Play up, play up and play the game.... Flashman returns

[RogerJNeilson]

14th April Rashin Korea

Flashman crouched behind one of 254th Brigade’s Shermans as it methodically demolished a row of shacks in which the remnants of the defenders of Rashin were holed up. Despite his knowledge that the defenders had little beyond hand weapons he still felt it useful to have a lot of armour between him and any of them. Although most of them had scooted North East in the hope of reaching Yenki the stay behinds were a bit of a nuisance. The fortifications at Rashin had been significant, but mainly for any Soviet attack from the sea not from what was assumed to be Seishin and safety. The defenders, somewhat alerted by the electricians from the Seishin battle had little chance and the allied armour rolled over them. Effectively the job now was to fortify and put very clear signs for the Ivans that they should follow the roads North East and North West when they finally got across the border and off to Yenki and all posts north - whether they would see it that way was anybody’s guess.

News from elsewhere was scant, suggestions of significant bombing of the Jimas due south of Shimizu where apparently some Japanese planes had been seen…..and landings on Shimushiri Jima in the Kuriles as the mainly American forces extend their eastern fingers towards the Home Islands.

[RogerJNeilson]

Apologies folks for the break in this. I went on a 6 week holiday round Singapore, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Sri Lanka. Three weeks in and it all got a little crazy so we spent 22 out of 24 hours on planes and am back home now - keeping out of people's way in case I am infectious - some laughable reactions by people to all this in airports and on planes.

AAR should resume shortly.

Roger

[Bif1961]

Glad you are back and wishing all is well with you.

[RogerJNeilson]

Thank you. However the bad news is my opponent has decided to call it a day.

I have been sent his password to see things from his point of view and am toying either with doing some analysis and posting it here as there are not many games that run into this phase, or having clearly planned the Allied final moves, playing it out trying to do the best I can on the Japanese side as well.


Some thinking time......


Roger

[BBfanboy]

Too bad you have already peeked at the other side. Sometimes another player will pick up an in-progress game if it is offered on the Opponents Wanted section or in your AAR. Some of the guys who like to play the IJ side have distinguished themselves in the 1945 period for their tenacious defence and sneaky ambushes. Japan still gets pummeled but it is amazing how painful they can make it for the Allies.

[RogerJNeilson]

Aha I haven't actually looked at all, I shall resist the temptation and see if anyone wants to have a go.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Roger

[Bif1961]

Good luck finding a glutton for punishment, I mean another Japanese opponent to pick up a game in 1945.

[RogerJNeilson]

Flashman luxuriated in the warmth of the Singapore morning. This was the life, lying between crisp sheets, having had a wonderful evening and soon to be sailing back to home, now sporting a Colonel’s uniform he looked forward to all this young widows in London who would be so keen on a gallant companion…… he had survived the war, and indeed he had prospered. His companion prodded him… ‘Mavis, you are insatiable, can’t a man have a bit of pea……’

Major, Major…..

Flashman turned and opened his eyes to see Mavis had transformed into an ugly Korean with a lack of care for his personal freshness…. ‘Betty’ was shaking him quite vigorously now.

‘Major General Wimberley, he wants you now, you come…….’

‘Betty’ stepped back, folded his arms and waited….. his gaze never wavered…..

Flashman shivered as he realised that he was still in Korea, still in his camp bed, still in a godforsaken camp, not a few miles from the Reds……..

Dressed and exiting the tent his Gurkha companions/bodyguards/guards took up position on either side of him - they seems to just bed down outside his tent at nights.

So accompanied by the sand-dancing trio of Wilson, Betty and Keppel they drove off to HQ…….

Flashman realised it had all been a bit of a dream, now the reality was to bite

[RogerJNeilson]

‘Flashman, so good of you to join me, I trust we are not troubling you too much to expect you to arrive as soon as requested? Maybe you had other things to attend to in your tent?’

‘Sir’ (best never to reply to rhetorical questions in the Army especially when they weren’t rhetorical).

‘I can never understand whether you intel johnnies are just too damn secretive, or you are just swinging the lead. Anyway, you are not my problem. We have been picking up snippets that a group favouring a peace was in the ascendant in Japan but it looks like an overnight putsch has put a bunch of hardliners in charge again. The war continues to the end I feel — for some that is very bad news, for others it offers more chance for glory and sacrifice. I know which of the two categories I feel you are in.’

‘Sir’….

‘Anyway, I have serious work to do. You have orders….

You are to proceed with your ‘Fred Karno’s Army’ to rendezvous with the Soviet forces somewhere along the road to Yenki. You are expected. You need to get to 25th Army Corps HQ where I gather a Lt Gen Porusinov awaits your arrival. You are to establish cordial liaison between ourselves and them - and unofficially find out what their intentions are. You are to let them know that the 2nd New Chinese Corps is arriving very shortly at Yenki from the SW and they are expected to cooperate with the taking of the town. Without saying it directly you need the Soviets to understand we are here, and we are not leaving…..’

‘Your orders - well at least your official accreditation as Liaison to the Soviet 25th Army Corps are in this envelope, along with Colonel’s rank badges…. this has nothing to do with merit…. its simply that the Soviets need to feel we are sending someone important who we care about…. and we need to send a Colonel at least ….. not some lowly rank who was expendable’

‘Ok off you go, maybe we will meet again… though I gather the Soviets can be a little hasty and trigger happy at times.'

[RogerJNeilson]

Flashman had found the journey to the 25th Corps HQ ‘interesting’. Crossing the lines they had been sandwiched between two jeeps of tough looking orientals who looked like they ate people. The drive had been over countryside more like a WW1 battlefield. Flashman gathered the Soviets liked their artillery.

They arrived at what looked like some stables that had miraculously been left standing amongst the destruction. Here he was motioned out, Wilson Betty and Keppel were given instructions to stay in their jeep - machine guns tend to brook no argument, and he was escorted through the doorway into a pungent darkness.

Sat at a table was, Flashman could only surmise, Lt Gen Porusinov. There was a hurricane lamp providing some illumination. The General was shovelling some disgusting slop of food into his mouth and washing it down with liberal quantities of vodka. Flashman was not even acknowledged. He waited, he knew this was standard military bull… impress on the enemy/ally how important you are and how insignificant he is….

Flashman is suddenly aware there is another in the room, in the shadows. Hard to see anything other than a greater degree of darkness. The General coughs, takes another slug of vodka and then looks up. He says something to the other person in the room…. and a voice from the darkness….

‘There is a gun pointed at you, maintain the poker face Flashman…. the General does not speak any English so I will translate for him, but he will get suspicious if I say too much’

A female voice, and Flashman maintains his expressionless face even though inside he is turning to jelly. Valentina Teresvina…. surely not?

The General fires a series of questions……

Valentina steps forward into the half light, wearing a resplendently cut NKVD uniform of a Colonel of the State Security. The pistol does not waver….. ‘The General wants to know what your role is within the Allied Command, and what your forces are doing in Rashin and when you will leave..’… and I want to know lots but not now…….

‘I am to liaise with yourselves to ensure there are no ‘mistakes’ between our forces. I am connected directly to our HQ in Fusan. I need to report back that this meeting has taken place …. in person (and with no bullet holes)’

Russian is garbled between them, the General looks puzzled… then annoyed

‘The general repeats when do you leave Korea, it is ours?’ Teresvina states

‘That is not in my brief’, I must consult with my commanders (sooner the better too)

More Russian, voices become heated…. then quieter and the General nods sagely.

‘Colonel Flashman, we offer you the hospitality of the Soviet Union, you may stay with us while we arrange radio communication between ourselves and your HQ, you will then be able to discuss this issue with them and impress upon them the need to leave Korea…. Your men can return to their lines for now. We will find you suitable accommodation. Please sit in the corner and have a vodka or three’ Teresvina says with a note of having just laid a winning poker hand down…. she motions to a corner where there is an upturned crate and several vodka bottles on the floor beside it.

[Capt. Harlock]

Well, at least the part about becoming a Colonel came true!

[witpqs]

Roger, are you going to do an AAR with durnedwolf?

[RogerJNeilson]

This is that AAR, perhaps I was being a bit obtuse.... Flashman just needs to escape the hands of his Soviet Nemesis and get back to HQ and ingratiate himself into the upper echelons of the Supreme Command and hey ho, it will be all systems go..... so no big issues really.


Stay tuned as they say.

Last instalment he was definitely powerless in her hands.........


Roger

[witpqs]

Oh, I saw what I thought was him start up a new one and so I thought this was for the older game (knowing the late game date).

Got it!

[RogerJNeilson]

Ok Flashman, remain at attention. You had better have a good explanation for why you have insisted I fly from Fusan to Rashin to speak with you ‘personally’. I sent you to meet with the Soviets and sort things out with them…. why are you here, and why have you been ‘missing’ for a couple of days? On another one of your pleasure jaunts were you?….. well answer me damn you……

General, may I pass you this envelope? Inside is the complete OOB for the Soviet forces, and the detailed plans for their movements in what they are calling Operation Red Banner. You will find all the details are there, but essentially their plans comprise separate objectives……..

Go on Flashman….

They have a mainly infantry force slowly making its way towards Wasu, and Urumchi and the oilfields there, and are expected to move on to take Hami and Kuchuan to tidy that border. They are going to take Sakhalin, indeed have already done an initial attack on Shikuka but are also planning a landing at Toyohara - they are hampered here by their slowness of approach and their lack of good amphibious assets. However the main aim to to secure the whole of Manchukuo - to do this they have attacked in overwhelming force with a view to taking Yenki and then Mutankiang - at which point they will have rail links to move a huge amount fo their forces currently packed and waiting at railheads. They are feinting in the other areas but suspect anyway that the troops they will face are poor quality, badly supplied and only of any capability because of their defences - hence the border fortresses will be left to starve in the main. They were mighty annoyed when they discovered Yenki had been taken by the 2nd New Chinese Corps and it nearly resulted in war between them and the Chinese…. luckily I was able to smooth the relations between the two sides as I knew Lt Col Chu from my time in Chungking and was able to mediate between them - it also helps that of late Lt Col Chu seems to have fallen under the influence of the Chinese Communist view of the world so all is now international fraternity.

Flashman, I swear you could be dropped in a pigsty and come up smelling of roses….. how have you managed all this?

Well you are not far wrong with your talk of pigs, I did spend a night in a rather fragrant pigsty, but the pig had, I feel no longer any need of it. Let me just say I have a contact at a high level in the Soviet set up and they will only deal with me in passing information across to us to help the war effort. So, I hope the materials in the envelope are suitably useful and that I may be of some use sitting here where I can easily confer with my Soviet source? Incidentally General, do you think maybe I could cease standing at attention and have a seat, thank you…. and a whisky would be quite nice…… Ah yes, I also gleaned that in order to avoid any clashes with us they would remain within their new territorial limits and leave us to deal with the rest of Japan…. it seems they have calculated that there is more to be gained by cooperation than conflict - I think they expect that the industrial centres of Manchukuo will be helpful to their post war economy. Now, what else, ah yes. First day of the war they got involved they sent a whole load of minelaying subs down to the straits between Hokkaido and Sakhalin and bagged a couple fo CVs that were sailing round there at the time - though they have lost the odd sub in their activity to date they don’t seem too upset about that.

Flashman, if what you have told me, and what is in this envelope is true I may have discovered you have the talent I was hoping for……. Subject to my verification of this I think you would be best placed here for the moment - give me a few hours and familiarise yourself with what has been happening this side of the line while you have been away. I will see you again at 14:00, and by the way could you have another bath, there is a lingering smell of pigshit about you……

[RogerJNeilson]

24 April 1945 - Border of Soviet Republic of Manchuria and Korea…..

Colonel Tersevina eyes Flashman, there is a mixture of contempt and attraction in her expression. So, our bargain, you are here to deliver?

Ah my dear Valentina, always so hasty…..

Flashman do not try my patience too far….

Ok dear one, I gave the information to my commanders, they were pleased to verify it and happy to conclude I have an agent working on this side of the border. They do not know it is you.

Nor, I hope for your sake do they know the nature of the relationship Flashman…. so…..

The war goes well. Batavia, Singkawang, Pontianak, and Kuching are all taken now so the campaign in the DEI is pretty well over. This frees a great deal of troops to move to Korea, already they are planning for their invasion duties. Korea is now cleared with the taking of Genzan. There is some removal of die hard pockets of resistance still necessary, but essentially things are pacified there. Korea is now starting to fill with supplies and there is a sense that the invasion will not be long away. Elsewhere the Marianas is neutralised and the only main area of activity is in the Kuriles. Landings at Uruppu Jima have encountered fiercer defence than was expected which is a shame as the airfield there would be useful for fighter sweeps over the parts of Japan not yet covered by our other bases. Oh, and the remaining base on Okinawa was taken with surprisingly light losses -again we are having to clear house by house but its merely a matter of time. This again can be used as a forward supply hub once pacified.

and the enemy?

There seems to have been a change in command at the top and the new ones are much more aggressive. We have reports of significant attempts to break out at Port Arthur and Fusan - both easily repelled. We have also had increased air activity interdicting some of our destroyer patrols and a sortie by what we think was some light carriers - we lost some ships. Oh and every oil centre in Japan has now been bombed and their production is close to zero……

and your bombers?

They now are waiting for the signal to remove the Japanese airforce from the game…… though they seem to be doing a good job themselves in attacks on our shipping from which their planes do not return.

you have done well Flashman, but I have one more question…… have you heard anything about a new super weapon about to be deployed?

Errrr, no, super weapon? What is it???

That is exactly what we need to know, so that is your additional task. You may return to your masters.. and to keep them happy please let them know that the invasion of Toyohara is to take place beginning on the 25th…. just to maintain your credibility with them.

How goes the war in Manchuria?

Wasu is defended but will fall soon, some NKVD forces are en route help. Our main forces are now deploying out of Yenki to deal with Mutankiang and Kirin, once these fall the trains will start to roll to move our main bodies of troops rapidly to the front.

All sounds tickety-boo really Valentina…..

I do not know that expression Flashman, i suspect it is a disgusting bourgeois thought…. So you may go now, but remember you are mine, and if you betray me your superiors will get a full documented account of your treachery while in China - I do not need to waste a bullet on you…..

[RogerJNeilson]

2 May 1945

Flashman, have you discovered anything for us yet? Our patience is not endless? Soon the war in Europe will be over, I gather our victorious soldiers are as of now storming parts of Berlin.

Dear Valentina, I mean Colonel - you have to realise I need to be very careful in what I ask, this will take time. Plus the whole of Korea is now bustling with troops preparing for the invasion beaches….

Where and when Flashman? Our troops have shown the way with great success taking Shikuka and Toyohara at next to no loss - it would appear your bourgeois troops are cowardly. Here is a current map of our glorious and speedy conquests… do share it with your HQ and keep asking….

[RogerJNeilson]

5 May 1945

Flashman looked forward to his meeting with the viperish Valentina - at last some decent intel for her to keep her happy. He also carried a bottle of scotch to perhaps loosen her tightly buttoned persona….

It would appear the allied bombers found their targets....

[RogerJNeilson]

10 May 1945 Mutankiang

So Flashman, this Whisky, it is different to our Vodka, it is good, we shall have another drink to celebrate the end of the Hitlerian regime and peace in Europe, yes?

Indeed Valentina, there is now only the small matter of Japan to take care of, then the world will be at peace……. Valentina your expression does not suggest you agree with me….

Flashman, you are like a little boy, you surprise me constantly with your silly simple view of the world…. This is but a prelude to the next war, the only question is which is going to be the winning side, and how to be sure we are on it.

Flashman nodded, he hoped sagely, but his brain was trying to work out what it was the somewhat merry Colonel was telling him.

Ok Flashman, you are here in Mutkankiang, you are at my personal HQ which was the house of a bourgeois factory owner, what do you have to tell me? What have the allies done while we are winning the war for you?

Ah Valentina, you first, how goes Comrade Stalin’s war?

Well Flashman, well. You will see that Mutankiang is the rail centre linking the Soviet Union with here and acts as a hub for all rail travel. We captured this a few days ago and now we have our Two Red Banner Armies here with 60,000 troops, 3,000 tanks and almost 4000 guns ready to move on the remaining Japanese strongholds. There are 37 units identified in a defensive enclave at Kirin and our advance troops have arrived there, whilst others are flanking the city to cut off any retreat. Likewise there are 27 units at Fushun, most of them retreated from Mukden and they will shortly be dealt with. There is also a column of 15 units retreating from Chihfeng, quite where they hope to get to is anyone’s guess, or what damage they might do… they must be hungry and out of supplies. There are also 7 units heading away from Linhsi, in the direction of Yugodzyr on our border, quite what they intend we cannot even imagine. Once these are crushed the war is all but over on the mainland and Sakhalin is being nicely pacified. Would that your forces could act as rapidly…….


Very impressive indeed Valentina, once your lads got moving they didn’t mess about did they? I look forward to hearing the final tales of derring do as the remaining pockets are crushed….. As for us, I have to admit there is not much happening. I gather that the Kurile Islands are more or less ours Etorofu is being taken in the next day or two and Kunashiri is reported to have less than 1200 men on it. We recently grabbed Shikotan which he had not garrisoned, so that is almost within spitting distance of Hokkaido…. just a case of building up the airfields on these and then we can remove the Japanese airforces completely before landings take place. There are apparently 7 different landing sites being considered for the invasion but the American Bombers seem to need massive maintenance times between fights, and loads of our troops are en route from the DEI to participate in the invasion.

So we still have soem time Flashman, before this finishes? Unless of course you use your secret weapon?

Secret weapon Valentina, what is that?

Flashman, that is what you must find out for us….

[RogerJNeilson]

Flashman sends this as he is too busy to attend a personal meeting with the deadly Colonel........