RE: Death From On High

RE: Death From On High (Full Version)

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tocaff -> RE: Death From On High (11/21/2009 3:14:40 PM)
May 26, 1942 The White House "Hitler delayed the Malta invasion indefinitely on the 21st. Today the Battle for the Gazala line started. Convoys QP-12, returning to Britain, and PQ-16 bound for Murmansk were both hit by the Luftwaffe. QP-12 was unharmed, but PQ-16 lost 6 ships. In closing and of particular note the Soviets and the British have signed a 20 year treaty of alliance. They agreed not to negotiate or to make peace with Germany or her allies "except by mutual consent." The presentations continue with news from the PTO, "Yesterday Perth police arrested 4 Australians for planning to form an "Australian First" Nazi style government." Today Ed is watching as a member of his staff presents the following: 3 Air Army is at Tokyo 137 IJA BF is also at Tokyo 22 Air Flotilla is a Singapore 13 AAR is at Maizuru 24 AF is at Kwajalein 14 Army is at Rangoon 217K troops are at Ominato 67 CB is at Kagoshima 2 BF is at Soeragaja 4 Aviation Rgt is at Nanning The IJA hammered away at Chinese troops in the Homan area forcing some to retreat into the city. The convoy has left Midway and is making for Pearl Harbor. Everyone excepting flag rank officers and cabinet members remain in the meeting as a debate starts about Operation Sledgehammer. The concern is that the Japanese seem to be reinforcing Wake Island and there is a growing consensus that the force allocated to the op is insufficient for the task. There is also growing concern that for a limited gain the cost would be to high. FDR turns to Ed and says, "So Admiral share your gut feelings on this one with us." Ed replies, "Given our growing situational picture Wake and Kwajalein are looking to become increasingly high risk for little return. I feel that these troops would serve a better purpose is they were to be sent to Noumea, Luganville and possibly Nandi. Doing this will secure our lines of communication with New Zealand and Australia. These troops would also be poised for any counter thrusts that we may choose to make into the Solomon Islands. I still believe that staying under an umbrella of LBA and attacking into the DEIs from Australia would pose the greatest threat to the Japanese, especially if we can threaten their lines of supply to Singapore or close Borneo's oil supplies to Japan." The meeting adjourns with nothing decided for now. True to his word, CDR Feldt has supplied the goods and mechanics are busily working on the two planes. Later Eric informs Will that the "Pirates" will be stationed to the north so that they may commence ops. He says, "You won't be needing that wharehouse or the house itself for your boys. Once you reach your destination I'm sure that you'll manage to find adequate quarters. See you tomorrow at 0900, at which time I'll give you the details." Will leaves wondering where north is. Bill and Gunny have managed to grab some seats on a plane that will eventually get them to Suva. He meets with Will and informs him that all future communications will be through CDR Feldt as he and Gunny are heading back to Pearl. They plan on a farewell dinner that night at the house that turns into a BBQ with plenty of booze. Everyone is wishing one another luck in the future as they say their farewells. A damaged AP and TK approach Auckland, representing the only damaged survivors from the KB's recent raid that caught the eastbound convoy out of Brisbane. Footnote: In the past couple of days it's finally dawned on me that I'm spending more time on this AAR than the game itself. I'm enjoying gathering facts of the war, pictures and the characters are starting to dictate who they are and how they operate. In short I'm having lots of fun doing this, though some entries are better than others.

tocaff -> RE: Death From On High (11/23/2009 5:05:06 PM)
May 27, 1942 The latest intel and signals reports lie on Ed's desk and he wearily sifts through them. 213K troops at Changkufueng 5 AAR is at Niigato 13 Army is at Changsha 72K troops at Heiho 4 ReserveAAR is at Kagoshima 4 D is at Rangoon 40 CB is at Changchun 24 ER is at Chiamussu There have been landings at Bulla A Japanese PC has hit a mine at Balikpapan and has sunk. A large convoy has arrived at Pearl Harbor. Will reports to Eric's office promptly at 0900 and is told that CDR Feldt was unexpectedly called away. The orderly goes on to say, "Your orders are in this envelope. You will be issued new orders upon reaching your destination." Will thanks her and returns to the ramp that houses their PBY. He opens the envelope and utters, "Cooktown, what is in Cooktown?" Will makes the plans to ferry both of their planes to Cooktown and after lunch they'll take off as their cargo has already been loaded by the pirates. Bill and Gunny take their seats and their plane leaves Brisbane, bound for Auckland. This promises to be a long trip, Bill thinks to himself as he nods off. Submarine Tautog is fighting for her life as she has moderate levels of systems damage and there are still fires burning that haven't been extinguished yet. She has managed to put some distance between herself and Japanese bases. Distance and a moonless night are her only friends now. Phil has the bridge as the Benham slips through a calm sea as she shepherds the convoy home. He wonders if they'll arrive untouched as he ponders the luck that they've had since the Big E went down. Aboard the Palawan the crew has no doubts about their ability to do whatever is asked of their ship. It is after all a lucky ship. Cookie checks on his secret for the crew that's in the ship's freezer and to his amazement, it's gone! "Who the hell?" he roars. The only other person with a key to the freezer, that he knows of, is the Captain and the skipper wouldn't be bothered with what's in the freezer. Cookie promises himself that he'll discover who stole the goods and make them pay for the transgression. Just then Lucky appears and Cookie pats him on the head and says, "For once I know that you're innocent." The damaged AK and TK reached Auckland today and their crews are being held aboard their ships pending Naval authorities getting to debrief them as an effort to put together what happened once the convoy scattered is underway. Some sailors have been rescued from the waters that they went into after their ships went down, but these two vessels are the only survivors of the ships that scattered. The USN hopes to gather information that will lead to a better convoy system. Secretly it is acknowledged that the Allies are virtually helpless to stop the KB from raiding into a given area unless a maximum effort is made. The RN will send another CV to Australia, bringing the number there to 3. Plans are gathering momentum that these ships along with 4 or 5 USN CVs will be going hunting for trouble in the near future. Stalin and his generals discuss the recon reports generated for the Hailar area. There have been 4 LCUs spotted and the estimates are that there are 11K troops, 100 artillery pieces amd 1 amored vehicle there. Stalin says that this is a start and he demands that these recon missions be carried out on a daily basis.

tocaff -> RE: Death From On High (11/25/2009 6:11:56 PM)
May 28, 1942 Ed has received the coded message from Bill reporting all matters of any importance from the meeting with CDR Feldt up to and including the incomplete travel plans for the trip back to Pearl. Ed finds himself wishing that he could break free of the hum drum routine that is his daily grind. He stares at the large pile of unimportant papers on his desk and then looks at the small stack in his out box. He tries not to think of the amount of raw data that comes into the Pentagon each and every day and is thankful that he only sees the filtered blizzard of paper. Today's tidbits were: 5 Air D is at Singapore 65 CB is at Kagoshima 21 ER is at Lunga 1 HFAR is at Mandalay 252.5K troops are at Maizuru 52 TCB is at Ichang 23 Tank R is at Chiamussu The landings at Bulla continued and then the assault to the base. 105 Zeros swept Chungking, suffering 5 planes destroyed and 1 damaged. The Chinese defenders flew 33 I-16cs and lost 18 of them. Cookie has been snooping around Palawan looking for signs of the pilfered goods, to no avail. Lucky follows him during the hunt and has found and eaten 2 mice. Benham's crew races to GQs as the klaxons sound. There has been a periscope sighting, which mercifully turns out to be another false alarm. Phil is told by the skipper that the crew just beat their best time for be ready for come what may and he's pleased enough that he also mentions to Phil that a day or two off from drills would be a nice reward for the men. In Auckland the interviews of the crews of the 2 ships continues and it's expected that the men will be let loose by tomorrow. At the end of each man's debriefing he's told not to talk about what happened to anyone. There already is a degree of contempt for the Navy as there was no protection afforded when it was needed and now it's like a festering wound among the men of the two crews. In the meantime needed repairs to the vessels has been started. Bill and Gunny have obtained quarters and will set about trying to get seats on a plane for the next leg of their journey in the morning. Will and the Pirates have flown into Townsville and after seeing to their planes the men set off in search of some food. They head off the base for this as they also want something to wash the food down with. Tomorrow they'll fly into Cooktown and after that is anyone's guess. Stalin has been informed that the recon flights will be expanded to 2 or 3 bases snooped on per day given the current disposition of aircraft units. The Soviets are suffering from the lack of planes with sufficient legs to keep an eye on things. The Japanese have been sitting quietly doing nothing other than having fighters shadowing the recon planes sometimes as they return to their bases.

tocaff -> RE: We're Doomed! (11/27/2009 5:09:15 PM)
May 29, 1942 Ed finishes his presentation for the General Staff meeting that he was summoned to with: 54 D is at Okayama 50 CB is at Kyoto 68 CB is at Hamamatsu 21 Mort B is at Wuchow 4 Res AAR is at Kagoshima 1 AAR is at Tokyo "There have been heavy IJA bombardments. both artillery and air, on the outskirts of Homan and the surrounding countryside has seen some battles as the Japanese endeavor to encircle the city." Ed is thanked and leaves the meeting wondering why he's spending the war as little more than a messenger boy. Upon reaching his office an orderly informs him that he's been requested to go to the White House immediately. Ed gets into a staff car wondering what the urgency is about. The Soviets have flown recon missions and have amassed the following: Hailar has 7 LCUs there made up of 22,140 troops, 254 guns and 7 armored vehicles Mishan has 2 Lcus there consisting of 3 guns and 82 armored vehicles Stalin is pleased and tells his generals to keep at it. In Auckland the men of the TK Tulsagas and AP Tasker H Bliss have finally gotten ashore and for many of them it's stress relief time in the harbor's bars. Some of the men are busily recounting their stories of how Japanese carrier planes devastated their convoy and that they were the only two ships to survive. As things are prone to do as men retell the stories over drinks exaggeration sets in and before anyone knows it the word is out and people on the streets of Auckland are in a state of panic. It seems that the USN has suffered a huge defeat at the hands of the Japanese Navy and now an invasion force is steaming towards New Zealand. The authorities know that there's nothing they can do other than to let the rumors die out on their own. A small story is carried in a local newspaper that quotes a "highly placed naval source" as saying that there was no such naval battle and there is no invasion force approaching New Zealand as far as anybody knows. The problem is that this story is on page 5 while the banner headline of the paper reads: USN SUNK! HERE COME THE JAPANESE! Ed sits before FDR and Henry Stimson and says, "In my opinion it's beginning to look like the Japanese are digging in and only moving forward slowly grabbing small islands. To me it looks as if they have no intension of attacking Australia and they've virtually stopped in Burma also so India looks to be safe too. If they don't move in the Alaska area within the next 3-4 months then the weather will prevent anything from happening there. We need to get troops to the New Hebrides and get them there fast. Our only problem is that Operation Constellation has taken virtually all of our APs and then Wake will tie them up. I question the value of taking Wake Island and I'm concerned about it's possible cost. I think Sledgehammer should be scrapped altogether and get troops into the the areas that we need them the most. Lets stop the Japanese or at least bloody them and then strike back. Soon the RN will have 3 CVs at Brisbane and we'll have 5 CVs available. If we can combine these forces maybe we can give a good account of ourselves against the IJN, especially if they can be lured into a fight far from their big bases." FDR thanks Ed and as Ed departs he hears FDR say, "That man is invaluable to men Henry. I think that he's hit the nail on the head once again." [image]local://upfiles/22538/571CA40C0E954D07B8946F1900997806.gif[/image] AP-42 Tasker H Bliss

tocaff -> RE: We're Doomed! (11/29/2009 2:48:34 PM)
May 30, 1942 Ed is in the office for yet another Sunday. He's promised himself that it was only to be for a short stay and now it's going on 9 hours. The amount of news generated by intel is alarming and most of it is of no value. Still..... 68 CB is at Hamamatsu 34 D is at Ichang 45 HAAB is at Manila 5D is at Palembang 2 Air D is at Harbin 51 RCB is at Hsinyang 15 Mortar B is at Rabul 8 D is at Tsitsihar 4 Tank R is at PM 47 HAAB is at Mandalay 32 NLF is at Salamaua Namlea is occupied by the Japanese The IJA continues to bombard Homan with artillery and air power as they tighten their noose and more troops arrive daily. The convoy has reached Pearl Harbor and Benham awaits her turn to replenish her stores and oil bunkers. The crew is enjoying the chance to relax, their first in a while. Palawan's crew is celebrating their safe arrival by enjoying some vodka that has mysteriously turned up on board. Cookie arrives and before he can utter a sound the crew breaks out in a rousing version of Happy Birthday for him. Cookie will be forever wondering how his surprise for the crew was pilfered from the freezer, but for now he'll just join the celebration. The men will take Cookie out tonight for drinks, dinner, more drinks and who knows what else. Red asks, "Cookie, how old are you?" The reply comes as a surprise as Red has always thought Cookie was older than the stated 31. Bill and Gunny are cooling their heels in Auckland as they await some eastbound transportation. In the meantime they are amazed at the state of confusion caused by the rumor of an imminent Japanese invasion. They know that there is no such thing going to happen as Bill has shared some beers at a club with some New Zealand and Austrailian Naval officers. The mayor and high ranking military officials have summoned the editors of the various local news papers and informed them in no uncertain terms that if they intend to stay in business they will print a page 1 retraction to stop the rumors that they have created. They are informed that in the future self restraint will be shown and that the government will supply them with any news concerning the war. One editor stands and says that this is nothing more than censorship. The reply is an immediate and icy, "Call it what you will, it's your new reality. We can not and will not tolerate the chaos you have created with irresponsible reporting." The general stands on the podium staring at the editor who sits down meekly without another word. Will is nursing the second worse hangover of his life as he and the pirates receive their orders. They will proceed to Darwin and operate out of there, for now, delivering supplies and men to where they are needed. "Darwin?" says Ben, "Not Darwin! I was there a few years ago and it's not exactly what I'd call a place that I'd choose to visit again." "Are there women there?" asks Jim. "Do they have booze?" asks Pete. Ben replies with a "yes." "Well then how bad could it be?" grins Will. They will see to the planes and leave within a few hours after eating. FDR tells Henry Stimson that he wants to add another duty for Admiral Landy to handle. "He will share relevant intel with the Soviets at a weekly meeting to be held at the Soviet Embassy. They in turn will share information with us." Stimson replies, "Let's hope that this will actually work as you know that I don't think that the Soviets are exactly trustworthy." In a few hours there will we a meeting held at the White House. In attendance will be FDR, Henry Stimson, George Marshall, "Hap" Arnold, General L Gerow, Admiral Leahy and a few select others. It is FDR's intention to have Operation Sledgehammer scrubbed, but he needs to have his senior military men support this. The Soviets believe that their recon has shown 7 LCUs at Hailar, comprising 27,380 troops, 329 artillery pieces and 6 armored vehicles.

tocaff -> RE: We're Doomed! (12/1/2009 5:04:08 PM)
Due to computer keyboard problems I must extend my apologies that I can't type more than a little blurb on the notebook and the desktop is down because of electrical problems in the house.

tocaff -> RE: We're Doomed! (12/2/2009 6:43:19 PM)
I've partially solved the computer woes so here goes.... May 31, 1942 The White House Ed is sitting in on another meeting at the White House wondering how everyone manages to stay focused as the presenter drones on. "Since January 1942 German U-boats have sunk 111 vessels off the eastern seaboard of the US. The RAF launched a one thousand plane raid today targeting Hamburg, but due to bad weather Cologne was hit instead. There are no damage reports as of yet." The staff officer closes his notes and takes his leave and exits the room. Ed nods and his aide rises, clears his throat and begins: 3D is at Ichang 5 AF B is at Sinkep Island 15 Army is at Myitkyina 1.8 K troops are at Tinian 17 TCAR is at Niigata 2 MR is at Hangchow 5 AFCB is at Sinkep Island 60 K troops are at Harbin Recon reports 7 LCUs at Hailar (31580/321/8) according to our Soviet allies. We have placed 5 LCUs at Wake Island He finishes and takes his leave. FDR now offers all those present refreshments and then says, "It has come to our attention that the Japanese are gradually increasing their strength at Wake Island. It has been agreed that the troops originally slated for the assault on Wake are not strong enough for the job. This raises serious questions and I have doubts that the risks involved justify any gain we might reap. Do we assign more troops and ships to the invasion? I say that we need to bolster our forces in the New Hebrides as soon as possible, even if this means scrubbing Sledgehammer. I want all here to give this serious consideration and to draw up the needed planning to move the Sledgehammer troops to Noumea and Efate. The General Staff has already issued the preliminary orders for this. I want it to happen now." The meeting breaks up into small clusters of men who discuss what FDR has just dropped into their laps. Once the meeting ends Ed heads home for some sorely needed sleep. The Tautog continues her fight for life. The crew has the flooding stabilized and the pumps are now slowly reducing the amount of water on board. The systems damaged are still moderate and they've got a little over 1 K miles to get to Pearl Harbor. The Chief tells the First Officer that he has no doubts that they'll make it. The Pirates arrive in Darwin and are warmly greeted by line mechanics who immediately are all over the two planes. Meanwhile all the supplies on the planes are off loaded and trucked to a nearby building. Will is told that everything in that building is for the Pirates. Will inspects the building and sees that living quarters are above the storage area. He says that this'll be just fine and asks if there is transport available for their use. He's told that the two jeeps parked outside of the building are at their disposal. Wills thanks the mechanic, grins and says, "Boys, our hosts not only have provided us with the comforts of home, but we've got wheels too. Anybody care for a trip into town?" The Pirates pile into one of the jeeps and roar off in search of entertainment. The Japanese are applying ever increasing pressure on Homan and the surrounding countryside. The Chinese are putting up a stout resistance, but sheer weight of numbers looks to be against them and help is slowly being sent their way. The Tarpon sails for Saipan where she is scheduled to mine the approaches to the harbor. CDR Wallace and the crew are unaware that Tautog hit a mine there on the exact same mission. In Auckland the government offices continue to be bombarded by public inquiries as to what should be done concerning the impending invasion. It has been decided that to ease tensions all radio stations will broadcast government announcements every hour, on the hour, to dispel the rumors and calm the public. In the meantime the crews of the AP Tasker H Bliss and the TK Tulsagas have been confined to quarters at a nearby military installation. It's been decided that since the crews can't be relied upon to keep their mouths shut the government of New Zealand will keep them out of circulation until their ships are ready to sail. The other ships from the now infamous convoy have sailed from Australia and will meet with another convoy, merge and continue on their way.

Capt. Harlock -> RE: We're Doomed! (12/2/2009 8:21:45 PM)
quote: I say that we need to bolster our forces in the New Hebrides as soon as possible, even if this means scrubbing Sledgehammer. Alas, it looks like the Allies won't be doing any significant counter-attacks just yet . . .

tocaff -> RE: We're Doomed! (12/3/2009 12:15:57 PM)
Capt. It has been decided that Wake is of to little importance as compared to the New Hebrides. Another factor is that the point spread is to close to a 4:1 ratio and I don't want to lose any more high value bases as it's cheaper to hold than attack them. Steve has alluded to a surprise attack and I really don't know where. He hints at Alaska, but I don't think that anything worth taking has been left uncovered. If it's an amphib op into India the RN stands ready, though I believe he's reluctant to leave the Pacific uncovered in the face of the USN. Overland is a tedious thing and the Commonwealth forces grow stronger all of the time. Australia is a possibility, though after landing in the north there will be to much resistance to an advance southwards and there is a decent Allied naval force on hand to make supplies an iffy thing for any landed troops, not to mention LBA. The Australian west coast is just to far to be feasible, IMHO, and the east coast is a fortress. It's the belief of Admiral Edward Landy that the New Hebrides are the next logical target so a new operation is about to be named and as Operation Constellation unwinds this one will commence. Stay tuned..............

tocaff -> RE: Into the Breach (12/4/2009 7:45:12 PM)
June 1, 1942 Darwin The Pirates roll out of their bunks and head for breakfast. Pete asks for a bucket of coffee which draws a startled look from the kitchen staff. The Pirates have been afforded the luxury of dining at the officer's mess so meals promise to be better, when they stay on base. While eating an orderly approaches and says, "Sorry for the interruption, which one of you is Will?" Ben nods towards Will and replies, "That would be the hung over gent sitting directly across from me. Please talk in a whisper out of respect to the poor man's condition as he can't drink like he did when he was younger." The Pirates laugh and Will says, "What can I do you out of?" The orderly says that he'll wait for the men to finish their meal and then would Will please come with him to base operations. Later a bleary eyed Will is handed the first mission for the Pirates. Tomorrow they'll be flying resupply of some cost watchers using the PBY. He briefs the Pirates and tells them, "I like to party as much as the next man, but now we're in business and as long as we're flying the next day the Pirates will go dry. Any questions?" Pete asks, "Does this mean that we'll be giving the girls a rest tonight?" The guys laugh and go back to their card game. Bill and Gunny have managed to hitch a ride that will ultimately drop them at Suva. They'll have to manage the best that they can from there on the journey back to Pearl Harbor. The artillery and air bombardment of Homan is gradually growing in intensity. 14 Anns (1 downed & 3 damaged) along with 7 Sonias (1 damaged) were attacking the 74 Chinese Corps 20 miles outside of Homan when they were jumped by 5 I-153cs (1 damaged) and 13 I-16cs (1 damaged). The Chinese pilots may be green, but they take great joy in their on the job training, especially when Japanese fighters aren't around. Tautog has managed to further reduce the flooding and the confidence of the crew is growing steadily as the boat plods on towards Pearl. Her skipper announces over the intercom that upon reaching Pearl Harbor all hands will be granted liberty while Tautog is repaired and the first round is on him for a job well done. Recon flights over Wake Island place 6 LCUs there. The Soviets continue to fly recon missions unmolested by the Japanese. They place 2 LCUs at Chiamussu and at Arshaan there is another LCU. Stalin demands that these flights be continued with a greater frequency and more bases targeted. Ed has spent another dull Monday at the office and his report to the White House contains the following: 23 Air Flotilla is at Manila 57 CB is at Maizuru 3 Army is at Mukden 39.1K troops are at Hailar 36 D is at Ichang 252.2K troops are at Kagoshima 31 AAR is at Sapporo Ed tells his orderly to arrange for the brief to be transported to the White House immediately. He then decides that he'll give Bill Donovan a call and see if a dinner is in the offing. As Ed leaves the Pentagon he asks one of the guards if the Senators are at home or on the road, but all he gets is a shrug. He figures that taking in a ball game will be a relaxing diversion and as he gets in the waiting car he decides to ask Donovan about joining him. Tomorrow I'll have to check the schedule, he thinks. The two men enjoy the company of one another and all the chat is not business. Bill asks a man to check the Senator's schedule and when they learn that the St. Louis Browns are in town they agree to go to the game together. Upon arrival at home Ed sheds his uniform and wearily steps into the shower. While lathering up the phone rings and he says to himself, "To hell with whoever is calling, my shower just feels to damned good." Later after a night cap he crawls into bed and as he does the phone rings again. "Hello. Oh hi Elizabeth how are you? Is everything OK? What? No I'm afraid that I stuck here in DC and can't get away. Yes I'll try but a trip to Pittsburgh just doesn't seem possible right now. OK I'll check and let you know tomorrow." Ed flops back into the bed and already knows that he can't leave Washington because he's still waiting for the Soviet Embassy to contact him for their supposed weekly meetings.

tocaff -> RE: Into the Breach (12/6/2009 10:15:26 PM)
June 2, 1942 Ed leaves the office to join Bill Donovan for a bite to eat before going to see the Senators' game. He leaves an orderly to dispatch a report to the White House that reads as follows: 10.2K troops are at Etorofo Jima 6 D is at Ichang 2 MR is at Hangchow 44 HAAB is at Clark 3 Air Army is at Tokyo 26K troops are at Seoul 19 D is at Taejon 51 NG is at Tarawa Zeros swept Dili (2nd day in a row)and Lautern, meeting with no resistance The Japanese artillery bombardment of Homan continues to grow in intensity 7 Kates (1 downed), 12 Anns (1 damaged) and 11 Sonias (2 destroyed and 2 damaged) attacked the Homan area causing no damage and were bounced by 17 I-16cs, one of which was damaged. There appears to be 14400 troops and 60 artillery pieces on Wake Island. The IJN ships calling there seem to be strengthening the garrison. The Soviets placed 3 LCUs at Chiamussu. To date they have made no effort to share information with the Americans as they've agreed to do. Tautog's fight for her life continues to look better and better as her propulsion system and pumps are doing OK and the damage control parties finally are able to get some well deserved rest knowing that they did a good job. Ed and Bill Donovan decide to skip lunch and eat hot dogs at the ball park. The game is an entertaining diversion for both men and the Senators lift their dismal record to 18-27 with a 4-1 win over the St Louis Browns. Will, Jim, Pete and Ben fly into the Koepang area and deliver some clothes and a new radio to an Australian who tells them to hurry up and get out of there as the Japanese are about. He thanks them and says, "The next time you blokes happen by could you please manage to find something a little stronger than tea to bring?" Will smiles and reaches into the plane and hands the man a bottle of Famous Grouse. "Thanks to you and your lads, now get out of here while you can." The Pirates lift off and head towards Dili for another delivery. They hear the same thing again that they'd better get out as Zeros have been about. The next stop is the Lautern area and then they'll head for home. Once again they hear the same story that Zeros have been around today and that they might consider flying out of there in a hurry. Jim pilots the plane back to Darwin and upon their arrival the men get out of the PBY and stretch their weary bodies. It's been a long day and they all look forward to some chow and sleep. "With some luck we'll be given the day off tomorrow," says Ben. "Look at me," he adds, "I'm so pale I could pass for a ghost. A day at the beach with a beer would be really nice." "Nothing in the world could possibly make you look better," says Pete, "The beach and beer sound OK though."

tocaff -> RE: Into the Breach (12/8/2009 12:59:17 PM)
June 3, 1942 Pearl Harbor Palawan moves dockside and starts loading supplies for some unknown destination. Operation Constellation has begun as ships in their small convoys steam towards various islands with their loads of troops and supplies. 13 Anns (3 downed & 1 damaged) along with 5 Sonias (2 destroyed & 1 damaged) are caught attacking Chinese troops by 17 I-16cs. 48 Zeros (9 destroyed)arrive on the scene a little late to protect the bombers and they engage 13 I-16cs of which only 4 return to base. There are 109K Japanese troops at Homan lobbing artillery rounds into the Chinese defensive positions manned by 70K troops. The Pirates do get today off as the PBY is being serviced and the boys head off for the beach. Later today Will will report in and find out where they're off to next. Ed has a seat across from FDR and reports the following to him: 11 HAAB is at Osaka 52 D is at Kanazawa 6 AFCB is at Taung Gyi 3 Mortar B is at PM Karafuto MB is at Shikka 6.6K troops are at Bonin 56 HAAB is at Changchun 15 Mortar B is at Rabul 8 AFCB is at Mandalay Kwantzing Area Army is at Changchun 7 Tank R is at PM 9 AFCB is at Bankha The recon of Wake was met by Zeros and the pilot used the cloud cover to evade them. There are 6 LCUs there comprised of a force of 7400/35/0. "I must stress that the photo recon of Wake has shown that it's well defended and that the actual troop numbers don't mean to much. As Operation Constellation gets under way we have no knowledge of the KB's location. The USN will support the operation with 4 CVs, paying particular attention to the bases closest to the Japanese. The RN has a CV on the way to Australia, which will bring the number to 4 stationed there. I believe that the Japanese will continue to expand slowly into the New Hebrides as long as there is little or no opposition and for some reason I've got a gut feeling that Australia will be invaded on it's northern coast. The Australians have lightly covered it's northern area defensively as they will rely on distance to help defeat any invasion. In closing the Soviets have not contacted my office concerning the proposed weekly meeting, or for any other reason." FDR says, "Thanks Ed, we'll see about our Soviet allies and keep an eye on the Japanese in the areas that you mention. If anything happens unexpectedly with Operation Constellation contact me immediately. Now do yourself a favor and take the rest of the day off. Maybe you should see a ball game or a movie to take your mind off of things." Ed thanks FDR and leaves the White House. Bill and Gunny are cooling their heels at some small airstrip in the middle of nowhere as their plane is refueled for the hop to Suva. They enjoy a Coke while sitting under some palm trees lazily swatting away flies. Bill says, "Ralph, this is the life. All we need is some ice and these Cokes would really be great." Gunny laughs and replies, "What, you don't like warm Coke? Maybe we should complain to the management." The submarine mining campaign has brought mixed results to date, but IJN MSW assets are being kept busy and the odd explosion is sometimes reported by a coast watcher. Meanwhile sub skippers continue to complain to COMSUBPAC about the fish hitting targets and failing to detonate.

tocaff -> RE: Into the Breach (12/10/2009 4:01:39 PM)
June 4, 1942 Homan, China The IJA continues to bombard the defenses of Homan while in the skies above another Japanese raid is intercepted by brave, but green Chinese pilots in inferior aircraft. 6 Zeros, 8 Oscars, 12 Sonias (1 downed & 1 Damaged) and 2 Babs fight it out with 16 I-153cs. The Japanese do little damage, but only 2 of the Chinese planes manage to return to base. SS-42 was attacked by an ASW TF 40 miles SE of Gili Gili and she suffers moderate systems damage and light flooding. Her skipper orders their return to Brisbane. SS KXIV is on patrol about 30 miles E of Singapore when she's jumped by an ASW TF and suffers light systems damage and moderate flooding. She will also immediately alter course and return to Columbo. The daily Coronado flights over Wake Island show 6 LCUs made up of 9560/50/0 Will and the Pirates have another day off so they head into town to keep themselves occupied. Bill and Gunny have reached Suva and now will await transport. Another staff meeting is going on in the White House. "As you all know on the 1st of the month Mexico declared war on Germany, Italy and Japan. On the 2nd 1K RAF bombers hit Essen, doing minimal damage at a loss of 31 planes. Yesterday Hitler met with the Finnish head of state, Mannerheim. Tomorrow neutrals will deliver a message from the USA to Japan informing them that we will retaliate with gas if Japan uses it." The Army man sits back down in his seat along the wall and a Naval officer rises and presents his report: 56.7K troops are at Tsitsihar 18 ships are at Truk 64 CB is at Nagasaki 7 AAT is at Sendai 52 CB is at Changchun 7 Tank R is at PM 9 Av R is at Hailar "Operation Comet has been given the go ahead today so troops will be sent to Nandi, Noumea and Efate as shipping becomes available at Pearl Harbor. Our CVs will swing to the SW to cover a convoy heading to Suva, part of Operation Constellation, after covering other convoys. The CVs will be replenished at sea and an additional replenishment convoy will form and sail as part of Operation Comet. Once the convoy leaves the Suva area and the Comet convoys deliver their cargoes the CVs will head to Brisbane to join with 4 RN CVs. We'll be sending an additional CV there alsoa little later. This is in an effort to protect the east coast of Australia from a possible Japanese attack. It is strongly suspected that the northern coast of Australia will see Japanese landings in the near future so the Australians are shifting troops to deal with this threat. The strategy is to trade space for time and to take advantage of the difficulties that the Japanese will face trying to advance through Australia's interior." The Soviet recon of Chiamussu reveals that there are 5 LCUs present, with a strength of 9540/142/1. Stalin reminds his generals that he wants the recons stepped up and that sharing information with the Americans, as agreed to, will commence "some time in the future, when it is suitable for us to do so."

tocaff -> RE: Into the Breach (12/13/2009 9:05:30 PM)
June 5, 1942 The skies over Timor Will is flying the PBY over Timor as Ben says something to Jim. Pete is frantically working over his navigation charts and says, "I hate to say this but given our fuel situation there just isn't a safe place for us to set this bird down." Will silently curses their luck as Ben just shakes his head and says to nobody in particular, "I moved all the fuel from the ruptured tank that I could. Damned unlucky that we had just trimmed the weight by shifting fuel to that tank." "Don't sweat it guys," says Will, "Jim will set us down nice and smooth as close as we can get to Australia and I'm sure that we'll be rescued in short order." Ben has made the fuel mixture as lean as he can to stretch their flying time, but nothing short of a miracle will save them now. Timor is crawling with Japanese and Zeros prowl the skies. It looks as if the Pirates will have a short career in this war and Jim remarks, "Maybe they'll use subs to sneak supplies in to these poor slobs hiding out from the Japs from now on." Though nobody says it they're all silently cursing the flak that hit them as they broke cloud cover to resupply a coast watcher. Nobody knew that today the Japanese would be there instead with a very warm reception. At Homan the IJA continues it's artillery bombardment of the Chinese defenders. Though the defenses are at an excellent level (9) the sheer weight of the gathering Japanese force will win this battle from the way additional IJA troops continue to arrive. 48 Zeros scour the skies prowling for any Chinese planes and they find and engage 2 I-153cs. In the battle the Chinese lose 1 plane while the other runs for home using the clouds for cover. Ed sends the daily brief on it's way to the White House. It contains the following: 61 NG is at Gili Gili 139 IJA BF is at Tokyo 3 Air D is at Rangoon 23 A is at Wuchow 7 ships are at Okayama 10 D is at Heiho 22 ER is at Mishan 25 ER is at Sendai 88K troops are at Pescadores 3.1K troops are at Marcus Island 130 IJA BF is at Soerabaja The recon of Wake shows 6 LCUs comprised of 10020/41/0 and the Coronado crew reports that Zeros are on the prowl there. FDR tells Henry Stimson to have the Soviet Ambassador summoned to the White House for a meeting scheduled for 10 AM tomorrow. "We've let them dawdle long enough and now it's time to take them to task about the promised sharing of information." Convoys laden with troops and supplies that are part of Operation Constellation continue to load at Pearl Harbor. They are scheduled to depart tomorrow. Bill and Gunny have managed to get 2 seats on a transport that just might get them back to Pearl as it makes it's ways from one base to another. The Soviet recon flights of Arshaan show 1 LCU 5740/53/0 and that Chiamussu contains 6 LCUs 18000/217/10 The starboard engine starts to miss and cough and the propeller stops spinning, the fuel supply to the engine is exhausted. The port engine drones on and Jim works at keeping the big ungainly bird aloft. They gradually lose altitude and Jim announces that it's time to send a last radio transmission giving their present position as he's going to set her down while he still has some power. "Get the rafts, all the food and water that we have and get ready to unload it into the rafts as soon as we come to a halt," says Will. The plane hits the water 3 minutes later, bounces several times and then finally comes to a stop. Luckily for the men the seas are calm as they hurry to unload the the plane tossing everything they can into the rafts. "I knew that I shoulda learned to swim," Ben says. Will and Pete get into one raft while Jim and Ben climb into the other. They have spread the supplies between the two and they now paddle away from the plane. They are afraid to stay with the PBY because the Japanese control the skies here and nobody wants to be used for target practice. Will says, "I don't suppose that anybody other than yours truly thought of saving the Famous Grouse? Well gentlemen here is our remaining bottle, which I will gladly present to the first friendly face that appears to save us."

tocaff -> The Rafts (12/15/2009 7:05:25 PM)
June 6, 1942 Washington DC The White House FDR sits behind his desk and motions for the ambassador of the Soviet Union, Maxim Litvinoff, to be seated. He says, "Our two countries have agreed to share information in our effort to defeat our enemies. There were supposed to be weekly meetings here in Washington between someone of your choosing and my envoy, Admiral Edward Landy. To date there hasn't been a single meeting and I want to know why." Mr. Litvinoff replies, "I have yet to receive authorization to commence with these meetings. As soon as I hear from Moscow I will then be able to act." FDR says, "This answer is not what I was looking for and I want you to convey to Comrade Stalin that much hinges upon our working together in our mutual struggle against the Axis powers. You may now leave and I will expect a prompt response from you concerning this matter." FDR looks at Henry Stimson and as soon as the door closes he says, "I know, I know, but damn the Russians and their foot dragging. They want a second front now, but everything else is wait. To hell with being diplomatic, if they don't reply fast I'll express my dismay to Stalin by sending you to meet with Molotov." Ed completes another brief for FDR and has an orderly see to it that it arrives at the White House. It reads: 23 ER is at Inch'on 24 ER is at Chiamussu 18 AvR is at Mandalay 50 HAAB is at Clark 4.5K troops are at Hanoi 20 D is at Seoul Burma Area Army is located at Lashio 13 AAR is at Maizuru 53 CB is at Takamatsu 21 RER is at Shimuzu The Russell Islands and Sorong have been invaded Homan suffers continued air and artillery bombardments The Palawan has gotten her sailing orders. She will be part of a convoy bound for Canton Island as a part of Operation Constellation, though nobody on Palawan will ever hear that name. Palawan weighs anchor and joins her convoy in her assigned position. All Operation Constellation convoys sailed today and as ships return they will load again as part of Operation Comet. Day 2 floating around in the Timor Sea for the Pirates has been uneventful. The men discuss their prospects for rescue and decide to ration their food and water, just in case. They have 4 men, 2 rafts, 3 Mae Wests as somehow Will managed to forget his, 2 Very flare pistols with 2 flares each, food and water that they hope will last long enough, a bottle of Famous Grouse and a fish hook with some line. "You know when I was a kid I used to be a pretty fair fisherman," says Jim. "You were once a kid?" laughs Ben. "I wonder if the plane is still floating around out there," says Will. As darkness falls the men watch some distant lightning and the water starts getting rougher. "Great, just great," says Pete, "I hate roller coaster rides. I blew lunch at Cony Island on the Cyclone and swore that I'd never ride another one again. Now I'm stuck out here in the middle of nowhere with three of the ugliest faces a man could ever see. I wonder what's next in our little adventure?" "Did you ever go on the parachute jump ride there?" asks Ben. "If I had I'd probably never have flown with you guys," laughs Pete. The men are in for a wet and wild night from the looks of things and they debate if they should keep the two rafts lashed together or not. They decide that they will stick together no matter what.

tocaff -> RE: The Rafts (12/17/2009 1:54:58 PM)
June 7, 1942 "Thanks for letting me know," says Bill. He leaves the office at the airstrip and rejoins Gunny and says, "The Pirates are overdue and are missing. A distress call giving their position was received but the weather prevented a search in that area. Now after the storm the search area is much larger and the Aussies are making no promises about finding them." I had a message sent to Admiral Landy informing him of this and our status." Ed reviews the reports of the day, thinking of the Pirates adrift, if they're lucky, somewhere in the Timor Sea. Today's White House brief contains the following: 51 RCB is at Hsinyang 10 CB is at Tsitsihar 55 D is at Myitkyina 65 CB is at Kagoshima 8 Tank R is enroute to Singapaore 51 AAR is at Clark 8 RAAR is enroute to Lunga 35 CB is at Tsitsihar 22 HAAB is at Wuhan 17 Zeros swept the Homan area and encountered 9 IL-4cs. ! Zero was damaged and the Chinese lost 1 plane and 2 others were damaged. Cooktown suffered an air raid with no damage. Sorong and the Russell Islands have fallen. The submarine Haddock reports a convoy at Saipan and the Tarpon will arrive there in approximately 3 days time to mine the harbor. The Tautog, suffering from moderate systems damage has nearly pumped out all of the water taken on board and she'll make it to Pearl Harbor. The Pirates have managed to literally ride out the storm. The 2 rafts are still lashed together and the men are green around the gills as they were all seasick. "Maybe these clouds will break and then an air search can find us. I don't want to go through another storm at sea again," says Pete. Bill is checking their supplies and informs the men that, "We've lost 1/2 of our water, some food and the bottle of Famous Grouse." "That's a damned shame about the bottle," says Ben. The men try to joke around to keep their spirits up, but they're all afraid that they won't ever be found. [image]local://upfiles/22538/B67DAA4624F04A0E8B56CCA5497A2CEA.jpg[/image] Allied minefields as of today.

tocaff -> RE: The Rafts (12/17/2009 7:37:52 PM)
June 7, 1942 The Timor Sea As dusk approaches the Pirates can hear the drone of a plane in the distance. None of them bother to do more than look up as it sounds far away. "Hey Jim where's my dinner that I thought you would've caught by now? I'm not real good at this hunger and thirst thing," says Pete. "You'd have thought with all of that rain last night we could've trapped some of it," mumbles Ben, "Instead we got soaked by seawater." Jim says, "I'd use Ben for bait, but he claims that he can't swim." Will says, "I'll be damned if all of us aren't going to make it through this little side trip. I've never been unable to return to base eventually and I never, ever lost a member of my crew and I'm not about to start now. Pete, what direction would you say the wind is blowing?" Pete answers that it's SSW. "OK here's what we're going to do......." Two hours later they've managed to construct a makeshift mast out of the oars lashed together by their bootlaces. The sail has been stitched together from shirts with the fishing hook and line. "Now with our luck we'll bump into Australia sooner than later," says Will. He knows that it's a long shot, but they have to try something. "So for now we're out of the fishing business so tighten your belts and maybe a prayer might be in order," says Will. The others look at him knowing that Will is not a religious man. A gentle shower begins to fall and they all lean their heads back, open their mouths and catch whatever rain they can. [image]local://upfiles/22538/D6950E5135894F6BA8BC2D27FB9A2BF1.jpg[/image] Allied Pilot Pool as of June 7

tocaff -> RE: The Rafts (12/19/2009 1:43:28 PM)
June 8, 1942 Ed enters the Oval Office and is greeted by FDR. The two men immediately get down to business as Ed starts with his intel report for the day. 11 D is at Mutanchiang 68 CB is at Hamamatsu 2 AvR is at Mutanchiang 213K troops are at Changkufeng 53 CB is at Lashio 102 IJA BF is at Harbin 22 Air Flot is at Singapore The IJA continues to build up the pressure at Homan as more troops are constantly arriving and the air and artillery bombardments intensify. FDR asks, "Do you have anything new about a Japanese move on Alaska or Australia?" Ed replies that there isn't anything new, but that he's keeping an eye out for any clues. FDR says, "The Soviets have yet to respond about our sharing of intel and I intend to press them on this and about the possibility of basing US assets on Soviet soil. I'll keep you posted if anything happens. Have a good night and I'll see you soon." As Ed leaves he passed Henry Stimson and George Marshall. These two men enter the Oval Office and they start to discuss the war news. "The SS submitted a report on the 5th that 97K Jews had been "processed" in mobile gas vans," says Stimson. "What the hell is wrong with those animals?" exclaims FDR, "In the Pacific I would like to see an acceleration on our part in the repositioning of our forces. It's imperative that we strengthen Australia and the New Hebrides as fast as possible. I do not want any more easy conquests made by the Japanese." The meeting continues as the men discuss many items on their agenda. Another day closes on the Pirates and their ordeal. They are starting to suffer from hunger as their meager food stock is all but exhausted and the water supply is almost gone. "If Ben hadn't taken the time to fill these canteens we would've been screwed by now because the four of them are all we have left," says Pete. They have no way of knowing where they are and they silently pray that the breeze continues to blow them towards Australia. Just before the sun begins to set they spot a PBY in the distance and Will fires a flare. The men are excited, but soon they sadly realize that the plane hasn't seen the flare and they resign themselves to another night in the rafts. The normal banter among the men has been replaced by silence as they all deal with their plight in their own ways.

tocaff -> RE: The Rafts (12/21/2009 3:24:57 PM)
June 9, 1942 Ed looks at the sheet of paper in front of him and thinks about the ramifications and the responsibilities that he carries. Operation Sledgehammer has been officially canceled and units are getting their new orders. He wonders what will happen if his advice to FDR should prove to be bad and what will happen to him. He sighs and decides that the worst that they can do to him is to give him another desk somewhere and he'll be lost there for the duration. He gets back to the daily brief. 12 HAAB is at Nagoya 2 MtnGR is at Ichang 13 Army is at Changsha Sasebo 2 SNLF is at Amboina 13 NCB is at Osaka 5 AirD is at Singapore 15 AAR is at Nagoya 23 Army is at Wuchow The recon of Wake is steadily showing 5 LCUs of 10800/43/0. The air raids and artillery bombardments on Homan 's defenders continues. There have been landings at Sansapor. Daily air raids are being made on Cooktown, but the damage is negligible. 55 miles NE of Yunan the IJA attacks Chinese troops with 22.7K men and are driven back by the 14.7K defenders. The Japanese loses are pegged at 958/29/1 and the Chinese lost 7/1/0. China's back door has not been left unguarded. Bill and Gunny have managed to get to Johnston Island, but have no word on the Pirates. The two rafts drift along in a southerly direction driven by a light breeze. There are 2 canteens with water in them and that's all they have left. There is no food and they have 3 more flares. They spotted a Japanese plane earlier in the day, but either they were not seen or were of no interest to the men on board. The men are silently lying in the cramped rafts being baked by the unrelenting sun by day and chilled each night. "I never knew that lazing around like this could be so tough," remarks Pete. There is no response from anyone. "You'd have thought that we could've at least been searched for," says Pete. Again nobody says anything. Just then there is a faint drone of a plane's engines off in the distance. Will looks up, as do the rest of them, but they can't even spot a spec in the sky. The drone continues to get louder and suddenly Ben shouts, "There, over there!" He points skywards and sure enough a plane is approaching them. Will scrambles for the Very pistol and loads it. The plane continues to approach them and Jim identifies it as a Hudson bomber. Will fires a flare and the plane continues towards them, it adjusts it's course so that it's now making directly towards the flare, which has drifted down to the ocean. The plane starts to circle and drops in altitude as the crew try to find who fired a flare. The Pirates are frantically waving and Will fires another flare. This time the plane flies directly over them and it waggles it's wings. "I told you that they'd find us," says Will. Aboard the Hudson they call in their location and report the two rafts. The Hudson circles once more and then heads off to the south. "I wonder how long it'll take them to pick us up," says Ben. The men know that in a couple of hours it'll be dark and then they'll spend another night in their floating hell. Silently Will thinks about how much distance they could cover in a night and how difficult they could be to find tomorrow. There is one remaining flare and then.......... The Soviets have discovered 6 LCUs at Chiamussu numbering about 28200/268/7 and another 7 LCUs at Hailar comprised of 31900/275/6. Stalin has not replied to the communications from his embassy in Washington DC and has no real interest in sharing his intel with the Americans. "All I want from the Americans and the British are supplies and most of all a second front." His generals say nothing and nod in agreement.

tocaff -> Rescue (12/23/2009 3:53:35 PM)
June 10, 1942 Ed's White House brief for the day is: 25K troops are at Sapporo 43 CB is at Rangoon 35 HAAB is at Rangoon 2 Fleet is at Balikpapan 1.9K troops are at Pagan 1.3K troops are at Rahaeng 1 AirD is at Wuhan 72.1K troops are at Heiho 88K troops are at Pescadores Construction at Anchorage has raised the airfield and port levels to 8.� The goal is to build them one more level. Homan's defenders continue to suffer under the constant air and artillery bombardments by the Japanese. Sansapor has fallen. The submarine S-38 was attacked near Tassafaronga and suffered moderate systems damage and flooding. Tautog has reached Pearl Harbor dry as a bone, as far as subs go, and having 32 sys damage.� She's scheduled for a few repairs at Pearl while her damage is evaluated and will then be sent back to the US for repairs. The Tarpon has received new orders to mine Guam and a new course is plotted.� Recon flights over Wake Island report 5 LCUs made up of about 10780/41/0 and the usual fighter cover was dodged. "So it appears that Chiamussu has 6 LCUs 27280/298/6 and Hailar 7 LCUs 41380/338/4 and now we know that our friends, the Japanese, are defending in strength from forward positions," say Stalin.� His generals all silently nod in agreement as they know that he is in a foul mood today and to do anything but agree would be foolish. Dawn broke after another night in the rafts and the Pirates are down to one canteen that's almost empty.� The men silently strain to hear the drone of a plane that doesn't come.� By noon the men, who are suffering from exposure, are out of water and hope is all they have left.� "Guys I've never lied to you and I won't now, but I know we'll be rescued today.� Anybody not believing me could back up their opinion with some cash as I've been known to place a bet here and there," says Will.� The men weakly laugh and tell him to keep his money as if they aren't rescued they won't be needing his cash.� About 2 hours later Pete asks, "Did you hear that?"� Ben says, "Yeah I did and it's getting louder."� Jim points to the south and sure enough a Dutch Do24K approaches them.� Will reaches for the Very pistol and fires the last flare.� The plane does a slow circle of them as is loses altitude and then it levels off and straightens is flight path.� The Pirates cheer as the plane touches down on the water, bouncing along and then coming to a halt.� After dismantling their makeshift sail and mast the Pirates paddle over to the plane and are helped into it.� The Dutch crew gives each man a canteen of water and a blanket as they taxi and lumber into the air.� A little food is offered to the men who wolf it down and after extending profuse thanks the Pirates fall asleep. [image]local://upfiles/22538/AF6AB2F1B8D94659B4CC6C11B013FCBB.jpg[/image] Do24K-1

tocaff -> RE: LITS (12/24/2009 2:09:27 PM)
June 11, 1942 The Oval Office "Sit down Ed, relax and let's hear what's up in the Pacific," says FDR. Ed begins his report: 13 D is planning for Chunking 3 ER is at Lunga 56 D is at Lunga 4 ER is at Kendari 31 RCB is at Changchun 87.1K troops are at Camranh Bay 2 AirD is at Harbin 1 R TankR is at Kitakyushu * RAAR is at Lunga 17 CB is at Mutanchiang 23 AAR is at Rangoon 11 SBF is at Songkhia 59 D is at Kweilin 4 MortB is at Ichang There appears to be 5 LCUs at Wake Island, comprised of 13580/52/0. These numbers fluctuate based on the photos of each recon mission, but hold fairly consistent. Dili was invaded as was Rennell Island, which promptly fell to the Japanese. Homan underwent another heavy bombardment. Ed and FDR discuss what's going on and what this intel means and FDR decides that Operation Comet will cement the Allies "Line In The Sand", which will be referred to as LITS in the future. "Once these troops are all in place we can then go over to the offensive from a position of strength. We will advance under a cover of LBA, wherever we can and our 4E bombers will pave the way for us by grinding up the Japanese airfields. This strategy will enable our forces to have a better chance of arriving at their destinations with minimal LBA interference. The USN and RN will combine to shield our forces from the IJN," says FDR. Ed leaves after agreeing that this strategy should work. Upon Ed's return to his office he discovers that the Pirates were rescued yesterday by a Dutch plane. If he knew were Bill was he'd pass the word to him so instead he sends a message to Pearl that will find it's way to Bill as soon as he surfaces. Tarpon has mined Guam and now heads back to Pearl Harbor. A constant patrol has been established in the Attu, Kiska area by 2 subs that will be maintained in an effort to detect a suspected Japanese move into the area. The islands themselves are undefended at the present time and there are no immediate plans for their defense other than a strong USN fleet in the area and LBA. The Allies are suffering from an acute lack of fighters and are having troubles keeping the numbers up to snuff in the P-40E squadrons. Conversion of older models isn't happening because of this shortage. The Pirates are in a medical facility and the prognosis for their recovery is good. Will makes a phone call to Darwin and arranges for the next plane to Derby to be carrying a case of Famous Grouse for the men of GVT-7 who rescued the Pirates. Pete and Ben are discussing the nurses and Jim keeps telling anyone who will listen that he's "happier than a pig in crap." Happy Holidays to you all!

tocaff -> RE: LITS (12/27/2009 8:46:00 AM)
June 12, 1942 Ed is sitting through another one of the White House briefings and wonders why anyone in their right mind would want to be there.� These meetings are about as dry as can be and the junior officers come and go giving the various reports while the senior officers who are "in the loop" get to sit through it all.� Don't we have anything better to do he wonders. "On the 7th the Germans assaulted Sevastopol, heavy casulties were taken on both sides. 33 German divisions attacked on the Volchansk Front on the 10th.� Also on the 10th Operation Rutter, the rehearsal of Dieppe, was held, General Montgomery in command."� The Army major steps away from the podium and leaves the room and is promptly replaced by a Navy commander who says, "Mines, that were assumed to be laid by German U-boats, were discovered off of Boston and the Chesapeake Bay."� He continues with other facts and figures.� Finally Ed's man rises to present his daily White House brief, less his own insights: 15 Army is at Myitkyina 26K troops are at Seoul 19K troops are at Shikka 67 CB is at Toyama 9 AFCB is planning for Medan 5 D is at Palembang 32 HAAB is at Aomori 15 Tank R os at Ichang 127 IJA BF is at Gili Gili Irau has been invaded and Dili has fallen. FDR thanks everyone and asks that all senior officers remain for a couple of minutes.� After the room has been cleared by all of those except the ones staying he announces, "Tomorrow I will officially authorize the creation of the US Office On War Information, the OWI, with an Executive Order.� It will consolidate the various government information services looking to:� Provide war news to the public Promote patriotism Warn of spies Encourage women to join the workforce to replace a growing shortage of men as the Army and Navy continue to grow It will also distribute propaganda abroad. Also on tomorrow, by way of a Presidential Military Oder, I will be creating the Office Of Strategic Services, OSS.� They will collect and analyze strategic information.� Major General William Joseph Donovan will be in command.� Thank you gentlemen, that will be all."� Everyone rises to leave and Ed feels a hand on his arm and turns to see that it's Bill Donovan.� "Ed would you do me the honor of dinner tonight?"� Ed nods to the affirmative and asks, "Am I correct to assume that 8PM would be OK for our usual place?"� This time it's Donovan who nods.� Ed returns to his office for the rest of the day's mundane tasks and sees that Bill has arrived at Pearl Harbor.� He issues orders for Bill to hold there and await further instructions. Tarpon's crew is greatly relieved to have completed their mining operations as they harbor a dread of the large, ugly and very deadly things.� They are all looking forward to an uneventful cruise back to Hawaii, though finding a nice, juicy Japanese ship along the way to sink would be nice. The Pirates are regaining their strength and are already gaining a reputation among the nurses as a "randy bunch." Red lies in his bunk, Lucky squeezed in with him, reading a book about dog training.� He figures that if Lucky continues to grow at this rate he had better learn to obey commands before he causes to much trouble and to date all anyone has managed to teach Lucky is to sit.� At that moment Red erupts with a, "No Lucky, leave my pictures alone!"� The dog has managed to pull his Betty Grable pinup off of the bulkhead and is now happily shredding it. [image]local://upfiles/22538/77E8917C20CA4167B18F5FF0C76694E8.jpg[/image] Betty Grable

tocaff -> RE: LITS (12/29/2009 5:55:01 PM)
June 13, 1942 Bill Donovan stops by Ed's office and asks if he can have a peek at the White House brief. Ed hands it to him and Bill reads: 14 Army is at Rangoon 38.5K troops are at Hailar 5 RAAR is at Taejon 24.6K troops are at Taejon 2 MR is at Hanchow 19 ER is at Ichang 42 AAR is at Seoul 35 HAAB is at Rangoon 5 AFCB is at Sinkep Island 5 MortB is at PM 144 IJABF is at Tokyo There have been Japanese landings at Manokwari, Lautern and Stewart Island which fell. Recon flights report 10880/47/0 at Wake Island. Bill says, "As the head honcho at OSS I'd like to thank you for allowing me to spy on Franklin's mail." The two men share a laugh and get down to business. "Give me your paw," commands Red and Lucky just sits there looking at him. "Give me your paw," Red repeats to no avail. Cookie walks up and says to Red, "Let me have a try. Lucky, give me your paw." The dog extends his left paw to Cookie's outstretched hand. "I'll be damned, he's a southpaw," exclaims Red. "No wonder why I couldn't get him to follow the command. I've been trying to get his right paw. I've got to teach him to do it all of the time and also the other paw too." Cookie says, "When you want to give Lucky a command call his name first to get his attention. It should work, hell sometimes my wife even listens that way." "You're married? Since when? Nobody knew about this," says Red. "Let's just keep it our little secret as I like the gruff appearance and tough reputation I've nurtured through the years working on various ships. I'd really appreciate it Red," says Cookie. "OK, you got it Cookie," Red replies as he's dieing to know more about this. Bill and Gunny are overjoyed to get the news about the Pirates rescue and the problems they're casing at the hospital. "I'd be worried if they were behaving themselves," says Gunny. The two men are tossing down a couple of beers with lunch when a jeep pulls up in front of the bar and the driver starts going from table to table. "Looks like somebody is on a search for someone," observes Bill. The man approaches their table and asks, "Excuse me sirs, but by any chance would either of you be Commander William Smith?" "That would be me," answers Bill. "My apologies for interrupting your lunch sir. I'll wait outside for you while you finish and then drive you back to base as there's something important for you there." "OK, we'll only be a few more minutes," say Bill who gives Gunny a shrug as he wonders what's up that can't wait until later. "Isn't this just like the military, hurry up and wait." Gunny laughs, finishes off what's left in his plate, takes a final gulp of beer and says, "Whenever you're ready boss." The Russian staff prepares a report for Stalin, who to their relief is not hounding them today. There are 5160/61/0 troops, big guns and vehicles at Arshaan At Mishan the force is placed at 2000/5/137 Hailar holds 41740/318/18 The Soviet embassy in Washington DC is still awaiting a reply from Moscow concerning the proposed meetings to share intel. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time to read this AAR. I'm running about 4 weeks behind the game. My opponent, Steve, has been dealing with a heavy workload and real life issues so he's been unable to keep his AAR up to date and sometimes we don't get a turn in for a day or two. In any event welcome aboard to any new readers and I hope you enjoy the read. I'll be heading off to an island here in Brazil for some fun in the sun, BBQs and maybe even a drink or two. [sm=00000436.gif] I'll be back with more of the war next year, January 3rd is the targeted date. HAPPY NEW YEAR! [sm=character0272.gif]

tocaff -> RE: LITS (1/3/2010 2:04:56 PM)
June 14, 1942 Ed stares blankly at the wall wondering what's happened to his naval career. He knows that making admiral has killed his chances of ever getting command of a ship and that's all he's really ever wanted. He looks over the daily brief before sending it on it's way, reading it one more time. Shuzan NG is as PM 15 MortarB is at Rabul 15 NCB is at Takao 65 NG is at PM There have been landings at Medan and Manokwari has fallen to the Japanese. Lautem has been attacked by Japanese planes, but no damage was done. The latest recon reports show 6 LCUs at Wake made up of 10460/46/0. Red has spent another day trying to train Lucky. "You're spending to much time trying to train him," says Cookie. "You lose the dog's attention and only frustrate yourself. Why don't you try 10 minutes here and there instead of an hour? Maybe it'll work." Just then Lucky enters the galley with something in his mouth." Cookie reaches down and coaxes Lucky to relinquish his prize. He then smooths out the paper revealing that Red has now lost his Ginger Rogers pinup. "Damn! Why can't he just leave my pictures alone? He's becoming a menace," moans Red. Cookie laughs and says, "I'm sure you've got some more stashed somewhere." The Pirates are in excellent spirits as today they are being released from the hospital. They have been informed that they have a week before reporting for their next assignment. They have agreed that the first order of business is to go out and eat and drink whatever they want, in large quantities. The Soviets have recon reports that they have forwarded to Stalin. The report sent to him states the following: 1 LCU 5400/50/0 at Arshaan 2 LCUs 2060/6/146 at Mishan 7 LCUs 41320/336/4 at Hailar Stalin reads the report and is advised that though they may rattle the saber the Japanese are to strong for them to attack now. The Germans are the primary concern and keeping the Japanese at bay will be done by maintaining force strength with gradual building of force strength. [image]local://upfiles/22538/DDD77DF514CA49AEBC4ABE1D5338E899.jpg[/image] Ginger Rogers

tocaff -> RE: Death From On High (1/5/2010 3:38:29 PM)
Jun 15, 1942 The White House "Intel has indicated the following: 5 AirD is at Singapore 2 RAAR is at Tokyo 36 D is at Ichang 106 IJA BF is at Etorofo Jima 59K troops are at Harbin 10.4K troops are at Etorofo Jima The landings at Medan continue and Irau has also been invaded. Lautem has fallen with the 7 DAF BF and A-II-Ld AAB have surrendered." FDR thanks Ed who promptly heads back to his office. Hudsons have hit an AP and left it burning at Lautem, but the crews are doing a horrible job when the number of sorties are compared with results. The submarine O19 was attacked by an IJN ASW TF 40 mules SE of Lunga, doing no damage. Homan sustains light damage as artillery and air attacks continue there. 37 Zeros (2 destroyed) 7 Kates 6 Oscars (2 downed) 8 Anns (1 destroyed) 2 Babs were bounced by 14 P-40Es, of which 6 were destroyed and 1 was damaged. Homan can't hold for long, facing the large force the IJA has sent there and the bombardments are taking a terrible toll on the defenders. Lucky's training continues and Red is beaming as it seems that Cookie's advice is working. The only question among the crew is who Red is more proud of, himself or the dog? Red even has gone so far as to predict that he'll have Lucky being the best trained dog in the Pacific. "Teach him to use the head and you'll really impress us," says a member of the crew who has slipped in a puddle of urine. "The larger this beast gets, the bigger the surprises we find left by him." The Pirates have managed to find transport back to Darwin and upon their arrival boost the business or a local pub. Bill and Gunny continue to cool their heels while awaiting new orders. Gunny is constantly running into old buddies from The Corps while Bill has met a few old classmates from Annapolis. The rapidly expanding USN is short of officers and promotions are now at a rate that you could never have imagined a scant 5 years ago. Bill decides that he's going to press Ed and Admiral Leahy for a ship to command before he gets stuck forever being an errand boy. Phil heads to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel as he's discovered that his pal, Bill, is quartered there. The two men have a drink and talk of old times. "Hows my apartment in DC doing?" asks Phil. "I wouldn't know," says Bill, "I've been flying around and spending so much time in an office that I hardly get there for more than a few hours of bunk time." Phil asks Bill if he's heard anything about a new BB named North Carolina. "I've heard scuttlebutt that she's been assigned to the Pacific Fleet and is on her way here now. I like serving as exec on Benham, but boy I'd love to serve on that big girl," says Phil. "I'd like to get aboard just about any ship at this point in time," replies Bill. The two men head into Honolulu for dinner. "By the end of July we should have most of the troops at their assigned bases so that when the Japanese run into the LITS there will be hell to pay. The Aussies are going to shift about 3 divisions towards their northern coast as it's expected that the Japanese will try to land there. The Aussies plan on trading space for time and holding on at Darwin. We, on the other hand are sending an infantry division to bolster the defenses of Oz, but it won't get there until the end of July or early August." Ed, Bill Donovan and Admiral Leahy are sharing a dinner and Bill thanks Leahy for sharing the information. He then turns to Ed and says, "There's been no word from the Soviets about sharing information so I've advised Franklin to give them nothing information wise and play their game and be elusive about a second front. I know that George Marshall wants the Soviets to allow US troops and planes on their soil, but I seriously doubt that they'll agree to something like that. With allies like that we really don't need enemies. I wouldn't give you a plug nickel for our relations with Uncle Joe once the war is over."

tocaff -> RE: Protect Thy Turf (1/6/2010 4:52:59 PM)
June 16, 1942 The White House "...On June 10th the Axis took Bir Hacheim. On the 11th two convoys sailed for Malta, one from Gibraltar and the other from Alexandria. The first Axis attacks fell on these convoys on the 14th and the Italian Navy struck on the 15th forcing the convoy to return to Alexandria. Air Marshall Harris was Knighted on the 14th." Ed's turn comes and he delivers a terse report without any frills. "19 D is at Taejon 6 AvR is at Changkufeng 14 NCB is at Osaka 88K troops are at Pescadores 48 HAAB is at Mandalay Recon flights of Wake Island place 6 LCUs there made up of 12060/42/0. Landings of Japanese troops continued at Medan while Noemffor was invaded too. Homan was assaulted by 173K Japanese troops and their loses were placed at 3415/152/2. The Chinese defenders, who saw the forts level drop from 9 to 7, numbered 66.3K and they suffered loses of 1562/16/0. "There have been reports of some Chinese officers loading anything with wheels and scooting with their loot." Ed has decided to come out publicly and lay into the Chinese and Soviets. "It would seem that some of our Allies spend more time in self-serving endeavors, meaning the Chinese, and others are good at making demands, but offering nothing in return, our friends in Moscow. Fighting this war is difficult enough, but having Allies who are less than co-operative just galls me." After the meeting breaks up FDR says to Ed, "Hang around a bit and join Bill, George, Henry and I for some refreshments." Once the room is empty save these five men FDR says, "Ed, I'm a little surprised at you showing your frustration this way. You know that the Soviets are fighting a tremendously massive and bloody war with the Germans and that without them who knows what Hitler would be up to now. As for the Chinese, did we ever expect anything other than those generals protecting their own turf? The realities of this global conflict are complex, to say the least, and you won't get yourself fired by me for venting some steam in these meetings. In fact it was refreshing as most of the brass ventures forward only when prodded while you share your thoughts with me. Those thoughts tend to be a correct assessment of the situation more often than not and that makes you more valuable to the war effort than the lot of them. OK, now how about those refreshments?" White House staff enters the room as if by magic and asks each man what he would like and the room is tidied up too. "You know that when this war is over I'm going to invest all of the money I save shipping on these rust buckets and then I'm going to buy as much land as I can on one of these islands. How'd you like to be my partner Red? You don't have to answer now, but think about it and save your money," says Cookie Red scratches his head and asks, "What exactly would I have to do? I mean it's not like I had a lot of schooling," he says. Cookie replies, "You and I will take some trips around these islands whenever we can and then we'll decide where to buy our land. I've got a feeling that California and here will see the values skyrocket and we should get in on it." Red nods his assent and rubs Lucky's head. Bill and Phil meet as planned on the beach at the Royal Hawaiian and at the appointed time the two nurses that they met last night arrive. The four of them have a nice and relaxing afternoon and then they all head off in different directions. Bill meets up with Gunny and they wonder when they'll get their orders. "Well at least if we've got to cool our heels this place is better than most," says Bill. Operation Comet continues unmolested and Navy brass can't help wondering where the IJN has been hiding itself, especially their subs.

tocaff -> RE: Protect Thy Turf (1/8/2010 5:53:20 PM)
June 17, 1942 "I've got it!" exclaims Red as he explodes from his bunk, sending Lucky scampering out of the way, he races to the galley looking for Cookie, but doesn't find him there. Red starts forward and his search of the deck ends when he finds Cookie and Lucky at the stern. "I've got the name for our company, Coda Investments. Get it? Cookie, Damon, Investments, Coda! Whadaya think of that?" "I like it. You're a pretty sharp kid and I think that we should register the name and as soon as we put together some money we should open a bank account for the company. I've saved $145.00 so far so maybe tomorrow we can start the ball rolling," says Cookie. "I've got $325.00 saved so we've got $470.00 already, " says Red. "OK then we're off to the bank in the morning," says Cookie. Ed has prepared yet another brief that reads as follow: 2 ships are at Etorofo Jima 104 D is at Wuchow 11 D is at Mutanchiang 41 AAR is at Pusan 24 ER is at Chiamussu 4.6K troops are at Hanoi 5.3K troops are at Pusan Yokosuka 6 SNLF is at PM 29.8K troops are at Changchun 107 IJA BF is at Taejon Recon of Wake shows 6 LCUs 110801/44/0 Landings continue at Medan which falls on the first attack. 1775 Allied casualties Noemfoor fell to the Japanese Cooktown was raided by 8 X Zero 1 destroyed/1 damaged, 14 X Betty 2 damaged and was met by a CAP of 6 P-40E 1 damaged A convoy left SF for PH Bill and Gunny are having lunch as both men are pondering how to kill another day with nothing to do. Gunny says that tomorrow he's got to head to the bank, if that's OK and Bill nods. The Pirates are starting to get bored as the only thing for them to do is have a good time. They are feeling guilty about this as the think of the men that they flew supplies to and the risks that these people are taking. "Hell," says Will, "Why should we feel guilty after floating around for days in a couple of rafts? If I remember that was no fun at all." The men agree with this. "Yes, that's right. Uh huh. We expect the Japanese to attempt a move into northern Australia. Sadly there aren't more US forces there. Of course I want the Army to release that tank battalion to the Aussies to be used in a counter attack. I know, I know. Look we'll have 5 CVs in the Pacific in about a month so let's get those new torpedo bombers I've heard about to them and maybe with the Brits we can do some hunting. OK, then" FDR hangs up the phone and lifts himself out of his wheelchair into the bed. Though his mind is constantly busy sleep comes quickly due to exhaustion.

tocaff -> RE: Protect Thy Turf (1/11/2010 12:15:43 AM)
June 18, 1942 213K troops are at Changkufeng 42 AAR is at Seoul 23 ER is at Ich'on 1 ER is at PM 101 IJNAF BF is at Wotje 3.3K troops are at Anshan 87K troops are at Camranh Bay 51 CB is at Chanchun 23 AAR us at Rangoon 48 CB is at Rahaeng 32 HAAB is at Aomari Recon of Wake Island shows 6 LCUs 11800/42/0 35 miles west of Homan the Chinese attack and the Japanese retreat towards Ichang. Submarine KXVII was attacked by IJN ASW 65 miles east of Lunga, but suffered no damage. 100 miles NE of Yunan a Japanese attack was repulsed by the Chinese. Ed summons an orderly and the report is on it's way. Gunny arrives at the Bishop National Bank of Hawaii at Honolulu and is politely asked to wait after he gives his name. Cookie and Red arrive and are given the same instructions. About five minutes later the secretary calls for Mr. Gaffney and both Red and Gunny rise and step forward. "Excuse me, but we seem to have a little confusion here," says the secretary. "Mr. Williams will see you now Mr. Gaffney." Both Red and Gunny announce that they are Mr. Gaffney. They turn and look at eachother and Gunny says to Red, "I'm Ralph Gaffney and you are?" Red says, "Imagine that. I'm Damon Gaffney." The two eyeball eachother and Gunny says, "My father's name was Damon." Red says, "My mother told me that I had a grandfather by that name too. I didn't know my father as he was a Marine off somewhere or other. I don't even know if he's alive." Gunny replies, "I'm a Marine, just dressed in civies. I come from the Baltimore area, you?" "I'm from Baltimore! My mother's name was Mary Ellen," Red excitedly says. "I'll be damned! I knew a Mary Ellen from Baltimore. She was a cute little thing with red hair and a brother named Sean. We dated for a while while I was stationed in that area," says Gunny. "Sean was her brother! You don't think, nah impossible," says Red "Oh no, you've got to be kidding me," says Cookie. "Look Red I think that maybe we should all do our business here and then go somewhere to talk. Would that be OK with you Mr. Gaffney?" The three finish their business at the bank and go to a small bar for some lunch and a beer. By the time they're done talking Gunny and Red are both wondering if in fact they really could be father and son. They agree to meet the next day and talk some more and then say good bye.

vettim89 -> RE: Protect Thy Turf (1/11/2010 12:17:53 AM)
Nice touch

tocaff -> RE: Protect Thy Turf (1/12/2010 4:45:59 PM)
Thanks for the encouragement Vettim89. June 19, 1942 "Let me know as soon as you get confirmation of the orders being received.� Remember I don't care what time of day, or night it is.� OK?� Also see that this gets to the White House immediately," says Ed.� The orderly snaps off a salute, an aye aye sir and he's off. The Tarpon is making for home after another uneventful mission. The Pirates report, as ordered, and get their orders to return to Washington DC.� They leave Cdr Feldt's office, which relays to Pearl Harbor that the orders have been delivered.� Pearl Harbor will in turn relay word back to Admiral Landy's office, in due time as it's not earmarked as urgent.� The Pirates mull things over and decide that as there is no immediacy attached to their orders there is no rush to comply.� The men head off to enjoy a beautiful day at the beach. Bill is joined by Gunny for breakfast and Bill says, "We've finally got our orders and we're to report to Mare Island.� We leave in three hours on a flight I managed to get us on."� Gunny nods and considers the meet he's supposed to have with Red and Cookie later that day.� The two men finish eating and Bill arranges to meet Gunny for the flight.� Gunny finds a Marine private lounging around nearby as he leaves the mess hall and stops to speak to him. "Son, I'd appreciate it if you'd do me a rather large favor and deliver a note for me to a Damon "Red" Gaffney who's a member of the crew of the SS Palawan. "� The private is only to happy to comply with Gunny's request as any Marine with half a brain knows better than to refuse such a request.� Gunny asks the man's name, hands him the note, thanks him and heads off to prepare for his departure. FDR and his inner circle peruse the brief that Ed has sent: 122 IJN BF is at Kitakyushu 31 HAAB is at Aomori 8 ER is at Hsinyang 21 AAR is at Changsha 43 CB is at Rangoon 26K troops are at Seoul 7 NCB is at Lae 12 AAR is at Peking 6 AFCB is at Taung Gyi 4 ER is at Kendari Homan has been assaulted by 190K Japanese troops and the forts level drops to 4 despite the 61K Chinese defenders best efforts.� Loses are reported to be 5566/78/1 for the Japanese and 1668/26/0 for the Chinese. Wake Island is reported to have 6 LCUs there made up of 13700/55/0. "It would appear that we were right to cancel Operation Sledgehammer and to order Operation Comet.� Wake will ultimately wither on the vine as we solidify our LITS and then go over to the offensive," says FDR.� The other men agree. Just before leaving for home Ed's phone rings and he's informed that Cdr William Smith has been in receipt of his orders and will fly immediately to San Francisco.� "There is no word from Cdr Feldt's office concerning the Pirates yet," say the orderly.� Ed thanks the man and leaves for the day. Red shows the note that he got from Gunny to Cookie and says, "I really wanted to spend some time with him Cookie. Imagine if he's really my father......" "Don't fret about it Red. We're at war and things in life are all upside down for now. I'm sure that once he gets a chance he'll be in touch." Cookie hands the note back to Red and pats him on the back. Stalin is shown the latest intel reports and he notes that: Heiho contains 5 LCUs comprised of 40460/530/8 Arshaan 1 LCU 5120/56/0 Changkufeng 4 LCUs 7400/106/0 Hailar 7 LCUs 26700/326/7 "So we need to bolster our forces in the east if we hope to achieve our goal of driving the Japanese out of the Asian mainland.� That will have to wait for now as the Nazis must be dealt with first.� The Americans are still waiting for us to share intel with them and I have no intention of doing so, for now.� Once is serves our purposes we will learn what they have for us.� They also want to be able to base troops and planes on our soil and again I will make them wait for our reply.� In the meantime we will continue to press Churchill and Roosevelt to open a second front," says Stalin.

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