Letters from a Prime Minister

[1275psi]

July 27th

From
Prime Minister Ford
to
General Blamey..

I am greatly encouraged by your progress in the West.
I greatly regret that the Allied Navy can not enforce a blockade of Perth at this time, a subject
that greatly vexes myself and the cabinet.
You must understand that our losses to damage (they will be back) of our carriers
is grievous, the Japanese, negligible.
Therefore, I again urge you to continue the "shepherding "of the Japanese Army towards
evacuation.

It will be delicate balancing act.
The Americans need the Japanese fleet fixated on the West coast, and now, with Dobo, Saumalau,
opening, there as well.
The Marines are coming.............

[1275psi]

July 28th

From
CICPAC
to
POTUS

Appreciation of war

As the war enters the mid point of this year, it still remains very much in the balance.
The new Japanese command has revealed himself.
Coldly pragmatic, he has basically addressed the critical areas of Japans war effort.
To be blunt, he would do very well in our command!

I will address the bad, before the good.

Firstly, Naval losses. If the true extent of them was revealed to the public, ( and to the Japanese)
the ability to sustain this war would be very, very difficult. They have simply been horrific.
Nevertheless, we must continue to fight with what we have, even if it is to sustain the
bluff of adequate forces available.
I understand the great building program advances.
It cannot come quick enough.

The air war.
New planes are needed. The zero remains dominate. Although the P40E is almost its equal,
new, long range fighters are needed.
I cannot understand why the P38 has not been sent to the Pacific yet!
Overall, what planes we have are adequate in performance, but not numbers.

Land war.
Our troops are superior. Our tanks, artillery, in all aspects, we are superior.
We lack only sea lift to bring the forces we have to battle

The Commands

NORPAC
The situation remains desperate.
We cannot supply Kodiak, reinforce it, relieve it.
Japan controls the seas.
The only bright spark is the imminent deployment of the new Liberator bombers.
Much is expected of them.

Pacific.

Dead quiet.
Convoys remain unmolested. No detectable Japanese activity.

South Pacific
Suva and now Noumea are considered secure.
Plans advance for another attempt at an offensive. Our Kiwi allies however refuse to commit,
a fair choice considering the losses they have suffered already.

India.
Quiet.
There is a little fighting along the front.
Japan's new leadership is apparently pulling back, conserving his units.

Australia.

The vast distances involved, the tenuous supply lines. All make for extraordinary difficulties.
Nevertheless, the Australians advance
Our divisions, especially the americal, have marched, and marched, and marched.
I remain hopeful that they will be in for the kill.

The British contribution, especially through Winston's "specials" of tanks, cannot be
dismissed.
Kalgoorlie remains the key. Gain it, and the supply lines will pour open.
lack of Naval strength may yet, however, allow Jap forces to escape the country.



Finally.
Carriers
Enterprise and Yorktown have dodged 2 SS attack now, enroute to pearl. Hornet rests safely alongside pearl.
Saratoga has cleared the Cape, enroute to England.
Lexington and Wasp have been withdrawn back towards Sydney, I cannot risk them
now against the Japanese carriers off Perth.

The war continues.
It has not been lost, but is a long way from being won.
But we will fight on

[Ian R]

May I be so bold as to suggest, that if you are tying up the KB in late 1942 with allied land based airpower (and in particular Beauforts putting the occasional MkXVIII in) - the war is won; it is all now just a matter of the proper application of brute force.

rgds.

[blueatoll]

[1275psi]

July 29th

New Commander
New priorities

New menace

Less than two months ago, a Chinese army advancing south, threatening, briefly occupying Nanning.
Japanese forces scattered, out of position, endangered.

Re deployed, (as Graham so rightly predicted they would be) from other quiet fronts, the Japanese
bombers have darkened the skies.
The bombing has been relentless.

De moralised, leaving almost countless dead, they retire north.
They are not the only chinese armies to be pounded.

The great dam wall, creaks, groans, against the Japanese flood........

[1275psi]

Margaret sleeps.
She will not dream, nor stir.

For a precious hour, such a precious hour, before the next plane load arrives.
Casualties.

Endless, it seems, casualties.
Australian troops fighting at Dobo, at wau, the track.
There are two dozen Dakato's at Port Moresby.
Airborne ambulances..
2 dozen. Barely enough.

[1275psi]

30th July

The Battle for Kodiak continues.
Catalina's strike enemy shipping in the soft dawn light at Chiricoff island.
Are the Japs gathering for greater effort?
NORPAC screams for reinforcements.

There are non, yet, to be had.
Over Esperance, the fighters tangle, the bombers strike.
We lose a AM, he loses 11 bombers. Blamey continues a cautious march West.

Small allied detachments consolidate Wau, march north along the Eastern PNG coast.
There are considerable enemy forces at Lae, our ultimate target.

[1275psi]

Tony and Frank run into each other outside the chambers.
Frank, immediately thinks Tony, looks tired.
Very tired.

Prime ministerships burn men out, take their souls, and relentlessly squeeze them.
A war, his family, his bloody wife..........
Yet, surprisingly, the Prime minister smiles
"Things ok Prime Mïnister?"

"You know Tony, we might have turned the corner, we might actually have a chance"
"Crises past?"
"I think so"

Until the next one.

[1275psi]

July 31st

They were, until very recently, the absolute pride of the Japanese fleet.
All things age, all man made objects are soon replaced by something better. But if
you are at the receiving end, can you really tell the difference between a 18 or 15 inch shell?
The defenders of Carnovan cannot.
Those that live, that is.

Mutsu and Nagato march imperiously up and down the beaches so recently won by the Australian
first corp
Their bombardment is just as effective as what supported the Aussies.
Maybe even better.

They bombard for 2 hours..........and then, as if finally recognising the paucity of the
return fire, cease, and drop anchor.
The guns remain pointed, silent, steaming, however towards the shore.

They cover another bay full of ships.
Japanese this time.

Counter invasion.

[1275psi]

Kodiak.

Reinforcements.
Cynically, I suppose, meat for the grinder.....

Allied reinforcements this night, delivered by APD.

Evacuations.
What, cynically, I suppose, means casualties.

Japanese evacuations this night, succoured by APD.

The scales are slowly tipping, tipping our way.

[1275psi]

Counter invasion.

Gods.........counter invasions........

On the Japanese held Northern PNG Coast, another landing.
Saumlaki.
Gods........a full 2 divisions strong..

[1275psi]

August 1

Operation Mandrake begins
Un opposed allied troops, barely a company strong, land at Dobo.
A distraction really, the main objective, Merauke, has a full regiment
of the 24th division.

Its going to fall.

reports flow in of the Japanese landings.
Both are, from all accounts, shambolic affairs, obviously hastily arranged and launched.
The Japs may have just taken 2 divisions off their effectives register.........

[1275psi]

2 August



North Of Geraldton
There are a lot of people in the world. We are spread from pole to pole, we crowd
into sprawling metropolis, spread our footprints along every coast.
And man, and his machines are noisy things

But the world is a big place. There is still no shortage of places where utter silence
rules. Where only the rustle of the wind on the grass, in the trees will be heard.
This is a good silence. For many, a comforting silence.
But not tonight.

How many men about Geraldton?
The Japs have, we think, nearly 5 divisions now. The Aussies two.
And all one can here, is the rustle of the wind.

It is night, deep into it, dark, cold, sinister.
Jason and John share (as they share everything these days) the same slit trench, the same
cold, the same paucity of rations.
The same troubling thoughts.

"Too bloody quiet" whispers one
"Bloody right"

a Long quiet, as thoughts mull over the too obvious.
"Carnovan is gone"
"I heard"
A slight shuffle in the dark, the tightening of cloaks against the cold'
"Any word on Kalgoorlie?"
"Nada"
"We could be in the out house mate"
" Could be"

The silence continues. a 100000 men, hunkered down.
As quiet as the grave

[1275psi]

Operation Mandrake

The troops call it: Operation bring your own paddle
Not a bad description.
Too few ships, too few men, flung forward to grab what can be grabbed, while
the going is good.

Dobo is occupied
Salamaua is reinforced.
Merauke invested.
Company strengths, companies that (quite rightly) wonder if this operation is
serious, or not.

The operation, however, has the immediate effect wanted.


Enemy Cruisers, course south east, south of Ambon.
The Japs are reacting, reacting hard.

[1275psi]

A Japanese regiment is destroyed near Ledo.

Hurting painfully, both sides recoil.
We have no strength left to follow up this little victory.

Japan has, to cover the defeat, but I suspect, its needed elsewhere.........

[1275psi]

3rd August

Arafura sea

4inch, 6 inch, 8 inch.
Gun calibres

Some of us here, have handled shells of these size
Few, I think, have ever been at the business end of them.

Deep in the night, CA Mikuma, CL Yura, 4 sleek DDs.
They, tonight, in ten shocking, numbing, horrific minutes, get first hand knowledge
of what being hit by shells of this calibre means..........

CA Indianapolis, Louisville deliver the lesson.


Mikuma staggers away, blazing.
A DD sinks

Only a last minute fish ruins the show, tearing a great hole into Indianapolis.
But the invasion of Mearauke remains undisturbed.

[1275psi]

August 5th

A train rattles along, wending its way north from Sydney, destination Brisbane.
Train on the East coast are rare at the moment. Nearly every piece of
rolling stock available in Australia is in Adelaide, loaded with supplies, waiting.

Kalgoorlie is almost surrounded, the army doing the surrounding desperately needed supplies.
When the rail head opens, a river of steel will spring into action........

So this train is rare, a hotch potch of flat beds, suburban carriages, rotting cattle trucks.
And it is, of course packed to the max.
Two men travel on it. One, up the front, crammed with all his Brothers of the 75th Squadron
in a red rattler. Jack, thin, but fit enough, sleeps.
He is dry, at least.
At the rear of the train, un aware of his brother, Jeffery shivers under the tarp protecting
his gun.
64th coast AA unit.
75th RAAF

Rattling North, destination ..........well, the war.
They don't know where, yet.
But it will be somewhere hot, no doubt. But at least now its destination North.
And from now on, always North

[1275psi]

Aug6th

From
Former Naval Officer
to
POTUS

Greetings.
before turning to the more urgent issues of the Russian Bear and The latest Nazi victories (
do our troubles never end), another problem arises.
It appears that the Japanese offensive in Central China is succeeding, the offensive
against Sian, yet to be seen successful or not.
Nevertheless, the sheer weight of Japanese air power employed needs consideration.
Do we, yet again , deploy squadrons to assist?
Our Indian squadrons are still painfully rebuilding, and Tenth airforce is but
a shadow of its former strength.

When the Australian campaign concludes, does the United states intend to restore
the Tenth to its former strength?
We intend, as soon as practical, to return all British forces to India.
I am loathe to waste air squadrons on the chinese, we send them, they waste away.........

I am pleased to say repairs to Saratoga can be achieved, and in good time.
Now, for the Russian situation...........

[1275psi]

Aug 6th
From General Blamey
to
Prime Minister Ford.

The Prime Minister carefully opens the signal.
Much, so much depends upon it........


.the Japanese are in full retreat from the gathering net about Kalgoorlie.
As fast as my armour has swung around North and south, I am afraid his retreat, on
better roads, and rail, has been faster.
In a way, I am relieved. The bluff continues.
Our three Australian divisions,1st 2nd, 3rd, are almost at the end of their tether.
The Britsh units are now the main backbone of my forces.
The American units, little engaged at this point, will be needed for the final battles,
if, and I hope they do not happen, happen.
The B17s are beginning to prove decisive, they..........

He lowers the signal........heart racing, mind racing
Possibilities, possibilities.........


he reaches for the phone.
"The speaker of the house please"

"Jim here, how can I help you Prime Minister?"
"How do you feel about an election call?"
,

[1275psi]

Over Port Moresby, a Japanese air raid.
Margaret is barely disturbed in her work, as is most of the garrison.
The defending fighters turn it away long before it comes into range.

She, and the garrison cannot know this of course. But it is the last Port Moresby
is to suffer.
Port Moresby air no longer will defend
From now on, it attacks