RE: The little ship that could. (Full Version)

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1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/6/2012 10:13:48 AM)

Port engine bridge!
Port engine
You are making heavy smoke.
Roger bridge




Port engine bridge!
Port engine
You are making heavy smoke!
Roger bridge





Port engine bridge!
Port engine!
You are making heavy smoke!!
Roger bridge!



"Engineer to the bridge!"





1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/6/2012 10:34:58 AM)

16/10/43


You have followed him for over a year now.
That ugly mother of a company commander, the one you half fear, half worship.
Hosho they call him
He's not a japanese......is he?. No, he's some neathadreal relic who has escaped some sort of primeal time, and been given command of the comapny, your company.
Hosho, of the sprawling tattoos, the missing little finger..........of the barking, biting command, of the threat of vioence about to always explode.......
Hosho, of the ready smile, the never ending jokes, of the quickness to share a meal, a bullet, a tent, a ditch.

And now, coolness, solidness, as battle swirls about you.................

Battle.
Battle is about many things, only one thing, about to the infantry man, what YOU can see about you.
It is about confusion, about noise, about fear, of enemies you rarely see.
Of dust, of explosions, of dirt, dirt and dust in your face, in your mouth, eyes, belly......

All night Hosho has had you dig your scrapes...........all night threatening all manner of trials to those who flagg, who seek rest or even (oh to have some!) sleep.
Your scrape now, is deep.
And as the Beaufighters -whispering death-, thunder across the embankment, you feel through the earth, sweet sweet earth, shudder under their cannon fire.
But they can't get you down here.

But now he is yelling -not the screams of the officers -but clear commands....you! fix fire on that palm tree....mortars, raise 100 yards......
Hosho crouches, head bobbing about, viewing the invisible enemy in the tree line 100 yards away.
And he directs battle.

"You! -and three others!........there are snipers!............ set your machine gun up there!..wrack that area!"
And you obey!
For you fear Hosho more than the enemy........................



1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/6/2012 10:36:28 AM)

55th division enter the fight.
On paper...........japanese AV 2808
Allied 1324

But I don't think that means much now.
In the open, under the blazing sun.

The bombers are killing us................



1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/7/2012 9:17:48 AM)

1000 yards.
This is what Hoshos world has reduced to

This scarred embankment, the drying paddy field in front, the row of trees marking the enemy line
Behind, more emptying fields, and distant, the road.
Behind that, somewhere, the artillery.

The world has reduced

To the blazing sun
The humidity, and thirst.
Water is scarce. Ammunition there is plenty.
But you cannot drink ammunition.

tropical sun
No shade
Little shelter other than these pathetic scrapes.

A poor position indeed.


Bombers strike all and down the line, but 55th division is spared today.
It lies quietly in the sun, baking.



1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/7/2012 9:20:39 AM)

The fleet is now deep into the phillipine sea.
Still undetected.

Ahead, katsaguri and 4 medium tankers.
In anticipation, the destroyers caome alongside the battle wagons, and fuel.
To Minobes, and the charges digust, nobody comes to take any of the donkey poo they carry.

Word, it seems, has gotten around.



1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/7/2012 9:26:47 AM)

herbiesan broods over the map of Burma.

It has been a fiasco, this so called defence.
"I should have held. Should have trusted the southern wing to hold the Akyab thrust.
Now, now I risk losing it all"

But he will never admit that to any one.
Never.
easier to replace generals than admit error................


"What is the situation of 8th division?'
'Still coming sir, 21 miles covered. But the enemy are swarming into the battle zone........"
"The division is lost?"




'if they attack, yes sir"


Another division. 4th, 38th, 56th, 57th......now the 8th...............
The list grows long.
I cannot risk it growing any longer.

'if the enemy attacks it, all troops are to immediately withdraw to moulmien...........until then, we hold. maybe they will make it"

And maybe we will march into Washington too..................



1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/8/2012 10:11:37 AM)

The aussies do attack the eigth division.

And eigth division holds!

900 australian casualties, 300 japanese.
Only now, it dawns on Japans High command. Maybe they too are suffering supply difficulties.
It doesn't matter. the clash is short, and desolutory, petering out before midday. The Tiger disengages his forces, and keeps coming south, 28 miles down now.
Hope stirs again.



1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/8/2012 10:30:57 AM)

Hosho is scurrying bent double, the chains of machine bullets rattling about his shoulders.
The dawn mist is rising, the armies stirring. Soon, undoubtably, the artillery would enter the morning bird song, and stuff up the day.

He leads a party of ten, all of them similarily loaded. It is not their job, but Hosho is takng no chances. When the attack comes, he is not going to be caught short.
They are about to enter the paddy field, the dangerous part, 100 yards of little , well, no cover. The field is still wet, an inch deep, and muddy as hell, so they are stuck with the path, a little ridge of land running crazily across the field.

They pause in the trees, and look, look hard.
The skys are clear.
"come on then............we won't get fed hanging about here, breakfast is at the embankment!"
They go.

Boots pounding, dust rising, guns, ammo rattling, jingling.

Half way across........... and the blenhiems come.

Little glints in the dawn, a mile or so away, wings suddenly in profile, banking , turning...........coming right at them.
'Run!, run for your truking lives!
50 yards.............
Every sense concentrated on but one thing, that scrape in the bank, that hole, that grave like opening .............safety
Heart pounding, lumngs bursting...........the howl odf diving engines.........and the pounding , rattling of the AA guns, barking, barking......
Hosho dives, crashing into the dirt, tensing for the impact of the shells...........

The roar of the planes flashing overhead, a stunning bang, crashing, exploding thudding chaos...........



A blenhiem lies scattered and burning the length of the field, an engine embedded into the dirt 30 yards away, unrecongnisable parts scattered to hell.............

It is not alone
15 bombers attack 55th division today
6 are shot down.




And in the evening, another attack.
Helens plaster the allied front, with out loss.

And hopes rise even further.........




1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/8/2012 10:42:51 AM)

October 19

"launch aircraft!"

A stiff wind whips across Zuiho's deck, and a good swell pounds her nose.
Salt fills the air, and coolness penertrates her insides.
She steams into the white caps, under a deep blue sky
Excitement, the excitement of flying, grips her crew.

They are not alone.
The fleet, spread over 80 miles, is launching.

From the battle wagons, the cruisers, the stubby petes are being flung into the sky from the catapults, ready to trawl for any hidden menaces.
Other float planes are being dispatched in a great arc about the fleet, seeking anything, anything.

120 miles ahead of zuih, well out of sight, but not mind, Hiyo is launching every plane on search.

Behind her, katsaguri, 3 cvl add to it.

And then there is the main body, already progressing under the constant growl of the CAP.
Zuiho will add to it, and then dispatch all her Jills south on search.
The big boys decks are loaded, but remain quiet. Still, loaded to strike, coiled vipers.

The fleet is passing south of Iwo Jima, headed towards marcus.
Fuel is still good

morale is good.
Zuiho's men are ready to play their part in what surely must soon occur. The decisive battle.

If only the enemy would reveal himself.............



1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/8/2012 10:47:05 AM)

Going to step out of the story for a moment.

Status of the game:

Cantona is definately up to something............no carriers sighted since truk raid.
he's left it too late to go up the PNG coast now (I think)
Being held up in Burma (where I think, since all the aussie divs, all the commonwealth troops are) was going to be the main thrust.
Ony now entering naval superiority.

I am very worried he's going to go for a "all or nothing" battle

Possibly even a north japan attack.

Hope its realistic, what ever he attempts!

Getting very impatient for something, anything to happen!!!!



kaleun -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/8/2012 6:56:22 PM)

That's OK, we are enjoying the show.



1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/9/2012 9:50:50 AM)

Oct 20

WO Hamamoto awakens abruptly to the thunderous sound of snarling aero engines..........superchargers whistling and whining, hammering frighteningly close overhead.
He throws himself off his sleeping mat, scrambling for his boots, his shirt, as yet another fighter (it cannot be anything else, he knows THAT sound too well) screams across the field, and another, and another, the noise overwhelming.

Six of the fighters have passed by the time he reaches his cabins door, just in time to see the seventh flash past, the red lightening bolt prominant on its side, flashing past at ten feet, if that.
Transfixed, he watches the next, and the next, wings glinting, engines bellowing, beat up the field, climbing away in turn, circling the field, preparing to land.

Immense satisfaction, pride, jubilation almost, fills the Japanese mechanician.
After nearly a year , a whole year....finally they have planes to deal with, to tend.



They land, and the WO, and now his men, wait to see what calibre of flyers these men are.
The Tojo's taxi, spin, pirioutte, take their spots, dust bellows, engines roar, and fall silent.

With a clatter, the men disembark, and wander with casual ease towards the dispersal area.
The WO Salutes.
"Welcome to Rota sir. We were not expecting you"
The pilot grins, returns the salute.
"47th Sentai . And we are staying, I believe. "
The grin vanishes.
And the WO see's the man clearly now, see's them all.
The hard faces. the narrow eyes. That confidence that comes only with great experience..........
"Have our fighters ready for combat within the hour. Your Holiday is over. War is upon you".



1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/9/2012 9:55:26 AM)

WO Hamamoto is not the only one to have his war rudely interupted

On Siapan, his companions struggle with bringing a new fighter unit into life -Jacks
On Guam, the air is filled with the deep thunder of betty bombers, flying out at dawn every day, returning many, many hours later.
Dive bombers prowl, and KI-21's fill the skies, skimming the waters at 2000 feet, seeking those damn bukas.
And zero units are arriving, one after the other.

Fuchida of 47th will not be flying alone.

If of course, the enemy come.



1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/9/2012 10:09:05 AM)

Zuiho pushes on, ever Eastward now, following faithfully the great shadow of Akagi 5000 yards ahead.
The fleet covers the seas from horizon to horizon, silent great shapes plowing the road.

Silent, but not quiet.
They are busy, very busy now.
Every 30 minutes, a zero will join circuit, glide in, hammer home, catching cable, lurching to a halt.
Rapidly they taxi to the forward elevator, and many willing hands guide the eagle to the spot.
The bells tingle, and down she goes, even as the aft elevator brings up the next.

Mechanics start the bird, others clean the screen, check the cockpit, the controls.
15 minutes later, the pilot appears, the engine roars to full throttle, magnetos fine, temperatures good, pressures nominal.
Zuiho swings into the wind again, chocks are raced away.......and he goes......even as the next joins circuit to land.


How easy it seems ney?
How easy.
But how many Navies can do this?
Maintain a constant air patrol day in, day out, in the depths of the pacific?
Just three my friends. Just three.
Its what seperates the men from the boys, those that can win, and those that must die.

Carriers.
King of the seas.
15 of Japans sail here now.
How many do the allies have?
Unknown.
In Chess, you win by killing the king
In this war, there is no difference.
We seek the king, pushing east. Seek him, to kill him.



1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/9/2012 10:12:02 AM)

8th division move to 41 miles covered.
Tomorrow, gods willing, they will rejoin the main army.

And then, the withdrawal.

38th division, 33 miles covered 17 to go to recover the road to lashio.
The allies predict Singapore by feb 44.

We shall see.
We shall see.



1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/9/2012 10:15:33 AM)

Officially, system defects 1, engineering 1

But the duck, unseen below the waterline, is paddling furiously.
Chemistry has gone to crap...........again
Steam leaks multiply.
The boilers still belch far too much smoke............

Mechanical problems.
Charge can fix Mechanical problems.

But he cannot fix this.

The stink of booze he confronts each morning from Minobes cabin...........



1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/10/2012 8:30:45 AM)

The Tiger of malaya, sweat covered, face streaked with dirt and blood, stands at the edge of the road.
With practiced eye, he considers the situation.


It is, in a simple sentence, not good.
8th division has 5 miles, if that, to go, to reach the edges of 15th army.
5 miles, 5 miles down this lousy road, or the equally lousy and useless remains of the railway to his south.
The jungle is thinning, almost gone.

5 miles across open plain. An easy stroll, normally.

The enemy are right up his arse now. All night, the rumble of armour. But he has slipped them, passed them by.
They cannot, should not catch him now.

5 miles, open country. And coming across it, hard on his northern flank, clear to be seen in his glasses, the point of the Australian corp.

They are going to cut him off.

Behind him, he can feel the panic. It has not brocken into headlong flight, not yet.
Not yet
On foot, the great snake of his division is trying for the road, the rail.
Ripe to be ripped to pieces.

He cannot let it happen.

"Get me Wantabe"
'Hie!"

Wantabe. Tall, slim. Somehow still immaculate.
Commander of 6th tank regiment, 3rd mobile Engineers.
His only mechanised men left.

Wantabe's tank rattles to the tiger. behind, the pathetic remains of his regiment.
Barely a company really.............

Wantabe leans nochantly from his copola.
'problem my friend?"
The tiger merely nods, points to the glint of steel to the north,.
He needs to say nothing. The situation is far too clear.

Wantabe adjusts his tie (A tie for heavens sake!. The man has a sense of style, give him that. If only I could give him a Tiger tank to match it!)

"we will buy you time General. Time enough"
"We would be grateful"
The tankman eyes the fields. As good a place for a tankman to die no? At full speed, attacking the enemy............
"Just get them clear general. Then, when you come back, as I know you will, see that our bones get home"
The General nods.
What can he say?



6th regiment, the engineers peel of the road, deploy in line.
Eighth division pass behid.
The tanks advance, into the teeth of three divisions.

They will be destroyed. To the last man.

But 8th division will reach safety.
katha army has made it.





1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/10/2012 8:32:06 AM)

The Tiger of malaya, sweat covered, face streaked with dirt and blood, stands at the edge of the road.
With practiced eye, he considers the situation.


It is, in a simple sentence, not good.
8th division has 5 miles, if that, to go, to reach the edges of 15th army.
5 miles, 5 miles down this lousy road, or the equally lousy and useless remains of the railway to his south.
The jungle is thinning, almost gone.

5 miles across open plain. An easy stroll, normally.

The enemy are right up his arse now. All night, the rumble of armour. But he has slipped them, passed them by.
They cannot, should not catch him now.

5 miles, open country. And coming across it, hard on his northern flank, clear to be seen in his glasses, the point of the Australian corp.

They are going to cut him off.

Behind him, he can feel the panic. It has not brocken into headlong flight, not yet.
Not yet
On foot, the great snake of his division is trying for the road, the rail.
Ripe to be ripped to pieces.

He cannot let it happen.

"Get me Wantabe"
'Hie!"

Wantabe. Tall, slim. Somehow still immaculate.
Commander of 6th tank regiment, 3rd mobile Engineers.
His only mechanised men left.

Wantabe's tank rattles to the tiger. behind, the pathetic remains of his regiment.
Barely a company really.............

Wantabe leans nochantly from his copola.
'problem my friend?"
The tiger merely nods, points to the glint of steel to the north,.
He needs to say nothing. The situation is far too clear.

Wantabe adjusts his tie (A tie for heavens sake!. The man has a sense of style, give him that. If only I could give him a Tiger tank to match it!)

"we will buy you time General. Time enough"
"We would be grateful"
The tankman eyes the fields. As good a place for a tankman to die no? At full speed, attacking the enemy............
"Just get them clear general. Then, when you come back, as I know you will, see that our bones get home"
The General nods.
What can he say?



6th regiment, the engineers peel of the road, deploy in line.
Eighth division pass behid.
The tanks advance, into the teeth of three divisions.

They will be destroyed. To the last man.

But 8th division will reach safety.
katha army has made it.





1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/10/2012 8:40:29 AM)

The liberators bomb 55th division today
to Hosho, its as if they bomb him, personally.

For over 20 minutes, he lies hunched into his hole, as the ground shakes and heaves about them, the shriek of the bombs hells sirens announcing the very devil himself.
The silence, when it ends, is deafening.



Until the moans of the wounded begin.
The fields about them are gone.
So are stretches of this cursed embankment.


Instead, they have been replaced by the moon.


4 hours later.

The craters are still filling with the latest downpour, when the order comes.
"While its raining...........while they cannot see us. We are going. 55th division will withdraw.

They will not be alone
Burma army begins its long retreat.



1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/10/2012 8:47:54 AM)

Engineering night orders, Zuiho

1a boiler to be shut down at 2200 hours, bottom blows
relight immediately upon completion.
I am to be informed when connected, when chemistry tests completed.

Blow soot 2B boiler 2300 hrs
1b, 2a to remain banked until further notice,

Burner cleans to be conducted every hour.
Fuel oil heaters to be closely monitored.
I require a complete check for excessive water loss. feed consumption far too high!

Due to illness to Engineer, Deputy engineer has assumed Engineers duties.
I am to be informed of any problems.




1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/11/2012 7:59:47 AM)

Oct 23rd

Diogawa loves flying
Lives for it.

But this is getting beyond a joke.

Combat air patrols ..........again.
he feels every muscle now in his aching back, the grit behind the eyes.

he shares the same dark rings under the eyes, the same stubble as his fellow pilots.

70% CAP.
So easy to order.

So hard to maintain...........



1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/11/2012 8:05:25 AM)

"Namatanai has fallen?"

'regretfully, yes sir. Rabual is in severe danger"

"The enemy?"

"The 3rd and 4th marine divisions. As far as we can tell.There were no survivors"

I see. Damnation. A real problem. That is 4 marine divisions identified in the SW pacific now.......

"Where is Yamaguchi?"

"Still chasing shadows in the central pacific sir"

Chasing shadows.............an apt term. For those who think my empires sun is setting...........
"Give him 2 more days. it may be a decoy. If nothing happens in two days, bring him home. We cannot feed him any more fuel..........



kaleun -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/12/2012 5:34:17 PM)

Fuel, that is the limiting factor, for both sides.



1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/13/2012 9:03:33 AM)


25/ oct 43

Deep probes , surface and sub surface in the alutiens.

Nothing sighted.

Deep probes all the way out to wake.

Nothing sighted.

Perth reconned. Heavily.

Nothing stirring


No carriers other than a single CVE supporting the namanatai invasion........


Doubt, decision, double decisions, recinded decisions.

The fleet is ordered to Ominato.
Now to Guam
Now to be split ............no, regathered at Ulithi.

In the end, re gather again at Guam.

This is the awful situation facing japan now.

They have but one shield.
But will it be where the blow falls?



british exil -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/13/2012 1:00:16 PM)

What is the Jap intel on the Allied carriers?

Somebody must have seen something, I know the Pacific is large but a complete Navy can't be hidden or can it?
The allies must be licking wounds or out hunting.

The suspense is sometimes just too much to bear.


Mat



BBfanboy -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/13/2012 3:32:50 PM)

It seems the only area not covered well is the area between Pago-Pago and New Zealand/Australia. If there was a huge fleet at PH a short time ago and then it went silent, I would suspect a move up either coast of Oz, coming for the DEI. Look out Timor!



kaleun -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/13/2012 3:34:30 PM)

quote:

The suspense is sometimes just too much to bear.


It's all in the storytelling.
Or perhaps, James Bond was right and it's all in the wrist.



Gridley380 -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/13/2012 8:53:03 PM)

Wow - 70% CAP? I start seeing increased Ops losses after just a few days of 50% CAP!



PaxMondo -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/14/2012 6:58:48 AM)

Really depends upon the action ... 70% CAP, only 1/3 of the planes are in the air unless an attack is being met....



1275psi -> RE: The little ship that could. (8/14/2012 9:32:47 AM)

Takeji stands silent on his bridge wing, contemplating the oceans about him, as he has done for so many years now.
he, he thinks, probably cuts the classic picture of the Captain in charge, battling the mental problems of command.

In reality, he is hiding.
Hiding from the eyes of his navigator, his bridge crew.
The disapointment on the bridge is platable.
Every man here knows he has no control on where the fleet is headed, that they sail where the Admirals deem them to sail.
But they will still, irrationally, (and know that it is irrational to) blame him nevertheless.

One day from Japan.
From home

And turned around south.

Again.

Now he Navigates Zuiho south, trailing on the edge of the fleet, wondering how to maintain moral, how to keep fighting spirits high.
Again, they have pissed about, all over the ocean..............for nothing
Again.

Overhead, the rumble of wheels, the roar of an engine, the shadow climbing away.
Another pilot continuing the endless laps.
They at least, are setting an example.
4, 5 days to Guam. Then what?

Takeji sighs deeply.
Gods, he is sick of waiting.

I want to fight!



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