Against the Tide Imperial: The Struggle for Ceylon (The Usurper's War: An Alternative World War II B by James Young (story reading txt) 📕

“Well shit,” Jo said, looking up at the board. Patricia looked also, seeing a “FLETCHER” pinned on an arrow that appeared to be several hundred miles east of Africa. Another, this one painted in British blue and labeled CUNNINGHAM seemed to be in the middle of the Indian Ocean pointed north.

“It’s unbecoming of a lady to swear, Josephine,” Commander Tannehill said.

“Commander, my father has not broken me of the habit despite the aggressive use of a soap bar when I was seventeen,” Jo replied. “My roommate has not had any success despite attempting to be the mother I haven’t had in over a decade.”

Tannehill sighed.

“I suppose reminding you I am your superior and boss will merely earn myself a further demonstration of your vulgar vocabulary, won’t it?”

“Make you a deal,” Jo said, looking at the map with obvious concern on her face. “You tell us what that scarlet arrow labeled ‘KB’ south of Ceylon is, and I’ll never swear in this office again.”

She’s lying. Or at the very least, hedging her bets.

Patricia was unsurprised that Tannehill, but not Longstreet, missed out on Jo’s obvious gambit.

“That is what the Japanese have termed the Kido Butai, their name for what we’d call the First Air Fleet.”

“Uh, sir…” an ensign said, whipping his head around.

“Yes, Ensign Moldavus, clearly the fact Miss Morton and Miss Cobb have been here for two days means they are so dire a threat to security I cannot say the words Kido Butai in front of them,” Tannehill snapped. “A name that has been being trumpeted by radio broadcasts from our friends in Tokyo for almost five months now, I might add.”

The younger officer stiffened at the rebuke, but wisely turned back to his task.

Horribly nervous around women, damn near overbearing with subordinates. Commander Tannehill is somewhat of an enigma.

“In any case, as I believe it will help you with your pattern analysis, the British believe their aircraft on Ceylon engaged the Japanese fleet yesterday,” Tannehill said. “They are also certain that the aircraft in question damaged one of the Japanese carriers.”

“This is good news,” Jo observed. “Why would we faint at good news?”

“Because if that is the main Japanese fleet, it means Vice Admiral Fletcher is about to engage them in two days.” Tannehill replied, his tone funereal. “It also means the British had better not tarry where they’ve been refueling in the south, or he’ll do so facing four carriers with his two.”

Jo visibly swallowed, and Patricia felt her own stomach do a flip flop. Her roommate took a step back from the map, nervously clasping her hands together like she’d seen a horrible specter.

“Are you okay, Miss Morton?” Tannehill asked. Patricia could see that her friend was just shaken, but could understand why Tannehill would be worried.

I’m certain I look like the finest white sheet bleach can buy myself. So it’s understandable Jo looks there’s a possible tie between her breakfast ending up in that trash can or her running shrieking to the lady’s room.

“Can…” Jo asked thickly, then swallowed hard. “Can Vice Admiral Fletcher wait for the British?”

“Depends on how attached Admiral Hart feels he should be to Ceylon,” Tannehill replied. “I don’t know that I’d consider a crown possession, even one that was responsible for so much rubber, worth Enterprise and Yorktown.”

I.J.N.S. Akagi

1000 Local (0030 Eastern)

400 Miles Northeast of Addu Atoll

Indian Ocean

9 August

The Kido Butai, three hundred miles southwest of where a misguided American intelligence officer believed it to be, was about to spring an elaborate trap.

“Sir, Tone No. 4 reports a contact.”

Vice Admiral Yamaguchi continued to stare serenely out the Akagi’s bridge window as his staff sprang into action at the report.

So it begins.

“I do not think that it would be prudent for you to ever be alone in a room with The Gargoyle again,” Rear Admiral Kaku noted as he walked up behind him. “It appears, however, that his feint has flushed the prey.”

“Vice Admiral Ozawa,” Yamaguchi stated, “is an Imperial officer loyal to the Emperor. He is performing his duty.”

Kaku stiffened at the rebuke entailed by the dual emphasis on name and title. Vice Admiral Ozawa was known as “The Gargoyle” due to his large stature, less than handsome visage and, at least according to the Kido Butai staff, surly nature. All of these things were true, but Yamaguchi was well aware that the man was having to stand in and absorb British blows off Ceylon so that his force might see off the Far Eastern Fleet.

I will give him due deference even if I am also tired of his squalling like a spanked child about Admiral Yamamoto’s orders..

“Launch the strike,” he ordered simply. “I am sure you are going to tell me what the Tone’s aircraft has seen.”

Kaku bowed, then turned and barked orders at the signal staff. Yamaguchi stepped out onto the bridge wing, the din of the decked park aircraft loud once he was through the hatch. The Akagi’s crew had spotted the aircraft on deck over the last hour and a half in anticipation of his moment.

It is a risk you are taking, Tamon, Yamaguchi chided himself. But it beats the original plan. Rear Admirals Hara and Kaku had, as he directed, developed a new plan. The revision had required the approval of IJN Headquarters in Tokyo, with which communication had required several relays of seaplanes to avoid breaking radio silence. Vice Admiral Ozawa, as Rear Admiral Kaku had alluded to, had been less than pleased at being relegated to suppressing Ceylon's airfields rather than keeping them down once the Kido Butai passed through. This was, however, necessary to trigger the British into believing that the Japanese were going to immediately suppress Ceylon. Judging from the initial and continued reaction to Ozawa’s presence, the Ceylon garrison firmly believed his carriers to be the Kido Butai.

His fighter pilots are feasting on the heavy bombers, from all accounts. This “radar” is indeed a war changer.

He stared back at the Taiho, the large radar aerial prominent on her