Slaying the Dragon
2
2300 October 25th 1944.
BB Division 2 Flagship. IJN Nagato, Saipan.
Admiral Koga had received new orders from Yamamoto. The Marianas had quietened down considerably and he would be given a hunting ground instead of a defensive position.
He gave the orders to leave his damaged ships in Saipan and to sail south to his new base in Davao. He could protect the Philippines and also patrol the Celebes area for transitting enemy fleets from here. Enemy fleets were moving through this area regularly and his orders were to put a stop to this.
0000 October 26th 1944.
North China Army Headquarters. Jinghong, China.
Nearly half of the forces that were fighting China had moved off to different locations throughout China and Burma which left a bare minimum to finish off the Communists.
Chinese troops had decided to try and take advantage of a perceived hole in Japan's lines. The Imperial Japanese Airforce would punish the forces that were foolish enough to move.
2200 October 27th 1944.
BB Division 1 Flagship. IJN Yamashiro, Sunda Strait.
No large enemy fleets had been spotted for several days which allowed Yamamoto to continue his patrol of southern Indonesia without fear of finding an enemy his fleet could not handle.
Another American Destroyer Division would fall to the guns of IJN Yamashiro in the Sunda Strait.
Yamamoto's planning room was a hive of activity as always with various sightings constantly being updated on a large table in the center of the room. A quick glance told Yamamoto that nothing different was occurring. Multiple contacts all around Indonesia were common place for the moment but the knowledge was proving invaluable. Very little moved in this area without an aircraft finding it and reporting the position back to Yamamoto.
Nearly all of the fleets currently being tracked were small Destroyer or Transport fleets but they still needed to be monitored and sunk if possible. The only real problem facing the Commander of the Pacific was finding ports to repair his damaged ships in. Mainland Japan was fast becoming the only safe haven from marauding enemy naval bombers and there were not enough interceptors to cover everything.
The ex-German fleet furthest from Japan was having some problems navigating through the English Channel and had encountered the French Battlefleet in the Mouth of the Thames. No ships would be lost but the fleet was forced to move away to the north east before it could try again. Several more days would be added to its travel time, if it could reach Japan alive.
Lookouts reported sighting another enemy fleet in the Sunda Strait and his crew responded to the sighting in a well drilled fashion. They were becoming very adept at moving to their Battle Stations at no notice. IJN Yamashiro would sink the Canadian Transport Flotilla and IJN Ise would account for the Light Cruiser USS Flint.
Admiral Godo safely disembarked six infantry divisions in Singapore at 0100 hours on October 29th. He turned his fleet around and headed back towards Fukuoka to wait for the next six that were due shortly. Field Marshal Kanin would no doubt be grateful for the added protection he had just received.
0400 October 29th 1944.
North China Army Headquarters. Jinghong, China.
The arrival of General Yamashita in Baoji would lead to another attack in China.
Eight divisions, led by Yamashita, attacked the Communist defences of Xianyang supported by fourteen bomber squadrons. The result was a massacre and Japanese forces moved forwards to reduce the territory still not under their control in China.
0000 October 30th 1944.
BB Division 1 Flagship. IJN Yamashiro, Sunda Strait.
Repairs were being made rapidly to just about all damaged Japanese formations, these included the naval bombers stationed in Saipan.
Ozawa was out on patrol to the east of the Marianas and he encountered a single American Transport fleet. His fresh pilots flying fully repaired aircraft made short work of the defenceless ships.
American Strategic bombers had been slowly bombing the airbases throughout the Marianas and they had already ruined Saipan's runway. Mj. General Fukui had moved north to Guam from Palau in order to try and stop these attacks. His aircraft would suffer but so would the enemy.
The Allied airforce worries me if its used even a little correctly. The Allied armies I am not overly concerned about as most of it can't hurt me without Transport ships. The Allied Navies seem to enjoy sinking. The Red horde is likely to cause a problem or two.
