W.E.B. Griffin - The Corps IV - Battleground

"They were looking all over for you last night and this morning," the MP sergeant said. "You were supposed to be charge-of-quarters."

"I was moved out of the barracks," Moore said.

"I guess nobody told them. They were pissed."

"Fuck 'em," Moore said.

"They were pissed, you better watch out," the MP sergeant said. "The whole fucking war will be lost because you weren't there to answer their fucking phone."

Moore chuckled, nodded at him, and went down the corridor. There was a steel door at the entrance to the cryptographic section. It was guarded by another MP, this one a corporal. He had another IN/OUT log.

Moore went through that security check, and then unlocked the steel door where he, Pluto Hon, and, at least in theory, Mrs. Ellen Feller plied their trade.

When he turned and locked himself inside, Pluto said, "I gather the Deaconess didn't come with you? Prayer meeting, no doubt?"

"She's playing tennis," Moore said. "She said that if it was anything interesting, I should bring it out to the house."

For what Moore thought were obvious reasons, Mrs. Feller did not like to spend any more time than she had to in their cubicle.

"Tennis? That's new."

"There's half a dozen courts at the racetrack. She asked around, and they let her join."

"War is hell, isn't it, Moore?"

"She has nice legs," Moore said, and immediately wondered why he had volunteered that. It was sure to result in a crack from Pluto. It came immediately.

"It's not nice to notice married women's legs, Moore," Pluto said, mockingly stern. "And how did you get to see them? Is something that I don't know about going on at Water Lily Cottage between you and the Deaconess?"

"She bought tennis clothes. You know. And she asked me if I thought they were too daring."

"And were they?"

"Come on. No, of course not. They were hardly shorter than a regular dress."

"But short enough for you to notice her legs, right?"

"I knew I made a mistake the minute I said that," Moore said. "What came in?"

I hope that gets him off the subject.

Hon pushed a TOP SECRET cover sheet off a thin sheaf of papers fresh from the crypto machine. He handed these to Moore.

"The Nips may finally be getting off the dime," he said.

Moore read the intercepts.

The most significant one was on top. It was from the Imperial General Staff in Tokyo, addressed to Vice Admiral Nishizo Tsukahara, commander of the 11th Air Fleet; and to Lieutenant General Harukichi Hyakutake, who commanded the 17th Army, whose headquarters were in Rabaul.

It relieved the Navy of responsibility for dealing with the Americans on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Gavutu, and gave it to the 17th Army.

"What does Pearl Harbor make of this? I mean, wasn't it expected?" Moore asked. "The Navy doesn't have any troops they could use on Guadalcanal. If anyone is going to be able to throw us off, it will have to be the Jap Army."

"Pearl Harbor expected it," Hon said. "Read the other ones."

The next intercepted message, also from the Imperial General Staff, was to a convoy of ships at sea. It directed the convoy commander to divert to Truk and off-load the Ichiki Butai.

"That's the 28th Infantry, 7th Division, right?" Moore asked. "The ones that were on Guam?"

"Right. First class troops. Colonel Kiyano Ichiki: Two thousand of them."

The Japanese Army, Moore had learned, had the interesting habit of officially referring to outstanding units by the name of the commanding officer.

The next intercepts, two of them, were an offer from the Japanese Navy to General Hyakutake of a battalion of Rikusentai "for use in connection with your new responsibility"; and his acceptance.

The last two intercepts placed an infantry brigade in the Palau Islands under Hyakutake's command and assigned the Ichiki Butai to him as soon as they reached "their next destination," which of course a previous intercept had identified as Truk.

"OK," Moore said. "What are we looking for?"

"You tell me. You're the one always noticing things you shouldn't, like missionary ladies' legs."

"Ah, come on, Lieutenant!"

"I'll give you a hint," Hon said. "Numbers. Ratios. That's two hints."

"I don't know what you mean?"

"What do we have on Guadalcanal?"

"I don't know," Moore replied, then thought about it and came up with an answer: "Less than a division, since they didn't all get to land. Is that what you're driving at?"

"Plus the Raider Battalion, plus the Parachute Battalion, less the troops that didn't make it onto the beach. A Division, about. Ten, twelve thousand troops."

"OK."

"I personally thought the estimate of Japanese on Guadalcanal at the time of the invasion was high, but let's say it really was six thousand. For the sake of argument, let's say there are four thousand effectives-I don't think there are..."

"OK," Moore said, grasping Hon's line of thought.

"OK, what?"

"How many Japs in a brigade?"

"For the sake of argument, three thousand. It's like one of our regimental combat teams. Basically an infantry regiment that they've augmented with artillery, and maybe some tanks, and some service troops."

"Three thousand in the brigade in the Palau Islands, plus two thousand in the Ichiki Butai on Truk, plus what? Five, six hundred in the Rikusentai battalion? Five thousand five hundred people. Plus the four thousand you say may be left on Guadalcanal. Ninety-five hundred, ten thousand."

"At the most optimistic," Hon said, "they would have as many people there as we do. Much more likely, a couple of thousand less."

"And you can't push an Army back in the sea unless you outnumber them-what? Two to one?"

"Question," Hon said. "Are we missing intercepts that authorize more troops than these? Probable answer, probably not. We know about the two divisions they intend to stage through Rabaul to use in New Guinea. So again, probably not."

"Question," Moore picked up, "Do they not know how many men we have on Guadalcanal? Probable answer, they know damned well."

"So?"

"Question, do they really think they are so much better soldiers than we are that they can kick us off Guadalcanal with the troops they have and the ones they're sending? Answer: I don't know. They are not stupid, but when they get their pride going, all bets are off."

"How about this? Question, are they only sending five thousand troops because they don't have shipping to transport any more than that? Probable answer, I haven't the faintest idea. Maybe there are enough ships and they intend to use them to move those two divisions from Rabaul to New Guinea with them, leaving Guadalcanal until later."

"So what we're looking for is shipping information?" Moore asked.

"One other thing. I have seen nothing in any of these intercepts that suggests the Japs are worried about our getting that airfield up and running. Does that mean they don't think we can do it? Or they don't understand what it will mean?"

"How much more is there to go through?"

"I've got another thirty intercepts."

"I'll get on them," Moore said.

"The reason I was hoping you would bring the Deaconess with you was so that she could help. Why should we do all the work? She's making all the money."

"Lieutenant," Moore said, in mock shock and outrage, "that's very ungentlemanly of you."

"I haven't been admiring her legs. I don't have to be gentlemanly."

"I'll take the intercepts out to the cottage."

"I thought you said she was playing tennis?"

"You don't play tennis all afternoon."

"OK," Hon said. "Now listen to me, John. I'm not pulling your leg. I don't trust that woman. She looks to me like she has taken post graduate courses in how to take credit for what other people have done, while simultaneously keeping her own ass out of the line of fire."