Chapter 900: Another Fleet

Did the Americans fall for it? They absolutely fell for it! To be precise, not even the American intelligence services had imagined that Japan, in such an unfavorable situation, would go all-in for a decisive, all-out battle with the U.S. Navy.

General Halsey, in his usual style, directed his vanguard to launch a fierce attack on the Japanese bait fleet that had first revealed itself. In fact, his method was the simplest of all—whether it was bait or not, as long as you charged in headfirst and devoured the enemy, it was a worthy endeavor no matter how you looked at it.

Regardless of whether it’s a bargain, just take it first. This was Halsey’s thinking, and his idea also had the support of the other commander of the American fleet behind him, Spruance. This general also believed that the Japanese would not go all-in here, because even Nimitz behind him didn’t quite believe that the Japanese Navy would counter-attack here.

But the American carrier fleet was no soft persimmon. The aircraft carrier USS Yorktown and the USS Ranger were at peak combat readiness, and the USS Hornet and the later-launched USS Wasp were also among them. In addition, with three converted carriers temporarily requisitioned from the British Navy, the U.S. Navy fleet this time had an overwhelming advantage in air power over Japan, with more than twice the number of aircraft.

A full seven American carriers against three Japanese carriers—this was the capital the U.S. Navy had to dare to engage in a decisive frontal battle. So Spruance, without any hesitation, launched the second wave of attack aircraft to carry out a saturation air strike on the Japanese bait fleet.

“We must concentrate our forces and annihilate their bait fleet before the other Japanese fleets appear in the war zone!” General Spruance said, looking at the nautical chart. “Since the Japanese think that putting this fleet here for us to attack first is a good idea, then we will make the Japanese regret doing so!”

However, he was more cautious than the hot-tempered Halsey. While he had decided to attack first and devour the Japanese Navy’s bait fleet, he had not forgotten the other Japanese fleets that might appear in the war zone. So after giving the order to launch the second wave of attack aircraft, he added a second operational order: “Have the reconnaissance aircraft units take off! Focus on reconnoitering the directions of these original islands! Also, the areas with thick clouds must be reconnoitered! We cannot miss any blind spots…”

Watching his reconnaissance planes take off in batches and scatter in all directions, Spruance raised the corners of his mouth in a smile. He was using an open and upright strategy to counter Yamamoto’s cunning schemes. As long as he made no mistakes himself, Yamamoto Isoroku would have no opportunity to exploit.

Any stratagem is bound to have its pros and cons. For example, to set a bait, then in the course of the engagement, this bait will inevitably become the primary target of the enemy—unless the enemy does not take the bait. So, any bait unit must first be attacked by a superior enemy force and must do its best to hold off the attacking enemy.

The battleship Ise had already taken two aerial bombs, and a fire was raging in its funnel section. But its propulsion system was still intact, and it was still maintaining a maximum speed of over 20 knots. The other warship, the Hyūga, had performed beyond expectations and had not yet been hit by the American forces.

However, the Japanese Navy’s good luck seemed to be running out at this moment. First, the already burning Ise was hit again by ammunition dropped from an American plane, and this time it was not an aerial bomb, but a torpedo! This torpedo struck the bow of the Ise, blowing a huge hole in it. The Ise’s speed had to be reduced, which in turn began to drag down the entire Japanese fleet.

The American planes, like flies that had found a cracked egg, began to swarm the slowing Ise. Soon, the central main turret behind the Ise’s funnel was hit again. This time, the Ise was in real trouble, because the ammunition in the turret had exploded, completely disabling the warship’s propulsion system.

“Send a telegram to the battleship Hyūga! Have Miura-kun take over as fleet commander,” the original fleet commander on the bridge of the Ise ordered wearily, his hands on the table. “If you can’t contact the radio room, use flag signals, use lights! If the fire is too bright, the smoke too thick, then launch a sampan!”

Just as he was giving the order, a Japanese destroyer that had come closer, attempting to rescue the sailors in the water, was hit by an American plane and was blown in two, sinking even faster than the already-sinking Ise. The sea surface was covered with heavy oil and burning flames, and was dense with sailors in the water. The end of the Ise was at hand.

“Report! General! A flag signal from Captain Miura on the Hyūga. He says he cannot see the command flag on our ship, so he has temporarily raised the command flag to take over command of the fleet and continue the battle.”

“Excellent! Miura-kun! To be able to fight alongside such an outstanding officer as you is truly my honor,” the captain of the Ise said with a bitter smile, then nodded in acknowledgment of his subordinate’s overreach. He walked to the door of the command bridge and, suddenly remembering something, asked the officer behind him, “Where is the first officer? Is there still no news from the anti-aircraft command position?”

The fire inside the warship could not be effectively controlled, and the American planes were creating new explosion points everywhere. The outer iron stairs had also been destroyed by bombs, and with the telephone lines damaged, there had been no news from the anti-aircraft command position for more than ten minutes. The officer shook his head, which was his answer to his superior.

“Rest assured! For us to die in battle here today is a necessary price for His Majesty the Emperor and the Great Japanese Empire. As long as we can help our fleet win this war, then even if we are all sunk here, what is there to regret?” this general, with his newly promoted rank of rear admiral, said with a smile, patting his subordinate’s shoulder and encouraging him. “A young man like you should live a good life! Go! I authorize you to use a sampan to continue the fight on the Hyūga!”

BOOM! The main gun turret at the stern exploded. The battleship Ise, which had originally been taking on water at the bow, was now taking on water at both bow and stern. The immense twisting force of the seawater made the sturdy warship groan with the sound of bending steel, a frightening sound.

Watching the flames and black smoke from the explosion in the distance, this Japanese rear admiral straightened his attire, signaled for everyone to leave, and then walked to the broadcast position, picked up the microphone, and gave the combat order he was supposed to give.

“All hands, as your commander, the captain of this ship, it has been a great honor to serve with you all. Now I must regretfully give my last order. All hands… abandon ship!” And so, in every corner of the warship, the captain’s familiar voice rang out. Suddenly, it seemed as if all the noise had faded away. Faintly, one could even hear someone crying.

At this moment, the battleship Hyūga gave its first order as the new flagship of the Japanese bait fleet, which was to order the bait fleet to break formation and begin to flee for their lives. It had to be said that this order could be considered a rational combat order, but the timing of it was a bit too late.

Because in the sky above, the second wave of the U.S. Naval Air Arm’s attack force had already arrived. One after another, the American planes began to dive down from the clouds. Unlike the first time, the American planes that had arrived this time were carrying torpedoes, and there were more of the more threatening torpedo bombers.

“Report!” On the bridge of the battleship Nagato, of the Japanese Navy’s eastern mobile fleet, that is, Yamamoto Isoroku’s fast battleship strike fleet, an officer, with one hand on his officer’s sword and the other holding a telegram, walked up behind Yamamoto. “Your Excellency, Marshal, a telegram from the battleship Hyūga.”

“Read it!” Yamamoto did not turn his head. He stood in his place, coldly watching the calm sea being cut by the bow of his own warship. His fleet was advancing at full speed. The estimated position of the U.S. Navy fleet was now less than a short 100 kilometers away.

“The battleship Ise is sinking and has lost all contact. As the highest-ranking commander on the scene, I have taken over command of the flagship and have ordered the fleet to break formation and withdraw from the battle—Captain Miura Jiro,” the officer read the telegram and then stood respectfully in place, waiting for Yamamoto’s further instructions.

Yamamoto Isoroku looked up, glanced at the not-so-thin clouds in the sky, nodded, and said, “The bait fleet has completed its mission. Now it’s up to my fleet and Nagumo Chuichi’s. They are all qualified soldiers of the Great Japanese Empire. We must avenge these fallen comrades!”

“Hai!” All the officers present stood at attention, bowed their heads, and respectfully bent their waists. They were all holding in a foul mood. As long as they could charge into the formation of the American carrier fleet, then it would be their time to use their skilled gunnery to give the U.S. Navy a good thrashing.

However, what these men did not know was that an American reconnaissance plane had already spotted the white wakes cut by this fleet in the ocean through the clouds. The navigator in the back of the plane had already pressed his hand on the telegraph key and had sent out an important message: “Recon 015 has spotted a Japanese fleet. The exact number is unknown!”

“Woooo… Woooo…!” Soon, a piercing alarm sounded throughout the American fleet. Many pilots were putting on their gear and checking their planes according to the emergency scramble order. The American fleet was a hive of activity. Everyone was extremely tense at the discovery of another Japanese fleet.

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