Small Ship, Big War - The Voyages of the Hibiki

[Cuttlefish]

June 18, 1945

Location: 180 miles NW of Niigata
Course: Northeast
Attached to: TF 9
Mission: Surface combat
System Damage: 5
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 446

Orders: Return to Wakkanai

---

It is a beautiful summer day. Hibiki cruises across the sea, a brisk wind rattling her pennants and stays. A few whitecaps dance here and there. The only thing marring the serenity of the scene are the survivors of lost ships huddled together on the foredeck.

Lieutenant Sugiyura stands on the port observation platform, arms crossed. He seems the very image of the steely-eyed naval officer, gazing grimly out to sea while the wind tugs at him. What he is thinking no one really knows, as the only three words he has spoken since the battle are “yes,” “no,” and “sir.”

Lieutenant Miharu steps out from the bridge to stand next to him. He glances at Sugiyura, who does move, then puts his arms behind his back and looks out to sea.

“Nice day,” he comments.

“Yes sir,” says Sugiyura, not looking around.

“Perhaps I am old-fashioned,” says Miharu, “but in my day it was considered customary to salute a superior officer.” He speaks in his usual mild tone but there is a hint of steel in his voice. Sugiyura whirls around, eyes wide. The ship’s officers have worked together for a long time and usually dispense with salutes while at sea, and Lieutenant Miharu is usually the last person to insist on such formalities. Yet he is of course correct. Sugiyura turns and salutes him.

“Yes sir, I’m sorry sir,” he says. Mihura eyes him for a moment, then returns the salute.

“At ease,” he says. “But now that I have your attention, Lieutenant Sugiyura, please do me the honor of telling me what you are thinking about.”

“Sir?”

“You have been still and silent ever since the battle,” says Miharu. He smiles a little. “This is not the fire-breathing torpedo officer I have served with these last few years. Are you disappointed, perhaps, that we did not find glorious death in battle?” Lieutenant Sugiyura raises his eyebrows slightly.

“Is that what it seems like, sir?” he says. Miharu nods.

“Sir,” says Sugiyura seriously, “I have never sought glorious death in battle. Oh, I do not fear death and given a choice between a coward’s life and a hero’s death I will choose the latter. But death happens, or it does not. What matters, sir, is the glory.”

“There were some big targets out there last night,” says Lieutenant Miharu.

“Yes sir,” says Sugiyura. He sighs. “The biggest. I have fought and trained for years for a shot at them, and then…well, sir, you were there.”

“Yes,” says Miharu. “Tell me, Lieutenant, how many enemy ships has Hibiki sunk?”

“Three torpedo boats, one gunboat, one submarine, two freighters, a tanker, and two destroyers*,” says Sugiyura promptly. “We have part credit for another two freighters and a destroyer.”

“That is not a bad record for one destroyer, wouldn’t you say?” ask Miharu. He does not wait for a reply but asks another question. “Is the war over yet, Lieutenant?”

“No sir,” says Sugiyura.

“Well then,” says the executive officer. “Better keep your men ready. The enemy is not likely to run out of big targets any time soon.”

“Yes sir!” says Lieutenant Sugiyura. “With your permission, sir?” Miharu nods. Sugiyura snaps another salute, turns sharply, and goes below. Miharu remains, looking out at the dancing waves.

---

*This should actually read “one tender and one destroyer.” Hibiki’s crew still believes that AVD Thornton, which they sunk off Wake Island back in 1942, was a destroyer. Perhaps an understandable mistake, since started life as one.

[thegreatwent]

Bravo!

[SireChaos]

How likely is it that Hibiki gets to fight again? Yamamoto has all of 7 destroyers left, two of which might not be considered battleworthy. This isn´t even the proverbial drop in the bucket.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: SireChaos
How likely is it that Hibiki gets to fight again? Yamamoto has all of 7 destroyers left, two of which might not be considered battleworthy.

ORIGINAL: Cuttlefish

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock
What happened to Hiei?

An important question. There is a story there and we will hear it soon.

[8|]

[SireChaos]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

ORIGINAL: SireChaos
How likely is it that Hibiki gets to fight again? Yamamoto has all of 7 destroyers left, two of which might not be considered battleworthy.

ORIGINAL: Cuttlefish

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock
What happened to Hiei?

An important question. There is a story there and we will hear it soon.

[8|]

True. However, given the circumstances, odss are high that what we hear will be either

(1) Hiei was sunk or crippled in an unrelated action
or
(2) Hiei was hit by bombers while in port

and thus could take part neither in the battle of Fukawa Bay, nor in any future actions.

If we add up the ships that accompanied Ikoma on the raid that sank those tankers, and the ships that arrived in port along with Hiei, then subtract those ships which went to Fukawa bay, that leaves few ships to escort Hiei wherever else she went... maybe not enough for another surface combat force, at least not an effective one.

[Cuttlefish]

June 19, 1945

Location: 185 miles west-southwest of Wakkanai
Course: Northeast
Attached to: TF 9
Mission: Surface combat
System Damage: 5
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 418

Orders: Return to Wakkanai

---

The Japanese air force, exhausted by its efforts over the Korea Strait and pounded relentlessly on the ground, is all but gone. The remnants of the Imperial Japanese Navy have been met and defeated. The Allies at last assert complete control over the vital strait and the approaches to Yamaguchi Prefecture. But it comes too late.

The Japanese Army begins its assault on the night of 18 June. Columns of troops filter silently up the many valleys and ravines around the American lines. In many places they are spotted and fierce fighting breaks out. In other places they are not spotted and work their way behind the enemy lines.

As dawn breaks on 19 June the main body of the Japanese assault, over 225,000 troops, surges forward. They are backed by hundreds of pieces of artillery and driven by fanatical desperation. This is not subtle warfare, it is a human wave advancing on a broad front. From the rear infiltrating Japanese units also attack, sowing chaos.

Japanese losses are appalling. In places advancing troops literally scramble over grisly hillocks of their own dead. The American troops are dug in and their firepower, at least locally, dwarfs that of the Japanese. The Japanese assault continues, however, heedless of losses. Whole divisions are shattered, only to be replaced at once by fresh formations.

The Americans, led by Major General Geiger, fight with courage and determination. By early afternoon, however, it becomes obvious that their position is hopeless. The American line is pierced in half a dozen places and Geiger orders a retreat to save his troops from complete disaster.

What follows then is a desperate race. The Americans fall back, fighting delaying actions, and there are many instances of heroism against terrible odds. But while it fails to become an absolute rout no new line can be established. The Americans fall back on Fukawa Bay, where they finally establish a perimeter that holds. As the day fades and Japanese artillery shells begin to fall in a rain in and around the port Geiger receives permission to evacuate his forces.

As many men as possible are taken off aboard warships and what transports can be rushed to the scene while the Japanese reorganize and prepare a final assault, one which cannot fail to crumple the American line. Early in the morning on 20 June the roar of the Japanese bombardment slackens as a white flag comes out of the American lines. Geiger, who has refused to be evacuated, negotiates the surrender of the remaining American troops.

The Allied invasion of Japan is over. Over 8000 American troops are dead and over 30,000 become prisoners of war. Japanese civilian losses in the campaign are never established precisely but are widely believed to be over 60,000. Japanese military casualties are somewhere over 25,000. The city of Yamaguchi itself is almost completely destroyed and much of the prefecture is left a smoldering wasteland.

The Japanese declare a huge celebration. On the Allied side the recriminations, which will last for years, begin. The most important consequence, however, is that there is no further thought of withholding the terrible new weapon that is even now being perfected in secret in the desert of New Mexico.

On the afternoon of 20 June a huge force of B-29s levels the city of Nagoya. The Japanese have driven the invaders from their soil but the nation’s final agonies have only begun.

[kaleun]

Wow!

[tocaff]

Bloody battles that are only the preludes to the horrible crescendo as the Japanese become less able by the day to effectively defend themselves from the war machine that they awoke a mere 4 years earlier.

I wait with growing regret what is the looming ending to this story, knowing that our story teller will bring it to a close in a masterful fashion.

[Canoerebel]

PBS program "All things Considered," November 18, 2010: "We have with us now the author of Had Yamamoto Lived, the remarkable best-selling alternative history novel that has sold 193,413 copies in just three months. Just 1,000 copies of this book were released in the initial printing by Terminus Publisher, Ltd. Ordinarily, alternative history is a niche market and therefore relatively non-lucrative. In this instance, however, word of this amazing story of the passion and fury of war, and the humanity and helplessness of those caught in its snare, spread furiously with the help of technological marvels like Twitter and Kumquat. When the initial printing sold out in just three weeks, the book was picked up by Penguin & Dadman, the publishing giant in Brussels. The second edition of 25,000 books sold out in three weeks, followed successivily by even larger third, fourth, and fifth printings.

Part of the book's lure is the idiosyncracies of its author. He wrote under the pen name "Cuttlefish" and refuses to divulge his identity. Two weeks ago, in an appearance on Oprah, it became clear that he is actually a she - a rare instance of satin and lace in the robust and chest-hair dominated arena of World War II simulation games.

Moderator: "It's good to have you with us this afternoon, Ms....may I call you Cuttlefish?"

Cuttlefish: "Certainly."

Moderator: "Well, how does it feel to be a best-selling author bursting upon the international stage like Madonna in leather?"

Cuttlefish: "Well...um... [painful silence]."

Moderator: "Oprah called your writing, 'An ascent in the heavenly realm of a literary master.' Larry King said that you are, 'The second coming of the love-child of William Faulkner and Tess Geritson.' And Nancy Grace noted, 'I have never lost a trial, but if I had it would be because I was reading the works of Cuttlefish instead of preparing my summation.' So, how does it feel to be America's new John Grisham?"

Cuttlefish: "I...you know...think it's pretty cool...and, if, you know, you...wait. Wait just a doggone minute! Dadgum it, I forgot to tell my readers what happened to the Hiei!"

Moderator: "Well, ladies and gentlemen, with the Christmas season upon us, those of you shopping for history buffs may want to keep an eye out for the forthcoming hardback edition of Had Yamamoto Lived. But leap as soon as you look, for this printing is sure to sell out too!"

[ChezDaJez]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

PBS program "All things Considered," November 18, 2010: "We have with us now the author of Had Yamamoto Lived, the remarkable best-selling alternative history novel that has sold 193,413 copies in just three months. Just 1,000 copies of this book were released in the initial printing by Terminus Publisher, Ltd. Ordinarily, alternative history is a niche market and therefore relatively non-lucrative. In this instance, however, word of this amazing story of the passion and fury of war, and the humanity and helplessness of those caught in its snare, spread furiously with the help of technological marvels like Twitter and Kumquat. When the initial printing sold out in just three weeks, the book was picked up by Penguin & Dadman, the publishing giant in Brussels. The second edition of 25,000 books sold out in three weeks, followed successivily by even larger third, fourth, and fifth printings.

Part of the book's lure is the idiosyncracies of its author. He wrote under the pen name "Cuttlefish" and refuses to divulge his identity. Two weeks ago, in an appearance on Oprah, it became clear that he is actually a she - a rare instance of satin and lace in the robust and chest-hair dominated arena of World War II simulation games.

Moderator: "It's good to have you with us this afternoon, Ms....may I call you Cuttlefish?"

Cuttlefish: "Certainly."

Moderator: "Well, how does it feel to be a best-selling author bursting upon the international stage like Madonna in leather?"

Cuttlefish: "Well...um... [painful silence]."

Moderator: "Oprah called your writing, 'An ascent in the heavenly realm of a literary master.' Larry King said that you are, 'The second coming of the love-child of William Faulkner and Tess Geritson.' And Nancy Grace noted, 'I have never lost a trial, but if I had it would be because I was reading the works of Cuttlefish instead of preparing my summation.' So, how does it feel to be America's new John Grisham?"

Cuttlefish: "I...you know...think it's pretty cool...and, if, you know, you...wait. Wait just a doggone minute! Dadgum it, I forgot to tell my readers what happened to the Hiei!"

Moderator: "Well, ladies and gentlemen, with the Christmas season upon us, those of you shopping for history buffs may want to keep an eye out for the forthcoming hardback edition of Had Yamamoto Lived. But leap as soon as you look, for this printing is sure to sell out too!"

Oh, my! I love it! [&o][&o][:D]

Chez

[Onime No Kyo]

[&o][&o][&o][&o][&o][&o][&o]

[Marc gto]

Amen

[kaleun]

[NormS3]

Ever Fantastic, Ms. Cuttlefish![:D]
[&o][&o][&o][&o][&o][&o]

[gladiatt]

I think Cuttlefish keep all alone maybe one half of the readers of the AAR on this Forum !!

[Capt. Harlock]

The Allied invasion of Japan is over. Over 8000 American troops are dead and over 30,000 become prisoners of war. Japanese civilian losses in the campaign are never established precisely but are widely believed to be over 60,000. Japanese military casualties are somewhere over 25,000.

Ohboy. That means over half of the troops landed were lost, and the Allies actually sustained more military casualties than the IJA. Hibiki and her sisters did indeed win a strategic victory. (Wolffpack must be kicking himself over holding back that vital convoy.) An object lesson in getting your ducks in a row before a major thrust. (Tanks. Don't leave home without them.)

Lt. Miharu seems to be in error. First, the USN is a quart low on battleships since two out of the four that were scraped together to support the invasion are now off to the body-and-fender shop for torpedo damage. Second, it seems that the fatal blows from the Allies will now come from the air rather than the sea. I fear that Hibiki has fought her last surface action.

[Dave3L]

Is it just me or is everyone else waiting on a game company to publish an Operation Longbow game?

[SireChaos]

ORIGINAL: Dave3L

Is it just me or is everyone else waiting on a game company to publish an Operation Longbow game?

A scenario for TOAW3, perhaps?

[Dili]

Terminus Publisher, Ltd

Hehe canonrebel. Excellent!

[Cuttlefish]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Part of the book's lure is the idiosyncracies of its author. He wrote under the pen name "Cuttlefish" and refuses to divulge his identity. Two weeks ago, in an appearance on Oprah, it became clear that he is actually a she - a rare instance of satin and lace in the robust and chest-hair dominated arena of World War II simulation games.

All right, who talked?

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Wait just a doggone minute! Dadgum it, I forgot to tell my readers what happened to the Hiei!

I didn't forget! I just had to wait for Hibiki to get back to port.


This was excellent, Canoerebel!