vettim89
Posts: 3615
Joined: 7/14/2007 From: Toledo, Ohio Status: offline
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4 August 1944 The sleepy port city of Hokodate is disrupted in the early afternoon by the air raid sirens. Despite the best attempts of the Japanese Military, news of the devasting raid on Sapporo's port last week has trickled into this city. The residence therefore do not discount this raid warning like so many others they have endured through the war. Those away from the city's center look up to see what seems like an endless stream of silver bodied USAAF bombers as nearly 200 B-29s rain destruction down on the industrial sections of the city. The first raid on the already strained Japanese industrial complex has occured. The Japanese citizens stand in confusion as what they once thought was the invincible power of their air force offers no resistance at all. Far to the south residents of Taihoku on the island of Formosa are greeted with simliar fate as the small Oil producing facilities are hit there. The conclusion which will filter through the Japanese population slowly over the next few weeks is obvious: the war has come to Japan proper and the ever tightening noose of the Allied advance is now squeezing on the heart of the empire directly. The Allies end the day with 192 Strategic Loss Points to their credit. Little do the Japanese in the Home Islands know but far to the east the last piece of a complicated puzzle has arrived in the port of San Francisco. Japanese spies report CV Saratoga II is now there having her AAA armament rapidly upgraded before deploying west. At the ever bustling naval base at PH on Oahu, a similar occurance transpires as CV Hancock arrives from her journey through the Panama Canal. Nestled in the shipyard and lochs of this huge base are now 6 CV's, 5 CVL's, and 19 CVE. Rapidly approaching from the east are an additional two CVE. CinCPAC has also just received confirmation that the US shipbuilding industry is now up to full war production and he can expect a new CVE every two to three days for the next 60 days including five in the next 14 days alone. After eight long months of biding his time after the first Kamikaze attacks hit Allied forces in the Banda Sea, CinCPAC is finally conviced that he has amassed enough striking power to counter this threat. He orders the shipyard master to expedite the upgrades of CV Hornet II and CV Intrepid. It is time the USN got itself back in this war. Adding to CinCPAC's pleasure is a brief message from Lord Mountbatten. The RN feels that while the joint Allied force clears northern SUmutra, they can spare their carriers to help support the move on the Phillipines by the US/Australian forces. Mountbatten throws in a bonus and is sending four battlships to aid the effort. It is the least he can do as the US has practically permanently loaned him CA Houston, CL Boise and about half a dozen destroyers. (Author's note: I decided that the currentplans for SEAC can be accomplished with LBA alone; ergo, I am sending almost the entire RN Eastern Fleet to Darwin. This will give me three more carriers plus the BB's I need in case the IJN tries a Surigao Strait on me when I move on Mindanao. That will give me 4 US CV, 3 RN CV, 3 CVL and about a dozen CVE to use. As this op will be timed to coincide with CENTPAC ops, Larry will be forced to either meet one threat with maximal force of disperse his units to try to meet both. The LBA support for the PI op should be enough to help out the limited naval assets there while the raw power of the rejuvenated USN should be able to handle about anything Larry throws at me in the CENTPAC)
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"We have met the enemy and they are ours" - Commodore O.H. Perry
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