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4 THE LITTLE-KNOWN BRITISH PACIFIC FLEET FORMED IN THE LAST YEAR OF THE WAR WAS IN FACT THE SINGLE MOST POWERFUL FORCE EVER OPERATED BY THE ROYAL NAVY, CONSISTING OF NO LESS THAN EIGHTEEN AIRCRAFT CARRIERS, FOUR BATTLESHIPS, A DOZEN CRUISERS AND SCORES OF DESTROYERS. ITS MISSION, TO HUNT DOWN AND DESTROY JAPANESE AIR, LAND AND SEA FORCES TO CLEAR THE WAY FOR AN ALL-OUT INVASION OF THE JAPANESE HOME ISLANDS.
A NEWCOMER TO THE FLEET WAS THE RECENTLYCOMPLETED CARRIER H.M.S. STEADFAST, KNOWN TO HER CREW AS “STEADY” FROM “STEADY AS SHE GOES”. A MAJOR ADDITION TO BRITISH NAVAL POWER, SHE OPERATED A FULL COMPLEMENT OF MARK 4 CORSAIRS AND FAIREY FIREFLY FIGHTER BOMBERS, MOST OF WHICH WERE BEING MADE READY FOR YET ANOTHER OPERATION. I SEE OUR TARGET FOR TODAY IS MUROA ISLAND AGAIN. WE HIT IT JUST LAST WEEK.
THE JAPS REPAIRED THE DAMAGE AND SENT IN REINFORCEMENTS. AS A FORWARD AIR AND NAVAL BASE IT’S TOO VALUABLE FOR THEM TO ABANDON WITHOUT A FIGHT.
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5 PILOT OFFICERS GUS BOARDMAN AND MIKE “MIDGE” MERCER HAD BECOME FIRM FRIENDS AT FLYING SCHOOL. PHYSICALLY THEY WERE COMPLETE OPPOSITES, WITH GUS BEING TALL AND HEAVILY-BUILT WHILE MIDGE WAS OVER A FOOT SHORTER AND SLIGHT OF BUILD, LEADING TO PLENTY OF GOOD-NATURED BANTER BETWEEN THEM, ESPECIALLY AS GUS SQUEEZED HIMSELF INTO THE CORSAIR’S COCKPIT. YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO EASY ON THE BANGERS AND MASH, GUS, OR YOU’LL END UP NOT BEING ABLE TO FIT IN THE COCKPIT.
YOU CAN TALK, MIDGE. ONCE YOU’VE GOT YOUR FLYING HELMET ON YOU COULD BE MISTAKEN FOR A JAP. YOU’RE EXACTLY THEIR SIZE.
NEVERTHELESS, BOTH MEN KNEW THEY WERE FORTUNATE TO BE FLYING THE BEST CARRIERBORNE FIGHTERS IN THE WORLD OPERATING OFF BRITAIN’S NEWEST FLEET CARRIER.
STEADY AS A ROCK. YOU ALWAYS KNOW SHE’LL BE THERE WHEN YOU GET BACK.
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6 THE JAPANESE BASE ON MUROA WAS A FORWARD SUPPLY DEPOT SERVICING JAPANESE NAVY SHIPS IN THAT AREA OF THE PACIFIC. KNOCKING IT OUT WOULD PUSH BACK THE SUPPLY LINE BY A HUNDRED MILES AND LEAVE FEWER SHIPS AVAILABLE FOR ACTION AT ANY ONE TIME. THE BRITISH ATTACK, LED BY THE FIREFLIES, TARGETED THE FUEL AND AMMUNITION STORES. MIDGE WATCHED FROM ABOVE.
THEY’RE NOT BOTHERING TO ATTACK THE DESTROYERS. IF THE STORES ASHORE ARE DESTROYED THE SHIPS WILL HAVE TO PULL BACK IN ANY CASE.
BEFORE LONG A FLIGHT OF KAWASAKI KI-61 FIGHTERS, GIVEN THE ALLIED CODENAME “TONY”, WERE ENTERING THE FRAY. THE CORSAIRS IMMEDIATELY RACED INTO ACTION.
WE’VE GOT THE JUMP ON THEM.
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7 THE TONY HAD BUILT A FORMIDABLE REPUTATION AS THE SUCCESSOR TO THE ONCE-MIGHTY ZERO, BUT THOUGH IT BOASTED HEAVIER ARMAMENT THAN THE CORSAIR IT COULDN’T MATCH THE CARRIER PLANE’S SPEED AND POWER. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY MIDGE HAD ONE OF THEM IN HIS SIGHTS AND DIDN’T HESITATE BEFORE OPENING FIRE WITH HIS SIX .5-INCH MACHINE GUNS. GOT HIM!
NOT FAR AWAY GUS ALSO SCORED A KILL. HAVING DIVED PAST THE JAPANESE FIGHTERS, HE USED THE CORSAIR’S GREATER CLIMB RATE TO ATTACK ONE FROM BELOW.
LOOKS GOOD.
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8 THE TONY KEPT ON FLYING BUT GUS BROKE OFF HIS ATTACK. HE KNEW THE ENEMY PLANE WAS A WRITE-OFF WHATEVER HAPPENED.
HIS LANDING GEAR’S SHOT TO PIECES. HE’LL EITHER CRASH LAND OR DITCH IN THE SEA IF HE DOESN’T BALE OUT FIRST.
AS USUAL THE JAPANESE COUNTER-ATTACKED WITH RECKLESS COURAGE, ENGAGING AT SUCH CLOSE RANGE THAT COLLISIONS WERE ALMOST INEVITABLE.
AAEEII!
AAARGH!
HECK, BILL CARTER’S A GONER.
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9 BY THE TIME THE ATTACK WAS OVER, THE NEWLY-REPLENISHED STORES ON SHORE HAD BEEN ALMOST COMPLETELY DESTROYED. AS THE CARRIER AIRCRAFT FLEW OFF, MIDGE COULD SEE THAT THE RAID HAD ALREADY CREATED FRESH PROBLEMS FOR THE ENEMY.
THE DESTROYERS ARE PULLING OUT. THEY WON’T BE GETTING REFUELLED AND RESUPPLIED HERE ANY MORE.
HOWEVER, IT WASN’T ONLY THE JAPANESE WHO NEEDED REFUELLING AND RESUPPLY, AS THE NEXT MISSION BRIEFING ON BOARD THE BRITISH CARRIER MADE CLEAR. WE’LL BE MAKING RENDEZVOUS WITH A FLEET TRAIN IN TWELVE HOURS, AND IT’S YOUR JOB TO KEEP ANY INQUISITIVE JAPS AT BAY.
A FLEET TRAIN, EH? THAT’S ALWAYS WHEN WE’RE AT OUR MOST VULNERABLE.
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10 IN SPITE OF THEIR FAR-FLUNG REPUTATION THE ROYAL NAVY’S CAPITAL SHIPS RARELY SPENT MORE THAN A WEEK AT SEA BEFORE STOPPING TO REFUEL AND RESUPPLY AT ONE OF THE MANY NAVAL BASES AT THEIR DISPOSAL. IN THE PACIFIC, HOWEVER, SUCH BASES WERE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN AND, LIKE THE AMERICANS BEFORE THEM, THE BRITISH SHIPS WERE FORCED TO RELY ON SO-CALLED FLEET TRAINS TO KEEP THEM AT SEA FOR MUCH LONGER PERIODS.
THERE’S OUR LATEST FLEET TRAIN, RIGHT ON TIME AND COURSE.
THE JAPANESE TOOK A SPECIAL INTEREST IN MONITORING FLEET TRAIN MOVEMENTS IN ORDER TO TIME ATTACKS DURING THE RESUPPLY RENDEZVOUS WHEN THE BRITISH SHIPS WERE AT THEIR MOST VULNERABLE. LONG RANGE FLYING BOATS WERE THE MOST FAVOURED MEANS OF OBSERVING FLEET TRAINS, MAKING THEM THE CORSAIRS’ PRIORITY TARGETS.
AN EMILY GATE-CRASHING THE PARTY. LET’S SEND IT PACKING!
THE SKIPPER’S HAD A BEE IN HIS BONNET ABOUT THESE FLYING BOATS EVER SINCE ONE OF THEM SHOT HIM DOWN WHEN HE WAS FLYING A SEAFIRE.