8.(0-1) Slim Novel 8 Starts - Intro to Guadalcanal

Slim Novel 8 - http://adventuresofkimi.blogspot.com - See Homepage

Slim Novel 8 - Guadalcanal

Other Slim Novels

#1 Kimi

#2 Ali & Kimura – World’s Fair 1939

#3 Educating Kimi

#4 Olga & Boris – Honeymoon in Siberia

#5 New Decade – 1941 Tokyo

#6 Midway

#7 Tokyo at War – 1942/43

#9 Kimi Heads North

#10 Losing War – Tojo Resigns

#11 New Future, #12 On the Ground Running, #13 Back in the Bronx, #14 Eddie in Occupied Japan, #15 Eddie in Medical School, #16 Eddie Around the World, #17 The Wisdom of a Very Old Man

Summary of What Came Before

Kimi is a fisherman's daughter sent to a school for entertainers of men and sponsored by Japan’s Imperial Army which in the 1930's is enlisting poor girls as Comfort Women for the troops. She serves the Army in Manchukuo (Japanese puppet state of Manchuria in the 1930's) and meets a rising star foreign correspondent, Kimura, who takes her under his wing.

   She moves to Tokyo and as war begins she goes to work as Girl Friday for Kimura. After 8 December 1941, Kimura is away as Navy Correspondent and we get his first report in Slim Novel 6 on the Battle of Midway. As Slim Novel 8 opens, Kimura is heading for Guadalcanal.

1.  God of Operations
 (In Kimura's words as diary)

“Knock-knock.” Enters a geisha bearing a tray with 5 glistening, raw -white bonito fish slices, each over a small cylinder of freshly cooked white rice with nostril-numbing mustard in between; also cubed papaya and goblet-chilled champagne.
   I eat, drink and feel merry; then follows a lieutenant.  I am informed I shall be briefed on new assignment and he orders me accompany him. Our motor launch heads toward sandy beach backed by palms. We drive to white stucco bungalow and enter room with folding chairs and wall map. Left alone I sit gazing out window tranquilized by tropical view
   Door snaps open, martial voice calls “Atten-hut!” and I leap to feet facing doorway beside which a sergeant stands rigid.

The youngish pork-chop whiskers face with black-rim glasses peeking out under black visor officer cap! The prominent floppy ears! The air of knight-errant arrant arrogance! The ribbons in front suggesting hero and the shoulder insignia of full colonel! Seems to me I’ve seen this wrong before!

   Memory jolt! A name, Fuji, fills my mind! It is Colonel Masanobu Fuji the Nexus of Nanking, the scourge of Singapore, the blaster of Bataan, the Imperial Army God of Operations! His history flashes before me:  Conspirator in the 1936 Army insurrection that for 3 days controlled Tokyo until called to heel by the Emperor; a mastermind of the plot to blow up Prince Konoye in October ’41 when the then Prime Minister was on the verge of secret peace talks that would have averted war; a tactical planner of the invasion of Malaya and the capture of Singapore, and the avenging spirit of the Imperial Army's Philippine campaign who overruled its commander, and personally saw to it that thousands of Filipinos were executed because they helped the Americans: It is Fuji, Masanobu!  Here before me in his flesh and soon to be a thorn in mine! 

   Fuji waves sloppy salute, motions me to chair, drops into other, pulls out pack of Camels cigarettes, offers me one, lights up and starts speaking.

   “I suppose you're wonderin’ what you're doin’ here, Kimura? More importantly, wonderin’ what I'm doin’? I been ordered to take you along during the island fightin’.  El Supremo – Yamamoto – fancies you as writah, thinks you'll do a history that'll make ‘im look great, like Alexander! Why, I don’ know? Far's I can see you're a goddam commie pacifist, oughta be shovelin’ shit in Karafuto!”

   To describe Fuji exhausts exclamation points. Actually he can sound intelligent and cultured when he wishes. Now that I gave his authentic speech, I shall edit him into literacy without deleting lunacy.

   He puts on a serious look and suddenly grins like mischievous boy. “On the other hand, Kimura, Commander Genda tells me you did well when the shit storm hit Midway, so maybe you'll be good for laughs. Whatever! The emiral is one guy in this man's navy whose orders I carry out so if you're in with him it's jake with me! Now let's get down to it!”

   Relieved at this turn of his talk I shift my chair for view of wall map while Fuji now standing before it with pointer in right hand outlines balance of forces in SW Pacific: General MacArthur with troops in Australia and still holding much of New Guinea awaiting our next hammer blow; the Imperial forces, controlling a shield of islands along east coast of Australia, from Truk in the north, to Guadalcanal in the south, thus cutting across the U.S. supply line from Hawaii. As he talks, “Solomon Islands” and “Guadalcanal” jog my imagination and memory.

 New Guinea on map is, in profile, a big bird that has just taken off from NW Australia with head facing the northwest, belly the south, and tail the southeast. Its capital Port Moresby on underside of the bird tail at tip is still in American hands. Just north of the tail and separated by short stretch of sea is our headquarters, Rabaul. And to the south are two rows of smaller islands – The Solomons and follows a history:

Don Alvaro Mendana wants to find King Solomon's Mine on the volcanic and jungle-covered islands – hence “The Solomons.” The “Guadalcanal” is from the Don’s hometown in Spain. On Easter Sunday 18 April 1568 (Julian Calendar) at Lunga point he lands on a sandbar at mouth of a wide river. He is met by boats filled with bushy-haired, war-painted brown natives who greet the Don and his crew with a barrage of fire-tipped arrows. Surprised, he heads westward along the coast and beaches at a deserted spot, claims it for King Philip II (the Spanish Armada fellow) and digs for gold. Several weeks of digging produce only malaria.

  The islands are forgotten for 200 years. Then in 1767 a Frenchman, Bougainville rediscovers them and names the largest and northernmost for himself. In 1788 comes along a British naval Leftenant Shortland to name one island for himself and another – New Georgia – for his king. By 1800, Bougainville is German and the others British. The islands’ industry – coconuts – is carried out along cleared areas of coastline. Meanwhile, inland the untamed natives continue restless and the malarial mosquito, unchecked. After World War I the Solomons are mandated to Australia.
   That is the situation on 8 December 1941. Early in 1942 we (Japan) occupy key points on north New Guinea, set up a major military base at Rabaul, and occupy the Solomons south to Guadalcanal.

Fuji interrupts my recall: “Next we take Port Moresby, the step stone to invade Australia. Then we develop Australia for the East Asians under our leadership. Guadalcanal will be the jump off point to Australia. You go there next, Kimura – tomorrow!” 
    To read on, now, click 8.2 Beige Beach, Cerulean Sky, Aquamarine Ocean, ...