Untimely losses, p.9
Untimely Losses, page 9
part #3 of Yesterday's War Series
“Yes, Mister Cavill. Your militia out there and the arms factories that support it certainly have hurt the Japanese very badly. For that, we are all very thankful. I find it quite remarkable that your militia is as capable as it is. It must cost you a considerable amount of money to maintain it.”
“Yes, Sir. It does. But I do everything that I can to do so as efficiently as possible. Even my resources are limited. In addition, my militia troops have been doing their part in helping take the battle to the Japanese. Some of that cost has been borne by the Australian government as appropriate.”
“I know. We are all thankful for their role in the retaking of North Faluku. That operation has greatly expanded our nation’s defensive perimeter. As a result, the Japanese will find it much harder to attack Australian soil now. It is my understanding that, with the exception of the squadron of American destroyers and an aircraft carrier converted from a Japanese transport, ships belonging to your militia or your companies conducted the entire naval operation there.”
“That is basically true. We have provided considerable support to Australian military operations with forces drawn from the Derby militia.”
“It seems that you now have quite the little navy of your own, including an entire flotilla of large torpedo boats, that captured German raider and now that Japanese supply ship that was seized during the invasion of North Faluku. There are also all those new aircraft of yours. There are more than a few people in our Ministry of Defense and elsewhere in the government who are a bit concerned that you personally have so large of a military force.”
“My ships have all been legitimately salvaged after being captured from enemy forces. The Royal Australian Navy has certainly benefited because now it has two aircraft carriers at its disposal; Melbourne and Adelaide. The latter was, of course, one of those captured Japanese ships before I converted it into a carrier for use by the Royal Australian Navy. But these armed ships are officially part of the Derby militia which has been legally sanctioned by the government, of course.
The rest of my militia has been assembled using my own resources. The militia’s primary purpose remains the defense of northwestern Australia. Besides, you don’t really think that I would suddenly decide to stage a coup d'état against a legitimate Australian government, do you, Mister Prime Minister?” Harold asked with a confident smile that conveyed a certain lack of fear about the idea.
“No. Of course, not.” Prime Minister Menzies quickly replied, now worried that he might have said too much. Australia still badly needed all of the help that it could this. This especially included Harold’s militia. Both Harold and the Prime Minister knew that any attempt to seize control of the Derby militia and its assets could very well backfire on the government.
“I didn’t think so. We actually need more help out here if we are ever going to end this war. I remember that when John Curtin was Prime Minister and caused such a stir by publically stating that Australia should look to America as its key ally instead of England.
While Prime Minister Curtin got a great many things wrong politically, this was one instance where he was quite right. While we already host some American forces here, more due to their escape from the Philippines than anything else, we need an even greater American presence here to aid in the defeat of the Japanese. They have the resources in terms of personnel, manufacturing capacity and most importantly wealth.
Mister Prime Minister, you already know that I maintain a close friendship with Prime Minister Churchill. Despite the many reservations that the Australian people and previous governments have had with him, Churchill has been vitally important in the defeat of the Nazis and other Fascists in Europe. But England is now bankrupt as a result of the sacrifices that it has made during the course of the war. We cannot rely upon them for much more assistance, I’m afraid.
We need to contact the Americans and inform them about our desire for more American forces to be based in Australia. It provides us with more protection. More importantly, it gives the Americans more major bases to launch strikes against the Japanese in the Philippines.” Harold offered.
“How will the Americans react to such an offer now? After England allowed us to bring our troops back from North Africa and the Coalition naval forces achieved a couple of key victories against the Japanese Navy, Prime Minister Curtin basically retracted his original request for American assistance. Then he went back to publically relying on England again. The Americans were certainly not amused back then. I doubt that they have forgotten the slight either.
With what the Japanese are doing right now with their submarines launching missiles at the American West Coast, I don’t think that the Americans are going to forget what we publically did to them, Mister Cavill.” Prime Minister Menzies grimly said.
“Perhaps. But there are a few things that we have going for us. First, we have been allowing a limited American military presence here in Australia ever since the beginning of the war. In a sense, both American and Australian military leaders turned a bit of a blind eye to that in spite of orders from above. Our people have built a solid relationship with the Americans here. That ultimately will lead to success on the battlefield.
Second, you would be dealing with a new American President with the election of Thomas Dewey. Politically, he has a lot more in common with you than President Roosevelt ever had. If you deal with him honestly, chances are that you can strike an agreement with him. Finally, we need more personnel, materiel and capital if we are going to do anything to finally end this war and set the stage for the peace to follow. America is the natural source for both. My people are working on developing new weapons to fight the Japanese, but you cannot predict a technological breakthrough.” Harold said. The time traveler actually could not tell Prime Minister Menzies that information was available to build weapons to end the war within days. But such developments released prematurely could potentially lead to a war that would end mankind’s existence once again.
“Mister Prime Minister, you and I both know that we don’t have enough people to man a major expansion of the Royal Australian Navy, much less add more troops to invade and occupy more islands on the way to Japan. It strained our nation’s military resources enough to launch the attack on North Maluku that I was forced to supplement Australian regular army troops with members of the Derby militia. On the other hand, the Americans have a wealth of materiel and personnel to bring to bear if they are willing to do so.”
Of course, Harold had his own ulterior motives for sending militia forces on the North Faluku operation, even if it strained his own finances considerably at the time.
“So what you are saying is that unless we can make some sort of unexpected breakthrough against the Japanese or that the Americans get involved in a far greater way, then you don’t see an end to this war anytime soon?” The Prime Minister asked.
“Yes, Sir. That is exactly what I am saying.” Harold answered with a tired grimace on his face.
“I will see what I can so, Mister Cavill. Thank you for your time. Hopefully, we will be able to honor our mutual friend’s desire for a peaceful, prosperous and secure Australia.” Prime Minister Menzies finally said before shaking Harold’s hand and turning to leave.
Chapter Nine:
White House Oval Office
Washington, D.C.
April 24, 1946
“President Dewey, the British and their allies in the Pacific have absolutely no stomach for launching an invasion against Japan any more than we do in spite of the Commonwealth’s success in retaking North Maluku. But at the same time, the Japanese are completely unwilling to surrender. If anything, they have stepped up those damned submarine rocket attacks on our West Coast and even against the Panama Canal.” Secretary of War William Marshall explained.
“The Panama Canal strike hurt us very badly. It will take us months to get the locks repaired from the Jap rocket hits. The effects from that attack will make it much harder for us to transfer warships from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The Japs don’t seem to be launching nearly as many attacks on the Australians or British in the Pacific though.” The President noted.
“I believe that the Coalition forces have proven to be more effective at defending themselves against both the Japanese submarines and their rockets that we have, Sir. So the Japs have decided not to waste their resources on Coalition targets. This is in spite of heavy Coalition support for Chinese efforts to push out the Japanese on the ground. Apparently, the Japanese fear us more or at least think that it would be easier to intimidate us into peace talks on their terms.”
“We must do something to hit the Japanese on their main islands to convince them to sue for peace. Obviously, they are planning on continuing the war until they achieve their goals, no matter how unrealistic those goals happen to be.”
“The Coalition hasn’t been sending many troops into China. What England and the others have been doing was training and equipping many of the warlord militias to oppose the Japanese. In essence, it has been Chinese blood and foreign steel that has been used to fight the Japanese in China. It is also the reason why the Chinese has allowed the Coalition to build airfields to launch bomber strikes on the Japanese. Even the French have sent a squadron of ex-RAF heavy bombers to assist in operations against the Japs.”
“Haven’t the British also been selling aircraft to the Chinese to use against the Japanese?” Dewey asked.
“Yes, but these have all been their older designs, not the new jet fighters or even the latest propeller-driven models. The argument that the British have been making is that it would be much easier to train the Chinese to fly and maintain the older designs that are still a match for most Japanese aircraft. It is expected that these and some new-build Australian designs are being prepared to support a new ground offensive against the Japanese. The Chinese have even replaced many of the old P-40 fighters used by our American Volunteer Group with aircraft purchased from England.
Of course, the British are undercutting our prices for new American-built aircraft by offering the Chinese, French and even the Greek militaries older British designs like the Hurricane and Wellington. The British have large numbers of these aircraft in storage that they badly need to dispose of. This means that our factories have far fewer export sales that we had originally anticipated. That could put a lot of Americans out of work soon. We will have to find some other way to keep Americans employed.”
“I’m sure that there will be a lot of pent-up demand for manufactured trade goods after the troops in the Pacific and from the American Tigers Division return home. After we eliminate a lot of the regulations that have strangled American businesses for the past decade, they will be more than willing to hire returning veterans also.”
“What about the export market for our manufacturers, Sir?”
“I would think that the export market would be incredibly profitable for American businesses once potential customers regain the ability to actually pay for our goods. This will also be a lot easier for overseas markets when they allow Americans to invest in their countries. Then we can build more factories, employ more of their citizens and create enough wealth there for those countries to buy what we have to sell.”
“The latter is probably going to be the biggest problem, Sir. Many foreign countries like Mexico have laws that greatly restrict foreign investment. The foreign governments look at it as protecting their national resources for what they consider outside interference.”
“Until we can find a way to work around those laws, then it will just have to work harder to sell our goods overseas. I don’t want to have to resort to additional tariffs to pressure other nations into lowering their trade barriers.”
“Hopefully, our upcoming invasion of Guam will bring us close enough that we can launch heavier air raids against the Japanese home islands. The American people need to hear some good news about our forces reclaiming more American territory from Japanese occupation, Sir.”
“It was very uplifting for morale when the news was released about the task force recapturing Wake Island. But the real moment of truth will be happening in just a couple of days. That is when our Marines and soldiers begin their assault on the beaches of Guam. May God protect them all.” President Dewey solemnly replied.
“At least now, we are getting more new ships for them. The Congress has loosened up the purse strings a little more to allow us to build some more cruisers. But Congress has insisted on more of the smaller Wichita-class heavy cruisers be built rather than the planned Baltimore-class vessels. They are being very tight on our defense budget in spite of the current situation overseas.”
“I will be glad to get every new hull that I can get, Sir.” Secretary Marshall noted.
“I know that you are, Bill. I just hope that what Congress does give you will be enough to get the job done finally.”
US Navy Task Force
Guam, Mariana Islands
April 26, 1946
The American task force had faced several torpedo attacks from Japanese submarines during the long journey from Pearl Harbor. Fortunately, the Americans had managed to lose only one ship, the Brooklyn-class light cruiser USS Philadelphia. The dozens of destroyers, many of which had been constructed since the beginning of the Pacific war, attending the fleet had managed to fend off the attacking Japanese submarines. The Japanese had lost five submarines as a result of the destroyers’ furious defense. As the invasion force approached Guam, they also faced an increasing number of air attacks from airfields on the island itself. Some of these Japanese aerial attackers even attempted to crash their aircraft into US Navy warships out of desperation. The American aircraft carriers sent wave after wave of fighters out to help defend the fleet from these suicidal attackers.
But now the island was finally within range of the four battleships of the US Pacific Fleet. USS North Carolina and Washington had been joined by the USS South Dakota and the newly reconstructed USS Colorado. The latter was an old Standard design battleship that had been heavily modified since the destruction of the Pacific Fleet battle line to improve her air defense and anti-torpedo defenses. Together, they had nearly three dozen sixteen-inch naval rifles ready to hurt their massive shells upon the Japanese.
The battleships were accompanied by nearly a dozen cruisers of various classes; heavy cruisers with their eight-inch naval rifles, light cruisers with their rapid firing six-inch guns and a pair of anti-aircraft cruisers with masses of five-inch dual-purpose guns. Streams of destroyers screened the large American warships.
Miles behind the battleships and their other warship consorts were seven aircraft carriers of various types in addition to nearly three dozen troop transports. Among these ships were the two converted flight deck liners that had originally been built in Harold Cavill’s shipyards before the war. These two ships had been taken over by the US Navy and quickly converted into light fleet aircraft carriers. All of these vessels were also surrounded by a second protective host of destroyers.
Waiting on the Americans were over eighteen thousand Japanese soldiers. While they had been largely cut off from supplies with the exception of small quantities delivered by aircraft and by submarine, the Japanese garrison was ready to fight with an almost religious fervor.
The Japanese had constructed reinforced gun emplacements all over the island. Heavy coastal defense guns had been positioned near the most likely landing zones to destroy landing craft and attacking ships.
Admiral Chester Nimitz stood on the bridge of South Dakota looking out towards Guam as his battleships prepared for the initial bombardment.
“This is certainly going to be a hell of a lot more difficult than Wake, Sir.” South Dakota’s commander, Captain Allen E. Smith commended as he too looked out in the distance with his binoculars.
“I know. But it has to be done. We are facing a lot of pressure now from Washington to reclaim more of our territory, especially after the Australians took North Maluku so easily. At least the remaining Japanese battleships appear to be stuck in port for now. Hopefully, our big guns will soften up the Jap defenses sufficiently so that our troops can quickly set up a beachhead. We can’t afford to take too many casualties right away. Then the hard part will begin, capturing the rest of the island.
But now, let’s begin with our part. Order the Task Force to begin bombardment now.” Admiral Nimitz grimly ordered.
A few moments later, the big guns began to roar aboard South Dakota and the other battleships. Eight cruisers accompanying the battleships opened fire on other targets less than a minute afterwards. Massive fountains of fire, smoke and flying earth erupted all along the beaches and the hills above them a few moments later as the heavy shells began to impact.
Almost as soon as the shore bombardment began, dozens of landing craft filled with Marines and soldiers began moving from the troop transports towards Guam’s beaches. In spite of the covering gunfire from the American warships, scores of shells from Japanese shore defense guns soon started sending tall fountains of water around the incoming landing craft.
Private John Whitcomb stood in one of those landing craft as it pushed forward towards the landing zone. The LCP(L) (Landing Craft Personnel - Large) carried Private Whitcomb and another thirty-five of his fellow soldiers at a lumbering speed of only eight knots. Still, even with the Higgins Boat traveling at that slow speed, the constant buffeting of the waves caused more than a few of the soldiers to throw up the contents of their stomachs on the way to the Guam shoreline.
“Whoever designed this Higgins Boat, needs to have their head examined. We need a much better way to get off of this beast than just jumping over the sides.” One of the other soldiers commented.
“I know. But right now, I am more worried about getting out to the landing zone in one piece. I know that those swabbies out there are pounding the hell out of the island ahead of us. But I just know that the Japs have got to begin firing back soon if they have any guns left at all.” Private Whitcomb replied just a few moments before the first Japanese shore batteries began to fire.
