Letters from a Prime Minister

[1275psi]

Jack Ford spends nearly all day in a trench.
The Japanese attack has, for now, failed. A hundred or so of them lie dead on the
airfield, the rest, possibly another 100, are holed up at the far end of the field.
The night has passed in a blur.
Guns cracking, the whine of bullets, the frantic manhandling of planes, the start up
in the dark, taxiing in the blackness, plunging his bird into the low scrub, trying to
hide it before dawn.

Now, as the sun begins to warm the day, the 6 inch artillery of the Geraldon Base force
fires rhythmically over their heads, pounding at the Japs 500 yards away.

Given time, he is sure, they could kill em all.
But there is no time to be had.
Japanese tanks are coming.

[1275psi]

3 rd April

The Japanese have a task force, 2 CA's, 2 DDs, running riot in the great Australian Bight.
The supporting Carriers however have gone back North...........we think.

The Allies are very carefully counting Japanese Divisions. If India is a target, Japan still
has 6 to deploy.
I am not so sure now, if that is enough.




Bridge
HMAS Napier

John can barely see Diego Garcia with his binoculars, its a low smudge, barely discernible.
The column of smoke however.......you don't need glasses to see that.

The rumble of the R class Battleships guns comes over the waters like distant thunder.
Even in the morning light, the flash of the great guns can be seen.

"Give em hell, boys, give em hell"


That they do.
A bombardment of Diego Garcia.
Airbase 37hits
Airbase supply, 29 hits
Runway, 106 hits
Port, 5 Hits

27 Betties destroyed on the ground.

[Long pig]

Now that's got to get their attention 👍

[1275psi]

April 4th

Pilot Officer Graham lands his Hurricane neatly on the strip, taxis towards the "maintenance area"
There are no hangers. There are no buildings. Just a single narrow strip, a handful
of tents, some slit trenches, a handful of AA guns.
And yet, as he trundles towards his reverent, he can see the progress.
Only 2 weeks ago, this field was bare ground.
A week ago, a nightmare for his fighter to get into, and out of.
Now, ready for Medium bombers. Soon, if the work continues at this rate, ready for
the heavies.

He swings the hurricane around, the ground crew chock the wheels, and he kills the engine.
His Sergeant bounces onto the wing, begins to help with the straps.
Graham cocks a questioning eye towards him, gestures to the other side of the field
"Visitors?"
The Dusty man leaning over him grins. "Permanent feature, I think, its nice to see em"

Graham can only agree.

This area is sprouting airfields like pimples on a 13 year old
And Americans.

[1275psi]

April 4th

Diego Garcia receives round two, heavy cruisers this time.
DD Decoy strikes a mine, she will struggle to get home.
Destroyer Napier is already miles away, headed towards the next target.

The Australians attack

Australian Militia, the Chocko's, push ever so slowly inwards on the perimeter.
They fight, and die, just as gamely as the Regulars.
There is nearly 25 6 inch guns at Jacks back, supporting the attack, hidden amongst the mine tailings, the scrub,
the rocks and hillocks.
A hellish landscape.


Especially, right now, for the Jap paras being pounded from all sides.

7th division receive their orders.
1st Corp will standby, and do what all soldiers are more than familiar with.
Standby and wait.

[1275psi]

4th April

General Blamey stands by the train.

Around him, a dozen of the most important soldiers in Australia.
Behind him, several hundred soldiers hanging from every window, door, vantage point
of the long, long train, all intensely interested in what is happening in that small circle.
They cannot hear the conversation , of course. But body language tells a story in itself.

In later days, many will agree.
Blamey was like a bulldog, fingers pointing, chests being poked.

And then firm handshakes all round.

The circle disperses. Blamey climbs aboard.

A decision has been made.

10 minutes later the train, the trains, begin to roll.

[1275psi]

From
CINPAC
to
Chiefs of staff

Appreciation of war, March/April

Despite our best efforts, the Japanese continue to attack, and are obviously going
all out to knock us out of the war quickly.
The Invasion of Australia has come as a shock.
The over running of the Aleutians a crises never ever even considered in
pre war planning.

What follows is an honest appraisal of how I see the war to date, what may transcribe in April,
and what plans are in place by this command to try to rectify the crises we face.

First, and this is no doubt the most important thing.
We must preserve the carriers. To lose them now, is, I feel, a guaranteed way to lose the war

At this stage only Enterprise (operating with the British in the Indian ocean) is at risk
All others are ordered back to the states at this stage.

The command areas:

China
The only bright spot so far, the Chinese seem to have stabilised the front, Nanning, Kweillin,
Changsha, Changteh, Nanyang, Sian, Lanchow.
The Japanese have tried several offensives, all can be considered held.
The sending of 2 squadrons of P 40's to replace the AVG here, is a good investment.
I feel China may hold for several more months, it may crack as supplies dry up, then
again, it may not.

India
10th airforce HQ and assets are coming into place. Air field construction continues.
We still receive intel that an invasion is aimed at Colombo, southern India.
I give this a 50/50 chance of actually occurring.
As per last month, I actually hope they try, Australia, India, and the Aleutians?

Australia

4 divisions in West Australia
No sign (yet) of further landings , especially on the East coast.
The Aussies, regretfully, are on their own, we have nothing to send, thanks to the Alaskan
Bay fiasco


The Aleutians
We have failed here badly

Too few troops.
A lack of imagination on enemy intentions

2 full divisions, and the equivalent of another in minor troops.
We risk losing Kodiac.
We are going to lose Dutch Harbour, and another regiment.

Only the forming marine regiments, and when ready, the 32nd division, will be available to
eject them. Obviously not enough
The Government must prepare the public for dark news in the days ahead


South Pacific
Plans continue


The way ahead

We are counting divisions
Only 4 remain "hidden"

General Blameys plan remains on the table, albeit, I am considering a modification of the
initial target.
All for April depends on the availability of troop lift, and its safe deliverance.
This, for April, is my primary objective

Nimitz.

[1275psi]

4th April

"The Speaker of the House calls upon the Prime Minister to address the House"

Prime Minister Ford stands, the house falls silent.


He takes them in.
Craggy faces. Old faces. Young faces. Brown faces, pale faces

Government. Opposition.
But all Australian
All Share this land with him.

He considers the 3 pages of speech in his hand.

And slowly screws it up.
"
We are Australians.
And we can, have always done it on our bloody own.

"Australians. The Japanese pollute our land. Our land. These bloody yellow barsteds
think they can push us around.
They are wrong
Gallipolli. Passchendaele. The Hindenburg line. We kicked the Germans arse. We kick it again.
Now for the Japs.
I have ordered Blamey to exterminate the invaders.
I have confidence he will.

Whatever happens, victory, or defeat, I swear, Japan will rue the day they took us on.

Aussies never step back. Never.

And I never will.""'




The Government defeats the no confidence vote by 6 votes, all independents voting against the
motion.

[1275psi]

April 5th

The Japanese it seems, have bought out a division from China

It, the 65th, and under the cover of Fuso's Guns, storm ashore at Dutch harbour.
There is only a regiment defending, green horns, the hungry, low on everything.
This is going to be a swift, horrible battle

The Japanese, trapped at Kalgoorlie, hang on. They are going to fight to the last
man.
The Japanese tanks are coming up from Esperance, it will take a week though.
The Aussies pound away, and look continuously over their shoulders, is anything
going to come up the railway to help them?

Nobody knows.

[1275psi]

April 6th

Enemy troops in outskirts of Perth
Japanese hang on in Kalgoorlie ( 19 to 1 odds)
Dutch harbour defences crumble

Japanese fighters crawl all over Port Moresby, 48th Division troops occupy the
North coast of PNG.

And Matron mentions to Margaret at the homestead near Charters towers
"Hear that?"
"Ï can't hear anything"
"Exactly........where, and possibly why, have all the planes gone?"

[ny59giants]

John3 seems to like the Aleutians very much. I almost had KB take out 2 CVs and CVL, but weather saved me. He is now using at least one heavy SC TF there and a few divisions have dug in. For future planning, you need to decide how aggressive you are going to be in '43 and beyond in taking it back. For me, I have the 24 & 25 ID from Pearl rebuilt to operate here. I just want him to be tied down here.

Western Australia - I've lost this area twice now. I think I need to put it down as another place that john likes to capture. Don't die out there as once Kalgoorlie is lost, those troops will find it difficult to make it across the desert safely. Make sure Port Augusta is secure as he may try to go there to stop troop moving north and west. He may look for an undefended base in NE Australia to land and then send a division or two south.

Para - he will use them aggressively. I defend India with those small battalions from Burma at some dot bases to prevent easy capture. Mostly inland from Viza and those between Dimapur and Calcutta. If he comes for India, he will want easy access to inland bases.

Good luck Herbie!!

[kaleun]

those troops will find it difficult to make it across the desert safely.

Hear hear!

[1275psi]

10th April
Cruisers Kinugasa, Aoba and a crap load of destroyers bombard Noumea.

The Japanese 2nd Division lands at Cox Bizaar.......a division intel had going
some where totally different.
Perth Falls. The 4th division storming the place. They landed with the Imperial Guards,
and 2nd tank. Both of these units have been spotted moving east, and North, target probably
Albany

Allied command wonders, whats left at Busselton then?



Paras take Cunderlin, a rail town east of perth.



There is also, some other interesting items in the intel report...........

[1275psi]

April 7th


"It's the French Ambassador sir"

John cannot help but smile. That did not take long, did it?
Reality has a habit of smashing dreams.

The Ambassador is tall, pale, and obviously has not slept much over the last night.
"Monsieur, in light of the events of last night........."

"You welcome the help of the Allied armies?"

The Ambassador hesitates. So hard to be so wrong, and so helpless.....

"Tell the Governor of Noumea that we will come when we can"

John turns away. For four long months you idiots have denied us, denied that field, that harbour,
forced us to build elsewhere.
Now, now we don't need you. In fact, we are praying that Japan commits a division or
two to you.........

[1275psi]

April 7th

Deep under Admiralty house, there is one.
In a discreet building, (but one soon to grow) in Hawaii, there is one

In Calcutta, another

Colombo, another.

Radio intel cells. Dedicated cells of men who labour to decipher the streams
of Japanese radio intercepts.

They all have access to different equipment, even different methods.
Different doctrines.. But right now, they all are doing the one
same thing

Counting Japanese Divisions.

All But 2 are located, the 16th, the 21st. The 21st smashed badly in the phillipines, the 16th
probably still there.

2 divisions have consistently been reported aimed at India.
Today both are now identified at Rabual, or in Australia.
2 others this week also aimed towards India, have turned up elsewhere..

Is there a possibility of an invasion of India still?
Yes, of course there is.
But allied Command is looking hard at what is now defending India, and if it can be better used.

[1275psi]

7 April

The first train arrives Kalgoorlie just before midnight.

General Blamey is the very first man to step down from it.

A mile away, 16 6inch guns continue to crash in regular rhythm at the dwindling
Japanese Paras.
The Commander 1st Australian Army steps forward, salutes.

"Its good to see you sir......."
"The Jap army?"
"Still 120 miles away.......he's trying for an end run around us though"

Blamey smiles........"Lets get to work shall we?"

The train seems to explode, as literally a thousand men begin to disgorge from it.
A thousand strong men, angry men

Soon joined by the rattle and clank of tanks.

[BBfanboy]

Waltzing their Matildas to battle - how apropos!

[1275psi]

It is April 11th

4 days have passed.
They have been good, not so good, and disastrous.

Dutch harbour has fallen, a regiment lost

Kalgoorlie has been reinforced, the Japanese Paras destroyed .
The troops there now dig, dig, and dig.
The airfield is back up and running, 75th squadron however remains temporarily out
of the fight, evacuated east, they have only just returned.
Instead the Wirriways are doing the one thing they can do well, ground attack, close support.

There are Japanese troops running all over the west corner of Australia, some headed north,
a tank regiment dashing towards Kalgoorlie, and further units trying to cut the rail
many miles east of there.

They may be in for a bit of a surprise..............

Port Moresby is being bombed, it fights hard in the air, but the field is rapidly accumulating damage.

CL Trenton probes the Indian ocean, brushes up against some Japanese destroyers, and retires un hurt
This, however, has been a critical mission. Trenton has spotted numerous Kates on search,
numerous ones.

Deep in the middle of the ocean, we now believe KB lurks...........

[1275psi]

April 12

From
CINPAC
to
Combined Chiefs

Re, operation Roundswing.
Forces for this offensive are now combat loaded.
I continue to have severe doubts about this operation, although I can
see the logic of hitting the Japanese while he is busy elsewhere.

However, even since combat loading began, things have changed.
1.
A large convoy landed at Lunga, and undoubtedly large numbers of troops landed,
the chances of quickly seizing the airfield may have passed.
2.
Enemy carrier activity. There is now at least one CVL or CVE operating north PNG.
Even one CVE could wreck havoc.
3.
The Japanese are gathering troops, (33rd div) at Rabual. These may be aimed at Australian east coast.
Landing at Lunga may not divert this effort.

With the reinforcements coming across the pacific, I suggest we either
A/ cancel this attack (but continue with grab of Nendendi)
B/ Send troops immediately to Sydney
or
C/ Disembark at Suva again, await reinforcements, and send them on to Australia, allowing
further preparation time and forces to be gathered for Lunga operation

I await your comments

Nimitz

[1275psi]

12 April
From
Winston
to
Prime Minister Ford

Your 1st Corp is loading.
plans to send them directly considered now too risky, they will go via Cape
I am giving you our only major Armoured unit available as well

Every vessel available will be used to see these troops through.
This will, no doubt, be the most important convoy of the war

Yours,
Winston.