cubefreak123
Banned
One thing is for sure, this is going to make for a very different Yalta Conference (or its equivalent in this TL).
How Silent Fall the Cherry Blossoms
- Thread starter Geon
- Start date
- Status
Well, it says that she is "known to many of your soldiers throughout the Pacific" as Tokyo Rose, no? In other words, that it's a nickname given by the troops, or at least current among them?
Geon
Donor
Update
Reactions to Roosevelt's death and a few other matters dealt with here.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Interlude:
United States: For the next week the nation would be plunged into mourning. For many in their teens now President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the only president they had ever known. The funeral in Washington would be broadcast by radio live to listeners all over the world. Condolences from world leaders poured in including one very brief one sent via the Swiss embassy. It was addressed to President Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt and had a simple message in English “I grieve with you.” The message the two were told was sent by “a gentleman from Japan,” the Swiss envoy said. Both of them knew exactly who he was talking about. Later a private burial service would be held at Hyde Park. After the other mourners had left Eleanor would return to the grave and silently stand by as the workers began to fill it. Her heart was at peace finally and she quietly thanked God that she and Franklin had been able to reconcile so much over the past few weeks. As she would write in her autobiography later, “I would not have traded those thirty three days for anything in the world.”
Great Britain: In Great Britain, Prime Minister Churchill is said to have broken down and wept at the news of Roosevelt’s passing. He refused any and all appointments for most of a day before returning to the work of the war. In the meantime there was general concern in Britain that the Nazis might stage a gas attack with their modified A-4b over London or other cities. Once again children were evacuated to the country and people in the cities were reminded to wear their gas masks. Not that this would help if nerve gas was used as it could easily penetrate exposed skin. In the meantime General Montgomery continued to try to pull his army together after the Battle of Belgium.
France: In France there would be three days of official mourning for the former President. General DeGaulle would call to express his condolences to General Bradley. During their meeting Bradley convinced DeGaulle that the French needed to shift their focus from the southern part of the Rhine northward. He pointed out Montgomery’s position and explained that French troops were sorely needed to help with the offensive in his sector to offset losses in the Battle of Belgium. DeGaulle was no fool, seeing the situation he quickly offered what French divisions were available to be put under Montgomery’s temporary command for the spring offensive.
The Rhine: What would be known as the Battle of the Rhine had entered its first phase. For the next two months there would be a war of attrition in artillery battles traded between the entrenching Germans on the east bank and the advanced units on the right bank. Air sorties by the Allies over the east bank created havoc as they dropped conventional weapons and occasionally chemical weaponry. Intelligence reports were indicating that chemical bombardment was having more and more limited effects due to German preparedness. Likewise German chemical bombardment was beginning to lessen as it was becoming more and more difficult to get shells far enough into Allied lines to do any good. Prevailing weather patterns kept blowing the clouds of gas back across the Rhine making the chemical attacks more dangerous for the Germans then the Allies! In the skies the Me-262s were still active although challenged more and more by the Allied jet fighter. They made life difficult for any of the bombers that flew missions over the Rhine. Meantime behind the lines German civilians became refugees in their own country as they were moved eastward deeper into Germany to escape the clouds of chemical gas that now hovered over the towns and communities east of the Rhine.
The Vistula: The situation was similar for Zhukov as he tried to restore his army east of the Vistula. Slowly but surely manpower was being restored but the constant artillery duels with the Germans made life a living nightmare for the Russians and steeled their determination to ensure the Germans paid when the time came for the spring offensive. In the meantime Zhukov was busy with another plan. A number of his officers visiting near the front lines it was noted by his political officer were suffering “accidents,” from sniper fire supposedly. Dmitri Sukolov, the political officer suspected some sort of plot but had no way to prove it, and removing Zhukov now in favor of a more politically favorable one would be a disaster. Let Zhukov have his moment then when the time was right after the war he would suffer a regrettable “accident.” From Zhukov’s perspective he was slowly conducting his own purge, ridding his army of informers. He knew he wouldn’t get all of them but one thing was certain. By the time he marched on Berlin he would be doing so with men loyal to him and not to Stalin.
Germany: In Germany while there was celebration at the death of Roosevelt it was a muted one. Goebbels kept going on about the miracle of the Hapsburgs but Hitler now more level headed after his change of physicians knew better. Nevertheless the Battle of Belgium appeared to have at least delayed the upcoming offensive by the Western Allies and the Soviets were also clearly reorganizing after many of the divisions in their army had disappeared moving east. Hitler had an idea where they were going and had alerted the Japanese to the possibility of a Soviet attack. Meantime he ordered an evacuation of northern Norway via Narvik. It was a desperate move with the German Navy only a shadow of what it had once been but it was hoped that a flotilla of destroyers and transports might be able to make it though. Privately Hitler had ordered Albert Speer who was the least well known of the Nazi hierarchy to take a letter through the Turkish embassy in Berlin to be delivered to the Allies suggesting talks begin on ending hostilities. Hitler had not the slightest doubt that the message would be rebuffed but if there was even a chance that the war in the west could be stopped at least for a short time, long enough to transfer troops eastward it had to be taken. At the same time Hitler was preparing for another plan, one that if Germany did fall as he now feared privately that it would, might still guarantee that the dream of National Socialism would live on. Part of that plan involved preparing a special place near the Berghof deep underground that would be unreachable once it was sealed.
Russia: In the Kremlin, Stalin sent his personal condolences to the American embassy over Roosevelt’s death. And in the streets of Moscow there were tears on the eyes of many as they mourned the death of a man most of them had never seen. However, all of them know him for without Roosevelt’s lend-lease Russia might well have not have survived. Even as his nation mourned Roosevelt’s death however, Stalin was taking the measure of the new President of the U.S. This one according to his ambassador was affable but very no-nonsense. It was clear that dealing with him would be much more difficult then dealing with Roosevelt. For Stalin it only confirmed there would be less of a buffer for the Soviet Union then he had hoped for at the end of this war. Russia would need to start rebuilding immediately upon the war’s end. For Stalin it was becoming clear that after the war Russia would need to turn inward and rebuild before it was ready to deal with the West.
Norway: The German army outnumbered the Swedish army but up against the Swedes, and the Norwegians, and the Finns, and the Soviet army crossing in the north the Germans were finding themselves slowly overwhelmed. In Narvik German troops were fighting a withdrawal action to the port in the hope of evacuation there. For the Germans, Norway was now effectively cut in half with the northern contingent cut off from the south. In the south the Allies advanced more slowly but the Germans could see the hand writing on the wall. Without reinforcements or a miracle southern Norway would be lost by the time of the spring thaws.
Japan: In Japan, Hirohito had once again received a brief notification of the reception of his “message,” through the Swiss embassy. He had also received a warning from the German embassy and from Japanese intelligence of the disappearance of 50 divisions from the Vistula front and their repositioning in Siberia. It was not hard to figure out what was coming and the war cabinet was preparing appropriately moving as many divisions as possible from the Chinese front to the Manchurian border to meet the oncoming menace. The Emperor had taken the opportunity to send a secret message via the Swiss embassy of his condolences regarding Roosevelt’s death. While the war cabinet rejoiced at the news Hirohito was saddened and fearful that with Roosevelt’s death perhaps the last chance for Japan to avoid a worse holocaust might die. His people were suffering starvation, death from the incessant bombing of Japanese cities and the gassing of those same cities. There was no guessing how many of his people had died in these various raids and gas attacks. Now his war cabinet was ordering what limited chemical warfare capability Japan had to be ramped up so that mustard gas shells would be ready on Formosa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and of course the home islands. Chemical shells used against the advancing troops would mean chemical weapons used against his own troops and any civilians who happened to be in the area would suffer greatly. His war cabinet was determined to bring the whole country down if need be if only to avoid the shame of accepting the allied terms of unconditional surrender-this was total madness! The Emperor had bided his time and waited for the cabinet to reform now he finally had the information he needed to hopefully end the war once and for all, he only needed to transmit that information to the right people.
Reactions to Roosevelt's death and a few other matters dealt with here.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Interlude:
United States: For the next week the nation would be plunged into mourning. For many in their teens now President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the only president they had ever known. The funeral in Washington would be broadcast by radio live to listeners all over the world. Condolences from world leaders poured in including one very brief one sent via the Swiss embassy. It was addressed to President Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt and had a simple message in English “I grieve with you.” The message the two were told was sent by “a gentleman from Japan,” the Swiss envoy said. Both of them knew exactly who he was talking about. Later a private burial service would be held at Hyde Park. After the other mourners had left Eleanor would return to the grave and silently stand by as the workers began to fill it. Her heart was at peace finally and she quietly thanked God that she and Franklin had been able to reconcile so much over the past few weeks. As she would write in her autobiography later, “I would not have traded those thirty three days for anything in the world.”
Great Britain: In Great Britain, Prime Minister Churchill is said to have broken down and wept at the news of Roosevelt’s passing. He refused any and all appointments for most of a day before returning to the work of the war. In the meantime there was general concern in Britain that the Nazis might stage a gas attack with their modified A-4b over London or other cities. Once again children were evacuated to the country and people in the cities were reminded to wear their gas masks. Not that this would help if nerve gas was used as it could easily penetrate exposed skin. In the meantime General Montgomery continued to try to pull his army together after the Battle of Belgium.
France: In France there would be three days of official mourning for the former President. General DeGaulle would call to express his condolences to General Bradley. During their meeting Bradley convinced DeGaulle that the French needed to shift their focus from the southern part of the Rhine northward. He pointed out Montgomery’s position and explained that French troops were sorely needed to help with the offensive in his sector to offset losses in the Battle of Belgium. DeGaulle was no fool, seeing the situation he quickly offered what French divisions were available to be put under Montgomery’s temporary command for the spring offensive.
The Rhine: What would be known as the Battle of the Rhine had entered its first phase. For the next two months there would be a war of attrition in artillery battles traded between the entrenching Germans on the east bank and the advanced units on the right bank. Air sorties by the Allies over the east bank created havoc as they dropped conventional weapons and occasionally chemical weaponry. Intelligence reports were indicating that chemical bombardment was having more and more limited effects due to German preparedness. Likewise German chemical bombardment was beginning to lessen as it was becoming more and more difficult to get shells far enough into Allied lines to do any good. Prevailing weather patterns kept blowing the clouds of gas back across the Rhine making the chemical attacks more dangerous for the Germans then the Allies! In the skies the Me-262s were still active although challenged more and more by the Allied jet fighter. They made life difficult for any of the bombers that flew missions over the Rhine. Meantime behind the lines German civilians became refugees in their own country as they were moved eastward deeper into Germany to escape the clouds of chemical gas that now hovered over the towns and communities east of the Rhine.
The Vistula: The situation was similar for Zhukov as he tried to restore his army east of the Vistula. Slowly but surely manpower was being restored but the constant artillery duels with the Germans made life a living nightmare for the Russians and steeled their determination to ensure the Germans paid when the time came for the spring offensive. In the meantime Zhukov was busy with another plan. A number of his officers visiting near the front lines it was noted by his political officer were suffering “accidents,” from sniper fire supposedly. Dmitri Sukolov, the political officer suspected some sort of plot but had no way to prove it, and removing Zhukov now in favor of a more politically favorable one would be a disaster. Let Zhukov have his moment then when the time was right after the war he would suffer a regrettable “accident.” From Zhukov’s perspective he was slowly conducting his own purge, ridding his army of informers. He knew he wouldn’t get all of them but one thing was certain. By the time he marched on Berlin he would be doing so with men loyal to him and not to Stalin.
Germany: In Germany while there was celebration at the death of Roosevelt it was a muted one. Goebbels kept going on about the miracle of the Hapsburgs but Hitler now more level headed after his change of physicians knew better. Nevertheless the Battle of Belgium appeared to have at least delayed the upcoming offensive by the Western Allies and the Soviets were also clearly reorganizing after many of the divisions in their army had disappeared moving east. Hitler had an idea where they were going and had alerted the Japanese to the possibility of a Soviet attack. Meantime he ordered an evacuation of northern Norway via Narvik. It was a desperate move with the German Navy only a shadow of what it had once been but it was hoped that a flotilla of destroyers and transports might be able to make it though. Privately Hitler had ordered Albert Speer who was the least well known of the Nazi hierarchy to take a letter through the Turkish embassy in Berlin to be delivered to the Allies suggesting talks begin on ending hostilities. Hitler had not the slightest doubt that the message would be rebuffed but if there was even a chance that the war in the west could be stopped at least for a short time, long enough to transfer troops eastward it had to be taken. At the same time Hitler was preparing for another plan, one that if Germany did fall as he now feared privately that it would, might still guarantee that the dream of National Socialism would live on. Part of that plan involved preparing a special place near the Berghof deep underground that would be unreachable once it was sealed.
Russia: In the Kremlin, Stalin sent his personal condolences to the American embassy over Roosevelt’s death. And in the streets of Moscow there were tears on the eyes of many as they mourned the death of a man most of them had never seen. However, all of them know him for without Roosevelt’s lend-lease Russia might well have not have survived. Even as his nation mourned Roosevelt’s death however, Stalin was taking the measure of the new President of the U.S. This one according to his ambassador was affable but very no-nonsense. It was clear that dealing with him would be much more difficult then dealing with Roosevelt. For Stalin it only confirmed there would be less of a buffer for the Soviet Union then he had hoped for at the end of this war. Russia would need to start rebuilding immediately upon the war’s end. For Stalin it was becoming clear that after the war Russia would need to turn inward and rebuild before it was ready to deal with the West.
Norway: The German army outnumbered the Swedish army but up against the Swedes, and the Norwegians, and the Finns, and the Soviet army crossing in the north the Germans were finding themselves slowly overwhelmed. In Narvik German troops were fighting a withdrawal action to the port in the hope of evacuation there. For the Germans, Norway was now effectively cut in half with the northern contingent cut off from the south. In the south the Allies advanced more slowly but the Germans could see the hand writing on the wall. Without reinforcements or a miracle southern Norway would be lost by the time of the spring thaws.
Japan: In Japan, Hirohito had once again received a brief notification of the reception of his “message,” through the Swiss embassy. He had also received a warning from the German embassy and from Japanese intelligence of the disappearance of 50 divisions from the Vistula front and their repositioning in Siberia. It was not hard to figure out what was coming and the war cabinet was preparing appropriately moving as many divisions as possible from the Chinese front to the Manchurian border to meet the oncoming menace. The Emperor had taken the opportunity to send a secret message via the Swiss embassy of his condolences regarding Roosevelt’s death. While the war cabinet rejoiced at the news Hirohito was saddened and fearful that with Roosevelt’s death perhaps the last chance for Japan to avoid a worse holocaust might die. His people were suffering starvation, death from the incessant bombing of Japanese cities and the gassing of those same cities. There was no guessing how many of his people had died in these various raids and gas attacks. Now his war cabinet was ordering what limited chemical warfare capability Japan had to be ramped up so that mustard gas shells would be ready on Formosa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and of course the home islands. Chemical shells used against the advancing troops would mean chemical weapons used against his own troops and any civilians who happened to be in the area would suffer greatly. His war cabinet was determined to bring the whole country down if need be if only to avoid the shame of accepting the allied terms of unconditional surrender-this was total madness! The Emperor had bided his time and waited for the cabinet to reform now he finally had the information he needed to hopefully end the war once and for all, he only needed to transmit that information to the right people.
Last edited:
katchen
Banned
Check out http://eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/3000/3203/russia_amo_2003026_lrg.jpg and http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/en/imgdata/topics/2006/tp060622.html . Now this is 2003, not 1945 and there has been considerable global warming since 1945, so there may have been sea ice all the way to the Hokkaido coast in 1945. (Any listmembers from Hokkaido know one way or another?)
It would certainly be feasible for General Konev to devote some forces to taking Southern Sakhalin (Karafuto), and he could certainly use the strong sea ice to the east of Sakhalin shown in jpg 1. to flank Japanese defenses to do it Whether once he has done so, he can find a sea ice bridge to Hokkaido or cobble together some landing craft with which to launch a seaborne invasion of Hokkaido remains to be seen. But Hokkaido, if he can pull it off, will not be held by very many Japanese troops.
It would certainly be feasible for General Konev to devote some forces to taking Southern Sakhalin (Karafuto), and he could certainly use the strong sea ice to the east of Sakhalin shown in jpg 1. to flank Japanese defenses to do it Whether once he has done so, he can find a sea ice bridge to Hokkaido or cobble together some landing craft with which to launch a seaborne invasion of Hokkaido remains to be seen. But Hokkaido, if he can pull it off, will not be held by very many Japanese troops.
The Berghof bit made me wonder if Hitler was planning to withdraw into some kind of national redoubt to fight to the death. IIRC there was some kind of plan to that end, but Hitler stayed in Berlin and killed himself rather than leave.
Note in the Berghof Underground,
Hitler Ressort had Big Underground Bunker System.
Allot Space to store something...
Hitler Ressort had Big Underground Bunker System.
Allot Space to store something...
I'm wondering about that too. ITTL Hitler seems to be somewhat more in touch with reality than he was at this time IOTL, seeing that he - at least privately - is recognizing the probability of German defeat, so he might well be considering the possibility of escape.
On the other side of the world, Emperor Hirohito has apparently gotten the information he needed on where the new war cabinet is meeting and at what times. Let's hope he manages to get it to the Allies quickly.
J.D.Ward
Donor
Obviously not three letters, or even three words, in English. Do you mean 'three character message'? Would this be three characters in kanji?
I think what you mean is the Miracle of the House of Brandenburg, the Hohenzollerns, not the Hapsburgs.
Garrison
Donor
I wouldn't be surprised if Hitler has something Wagnerian in mind for the end. A Viking funeral with Germany as his pyre...
Hopefully. I imagine the plan after that is to use the Soviet declaration of war and invasion of Manchuria as the 'last straw' and get the more co-operative cabinet to surrender.
You mean like what more or less he intended OTL? His standing orders before he suicided were for Germans to fight to the death.
Geon
Donor
MacArthur and Tokyo Rose
Tokyo Rose has a message for MacArthur in this update!
Geon
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: January 29, 1945
Location: The Philippines, [HQ of MacArthur]
Time: 5:00 p.m. [Philippine time]
General Douglas MacArthur was poring over plans in his HQ for the next major offensive of the Pacific War, the invasion of Iwo Jima. Iwo was an important step for the Allies as it would give the bombers presently pounding Japan a closer airbase from which to launch said attacks.
For MacArthur the past month had been an emotional roller coaster to say the least. The return of his close friend, General Wainwright, the disclosure to MacArthur of a secret plan by the Emperor of Japan to end the war, the death of Roosevelt, all had made January, 1945 “one of the most interesting months in my life,” he would say later in an interview with Edward R. Murrow.
Now, MacArthur was in his HQ office looking over a map of Iwo pondering some new disturbing intelligence that the Japanese were moving chemical shells to the island. If true that meant Americans would need to wear chemical protection gear ashore which would certainly slow their movement and make visibility more difficult. Further, the Japanese penchant for fighting to the last man was going to make the Iwo Jima campaign a bloody affair to say the least. However, if it succeeded the Allies would be one step closer to the ultimate goal-Operation Downfall, the invasion of the home islands.
MacArthur had to admit to himself that when he had first heard that the Emperor of Japan wanted to deal peace he had been disappointed inside. He wanted the glory of coming ashore on Kyushu and later Honshu as the conqueror of Japan. But how many young men would have to pay for that moment? That brought MacArthur up short and had him praying that the Emperor’s plan would succeed.
MacArthur’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. An aide stuck his head in and said quickly “She’s just broadcast, we have it on the record.” MacArthur was 65 but he quickly showed he had not lost the athleticism of his youth as he sprinted out of his office, outpaced his aide, and ran down the corridor to the communications room where two radio technicians were about to play the newly recorded disk. Both of them, seeing the General enter, saluted, and without being asked proceeded to play back the recording.
The voice of Miss Iva Ikuko Toguri, aka Tokyo Rose filled the room.
“Hello all you boys out here in the Pacific, this is your fellow orphan and number one enemy, Tokyo Rose bringing you another broadcast of The Zero Hour. Before I begin tonight’s hit parade I’d like to send a personal message to your commanding officer ‘dugout,” Doug. General, are you really sure you know what time it is? Most of your boys haven’t had a decent night out in years. When was the last time they had a real date? Nine times out of ten most of the girls your men left behind are probably hanging around with some slicked back 4-F reject on the outskirts of town. Don’t you think it’s time that you let them have a night out?”
MacArthur smiled and lit his oversize corncob pipe. Then reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper he had carried with him around the clock since he left Washington, D.C. He asked the technicians to play through the phrase several times. Then looked at the list of phrases he had been given by Wainwright and marked the appropriate ones.
The reference to ‘dugout,’ Doug of course referred to him. That meant this was the signal that the Emperor had sent to alert him of the next meeting of the war cabinet. The term “Do you know what time it is,” meant that the time for the meeting had been set. “Decent night out,” meant the meeting would take place after sunset. “A real date,” meant the next phrase would be the actual date of the meeting. “Nine times out of ten,” meant the ninth of next month (February). The term “4-F reject,” meant it would be an army base, and “outskirts of town” meant the outskirts of Tokyo itself.
“Find me a map of Tokyo,” the General ordered. As the aides scrambled to do so MacArthur took a deep puff of his pipe and smiled. He always had held contempt for all the “cloak and dagger,” stuff of military intelligence, but damn, he had to admit if this wasn’t just a tad bit fun! If only the stakes weren’t so high he might actually have been enjoying himself more with this game. He hadn’t even taken offense at the use of his nickname on Corregidor, ‘dugout,’ Doug by Miss Toguri.
The aide and technicians meanwhile were looking at a map of Tokyo they had already set up on the back wall of the communications room. After looking it over for several minutes with the General looking over it with them one of them said “Here sir.” He then pointed to an army base in the northern part of the city. “This is the closest military base to the outskirts of the capital and it’s an army base, her reference to 4-F was specific to the Army.” “I know that lieutenant,” MacArthur said smiling, “Now get on the phone and get my staff over here particularly our new air commander. We have a target for them.”
Tokyo Rose has a message for MacArthur in this update!
Geon
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: January 29, 1945
Location: The Philippines, [HQ of MacArthur]
Time: 5:00 p.m. [Philippine time]
General Douglas MacArthur was poring over plans in his HQ for the next major offensive of the Pacific War, the invasion of Iwo Jima. Iwo was an important step for the Allies as it would give the bombers presently pounding Japan a closer airbase from which to launch said attacks.
For MacArthur the past month had been an emotional roller coaster to say the least. The return of his close friend, General Wainwright, the disclosure to MacArthur of a secret plan by the Emperor of Japan to end the war, the death of Roosevelt, all had made January, 1945 “one of the most interesting months in my life,” he would say later in an interview with Edward R. Murrow.
Now, MacArthur was in his HQ office looking over a map of Iwo pondering some new disturbing intelligence that the Japanese were moving chemical shells to the island. If true that meant Americans would need to wear chemical protection gear ashore which would certainly slow their movement and make visibility more difficult. Further, the Japanese penchant for fighting to the last man was going to make the Iwo Jima campaign a bloody affair to say the least. However, if it succeeded the Allies would be one step closer to the ultimate goal-Operation Downfall, the invasion of the home islands.
MacArthur had to admit to himself that when he had first heard that the Emperor of Japan wanted to deal peace he had been disappointed inside. He wanted the glory of coming ashore on Kyushu and later Honshu as the conqueror of Japan. But how many young men would have to pay for that moment? That brought MacArthur up short and had him praying that the Emperor’s plan would succeed.
MacArthur’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. An aide stuck his head in and said quickly “She’s just broadcast, we have it on the record.” MacArthur was 65 but he quickly showed he had not lost the athleticism of his youth as he sprinted out of his office, outpaced his aide, and ran down the corridor to the communications room where two radio technicians were about to play the newly recorded disk. Both of them, seeing the General enter, saluted, and without being asked proceeded to play back the recording.
The voice of Miss Iva Ikuko Toguri, aka Tokyo Rose filled the room.
“Hello all you boys out here in the Pacific, this is your fellow orphan and number one enemy, Tokyo Rose bringing you another broadcast of The Zero Hour. Before I begin tonight’s hit parade I’d like to send a personal message to your commanding officer ‘dugout,” Doug. General, are you really sure you know what time it is? Most of your boys haven’t had a decent night out in years. When was the last time they had a real date? Nine times out of ten most of the girls your men left behind are probably hanging around with some slicked back 4-F reject on the outskirts of town. Don’t you think it’s time that you let them have a night out?”
MacArthur smiled and lit his oversize corncob pipe. Then reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper he had carried with him around the clock since he left Washington, D.C. He asked the technicians to play through the phrase several times. Then looked at the list of phrases he had been given by Wainwright and marked the appropriate ones.
The reference to ‘dugout,’ Doug of course referred to him. That meant this was the signal that the Emperor had sent to alert him of the next meeting of the war cabinet. The term “Do you know what time it is,” meant that the time for the meeting had been set. “Decent night out,” meant the meeting would take place after sunset. “A real date,” meant the next phrase would be the actual date of the meeting. “Nine times out of ten,” meant the ninth of next month (February). The term “4-F reject,” meant it would be an army base, and “outskirts of town” meant the outskirts of Tokyo itself.
“Find me a map of Tokyo,” the General ordered. As the aides scrambled to do so MacArthur took a deep puff of his pipe and smiled. He always had held contempt for all the “cloak and dagger,” stuff of military intelligence, but damn, he had to admit if this wasn’t just a tad bit fun! If only the stakes weren’t so high he might actually have been enjoying himself more with this game. He hadn’t even taken offense at the use of his nickname on Corregidor, ‘dugout,’ Doug by Miss Toguri.
The aide and technicians meanwhile were looking at a map of Tokyo they had already set up on the back wall of the communications room. After looking it over for several minutes with the General looking over it with them one of them said “Here sir.” He then pointed to an army base in the northern part of the city. “This is the closest military base to the outskirts of the capital and it’s an army base, her reference to 4-F was specific to the Army.” “I know that lieutenant,” MacArthur said smiling, “Now get on the phone and get my staff over here particularly our new air commander. We have a target for them.”
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Thing is, state-of-the-art aerial bombing in WW2 can make no such guarantees when it comes to such precise targets. The Emperor should probably have sent a personal message to Tojo & Co. in the form of a suicide bomber.
Garrison
Donor
Yeah but even that isn't guaranteed to succeed and would be a total give away as to there being someone on the inside.
The idea is to remove the War Party. If its leadership is destroyed, what's the giveaway? Besides the Emperor and his supporters can massage the message.
Rogue individual, etc.
If Iva Toguri survives the war - doesn't get caught and done to death in hideous fashion by the militarists, doesn't get caught in a bombing raid, all that sort of thing - I wonder if she might not eventually end up getting the Medal of Freedom when the whole truth about her role comes out (particularly how she placed her life in grave danger to help Allied POW's). I'm pretty sure General Wainwright will be ready and willing, having actually met her, to testify in her defense at any court proceeding, and she might even be able to get MacArthur to put in a good word for her.
- Status