桜 転落する. Falling Cherry Blossoms. No CrackSabbath

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桜 転落する. Falling Cherry Blossoms. No CrackSabbath

Post by kaleun »

It's time to start a new AAR.
Japan, me, Allies CrackSabbath. Ironbabes C. PDU on and R&D on
Routine HRs, no Mersing gambit no Palenbang fortress, no fractional parachute attacks. Invasion on dot hexes only. that kind of thing.

Game is currently in late January 42, but we shall begin, at the beginning.
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昭和 16 年 11 月十五日
Showa era year 16, 11th month 15th day,

Ito Kobayashi arrived at his desk at the antechamber to the newly appointed minister of munitions and supply, retired captain Yamashita Carl, at 0600, fully one hour before his 0700 official reporting time. It would not do if the minister were to arrive and not find his assistant waiting for him on his first day on the job. Once he got to know his new boss, Ito could perhaps arrive later.

He sat at his desk and made sure everything was in order. He pulled out a dust cloth from a bottom drawer and dusted the spotless table. He rearranged the writing pad, pens, and ink bottles several times, until he was convinced that the pad lay precisely at the center of the desk, with the ink bottles and pens at exactly three centimeters above the pad.

By 0800 Ito began to feel concerned for two reasons. First, the new minister had neither appeared nor informed whether he would be coming today. Second, all the green tea he had at breakfast was by now, urgently demanding to come out. What was he to do. To leave before the minister arrived was unthinkable.
He squeezed and broke out in a cold sweat.

The phone on his desk rang, breaking the silence.

Hai

“Ah, Kobayashi-san, so desu-ka?”

“Sumimasen, Who is this?”

“Boku wa Yamashita desu.

Ito stood to attention.

“Yes, I am here sir.”

“Good, come into my office. I need your help.”

He must have arrived before 6, Ito murmured approaching the door.

His first impression was the smell of cigarette smoke followed by the intense cold that the open windows let in.
Sitting at a desk strewn with reports was a tall man in his late thirties, a lit cigarette dangling from his mouth. Yamashita looked up at him, smiled and rose to greet him.

Ito saw Yamashita return his full bow gracefully and, on rising, extend his hand to also greet him in the western manner.

The minister was tall and had large eyes for a Japanese man, features inherited, Ito assumed, from his German mother. He gestured to a chair, the only piece of furniture not covered by files and reports.

“Sit here, kudasai.”

He handed Ito a pile of handwritten orders.

“Please have these typed, check them and have them sent out.”

“You’ll need this,” he handed Ito a small red seal, his signature seal.

Ito stood up, “Hai,” he bowed, “thank you for your trust.”

“Hurry,” Yamashita said, “there is not a moment to be lost.”

Orders to industrialists, airframe manufacturers, engine factories. Ito reviewed them before assigning the work to the typists that operated the cumbersome Kanji typewriters.

A shiver ran up his spine and not from the tea this time.

This was serious.

It was a complete restructuring of Japan’s aircraft manufacturing industry. All the Ki 27b, Ki43Ia and b plants to convert immediately to Ki 43Ic. Single exception the Harbin plant that would expand to double its size, immediately.
B5N1 and B5N2 production to resume. All Army bomber factories to convert to the Ki 21-IIa.

Japan’s air manufacturing would be streamlined, the number of models limited. Engine plants ordered to expand.

The next set of orders made Ito wonder. Several armaments and vehicle factories were to stop production.

Aichi ordered to increase its efforts to develop the Ha-60 engine.

This could only mean one thing.

Over the next few days, orders went out to naval shipyards, some ships to stop production, others to accelerate. Then it was the merchant shipyards ordered to accelerate production of all tanker ships in the yards.

He accompanied his master on frequent airplane trips all over the empire, to Harbin, in Manchukuo to see that his orders were followed, to Sapporo, to Sakhalin to review the oil production. Back to Honshu, visiting engine, airframe plants, shipyards. Shanghai, port inspected, airfield to be expanded. Innumerable other trips, conferences, meetings. It seemed it would never end.
 
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RE: 桜 転落する. Falling Cherry Blossoms. No CrackSabbath

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Look forward to it!
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RE: 桜 転落する. Falling Cherry Blossoms. No CrackSabbath

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[font="Trebuchet MS"]期待!!武运长久!![/font]
The most persistent sound which reverberates through man's history is the beating of war drums.

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八荒一宇![font="Trebuchet MS"][/font]
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[font="Trebuchet MS"]板载![/font]
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like!
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
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昭和 16 年 12 月六日
Showa era year 16, twelfth month, day six.

For the last two days, the stream of orders coming out of Yamashita’s office had dried out. Now the traffic was only one way, reports from factories, oil depots, fuel storage facilities, rubber, scrap metal, bauxite, coal, the myriad elements that keep a modern economy functioning. Elements that, with the only exception of coal, Japan had to scrounge for, buying, begging, for the resources needed to keep the Land of the Rising Sun in the modern age.

Ito knocked on the door of his master’s office.

“Come in.”

He went in, limping on the club foot that had kept him out of the army, that spared him from the endless war in China.

“Sir,” he said.

Yamashita gestured towards the chair in front of his desk. For once, the surface of the desk was clear of files and papers.

“Sir,” Ito repeated, “Does this mean what I think it means?”

The minister’s head nodded very slowly.

Ito searched for the words, he needed to be precise, and careful. A question would be treason, there was to be no doubt. Yet, to show acceptance would betray stupidity.

“Will we…, no, can we win?”

Yamashita looked his subordinate in the eye.

“Do you play chess, Kobayashi-san?”

Chess was frowned upon as a western game at this time in Japan. Go and Shogi were more politically acceptable.

Ie, Go is more my style.”

“Yes, Go is clean, pure. Victory or defeat,” Yamashita mused, as if thinking aloud.

“In chess, Kobayashi-san, sometimes one wins, by not losing.”

 
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昭和 16 年 12 月八日

8th day.

広島

Ito and Yamashita sat inside the minister’s office. In front of them, on the desk, cleared of reports and files, sat a square box, a speaker. A wire, jury rigged along the ceiling and wall disturbs Ito’s sense of aesthetics. The technicians who installed it yesterday did a very poor job in his opinion, but Yamashita assured him that the offending speaker and wire would be taken down soon.

Last night they did not go home. After they finished work, Yamashita treated him to dinner and took him to a teahouse, 夏月, summer moon. There they enjoyed sake, and the pleasant conversation of two geisha who poured the drinks, played koto and sang for them.

They left the teahouse late, very late, and returned to the office across from the Navy headquarters.
Prime minister Tojo wasn’t pleased about their location. Never a very diplomatic man at the best of times, the general was voicing his displeasure in clearer and clearer terms. Officially he expressed concern that the distance from Tokyo and the rest of the government would hinder the minister of munitions and supply in performing his all important mission.

Of course, his concern was that the Navy, and his rival Yamamoto, would have too much influence on the minister and through him on the Japanese economy.

But that was a concern for another day.

On the desk, beside the speaker, was a bottle of Johnnie Walker and two glasses. Ito poured the Scotch for his master, and himself. He was unaccustomed to the expensive, foreign drink. Yamashita loved it and had ordered his assistant to purchase several cases two days ago. Ito spent two days searching through all stores in Hiroshima buying all available supplies of the liquor. Curiously, he met his friend Shiro, Yamamoto’s assistant on exactly the same mission. It did not take a genius to put two and two together.

Kyō desu ka?” he asked.

“Yes,” Yamashita said, “today’s the day.”






North Pacific Ocean.
IJN Akagi.

The cavernous hangar smells like oil, and gas. Inside the A6M2 fighters, the B5N2 level bombers and the D3A1 dive bombers, fueled and armed, sit, waiting. The mechanics have swarmed over them throughout the night, checking, cleaning, oiling, and fussing over the machines like a mother over her children. Now, the mechanics stand along the side of the hangar wearing overalls strangely devoid of a single spot of grease.

The flight crews woke up early and, despite the necessary water restrictions, they carefully wash and shave. They change into clean fatigues reserved for the occasion. Tradition demands that they enter combat with clean uniforms to show respect for the enemy. Many wear, under their uniforms, the thousand stitch vests, sent by loved ones, that should protect them from enemy bullets.

The kitchen serves them breakfast, tea, soup, rice balls. The best they can give their warriors.

Lieutenant commander Shigero Itaya climbs on the cockpit of his fighter. A green light flashes on the tower. He pushes the throttle forward, holding the plane back with the brakes and then, he is off. He doesn’t see the ground crews cheering as his aircraft rushes down the all too short flight deck. His machine appears to drop of the bow of the carrier but in a moment he rises above the deck and a new cheer rises on the deck.

ばんざい! ばんざい! ばんざい!

Similar cheers fly out of other flight decks. The airplanes head south west.

The first formations arrive over Pearl Harbor at dawn. Surprise has been achieved.

“To, To, To.”

Even before the first bombs fall, an explosion hides the side of a battleship: SSX Ha-19 scores the first blow of the war on the side of West Virginia.

Then, all hell breaks loose.

Itaya leads his hikotai strafing the airfield. All kinds of enemy airplanes burst into flames under his guns. His men, and Kaga’s do a brilliant job, not a single enemy airplane makes it into the air.

At a cost.

16 A6M2 fighters will not return.


広島

The speaker on the desk breaks the silence in a burst of static.

“To, To, scrchh To.”

“Surprise has been achieved,” Yamashita translates.

Other signals come in.

West Virginia: 3 torpedo hits, 3 bomb hits, plus Ha-19s torpedo.
Oklahoma: 1 torpedo hit.
Tennessee: 6 bomb and 3 torpedo hits.
Maryland, Bomb hits 5, Torpedo hits 3.
California, Torpedo hits 4,
Nevada, Bomb hits 5, Torpedo hits 4,
Pennsylvania, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 1
Arizona, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 4

At Khota Baru, Singora, and a myriad other places, the Japanese forces strike against the European colonial powers.

When, at last, the speaker falls silent, the bottle of Scotch stands empty on the desk.


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昭和 16 年 12 月九日
9th Day.

Kota Bahru and Makin captured.

広島

An atmosphere of victory reigned in Hiroshima and in other cities all over the home islands. Despite the long years of war, there was something empowering in the news that blared on the radio, spread over headlines in newspapers all over the country. Even in China and Korea, even among the occupied peoples, a small spark of pride glowed. Asians had kicked European a$$.

Yamashita and Ito took a deserved day off.


昭和 16 年 12 月とおか
10th day

SS I-4 hits DD Schley near Pearl Harbor.

Aparri, Vigan and Tarawa invaded. Tarawa captured outright.


North Pacific.
Akagi.
Lt. Commander Shigero Itaya walks around his remaining fighters. 1 Hikotai is down to 7 machines, and seven pilots. The dive and level bombers are intact, their crews elated. He cannot wait to reach Tokyo and replace his men and machines.
Kaga
Lt Yoshio Shiga, commander of Kaga 1 Hikotai feels exactly the same as Itaya. His hikotai is also down to 7 men and machines.
It is a long long was back to Honshu.

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昭和 16 年 12 月十一日
Day 11

Despite the bad weather, Ito flew north, to Sapporo and from there to Shikuka. A small, desolate, cold place, in a desolate island that Japan shared with Russia. He stepped off the airplane into the biting, frigid wind. He ran to the ramshackle building that passed for the control tower. A young soldier waited to drive him down to the harbor in an ancient truck. A calculated insult. The Army lost no opportunity to show their displeasure at Yamashita’s choice of location.

The harbor was a disaster. Small, cramped, with practically no defenses, and the dock facilities were, primitive at best.

“Fly to Shikuka and Sapporo. They are the only two sources of oil in the home islands,” Yamashita had instructed him.

“The day may come when we have to depend on them. Let me know what is needed.”

Sapporo was all right, the harbor could be enlarged, the airfield definitely needed to be upgraded if it was to contribute to the defense of the island, but Shikuka was another thing altogether. Ito’s notebook flashed out and he wrote feverishly. A special train waited to take him to Toyohara.

Miri, Kavieng and Legaspi invaded.
Aparri and Vigan captured.


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Malaya

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昭和 16 年 12 月十一日
Day 12
広島 Hiroshima.

Despite Ito’s absence inspecting the facilities in Hokkaido and Sakhalin, reports continue to arrive at Carl Yamashita’s office across from Naval Headquarters in Hiroshima. The levels of supply, oil, fuel and resources are reported daily, the number of airframes, aero engines, and their production arrive on every other day, the odd numbered ones. A new report, updated frequently informs the minister of every ship undergoing repairs at any port with a shipyard. That information will be used to direct ships returning from battle to the port most suitable for their repairs. It would hopefully prevent the repair shipyards at say Tokyo, to be overwhelmed, while shipyards and workers at Osaka lie idle.

Some reports relate to the progress of the war.

Near Singyang the 1st mixed brigarde has forced the 12 Chinese corps to retreat.
“Imagine that,” the minister thinks, “a brigade forcing a corps to retreat! If my grandfather saw this, he would turn over in his grave.” General Von Kappel, his old grandfather had seen action in the Franco-Prussian war. He remembered the old man, holding him on his knee. He remembered the big moustache, by then all white, and the tired, old eyes.

Legaspi and Miri captured. That last report, no more than a foot note caught his attention. Miri, one of the oil ports on the north coast of Borneo. He jotted down a note:

"Inquire re state of oilfield and refinery."

Aitape, Wewak and Guam invaded.

A submarine hits a destroyer near Pearl Harbor with a single torpedo.


昭和 16 年 12 月十三日
Thirteenth day.

広島

Naval Reports.

xAK Fushimi Maru torpedoed near Saigon. Dutch submarine presumed.
xAK Kokai Maru torpedoed near Singora. Dutch submarine presumed.
xAK Hokko Maru shelled by Dutch submarine SS KXI near Kota Bahru. The gun crew on the merchant scored 4 hits on the submarine. They also received 4 shell impacts.
xAK Fushimi Maru hut again by torpedo near Saigon.
xAK Nissyu Maru torpedo hits 2 near Singora.

Yamashita runs his fingers through his hair.

“くそ! Where were the escorts?”

He continues reading.

PB Keiko Maru reports 5 depth charge hits on S-38 near Legaspi, “As if,” he thinks.
SS I-23 reports 2 shell hits and 2 torpedo hist on xAK Montgomery City near Pearl Harbor.

“Near Pearl and attacking on the surface! That captain’s got たまたま!”

Second Striking Force made an appearance:
Near Ternate, 12 B5N1 bombers attacked an enemy convoy. One bomber was damaged. The following ships were attacked:
PG Asheville, Torpedo hits 3, sunk.
PG Tulsa, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage.
TK Hai Kwang, Torpedo hits 3, sunk.
TK Gertrude Kellog, escaped.

Wake Island invaded and captured.

Tuguererao captured.

2/1st Ind Coy attacked I/66th Naval Guard Unit at Kavieng.

“I wish Ito was here,” Yamashita mutters to no one in particular.

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昭和 16 年 12 月十四日
Fourteenth Day.

広島

Kobayashi-san: Prime minister Tojo will soon be a real bother with this ‘move the department to Tokyo’ business. We must placate and convince him that we can work better from Hiroshima.”

Hai.”

“Here is what we are going to do. You are going to have to travel to Tokyo even though you just got back from Sapporo. Sumimasen.”

Minister Yamashita accompanied the expression with a solid bow of his head, even though he was a government minister and Kobayashi just a lowly assistant, and a club footed one at that.

“I’m listening Yamashita-san.”

He listened to his instructions taking notes making sure he did not miss anything. Ito did not understand what the minister’s plan was. He was out of his depth, but he’d been raised in the Japanese culture. He would not ask for explanations. He would follow his orders to the letter. His only questions were to clarify what he was to do, to make sure that he understood clearly. When the minister finished, he bowed.

Hai.”

After Ito left the room, Yamashita skimmed the war reports.

SS I-7 surfaced and attacked a small merchant near Pearl Harbor, xAKL Malama, hitting it with one torpedo and three shells from her cannon. Other submarines reported attacks; SS I-4 even tried to hit heavy cruiser San Francisco. Unfortunately she missed.

The second striking force’s planes hit AM Finch with one bomb and TK Gertrude Kellogg with 3 near Bara. A second tanker escaped unharmed the morning raid, but in the afternoon, the B5N1s returned. TK Mindanao and AM Finch were both hit by 5 bombs apiece and sunk.

Guam, Kavieng, Wewak, Aitape and Buin all fell to Japanese forces.

He then pulled up the industry reports and studied them with great care.


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昭和 16 年 12 月十五日
Fifteenth Day.

東京 Tokyo

The Golden Lotus teahouse was one of the most expensive in Tokyo’s famed pleasure district. Ito had difficulty reserving a room in such a classy establishment. It was only by using his master’s name and title that the lady consented in holding a room for him. When he mentioned the name of the two 芸者 geisha Yamashita wanted to hire for the evening she snorted indignantly and demanded a price that made Ito go pale. However, he had his orders.
Once the lady had her money she became much more pleasant.

Arigato gosaimasu, See you tonight then.”

He went to the airport to pick up the director of the Harbin aircraft factory. Mr. Hoyotomi was a hick, a fat, uneducated man from humble origins; his family made furniture and he was very conscious of the fact.

“Irashimaise Hoyotomi-sachō
.” He bowed deeply and guided the man to the large, official Navy car.

They were the first to arrive at the tea house. Ito ushered Hoyotomi to a position on the right hand of the place where Yamashita would sit. He did not need to call out before a maiko came with a tray and poured sake for his guest.

Less than two minutes later, Tojo’s assistant, Mr.Ogata arrived. He rose to greet him.

“Ogata-san, what a pleasure to see you,”

Ito had spent most of the previous day, and today’s morning negotiating with Ogata the details of this evening’s meeting. With both men vying to protect their principals and prevent their losing face, the whole endeavor had features of the most elaborate kabuki play.

Ito served Ogata sake instead of waiting for the hostess to pour. To his surprise, Ogata reciprocated.
The next guest to arrive, Mr. Munami, was the manager of one of the Nissan tank plants. He too was elated to have been invited to this social event. Both geisha arrived and took over from the hostess the tasks of pouring the drinks and from Ogata and Ito the job of carrying on the conversation. They were both professionals and by the time Yamashita arrived, both Munami and Hoyotomi were feeling quite mellow.

The precise time that Yamashita and Tojo would arrive had been the most contentious item in the organization of the evening’s event. Yamashita would have to arrive first, of course, as the host, as the lower ranked person, and in a sense, as the supplicant. The bone of contention was exactly by how many minutes Yamashita should precede Tojo. In the end, after tedious negotiations it was decided that five minutes would be enough.

Exactly five minutes after Yamashita sat on the tatami, Hidetomi Tojo arrived. He wore his uniform and full ribbons but no medals. He sat at the position of honor.

Ito’s eyes went wide when he saw how the submission that Yamashita showed the prime minister. He couldn’t believe it. Yamashita was almost fawning, pouring sake for the bespectacled man, and laughing at everything he said like it was a famous joke. If he did not better, he would think that his master was drunk. He could tell that Ogata thought the same.

Only later, shortly before Munami and Hoyotomi made their excuses, did Ito realize that Yamashita had barely drunk any sake at all.

Once the two industrialists left, Yamashita asked the senior geisha, a woman in her fifties to please play the koto for them. The younger woman sang a few songs before excusing herself.
At a gesture from Yamashita, the older geisha composed herself at the door of the room and played koto as a backdrop to the men’s conversation.

“You must move your office to Tokyo, Yamashita-san,” Tojo said, after a few token pleasantries.

“That is not what is bothering you, Tojo-san,” Yamashita replied, all traces of inebriation gone from his voice or demeanor.

“You have shut down several weapons factories and increased the hours at the naval shipyards,” Tojo rolled the Rs in his words indicating his displeasure.

Yamashita smiled.

“Prime minister, there are more than 24 thousand tons of armaments and supplies in depots all over the home islands. In fact, we are building equipment and munitions faster than the army can use them. Today, one thousand six hundred and eighty six shiny, brand new, tanks, armored cars and trucks are parked in dispersals all over Honshu, waiting for the army to take delivery.”

so desu ka,” Tojo said.

“There is a reason I placed my office across from Naval command Mr. Prime Minister,” Yamashita continued, his voice even.

“I can supply your army with everything they need, if I get what I need. And I need three things, Tojo-san. I need oil, I need resources, iron, tin, bauxite, rubber, phosphates, and finally, I need the Americans far away from our islands. I need their bombers out of range of our factories. And for those three things, I need the Navy. And that means that you need the Navy, if you want the tanks, the cannons, and the airplanes.”

Tojo nodded in silence.

Finally he said, “You might be right.”

Yamashita’s bow had not a shadow of subservience as he said:

Domo arigato gosaimasu.”



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昭和 16 年 12 月十六日
16th Day

North Pacific

IJN submarine I-2. 440 nautical miles NE Pearl Harbor.

A seaman shakes Cdr Oda’s shoulder.

“Capt, Lieutenant Yoshi has seen something.”

The captain flies off his cot, puts his cap and jacket on and dashes to the conning tower. On the way he detects the enhanced tension on the backs of the sailors. Always alert, they now peer at their instruments with renewed attention. He glances at the small table in the control room where the second officer is plotting a target’s course. He hasn’t given the order yet but he can see men moving on their own to their action stations. It’s a good crew.

“Captain, there is something two points to starboard, it’s big,” Lt Yoshio announces in a whisper, as if the enemy two or three miles away could hear them.

The boat is heading directly towards the contact, a black smudge on the dark horizon. Following his standing orders, the officer of the watch turned the submarine towards the target. Low on the water, and at slow speed, the surfaced submarine was invisible to the enemy ship. It was definitely an enemy, there were no friendly ships here, except for the submarines that awaited the cripples of Pearl Harbor.

Oda peers through his night telescope. “She’s big, whatever she is.”

“Hai,” His lieutenant replies, “a battleship, I think.”

“Escorts?”

“Only one I think, on the other side.”

Oda speaks into the voice pipe, “Action stations, do not sound the alarm.”

He knew the men were already at their stations but the order had to be given so it could be entered in the log.

“Make ready tubes one through four.”

“Tubes ready sir,” the reply was almost instantaneous.

Oda smiled; again, the torpedomen had predicted his orders.

“She’s coming fast.”

Oda begins reading out bearings; his first officer, who went down to the plotting table as soon as the captain took over on the tower, double checks the work of the second officer.

“Stand by.”

“Hasha suru ichi!

Hai!.”

“Torpedo one running sir.”

“Ni!”

Torpedo two running.

“Mikka!...Yokka!”

Four torpedoes running straight and true.

“Turn starboard, heading 340! All ahead half.”

The submarine turns to present the aft torpedo tubes to the target. She should really be diving, the large oceangoing sub was a bitc$ to trim, but Oda keeps her on the surface. The escort is on the far side of the battleship and that gives him a little time, if he misses, he may get a shot from the aft tubes.

Kaboom!

An explosion. The superstructure of the enemy outlined, briefly against the night sky. And there, coming round the bow, a small black shape, belching smoke, the escort.

“Crash dive!” Oda orders. He is the last out of the conning tower, pulling the hatch shut after him.

“Arizona class,” he announces.

"Banzaii!" The whole complement cheers.

The escort thrashes about on the surface as the submarine, silently attempts to evade. Once, the destroyer launches into an attack run and lets go a series of depth charges, none near.

Four hours later the submarine rises to periscope depth. Only empty ocean surrounds her. A contact report is radioed to Hiroshima.
"Have torpedoed Arizona class battleship," followed by the position.

In other places, the war goes on.

Hwaiyin captured.

Hong Kong attacked.

Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
Sun Tzu
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kaleun
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RE: —@ ÜžÂ䤹¤ë. Falling Cherry Blossoms. No CrackSabbath

Post by kaleun »

昭和 16 年 12 月十七日
17 day.

An enemy submarine launched 4 torpedoes at CV Akagi. Fortunately all fish missed their target near Nagoya.
Near Tambelan-eilanded, SS I-165 reports firing two torpedoes at an enemy submarine identified as 016. Both torpedoes missed.

San Fernando and Lingayen invaded.





昭和 16 年 12 月十八日
18 Day

North Pacific.

SS I-2 once again scores in the middle of the night. This time it is a single destroyer that, steaming seemingly unconcerned finds one of commander Oda’s fish.

But that is not the end for the brave submarine.

Deep in the ocean, the sonar operator calls the officer of the watch who, in turn, calls the captain.

“Captain, listen to this, kudasai.”

Oda puts the headphone to his ear.

“Fast screws, naval vessel.” He cannot tell more from the equipment.

Hai,” the sonar operator says, “the thing is, he is travelling quite more slowly than I would expect with the screws at that speed.”

“Periscope depth,” Oda orders, then, to the sonar operator, “Sasuga, gokurō-sama.”

The periscope rises and Oda follows it up, his eye glued to the eyepiece. As soon as the tip breaks the surface he sees her.

“Battleship, Nevada class! Down periscope.”

He read the bearing to his first office.

Over the next few minutes, he made several observations, bearing first, then speed, finally, distance and course established, he gave the orders.

Hasha suru ichi!”

Four more torpedoes fired. Two scored.

To date, 12 torpedoes expended, four hits, one on Arizona, one on DD Reid and two on Nevada.

おめでとー! I-2
Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
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RE: —@ ÜžÂ䤹¤ë. Falling Cherry Blossoms. No CrackSabbath

Post by kaleun »

昭和 16 年 12 月十九日
19 Day

Near Tawi Tawi.

SS I-124 attacks TK Manatawi on the surface scoring two torpedo hits and three shell hits.

Near Dadjangas the second strike force B5N2 bombers sink xAP Elcano with three torpedo hits and xAK Ravnaas with four. Also hit and presumed sunk was xAK Governor Right, left on fire after three torpedo explosions.
Taiping and Sidate captured.

Hong Kong assault reduces fortifications two second level.

Kuching invaded.


昭和 16 年 12 月二十一日

21 Day

Kuching occupied on the 20th; on the 21st Alor Star and Brunei join the co-prosperity sphere.
Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.
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RE: —@ ÜžÂ䤹¤ë. Falling Cherry Blossoms. No CrackSabbath

Post by 1275psi »

Army verses navy, nicely solved.
Good luck.................get his carriers, its all about killing his carriers
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
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