How Silent Fall the Cherry Blossoms
- Thread starter Geon
- Start date
- Status
Is that good or bad?
Bad for them no doubt. But given that this is fiction, not that bad for story telling.
Geon
Donor
Balloons Anyone?
Here is a brief update, more may come later today...
Date: November 9, 1944
Location: A beach on the Japanese coast
Time: 4 p.m. (Japanese time)
As PFC David Lewis settled down for the evening in his Brooklyn tenement 6,760 miles away on a beach in Japan the next phase of Operation Cherry Blossom was beginning. Vice-Admiral Ozawa had joined Major General Sueyoshi Kusaba and Major Teijii Tukada for what many historians would later call the launching of the first truly intercontinental guided missile. The “missile,” was actually a series of hot air balloons which were to be sent aloft on this beach in Japan. Once aloft they would be borne on the powerful jetstream across the Pacific to the United States. A clever timing mechanism would then activate and allow the balloons to deliver the payload slung on the gondola beneath them.
Initially the plan had been for the balloons to carry high explosives and incendiary bombs however after reviewing the plans Vice Admiral Ozawa had decided to integrate the “Fu-Go” operation into Operation Cherry Blossom. The gondolas would not be carrying incendiary or explosive bombs. Instead each balloon would carry small bags filled with feed corn that would drop when the intricate timing mechanism activated above them. To be sure, not all of the balloons would drop on target but there was at least a chance some of the corn would be released over the vast cattle ranches in the West and Midwest. The plan was to disrupt the American agriculture system. The feed corn was contaminated with anthrax spores.
Here is a brief update, more may come later today...
Date: November 9, 1944
Location: A beach on the Japanese coast
Time: 4 p.m. (Japanese time)
As PFC David Lewis settled down for the evening in his Brooklyn tenement 6,760 miles away on a beach in Japan the next phase of Operation Cherry Blossom was beginning. Vice-Admiral Ozawa had joined Major General Sueyoshi Kusaba and Major Teijii Tukada for what many historians would later call the launching of the first truly intercontinental guided missile. The “missile,” was actually a series of hot air balloons which were to be sent aloft on this beach in Japan. Once aloft they would be borne on the powerful jetstream across the Pacific to the United States. A clever timing mechanism would then activate and allow the balloons to deliver the payload slung on the gondola beneath them.
Initially the plan had been for the balloons to carry high explosives and incendiary bombs however after reviewing the plans Vice Admiral Ozawa had decided to integrate the “Fu-Go” operation into Operation Cherry Blossom. The gondolas would not be carrying incendiary or explosive bombs. Instead each balloon would carry small bags filled with feed corn that would drop when the intricate timing mechanism activated above them. To be sure, not all of the balloons would drop on target but there was at least a chance some of the corn would be released over the vast cattle ranches in the West and Midwest. The plan was to disrupt the American agriculture system. The feed corn was contaminated with anthrax spores.
Geon
Donor
And Back in Los Angeles
And here is what is happening in Los Angeles.
Date: November 10, 1944
Location: Los Angeles (City Hall)
Time: 7:00 a.m. [PDT]
During the night the number of reported cases had gone up by another 200 new cases reported at emergency medical centers and local hospitals. Even with the beds set aside at the Van Nuys air army base there was becoming a critical shortage of beds. The LACG began to petition the army to help with finding more space to put the sick. It was imperative that the infected be kept separate from the rest of the population, especially if the bubonic plague became its more infectious twin pneumonic plague. In addition another medical unit was requested to help with treating those who were ill. The numbers coming in were starting to overwhelm doctors and the health care system of Los Angeles was straining under the weight.
As each new case was reported another red pin went up on the large map of Los Angeles in the LACG task force center. There were now a total of 408 red pins on the map and 45 black ones.
There was also a growing concern of absenteeism at the various war plants caused by the plague. Yesterday at least 120 people had reported they would not be coming into work at the various air craft manufacturing centers surrounding the cities and at other area war industries. Some of the war plants were being encouraged to provide “sleeping areas,” for off duty workers so they could stay at the plant rather then go home. Thus far there had been no major disruptions but if the present rate of infection didn’t change that situation would not last.
Despite government assurances by the Mayor and health departments fear was starting to grip many in the city. A small trickle of people loaded their families and a few personal belongings in cars and headed out of the city. Some would leave notes taped on their doors telling the milkman and the mailman to hold their deliveries until further notice. By and large the notes said the same thing, “Leaving until this is over.” There were some who were starting to wonder if it ever would be over.
And here is what is happening in Los Angeles.
Date: November 10, 1944
Location: Los Angeles (City Hall)
Time: 7:00 a.m. [PDT]
During the night the number of reported cases had gone up by another 200 new cases reported at emergency medical centers and local hospitals. Even with the beds set aside at the Van Nuys air army base there was becoming a critical shortage of beds. The LACG began to petition the army to help with finding more space to put the sick. It was imperative that the infected be kept separate from the rest of the population, especially if the bubonic plague became its more infectious twin pneumonic plague. In addition another medical unit was requested to help with treating those who were ill. The numbers coming in were starting to overwhelm doctors and the health care system of Los Angeles was straining under the weight.
As each new case was reported another red pin went up on the large map of Los Angeles in the LACG task force center. There were now a total of 408 red pins on the map and 45 black ones.
There was also a growing concern of absenteeism at the various war plants caused by the plague. Yesterday at least 120 people had reported they would not be coming into work at the various air craft manufacturing centers surrounding the cities and at other area war industries. Some of the war plants were being encouraged to provide “sleeping areas,” for off duty workers so they could stay at the plant rather then go home. Thus far there had been no major disruptions but if the present rate of infection didn’t change that situation would not last.
Despite government assurances by the Mayor and health departments fear was starting to grip many in the city. A small trickle of people loaded their families and a few personal belongings in cars and headed out of the city. Some would leave notes taped on their doors telling the milkman and the mailman to hold their deliveries until further notice. By and large the notes said the same thing, “Leaving until this is over.” There were some who were starting to wonder if it ever would be over.
Oh, joy. "Silent" is right. There isn't going to be much of a Japan left once the Yanks start up "Operation: Indiscriminate Slaughter."
Artatochor
Banned
The Japanese are banking all on this. I fear what will the Germans do? Ribbentrop seemed enthusiastic about Germany trying to help in at least a bit.
katchen
Banned
To make this a better TL, give us a map of Los Angeles showing built up areas in the 40s (there are some out there). Show where the outbreaks are. Ditto St. Louis and East St. Louis. You could get some interesting African-American history butterflies here, because public health amongst African-Americans was utterly neglected in segregated St. Louis and East St. Louis. It still is. A big part of the debate over "socialized medicine" from the 1930s to the present is the obstinate refusal of Southern whites to pay for health care for African-Americans. Do you realize how a major outbreak of an enemy created communicable disease can create an impetus for national Medicare?
Timelines are hard work.
If you've got access to maps and/or inclination, I bet the author would love the help. You can share Turtledove credit.Geon
Donor
Timelines are hard work.
I most certainly could use the help as regards maps and the like. I cannot put a map online that I intended to put here because my MS Word won't cooperate. If anyone can put something online and help with maps I would appreciate it. Contact me by private message. I would prefer to save the thread for discussion purposes and the story.
Geon
That is a really good point. Sell it as a defense measure against Soviet bioattacks, which will look really, really plausible given that the Japanese carried them out, and especially in the cauldron of the late '40s and early '50s where everyone was supposedly a Soviet agent and you could just imagine someone taking care of plague fleas in a box in their house or stocking up on anthrax cakes or something. Silly, but under the circumstances...
Truman proposed a "Fair Deal" OTL with national healthcare...maybe that part, at least, happens ITTL.
It could also increase support for programs like food stamps to improve general health, and therefore somewhat implicitly resistance to biowarfare and things of that nature. There was already some feeling in that direction from the health of many draftees during the war, this would be an additional factor on top of that.
Geon
Donor
Geon
I have one question for members on this thread.
Does anybody know where the Office of Civilian Defense (which later evolved into Civil Defense and still later into FEMA) was based? Wikipedia can only tell me so much. I am assuming they had an office in Washington but where would it have been?
Geon
I have one question for members on this thread.
Does anybody know where the Office of Civilian Defense (which later evolved into Civil Defense and still later into FEMA) was based? Wikipedia can only tell me so much. I am assuming they had an office in Washington but where would it have been?
Geon
Tyr Anazasi
Banned
Why is here everyone convinced the US would not lose the war (lose = signing a peace treaty)?
Geon
Donor
Washington Meetings and the Scoreboard
Date: November 10, 1944
Location: Washington, D.C. (Office of Civilian Defense)
Time: 9:00 a.m. [EDT]
At the OCD activity was close to frantic. For the first time the United States was under a sustained form of attack-a biological attack. Nothing had fully prepared OCD for this. Nevertheless working with the White House a national task force was being created to deal with the crisis.
A map of the United States now dominated a room in the OCD offices that had been set up for this purpose. The national task force would be headed up by the surgeon general of the United States. At the moment he was looking at the map. In the city of Los Angeles a red pin had been placed. Another red pin was also in the city of St. Louis. Beside the map was a chalk board showing cities where cases had been reported and deaths caused by the illnesses. The “scoreboard,” as some were starting to morbidly call it made for grim reading.
Cities Infected/Number of Cases/Deaths
Los Angeles/408/45
St. Louis/2/1
As the officials were evaluating the present numbers another worker came in with a teletype and added another name to the board – Chicago. Another case went up on the board.
The surgeon general looked up and asked about the new case. It seemed a business man for a major food plant based in Chicago had just returned from Los Angeles two days ago after a meeting with plant managers there. He was now in the hospital with plague-like symptoms.
The worst fears of the group that had met in the Oval Office the previous night were coming to pass. The plague was spreading.
In another part of Washington, Henry Stimson, Secretary of War was meeting with General Marshall. Plans were being made for a very strong response to the Japanese attack on Los Angeles. A code word for the new operation had been chosen. The code name for this new operation was Carthage.
---
Apologies but I had a neat table function on my MSWord that won't copy properly here. The above is the best I can do as far as the scoreboard for now.
Date: November 10, 1944
Location: Washington, D.C. (Office of Civilian Defense)
Time: 9:00 a.m. [EDT]
At the OCD activity was close to frantic. For the first time the United States was under a sustained form of attack-a biological attack. Nothing had fully prepared OCD for this. Nevertheless working with the White House a national task force was being created to deal with the crisis.
A map of the United States now dominated a room in the OCD offices that had been set up for this purpose. The national task force would be headed up by the surgeon general of the United States. At the moment he was looking at the map. In the city of Los Angeles a red pin had been placed. Another red pin was also in the city of St. Louis. Beside the map was a chalk board showing cities where cases had been reported and deaths caused by the illnesses. The “scoreboard,” as some were starting to morbidly call it made for grim reading.
Cities Infected/Number of Cases/Deaths
Los Angeles/408/45
St. Louis/2/1
As the officials were evaluating the present numbers another worker came in with a teletype and added another name to the board – Chicago. Another case went up on the board.
The surgeon general looked up and asked about the new case. It seemed a business man for a major food plant based in Chicago had just returned from Los Angeles two days ago after a meeting with plant managers there. He was now in the hospital with plague-like symptoms.
The worst fears of the group that had met in the Oval Office the previous night were coming to pass. The plague was spreading.
-----------
In another part of Washington, Henry Stimson, Secretary of War was meeting with General Marshall. Plans were being made for a very strong response to the Japanese attack on Los Angeles. A code word for the new operation had been chosen. The code name for this new operation was Carthage.
---
Apologies but I had a neat table function on my MSWord that won't copy properly here. The above is the best I can do as far as the scoreboard for now.
Last edited:
Artatochor
Banned
Carthage? Might as well be extermination. I shudder to think what will happen next.
MarshalBraginsky
Banned
Carthage? As in are they going to pull off a similar operation to what the Romans did to Carthage?
RamscoopRaider
Donor
The US out matched Japan by about 10 to 1
See here
The Japanese Bio Attack can't level that big a gap, even in the best case scenario, they couldn't force China out of the war when used against them, and the US has much better sanitation and public health
All this is doing is making the US mad and adding to the list of post war warcrime trials
Last edited:
- Status