Dispatches from the Pacific

[Paddy]

Good question, next turn I will have a look

[dialectic2003]

September 1943 TOP SECRET
From Allied Command Centre San Francisco America
To Allied Command Centre Sydney Australia

Before recounting the events of the last few weeks, I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude for the warm wishes from you and your wife contained in the last dispatch. When I showed the (edited) transcript to my wife she was visibly moved and showed signs of being her-self once again. When this is all over I wish to come down to your local bar (or pub as you Aussies are so fond of saying) and buy you a drink. Perhaps we can make this a winning partnership outside this damned war, what seems to have been so successful over the last 18-20 months. This is a long way off yet, and we still have much work to do, but I can see the end in sight.

As the main US Navy fleet maneuvers North by Northwest along the coast of the Philippines, more of the enemy's inter-island shipping in SE Asian region becomes exposed to the reach of our strike elements. The very life-blood of the Jap’s crumbling empire is now vulnerable to interdiction and destruction in detail. A report crossed my desk very recently that told of one such instance. Sighted by recon elements out of the carrier Yorktown, a Jap transport flotilla and sizeable escort were steaming south out of Okinawa heading for the last Jap strong hold on the Philippine mainland, Aparri. Though a group of heavy bombers scrambled out of Manila were intercepted by a squadron of 'Zeke's' on their approach to the bombing run, the rest of the engagement went according to plan. Not wanting to risk damage to either the carrier-borne aircraft squadrons or the battleships of the main fleet, the heavy cruisers and destroyers were detailed to swing West and steam to engage at full speed. This they did with remarkable efficiency. The heavy cruiser's Juneau and Chicago opened fire with a bombardment so fierce the enemy ships all but disappeared from view, due to the gun turrets own smoke and that which came billowing out of the side of the enemy CA Mogami and Chokai. Both were later sunk by submarines while trying to limp into Aparri harbor, the crew of the SS Tambour being promoted to veteran status for their part in the engagement and previously exhibited skill. With the enemy's 2 main ships out of the way, it was the turn of the Jap destroyer Hayashio. The danger having passed, the battleship Pennsylvania utilized its superior gun range and opened a devastating chasm in the destroyer's forward port hull, moments later it broke in two and sank without a trace. The transport flotilla stood little or no chance against such an overwhelming array of sea power and attempted to disperse and reach the safety of Aparri's port before hell came calling. This was not a realistic possibility. The heavy cruiser Helena promptly destroyed the transports ensuring that Aparri's defenders would have no reinforcement or re-supply.

Trundling through the steamy jungles and tepid rice-paddies of Luzon's North, the 8th and 10th Lt Tank regt.'s had been assigned the mission of driving the Jap’s off the Philippine islands. Sitting at the extreme North of the Philippines, the Jap held port of Aparri was an integral first step to the eventual capture of Formosa, Okinawa and Komi - the logical stepping-stones to the Jap home islands. When the artillery opened up, the entire outer defensive works of the Jap base crumbled to the ground like a house of cards. After the fires had been put out, dust clouds were all that graced the outer rim of the base where once strong bunkers and MG towers stood. With the main entrenchments breached, the tanks clattered right up to the forward companies of the enemy and 'blasted them to smithereens', to quote the CO of the 8th Lt Tank, Col. Marciano. It was a short and bloody engagement, more akin to slaughter than actual battle. Soon the town was ours and with it the whole of the Philippines were once again under our dominion. Or so we thought.

A few days after securing Aparii, a convoy meandering through the foothills above Manila was ambushed and almost cut to pieces by a wandering band of enemy guerillas. I say almost because guarding the rear of the convoy was a regt. of marines, making their way up to Aparri to prepare for the next phase of our war plans. Seems the enemy had infiltrated through the two tank regts while they had been making their way forward to assault the jap base. The guerillas were a barbaric lot and had been making the local villagers' lives hell. Calling down some support fire from the still emplaced artillery north of Manila, the 11th marines first scattered the guerillas' ill-coordinated attack and then moved in for the kill. The fire fight that ensued was confused and scattered, relying on small groups of men and good tactical leadership to win the day. Luckily, the marines excel in these conditions. The M1 Garand's high rate of fire mingled with the exceptional leadership demonstrated by the lieutenants and sergeants of the 11th marines were simply too much for the WWI vintage bolt-action rifles and bloodthirsty banzai charge mentality of the Japanese-lead local irregulars. Though they knew the terrain and were first class in ambushes, when the marines found them they were simply no match for our troops. There were very few casualties reported and no prisoners taken.

The last major operation for the month of September was the assault on Iwo Jima. As a strategic objective it was amongst the most valuable in all of the pacific. This tiny speck of an island represented a tremendous airbase for our forward deployed bombers as it would allow fighter escorts to accompany the bombers all the way to the jap home islands. Additionally, the prospect of a staging area for invasion troops within a months sailing time of the major jap industrial heartland was a great chance and needed to be secured. This would also deprive the japs of one of their last forward bases for sub and air interdiction of our supply lines. For all these reasons Iwo Jima had to be taken.

Under cover of darkness, the 9th and 12th marines readied themselves for the impending carnage. The plan was simple; the 9th and 12th regts formed the initial assault wave, followed closely by the 7th and 10th marines. The island was shaped like a pork chop and was only a total of 8 square miles in area. Having issued forth from the seas only 70 years ago, this speck in the pacific was made of still soft rock and volcanic ash. The assault beach was narrow and there was little or no cover across the island. The preparatory bombardment by the Tennessee and Arizona was heavy and seemingly effective, most of the visible hard-points being utterly destroyed. The lead companies made it to shore on time and in good order, but once ashore found the enemy was still going to put up a fight. The marines were hard hit at first, taking fire from emplaced 20mm flak guns and pre-registered artillery - the japs placed flags on the beach and ensuing crest for the artillery observers hidden on Mt Suribachi to zero in on. With the 9th regt pinned down, casualties mounting and a growing concern being radioed in from Adm. Spruance; the CO of 9th marines, Colonel P. Rose decided action had to be taken to reverse the situation. He embarked on a mission that would have made most other commanders in his place shudder at the very thought. He stood up, pointed at Mt Suribachi and in a rousing voice called out to his marines 'Come on boys, lets take that hill!' As one, the troops under his command lurched forward, heavily burdened not only by 60 pounds of equipment but a sudden sensation of shame at their previous hesitation. They wouldn't let their commander, their fellows or their country down; it was time to fight. And fight they did. Moving from one emplacement to the next, they suppressed and then demolished all opposition. Col. Rose and his men demonstrated true grit and courage under fire, leading to the 12th marines also pushing on. Over the next several hours; slowly, but irresistibly, the marines silenced the 20mm flak guns and took the hill. Col. Rose fell near its crest; with a deafening blast a well-aimed 122mm shell threw him and four unlucky fellows near him 10 feet in the air. He was awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for his efforts. With the artillery observers rooted out and killed, the resistance from the japs slackened immensely. As it turns out there was only the one flak unit stationed on Iwo Jima, supported by a battery of artillery. The Japanese area commander Adm. Nagumo had apparently relocated his other ground troops to Saipan in the months before. No matter, both were now under our control and should prove valuable in the months to come.

Just a few points need to be made regarding future operations. Firstly, will you require assistance to destroy the jap fleet attempting to escape from that debacle in Donggala? I am more than happy to help, but I am unsure if I should detail units to swing south to deal with this menace. To be frank, I would prefer to retain these assets up north for the attack on the japs main fleets still around the Okinawa area as I intend to bring the fight to them next month. Also, I feel it is now time to begin our operations against the last of the jap bases in Formosa through to Komi. I have been assured by the Chinese ambassador that we can leave the Manchurian bases to our erstwhile Chinese friends. I am not a hundred percent confident of this, but I can not see the jap bastions in the North presenting much of a hindrance to the furtherance of our aim to bring the war to Tokyo. I await your reply.

[dialectic2003]

Iwo Jima Shoreline September 1943

9th Regiment pinned down

[dialectic2003]

The San Francisco Chronicle
September 23rd, 1943

IWO JIMA Airfield Now OPEN. One step closer to VICTORY

After a week of tireless effort by the Seabees engineers, the new Airbase on Iwo Jima is finally ready. This should greatly help to cut down our bomber losses by allowing the fighters to escort them all the way to Tokyo.

see page 3 for details

Below picture is of a F4F Wildcat taking off from the new Airbase

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Great update dialectic
great pics too

Keep up with the good work

[Paddy]

Originally posted by ShadowBlade
Thanks! By the way, on what difficulty are you playing the scenario to make this story?

Regent

[Kaos XIII]

cool

[Paddy]

The Sydney Morning Gazette
7 October 1943

IS THERE NOWHERE SAFE?

What is the WAR Department doing?

All night Sydney has been awake to the sounds of sirens and explosions. You may ask what is going on. You may think we are under attack. Well you would be right.

Last night a Japanese midget submarines attacked and sank...

(look to page 4 for the rest of this article)

[Paddy]

19 October 1943 Code Zebra Confidential Report
From Office of Australian Secret Intelligence Service
To Chief of Staff, Allied Command, Brisbane – General Talbot
To Chief of Naval Operations – Admiral John Lindley
To Secretary of War – Minister Frankston


The following information is a Code Zebra Confidential Report, repeat Code Zebra Confidential Report. This material is to be thoroughly destroyed upon completion of use. Please note, as per standard procedure, some references have been changed to protect the source.

Three Japanese mother submarines departed rendezvous point near Truk in mid May of this year. They headed south between Rabaul and Solomon Islands. A forty-six ton midget submarine was secured to each of these mother submarines.

We have confirmed reports that these mother subs were spotted off the east coast of Australia, as they passed Brisbane. Military Intelligence is currently investigating why this report did not set of appropriate warning bells.

As has been widely reported, suspected Japanese planes did fly over both Sydney and Newcastle in the hours prior to the Midget Submarine attacks. We can confirm that these planes were also brought into the area via the Mother Submarines. They are responsible for lighting various fires to guide the midget subs to their targets. These planes have not been located at this time.
We can confirm that the Japanese had five submarines in the waters near Sydney. It was these mother subs that attacked the Sydney East Suburbs.

Following the Jap float planes, the electronic indicator loop in Sydney Harbour did alert the Harbour command that there was something unauthorized entering the Harbour. It was the decision of the Harbour Master – Commodore Lindefield that this was nothing as there was quite a heavy amount of small boats using the Harbour.

Later in the evening again the electronic indicator loop in Sydney Harbour did alert the Harbour command that there was something unauthorized was entering the Harbour. Again it was the decision of the Harbour Master – Commodore Lindefield that this was nothing as there was quite a heavy amount of small boats using the Harbour.

As is known the Japanese Midget Submarine did entangle it self in the anti-submarine netting in the western Harbour. We believe that they detonated there on explosives to destroy their own craft at this stage. All of the crew died.

With this event all vessels in the Harbour were warned of the presence of enemy submarines.

Several vessels did spot one midget sub; it was fired upon at length. Several vessels tried to ram the sub; some even got depth charges away.

At this time the electronic indicator loop again alerted the Harbour Command that there was something unauthorized was entering the Harbour. By this stage the game was up, and the Harbour on full alert.

The HMAS Geelong spotted and attacked a midget submarine, just prior to the sub getting several missiles away.

As you are aware we lost several lives that evening.

We can confirm that the crew of one midget which was severely depth charged as it entered the harbour, was later found disabled on the harbour floor with its motor still running. The 2 crew had shot themselves. Nine areas in Sydney were damaged by shells fired from the submarines.

The 4 Japanese submariners killed in this incident were cremated are to be cremated at the Eastern Suburbs Crematorium.
The crew listings were:

Midget Submarine A14
Commander Kenshi CHUMA
Ensign Takeshi OOMORI

Midget Submarine A21
Commander Keiu MATSUO
Chief Petty Officer Masao TSUZUKU

Midget Submarine A from I-24 was never found and the crew is presumed dead as follows:-

Midget Submarine A from I-24
Lieutenant Katsuhisa BAN
Ensign Mamoru ASHIBE

[Paddy]

Japanese Midget Submarine from Sydney Harbour

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Nice stuff Paddy

[dialectic2003]

October 1943 TOP SECRET
From Allied Command Centre San Francisco America
To Allied Command Centre Sydney Australia


A tense atmosphere has pervaded the Supreme US Naval HQ, Pacific here in San Francisco for some time. Sweated brows and concerned demeanors are the dominant feature when scanning the faces of the denizens of this beleaguered compound. Not only have we had the ongoing titanic struggle with a foreign power to contend with, the ever-present fear of a repeat attack by hostile agents and their minions has occupied more and more of our attention. Guarding against such a domestic threat is intensely difficult. There is no profile to watch out for, no stereotypes to warn of impending danger. All we know is what the new posters blare out at us: be on the look out for suspicious persons. People lurking about or furtively glancing here and there, trying a little too hard to fit in and not get noticed. After the bombing of our HQ last month however, that could feasibly apply to everyone, even me. We have all become very worried, overly cautious about strangers. I doubt any spy or saboteur would look half as suspiciously concerned as we do. We’ve done everything we can to stave off further attacks; we beefed up security at the front gate, both to the base and our compound itself, and we also tripled the identity and clearance checks. Having done all that, I can honestly say I feel a little better, but still not completely relaxed.

All in all though, we have almost managed to get back to the business of prosecuting this damn war full time again. The communications center is nearly back to operating status again, we should have that completely repaired in the coming weeks. We have found that it is not only the local telecommunications monopoly that is incompetent and horrendously inefficient, its inter-regional competitors are likewise afflicted. Maybe the Jap’s evil grasp extends well past the reach of its military, perhaps into the very offices of the American firms we rely on. I remember something during 1942 in the news about an East Coast banker and businessman named Prescott Bush and some shady deals with the Nazis. I think I may have to set my adjutant on to an investigation for similar traitors in the West Coast telecommunications industry.

A world away from my offices, the situation has grown desperate on the recently re-conquered island of Puerto Princess. Despite our best efforts at maintaining an adequate supply to the small township there, people have been dying in the streets from a lack of food and clean water. Overcrowding has reached crisis levels, placing too heavy a strain on the local resources and incoming supplies. I requisitioned the formation of a worker battalion raised from the city’s poorest inhabitants to alleviate the burden of too many mouths to feed, and not enough sanitary places to house them. This brought the already low productive potential of the island crashing down to meager levels, but at least the human situation should now hopefully be stabilized. There is something dangerous about extreme poverty and high fertility, more research needs to be conducted. Malthus knew what he was talking about, - overpopulation is God’s way of stopping man from being lazy - though I doubt too many pay heed. At any rate, the raising of the worker battalion added to the mass starvation has reduced the base at Puerto Princess from a high of 6,000 inhabitants not 3 months ago, to a low of only 2,000 recorded just this week. It’s a good thing we are looking more for the strategic importance of the base than the productive capacity. In that the island holds some significant value as it provides a link in the surveillance chain that covers the coast of the Phillipines down to the Borneo North coast. There shall be no further Jap naval incursions in this area, what with your fleet coming up and ours sweeping across the North of the Phillipines we should be able to force the Japs into the arms of your waiting fighter bombers out of Saigon.

I read with some disconcertment your report of a moderate sized fleet moving up out of Donggala harbor in the direction of the Phillipines. Though heavily battered by what I presume was your cannon and aircraft, the enemy flotilla has been spotted just to the SE of Puerto Princess. For reasons cited below I am not in a position to deal with this still somewhat dangerous adversary, but I trust you should have no problem using either your inbound fleet or the aforementioned FB squadrons stationed near Saigon to hasten its demise.

Apart from some minor issues with pollution North of Los Angeles and the Uranium mining South of Seattle, there has been only one other major development yet to be discussed this month. However, unlike the preceding two issues this is of tremendous importance: the Jap navy has shown itself and in force. I append in full the report I received from Adm. King.

Start of Adm. King’s report

Knowing from previous Intel that the size and strength of the enemy fleet nearly matched our own, I felt it prudent to align our warships in a rough convex arrangement: the destroyers and cruisers in a protective screen ringing the main battleship and carrier group at a distance of some 20 nautical miles. While the surface fleet made a good, steady speed North by Northwest off the coast of the Phillipines toward the Jap island of Formosa, I organized the sub fleet into 4 distinct roles. The SS Tambour was to patrol the area to the West of Aparri, and cut down any attempt at infiltration either into or out of the Formosa area. The large sub group I had detailed in the North East; the SS Trout, SS Batfish and SS Bluefish, were to swing into the flank of the enemy fleet when battle was met. In addition, their mission was also to interdict any attempt to run the gauntlet and attack our recently conquered Jap territory of Saipan or Iwo Jima. The SS Bonefish was assigned as ASW escort with the forward elements of the cruiser screen. This left only one other sub, the SS Bream.

I had detailed the sub to scout out ahead of our main battle group in an effort to ensure early warning of any approach by the Japs. All had appeared satisfactory when I last received the check in coded transmission at mid-morning on the 22nd of Sept. Shortly after that we received another, more cryptic message from the captain of the SS Bream. It read, simply: ‘Warning, enemy …’ then the transmission was cut off. Unsure if the enemy was actually moving or simply staying static and preparing a minefield; or, if they were moving, in which direction and at what speed; I pored over that short transmission for an hour searching for some clue. In short, I was perturbed, so I issued an alert to all officers and crew to attend battle-stations and prepare for an attack. We waited over 34 hours, with many of the men starting to fall off from fatigue and nervous tension. I decided the Japs must not be in the immediate vicinity and called the all clear to allow the men some rest, this was at approximately 20:15 on the 24th. At 0445 the next morning, the Japs struck.

After receiving an alert in my cabin, I staggered up to the bridge of the main fleet’s flagship, the CV Enterprise. From there I could see the suddenly perilous developments first hand. The enemy had elected to bring their main carrier force down from Formosa during the dead of night and had caught us almost completely unawares. The main screen was under attack from three large groups of enemy warships, each with a carrier and mixed heavy cruiser and destroyer escort. In the still unlit pre-dawn sky I could make out CA Helena limping back to port with fires raging out of her port stern. The captain was obviously making sure that if she did blow that she wouldn’t damage any nearby US ships. As she had been on the extreme North wing of the screen though she had a ways to go and wouldn’t be out of danger for some time. Also, reports indicated that the accompanying ASW escort with the central pillar of the defensive screen, the SS Bonefish was damaged, but had gone without orders to bring the battle to the enemy carrier Shokaku. I attempted to radio orders to abort the attack run and make for Aparii, but to no avail. Unable to submerge due to her damaged hull, however, she presented little threat to the Japs and the DD Kusumi finished her off with 2 well-aimed 8” shells to the forward hull, just as the full spread of torpedoes was loaded. The resulting destruction was quick and total. Even in the darkness I could discern the whining sounds of incoming zeros and kites. All 4 of the main fleet’s carriers had CAPs up and almost all of the enemy aircraft were destroyed, but not before 2 kamikazes struck the stern turrets of the BB Nevada. The 2 revolving turrets housing the big 16” guns were rendered useless, but luckily for us the magazine was not penetrated. Though damaged, the commander of the BB Nevada advised that they were still seaworthy and keen to give as good as they had got. Even though we have been seeing an increasing number of these kamikazes and have almost found them so commonplace as not to be noteworthy, they still send a shiver down my spine when I think of them.

We had been shaken, bruised and bloodied, but not by a long shot were we out of the fight. In fact, the enemy attack plan could not have suited us better as they were now all within range of every one of our warships and submarines. Firstly, we had to eliminate the enemy carriers as they had a tremendously strong CAP controlling the sky above their main fleet formations. To that end, I ordered the SS Tambour to attack the southern most enemy fleet carrier, the CV Soryu. In this, the timing of the enemy attack suited us to no end. The sub was able to close to within torpedo range unnoticed. The firing solutions were plotted and the fuses timed to detonate a good 10 ft from the hull of the carrier. Again fate was kind, because the enemy escorting DD’s and BB were all focused on the US warships to their front, none were able to intervene in the path of the submerged missiles. The trails snaked their way right up to the hull of the ship and then exploded as if on cue. The carrier was caught amidships on the port side, shook violently for a second before suddenly lurching to the rent side. The scene almost elicited pity as a doomed fighter-bomber frantically revved engines to escape the sinking ship; but, with a flight deck at 45 degrees, gravity conspired with centrifugal force against the bushido warrior bringing the plane crashing into the dark morass of the pacific. Moments later the first of the enemy carriers was gone, entirely submerged and crashing to the depths of the Pacific. Unfortunately, as they were making their way south-west to resume their position as a rearward blocking force, a stray 14” shell from the main engagement struck the coning tower and almost sunk her. I ordered the captain to immediately cease combat patrolling and make best speed to Aparri for repairs.

The remainder of the battle went almost completely to plan. Though not exactly, as the experience of the SS Trout demonstrated when I ordered the North Eastern sub force to engage the last 2 of the enemy carriers. The CV Shokaku occupied the central plank of the enemy fleet formation of line abreast, and as such her elimination was an integral part of any operation to remove this thorn from our side for good. The SS Trout was detailed to attempt to recreate SS Tambour’s success, though in hindsight this was never a good idea as the 2 commanders were not the same either in combat experience or resilience under fire. However, hindsight is 20/20, and at the time I felt there was a reasonable chance they could make it through the DD screen and strike a fateful blow against the hated Jap Emperor. Though they were able to run submerged to within striking distance, and managed to get to periscope depth to calculate the appropriate time over distance equation for their firing solution, the breaking dawn of the new day betrayed them to the enemy. As they were loading their torpedoes for the attack, the enemy DD Shiranuhi spotted the incongruous shape of the periscope not 80 ft from their hull and launched depth charges in a full spread. The SS Trout crew could hear 3 of the explosions nearby and they held their breath hoping beyond hope that they might be lucky and submerge again before any further launches were made. Just as the order to submerge was given, one of the depth charges scraped against the sub’s hull and detonated. The scene must have been horrific for those poor boys in the engine room at the back of the vessel, stuck in a sinking tin can with no escape. This spelt the end of the SS Trout.

The battle then devolved into a series of engagements where vessels traded shell with the enemy over a range of 10 nautical miles. In this sort of engagement, our superior gunnery training and American engineering provided us with a great advantage. I ordered the heavy cruisers Juneau, Honolulu and Chicago to move to engage the enemy screen around the last 2 carriers. Having seen the end of the SS Trout, the Batfish and the Bluefish reported the situation and were ordered to pull back and maintain submerged status, I couldn’t risk any further surprise attack runs when the enemy DD and aircraft were alerted to my ruse. With the assistance of the DD Paul Jones, the screen surrounding the CV Shokaku was penetrated and the CA Honolulu was able to deliver a telling blow to the enemy carrier. With her 14” and 12” guns firing their timed fuse shells at the hull of the carrier, the CA Honolulu was able to open 3 gaping holes in the enemy vessel’s side. With smoke pouring out from what was once her untarnished starboard, the enemy captain ordered all crew to the flight deck to show us what they were made of. As the ship listed savagely to one side, the entire crew threw their hands into the air and screamed ‘BANZAI!’ before the CV Shokaku capsized and sunk.

Meanwhile, the battleship Pennsylvania was busy engaging the enemy battleship Kirishima, which had once been escorting the CV Soryu. Here the advantages I spoke of earlier were most in evidence, the damage that the enemy was doing to the US battleship was minor compared to the wholesale destruction wrought on the Japs. With waterspouts from near misses marking the seas around the BB Pennsylvania, the Captain calmly ordered adjustments to their fire up and down the Kirishima until the magazine was found. When 2 16” armor piercing shells broke through the comparatively thin shell surrounding this most vulnerable of spots on a warship, the results were as dramatic as they were cataclysmic. With a tremendous explosion the BB Kirishima was simply vaporized, small pieces of debris being scattered as far as 5 nautical miles away. Just as the 16” guns on the BB Pennsylvania opened fire and delivered the fateful shells to the magazine of the Jap battleship, the Kirishima also let loose a volley of AP shot. The Pennsylvania was busy loading up another round into each of her 12 heavy guns when all hell broke loose. Not 1, 2 or 3, but 4 direct hits tore through the side armor and dealt a savage blow to the US battleship, the ensuing magazine explosions finalized matters as if there was any doubt. As the ship started to rapidly take on water, the signal to abandon ship was sounded. For most of the crew stuck below deck it simply came too late, only 65 men were plucked from the water in the battle’s aftermath.

Now the main effort was re-directed towards the last of the enemy fleet carriers, the CV Hiryu. With most of the enemy capital ships in the first 2 fleet groups sunk, the remaining uncommitted battleships, Maryland and Nevada - escorting our carriers, were ordered North to engage the heavy cruisers in the Hiryu’s protective screen. After two very short and sharp encounters, the enemy heavy cruiser screen was destroyed, with the CA Abukama sunk. Only minor damage was done to the Maryland, but the Nevada was severely crippled and only able to limp to Aparri, smoke pouring out from its bow and stern and its bridge all but wrecked. Sensing an opportunity, the CA Helena diverted from its previous heading towards the Aparri harbor and decided to try to inflict as much damage on the Jap war ambitions as possible. Even though its 8” and 10” guns were unusable, its 12” guns were serviceable and put into action with telling effect. The CV Hiryu could sense that the attack ploy had failed miserably and was now busy seeking a means of escape, attempting to preserve at least some combat carrier potential for the IJN. Just as the rudder was redirected and the order for retreat was given, a 12” shell obliterated both the bridge and the fleet’s sole remaining commanding officer. The carrier was damaged, but the aircrews onboard were still determined and the flight deck was still serviceable. A squadron of zeros was launched toward the CA Helena and no amount of flak was going to save her. The CAP from the main US carrier group scrambled to defend the stricken vessel, but not before 2 kamikazes crashed into the bridge and boiler. Soon thereafter the question of defending the now crippled CA Helena was a moot point as an internal explosion racked the vessel and she broke in 2, disappearing from view in seconds.

As the CV Hiryu was attempting to make good its escape, I rescinded its previous order and gave the go ahead for the SS Batfish to close and engage. Sadly, the CA Helena was gone, but its debris proved invaluable for the SS Batfish’s attack run as it provided the captain with a measure of cover for the periscope to rise and allowed him to cut out the guesswork from his attack matrix calculation. Not wanting to give the last enemy carrier any chance of avoiding the deadly torpedoes, he programmed 3 different time fuses for his full spread – in front of, behind and dead on. The torpedoes were launched and the SS Batfish submerged immediately, not wanting to hang around to witness what may be the end of both the Hiryu and himself if the escorts were alerted to his presence. Had he stayed at periscope depths he could have enjoyed the sight of 2 of his torpedoes strike home, caving in the side of the carrier with ease. The stricken ship and its crew took a further 3 minutes to actually sink out of sight, almost half the time it took for the bomber squadrons out of the carriers Saratoga, Yorktown, Lexington and Enterprise to reach the area and render 3 more destroyers and a heavy cruiser smoking wrecks.

I have included in my report an aerial photograph of the situation in the Phillipine sea area before our response to the Japanese attack. Though this was a victory, it was certainly not total, and definitely not without considerable loss. The enemy still has 2 destroyers and a heavy cruiser in the area, though all are badly damaged and the cruiser is crippled. They will not present a large threat to our forces in the region, but will most likely escape our clutches in the coming weeks at least. We lost the battleship Pennsylvania, the CA Helena and several submarines. We will also require several months to make good the damage to our main fleet assets, with almost half of the fleets cruisers, destroyers and submarines needing urgent repair. The loss of life has been tragic, please extend my warm regards and condolences to their families.

End of Adm. Kings report
--- continued ---

[dialectic2003]

October 1943 TOP SECRET
From Allied Command Centre San Francisco America
To Allied Command Centre Sydney Australia



--- continued ---

In review, the situation post Oct 1943 is considerably brighter than it was even just 3 months ago, when first reports of the remaining Jap navy around Formosa first crossed my desk. Subsequent to the main combat action, and in view of the potentially precarious situation now in the Phillipines Sea area of the Pacific, I ordered the swing group of TF Charlie to rendezvous with the main fleet as reinforcement. Though our main Pacific fleet is weakened and will require extensive time to repair and refit, we should now be well placed to strike the final blows at the Japanese imperial dream in the Pacific. We have now moved beyond the initial rollback strategy and have reached the investment of the main Jap homelands, starting with Formosa. To paraphrase what a Mr. W. Churchill once said: We have witnessed the end of the beginning and now we move onto the beginning of the end.


Attached: aerial shot of the Hiryu from a F4F patrol aircraft; Oct 1943

[ChrisiusMaximus]

B l o o d y Marvellous stuff!! marvellous stuff

[SKILORD]

very nice.