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12/6/43

I am in bliss

how long can this last, before I am torn back to the war?
Already I hear our new carrier fighter wings are in action in China -mainly milk runs -but nothing is easy now days

Allies launch big attack in central china -and ominous news filters to the base -a huge offensive appears to be in the making in Northern China.

I fear I know where we will soon be going.

Today my heart is torn in two -duty to the nation, and the emperor, and Kiso.
Love is a terrible thing for a warrior!

13/6/43

hanoi is in flames -the allies are terror bombing it!

heaven help japan should those beasts get in range of these wooden cities!

Rumours abound, soon for china!

14/6/43

war is brutal.
One must compress a lifetime into a week.
I have a decision to make.
If i can gather the courage, i must see her father -tonight.

The allies bomb ponape, Lea, the fortress of rabual is cut off.

15/6/43

terribly frustrated, had the Officer of the day duty today.
her father must wait another day...

An imposing sight today -one to swell the hearts of a fighting man
Ever wondered what exactly a division of men looks like on the march?
This evening i had the pleasure of being part of the reviewing stand -under special invite- as the 46th Div -in full battle dress and order marched through the town to the piers -where a fleet awaits -including the little hosho.
These troops i hear are burma bound.

The army commander was quite cocky- boasting of future victories against the pale english.
pale english do not worry me -its the sun burnt marines, and sailors that
worry me..

Tomorrow I must get ashore, i must.

Im tired
Im dirty
Lousy bloody airfield
Lousy mud
Lousy Chinese bloody country
Lousy war

and lousy Combat air patrol!
Shanghia is a filthy city, and Im not happy.
fate has dragged me back to the war.
It appears that again we will tangle with our friends the AVG

Time to put her into the back of my mind -I must survive -and fight for her sake.

17/6/43

raining today

Briefings.
Things are grim. Yesterday 2 of our air groups were devasted near changsa -no longer can training sweeps take place here in safety -the AVG is hunting us..
Our leader, LCDR Matsuyama has been sent home - to a training command, and a new leader , LCDR Subota has taken charge

He is aggressive, and reputed to be brilliant.
We will see

18/6/43
Rumuors of an allied offensive in Northern China are heavy here.
Allied medium bombers active near Ichon

Big briefs today, our airforce is to go onto the offensive in china -with sweep missions all along the front.
I look at the weather here -rain and again mud -are they mad?
But no, tomorrow, Gods willing, we go into battle again tomorrow.

One problem -40 odd pilots -27 planes.
i think tomorrow the rookies will be blooded.

The news from the war is slim -allies claiming a big troop convoy devestated by subs south of Japan.
I fear the war moves closer to japan day by day.

19/6/43

the dawn sees rain, does it never stop raining here in shanghia?

But in the PM the sun clears, and operation shinto sweep begins.
73 of our zeros depart -for Ichang -and later 73 return.
A anti climax, no opposition today.

the weather probably had a lot to do with it.

20/6/43
Hori and I rejoined the war today.
Another sweep over ichon -and again, no enemy sighted.

But how marvoulous to be in the air again, with my nearest dearest friend at my wing tip-leading our flights towards hostile skies.
a difficult flight -clouds, and storms everywhere -and always the eyes peeled for the twin tailed devils.

Tomorrow we rest -3 days in a row the same target is just asking for trouble.
I note that our tony companions down south again found some reason not to fly.
No wonder the war is not being won -where is the offensive spirit of Dec 7?

21/6/43

A quiet day on the front
Enemy medium bombers in action over Changsa -we should go and fight them tomorrow -but our high command suspects a trap.

We rest again
If these smelly huts will let us
Rumours of a good poker game next door.
Im of to forget the war for a few hours, maybe I can Fleece Hori -he always seems to have spare cash.

22/6/43

I must express my distaste for todays events
Once again the evil bomb racks -the stubby little bombs are being fitted to our fighters.
Tomorrow the entire 3 daitai here will attack ground units deep in the heart of China

For training the rookies this is fine
But all of us?
Surely at least some of us should go as plain escort -a zero armed with a bomb is no plane at all, just a mobile docile target.
Last year here, yes -but now -with the AVG hanging about?
I am not happy
But orders are orders, one must do ones duty.
We smile, tell the rookies it will be a cake run, and fervently hope it will be.

23/6/43

as soon as one awakes today, and pokes there head out the door of this miserable hut, one knows we will not be flying again today

rain
rain
miserable rain
here and on the target.

China is a miserable place. Cold, wet, miserable, and far too many natives!
The war is apparently very quiet -Oh the air waves are full of threats of retribution, and forth coming offensives, but in the reality -very little is happening.
A month after "the decisive battle" the war continues -if anything it proved beyond doubt that the battle ships day are finished.

The allies talk about destroying the 21st div on guadacanal -Tokyo rose talks incessantly about the 21sts heroic resistance
The enemy have established themselves on the toe of png -but with Kavieng having fallen, the solomons are swallowed up.

Truk remains a fortress -but only a glance at the map shows its vulnerability -threats from the south, threats from the east -ponape a lonely outpost against a sea of green.

The war is turning grim.

But at the moment it rains, and rains
maybe tomorrow

24/6/43

it continues to rain

Blah

And no mail iether.
and the food is crap

Still, we have huts to live in, not out in the open like the poor infantry

todays task
Find firewood!

25/6/43

The tension on the base rose today -the air war in china begins to warm up
large terror raids reported on rangoon, pounding the resources there.
british Cvs hit sabang -and claim a CL sunk

I believe it -as tokyo rose claims "a large PG damaged"
But more relevant -many chinese radio transmissions intercepted -intelligence -what it is, reports many fields full of fighters to our north and west.
It rains again today - tomorrow the weather is reported to be good.
The units must fly tomorrow!

26/6/43

A strange day
Hori and myself were not allowed to fly today -it was a day for the rookies.
73 zeros departed -spending some time circling the field -as the propaganda cameras rolled.

If a mere 73 rookies are what is being shown as japans military might to the folks back home, then i wonder what else they are being told.

Eventually they turned west, and departed.

The long wait -and eventually they returned -bomb racks empty -a milk run.
we breathe a sigh of relief.
tomorrow we repeat the exercise -but we have won the argument -no bombs on my fighter for tomorrow thank you very much.

27/6/43
Rain
so no fly
But the intelligence was good -today Hong kong was heavily raided.
A viscous air battle is reported, with losses reported as one to one.
regrettably several ships have been sunk, a CL, a dd, a tanker.

The enemy is reaching deep -and these pilots were chinese!.
China is getting well past just a training area.
The war is relentless everywhere.

Hori and I both fly our 56th combat mission today.
Another big raid -strafing runs on troop positions north west of shangia.

A good flight -dangerous enough, and good trining value for the rookies -just to fling a plane about -to practice flight discipline, formation flying, even for some, navigation.
All good.
But Im sure air combat will be the purifier.

The AVG P38s are about -active over canton today -hunting and fighting Tojos.

We arrive safely home, but have no time to relax, the squadron refuels -and flys to the pescadores!
Hori and I remain here for several days -again the most experienced men stay behind to get the move done right.
The pescadores!
Closer to the AVG, but a real base!
A real mess!
A real concrete strip and compound and out lying areas.
And maybe a lot less rain!

29/6/43

Still helping getting the lame ducks away from Shanghia

Maybe the pescadores tomorrow.

We understand the squadron is to sweep tomorrow -and expects action.
Good.
Time to get back into the war for real.

30/6/43

Today flew to the base at pescadores
A real field!
Real accomodation!
real food!
real support!

As any experienced pilot would do -I ask for an immediate deep inspection of my plane, and the fixing of the myraid little things that one tends "to live with" at the bare front line bases.

There is an air of uncertainty-command seems totally unsure of what to do with us

I suspect thes great surroundings will be very temporary!

1/7/43

A terrible shock today
reports that our army is retiring from the mandalaby line!
can this be true?
Did'nt we give the british a terrible defeat only 2 months ago?
I do not understand it

My engine had a hairline crack in one head!
it has been changed
Good, tomorrow we attack north of Wuchow, our tonies have been sweeping the southern china front, and we must soon encounter the enemy.
I look forward to a fight!