Sallying Pacific: Book 6 of the Pacific Alternate Series by Max Lamirande

Author:Max Lamirande [Lamirande, Max]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Obsidian Press
Published: 2023-04-30T16:00:00+00:00

Admirals ponder

Back to their bases, April 7th to 10th, 1943

(…) Rabaul, April 7th (…)

As Admiral Ozawa surveyed the damage on his three carriers from the deck of the super battleship Musashi, he was not so certain that his Guadalcanal raid was a success. Sure, the base was wrecked and the airfields destroyed, but the price he paid to do it was very heavy.

Shokaku received a bomb on its central island, with a big hole and a large black mark. A large fire had blasted out through 2 decks, and damage was important. The blast killed many of its officers, and he’d had to transfer new ones as the battle raged. Replacements would have to be brought from the officer reserve in Truk.

Kaga received a bomb on its deck and sported a patched-up hole. It had been able to continue supporting flight operations during the battle. Still, it now needed some time in the harbor for repairs. He wasn’t certain that it would be able to participate in the coming battle and Operation RO.

Zuikaku was hardest hit. He cursed softly as he looked at the tugs and the destroyers towing it into Simpson Harbor. The ship was badly mangled in the stern. The carrier couldn't go faster than ten knots, and its participation in the upcoming RO Operation was in jeopardy like Kaga, but even more so.

A few of the bridge officers came by with questions, but he waved them away as he kept busy looking at his damaged ships. He thought momentarily about the ships he lost during his bombing run and cursed again. Then there were the almost 200 planes shot down and their irreplaceable pilots. Their planes were lost over enemy territory, so they were now prisoners even if they survived.

All these losses were terrible in their own right, and he was worried about the consequences of his fleet’s part in the Grand Admiral’s operation to try and destroy the Allies in the south seas. But that was nothing compared to his discussion with Yamamoto when he faced him. He wasn’t certain he would talk to the man before the start of Operation RO, but there would be a time he would. Explaining his snap decision to gamble everything to the Navy’s commander-in-chief would be difficult, to say the least. He hoped that the blow he landed on the Allies would be enough to win a victory for the Empire.

(…) Guadalcanal, April 9th (…)

Another Admiral was surveying the damage from afar with his binoculars; only it wasn’t his ships that were wrecked, but his home base. “Damn Japs,” said Chester Nimitz out loud from the bridge of the battleship Maryland. “They fucking destroyed my base!” he yelled out loud to no one in particular. His voice was echoed by every sailor and officer just arriving in Sealark Channel. The outburst was uncharacteristic of Nimitz. He normally possessed a sense of inner balance and calm that steadied those around him. But at that very moment, everyone echoed their admiral’s feelings, so no one took notice.

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