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Vetamur -> RE: Dec. 8th 1941 (4/23/2007 8:05:38 PM)
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Dec. 9th.
Somewhere over the Eastern South Pacific.
SUNSET OVER KUCHING
[image]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f318/vetamur/kuchingsky.jpg[/image]
Rain streaked down Osamu’s cockpit and strong winds buffeted his light weight Zero-sen fighter. As altimeter spun up and down reacting to gusts lifting and forcing him down in succession the young Petty Officer 2nd class fought to maintain his concentration. The flight had lasted 9 hours already and was going to take at least another hour. The weather had been forecast as clear and he had taken off in crisp December weather in Tainan, for a change there had been no mist or fog. Now however was a different story. He battled hunger. He had packed 3 onigiri (boiled rice, wrapped in seaweed, stuffed with a sour plum or fish) but didn’t even entertain the thought of eating them now. In this weather even with his experience the rice would just end up decorating his wind screen if he didn’t get his bag out in time.
From habit he continued to look about him and he wasn’t sure if he was right, but he seemed to be seeing fewer lights from his squadron members. He forced the thought from his mind. It’s just the weather. He shouldn’t expect to see his whole flight. Better he just just concentrate on getting himself there in one piece he thought as another downdraft pushed him to just 1,000 feet over the dark sea below. He adjust the pitch on his propeller, and grabbed altitude and then suddenly, he was clear.
Behind to his read the sun was low in the sky casting long shadows over the Borneo coast. Forty minutes later he swung himself around, approaching Kuching Airbase, one of the newest airbases in the Imperial Japanese collection, from the east, looking into the setting sun. It made for a beautiful sight, but one more hardship after a long, hard flight.
Osamu’s plane was the first down and from the edge of the tarmac he counted as his Daitai landed there fighters. He was glad to be on the ground, gladder to be where the action was. Few of the precious Zeros had been allocated this theater in the first 3 days of the war, leading to a few unexpected successes for the British and Dutch. Well, Osamu thought, that would end soon enough. Not tomorrow, he needed at least a day’s rest. But soon the British would be swept from the skies like the Americans.
The thought stopped short. His count had ended at 24. Twenty four? There had been 27 at take off. As other early arrivals gathered around they hunted out binoculars and searched the darkening sky for the missing pilots. Maeda, Hiji and Tominaga had been flying in the second to last formation. No one had seen them peel off but maybe they had diverted somewhere. They would show up. They had too.
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Sky Dragon Teahouse, Takao, Taiwan.
Three bottles of sake slurred nearly any man’s speech considerably. Three bottles of sake and a bottle of whiskey made Hiroyuki’s speech not only slurred, but more lecherous than usual.
“Come ON Lin…” he pleaded with the teenage waitress, “I..you.. I.. tomorrow.. “ His hand mimicked his airplane on take off. He even managed a slurred “Gear up Ueda!”.
“Sorry, I don’t go anywhere. I just work.” Ling looked around for help from the tea house Mama but she was no where in site. This pilot was handsome but… “And my name is LING. Not Lin.”
“Ling. Right. I know. So let’s go Lin.”
Ling sighed. “Well.. its really your last night?”
“Yeah. Yeah. I go..” He repeated the take off motion with his hand.
“And you will make it right with Ms. Chien?”
“Yesss…” He hung on the “s”, and moved his head about like a snake. “Gets your..” He motioned putting on a coat.
Lign bit her lip. Well, if she attached herself willingly to this one, maybe it would save her a lot of grief. She turned to get her coat. Back at the table a minute later she found Hiroyuki passed out on the low table.
Once commited to action though Ling would not be so easily put off. With another waitress she carried Hiroyuki to the front door and got him into a rickshaw. She checked his wallet, took a wad of bills for the other waitress to give Mama Chien and climbed on the rickshaw with Hiroyuki. “To the base”, she said to the rickshaw man.
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Highway 3, Philippines.
CARABAOS
[image]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f318/vetamur/carabaos.jpg[/image]
Hideo’s tank rolled slowly down the “highway”. He thought of the highways his family had driven across America years ago and smiled. Well, that’s why the Philippines were the low land on the totem pole this time. With all these resources, they couldn’t even achieve a decent highway system. Japan would provide them with guidance and everyone would benefit. He noted that the American’s seem to have provided little in the way of roads in their time here. They had their highways, cars, factories, radios back home, meanwhile in their (until very recently) controlled territories their subjects went around by carabao cart! Hideo’s background hadn’t really equipped him to grasp the subtleties of economic development or international finance, but he knew well enough that the West had grown fat off of the rich lands of Asia and they would put a stop to that.
Up ahead there were some dark shapes off the side of the road. He ordered Iida to stop their Type 95 tank and got down from the cupola to take a look. As he drew close he realized the dark shapes were Philippino civilians. They had been shot in the back. Why? By who? The 7th armored regiment had the lead and had rolled through here about 30 minutes earlier. Had they killed this group?
Iida and Nakata, plus his platoon lead Nomiya joined him.
“What is it?” asked Nomiya.
“Some one killed a bunch of locals..”
DEAD CIVILIANS ON THE ROADSIDE
[image]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f318/vetamur/roadsidedead.jpg[/image]
Nomiya grunted what may have been a laugh. “That’s just wrong. Looks like they wasted ammunition.” He pointed to where what had to have been machine gun bullets had kicked up the ground around the group.
“Wasted ammunition, sir?” Hideo turned to look his commander in the face.
“Yeah. It’s a waste. No point in using machine guns on them. Bayonets or swords will do.”
“ With all due respect, sir” began Hideo. Lt. Nomiya cut him off.
“Oh save it. This land, and these people are the conquered. A few examples like this every once in a while will help that sink in, earn us some respect and fear. They’ve lived under American rule for a while, and we are going to have to show them who’s boss now. Is that understood? Now, I’m not saying go out of your way to kill them. But if you see them disrespect you, or our nation, or if you seem them hesitate to follow our orders in the least, you teach them a lesson.”
Nomiya had thought this out, thought Hideo. Or more likely, he had orders. Far more likely. Nevertheless, he had to give it one more try.
“Sir, to win this war, don’t you think we will need the local’s help?”
“I wouldn’t say ‘need’. That’s a bit strong. But yes, it will be helpful. And they will help. Because they won’t want to face the alternatives.”
Hideo was shocked at what he was hearing. This wasn’t China. This wasn’t a land of bandits. This was part of the area they were liberating. Wasn’t it?
Back in the tank, the reloader Nakata tried to comfort him. “Probably the Americans killed that bunch anyway. Like the Russians do. Kill them before they can help the enemy.”
“Yeah.. probably.” The words held little conviction.
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230 miles northwest of Pearl Harbor.
Uncharacteristically, Adm. Nagumo had taken a chance and it was about to pay off. The 6 carriers of the Hawaiian Operation had stayed in range of Pearl Harbor. Most thought it was tempting fate, including CPO Junichiro. But now he understood. An American fleet headed by a carrier had rushed to Hawaii to engage and drive off the fleet parked off of Oahu. But it was walking into a trap. Nagumo had moved the fleet further east, keeping the Americans off guard, all the while knowing that any relief force would approach where he had been spotted last.. the evening before.
The morning scouts had found the American fleet exactly where they had hoped and now Junichiro and the other Zero’s from Hiryu were guiding the first strike in. Still 15 miles out they spotted the American CAP.. about a dozen Wildcats. Junichiro gained altitude searching the skies to be sure that was all there was. He thought that the American carriers carried more than 25 fighters. Where were the others? In a moment though, the thought left him as he peeled off to the left, into a flight of 2 F4Fs. He checked behind him. This time Minobe was still there. He wondered for how long.
The two F4Fs, extremely chunky to Junichiro’s eyes, stayed together. A minute later they died together. So intent on shaking Junichiro, the Americans had failed to another Zero. Takahashi rolled down nearly between the two, used his rudder to “skid” first right then left each time releasing a burst that set the Grumman’s ablaze. Junichiro mentally applauded the marksmanship.
Turning back to the fight, eager to get his first kill Junichiro found the sky full of smoke trails heading to the sea, but failed to find any more targets. Instead he found the Nakajima attack aircraft lining up already on the American carrier, the Enterprise.
Circling high, to head off any fighter ambushes and also to avoid the considerable flak put up by the American ships, particularly the cruises, Junichiro watched the attack unfold.
HEAVY FLAK OVER ENTERPRISE
[image]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f318/vetamur/enterpriseflak.jpg[/image]
The first lumbering Nakajima strayed too close to a cruiser and found itself in a steel shower. Soon it was cartwheeling across the blue waves.
The next attack aircraft though released his torpedo at optimum height and distance, turned hard to the left to make its escape and was rewarded with a plum of water that rose dozens of feet over the Enterprise’s deck, followed almost immediately by secondary explosions that seemed to almost lift the flattop out of the water. Encouraged, the other attack and dive bombers pressed their attack and with in moments the Enterprise was a flaming wreck, racked with smoke and flame from end to end, from 3 bombs and 6 torpedoes.
ENTERPRISE SUFFERS ITS FIRST HIT
[image]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f318/vetamur/enterpriseunderattack.gif[/image]
As the strike force turned away, it passed the Zuikoku’s late-arriving Val’s. Most tried in vain to get a bead on the Enterprise, but a few sought fresh meat and put a bomb on the cruiser that had earlier shot down the B5N2.
Elated with success in the world’s first carrier battle, Junichiro was eager to hear about how the strikes against the base had gone as well. Surprise was a thing of the past, but with most fighter aircraft already gone he had high hopes.
In debrief Junichiro was surprised the Americans had launched their own attack. About 15 fighters, 34 dive bombers and 15 torpedo bombers had approached. Four of the fighters, 20 of the divebombers and at least 9 of the torpedo bombers had been shot down, and only the remaining torpedo bombers had attacked, the surviving dive bombers had fled with the remnants of their escorts, which had inexplicably succeeded in shooting down 4 Zeros.
The Pearl Harbor strike had damaged 8 battleships, 4 heavily, with minimal losses. Only 6 fighters had opposed the 150 airplane attack, and none had survived.
VAL ATTACK AT PEARL HARBOR
[image]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f318/vetamur/Val20Dive20Bomber.jpg[/image]
This night, like the three nights previous, Junichiro went to bed early wondering if Nagumo would press their luck one more time. Should they try to lure in one more carrier?
(Two questions to readers. First one is about the game.. often the kills attributed to a airplane group are much higher than the kills of the pilots added up.. for example Junichiros B-II Sentai has 10 kills. But only 5 are credited. Why? What is the explanation?
Second.. would you prefer the focus be purely on what happens in the game, or is the "extra" stuff enjoyable? What combo works best? For example, todays account of Hideo's group has little to do with his unit..which is just moving to San Jacinto..but gives a historical view. Like it? Hate it? Thanks.)
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