Kupang, Timor December 30, 1942
Sergeant Donahue looked up from his beer in the port city. The brew was not bad and the company was better; most of his squad, half a dozen tankers who had bailed his ass out a few times as well as a trio of entrepreneurial women. The Illinois and Massachusetts National Guard regiments had finally been pulled back to Kupang. Rumor had it that the division would be taken to Perth for a long rest and recovery period. If that was the case, Sergeant Donahue hoped that the military police had already been mobilized. He had gotten his orders to transfer back to the 182nd Infantry Regiment as they had taken a lot of casualties during the fighting and they expected drafts of replacements to eventually arrive.
He tapped the side of his beer once, and then tapped it again. The bartender tilted his head and waited for a moment. Patrick was flush; Elaine was more than supporting herself and jungle fighting was a great way to not spend money. He looked at the fifteen people around the table and nodded; the next round would be on him. He nodded and turned his head to indicate his generosity. Today was a day for enjoyment and relaxation with beer and women.
The revelry was interrupted. Another squadron of heavy bombers lumbered over the city. They were all heading north, out to sea to some target that the grunts around the table could not find on a map until they were told that it was their mission to seize that forgettable black hole of misery.
The airfields around the port were crowded. American Lightnings, Aircobras, Warhawks, and Mustangs were all available to defend both the ever expanding base structure and attack Japanese defenders. Two Dutch squadrons flying American supplied B-26s had recently arrived. They were at the same strip as an American medium bomb group flying the same machines. Slightly further south, the recently completed packed earth and steel matted strip was the home base of the rapidly expanding 5th Air Force. Two heavy bomb groups flying Liberators were on the island now, and another bomb group with Fortresses had recently arrived.
More airfields on the north coast of the island were filling up with fresh squadrons of fighters and light bombers. Older squadrons that had supported the armies marching on Dili had been worn down from weeks and months of combat. New squadrons were bedding down with veterans for a week or two to familiarize themselves with the theatre and learn to respect their Japanese opponents. Some of the rookies would learn enough to become wizened veterans.
