Chapter 1082: Sallied Out Again

The German armored forces swept through the region south of Moscow like a whirlwind, reclaiming that lightning-fast feeling on the battlefield. This was exciting news for the German army, because a rapid breakthrough also meant that they would not suffer heavy casualties in battle.

At almost the same moment, on the calm surface of the Pacific, a Japanese aircraft carrier was cutting through the waves. A row of brand-new Zero fighters on its deck showed that the carrier had just been resupplied and its combat effectiveness was at its peak. On the distant sea, one after another of escort warships were sailing with the carrier.

Even further away, parallel to these warships, the shadow of a giant battleship almost completely enveloped a destroyer next to it. This behemoth, over 250 meters long, was perhaps the largest warship ever built by man. Its sheer presence seemed enough to overwhelm any opponent.

On the bridge of this super-battleship, Admiral Koga Mineichi lowered the binoculars from his eyes. It seemed all naval admirals liked to strike this pose, holding binoculars to watch their fleet. It’s unknown who started this posturing, but the gesture had been well-inherited by naval commanders of all nations.

At this moment, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sorrow, because the Combined Fleet of today could no longer be compared to its heyday. Continuous attrition had cost the fleet a large number of warships. The force he now held in his hands, compared to the number of ships commanded by Yamamoto Isoroku at his peak, was a world of difference.

If, two years ago, he, Koga Mineichi, could have commanded the Japanese Combined Fleet, becoming the commander of the most powerful fleet in the Japanese army, his mood could have been described as completely triumphant. But now, facing the mountain-like pressure from the U.S. Navy, his current mood could only be described as walking on thin ice.

As the saying goes, “He who is not in charge does not know the price of firewood and rice.” Koga Mineichi, who had been serving in China, had been a representative of the navy’s “younger faction” before he took command of the Combined Fleet. He had advocated for an active counter-attack, to sortie the fleet.

However, when the poor Koga Mineichi had to take over command from Marshal Yamamoto Isoroku and become the new commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet, the fleet, which had suffered heavy losses in the Battle of the Solomon Sea, was in fact no longer capable of a counter-attack. For Yamamoto Isoroku, to be ordered to hand over his command and return to the homeland to report on his duties, seemed to have been a better fate.

After Koga Mineichi had taken command of the Combined Fleet, he had once planned a full-scale counter-attack, but when he had learned the full extent of the losses the fleet had suffered, he had no choice but to give up that impetuous plan. He had instead, in accordance with the rest and refit plan drawn up by Yamamoto, continued to pursue the policy of “avoiding battle and regrouping.”

His policy had clearly drawn the ire of the Army and the Navy’s “younger faction.” These men believed that they should fight a decisive battle with the U.S. military, not waste away and die on the vast Pacific. This argument had, at the beginning, been firmly resisted by high-ranking admirals like Nagumo Chuichi. But as more and more of the Southeast Asian islands were lost, the Imperial General Headquarters had also come to stand on this view—they hoped Koga Mineichi could rally the Combined Fleet, crush the main U.S. fleet in one naval battle, and allow Japan to regain the initiative in the war.

Why had the Army’s opinion gained the support of the Imperial General Headquarters? Because the Army’s General Ishihara Kanji had successively won several encounter battles near Vladivostok, compressing Chuikov’s forces to the vicinity of the city. The great victory on land had given the Army plenty of face, so their voice had drowned out that of the Navy Ministry. In the end, Koga Mineichi had had no choice but to consider the thoughts of the pro-war faction that supported him, and could not continue to go against his original proposal and avoid battle.

And so, no matter how much the unlucky new commander of the Combined Fleet, Koga Mineichi, had tried to shirk, in the end, he could only, once again, assemble the fleet and set out. The good news was that, due to the long period of accumulation, his fleet’s fuel was very sufficient, and the newly replenished pilots had also accumulated a lot of flight experience. It could be said that they had recovered a certain degree of combat effectiveness.

On the other hand, the Japanese Navy had, in the past, on a large scale, used its flight cadets to form “Cherry Blossom” (Sakura) suicide attack squadrons, and had launched a massive suicide attack on the U.S. Navy. They had piloted their fighters and had directly crashed into the American warships, and for a time, had caused great panic among the American sailors.

This time, Koga Mineichi had also brought a large number of suicide planes. He hoped to use this method to sink as many American warships as possible and to complete a “last stand” counter-attack against the U.S. Navy. Because there was relatively more time, the Japanese suicide planes this time were not ordinary aircraft, but specially modified models.

Some of the fuel tanks had been removed and had been replaced with more explosives. The entire aircraft was, in effect, a manned guided bomb. Once it hit an American warship, the losses it could cause would be even greater. This was also the Japanese Navy’s last, all-in gamble, because they had already put all their assets on the line.

“Your Excellency, Admiral! The patrol reconnaissance plane has sent back a message. They still have not found any trace of the American fleet,” an operations officer reported, holding a telegram record as he stood behind Koga Mineichi. “The forward destroyer screen also did not detect any American reconnaissance planes.”

Koga Mineichi squinted his eyes and carefully considered for a few seconds. He knew that the fleet’s current position was still relatively safe. If they continued to head south along this course, they would soon enter the main activity area of the American fleet. That was the battlefield he had chosen this time, the place where he would fight a decisive battle with the U.S. Navy.

In this sea area, the Japanese army had an island airfield that could launch about 200 planes to provide support for the navy. Although these land-based aircraft were clumsy and weak when attacking naval vessels, they could at least help to provide some anti-aircraft fire, which Koga Mineichi valued very much.

Another reason for choosing this place was because the surrounding area had just been captured by the American army, and the other side should not have had time to build airfields on the islands. This would allow the Japanese army to gain an advantage of 200 land-based aircraft. Compared to a head-on collision with the Americans, this was clearly a good move to leverage the situation.

Ever since the Japanese carriers Kaga and Akagi had been sunk by the U.S. Navy, the Japanese Navy had been unable to compete with the U.S. Navy in terms of carrier numbers. But all of this had now been alleviated. The shipyards in the rear had worked day and night, and had finally managed to launch the carriers Shōkaku and Zuikaku ahead of schedule, to become the new pillars of the Japanese Navy at sea.

And the new battleship fleet that Yamamoto had always been longing for had also reached its peak in Koga Mineichi’s hands. With the launching and commissioning of the battleship Yamato, and the completion of the Kongō-class battlecruisers’ refit, the Japanese Navy now possessed a terrifying battleship fleet. This was also another reason why Koga Mineichi finally had the courage to bring the fleet out and to fight a decisive battle with the Americans.

The new pride of the Japanese Navy now was this super-battleship under Koga Mineichi’s feet, the Yamato. As the flagship of the Combined Fleet, this warship’s performance and data were perhaps the best in the world. As a battleship, it had the largest-caliber main guns in the world, a total of nine 460mm heavy cannons. This firepower was enough for it to destroy any enemy warship that entered its range. Even the U.S. Navy’s Iowa-class battleships, which were still on the slipways, were no match for it.

Following behind this flagship of the Combined Fleet were the four Kongō-class battlecruisers. These four battleships, having undergone a modernization refit, were more advanced than the battleships used by the U.S. Navy. In terms of combat performance, the Japanese battleships had always had an overwhelming advantage, and in terms of the tradition and experience of gunnery duels, the U.S. Navy was also no match for the Japanese Navy.

This time, Koga Mineichi’s basic tactic was: the air arm would only be responsible for fighting for air superiority, and would use suicide planes to interfere with the U.S. Navy’s actions. In the end, they would close the distance between the two armies and, relying on the absolute superiority of their battleships, they would, in one fell swoop, use gunnery tactics to crush the U.S. Navy.

In fact, to this day, there was still a debate within the Japanese Navy as to whether the battleship was the main force of the navy, or if the aircraft carrier was. Most of the high-ranking Japanese naval officers had a very deep affection for the battleship. To make them compromise and to admit the status of the carrier was, in a short period of time, simply an impossible matter.

And the broad masses of mid- and low-ranking officers and men also felt that the battleship, with its sturdy ships and powerful cannons, was the true mainstay of the navy. This was also related to the Japanese Navy’s promotion system. All the high-ranking naval officers had been selected from battleship positions. Officers who had not served on a battleship had a relatively marginal status. So, in terms of orthodoxy, the Japanese Navy was dominated by the battleship faction.

Of course, from another perspective, this was also inextricably linked to the Japanese Navy’s current situation. Who would dare to say that the naval air arm was the main force of the navy? After experiencing several defeats, the naval air arm had already been beaten all over the place by the American planes. To still say that the air arm was the main force, wasn’t that to say that the Japanese Navy had already been defeated?

So these pro-war officers would not admit that the main force of the Japanese Navy had already suffered heavy losses. They were convinced that the battleship was the main force of the navy. This way, they could leave everyone with a hope: our main fleet is still there, and we can still fight! As for how to fight the rest of the naval battle with battleships, that was the Combined Fleet’s own business, and had nothing to do with them.

This was not a group of madmen who were deceiving themselves, but that the cards in their hands had limited everyone’s tactical thinking. If the Japanese naval air arm could still be as sharp as it had been at the beginning of the war, this “battleship is king” argument would probably have long since ceased to exist.

Thinking of this, Koga Mineichi subconsciously shook his head, and then looked back at the distant sea. “Have the fleet continue to advance. All reconnaissance planes and picket warships, on alert! As soon as you discover the American fleet, report to me immediately!”

Advance chapters at Nightjar Reads · nightjarreads.com