Task Force Kawakaze

Ch. 03 : Operation " I "

Pacific Ocean, 1.500 km south of Okinawa

16-04-1942

It's been 3 days since we left Yokosuka and began our combined training, before we left Yokosuka, our fleet are equipped with telegraph since most of the large ships hasn't been retrofitted in Kure. and the exercise ran well and perfectly, everyone were thrilled with the result of the exercise we do. But when we're taking a break, we receive an SOS signal on the telegraph, the message is from IJN Shouho, a CVL doing reconnaisance mission and air support in the Southeast Asia, in the Papua New Guinea region. And so, our fleet, with the addition of a few Takao class cruisers and some destroyers. While the aircraft carriers and some of the ships in the exercise are given another task from Tokyo, to hunt the remaining US carriers. And so, our fleet goes with full speed to the Papua New Guinea.

Southeast Indies/Indonesia

21.00

One of the Takao class suffer a breakdown and has to slow down, my Liaison Officer, Kaigun-shōsa Tatsumaki Kuwabara told me that we should docked in Surabaya or wait for repair vessel, but i then said " all fleet full speed ahead ! we leave the broken cruiser behind us ! " and Lt. Kuwabara said " a...admiral ?! how could you... " and i said " listen, Kuwabara, if we hold back, we might lose the element of surprise we had for our enemy or worst, we lost the Shouho. Beside, he can choose whether to crawling with her broken engine following us but risk being an easy target for allied bombers, or just go to a nearby shipyard and then come after us with perfect condition " and Kuwabara then became silent before said " i see... proceed, admiral " and so, the remaining ships proceeds to Papua New Guinea. However, with the bad weather ahead of us, we forced to reduce speed

4.500km west of Papua New Guinea

17-04-1942

12.45 AM

Our fleet finally located the Shouho, despite the bad weather we're having, but it's not holding us back, the hangar crew on Kawakaze began preparing the Shinshin for air combat and some are fitted with AGM in case we have to deals with surface warships, the Soryu classes also warmed up their torpedoes and the sonar are beeping, scanning for any submarines, the Umidori are also loaded with depth charges and torpedoes since due to the bad weather, it is pretty dangerous for helicopter to do a mission, we're then began receiving transmission from the Shouho " thanks, friend, for coming to our aid, our deck is damaged, but we're began fixing it, until then. Provide us with air cover, mate. " and the Kawakaze replied " yes, message received " and we're then surprised with a US PBY Catalina seaplane, i then give the order to shoot it down, and Mirai's CIWS quickly shot it down. But then, the radar shows multiple aircraft formation caming down on us, i then give the green light for the Shinshin to intercept, and the CIWS are began lighting the night sky. The Shinshin also done a great job. The airplanes coming down on us are Douglas SBD Dauntless. We shot down so many airplanes even Kuwabara said " how can the Americans have so much airplanes, it's like they were endless " and i answered " the Americans, has a great industrial capabilities, their manpower, combined with the number of resources they have and industrial techonology they posses, way beyond the capability of Japan and Germany's combined, which is why they are a difficult opponent. But still, with our plants underway, it is not a bad idea to think a short, but glorious victory which will end this war " and Kuwabara said " ma'am... " and i said " ck... forget it, Kuwabara " and then one of the Soryu reported " Taiheiyo reporting to Kawakaze, our sonar detected a submarine in periscope depth, our Liaison officer claims no IJN submarines in the vicinity, should we proceed with sinking it ? " and i said " yes ! sink it ! " and said to the fleet " everyone ! this battle will become a glorious battle which proves JMSDF's capability ! and this battle will bring back the honor in our beloved Japan ! so fight with everything you got ! " and everyone began saluting me before returning to the battle " and then, a large underwater explosion is seen off the right bow of Kawakaze and the Taiheiyo reported " US Submarine eliminated, Kawakaze " and i tell the reply " Good job, keep on searching for another submarine " and then, the Shouho reported " we have fix the deck enough for operations, Kawakaze, you can pull your unit back " and so, the Shinshin began landing back, with none having any damages. But then, an idea passes over my head and i then look at the map provided with IJN and said " JGSDF ! prepare for amphibious operation ! " and from the lower deck, commander of the ground unit for Kawakaze, Colonel Yukimura Haramichi replied " understood, admiral, but... what is our mission ? " and i replied " you will be the first wave of the invading forces to Papua New Guinea ! " and i passed it to the Mirai class and they all then replied with a great pleasure, but then, Lt. Kuwabara came and said " Admiral ! what are you doing ?! this isn't what Tokyo told us ! hold your men or i'll do it ! " and i said " oh yeah ?! well look again, liutenant, i'm the Admiral ! and in here, you listen to my orders ! and my order are clear : we land there ! now or never ! if we don't do it, our fleet and our territory are in peril ! is that what you want ?! ha ?! " and he said " admiral... you are an admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy ! you have to listen to the high command in Tokyo ! " and i said " what ?! High command ?! they are over 5.000Km from here ! they can't help us ! but we can protect them, and so are the sovereignity of Japan's territory ! and that is by sending them ! " but things went became intense when Kuwabara suddenly points a gun to me and said " Admiral Mikasa... hold your men or i will shoot you for treason ! " but me, granted with a long leg able to kicks his gun and with my speed, quickly grab it before him and pointed it to him and say " well, the table has turned now, Liutenant. You said Japan expects nothing but a glorious victory ! how can we achieve victory if we just cut the tip of the branch and not pull the roots ?! if we go by your IJN rules, all we did is nothing, Japan will surely loses to the Allied, only in a slightly different way ! is that what you want ?! now, do you want Japan lose, or winning ?! which is you want ? " and Kuwabara said " w...winning, of course... but... admiral... how can we invade it without reinforcements ? it will take hours to send troops, not to mention the authorization " and i said " pfft... who needs reinforcements when you has air support, VLS, highly accurate cannons, and elite JGSDF Ranger and Special Forces unit " and he finally understoods me and i returned his pistol and he said " sorry, admiral, i was overcomed with rage, you should throw me overboard for pointing a gun to you " and i said " why ? i mean, you're a good sailor, a terrific officer too, you got the courage to say your idea, even to a higher ranked officer, but... i think you need to be less agressive, because one of these days, you will be transferred somewhere else with the commander is not as nice as me. So, i'll let you pass, but some day later, i might not as good as today " and he saluted me and said " i will be in my quarter, i need to fresh my mind, excuse me, admiral " and walks away. Then, i called Colonel Yukimura and Major Tanomura from the flight unit to the meeting room to discuss the plan for landing. And after 45 minutes, we have made a plan to conduct, the plan we conceived includes the Umidori to parachuted a few JGSDF commandos with full gear on islands that are have a strategic value for us, example is a small island with a radar station few clicks from here, and then, the Mirai will provide artillery covers for the invading ground forces, along with Shinshin, equipped with bombs and AGM will disable – not destroying since it's a valuable target – the airfield on Port Moresby and conduct deep inland missions to Search and Destroy any allied armoured column, the invading party also are warned to not make any collateral damages to the civilian and properties as it might be useful for later, and killing civilian is very immoral and an act of war crime, we try to be as squeaky clean as possible. And so, after few minutes of preparing, 6 Umidori with JGSDF elite commandos began taking off from the deck of Kawakaze, heading for the small islands. While so, the invading crew begam embarking the IFVs and the type 16 are loaded into LCACs, before began their perilous journey to the beaches of Port Moresby. This invasion will also means a lot to the IJA as this operation will open a gateway for those troops in the north and western area of the island.