RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (Full Version)

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Mike McCreery -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/6/2016 8:51:52 AM)

Awesome :]




1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/6/2016 8:53:24 AM)

100 miles due north of Lunganville

HMAS Stuart
An old duck, is the Stuart.

Small, hopelessly armed for this modern war, South Pac command has placed her in
a perilous position: picket duty.

Her crew know what is at stake. What the risks are. Some even understand the why.
There are 4 other destroyers out here with them, spread north of Lunganville, trip
wire warning for what is happening south of them.

Up until this moment, the day has been a red letter one
RO-65 detected, attacked, sunk before breakfast.
Lunganville bombarded successfully by allied cruisrs.

Yes , a red letter day indeed

Until now.

Spotted at 20000 yards, bone in teeth.
3 Japanese Heavy cruisers, uncountable numbers of destroyers.

From the bridge, a single loud expletive, heard almost throughout the entire ship.
It was too good to be true, wasn't it?




1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/7/2016 7:59:54 AM)

From
HMAS Stuart
to
USS Chester

have successfully engaged, then avoided heavy Japanese Cruiser task force
My position #@#@, 100 miles North Efate.

The Japanese cannot shoot for S%$t




1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/7/2016 8:17:59 AM)

March 6th

Parliament House Canberra

Office for the Leader of the opposition
Question time strategy meeting.

"Did he really do it Jim?, did he really order the troops in?"
The opposition Minister for Agriculture shakes his head, "Jesus, things
are bad, but that bad?"
"It doesn't matter now, what I need is some facts. Our Prime Minister insists Australia
is ready for anything, publically, and in Parliament. Privately, we all know this is
bull. What I need is this, just what are the state of the defences? and Secondly, if they are as
weak as I think they are, would it be right and proper to reveal this in Parliament?. Would that be
treason?"




1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/7/2016 8:22:31 AM)

The Pressure rises
Yamashiro, Fuso unleash again onto Cold Harbour

Port Blair is taken
Efate is taken
Central China is bombed mercilessly, although not with out cost, Hurricanes fight well,
killing 20 for the loss of 6.
44 zeros sweep Port Moresby.





1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/7/2016 8:29:52 AM)

Jack climbs wearily from his Cockpit.

So this is Katherine.
A field of dirt in the middle of nowhere.
Hangers?.......nope.
A mess?.....apparently not.
Ground support?.......
Squadron Commander Turnball strides past, sweat on his brow.
"Your fuel is over there, under those trees, get pumping, the Japs hit Darwin again today"
The Japs
Darwin

Soon.




1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/7/2016 8:39:26 AM)

HMAS Hobarts bridge is busy.

She steams south, hard.
Her flashing lights, her lamps flash incessantly.
Napier, Norman, Nestor, Nissan.

Mother Duck gathers her ducklings.

Course set for Bombay.
Where the big boys wait.





kaleun -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/7/2016 2:23:46 PM)

Great thread, as usual, 1275psi.
If I might make a small request, Could you please put the game date on your posts? It gets kind of confusing otherwise.




1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/9/2016 12:26:32 AM)

7th March 1942

Car div 5 pounds Dutch Harbour again
Port Blair is invaded
Final resistance of the Indian Brigades near Djambi Sumutra. These Brigades are immediately
ordered to be resurrected, if only to honour their memory.




1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/9/2016 12:44:12 AM)

March 7th

Two Ford brothers finish long and wearing journeys.
Jack Ford in the 75th RAAF Fighter squadron arrive at Darwin.
The base, pleasingly, is well stocked, has an excess of support crew,a fine strip.

Bust most importantly of all, cold beer.

They are warned however, not to imbue too heavily. A vital convoy is due in tomorrow at dawn,
and they are to protect it.
But that is tomorrow. There are fellow pilots of the local Wirriway unit, the small Hudson
bomber unit to meet, and all the usual settling in details to see to.

Its at the end of the earth , is Darwin. Isolated, rough as guts, hot and humid.
Already Jack is beginning to love the place.


Jason too, arrives from his seemingly endless train journey south.
Wherever they are is in mountains, and refreshingly cool.
A small tent city has sprung up, spreading for miles around.
The Aussie first Corp, supplemented by 2 British Armour Brigades is complete.

Jason, unlike Jack, will get no beer.
Called immediately to Division Hq, he is given a set of maps.

General Smart addresses the brigade Commanders about him.

"the enemy, Gentlemen, is going to land here, and here. Don't ask me how I know, take my word for it.
We believe, in fact, are damn sure that he is already loaded, at sea, and coming...."

Christ. Already?. The Japs are actually going to invade?......

"My plan is simple men, take First Corp along here" the pointer smacks along the map, tap, tap, tappity, tap"
and hit him in the arse"

Yes, that will work........that's a good plan.....

"Get some men down that route today, every unit must know exactly the ground we are going to cover, and fight on"

Yes, a good plan......but plans only last until contact with the enemy, don't they?




1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/10/2016 3:07:39 AM)

March 8th

Jack awakens with a start.
"Crap, what in the hell is that?"
He is not the only one, about him men are stumbling from their bunks, rushing out into the
still dark night.

It takes but moments to find the noise, from the direction of Darwin Harbour, the sound of
heavy gunfire, the flashing of explosions, star shells........
An orderly comes racing towards them......"There's a Jap task force in the harbour!, Captain Turnball
wants every plane in the air now!, in case they bombard us too!"

It is barely 3 am.
half blind, Jack struggles to throw on his clothes, adrenalin pounding through him.
Suddenly, every button, every buckle has become an impossible task, his shoe laces a nightmare.
Cursing all and sundry, he stumbles towards his fighter, its engine already started by his ground crew.

he leaps onto its wing, exchanges places with the man in the cockpit ( good, good, they know
their job, $%#@ing good)
Into his seat, belt, controls, eyes swiftly scanning.....where the hell is the strip?
Fuel?....enough to fly until dawn?.......yes, thank god

Turnball bullocks past, swings hard left, snarling vanishes into the night, exhaust flaring
blue, yellow, angry
Jack follows
Discrete lights, the strip plain, the night dark, damnation, here we bloody go!
Climbing away, nobody in sight, the harbour clearly visible in the moonlight.
Shock flows through him

A line of vessels nestled against the short pier.....lit up like Christmas trees by the
stabbing, blinding spotlights further out in the harbour.
Tracers, the flash of guns.......

The radio cackles
Äre we all clear?.......nobody is to do anything bloody stupid, maintain a circuit, do nothing.
Turnballs voice. Calm, but angry.


It is a long 90 minutes until they can begin to land again.

4 ships burn in the harbour, 2 Japanese Heavy cruisers almost with contempt are sailing away.

The landing is awkward, hard.
men swarm about them, fuel, ammunition.
The engine remains running.
A canteen of water

8 Wirriways rumble past, little bombs slung underneath.
Brave, brave barsteds.

A slap on the head......go!, go!, go!

Again snarling down the strip, dust trailing.
Climbing, climbing

Another shock

Angling, coming south, a sky, a bloody sky full of twin engined planes
Japs!
Jesus!, Japs!

Again Turnballs voice, still calm.
"No fighter escort......plenty for everyone, make your shots count"
banking hard, wing vertical, swinging around behind them, above them

Tracer?......the barsteds trying to kill me!, me!
A bomber swarms up, and up, bigger, bigger.
I am going to shoot!, going to shoot!
Guns, the stick hammers, stink.
A wing, alarmingly, separates, twirling vanishes past, OVER him, the bomber heeling
over, going down vertical.

Through them, bank again, crud, they have dived, turned too, never catch them now.........



A kill
I have a kill.
First mission

And I can do this......I can do this........




It is a busy day, 3 waves of bombers.
No fighters

19 kills to the 75th
1 wirriway lost, plunging into Takao's wake

The Japanese though, are coming
A carrier task force is North of Broome. Betties strike shipping at Port Headland
And Takao , Atago are still out there.

There will be no rest, no celebration time for Jack.
By dusk, 75th is at Wyndham, Darwin deemed too vulnerable to naval bombardment.
Not until dark, not until they wearily climb from their planes is the truth found
Wyndham, no supplies. No fuel. And just 6 mechanics, who don't know the front end
of a Kittyhawk, from its arse.










1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/10/2016 3:23:41 AM)

8th march

from
CICPAC
to
General staffs

An appreciation of Command situation

It has become painfully apparent that all pre war conceptions of Plan Orange
are now defunct.
The war has spread across an enormous area already, far beyond anything planned for.
This Command is prepared to accept that it cannot properly control our forces spread over 2 oceans
and 3 continents

It is my proposal to the Joint Chiefs that new separate commands be established.
I am recommending the establishment of a North Pacific Command , to cover the Aleutian campaign and
Alaska
Secondly, a South Pac command, to be based on Suva, covering the Solomons, and all bases east of their.
Thirdly, a South West Pac command, covering PNG, and Timor meridian.

Finally, a Command (possibly based on the 10th airforce HQ being deployed) for the Indian theatre.

Pacific Command would take all Marine Divisions, all hawain forces, and all Carrier Forces, being
Ultimately responsible for our counter attack.

I would envision that wherever the carriers are, the area commands would perform subordinate roles.
I wish to convene a meeting soonest to develop this proposal

The Japanese are on the march
We must stop them SOMEWHERE.
At this time only 1 location gives any chance of this, and that is Suva.
I wish for the Americal Division to be diverted there immediately.
I am not going to be rushed into a panic over a northern invasion of Australia, Strategically
I consider Broome, Port Headland, Darwin even as merely land locked atolls.

Our Carriers have departed the Indian Ocean, only Enterprise remains as "ä presence"
"Further thoughts on Carrier deployments...........





1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/10/2016 3:24:50 AM)

8th March
From Combined Chiefs
to
CICPAC

On Americal division
Deployment to Suva, is approved.





1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/10/2016 3:26:59 AM)

Frank Ford is informed at 9 am
A double blow, one that makes him sink into his chair with despair

Enemy fleet in action, Darwin Harbour

Americal Division is not, repeat, not coming to Australia




1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/10/2016 3:34:35 AM)

9th March
From
Prime Minister
to
General Blamey

Questions>
Enemy task force in Darwin harbour:
Why no warning?
Where was the Navy search
Why did shore batteries fail to respond?
Where are our bombers?
An Invasion is imminent, I have heard radio intell that a large force is in Java sea, and
that another is approaching Broome.

What naval forces are available?
What land forces are available, I seem to recall an awful lot of uniforms in Sydney
at the races last week, why here, and not there?

The Americal division is NOT, Repeat, NOT coming.
How does this effect our plans?

I would remind you of the severe political implications of a successful invasion of Australia

Ford

From
Blamey
to
Ford

Do not panic
Adequate forces are available, but only to defend what is essential!
If the enemy does take some isolated Aboriginal outposts, what of it?
Does the public even need to know?

It is too late now to amend plans, to dance at enemy tune.
I intend him to dance at ours

Blamey




1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/10/2016 3:40:27 AM)

9th March

In Bombay, a new Aussie squadron is formed
Hobart, Leander, Achilles, all the N class destroyers.
At least 2 CVLs roam off Broome, obliterate a small AXL convoy
The enemy is definitely coming for Broome, a fast Transport is seen off the heads near Dusk

75th does not fly, probably for the best, as zeros swarm Wyndham.
The squadron moves again to Katherine, and waits for orders.


Japan invades Akyab

In India, movement orders flow from eastern Command HQ. Nearly everything the Allies have in
India is suddenly on the move.




BBfanboy -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/10/2016 4:21:33 AM)

quote:


It is too late now to amend plans, to dance at enemy tune.
I intend him to dance at ours

Blamey


I LIKE this general! Was he that astute and aggressive in RL? I know he clashed with MacArthur at times.




zuluhour -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/10/2016 3:20:29 PM)

..

[image]local://upfiles/37319/7FC721925E6649A4AB8E2E8A506A81A7.jpg[/image]




BBfanboy -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/10/2016 10:21:31 PM)

They should raise their turret guns - they look rather ... limp.




1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/11/2016 6:13:16 AM)

Nice pics

Unfortunately, no US steel arriving at all.
Its going elsewhere.........




1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/11/2016 6:19:09 AM)

10 March

DD ukase sunk by a dutch ss at Akyab
A massive fast transport lands there, and the base falls

Enemy Carriers operating off Broome.
CV Zuikaku reported hit by a dud from a SS near Attu Island.
Betties strike Broome, Port Headland.
The expected landings do not occur, but they must be coming.

And finally. Japanese divisions at sea, headed for Colombo (radio intercept)


And the Americal division moves to full speed, headed for Suva.




1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/11/2016 6:36:48 AM)

buggar, lost huge post

grrrrrrrrrrrrrr




PaxMondo -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/11/2016 10:34:05 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: 1275psi

buggar, lost huge post

grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[:@][:@][:@]




1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/12/2016 8:14:28 AM)

10 March

From
Prime Minister UK
to
Prime Minister Australia


(extract)

........and I would remind you that we have now sent no less than 4 battleships, 2 carriers, 4 heavy cruisers
and a good number of destroyers to the Indian ocean.
yes, I can concede your point that they can help Australia little
deployed as they are, yet I will again re assure you, that should Australia
be endangered, they will be sent.
I urge you to not panic, what damage to Australia can the loss of a few
isolated outposts?

India, however, is another matter.
In your 1st Australian Corps, and your magnificent men, that I am placing a great deal of faith,
upon them, we may yet wreck this ship of Adventure Japan has launched............



From
POTUS
to
Prime Minister of Australia

(extract)

.....and my Chiefs of Staff have insisted that the Americal be deployed to Suva.
This does not mean Australia is, as you say, been thrown to the wolves, ........



........as they come on line, a steady stream of Steel will flow your way.
We must, at this stage, halt the Japanese somewhere............





Heard loudly from behind a closed door, Prime Ministers office, Canberra

"THOSE BARSTEDS Have BETRAYED ME!!!!!"




1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/12/2016 8:19:26 AM)

10th March

Canada

HMAS Westralia moves away from the wharf, and drops anchor.
It is, apparently, another case of hurry up and wait.

Wait for what?
The weather?
Escorts?
The enemy to go away?

Jeffery doesn't give a damn
If its cold here, in the calm, what the hell is coming?




Bearcat2 -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/12/2016 12:01:45 PM)

Dropped in to say that I enjoy reading your AAR, thanks!




kaleun -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/12/2016 2:06:52 PM)

Now down to one AAR that must be followed.




Long pig -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/13/2016 11:59:53 PM)

Does Blamey intend to retreat to the ,Brisbane line ?




1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/15/2016 8:57:55 PM)

Got distracted yesterday, bought panzer corp.........

(bloody addictive)

11 March

Jeffery, is of course, still cold.
He has so many layers of clothing on, that its getting hard to raise his arms effectively.
Ice has formed on the gun tub, hangs in icicles from railings
Made the decks lethal.

And yet, the scenery is unbelievable.
Westralia is steaming deep, deep blue waters, as calm as a mill pond. Only a mile away, at most, the Canadian
Shore line passes, wild, green and white.
Towering mountains, the like He has never seen, dominate the horizon.
Two men swear that they have seen an deer.
Another fool, a bear.

Westralia follows Manoora, a light cruiser and several destroyers North, hugging
the coast, seeking shelter.
She is loaded heavily, trucks, bulldozers, heavy, thickset men, Engineers, construction
workers from the countries mid west.
The cold does not seem to bother them.

His mind turns to the task of getting another cup of coffee, and how to keep it warm .
The thought train is shattered, Westralia's alarms ring

Action, action, action stations!.....air alarm port!

Çhrist!

The real thing!
The gun crew fling themselves into action, Jeffery plies open the ammunition locker, grasps the first clip.
Aircraft!
here?
Then, where the %$&*$ ing hell where!?

"THERE!"
He sees it immediately, low, a shadow flitting across the hills, banking for a gap in them

Too far away to engage, too late in fact to engage at all...........

The Gun Commander answers the unspoken question: "And that boys, was a Jap sub launched float plane,
the cat's out of the bloody bag now"






1275psi -> RE: Letters from a Prime Minister (1/15/2016 9:04:55 PM)

From
Chief Naval Intelligence
to

General Blamey

Radio traffic now indicates large numbers of ships transiting Java sea, destination
in all probability Horn island, although a destination of Darwin Cannot be ruled out.






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