Opening Moves

“I haven’t finished it yet but we can do that together. OK, so firstly we have large units of Japs appearing out of the blue at Attu and Kiska in the Aleutians, the submarine base on Guam, the naval anchorage at Ulithi, the airfields on Saipan and many attacks on our forces in Okinawa, some of which are unusual in their nature and giving MacArthur the jitters”

He looked up, brow knotted.

“I wish they would be more specific on that. What do they mean by unusual in nature?”

Bradley shook his head slowly and offered a slight shrug. Ike continued.

“These attacks seem to originate from Soviet merchant and naval vessels on recognised business or goodwill visits. Even looks like some of our own freighters have been used, ones from the supply run into Vladivostok. So Soviet vessels transported Japanese troops into the heart of our defences and let them run riot. Attu and Kiska seem to be holding but there were many casualties. Eniwetok and Ulithi Atoll have taken big hits. They are not naming names but they seem to have lost at least a carrier, a battleship and two cruisers plus change.”

Eisenhower shook his head, knowing Guam was badly hit and submarines and experienced crews were lost. Big losses in B-29’s as they ran amok all over the airfields on Saipan, as well as losses in air and ground crew. Somehow they attacked Chengdu and did the same to the Chinese based Superforts.”

Eisenhower gestured angrily with the report once more.

“And Okinawa, not so many losses indicated and nothing major but there’s that damn ‘unusual in nature’ again Brad.”

Both men took hold of their coffee and took a moment’s pause before plunging back into the meat of the report.

“Japanese units starting a huge offensive in China, tanks, infantry, the works. Chinese communist divisions moving aside and not resisting them?”

A cigarette appeared and was lit, breaking up Ike’s flow.

“They don’t have those kinds of resources do they? No fuel to speak of, little armour of note.”

Bradley looked straight-faced at his commander.

“You haven’t read Colonel Gould’s submission in the addendum have you Ike?”

Bradley thumbed through the papers and found what he was looking for immediately.

“Permit me to read this. It’s been cleaned up a bit and only has the salient information.”

He cleared his throat and read word for word.

“Report from John F Gould, Lieutenant Colonel. US Army Air Force.

14th US Air Force, China, Attached xxx Fighter Group, xxx Fighter Squadron.

I must qualify my report by stating that I was a P47 Thunderbolt pilot engaged in ground attack and interdiction in the ETO from March 44 through February 45.

Whilst on aggressive operations in support of ground troops in the xxx area, xxx Province, China I was directed to conduct ground strafing runs on infantry and tanks attacking friendly positions at xxx.

Casualties were successfully inflicted upon enemy ground troops but the enemy attack was successful as our flight did not possess weapons capable of stopping the enemy tanks.

The armoured vehicles I engaged were definitely German tanks of the Panzer IV and Sturmgeschutz type, and my flight was taken under fire by at least two self-propelled quadruple 20mm weapons mounted on German halftracks acting in close-support.

On return to our base, we encountered enemy aircraft returning from a raid. Lack of ammunition meant we could not engage but these types were positively identified by Major Deng Ho as Petlyakov-2’s in Soviet colours.

Signed,

J.F.Gould

Colonel.

Report ends.”

Eisenhower looked physically shaken and did not speak, all the time looking down at the page in the report that he had found as Bradley started his recital and then followed word by worrying word.

Finally, he composed his thoughts.

“So that put’s the fox in the hen house for sure. Damn Brad. Goddamn.”