Chapter 528: The Third Time

“The second wave of the attack force is about to enter the airspace of Pearl Harbor, Your Excellency,” Chuichi Nagumo said, proudly pointing at the map as he briefed Admiral Yamamoto, who was standing to the side, on the current position of his aircraft.

To get a better understanding of the effect of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Yamamoto had abandoned his battleship flagship at the beginning of the attack’s preparation phase and had transferred his flag to the aircraft carrier Akagi.

“The American reaction was faster than expected. They have begun to counter-attack in some areas, but the effect has been very limited. Our pilots have fought bravely and have sunk the carriers Enterprise and Lexington,” Nagumo continued, seeing that Yamamoto had not spoken.

Finally, in a questioning tone, he asked, “The first wave of our attack group has returned. We have lost 27 aircraft, which is more than expected. General, do you think it is necessary for the third wave of the attack force to take off?”

Yamamoto nodded and pointed a finger at the airfields and the oil depots. “Our army suffered a disastrous defeat at Nomonhan. The document submitted to His Majesty the Emperor by the German observer mission was also circulated among the Navy high command.”

He glanced at Chuichi Nagumo and continued, “According to the experience of the Army’s failure, the Germans believe that the air force should be used to attack the enemy’s airfields and supply depots, to support the operations of the ground forces as much as possible. The Germans believe that in this aspect of destroying the enemy’s war potential, even if it means suffering some losses, it must be done to the best of our ability… So… Nagumo-kun, the Navy absolutely cannot make the same mistake again.”

“Hai!” Nagumo stood at attention and bowed his head.

“Eternal good fortune in war! Bomb-laden planes, take off! Continue the attack!” the officer of the air group commanded loudly to the Japanese pilots in front of him, who had just had their pictures taken. “Completely destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet! Long live the Great Japanese Empire!”

“Banzai!” everyone shouted back, then ran to their respective planes.

These aircraft, carrying huge bombs and long torpedoes, and escorted by twenty fighter planes, were on the third bombing mission against Pearl Harbor. The third attack on Pearl Harbor, which had not occurred in history, was, under a variety of coincidences, happening in this timeline.

With the roar of their engines, the Japanese warplanes took off from the decks of the carriers one after another. They formed up in droves and flew towards their distant target. These planes were like a swarm of locusts, dense and menacing.

And in Pearl Harbor, it was already a sea of fire. The warships were slowly sinking. These vessels, which had once rendered great service to the United States in its domination of the Pacific, were now burning with the sound of twisting steel, like dying beasts letting out one mournful cry after another.

“The Arizona has run aground, settled on the shallow bottom. But only the superstructure is above the water…” a damage control officer was reporting the fleet’s losses to the Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Admiral Kimmel. He had just confirmed the news of the sinking of the carriers Enterprise and Lexington.

“Have the soldiers rescue the warships at once! Have the undamaged warships leave the harbor immediately! Notify the Army Air Corps to launch their planes and take control of the entire Pearl Harbor airspace! We need to ensure that Japan…” Admiral Kimmel was in a frenzy, listening to the losses on one hand and arranging the next tasks for his deputy on the other.

But before he could finish giving his orders, the second round of Japanese bombing had arrived. This time, the Japanese planes were divided into two groups. The first group was still wreaking havoc in the harbor, attacking the American warships. The second group went to thoroughly attack the American military airfields, bombing the already chaotic fields from top to bottom once again.

One after another, the planes dived down, pouring their ammunition onto the targets on the ground. Some of the escorting Japanese fighters, unable to find a target, even used their machine guns and cannons to strafe the American barges that were rescuing soldiers in the harbor.

The 20mm cannon shells tore a row of holes in the barges’ hulls, and the American naval officers and men who had just climbed aboard were hit and fell inside. For a time, the entire barge was covered in bright red blood, and many were crying out in pain for medics and their mothers.

Soon, the battleship USS California also exploded and sank. This was the third American battleship sunk by the Japanese today. The losses at Pearl Harbor had completely exceeded the Americans’ expectations. The tactic of using a large number of aircraft carriers to attack a naval port had reached its peak in the hands of the Japanese Navy.

Because of the difference in the number of naval vessels, their results had even surpassed that of Germany, which had been the first to prove the role of the aircraft carrier in naval warfare, and they had leaped to become the world’s number one power in carrier operations. To launch a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor with over 400 aircraft at once had also become the first instance in human history of a large-scale naval air raid.

The Japanese pilots accurately dropped their bombs on the immobile American warships moored in the harbor. The accuracy of their bombing was as exhilarating as an exercise. Every bomb dropped was always exchanged for a terrifying explosion and the bodies of countless American soldiers.

The American anti-aircraft units on the shore opened fire fiercely at the sky. They used the few intact anti-aircraft guns they had left to return fire. A young soldier, using a Swedish-made Bofors anti-aircraft gun, hit a Japanese plane, and the excited soldiers around him raised their arms and cheered for him.

However, those who shot down Japanese planes were a minority. Most of the soldiers were still enduring the slaughter and destruction by the Japanese aircraft. Most of the soldiers in the sea had now swum back to shore, but before their clothes were even wrung out, they were conscripted by the guards of the oil depots to join the work of extinguishing the fires and rescuing the base facilities.

“Ring, ring, ring!” The phone rang in the American command headquarters. A frantic staff officer picked up the phone, and his face became even more grim. “What? You’re saying the Japanese have landed on Oahu? Be more specific! Did you hear about it, or did you see it with your own eyes? I know you’re scared! But you have to be clear…”

He put down the receiver and called over a subordinate. “You go to the Army garrison command at once. Have them organize some men and confirm whether the Japanese have landed on Oahu! This is very important. Notify us immediately if you have any news.”

At the same moment, the U.S. Army Air Corps was desperately trying to get its fighters off the ground. But the three pitiful fighter pilots who had made it into the air were now facing the slaughter of a full 20 Japanese naval fighters. Outnumbered, they were all eventually shot down, and they had only managed to achieve the result of shooting down one Japanese attack plane.

“What’s the situation? The Japanese have landed? My God! Organize some men immediately to investigate! Don’t miss a single corner! Immediately!” The Army, upon receiving the news of the Japanese landing, was also terrified and immediately began to arrange for men to ascertain the situation.

Before long, a hastily assembled force began to search the coastline. Many of the oil depots and naval facilities had been destroyed by the Japanese army. There were explosions everywhere, and local people were fleeing the bombing. For a time, the American soldiers could not figure out whether the Japanese had actually sent ground troops to attack their naval port.

At this time, a message came from the few American destroyers that had escaped the harbor. They had not seen any Japanese landing craft nearby. It was impossible for the Japanese to organize a large-scale landing operation. With this reliable news, the Americans were finally relieved. It was later confirmed that the intelligence about the Japanese landing was indeed false information provided by the locals in their panic.

The bombing would not end early because of the Americans’ confusion. In fact, because of the Americans’ confusion, the scale and frequency of the bombing had greatly increased. The dense formations of Japanese planes, because there were too many valuable targets in Pearl Harbor, were in an awkward dilemma of not knowing where to bomb.

The surface of the sea was covered with a thick layer of oil. Some places were even burning from the explosions. The thick smoke from the exploding warships obscured the vision of the Japanese bombers, but the choking smoke also affected the Americans’ own rescue work. Cries for medics were everywhere. Wounded soldiers lay on the ground, wailing, but because there were simply too many of them, no doctors were available to see to them in time.

These wounded soldiers cried and shouted, and then, their voices faded away. Their blood flowed out and stained the earth red, trickling down the stone steps of the pier, and finally converging into a viscous river that flowed into the distant bay.

“Motherfucker! Motherfucking Japs!” an American soldier, who had just fired a shot at the sky with his rifle, cursed loudly. At his feet was the body of an American GI who had long since died. Only when he had fired all the bullets in his rifle did he bend down and start to search the body of the army soldier for ammunition.

Everywhere was a scene of chaos. Soldiers could not find their officers, and officers could not see their soldiers. Some people were covered in oil and would ask anyone they saw if they had seen their superior. More people were just running desperately, running out of the base, as far away as possible from the area being bombed by the Japanese planes.

Soon, the third wave of Japanese bombers joined the battle. They focused their attack on the oil depots and the repair docks, sinking the already immobile battleship USS Tennessee in Pearl Harbor. Subsequently, the rescue work on the battleship USS Maryland, which had already failed, was abandoned a few hours after the air raid ended, and it sank into the cold seabed.

With this, the three attacks by the Japanese navy were more or less over. Of the eight American battleships, the Arizona, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Tennessee were sunk. The heavily damaged Nevada and Colorado would probably not be repaired within two years. The remaining warships were all damaged. The U.S. Pacific Fleet was completely annihilated. The naval base at Hawaii was like a scene from hell.

Published: 2025-09-02T03:45:05.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2025-12-12T16:05:44.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c528-third-137920819

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