aircraft production is now just George, Franks, the new Sam, and Tony 100's Mk 2
A handful of Peggy bombers are the only strike aircraft being built

Shinden is the only plane any effort in research is being made upon. Few expect it will ever fly

Few factories now run, few stores have goods
Starvation threatens all.

There are good stocks of some plane types in the pools, others, nil

Enough
The economic Minister, creator of this rationalisation, is asked to comment on how long can Japan last?
'The middle of 46, no later.....after that...........we begin to eat each other"