Against the Tide Imperial: The Struggle for Ceylon (The Usurper's War: An Alternative World War II Book 3)

by James Young

  As he listened to the butcher's bill, Admiral Dunlap winced inwardly.

  One hundred seventy-five aircraft shot down or written off. Severe damage to one battleship, a likely yard trip for the other, similar damage for three cruisers. That's not even counting what happened to the poor Royal Navy.

  "Vice Admiral Fletcher, speaking frankly, believes he's out of commission for at least four months unless we have another air group on stand by."

  Powers looked up and, seeing he had guessed right at Dunlap's forthcoming question, continued on.

  "Vice Admirals Towers and Halsey state they could cobble together two carrier air groups out of what we have available here in Hawaii," Powers stated. "However, they believe a better use for the airpower here is to reinforce the garrisons at Espiritu Santu and Noumea."

  "Why?" Dunlap asked, eyes narrowing.

  "There are indications the Japanese may try to expand south from their current base at Rabaul," Powers replied. "Both the British and our own submarines have spotted a large amount of shipping in the area. With their carrier losses and ours, it's unlikely that anything would happen immediately, but it can't be ruled out."

  What I would not give to be able to read their code like we almost could a couple years. Stupidest thing we ever did, letting the British know about that. Of course they’d have that information at Singapore when it switched hands after Kent.

  "How many squadrons does he want to send south?" Dunlap asked. "As I assume we're going to have to put something aboard the Yorktown and Enterprise, especially now that the Royal Navy is out of the carrier business for awhile."

  Powers looked down at his folder, then back up at Dunlap.

  "Sir, Vice Admiral Halsey had a very profane directive in here that I was to let him talk to you about that," Powers replied.

  I'm not going to put my aide in the middle of two admirals.

  Dunlap looked down at motion out of the corner of his eye, then slapped the mosquito on his sleeve. Swiping the dead insect off his khakis, he gestured for Powers to continue.

  "As Vice Admiral Halsey predicted, your directive to Rear Admiral Christie was not well received," Powers said. "Admiral Hart–"

  Dunlap motioned for Powers to stop talking.

  I see that ol' Thomas wants to do things the hard way.

  After a few moments of thought and swigging coffee as he counted to ten, Dunlap set the mug down with a thunk so audible it caused an orderly to look up from the walkway below.

  "Immediate message, Admiral Hart's eyes only," Dunlap stated so only Commander Powers could hear. "Rear Admiral Christie is to report to this headquarters as soon as possible, but no later than one week from receipt of this message."

  Powers was writing furiously in the margins of the paper in front of him. He paused and did some mental calculations.

  "Sir, that's not a lot of slack time," Powers observed. "He'll have to catch one of the Pan Am clippers, and the next one leaves in about four hours Australia time, doesn't it?"

  Dunlap smiled.

  There are many reasons you're my aide. One, your father was an impeccable comrade and the Navy lost a great man when he was lost at sea. But two, your slide rule brain means you immediately know just how thoroughly I'm fucking someone over at the same time I do.

  "I think Rear Admiral Christie should have a chance to fix his fuck up personally," Dunlap said. "Or the bastard should be consigned to some distant backwater up in the Aleutians and get to freeze his ass off until this war is over. The choice will be mine, not Admiral Hart's."

  I was probably a little heavy handed there.

  He watched as Powers made additional notes.

  "Mind the padding on that message, Frederick," Dunlap stated. "It's going to be insightful enough, I don't want some stupid phrasing causing Admiral Hart to misconstrue it as a deeper admonishment than intended."

  Powers started to smile at that, but caught himself before losing his bearing.

  "Yes sir," he replied.

  Everyone jokes about that until it goes awry. Hart has a better temper than most, but best to get the staff in the habit of checking these things now.

  "The Intrepid delivered two squadrons of the new Helldivers to Midway last night," Powers noted.

  Maybe we should have sent those birds south instead of Wildcats and Dauntlesses. I'll have to ask Halsey what intelligence told him that made him think the Japanese might come to Midway. Especially with what appears to be most of their fleet in the Indian Ocean.

  "Be a great time to try and retake Wake if we had the tankers for it," Dunlap noted bitterly. "Especially if Fletcher is correct in thinking he bagged three carriers."

  Powers flipped back through the G-2's notes.

  "Sir, the Japanese still have five large battleships that no one has accounted for," he noted.

  "Make a note for me to take that up with the staff today," Dunlap stated, finishing the last of his coffee.

  I'm going to have to figure out if we'll need to send Rodney and Nelson south to replace the Commonwealth losses. It's not a lot of fun trying to guess what your enemy is going to do when he apparently has a plan.

  "Remind me again—when did Halsey tell me the floating dry docks will get to Sydney and Canberra?"

  "The 14th, sir," Powers said.

  At least that will ease some of the repair problems.

  The two floating drydocks, ABSD-1 and ABSD-2, had both been completed months ahead of their planned schedule in late June. When their sections were joined in Sydney, they would theoretically allow for the repair of two more capital ships in Australia.

  Still going to be a problem getting resources there, but that's another discussion for a different day. Armor steel doesn’t grow on trees, unfortunately.

  "Another item on the agenda will be whether Vice Admiral Towers or Vice Admiral Halsey assumes chief of staff duties full time," Dunlap said. This time Powers could not help himself as a short chortle escaped.

  "Sorry sir," Powers said quickly, his face coloring slightly.

  "I know, Vice Admiral Halsey would pace every day like a lion trapped inside a cage," Dunlap observed. "But I also know if I send him south, he's going to get up to mischief of some sort."

  "Yes sir," Powers replied, his expression thoughtful.

  "Sometimes you save your strongest horses for a journey's final leg," Dunlap stated. "We'll see what I can glean from Fletcher's final report on just how worn out he appears to be. I don't want him dropping dead in the traces, so to speak."

  "Sir, permission to speak freely?" Powers asked.

  If he's feeling the need to ask, it's probably going to be pretty harsh.

  "Permission granted, Frederick," Dunlap said with a smile. "Just let me know if I need to grab this railing lest I pass out from shock."

  Powers smirked but did not fully smile, something that further conveyed he thought what he was about to say was sensitive.

  "Vice Admiral Fletcher has just spent the last couple of weeks rampaging across the Indian Ocean," Powers noted. "He's now sank four enemy carriers, counting those small British ones off of Africa, a whole bunch of smaller shipping, and is the only admiral we have who has faced the Japanese carriers twice."

  Powers paused, making sure he had not overstepped his bounds by recounting what his superior probably knew. Dunlap waved him on.

  "Sir, whether he thinks he's tired or sounds as such, he's gotta be worn out," Powers said. "In addition, if he dropped dead tomorrow, there's a lot of hard earned knowledge that would go with him."

  "You don't think most of that work has been done by his staff?" Dunlap asked with a slight smile. "I mean, no one is indispensable, especially in our line of work."

  "That may be true, sir, but I'm betting right now the Japanese admiral running from Vice Admiral Fletcher is probably one of the smartest people in their navy," Powers said.

  Unfortunately, you're probably right, and I doubt Isoroku Yamamoto is going to can him. He had met his counterpart when the Japanes
e admiral had been at Harvard, then again when he'd been part of the embassy detail in Japan.

  "I think Vice Admiral Yamaguchi's boss would beg to differ about the smartest man bit," Dunlap replied. "Indeed, given that Yamamoto's plan killed my predecessor, mauled this fleet, and bought him a great deal of time to do what he wanted, I'd say this Indian Ocean excursion hasn't been horrible."

  Powers paused for a long second. Dunlap felt another mosquito on the nape of his neck and startled his aide by striking at it. Bringing his hand back, he confirmed that he'd indeed gotten the bloodsucker and wiped its remains on the balcony rail.

  "Out with it, Frederick," Dunlap said finally. "You're more reluctant than a former nun on her wedding night."

  "Sir!" Powers said, taken aback.

  "I'll talk about my mother how I like," Dunlap said with a smile. "Clearly she got over it at least five times. Anyway, continue."

  Powers looked completely discombobulated at Dunlap's tangent, but found his rhetorical footing again after a moment.

  "In any case, Vice Admiral Fletcher learned some things from the last few months," Powers said. "I think we could all benefit from him returning here to Pearl."

  "Put it on the agenda," Dunlap said. "Also make an appointment for me to meet with Towers and Halsey separately."

  "Aye aye, sir," Powers said. "Speaking of appointments, General Short would like to have a word with you at your convenience."

  Dunlap smiled.

  "Well, I suppose I should eventually talk to the Army," Dunlap said. "I'd rather have dental work without sedatives, but we're allegedly all in this war together."

  "Quite kind of you to extend that olive branch to a service that hasn't done a whole lot in this war yet, sir," Powers noted angrily.

  "Now, now, Frederick, I'm pretty sure there are 10,000 soldiers who drowned and a captured Icelandic garrison that would disagree with you," Dunlap replied. "Plus that's just opening the door for the Army telling us to do our damn job so they can get around to doing theirs."

  "I think getting around to doing theirs is why the Atlantic Fleet keeps pointedly asking when we're handing their carriers back," Powers noted. "Or why the pipeline for replacement air groups is only moving at a trickle for the Pacific."

  "I think Senators Taft and Lindbergh's budget shenanigans back in January are the reason for that, actually," Dunlap stated. "Oh well, we'll get more ships and planes soon enough."

  Trincomalee

  Ceylon

  0705 Local (2035 Eastern)

  12 August (11 August)

  The silence is unnerving, Vice Admiral Yamaguchi thought as he stepped out of the Akagi's Tenzan. The torpedo bomber had ferried him to a grass field just outside of the British port, departing from the Akagi's flight deck a mere hour before. Other than the crackle of a couple of nearby raging fires and the distant ripple of small arms, the small runway could have easily passed as a graveyard for the amount of noise upon it. With a start, Yamaguchi realized what the fires were consuming and realized just how apt the comparison was.

  Why are we burning the British dead?! The Army is truly a bunch of walking jackals.

  With a start, Yamaguchi realized that the smell of burning flesh had become so familiar to him over the previous two days that it hardly registered.

  Visiting the Shokaku was completely a result of my desire to assess her seaworthiness, and had nothing to do with feeling like I needed to atone to the carrier's crew. His staff had mightily protested the transfer between Akagi and the damaged carrier, but Yamaguchi had needed to see the vessel's damage for himself.

  It will be at least six months, if not longer, before I see her again. At the rate this war is going, she may be the final fleet carrier we have remaining.

  "Welcome to Ceylon, Vice Admiral Yamaguchi," a smiling Japanese officer stated as he walked up. Yamaguchi did not recognize the stocky man, but did note his lieutenant general rank. His peer’s uniform also looked as if he'd been doing a lot more than just directing the assault on Ceylon from afar.

  “Thank you,” Yamaguchi said, bowing. The gesture was politely returned.

  "I am Lieutenant General Akira Nara, and it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."

  I cannot tell if the man is being sarcastic or not. Of course, one never knows with any of the Army these days.

  "Likewise, General Nara," Yamaguchi stated. "Your offensive in the Philippines was of great service to the Emperor. I am surprised, however, that you requested my presence here for the British surrender."

  "I did not request it," Nara said. "Field Marshall Wavell did."

  Yamaguchi raised an eyebrow at that.

  "I've never met Field Marshall Wavell in my life," he stated. "Why would have request my presence at the surrender?"

  "It would appear that the Edwardian general, Percival, spoke highly of the Navy's conduct during Singapore's turnover," Nara said.

  His tone, so even for a voice that holds that much venom.

  Yamaguchi stopped and looked at Nara, eyes narrowing.

  "Has it occurred to you that one's enemy asking for a senior officer by name could be a ruse?" Yamaguchi asked.

  "Are you frightened, Yamaguchi-san?" Nara asked sarcastically. "I mean, surely a great warrior such as yourself is not concerned with the possibility of death in the Emperor's service!"

  Yamaguchi smiled.

  "If I respected any of you Army jackals as men, I would challenge you to a duel right here," he replied. "But I do not strike animals, it is beneath me."

  He saw that his words had struck home, Nara's face starting to darken as his hand unconsciously dropped to the sword at his side. Yamaguchi raised an eyebrow as he looked at the Army officer, seeing the veins starting to bulge at the side of the man's neck. The Army squad accompanying them stepped backwards from the two officers as if to give them room.

  This is why our nation is in our current situation: Army hotheads who say stupid things, act even more foolishly, then just expect the Navy to accept their idiocy.

  Nara gripped the sword tighter. Yamaguchi made no move for his own weapon.

  The nation prospered when the Russians killed so many of you back in 1941.

  "It is indeed fortunate for you that my desire to see our nation succeed in this war far outweighs my own sense of honor," Nara spat. "Perhaps you should be more grateful at the nice new harbor the Army will be providing for you shortly."

  "That harbor may be the only thing that makes any of this worthwhile," Yamaguchi said. "Lead on."

  Nara looked as if he wanted to argue, but the distant crump! of artillery appeared to have him think better of it. Turning on his heel, the Army officer strode off at a brisk walk. Yamaguchi followed, the squad of soldiers falling in behind him.

  After about ten minutes, Yamaguchi followed Nara around a curving path into an open park. Two British soldiers stood behind a table, with one holding a Union Jack and the other a white bedsheet nailed to length of lumber. Both men looked angry, as if they were being forced to participate in an act of utter perversion.

  I imagine large white flags aren't standard issue in any military.

  Seated at the table were a pair of older British gentlemen, neither of whom he recognized. Squinting for a brief second, Yamaguchi deduced that the officer wearing Army versus RAF rank was likely Field Marshal Wavell. Both men stood as Nara and Yamaguchi approached.

  "Vice Admiral Yamaguchi, I presume?" Field Marshal Wavell said evenly. Yamaguchi noted that the man did not extend his hand nor offer any other honors.

  Even in this situation, when they are about to be defeated, the insulting behavior continues. Perhaps it is time to ensure all parties present have the proper mindset.

  "I am Vice Admiral Yamaguchi," Tamon responded. "I assume you are here to discuss the terms of your surrender, should we offer any."

  Wavell's expression faltered at that last comment. The RAF officer with him regarded the Army squad behind Yamaguchi and Nara wearily, while the two men holding
flags glared with even more hatred.

  "Yes, I am here to negotiate a cease fire within the parameters given to me by Her Majesty's government," Wavell replied. "I assumed by your acceptance of free passage for me and this party that you wished to negotiate."

  "His Majesty's Imperial Navy are not barbarians," Yamaguchi stated. Yamaguchi had to fight not to smile as Nara stiffened beside him at the insult of not electing to use "forces" in lieu of his specific service. "As I am the senior commander in the area, I assure you that you will be returned safely to your lines regardless of this meeting's outcome."

  Wavell nodded, and Yamaguchi could see that he acknowledged both the guarantee and the implicit threat of what continued resistance might bring.

  "It would appear that your forces have managed to defeat the Far Eastern Fleet and currently control the seas around this island," Wavell said slowly, as if trying to talk while simultaneously remembering something he'd read. "As such, continued resistance will only serve to further increase our casualties while having no effect on the issue at hand."

  My aviators must have done almost as much damage as they believed.

  One of his continued issues of doubt had been pondering just how badly his fliers had actually damaged the Royal Navy's forces. But if Wavell was surrendering almost wholly due to the damage done, it was obvious the Kido Butai had administered a great shock.

  "Would you really dishonor your nation by surrendering while you still have the means to resist?" Nara burst out, incredulous. Wavell turned and regarded the man coolly.

  "I follow the orders of my rightful sovereign, sir," the British officer replied. "My Queen has directed that we are to limit casualties while simultaneously receiving guarantees that prisoners are well treated."

  There's something he's not telling me.

  "We cannot offer you a parole or any similar repatriations," Yamaguchi stated. "Indeed, at present we would likely have to place your men in temporary holding while we arranged shipping for you to be returned to more permanent camps in Siam or Burma."

  Wavell's face showed a moment of hesitation and surprise as he looked at the RAF officer beside him.