Whirlwind - Barrett Tillman [99]
Next Rasmussen tried launching a small boat but the breakers prevented him from reaching the open sea. Disappointed, he withdrew into the mountains and established himself in a railroad shack. There he dined on raw onions, bird’s eggs, and uncooked rice. On good days he added frog’s legs.
On August 16, thirty-two days into his ordeal, Rasmussen was seen by a Japanese civilian. Probably neither man knew that the emperor had announced surrender the day before, but Rasmussen was wise to scamper away—many Allied airmen were murdered after the radio address.
Scouting around, Rasmussen found a spot within reach of five farms. Using scavenged lumber, he built a small hut and helped himself to the local largesse. His new arrangement was even better than the first farm, since the locals cooled their milk in nearby streams. Skimming the cream, he helped himself to generous servings—his best night was nine quarts.
Then, on the night of September 5, some dogs got the American’s scent—he had not bathed in seven weeks. Their owners began searching and Rasmussen had to make a break. “Several Japs came out jabbering and some of them started to close in on me. I bowled a couple over and ran like hell.”
Deprived of his commissary, Rasmussen kept moving. When he noted more American planes flying low every day, drawing no gunfire, his hopes soared.
Unable to attract a passing aircraft, Rasmussen opted for a direct approach. On September 19 he walked into the port of Tomakomai. The police chief gave the unexpected guest a cigarette and confirmed that Japan had surrendered. Then, concerned with recent events in his jurisdiction, the chief asked about disappearing milk over the previous month. Rasmussen blandly declined any knowledge of the thefts and enjoyed his first real meal and a bath in sixty-eight days.
Upon return to the Shangri-La, Oliver Rasmussen related his exceptional adventure to a rapt crew, then caught an aircraft for the States, traveling Priority Two. He spent a full career in the Navy but died of cancer in 1980, only age fifty-seven.
Allies
In mid-July, Task Force 38 received reinforcements. The Royal Navy task group, built around four fast carriers, represented the striking arm of the British Pacific Fleet (BPF), which had participated in the Okinawa campaign under Mitscher’s Task Force 58.
British naval policy in the Pacific had been established at the Quebec Conference in September 1944. After discussing Allied occupation of a defeated Germany, Roosevelt and Churchill turned to the Royal Navy’s role against Japan. Churchill offered the Americans a sizable Royal Navy force in the Pacific, and Roosevelt readily accepted. The details were left to the respective admiralties.
The BPF had been established in November 1944 with its main base at Sydney, Australia, and the advanced base at Manus in the Admiralties (“Scapa Flow with bloody palm trees”). Its mission was at least as much geopolitical as operational, since London insisted that British forces appear as an active if junior partner in operations against Japan’s home islands. The Royal Navy regarded a front-rank role “of the utmost importance” in contrast to General Douglas MacArthur’s frequent use of Australians in supporting actions.
With barely 150 ships in the world’s greatest ocean, the BPF was top-heavy with braid. In overall command was Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser, who remained ashore in Australia. His seagoing commander, Vice Admiral Sir Henry Bernard Rawlings, was a battleship and cruiser officer who had seen combat in the Mediterranean. More relevantly, Vice Admiral Sir Philip Vian commanded the carriers: HMS Formidable, Indefatigable, Indomitable, and Victorious. A nonaviator, Vian had extensive experience