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December 8th 1941

Across the vastness of the Pacific and the oceans surrounding, ships, great and small, have opened sealed orders, or received a message to enact a plan. The unthinkable has happened, Imperial Japan, backed into a corner, has lashed out with its claws. A calculated attack has been made, and will be answered. However, first the Allied powers must reel as the blows hit, and must attempt to make some sense of order out of chaos.

In Colombo, Singapore, Batavia, Soerabaja, Canberra, Manilla, Aukland the office lights burn long into the night as orders are cut and initial key moves are calculated. Only in Chungking is life ‘as normal’ - they are used to the war and its atrocities….

Clark Field is a scene of heavy activity as the cratered runway is repaired.

The Hong Kong DDs of Thanet & Scout have managed to beat off attacks from Japanese planes south of the mainland.

Batan Island has been occupied by the enemy, and landings are reported at Attu Island, and at Kota Bahru.

Air raids on troops at Kuantan, other Malayan locations and assorted Chinese positions have resulted in some minor disruption.

Pearl is a hive of activity, significant damage to the airfields must be repaired before first light and a potential second strike from the Japanese carriers lurking to the NW. Meanwhile the harbour is lit by the eerie glow of fires still raging amongst the facilities and the shipping. The Tennessee, Nevada and West Virginia lie low in the water, pumps straining to keep them afloat. Small task forces leave harbour at regular intervals, with the orders to hunt down the aggressors and mete out justice. Watchers scan anxiously for first light and an indication of whether a second day of pandemonium is due.

At sea, and running silent the TFs of Lexington and Enterprise move steadily on their ordered courses. Force Z has not yet been spotted by the enemy…..

The CA Houston reported being seen by Japanese carrier planes off Lagaspi, no further communications have been received.

Unit commanders review in their minds the preparedness of their troops, logistical condition and morale, and in some cases wonder if they will even stand at the first shot from the enemy.

Others think the enemy mad, their inferiority so obvious and predict a short and ‘fun’ war compared to that in Europe.

Will Flashmann appear in the narrative.
 
Last time he did, in a parallel universe, he managed to get on a ship leaving Singapore.
 
Alfred 

There is that possibility, in an infinite range of parallel universes everything is likely.

Roger

Flash For Freedom!


Oh, wait, that's been done already... [;)]

There is known to be a harmonic vortex near Singapore that passes through dimensions...

Flashy uses harmonic vortexes frequently to escape from slightly tricky situations - bloodthirsty heathens, irate husbands, his father-in-law....

Roger

LCDR Pete Wirtz stared moresely at the sea, the endless back and forward sweeps of the approaches to the west of Pearl were a necessary but mind numbing task. The four Clemsons chugged along in the light swell and the moonlight looking for any sign of the reported sub ‘infestation’ around the islands. Earlier there had been an anxious while as they had evaded two torpedoes from an enemy sub, and then had searched in vain for it. He thought back to their departure from Pearl and the streams of small TFs heading out in a hunt for the Jap Carriers.

He recalled passing the shipyards, already busy on the West Virginia, the Tennessee and the Nevada. As for the other battlewagons they remained untouched and at anchor, not their job to hunt the enemy - better the nimble Light Cruisers and Destroyers. The WV had looked a mess and would be out of action for a while, the other two looked less damaged - hopefully months to repair.

Last action he had heard was a report of DD Ward encountering the enemy carrier force, but managing to escape without damage. He was sure had he been the captain he’d have got in and let loose his torpedoes on the sneaky and treacherous yellow men.

VADM Wilson Brown also stared out at a moonlit sea, course due north having earlier recovered the VMF Wildcats from Wake. His task was twofold, get in the way of any enemy activity around Wake, and also try to hit any support shipping that must be out there ready to resupply the Jap Carriers. He also had the task of avoiding them….. Lexington with its 3 CA and 5 DD consorts was an important strike force, but also a valuable prey for the enemy….. Last sighted some 100+ miles west of French Frigate Shoals.

ACOM Henry Cobby had reason to be pleased as he sat at the end of a long day in Singapore HQ. His fighters - a mix of Australian and New Zealand and British Buffalos had encountered several waves of ‘Betty’ Jap bombers, unescorted apart from the first attack. The “Betties’ were potentially nasty and he was pleased that they seemed so fragile when hit by any flak or machine guns. He was fairly sure that up to 25 of them would not have made it home, and more importantly the Japs would think twice before coming near fortress Singapore again…..

Across the HQs many commanders were puzzled…. Apart from small landings in the north of Malaya and a couple of island grabs there was no sign of a massive Japanese attack… what were they up to?

In Washington the President has already authorised the laying of the keel to replace one of the 3 capital ships lost to the dastardly Japanese cowardly attack.

Singapore HQ

ACOM Hobby was pleased that to date no significant damage had occurred through the continued air raids, though less happy about the state of his defences. Admittedly some fighters had been despatched to other places for much needed cover for Task Forces but of those left defending both ere down to 50% operational planes and the strain on the pilots and airframes was showing. He was also seriously worried about the lack of any sense of urgency from the ‘brown jobs’ regarding any attempt at defending Singapore from the landward, especially following the first engagements with the Japanese up at Kota Bahru and the ‘melting away’ of the native troops up there. Reports were reaching HQ of advance Japanese feelers out towards George Town which could emperil the forces at Alor Star. On the optimistic side there had been no further Japanese encursions so defences at Kuantan and Mersing were improving by the hour.

Manila

Cpt M Coffey watched as more cargo was loaded on the Tantalus. The docks continued to be frantic as materiel was taken on board the ships at anchor. He wanted to be away, and to navigate out onto the open seas… though he had heard disturbing rumours that the shipping that he had seen depart in the last two days had all not been heard of since…… Makassar was a long haul though dangerous straits.


Colombo

CPT Caruthers watched as the three Tasman Class troopships cleared the harbour and headed off back to Cape Town, he was pleased to have dropped off the 44th Indian Bde with no fuss. Up to them now to defend Colombo and the surrounding areas… now this TF was off to see what the next trip brought - he guessed more troops for the defence of India.


Chungking

BGen Yi’s report from 33rd Group Army was encouraging - local rumours had it that the Japanese enemy had left Ichang heading SE. The Chinese forces were converging on Ichang and would be able to liberate it before the week was out. The Generalissimo had learned not to rely on reports from the front, but on the other hand it would be sweet to record a victory at the same time as the Yankees and the other Imperialists were being shown the Japanese were a powerful force and not to be underestimated. Perhaps this would increase the flow of money and aid to him to encourage further glorious victories…..

Palembang

2nd Lt Steggemann lifted his DO-24K off the waters and banked southwards to his next landing at Batavia, these planes were never designed for troop movements, but he guessed every man with a rifle was needed in what was essentially an open target at present for the Japanese. If what they wanted was oil, then Palembang must be top of their targets, and right now they could more or less take it - not by sea though as there was a rag tag assortment of destroyers and light cruisers waiting to defend the approaches. From the air however, now that was a different matter……

Pearl

On Admiral Kimmel’s desk lay the latest reports…. 3 Battleships under repair, filling up the shipyards - it would be good to get some moved back to the better yards on the West Coast, but not a good idea when there seemed to be lots of submarines hunting the areas - and the ASW forces seemed unable to hit any of them….

Assumed losses of CL Honolulu, TK Basilea, TK Britannia, xAP Rochambeau, xAP Elcano, xAKL Chengtu, xAKL Marudu, xAK Wulin, xAKL Yat Shing, xAKL Kuala, xAKL Larut, xAKL Paz, xAKL Cebu, xAKL Palawan, xAKL Regulus, whilst being at the least regrettable, were a small price given the ferocity of the attacks.

Puzzling was where the Japs were headed…. Intel suggested forces at sea en route to Roxas, Cagayan, Singora - so the Philippines and Malaya… but nowhere else?