herbiesan vs Cantona!!!

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Operations diary
47th sentai -canton

5/1/42
Weather: morning clear, afternoon clear
47 sentai now under the command of China command
reported combat mission totals

LT Hyakute 9 3 kills
Juni V 10
Juni B 11 2 kills
Inoute 9
Iwaya 8
izumuda 8 2 kills
takenaka 11
Kuroe 11
inoue 7

LTCOL kanabayashi 13

Sentai stood down today - allowing essential repairs
8 a/c servicable -one under repair

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Juni b has a day of adventure
It takes 3 of these trucks to get his brocken bird home today

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japanese battleships strike balikapapan, tarakan today, the mobile fleet striking targets there as well.
Cl Boise sunk in harbour

Fighting continues at clarke, batavia -and over 100 transports sail south past balaikapapan headed south........

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from the diary of Col Kanbayashi

The flying tigers are operating in the north east of china today.
if we can get Juni b's bird -or even if we cannot- ready tonight -I intend to move this Sentai to Kafieng. I have been freed to go -we must see how the Ki 44 performs against good fighters -it is no small matter to recommend this plane for full production based on false premises.........

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major takenaka pounde out the miles
it felt good to run, good to clear the mind.
it was also good for his flying - tired men -he believed -died far easier than fresh men.

This war was crazy.
were they really moving again tomorrow?.
was that wise?
takenaka ran down the strip, past the sentais fighters -all neatly lined up on the edge of the field -mechanics hard at work again on them.
Already he could see the effects of the war, of the hard service on them -the missing paint -the exhaust stains -and even on 2 of them -the patches.
it was worrying -2 of these planes were already overdue for 1000 hrly checks.

takenaka pounded on -there was nothing else he could do -other than trust the mechanics, and trust in God.

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Flight line

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47th sentai departed just after dawn
By dint of a stupendous effort overnight, all 9 planes were available -a fact that the Colonel was very grateful for.
The flight to Kafieng was long, tiring and difficult -bad weather -uncertain maps, and the threat of running into the enemy made the entire flight an adventure

Kafieng field was totally unlike Canton, small, rough, and poorly supported.
As keen as the Sentai were to go into battle the next day -it was simply impossible - 50th sentai -flying the older KI-27's simply had the piority.

News was interesting though -P-40bs - the AVG, operating out of Honan.

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Operations diary
47th sentai -canton

6/1/42
Weather: morning clear, afternoon clear
47 sentai now under the command of China command -transit to Homan
reported combat mission totals

LT Hyakute 9 3 kills
Juni V 10
Juni B 11 2 kills
Inoute 9
Iwaya 8
izumuda 8 2 kills
takenaka 11
Kuroe 13?
inoue 7

LTCOL kanabayashi 13

Sentai stood down today after transit flight -pilots exhausted.

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from the diary of Col Kanbayashi .......


The war news from central China is very interesting - large armies are on the march on both sides -and Homan seems to be the key - although I gather the chinese armuies are -surprisingly - attacking!

AVG is about -I need us to engage the enemy again - fighting spirit demands it!
yet i must balance this to fatigue -a tricky option!. I have had to speak to Iwaya again over flight discipline...

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The Chewing out for Captain Iwaya was the rudest shock he had recieved in many years

The Colonel fairly bristled -climbing onto the wing of his fighter even before Iwaya had time to undo his straps.
" Did you see me?!" barked the CO
The shock, the venom in the voice stunned him -what in the world?
"Did you see me?" -again the question -harsh -and angry
'Sir?" -see him? when, where?

The Colonel leaned close, and the message was clear..
" The next time you cut in on final circuit like that -I will ground you forever -we missed each other by 2 feet you idiot!'

And then he was gone

Cut in? missed by two feet?
Impossible - how can you miss seeing another plane by 2 feet?
Impossible.

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Why the flight was so difficult.........

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7/1/42
for a day "of rest", it still turns out to be a busy day.
There are maintenance issues, there are domestic arrangements, there are the inevitable briefs.
But above all this, the unit really has something common to all fighter units all over the world - its a group of men who live for flying.
As the day wears on, the inevitable happens , first one, then another, then the twins -all seem to end up drifting to their planes -and flying.
Its "instrument check", or -"orientation", or - "I need to check this", or that.

Its un authorised, its poor tactics, its materially stupid -but its how it is -a group of pilots -hunters -fighter pilots - they will deny it -but all of them will be keenly looking for something -anything -to tackle once in the air.

But the skies remain empty, and the day ends with out incident -despite further reports of active enemy action in the area.

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from the diary of Col Kanbayashi .......

........and despite our in ability to come to grips with the enemy, moral remains very high today in the unit.
Enemy fighters reported over Pucheng today! -that puts them in range.
its almost intolerable to think that I have not got a kill yet -...............

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Operations diary
47th sentai -canton

7/1/42
Weather: morning clear, afternoon clear
47 sentai now under the command of China command .

LT Hyakute 9 3 kills
Juni V 10
Juni B 11 2 kills
Inoute 9
Iwaya 8
izumuda 8 2 kills
takenaka 11
Kuroe 13
inoue 7

LTCOL kanabayashi 13

Unit stood down for maintenence
9 a/c available for combat

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KI-27s under maintenance -note the weather here!

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8/1/42
The trouble with flying is that you have to actually -well - you know -fly.
And that means getting up there - and up there is full of stuff -called clouds.

Some are light, whispy things, some are dark damp grey things, and others are great horrible mountains -absolutely full of malevoence and evil -quite capable of swallowing a small fighter -digesting it -and spewing the remains over a wide area.

today has been one of those days -a sky full of terrible storms -cold, bitter, strong winds -sleet, snow -and ice

So flying today is simply out.
Just about everything is simply out -except finding shelter -and trying to stay warm.

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9/1/42
Again 47th sentai is grounded by terrible weather -although in the afternoon several of the pilots manage to get patrols in -no contacts though
The main enemy -the AVG -has again been active -over Changsa today.

Ground support is sparse -and the support crews are totally unfamiliar with the KI 44 - it is very obvious to all that operating from this field is going to be a short assignment.
Plans are made for an aggressive sweep towards Honam tomorrow -if the cursed weather would only clear.

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from the diary of Col Kanbayashi .......

i really have a very poor view of how the war here in China is going - I do get an impression that it is not going well - quite a stand off at Homan I hear.
Eleswhere the war seems to proceed well - another big invasion is being reported on Sumutra -and our carriers have blasted Soerabaya - all good.

This cold, and lack of parts, and mechanics is not satisfactory -almost lost a pilot today........

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It was almost 3 in the sfternoon when Juni V judged the weather clear enough -if a tempory easing of the rain -could be called clearing.
All around the skies had that low, grey , malevolent look - bottoms almost on the deck -tops at at least 5000 feet.

But his twin had 2 kills -and he had none -and the enemy were about.
He would fly.

the skin of his plane was icy cold, that type of cold that warns of brittleness -of -touch me, and I will keep some of your flesh.
the cockpit was of course no better.

Preflights -dragged on -the ground crew seemed lost around this plane - used to the smaller KI 27 -the whole process of chocking, starting cart, -even where to stand to guide him out of the reverent -all took longer.
Start up - and this too took forever -the mighty motor sluggish to develop any revs -the oil temp taking forever to reach minimum.

But above all, Juni was aware of his controls -these he continously moved -waggling his rudder, his controls.
Ice, ice would be fatal.

Fianlly -the run down the strip - Izumida and Inoue with him -a nice vee..But something was wrong -the other two fighters streaking ahead -his lagging , lagging -and the boundry racing towards him.
But just moments before he cut the throttle -and pulled the cart up -anything to stop piling into the boundry ditch -the engine suddenly found its power -and he lived, clearing by centimetres the end of the field.

On return , Juni V's plane is carrying baggage -6 feet of stripped off tree branches -firmly caught in the stbd wheel .

Again, operations almost had proven more deadly than the enemy.

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In addition to the KI-27's here -a small 12 plane Sonia group also is trying to operate -it too is battling the terrible weather, and lack of support facilities.