Letters from a Prime Minister

[blueatoll]

[blueatoll]

[blueatoll]

In 3 years from the date of the last post - August 6, 1942...

[nicwb]

http://sydwalker.info/blog/wp-content/u ... poster.jpg

I suspect this one is from WW1 - Australia had two plebiscites for conscription ( both lost). There weren't any plebiscites in WW2.

[nicwb]

Oops mucked up the cut and paste - the image is post 901 relates to WW1

[1275psi]

August 7th

Here's a challenge.
Select a major warship from the war.
Now select a major warship damaged , heavily damaged during the war.

Plenty of history on where, how, what caused the damage.
Maybe even a little on what happened immediately after that damage was inflicted.,
and so, heavily damaged, ship X dragged herself away.........

I only know of one book, that of the agony of the Franklin, of her incredible fight for life.
Of others........
Not so much.

CV's Enterprise, Yorktown make Pearl harbour.
Her men man her rails.
Pale men
Tired men
Relieved men

Proud men

Submarines.
Heavy weather, flooded spaces, straining shoring.
Strain
Stress
A thousand crises, a thousand horrors..........

They will dock these ships immediately, take a breath, and begin the next job.
Repairs.
The dockies will look at these men, these tired men, and maybe catch a hint of what
they have endured.
A hint, maybe, for nothing will be ventured.

They will keep this journey in their hearts, will the men of Enterprise and Yorktown.
keep it in their hearts, in a very special place.

No history will not record this journey. It can't
We did not make it.

We would never understand.

[poodlebrain]

I'm curious as to the increase in crew experience for Enterprise and Yorktown. I've never bothered to look at this particular benefit of surviving combat damage.

[1275psi]

August 8th
(sorry poodlebrain, I can't answer you, have not been tracking that detail at all)

Kodiak.

Out of the mist , rain and sleet, the attack emerges.
Slow, deliberate, backed by what the Americans do best.
Application of overwhelming fire power.

Little ground is taken.
But far, far more Japanese pay the butchers bill than what the poor allied grunts do.
Far more.

Kodiak.
The Japs cannot take it now.
But we know we can take them.

[1275psi]

From
9th group
to
Southwest command

75th squadron operational.

[1275psi]

Aug 9th

The Humbar armoured car drives slowly down the main street, or what remains of it.
A few shattered buildings, dust, the wreckage of a retreating army.
And silence

The car stops.

Captain Townsend raises his body in the hatch, contemplates the mess of Kalgoorlie about him.
Wrinkles his nose.
The Japanese have left more than just abandoned vehicles it seems.

"Hello cobber"
Townsend turns sharply, eyes the thin, wrinkled man who has magically appeared beside
the car
"Looking for the Japs?, they cleared of quicker than the Bondi tram mate, all gone, quit for
happier climes"
"All gone?"
"Gone"

Townsend eyes the man before him.
Straight, unbowed. Even a little cockie
"How in the hell did you survive old man"?
The old man grins, The grin of one answering a seemingly silly question
"Enough holes around here to hide an army in mate, that and a few other things"
magically, something wonderful appears in his hand
"Want a beer cobber?, its good to see a friendly face again".

3 Months of struggle, of battle, of fear, of worry.
And of dust.
God, the dust.
Captain Townsend takes the proffered bottle, raises the wonderful nectar to his lips,
Kalgoorlie is ours, is , for this moment, HIS.
The beer is cool, and wonderful, and washes all those months away.

[poodlebrain]

(sorry poodlebrain, I can't answer you, have not been tracking that detail at all)

Me either. That's why I asked you when the idea came to mind. And it's not like I have capital ships survive early war combat and make perilous cruises to safety very often. Hopefully another reader will have an answer. Since every opportunity should produce different results, more than one would be even better.

[1275psi]

August 10th
From
Prime Minister Ford
to
Prime Minister Churchill

My dear Winston

Kalgoorlie changes everything. I admit I have never understood why it was so
essential to capture the railhead ( something about shunting??) but now we have, and the
trains are rolling.
I expect to be able to transfer quite a few extra squadrons of ground attack bombers
in the next few days.
The immediate objective is to relieve your 7th armoured regiment and the first corp
at Geraldton.
The Americans and our armour will be involved in this.
Large numbers of your British troops will I am pleased to say lead the way West now, where the Japs
appear to be digging in at Cunderin.
I am receiving quite a lot of criticism from my Cabinet that The Japs may escape this trap.
I for one would just be grateful to have them off Australian soil.
The big question, is, of course, what next...............

[1275psi]

Aug 11th

Blamey does not know anything about the Navy
How could he??
But he knows guns

Battleships carry guns.
The B17's have struck Perth, struck at it hard
Its going to take more than that though to blast a way in.
Its going to take artillery
BIG artillery

The British have 4 battleships at Albany, apparently.
And They could blast the way..............

"Get me the Navy liaison officer"...........

[1275psi]

Aug 12th

The war continues.
DD Helm, that heroic ship, attacks a convoy near Saumalika, a daring raid indeed.
It pays off in spades, sinking the SC, the AMC, and leaving four heavily
loaded AKs burning..

The Japanese dead leave a horrible thick floating carpet..........

Kalgoorlie , days ago starving, now fairly bulges with supplies.
Just as importantly, many of the trains bear new tanks, new guns, replacements by the score.

Enough, with some to spare , to rebuild every unit of Armour under Blameys care

Frank Ford, briefly, hits the hustings
So does Tony.
Its a day of contrast..Frank speaking to big, massive crowds.
Tony, (as he feels) to a vacuum. His words it seems, just vanish.........

Frank Fords Wife, Margaret, re appears, bright, smiling, the perfect faithful wife beside
her Prime Minister.
Her Lover, apparently, is on holidays

Jason still watches the Japs at Geraldton, watches and frets.
They seem to be growing alarmingly in numbers.

Jack waits at Cairns, 75th awaits final new planes, before re joining the fray
John waits for a ship to join at Garden island. It could be a long
wait if he wants an Australian ship, there are pitifully few of them left.

Jeffery sits idle at Townsville. His AA unit awaits, as most units do, ships.

Blamey plots the next attack
And Margaret, does what nurses do, works, works, and works........

[1275psi]

Aug 13th

The day of the battleship is over.

They say.

Gunnery officer Simpson, his majesties Battleship Revenge, often wonders who "they: are.

He hopes, deeply in his heart (for Officer Simpson is actually a deeply, deeply
prejudiced and vindictive man)that right now, some of "them" are at the receiving end of this
little show.

The "Rs" steam in venerable line ahead, a mere mile from Perth. Their equally old guns, guns older than
many of the men who serve them, steam.
They have been busy.
In the debate, ships verses planes, this is one hell of a good argument.
Perth burns
The field burns
Japans air presence in Western Australia.............burns
It will not be totally killed, not today, not yet.

So, Officer Simpson has his fun, flinging his 14 inchers ashore.
Sometimes the oldies must win



HI 1
Res 2
manpower 1
fires 366
airfield 20
Airfield supply 12
Runway 83

17 betty destroyed, 25 damaged (FOW???)
27 Zero damaged
17 Oscar damaged

a dozen fighters destroyed

[1275psi]

Aug 16th

From
CINPAC
to
South West Pacific Command

The request for deployment of first and second marine divisions to your
Command, is not approved.

In the light of the weight of forces already deployed to your command,
the secure ridge head now held in PNG, the continuing collapse and retreat of Japanese forces
in the West of Australia, it is felt that sufficient forces have been assigned to you.

The first and 2nd Marine divisions are to move to New Zealand, and to continue training
and planning for the invasion of Lunga.
It is firmly held by this command that these divisions will only be deployed when sufficient carrier forces
are available.

( Sorry Jim......I know that Milne Bay is so tempting......how ever, as a sop,
I am sending you the P38's, they are going to - finally - give you something to
roughly handle the zero.)

[1275psi]

Hi guys

In one way or another I have been writing AARs for over 10 years
At the moment, I just cannot continue this one, I am working stupid hours, and its either, play
the turns, or write about them.
I am, to be honest, AAR burnt out.
I am trying to convert the little ship to a book, but each evening, .....just no time

So, regretfully, this AAR( but the not the game) is going into Hiatus.

Thanks for the support, I will take this back up, when life becomes less frantic........


Herbie

[PaxMondo]

Sad to read this, but totally understandable ...

Life is so dang short ... so many things to do and not enough time for them all. The problem is clearly that whole sleep thing ... eats up too much time! [:D][:D][:D]

[british exil]

The the post I was looking forward to, but I understand it.
Real life can be so demanding at times and we have to set priorities.
WitPAE is a "only" a game, it is not worth the pain to get burnt out over a game.

Take all the rest from AAR as you need. Thanks for the ride I really enjoyed it.
When any other trips start or the journey continues, I definetly will be booking another travel ticket.

Thanks. [&o]

Mat

[Major Shane]

Thanks for always giving us such great stories. I sincerely hope that real life becomes less hectic. Good luck with the book, I loved that story. Thanks for the memories.