Keynes' Cruisers Volume 2
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SS Richard Montgomery. She never burned though, from memory she broke her back on a sandbank.
Story 2888
Kuala Lumpur, Malaya May 27, 1945
The small organizing committee spoke of nothing beyond pleasantries as they enjoyed their tea. They were feeling each other out in a way that was innocous to the almost certain British colonial surveillance on likely and known trouble makers. It was not a surprise that the unionists and Maoists committees were active. It was not a surprise that they were collaborating. It was not a surprise that there were active discussions in the city. So it was not worth hiding the obvious and bringing attention on the short meetings that the committee wanted to obscure from the colonial occupiers.
Hours later in the back of a bicycle shop a select subcommittee of the small committee came to an agreement. The first Tuesday after the Japanese surrender would be the day that a general strike would be called. One hot head wanted the strike for mid-July, but the presence of war emergency powers would decimate carefully protected cadres for years if not forever. Organizing would start immediately.
The small organizing committee spoke of nothing beyond pleasantries as they enjoyed their tea. They were feeling each other out in a way that was innocous to the almost certain British colonial surveillance on likely and known trouble makers. It was not a surprise that the unionists and Maoists committees were active. It was not a surprise that they were collaborating. It was not a surprise that there were active discussions in the city. So it was not worth hiding the obvious and bringing attention on the short meetings that the committee wanted to obscure from the colonial occupiers.
Hours later in the back of a bicycle shop a select subcommittee of the small committee came to an agreement. The first Tuesday after the Japanese surrender would be the day that a general strike would be called. One hot head wanted the strike for mid-July, but the presence of war emergency powers would decimate carefully protected cadres for years if not forever. Organizing would start immediately.
I don't see what can be achieved when ittl the war has only made the British more entrenched in Malaya as opposed to them humiliated and starting from scratch in otl.
Agreed. I expect the British are in better shape and there is much less potential for outside support since I am not at all sure Mao will win the Chinese Civil War. The Russians are also going to have their own issues and will probably not be invading Manchuria if/when they declare war on Japan.
Without that invasion, the Chinese Communists do not get nearly as many ex-Japanese weapons and equipment. For that matter, I don't think there will be a North Korea either.
Interesting question, will a unified Korea be more or less likely to eventually become a democracy? I wonder if the OTL division of Korea h we lose or hindered that process!
Story 2889
Pusan, Korea May 28, 1945
The harbor was an inferno. A dozen ships were already on the bottom, scores of wooden fishing craft were aflame. The Navy's arsenal was a mass of secondary explosions.
Overhead, a quartet of fast Mustangs completed their photo passes. The newly re-equipped bombardment group had successfully completed a milk run. One more strike was scheduled to give the green crews a little more seasoning before they would be sent over the Home Islands. Another group would take their slot in the queue of milk runs.
The harbor was an inferno. A dozen ships were already on the bottom, scores of wooden fishing craft were aflame. The Navy's arsenal was a mass of secondary explosions.
Overhead, a quartet of fast Mustangs completed their photo passes. The newly re-equipped bombardment group had successfully completed a milk run. One more strike was scheduled to give the green crews a little more seasoning before they would be sent over the Home Islands. Another group would take their slot in the queue of milk runs.
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Nice to see the process is this organized, but they have been at war for over 3 years, so it should be expected.
Very minor quibble, shouldn't green pilots be green crews, since I assume a bombardment group is medium or heavy bombers and not single-seat fighter bombers?
Actually given the condition of the IJA, they may actually be more inclined to try for Manchuria.
I figured given the delays on the Eastern front, they don't have that 3 months between the fall of Berlin and the start of the Manchurian offensive for build-up. If they do attack the IJA in Manchuria, it will not be with the massive forces used in OTL (3 Fronts with 89 divisions, over 3,700 tanks, over 27,000 artillery pieces, and over 3,700 aircraft).
Thinking some more on this, in OTL Stalin promised at Yalta that the USSR would declare war on Japan within 3 months of the end of the European war. Has there been a Yalta conference ITTL and did the Soviets make any such promise? If no Yalta, was there any equivalent conference?
Granted, it doesn't really matter if he did or did not. I can readily see him attacking the Japanese to see what he can get at the end of the war. I just don't see him attacking the Japanese until the war in Europe is over and I don't think there will be enough time to set up a really big attack.
Granted, it doesn't really matter if he did or did not. I can readily see him attacking the Japanese to see what he can get at the end of the war. I just don't see him attacking the Japanese until the war in Europe is over and I don't think there will be enough time to set up a really big attack.
Good points. I don't think we know what has been agreed by the Big Three, either togethyer or bilaterally - such as the Churchill/Stalin "Spheres of Agreement".
Story 2890
The New Mexican Desert, May 29, 1945
The whistle blew. Several dozen men put down their tools. Some were used to this type of work, others had spent most of the war indoors and their bodies were lacking the stamina. However now was a break from the beating that the sun inflicted upon them. Two men walked through the group pouring out a pint of luke warm water to each man. A trio of sergeants on the security force chivvied the men to drink up with the simple observation that those who did not need to piss would soon be in the hospital with heat injuries.
Ten minutes later, the crews were back again. Some were moving a massive steel dome on rigging while others were connecting wires to junction boxes where a rat's nest of connections still needed to be sorted. More were digging trenches to emplace monitoring devices. A few men knew why they were doing this. Most just knew that they were not to pay too much attention to anything and to suppress any questions that they might have. The pay was good and that would be enough.
The whistle blew. Several dozen men put down their tools. Some were used to this type of work, others had spent most of the war indoors and their bodies were lacking the stamina. However now was a break from the beating that the sun inflicted upon them. Two men walked through the group pouring out a pint of luke warm water to each man. A trio of sergeants on the security force chivvied the men to drink up with the simple observation that those who did not need to piss would soon be in the hospital with heat injuries.
Ten minutes later, the crews were back again. Some were moving a massive steel dome on rigging while others were connecting wires to junction boxes where a rat's nest of connections still needed to be sorted. More were digging trenches to emplace monitoring devices. A few men knew why they were doing this. Most just knew that they were not to pay too much attention to anything and to suppress any questions that they might have. The pay was good and that would be enough.
Story 2891
Bremerton, Washington May 30, 1945
"Honey, the baby is hungry again" Josh gently poked his exhausted wife. She looked at him with a half open eye, and slowly moved to get out of the narrow twin bed. She just had a few feet to move as the bassinet was next to the dresser. The small quarters that their family shared with the other children sleeping in the living room was far better than most of the officers ashore received. It helped that her husband was a hero and that when his carrier came back to the repair yards, she was carrying yet another bowling ball above her bladder.
The black haired baby soon started to suckle. She sighed in contentment. Given the way that the war was going, Josh's combat time was done. The carrier would be in the yard for at least another six months, and he had enough combat time to request a transfer to another training command. She needed him home. The children were happy but a handful. She had only been able to manage with help. Sometimes it was a Negro girl that she could hire for day time sitting and cleaning work, sometimes it was a collection of other young mothers where she would take on some days and they would take the children on other days. It was even her mother for a few months. She looked at the bed and her husband was asleep again. He would be up in a few hours to feed the older children before he had to head to the airfield to reconstitute the squadron for a full day. A moment later, she shifted her weight and then her baby to her other, still full breast.
As the baby drained her milk and her energy, she smiled. They were amazing, and incredibly fun to make, but she did not know how many more she would want. Sooner or later, she would need to talk to her husband about that question.
"Honey, the baby is hungry again" Josh gently poked his exhausted wife. She looked at him with a half open eye, and slowly moved to get out of the narrow twin bed. She just had a few feet to move as the bassinet was next to the dresser. The small quarters that their family shared with the other children sleeping in the living room was far better than most of the officers ashore received. It helped that her husband was a hero and that when his carrier came back to the repair yards, she was carrying yet another bowling ball above her bladder.
The black haired baby soon started to suckle. She sighed in contentment. Given the way that the war was going, Josh's combat time was done. The carrier would be in the yard for at least another six months, and he had enough combat time to request a transfer to another training command. She needed him home. The children were happy but a handful. She had only been able to manage with help. Sometimes it was a Negro girl that she could hire for day time sitting and cleaning work, sometimes it was a collection of other young mothers where she would take on some days and they would take the children on other days. It was even her mother for a few months. She looked at the bed and her husband was asleep again. He would be up in a few hours to feed the older children before he had to head to the airfield to reconstitute the squadron for a full day. A moment later, she shifted her weight and then her baby to her other, still full breast.
As the baby drained her milk and her energy, she smiled. They were amazing, and incredibly fun to make, but she did not know how many more she would want. Sooner or later, she would need to talk to her husband about that question.
Story 2892
Hamburg, Germany May 31, 1945
HMS Campbelton and HMS Wells slowly picked their way through the cleared channel. The German port was slowly increasing capacity as engineers had been successful in removing blockships and mines while construction gangs were busy restoring cranes to operational status. Aboard the two destroyers was the echelon capable of walking from the 5 Royal Norfolks. They were a mixture of veterans who had seen elepahants in the Far East and conscripts that had bulked out the division when it had become part of the armies of liberation after the landing in Normandy. There were only a few men in this echelon who had walked ashore from the Mulberries in July 1944. Many of those men were lying in half a dozen Imperial war cemetaries or evacuated to the home garrisons to recover. They had been replaced, and then those replacements had been replaced again.
Now they were heading home.
HMS Campbelton and HMS Wells slowly picked their way through the cleared channel. The German port was slowly increasing capacity as engineers had been successful in removing blockships and mines while construction gangs were busy restoring cranes to operational status. Aboard the two destroyers was the echelon capable of walking from the 5 Royal Norfolks. They were a mixture of veterans who had seen elepahants in the Far East and conscripts that had bulked out the division when it had become part of the armies of liberation after the landing in Normandy. There were only a few men in this echelon who had walked ashore from the Mulberries in July 1944. Many of those men were lying in half a dozen Imperial war cemetaries or evacuated to the home garrisons to recover. They had been replaced, and then those replacements had been replaced again.
Now they were heading home.
I know its probably just a throw away line and outside of the scope of this timeline but I would love if that last line about Children is an indication that leads to Margret becoming one of those women who fought for women's reproductive rights in the 50's and 60's.
Also hope Josh would support her all the way, I mean imagine how strong a message that would be to hear from the Jarosek's to the nation- "I supported my Husband, the hero of Pearl Harbor, while he fought for the freedom of the free world against the Japanese and the Nazi's, now he supports me while I fight for the freedom of women" - Power couple right there.
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