0200 December 6th 1947.
The Skies Above the Gulf of Mannar.
Japanese Naval bombers patrolled the seas around Ceylon to provide advanced warning of invasion and to harrass any shipping they encountered trying to traverse the sealanes. Ichimaru would be the one to spot enemy ships as he flew over the Gulf of Mannar.
Although he had only taken command of this air wing after the loss of the former Commander of the Pacific he had seen enough Aircraft Carriers and he was in no doubt that what was below was a modern one. Attacking these ships was always costly but he ordered his two squadrons to begin their approach nonetheless as it was their task to engage such ships in order to protect the Imperial Japanese Navy.
The latest incarnation of the USS Ranger was the Carrier to be attacked, this time commanded by an Admiral well versed in Carrier tactics as opposed to the more usual Submarine experts. Hart also had the Light Carrier USS Cabot in his fleet as well as three Destroyer escorts. He was heading west towards the last known position of BB Division 1 where he could quite possibly cause some severe damage to the older Japanese Battleships. Ichimaru would do his best to convince Hart to turn around.
0600 December 6th 1947.
The Skies Above Damascus.
Minister Jun had been re-assessing his air commanders over the last few weeks and had decided to form most of his formations into four squadron wings as he now had ample well trained leaders to choose from. This meant that Commanders who had previously been subordinate to those more highly ranked were now given command of air wings that they specialised with. Shima and Tsukahara were both Naval attack specialists but had been in command of the Tactical bombers in the Middle East.
They were both replaced as Lt. General Obata took command of the air group with Mj. General Sakai commanding the second wing. Both were ground attack experts with Obata being the most highly skilled and experienced air commander currently in the Imperial Japanese Airforce.
The unfortunate South African Motorised division in Damascus would be their first target. Obata would also provide intelligence information as he reported nine enemy divisions in Lebanon as well as a further British division moving towards Ar-Ruwayshid. It looked like the new commander of the bombers would be very busy for the forseeable future as he also had to contend with infrequent spottings of Soviet troops to the north and east.
1500 December 6th 1947.
Kwantung Army Headquarters. Qiqihar, Manchukuo.
Kawabe's defensive perimeter was almost complete and was waiting for one more advance before his line would be set for the Winter.
Field Marshall Zhang Haipeng and his mountaineers arrived in Hailar on December 6th to finish the defensive line. He began to dig in and rest his forces after the arduous mountain march as he expected to remain here for several months.
0800 December 7th 1947.
The Skies Above Hilla.
Allied bombers had been quick to alter their airbases and flight plans to try and avoid the Japanese Interceptors patrolling the Persian Gulf. Fukudome, still commanding the Interceptor group in the Middle East, had noticed the movement of enemy bombers to Damascus and had quickly altered his own patrols to cover Iraqi airspace.
Fukudome had a new second in command as Mj. General Watanabe had joined him after being relieved of his bomber command in Tokyo. Watanabe was a expert Tactician and was much better suited to fighter combat. The two British Strategic bombers were caught over Hilla by both Japanese air wings and neither would be returning to Damascus after being destroyed.
1300 December 7th 1947.
BB Division 1 Flagship. IJN Yamashiro, North Chagos-Laccadive Plateau.
Ozawa had been informed of the possible presence of an enemy Carrier Task Force and his spotter planes were out in force ahead of his fleet to ensure there were no surprises. He had no wish to fight Admiral Hart as he did not want to suffer a large amount of damage after months of repairs had only just been completed to some of his ships. In War you did not always get your wish and multiple reports confirmed that BB Division 1 would be required to engage a modern American Aircraft Carrier initially during daylight hours.
Actions Stations was again called for as Ozawa turned his fleet towards the approaching enemy as his older ships increased speed to try and close with the USS Ranger.
The Naval bombers had only been able to inflict relatively minor damage to the Carrier and it was fully operational as the two fleets met in the North Chagos-Laccadive Plateau. First strike would go to Admiral Hart but then the fight would truly begin as Ozawa's Light Carriers provided cover for the advancing Japanese Battleships.
Within the hour the range had closed and night had descended. The massive guns of the Japanese ships began to take their toll as the Light Carriers tried to protect them from the inevitable Carrier strikes. The American 3rd Destroyer division would explode in a mass of flames as it became the first target of the main guns of most of BB Division 1. There was no telling which ship had been responsible for firing the fatal blow.
On a seperate level the aircraft of both fleets contended for dominance of the skies over both fleets with the USS Ranger having much the upper hand with its larger Carrier Air Group. The Japanese Light Carriers did all they could with their limited capabilities to contain the possible damage Hart's flagship could do.
The Air battle was chaotic as fighters from both sides tried to halt bomber attacks. Even when American bombers could penetrate the thin defences above BB Division 1 they still had to contend with the massive amounts of close range weapons on board the Battleships and their escorts.
Both the USS Ranger and USS Cabot joined forces and targetted IJN Musashi. The Japanese Light Carriers spread their fire in an attempt to divert attention away from the big gun ships. IJN Hosho would engage the USS Ranger as IJN Unyo kept USS Cabot busy. As was becoming all too familiar with large Japanese engagements one of the Light Carriers mistook its target as IJN Chuyo somehow confused IJN Yamato with an American vessel.
By 1600 hours things had become far worse for Hart as his remaining Escorts were sunk. IJN Yamashiro sank the 38th Destroyer Division with IJN Fuso accounting for the 28th Destroyer Division.
At 1700 hours Hart altered targets with the USS Ranger attacking IJN Chuyo which was still trying to damage IJN Yamato, fortunately with very little success. IJN Musashi had sustained a fair bit of damage from the initial strikes but was not in any imminent danger of sinking as the Battleships began to pound the American Carrier. USS Ranger would stay afloat until 2000 hours as Hart tried in vain to inflict as much damage as he could to Ozawa's fleet, but she would ultimately sink to the guns of IJN Yamashiro. At 2100 hours Hart finally withdrew after switching his flag to the only surviving American ship, the Light Carrier USS Cabot.
Ozawa headed north towards Ahmadabad to allow his damaged ships to be dropped off to repair.
0500 December 8th 1947.
The Skies Above Najaf.
The British were not the only Allied nation to begin to use Damascus as an air base and a second interception occured over Najaf less than twenty four hours after the first over Hilla.
This time it would be a full Strategic bomber wing. Both Interceptor wings engaged it as they had done the day before but this time the Interceptors would also suffer some damage. The bombers were still badly mauled but all four squadrons would return to base on this occasion.
1200 December 8th 1947.
BB Division 1 Flagship. IJN Yamashiro, In Transit.
Ozawa had chosen not to chase the fleeing USS Cabot and had instead ordered the Naval bombers to hunt it down and sink it.
Admiral Suekuni decided that a single damaged Light Carrier was a suitable target for his two Submarine flotillas patrolling the South Arabian Basin. He would be wrong. Even a badly damaged Light Carrier was more than a match for Suekuni's small Submarine fleet as it sank 46. Unterseebootsflottille inside an hour. Suekuni stayed in contact until Genda's bombers returned to base to refuel before withdrawing. Hart and the USS Cabot would escape the area without any further contact.
