Everyone
And now a change of pace. From sea operations we begin to move to amphibious assaults and assorted Army based operations.
---
Southern Cross: Part I. – April to July 1942
The ‘Kaga’, ‘Akagi’, and ‘Shokaku’ were all that stood between the Home Fleet and the annihilation of Japanese surface ships in the Panay Gulf. The inability of the both sides to close with their respective battlelines made Naval Aviation the decisive battle arm yet again. The remaining City-class carriers of the Home Fleet rearmed their arm wings and sent them once again aloft to do battle with the Japanese. Their first victims however were Japanese heavy and light cruisers attempt to steam away from the battle. Dive bombers crippled the ‘Maya’ and ‘Chokai’ before moving on to the isolated carrier ‘Kaga’. Her fellow carriers had abandoned the fight to cover what remained of the Japanese surface forces. The fate of the ‘Kaga’ strangely resembled what the ‘Ciudad de Baguio’ had endured just an hour ago; three Commonwealth air wings were pitted against a rump Japanese flight. Dive bombers weaved through Japanese AA fire to land six direct hits on the ‘Kaga’s island and another five to the flight deck. Fires began spread from the hanger to the ammunition dump; in three minutes the ‘Kaga’ was a ball of flame. Explosions ripped her apart and in an hours time she would be little more than an ornament at the bottom of the South China Sea. Satisfied that the Japanese were beaten Andrada called off the pursuit and headed back to Cavite.
--
Manila Hotel, July 20th 1942
Victory fever continued to grip the capitol in the weeks following the surface engagement on the waters of Panay Gulf. Andrada had managed to defeat a numerical and technologically superior fleet and send it to the bottom at the loss of one carrier and several by-now outdated surface ships. About the only ones not jubilant at the sight of another naval victory was the Army. For the last couple of months they had done nothing; only a few engagements with the Japanese at the waters edge, though bloody had done nothing to shame the Japanese. Whereas the Navy from the beginning of the war had scored every major victory the Commonwealth could claim as well as the distinction of being the only Allied navy to have a sustained record of success against the Japanese. Something had to be done to get the Army back into the headlines. This is were the brains at Military Intelligence came in.
“I think you ought to press for an invasion of Indonesia, MacArthur always likes moves that get him produce good copy and he’s starving for attention. The Japs can’t have more than two divisions operating in the Banda Sea islands and our chaps in the Navy could provide support for the Army. I don’t think the Japs will spare more surfaces ships to deal with our Navy when the Americans are beginning to send in more flattops. And besides the Americans are offloading enough material to turn the Commonwealth Fleet into the equal of their Pacific Fleet, i’m sure you of all people could convince Quezon to release divisions for the operation.” Ferdinand Marcos has risen to the rank Major in the Commonwealth Intelligence Services through a combination of the right political connections, talent, and a supreme sense of tact. Now he called upon his Moro War buddy Luis Borbon to show support for his latest scheme.
“Your plan show merit but I wonder why you gents at Intelligence are pressing for this. I’ve heard of this before, General de Jesus mentioned that the folks at Intelligence were soliciting to him too at the last Staff Meeting. So… why would you wonderfully cryptic folks suddenly start banging at the doors when it’s an open secret that Quezon wants you folks to get caught up reading the Jap’s naval traffic?”
“That is half the answer,” smiled Marcos. “The Japs changed their naval and army codes last month, right after the Home Fleet gave them a spanking. And we’re at a loss as to how to crack’em. The Americans and Brits are having the same problem. The Aussies and Kiwis are of course useless when it comes to this work and the Chinese have other problems. So that leaves us to pick up after everyone else. That being said we need to generate Jap military traffic for us to be able to decode the new set of signals. I’ll spare you the details and just say that the best way to generate a lot of Japanese communications that would be useful us is a campaign in our general vicinity. Two or three divisions should attract enough attention and transport shouldn’t be a problem; the Home Fleet rules in the seas in this part of the world. So, what do you say?”
“Well, we do have to earn our keep. But if I suggest anything I fear I may be put in charge of the operation. So in return I expect Intelligence not to leave my command in the dark.”
“Obviously, we can’t have your efforts stifled before we gain the information we need. We don’t need much just a selection of the right stuff.”
“And what makes you so sure that a new campaign will give you the ‘right stuff’?”
“You’ll just have to trust me on this one.” Two days later the operation to liberate Indonesia, ‘Guardtower’, was approved.