Keynes' Cruisers Volume 2

[fester]

San Francisco, June 16, 1945

"Stay still" Eleanor whispered to her husband. He was perched on the side of the bed in their small hotel room which had become their home for almost two months now. He smiled and watched his wife lose herself with him.

They were silent except for the gentle creak of old springs working.

Ten minutes later, they both were still. Patrick enjoyed the view of his wife. She was not showing, but her hands still liked to reach for her hips and her lower back which gave him one of his favorite views. She broke the contented silence.

"So this means you're done. They don't need you anymore?"

"Not quite, but yes. I have orders to report to Fort Devens on September 1 for duties to be determined. I'm well over 100 points so I'm never heading overseas again. We got another twelve points on the way... so I'm here."

"Yes you're here... and I'm glad that I am contributing another twelve points as you put it... although if I remember correctly, that was not your motivation that night." She smiled a wicked smile. Another round soon started.

Two hours later, the couple were enjoying a steak dinner and a beer near the Golden Gate Park. Afterwards, they watched troopships carrying the 107th Infantry Division leave the bay for services overseas. And they talked.

"You mean you saved enough for a down payment for a house in the Highlands if we want just by working in Boston?"

"Last time I checked my account at the credit union, I had just over $1900 in savings and another $750 in war bonds. Plus there is everything you sent home for the past four years. There is a triplex on Pine Street that my cousin's sister-in-law's best friend is looking to sell. He wants $8200 for it... we could do it, live on the first floor, rent out the rest of the place to pay the mortgage...." She looked at the sea wistfully.

Patrick laughed.

"We could almost pay cash for it..."

"Do I want to know?"

"I know that what happened happened and we're just thinking about us and the future now.... but I got damn good at cards... and a nickel a point cribbage, blackjack and seven card stud got to be real profitable. By the end of my time in the Philippines, it was hard to find a game where I was wanted.....Between regular pay and cards, I was pulling in over $500 a month for almost two years..."

"We could do that...."

"We can do that.. is that triplex on Pine Street near the train station so you can finish up your degree in Boston what you want?"

"Yes...."

They walked in happy silence as the sun began to set.

 

[fester]

Durban, South Africa June 17, 1945

Queen Elizabeth left port. Most of a Bomber Command group was on board her and her companion.

 

[fester]

Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale, June 18, 1945

A dozen Avengers, all flown by experienced instructor pilots followed a Mariner and a pair of Privateers into the air. They would be heading to the last known location of a training flight that had flown well outside of radar range into a developing squall.

By mid morning,three cutters, a division of sub chasers and two coastal tankers would join the unsuccessful search.

 

[fester]

Lashio, Burma June 19, 1945

The train slowly moved forward inot the switching yard. The box cars would be disconnected and bulk broken to an almost endless line of 2.5 ton trucks. The flat cars carrying a battalion equipment set of new Hellcat tank destroyers would move east to save some miles and breakdowns for the on road journey to the KMT's capital.

 

[fester]

Tokyo, June 20 1945

The southern districts of the city were in flames. The red glow could be seen almost a hundred miles away. A few anti-aircraft batteries were still firing at the photographic recon planes that were making an early morning pass. No one would be able to fully assess the damage or the losses for weeks as bodies were discovered in nooks and crannies of alleys and others who were only a few steps ahead or behind of those dead had been able to run for several kilometers until they could get to the other side of waterways and fire breaks.

Hours later, the bomb groups on Ishigaki received word that the strike had been successful and new targets were to be designated once the front from Siberia cleared the Home Islands.

 

[fester]

Devils Peak, New Territories June 21, 1945

"One hundred long"

The observer waited a moment before repeating his comments into the field telephone.

Thirty seconds later another 25 pounder shell exploded perhaps ten yards short of the target. It was good enough.

"On target, fire for effect"

An entire battery opened up. Seven shells soon reached their peak high above the observer before tipping over and accelerating to their own destruction and hopefully the destruction or least suppression of the Japanese trench line across the channel. Five shells exploded near the dug-out. One shell was short and another was too far to the right. The gunners were experienced but by this time in the campaign, most of the guns should have had their barrels replaced at least a thousand shells ago.

Over the next two minutes the gunners worked hard to fire a dozen shells apiece. At the end, the observer waited for the smoke and dust to settle. The dug-out had been caved in. The three dozen DUKWs making their way across the narrow channel were receiving a touch less fire.

Other batteries were searching out the Japanese hard points up and down the coast.

 

[fester]

Kure, June 22, 1945

Two submarines left the pier. The coal fueled coastal escort belched brown smoke ahead of them as she sanitized the channel. American and British bombers would frequently lay mines off any port that was large enough to shelter more than five wooden hulled fishing boats. One of the few Imperial Navy bases that remained quasi-functional guaranteed regular attention. The fleet submarines, both commissioned in the past two years, steamed past the wrecks of cruisers and destroyers that had guarded the hulls of dozens of merchant ships and auxiliaries. Air raids, battleship bombardments, mines and an accidental explosion all claimed some blood.

Two hours later, the submarines turned away from each other. One would be on a long patrol near Guam to interdict American warships that were using the island as their intermediate level fleet base. The other was heading to Ishigaki to provide raid warning and to sink the ships that supplied the bombers the bombs that continually rained down on the cities of the Empire.

 

[fester]

Attu, Alaska June 23, 1945

The Coast Guard cutter's gangway was busy. Two dozen men had joined the weather monitoring team. Nineteen of them had previously been stationed in New Mexico or Tennessee. They were all struggling with the concept that this weather was the height of summer. Enough supplies for the station had been unloaded for another three months. There would be another two supply runs before the weather turned nasty.

At the pier almost thirty men were shuffling about. They were going back to Dutch Harbor and then many were heading back to the Continental United States for either re-assignment or demobilization. One of the men who was almost completely forgettable in his appearance tramped around nervously. He had not see a bird in years and he wanted, no needed, to see and sweet talk a broad. But the last time he had successfully done that, it had involved a Senator's wife and daughter and it had landed him here for twenty six months. Could he resist the temptation? He doubted it.

By the time the sky got as dark as it would be, the cutter had pulled away from the island and began to steam to rendezvous with a sister ship that had made a similar run to Kiska where another party of internal exiles would watch the weather and count puffins for Uncle Sam.

 

[fester]

Los Alamos, New Mexico June 24, 1945

The security chief for the entire project grabbed his stomach. The ulcer was acting up once again. The detonators had left the compound in the trunk of a 1939 Oldsmobile driven by one of the scientists. A sleepy eyed sergeant in civilian clothes was riding shotgun with him and they both looked like they needed coffee when they went past the first gatehouse before breakfast. The explosive section had left the labs last night in an unmarked Army truck. The convoy carrying the rest of the device was leaving now. A platoon of MPs would lead the fifteen vehicles including a tow truck and two jeeps carrying mechanics. Soon, they would know if everything worked, and then he could start worrying about new problems. The talkers and curious lookers had been taken care of. The American people would soon learn much more about puffins and penguins.

 

[fester]

Norfolk Navy Yard, June 25, 1945

USS Alaska accelerated. The time of the President was far more valuable than a few tons of oil. His entourage had boarded the previous night, and he had arrived this morning. The president was smiling about something as he stood on the flag bridge and watched the very large cruiser go past Fortress Monroe. He had a short conversation with his Secretary of State and the Secretary of War. The project that he had been briefed on in 1944 when he had to find hundreds of millions of dollars in appropriations that were not lies but not even close to the truth was coming to fruition. One item was ready and the other design was almost set. One more test which would be completed by the time he reached Antwerp was needed.

Ten more minutes of quiet on the bridge was all that he allowed himself before heading below decks and getting back to work. The work of the President was so much different and demanding than he had ever imagined when he accepted the Vice Presidential nomination a year ago.

 

[fester]

Just outside of HMNB Portsmouth, June 26, 1945

HMS Barfleur took up station to starboard of her sister, HMS Trafalgar. The two destroyers weighted for the rest of the Force to come out of the harbor.
By early afternoon, the light cruiser Minotaur, along with another pair of new destroyers were clear of the harbor defenses. The small escort force waited for the tide to rise. The key element of the force could always leave the harbor, but everyone was slightly cautious as a mistake would be more than slightly embarrassing and there was no need to hurry as three extra hours could be made up on the voyage from Portsmouth to Singapore. It was an irrelevant delay.

By the time that the ladies ashore were readying tea, HMS Vanguard was at sea and heading to open water where the squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm would soon be flying out to meet her. Once the entire air wing had been bedded down, the six ships began their journey to war.

 

[fester]

Chita, Siberia June 27, 1945

The young boys giggled. They were supposed to be working pulling weeds and checking the health of the chickens and goats that the collective farm was expected to raise. They were busy but not too busy to play and to watch the endless stream of trains heading east. The youngest smiled as the rest of the gang slapped him on his back in congratulations as he identified not just the tanks but the half tracks and rocket trucks.

 

[fester]

Tumen, Jilin Manchuko, June 28, 1945

The last train departed. The division was now deployed to its forward garrison camps. It was an impressive formation on paper, and it was even more impressive from the perspective of 1940. The tank battalion attached to the division would have been superior to almost anything that had fought at Hanut or Sedan or Arras. The artillery was modern and able to influence the immediate and deep battles. The cadres were experienced men, some who had half a decade or more of combat experience in theatre.

It would have been impressive if the bulk of the division had not been civilians six months ago.

It would have been impressive if the anti-aircraft batteries were capable to scaring much less destroying modern fighter bombers.

It would have been impressive if the signals units were capable of tying the subunits into one comprehensive whole.

It would have been impressive if the anti-tank batteries could stop a tank built after 1942.

It would have been impressive if there were capable units on its flanks.

 

[fester]

Southern New Mexico Desert, June 29, 1945

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes, tomorrow morning."

 

[fester]

Osaka, Japan, June 30, 1945

The six hundredth and almost last B-29 accelerated into its turn. The aircraft had been flying straight and level and now that the bomb bay doors had closed, the pilot could now jink and dodge the heavy but not particularly accurate flak.

Beneath him a city was on its way to ruins. A near optimal mixture of incendiaries, high explosives and delayed fused bombs had been dropping. Water mains were broken, roofs had been opened up to the sky and now the flames were finishing the job that the aluminum infused TNT had started.

 

[fester]

Mid-Atlantic, June 30, 1945

The communications officer knew to never think too hard about the messages that he decoded. It was better for everyone for him to just worry about encryption, decryption and monitoring the coffee availability for the team. However the message on the flimsy paper was odd, even for messages that tended to be strange:

Doctor has just returned most enthusiastic and confident that the little boy is as husky as his big brother. The light in his eyes discernible from here to High Hold and I could have heard his screams from here to my farm

He checked the message header and inserted it into a folder for immediate delivery to the flag deck where the President and the Cabinet could learn about two farm boys.

(Message text taken from p. 517 https://www.history.army.mil/html/books/011/11-10/CMH_Pub_11-10.pdf)

 

[fester]

The Golden Gate, July 1, 1945

USS Los Angeles picked her way through the channel and underneath the bridge. The ship had been held at Mare Island for several days. Orders to make best speed to Ishigaki with refueling stops authorized at Midway, Wake and Guam had accompanied the loading of several large, awkward crates and boxes late the previous evening. The captain did not know why he had these orders, but they were clear enough.

Once the ship passed the Farallon Islands, her turbines screamed as copious amounts of very high pressure and high temperature steam was released. She accelerated to a steady twenty seven knots. The navigator was confident that the cruiser would be in the anchorage within twelve days.

 

[fester]

London, July 2, 1945

Prime Minister Atlee clambered up the steps of the Avro York. This was his first international trip since the successful General Election. The national unity government had won the war, and now the incoming Labour Government had to win the peace. The York would take him first to talks in Paris with the French and an assortment of minor allies, and then a Commonwealth conference in Cyprus before the meeting of the major powers in Potsdam.

 

[fester]

Hong Kong July 3, 1945

A section of Shermans stopped. The turrets rotated slightly. A few heart beats later, the 2nd Lancers, Gardners Horse, fired. The 75mm high explosive shells missed on the first salvo. Even as the loader and gunner were calmly and smoothly, reloading as quickly as they could, the bow machine gunners and the tank commanders fired short tat-a-tat bursts against the Japanese bunkers. Another salvo, and then another slammed into the concrete and wood structures. Spalling fragments likely killed some gunners as the Ghurka riflemen began to advance without being cut down in the first five steps.

By nightfall, the brigade from the 31st Indian Armored Division had only three thousand more yards to go before they would be splitting the Japanese defenses in half.

 

[fester]

Singapore, July 4, 1945

The troopers carrying the 268th Indian Infantry Brigade to the southeast Chinese coast slowly made their way past the boom defense vessels and the net tenders. As they left the naval base, the soldiers looked at the five fleet carriers, five battleships, four battle cruisers and over four dozen lesser warships. Three of the lesser warships waited for them at the entrance to the Johor Channel. Destroyers and sloops would join the cruisers once the convoy neared Palawan.