Letters from a Prime Minister

[1275psi]

From
TF commander, Enterprise
to
Repulse battle group

Commence defensive patrol Port Headland area


Good luck.

And so two brothers part, one heading east towards the desert, the other North, away
from the gunfire and action.

Both sail into danger.

[1275psi]

last post for tonight

I opened this turn to be met by John yelling Banzia all over the place.
A moment, he says, he has been long waiting for.
Ï am going to try something I have not done for 5 years". unquote

My reply........bring it on, bring it on.

Soon, I hope, we will see, we will see.

[Lecivius]

Hulk meets Dr. Who.

[blueatoll]

My prediction - he's coming for Sydney...

[Canoerebel]

May the Brotherhood Who have Endured Banzai! always prevail.

[1275psi]

15/6

Carnovan.

A single road that squeezes up along the coast between the beach and a lake, swings
inland, crosses the Gascoyne river, and continues north
A rudimentary airfield within 100 metres of the river, 500, at most, from the river mouth.

A small island protects the river mouth.

And to the north, to the south, miles, and miles of beautiful beaches, that barely climb
to the desert beyond, and the coast road.

You would need a million men to defend these beaches.
Carnovan, all 15 buildings, 3 pubs, a post office, is a deadly trap, surrounded by lake, river and sea.

The Japanese are already streaming south down the road when the allies arrive.
3 base force units, streaming south, with no where to hide.

At 12 midday, precisely, the 4 royals, heavy cruiser Dorchester, take target practice.
There is no harbour. Just the ocean, calm here, the river, the beaches.
There are no landing craft. Instead the Aussies have to do exactly what the
first Anzacs do, lower the boats, form strings of men laden vessels, and make their way ashore.

The River helps, disembarkation on its banks is easy.

But it is going to be slow, a horribly slow process.........


Jason takes his turn for the boats at 3pm.. He leads his men down the scrambling nets,
noting with distaste the difficulties the cranes are having with even a single tank, and the
pitiful lack of barges to receive them.
But then a Sailor is directing him to his bench, and the boat grows crowded with good humour
and gear.
He wonders was Gallipoli like this?, and thinks maybe it was.
Battleships thumping away, the rattle of a machine gun ashore, some rifle fire.
They cast of, a sixteen year old sailor at the helm, all freckles and studious seriousness.
The waters are brilliantly blue, inviting.

The beach, up, out, he does not even get wet feet.
The beach master and his team are well at it.
"Straight ahead if you please sir....your HQ is already at the Post office"
Jason pauses a moment before turning towards the shattered town, takes it in. The huge number
of ships, the battleships, grey, imposing, the snarling circling fighters overhead.
And the men, the men everywhere, 1000's of Akubras on heads in defiance of the orders
to wear tin.
Not so much unlike Gallipoli at all. Except we lost that invasion.
This one, 3 hours old, is already won.

[1275psi]

Frank stands in front of the radio mike.
Unseen, a nation waits.

Darwin fell today. Was always going to fall.
But he will not be telling them that.

The first Corp is ashore........his son is ashore.
Blamey is making a fight of it.

The government, the opposition are now united, the nation is now united. The long
road back has begun.
He will be telling the nation that..............

[1275psi]

Napier steams North, well to Port of the main battle line.
Calm seas, clear skies. The weather front has past on by, and the heat has returned.

Captain Smith emerges from below. "Your turn John"
"Sir?"
"Get below and get some sleep"
"Sir?"
"Don't worry, if we bump into some Kongo's I am sure to wake you.......seriously,
get below, get some rest, this little affair probably has only just begun"

The Captain, John has to acknowledge, is probably right.
Sleep, soon, could become very, very precious.

[1275psi]

June 16th
The first sacrifices begin
CLAA Van Heenshack is patrolling 120 miles north west of Perth.
We won't gloss over it. She is there for but one reason. If anything comes charging North:
she's the trip wire.
And charging North they come.
Betties, Nells, flocks of zeros.......
Four attacks are made, four evedaed.
The fifth, regretfully scores. 43 Vals attack, they bomb poorly, but well enough.

But the brutal fact is this. Losing a elderly dutch cruiser, while the invasion remains
undisturbed, while the ships boats continue to ant trail ashore so vulnerable, is a cost
that is bearable..

The invasion, it appears, continues with out a hitch, albeit at a snails pace

[Ian R]

Akubras on heads

Local knowledge.

Pretty hot over that way. Probably more casualties would result from sunstroke than enemy ordnance.

[1275psi]

16th June

Bridge, CV Enterprise.

Lt Jackson moves into the bridge, waiting to hand the latest message to Fletcher.
The atmosphere on the bridge is palpable, thick with tension, tension and nerves.
"Why is it taking so bloody long?, why so bloody long!" growls Fletcher.
He snatches the latest signal, troops unloaded at 30%, equipment a bare ten.
"Änything from the Gridely Jackson?" he snaps......."Anything from any bloody one?"

The Gridley lies 200 miles south of Java, of Soeabraya, if the Jap carriers come
that way, she must trip them.
Must

"Nothing sir........no word on the carriers at all.."


Jackson waits for his Admiral. Fletcher wants to leave.
Wants to leave now, take his carriers and clear the area.
But the R's are still retiring, and both divisions remain mostly aboard, let alone the supplies
And some of the transports, some of the bloody LINERS, are almost as valuable as any ship.

He can't leave.
He Can't.
"Sir, we have a screen, the Japs don't have a field in fighter range it seems, the risk remains
small"
Fletcher almost has a fit

"SMALL!, you call this small?.......I am flogging our bomber boys, burning sorties,
I am tied to this place.......you tell me Jackson, what would you do if the Japs are sighted today?
What would you do?"

Jackson cannot answer. But it seems obvious to him. The mission is to get the troops ashore
Until then, they have to stay.
Have to.

[1275psi]

Jap carriers do reveal themselves this day

South Pac begin to land a regiment at EFATE, battleships Warspite and Idaho escorting.

Its not a huge invasion, the147th independent, a kiwi regiment, some engineers, a base force
Unloading proceeds almost as slowly as at Carnovan.

If this mission was to poke a reaction, to bring out the Jap command (to divert from Port Moresby)
it succeeds too well.

Late in the afternoon, a nightmare sight.
22 zeros, 15 kates, 50 Vals come into view.

The invasion is suspended, the battlewagons cease their bombardments.

Not good............but it might sway Fletcher to remain where he is.

[1275psi]

Air HQ India

"Graham........what sort of shape are we in?"
"Pretty good sir........about 75% availability at the moment"
"Good......look, the show in Australia has begun, and Winston wants us to do
our bit.....if it flies, get it over the front, anything we can
drag or keep in this theatre will help"
"Done"

And so what will be remembered as "the bloody week" begins.

[1275psi]

Warspite is old now, and has steamed a long way in these last 6 months.
Yet her Captain can note with satisfaction as the attack develops that she can still
reach 22 knots.
She reaches open waters, guns pointing to the sky.
Within minutes, they are belching fire and defiance.
Nearly a dozen Vals dive upon her, standard Jap doctrine, one after the other, after the other.
3 are shot down, 4 miss, 5 hit.
Warspite is old. She was built before her designers could even conceive the concept of
air attack. But steel is steel, armour remains armour.
2 bombs strike her main guns, guns designed to withstand 12 inch shells....
No damage

One plunges down, strikes above the aft 5 inch casement on the port side.
250 kilos is not going to do it........

The last two plunge into the aft superstructure, one explodes in the empty hanger, again
too light to penetrate.
The fifth does not explode at all.

Within 15 minutes the fires are out, and Warspite, for all intents, remains a totally
viable warship

But 2 miles away, Idaho is in trouble, 2 fish, 6 bombs have crippled her.
Cruiser Chester has a single hit
Only 2 APs have been hit.

Wherever the Jap carriers are, they are not close. But they are going to get closer.
Some transports, 3 in number, will remain.
Idaho will attempt to make Noumea, where the French can finally contribute something.....
Other Transports will flee south


Warspite.........Warspite does the only thing a 100 years of British Navy tradition can
do.
She turns towards the estimated position of the Jap carriers, and steams North...........

[1275psi]

Jason strolls a couple of hundred metres down the road heading south.
The carnage is simply unbelievable.

For the retreating Japanese troops, the effect of 15 inch shellfire, sustained shellfire at that
on this open road, this open plain........horrible.

Jason studies the road, so different in the flesh compared to the map.
Wide, dirt, those corrugations are going to be a bitch.
His mind is already thinking ahead at the advance that must come.......no right flank to worry
about at least, and few features to defend..

An armour commanders dream.

He turns, and looks at the harbour, so crowded, so busy, so god dam in efficient.
Before he can advance, of course, he needs his vehicles, and the fuel to run them.

[1275psi]

June 17th

Warspite is not the only ship charging north.

CA Chester, Destroyer O Brien also race North

One moment they are enveloped in the blindness of a tropical downpour, the next, clear skies
a quarter moon, dark waters.

And just 2000 yards from an equally surprised Japanese carrier task force.

[LargeSlowTarget]

[british exil]

Mat

[John B.]

Go get 'em!

[1275psi]

June 17th

Jack sleeps in his slit trench.
Any hope that he would be sent down the line as a pilot has evaporated, the line,
yet again, has been cut by a small Japanese unit, nearly 120 miles to the east.

Jack sleeps. Why?. Because all is quiet. No bombardments. No artillery, no sniping.

Above all. No bombers.
None.