The bombers in western Australia had decided that Perth would be the last place they would visit. Two infantry divisions in Broome tried to speed up the process by forcing the Australian division to retreat from Goldsworthy.
In the south the Tactical bombers had finished off the Australian fleet in Tasmania and hunted down the only other prey in the area. The single division in Port Lincoln would not make it to Adelaide.
0000 March 14th 1946.
Intelligence Offices. Tokyo, Japan.
Yamamoto's research team had finally finished its project. Unrestricted Submarine Warfare would help Japanese Submarines a little in the Pacific. This research team was no longer available as its researchers were moved to other teams.
Sumimoto would be ordered to conduct research into Advanced Agricultural Production to try and improve Japanese recruitment.
0300 March 14th 1946.
BB Division 1 Flagship. IJN Yamashiro, Ysabel Channel.
Imamura and Banzai captured Admiralty Island at 0300 hours on March 14th. They would leave as soon as their Transports arrived in the port and head for Rabaul.
Ozawa would use Admiralty Island to conduct further repairs on his fleet with the occasional voyage into the Ysabel Channel to shoot any enemy troops trying to cross the strait from New Ireland.
0000 March 15th 1946.
Industry Offices. Tokyo, Japan.
Ginjiro did not have to monitor much production as Japan had little manpower to use for this purpose.
Three new Dive bombers squadrons had been completed and flew to Urmuqi in north western China to organise themselves.
2100 March 15th 1946.
BB Division 1 Flagship. IJN Yamashiro, Admiralty Island.
Ozawa was pleased with progress in most areas although Australia was causing a delay with further operations to the east. Operation Obsolete also required the capture of all southern Pacific airbases and ports which included New Zealand. The troops in Australia were supposed to conduct that part of the operation.
His thoughts turned to the latest report that had arrived from the Marshall Islands. Mj. General Kusaka, flying a routine naval patrol in the area, had encountered an enemy fleet that could cause serious harm to all current operations.
The most modern fleet at sea, commanded by Admiral English, was heading south through the Marshalls chain. Four extremely modern Aircraft Carriers were in the fleet which also included two Light Carriers for air defence. Even Japanese Naval bombers would not enjoy attacking this fleet but that would be what they were ordered to do. According to intelligence reports this fleet contained half of the United States Navy's current Carriers.
Close Air Support aircraft did not worry about Aircraft Carriers very much, they were far more concerned with bombing enemy troops. The armoured division in New Ireland had been fooled into thinking it could cross the strait towards Admiralty Island. The Dive bombers were making it pay.
Ichimaru and Genda had spent a few hours bombing English and his Carriers the previous evening and had returned to hunt them at dawn. USS Oriskany would be sunk in the Magellan Rise as damage mounted for the bombers. The fleet was still heading south and showed no signs of changing course despite the damage it was receiving.
By dawn on the 17th English had moved into the Southwest Marshalls where only Genda would find him. One of his squadrons was already badly damaged but they attacked nonetheless trying to inflict as much damage as possible in the hope that this fleet would turn around. Ozawa had no intention of engaging it unless he absolutely had to. English had altered course towards Truk and the East Carolines where he arrived in the early hours of March 18th. Trying to catch this fleet with a Japanese one capable of sinking it would not be easy as it was almost twice as fast as the two older Japanese Carrier fleets.
The two Submarine Flotillas that had been guarding the East Carolines had sprinted for port as soon as it was clear this enemy fleet was heading their way. They made it safely as Ozawa also ordered BB Division 1 into the Admiralty Islands to be safe.
Reports indicated that the carriers had turned north upon entering the Carolines which was welcome news for Ozawa. The Naval bombers would hunt them again the next day in the hope of inflicting yet more damage. Operations to the south could continue as long as English continued to head north. He wouldn't be quite so accomodating.
Another delay in western Australia would add to the already sizable lack of progress. A large thunderstorm had appeared over Wyndham which prevented all sixteen Japanese Tactical bombers taking off. Once the weather improved it was hoped that the entire force could speed things up a little and pick the correct target to bomb. Time was not on Ozawa's side as the presence of a large enemy Carrier Task Force already showed. The Americans were responding to the latest offensive moves and they had another fleet as large as this one somewhere. He was under no illusion that Carrier Groups C and D could seriously damage these more modern Carriers without losses.
The Imperial Japanese Navy was showing severe signs of old age and even the Battleships would not wish to fight the more modern enemy fleets, even on their own terms. Research was far behind in this particular specialty and it could take years to even update the ship designs let alone build them.
